Delta: Rescue: A MacKenzie Family Novella (The MacKenzie Family)

by Cristin Harber

Dropping the super sports car into gear, Luke could have blamed his heavy erection on the horsepower under his control. But that wasn’t it. The woman he couldn’t keep his mind from had her soulful eyes on him, and her skirt drifted up as she repositioned in her seat. She was soft, too soft for the world she seemed content to carouse in, and her delicate fingers slid on her legs like in some subconscious boudoir striptease.

  “Nice ride,” he said.

  “Thanks. It’s just a car, though. I didn’t pick it. But it fits the part.”

  “If you picked your own ride?”

  “What would it be?”

  He nodded, more curious than he should’ve been.

  Her eyes closed, and she leaned back, humming to herself as though she’d never wondered exactly what kind of car she would want. “Oh!” She smiled then tried to hide it. “A convertible. A silver one.”

  “Make or model?”

  “Doesn’t matter. So long as the top goes down.”

  Interesting. Her semi-hidden smile bloomed from sweet to sinful. “What about you?”

  “I have a truck.”

  “No name or model,” she teased.

  “You’ve got jokes.” Luke watched her out the corner of his eye, caught off guard by this very normal side of her, sweet, almost flirting in a shy way—not the aggressive, in-control woman in the middle of an underground fight club.

  “I guess maybe I do.”

  “You guess?”

  “Yes, I guess.”

  “Like you’re trying to figure out the world or something, huh, beautiful?”

  “Seems like that’s my new favorite thing. Oui.”

  That made his lips twitch, a hint of a smile, and he couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Luke turned a corner, having no idea where to go.

  “Mira House Hotel.”

  He knew where that was and dropped the gear, surging through traffic toward a hotel that was only blocks away.

  Music played from top-of-the-line speakers, and they stayed silent until he pulled into the hotel’s driveway. “You live here?”

  “I have a penthouse suite on standby.”

  A swanky hotel room waited for her? His eyes cut to hers. “Do this often?”

  She laughed, quickly tamping down her reaction. “Never.”

  “Right.” What to believe and what to call her on was always a question.

  Bellhops stood by their doors, and as if on cue, her door was opened, as was his, and she was greeted by name. “Ms. Mercier, good evening. Will anyone else from Love join us tonight?”

  Love… Ironic. Nothing about someone like Maddy could love. She was depraved. Yet he was following her, ready to take her body the second he could.

  Leaving the Lotus, Luke powered around the hood, catching glimpses from people nearby. He was still bare chested, with a bruise swelling one cheek. He walked past the moneyed guests, watching them stare at his tattoos and mesh shorts. On his face, they surely saw the demons of a lust-fueled, angry man. A dangerous predator. No one saw the trafficker who pimped women as she stood awaiting him.

  Luke stopped and towered above her. “Your company, Love. Is it real?”

  “Most things are actually what they seem. Unless you’re not looking correctly.”

  “Playing games again,” he mumbled.

  “Then again, there are apparently shades of real, of right and wrong. The DEA agent and the trafficker, as you keep reminding me, heading to the penthouse?”

  “I’m not on DEA’s payroll.”

  “That’s right. You’re a hunter.”

  The way she said it made him want to grin, as though she didn’t feel endangered, and he knew she shouldn’t. Luke wanted more from her than an arrest, and that was clouding his judgment and blurring his goal. “Let’s go.”

  She nodded, and he fell in step beside her. They passed the concierge, who subtly nodded to her as they headed to the elevators. Everyone knew her. He missed nothing, not the looks and glances, but he couldn’t read minds, and his interest was stoked.

  An elevator arrived immediately, and still in silence, they boarded. She took out a card and scanned it, then hit the P button. He turned, curious about how she had everything from the suite to the attention of all who worked there. “Do you own the hotel?”

  “No.” Again, she gave a careful smile.

  “There’s a first.”

  The corners of her mouth twitched, broadening her grin.

  The elevator opened into a gorgeous hallway that ended at one door.

  “It’s open,” she said.

  He tried the handle, and the door opened easily. “You keep yourself a room on the ready, unlocked. Trusting…”

  “Pays to have a place you can go without question.”

  “No one is paying you tonight, beautiful.” He took in the opulence. Holy shit. The suite had to be packed with a hundred thousand dollars’ worth of furnishing.

  “Not every transaction is about money.”

  “Yes—”

  “There’s beauty…” Her gaze fell across his chest. “There’s pleasure. There are new experiences.”

  They walked into the bedroom, not touching, still flirting, and he needed to run away from her but couldn’t. “A dirty game of cops and robbers.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but instead nodded.

  Everything inside him burned hot. His chest was tight, and his muscles ached.

  A hunger, a curiosity, and a shyness surfaced when he least expected it, making him want to stroke her cheek, to ask her questions to figure out their undeniable draw. “Why do you trust me, Maddy?”

  She blinked. “I have no idea.”

  “You said you were my prey. What do you want? To hurt? Be saved? What is this?” Because whatever it was, it was addictive. He was running on a high that he couldn’t explain.

  “I’m a businesswoman, except that I’ve been put into a world that I hate. I have to survive. I didn’t have the luxury of growing up with crushes and loves. For the first time, I see the possibility of something that changes me, and I want—deeply, badly, terribly—I want someone to…make me.”

  “Make you what?”

  A challenge broadcasted on her face as she lifted her chin. “Make me feel.”

  Needing to feel? That was his problem, his need—to feel pain to feel better. “You want what?”

  “Just…”

  “What, Maddy? Say it.”

  “I don’t know! Maybe I’m as screwed up as—” She pinched her eyes, shaking her hair as she stepped close to the bed. “Dominate me. Make me feel it. You. This. Us.”

  His eyes narrowed, assessing her request. It was almost as though she didn’t know what else to ask for, what else to like. But coming from her world, domination was probably what she knew. She wanted to feel, she was asking for it the way she’d experienced, and fuck it all, but there was something about her that he couldn’t say no to. It wasn’t the sex. He had no idea what it was, just that vibe that there was more. “That’s what you want, beautiful?”

  “I need it.”

  But what did he need? To avenge the past. His mind raced back to their first interaction, when she stood near a bed, positioned in an eerily similar way, while other women sat on the mattress. His throat closed as he reviewed what he knew then and now. “Where was the other girl?”

  “Excuse me?” Her face blanched.

  “On the balcony-climbing day, Maddy. Intel said there was another girl.”

  “No.” Her cheeks pinked, and her mouth stayed parted as though she had so much more to say.

  “Where is she? What did you do for her?” Suddenly, Luke had a glimmer of hope that Maddy Mercier wasn’t the devil. “I don’t want your secrets. Your resources. But I need to know. What happened to her?”

  Seconds ticked. “I bought her.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “To save her.”

  Not the devil. His soul sighed as a hot rush ran through him. Cade had said she was bloodthirs
ty, but Luke couldn’t stay away and couldn’t believe he was this drawn to depravity. That second, they had a connection—the same target, the same goal. What buzzed between them was more than sexual. It was primal. If Maddy wanted to lose control with him, he’d take it. If she was able to rescue a girl, he’d respect it. Their minds had melded. He’d never met a woman who mirrored him. He’d never met anyone who mirrored his demons.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Power and dominance emanated from the chiseled man standing before Maddy. His presence electrified the air and slid over her skin, pulling down her dress and teasing her core. All of this he did without so much as a physical touch. But she was way, way in over her head. Never having been kissed, she’d just told a man like Luke to dominate her.

  Losing her virginity was going to be awful. But that was her destiny. She sold sex and didn’t know the first thing about it—only how she’d grown up and what she’d been taught. That was to submit, to be trained. Nothing about how she felt on the inside and what she wanted.

  Nerves getting the best of her, she wavered but didn’t let him see her fearful excitement. Luke turned, and the visual display of color deeply inked on his skin was beautiful. His back muscles were taut, his shoulders sharp, and the column of his spine trailed into the gym shorts he’d fought in. They covered the well-defined curves of his ass, and she wanted to touch, to really feel the power tied in him.

  When he twisted back to her, an erotic storm was playing on his face. His pupils dilated, his skin flushed. “Dress off, beautiful, and get on the bed.”

  Trembling, she stepped out of a shoe.

  “Woman.” He caught her startled gaze hard, which made her shiver. “I said dress.”

  This was what she had asked for. Maddy stared at the slingback and slipped it back on, then unzipped the dress. With a simple shrug of her shoulders, the expensive fabric fell away, leaving her in lingerie and heels.

  Luke sucked a quiet breath, his eyes drinking her in. As hard and harsh as he was, the savoring appreciation filled her with something in addition to lustful need.

  With a nod, she moved to the bed and crawled on, never letting his gaze go.

  “On your back.”

  She did, tilting her head to keep her focus on him. Luke crossed his thick arms, making his biceps bulge and his forearms flex. His shoulders were broad, and his erection hung heavy in the shorts, which hid nothing.

  “Spread your legs for me.”

  Her stomach jumped, and her heart stopped, but she did as directed.

  He stalked closer to the bed. “Hands above your head, beautiful.”

  Again, she did as told. Shivers cascaded over her as he took long strides toward her. He leaned on the edge of the bed, and her nipples were surprisingly hard, and the mound between her legs was hot. An aching neediness coiled deep below her stomach, and she thought if she could hold on to this feeling, she’d be set for a lifetime of daydreams.

  “Do not move.” He brought his angry face to hers, with just inches between their lips. His chest didn’t touch her chest, and their arms didn’t glance off one another.

  All she wanted to do was feel his skin, but he didn’t give her that gift.

  “Not one inch.” As quickly as he had hovered over her, Luke turned, headed to the bathroom, and shut the door.

  What? Tempted to sit up, she closed her eyes and replayed the deep, shaking anger that she could feel he shared and decided that was the kind of energy she wanted deep inside her. Maddy didn’t move.

  The water turned on, and a realization hit. He was showering. Instantaneously, her mouth watered, and her ears burned. The sounds of him washing, naked and dripping, filled her thoughts.

  Her breasts ached for his onslaught as much as her lips wanted to be kissed. Maddy was primed in a way that she didn’t know existed, waiting and wanting. She needed him, and that blew her mind, having never needed…ever.

  Anticipation crackled when the water shut off, and her core clenched, another amazingly new feeling. Seconds turned into years. The door cracked open, and steam and the scent of soap rolled in. Then there he was, towel around his waist, barefoot and focused on her.

  The room warmed as steam wafted into the suite. The bedroom was luxurious. The trappings of the Miami penthouse were decadent. Yet the heat burning in Luke’s eyes was the only thing worth looking at. How many hours had he spent sculpting his body to sheer perfection? How many hours had he spent under a tattoo artist’s gun?

  Her lips trembled as he towered over her, the shower’s damp warmth making her react with a cascade of shivers. She bit her lip. “What are you going to do?”

  “Dominate you, beautiful,” he rasped. “Make you feel more than you ever have before. Just like you asked.”

  Her eyes shut as they rolled back, and the grit and scratch of his words ran over her senses. His hands hovered over her skin without making contact, heat radiating from his palms. She imagined how rough they were, maybe calloused, definitely strong. She recalled the possessive hold he had on her, how his long fingers demanded that she behave in her office, her domain.

  Luke leaned his handsome face close. He smelled like soap, like clean, virile man. His lips were a dark pink, the hint of dark stubble scratching her cheeks. Without kissing her, his lips hovered close, floating across her cheek and toward her neck. Goose bumps erupted under the trail of almost-not-quite kisses, but neither his hands nor his mouth made contact.

  Maddy shifted, unconsciously lifting her hips, arching her back the tiniest of degrees. A moan purred from her mouth, encompassing every deep, dark desire this man was eliciting from her. A fraction of air separated them. Electricity pulsed in her blood, strumming between her legs. “Please.”

  He pulled back enough that she knew a lash of his tongue wouldn’t happen, nor would she receive a bite of his teeth.

  “You’re teasing me.”

  Amusement danced on his face. His erection jutted from under the towel that hung dangerously low around his waist. If only it would fall. If only she could have his rigid length against her.

  The tips of his fingers touched her hard nipples. His touch ran an almost nonexistent circle around the tight, lace-covered buds.

  “God…” The sensation was astonishing. Her breathing hitched as his fingers drew their path more firmly. The back of his knuckles dragged from one peak to the next, and she found it ironic how the angriest, toughest man she’d ever come across was teasing her with pressure lighter than a breath.

  “Why do you do what you do?” he asked as his hand began to explore her stomach, stroking from her breast to the top of her lacy thong.

  With the models? She sucked a breath as his finger dipped into her belly button on the way back up. “Beautiful people make beautiful pictures.”

  “Liar.” Down his hand went again. “That’s not why, and I wasn’t talking about Love.”

  Her eyes narrowed razor-sharp. “Not what we’re here to talk—”

  “Beautiful.” Luke traced the top of the lace band again before following it to her hip and then drifting down that sensitive line where her leg met her mound. He didn’t go past the fabric, didn’t dip under the lace to the skin that was nearly crying for his touch. Just the simple torture he seemed so keen to dole. “I know the cartels, and I know Mercier.” Over her thong-covered clit, he flicked his thumb slowly, making her writhe at the unexpected sensation. “And you aren’t what you seem.”

  Panting, she shook her head. “You don’t know as much as you think you do.”

  “I know there’s a woman hard and cold as she is fragile and hot, lying before me, begging me to take away her ability to say no, her control, her attitude. I know—”

  “I’m not fragile,” she hissed, but for the first time in her life, she was…hot. Every time she thought she couldn’t feel more explosive, he ramped her up again.

  He laughed quietly as though he could read the desperation in her soul. “You’re something.” He bent, still not kissing her, but she co
uld feel the heat from his lips hovering over her hip bone. “What do you like?”

  Her eyes sank shut again, out of her control. “That.”

  “Specific, baby.”

  “I don’t know. Please.”

  His hands trailed up her thighs. “You want me here?”

  She nodded, nearly moaning. “Yes.”

  His hands skipped to her stomach, smoothing over her breast. “Or here?”

  “There too.” Her skin was on fire, needling her to the point of insanity.

  His black eyes burned into her skin. The look smoldered as much as it scared her. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous. You wanna take my cock, you’re gonna learn it’s the best you’ve ever had.”

  His lips hit her neck, making her gasp, making her insane. She lost her mind, lost her censor. “It’ll be the only I’ve ever had.”

  He froze and inched over her face. All of the emotion that had heated his cheeks and fired his gaze went flat. “What?”

  “I…”

  His face twisted. “What kind of game is that?”

  “Uh, never mind. I—I don’t know—”

  “I’m not one of your sickos wanting a fucking virgin. I am not your clients.” He pushed away. “I can’t believe this.”

  She sat up, embarrassed and angry at who she was. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Un-fucking-believable. I don’t need this crap.” Luke turned from her coldly and grabbed his shorts, stepping into them and complaining about the evils of traffickers before he left her alone on the bed.

  Devastated, she twisted to watch him walk out. Words to stop him wouldn’t come as unfurling desolation twisted her into the fetal position. Hot tears slid over her cheeks, the first time she’d cried over how screwed up she was.

  Luke’s heart slammed in his chest as he reached the elevator. A virgin? Bullshit. That was the biggest load of crap. He punched the button and wanted to cling to the wall for fear he’d run back to Maddy’s suite, strip her thong, and fuck her until they both came, screaming to the heavens that nothing could be better. Because she was a liar.

  What the hell was his problem? She was the very definition of what he despised, and he’d almost…almost done everything she asked for because he couldn’t say no. She held a power over him like nothing he’d ever experienced. He hated her for the attraction as much as for her past. Never had cock before? Bullshit! What level of screwed up was she?