Rapid Pulse: A Limited Edition Spicy Romance Collection

by Gina Kincade

  He slipped inside with ease and began to thrust erratically, one hand splayed on the seating, the other alternately fondling her sweat-slicked breasts. She was tight and perfect, just what he needed. By the look on Edie’s face, she was getting what she’d always wanted. She was in nirvana.

  She’s always wanted me and now I’m giving myself to her.

  Electricity ran down his spine at the combined pleasure of her touch and the stroking action of his member, his hot length going deeper. She seemed to relax further, welcoming the ache of invasion. It had been a while since he had last had sex, and the sense of fullness was more than welcome.

  “Faster. Harder!” Edie cried out, headless of discomfort and only wanting friction. “Fuck me harder!”

  Everett let rip, hands steadied on the backrest, tongue plundering her mouth, as he withdrew completely – before slamming back up to the hilt a moment later.

  Edie braced herself as she was pummeled further into the seating. They fucked hard and fast, breathing erratic. Short gasps forced themselves from his chest as she rocked to the beat that he set, back sometimes arching, her torso rising to meet his.

  Lost to passion, Edie scraped at his broad shoulders, adding marks as she scratched and tore at what was available for the taking, oblivious to the blood that began to flow from the small cuts she inflicted.

  She’s surprisingly good.

  At the last push, she shuddered involuntarily, the rhythm broken as she screamed aloud, bucking upon the now sweat-filmed and blood spotted seating. He came inside her at almost the same instant, filling her, satiating her.

  Everett pulled up his zipper, still not able to comprehend what had just happened. Had he really had sex with Edie in the driver’s seat of a black van? When did he start doing things like that?

  And what took me so long to realize it was fucking awesome?

  Edie straightened her hair, which was so messed up she looked like she’d jumped out of a plane. Her face was red, her lipstick smudged. She couldn’t stop grinning. She was on cloud nine and seemed to want to settle in there permanently.

  Shit. Does she think this is going to happen again, that we’re a couple?

  Do I want it to happen again?

  What about Aina?

  “Did that really happen?” she asked.

  “It was unreal,” he admitted. His emotions warred within, disgust at giving Edie hope, but also satisfaction, at having given into his primal, animal urges. “But I wouldn’t say no to it happening again.”

  The words were true. He’d love to have sex with her again, but he didn’t see it happening. They were both going in different directions, career wise. Who knew when they might see each other again?

  Edie smiled and said, “You might have to take me to dinner next time. I’m not really the kind of woman who has sex in a van. I’m classy.”

  “Edie...”

  Edie’s head snapped back, her skull exploding. Blood and brain matter splattered all over the windshield and Adrian’s face. He screamed in rage as more bullets pierced the van, pinging, shattering its exterior.

  Edie, no...

  He ducked down as the rest of the windows shattered from bullet fire. Glass showered around him like confetti.

  It sounds like a machine gun.

  He pulled a gun out of the glove compartment. It was loaded. He pushed the side door open and snuck out, using the door as a shield. He slowed his breathing down, fighting to stay calm, even as he vowed to destroy Edie’s killer.

  I’m going to tear them apart with my paws...

  It was the Middle Eastern woman who’d been swimming in Emil’s pool. She was still in her skimpy swimming costume, standing in the middle of the road. The machine gun looked almost comical in her small hands.

  “That was my father you killed!” the woman called.

  More bullets hit the car.

  “Come out!” she cried. “Pay for your crimes!”

  Everett sighed. He rolled out across the road, stopped, aimed, and shot the woman in the chest. She fell, the gun falling and skipping across the road as if it had a life of its own.

  He got up and checked the woman over, just to make sure. She was definitely dead. He picked up her machine gun. He could never be too sure. There might be more enemies waiting to take him down.

  He made his way back to the van. When he saw the mess that was left of sweet, funny Adie he threw the weapon to the floor. He never wanted to see another gun as long as he lived.

  Chapter 2

  23rd February 2010

  “Home sweet home,” he whispered, stepping off the bus.

  He looked around and sighed. Sylvester, Alaska, looked the same as it always did; rustic, cold and funereal. He liked that it hadn’t changed. It was his home, his anchor. It would keep him sane in the days to come.

  He walked down Main Street, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He passed the local butchers, and the small library, and the sheriff’s office. It all felt so normal, a long way from guns and death and avenging terrorist’s daughters. Nothing ever happened here. Their last murder had been in 1985, and even then the killer confessed and appeared to be repentant. It was the perfect place to ease his soul.

  What do I do next?

  What am I qualified to do apart from killing people?

  Everett had joined the army almost as soon as he’d graduated high school. The only qualifications he had were for guns, driving and martial arts. What could a sniper do in a small town on the coast of Alaska? He could open a bakery. He was actually quite good at baking.

  He stopped short, the view across the street taking his breath away. It was Aina.

  My beautiful Japanese goddess.

  The two of them had met when Aina’s family moved from Tokyo to Sylvester. He’d only been a boy at the time but he knew the two of them had a destiny. They may have had an on and off relationship since then, but they always wandered back to each other in the end. That had to mean something, right?

  She smiled across at him, the length of the road feeling like a huge chasm between them. She’d cut her hair short into a bob. It made her face look rounder. She was wearing a thick coat to protect herself against the cold winter chill.

  “You’re back!” she shouted. “I can’t believe it!”

  He crossed the road to her, feeling self conscious. He’d been hoping for some time to psych himself up for this meeting. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her. Perhaps the truth?

  “I’ve quit,” he told her. “I’m never going back.”

  Her face fell, which wasn’t quite the reaction he’d been hoping for. Hadn’t she been wanting him to quit the army for years? Hadn’t she been the one to pester and nag for him to come home to Sylvester and her permanently?

  “You’ve come back to Sylvester for good?” she asked. “After all this time, I didn’t think you’d actually have the balls to do it.”

  “I’m not sure what I’m going to do now, but...”

  He’d been paid handsomely for his duties as a sniper. Despite the fact that his last assignment ended so badly, he’d picked up quite a pay check for it. He didn’t have to work if he didn’t want to. But the thought of doing nothing terrified him. He needed to keep himself busy to stop thinking about Edie.

  “I always thought you’d make a great deputy,” she said. “I remember when the school took a tour of the sheriff’s office. You seemed...content.”

  He mused on that for a moment. It was a good idea, something he’d actually already thought about, even though a career on the local police force seemed a bit sedentary to him compared to what he was used to.

  Is this what I want? A house, a wife, kids, and a boring job?

  “How are you?” he asked, focusing on her for the moment. She was positively glowing. He liked seeing her healthy and contented, yet there was something else. She smelled different. “You look well.”

  She looked at the ground for a moment. “Everett...I’ve met someone. We’re engaged.�
��

  Everett felt his stomach lurch. He couldn’t process it.

  You were meant for me.

  “I’m happy for you,” he said.

  “I can tell you’re not, and I understand that.” She looked him in the eye. He felt like running. “I couldn’t wait forever. I’m sorry.”

  “Are you...are you happy?”

  She opened her coat to reveal a heavily swollen belly. She was at least six months pregnant.

  No wonder she smelled different!

  “It’s a girl,” she revealed. Her smile was joyous. He’d never seen her so happy, and it pained him that he could never give her such feelings. “She kicks all the time! Sometimes I wonder if she’s going to be a famous soccer player or something.”

  Her cell phone rang. She answered it, talked to her mother for a while. Everett felt useless, like he wasn’t wanted or needed in his home town any more.

  This is just Aina. I have friends and family here.

  “I’ll see you at the welcome back party later,” she said. “Okay?”

  She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked away before he could even inquire about the welcome back party. Were his parents planning to surprise him with that? That was the last thing he needed right now.

  HIS FAMILY HOME WAS just how he’d left it. It was one of the few three story houses in the town, sitting near the pier. The sounds of waves crashing soothed him, as did the barking of dogs and the croaking of seagulls. This is what home was. He saw a cruise ship far off in the distance, sailing the waves. He wished he was on that ship. Life would be much simpler.

  He opened the door, finding the inside eerily quiet. He’d expected his mother to rush to him and pull him into a hug, just like she always did.

  “Mom?” he called.

  He entered the living room, finding his father, Malcolm, sitting on the couch, sipping from a glass of whiskey. He seemed drunk and totally oblivious to everything around him, including the fact that his son had come back after being away for years.

  “Dad?” he said. “Dad?”

  Malcolm looked up at his son and smiled. The old man looked worn and fragile, not like the vibrant, sturdy man he’d known all his life. His dad’s hair was thinner, whiter. His eyes were tired. He was a shell of a man.

  I know he liked to drink, but this much?

  Fuck. He’s an alcoholic and I never noticed.

  “Where’s Mom?” Everett asked, dropping down his duffle bag. He sat on the arm of the sofa, noting the smell of booze and body odor that pervaded. It smelled like a dorm room. “Dad?”

  Malcolm Brown sighed and said, “Your mother left me two months ago.”

  Everett did a double take.

  What?

  “No, really, where’s Mom?” asked Everett.

  His father looked at him with scorn. “She left me for another man, some smarmy cock from Florida who stayed at the local bed and breakfast. He charmed her with his wit. She lives in Fort Lauderdale now.” He grabbed the bottle of Scotch and messily poured another glass. “May they live in misery!”

  WHEN HIS SISTER ANSWERED the frantic banging on her door he said, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that Mom and Dad had split up?”

  She gave him a sheepish grin and invited him in. The interior of her house was decorated with banners. He could smell various foods and hear the clanking of wine bottles. It seemed his sister was the one organizing his welcome home party.

  Mom’s not even here. She’s in Fort fucking Lauderdale!

  “How did you expect me to tell you?” she demanded. “You were always on assignment.”

  Everett waved to his sister’s husband, Gus, who was busy blowing up some balloons. He felt so betrayed and angry that he wanted to pop every single one of them.

  Vetta sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m not dealing with it too well myself. I...I haven’t spoken to either of them much since it happened.”

  “I expected it a long time ago, to be honest.” He sat down, tired. “What with Dad’s drinking and Mom’s flirting with other men?”

  Vetta was his older sister. She liked to rub it in that she was the big sister and therefore the strongest. He couldn’t argue with her there. She’d been in the army too, though it had only lasted for three years. She was still tall, fit and one hell of a mother. Nobody messed with her.

  “You’ve really quit?” she asked.

  He nodded. “I’m back for good.”

  “I’m glad. Your nieces were growing up without you.”

  His thoughts invariably turned back to children again, and Aina. All she’d wanted was his baby once upon a time. It had been a fantasy. She’d realized he was never going to commit, never going to come home, and she’d got herself a life that didn’t include him. He’d been left behind.

  But I did want to commit. I did come home.

  “I think I’m going out for a drink,” he said, needing to be alone.

  “Be back for the party at eight,” she said, pulling him into a hug. She kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t worry. You’re back now. Everything is going to be okay.”

  He really wished that he believed her.

  HE PUSHED OPENED THE classic Wild West saloon doors and entered The Bear Cub, the only pub in this part of town. He liked it in here. It wasn’t pretentious and it was cheap. It was also where his best friend of twenty years worked as a barman.

  He worked his way over to the bar. It was quiet, only a few patrons leaning drunkenly against their tables. Richard “Cable” Jones was watching him, grinning from ear to ear. He actually looked surprised to see him.

  “So, tell me,” said Everett, fearing the worst. “What’s changed with you? Are you married? Having a sex change? Moving to Mars? Please tell me one thing has stayed the same.”

  Cable looked guiltily towards the bar before saying, “I bought the place.”

  Some good news for a change!

  “Really?” Everett laughed, clasping his friend’s hand, shaking it. “That’s great!”

  “I’ve got mortgages up to my eyeballs, but I’m doing good.” He paused a second before saying, “You heard about your parents...and Aina.”

  Everett pulled up a char, resting his elbows on the bar. It was sticky.

  “I mistakenly thought she’d wait forever,” Everett admitted bitterly. “I was an idiot.”

  “Her new guy is a teacher,” said Cable, groaning. “A total nerd. Hate him.”

  Cable filled up a pitcher with draught beer and put it on the counter. Everett picked it up and drank from it until he couldn’t possibly taste another drop. It was time for him to get totally wasted.

  Shit. I can’t get wasted, can I?

  He put the pitcher down, wiping his mouth. There was a woman behind the bar, standing next to Cable. She was tall, maybe six foot. She had her hair cut short, died blueberry blue. She wore a leather jacket and a short red crop top, revealing some sort of ancient symbols tattoos around her belly button. She was utterly fascinating.

  And she’s got one hell of a cleavage.

  “My eyes are up here,” she told him.

  He looked up into her grey eyes, unable to stop himself from smiling. She was like a gold coin in a bag of quarters.

  “This is Star,” said Cable, introducing them. He seemed quite fond of her. “She’s worked here for three months.”

  “Three months too fucking long if you ask me,” she quipped, grinning. She slapped Cable on the shoulder affectionately. “But you gotta do what you gotta do, even if it is working in your brother’s garbage heap of a pub.”

  Sister?

  “Shit,” said Everett, stunned. “You’re Florence?”

  She eyed him with venom. “I changed my name legally. It’s Star now.”

  “I can’t believe it! The last time I saw you you were heading off to MIT. You look so different.”

  She shrugged casually. “Things change.”

  Star walked away, heading into the back room. Everett watched her go, eyes on her backside
as it fitted perfectly inside her torn jeans.

  “What happened to her?” Everett asked. “She’s so different.”

  “Life has been tough for Star.” Cable looked back. He was very protective of his sister. “Let’s just say she’s had men trouble and leave it at that.”

  He watched Star working, serving a drink to a guy at the bar. She poured drinks with aplomb, though he sensed a sadness in her, similar to the one in his own heart. She’d had her heart broken, though she was doing a much better job at keeping it hidden than he had.

  “Eyes off,” Cable warned him. “She’s off limits.”

  “I only have eyes for you,” said Everett.

  Cable laughed and poured him another drink.

  STAR CLOSED THE DOOR behind her, and leaned against it. She felt her heart beating faster. She hadn’t expected to run into Everett again. She’d assumed that he’d joined the army and was never coming back. Yet here he was, as tall and sexy as ever.

  She ran to the bathroom and splashed some cold water over her face. It wouldn’t do her any good to think about Everett in that way. All he’d ever seen her as was his best friend’s plain little sister.

  But the way he looked at me...

  Was it desire?

  She pinched her arm, telling herself to stop being ridiculous. Everett was a pipe dream. Anyway, the last thing she needed right now was man trouble. She’d had enough of that to last her a lifetime.

  And I have the scars to prove it.

  “Are you okay?”

  It was Cable. He was standing in the back room, ostensibly to fetch a packet of chips. It was obvious he was worried about her and wanted to check up on her. It grated. She didn’t like being treated with kid gloves.

  “It was just a shock, seeing him back,” she admitted, feeling her face go red. “I can handle it.”

  “You don’t still have a thing for him, do you?” Cable asked.