Chapter 15
KNIGHT
Scooping Harper off the counter, her legs lock around my waist, and I carry her down my hallway as my tongue rolls over my bottom lip, savoring her taste. Her body slumps against mine, and I hold her up, keeping her safe in my arms.
She’s fucking wrecked after coming three times on my kitchen counter, and despite barely being able to hold herself together, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride booming through my chest. Watching her come apart for me, learning her body, and feeling the way she squirmed under my fingers was incredible, and now I’m fucking pissed that I’m being called in to work.
If I could stay here and make her come all day, I would, but instead, I have to deal with a hostage situation at the mall. But the moment I can, I’ll be right back here, buried inside her again.
Was it a little premature to declare that I have no intention of walking away from this?
Probably, but I can’t fathom the idea of never touching her again, never tasting her, never feeling the way she takes me inch by fucking inch.
That doesn’t mean I’m ready to settle down, put a ring on her finger, and shoot a few babies into her guts.
Harper has made it more than clear that’s not what she wants, and considering she’s my step-niece, I think that’s a good call.
There was a firm line drawn, but after the past few days, I can see the line fading away in the distance.
We bounded right over it and gave it the middle finger on the way past. Harper’s not wrong though, this is a slippery slope.
One wrong move could have this crumbling around us, and yet I can’t seem to care.
I’ve held back for years out of respect for her mother and my brother’s marriage, but I suddenly don’t give a shit.
Elias will have more than enough to say about it when the other shoe finally drops, but until then, I have every intention of fucking this girl into oblivion.
Though one thing is for sure, the moment I can, I’ll be figuring out who the other asshole is she’s fucking and running a background check.
I know she’s not my girl, and it’s not my place to put my nose where it doesn’t belong, but after the shit that’s been going down at the morgue, I can’t be too careful.
Reaching my room, I toss Harper down onto my bed, and she immediately grabs a pillow and squishes it to her face. She inhales deeply and groans with pure bliss. “Hmmmmm, smells just like you.”
A stupid-as-fuck grin pulls across my face, breaking my carefully placed facade, and I turn my back before stepping into my closet and searching for clothes. She’ll never know how fucking happy it makes me to see her naked and comfortable in my bed, breathing me in as though she already misses me.
What the hell is wrong with me? Keeping this strictly about sex is going to be a challenge when I want nothing more than to make her fall in love with me—to make her mine.
“What else were you expecting?” I mutter, clearing my throat and trying to remember that I’m a fucking SWAT officer at the top of my game, not some love-sick puppy desperately fawning all over a woman who only wants him for his cock.
Harper scoffs and shakes her head as I find a black shirt and pull it on. “What a shame,” she says with a heavy sigh. “I like you better naked.”
“You’ll like me any fucking way I give me to you.”
“Oooft, and the bossy asshat makes a return.”
I roll my eyes and continue getting ready, all too aware of the clock I’m on.
I have all of eight minutes to get my ass out the door and to the station.
I’ll be cutting it close, but I’ll still make it with a minute to spare.
“What’s the deal with those nipple piercings?
” I question, finding my tactical belt and clipping it into position as her gaze rakes over me with desire, making it damn clear that she doesn’t only prefer me naked.
She likes a man in uniform, and right now, she’s practically frothing at the mouth.
“Ahhh, what about them?” she questions, an edge to her tone as she watches me through a narrowed gaze.
“Aren’t you worried that you’re going to need a defib machine one day and end up frying your nipples off?”
Her jaw drops, momentarily stuck for words. “I, uhhh . . . I thought you were going to say that you weren’t into them.”
“Oh, baby,” I groan, glancing at her on my bed again, her tits more than on display. “I’ve never been more into anything in my life. Won’t lie, it was a nice surprise. I assumed a lot of things about you, but not that. I like it.”
She bites down on her bottom lip, her cheeks flushing with the sweetest shade of red. “Good, because I don’t have any intention of getting rid of them anytime soon. But it makes me wonder, would it really fry my nipples if I got zapped?”
A laugh tears from the back of my throat. “No, if the pads are placed correctly, there won’t be an issue. Your nipples will remain intact and unfried.”
“And if they’re not placed properly?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Why don’t I go get my defib machine so we can find out?”
The spare pillow on my bed comes hurtling toward me. “You’re an asshole.”
I can’t help but laugh as I effortlessly dodge the flying pillow, though it’s not hard.
Her aim is fucking terrible. “Metal is an electric conductor. If the pad were placed incorrectly, you run the risk of the shock taking a shortcut through your piercing instead of being delivered to the heart as intended, but fear not. While you might not be revived, your nipples will be safe.”
Harper stares at me. “That’s comforting.”
“Thought it might be,” I murmur, checking I have everything I need. “Are you heading into work tonight?”
She shakes her head. “I’m not on the schedule, but I’m thinking about heading in for a few hours during the day to catch up on the things I couldn’t get done while I was too busy running out of there.”
I let out a heavy breath, realizing how sick I am over the idea of her going back into that morgue alone.
“Okay good,” I say, striding up to her on my bed.
I lean down and curl my hand around her throat, gently squeezing as she tips her head to meet my stare.
“I have to go. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want, but I’ll be working tonight. Won’t be home until sometime tomorrow.”
“Okay. I might stay and hack your computer to figure out what kind of weird kinky porn you watch, and then I’ll probably head off.”
I laugh. “Good luck with your search,” I tell her. “Make sure you lock up behind you.”
With that, I drop a kiss to her temple before walking out, feeling a pang of regret deep in my gut at having to walk away from her, especially while she’s naked in my bed. What kind of red-blooded man walks away from that?
As I turn out of my bedroom, I glance back for just a moment, watching as she stares after me with a dreamy haze in her soft green eyes. She pulls my pillow tight to her chest, and fuck me, I could wake up to that every day of the rest of my life and never get bored.
This woman is going to ruin me, and I think I might just let her.
I arrive at the station just in time, and after a quick debrief, my team is locked and loaded, roaring toward the mall.
There’s an active hostage situation, and from what little information we’ve been able to gather, it started as a domestic dispute between a young couple, which quickly escalated when the store clerk got involved.
Our understanding is that the store has been closed, the roller doors pulled down with multiple shoppers trapped inside. The rest of the mall should have been successfully evacuated by now, leaving us the space we need to get in and get the job done.
Depending on the scene when we get there and any new information that may arise, the plan is to split into three teams. Diesel, Ace, and I are heading teams A, B, and C.
My team will be responsible for infiltrating the store, most likely through the ventilation system in the ceiling above the store, dropping in through the changing rooms, and then taking out the suspect.
Diesel’s team will be responsible for freeing hostages, and after Ace pulled the short straw after pissing off Diesel yesterday, his team will be acting as back up for Teams A and B. His team will also be in charge of any immediate medical requirements and surveillance.
While in transit, the entire convoy discusses the plan of attack by radio, making sure we’re all on the same page. Then after arriving at the scene and being briefed on all updates, we’re given the mall blueprints from security and the on-scene officers.
Feeling ready to take this bastard down, my team moves with precision, each one of them knowing their role and exactly what’s expected. They’ve never let me down and are constantly exceeding those high expectations. Their training is like no other, pushing the boundaries of what should be possible.
They’re fucking machines and nothing less than my brothers and sisters. Each one of them have saved my ass at some point or another, just as I’ve done the same for them, but that’s how a well-oiled team is supposed to operate, especially in SWAT. There’s no room for mistakes.
My team rushes forward in a single-file line, a hand on the shoulder of the officer in front, heading straight for our position as Team B veers to the left, moving toward the front of the store. Team C follows behind, ready to create a perimeter and jump in where needed.
Reaching our position, Anders and Hunter create a brace, and I waste no time stepping up onto their forearms. They lift me toward the ceiling of the mall, and I remove the large ceiling plate that conceals the ventilation system, sliding it aside before gripping the ledge and hauling myself up.