The Big Gamble Read online

  “Oh yeah. I’ve thought about it. But I don’t think I’m going to take the test.” He grabs the book from my hand and opens one of his drawers, stuffing it inside.

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t really want to talk about it.” He brushes me off and takes another bite of his sandwich.

  Since meeting Brian, this is the first time I’ve seen him shy away from anything. He’s always been straightforward with me and he seems like the type that if he wanted something he does everything in his power to get. Me being a prime example of that.

  I set my bag of chips down and climb into Brian’s lap, straddling his waist. I cup his chin bringing his eyes back to mine and that’s when I see what he’s trying to hide. I can see the wavering confidence in his eyes. The broken man that has for so many years been told by the woman who was supposed to love and support him that he wasn’t good enough. I swear if I ever see this Jillian bitch on the street, I’ll run her over with my car. The way she used and manipulated Brian made me sick to my stomach. You’re supposed to help the ones you love reach their dreams. Not tear them down to build yourself up.

  In this moment, I saw Brian for all of him. Behind the cocky attitude and charm, I see his pain, his fear. He’s broken and bruised and I know without hesitation that I will put the broken pieces of the man back together and show him how good love can really be.

  “Don’t shut me out, Brian. Why don’t you want to take the test?”

  “Because I know I’m not good enough,” he says turning away from me again.

  I pull him back to me. “Is this because of Jillian? No, I know it’s because of her! Brian, you can’t let her words, her insecurities, keep you from following your dreams.”

  “What if she’s right?”

  “Fuck her. You’re Brian-fucking-Gamble and you’re the best damn cop the Seattle PD has. If you want to be a fucking detective then damn it, you go for it. I know you don’t believe in yourself right now, but I do. I believe in you with every ounce of my being. I know without a shadow of a doubt that you’ll make the best damn detective, and I’ll do everything in my power to have you believe in yourself again.” I flash him a reassuring smile.

  “Really?” he asks curiously.

  “Fuck, yes. I’ll help you study. Give you quizzes. I’ll be your very own fucking cheerleading squad,” I say with a proud smile.

  I see a smirk beginning to tug at the corner of his mouth. “Just to see you in a cheerleading uniform would be worth it.” He wiggles his eyebrows at me. And there is the Brian I fell for. “All right, I’ll take the test. You’re quite persuasive, Ace. Why are you so good to me?”

  “Because I love you.” As soon as the words leave my lips my hands slam down over my mouth. I sit there wide-eyed as my words hang in the air. I can’t believe that just slipped out. I knew I was falling hard for Brian, but I hadn’t even admitted to myself that I was in love with him let alone ready to admit it to him. Maybe this is my heart finally taking control and doing what my head is too scared to do.

  “Brooke, did you just say you loved me?” The initial shock begins to fade from his face as he waits for my reply.

  All I could do was nod, yes. Yes. Yes, I fucking love this man. He’s completely turned my world upside down, brought me back to life and I love him.

  “Did you mean it?” he asks, pulling my hands away from my mouth.

  “Yes,” I say on a whispered breath.

  “Good, because I love you too, Brooke.”

  I feel the tears beginning to stream down my face. “You do?”

  “Hell yes.” He smiles from ear to ear. “I’m fucking crazy about you, Brooke.” He reaches his hand up, wiping my tears with his thumb.

  “Say it again,” I demand, needing to hear him say it again.

  “I love you, Brooke.”

  I cup his face in my hands, pulling him to my lips. “I...Love...You...Brian,” I say between each kiss.

  “I wish I wasn’t at work because I really need to make love to the woman I love right now.”

  “I have an idea.” I climb off of Brian’s lap and grab his hand leading us over to the only office with a door, the Captain’s office. We step inside and I lock the door and close the blinds to give us some privacy.

  “You’re a bad, bad girl, Ace.” Brian presses me against the door the metal blinds covering the window dig into my back. “First the Ferris wheel and now in my precinct. You’re full of surprises.” He reaches a hand between us, pulling open the bow holding my dress closed. His eyes darken as my dress falls open, exposing the pink lace bra and thong I was wearing the night we met.

  “Did you have this all planned?” he murmurs, against my lips.

  “Yes.” Our lips finally meet, tongues fighting for dominance. Our kiss hot, hard and full of fucking need. I pull him tighter against me. My body aching to feel the weight of him on top of me.

  I reach up and remove his tie, making quick work at unbuttoning his shirt. As good as he looks in his uniform and how much I want him to fuck me while still dressed in it, my need to see him out of it has won out. I yank it from his pants and slide it off his shoulders. He pulls his undershirt over his head, tossing it on the couch behind him. I run my hands down his chest, tracing the planes of his stomach. I love his body, every curve of his muscular frame is perfection. I slowly walk around him, hands exploring every inch of his beautiful back. I kiss and lick down the line of his spine and place a feather light kiss just above his ass.

  Slowly I walk back around to face him then drop to my knees, wickedly grinning up at him when I see his erection already straining against his pants. I lightly brush my hand against him, eliciting a haggard hiss. Slowly I untie and removed his boots. Working open his belt and unbuttoning his pants, sliding them and his boxers off his hips. His erection springs free.

  I start off slow, licking and sucking on his balls knowing how much he loves it. Flattening my tongue, I slowly lick up his shaft, savoring how good he tastes. His deep moans fill the air as I flick my tongue around his tip, lapping up his salty sweetness.

  “God damn, this is so fucking hot,” he growls, gathering my hair in his hand to get a better view.

  I take him into my mouth inch by delicious inch. I love the way he feels in my mouth and the way he tastes. I wrap a hand around his thick length, squeezing and jerking in rhythm with my mouth.

  Teeth gently grazing, tongue swirling around his impressive thick length. He has a fierce dark look in his eyes, as he looks down at me, which hits me right in my pussy.

  Next thing I know Brian’s pulling me up off the floor and carrying me over to the desk, clearing the contents off in one fast sweep of his arm. He spins me around and roughly bends me over the desk. The cold wood feeling good against my hot skin. He presses his hot hard body against mine and I can feel his rock hard cock pressing against my ass. I can’t help but to grind my hips against his length, evoking a deep growl from his chest.

  “I’ve dreamt of what you’d look like in these.” His low dark tone making my whole body shudder. His fingers follow the lace along my inner thigh to between my legs. His fingers ghosting along my slit through the lace of my thong.

  He hooks his fingers under the delicate lace and rips it clean from my body and tosses the tattered remains to the floor. Running his rough hands down along my ass before giving it a nice hard slap, it causes me to jump and makes my body spring to life.

  “Mmm harder,” I command.

  He leans over me again and whispers in my ear, “Does my sweet little Ace like it rough?” His dark tone sending a shudder down my spine.

  “Fuck yes,” I softly moan.

  “Such a dirty girl. My dirty girl.” His hand strikes me again this time hard enough to leave a print on my ass. It takes everything I have to fight back my screams of pleasure as he strikes me again and again.

  Brian drops to his knees placing a feather light kisses over my reddened flesh then sinks his teeth into my tender skin, forcing me to cry out
in pleasure filled pain. Fuck! I like this new side of my Brian.

  He grabs two handfuls of my ass and spreads me open. I have to brace my hands on the edge of the desk to keep myself steady when I feel the tip of his tongue trace along my wet slit.

  He flattens his tongue taking long slow teasing licks from my clit up to my ass, circling my tight little hole. “I miss tasting your sweet fucking pussy,” he groans, pushing his tongue deep inside me.

  “Oh God Brian, that feels so fucking good.”

  “Mmm.” I can feel his moans against me, sending a delicious vibration through my body. He keeps a tight grip on my ass. His tongue swirling and lapping. Working me faster and harder. Eating me out like a starved man. I’m clenching and throbbing all around his tongue. The waves of pleasure crashing over me as come all over his mouth.

  Brian slows his pace, lapping up every last drop of me. He stands back up and flips me over onto my back, he wraps my legs around his waist, and before I have a chance to catch my breath he rams into me, forcing me up the desk.

  “Fuck! Brooke, you’re so tight,” he growls as he starts working himself in and out of my slick cunt.

  I pull him down to my lips kissing him deep and hard. My nails digging into his back as he pounds harder and harder into me. The desk creaking and squeaking under us.

  Brian pulls me up into his arms, keeping his lips locked on mine as he sits back on the couch behind the desk. I reach behind me unhooking my bra and tossing it to the floor. He presses his face between my breasts, sucking and licking. His warm mouth feeling so good, I can’t get enough of it.

  We find our rhythm starting our sultry dance, one we are becoming all too familiar with. My hips grinding around and around as he thrusts up to meet me. Hands dancing along my body then gripping my hips, working me harder along his cock and hitting me in my, oh so sweet, spot.

  “Fuck you feel so good,” I moan, trying to keep quiet, but finding it harder and harder as I get closer to the edge.

  Brian pulls me to his lips swallowing my moans and screams, driving harder into me. My body shaking as waves of pleasure wash over me again and again. Brian’s thrusting becomes more erratic and wild as works himself to the brink, cock throbbing, as he fills me with every last drop of him.

  I fall against his chest, listening as his breathing calms. His hands gently trailing up and down my back. And I feel like I’m in heaven with the man I love.

  Brooke and I sit in silence just holding each other. Kissing and touching as much as we can before reality finally hits us and I have to go back to work. I don’t want this to fucking end. I want to take her home and lay with her in my arms for the rest of the night. This woman loves me, and I love her. This all feels like a dream and if I let her go I’m afraid I will wake up and she’ll be gone.

  But sadly reality comes knocking in the form of my partner.

  “Hey Brooke, if you are done with my partner, I kind of need him back. We have checkpoint duty in less than twenty minutes.”

  “Way to kill the mood, Ryder.”

  Brooke and I both laugh. “I don’t want you to go. I just want to kiss you all night while you hold me in your arms.” Brooke pouts her lip at me.

  “I don’t want to go either, but in just a few short days we’ll be in my cabin away from jobs and annoying friends. Just us. And you can kiss me all you want.”

  “That sounds like heaven.” She smiles, then climbs off my lap.

  We dress in silence unable to take our eyes off each other. I finish straightening my tie and watch as Brooke grabs the remains of her panties from the floor. She walks over to me and stuffs the tattered remnants in my uniform pocket and flashes me a sexy triumphant smile.

  “A little memento of our fun tonight. And now every time you come in here you won’t be thinking about how the Captain is going to suspend your ass. Instead, you’ll be thinking how you fucked the woman you love all over his pristine office.” She tenderly kisses me one last time. “Now, go keep the streets of Seattle safe, Officer Gamble.”

  She starts to head to the door then turns back. “I love you, Brian.”

  “I love you too, Brooke.”

  Her face lights up at my words and she blows me a kiss before opening the door and steps back out into the precinct.

  God, I fucking love this woman.

  I pace back and forth in my living room, stopping occasionally to look out the peep hole of my door to check if Brian’s walking out of the elevator yet. The night before at the station felt like a beautiful dream. My big mouth finally did some good for once when I blurted out that I loved Brian.

  And I do love him and he loves me. Just hearing his voice in my head repeating it makes my heart soar. If someone had asked me three months ago if I thought I’d ever find love again, I would have told them hell no. I’d had the great love of my life and he was now gone. But meeting Brian and spending so much time with him, I’m starting to rethink my old-fashioned way of thinking.

  I hear the ding of the elevator and I run over to my door checking the peephole for Brian, who’s exiting the elevator. I fumble with the locks in my haste to get to him. I unlatch the deadbolt and run out the door with Lola right on my heels. Brian drops his duffle bag on the floor and holds his arms out for me. Jumping into his arms, I wrap myself around him raining down kisses all over his face while Lola barks excitedly and jumps up on her hind legs.

  “I see my girls are happy to see me.” He chuckles.

  “Welcome home, baby.”

  “This is best welcome home I’ve ever gotten.”

  I jump down letting Brian scoop up Lola. She follows suit licking all over Brian’s face.

  Brian picks up his duffle bag and we start the walk back to my apartment. “So how are my two favorite girls doing?”

  “Good. We’ve been missing you, though.”

  “I’ve missed you both too. Especially you.” He drops his bag at my door then slides his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me to his lips and gently kisses me. “Still love me?” he whispers.

  “Yes, I still love you, Brian,” I say, giving him a reassuring smile.

  “Did you hear that Lola? This beautiful woman says she loves me.” He looks down at Lola, who lets out an approving bark. “Yes, I love her too.” He flashes me a tired grin.

  “Baby you look exhausted. Why don’t you go get some sleep, and me and Miss Lola here will see you before you head off to work.” I scoop Lola into my arms and set her down in my apartment so I can give Brian a proper kiss goodbye. “Five days and counting until I get you all to myself.” I wrap my arms around Brian’s neck. His arms snaking around my waist. I stand up on my tiptoes to meet his soft full lips.

  “Five days too long.” He sighs, then captures my lips in a deep heated kiss. Pulling my lip between his teeth, nipping, and sucking. My head’s already spinning with the effect this man has on me.

  “Goodnight Brian. I love you,” I say breathlessly wiggling out of his grasp, knowing I need to go before I pull him into my apartment keeping him from getting any sleep.

  “Good morning Brooke, and I love you too.”

  He picks up his bag and I watch him unlock his door. I wave, then blow him a kiss before he closes the door.

  Five days.

  Five days.

  Just have to make it five more days.

  I spend most of the morning finishing up the rough draft of my book. Not only is Brian turning things around in my real life he’s also working his magic in my book life as well. When I started writing, I was still in a bit of a dark place, feeling lost and broken, so when I first put pen to paper my stuff was more dark and twisted. At the time, that’s what I needed to get out, but I’ve changed a lot since that day. I’ve been through a lot. I no longer see a broken girl, I see a happier more confident woman. Which is now showing in how I write. Even my editor’s excited about the change.

  Sitting in the middle of my bedroom floor, I pull the tape off the last and final box from my big move. I’ve bee
n living in this apartment for six months taking my dear sweet time making it my home. This is the first time I’ve had my own place, and it’s taken me a while to find my own style. And, to be honest, I was being a tad bit lazy. Unpacking sucks.

  I pull out picture frames filled with old photos of my brother and me, and my dad in Boston. Those were some of the happiest and worst times of my life. After my mom died, my dad moved us to a duplex right next to my grandmother in Charlestown, which was just across the bridge from Boston. It wasn’t an easy move in the beginning. My brother and I were uprooted from the only home we’d ever known to a neighborhood that wasn’t quite so warm and welcoming to a cop moving in on their territory. Our house was egged countless times and my dad received death threats at least once a week. But when you move to an area that has more armored truck robbers than most of Boston, it was to be expected.

  My grandmother wasn’t exactly the easiest to get along with either. She was a tough old broad. I know she was just trying to keep my brother and me from slipping down the same road like most of the kids that grew up in our neighborhood. But man could her words cut you like a fucking knife. I busted my ass in school, so I could get a scholarship and move my ass the hell out of there.

  I do miss the times with my dad. He might have been gone a lot with work, but he always made sure when he was home he gave us his undivided attention and made every moment count. He would take us to Red Sox games in the summer and we’d freeze our asses off at Patriot games in the winter. He’d take us camping and fishing. But my favorite times with him were when it was just him and me sitting on the couch, and I would read him the latest epic princess tale I’d written. I’m sure he would’ve rather been watching the game, but he sat through every minute of it with a big smile on his face. I miss that. I miss him.

  All my father’s hard work in Boston paid off, in the form of a job in the special crimes unit with FBI in D.C. His ultimate dream job. The job keeps him even busier than when he was a detective, so I see him even less now. It sucks, but at least I still have Hunter.