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  “That I have time off coming to me and I’d like to come to visit.”

  She ran her tongue over her lips. “Umm…”

  “Nothing heavy,” he promised. “We can spend time alone like we do when you’re in New York. I just want to see you. I want to know where you live. I want to see your bed, so I can imagine you lying there at night … thinking of me.” His tone dropped an octave.

  Just like that, her body reacted, arousal a sudden companion.

  “Would you like that? You, me, this weekend? You can show me the places you like to hang out. Like, where do you get your coffee in the morning? What’s in your fridge?”

  She shook her head and laughed. He made it sound so simple and easy. But what stood out was that he wanted to know her. “Okay,” she said before she could think it through.

  “You won’t regret it.”

  She smiled. “No, I don’t think I will.”

  They made plans for him to arrive on Friday and for her to pick him up at the airport. Then he received a call, and since he was at the station, he had to take it.

  She disconnected, holding the phone to her heart, which was beating hard inside her chest.

  “So what’s put that smile on your face?” Brad asked.

  She jumped, startled. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “I knocked, but the door was open and you were lost in thought. Your hot cop?” he asked, gesturing to the telephone.

  She nodded and placed her cell on her desk. She glanced at Brad, took in his The Big Bang Theory tee shirt with a picture of Sheldon front and center, shook her head, and groaned. “God, we need to dress you better.”

  He shrugged, not a care in the world. “It was the last shirt in the drawer. Guess it’s time for laundry.”

  “You’re a billionaire! Hire someone to do it for you.”

  “Keith likes to do it, but he was out of town on business. So what did Hot Cop want?”

  She met Brad’s gaze, turning serious as she told him. “He wants to come visit this weekend. And I said yes.”

  “You’re letting someone in! This is cause for a celebration. Lunch at The Ritz. On me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to make it sound like a world event.”

  “Oh honey, we both know it is.” He settled on the side of her desk. “So … have you returned your mother’s calls?”

  “No.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “I don’t want to deal with her.”

  “Works for me. I think the less you have to do with the viper the better.”

  “Well, we both know it won’t last. She’s relentless when she wants to be. And though she isn’t happy with me, she won’t leave me alone either. She still thinks she can change me.”

  “You mean berate you into changing,” Brad muttered.

  Amanda shrugged. “As long as I keep my distance, it’s fine. I can handle her.”

  “Someone needs to cut her off at the knees.”

  “One day she’ll go too far and someone will.” Since her therapy when she was younger, Amanda had focused on accepting herself and not changing for her intractable mother.

  Brad rose. “Well, forget about her and enjoy this weekend.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  She smiled. “I will.” She was determined not to overthink things and to enjoy her time with Decklan. He knew she needed time, and as long as he respected that, things between them would be fine.

  ELEVEN

  Amanda waited in the airport with unfamiliar feelings of excitement and longing winding their way through her. She couldn’t understand how one man had worked his way into her head and her heart so thoroughly, so quickly when she’d never allowed anyone in before.

  She scanned the crowd that was suddenly coming through the gated area when she caught sight of Decklan in a navy tee shirt and faded jeans hugging his strong thighs. He hadn’t shaved, and the razor stubble added a dangerous edge to the overall look. She knew the minute he caught sight of her because his lips lifted in a sexy grin. He had a duffle bag in one hand, and when he reached her, he dropped the bag, grabbed her face with both hands, and soon she was kissing him like she hadn’t seen him in months instead of one week.

  His lips were soft, but the kiss was anything but. He devoured her with a hunger she matched. She grasped his shirt and held on, reveling in the taste and scent she’d missed so badly. His tongue slid into her mouth, and she moaned, her fists clenching in his shirt.

  “Get a room,” someone called out, breaking the intensity of the moment.

  She jumped back and ducked her head, grinning at being caught making out like a teenager.

  With her cheeks burning, she met his heated gaze. “Hi,” she whispered.

  “Hi back.”

  They stared at each other, her heart growing bigger with each second that passed.

  He winked, then picked up his duffel and hefted it over his shoulder. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “No luggage?”

  “This is it.”

  She shrugged. “Okay, then. Let’s go.”

  They walked through the airport and out to the parking lot where she’d left her car. She beeped the remote and the trunk popped open.

  “Nice wheels,” he said of the Audi she’d purchased when Brad had threatened to sell the old clunker car she’d had since college.

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  They climbed into her car, and she started up the engine. Decklan watched her in silence. He didn’t know what he’d expected when he arrived in D.C., but Amanda’s warm welcome was a solid start. That he’d managed to get her to let him come visit was a feat in and of itself, and he planned to take advantage of every minute they had together.

  He glanced over at her. She wore a fitted skirt and short-sleeve blouse, with killer heels. As he’d come down the escalator and through the gate, he’d been unable to take his eyes off her long legs, and the way the skirt hugged her ass, it’d taken all his restraint not to cop a feel in public.

  “Did you come straight from work?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It was easy enough to leave to get you by three. Brad had someplace to be, and I’d already wrapped things up for the weekend.”

  “Well, you look amazing.” He reached over and tugged at a strand of hair that had fallen out of her messy bun.

  Her cheeks flushed a hot shade of pink. He was glad she reacted to him each and every time.

  “How far are we from your place?”

  “Not far.”

  Sure enough, in a few minutes, she pulled into an apartment complex of low-rise units. A key card got them beyond a guardhouse.

  “Good security,” he noted.

  She nodded. “It makes me feel safe. I’m more used to this kind of living than Manhattan.”

  “That’s why I like where I live. It’s not the city. I don’t know how Gabe and Isabelle do it.” He preferred grass and trees to sidewalks and crowds.

  “To each his own, I guess.”

  She parked in a numbered spot, then popped the trunk so he could retrieve his bag. In silence, they walked inside. Up till now, the conversation had been benign, but he sensed her wariness. He understood that her allowing him to visit was a big deal. He respected it. But he didn’t want distance between them. Not when just watching her made him hard. And as they walked up two flights instead of taking the elevator, he couldn’t tear his gaze from her curvy hips, her lush ass, or her sexy sway as she moved.

  By the time he stepped into her place, he caught a light floral scent, saw the sunlight bounce off her hair from a row of windows, and he was done.

  But when she turned to face him, her brown eyes were wide with a hint of uncertainty, something he didn’t want between them. They’d fallen into the dangerous waters of a relationship, and that scared her. She needed to feel safe with him again, and he knew just how to get her in the right frame of mind.

  He dropped his bag and crooked a finger. A demand, not a question. She walked toward him in s
ilence. Submission in the bedroom was something she understood. And craved. And that was what he could give her, at least until she dropped the rest of her walls and let him in completely.

  His being here was progress. He needed to make more.

  He toed off his sneakers and stepped toward her.

  “Undress me,” he said.

  Her eyes flashed with understanding and desire. A small grin lifting her lips, she raised his shirt, letting her soft hands touch his sides as she pulled the fabric up and over his head. Instead of tossing it to the floor, she folded it carefully and laid the tee shirt on a nearby table.

  She glanced at his chest and met his gaze, a question in the chocolate depths. He nodded, and she placed both palms against the bared skin on his shoulders, searing him with her touch. Something he’d needed and denied himself for too long.

  Slowly, she caressed him, making her way south. She outlined muscles he didn’t know he had. Then she paused to let her fingers play with his nipples, teasing and tormenting him until his cock was rigid against his jeans and he sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Enough.”

  A satisfied smile lifted her lips as she began working her fingers downward. She slipped them into the waistband of his jeans, a quick tease before she undid the button, then hooked a fingertip into his boxer briefs and slid the denim over his straining erection. Pulled them down his legs. He kicked them out of the way. Once again, she bent down, retrieved his pants to fold them with care before piling them on top of his shirt.

  She walked back and knelt in front of him. When she licked her lips, his heart nearly beat out of his chest. This wasn’t what he’d had in mind, but it was obviously what she wanted. And when she reached out and cupped his cock in her smooth hands, he’d have given her anything she asked for.

  Her grip was soft as she ran her fingers over his length.

  “Harder.”

  She nodded, but before following instructions, she leaned in and swiped her tongue along his straining shaft. The pleasure from that fleeting touch was almost enough to make him come, but she wasn’t finished, making sure to lubricate him with her mouth before gripping him harder in her hand and pumping more steadily.

  He swore out loud. “God, you’re going to kill me,” he muttered.

  Big brown eyes glanced up at him, amusement and sheer desire in the depths, before she broke contact and refocused on her task. Instead of keeping up the pressure with her talented hands, she gripped his thighs and sucked him between her glistening lips.

  She swirled her tongue over and around his cock, drawing him into the warm, wet recesses of her mouth. With a groan, he grasped her hair, pulling hard as he thrust in and out of her willing mouth.

  Her low groan told him she liked the bite of erotic pain he’d applied. In fact, she worked at him eagerly, licking, sucking, moaning around him, the vibrations sending him to another plane of pleasure. She accepted all of him, his cock hitting the back of her throat with each pass through her lips.

  He’d worry about hurting her except she was obviously as into it as he was, her soft moans only serving to bring him closer to the brink.

  Light flashed behind his eyes as pleasure and Amanda consumed him. His body drew tight, and when she swallowed around him, he was done for. He came without thought of pulling out, and considering the eager way she swallowed every last bit, he had nothing to worry about.

  Except when he came to himself and glanced down, he realized her hand was beneath her skirt and she was obviously taking care herself. Though his legs were shaking, he was still the one in control here, and she needed to know it.

  He grasped her beneath her arms and pulled her up until they were nose to nose.

  “What?” she asked with a too-cute pout, clearly annoyed he’d interrupted her.

  “Let’s get something straight.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “Your orgasms are my job.” He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Bedroom?” he asked.

  She had a pleased expression on her face, her lips turned upward in a grin, and she pointed toward the back of the apartment.

  He still hadn’t taken the time to really look at where she lived, and he didn’t stop to do it now, striding toward the open door with one wriggling, aroused woman in his arms.

  He stepped into her bedroom and deposited her on the bed. His first thought was that she had to get a king-sized mattress if he was going to stay here often. Knowing how fired up that comment would make her, he kept it to himself.

  He laid her on the bed, and Amanda had never felt so wanton or decadent. She’d never had a half-naked man in her bedroom standing over her, waiting to do God knows what either. But Decklan had walked in and taken over.

  And though she normally called the shots in her daily life, she loved the ability he had to make her not think. In fact, since they’d gotten together, she’d stopped focusing on herself and her issues altogether, something she hadn’t realized but dawned on her now. He really got her in a way no one had. And she was beginning to wish she could keep him without hurting Brad in the process.

  The thought would have had her pulling back, but Decklan was ahead of her, as usual. “Eyes on me, baby.”

  She blinked and came back to focus on him.

  He ran a strong hand over her calf and up her leg, his rough hands arousing her with his sensual touch. “Did I really catch you with your hand on your clit?”

  She blinked up at him and smiled. “Maybe?”

  He shook his head and laughed, but before she could breathe easy, he flipped her over, raised her skirt, jerked her panties down and off her legs, and treated her to one hard slap on each cheek.

  She sucked in a breath at the sting, waited, and sure enough, the warmth caused her sex to tingle. “Who’s in charge in the bedroom?” he asked.

  She hesitated, and when he smacked her once more, she realized she’d done it on purpose, wanting this exact result. She moaned and laid her head on the bed.

  “Do you plan to answer me?” he asked, running his hand over her tingling skin. “Who’s in charge in the bedroom?” he asked again.

  “You are.” But even as she spoke, she lifted her ass up toward him, causing a low, rumbling laugh to echo from him.

  “Vixen,” he muttered with warmth, smacking her twice more before giving her what she really needed, his fingers inside her, his thumb on her clit, both working in tandem to give her the relief she desperately needed.

  He slid in and out of her in an easy motion, and soon she was grinding against him, seeking release.

  “You’re so wet for me,” he said gruffly.

  She moaned and rubbed herself against his hand. “So close,” she whimpered as the waves building inside her crested higher.

  In an instant, he pulled out, leaving her empty and hanging. “Decklan!”

  He lifted her hips, and she caught on quickly, bracing her arms on the mattress, raising her hips.

  She felt him behind her, his warm body coming over hers. Her pussy clenched with need. She didn’t care that she was still dressed, only that he could fill her and ease the empty ache he’d created.

  “Now say it again.”

  She wrinkled her nose though he couldn’t see. “Say what?” she asked, wriggling her behind, wanting him so badly she could barely speak.

  “My name. Say my name,” he muttered, sliding his fingers through her weeping sex.

  “Decklan, please,” she said without hesitation.

  And was rewarded with the glide of his cock between her thighs. As a tease, it worked. More moisture pooled and inner walls clenched desperately.

  “Is this what you want?” he asked, his entire body covering hers, his cock lined up at her entrance.

  She arched back toward him in response. That’s all it took for his control to snap. He thrust so deep she felt him everywhere. He gave her no time to prepare or catch her breath. One hand on her hip, he picked up a rough rhythm she needed as much as he did. Wi
th every drive forward, his hips hit hers and forced her forward on the bed. Only his grip held her in place. The sounds of their heavy breathing and groans mixed together. He filled her in ways she hadn’t known she was empty, made her feel things she hadn’t thought she was capable of feeling. He took, yes, but he gave so much more.

  He’d found that spot inside her, and with every thrust and glide, she reached higher, stars, rainbows, and all sorts of fireworks building inside her, ready to go off any moment. As if he knew, he reached around and slid his fingers over her clit, adding even more stimulation to her already sensitized, ready-to-blow body.

  She cried out, reaching for everything he offered.

  “Come, baby, because I sure as hell am.” He pulled out and plunged deep, his finger bit into her sex, and she exploded around him, her orgasm taking her higher than she’d ever been before. And even as she came, she was aware of him following her over, spilling himself inside her in the most intimate, sensual way.

  She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she became aware of her breathing again or his heaviness holding her into the mattress.

  In tune with her, he rolled over with a groan. “That was spectacular.”

  An unfamiliar feeling of warmth and pride crept over her. “Yeah?”

  He gripped her face between his hands and kissed her hard on the lips. “Absolutely.”

  She grinned. “Well, good. And I happen to agree.”

  He laughed and flopped back onto the bed.

  When they could both finally move, they took a shared shower, which led to her soaping him up and learning his body in ways she’d never before experienced with another man. And visa versa. He cleaned her up, helped her wash her hair, and wrapped her up in her favorite fluffy towel before wrapping one around his waist too.

  Her stomach chose that moment to growl unattractively. “Sorry.”

  He shook his head and laughed. “No worries. I’m starving too.”

  “There’s a great Italian place downstairs. I thought maybe we could eat there? If you want me to cook, I can do that tomorrow.”

  “I came here to be with you. It doesn’t matter where we go or what we do.”