Читать книгу Single Dads Collection - Lynne Marshall - Страница 46

“I’m five blocks away,” Noah reported into the radio.

“I’m pulling in now,” another officer responded.

Silence settled over the radio for a brief moment before Lucy’s sweet voice came back. “I’ve informed the caller you’re on the scene, McCoy.”

Officer McCoy could handle it. They didn’t need two officers on the scene of a woman who’d locked herself out of the house. Apparently she’d gone out for drinks with friends and forgotten to take her keys. At least she was responsible enough not to drink and drive, so that was something.

Noah turned down Pine Street and tried his best not to let his mind wander, but he failed miserably. He’d heard about Lucy getting hit on, about some new guy asking her out after the open house. Word traveled fast in this town, especially considering Lucy’s open house was only hours ago.

Maybe that’s what he got for not attending, but he truly didn’t think that atmosphere was for him. He was getting along just fine. The hurt was something he’d live with for the rest of his life. He just figured he’d get used to that void.

Lucy’s voice came over the radio once again, this time calling him to a fender bender in the middle of the park. Chances were good that whatever he was about to encounter was more than just a fender bender. Who would be in the park at one o’clock on a Tuesday morning?

Noah soon found out there were two ladies arguing over a guy and one had ended up blocking the other car against a tree. Breaking up a catfight could be more dangerous than men throwing punches, in his opinion.

Thirty minutes later when he’d cleared the scene without incident, Noah climbed back into his patrol car and radioed the status.

“Everything all right?”

“Fine,” he replied to Lucy’s question.

“You didn’t check in for a while,” she replied.

Noah gritted his teeth. “All clear now,” he told her. “Over and out.”

End of conversation because he didn’t want to hear her voice right now. He didn’t want to think of how that nugget of jealousy over the other guy had turned into a ball of fury that had settled low in his gut.

Honestly, Noah didn’t know what had been said between Lucy and the man. And why wouldn’t someone ask her out? Lucy was stunning, she was independent, she had a great career ahead of her helping so many people. She was giving, loyal and sexy as hell.

He raked a hand down his face, smarting when his palm hit his bruised jaw. What was he thinking? He needed more sleep. Maybe then he’d be thinking clearly. Because right now all he could see was Lucy with another man and he absolutely hated the image that flooded his mind.

That’s precisely how he knew he was ready to try moving on. He wanted Lucy.

Did he want something more than a physical relationship and a friendship? Hell, he had no idea. All he knew was that he had an ache for her that was impossible to ignore and a jealousy that was overriding all common sense right now.

The rest of his shift went by without any excitement, which was a good thing, but the quiet made for a long night. He was slowly adjusting to working nights, though he would jump at the chance to get back on days so he could have a better schedule with Emma.

The sun beamed directly onto the blacktop as he pulled into the station lot. He was more than ready to get home and have the next two days off. After he rested, he planned on spending some quality time with Emma, maybe have a picnic in the park or see a movie and have lunch at their favorite little diner.

When he stepped out of his patrol car, he realized he was either getting used to the weather or it was getting warmer…and considering it was inching closer to the end of fall, he knew it couldn’t be the latter.

Noah passed the dispatch area and didn’t see Lucy at the desk. The part-time guy who filled in as needed sat there taking a call.

He did find Lucy in the break room putting on her jacket and gathering her things. She turned to flash that megawatt smile and he wondered if that’s how she’d smiled for the newcomer to her meeting.

Get over it, Noah. She’s a beautiful woman and she’s not going to be single forever because you can’t get your head on straight.

“Everything okay?” she asked, the same way she’d asked over the radio hours ago.

Noah nodded, not trusting himself to say much else. He was too angry with himself for the jumbled-up emotions battling for prominence inside him.

Her brows drew in as she adjusted her scarf. “You’ve been quiet all night. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” he mumbled as he poured a cup of coffee to take on the road. “Just ready to head home.”

He turned to get out of the tiny room.

“Did I do something to make you mad?” she asked.

Noah glanced over his shoulder and cursed beneath his breath. Damn it, he didn’t want her to think she did anything wrong. Everything that he had issues with was solely on him.

“Just need to get home,” he replied.

He tried to get out the back door, and succeeded, but she was right on his heels. As he reached his truck, Lucy’s delicate hand settled on his arm.

“If I did something, I deserve to know,” she insisted. “Look at me.”

Noah spun around. “You didn’t do anything, all right? I’m pissed at myself for letting the rumor mill rule my life.”

“What?”

“The guy who asked you out…” Noah cursed himself once again. “Forget it. It’s none of my concern if you want to go out with someone. I have no claims and I have no right to ask you not to.”

Lucy stood there, her golden hair dancing around her shoulders in the wind. It almost hurt him to look at her. There was such innocence about her, but he knew she’d seen so much heartache. And he wasn’t helping either of their situations.

“Forget it,” he muttered. “Forget I said anything. Head on home, Lucy.”

Her hold on his arm tightened. “I said no.”

Noah closed his eyes and couldn’t suppress the relief that swept through him. “It’s not my business.”

“You sure about that?” she countered, releasing him. “Because you’re acting a little territorial when we haven’t agreed to anything. You can’t even admit you have feelings for me.”

Another officer pulled into the lot just as Noah was about to grab her and show her just how much he was feeling right now.

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he gritted through his teeth.

“So you wouldn’t care if I went out on a date with another guy?” she threw back. When he remained silent, she shook her head. “Guess not. I thought this attraction went both ways and you might actually give up the friend notion and see where we could go.”

She got in her car and started the engine, not once looking his way as she pulled from the lot.

Fury bubbled within him at the way he’d handled things, not just this morning, but from the moment they’d met. It was a push-pull relationship and he was a jerk.

Damn it, he wanted her. So why was he torturing them both? The stakes weren’t the same as before he was married. Now he knew full well going in exactly what to expect. They were adults who couldn’t keep going on like this.

Noah turned onto Lucy’s road and pulled into her driveway right behind her. As soon as she stepped from the car, she turned to face him. Her eyes were wide with surprise, but a second later, she started heading toward her back door, still ignoring him.

He hopped from his truck and mounted her steps. He managed to reach the door just before she closed it in his face.

“Will you stop for one second?” he demanded, following her inside.

“I think we’ve said enough.” She jerked the scarf off and laid it on the kitchen island along with her purse before she turned to face him. “Unless you had something else to discuss, the topic of us is closed.”

Oh, that’s what she thought? Like hell. He crossed the narrow space between them and gripped her shoulders. Her body arched against his as a gasp escaped her.

“Consider the topic back open,” he growled as he crushed his lips to hers.

Lucy stilled and he worried he’d pushed too far, but then her fingers threaded through his hair as she opened for him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her as he headed toward her bedroom.

“Tell me to stop if you don’t want me to take you to bed,” he muttered against her lips. “But I need you, Lucy. I can’t keep going on like this.”

Her eyes met his as she licked her lips. The subtle nod she gave was all the green light he needed.

“I want you,” she murmured.

He backed her down the hall, but she put a hand on his chest as she stared up into his eyes. “Not my room.”

When he wasn’t in such a hurry later he’d realize just how fragile she was. The image of that picture on her nightstand mocked him, but Noah was here for physical reasons only. Nothing more would come from this because once they were out of each other’s systems, they could move on.

Noah threaded his hands through her hair and backed her against the wall just outside the spare bedroom. When his mouth captured hers once again, she opened for him, arching her body and sighing into him.

Lucy’s arms banded around his waist as she lined up her hips with his. Noah hadn’t felt a need like this in so long, he wasn’t sure how long he could hold on to his control here.

As if her thread snapped as well, Lucy reached for the front of his shirt and started frantically working his buttons loose. Pulling back from her lips, Noah pushed her hands aside and finished taking his shirt off. As soon as the uniform was on the floor, he toed off his shoes, unfastened his gun belt, and gently laid it on the floor.

Lucy immediately went for the button on his pants.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” he told her, his entire body heating from anticipation.

Lucy’s wide eyes met his as she bit on her lower lip. She didn’t make a move to take off anything.

“Having doubts?” he asked, smoothing her hair away from her face.

She shook her head. “Just nervous.”

“That makes two of us.”

Noah gripped the hem of her long-sleeved tee and pulled it slowly up her body, keeping his eyes locked on hers for any sign that he needed to stop. As much as he wanted her, he wasn’t about to make her more uncomfortable.

Lucy held her arms up and Noah pulled the shirt up the rest of the way. As he flung it to the side, she slipped out of her shoes and pulled her pants down, kicking them out of the way.

Standing in only her pale pink bra and panties, she set his heart beating even faster.

“You’re so damn sexy.”

Lucy’s flash of a smile had relief spiraling through him. He picked her up and her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her into the spare bedroom. The early-morning light cast a glow through the slit in the curtains. The beacon of sun projected directly onto the bed where he laid her and followed her down.

“I have no protection with me,” he murmured against her lips. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Lucy reached up, framing her face with her hands. “I’m clean and I’m on birth control. But it’s your call.”

“I’m clean, too.” He’d had an in-depth physical before coming to SPD.

Lucy’s hands slid over his shoulders and over his back. Her delicate touch spawned an even deeper desire inside him. Noah took seconds to remove the rest of his clothes and her bra and panties. When he settled back between her legs, he braced his hands on either side of her head as he stared down into her eyes. Eyes that held so much desire, so much trust.

Keeping his gaze on hers, he joined their bodies. That instant connection had him glancing away. He couldn’t look into her eyes as he made love to her, couldn’t allow himself to connect emotionally with her. The physical was all he could afford right now.

Lucy locked her ankles behind his back and arched against him. He risked a look back her way and noted her eyes were closed, which meant she was either in the moment or she didn’t want to look too closely at him, either.

Noah pushed all speculation aside and ran his hands over the dip in her waist and up over the swell of her breasts. The slight groan that escaped her had him pumping his hips faster. Lucy gripped his biceps as she matched his pace. She felt too damn good and he didn’t want this moment to end. He wanted to continue getting lost in her and never return to reality where the hurt lived.

Lucy’s body tightened all around him as her short nails bit into his arms. He watched as her mouth opened wide, her eyes squeezed shut, and she twisted her head to the side as pleasure overcame her. Noah wasn’t too far behind, but he didn’t want to miss a second of her pleasure. He continued to watch her as his own body tightened. Only when she relaxed beneath him did he let himself go. Lucy’s fingertips trailed over his chest, down over his abdomen, and back up. The pleasure he took from her overcame him and once his body came down, Noah eased to the side and gathered her into his arms.

He lay there, not quite ready for words, not ready to ruin the moment. He needed a minute to figure out what the hell had just happened, because instead of getting out of his system, Lucy Brooks had somehow wedged herself deeper into his life.

Now what was he supposed to do?