Risking it All (Crossing the Line, #1)(83)

Now every new day with her became his new favorite.

Sera looped her fingers around his belt and tugged his body closer. Her curves meshed with his harder form, her sexy little moan blanketing his brain in a sensual fog. Against his better judgment, one hand dropped from the door and smoothed over her ass. He’d seen her tug on a red thong while they were dressing to leave and now all he could think of was massaging her * through the material. Would be thinking about it straight through this meeting and the entire way home until he got her alone.

Since they’d moved to Chicago last week, he’d been doing this kind of thing with growing frequency. Reminding himself that the one-bedroom apartment he shared with Sera was real by painting her on every wall. Reminding himself that she was real by kissing her sweet mouth every chance he got. These reminders always ended with her legs wrapped around his head, neck, or hips, screaming for mercy. Part of him hoped the need for confirmation of his dreams coming

true

never

went

away

completely. If they did, he might forget what a lucky bastard he was for a second. That wouldn’t work for him. He never wanted to take a single second for granted with his girl. His Sera.

Her hips started to move, which gave him no choice but to push his hardening cock against all that hot friction. She broke the kiss with a whimper, and then the brown eyes that ruled his dreams were locked on his. Bright, excited, lusty. Trusting. Fuck, what had he started? Recognizing the point of no return, Bowen forced himself to rein in the urge to reach a hand under her skirt and give her relief. Instead, he stepped back and adjusted himself.

“Unfair,” she breathed.

He brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ladybug. I needed a reminder and got carried away.”

Her eyes went soft. “You still need them?”

She really had no idea. Not even a clue how thoroughly she owned his thoughts. At first, he counted it as a blessing. If she knew the depth of his obsession with her, she might freak out a little. The more time went on, though, he felt hope bloom that she wouldn’t even flinch if she knew. That she might be a little obsessed with him as well. God, he f*cking well hoped so.

He twined their fingers together and reluctantly pulled her from the doorway.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like my reminders?”

“I love them.” She tucked into his side. “You take them as often as you want. No complaints from this corner.”

“I’ve created a monster.”

She growled playfully, but he could still see the need in her eyes. He’d make it up to her later. Several times. His blood went hot just thinking about it.

“Is Connor meeting us there?”

“Yeah.” They stopped at the corner and waited for traffic to pass. “He’s helping his mother get settled in. Said he’d head to the station afterward.”

Bowen hadn’t found out until the day they left New York what the NYPD had offered Connor to turn informant on his cousin. His mother’s declining health had been the driving force behind his decision. The driving force behind every one of the guy’s decisions, really.

Bowen still didn’t know how the man he now considered a friend got himself booted from the navy, but he wouldn’t press for more information. He was glad his instincts had been on point where Connor was concerned, though. Like him, Connor had been in a bad situation with no easy way out. If it weren’t for Sera, and okay, Troy, he’d still be treading water, just waiting for the day when he would finally sink.

Not anymore. He looked over to find Sera smiling up at him, the Chicago wind lifting the hair from her shoulders to brush across her still-swollen mouth.

If he lived to be a hundred years old, he couldn’t repay what he owed her. She’d given him a life worth living, helped him begin to bury the past. Before they left New York, she’d gone with him to see Pamela, his mother. He’d listened to her explanation for leaving, thanks to her fear of Lenny. She claimed she’d thought of him every single day. There wouldn’t be any family vacations or Thanksgiving dinners in the near future, but he couldn’t deny feeling a sense of peace that night.

News about Newsom’s corruption had leaked and the NYPD had been given no choice but to come clean about what had taken place behind the scenes. Newsom had been indicted on several charges including conspiracy, misappropriation of funds, and bribery. It seemed as if each day brought a new confession, a new crime he’d committed within the department.

The

NYPD

hadn’t

succeeded

in

keeping

the

media

uninformed

completely,

and

he

suspected Sera didn’t like seeing her family name dragged through the mud on the evening news. He sure as hell didn’t like it either, but as long as her identity stayed protected, he could sleep at night.

She’d had a harder time coming to terms with her brother’s dishonesty, but in the end, she’d seemed to realize that shades of gray existed everywhere, just as they did with him. That her happy memories of Colin didn’t need to go away. They could stay along with the bad ones. Bowen had done his part to help her heal by scouring the Chicago pawnshops looking for a Nintendo console. Wouldn’t you know it? The owner had unearthed an ancient Tetris cartridge from the back room. If having Sera in his life hadn’t already proved his luck had changed, that would have done it. Their tournament had started the same night.