LineofDuty (12 page)

He narrowed his gaze and she grinned. This playful side of
her was one he hadn’t seen in an age, so he gritted his teeth and remained
still long after when he would normally have forced her hand.

Nicole ran her fingers over the outline of his cock. Her
cheeks were pink and gaze a little dilated still. It was a good look for her.

Finally she hooked her thumbs in the waistband and pulled
the elastic down, freeing his cock. It bobbed toward her and he didn’t know who
was happier to see her smile, him or his cock.

She stroked his length, peeking up at him through her
lashes. The minx knew exactly what she was doing to him. But more importantly,
they weren’t just fucking. They were enjoying each other again. Playing even.

He grasped her hair and let the strands flow through his
fingers. She tipped forward as if that were some signal and took the head of
his cock in her mouth. His eyes rolled back in his head at the sensation of her
hot tongue stroking the underside of his crown, her fingers stroking the vein,
rolling his balls in her hand. It was sweet, sweet torture.

His grasp on her hair tightened as he thrust more of himself
into her mouth.

It felt so good. His muscles warmed and relaxed. He could
come in a matter of a few pumps, but he wouldn’t. Not like this.

Jake stepped back, pulling his cock from her mouth and
urging her to her feet. If he was going to come it would be inside her pussy,
face-to-face. Where he could see her love.

Nicole pouted, but it was only to hide that impish grin.

They kissed, hands skating over flesh, bodies aligned. He
backed her up to the wall. A flash of memory told him he’d done this once
before in the same exact spot but it had been a while.

He grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her up. Nicole
wrapped her legs around his waist, fitting perfectly to his body. Their lips
never separated, the connection never lapsed. It was as if they’d become one
creature, one being with no ending, sharing a heart and desire for one thing.
The other half of the whole.

Jake slid his hands down to her bottom and she reached
between them, grasping his cock and bringing it to her entrance. They were
completely in tune, as if there’d been no interruption.

His cock slid deep in her slick pussy. She gasped against
his mouth, her face frozen in a silent moan. With each orgasm, her body grew
more sensitive. He hadn’t forgotten the tricks of the trade when it came to sex
with Nicole. Which was good, because he rode a fine line, his desire tightly
reined.

She hugged his hard length so tight it was sweet agony
pulling out of her. The thrill of plunging deep, their mingled breath and the
way her gaze fluttered wide giving him a window into her soul—that was
priceless. He thrust over and over again, her back hitting the wall each time.

“Come on, baby,” he muttered against her lips.

Sweat slicked their skin, so he dug his fingers in harder,
but she never once complained. Lust drove them onward. She clawed his shoulders
and tossed her head back.

Nicole’s eyes opened wide, she screamed and dug her nails
into his flesh. He plunged deep, roaring his release.

I still love you
was in her eyes.

She slumped forward against his shoulders and he leaned
against her, keeping her in place with his weight alone. His muscles were shot,
his strength sapped. They panted in time, and with his ear to her neck he could
hear their simultaneous heartbeats.

Nicole chuckled. It was contagious. He laughed and she
picked her head up off his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

He let her legs slide down his until she had her feet on the
ground. She clung to him still. He clutched her closer and kissed her hair. He
couldn’t lose this.

“Come on, let’s lie down.” Jake steered her toward the bed
and they crawled between the sheets. She snuggled against his chest, her head
tucked under his chin, and for the first time since this nightmare began, he
finally thought this might work out. They might find happiness again.

* * * * *

Nicole stumbled into the kitchen. Even after a nap, her legs
were still weak from sex. She pulled open the refrigerator, wishing food would
magically appear. The shelves were mostly empty, except for the brown paper bag
Jake had brought with him. She didn’t recall him putting it in the fridge, but
her memories after sex were fuzzy and she’d been in the bathroom for a few
minutes at least. Maybe he’d moved it then.

She peeked inside the bag and gasped.

A bottle of wine. She most certainly hadn’t seen that when
he came in the house, but she’d been too worried, tied up in knots over him.

The wine wasn’t pizza but she’d take it.

The chocolates were still on the counter so she grabbed
those, some plastic cups and the wine and went back to the bedroom.

Jake stepped out of the bathroom as she entered, the light
at his back. “What are you doing?”

“Getting a snack.” She wiggled the bottle of wine and
grinned. Tomorrow she’d regret staying up this late and drinking, but right now
she didn’t care.

“Come here first.” He nodded toward the bathroom. She could
hear the spray of water hitting tile. The shower must be on.

“You don’t want any?” she asked.

“Sure, but later. Come here.” He walked across the bedroom
and took the chocolates from her and tossed them onto the dresser.

“But…”

“How about a nice shower first?” He placed the wine and cups
next to the chocolates and took her hand.

Jake led her into the bathroom. He pulled his t-shirt she’d
put on earlier off and pushed her toward the tub.

She chuckled, remembering all the times they’d taken showers
together here in the past. Almost to a one they were a disaster. He was too big
and the tub too small to really accommodate them both, but they still tried. It
was one of the reasons they’d insisted on the huge bathroom at the new house.

Nicole stepped into the tub and scooted forward into the hot
spray of water. She closed her eyes as it splashed her face and pounded her
chest. Behind her Jake climbed into the small space and drew the curtain.
There’d be water all over the floor by the time they were done, but it was one
of the small prices of being together again.

Hands touched her back and she turned to face her husband.
Not all of the worry lines were gone, but he looked far more relaxed than he
had been. Maybe even happy. She hadn’t seen that from him in an age. She’d
almost forgotten what it looked like.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and she looped hers
around his neck. They swayed to a music that existed only in their hearts and
rested their foreheads against each other. He slowly turned them a bit at a
time until his back was to the water.

She let go of him and reached for her shower gel. It wasn’t
his manly scent but it would have to do. She squirted some into her palm and
lathered her hands up while he watched. He didn’t even mention the fruity smell
when she placed her palms on his chest and spread the soap out on him.

He lifted his arms, allowing her free access to his body.
She took her time coating him in suds, watching them run off his chest in
rivulets of water running down from his shoulders.

These precious moments could never be replaced. Not with
anyone else.

Jake turned and she scrubbed at his back, but paused when
she got to his shoulders. Two sets of scratches marked him where she’d dug in
during their lovemaking.

“You should have told me to stop,” she said, running her
fingers over them.

“Hmm?” He glanced over his shoulders.

“I left gouges earlier.”

“That’s okay. I’m pretty sure your ass is bruised.”

Was it? She hadn’t thought about it.

She ran her hand over her bottom. Chances were she wouldn’t
notice until tomorrow, sitting at her desk. Or trying to. Jake was a strong
man.

“You missed a spot,” he said.

“I did?” She rolled her eyes.

He turned to face her. “You did.”

“Oh my bad. Let me fix that.” She grasped his cock with one
hand and his balls with the other. “Do you mean this spot?”

Jake groaned. “Oh yeah.”

Typical man. One of the many reasons she loved him.

She watched his face as she slowly pumped him. He hissed and
slapped one hand against the tile wall and grasped the curtain rod with the
other. If the curtain went down or through the wall, it wouldn’t be the first
time. His face tensed and lines bracketed his mouth, his eyes closed.

Pushing him like this filled her with giddy joy. She still
had the touch to drive him crazy. It hadn’t been lost, just misplaced.

He rocked back into the spray of water and all the little
soap bubbles raced each other down his toned abs and thighs until he was just a
wet, slick man.

Jake grasped her shoulders and forcibly turned her. Nicole
laughed, knowing exactly where this was going. She flattened her hands against
the wall at the end of the tub and perched her right foot on the ledge.

He entered her with one hard thrust that drove her breath
out of her lungs. He didn’t warn her, but then again she didn’t need it. She
closed her eyes and flattened her forearms against the wall, thrusting her hips
back toward him.

“You like that, don’t you? My cock inside you?”

“Uh-huh,” she grunted out, unable to form coherent words.

“See how you like this,” he said in a low rumble as he
withdrew until only the head of his cock was inside her.

He gathered her damp hair off her shoulders. He thrust and
pulled the tail of hair at the same time, forcing her body to arch. She moaned
as he pistoned in and out, using her hair as an anchor. His other hand gripped
her hip.

“Oh yes, yes, yes,” she chanted, or maybe thought.

The muscles in her abdomen fluttered, warmth pooled in her
stomach and her toes would have curled if she weren’t clinging to the ability
to remain upright.

“You like it.” He didn’t ask, because he knew.

“Yes, yes, yes.” Her voice rose to a shrill pitch.

He reached around her and thumbed her nipples, first one
side, then the other. Her mouth worked silently, wishing for a kiss, but she
dared not move. Not when he hit all the right places.

Jake cracked his hand against her ass and her yelp of
surprise turned into a scream of release. She dug her nails in between the
tiles and flattened her cheek against the wall as her body shuddered and he
continued the hard pace in and out of her body. She held on for dear life
through the rough, uneven thrusts. Jake’s feet squelched on the bottom of the
tub and he leaned forward, covering her body with his, hands over hers.

He kissed her shoulder and sucked in deep breaths.

After a moment he withdrew from her body. She didn’t miss
the connection because he wrapped her in his arms, but more than that, she
could feel his love.

This could work. They could be together again. She had to
surrender to hope and the desire for this man. There was nothing else for her.
And she didn’t want anything else.

She turned in his arms and kissed him. Now wasn’t the time
to tell him, she needed to sleep on it, but she doubted it would make much
difference. She’d made her choice. He was her husband, ’til death did they
part.

Jake backed them into the spray of water.

“You need to get out of my way before we use all the hot
water.” She pushed at his shoulder after he finished cleaning off for a second
time. Her hair would be a wild mess tomorrow but she’d deal.

“Fine, fine. I’ll leave you alone.” He bussed her cheek with
a quick kiss and climbed out.

She shook her head and stepped into the water. Her heart was
lighter, the night a little less dark. She even felt a little like her old self
again, not as much of the bitch she’d become this last year. It was a relief to
think things could actually change.

Nicole washed her hair in a dreamlike state, rushing through
her normal shower routine. There was still wine, chocolate and a few hours
before her alarm would go off. Maybe they could both call in sick and spend the
day together. They needed it. One night of sex and being vulnerable was a
start, but it wasn’t a fix.

She turned off the water and quickly dried off. She didn’t
even bother with putting the t-shirt back on. She stepped into the bedroom and
sighed.

Jake was sprawled over more than his fair share of the bed,
snoring softly, one hand tossed out on her pillow.

So much for wine and chocolate.

Diego listened to the mattress squeaking below and gritted
his teeth.

There’d been no pop of the wine bottle as he’d hoped.
Drugging the wine and staging it as if Jake had brought it had been a long shot.
Besides, he wasn’t set up to deal with him yet.

Diego wiped his brow. The attic of the little white house was
stuffy and bits of the insulation stuck to his clothes, but it would have to
do. The neighbors were back so he’d make do here. For now.

Only a few more days, and then Jake Vant would be his.

Jake stared at the bottle of wine sitting on the dresser and
listened to Nicole getting ready for work. Despite having only a handful of
hours to sleep, he was wide awake.

What had she said about chocolates last night?

He rose and went to where the gold-wrapped box and the
bottle sat.

He glanced at the bathroom, but Nicole was in a hurry and he
knew better than to get in her way. He tiptoed into the kitchen, glancing
around for any clue.

The answer was a bit of gold wrapping sticking out of the
trash bag hanging off a drawer. He pulled the bag open and studied the
contents.

A piece of the gold wrapper had a bit of text scrawled on
it, in a marker by the looks of the smudge marks.

To Nicole, with love.

The handwriting looked like his, complete with his lopsided
O’s.

Warning bells went off in his head and ice flooded his
veins.

He grabbed a paper towel and retrieved the candy wrapper
from the trash. Glancing toward the bedroom, he crossed to the other side of
the living room to consider what the evidence told him.

Someone who wasn’t him had bought her candy. She’d said
something about flowers and chocolates last night, but he hadn’t brought her
either in the previous days.

Where had it come from?

The reality of his job meant there were many people who
would like to see him dead. In his first few weeks working in narcotics,
another officer close to retirement had told him in all seriousness, “You
haven’t made it in this department until there are at least ten hits out on
your life.” By the time Jake had moved on to SWAT, he’d lost count of the lowlifes
who wanted him dead. But Nicole hadn’t been in the picture then. He’d moved to
SWAT as soon we he realized their relationship might last.

Or could she be seeing someone else?

He discarded that idea as soon as it entered his mind. She
thought he’d brought her the candy and flowers. Now that he thought of it,
flowers would have been a good idea. Too bad someone else beat him to the
punch.

“Okay, I’m going,” Nicole announced as she walked into the
kitchen. There were dark circles under her eyes and tendrils of hair had
already escaped from the fancy twist she’d done to save time.

“Can I do anything to help you?” He slid the candy wrapper
into his back pocket and leaned against the counter.

“What? Oh no. I just need to get going.” Nicole pulled the
fridge open and placed the bottle of wine on a shelf by itself.

She hoisted her tote up onto her shoulder and paused briefly
to give him a too-short kiss.

“Bye.” Her smile put the spark back in her eye.

“Bye.” He had to protect her.

She exited through the garage. He waited, listening to the
sounds of her car and the garage door until she was gone. And then he waited a
few minutes more. When he was certain she wouldn’t pull back into the driveway
for some forgotten item, he began searching the house.

He started in the kitchen, pulling open all the drawers and
cabinets, not sure what he was looking for. Anything out of place or odd. He
went over the living room before venturing down the hall into the other
bedrooms.

The farthest room didn’t seem to be disturbed at all.

The second he made two passes of, but there wasn’t a piece
of furniture or anything in the room to study.

His gaze dropped to the carpet, still almost new-looking.

A little bit of dirt and a sandstone like what might get
caught in the treads of a shoe were near the wall that backed up against the
entry.

He got down on one knee and peered at the sand, but it
shared no secrets with him.

Why was there dirt in a room they didn’t use? The cleaning
service that came once a month was very thorough. Leaving this didn’t seem like
them, and the house had been vacant for more than two months since their last
tenants had moved out.

Jake moved on, crossing back to the master suite. Here it
was harder to tell what was disturbed and what was simply a mess. Still, he
walked through all of it, committing it to memory.

He even went out to the backyard and walked the flowerbeds
along the fence. The dirt from inside appeared more sand in comparison to the
soil outside.

“Hey, neighbor. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

Great.

Jake glanced up at a man on a ladder at the neighboring
house. “Hey. How’s it going?”

“Oh not bad. Just got home from vacation.” He scooped debris
out of the gutter and dropped it into a garbage bag hanging on the ladder.

“Yeah? How did that go?”

“Good. Good. Went to see the grandkids. We almost didn’t
want to come home, but I’m glad we didn’t stay gone any longer. Looks like
raccoons or some other kind of rodent got into our house through the attic. You
might want to check yours.”

“I’ll do that, thanks,” Jake replied and headed inside. He
wasn’t ready to answer questions about why he was at the house.

Jake went back to the hall and pulled down the ladder to the
attic. It slid soundlessly down.

That wasn’t right.

The right-side hinge used to creak to high heaven.

He folded the ladder back and shut the door before opening
it again.

Still no sound.

“Huh.”

Maybe a tenant had oiled the hinges? WD-40 had never done
the trick before.

Jake pulled his phone out of his pocket and activated the
flashlight app. He climbed the stairs into the attic and shined the narrow beam
of light around the space. Besides a piece of plywood across the beams, there
wasn’t anything there and nothing gave him the impression of rodents.

Whatever he was looking for wasn’t in the house.

He climbed back down the stairs and replaced the ladder.

He was off today, so maybe it was time he did a little
surveillance work. Nicole would never know he was there.

Diego watched the house from down the block in the safety of
his stolen car. Jake Vant was close enough to snatch out of this life, but that
wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted the man to suffer, so Diego would wait a while
longer still.

He started the engine and pulled out onto the street. As he
passed the white house Vant stepped out onto the porch.

Diego didn’t hide. The man would never be able to recognize
him anyways. There were too many scars on his face to be the man he’d once
been.

Vant held his gaze as he passed, never knowing Diego would
be his death. Just a few more days and he’d be ready.

* * * * *

Nicole smiled so hard her face hurt and listened to one of
her coworkers talk yet again about her new puppy. Christ on a cracker, Nicole
didn’t care about a puppy, she wanted a bed.

Why had she gone out after work again? Last time hadn’t
turned out so hot for her.

Oh right. Jake had said he wouldn’t be home until a little
later that evening and she hadn’t wanted to be at home by herself. So here she
was, a glass in hand she hadn’t even touched.

The coworker leaned forward a little, her gaze over Nicole’s
shoulder. “There’s a man over there who won’t stop staring at you.”

“What?” Nicole glanced behind her but saw only more people
at pub tables and milling around.

“He just—he was right there,” the woman said, brows drawn
down.

“Oh well. Let him look.” What did Nicole care? She was a
married woman. Men could look all they wanted but she was off-limits to them.

“Hello, ladies.”

That voice slid over her like oil and she fought the urge to
shudder. Hands rested on her hips and she felt the heat of another body behind
her.

“Collin, get your hands off me,” she said with as much
disgust as she could put into her voice.

“Come on, Nicole. I’ve apologized. Can’t you forgive me?”
Collin did not let her go. He invaded her space more by leaning on her shoulder
and trying to look her in the face.

“Collin’s just being funny,” another coworker replied.

“Yeah, his jokes are hysterical. It’s not a big deal.”

“Don’t be a spoilsport.”

“Just accept his apology.”

Were these people for real? Something as heinous as that
fucking cake was supposed to be swept under the rug? Clearly they were vaginas
too interested in a handsome face to realize they were more than just boobs.

“Apology not accepted, Collin.” She picked up one of his
wrists and dropped his hand away from her.

Collin grabbed her other arm and turned her in place.
Shocked by the forceful act, she stared at him. He glared at her.

“I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?” His
face twisted into an ugly, petulant mask. How had she ever thought he was
attractive?

“How about you start with leaving me alone?” She tried to
twist out of his hold but he was squeezing too tight.

“That’s not very—”

“The lady said to get your sorry hands off her.”

Nicole knew that voice. Her heart leapt up to her throat and
her clit throbbed.

Jake stepped through the crowd, his steely gaze enough to
make even her quake in her pumps.

“Who the fuck are you?” Collin sneered.

Nicole planted her hands against his chest and shoved. “He
is my husband.”

Collin stumbled back, his gaze bouncing between Nicole and
Jake, whose hand settled on her lower back.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept your hands to yourself.
Didn’t your mamma teach you any manners?” Jake drawled, laying the good ol’ boy
act on strong. There was something inherently intimidating about a man of his
size with that slow, calculated tone.

“I don’t need this shit,” Collin mumbled and turned into the
crowd, pushing his way between people.

The small audience around them became very interested in
their drinks.

Nicole peered up at Jake. He held her gaze, offering no
explanation for his behavior or presence.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asked just loud enough to
be heard over the din of voices.

“Sure.” She set her cup on a table and strode toward the
doors.

People paused to glance at them, or more likely Jake, as
they passed. She held her head high. Her private life had been on parade this
week—from her drunken announcement to the cake and now this bar confrontation,
it was more than she’d have ever wanted to share with people she didn’t know.

They walked out to the parking lot in silence, Jake
shadowing her the whole way. She spied her little red car at the back of the
lot, and next to it was Jake’s big SUV, crammed between the convertible and the
wall of another building.

She stopped at the trunk of her car and pivoted to face her
husband.

The muscles along his jaw twitched and she could practically
hear his teeth grind together. Lovely.

Nicole opened her mouth to speak the moment he closed the
short distance between them. He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her
as if his life depended on it. He backed her up until they were behind his SUV.
Jake pressed her back against the vehicle and pushed his knee between her
thighs.

She wanted to slap him and suck him off all at once.

Damn him for whatever stupid reason made him follow her. And
damn her for still loving him. He palmed her breast through the thin silk
shirt, finding her nipples through the fabric and lace. She dug her fingers
into his shoulders and groaned.

Nicole grasped her skirt, flipping it up until she could get
her thumbs under the band of her panties and ease them down her thighs, past
Jake’s knee until she could kick them off.

If he was going to barge in on her good time, well, he’d
have to pay up with an even better one.

She grabbed the front of his jeans and tabbed them open.

“What are you—?”

“Fuck me, Jake. Fuck me right here.” She unzipped his jeans
and palmed his cock.

Jake stared at her for a moment, surprise, desire and his
inner good boy warring with what he wanted. She smiled and squeezed him.

“Shit,” he muttered, letting his lids drop a bit. His cheeks
sunk in and the way he stared at her, she’d pay for this display later. Only
she wouldn’t mind one bit paying this fee.

He grew hard in her hand. Watching his features sharpen and
his gaze focus so completely on her, feeling the slight movement of his hips he
was unable to hide, it gave her a feminine power. She pushed his clothes down
to his thighs. This wouldn’t be a long, drawn-out lovemaking. It would be a fast
and dirty fucking. Jake hooked his arm under her knee, forcing her back against
his truck, her body open to him. She guided his cock to her pussy, sucking in a
deep breath as he thrust. He stared her in the eye, her heels giving her the
perfect boost to be face-to-face with him.

Headlights skated over the wall next to them and gravel
crunched. Voices echoed off the walls, a reminder that they really were in
public. It added a certain taboo thrill.

Jake clapped his hand over her mouth and stared into her eyes.
His gaze was still hard but his touch was restrained. He pistoned in and out of
her, holding her against the truck.

She bit the meaty part of his hand and fisted the front of
his shirt. His motions became rougher. Her eyes rolled up into her head and her
whole body shuddered as release swept over her. He thrust once, twice more and
stilled.

Nicole stayed upright by his weight propping her up alone.
They clung to each other, labored breathing and all.

Holy shit, we just fucked in public. Scratch that off the
bucket list.

The tension she’d been carrying between her shoulder blades
eased as he slipped from her channel and smoothed her skirt down. Her knees
wobbled but she stayed upright by the grace of God.

They stared at each other, the lust burning off much of her
irritation.

“Are you going to tell me why you were stalking me?” she
asked.