Hope Flames

Page 32

“I’m starving,” he said as he followed her into the kitchen. “Have you eaten?”
“Actually, no. I got involved paying bills, then caught up on some paperwork. I kind of lost track of time, so I’ll eat with you.”
While Boomer hustled off to play with Daisy and Annie, Emma got out a couple of bowls and a plate for the bread she’d made the other day. As she was reaching into the cabinet for the plates, Luke slipped his arm around her waist and turned her around.
He tipped her chin up with his fingers and pressed a long, slow kiss to her lips that made her forget how hungry she was—for food, anyway. She slid her fingers into his hair and held on, breathing in his scent, grabbing onto the work-solid feel of his shoulders as he pinned her against the counter with his body.
She moaned against his lips as he deepened the kiss, another hunger taking over when he lifted up her tank top and covered her breast with his hand. He drew the cup of her bra down and found her nipple, making her gasp as he teased and tormented her until she wrapped one leg around him to draw him closer to her.
And when he lifted her and placed her on the counter, she shoved the dishes out of the way, no longer caring about food.
“You mind waiting for dinner?” he asked.
She was breathing so hard she felt dizzy. “No. There are other parts of me hungry right now.”
A low growl tore from his throat as he gathered her hair in his hand and tilted her head back, his mouth ravaging her neck in a series of hot kisses that tore her apart. And when he made his way back to her lips, he seared her with a bone-melting kiss that left her weak and needy.
“Yeah, I need to be fed, too, Emma. But it’s not soup I want right now.”
He drew her shorts and panties down her legs. Her legs trembled as he ran his fingers over her skin.
“I’ve been thinking about you every day, about touching you, kissing you, hearing the sounds you make when you come.”
Nearly out of her mind with desire, she unashamedly spread for him, leaning back as he put his mouth on her sex. She cried out, so close to orgasm she was almost embarrassed by her need for him. But he’d been all she thought about since their weekend. The way he touched her, kissed her, the way he’d broken through her defenses and made her feel his touch, made her remember what it felt like to be a woman again.
She was a woman in desperate need of an orgasm right now. And Luke was the only man who could give her exactly what she needed.
He was relentless in his pursuit of her pleasure, fixing his tongue and his mouth on every spot that was guaranteed to send her right over the edge. Not that it would take much, since she’d been pining away for him—for this—every night she lay alone in her bed, thinking about him. And when she hovered so close her whole body quaked, he gave her just what she needed. She tightened, and fell, with a cry so loud she shook with her cl**ax.
And when he moved up her body, kissing her hipbone and her belly button to give her time to come down off that high, she lifted up on her elbows to smile at him.
He helped her off the counter, and she slung an arm around his neck to bring him in for a kiss, wanting him to feel as unraveled as she was, needing him to come apart in the same way.
So she dropped to her knees and reached for the belt buckle of his jeans.
“Oh, Em. I don’t think that’s a—”
She lifted her gaze to his and smiled. “You’re no longer in charge here, officer. So just shut up and enjoy the ride.”
Luke swallowed, hard, his throat gone dry at the sight of Emma, her hair disheveled after her wild orgasm, her tank top hanging half off, on her knees and unzipping his pants. It was every man’s dream, and his undoing.
She jerked his pants to his knees and freed his cock, taking it into her soft hands. He practically vibrated as she put her mouth on him.
It had been too long since he’d touched and tasted her, since he’d been inside her. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit she was all he’d thought about through all those grueling double shifts.
He hadn’t come there to have sex with her, though he was hoping they could end the night together in bed. He’d missed her touch and the way she tasted. Never in his wildest dreams did he picture her on her knees, her mouth a wet, hot haven, taking him to hell and back while he tried so damn hard not to let go.
But Emma was relentless, determined to drive him to the very brink.
And damn, she was good, her mouth a vortex of deep, dark pleasure. He swept his hand over her hair and mentally prayed for mercy, and when he was sure he couldn’t hold back any longer, he whispered her name as a warning.
“Em.”
She ignored him, and gave him even more than he thought he could take, wrapping her sweet lips around him and taking him all the way to the edge.
He hovered there, watching her sweet mouth, wishing he could last, but when she lifted those sweet, beautiful eyes to his, he let go with a wild groan and an explosive shudder that made him grasp the counter for balance, sure his knees were going to buckle as his cl**ax ripped through him.
Emma held him tight, refusing to let go until he gave her everything.
Only then, when he was spent and his legs were shaking, did she let him pull her up and kiss her, stroke her back and hold her in his trembling arms.
“You blew the goddamn top off my head,” he whispered in her ear.
“Yes. I know that feeling. I’m pretty sure my brains were leaking out of my ears when I cl**axed.”
He grinned. “Good to know. Now how about some soup? I have a feeling I’m going to need some energy before round two.”
She pulled away and leveled a saucy grin at him. “Yes, you’re definitely going to need food.”
After they cleaned up and righted their clothing, Luke ate two giant bowls of some of the best-tasting homemade chicken noodle soup he’d ever had, and he was pretty sure he ate at least half a loaf of bread.
“Are you sure you’re eating during these double shifts?” Emma asked.
“When I can. We’ve been pretty busy. I’m hoping this latest break-in will yield some leads.”
“I hope so, too.”
“You helped with your description of the suspect.”
“Did I? That’s good.”
She looked away. Luke could tell she was still nervous about that guy spotting her. “You’re worried about it. About him.”
She shrugged. “Not really. I mean, yes. I’m not stupid. I’d like to buy a gun.”
Luke pushed his bowl to the side. “Do you know how to use a gun?”
“Some. I’ve fired them in the past, but haven’t for a while. I looked into the licensing classes to carry a weapon. I think I’ll sign up for one.”
“They don’t give you a lot of practice time.”
“I know.”
He wasn’t sure how he felt about her having a gun, but she was an adult and it was her call to make. What he could be sure about was that she knew how to handle herself with one.
“I’ll take you shooting.”
Her gaze met his. “You would? I know you’re busy, and you don’t really have time for that.”
“I’ll make time for you, Emma. You’re important.”
His words crept right into her heart and warmed her from the inside out. “Thank you.”
After they finished eating, Luke helped Emma clean up the dishes. They sat on the sofa for a while to watch a movie. It was late and Emma was going to pay for this in the morning when she had to drag herself out of bed, but since they’d eaten late, she couldn’t go to bed on a full stomach.
It didn’t take more than twenty minutes, though, for her to realize Luke was sound asleep. She smiled and poked at him.
“Hey,” she said.
He shot up. “What’s wrong?”
“How about we go to bed and get some sleep?”
He blinked sleepy eyes at her. “I was going to ravage you.”
“We’ll save the ravaging for when you’ve caught up on your sleep.”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “I’ll go let the dogs out and meet you upstairs.”
She sighed as he went to the back door, realizing she could get very used to having Luke in her life, and in her house.
Which was a very dangerous thing.
Chapter 23
EMMA COULDN’T EXACTLY remember the last time she’d handled a gun, but it had likely been in college, when she and a bunch of her friends had gone out target shooting. To say she wasn’t adept was an understatement.
Now that some idiot was out robbing businesses, and she was a possible witness, she needed to feel secure. There were so few instances in her life when she’d felt secure, and she was tired of being a victim. She wasn’t sure she could ever shoot anyone, but at least she’d have it as a choice if it ever came down to that.
Luke took her to the outdoor gun range on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. He’d also brought a veritable arsenal of weapons and ammo for her to try out.
“There are smaller and larger guns. Some have a big kick, some not so much. Some are going to be more comfortable in your hands than others.”
She perused them, but they all just looked like guns to her. She lifted her gaze to his. “Honestly? I have no idea. Recommend something.”
He nodded. “I think this Glock nine millimeter is the best choice for you. It’s fairly lightweight, doesn’t have a huge kick, and the trigger is easy. Try it first. If you don’t like it, we’ll try the twenty-two.”
“Okay.”
“First, you need to know how to load it, where the safety is, and the fact that you never ever—”
“Point the gun at another person. I understand. I did do some research, and I do have a certain amount of common sense, Luke. You’re not dealing with a total idiot here.”
He cocked a grin. “Good to know. When you aim at the target, go for the largest part of the body.”
“Why not the head?”
“Amateurs always think you should aim for the head, when in reality the head is harder to hit. Go for the midsection. It’s a larger area and you’ll have a better chance of hitting your target that way. The smaller the area of the body, the more likely the chance is you’ll miss. If you miss, the better opportunity they have to get to you before you fire off another shot.”
“Oh. Good point. Midsection. Got it.”
“Ear and eye protection. Always. The cartridge will eject on the right side of the gun.”
He went through every instruction like three times before he allowed her to start shooting.
“Relax. Above all, relax. Bend your elbows. If you tense up, you won’t hit shit.”
He stood behind her. She laid the gun down and turned to face him. “You’re not going to shoot?”
“I will, eventually. This is about you, not me. I know how to fire a gun.”
“Oh. Of course. Okay.” She picked up the Glock and aimed at the target, her palms already beginning to sweat and her hands shaking. This thing was an instrument of death. One wrong move and someone could be killed.
“Relax, Emma,” Luke said, moving closer to her. “I have confidence in you. You know what you’re doing.”
She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. The kick was bigger than she’d expected and it scared the hell out of her. The gun was loud, too. She laid it down and looked down the range at the target. “Did I hit anything?”
“Yeah. The dirt in front of the target.”
“Oh.”
“Target through the sight at the top of the barrel. And did you even open your eyes when you shot?”
“I don’t remember.”
“That means no. Use your sight. Take a deep breath, and squeeze the trigger gently.”
She picked up the gun and tried again. It was loud—again. And it kicked—again. But at least she knew what to expect this time. She started to lay the gun down.
“No. Keep shooting. Empty the clip. If your intent is to shoot someone, you’re not going to shoot them one time and lay the gun down. You’re going to keep shooting them until the clip is empty.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “Really?”
“Really. If you’re going to own a gun, and you’re going to use it for self-defense, then be prepared to defend yourself to the death, Emma. It’s you or the bad guy. If you’re going to shoot him, then empty the clip into him so you know he’s dead. Otherwise, you might miss and think you hit him, or graze him, and he’ll get up and kill you.”
Empty the clip into him. Okay. This was serious business. She raised the gun and pictured a really bad guy coming after her, determined to do her great bodily harm. She used the sight and focused, took a deep breath, then fired. And fired again. And again, until the clip was empty. She set the gun down and Luke came over.
“Good job. You actually hit the paper this time.”
“Yay!”
“I didn’t say you hit the target, just the paper the target is printed on.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “Obviously I need to get better at this.”
“It’s okay. You did good. I told you, it takes practice. We’ll work on it.”
They did. Luke spent two hours showing her how to load and reload the gun, how to flip the safety on and off, and how to adjust her aim. Fortunately, she wasn’t as bad as she thought, so at the end she had actually managed to hit the bad guy on the target.
And then she watched as he took his turn. As a police officer, he was very adept at shooting. He took a wide stance, and she had to admit that seeing him with a gun in his hand expertly hitting the center of the target each time was kind of—