Battle of Hearts, page 18
“Damn it, stop stealing my coffee and taking shots at me. Who is with Mom?”
“Charlotte went when you were busy messing up what could be your last chance with Ainsley,” Conner said.
Rory sat back down and stared after the exit, wishing he’d walked Ainsley out, even though he had no idea what he wanted to say to her or how to say it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ainsley stewed as she pulled the delicate yellow-hued glassware with fading gold rims from her kitchen cabinet. To anyone else they were old champagne flutes, but to her, they were priceless heirlooms from her great grandmother. Every glass needed to be wrapped before being placed in the individual padded holes. She could hire someone to do it, but it seemed weird to have strangers touch all of her things and it kept her busy. She didn’t need to move out of her place on a set date, but she didn’t want to drag it out either.
One of the major perks of negotiating her new job as the D.C. political correspondent for her network’s New York station was that she didn’t have to move. But her dad owned several brownstones near his, which would also be closer to work. When he admitted he bought them hoping his girls would use them, she decided to try it out and see how they got along. The home was furnished, but she needed her personal items, clothes, and everything for the kitchen.
She had the next two days off before her new job started on Friday, which gave her plenty of time to pack things up and think about Rory. He was out of sorts when she found him passed out that morning at the hospital. She’d been so nervous to see him again but compelled to check on him. Part of her expected him to reject her and dismiss her concern, but then he called her an angel and looked at her with such desire. In his sleepy daze, he’d shown her raw emotion before turning back into his standoffish self.
A knock at her door brought her back to the moment, and she wondered if the new doorman in her building thought he had to deliver the pizza she ordered to her door. Usually, a resident popped downstairs to collect any food deliveries. Looking through the peephole, she was surprised to see the man dominating her thoughts, and she whipped open the door.
“Hi, I didn’t know you offered a delivery service.”
Rory stood with her pizza and a large bouquet of white flowers.
“Only on Tuesdays.” His smile was shrouded in several days’ worth of scruff.
“In that case, please come in,” she said, holding the door open for him.
“These are a peace offering,” he said, holding out the flowers before stepping in.
“I didn’t know we were at war.”
She accepted the flowers and gave them a sniff before ushering him farther into her apartment.
“Have you already had dinner?” she asked.
“No, my body clock is messed up. Typically, I’d be having breakfast before the night shift.”
“You’re not working tonight?”
He shook his head but remained quiet while she busied herself with filling a vase with water for the flowers and getting them each a plate. Her heart was pounding so loud she wondered if he could hear it. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but it seemed odd for him to seek her out after he made it clear he didn’t want a relationship with her.
“My captain ordered me to take another night off to catch up on sleep. My first instinct was to come to see you.”
His voice sounded gruff with emotion, and when she met his eyes, she could see everything she was feeling in their green depths.
Without a second thought, she walked into him and stood on her tiptoes to reach his mouth. Her invitation was more than welcomed as his hands slid down her hips to cup her bottom. He leaned down to catch her mouth with his, and their bodies molded to each other. Winding her arms around his neck, he hoisted her legs up to straddle his hips. His scruff scratched her skin adding to the sensory explosion of having his firm hands holding her pressed against his hard muscles. Pushing one hand into his hair, she deepened their kiss. The guttural groan that hummed from his mouth made her smile. He wanted her. He missed her too.
“Condoms in the bedroom” was all she managed between kisses.
He nodded and walked down the hall, still holding her, but before they made it to her room, he pressed her against the wall in the hallway. The cool material against her back had her arching toward him. His hips pressed into hers, forcing her in place, and his hands pushed her breasts up to meet his mouth. Frustrated by the fabric of her shirt, he pulled it up and off. His hot tongue was on her skin as she pulled her bralette down.
“I don’t think you’re going to get much sleep tonight here,” she said, grinding her hips against the bulge he pressed into her.
“That’s fine,” he said.
One of his palms gripped her jaw as he forced her to look into his eyes. He thrust his hips up to emphasize how much he needed her before he took his time placing soft kisses on the side of her mouth and along her cheek. His breath was hot on her ear. “I’d rather spend all night inside you than sleep,” he said.
Holding onto his muscular shoulders, she could feel the frenzy of need building up in her body. His outspoken desire for her was enthralling. She wanted to show him how much she missed him.
Without another word, he carried her into her room, and they tumbled onto the bed. Rory’s touch and taste overwhelmed and drove her need for him. Before she knew it, they were both naked covered in a sheen of sweat as they rediscovered how each other liked to be touched. Limbs tangled, hands explored.
To her great pleasure, Rory made it his mission to kiss every inch of her body before driving into her and claiming every moan he pushed out of her with his mouth. He took command of her body as he held one of her knees up against her side leaving no room for escape. She languished in the intensity as the swell of her orgasm ebbed, and with every touch he owned her, she was a goner. Lights exploded behind her eyelids as she rode the pleasure of his body all over hers. Having slowed his pace to hover over her and watch, she found him smiling when she opened her eyes.
“My turn.” She pushed him to lay back.
“Ainsley.” Her name was a strangled plea.
“Shhh, baby. I’m going to give you what you need.”
Leaning forward, she kissed him, while at the same time, sinking down on top of him, filling herself with him. His fingers dug into her hips, and she pulled away from his mouth to watch him enjoy her. His head rocked back, and his abdomen flexed. He was holding back, but she wanted to control his release. When she lifted her hips away from him, his dark eyes opened and narrowed on her.
“You’re beautiful,” he said with a sly smile before he bucked up.
She crawled her hands up his chest, leaning forward to steal another kiss and felt her pleasure spike.
“Don’t stop,” he begged, and his eyes locked with hers as she continued the riding motion until they both exploded.
The next morning, after a night of very little sleep, she woke to the feel of Rory running the tip of his finger up and down her back. She was facing him with one hand slung over his side and one of his thighs in between her legs. The instant wet heat that pooled would be embarrassing if his swollen length wasn’t pushing against her belly.
Without a word, he pushed her back into the mattress and settled between her thighs.
“Good morning beautiful,” he whispered into her ear.
His voice was scratchy with sleep. She wound her arms around his shoulders and squeezed him before raising her hips.
Neither spoke again until they were a pile of exhausted sweaty bodies.
“I hope you don’t need to be anywhere today because I’m going to make you my prisoner,” Rory said into the pillow where he lay with his eyes closed.
Pulling up a sheet over his gorgeous, ripped body seemed like a crime, but her skin was cooled off and she didn’t want him to catch a chill.
“I’m going to make us some breakfast. We forgot to eat last night.”
He smiled. “I didn’t forget,” he said before he slipped back into sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Waking to the smell of French toast and bacon wasn’t nearly as delicious as the sight of Ainsley wearing his t-shirt while bringing him a cup of coffee.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Only nine. Are you ready for some breakfast?” she said as she walked back out of the room.
He sipped the hot coffee, wondering how this conversation was going to go. Would she be open to trying a long-distance relationship? Was he even capable of having a serious relationship? As much as he didn’t know, he did know he wanted to try with her.
Out in the living room, he noticed the stacks of boxes against one wall. A pit in his stomach formed at the thought of her living in a different city and being so out of reach.
“Do you like whipped cream on your French toast?” she asked with a smile.
There was a large stack with all the fixings on two plates at the counter.
“No thanks.” He sat down, knowing the food was going to taste like dust as annoyance settled over him.
Who was he kidding? Just because they had a sexual connection didn’t mean they had any chance at a real relationship. He wasn’t even capable of committing to a pet because his hours were so insane. How would he commit to a woman living in another city? A gorgeous woman with men hitting on her all the time.
A nudge from Ainsley broke through his thoughts.
“Eat up. You’re going to need your energy after this.” She leaned over his arm, offering up her mouth in a kiss.
The gesture was simple and carefree, but it only solidified how much he didn’t want to try to force something that would only drive them both crazy. He kissed her soft lips before pulling away with regret.
Forcing a smile, he poured a stream of syrup on his plate and attempted to eat. It didn’t help that Ainsley was moaning about how delicious every bite was.
“You sound like you’re having a foodgasm,” he said.
“Don’t be jealous. I’ll save my best moans for you,” she said, poking him with her fork before digging back in.
He took another big gulp of his coffee to fortify himself.
“That’s a lot of boxes packed up already. When’s the big move?” He didn’t face her, just stared off ahead, punishing himself with each gulp.
“Does it matter?”
Her tone was defensive and he knew she was still hurt by his previous rejection, but at the time, he didn’t think he was capable of having more. He still wasn’t convinced he should risk getting involved with someone while on the SWAT team. Even though he had turned it down, he was still mulling over the job at the training center. It would be a 180 in his career plans but would free up most of his weekends.
“Just because you brought me flowers, and we spent all night exploring each other’s bodies, doesn’t mean I think you’ve changed your mind. I’m not that good. You were very clear when you said you don’t have room in your life for someone like me.”
Now he did face her. “No, I said I don’t have room for a relationship, that my career doesn’t exactly create an environment to foster a healthy relationship. It’s not you, Ainsley. You’re spectacular.”
Her ire dimmed, but her smile didn’t meet her eyes.
“How do you know if you’ve never tried?”
A glimmer of hope in her eyes felt like a sucker punch.
“Because I was there the night my brother-in-law was killed in a shootout, and I was the one who had to tell his wife, my sister, that he was dead.”
Her eyes filled with tears and she reached out to comfort him, but he stood up and walked toward the sink with his plate and cup.
“The kind of work I do isn’t good for relationships, but it’s what I’m good at.”
She nodded while swiping at her eyes and turning away from him. “I’m not going to try to change your mind.”
In that moment, he knew what it meant to feel gutted. He’d fallen for her so fast, but they never stood a glimpse of a chance.
“At least we had last night and the lake cabin,” she said, standing and taking the rest of her uneaten food to the sink.
She wasn’t asking him to try to have more with her. She must know a long-distance relationship would just delay the inevitable. Or maybe she knew he wasn’t the kind of guy she’d be willing to try to make a future with.
“I better go before this gets any more difficult,” he said, backing up to give her space.
“Too late.” She was in his arms in two strides and kissing him like they hadn’t just broken each other’s hearts.
Feeling her tears on the skin of his cheek as they kissed only turned the knife. He couldn’t stand the lure of wanting to relive their night together and ended the kiss. Clutching her hands, he moved her back to create space between them. Her scent surrounded him.
“Good luck with your new job. You should be proud of yourself for chasing your dreams.”
“It’s funny how much dreams change as you chase them. We get tunnel vision thinking we know exactly what we want,” she said.
Swiping at a tear that escaped her watery eyes, he stole one more kiss and then headed for the door.
“Bye, baby,” he said with one last look back. He paused long enough to see her face crease with pain before walking out. He wasn’t made for goodbyes.
It was too early to go to work and he knew he would be too restless to sleep, so he drove out of the city. An hour later as he approached the small lake town, he regretted his impulse to try and escape thoughts of Ainsley or his future. Pulling up to his cabin, he knew he would only see her if he went inside. After walking around the back of the property, he sat on the deck and let his dad’s question play over in his mind. What did he want?
The last thing he ever remembered wanting was getting on the SWAT team. He and Sam had both had one-track minds after college. Get on the police force and then the SWAT team. They’d been inseparable and made it. At the same time, Sam had started dating his sister, and they’d gotten married. But Rory had been married to his work, and then when Sam died, everything got too real. The violence, the life and death situations, the need for extensive training, and complete focus on the job. He’d taken the approach that if he was obsessive and meticulous with every element, then he would never lose another officer or friend. That he could out train and out prepare the bad guys, but in the years since they’d lost Sam, at least a dozen more officers had been shot. Dedicating his life to police work was a worthwhile endeavor. Protecting and serving his community and following in his father’s footsteps was meaningful, but was it all he wanted?
Staring out at the lake for two hours didn’t give him the answer, so he made his way home to work out and get ready for his next shift. If he could just get back into his routine, maybe he would figure it out.
*
That night, water dripped from his brow as he hunkered down against the back porch of an arguably condemned row house in the southeast neighborhood of D.C.. They were on one of the most dangerous blocks in the city, waiting for the crisis negotiator to give them the green light to raid a home. They had the specs on the layout of the home built in the forties, but there was no way of knowing what updates may have been made or furniture that could be in their way if they needed to breach the doors.
A man had phoned the police department a little after eleven when his son had showed up with a gun and his two kids he didn’t have visitation to see. The young man was angry about a recent child support lien put on his bank account and was taking it out on his ex and his kids. The man that called was the grandfather but worried about his son’s behavior and didn’t want to risk his grandkids’ safety. Rory could hear the kids crying inside, and the perpetrator yelling at them to shut up. It had been three hours, and everyone was getting weary.
“Look alive, team echo. I think things are going downhill fast,” Jake’s calm voice sounded over the earbud radio he wore.
He didn’t need to check his gear or his sights. He was ready. Ace was on the ram for the back door, and Rory would enter first, followed by two more teammates. Another team of five would breach the front door at the same time. That created the possibility of putting fellow officers in danger, in each other’s path if they needed to shoot, but it also created such a level of chaos for the perp that they often froze before they could think to fire a shot.
They all waited for the two words the negotiator needed to say that would signal the situation had reached the level of risk to the children and the grandfather’s life.
“Have hope,” sounded over the radio as the negotiator’s signal.
“Echo goes,” Jake said.
Ace used the large metal ram to splinter open the back door.
Within eight seconds, each team member breached the doors, children screamed, and fellow officers barked orders for everyone to get down and show their hands. The rooms were better lit than outside, and they had the advantage of being able to see the young man’s hands as his gun hung by his side.
“Police, drop your weapon. Police, drop your weapon,” Jake ordered in a calm command.
The perp hesitated for a moment, then looked down at his chest and the multiple beads of red dots from the officers’ aim points. He dropped his weapon to the floor before shoving his hands to the sky.
A small child hurtled herself at Rory, and he enveloped her before taking her out the door he’d just barreled through. His pulse pounded, and he knew his gear would be wet and harsh against the little girl’s shivering form, but he doubted she cared.
“You’re safe, you’re safe. Your mom is just down the street,” he whispered to the child as she clung to his neck.
His weapon was on a sling, and he let it dangle at his side as he trudged through the back alley lined with more cops. There was an armored police truck and ambulance waiting while dozens of neighbors watched with their cellphones out. The little girl’s sobs broke his heart, but he also knew they’d lucked out tonight. There had been no bloodshed.
