I sense his body moving off mine, but I’m so floppy, I don’t notice him remove his clothes and slide back into bed next to me. I had every intention of lathering that frosting on his cock and licking every bit off, but I’m hardly able to move after that incredible devouring of my body. Raide positions himself over me, placing his elbows beside my head. He looks down at me and there’s so much passion in his eyes. He leans down and kisses me, long and hard, and I don’t even care that he tastes like frosting combined with me. I kiss him hard and deep, and he slowly pushes inside my body.
I whimper into his mouth, and he groans low and deep. He stops when he’s fully inside me and closes his eyes, panting hard. “Fuck,” he murmurs. “I’ve missed this.”
“Please, don’t stop,” I breathe. “Baby, please.”
“Fuck. Call me that again.”
“Baby.”
He groans and pulls out, then thrusts back inside. Oh. Yes. He starts slow, working my body over with his, his hands are fisting in my hair, his mouth is consuming mine and his body is taking me over the edge. Then he quickens his pace, until our skin is slapping together, our pants are desperate and we’re both making sounds that have my skin prickling.
I find my orgasm right before he finds his, and it’s perfect. My body explodes and I cling to him as pleasure rips through me.
Raide grunts when he finds his, and his lips practically bruise mine with the brutality of his kiss as he releases into me. Then he rolls off, and lands on his back beside me. He’s sweaty, I’m sweaty, and it’s exactly how it should be. He pulls me into his arms and we lie like that until we can breathe normally again.
Then I decide to break the silence by asking, “What was it like in there?”
He sighs. “Boring, mostly. I kept to myself.”
“Oh.”
He chuckles low. “What did you think it would be like?”
“I don’t know, the movies?”
His body shakes with laughter.
“What?” I cry.
“You’ve got an overactive imagination. It was low security. We had rooms that could be locked, we had a break room, we showered, we slept. There wasn’t much more to it.”
“Did you drop the soap, Raide?”
With that, he bursts out laughing so hard, my body shakes with his. I can’t help it—I giggle, too.
“Fuck, I’ve missed you,” he says, rolling so he’s facing me.
“Me, too,” I say, dropping my eyes to his chest.
“I’m sorry I did that to you,” he murmurs, and I meet his eyes once more.
“It’s what I wanted, right?”
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”
I shrug. “It’s finished now.”
“Your job? How’s that going.”
I smile. “It’s okay. Don says I can go back to small cases after my suspension.”
Raide frowns. “Small cases?”
“It’s better than losing my job.”
He purses his lips but nods. “Why a bounty hunter?”
I nestle into his chest and tell him about my dad and how I grew up. Then I tell him about becoming a bounty hunter and how hard it was being the only girl.
“I thought it was strange when you took Terry down that night. Wait—he’s not your cousin, is he?”
I chuckle. “Gosh no.”
He snorts. “Good, because I was seriously questioning the quality of your genes.”
I shove his shoulder. “Hey!”
He grins and murmurs, “You’re badass, Gracie.”
“I know.”
Silence.
“Raide?”
“Mmmmm?”
“My job … does it bother you?”
He’s quiet for a minute, then he leans back and stares down at me. “Shit no.”
“You don’t care that I’m chasing people for a living, people like … you.”
“I did the wrong thing by running, Grace. You had every right to chase me. I know that now. Can’t be mad at you for doin’ what you do. My biggest concern is your safety.”
“Don wouldn’t give me any case that’s overly dangerous.”
He studies my face. “You ever been shot at?”
I bite my bottom lip.
He groans and rolls to his back. “This is goin’ to kill me, isn’t it?”
“Probably,” I say, pushing up to my elbows and looking down at him. “But I love it, Raide. It’s who I am.”
He reaches up and rubs his thumb over my lower lip. “Yeah, you’re right. It is.”
“Don’t worry,” I say, grinning. “I’m badass with a gun.”
His smile gets big, making those dimples pop out. “My girl is badass.”
His girl.
Wonderful.
Chapter Thirty-four
“We’re going on a date?”
Raide is standing before me, dressed in a tuxedo that makes my mouth water. He’s got his arms crossed and he’s trying to explain to me that we’re going on a date, because we’ve never had the chance to do it properly.
“You’re taking me on a date?” I say again.
“Jesus, lady,” he mutters. “Yeah, I’m takin’ you on a date.”
“You,” I repeat, “Raide Knox, are taking me on a date?”
He huffs and stares up at the ceiling for calm. “Go, put a dress on, and stop askin’ questions.”
“Are you ill?”
He growls and steps toward me. He reaches out and takes a lock of my hair, tugging it softly. “Dressed. Now.”
I smile and turn, skipping off down the hall. I dress quickly, slipping into one of my favorite black dresses. It’s low-cut at the back, showing a good deal of spine. The front has a goodly amount of cleavage, but nothing too … adventurous. I leave my hair down and run my straightener through it. Then I touch up my makeup and hurry back out. Raide is standing against the counter when I come out. He’s still got his arms crossed impatiently.
He goes to open his mouth, no doubt to ask what the hell I’ve been doing, but he quickly shuts it when he sees me. Instead, his eyes grow dark and he stalks toward me. I swallow and lift my hands, placing them on his chest to halt him when he’s close enough. He looks like an animal about to pounce. His eyes travel the length of me, then he murmurs gruffly, “Turn around.”
“Pardon?” I say, my eyes getting big.
“Turn around, put your hands on the counter.”
“Raide,” I breathe. “What are you doing.”
“Turn around,” he orders, and I do as I’m told.
I turn and put my hands on the counter. He comes up behind me, pressing his chest into my back. He leans down and murmurs into my ear. “Don’t move your hands. If you scream, I’ll spank you.”
Oh. Boy.
“Raide—”
“Hush.”
He lifts my dress, revealing my thong. I tremble as he hooks his fingers into it and moves it to the side. Then he presses against me, all while running his finger down past my ass and into my sex. He curls it up and slowly pushes inside me. I cry out and his other hand slaps my ass, hard. My cry becomes a whimper and I bite my lip to stop from screaming in pleasure. He rubs his hand over the stinging mark while his other hand tortures me.
He thrusts his finger in and out slowly, driving me over the edge. I can feel his cock pressing against my ass cheek and it’s hard as all hell. I want it. I want him to fuck me right here, just like this. “Raide,” I plead. “Fuck me.”
He slaps my ass again. Holy shit. Yes. “Don’t talk,” he growls. “I’m making the decisions here, lady.”
He’s torturing me with his finger, he’s not working it fast enough, yet at this slow pace it feels so damned good. I bite my bottom lip so hard, I’m sure blood is about to pop up to the surface. In and out, in and out, God dammit, he’s killing me. I close my eyes and concentrate on my orgasm. I’m building higher and higher, nearly there … Oh yes, nearly there—
Raide pulls his fingers out.
I gasp at t
he sudden emptiness. My orgasm scurries away and it takes everything inside me not to protest. I hear his zipper and his belt, and then he curls one hand around so he’s gripping my chin. He turns my face to the side and growls, “Don’t move.”
Then he fucks me.
Right there against the counter.
Hard and fast.
Primal. Raw. Gritty.
Bliss.
* * *
“Wine, ma’am?”
I stare up at the waiter and smile. “Yes, please.”
He pours the red wine into my glass and then hands us a menu. “Call me when you’d like to order.”
I nod and turn back to Raide, who is staring at me. His eyes are roaming over my face, and he’s got a lazy smile on his face. “What?” I ask, blushing.
“You look great just fucked.”
“Raide!” I scoff.
“You do.”
“This is a nice place,” I say, changing the subject.
“Yeah, Benny told me it was the place to be.”
I chuckle softly. “Benny knows all the moves.”
“You sayin’ I don’t?”
I grin and my cheeks heat once more. “Oh, you’ve got the moves.”
His lips tip up and he leans forward. “What are you going to eat?”
“I don’t know,” I say, barely having glanced at the menu. Raide is far too distracting. “You?”
“Seafood pasta.”
“Oh, yum!”
“It’s awesome.”
I raise my brows. “You’ve been here?”
“Yeah, I came here with Kelly before she died.”
My features soften. “Did you do that a lot?”
He smiles. “Yeah, as much as we could before she met Dean.”
“It sounds like you two were close.”
He nods. “We were.”
“Where was she buried?”
He jerks slightly. “Southside.”
“Can we visit her sometime?”
Something warm washes over his features. “Why would you wanna do that?”
I stare at him, confused. “Why wouldn’t I? She’s your sister, Raide. She’s the only thing you had left and she was taken from you. We should visit her grave.”
He studies me and after a long moment, he says, “What the fuck did I do to deserve you?”
I grin. “You skipped bail.”
He chuckles low and throaty. “I won’t be doing that again. If they’ve got crazy stalkers like you as bounty hunters.”
I gape. “I was not stalking you, Raide Knox!”
His eyes are twinkling with humor. “That’s not how I remember it.”
“You remember it wrong,” I scoff.
“Do you dirty dance with all your cases?”
I cross my arms. “Maybe.”
His eyes grow dark. “Better not happen anymore.”
“Are you going to follow me for every case I get?”
He crosses his arms and leans back. “Maybe.”
“Raide…” He’s teasing, I can see it in his eyes. Jerk. Time to change the subject. “What about you? What are you going to do now.”
“Got a job as a construction worker.”
I blink. “Pardon?”
“A construction worker. I was doing that before I was arrested. Got friends, made a call, got a job.”
“You … build things for a living?”
“Yeah, lady.”
“And you got a job?”
He smirks at me. “Is that so shocking?”
“You just got out of prison.”
He shrugs and takes a long swig of his beer. “I have friends.”
“Apparently.”
“Got a place, too.”
I blink some more. “A place?”
“Are you going to ask a question to everything I say?”
I pout. “Who got you a place?”
“Mandy.”
My chest tightens. “Mandy?”
He grins, because he knows that makes me a little … jealous. “Yeah, Mandy. She has friends. Benny told her I was getting out and needed a place. She secured one before I was even out.”
Oh. Right. “Is there anything you can’t do, superman?”
He winks at me. “Nope.”
I roll my eyes. “And this place? Is it close to mine?”
His eyes twinkle and he leans forward, putting his elbows on the table. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I whisper.
“Maybe. You’ll have to wait and see.”
My lips twitch. “You’re proving to be very secretive, Mr. Knox.”
He reaches out, cupping my cheek. “I swear, you’ll know everything there is about me in no time at all.”
“Is that a promise?”
He grins. “Yeah, lady, it’s a promise.”
I think we’re going to be just fine.
Chapter Thirty-five
Three months later
“Seriously, Peter, running isn’t going to solve this.”
Peter, who is more hobbling than running, is trying to disappear down the side of some large buildings. He’s my seventh case since I’ve been back on the job, and as always, proving to be a challenge. I’m glad, though. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed the chase. I’ve missed the adrenaline. I’ve missed feeling strong and determined.
“I’ll shoot you, Peter,” I say, sighing as I pick up my pace to a jog.
Peter rounds the corner and when I skid around after him, he’s disappeared. I take a step and he leaps out from behind a massive bin. He tackles me to the floor and I land with a thump. Dammit, I washed my hair this morning. Now it’s in the freaking mud. I bring my knee up and drive it into whatever I can. Peter rolls off me with a grunt and I flip my body over onto his.
I whip my gun out and press it against his chest. “Now, we can do this the hard way or the easy way.”
“Get off me!” He squirms. “I didn’t do nothin’.”
“Peter,” I sigh, “you skipped bail.”
“Didn’t mean to, it was an accident.”
Well, that’s a new one. “And how exactly do you accidentally skip bail?”
“I didn’t do it, they’re tryin’ to lock me away for no reason.”
I raise my brows. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, didn’t do nothin’. Never even done drugs in my life.”
I snort. One look at him tells me that’s a lie. He’s scrawny, his eyes are bloodshot, he’s got track marks up his arms, and he’s got sunken cheekbones.
“You a fan of giving blood, then?”
He stares at me blankly and I nod to his arms. “Don’t know how those got there.”
I laugh loudly. This is why I love my job. “Up, Peter, I’m taking you in.”
“Didn’t do nothin!” he bellows.
I struggle to get him to his feet, but eventually manage. I cuff his hands behind his back and push him out to the car where Raide is sitting in the front seat, talking on the phone. He often comes along for the ride and waits while I bring them in. I think it’s his secret way of making sure I’m okay, even though he doesn’t interfere.
“Jesus,” he mutters when I throw Peter in the back. “He fuckin’ stinks.”
“Who are you?” Peter cries.
“Shut up, and don’t touch anything.”
I laugh as I jump into the car. We take off and Raide keeps his eye on Peter, whose eyes are frantically darting from side to side.
“You even think about trying to get out, I’ll make sure I run over your legs before I get you back into the car,” Raide snaps.
“Raide,” I say, trying to fight a smile. “Don’t threaten the criminals.”
He snorts. “Criminal, my ass. This guy probably can’t even find his own dick.”
“I can!” Peter cries from the back. “You pig.”
I burst out laughing once more and Raide quickly joins me. We arrive at my work and I quickly discard Peter before joining Raide in the car again. Then we head over to my parents’ h
ouse. My dad adores Raide, he thinks he’s the shit and doesn’t hold back on letting Raide know. My mom is warming to him and even my sisters seem to be able to make decent conversation.
“How’s Kady?” Raide asks as we drive.
“She’s good, loving Fiji.”
Kady is on vacation in Fiji with some handsome guy she met a month ago. He’s a Latino hottie and swept her clean off her feet. When he invited her for a trip to Fiji, she jumped at the chance. I told her there’s a high chance he’s a serial killer, but she seemed to think I was the crazy one. She’s having the time of her life, so I guess that means he’s not a serial killer, which is a relief.
“What about the dude?”
I snort. “I can’t even pronounce his name.
He seems to be giving her the time of her life. She certainly hasn’t complained and she also hasn’t been chopped into a thousand tiny pieces, so I’d go as far as saying it’s going fantastically.”
Raide chuckles. “That girl is nuts.”
“Totally nuts.”
We pull up at my parents’ house and I climb out of the car. Raide joins me and we both head inside to have dinner with my parents. We do this once every two weeks and it seems to be helping me develop a stronger relationship with my mom and sisters.
“Gracie!” my dad says, swinging the door open before we even reach it. “How’s it going?”
I smile and embrace him. “Good, Dad.”
“Raide.”
“How’s it goin’?” Raide asks.
“Good. Let me show you the fish I got this afternoon.”
I sigh with another smile as Dad drags Raide through the house and out the back to his man cave. I enter the kitchen, where Gretchen is having a minor meltdown over her hair. She’s got a date tonight—gasp!—and her hair isn’t perfect. Mom is frantically trying to fix it while Stacy is staring with a smirk on her face that tells me she’s secretly enjoying this.
“Hi,” I call, walking in.
Mom looks up at me. “Grace, where have you been?”
She’s not asking because I’m late; she’s asking because my hair is now limp and ugly because Peter pushed me to the floor.