Until Gentry.
“I’m an observant guy. It’s part of what got me to this position,” the lieutenant explained. “I couldn’t help but notice you’ve been different lately. Lighter. Happier. Like you finally have something outside these walls to live for again.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Linc admitted.
Pearce went on. “Look, I’m your boss. I can tell you what to do during business hours. But I’m not your father. I can’t make you do anything once you walk out of here. But I can tell you one thing for certain: thirty years from now, when you’re behind this big desk instead of me, your years of structured work days won’t be the memories that stand out. It’ll be all the moments youweren’there. It’ll be the time you spent with the ones you love.”
Linc stared at his hands for a moment, contemplating. A million emotions spun through his head. “How do you know if it’s the right time? What if I’mnotready?”
“You’ve never let fear hold you back in the line of duty,” said Pearce. “The least you can do for yourself is summon that same courage for love.”
Linc was dumbfounded, but Pearce stood up and guided him to the door. Before he opened it, he added, “Life is short, and love is the heart of it all. You always do the right thing, Lincoln. This time, do the right thingfor you.”
He opened the door and Linc stepped out as a few guys came shuffling by.
“The sooner this situation is handled, the sooner we can put it to bed,” said the lieutenant with a wink. “It’s been a long day, lots of flooding and damage out there. Might be a serendipitous opportunity to check in on your witness. Have a good night, Granger.”
The door closed. Linc stared at the door in shock for a moment. Then he steeled himself, walked to his desk, and gathered his things. It was late afternoon, teetering on the edge of evening, and the rain was still pouring. Linc walked right out into the rain and got in his car. He knew exactly where he had to go. The rain beat on his windshield and sloshed around the tires as he drove across town and pulled into the parking lot out front of Gentry’s apartment. As he got out of the car and started booking it toward the stairs, he was half-surprised to see Seth doing the same thing at the same time. They were both drenched and taking the steps two at a time in their haste to get to Gentry’s floor.
“You’re here too?” Linc pointed out more than questioned.
“After working the Blues case all day, I had to come here and check on Gentry. I have to see her, touch her, make sure she’s okay,” Seth explained as he rushed up the steps alongside Linc, the rain beating down on their heads and slicking their hair down.
“I had a chat with the lieutenant and came to the conclusion that this is where I’m meant to be,” Linc replied. “Where we’re both meant to be.”
They stopped in front of Gentry’s door and locked eyes. They were both breathing hard and fast, both too lovesick to care that they were soaked down to the bone. They were drawn here like magnets, like destiny was pulling their strings. A silent understanding, a mental handshake passed between them, and then Linc knocked on the door.
There was a pause that felt like the deep inhale before a plunge, and then the door creaked open to reveal Gentry. She was standing there, big brown eyes wide and her rosebud lips open in surprise to see them both.
“We had to see you,” Seth told her.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
Linc stepped forward and cupped her face in his big hands. He kissed her on the lips.
“It will be,” he growled as they all fell into the apartment together and shut the door.
19
Gentry
Tingles spread up and down Gentry’s body. Her toes curled and her throat emitted a soft squeak of surprise as Linc’s lips collided with hers. No sooner was the door shut than Seth and Linc had her surrounded, engulfed in their masculine scent and heat. They folded around her, their strong, large hands groping and caressing every part of her they could reach. Gentry’s nipples stiffened to peaks under their touch. She felt Seth behind her, his arms slipping around her waist. Goosebumps prickled up on her skin when he leaned in to softly breathe against the shell of her ear. His warm breath made her shiver, and then sigh when his hand moved between her legs. The men peeled away her thin lounge pants and t-shirt, leaving Gentry fully naked and squished between them.
“Fuck, you smell so good,” Seth hissed in her ear.
“Strawberry shampoo,” she managed to get out before Linc kissed her again.
His tongue pushed into her lips and she parted them to give him entry. She opened her mouth wider and leaned into the kiss. His hands stroked down her cheeks to her shoulders and along her arms. His fingers interlaced with hers for a brief moment before he traced his way back up. He held her breasts delicately in his hands, caressing them almost reverently. He growled with lust at their weight and perky, petal-pink nipples. He rocked against her and she could feel his cock straining through his work slacks, pressing into her hip.
Meanwhile, Seth’s hand cupped her soft mound. He was teasing her, warming her up with slow, deep strokes close enough to her clit to elicit a low, keening moan from her lips. Gentry pushed into his hand and rubbed herself on his long, agile fingers. Seth’s shaft poked at her from behind, and she found herself desperate to taste them both, to feel their hard, long cocks in her hand, her mouth, her pussy. She bloomed for them, opening like a flower as they stroked and kissed her down the hallway to her bedroom. They more or less carried her, although Gentry was in such a daze of heady emotion that it felt more like floating.
She had already been through a long day of rehearsal, performing, and trying to avoid Ricky as much as possible, but now she felt renewed. Ready for whatever the boys had in store for her. They pushed into the bedroom and brought her to the bed.
“Do you trust me?” Seth asked her, reminding her of when Linc had asked her the same thing the other night at the club.
“Yes,” she answered, and she knew it was true. For both of them.
He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and clinked one manacle around one of the solid wooden headboard rods. Then he scooped Gentry onto the bed and affixed her wrist so that she was cuffed to the bar. A thrill shot through her core and made her pussy even slicker. She watched with wide eyes as both men disrobed in front of her. She licked her lips at the sight of their chiseled abs, broad chests, and bulging arms. Her eyes rolled down to their stiff, long cocks bouncing free. She was salivating, dripping all over with need.