Intimate Caresses (The Love and Danger Series) (18 page)

The four men laughed but moved forward.  “Give it to us,” Colt prompted. 

An hour later, the lead investigator of the white collar crimes division, Jennifer Cully, was brought onto the case.  Nina once again showed her all of the evidence and when she was done, sat back and waited.

“This is really amazing,” Jennifer said, amusement brightening her face.  “Is there any way you could create a version of this
defensive software for us?” she asked.

Nina’s whole mood lightened. 
“Of course.  I’d have to build it specifically for your needs, but the basic code is extremely flexible.  I built it that way because I wasn’t sure which way I was going to go with my own computer game.”

Jennifer shook her head in amazement.  “
I’ve honestly never had such an open and shut case before.  This is really good stuff.  You should open your own consulting company and market this software,” she said.  “The Chicago Police Department will be your first client.”  She stood up.  “In the meantime, let’s go catch a bad guy.”  She looked behind her at Brock.  “I’m guessing you want to be there for the arrest?”

Brock nodded.  “I’d love to slap the cuffs on the guy, if it wouldn’t be stepping on your toes.  Your bust though,” he stated firmly.  “I just want the pleasure.”

Jennifer laughed.  “You got it.”  She gathered up all of the papers, turned to the assistant district attorney and raised her eyebrows.  “Any problems getting an arrest warrant?” she asked.

The ADA, a mild mannered guy named Rick
Felstone, shook his head.  “I already have a judge on the line who is sympathetic to internet crimes.  I’ll get the warrant ready and will have it to you in thirty minutes.”

They all started to shift out of the room but Brock held back, waiting until they were alone.  He turned to Nina
with a light in his green and said, “You trusted me.”

Nina looked straight ahead, right at the middle of his chest.  “You’re stretching things a bit,” she replied, but she couldn’t stop the smile from forming on her face.  Her hand reached up and touched his shirt, feeling the muscles underneath the material. 

He shook his head.  “Not even a little,” he countered.  “You trusted me.  When you had a problem, you came right to me.  You didn’t try to solve it yourself.  You didn’t go to another police officer.  You brought it right here to me.”

She pulled back, but didn’t move out of his arms. “You think that’s significant, don’t
ya?” she asked, but she was smiling because he was right.  She had come to him immediately.  She hadn’t thought of going to anyone else and, even beyond that, she’d trusted him.  Not just with all of her heart, but she knew that he held that in his gentle hands as well, but with all of her.  She trusted him with her brains and her challenges.  When she was sad, all she wanted was to be with him.  When she was happy, she wanted to share it with him.  Brock was the man who had popped into her mind as soon as she’d discovered the problem.

“I think it is pretty damn good.”

She shook her head even while she laughed.  “I think you’re making too much of it.” 

He pulled her against him.  “I’m not making too much of it.  And you’re going to tell me that you love me by the end of this day.  You’re sleeping in my bed and we’re throu
gh texting each other before falling asleep.  If you want to say something to me from now on, you’re going to have to nudge me.”

She liked the sound of that.  “You sound pretty confident that you can get me into your bed.”

He slid his hands underneath her sweater.  “I’m relatively sure that I can get you exactly where I want you.”

Nina couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped when his warm fingers found her bare skin. 
And moved higher.  She almost giggled when he tickled her, but the sound quickly turned to a moan when he found her breast.  “Do you doubt my capabilities?” he asked, leaning down and kissing her neck, nibbling on her collarbone.

“No,” she sighed, clinging to him now.  “I think your powers are very well defined and I’m a willing victim.”

He laughed and was about to move to her ear when he heard Sam call out.  “What’s the holdup?” Sam yelled from the hallway.

Brock was fairly sure that Sam knew exactly what was happening in here since Sam had been caught in the exact same position m
any times with his adorable fiancée, Hannah.  But Brock pulled back and sighed regardless.  “On my way,” he called back. 

He didn’t immediately release her though.  Instead, he bent down and kissed her.  It had been so long since he’d held her or kissed her, this wasn’t a quick peck.  No, he needed so much more than that.  But when the kiss started to get out of hand, he quickly lifted his head and groaned.  “Tonight,” he promised,
then headed out the door to follow the others. 

Six hours later, Nina pulled up outside of Brock’s house.  She’d had to explain her absence from work because she’d forgotten to call in to let them know she was going to be out.  But for the rest of the afternoon, she hadn’t had anything to do but worry about Brock, hoping he was okay.  Surely Steven wouldn’t do anything to hurt Br
ock, would he?  Which raised another question, Brock was a detective who went into dangerous situations, possibly on a daily basis.  Could she handle the worry about him not coming home? 

Could she handle not being in his life? 

She accepted that was a ridiculous question.  Knowing that Brock could be hurt at any point in the line of duty would only make their time together sweeter.  Possibly a naïve way to look at her future with the man, but it was better than thinking of a life without him.   

When she stepped out of her car, the front door to his house swung open and she was more than a little afraid of the expression on Brock’s handsome features.  He was terrifying, but she stood her ground.  Had she done something to anger him? 

“Is everything…” she was going to ask if he was okay but he lifted her into his arms, pressed her back against the side of her car and kissed her.  For Nina, there was nothing she could do other than just kiss him right back.  It was one of the most passionate kisses she’d ever experienced and, being with Brock, that was saying a lot. 

He didn’t stop there either.  When her arms wrapped around his neck, he simply carried her into his house, slamming the door closed with a kick of his foot.  Before she understood what was happening, she was on his bed and he was stripping her slacks off.  She had to laugh at how carefully he laid her slacks on the chair.  Even in his urgency to get her naked, he was still kind and considerate.  Not so much
with his own clothes though.  He tossed them hither and yon, watching her the whole time.

And when they were finally naked, he made love to her with his hands and his mouth, relentless in pushing their desire for each other higher.  His lips attached to her nipple and he kissed, bit and tenderly nuzzled her breast until she couldn’t take it any longer, lifting his head with her hands.  But he simply moved to the other nipple. 

He didn’t give her any time to breathe.  With a deep, powerful thrust, he was inside her, moving to that rhythm that made her crazy.  Taking her higher and higher, he wouldn’t stop until she was screaming out her release.  By the time he followed, she was weak, exhausted and completely drained. 

He collapsed onto the bed beside her and she wanted to curl up next to him, but her body simply wouldn’t move.  She was too limp.  To
o stunned by the explosive climax he’d given her. 

“Welcome home,” he said and rolle
d over so he was once again looking down at her. 

Nina laughed.  “Thank you,” she finally replied, barely able to lift her hand to touch his cheek gently.  “Are you always going to greet me like that?” she asked.

He shrugged, looking down at her bare breasts, obviously contemplating round two.  “Are you ever going to tell me you love me?” he countered, looking up into her eyes. 

Nina’s heart skipped a beat and she opened her mouth to say something.  But Brock saw her hesitation and kissed her gently instead. “It’s okay.  I can see that you’re still not
...”

“I love you,” she whispered, interrupting him.  “I love you so much that it scares me.  But you’re right.  I do trust you.  I love you and I trust you and I’m sorry if I hurt you by being so stupid and stubborn earlier this week.”  She lifted herself up so she could kiss him, wanting to show him how much she loved him.  “I love you!  I want to be with you and if you’re still willing, I would be honored to marry you.”

His eyes were on fire and he lowered his head to kiss her more thoroughly.  “It’s about time,” he growled when he was finished. 

She laughed softly, feeling his hard body move back over hers.  “You’re a wonderful man.”

“I love you.  Don’t ever make me wait again,” he grumbled. 

“I won’t.  I promise.”

“Good,” he said and nodded for emphasis.  “So when can we start having babies?” he asked.

Nina burst out laughing but she also pulled him closer, loving this man to pieces. 

“Are you ready?” Brock asked, his eyes skimming over the slender figure of his fiancée and loving every inch of her.  “You look ready.”

Nina spun around, smiling at the heat shining through Brock’s eyes.  “Do I need anything else?” she asked.  The pretty sun dress made her feel sexy and pretty.  The flowered material clung to her small breasts and tiny waist but also made her legs look longer than normal.  She usually wore slacks, preferring the convenience but this shorter skirt length definitely made her legs sizzle. 

“Only this,” Brock replied, adjusting the knot of his tie while he stepped closer.  With a gentle touch, he kissed her delicately so he wouldn’t mess up her lipstick.  “You’re beautiful,” he told her with a husky, sexy voice.  “What time are we finished?”

Nina laughed but wrapped her arms around his neck.  “You’re going to be good this afternoon, right?  This is Sam’s wedding and he’s madly in love with Hannah so don’t blow it for them with your impatience to get this tie off.”

His only response was a grunt as he pulled her closer, bending down to nibble on her neck.  “I’ll leave my tie alone only because I’ll be paying attention to you in this dress.”

She laughed but also tilted her head to the side to give him better access.  “Brock?” she asked, suddenly serious. 

Brock lifted his head, looking down at her.  “What’s wrong?”

She took a deep breath.  “You want to have kids, don’t you?”

His shoulders relaxed.  “Absolutely.  And I want to practice creating those kids.  A lot!”

She smiled, but turned serious again.  “I didn’t think I’d ever trust a man again.”  She lifted her hand, resting her palm against the cheek with the scar.  “Thank you.”

Something hit him hard in his chest and he couldn’t speak for a moment.  “You can always trust me.  Don’t ever doubt it.”

She laid her check against his chest, feeling warm and secure when he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.  “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too, honey.  Don’t ever doubt that either.”

She smiled brightly up at him.  “Okay.  Let’s go get Hannah and Sam hitched.”

He chuckled, the sound reverberating all the way to her soul.  “Good plan.”

An hour later, Nina pressed her lips together, standing next to Hannah and her manager and friend, Debbie, while the minister droned on and on about love and commitment, the trials of marriage and the test of time. 
Watching Brock, Walker and Colt, all three of them on the other side of Sam, acting as his best men and all four of them obviously itching to get the tie off from around their necks.  The guys were used to running around town in jeans and tee-shirts so donning suits for this event was an enormous sacrifice, but all of them were ordered by Hannah to wear their best or she’d stick them in tuxedos and make them eat her breakfast sandwiches for the reception.  They’d groaned at the time, but every one of them was wearing their best suit, neatly pressed and barely used.  And all four of them looked shockingly handsome. 

“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister finished off with a grin, obviously knowing that the four men were hanging onto their patience with a thin thread.

Sam immediately turned to face Hannah, lifting her up into his arms and kissing her as if he’d never kissed another woman before.  He was completely disrespecting the lovely wedding dress that skimmed along Hannah’s fabulous figure, concerned only with sealing the wedding vows and kissing his new wife. 

He didn’t let her down once he finished kissing her, preferring to carry her down the aisle and out the door.  Nina and Debbie laughed even while the audience cheered.  One side of the church was filled with the men in their uniforms with a few ladies in dresses interspersed.  The other side was much more varied, consisting of Hannah’s staff members in the front, her mother, who wholly approved of Sam, and then what seemed like hundreds of Hannah’s friends and customers.  The woman was a popular gal who thought the whole world just needed a smile before she befriended them.  And mostly that worked out pretty well for her! 

Colt stepped forward and took Debbie’s hand, winking at her husband as they walked behind the bride and groom.  Debbie’s husband only laughed back, completely unconcerned with his wife on the arm of a man almost a foot taller and packing an additional forty or fifty pounds of muscle. 

Nina then took Brock’s hand and followed Debbie and Colt, feeling his warm, strong hand wrapping around hers.  “You did extremely well, my love.”

He looked down at her, his free hand touching his tie as if to silently tell her that he hadn’t fidgeted with it all that much. 

Walker was behind them, alone but definitely not for long.  Nina could see the single ladies in the group already moving in to try and get Walker’s attention.  And Walker, of course, was lapping it up, not one to turn down a lady’s not-so-subtle invitation. 

Brock even noticed the ladies turning around to check out Colt’s backside and rolled his eyes, pulling Nina closer. 

As soon as they stepped out into the afternoon sunshine, they spotted Sam kissing Hannah again.  As soon as he lifted his head, he pulled his tie off, tossing it into the back of the waiting limousine.  By this point, the crowd that had been inside the church was spilling outside and Sam looked up at everyone.  “Let’s celebrate!” and the crowd cheered enthusiastically. 

The reception was being held across town at a park where a huge, white tent was set up and, within thirty minutes, the police officers had stripped off their ties and formal jackets, the single guys thrilled with all the single women, pulling them onto the dance floor.  Wine and beer were flowing, food was disappearing at a fast pace and everyone seemed to be having a great day. 

Nina spotted Sam and Hannah in the middle of the crowd and laughed out loud.  The couple barely even realized that they were surrounded by the enormous, boisterous crowd. 

“What do you want to do for our wedding?” Brock asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind. 

Nina smiled and shrugged her shoulders.  “I don’t think I want a big wedding like this,” she said.

“Thank goodness!” Brock declared, squeezing her slightly then lifting the beer bottle up so he could take a sip. 

“Something small?” she suggested. 

“Something short?” he offered and Nina laughed.  “No.  You’re not getting out of partying with me.  This is fun.”

He looked around, spotting Colt and Walker surrounded by single ladies, all of whom were fighting for the big guys’ attention.  “Something that will keep them occupied so that you and I can sneak off and start that project you mentioned earlier.”

Nina laughed again, but she pressed her back against him, telling him silently that she agreed with him.  “Stop,” she whispered when she felt his body move against hers. 

“Can’t,” he chuckled.  “I’m looking down that dress of yours and I can see your soft curves and I’m thinking…”

He didn’t have a chance to tell her what he was thinking because she spun around, facing him with a glare.  “You’re staring down my dress?” she whispered, feeling hot but still embarrassed. 

“And I want to…”

She covered his mouth with her hand, her face flushed with heat as desire slammed through her like a sledge hammer.  “Don’t say it,” she whispered with agony. 

“Why? 
Because you want it too?”

“Yes,” she sighed, leaning her head against his chest, ignoring his deep, sexy chuckle.  “We can’t leave until Sam and Hannah leave.”

“Is that a rule?”

“Yes,” she told him firmly.  “It is rude.”

Brock took a deep breath and looked up, searching the tent for his friend.  “Then let’s go,” he told her with an urgency that was unmistakable. 

Nina looked in the direction he was looking and smiled.  Sam had his arm around Hannah’s waist and was backing her up, step by step, kissing her and slowing getting her into the limousine that was ready to pull away from the curb. 

“Well done, my man,” Brock muttered.  He spotted Colt and Walker across the way and lifted his beer in their direction.  “Come on, woman,” he told her and grabbed her hand.  “A cab awaits.” 

A few minutes later, the cab pulled up outside his house and he tugged her inside.  “Start thinking about our wedding woman,” he said when he’d closed the door to his house, leering at her.  Nina was laughing at his expression, but still backing up slowly. 

“Why is that?”

“Because I want my ring on your finger and to know that you can’t get away from me.”

Nina laughed even harder.  “As if I would even try.”

He stopped with those words and his eyes lit up.  “Good answer,” he said and swung her into his arms, carrying her to their bedroom.