“Take it or leave it. I got nothing to gain by helping you on this one, so a little extra motivation is in order.”
And when it came to Detective Hennessy, I knew there wasn’t much he wouldn’t give up to prove that his brother wasn’t a dirty cop. His reputation had been blackened by the suspicions, and his pops had retired because of it. The whole family of die-hard cops had suffered a serious blow the day the older Hennessy brother had been killed when a bust went bad.
When Hennessy didn’t respond at first, I wondered if I’d miscalculated how deep his fascination with Valentina ran. Didn’t fucking matter. She was mine. He might be the better man, but I didn’t care. I’d laid my claim, and I wouldn’t give her up for anything or anyone. Not even a cop who could sit across from her at a restaurant in a window where my guy saw him and reported back to me.
Valentina had some explaining to do, after I took it out on her luscious ass. I could see my rules hadn’t quite sunk in as well as I’d thought they had. But she would learn. I didn’t share.
“Yes or no, Detective,” I prompted. “I ain’t got all night. I got another stop to make.”
Hennessy glared at me. “You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”
I smirked. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”
“Fuck you, Rix. You’ve never been a gentleman.”
“Yeah, well, neither have you. Now, make your call, and know that if you pick her, you’re choosing the losing side on every front. Then you’ll have no help proving your brother’s innocence, and you’re not getting the girl.” When he still didn’t answer, I shook my head and backed up the way I’d come in. “Don’t be stupid. You know how to find me when you’ve made your choice.”
I had my hand on the doorknob, and still he didn’t speak. The house was silent as I slipped out into the night.
I had another stop to make.
FACE WASHED, LOTION SLATHERED, AND eyes drooping, I climbed into my bed. I’d wondered if Rix would be waiting at my house tonight, and had tried to ignore the shaft of disappointment when he wasn’t.
I’d decided. I’d made my choice. But was it really even a choice? Could I even have Rix? I was ready to lay it out and see what our options were. Maybe he could get out of this life and have a fresh start somewhere?
And you’re an idealistic and naive idiot because he’s a criminal.
I also needed to shed the guilt that was weighing me down. Rationally, I knew it wasn’t my fault that Rhett had decided to join me. It wasn’t like I could be rude and tell him no, right? I had a feeling that excuse wasn’t going to fly.
I lay awake for long minutes, watching the numbers of my bedside clock change before I finally drifted off.
Hands.
Decadent hands.
Clever fingers.
Everywhere.
Teasing, touching.
And the lips . . . tasting, sucking, kissing.
The sensations were too real to be a dream. My body heated and my eyes fluttered open. There was no fear when I realized I was no longer alone in bed. There was nothing but need.
Rix knelt over me, hands pressing my legs apart as his mouth lowered to my center.
“Oh God, yes. Please.”
His head lifted and his gaze shot up to mine, flashing in the dim light of the room. “You’re gonna have to do better than that, duchess, if you want my mouth on this pretty cunt.”
“What?” The word came out on a breath, and my inner muscles clenched at the possession in his eyes.
“You left me hanging, and if you want yours this time, you’re gonna beg.”
“Beg?”
He nodded slowly, lowering his mouth to hover over my clit.
“Please, just . . . please.”
“What are you gonna do for me? Gonna leave me stroking my own cock, thinking of you, while you’re letting another man put his mouth on you?”
“No. I’m going to tell him. I swear.” I lifted my hips, trying to reach him, but Rix’s hands clamped over my thighs and held me down.
“I feel like we keep having the same conversation over and over again. This is the last time.”
“Okay. Now, please.”
“Please, what?”
“Please make me come.”
His eyes flashed again, and his lips curled into a satisfied smile before he lowered his mouth to my *.
My palms found their way to his buzzed head, and it took all of my self-control not to shove his face between my legs. A plea left my lips and he began to devour me. Like with everything else, Rix followed no one’s rules when it came to the bedroom. He licked and tongued and sucked at my clit until I was arching up and writhing against him. And when one finger slid inside me, I knew I couldn’t wait long before he filled me.
I needed. I wanted. And I might combust if I didn’t get it.
An orgasm slammed into me when his teeth closed around my clit and tugged. Or maybe it was the finger pressing against the entrance no one had ever breached.
Either way, I lost my grip on reality as pleasure rolled through me.
“Please. I need—”
Rix lifted his head and stared down at me. “Me, duchess. You need me. I’m the only man eating this *. I’m the only man sliding inside you. I’m the only man you’re ever gonna feel this way for. Get me?”