Page 17 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed (Hard Justice: Outlaw Ridge #6)

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Hallie glanced at the clock again. And cursed again. Five AM. Her body had needed sleep, but her mind had obviously had other ideas about that.

Outside, she could hear the storm that’d moved in during the past hour. The rain was pelting against the windows and skylights, and there were the occasional rumbles of thunder. It was like something from one of those sound machines, and normally, it would send her into a deep sleep.

Not this time though.

The details of the murders and investigation kept circling in her mind. Thoughts of her father’s murder. Of the wounded deputy, Aaron, who was still in the hospital. But one of the biggest thoughts that just wouldn’t go away was Reed.

Thoughts of that kiss.

Of this relentless need she had for him.

The timing couldn’t be worse for what she was feeling, but here it was. That need was clawing its way through her. And it didn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. The few minutes of sleep that she’d managed to get had been filled with dreams not of murders and cop stuff.

Nope.

They’d been all of Reed and her, picking up where they’d left off with those scalding kisses. Hard to get something like that out of her head when her body was aching for more of him.

At least she wasn’t in physical pain, and that was something at least. The dull throb in her chest had finally let up several hours ago. Then again, if the pain were still around, she might not be fantasizing about Reed being in the guestroom directly across the hall from her. Just steps away.

So close that she could be there in seconds…

Hallie forced that thought to skid to a halt, and silently cursing herself, she threw back the covers. Enough of this. Best to get up and work rather than keep up this kind of sweet torture.

She eased open her door, careful not to make any noise to wake Reed, and she stepped out into the hall.

And smacked right into him.

The jolt of surprise sent her heart racing. Reed’s hands came up to steady her, his touch warm and firm against her arms. The dim light from the hall cast shadows on his face, highlighting the concern.

“Hell,” he grumbled. “Did that hurt your bruise?”

“No,” she managed to say, but that was it. Her breath had suddenly gone too thin for her to add anything else.

It was as if there’d been no time between those earlier kisses and now. As if they had indeed picked right up from where they’d left off. But there were some big differences between then and now.

Now, Reed was partially naked. His chest was anyway. No shirt, and while he’d pulled on his jeans, they weren’t zipped and hung low on his hips.

Of course, she wasn’t exactly dressed for a workday either. Barefoot, no bra, and the thin sleep tee suddenly felt very thin indeed. Every part of Reed seemed to brush against every part of her.

“I, uh, couldn’t sleep,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was painfully aware of all the body to body contact with him, of the way his breath mingled with hers in the cool air. Aware of everything.

He said nothing, didn’t step back, and he didn’t let go of her. She didn’t want him to. She could feel the heat of his body, the tension coiled between them, ready to snap. It was as if they were both waiting for the other to make the first move.

And Reed made that move all right.

His mouth came to hers, launching right into a kiss that was scorching hot and drowned in need. So much need. Hallie felt it inside her and was pretty sure that Reed did, too.

This was not a kiss of comfort. Nor was it especially gentle though she could tell he was holding back putting any pressure on her bruise. Still, it was a Reed kiss. Perfect, thorough, and meant to skyrocket all that need for him that she’d tried to keep bottled up.

No bottling up now though. Just the opposite. Hallie returned the kiss, letting the pleasure slam through her. She added to that pleasure by sliding her hands down his back, letting her fingers tease all those incredible muscles.

Letting her hands go lower, too.

And into the back of his jeans.

More skin to skin contact, and it was indeed pleasurable not just for her but for Reed, too. He groaned, cursed her and then scooped her up into his arms. Hallie didn’t care where he was taking her as long as the kiss didn’t stop.

It didn’t.

Reed somehow managed to keep the kissing up while he carried her into her bedroom and eased her onto the bed. Only then did he break the mouth to mouth contact to stare down at her.

He studied her as if searching for any hint of hesitation. Or maybe pain. There wasn’t any, and she hoped she conveyed that by catching onto the front waist of his jeans and dragging him onto the bed beside her. The moment his back landed on the mattress, she rolled over and straddled him.

Putting them center to center.

Hallie could feel him hard, pressing in just the right spot. It fired up the heat even more inside her, and she wanted more. So much more. She wanted a lot more of the pleasure. And the release.

She wanted Reed.

Now, she was the one who studied him and saw absolutely no signs of hesitation. Thanks to her bedside clock, the room was dimly lit, casting soft shadows that danced around them, she could see the hunger in his eyes. Feel it coming off both of them in hot waves.

The time for studying and questioning snapped, and she leaned down to take his mouth as he levered up to take hers. His taste roared through her, fueling the heat and need even more. Not that she needed any extra fuel. No. Her body was burning for him.

And he obviously felt the same way.

Time suddenly seemed to be the enemy. Clothing, too, though neither of them were wearing that much. Still, Reed took hold of her t-shirt, and while he kept his touch gentle and mindful of her injury, he eased off the shirt and sent it flying across the room.

In the same motion, he took his mouth to her breasts. Still so gentle but thorough, too. He kissed her. Savored her. And sent that need soaring even higher.

Hallie wanted to get in on this kind of kissing, too, and she went after his chest. His muscles stirred beneath her mouth and tongue so she kept going. Moving lower to his stomach.

Then, she pressed her mouth to the front of his jeans.

Reed cursed her again, and she felt the urgency go up yet again. There was a battle with the rest of their clothes, and the need was dictating the speed. The race was on to get naked.

He beat her to that particular task by shimmying off her panties and giving her a kiss in the center of her body. A kiss that nearly undid her right then, right there. Now, she was the one doing the cursing, and Hallie refused to let this end with those flicks of his tongue.

Though they were amazing and beyond mere pleasure.

Still, she wanted more. She wanted it all. She wanted Reed inside her.

She tugged on his jeans and would have gotten them off him if he hadn’t put the pause button on that to reach in his pocket. At first, she had no idea what he was doing, and she didn’t want the delay. Then, Hallie realized he was taking a condom from his wallet.

Hell. She’d forgotten all about safe sex.

Thankfully, Reed hadn’t, and he didn’t stop her from ridding him of his jeans and boxers. By the time she had them off him, he had gotten on the condom.

Hallie didn’t hesitate. She straddled him again and took him inside her. And she got exactly what she’d expected and more. So much more. The sensation was blinding. It robbed her of her breath and filled her with that delicious slam of pleasure that only Reed could give her.

Part of her wanted to hang onto the moment. Wanted to savor it for a while. But the hunger wasn’t having any of that. Nope. Her body demanded more of that pleasure. More of him.

That’s what she gave it.

She rode him, moving in and out of the hard strokes that amped up, well, everything. So much heat. So much need. And those deep strokes were shooting her up, up, up to where the only thing that mattered was Reed.

He gave her exactly what she needed. He clutched onto her hips so he could thrust even harder into her. Moving faster. Deeper. Until the pleasure consumed every inch of her. Hallie didn’t even try to slow it down. Didn’t try to stop it. She just let Reed and that pleasure send her soaring.

The climax raced through her, but she kept moving. Kept riding him until she heard Reed murmur her name.

Then, he went right over that edge with her.

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