Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Atlee wasn’t nervous in the least. She was more than ready to spend the night with Simon. Had been looking forward to doing so more than she was comfortable admitting.
She’d never met a more honorable and kind man than Simon Hill.
No one in Fallport had a bad thing to say about him.
He went out of his way to get to know as many of the townspeople as he could, he volunteered at the local schools, and was frequently seen simply walking around, being visible and accessible to anyone who might want or need to talk to him.
As a result, Fallport was one of the safest towns Atlee had ever lived.
Which was why she knew the break-ins bothered him so much. And why he was working so hard to figure out who was responsible and stop them so his town could get back to normal.
And that was also why Atlee hadn’t pushed to spend the night with him again. She still remembered how safe she felt when she’d woken up in his arms in that hotel room a month ago. She’d never felt as comfortable with a man as she did with Simon.
Not only that, but she’d never been as attracted to someone as she was to the resident police chief. She might be in her fifties, but the last month had proven she was just as sexual as she’d been twenty years ago.
She wanted Simon. All of him. He made her feel alive. Seen. Desired.
The way his brown eyes seemed to bore into her when he looked her way made her tingle in places she hadn’t tingled in a very long time.
She wanted to experience his bossiness in bed more than she wanted to admit.
She’d had very expressive dreams about what he’d do and how he’d act when they finally decided to take their relationship to the next level.
And while she had no idea if that’s what would happen tonight, she was more than ready.
Atlee had a feeling she’d have to make the first move though. Which some people might find strange, considering how dominant Simon could be. Heck, he’d come right out and told her that he preferred to take control in the bedroom…which she was more than all right with.
But she instinctually knew that he wouldn’t be the one to suggest they do more than sleep tonight. He was a protector down to his very bones. And he wouldn’t want to do anything that might make her uneasy or make her not trust him.
The truth was that Atlee not only trusted Simon, she loved him.
Her crush had turned to full-blown love over the last month.
She already knew him to be a good man, but seeing how gentle and caring he was toward her had only cemented her feelings.
And it wasn’t about the physical things he’d given her.
Not about flowers or notes or buying her dinners.
It was the way he made her feel that had her love for him growing so fast.
The way he looked at her, as if she was the most important person in the world.
How he listened to her, truly listened, when she talked about Renee, or about how her workday went, or even something as silly as how she’d spent an hour playing a game of chess with Silas, despite knowing good and well that she’d lose.
He looked her in the eyes when she talked, instead of fiddling with his phone or glancing around.
He made her feel as if she was the center of his world when she was speaking.
It was how he couldn’t quite hide the fact that he was smelling her when he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.
How he’d scraped the bowl clean when she’d made him lobster mac-n-cheese and brought it to the police station for dinner one night. Robert had always complained that the food she made was too fattening, and that she wasn’t a very good cook to begin with.
In short, Simon made her feel…cherished.
And it made her want to return the feelings tenfold.
Simon worked his butt off, and while she was sure the people of Fallport appreciated his work ethic, it took a toll on him.
And Atlee wanted to do whatever she could to make sure he was getting enough to eat, taking time off, and enjoying life and the town he went out of his way to protect.
When he asked if she wanted to come over to his place to stay the night, she’d been ecstatic.
Atlee wasn’t sure if that meant they’d make love tonight, but she was going to make sure Simon knew she was more than ready…
just in case. That she wanted him. Once she did that, she’d gladly let him take over.
Because the truth was, she still wasn’t sure she was all that good at sex.
Robert hadn’t thought so, but then again, she’d long since learned he was kind of a jerk.
So she was pretty sure she couldn’t take his word for it.
But she hadn’t been with many men in her life, and her biggest nightmare was somehow messing up things between her and Simon because she sucked in bed.
She’d packed a bag as soon as she got home, then paced back and forth in her living room, waiting for Simon to contact her.
When her phone finally went off, notifying her of a text, she almost had a heart attack. Rolling her eyes at herself, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and read what Simon had sent.
Simon: On my way home. Can’t wait to see you. Come over whenever you’re ready.
She sent him a quick text to let him know she was leaving now.
Then all Atlee had to do was pick up the overnight bag she’d put by the door and grab her purse and keys.
She was out the door less than a minute after she’d read Simon’s text.
She didn’t even think about making him wait.
She didn’t care how eager she might look.
She wanted to spend as much time with Simon as possible until he had to leave again.
She was well aware that he could get an emergency call at any time.
But that didn’t bother her. It was part of why she loved him so much. His desire to help others.
When she got to his house, she saw he’d parked on his driveway and the garage door was up. He walked outside—Atlee was pleased that he’d obviously been watching for her—and gestured for her to park in the garage.
It was one more way he spoiled her.
Simon was at her door by the time she turned off her engine.
As soon as she got out of the car, he kissed her.
When he went to pull back, Atlee did what she could to let him know she wanted him.
Wanted to do more than sleep. Maybe it was too forward.
Too soon. Heck, she hadn’t even said hello yet.
But once his lips were on hers, she couldn’t hold back her longing.
She wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and brought his lips back to hers.
And to make her desires crystal clear, her free hand went to the front of his jeans—and she palmed his cock.
To his credit, he didn’t act surprised. And more importantly, he didn’t pull away from her touch.
What he did do was lift his lips from hers just enough to ask, “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything,” Atlee whispered.
And that was apparently all the reassurance Simon needed. His head lowered once more and took over.
He devoured her.
Kissed her with a depth of passion she hadn’t felt from him before. As if her acquiescence and permission tore down all his resistance. His patience.
Her desire went from one to a hundred in a heartbeat, and the only thing Atlee wanted was this man…inside her…showing her what sex was supposed to be all about.
Simon put his hands on her ass and lifted.
Atlee gave a little jump and then he was carrying her, his lips still on hers.
Neither worried about her still-open car door or the fact that the bag she’d packed was sitting on the back seat.
He managed to get the door to the house open without dropping her and without lifting his lips from hers.
Atlee vaguely noticed him locking the door behind them, then he was walking toward his bedroom. With every step he took, her pussy rubbed against his belly, sending her need higher and higher.
He stopped by his bed and moved his hands from her ass to her waist. Atlee lowered her feet to the ground and the next thing she knew, Simon had grabbed the bottom of her shirt and whipped it over her head. She stood before him in her bra and pants.
He licked his lips as he stared at her chest. Thankful that she’d put on one of her newer bras—one that showcased her cleavage, instead of one of the everyday cotton sports bras she usually wore—Atlee arched her back a little, feeling beautiful for the first time in her life.
“Damn, you’re perfect,” Simon muttered, before reaching behind his head to grab his own T-shirt. He pulled it up and over in that sexy way men had, and then it was her turn to stare. Simon had a smattering of chest hair and his nipples were small and tight, as if they were begging for her.
She toed off her shoes, then put her hands behind back her to unclasp her bra, but he stopped her by saying, “No,” in a low, terse voice.
Atlee immediately froze.
“I want to unwrap you.”
She smiled and dropped her hands. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t fumble, as he immediately reached behind her and deftly unclasped the hook of her bra.
Atlee lowered her arms and let the garment fall to the floor. She held her breath, hoping against hope that Simon would like what he saw.
He let out a long breath, then met her gaze and said reverently, “Beautiful,” before reaching out and covering her breasts with his large palms.
It was Atlee’s turn to sigh. His hands were warm and the calluses on his palms slightly abraded her tender skin as he caressed her.
“I’m going to do my best to go slow, but I can’t guarantee it,” he said, his tone almost conversational. But when Atlee looked into his eyes, she saw his pupils were dilated. His breath was coming out in small pants, and he shifted where he stood.
She was amazed that she, little ol’ Atlee Carrington, was making this amazing, strong, virile, and confident man feel so off balance.