Connor (Ridge City Recruits Book 6) Read online

  4

  Sierra

  I only let him drive me to the corner pizza shop from my apartment. My gut tells me I can trust Connor Cavanaugh, but I’m not ready to take any chances. Yet.

  Even though he did give you the most fantastic kiss you’ve ever had?

  I tell the sarcastic voice to shut up as we head inside. At this time of night, the pizza shop is winding down, but they’re still happy to serve us as we grab a booth near the back. We both order a slice and a beer.

  “So,” he says like we’re just hanging out. “Who goes first?”

  “You.” I lean toward him and pitch my voice low. The thumb drive in my bra digs into my skin. “Who are you, and what were you doing there, if you’re not working for them?”

  “I have . . . connections that are very interested in seeing them brought down. For good.”

  “Who are your connections?” I ask in a steely tone. “Who are you friends with that are connected to the Mortensons?”

  Connor looks down at the table. He drums his fingers, either thinking or stalling. Finally, he glances up at me. “Ridge City Police Department.”

  I stare at him, jaw slack. Before I can say anything, our server returns with our slices and our beers. By the time she’s left, I’ve regained my composure.

  “You’re a cop,” I say.

  “Not exactly.”

  “What, exactly?”

  He sighs. “I’m really not supposed to get into it. But just know we’re fighting on the same side. I think, anyway. What’s your story? One of those women is your sister?”

  I push my plate aside. I love this joint’s pizza, but suddenly, my appetite is gone. “Yeah. She was taken about a year ago. I never stopped looking for her, but I didn’t know if she was alive or not. Either way, I was determined to find her or her body. Then I met somebody online who does this kind of thing, investigates things, has a lot of sources and connections, and intelligence. They told me she was alive, who had her, and how to get to them.”

  Connor tilts his head. “Who gave you all that knowledge? Someone connected to the organization?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I don’t know the person personally, just the group they’re part of. They’re sort of well-known on the underground journalism circuit if you know where to look and who to ask.”

  “Who?”

  “Harbinger,” I reply.

  To my surprise, he turns his head and smiles. “Yeah. I know Harbinger.”

  The way he says it makes me think he knows-knows Harbinger. “Wait, you know her?”

  “Her?” He shakes his head. “No. I don’t know a her.”

  “How many of them are there?” I murmur.

  “Maybe you weren’t talking to someone on the level,” he says.

  “No?” I yank my sleeve up and show him my forearm. “All of these are security codes she gave me. And all of them worked.”

  “Codes to what?”

  Now it’s my turn to hesitate.

  “I showed you mine,” he says softly. “Now you show me yours.”

  I look into his eyes. They’re a bright blue, full of equal parts mischief and sadness. There’s more to Connor Cavanaugh than meets the eye, and my gut reminds me again that he’s trustworthy.

  Slowly I reach into the neck of my dress and into my bra. His brows raise slightly as I fish out the thumb drive and hold it up.

  “Everything I downloaded off that computer before you walked in,” I say quietly.

  His brows shoot higher. Then a panty-melting grin splits his face. He reaches into the breast pocket of his suit and produces a thumb drive similar to mine. “That’s why I showed up. You beat me to it.”

  I can’t help chuckling. “Well. We really are a pair.”

  We gaze at each other in silence for a moment, then he says, “Sorry about kissing you. I didn’t have the right. I was trying to think fast. I was a jerk.”

  I shake my head. “Don’t apologize. You probably saved both our asses. Besides . . .” I recall the kiss, slow and wet and hot and deep. It didn’t feel like acting to me. The memory of makes me tingle, right between the thighs. “I didn’t completely hate it.”

  One corner of his mouth curls up. “That’s good to know. I’d love to do it again.”

  I huff a laugh to cover up my blush. “Don’t hold your breath there, hotshot.”

  He grins and leans toward me. “So. How about it, Sierra? We join forces?” He extends his hand.

  I stare at it. I don’t know exactly what his story is or what he’s doing with RCPD, but it might not be bad to have someone on my side.

  Especially someone as sexy as Connor Cavanaugh.

  This is going to get me in trouble . . .

  Maybe. But it also gets me my sister back.

  I slip my hand into his, meeting his smoldering blue eyes across the table.

  “You got a deal.”

  5

  Connor

  Two weeks later

  “It’s officially going down,” Khalil says when I answer the phone.

  “What’s going down?” I unlock my car. It’s Friday night, and after a long day of combing through the intel Sierra downloaded from Mortenson’s computer, my brain is fried.

  “The auction,” he says intensely.

  “Oh shit.” That brings me up short. “When?”

  “Tomorrow, dude,” Khalil says meaningfully. “You better let the department know ASAP so you can work out a plan of attack.”

  “Right, right.” I push a hand through my hair. “How’d you find out?”

  “My fiancée did. I guess you’re not the only one curious about this. They’ve taken upwards of fifty women. Most of them have families.”

  My mind shoots to Sierra. “Yeah, right. Thanks, man.”

  I hang up with Khalil and climb into the car. I call the detectives working the case and pass on the intel. We set up a meeting for the following morning to get a plan together, and then I call Sierra.

  She answers on the first ring. “What do you got?”

  “Something huge,” I tell her. “Can I come over?”

  “Of course.”

  Over the past two weeks, we’ve gotten a lot closer. We’ve hung out or talked almost every single day since the gala. We’ve spent hours poring over the files on the thumb drive. A lot of it is high-quality evidence, but it doesn’t help us get our hands on those responsible. After the gala and realizing there was a break-in, Sierra’s source, who has some connection inside Mortenson’s organization, said Mortenson went on a rampage. He got rid of files, abandoned the mansion, and moved the operation to a new, undisclosed location. Sierra was crushed when she heard that, but Khalil’s news today might cheer her up.

  There haven’t been any repeats of what happened in the office, but every day I spend with her, my feelings grow. She’s been through a ton, and her tenacity at not giving up on finding her sister touches and humbles me. I told her all about my checkered past and how I got a new shot at life. I also told her about my work with the RCPD in greater detail, and she swore she’d keep my secret.

  I want to tell her another one: how hard I’m falling for her.

  I head home to shower and change, then to Sierra’s apartment. By now, I’ve been here a bunch of times, and it always amuses me that she was so adamantly against me knowing where she lived when we first met. Now, I practically have a key to her apartment.

  She answers the door wearing a cropped sweatshirt and a pair of snug sweatpants that hug her hips, thighs, and ass perfectly. Her face wears an expectant expression as she steps aside to let me in.

  Her apartment is a study in cool chic, with a balance of feminine touches and stark masculine color choices. The big sofa is a dark, solid gray, but the rose-colored throw pillow, the big cream sofa cushions with the metallic thread, and the arrangement of silk flowers on the coffee table give the space a comforting, pretty touch. It’s totally her.

  We sit down on the couch, and Sierra ha
nds me a beer. “Well?” she says. “What is it?”

  I hold up the bottle. “The auction’s tomorrow night.”

  The impact of this hits her full force. The chance to not only see her sister again but get her out of there, along with rescuing dozens of other women, makes her eyes widen and glisten. I don’t know if she’s going to laugh or cry or dance.

  In the end, she lifts her bottle to mine and clinks it on the neck. “To rescuing our loved ones.”

  “Cheers.” We sip.

  “Did you talk to the cops about it?”

  I nod. “We’ve got a meeting tomorrow to hash out a plan of action, get the right players in place.”

  “You know we have this one chance, right?” Sierra says intensely. “Harbinger says that once they’re sold tomorrow, they’re going overseas. And none of us will ever be able to find them again.”

  “I know. They know.” I reach for her hand. “It’s going to work out, Sierra. Tomorrow night, you’re getting Lucy back.”

  Her eyes fill with tears again, and this time she can’t stop them from sliding down her cheeks. “I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

  I set our bottles on the coffee table and take both of her hands this time. “Get your hopes up,” I say confidently. It doesn’t matter what it costs me; I will personally make sure Sierra gets her sister back.

  Sierra lifts a hand to my face, running her thumb over my cheek. “You’re so . . . courageous, Connor. I hope you know that about yourself.”

  My heart speeds up as our gazes lock. “Back at you, beautiful.”

  Sierra leans toward me, then slowly crawls into my lap, straddling it. I back up against the couch, my hands settling on her round hips, and tilt my head back as she lowers her mouth to mine. This is everything I’ve been dying for since the second I saw her at that gala.

  Her lips are slow and warm. I suck gently on her tongue, wanting to do the same thing to other parts of her body. Her skin is warm and soft as I slide my hands under her sweatshirt, and then I realize she’s not wearing a bra. How had I missed that when I walked in?

  I skim my fingertips over her back, trailing them around her ribs to the front, then gently cup her breasts. They overflow my hands with their softness, and her nipples peak hard against my palms as I rub them lightly. She moans softly, grinding her hips in my lap, creating friction against my rapidly hardening cock.

  “I want you, Sierra,” I whisper.

  “I can tell,” she teases. “Maybe I’ll let you have me.”

  I growl, sliding a hand into her hair and tugging gently. “Be sure you’re sure because I don’t play games. If I make you mine, you’re mine.”

  “And who will you belong to?” She traces the tip of her tongue up the side of my neck.

  My teeth sink into my lip as I squeeze her tits just a little harder. “I’ll be all yours.”

  She nibbles my earlobe. “Then do your worst, Connor Cavanaugh.”

  6

  Connor

  I can hardly believe my ears or my good luck.

  “Wait. Do you have any condoms?” I ask. “I didn’t plan for this, so I don’t have any. But I’ll run to the store if you don’t.”

  “I have condoms,” she replies, “but I want you to know I’m clean and on the Pill. I don’t want anything between us.”

  The idea of sliding bare into her wet, hot pussy makes me want to blow my load right then and there. “I’m clean too. Haven’t been with anybody in over a year.”

  “Then we don’t have a problem,” she purrs, “and I want you to come deep inside me.”

  Fucking fuck fuck! “Yes, ma’am.”

  I lift her sweatshirt over her head, then press on her back to bring her closer. I suck and tease her nipples until they’re hard points and she’s writhing on my lap. My cock feels like it’s going to burst out of my jeans. I stand up with her still wrapped around me and carry her to her bedroom, where I toss her onto the bed, smiling when she giggles. Then I strip off my shirt, jeans, and boxer briefs. My long, heavy cock reaches out for her.

  “You’re fucking huge,” she whispers, eyes wide.

  “I’ll go as slow as you need me to,” I tell her, then reach out to pull off her sweatpants. She’s not wearing panties either, and I moan. Her pussy is trimmed and plump, and I just know it’s juicy. “Fuck. You were naked under your clothes the whole time?”

  “All part of the plan,” she murmurs as I crawl onto the bed. “I was going to seduce you tonight.”

  “I’d say you were successful,” I tell her, then kiss her deeply. I move to my back, bringing her with me. “I want you to sit that pussy right on my tongue, babe.”

  She gazes down at me, biting her lip, and straddles my face. I can smell her heady scent, and my mouth instantly salivates. I slide my tongue through her soft, puffy folds. A streak of creamy sweetness from her center coats my tongue, and then I plunder her, making her squeal.

  “Fuck, Connor,” she gasps, grabbing the headboard.

  I guide her ass into a slow, grinding rhythm until she takes the lead and rides my mouth. She moans nonstop, mindless with pleasure, and that she’s using my lips and tongue to get herself off makes me harder than I’ve ever been in my life. A trickle of precum beads at the head of my cock.

  She rides my mouth faster, and I latch onto her clit. “Yes, baby,” she babbles, working her hips. “Yes. Yes!”

  Sierra’s body shakes above as she loses herself in a glorious orgasm. It’s the most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Her sweet juice floods my mouth, and I drink her down greedily until she falls to the side, breathless.

  I slide off the bed and stand at the edge, then grasp her knees and tug her toward me. “I’m going to fuck you like this, baby. Is that all right with you?”

  She nods rapidly, pushing herself up on her elbows.

  I trail my fingers over her, then slowly insert one, then two fingers. She’s as tight and hot and wet as I imagined. Her eyes close and her head falls back as I continue slowly working my fingers into her. Already, her pussy grips my fingers tightly with excitement.

  Sierra groans. “If you keep that up, I’m gonna come again.”

  Even though I want nothing more than to be inside her right now, I keep it up. “I’m going to make you come with my tongue, my fingers, and my cock.”

  My fingers slide and press on the expanded spongy mass just inside her, swollen from her first orgasm, and I work it over and over until her muscles pulse around me. With a cry, her body quakes, and a little more luscious juice squirts out. I pull my fingers out, lick them clean, then lean down to lap up what I missed.

  “Fuck, Connor,” she whimpers. “How are you real?”

  “Real and all yours.” With that, I grab her thighs and glide into her. She’s a snug fit, but she’s so wet she practically sucks me in.

  I growl, and she cries out again. It’s been so long for me, and she feels better than anything I’ve ever felt before. The warning tingle that precedes me coming my brains out goes off. I pause, sucking in slow breaths through my nose, trying to get my shit together.

  “Are you okay?” she murmurs.

  “No,” I tell her through clenched teeth. “You feel so fucking good, I’m afraid I’m going to come if I move. Give me a second.”

  “It’s okay,” she purrs. “We do have all night.”

  “We do, but I’m two for three, and I need to feel you come all over my dick, babe.” When I think I can risk moving without losing my shit, I give her an experimental thrust. The pleasure is blinding, but I’m still in control—for now. “Tell me how you like it, Sierra.”

  “Hard, deep, and slow,” she whispers.

  “As you wish.” I drape her ankles over my shoulders, grab her thighs, and give her what she wants. This pace lets me really feel every smooth ridge inside of her, every clench of her along every inch of me, and it’s so much more intense. My hips slam against hers every time I bottom out, and with every thrust, she grips me just a little tighter.<
br />
  “You feel so good,” she gasps, then starts meeting my thrusts with little lifts of her hips that somehow pull me deeper. “Don’t stop!”

  The second before I lose control, she explodes around me. The pulses of her muscles are too much for me to withstand, and with a low, deeply felt grunt, I come hard deep inside her, staying at her limit while her pussy milks me of every last drop of my soul.

  I lower her trembling legs, then lean down to kiss her, bracing my weight on my palms. “That was . . . unbelievable.”

  “Back at you,” she murmurs.

  We get cleaned up and order takeout, then eat in her bed, watching movies until we both fall asleep.

  I’ve never been happier or more content, but a dark thought crosses my mind as I drift off with Sierra in my arms.

  What if I can’t get her sister back?

  7

  Sierra

  Stay home, Connor said. It’s too dangerous, he said. Leave it to RCPD, he said.

  He said all these things before he left for the planning meeting with the cops to determine a strategy for tonight. I thought about lying and telling him I would but then decided fuck that. Not only am I a woman of my word, but something special happened last night between us, and I am not about to start building a relationship with him on a foundation of dishonesty or confusion about who I am and what I want.

  I stood up, looked him in the eyes, cupped his face, and said, “No. I won’t. This is my sister we’re talking about.”

  He didn’t have time to stay and argue, which was just as well. He would have lost.

  I spent the day strategizing too, with El’s help. Now, wearing a jet-black wig and glasses—the best “disguise” I could come up with on short notice—I’m posing as a server again. I don’t spot the security guard that busted Connor and me a couple of weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t here.