Sixteen

Dayton

"I could stay like this forever," Vale murmured, snuggling closer to my chest while we lay tangled in bed. The past week of holding her, fucking her, loving her, had been everything I couldn't have imagined just a month ago. She filled the emptiness that had been a chasm inside me.

"So could I, but Brennan would come looking for us, don't you think?"

She giggled. "Probably."

We'd been together every day—and plenty of nights. Brennan had spent dinners and ‘family time' with us, and while I wasn't ready to flaunt my sexual relationship with Vale in front of him, I was pretty sure he knew things had escalated between us.

Still… Vale and I were having fun being sneaky.

Right now, the feel of her against me, soothed away my agitation over days of investigating people who just couldn't stop criming—a word I'd picked up from my little brother. It fit. Just like Vale fit me. She was good and kind and mostly cleared my mind of the problems that filled my waking hours, which as of late had been a rise in fentanyl-tainted drugs, which were causing deaths all over the city. For the past week, I'd gotten lost in Vale with no regrets.

"You're thinking about your case again," she said quietly, kissing my chest.

"Crap." Yeah, I was, and I hadn't realized it. "Not sure it's one case, though, even if the drug signature points to one source."

"I don't even know what that means."

I kissed the top of her head. "And you're better for it, trust me. Anderson and I got tossed on this because of the work I did undercover. Plus I was roped into the last big outbreak of it five years ago when… Well, you know. Around then, they went to ground—never fully went away, though. Every lead dried up. Anyway, I don't want to talk about that. Shouldn't. And you definitely don't need the details."

Her fingers trailed down the center of my chest, heading toward my lower belly. I captured her hand and brought it up to my lips. She giggled again and nipped my shoulder.

"Playing with fire, baby girl," I warned.

"Maybe, I like fire."

"I'm pretty sure you do. Just give me a reason, and I'll light your ass on fire."

"You need a reason?"

"Baby, you know I have to head home."

She sighed. "I know. I've just missed—"

"Missed what?" I asked when she broke off, tensing.

"I miss you. When you're not here. Or I'm not there. But I think maybe I shouldn't say that, yet."

Cupping my hand behind her head, I brought her mouth up for a kiss. "You can say anything you want to about us. I miss you when I'm not here, too. God knows, I'd like to spend every damn night buried in you. All fucking night long."

The tiny whimper that escaped her fisted around my balls, and my stirring cock went rock hard again.

"I don't have another condom with me," I complained. Our first time, we'd been careless, so caught in the moment that we hadn't used protection. Fuck, I hadn't even bought a box of condoms since high school, so I sure hadn't had any on hand.

Fumbling to the side, Vale grabbed a box from her bedside drawer and tossed the unopened package at me. "Got those just in case of such a situation. Better prepared…"

"Love that about you." After quickly slipping on the rubber, I sat up against the headboard and pulled her to straddle my lap. "Love when you ride me, too."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. Leaves my hands free to do other things."

Lifting up, she moved over me then slowly—too slowly—sank down with a low groan. "You never seem to have trouble with your hands."

"Maybe, I just like watching you bounce on my cock." Still, I filled my palms with her breasts while she lifted and dropped over my dick, her sex a hot fist around my length. "God, you're so fucking tight."

"You're so damn big." Her back arched, pushing her into my palms while she rode. Her head dropped back, and she grasped my thighs for balance as I thrust up into her. As much as I wanted to play with her nipples and work them into crimson beads, I needed her coming even more. Grasping her hips, I powered her up and down, feeling her release coming as her walls flexed hard around me already trying to milk away all my cum.

"Now, bad little girl. Now," I growled, letting go of her with one hand and pinching her clit. Vale screamed, her hands clenching tight on my legs while she tumbled over the edge into orgasm. Holding her tight, I rolled her under me, her legs dangling from the side of the bed while I stood, and fucked her hard while she came again, then rode out my own release only when she'd sagged limply into the blankets.

"Dayton," she whispered when I pulled free.

"My Vale." I stroked my fingers along her cheek before I headed into the bathroom to clean up. She was still sprawled in the same position, breathing evenly, when I came back and got dressed. Smiling, I moved her up onto the pillows and kissed her forehead.

"Don't go," she murmured.

"Have to. Come with me to Brennan's lacrosse game tomorrow?" We'd gone out to dinner before, but this would be our first outing as a couple. I hoped she was ready for that.

"Hmm…m'kay."

"I'll text you to remind you," I said, but she was already back to sleep, curling into the pillow I'd used earlier. Affection warming me, I kissed her temple then switched off the lights and headed out, taking care to lock up and activate her security system.

It was when I turned to cross to my house that I saw a car parked on the curb down the street, beneath a burnt-out streetlamp. Not uncommon, save for the faint light of a cigarette I could see through the darkness. My eyes narrowed, and I wished I had my gun on me, but before I could pull out my cell phone and head that way, the vehicle backed into the driveway behind it then drove away in the other direction with no rush.

Was it my imagination that something was peculiar? Maybe. My case had me keyed up and on edge about everything. Suspicious. Of everything. Especially since my wife had been murdered when I was deep into a similar investigation. And now, I had a new woman in my life, and I would not let history repeat itself.