She couldn’t lose Laz.

  He was her everything.

  A delicious shiver scurried over her skin when his hand went lower and moved between her legs. Her body was so tuned in to him, and everywhere Laz touched made it feel like fire seeping into her bones.

  Journey gasped, and her back arched off the bed when the pad of his thumb made contact with her clit. She ripped her lips from his and closed her eyes tightly, the pleasure almost too much to handle.

  Squirming beneath him, her head brushed back and forth against the pillow as Laz teased and caressed her sensitive bud. The pressure continued to build inside her as he worked her body into a frenzy.

  “La—Laz, babe….” she moaned and dug her nails into his skin, trying to hang on. When she looked at him, their gazes locked. “I want you inside me. I want…. Ohhhh….” She cried out when he slipped a finger inside her and then another.

  His mouth covered hers, smothering the moans and whimpers she couldn’t control. He continued wreaking intense havoc on her body, sending her arousal to another level. They’d just had a quickie, and Journey wanted this round to last, but….

  “We want the same thing,” he said, kissing her while moving his hand from between her legs. Gripping one of her thighs, Laz spread her wider and smoothly entered her.

  Goodness. He was so long, thick, and hard. Laz filled her completely, and he went deeper and harder each time he pumped into her. Journey held on for the ride, picking up his rhythm and loving the way their bodies moved in perfect sync.

  “Oh, yes.” This was what she wanted. Him deep inside of her, rocking her body into submission. It wouldn’t take much for her to have another orgasm, but she didn’t want to come yet. She wanted to prolong the intense sensation spinning inside of her and threatening to push her to her release.

  Laz watched her with lowered lashes and drove into her with more force as he stared down at her. “You know I can’t handle it when your tits bounce up and down like that,” he growled.

  Journey started to laugh, but it came out as a whimper. “I—I can’t help it when you move in and out of me like…like…. Ohhhhh, yes.”

  His mouth suddenly covering her nipple took her to new heights. The combination of his masterful tongue loving on her breasts and his continued pumping into her pushed her closer to no return.

  He lifted his head. “You feel so damn good,” he ground out, and his hips moved faster. He went deeper and harder, each stroke getting her closer to….

  “Yes! Oh yes, Laz!” she cried out. He quickly covered her mouth with his, smothering her screams. All the while, he continued thrusting in and out of her until his own release threw him over the edge of control.

  His body stiffened, then shook before he collapsed on top of her. His heavy breathing mingled with hers, and Journey wrapped her arms around him. Once again, she struggled to catch her breath.

  Yep, she loved morning quickies.

  “You never cease to wear my ass out,” Laz panted and dropped onto his back. After a couple of deep breaths, he pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head. “If we didn’t already have plans for family day, I’d suggest we spend the day in bed,” he said.

  Energy spent, Journey snuggled against him and draped her arm and one of her legs across his body. “That would be nice, but we promised Ashton and Dani that we’d be at the celebration,” she reminded him. “I still can’t believe the adoption went through so quickly.”

  “Yeah, Ashton is beyond happy,” Laz said sleepily and tightened his arm around Journey.

  Their friends, Ashton Chambers and his wife Dani had just adopted two children. Not just any children either. Months ago, right before Ashton left the police force, one of his confidential informants was brutally murdered, and he felt responsible.

  The murdered woman left behind an eighteen-year-old son, a five-year-old son, and a little girl who had just turned three. The oldest had already joined the army, and their grandmother had initially been awarded custody of the younger children. Since she could not properly care for them, Ashton and Dani stepped in. The adoption was finalized two days ago, and today friends and family were meeting up to help celebrate.

  “I’m glad you took the day off,” Laz murmured. “We need some family time.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry I’ve been bailing on you and Arielle. But I knew I had to take today off, especially with Arielle and my parents leaving for Florida tomorrow. I wanted to make sure we spent the day with her,” Journeys said.

  Their daughter was so excited about going to Disney World with her grandparents. It was all she’d been talking about for the last few weeks.

  “If it weren’t for your dad being a former detective, I wouldn’t feel comfortable with her going. You know that, right? She’s still just a baby,” Laz said.

  “I’m glad you finally came around, but she’ll be three in a couple of weeks. She’s not a baby anymore.”

  “She’s my baby,” he grumbled, sounding like he was about to fall asleep. “You both are. Which is why I need you around more. No more putting work before us. Agreed?”

  Journey tilted her head back and smiled at him. His sleepy gaze met hers. “Agreed. I’m going to do better. I promise,” she said, meaning it. No longer would she take her marriage for granted.

  She reached up and kissed him, but they were interrupted when her cell phone rang.

  Laz stiffened, and Journey had to keep herself from groaning at the familiar ringtone.

  “Don’t answer it,” Laz said with an edge in his tone.

  The screen flashed Prentice Johnson, an investigator for the DA’s office and Journey’s go-to person on the majority of her cases. She considered him a partner, and they were currently working on a case that was proving to be more complicated than she initially thought. But she needed to win it to keep her winning streak alive. She had won twenty-seven out of her last thirty cases, and that was going to look good on her record if she ran for DA.

  The phone rang again, and Journey huffed out a breath. “I’m sorry, babe, but I have to get this.”

  Before she could grab her cell from the nightstand, Laz jerked out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

  “Tell that asshole to never call my house on a Saturday morning again,” he growled and slammed the bathroom door.

  Journey flinched even though she saw it coming, then she answered the phone.

  “Your timing sucks.”

  Chapter Two

  Laz stood on the other side of the kitchen island and stared at Journey. Clearly, he had heard her wrong. That had to be it because there was no way she would cancel their plans.

  “What the hell do you mean, you have to go to work? Journey, we just talked about this. It’s family day. We both agreed to take the day off!”

  “Shh, keep your voice down,” she murmured and glanced into the family room where Arielle was watching cartoons. “It’s only for a few minutes. An hour, tops. I have to do—”

  “Fuck that.” Laz stabbed a finger in her direction. “You don’t have to do shit. You—”

  “Be mad all you want, but don’t you dare curse at me!” she snapped, only loud enough for him to hear, then closed the gap between them. “There are some parts of my job that I can’t just turn off. You know that.”

  He tried to never disrespect her, or talk to her in a way that was brazen, but he was struggling to keep his anger at bay. Every damn week and weekend, she gave one excuse after another for why she couldn’t do something that involved him and their daughter.

  He was sick of it.

  Sick of her canceling outings.

  Sick of her calling him in a panic when she couldn’t pick Arielle up from daycare on time.

  And sick of her putting him last.

  He couldn’t keep doing this. She either wanted to be married—or she didn’t.

  “Babe, I’m sorry,” she said. “I know it seems like I’m always putting you and Arielle last.”

  “Because you are, Journey,” he seethed. “You’re the smartest woman I know. How is it that you can’t see that?”

  Her gaze dropped to the floor, and he watched her as she nibbled on her bottom lip, struggling for something to say. Laz’s heart clenched as disappointment engulfed him. It seemed as if he and Arielle didn’t matter to her.

  When they married and promised to love each other until the end of time, he meant it. He meant every word of his vows, and no one could ever say he wasn’t living up to that commitment. And though Journey had never planned to get married, Laz believed she had meant her vows, too. Granted, one of the reasons they’d married was because she’d gotten pregnant, but the number-one reason was because they loved each other.

  Her actions lately had him doubting everything. There wasn’t much that frightened him. Yet, the idea of losing his wife or having to walk away from their marriage scared him to death.

  His gaze traveled the length of her. Journey was such an amazing woman—beautiful inside and out, intelligent, and sexy as hell. Her hair hung loose in big curls, and though she didn’t need makeup, it was applied flawlessly.

  When it came to work, she never stepped out of the house without looking totally pulled together. Today was no different.

  She was wearing the hell out of a navy-blue suit. The jacket molded over her full breasts and tapered in to show off a narrow waist. The slim-fitting skirt stopped just above her knees and revealed the best pair of shapely legs he’d ever seen on a woman. They were accentuated by the high heels that matched her suit.

  When his buddies teased him about marrying up, Laz couldn’t even argue that fact because it was true. Journey was everything he thought he’d never be able to have. With his bad-boy rep around the city, no one was more surprised than him when they’d started dating. Especially since she had once told him that she wasn’t ever getting married. It just wasn’t something she had planned for her future.

  But getting married and settling down with one special woman had been important to him. He’d been engaged years before meeting Journey, but his fiancée at the time had been murdered. He never thought his heart would recover from that, but then Journey came along.

  They were as different as apples and broccoli, which had been extremely evident when they first met. Laz had been a detective with Atlanta PD, and she was a prosecutor. Where she followed the law to a T, he skated on the edge of it, pushing boundaries left and right to put as many bad guys behind bars as possible. She was sweet and kind. He was tough and brash at times.

  By all accounts, they shouldn’t have been attracted to each other, but fate stepped in. Now Laz physically ached, knowing that they were drifting apart.

  Journey huffed out a breath. “Do you think I like canceling on you and my daughter or disappointing you? I don’t. You should know that it has to be extenuating circumstances to make me do that to the two most important people in my life.”

  Laz turned away and pulled down a travel mug from one of the upper cabinets. Then poured coffee into it. “Quit lawyering me, Journey. Save your closing statements for the courtroom. I’ve heard this all before. Yet, here we are again—you canceling plans.”

  “This case has hit one brick wall after another, and I was losing hope. But a witness has come forward. I have to talk to her today, Laz. You know how important it is to speak to them as soon as possible.”

  As a former detective, yes, he knew better than anyone the importance of hooking a witness. That still didn’t mean he liked her putting work first.

  “I promise it won’t take long.”

  “Right now, Journey, your promises don’t mean a damn thing. Last month, you promised to attend your sister’s barbecue. Last Sunday—your day off—you promised dinner out with me. And less than an hour ago, you promised that you were going with us to the celebration. What am I supposed to tell Ashton and Dani?”

  “You act like I’m not going to the celebration. I’m just going to be a little late. Why are you tripping?” Journey’s phone vibrated, and she glanced at the screen. “Okay, Prentice is outside. After I say bye to Arielle I—”

  “You spend an awful lot of time with your investigator. Are you fucking him?”

  Journey reared back as if she’d been slapped. Her wide eyes and shocked expression quickly turned into anger as she got in Laz’s face. He towered over her by several inches, but she was one person who wasn’t intimidated by him. His little spitfire never took shit from him, one of many things he loved about her.

  “Are you seriously asking me that?” She glowered at him. If looks could kill, he’d be six feet under without her even having to lay a finger on him.

  Laz didn’t respond. He hated that he even went there, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them. He knew Journey would never step out on him. Not because he’d kill any man who dared put his hands on her, but because deep down, he knew she loved him.

  At least that’s what he wanted to believe.

  Laz released a long breath and brushed his hand over his mouth and beard.

  “You know what? Do whatever the hell you want.”

  Journey placed her hands on his chest before he could walk away, and a lightning bolt of electricity shot through him from his head to his feet. It never failed. She had such a visceral effect on him, even when he was pissed at her.

  “Babe, what has gotten into you?” she asked, concern and confusion flashing in her dark, pretty eyes. “I know I’ve been flaking on you lately, but it won’t always be like this. You know that.”

  Laz stepped out of her reach and leaned against the counter. “Jay, there’s going to always be a case that you need to pour your all into, and I understand that—to a point. If it’s like this now, how is it going to be if you become DA? I’m not going to keep waiting on the sideline until you decide to put Arielle and me first.”

  “What are you saying?” she asked, and her voice held a slight tremble.

  Laz had never loved another human being the way he loved her, and he believed in his heart that the feelings were mutual. But at what point should he say enough?

  “Just once, I’d love for you to put me first.” He headed out of the kitchen. “Have fun at work.”

  “Laz, please….”

  He walked out of the room without looking back. Part of him wanted to fight for his marriage and do whatever was necessary to make things right between them. But the other part of him wanted to just say fuck it—and move on.

  Right now, he wasn’t sure which part of him would win.

  Chapter Three

  “I think you’re being too hard on your wife.”

  Laz glared at Hamilton Crosby—his best friend and the managing partner of Supreme Security, where Laz worked as a personal security specialist. Technically, Ham was also his boss. The two of them were camped out in the party room, along with Ashton, who was holding his sleeping daughter. Ashton and Dani had decided to have the party at an indoor trampoline park that seemed to have a hundred different types of trampolines for all ages and sizes.

  “Did I ask for your opinion?” Laz grabbed another slice of pizza and sat across from the two guys.

  For the past couple of hours, the three of them, along with some of the other guys from Supreme, had been on kid duty but managed to talk a little about Laz’s situation. They were taking a break while a few others, including some of the wives, were with the kids.

  All except his wife.

  Journey had texted and left a couple of voicemails letting him know that she might not make it to the party. He had already known that was going to happen, proving that her work was her top priority.

  “You didn’t have to ask my opinion,” Hamilton said. “But that’s never stopped me from giving it. Take it from a husband who also has a feisty, strong-willed, incredible woman sharing his household. Let Journey do her job, and just keep supporting her. You already know she’s worth the effort.”

  Laz did know, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He also wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

  “He’s right,” Ashton added as he rocked his little girl.

  Ashton was one of Laz’s best friends. They’d been detectives and partners at Atlanta PD for years, and now they were both security specialists.

  Laz couldn’t be happier for Ashton. Coming from a large family, he had always wanted a wife and kids. Now he had both. He’d married a bar owner, Dani, ten months ago, and now they were parents of a five-year-old, Caulder, and a three-year-old, Tabitha.

  His friend finally had the family he wanted. But that didn’t mean he knew enough about marriage to agree with Hamilton.

  “I know you’re not trying to give me marriage advice,” Laz said to Ashton, trying to add mock annoyance to his tone. “You’ve been married for a whole two minutes. You don’t know shit yet.”

  He flinched when Ashton narrowed his eyes and nodded down at Tabitha. She might’ve been asleep, but Laz did need to work on the cursing, especially since he was around kids all the time.

  “Just wait until Dani starts giving you a hard time,” Laz added around a mouthful of pizza. “Then we’ll see who needs the advice.”

  Ashton burst out laughing but quieted when Tabitha stirred. “Do you know my wife?” he said. “She’s been giving me a hard time since the day I set foot in her bar. Trust me, I don’t have to be married for years to know that we’re all with the type of women who will do whatever the heck they want to do. That is probably why we fell in love with them in the first place.

  “They’re not pushovers. They go the extra mile for people or causes they believe in. And more than anything, no matter how busy or distracted they are, they love us.” Ashton stood while cradling his daughter. “Besides, you knew how demanding Journey’s job was before you married her. So, stop complaining and give her some grace. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m going to go find my wife.”

  “For a person who’s only been married a minute, I think he nailed that advice,” Hamilton said. His lips were twitching as if trying to keep a straight face. “But seriously…are you and Journey all right?”