He had no spit but managed to mutter, “If I’m stuck with tofu, you better give me more.”
She dropped her voice to a husky, naughty growl. “Oh, I intend to.”
Lowering her head, she dropped kisses over his chest, moving down his body, until she cupped his throbbing erection in her soft hands and began to work him. Stone gritted his teeth and hung on. Her mouth opened over him, sucking him deep, her tongue running up and down the front and sides with an expert precision that almost made him weep like a girl.
After endless minutes of sweet torture, she pushed him to the edge, until he exploded in her mouth, his hips jerking as the brutal release of his orgasm crashed through him, pulling him deep into the pit. The last conscious thought echoing over and over in his head as he came was:
Mine.
Then he didn’t think anymore.
nineteen
STONE SAT IN the squad car. Fingers gripping the wheel, he stared at the door leading to the station and tried desperately not to panic.
“I can’t do this. I’ve got a pile of paperwork that’ll ground me in there all day, plus a double shift. You may have won over Devine, but those guys in there are hard-core, mean-ass brutes who’ll eat you alive. And me. I’d have to transfer, and I just got used to Verily. I’m not fucking doing this.”
No answer.
“Just because you don’t piss me off in the car doesn’t mean you can handle the station. And no, you can’t stay with Robert, because you’re getting way too attached to him. We need to learn to survive on our own. Not be needy for happiness or shit like that. We need to distance ourselves from both of them. Right?”
Still nothing. He glanced in the mirror.
She sat in her usual position in the backseat, body trembling with excitement. The damn rat fink now held Devine in the palm of her dainty paw, but she’d never make it with the others. His partner now admitted her coolness and even started sneaking her treats. Ridiculous.
Pinky and Robert had grown so close over the past few days that it was like watching the beginning of a love relationship in first bloom. They cuddled, lay on each other, shared food from one bowl, and played. How Pinky went from being catatonic and terrified of other animals to a charming hussy, he had no clue. But when she pulled the same shit and tried to block the door this morning, whimpering in disappointment at his departure for work, he decided not to rely on Arilyn and Robert and to bring her with him instead.
He was an ass.
“Fine. Let’s get this over with. Not a word. And be cool. Do you understand me?”
He got out of the car, picked her up, and walked inside. After today, he might need to transfer. He’d need to make sure the guys understood it was a temporary situation and he was doing this to get laid. It was the only way to preserve his dignity.
Muttering a greeting to Jessica, the dispatcher, he pushed his way toward his desk, which was a mess of candy bar wrappers, stacks of paperwork, and the empty pack of Marlboros he still needed to smell on occasion. He hung his jacket over the back of his chair and placed Pinky down by the desk. He wished Devine were there to back him up, but he was coming in late from a dentist appointment.
“Stay quiet,” he ordered. “You’re so small, maybe no one will notice you. Got it?”
Pinky seemed to nod. She circled twice, then plopped down on the floor, looking content.
“What the hell is that?”
The booming voice came out of nowhere. Stone clenched his jaw and turned to meet Chief Dick. He pointed at Pinky, an expression of horror on his face. Yeah. This was not good.
“Uh, a dog, sir.”
“I know it’s a damn dog, Petty. What is the thing doing at your desk?”
Of course, his booming voice brought the crew over to investigate. Dunn and McCoy appeared, eyes bugging out as they stared, then burst into laughter. Why the hell were they there? He figured they’d be off duty by now.
“It’s wearing a pink sweater!”
“Are those diamonds on its collar?”
“Why does it look like a rat?”
“It’s the Taco Bell dog, but not.”
Pinky raised her head, sensing the attention. Her little body began to shake as if she sensed she was being bullied.
“Cut the shit,” Stone bellowed. “You’re scaring her.” His boss and coworkers stared at him as if he’d announced he was going to begin dancing at Lucky Cheng’s. “Listen up. I’m dogsitting, her name is Pinky, and she’s been through a lot of shit, so give her a break. Some jerks used her for bait, so she was torn up and abused. If you want to be a bunch of assholes, go ahead, but don’t do it near her or me. She won’t bother anyone, and if she acts up, I’ll take her home. Okay?”
He waited for the jibes, jokes, and general insults. Instead, Chief Dick rolled his eyes. “Whatever. One bark and she’s outta here.” He dropped more papers on the desk. “Get to work.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dunn and McCoy snickered. “Did you go shopping for her, Petty? Going metrosexual on us, dude?”
He gritted his teeth and took it like a man. “Why don’t you go and sew a drag queen outfit, Make It Work Dunn?”
“Asshole. Hey, I saw you at the gym the other day. Was gonna have you spot me, but you were walking into some stretching class. What’s up with that, Petty? You lose your balls, too?”
“You wish. I took the boxing class beforehand and left my water bottle. But you could use a few stretches, Timmy boy. Maybe bust out something better than missionary position for the ladies.”
McCoy groaned in approval. Dunn gave him the finger and stalked off.
McCoy shook his head. “Rookie’s gonna freak. He hates dogs.” A glimmer lit his eyes. “Hey, can we put Rat Fink on his desk for when he comes in? That’ll be a hoot.”
Stone shrugged. “Sure, why the hell not.”
McCoy wandered off, excited to make someone else’s life a bit miserable, and Stone let out his breath. He glanced down at Pinky and winked. “We’re good for now. Take a load off.”
She collapsed back on the floor with a big doggy sigh and went to sleep.
IT WAS THE LAST day of anger management.
She was proud of what they had all accomplished together. One of her favorite things about the classes was getting to know people on such an intimate basis. The barriers were stripped; everyone got real and realized they weren’t alone. Luther and Eli had blossomed over the session, and she felt that they would approach life differently. She had really helped.
Arilyn looked around the firehouse. Strange emotions pumped through her, and she took a moment to reconnect with her center.
Six weeks and her life had changed. Six weeks since Officer Stone Petty had trudged through the doors with a scowl and stole her heart. He challenged her, pushed her, surprised her, angered her, and gave her everything she’d always wanted from a man. But she’d learned a valuable lesson from Jacob. One had to be willing and present within the relationship or it was doomed. Already she sensed Stone backing away over the past few days, trying to find his lost footing.
She sensed he loved her. It was in his touch, the way he gazed at her, the way he buried himself deep in her body with satisfaction and tenderness. But if he fought his emotions and refused to believe they could have something permanent, she may need to make a hard decision.
Stone Petty showed her she deserved better.
Five years with Jacob had trained her to accept and be grateful for any crumbs. No more. She was whole, and good, and had a ton of love to give to someone. She wanted a man brave enough to leap with her and not blame his limitations on his inability to love or commit.