I press the ‘Dial’ button on Cobi’s number and put my phone to my ear.

“Everything okay, baby?” he answers softly before the second ring, and I lean back against the wall, closing my eyes and not speaking, just letting his gentle tone wash through me and the cracks in my heart, filling them up. “Hadley?” The one word is concerned and I open my eyes.

“Sorry... I just... I just wanted to say thank you,” I get out over the sudden burst of emotions I’m feeling.

“It’s just Brie and dinner, baby,” he says quietly.

“It’s not,” I reply firmly but just as quietly. “My parents never cared if I ate or if I slept. They didn’t care if I had a nightmare or even if I brushed my teeth.” I shake my head. “Not that you care about that.”

“I care about everything having to do with you and your well-being.”

“Yes.” My eyes close once more. I’m falling in love with him. “I think I’m falling in love with you,” I admit without thinking if I should keep my mouth shut or if it’s too soon to admit something like that to him.

“Then we’re on the same page.” His response is immediate and my heart rate increases. “I hate to end this conversation, but my partner’s waiting for me, so we’ll talk when I get home later. Okay?”

“Of course,” I agree as more contentment fills me. “Be safe.”

“I always am. Now I just got another reason to do that. Enjoy your dinner and time with Brie.”

“I will.”

“Later, babe.”

“Later, Cobi.” I hang up and go back to the kitchen, where Brie is sipping on her drink while pulling dinner from the bag.

“Everything okay?” she asks when she sees me stop at the edge of the kitchen.

“Perfect.” I smile, and she stares at me for a moment, studying my face before she grins.

_______________

“Don’t stop,” I whimper to Cobi as he fucks me from behind, doing it hard, so hard the bed is shaking with the force, and it’s difficult to stay on my hands planted against the mattress.

“I couldn’t stop if I wanted to,” he growls, holding tightly to my hips. “Fuck, you feel good.” One palm roams over the cheek of my ass then squeezes.

The sensation of his hand on my ass makes me press back into him, a silent urge. I don’t know exactly what I want; I just know I want more.

His large palm stills then moves again and lifts away. I almost cry out in aggravation, but instead moan when his hand comes down hard with a heavy smack.

The sting from his palm sends a pulse right to my clit, and my pussy convulses around his length. “Yesss,” I hiss, my head flying back along with my hair.

“Jesus.” He smacks my ass harder than before, and I come instantly, my arms sliding out in front of me, no longer able to hold my weight up. With my ass in the air, he rides me through my orgasm, his tempo steady and his thrust hard. When my pussy stops pulsing, he pulls me up until I’m on my knees in front of him, one of his arms wrapping around my waist under my breasts and his other hand grabbing mine, lacing our fingers together and sliding them down my stomach. When our fingers roll over my clit, my head falls back to his shoulder and my eyes close.

“Turn your head and give me your mouth, baby,” he orders gruffly while he plants himself deep inside me. I tip my head toward him and his mouth opens over mine. When his tongue slips between my lips, I open wider for him to take more. He starts moving his hips again and our fingers between my legs move faster. I know I’m going to come, and I know I won’t be able to stop myself from coming with him when he starts to grow even bigger. His pace increases and his breathing turns ragged against my mouth.

“Cobi,” I pant when I feel it coming over me, bigger than even before.

“Let go, Hadley baby. Let go.” He nips my bottom lip, and I fall over the edge on a gasp. He thrusts three more times before locking his hips against mine, coming deep inside me. I close my eyes and soak in every detail, our chests heaving in unison, his heart beating hard against my back, our bodies slick with sweat, the smell of sex in the air. “Nothing better than being in you, nothing better than being with you, but really fucking nothing better than you getting off on me smacking your ass and you coming on my cock.”

I know my face is red when he’s finished speaking, and I turn my face into his neck to hide. When his chest starts to shake, I peek up at him to confirm my suspicion that he’s laughing.

“I’m not sure I think this is as funny as you do.” I frown at him and his face softens.

“I don’t think anything we did is funny, baby. I think it’s funny that you’re open to me, open to anything I want to do when I’m deep inside you and you’re in the moment, but the minute I talk about it, you turn an adorable shade of red.”

“I’m not used to talking about sex,” I mutter. I’ve never been with someone who wanted to talk about it, and didn’t even know people did that kind of thing.

“I see that.” He lifts my chin up so he can place a soft kiss against my mouth. He pulls out of me slowly then gets off the bed and picks me up, carrying me to the bathroom before cleaning us both up. When he leads me back to bed, he maneuvers us so we are face-to-face, wrapping his arm over my waist and tossing his leg over both of mine.

“How many relationships have you been in?” he asks as soon as I’m settled in against him.

“Not many, and none of them lasted long,” I admit, looking at his throat.

Taking his arm from my waist, he captures my chin and tips my head back. “Why’s that?”

“Most of the time, it had to do with me telling them about my parents, or my parents showing up unannounced and making a scene.” I drag in a shaky breath. “None of them stuck around long after that.”

“Idiots,” he says harshly, and I close my eyes.

“You’ve only met my dad once, and when you did, he was on his best behavior. You’ve never met my mom; she’s the worst.”

“I know all about your dad, baby, and your mom. There is no way in hell I’d let them scare me off.”

“Yeah, but you’re a cop. You’re used to dealing with people like them, while most people aren’t.”

“You are not your parents, Hadley. Your parents do not define the person you are today. I know people who have grown up in shitty situations and let that lead them down shitty paths. That is not you, baby.”

“Have you been talking to Brie about this?” I ask.

His chin jerks back and his face gets kind of scary. “No. Anything I want to learn about you, I want to learn from you, not from someone else.”

“I just said that, because you sound a lot like she does when she’s trying to convince me that I shouldn’t be ashamed of how I grew up and who my parents are.”

“You shouldn’t be ashamed. You should be proud that despite them you have made a life for yourself.”

“That’s what Dr. Sprat says too.”

“Maybe you should listen to us instead of the crap those two idiots filled your head with,” he says as his eyes go to my forehead, where I had the stitches taken out today. “I don’t think you’ll have a scar.”

“Me neither. Even if I do, I think it will be small.”

As he studies my forehead, sliding his thumb over the mark, I watch the intense look on his face, wondering what it’s about. I learn as soon as he speaks again. “I wish the scars from your past could just as easily vanish.”

“Cobi.” His name is filled with pain as it escapes my throat.

“I won’t let them hurt you anymore, Hadley. I need you to really understand that.” He looks down into my eyes. “I don’t know the relationship you have with them. I don’t know how you feel about them, but I won’t let you near them or them near you if I think they could cause you more pain.”

My jaw aches as my teeth clench together and tears I can’t control start to fill my eyes. I’ve never been a crier, but more and more, it’s getting harder to control the urge to let those tears loose when he’s being sweet and protective. “I don’t talk to them much. They really only contact me when they need something from me.”