"Gloria McBeth"s parents deserve to look at their daughter"s killer."
"And I deserve a chance at a full life," Erin drawled. Then she linked her hands through Seth"s and Eddie"s arms and pulled them, forcibly, from the room.
Seth"s amus.e.m.e.nt at seeing the b.a.s.t.a.r.d lambasted quickly faded as his anger surged back to the fore. He followed Erin out of the office, his head still feeling rather rattled, anger churning in his gut. He wanted to storm back into the office and slam Colton against the wall and demand answers, and tell him he was keeping Erin safe and that was what mattered. But he still had that odd, m.u.f.fled feeling in his head, accompanied by a pain that increased with every step he took, and he kept hearing the echo of her voice.
Seth, don"t let him make you angry. He"s going to push, he"s going to be ugly, nasty, a f.u.c.king coward and he"s going to make it look like you could have saved Glori...
I need you.
I need you.
I need you.
I need you.
"Hey, man, you okay? You look kinda pale."
Seth shook his head, pressed the heel of his hand to his temple and shook off the trance-like state that seemed to have fallen over him. Eddie was staring at him with worried eyes, while Erin continued on into her office.
f.u.c.k. The woman"s made of ice, he thought when she didn"t even spare him a glance while he tried to hold his splitting head together. Why in the f.u.c.k are you surprised she doesn"t care that you"re going crazy?
The pressure, the daze seemed to finally be receding as he stood leaning against the wall, eyes closed against the harsh fluorescent light. He was startled when he felt Erin"s soft, cool fingers on his cheek. She pressed a canned soft drink into his hand as he stared into her unreadable eyes.
A mask.
Why did it always seem like there were two people living inside her skin? The cool, clinical cop who didn"t give a d.a.m.n about anything or anybody, and the soft, s.e.xy, sweet woman he had fallen in love with...the one he had convinced himself didn"t exist.
"Headache?" she asked levelly.
"Yeah." He popped the top on the drink and downed it even though the headache, or whatever in the h.e.l.l it was, seemed to be nearly gone.
Who in the h.e.l.l are you, Erin?
She heard him, clear as day, as she walked back into her office. She was lucky enough to have claimed an office for her own, even though the tiny closet didn"t exactly meet her definition of an office. But she had her own s.p.a.ce, and she could have quiet when she needed it. When Seth and Eddie crammed in behind her, taking up the two chairs she had managed to fit in with her desk and computer, there was no room left.
Seth dropped wearily into a chair, staring at her with dark eyes.
Who in the h.e.l.l are you, Erin?
She sighed, wearily, rubbing the curve of her neck absently before booting up her computer. "Colton is going to see my b.u.t.t fired if I live through this," she said grimly.
"You are going to live through this," Seth said through gritted teeth.
Eddie didn"t comment on that part, merely laughed and said, "He won"t dare fire Captain Vincent"s daughter. Even if he outranks the Captain, he won"t dare. s.h.i.t, girl, half the city government is your blood kin."
She smiled and sighed again. "f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she said, too tired to even notice the surprise that flared on each man"s face. "Thinks I"ll actually let myself come that close to being raped?"
They spoke briefly about the chief, then ran some reports. Seth took a list, Eddie took a list, and Erin took the rest, but they knew it was more for show than anything else. Their man wasn"t on this list. They had to wait until he moved on Erin. She looked at the other files on her desk and said, "I"ve got some other things I need to get done."
They read the easy dismissal and Eddie trooped out, but Seth lingered in the doorway until she finally looked up at him, a faint line of irritation between her soft, tired eyes. He said gruffly, "We need to talk."
"We just spent the past several hours talking, Seth."
"You and me."
"Why? Seth-"
He came back in, closed the door behind him and dropped his file before he came behind the desk. Erin watched him with wide, startled eyes as he dropped to his knees in front of her and buried his wide-palmed, long-fingered hands in her hair, staring intently at her as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers.
Oh, h.e.l.l.
When she didn"t pull away, his lips came down on hers with bruising, hungry force that took her breath away, his tongue driving inside her mouth. One hand tangled and fisted in her hair, holding her head still and steady while the other slid down her nape to her back. Bringing her to the edge of her chair and aligning her body to his, he spread her thighs and jerked her already wet, aching s.e.x into contact with his rigid c.o.c.k.
Erin whimpered low in her chest as he started to rock his body into hers, his free hand on her b.u.t.t, holding her tight against him as he ate at her mouth. He caught her tongue, sucking it greedily into his mouth and she sobbed when he bit down on it before tearing away and jerking her head back. Working his hot, avid mouth down her neck, down the vee neckline of her vest-top, he used one hand to open the b.u.t.tons.
He tore her bra open and Erin stared down at him as he caught one swollen, pink nipple in his mouth, sucking it with deep, hard draws, while he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze. One hand was still buried in her hair, holding tight, as he slowly trailed his other hand down across her abdomen. He pulled away from her nipple to stare into her eyes as he freed the b.u.t.ton on her trousers.
"Seth..." she whispered shakily.
"I can smell how hot you are," he said softly as he slid his fingers inside her panties. He traced the hard, swollen bud of her c.l.i.t and groaned roughly in approval as she whimpered and rocked against his hand. "You"re already wet."
He slid his hand lower and plunged one thick finger inside her. He shuddered as she closed tightly around him, fighting the slow invasion of his finger as he withdrew only to thrust it in again. "Oh, baby, you"re tight," he murmured, leaning forward to catch the fleshy lobe of her ear in his mouth. "How long has it been for you, Erin?"
She was silent, hardly able to think past the feel of him inside her, stretching her. He pulled out, pushed back in and Erin buried her face against his neck to stifle the low moan that fell from her lips.
He pulled her back, still using the grip he had on her hair, loving the soft, silky feel of it. He had loved seeing it spread out all over his pillow while they made love, loved feeling it on his thighs as she sucked on his c.o.c.k, loved feeling it on his chest while they slept. "How long, Erin?" he asked, driving his finger back inside, and starting to circle his thumb around her c.l.i.t.
"Seth," she wailed softly, pressing her forehead against his, riding his hand in near desperation.
"How long?" he persisted, adding a second finger. She squeezed tightly around him and he groaned. Should have locked the f.u.c.king door, Porter, he told himself. No. He didn"t want his first time back with Erin to be in her office. "How long has it been since your last lover?"
"Three years," she whispered raggedly, her nails biting into his neck as she shuddered and shivered around him.
Three years. Son of a f.u.c.king b.i.t.c.h. He lowered his mouth to her ear, pushed his fingers deeper, more roughly inside her and loved it when she whimpered and bucked as he asked, "Are you telling me you haven"t been with anybody since me?"
"Yes..."
She could have cried when the heat of his body left hers. She was cold, empty, aching and confused. The distant mechanical snick only further confused her but then she felt his hands on her again and Erin could have wept. "Hold on, honey," he whispered. She shuddered, her body feeling too tight, too hot, too small as he slid her trousers and panties off. She felt the cold of her desk biting into her back and opened her mouth to cry out but his hand covered her mouth and he rasped into her ear, "Shh, shh. Quiet, baby. Quiet."
He took her hand and pressed it in place where his had been, pushing it down until she realized what he wanted. All she wanted was his s.e.xy, talented mouth on her, or his hands and...what in the h.e.l.l was he doing?
She dimly heard music and realized he had turned the radio on and it was louder than she usually played it. And why had he turned on the broken little window air conditioner unit? Maintenance had been telling her they"d fix it for weeks...the overly loud hum of it filled the air as Seth slid his hot hands under her b.u.t.t and lifted her...oh...
Seth parted her sweet folds with his thumbs and drove his tongue inside, starving for the taste of her after so long away. His c.o.c.k ached and throbbed with his need to be inside her, wanted it so badly he could barely breathe from it. But not now...Erin"s weak, m.u.f.fled scream sounded like heaven to his ears as he feasted on her cream-soaked s.e.x. He slid up, and caught her c.l.i.t in his mouth, sucking the swollen, engorged flesh deep as she started to rock up against him.
He drove two fingers deep inside the wet clasp of her p.u.s.s.y and groaned against her, certain he wouldn"t live another five minutes if he didn"t get inside her. He stared up the length of her body, and committed the sight to memory. Her hand had fallen away and she was biting her lip, head turned to the side, shirt and bra still on, but open, framing her sweetly rounded b.r.e.a.s.t.s, the nipples hard and stiff. The muscles in her taut belly worked as she lifted against him, riding his mouth as he fed from her core. He drove his fingers in, shifting his wrist, reaching until he touched her deep inside. She climaxed against his mouth, and into his hand, a silent scream of agonized pleasure m.u.f.fled behind her closed lips.
Seth lapped the cream that trickled down her thighs before he slowly worked his way up her body. He took her in his arms, groaning in agony as her hip cuddled his aching c.o.c.k, but he held her tight anyway, the scent of her arousal and climax lingering in the air around them and making him even hungrier. "You haven"t had a lover since we broke up," he whispered against her neck. She shuddered as he spoke and he reveled in it, in knowing his touch could still do that to her. "And I could f.u.c.k you right here, make you scream and sob and you wouldn"t care, would you, Erin?"
"No," she sighed.
"We need to talk. Do you still need to know why?"
Her head fell back and she met his eyes. Her eyes looked warm, soft, and sleepy. He mused how unguarded she looked as she reached up and touched his cheek. "No," she murmured, shaking her head against his shoulder, touching her finger to his full lower lip. "No."
Chapter Four.
Seth took the path through the woods that night. He cursed low and rough when he spotted the uniform in his patrol car, but the number gave him a little comfort. He went up to Jim Baker"s window and tapped. The older guy rolled his window down and gave him a slow once over, starting at his hair and working down over the black b.u.t.ton-down shirt, the black belt with a silver buckle and the black trousers.
Jim ginned widely and said, "I wonder what you"re doing here looking so pretty."
Seth blinked once, his long lashes drooping low over his eyes as he flipped Jim off. Jim laughed, his friendly, hangdog face looking pleased. "It"s about time," he said affably. "You know that Eva"s a sweet girl, Seth, but she"s not for you. You and Erin...now that"s right."
"I guess I can count on you not seeing me here, right?" Seth asked.
Jim"s eyes blanked and gave Seth a dopey look. "Seeing you where?"
Seth turned back to Erin"s condo, his blood pumping hot and fast in his veins as he crossed the walk. He knocked on the door and waited.
Erin stared at herself in the mirror. She felt like a fool. A schoolgirl.
When he knocked, she thought she was going to jump out of her skin. The silvery-gray silk of the short robe slithered against her skin as she pulled it on. She hadn"t been able to decide what to wear.
So she"d decided on nothing.
No dress seemed right.
And she"d never felt comfortable in lingerie, beyond the slinky kind she loved to wear under her clothes.
So she had taken a long bubble bath in water she had laced with oil. She twisted her hair around and clipped it on top of her head, and because she recalled it was something Seth liked, she removed her makeup, but slicked her mouth with a dark wine-red lipstick, that new kind that would stay on. She had just finished applying the glossy topcoat when he knocked.
She smoothed the short robe and walked to the door, pressing a hand to her belly, trying to calm the b.u.t.terflies. She had burning candles scattered everywhere, telling herself it would calm her frazzled nerves, but Erin knew better.
She pulled the door open and met Seth"s eyes, her breath catching and lodging in her throat. His dark eyes met hers, moved down to linger on her mouth before sliding down to move over her body like a hand. She returned his gaze, studying his lean body, the black shirt that spread over wide shoulders, his flat belly, the silver of his belt buckle winking at his waist. Her heart trembled in her chest as she found herself eyeing his ma.s.sive erection before trailing down the long, muscled length of his black-clad thighs and back up to meet his eyes.
"Let me in, Erin," he said gruffly.
She moved aside and he came in, slowly, still staring at her as he closed the door behind him. He pulled his gaze away from her body and met her eyes, his deep-brown eyes hot and hungry. "Take off your robe," he whispered.
She reached for the silk tie at her waist and loosened it before rolling her shoulders and letting the silk fall from her body to puddle at her feet, all the while staring at Seth. He prowled around her, reminding her of a lion-lean, predatory, hungry. He stopped behind her and she moaned when he gripped her hips and pushed his c.o.c.k against her b.u.t.t, rocking there while he lowered his head to nuzzle her neck.
"Can we talk later?" he whispered against her ear, reaching around to cup her soaked s.e.x in his hand.
"If you don"t mind," she panted, spreading her thighs and reaching behind her with one hand, burying her fingers in the short wavy hair at his nape.
He pulled his hand from her slowly, trailing it up her body, so that the cream left a wet path on her torso. He finished his slow circle around her, stopping in front of her. "Take your hair down," he told her.
She pulled the clip out and the silvery-blonde tresses tumbled free nearly to her waist. Seth stepped up and gathered handfuls of it, groaning and lowering his head to bury his face against it. "I"m not leaving you again, Erin. We belong together, you know that, don"t you?" he said raggedly against her neck as he backed her up. The counter that separated the living area from the kitchen was cool against her b.u.t.t as he boosted her onto it.
"I know," she said, feeling her heart break inside her chest. It"s not fair! She was supposed to be with him-so why did she keep seeing herself die? She reached for the b.u.t.tons of his shirt and nearly ripped it in her haste to see him, the hard muscled wall of his golden chest, a light dusting of hair just between his pecs and trailing down his carved abs before thinning down to a line that disappeared inside his trousers.
He had already opened his belt and trousers. Erin gasped when his c.o.c.k sprang free-thick, hard, full-the dark head ruddy, a drop of moisture beading on top. He moved closer, gripping her hips. "You know about Eva-" he said hoa.r.s.ely, catching her reaching hands and pinning them down, waiting until she was staring at him. "I haven"t been with anybody besides her in two years, and before we got serious we each had health tests. And she couldn"t take the pill-caused her migraines-so I never slept with her without wearing a rubber. We weren"t ready to talk about any kind of family yet, so it never happened."
He let go of her hands, but pressed them tight to the counter and then he jerked her hips closer, palming her thighs and opening her wide. "I wanted you to know that, because I"m going to f.u.c.k you, come inside you, not a piece of latex," he said as he started to push against her, his thick width stretching her. "I love you and I never stopped. One of these days, you will say it back."
Her heavy lids lifted, revealing her crystalline blue eyes, wide and glittering with hunger and need and emotion, more than Seth had ever seen, and she whispered roughly, "I can say it now, Seth. I"ve always loved you. "
His eyes widened, his pupils dilated as he stared down at her. His hands went back to her wrists, locking around them and tightening as he started to breathe heavily, his nostrils flaring, his heart pounding heavier, faster, as his c.o.c.k hardened even more, to the point of an almost excruciating pain. "f.u.c.k," was the only warning she had before he pulled out just a little before he started to drive inexorably inside, carving his way through her tight, swollen pa.s.sage as she whimpered in pain and squirmed around him. Unable to stop him, she tried to scoot back, away from the heavy invasion and Seth growled. He shifted his grip, so that his arms looped under her thighs and knees and he could still grip her wrists and pin her in place as he thrust home. Nestled deep, Seth shuddered and rested his forehead against hers, the hot satin of her p.u.s.s.y clinging to him, her heart pounding against his.
f.u.c.k...at last...he thought, holding deep and still for just a moment, reveling in the wonder of being buried deep within her again. But he could only revel in it for so long, as her tissues fluttered and rippled around him, and her words echoed in his mind. Her silky, creamy heat held him tight, snug, her tissues clinging to him in a sweet caress as he pulled out and drove back in.
He shifted and picked her up, taking her down to the floor, propping her knees on his shoulders, but taking her wrists and pinning her down again. He was f.u.c.king p.i.s.sed. "Why?" he demanded. "Why didn"t you tell me then?" as he thrust hard inside her.
"Seth...please..." she sobbed underneath him, tightening her p.u.s.s.y around him, unable to move.
"Why?" He pulled out and drove back in, moving higher on her body, so that when his c.o.c.k burrowed back inside her swollen sheath, he was rubbing against her G-spot. Then he started to thrust shallowly, taunting her, glaring down at her, waiting until she was pleading and straining against him, unable to move anything more than her head. "Why, Erin?" he purred, sliding deep inside to give her one slow, lingering caress before resuming his torturous play. He let one of her legs go so that he could pin both of her wrists in one hand. He reached down and caught her c.l.i.t, tweaked it, circled around it, waited until he could see that she was hovering right at the edge of coming, then he backed off.
"I"ll keep it up all night, until you tell me," he warned her when she screamed out in frustration. "You knew it, knew that was all I needed to hear from you, and you wouldn"t tell me. All I need to know is why." He slid his hot, burning gaze down the length of her pale body, to where they joined, watching as his c.o.c.k slid between the full, pouting lips of her s.e.x. He pulled out, his thick shaft ruddy, glistening wet from her cream. Pushing shallowly in, he pulled out and pushed back in again, b.a.l.l.s deep this time, until the curls that covered his groin tangled with the pale blonde curls that covered her mound. He ground himself against her, feeling her shudder, loving her moans.
He reached down and caught her c.l.i.t, stared at the swollen bud, hard and red and shining with the cream of her arousal as she clenched down, and screamed. "Why?" he asked, resuming his torture. But he had given her a little too much stimulation while he had watched his c.o.c.k drive into her p.u.s.s.y, as he watched the play of his fingers on her sweet body and she started to come in slow, rhythmic milking sensations that squeezed and held his c.o.c.k.
He pulled his c.o.c.k halfway out and rasped, "f.u.c.k it, Erin, no fair. You haven"t told me why." Gritting his teeth against the urge to f.u.c.k her hard and come himself, he released her wrists and slapped the cheek of her a.s.s as he nuzzled the satiny skin of the thigh he still had draped over his shoulder. He started to withdraw completely. She could go ahead and come and he"d let her, but d.a.m.n it, he"d get some answers- Either she had read his mind or his face was too d.a.m.n open because she slithered up and wrapped both legs around his waist and moaned, "Noooo," as she rocked up against him, holding him deep inside, while the slow, pulsating waves of her o.r.g.a.s.m grew stronger and longer. Erin came slowly...and it lasted forever. Seth gritted his teeth and tried to tell himself he could hold out.
Then he pinned her to the floor again and started shafting her, shuddering as he had to work his c.o.c.k inside her, her p.u.s.s.y tight and resistant as she came and shuddered and pulsed around him, those sweet, intense milking sensations that gripped and held his c.o.c.k like nothing he had ever felt in his life.
She threw back her head, sobbing with her climax, and Seth bit her along the exposed line of her neck. He nestled deeply inside her, rocking slowly back and forth as his own o.r.g.a.s.m built and grew and exploded from him in a tidal wave. "Erin," he gasped against her neck, reaching down, finding her hand and holding it tightly as he pumped her climaxing body full of his seed, shuddering. He pulled halfway out as her body started to relax a little and pushed back in, pumping his hips, and growling roughly until he had completely emptied himself inside her.
He waited until he could breathe again before he flopped onto his back, taking her with him. "Every woman alive would hate you if they knew your secret," he whispered as he nuzzled her neck. "How in G.o.d"s name can you come, and keep coming for minutes on end?"