Page 36 of Back the Blue

“Are you saying that you don’t feel anything real for me?” I rasp.

“No,” she says in a low voice. “What I’m saying is that I thought that particular trope was a bunch of bullshit. Until now. Until…you.”

“Good to know,” I smile. “Because I want to earn your love, Lorna.”

“Oh, Ashley,” she breathes. “You already have.”

With that, I crush my lips against hers and kiss her with all I have. Then I pull back and make one simple demand.

“Tell me,” I breathe. “I need to hear the words.”

Her smile brightens at this and it’s fucking gorgeous. Then she gives me what I want.

“I love you, Ashley.”

“Oh, thank fuck.”

I kiss her again. Slow and deep until my arousal comes back to life. But I stop myself because she needs to get some more rest. And I need to meet up with my team again.

“You’re safe in here,” I tell her as I pull back. “Take a shower and get some rest. I’ll find some fresh clothes for you before I come back, okay?”

“Yeah,” she nods. “Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me for doing anything for you, sweetheart,” I smile. “It’s my privilege to give you everything you need.”

Her eyes fill with tears again and she nods. I kiss her once more before pulling away. She pulls the blanket over her and sighs. I walk into the bathroom to clean up and then start the shower running. When I walk out to get dressed, her eyes are barely open.

“Would you rather sleep first?” I ask as I brace my arms on either side of her head.

“No,” she says through a yawn. “I’d rather shower.”

“You sure?”

She nods. And when she sits up, I help her stand and gently caress her ass as she makes her way into the bathroom. After I’m dressed, I walk in and tell her goodbye and promise to see her soon. Then I leave her, thankful that we’ll still be in the same building while we’re parted this time.

As I make my way to the conference room where my team is assembled, I cannot stop smiling. Something that will most certainly be noticed if I can’t rearrange my face before I get to my destination. But in all honesty, I don’t really care if they know how I feel about Lorna. God knows they’ve probably already heard about me kissing her early this morning anyway. This prompts me to adjust myself as my cock demands to be tended to again.

“Jesus,” I breathe.

Never before have I wanted a woman like I want her. And it seems that my body is as fully on board with that as my heart.

To my surprise, as soon as I rejoin my team, they debrief me first before going over what they’ve already hashed out. From there, we reach out to some of our other agents who are monitoring Diamond’s movements. A half an hour later, I’m shocked to find out that he’s not only left his territory, but he’s left the city.

“What the fuck for?” someone snaps.

“Go through all his associates' files and find out if they have connections anywhere close by,” I order. “Since we’ve taken some of his crew off the street, he may be looking to recruit some more to get back the territory he’s already lost.”

They nod and get to work.

Knowing he’s out of the city is good news for Lorna. For now. But I have a feeling that this reprieve isn’t going to last long. And I want to be prepared for when it ends, so I’m still in a position to protect her when he does return.

Twenty-Five

By the time I shower and crawl into the bed, my body is still thrumming with pleasure. I’m tempted to relieve the ache between my thighs again on my own, but I know it wouldn’t be as good as it is with Ashley. Smiling, I close my eyes and drift off. When I wake, it’s because Ashley is back. The expression on his face is grim. Not a good sign.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Diamond’s left the city.”

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