Primal Obsession

by D. M. Mortier

  “And I guess you want the trust to pay for it.”

  “I want her taken care of.”

  “You haven’t agreed to stay away from her,” Colt observed.

  “I won’t abandon—”

  “This is not up for debate, Justin! You want a future with this woman, you stay the fuck away from her!”

  Justin held his brother’s angry gaze without flinching. “You have no idea what you’re asking.”

  “I’m not asking. I’m telling you what’s going to happen.” Colt’s voice softened. “I know how hard it is to stay away from someone when every instinct is telling you that she’s yours to take, yours to love, yours to protect. But, brother, you must stay away, no matter how long it takes.”

  Justin gritted his teeth and took a long moment before he nodded reluctantly. “I’m leaving on government business anyway. So, I’m being forced to stay away from her until that’s over. After that, I’m not making any promises.”

  “You are one stubborn fuck.”

  “She’s mine, and I need you to look after her until I get back.”

  “Yeah, you told me. Are you sure you want to do this with all this shit in the wind?”

  “I don’t have any control over lunatics threatening the United States. This is what my unit does best.”

  “Just keep your ass alive and talk to Imani before taking off. I’m sure she has made something for you.”

  “You mean she has more than this watch and gun?” He held up the custom Glock that Imani had passed him in the casino.

  Colt grinned as though to say, “You have no idea.”

  Justin wasn’t surprised when Colt grabbed him into a huge bear hug. He knew that his older brother would always see him as the kid brother he was supposed to protect. It was probably killing Colt to not intervene in his deployment.

  Chapter Nine

  Nakia sat in her office in Austin and stared at the document that meant so much, however meant so little in the greater scheme of things. Her divorce was final, but then she’d been free of Ralph for months. He’d tried to talk her into giving him another chance by taking her to lunch a few weeks after their lawyers’ first divorce meeting. To this day she still had no clue what made her do something so stupid, especially after the disastrous clash they’d had at her apartment weeks before.

  “You know the rules, Ralph. I was very clear before we got married what my ‘hell no’ triggers were. You ignored them.” Her rules were simple, no cheating and no hitting. Those were nonnegotiable actions, and Ralph had broken both. Once she’d learned that Ralph had fathered a child a few months after their marriage, any argument he gave was useless. The bastard had been cheating on her their entire marriage. His baby momma was only too happy to tell her about her husband’s alley-cat ways when Ralph tried to curtail his side-piece’s spending since Nakia’s paycheck was no longer available to him.

  “I don’t know what happened. I would never intentionally hurt you, Nakia. I love you. You know that I do. It was the pressure, you know. I was under a lot of pressure.”

  Nakia didn’t have the energy to roll her eyes or scoff at his pitiful attempts to convince her to not throw his ass to the curb. She stared at him across the table at the restaurant and felt nothing but contempt. “Ralph, I met you here today to get mine. I didn’t want to give you the wrong impression that I was afraid of you or that I was hiding from you. Not only are you a fucking coward, you’re an animal for attacking a woman, an unconscious woman. Oh, and let’s not forget you’re a damn dog. You’ve fathered a child during our marriage.”

  He spurted with indignation. “Who told you that?” He was outraged, but it was clear that he was trying to think up a story to convince her of his sincerity. “Was it that white boss of yours? That dude just wants to get in your pants?”

  “Never mind who told me. The point is that I know. So, there’s no chance in hell I’ll ever forgive what you did.”

  “Nakia…”

  “Don’t waste your breath. Sign the damn divorce papers and I never want to hear from you again.” She’d been firm, unwavering, and Ralph had had no choice since he was forcibly removed from the restaurant a few minutes later disappointed and angry. He hadn’t left quietly. He called her names that had made her blush at the stares it had garnered and out-right laughed at the ones that made him look like the punk-ass that he was.

  Carlos and her other bodyguard, Laurent, had dragged Ralph out of the restaurant. Carlos was pissed that she’d talked him into letting the meeting happen, especially after Justin specifically told them not to let Ralph near her. Nakia had long since given up arguing with Colt over the men assigned to protect her. Nothing he said convinced her that Ralph was a continued threat, and nothing she said seemed to convince him that she was safe from Ralph. Apparently, Justin dictated that she should have armed security, so the bodyguards stayed, despite her impending divorce and Ralph all but giving up on trying to get her back. Not that he’d had much of a choice. He was spending most days preparing for his court case.

  If it weren’t for the periodic investigations necessary for her caseload, she would’ve never come to know the real reason the bodyguards stayed. Not to mention, she’d stumbled over Colt’s extracurricular vigilantism. She was in full disguise and not even Carlos had recognized the homeless man, smelling of five-day-old urine as her. Colt had been too busy taking petty criminals off the streets like stopping a gang of boys from assaulting two drunk college students coming out of a nightclub and similar other crimes that the police were too overburdened to prevent. His focus on keeping others safe probably prevented him from hearing what was really going on behind the scenes. However, with her ear to the ground, following leads on a dirty cop whose wife was fighting for a divorce, she’d overhead about the hit put out on Colt and Justin.

  The hit was placed by one of the most dangerous crime syndicates in the country. Nakia was stunned when she learned that the Baldacci crime family wanted Colt and Justin dead and wanted to capture Imani. What really shocked her was that Justin’s wife was working with the men plotting to kill her husband and brother-in-law. However, since they couldn’t find Justin, the focus was on getting to Nakia to flush him out. First, they planned to kill Colt, as he protected both Imani and Nakia.

  Colt had been nothing but good to her, and she was as protective of him as she was of Justin. Nakia went to Colt and told him what she’d discovered.

  “What case you’re working on would have crossed over into uncovering information like that?” Colt asked her softly.

  Nakia had seen Colt in action enough times to know that she had just pissed him off. “I was trying to get background on the Nelson case.”

  “We have an investigations department for that. What was your security team doing when you were roaming the streets?”

  She felt as though she was in the principal’s office and was about to get in serious trouble. “I wasn’t roaming the streets,” she said lamely.

  “I noticed that you didn’t mention your security team,” he said calmly.

  Nakia wasn’t at all fooled by his calm tone. “Look, are you going to take the necessary precautions and warn Justin or not?”

  “I’ll inform my brother of your activities. I’m sure he’d be very interested to know that you’ve been giving your security team the slip when you promised him that you wouldn’t.”

  “I never promised that,” she muttered hotly.

  Colt raised an eyebrow at her hostile tone. “I’m not Justin, so I can’t tan your ass, as I’m sure he will do as soon as he gets here. However, until he’s here to deal with you, do me a favor and stop. The only places you’re allowed to be without your team is the fuckin’ bathroom and when you’re in bed. Do I make myself clear?”

  She almost gave him a salute when he finished speaking. Now she knew why he was such an effective colonel. “I won’t do any more fieldwork on the Nelson case because I have all the intel I need. But just for th
e record, your brother is not the boss of me.”

  His sudden chuckle surprised her.

  “I’ll be sure to tell him you said so.” He smirked.

  That was almost a week ago, and she wondered if he’d really told Justin or not. Did he know where Justin was?

  Today should have been a day of celebration, but nothing had made her truly happy or given her any joy since Justin left. She’d been betrayed in the worst way by her husband and her parents, and yet nothing had hurt more in the past year than Justin leaving her and leaving Austin. She missed him like crazy.

  She asked Colt repeatedly if he was safe. Colt would only say that Justin would be home soon. How could she trust that? There was no way he could have been gone for such a long time and be safe somewhere. While he’d told her that he had to go away, she had never anticipated that it would be for over a year.

  Nakia cringed now thinking about how she’d all but thrown herself at him. He was an honorable man and had been trying to not cheat on his wife any more than he already had. After what Ralph did to her, she should have known better, be better. Her only excuse was that no man had ever created that desire, that churning need in her. Certainly Ralph never had. Sex had never been high on her agenda, and in fact, Ralph had accused her of being frigid many times. By accident, she’d heard that Justin had filed for divorce from his wife. When she’d ask Colt about it, he clamped up and refused to discuss it. She knew that the politically correct response from her should have been sadness for the breakup of a marriage, but she was too damn overjoyed by it. Maybe now she’d have a chance with him.

  From the office grapevine, she’d learned that all his assets had been liquidated: his home, his shares in the firm, and even his beautiful custom-built silver-gray Audi was sold. The other lawyers had sworn that the only reason that Justin would have sold that car was if he were terminally ill, and even then, he would have wanted to be buried in it.

  Somehow the media had also gotten wind of his divorce filing a few months ago. The divorce of one of the most prominent family members in the state had been a huge story, and it had exploded on the society pages in Austin and throughout Texas. Melissa had been only too happy to tell her side of the story on several TV and radio talk shows. According to her, Justin had wanted children and she hadn’t been ready yet. Melissa had tried painting him as a Neanderthal man intent on finding a woman who was willing to be a baby machine for him.

  Justin’s family had bought an entire page of the newspaper when the story was reaching a ridiculous frenzy to state only, “Absolute Drivel,” on the entire page. Their defense of Justin was more than effective. #Absolutedrivel had been trending for an entire week. And Melissa’s attempt to turn the public against him for being a Neanderthal also had women coming out to sign up to be his baby machine.

  The last Nakia had heard, Melissa was still trying to fight the divorce.

  Nakia grabbed her handbag from her desk determined to go out and buy herself some celebratory divorce jewelry. Returning her wedding band and engagement ring to Ralph at their off-the-rails lunch had been a liberating experience. And now she wanted to celebrate her freedom. She’d asked for nothing from him in the divorce settlement, no alimony or a share in their marital assets. All of it had been purchased with his NFL contract money, so she’d felt no claim to them. Besides, he needed all of it to try to stay out of prison.

  Channeling her badass, don’t-mess-with-me persona, Nakia strode through the office with her usual high-powered confident stride. At five-feet-nine and in her favorite stilettos, she ignored the stares and added a little extra roll of her ass in lieu of the fist pump she was dying to give on finally gaining her freedom. She’d just exited the elevator to the ground floor and was crossing the gleaming tiled floor of the crowded lobby when she stopped mid-stride at the sight of Justin. He was next to the senior partners’ elevator located away from usual staff elevators. That elevator went up to his and his brother’s private offices. He’d stopped and was apparently staring at her.

  It felt as though she’d been sucker-punched as the breath whizzed from her body. Her heart was beating loudly even to her own ears in a mad staccato in her chest. Feeling slightly lightheaded, she felt a riot of nerves in her belly, and the jolt of emotions eviscerated all cognitive thought from her brain. He looked as though he’d come directly from wherever he’d been for the past thirteen months. With almost three days growth of dark hair on his face, a trimmed mustache and the hair on his head reaching the collar of his shirt, longer than the strict close-to-the-scalp military cut he usually wore, he looked lethal, dangerous. And then that emerald gaze ensnared her, and her heart stopped; in fact, everything around her stopped. It was only the two of them. Nothing else existed. He was so damn gorgeous, bigger, more rugged, igniting her lust fuse like it was the Fourth of July. He wore black jeans riding low on his lean hips and a fitted black T-shirt that showcased his massive chest and tattooed biceps and had a backpack draped casually on his shoulder.

  She was in a full-on meltdown of sensory overload, smoldering with emotion she didn’t dare hope to interpret, and his unwavering gaze held her spellbound.

  Her limbs could no longer sustain her weight, and she was forced to brace herself against the nearby wall to stop herself from crumpling to the floor in an embarrassing heap. At least she could be glad that she would look good while she was embarrassing herself. She’d worn a peach figure-hugging dress and tan jacket that matched her stilettos. She’d gained a few extra pounds on her ass and breasts, which made her usual business dresses a bit sexier than intended, thus the jacket. She’d been so depressed when Justin had left she’d resort to what she usually did when depressed. She ate. It was only a few months ago that she’d gotten her act together and started at the gym again. At least her waist and stomach were lean again, giving her a curvaceous hourglass figure. There was nothing she could do about the double D breast size and apple-shaped bottom though.

  Justin started toward her, weaving coolly and confidently through the staff rushing out to lunch. Many stopped him along the way to greet him. He nodded, acknowledging their greeting, but he didn’t stop moving toward her.

  The change in him was stark. Nakia had watched his interaction before with sometimes stalkerish intensity, and it was easy for her to note the difference in his carefree demeanor of the past to the cool, almost chilling, dangerous persona now. Whatever he’d been engaged in over the past year had taken a toll. The muscles in his arms and his chest were visibly harder, bigger, and his movement was panther smooth, as though he were still anticipating an enemy attack. As he got closer, she noted a few extra scars on his face and arms. However, it only enhanced his beauty.

  “Hi, Nakia.” He stood less than a foot in front of her, his jeweled gaze, now devoid of its customary teasing gleam, roaming hungrily over her. The deep bass of his voice triggered something deep in her core, making her instantly wet and pulsing.

  She shivered and couldn’t help reacting to the dark promise in his eyes. She barely stifled the moan of longing that was flooding her senses. “Hi,” she breathed.

  “You look well,” he said softly. He voiced those three little simple words, but his body language was telling her she looked better than “well” to him. He seemed ready to pounce, and she was his prey.

  “Thank you,” she told him in the same hushed tone. She was finding it hard to get enough oxygen in her lungs to breathe and talk at the same time.

  “I hear that congratulations are in order.” He moved even closer to her.

  “Yes, I received the papers a few minutes ago.” She was proud of her ability to get a full sentence out. “I’m finally free.”

  “Good. He’s no longer harassing you.”

  Narrowing her eyes at him, Nakia paused before speaking. Wait, he’s made a statement. That wasn’t a question. “How did you know my divorce was finalized today? And how did you know Ralph was no longer harassing me?”

  He was silent f
or so long she thought he wasn’t going to answer her.

  “Where were you going just now?” he asked instead.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  He gazed down at her coolly. “Where are your bodyguards?”

  Nakia anchored her palms at her waist and tried her best to give him a defiant stare-down, but it was impossible being angry with him when she was so damn glad to see him. And she couldn’t be mad at him for caring about her. However, she was going to make sure he understood that he didn’t have the right to tell her what to do. “I’m confused by your assumption that you have the right to question me. Did I miss that part of our interaction that gave you that right? Are we in a relationship that I’m unaware of?” She was proud. She almost sounded coherent and not the insanely-in-love woman that she was.

  “I don’t have a problem reminding you of the nature of our relationship. However, it seems your body has no problem remembering our connection.”

  Nakia wanted to smack that smirk off his face. She tried pulling her jacket over her aching nipples instead, obscuring his view of the taut tips.

  He took another step toward her.

  She backed up and bit her lower lip to stem the audible response that she felt so close to the surface.

  He smiled grimly at the sight and then closed his eyes briefly before opening them again with a cooler, intent stare.

  She took another step along the wall away from him because suddenly she felt too close to him. There was nothing she wanted more than to hug him, kiss him, and show him how much she missed him, but his stare right now was telling he’d fuck her right there in the lobby.

  “Don’t,” he growled, forcing her to stop in mid-stride. “I can’t do this shit,” he muttered harshly.

  Nakia had no idea what he was referring to, but his heated, almost desperate gaze had her wanting to be fucked right there.

  “Let’s get the hell outta here.” He turned to leave, but she remained rooted to the spot, uncertain about the lethal energy coming off him in spades. She wanted him, but she wasn’t sure she could handle him like this. There was something primal, untamed in his expression and in the ominous way he moved. It was as though he were poised for an attack and was more than ready to respond with absolute force. His “I’m going to do whatever the fuck I want” molten gaze might have her pulsing and wet, but she wasn’t sure if it meant an ass tanning or a hard fuck. Either way, her panties were ruined with the wanting of whichever action he gifted her with. I’m so twisted right now. She bit her lower lip in anticipation.