"No. I absolutely don't want another husband. I have my daughter. I really don't want any more kids. I have my friends-"
He cut her off. "What about sex?"
"I-I, well, I-" She stopped and licked her lips. Her mouth was dry. She picked up her glass of wine and took a large sip.
"So, what you're not saying is that you haven't been having sex, is that right?" He looked into her eyes.
"That's right." Her answer was soft.
Satisfaction ran through him. He reached out and took her chin in one large hand. He ran his rough thumb over her lips. Her breath caught. Her agitation was palpable. His voice was deep and sure. "We are going to have so much fun."
Amy jerked her face away from his hand and valiantly tried to take control of the situation. "N-no." She shook her head.
"No? You don't think it's going to be fun?"
"I don't want to get involved with you." Her voice was soft, but firm. "You shouldn't have threatened me. You shouldn't have made me come here. You knew I hadn't been drinking tonight."
"That's bullshit. You know I wouldn't force you to do anything. I'm a cop, not a criminal. You took the easy excuse I gave you, and now here you are. You're still letting whatever hang up you have about me scare you. So, what's the problem?"
"I don't want to get involved with you." She crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, strictly speaking, babe, I don't want to get involved with you, either. I just want to sleep with you." His voice was arrogant, self assured.
"Well, that's not going to happen. Since you're not going to arrest me, you can take me home."
"I'm not taking you home until I get some answers. Why the hell are you so scared of what's between us?" Jake was irritated at his own tone. He was barking at her, when he knew he should be talking gently, seducing her. He tried to temper his words with slow, gentle movements.
Amy felt her hand taken between his. He pulled her to her knees and her hands fell to his shoulders. He steadied her with his hands on her hips. He spoke softly. "What's wrong? Why can't you just give me all this softness?" His words were bewitching, filling her mind with pleasure.
She leaned her head into him and answered him. "I'm scared of cops."
Her answer disconcerted him. He tried to stay gentle. "Why, sweetheart? Have you done something wrong?"
Her head was buried in his shoulder. He felt the small, negative movement as she shook her head. "Then what is it? Tell me."
She took a deep, shuddering breath. "My father was killed in the line of duty."
Chapter Three
Shock went through him. His arms immediately tightened all the way around her. He held her for a long moment in silence. "I'm so sorry. Oh, sweetheart, you don't know how sorry I am."
"It was a long time ago. I was thirteen and we were in California." The words started pouring from her. "My mother tried to run away from it all and moved us all the way to Lake Charles."
He wanted to know the details, but this was not the time to ask. Later on, after this initial conversation.
"A lot of good it did. Dad's department kept up with us, and notified the sheriff in Calcasieu parish. You know the system. Law enforcement takes care of the widows of fallen officers. It took barely eighteen months for my mom to be married again. This time to a sheriff's deputy. They've been married ever since. Her voice was flat, unemotional.
He held her while she talked, running his fingers up and down her spine in long, soothing sweeps. "And you didn't like that?"
"I love Robert. I even call him 'Dad' now. I just don't understand how she could do it. Losing my father was horrible. How could she put herself through that again? Of course I understand why she would get married again. She was only thirty-five. So young, and she was so pretty--"
"Was she as pretty as you?" The words were deep, questioning.
She lifted her face from his shoulder to look at him. "Umm, I d-don't know…we look alike. All my life, everyone has always told me I look exactly like my mother."
Tenderness consumed him at her hesitant answer. "She must be beautiful." He kissed her lips, teasing them apart. They shared a slow, consuming kiss filled with need and hunger. He lifted his lips from hers. "So that's the reason? The reason you've been running from me for ten weeks?"
She opened her eyes. "Yes."
His hands gripped her harder. "I won't let you go. I'm sorry for everything you've lost, but I won't let it make me give you up. I'm not asking for a relationship. Hell, I don't want a relationship. I'm not expecting a commitment or anything from you. But I will have you. Understand?
Her eyes were dark with emotion as she trembled in his arms. She nodded her head in surrender.
He couldn't wait. Lust raced through his system. The reason for her reticence explained, he wanted her now. This second.
He fastened his hands on her and picked her up and dropped her in his lap. He smoothed a hand over her silky, dark hair. "Look how perfect you fit in my arms," he whispered in her ear. He dropped a hand to the row of buttons on her shirt. "Everything is going to fit just perfect, babe." He spoke into her ear. The first button came undone. "I bet you're tiny all over." The second button came undone. "Are you? Are you this tiny all over?" His hand left her shirt and drifted to the liquid heat between her thighs. He pressed and rubbed her through her jeans.
She couldn't find her voice to answer him. Need clawed through her veins. "I'm going to be real careful, sweetheart. I don't want to hurt you." He unsnapped her jeans. "You don't want me to hurt you, do you babe?" He ran the zip down. He lifted her chin and gazed into her eyes. His words were drugging. She whimpered. "You promise to be a good girl and let me be gentle with you, okay?"
"Y-yes." Her voice was breathless. She undulated gently against him.
"You promise? Say, 'I promise, Jake.'" His hand slid back up to the third button. It came loose.
"I p-promise, J-Jake," she moaned.
"That's a good girl. I'm going to make it so good for you, babe." The fourth button came undone. "I guess you're not protected, are you?"
Shock and panic momentarily dulled the passion running through her. "No, I'm n-not protected."
"It's okay. I'll take care of it. You don't have to worry about anything." The last button came undone. He spread the shirt open. Lust clawed through his guts at the beautiful picture she made. Red lace covered the slight swells of her breasts. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders. He reached up and peeled the shirt off her shoulders.
He continued to look down at her and took a calming breath. "That's a pretty bra, sweetheart, but I think we need to get rid of it." He unsnapped the clasp between her breasts and pushed the cups apart.
He stared at her chest and groaned. Small, pale white swells lifted and fell with her rapid breathing. Plump, pink little nipples were already hardened with excitement. With one swift move, he lifted her up and turned her so that she straddled him where he sat and immediately latched his mouth onto a nipple.
Heat slammed her body at the suddenness of his action. She lifted her arms and threaded her fingers through his hair. "Mmmm…" Her voice was shaky, filled with pleasure. She moved her hips as he sucked harder.
He gripped her by the hips and helped move her. He lifted his mouth and blew wet heat on her nipple. "These are the prettiest little tits I've ever seen in my life." He bit down on one just hard enough to make her gasp.
"They're small." Her voice was apologetic.
"Yes they are." His voice was laced with satisfaction. "Small and perfect. Beautiful." He reached up and took them in his hands and lifted them to his mouth. He sucked on one pink nipple, his thumb simultaneously rubbing on its twin. He moved his head back and forth, taking long licks and sucks.
Amy was quickly lifted to a state of frantic need. She was clawing at his hair and pushing her mound against him. "Please." She gasped. "I'm ready." She reached down between them and started ripping at the button on top of his fly.
Jake grabbed her hand and stopped what she was doing. "No, babe. Don't do that. I'll come too fast. I'll come the second I get it in. Next time you can have that." His hands started pushing her pants down. "Let me do you first." He stood her up and pushed her jeans and panties to the floor. "Step out of them."
She blindly did as he asked. He stood up and flipped her back down to a sitting position on the couch and pushed between her thighs to kneel in front of her. He pushed her thighs wide and pulled her butt to the edge of the couch. He reached between her legs and spread her folds open. Open so he could see everything.
Delirious shock coursed through Amy's veins as her mind took in the position he had put her in. This was not going to be a slow, tender lovemaking. He was in control and propelling them toward one end.
The light was still on and very bright all of a sudden. Amy reached down between her legs and covered herself with one hand. "Jake. Turn off the light."
Tension vibrated between them as he stared at her hand covering herself.
"No, babe. I can't. Please don't ask me to do that." He lifted her hand and put it on his shoulder. She quivered and snapped her eyes shut. He continued to stare between her legs. He held her spread out with his hands. He moved his thumb to her clit and pressed. She jerked and moaned. He watched his thumb make circles. She jerked with each swipe. "You're so fucking beautiful. I've never seen anything prettier than this. Goddamn, I knew it would be like this."