The Officer's Promise (Brothers in Blue Book 1) (12 page)

She rewarded me by pushing her hips upward, seeking.

The smile that parted her lips was so fucking beautiful. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to kiss it right off of her face and or let it rest there awhile.

Satisfaction rolled through me when her eyes sparkled, that confidence growing a little more as her hands moved from my chest to the back of my neck, jerking me down to meet her perfect lips.

Lips that spoke of hunger.

Need.

Love.

It was meant to be a brief kiss, because I knew if I tasted her for too long, I would lose my goddamn mind, but my girl had other plans. Lips parted, her small, wet tongue darted out, and it was equivalent to tossing a match into a river of gasoline. Every single nerve in my body was on fire, burning with a primal craving.

My hands moved to her ass, dipping beneath the little black dress that had driven me half crazy tonight, my fingers digging into the soft skin to lift her up as I fed from her hungry mouth. Short, ragged breaths were the only sounds filling the hallway, and I was certain they fled in time with my thrumming heart.

Her hands snuck beneath my shirt, wrestling for purchase. Her touch was a sword, slicing me wide open for her to reach inside and take what was left of me.

She could have it.

It was all useless without her anyway.

“Ryker, please.”

The longing in her voice had my hands moving to her face, angling her head so I could find a deeper connection. A growl vibrated in my chest as I lifted her and carried her to the hotel room door. Once inside, I stood her up next to the bed, swaying slightly, almost drunk on her taste, her presence.

Her fucking need.

My control was fading, erased by my own desire for her.

“I want you so bad, baby,” I whispered between her lips. “Can you feel it?”

“Yes.”

My hands moved to the back of her dress, drawing down the zipper slowly. “Tell me what you feel.”

“Hands.”

My tongue tasting the skin of her neck, I asked, “Where?”

“Everywhere.”

Her dress fluttered to the floor. “What else?”

“Lips,” she answered breathlessly.

I pressed them to her bare shoulder. “Where?”

With the tilt of her head, her mouth stole mine, fingers burrowing into the back of my head as she tugged me closer, completely taking over. Each scrape of her nails raking across my skin and every moan that escaped her mouth was one step closer to my demise.

Jesus, I could come just from this fucking kiss
.

She slowed her breathing and the kiss, easing her hold on my neck, relinquishing control back to me.

“What else do you feel, baby?” I asked in a deep voice that made her eyes flutter closed as I pressed myself against her.

I could taste it on her lips, but I was dying to hear her say it. In the span of three breaths, she finally opened her eyes once more and answered.

“You.”

M
y fingers trembled as I began pushing the buttons through the holes of his shirt, our mouths still fused together, hot and ravenous, both of us completely consumed by the other.

“Please,” I managed between breaths. “I want you inside of me, Ryker. Please make love to me.”

Miraculously, I finished unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it from his broad shoulders. He sat me down on the edge of the bed, kneeling before me to remove my boot and ballet flat. Once he’d gotten rid of both, he leaned in for another kiss.

“Lay down, baby,” he ordered in a soft, commanding tone. “And scoot back.”

I did as he said, watching with rapt anticipation as he slid his jeans and underwear down his strong legs. Bringing a condom with him, his knee hit the bed as he crawled toward me.

I was nearly breathless when his powerful body covered mine. “Oh wow, this is really happening.”

Ryker raised a teasing brow. “Second thoughts?”

“Never.”

He positioned himself between my open legs, careful of my foot. “Good. Because right now, there’s nothing else in this world I want more than to make sweet fucking love to you,” he said, dropping a kiss to my cheek, then my neck.

I could hear every single heartbeat, loud in my ears, heavy in my chest. Desperate for every kiss, every touch, as if it were the only way it could continue beating.

“I want that, too.”

His lips moved to the base of my throat, kissing the band of promises he’d made so many years ago while his hands roamed my body with purpose and ease. The sounds he forced from my mouth were almost embarrassing, my need for him brutal and honest, but very, very real.

With unabashed bravery, I reached down, taking his hard length in my hand, stroking up and down while attempting to collect a few deep breaths to calm myself.

“Fuck, baby.”

The seductive tone of his voice had me panting harder. His lips seized mine in a bruising kiss, robbing me of air, inhibition, and the last remaining pieces of my mangled heart.

Pulling away slowly, he sat up to roll on the condom. My eyes never wavered from his, that intense gaze pinned me in place, holding me captive like it always did. But being trapped there didn’t make me feel like a prisoner.

Those heavy blue eyes always set me free.

His body covered mine once more. I swallowed hard. The emotions bubbling up inside of me were desperate to escape. Mouth sealed over mine, he positioned himself, sliding in inch by torturous inch until he was fully seated. The sensations roaring through my body were unmatched; nothing had ever felt more complete, more beautiful than this.

Propped up on his elbows, his hands cradled my head as he began to move, setting a slow and steady pace of thrusts that were synced in harmony with his kisses.

My hands became little beggars, urging him with my fingers and nails to give me more. His body complied with my silent demands. Every move, every whisper of skin, every touch burned so deep—so pure—igniting a firestorm inside my mended soul.

“Let go, baby.”

Closing my eyes, I surrendered to his demanding plea and flew. Crying out as I soared through dark clouds of pain and regret to a place I never even knew existed.

A low growl shredded his throat as he began to thrust harder, each stroke more powerful than the last, until he succumbed to the moment we both craved.

Blood rushed with pleasure through my veins and my lungs pumped precious air, but the true feeling of being
alive
had never occurred until this very moment.

“I always dreamed what it would have been like with you.”

I couldn’t breathe. Speaking was out of the question.

“My mind is a liar. It could have never known it would be like this.”

Tears burned my eyes as he pulsed inside of me.

“Ryker.”

“Nothing compares to you. This. Us. Nothing ever has. Nothing ever will.”

Then his mouth seized mine in that familiar way I’d grown to love. In the last couple of days, I’d discovered his different brands of kisses. And how each one was special and unique. Like how his
hello
kisses were filled with excitement and laced with desire. His
good-bye
kisses held a pound of reluctance to leave, but a ton of reassurance to return.

Then there was his kiss of need.

God, I loved those kisses
.

Unbridled and wild, filled with the most beautiful promise of pleasure.

But this kiss said more than any of those kisses combined. It screamed love. It screamed forever.

It screamed…

“Mine.”

I sighed, bathing in the four-letter declaration before making my own.

“Mine.”

*     *     *

My exhausted body pressed warmly against his, I snuggled further into him as the early morning sun crept through the break in the blinds.

“Morning,” Ryker said, drawing lazy trails of heat down my back with his fingers.

“Mmm…morning,” I muttered, stretching to relieve some of the ache in my muscles. Smiling contentedly, memories of last night flooded my mind.

The rush of breath.

Heated flesh.

Sounds of love penetrating the air around us while he left marks of time all over my skin by his branding touch.

I never wanted to leave this bed.

Or the safety and comfort of his arms.

“I have to tell you something,” he said in a rough, sleepy voice.

I lifted my head to look in his eyes. “What?”

“You snore.”

I slapped his chest playfully. “I do not. And don’t do that to me. I thought you were going to say something serious.”

A smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “This is serious.”

“I do not snore, Ryker,” I said, pushing from the bed.

His arms banded around, pulling me back in place. “Yes, you do. And it’s so fucking cute. Like a pug with hay fever.”

“Oh my God, shut up. I do not snore!” Warm lips met my neck, and I squealed, pushing him away.

But he wouldn’t have it, claiming a kiss unapologetically before he spoke again. “I’ll record it so you can hear it for yourself.”

“You better not.”

“Ah, a confession.”

“No. I’m just saying if I do snore, I don’t want a record of it.”

He laughed. “But I love your little snore. I also love how you can’t get close enough to me when you sleep. How your thumb sweeps back and forth right before you drift off. All constant reminders that you’re here, and you’re mine. Sometimes I feel like it’s all a dream and any minute I’m going to wake up and find you gone.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Ryker.”

Another kiss, this one just as searing as the last. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

“So, I was thinking.” Lowering his head to my breast, he scraped my nipple with his teeth then drew it into his hot mouth before soothing it with the tip of his tongue.

My mind lost all ability to think, much less comprehend.

“First, I’m going to taste all the places I missed last night.” He moved to the other breast, showering it with just as much attention, leisurely stroking the fevered flesh. “Then…”

I sighed.

“Then?”

“Breakfast.”

“Breakfast.”

“Then I’m taking you to my second favorite place in the whole wide world.”

“Where’s your first?”

“Do you really have to ask?” he said, before covering my lips with his.

After Ryker had his fill of me, we took our time getting showered and dressed then checked out. I wasn’t very hungry, so I settled for a muffin while Ryker destroyed three donuts and a plate of eggs. He never mentioned where his second favorite place on earth was, but I had an idea I already knew, and when we pulled into the parking lot, the enormous smile on his face completely gave it away.

“How many times have you been here?”

We were at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I should have known his second favorite place in the world had to do with baseball.

“Seventy-two.”

“You’re kidding me.”

He shook his head. I wasn’t surprised. Baseball was his life when we were younger and that obviously didn’t change much when I went away. To hear him talk, he took it even more seriously and considered playing professionally, but the badge won over the mound.

Putting the truck in park, he leaned over and cupped my neck, bringing my lips to his. “I can’t get enough of you.”

I smiled around his teasing lips. “Show me what you got, slugger.”

“You start using baseball terms to seduce me and you’ll have one dirty ass player on your hands,” he whispered, unfastening my seatbelt.

I captured his bottom lip with mine, raking my teeth across it gently. “Play ball.”

“Jesus, woman, what are you trying to do to me? I’ll be sporting a hard-on the entire tour.”

“Guess that means we better make it quick then, huh?”

“Yeah, come on.”

T
he following day, Reese sat in front of me, her small hands hugging the large mug of coffee, eyes puffy and bloodshot. She’d showed up sometime around four a.m. I never heard her come in but Ryker did, and he didn’t seem happy about it. I’d heard them both arguing earlier, before he left for work, but I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him about it yet. I could barely hold my eyes open when he kissed me good-bye on the forehead. I was just so tired from the weekend and the day we spent in bed yesterday.