Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 Karen Whiddon (best fiction books to read TXT) 📖

Hooking her thumbs through the belt loops of his jeans, she pulled down his pants. After spitting into her palm, she took him with her hand. Her strokes were slow and methodical. After swirling her tongue over his head, she took him in her mouth, as well. Her hand and mouth worked in concert. Luis got harder in her grasp.

“Hold on,” he said. He gripped her shoulders, his fingers biting into her flesh. “I’m going to lose it completely.”

She stopped her manipulations. “That’s kind of the idea.”

Luis pulled on her shoulders, urging her to her feet. “I don’t want to lose control, not yet. Not until I’ve taken care of you.”

He kicked off his jeans, then pulled Julia’s shirt over her head. She worked on her pants and stripped down, leaving him naked and her wearing only her bra and panties.

“Come here,” he said, leading her to the bed.

Luis sat on the edge and slid back until he was in the middle of the mattress.

She straddled Luis, riding his length through her underwear. She lingered as his head touched the sensitive spot at the top of her sex. It was a delicious torture to have him so close and to be so intimate, and yet not.

Pulling aside the crotch of her panties, he slid a finger inside of her. “God,” he moaned. “You’re wet and hot and tight.”

“I want you inside of me,” she said. “Take me now.”

“Not yet,” he said. “Lift your ass up here.”

Julia did as he suggested and swung around, with her rear near his face. It left Luis’s sex next to her mouth. She knew what he wanted—in fact, she wanted it, too. Julia slid her tongue up and down his length. While she tended to him with her mouth, he did the same. He suckled the top of her sex as he slipped two fingers inside of her.

Desire built within Julia. It was a great wave that grew and rose until it crested and crashed down. Julia gasped for breath as she cried out. Her entire body thrummed as she went limp. He rolled her onto her back and Julia sank into the mattress and the blankets.

“I’m not done with you yet.” He sat up before opening the drawer of a nightstand. From there, he removed a single condom and rolled it down his length. “Are you ready?” he asked.

Julia nodded, drunk on sex.

Luis hovered above her. Pulling off her panties, he placed a leisurely kiss on her lips. He tasted of her pleasure. Situating himself, he entered her in one slow stroke. Julia gasped. She didn’t think the pleasure would begin again. But it was there, just under the surface.

For the first time in a long while, she felt whole and normal.

It wasn’t simply the sex. It was Luis. He’d given her a rare and wonderful gift. He’d brought Julia back to herself.

She cried out with an orgasm that she didn’t expect. Trembling, she clung to Luis’s sweat-soaked back. His thrusts became harder and faster. He let out a long and low growl, the noise almost savage, before falling into her arms.

She relaxed, knowing that finally, she was safe.

CHAPTER 17

Luis woke. His arm was stiff, and his neck was sore. He didn’t care. He’d held Julia all night. And to be honest, he’d endure any pain if it meant he could spend one more night with her in his arms.

Then again, who was he kidding? He knew that women like Julia didn’t end up with guys like him. Hell, what was he? A washed-up football player. A guy who’d barely graduated from community college. A cop who had been forced to leave his department. Someone who hadn’t spoken to his sister in years.

Julia was a hero, with all sorts of awards and medals to prove it.

Maybe he should be thankful for the one night. At least he knew enough not to hope for more. As quietly and carefully as he could, Luis rose from the bed and moved down the hallway to the bathroom. He came back a minute later and Julia was propped up in bed.

The blankets were draped across her chest, the swell of her breasts peeking out from beneath the covers. Her blond hair fell around her shoulders. Her lips were red and slightly swollen from kissing.

God, she was sexy as hell.

“Morning,” she said with a smile. A smile was a good sign.

Luis retrieved his jeans from the floor, then stepped into them and pulled them up. “Morning,” he said.

“I guess we should go to Sally’s for breakfast and see what kind of gossip we hear,” said Julia.

We. He liked the sound of that.

Rising from the bed, she slipped into her underwear and a T-shirt. “Mind if I take a shower first?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” he joked while running a hand over his crew cut. “My hair takes forever to get right.”

“Smart-ass,” she said, sauntering from the room.

Luis watched her walk away. He heard the water start in the bathroom and immediately thought about joining Julia in the shower. Then again, she hadn’t invited him to come along.

Jinxy came into the bedroom. Winding through his legs, the cat began to purr. “Ready for breakfast?”

It was a dumb question. The tabby was always ready for food. After filling the dish and setting it on the floor for Jinxy, Luis brewed a single cup of coffee. The shower quit running as he took his first sip.

Luis picked up his tablet computer from the table. There was a notification that the Pleasant Pines Gazette had published a new story. Tapping on the screen, he waited while the Wednesday edition loaded.

Tourist Found Dead—Cause Undetermined.

The front-page article was accompanied by a picture of Sean Reynolds, arms folded, standing in front of the gazebo.

Shaking his head, Luis had to admit that Peter Knowles had a flair for drama.

He read on:

Saturday night was supposed to be a celebration of sorts. Tom Dolan, an architect from Atlanta, GA, was in Pleasant Pines for a mountain-biking