Beneath the Badge (First Responders 4)

She’d decided she really should get going, so she went back to the bedroom to get her clothes. But then Matt had decided she needed a kiss goodbye, and before she knew it he was sneaking his hand beneath the T-shirt, turning her knees to jelly and they were in the bed again.

That was where it had changed.

Lindsay rolled over to her side and faced Matt, who was still sleeping. He was so beautiful. It seemed funny to think of a man in those terms but it was true. He made her feel strange things. Like right now. She was feeling wonderfully relaxed. A little embarrassed, because she’d never let herself go like that before. She’d been completely wanton and reckless, and what was worse, she’d liked it. No man had ever made her feel that all-consuming need. No man had ever made her lose control like that. She was always the one in charge. Until now.

And that worried her. Because the physical need had tempered by the third round and they’d slowed it down, taken their time, and it had been devastating. It hadn’t been just slaking some physical demand or getting it out of their system. It had been slow, thorough, and it had touched something inside her she never knew existed. That scared the hell out of her.

She tensed her muscles, wondering if she could possibly sneak out of the bed without waking him. She’d just gripped the soft sheet in her fingers when he sighed and opened his eyes, slowly, dreamily. In the grey darkness his irises looked black, but she could see they were focused directly on her. They were naked, in his bed, facing each other, looking in each other’s eyes. It was the most intimate moment she’d ever experienced.

“Sneaking out? Usually that’s my MO.”

Guilt snaked through her and she looked away from his steady gaze. “Doesn’t make sense for you to sneak away. This is your place.”

“True. Never pegged you for a runner, though. Actually, you were right. You’re full of surprises.” Under the blankets, he slipped his hand over her naked hip. “Good ones too.”

Her face heated.

“See now,” he murmured, “you can look so shy and innocent. And then there’s this other side of you that is just about the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Who are you, Lindsay Swan?”

It was too complicated to answer in the way he wanted. “Ah, see, if I tell you that this will get all too serious and I know that’s the last thing you want.”

He smiled a little. “I never thought I’d meet anyone as scared of the truth as I am, but here you are.” The smile slid off his face. “How about I tell you something and then you tell me something? Then it’s even-stevens.”

She didn’t like the sound of that game much. But he did offer to go first, and she couldn’t just run out of here now, could she? For one thing, she’d have to find her clothes and they were strewn all over his room and that meant she’d be walking around naked while he watched…

Which hadn’t bothered her a bit last night, but right now she was the slightest bit self-conscious about it.

“You go first.”

“My favorite color is red,

my favorite food is pizza and I once broke my leg playing Cops and Robbers.”

She frowned. “Do kids even still play those sorts of games?”

He laughed. “I was twenty-five and it was my first break-and-enter call.”

She couldn’t help but smile. “Ha, ha.”

“Your turn.”

“My favorite color is blue, my favorite food is grilled cheese—real cheese and real butter—and I’ve never broken any bones, playing or otherwise.”

“Was that so hard?”

She met his gaze. They were face to face on the pillows, each with one hand tucked beneath their cheeks. Matt’s other hand still rested possessively on her hip, warm and firm.

“What are we doing, Matt?”

“Do we have to label it?”

She shrugged. “You’re only here while Kendra’s out on mat leave. You’re not the kind of guy who goes looking for a relationship, either.”

“So we should keep it as mindless sex? Interesting.”

“Come on, neither one of us wants this to get too heavy. It’s just…fun, right?”

But then she remembered the look on his face as he slept, a puppy in his arms. How caring and helpful he’d been even though he hadn’t needed to stay. There was more to Matt than met the eye.