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gasped and shivered under the exquisite bliss.
Jack came unglued. He pushed his hands beneath her butt and gripped her securely
as he fucked with fierce abandon.
Another orgasm built in her center, and it drove her straight aloft. He covered her
mouth with his and they cried out together. He moaned harshly as he drove into her once.
Twice. A third time. His entire body shook.
He released her mouth, panting, his body quaking from the experience. He opened
his eyes and she saw more than sexual exhaustion, more than heady pleasure. Emotions
swirled inside her so fiercely, tears came to her eyes. God, what was she feeling? Why?
Everything she’d tried to hold back threatened to pour forth in a gush of messy,
complicated words, impulsive declarations.
The very thing she hadn’t wanted was happening, sweeping her up in mixed
emotions she couldn’t understand. Didn’t want to know.
He smiled. “Hey.”
She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t respond to that sleepy, yet intense pleasure and
tenderness she saw on his face. When he rolled to the side and tried to draw her into his
arms, she panicked and pulled away.
“What’s going on?” he asked softly, concern clear in his voice, sharp in his eyes.
“Nothing. It’s just…”
He brushed his fingers over her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. “Autumn,
that was the best sex I’ve ever had in my life. Incredible. You’re incredible. I…”
He went silent, and she could have sworn she saw bewilderment in his gaze, as if
he’d discovered something about himself he hadn’t known before. It scared her to death.
When she rolled away from him and burrowed under the covers, he didn’t try to
touch her, and as the minutes passed, she listened to his quiet breathing.
“Autumn, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“Nothing is wrong.” She felt tears pressing harder, threatening, demanding her
attention. When she spoke next the ache in her throat was so strong, she thought she
might choke on it. “Can we just leave this for what it is? A good time.”
He reached for her then, pulling her around so that she was forced to look into the
depths of his worried eyes. “Yeah. A good time.”
His voice sounded doubtful, as if he wanted to express more, to understand what
motivated them both.
Then a new emotion flickered over his face, a closing off of emotion she didn’t want
to see even though it was for the best. “I’d better go.”
“Yes.”
He quickly rearranged his clothing, and even as he did, she thought it was the sexiest
thing she’d ever seen. Again the tears surged into her eyes, and she struggled to keep
them inside. Her vision swam as she took a deep breath.
As he put on his shoes, he said, “I’ll see you soon.”
She turned away, sinking into the covers once more, crawling into a fetal position.
Soon she heard him leave, the door closing behind him.
When her alarm rang at six a.m., she hadn’t slept another wink.
Chapter Eleven
“Hey, Dillon, you got a visitor!” Lieutenant Ray Hardwick leaned in the doorway to
the dorm, his grin as close to shit-eating as it could get. “And she’s not bad looking
either.”
Before Jack could ask him anything, Hardwick let the door slam. Closing his locker,
Jack headed downstairs with anticipation causing double flips in his stomach. A good-
looking woman stopping by to see him didn’t happen. He headed toward the front of the
station, and passed by Hank.
“Go get her, Jack.”
Jack gave him a smile and flipped him off.
He wanted to see Autumn so much. To understand what had happened between them
the other night. The sex had blown his fuckin’ head off. He couldn’t remember ever
experiencing sex that fantastic in his entire life. Then she’d shut him out. And the
crushing weight in his chest had surprised the hell out of him.
A woman stood near one of the engines, and when she turned toward him, the
excited butterflies in his stomach did a three sixty and left.
“Cherry,” he said as he came to a halt quite a distance from her.
She’d unbuttoned her long leather jacket, black and expensive, to reveal a tight, low-
cut purple sweater and a black leather mini-skirt that might as well have been slit up to
her neck it revealed so much. Her curvy legs were encased in black hose, and her high-
heeled boots screamed sex. Her grin said everything.
Her gaze cataloged his body with a slow assessment. She perused the juncture of his
thighs and up over the rest of his body with a blatant review. The other night, when he’d
talked with Autumn in her bedroom, he’d seen her gaze trail over him in a similar way.
The effect on him, though, had been totally different. Jack craved Autumn looking at him
with admiration, and he wanted more of it.
“What’s up?” he said casually, keeping his distance from her.
She stepped closer. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d say hi.” Cherry’s
voice slid into a soft purr that held sex, sin, and promises many men wouldn’t hesitate to
enjoy. “It’s been a long time since we’ve talked. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were
avoiding me.”
What a concept.
He smiled, knowing her temper flared when she got pissed off. “I’m really busy.”
Her eyes narrowed, and he waited for the famous display of anger to erupt. But she
seemed to jam it down, hiding it behind a smile that didn’t hold real amusement.
She sidled closer to him. He almost stepped back and bumped into a vehicle. “I
understand how hard this is for you. Especially since you’re in such demand now.”
“Demand?”
“Didn’t you hear? You’re famous.”
“What?” He knew he sounded like an idiot, but none of this made sense. “Since
when?”
She smiled softly. “The Chronicle in Billings already has a photo of you carrying
Autumn MacAllister out of the nightclub the other night. There was a reporter from out
of town that had a camera on hand and took some photographs.”
“Oh, great.” Jack sighed and placed his hands on his hips. He gazed at the ceiling for
a moment in exasperation.
“I think it’s fabulous you’re getting the attention you deserve.”
He made a sound of disbelief. “I don’t deserve anything, Cherry. I was doing my
job.”
“Is that all it was?” Her question came out sharp and edged with meaning he couldn’t
decipher. “You seemed more interested in helping Autumn than putting out the fire.”
For a second he couldn’t respond, uncertain if he heard jealousy in her voice.
“People are more important than buildings.”
“And her in particular?”
She smoothed one hand down the lapel of her coat, and her hand lingered near her
breasts. Yeah, no doubt about it. She wanted him to look there. He kept his attention
glued to her face.
Say it and maybe she’ll get the message. “Autumn’s a good friend. I was very
worried about her.”
“A good friend in less than a month.”
“We’ve know each other for years. You know that.” [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]