24. Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Lehra ran her fingers through my slightly damp hair as we lay on her bed facing each other. “I can’t believe you dyed your hair blond.”
Laughing, I kissed the top of her head. “I wanted to fully commit to the role.” And to you. “Was it… okay?”
“More than okay. Better than I could have ever imagined.” She snuggled closer, and I reveled in holding her warm, naked body against mine. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I feel like I should make you some cookies.”
Dear god, no.
We’d showered together, and then I cleaned up the, er, evidence from the floor beside the door while she dried her hair.
I’d been rough on her tonight, but she’d taken every bit of me without complaint. My cock hardened against her stomach as I thought about fucking her against that door, the way her body responded to me. She really was the perfect woman.
The room was dark, but I could see her eyes shining silver in the moonlight as they made a quick downward flick. Then she looked back at me and lifted her eyebrows.
“Well, someone woke up to say hello.”
Growling, I lowered my voice and yanked her beneath me, covering her with my body. “You didn’t think the Viking would be satisfied with fucking his woman only once, did you?”
She grinned as she spread her legs and cradled my hips with her smooth thighs. “Heavens no. My Viking can take me as many times as he wants.”
I parted her sex with the head of my cock and slid slowly home. “It’s going to be a very long night for you, sweet one.”
My phone pinged on the nightstand, and I groaned into the back of Lehra’s hair. “Who the fuck is texting me at this ungodly hour?” I slid my hand up and down the curve of her hip. “Grab my phone and see who it is. Then tell them to fuck off till after nine because some crazy woman was on my dick all night, and I need my beauty sleep.”
She laughed sleepily and took my phone from the charger before unlocking it. I could feel the instant her body stiffened. “Maybe you should answer this one yourself,” she said curtly, handing me the phone and rolling off the bed. “I’ll go to the bathroom and give you some privacy.”
What the hell is she talking about? Why would I need privacy?
As she went into the bathroom and closed the door, I looked down at the screen.
Cecily: I’m so sorry I can’t meet you today. I have a stomach bug, and trust me, you don’t want me anywhere near you. We can get together next week, if that’s okay.
My eyes went to the white wood of the bathroom door, and I grinned. I think Tink is jealous. The thought made me more than a little happy.
When she came out, I was sitting up against the headboard. Her smile was forced, and she had pulled on a T-shirt to cover her nakedness. “I’m just gonna go to the kitchen and make some coffee.”
“Come here first, Tink. I’ve got a problem.” Two furrows appeared between her eyes, but she walked slowly toward the bed. As soon as she was within reach, I hauled her over me until she was straddling my lap, earning me a little yelp.
“What are you doing, Cruz?”
“I need your help.”
Her lips pinched tightly together. “I’m not sure what I can do.”
I took her face in my hand and squeezed her cheeks a few times until the line of her mouth relaxed. Then I kissed her lips with a featherlight touch. “Cecily is a woman I met yesterday.”
“Oh. Okay, so you want to… what? Call off our arrangement?”
Damn, she’s cute when she’s jealous.
Putting her out of her misery, I kissed her palm and then rubbed it over my dark blond beard. “Cecily is the hairdresser who did this to me.” Lehra tried to hide her relief, but I felt it in the loosening of her body. “I was supposed to go back for an appointment today to get un-blonded, and now she’s canceled.”
Her eyes rounded. “And you can’t exactly go to work like this on Monday.”
“Right. I’ve driven Gianna a few times to the salon where Cecily works, so that’s how I knew about it, but I don’t really know where to find someone else. I usually go to a barber.”
She tilted her head in thought. “I’m sure the barber could fix this.” Her fingers stroked through my hair, and I leaned into the sweet touch.
“He doesn’t work on Saturdays. When I need a trim, I go after I drop off Auburn in the morning and don’t have anything else to do for a couple hours.”
“We’ll just find another salon,” she reasoned. I totally could have done that myself, but I wanted an excuse to spend more time with Lehra. “I’m sure someone could work you in today.”
An hour and a half later, Lehra sighed and dropped her phone on the counter as I walked back into her kitchen. “That one was a no, as well. Apparently there’s a huge hair convention in town, and every stylist in New York is attending, and the ones who aren’t going are booked. I even checked salons and barber shops in Jersey.”
“Shit,” I said, handing her the coffee I’d just bought at the local shop. “It should be cool enough for you. By the way, the barista looked at me all weird.”
Lehra giggled. “She’s probably wondering what the hell happened to your hair.” She looked at me over the rim of her cup. “We could shave your facial hair, and that would take care of that, but we have to do something… Hmmm. Do you trust me?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, let’s go.” She took my hand and led me out of the kitchen and toward the front door, obviously on a mission.
“Where are we going?”
“The beauty supply store. I’m going to color your hair myself.”
Good lord, I hope she does hair better than she bakes.
“Damn, Tink. That looks really good,” I told her, turning my head side to side to survey her work.
“It does,” she said proudly before tugging lightly at my beard. “Just have to get rid of this now, though I might kinda miss it.”
“I can grow it back anytime you want,” I assured her. “This one only took me a few days.”
Digging through a drawer, she came out with a slim, pink razor and I scoffed. “Going to need something a little more sturdy to get rid of this.” My hand massaged my jaw.
“Ohhh, pardon me for insulting your very manly beard.”
“Damn straight this beard is manly.” I tugged on her curly ponytail. “Let’s go to my place to finish this mission.”
While we walked down the hallway to my apartment, she asked, “How is the investigation at work going? After the shooting during the Cappitani raid?”
“It’s over now, and I’m being reinstated as of next weekend.” One of my shoulders lifted into a shrug as I unlocked my door. “I mean, I had no doubt about it, but I’m glad it’s over.”
She stalled me with a soft grasp of my hand once we were inside and pulled me around to face her. Her pretty eyes glistened in the dim light. “And you’re okay?”
I loved her empathetic heart. “I’m okay, Tink. I promise.” My lips pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
“Did your appointment go well with the psychologist?” Before I could answer, her face scrunched. “Sorry, that was too personal.”
Nothing is too personal with you, sweetheart.
“Not at all. And it was fine. I know a lot of officers grumble about doing that, but it’s a good idea to talk it out.” I tugged her along with me and headed to my bathroom. “We’re taught as humans to value other human lives, so it gets all jumbled up in your head when someone as evil as Luca Cappitani dies. It’s hard to muster any sympathy at all for the man.”
“Understandable. I’ve been watching on the news, and I’m not even sure that horrible man could be considered human. Have they found the son yet?”
“Nope. He wasn’t there or at his home when the raids took place. He’s disappeared just like his brother.”
“Brother?” she asked, confused. “I thought there was just one Cappitani son.”
“He had a younger brother that vanished years ago. Probably pissed off his psycho father and is now resting at the bottom of the Atlantic.”
I rummaged through my middle drawer and came out with my clippers and my green-and-black razor. Lehra picked up the latter and studied it.
“This looks like it could cut through the Amazonian jungles,” she mused.
“Yes, well, that’s my face. Take it or leave it.”
She patted my cheek. “I think I’ll take it. I kinda like this face.”
An almost unbearable warmth spread through my chest, and I dropped a kiss on her nose before handing her the clippers. “You want to do the honors of de-bearding the Viking? Then you can shave me.”
“Seriously?” she squealed. “You’ll let me?”
Honey, when you smile like that, I’d let you shave my entire body.
“Of course,” I said, grabbing a chair and sitting so she could reach me.
Lehra’s face was a mask of concentration, her small pink tongue between her teeth as she ran the clippers over my jaw. Then a look of amusement curled her lips upward, and I asked, “What are you smiling about?”
She stepped back and allowed me to look in the mirror at the very long sideburns she’d left me. “You look like Elvis,” she giggled.
I immediately stood and pulled her into my arms, swiveling my hips into hers as I did my best impersonation of the King of Rock and Roll while singing about being a hunka hunka burning love.
We laughed as I twirled her around the spacious bathroom, and I was sure I’d never had as much fun with a woman. Lehra Kincaid was everything I’d ever wanted.
“You’re getting your man hairs all over me,” she complained lightly, and I bobbed my eyebrows up and down as I gave one more Elvis-like thrust of my hips.
“Then we’ll just have to take another shower together, won’t we?”
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed my lips. “I love your voice. Can you sing something else for me?”
Pulling her even closer, I chose another Elvis tune, this one much slower, and her face burrowed into my neck as I sang, “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Our arms were wound tightly around each other, and we swayed in place on the marble tiled floor. I hummed the few lyrics I didn’t know, though she didn’t seem to mind.
When I was done, she kissed the side of my neck but didn’t pull away. “I think that’s the most beautiful song ever.”
My hands stroked up and down her back as I inhaled her sunny scent.
Because you’re the most beautiful woman ever.