Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

in trouble over this jerk. He’s not worth it. And my face is going to be fine. The swelling will go down, the bruises will fade, and I’ll be good as new. But if you jeopardize your job just to beat this guy down in revenge…”

“The only one in jeopardy is going to be him. Trust me!”

Sidney sighed, and he could hear the mounting aggravation behind it. So he let it drop and changed the subject.

“How about I put a frozen pizza in the oven? Maybe toss some more lettuce into the leftover salad from yesterday? That way you don’t have to worry about cooking.”

“Throw in a few cookies for dessert, and some extra cuddle time, and you’ve got a deal.”

“Done.”

He stood and leaned down to kiss her lips. Then he headed for the kitchen.

She screamed his name, and Gavin had never felt more like a man in his life.

Her body moved above him, vibrating from her orgasm and still riding him like he was a wild stallion she was determined to break.

His hands moved, groping her shapely thighs, her tiny waist, her full breasts.

Gerri Miller was the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen — deep ebony skin, bright and soulful dark brown eyes, high cheekbones and full, perfect lips. And not an ounce of fat to be found on her toned body.

Her black hair was soft and straight, and hung just past her shoulders. At the station, Gavin had only seen it pulled back into a severe ponytail that left her model-like features on full display. Now, he sat up — ripping another scream from her lips and sending her into a second orgasm — and ran both his hands through her hair, drawing her in to lock his mouth onto hers.

Their fiery kiss robbed the breath from his lungs, making his own release that much more intense.

“Ahh!”

Gavin let out a loud cry and then flopped back onto the pillows in slow motion.

Gerri climbed off of him and rolled over.

Panting and heavy breathing were the only sounds in the room for the longest time, and Gavin stared at the ceiling. He didn’t remember sex with his ex-wife being this energetic.

Or this good.

Or this spontaneous and adventurous, for that matter.

When he’d walked through the door of her apartment an hour ago, Gerri had surprised the shit out of him by stripping off her clothes and demanding he treat her body like a popsicle. Right there on the kitchen island.

So he had.

But that wasn’t what he’d come back here for. He removed the spent condom and tied it off, dropping it to the floor. Then he turned his head and looked at her.

“How are you?”

“What?”

Her tone told him she thought it was an odd question to ask.

“I came here after work to check in on you. Not to fuck you. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. But… how are you?”

Gerri chuckled, and Gavin thought he could hear the roll of her eyes in the sound.

“It’s okay, Lieutenant. I’d much rather have the genuine fuck than the obligatory concern.”

Her words were like a slap to his face, and he stared at her.

“Is that what you think this is? That I’m showing concern because I’m obligated to as your boss?”

Gerri glanced at him and shrugged a shoulder before turning her gaze back to the ceiling.

“Partly. I know you’re here for the sex, but I mean… I’m pretty sure you think I’m a mess since Curt died. And you’re right. I am. My partner bled out on the street like a dog, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

“But you did stop it,” Gavin insisted. “You heard the doctor that night in the ER. He said that your applying pressure to Curt’s wound kept him alive for as long as it possibly could have. You kept him alive until the paramedics got him to the hospital.”

“Yeah, for all the good it did.”

Gavin propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her.

“But you made the effort, Gerri. You tried your damnedest to save his life. No one can fault you for that. Curt knows what you tried to do. He knows that his partner never left his side.”

She wiped a tear from her cheek and leaned up and kissed him. Then she raised her leg, attempting to mount him again. Gavin took hold of her shoulders and gently pushed her back.

“Gerri, stop.”

“What? This is why you’re here, remember? For the sex.”

She tried to kiss him again, but Gavin moved, rolling them over so that he pinned her to the mattress. He stared down into her beautiful, troubled eyes.

“I am not here for the sex. I’m here for you. Because I can’t stop thinking about you. And because no matter how hard I fight it… I can’t stay away from you. Not when I know you’re hurting. I’m here because I care about you, Gerri. Much more than I know I should.”

She stared back at him, seeming to search his eyes for the truth.

“Do you mean that?”

Her voice was small and shaky, and he could hear the hope hiding there. The sound of it squeezed his heart.

“I don’t say it if I don’t mean it. I spent 20 years being lied to by the woman I loved. The woman I thought loved me.” Gavin shook his head. “The one thing I will not do is lie to you.”

“But you did lie. For months, you lied every time you pushed me away.”

“No. That is simply not true. I never said that I wasn’t interested, or that I didn’t want you. I said it wasn’t a good idea.”

“So why now? What’s changed?”

Gavin sighed, and swallowed down all of his reservations. She deserved the truth.

“What’s changed is that I finally got a taste of you. I finally held you in my arms and made love to you.” He trailed his thumb down her cheek in a sweet caress. “There’s no way I’d walk away now.”

She took a breath and studied his eyes,