by C. M. Steele
“Are you and mom staying safe?” I asked.
“Yes, we have about ten cops and the two men Mr. Wyatt hired to lead our security detail. We haven’t heard from the bomber again. I never wanted you mixed up in anything like this. That’s why I didn’t want you around someone who worked with catching criminals. I still don’t, but he can protect you better than I can.”
“I hope they catch this person soon,” I replied nervously. With Duke and I out of the country, I knew we were safe, but I was freaking out about my parents. Duke was amazing by setting up my father’s security. That was what he was doing on the phone when we were at the airport lounge.
“We will,” Duke promised. I looked up at him and smiled. Knowing his skills, he’d catch this person while we were in France.
“I’ve got to go Miranda. Please do everything he says. I don’t think anything will happen with Duke looking after you.”
“I love you, Dad. Give Mom my love, too.” My mother had been suffering from an infection and had to have her tonsils removed two days before the explosion and couldn’t really talk. My dad would do anything to protect my mother, and that included keeping her from talking until the doctor okayed it.
“I will. Goodnight, pumpkin,” he said. He hadn’t called me that since I was a little girl and fell off my bike and broke my leg. Since then he was as tough as nails with me. Hearing that little endearment made my eyes well up with tears and my throat to tighten.
“Goodnight, Daddy,” I replied, happy that he couldn’t hear my voice crack.
“What’s wrong, Miranda?” Duke asked, taking the phone from my hands and pulling me to sit by his side.
“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just something silly.” I couldn’t believe I was crying over something as trivial as a name.
“It’s not nothing when you’re crying. Do I have to fly back and deck your father?” he asked, arching his brows and tilting his head comically.
“No. You will not go back home and hit my dad. He just called me pumpkin.”
“Is there more to it?”
“He hasn’t called me that since I fell off my bike as a child and broke my leg.” He looked at me with a sweet sympathy and wrapped his arms around me, holding me up against his chest. Duke ran his hands down my hair, comforting me.
“Sweetheart, did he become strict after that?”
“Yes, he did. After that I wasn’t his little girl anymore.”
“Babe, he probably feels guilty that you got hurt. So he hardened up to protect himself from worry. Now with this happening all his hardness was for nothing when you still weren’t safe.”
“I know, but it feels so good to hear it. For a long time, I felt like I had to win his affection.”
“He’s a guy, sweetie. He probably didn’t see it that way. I know the fucking old bastard loves ya, but he’s got a weird way of showing it. Just remind me never to be so hard on our kids.”
“So sex isn’t just enough, you want a family?” He had said it before, but I needed to hear it again.
“Sex was never just enough. I wanted it all, but I was trying to keep you from totally shutting me out.” Grabbing my chin with his thumb and finger, he pulled me in for a kiss. I moaned when his lips grazed mine. My body belonged to this man. It sung for him with the simplest of touches. I placed my hand on his heart and felt the fast-paced rhythm. It was racing just like mine. I pressed my head back on his chest and listened to the beat.
The drive had been a long one that I fell asleep to. There had been a strong storm and we went the long way around. He woke me up when we got to an intersection where an accident had happened. Like the amazing man that he is, he jumped out of the car to help the situation. Another thing I learned about Duke was he could speak French. I didn’t take it when I was in school, so I could barely get by with the, “Bonjour.” I got out of the car along with the driver and watched as Duke and some of villagers cleared the debris and helped open the road up in front of us. He took off his thin jacket and rolled up his sleeves and went to work. There were no major injuries, just disabled vehicles that I could see and twenty minutes later we were back in the car going to the villa.
The villa was on the coastline giving us that nice breeze and spectacular view. I couldn’t believe that I was going to be living here in the lap of luxury while I waited for the bomber to be caught.
The driver helped carry our bags into the house and said his goodbyes. “The cleaning crew will arrive around noon tomorrow to tidy up. If you should need anything, I’m just a call away.” He bowed and made his exit. He worked for the family that let us use the villa so Duke trusted him enough. That was all good for me. Now it was time to take in the beauty in front of me.
Chapter 8
The villa was everything Bianca, Nikolai's wife, described. I knew it was state of the art and gorgeous, but it still had that coastal, authentic feel to it. Miranda moved to the middle of the living room and did a three sixty, taking in the colors and design.
Turning to me with bright eyes, she said, "Wow. This place is stunning. When you talked about it on the plane, I thought I could envision it, but this is so much more." The smile on her face was more than I could handle.
"Come here, sweetheart," I growled. She moved slowly toward me. Changing on the plane, she wore a pair of ass hugging jeans with a red thin sweater. It accentuated her round perfect breasts and slender waist. Her long black hair was tied up in a half ponytail knot thing that made her look hotter. When we landed in Maine, I had several outfits sent to the airport. I may have not been rich enough to own this villa, but I did very well for myself.
Once she stood in front of me, she had no chance of escape. With the gleam in her eyes, I knew she had no intention of running. Her hands moved straight to my chest, sliding up until they reached my neck. I closed my eyes and absorbed the feel of her soft hands against my stubble. She cupped my jaw slowly before working her way into my hair. Her fingers bent and she clutched my head, pulling me down until my lips were a hairs breadth away. I couldn’t let her own this moment. She belonged to me and so did this. I closed the gap and smashed her body against mine as my mouth tasted hers. Slipping my hands around her with one gripping her bottom and the other clutching her messy bun, I kissed her possessively. Walking forward in a hurry, I moved us to the nearest surface, not stopping until her ass hit the accent table next to the wall, then I pinned her to it. Miranda wrapped her legs around me and tried to get even closer. The only way we could get closer was if we were naked. And that was what I had in mind. I looked around the room and saw the hallway. With my precious cargo on me, I hunted down our bedroom. There was no stopping what I have been waiting weeks to do. Sinking into Miranda was all I could think about the entire ride to the villa. Even when we stopped to help the people in the accident, my selfish ass was like, “I hope it doesn’t kill her mood if someone was badly hurt.” They weren’t, but that didn’t mean her mind was in the fucking mood, but she showed me so game on.
Once I found the room, I walked in and placed her down on the bed. Stepping back, I took her all in. She was fucking amazing to look at. Even fully fucking clothed, she was hot as hell. Her red sweater had risen just a bit to reveal the pale flesh just below her belly button. I bent down just enough to run my fingers along the hem, caressing the smooth skin that was revealed to me. Leaning down so both hands cupped her waist, I kissed the bared spot. She shivered from the feel of my scruff.
She let out a little giggle, “hehehe,” as I nipped at her. I kicked off my shoes then dropped to the floor to slide her shoes off her feet. After each shoe was off, I massaged the foot and slid off the sock. She whimpered and sighed as I rubbed her tired feet. Hearing the sounds of relief made me want to rub her aching feet all the time. I knew she’d been through hell and normally had on those four inch heels. Creeping up to her jeans, I flicked the button then slowly worked the zipper down. It opened enough for me to see her pretty pink panties with a heart on her pussy. I whipped her pants off a
s quick as I could so I could get access to her pretty peach. My hands crawled up her smooth legs and parted her thighs.
She tried to close them on me, but I was too strong for her. “Nope, let me see my pussy. I want to admire it before I completely destroy it.”
I didn’t want to ruin these panties, so I took them off with care. Her sweet scent hit me, my girl’s pussy was wet and glistening. I pressed my face into her goodie box and got a juicy reward. I lifted her hips and lapped up her nectar. My thumb moved her pussy and worked her clit while I tongued her orgasm out of her.
“Ah,” she sighed with a whimper that quickly turned into a scream, “Ahhh!” Her pussy wet my face and her body clenched around my shoulders. I smiled into her snatch, licking her until her body stopped shaking. Sitting back on my haunches, I took a breath and lifted my shirt off my body. She rose up onto her elbows and stared down at me with a pretty orgasm flushed face. I smiled back at her my brow arched that was when she popped her pretty pink tongue from between her lips. Her eyes focused on my bare chest. My dick throbbed against the zipper on my now excruciatingly tight jeans. How a motherfucker wore skinny jeans and was able to use his dick again was a miracle to me. I felt like I was going to lose circulation if I didn’t lose them. Standing up, I never took my eyes from her face while I dropped my pants.
“Take that top off—slowly,” I demanded.
“Okay,” she said unsteadily. Fuck, I couldn’t wait to get into her depths. Her body was still in need and that shit was a visible. She crossed her arms and grabbed the hem of her sweater. Miranda had me dripping like a teenager as she made taking off a sweater look so sultry. I gripped my cock to stem the flow, but I was ready to bust. I couldn’t do that shit. For the love of god. She was a just in her bra and that was more than enough. I stopped her movements and picked her up to set her in the middle of the bed. Climbing on top of her like a man possessed, I made quick work of her bra.
Hovering over her, I watched every little movement she made. She was nervous as fuck. I needed to make her understand that everything I did from the day I met her was all about forever. “This is for keeps. You’re mine.”
My words seemed to send a calming change in her. "Duke, I love you," she confessed. I swallowed hard. I professed my love for her over and over waiting for the moment when she'd say it back. I didn’t dream it would happen so soon.
“Miranda, I’m going to love you forever,” I promised, bending down and taking her mouth with mine. Using my elbows, I held most of my weight off of her. “I promise you own my soul.”
I reached in between our bodies, and lined the tip of my cock at her entrance. I had to go slow because I felt like I was going come from just the thought of being in her. I pushed inside and her walls were so tight I was having a hard time getting through. Pulling back, I thrusted into her, and at that moment regretted and cherish the cry that came from her lips. She was a virgin. My eyes moved straight to hers. They were filled with unshed tears, but she tried to crack an embarrassed grin.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. There wasn’t a damn thing she had to feel guilty about. I had the most beautiful, smart, strong woman come to me, love me, and still pure as fuck. I didn’t know what I did to deserve her, but I wasn’t giving her back.
“Miranda, there’s nothing for you to apologize for. I’m the one who hurt you,” I replied. “Let me make it better.” I started to move my hips up and down just a bit. I wanted her to get back into it because there was no way this was over. I brushed the hair that had fallen on her face.
“Beautiful, relax.” She smiled up at me and I knew she wasn’t done. “Are you going to come for me?” I asked, but before she could respond, I added, “Let me restate that. You’re going to come for me.” It was a promise I was keeping. The need to nut like a teen calmed down. I wanted to see her glow again. Rocking my hips back and forth, I felt her pussy quit fighting me and I slipped all the way inside. Her walls choked my cock, it was an incredible feeling. The sensation went straight to my sack and I felt the need to come travel up my spine. Fighting the feeling, I started to sweat. Straightening my arms, I pumped into her and watched her expression. She wasn’t looking at my face, something else caught her attention. Again that look of awe was on her face, so I followed her eyes. They were looking at where we were connected. She was watching me slide in and out of her. I closed my eyes because that shit was too sexy to watch. She enjoyed it and her pussy let me know. I felt her juices coat my cock helping stroke into her.
“Oh,” she moaned when I pulled almost all the way out and back in again until our hips touched. She squeezed me tighter as her hand came up and rubbed my pecs. I let out a moan of my own. Her touch was fucking an aphrodisiac and I was one step away. My balls begged for the go ahead.
Taking her hands from my chest, I lifted them above her head being careful with the bruise on her arm. “No more. I can’t handle your touch. I love you too much, Miranda.”
“Duke,” she moaned, arching her hips and coming on my cock. Within seconds I was coming hard and deep in her pussy.
“You’re fucking perfect,” I professed, collapsing to the side of her. I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her shoulder.
“You weren’t saying that the other day.”
“Hell, I wasn’t saying it yesterday. But that’s because I was frustrated that you wouldn’t let me in, and I don’t mean like this. I mean the way you let me in before the explosion. That’s what I want. I love that you need me. Fuck, I want you again. The caveman in me wants to pound into you in every room in this place, but you need to rest.” She looked tired. Her eyes fluttered as she fought to stay awake.
I slipped out of bed quietly, grabbing the covers to hide her naked body. The thought of someone seeing her naked would make me feel murderous. My movements were halted when I caught the sight of blood on the sheets. I broke out in a smile and shook my head slightly. A fucking virgin. Covering her up, I backed out of the room and turned off the light.
The sun was just setting when we arrived, but now it was completely down. Nikolai left a sealed envelope on the study for me. It had all the codes and the keys to his car in the garage. There was a note.
Duke,
I hope that you enjoy your stay. If you need anything contact Philippe and he will assist you…in anything. There’s nothing to worry about here, so relax. My staff have been screened and, just for your added security the lock, for the safe is below. And in the draw is a scanner for bombs and bugs. It should be all good, but I know what you’ve been through is traumatizing.
Have fun and make babies. Don’t worry, we change the sheets often.
Nikolai.
I opened the safe and loaded the glock inside. Once I had that done, I grabbed the scanner and ran a simple scan as my laptop loaded. I ran out to the garage to do the scan. Until I stepped in there, I hadn’t felt the fear from the morning before. All of the sudden my heart was racing and panic set in. Even after the damn near close calls during my tours and special missions, I wasn’t this freaked out. I almost walked back into the house, but I knew I couldn’t be a pussy. This wasn’t about just me, this was about my woman and my future. Above all, I had to protect her.
I ran the scan all around the vehicle and it was clear. I felt a sigh of relief and continued to search the rest of the garage. Everything was good so I went back to Nikolai’s study and put the scanner away. I didn’t want Miranda to find it. Keeping her happy and safe was my job.
The laptop was ready to go with my portable Wi-Fi. There was an encryption on it that kept my location pinging all over the world. I didn’t know the extent of the bomber’s knowledge or his determination to come after her. He may have switched gears and was going for the DA this time. I had the DA email the threat letter and an explanation.
Duke,
Attached is a scan of the letter we received. The police didn’t find any fingerprints on the paper other than mine from opening it. I don’t know who this person is, but it must
have to do with a case I handled.
DA Russell,
Enjoy your last moments of peace. I will not stop until you are dead. But death won’t be that simple. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Payback is a bitch. I plan to take everything from you before I end your miserable life.
Dead Serious
I read the letter over and over again, blankly staring at my screen. Truly trying to decipher the message. It wasn’t very detailed, but it was clear he wasn’t only after Miranda. I needed to look at some of Russell’s cases. This was someone unhappy with the outcome of a case that was for sure. Everything was taken from this person and they thought it was just to return the favor. Served Cold? Must have been an earlier case. I needed to look as far back as his first trial. Damn he probably had hundreds under his belt.
I leaned back in the chair and blew out a hard breath. This wasn’t going to be that simple. I wondered if they had any information on the bombing materials. It was a large enough explosion to blow up my rental but not strong enough to take us out at a foot’s distance. What surprised me was that I knew he had been there. So why had he waited to detonate? Was he too close for comfort? Or was this a scare tactic? I tried to take that into consideration that this person was either trying to scare us or kill us. If it was a scare, why? There would be no reason to let us onto his plans. Was he trying to corral us into a confined area?
I sat there thinking when it hit me. What if it’s full of shit and the person isn’t someone from the past, but someone going on trial soon. Stalling the trial because the DA would be too busy hiding would explain that, but then again killing the DA or his daughter would stall things as well. Frustrated, I poured a glass of vodka and I pulled a query on all those computers that observed the news reports. Our bomber would probably want to see the aftermath of his attack and the fear he caused. There were many people looking at it, but there were a handful of people that looked at the articles more than once.
