Authors: Tessa Bailey
Tags: #police, #Romantic Suspense, #brazen, #line of duty, #erotic, #new york, #Contemporary Romance
braced her hands on either side of his
head, more of the discomfort fled. Her
lips hovered just above Bowen’s as she
rocked her hips up and back, grinding
down where their bodies joined. In the
beginning it felt good…then it started to
feel
great
. The pressure stopped feeling
like a hindrance to her movements as she
worked her sensitive flesh against his,
finding the perfect angle. Beneath her,
Bowen watched her under heavy
eyelids, his body flexing with the effort
to keep his hold on the headboard. He
looked ready to shatter and for some
inexplicable reason, that turned her on
even more. She wanted to shatter him.
Wanted them to shatter together. She
planted her hands on his chest and
increased her pace, bucking her hips one
minute and circling slowly the next.
“Fuck. I have to touch you.” One hand
left the headboard to grab hold of her
bottom, goading her into moving faster.
With the other, he reached between their
writhing bodies to stroke her clitoris
with his thumb. She cried out as a
tightening in her abdomen started,
working its way lower, encompassing
her thighs and the suddenly needy place
between them. “Don’t stop, Sera. Give it
up to me. Give it
up
.”
Instinct took over, making it her
mission to find out where this ache
ended. It was unlike anything she’d ever
felt, stronger than any pleasure she’d
found on her own. She was suspended
over the edge of release, but felt
suddenly unsure about taking the leap.
This would change something inside her.
She could feel that with perfect
certainty, yet she couldn’t deny it, either.
Her confusion escaped in the form of a
whimper.
Bowen jackknifed into a sitting
position, as if propelled by her chaotic
thoughts. His mouth found hers for a hard
kiss, the rough hand on her backside
forcing her to slow down. “Hey, you
look at me. I don’t know where you
went, but get the hell back here.
Now.
You don’t get to drive me out of my
mind, then disappear. I’ll drag you back
kicking and screaming.”
Having his warmth pressed against
her, his mouth so close, sent reassurance
pouring over her, bringing with it a
renewed heat. Even the course, blunt
way he spoke to her boosted her
confidence and once again, she started to
roll her hips, desperate to find the edge
again. His answering groan sizzled
through her bloodstream.
“I’m driving you out of your mind?”
she whispered.
“You like hearing that, don’t you?” He
bit her bottom lip and tugged. “Does it
make you hot to know how fucked up I
am over you? Over this pussy?”
Her hips pumped faster, of their own
accord. “Yes.”
Bowen wrapped her hair in his fist
and tugged her close, so he could speak
against her ear, hot breath sending a
shiver down her neck. “You don’t fuck
like no virgin, Sera. You don’t get on
your knees like one, either.” He leaned
back slightly, thrusting up into her at a
new angle that made her head spin. His
expression was pure lust, the filthy kind
that she didn’t realize she’d been
craving. “If you weren’t choking the hell
out of my cock, I wouldn’t believe it.
You a natural, baby? A tight little
natural?”
She moaned loudly and let her head
fall back. The need for relief came
charging back, her mind going blank
except for Bowen and the promise that
he could provide it. She arched her back
and widened her thighs, riding up and
down on his slick, rigid length. One
calloused hand palmed her breasts,
squeezing, before his greedy mouth
found her nipples. He growled as he
licked and sucked, sending the final dart
of pleasure through her she needed to
climax. It felt like drowning and being
rescued at the same time. Not being able
to breathe, but somehow her lungs had
never been so full. Bowen’s hands on
her backside urged her to ride it out fast
and hard, as he drove himself up high
and deep with forceful thrusts, making
her scream.
Bowen crushed her to his chest,
barking a curse as he came apart beneath
her. His teeth raked down her neck, his
powerful body shaking in time with hers.
“God, Sera…baby, it’s so good. So
fucking perfect. Mine now. My girl.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck
and held him tight, still attempting to
catch her breath. “Yes, your girl.”
He rocked them for a while, a move
she wouldn’t have expected from
Bowen, but somehow felt completely
necessary. She couldn’t fathom ever
leaving that position, his warmth, the
smoky masculine scent he carried with
him. The reality of their situation tried to
intrude, but she pushed it away in favor
of savoring the moment, their bodies
molded together.
It was hard to say when reality started
creeping back in. Perhaps with the
tightening of Bowen’s shoulders, his
prolonged silence. The way he went
still, stiller than she’d ever seen him.
Panic invaded her, horror that she’d seen
this for something it wasn’t. Minutes
ticked by as she tried to summon the
courage to move, to face whatever
change had come over him. Dreading
what she would find on his face, she
slowly lifted her head and found his icy
stare back in place, the one he’d worn
after the scene outside Marco’s.
“Bowen?”
He nodded once, but didn’t meet her
eyes. “Remember what I said. You stay
in this room with the door locked.
Anyone tries to come in, you shoot them.
Tell me you understand, Sera.”
She flinched over the detachment in
his voice. “You’re leaving now?
After…”
Finally, he looked at her. What she
saw caused the blood to drain from her
face. Pure, lethal determination. “Did
you think if we slept together, it would
make me
less
eager to kill for you?” He
leaned in and captured her mouth for a
thorough, possessive kiss. One that
brought back the throbbing between her
legs. “If that was your goal, it backfired.
I’ve had you now. Made you mine. The
one who tried to take you away from me
is going to pay.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sera.
Bowen woke up with a head filled
with sand.
His body ached for reasons he
couldn’t remember and the hardwood
floor he lay sprawled on wasn’t helping
matters. Sunshine blinded him, sending
splitting pain through his skull. As soon
as the light vanished, his memory
returned with the force of a tsunami,
rushing in like moving cement. He shot
up
into
a
sitting
position
and
immediately regretted the action as his
stomach pitched. His hands rose to
clutch his head and he saw the blood. So
much blood.
No. Not blood. Paint.
He’d come home and found Sera
asleep in the guest bed, looking so
beautiful he could have stood there
staring at her for the rest of his life.
Watching her chest rise and fall
underneath
her
halo,
where
she
belonged. He had no idea how long he
stood there before returning to his room
to paint. And drink. God yes, he’d drank.
Enough so he wouldn’t have to think
about what he’d done. Her face when
she realized he was leaving her,
abandoning her after what she’d given
him.
Now that he was thinking semi-
clearly, his head free of blinding
vengeance, he recognized his massive
mistake. He’d proven himself unworthy
of her. Something he’d already known
with absolute certainty, but she’d
seemed willing to ignore. There would
be no ignoring it now. She’d given him
the best night of his life and he’d
squandered it by letting his inner demons
get the better of him.
How he’d managed to pull himself
away from her, he still didn’t quite
understand. Hell, he couldn’t
remember
.
After she’d wrecked him for any other
experience life had to offer, his
protective nature had swelled inside
him, cutting everything else off. In his
arms, he’d been holding the most
precious thing in the universe and
instead of enjoying it, instead of holding
her through the night as he should have
done, he’d only been capable of
picturing that man’s hands around her
throat. He’d thought about what they
would have done to her, how they would
have hurt her, and his mind had gone
berserk.
God, he’d give anything to go back in
time and sleep beside her. To tuck her
against him and keep her warm, make
her feel safe. What if he never got that
chance again? He
shouldn’t
get that
chance. If she gave it to him, he’d
probably attempt to talk her out of it,
then beg for the opportunity anyway.
Jesus Christ. What a pathetic fuck he
was turning out to be. After drinking
himself into oblivion, he’d stumbled out
of his room and parked himself in front
of her bedroom door like a guard dog,
which is where he still lay. He needed to
clean himself up before she came out,
maybe put on some coffee. She liked
coffee. Maybe that would at least get her
talking to him.
But…what then? Hadn’t he decided
last night he would call Troy and
demand they come get her, whether
she’d secured the ledger or not? There
were too many threats around her,
including himself, as was proven last
night. As long as she stuck around, his
enemies were her enemies. He’d made it
obvious to anyone with a pair of eyes
she was important to him, and someone
would eventually get the balls to use her
against him again.
A new pounding took up residence in
his temples at the idea. Right now, she
was safely tucked in bed, right where he
wanted her,
needed
her, to be. She was
scheduled to work tonight at Rush, but
there had to be a way to keep her away
from the place. Just one more day.
Please God, he just wanted one more
day with her.
His hand went to the guest room
doorknob without any conscious thought.
The sudden need to see her sleeping
peacefully, unharmed, wouldn’t leave
him. As quietly as possible, he turned
the knob and pushed open the door.
Gone.
Bowen’s knees buckled under him. He
grabbed the doorframe for balance as
denial went off like firecrackers in his
already-pounding head. The bed was
unmade; her clothes were still there. She
hadn’t planned on leaving for good. Had
someone come in and taken her while he
lay passed out on the floor, unable to
intervene?
No, please. No.
Calm down. She could still be here.
He stomped toward the bathroom and
nearly ripped the door off the hinges to
get a look inside. Lights off. Empty. He
spun in a circle, searching through the
apartment, seeing no sign of her.
Commanding himself to focus, he
dialed Troy’s Manhattan cell phone
number. He answered on the first ring,
the sounds of the precinct behind him.
“What is it?”
“
Did you take her?
” he shouted. “
Did
you take her from me?
”
A long pause on the other end had
Bowen pulling his hair out. Finally, Troy
spoke. “Calm down and explain
yourself. Sera’s
gone
?”
Red danced in front of his eyes.
“Don’t play dumb with me, you asshole.
Where the hell is she? No cops. I told