Page 99 of Swerve (Boosted Hearts 1)

Then both his hands were at my hips, his fingers sliding down the sides of my underwear, and he was pushing them down. I helped, shimmying out of them, then I did the same for him. He lifted his ass and I tugged his boxer briefs down his muscular thighs. I was desperate for him, in a way that was more than just physical. Taking him in my hand, I rose up, positioned him, and took him inside me.

He groaned. “Fuck, babe. You even ready for me?”

I wasn’t fully ready, and I was. There was a little pain, but I gloried in it. There was no way I could have held out any longer. I needed this connection with him. “I want you,” I said simply.

“You feel so perfect.”

He did too. No one, nothing could feel better than this. Nothing ever would and I knew that with everything in me.

For once he didn’t roll me to my back and take over, he let me lead, let me take what I needed. Those big hands moved restlessly, sliding along my thighs, gripping my hips when I started to roll them. His lifted sharply, pushing deep and my back arched, a cry bursting free. Neco cursed, fingers digging deeper, holding tighter as if he was afraid to let me go. Even now, he felt that fear.

That killed me.

Tears stung my eyes as I moved faster, as a rolling, building need in me climbed higher. I was torn between heartache and bliss. My head spun as I ground deeper, harder against him, letting the feeling overtake me, overwhelm me. I started to shake, and then I was crying out, collapsing against him. Neco banded his arms around me, one to my upper back, the other across my ass, and he held me immobile, thrusting up into me over and over again, prolonging my release. Then he slammed up, going deep, and stayed there, pulsing as he came hot and hard inside me.

We stayed like that for the longest time. Finally, he rolled us to our sides, carefully sliding out of me then tugging me close.

The way he wrapped me in his arms wasn’t just about holding me; it was more, so much more, it was that thing inside him, that fear that he needed to face if we were ever going to survive.

Somehow, I fell asleep like that, with those thoughts circulating my mind, and when I woke, it was to an empty bed.

I climbed out and tugged on my panties and Neco’s shirt I’d been wearing and headed out to the living room.

He was sitting at his desk, working. He turned and when he saw me, closed the screens down on his monitors. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Just research for a case. How’s Harry?”

“He’ll be fine. He’s angry that Edwards man got the better of him, but he’ll be okay. Have you heard from Jude? Do they know any more?”

“We know the woman running the show likes to be called Mom and is a sick, twisted individual. She befriends her targets, then sets the cameras up.”

I frowned. “That’s not what happened with me.”

“Yeah.” The muscles in his forearms jumped as he clenched his fists. “Wish we’d had a chance to interrogate Scott. There’s a lot that’s been left unexplained. But we’ll get this bitch and we’ll figure it all out.”

“Coffee?” I asked as I headed to the kitchen.

“Yeah, thanks.”

I could feel his eyes on me as I moved around, but he didn’t say anything more. I made our drinks and tried to work up my courage. Now was as good a time as any to try and hash this out. I passed him his drink and he curled his arm around my waist, holding me against his side.

He took a sip of his coffee, put it down on his desk, and then maneuvered me between his splayed thighs. “Morning,” he said.

“Morning.” My belly flipped.

His fingers at my waist gave me a squeeze. “Last night was . . . shit, amazing, baby. But I know there was more to it, and I know it was my fault for the way I handled things.”

A tiny glimmer of hope started to unfurl and grow behind my ribs. “We need to sort this all out, what’s going on between us.”

“I think so, too.” His forehead furrowed.

“I’m sorry I lied to you.”

He didn’t answer, just stared at me in a way I couldn’t interpret.

“I had backup the whole time. Harry knows his stuff, Neco.”

“I know he does.”