Sophie Oak - Lost in Bliss

The trouble was, she had thought about it far too much. She’d started to think of Rafe Kincaid as way more than a friend and a colleague. She hadn’t missed the way he looked at her. He ate her up with his eyes, and it was killing her. She would have jumped into bed with him in a heartbeat if it hadn’t been for one little thing—Cameron Briggs.

How could she have been stupid enough to fall for two men?

“We’ll catch him, bella .” Rafe’s hands rubbed down her back, soothing the muscles there. Every inch of skin he touched came alive.

“I’m not sure about that,” Laura murmured.

God, his hands felt good. How long had it been since she’d been physically close to another human being? She hadn’t dated for a year and a half. She’d been far too involved in her career, and then she’d been far too involved with Rafe and Cam to think about other men.

She’d kept it friendly. She was the only woman in her unit. She was playing with fire just by spending time outside of work with them, but she couldn’t help it. They were funny and kind. Rafe was her gentleman, constantly smoothing the way for her. He opened doors and gave her his umbrella when it rained. They could talk about gourmet food and wine and books.

Cameron. Cam was her protector. Cam was a huge hunk of granite that got between her and anything that came her way. Cam was the one who called her at night to make sure she’d locked the doors. He was the one who insisted on installing a security system in her apartment. Cam was the one who got pissed at her when she walked to her car alone at night because she didn’t want to bother him.

She couldn’t help but remember a case they’d worked in Detroit just a month after she’d joined the team. It was a serial rape case, and they’d been put up in a motel that was seedy to say the least. She’d locked her doors, but when she’d emerged the next day, Cam had been sitting outside, his back against the moldy wall, a cup of coffee in his hand. His eyes had been so tired. He’d sat there all night because she had fit the profile, and he wasn’t going to let that happen to her. The next night, both he and Rafe had slept on the floor of her motel room.

How could she ever choose between them? It was easier to put her hormones on hold and enjoy their company.

Rafe stopped what he was doing, and Laura mourned the loss of his hands on her, but it was better this way. She could already feel the wine lowering her inhibitions. Rafe had drunk even more than she had, and Cam had tackled several beers. He’d had to walk to get the pizza. It was best if Rafe didn’t keep massaging her. It could go very badly.

“You have to know that he will slip up,” Rafe said. He leaned back against her countertop. He’d shed his suit coat, and his dress shirt was partially unbuttoned, showing off a bit of his perfect olive skin. Rafe was a paragon of modern masculine beauty. From his wavy, pitch-black hair, to his laser-focused eyes, to those lips that Laura stared at, he was utter perfection.

“I don’t know that,” Laura replied, trying to get her brain off those lips. What would they feel like on her mouth? God, what would they feel like on her nipples? Just the thought of his mouth suckling at her breasts made her nipples lengthen and rub against her bra.

He shook his head as he grabbed the glass she’d poured for him.

“They all screw up in the end because they all want to get caught.

They want the fame or they just want to be stopped, but one way or another, they want to get caught.”

“I think this unsub is a little different than anything we’ve come up against. He comes off like a mission-oriented killer, but I think he’s a thrill seeker.”

There were several small markers that led her to believe that the Marquis de Sade was playing a game. It went past the killing and the torture. He was playing a game with the FBI. If Laura was right, he was playing a game with his own little family.

“Don’t, bella . No more tonight. I can’t take anymore.” Rafe had been the one to take the call. Laura had only been forced to look at the pictures, but she knew Rafe had to walk into the room where they found the victim. He and Cam had to call the young woman’s mother and tell her that her daughter was never going to get it together and come home. “Can’t we wait until tomorrow to get back into this?” Yes. Tomorrow was soon enough to cause trouble. Her profile was going to be very controversial. “Sure.” Laura took a sip of the deliciously rich cabernet. Rafe got very quiet. Just like that, the room felt thick with tension. She was alone with Rafe. He was right there. So close she could feel the heat of his body. She’d been alone for so damn long.

“How long is this going to go on, bella ?” She felt tears prick at her eyeballs, and she took a longer gulp of the wine. She wasn’t sure she was ready for this. Choices. She would have to make hard choices. Whether to leave her job wasn’t as hard as she would have thought. If she got involved with one of them, she would have to ask for a transfer, but she’d been thinking about that anyway. She’d been thinking of using her degree in psychology in the victim’s services department. All the death was getting to her.

It was choosing between them that would kill her. Either way she went, she lost one of them.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Rafe.”

“Because of Cam?”

Laura nodded, unwilling to say that she was equally in love with two men. What kind of woman did that make her?

“What if I told you that Cam and I have talked about this? What if I told you that Cam and I are willing to give you some time to make your decision? We’re not stupid, bella , and neither are you. We’ve both become very attached to you. Neither one of us wants to let you go, but we also have no interest in simply being your friend for the rest of our lives. I want you. I want you so badly I can taste it. Cam wants you, too.”

Rafe’s hands came out and found the curve of her hip. He drew her forward until she was in the cradle of his body. He turned his head down, staring into her eyes. “Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll stop.”

She set the wine down before she lost the glass. She could feel the long, hard line of his erection poking at her through the wool of his slacks. Her head was swimming with wine and arousal. Her whole body felt like it was being primed for pleasure. She needed to move away from him, but her chin tilted up and then there was no escape.

His lips brushed hers, a soft touch like silk kissing against her skin. Their noses scraped together. It was an innocent intimacy, but her heart was suddenly swollen with the sweetness of it. She lifted her head up and went onto her toes, silently requesting more.

He went slowly, his lips pressing down on hers, seducing her mouth. He didn’t push her. He simply made love to her mouth with agonizing persuasion. He kissed her over and over, light touches to her lips. He pressed soft kisses starting on one side of her mouth, touching every inch, and then making the trip again once he’d gotten to the other side. His hands threaded through her hair, holding her still as he explored her face. He kissed her nose and her cheeks. She closed her eyes so his lips could touch her there, too. He kissed her forehead and then made his way back down. It was so much more than lust. Lust she might have been able to refuse, but Rafe’s tender care sucked her in like nothing before.

“I want you so badly, bella .” The words were lyrical coming out of his mouth. When he was aroused, his Cuban accent flared, giving a round seduction to every word that flowed. “You’re so beautiful. I’ve never known a woman as beautiful as you.” Laura shuddered as Rafe’s tongue played along the seam of her lips, lighting a fire in her pussy. She was softening, preparing for him, and it felt too fucking good to deny. Her whole body had gone languid, waiting impatiently for his hands to roam across her skin.