9. Sullivan

Chapter 9

Sullivan

She's fucking perfect. Every time I thrust, she whimpers, begging for more, and I can't resist her pleas.

"You're fucking perfect." I lay my forehead against hers as my hips rock from side to side, driving us both closer to orgasm.

I lean over and close my lips around her nipple while driving into her.

Her goddam perfect body is a work of art created just for me, and I fucking love every single inch of it.

She chants my name as I bite down gently on her nipple. Her silky walls ripple around my cock and I barely resist the urge to come.

"Ride me." I spin onto my back and drag her curvy body up over me. Her thighs straddle mine as I hold on to her waist. I use my hold to lift her up and down, showing her how to move.

She throws her hair over her shoulder and leans over to kiss me. Each time she slides down, her inner muscles squeeze the fuck out of my cock, and I know I'm not going to last long.

"Come with me," I order her and lift my hips while rubbing my thumb across her clit, sending her over the edge.

I roar her name and come with her, making sure to spray my cum deep inside her little pussy, hoping my swimmers do their job. Her limp body falls across my chest, and I drag her tousled hair away from her beautiful face and lean up to place a soft kiss on her temple. "I love you, little treat," I repeat, wondering if she even heard me earlier.

"I love you, too, caveman." And just like that—my world shifts on its axis and everything settles into a perfect rhythm.

Waking up with Romi curled up in my arms feels like waking up in the middle of a pretty damn near perfect dream. The even rise and fall of her breathing tells me she's still sound asleep.

Her tousled hair tickles my chin as I shift a little, trying not to disturb her. But fuck, it's impossible not to kiss her. I place a soft kiss on her forehead, intending to sneak out of bed without disturbing her.

The quiet, contented sound coming from her sweet lips goes straight to my heart and wakes up my goddamn cock. Her eyes flutter open slowly and she smiles up at me.

"Morning." I run my nose across the side of her cheek.

She blinks a few times and stretches languidly. "Morning," she replies, voice still thick with sleep.

"What time is it?" she asks, yawning and glancing toward the curtain-covered window.

"Early enough that we can be lazy for a bit," I tell her, my arms tightening around her, reluctant to let go just yet.

"What did you have in mind?" Her tone is playful, eyebrows raised in mock suspicion.

I feign deep thought for a moment, grinning wickedly. "A shower sounds like a good idea."

Before she can object or even fully awaken, I sweep her up in my arms. "Sullivan!" she protests, though she's laughing, too, her arms looping instinctively around my neck. She feels like she was made to be in my arms, one more thing I didn't know I needed before now.

"Get used to it, little treat. I plan to carry your gorgeous ass around all the time from now on."

"That might make both of us working a little difficult," she teases, her voice tinged with amusement and traces of happy surrender.

"We'll figure something out," I tease back.

Setting her down, I take a moment to flick on the bathroom lights before turning turn the water on.

We're dressing when my phone rings. I see Sinclair's ugly mug flash across the screen and sigh. "I have to answer this," I tell her. "My brother is dog-sitting for me and I need to make sure Angus is okay."

"Of course." She smiles and sits back on the bed to pull on her shoes while I answer the call.

"What do you want?" He's interrupting my time with Romi, and I'm not in the mood to deal with his bullshit.

"To let you know I'm about to leave my house to return your menace before he does permanent damage to my goddamn house," Sinclair growls and dives headfirst into a full-blown diatribe about how Angus apparently forgot all the virtues of domesticated life and embraced his inner scoundrel last night. "If I didn't know better," Sinclair grumbles, voice crackling over the line with weary exasperation, "I'd swear Angus is part raccoon. The way he got into the trash can overnight, you'd think he was single-pawedly preparing for a post-apocalyptic food shortage."

I can't stifle my laughter as I imagine Sinclair, my usually unflappable, all-business older brother and town sheriff, being given the runaround by a merry whirlwind of fur and slobber. "You should've given him his late-night snack, and then he wouldn't have had to go searching for food."

"Funny. Real funny, dickhead," Sinclair growls. "See if I help you clean your fucking kitchen next time."

I hear the sound of conversation in the background and realize my brother's frustration led him to blurt out his little secret to his wife. I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.

"Fucker. You're going to come over and help me clean up the mess your menace created," Sinclair insists before hanging up on me.

I drop the phone down on the bedside table and turn to Romi. "Evidently, my dog caused a little trouble at my brother's house, so Sinclair is bringing Angus home right now."

Her expressive eyes widen. "Do you want me to stay up here until he's gone?"

"Fuck no." I take her soft hand in mine. "I fucking love you. I want everyone to know you're mine. I want to hang the bloodstained sheets from the window to tell every goddamn man in town you belong to me."

"It's time to calm down that freaking caveman attitude, Mr. Midnight." She laughs. "I love you, too, but I'd prefer not to have the entire town talking about the loss of my virginity."

A little while later, I hear Sinclair's SUV pulling into the driveway, and before long, there's a robust knock on the front door.

Opening the door, I find Sinclair standing on the front porch with a look that's somewhere between stern sheriff and exhausted brother. He holds out Angus's leash to me. "Here's your tornado disguised as man's best friend." I glance down at my dog and find his ears are down in a pathetic attempt to look innocent. Boy, does he know the drill.

"Thanks," I tell my brother as he steps inside. Angus instantly bounds toward me and nuzzles my hand with an earnestness that reminds me of a repentant criminal finally coming clean. "He seems to be apologetic."

"Apologetic, my ass," Sinclair huffs. "That menace is…" Whatever he was about to say about my poor pooch is cut off when Romi steps into the foyer looking radiant and slightly amused.

"Romi, this is Sinclair, the lawman of Midnight Falls and my disaster-management brother." I wave a hand between them, knowing that a handshake and forced pleasantries are inevitable. But damn if there isn't a little flicker of something proprietary glinting inside me when Sinclair extends his hand to hers. Some primal, caveman-like part of me growls, " Mine ."

"Nice to meet you, Romi," Sinclair says, shooting me a brotherly wink as he releases her hand, letting me know he's got no intentions beyond being charming and relaxed, but still raising my hackles just a bit.

"You too," Romi responds with a grin and steps back over to stand next to me.

While this exchange takes place, Angus sits obediently at Romi's feet, staring up with those soul-penetrating brown eyes. It's like he's trying to communicate telepathically that she's his new favorite human and she should please never leave again.

"Aww, who's this handsome fella?" Romi bends down, giving Angus' ears a rub that would have any dog instantly devoted. If Angus could speak, I'm sure he'd be composing love sonnets.

"This is Angus," I reply, arms crossed and playfully indignant. "The family rogue. Sinclair just brought him back from one of his infamous trash-diving escapades."

Romi laughs, and it's a sound that always manages to brighten rooms. "Angus, you and I will need to have a chat about your desire to dumpster dive."

Sinclair watches the scene, clearly amused. "Looks like Romi's won him over already. Not that it surprises me." He gives me a knowing look, and I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes at him. "I hate to run off, but I have to get home and help clean up the disaster your menace made."

As the door closes behind him, I turn to see Romi's transition into total puppy love. Angus is right there with her as if they've always been a package deal, his tail wagging at the speed of happiness. "Now, don't go trying to steal my girl," I tell my spoiled fucking rotten canine.

"Too late." Romi glances up at me and smirks. "He's too hard to resist." She scratches under his chin, and Angus, traitor that he is, settles in like he's found his forever human. "I think he's going to be my cuddle bug."

Angus basks in the attention, and I can hardly blame him as I watch the genuine connection forming between them.

"We should go for a walk in the park," I suggest, seizing the chance to let go of daily chores mislabeled as exercise. "If we get him enough exercise, he'll be too tired to cause any trouble later."

"It sounds like a plan to me." She doesn't hesitate. After finding his walking harness, we head out to my truck.

"I warn you, he's a menace in the park," I mention playfully as we drive toward town with Angus sitting up front between us.

"I can't see this sweetie ever being a menace," Romi counters. Fucking hell. She's already fallen for the canine's charms.