“Condoms are in the bedroom,” he whispers.

Sliding one hand around his erection and clutching onto his ass with the other, I pull him against me. “I’m on the pill. Fuck the condoms.”

Dallas groans as the tip of his penis slides into me. “Jesus Christ, woman. You’re going to be the death of me with that mouth.”

I smile as he holds himself still, barely inside me. “Just shut up and fuck me already.”

He cuts off my words with his mouth, pulls his hips back, and slams into me.

The table legs scrape across the floor with the force of his movements. I wrap my arms and legs tightly around him as he takes me. With each rough thrust of his hips, I feel another orgasm building. I love the feel of his hands roughly clutching my ass and I know there will be bruises there tomorrow. I love how he isn’t gentle with me and nips at the side of my neck with his teeth. I love how perfectly our bodies fit together.

As another orgasm rushes through me, I clutch Dallas, and he follows right behind me, shouting my name during his release. As we cling to each other and try to catch our breaths, it occurs to me just how many things I love about him. With all of the changes I’ve made in my life lately, the one thing I never expected to alter was my opinion on falling in love again.

CHAPTER 17

A few hours later, I’m lying in Dallas’s bed on my stomach with my arms tucked under my head after another round of amazing sex. I feel his fingers lightly tracing the words of the tattoo on the side of my ribs.

“I take it back. You saying ‘fuck’ is pretty hot, but seeing this ink on your skin is hotter. What made you get this saying?”

I turn my head on the pillow to face him. “You’ve met my parents. I think it’s pretty obvious why I got it.”

He nods and reads the words out loud. “I will never give up. I will never look back. I will live my life.”

Just hearing those words puts a smile on my face. Contrary to what I told my parents, I never told Steve Burdick to shove the partnership up his ass. I did, however, tell him I was taking a leave of absence. He wasn’t happy at all, but I couldn’t let that bother me. I wanted to be able to put my full efforts into this investigation and I couldn’t do that with my caseload.

“I heard a song on the radio and I liked the words,” I explain to him.

He leans down and places a kiss against my tattoo. “They’re good words. They fit you.”

My cell phone rings on the bedside table and I lean over to grab it. Seeing that it’s Doug, I give Dallas a sheepish look and quickly answer.

“Hey, what’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon?”

“We’re on our way to the airport right now, but I had to call you,” Doug answers. “Remember when I told you I’d ask around about Miles and whether or not he is a friend of Dorothy’s?”

I laugh and shake my head. “Sure. But you know this could have waited until next week, right?”

“Oh please! Gossip this juicy needs to be shared!” Doug tells me. “It seems our fellow alum was caught with a fellow. One of Gary’s friends from the restaurant was working a fund-raiser last year. He walked into the bathroom and found Miles on his knees with one of the other waitstaff.”

To say I’m shocked is an understatement. Miles really is gay.

I thank Doug and wish him well on his honeymoon before hanging up. Getting out of Dallas’s bed, I pull on my dress and explain to him about the phone call and about what Doug told me the night before about Richard.

“We need to go back and talk to Stephanie again. Ask her if she knew anything about her husband being gay. That would definitely push any woman over the edge,” Dallas says with a laugh.

I pause in putting on my shoes to stare at him angrily.

“Did you really just say that?”

He stops laughing and looks at me in confusion for a few seconds before the smile is wiped from his face. “Oh, fuck. I’m sorry! I didn’t mean that the way it came out. Of course you wouldn’t do something like that. But she might.”

His backpedaling does nothing to soothe my irritation.

He quickly gets out of bed and reaches for his jeans, sliding them up his legs. “I want to see Stephanie again and gauge her reaction to the news.”

And now I’m jealous. I hate this feeling! This is why I didn’t want to get involved with anyone ever again.

“Of course, you want to see Stephanie again. Would you like me to leave you alone so you can take her out for another round of drinks?” I ask sarcastically.

He finishes buttoning his pants and walks around the bed to me. “I didn’t sleep with Stephanie.”

“I didn’t say you did,” I huff as I zip up my dress.

He reaches out and helps me with the zipper. “You didn’t have to. I can see it all over your face.”

“It’s none of my business if you did,” I tell him with a roll of my eyes.

He puts his hands on my cheeks and turns my face to him. “What just happened here makes it your business.”

His words make me want to melt. And take my dress back off, get into bed with him, and forget the outside world. But I can’t do that. I need to be strong and not get pulled under by a man like Dallas. He has the power to break me. I already trust him with my life; I’m not ready to trust him with my heart.

“I need to go home and feed my cat. We can talk about this later,” I tell him, pulling away from his hands.