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He spent untold moments exploring her breasts, running his hands over her body, caressing her flat stomach, down to the hemline of her sleep shorts, enjoying the sounds of satisfaction Lacey made. She was practically purring like a cat when he slowly tucked a finger in each side of her pants and drew them down over her hips and past her knees, past her ankles—
“Do you have a condom?” Lacey suddenly sat up.
He grinned. Was that actual fear in her eyes? “Yes,” he replied, putting her out of her misery. A good detective was always prepared. And he was a stickler for protection. He reached over and yanked open the top drawer of his bedside table. “How many would you like?” he asked, grabbing a handful and dropping them on the bed.
“One is good for now,” she said, snatching one up, her breath coming in short and sharp gasps. “Your turn,” she said pulling greedily at his boxer briefs, fumbling ineffectively at them.
He stepped off the bed and helpfully dropped his boxers around his ankles.
“Not bad,” Lacey said, raising her eyebrows. Her gaze roamed over his chest, down his legs and then came back up to rest on his erection. “Not bad at all.”
Smudge suddenly stood, tail wagging hopefully. Nico had forgotten his dog was in the room. “Out,” he demanded, pointing his finger at the door. Poor Smudge slunk through the gap and headed for his customary place by the fireplace. Nico didn’t think Lacey would appreciate his dog watching on eagerly as they made love.
Lacey giggled when he climbed back onto the bed. But her mirth quickly subsided as he took the condom from her hand and ripped it open with his teeth.
As he sheathed himself, she lay back on the bed, blonde hair falling all around her like a halo. An angel. That’s what she looked like. Until she reached up grabbing at his hair with one hand and grabbing at his erection with the other, greedy for him, before urging him inside her. Then he was glad she also had a little of the devil in her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
LACEY COULDN’T LOOK at herself in the bathroom mirror. She could hardly believe how she’d acted last night. And looking in the mirror merely reminded her. When she did finally lift her head and stare into the steamy glass, she saw her mouth still swollen from kissing, the mark on her neck where Nico had branded her in the heat of passion, and a blush on her cheeks that hadn’t been there yesterday. Damp strands of hair from her shower hung around her face, the blonde locks still tangled and messy from their night spent rolling in the sheets.
She looked exactly like a woman who’d been ravished.
And she didn’t know how she felt about that.
It was true; she was the one who’d gone to Nico’s bed last night in search of comfort. She certainly hadn’t been actively seeking to have sex with him, that hadn’t been her goal. It was as she told him, to drive away the nightmarish images that kept playing on repeat behind her eyelids. She’d fought with her feelings of fear for many hours, knowing a good police officer should be able to handle such things. But in the end, her craving for comfort, the sort of comfort only Nico could offer, became too strong to ignore. All she’d really hoped for was a few hours of blissful sleep, safe in his arms. But perhaps there was also a wish, buried in her subconscious that things might get…heated.
And heated they had definitely become. Nico was good in bed. No, better than good. He was amazing. He was gentle when he needed to be gentle, but also demanding and bold when his passion took hold. Not asking anything of her that she wasn’t prepared to give, but not holding anything of himself back either. And that body. Oh, my. She couldn’t get enough of his body. Not big and muscly like Karim. Nico was toned and lean, with a set of abs that she couldn’t stop running her fingers over, just to feel the ridges. And hands that were big and strong; his long, clever fingers leaving an everlasting impression on her skin.
It was after nine in the morning when they finally emerged from their warm, safe cocoon in Nico’s bedroom. Smudge had been whining by the door for a while before Nico grunted that he needed to “let the bloody dog out”, and had gone to do exactly that, stopping to kiss her thoroughly on the lips on the way out. Poor Smudge; not only had Nico kicked him out of the bedroom, but he’d been so patient waiting to get outside to relieve himself. Without Nico in the bed, Lacey had suddenly felt awkward being alone in his bedroom and decided to take the opportunity and shower and change. Grabbing her clothes, she’d fled to the bathroom.
Lacey turned her head to study her profile in the mirror, letting her gaze drift down to analyze the rest of her body. She was wearing her underwear but hadn’t yet donned jeans or a sweater. Studying herself critically, she tried to see what Nico might find attractive. Her stomach was fairly flat—probably a result of not eating properly over the past few months, more than any regular exercise regime—and her breasts were on the small side. Elora had always tried to get her to wear those padded, push-up bras, proclaiming that a woman needed to enhance her assets if nature didn’t provide. And for a while, Lacey had worn the uncomfortable underwear just to please her. Until she began traveling around Tasmania and left the sphere of her mother’s influence. Now she wore soft, cotton sports tops, which were more comfortable than sexy. But Nico had been adamant he liked her breasts just the way they were. And she thought she believed him. Moving her gaze down, she noted her skin had a sort of creamy hue, from not seeing the sunshine for so long, and her—
There was a knock on the bathroom door, and she jumped guiltily. “How are you doing in there? Is everything okay?” She’d been in here much longer than was strictly necessary, and he must be worried about her.
“Yes. I’m just getting dressed,” she called out, hopping on one foot as she tugged on her jeans.
“I didn’t mean to rush you,” he said through the door. “Just checking you’re all right?” She could hear the edge of uncertainty in his tone. He’d probably returned to the bedroom, expecting to find her still in his bed, and wondered where she’d got to. She felt like a coward, because she’d been unable to face him. Tugging her sweater over her head, she threw open the bathroom door and smiled winningly.
“All good,” she said. “The shower is free, if you want it.”
“No, that wasn’t what I meant.” Nico stood in the hallway, his hair pushed back from his face, the scar on his cheek more pronounced in the harsh lighting. While he was definitely a man in his prime, this morning she could see through his confident exterior to the man beneath. And he looked older somehow, fatigue gnawing around the edges of his bravado. It was as if their night together had allowed her access to a deeper level of Nico, to the man he kept hidden from most people. Now she was beginning to learn some of the secrets he concealed behind his eyes. Knew that he was scrupulous with details, almost a perfectionist. And he hated it when he got things wrong. Like letting her come home alone, only to be attacked. She knew he took that hard. And it was part of the stress she was seeing on his face this morning.
Suddenly, she didn’t know what to say.
An awkward silence descended, just as she’d feared it would. Sleeping together had changed things between them. Shit. She stared at him, grasping for words, but none came. Nico’s dark-blue eyes narrowed; then he pursed his lips, and it was as if a shutter had gone down inside him.
He turned and walked to the kitchen. She followed hesitantly in his wake.
She needed an explanation as to why she’d vanished from his bed. Why she was suddenly tongue-tied and shy. Needed to say something to get the real Nico back. But what? She didn’t know if last night was a one-off thing. Arising from her weakness and her inability to cope, and so she’d sought comfort in his arms. And had he given her what she needed because that was the kind of man he was? Always wanting to help. Always wanting to fix things. She was so confused.
Instead of addressing her concerns, she turned the conversation to safer ground. “Dave is coming this morning. Soon, I think,” she said as Nico stopped by the coffee machine and flicked on the switch.
He looked up, eyes hooded, hiding his true feelings. “Oh. I’d almost forgotten,” he said blandly. “With everything else that’s happened… I thought perhaps you might…” He trailed off. What? Perhaps she might stay longer? Not get her van fixed? She had to get her van fixed. That was a no-brainer. But whether she moved on or not once it was roadworthy, that was the elephant in the room. Why had things just got more complicated, not less?
Things had changed between them last night. They’d proved their physical chemistry was off the charts. And that’d been after only one night. What might they achieve if they did it again? And again? What if they started a relationship? They might be great together. Was that what she was scared of?
But she was getting too far ahead of herself. She didn’t even know if Nico wanted her to stay for one more day, let alone for the foreseeable future. And even if he did ask her to stay, did she want to?
