Читать книгу Forbidden: A Shade Darker – The Complete Collection - Leslie Kelly, Kira Sinclair - Страница 23

5

ERIN COULD HAVE cried with joy and relief as Bo met her eyes, his gaze warm.

“I need you, too.”

Until now, she thought it might not really happen. She waited, but he didn’t do anything. Then she realized he was waiting.

For her.

“I really am ready, Bo.”

He relaxed a bit and reached for her. “I think getting these clothes off would be a good start, then.”

She smiled as she bent down to drag her lips along his jaw, over to his mouth where she tasted him again for long, starving minutes, as if she hadn’t just kissed him for a full half hour straight.

She began to pull her shirt off, but he stood and stopped her.

“Not here. Upstairs.”

A part of her didn’t want to stop—what if one of them had second thoughts? What if they lost the mood? She left her doubts unspoken as she led him up the stairs.

Her room was as plain and boring as the rest of the house, but he didn’t seem to care. She headed to the bed, but he guided her gently to the other side of the room, instead. In front of the large mirror on the wall.

Then he reached around her from behind and started undoing the buttons of her blouse, both of them watching.

Erin thought her knees might give out as the heels of his hands rubbed on her nipples while he undid those buttons. She was so glad she’d opted for no bra.

He left the blouse on, letting it fall open as he slid his hands up over her ribs and then over her breasts as he kissed her neck.

“Bo, please.” She sighed. She wasn’t even sure what she was begging for as her head fell back against him, the sensations of his kissing and his rough hands massaging her breasts and thrumming her nipples nearly undid her right there.

“Please what?”

She shook her head, reaching back to find his hardness and closing her hand over him the best she could. He moved away, and she bit out a sound of objection.

“More. I need more of you. I need...more.”

“Okay,” he said agreeably as he continued to tease her. His hands drifted from her breasts to the snap on her jeans, which he undid. She shimmied out of her jeans and kicked them to the side. Bo looked at her over her shoulder.

“See how beautiful you are? You make me crazy. I want to plant your hands on that mirror and watch so that you can see what we do to each other.”

Erin could hardly breathe. She wanted that so much.

His being dressed made her feel exposed. Vulnerable. In a good way, though.

He pulled her close, started kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her lips...then her neck, shoulders, and he just kept going.

He stayed awhile at her breasts, kissing her there until she was winding her fingers through his hair to steady herself. Then, down her stomach he went, until he was on his knees in front of her.

She couldn’t take her eyes off the sight in the mirror. Bo before her, lifting her knee. He dipped his tongue in to touch her, making her cry out harshly, her hands clinging to his shoulders.

She couldn’t say anything but his name, the warm, soft, rhythm of his tongue making her move against him until she was coming apart, sensation making her seek more, beg for more.

He gave it to her. Erin was barely standing now as he wrung every last whimper from her body.

When her cries of pleasure ebbed to shuddering breaths, he moved away, but was careful to make sure she was okay. When he looked up at her, Erin was struck by the raw emotion and passion in his expression, nothing hid from her.

“You’re still dressed.” Her voice didn’t even sound like her own.

He stood, waiting. She reached forward with shaking hands, sliding them up under the T-shirt and reveling in every rippled muscle she felt there. He raised his arms, threw the shirt to the side as she worked his belt, his jeans, until those were gone, too.

Then all she could do was stare.

She was glad she couldn’t remember anyone else. If she never saw another man in her life, she couldn’t imagine one that would be more perfect, more masculine, than Bo.

His cock jutted out at her, hard and eager. She closed her hand around him, felt that skin-to-skin contact for the first time.

He cursed under his breath, his body tense as stone, but his expression told her everything she needed to know. She was moved by the need and the honesty in his face. Without him asking, she faced the mirror, placed her hands on it. Met his eyes where he watched from behind her. He joined her, widening her stance gently and pulling her hips up to meet him.

Erin bit her lip as he nudged her, slid forward, rubbing over her sensitized skin, making her gasp.

No way would she have thought she was ready again, but her body felt otherwise.

She arched her back, trembling in anticipation.

“Oh, Erin....” The words ground out of him as he thrust inside, filling her completely. “Sorry...I meant to go slower.”

He was breathing so hard, his face tight, eyes burning. She met his gaze in the mirror and shook her head.

“Don’t. Don’t go slow. Take what you need. Give me what I need.”

None of this generated anything in her memory, but her body knew him—knew him well. She also knew how to move to please him. How to plant her feet, how to roll her hips in a manner that made him emit a guttural moan and swell even larger.

She couldn’t imagine how she might remember anything, as she couldn’t even think—the tightening in her body wiped everything away but the pleasure. Her response sparked his until he called her name out, too, the gut-wrenching tenderness and relief in his tone touching something deep inside her as he rode out his own climax.

As everything slowed and calmed she turned and went into his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do. They stayed wrapped together like that until their breathing settled, the heat easing.

“That was...amazing.”

She felt his chest shake as he chuckled and dropped a kiss on her hair.

“Yeah, it was.”

“Was it always like that with us?”

“It wasn’t always the same, but it was always good, yes. Did anything seem familiar?”

Oddly, she didn’t want to go there. Didn’t want to interrupt this moment with the past. She shook her head.

“No, though you felt...familiar. Like I knew what to do with you.”

“That’s a start.”

“Do you want a shower?”

“I could use one. You want to go first?”

“There’s room for two,” she said, not wanting to be separate from him yet.

Remember what this is, she cautioned herself.

She knew. She did. Eyes wide-open.

Erin knew what they were doing, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel things for him. She might feel quite a lot.

“Why don’t you rest up for a while? Maybe we can get some dinner or something later,” he suggested.

Hint taken. He needed some distance, and it was the least she could do.

This had to be harder for him, maintaining the emotional boundaries, given their past. She had, after all, left him. Forgotten him. He wasn’t packing up and leaving, he simply wanted to shower alone. He’d be there later when she woke up.

She forced a smile. “I could use a nap.”

He leaned over, kissed her cheek, then her lips.

“I’ll wake you up in a bit.”

There was sensual promise in his voice that made it a lot better. She watched him walk out of the bedroom. Her body chilled in the absence of his heat. She pulled the thick quilt up and over her body, still so sensitive from his touch.

Maybe this was going to be more difficult than she thought, she pondered as her eyes slipped shut. She heard the shower come on down the hall, comforting her that Bo was still there as she drifted off and let it all go for a while.

* * *

BO STOOD IN the shower under the scalding water, wondering if he was losing his mind.

The sex had been every bit as powerful as he remembered, and then some. It hadn’t affected Erin’s memory, but it sure had triggered his. Being with her was dangerous. He had thought he could do this, but now he wasn’t sure.

Yet how could he walk away? What kind of man would say, “Sorry, this isn’t going to work,” after what he’d done with her?

He scrubbed up and got out, grabbing a towel that hung on the back of the door. It smelled like her. That brought back memories, too. They would always shower together under the guise of saving time, but it never did. They ran out of hot water almost every time.

The only way he could manage this was to make it about the sex. He would wear himself out with her, use her, let her use him, in any way they both needed, and then it would be over. Hell, it was over before it started.

He wrapped the towel around himself and went back down to Erin’s room. He should have brought his clothes out with him. He didn’t want to disturb her.

It would have also made it easier to leave. To get some space. Send a clear message that this was about sex, not a relationship. Nothing more than helping her with her problem, and hopefully getting her out of his system.

Or, he could do what he said he would. Wake her up, roll around with her in that big bed for a while, and then go get some food.

He blew out a breath, unsure what he was going to do, but knowing he couldn’t just leave. He’d agreed to help her, and it wasn’t her fault if he was feeling jumpy about the whole thing now.

Going past the bed to where he’d thrown his clothes over the back of a chair, he stopped, making the mistake of watching her sleep. He’d done that a lot before, since she could drop off to sleep with no effort at all, and be snoring without him even closing his eyes.

Then her hair would be tangled, spilled all over the pillow. Now it was too short for that, but mussed from his hands nonetheless. She’d pulled the quilt over her, one delicate shoulder exposed, tempting him.

He could crawl in there with her. Wake her up the way he did so often before. Erin always loved sleepy sex.

Once hadn’t been near enough to sate the need she’d rekindled earlier. He dropped the towel, crawled in under the quilt with her.

Her eyes opened as soon as he did, startled at first, drawing back and then relaxing.

“Sorry. I’m not used to anyone being in bed with me.”

He smiled, but the words only emphasized that for all of the times together that he could remember, she only remembered what happened today.

“Let me go clean up, too, and then—”

“Not yet,” he said, nibbling her shoulder, already hard for her.

“But I’m—”

He cut off their conversation with a kiss, quickly rolling her onto her back and covering her completely. Her arms came around him, and she arched up into him, clearly on the same page.

“Was it always like this? Like we couldn’t get enough?” she asked breathlessly, stroking his back.

“Especially at first, yeah. Pretty much all we did was have sex,” he said with a laugh, looking down into her face.

“I find that easy to believe.”

She pushed on his chest, rolling him onto his back as she came over him and took him deep, as if she couldn’t wait. The eagerness and desire in her face satisfied him as nothing else ever had. Erin had always been good in bed, but she’d never been this open with him. She liked to be in control, and he didn’t mind that one bit, except that it had always put distance between them.

There was no distance now as she rocked her hips, scraping her nails over his chest and making him share some pretty graphic thoughts with her as she did so.

“Come here.” He tugged on her hand until she collapsed over him, seeking his kiss, but he went lower, sucking her nipples, making her frantic as she rode him.

Causing Erin to lose control was the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced, chanting his name and pulling him along with her on the current. When they were done, they showered again, and ran out the hot water.

Bo was exhausted when they made their way back to the bed, falling into it, and he curled around her. He hadn’t been sleeping long when he heard his beeper, buzzing on the dresser.

“I have to check that.”

He slid from the warm cocoon of her body and grabbed his phone, calling in.

“What’s wrong?”

Erin pushed up on one elbow, the blanket slipping down to reveal her breasts. Bo swallowed hard, trying not to look. She was so hot, and all he wanted was to go back to bed and ignore the rest of the world.

“They need me at a fire. I have to go.”

“Now?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

“Can I come with you?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I need to close everything else out when I’m there, and I don’t think I can do that when you’re around. Especially looking like that.”

She took a second as if to absorb the information and nodded, blowing him a kiss.

“Okay. Make sure you come back.”

Bo stood transfixed for a second as she relaxed into the pillows. It was like going back in time. She might not remember, but that was what they both said when they went to work. Never goodbye. Always “Make sure you come back.” Because they knew that in their profession, there was always a chance they wouldn’t.

He kissed her quickly and then tore himself from the room, hurrying down to his truck.

Fifteen minutes later, he approached the scene, showing his badge as he made his way past the barricade at the end of the street. His mind clicked over to work.

It was a bad one. Three structures, at least. Several stations were on hand, and a few volunteer units. He counted two ambulances, and then saw the coroner’s van just past them.

“Damn,” he bit out under his breath, grabbing his stuff and exiting the truck, making notes as soon as he did. They were still putting out the fire. It would be hours, perhaps days, before he could get inside to do a real assessment. But the chief met him out near the street.

“Myers. Glad you’re here.”

“What can I do? I can’t investigate yet.”

“Won’t be sure until you take a look, but from what we can tell, it started at four to six different points, simultaneously.”

“A timer and a fuse, all set to ignite at the same time?”

“Yep. Seems like the same guy who set the fire on Riley and Joe.”

“It’s been a while. And this one is bigger. Residences, not a warehouse. So that’s different. Casualties?”

“One. Three of our guys hurt, but they’ll be okay. Weird accidents again—Mitchell said he fell through the floor when all of it was solid, and then there was a spot where it busted through, but he saw it too late. It’s like the place was booby-trapped for them when they went in. Accidents happen, but not this many, not all at once. Something’s off.”

Bo felt a chill settle at the base of his spine.

Is that what had happened to Erin and Joe? Had it been a trap?

“So we might have some maniac rigging fires to lure us in, and then he sets up traps inside the buildings? Makes it look like an accident.”

The chief was grim. “I’ll get you in as soon as I can. You can talk to my guys as soon as medical clears them.”

“Thanks. Let me know any further developments.”

The chief went back to his team, and Bo stayed to watch, studying the fire and the crowd, taking notes. He’d head to the hospital after this, talk to the men who were hurt. See what they could remember.

If they had a serial arsonist on their hands—and one who was targeting firefighters—this was a much bigger problem than he’d anticipated. And Erin’s memory of events could be even more important than she knew.

He couldn’t leave the scene now; he was going to need to talk to anyone who’d witnessed the event, get pictures gawkers might have taken with their phones, or ones from traffic and security cameras. He’d start amassing information that he’d add to the case file in his office.

Bo focused on his work, and that’s all that consumed his attention. It was a relief of sorts.

Here, he knew what he was doing. He was, as much as he could be, in control of the situation. He knew what to ask, what to do, and he was very good at it. Confusion was behind him, with Erin, and for now, he left it there.