CHAPTER 2
MORGAN
His strong hands slide up my thighs, squeezing every few inches like he wants to remind me he’s here. Between my thighs. Right where he belongs. It doesn’t make any sense, but I can feel his contentment, his pleasure, and his determination.
When I look down, all I can see is the mop of dark hair at the top of his head. It’s thick and luscious, begging for my fingers to tangle in the strands. It beckons me and who am I to deny the call? My hands slide down my belly until my fingers touch his hair.
My fingers dive into the slightly longer strands on top of his head even though I know the shorter hair on the sides would make the nerve endings of my fingertips wake up and take notice. Officer Montgomery’s eyes, dark and filled with need, slide up my torso until they lock with mine. He holds me steady, and it has nothing to do with the way his large hands are gripping my thighs.
As he spreads my legs wider, he settles down like he’s planning to stay where he is for a long time. My back arches in anticipation. It’s not like I want him to move. How could I when his eyes are promising pleasure I’ve never known before?
No, not because I’m a blushing virgin. It’s just a feeling he brings out in me. Wild and unencumbered. I’ve never felt like this with anyone before. Like the air around us is sizzling and sparking.
I try and breathe deeply, needing oxygen, but it’s impossible. Panting breaths are the best I can do and it’s not nearly enough.
Something feral flashes in his eyes as he takes a deep breath, and I feel my cheeks heat. I’m sure they’re bright red right now. Can he smell how wet I am for him? The smirk on his face, a mask of pure sinful indulgence, says he can.
If I could pull my legs together and hide how much he turns me on, I would, but I can’t. His broad shoulders won’t allow it. And, then again, do I even really want to?
No. I don’t think I do. I want what his eyes are promising.
The way the hot puffs of air coming from his mouth slide along my skin has me wanting. Wishing. Needing.
A sound comes from the back of my throat, one filled with pleading desperation. I’ve never made such a sound before.
I’ve never wanted someone as much as I want Officer Montgomery.
“I’ve got you, Treasure,” his voice is a deep rumble which slides from where his mouth is hovering above my dripping wet pussy to the rest of my body. It’s a jolt of electricity to my system, one that has the hair on my arms standing on edge. “I’ll always have you. Mine. My Treasure,” he growls.
As he starts to lower his head, it feels like I live a thousand lifetimes. How can he move so slowly when his eyes are glinting with a dangerous hunger?
“Please,” I moan and try to push my hips up to meet his mouth.
I don’t move though. I can’t. Not with the way he has me pinned down against my mattress. It should probably make me feel claustrophobic and trapped, but it doesn’t. It makes me feel safe and seen.
It makes no fucking sense.
But now is not the time to think about it.
“Please, what?” There’s a challenge in his voice I want to rise to and meet head on.
This isn’t me. I’ve always been a little more reserved. I’m not the one to fall into bed with a man. Every person I’ve been with before, I took the time to have real feelings for them. Maybe that’s where I went wrong because those feelings meant I was able to get hurt, but I’m not one for casual flings or one-night stands.
I want more.
I want the dream.
Love.
Acceptance.
A feeling of belonging.
I crave the connection.
But now, looking down into Officer Montgomery’s eyes, I feel something I never have before. This is right. This is what I’ve always been searching for and never found.
“Treasure,” he grits out, his jaw clenched like he can read my mind and is having a hard time keeping ahold of his control. It’s a warning. An omen.
I want him out of control though. I want him to give himself over to the heat between us, the need. It’s the only way.
My fingers tighten in his hair, and I try to pull him towards my pussy, but he doesn’t budge. He’s right there. So close. Too damn close and yet so fucking far away.
“Please eat my pussy,” I plead.
The way his lips curl has a shiver rolling down my spine. He swipes his tongue up my slit and lets out a sound that’s a mix between a groan and a whimper. “You taste as sweet as I knew you would,” he admits, wonderment in his voice that I’ve never heard come from anyone in my life before.
Like I’m the center of his universe. Like I’m the only thing he needs to survive until tomorrow.
My head is spinning, and I hold my breath, waiting for the next swipe of his tongue. Needing it. Anticipation skates across my body, enveloping me and making my eyes water. I know when it breaks, when it becomes more, I’ll be consumed.
I can’t fucking wait.
The feeling builds and just as I gasp for air and I feel his mouth descend, music blares next to my head. My eyes pop open and I look around my room, the walls tinged with morning light. Looking down my body, I find myself tangled in my sheets.
But what I don’t find is Officer Montgomery looking up at me.
As I slump back into bed, despair and a little embarrassment threaten to pull me under. It was just a dream. I’ve never had a dream like that before. It felt so real and the wetness between my thighs is a testament to how much the few moments I spent with Officer Montgomery yesterday affected me.
Reaching over to turn off my phone and stop the music, I notice the time and let out a groan. The last person I want to go and hang out with is my brother, not with how on edge I’m feeling. But I don’t have a choice. We have a standing breakfast meet-up on Saturday mornings, and we haven’t missed one in a while.
The only reason we’ve ever had to cancel was if Jared was needed at work. Thankfully, the lack of crime in town means officers don’t need to work much beyond their scheduled shifts. Still, accidents happen everywhere and nowhere is perfectly safe all the time.
My heart aches a little because our youngest sister, Cove, won’t be at breakfast today. She hasn’t been back here to have breakfast with us in about four months now. It’s not like I can blame her, she’s out in the world and living her dreams. Even better, she’s found the love of her life and is so damn happy that I’m almost envious of it.
It’s not like I would trade her happiness for my own, but there’s also a yearning in my soul to have the kind of love she’s found. Not only is she head over heels in love with Langston Phillips, a rock star who was scraping rock bottom not too long ago, but her songwriting talents are finally getting the recognition they’ve always deserved.
I’m damn proud of my little sister even though thinking about the differences between our lives makes me feel a little stuck.
I’ve never spent much time away from our little hometown. I’ve never had big dreams which required the expanse of the world to be realized. But I am living the life I wanted when I was a girl. I wanted to deepen my roots in Wintervale and become a teacher because I had some amazing teachers growing up, along with some who were far too stuck in their ways.
I wanted to be someone kids could learn from and be excited about it. I wanted to help them identify their deepest hopes for their future and then find a path to make it a reality.
There are other things I want out of life too. Like a family—a man who loves me with everything in him and some kids who are the perfect blend of our love. The thought warms me from the inside even though it feels like it’s so far away from being my reality.
One day. Maybe.
Hopefully soon if the way Officer Montgomery was looking at you means anything.
I shake off the thought because there is danger down that rabbit hole. It’s possible I was making up the fire and desire in his eyes when I met him yesterday. My dream was just a dream, and I shouldn’t be lulled into believing it’ll become anything more than that.
I’m dragging my feet while getting ready and then making my way to Trudy’s, a diner where all the locals end up at least once a week. It’s a Wintervale staple which, thankfully, has the most delicious pancakes in the state. At least, I’m convinced they are without needing to go any farther than a booth at Trudy’s to know I’m right.
I don’t see Jared when I step inside, but I’m not surprised. He’s punctual when it comes to his shifts at the station, but everything else? It’s a toss-up as to whether he’ll be only a little late or so late you start to worry about his wellbeing.
There’s no doubt I should probably be offended by that, but I also know how much pride he takes in being a cop. It’s his priority. He’s a good guy who means well, but he can have a single-minded focus which borders on obsession. It’s probably one of the qualities which made him a great soldier while he was serving in the military, since his only focus was his duty. Since coming back, he’s thrown himself into being a police officer.
I do feel safer knowing he’s out there protecting and serving.
As I nurse the cup of coffee dropped at my table without needing to ask for it, my eyes slide closed and I try to ignore the lingering feel of Officer Montgomery’s touch, phantom as it is. I have to squeeze my thighs together to try and quell the feeling of desperate need remembering my dream brings out in me.
A chime from the door has my eyes snapping open and my cheeks getting hot. If anyone knew what I was just thinking about I would want to slide under the table and disappear without a trace. But, thankfully, no one in town is a mind reader.
I grin at Jared when he spots me and starts coming my way. My smile freezes and starts to feel brittle when I notice who else has walked into Trudy’s behind my brother. Holy shit.
Officer Montgomery.
Here.
In Trudy’s.
All red-blooded man.
And looking right at me.
The hunger in his dark brown eyes has my heart fluttering in my chest. It takes a lot of effort, but I manage to tear my eyes away from him and his lean, muscular body. Fuck, my gaze could eat him up, but it would be highly inappropriate in front of Jared.
I might be a grown woman now, but my brother has always been very protective of me and Cove. I’m pretty sure Langston wouldn’t have stood a chance with our sister had she not been holed up in a mountain mansion cabin to write songs with the rock star who needed a second lease on his career all the way in Colorado.
“Morgan,” Jared greets me and kisses my cheek before he slumps down into the booth across from me. “Good to see you, sis.” His eyes dart over toward Officer Montgomery, and something flutters inside my chest at the thought of getting to, finally, know his first name.
As sexy as it might be to call him Officer Montgomery in my head, it would probably get old saying it out loud all the time. I wonder if the smile I give the man is as shy as it feels; the way his eyes dilate tells me he likes whatever he sees. When his gaze locks on my lips, I have to hold my body stiff to stop myself from shivering.
“Good to see you,” I force out as I make myself look at my brother instead of the looming figure of his fellow officer.
Fucking awkward.
“Morgan, this is Walker,” there’s a warning in Jared’s voice and I’m not sure whether it’s directed toward me or not. “He’s new to the force and town.” My brother’s eyes flash with something dangerous when he looks at Walker and nods in my direction. “Walker, this is my sister,” he emphasizes the word as if our relationship weren’t as obvious and unavoidable as a damn neon sign, “Morgan.”
“Morgan,” Walker says my name like a prayer and his dark eyes sparkle. “Thank you for letting me join you for breakfast.”
My mouth hangs open for a moment before I snap it closed. He’s joining us? For breakfast? I mean, sure, I guess that’s obvious, but my brain hadn’t really caught up with what is right in front of me. Apparently.
The air sizzles as Walker sits down next to Jared and pushes him deeper into the booth. Jared glances between us, his eyes intense and focused. Can he see the tension which is mounting and filling Trudy’s? I hope not.
He’ll say something to embarrass me. I just know it.
And he’ll probably scare Walker away. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done it.
Why does my heart sink at the thought?