by Blue Saffire
Instead, we spent the night getting to know each other inch by inch. I smile as I think of the many ways I now know her. I can’t say I regret the way I woke this morning.
Dem in my arms and her leg wrapped around mine. It’s the way I feel I should be waking every morning. It felt right, like we’ve been doing it for years. I no longer feel like something is missing.
“Good morning,” she says, covering her mouth. “Please give me a minute to become human.”
I purse my lips to keep from laughing and nod, placing the tray down on the nightstand as she gets up and goes into the bathroom to freshen up. I watch her go, growing hard as her lush curves come into view. I’m tempted to follow her, but I want to get some food in her system. If I go in that bathroom, we’ll be eating anything but food.
“Kev, you’re going to stop using my toothbrush. I bought you one, damn it. I’m placing it in the holder. It’s the blue one.”
“Okay, baby. I’m sorry,” I say as I try not to laugh.
She’s told me this before. The last time I slept over on the couch. It truly ticks her off. When she peeks her head out of the bathroom to glance at me, her little nose is turned up and her lips are pulled tight.
I hold my hands up. “I’ve got it. The blue one is mine. I won’t use yours.”
She rolls her eyes, but a smile teases the corners of her lips before she disappears again. I reach for my phone to check my messages. I grunt; it’s all the same. We still have nothing. Frustration builds, causing me to toss the phone back down.
“What’s the matter?” Dem purrs as she straddles my lap with a piece of toast in her hand.
I hadn’t noticed her come from the bathroom. Placing my hands on her hips, I take in the fact that she’s in my T-shirt. I slip my hand underneath and palm her breast. She wiggles in my lap and smiles back at me as she munches on the toast.
“Nothing now,” I say and kiss her lips.
“Then what’s that look for?” She tilts her head and studies me.
“What look?”
She rolls her eyes and tries to climb out of my lap. I’m not having it. I wrap my arms around her and hold her in place. I drop my gaze to her lips.
How did I get so lucky? Not only is this woman gorgeous, she makes my heart race with one single look. I can’t remember ever feeling this way about anyone. I can see having a future with her. Whatever’s out there threatening her safety, I’m ready to tackle it head-on.
“I have to head in today. Serg mentioned I might actually be assigned a partner,” she says.
I frown. I’ve been secretly fuming about that. It’s not right and it’s gone on for too long. I’ve been grinding my gears to keep from calling Dugan on that shit. He should be aware of it and put a stop to the bullshit.
Danita kisses my lips. “I see that look,” she says as I silently stew. “I can handle myself. I don’t want to find out you’ve stuck your nose in this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh.” She twists her lips up as she looks at me. I knead her breast beneath her shirt and soon lust and desire fill her eyes. I bite my lip as her amber eyes speak to me. “Kev.”
The sweetly spoken word is trapped between our lips as I claim her mouth for a kiss. I can’t get enough of her. I want to kiss and touch her all day and night.
“Let me take you out to dinner tonight,” I say against her mouth.
She shakes her head. “I need to get focused. I can still feel my time running out. By the way, did your brother find anything on Detective Reed?”
I frown, hating the change in subject. I especially hate it because I have nothing new to give her. At least nothing useful.
“He found out that she and Harris were fucking for a few months and that she’s heavy into the ring at this point—”
“Ew. Wait, you’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
“Ugh, she could do so much better. He’s such an asshole,” she says and frowns.
That reminds me. “I’ve been meaning to ask you: What’s the deal with him and you?”
Orin and I already have a dodgy history. I trust Dem, but that doesn’t change things between me and Orin. I’d hate to have to beat the shit out of him again.
“There is no deal. He’s asked me out and I’ve told him no. Over and over and over. He doesn’t seem to get the point. I’m not interested.”
I bob my head, mostly to myself. I’ll be having a talk with him sooner than later. We’ve never liked each other. He’s been a dick from day one.
I’m going to make sure we have an understanding about my woman this time around. She’s off-limits, period. If he doesn’t get the point, I can make it clear for him. Like I said, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to knock him on his ass to make my point.
“Anyway. You were saying. Could Shane connect Reed?”
“No connection to Cal and the shooting as of yet. There’s no connection to anyone in that file. I’ll give them that. They cover their tracks well.”
“But not well enough. I’ve caught them slipping and so had Cal. All I need is a big enough slip.”
I grunt. “That’s what we’re all hoping for.”
Before I can stew in my thoughts, she pushes a hand through the front of my hair. I love when she does that. I kiss her softly and smile at her.
“It’s one night. One date. We can still focus and enjoy each other,” I say, hoping I can coax her into a date.
She looks at me cautiously. A mix of emotions cross her face. I’m not able to place them before she shuts them down.
“Last night was amazing. More amazing than I imagined, but I think we are playing with fire. I care about you. You’ve become a really good friend. I don’t want to see you hurt,” she says.
Good friend.
I smirk and tap her nose. “Yer so cute.”
She scrunches up her face. “What?”
Nuzzling my nose against hers, I rub soothing circles against her back. Slowly, I kiss her lips. A mere brush at first, applying more pressure gradually. Flicking my tongue against her lips, she opens for me and I dive into her mouth, turning up the passion and intensity.
When I fully devour her mouth, I pull away to make my point. “Ya were mine the moment I pushed inside ya, love, but I’ll let ya figure that out.”
“You’re mad,” she says, searching my face.
“No.”
“You are.” She runs her fingers across my brow. “You have to know how much you mean to me as a friend, Kev. Last night doesn’t change that. I will always cherish the friend you’ve become, and as a friend, I want to protect you.”
“And as yer man, I’ll be doing the protecting.”
She rolls her eyes and places her forehead to mine. “You’re going to be difficult about this, aren’t you?”
“Explain to me what I’m being difficult about. What do you think is going on here?”
This time when she goes to pull away, I allow it. She reaches for another piece of toast and sausage before she sits on my thighs. I remain silent as I watch her chew thoughtfully.
Once she swallows the last bite, she covers her mouth and clears her throat. “I’m not going to lie to you. I feel like I do enough of that as it is. I have feelings for you. Feelings that I can’t allow myself to get invested in.
“For now, can we maybe keep this to ourselves and take it slow? I know we’re doing the whole fake relationship thing, but perhaps we can dial it down in public now that things have turned up in private,” she says and starts to chew on her lip.
I grab the front of her T-shirt and drag her to me until we are nose to nose. “Again…you are adorable.”
“Kevin,” she chides.
“Ba mhaith liom tú go deo. Ní dhéanfaidh aon ní níos lú.”
“Huh?”
I let my breath fan her lips as I debate on whether or not to tell her I want her forever and I will take nothing less. Lifting my hand not grasping the T-shirt, I brush my thumb across her bottom lip. The shy look in her eyes tells me not to push.
Instead, I seal my lips to hers and distract her from wanting an answer. Reaching for the nightstand, I grab a foil packet. Then lean into her until she falls back and I’m hovering above her.
“You were able to walk to the bathroom a little too easily for me. Only a slight wobble won’t do. Let’s get you ready for work.” I breathe against her lips as I suit up to be inside her once more before we start our day.
* * *
Danita
Sex with Kevin is amazing. Last night was off the charts, but there was something different this morning. I felt more like he took his time to make love to me.
I’ve been trying all afternoon to avoid thinking about it. However, every time I go to walk or sit, I have a constant reminder. I’ve gotten strange looks from a few people as I hobble around the station.
“Moralez,” Sergeant Graves calls as he moves to my desk. He looks perplexed as he hovers over me and folds his arms over his chest. He glances around, then nods toward his office. “Let’s take this in my office.”
I follow after him as best I can. I’m going to kill Kevin. While he made love to me for most of the morning, he did pull me onto all fours and pound into me like a mad man at the end.
I swear, I thought the man lost something inside the walls he was trying to knock down. This morning if anyone asked me what Kevin did for a living, I’d tell them construction. Demolition specifically.
“Close the door,” Serg says as he takes a seat behind his desk. I close the door, then amble over to the chair in front of his desk and ease into it. “Are you all right?”
His brows are pinched as he looks at me while I try to sit gingerly. My face is on fire as embarrassment sieges me. I shrug, trying to play it off.
“Overdid it in the gym,” I lie.
“Hmm, anyway. I had intended to assign you a partner today.” He pauses and steeples his fingers in front of his lips. The silence becomes thick. “I give you shit, but you’re one of the best on the squad. I’ll admit that. Who the hell have you pissed off? I can’t afford to lose the one detective I have that can close a damn case without me questioning every damn detail. Yet, someone is hell-bent on blocking me from giving you a new partner,” he says the last part as if he’s speaking to himself.
“I just do my job,” I say.
He scoffs. “Sweetheart. This shit is coming from way up. Some part of you doing your job has ruffled feathers. I want you to be careful out there. I’m making Harris and Dawson available to you as much as possible. I’m also moving a few of your cases around.”
I bite back my response. I have a ton of shit I want to hurl at him. This is bullshit, and we both know it. However, what rings loudest in my ear is that I need to get the hell out of here. My time has run out. The clock has reached the final hours, and if I don’t make a move, I’m going to be left holding my head in a bag after these pricks blow it off.
I narrow my eyes and take in Sergeant Graves. He has his flaws, but the jury is still out on if I can trust him in all of this. I’ve yet to weed him out of all the filth.
He leans into his desk and lowers his voice. “I’ve watched you. You haven’t gotten involved with the bullshit. This precinct has gone to the dogs. They assigned me this shit to have a scapegoat when it all blows up. Black sergeant that let his squad run amok. I can see the headlines now. Don’t take it personal when I ride your ass. I’m one of many puppets around here. I’ve accepted my fate, but what I don’t like are the strings I’m starting to see pulled around you. Be careful, Moralez.”
I nod and stand. “I hear you, Serg. I’ll watch my back.”
He looks at me for a moment. “Are you sure it’s wise to be dating Kelley’s brother-in-law? Have you thought of how that can blow back on your door?”
My eyes widen. I had no idea he knew about Kevin. I shouldn’t be surprised. Gossip moves like wind around this place.
“Blackhart is a great guy. What happened to Kelley is shit, but what happened to him and who I’m dating have nothing to do with each other. Besides, I don’t see why my dating life is anyone’s damn business.”
He holds up his hands. “I’m only pointing out where your problem may be coming from.”
“Honestly, Serg, I didn’t have a partner before I started dating Blackhart. So forgive me if I don’t see the connection.”
He makes a face. After a beat, he nods. “Fair enough, you’re right.” With a sigh, he runs a hand over his bald head. “This place—” He cuts off and shakes his head. “You lose yourself. One way or another, it changes you and everything you thought you were getting into. The politics, the corruption. You don’t change it; it changes you.”
His words hit too close to home. I haven’t changed a thing here in the last five years, but I’ve changed. So much so, I don’t remember the carefree agent I once was. I was so young and hopeful.
“I guess we have to hope that we’ll change for the better one of these days,” I say and turn to leave.
Chapter 22
I’m Not Your Girlfriend
Kevin
She’s dyed her hair. I noticed it yesterday. I’m still curious as to what it looks like naturally. I never knew I wanted red-haired little girls until I learned that her hair isn’t truly black.
Her hair isn’t the only thing I noticed. “What’s going on?” I ask for the millionth time.
Dem has been more distant than usual for the last few days. I know it’s not about us. From the time I walked into her place the other night with my key she gave me, she pounced. I took her all over her place. Against the front door, the coffee table, kitchen countertop, the shower, her bed.
It’s been like that since the first night. When she’s too sore to take me, I feast on her and she feasts on me, but we can’t keep our hands off each other. When we’re not all over each other, we’ve been building on the foundation we started with.
She turns from the beer on the table in front of her to look at me. Not for the first time, I note how right it feels to have her here at the Golden Clover to meet all my family. I know this is more about Quinn bringing Alicia to meet everyone, but I’m glad I could talk Dem into coming along.
At least that was before… Something is bothering her. I don’t like it, and I need her to talk to me so I can fix it. I reach to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It’s the strand that always pops out when she doesn’t gel it back.
She’s searching my eyes as if she’s looking to find something. “Serg called me into his office to tell me to watch my back. Someone has been blocking the assignment of my partner. I’m running out of time,” she says.
I move in close and cup the side of her face. “We’re going to get Con to talk. We’ll work on him tonight. I’ll give Quinn a nudge as well. It could mean him turning his focus to you sooner.”
“At this point, it’s a chance I’m willing to take. I’ll deal with that when it comes.”
I narrow my eyes. “What else aren’t you telling me? Something else is going on.”
She runs a hand over her hair. Her brows dip. “When I took Sunny for a walk this morning, it felt like someone was watching me. I tried to shake it off, but I know I’m not crazy. When I got back to the apartment, Sunny was… I don’t know, a little anxious or something. It wasn’t like him. Something was off.”
I clench my jaw. I had to take the kids to school and Dem had to go to work. It was the first morning we couldn’t all maneuver our schedules to make sure everyone was covered. I took care of the kids and made it to Dem in time to follow her to work. That was an entire hour she was without me.
“You should move in with me,” I say with
out thinking.
“What? Come on, I can’t move in with you. We’ve just started this thing between us. I’m not moving in with you. Besides, you keep the kids sometimes. If someone has started watching me and this shit is about to blow up in my face, I don’t want your nieces and nephew anywhere around me.”
I rock back on my heels. When she puts it that way, she has a point. However, she’s important to me, and so is her safety. I’ll do whatever I have to, to make sure everyone is safe.
“You let me worry about that.”
“Aren’t you about to move back into your place? You should be settling into your home. Not worrying about me.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“You’re not some random—”
“Kev,” Trent booms from across the room.
I turn and frown at my brother. He holds up a beer and waves me over to the bar. I release a sigh. I told him and Shane I’d be over there about twenty minutes ago.
“Go on. I’m going to head to the restroom, and your mother invited me to sit with her and Erin,” she says, placing a hand on my chest.
I tug her to me and kiss her passionately. I place a kiss on her nose then press my lips to her forehead gently, lending her my strength as I feel her sag into me.
“We’ll figure it out. We will have enough time to get to the bottom of this if I have to create it myself,” I breathe.
“Is it crazy that I believe you?”
“Not at all, love. Not at all.”
* * *
Danita
I hadn’t planned to tell Kevin about that weird crap that happened this morning, but something about it has been nagging at me. I roll it over in my mind again as I wash my hands and finish up in the restroom. My thoughts turn to what I’m doing here in the first place.
I still don’t know why I said yes. When Kevin asked me to come to this dinner, I had planned to say no. I’ve already crossed so many lines, and I’m growing attached to him. He’s stayed over in my bed since that first day we slept together.