It’s pure heaven.

“Tell me I can stay,” he whispers against my lips.

“What about the investigation?”

“We’re done for the night.”

“You can stay,” I reply. He smiles and nibbles his way down my neck. His hands slip under my shirt and work it up over my head, then he discards my bra. “You’re beautiful.”

I smile shyly as he pulls a nipple into his mouth and lazily teases it, blows on it, then sucks some more. I tug his shirt up impatiently, getting caught up under his arms. His skin is warm and smooth over strong muscles.

“Can we take this off?” I ask. He sits up and in one fluid motion, pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it aside, then covers me again. He unfastens my jeans and slips his hand inside while his mouth travels down my torso, making me shimmy and squirm.

The things this man does with his mouth are insane.

His fingertips find my sweet spot and my hips surge up off the bed as electricity shoots through my body, sending fire along every nerve.

“God, you’re so responsive. Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of your sweet little body?”

“Nine months,” I pant with a smile. “Yes, I know exactly how long.”

He chuckles and bites my stomach right next to my navel. “You’ve been in my dreams for months. I wake up aching for you.”

Is it possible to come from words alone?

“Asher, I need you.”

“I’m right here, baby.”

“Need you inside me.” I bury my fingers in his hair and hold on tight as his mouth continues the journey around my torso, along my ribs, under my breasts.

Who knew that the spot under my breasts was so fucking sensitive?

He’s pulling my jeans down my legs, effortlessly, and kissing his way down to my hip.

“Trust me, I’m about to be inside you. God, you smell good.”

“I don’t wear perfume.”

He grins up at me knowingly. Naughtily. God, I want to devour him.

“Not that kind of smell, Delila.” He sniffs against my hip. “You smell like you want me to make love to you.”

“I so want you to make love to me.”

He growls as he makes quick work of sliding off his jeans, slips on protection, and covers me. He holds me tenderly, his forearms under my shoulders. His pelvis is cradled in mine, and he thrusts slowly back and forth, sliding his cock in my folds, hitting my clit each time.

“Oh my God,” I whisper.

He kisses my lips as he pulls his hips back, and suddenly the tip is at my entrance, pushing inside. I’d forgotten how big he is.

“We’ll take it easy,” he assures me, watching me carefully. “God, you’re so tight.”

“Or you’re big,” I reply breathlessly, loving the way he feels as he eases inside me. “You feel so damn good.”

“You’re amazing.” He stops when he’s buried inside me completely and leans his forehead against mine. “So fucking amazing.”

I clench around him and smile when he groans.

“God, don’t do that.”

I do it again.

“Lila, this won’t last.”

“We have all night, Lieutenant,” I reply and clench again, circling my hips. “I’m right here. Let go.”

His eyes shoot open, hot and intense, and he begins to move in long, steady, measured strokes, hitting every delicious nerve ending inside me, until I’m right there with him, ready to come out of my skin.

“Gonna come,” I whisper.

“With me,” he replies hoarsely. He grips my ass in one hand, tilting me up to meet him fully, and we come apart, crying out, clinging to each other.

“Amazing,” he whispers and kisses my lips softly.

So fucking amazing.

* * * *

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he whispers against my ear, then kisses me there. He’s spooned up behind me, his arms around me, holding me tight.

“Maybe I am,” I reply with a grin.

“I can hear your wheels turning,” he says and nudges me onto my back so he can see my face. He rests his hand on my belly and kisses my nose. “Talk to me.”

“I’m—” I look to the ceiling, searching for my words.

“Sated? Impressed with my manliness? Ready to come again?”

“Confused,” I reply with a sigh. “And impressed with your manliness.”

“What are you confused about?”

I turn and hide my face in his chest, enjoying the way the light dusting of hair feels against my skin, but he cups my cheek in his hand and guides me back to look me in the eyes.

“What are you confused about, sweetheart?”

“How can I be this happy with you when there is a maniac out there killing my students, and he has some kind of crazy fixation on me? Does it make me a selfish person?”

“No.”

“We’re having sex—”

“Lila, it’s not selfish. We’re living our lives while we try to figure the rest of it out. We haven’t forgotten it.”

“I’m never going to forget it,” I whisper.

“No,” he agrees quietly and kisses my forehead. “You won’t.”

“How do you do this? Every day?” I hold on to him more tightly as I realize just how dangerous his job is. “Why do you do it?”

“I’ve always wanted to be a cop,” he replies.

“But why homicide?”

“Someone has to stand for the dead, Lila.” He kisses my forehead again, tenderly, but I can feel the energy pumping through him. “Someone has to stand over them and take care of them. To get that closure for their families. To make sure that the animal who killed them pays for it.”

“But at what cost? Asher, what you see every day—”

“Makes me a better cop and a better man.” He rolls away, onto his own back, and I follow him, bracing myself on his chest, watching him pull his thoughts together. “I’ve seen the worst of humanity there is, Lila. And I’ve seen the best.”

“You are the best.”

He tilts his head and searches my gaze for a long moment. “Thank you.”

I shrug, suddenly embarrassed at speaking my thoughts out loud.

“Tell me something about you.”

I blink at him. “What about me?”

“Tell me something about your childhood.”

“You don’t want to know about my childhood, Asher.”

His eyes narrow. “Yes. I do.”

I bite my lip and watch him quietly, but he doesn’t insist. He just waits. And here, in the dark and in the quiet of this honest moment, I trust him.

“I didn’t know my mom.” His gaze snaps to mine in surprise.

“You were raised by your dad?”

I smirk. “If you can call it that. Mom left before I could crawl. I was a mistake and she didn’t want me.” Asher reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear, but I flinch away.

I don’t want him to touch me while I tell him this.

“Dad was an alcoholic and enjoyed the occasional recreational drug.”

“Lila—”

“It could have been worse. And there were long stretches of time when he’d sober up and things would be relatively normal for a while. But inevitably, he’d fall off the bandwagon and I’d be left to fend for myself.”

“You should be so proud of yourself,” he says softly.

“I am,” I agree. “My life could have gone very badly had I not had Kate in my life, and a fierce stubbornness. I made my mind up early on that I wouldn’t end up like my father.”

“You’re amazing,” he says.

“I’m strong,” I reply.

“Okay, so back to the original statement. What are you confused about? Because I don’t think you’re confused about the sex we just had in light of the circumstances.”

“You’ve made me rethink things that I thought I believed,” I admit softly.

“Such as?”

I shake my head and am embarrassed to feel my eyes fill with tears.

“What is it, baby?”

“I’ve been very good at keeping my heart safe, Asher. I don’t long for children, because I don’t think that I’d be a good parent given what I come from. I don’t have one-night stands, but I also don’t think about being with anyone for the long term.”

His eyes flare, but he stays quiet, waiting for me to finish.

“But—” I swallow hard.

“But?”

“I enjoy you. I enjoy Casey.”

“We enjoy you too.”

I nod, ridiculously happy to hear those words.

“So, we’ll just enjoy each other,” he adds with an encouraging smile. “And see where it goes from there.”

He pulls me back into his arms and kisses my cheek, then my lips.

“We’ll just see where it goes,” I whisper, liking the sound of that but knowing that I’m quickly losing my heart to this amazing man and his daughter.

Chapter Six

~Asher~

“Wake up, sleepy head.” I climb onto the bed, steaming mug of coffee in hand, and lean over to kiss Lila’s forehead. I can’t seem to keep my hands—or my lips—off of her. And she doesn’t seem to mind.