Brax kept looking over at Roni as they drove. She was still distraught.

He knew he was going to ask a rhetorical question, but he had to say something. “You okay?”

“No I’m not okay.”

“It’s a bad situation, I’ll admit that too. But this is the only way out for you.”

Roni looked at him. “Did you pay Dean to keep you informed about me?”

“If you’re asking me would I have paid him to keep me in the loop? Yes, I would have. But no. I didn’t pay him. He wouldn’t have accepted it anyway.”

“But why did you do it? I told you I can take care of myself. You know I can.”

“Yes, you can. But that’s not the issue.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“I keep feeling that had I had somebody to protect you in New York, what happened to you wouldn’t have happened to you.” He glanced at her as he drove. “I feel like it’s partly my fault.”

Roni figured he felt that way. “It’s not,” she said. Then she frowned. “All I want to do is be a good, professional cop. It shouldn’t be this hard,” she added heartfelt. “I’ve had more trouble with other cops than I’ve had with all the crooks I’ve encountered combined! At least I know where the crooks are coming from.”

Brax felt her anguish. He held her hand and squeezed it. As soon as he got her to her condo, he was going to make her pain go away if it was the last thing he did. He only hoped she would let him.

The first sign of resistance was when she wouldn’t let him go around front to let the valets park his car. “Big gossipers,” she said, and she didn’t need any more controversy.

She, instead, told him to drive around back, to the private residence entrance, where they would park in the garage and take the elevator up themselves.

Brax wasn’t used to that, and Roni seldom parked her own car in the garage too, but he understood why she didn’t want her valets to think any less of her than she probably already thought of herself. He went around back.

They were silent on the ride up, and because others were getting on and off of the elevator as they made their way up, Brax refrained from holding her hand. But as soon as they got into the beautiful condo he had purchased for her, he locked that door, slammed her body against his, and looked deep into her eyes. “I’m sorry this happened to you again, but I’m not sorry how I’m going to make you feel. You need it and so do I. You understand that, don’t you?”

Brax was looking from one of her gorgeous hazel eyes to the other one, hoping that she understood too.

When she nodded her head, Brax exhaled. Pulled her closer. And began kissing her in that way that made her collapse in his arms. It could not feel better to Roni.

They continued kissing all the way to the sofa. They weren’t going to make it to the bedroom. At least not in the first round. Brax pulled down her clothing and massaged her as he kissed her.

But that didn’t last long at all. Neither one of them could hold out much longer. He pulled it out and enter her with a shove so forceful and exacting that it took her breath away.

She wrapped her arms around him as he laid on top of her and grind and gyrated and gave her that same wonderment he’d given to her before. It was unrelenting, but it was controlled.

Until they couldn’t control themselves another second. And they were going at it fast and furious. Neither one of them were able to keep it in. They were moaning it out. And then they were cumming, and cumming hard. Even better than the last time they came.

They both were beginning to realize a remarkable truth: Whenever they came together, it was always going to be better.