Perfect Fling (12 page)

“Oh God, you feel good.” Erin couldn’t hold back the words; the feelings swamping her were too strong, too incredible.

“So do you.” He jerked upward and groaned. “So hot and tight.”

His words inflamed her and she began to rock against him, taking her pleasure, and from the tightness in his cheekbones and the rough sounds coming from deep inside him, giving to him as well.

Suddenly he managed to flip them, Erin flat on her back, Cole above her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. As he slid out, then into her once more, Erin felt him everywhere, in a deeper way than ever before. She tried to close off her mind to the emotions building and open her senses instead but it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t working.

He grasped her hands over her head and pumped into her hard. “Feel good?” he asked, picking up the pace, thrusting faster.

She moaned in reply, and Cole did the one thing guaranteed to shake her to the core. His gaze met hers and held on as he continued to make love to her—and though she’d never say the words, never admit aloud to feeling them, he loved her with his body.

More than sex, more than primal lust and thrusting, she felt the way he took his time, never breaking eye contact, making sure the ripples inside her body were real before letting go and taking his own pleasure. And his orgasm, when it came, caught up with hers, matching the intensity and the sheer explosive pleasure shredding her to pieces before she slowly came back together in his arms.

Long after her breathing evened out and Cole fell asleep, Erin lay awake, accepting some hard truths. What happened in that bed meant more to her than it had to him.

But she also sensed they were bound together in a stronger way than they’d been before, giving her something to build on. She knew it. Even if he didn’t.

• • •

Saturday arrived before Erin was ready. The Bar
Association dinner dance was at the Pierpont Hotel, thirty minutes from Serendipity. This yearly event was important to her, though not for the reasons Evan had said. She enjoyed her job and even if she didn’t plan to take over Evan’s position or run for political office, she had a reputation to maintain. And she would need her career after the baby was born.

She didn’t kid herself that tonight would be easy, not with Evan determined to make a statement and Cole equally insistent on keeping her away from her boss. Still, Erin had a statement of her own to make. She’d begun on Wednesday night at Joe’s, and she’d continued at work, no longer treating Cole like the man who guarded her but like one she cared about. Had a relationship with.

At first he’d seemed uncomfortable with her public touches and endearments—as if he’d never had a girlfriend before, one where they were committed and outright affectionate, but he’d slowly warmed to the idea.

In the meantime, she’d gone maternity shopping with her mother on Friday’s lunch hour, Cole hovering in the background as her bodyguard. Thanks to the salesgirl’s expertise, Erin now had stylish clothing to go forward with this pregnancy, and she felt better about herself when she walked out of the house than she had before. She was still able to disguise her slightly swelling stomach with flowing tops, but she knew soon enough that wouldn’t work. For now, she had time.

Early Saturday evening, she showered and dressed for the event, taking special care with her hair and makeup, wanting to make an impression on the man in the other room. She’d chosen a formfitting lapis-colored dress, held up with a gorgeous crystal brooch on one shoulder, draped in the right places to accent her breasts and not her stomach, and which hit above the knee. Sparkly silver shoes picked up the glitter on the brooch. Appropriate for a work event, yet a touch sexy enough to appeal to the man who was now officially sharing her bed.

• • •

Cole waited for Erin in her family room. He paced,
acknowledging to himself how uncomfortable he was with the idea of going out in public as her date. This wasn’t a part of his normal life. Hell, he didn’t have a normal life outside of undercover work. But if he was going to have a kid, he supposed he should get used to various conventional situations and events. Dating Erin—well, it wasn’t something that would continue once the baby was born. They’d agreed on that.

The sound of a door opening drew his attention and he turned to the stairs. Erin stood at the top, glowing from head to toe, in a gorgeous blue dress that showed off her long legs, set off by high heels. Her face was made up in a way he’d never seen before, and though her fresh-faced look appealed to him on a gut level, this Erin took his breath away.

He walked to the bottom of the stairs, held out his hand and grasped it when she met him at the bottom.

“You look spectacular.”

Her beaming smile was the only thanks he needed.

“You look pretty hot yourself, Mr. Sanders. Ready to deal with a room full of stuffy lawyers?”

He let out a laugh. “I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that.” But for her he was making an exception. Not just as her watchdog, but as her date.

He refused to delve too deeply into that.

On the drive over, Erin surprised him by bringing up the stalking. “The longer we go between incidents, the more worked up I get.” She placed a hand over her stomach.

He reached over and grabbed her, lacing her fingers through his. “Don’t think about it. Stress isn’t good for you, and as long as I’m around, all he or she can do is try to scare you. Nobody will get near you, remember?” He squeezed her trembling hand.

“Thank you,” she said in that husky voice he liked so much. “And tonight? Whatever Evan pulls, ignore him, okay?”

Cole remained silent, unsure he could make that promise.

“Cole? He’s all bluster. A true politician.”

“Who wants you.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Erin laughed. “He’s only stepped up his rhetoric about us as a power couple now that you’re around. I think he likes getting to you because he knows you’re a worthy opponent. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”

Cole let out a rumbling growl.

“I’ll take that as an okay.”

“For you? I’ll do my best.” He slid his hand to the exposed skin on her thigh and ran his thumb back and forth over the silky flesh.

“Thanks.” The sound came out reed-thin.

He grinned and kept his eyes on the road. He was adept enough without looking. “So tell me what to expect this evening.” He inched his hand higher, until the pad of his fingers hit the elastic on her panties.

She squeaked. “Cole!”

“Yes?”

Before she could tell him to stop, he brushed his thumb over the front of the silken material, pressing downward on her sensitive nub. She stiffened, sighed, and gave in, spreading her thighs as far as the tight dress would allow. Beneath his touch, she was warm, damp, and aroused.

A glance told him she’d leaned her head back against the seat, eyes closed, lost in sensation. He maintained a consistent pressure until the hotel came into view.

He withdrew his hand and cleared his throat. “We’re here,” he said, his voice none too steady.

“Noo—”

“Look at it this way. You have something to look forward to during the boring speeches and Carmichael’s posturing.”

She shifted, straightening her dress. She opened the visor and checked her makeup and hair in the mirror, all without saying a word.

Though he had a hunch he’d pay for his sensual torture later, for now, she was hot, bothered, and thinking only about him. Just the way he wanted her for the rest of the night.

• • •

Erin had been to events like this before, but never
with her entire body quivering with need and arousal. She stepped from the car on wobbly feet. Handed her coat in with shaking hands. Took Cole’s elbow to join him as they walked into the cocktail area, wondering how she’d survive the night. Beside her, Cole, in a navy blue suit with a dark red tie, looked scrumptious and good enough to devour whole, something she intended to do when they got home. First she had to maneuver among her colleagues.

They walked the room, Erin greeting her coworkers from Serendipity and others she knew from various conferences in other jurisdictions. She introduced Cole and accepted the surprised looks from the locals who knew him and figured out from Erin’s body language that he was more than just her bodyguard.

Instead of letting him drift behind her, she included him in conversation, and soon, her friends and colleagues did the same, and it wasn’t too long before he was involved in a baseball conversation with a group of men. Even as he spoke, Cole kept a possessive hand on her back.

Erin had just finished talking to one of the judges when Trina arrived. She greeted Erin with a huge grin, her eyes focused on where Cole’s hand remained possessively on her back. His touch burned through the dress.

As if aware Erin’s focus had changed, Cole excused himself from the men and turned to Trina, remaining beside Erin the entire time.

“Well, well, well, look at you two.” She leaned in to hug Erin and whispered in her ear. “Doesn’t look like it’s for show to me.”

Erin pinched her friend in response.

“Ouch!” Trina squealed and stepped back, scowling at Erin.

Erin merely grinned in reply, knowing they’d talk about this another time.

“How are you, handsome?” Trina asked Cole.

Erin rolled her eyes. “Trina’s quite the flirt, if you didn’t already realize it in the office,” Erin told him. But a nonthreatening flirt. Her occasional outrageous behavior fit her personality.

Cole merely grinned. “I’m fine. You?”

“Oh, you know. Surviving this yearly event.” She grabbed a champagne glass from a passing server’s tray. “I know you can’t have one,” she said to Erin. “But how about you?”

Cole shook his head. “On duty.”

“How are things on that front?” Trina asked, sobering.

“Quiet in a way that scares me,” Erin said, repeating what she’d told Cole on the way over.

He pulled her closer, the move not getting lost on Trina, whose eyes lit in approval.

“Well, on to schmooze,” she said. “Catch up with you later. We’re all sitting together since the D.A.’s office took one table.”

“Now
that
you neglected to mention,” Cole growled.

Erin laughed. “I figured the less you knew, the better.”

“I can handle sitting at Carmichael’s table. Because I’ll be sitting next to you.” His eyes darkened, bringing her back to that moment in the car, when he’d had his hands beneath her skirt and she’d been so close to coming . . .

She shook her head, focusing on his words and not the sizzle behind his eyes. And it was his comment that had her beaming. She knew it and didn’t try to hide how much his words pleased her.

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Guessing her intent, he turned his head and her lips met his. It was a brief kiss, but one that was public and filled her with absolute contentment.

“So that’s how it is,” a familiar voice said.

Cole placed his hand on her hip and lifted his head. “Carmichael.”

“Sanders.” He slid his gaze to Erin. “You look beautiful. In fact, you’re glowing.”

Cole’s grip tightened.

“Thank you, Evan.” Before she could continue any conversation, the lights above them flickered.

He glanced up. “I guess that’s our cue to move on to the next part of the evening.”

Erin nodded. “See you at the table?”

Her boss met and held her gaze. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“What was that all about?” Cole asked when Evan walked away.

Erin shrugged. “Beats me. The man’s always got some agenda.”

Cole’s gaze followed the path Evan had taken to the main ballroom. “Then I guess it’s time to see what he’s got planned now.”

As always during these sorts of dinners, which Cole
had been to in many guises and disguises over the years, the speeches and awards portion of the evening came first. It tended to be a dry, boring, yawn-inducing event no matter which association hosted the festivities. Erin’s Bar Association dinner, which encompassed quite a few New York counties and jurisdictions, was no different.

More than once, Cole was tempted to reach beneath the table and pick up where he’d left off with Erin in the car. Only respect for her prevented him from acting on his dirty inclination, but that didn’t stop him from creating his own fantasies about the idea. Sliding his hand into her warm, wet heat, toying with her while the speeches droned on . . .

“You might want to pay attention now.” Carmichael leaned over and spoke to Cole, snapping him back into the present.

“And now we get to the last award of the evening,” the speaker on the podium said.

Cole didn’t know why this should matter to him but he refocused his attention.

“The recipient of this year’s Rising Star Award, given by the Young Lawyers’ Section of the Bar, is a woman with remarkable legal skills who shows exceptional promise for a bright future in our profession. A graduate of New York University School of Law, our honoree went on to work as an assistant district attorney in the town of Serendipity, Putnam County, where she has worked for the last five years.”

Evan Carmichael spoke once more. “She’s special. Don’t hurt her.”

Before Cole could tell the man to mind his own business, Erin’s name was announced as the recipient of the Rising Star award.

From the way she sucked in a startled breath beside him, she was floored by the news.

“Congratulations,” Cole whispered as she turned to him, her eyes wide.

“I had no idea!” She glanced over his shoulder. “Evan?”

“You earned it,” he assured her.

From the podium, the speaker continued to list her credits and accolades. She sat on a number of young lawyer committees for the state bar association and she had a record number of prosecutorial wins to her credit. But what seemed to sway the votes in her favor was the establishment of a pro bono office in downtown Serendipity, where, among other things, poor and often abused women obtained divorce settlements and property owners caught in the recent recession found legal help in an attempt to retain their homes. And to staff said office, she’d recruited attorneys from all facets of the law and coaxed them to donate their hours. For free.

No wonder she’d insisted she not miss her weekly night there. She wasn’t just a volunteer; she’d founded the thing. It was her baby. Another reason Carmichael saw her as a political asset. Family connections aside, Erin Marsden was indeed special. Cole had merely sensed it in her giving nature. Tonight had shown him concrete proof.

A few minutes later, they called her to the podium; a round of applause followed, and Erin stepped up to thank the audience and accept her award. As she spoke, a lump formed in Cole’s throat. And stayed there.

He hadn’t planned on having children, but he was, and he couldn’t ask for a better mother to his son or daughter, a better role model, or a finer woman than this one. He wasn’t sure what to do with the feelings rolling through him and was grateful when she stepped down from the podium, rejoining him at the table.

He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’m really proud of you.”

Her eyes sparkled with pleasure. “I don’t know what to say. There are so many worthy candidates. I didn’t even think—”

“Don’t. Just enjoy.” Before he could say anything more, the speech portion of the evening drew to a close, and Erin was surrounded by colleagues who came to the table to issue their congratulations.

He let her have her moment in the spotlight, in awe of the easy way she had with people, the genuine pleasure she took in helping others, and just everything about her.

By the time they pulled back up to her condo, Erin was still floating. The award was such a proud moment for her, a validation of all the hard work she’d put into her career over the last five years. To have Cole by her side was icing on a very special cake, and she looked forward to continuing the celebration in private.

Once they were back upstairs in her room, Cole picked her up and laid her down on the bed. “Do you have any idea how proud I was to be the one by your side tonight?”

“No, why don’t you tell me?”

“Beyond.” He kissed her hard on the lips. “Zipper?” he asked.

“Right side.”

His fingers went unerringly to the fastening and he unzipped, then peeled her out of the dress, his gaze never leaving hers. Bra came next. A flick of his fingers undid the front clasp, sliding the cups open and the straps down her arms. She was more than eager to maneuver herself to make his life easy, and soon she lay before him in nothing but her strappy high-heeled sandals.

He bent his head and pulled one of her sensitive nipples into his mouth, taking his time to pleasure her with his tongue. With every long lick, she moaned. With each tiny nibble she arched her back, pushing her breast farther into his eager mouth, wanting more of the fiery darts of pleasure shooting through her body and centering at her very core.

Without releasing her breast, he used his hands to cup and mold its twin, rolling the peak between his thumb and forefinger, until she cried out, unable to stand the dual sensations on both breasts.

“Shh. I’ve got you,” he promised. But instead of release, he merely switched sides, tugging her other nipple with his teeth, while working her damp other breast with his large hands.

She writhed beneath him, lifting her hips, silently begging him to touch her where she needed relief the most. Without her having to ask, he slid his hand down her belly, taking deliberate care to lay his hand over the swell where her child lay, a move that never failed to touch her deeply.

He lifted his head and she stared into his handsome face, knowing full well she was dangerously close to losing her heart to this man, if she hadn’t already. And there was nothing she could do about it except pray with everything she had that he’d be there to catch her when she fell.

He finally cupped her mound in his large hand, applying pressure with his palm and delicious friction with his finger, spreading her moisture over and around her sensitive flesh.

“You are always so wet for me,” he said, his voice laced with approval.

His husky tone and the obvious satisfaction he took from her body had her wanting him even more. She bent her knees and whimpered out loud. “What are you waiting for?”

He spread her legs and eased himself between them. “I’m drawing out your pleasure. And mine,” he said, dipping his head for a too-leisurely taste before settling in to bring her to heights she’d only imagined. While he worked her clit with his mouth, licking the hardened bud with the tip, he slid one long finger inside her.

“Cole.” She moaned and tried to pull him in farther, clenching her walls around him, needing him harder and deeper.

“Need more?” He added a second finger and nipped at her harder, causing the first wave of sensation to hit. He was so in tune to her body, he knew the instant the first tremor began and flattened his tongue against her clit, pumping his fingers in and out while she came hard around him, against him, and for him.

Erin didn’t know how long she rocked against his mouth and hand, only that he drew out her orgasm as long as possible.

“You’re incredible,” he murmured, sliding away from her only long enough to undress.

She bent, intending to unhook her shoes, but he stilled her with a strong hand on her leg.

“Leave them on. With those heels, you’re a goddamned fantasy come to life.”

As if to prove his point, he stood before her, completely naked, his erection rock hard, protruding from his gorgeous body. While raking his hot gaze over her body, he wrapped his hand around his cock, pumping once, then twice, before joining her.

He bracketed her, one knee on either side of her, as he poised his erection at her damp, pulsing entrance.

Erin looked up at him, afraid everything she felt for him showed in her eyes. Not wanting to lose him because she was becoming emotionally invested when that wasn’t what he wanted, she drew on bad-girl Erin as she met his gaze. “Fuck me, Cole.”

His eyes darkened to a stormy black and with a strangled groan, he plunged hard and deep. Erin cried out, taking all of him, feeling all of him as he laid claim to her with a punishing rhythm that somehow felt so very right. Her body, which had been sated seconds before, came alive once more, taking a fast climb to an inevitable end that arrived in an explosion that encompassed everything that was Erin. She held nothing back—couldn’t—as he demanded and took all of her with him when he came.

• • •

Cole stood in Erin’s kitchen cooking breakfast. A
mundane task he’d begun to enjoy because she appreciated and liked his food so damn much. Another thing he wasn’t used to. Doing things for someone else on a daily basis. Giving and receiving approval for little things. Someone else coming to expect things from him.

And him learning to rely on things from another human being. Erin had begun to do his laundry, something he’d tried unsuccessfully to prevent. She was doing hers anyway, and since she came home from work and had a routine she followed, he’d started to let her scoop up his towels and things along with her own. She left him the newspaper to read because she only scanned the comics and “Dear Abby,” a weird choice for such a bright woman, but it amused him to watch her small smiles as she read while she devoured his food.

Little things that he’d miss when he was gone. None of which meant he wanted this psycho to continue to toy with her life. The very thought made his blood boil. Nobody wanted to catch this bastard more than he did, but her brothers were at a standstill.

To top things off, he’d gotten a couple voice mail messages from his boss, asking when he’d be ready to go back under. Normally the answer was yesterday, but no way would he leave Erin alone when she was being stalked. And with the baby on the way, he admitted to needing time to get his head on straight. Not that he’d tell his superiors any such thing. He wanted space, and after the years he’d put in, he was entitled.

He’d just served them both and was about to call Erin when the doorbell rang. Knowing she’d learned not to answer, he felt for his weapon and headed to see who was there at ten o’clock on a Sunday morning.

A look outside and he froze.

“Who is it?” Erin asked from the top of the stairs.

“Jed.” Cole didn’t turn around.

“Oh. Umm, I’ll let you handle it,” she said, and he sensed rather than saw her head back to her room. He appreciated the privacy, since nothing about this visit could possibly be good.

Cole opened the door and faced his old man.

“You took your sweet time letting me in.”

“Good morning to you too. What brings you by? Want to see Erin?” he asked, on the slight chance he could avoid the inevitable confrontation.

He shook his head. “I had breakfast with Ella and Simon. ’Course I knew you were here playing bodyguard. Despite it all, I figured you’d take decent care of Erin, but damn it all, couldn’t you keep it in your pants?”

Cole grabbed his father by his good arm and pulled him inside. In a public condo unit, he didn’t need Erin’s older neighbor coming outside and getting an earful.

“None of this is any of your business,” he said, shutting the door behind Jed.

His father ran his good hand through his hair. The cast had been removed on his other arm, leaving him with just a sling. “You feeling okay?” Cole asked him.

“What do you mean, it’s none of my business? She’s the daughter of my best friend, the ex–police chief of this town. Not to mention an assistant D.A.”

“Still don’t see where it’s your business,” Cole said, then mentally counted to ten to calm his temper. “Do you think I planned this? And before you ask, of course I used protection, so don’t go there.”

“You’re still a goddamned moron. Who do you think you are, touching a girl like her?”

Cole set his jaw. “She’s a woman, Dad. It was mutual.”

“She’s a damned nice
woman
,” Jed barked at him. “You should have known better than to lay a hand on her. You’re just going to hurt her when you leave her high and dry.”

“That’s between Cole and me, don’t you think?” Erin walked down the stairs, dressed for a day at his cousin Nick’s cabin on the lake. “Sorry, Cole, but I couldn’t help overhearing, and there’s no way I’m going to let him pin all this on you.”

Cole’s head began to throb. “Erin, go back upstairs.” She didn’t need to hear his father beat up on him once again. And he didn’t need her sticking up for him or attempting to fight a battle he’d long since learned he couldn’t win.

She shook her head. “It’s my house; that gives me some rights. Jed, if you’d like to stay and congratulate us on having a baby, that’s great. If you came to cause trouble, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

Cole was torn between admiration and frustration.

“Erin, I’ve known you since you were a little girl. What were you thinking?”

She tipped her head to one side, eyeing his father as she would a defendant in a courtroom—much like he envisioned her going after a bug she wanted to squash. Cole decided his father deserved whatever he was about to get.

“I was thinking I couldn’t find a better man than your son to sleep with when I was lonely.”

Cole didn’t know which admission hit him harder, that she found him a good man even then, or that she’d gone to Joe’s that night because she’d been looking for company.

He didn’t have time to chew on either, because she wasn’t finished with Jed. “And until you can find it in yourself to see Cole the way I do, you aren’t welcome here.” She stepped around Jed and opened her front door, making it perfectly clear she wanted the older man gone.

“I see my son’s manners are rubbing off on you. Your mama would be disappointed.”

“Actually, I think she’d applaud,” Erin muttered as Jed made his way to the door.