“Do you know why I was called?” he asked.
The officer shrugged. “When it was called in, your name was attached to it. Someone did it.”
Rome nodded as he saw Detective Sawyer walking up the drive.
“Carino, what are you doing here?”
“My name was attached to it for some reason.”
Sawyer frowned. “I have no idea why. We know the ex did this. Or we think he did.”
He nodded and started back to his car. Then he stopped and looked back at the house.
“What was the woman’s name?”
“Sara Michaels.”
He knew the name, knew she was a member of the club, but knew that for once, this was a coincidence.
Still, something nagged the back of his mind, something he knew he was missing again. He was back in his car and dialing Maria’s number before he even realized it was now a reflex. Done with work, call Maria.
“Hey, was it one?” she asked before even saying hello. Just hearing her voice had his nerves settling, his worries dissolving.
“No, apparently the woman was in a bad situation with her ex. He’s their prime suspect. Are you still at the club?”
“No. I’m on my way back to the house.”
“Okay, I’ll head back to Honolulu—”
“No, I’m on my way to your house. Malach is taking me there.”
He paused. The name was familiar, but it wasn’t someone he knew directly. Then it hit him, Malachai Dupree, Chris’ brother. He’d met him at Jocelyn and Kai’s wedding. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
There was a beat of silence. “I know Malachai. Personally.”
Shit, an old boyfriend? Of all things. And that was suspicious. “He found you?”
“We ran into each other. I thought it best to get away from the club to explain so we didn’t blow my cover.”
“Okay, be there in a few.”
“Bye, Rome.”
He was irritated, he thought as he drove up Like Like Highway. Worse, he knew why. She was breeching protocol. It was completely out of character for her, and it could endanger the mission. And all because of some damned ex-boyfriend. A Navy Seal ex-boyfriend, in fact. Damned if that didn’t piss him off.
When he had been introduced to Malachai at the wedding, he’d seemed a nice enough guy. Women had been slobbering on him, but that was normal for a Seal. The thought that he had been one of Maria’s ex-lovers had Rome grinding his teeth. She didn’t mention she knew Dupree. It wasn’t like they had long conversations about their old lovers, but with the connection, Rome wondered why she didn’t say anything.
He pulled back from the idea of trying to kill a Seal, a man trained to kill with his bare hands. But the thing that was starting to bother him was that Maria had a past. He knew she wasn’t that experienced, and he never looked down on a woman for her past. But right now, he wanted to beat the holy living hell out of Dupree.
It was worse than when they ran into Jack a few days ago. Now he could feel the slap of anger mixed in with the jealousy. What the hell was he doing? He wasn’t a Dom that expected his sub not to have male friends or a past. And he never expected to control their every movement. That wasn’t a Dom/sub relationship in his mind. That was a slave/owner and so not his thing.
Still, there was a part of him who thought maybe that was what he should be doing. He should demand that she not have any contact with any men. Which would make both of their jobs difficult and enough to scare the hell out of him.
Irritated with himself and with the woman causing these feelings, Rome punched the gas and sped home. The sooner he saw her, the better he would feel.
· · · · ·
“So, you’re here working the case?” Malachai asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I talked them into letting me come over.”
He snorted. “Like that was a hard decision. You’re one of the best agents they have in their DC office. And that has nothing to do with your father.”
“Tell some of them that. But this way I think I’ll prove them all wrong.”
Malachai frowned. “I don’t like it though. Putting yourself out there as bait? Not good. You’re sure this Carino guy is good?”
She gave him a sardonic smile. “Do you think I’d work with him if he wasn’t?”
He chuckled. “You have before.”
She shrugged. “I trust him. Plus he has good cop instincts.”
Mal opened his mouth, but the flash of lights told her that Rome had made it back. The door opened just a few moments later.
“Hey, Maria.” He walked straight to her and pulled her in for a thoroughly devastating kiss. It was quick, hot, and it made everything in her body pulse.
“Hey, yourself,” she said, when she gained her sense. “Mal, this is Rome Carino. Rome this is—“
“We met at Jocelyn’s wedding,” Rome said as he tucked her close to him. She frowned at him and fought the urge to wiggle away. Something about his expression told her that he wouldn’t like it, and he definitely would make a scene.
“Yeah, I remember now. You’re the cop who was in charge of May’s case.”
Rome nodded. Neither of them said anything. Rome kept her locked next to him, and Mal crossed his arms over his massive chest. The testosterone in the room rose to dangerous levels. It was so high there was a good chance she might pass out from it.
“Mal is on leave.”
“And just happened to stop by the club?”
The suspicion in Rome’s voice had her face turning red. She leaned closer and whispered, “Behave.”
He squeezed her.
“Yeah, I did. I wanted to say hi to Micah. Plus I have a membership, via my family connection.”
“Have you been in Atlanta recently?”
Mal’s easygoing smile dissolved, and Maria knew there would be a fight unless she stepped in.
“No, Mal was on a mission overseas. All hush-hush. So he’s not a suspect.”
“Did you check it out?”
The growl that rumbled from Mal’s chest meant that someone was going to end up with a broken nose.
“Romeo Carino, if you don’t behave, I’ll make you regret it.”
For a second there was a stunned silence in the kitchen.
“Romeo?” Mal asked, then he chuckled. It turned into a belly laugh.
“And you’re not much better, Malachai Fredrick Dupree. You behave, or I’ll tell people you get seasick.”
She was satisfied to see his smile dissolve.
He gave her a dark frown. “You promised not to tell anyone.”
“Yeah, well, you’re both being immature. Stop it.”
She crossed her arms and gave them both her meanest stare. Mal chuckled, and Rome ignored her.
“Now that you’re here, I’ll go. And don’t worry, I’ll keep your cover. Don’t have much time here anyway. Just three days before I have to be back.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
She could tell from Rome’s expression that he wanted to tell her not to, but she gave him a look that let him know he would regret it.
“Thanks for seeing Maria home.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, the trained FBI agent needed to be seen home.”
He said nothing else as she walked Mal back out to his rental.
“So you’re not just on the job.”
The statement was said in a way that had her temper rising. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
His mouth kicked up on one corner. “Nothing.”
“You know a lot of people get involved while undercover. We are both free agents in that realm, so I don’t see a problem. Besides, we have to keep up the appearance that we’re involved.”
Malachai said nothing as he studied her. She wasn’t much different. She tended to study people, watch their reactions to what was being said, to get a feel of what people were thinking. Her father had taught her how to do it years ago, and she knew Mal had training in it.
“Stop. Y
ou’re not on some fucking mission.”
He snorted. “Yeah? Well, I must have upset you if you’re cussing. The only time you cuss is when you drink and when you’re losing at chess.”
She growled.
“Oh, and now you sound like your boyfriend in there.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
That was a silly term, and one she wasn’t ready for. Truthfully, she’d never really used that term before, so it sounded odd to her.
“Why not? He was sure acting like it in there. And although I can’t see out of the back of my head, I can feel him watching us.”
“He is not.”
Mal nodded. “Probably out that front bay window, although it could be from the bathroom.”
She looked over Mal’s shoulder and saw Rome. Mortification had her face burning red. Mal just laughed in her face. “It’s about time.”
“What?”
“That you let a man take care of you.”
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I don’t need a man to take care of me.”
“No. But it’s nice to have someone there you can depend on.”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of nice. Annoying, and I am going to read him the riot act when I get in there, but definitely nice.”
“I guess I should have seen it before.”
She studied him for a second. “You didn’t want the role.”
“No, babe, the two of us were meant for other things. We both knew that from the beginning.”
She nodded. Out of all her ex-lovers, Mal was the only one who understood. The only one who knew exactly what made her tick. Until Rome.
“Have you told him about the writing?”
She shook her head. “I’ve barely known him five days.”
“Five days and you slept with him already?”
She could feel her face turning red again.
“Lord, you are hooked. I guess I can see you when I come to visit Chris, Cynthia, and Jocelyn.”
She shook her head. “I still can’t believe I didn’t make the connection.”
“We didn’t talk much then, if I remember. Other than your writing and the job.”
“And your job.” She studied him for a moment. The summer they had met she had been green, so green she didn’t even know how to hide the fact that she found him attractive. With his mocha-colored skin, hazel eyes, and that winning smile—not to mention the body of a warrior—she had been surprised when he’d been interested in her. But soon, even with a little mutual attraction, their friendship became more important than the sex. And she knew she couldn’t deal with loving a man who was usually halfway around the world. “How long you have?”
“Just a couple of days. I have a gut feeling we’re going back out and soon, so I’m heading back to San Diego.”
She frowned. Mal’s gut was always right. And she hated that, hated that her friend was going to be in danger. Rationally, she knew it was stupid because that is what she trained for, as did Malachai. It was in his blood to serve and protect.
“Okay, well give me a call if you have a moment free.”
He looked back over his shoulder. “You sure I should do that?”
She rolled her eyes and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. The front door opened and that had Mal chuckling again.
“Talk to you later, Maria.”
She watched him drive away. Just a few moments later, she felt the brush of Rome’s fingers on her bare shoulder.
“You were acting like an ass.”
He slipped his hand down to her waist and pulled her closer. She felt the brush of his mouth against her temple, and she sighed.
“I know I was. I promise to be good from now on.”
“Really,” she said, looking at him from the corner of her eye. “And I was planning on having fun tonight.”
He gave her rear a pat. “Now that I can promise.”
She heard the deepening of his voice, felt the stirring within her. “Don’t you want to talk about the case tonight?”
He held the door open for her. “No, Maria, I think we need to have a little chat about discipline.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rome held the silky red blindfold in his hand as looked down at Maria and smiled. He had been thinking of this moment since their first night together.
She was tied up to his bed, her hands cuffed to his headboard. Her legs were stretched, cuffed to a strap that was attached to the bed. She was trying her best not to let him know how much this act unnerved her. For him, it was easy to see. Oh, she was aroused, there was no doubting that. Her breathing was hitched and there was a flush to her cheeks that had more to do with being turned on than frightened. The scent of her musky arousal filled the room.
The fear was there, though. She wasn’t afraid of him, not really. His training had taught him how to discern the difference. She was frightened of the feelings rolling through her now. It was something to play at being tied up, of choosing to be someone’s sub. In the act of tying her to the bed, he had taken a lot of the choice away from her. She had her own safe word, and she could have said no at any point, still could, and he would honor it. He might die from lack of blood to the brain, but he would definitely honor it.
Her gaze rested on the blindfold in his hands. He knew this was one big step for her, for them. He kept telling himself that this was just for a short time, but somewhere deep inside him he knew it was something else, something bigger.
He leaned over the bed and tied the blindfold on her. She didn’t pull away or show any worries about it, but he knew she had them. For someone so much in control of everything, this was the ultimate submission. He usually didn’t push his subs so far so fast, but after tonight, he felt he needed to show some kind of power, to let her know who was in control. And dammit, he had wanted to claim her.
“You have your safe word.”
She nodded but said nothing. He skimmed his hand down her chest, teasing her nipples. They were tight, easily showing him how aroused she was. As he slipped his hand down her body—enjoying the way her stomach muscles quivered in reaction—he leaned forward and took a nipple into his mouth. She was so sweet, so what he needed. Women were a delight, but something about the taste of her skin, the scent of her arousal, spoke to Rome.
When he slipped his hand over her pussy, he tried to calm his own heart. It never failed to amaze him how turned on she got with just a little play. And tonight he was going to test the limits. He needed to make her understand that even for this little bit, she was his.
He dipped his fingers into her sex and sighed against her breast. So hot, so wet. He knew just how she tasted. He wanted to do nothing more than forget all of this, all the toys he had assembled, and just fuck her until they both forgot their names.
He moved away from her, needing some space. He would never accomplish the pleasures he wanted to tonight if he didn’t gain some control over his own needs.
With considerable effort, he walked to the dresser and opened the drawer. He’d spent more money on toys in the last few days than he had in the last year. There was something so thrilling about showing Maria the pleasure she could gain from submission. Hell, if he wasn’t careful, he would go bankrupt trying to tie her to him.
He shook that thought away. He couldn’t think about tomorrow with her. Living in the moment is what would work.
Forcing his attention back to the present, he approached the bed. She wanted to squirm. Rome could read it in her expression. It was taking all her control not to do it. To reward her, he skimmed a hand up the inside of her leg. He liked that while she was muscled and in shape, there was a softness to her. He caressed her bare mound and felt his need for her rise. She was wet for him. All he had done was spank her and then tie her up. Just those two things had her close to coming.
He ran his hand across her mound, teasing her clit. “Remember, you are not to come without permission.” He pinched the tiny bundle of nerves and couldn’t fight a smile when sh
e sucked in a quick breath.
Wanting to be comfortable, he slipped onto the bed next to her and picked up the vibrator. He’d bought it just for her earlier today. He wanted more, wanted to do more, but he knew that their time was limited. There was only so much he could take before he lost control. If he thought about it, he might worry. Since he’d come into the life, he’d never really had an issue. Until Maria.
He slipped the toy over her clit. She hummed. Now she did wiggle against it and let out a frustrated growl when she couldn’t move. Without saying anything, he moved between her legs and settled down. He skimmed the vibrator over her dripping slit, then into her. As she moaned, he bent his head and took her clit into his mouth. He knew the dual feelings would push her right to the edge. As he felt her orgasm approaching, he moved away and turned the toy down. Over and over, he pushed her to the edge but didn’t let her fall. He knew when he’d pushed her too much. “Come for me, baby.”
She sighed in relief and as he pulled her clit into his mouth, she came, her body bowing as much as she could being tied the way she was. His hands were shaking when he set aside the toy and grabbed a condom. He had it on in record time, untied her feet and rose to his knees, wrapping her legs around his waist.
He entered her in one hard thrust and then started to build her back up. He wanted to feel her come again, feel all those muscles tighten around his cock.
Soon she was moaning his name again. He pulled the blindfold off and kissed her. She opened her eyes just as her second orgasm shuddered through her body. Her eyes went blind with pleasure. It was too much for him. He thrust into her twice more then came, losing himself with her in their pleasure.
· · · · ·
“Hey, Rome, you have company.”
Rome looked up from his desk, expecting Maria. Instead he found Malachai Dupree striding his way down the aisle. Shit, he wasn’t in the mood, but from the look on the Seal’s face, he wasn’t going to turn around and walk away.
“Do you have a few seconds?”
“No, hello, nice to see you, Carino?”
The stoic look Dupree gave him told Rome he wasn’t in the mood. There was just no way he was going to get out of this, so Rome nodded and led Dupree to a conference room.
A Little Harmless Submission 6 Page 14
