(Dream Man 03) Law Man (31 page)

“No, you don’t actually mean it that way
now
, now that you’re not freaking out and being honest. Now, you’re freaking out a different way and lyin’ through your teeth.”

God, I hated it when he figured me out.

Mitch wasn’t done talking but when he spoke again he pulled me closer as he leaned his face to within an inch of mine and his voice was low, gentle and sweet when he rocked my world.

“That’s another thing that doesn’t turn me off, sweetheart, knowin’ that you come with those kids and you need to know that. You also need to know I want kids of my own, two of them. But I don’t care, if this works out between me and you, that the kids we have will have an older brother and sister that don’t have my blood, just my heart.”

I blinked up at him knowing my lips were parted but my body had melted into his at the same time feeling the tears sting my nose. I was about to cry because Mitch had obviously already let Billy and Billie into his heart. And I was about to cry just thinking about making kids with Mitch which wouldn’t be a dream come true. It would be something better. More beautiful. Beyond a dream and I didn’t know what that was. All I knew was that I wanted it like I wanted a lifetime of his good mornings and him looking at me the way he did when I walked into his living room that night and coming home to me and kissing my neck then my lips when he was laughing.

“Did you hear me?” he asked when I said not a word.

“Yes,” I whispered.

“So you don’t have to lie about thinkin’ that about me and Billie because I don’t mind.”

I decided to change the subject immediately. Mostly because I was about to burst into tears and I didn’t want to do that on my first date with Detective Mitch Lawson. The date had already been harrowing enough.

“Well, you can forget about the whole me being shy around men unhealthy thing because I’m all right with men. It’s just
you
I’m not all right with.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you’re you,” I answered.

“Why?” he persisted.

“Because you’re annoying, stubborn and tell me I have my head up my ass.”

He grinned and his fingers started sliding through my hair as he muttered, “Jesus, you’re full of shit.

I totally was.

“Am not.”

“Mara, you had a problem with me for four years and in those four years you had no idea I was annoying and stubborn and I hadn’t told you you had your head up your ass.”

“You’re absolutely right. I had a problem with you for four years because you’re hot and I knew you were out of my league.
Now
I have a problem with you because you’re annoying, stubborn, told me I had my head up my ass
and
, I forgot to mention, you can be a jerk.”

His grin became a smile and his voice was soft and teasing when he said, “Glad we got that straightened out, baby.”

“Will you take me home now?” I asked tartly which was kind of a stupid thing to ask considering “home” was
his
home and I could definitely get in more trouble there and I knew I was already in some serious trouble.

His eyes grew dark and his arm tightened around me when he muttered, “Absolutely.”

He so totally got how much trouble I could get into at “home” mostly because he was going to get me into that trouble and obviously he was looking forward to it.

Damn.

Then he let me go but started to guide me back toward North with his arm around my shoulders and my arm around his waist as I shared honestly, “You do know because you’ve just freaked me way the heck out that you’re taking me home and then sleeping on the couch. I’m lighting candles in your room, listening to my MP3 and reevaluating my decision to make a deal with you.”

“No, what I know is I’m taking you to home and when we get there I’m gonna put a fair amount of effort into tearing that cocoon open wide.” His arm gave me a squeeze as he finished, “I’m not done with you tonight.”

“We’re done tonight.”

“We’re not.”

“We
so
are.”

I said this as his cell rang and he didn’t reply because he reached into his inside jacket pocket and took it out. Then he sighed when he looked at the display, flipped it open one handed and put it to his ear, all the while still walking with his arm around my shoulders.

“Lawson,” he answered then listened. “No, now is not a good time. I can’t do it,” he said, listened more and then, “You don’t get it. I
really
can’t do it. Mara and I have plans tonight.” He stopped talking, listened more then said, “Call Chavez.” More listening then, “Then call Nightingale.” He stopped us and stared down at his boots while he listened. Then he said, “This doesn’t make me happy.” More listening then, “Right. I’ll do it but you owe me and when I say that, I mean huge. Get me?” He listened again, sighed then lifted his head and his eyes hit mine. “I gotta drop Mara off at my place and I’ll be there. Don’t do something maverick and get your ass filled with holes before I get there. I don’t wanna be in the ER half the night and fillin’ out paperwork the other half.” Another pause then, “Later.”

He flipped his phone shut and curled me into his front.

“New deal,” he said.

Oh boy. I was already tense from the “ass filled with holes” and “ER half the night” comments. I didn’t need the added pressure of a new deal with Mitch.

“Mitch –”

“I take you home, you hang out, watch TV, drink wine, light your candles, listen to music, whatever but whatever you do, you do it
not
reevaluating your decision but doing what you promised and sticking with me. I gotta go out and I’ll be out for awhile. When you’re tired, you go to sleep in my bed.”

“Mitch –”

“Baby, I won’t be in it with you which sucks for me but I got a friend who needs backup tonight and none of the other guys are free. He needs someone to work this with him but even if he doesn’t get someone, he’ll work it anyway so I gotta take his back.”

“You won’t be in it with me?” I asked.

“This is gonna take a while.”

I stared at him. Then I whispered, “Is it safe?”

“It will be if I’m there. It won’t be if he goes in alone.”

“You’re sure it’s safe,” I pushed.

This time, he stared at me and his voice was gentle when he answered, “My job is not safe. Day to day my job could mean anything.”

Oh
God!

“But,” he continued, “what we’re doin’ in the grand scheme of things is safe…
ish.
”

“That’s not a good answer, Mitch,” I whispered.

“It’s an honest one, Mara,” he returned quietly. “Now, baby, will you do me a favor and, even without me close, stay with me in the real world and crawl into my bed tonight so I know I got somethin’ good to come home to when I’m done with this shit?”

“Yes,” my mouth said before my head caught up.

He grinned at me. Then his hand came to my jaw, tipped my head back and he touched his mouth to mine.

When he lifted his head half an inch, he muttered, “Brilliant. Now I know I can pull the dangerous job card to get you to be sweet.” My eyes narrowed. “Finally,” he whispered against my lips as both his arms closed around me, “I’ve found a good use for it.”

Then he touched his mouth to mine again, this time longer, his mouth wasn’t closed, neither was mine and there was liberal tongue action.

Now
that
was brilliant.

When he broke the kiss and walked me back to North, I didn’t share with him that he didn’t have to use his job or freak me out enough to get what he wanted. All he had to do was kiss me and I’d be putty in his hands.

Not even that, all he had to do was call me baby.

* * * * *

Mitch took me home and kissed me at his door, not long and lingeringly, which I had to admit sucked. Then he told me not to worry if I woke up in the morning and he still wasn’t there. Whatever this was, it was going to take time, apparently.

Then he disappeared.

I washed my face and moisturized and got into my nightie and his flannel. Then I lit his candles. Then I put one of my chill out lists on his stereo.

Then I did something I hadn’t had time to do with any attention.

I inspected his house.

You could learn a lot just from music and if his music was garbage that would be an instant dealbreaker.

It was then I snooped without hesitation. He pushed this deal so I was going to find out what I got myself into.

I already knew his sister had good taste and his apartment looked like a show home but comfier and more lived in. I’d learned the day I cleaned it but also living there for a few days that Mitch wasn’t exactly tidy but he wasn’t a slob. Opened and unopened mail on a variety of surfaces (this I had organized). Sports jackets thrown over his very cool dining room chairs (these I had hung up). Sports magazines here and there, many of which should long since have been thrown away (these I’d stacked).

It was then I found he had great taste in music, excellent actually, more eclectic than mine and he invested heavily in CDs which was almost unheard of these days with MP3 but it was something I liked. He also had great taste in movies as evidenced by his DVD collection, heavy on the action with a good intermingling of thrillers. We were a half and half with the same taste in books. He read thrillers, as did I, but he also read true crime, which I did not.

I moved to the kitchen and noted what I’d previously noted. He drank American beer in bottles. I also noted he clearly cooked and when he did, he cooked more than chili. It wasn’t like he had a larder readily stocked just in case he was in the mood to whip up a cake. But he had spices that would indicate his culinary arsenal included more than chili and staples that evidenced that arsenal was a lot more than chili.

His medicine cabinet in the bathroom confirmed what I knew, that he didn’t use product in his hair. It also gave me the added and weirdly interesting fact that he was an ibuprofen person, just like me. No aspirin or acetaminophen to be found, again, just like me (if you didn’t count the recent addition of children’s Tylenol).

I stopped snooping, started listening to music, stopped listening to music then, yet again, I crawled into Mitch’s bed.

His bed was awesome but he really needed a mattress from Pierson’s. His mattress didn’t suck but it was nowhere near a Spring Deluxe. It wasn’t even in the same range as a Slumber Excelsior.

I decided to focus on advising Mitch on back health and the importance of having the proper mattress rather than the fact that I was again in Detective Mitch Lawson’s very cool apartment. I was again going to sleep by climbing into Detective Mitch Lawson’s very cool bed. But this time after the scary but undeniable fact that we’d had our first official date during which I had a feeling I agreed to be his girlfriend.

And throughout all this, I did not once slip out of the real world where Mitch lived and back into Mara World and mostly this was because I was concentrating on trying to keep at bay worried thoughts of Mitch out there providing backup on something that was safe…
ish.

Then I fell asleep.

* * * * *

And now it was now. I was alone, as in no kids, in Mitch’s apartment, in Mitch’s bed
with
Mitch as, apparently, sometime during the night he’d come home (safe and sound, thank God) and got in bed with me.

Oh boy.

Then I decided, since he worked late, he needed his beauty rest so I was going to slip out quietly and let him have it.

Carefully, I started to move and got nary an inch before his arm around my belly got tight. I went back two inches, hit his warm, solid body and I felt his face burrow in my hair.

“Where you goin’?” he mumbled sleepily.

“I thought I’d get up but let you rest,” I offered thoughtfully.

“Unh-unh,” he growled decisively.

Oh
boy!

Chapter Twenty-Two

Oatmeal for Lunch

“Back health is very important.”

Yes, this was what came out of my mouth after Mitch denied my exit from his bed.

His arm got tighter and he murmured, “What?”

“Lumbar support in mattresses, your mattress is very comfortable but you need more lumbar support. You have an active lifestyle but everyone needs to take care of their back.”

Mitch was silent. Then I felt his body start shaking. Then I felt my body moving and that was because Mitch was turning it to face him. Then I was facing him. Then I was feeling his arms around me and his hands moving on me over my nightie but I was too busy staring at his handsome face, his smiling lips and his somewhat sleepy and way more than somewhat hot eyes to pay attention to his hands.

“You gonna set me up with a good mattress, baby?” he asked, his voice still slightly growly with sleep and way hot. So hot I felt it seven places and those would be my scalp tingling, my breasts swelling, my chest getting warm, between my legs getting wet and all my toes on both feet curling.

“Uh…” I mumbled, he grinned and rolled so he was mostly on top of me. That was when I whispered, “Mitch.”

And that was when his lips hit mine, his eyes held mine and he whispered, “Let’s see if I can tear that cocoon wide open and let my Mara fly.”

Then his head slanted and he kissed me.

His kiss was not sleepy. It was sweet, warm, gentle and wet. Then it got sweeter, warmer and wetter but not gentler. I realized my hands were on his sleek, warm skin and his sleek, warm skin felt really freaking good and my hands wanted to explore. So I let them. Then I realized his hands over my nightie were exploring too and I liked it, a lot. About this time his kiss got even sweeter, even warmer, a whole lot wetter and
way
deeper and I liked that even better. So much, I kissed him back the same way.

Then his hand glided up my side, in and over my breast and, immediately, his thumb swept hard against my tight nipple and I liked that most of all. So much, my body arched and I planted a foot in the bed, rolling Mitch but going with him. Once I had him on his back with his long, powerful body under mine I suddenly found I needed to discover to its fullest extent his sleek skin and hard muscle and to do this, my discovery needed to be multi-sensory.

So my hands moved on his chest, his ribs, his belly, his sides as my lips moved to his stubble-rough jaw, his neck, his throat, across his collarbone and down. Then my lips, tongue and hands moved everywhere, touching, sweeping, tasting. I added teeth and there was nipping and it was not only
hot
, it was
beautiful
. Everywhere I touched, tasted, nipped, how his muscles would jump. The way his arm around my shoulders would tighten. The short growl that would surge up his throat. The way the fingers of his other hand glided into the hair at one side of my head to cup it at the back. I loved it, all if it, every inch, every reaction,
everything
.

Then I went down, tracing the contours of his abs with my tongue as the fingers of one hand slid up his side, the other one went to the drawstring of his pajama bottoms. I tugged. He growled again, his fingers flexing against my head and that gorgeous sound shot straight between my legs. My lips swept to the side then down and I trailed my tongue along the line of muscle that curved inward from his hip down to his groin. Suddenly his hand in my hair was gone, both of his hands were in my armpits and he was hauling me up his body.

Then he was kissing me, his arm tight around me, his other hand fisted in my hair. He knifed to sitting without our mouths disengaging, our tongues tangled and my knees were forced to slide up so I was straddling him. When I settled, I felt his cock hard beneath me and in that instant, I knew I needed it.
Needed it.

I needed Mitch.

My mouth broke from his as my arm around him squeezed tight, my hips ground down, rubbing myself against him and my neck arched back.

Mitch’s hands went into my nightie, up,
swoosh,
and it was gone. He tossed it aside and didn’t delay with wrapping one arm tight around my waist, the other hand going to my breast, lifting it. My head tipped down and I watched him guide it to his mouth then his lips closed around my nipple and he sucked hard.

My hips bucked in his lap and he growled against my nipple which felt so good, God, so damned good, I whimpered, both my hands slid into his hair and I watched Mitch work my nipple, my hips rolling. Yes, God, yes, watching the beauty that was his face, feeling what his mouth was doing, I
needed him.

“Honey,” I called, my voice trembling but he didn’t respond.

His hand left my breast and that arm wrapped around my waist as his other hand went to my other breast and he repeated what he did to the first while I again watched.

My hips bucked again as the suction came then they bucked again with an added low, desperate moan that tore from my throat as his tongue circled.

“Mitch,” I tried again, my voice throaty. “Honey,” I called, my fingers fisting in his hair and his head tipped back, his eyes searing me with the fire burning in them and my mouth went instantly to his, not to kiss him, to whisper, “I need you, honey.”

I watched up close as his eyes flashed in a seriously,
seriously
hot way and both his arms wrapped tight around me.

“You sayin’ you’re ready, baby?” he whispered against my lips, his voice gruff and so, so beautiful.

“Yes,” I breathed.

“Sure?”

God,
God,
he was
such
a good guy.

My arms circled his shoulders tight and my hips rolled again in his lap and my breathy, “Yes,” was sharper, impatient, more demanding.

And obviously convincing.

He heard it. I knew it because I was suddenly on my back and Mitch’s torso was heavy on mine, his long arm stretched out to the nightstand.

I slid my leg out from between his hips, his head jerked down to look at me but I just lifted my knees as I hooked my thumbs in my panties and tugged them up my thighs. That was when his head jerked down to my legs then it went back to the nightstand. I freed my panties from my ankles, tossed them aside and barely let them loose before Mitch moved fully over me at the same time rolling his hips as a demand for me to open my legs.

I did and his hips fell through.

Okay, God,
God.

Damn but he felt good there.

My eyes went to his face to see him tearing a condom packet with his even, white teeth (which was hot too!) and his eyes were on me. Then the packet disappeared and I felt his hand working between us as his eyes held mine captive and my breath escalated so I was near panting with anticipation.

This was happening. This was
going to happen.

And I could
not
wait.

“You on the pill, sweetheart?” he asked quietly.

“No,” I answered impatiently, lifting my hips a smidgeon to make my point and his lips twitched.

“Doctor’s appointment, priority,” he ordered.

“’Kay,” I agreed.

Then I felt him and my lips parted. It was just the tip of him, the promise of him but already it was
perfect.

His hands moved to my hips, gliding down my thighs, hooking behind my knees, he pulled my legs up and then swung them in so they circled him. One of his arms lifted, he planted his forearm in the bed by my shoulder, his fingers in my hair while the other hand stayed at my leg, gliding down, oh so slowly, down, down, as his beautiful, fathomless, soulful, burning, dark brown eyes held mine, his handsome face close and his cock slowly, oh so slowly, glided inside.

His fingers at my leg moved in and down and curled around the cheek of my behind just as he seated himself full inside me.

Mitch was inside me, connected to me, holding my eyes, his breath mingled with mine and I was wrapped around him in every way I could wrap myself around him.

I hadn’t had a lot of beauty in my life but I knew, in that moment, feeling him filling me, his long fingers in my hair, his eyes staring into mine, gentle, warm, beautiful, telling me without words he really liked where he was and that was with me, that even if I had a life filled with beauty, no moment would be more beautiful than that.

And that was why my arms pulled him even closer, my legs tightened around him and tears filled my eyes.

He saw them and when he did, he groaned, his head dipped, his nose slid along mine and his lips whispered against mine, “My Mara, so fuckin’ sweet.”

Then he started moving.

And that was even more beautiful.

He did it like he kissed me on the couch, gentle, sweet, unhurried, kissing me tender but deep sometimes, his mouth and tongue working my neck other times and I knew he paid attention, he listened, he felt and he went faster, harder but only when I was ready. I was holding him close, tight, my hand in his hair, his tongue in my mouth, his cock driving deep, when it started to come over me. Shock pierced my system as it occurred to me I was about to have an orgasm just with a man moving inside me.

Then it happened, my head shot back, my limbs convulsed and my lips whispered, “Mitch, baby,” and I had an orgasm just with a man moving inside me and that man being Mitch, it was the best, sweetest, longest orgasm
in my life.

Oh God.

God.

Perfect.

My neck righted and I felt him still moving inside me, fast, hard, deep, God, gorgeous, as my eyes opened and I saw his on me. His face was dark, his eyes intense, his breath labored. His forearm moved up an inch so his fingers drove into my hair then fisted, pushing up, so my head went up and his mouth crushed down on mine just as his hand at my ass pulled up hard. He drove deeper, harder, faster and I whimpered into his mouth as his tongue worked mine and his cock worked me.

He stopped kissing me and growled against my lips, “If it’s too much, baby, you gotta –”

“Don’t stop,” I begged because my limbs were tensing, my sex was spasming. “Don’t stop, Mitch, baby, please.”

He didn’t stop, his mouth crushed down on mine again, his hand at my ass hauled me up further to take him even deeper. It was then that I had the second best, sweetest, far more intense (but not as long) orgasm
in my life.
It was beyond perfect because, as I cried out into Mitch’s mouth, he groaned into mine as he buried himself to the root and stayed planted.

It took some time to come down because I didn’t push it. I did it savoring his weight, his fingers in my hair, his lips moving tenderly on mine, his hand at my ass gliding up and becoming an arm wrapped possessively around the top of my hips.

His lips slid across my cheek and to my ear and his arm around my hips gave me a squeeze when he asked in a whisper, “How’s the real world feel this mornin’, baby?”

My arms and legs tensed, his head came up and I saw his unbelievably sexy, satisfied face and his eyes warmer and gentler and more beautiful than I’d ever seen them (and that was saying something).

Seeing that, I answered, I did it openly, honestly, exposing everything and I did it by grinning.

He grinned back.

He dipped his head, touched his mouth to mine in a light kiss then said against it, “Don’t move.”

After that, he carefully slid out, rolled off me and out of bed, flicking the covers over me and I blinked at the ceiling as I closed my legs. I turned to my side pulling my knees up, tucking my hands under my cheek on the pillow. I caught just a glimpse of his contoured back and his beautiful behind in his pajama bottoms before he disappeared in the bathroom.

Unlike what everyone thought of me in Iowa, I left that small town a virgin. It wasn’t until I was twenty and after three months of dating a guy in Denver that I gave it up.

This did not go well mostly because sex was messed up in my head due to my mother’s antics, her fuck buddies trying it on with me and the boys in high school being jerks. Unfortunately, my boyfriend at the time was also young. He was very good-looking (definite Ten material, looks-wise, I would find out after giving him my virginity that he was more like a One Point Five otherwise). He’d also invested three months in his score and to say he was disappointed and insensitive would have been an understatement. He was pissed, he said some not very nice things while still in my bed, he left and I never heard from him again.

Needless to say, after that, I wasn’t fired up to jump in the sack again and it wasn’t until Destry that I gave it another go.

Destry was, at first, very patient and this was one of the reasons I stayed with him even though, most other times, he was a jerk. He was older than my first boyfriend and seemed to enjoy coaxing a response from me. Considering my first experience was shit, it took him even longer to get me into his bed (four and a half months). Once there, he again was patient, seemingly understanding and seemingly enjoyed being my teacher which was another reason why I stayed with him. I was hesitant to the point of shy but that didn’t mean I didn’t learn from Destry or enjoy what we did. I did. I just didn’t learn fast enough.