ThreeReasonsWhy Read online

  During their last case, he realized he was sick of playing roles that left him in the company of the dregs of society. He was tired of constantly seeing the dark, depressing world of the mob, prostitutes and junkies, and he hoped to hell he never saw another seedy hotel or fleabag apartment building. Every time he came home to Madison after months away and saw Jill, she refreshed and rejuvenated his soul. She took away some of the pervasive loneliness that continually hung over him. In the past year, he’d come to understand that he wasn’t merely living for himself anymore, he was living for her.

  A light knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.

  “Hey, Wes, will you get that? It’s probably Kate.”

  He unlocked and opened the door to see Jill’s baby sister standing there smiling.

  “Good morning,” he said as she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

  He wasn’t sure how much Jill had told her younger sister about their living arrangements, but if he knew his pixie, he was sure she’d skirted around the truth rather than admit what was really going on. For all intents and purposes, they were living together, yet Jill insisted on saying their cohabitation was merely temporary.

  Kate narrowed her eyes and studied his face. “Cocky, self-satisfied smirk, light scent of sex. I guess it is a good morning.”

  Kate had served as house sitter for him and Rick when they were away on their last case. When they returned, she and Rick hooked up and she never moved out.

  “Yeah,” he said, stretching. “I just made the bed, Kate, and I can assure you it was no small feat. Your sister sure knows how to tangle the sheets.”

  Kate laughed and lightly punched him on the arm. “You better be glad she didn’t hear you say that. She’d kick your ass.”

  “She probably would. What brings you to town so early?”

  “I’m working the breakfast and lunch shift with Jill. Cheryl drove Lottie into Harrisburg last night for a girls’ night out. They aren’t due back until this afternoon.”

  “That’s right,” he said, “I forgot that was today. Jill must have been desperate for help.”

  “Ha ha,” Kate said. He and Rick often teased her about her inability to boil water. She was a disaster in the kitchen, a detail he and his partner had learned early on. Rick had taken on the duty of keeping them all fed. Until he’d moved in with Jill, Wes struggled with the realization that he was becoming a third wheel in their household, and he was grateful to be able to give the new couple some time alone.

  “Stop harassing the hired help. Besides, I’m doing the cooking. She’s going to be my waitress.” Jill walked down the hallway.

  He turned to look at her. Regardless of what she wore, she took his breath away. Today she was sporting a short jeans skirt with tight black leggings beneath, a red cotton blouse and her black Converse tennis shoes. He’d laughed the first time he looked into her closet and discovered she owned the high-top sneakers in nearly every color. She claimed they were the most comfortable shoes around and considering she was on her feet all day, that made the indulgence of owning so many pairs worth it.

  “Hey, Jill, I gotta tell you, you may have to pay me overtime for dragging me out of bed so early on a Saturday,” Kate said.

  “Shit,” Jill deadpanned. “I’m paying you?”

  “Very funny.”

  Jill put her hands on her hips. “Besides, you aren’t fooling anyone, Miss Mary Sunshine. You live for dawn. Only reason you’re pissed off is because I dragged you away from Rick.”

  Kate gave her a wicked grin. “It’s his day off. We usually put Saturday mornings to very good use.”

  “Ick. I’ll give you a thousand bucks not to give me any of those details.”

  Wes smiled at the two sisters. “I’ll leave you two to fight out the issue of compensation. I’ve got to go out and keep these mean streets of Madison safe for you law-abiding folk,” he said in a perfect imitation of John Wayne. He bent down to brush a light kiss against Jill’s lips in farewell and was surprised when she reached up and deepened the gesture. When he pulled back, she smiled at him.

  “Be careful, hotshot.”

  She said the exact same thing to him every morning.

  “I’m always careful. Besides, pixie, with Drake at my back, what could go wrong?”

  Jill rolled her eyes. “Drake can’t distinguish between his ass and a hole in the ground. You might not want to lose sight of that.”

  “Sad, but true. I’m starting to suspect the mayor hired me to protect Drake while he attempts to protect Madison. I’ll check in during the day. You girls behave.”

  As Jill watched her handsome policeman close the door behind him, she felt her sister’s accusatory glare land on her.

  “You haven’t told him, have you?” Kate asked.

  “No. The opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet. We’d better get downstairs and start firing things up.”

  Never one to let things lie, Kate didn’t budge. “Jill, you need to tell him. Now.”

  “I know, Kate. Jesus. Do you think you’re telling me something I don’t know?”

  “It’s not going to get easier with time.”

  Jill turned her back on her sister, fighting down the combination of fear and fury Kate’s words provoked. “I don’t need this right now.”

  Kate put her hand on her shoulder, and Jill fought the urge to shrug it off. It wasn’t Kate’s fault she was fucking up her life.

  “I’m sorry,” Kate said. “I’m nagging. Starting to sound like Mom.”

  Jill laughed, though there was no joy in it. Turning, she faced Kate once more. “I know I have to tell him. It’s just not that easy.”

  “I wish—” Kate closed her eyes and sighed. “Shit. I wish so many things. I wish I could make this easier for you. I wish I could take some of your pain away. Hell, I wish I could change it so that you could have a baby. You’re my big sister and you’ve always helped me make things right in my life. I wish I could do the same for you.”

  Jill reached out and hugged her. “Oh hell, Angel May. You do make things better. You listen. You care. Shit, you even wait tables when I need you. I’ll work this out. I promise. I just need more time.”

  “He won’t let you down.”

  There was so much assuredness in Kate’s declaration, Jill wasn’t sure how to respond. “I hope you’re right.”

  “I am.”

  Jill held her sister’s gaze and smiled. “We really do need to go downstairs and get things going.”

  Kate nodded and led the way as they walked down to the diner together. “So how’s the whole shacking-up-together thing going?”

  Living with Wes was pretty damn terrific. He was a hell of a lot of fun, in and out of the sack, and she desperately wanted to hang on to him for a little while longer before she faced reality.

  “Awesome,” she confessed.

  As they entered the kitchen, Kate banged on a drawer to pull out an apron, and Jill grinned.

  “Wes fixed that drawer weeks ago. We don’t have to hit it anymore to get it to open.”

  “Ah, Mr. Handyman strikes again.”

  Wes had been an extremely handy man to have around these past few days. He kept the bathrooms functioning, unclogged her kitchen sink, fixed three drawers and a slew of other silly things that had been annoying her for months. The place was running like a well-oiled machine thanks to him.

  Her initial concerns about his payment demands had all been for naught. With him living in her apartment, neither of them had bothered to keep track of his hours, instead enjoying each other’s company. He’d started running with her and they’d begun to eat a late dinner together every night in the diner after the initial dinner rush passed. His dirty clothing and hers mixed together in the laundry basket, his socks and T-shirts were in her dresser, and his shoes were in her closet. She couldn’t begin to explain to herself why those things pleased her so.

  “Oh God. Goofy, too-pleased grin. You are way smitten,” Kate teased.

&
nbsp; Jill decided to toss the ball back into her sister’s court. “Gee. Look in a mirror much?”

  Kate smiled. “You’re right. Rick loves me to distraction. He puts me on a pedestal and treats me like a queen. He’s made me so happy that most days I wake up and pinch myself just to make sure it’s all real.”

  Jill took her sister’s hand and squeezed it. “I know he does. And I’m glad. No one deserves that happiness as much as you.”

  “Wes feels the same way about you,” Kate said.

  Jill knew Wes loved her. Knew it with all her heart. She also knew she couldn’t accept those emotions. Her secret would destroy what was growing between them and then she’d have the rest of her life to nurse the broken heart he was going to leave in his wake.

  * * * * *

  “I’m gonna dump this garbage,” Jill called over her shoulder to no one in particular. Cheryl and Lottie had returned in time for the dinner shift, and Kate had returned home to Rick. Wes had gotten home a few minutes earlier and gone upstairs to change out of his uniform before coming down to join her for a late dinner.

  The second she opened the door, she cursed her stupidity in failing to grab her jacket. A bitter cold front had moved in. Not unusual for late March, but definitely not her favorite kind of weather.

  “Bring on the summer,” she muttered as she stepped on to the landing. Her feet immediately flew out from under her as she slipped on a large patch of ice. She banged her arm on the stairs as she fell, bumping down three steps roughly on her ass.

  “Aaaah!” she yelled.

  “Jill?” Wes called out from the kitchen.

  “Fuck.” She rubbed her sore arm. “Out here.”

  He opened the back door. “What the hell?” he asked, bolting down the steps, nearly slipping on the ice himself.

  “I fell,” she said, feeling like an idiot for stating the obvious. “Here, help me up.”

  He bent down and gently lifted her to her feet, concern written on his face. “Are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine. Nothing but a bruised arm, ass and pride.” She held on to his arm as he helped her back into the kitchen. “Guess I’ll go upstairs and change out of these wet clothes.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute to make sure you’re all right. I want to check something first.”

  She nodded and headed upstairs to her apartment. She rubbed her arm and shook her head. If it wasn’t for bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all lately. She heard Wes’ footsteps and turned as he walked in.

  She was about to walk back to the bedroom when Wes halted her with a firm hand on her upper arm. His dark face told her he was upset.

  “Wait a minute,” he said.

  She faced him, confused. “What’s wrong?”

  “Those stairs were a solid sheet of ice.”

  “No shit, Sherlock. I fell on them. Remember?”

  Wes scowled and she wondered at his sudden fury. “There hasn’t been any precipitation, Jill. Cold air alone can’t produce ice.”

  She paused, considering his words. “You’re right.”

  “Someone put water on those stairs knowing it would freeze.”

  She tried to process his words. For nearly a week, there’d been no more pranks, no more juvenile attacks against her or her diner. “I thought whoever was mad at me had given up.”

  “Obviously they haven’t. Take off your shirt.”

  “What?”

  “You winced when I touched your arm, so you’re hurt worse than you’re letting on. Take off the shirt or I’ll take it off for you.”

  Her temper snapped at his angry tone, her nerves rubbed raw by the combination of his overbearing nature and her frustration at being attacked again. “I’m fine.”

  Wes reached over and ripped her blouse open in one hard pull. Buttons flew in every direction as the material tore. She was equal parts shocked and aroused by his domineering move.

  “Wanna play rough, huh?” she asked, fury evident in every word. “Fine.” Reaching over, she mimicked his actions, tearing his button-down shirt open.

  Wes glanced at his destroyed shirt for only a second before rushing to unbuckle and remove his belt. He bent the leather in half and slapped it over his palm.

  “I should take you over my knee for that,” he said, swinging the belt in front of her menacingly.

  She laughed at his threat. “I’d love to see you try. Careful, cop. I think you may have met your match.”

  He dropped the belt and reached over to pull her blouse off completely. He looked at the darkening bruise on her arm. “You must have knocked it pretty hard.”

  “It’s just a bruise,” she muttered. “I’m probably gonna have one on my ass too. Wanna kiss it?” She added the last in such a way that left no doubt exactly how she intended for him to kiss her ass.

  A grin crossed his face as he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from him. He bent down to grasp the hem of her denim skirt, hiking it over her hips. He slowly peeled her leggings and panties down before kneeling behind her. His hot breath and calloused hands warmed her cool flesh. She sucked in a sharp, excited gasp as his lips and tongue traveled along the smooth skin of her ass.

  Her anger fled as overwhelming desire filled every spare inch of her body. “Damn it,” she said. “I’m trying to be pissed off at you and you’re distracting me.”

  He chuckled but didn’t answer as he continued caressing her ass with his lips, his hands, his tongue. The now-familiar sensations he evoked in her body emerged fully. He gently pushed her legs apart and she struggled to remain standing when his fingers made their way to the hot opening of her body. Finding her wet and ready, he shoved in three, catapulting her to near-orgasm in just one thrust.

  “Oh my God,” she gasped, loving his rough touch, his demanding pushes. Over and over, he worked her needy flesh until she was crying out with her climax, her inner muscles clenching against his fingers. She staggered as he pulled his hand away and stood quickly to support her. He remained behind her and held her gently before reaching around to unzip her skirt and slide it down. His lips nibbled at the nape of her neck.

  Suddenly it wasn’t enough that his hands and lips were on her. She wanted to touch and taste him. She wasn’t about to play the passive lover. Turning, she dropped to her knees, and before he could react had his jeans unhooked and his rock-hard erection in her hand. She stroked the velvet skin, drawing his cock to her mouth. He’d driven her crazy with his touches, his kisses, and now she intended to give him a taste of his own medicine. She wanted him at her mercy, desperate and begging for more.

  She played with the head of his cock for several minutes, teasing the sensitive spot underneath with the tip of her tongue as his hands roughly gripped her hair. She hissed as he pulled her long tresses, the powerful tugs making her wild and uninhibited.

  “Suck me,” he said through gritted teeth when she continued to torment him, refusing to engulf his flesh the way she knew he desired.

  “Beg me,” she taunted as she glanced up at his face. His eyes narrowed, his cheeks flushed.

  “I really am going to beat your ass,” he said. “As soon as those bruises fade, I’m going to mark you with a few of my own. Please, Jill.”

  She smiled seductively before opening her mouth and taking him to the back of her throat. She swallowed his head, sucking strongly. She reached around his hips and gripped his ass with her hands as he began thrusting into her mouth, his dirty, sexy words driving her on.

  “God,” he muttered. “You are so fucking sweet. Your mouth was made for this. Jesus, pixie. Take it deeper. Deeper. That’s it. Oh shit. I’m coming.”

  His cock erupted, sending hot pulses of come into her mouth and down her throat. When she released him, he dropped to his knees in front of her. She grinned as she recognized her earlier affliction had taken him down as well. His legs wouldn’t support him anymore.

  He swooped down to kiss her, and his hands gripped her face gently as he worshipped her with his lip
s. When at last he broke the embrace, he rested his forehead against hers.

  “I’m sorry. I think I fucking lost it for a little while there.”

  “Why were you so mad?”

  He frowned. “I’m supposed to be protecting you, Jill. When I saw you lying at the bottom of those stairs, when I knew you’d hurt yourself and I hadn’t been able to keep you safe…”

  She stroked his cheek, kissing him softly. “You aren’t my keeper, Wes. You can’t swaddle me in bubble wrap.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Are you sure? That sounds sort of hot.”

  “I’m fine. Honest.”

  “Lie down,” he said, pushing her to her back on the carpeted floor.

  “Why?”

  “I want my cock inside you. Now.”

  She opened her legs, thrilled when his rejuvenating cock entered her bit by bit. He propped himself above her on his elbows, bending close to kiss her.

  He offered her a crooked grin and she wondered why he wasn’t moving. He seemed content to simply hold himself within her.

  “Tired?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “We always come together in a heated moment that’s over in a flash. I want to savor this. Do you have any idea how good this feels? Your soft body wrapped around mine, your pussy holding my cock so tightly. You’re always wet, always warm, always perfect.”

  “Wes.” She reached up to draw his head down to hers. “Kiss me.”

  He leaned down and kissed her, his lips proving the truth behind his words. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to the moment, to the magic…to him.

  Chapter Eight

  Jill topped up his glass of iced tea as Wes finished his lunch at the counter. After their slow lovemaking on the floor, they’d spent the remainder of the evening in bed, simply holding each other and talking all night.