Holding Out for a Hero (Baytown Heroes #9)

Chapter 3

3

Brad slid into Bess's tight channel and was sure his eyes rolled back in his head. She was warm and welcoming, and with the scent of their arousal mixed with the sugar-sweet air all around her, it felt like sliding into heaven. Every time he pulled out and thrust into her silky sex, he felt her touch. Her strong yet gentle hands glided over his skin.

During sex, his mind was usually just on getting the woman off and then taking them to where he needed to be to get off. But right now, his mind was filled with the woman underneath him. Confident. Soft and curvy. Gorgeous. Thick red hair flowed over his pillows. Blue eyes peered up at him with no guile… just lost in the same pleasure he felt. Her thighs tightened around him, and she shifted upward, offering him deeper access as his plunges became hurried.

Lowering his upper body so that his chest grazed her breasts, and her soft gasps puffed across his face, he kissed her again. Long and hard and wet. As she sucked his tongue deeper into her mouth and grazed her fingernails over his back and scalp, his body shivered.

On the razor’s edge of the cliff, need filled him, and he moved his hand between them. When he circled his thumb on her nub before pressing, her body bolted upward, taking him deeper than he’d ever been in anyone. His balls tightened, and thanking the gods of sex, she fell apart just as his orgasm sent him over the edge. He thrust until every drop was drained, and he fell unceremoniously onto her. If he’d had any air left in his lungs, he would have apologized for weighing her down, but he was still working to suck in whatever oxygen she wasn’t also gasping for.

“Fuck,” he muttered as he finally managed to roll to the side, keeping his arms around her.

“Yeah, we did,” she wheezed.

Her eyes were bright, and her smile was wide. “Christ, you’re beautiful,” he said, smiling in return, his chest still heaving.

“Wore you out?”

His chuckle sounded more like a strangle. “No… yeah. Well, not entirely. Give me a break, and I’ll be ready for another round.”

She rolled into him, wrapping her arm around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. He curled toward her and traced her cheek with his finger. “You really are beautiful, Bess, but I’m sure you’ve heard that before.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard it while lying in bed with someone.”

Her admission surprised him, and his eyes widened. “I imagine you’re always hit on in your bakery.”

“Honestly, I’m in the kitchen much of the time. My sister, Belinda, works the front early in the mornings, and I have other people who handle the shop. It’s not that I don’t like being around people. It’s just that, until recently, I was the only one doing the baking. I’m not complaining that the shop has done so well, but it means that I spend most of my time in the back.”

“That worked out well for me since you’ve been open for so long and haven’t been snatched up by anyone yet.”

She leaned closer and kissed him softly. “Just to let you know, it was awfully nice to be snatched up by you tonight.”

He hated to leave the bed with her warmth pressed close to him but had no choice. “Give me a minute, and I’ll be right back.”

He eased off the bed and headed into the bathroom to take care of the condom. When he returned to the bedroom, she was sitting on the side of the bed with her bra in her hand. She smiled up at him, but he couldn’t mask his surprise. He tilted his head to the side as his hands landed on his hips. “What are you doing?”

Her chin jerked back slightly. “I was getting dressed. No one likes a guest who doesn’t know when it’s time to leave.”

He stalked closer, and a smile slipped over his face as her gaze moved appreciatively over his torso and then dropped lower. Her breath hitched as she saw the evidence that he was ready to go again. Looking up, she lifted a brow.

He took the bra from her hands and tossed it to the side before leaning in and capturing her lips. His tongue circled her mouth before delving into her intoxicating taste. His cock eagerly awaited a repeat performance.

“I take it you’re not ready for me to leave.” She laughed against his mouth.

“You in my bed tonight is exactly where I want you to be.” With her agreeing nod, he reached for another condom.

“Worst kitchen goof?”

“Oh God, there have been so many. Forgetting to set a timer and having the cookies come out like hockey pucks. Over-kneading the dough and having the bread fall flat. Using regular flour when it calls for self-rising.” She shook her head. “But the worst was not checking my containers, and I added salt instead of sugar, creating the worst cake in the history of cakes!”

He chuckled as they lay tangled in his bed. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders, and her head rested on his chest. His fingers lightly roamed over her skin, finding it as soft as he’d imagined.

“Okay, your turn,” she said. “Tell me about being a detective. Probably nothing like on TV, right?”

“Right,” he admitted as he shifted to peer into her eyes. He’d had women in the past ask about his work, but when he gave a real answer, they didn’t hide their disappointment. He wondered what Bess’s reaction would be and was almost afraid to find out. Finally, he said, “We don’t rush around in and out of the station, chasing criminals through the county’s roads. Or get into shoot-outs every week. Some of what we do to investigate a crime has to do with computer searches and checking law enforcement databases. Crimes aren’t often solved in a few days or sometimes even a few weeks. And some are never solved. We gain insight, interview people, gain more insight, research what we find out, and gain more insight. We want to be successful and bring criminals to justice, but some days are more like beating my head on my desk than what you see on TV where every clue and every interview brings something positive to the case.”

“But you do it because it’s important.”

He continued to stare as she made the simple yet profound observation. Nodding, he agreed. “Yes. It’s important to me. It’s important to victims. It’s important to society.”

Her lips curved, and he leaned in to kiss them, keeping it light for now. It had been a long time since he’d wanted to spend more time getting to know a woman. “Your turn again. Best grandparent memory?”

“From my childhood?”

“You can give me any memory you want, Bess.”

“Well, on Sunday afternoons, my grandfather would watch old movies while Nana Jules and I baked in the kitchen. She would let me help with every step of the recipe, never making me feel like I was in the way. And she’d talk to me… explaining how the flavors combined, and how the temperature of the oven made a difference. Once the treats were in the oven, I’d watch with him. They only had one TV in their house, so Belinda and I would watch the movies with him when we visited. He used to watch old westerns with John Wayne, and he loved the old James Bond movies with Sean Connery.”

“Sean was definitely the best,” he agreed.

“My favorite was when Grandpa Jack watched scary movies in the fall.”

“Who was the most terrifying—Dracula or Frankenstein?”

Her brows snapped together. “You’re not seriously going to try to debate scary movies with me, are you?”

“Come on, answer the question,” he prodded, tucking a wayward strand of red hair behind her ear. He loved the soft feel of it between his fingers.

“I always thought it would be easy to escape Frankenstein because he walked so slowly,” Bess replied. “But as long as you stayed in the sunlight and kept a cross around your neck and a garland of garlic with you at all times, then Dracula couldn’t bite.”

“Somehow, he’d manage to get the girl to rip off the strand of garlic or the cross and bite her anyway.”

Bess sat up straighter and nodded emphatically. “Oh my God, yes. Do you know the creepiest scene in the history of films?—”

“When Renfield was crawling on the floor toward the woman who had passed out.”

“How do you know so much, Detective?”

“My dad declared the whole month of October to be scary month , and he watched almost every classic scary movie. Then on Halloween, he’d go around with me for trick-or-treating. All my friends wanted to dress up like action heroes, but I always went for the old, traditional, scary costumes—Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man. When I was too old for that, he and I would dress up as those characters and give out candy at the house. Mom complained that we scared all the neighborhood kids.”

“Oh man, that sounds fun! I’d love to have a Bride of Frankenstein wig like Elsa Manchester.”

He rolled over and kissed her forehead. “How will you celebrate Halloween at the bakery?”

“Wow, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I opened last October but was so inundated just to get the shop up and running I didn’t think about it. By the time Christmas rolled around, I had lots of holiday goodies.”

“Maybe this year.”

Nodding, she held his gaze. “Absolutely. It’ll be fun. I can make a whole line of creepy dessert platters that would go perfectly for a Halloween party. Baked fingers with almond slivers for fingernails. Individual zombie cakes. Ghost cookies. Maybe you can even help me think of great decorating ideas since you grew up with scary month .” She settled her head back on his shoulder.

“I’m trying to imagine what you dressed up like when you were little,” he said, his fingers still gliding through her tresses.

She leaned up slightly to peer down at him. “Oh, my best one? Belinda dressed up as Anne of Greene Gables, and I was Pippi Longstocking! We both had braids, but mine were tied up with a hidden string so they stuck out.” She flopped back down, still grinning. “I loved that costume!”

He chuckled, not having any trouble imagining the irrepressible Bess as Pippi. He liked that she was close to her family. “Was that the grandfather who gave you BeBe?”

Her eyes twinkled as she nodded. “When my grandma Crowder stopped driving, they gave their nice car to Belinda, who was about to graduate from high school. When it was my turn, my dad’s dad gave me his beloved VW Beetle. Belinda has long since traded in her sedan, but not without tears and guilt. But it lasted her almost five years, and now she has something new that she purchased herself. There’s so much I love about BeBe that I can’t see getting rid of it.”

“It’s not just the car; it’s the memories.”

She twisted around to peer into his face while nodding. “Exactly! I know it has value as a vintage car, but the worth for me is emotional. He’d take us around in it, and when I was a kid, I thought it was the cutest car. Now, I love to drive it and hope one day I can drive my kids in it.” Her nose scrunched. “Well, I’d drive them around in a big, safe SUV, but maybe a weekend drive around the shore in BeBe would build a good memory for them.”

He cupped her face and kissed her lightly, surprising himself. Normally, a woman talking about her future and even mentioning kids would have him running for the hills. But Bess was so engaging that he simply enjoyed listening to her talk about anything.

They’d had round two, where she had ended up on top, and the sight of her breasts bouncing as she rode him was a sight he wouldn’t forget and wouldn’t mind experiencing again. Brad still couldn’t believe how in tune he was with Bess. He had never had a woman spend the entire night with him… at least not since his early military days. Once he became a police officer and then a detective, he’d been picky about who he brought to his bed. He needed to feel a connection with a woman while keeping the relationship just physical. He’d met some smart and beautiful women over the years, but the idea of a long-term relationship just wasn’t something he’d found.

With his arms around Bess, her breathing slowed and deepened, letting him know she was now asleep. Closing his eyes, he wondered if sleep would come, but his thoughts wandered to the call he’d received from his mom earlier in the day. Their move to the Eastern Shore of Virginia from Delaware was imminent, and he knew that would take up most of his spare time. Plus, with his sister coming with them… he glanced down at the sleeping Bess and sighed. Would she understand his family dynamics? The timing just wasn’t in his favor.

Settling deeper in the bed with her sweet breath puffing over his chest, he wished he’d met her earlier to get to know her better before his family arrived.

Two hours later, the buzzing of his phone woke him up. He slipped out of bed, trying not to jostle Bess, but her gentle snores let him know she was still asleep. He snagged his phone off the nightstand and slipped out into the hall. “Detective Stowe.”

“Brad, it’s Aaron. Sam and I were called in for a robbery, but Sam is sick. Caught a stomach bug from the kids. I’m heading out, but dispatch said I should check with you or Hunter.”

Aaron was a new detective, and Brad had helped him study for his detective examination last winter. He had keen insight, but Brad could understand why Aaron had called him. Hunter had a wife and a small child at home. “Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll be in.”

He disconnected and stared at Bess in his bed. The moonlight coming through the slats in the blinds was shining across her, giving just enough illumination to make her appear as a beautiful siren, tempting him to say fuck the job and crawl back into bed. It would’ve been nice to wake up with her. On the other hand, it might have been awkward. Shaking his head, he knew it wouldn’t have been. If he felt sure about one thing, it was that Bess was on the same page—a fun, sexy, entertaining night together with the possibility of more.

Heaving a little sigh, he quietly gathered clean clothes from his closet and walked into the bathroom, softly closing the door. Dressing quickly, he stepped back into the room, noting she was still deep in sleep. She had to get up so early every morning that she probably slept like the dead when she got a chance.

Padding softly over to his chest of drawers, he secured his firearm in the holster, grabbed his keys and phone, then spied his errant wallet that he’d forgotten the evening before. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, he grabbed it and slid it into his pocket. Remembering that Bess had paid for the drinks and food at the bar, he pulled out a wad of cash and placed it on the nightstand where she’d see it when she woke.

Once in the kitchen, he found a small pad of paper and wrote a note to Bess. I got called in for work. I want to see you again. If you agree, then leave me your number. Here’s mine . Then he scribbled his number at the bottom. Ripping off a second sheet, he wrote I had a great time. This is for you. His phone vibrated with a message, and at a glance, he knew he needed to hurry to the station. Leaving the two notes next to the cash where she easily would find them on the nightstand, he slipped outside. His door locked upon closing, keeping her safe, and would also secure once she left.

Driving away, he wished they could have shared breakfast, but with great memories of the night before sliding through his mind, he smiled all the way to the station, anxious to get her number.