Rough Justice (9 page)

Roxie wrapped her legs around his hips, locking her ankles behind his back and matching his tempo with thrusts of her own. The table rocked, threatening to splinter. The hard wood bit into his knees, yet he dug deep, thrusting into her soaked sheath again and again.

Slick yet sticky cream, chocolate and cherry juice squished between them. Ivan leaned forward and gently bit her shoulder, tasting the flavors of dessert from her soft skin. Roxie moaned while still pleasuring Jay. Ivan didn’t think about how close Jay’s dick was to his face. Rather, he reveled in the musky essence of man blending with the sweet scent of sex and sundaes.

Ivan roared. Every synapse fired. Sparks flashed behind his eyes and hot come jetted from his cock. A muted moan from Roxie rent the air. Her walls quivered then convulsed, gloving him in smooth, rhythmic contractions.

Ivan released a heavy breath and rested his head on her chest. Roxie continued to pump Jay’s shaft with one hand, but her other threaded through Ivan’s hair, her legs wrapped tight around his hips, keeping him close. She held him.

Jay woke to the chirping of his cell phone. Sunlight poured through the window. Roxie and Ivan still slept naked on the bed, sheets twisted around their legs. After they’d showered together, rinsing the sticky mess from their bodies, they’d gone to bed.

Fishing through the clothes on the floor, Jay found his watch. “Shit.” He should have been at the ball field an hour ago. He almost hated to look at how many calls he’d missed. This wasn’t the time to screw up with the team by showing irresponsibility.

He dressed quickly. After he tugged on his jeans, he sat on the bed. “Rox, I have to go.”

She stretched and rolled toward him. “Okay, will you be back tonight?”

Jay glanced from Roxie’s sleepy softness to Ivan. “Yeah, I’ll bring home dinner.”

“No Mongolian pussy.” Ivan cracked an eye open and smiled.

Jay chuckled and stood. “I’ll call you later and let you know when I’ll be home,” he said before taking a last glance at the pair. Then he quietly slipped from the room.

Roxie turned toward Ivan. “He left so he wouldn’t have to clean that mess in the kitchen.”

Ivan brushed her hair from her face. “I’ll gladly clean the kitchen for a few hours alone with you.” He cupped her cheek, traced his thumb along her lower lip. “I have mixed feelings about our involvement with Jay.” He leaned forward. “But I’m absolutely certain about you and me.” He pulled her close, their bodies touching from chest to thigh. “Roxanne, I want to make love to you.”

She reached over, grabbed a condom from the nightstand and slipped it into his palm. “I want that too.”

Ivan ripped the package open then quickly sheathed his cock. He stole her breath with a deep, penetrating kiss. Lips merged, tongues parried. She wrapped her arms around his waist, clutching him.

Roxie rolled to her back and spread her thighs. With their mouths still entwined, tongues in a dance of taste and retreat, Ivan slid balls-deep into her silken glove.

* * * * *

Evening encroached. Roxie brewed a pot of coffee. She’d never look at her kitchen table again without getting butterflies in her tummy.

Ivan had spent the day with her. Rather than feeling like she needed her alone time, she enjoyed his company. She poured two mugs and carried them to the table. “So when do you have to go back to work?”

Ivan sipped his coffee, wrapping his palms around the mug. “Tomorrow. I usually work the swing shift. At least I have,” he paused meaningfully, “for about the last six months.”

“So you can pull me over after work?”

“Guilty as charged.”

She met his eyes. Passion always seemed to simmer just beneath the surface. Even when the only interaction they’d had was on the side of the road, there had been arcs of sexual awareness between them.

“Are you staying here tonight? Jay will be here.”

Ivan chuckled. “I suspect Jay will be here whenever he wants.”

“That’s not fair. I’m not his booty call. He’s here because I want him here.” She paused, took a breath then said, “Just like I want you here.”

He nodded. “Then I’m a booty call like Jay?”

She rested her chin in her palm with her elbow on the table. “This sure doesn’t feel like a booty call to me.” A small smile titled her lips. “Does it to you?” She didn’t think it did. Earlier he’d asked to make love to her, and that’s exactly what he’d done. Worshipped her with his lips, his body, mentally bonded with her as much as physically while he filled her with his cock. She didn’t want him to go home tonight…perhaps not ever.

The phone rang. “That’s probably Jay asking what we want for dinner.” Roxie grabbed the cordless phone off the counter. “Hello.”

“Oh my god, Rox, tonight we’re celebrating! Not only am I going to Arizona—but I’ve been picked up by the Diamondbacks!”

Chapter Five

Whack…whack…whack.

Roxie opened her eyes and glanced at the alarm clock.

Whack.

What in the hell was Ivan doing at three in the morning?

Whack.

He wouldn’t…

Damn it. Yes, he would. She swiveled her legs out of bed, slipped on her robe and followed the sound of the hammer.

The house was
her
project. If repairs needed to be made, she was going to be the one to do them. That was part of the charm in the old country house. The remodeling and modernizing made it hers. She hadn’t spent hours watching DIY Network and pestering the staff at The Home Depot to let Ivan horn in on her fun and do the work.

Glow from the porch light spilled into the kitchen. The back door was open. She crossed the room and stood at the threshold but didn’t speak.

Whack.
Muscles bunched in Ivan’s shoulders and arms as he swung the hammer. Wood crackled and split and another porch step splintered into pieces. Sweat glistened on his back and trickled down his spine.

“Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

Ivan’s attention snapped to the door. Those piercing green eyes locked on her face and he smiled. “Good morning, beautiful.”

Flutters swarmed her tummy. She pushed open the old wooden screen door and stepped into the balmy night air. “This is morning only in the technical sense of the word. It’s the middle of the night. Come to bed.”

Ivan set the hammer on the porch and sat. “I can’t sleep.”

Roxie sat next to him. “Is something wrong? Did you have a rough night at work?”

She didn’t really need to ask. He’d be in bed with her—like he had been for weeks—unless something was bothering him.

Ivan clasped his hands between his knees. “I expected Jay to be here before I went off shift.”

Concern for Jay was the last thing she’d expected to hear. “And you’re waiting up for him?”

He sighed. “I wonder what’s keeping him.”

She wasn’t sure where Ivan was coming from. The relationship between the three of them had come a long way in a short time. But she assumed he tolerated Jay because of his feelings for her. Strong emotions, though still new, had developed between her and the sheriff. That he was rebuilding her back porch in the middle of the night, waiting for their lover to come home, bore testament to how radically the dynamics of their relationship—and his relationship with Jay—had shifted. “Do you want me to call his cell phone?”

Ivan stood and held a hand out to help her stand. “Yeah, make sure he’s okay. He called yesterday and sounded excited for the free weekend to spend at home.” He gripped her fingers. “He meant home as in
here
. Something’s kept him. The sheriff in me wants to be sure he’s okay.”

Roxie linked her fingers with his and they went back into the house. Ivan pulled her close and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Call Jay.” His voice thickened with emotion. “I’ll make coffee.”

Roxie grabbed the cordless off the wall mount and dialed.

“I’m getting his voicemail. I could try calling one of his teammates.” Roxie glanced at clock. “Or should we wait until morning…rephrase, I mean
sunrise
?”

A month ago she wouldn’t have worried if Jay didn’t come over. But since he’d gone to play with the Arizona Diamondbacks, his time home had come to mean a lot to her—apparently to all three of them. Seeing Ivan’s concern caused her pulse to spike. “You’re right. He’d be home. Maybe you could call dispatch. See if there are traffic delays or something. Don’t they have a network or something?”

Ivan took the phone from her hands and called the station. Roxie gave him some space, sitting at the table. Ivan spoke in hushed tones with his back to her.

Roxie took the moment to reflect on Ivan. She couldn’t believe how important he’d become to her in such a short amount of time. Learning each other’s schedules hadn’t taken long. Now when she left the club, she knew she’d come home to Ivan.

“Anyone hurt?”

Roxie caught that clipped portion of the conversation. She stood and approached Ivan. She put her hands on his waist. “What is it?” she whispered.

Ivan turned and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Roxie leaned her cheek against his bare chest. As he listened on the phone, he sifted his trembling fingers through her hair.

“Call me back with any information.” He gave Roxie’s phone number to the dispatcher. “We’ll be standing by.”

What information? Ivan’s voice sounded serious. Had he received news about Jay or was there some other crisis happening at the station?

Ivan hung the phone on the cradle. “It might be nothing.”

“What?” Breath froze in her lungs. Something awful had happened. Ivan’s mouth was a tight line and a muscle jumped in his jaw. “Tell me. Is it Jay?” She didn’t know what had happened but tears were already building behind her eyes.

“Heavy fog on the interstate caused a fifty-car pile-up.”

“Oh my god! Why didn’t they call you to help?”

“Because it happened near the Arizona border. Well out of my jurisdiction. They’ve had to life-flight some of the injured to hospitals throughout the state. Debbie’s checking the known injury list. They haven’t announced names.”

“Fatalities?”

Ivan nodded. “Several.”

A large, hard rock lodged in Ivan’s gut. Part of him wanted to get in his vehicle, turn on the emergency lights and race to the scene. But that wasn’t practical. Debbie would contact him when she received any information.

“What should we do?”

He didn’t know. Wait. Worry. “Maybe you should call some of his teammates and see if they’ve heard from him.”

Roxie nodded her head. “Good idea.”

Ivan poured coffee while Roxie looked up phone numbers in her address book. Perhaps the news would have an update. He went into the living room, turned on the television and switched the channel to a local station. No coverage was reported yet so he went back to the kitchen.

Roxie sat at the table, making phone calls. He couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. Nor did he want to start ripping up the porch again. Damn it. His gut instinct had been right. Jay would’ve called if he could. What if he was injured? Roxie needed to be with Jay if he was at the hospital.

Heat filled Ivan’s face and his eyes burned. Fuck. He’d want to be there too. He never would have thought he’d have strong emotions for the man, but he did. He cared about Jay.

Ivan went out to his vehicle to listen to the scanner. About an hour later, Roxie poked her head out the front door and waved her arms. It couldn’t be Debbie, since he’d just used his radio for an update.

Ivan scrambled from the car. “What is it?”

“Jay just called!” she cried and launched herself into Ivan’s outstretched arms. “He’s on his way home. Because they shut down the interstate, he’d taken a detour and couldn’t get service to his cell.”

Ivan swallowed the lump in his throat. Fear morphed into relief. “I guess you could say I overreacted on this one.”

Roxie trailed her fingers over his abs, up his torso and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It isn’t overreacting to care about someone.”

“He’s a good guy.”

She furrowed her brow and smiled at the same time. “Sheriff Soto, you sound like you’re beginning to like our good friend Jay.”

“Shhh. You can’t tell him. Jay already has a big enough ego.”

“Everything about Jay is big enough.”

Ivan laughed and swatted her ass. “You are so bad.”

“Maybe, but when Jay gets home, I’ll prove it.”

“You can prove it now.” Ivan pulled her close and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. He slipped his tongue into her mouth. Wet, hot, delicious. Simple sips shifted to deep, demanding exchanges. Ivan sucked her tongue into his mouth. Intense, consuming desire heated his blood. Warmth rushed into his cock.

Ivan trailed kisses along her neck, stimulating her pleasure points. Her nipples tightened and prodded against his chest. Ivan grasped her hips.

“I know we don’t have neighbors,” he said. “But let’s continue this in the house.”

* * * * *

Damn, the night had been long. After a five-hour detour getting home, all Jay wanted was to go to bed. Muscles in his ass didn’t get this sore during a double header. What should have been an eight-hour drive was now closer to fourteen. He was hungry, tired and because he was almost home, he was hard as hell.