Page 79 of Further To Fall

I punched a couple of buttons on my phone’s screen and then greeted, “Hi, Detective Massey, you’re on speaker with me and Austin.”

“Good morning, Carter, Austin. I have some good news for you.”

I perked up. “We love good news.”

There was a smile in Detective Massey’s voice when he spoke. “Well, I love being able to give it. We tracked down the burner phone, and you’ll never believe who it belongs to.”

“Who?” Austin and I said at the same time.

“Joe Harker, your past student’s father. It looks like he’s our guy. I’ve seen this sort of thing happen before: anger turning into a different kind of obsession altogether.” I reached across the table and tried to grab Austin’s hand, but he was already on his feet and coming around. He pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the side of my face that wasn’t scratched.

Massey continued talking. “Two officers located him just a few minutes ago, and they’re bringing him to the TMU headquarters. Contacting you was a violation of his parole so he won’t be getting out anytime soon, even if we didn’t have other charges to bring against him. I’ll update you as we know more, but I thought you’d like to know you can breathe a little easier now.”

I squeezed Austin more tightly. “Thank you so much.”

“Thank you,” Austin echoed. “We really appreciate all your hard work.”

“Happy to help, I’ll be in touch.”

With that, I clicked the end button on my screen and started doing a happy dance all over the kitchen. Austin, having had enough of this, swept me up into his arms and kissed me soundly. “You are such a goof.”

“But you love me.”

“I do love you.” He kissed me again.

“So, what do you want to do now that we’re free?” I asked.

“I want to celebrate.” Austin lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, my robe flapping around us. He set me on the counter and reached for the belt holding my robe together. As he loosened the knot, my breaths started to come faster, and my nipples tightened. Slipping the fabric off my shoulders, I was suddenly completely bare to him. He stepped back, his gaze darting over my skin. Heat came to each place his eyes touched.

“You are so damn beautiful, I’ll never get enough of looking at you.” He stepped closer. “Each bend.”—his hand grazed my knee heading up to my hip—“each curve.” He bent down, kissing the top of my breast. “Each swell. I’ll never get enough.” Sparks danced across my skin with each caress.

I reached between us and pulled Austin to me by his waistband. “Need to feel you.” I helped him peel out of his t-shirt while using my feet to push his workout pants down. My hands roved over his torso and chest, fingers dipping into the grooves of muscles and tracing his nipples.

Suddenly, his lips were on mine again, hungrier, fiercer than before. It was like we couldn’t get close enough. And then I felt him at my entrance. “Yes.” It came out breathy because I was panting. He pushed inside me, moving slowly. I could tell he was holding back to keep from hurting me, but there was no pain, only a delicious stretching sensation. But I needed more. “More. Please, more.”

Austin started to move, his thrusts picking up speed. His eyes burned into mine, holding me captive, drawing me into him in every possible way. This was why I had waited. Because I hoped sex could be like this. Firing every nerve ending and singeing my soul, all while making me feel seen and understood at the deepest level.

My eyes misted. The coil within me tightened. Austin reached between our bodies and applied just the right amount of pressure to send me careening over the edge. My walls contracted around him, and he grunted out his release.

Slowly, I came back to myself, Austin’s forehead was pressed against mine, arms braced on either side of my body. He gently pulled himself from my body. “Was that too much?”

I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. “That was perfect.”

Austin’s eyes softened as he pulled my robe around my shoulders. “Shower?” he asked. I nodded, and before I knew what was happening, Austin had lifted me into his arms and was carrying me through the house towards his bedroom. While I was wrapped in my robe, he was still buck-naked. “Austin! Someone could see, there’s still security around.”

“Don’t give a fuck, Firecracker.” I reached around and pinched his bare butt. “Hey!” he hollered.

“That’s what happens when those bare buns are out for all to see.”

Austin set me down outside the shower and turned on the water, holding a hand under the flow until it was warm. Then, he stepped in, pulling me with him. He reached for the body wash I used, squirting some into his palm and then rubbing his hands together. He turned me away from him and started massaging the soap into my back. “I could get used to this.”

“Could you, now?”

“Mm-hmm,” I hummed.

I felt his body move closer to mine, and his lips touched the shell of my ear. “Move in with me,” he whispered.

I froze. “What?” My heart thudded in my ears. Had I heard him correctly?

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