Kristi glanced up at the sound of the deep, sexy voice to see Patrick Hayes standing there. He was looking a little bedraggled himself, no doubt from the hassle of corralling bystanders and directing traffic around the scene. Still, the sound of his voice warmed her.She gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "No kidding.""Damn good job today. As usual.""Thanks." She gave him a tired smile. "For a while there, I thought the line would never stop. I'm just glad things weren't a lot worse.""Someone was saying the building was a total loss.""True that." She sighed. "This is the third one in two weeks. I hate to think we've got an arsonist at work.""Me, too." Captain Stewart had walked up just then. He was always on-site for major incidents and this certainly fit that category, especially if it was more than an isolated occurrence. "I've already called headquarters and requested Dan Varney. He's working the other two sites so he's got continuity."Kristi had met Dan, one of the arso
"To what?" Kristi frowned."I know your schedule. You're off twenty-four starting tomorrow. Dinner. Tomorrow night.""Dinner?" She stared at him. In the middle of a fire scene, he was asking her to dinner?She studied his face, the navy-blue eyes with the indecently thick lashes, the late day scruff just sprouting on his jaw, the lock of midnight-black hair that had escaped his patrol hat. He was most definitely good looking, but there was also something else there, a heat and an intensity that woke up parts of her body she'd been keeping in cold storage."Great!" He grinned, as if she'd said yes. "Pick you up at seven." He waved as he ran back to help one of the other cops with a traffic problem.Kristi stared after him. Now what was she supposed to do? She didn't even have his cell phone number to tell him it was all a big mistake.Go ahead! The little devil in her brain whispered to her. It's about time.She might have been on a dating diet but she had to admit, every time sh
It was stupid to be so nervous. Kristi had repeated that to herself a hundred times already. It was just a date. Maybe not even a real date. Maybe just dinner with a friend. Oh, who the hell was she kidding? The heat in Patrick's eyes when he looked at her was a clear indication this was a lot more than that.They'd danced around this for weeks now. The casual touches, the intense looks they'd exchanged, despite her best intentions. The sexual awareness that seemed to wrap around them like a thick cloud whenever they were together. She hadn't felt this way for four years and hadn't ever expected to feel it again. Remembered pain had been her strongest sensation.This all seemed to just creep up on her, and now, without any conscious decision on her part, they were taking things to the next level. Tonight was just dinner, but what would happen afterwards? For four years, she hadn't let a man get any closer than a platonic relationship. Friendship. And here she was, stepping into treac
At the moment Kristi considered phoning Patrick to call it off, the doorbell rang and her time for chickening out was gone. She grabbed her blazer and her purse, pulled open the door...and stared. Patrick Hayes was good looking in his policeman's uniform. He was good looking in the jeans and sweaters he wore at McNally's. But there was good looking and then there was good looking! The man in her doorway might as well have had sex stamped across his forehead.He wore a blue collared shirt, open at the throat, chinos, and a navy blazer. The shirt picked up the deep-blue of his eyes, eyes that had little flames of heat dancing in them and a look that said, I want to lick you all over.Kristi shivered, the walls of her pussy pulsed and throbbed, and her nipples hardened as a little tingle shot through them. It had been far too long since she'd gotten that feeling from a man rather than from her stash of toys. She had to mentally restrain herself from licking her lips.It seemed, however
Kristi was momentarily stunned when he lifted her in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. She managed to reach out and flip the light switch just inside the doorway, turning on the bedside lamps and casting the room in a warm, golden glow. The moment he set her on her feet his mouth was on her again. This time he slid from her lips down her neck, placing a row of tiny kisses as he unbuttoned her blouse and tugged it from her slacks.When he spotted the lace-and-silk bra with the little bow in the center, his eyes widened. Humming a little sound of satisfaction, he trailed more kisses, this time across the upper swell of each breast. She shivered at the hot, wet feel of his mouth, arching her back to give him greater access. Her nipples begged for his attention, and as if he heard their silent plea, he closed his mouth over one pebbled tip, sucking it into his mouth, bra and all.The moan that drifted from her mouth made him suck all the harder, until she was afraid she might come
Kristie locked her gaze with his and clutched at his arms as the head of his shaft prodded at her entrance. Then, one inch at a time, pulling back and pushing forward, he thrust until he was fully inside her. And god! He just filled up every single inch of her."That's it." His voice was raw. Hoarse. And his face was flushed with passion. "Keep your eyes on me. We'll take it nice and slow."He did exactly that, drawing back until only the head of his cock was inside her then driving forward with a slow steady motion. Little by little, her body relaxed to accept him, the soaked walls of her pussy adjusting to his size and length. Slow and steady, he'd told her, and that was exactly what he did. Except, as he continued his in and out strokes, her body began to accommodate him more and, pretty soon, slow and steady wasn't enough.She wound her legs around his waist and dug her heels into the small of his back, trying to urge him to move at a greater speed."You don't want to move fast
Kristi dreamed she was on a tropical beach, the sun bathing her in its warmth. She felt warm inside and out, pleased and happy. Then, without warning, the sun disappeared taking the heat with it, and a chill skittered over her skin."No," she moaned. "Come back."The sun kissed her shoulder then her cheek. The sun? Kissed her?"Sorry, sleepyhead. We don't all have the day off."What? Wait...She pried her eyes open to see an astonishing pair of midnight-blue ones staring back at her. She blinked, and the rest of Patrick's face came into focus. He was crouched beside the bed, watching her. When he saw she was awake, he nudged her over enough so he could sit down next to her. With his fingers, he gently stroked the strands of hair back from her cheek.She realized her warmth had come from Patrick's body wrapped around her, and the absence occurred when he slid out of bed."Come back," she teased in a sleep-filled voice, and she reached out an arm to him."Some of us have to go to
Patrick had hoped to catch Keith before the start of his shift, but he'd barely made it in time. Instead, he'd managed to get a minute with him at the end of the day. He could have left the man a note to wait for him, but he wanted this to appear as casual as possible. So he hung around the locker room waiting for Keith to get off shift and come in to change. He had about given up when the door to the locker room opened."Hey, how's it going?" Keith gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "How's your partner?""Good. He's good.""I had hoped we could ride together," Keith told him, "but the assignments had already been made.""No problem." He fiddled around with his stuff for a moment before closing his locker and standing up. "Say, what's the deal with Kristi Gregory?""The deal?" Keith stopped in the middle of stripping off his uniform. "In what way?" Then a slow grin spread over his face. "Why, you sly dog. You interested in her?""What if I am?" He tried not to sound too defensive.