“Why?”
I slipped a hand free and rubbed my chin while I thought about how open I was about to be. “I’m protective of you, Spencer.”
She didn’t say anything as she drew her attention back to the window. We just let the storm fill in the silence with the tiny prickles that tapped the window. It was a calming sound, one I didn’t often stop and listen to. Normally, my head was with my cases, no matter where I was, but with Spencer, she made me want to be in the moment.
Her chest rose as she drew in a breath. “Blake, are you protective of me because you like me?”
My body begged me for a taste, but I was a gentleman first. When I didn’t answer right away, she pushed off the window and slowly made her way over to me. The click of her heels made my insides twist, and the look on her face let me know we were both fighting our desire.
“Tell me?” she probed.
I reached down and brushed her hair away from her neck so I could see her slender collarbone frosted with a silver necklace. “I do.”
Her tongue darted out and ran along her bottom lip. My body hummed with anticipation, curious to see if I was reading her correctly. “Then why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
“Because I’m a damn fool.” With that invitation, I ran my hand down her arm and brushed my lips across hers, and my entire body warmed to the core. My control was tested, but I maintained my composure and kept the pace slow. Her mouth opened, and I slipped inside, gently dancing with her tongue. She stepped closer in my arms and reached up to rub her fingers along the back of my neck then broke our kiss.
I squinted to question what was wrong.
“Blake,” she whispered, “if you could let loose and kiss me the way your body really wanted to, how would that go?”
I swore the woman was a mind reader, but she threw me into an unexpected memory.
“Son,” My father sat on my bed as he deliberately crossed his legs at the ankles, the way he always did when he had some wisdom to share, “girls are going to come in and out of your life, but here is something to remember. Always be a gentleman first. Show respect to a lady, and eventually they’ll remove their guard to truly show you who they are.”
“What if you don’t like what you see?”
“Then politely step back and move on.”
“And if I like what I see?”
He rested a hand on my shoulder to drive his point home. “If you like what you see, fight for her. Fight like it’s your last breath because the odds of that happening more than once in a lifetime are slim to none.”
He was right. I always heard him, but I didn’t always listen.
But I was listening now.
“Show me, Blake.” Her hungry gaze pulled me back to us.
With a step forward, I reached behind her head and tugged her to my lips. I commanded the kiss, commanded her body to mold to mine. I liked the control. It was part of being an officer. We needed to know that there was something we could control the outcome of in our lives.
Her hands moved under my jacket, traveled down my chest and around to my back. It was slightly intense but romantic at the same time.
A tiny moan escaped from her lips as she submitted to me. My free hand roamed around until it settled on her lower back while my fingers sprawled low on her bottom. Her curves were sexy as hell, and I wished we were home and not down the hallway from half the city.
My tongue danced around hers. She tasted like strawberries and champagne. Her belly pressed against my erection and made it jump with excitement. Our kiss was better than I could have imagined. I never thought I could feel this way toward a woman. Nothing mattered. An earthquake could shatter the windows, freezing cold air could blow all around us, and I’d keep this woman tight against me.
Her mouth was velvet as I backed her up to the wall. She jumped at the coldness but didn’t break the kiss, and I ran my arms along her skin to protect her from the chill.
She huffed when I caught her lower lip between my teeth then moved back in for the final swipe of my tongue. When I finally broke the kiss, she sagged away with a gasp.
She covered her chest with one hand while the other used the windowsill to stabilize herself. “I’ve never been kissed like that.”
I was happy to hear that, but happier she was okay with the power behind it.
“I haven’t been alone with you in a week,” I confessed. “I had a lot of pent-up frustration.” I swooped and hooked my arm around her waist to draw her back to me.
She laughed, and I was pretty sure I knew where her head went. If that was just the kiss, what would the rest be like?
She opened her mouth to speak as the doors opened, and we both drew back quickly, widening the gap between us.
“Spencer?” Benny froze, but I knew he had caught the tail end of our moment. “Sorry.” He shot me a curious look. “G is looking for you.”
She glanced at me as she cleared her throat. “I’ll be right there.”
“Dinner is about to be served.”
“Okay.”
“You should come.”
“Got it.”
He waited a beat before he glanced at me with an unreadable expression then left.
She shook her head with a smile.
“I see I may have stepped on some toes, here.” I nodded at the door.
“He’s always had a thing for me. He’s such a good guy but just not my type.” With her middle finger, she rubbed below her bottom lip to clear the smudged lipstick.
I followed her to the door, but my attention was on her hips. “What is your type?”
“Men who know how to kiss.” She slipped out the door with a smirk.
“Wait.” I caught her wrist.
“I’m right there with you, Blake. No one needs to know what’s going on between us.”
“It’s just—”
“I get it. You’re new, and I don’t need the shit from the guys right now either.”
My gaze burrowed deep into hers. I wanted to make sure she really meant what she said.
Her hand cupped my face. “I’m not playing you, Blake. Let’s just see where this goes. Get to know one another. Privately.”
“Oh, I know you aren’t.”
The corners of her mouth turned upward, and her eyes softened. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” I leaned in and brushed my lips down the length of her neck. “We meet often in my dreams.”
Chapter Twenty
Spencer
“Watch your step, miss.” A man came by with a shovel to clear the fallen snow.
“Thank you.” I shivered as a gust of air blew straight up my fur jacket.
It was white for as far as I could see. I had no idea that it was supposed to drop this much snow. I glanced at the man’s watch above his glove.
Shit, it was ten. Cal wouldn’t be coming this late, so I’d better call a cab. I knew G and Lisa would want to stay to the end, so I had ducked out.
“Hey!” Blake came up and took me by the elbow, and I lowered the phone. “I step away for a moment, and you disappear? I spoke to G so he’d know I would make sure you got home safely. It’s nasty tonight.”
“I was going to call a cab. My driver has been pulled off the road due to the storm.”