Between The Lines (Hot in the City Book 4)

by T Gephart

  I shuffled off the couch, gripping my dirty T-shirt against my body as I headed to the bathroom.

  His hand snagged on my forearm, pulling me back to him, his shirt still MIA as he wrapped his arms around me. “Hey, you okay?” He dropped a soft, sweet kiss on my lips, nothing like what he’d been giving me before.

  “Yep, all good. Just hungry.” I kissed him back, partly because I didn’t want him to think I was freaking out a little, and partly because, well, I really liked kissing him.

  “Well then hurry back so I can feed you.” He reached down, grabbed my ass and gave it a squeeze. “Something tells me I don’t want to see you hangry.”

  I nodded, pushing away from his chest as I tried to laugh. “Yeah, it’s not a pretty sight.” And with a flick of my hair, I disappeared into my bathroom.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  Shit.

  I held my breath, only exhaling once I’d locked the door and turned on the shower.

  It was fine.

  I could totally do the casual thing, maybe it was a friends-with-benefits situation, and really would that be so bad? He was a nice guy, even if he did have a tendency to sleep around. But I wasn’t the morality police last time I checked. And if what he did with his hands was any indication of what he could do in bed, I was seriously doing myself a disservice if I didn’t sleep with him.

  He was a nice guy.

  He was also crazy sexy.

  And while I think he was probably allergic to monogamy, he wouldn’t lie to me.

  I was more than due a little harmless fun, and if I had to pick someone who could do that, then Justin Tibbs was the perfect candidate.

  “Yeah, it’s totally fine,” I reassured myself as I stripped out of my clothes and hopped under the spray. “As long as I maintain control and not get too attached, it’s going to be totally fine.”

  And for what it was worth, I honestly believed that.

  Justin

  THERE WAS SOMETHING about Tessa Ricci that made my game plan go out the window. Literally, I had walked into her apartment with one agenda—talking and not having sex—and ended up with my hands down her panties.

  I swear, it hadn’t been intentional. I’d taken what North had said on board and was going to tell her that I wanted to . . . I don’t know, get to know her better for starters. Completely hands off too, because I was serious about liking her. She was so fucking intriguing, and fun, and that mouth . . .well, I could sit and argue with her all day and never get bored.

  But.

  But I’d taken one look at her and whatever the hell I’d meant to say or do was tossed to the side and I had no choice but to kiss her. I said I had no choice because I just didn’t. My mouth and hands had their own agenda, and me being a nice guy and telling her how I felt wasn’t on it. And while I knew I’d screwed up a little, it hadn’t been a complete shitshow.

  No sex.

  Which considering how sexy she looked was a fucking effort, and clearly I possessed a level of restraint not even I was aware of.

  I’d made her come though, that couldn’t be helped.

  And yeah, she’d made me come too because again, hello, she’s fucking hot.

  But sex had definitely not happened, so I was going to call it a win on that technicality and move the hell on.

  “You decided where we’re going?” Tessa emerged from her bedroom wearing a pair of jeans that looked like they were molded to her ass. Her top was tight too, the plain black T-shirt curved her body so nicely I had to mentally stop my eyes from ogling her tits. “Tibbs!” She jingled her keys. “Stop checking out my boobs and tell me where you want to go eat.”

  “For the record,” my feet moved closer, unable to stop myself from wrapping my hands around her waist, “only teenage boys and perverts check out boobs, Ricci. Men—like myself—appreciate them. And they’re fantastic, you’re welcome.” I tipped my head to the front of her top in a show of approval.

  What I’d seen so far—through her sports bra and her top—was nothing short of spectacular. But I was desperate to see what they were really like, and to get those tight little nipples hard when I sucked on them.

  Which I would.

  Later.

  She rolled her eyes but didn’t seem annoyed, not even mentioning where I had my hands. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment, Tibbs, but whatever. Where are we going? Or do you want me to follow you?”

  “Follow?” I asked, wondering if she meant out the door.

  “In my car.” She motioned with her hands like they were on a steering wheel. “I assumed since you live in Midtown, I’d drive mine over so I can drive back after.”

  Which would make sense except I hadn’t thought about her leaving and wasn’t looking forward to saying goodbye.

  “Okay, so here’s a radical idea. Why don’t you pack a bag and spend the night at my place?” Her eyes widened, opening her mouth to shoot down the idea before I’d even finished. “And no, not like that, Ricci.” I laughed, genuinely not having meant her spending the night in my bed. Although, I wouldn’t exactly say no.

  No.

  Focus, Tibbs.

  “I have a spare bedroom, silly,” I quickly added. “Leighton’s room is still vacant and since you work right there, you can just leave in the afternoon from my apartment and not have to fight traffic over the bridge. We could just hang without having to watch the clock. See?”

  It was clearly not what she was expecting, the surprised look only intensifying before she cleared her throat. “You want me to spend the night in your spare room?”

  “Sure. Didn’t you have fun last night?” Leaving her in the morning had sucked and not because I wanted to sleep with her. I’d just genuinely didn’t want to say goodbye. So given the chance to remedy that little issue, I was going to take it. And since I hadn’t handed Evans a key like he’d been begging me to do, I had all kinds of options. See, sometimes it paid to be an asshole.

  She eyed me suspiciously, most likely assuming there was some other agenda. “Come on, Ricci, what are you worried about? You’ve already proven you could kick my ass if I get out of line.” And as weird as that was to admit, it was a definite turn on.

  There was something to be said about being with a girl who knew how to handle herself, and Tessa Ricci exceeded that on every level.

  “You do realize we have an entire day to fill, Tibbs.” She waved her hands in front of her. “Lots of time between now and bedtime.”

  I laughed, wondering if she liked arguing just because it got her off. “We could’ve been halfway to Midtown already. Just go and pack a bag, I thought you said you were hungry?”

  Her brow arched in possibly the sexiest wordless protest I’d ever seen, but she turned and headed back to her room. It was too early to call it a victory, but it was promising.

  A few minutes later, my argumentative badass emerged with a black backpack strapped to one shoulder. She’d been efficient, either getting her bag together in what I thought was record time for a woman, or that was her spare ammo and I was in for trouble. I wasn’t even nervous to roll the dice, excited for what the day was going to deliver and hoping I’d be able to make her come again at least one more time.

  Oh, I knew I was supposed to be good, but I was also a realist. And if she put her hands on me in any way that was sexual, I was going to have to reciprocate. Also, there wasn’t a chance in hell I wasn’t going to kiss her again. And since kissing is what usually started that downward spiral, there was a good chance we’d be back there again.

  “You just going to stare or we actually leaving?” She cocked her head to the side, gesturing toward the door.

  “Jesus, you really are cranky when you’re hungry.” I laughed, sliding her backpack from her shoulder and relocating it to mine. “Okay, Ricci, let’s go before you bite my head off.”

  My car was parked around the corner on a side street, the shiny black paint of my Impala greeting us as we got closer. It wasn’t as flashy as Leighton’s M
ustang, but hadn’t come with the ridiculous price tag either.

  “You know this would be a lot cooler if it was a ’64,” she bit back her grin as she slid into the passenger seat. “It’s kind of a dad car. You know, when they’re not having a full midlife crisis, but they’ve decided to upgrade from the minivan.”

  “Says the woman who’s driving a Toyota Corolla,” I scoffed, flipping her off at her lack of love for my wheels. “Driving an old lady car means you forfeited the right to comment on the cool factor of my car.”

  “It was my mom’s car and she is not an old lady,” she warned, waiting for me to get into the driver’s seat before continuing. “And I got the car almost brand new because my mom barely drove it. It meant I didn’t have car payments on top of rent, so I don’t give a shit what it looks like.”

  I shrugged, pretending to be unconvinced. “How it was acquired wasn’t up for debate. And doesn’t change the fact I could smoke most people at a set of lights while your four cylinder is all excuse-me-sir-let-me-come-through.”

  She rolled her eyes, pointing to the road extending beyond the windshield. “Yet here we are, stationary.”

  “You’re going to regret that.” I laughed, hitting the ignition and revving the engine. “FYI, if we get pulled over, I’m totally throwing you under the bus and saying you made me do it.”

  “Do what?” she asked as I eased away from the curb.

  “This.” I planted my foot, the RPMs hitting the red as we entered traffic.

  Yeah, it was childish, but I had the reputation of my car to uphold. And considering we still hadn’t hit the main road, there was enough asphalt in front of us before I had to slow down for traffic.

  Ignoring my flirtations with the speed limit, she laughed as I lane changed without decelerating, my foot only easing once I was convinced my point had been proven. “Not a dad car, Ricci. Unless you meant, daddy.” My grin widened as we got closer to Manhattan.

  “Wow, that was soooooo bad, Tibbs.” She shook her head. “You’re lucky you’re hot or you’d be spending your nights getting quality time with your hand.”

  “You think I’m hot?” I asked, the revelation pleasing me more than it should. Obviously I wasn’t an idiot and knew she was attracted to me, but hearing her say it out loud gave me a special kind of thrill.

  Her eyes darted to me like she hadn’t realized what she’d said until I’d repeated it back to her. But allowing her to take it back wasn’t an option, and I wasn’t going to let it slide either. “Go on, Ricci, tell me how hot I am.”

  “Tibbs, don’t pretend like you don’t know you’re good-looking. You don’t need me to tell you.” She dismissed me with a wave.

  “Hang on a second, when did you get to decide what I need to hear?” I argued back. “You think only women need to be told they’re beautiful and guys should just assume? Wow, someone is sexist.”

  Honestly, I’d never really given a shit whether women thought I was hot or not. Not outside its ability to gain their interest and attention. I worked out because I liked the way it felt and it made my job easier, with the appreciative glances a really cool fringe benefit. But with Tessa, I really wanted to know.

  “Fine,” she huffed out a breath, conceding defeat. “You’re beautiful, Tibbs.”

  “Not like that, wiseass. Say it like you want me to believe it.” I laughed, loving watching her squirm. “Make me feel it, Ricci.”

  She threw her hands up, turning so she could face me while I continued to drive. “Justin,” her voice purred, my name sounding sexier than it ever had, “you are so fucking hot. So beautiful. So . . .” Her hand dropped to my thigh and she gave it a squeeze. “Sexy, I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to keep my hands off you.”

  Between her low husky voice, the words, and the proximity of her hand to my crotch, I was already hard. And hell, if I wasn’t all kinds of conflicted because I had no idea if she was kidding. “Don’t play with me, Tessa. Not about that.”

  It was a warning, my limit to continue to play the game reaching its maximum as we got closer to my apartment. And fuck if I wasn’t already thinking about all the ways I wanted her hands on me.

  She swallowed, the comedy from her routine evaporating as my hand slid from the wheel and pressed against hers, holding it where it was.

  Her hand moved higher up my leg, “I meant everything I said.”

  Fuck.

  That was almost worse.

  Knowing she meant it while I was unable to act on it, was a different level of hell. I was immediately pissed at myself for starting the conversation while driving, my responses limited unless I wanted to wreck my car and possibly end up in an emergency room. Not one of my smartest moves. “We’re eating and then discussing this further,” I coughed out, unwilling to let it go.

  She played with her bottom lip, rolling it with her teeth as she nodded.

  It felt like forever before we finally pulled into the parking lot behind my apartment, my hands barely getting the car into park before I popped open the door. I needed to kiss her, and while I didn’t trust myself completely, not having her mouth was no longer an option.

  I was at the passenger side door before she’d even got her seatbelt off, pulling her out of my Impala and pressing her against my chest. “You’re so beautiful, Tessa,” I moaned against her mouth. “So. Fucking. Beautiful.”

  “Not so bad yourself.” I felt her smile against my lips. “I thought we were discussing this after food?”

  “You going to write me up for not following procedure? Wouldn’t be the first time.” My hands dropped down and gave her ass a squeeze.

  “I don’t like paperwork.” She returned the kiss, her hands doing some exploring of their own. “But we aren’t going to make out in the streets like a pair of deviants. Don’t really think it’s a good look considering we both work in this precinct.”

  Well, she had a point. And while I didn’t care what anyone thought about me, I didn’t want anyone—either from my stationhouse or hers—talking about her. It was tough enough being a cop in the city, but female cops had it even harder. So she wouldn’t be catching any additional heat because of me.

  “Right.” I nodded, slowly removing my hands from her perfect ass and lifted them away. “Guess we’re eating then.”

  Pushing the disappointment away, I walked her up the stairs to my apartment. It was risky, the chance that the privacy would lead me astray, but we had her backpack to put away. Last thing I wanted was to give her any reason to leave, so making sure she understood that the night came with no expectations was my prime objective.

  “You need anything before we leave?” I asked, tossing the bag on the floor of Leighton’s old room. He’d left most of his bedroom furniture since Presley’s place was kitted out. So other than needing to throw some sheets on the bare mattress, it was ready for a sleep over.

  Her eyes floated over the room, looking around before turning back to me. “You were serious.” It wasn’t a question, more an affirmation that I’d taken her by surprise.

  “I don’t make a habit of saying things I don’t mean.” I gently brushed the hair from her face. “So yeah, I was serious.”

  I wanted to kiss her, her lips so close that all I had to do was reach down and take them. And without the worry about who was around to see, I was free to show her exactly how much I wanted her to stay the night.

  My mouth hovered, brushing against hers lightly as I teased us both. Her breath came out in fast pants, her hand wrapping around the base of my T-shirt as she pulled me closer. “I’ll spend the night, but only if I get to stay in your room.” Her voice raw, unwavering as she told me what she wanted. “What do you think of that?”

  Think?

  She was giving me entirely too much credit if she thought I could function let alone think after that, my brain taking a vacation as my mouth closed the distance. I was trying my fucking hardest to be good, but denying her what she wanted wasn’t an option either. “Just my room or in my
bed?” I asked, wanting to clarify because there was a big difference.

  “Your bed, Justin,” she mumbled against my mouth, pushing me against the wall.

  I loved her strength, her lean toned body pressing against mine and knowing I didn’t have to worry about breaking her. “Yeah? I can take you there right now if that’s what you want.”

  So much for being good.

  It was overrated anyway.

  Plus, North had never answered me on how long he’d waited before he’d had sex with Quinn, so for all I knew I was holding off unnecessarily.

  My hands were all over her, tracing her curves over her clothes and imagining what she’d feel like naked. I wanted to know, to feel her against my body as I continued to kiss her with nothing between us.

  “Tessa,” I breathed, unable to stop kissing her as my mouth moved down her neck. I needed more leverage, spinning her around so it was her back against the wall with my body caging her in. “Baby, I’m so fucking hard right now and thinking straight isn’t an option for me. So if you want this to stop you’re going to have to tell me.”

  I wanted her.

  Wanted her in so many ways I couldn’t even decide where to start, but I needed to hear her say it was what she wanted too.

  Her hand reached down between us, pressing the heel of her palm against the straining fly of my jeans. “No stopping, and this time I want more than just your hand.”

  Tessa

  IF THERE HAD been some ambiguity as to whether Justin wanted to sleep with me, there wasn’t anymore. And thank God for that, because for all my earlier protests about not wanting to be another woman in Tibbs’ highlight reel, I really wanted him, too.

  He was crazy hot, his body and mouth knowing exactly how to make me feel good. If it turned out to be a one-time thing, I still didn’t think I’d regret it, feeling more turned on and ready to explode than I had in an entire year. Maybe I’d been doing it all wrong, and long-term serious relationships were overrated? In any case, I wasn’t going to overthink what would probably be the best sex I was ever going to have with a guy who, for all his cockiness, was still really sweet.