Page 10 of Going the Distance

“Hey.” She leaned her cheek against the door. I expected her to look exhausted, but she didn’t…she just looked sad.

“Hi.” I pulled her into a hug. She was almost as tall as I was, her body solid and strong. I admired her outer strength, but shedidn’t have to put up a front with me. She was allowed to have bad days. She looked stunning. Like a mythical figure that could lure me in with her beauty and then kick my ass. We went inside, and when I sat down on the couch, she curled into my lap. I stroked my hand through her hair. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear your hair down.” It was damp from a shower and hung to her waist.

“I just didn’t feel like dealing with it.” She shut her eyes.

I twisted to the side, so I was leaning my back against the arm of the couch and maneuvered her, so she was between my legs with her back to me. I wasn’t exactly a hair stylist, but long hair was part of my culture. I may have cut mine short for my job as a cop, but I had left it long as a kid and still remembered how to do a basic braid.

She made little happy sounds in her throat as I ran my hands through her hair and got to work putting it into a loose braid. She handed me an elastic and I tied off the ends.

I was rewarded with a sweet smile over her shoulder. “Thanks.”

I’d do anything for that smile. I hugged her around her shoulders. “Did you just miss me or was it a rough training day?”

She leaned back into me. “Of course I missed you. But I also saw this. Read the comments.”

She handed me her phone and I scrolled through. My jaw tightened with each new comment. Laughing emojis. Barfing face emojis. Snide comments. Dismissive bullshit. All pointed at my girl and other tough women like her.

What the fuck?

I tossed the phone aside and wrapped my arms more tightly around her. “Do you want me to track these guys down and arrest them?”

She snorted and leaned her head against my bicep. “Can you do that?”

I shrugged. “I just need something to charge them with. Say the word and it’s done.”

She snuggled further into my side. “You can’t arrest every person who’s mean to me, you know?”

My heart hurt. I would if I could. I wished I could hide her away from all the bad in the world in a little cocoon where I knew nothing would ever happen. She had bigger dreams than that, though. The side effect of trying to do something great was that people would tear her down for it. I could stomp my feet and beat my chest about it, or I could just be there for her. Make sure that all the wonderful things I felt for her blocked out all the shit she saw online. “If the internet trolls don’t see how great you are, it’s their loss. You just call me when they are throwing hate, and I will love you twice as hard to make up for it.”

She sat up, her arms still tangled around my chest. “Love?”

I swallowed hard. I’d never told a woman I loved her before. But this felt as natural as breathing. “I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time, it just wasn’t until you said you wanted to be with me that I gave myself permission to feel it.”

The sadness in her eyes was gone, replaced with the shine of tears. She spun around so she was facing me. “I love you too.” The tightness in my chest eased as she kissed me soft and slow. “C’mon, I’m exhausted, but we need to celebrate our new love in my bedroom. She led me into her room. I’d never been in here before, but it was so her I would have laughed—if I wasn’t so turned on. It was neat and tidy. Everything had its place. The king-sized bed was neatly made with a navy blue comforter, and there were so many pillows I wasn’t sure if I would fit. I shut the door behind us, leaving us in total darkness.

We undressed each other without seeing. Going by feel. I could hear how fast she was breathing and feel the goosebumps break out on her skin. I ran my fingertips down from her shoulders, over her peaked nipples, and settled them on herwaist. When we’d had sex at my place, it was frantic and raw. This was something else. I could have spent the whole night memorizing every inch of her skin. Listening to every inhale and every exhale. I knew she was exhausted and needed her sleep, so instead, I grabbed a condom from my wallet, laid on my side, and pulled her down in front of me. A small spoon to my big. I hooked her top leg back over mine and kissed her neck as I put on some protection and worked myself inside her.

She pulled away from me long enough to reach into her bedside drawer. “I hope you don’t mind if I bring a little friend?” A low buzzing filled the air, and if possible, my cock got even harder. “I use this when I’m alone and thinking about you.”

I groaned. Fuck that was hot. “Show me how you get yourself off.” I teased her nipples and stroked slowly in and out as she brought the vibrator between her legs. I could feel the vibration on my dick and hoped it would do its magic quickly because I wasn’t going to last. Her back was against my chest as she started to shudder, and I captured her mouth with mine, kissing her through her release. I started moving faster, but it didn’t take much for me to tumble over the edge right after her. I ditched the condom and pulled Dani against my chest. The night was quiet. Her body was still, and my heart was full of bursting.

Chapter 15

Dani

Good morning.”

I blinked against the light streaming into my room from the window.

What time is it?

I forced one eye open and saw Josh standing in my doorway with his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

“Morning, big brother, how was the night shift?” I was still half asleep and burrowed further into my pillow. Except it wasn’t a pillow. Pillows didn’t have pecs and abs and a look of horror on their face.

“Night shift must have been more fucked up than I thought since I’ve come home to the twilight zone. Brock, man, what the fuck are you doing in my sister’s bed?”

Shit.

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