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  When he got his hands on the little bitch who’d tried to come between them all the safewords in the world weren’t going to protect her ass. Russell laced his fingers through both hands, holding her tight. “Here we are though. Nothing lost. We’re still together.”

  “Barely.” She dropped a kiss to his lips. “Probably not the best idea to face off in court. No-holds-barred is one thing. No-holds-barred without you at night is hell.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.” He kissed her again and again, each one deeper than the last.

  “We just have a lot of time to make up for,” she said when he pulled from her lips.

  He dropped a final kiss to her forehead. “Then let’s go make up for it.” He stepped away long enough to open the door, then grabbed her hand and pulled her over the threshold behind him.

  Chapter Four

  Should she have safeworded him again?

  No. Valerie shook her head with the word. He’d backed down before when she’d red-lighted him. She had no reason to think he’d ignore it again. Trust had to start somewhere or they really were doomed. It seemed they both had obstacles to overcome tonight. One step to recapturing what they’d once enjoyed was dealing with those obstacles together.

  What about the next time we face off in court? Because there would be a next time.

  Her heart skipped when he’d locked the door behind them. This was here and now. That was all that mattered. He was all that mattered.

  “Undress for me, sweetheart.”

  His voice felt like silken water over her skin. He walked toward the nest of sofa and chairs—a wash of violets and blue that somehow worked in the otherwise cream décor. Russell stripped as he went—shoes here, jacket there, socks and shirt somewhere in between. It was impossible not to laugh.

  “Some things never change.”

  He grinned. “I do like to get comfortable.”

  “All over the place.” She motioned to the scattered clothes.

  “This from the queen of craft projects.” He sank into the middle of the sofa and raked his hand over the bulge of his erection.

  “Guilty as charged.” She accepted the title with a queenly nod.

  “Speaking of comfortable…” A jerk of his head indicated her clothing.

  Valerie unzipped her dress and let it slither from her shoulders as she toed off the heels. Her bra followed. Six months ago she would have done a little tease, raked her fingers through what little remained of her pubic hair, squeezed her breasts and offered him tight nipples, flashed her clit. Nerves and indecision nearly paralyzed her now.

  The tinkle of his belt buckle sent her heart racing. How many times had she fantasized about that sound? Of him pressing her over the counselor’s table, lifting her skirt and burning her ass? Of him fucking her right there in the courtroom? She’d hated herself for many things during those times—putting distance between them, wanting him so much it hurt, thinking of him doing naughty things when her focus had to remain on her job.

  Russell tossed the belt aside, well out of his reach and patted his thigh. “Come here.”

  There was little doubt how he wanted her positioned. What would he do if she challenged him? Take it to the next level? Retrieve his belt and remind her of what she’d been missing all this time? Niggling fear kept her from daring him. Angry Courtroom Russell supplanted Caring Dom Russell in her mind.

  Trust.

  The first test. And god she wanted it, even while she feared it.

  She stepped from the puddle of clothes and walked toward him. “I swear you’re getting harder by the second.”

  He grinned. “All for you, baby. All for you.”

  Perhaps just a little dare. Valerie stood astride his knees and parted her labia. “Come and get it.”

  Russell’s fingers replaced hers. He drove deep inside, thumb skirting her clit. Her knees buckled. He guided them to the cushion, then drew her closer until his mouth closed over her breast. She bowed into him, cried out when he suckled hard. Impaled, captured, his to do as he wished. She clutched his bare shoulders, hanging on while he pulled her to the very edge of orgasm. Valerie rode the approaching climax, each gasp for breath putting her a little higher up the crest.

  “Not yet, hot stuff.” In one swift move Russell had her facedown, sprawled over his lap.

  “Damn it all, Russell.” She beat the cushion with her fists.

  “Ah-ah-ah, watch your tongue.” He squeezed her butt cheek. “And I don’t mean watch it roll around my cock.” A sharp swat to the other cheek startled a gasp from her.

  “Ow.” A halfhearted protest, if ever she heard one. She writhed one hip against his cock and earned herself another smack.

  “Still trying to top?” Two more smacks in quick succession. “I won’t have it.” Five more that spread heat throughout her body. “I’m having a hard enough time as it is.”

  Valerie managed a small, “I can tell.” Another whack sent a rush of pleasure through her body.

  “You want this or not, sweetheart? Because I could drag you into the bedroom right now and give you a fucking that will knock us both out for the night.” He leaned until his lips caressed her ear. “But I’m thinking you not only want this…you need it.”

  God help her, she did. She adjusted position, offering her ass to him, digging fingers and toes into the edge of the cushion. “I do. I really do.”

  “Hmm…very good.”

  Valerie braced herself for that first extra-hard sting. No matter how much she prepared, it always took her breath away. She loved the jolt that signaled relief was on the way. A wake-up call to her body that enough was enough and it was time to let go.

  He smoothed his hand up her back, then brushed her hair over her shoulders. Alarm raced her heart. That was a move he made when a flogger was involved. She was far from ready for that. Her safeword hovered on her lips. She held back, waiting for the first sign…

  He traced his fingers down her spine one knob at a time. Sighs of pleasure replaced her misgivings. She parted her thighs when he reached her tailbone. Russell ignored the invite. Instead, he followed the curve of her cheeks, first one and then the other, then clamped his hand over one, squeezed and drew back.

  She tensed, waiting for it, wanting it. Russell’s hand landed on her other buttock, soft and gentle, yet the impact still managed to take her breath away. He kneaded those long fingers deep into the muscle. Valerie felt the heat rise to greet him. He moved to the other buttock, squeezing and pulling until she squirmed on his lap in search of that sweet spot that would help her come.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  Russell pulled her upright, forcing her to wobbly feet. She stared at him through blurry eyes. He pointed her toward the bedroom.

  “I want the bed stripped and you facedown by the time I get in there.”

  Valerie forced her feet to obey. Each step closer cleared the lust fog surrounding her. She briefly flirted with the idea of refusing his directive. Of seeing if she could push him over the edge to get what her body craved. The notion made her laugh inside. It’d never worked before. If anything it’d brought matters to a screeching halt. That was the last thing she wanted.

  She draped the bedcoverings over the footboard and crawled into place. The tinkle of his belt buckle announced his approach. Eyes closed, Valerie spread-eagled and counted the seconds.

  “Open and willing.” His voice rumbled over her. “Is that how you really feel?”

  She struggled for an answer. Truth was her only option. “Yes and no.”

  “I understand perfectly.”

  The bed sagged with his weight. He stretched out beside her—nude, hot and hard. Russell nudged his cock against her hip. The buckle jingled and was silenced. She pressed her lips together, anticipating his next move. He swept the tip of his belt down her back, over her ass, against her thighs. He paused for the beat of her thudding heart and brushed the leather between her legs. The barest of taps at the top lit her clit on fire.


  Valerie gasped and shuffled her thighs farther apart. Another tap lifted her hips. Another pulled a deep-throated groan from her. He shifted again, this time settling between her thighs. He lifted her hips only as far as it took for him to seat his cock in deep, then rolled to his back, taking her with him.

  One hand cupped her breast. The other danced the belt over her stomach and thighs, then hovered to a stop a hairsbreadth above her clitoris. Tempting, taunting. A thrust of his pelvis pushed her into the kiss of leather. Valerie cried out and strained for more. Orgasm rushed her from out of nowhere. He cradled her through it, whispering sweet phrases that heightened the pleasure. So hot. So sweet. So tight. So perfect.

  Her heart swelled. Emotion overwhelmed her. “You…you make me feel so treasured. So loved.”

  “That’s because you are, sweetheart.” He rolled with her again, putting her beneath him. “So treasured. So loved.” He kissed his way down her back as he withdrew.

  Valerie turned to face him. She cupped his face, silently begging him to look at her. But there wasn’t much begging to it. Their gazes locked as he pulled her calf around his hip and sank into her.

  “I love you, Valerie.”

  She wanted to tell him not to say such things in the heat of passion. “I love you too,” came out instead. “But…but…”

  He pressed his finger over her lips. “No buts. Just us.” He pulled her arms up and out until they brushed the headboard. Not breaking eye contract, he secured the soft leather cuffs around her wrists and looped the quick release catch through her fingers.

  He burrowed his fingers in her hair and slanted his mouth over hers. Hard kisses, soft kisses, deep then shallow, nips and tongue-tangling loops. Each one breathtaking. Each one binding her heart and soul to his. And Valerie felt them all in places she never knew existed.

  Russell made his way down her body. He kneaded those oh so sensitive tendons along her neck with his lips until she squirmed beneath him. He groaned in reply, thrusting into her hard and deep. She locked her ankles around his waist and rode with him. Heat rushed his lower back. Valerie recognized the signal well and rocked harder. He jerked free before orgasm overcame him.

  “What in the world am I going to do with you?” he said through pants of breath.

  “I…I can think of one or two things.” She lifted her leg to snag his hip and draw him back. Russell hooked it and hauled her to one side.

  “So can I.”

  The spanking she’d craved began in earnest. He covered every inch of her ass with a volley of smacks, some hard, some not, all designed to remind her of one thing. She couldn’t live without him.

  Warmth built in record time, swelling her clit to the breaking point. Russell knew it too. He wedged his knee against her crotch, giving her something to ride. Valerie thrashed against it, even while she lifted her backside for more, more, more. She came hard and fast. He spanked her through it, then pushed her into place, slammed his cock in deep and fucked the daylights out of her.

  Valerie tossed arms and legs around him the second he yanked the cuff release open. She never wanted to let go, never wanted this moment to end. The thought made her laugh inside. This moment would end but there would be many, many more. There was little doubt of that.

  He came on a cry her heart echoed. She clutched him tight until the last spasm released him. He pulled in hard breaths and rolled to the side to relieve her of his weight. Then he snapped the covers over them and pulled her into the cove of his body.

  Her brain started to dissect their declarations. Valerie told it to shut up. Nothing was going to spoil this moment. Nothing.

  Her eyes grew heavy. Russell’s breath deepened. She smiled and let sleep take her too.

  A dual blast from their telephones decided otherwise. They jerked upright, Russell looking as confused and pissed off about the interruption as she was. They crawled from bed and went in search of the infernal devices. His was in his trousers near the bedroom door. Hers was buried in the depths of the little purse in the living area. Miraculously she caught it on the fourth ring.

  “Valerie Oswald.”

  “Hey, Val.” Stan from the office. “There’s been another rape. Police just arrested Ricardo Estavarez. He’s asking for you.”

  “On my way.”

  She disconnected and tossed the phone back into her purse. “Fuck.”

  “My sentiments exactly.” Russell snagged his shirt as he passed. He was already half dressed. Clearly he’d gotten the same news she had. “You want to go home and change first?”

  And face the barrage of reporters? Hell no. “The sooner I can get to the police station the better.” She’d worry about the fallout of being seen arriving with him later. One disaster at a time, please.

  Chapter Five

  Russell was going to kill the bastard himself and put them all out of their misery. The silence in his car as he drove to the police station was deafening. He and Valerie had made great strides in repairing their relationship, even said the words that should have been said months ago. Now this. Shoved back into opposite corners. He prided himself on one thing only right now—that he’d fought the instinct that compelled him to thrust a finger in her face and say, “This is your doing.”

  God only knew what was running through Valerie’s head right now. He didn’t want to know unless it involved them personally. They each had a job to do. She’d done hers as the law required. So had he. Now they had to do it again. But this time things were going to be different. He wouldn’t do without her again.

  “I meant what I said,” he told her.

  She closed the lighted visor she’d been using to repair her hair and makeup. There wasn’t much she could do to disguise the fact they’d been having sex. Their scents were all over each other. A fact that inconveniently made him hard as hell.

  “I love you,” he added. “I was going to tell you before all this went down. I…” No, she didn’t need to know he’d planned to propose. Considering what they were about to walk into, it’d be like playing dirty pool.

  “I love you too.” Valerie retrieved a small brush from her purse. “You need to do something with your hair before we go in. You look—”

  “Well fucked?”

  She gave a small laugh. “Deliciously so.” A heavy sigh followed. “We have a job to do.”

  “Then we do it.”

  She clutched her purse in a tight grip, as if she were afraid it’d fly off her lap as he pulled into a parking slot. “I’m not sure I can. I’m not sure I want to.”

  Russell cut the engine and covered her hands with his. “You’re damn fine at what you do, sweetheart. Don’t let anyone or anything take that away from you. The biggest mistake made in all this was separating ourselves from each other. Never again.”

  “Can we leave it all behind at the end of the day and go home?”

  “We can if we choose to. What happens in the courtroom stays in the courtroom. Agreed?”

  “I get mad at you.” She stared ahead, not at him.

  “I get mad at you too. I understand that’s normal for couples.”

  She snickered. “There’s nothing normal about this.”

  “We make rules and stick to them. Not unlike the lifestyle we’ve chosen.”

  “Is it really as simple as all that?”

  “It’s as simple or as hard as we make it, honey.” Russell caught her chin on the tip of his finger and turned her face his way. “We can do this, because I sure as hell can’t do without you again.”

  She met him halfway in a kiss that grew hungrier by the second. They broke away at the same time.

  “Fix your hair, stud. I need to grab my briefcase from your trunk.”

  “Grab mine too, please.” He passed her the keys and ran the brush through his hair as she went to the rear.

  “You are a sad man,” she said when he joined her. “This is anal retentive, obsessive compulsive on a whole new level.” She waved her hand toward the box of office supplies tucked in the
corner.

  “Look who’s talking.” He pointed to the equally large box he’d pulled from her trunk hours before.

  Valerie laughed. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. I’ve got spare batteries too, if you need them.”

  “Oh the images running through my head.”

  “For the camera,” she said with a laugh.

  “Uh-huh.” Russell closed the trunk with one hand and squeezed her ass with the other.

  “Someone will see,” she whispered.

  “I don’t give a damn.” Still he put a respectful distance between them and kept it there. It didn’t seem to matter. Reporters had camped out at the entrance to the station. Camera lenses zoomed in. Microphones were thrust their way. The cacophony of questions began. Russell and Valerie ignored them all.

  Inside wasn’t much better. Estavarez’s family members huddled to one side. They stood as one when they saw Valerie. She went to them without pause while Russell headed toward the inner sanctum and the glare of the district attorney waiting beyond. One snippet of conversation reached Russell. “He was with us all night. We have proof.” He glanced around in time to see cell phones and cameras shoved in Valerie’s face.

  “What the fuck, Russ.” Dave Deacon’s harsh whisper was accompanied by a grip on Russell’s elbow.

  “What the fuck indeed, Dave.” Russell glared at Dave’s hand. Wisely the man let go.

  He jerked his head toward the hallway and they headed toward it. “You’re fucking her?” he asked the second they were there.

  God, was it that apparent? Russell wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of affirming the supposition, not without discussing it with Valerie first. “How did you get that from us walking in the door together?”