Shae leaned away. He chased her lips and moaned just a bit when she extended the kiss. No, she wasn’t imagining this morning. The reaction that buzzed through her body now had affected him, too. She leaned away, smiled as she stood up, and offered him her hand. “Let’s make some good memories.”
He stood and wrapped his arms around her again. “All the memories I have of you are good.”
“Then let’s make even better ones.” She lifted on her toes and he lowered to her for a kiss.
John dipped his head to taste Shae’s sweet lips. His sex life had been dormant since he’d taken up residence in South Dakota. But all of his past, the hiding, and yes, the healing, had brought him to this place and this woman. He reached down and cupped her ass in his hands, lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he walked—or rather, shuffled—forward, trying to walk, kiss her, and keep his balance at the same time. He broke the kiss. “This isn’t getting us to the bedroom.”
She dropped her legs from his waist and grabbed his hand. “I know the way.” She tugged on his hand and he moved. Damn, did he move, just as quickly as she did. She laughed when he jogged the last few feet and turned on the overhead light. “Turn it off.” She slid past him, brushed up against him, and purred the words.
He did as he was bid and cut the switch he’d just flicked on. He could see her in the shadows of his room. The drapes cut out most of the lingering evening light. He kicked off his boots as he watched her remove her clothes. There was no hesitation in her moves, thank God. He wanted her desperately, but there was no way he’d take events past what she could handle. He didn’t know what was done to her in that damn pit, but he’d seen the aftermath.
Shae shimmied out of her jeans as he pulled off his. He left his boxers on, giving them a small layer and another conscious act of permission for Shae. She extended her hand. “Trust me to know what I want.”
He slid his fingers over hers and let her lead him to the bed. He waited for her to lie down on the center of the bed and carefully positioned himself on his hands and knees above her, taking in the glow of her exposed body. “My God, you are beautiful.”
“I’m not. Too many scars, too many battles.” She pushed her hand through his hair as she spoke.
He shook his head but held eye contact. “Don’t you understand? The scars, the battles, the things you don’t want me to see and cover with the dark? I’ll never be able to see them. I only see the beauty inside you, the strength and strong will that pulled you out of a hell you didn’t deserve. To me, you are beautiful for reasons that have nothing to do with the perfection of your skin.”
“What did I do to deserve you?” Tears glistened in her eyes as she trailed her fingers across his cheek. He captured her hand and kissed her palm, then trailed kisses to her wrist, down her arm, and to her shoulder. He didn’t care what cosmic collision occurred to push them into each other’s orbit, he was caught in her gravitational pull. She was impossible to resist.
He mapped her body with his lips, trailed the small ridges of scars with his fingers before he worshipped them with kisses. This night was about Shae, about showing her that she was beautiful and that he was the lucky one.
He mouthed the swell of her breast and clamped around the tight nub. Shae arched under him and grabbed two handfuls of hair, keeping him from moving. He smiled against her skin and doubled his efforts. His body ached to be inside hers, but there wasn’t anything that would keep him from making their first time perfect.
He trailed a hand down her side to her hip. He followed the juncture and found her core. She was hot and wet, slick with desire. He groaned as his fingers slid through her folds, finding the hardened knot at the apex of her cleft. He smoothed his thumb over it and applied pressure as he moved it back and forth. Shae arched and gasped his name. Oh fuck, that was something he wanted to hear again and again. He teased her breast, one then the other, while stimulating her with his fingers. She grabbed at his shoulders and then his chin, bringing him away from her swollen nipples. “I want you inside me. Don’t make me beg.”
He lifted up and put all his weight on his elbows. Her eyes were burning with desire. He knew his reflected the same need, but he had to check one last time. Panting and his cock screaming in revolt, he asked, “Are you sure?”
Shae grabbed him and stared at him. “Fuck me.”
He shook his head. “Never, but I’ll make love to you.”
A smile spread across her face. “Then do that.”
"Do I need a condom?"
"No, I've taken care of that."
He lifted her leg and centered himself to push in. If it was physically possible, his eyes had to have rolled back in his head when he entered her, but since he was staring at her the entire time, he doubted if the feat actually happened. Still, her heat encased him like their two bodies were tailor-made for each other. He dropped his head to her shoulder when he finally filled her. “Dear God, so good. I’m not going to last long.”
“I’m so close.” Shae panted the words under him. He nodded against her shoulder and swiveled his hips, grinding into her clit. Shae mewled her pleasure under him so as he seated deep in her again, he rotated his hips and withdrew. Lifting above her, he cupped her head with his hands and found a rhythm that catapulted both of them toward ecstasy. Shae shattered first; her fingernails dug into his skin as her body seized around him. The sensation swallowed him whole. No longer could he recognize anything other than pure pleasure. Carnality, sensuality, and an undeniable thrill careened through him as he lost himself inside her. He managed to stay on his elbows long enough to recover his vision and drop beside her instead of on top of her.
“Wow.” Shae panted the word between labored pulls of air.
“Yeah.” He agreed with one word because fuck, what they’d just done was so far out of the ballpark from any other hookup he’d had. Only this wasn’t a hookup, was it? This was something more. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer to him.
She rolled onto her side and tipped her head. He glanced down at her and smiled at the expression on her face. A cross between cat-meets-cream and exhaustion. Her brows scrunched together. Well, that expression shouldn’t be anywhere within a 30-mile radius based on the existential experience they’d just had. “What?”
“I… well…” She looked at him and narrowed her eyes even further. “I’m not sure what I should do now. Usually, this is where I get my clothes on and leave.”
His eyebrows lifted in understanding. “Well, in full disclosure, I’m not on any firmer ground.”
“No long-term relationships for you?” She lifted on her elbow and stared down at him.
“Yes and no. There were a couple ladies while I was in the military, but with deployments and overseas tours, they didn’t last. Then, when I was working with Lori, the job took priority. If I felt the need, I’d go out.” He shrugged. She’d get the inference that he’d pick up someone to get laid. He wasn’t proud of it, but he wasn’t going to deny it either. “I take it you haven’t had a long relationship either?”
Shae’s eyes went wide and she blew a puff of air making her cheeks pop out. “Not even one lasting a couple months. There were a few men who I’d visit when I was in their area, but I was married to my career, which has recently divorced me, so like I said… I’m not sure what to do now.”
“Well, I guess the question is what do you want to do?” He reached up and pushed her hair behind her ear so he could see her face better.
She cocked her head at him. “I want to stay here at the ranch. I want to see what happens between us, but I have no resources. I have a small nest egg. I guess I need to ask Mr. Marshall if he’d rent the cottage to me and how much rent will be.”
He shook his head and laughed. Frank would be offended. Frank Marshall was all about taking care of people, but he could see where Shae was coming from. She didn’t want to be a burden and was obviously used to making her own way in life. “He probably won’t take a cent.”
“Then I need to get a job. A visa first, then a job. How do I apply for a visa? I’ve never done that. The Mossad always took care of the process. What kind of jobs are around here?” She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and worried it as she focused over his shoulder. “I don’t know what I’d do though. I can’t see much need for an ex-Mossad operative around here.”
“Come here.” He tugged her down on top of his chest. “You don’t have to worry about anything tonight.”
“I think we both need to worry. You’ve attached yourself to a woman who is damaged, is probably in the country illegally, has no way to support herself, and from what you’ve told me, people want to kill you for what you know.”
John ran his hand through her hair. “I didn’t lie, Shae, I am a wanted man, although I’m only guilty of doing my job. I didn’t tell you specifics, but you’re damn smart, you can get the inference. I can’t leave the ranch. Ever. This is my life. My destiny. All my cards are on the table.”
Shae closed her eyes. “We both got a bad deal.”
“But we know what cards we’re working with.”
She opened her eyes again and stared into his. “A level playing field.”
“A dangerous playing field,” he added.
“I don’t know any other kind of game.” She closed her eyes and fell asleep wondering if life ever got easier.
John’s hands moving across her skin woke her sometime during the night. Shae ignited at the dance of their touches and the warmth of John’s embrace. His fingers trailing down her back and past her hip left spires of electricity, white-hot and burning through her sexual need. She rotated her hips and was rewarded with the feel of his sizable shaft, hard and hot beneath her core. She shifted her attention from his mouth to his neck. His hands cupped the sides of her breasts as she pressed against his chest. His thumbs pressed through their connection and found the hard buds of her nipples and stimulated them with an almost-too-slow sweep. She ground down on top of him as she lifted up. Reaching behind herself, she lifted his cock under her. John’s hands found her hips as she lifted and balanced her weight on her knees. As she lowered, she closed her eyes and reveled in the warm pressure entering her. She lifted and lowered, sinking lower each time. When she finally consumed him, they were both panting. She leaned forward and braced herself on his shoulders. With a twist of her hips, she lowered and then lifted. Her pace quickened by a compulsion of her need and want. The glorious fullness at the bottom of the drop was magnified when she moved faster. And faster. Dear God, the jolt of his cock buried deep in her was glorious. The fullness ignited sparks that illuminated the darkness behind her eyelids. She wanted more—no, she needed more.
Her world rolled and John was on top of her. She grabbed the bedding and hung on as he gave her what she needed. His hips set up a quick, deep penetration. Her body became a bowstring pulled back and ready to catapult forward. John shifted slightly; his angle allowed him that perfect reach. Every muscle in her body tightened and then detonated in a flood of electric, pulsing sensation. She felt him drop to his elbows and wrapped her arms around him, holding him while he chased his release. The intimacy of the moment surpassed anything she’d ever known. She held the man who in no small part was responsible for her being here today. The rescue, the friendship, the trust that built into the relationship they were starting… John was the single common denominator in all of the major events in her life since she’d been found in that pit. She slammed her eyelids shut. No, those memories weren’t welcome here between them. Never.
John dropped to his side and pulled her with him, still warm inside her.
Shae mindlessly ran her fingers through the hair on his chest. “John?”
“Hmmm?” His sleepy response put a smile on her face.
“Thank you.”
He pulled away and opened one eye. “For what exactly? Putting you in danger?”
“For asking me to take your hand.”
He smiled and kissed her nose before resuming their previous position. “Thank you for taking the risk of trusting me.”
She smiled and closed her eyes. There was no one she trusted more.
Chapter 17
“What do you mean?” Shae stared at Jared King. The man shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. Her stare went to John and then back to Jared. “Is this legitimate?”
“Yes. We contacted the Mossad as a courtesy to inform them we were going to extend you a job opportunity, one that wouldn’t require you to be in the field. Two hours later, we received that email.” Jared nodded to the email in her hand.
Shae read the email again. “They want me back.” But not in any position of responsibility. It was a way for the agency to save face. Having Guardian offer her employment after they’d determined she was finished was egg on the Mossad’s corporate face, so to speak. “I believe this offer isn’t one they would give if you had not mentioned you were going to offer me a job.” She glanced from the email and lifted an eyebrow.
“I one hundred percent agree. I was asked to offer you a position.” Jared stretched his long, jean-clad legs out.
“Within Guardian? Where would I be working and in what capacity?”
“This complex was originally conceived as a rehab facility for wounded operatives. It has since morphed into a well-organized mishmash of entities. Mike White Cloud is in charge of the entire operation and he has put in a request for an assistant. His wife, Taty, works linguistics in the training facility and she has no desire to move laterally, and quite frankly, we like where she’s at, so there is an opening and we always try to promote from within.”
“I’m not one of you.” She ping-ponged her eyes from Jared to John and back again. This opportunity was too good to be true, especially since she’d just vented her concerns to John last night. Not even twenty-four hours later, one of the Kings of Guardian was sitting in her little cottage and offering her a position that would allow her to stay here in South Dakota.
“Technically, you still are. Jason asked that I offer you the position prior to processing your resignation.”
“But what about my clearance?”
“We’ve vetted you and matriculated the Mossad’s clearance pending our own agency’s investigation. We are only a few steps away from providing the documentation to the Office of Personnel Management. They usually fast track our candidates. You should be ready to work in full capacity in a month or less.” Jared took another sip of his coffee.
She turned her gaze to John. He shrugged. “It gives you financial stability and a purpose other than spoiling Velvet.”
She nodded and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. A thought popped into her head. “Where would I stay?”
“Well, there are a few options. There is a series of rooms that we utilize for the rehab patients when they don’t need to be hospitalized but still need care. You can stay there as part of your compensation package. Rent-free. There are very few rentals in Hollister. Most of the rest of the staff has taken what there is, but Frank wants you to stay in the cottage.”
“He does?”
Jared nodded. “He’d rather have someone in it than let it sit fallow, his words, not mine.”
“I’d have to pay rent.” She wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Jared cleared his throat. “Then he’s going to pay you for the time you spend working with Velvet.”
“What?”
She sent a furtive glance at John, who shook his head and held up his hands in surrender. “That was not my doing.”
“That’s Frank. He’s going to get what he wants. I’ve learned just to let him have his way. And I will deny it if you tell him this, but his way is usually right. Okay, always right, but again, I didn’t say that,” Jared chuckled and downed the remainder of his coffee. “Sleep on it. Talk it over and let us know by the end of this week.”
She stood when Jared did. “I don’t need to think about it. If this Mike thinks I’m qualified as his assistant, I’ll take th
e position.”
“And the cottage?” Jared cocked his head and smiled at her.
Shae rolled her eyes but couldn’t prevent the huge smile on her face. “Yes, and the cottage. I’ll thank Mr. Marshall for that the next time I see him.”
“Good. I’ll put a push on the clearance issue with OPM. Glad to have you on board with us.”
“Thank you.” She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, thankful that Jared didn’t offer to shake her hand. She was growing stronger but still had issues from the hours she spent in the pit.
She stood beside John as they watched Jared walk up to the Marshall ranch house. “You had nothing to do with this?”
“I swear on my sister’s grave. The organization and that family are the absolute best. They take care of their people and if they’ve claimed you as part of the family, you’re lucky.” John put his arm over her shoulder. “Looks like you’re going to be staying.”
She turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “How do you feel about that?”
He bent down and kissed her lips softly. “How about I take you inside and show you just how happy I am with your new job?”
A roll of electricity tumbled through her just under her skin. “Oh, yes, please do.”
The session with the forensic artist was taxing and Shae was exhausted. The woman had appeared this morning without any warning. John was out replacing fencing with the other hands, so she’d worked with the lady alone. For three hours they refined the drawing until the woman she remembered stared back at her.
She needed her time with Velvet and came down to the barn early. She was careful and knew how to handle the colt, so John wouldn’t be upset with her coming down. Velvet was her stress relief.
John (Guardian Defenders Book 3) Page 13
