by Mia Dymond
“Sweet Jesus,” he moaned as his hips thrust forward. “You’re gonna have to stop, honey. I won’t last long if you keep this up.”
With her mouth still fastened tight around him, she opened her eyes, captured his gaze, and then moved him further into her throat.
“Ah, Grace,” he groaned while he moved one hand to the base of his cock and squeezed in an attempt to release her hold. “Stop! You’ve got to stop.”
Distracted by the incredibly arousing sight of him touching himself, she loosened her grip and slowly slid him from her mouth. Her gaze didn’t waver as all sorts of naughty thoughts assaulted her brain. Did he hold himself that tightly when he pleasured himself? Or, did he even indulge? And, if he did, were his strokes long and fast? Or short and slow to prolong the pleasure? She sucked in a quick breath while her heart pounded. Whatever he did or didn’t do with it, the bulge he held was impressive and obviously built for pleasure.
He moved his hand down the length of his shaft and then back up again. Moisture coated the insides of her thighs.
“You’re a dirty girl, aren’t you?”
At the sound of his low, raspy voice, she tore her gaze from his tempting tease directly into his own hooded gaze and issued a desperate command.
“Take me, Harvard.”
Once those words left Grace’s lips, Harvard wasted no time in taking control of the mission.
“Come here.” He extended a hand and eased her to lie back beside him, taking only seconds to rid himself of his jeans and boxer briefs.
He flipped his tags over one shoulder and then crawled over her, widening the space between her legs with one knee.
“We’ve already established I’m clean,” he told her, “do I need something to protect you?”
She shook her head in the negative. “I’m protected and clean.”
He leaned forward and placed a kiss to the middle of her forehead. “No doubt in my mind.” He braced his elbows on both sides of her head and then lowered his hips until his greedy cock was poised and ready for action. “You ready for this?”
“Oh God, yes,” she moaned.
Without hesitation, he thrust his hips forward and entered her. Holy God. Heat surrounded him as incredibly tight muscles pulsed, welcoming his intrusion. His cock wept in gratitude, only adding to the wet, slippery confines of its temporary cage. Her muscles squeezed and sucked as he began to stroke them in an intimate caress.
Sweat droplets dampened the hair at the base of his neck as he attempted a smooth, easy, soothing cadence. In and out, careful to touch each and every needy part of her. Tiny, breathy whimpers left her lips as he stroked, a sure sign that her desire built.
Her nipples, now hard peaks, rubbed his chest and caused major havoc to his nerve endings. As badly as he wanted to take this first time slowly, he realized that just wasn’t going to happen. His body was strung too tightly and his cock was just too much of a demanding beast.
He reached between them and rubbed her clit with one index finger. “You’re close again, baby. Give it to me.”
“Not yet,” she groaned.
He swallowed a tormented chuckle. “Yes,” he insisted. “Now.”
He moved his hands to angle her hips upward and then increased his tempo until his balls slapped her inner thighs and his finger worked the sensitive clit into a frenzy. Finally, she arched into him.
“Yesss,” she hissed as her body clamped down hard on his cock and sucked until he was sure it would turn blue.
“Hold on, sweetheart,” he told her, “I’m right there with you.”
He took one more long stroke and exploding fireworks clouded his vision as his cock bucked and pulsed inside her. Contentment and desire like he’d never known washed over him as he continued to stroke, bringing them both down from the incredible euphoria.
Finally, he rested his hips against hers and placed a long, soft kiss to her lips. “You are one amazing woman. Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” she said over a sweet, sleepy smile.
He rolled to the side, turned her away from him, and then pulled her against him with her back to his front. His cock jumped against her naked ass.
“Are you serious?” she giggled.
“Aftershocks. Ignore it.” He reached to pull the sheet over them and then kissed the top of her head. “At least for the next thirty minutes.”
***
Ice sat on the sofa in his office and tossed his cell phone from hand to hand. What the hell was he waiting for? Calling a woman should not require this much thought. Then again, Bailey King was not just a woman. No, the blonde spitfire was all woman and robbed him of all rational thought. When she was near, every single one of his neurons misfired, rendering him a drooling idiot.
Bailey was a beautiful woman with an incredible brain, a lethal combination in his book. In fact, although stimulating, most interaction between the two of them left him exhausted. She took nothing at face value, argued with his every suggestion, and challenged each order he issued. He smirked. His kind of woman.
Yet, if he shoved arousal to the side, there was a much bigger reason to give her a call. She had been with Grace for the discovery of the jewelry and now she was home alone. Either way he played this, she would be suspicious.
Case in point, this phone call would be difficult.
He released a hard sigh, palmed the device, and pressed numbers. His heart beat a strong, solid rhythm as it pushed blood rapidly through his veins and prepared him for impending battle. Finally, her soft voice penetrated the connection and threatened to steal his breath.
“Hello?”
“Good evening, Short Stuff.”
“Ice?”
He frowned, annoyed by the thought that someone else may use the nickname.
“Yes,” he answered easily. “You expected someone else?”
“No. In fact, I almost sent you to voicemail.”
“I’m wounded. Why?”
“I don’t normally answer unknown callers after hours.”
Relief put his tense nerves at ease. He’d forgotten about the security of his phone. “Good girl.”
“What can I do for you?”
Many things. He bit his lip to keep that confession silent. “I called to see if you’d like to grab a nightcap.”
Several seconds of silence followed and he wondered if she’d disconnected.
“Bailey?”
“I’m here,” she said finally.
“You don’t drink?”
“Oh yes, I do.”
“You don’t want to drink with me?”
“Yes, I’d like that but—”
“But what?”
“I figured you’d rather park outside my house all night.”
He shook his head. If she expected an apology, she would be sorely disappointed. “Do you want to join me or not?”
“There’s one more thing.”
“What now?”
“I’m not dressed.”
Holy. Hell. He swallowed hard while every naked fantasy he had about Bailey danced through his brain.
“You’re naked?”
“No! I’m in my pajamas.”
Her admission didn’t matter; in his mind’s eye, she was stark naked. Except for her high heels; she wore the heels.
“How much time do you need?”
“Depends. Where are we going to meet?”
“We’re not meeting anywhere.”
“Oh. You’ve changed your mind?”
“No, we’ll go together. I will pick you up in ten minutes.”
“I may not be ready.”
“I’ll wait.”
“How could you possibly expect me to be dressed and ready in that amount of time?”
He ignored her feeble attempt to dissuade him. She would not spend the night alone. End of story.
“Bailey, time is ticking. You’re down to nine minutes and I’m walking out the door.”
Grinning, he disconnected the call, typed a separate, quick
text message, and left the house. As he entered his truck and started the engine, he couldn’t shake Diesel’s advice for impending battle. Tuck and roll, soldier, tuck and roll.
Bailey shook her head as she tossed her cell phone into her purse. The man oozed confidence; in his mind, he knew she would agree to go with him. And she would because expecting him to take no for an answer was like beating her head against a brick wall. She had to admit, he knew way too much about her. But, as much as he did know about her, what he didn’t know was that she was still dressed. The whole I’m not dressed excuse was a stall tactic. She giggled. A lot of good it did; he barreled right over it. She glanced down at her t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He said a drink. Hopefully the attire would be appropriate.
Wait a minute.
She frowned. Why did he really want to meet? Would they discuss the peacock? Her eyes widened with another fleeting thought. Did he just ask her for a date? Could he possibly be interested in getting to know her? And most importantly, why didn’t she ask?
Goosebumps danced on her skin as she considered the answers to her questions. Spending time with the cocky soldier was a true test of her patience. Not only did he insist on giving her orders at every turn, he did it with such masculine arrogance that it made her … aroused. Never in a million years would she admit that to anyone but herself, but it was the absolute truth and as hard as she attempted to deny it, she simply couldn’t.
She rested her head against the back of the sofa. Maybe she should call him back and ask for clarification. Yeah, no. Just the sound of his voice caused havoc on her libido; hearing it before she spent any length of time with him could be dangerous to her resolve. Could? She snorted. Most definitely would.
She raised her head, rubbed her palms against her jeans, and then reached back into her purse to check the screen of her phone. Five minutes. She released a long breath and then grinned. He said they would have a nightcap.
Good, alcohol had a way of clearing things right up.
***
Desperate for a mental break, he sat at the long, oak counter in the dark interior of his favorite bar and nursed his second glass of whiskey while he hoped the liquor would dull his senses enough to relax. Although the phone line had been quiet for the last twenty-four hours, tension continued to encompass him. The lack of communication offered him only a cruel sense of false security. He took a long stiff drink of alcohol and emptied the contents of his glass in just a few swallows. One way or another, the whole wretched ordeal would come to a conclusion. And with a whole lot of luck, he would be alive to see it.
He signaled with a hand at the bartender to refill his glass when the screen of his cellphone lit up from its position next to him on the surface of the counter. For half a second he considered not answering. After all, in his near-inebriated state the conversation may not be a rational one.
He shook his head at his feeble attempt to avoid the conversation. Knowing he would only prolong the inevitable, he answered.
“Do you have a new task for me?”
“No. I have identified her protector and you were right in your assumption. We cannot get past him without calling attention to our cause.”
“Does he have the piece?”
“I assume so.”
Alcohol made him brave. “Can we approach him?”
“Absolutely not. He is a dangerous man.”
“How do we know for sure?”
“I’ve put methods in place. Your role now is a silent one. You will keep your eyes and ears open for information and notify me at once if you discover anything of value.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next morning with Grace beside him, Harvard drove the distance to her house, thankful that the pool party would provide much-needed distraction from the past week’s events. He mentally grinned. Last night had provided a distraction all its own.
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles. “It’s nice to see you smile.”
“I smiled a lot last night.”
“Yes, you did.” He gave her a very satisfied smile of his own. “Did you call Bailey about the barbeque?”
She nodded. “I was relieved her night was uneventful. I was concerned about her being alone.”
“She wasn’t alone.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “Ice stayed the night.”
“What?” He couldn’t miss the absolute shock in her question. “Ice stayed the night with Bailey?”
“I found a text from him on my phone this morning. They had a drink last night. I don’t know where he slept, but she wasn’t alone.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Do you really think she’s in as much danger as me?”
He shrugged. “No way to know for sure but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”
“He probably slept in his truck again. She has an extra bedroom, he should have slept there.”
“What makes you so sure they didn’t sleep together?”
“I’m not.” She grasped his forearm. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“No. I was just asking.”
He drove into her driveway, not willing to share his real thoughts on the matter. Ice had a certain way with women; it wouldn’t surprise him one bit if Ice had shared a bed with Bailey. He crammed his suspicion to the back of his brain while they walked the distance to the front door and stopped just outside.
“Key.” He held out a hand until she placed a gold ring with several keys attached in his palm.
“The key with the red cover opens the door.”
As soon as he jammed it into the lock and opened the door enough to look inside, he slammed it shut.
“Grace,” he said with utter calmness, “we can’t go inside.”
“Why?”
“Someone has been here.”
“Let me see.” She attempted to move around him but he held his ground. She wouldn’t get past unless he allowed it.
“Show me, Harvard,” she demanded.
He held her gaze and attempted to guess her reaction once she opened the door. He knew her well enough to know he could rule out a meltdown but she would fight long and hard to keep her independence. Good thing he was prepared to engage the enemy. Besides, he refused to risk her safety; she would just have to trade freedom for alive.
“Open the door,” she insisted.
He turned away from her and turned the knob. The door popped open to reveal the chaos on the other side.
“You can look but you can’t go inside until I’m sure the area is clear.” He stepped to one side and she moved forward.
She stood silent for half a second, her lovely face devoid of emotion while anger continued to boil his blood.
“Lovely,” she murmured.
He pulled the door closed again. She could take a closer look after the police searched the area. “Get into the truck and lock the doors.”
“But—”
“Now. Just do it.” He stabbed keys on his cell phone while he watched her briskly walk the distance to the truck, climb inside, and shut the door. “Captain, I’ve got action. Sonuvabitch hit her house.”
“Hang tight outside.” Obviously, he and Diesel were on the same page. “I’ll call the boys in blue.”
A lethal cocktail of adrenaline and rage caused his boots to pound the pavement as he returned to the truck and took his place behind the steering wheel.
“Did we miss a call from your security company?”
His fingers dented the leather as he squeezed the steering wheel and waited to hear screaming sirens.
“No,” she answered softly. “I don’t have a security system.”
He damn near bit through his tongue. He’d save that conversation for later.
“Diesel called the police,” he said instead. “I’ll meet them first. Do not leave this truck until I come for you, do you understand?”
“I’ll need to- “
Panic and desperation for her to comply creeped around his wall of ca
lm. As badly as he wanted to keep fear out of the equation, this was the absolute worst time to argue and his control was shaken. He turned on her and issued a very direct demand.
“I swear on my life, Grace, if you can’t wrap those sweet lips around a yes, Harvard, I’ll lay you across my knees and spank it out of you.”
A very heated silence filled the cab of the truck while he held her beautiful green gaze hostage and waited for her to agree. His heart pounded. She had absolutely no idea that the option was only offered out of courtesy – one way or another, she would do exactly as he demanded.
Suddenly, he caught a slight twinkle in the depths of her eyes as she issued her response. “Promise?”
“Aw hell, Grace.” He smashed her against him and took her lips in a quick yet hard, determined kiss. “Just say it.”
“Yes, Harvard.”
“Thank you.” Sirens echoed off the quiet afternoon and he opened his door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
He hesitated outside the truck only long enough to hear the telltale click of the door locks before he headed back to the front of the house to meet the investigators.
He stood just inside the door with the detectives while uniformed officers entered with guns drawn to search the interior for any sign of an intruder. When they returned to the living area with their weapons holstered, he took that as a positive sign.
“Same case?” The lead detective stepped inside.
He quickly brought the other man up to speed. “I’ll have to let Grace verify it, but I’ll bet nothing’s missing.”
“Someone’s desperate,” the detective muttered. “Is she under lock and key?”
He nodded as he bit back the urge to grin at her earlier response to his ultimatum. “You ready to talk to her?”
“Sure. It shouldn’t take long.”
Harvard returned to the truck and knocked on her window for her to unlock the door. “They’re ready for you,” he said as she opened the door.
