Sliding his hands around her waist, he bent and kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gruff.
“Me, too,” she said softly. “But you surprised me. I’d decided today that you just weren’t that into me.”
He pulled her closer, so she could feel just how “into her” he wanted to be. “I should have called. I won’t make that mistake again.”
She tilted her head to the side. “That almost sounds like you plan to stick around.”
Tired of talking to her without looking into her eyes, he gripped her shoulders and turned her. He moved closer, trapping her against the door, because he didn’t want any distance between them when he said what he had to say.
“I know,” he started slowly, “that we moved too fast. We didn’t know each other well the first time we were together. I don’t want you to think that because I didn’t take time, that I’m unwilling to do so now.”
“You want to slow this down?” she asked, a frown digging a shallow line between her brows.
“If you want—”
“I don’t,” she said quickly.
He drew another breath, because her quick response pleased him, but he wanted her to be sure. To think about what they could mean to each other. “But if we did, you’d learn to trust me.”
She held still. “I see. If I’d known you better, or at least understood your intentions toward me, then I wouldn’t have assumed you’d dumped me.”
He nodded. Relieved he didn’t have to explain, because the longer he stood close to her, the harder it was to concentrate. Her hair smelled of strawberries, and the supple waist he held tempted him to explore more of her sweet body.
Sammy’s frown eased. “How about we take it slow…tomorrow,” she whispered.
* * *
She knew the second he realized what she’d said. His black pupils dilated in his dark, dark eyes, and his nostrils flared. Those strong fingers gripping her waist began to squeeze. Following her desire, she raised her face to his.
He released her waist, cupped her cheeks between his palms, and kissed her. The moment their lips connected, she moaned and pressed her body against his. He gathered her closer, a hand clutching her hair, the other sliding down to her ass. When they broke apart, she pulled away and led him to her bedroom.
He flicked on every light as she stripped. Then he tossed away his own clothing, donned a condom, and strode toward her, his midnight eyes filled with wicked promises.
The moment she flipped back the covers on her bed, he lifted her and placed her in the center. When he came down over her, she sighed and began to slide her hands over his chest and arms, enjoying the warmth of his skin and the strength of the underlying muscles.
He kissed her cheek then moved lower, his tongue and lips conducting their own exploration as he made his way down her neck to her chest. When his mouth latched onto a nipple she sank her fingers in his hair and anchored him to her nipple.
Cochise sucked and flicked until the tip beaded against his tongue. Then he moved across to coax the other to blossom.
Again, he scooted downward, and her belly began to quiver. He traced her ribs, dove into her bellybutton, then bit gently at her skin as he moved lower, not stopping until he rested between her legs.
With his thumbs, he parted her folds and teased her with long glides from the bottom to the top of her pussy, pausing over her hooded clit. With a scrape of a thumb, he exposed it, and then sucked against it, until she raised her knees and tilted her hips, begging silently for more.
Her head turned side to side; her mind floated away as he pleasured her. When his thick fingers entered her, she clenched her inner muscles and cried out.
But this wasn’t how she wanted to come. She reached down and pulled his hair, forcing him to slide back up her body.
When he was poised above her, his hands braced on either side of her, she reached between their bodies and guided his cock inside her. She couldn’t help crying out again as he thrust deep.
He paused. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she said, trying to catch her breath. She was already panting. “It was the anticipation.” She licked her lips. “Feels good.”
He arched one dark brow. “Just good?”
She lifted her legs and gripped the sides of his hips. “It’ll feel better when you move.”
His lips twitched, but then he glanced down between their bodies, dragging her gaze along with his.
He began to move, his thick cock pulling out, glistening with her moisture. When he pushed in, she tightened her muscles around him.
“Damn, Sammy,” he said, his jaw grinding, and stroked faster.
At first, they watched their bodies join and pull apart, a sight so incredibly erotic that she couldn’t contain a moan. “More,” she said, moving her legs to encircle him.
“Touch your tits,” he said.
While he continued to give her deep strokes, she cupped her breasts and lifted them. Then she pinched and pulled on one nipple, while twisting the other. Her eyelids dipped, floating open then closed, because the pleasure was immense—his cock stroking, his dark eyes staring as she pleasured herself.
“Play with your clit.”
She didn’t mind his hoarse commands, because she knew she was the one in charge. She watched his face tighten and his nostrils flare as she wet her finger in her mouth, and then pulled up the top of her stretched folds to fondle the hard, red nubbin.
Suddenly, he straightened and forced her legs from his waist. Then he hooked his arms beneath her knees and raised her bottom from the bed. His gaze dropped to her pussy as he began to power into her, his thrusts hard and deep.
She resumed toggling her clit, until it grew so sensitive she couldn’t take any more. She flung her arms wide and gripped the bedding, watching as every muscle in his arms and belly flexed and stretched.
Then he changed his motions, shortening his thrusts, grinding against her when he went deep. His gaze lifted to hers, and she saw the challenge in his eyes. She knew he was close, but that he’d hold back. For her.
“Harder,” she gasped.
He bared his teeth and powered harder. Once, twice…
On the third hard stroke, she shouted, “Yes!”
He gave a muffled shout and followed her, losing rhythm as he drove deep. She felt the spasms deep inside her as he came. When he halted altogether, he rolled, one hand pressing on her ass to keep them connected. After stretching on top of him, she closed her legs to trap his cock inside her.
Sammy rubbed her cheek against his slick shoulder while she enjoyed the glides of his hands as they smoothed over her back and bottom. She nuzzled into his neck. “Cochise…”
“Yes, baby?”
“I think…I’m falling for you.”
He pulled back his head to look at her. “You just think…?”
The humor in his voice relieved her. She hadn’t scared him. “Um, actually, I know.”
One corner of his mouth quirked. “Well, I’m damn sure I love you.”
She blinked, and then a smile stretched her mouth. “So much for taking it slow.”
His laughter jerked his chest. They both grew quiet, but it was a comfortable silence as their breaths deepened and their heartbeats settled.
After a few minutes, Cochise lifted her chin, tilting it upward until their gazes met. “Just so you know, I have a house that needs some work, but if you’re patient, I’ll get it ready for both of us. There’s room for Sheri, too.”
Boy, he liked moving fast. But so did she. She wrinkled her nose. “I’m pretty handy with a hammer and a paint brush. I could help.”
Cochise’s gaze was steady as he nodded. “We could have a good life here, together.”
She liked the sound of that. Settling again, she circled one flat brown nipple with a fingertip. “You know, my work schedule’s four on, four off. If I picked up some part-time work, tracking skips, we might be able to spend more time together…”
His te
eth gleamed brightly. “You mean, you want to be a bounty hunter?”
With a shrug, she said, “Not full-time, but it might be fun.”
He sighed. “I’m sure Jamie would welcome you. She was already talking about offering Sheri a job in the office, helping Brian until she leaves for school.”
“I have no doubt she’d be thrilled.” She shook her head in wonder. Her life was about to change in so many ways.
In the distance, she heard the door slam. She froze and darted a glance at Cochise.
He looked at the open door.
“No time,” she whispered.
They rolled apart, and she reached for the covers that were twisted under them. Just as she dragged a sheet up to cover them, Sheri was standing in her doorway.
“Hey, Sammy! I’m ho—” Her jaw dropped, and her gaze flicked from Cochise to Sammy.
“Um, you might have called first,” Sammy said weakly.
Sheri screamed and rushed into the bedroom. She jumped onto the end of the bed, bouncing them all. “I can’t believe it. I thought you weren’t even interested in boys!”
Cochise choked and then began to laugh.
Sheri looked at him then back at her sister. “Oh my, he’s cute without his clothes.”
Sammy tossed a pillow at her sister. “Get out! We need to get dressed before we have this conversation.”
Smiling slyly, her sister edged off the mattress and moved toward the door. “That’s so not fair.” With her hand on the doorknob, she gave her sister a prim smile. “I hope I don’t have to talk to you about using condoms…”
Laughter followed her down the hallway.
* * *
When he was sure Sammy’s sister was well away, Cochise rolled over Sammy, trapping her beneath him. “At least we know how your sister is going to take this new development.”
Sammy smiled as she reached up and cupped his cheek. “I love you.”
Cochise was pretty sure he’d never tire of hearing those words. He’d been alone and angry for far too long. As he gazed down into Sammy’s laughing green eyes, his heart felt full, at peace. At last, he’d found a family to call his own.
Don’t miss the next Montana Bounty Hunters book:
Hook!
About Delilah Devlin
Delilah Devlin is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with a reputation for writing deliciously edgy stories with complex characters. She has published nearly two hundred stories in multiple genres and lengths, and she is published by Atria/Strebor, Avon, Berkley, Black Lace, Cleis Press, Ellora’s Cave, Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin Spice, HarperCollins: Mischief, Kensington, Montlake Romance, Running Press, and Samhain Publishing.
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The Bounty, Part 2
A female bounty hunter and her partner master the art of the takedown—on each other!
* * *
Note: This 6,000-word short story is intended to be dirty. Just sayin’. You’ve been warned!
* * *
Working for A+ Bounty Hunters was the most fun I’d ever had—out of bed, that is. Especially now that I was no longer encumbered by “training wheels.” I’d proven myself to the agency’s lead, Catch, and to my partner Bulldog. Sure, Bulldog still had certain rules he made me follow—like, he was always the first to enter a building where we knew we might face resistance, and that I’d better be ready for some sexy retribution if ever something I did scared him (yes, there were a few things that scared my big badass boyfriend!).
I think he knew I didn’t mind his punishments, but it was our thing. The way we blew off steam and tension. Once the bad guy was in lockup, we’d find the first restroom, logging trail, or deserted alleyway and go at it like rabbits on steroids.
I liked our quick, hard fucks. Bulldog’s fierce frowns and angry intensity always turned me on. Those fucks took off the edge until we made it back to our place for more leisurely play.
“Our” place was Bulldog’s house deep in the woods. He’d invited me to move in a month ago. A formality since I’d been sleeping there every single night for two months already. But he was slow to trust. Slow to accept change. The fact he’d been attracted to me in the first place had annoyed the hell out of him. He didn’t fuck his fellow hunters. But then again, A+ had never hired a “girl” before me. He’d been assigned as my trainer, but I hadn’t been a very good student. I didn’t stay where he put me and constantly ended up in the middle of some shit-storm takedown—bruised and cut but grinning. An ex-Army MP with combat experience, I wasn’t a wuss. Something I made sure he knew from our very first bust.
He’d underestimated me. I’m five-feet-five and slender. He’d taken one look at my blonde hair and blue eyes and decided on the spot I was unsuited to the life. He’d even given me my nickname—Buttercup—thankfully, not adding the “princess” part, but everyone got his meaning. He hadn’t expected me to last a day as his trainee, but I proved to be every bit as stubborn as he was.
Admitting he was wrong about me had set his teeth on edge, because he didn’t want me working there, didn’t want me anywhere near any danger. You see, Bulldog, at his heart, had a soft spot for women in general and an ingrained protective instinct towards those he cared about. And Bulldog cared about me but had yet to admit how deep that caring went.
As for my feelings…? I was head over heels, old-fashioned besotted with the dude. Everything I’d learned about him, everything he made me feel when he handled my body, told me I’d never experience the likes of Bulldog again. I wasn’t willing to let what I felt, or him, go, because I knew I’d never find this again.
So, there you have it. Bulldog and I were still dancing around each other—working hard, playing harder—and because I feared that pushing for a declaration might cause him to react in stubborn opposition, I kept silent, bottling up the emotions roiling inside me. Was I being cowardly? Probably. But this life wasn’t bad. I spent every waking and sleeping hour right beside him. If proximity bred affection, I hoped, in the end, he’d realize the reason he liked having me around was for more than my “great tits” and endless sex drive. But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about sex…
I glanced out the window of Bulldog’s Dodge Ram truck as he jogged back after speaking to a group of bikers who’d exited a dive bar in Bear Lodge, Montana, and let go a deep sigh. At six-feet-four and heavily muscled, the man shouldn’t be able to move as lithely as a big cat. He came around the front of the truck and opened his door. A blast of frigid air accompanied him as he slid into the seat beside mine. He shot me a glance.
His expression rarely gave away his thoughts, but I’d learned to read his eyes. Right now, the crinkles at the sides were deeper. He was plenty satisfied with what he’d learned. “Well? Did his buddies give him up?”
“Yup.”
Fucker. His smirk said he wasn’t sharing without a little effort on my part.
I narrowed my eyes and tapped my foot on the floor. “Well?”
“Can’t hold your pee for a second, can you?”
I waited as he hit the ignition button and pulled back into the street. We headed north out of town.
Bulldog snorted. “His club isn’t happy with him. Said he’d broken their rules when he’d roughed up his girlfriend. She’s a friend to the group.”
“Meaning she’s slept with a few of them.”
He cleared his throat. “Anyway, he’s holed up at a hunting cabin ten miles out. They even drew me a map.” He pulled a dingy bar napkin from a pocket of his jacket and handed it to me. “Think you can navigate?”
I raised an eyebrow but didn’t rise to his bait. He’d have to work harder to piss me off.
; Ten miles down the road, dusk was settling in, creating deep shadows in the forest around us. I pointed toward what looked like a logging trail to the right. A narrow, cleared road with a dusting of snow that accentuated muddy ruts and potholes.
Bulldog passed it and drove a couple of hundred feet farther to a wide shoulder in the road and parked. We both climbed out of the crew cab. He circled to my side, opened the passenger door behind my seat, and pulled out our go bag. He handed me a vest, my web belt, and my handgun. As we both donned our gear, he began his short briefing. “Remember, this guy has no qualms about beating a woman. Keep clear of his fists. When we get to the cabin, let me do the recon.” He handed me an earpiece then waited as I fitted it into my ear.
And then, as always, he gripped my upper arms and pulled me in for a quick kiss. “Stay safe,” he said gruffly as he set me back.
I gave him a wide grin, just so he’d know much fun I thought this was.
He shook his head, but the corners of his mouth twitched.
And off we went, following the rough trail to the cabin that the directions scribbled on the napkin said was four hundred yards in beside a small stream. With me admiring Bulldog’s broad shoulders and tight ass, I nearly stumbled a couple of times, because I was so busy noticing how good he looked I didn’t see the potholes.
The cabin was exactly where the bikers had said we’d find it. “Boy, his buddies must be really pissed,” I murmured.
“I’m going to circle around. You stay put until you hear from me.”
I kept quiet. And still.
For about a minute.
A light shone between closed shutters, which meant someone was home. I raised my feet high and lowered them slowly, trying to make as little noise in the snow as I could.
“You’re walking…” came Bulldog’s voice, deadly and low.
“I’m moving my feet. They’re cold.”
“Dammit, Buttercup.”
Cochise (Montana Bounty Hunters Book 4) Page 9
