Addison

THE NEXT AFTERNOON, I pulled up an e-mail from Ethan Sinclair and let out a series of words. I can’t tell you if they made sense, but they were angry, and made all sorts of promises of bodily harm.

“What the hell?” Dylan asked, stepping out from the kitchenette, a bottled water in her hand. “Did they bring another tone-deaf singer on The Voice?”

“Yes, plus their drummer needs to be smacked into time, but that’s not what I’m currently fuming about. Ethan said the video won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“There’s not enough proof.”

“What do you mean there’s not enough proof?” Dylan demanded. “He said right on the video he didn’t have a wife.”

“Yep, but that could be argued away with a simple, ‘I was flustered by the pretty girl.’” I sighed. “I’m going to have to go on this damn date.”

Dylan’s jaw dropped. “A date. With Greg? Addie, there has to be another way. We can follow him and get pictures. You know he’s boinkin’ every woman dumb enough to eat that backhanded compliment crap he feeds them. I’m sure we’ll catch him.”

“When? We got the job yesterday. I’m going out with Jake tonight. Tomorrow night Greg’s expecting me to come over. We’re trying to build a reputation here, and we don’t want to take a freakin’ week to close our first case.” I held up my phone. “This’ll be fast and easy. Look, he texted me his address and everything.”

I couldn’t think of a single thing I’d rather do less than go to Greg’s house, but it made sense.

“How is that not enough for Ethan?”

I glared at the message from Greg, willing more information to pop up. “It’s just the address and his name. Doesn’t prove anything.”

She whistled low. “This is...are you sure this is a good idea? Jake Parker’s going to shit a brick.”

“Jake Parker isn’t going to know.”

“Addie—”

The front door opened, cutting Dylan off, and I bit my lip. “Speak of the devil.”

Dylan gave me a warning glare as she took her seat. “Hey, Jake.”

My heart raced the second Jake walked into the office. Damn, the man looked good. His face had a couple days’ stubble over his jawline and I wanted to run my tongue over it. Delicious.

I rose to my feet and met him halfway, accepting a quick kiss. I hadn’t seen or talked to him in a couple of days, so we had some catching up to do.

“Nice digs,” he said, looking over the place. “How’s business?”

I leaned against my desk with a snarky grin. “Phones have been ringing off the hook,” I said, conveniently omitting that only a few of the calls had been business related. We were still getting collection calls for that damn John Watts.

He frowned. “Seriously?”

“Out,” I snapped.

“Excuse me?”

“If you’re just waiting for us to fail, then you can turn your cute little ass around and waltz right out that door.”

“Is that what I’m doing?”

“I’ll...ah...be in the kitchen,” Dylan stammered, and rose to her feet, escaping the tension as quickly as she could.

I took a deep breath and studied my man. I say that loosely because some days I wanted to smack him...like today.

“What can I do for you?” I asked, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.

He closed the distance between us, stopping in front of me...really close. “I wanted to see if you can leave early so we can get date night started.” Lord, he smelled good.

“I’m a little busy.”

“Go, Addison,” Dylan called from our kitchenette.

“Not the boss of me, Dylan,” I retorted, and heard her giggle. I focused back on Jake. “Before we commence with the romance, I need to know if you’re blackballing us.”

He frowned. “Blackballing you how?”

“Trying to keep us from getting business.”

“I know what blackballing is, sweetheart, I’m just not clear on how I’d do it. Besides, I thought you said the phones have been busy?”

I crossed my arms. “They have been.”

“Well, that’s great, right?”

I wrinkled my nose. “It’s for some guy...he ran out on his debts, so they’ve all been debt collection calls.”

He sighed, sliding his hand to my neck. “As much as I hate the idea of you two putting yourselves in unnecessary danger, I’m proud of you, Addison. You have a goal and you’re going for it. Takes guts to do that.”

Well, that was seriously sweet.

He glanced at my feet. “Don’t know how you’re gonna chase down leads in designer heels though, honey.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’ll figure it out.”

“Just keep the lingerie in your closet, yeah? Or mine.”

I let out a quiet snort. “No promises.”

He leaned down and kissed me gently, then kissed my nose. “Missed you this week.”

“Same.”

“Good, let’s commence with the romance.”

I giggled and grabbed my bag. Jake was as tough as tough could be, but sometimes he’d throw out a one-liner that was so squishy, it made me laugh.

Tonight was a big night for us. We were staying at his place for the first time. The remodel was finally done. He’d been working on it the entire time we’d been together, so this was my first visit to Jake’s lair. Jake and I had been messing around for months now. Exclusively, yes, but sometimes, I wasn’t sure exactly where we stood because he kept his emotions extremely close to the vest. I still didn’t know a whole lot about him, his childhood, or his past in general. “I better tell the boss where I’m going...she can be a hardass,” I said.

“I heard that,” Dylan said as she walked out of the kitchenette. “And it’s Ms. Hardass Boss to you, missy.”

I snorted. “I was just trying to give your ego a little boost. Didn’t mean to shoot it through the roof.” I gave her a wave. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Have fun,” she said as I led Jake out of the office.

We stepped into the elevator and he slid his hand to my neck and pushed me against the wall, leaning down to kiss me properly. He broke off the kiss just as the elevator opened and smiled as he wrapped an arm around my waist and walked me to his truck. I’d left my keys for Dylan so she didn’t have to drive her piece of shit on wheels.

Jake held the door for me and I climbed up into the cab. We didn’t say much as we headed to his place. I had no idea what to expect. The median salary for a Portland detective was a little over eighty-two thousand a year—I’d looked it up out of curiosity—which meant he wouldn’t be living in squalor, but I couldn’t expect a mansion either. Especially not considering where his house was located. I shifted in my seat and silently berated my attitude. I would not judge him. He worked hard, and I had no right to turn my nose up at his ghetto address.

“Addison?”

“Hmm?”

“Baby, I’ve said your name three times. You okay?” he asked.

“Yes?”

He chuckled. “You spinnin’ a story in your head?”

“Don’t talk to me like you know me.”

Jake grinned, turning right off Alberta and into a quiet, established neighborhood lined with midcentury modern ranches. It was lovely...and unexpected. He pulled his truck into a driveway and parked in front of the one-car garage.

“This is the place?”

“Yep,” he said, and climbed out of the truck, walking to my side and helping me down.

I took in the brick exterior and smiled. “It’s really cute.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“It was my grandmother’s. She left it to me when she died.”

This surprised me. I assumed he’d bought it, but to hear it was left to him gave it more meaning, and I wasn’t sure if I should feel happy for him...or sad. “Were you close?”

“She raised me.”

“What happened to your parents?”

“Mom died when I was seven. Cancer. Dad died in a car crash three years later.” He spoke matter-of-factly.

Okay, yeah, sad. And so Jake. He didn’t share. Ever. This was progress. “Ohmigod, Jake. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It happened years ago, and I’m over it.” He unlocked the door and pushed it open, standing back so I could precede him inside.

“When did your grandma die?”

“Two years ago.”

Wow. He’d had such tragedy and heartbreak in his life...and this was the first I was hearing it. I didn’t like that he wasn’t a sharer, but, still, all of this news made me respect him more. He was funny, caring, and protective, and he didn’t seem to have a chip on his shoulder. But we’d only known each other for about six months, so I had no idea if I just hadn’t seen that side of him yet.

Jake flipped on lights and I was pleasantly surprised by the small foyer that opened into a great room with a brick fireplace and comfy-looking furniture. To my right was a simple but updated kitchen, complete with an island long enough to accommodate three bar stools.

“It’s lovely, honey.”

“Thanks.” He closed and locked the front door. “Kick off your shoes, Addie. Get comfortable. I’m gonna start the grill.”

“Do you mind if I change?”

His eyes swept my body. “Kinda.”

I frowned. “Really?”

“You wanna take those panties off and leave the skirt on, I wouldn’t say no.”

I licked my lips, laid my hand on his arm for balance, and shimmied my panties off, dropping them on the floor.

Air hissed out of Jake’s mouth through his teeth, and he kissed me. “Fuckin’ sexy as hell, baby.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really?” He cocked his head. “What’s on your mind, Addie?”

“It’s just I really want to get naked, and since you seem turned off by that idea, you’re making it impossible for me to stay sane.”

“What the fuck are you talkin’ about?”

“It’s been a week, Jake.”

“I’m painfully aware of that fact, Addison.”

“Okay. Are you gonna take care of that?” I challenged. “I have needs.”

He dropped his head back and laughed, a deep belly laugh that echoed through the room. “Holy shit, baby, you’re fuckin’ hilarious.”

“Not trying to be funny,” I grumbled.

He smiled. “You feelin’ neglected?”

“Aren’t you?”

He chuckled. “Answering a question with a question is classic avoidance, baby.”

“Yes, I’m feeling neglected,” I admitted. “Ever since our first night together, my vibrators just aren’t cutting it.”

Jake kissed my nose. “You’re good for my ego, you know that?”

“Well, you’re not good for mine,” I said with a huff.

“I’m gonna take care of that right now,” he promised, and kissed me. Slipping his hands to my hips, he pushed me back, guiding me to the edge of the sofa, where he knelt in front of me and slid my skirt up to the top of my thighs. Pushing his face into my pussy, he pressed his tongue to my clit. “Spread, Addison.”

I gripped the edge of the sofa and spread. My motion gave Jake better access and I found my skirt up and over my hips, which meant his hand slid between my legs and he sucked my clit as he slipped two fingers inside of me...then three.

I wove my fingers into his hair and gripped tightly as he brought me to edge of climax, then back again.

“Jake,” I growled.

He continued to thrust his fingers into me and I was grateful when my climax built again, and he didn’t bring me down. Instead, he pressed his thumb against my clit and I screamed his name as I came. God, it was awesome.

Before I could revel in my orgasm, Jake rose to his feet, unbuttoned his jeans, and shoved them down his thighs, boxer briefs and all. He slid his already rock-hard cock into me as he covered my mouth with his and fought with the buttons on my blouse. In the end, he ripped it down the front and I heard the buttons hit the hardwood.

Deciding to let go of the fact he’d just ruined a thousand-dollar Carolina Herrera blouse, I wrapped my legs around his waist to take him deeper and slid my tongue into his mouth.

He gripped my bottom and held me anchored to the back of sofa as he slammed into me over and over again.

“Fuck!” he groaned, and his body locked as his cock pulsed inside of me.

He slid his hand between us and worked my clit until I joined him in the beauty of a climax haze, kissing him as he held me.

He grinned, stroking my cheek. “Better?”

“Yes,” I breathed out. “I feel much less stabby now.”

“God damn, you’re beautiful, Addison.”

“Because I want to stab people when I’m horny?”

Jake laughed. “Yes, because of that.”

“I’m gonna get cleaned up,” I said as he pulled out of me.

“Okay. Master bedroom’s at the end the hall. It’s got its own bathroom.”

“Thanks.” I headed toward the back of the house and pushed open the door he’d mentioned. His bed was haphazardly made, but at least he’d made an effort.

I closed the door and dug through my tote for my jeans and T-shirt. The day had been a warm one and his house either didn’t have air-conditioning, or he didn’t use it, so I knew I’d need the least amount of clothes possible. I tended to run warm, which drove Dylan nuts because I was constantly blasting the air-conditioning, either in my car or at home. She’d made more than one snarky comment about requiring a Sherpa to make it all the way back to her bedroom before she froze to death.

After changing into the cutest pair of jeans I owned, I pulled on a fitted T-shirt and brushed out my hair. I shoved everything back into my bag and, after I grabbed my phone, headed out to the living room.

“Jake?” I called.

“On the deck, babe.”

I headed toward the sliding glass door next to the dining table and hit pay dirt. Jake manned the grill but turned and smiled as I stepped outside. “I poured you a glass of wine,” he said, nodding toward the wooden bistro table by the railing.

“Thanks, honey.” I grabbed the glass and wrapped an arm around his waist, taking in the yard. He must sit on over an acre, because his neighbors weren’t particularly close. He had a large yard with a six-foot privacy fence and even taller trees lining it. It was peaceful and very pretty. “Nice yard.”

“Thanks.” He gave me a squeeze and smiled down at me. “You look cute.”

“Thanks.” I smiled back at him.

“Like the heels, tight skirt, and no panties look better, but this’ll work, too.”

I rolled my eyes. “Perv.”

“Your perv,” he said.

I grinned, kissing him quickly. “Yes, most definitely my perv.”

“You hungry?”

“When am I not?”

“This is true.” He kissed again. “Gotta admit, baby, love that you eat. Dated a few women who ate like birds and it wasn’t so cute.”

My mind went back to cheater Greg telling me I was hippy. “Not your thing, huh?”

“Not even close. I like a soft woman.” He grinned. “Inside and out.”

I wrinkled my nose. “So I’m failing on at least one of those, then.”

“How do you figure?”

“No one has ever called me soft on the inside. Well...except Dylan maybe.”

He dropped his head back and laughed. “Then they’re idiots.”

“You think?”

“Hell, yeah. You’re just a badass, Addison. Some people can’t handle strong women, but you’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, so fuck ’em. Well-behaved women never get anything done, anyway. I have a feeling you’re going to do something huge and change the world.”

I let that settle in my bones for a second, unused to that kind of adoration. “That’s a lot of pressure, Jake.”

“Nah. You won’t even know you’re doin’ it, you’re that much of a badass.”

I bit my lip and dropped my head to his chest. “I really need you to stop being nice to me right now.”

His free hand slid into my hair. “How come?”

“Because it’s disconcerting.”

“Yeah, why?”

I wasn’t ready to admit that I loved him, at least out loud, so I shook my head and forced a smile. “Because it makes me all squishy inside. Ruins my hardass cred.”

He leaned down and kissed me. “Sorry, not sorry.”

I giggled. “Okay, come on. Your woman needs food.”

He rubbed my back. “I’m on it.”