Page 10 of Winter Reckoning
I watched Nick as he put the bowl on the drying rack. He walked past the counter, stopping long enough to glance in my direction. “I’m going to my study.”
“I should come.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Nobody who ever uttered those two words meant it. He wandered across the living room toward the hallway. Duty said I should follow and do a sweep of his study. I should be his shadow and never leave his side. It wasn’t duty that tugged at me. I wanted to stand in the room as a reminder that he wasn’t alone. Whatever weight that pressed those wide shoulders down, I don’t know if I could help. How do you protect somebody from themselves?
The power went out just after midnight.
I had drifted while counting the wood planks that made up the ceiling. The hum of the refrigerator died, and then the lamp next to Nick’s chair turned off. Both were hardly noticeable as the fire continued to crackle. The wind outside howled, the storm refusing to let up. If it were a normal night, it wouldn’t be worth noting. However, my being here meant nothing about this was normal.
Closing my eyes, I pretended I could see the property from high above. The tension in my shoulders hadn’t eased, but ithadn’t gotten worse. Even in my head, there was nothing but untouched snow. The only person on the Task Force with remote viewing faltered in physical altercations. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I had been the right man for the job.
I checked the breaker box in the hallway closet. In the dim light, I ran my hand down the breakers. All good. Moving to the window, I could see a dim light around the door to the woodshed. Perhaps whatever Charlene was up to had caused the outage. I tried to convince myself it wasn’t a nefarious plan.
“It happens this time of year.”
Muscles tensed, and my fingers curled, ready to throw down. When Nick stepped out of the hallway shadows, my body relaxed. When he joined me at the window, he stood close enough for our arms to brush against one another. I shook the cold from my fingertips, but not pulling away. The smallest patch of skin touched his, and I reveled in the heat.
“What’s out there?” I didn’t mean the mission.
“Nothing.” I don’t think he meant the mission.
“There has to be more.”
I couldn’t make out the features on his face, but I could feel his arm shift… drop. I could detect the exhaustion. Did I give off the same vibe? Had I all but thrown in the towel? I wanted to believe there was another adventure after retirement. I hadn’t given it much thought on purpose.
“For some.” His finger brushed against knuckles. He might as well have pointed at me as he spoke. I appreciated his faith, and I wanted to return the favor. The impulse started in my hand and, like an electric pulse, I moved like a man on a mission.
I spun Nick, pressed him against the window.
He didn’t resist. Iwantedhim to resist. Not me, but whatever dread had gotten its hooks in him. I didn’t need to see my forearm to know the hair had been covered in frost. Pressed against his chest, he didn’t flinch from the cold.
If he could believe I had a future?—
It was an impulsive kiss. I let my emotions override my training. When he didn’t kiss back, I pulled away. If he reported me to Alvarez, I’d be retiring a day early. In decades of doing the job, I had never gotten involved, but nobody had ever forced me to confront an uncertain future.
“I’m—I?—”
His hands moved faster than I thought possible. Holding the sides of my face, he returned the kiss. Filled with fervor and fire, he moved as if I were his last chance for survival. As my lips parted, he tasted of peppermint and cocoa, and I wanted more. I removed my arm from his chest, fingers moving along the side of his neck.
I could be fired, and if this were why, I’d accept it. Since I arrived, Nick had occupied space, barely existing. He had all but accepted his fate. This was the first time I witnessed him rallying, fighting back. This kiss was him screaming into the void that he hadn’t given up.
He needed this.Ineeded this.
Consumed by the kiss, I didn’t notice his hands moved until they tugged at my belt. I leaned back to study his face. Whatever Nick needed, it wouldn’t end with a kiss. In the soft firelight, his eyes turned downward, focused on my pants.
I shouldn’t. He unhooked my belt, leaving it open as he reached for the button. I had already crossed a line with a kiss. Nick opened my jeans, sliding the zipper down. As my cock pressed against my briefs, I rationalized. If this is what Nick needed and I could help protect him against himself, wasn’t that my job?
Nick cupped my package. I stopped being an officer.
When he looked up, I could see the question in his eyes. Did he want consent? Or was this a deeper question that could only be found in a sexual act? When my cock jumped, I putaside my common sense. I slid my pants off my hips, letting my underwear follow suit.
His hand returned as he pressed his lips into the crook of my neck. His free hand moved to the middle of my back, holding me in place as his fingers studied my cock. I gasped as he gripped the shaft, giving it a firm squeeze. I couldn’t remember how long it had been. It didn’t matter. The only hand I cared about was the one gently jerking me.
I pulled my shirt over my head, leaving me in nothing but a pile of crumpled clothes on the floor. His hand drifted to my ass. Pulling me tight against him, he lifted me off my feet, turning us about until my back pressed against the glass. Anybody else would have yelped at the cold, but I hardly noticed.
Nick kissed down my neck until he reached my chest. He wasn’t rough, but his eagerness showed as he licked one nipple and then moved to the other. They hardly slowed him as he continued downward, reaching the spot where the hair covered my belly. He let go of my cock long enough to crouch down and grip my love handles. His cheek brushed against my stomach, and for a moment he paused, as if he were lost in a memory.
