by Tess Oliver
The only thing I’d heard was a shocked female gasp and a chair scraping the ground. A stunned silence followed. I hadn’t seen him grab the guy. Hell, I hadn’t even seen him move across the room. Colt had the man who’d grabbed me in his grasp. Then, in one fluid movement, he threw the man against the wall. His friends flew out of the booth and lunged at Colt, but Hunter and Slade, who had raced over too, made a wall with their bodies.
Jack came out of his office with a sawed off baseball bat. “Damnit, Colt, you’re going to pay if there’s any damage.”
“No damage, Jack. Just this asshole’s face, but considering how fucking ugly—” Colt raised his fist to hit the man.
“No!” I yelled. “Stop, Colt. What the hell are you doing?”
He looked at me. It seemed he’d almost surprised himself with his actions.
“Let him go.” I broke into sobs and raced out the door.
I had no place to run. I had nothing. I had no car, no home, no family. Staying with Ray would have been like staying in hell, but now that I’d stepped out into the world, the reality of my bleak situation was smacking me hard. I leaned against the back of Amy’s car and covered my face to cry.
Footsteps crunched the gravel in the parking lot. I lifted my face from my hands. Colt stood nearby, looking dangerous and confused and a little less angry than a few seconds before.
“That little testosterone exhibition will get me fired, and I really needed that job.” A laugh popped from my mouth. “I ran out here and realized I didn’t even have a fucking car to hide in. I’ve got nothing, and now I’ll be out of a job.”
“I’ll talk to Jack. He won’t fire you. I’m sorry, Jade. I saw that guy grab you and— I’m sorry.” He turned around and took three steps, then stopped. “No. You know what? Fuck it.” He strode toward me. I gasped as he grabbed my arms. “I’m not fucking sorry.” His mouth slammed down over mine. The kiss was punishing, hard, hungry and I wanted more. My lips parted farther, and his kiss deepened, making my knees weaken to butter.
I was nearly breathless when he lifted his mouth from mine. His eyes were vivid green as he gazed down at me. “Seeing that guy touch you was too much. I couldn’t stop myself. Before I knew it, I was flying across that bar thinking, he touched you and I was going to have to pound him for it. No one fucking touches you except me.” His mouth came down over mine again. He held me so tightly, I was sure he’d squeeze the breath from me. “Since I had you pressed up against the wall in that closet, I knew that you had to be mine,” he whispered against my mouth.
My mind was a hurricane of emotions, but his last words were like a fist to my chest. I stepped back and pulled away from his arms. The last thing I needed was to be another man’s possession. Even a man as heartbreaking as Colt.
He stared at me with a look of hurt as if now he’d taken a fist to the chest. I wiped my tears away and took a breath. If I had any chance at independence, I was going to have to stop crying like a little girl. I walked past him, leaving him standing in the parking lot as I returned to my job.
Chapter 13
Colt
I stared up at the stains on my ceiling where rainwater had seeped in through the shabby roof and soaked the attic. It had been a shitty fucking day, starting with a gun to my head and ending with a major slap to my ego. I’d shocked the hell out of myself with my reaction in the bar. The second that jerk’s hand flew to Jade’s ass, I’d exploded with rage. I’d come to Amy’s rescue more than once when someone had been rude to her. Although most local guys knew not to bother her because Hunter would tear them to shreds. But this had been different. This had been an overwhelming urge to pound someone for getting near Jade. I had no apology for what I’d done because I was damn sure I’d do it again.
It was the last thing I ever wanted, to feel this way about someone. Attachments like this were only followed by heartbreak, and I wasn’t into heartbreak. I wasn’t into fucking attachments. Jade was determined to get out on her own as soon as possible, and it seemed that was for the best. Just as I had that thought, there was a tiny knock at the door.
She opened it without me answering. Jade stepped into the room wearing the t-shirt she’d borrowed from me to sleep in. The thought of her naked body under my t-shirt was so erotic, she might as well have whispered the words, ‘fuck me’ in my ear. I sat up and swung my legs over the bed. She looked small and lost and sad standing in the middle of my room, but I fought the urge to pull her into my arms.
Her lips parted to speak, but it took her a second to get the words out. “So, I’m laying out there on your lumpy couch thinking about stuff. First of all, it’s really lonely and quiet out there, and I kept hearing this crinkling sound under my head. Someone had shoved a half-eaten bag of potato chips under the cushion. Who does that?”
I wasn’t completely sure where this was going, but she was talking to me and that was all that mattered. “Probably Slade, he wears the slob crown around here.”
“Not that, well yeah, that’s definitely a slob thing. I mean who wastes a perfectly good bag of potato chips?”
I smiled and still fought the urge to walk across the room and grab her.
Her face smoothed, the smile faded and she crossed her arms over herself. She took a breath. “The thing is, Colt, I don’t want to be owned.” Her soft words drifted around the room. “I’ve been there, and I don’t like it.”
I stood up. She gazed at my naked body. My cock had been hard since she’d walked into the room. I stopped just a few feet from her. She lifted her eyes to my face.
“That guy touched you tonight and something snapped deep in my chest. I don’t know anything about love, Jade. I grew up with fear, pain and every other emotion, but love wasn’t part of it. All I know is the instinct to protect. My brothers and I learned early on to protect each other and our mom, but I never thought of it as love. It was just this instinctual part of me that knew there were certain people that I would protect with my fucking life. Amy is part of that circle, but I’ve never felt that way about any other woman until I met you. When I held you in that foil blanket on the boat that night, all I could think was— just let that fucking douche try to come near her again. He wouldn’t have a chance against me. I’d rip him to fucking pieces. So, I’m sorry if my attempt at showing that I care about you is a little—”
“Primitive?” she asked with a faint smile.
I scrubbed my hair back with my fingers. “Yeah, primitive. It’s the only way I know to show someone that they mean something to me.”
She smiled again, but this time it was a flirty one. Her mood had lightened. She stepped closer to just within my reach. “I’ll bet you can think of some other ways to show it if you give it a little thought.” She reached down, took hold of the hem of the t-shirt and inched it up to expose her panties. Then she stopped. My breath stopped with it.
She let the hem slide down her sleek thighs again. “See, here’s the thing. It sucks having to confess this, but I haven’t stopped thinking about the first time we kissed, the first time you touched me. We were complete strangers, but my body reacted as if it was no longer being controlled by my mind. I rather liked it. Actually, I fucking loved it. It was like you cast this amazing spell over me, a spell to forget everything that was dark and ugly. I think that’s what I need now. A magic spell. No thinking. No worrying about relationships or emotions or being someone’s possession. I just want to feel that same physical ecstasy you showed me on that first night. No heartstrings attached.”
“I can do no heartstrings. In fact, I’m a pro at it. And as for the magic . . . ” I reached for her, but she held up a hand to stop me.
“One rule, though, and this might change your mind. The contest is over. From this point on, until we both grow tired of each other, I’m your only contestant.”
I paused as if I was thinking it over. But I really wasn’t. It was an easy decision. “If that’s your only rule, then it’s a deal.”
She stuck her hand out to sh
ake on it, but I didn’t take it. “I’ve got a rule of my own. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s non-negotiable. I always use a condom.”
She smiled.
“I know that sounds comical to you, but I’d rather use a shield than suffer the consequences.”
“I think that’s a good rule.”
“Nope, you haven’t let me finish.” I moved closer. Her breasts lifted and fell with each breath. With every movement, her taut nipples pressed against the thin cotton fabric of the shirt. “I’m just letting you know that I’m clean. I know you’re on birth control. I want you unfiltered.”
She laughed at my odd use of the term.
“Are you laughing at me, darlin’?” I pulled her into my arms.
“You just made me sound like a bottle of apple juice.”
“Did I? Well, good, because I plan to drink every last drop.” I kissed her lightly on the mouth. “When I’m inside of you, which I plan to be . . . often . . . I want to feel all of you. I don’t want any latex barrier. I just want your hot pussy around me and nothing else.” My words made her shudder in my arms. I lowered my mouth to her ear. “What do you say to my rule?”
“I guess if it’s non-negotiable, there’s not much to say,” she said breathlessly. She curled her hand around the back of my neck and my hands swept under the t-shirt. As her lips parted, my cock pressed against her stomach, asking urgently for attention. She lowered one hand between us and took hold of me, rubbing her thumb teasingly over the moist, fleshy tip.
I groaned against her mouth. “Sorry, darlin’, been waiting too long.” I lifted her up and walked the three steps to the wall. I pushed her up against it, kissing her hard and without any thought to what I was doing. All I knew was I needed to be inside of her.
She planted her feet on the floor long enough to shove off her panties. “Yes, Colt, yes please.”
I didn’t need the polite invitation. It was going to take a bullet to my head to stop me at this point. She wrapped her arms around my neck. I braced her against the wall as her long legs went around me. I looked down at the space between us. I wanted to watch my cock drive into her, into the wet pussy that so sweetly beckoned me to fuck it.
I shoved the t-shirt up above her tits and stared down at her waiting pussy. “God, you’re beautiful, Jade.” I pressed the tip of my cock against her tight hole. It was wet with cream, waiting anxiously for more of me. I drove into her. She tangled her fingers in my hair. Her head lulled back against the wall, and she moaned appreciatively as I impaled her again and again.
My hand went under her ass. I held her against me using the wall behind her as resistance. She clung tightly to me with her arms and legs. I reached between our bodies and pressed my thumb against her clit. She immediately took it as an invite to grind against my finger. Her legs clamped tightly around me, and she tightened her ass to meet each of my thrusts. We were in perfect rhythm. My bedroom wall shook as if an earthquake had struck the house.
“I won’t fucking stop until you come, baby. I can stay hard all night for you.”
Hot moisture coated my thumb as she pushed her clit against it. She rocked against me, clenching her pussy tight around my throbbing cock. It took all my will not to finish. Her fingers pulled my hair. “Harder,” she pleaded.
I slammed my hips forward, pushing deeper each time. Her eyes drifted shut, and her head leaned back against the wall.” Fuck yes, Colt,” she cried as her pussy clenched tightly around me.
As she melted softer in my arms, I lifted my hand from her clit and held her in my iron grasp. I ground into her, pushing tiny mewls of pleasure from her pink lips, the sound of which brought me over the edge. I clutched her tightly and spilled my hot seed inside of her.
Her legs dropped to the floor, and she collapsed into my arms. A thunderous round of applause rolled up the hallway. “About fucking time you two!” Slade yelled.
“Could cut the tension between you with a fucking machete,” Hunter followed.
A dark pink blush rose in Jade’s cheeks as she pressed her face against me. “Were we that loud?” she asked. “Or maybe I should ask was it that obvious— the tension, I mean?”
I lifted her up into my arms and carried her to the bed. “To the first question,” I said, “might just have left a few cracks in the plaster, so yes. To the second question . . . yes.”
Chapter 14
Jade
It was that weird twilight time in the morning when the room was still gray enough that sleep beckoned you to stay tucked in bed. Which was easier than ever this morning. I’d slept solidly for the first time in months, as long as I didn’t count the two times Colt had woken me. Those luxurious interruptions had only added to the fulfilling night of sleep.
I had no idea exactly when it had struck me that I wanted this, just something deliciously physical to fill the giant void that seemed to be my life at the moment. But I was fairly certain the notion had taken hold right after I’d walked away from Colt in the parking lot. The three obnoxious guys had decided to move on, and I continued waiting tables, hoping Jack would ignore what had happened. Colt had come back in, and I’d tried my hardest to ignore him. But ignoring Colt Stone was like trying not to notice a category five hurricane. Impossible. He just had a huge presence, as if fireworks were always following him and going off in a bright, loud display with every step. He’d headed straight over to Jack, and they talked for a few minutes. The softer, gentler Jack had returned. His big meaty face could change expression from angry and harsh to kind and smiling in a flash. Whatever Colt had told him seemed to have worked. Jack hadn’t fired me. The Stone brothers had left a few minutes after that. And as I’d watched Colt walk out, I realized how badly I wanted to be in those strong, protective arms. I’d kept up a strong front by walking away from him in the parking lot, but the truth was, inside I had been crumpling with a need to be held by him.
My mind debate had continued in the darkness of their shabby little family room with only the lumpy couch and potato chip bag beneath me. That was when I’d come up with the idea that I could be just like these men. Enjoying physical pleasures and avoiding anything emotional.
Colt stretched his muscular legs out beneath the blanket and turned to face me. Long black lashes still shaded his cheeks, and a soft snore followed. He was even breathtaking fast asleep. The plan was perfect except one major flaw— avoiding emotional attachments to a man like Colt was going to take a will of iron.
I stared at him in the pale light pouring into the room through the worn drapes. He was sleeping soundly. I reached under the covers and ran my fingertips down his rock hard abdomen to the crisp black line of hair that led down to his cock.
He groaned but didn’t open his eyes. “Are you taking advantage of me while I’m asleep?” he asked groggily.
“I doubt it’s possible to take advantage of a man like you but, yes, that’s what I’m attempting.” I wrapped my fingers around his now hardened cock. “Is it working?”
“I’m completely yours. I only ask that you treat me gently.”
I laughed. “No promises.” I gave his shoulder a shove, and he rolled onto his back. I straddled him and gazed down at the incredibly hot man between my legs. A slight breath of disbelief lodged in my throat. He was so extraordinary, I needed to convince myself that I hadn’t just conjured him in my imagination. His talent in bed was just as breathtaking as the man himself. I’d mentioned casually, in passing, that once we tired of each other we would go our separate ways. I just wondered how on earth I’d ever get bored of him. No doubt, he would tire of me much faster. That thought dampened my spirits some.
He reached up and pressed his hand against my face. I pushed my cheek harder against his palm. More than once during our long moments of passion, he had done something similar, like a caress on my cheek or a kiss on my shoulder. Each time had made my throat tighten at the notion that there might be more to all this than really great sex. But I needed to ignore those crazy thoughts.
&n
bsp; “You look just as beautiful this morning as you did last night when you came scooting into my room wearing my t-shirt.”
“Since I have mussed up pillow hair and puffy eyes, I know you’re only saying that to have your way with me. Which is a waste of time—” I reached between my legs and shifted the tip of his cock beneath me. “Because I’m pretty damn sure that you’re going to have your way with me.” I slid down over him.
His green eyes darkened to a muted greenish-gray color as he watched me lower myself onto his cock.
I rubbed my hands over his hard chest. “Or maybe it’ll be the other way around.” My words were coming out between breaths.
His hips lifted to meet me as my pussy swallowed the thick, hard length of him.
“God, baby,” Colt grunted. “You’re so tight, I just want to stay inside of you all fucking day.”
I braced my hands on each side of him. He gripped my hips and held me over him as I rose up and then lowered myself down over him again. Each time, he filled me deeper and more completely, and each time, I felt more connected to the man. This was all supposed to be physical. It was going to be harder than I’d thought keeping my heart out of it. I was sure for him it was purely sex. I needed to think of it the same way.
Colt reached around and held my ass tightly as he ground himself into me. My head spun as every movement brought me closer to climax. “Your pussy is so damn sweet, I don’t want anyone else to ever touch it but me. Do you fucking hear me?” he groaned. “It belongs to me. I can’t get enough of it. I can’t get enough of you, baby.” His possessive words dug right into my chest, but I knew it was just the heightened state of passion that had made him say them. As much as I’d told him I didn’t want to be owned, existing for Colt and Colt alone didn’t seem all that bad. It was stupid and I hated myself for thinking it, but it sounded perfectly reasonable while he was inside of me.
