Life Changer (Chicago First Responders Book 2) Read online

  The tingling at the bottom of my spine is a sure-fire sign that this inferno is about to explode. I snake a hand between us, not breaking our kiss for even a second as I roll her clit with my thumb. Dee cries into my mouth and tears her lips from mine, sucking in breath. Her moans grow louder and rougher until she wraps her limbs tight around mine and screams out, “Rhodes. Fuck. Yes!” over and over again. She clamps around me, leaving me with no hope to control my own release. One more thrust as I plant myself deep, and my hips jerk as I come hard and long, biting the crook of her neck and growling her name. My vision turns white as I drop my weight against her and nuzzle her skin gently, my muscles twitching at her soft palms roaming slowly over my sensitized skin.

  Dee brings her mouth to my ear before sucking the lobe between her lips and nipping me. “If I have a hickey, honey, you’re gonna owe me big time.”

  I brace myself on one arm, meeting her amused gaze, her lips twitching. Arching a brow, I smirk at her. “Is that so?” My eyes drift to the red mark blooming on her throat, my inner caveman beating his chest with pride, my gentleman side wondering how something so fucking hot and good could ever be bad.

  “You're good at the sex, Mr. Rhodes.”

  “Feel free to leave a yelp review, sweet cheeks.”

  She giggles, making my smile widen. Running her fingers over my lips and into my hair, she slowly brings my mouth against hers and we kiss lazy this time.

  I press my lips to the tip of her nose and, reaching between us, hold the base of the condom tight as I pull out of her, loving her breathy whimper when I do. As I move to my feet, I reach out to pull the mussed-up covers over her to keep her warm.

  “Rhodes?” she whispers, placing her hand on my forearm.

  “Yeah, baby?”

  “I really, really like you.” She smiles, and I swear the entire room brightens.

  It’s then I realize I’m gone for this woman, and I’m far from complaining about it. It could’ve been a day, a week or four, and I wouldn’t care if it was too much or too fast. I know, and the emotion in her gaze conveys the meaning of the words she’s giving me.

  “I really, really like you, too,” I reply, my voice soft and gentle. “Let me clean up, and I’ll be back.”

  Her eyes flash. “Good. Because you made big promises about wearing me out, and I hope you’re a man of your word.”

  My rumbling growl fills the room, but it’s soon drowned out with a better sound—that being my girlfriend’s infectious giggle.

  Game fucking on.

  Chapter 14

  Dee

  Bang. Bang.

  “Wakey, wakey. Rise and shine, people,” a voice yells from the other side of the bedroom door.

  I slowly open my heavy eyes to be met with Rhodes’s naked chest, my body plastered against his from shoulders to feet.

  Bang. Bang.

  “C’mon, old folks. It’s time to join the land of the living and get some fresh air into those lungs. I’ll meet you downstairs. You’ve got forty minutes until we have to leave,” Jake adds before giving the door one last friendly thump and walking away until all I hear is Rhodes’s huffed laughter.

  I turn my head to look up at him, my wide eyes meeting his lazy, hooded ones. He cups my cheek and runs the tip of his thumb over my lips. “Morning, sweet cheeks.”

  “Morning, honey,” I say before lifting up and kissing him quickly. That was the intention anyway, but he’s Rhodes and his voice is all raspy and rumbly, and when his tongue touches mine, I immediately want more. Which means I’m soon flat on my back with this delicious man spread out on top of me, and he’s clutching me to him while devouring my mouth.

  Lifting his head, he smiles down at me. “Definitely a good morning now, apart from the brat waking me up for the run I’d forgotten about.”

  “Wait, what?” I gasp in horror. Running . . . on a Sunday? Surely he doesn’t mean—

  His blue eyes fill with amusement. “Yes. We run on Sunday mornings. Well, at least one of the weekend days. We have a training schedule we’ve gotta keep to.”

  “Okay. Well that’s alright. I can leave when you guys do and—”

  He shakes his head. “No, baby. It’s a family rule. If someone stays over, they have to come on the run too.”

  My words of protest are on the tip of my tongue when the best excuse ever hits me. “Wait. That’s okay. I can’t come because I don’t have any running gear with me.” I breathe a quiet sigh of relief, my inner Dee relaxing and snuggling back down to revel in her weekend laziness.

  “That’s okay. Renee keeps a spare set here for the days when we run straight after a twenty-four and before she goes to work. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

  Dammit. I must huff out the frustrated little growl I thought I made in my head, because soon Rhodes has dropped his lips to mine and is laughing as he kisses me again.

  Thankfully, another argument/stalling tactic comes to me. I gently push my hands on his chest and quirk a brow, eyeing my new boyfriend suspiciously. “Hang on. You said women don’t stay here.”

  Rhodes is not even trying to hide his laughter. “They don’t, but Jake’s friends do, and it’s one rule for all. Sorry.” He shrugs, but he’s not sorry at all. Maybe distraction might be the key to my escape from his crazy running idea. “Alright. But who the hell runs at . . .” I lift my head and glance at his alarm clock beside the bed before my gaze snaps back to glare at him. “. . . eight on a Sunday morning?”

  “Jake, Marco, Gio, Luca, sometimes Renee, and me.”

  “Well there’s obviously not enough room for all of us in one car, so maybe I’ll stay here and cook you a hearty breakfast for afterwards?”

  “Baby. You can do that and come with us. But if it’s too far, we can stop early, and I can make it up later.”

  Make it up later? Who is this man? Miss a run and make it up, all day long you’ll have good luck? No. Wrong. All day long you’ll be unable to walk!

  I pull out the big guns and pout, which doesn’t succeed in any way other than to make Rhodes laugh as he kisses me happy again. Damn this man. Does anything work on him?

  “Okay, I suppose I’ll come. But I’m telling you—I’m only going to slow you down.” I roll over onto my back and cross my arms over my chest.

  Rhodes shifts to his side and smooths my hair away from my face. “That’s okay, sweet cheeks. Haven’t you realized by now that you’re the one who sets the pace?”

  All I can do is think about that hot-as-hell-carry-me-into-his-house move he pulled as soon as I told him I had an overnight bag. Note to self—sometimes straight to the point has delightful consequences.

  “Okay. Well, we’ve got . . .” I glance at the clock again. “. . . probably thirty-five minutes left. Why don’t you cuddle me and tell me why you all run on a schedule that means we can’t stay in bed all day.”

  “Firstly, as much as I’d love to do that, my morning-alarm-clock brat is sixteen and impressionable, so he needs to see that you’re not just here to ravage his father.” His gleaming grin says he’d like nothing more than to be ravaged by me, which makes me snicker. “And to answer the other question, we have our PT test coming up and, in three months’ time, we’ve got our annual fundraising run for ovarian cancer research that we participate in every year to honor Lily.

  I reach out and stroke my fingers over his face, loving the way his expression softens and he leans into my touch. “I’ll go on the run with you,” I whisper, my throat tight.

  “Thank you, baby. It’s important to me—you are too.”

  Well, fuck.

  Narrowing my eyes, I point my finger at him. “Don’t you make me cry now, Rhodes Anderson. That would not make me happy. It’s far too early for that kind of nonsense.”

  “I agree. And we’ve got . . .” He looks to the clock this time. “. . . thirty-one minutes left before we have to leave. Maybe we should use that time to not talk.”

  “Yes.” I lean in to smack my lips against his, but when he
goes in for another, I roll away and get out of bed, grinning at him as I make my way to his bathroom.

  Halfway there, I stop mid-step and slowly turn around, taking in the beautifully presented master. There’s dark blue walls with half-height wainscoted panels lining the room. There’s a built-in wardrobe along the far wall and plush carpet under my feet. This room has a woman’s touch written all over it.

  “Hey.” Rhodes stands in front of me, rubbing my arm with one hand and resting the other on my hip, pulling me close. “What’s wrong?”

  “This is the master bedroom.”

  “Yeah . . .”

  “And this is the house you bought with Lily, right?”

  Rhodes’s forehead bunches, his mind working overtime behind his eyes before they widen. “Dee, it’s not—”

  I shake my head. “Sorry. It’s silly, and I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not my place—”

  He jerks back. “It sure as hell is your place—well, I hope it will be. Dee, this isn’t the original master bedroom. After our year of grieving, Jake and I decided to renovate this place. His room now is what was our old master, and I knocked a wall out and added the ensuite to this one.”

  Biting my lip, I’m relieved but also confused. “Wait. Then are you interested in interior decorating or something?”

  His eyes widen before he buries his face in my neck and bursts out laughing. “Fuck no. That’s all Mom’s doing. And maybe Skye and Mama Rossi too.”

  “It’s nice.” I try to sound upbeat and not the embarrassed mess I truly am. As always, something must give me away, because Rhodes straightens and stares into my eyes.

  “We don’t censor ourselves around each other, remember? You don’t think I’ve thought about you living in the same room, maybe sleeping in the same bed as you and Flynn shared? But we talk about these things. Just like I talked to Jake before you came over last night, you no doubt had to tell Flynn you might not be home, right?”

  “Yeah. I’m sorry. I just—”

  “Stop apologizing, Dee. It’s natural. It’s human. Lily may no longer be with us, but her memory is everywhere in this house. I know that. I also understand your questions.”

  “You do?”

  “Sweet cheeks, I’m a man who gets protective and territorial when I’m with a woman, and you just happen to live with your ex-husband and father of your child. A man who you spent years with. A man who I’d be worried about had I not met him and seen for myself that he’s a good guy.” He runs a line of kisses over my shoulder, pausing where he left a mark last night and soothing it with his tongue.

  Thank god I have makeup in my bag to cover it.

  “Don’t hold back with me, because I like where this is going between us, and I don’t care it’s only been six weeks. Because six weeks with you feels the same as—”

  “Six months.”

  He smiles and his eyes crinkle. “Exactly. But to add to what I said about this room. Just as I respect Lily enough not to bring another woman into our marital room and bed, I also respect you enough not to do that. Everything in this room was bought new about four years ago.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat and throw sass to mask my emotions, tilting my head and arching a brow. “Do you respect me enough not to make me run?”

  “Nice try, baby. I’ll give you an A for effort.”

  “Shit.” I drop onto the bed as Rhodes’s expression turns curious.

  “What?”

  “My bag is in the car since someone held me hostage in this bed all night.”

  He quirks a brow. “A hostage is someone kept against their will. But since I did do a very thorough job of exhausting you, I went downstairs, grabbed your bag, locked your car, and put it in my closet.”

  My mouth drops open. Is this man honestly for real? “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any better, Rhodes Anderson, you add thoughtfulness to the growing list of pros to dating you.”

  His voice drops low. “Growing list?” My eyes drift down and see my list isn’t the only thing that’s growing right now.

  “Stop looking at my dick, Dee, otherwise we’ll never get out of bed.”

  My lips curve into a wicked grin. “Well . . .” I say in a singsong voice, earning a growl.

  Then I’m plucked off the mattress and planted on my feet in front of him. The only thing between us is the top sheet that I managed to bring with me. Rhodes’s amused eyes shift between our bodies, his hands gripping my hips and pulling me hard against him. “We’ve gotta go do this run, sweet cheeks. There’s plenty of time for looking and touching anything you want of mine after we get back.”

  I jut my chin. “I’m gonna hold you to that. Nobody makes me run in the morning and doesn’t pay for it.” I step around him and sway my hips as I walk to his bathroom, yelping when his palm taps my ass.

  “I’ll happily be in your debt forever, Dee.”

  “You’d like that too much,” I call out as I turn the shower on before facing him again and dropping the sheet, not surprised when I find Rhodes’s hungry gaze eating me up.

  He closes the distance between us and slides his fingers into my hair as he kisses me soft and slow before nipping my bottom lip as he pulls back. “Fuck yeah, I would. Meet you downstairs?”

  I nod and steal one more kiss. “Thank you for last night, Rhodes,” I whisper, staring deep into his eyes.

  “I should be thanking you, but you’re welcome, baby. Best morning ever, waking up with you in my arms. Best way to set me up for the day.” Then he kisses my nose, and I’m left standing there wondering how the fuck I lost the upper hand in that situation. But also, why I don’t give a damn, because I meant what I said. I really, really like Rhodes Anderson.

  I must if I’m willingly—albeit, begrudgingly--going on a run with him. Jeez.

  It’s after our run—well, I ran two miles before I waved the white flag and walked the rest of the way— and the downside of being in the honeymoon phase of a new relationship as a single parent is the vanishing opportunity for spontaneous shower sex when there’s a sixteen-year-old in the house.

  Rhodes did make a point of personally bringing me a fresh towel, showing he’s ever the responsible host. I repaid the favor by letting him watch me wash myself, following his directions about parts of my body that I might’ve missed and helpful suggestions as to where I could clean more thoroughly, and even then telling me of a very useful pulsing feature on his detachable shower head.

  By the time I’d turned off the water and stepped into the towel he thoughtfully wrapped around my relaxed body, he’d kissed me deep and long and promised retribution as soon as we had adult alone time again.

  “I’m gonna go downstairs and see if Jake wants to help me make us all some lunch,” I say, looking into his languid gaze.

  He quirks a brow. “You’re leaving me here like this?” He punctuates his point with a roll of his hips, making me smile.

  “I’m rather looking forward to seeing what kind of payback you might dish up.” I quickly brush my mouth against his, earning a growl when I touch the tip of my tongue to the seam of his lips before stepping out of reach. I do pause at the door to watch him strip off his running shorts, enjoying the view of his tight, naked ass as he steps into the shower box and turns the water back on.

  “Hey, Rhodes?”

  “Yeah?” he looks over his shoulder at me, and I make a point of dragging my eyes slowly over his body, seeing the benefits of watching and delayed gratification. “More than two strokes and it’s playing with yourself.” I shoot him a wink then giggle as I close the door behind me.

  Having dried off and dressed again—this time in loose-fitting lounge pants and a Blackhawks tee—I move along the hall to the kitchen where I find a fresh-faced Jake sitting at the dining table reading something on his phone.

  He lifts his head and jerks his chin up. “Hey. I was beginning to think I needed to send out a search party.” My eyes go wide and his lips twitch. “Nah. Just kidding.”

&
nbsp; A surprised giggle bursts out of me as I stand there and stare at this kid. “You’re hard to get a read on, you know.”

  Jake shrugs. “Not really. I’m a growing young man who has his head screwed on straight and his eyes on the prize—and it isn’t sleeping my way through my junior year. I also want to see Dad happy, and happiness seems to ooze out of his pores whenever you’re around.”

  I bite my lip to somehow stop my heart from bursting all over the floor.

  “But I am really fu—freaking hungry, so I was looking up some of the recipes on your website and seeing what we have in the kitchen.”

  “Okay. Show me what you’ve found.”

  His eyes flash before he pushes his chair back and walks over to me, putting his phone on the countertop in front of us. We scroll through a few of the light-lunch recipes in conjunction with the relevant demonstration videos I’ve done for them. A lot of them are already in Jake’s favorites on the vlogging platform’s website.

  “What about my chicken pot pie? It may not be super healthy, but it’ll fill you up.”

  His lips tug on one side, the beginnings of a dimple pop out. When I narrow my eyes at him, his grin gets bigger. “Dad tried to make it a few months ago and failed miserably. I swear the smell of burnt milk lingered for days after that.”

  “What are you two up to?” Rhodes says, coming up close behind me. He wraps an arm around my waist and presses a kiss to the top of my head.

  “I’m trying to persuade Dee to make the dish-that-shall-not-be-named.”

  Rhodes chuckles and points his finger at his son. “Hey, kid. Don’t embarrass me in front of my favorite chef. I kind of like her. Besides, she can probably make that meal with her eyes closed.”