Double Standards, page 16
“God, Liam, that’s terrible.”
I finally raised my head to look at her. “Yeah, it is. I started envisioning my life with a little girl, and how I’d raise her. Hurt anyone who broke her heart, walk her down the aisle, and watch her grow up. I didn’t know the gender, but I had a feeling. And then it was torn from me. So when I saw that young woman today, so young with so much life left to live… I just got angry.” Tears threatened to spill over, so I looked up at the sun to blink them away before I glanced back at my partner. Her eyes were misty.
I held my hands up. “No, see, this is why I didn’t walk to talk about it. Now you have us both vulnerable and soft-hearted. Aren’t we supposed to bickering?” I snapped, trying to shift the mood away from this topic.
Callie continued to surprise me. Instead of saying anything or getting in the car, she hugged me. She snaked her arms around my waist and rested her head on my chest. I froze at the contact, not sure how to proceed. On the one hand, she smelled so fucking good and she was warm and sweet. On the other, I was always confused around her. What was she thinking? Did she hate me or did she forgive me? Was this her way of letting me in and initiating contact? How the hell should I proceed?
I blocked out all the questions and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in closer to me. I welcomed her heat in the cool November air. I rested my chin atop her head. Holding her this close felt surreal. Daydreaming about it didn’t compare to how it actually felt. The intimacy of this hug was deep, emotional, and left me defenseless.
I could feel her warm breath through my shirt. I left my hands on her back, but those few seconds we held each other were the most comforting I’d had since I moved here. I felt it chipping at my cold front, tearing at my walls, and softening my edges.
She pulled away, and the cold that remained was sobering. Callie’s eyes glimmered with tears. “Sometimes I get tired from all the fighting,” she admitted.
I gave her a dimpled smile, and watched her shoulders drop in response. “Then let’s not fight today. Deal?”
Callie nodded and let me open the car door for her. I took us straight to Pillar College, wasting no time. I was going to get this motherfucker if it was the last thing I ever did. Well, actually, I would prefer the last thing I ever did to be Callie, but that probably wouldn’t be happening any time soon.
“I say we go undercover.”
Callie laughed. A real, honest to God laugh. “Don’t you think we’d have more luck asking for him directly first?”
“You don’t think the Dean will have a problem with one of her faculty members talking to cops about a dead girl and him being a suspect in her murder?”
“No way. She was a student, and in order to make money she needs people to attend the school. And to do that, campus has to feel like a safe place. I definitely think the Dean would side with her students to protect them. I say we go in as ourselves.”
We climbed out of the car, and I shrugged. “Okay, partner. I trust you.”
She grinned at me as we walked across the campus together, following the directory to the Philosophy Department. When we entered the admin office for the Philosophy Department, the receptionist looked up at us. “How can I help you two?”
“We’re Detectives Chandler and Eden,” I said. “We’re with the NPD, and we’d like to speak to Professor Ilya Harris.”
The receptionist hesitated. “Yes, of course. If you’d like to take a seat, he’ll be out with you shortly.”
Callie and I looked at each other skeptically and then took a seat in the waiting area. I felt like we shared the same thought—that we would not be seeing Ilya Harris. After a few minutes, a woman dressed in a dark pantsuit with salt-and-pepper hair tied back in an elegant bun appeared before us.
“Detectives,” she greeted cheerfully. “I’m Dean Gina Wilson. It’s to my understanding that you’d like to speak with Mr. Harris, is that right?”
We both stood, but Callie took the lead with addressing the Dean.
“Yes, ma’am. We have reason to believe that he’s involved in an active murder investigation regarding one of your students, Melanie Sanders.”
The Dean threw us a faux smile. “I’m very sorry to hear about Miss Sanders. However, I do protect my staff and require that you have a warrant before you attempt to speak with any of them.”
“If that’s what you’d prefer, then we’ll return with one,” Callie said through tight lips.
The Dean smiled at us again before gesturing for us to head toward the exit.
Callie grabbed my arm and guided me out into the hall. “This is going to sound very out of character,” she started, her voice low and her eyes searching mine frantically, “but I’d like to say you were right. Also, I think we need to stay here. Maybe try to corner him.”
Callie
“The Dean could tip him off,” Liam said after I suggested we stay on campus.
I puffed out my cheeks and trained my eyes on him for solace, which should’ve been the last thing I did after the past few weeks, but I couldn’t help it. He’d called me baby… it left me feeling all sorts of ways.
Then he’d opened up to me about his divorce, the pain still raw. My heart broke for him, and I couldn’t do anything except hug him, but that hug… his body felt so good pressed against mine.
All the disdain I’d felt flew out the window.
I shouldn’t have felt that way.
“So, what do you suggest?” I asked as we began to wander the halls. “Should we just walk around and hope to see him?”
He exhaled sharply. “I think that’s probably our best bet. We can’t get in trouble if we say we saw him and he willingly talked to us. We just have to avoid the Dean.”
We walked around, basically in circles and up and down levels, for the next fifteen minutes or so. We exchanged small chit-chat, navigated through the changing of classes, and returned to the first floor. The halls had just emptied out when we saw the Dean round a corner, speaking to a colleague. Liam wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into a nearby supply closet. My breath caught as he did so, the movement so quick and unexpected that I was caught completely off guard. As soon as the door shut behind us, he pressed me against the wall. Given how little wiggle room there was, this was the most comfortable option. Even if it made me uncomfortable in the best way.
I peered up at him as he cautiously looked out the small window in the door, the fluorescent hall lights casting shadows on his face. His eyes sparkled mischievously, whether it was from our proximity or sneaking around the college campus like teenagers I wasn’t sure. I certainly didn’t mind. What I was sure of was how rapidly my heart was beating, how quick my breathing was, and how warm I felt. I was vividly aware of how close we were, and it was all I could think about.
“Is she still out there?” I breathed, almost inaudibly, hoping to distract myself before I got too worked up.
He ducked his head away from the window so he could look at me. “Yes. She appears to be having a serious conversation with someone. She’s basically right outside the door.” He moved to peer out the window again, pressing further into me.
I groaned inwardly as unfurled desire inside me. It was the kind of arousal I’d been trying to draw out by myself and failed to when I attempted to pleasure myself. Apparently he was the only person my body reacted to, and it was driving me crazy. The weeks I’d spent shoving these feelings into a closet like Katherine Heigl did with her bridesmaids dresses in 27 Dresses had left me worse off than before.
This could not be worse timing, I thought, knowing I could easily just lean in and press my lips to his.
It took a moment for me to realize why my libido was acting up.
He was pressed up against me in ways I desperately wished he wasn’t. His right leg was between both of mine, rubbing right up against my clit, and his torso was flush against mine. My head was basically lying in his chest, and his scent surrounded me like a cloud. It was heady, overwhelming, and making my head swim with fantasies of him spreading my legs on a bed.
“Liam,” I whispered, just to get his attention.
It worked. Liam looked down at me, his brows pulling in slightly when he met my gaze. He looked so devastatingly handsome with his sharp angles, tempting me like he was the devil and I was Eve.
Fuck it.
I grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him down into me, crushing his lips to mine. He let out a surprised moan but quickly melted into the touch. His hands gripped my waist, pulling my hips into him, causing friction. Every time he shifted even slightly, his leg pressed into my clitoris. I could feel every muscle, every sinew of his body as I ran my hands over his shoulders, down his chest and abs.
Our lips moved against each other’s. He flicked his tongue out, seductive and experienced, begging for permission. I opened my mouth, accepting his invitation. Our tongues danced, and hormones were exploding inside me left and right as I fought the urge to writhe underneath him.
Liam grabbed my hands suddenly, pinning them above my head against the wall so only our bodies were touching. I let out a gasp. I could feel how wet I was even through my pants, and my skin felt like it was on fire. I started to feel a familiar, and long-awaited, pressure rise inside me.
No, no, NO! I screamed at myself. I pleaded with my body to not do this, not here, not now. This couldn’t be how I had my first orgasm in God knows how long. This couldn’t be the story I returned to my therapist with. I needed to be quiet, and it needed to not be with Liam.
He pulled away suddenly, and I took a deep breath. It felt as if I hadn’t breathed the entire time, but I honestly may not have. At that moment I was simply trying to suppress the warmth spreading in my thighs.
Liam pressed his lips to my neck, and electric shocks shot down through my core and my legs, making my knees weak. I was suddenly grateful for his grip on my arms, still held above us, because I wasn’t confident I could support myself much longer.
I sighed. He let go of my wrists with one hand and dropped it to nimbly roll my hardened nipples between his fingers. I bit down on my lip, that stupid pressure rising inside my traitorous body as fiery tingles made their way through me.
I didn’t know how much more I could handle.
Skin on fire, lungs emptied of all air, and body yearning for release, I rested my head against the wall and embraced what was mere seconds away. I shut out all other thoughts, let myself focus on what I knew I craved. Chased the overwhelming sensations crawling over my skin and through my core at Liam’s touch.
I lost control.
My body tipped over the edge as he kissed the base of my neck. I dipped my head forward, biting down on his shoulder to muffle the noise as I cried out. My arms stiffened and I balled my hands into fists to absorb some of the pressure. The orgasm hit me in waves—over and over again, I felt it wrack my body. I clenched all my muscles, hoping that it would conceal what was happening to me, but I knew it was a lost cause.
My legs quivered and turned to Jell-O. After what felt like hours, I relaxed my arms and leaned my head against the wall, relishing the feel of Liam’s lips on my skin. I sighed in relief. No matter how badly I said I didn’t want it to happen, I was instantly thankful it did.
For the first time in months, I felt liberated. I tugged one of my hands away from him, moving it to twist his sandy blonde locks through my fingers. I pulled gently to bring his lips back to mine. I kissed him just as urgently as I did before my orgasm, because good God I couldn’t get enough.
Liam
Being stuck in a tiny utility closet with Callie was torture in and of itself. We had little room to move, and were at risk of being heard if we did. We were pressed up closely against one another for a moment before it happened. I had been watching the Dean talk to a colleague while Callie was flattened against the wall.
I was ignoring naughty thoughts of her the whole time. I knew if I didn’t that I’d be at major risk for an erection. The situation was less than ideal, actually. I mean, I had imagined a hundred different ways of fucking Callie, but not in a utility closet where we couldn’t make noise. Though, to be fair, the adrenaline rushing through my veins mixed with an uncomfortable amount of testosterone made for an exhilarating concoction.
“Liam,” she breathed, and something in her voice made me turn toward her. I was suddenly made aware of how the swell of her breasts were pressed against my chest, how my leg happened to be between her thighs, how flushed her cheeks were as she looked up at me with longing desire.
Suddenly, she cupped the sides of my face and pulled me down into her. I flattened my palms on the wall behind her to brace myself as an intense rush of hormones shot through me, before I gripped her waist. All logic went out the window as the blood rushed to my manhood. I felt like I was imagining it, like it was a fever dream, and I would wake up at any moment sorely disappointed that it wasn’t real.
Callie’s hands traced me like she was trying to memorize my body, and her lips were soft and warm, demanding and urgent against mine. I ran my tongue over her lower lip, and a soft gasp opened her mouth, letting me in,. Her tongue was sweet against mine, and each passing second I felt my erection get harder.
It was more passionate than last year.
She continued to run her hands over me, and as good as it felt, all I wanted was to feel her body with nothing between us. I grabbed her hands and pinned them against the wall. I wanted to moan, to make audible noises so she could hear how crazed she was making me, but my subconscious knew better since we were on the job.
I felt her badge press against my hip. As we continued to kiss, I felt myself spiral towards taboo thoughts, and I knew now was neither the time nor the place. I forced myself to break the kiss, but I needed this moment to continue, needed it to never end.
Not even last year could compare to how she set me aflame now. All the tension from the last few weeks… and now the floodgates were opening. I wasn’t sure they could be closed again.
I moved my lips to her neck, needing to breathe in her scent and kiss the soft skin I’d been dying to feel under my lips for weeks. I kissed from her jawline down to the crook of her neck, and back up before I suckled on the skin at the hollow of her throat.
But I needed to feel more of her.
I trailed a hand down to one of her supple breasts, rolling her pert nipple between my fingers gently, desperately wishing I could gently bite down on it. As I contemplated how to do just that, I felt her writhe against me, and I didn’t quite understand what was happening at first.
As Callie shifted, I felt her bite down on my shoulder to muffle her cry—the sensations it elicited were electric. Her back arched, pressing her torso further into mine, and her whole body went rigid. It dawned on me what had happened, and seconds later she wiggled free of my grip, tugging on my hair to bring my lips back to hers. I moved my hands to caress her neck and wind my fingers through her hair.
It wasn’t my intention to make her finish, but I certainly didn’t mind feeling her pulse through her pants. I felt her body contract around me, felt her mouth groan against my skin, and dear God it was the sexiest fucking thing.
I was seconds away from tearing her clothes off when—
The supply closet door swung open. I broke away from Callie to see who had interrupted us, only to find a sobering surprise staring at us. I pulled Callie into me, both to defend her and to conceal my throbbing erection.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Dean Wilson demanded.
“Nothing, just totally appropriate work stuff,” I lamely bluffed, my head still clouded with flowing testosterone and lack of blood.
“Just working on a case,” Callie said at the same time. I glanced at her, her flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and tousled hair giving away that she felt the same way I did.
The Dean glowered at us with her hawk eyes. “I thought I told you two to leave, and then I catch you fornicating in one of my supply closets? Who’s your Commanding Officer? Give me—”
She was cut off by the sound of a bloodcurdling scream followed by a gunshot. Both mine and Callie’s heads whipped in that direction; it was enough to break us both out of our sensual trance.
“If you’ll excuse us, we have a job to do,” Callie sneered before shoving past her and bolting down the hallway. I glared at the Dean before following Callie out into the brightly lit hall. It took a second for my eyes to adjust before I saw the man of the hour, Ilya Harris, standing at the end of the hallway, holding a gun that was pointed at the ceiling. One look at the ceiling told me that’s where he’d discharged his weapon.
“Ilya Harris, freeze. NPD!” I yelled, drawing my gun from its holster. Callie did the same, aiming it at our suspect.
“Put your hands in the air,” Callie said calmly.
Ilya’s eyes narrowed on us. He looked pale and sweaty as he slowly began to raise his hands.
“What are you waiting for? Stop him!” The Dean boomed from behind us.
“With all due respect, I need you to stop talking,” I snarled at her over my shoulder. As I shifted my gaze back to Ilya, I saw him bolt. “Callie, he’s running!” I shouted, holstering my gun and taking off after him. I rounded the corner and saw him dive into a lecture hall. I pressed myself against the wall by the door, drew my gun again, and crept into the lecture hall after him.
“Professor Harris, we just want to talk,” I said, peering down the first row of desks.
In my peripheral vision, I saw him leap up from behind the large professor’s desk at the front of the class, down several stairs from where I stood. His eyes were wild and crazed. I was also sharply aware of how out in the open I was. I felt it coming before it happened, so I dove behind a row of chairs. He pulled out the gun from his waistband and fired two shots. The bullets whizzed passed me and hit the wall at the top of the stairs.
