The Edge of Night (25 page)

With a hoarse scream, she went over the edge, locking his head between her thighs and clutching his hair, convulsing with pleasure. When the earthquake was over, she fell back on the bed, panting.

He wiped his mouth and lay down beside her, supremely self-satisfied. His cock felt differently, but he ignored it.

She murmured something unintelligible, snuggling closer to him.

Although his body ached for release, it seemed more important to let her rest. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t concerned with his own needs at all. He wanted to give her everything, earn her trust, win her heart.

Content to wait, he listened to her soft breathing as she fell asleep.

22

April awoke with a start, instantly alert.

The room was blush with predawn light. She’d slept only a few hours, and it wasn’t yet time to get up. Sometime last night Noah must have turned off the lamp and covered her with a soft blanket.

But he hadn’t left.

The bed was warm from his body.

Clutching the blanket to her chest, she glanced over her shoulder. He was lying on his back, eyes closed. One arm was tucked behind his head, revealing a dark tuft of hair underneath. The other rested on his flat abdomen.

He was still wearing jeans. His fly was undone, as if he’d needed to make things comfortable down there before he fell asleep. A flush rose to her cheeks as she remembered the state she’d left him in. Cupping a hand over her mouth, she stared at the vanity mirror.

Oh my God.

Heart pounding, she eased off the mattress. Abandoning his warmth, and the cozy blanket, she tiptoed across the room, naked. Grabbing a short robe off the hook by the door, she slipped outside and walked down the hall.

Jenny’s door was shut. April normally left it open, but she’d closed it before she let Noah in last night. She turned the knob quietly, peeking inside.

Her daughter was sound asleep, snug as a bug, hugging Lalo.

April closed the door again, smiling. She ducked into the bathroom for a quick toilette. After using the facilities and checking her reflection in the mirror, she went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

They had at least an hour before Jenny woke up.

Sneaking back into her bedroom, she locked the door behind her. Noah was still asleep. She set her glass of water on the nightstand and stretched out on the bed next to him, drinking in his beauty. With his face relaxed, and his hair sticking up, he was irresistibly handsome. A shadow of beard stubble covered his angular jaw. Although she’d seen him shirtless several times now, she found her gaze lingering on his bare chest.

He was taut and toned, more lean than muscle-bound. With his right arm bent behind his head, his biceps bulged. There was something fascinating about his armpit hair. It was several shades darker than his golden head.

Her eyes drifted lower, to the hand that lay across his abdomen. There was more hair there, swirling around his belly button. Moistening her lips, she stared at his open fly. A pair of blue boxer shorts obstructed her view.

She wanted to tug down the waistband and see the rest.

Closing her eyes, she pondered her next step. Last night she’d broken her rule about having a man in her bedroom while Jenny was home. She definitely had to get him out of here before Jenny woke up.

Beyond that, what was she doing? She hadn’t really accepted his gift, or his apology. But she’d accepted his tongue between her legs. Her cheeks heated as she pictured her sultry expression in the mirror. She’d watched him go down on her!

And she was more aroused by the memory than ashamed. She was very aware of her naked body beneath the silky fabric of her robe. Her nipples pebbled, and a sweet ache began to throb at the juncture of her thighs.

Maybe she moaned out loud, because he stirred, sitting up.

She looked into his startled blue eyes, her throat going dry. Stalling for time, she drank a sip of water.

He gestured for it, and she handed him the glass, watching him take a few long swallows. As soon as she replaced the glass on the nightstand, he reached for her. Their mouths were cool from the water, but for only a second.

He buried his hand in her hair, kissing her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts to his chest, squirming against him.

“Should I leave?” he asked, between kisses.

She glanced at the locked door. “We have to be quiet.”

Nodding eagerly, he kissed her again, his hands sliding over her bottom. When he found it bare beneath her robe, he made a growl of approval, squeezing her supple flesh.

“Wait,” she whispered, putting her hands on his shoulders and giving him a light shove. “I think I owe you a favor.”

After a brief hesitation, he lay back, resting his weight on his elbows.

April felt a thrill she’d never known before. He was letting her call the shots. It was unbearably exciting.

She sat up, pushing the robe off her shoulders. His gaze darkened as he stared at her exposed breasts, her stiff nipples. Continuing the show, she untied the sash at her waist, tossing the robe aside.

His eyes devoured her, lingering at the apex of her thighs. She noted the outline of his erection beneath his blue boxer shorts, the tension in his stomach muscles, and his flexing hands at his sides.

She cupped her breasts, pushing them together.

His throat worked while he watched her touch herself. He looked as if he wanted to pounce on her, but he didn’t. She admired his control.

Teasing him further, she smoothed her hand down her belly. Opening her thighs for him, she dipped one finger inside.

He let his head fall back against the pillow, groaning.

She brought the finger to her lips. “Shh.”

That must have been his breaking point, because he kicked off his jeans and boxer shorts, impatient.

Her mouth went slack as she stared at his jutting erection. It was very thick.

Holding her gaze, he wrapped her hand around him in a tight grip. She pumped him in her fist, marveling at the sight. When a bead of moisture appeared at the tip, she leaned forward, licking the salty drop. He inhaled sharply, cupping his hand behind her head. Although he didn’t push her, she knew what he wanted. Her dark hair spilled across his thighs as she closed her mouth around him. Hollowing her cheeks, she drew him deep, watching his face while she sucked and stroked him.

Receiving oral sex was unfamiliar territory for her. This, she knew. And with Noah, she actually enjoyed it.

She wanted to blow him away.

He didn’t let her.

Just when she was really getting into it, making throaty sounds of pleasure, he threaded his hand through her hair and pulled her head up.

Raul had never done that, either.

“I love your mouth,” he murmured, kissing it.

“Mmm. I like yours, too.”

He gave her bottom a light spank. “There’s a condom in my pocket.”

She crawled to the side of the bed and reached for his jeans, finding the square package. It took her at least a minute to put the condom on him, and she dragged the process out. When she was finished, she cradled his testicles in her palm, testing their weight.

Making a strangled sound, he grabbed her by the upper arms and moved over her, parting her legs with his thigh. In the next breath, he was inside her.

April gasped, clinging to his shoulders. This time, her body accepted him easily. They were a perfect fit.

“You’re so wet,” he panted. “I’m not going to last.”

She writhed underneath him, restless. “Just do it.”

He did.

Withdrawing almost all the way, he surged forward, driving deep, filling her to the hilt. The bedsprings creaked under their combined weight and she cried out in pleasure, digging her nails into his skin.

“Quiet,” he reminded her, glancing at the door.

“More,” she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist.

With a low groan, he changed positions, bringing her on top. Too enthralled to protest, she lifted herself up and slid back down his entire length, seating herself fully. The bedsprings made less noise, but the sensation was just as intense.

She impaled herself on him again and again, shivering with pleasure. He studied her motions through half-lidded eyes, tracing the curve of her bottom, squeezing her waist. When he pinched her stiff nipples, applying gentle pressure, her hips bucked forward.

“Oh, God,” she said.

Glancing down at the juncture of their bodies, he licked his thumb. Her slick, sensitive flesh was stretched around his thick base, her moisture making him wet. “Say something in Spanish.”

She blurted out the first phrase that came to mind, desperate for him to continue. The instant he placed his thumb over her clit, she started to come. Her inner muscles clenched around him and she sagged forward, biting back a scream of pleasure. He shoved his hand in her hair and brought her mouth down to his, smothering both their cries while his cock jerked and pulsed inside her.

Totally spent, she collapsed against his chest.

For several languid moments, he stroked her tangled hair, trailing his fingertips over her naked back. “So … you want me to fuck you a thousand times?”

She lifted her head. “What?”

“That’s what you said.”

Giggling helplessly, she said, “I didn’t know you understood Spanish.”

“Well, I do. And I’m holding you to it.”

She slid off him, still laughing, and rolled over to grab the wastebasket beside the bed. “Here,” she said, passing it to him so he could dispose of the condom. When that was done, he pulled her into his arms, spoon-style, and covered them both with the blanket.

“Tell me more about Cedar Glen,” she said, snuggling into him.

“It’s a typical small town in the mountains. Picturesque … boring.”

“Sounds nice.”

“I’ll take you there,” he promised.

“Really?”

“Sure. I always go back for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes a week in the summer, too.”

“You’d introduce me to your parents?”

“Of course. But we could just see the sights, if you’d rather. The lake has a designated swimming area, and the ski slopes open when it snows.”

“I’ve never been skiing,” she mused.

“I have to warn you, my parents are very old-fashioned. They won’t let us stay in the same room.”

“How do you know?”

He didn’t answer right away.

“How many other girls have you brought home?”

“A few,” he admitted.

“What happened to them?”

“Nothing, really. They just … weren’t you.”

She tensed at the simple statement, glancing over her shoulder at him. As always, he was relaxed, sincere, completely unguarded. April wondered what it was like to be so fearless with affection. To leap without looking.

“You’ve had a lot of girlfriends,” she surmised, settling against him.

“Not that many.”

“Anyone serious?”

He deliberated for a minute. “I wanted to be serious with a couple of them. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve always been more focused on my career,” he said. “If a relationship didn’t work out, I’d feel disappointed, but I never … obsessed about it.” His arm tightened around her waist, as if he couldn’t bear the thought of letting her go.

She stroked the back of his hand, tracing his fingers absently. “You’re obsessed with me, is that it?”

“Mmm-hmm,” he said, kissing her bare shoulder.

“You wouldn’t be, if you knew me better,” she whispered.

He went still. “Try me.”

She fell silent, not wanting to ruin the moment. But she suspected that she had to come clean, in order to move forward.

“Hey,” he said, turning her toward him. “There’s nothing you could say that would change the way I feel about you.”

She shied away from him, wishing that were true.

“I’m a police officer, April. You can’t shock me.”

Rising from the bed, she wrapped the robe around her naked body. “I did drugs when I was pregnant.”

Noah didn’t recoil in disgust or cast aspersions on her. He sat up straight, waiting for her to continue.

“I—I knew Raul was into drugs when we met,” she said, backtracking a little. “He was also a few years older than me, but I didn’t care. In some ways, he reminded me of my father—what I thought my father was like, anyway.”

“A gang member?”

She closed her eyes, ashamed of the family legacy. “Yes. He also had a lot of money, or it seemed that way. He bought me frivolous things. My mother hated him. I thought it was all very … edgy and glamorous.”

“Go on,” Noah said.

“About a month after we started dating, I moved in with him. He sold drugs, so there were always people coming and going. It was a nonstop party. I started using pretty heavily, and we argued about it. One day, when I yelled at him in front of his friends, he just … snapped.” She lifted a hand to her cheek, remembering the blow. “He said he was sorry later, and I forgave him. But he did it again, and again, and again. After a while I started to think I deserved it. That I
asked
for it. I often instigated the attacks.”

Noah’s mouth thinned with anger. “He should never have put his hands on you. No matter what.”

She paused, studying him. “The other night, when I slapped you … I guess I was looking for your breaking point.”

“I’d die before I hurt you. I told you that.”

She nodded, believing him this time. “It’s hard for me to trust you, because of what I’ve been through. Not just with Raul, either. My father was never there for my mother. And some of the men she dated …”

His eyes narrowed. “Did they touch you?”

“One of them tried to. I told my mom about it, and she kicked him out.”

“Motherfucker,” Noah swore, his face dark with fury. “What’s his name? I’ll run it as soon as I get to the station.”