Cuffing Her: A Small Town Cop Romance Read online

  She nods. “My mom. I can stay with her. God, she’s going to freak!”

  “It’s OK, Katie. You’re safe now,” Naomi says.

  She helps Katie find her phone and make the call. When her mother arrives, she is beside herself, especially when she sees the chair and all the cut sheets that bound her daughter. I do my best to explain the situation and to remind them both that they are safe now. The perpetrator will be locked up for a long time, shipped to prison elsewhere.

  The worry doesn’t leave their eyes.

  I watch them depart with a weight on my shoulders. It feels like this should be the end. We got our man. But I have a feeling this isn’t over yet, and I hate that feeling. I bury it deep as I turn back to look at Naomi.

  Now it’s time to make sure she knows how safe she is with me.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Naomi

  I’m exhausted.

  I could sleep for a week, and I’ve only been awake for a few hours. The day is still young, but I’ve aged a hundred years in the past twenty minutes. I watch as Ben gently speaks to Katie, how he gets her safe with her mother and watches them as they depart. When he turns to look back at me, my whole body goes numb with relief.

  He saved us.

  I stared death in the face, and he was my avenging angel, crashing in just in time. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t come? How did he even know to come here in the first place? I can’t help but ask the question.

  “How did you know?”

  He shrugs and walks toward me, one step, two. He walks slowly, like he’s scared I might startle and run away.

  “I had a bad feeling. When we stopped at the restaurant, Paul told us where you had gone and that things weren’t quite right. I didn’t ask questions after that. I acted.”

  “You saved our lives.” My voice is loaded with wonder and gratitude and any number of emotions I don’t want to name right now.

  He takes another step forward and reaches out his hand. His palm cradles my face as he stares into my eyes. “I got lucky. Sometimes that happens.”

  “I don’t believe in luck. You have a skill.”

  His chuckle is gentle as his thumb strokes my chin. I’m cherished and warm, and my exhaustion lets up a bit at his touch.

  “Let’s say it takes a little bit of both in this job and leave it at that. You don’t have to disagree with me at every turn, you know. We could agree, sometimes.”

  He’s trying to cheer me up, and to my surprise, it’s working. My mouth twitches with the hint of a smile as I gaze up at him. In this moment, he is like the sun, bringing life to my entire world.

  Uh oh.

  “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

  “Do that. In the meantime, we need to get you home safe.”

  “In the meantime, I need to get back to work.”

  “I thought you said you weren’t going to fight me on everything.”

  “I said I’d consider it. I have a restaurant I need to open, and a sous chef to inform. Paul needs to know what’s happened, and to open up shop.”

  Ben places his palms on my shoulders, and his eyes bore into mine, willing me to listen carefully. “Now hear this. You experienced a crime. Going back to work is inadvisable at best and dangerous at worst. You could go into shock while waiting on customers. Do you want to faint on the job?”

  “I’m not that feeble,” I protest.

  Ben doesn’t move. “I never said you were. Everyone goes into shock after being attacked, Naomi. Trust me, I’ve seen enough of it to know. Are you willing to trust my expertise here?”

  I stare up at him, and I want to say no. I want to protest. I want to go to work and be busy and get my mind off of what just happened. The look in his eyes tells me that won’t be happening today.

  “Fine, but we need to let Paul know.”

  His lip twitches into the ghost of a smile, and he nods. “We can let Paul know. Are you ready to go home?”

  I’ve never been more ready to go home in my entire life than I am in this moment. My hand instinctively goes to my back pocket, and I remember that my phone is on the ground by the chair. I glance in that direction, and Ben’s gaze follows. He sees my phone and takes action, stepping over the couch to grab it before he hands it to me. I palm it and place it back in my pocket.

  “Thanks. Yes, I’m ready.”

  “Just one more thing,” he says.

  I stare up at him with curiosity, and without warning he wraps me in his arms and holds me close to him. At first, I’m taken off guard, but the warmth of him has me melting, and I rest my body against his. He’s so strong and powerful, but so gentle all at once. It’s a cocktail I can’t help but imbibe, and it soothes my battered soul. His hand strokes my back, and I listen to the sound of his heartbeat as I allow the gentle rhythm to calm my tattered nerves.

  When he pulls away, I’m left hollow. I only feel whole when he’s holding me, but I don’t want to ask him to again. I want to leave this place and try never to relive this morning again.

  Of course, that will never happen. It will likely haunt my dreams.

  Ben laces his fingers with mine and escorts me from the building. He turns and closes the door behind us. We walk down the sidewalk, and we could be any couple going for a stroll, rather than a cop escorting a victim back to her house. I wish we were the former.

  I wish it so badly.

  We reach my front door, and I realize I left my keys in the restaurant. I tell Ben as much, and he holds fast to my hand as he leads us down the back alley to the kitchen. When we step inside, Paul’s worried expression greets us.

  “Where’s Katie?” he asks.

  I’m grateful for Ben as he updates Paul on the situation.

  “The restaurant will need to remain closed for the day. You can open tomorrow.”

  Paul looks to me to confirm this. He’s not taking orders from Ben. He’s taking them from me, and I respect him for it.

  “He’s right. Let’s close shop today and recover. I don’t expect Katie to be back tomorrow or even the day after that, so I’ll take on serving duties. You will be compensated for the day, Paul.”

  He shakes his head. “That’s not what you need to worry about right now. I’m fine. I’ll make sure everything’s set for tomorrow and put up the sign. Please take care of yourself, Naomi.”

  “She will be safe, I assure you,” Ben says. We leave Paul behind to complete his tasks. I grab my keys from my office, and we head back to my place. Ben opens the door for me, and we walk inside together, our hands still clasped. It’s a lifeline that I desperately need, and I’m glad that he isn’t pulling away.

  My gaze shoots to my busted-up window, and I frown. I remember that I’m not entirely safe here, either. Still, this is my home, and it’s the only place in the world I want to be right now.

  With Ben.

  “Why don’t you get comfortable on the sofa and put on something mindless? I’ll make us something to eat.” He drags his cell out of his pocket. “I’ve got to put in a call to the department too.”

  “You can eat at a time like this?”

  He lifts an eyebrow at me. “I’ve eaten after men were killed two feet in front of me. If we don’t eat, we don’t have the strength to carry on.”

  I stare up at him. There’s so much about Ben that I don’t know. I can tell he wants to do something, to be busy and useful, so I nod.

  I don’t feel particularly hungry, but maybe I will if Ben is the one providing the meal.

  “Kitchen’s stocked. Feel free to make whatever you want.”

  “Good, now lie down here and get comfortable.”

  He leads me to the couch and guides me to a sitting position. He pulls a blanket from the other couch and flings it into the air and lowers it over me. He’s taking care of me.

  It’s a nice feeling. Jordan never took care of me a day in his life. I could get used to this.

  He kisses the top of my head, and he dashes over to the kitchen. I wan
t to watch him. I want to see what he’s making, but he ordered me to rest and watch TV. Who am I to disobey such a request?

  I turn on the television, but nothing good is on in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. I switch it over to music and put on my favorite playlist. I’m lost in thought when Ben returns with a plate filled with a variety of fresh fruit, chopped into bite-sized pieces. I can’t help but laugh.

  “This is your gourmet feast?”

  His smile is boyish, and I want to kiss it right off his face. “You’re the chef. I’m a tinkerer.”

  “A what?”

  “I like to play with cars.”

  “Oh,” I say. I glance down at the plate. He has arranged the fruit in a pleasing way, I must say. It’s not exactly a hearty clam chowder, but my stomach aches a little at the sight of it. Perhaps I am a little hungry after all.

  Ben lifts a strawberry from the plate and holds it out to me for a bite. I smirk at him.

  “I’m not that battle weary. I can feed myself.”

  “I know. Just… humor me.”

  The look in his eyes tells me that this isn’t a caregiver’s request. He wants to watch me put the fruit in my mouth, like I like to watch him put his tongue in my cunt. In spite of everything, or maybe because of it, my pussy tingles with excitement, and I want Ben all over me, now.

  I lock eyes with him as I lean forward. He brings the ruby-colored fruit to my lips, and I open up to take a bite. My teeth come down against the succulent flesh of the fruit, and I chew and swallow it all while maintaining eye contact with Ben. When he breaks our connection, it’s because his gaze has traveled down to my lips. He captures my chin between his thumb and his index finger and gently pulls me forward.

  I close my eyes as his lips touch mine.

  He’s gentle, tentative even. He wants to make sure I’m not too fragile or even broken. My tongue darts out to lick his lips, to let him know that I’m stronger than he may think. It’s enough to convince him, because he scoots closer and lifts me off the couch and onto his lap. I can feel his erection beneath his jeans as my ass settles comfortably against him, and I kiss him with everything I’ve got.

  Ben’s hands continue to cradle my face, and he kisses me, his tongue gentle and firm all at once. I breathe him in, and I enjoy the tingling sensation that’s taken over my entire body. The world around us dissolves, and he is my entire world.

  One hand leaves my face and drifts south to cup my breast. It doesn’t linger there. Instead, it sinks lower until it’s at the hem of my cotton dress. His mouth stays hard on mine as his fingers dip between my legs, and he strokes my clit through my underwear.

  My head swims with excitement and desire. And one other thing.

  It’s occurred to me in this moment that I am falling in love with Ben. For the first time in my life, this thought doesn’t make me feel afraid.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Ben

  All rational thought dissolves as my finger slides up and down Naomi’s slit through her thin underwear. She moans into my mouth, and my fingers pull her panty line aside, exposing her hot pink flesh.

  She’s soaked. Oh, dear lord.

  I release a groan of my own, and she captures it in her mouth as her hips rise and fall with the stroke of my finger. Naomi is my instrument, and I am quickly becoming a master player. My hand moves from her face to her breast, and my thumb circles around her nipple until it puckers and reaches out for me.

  I’m feeling more than lust in this moment, and it scares me. I know where these kinds of feelings lead. They lead to an open chasm of pain. I have been through enough in my life without getting crushed by anything else. I’m not fit for any kind of serious relationship. I should stop this before it goes too far.

  Naomi reaches down and grips my cock through my pants. This is so wrong. I should leave. I should go back to the station and check in with James on that scumbag, but I can’t now.

  I can’t leave her here after what happened.

  I love her.

  I struggle to focus as she runs her hand up and down the length of my dick, and it hardens at her touch. It rises until it’s uncomfortable, restrained as it is by the taut fabric of my jeans. She’s still kissing me, her breath hot against my lips as she pants with pleasure. I slide my finger up and flick her clit, and she gasps.

  Good. Still have control here. This is very good.

  My finger slides back down, and I tease her opening. I circle my finger right at her entrance, and I tempt her with what will come next. I slide my finger in a little bit, then pull it back out, and she bites on my lip as punishment for my teasing.

  I grin against her mouth. “Now, now. You’ll get there when I’m ready to bring you there.”

  “You’re a jerk,” she says, though he tone is anything but stern with me. She likes being teased. Naomi likes to watch, and she likes some good foreplay. Without knowing a lot else about this woman over the course of our relationship, at least I know that much.

  A niggling voice pipes up in the back of my mind again. I don’t know enough about her to feel the way I do. I’m being an idiot, and I should know better. Naomi slides her mouth from mine and pulls my shirt collar aside so that she can nibble on my shoulder.

  “Mmm, that is as tasty as I imagined,” she says. Her hand picks up its pace on my dick, and once again, the rational thoughts are banished as the blood flow heads south, far away from my brain.

  Naomi tugs on my shirt and tears it from my body. I barely have time to lift my arms before she tosses it on the floor. She sits back, and I lose my grip on her pussy as she takes in my bare body.

  “It’s my turn for a taste,” she says. She holds my shoulder down with one hand as she dips her head and licks my shoulder. Her tongue traces a white-hot path downward, and to my surprise, she clamps her mouth over my nipple and sucks.

  My whole body erupts at the sensation. Her fingertips dance along the head of my cock as she sucks, and my body is on fire. Right when I can’t take any more, her tongue leaves my nipple and continues its journey south. She runs it along the crease of every ripple in my abdomen, the slick feel of her tongue turning me on with each stroke on my skin.

  She reaches the barrier of my jeans, and she looks up at me with those stunning dark eyes of hers as she removes her hand from my dick so that she can unbutton my jeans. I watch her, entranced. She moves at a snail’s pace, a glint in her eye as she removes the button from my jeans, then slowly lowers the zipper.

  I’ve never seen anything so sexy in my entire life. She tugs at my jeans, and I’m forced to lift my ass so she can bring them all the way down. Her gaze lands on my crotch beneath a black pair of boxer briefs, and her hungry expression is mesmerizing.

  I cannot wait to fuck this woman.

  I lean forward, ready to take control so I can do what both our bodies want, but she stops me with a hand.

  “Not yet. I said I wanted a taste.”

  “You are driving me insane,” I say through gritted teeth. She beams up at me from the floor, her face mere inches from my dick.

  “Good.”

  She dips her head and runs her tongue along the length of my underwear, giving my cock a hint at what it will feel like with her mouth on my bare skin. Her eyes leave mine as she focuses down south. Her fingertips hook into the top of my underwear, and she tears them down as easily as she did my pants.

  She blows gently on my hard dick, which is throbbing at this point. She looks up at me again with that sexy grin of hers, and then she focuses on my cock, running her tongue from my balls to the head then back down. I lean back into the couch as she fucks me with her wet mouth. She alternates between licking up and down and taking it inside her mouth and sucking, hard.

  “I’m going to come if you aren’t careful,” I warn her. I’m too close, and I don’t want this to end so soon. I want her to get off at least twice before I do.

  My statement only serves to speed her on, and she sucks harder. Her head bobs up and down
with the rhythmic motion, and if I don’t act soon, it will be too late.

  “Come here,” I growl.

  I pull her up from the floor and settle her back on my lap. With one hand, I pull at her panties and slide them off her legs then toss them next to mine. She is bare before me, slick and wet and so ready to be fucked. I guide the tip of my dick to her opening, and she slides down, taking me inside her.

  She tosses her head back as she bounces up and down on my cock. This time, I get a fantastic show, but it’s not enough. Her dress is still hiding valuable assets from my view.

  As she rides, I reach down and grab her dress.

  “Arms up. Now.”

  She obeys, and I slide the garment up over her head and toss it aside. To my disappointment, there is a thin bra underneath. Naomi slides down and takes my dick deep inside her. Then she stops and locks eyes with me. There is so much trust in the level of eye contact we keep during these moments.

  Isn’t that strange, given our circumstances?

  Nevertheless, I hold her gaze as she reaches back and unclasps her bra. Her breasts tumble free as she throws it to the side and picks up her rhythm. Now I can watch her fuck me as her tits bounce up and down. I can’t resist them. I reach out and tweak her nipple, and she moans. I pull her forward, and I suck as deeply as she did on mine, pulling her nipple out with my teeth as she grinds along my hard shaft.

  Her moaning picks up tempo—she’s not far off from her first orgasm. I pull back from her nipple and grasp her perfectly round ass. She wants a hard ride? I’ll make her sore for days.

  I lift her and drop her back down, getting a little rough. She screams out in ecstasy, and I am driven on with the knowledge that this is what will get her to the finish line. I spread her ass cheeks as I raise and lower her over and over again, fucking her with all my might. She reaches forward and rubs her clit, but I notice that she’s not watching this time.

  She is just feeling. Experiencing.

  We’re in an awful lot of trouble. I wish I could care as my dick slides in and out of her, the friction winding up for a killer orgasm for us both. Her legs shake as I pump into her, the only sound in the room that of my balls slapping against her ass with every thrust.