* * * *
Hunter sat in the easy chair in the corner, slipped off his shoes and splayed his legs in front of him, much like the pose he’d left Kerri in. He had no choice. No other position would accommodate the painfully hard erection. He watched her squirm, need pushing her body for release. He wondered how long she’d last before calling to him. Hell, he wondered how long he could hold out until he climbed on top of her and sank into that delectably sweet body of hers. He was going to fuck her all day and all night, until he could walk away without craving her. After the incident in the pool, he wasn’t sure that was even possible.
Kerri was sneaking in under his radar, taking away his control in tiny increments until he wasn’t sure he could deny himself her body or her heart. He was days away from falling in love with her.
Not a good idea.
He wasn’t good at love. Sex, sure. Love he truly sucked at.
He’d heard it all. He was too controlling, too demanding, too distant. Women loved to be with him short-term, but in the end they all said the same thing. He expected too much, pushed them for more but didn’t make any emotional commitment. They wanted love with their sex. He just wanted sex.
Kerri was different. Every time he touched her, he felt a connection growing between them. He was thirty-three years old. He wanted someone to care about, someone to hold every night. But he needed someone whose passions ran as high as his.
He hoped Kerri was the woman he could build a life with.
Her head rolled on the bed, her arms tugging at the restraints. She was a strong woman, waiting for her pleasure. Hunter stood and silently stripped before moving to the bed. Without a sound or jostle of the bed, he hovered over her breast and exhaled. The nipple peaked at the same moment she cried out from the sensation.
His mouth covered the taut spike and sucked hard, using his tongue to add friction as her whimpers escalated. Hunter drove her higher until she was gasping, then pulled back, tweaking the tight bud and moving to the other side of the bed.
Stretching out beside her, he placed his palm on the slight round of her belly, letting his pinky finger brush lower, barely touching the top of her mound. He nibbled on her nipple, licked and sucked until her appreciative murmurs became restless mewls of need.
Finally, it was time to drive her crazy and watch her explode. Shifting his body, he swiped his tongue through the drenched slit of her sex, tasting the sweet nectar of her while listening to her scream. Hunter played, sipped,, and toyed with her only to draw back as she got closer to release.
“Wait until I tell you to come, Kerri,” he demanded while she whimpered.
Tonguing her to the edge, he slipped two fingers inside and rotated them to massage the tender spot that would drive her over the boundaries he’d set.
“Not yet, sweetheart. Wait for it.”
“I can’t, Hunter. Please.”
He increased the pressure, and kissed her clit until she writhed against his hand. “Now, Kerri. Come for me,” he growled.
Kerri’s back arched, her body jerking convulsively as the orgasm took her, wailing in pleasure.
“That’s it, pretty girl. Beautiful girl,” he crooned. Damn she was glorious.
Hunter crawled between her legs and positioned his cock in her slick opening. With one swift drive, he buried himself deep in her wet vise. Heat and pleasure engulfed him as her cries continued. His name on her lips became a litany of need as her passion rebuilt, pushed higher by his steady thrusts. Hunter watched her face contort, pleasure suffusing her features.
“Hunter, please, don’t make me wait again.”
He smiled. She was his. “Come now, Kerri. Come with me.”
Chapter 16
Hunter paced the living room, waiting for his contact to call. They’d picked up a tip from an Internet site about a transport of goods from southern Texas to an undisclosed location in the Dallas area. One of his employees confirmed the shipping container left the yard early this morning, but couldn’t find a destination listed. The truck wouldn’t get to Dallas until early tomorrow morning, but Hunter suspected the shipper would be at a private party tonight. With a little luck and some cooperation, he might be able to discern which of the guests was waiting on cargo.
Sprawling in a chair, he leaned back and tipped his head, staring at the ceiling. Kerri. He needed to find a way to keep her out of his head while they were at the club. In a few short days, she’d invaded too much of his conscious thought. He never should’ve pulled her into this. Those baby blues were too damned distracting.
She was stronger than he’d thought the first night. Feeling her flinch as she glimpsed activities in the club that first time had piled on the guilt. She was young and innocent while he played the dirty old man. At least the age difference was less than ten years, but still, experience-wise he was older than dirt.
Even with her inexperience, or maybe because of it, she’d managed to worm her way into his life.
Mine. He’d bitten his tongue during that last orgasm to keep from shouting it to the ceiling. The need to claim her, keep her, was fighting every worry he had.
* * * *
Kerri tucked her chin as they entered the club, becoming the submissive Hunter needed her to be at the moment, amazed at how easy it was becoming. Giving Hunter control was liberating instead of confining. While they were at the club, she let herself experience her surroundings without regard to the image she’d been taught to portray within her family’s social structure. Here she was a non-person, able to blend into the surroundings while the doms mingled and socialized. And she watched, observing as Hunter had requested.
It was Saturday night and the club was packed. Hunter led her into an alcove and kissed her forehead. “Turn around, pretty girl,” he said, putting his hands on her shoulder and turning her to face the wall. His hands slid down her arms to the matching bracelets he’d given her before they left his house.
“You’re going to wear these all night, a symbol of trust in your master. If you behave, you’ll be rewarded.”
Kerri heard the clink of metal on metal and realized he’d linked the bracelets. She was effectively handcuffed. She turned, instinct insisting she protest and she actually opened her mouth to do so. One look at his face stopped those words. His eyes shone with lust, with a need to possess, and with confidence in her ability to control her response at the loss of power. She lowered her eyes in acquiescence, her face still lifted to his.
Warm lips pressed against her mouth and she eagerly opened to him. His kiss was devouring, taking charge, and leaving no doubt concerning his dominance. Kerri relaxed under his possession and let her body sink into his. Hunter pulled back, wrapped his hand around her nape, and pushed his way through the crowded room.
Club patrons stepped out of his way, his natural aura of strength becoming a buffer around the two of them as they crossed the floor. When he stopped, Kerri looked up to see who he’d met.
Bad idea.
She ducked her head, hoping he hadn’t recognized her.
“What the hell?”
That gruff voice, the sound of cruel intent, washed over her senses and prepared her for the worst he could dish out. Kerri steeled herself. She might be acting the submissive for Hunter, but she was an adult. She didn’t have to submit to just anyone.
Rough fingers caught her chin and yanked it up. “Does my sister know where you are, Kerri?”
Before she could reply, Hunter’s hands were pushing her uncle away. “Keep your fucking hands off her.”
“Yeah, and I bet your hands have been all over her. Just another piece, right, Merritt?” He turned back to Kerri. “Well, answer me, girl. Does Sylvia know where you like to play?”
Kerri stared at him, waiting for more obscenities. He and her mother hadn’t spoken in years. She watched him squirm for a minute before opting for a soft, firm tone. “I’m an adult, Uncle Devin. I go wherever I want. Does she know where you like to play? Does Grandmother?”
She�
��d hit her mark. His face flushed, from too much alcohol or her comment, she couldn’t be sure.
“Fucking little girl playing big girl games. I should have spanked you years ago.”
Hunter stepped between them, placing his body in front of her. “I find out you’ve touched her in any way and there won’t be enough pieces for your family to bury.”
She flinched, not at his words but at the tone of his voice. It was vicious, guttural. Kerri was glad it wasn’t directed at her.
Devin Hudson stared at Hunter, radiating anger as his hand tensed around his highball glass. Kerri watched moisture collect below the rough fringe of hair falling across his forehead. Some things never changed. As a child, she’d thought the telltale glint of sweat meant his brain was working hard enough to create heat. Eventually, she’d realized it only revealed his need to strike out, usually with a low blow. She braced herself for whatever he came up with in his slightly inebriated state.
“She’ll be happy to see you’ve followed her into the whoring business.” The accompanying sneer was meant to be insulting, a cut to her heart. But Kerri’s relationship with her mother had been estranged for years and his insult only served to make him appear the fool. She shrugged it off and turned away.
Hunter didn’t.
His hand wrapped around Hudson’s throat, squeezing enough to redden the man’s face. Her uncle’s glass dropped and shattered, glass spewing across the tile floor while he sputtered, both hands grasping Hunter’s wrist.
Kerri stepped back, mesmerized by Hunter’s show of support for her, even if it was unnecessary. No one had ever come to her defense where her uncle was concerned. As a college student, she’d realized his antagonism stemmed from her close relationship to her grandmother. But understanding the why of his persecution of her didn’t make the hurt disappear.
The urge to touch Hunter was overwhelming but her hands were stuck at the small of her back. Kerri turned her body and pressed her shoulder to his arm, tipped her head to rest against him. The tension in his body was unbelievable, every muscle rock hard. “Hunter, it’s fine. I don’t care what he says.”
“I care,” he growled. She watched his fingers flex, slowly releasing Devin from his grip. “Stay away from Kerri.”
Devin rubbed his throat, attempting to glare at Kerri and Hunter at the same time. His eyes shifted to the room around them and Kerri knew he was assessing the damage to his reputation. “She’s my niece. She works for me. Fuck me if you don’t, too. I should fire you both.”
“Good luck with that. I work for the firm, not for you.”
Jaws clenched near to the breaking point at his lack of power over her, Devin growled, “Well, fuck you both.” He glared at Kerri one last time before stomping away and disappearing into the crowded club.
Hunter turned on her, his expression fierce. “What did he do to you?”
“Nothing. I haven’t seen him in a long time. Let it go, Hunter.”
Hard hands gripped her shoulders. “Tell me.”
She closed her eyes, grimaced at the strength of his fingers on her skin, and the pressure of his hands immediately lessened.
“Damn it, I didn’t mean to do that, baby.” He ran soothing palms up and down her bare arms. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
Kerri nodded, breathing deeply to get rid of the residual anger her uncle always left in his wake. “He does that, makes people crazy with anger. It’s his only talent.”
Without another word, Hunter turned her back to the crowd and pushed his way to the back hall. The first door to the right opened at a swipe of his keycard and he closed the door behind them.
It was a small room, shelves on one side displaying a variety of adult toys and a large basket of condoms. Everything one would need for kinky safe sex. Kerri almost giggled at the thought. Her nerves were stretched to the limit after Devin’s little tirade.
With no prelude, Hunter steered her to a padded bench and pressed their bodies together, pinning her hips between his steel erection and the back rail of the bench. His mouth devoured her, hot delving kisses that stole her breath and burned her body. She strained at the cuffs, wanting to touch him, to give him the same pleasure he was creating in her.
The sudden absence of pressure surprised her, and then she felt his hands on her shoulders, turning her away from him. The rail dug into her stomach as he pressed her over the bar and flipped up her skirt.
She was bare and ready. In one swift thrust, Hunter was in as deep as possible, buried to the hilt within her clenching body. Kerri’s ragged cry matched his groan.
“Mine,” he said, his voice a rough whisper as the side of his face pressed against her ear. “You’re mine, and no one will touch you but me.” Kerri shivered, the desperate possessiveness in his tone causing rapid-fire electric currents to slice through her body.
One hand stroked her hair while the other grasped her joined wrists, holding her steady as he moved in and out of her tight passage. Complete surrender washed over her senses and pushed conscious thought into oblivion.
Kerri gave herself to him in that moment. She felt a part of her soul break free and fly as her body clenched around him. She heard his voice, dark with passion, commanding her climax, and she let go. Feeling her body respond, feeling his possession of her, swept away all thoughts of her family, her uncle. Only Hunter mattered now.
* * * *
Hunter fought for breath as he slid out of her, thankful he’d remembered the condom at the last minute. Lifting her gently, he placed her on her side on what served as a bed in the room and turned to the adjacent bathroom. He let the water warm while disposing of the condom, then wet a soft cloth and returned to Kerri.
She was drowsy, sated from coming hard, as he was. Her soft-focus eyes followed him as he lifted her thigh and wiped the moisture from her legs and pussy. Her body shifted and she whimpered, shrugging her shoulders. With a curse, Hunter reached for the link in the cuffs and released her.
Rolling her to her stomach, he straddled her thighs and massaged her shoulders until he felt her muscles relax. Hunter eased to her side and wrapped his arms around her.
He’d been a fool to think he could let her into his life for a short time and manage to walk away when the investigation was over. Kerri was proving to be a match for him in too many ways to count. She was strong, passionate, and intelligent. Keeping her safe from the lifestyle and, to be honest, safe from his hungers, was quite likely impossible. He’d let her in past the barriers he’d erected long ago.
Hunter pressed a kiss to her damp neck and climbed off the bed. “Time to go, Kerri. We’re expected at a party upstairs.” He laughed when she turned her head, not even opening her eyes when he shook her shoulder. “Come on, I know you aren’t asleep, and that satisfied look on your face will keep me from abusing you in front of my friends. You’ll be safe.”
“What are you talking about?”
Finally, a reaction from her. Hunter grinned.
Kerri’s face was flushed, not just from her recent climax, but with irritation. “Explain, please.”
Well, at least she’d said please. “The party is all about sharing, little girl. But I don’t plan to share you, so now I can present you as a prize I’ve already taken full advantage of, and we can dispense with the games and get on with the conversations and the subterfuge.”
“Your suspect will be at this party.”
“Yes, several, in fact. Keep your ears open and your eyes down. Don’t tempt any of them to interact with you. Now, let’s get moving.”
He helped her off of the bed, allowed her use of the restroom, then replaced the link in her bracelets. “All night?” was her only comment, and when he nodded, she didn’t argue.
When he reached for the door, a whispered “wait” stopped him. A glance at her face had him cursing. Fear mixed with the residual post-coital glow, and he held himself rigid, knowing that if he took her in his arms, they’d never leave the room.
“What did
you mean about sharing me? Would you loan me to a friend like you’d let someone borrow your car?”
He couldn’t stop the smile from creeping across his lips. “No one borrows my car.”
She gasped.
“If I decide to share you, no one touches you without me present. And I would be touching you, too.”
“Oh.”
Fuck. She actually looked interested in the prospect of a ménage. He’d shared with Richard in the past, but with Kerri, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stomach another man—even Richard—touching her. She looked hesitant, but curious. She’d be the death of him if he kept her.
“You want a ménage, pretty girl?”
Her eyes widened, staring into his with a little shock and a little glimmer of arousal. “I don’t, I don’t know.”
“I’ll take that into consideration, but clearly understand it will be my decision, not yours.”
Hunter didn’t wait for her response, simply keyed the door lock and drew her out the door and into the main room.
* * * *
Kerri noticed a few knowing looks as she followed Hunter from the private room on the first floor. Everyone in attendance knew what those rooms were for, and even though they’d been behind closed doors, Kerri felt like she’d been put on display for the entire crowd. It made her uncomfortable and a little bit giddy. Strange reaction for her, but interesting all the same.
An older man stopped Hunter and Kerri angled her body away from him while they spoke. She glanced around the crowded room, wondering where her uncle was. Being prepared for another encounter was the best defense. A familiar face caught her eye across the room. A man was moving through the crowd with a long-haired brunette in tow. He had short, spiked hair and wore tight leather pants with a leather wife-beater. At first glance, Kerri thought he was Jase’s friend, Harvey. But with a closer examination, she knew she was wrong. This man was more self-confident than anyone Jase would date.
Daye, Lavender - Bound By Trust (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 12
