“I know you say that, but I need you to know it’s true.” His earnest confession got to me. If Theo was a jerk, it would have gotten around the station the same way the Lieutenant was a dick, red-penning every report his fingers touched, or that Hernandez was the best rookie they’d hired in a decade. We functioned as a family, and even if he was a new transfer to the department, he couldn’t escape the wagging tongues.
“So then, why are we still here? Let’s go.” I got up and pulled him to his feet. Theo followed me out of the restaurant and drove to my apartment building, parking on the street.
Theo took my keys and open
ed my door, checking inside before letting me enter. It was cute watching him scope out the space, maybe a tad paranoid, but after the last call we had together, I trusted his instincts and let him do his thing.
“All clear, not even a cat in sight.” He handed me my keys and observed me locking up the door.
I giggled, “Yeah I don’t have any yet.”
His eyes narrowed and he smiled taking a step closer to me. “Darling, I’m an equal opportunity animal lover.”
I bet he was.
“It’s in you, isn’t it?” I dropped my keys and purse on the table, running my hands over his broad shoulders in the dim light of my studio living room. He seemed to stand taller, making me giggle with my dirty thoughts. He wasn’t cocky like some of the other guys in the department. This was just who he was fundamentally–a protector.
“What?”
“This need to protect.” I balanced on my tiptoes and grazed his jawline with a kiss.
He dipped his chin down so I could reach him half way while he pulled me flush against him. The buttons of his dress shirt bit my skin, making me shiver.
“I think it’s drilled into us at the academy, but yeah, I’ve always felt this way about the women in my life.” I thought about his mom getting mugged and understood.
“I can live with that.” I kissed him again, making the initial move. He might have asked me out, but I was getting a solid kiss out of tonight. He quickly took over, sucking on my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth for more. Our tongues dueled for a moment before he stepped back as breathless as I felt. My chest heaved wanting this and more. I really wanted his shirt off and made awkward pulls to dislodge it from his pants.
“Good, because I don’t think I could tamp that down with you.” He left a pecking kiss on the tip of my nose and pulled my hands up against his chest.
My fingers played with the middle button on his shirt, and he closed his hand over mine. “I don’t want you to tamp down anything,” I said coyly despite my need to have more.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to take me to bed and have your way with me.”
He chuckled. “Rushing things?”
“Nope, just staking my claim.” I giggled when he picked me up.
“Don’t say I didn’t try, Colbie.” His strong arms maneuvered us taking the three steps toward the bed behind the lacy privacy screen in my studio. Matching curtains covered my windows along with a set of blackout curtains from my shift work.
“I’m a terrible waiter,” I confessed.
“Let’s get naked then since neither of us is very good at waiting.”
“10-4, Rumson. Cease the chit chat and get to business,” I mock demanded, and his laughter was deep and throaty. Smiling, he dropped me on the bed, and I bounced. Theo stood up and tugged at his shirt and buttons. I got up on my knees to help him with his buckle and to unzip his pants, tugging them down his lean hips.
“I got this Miss Bossy-pants.” Theo pushed me to my back and dropped his wallet on the bed next to the pillow.
“I love the sound of your voice,” I purred, wiggling out of my clothes and tossing them to the floor.
“Really? Just so you know, every time you get on the radio, I want to say the filthiest things to you, but I know we’re being recorded.”
“Is the good cop itching to get caught?”
“I’m always a good cop,” he growled. “Sometimes we like to exercise our bad selves within reason.” He crawled up over me, parting my thighs.
“What kinds of things would you say to me?”