“Antonio, I—”
I already knew what she would say because I felt the tremble in her thighs, the way her toes curled almost painfully, and those shallow gasps of air. Her orgasm was imminent and I kept my eyes open and on her as I licked and sucked her pussy until sweat beaded on her forehead. Until her body tensed before the orgasm spilled out of her body in soft, vibrating waves, followed by a low husky growl. Juices slid down my fingers as she pulsed around me, hips still rolling against my tongue.
“Holy. Hell. That was … incredible. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt in my entire life. It was the—”
The timer sounded, breaking off what was sure to be a major boost to my ego.
Elka
“That was delicious, Antonio. Thanks for dinner.” The food was great, probably one of the top-ten meals of my life this far, but the pleasure humming through my body had nothing to do with authentic Brazilian cuisine and everything to do with the half-Brazilian man staring at me with a smug smile on his face. The problem was, he had every right to be smug because the way he played my body, licking me so intimately, had been the single greatest sexual encounter of my life.
“My pleasure.” The words rolled off his tongue and my body could feel the roll of said tongue even as I squeezed my legs tight enough to make my ears ring.
“Pretty sure the pleasure was mine,” I told Antonio, making him laugh.
“Mine too,” he said, confirming what I’d seen earlier as he stood in front of my still-quivering body, an impressive bulge making it hard to tear my eyes away from his body. I couldn’t believe that tasting me like that had gotten him so hot and bothered.
“I think I would like to try that next.” Throughout the delicious meal, all I could think about was returning the favor … with energy. I wondered if it was the newness that made it feel so good. I wanted to make Antonio come apart the way I had. I stood and pushed my chair back with a determined look on my face.
Antonio’s eyes widened. “Now?”
I laughed and nodded as I made my way to the other side of the table. “Unless there’s some waiting period after eating. Like with swimming.” Antonio looked up at me and, for the first time since we met, he looked unsure. “Is there?”
The uncertainty faded and his lips curled into a smile. “There isn’t.”
“Good.” I dropped down in front of him and my hands went to his waistband, unsnapping the buttons on his jeans and grabbing a fistful of fabric at the waistband. His hips lifted up so I could reveal him and when I did, I sat back with a shocked expression on my face. “Are you bigger than average?” He felt big in my hands, thick and heavy, at least eight or nine inches. And gorgeous. A thick vein ran down the underside and it was so hard but so soft, and I couldn’t resist a small taste.
“A bit,” he growled as my tongue slid against the head of his cock. I licked it again just to hear him groan because that sound hit me right between the thighs, making me pulse and leak. “Shit, Elka.”
The tightness in his voice pushed me forward and I wrapped my mouth around his cock, using my lips and tongue to bring him pleasure. I remembered everything I’d seen or read about giving head and took him deeper and deeper, making sure my mouth was good and wet. The sounds Antonio made told me he was pleased with my actions and I kept them up, letting his cock hit the back of my throat and then sucking him like a lollipop.
His hips started to move in long slow strokes and I grabbed his thighs, holding on while he slid his cock in and out of my mouth. I moaned and closed my eyes, relishing how much pleasure I was getting from pleasing him. “Oh fuck, Elka.” I took him deep one more time before he pulled away with a menacing growl.
“What? Did I hurt you?”
“No,” he grunted and scooped me in his arms. “Bedroom?”
I pointed up the steps and he took them two at a time until we were in my bedroom, decorated in vibrant colors with flowers everywhere. Everywhere.
Antonio didn’t seem to notice because all his attention was focused on me as he removed my dress, leaving me totally naked. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
I didn’t feel beautiful; I felt self-conscious. My nipples were hard and my thighs were embarrassingly sticky. But I wanted more. God, I wanted so much more. “No, you are.” That much was true. He was a work of art, all that golden skin and hard-sculpted muscles that had been playing a starring role in my fantasies since he left me on the side of the road.
“Don’t hide from me,” he growled when my hands moved to cover my nakedness. “What do you need, Elka?”
You. Those words were on the tip of my tongue and I couldn’t figure out why, so I swallowed them down while I thought of what I really wanted. Another ride on his magical tongue. I wanted his cock too, but it had me slightly more concerned.
He grinned. “You want me to lick your pussy again? Only if you say the words.”
Damn him. The way he teased made me want to tease and play right back. Leaning back on my elbows, I stuck my chest out and opened my knees just a smidge wider. “Lick my pussy, Antonio.” I felt bold and beautiful, or maybe I just felt horny.
He did just as I asked, sprawled half on the bed with his head between my legs, licking and sucking me until I tried to get away from his mouth. He kept going until my toes began to curl and strange animal sounds came from my gut. But I was close.
So close.
Antonio must have felt it because he stopped and stripped off the rest of his clothes before sliding between my thighs, slowly invading my body until the invasion became claiming. It stung at first, but only a little. Then it started to feel good. Really, really good. “Antonio, yes.” I couldn’t help it that my body clung to him, held on tight while he pumped in and out of me, making me crazy.
“Your pussy is so tight, Elka. So fucking wet. I love it.” His hips moved slow and deep within me, adding just enough fuel to make the fire burn progressively hotter. “You should feel how wet you get when I talk to you.”
“Antonio, please. I need more.”
He smiled down at me. “You want more of my cock?”
“No, I need it. Please.” Even as he asked the question, I felt my body pulse and quiver around him as he plunged deeper and deeper until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began.
My words did something to him, because Antonio stopped talking and only his grunts sounded in the air as his hips pumped harder and harder. His hazel eyes never left mine, his wild gaze searing through me as his body claimed mine. “Elka, oh fuck, Elka.”
“Harder. Please, Antonio.” He stared harder as he gripped my hips and slid into me from a different angle, a wickedly delicious angle that did wonderful things to my body. “Oh, yes!” My hands began to claw at his body. Goosebumps peppered my skin and then pleasure took over. Somewhere in the distance, I heard loud, throaty cries, guttural roars, and the sound of Antonio’s name on lips that felt like mine.
The orgasm was magical, filled with colors and sensations that were new to me, even as Antonio pounded into me, harder and harder as his own orgasm barreled down on him.
I clung to him in that moment of oneness. I closed my eyes and held on as the last remnants of pleasure worked their way to the surface. I let myself have this one moment of pure, perfect bliss.
Then I let him go.
Because I had to.
He wasn’t mine.
Would never be mine.
* * *
Sleeping with Antonio was an excellent workout, not to mention a great way to relieve stress. But above all else, wrapping my naked body around his was absolutely addicting. I couldn’t get enough of him, of the way he made me feel, and the things he did to my body. The way he looked at me in those quiet, unguarded moments made me feel things I shouldn’t.
But I did.
“That’s entirely too much thinkin’ this early in the morning.” I smiled when his strong arms wrapped around me and my body shivered at his warm breath and thick early-morning Texas accent. “What’s going on in
that pretty head of yours?”
“I was just wondering if it would ever stop feeling so good. You’re the expert—is it always like this?” I had to know because for more than a week now, I felt like I couldn’t get enough of him.
“Not like this, no.” His words were reluctant, like he was hoping as much as I was that this thing burned so hot because of its newness. “I think I’m addicted to you.”
“Oh, thank goodness, because I was feeling the same way.” I turned in his arms so we were face to face, so I could see the little threads of gold that gave his eyes a heavenly appearance. “This is … different.”
“For me too,” he confirmed and pulled me close. I inhaled his scent, feeling like I was in too deep but unable to pull myself away. Then, because I could, my tongue darted out for a small taste of his skin, salty and sweaty, a satisfying mixture of both of us. “Elka,” he moaned and pushed his hips into me.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand and I ignored it, happy I’d given my parents a dedicated ringtone. “Antonio, please.”
“Since you asked so nicely.” He dipped his head in low, wrapping his mouth around my nipple until I arched into him.
The phone rang again and I was determined to ignore it, spearing my fingers through his hair to hold him right where I wanted him. “No, don’t stop.”
“Maybe you should get that.”
I rolled my eyes, confident he couldn’t see me and we wouldn’t fight. “Maybe you should get back to what you were doing.”
He froze and pulled back and my body howled with disappointment that its hunger would be left unsatisfied. For now. “Elka, I’m serious. What if they’re calling because something’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, Antonio. Why can’t you just trust me on this?” He was just like everybody else, thinking they knew what was best for me.
“I do trust you, but why else would they keep calling?”
I slid back until I nearly fell off the foot of the bed and stared at him. “Because they’re hoping I’ll answer so they can browbeat me into doing what they want me to do. That’s not happening.” Not ever again.
“Maybe they just miss you.”
I stood, knowing this morning wasn’t going where I thought it was just minutes before. “They don’t miss me, Antonio. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shook my head, feeling stupid. “I should have known you weren’t done with this.”
“I’m only asking because—”
“Because it’s your job. I get that now.” It hurt like hell, but I got it. He reached out to me to make sure my feelings weren’t hurt but I ignored that and started pacing the room. “Fine. Here it is. I know they don’t miss me because they never wanted me. They had me to be spare parts for Austin because genetically we were as close to a perfect match as people could be without being twins. My whole life was lived in a bubble. It wasn’t mine; it was Austin’s. Always. The moment he was dead, they were done with me.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” he said softly. Kindly.
I snorted, harsh and bitter. “They forgot about me at the wake, Antonio. Left the funeral home and made it all the way home before they realized, and do you think they came back for me?” He looked terrified now, like he was regretting bringing it up. Good. “No, they sent a car. So please don’t tell me how much they’re missing me because it just pisses me off.” I managed to make it to the bathroom before the tears fell, but it was a close call.
Feeling stupid and drained before eight o’clock in the morning wasn’t a good look for me. I stepped into the hot shower, hoping to wash it all away and start the day right. At some point, the curtain was pulled back and Antonio joined me.
Silently.
He said nothing as held me, apologizing with kisses up and down my neck and spine. Trying to take my pain away with his body. It didn’t work, but his body was one hell of a distraction.
Antonio
“You were supposed to wait for me in the parking lot.” I waited for twenty minutes in the burning sun, looking for Elka’s blond hair so I could help her unload her tools and ingredients for the cook-off. The cooks were allowed to set up as early as five in the morning to make sure they had plenty of time to make the perfect chili.
“I couldn’t sleep so I got here early. It would have been silly to wait for you.” She didn’t turn around. Not that I minded. Especially today because she wore loose-fitting denim shorts that shouldn’t have been flattering, but they were. And the flowing layered tank tops hugged her breasts beautifully, making me wish we were alone and I could touch her. Taste her. Make her scream my name.
“Why couldn’t you sleep?” She’d been acting weird since that morning in her bedroom, but every time I brought it up, Elka denied anything was wrong.
“Maybe I’m nervous about cooking for so many people.”
“Maybe you are but you’ve got this. Maybe you can tell me what’s really wrong?” She still didn’t turn, and I stood right behind her so she could feel me there. “You don’t have to carry everything alone, Elka.”
“I’m not carrying anything,” she insisted and turned to face me, blue eyes firm. Solid. Distant. “I just want to stay on track for today, that’s all.”
I didn’t believe her but the best thing I could do for Elka right now was to alleviate any stress she felt by doing my duty as a Hometown Hero. I strapped on an apron and started chopping what was left of the vegetables, wondering how in the hell I managed to screw up. Again.
Bringing up her parents had been a mistake and by the time she finally, reluctantly, told me the truth, it was too late to undo what I’d already done. I tried to prepare her, but after that day, Elka kept everything in perfect little boxes. She didn’t talk about her parents and she rarely spoke about her brother, instead choosing to talk about the present and the future. Like she wanted to forget her past altogether.
I’d been there and nearly let it ruin me, so I knew where she was headed and the damn stubborn woman was determined to push me away. “Okay, all the veggies are chopped.”
She looked over her shoulder and assessed the piles in each bowl with careful scrutiny. “Good job. Thanks.”
I couldn’t take her silent treatment. “I’m sorry, Elka.”
She froze at my words and when those blue eyes looked up at me, I could have cried from the hurt swimming in them. “I wish I believed you, Antonio.”
“I was only trying to help, not dig. I swear.” It was important that she know that. “You’ll never heal if you don’t face this head on, Elka.”
“Yeah? What makes you such an expert?”
This was it. The moment of truth where I spilled my ugly-ass truth to someone other than the department-assigned shrink. “Because I know—”
“Excuse me. Do you have an alternative chili for one of the judges?”
Elka sighed and wiggled away from me. “Yes. There’s a vegetarian option with two types of beans. Cheese is optional.” The official woman with the clipboard seemed satisfied with that answer, gave me a long look, and moved on to the next booth.
“I’ve been where you are, Elka.” Why in the hell was this so hard to talk about? I sighed and tried again. “You have—”
“Elka?” She froze at the sound of the voice, hand gripping the long wooden spoon she used to stir the chili. “Elka, your mother is addressing you.”
She turned and looked at me first, hurt and betrayal shining in her eyes, before she shuttered all her emotions and turned to the couple who looked like they stepped from the pages of a L.L. Bean catalog. “What are you guys doing here?”
Her mother smiled. “Is that any way to greet your parents?”
“To greet you would assume I’m happy to see you and we both know that isn’t the case.” She folded her arms and stepped away from me too. She was an island, one solitary unit. Facing it all on her own. “What do you want?”
“You wouldn’t answer our calls.”
“A hint you clearly didn’t take,” she shot
back with more sarcasm than I’d ever seen or heard from her. “Listen, I’m not interested in talking to you or reconnecting. Enjoy your stay in Tulip.” She went back to the simmering pot near the back of the booth, not acknowledging anyone.
“You said she’d be happy to see us,” her father snarled in my direction.
I heard the intake of air, that gasp of surprise, and I knew that Elka had heard. “That’s when I thought you were all just suffering from grief. You need to give Elka some space.”
Her mother put a tissue to her face in distress and her father simply nodded and led his wife away. “We’ll talk soon, Elka.”
“No, we won’t.”
I knew I messed up and I knew it was bad because Elka hadn’t just gone silent, she’d shut down. Completely. “Elka, please.”
“You did this.” Her words were so quiet I could barely hear them over the growing noise all around as the town began to show up for the cook-off. “I thought things were different, that you’d stopped trying to dig up dirt on me. But you didn’t.”
“Elka, please.” I reached for her, but she shrugged away from my touch. “I didn’t know.”
“You must have had a good laugh,” she said, a bitter kind of amusement on her face and in her voice. “Stupid Elka thinking you were interested when you were just trying to prove some point to yourself. You got me good, Antonio. Another lesson learned.”
“It wasn’t like that. I thought I was helping.”
She glared up at me, something almost like hate shining in her eyes. “Even after I told you everything?”
“I called them before that morning,” I admitted, albeit reluctantly. “You were clearly hurting and I wanted to help.”
“No, you wanted to know what I was hiding and now you have it all. Every sordid detail. I’m sure my parents will fill you in on everything you need to know, Antonio.” She shook her head and angrily wiped away a tear. “I can’t believe I thought I was in love with you.”
Mr. Cop: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 13