Page 24

M onica hoped she had made a good impression on Andy’s family. Since seeing Andy again and working with him on her case, she wanted something more between them. But what if his family worried she would be unhappy about quitting a job she loved? Or moving to a smaller community?

Ben and Andy ate another slice of chocolate cheesecake at the dining room table. She got some milk for all of them and sat back down to finish her first slice.

She’d never been able to work with an FBI agent who was also a polar bear, and what a boon it was to work with a trooper who was one on the case.

But they didn’t have an FBI post here, and though Andy could move to Anchorage, she really liked being out here where she could shift more easily. She rarely shifted for that reason.

She certainly didn’t want him to leave his extended family. She could see how close they were.

Ben finally took their dessert dishes into the kitchen, and Andy joined him with the coffee mugs and milk glasses. They cleaned up the kitchen. She felt like a lazy bear, but she needed to rest her back in case they got a lead on the perps, and then they could deal with them more easily.

“I’m going to leave you two to your own devices. Thanks for inviting me to dinner and sharing your cheesecake with me.”

“Thanks for helping me make dinner.” Andy slapped him on the back in a brotherly way.

“I’m glad you stayed and shared it with us. Otherwise, we would have to go out and work off all those calories,” Monica said.

The brothers laughed. She liked their laughter, boisterous and true to heart.

Then Ben said goodnight and left.

“Now what?” She left the couch, pulled Andy into her arms, and kissed his mouth.

“Well, we could work on this case some more.”

“Or we could head to bed.”

“And?” He raised his brows.

“I don’t think I need to explain it further.” She took his hand and led him into the bedroom.

“You don’t. I’m ready for this, uh, if we’re not just going to retire to bed.”

“No way. If we’re going to keep having family gatherings, I have to know how good you are in bed.”

He laughed. “I still worry about your back and hand.”

“It won’t stop me from enjoying this time with you.”

“If you start feeling bad, you tell me.”

In the bedroom, he gently removed her sweater over her bandaged hand and over her head. After having the injuries she did, it sure helped to have a partner who would help remove her clothes!

Besides, he did it in such a sexy way as he caressed her arms before gently pulling her shirt over her head. “I can’t help but wish we’d continued seeing each other since I met you over your flat tire.” He kissed her breastbone, tickling her.

“We lived too far apart.” She licked his cheek.

“We still do.” He kissed her bare shoulder.

It sent a delicious chill up her spine, and she kissed his neck with a soft kiss, breathing in his delightful male scent, a mixture of vanilla soap and spice. His heart was beating harder, just like hers was.

“Yeah, but it’s totally…” she said.

He licked her shoulder, and she moaned.

“Totally…” she continued.

He captured her mouth with a searing kiss. She reciprocated with a kiss that was just as passionate, and he groaned with satisfaction.

She smiled, licked his lips, and then pulled away so he could strip off his sweater and shirt. Much, much better. She ran her hands over his hard chest, feeling his soft skin under her fingertips, enjoying the way he flexed his muscles, and shivered a little at her touch.

She leaned over and kissed one of his nipples and touched it with her tongue, then swept her lips across his chest to his other nipple, licked it, blew on it, and kissed it. He moaned and reached behind her to unfasten her bra, licking and kissing her neck.

“Unacceptable…” she breathed out.

He looked into her eyes, his filled with lust, and raised his brows.

“Living so far apart,” she said breathlessly.

His beautiful masculine mouth opened into a broad smile, his eyes expressing the same happiness. “Seriously, way too far apart.”

He unfastened her pants. He quickly removed his also, and she cupped his groin, which was already hard and ready for her, still confined in his brown boxer briefs. “Hmm,” she said.

He came behind her and nuzzled her neck with his mouth, cupped her breast with one hand, and slid his other hand down the front of her panties until his fingers connected with her feminine bud.

His other hand was caressing her breast, and she moaned as he continued to stroke her into a place beyond heaven and earth.

She moaned in gratitude as he wrapped his arm around her ribcage underneath her breasts, holding her up so she didn’t collapse under the pleasure. Adding to the eroticism, he was rubbing his stiff erection against her backside, and she couldn’t wait to witness it.

Her heart and his were racing, and their pheromones swept them up in the hot moment.

She truly loved what he was doing to her and didn’t want to give him up. But then she felt the heat and passion swelling up inside her until the explosion of orgasm washed over her in a hot, wet blanket. She groaned. “Aww, yes.”

Smiling, he turned her around, pulled off her panties, and discarded them on the floor. She glanced down at his bulging crotch; his boxer briefs had to be strangling him. But she couldn’t easily pull them off one-handed. Next time, she was doing the honors.

He quickly pulled them off, tossed them in a fun-hearted way, and they landed on the bedside lamp. They both glanced at it and chuckled. She eyed his full erection. And smiled.

She slipped onto the bed. “Oh, soft plush sheets. I was so tired last night that I didn’t notice. I’ve got to get some for my own!”

“Yeah, they’re silky but warm. Beats scratchy flannel that I had before.”

She laughed. “That’s what I have now.”

He pulled open a bedside table drawer and lifted a condom out of it.

She eyed the packaged condom and shook her head. “We’re covered.”

He hesitated. She raised her brows. Then he tossed the wrapped condom into the drawer and shut it. He quickly climbed into bed and began kissing her. He was such a wonderful, slow, methodical, and passionate kisser, which worked her up all over again.

He pushed her legs farther apart with his knee, then plunged his erection deep inside her. Oh, man, he was huge, and she loved it.

Andy loved how receptive Monica was as he brought her to climax and then continued to kiss her as he pumped into her tight sheath.

She was running her good hand over his muscled shoulders as if she was enjoying the feel of them working as he thrust into her.

Her tongue caressed his in a deeply sensuous kiss.

She ran the heel of her foot over the back of his thigh.

Even that erogenous play made it hard for him to avoid coming too soon. Monica was pushing him over the edge.

Her smooth, firm, yet curvy body fit him so perfectly, and making love to her was incredibly exquisite. “You are unbelievably beautiful,” he said, kissing her cheek and her mouth as he kept thrusting into her.

“Oh, you are amazing,” she breathed out.

Her voice was so sexy, and her delightful feminine scent and pheromones sent him over the moon. “Oh, yeah,” he said and came in one explosive rush.

She smiled and pulled him into her arms. “Hmm, was it as good for you as it was for me?”

“Hell, yeah. About our jobs and living situation…”

“Yeah, that’s something we’ll discuss later. For now, let’s go shower.”

Monica loved being with Andy like this. She wondered if she’d seen him for longer after she’d had her flat tire, if they would have ended up together much sooner.

They showered and returned to bed. He was really a dream bear. They drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

Then her phone rang, but it was charging in the living room, darn it. Dashing out of bed wasn’t a viable option. To her surprise, Andy slipped out from under her, jumped out of bed, and raced out of the room.