America's Bravest (27 page)

He lifted himself up and braced his arms on
either side of her. “Wow!” he said.

She opened her eyes to his chagrined
look.

“You came, right?”

Felicia laughed out loud. “I was about to ask
you the same thing.”

He laughed, too, a husky sound that burrowed
out of his chest. “What happened?”

“I lost it.”

“Me, too.” He looked so cute with his hair
damp and mussed, his face red with his own embarrassment. “I
thought the top of my head came off.”

Tenderly he brushed the hair from her face.
Uh-oh. She wanted passion, not this. But he held her pinned to the
mattress. “I, um, it’s been a while for me.”

“Same for me.” The words were out before she
could censor them.

“Oh, good.” He rolled off her, sank into a
pillow, dragged her close. “I knew we’d be hot together but this
was combustion.”

She tried not to cuddle into him but her
body, her face had other ideas. “Who would have thought?”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about this
since incident at the camp.”

“Really, why?”

“I wasn’t going to tell you this to save your
pride, but since we’ve…gone this far…in the video clip Parker Allen
showed, you told me you were attracted to me.”

She felt cold. “Shit. Is that what prompted
this?”

“Hardly. I told you, I lost my head.” Easing
up on his elbow, he watched her a minute. “I like you, too, Licia.
A lot.”

She shook her head vehemently to dim the
effect he was having on her. “No, Ryan, I don’t want that. I mean,
sure, we can be friends, but nothing romantic.”

“Hmm. To me what we did was romance novel
romantic.”

“It was some crazy hot sex. Truthfully, I’d
take more of this, but nothing, you know, relationship-wise.”

Ryan knew better than to argue with her. He’d
been surprised she was so willing the first time, and he was going
to have to bide his time with her. Because one thing he knew--this
wasn’t just physical for him.

Of course, he’d take the sex but wait for
more. Rising from the mattress, he disposed of the condom and
scooped her off the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Shower sex. We’re covered in sweat.”

Her approving smile was answer enough. He
carried her to a big bathroom and set her on her feet. She leaned
into his back as he turned on the faucet, then gently drew her
inside.

“Turn around.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

He washed her back and then slid soapy hands
around front to her breasts. “These are fuller than I expected.
Nice, round, firm.”

“Hmm. Your hands feel good.”

He played with her for a while. Then he went
lower. It didn’t take much for her to come again and he felt a
sense of satisfaction so great he almost let her know about it.
After she was done, she turned around. Kissed him. And slid to her
knees. He leaned back against the tile and let her caress him.
After a minute, he put her hands in her wet hair. “Now.”

She made him come in convulsions so strong,
he was rocked by them.

Later, he slipped on his boxers and T-shirt,
she donned a robe and they ate cold pizza and drank more beer and
talked about Parker Allen. Then, sated with food and sex, he smiled
over at her. “I suppose I have to leave.”

She arched a brow. “Not if you have anything
more in you.”

He popped up off the couch. “Ah, sweetheart,
I do.”

“Good, cause I’m ready again.”

So was he, and as he led her to the bedroom,
he wondered briefly if he’d ever get enough of Lieutenant Felicia
White.

Felicia liked the ambience of the Hidden Cove
police station. She entered the free standing building in the
center of town with a smile on her face. She was thrilled they
found something to use against Parker Allen. That was why she was
so happy. Not because of the hot sex last night with a certain
police officer who exited a glassed-in office as she reached the
reception desk. He approached her in long, masculine strides. “Hey,
there. I was looking out for you.”

If she was an ordinary woman, and they were
an ordinary couple, he’d kiss her on the cheek. Maybe even the
lips. She touched hers, for a second remembering what had happened
between her and this man.

Ryan’s intense blue gaze focused on her mouth
and his expression told her he was recalling the same thing. Today,
it seemed as if his uniform fit him better, his muscles bulging in
his bare arms and biceps. She’d draw the Superman analogy if it
wasn’t so lame.

He cleared his throat. “I’ll show you the way
to the chief’s office, Lieutenant.”

Falling in step next to him, she didn’t say
anything more and neither did he until they got to a small alcove
and he pulled her out of the corridor and into it. “Don’t--”

“Shh, I won’t touch you.” He gave her a
lopsided grin and she noticed a small nick on the underside of his
jaw he must have gotten from shaving. “I gotta know, do you regret
last night?”

Did she? Yes, no, how could she? It had been
wonderful. “No, I don’t.” A moment of panic. “Do you?”

“What? Regret the best sex I’ve had in my
life?”

“Really?” Hell, she sounded like a teenage
girl.

“Yeah, really.” He arched a brow that was
shades darker than his sandy colored hair.

“Okay, for me, too.” She frowned. “But don’t
get ideas about anything more.”

“Who me, the playboy of the western world?
The womanizer you hate? The guy who--”

“All right! I get it. Just so we’re on the
same page.”

“Same book, same chapter, same page,
beautiful.”

“Watch what you call me.”

“In public I will.” He leaned in. “But in
private, I get to call you, do anything I want to you.”

Jesus, her knees went weak, like the time she
rappelled too fast off a bridge. The aftershave he’d put on was
doing it to her.

“There you are.” Will Rossettie stopped
across from them in the hallway. A big burly guy with white hair
and a no nonsense attitude, he asked, “What are you doin’ out here?
Noah said he saw Felicia’s car pull in.”

“Catching up,” Ryan said easily. “We were
heading in.”

When they settled in Will’s office, Felicia
spoke. “We discovered some things about Parker Allen that sheds
light on why she’s out for the departments.”

“There’s a reason other than she’s a stone
cold bitch?” Noah asked.

Ryan nodded. “You tell them, Felicia.”

As concisely as she could, she filled them in
on Parker Allen and her father. When she finished, Will lasered a
gaze on Ryan. “Do I want to know how you got this information?”

She rushed into say, “No.”

“Yes.” Ryan leaned forward. “I tapped into
the police department data bases to get it.”

Rossettie scowled. “Sergeant O’Malley, now
that I
know
, I have to say you’re not allowed use our data
bases unless it’s for genuine police work.”

“It
was
for genuine police work.
Allen’s making such a stink that job cuts have caused us to be in
more danger than normal.”

“The force would have been down sized with or
without her harangue,” Will said, but gently. “The entire New York
State budget is a mess.”

Felicia jumped in. “By endangering the
reputation of police and firefighters, she’s putting all of us in
harm’s way. The community won’t trust us, our school education
presentations won’t be as effective. We--”

Will held up his hand. “Okay, okay, I get
it.”

“So,” Felicia asked, “Can we use the
information to shut her up?”

“I’m not sure.” Will looked to Noah.

“Me, either. We have to analyze a move on her
from all sides. A direct hit might not be in our best
interest.”

Rossettie nodded. “Noah and I will talk it
through. We’ll let you know in a few days.”

Felicia was surprised and she’d seen the same
emotion on Ryan’s face. They both stood.

“And O’Malley,” Will said gruffly, “No
reprimand but you skirted the edges of protocol.”

“I don’t see it that way, sir, but I’ll
remember what you said.”

When they were far enough away from the open
door of the chief’s office, Felicia stopped this time. “Why were
you so honest? We could have been evasive about how we got the
information. Will and Noah would have let you off the hook.”

Cocking his head, Ryan held her gaze
intently. “Because lying always comes back to bite you in the ass.
Besides, I don’t like hiding things.”

“So, you’re an open book?”

“Book, chapter and page,” he repeated. “You
remember that.”

Charmed, in spite of her vow not to be,
Felicia left Ryan at his office and headed out of the police
station. She’d have to be careful around that much…charisma. Even
though she was sleeping with him, she couldn’t afford to fall for
the guy.

oOo

“Come on, sweetheart. Sock it to me.” Gabe
Malvaso stood at home plate while his cousin’s wife wound up with
the softball on the pitcher’s mound. The early evening sun was warm
and Ryan was already sweating.

Megan Hale Malvaso threw a fast one at the
captain, Gabe connected and the ball grounded to third. Ryan
scooped it up and bulleted it to first base, where his colleague in
the department tagged Gabe out. Megan turned and stuck her tongue
out at Gabe. One reason Ryan liked playing in this softball league
comprised of cops and firefighters was because they were all
friends but competed like sworn enemies.

He was distracted when another firefighter
strode to the plate. Dressed in tight bike shorts and the team’s
dark green jersey, she wore a cap to match. So he couldn’t see the
amber color of her eyes, the little mole she had next to her ear or
the way her nose scrunched when she didn’t like something. He knew
Felicia’s reactions, her body and, he thought, her whole outlook by
now. They’d first been together ten days ago, and since then had
four non-dates. All were steamy encounters with more talk than she
liked. She was trying to keep the relationship solely about sex and
he was trying to establish a deeper bond.

So he cupped his hands and yelled, “Easy
out.”

When she turned her head, he imagined her
eyes taking a bead on him. God, he loved making them spark with
fire, now and in bed.

The ball flew toward her, she got a good
crack at it and the thing arced to right field. She raced to first
where Brody signaled her to keep going. She took second on her own
but the ball was retrieved and heading right to Ryan so she had to
slide into third. He tried to tag her but tumbled to the ground
instead, their legs entangling.

The ref, Will Rossettie, yelled, “Safe!”

“What the hell? She was out by a foot.”

The police chief shook his head. “Sorry,
boy.”

Felicia rolled to her feet but Ryan stayed
down and moaned. “What’s a matter, pretty boy, I hurt you?”

No, but you could
. The thought
popped into his mind before he could stop it. Damn, if the notion
wasn’t true. He reached out a hand as an excuse to touch her. She
angled her head but helped him up. He held on too long, and she
finally murmured, “Watch it.”

He grinned.

“So,” he said as the batter at the plate
walked. “Can we hook up after Badges?”

Clearing her throat, she hesitated. She did
that every time he asked to see her. “We were together last
night.”

“Yeah, baby. I remember.” It had been a
particularly
energetic
time and he could still hear their
grunts and groans, feel their slick skin against each other’s. “I
didn’t get enough.”

She snorted. “Okay. Just be circumspect.”

“You mean like not leave the bar with you?
God forbid.”

Whirling around, she growled, “If this isn’t
working for you…”

“It’s working just fine.” He nodded to the
plate. “Now pay attention to the game.”

The batter had been tip fouling so the play
was at a standstill.

“Why wouldn’t it be all right?” he asked when
the guy got yet another foul ball. Ryan was pushing the issue but
couldn’t stop himself.

“I don’t know. Sometimes you…never mind.”

She had to be sensing he wanted more. Because
she was right,
he
had to be careful or he was going to
lose his shot with her altogether.

The firefighter finally walked and Ramirez
came to bat. He yelled, “Get ready, Licia,” and hit one over the
fence.

The police department lost 9-5.

At Badges, the cops took a razzing. Ryan was
leaning against by the juke box next to the door, sipping a beer
when Parker Allen walked in. She was dressed in jeans, boots and a
tight white shirt set off by hair that cascaded down her back.
Briefly he recalled how she tried to seduce his brother, so he
ignored her.

She sidled up beside him. “Hi, handsome.”

“What are you doing here?” His comment was
rude and his Mama would skin him alive if she heard him speak to a
woman that way, but he wanted nothing to do with this one.

“I came to see the boys and girls at
play.”

“Bring your camera?”

“No. Observing this time. I did get some
shots of you at the camp.”

Man, she had balls.

Before he could respond, someone approached
them. Ryan turned to see Felicia slipping money out of her pocket.
“Move over, O’Malley. You got shit for taste in music.”

Ryan gave Allen his back. “Yeah, what are
you
playing?”

Taking the hint, the reporter left and Ryan
touched her arm. “Thanks for the rescue. I thought she was gonna
eat me alive.”

“Yeah, you looked like you could use some
help.” She chuckled. “We call her Parker the Piranha.”

Ryan tracked Allen and saw her approach Ed
Snyder. Hmm, that couldn’t be good. She appeared to be introducing
herself to him, and he wondered if she heard about how nobody in
either department liked him.