Chapter 18
Lexie’s alarm woke her at six a.m. She groaned. It was her turn to do side work at the bar. When she eventually opened her eyes, stretched, and remembered what she’d done the night before, her stomach lurched. She flew out of bed and over to her dresser to retrieve her phone, only to discover she’d not heard a thing from Nico. No call. No good morning text. Nothing. It was enough to make a girl want to scream. Then quit her job, leave town, assume a new identity, and start a brand-new life somewhere far, far away.
What the actual hell?
She got dressed and applied her makeup in kind of a numb state, hating herself for the number of times she kept checking for a reply. It was embarrassing, bordering on pathetic, the complete opposite of how she’d felt about it eight hours ago. After the tenth glance to ensure she had adequate signal and her phone volume was all the way up, she’d had enough, and decided to switch the damn thing off.
His loss.
Any excuse about him being too busy to answer would not be accepted. As far as she was concerned, nobody was that busy. And there were unwritten rules about this kind of thing. Rule number one: always answer a girl’s text when it contains a naked photo of herself. Even if you aren’t that interested. It was just polite.
Could it be that Nico was having second thoughts about her? About the whole thing? Perhaps the reason he’d not replied was that he didn’t know how to tell her that and was trying to find a way to let her down easy? The prospect of her photo being met with an awkward pinching of his lips and an expression of pity made her cheeks feel hot, so she shoved it away.
Rusty’s was locked up tight when she got there. Wade would be coming in around mid-morning, as would the rest of the staff covering the lunch shift, so for the moment, she had the place to herself. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, Lexie selected a dozen of her favorite songs on the jukebox, cranked the volume, and made the herculean effort not to dwell on her sad love life—or lack of—anymore.
By ten o’clock she’d mopped the floors, dusted the shelves, married the ketchups, stocked the bar, and was out the back in the pantry taking inventory when the music suddenly shut off.
Stifling a sound of frustration, she rolled her eyes. “Come on, Wade. You know I need my music to get all this crap done.”
She finished her count and put down the clipboard. Turning, she stopped short. Nico stood a few feet away. Having sought her out in the maze of shelves and boxes, he stood tall and lean and gorgeous in the ambient shadows. His eyes burned like coals, sexy and searing. She could feel their heat and sensed her face flushing at what she’d done.
“Good morning,” he said, moving toward her.
Lexie cleared her throat. “Hi.” She couldn’t look directly at him, too insecure, too affected by his presence and all the things he might be about to say.
“So, you like to play games, huh?”
Please, Universe, open a chasm in the earth right here and let it swallow me whole.
“Games?”
“Tempting a man with photos like that when he’s trying to be a gentleman and respect a lady’s wishes.” He clicked his tongue. “Dangerous game.”
“Well, I’m sorry you felt so endangered,” Lexie replied, returning to her work.
Wishing she had a time machine so she could take back the past twelve hours, she tried, and failed, to concentrate as he came up behind her, silently lifting his arms and resting them on the shelves on either side of her body, caging her in.
“I like to play games too,” he whispered.
Lexie ignored her body’s traitorous reaction to his proximity, the way her breath became unsteady, and her hands trembled. “Do you?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Nico used one hand to gently sweep her hair to the side, away from her neck so he could run his lips along the skin there. Lexie shivered. The pen in her hand dropped to the floor, which she made no move to retrieve as he began tasting and tormenting her with his mouth. Molten lust thrummed through her veins. Desire pooled deep inside her, the familiar throb so intense it was almost painful, as electricity pulsed between them once again.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” His voice was rough.
Taking one last stand for her self-respect, Lexie managed a breathy reply. “No. How could I? You never messaged me back.”
Nico made a noise low in his throat, then wrapped strong fingers around her hips.
“This,” he said, pressing himself into her body, the unmistakable length of his erection settling itself into the curve of her bottom. “This is what you do to me.”
Lexie moaned, an involuntary response as she melted against him. She could feel how hard he was even through the rough fabric of his jeans. She pushed back, tilting her head to the side, losing herself in the sheer erotic pleasure of the experience.
It was strange, a few days ago another man held her captive in a similar fashion, terrifying her. Now, with this man, she felt nothing but affection. And so much heat, it was palpable.
Want and need and yearning blended, swept her up, and sent her careening off the cliff that was Nico Dominici. He was so good, and yet so devilishly bad. So safe, yet so exciting. She couldn’t put him in any one box. Every day, every moment, she saw a different side of him, each one even better than the last.
This one, she decided, was her favorite. Gone was the chivalrous, always-do-the-right-thing guy who’d passed up an opportunity to sleep with her and instead walked away because it was the noble thing to do. That guy was nowhere to be seen. And good riddance, she thought, because this hot-blooded, sexy, seductive version of him was everything she could ever want.
Lexie listened to her breath coming in short, uneven pants as his lips traced a line from her earlobe to her collarbone. Her pulse went haywire. Her hands gripped the cold metal shelves. Her insides turned soft and marshmallowy as his scorching lips continued their exploration of her throat. It wasn’t enough. She wanted more. Screw taking things slow. She wanted to see how fast this thing could go.
As if reading her mind, Nico spun her around and took her mouth in a sizzling kiss that was, without question, the best she’d ever had. Tongue diving deep, he probed and conquered, branding himself into the very fabric of her being. Her knees weakened. Her senses overloaded. She couldn’t think, couldn’t focus as he ran his hands down her waist, cupped her butt, and pulled her hips firmly up against his own.
When he finally pulled back, allowing them both enough space to breathe, she giggled. “What are you doing? I’m at work!”
“Consider it payback for last night.”
“Payback?”
“Payback.”
Nico’s right hand slid around to her front. He unbuttoned her shorts and pulled them open with a rough tug, exposing the skin of her abdomen.
Lexie shuddered. Her hands gripped his shoulders. She was grateful for the support of his other arm wrapped tight around her waist, otherwise, she may have collapsed into a heap right there.
“Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy walking into work this morning with a hard-on,” he gritted out. “Now half the squad think I’m sweet on them.”
She knew he was joking, but couldn’t bring herself to laugh, not with his fingers running along the top hem of her panties. Instead, she grappled for a reason to stop, knowing she was less than five seconds away from letting him do whatever he wanted.
Shaking her head, Lexie said, “I hardly think one harmless photo justifies—”
She gasped, forgetting whatever she’d been about to say as his fingers slid beneath her underwear. Gliding down into her slick center, he teased and stroked, making small, precise circles that drove her mad. Her eyes fluttered closed. The fight was over. She surrendered to his exquisite touch, aware of how absurdly inappropriate it was, yet unable to compel herself to care.
Nico groaned. “God, you’re beautiful.”
Lexie’s ears rang as his pace quickened. She couldn’t control her breathing. Couldn’t control anything. He kissed her again, ravenous hunger seeping from his pores. Then she felt one long finger dive into her depths and cried out into his mouth. He pressed as deep as his knuckles allowed, before withdrawing and moving in again, two fingers this time. Then began the slow, steady rhythm that was her undoing.
Pressure built. Tension coiled.
Higher, faster, tighter . . .
Lexie couldn’t feel her legs anymore. Could feel nothing except his sweet torture. Nico held her captive in his embrace, a willing and glad prisoner, driving her further and further into madness.
“Open your eyes,” he whispered, cutting through some of the fog that surrounded her.
She whimpered at the request, pressing her lips together. She couldn’t look at him, not like this. Not while he had her body, mind, and soul at his mercy.
When she didn’t do as he asked, Nico slowed almost to a stop. She couldn’t stand it. Pushing her hips into his hand, Lexie begged without words for him to continue.
“Look at me,” he said, and this time she did.
His eyes bore into hers, boiling her blood and ripping through her armor. This man, whom she’d known barely a week, was making her feel things she’d never felt before. Not with Kyle, not with anyone. Like some magic spell, he was weaving his way into her core, making her feel cherished and cared for. In that realization, Lexie suddenly faced a fear she’d never known, the fear that someday she might be without his light, left to face her demons in the dark. Alone.
The thought was unbearable, so she pushed it away, choosing instead to give into the moment. This moment, in which he was right here with her.
“I want to see you,” he whispered, starting the rhythm again. “I want to look into your eyes and watch you fall apart.”
Lexie couldn’t have responded if she’d wanted to, because in that instant his fingers curled inside her, his thumb pressing with unnerving accuracy in just the right spot.
It was too much. Too amazing.
“Nico.” His name slipped through her lips like a purr.
She was so close. So incredibly close.
Right there. Right th—
Somewhere, a door closed, shattering their perfect world as someone else entered the building. Lexie’s heart leapt into her throat. Reality came crashing down around her.
She pushed at Nico’s chest, but he was like a wall of stone, unmoving except for his unholy fingers which continued as if there hadn’t been the slightest interruption.
She gave a strangled gasp and whispered, “What are you doing?”
He just smiled. Wickedly.
“You here, Lex?” Wade called out.
Lexie fisted her hands in Nico’s shirt and managed to reply, “Yup.”
Nico was working her up again. She couldn’t fight it, didn’t want to.
“I’ll be in the office. Gotta take care of some paperwork.”
“Ok-kay, sure.”
“You alright?”
“I’m fine.” She licked her lips and forced herself to sound calm and collected. “Just checking stock in the pantry.”
Oh my god!
Lexie couldn’t believe this was happening. Nico was going to make her come, right here at work, with her boss less than twenty feet away! The knowledge should have mortified her, but instead, she found herself all the more excited. Locking eyes with him, she moved her hips with every upward thrust of his hand, willing him on. Nico’s smile turned feral, his movements more urgent as he dipped his head into her neck and went for the gold.
When her orgasm hit, Lexie had to bite down on his shoulder to keep from screaming as it rippled through her body. Every nerve ending exploded, every cell, every molecule pulsed to life. She clung to him, riding the endless waves of pleasure, before gradually, peacefully, descending back down to earth.
Nico was the first to move. He removed his hand from her shorts and Lexie watched as he sucked the two fingers that had been inside her into his mouth, tasting her. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen, and it made her heart accelerate all over again.
He leaned in, his words hushed, meant for her ears alone. “And now we’re even.”
Christ, he was done for.
After sneaking him out the back door, Lexie had returned to work while Nico replayed their encounter in his mind as he drove the short distance back to the station. Feeling her come alive under his touch, hearing her sigh his name, then bite into his shoulder in ecstasy, had to be the single most erotic moment of his life. Odd, considering there was no sex involved. The attraction between them was intense, to say the least. He’d never felt anything like it. He couldn’t wait to feel more of it, more of her. He blamed that damn photo, the one that just about knocked him on his ass when he saw it. Quiet, genteel Lexie had sent him a nude. A tousled, carefree, insanely sexy nude. It was all the evidence he needed that there was, indeed, a god. The photo had been in his possession for less than twenty-four hours, yet already he had it safely committed to memory. Warm lamplight spilling over her body, creating shadows in unseen places and driving him wild with curiosity. Breasts tucked safely beneath her. Back arched. Eyes cast down. The coy upward turn of her perfect mouth telling him she didn’t feel all that shy about it. She’d been toying with him, and by making her wait for his reply in person, he was doing the same right back.
Nico had been gone less than an hour. Pulling into the staff parking lot, he was abruptly booted out of his good mood by the rush of uniformed bodies racing urgently to the cruisers.
“What’s going on?” he asked through his open window to whoever was listening.
“We got another body,” Frank shouted over the commotion. He was shoving his arms into his police windbreaker with the driver’s side door hanging open. Seth ran to get in the passenger side.
Nico saw red. “And you didn’t notify me?”
“We just got the call ourselves, LT.”
While they were shouting, Zoe jumped into Nico’s car and buckled her seatbelt. Frank did not wait for a reply. The chief was also on the move toward his own vehicle.
“Shit. Where are we going?” he asked Zoe.
The look she gave him was dire. “Darcy Walsh’s trailer.”