Riding Shotgun (Mercenaries 3)

by Anne Kane

  Damn. Where had her sense of propriety gone? It would be obvious to everyone why they’d disappeared. Then again, who cared? What she wanted right now was to feel that long stiff shaft of his buried deep inside her. It had been too long since she’d let herself relax enough to enjoy a rousing good time with a man.

  Shotgun managed to put her down on her feet without giving up possession of her mouth. He yanked down the tailgate of the truck and reached in to drag a blanket across the bare metal. Hopping up onto the blanket, he pulled her down onto his lap.

  Damn. This was insane. She hadn’t had sex on the tailgate of a truck since, well, never. Just the thought was a turn-on, as if they were a couple of teenagers too horny to find a better place.

  As if he could read her mind, Shotgun relinquished her lips, his voice harsh with repressed desire. “We could go find a motel or something?”

  Kalie shook her head. Hell, she grew up in a laboratory. Why bother to get prissy now, especially since her hormones seemed to be in overdrive around this guy? She needed to get him out of her system. Reaching down, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

  Shotgun let out a low whistle. “Don’t play around, do you, little girl?” Raising his hands, he cupped her naked breasts, kneading them softly before sucking one tightly pebbled tip into his mouth.

  “I’m not a little girl.” Kalie stated the obvious, closing her eyes as she savored the feeling of Shotgun’s mouth on her skin. Her gut did a long slow glide down into the depths of desire. She leaned into him, instinctively seeking the shelter of his strong arms. He was so large, so solid. Just for once it was nice to let her guard down and not worry about getting caught.

  He took his time, worshipping her breasts with his lips and tongue, swirling a path around the sensitive tips. He grazed his teeth across the nipple, then licked the pain away. Running one hand possessively down her back, he held her prisoner to his demanding mouth.

  She could feel the thick length of his cock through the material of her jeans, and an imp of mischief made her wriggle her bottom. Shotgun rewarded her by sliding his hand down to give her a sharp slap on the ass. She let out a yelp of protest, more on principal than because it actually hurt. Truth be told, it felt kind of good.

  “Damn, you taste good, little girl.” He caressed her ass through the denim for a moment before bringing his hand around the front to fumble with the fastenings at her waist. Impatient to feel his naked skin against her, Kalie brushed his hand away and undid it herself. Sliding off his lap, she quickly shimmied her legs free and tossed the jeans into the back of the truck.

  Shotgun stood and managed to divest himself of his remaining clothes in record time before pulling her back to him. “You’re right. You’re not a little girl, now are you?” Scooping her into his arms with restrained eagerness, he laid her down on the blanket and followed her into the bed of the truck. Propping himself up on one elbow, he used his mouth and hands to explore her body with a fierce thoroughness that took her breath away. He looked so rough and yet his hands were infinitely tender as he parted her thighs and lowered his head to nibble at the soft skin of her inner thighs.

  His warm breath feathered across the soft folds of skin guarding her sex, and she let out a little whimper. Wrapping her fingers in his hair, she arched her back, mutely offering herself to him. She wanted him. Needed him. Wanted to feel the thick length of him plundering her moist channel. Needed to feel him inside her.

  “Damn you to hell. Fuck me. Now.” She gasped the words out as darts of liquid pleasure raced across the surface of her skin.

  He raised his head, his dark eyes fixing on hers as a slow, knowing smile curved the corners of his lips. He didn’t acknowledge her outburst, didn’t reply. Bringing his hand to his mouth, he kept his gaze locked on her as he slowly licked one long finger and then inserted it deep inside her.

  Kalie let out a strangled whimper as his thumb brushed across the tiny bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs while his finger sent curls of lust dancing through every nerve ending.

  He inserted a second finger and began to pump them in and out, his gaze never leaving her face. “Come on, little Kalie. Show me how hot you are. I want to feel you come apart in my hand.”

  Kalie closed her eyes and gave herself up to the desire swirling through her. It had been so long, so very, very long since she’d allowed herself to abandon all caution and enjoy the needs of her body. Her inner muscles started to spasm, grasping at the fingers and trying to draw them deeper inside. A wave of intense pleasure rolled through her, building itself into the perfect storm that raised her up to the stars and threw her over the edge. She let out an inarticulate scream, her hands opening and closing convulsively as pleasure rolled through her in consecutive waves.

  When she was able to take a breath, she opened her eyes to find Shotgun staring down at her, his dark eyes glittering with desire. A wickedly lustful smile lit his eyes, and he circled his cock with one hand, slowly stroking the length.

  “So. You’re not a little girl after all.” The smile widened, and Kalie felt the moisture begin to gather inside her in reaction to the lust she saw there. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride Shotgun? I promise you’ll enjoy the ride.”

  Kalie blinked as his meaning sunk into her lust-befuddled brain. He rolled over on his back, his muscular legs splayed wide as he slowly stroked his hand down the length of his massive cock.

  Oh yeah. She wanted to ride Shotgun.

  Rolling over, she got to her knees and straddled the big mercenary’s hips. A glistening bead of pre-cum decorated the head of his cock. She reached out with one finger and touched the tempting droplet, bringing it to her lips.

  Shotgun’s eyes were glued to her face as she slowly licked the single drop from her finger. The feeling of power that washed over her as he let out a long groan was heady. He might be bigger and stronger and faster than her, but right now she held his very being in her power.

  Rising to her knees, she guided the tip of his cock to the wet entrance of her sex. With infinite slowness she sank down, impaling herself on the thick shaft. She savored every inch as he invaded her channel, stretching her impossibly wider and scraping along nerves that hadn’t quite recovered from the assault of his fingers.

  She gave herself over to the moment, throwing her head back as his cock penetrated her body. He speared her with agonizing slowness, deeper and deeper, in a long slow slide until her buttocks rested against his balls. The heat from his body rose, inciting a desire deep within her, and she began to ride him. She set the rhythm slow at first, but soon the desire was more than she could handle. She began to move faster, sliding up and down, his cock slipping in and out of her slick sex. The friction caused a million tiny nerve endings to ignite in flames that roared through her entire body.

  She whimpered and circled her hips, wanting to feel every inch of him, to make sure she didn’t miss anything as the familiar heat began to surge up within her. She gave herself up to him then, his hips thrusting up into her, his heat rising to envelope her in flames as another orgasm began to build, taking away everything but the feeling between them.

  Shotgun grasped her hips, holding her still as he plunged up into her, his face contorted in pleasure. “Hang on, darling, I’m coming.” He thrust upward one last time, and she felt his cock jerk as his hot seed spilled into her.

  The heat of his release triggered her own orgasm, and she gasped for breath as it rocked through her with the force of a volcanic eruption, sending waves of hot pleasure roaring through her. She collapsed on top of him, his cock still buried deep inside her.

  He caged her in his arms, holding her tight as tiny aftershocks rippled through them both. She felt safe lying there, totally naked in his arms, and if she thought about it the fact might scare her. So, she decided not to think about it. For one glorious segment of time, she was just going to lie here with her head on the shoulder of the sexiest male she’d ever set eyes on.
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  Later, she’d let reality drift back in. Later.

  * * *

  Kalie gripped the steering wheel tightly in both hands and let her senses flare out. There it was again, that tiny quiver in the engine’s rhythm that signalled a problem. The pressure in the cylinders wasn’t holding steady. Every so often, it wavered just enough to interfere with the car’s performance.

  Damn! It felt like the head gasket was dissolving but that just wasn’t possible. She’d replaced it less than a month ago, and even under race conditions it should be good for years. What the hell?

  These glitches had been occurring with greater frequency lately, and it worried her. She “felt” the weakened area, mentally crossing her fingers. It had been fine before the race started, so with a bit of luck and some careful driving she should be able to finish the race without incident. That meant not going full out in the last few minutes to leave her competition in the dust.

  She glanced in her rearview mirror. The kid in the black car had been pushing her hard for the past few miles. She’d intended to use the last straight to leave him choking in her dust, but the weakened gasket made that a bad plan. If she revved the engine too high, it might just blow.

  If she kept to the inside on the next corner, she should be able to stay in the lead without risking the engine. She took a deep breath, and concentrated on the road.

  The kid took the corner wide, losing ground but he was good. He got the car under control, and she could see him looming in her mirror. The finish line came in sight, and she calculated her odds. She didn’t need a spectacular win. She just needed to come in ahead of the black car.

  The vibration in the engine escalated. Shit. She eased back on the throttle a hair, keeping one eye on her competitor. The buildings on both sides of the improvised track flashed by in a blur. She could make it. She knew she could. She gritted her teeth. One mile to go.

  It seemed like an eternity. She could see the black car inching up on her left side. She roared over the finish line with less than a half-car lead. Way too tight for comfort.

  Easing up on the throttle, she feathered her brakes and made a wide loop to bring the car into the parking lot. When it finally shuddered to a halt, she let out the breath she’d been holding and slumped against the steering wheel. That had been way too close for comfort. She’d been the odds-on favorite in this race, and it should have been a walk in the park. She didn’t like close finishes, and she didn’t like surprises when it came to her car.

  “You cheating bitch, get out of that car.”

  Kalie jumped as the driver from the black car banged both fists down on her side window, his face contorted with rage. What the hell was going on? First the car started having problems when it shouldn’t, and now this? The last thing she wanted to deal with right now was a kid throwing a temper tantrum because he’d lost.

  It got weirder. Shotgun materialized behind the kid, grasping his arms behind him. “I think you need to calm down, feller.”

  Shotgun? What was he doing here? And how had he known where to find her? She sure as hell hadn’t told him about the race. After their little tryst, she hadn’t expected to see him again. Did life ever get any easier? She released the door hatch and clambered out of her car, eyeing the kid with contempt. Sore losers didn’t get far in this business. “You lost. Get over it.”

  Shotgun looked every bit as good as she remembered, and for some reason that pissed her off. She’d convinced herself that last night’s little dalliance had been a combination of hormones and poor judgment. Apparently not, or else her hormones and judgment issues weren’t ready to say goodbye to him yet.

  “I was supposed to win. They told me it was a set deal,” the kid snarled at her, while twisting helplessly in Shotgun’s grasp.

  “A set deal?” She stopped, turning her full attention on him. “They said I was going to throw the race? I never throw a race. Who told you that?”

  The kid stilled, his eyes going wide. Seemed he’d just realized he’d made a tactical error. “No one. It was no one. It’s just you’re a girl. Who can’t beat a girl?” His voice rose to an ear-shattering wail. “They’re never going to let me on the circuit again.”

  Kalie looked at Shotgun and gave a slight shake of her head. “Let him go. If he’s stupid enough to think he was going to win just because he’s got a dick, he’s not worth talking to. And if he believed I’d throw the race, he’s even stupider.”

  Shotgun smiled, and there was absolutely no warmth in it. “The lady said to let you go so I will. I understand that she needs to be respected. If I ever, ever see you anywhere near her again, it’s going to take more doctors than you can find in this city to put you back together again. Are we clear on that?”

  “Yeah.” The kid nodded vigorously, keeping his eyes focused on the pavement. “I didn’t mean nothing by it. Just upset because I lost, you know?”

  “No. I don’t. Now get your sorry ass out of my sight.” Shotgun shoved the kid aside hard, not paying any attention as the hapless driver landed on his hands and knees. He scrambled to his feet and took off into the shadows at the corner of the lot.

  Shotgun’s smile was decidedly warmer as he reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Kalie’s ear. “Nice driving. Want to go out for a celebratory drink?”

  She looked down at her car. “Sounds like a hell of an idea. Just let me go collect my winnings.”

  He reached out and pulled her toward him, lowering his head to ghost an achingly sweet kiss across her lips. “I’ll wait right here.”

  That was a kiss? She pulled his head down and fastened her lips on his, devouring his mouth with all of the frustration that had been building since these incidents with the car had begun three months ago. When she let him go, the dazed look on his face gave her a fleeting moment of satisfaction. Maybe he’d stop referring to her as a little girl now!

  Chapter Three

  Shotgun lounged against the wall of the garage as Kalie slid out from beneath her car and stood up, a wrench dangling loosely from one hand. She probably had no idea how adorable she looked with a smear of grease across one cheek. She looked surprised to see him.

  “Did you want something?” The distantly polite note in her voice was a far cry from the passionate screams he’d managed to elicit from her the other night. This girl played major hard to get. She’d jump into his arms willingly enough when she wanted some action, but getting her to open up about herself, to let him inside her head, now that was a whole different matter.

  “Just thought I’d hang around a bit, watch you work on the car.” If you’d asked him last week if he believed in love at first sight, he would have laughed. Maybe that romantic bullshit was okay for Sarge or Jackson. Sure. They’d both fallen fast and hard for their gals. But he was different. Hardnosed. Pragmatic.

  He’d seen too much, done too much. He wasn’t the kind of guy a woman would want to keep in her life. He knew that and he was okay with it. The women he occasionally took to bed knew the score. He was just scratching an itch. Nothing permanent about it.

  Then came Kalie. The first time he’d touched her, holding her down on the ground while he disarmed her, he’d felt a curious shifting in his chest. She was different. Together, they were different. He’d known she was telling the truth long before he marched her down that cliff, because he couldn’t possibly feel this way about a woman who wasn’t one of the good ones.

  Yeah, he was falling in love with her. And that was okay. She needed him. Needed him to look after her. Even if she didn’t realize it yet.

  She cocked her head, a frown marring the perfection of her forehead. “Why?”

  He smiled, letting her see the gentler side of him. Hiding the side that wanted to rip her clothes off and bury himself deep inside her again and again, until he was finally sated. Only he’d never be sated, never have enough of her. “Because a woman with a wrench just turns me on, little girl.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “I thought we established that
I’m not a little girl.”

  He grinned. She wasn’t about to let him get away with anything. “Oh yeah. We did that, but maybe I need a reminder?”

  She stared at him for one long moment, and he held his breath. Then she laughed, the sound musical in the grimy garage. “Nice try but I have work to do. The left cylinder head gasket is going on this pile of crap, and replacing it is not fun. Especially considering I already replaced it less than a month ago.”

  It was his turn to frown. “I’m no grease monkey, but aren’t those things supposed to last longer than that? Like years longer?”

  She nodded grimly, the humor gone as quickly as it had arrived. “Yeah. They are. Something strange is going on here, and I don’t like it. This isn’t the first perfectly good part to fail at a critical time.”

  “A critical time? What do you mean?”

  She sighed. “It started to give way during the race yesterday. That’s why I laid off at the end and let that kid get so close to me. If I’d opened the car up full in the home stretch, the engine would have blown sky high.”

  They said it was a done deal. The kid’s words echoed in Shotgun’s mind. Suddenly the identity of the people who’d told the kid that took on a whole new importance. “Who has access to your car? Who would have been able to sabotage it?”

  Kalie shook her head. “No one. I work on it myself, and the only person who gets remotely near it is the guy who fuels me up before the race. He’s just a kid, and I’m not sure he could identify the parts of the engine, let alone sabotage them.”

  “What else has been going wrong lately? You mentioned this was just the last in a series of incidents.”

  She shrugged. “Other parts’ failures. Tires shredding their steel belts. Bits of metal snapping when they shouldn’t. Anyone else would just call it a run of bad luck…” She squirmed uncomfortably.

  “But?”

  “But I know better. When I put my hands on the car, I can feel it working. I would know if there’s a problem. Like Saralyn can read the computers by touch, I have an affinity for machines. I should be able to tell if there is a problem and my car should never, ever have issues during a race. Ask anyone. My rep is built on what they think is my amazing luck with the cars.”