Chapter 10
DEVON
Spending the night with Mel in my arms was better than I’d imagined, and sex with her had been off the charts.
I hated that some asshole had violated her space, but I couldn’t complain about how my night ended.
I’d known that I wanted Mel from the minute I saw her on that damn news story, and my desire for her had only grown every minute I spent in her company.
I’d quickly discovered that she was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.
With her kindness, intelligence, and love for her family, Mel was the complete package.
I knew how lucky I was to have her in my life, and no way in hell was I going to let anyone take her away from me.
For the first few hours, I texted back and forth with Whit while my woman slept—and there was no denying that was exactly what she was now.
He kept me in the loop while the cops were at her apartment, which took a while since the intruder left a fuck ton of evidence to be collected.
I didn’t expect their efforts to provide much in the way of leads since he hadn’t been afraid to leave fingerprints or DNA behind.
If he was in the system, he would have been a fuck of a lot more careful.
I also worried that the multitude of evidence he’d left behind meant he wasn’t thinking about the possibility of getting caught.
Instead, his focus was on Mel without any thought for what could happen to him.
His frame of mind didn’t bode well for how far he’d be willing to go to get his hands on her, something he’d have to do over my dead body.
Before I fell asleep, I set the wheels in motion to ensure we found this guy before he figured out where my woman was.
When Brecken had offered me whatever I needed to get to the bottom of this situation, he’d given me the keys to the kingdom.
I didn’t hesitate to use a single resource accessible to me, reaching out to every available operative and putting them on Mel’s case.
Knowing how many of my co-workers were hunting her stalker was the only reason I was finally able to drift off.
Luckily, I didn’t need much sleep because when Mel started to stir about five hours later, I woke up.
Enjoying the feel of her in my arms, I smiled when she cuddled closer. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and whispered, “Morning.”
She jolted and would’ve shot up to a sitting position if I didn’t tighten my hold on her. “Crap, sorry. I’m not used to sleeping with anyone.”
I rolled her onto her back and glared into her sleepy green eyes. “I’m the only man you’re ever going to sleep with from now on.”
“Oh.” Her plump lips formed a perfect O, reminding me of her desire to suck me last night. My cock hardened at the thought, and I slammed my fist into the mattress when my doorbell rang.
“Fuck,” I groaned, dropping my head against her tits, with only the thin sheet between us. “That’s got to be Whit. He lives one floor down and mentioned that he was going to stop by this morning to give me another update.”
“Um, shouldn’t we talk about what you just said? And the fact that you didn't use a condom last night?” She tried to yank the sheet higher as though Whit might storm into the room any minute—something that I’d never let happen. “Or my lack of clean clothes?”
“I thought I was pretty damn clear, but I can be more blunt to make sure you get where I’m coming from.” I levered up to meet her gaze so she could see how serious I was. “When you gave yourself to me last night, you became mine.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m yours because we had sex?”
“No, you’re mine because that’s what you were always meant to be.” I ground my hips against her. “The sex is a smoking hot bonus.”
She snorted and shook her head. “My orgasms were a heck of a bonus.”
“Consider them a perk of being mine,” I offered as I reluctantly crawled off the mattress when the doorbell went off again. “We can have the condom conversation when Whit leaves, but I’ve never gone bare before, and now that I’ve been inside you without one, I’m addicted to the feeling.”
Mel’s hand dropped to her stomach. “But I’m not on anything.”
I bent down to drop a kiss on the top of her hand. “If we made a baby last night, the pregnancy would speed up our relationship. But have no doubt, we’ll still end up in the same place later anyway.”
Mel squeezed her eyes shut, holding her palms up facing me. “Okay, I know I was super bold last night, but I must be more myself this morning because that’s a lot to take in.”
“I’m a decisive man, sweetheart, but I’ll try to be patient while you catch up.
” Her eyes popped open as she gasped, and I winked at her.
“In the meantime, I’ll grab you something from my closet.
Less temptation for Whit so he doesn’t try to steal you from me.
I’d hate to have to kill one of my closest friends. ”
She heaved a deep sigh, shaking her head. “Borrowing some of your clothes sounds like a good plan to me. Not only am I not in the mood to wear something dirty from my bag, but I’m just not up for murder and mayhem this morning.”
“Hooah.” I strode into my closet, tossed on a shirt and shorts, and grabbed a sweatshirt and pair of athletic shorts for Mel. After I tossed them at her, I headed into the living room because Whit pushed the bell a-fucking-gain.
When I yanked the door open, he ignored my glare and shouldered past me. “Took you long enough. Are you already losing your edge now that you’ve claimed a woman?”
“Shut the fuck up and go make some coffee. I need some damn caffeine if I have to deal with you this early in the morning,” I growled.
“You’re awfully grouchy for a guy who—” He stopped midsentence when I took a threatening step toward him. Then he made a tsk-ing sound and shook his head. “I wasn’t going to say anything bad about your girl. Not after you made it crystal clear that she's the one for you.”
“Damn straight she is.” I followed him into the kitchen, keeping an ear out for Mel. I didn’t want her to start her morning with the grisly details of her break-in. Hell, if I could help it, she never needed to know the extent of what the bastard had done.
I leaned against the counter while Whit went to work creating masterpieces on the high-end machine that he’d talked me into buying. The damn thing made the best coffee I’d ever tasted, but I still hadn’t gotten the hang of using it like he had.
“What is it about our team and all the drama that happens when one of us has wifed up?” Whit let out a low whistle and shook his head.
“First, Brecken falls for Hadley when we’re in the middle of a K&R mission down in the jungles of Nicaragua.
Then the best quarterback to have ever played the game turned his fake relationship with Sera into the real thing.
And now you paid good money to play white knight to a damsel in distress only for her to end up with a stalker after you solved her original problem. ”
I pushed away from the counter as Mel padded into the room, murmuring, “I’m not sure about those other situations, but I blame my sister for this one. My life was very quiet until she auctioned me off on the internet.”
“Yeah, but you got me out of the deal, so you can’t be too mad at Ana.” I flung my arm around her shoulder when she got close enough and pulled her against my side.
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. You don’t need to go all territorial on me. I know the lady is all yours.” Whit flashed a grin at Mel as he slid a latte in front of me. “Hey, Mel. I’m Whit, Devon’s favorite co-worker.”
Mel giggled when I countered, “Only because Sera barely comes into the office anymore, and Brecken isn’t just a co-worker since he’s our boss.”
Whit ignored me and asked Mel, “How do you like your coffee?”
She glanced down at the cup in front of me before answering, “I’d kill for a really strong cappuccino right about now.”
“I thought you weren’t in the mood for murder and mayhem this morning?” I teased with a grin.
Mel jerked her chin toward Whit. “I’m guessing I can’t avoid the subject since he’s here to talk about the guy who broke into my place last night.”
Fuck. Judging by the determined gleam in her green orbs, she wanted the details I’d kept from her last night.