by Kaylea Cross
He caught up with her a second later and reached for her but she shook her head again and refused to look at him, barely hanging on. If she looked into his face now, if he touched her, she wasn’t sure what she’d do. Crumble to pieces right here in the hallway, clinging and crying. Or maybe scream and start throwing punches.
“What do you need?” he asked her quietly, and the concern in his voice almost broke her.
You could ditch him here and disappear for a while. Ditch them all and not come back until you’re ready.
As soon as the thought formed she dismissed it. Her instinct was to disappear and hole up by herself so she could think and get a grip on her emotions.
Except she didn’t want to be completely alone right now. She wanted to be with Tyler.
“I need to get to the townhouse,” she managed, striding for the security doors at the far end.
Tyler caught her hand, squeezed in reassurance as the guards opened the doors for them. “Car’s right out front,” he said, and led her through the exterior doors into the hot summer sunshine that could never penetrate the chill inside her.
Chapter Fifteen
Seeing that lost, wounded look in Megan’s eyes fucking killed him.
Ty kept his mouth shut as their hired driver took them to the townhouse Marcus owned, his mind busy dissecting everything he’d heard in the interrogation room.
It made him think of his own sister. How it had torn him and his parents up when they’d lost her, but at least they’d had all those years with her before that. To know that Megan had been so young when she’d been put into foster care and then ripped away from the only person and source of comfort she had left made him both sick and want to hunt the bastards responsible down.
She was quiet, staring out her window as they wound their way through the late morning traffic. She hadn’t said a word in almost twenty minutes since leaving the facility. Now they were in the upscale Chelsea neighborhood on the north side of the river, passing ultra-expensive townhomes made of brick and white plaster lined with glossy-leafed magnolia and cherry trees.
Needing to touch her, Ty reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. When she glanced over at him in surprise, then gave in and leaned her head on his shoulder, pain ripped at his heart. He kissed the top of her head, wanting to do so much more than just hug her. Wishing he could somehow make her hurt less.
The driver double-parked in front of a row of white, Georgian-period townhomes that looked like something out of a movie set. They were made of aged brick and white plaster, all meticulously kept.
Ty had no idea how Marcus had the kind of money to afford this and the manor in the Cotswolds. For certain he hadn’t paid for them with his SAS salary, even if he’d managed to put away most of his earnings over the years.
He followed Megan up the front steps and inside the five-story townhome. She disarmed the security system, drew her pistol and started to do a sweep.
Okay, then. Either she wasn’t as emotionally wrecked as he’d thought, or she was operating on autopilot.
Without a word, he took the right side of the townhouse while she took the left, then they checked the remaining floors together. “Clear,” he said after checking what must be the guest room on the top floor.
She holstered her weapon as she came out of the other suite, her hazel eyes dull with fatigue. “I’m pretty bagged. Gonna take a shower and then crash.”
“Do you want company?” He wasn’t sure if she wanted to be alone.
“No, I… No. I need some time to myself right now.”
He hid his disappointment, understanding why she’d want that. She had a lot to process. “Okay. Can I take this one?” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder to point at the guest room.
She hesitated a moment before responding, watching him. “Of course.” She backed into the other doorway, gave him a stiff smile. “See you in a while.”
“Sleep well.” He stared at her closed door for a few seconds before going into the guest suite, fighting the urge to barge into Megan’s room and drag her into his arms. If she wanted privacy and space he had to give them to her, no matter how much he hated it.
He glanced around him. Everything in this place was immaculate and elegantly finished. The large, walk-in shower had four different spray nozzles and a rain head in the center.
He stripped and stood under the flow of hot water until the ache in his neck and shoulder muscles began to ease, then got out, dried off and pulled on fresh clothes from his backpack.
Megan’s door was still closed when he peeked out into the hall. Too wired to sleep, he wandered downstairs to the kitchen. It was bright and airy, with top-of-the-line appliances.
The whole place was incredible, but it had an impersonal feel to it, almost like a hotel. There were no personal touches, no photos or anything else that suggested Marcus even owned the place. Although, maybe he never came here.
He must have alerted someone that they were coming, though, because when Ty opened the fridge he found it stocked full with all kinds of fresh groceries. So he busied himself making a sandwich and then looked up ramen places on his phone, intending to either pick it up or have it delivered so it was here when Megan woke up.
He froze when she appeared around the corner wearing a white bathrobe that cinched around the waist, her freshly washed hair hanging loose around her shoulders. She didn’t have a drop of makeup on and there were dark circles beneath her eyes, but one look at her was still like a punch to the chest. “Hey. Feeling any better?”
Rather than respond she skirted the marble-topped island and walked toward him, her gaze locked on his. Ty’s heart kicked into overdrive, his mouth going dry. She looked…intent. Hungry, even, and he prayed it wasn’t for food.
She stopped directly in front of him, her pretty hazel eyes on his. In that moment he was afraid to touch her, because if he did, he wasn’t sure he could hold back.
“I don’t get…involved with guys,” she said quietly. “And obviously never when I’m on a job. But you make it so damn hard to stay away.” She raised her chin while his heart tried to pound its way out of his chest. Was she really saying what he thought she was? “So even if this is all we can have, I still want you—”
Ty plunged his hands into her hair and crushed his mouth to hers, cutting off whatever else she’d been about to say. She’d said enough—more than he’d dared hope for, and he was done holding back.
She opened for him instantly, making them both groan, and wound her arms around his neck. There was no tentativeness in her, and no teasing from him this time. Only need and hunger and the desire to give her more pleasure than she’d ever had with anyone else.
Ty had to be different than any guy she’d been with. He wanted to stake his claim and imprint himself in her so deeply that she’d never be able to forget him. So that when this mission was over, she wouldn’t want to walk away.
Megan pressed her body to his, the feel of her firm curves setting him on fire. There was so much of her he wanted to see and touch and kiss. So many things he wanted to do to her.
He locked an arm across her shoulders and walked her backward until she came up against the wall, then pressed his hips and aching erection into her as he reached for the belt on her robe. Their tongues stroked and caressed while he undid the belt and let the two halves of the robe spread apart.
Lifting his head, he stared into her eyes for a heartbeat before easing back to look down her body. The robe had fallen open all the way to her hips, the folds of fabric trapped between their pelvises and covering all but an alluring line down the center of her body.
Ty took a step back, his gaze drinking up the sight of her as the fabric fell down her legs. He pushed the halves aside, his heart pounding when her naked breasts finally came into view. Small and round with tight, coral-pink nipples that begged for his mouth. Sleek lines defined her abs, her body toned and supple—both a weapon and a tool for the role she’d been trained for.
; He dragged his eyes back up to hers and leaned in to nip at her lower lip, then plunging his tongue inside for one last taste before kissing his way down her neck. He paused when he found a sensitive spot that made her gasp and cupped her breasts, gliding his thumbs over the taut peaks.
Megan shivered in his hold. She squirmed, all restless energy and sank both hands into his hair, urging his face lower.
Ty was only too happy to oblige.
He rubbed his face between her breasts gently, scraping his stubble over her soft, creamy skin. She smelled of soap and arousal, making his head spin.
He wouldn’t forget her scent, the sounds she made. But he wasn’t walking away without a fight. He would do whatever it took to keep her with him.
“Ty.”
Yes. His tongue traced the curve of one breast, then the other while his fingers closed around the hard nipples and twisted softly. Her mewl of pleasure sliced through him and he couldn’t wait a second longer. Grasping her upper ribcage, he licked his way to one nipple and sucked it into his mouth.
“Ty.” Her back arched, her hands moving impatiently over his shoulders, grabbing at the fabric of his shirt.
“Take it off me,” he rasped out, and kept sucking, his dick growing even harder when she peeled the material up and over his head.
The way she moved was such a turn-on. Small, restless squirms and wriggles that were both sinuous and impatient. So consistent with her personality, showing him how eager she was for more.
But Ty refused to be rushed. Not when he’d wanted her for so long. And more than any other woman.
He moved to the other nipple, sliding one hand down to grip the curve of her hip. Christ she felt good, firm yet supple.
He rolled his tongue across the captive flesh and slipped his free hand down to her thighs, brushing his fingertips down the silky soft inside to her knee, then back up. She widened her stance, giving him more room, her breathing unsteady as her hands flexed into his shoulders.
Ty eased his hand higher and cupped her, groaning at the feel of that silky heat against his palm. He pressed gently, rubbed the heel of his hand at the top of her folds while he teased her nipple.
She gasped and pushed at his head. “More,” she whispered.
Hell, yes. Everything.
He sank to his knees in front of her, rubbing his face down the center of her body until his chin rested against the strip of hair between her thighs. His hands squeezed her hips as he drew in her clean, soapy scent, underlaid with the wild scent of her arousal.
Dying to taste her, he leaned forward and nuzzled her with his lips. Touched the tip of his tongue to the top of her flushed folds.
Megan hissed in a breath and tangled her fingers in his hair, pushing her hips against his mouth. He eased his tongue deeper. Flattened it and gave her a long, slow lick from bottom to top, pausing directly over the swollen bud of her clit.
“Oh, God, don’t tease,” she whispered, the muscles in her thighs tensing.
He loved the desperate, breathless edge to her voice. He would never get tired of knowing she needed him.
Ty closed his eyes and gave her what she needed. Licking and caressing. Worshipping her with his tongue. Making sure he focused on the exact spot that sent her up on her toes with a strangled whimper, her fingers clenching around his hair until his scalp burned.
The slight sting combined with the taste of her and the husky edge to her voice made him so hard he ached. He stayed on his knees as he drove her closer and closer to the edge, then shifted his grip to sink one finger into her soft, slick heat.
The broken moan she made was the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. She trembled, her fingers clenching in his hair. He stroked her inside and out, letting her pleasure build, savoring the sounds he pulled from her, the impatient rocking of her hips while she rubbed against his tongue.
“Oh, that’s so good,” she groaned, quivering now.
“Want to hear you,” he murmured, licking and caressing, adding a second finger inside her. “Gonna make you come.” He needed this. To satisfy her this way before they did anything else.
She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, soft, husky moans spilling from her parted lips. Her body squeezed around his fingers, signaling she was getting close.
He slowed his tongue, finding the sweet spot inside her with his fingers. Megan mewled and bowed against his mouth, a shudder rolling through her as she started to come.
Triumph surged through him. His. In that moment she was completely his. Surrendering to him, letting her protective walls down.
When she’d settled and relaxed against the wall he kissed her open folds one last time and eased his hand from between her thighs. Then he kissed his way up the center of her body, chuckled when she grabbed his arms to pull him up to her mouth.
He met it gladly, turned on even more by the way she didn’t shy away from her own taste. Her hands roved over his naked chest, down his stomach to the top of his jeans.
He was throbbing, so hard he hurt. He didn’t even feel it when she undid his jeans, too busy kissing her and dying for the feel of her hands on his aching flesh. He’d never felt this way about anyone. This level of need had a sharp, raw edge to it. She eclipsed everything.
She shoved the denim and cotton down his hips and he groaned into her mouth when her fingers curled around him at last. He flexed into her hand, hissed in a breath at the pleasure that ripped up his spine. But she pushed him back with a solid hand on his chest and went to her knees in front of him.
Ty caught his breath, barely had time to absorb the sight of her there with her hand wrapped around him before she lowered her head and traced her tongue around the sensitive head.
Air hissed between his clenched teeth. He caught a fistful of her silky brown hair and squeezed, his heart thudding against his ribs and his whole body drawn taut with anticipation.
She tipped her head back a bit, looking up at him through her lashes as she closed her lips around him. Slowly. As if she was enjoying it as much as him.
Pleasure rocketed through him. His entire body went taut. He bit back a raw groan and braced one hand against the wall, struggled to find his voice. “I want inside you,” he ground out, reaching for her shoulders.
No, he needed it. To connect with her completely, on a level of intimacy neither of them had before.
She shoved his jeans and underwear down his legs but pushed his reaching hands away as he kicked his jeans aside. Giving him one last, slow suck that made his lungs constrict, she stood and fused their mouths together.
With a low growl, Ty grabbed her around the hips and hoisted her off her feet, heading for the stairs. Her low, sexy laugh went straight to his head, then her legs wrapped tight around his waist, rubbing her open folds over the length of his pulsing cock.
Somehow he managed to get them upstairs, but by the time they reached the first bedroom he was convinced he would die if he didn’t get inside her in the next heartbeat. She laughed again when he tossed her onto her back on the bed, and her smile remained as he stretched out on top of her.
He shoved up onto his hands to look down at her, breathing hard. Shit. “I don’t have anything.”
“I do.” She twisted around and leaned over the edge of the bed, arching backward at an impossible angle.
Reaching for her discarded robe on the floor, she came up with a condom from the pocket. She gave him a sexy, confident smile and pulled herself up in an impressive display of core strength. “See? Told you I was super bendy.”
“Yes, you did.” And he was damn glad she’d wanted him enough to come downstairs prepared. Grinning, he caught her chin in his fingers and bent to capture that luscious mouth once more.
He got to work revving her back up again, searching out new places that made her gasp and moan, and spending lots of time on the spots he already knew she loved. When she was panting and quivering, slick and ready against his fingers, he allowed her to roll the condom onto him and settled between her open th
ighs.
Megan curled her lithe thighs around his hips, her eyes heavy-lidded with anticipation as he braced his weight on his forearms and slowly pushed inside her. Wet heat surrounded him. Her eyes closed, her head tipping back into the pillow.
God. Nothing had ever felt this good. He surged forward until he was buried inside her, dropped his face to her throat for a moment to let the sensation shudder through him.
Her arms came around his shoulders, her hands stroking his hair as she cradled him deep within her body. If he died right now, he would die happy.
She smelled so damn good. Felt even better. He couldn’t get enough of her. Couldn’t get close enough. Her skin was like satin under his mouth as he cruised up her neck to her jaw, her mouth. He twined his tongue with hers, came up on one elbow to ease his other hand between them and find her swollen clit.
She moaned into his mouth and arched her hips. Ty gave into the need ripping through him and started to move. Slow, smooth thrusts, his touch on her clit light and steady. She pulled her mouth from his and whispered his name, her arms and legs tightening around him as they began the climb together.
His breathing turned choppy, his heart thundering in his throat as he thrust faster, a little harder.
“Oh, yeah, like that,” she breathed, then pushed his caressing fingers aside and took over with her own.
Ty watched her face as she stroked herself, dying a little each time he thrust forward into her warmth. She clenched around him, her moans turning to whimpers, her face a study in ecstasy. Then she cried out and bucked as the orgasm hit, taking him with her.
He drove forward and stayed locked there, let the pleasure rocket him over the edge. By the time he could open his eyes again he was sagging over her, his arms weak. His heart squeezed when she drew him down into her embrace and just held him, his face buried in her hair spread across the pillow.
He barely had the presence of mind a minute later to shift up and withdraw to deal with the condom, then wrapped her up in his arms and rolled them onto their sides, her cheek resting on his shoulder. A profound sense of contentment spread through him as they held each other.
