Page 67 of Tough Justice

“Come here,” he said in a gravelly voice. “Spread your legs.” He helped her by sliding his hands up the inside of her thighs, positioning her legs on either side of his.

She rested one hand on his shoulder, cupping the back of his head with the other and urging his mouth to her breast. “Deck. Taste me.”

He did as she commanded, sucking her nipple into his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue before nipping gently with his teeth. She moved over him, intending to mount him, but he wasn’t done playing. He wanted to set her body on fire the way she was doing to him.

Still sucking on her nipple, he slipped two fingers into her wet heat, pumping in and out as the pad of his thumb circled and teased her sweet spot. She began rocking to his rhythm, driving his fingers deeper inside her body. Wetness engulfed his fingers. She was ready for him.

He slipped the holster off his belt and set it on the table. Even in the near darkness, there was no doubting how stiff and hard he was for her. He gripped her ass then with tortured slowness eased himself in, drawing out the exquisite torture of feeling her tight walls take all of him.

She gasped, sitting fully on his lap, his cock completely sheathed inside her. It was all he could do not to explode like the space shuttle launching off the pad. When she wriggled her hips, he had to grit his teeth to keep from growling like a dog.

Deck lifted her until he was almost out then slid her back down. He pressed his lips to her neck, sucking gently on the skin but not so much as to leave a mark. He increased their pace until blood pounded in his ears and they were both panting. For both their sakes, he wanted this to last but doubted he could make that happen.

“I’m going to come,” she said in a breathy whisper. “Oh, Deck, I’m—” She cried out, shattering in his arms. He held her tightly against him, wanting to feel every bit of her orgasm. Only when she’d stopped shuddering did he let himself go. “Tori,” he growled as he came hard, wave after wave pummeling him, leaving him so weak in the knees that if he wasn’t already sitting down, he’d melt to the floor in a heap of totally and completely sated man.

When their breathing went back to normal, he carried her limp body to the bedroom then pulled down the comforter and laid her on the bed. After shucking his clothes, he disposed of the condom in the bathroom then slipped in next to her. He skimmed his hand over the gentle curve of her hip.

Deck couldn’t delude himself any longer. He was getting closer and closer to the edge, that fine line between liking a woman and falling in love. But what if she couldn’t take it when something bad happened again? Because in his world, something bad always happened.

The silver charm bracelet jingled as she touched the scar on his shoulder. “How did you get that?”

“A knife.” He’d been helping out on an arrest, and the arresting officer didn’t search his prisoner well enough.

“Judging by the length, I’d guess you got about a dozen stitches.” The tip of her finger continued tracing the raised ridge.

“Twelve exactly. You know your knife wounds.” When she frowned, he guessed this hadn’t been the right moment to joke. A tactical error on his part. He waited, knowing there was more to her line of questioning than how many times an ER doctor had punched a needle through his skin.

“So you get shot at a lot and you get into knife fights? I thought braving traffic on I-70 was dangerous enough.” Worry clouded her features, and he had a sinking feeling that she was actually looking for reasons to break it off with him. Like there weren’t enough already.

“My job can be dangerous,” he admitted. “You’ve seen that. But it’s not usually filled with gunfights and knife fights.” Although things had been heating up since he and Thor had been working the gray death case. In fact, the next time he came to see Tori at her house, he’d consider bringing another vehicle, one whose registration didn’t come back “not on file,” which was code for U.S. Government.

“I know, but it could happen. Again, I mean.” The uncertainty in her eyes put a major hurt on his heart.

“I wish I could tell you it won’t.” He really did wish it, more than anything. With Tori, he felt a rare connection, one he worried was slipping from his grasp at light speed. “But I can’t.”

A single tear spilled from the corner of one eye, and she wiped it away. “It scares me to care about someone and know they might get hurt—or worse.”

His throat went dry. Despite the spark of hope he felt knowing she cared about him, Deck knew where this conversation was headed, and he didn’t like it. He might be the one with the dangerous job, but the thought of losing her scared the shit out of him. As much as he wanted to lie to her, he couldn’t, even if it meant going their separate ways.

Trust and honesty were the only things that could possibly get them through this. So he’d tell her how he felt about her. “Tori, I want you to know how cra—”

…

Something vibrated, and Deck looked over his shoulder. He leaned over the edge of the mattress, snagging his jeans and pulling out his cell phone. When he looked at the screen, his body went as rigid as a scalpel. “Hello?” he said then ten seconds later, “Stay calm. Where are you?”

Tori sat up and tugged the sheet to her breasts. As much as she wanted to know what Deck had been about to say, now her stomach churned with apprehension. She strained to hear what the caller was saying but couldn’t make out any words.

“Stay where you are. I’m calling 911. I’ll be there in—” His eyes narrowed as he listened intently. “Okay, but don’t move, and don’t hang up. Aidan, are you there? Aidan!” He looked at the screen.

Over his shoulder, Tori also stared at the phone. No Caller ID.

He punched in 911 and recited an address along with a description of the boy she’d met at the rehab center. Then he dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. “Gotta go.”

“What’s going on?”

He swung his legs over the mattress, grabbing his jeans again. “You remember that kid from the rehab center, Aidan?”

“Of course.” How could she forget? “Is he okay?”