Ever After (Love to the Rescue Book 3) (13 page)

“If you insist.” But she knew he had to tend to Timber. It would have been the same at her house.

He pulled free and disappeared down the hall toward what she presumed was the kitchen. She poked around in his living room, finding photos on the mantel of what looked to be his mom and sister. No evidence of a father. She filed that away as another piece of Pete’s puzzle.

While she waited for him, she ducked into the hall bathroom to freshen up. When she came out, he was just coming in the back door with Timber at his side. The dog literally leaped for joy when he saw her. She went into the kitchen to greet him, and Timber twirled and howled his pleasure.

“No offense, buddy, but you’re cramping my style right now.” Pete gave his dog a long look, which Timber completely ignored. Pete fetched a hollow bone from a box in the corner, stuffed it with peanut butter, and tossed it onto Timber’s bed. “Have fun,” he said.

He pulled a baby gate across the doorway to the kitchen and tugged her toward the stairs.

“Finally.” She went up on her toes to kiss him.

Pete scooped her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. She clasped her hands behind his neck, nibbling beneath his jaw as he walked. He tossed her into his bed, on a gray quilt that smelled intoxicatingly like him. Then he kicked off his shoes and lowered himself on top of her, bracing on his forearms so that he didn’t squish her.

She slid her hands beneath his T-shirt, skimming them over his hot, firm skin. Muscles bunched beneath her touch. Sometime later, she wanted to enjoy the fine sight of him without clothes, but right now, she couldn’t wait another moment, and based on the hard evidence in the front of his jeans, neither could he.

“Please.” She shimmied out of her panties and reached for the zipper of his jeans. “Hurry.” She was burning for him, aching to finish what they’d started by the lake.

“We should slow down,” he whispered against her neck, even as his hands explored her bare skin, stroking and teasing.

She whimpered. “We have the rest of the night to take it slow.”

Something in her tone must have broken his control because he gripped her ass, thrusting his pelvis against hers, making stars dance behind her eyes. She unzipped his jeans and freed him. He was hard, so hard, and he thrust into her hands with a groan of pleasure.

Her body clenched with anticipation. “Now.”

“Christ, Olivia.” He sounded half-strangled. He pushed his jeans and boxers down, crushing his mouth against hers, his cock straining against her belly. “You have no idea how much I want you.”

“That makes two of us.” She wiggled beneath him, desperate for release. “Hurry up and get a condom.”

He froze, then collapsed onto the bed beside her, cursing a blue streak.

“No condoms?” She rolled to her side, letting him suffer from his own lack of planning for several long seconds.

“Fuck.” He pulled his boxers back up, grimacing as if the action caused him severe pain.

“I have one in my purse. It’s downstairs.”

He gave her a look that could only be described as panty-melting (if she’d been wearing any in the first place), then kicked off his jeans and, wearing only his boxers and T-shirt, practically ran out of the room.

This was taking
way
too long.

When he returned, he held her purse in his right hand. He handed it to her, then shucked his boxers and dropped onto the bed beside her. She fumbled through her purse until she found the condom, then ripped open the packet and rolled it over his hard length, letting her fingers tease him as she went.

“You are something else.” He stared deep into her eyes, and then with one long stroke, he slid inside. There was no more talking then. They were frantic, clinging to each other as he thrust inside her, hard and fast. Sensation swamped her, pleasure filled her to bursting, and she was coming…

Pete gripped her hips and pushed even deeper, taking her even higher. She writhed beneath him, completely undone. He thrust into her again and again until, with a groan, he went still as he found his own release.

They lay tangled together, gasping for breath. Aftershocks of pleasure hummed through her. Pete rested his forehead on hers, eyes closed. The tension had gone out of him, the dark cloud lifted, at least for now.

Her heart pinched as she remembered what he’d witnessed tonight. Death was hard enough to stomach, but the death of a kid… She cupped his face and kissed him.

His eyes opened, burning into hers. “You are so fucking amazing.”

“I could say the same.” She smiled playfully, even as she felt the pull of something deeper between them, an undercurrent of emotion neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

He kissed her again, then rolled out of bed to get rid of the condom. When he returned, she put a hand out to stop him before he slid back into bed.

“Wait.” She went up on her knees and tugged his T-shirt over his head.
That’s better
. She ran her hands over his chest, shamelessly enjoying the sight of him naked. He was all tanned skin and taut muscle, and she wanted to touch every inch.

“My turn,” he said.

Olivia was still basically dressed, her skirt bunched around her waist. Pete peeled it down her legs, stroking fire with his fingers as he went. He lifted her shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing but a pink lace bra. He traced the edge of the lace, then popped the clasp and kissed his way down her neck and over her breasts.

“You are so beautiful.” His voice was low and rough, thick with lust but also heavy with emotion, as if he found her equally attractive inside and out.

And that touched a vulnerable spot in her heart, the place where she harbored insecurities about her career and her future. In his arms, she felt worthy of whatever dream she chose to chase, no matter how whimsical or foolish.

They lay together in his bed, kissing and touching, taking time where before they had been rushed. Desire built inside her, a slow burn that grew hotter with each kiss, each movement of their bodies together.

“We have a problem,” she said between kisses.

“I know. That was our only condom.” His cock pressed against her inner thigh, hard and ready.

“For a guy, you aren’t very well prepared.” She gave him a teasing smile.

“I got off work later than I’d expected.” He paused, and his expression changed. “I don’t do this that often.”

She absorbed the vulnerability he’d just shared, tucked it away in her heart. He didn’t have casual sex, yet he didn’t want a committed relationship. Baggage from his divorce? She touched his cheek. “Since your wife?”

He nodded. “I’ve dated since the divorce, just not lately.”

“How long?” She had no right to ask, but he’d brought it up after all.

“A year. Maybe a little longer.”

Wow.
“That’s a long time.”

He chuckled. “Tell me about it.”

Oh, Pete.
His scars ran deeper than she’d realized. She’d lost a little piece of her heart to him tonight, and she could only hope he’d give her the chance to help his heal.

P
ete felt like he’d been knocked flat on his back. It had been so long since he’d felt anything but pure physical release during sex, followed by an all-encompassing sense of emptiness. With Olivia, he felt protective. He felt vulnerable. He felt
alive
.

She’d taken him in her arms and rocked him to his very core. He wanted her.
Needed
her. And he had no fucking idea where they went from here.

As if she’d read his thoughts, she smiled softly. “You know, there’s a twenty-four-hour Walgreens over on Hanover Street.”

He laughed in spite of himself. “In a minute.”

Because he wasn’t quite finished with her yet. He wanted to taste her, wanted to watch her come, not hard and fast like the first time, but slow and fierce. He slid his hand between her legs, feeling how hot and wet she was.

She moaned, arching against him. He stroked her slow and steady, watching the blissful look on her face and loving every moment. Then he dipped his head and settled between her legs. He gave her pleasure with his tongue until she writhed against the sheets, each breath a needy gasp.

He brought her closer and closer to the edge, drawing out her pleasure for as long as he could. She begged. She panted. And finally, she came apart with a scream.

“Holy shit.” Her voice was hoarse, her body limp and trembling.

He smiled with satisfaction as he kissed his way back up her belly to her mouth.

Their little problem was now his
big
problem. He pulled back with a grim smile. “I think it’s time for me to take that trip to the drug store.”

And it was going to be one hell of an uncomfortable trip.

Olivia looked up at him, her eyes still glazed with satisfaction. “Not so fast. I can’t send you out in this condition.”

“No?” If it was possible, he got even harder just imagining what she might have in mind.

“No.” She pushed him down flat on his back.

He was breathing heavy, and she hadn’t even touched him.

“You are—” She kissed his neck. “The sexiest—” Her lips brushed over his collarbone. “Man I have ever known.”

He fisted his hands in the sheets, desperate for her touch. She took her sweet time trailing feather-light kisses down his chest and over his stomach. Her fingers brushed against his shaft, and he squeezed his eyes closed, unable to breathe.

“You’re so hard.” Her breath teased him, and his cock throbbed painfully. “So big.”

Her fingers gripped him, stroking up and down his shaft in one long, slow movement, and he thrust against her, unable to hold back, completely lost to her touch.

“So hard,” she whispered again, and then she took him in her mouth.

He swore roughly, his hips arching off the bed. Her tongue circled his head in a swirling motion while her fingers continued to stroke up and down in a painfully slow pace that had him ready to beg. But then it would be over, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt anything as exquisite as the swirl of her tongue, the pressure of her lips as she urged him on.

He fought to hold himself back, to let her take the lead, but his need was too great. His whole body tightened, swamped with sensation, pulsing with it.
More.
He needed more. He swore again, fighting to keep his hips still, not to thrust too hard against her.

She must have sensed she’d pushed him to his breaking point because she picked up the pace then. Her hand tightened around him, stroking hard and fast as she applied a gentle suction with her mouth.

And like that, he broke. He came so hard he lost his senses. A guttural groan tore from his chest as she sucked him dry. Wave after wave of red-hot release pulsed through him, leaving him limp, spent. Sated.

“Holy fuck.” He pulled her up against his chest.

She smiled sweetly. “Better than driving to Walgreens with a hard-on?”

“Fuck.” Apparently he’d lost the ability to do anything but swear. “That was—” Well, it was one of the most intense moments he’d ever experienced.

She kissed his nose. “I’m glad.”

He held her close as he caught his breath, wondering how he was ever going to let her go.

Olivia woke before dawn, exhausted but exhilarated. After a trip to Walgreens, they’d made use of their new box of condoms (and the chips and candy bars he’d bought to go with them). They’d finally fallen asleep sometime after midnight, but Pete had woken her in the dark hours of the night to make love to her again.

He was like no man she’d ever been with, and already she wanted more. She wanted this to be more than a casual fling, but he’d laid the ground rules, and she’d agreed to them, so she would be happy with this…for now.

The sky outside was beginning to lighten, and an idea took hold. She rolled on top of him to kiss him awake.

“Mornin’.” He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

“Good morning. I have plans for us,” she said.

“So do I.” He shifted her hips so that his cock pressed between her legs. Hard. Ready. And so was she. A burning need took hold inside her at the feel of him.

“Okay, your plans first.” She reached for the bedside table and grabbed a condom.

“Slow down, babe. There’s no rush.”

“Yes,” she said. “There is. We need to be at MacArthur Park by sunrise.”

“What?” His brows drew together.

“My plans.” She sheathed him in the condom, and there was no more talking as they succumbed to the desperate desire that only seemed to grow more intense each time they made love. When they’d finished, they stepped into the shower together.

By the time they got dressed, she was rushing him along. Timber, hyper and miffed at having been left downstairs, made his displeasure known with his howls and a frantic dance across the linoleum.

“Bring him,” she said.

Pete leashed his dog, and they walked outside. The air was cold and invigorating, crisp with the arrival of fall. They rode in his SUV, arriving at MacArthur Park just as the sun peeked over the horizon.

She led him to her favorite spot by the old pecan tree. The sunrise gleamed golden over the field before them. She spread her blanket, and they sat together on it as Timber frolicked in the field.

“You know, I don’t need to meditate anymore. I think I’ve discovered a better method of stress relief.” Pete gave her a teasing smile.

She punched his shoulder. “Sex isn’t everything. Meditation is good for your soul. I could teach you ways to incorporate it into your day, just a few minutes here and there when you need to find your center.”

“My center, huh?” He looked out over the field, and they sat quietly for several minutes. “It’s nice here.”

“I come here almost every day.”

“I can see why.” His hand closed over hers. They sat together, watching the sun rise. “I’m on duty at eight,” he said finally.

“And I need to get home to my dogs. I just wanted to start our day here together.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. This is what I picture when I close my eyes.” She gestured to the field before them, glistening with color as the sun rose above the treetops. “If I’m having a tough day at work or whatever, I just close my eyes, wherever I am, and picture this. Try it sometime. The more you practice, the better it works.”

He gave her a long, dark look, as if here, in the light of day, he wished she didn’t know as much as she did about him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay.” She stood and led the way back to the car.

Pete loaded Timber into the backseat. Olivia climbed into the passenger seat as Pete cranked the engine. Timber stuck his head around her headrest, first on one side, then the other, making a series of comical faces at her.

“I’m not really a dog person, but I like you,” she told him. Timber woofed his approval, then craned his head to lick her cheek. “Don’t push your luck.”

He let out a high-pitched whine before settling down on the backseat.

“I’m off at three, then coaching soccer until five thirty. Dinner?” Pete asked.

She shook her head. “I’m working until nine.”

“When will I see you?” He sounded awfully possessive for a man who’d claimed to want nothing but a physical relationship.

“I took yesterday off for court, so I’m working the rest of the week. Tom put me on noon to nine today and tomorrow. Why don’t we play it by ear?”

He pulled into his driveway. “Let me see your phone.”

She handed it to him with a questioning look. He typed in some numbers and handed it back. “My personal number.”

She looked down to see that he’d added himself to her address book, and a warm feeling spread through her chest. She gave him a quick kiss, grabbed her purse, and pulled open her door. “I’ll call you.”

She walked quickly down the street and around the corner to where she’d parked her Prius, unable to wipe the silly grin off her face.

Last night had been amazing, crazy, overwhelming—so many things. She could fall for him if she wasn’t careful, and that would be dangerous. He’d already warned her not to, and she knew better than to try to get more than a man was willing, or able, to give.

She drove home to find two dogs, a puddle of pee, and a pile of poop waiting in the kitchen. Scooby gave her a wounded look, as if it offended him that she’d left him here to sleep among Bailey’s accidents.

Bailey herself could care less, ecstatic to have Olivia home. She put both dogs out back, grumbling as she got out a bottle of cleaner and paper towels to clean up the mess. Seriously, who was ever going to adopt the damn dog if she wasn’t potty trained?

Guilt settled heavy in Olivia’s stomach. If she was home more, if she spent more time working with her, she’d have Bailey potty trained by now.

The dogs were banging at the door so she let them in and fed them, then went upstairs to check on Hallie. The kitten was sprawled in Olivia’s bed like a queen, but evidence of her was everywhere. The curtains were ripped, and the vase on her dresser had tipped onto the floor and broken, leaving glass and flowers everywhere.

“Mew!” Hallie leaped up and pranced down the bed in a sideways kitten dance, as if not yet certain whether she’d present herself for petting or attack.

“Well, you certainly kept yourself busy, didn’t you?” Olivia flopped onto the bed. She’d hoped for a nap before work, but nope. These crazy animals were making her pay for spending the night at Pete’s.

Okay, so she’d learned her lesson. Maybe.

Then again, maybe not.

Pete was learning to plan ahead. He stopped by the rec center around lunchtime and left instructions for the boys to set up and start running drills when they arrived, in case he got held up at work again.

Luckily, his shift was fairly uneventful because he was semi-distracted thinking about Olivia. Fairly sleep deprived too, although that was nothing new. No muffins for the women’s shelter this morning though. No tension either.

He almost made it out on time, but the sheriff called him into his office as he was getting ready to change for soccer.

“I hear you’ve been poking around out at Halverson Foods,” he said.

Pete nodded. “I was investigating a string of vandalism at Olivia Bennett’s property. It looks like some of the factory workers may be behind it. They may be trying to intimidate her into backing off her campaign to get the place shut down.”

“That’s your assumption.” Linburgh’s face said he didn’t agree. “From what I hear, you’ve lost your objectivity where this case is concerned. Pass it off to Kirk.”

“Sir—”

“That’s an order, Sampson. I don’t want you anywhere near Halverson Foods or Olivia Bennett. Are we clear?”

Pete had undoubtedly lost his objectivity where Olivia was concerned, but he had no intention of staying away from her. This was a low profile case that wouldn’t ordinarily warrant such an order. He’d seen a photo of the sheriff with Jim Beggs, the General Manager of Halverson Foods’ Dogwood factory, in the paper just yesterday, taken at a fund-raising event for Linburgh’s campaign. “I understand,” he said.

Pete understood that the sheriff didn’t want trouble for Halverson Foods, not this close to an election. He’d lost some popularity last year after the office was accused of mishandling an underage drinking scandal at one of the local colleges. Recent polls showed the Democratic candidate, Dale Walker, gaining in popular opinion.

How deep did Linburgh’s loyalty run? Was he willing to look the other way where Halverson was concerned to keep their support? That didn’t sit well with Pete, not at all.

When he walked into the rec center at four fifteen, the boys had set up cones and were busy dribbling soccer balls in and out of the zig-zag configuration Pete had drawn for them. He watched them for a minute, unobserved. He made note of how Lonnie had a tendency to swing wide when he dribbled. Zach fell behind during dribbling but had a hell of a kick when it came time to put the ball in the goal.

“Coach Sampson!” Leroy waved, tripped, and sent his ball careening into the bleachers.

So the group wasn’t destined for soccer stardom, but they were good kids who needed a place to hang out in the afternoons to keep them on the straight and narrow. Most of them were kids from lower income families, with no parent at home when they got off the school bus. Pete was thankful the Dogwood Community Recreation Center was here to keep them busy.

“Watch this, Coach Sampson.” Zach kicked and scored a goal from a good twenty feet down the court.

“Not bad,” Pete said. “You boys have been busy. Let’s practice some interceptions before we break it out into a scrimmage.”

He put them through their paces and ran them through a practice game, ending at five thirty. He ought to go home. His neighbor’s teenager had walked Timber at lunchtime, but by now the dog would be hyper, lonely, and ready for some real exercise.

And for some reason, Pete had a hankering to stop by the café for supper on the way home. There was leftover lasagna and a cold six-pack of Yuengling in his fridge. So he had no excuse other than a burning need to see Olivia.