Page 72 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Wait, she had to unpack what he just said. First of all… “Did you actually ask a Black woman if she’s into being frisked?”

“You brought it up, not me.”

True. She couldn’t argue with that. With a sigh, she planted a hand on each door, careful to avoid the glass panes and the wood shutters. “Just a warning… I hadn’t planned on anyone seeing me naked, so?—”

“No one’s getting naked.”

They weren’t? “What are we doing, then?”

“Apparently, having a conversation. You like to talk, don’t you?”

“Last I checked, it’s a form of communication and the easiest one once you’re over a year old.” A rush of breath moved the hair on her neck, sending a shiver through her and making her nipples stand at attention. “Thereareways to stop me from talking…”

“A gag?”

She didn’t bother to fight her grin, since she was turned away from him. He definitely had a sense of humor somewhere inside him. It gave her some hope that all was not lost when it came to Bradley Lennox. His true self only needed to be coaxed out from wherever it was buried.

She jerked when his knuckles slowly brushed down the side of her neck. She tipped her head to the side to give him better access. Unfortunately, she was too late, since his touch was there and gone in a flash.

Or so she thought.

His knuckles grazed along her jawline next before quickly disappearing.

Holding her hair to the side, his very short nails skimmed down the back of her neck. His long, warm fingers then curled around to the front of her throat, where they remained for a few seconds before moving on to explore the hollow of her throat and the length of each collarbone.

His touch reminded her of an artist using a paint brush. Long, smooth strokes followed the lines and curves of his human canvas.

He was not rough, but gentle, as his fingers continued to whisper along her skin causing more goosebumps to break out. She didn’t bother to contain her shivers or her ragged breath. She wanted him to be fully aware of what his touch was doing to her. The same as him making her fully aware of every spot he touched.

Stepping closer, he pressed his hard-on into her ass. Skipping her breasts entirely, he slid his palm down her belly and breathed her name into her ear. “Aaliyah.”

Holy shit.She could listen to him say her name like that all damn day. All night, too.

Who was this freaking man?

Certainly not the same man she met that first night at group.

Or the second night.

Or even at the coffee shop.

This was the real Bradley Lennox. The one he kept locked away.

He squeezed her hips and pressed his soft lips to her shoulder, causing another shiver to shoot through her. When she reached behind them to curl her hand around the back of his head, she realized somewhere along the way, he’d gotten rid of his hat. She brushed her fingers over hair not long enough for her to get a good grip.

Just when she thought he was continuing on to the apex of her legs, he reversed course and circled his arms around her waist and pressed himself from chest to cock along her back.

He had totally avoided the areas she wanted him to touch the most. “You missed the best hiding spots, officer. You might need to do a strip search.”

Holy shit, did she sound breathless, or what? They hadn’t even kissed yet and she was melting simply from his touch. Was it because of him or because she was that desperate? Or both?

It didn’t matter. What mattered was, he hadn’t run scared… yet. She mentally prepared for it so she wouldn’t take it as a personal slight.

“You have condoms?”

She nodded. “Mmm hmm.”

“Where?”

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