Page 28 of Bradford

Fighting my own tears, I hold her close and nuzzle her neck. I slowly trace her jaw with my lips, trying to calm her down. I kiss the corner of her mouth, then pull away, knowing we can't continue here.

But Florence has other ideas. She grabs my face and pulls me back in for another kiss. As I deepen the kiss, I feel a surge of emotion and realize that I'm almost in love with this woman. My hands tremble and my blood rushes south with desire as I run them through her hair. I never want this moment to end.

The sound of a throat being cleared interrupts our moment, and I reluctantly pull away, my heart still racing. I quickly kiss Florence on the forehead and face Dodge, who rolls his eyes. “If you’re done, I’ll give you a ride back to the hotel.”

"We're not done, but we'll behave so we don't offend your delicate sensibilities." I grin as we follow Dodge. "I think we need to head to the hospital."

Dodge shakes his head. “Ellison relayed the info about the safe to the Feds. They're on their way to talk to your father. Talk to him later before heading down there, okay?"

"Sure." I slide into the SUV beside Florence. As soon as we fasten our seatbelts, I take her hand and intertwine our fingers.

19

FLORENCE

Three days later,I find myself sitting at the dining table in the house where Bradford grew up. The hard wooden chair is uncomfortable. I notice Dodge wince as he sits down across from me. He winks at me, but if I had blinked, I would have missed it. Ellison is wearing a suit and looks like the professional businessman he is. His phone is on the table in front of him, face down. Mr. Winchester—Brad, as he insists on being called—enters the room with a nurse fussing over him. He looks embarrassed, and I must hide a snicker. Bradford clears his throat, and his father shoots him a glare. I snicker again before forcing myself to act like an adult and not a giddy child.

"We found the safe," Ellison begins, his lips twitching. "Not only was there four million, two hundred thousand dollars inside, but also one hundred and thirty-two gold bars, estimated to be worth fourteen million, five hundred thousand dollars."

"Holy fuck!" Bradford gasps, glancing my way, then back to Ellison. "It had to be a huge safe."

Dodge laughs as Ellison adds, "What I should have said was that we found the vault. A van could have fit inside it. It was that big."

"Where was it?" Brad asks.

"Underground. The feds brought in ground-penetrating radar.

"No wonder they were desperate to get the warehouse."

"That's it, really. They have a case against Reyes, Dillon, and others." Ellison stares at Bradford and says, "You were right. We found MacFarlane below deck. He'd been beaten to death."

Bradford nods and stands up, pulling me up with him. "We'll see you at the airport in the morning."

After Bradford says goodbye to his father, Dodge shuffles us into the large black SUV he prefers. "I'm tired and exhausted, but I'm glad it's over and that we have answers," I say.

"Me too." He takes my hand and brushes his lips across my knuckles.

This man has become my everything, and I know I don't want to go back to my boring life in Vegas. I swallow and blurt out, "I want to move to Boston so I can be close to you. I can get a job anywhere with my qualifications and experience. Okay, I'll be giving up my chance at a promotion to a leadership role, which was coming up in my current job. But I want you more than I want the promotion." My belly is full of nerves as I come to a stop, until Bradford's face splits into a grin.

"You'll move in with me," he says, smugness leaping off him.

"What are you thinking about?"I ask Bradford, smirking, having noticed the quilt twitching in his pelvic region.

His blue eyes hold mine. "How hot you look naked."

A blush sneaks across my cheeks, but I don't hide behind my embarrassment. Instead, I slowly move my hand from his chest, caressing his stomach on the way down, and end up nudging the head of his erection. Bradford hisses.

I lean in closer, feeling the heat between us. I hold Bradford's gaze with a mischievous grin and chuckle when he nods eagerly. My fingers float over his erect penis and slide through the pubic hair covering his balls. "I like how hard you get for me," I whisper, leaning in to bite a nipple.

He shudders as I wrap my hand around the girth of his huge dick. He's well-endowed and hardens as I stroke up to the weeping tip. I hum while lapping at his nipples and pressing my aching breasts against his chest.

"Fuck, Florence!" He arches upward as I move to straddle him. "Tell me," he moans, his gaze locked on me, "are you wet, baby?" Pause. "Does it make you wet and swollen when you touch me and rub your naked body against mine?"

I shiver at his words, fully straddling him and pressing my throbbing pussy against the root of his cock as I sit above him. I throw my head back, reach up, and rub myself back and forth on his cock, quivering at the pressure on my clit. His hands grip my hips tightly as he groans in pleasure. The heat between us builds with each movement. "Yes, yes," I gasp, feeling my wetness increase with every touch.

"Put me inside you," he hisses. "Now, Florence."

I move into position, grab hold of his cock, and, once he's at my entrance, slide down quickly and eagerly, desperate to feel him fill. The sensation of being stretched and filled by him sends a shiver down my spine. I moan in ecstasy as he buries himself deeper. "Fuck, babe!"

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