BelleBehindBars (4 page)
Authors: Wynter Daniels
“I could say the same for you.” She allowed herself a good
long look at him. His broad shoulders and thick arms were roped with enough
muscle to make her drool. Not to mention his six-pack. And his cock was damn
fine. It was a shame to cover those granite-hard legs in long pants for work
every day.
Biting on her lower lip, she headed for the bathroom to
clean up. As she pulled on his robe, she inhaled his scent.
What happens now?
With her having a higher rank at the jail, they couldn’t be
seen in public together so the notion of going on a date was a moot point. That
thought destroyed her velvet mood. Hell, for all she knew they’d go their
separate ways in the morning and never go out again. But she was too tired to
think about it.
Staring at her reflection, she imagined what all that heavy
makeup would look like in the morning. At least she’d thought to throw
lip-gloss in her purse along with a fresh pair of panties. She scrubbed her
face clean then returned to the bedroom.
Ram was already in bed. He lifted the covers and patted the
mattress. “Come here, you.”
His simple request warmed her skin. He didn’t have to ask
twice. She shut her eyes and sighed when Ram wrapped his big body around her.
Maybe they could have more than just sex. Did she dare dream?
The loud shriek of his cell woke them both. Ram reached
around her to grab the phone from the night table.
“Sergeant Ramsey,” he growled. “Mm hmm. Really?”
Belle peeled open her eyes and tried to make out what the
caller was saying, but couldn’t.
“Yes sir, that’s great news. Thank you.” He dropped the cell
on to the wood tabletop then rolled over.
Curiosity gnawed at her insides. No way was she going back
to sleep. She sighed and yanked the covers away from him but he just lay there
with his back to her. Clearing her throat, she purposely poked his side.
“Sorry. Accident.”
He grunted something unintelligible.
She threw back the sheets then sat up and made a show of a
loud yawn. When he didn’t move, she stretched her arms, sighed again. Still
nothing. Rolling her eyes, she whacked his arm. “Hey.”
“Ow. That hurt.” He turned over and clutched his forearm.
“What did I do?” But the glint in his eyes assured her he was messing with her.
“What was your great news? I assume it was the jail, right?”
He skimmed his eyes over her bare breasts and grinned.
She gave him another swat. “Was it?”
He met her stare with barely disguised amusement. “What?”
“Ram!” She set her fists on her waist. “Quit teasing me and
tell me what the good news is.”
He shrugged. “No big deal, just some realignment of
management at work.”
“What does that mean?”
He propped himself up on one elbow and ran a finger over her
hip. “That means the chief decided he wanted more coverage in certain areas. He
made a couple promotions.”
Her breath locked in her throat. If they were the same rank
they could date without directly violating a policy. If Ram even wanted to
date. Did she dare hope? She mentally crossed her fingers. “And?”
“And you’re looking at Lieutenant Ramsey.” He touched his
finger to her lips. The gesture was sweet and gentle and gave her hope that he
wanted more than to master her.
She threw her arms around his neck. “Congratulations. That’s
so…perfect.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, we can…I mean, if you wanted to we wouldn’t be
violating…you know. It would just make it easier if we…” She waited for him to
comment, but instead, he threw the covers back and strode to the bathroom.
Infuriating man. Wasn’t he even going to say anything about
them being equal in rank now? Unless it didn’t matter to him. Would he give her
some excuse like he had two years earlier? Maybe he didn’t want to date her.
Maybe he just wanted last night.
* * * * *
Ram finished shaving then pulled open
the bathroom door. Belle was still in his bed. And from the way her hands were
tightly fisted on the covers, she was apparently still angry. How could he
resist teasing her? Her face was red and every muscle in that sexy body was
tensed up tight.
He pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. “How does bacon
and eggs sound?”
Her adorable chin jutted forward. “I’m not hungry.”
He tried to keep a straight face as he watched hers contort
with confusion and irritation. Should he let her know he was messing around
with her? He knew what she wanted. It was obvious from every conversation
they’d had. Of course he wanted to pursue a relationship with her. It wasn’t
his style to sleep with a woman then walk away. But he knew she had the
policies at the jail committed to memory and she’d never openly violate one of
those rules. “What about a cup of coffee then?”
She hugged her knees to her chest and shook her head.
He sighed loudly. “Well, if you won’t let me make you
breakfast, you’re forcing me to take you to dinner later. If you’re free. How
do you feel about Chez Normandy?”
The confusion on her face was priceless.
“Unless you have a problem
dating
another
lieutenant.” He sat on the edge of the bed to put on his socks and shoes.
“Because I think we have some celebrating to do, don’t you? It’s not every day
that we’re promoted.”
Her eyes brightened and her shoulders relaxed. She nodded
and finally allowed her smile to come out.
“Good. Because we need to have a real date,” he said.
“Yeah?”
He squeezed her thigh. “Yeah.”
A deep furrow formed on her forehead.
“What is it, Belle?”
She huffed a breath. “I’m curious. Remember when we went out
two years ago. I thought things were going great then…” She lowered her gaze.
“Then I dropped off the radar.”
She nodded. Damn, he never wanted to see sadness in those
eyes again.
He took her hand. “I’ll be honest with you, Belle. I was
going through a divorce, just like I said. And it wasn’t pleasant.” He tried to
relax the starch in his shoulders. Talking about his emotions wasn’t something
he did easily. “But that wasn’t the only reason I ended things between you and
me. You see, I felt something there, something I wasn’t ready for.” He brought her
hand to his lips and kissed her soft skin. “I’m not a man who admits fear, but
you scared the hell out of me.”
Her gaze narrowed on his. “Why?”
“Look at you. You’re gorgeous and incredibly sexy. But when
I started getting to know you better I realized you were much more than a
pretty face and a smoking-hot body. You’re smart and caring and funny. You felt
way too much like…home.”
Her expression softened. “I felt it too.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Can I let you in on a
secret?”
Wide eyed, she nodded.
“Last night was the most amazing sex ever.”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “For me too. I’m not saying I want
it that way every time, but I do like it. A lot.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I gathered that.”
She elbowed him but her face grew even redder. “So you want
to pursue this, huh?”
He cupped the side of her face. “I’m in, Belle.”
Her smile broadened. “That makes two of us.”
Wynter Daniels is the multi-published naughty alter ego of
contemporary romance author Dara Edmondson. She lives in Florida with her
husband of more than twenty years and their two nearly grown children. They are
all the slaves of two very demanding cats.
Wynter enjoyed careers in marketing and the salon industry before
her wicked prose begged to be set free. She hopes you enjoy her steamy stories.
Wynter welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email address on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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