JAY’S ARM FLEXES ACROSS MY waist, and he yanks me to him. “Nothin’ better than waking up to you in my arms.”
“I know,” I agree and snuggle further into him, but it’s never close enough. “You ready to get up? You’ve got work in an hour and a half.”
He groans and suddenly grabs the covers and tosses them in the air like that parachute game I played in elementary school. I giggle as he crawls beneath them. But when his hot breath fans against my sensitive flesh, all joking ceases.
Something that’s always driven me crazy is how controlled he is. In any situation, he always knows what he wants. Takes charge of getting it and never accepts less. But when we’re like this, especially when I’ve got his cock in my mouth, he lets go of everything.
So instead of just spreading my legs, I yank the covers off and turn my body so I’m lying beneath him.
“Wanna play this morning, baby?” He settles himself over my mouth and spreads my legs open.
“Yes.”
He presses his hips down, and I open my mouth so he can slide in. From this angle, I can’t get a lot of him in but try my damnedest to drive him crazy.
His hips flex above me, and I bring my hands up to squeeze his ass. A burst of cool air hits my center when he spreads my lips open, and with just the tip of his tongue, he flicks at my clit.
Fast then slow circles. Enough to make me want more but not enough to satisfy me. And he knows it.
I mimic what he’s doing to me on the head of his cock, and he picks up on it after a second. “Point taken.” Without warning, he flips us over so I’m on top of him now, my thighs straddling his face, and before I can get him back in my mouth, he buries his face between my legs.
The scruff of his stubble tickles for a second, and then it feels amazing. I bring him back into my mouth and suck. I get off on it when I’m able to turn him on, so when I taste a drop of him on my tongue, I hum around him.
I pull back to take a gasp of air. “Fuck, Livvie. Suck me, baby.”
He pulls me back down, and I grind down on his face, getting closer and closer as he starts to pump his hips up. His cock hits the back of my throat, and I gag a bit. I grip him harder and continue sucking him, moaning when he spreads me open with both hands and uses the tips of his fingers to tease me.
His mouth works my clit as he tortures my opening. I push back hard, and when he finally stops teasing and slides a finger all the way inside, my lower body no longer holds itself up, and I fall onto him while I come so hard I see stars.
He growls against me. I bring my hand between his legs and cup his heavy sack. When I roll him gently in my hand then squeeze the base of his cock and suck like I’m starved for oxygen, he shoots down my throat.
I swallow it all down and allow the rest of my body to collapse on top of him. We’re both panting, and after a minute, he slaps me on my ass, and I lift off him. He flips his body around and lies next to me, both of our heads resting on the end of the bed.
Our fingers link between us, and he softly kisses the tip of my nose. I smile as I watch his eyelids become heavy, and before long, I follow. We nap for a little while, and I’m awoken by Jay’s cursing.
I giggle at him trying to brush his teeth and put his shoes on at the same time. “Need help?”
He holds his finger up and comes back in the room a minute later sans toothbrush but still with only one shoe on. “What I need is for my woman to stop making me come so damn hard I practically pass out so I’m late for work.”
“Is that really what you want?” I roll to my back.
He stands over me, upside down from this angle. “Fuck no. Your mouth is perfect, darlin’.” He kisses my forehead. “Got another busy day today.”
I frown. “I won’t see you tonight?”
“Probably not. I can’t promise anything, sweet pea. I’ll let you know, though, when I call, okay?”
“Okay.”
He upside down kisses me again, this time on my lips. “Love you.”
“Love you, too. Stay safe.”
“I will, baby.”
I’ve never walked into the police station by myself. Yeah, I’ve paid a ticket on the other side of the building, but I haven’t been here alone. Jay’s always been with me, and it’s only been two other times before. For some reason, I’m kind of nervous, but this is the only way I’ll get to see him today, and I want to give him the penny I found.
He always makes me feel special and reminds me he’s thinking of me. I wanted to do the same to him and surprise him at work.
I called him just to see where he was, and he said he was on his way back to the station, so I’m going to just wait at his desk and hope he shows up before I have to go to work so I can surprise him. If not, I’ll just leave it with a note.
So here I am. Standing on the steps. I hold the penny tight in my hand as I head inside the old building. As soon as I enter, I’m met with a flurry of activity. An older man sits at a sturdy desk shaped like a half circle. “Hi.” I wave at the guy who only raises a brow at me. “I’m just here to see Jay. Uh, Detective Jamison.”
He glances at a screen on the computer and then nods toward a door to his right. “He should be back here in a few.”
“Thanks.” I push the door, but it doesn’t open.
“Pull,” the desk guy says.
So embarrassing. “Thank you.” Pulling the door, it actually opens this time, and I step through the threshold.
A couple of people glance up at me, but nobody else even notices. Good. I stick to the outside of the desks and head to the back where I know Jay’s and Brandon’s desks are. I sit in Jay’s chair and twirl the penny in my hand. His desk is super neat. All the papers stacked nicely and the file folders are all labeled. He doesn’t have any photos on his desk but, then again, neither does Brandon. I glance around and notice barely any of the desks have photos on them.
I’m scrolling through my phone when a commotion catches my attention. Brandon and Jay are both walking with a guy in front of them. It’s not lost on me how sexy my man is. Black t-shirt, army green cargo pants, a gun clipped in a holster, and his badge clipped to his utility belt. Brandon looks much the same. But all three of them look pissed. It takes me a moment to realize that the guy in front of them has his arms behind his back. Jay is walking with a hand on his bicep, leading him into the room.
Oh, God. I shouldn’t be here.
As they walk closer, a panic sets in when the criminal guy looks at me and smirks, gold tooth shining. His dark eyes become scarier, and when he licks his lips, I shiver.
Shit. This was a bad idea.
A very bad idea.
I move my line of vision from him and up to Jay. He must sense me because his eyes snap to mine. Like always, there’s a pull between us, and I get a little jolt from the nonexistent contact. In a matter of seconds, his face shows shock, then fear, then anger. The man in his hand turns his head and says something to Jay.
My man’s face hardens, and a hint of pink forms on his cheeks, but his fixed stare doesn’t falter. It takes a lot to really piss Jay off, but when he’s really, really mad, this is the look he gets. Never once has it been directed at me. And I quickly discover I don’t like it.
The guy’s mouth opens, but I can’t hear anything he’s saying. He’s talking to Jay, laughing as his lips move. His hips thrust, and I don’t even see it actually happen, but suddenly, he’s slammed against a desk, papers fly, and the entire room becomes stifling.
Through all the commotion and other officers shouting, I hear Jay’s angry voice. “I’ll fucking end you, motherfucker.” He grabs the guy by his hair and slams his head on the desk again then brings his arm up and gets a shot right on the side of the guy’s face, quickly grabbing his hair and slamming his battered face on the desk again.
I cover my ears, the sound of his head hitting the wood makes my stomach drop. I don’t like seeing Jay like this, but I can’t stop looking at him, silently begging him to stop. To look at me again and tell me everything is going to be okay.
Brandon pulls a livid Jay away and pushes him toward me as another officer grabs the other man. When he’s hauled up, I see blood dripping from his cheek and into his mouth. He doesn’t look pained, though, because he smiles at me, red coating his teeth, before he’s dragged away and out of the room.
My heart is beating in my throat. I can hear it pounding there. I try to swallow past the lump but am unsuccessful.
Jay yanks his arm from Brandon and points at me. “Get your ass over here,” he demands as he passes me.
Brandon offers a weak smile and waits for me to scramble out of the chair. I keep my head down and try to calm the shakiness so I can walk. Following in the direction Jay went, I reach the first open door on the left and stop.
Interrogation Room 1
“Get in here!” Jay shouts.
“It’ll be okay,” Brandon says to the back of my head.
Nodding, I take small steps along the off-white tile until I’m in the room. Jay pushes off the wall and sticks his head out the door. “Give me five and don’t let anyone fuckin’ bother me.” Then he slams the steel and faces me.
I swallow and walk backward as he steps closer.
“What. The. Fuck. Are you doing here?” He slowly and precisely asks the question, each word bringing him a step closer.
My hand lifts, and I pry my fingers open to unveil the penny.
Jay finally reaches me, but he doesn’t touch me. His face softens, but his body is still on alert. “Love you with all that I am, Livvie, but I told you I was fuckin’ up to my eyeballs in work today. I said I’d call you. I said I’d see you tomorrow. Fuck.” He runs both of his hands, his right one bloodied, through his hair then grabs a chair and throws it across the room. “Fuck!”
“I’m sorry.” My throat clogs as tears well in my eyes.
“Shit, baby. You shouldn’t have been here. You’ve got no fuckin’ clue how bad I just fucked up.”
Before I can apologize again, Brandon sticks his head in the door. “Cap’s lookin’ for you.”
Jay lifts his chin. “I’ve gotta go. Fuckin’ shit-storm to deal with now.” He reaches for me, and I flinch when he grabs my arm and pulls me to him. “Not tryin’ to be a dick, sweetie, but don’t ever show up here without asking me first.”
I nod into his chest.
“That man. He’s a really, really bad man. Sick bastard knows this station like the back of his hand. Knows where my desk is and took one look at you. Fuck, baby.”
I don’t understand what he’s saying, and he must sense that somehow because he continues. “A man’s any kind of man at all, he won’t let anyone threaten his woman. And I’m your man, Livvie. Nobody threatens you.”
My breath hitches and tears roll out of my eyes and onto his black t-shirt.
“He knows that. Marco might be dirty, but he’s fuckin’ smart. And he knew just what to say to get me to snap. Now every single charge we had on him is going to be worthless because he knows all he has to do is utter the words police brutality and those charges’ll be fucked.”
Oh, my God. I’m an idiot for coming here. “I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“It’s okay, angel. I’ll figure it out. I’m not mad at you. I’m fuckin’ pissed at him.”
“Jamison.” Another older man wearing a uniform with lots of ribbons on one side sticks his head in the room. “Now.” He slams the door behind him.
Jay sighs and pulls back, framing my face with his hands. His thumbs wipe under my eyes. “I love you, Livvie. So much.”
“I love you, too.”
He gently kisses me and then rests his forehead on mine. “I need to go. Brandon’s going to follow you to work. Let me know when you get there and when you’re ready to leave. I’ll text you when I have a free minute, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Livvie, listen to me. If something happens. If you feel scared or if you think someone is watching you, you call me. Don’t hesitate. Understand?”
Thinking he’s overreacting, I nod. “Yeah. I’ll call you.”
“Me. Call me first, okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Say the words, baby.”
“I’ll call you first.”
“Good.” He kisses my nose and steps back then holds out his hand. “Now give me my penny.”
I somehow manage to make it through work okay. I was on edge and tense all night just because I’m still really confused as to what happened earlier. Jay texted me a couple of times to make sure I was okay and to also make sure that Clay had a bouncer outside my door the entire night.
The bouncer should have made me feel safe, but it made me more nervous. It’s now about eleven thirty, and the bachelorette party has left this bar and headed to hop some more for the rest of the night.
I’m ordering supplies when I hear a noise outside my door. A thud. Followed by a grunt. “Logan?” I call out for the bouncer, and when he doesn’t answer, I grab my phone. Before I can get the screen unlocked, a man with a mask barges in. He charges inside my office and yanks me out of the chair, my shoulder close to dislocating as I drop my phone. I cry out in pain, and he puts a hand over my mouth and shoves me against the wall, pinning me in place.
Jay’s taught me a million different self-defense moves. I’ve practiced on him and had confidence that if something like this ever happened, I’d be able to kick some ass.
But I’m frozen. Fixed in place as his dark, beady familiar eyes stare back at mine. He tilts his head and holds up a knife with his free hand. Tears make everything blurry as I try to fight out of his grip.
My legs are shaking so badly that I begin to slide down the wall. The guy, it’s the guy who was at the station. I know it. I know it’s that Marco guy. His eyes are creepy as hell. He yanks me in front of him and holds the knife to my neck. His other hand is still covering my mouth, and I have no choice but to move with him. If I fight, he’ll slit my throat.
He opens the door, and Logan is in the hallway. Marco’s body behind me shakes with laughter. A puddle of blood is on the floor beneath Logan’s head, and I can’t tell if it’s all coming from his ear or from the gaping wound on the side of his face. He’s not moving, and I don’t think he’s breathing, but I’m ripped away before given the chance to find out for sure. I scream beneath the hand that’s practically suffocating me, but it only makes him laugh harder. He drags me down the hall, literally. My feet won’t work.
He brings me to the back entrance that leads to the alley, and when he opens the door, I scream even more. A man I’ve never seen before is tied to the light pole. Rope digs into his neck so tightly blood leaks down and onto the sidewalk. He looks at me and tries to shake his head. Muffled words barely come out beneath the towel shoved in his mouth and secured with duct tape.
Oh, my God. I’m going to die. Marco tears his mask off, his face a swollen mess, and lifts the knife from my throat and whips it across the alley. My scream dies as the blade slices through the other man’s chest, straight through his heart, and his eyes catch mine before he gags and chokes on his own blood.
I fall to the ground, plugging my ears to hide the gurgling sound. Minutes pass, I think. Maybe more, maybe less. But when I finally risk a glance up, I’m alone with a dead man five feet away. And I know who killed him.