She growled, looking up at the ceiling and puffing out her cheeks as she considered the utter, shitty consequences, then looked back at him. “I work at a school. I can’t exactly bring my own security. And if I’m at risk, and bring that risk even close to the students…?”
“I’m sorry Trace. I didn’t even think of that.” He pushed to his feet and paced toward the windows. “They would be discreet. You wouldn’t even know they were there, but… hell, I can’t send armed guards into a high school, no matter how good their cover is. Can you call in sick for the week?”
“Of course. I mean, I’ll have to. What if this isn’t resolved within a week?”
“It will be,” he said, biting the edge of his tongue.
As supportive as she was aiming to be, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he meant by that, spoken with blistering confidence.
He tipped his wrist and checked the time. “Shit, we’ve got to go.”
Cloudy, but at least the rain had taken a break. “Uh-uh,” she said, hooking her fingers into the waistband of his jeans and tugging him close again. “Talk to me.”
With a frustrated sigh, he glared up at the ceiling, then lowered his gaze slowly, meeting hers and holding, and she knew he wouldn’t lie to her. “If I have to go to the source, I will. These are truly awful people. I can’t deal with what they might do to you, and, fuck, Trace, I lost so much on that job, making sure their operation would be shut down. But somehow, that hasn’t happened, and it sure as hell should have by now.” He squinted and gritted down on his molars, subtly shaking his head. “I did a lot of bad things for a lot of money, but, fuck, at least I knew I was maybe, maybe on the right side. Someone had to do the dirty work to take down the worst of the worst. And after risking everything, they’re still fucking walking. I can’t let this go.”
Trace slid her hands around his waist and tipped her head against the wall, holding his look. That quiet determination had only grown stronger since he’d been an angry kid, and she wouldn’t question it for anything. “Okay. I trust you. I’ve got your back, like I always have.”
The corners of his mouth curved up, relief and wonder rising into the look. As one side lifted higher than the other, he shook his head and breathed a laughing sigh. “You look incredible. By the way.”
“Distracting me with compliments?” she teased.
He nipped a kiss and then bit his bottom lip as he hovered close. “I can never get away with anything around you.”
She grazed her hands under his shirt, his skin flaming with warmth under her hands, smooth and satisfying and she needed more.
He growled low under his breath and took her mouth hungrily, kissing her deeply, pinning her against the wall with his body. “Distracting me with… you?”
She wrapped around him, clutching tight and kissing him hard. “We’re going to be very late,” she whispered against his mouth, but ignored her own words and thrust her tongue over his.
“I can be quick,” he whispered against her mouth, hands searching her body, everywhere.
Thrill surged through her, her imagination running wild and he’d hardly even touched her.
As if urgently needing to feel every inch of her, he kissed her harder, braced himself with one hand on the wall, and the other cupped her breast.
Breath swelled in her chest, heat surging from his touch and she pressed into him.
He lowered and kissed her shoulder, sliding down the spaghetti strap and kissing the upper curve of her breast.
Her dress slipped lower, the smooth satin of her bra holding her breasts up on a platter, one big breath away from her nipples jumping out. A favorite of hers, a little bit daring while supporting the girls.
Cole scooped both breasts from the bra, his mouth instantly on her, kissing, licking the curve of her, taking the tip of her in his teeth before covering her with his mouth and suckling down hard.
Trace pushed her upper back harder against the wall, arching to get closer to him.
As her breath trembled, thrill taking over and her knees weakening, he shifted and cupped her rear, quickly sliding his hands under her dress.
“Shit,” she hissed, laughing out loud as he felt snug fabric of her panties.
He burst out laughing and slid her dress up, leaning back far enough to see her panties without releasing her. “This is not lace.”
Amusement erupted from low in her belly, restrained by the compressive undergarment and she tipped her head back with a riotous laugh. “But they are very flattering.”
He shook his head as he investigated further. “Are they comfortable?”
“Not really…” Trace hooked her thumbs in the high-rise shorties and shoved them down, wiggling to get them off.
“Losing steam here,” he teased, standing back a step while she stood on one foot and freed herself from the excessive stretch. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, these are hot—“
