Reckless Conduct: Blue Line Book One Read online

  “How did you get here so fast?” Sophie searched his face for answers.

  He tucked her head under his chin again, stroking her hair. “It doesn’t matter; I made it; that’s the important thing.”

  “It matters to me.”

  The stubborn determination in her voice made Luke smile. God, he loved her. Without a doubt, she would not stop asking him questions until he came clean, so he decided to save her the trouble.

  His ragged sigh sent strands of hair fluttering over her face. “I tried to go back to the bar, told myself I would finally move on, find some bunny and just get the first time after you over with. But I couldn’t do it; thankfully an informant called and I had to leave. After meeting with him, I decided to drive by your house one more time and make sure everything looked okay. It’s something I do. Every night after my shift, I drive by, make sure your house is secure and you are safe. I was already on my way to you when I heard the call.” A sardonic laugh pushed from his mouth. “I made it here so fast, because this was always my destination.”

  Sophie gasped, backing up until their bodies no longer touched, and she could look him in the eye once more. “What do you mean, first time since me? And you watch me? What the hell, Luke?”

  “It’s not like I stalk you. I just make sure you’re safe. I check to make sure the doors and windows are all locked, no one is lurking around. Stuff like that. It’s no big deal.”

  There had been many times over the years he’d told himself to stop his nightly check of her house. But he could never do it. What if that night had been the one something happened? And now something did happen, and there had been nothing he could do about it. If he had been in her house, in her bed, she never would have gotten hurt.

  “No big deal. Are you insane? Why would you be watching over me this whole time? You’ve treated me like crap for the past two years. You alternate between teasing me like your little sister, ignoring me, and doing a pathetic alpha, macho flirting act that drives me insane.” Sophie sucked in a huge breath, stood from her perch on his lap, and began pacing the room. The broken glass crunching occasionally under her feet kept the attack on her in the front of his mind. “And you still didn’t answer my question about the whole ‘first since me’ thing. Do you really expect me to believe that you haven’t slept with anyone since me?”

  “Fuck. Me and my fucking mouth.” Luke closed his eyes, not wanting to look at the doubt on her face anymore. Not that Sophie didn’t have every right to doubt him. He’d done all he could to make sure she never tried anything with him again. Well, he’d done the job, all right. With the way he’d handled things, there would be no chance that Sophie could forgive him and allow him a second chance now that he was beginning to see the light. But he couldn’t deny her questions anymore. “I know you won’t believe this, but no, I haven’t slept with anyone since you. I’ve tried a couple of times, but as soon as I kissed someone else, or even thought about it, I wanted to punch myself in the face. So I stopped even considering it for a while. I just accepted that you had ruined me for all other women, and decided I could live with that as long as I knew you were safe. Even from me.”

  “This makes no sense. How did I ruin you for other women? And why would you need to keep me safe from you?” Sophie stopped pacing and planted herself in front of him, arms crossed over her chest and hip jutting out with that sass he loved so much.

  “I realized about two seconds into our first kiss that you were different than any other woman I’ve ever been with. You were wild. But sweet. It wasn’t just my body that reacted to you, it was my head.” His jaw clenched. Not known for talking about his feelings, this wasn’t a conversation that came easily to him. “My heart.”

  Seeming as though she needed to sit, Sophie plopped onto the couch beside him, leaned against the arm so she could look at him, and swung her legs up onto his lap. Without thinking about it, Luke brought his hand to her shin and rubbed along the smooth skin of her legs in a comforting gesture. But he wasn’t sure if the comfort was for Sophie or himself.

  “Look, I promised myself when I joined the force that I would never put a woman through what my mom went through with my dad. When he got shot, she was a wreck for months while he recovered. Even after he went back to the job, she was terrified every time he walked out the door. And he had a fucking desk job at that point. I never wanted anyone to be at home ripping her hair out over me.”

  He kept his eyes focused on the floor, not wanting to see the pity on her face that everyone else showed him when the topic of his father came up. “Dad changed after the shooting. Drank. Got mean. He never hurt us, but he lost the pride he’d had when he was out patrolling. He hated being stuck in the station. And he took it out on us. Yelled, called us names, cheated on my mom. One kiss with you, and I knew. I knew you would be that woman waiting at home for me, worrying, cleaning up after drinking binges if it ever went wrong, loving me even when I didn’t deserve it. One kiss and I knew. I tried to stop, but as soon as I pulled away, you fucking grabbed my head and attacked me with that sweet mouth of yours.”

  Gathering every bit of courage he had ever needed during his time as a cop, Luke glanced back up at Sophie. Her eyes were filled with the memory of their time together. He recognized the mix of lust and sadness that he felt each time he recalled that night. He could almost see the night replaying behind her irises. She sat there silently watching him, and with one small nod, encouraged him to go on.

  “I figured I could have you once, get you out of my system, and we would both move on. But fuck, watching you under me, over me, in every position I could think of that night, I knew it would never be enough. It scared the shit out of me.” He shook his head, tearing his eyes from her. “So yeah, I ran. I regretted it the minute I got in my car. But I was too chickenshit to just knock on the door and apologize.”

  “But…” She paused, and Luke could practically see the gears turning in her head. He loved that each of her emotions played out over her face at that moment. Normally Sophie guarded her emotions and kept her thoughts close to the vest until she felt they truly needed to be shared. “It’s been two years. Why did you never try again?”

  “Like I said, I didn’t want to do to you what my dad did to Mom. I like you, Soph; I always have. More importantly, I respect you and think you deserve the absolute best there is. That isn’t me. A life with me isn’t what you deserve.” Luke broke their eye contact, instead focusing on her sweet legs and the feel of her silky skin beneath his fingertips.

  Luke reared back in shock when Sophie pulled her leg from his gentle caress and kicked him in the thigh with her heel. “So you thought the best way to protect me was to act like a total asshole?”

  He couldn’t help but grin at the obvious annoyance and anger in her voice and the fire in her eyes. Circling her slim ankle with his fingers, Luke pulled her leg back into his lap. “So fucking hot. I love seeing you get all worked up. Second only to getting you worked up in bed. I figured if I couldn’t have your passion in the bedroom, I would take it in your anger. So yeah, I treated you terribly just to see you mad.”

  His hand trailed up her leg as if being pulled by a magnetic force, but Sophie reached down, stopping him from advancing past her inner thigh.

  “Not so fast, hotshot.”

  Luke expected her to launch into some diatribe about what a jerk he had been and how none of this made any sense. He wouldn’t blame her, and quite honestly, his dick twitched at the thought of getting her all pissed and sassy before making her all warm and gooey from orgasms.

  Instead, she locked gazes with him. “What now?”

  Luke let out a huff of breath. “Fuck if I know. I’d like to try and show you I’m not a complete prick.”

  “Wow, you must really like a challenge.” She sent a wink his way, and his pants got even tighter with the growing problem hiding there.

  He groaned and leaned his head against the back of the sofa. “You aren’t going to make this easy, huh?”
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  “No. After two years of you being a complete ass, I’m definitely not going to make this easy for you.” The corners of her mouth twitched as she obviously tried to hold back a laugh. But the next second, the mirth from her face disappeared, and her expression grew serious. “How do I know you won’t run again? Nothing has really changed. Of course I will worry about you every single day on the job. Just like I worry about Uncle Jon. And everyone we work with. And you can’t know what will happen if you get injured.”

  “You’re right.” He reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers, a sense of completion overwhelming him at her touch. “But if you give me a chance, I promise to try and deal with my shit. I swear I will be a good man for you.” Hope filled every inch of his body, mixed with equal amounts of fear. This woman had no idea of the power she held at that moment. “You need to know if we do this, I can’t do it half way. I’ve had to be without you for two years, watching from the background and taking whatever scraps I could get. I can’t do that again. I want you one hundred percent.”

  Sophie stared at him for a long time. Long enough that sweat trickled down his back, and the hope began to ebb away. The night around them seemed to hum and pulse, equally anticipating her reaction.

  “Okay. Let’s go to bed.”

  Chapter Eight

  Sophie

  “What?” Luke looked at her with confusion, and she once again had to stifle a laugh.

  She stood from the couch, trying to tug him with her as she went. “I’ve spent two years trying to keep myself from jumping you every time we were alone. Trying to hold onto my anger and make sure you knew what a bastard you were that night. You’re going to take me upstairs and make it up to me.”

  “Sophie, it’s been a long night; you’ve been through a lot. Maybe I should sleep on the couch. We can talk more in the morning. We don’t have to do this tonight.” The look of stubborn determination on his face pissed her off.

  “McCracken, you saved my life tonight. I’ll feel safer with you next to me in bed. And honestly, I could use a distraction from the day full of cleaning I have ahead of me.” He still didn’t move from his seat on the couch. Damn hardheaded idiot. She’d just have to take matters into her own hands. Before he had enough time to react, she straddled his lap. “But if you insist on staying on the couch, I’ll just have to make do.”

  Lips collided as they both moved to attack. Two years of pent up frustration, sexual tension, and longing poured into that kiss. He hardened beneath her. Her hips had a mind of their own, grinding against him.

  The growl that ripped from his throat sent a rush of moisture straight to her core. He gripped her ass, stood, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Glass crunched beneath his shoes as he carried her to the stairs.

  She couldn’t stop touching him. Her fingers ached to feel every inch of his skin. Her lips craved the taste of his body.

  He headed for the bedroom, but she stopped him as he reached the door. “No, I don’t want to go in there yet. Down the hall. Guest room.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Doubt filled his voice.

  She pressed her hips down to rub his trapped cock. “I’m sure. I just don’t want to look at the mess in there while I have my fill of you.”

  Capturing her mouth once again, he moved down the hall to the small spare bedroom. He placed her gently on her feet by the bed. “Take your clothes off.” His gruff voice sent goose bumps across her flesh.

  He took half a step back and studied her as she crossed her arms in front of her torso, grasped the hem of her t-shirt, and pulled it up over her head. She let it drop to her feet. Flames licked through her body as his heavy gaze traveled the length of her. Slipping her fingers into the waist of her thin sleep shorts, she pulled them from her curved hips. They fell to join her discarded shirt.

  “Now you.” Her raspy whisper brought his eyes back to her face.

  Both his shirt and pants joined her clothes in a pile on the floor in record time, every toned muscle free for her viewing. If possible, he looked even more incredible than he had on their night together all those years ago.

  Closing the space between them, he seized her head; fingers wound into her long dark hair. The kiss stole her breath, left her weak. She could taste the longing on his tongue. Returning his passion tenfold, she wrapped her arms around his back, filled her hands with his high, solid ass.

  His growl filled her mouth as he lifted her and tossed her onto the bed. Their bodies were separated for no more than a moment, but it was still too long. She reached for him, dragging him between her legs. Shocks of desire sparked through her as his lips found her nipples.

  Some might consider her breasts small, but they held a treasure trove of pleasure for her when worked correctly. And without a doubt, Luke knew how to work her. While his tongue flicked and swirled around one nipple, his fingers pinched and elongated the other. She moaned as the pressure built in her lower stomach.

  Her hips rocked back and forth, stroking his length caught between their stomachs.

  She whimpered as he abandoned his work at her chest and traveled south, settling his head between her toned thighs.

  “The things I’ve picture doing to this pussy…” Reverence filled his voice. His hand stroked her slit. She quaked with the need for his touch to deepen.

  “Luke…please…” The throbbing in her core ached to be released.

  “Shh… Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you.” The sincerity in his words caught her off guard. He gave her no time to dwell on their double meaning. Spreading her folds with his fingers, he lowered his mouth to meet her sex. His warm tongue traced her from opening to above her pulsing clit.

  “Yes…” She screamed her pleasure. His hair was too short for her to grip; instead she held his ears, using them to pull his face closer to her. His chuckle vibrated over the bundle of nerves he worked with his tongue.

  One finger slipped into her channel, slick with her juices. He groaned, sending more vibrations through her. Another finger joined the first, pumping in and out until she lost all control. Writhing and screaming on the bed, she released his head. Her hands clutched at her tits, massaging them in time with his tongue lapping at her hot button. She gyrated against his face as her climax crested, gradually coming down from the intense high.

  Jumping from the bed, Luke searched the pockets of his discarded jeans and produced a square packet. “Thank God. I was afraid I didn’t have one.” He tossed the condom onto her stomach and lay down next to her. “Put it on me.” His commanding tone sent waves of excitement through her body.

  She obeyed his demand, rolling onto her knees. His cock stood at attention before her. She straddled his upper thighs, placed the condom on the bed next to his hip. Positioning his dick to lie flat against his stomach, she moved her slit over the base of his manhood. She glided up and down, surrounding it in the outer folds of her pussy.

  Once it was coated in the juices he elicited from her, she returned to her seated position on his legs. She brought one hand to grip his now lubricated cock at the base and she stroked up, swirling her palm over the head of his penis before letting go. Her other hand repeated the same upward motion. Alternating hands, she increased the pace of her ministrations until he was panting with every muscle in his body tensed.

  “Soph… If you don’t stop…”

  She didn’t need him to finish the sentence. Repositioning herself over him, she reached down to place his naked cock at her entrance. “Forget the condom. I haven’t slept with anyone since you, either. I’m on the pill. I want to feel you bare inside me.”

  “Fuck, yes. Stand up.” Under normal circumstances, his pushy attitude would piss her off. But now, in bed with him, it drove her crazy with desire. She climbed off him and stood on the bed as he rose up to sit with his legs folded beneath her. He licked and kissed her body as she slid down to sit in his lap, her legs wrapped around his back.

  Reaching between them to grip his rock
-hard cock, he thrust into her in one swift motion. She gasped as he filled her to the brim. They pressed together, every inch of skin touching from their waists up. His eyes found hers as she stilled, enjoying the complete feeling that having him inside gave her. Holding their eye contact, she slid up and down his length.

  “Sophie… beautiful… oh… fuck…” He licked the sweat from her neck. Brought his mouth to hers.

  The taste of her essence on his tongue spurred her to increase the pace, the need for release building in her core once again.

  “Say my name, my amazing Sophie.”

  “Luke. My Luke. Yes…” His mouth covered her words, his tongue stroked the inside of her mouth. Her orgasmic scream rolled up from her belly, bursting onto his invading tongue. Nails digging into his back, she fell over the edge of pleasure.

  Collapsing onto him, she bit his shoulder as he found his own release. His pulsing inside her as he came sent tiny aftershocks of pleasure through her body.

  Both spent, they sat wrapped around each other, trying to regain their composure.

  “I’m such a fucking idiot.” The emotion in his voice surprised her.

  “What are you talking about?” She nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, inhaling the testosterone-laced smell of him post sex.

  “We could’ve been doing that every night for the past two years.” He brushed her shoulder with his lips.

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, you’ll just have to make it up to me. A lot. In all sorts of different ways.”

  “Deal.”

  ***

  The sound of voices downstairs ripped Sophie from a deep sleep.

  Who was in her house? Where was Luke? Had he run again?

  Panic swept through her, paralyzing her limbs so she couldn’t move from her spot on the bed.

  Footsteps from down the hall made their way closer. Hysteria swelled in her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Knees to her chest, she curled into a ball.