I See You (Criminal Profiler, #2)(84)

He wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her closer to him. She could feel his erection hard against her. It had been too long since she had enjoyed a man and allowed herself to feel.

Vaughan ran his calloused fingers over her long slim neck and up to the clip holding up her hair. He tugged at the band holding the braid and unraveled her hair, which tumbled around her shoulders in a wave of curls. He ran his fingers through her hair, spreading it over her shoulders.

She reached for his tie and gently tugged and loosened it as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. She pressed her fingertips against his chest and kissed his lips.

“Where’s your bedroom?” he asked.

She could hear the urgency in his voice. “Top of the stairs.”

His eyes glinted like glass. “Tell me it’s not Uncle Jimmy’s room.”

She chuckled. “No, it’s not. I took the front bedroom. It’s a little noisy, but it’s all mine.”

“Good.”

He took her by the hand and led her up the stairs, glancing only briefly at the pictures on the walls and noting the empty spots. He did not ask her why she had removed the pictures from the wall, but she knew he had noticed. Later, he might ask, but for now, he did not appear interested in talking.

She turned on the bedside light, which cast a soft glow over the room and the rumpled sheets she had not bothered to make this morning. As he removed his badge and gun from his belt, she did the same. Each set a weapon on a nightstand, his on the left, closest to the door, and hers on the right.

As he unbuttoned his shirt, he walked to the picture leaning against the wall. In the photo, Zoe was dressed in a black tutu and stood on tiptoe in silver satin toe shoes. Her long arms were outstretched, and her head was angled toward the sky. He stared with clear interest. “This is you?”

“In my glory.” She did not want to talk about the past. She wanted to focus on now. “When I dreamed of being a prima ballerina.”

His gaze lingered on the image. “How old were you?”

“Seventeen. It was shortly before my accident.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I found a way to reinvent myself.” She unfastened the buttons on her blouse, not the least bit interested in rehashing her dancing years. “It led me to law enforcement. To here.”

He raised his gaze to hers and very slowly lowered it over her body, resting finally on the pale crests of her breasts peeking out over a lace bra. “Your body is perfect.”

“Maybe not perfect, but not as lumbering as my instructors suggested.”

He crossed the room and smoothed his hands over her shoulders. “They were morons.”

A chuckle rumbled in her throat. “Perhaps that was one of the words I used as I left for the last time.”

He hooked his thumb into the strap of her bra and tugged it off her shoulder. The lace cup gapped, revealing more of her breast. He traced the top of the soft flesh, sending a ripple of desire shooting through her.

“I bet you were one of the best.” His voice had grown husky.

“Not one of the best. But really damn good.” She dropped her gaze to the tip of his finger and watched as it skimmed over her skin. Longing warmed her body. She hungered for what came next.

Vaughan stepped back and carefully removed his shirt, his stare never wavering from her face. She unhooked the back of her bra and let the lace fall to the ground. She stepped forward and skimmed her hands over his shoulders, relishing the strength in them.

He kissed her lips again. Like the last kiss, this was gentle, testing. She leaned into him and pressed her naked breasts against his chest. Immediately he deepened the kiss.

She reached for the buckle on his belt and deftly unfastened it. She slid her hand under the waistband, but she did not reach for him. She let her fingers linger in promise of what would soon happen. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to savor the desire and delay her release.

The next minutes passed in a blur of sensations as their clothes slid from their bodies and piled on the floor. When she stepped out of her panties, he rested his hands on her bare hips, and then began to slowly caress the curves of her body.

He tugged her toward the bed and pulled back the covers, watching as she climbed into the center. He moved on top of her and, pulling up the covers, nestled with her under the coverlet. His erection pressed against her as she cupped her breasts and then opened her legs. He kissed her on the lips and then on the top of her breasts, as she again skimmed her fingers toward his erection. His groan was a mixture of pain and pure pleasure.

This time, she wrapped her long fingers around his shaft and moved her hand up and down in a slow and steady pace. He drew in a breath and grabbed her hand, pinning it and the other above her head as he leaned forward and suckled her right nipple.

She hissed in a breath and arched as a soft curse escaped her lips. “You are too deliberate.”

“I thought you liked deliberate?” he asked.

She felt his grin against her breast as he looked up at her. “I do, but it’s more difficult than I imagined.”

The spark in his gaze told her he delighted in her frustration. “I have a reputation for examining all the details. I don’t rush.”

“Time to shift to the bigger picture now, Detective.” Her voice had a breathless edge.

He pulled his hand between her breasts and down her flat belly to the small nest of curls. “But details matter. I’ve heard you say it several times.”