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I licked in between words, and her thighs quivered. Suddenly, I didn’t want to tease her anymore. I grabbed a condom, and after rolling it on, I slid inside her. Damn. I’d worked her up too good; she was so tight I wouldn’t last long. I moved slowly, pressing my pubic bone against her clit on every thrust. She came apart beautifully, and I drank her all in. Her toes curled, and she dug her heels deep in the couch. Her legs were shaking as she rolled her hips into me.
“Will. Will. Oh God. I can’t... Will.”
I lasted two more seconds after she came, then exploded so violently that the air was knocked out of my lungs.
I rested on top of her, breathing deeply.
“I’m out of commission,” Paige whispered. “I can’t move.”
“Can’t talk” was all I managed.
I went for her mouth, giving her a deep, slow kiss. Her heated response and the way she pressed her breasts against me consumed me. But that was a running theme with Paige.
Today, the proverbial final nail had been slammed in the case we’d worked on for a year, but I wasn’t taking it as hard as I usually did, and it was because of Paige. I knew with a certainty I couldn’t explain that she was my match. It was a powerful feeling—and frightening too. I hoped she felt just a strongly. I wanted to earn this woman’s love.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Will
“This is going to be a lot of fun, I promise,” Paige said when we arrived at her parents’ house for dinner. It was the tenth time she’d said it. I took it as a sign that my girl was actually nervous. I interlaced my fingers with hers and kissed the back of her hand.
“I know it’ll be fun,” I reassured her.
Her family welcomed us as a group. Her sisters were practically jumping up and down, and Mrs. Lamonica straight-up hugged me. Her father and brother smiled pleasantly, but they practically crushed my hand shaking it, which I recognized as the general guy code for if you mess with her, we’ll come after you. I gave Graham the exact same handshake when he joined us for Friday night dinner the first time. A handshake was worth more than a thousand warnings.
They’d set up a grill station in the backyard, and her dad was tending to steak, tuna, and salmon.
“Honey, you can’t eat steak,” Mrs. Lamonica admonished her husband once we were sitting at the table and everyone was helping themselves to food. “Have some fish. You know what the doctor said.”
“Yeah, yeah. Steak will kill you. Butter will give you a heart attack. What’s the point of living?” Mr. Lamonica shook his head, but helped himself to salmon instead. Mrs. Lamonica was fussing around everyone, Paige most, I noticed. She was also loading my plate with three portions of everything.
“Sorry, she’s just excited you’re here,” Paige muttered under her breath when her mom went to the kitchen for a fourth serving of mashed potatoes.
“Don’t sell hot air to Will,” her dad said. “Your mother is always like that.”
“I don’t mind,” I said. Mom used to do the same. She’d fuss around us at the table, making sure everyone had plenty (read: too much) of everything. I smiled at the memory. I could get used to this.
After everyone was full, we relaxed at the pool, and I had a front-row seat to experiencing Paige in “brat mode.” She’d definitely earned the nickname. She caused more trouble than even the kids. Her brother was at the edge of the pool, just dipping his feet, but Paige threw so much water at him, the guy was soaked.
She crooked her fingers at me a few times, but even though I had swim trunks on, I didn’t trust myself anywhere near her when she was wearing that tiny bikini. I was fighting a hard-on just watching her. She was happy and relaxed, showing her nieces how to do a perfect breaststroke. Paige had gotten her period last week, and I won’t lie, it had impacted me more than I’d expected.
Her mom was sitting on the sunbed lounger next to me. We were on the wide side of the pool, adjacent to everyone else.
“You’re close to your family, Will?” she asked, just like that. Her voice was casual, but I was a damn good detective. I picked up the gist of the question.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That’s lovely to hear.” We both looked at the pool as Paige turned her focus on her father, splashing him.
/> “She’s always been daddy’s girl,” Mrs. Lamonica added with affection. “She missed him so much when he was away. It was even harder than these days, where you have all this technology for video calls.”
“That must have been hard, having your husband away so often.”
“I got used to the distance, but not the danger.” She smiled sadly, pointing to the hair at her temples. “My hair turned white here in a single night. We’d heard some bad news from his deployment unit. That his unit hadn’t made it back after an attack. I tried to keep it together in front of the kids. They were young. Paige was eleven. She found me hiding in my bedroom, crying. Gave me a hug and said, ‘Momma, we’ll take care of you if something happens to Daddy. Don’t cry.’ I’m ashamed to say that there were many mornings when I could barely get out of bed. Paige would make breakfast for the other kids, make sure they had lunch packed for school. I think she learned from me to hide when crying. She’s a tough girl, my Paige.”
“She is,” I agreed. I’d sensed that in her the first time I’d seen her. She was a dreamer and a force to be reckoned with when needed, fighting for the project she believed in, determined to give it her best. She was an amazing woman, and it was a privilege to be by her side.
I knew that she wasn’t entirely comfortable with my job. Yes, she’d said she’d gotten used to it, but I also knew her well enough to catch on to the telltale signs: getting used to something wasn’t the same as liking something. I remembered how she’d reacted when she’d seen the scratch on my neck after our first night together, and wondered if that underlying fear would keep her from loving me. Was there something I could do to make this easier for her?
