"i need you inside me, jared."

he caught her face in his hands. "let me set the pace. i know how to give you what you need, when you need it."

her nails dug into his flesh. "i need it now."

she dropped to her knees and took him in her mouth. the drenching heat, followed by powerful sucking, nearly sucked the cum right out of him. her tongue fluttered. her cheeks hollowed with deep, drawing pulls. maddened by her greed for his body, his balls drew up tight, the urge to blow his load almost too great to resist.

catching her beneath the arms, jared yanked her up. if he didn't get a handle on her, she'd have him so spiked he'd bang her on the couch again, rutting on the woman he was falling in love with like an animal in heat. on any other day there'd be no problem with that, but not today. today they both needed more than a quick, furious orgasm.

"we're doing this in a bed this go-round," he muttered, lifting her feet from the floor and carrying her to the bedroom. she wrapped her legs around his hips, wiggling, trying to align their bodies. when the satiny soft lips of her cunt slid across the crown of his dick, his step faltered, his chest vibrating with a groan.

darcy caught his mouth, latching on to his tongue and sucking. his knees buckled and he cursed, leaning heavily into the wall to keep them both upright. "behave, damn it. before i nail you on the floor."

"yes...do it."

cursing, he stumbled into the bedroom and dropped her on the bed. as she dove for his cock again, he snatched his handcuffs from the nightstand and intercepted her. he had her hands restrained at the small of her back before she knew what hit her.

she froze prone on the bed, her breathing quick and shallow. "what are you doing, deputy?"

"pacing us, inspector." he was going to give her the love and tenderness she needed, by any means necessary.

"no."

"no?" he ran the pad of his index finger down the length of her spine, finding the sight of handcuffs against her bare back the most erotic view of his life.

"i want you now." her voice was even breathier than usual and it did crazy things to him, taking him to the very edge of his control.

"you're going to get me now, sweetheart. all you can take and more."

chapter twelve

darcy absorbed the feeling of heavy metal around her wrists, then she processed how she felt about it.

jared arranged her carefully with effortless strength, until she found her feet on the floor and her torso draped across the mattress. with her hands bound, it was a vulnerable pose. a shiver of anticipation coursed across her skin in a wave of goose bumps.

his lips whispered along her arm from shoulder to fingertip. "you're so fucking hot in handcuffs."

hearing the lust in his voice spurred her into a feverish desire. her breasts were tender, the nipples furled tightly against her rumpled sheets. her pussy was damp and swollen, aching for the feel of his big cock pounding into her.

"jared...i need you." she felt cold inside. distant. as if a part of her had shied away and retreated, like it had when dani died. jared had lured her out when he'd entered her life, made her start thinking beyond the moment, enabling her to envision a day when she might be able to put dani's death behind her and get her life back. she needed him to do it again, make her feel again.

"i know." his hands slid under her and cupped her breasts. he nuzzled his lips just below her ear. "i need you, too."

he caught her nipples between thumb and forefinger, tugging gently. his cock brushed against her hands and she clasped him, her eyes closing when he groaned and thrust into her touch.

he was hard as a rock and hot. she squeezed her thighs together, fighting off the building throb. she'd wanted to make him come in her mouth, wanted to hear his pleasure. taste it. drink it down.

"let me suck you off," she said in what might have passed for a plea.

"later."

darcy heard him move behind her, felt his hands cupping the backs of her thighs in the crease just below the curves of her buttocks. his breath gusted gently over the slick lips of her sex. she tensed in expectation.

"such a pretty pussy," he murmured. "i'm going to eat this cunt every chance i get for the rest of your life, darcy. i'm going to shove my tongue in your hot little hole and tongue-fuck you so often you'll feel strange when my mouth's not buried between your legs."

the rawness of his passion for her continued to astonish her. it mirrored her own in a way that felt like...kismet, a concept her rational mind scoffed at. but there was no denying that being with jared felt like being half of a whole, two individuals drawn to one another by a fiery magnetic pull that was irresistible.

she bit her lip and quivered violently as he licked leisurely through her cleft, tracing her folds slowly and so gently that the touch of his tongue was like the kiss of a butterfly's wings. her hips circled into the teasing strokes, but he wouldn't be rushed. when he finally pushed into her as he'd promised, she moaned into the bedding, so close to coming she could taste it.

pushing her legs apart, jared opened her farther, thrust his tongue faster, showing her with his greedy voracity how much he loved going down on her, how much pleasure he took in the carnal intimacy. his groans made her hotter. wild and desperate. his morning stubble scraped along her tender skin; the rough silk of his hair brushed over her in a whisper of a caress. she gasped and writhed, her skin misting with sweat as his tongue fucked relentlessly into her, making her cream for him until her inner thighs were wet with it.

"my clit," she begged, her muscles trembling with the strain. "lick my clit."

instead, he moved in the opposite direction, rimming the pucker of her ass with the pointed tip of his tongue. darcy cried out, the tight ring of muscle flexing in delight. with a groan, he took her there with a lush dark kiss, pushing into her and thrusting shallowly.

aroused beyond bearing, her body shook so hard the mattress vibrated with her, her hands fisting and releasing in mindless spasms. pushing to her tiptoes on the floor, she lifted into his mouth, urging him on. her entire body was a live wire, arcing with crackling sensual electricity.

"yes," she gasped. "oh...it's so good. i'm going to come..."

spreading her cheeks with his thumbs, he held her open and pushed her into climax with rapid-fire licks. she ground her sweat-slick face into the sheets, muffling her scream as the release tore through her with brutal power, singeing her nerve endings and flushing her skin like a fever.

then his fingers were there, slick with lube, expertly preparing her with deep leisurely thrusts into her rear. she pushed back into his hand, riding those two wicked digits with a barely tempered hunger. they stroked along her smooth inner walls, twisting and pumping until she thought she might go mad with the need to feel him filling her with his big, beautiful cock.

he stood. his lips touched her shoulder as his fingers left her. "how are you doing? your arms okay?"

"don't stop," she said hoarsely.

"i won't. not until you beg me to."

there was the sound of foil crinkling, then the soft snap of latex. when he pushed into her pussy, darcy jolted in surprise.

"easy," he murmured, steadying her with a hand on her hip. he paused a moment at the midway point, his breathing deep and even. then he drove into her with one smooth, forceful thrust.

she came in a startled rush, crying out his name as the sensitive tissues rippled greedily along his thick length. he felt like heated stone inside her, stretching her to her limits and yet so-

"perfect," she breathed, closing her eyes, feeling his warmth spreading through her. soothing her, just as she'd needed.

the terrible anxiety that had been ripping her apart since chris's visit the day before eased, dissipated by her bone-deep surety that she'd found the one man she could share herself with absolutely. jared had come upon her during a terrible time and accepted it, accepted her as she struggled through it. offering support and comfort in just the way she needed it. his quiet strength and determination gave her hope that dani would have justice after all and that she might have a life without dani in it, one that would fulfill her and give her a reason to strive forward every day.

but most importantly, jared was the man she wanted to offer all those things to in return, with everything she had to give and more. she'd learn to be more for him. she wanted to be everything to him, everything he needed and wanted.

"perfect," he agreed, nuzzling against her temple. "it's so good, darcy. do you feel it?"

"i feel it. feel you..."

"yes," jared groaned, his grip tightening on her hips. "feel me."

he began to fuck her with slow, deep thrusts, his rhythm perfectly controlled and fluid. he wielded his long, wide shaft with breathtaking expertise. knowing just how to please a woman with it, but more, knowing just how to please her. noting the nuances of her helpless response and focusing on what drove her to the edge. stroking the thick crest over and over the sensitive spot inside her that made her insensate with pleasure.

"feels so good..." she slurred, floating into a melting simmering orgasm with a breathless cry. he ground his hips against her, rubbing the deepest point of her, prolonging her pleasure.

"i'll never get enough of you coming around my cock." flexing his fingers on her hips, he began shafting her pussy again. "once more, sweetheart. let me feel you."

but once more wasn't enough for him. he drove her to orgasm twice before pulling free and unshackling her wrists. he rolled her gently to her back, his mouth surrounding an aching nipple and sucking softly, his tongue flickering over the hardened point.

darcy whimpered, so boneless she scarcely had the strength to run her fingers through his sweat-soaked hair. he was drenched all over, betraying the effort he'd exerted to make love to her with such selfless tenderness. he hadn't come, forfeiting his own needs to give his attention to hers.