Chapter 05 ELI
I couldn’t hide my laughter. Surprisingly, I didn’t want to.
I’d never been in the back of a police car before and it was safe to say that I wasn’t itching to repeat the experience. But if I had to do it, I’m glad it was with Zach. My laughter faded away, and I rested against the back of the uncomfortable plastic seat. My hands were numb, but I didn’t care. Zach looked at me with that crooked grin that drove me wild. Blue lights flashed over our heads, reflecting off his eyes and making them glimmer in the night.
I should have run for the hills. The second he’d shown up at the photo shoot, I should’ve apologized to Sadie and taken off. I should not have kissed him, and I damn sure shouldn’t have come on his fingers while I perched on his Harley like some kind of bike bunny. The evidence of my crimes had dried on my bare stomach, making me even more uncomfortable.
Zach’s soft lips brushed my cheek.
“What was that for?”
“Those dimples are just too damn adorable,“
he said in that husky voice that vibrated my skin and set the tempo for my pulse. He was still waiting on me to give him permission.
Maybe that was why I trusted him. Even though he took control, he didn’t make me feel like I had lost any.
I worried about getting caught, but we had been sitting there for-fucking-ever. Why the hell we needed to wait on his superior was beyond me.
Despite the cuffs slapped on us and being tossed into the back of a police cruiser, I’d been half hard the whole time. Zach hadn’t come earlier either; I would know, I couldn’t seem to pry my eyes away from his crotch. His erection strained the front of his jeans, and naturally he caught me staring. The bastard smirked and widened his stance, arching his hips off the seat and sliding his hands beneath his legs, stepping through them to bring them around to his front.
My mouth watered. Damn, why is that so hot? Everything the man did was so fucking hot.
“Fuck it,“
I muttered, taking one last glance over my shoulder before turning to the side and lowering my head over Zach’s lap.
“Shit,“
he swore, dropping a hand to the back of my head.
If I was nothing else, I was a perfect sub. With my thing for restraints, I was pretty good with my mouth. I hooked my tongue under the elastic of Zach’s boxer briefs, taking the fabric between my teeth and tugging it down to free his erection. I didn’t waste any time, sucking his cockhead between my lips.
“Ah, that’s it. Such a good boy.”
That spurred me onward. I ran my tongue along the underside of his cock, hollowing my cheeks to take him down. His cock bumped the back of my throat, and I swallowed around the urge to gag. He moaned, arching his hips to fuck into my mouth. I whined, sending vibrations up his shaft.
A strained noise had me opening my eyes to peer up at him. His head was laid back on the seat, eyes closed in bliss. His fingers threaded through my hair, holding me down as he used my mouth as he saw fit.
I coughed and choked but didn’t dare tap out. Or… snap out, as it was. My eyes watered and tears poured down my cheeks. My lungs burned, desperate for oxygen.
I didn’t care.
Zach’s cock swelled in my mouth, and I needed to hurry this up before Detective Big Shot returned again. I rose onto one knee, entirely folding over his lap. One more firm suck, and Zach was instructing me to swallow.
Like I’d want to do anything else with the precious seed that was about to spill over my tongue.
“Fuck!”
Salt burst onto my tongue. I swallowed Zach to the hilt, and his release pulsed right down my throat. I hummed as he came, earning another burst and hair-tug.
I sucked until he gritted his teeth. I cleaned him up before I sat up, licking my lips. My body was on fire. My own cock was so hard that it was nearly painful.
“Goddamn,“
Zach panted, taking my chin in a firm grip and hauling me in for a passionate kiss. “That was perfect, sweet boy.”
I preened under the praise, and Zach had just enough time to put his dick away before my door flung open. I flinched, shuffling closer to Zach—as though he could protect me while his hands were cuffed.
Then again… Nope. No. Hell to the no. I was not going to think about what Zach could or couldn’t do with his hands bound because I was never going to see him again after this. He would remain exactly where he belonged—in my dreams.
The person bending down to peer in the back wasn’t the same cop, however. This guy was older, in his forties, wearing an expertly tailored suit. His badge hung off a chain around his neck. A detective’s badge. His blond hair and beard were neatly trimmed. Bright green eyes sparkled under his lashes, but they weren’t looking at me. He was glaring at Zach… and he wasn’t pleased that Zach’s hands were in front of him instead of behind. “How did I know you’d be involved, Zach Rowland?”
Ah, at least I now had a last name for the man who’d just made me come my brains out.
“Admit it, Nick. You just wanted to see my pretty face.”
I rotated to stare at Zach. “You two know each other?”
He shrugged. “Eli, this is Detective Nicholas Porter. I guess with your crazy schedules, you two haven’t gotten the chance to meet. He lives in the Grove too.”
I sighed in relief, and my body melted into the seat. “So you can get us out of here?”
Nick smiled and revealed a small set of keys in his palm. “You two shouldn’t be in this car in the first place. Sit forward for me.“
I did, and he fumbled in the darkness to unlock the cuffs. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to deal with an overzealous rookie—this one, in particular. I hope my apology is sufficient enough to dissuade you from suing the city.”
He disappeared, rounding the back of the cruiser to uncuff Zach. I rubbed my sore wrists and stretched my muscles. You’d never think sitting in the back of a car could be so uncomfortable. Then again, I guess these cars weren’t designed with criminals’ comfort in mind.
“Thanks, Nick,“
Zach said, shaking out his fingers.
“No problem. Anita asked if you were still okay to watch Penelope tomorrow?”
“Of course I can.”
Another kind smile, then Nick smacked the roof of the car, calling out to us as he walked away. “Stay out of trouble, you two!”
“Penelope?“
I asked as Zach walked me to my car. Thankfully, he didn’t offer me a ride on his bike again. With the uncharacteristic decisions I’d been making tonight, I might just have agreed to it.
“His niece,“
Zach responded. “His sister, Anita, is a single mom, and with Nick’s demanding job, their schedules don’t always line up. So I watch her.”
Butterflies kicked up in my stomach. “That’s so sweet of you.”
Zach shrugged, leaning against the back door of my car like he belonged there. And when he crossed his arms over his chest, I started to believe that maybe he did…
I could not fall for this man.
But the longer I stood there and tried to convince myself of that, the less I believed it.
“Are you sure I can’t give you a ride home?”
My eyes cut to his bike, heat rushing to my face at the memory of what we’d done. Desire built low in my stomach again. Zach took a step closer, enfolding my smaller body in his broad arms.
A breath shuddered out of me, and almost on instinct I opened up for him. His hands settled on my hips, mine on his chest. Neither of us cared that we were filthy and sweaty. And it certainly didn’t stop me from stretching until his lips met mine. The satisfying taste of sin washed over my tongue, swimming with his cherry lip balm and something… sweeter deep down. Our tongues flirted, and he pulled back.
“That’s not an answer,“
he laughed, raising a hand to brush a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
“I’m not getting on your bike, but thank you. I really just want to go home and take a long, hot bath.”
Zach’s eyes darkened. “Can I watch?”
I nudged him backward so I could get in my car, but I gave him a playful smile. “Only if you don’t get caught.”
“Challenge accepted, sweet boy.“
He backed away, withdrawing his keys from his pocket. “Don’t be a stranger.”
I watched him walk away, and judging by the slight sway to his hips, he knew it. One long leg swung over the seat of his bike, and he shook out his black waves before placing his helmet on his head. As he fastened the strap, he threw me a wink. He snapped on his gloves and jacket next, lowered his visor, then the bike roared to life. I jumped, the loud sound peeling into the night. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to ride behind him, the motorcycle vibrating my body as I clung to him for dear life.
For what must’ve been the thousandth time that night, I resolved to shake all thoughts of Zach Rowland out of my mind. I wouldn’t see him again. I couldn’t see him again.
My most recent heartbreak was still too fresh, and I wasn’t ready to put myself in that position again. Blowing out a breath, I dropped into the driver seat of my car, cranking up the air. I needed to cool my ass down.
The short drive home was quiet. I didn’t turn the radio on. Music wasn’t going to cut it when I had so many thoughts swirling around my head. I turned onto Evergreen Grove, sneaking a peek at the little brown house at the end of the road. The sparkling, midnight blue bike sat in his garage, silent. I slowed to a crawl to watch as Zach pulled a cover over it. Like he could sense my presence, his head rotated to look at me. With nothing more than a smile and a wave, he returned to his task.
Yes, that was exactly what we promised: a smile and a wave. That’s what you did in these places, right? It was safer that way. Smile, wave, and you don’t ask questions about what your neighbor does in their free time. Even if they are hot and tattooed and drive a motorcycle…
I pulled into my own driveway. The same driveway where, only a few weeks ago, I tossed my ex-boyfriend to the curb. I’d been picking up extra shifts at the hospital, desperately trying to avoid home, to avoid being alone where the thoughts crept into my head. I couldn’t pick up and move every time a man wronged me.
Strangely enough, I didn’t feel any of that anymore. The only thing I felt was exhaustion. Inside, I went straight for the shower instead of a bath. As I stood under the spray, I closed my eyes and imagined what it would feel like to belong to Zach. I hadn’t felt safe in quite some time, and imagining his arms around me? “Secure“
was the word that came to mind. The thought warmed me as much as the water, and I found myself craving his touch.
Fuck, I was screwed.
Weeks passed by in a blur, and those turned into months. True to his word, Zach didn’t press me to get together again. If he saw me, he would smile and wave, then be on his way.
For my part, I totally didn’t watch him out of my front window, and I definitely didn’t see how good he was with Penelope.
I had sworn off dating.
But when it was late at night and I was alone in bed, staring at the ceiling because I couldn’t fall asleep, I began to wonder who some… company would really hurt. Technically, sex wasn’t dating, right?
I would lie there and contemplate it until my alarm infuriatingly shrieked in my ear, and another sleepless night had passed.
As time crawled by, I started to notice odd things happening around my house. They started innocently enough: after one long shift, I came home to find my mail had been delivered beneath the door. After I’d been on call for four days in a row, my lawn was mysteriously mowed. Slowly, these acts turned into gifts; a double espresso left on my doorstep, still hot. Coffee became flowers—different ones for a time, until it finally settled on marigolds.
I loved marigolds.
I made a point of displaying that particular bouquet on my front porch, where they’d get plenty of daylight. And it never failed that after returning from one of my shifts, they’d have been watered, or placed under shelter if it was raining or cold.
One particularly bitter, dreary morning, I had an extra rough shift. I’d lost several patients throughout my years in school, but this one hit particularly hard. There was little we could do, but we still worked on the poor boy for hours, long after all of us knew we should have declared it. Finally, we had no choice. Statements had to be given, the police were called, and reports had to be filed. The legal department from the hospital got involved, and… ugh. I didn’t want to think about it.
I trudged up to my front door, noticing the bouquet of marigolds had been moved under a table and guarded with plastic to shield them from the torrential rain.
Grabbing the flowerpot from its hideaway, I unlocked my front door and stepped inside my familiar, dark house. Sighing, I flipped the living room lights and placed my phone on the wireless charger I kept by the front door. With long, unpredictable shifts, I’d learned to keep a charger nearby.
I’d showered at the hospital, desperate to get clean after the traumatic event. I still went to my bedroom and changed into a pair of sweats. I made a brief detour to the kitchen, grabbing an apple to snack on while I waited for my dinner to be delivered.
My phone, having charged long enough to turn itself back on, buzzed on the table. I was ready to ignore the outside world for a few hours, but the email on top caught my attention.
Sadie’s Strangers Thank-you Gift.
While that day was seared in my memory, I’d all but forgotten about the photoshoot itself. I was pretty certain that Zach was the one leaving me gifts and managing my house, but we still hadn’t spoken to each other since.
Curious, I opened the email and scanned its contents. Sadie had sent a heartfelt message thanking both Zach and I for participating the session. Below that were two links: one to the five free photos I’d get to keep as compensation for participating, and a link where I could purchase the rest of the digital files. I dropped onto the couch and tapped the link for the entire shoot.
The photos started from the beginning, where my nerves were evident in my face. As I flipped through each one, I could pinpoint the exact moment Zach had whispered in my ear. My cheeks had gone pink and my eyes had dilated. From there, he’d slipped his hands beneath my shirt, and I had to admit we looked strikingly natural together.
By the time I reached the photos with us kissing, my snack lay forgotten. My heart was starting to race, and I could practically feel Zach’s touch again; the way his fingers danced across my skin, how his large hands felt on my hips. Like he could hold me together when I felt like falling to pieces. I remembered the smooth glide of his soft skin beneath my hands, and the silky strands of hair winding through my fingers.
My favorite picture, however, was one that Sadie had included in her top five. One that I would later be so thankful for, because it kicked my ass into gear.
In the photo, Zach had me backed against a tree, hands on my belt tugging me close. Our wet hair hung in strands, water dripping down to our shoulders. Our skin was sun-kissed, cheeks reddened.
I’d never seen myself smile like that. Ever.
I was out the door before I realized what I was doing. The rain had eased a bit but still fell hard enough to drench my hair in the time it took to sprint down the street to the little brown house on the corner. I raced up the drive and straight to the front door.
I knocked, hoping I wasn’t waking him up. I hadn’t even checked the time.
I practically bounced on my toes. I stifled a laugh as clumsy noises and muttered curses sounded from inside.
The door swung open, and my stomach leapt into my throat. Zach was shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweats. His black hair was wild, standing up in all directions. He was still half asleep, rubbing his eyes to clear them and blinking at the daylight. He yawned, giving me a moment to appreciate his tattoos. I followed the tiger’s tail to where it disappeared into the waistband of his sweats. Meeting his eyes again, I nearly apologized for waking him up, but he gave that lopsided grin and stepped aside.
When he spoke, his voice had that sleep-laden husk that sent blood rushing south. “Come in, stranger.”