GetOn (5 page)

When Garrett cut the engine, he waited for her to dismount.
She slid off the back of the bike, only his broad hands keeping her from
stumbling on the pavement.

“Sorry,” she laughed as she straightened. “I think it’s all
the adrenaline. We were going pretty fast.”

His grin flashed quickly. “You seemed to like it.”

Mia nodded. “Felt like I was in a movie. You’re a good
driver, you know.”

He shrugged one shoulder as he swung his leg over the seat.
“Thanks.”

They walked side by side to the stairwell. Mia thought about
reaching over and grabbing his hand, but she didn’t. Not now. He’d agreed to
dinner with her only by the smallest margin, she could tell, and she didn’t
want to scare him off.

“There’s a nice little Italian restaurant across the street
from the hotel.” Her words echoed off the painted cinderblocks of the
stairwell. She avoided a crumpled fast-food bag on the landing, ducking behind
Garrett to keep her shoes free of the splattered ketchup. “I ate there the
other night, it was pretty good.”

He pushed open the door, holding it to let her go through
first. She glanced up at him as she passed. His eyes were wary, almost
shuttered. Damn it, she was losing him. “Or we could just go up to my room,
order room service?”

The door fell shut behind them, the loud clunk almost making
her jump.

“The Italian place is fine,” Garrett said, moving toward the
curb. The darkness had fallen around them, bugs fluttering around the
streetlights.

Mia started to turn the corner, heading for the hotel’s
front entrance. “Cool. I just need to run up to my room, grab my purse.”

“Don’t worry about it, I got this.”

She stopped, turning to face him. “Are you sure? I mean, I
asked you, so I really don’t mind—”

“For god’s sake, Mia, just come on and let me buy you
dinner.” He held out his hand to her.

She crooked a smile, something in her insides becoming warm
and fluttery. Even exasperated, he was cute. “Fine then. I’m ordering dessert,
you’ve been warned.”

He laughed, and for a moment she could have sworn it was the
most wonderful sound she’d ever heard. She grabbed the hand he offered and,
fingers laced together, they ran across the street, both laughing as a taxi
driver honked his horn and cursed at them.

Mia led Garrett past the dry cleaners, a convenient mart and
an office, finally stopping in front of La Bella Italia. He opened the door for
her again, and she grinned. She’d never been with a guy who could be considered
a gentleman. She’d opened her own doors forever, but this was nice. Even though
he was stubborn, and sometimes a pain in the ass, Garrett was definitely
classy.

“Two,” she said in response to the hostess’s question.

“Somewhere private,” Garrett said, then looked down at her.
“You don’t mind, do you?”

She shook her head and they followed the short-skirted
hostess through the tables. Laughter and conversation mixed with soft jazz, the
sounds fading slightly as they arrived in the back corner of the restaurant.
The curved booth was partially shielded from the rest of the tables by a large
potted plant.

“Is this okay?” The waitress indicated the table.

“Perfect.” Mia smiled as she slid into the booth. Garrett
folded into the other side, his long legs almost not fitting under the short
table. The hostess gave them each a menu, and with a promise that their server
would be right over, disappeared.

And they were alone. Mia glanced over at Garrett. He was
close, but not as close as she wanted him to be. His gaze was trained on the
menu, but his knee was bouncing as if he was agitated.

“You okay?”

He nodded without looking over at her. “Fine.”

Mia bit her lip as she flopped open her own menu. The pasta
primavera had been great the other night, so she didn’t even need to look over
the plastic-coated pages. But it gave her something to focus on while she tried
to figure out what was happening here.

Why had she asked him out? And, even more important, why had
he said yes?

Their server appeared, a young guy with peroxide-blond hair
and an easy laugh. Garrett ordered a bottle of wine and they placed their food
order. Once they were alone again, Mia made up her mind. Damn it all to hell,
she was going to learn more about this guy.

“So you used to be a cop, huh?” She toyed with the sweaty
stem of her water goblet.

“Yes,” he said, drumming his fingertips on the tablecloth.
“For seven years.”

“So what do you do now?”

He looked over at her then, and she fought to keep still.
“Private investigation, mostly. I do contract work. It gives me time to, well,
you know.”

“Right.” Mia dried her fingers on the napkin in her lap,
glad her hair fell forward so he couldn’t see her blush. “Find the guy.”

“What about you?” Garrett said quickly. She couldn’t blame
him for the subject change, but she wished he’d picked a different one. “I know
you’re a piercer, but I don’t really know anything else about you.”

Mia sighed. Well, she’d started this, so she might as well
see it through. “I’m from south Texas, originally. My grandmother basically
raised me because my mom was too busy with drugs and different boyfriends. My
dad had cancer and died when I was pretty young. Mom moved back to Mexico when
I was twelve. When
Abuela
died, I decided there wasn’t anything left for
me in Texas. So I’ve been traveling for the past two years.” Mia laughed, a
little sadly. “I’ve had eight jobs during that time. Most of them piercing, but
some of them, well, let’s just say the phrase ‘do you want fries with that?’
figured pretty heavily in a couple.”

Garrett reached over and threaded his fingers through hers.
“No shame in working for a living, Mia.”

“I know.” She leaned her head back against the booth and
stared at the ceiling. “I was in Arkansas for about a month. Louisiana for
three. Before coming here, that was the longest I’d stayed anywhere.”

His thumb began making lazy circles over her knuckles. “You
really miss her, don’t you?”

Tears sprang to her eyes at the question. “Of course I do.
Abuela
was my world. When my mom ran off, she was there. When my dad died, she was
there. When I got in trouble, she would scream at me then we’d hug one another
and cry for hours. She was my rock.” Mia dashed the tears away with her free
hand. “I’m sorry. It’s just…sorry.”

“Stop apologizing,” Garrett said as he slid around the
booth. Mia melted into him as he wrapped his arms around her. “I understand.
And it’s okay.”

Mia snuggled into his chest, dragging a deep breath in
through her nose. He smelled so good, and his broad hands felt amazing as they
rubbed her back comfortingly. She could definitely get used to being held by
Garrett.

“Was it like this for you?” The question came without
thought, but she was kind of glad it had. “When you lost her?”

Garrett’s lips pressed against her hair.

“Not really.”

Damn it, those words were supposed to stay inside his head.
He sighed, the breeze of his breath ruffling her curls.

“Will you tell me?” Her words were muffled against his
chest.

He raised his head, half-hoping the waiter would appear and
let him off the hook. No such luck.

It wasn’t any of her business how he’d felt when Priscilla
died, was it? She sniffed then, and he became painfully aware of the spot of
wetness on his shirt. She’d laid her heart bare to him. The least he could do
was show his scars too.

The song changed then, Frankie Blue Eyes claiming he had the
world on a string. With the cheerful tune as subtle background, Garrett spoke.

“We’d been living together for about eight months,” he said,
toying with one of Mia’s nearly black curls. “Her name was Priscilla Hughes.
She said she loved me, and I was working up the nerve to say it too. But I
wasn’t sure.” His lids slid closed as the story turned darker. “Anyway, I had
worked undercover on this huge drug bust. Of course, it was Ford. There was a
lot of news coverage on the story and someone let my name slip. Ford didn’t
miss it. He tracked me down…” Garrett’s throat went tight, but he held Mia
close and continued. “But he found Priscilla first. He had her killed.”

“Oh my god,” Mia said, her words full of shock. She pulled
back to look at him, her green eyes sad. “That’s awful.”

“It was my fault,” Garrett shrugged one shoulder. “I should
have been more careful. The leak wouldn’t have happened if—”

“How is it your fault someone couldn’t keep their trap shut?
God, Garrett, you aren’t responsible for this. I hope they fired the fucker—no,
I hope they beat the shit out of him.” Mia’s small hands curled into fists, and
her chin tilted up stubbornly.

“The leak in the department was taken care of,” Garrett
soothed, sparing a thought for the new secretary who had been fired
immediately. Her fifteen seconds of fame related to such a talked-about case hadn’t
lasted. “But I sort of… Well, I kinda went off the rails.” The admission cost
him, and he moved over, putting a bit of distance between him and Mia. “Ford’s
father got all the drug charges against his son dropped. There wasn’t any proof
to connect him to Priscilla’s death. The hit man who’d pulled the trigger was
found shot in the head three weeks later. I know it was Ford.” Garrett’s fist
landed on the white tablecloth, making the silverware jump.

“I know,” Mia soothed, rubbing his tense shoulder. “It’s
okay, Garrett. You don’t have to say anything else.”

“Let me get this out, okay?” He glanced over at her. The dim
lighting of the restaurant made her olive skin look luminescent.

She nodded.

“I started gunning for Ford while I was still on the force.
But my superiors didn’t exactly see things my way. I was let go a few months
after Priscilla died.” He stared at the table in front of them. “Her murderer
got away, Mia. I’ve been trying so damn hard to make him pay. If I’m ever able
to see this through, I don’t know what I’ll do with myself afterward.”

Mia’s hand wrapped around the back of his neck and he turned
to face her. Her eyes were wide, mouth soft as she pulled him down to her.

He groaned against her lips as she kissed him, tasting of
the sweet wine he’d almost forgotten he’d ordered. Her tongue darted between
his lips, soft caresses stirring his blood. His hand rubbed down her back,
cupping her ass gently as he let his mouth explore hers.

Too soon, he forced himself to raise his head. “We should
probably stop, or that waiter might get a show when he brings our dinner.”

Mia grinned and winked at him. “You might be right.”

He’d managed to steer the conversation into a lighter place
by the time the food arrived. He hadn’t realized exactly how hungry he was
until the large plate of pasta landed in front of him. Mia had been right, the
food was good. Though he couldn’t help but think it might have been because of
the company.

She laughed at his jokes, throwing a couple of her own in
there for good measure. They compared favorite music and movies, and he was
strangely gratified to discover the similarities between them. By the time the
giant slab of chocolate cake Mia ordered had arrived, he was dreading leaving
the restaurant.

“I don’t know why they brought two forks,” Mia said,
carefully detaching a hunk of chocolate icing from the top of the cake.
“Nobody’s touching my dessert.”

Garrett snorted, then reached over and snagged the second
fork. “Oh really?”

“Back off, biker boy,” she snarled playfully, a dot of
chocolate on her lower lip. “If you wanted some, you should have ordered it
yourself.”

“I guess I’ll just have to make do with your leftovers,” he
sighed sadly, then leaned in to lick the chocolate off her lip. The sweetness
exploded on his tongue, almost as delicious as her gasp of shock at his action.
But not quite. She kissed him quick, hard and rough. He wrapped his arm around
her, making sure his mouth and tongue kept up their passionate assault. But the
fork in his other hand snaked around her, aiming straight for the cake.

Just then she moaned, a soft, plaintive sound that wrapped
around his cock and yanked. He nearly dropped the fork.

She pulled her mouth away, breathing heavily. “Don’t you
fucking dare,” she said, just before poking his hand with her own fork.

“Ouch,” he yelped, rubbing the sore spot. “What was that
for?”

“Attempted kiss-terfuge. Not fair.” She ate another bite of
cake. “If you’d asked nicely, you might have gotten a bite. You should know
stealing is bad, copper.”

Garrett snorted a laugh. “Yeah, you’re right.” He pinned on
an exaggerated puppy-dog-pitiful expression. “May I please have a bite of your
cake?”

She flipped the fork over, sucking on the tines as she
pulled it from her lips. “That depends. It’s not free, you know. If you get a
bite of cake, you have to come up to my room after.”

He thought about it for about three seconds before snatching
the plate from her and forking a giant bite of dessert into his mouth.

“I get to have my cake and eat you too? You’re on.”

She wasn’t sure why she was nervous as she led him down the
plush-carpeted hallway to her hotel room. It wasn’t even on the same floor as
Jules’ and Matt’s rooms, so there was almost zero chance she’d run into someone
she knew.
And even if I did
, she glanced backward at the tall, muscled
man following her,
he’s someone to be proud of.

So why was her heart trying to break through her rib cage?

Fumbling in her pocket for the plastic keycard, Mia dragged
a deep breath into her too-small lungs.

“You okay?” The husky rumble behind her didn’t help.

“Sure,” she squeaked, her fingers fumbling on the card.
“Yeah, totally fine.” The card finally slipped into the slot, the little green
light on the lock flashing as it beeped. Mia turned the knob and shoved the
door open.

“I’m going to run to the restroom, okay? Just,” she kicked a
pair of panties into the corner, cursing the way she’d stumbled drunk into bed
the last night she’d been here, “make yourself comfy.”

Garrett crooked a brow, but she flew into the bathroom
before he could ask what the fuck was wrong with her.

She yanked the tap on full blast and sat on the edge of the
tub with her head in her hands. Good god. What was she doing here? She’d had a
rule before. No guys with more baggage than she had. But Garrett had a 747 full
of baggage, so why the fuck wasn’t she running the other way?

With a sigh, she lifted her head and glanced in the mirror.
A horrified squeal escaped as she took in the god-awful vision in front of her.

“Mia? You okay?” He knocked, gentle but insistent.

“Oh my god, how could you let me go into a nice restaurant
looking like this?” Mia’s horrified stare looked right back at her. “My hair is
a mess, my eyeliner is all over my damn face, and my clothes are wrinkled and
dusty from that freaking warehouse!”

Garrett’s chuckle came through the door.

“Are you laughing at me?” She flung open the bathroom door,
upsetting Garrett’s balance as he’d apparently been leaning on it. She shoved
an angry finger right under his nose. “Were you laughing at me this whole time?
You jerk!”

“Mia,” Garrett said gently, grasping her finger and lowering
it. “You looked fine. More than fine. You looked beautiful. Your eyeliner
didn’t smudge until you started crying at the table, and I didn’t want to make
you self-conscious about it.” He lowered his head and kissed her tenderly.

She tried to hold on to her irritation, but as his demanding
tongue took her mouth in broad, possessive sweeps, she couldn’t stop it from
changing into pure passion. His hands moved up from her arms, rubbing along the
back of her neck to tangle in the curls at the base of her skull, the pulling
sensation only making her want him more.

His lips moved over hers and she matched every motion, a
willing participant in this passionate onslaught. Hooking her leg over his hip,
she moaned into his mouth at the feeling of his insistent erection pressing
against her hot, throbbing core.

Tearing her mouth away, she gasped as his kisses trailed
down her jawline and onto her throat, her pulse pounding in response to his
demanding mouth.

“Shower,” she breathed, dropping her leg and moving deeper
into the bathroom. “Now.”

He growled in frustration at having to move, but once she
grasped the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head, his eyes lit up in
appreciation. They stripped quickly, neither of them wanting to wait.

Mia leaned against the counter as Garrett turned the water
on to heat, and she couldn’t help admiring the strong lines of his back and
muscled ass. While he was still bent over, she stepped closer, gripping his
hips and bending to press her breasts against his back.

“You,” she dropped kisses along his spine, just below the
dragon tattoo that winged across the right half of his back, “are incredibly
toned. You make me self-conscious, you know.”

She squealed as he bumped her backward, turning and catching
her before she could fall against the counter. “You have zero need to be
self-conscious.” He grasped her breast firmly, not enough to hurt but more than
enough to prove he meant business. “This body is incredible. Soft, warm curves
that drive me fucking wild.” He grabbed her hand and put it on his cock, hot
and hard and velvet-smooth in her palm.

She stroked it as he caressed her breast, his thumb flicking
the hardened nub of her nipple. As the bathroom filled with steam, he bent his
head low and captured that bud in his mouth, lips and tongue caressing the
sensitive flesh.

Mia tilted her head back in abandon, moving her hand slowly
along his shaft as he sucked on her breast. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes
and concentrated on the sensations. His mouth was so hot as he teased and
flicked her tight nipple, creating waves of sensation that shot straight to her
throbbing and moistening pussy. And his hard length in her hand—good god. She
moved her hand from the silky-smooth tip of him, along the shaft that pulsed
with want, down to the base surrounded by neatly trimmed pubic hair. His teeth
nipped her sensitive skin and she gasped, gripping his shaft harder in
response. He growled deep in his throat, and she took that as encouragement to
keep exploring his body.

Her questing touch traveled along his shaft, to cup the twin
globes beneath, heavy with his desire. They overflowed her palm, so full, the
skin that covered them almost as soft as that of his cock head. She leaned
forward, forcing her breast harder against his mouth, so that she could reach
more of him. Just behind his sac, that little spot…

When her fingers found it, he lifted his head from her
breast.

“Jesus, Mia,” he groaned against her throat.

She smiled, gently pressing high against the sensitive
point. “You like that?”

“You’re about to see how much I like that.”

He nipped at her throat before stepping back and breaking
their connection. He bent to the faucet again, adjusting the temperature of the
shower’s spray.

Mia indulged her lusty fingertips and ran them lightly over
his body, anxious for more. She hadn’t been this horny for a guy since her
first-ever boyfriend. And even then, nothing they’d shared had come close to
what she felt with Garrett.

Once he was satisfied with the temperature, Garrett
straightened and helped Mia into the tub. She tilted her face to the warm
spray, sighing in delight as the water ran down her skin. Garrett stepped in
behind her, his large body rubbing against her wet flesh.

When she reached for the shower curtain to close it, his
hand closed over hers, stopping her.

“What is it?” She glanced over her shoulder at him, taken
suddenly with how tall he was. God, when he stood straight up it made her feel
so small, so delicate. Like a fairy princess.

He nodded toward the counter. “Look.”

Mia did as he asked, her mouth forming a soft “o” as she
realized. The mirror. Large, extending the length of the bathroom, it presented
a perfect picture of their nude bodies.

“You want to watch us?” she asked, looking at him in the
mirror. His nod was slow, emphatic.

Never letting her stare leave his in the mirror, she turned,
kneeling slowly in the spray, her hair getting wetter and wetter as she
descended to her knees. Once there, she turned her attention to the heavy
throbbing cock in front of her. She allowed herself a small smile as she
gripped the shaft in one hand, cupping his sac in the other. And when her mouth
closed over him, she looked over from the corner of her eye.

Garrett was transfixed, watching her in the mirror as she
sucked his cock. Hand and mouth moving in perfect rhythm, she took him deep,
her throat muscles gripping him as she gagged slightly. A heavy drop of precum
slicked the tip of him, and she drank it in with relish. Moving quicker now,
her tongue sliding up the thick vein on the underside, the suction making her
cheeks draw in with each thrust. Garrett’s gaze was heavy, half-lidded, but he
couldn’t stop watching.

And then she reached beneath his sac, finding that tiny
space that had driven him wild earlier. Massaging it in time with the strokes
of her mouth, she went crazy on him.

He tasted so good; his cock filled her mouth like she wanted
it to fill her pussy. His skin was so hot, so smooth, his body so incredible,
just made for her to please herself. He was like an amusement park for one. She
could suck and suck and rub wherever she wanted, and it made her want to scream
in pleasure, in pride, for what she felt and what she could make
him
feel.

Faster and harder she sucked, working him, her grip on the
base of his rod, her other hand working furiously behind his balls. His hips
thrust against her, his muscles trembling with the effort to stay still, to
hold back.

“I can’t… God, Mia, I…”

Do it.
She looked up at him, hoping her eyes could
tell him what she wanted. She moved her head forward, his cock sliding into her
throat, her muscles contracting around the thick head of him. And then, her
thumb slid higher, pressing into the dark, tight hole just above that tender
spot she’d been working.

His hoarse shout echoed in the bathroom and his release
spurted deep into her throat. She gagged but didn’t move, using the spasms in
her throat to milk every last drop of his cum. Her hands slowed, then stilled
as he shuddered, knees buckling as the adrenaline rushed through him.

She lifted her head as he leaned drunkenly against the
shower wall.

“You like to watch, huh?”

Garrett looked down, just to make sure the head of his cock
hadn’t blown off. Jesus Christ, Mia had some skills.

The warm water pelted her back, pulling her curls nearly
straight, the black river of hair flowing over her shoulders as she knelt
smiling up at him and licking her lips.

“Yeah, I guess the sight of your lips around my cock gets me
off.” His voice was a breathy growl as he pushed off the wall to stand upright
again. “But what about you? Do
you
like to watch?”

She took his hand and stood, a devilish light in her eyes.
“Maybe.”

“Let’s find out.”

He turned her to face the mirror, stepping behind her, his
body still tingling and sensitive from his recent orgasm. If he had his way,
very soon she’d be feeling the exact same. He smiled as he took in the vision
of her shiny wet curves in the large mirror across from them.

“See?” He ran a hand along her waist, higher to cup her
breast and lift it, the dark, rosy nipple puckering tighter at his touch. Water
sluiced down his side, across his arm to trickle over her torso, the tiny
stream dipping into her pierced navel and then lower. Her eyes darkened and she
bit her lip, pressing her hips back against him.

“You’re beautiful, Mia.” His left hand descended, rubbing
her ass, her hip, then her soft thigh. Grasping behind her knee, he lifted her
leg and placed her foot carefully on the edge of the tub. Another quick glimpse
at their reflection proved his machinations had worked out in his favor.

With her knee propped high, her labia were clearly visible
in the mirror. Thank god for low counters and elevated tubs. The shiny silver
clit ring was winking at him, pink jewel glittering as it nestled high in her
rosy flesh.

Her breaths were heavy and quick as she rubbed against him,
her little fingers digging into his thighs. “I want more, Garrett.”

He released her breast and carefully twisted her wet mass of
hair to one side, leaving the delicious curve of her neck bare to his gaze, and
his kiss. The soft flesh there was so sweet, so easy to kiss, to suck, to nip
and make her moan. His left hand rubbed all over her wet thigh, the skin
chilled from the dampness. His circles moved higher and higher, coming so close
to the silky skin of her vulva, never actually touching. Even though that clit
ring called to him like the brass ring on a carousel, he wouldn’t be touching
it until he was sure she was desperate.

He was a bastard like that.

Kissing down the line of her shoulder, he brought both hands
up to cup her breasts, smiling in evil delight at her frustrated moan.

“Garrett,” she said, staring him down in the mirror. “Are
you teasing me?”

He pinched both nipples, gratified to see her mouth open
wide and her back arch in response. “I’m not teasing. I’m prepping.”

“Then I’m helping.” She brought her hands forward, covering
his on her breasts. With her thumbs and forefingers, she forced him to pinch
her nipples harder, twisting them. He knew the burning pain that must cause,
but if her face was any indication, she liked a little bit of pain with her
pleasure.

A woman after his own heart.

With that, he released her breasts and gripped the inside of
her elevated knee. Making sure to keep his body close, he lifted her leg
higher, forcing her thighs farther apart, the silky lips of her vulva parting
even wider.

“Watch me, Mia. Watch what I do to you.”

He ran his hand with deliberate slowness down her abdomen,
the soft swell of her belly, past the little landing strip and around her
glistening core. She whimpered in protest when he didn’t actually touch her,
but he was getting there. She’d have to be patient.

He started on the outside, making small circles on her
heated skin. When he edged past the fleshy outer lips, dragging a finger across
the tender inner flesh, she raised her arm to grasp him, her head falling back
onto his chest as her eyes closed.

“Mia,” he growled into her ear. “Watch me. Now.”

As soon as her gaze lit upon his in the mirror, he plunged
two fingers into her soaked cunt. She screamed, thrusting her hips forward to
meet him. God, she felt so good, gripping his hand like she’d gripped his cock
before.

He knew what she wanted, and now he was ready to give it to
her. Propping his leg beneath hers to keep it elevated and free his hand, he
pinched the hard little nub behind that shiny silver piercing. Her body
shuddered then moved harder against his hand, her hips pumping as her body
strained for that peak. She grabbed her own breasts, pinching and rolling her
nipples as her gaze stayed glued to his hands on her pussy.