Officer on Duty (Lock and Key Book 4) (27 page)

Her words and her smile combined to send fire rushing through his veins, and thoughts of protesting that she’d already done too much for him vanished. The look in her eyes assured him that whatever she wanted to give him now, he wouldn’t be able to resist accepting.

“I’m sure I will. Let’s see it.”

“Wait right here.” She hurried off to her bedroom and was back within minutes.

He lost his breath at the sight of her, and barely noticed the wrapped box in her hands.

Her sundress had disappeared, and in its place was a confection of bright blue lace that left very little to the imagination. What it did hide, though, was strategic – designed to drive a man crazy.

“Here you go.” When she reached him, she handed over the box.

He accepted it, though the contents didn’t interest him half as much as she did.

Barely able to keep his gaze off her nipples showing dark through the vibrant lace, he peeled the paper from her gift.

The black box held a pair of silver cuffs.

“Thank you,” he said as his blood quickened. “I can always use another pair for work. That’s not what this pair is for though, is it?”

A flush highlighted the planes of her cheekbones. “No. At least, not tonight.”

Every nerve in his body hummed in anticipation as he lifted the cuffs from the box. “You’ll look good in these.”

She already looked better than good. But the cuffs would be the perfect accessory to her outfit. The thought of her bound for their pleasure had him harder than stone.

“You can put them on me wherever you like.” Her devilish smile sent even more of his blood rushing south.

He took her to her room, wanting to have her against something soft when he took her hard.

When he cuffed her hands behind her back, he felt her pulse beating strong and quick beneath the soft skin on her inner wrists. It was a feeling he’d never take for granted – not tonight, not ever.

After securing her with a double
click
, he stepped back to admire his work.

Her hands were bound above the perfect curves her ass, and her cheeks were barely touched by what little lace covered her there. He could just imagine her pussy, hot and maybe even wet already just inches below.

With a groan, he sat her down on the edge of the bed. He couldn’t wait anymore – he had to touch her, had to taste her.

The lace she wore was thin and elastic, with a plunging neckline that went almost to her navel. It was easy to pull the lace aside until the full curve of one breast was exposed.

She sucked in a breath when he leaned in and gasped when he stroked her nipple with his tongue, eventually closing his mouth around it.

When he slipped his fingers beneath the lace to touch her pussy, she moaned.

She was wet already. The feel of her slick heat filled his head with visions of burying himself deep inside her.

He could hardly wait, but he resolved to, for just a little while.

His resolve crumbled when his fingertips slipped over a row of hard, metallic little disks at the crotch of her lacy outfit: snaps.

He drew back from her chest, raising his head and meeting her gaze.

Her eyes were shining with the same lust that was consuming his patience.

“You sure you’re all healed up?”

She’d been energetic and uninhibited throughout the day, but the faint smudges of fading bruises still lingered on her arms, where they’d hit the ground the day she’d been attacked.

“Yes.”

“If you’re just putting on a brave face, now’s the time to say so.”

Her mouth curved in a smile. “I’m completely serious. What do you have planned?”

He took her word for it. “On your knees, and you’ll see.”

She knelt on the mattress and he grabbed the pillows, stacking them in front of her. “Face down on those.”

Her dark hair spilled over the neat stack when she rested her head on a pillow, putting her ass in the air.

Every muscle in his body tightened and throbbed at the sight of her like that, bound hands resting against the small of her back. Still, it was nothing compared to the sight of her once he unsnapped the buttons between her thighs.

And that was nothing compared to the feeling of stripping off his clothing and rolling on a condom, eyes on her all the while, and then finally kneeling behind her and pressing the head of his dick against her pussy lips.

He felt every inch of the initial thrust with an intensity that shocked him. It was so good, he grabbed her hips and squeezed until she squirmed.

He loosened his grip immediately, though he didn’t want to.

She pushed back against him. “That wasn’t a request for you to stop.”

Sighing, he held her as hard as he wanted, pulled back and slid home again. The tight heat was still overwhelming, almost more than he could bear without coming.

Then again, he’d never fucked her in cuffs before, or in this position, with her ass in the air and her face on the bed. And he’d definitely never fucked her as his fiancée.

A month ago, the thought of ever getting married again would’ve boggled his mind. Now, it was something he wanted with more certainty than he’d ever known before.

He went slow and hard, lingering on the edge and denying himself several times when the urge to finish in a fury nearly got the best of him.

The thing that enabled him to keep his tenuous grip on restraint was the feeling of her pussy tightening around him every few moments, hinting that she was close.

When she moaned, he slammed his cock deep into her, like he’d been longing to.

She rocked against him, arching her back. Her face was turned to one side and her hair had fallen over it, but hints of the flush that colored her cheeks showed through. From the first tightening to the last shuddering contractions, her orgasm was almost as intense for him as it seemed to be for her.

The shine of silver metal catching the light drew his attention to her clenched fists. Her knuckles were pale and her glitter-lacquered nails were biting into her palms, shining almost as brightly as the diamond on her left hand. The sight was just as appealing as the sound of her crying out as he continued to thrust, succumbing to the coaxing pleasure of her tight walls pulsing around his shaft.

He came hard, his gaze riveted to her hands bound above the shapely swell of her ass. All he could hear, feel and see was her – all of her, naked and face-down in front of him with his cuffs on her wrists and his ring on her finger.

He hadn’t thought anything could feel better than hearing her say yes to him when he’d still had that ring in his pocket, but this did, beyond any shadow of a doubt. Every pulsing beat of pleasure overlapped with the next, consuming him in a surge of ecstasy. He’d never come so hard, and probably never so much, either.

When he pulled out, he was aching. He’d pushed himself long past when it had ceased being comfortable, just to draw it out.

It’d been worth it.

She was panting, and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was too.

When she wriggled back up onto her knees and looked up at him, he placed one hand on her jaw and the other in her hair, tilting her head back so he could press his mouth to hers in the deepest, sweetest kiss he’d ever tasted.

Minutes later, after he uncuffed her and they lay down together, the friction of her hip against his still-hard cock was the sweetest kind of torture.

“So tell me,” she said. “How long did you have that ring?”

He stared into her dark eyes, his heart still beating hard. “I bought it yesterday. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head, and I knew we’d be spending today together, so I went ahead.”

“Well, it was a surprise, to say the least. And there I was, congratulating myself on keeping a secret.” She laughed. “I hope you know you completely upstaged our surprise party.”

He cupped a hand against the back of her skull again, pulling her close until his lips brushed her hairline. “Worth it.”

She breathed a sigh and placed a hand against his chest. “So when are we tying the knot?”

“As soon as I can talk you into it.”

“I always thought fall weddings were nice.”

“We’ll have a fall wedding, then.”

“It’d still be warm enough to get married outside in October. Maybe even on the beach.”

“Whatever you want. I don’t care if we get married by the pool in the aquatic center.”

That made her grin. “I love my job, but not that much.”

“Let’s do the beach, then. It’ll be a good opportunity to get that picture I want.”

“Okay. A beach wedding in two months. I might need your help to pull off the planning in time.”

“Fine by me. I only have one request.”

“What?”

“I’d love it if you got me a wedding present you can’t give to me in front of the guests.”

He grinned and she squirmed, laughing when he squeezed one of her hips.

“Okay, but I expect the same from you.”

“This sure beats last time we were here,” Lucia said.

Jeremy looked around the spacious hospital room with its rocking chair and fold-out sleeper couch. It was less comfortable than it looked, but he couldn’t have cared less. It was as if she’d read his mind.

“It sure does.” For once, he was glad to be in a hospital.

“There are no mini fridges in the regular rooms, either.”

He nodded. “Speaking of that, Sasha says she’s coming by around lunchtime today to drop off some food.”

“Really? That’s sweet of her. After trying the food here, I see why they give you a fridge so you can bring your own.” She grinned despite her words.

He’d never seen anyone look so happy and so exhausted at the same time.

Just as he reached out to smooth a stray curl out of her eyes, a sound came from the wheeled bassinette to his left.

Not truly a cry – not yet.

After brushing the curl aside, he turned to the bassinette before she could get out of bed.

Aaron was squirming in his receiving blanket, and managed to get one tiny fist out. Jeremy scooped him up just as he opened his eyes.

They were big and dark beneath a dusting of brown hair that was bound to be curly, between the genes he’d inherited from him and Lucia.

“You’re so good at that,” she said, sitting up higher against her pillows. “Better than I am, I think.”

“I’ve had lots of practice.” It’d been thirteen years, but holding a newborn had come back to him the moment a nurse had placed Aaron in his arms.

“Of course you have.” A sympathetic look flashed in her eyes. It was the only look she could give him that made him truly uncomfortable.

He didn’t need her, or anyone, to feel sorry for him. Not when he felt like the luckiest man in the world.

“Now that you’re up and showered, do you want me to text my mom and have her bring Paige over?” he asked. They’d visited the night before shortly after Aaron had been born, and they’d promised to return in the morning.

“Sure. I’d like them to spend some time with Aaron before my parents and aunts get here after lunch, otherwise we won’t be able to fit everyone in the room at once.”

“You sure all the visitors aren’t too much?”

She waved a hand. “They’re family. It’s fine.”

“You let me know if it gets to be too much, and I’ll kick everyone out.”

She grinned. “You’d have to flash your badge to get my family out of here. Maybe even cuff someone.”

“I’m pretty sure the same could be said about my mom.” A cluster of balloons and a bouquet of yellow and pink roses brightened one corner of the room, evidence of his mother’s first visit. There was also a fluffy blue teddy bear – a gift from Paige to her little brother.

“Well, she hasn’t had a new grandchild in thirteen years, and she probably thought she was never going to get another one.”

He thought back to the way his mother had bombarded Lucia with baked goods when she’d first moved in across the street. “I don’t think she ever gave up hope.”

He brushed a blanket corner away from Aaron’s face, and Aaron grabbed one of Jeremy’s fingers and held on for dear life.

“I don’t remember babies being this strong,” he said.

“Maybe it’s a boy thing.”

“Speaking of boys, Kerry and Grey are supposed to find out the sex of their baby today.”

“I know – I made Kerry promise to text me. Sasha, Alicia and I have a bet going. Alicia and I think it’s a boy, and Sasha thinks it’s a girl. I think Kerry is the only one who doesn’t have an opinion either way.” Her voice softened. “After the way her first pregnancy ended, she says she’s too excited to be having a baby to have a gender preference.”

He nodded. For the past several months, Kerry’s excitement had been obvious to everyone who encountered her, which was saying something, considering her usual quiet demeanor. When she and Grey had gotten married in a small ceremony the month before, she’d worn a white dress that had emphasized her belly rather than hiding it.

“I’m happy for them.”

“Me too.”

He was even happier for himself. In fact, happy didn’t even begin to describe it.

The whole world seemed brighter, and he was unbelievably grateful for his place in it. Life had changed a lot since he’d married Lucia ten months ago, but with her by his side, he relished it. When they’d found out she was pregnant a couple months after the wedding, it had felt right from the get-go.

She shifted in bed, leaning to peer down at Aaron.

“Do you want to hold him?”

“In a little bit. He seems so happy with you right now, I don’t want to take him away. He looks like you, too.”

It was hard to say that a newborn resembled anyone at all, but there were definite traces of his mother in his features. “He’s got your eyes.”

“Too bad he doesn’t have yours – they’re the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”

Aaron blinked.

“I like yours better.”

“Flatterer. You have to say that – I’m your wife.”

“What can I say?” He grinned. “I want to keep you around.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Jeremy. You’d have to cuff me to something and run to get away.”

“I might cuff you, but I’m not running.” He touched the curve of Aaron’s chubby little face, so different from Lucia’s high, flushed cheeks. “I love you, Lucia. I can’t tell you how lucky I feel to have you as a wife, and the mother of my children.”

She was a mother to Paige too, no doubt about it. There probably weren’t many people capable of truly loving someone else’s child like their own, but she was one of them.

She smiled. “The feeling goes both ways, you know.”

“I know.”

* * * * *