Crushing on the Cop Page 22

She turns her head and stares at me for a moment, gifting me with a smile that melts me like butter on warm pancakes. “I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for you. You’ve dug this whole other woman out of me.”

  Flipping around, she gets on her knees and puts her hands on my cheeks. She’s still wearing her running gear.

  Yes, I said that right. She’s committing to three point one miles. Nothing more. But I just like it when we run together. The tank top she was wearing under her sweatshirt hangs at the neckline giving me a glimpse of her cleavage which has my dick twitching because I seem to be at my horniest after I work out. For some guys it’s morning wood, for me, it’s post-workout wood.

  “Thank you, Cris.” She kisses my mouth, but I slide my hand to the back of her head, slipping my tongue between her lips and deepening our kiss.

  She moans, and I flip her on her back, pressing my body down on hers. Her legs part for me to nestle between them even though the floor can’t be the most comfortable for her to be splayed out on.

  I close the kiss and grind into her. In the tiny bit of time we’ve lived together, she knows how much I crave her after a workout, especially when I’ve had to stare at her ass and hear her small whimpers for miles on end.

  “How about I distract you a different way while the cake is baking?” I offer. My hands slide up under her shirt, the damp sports bra sticking to her chest.

  “I’m open to suggestions.” I circle my hips again and a laugh falls from her lips. “Is that your suggestion?”

  I cup one of her breasts, kneading it between my fingers.

  She inches up and smashes her lips to mine. I guess exercise is becoming an aphrodisiac for her, too.

  That’s when things get out of control.

  Clothes get stripped off while we cling to each other with roaming hands and wandering mouths. Pretty soon she’s screaming, I’m grunting and we’re gasping for breath.

  Like the champs we are, we both fall down into an exhausted mess just as the oven timer goes off.

  “See, now wasn’t that much better than watching the cake rise?” I ask, getting up to throw away the condom.

  Since Vanessa’s moved in, I’ve stashed them in places you’d never think of. Imagine my horror when Mama came over to bring us soup and found one in the silverware drawer. Of course, Luca had to fucking be here for that one.

  Vanessa uses the hot pad to pull the cake out. An open oven, baked goods, and her naked. What a sight. How great is life?

  She tiptoes up to me, and I hand her the pile of her clothes. “I’m going to shower so we’re not late. We’ll frost after it cools.”

  I kiss her. “I’ll see you in there.”

  “No, Cris.” She swats at me as I follow her down the hall. “It’s bad enough your mom knows we have sex thanks to your squirreling practices with condoms. If we’re late, she’ll think it’s because we were having sex.”

  We step into the bathroom. “I don’t see the problem. It gets her that much closer to a grandchild. You know we have to beat Maddie and Mauro if we want to be Mama’s favorite.”

  “I’m okay with second.” She turns on the shower.

  “Do you not know me at all?” I follow her into the shower.

  “Cris.” Her hand is on my chest.

  “What? I just want to make sure you’re clean. Think of it as me helping.”

  Another dick twitching laugh rumbles out of her and she puts her head under the spray of the shower. I watch, my cock growing hard again. I step closer and her eyes pop open.

  “I said no. How can you even want to again?”

  This time it’s me who laughs. “I’ll never have enough of you.”

  “Good, because I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you either.” Her thigh winds around mine and I grab her ass and lift so she can lock her legs around my waist.

  “Fuck.”

  My dick pushes against her opening.

  “What?” She grinds along my hardness.

  “No condom.” I rest my head on her shoulder.

  Her hand reaches up on the edge of the shower and a gold packet shines in her hand.

  “Look who’s being resourceful now?” I take it from her, opening and rolling it down on myself which is pretty impressive with one hand if I do say so myself.

  “Well, I know how much you want to be Mama’s favorite, so I have to make sure you don’t trick me and knock me up.” She rocks her hips, waiting for me, but we need to hold up here.

  “You don’t think…”

  She stops me, her hand on the back of my neck. “No, Cris, I know you wouldn’t. It was a joke.”

  “Good.” I thrust into her for the second time in a half hour and it’s like the first time all over again.

  She clenches and with the steam building in the bathroom, I lose myself in her. Vanessa Flanagan is my whole world. She’s all I can see, smell, hear, touch, and taste. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  “It’s lopsided,” Vanessa complains, holding the cake in her hands.

  “It’s fine.” We walk up to my parents’ house. “It’s our first time.”

  “Hopefully it tastes good. I feel like we should’ve done a trial run.” She waits for me to open the door.

  “I’m really rubbing off on you, huh? Trial run?”

  I open the door happy that it’s only my immediate family since Ma has surgery scheduled for tomorrow. The procedure is supposed to be simple. An ablation but they still have to get to her heart. The one muscle that keeps our bodies alive. Not to mention the anesthesia.

  Everyone is a little on edge, but the doctors assure us it’s nothing to worry about.

  “Don’t get your hopes up. I’m still never making dinner,” she says.

  “Good, because I like cooking for you.” I kiss her on the cheek, take the cake from her hands, and open the door.

  There’s no garlic and basil scent. There’s no heat and humidity inside from a day spent cooking. Ma is on the floor looking through photo albums, my dad watching the Bears game.

  “Hey,” I announce our arrival since for the first Sunday in my life, this house feels cold and distant.

  Ma looks up and then I see her makeup is smeared. Wiping her face with the hopes we didn’t catch it, she stands and rushes over to us.

  “Vanessa,” she coos and hugs her, kissing both of her cheeks.

  Moving to me, she does the same and then glances down to the pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

  I’m sure Vanessa saw her questioning look.

  “I baked a cake.” I hold it up higher.

  “You?” She points to me.

  “Yep.”

  “No!” Vanessa smacks my arm. “We did it together, but I think I did something wrong.”

  Ma takes the cake and places it on the dining room table. “Come Vanessa.”

  Taking a fork from the table, she slides it through the frosting and the cake and eats it.

  Vanessa glances back at me, biting her lip.

  “It’s good. Look doesn’t matter. Taste matters.” Ma grabs another fork and hands it to me.

  She’s smart and she knows this cake means much more to Vanessa than me.

  I do what Ma does and she’s right. My eyes widen. “It’s great.” I hand my fork to Vanessa and she does the same as Ma and I both did.

  She nods, clearly surprised the cake tastes so good.

  Then I spot a tear falling from her cheek.

  “Why tears?” Ma asks, stepping forward, her hand on Vanessa’s arm.

  I’ve told my parents a small part of Vanessa’s past, but I want Vanessa to share what she wants when she wants.

  “It was my mom’s recipe,” she admits. “I haven’t tasted it since before she died.”

  Ma’s small body takes Vanessa in, her hand running up and down her back. “I’m here. Maybe we can make the cake together.”

  This is Ma’s attempt at a fix. She’s not trying to replace Vanessa’s mom, but I’m afraid Vanessa could very we
ll take it that way. I wait for Vanessa to shoot me a look over Ma’s shoulder. One that suggests she overstepped.

  Instead, her eyes close and she nods into Ma’s shoulder. “That would be great.”

  Ma pulls away keeping her hands on Vanessa’s arms. “I’m here for you always. Even if you and Cristian don’t work out, I’m here.”

  “Ma?”

  Ma looks back at me. “What? She needs a mama, I’m a mama.”

  I roll my eyes and walk over to my dad, leaving the new mother-daughter duo to themselves. As I sit down next to my dad in the family room, I pretend to watch the Bears game while watching Vanessa and Ma. She shows her the china her mother brought her over from Italy for their wedding. They laugh, they touch and they get along. How did I ever think Vanessa didn’t want to fit into the Bianco family? It somehow feels like we weren’t whole until now.

  A half hour later, Mauro and Maddie show up with the catering order of chicken and beef. We’re just setting it out on the dining room table when a blast of cold air rushes through the front door and Luca walks in with some short brunette.

  Idiot. Why is he choosing today to bring a girl home?

  It’s not until I do a double take that I notice it’s Lauren with him.

  “Lauren?” Maddie asks, separating herself from Ma and Vanessa’s circle around naked pictures of the Bianco babies.

  “Hey, everyone.” Lauren puts up a small wave of her free hand since her left one is locked in Luca’s.

  “Hey guys,” Luca booms, sucking up all the attention in the room like he usually does.

  Ma approaches him with a kiss on each cheek and a handshake for Lauren. “How’s my baby?” She lightly smacks his cheek because we all know Luca is the crazy one.

  Maddie finds her way to Mauro and Vanessa to me, the four of us staring at whatever is transpiring in front of us.

  “Guess what, Ma? Your baby is getting married!” Luca winds his arms around Lauren’s waist and kisses her on the cheek.

  All of our mouths drop open.

  I blink.

  I blink again.

  Luca and Lauren are engaged?

  Meet the youngest Bianco Brother, Luca, in a sexy fake relationship romcom standalone on 12.6.18.

  Grab your pre-order of ENGAGED TO THE EMT now and get it for the limited time price of $2.99 (Price will go up on release day).

  FREE BOOK! SCROLL ahead for a sneak peek into an enemies-to-lovers FREE book, CHARMED BY THE BARTENDER. You can’t miss meeting Cole Webber!

  “The laughs, the swooning, it was all perfection.” ~ Amazon Reviewer

  CHARMED BY THE BARTENDER Sneak Peek

  I need another jolt of liquid courage before this guy shows up. I look up to order another drink expecting to see the pretty blonde who’s been serving me all night, but instead my eyes meet a set of hazel eyes fringed with dark lashes. Those eyes are set in the face of a guy whose bone structure would make any model jealous. Further inspection tells me that his body is no less impressive. Muscles bulge beneath his taut t-shirt, the hard planes of his chest and abs clearly visible beneath. My gaze darts back up to his face to see a half-crooked smile and a gleam in his eyes that tells me he knows how hot he is.

  After some work to reconnect my brain synapses with my tongue I’m finally able to speak.

  “Hey. You don’t look like the last bartender,” I say and push my empty glass toward him.

  “You’re right. She’s much cuter than I am.”

  His grin widens. And oh! There’s a dimple, too. I’ve always been a sucker for a guy with a dimple. Then again, who isn’t? I think of dimples as being the key to the chastity belt.

  “Ready for a refill?” He nods down to the empty glass.

  When I remember that a stranger is on his way to meet me so we can have sex together, panic flares inside me. I desperately need that drink.

  “Yes!” I say with too much enthusiasm.

  He doesn’t comment on my over-excited nature, thankfully. “What’ll you have?”

  I ponder for a moment, thinking that I need something stronger than what I’ve been drinking—I’m going to need to be buzzed for this—but unsure what to order. “Something that will put hair on my chest,” is my brilliant response to his question.

  His gaze darts down to my cleavage. “Now why would you want to go and ruin a perfectly good chest like that?” He arches a brow, but instead of waiting for me to reply, he turns and begins to make my drink.

  My face heats and a small portion of the confidence I’ve lacked lately returns. I smile to myself as he grabs a glass and adds ice to it, enjoying the way the muscles in his arms contract and relax as he sets about his work.

  I’m so lost in ogling his body that I barely notice when he sets a drink in front of me.

  “For the lady,” he says in that deep, slightly raspy voice.

  “Thank you.” I lean forward and draw the drink up the straw, not missing the way he’s watching my lips with intense focus. The sweetness of the cola hits my tongue first and then the taste of whiskey followed by something else I can’t place. “This is really good. What’s it called?”

  “A Stiffy.” One corner of his lip tips up in a grin.

  “What’s in it?” I ask as I lean in for another sip. I’ve never been a huge whiskey drinker, but this stuff goes down smooth.

  “It’s my own creation.” He winks and leans over the bar so close to me that his lips are practically touching my ear. “If I told you there’s no telling the things I’d have to do to you to keep you quiet.”

  A shiver runs up my spine and he must notice because he chuckles as he backs away, amusement lighting his eyes.

  “What’s your name?” he asks.

  “Whitney Knight. Most of my good friends call me Whit, though.”

  He places both palms on the bar top and lets his weight transfer to them, causing all the muscles to bunch up. Not that I notice because that would be slutty since I have another guy on his way here to screw my brains out.

  The scent of his cologne wafts my way as he leans in just a little. “I hope I have the pleasure of being able to call you Whit someday then.”

  I swallow hard, my tongue feeling heavy in my mouth. “What’s your name?” I ask in a breathy voice that probably gives away how turned on I am at that moment.

  “Cole,” he says simply.

  Cole. Just one look at this guy and I know he’s trouble. What I can’t be sure of yet is whether he’s more trouble than he’s worth.

  CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

  Cockamamie Unicorn Ramblings

  Well that’s a wrap! Another Bianco brother book done, but we have a feeling you’re all dying to get your hands on Luca’s book now.

  We were astonished at the love Flirting With Fire received from readers. Not because we didn’t think our M&M deserved it, but because we didn’t anticipate just how much everyone would love the Bianco family. The brothers came to us back with Break the Ice last February, so it’s been a long wait for both us and you. All of that makes us thrilled that so many readers want to be honorary Bianco babes, too!

  The love for Maddie and Mauro made us worry that readers would find Vanessa too cold and they wouldn’t connect with her. The two best friends(Maddie & Vanessa) and two brothers (Mauro & Cristian) couldn’t be more opposite in their approach to love. In our minds, she’s just a young woman afraid to open herself up to vulnerability. Which is why she needed someone like Cristian to draw her out. Someone patient and kind, someone who doesn’t quit because things get hard. We knew he was the man for the job!

  Which brings us to Cristian. Even our assistant, Shawna, doesn’t understand the compression pants aka man leggings. It’s a running joke between the three of us and Rayne constantly trying to change Shawna’s mind that they are all the trend with a lot of hot guys. That’s the fun of everyone having different preferences though. They might not be for everyone out there, but it made Cristian’s character a little unique and we strive to make our heroes
and heroines not cut from the same cloth. Plus, Piper still laughs when she thinks about Luca calling Cristian Christine when we introduced his ‘man leggings’ in Flirting with Fire.

  Oh, and for all your pumpkin spice lovers out there, this book is for you. ;)

  Now, fasten your seatbelts for Lauren & Luca’s book because it’s time for the baby brother to grow up.

  * * *

  We need to thank the regulars who always support us:

  Letitia from RBA Design for the awesome cover.

  Wander Aguiar for his magnificent photography skills and making Andrew Biernat our Cristian Bianco.

  Ellie from Gray Inks for her excellent editing skills.

  Shawna from Behind the Writer for her stellar eyes on proofing.

  Dani Sanchez and the whole Inkslinger PR gang for their proficiency and spectacular organization skills to get Crushing on the Cop in the hands of readers and bloggers.

  Bloggers who decide to wiggle us in their already packed schedules.

  ARC readers for always being on top of it with posting your reviews right away.

  Our Unicorns, who we’d be nothing without. You are our rocks. The ones that keep us writing and inspire us to top your favorite heroes and heroines because we live for those posts after we release where you tell us how much you fell for our characters. Our thank yous don’t convey the love we have for those posts and what they mean to us.

  XO

  Piper & Rayne

  About Piper & Rayne

  Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.