Free Staking His Claim by Tessa Bailey Page A

couldn’t breathe around the ache his words spawned in her chest. What could she say? He was right. She’d deceived him, making her the liar he accused her of being. Measuring her with a final look, Matt walked away and left her there, not glancing back once.

Chapter Seven
    Matt stood in the precinct locker room, securing his Kevlar vest and buttoning his NYPD Emergency Service uniform shirt over it. When he heard Brent ribbing another officer in the next aisle, an uncomfortable feeling settled in his chest. He might have done the right thing by walking away from Lucy last night, but that hadn’t stopped every imaginable sexual scenario from playing out in his head after he’d left. Starring Brent’s deceptively sweet-looking little sister. Sure, she might taste sweet, but the things she’d said to him as they stood face-to-face on the sidewalk last night proved she was the furthest thing from it.
    She’d known exactly what buttons to push to test his control. Looking up at him with those contrite green eyes, she’d stripped his defenses and tapped into his base desires so effortlessly it should have alarmed him. No one had ever seen through him like that. It was unacceptable. Only he’d been far from alarmed. He’d been turned on to the point of frenzy. Inside the party, his resolve had been unshakable. But with just the two of them standing there, memories sparking between them, everything had changed. She’d been asking him for something he desperately wanted to give her. What felt like his duty to give, even if that made no sense.
    He’d gone home and unzipped his pants the second he walked in the door. Picturing Lucy’s mouth, breasts, reddened ass, he’d pressed his forehead to the door and jacked himself off like a horny teenager. He’d thought one time would be enough. Then her words would drift through his head. I thought of you every time I sat down today. Just like you told me to, Matt. Just like that, he’d grow hard again, treating him to a vicious cycle that had lasted until the early hours of the morning. Still, still , he wasn’t satisfied. Might never be again. Not after he’d experienced his real-life fantasies with Lucy. Making it twice as difficult, she wanted to do it again. Had begged him for more.
    No. He couldn’t allow it to happen. Not only did his desires have no place around a younger girl with a brighter future, but he hadn’t lied to Lucy. Lying was a deal-breaker with him. For the first time, he welcomed a bitter memory that he normally kept hidden under lock and key, hoping it would serve as a distraction. His ex-fiancée’s utter horror over his “disgusting” needs. Her seeking comfort from his best friend. It had all rushed to the surface last night when he found out Lucy lied to him. After exposing himself to her the way he’d done, it had felt like the worst kind of betrayal. It’s why he was so careful about who he spent time with, who he could actually call a friend. Once you’ve been burned, that shit didn’t come easy anymore.
    Had the lie stopped him from wanting Lucy? Hell no. If anything, he wanted to find her this minute and punish her in a way that ended in her screaming his name. He wanted it so bad, his hands shook. The urge was painful to deny, especially knowing she would wrap that limber body around him and tell him to give it to her hard. Fuck . He had to stop thinking about her now or work would be impossible. Loss of focus in his line of work was tantamount to failure, and he refused to fail at his job.
    Matt stowed his neatly folded street clothes in his locker just as Brent rounded the corner, followed by Daniel Chase, his other best friend. The newest member of their group, Troy Bennett, trailed behind, giving Matt a quick nod that he wordlessly returned. Matt had a hard enough time keeping two friends at a comfortable distance. He hadn’t quite gotten around to figuring out how to fit Troy into his organized blueprint. Thankfully, Troy