Love's Taming (The Love's Series) (6 page)

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Hearing the apartment
door above close, Stoney moved to the back door leading to the alley. Slipping out, he walked over to the dumpster behind her building. Quietly lifting the top, he pulled himself up and peered down into the dark, stinking pit. Shining his light down on the garbage bags below, he saw a few smaller bags under some of the larger ones. Knowing that she had already thrown out the clinic’s garbage before he showed up on Friday night, anything that she would have thrown out after that would be in a smaller bag.

Sliding down into the dumpster, he took out his knife and slit a few of them open. The filled sausage casing was visible, and he pulled it out. Still intact.
Fuckin’ hell. She was telling the truth. She threw it away just like she must have thrown away the other one. She has no fuckin’ clue.
Stoney slipped the sausage into a plastic bag and zipped it up. Pulling himself back out of the dumpster, he quietly lowered the lid and walked back into the clinic, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Pulling his cell out of his pocket, he placed a call as he knelt by Sarge to rub his dog’s ears.

“Got it. Yeah. Bringin’ it in. Tomorrow. Yeah, I know.”
Fuck

Sliding the phone back into his pocket, he shook his head. “Sarge, this shit just got worse. Looks like we’ll be stickin’ around for a bit, and that sure as hell won’t be hard. But when she finds out…fuck. Just gotta make sure that goes the way it needs to.”

His hand touched his pocket where the plastic bag contained the red sausage. Filled with a quarter of a million dollars of cocaine.
And she fuckin’ threw it away.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, he shoved the bag deeper in his jean’s pocket. Settling quickly on the floor by Sarge, he assumed the relaxed position as though he had been there all along. The door opened and he looked over as she walked back into the room carrying a small tray.

Long hair, wet from her shower, pulled back away from her face. The light smell of flowers drifted in the air as she moved over toward him. Her face devoid of makeup was more beautiful than the painted women he had been hanging with. No longer in scrubs, her yoga pants cupped her ass making him remember what it felt like in his hands. Her t-shirt hung on her breasts, not overtly sexy, but showcasing her rack to perfection. He looked at her questioningly as his eyes traveled down to the tray in her hands containing a sandwich, an apple, some chips, and a beer.

“I thought you might be hungry,” she said with a simple shrug.

He started to stand, but she was already on her way squatting down on the floor next to him. “This is for me?”

“Well, I didn’t bring the beer for Sarge,” she said, laughing as she set the tray on the floor.

Laughter. True, gentle laughter. Not the sound of a hard-pressed woman trying to get a man’s attention. Not the sound of a drunk, stoned woman giggling because they’re high out of their mind. Just pure amusement. Shaking his head, he realized it had been a long time since he had heard that sound.

Clean. Pure. Light.

Needing her more than he could believe at that moment, he reached over and quickly pulled her into his lap. Her eyes opened wide but as his lips latched onto hers, he saw her eyes warm with desire.

Tongues dueling, he explored every crevice of her mouth tasting the fresh mint of her toothpaste. The taste shot straight to his dick, feeling it swell uncomfortably in his jeans. His hands placed on either side of her head as he angled his mouth for deeper access began to slide down. One around her back to hold her to him and the other down over her breast to the bottom of her t-shirt, where it slipped under and began its path back up. Pulling the t-shirt over her head, their lips separated for the second it took the material to pass between them.

She was slender but had an amazing body. Her breasts, full and round, spilling over the tops of her bra cups, which he quickly pulled down. Now released, her nipples hardened to points, beckoning, to which his lips quickly obliged.

As his lips attached themselves to her nipple, Annie felt the electric jolt down to her pussy. Desperate for the friction that would ease the ache between her legs she quickly straddled him, rubbing her core on his jean-clad dick. Sliding one hand down she released the button on his jeans and began to unzip them as he leaned back pulling her with him. With his cock free she fisted him, stroking him gently and then with more firmness.

“Fuck, girl. You’re gonna’ have me come before I’m ready.”

His words, meant to dissuade, only seemed to inflame her more. Sliding down, she took him in her mouth. Never having given head before, she only hoped that her romance novels had taught her something. Swirling her tongue around the tip, she heard the sharp intake of his breath. Encouraged, she continued to take him in her mouth. He was large. Much larger than her few sexual experiences in college. She moved her mouth over him, gently fondling his balls with one hand while the other pumped him at the base.

Suddenly, he lifted her off of him and laid her on her back. His hands grabbed the top of her yoga pants and panties and jerked them down and off in seconds. Pulling a condom from his back pocket he sheathed himself as her legs fell naturally open.

Stoney fingered her quickly, feeling the slick moisture that had pooled between her folds. “Fuck. You’re already wet for me, baby.” Looking down at her face, wanting to ascertain that she wanted this as much as he did, he found her eyes staring into his. Not with question. Not with concern. The look on her face was one of trust.
Fuck! She goddamn trusts me.
Not willing to stop, he plunged into her waiting body, feeling her tightness surround him. Cushion him. Hold him.

Stoney never lost control. With his job. With a woman. Everything he did was about control. But Annie undid him. Thrusting into her, he felt her tight walls pulling at his dick as he leaned over and clasped his lips over a swollen nipple. Sucking deeply, he felt her body buck under his. Nipping with his teeth, he quickly licked the pain away then moved up toward her mouth. His tongue slipped in and began thrusting in time to his dick.

He couldn’t remember the last time he kissed a woman, certainly not like this. Before Annie, his last fuck had been pounding into some junkie, a woman who worked for a supplier. She wasn’t too hard to look at, but she’d been a job. Part of the job. Part of dealing the drugs that kept coming.

But Annie. She was no fuck. Looking down at her face as she leaned her head back and screamed his name as the orgasm ripped through her, he knew that no matter what else happened, she was no fuck. Thrusting a few more times was all it took and he pushed through his release, his neck straining. Collapsing on top of her but quickly rolling to the side, he gathered her in his arms, cradling her gently. Listening to their breathing as it slowly regulated, he saw her looking at him. Those gorgeous green eyes, staring into his darkness. With trust.
I am so fucked. Don’t know how, but I gotta protect her.
He tried to convince himself that he would protect her for his job, but he knew as that thought flitted through his mind that it was shit.
Clean. Pure. The one. I gotta protect her from everything.
Trying to figure out how was killing him.

Annie looked up into his dark eyes, wishing she could tell what he was thinking. This time she felt no guilt. This time she felt no embarrassment. If a few stolen minutes with Stoney was all she would get, she wanted them. Reaching her hand to cup his face, she pulled him down for a soft kiss.

Looking down at the still sleeping Sarge, she asked Stoney, “Do you want to come upstairs? You could have your sandwich there.” Her eyes raised to his face, knowing that she couldn’t keep the hope out of them.

Stoney, realizing that he just fucked her on the floor, was almost overcome with disgust. Knowing that he should get the hell out of her clinic and her life, he also knew he was never going to do that. “Yeah, baby. I’d like that,” he answered softly. Getting to his feet while adjusting his pants, he assisted her up from the floor.

Annie pulled her bra cups back into place and scooped her t-shirt, panties, and yoga pants off of the floor. She noticed Stoney picking up the tray while she quickly dressed. Smiling up at his face, she turned and walked to the door leading to her apartment. “Come on up,” she said as she disappeared through the doorway.

Stoney hesitated for only a second.
Fucked up timing
was all that he could think, but he followed her anyway.

A
fter they both
had eaten, Annie and Stoney settled into comfortable positions on her sofa. Tucking her feet up under her, she twisted her body so that she could see him at the other end. At the moment, he was looking down at his rough-worn hands rubbing Boo’s fur and she wondered what was going through his mind.

“What are you thinking, Stoney?” she asked softly.

He lifted his face to hers. “Honestly?” he asked. When she nodded, he answered, “Glad I’m here, but kinda’ pissed you’d bring a strange man up to your apartment, doc. You’re too trusting and this ain’t the smart play.”

Annie’s eyes narrowed at his words. “Are you saying I’m dumb?” her voice not hiding her irritation.

“Just sayin’ you don’t know anything about me, yet you bring me up here where anything dangerous could happen. You do that often?” His dark eyes held hers until she looked away.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out. “I want to be angry about what you just said, but I can’t. You’re right.” Turning her gaze back to him, she continued. “I don’t bring men here. Ever. But I think…I mean…I just feel that I can trust you.”

Right then, another cat strolled into the room, weaving its body around Stoney’s legs.

“Damn, doc. How many strays do you pick up?”

Laughing, she scooped up the cat and rubbed its ears. “It’s hard not to care for a stranded animal. They just want to be loved.”

“Is that how you see me and Sarge? Are we strays to you?”

Shrugging, Annie answered honestly. “Kind of. You needed my help. I couldn’t turn you away.”

His eyebrows raised. “Help is one thing, baby. What we did went way beyond help.”

Annie’s blush returned as she buried her face in the cat’s fur. Looking back at him, she replied, “You probably won’t believe this, but I’ve never done that before. I’ve never slept with a man I just met. I’ve never been someone’s one-night stand.”

Stoney leaned over, closing the distance between them, saying, “Baby, you don’t gotta convince me. Men can tell these things and believe me, there is nothing fake about you at all. You are pure sunshine.”

Smiling, she set her cat on the floor, then leaned back into the sofa cushions. “So what do you do? I mean, I kind of thought you might be homeless when you showed up in the alley, but homeless men don’t leave five hundred dollars for vet expenses.”

Holding her gaze, he answered, “I solve problems.”

Waiting for him to elaborate, she quickly realized that nothing else was forthcoming. Wrinkling her brow, she cocked her head as she asked, “Solve problems? What kind of problems?”

Sighing, he continued, “Simple. People have problems. I’m sent in to fix them. Any way I can. Any way that gets the job done.”

Not having any idea what he was talking about, she probed. “Who do you work for, solving problems?”

“Different people. Some better than others, but they all know I can take care of things.”

By this time, Annie realized that he wasn’t going to give her any more information and what he had given her seemed a little scary.
What kind of man have I invited up to my apartment?

Recognizing that she was beginning to question his motives, Stoney knew that he needed to move the conversation to her. “So, tell me about being a vet.”

Immediately the smile that lit her face took his breath away once again. Green eyes, bright and alert, turned on him as she effused. “I love it. It is the only job I ever wanted. My parents were afraid that if it didn’t work out, I would have no plan B. But I never needed a plan B.”

“How long have you been in practice?” Stoney found himself wanting her to keep talking. He no longer cared about her talking so that they focus was off of him; he simply wanted that smile to continue to beam his way.

“I’ve been out of vet school for two years. The practice downstairs was owned by Dr. Cranston and he took me in then made me a partner. He died six months ago and left me the practice and this apartment. His practice was a good one, but it has been hard to keep things going.”

“Business is bad?”

“No, actually there is a lot of business, but I had vet school loans to pay off and can only afford my two employees right now. And this apartment is free, but we work all the time.”

Looking around at the old, minimally furnished apartment, he noted that it was clean and well kept. But still…facing an alley in an area not populated with other apartments for neighbors.

“Do you feel safe here?” he asked with bite in his tone, his irritation showing.