“Okay, but just because my head is tied up with my sister, don’t think I can’t shoot the shit if you need to. I already owe you with everything you’ve done, last thing I need is to rack up a debt from being a shitty friend too.”
Perfect, because I didn’t already feel like a jerk.
“Tibbs, it’s all good man.” I clapped him around the shoulder. “You’re far from a shitty friend, and there is nothing I need right now. But if this little heart-to-heart is over, I could use some decent sleep.”
He laughed, a smile spreading across his lips. “Gotcha, buddy. If the way you look is anything to go by, not a lot of sleeping went down last night. Make sure you set your alarm though, we both know I can’t be trusted to wake us both up in the morning.”
“Brother, I could be half-dead and still make it to work on time. I’ll see you in the morning.” And with a wave, I forgot all about the shower I hadn’t taken and collapsed into bed.
“Jared.”
My name moaned from her lips was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard, one last flick of my tongue making her come hard on my mouth. She’d made me promise to wake her when I got in, and I had spent most of the twenty-four hours apart thinking of exactly that. She was obviously tired, probably getting home only a few hours earlier and I’d finished what had been a largely uneventful shift. Calls came in, we went out and when it was time to finally clock out, I waved goodbye to my buddies at the stationhouse and went right back to Presley.
Going down on her was the highlight of my morning, her fingers still gripping my hair as the last of the tremors left her body.
“Good morning.” I planted a kiss on her thigh, working my way up the bed. “It’s still early though, so if you want to roll over and go back to sleep, I’m happy to join you.”
A contented sigh spilled from her lips, closing her eyes as I shuffled in beside her. I’d already lost my clothes, stripping at the door, pulling her naked body next to mine under the covers. “Mmmmm, you feel so nice.”
Her skin was soft, the faint smell of bodywash still lingering as I kissed her shoulder.
“That felt sooooo goooood.” Her ass wiggled against my dick, the breathy moan and the ass action making me even harder. “I totally owe you a blowjob when I wake up properly,” she giggled.
“Let’s worry about my payment when you’re more coherent. If I didn’t know how tired you were, I might have been offended you just came and are ready to go back to sleep. But I’m a big boy and know how talented I am, so there’s no way it was lack of technique.”
She laughed again, grabbing my hand and shoving it up against her tit. “Lack of technique is so not your problem. But,” she yawned, “you’re right, I need sleep. Especially after that mind-blowing orgasm.”
I liked holding her while she slept, dozing off with her and knowing she’d be there when I woke up. Hadn’t really cared much about it before, not really concerned about cuddling. And if I hadn’t already been a fan, I’d become a full-blown convert when she took her turn waking me. My cock between her pretty pink lips, a sight I’d never get sick of.
After more sex, because clearly we were fiends, we showered—separately—and then got dressed. I’d been more organized and packed an overnight bag, meaning I didn’t have to head home to get a fresh set of clothes.
“You want to go get something to eat?” I asked, last night’s dinner a distant memory. “I know you don’t do breakfast, but surely it would count as lunch.” I checked my watch, the display showing just past noon.
“I have a meeting at Diablo and can’t be late. It’s an important client. But if you want to go get something and then meet me later, I don’t mind.”
Not sure what she was thinking but me leaving after having not seen her for an entire day wasn’t happening. I didn’t care when or where we ate, committed to spending as much time with her as possible. It was like a sickness, the need to be near her probably not very healthy, but I was far from wanting a cure.
“Or I can drive you to your meeting and then go get us something for when you’re done,” I suggested, positive at some point she was going to have to eat. “Unless you don’t want me cramping your style.”
She rolled her eyes, grabbing me by the T-shirt and pulling me closer. “Just kiss me already, you moron. You could never cramp my style.”
With our plans set we got into my car and drove to Diablo. Traffic was average, not taking us long to cover the couple of blocks between her loft and the club.
“So you’re going to get lunch?” She looked at me with excitement, her hand hovering on the door handle. “Or was that just a ploy to come creep on me at work? Because I have to say if you’re using food as a bargaining chip, that is not cool.”
I scoffed, pretending to be offended. “Oh, so I see how it is. You’re just with me for the services I can provide. Last time I checked, I didn’t turn into Uber Eats, Presley.”
“I know, I know, I’m terrible. But I get cranky when I’m hungry. You don’t want me to be cranky, do you?”
Just one look at those big brown eyes and I’d do pretty much anything she asked. Go get lunch, drive to Utah, get a tattoo on my ass of Diablo’s logo. She had to know the kind of power those babies wielded, willing to put myself through epic-level shit just to make her happy. “Fine, I’ll walk you in and make sure Bennett is around, then I’ll go get us lunch. You have a preference?”
“Anything, just no burgers. Proper food, okay? We can eat in my office when you get back.”
Agreeing to get her proper food, I walked her to the door and waited as she unlocked it. We walked in, the place completely deserted except for a guy at the bar restocking.
“Hey Boss.” He lifted his hand and waved. “Need anything?”
“All good, Hank, thanks.”
It was obvious the staff loved her, something I’d seen whenever I walked through the doors. Every single one of them would volunteer to drop what they were doing if she needed something, just like Hank had offered to do. It was similar to what I had at the stationhouse with the guys, the sense of family that elevated what I did from just being a job. And I liked she had that too, albeit with a different pecking order.
“You doing an inspection? I think you’ll find we’re up to code.” Bennett didn’t bother with the hello, materializing from thin air before folding his arms across his chest. He really was an agile son of a bitch. Something else to be glad about, especially since one of his jobs was to protect Presley.
“Just dropping Presley off, I’ll be back soon.” I tipped my chin, knowing he was probably expecting some pushback. “You want some lunch?”
It would have been easy to get into a pissing contest, to try and assert which of us had more of a right to be there. I was almost positive he was more than a little territorial, and that extended to Presley as well. Didn’t make me feel good to know he might’ve had designs on her. For all I knew, he was looking for the right time to make the jump from professional to personal. But if I was going to be with her, I was going to have to trust her. And regardless of whether he was just a meathead with a superiority complex or was in love with his boss, he’d take a bullet for her for sure. Something I could respect.