by Leah Brooke
“Take everything, Nick. Take me.”
Nick’s dark eyes raked over her as he knelt between her thighs again. “From you I’ll have nothing less.” His hands left her hips to tug the knots on the scarves at her ankles and groaned. “I want you wider. Open for me, Julianna.”
Her inner walls gripped him, making the plug feel even larger. She couldn’t stop thrashing beneath him, crying out with each smooth thrust, but attuned to every sound he made, every word he spoke.
He kept her folds parted with his thumbs, exposing her clit to the gentle breeze as he slid deep and withdrew almost completely, only to slide even deeper. Every ridge of his cock caressed her inner walls, the friction more intense because of the plug pressing against it.
Surprised that she had to blink back tears, Julianna obeyed him, pushing against the headboard to lift her breasts to him.
“Nick. So tight. Everywhere. Oh, God.”
His thumbs closed over her clit, pinching the throbbing bundle of nerves between them, his thrusts coming harder and faster than ever.
Shocked at the sensation, Julianna’s body stilled, her muscles locked tight as she came, the pleasure so intense it forced a hoarse scream from her.
Her entire body became suffused with a heat that burned, the sizzling ribbons of pleasure racing through her and centering at her slit. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.
She could only feel.
Nick plunged deep with a groan as his cock pulsed his own release.
“Fuck.”
Her eyes flew open as Nick lowered himself on top of her and tugged the knots to release her wrists before gathering her against him.
“I’m sorry, Julianna. Please forgive me.”
Wrapping her arms around his wide shoulders, Julianna buried her face in his neck and breathed deeply, the scent of him somehow reassuring her. She couldn’t stop trembling, and the whimpers escaped continuously now and nothing she did seemed to stop them. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wanted to be held in his arms this way forever.
“Nick, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Lifting his head, Nick tugged her hair when she would have followed, forcing her to look up at him.
“I do. You have nothing to apologize for. I got so lost in you that I didn’t give you what we both needed. That’s something that’s never happened to me before.” His own admission appeared to surprise him.
Frowning up at him, she shook her head. “No. It was…amazing.” It seemed like such an inadequate word for what she’d just experienced. “I’ve never felt like that before. I’m still shaking.” She gasped as his cock jumped inside her, pushing against the plug.
Brushing the hair back from her damp face, he stared down at her, his gaze like a caress over her face, despite the anger at himself she heard in his voice. “There’s more, darling. I did something no Dom worth his salt would ever do.” Bending, he touched his lips to her cheek and sighed.
“I got so caught up in how incredible you are that I let my control slip. You needed my guidance, and I failed you.”
“No, Nick. I don’t need guidance. Jesus, we had sex, and it was wonderful. Get over it. God, I’ve never felt so full.”
Nick smiled faintly. “You’ll feel even fuller when Steve and I fuck you together. Come on, so I can clean you up.”
“I can take a shower alone.” Besides, she needed to take the plug out so she could think again. Having something in her ass seemed to suck all the brainpower out of her.
Nick’s lips thinned. “Don’t piss me off, Julianna. You won’t like it.”
He wrapped his arms around her and straightened, jerking her against him and forcing her to put her legs around him. With a sigh, he kissed her damp forehead and walked across the room with her. “I’m mad at myself, darling. We have some talking to do, but not tonight. Just let me take care of you.”
She dropped her head on his shoulder to hide her relief. She’d felt so connected to him, and the snap of that bond had hurt her more than she’d realized. Right now, though, her focus was on the plug that kept moving inside her, pressing against Nick’s softening cock. “Nick, the plug.”
Carrying her to the bathroom, he grinned and reached down, pressing on the base of the plug. “Like having your ass filled, don’t you, little one.”
Hanging on for dear life, Julianna threw her head back and moaned. “God, what you do to me. Stop calling me that.”
“No.” He set her on her feet and went to the shower. With a flick of his wrist, he started the water, looking at her over his shoulder as he adjusted the temperature. “It’s something I think you need to be reminded of. Over your lifetime, you’ve somehow become convinced that being tall and strong makes you less of a woman.”
“That’s not true!” How could he know this stuff?
He grabbed her as she tried to turn away, dragging her into the shower, lifting her until she wrapped her legs around his waist and pressing her against the tiled wall. “To me, you’re just the right size.”
He tugged at the plug inside her, watching her intently as he worked it from her ass and tossed it into the corner of the shower.
“And you’re all woman. Soft, tough, vulnerable, strong. You’re sweet and prickly. Hardheaded, and very exasperating at times. You bite your lip when you’re nervous, and there’s a hitch in your voice when you’re aroused. You really are incredibly fascinating.”
Sliding her fingers through his wet hair, Julianna smiled sadly. “You really don’t know me at all.”
Cupping her breast, he toyed with a nipple. “I know you better than you know yourself. Just as I know why you cried when you came. You lost a part of yourself to me, and it scared you. You also slipped into another place and needed me to guide you. I’ll be there for you from now on, Julianna. I promise. And when I get you there again, love, you’ll never want to leave.”
* * * *
Standing at the foot of the bed, Nick watched Julianna sleep, mentally shifting his life around.
He didn’t think he’d ever forget the look in her eyes while he made love to her, a look that kept playing over and over again in his mind.
She’d looked up at him, her eyes dark with arousal and complete trust in him.
And love.
She loved him.
Seeing the love and trust on her face shredded his control, filling him with a need for her unlike anything he’d ever known. He couldn’t get deep enough inside her, couldn’t wrap himself around her enough, couldn’t wait to feel her ripple all around him.
Still cursing his lack of control, he struggled to come to grips with how important she’d become to him and the speed in which he’d fallen for her.
When he’d taken her before, he knew immediately that she would change his life, but only after being away from her did he begin to realize how much.
When he’d heard about the attempt on her life, the stark terror had nearly paralyzed him, and for the first time in his adult life, he’d found it impossible to focus on business.
He’d actually walked away from his hotel, leaving Craig and Ron to deal with the police while he sat in the limo trying to get his hands to stop shaking.
Trying to come to terms with the fact that somehow he’d fallen in love with her.
He sat there in a limo, thousands of miles away from her, while his partner and best friend, the man he liked and trusted above all others, comforted her and saw to her safety.
Suddenly anxious to be with her, he’d emerged from the limo. At the point all the guests and employees had already been evacuated and the whole damned hotel could have fallen down as far as he’d been concerned.
He’d just wanted to get to Julianna.
He smiled now as she mumbled in her sleep and rolled over, reaching out a hand and frowning before burying her face against his pillow, the collar of the shirt he’d worn earlier riding up to cover the line of her jaw.
He’d wanted her naked, but when she’d eme
Christ, he had it bad.
Sighing, he retrieved his cell phone from the dresser, knowing he could never share her with someone who didn’t feel the same way he did about her. Not wanting to wake Julianna, he stepped out onto the balcony and dialed Steve’s number, unsurprised when he answered on the second ring.
“Hell, I was wondering if you’d ever call.”
The slight breeze felt good on his nakedness as he crossed the balcony and lowered himself onto one of the padded chaise lounges. Frowning at the tension in Steve’s voice, Nick leaned back, staring out at the dark ocean.
“Problem?”
“In case you don’t remember, we have quite a few at the moment, or has Julianna made you forget everything else?”
Irritated to be reminded of his lack of control, Nick’s words came out harsher than he’d meant them to. “Is that jealousy I hear in your voice? If it is, too bad. She’s sleeping in my bed right now, and as soon as I hang up with you, I’m joining her. I’m not walking away from her, Steve. I thought I’d already made that clear. I just called to see how things were going and if you’d found any sign of Munson. If you don’t have anything to say about that, I’m going to go keep Julianna warm. And if you have any thoughts of bringing that jealousy to the island with you, just stay away.”
The last thing he wanted to do was argue with Steve, but his feelings for Julianna made him defensive and damned protective of her.
Steve sighed. “Damn it, Nick, that woman’s got me turned inside out. Worrying about both of you is going to give me gray hair. Look, we trailed Munson. We’re pretty sure he rented a boat and is on his way there. I’ve already talked to Mike, but they can’t cover the whole fucking island. We had to wait until Len got here with the plane before we could leave, but we’re on our way. Len was beat, so Nitro’s flying. Just get inside and stay there.”
Nick was already on his feet and headed toward the closet and the safe which held an assortment of guns. Bracing the phone against his ear, he threw on a pair of jeans. “We’ll be—”
Sensing a presence, he started to spin when someone hit him hard in the back of the head, knocking his legs out from under him. Lying on the floor, he tried unsuccessfully to push back the darkness that threatened to overtake him. Fear for Julianna had him struggling to call out to her in warning, but no sound emerged.
His eyes closed and wouldn’t open again as the dark edges steadily closed in.
“Nick? Nick? What’s going on?”
Nick groaned as the cell phone was yanked out of his hand and Steve’s frantic tone dimmed.
A deep chuckle turned his blood cold as the man who’d hit him spoke.
“Well, if it ain’t my good friend, Steve. Looks like you’re not as good as you think you are.”
Nick struggled against the darkness, but couldn’t do more than roll to his back, wincing at the pain in his head. His need to protect Julianna, who lay sound asleep and defenseless only feet away, had him fighting the darkness with every ounce of strength he could muster.
It wasn’t enough to get up or call out to her, but he managed to focus on the voice speaking angrily into his phone.
Paul Munson had found them.
“No, you shut up and listen. Because of you I’m on the run and have had to take shit jobs just to survive. I’m tired of taking orders. I want ten million dollars to retire somewhere, and you’ll never see me again. Who knows? Maybe I’ll buy myself an island. In the meantime, I’m going to hold on to your friends here until I get my money. I’ll call you and let you know where to leave it.”
The darkness couldn’t be held back anymore. Wondering if he’d open his eyes again, he slipped into unconsciousness, his last thought for Julianna.
He’d never told her he loved her.
Chapter Seventeen
Julianna came awake with a jolt as a rough hand slapped over her mouth. Terrified, she struggled, her mind instantly wide awake.
Where was Nick?
“Don’t even think about screaming. If you do, I’m going to have to shoot your pretty boyfriend.” The low, menacing tone sent a jagged bolt of ice through her, and fearing for her life and Nick’s, she looked up, struggling to focus on the man who’d spoken.
It had to be Paul Munson, but how did he get here?
It took a few seconds before her eyes adjusted enough to make out the dark form leaning over her. When she looked in his eyes, she saw her own death.
She nodded to let him know she understood, her heart beating nearly out of her chest and tears stinging her eyes. To be standing here, he must have already hurt Nick.
She listened closely for any sounds from Nick, anything, but she heard nothing other than the beating of her own heart.
Nick, oh God, Nick. I love you.
Without moving her head, she searched frantically for any sign of him, her throat clogged with tears. As soon as the man released her, she sat up abruptly and searched for Nick, scanning the room for any sign of him. Seeing a dark shadow lying motionless on the floor in front of the closet doors, she threw back the covers and raced to his side.
“Nick, oh God, Nick.” She ran her hands over him, her heart leaping up to her throat when he groaned.
He was still alive!
But he didn’t move, didn’t wake up when she shook him.
Whipping her head around to the other man, she ran her hands over Nick, searching for injuries. “What did you do to him? What do you want?”
His eyes hardened as he approached, his limp more pronounced than it had been that night in the alley. “Shut up. Your boyfriend’s not dead. Yet.”
Turning back to Nick, she bent over him protectively, her mind racing. “You must be Paul Munson. Steve told me about you. What do you want with us? Why would you hurt Nick?”
Munson’s jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with impatience. “I’m kidnapping you, and if you and your boyfriend there behave, you might just live through it.”
Not until Nick’s face went out of focus did she realize she was crying.
“You bastard. Steve will kill you for this. Leave Nick here. He’s hurt. Where are the men?”
A hand in her hair yanked her head back, the pain making her cry out.
The voice sounded low in her ear at the same time the nauseating stench of the cologne hit her. This was the man from the elevator, the man who’d been in the garage.
“So we meet again. You and your boyfriend are both coming with us. Your other boyfriend won’t be able to do a damned thing, and as soon as we get paid, you’re mine.”
She got knocked aside as Munson leapt forward and put a gun to his head.
“Shut the fuck up, you idiot. You say one more word and I’ll put a bullet in your head. Now, pick him up so we can get the hell out of here before the others show up.”
With a glare at her, the other man did what he was told. She started forward when he moved toward Nick. “No! Leave him alone. Just take me.”
A hand in her hair yanked her back again, but this time it belonged to Paul Munson and was much rougher. “What makes you think I’d get ten million dollars for you? No piece of ass is worth that much. I’m just taking you to keep your boyfriend in line. Took me a little while to figure out who you belonged to, and when I found out you’re fucking both of them, I knew I’d hit the jackpot. But no man is gonna pay ten mil for a woman he’s sharing with his friend. Now shut up.”
The other man tied Nick’s hands while Munson forced hers behind her back. Knowing she’d be even more defenseless without the use of her hands, she fought him. “No!”
Pain exploded in her cheek when he backhanded her and sent her flying. She bounced off of the closet door and landed next to Nick.
“I told you to shut up.”
Before she could push herself up again, he jerked her arm, pulling her toward him and pressing a knee into the middle of her back. Pain shot through her shoulders when he grabbed the other arm and efficiently tied her hands behind her back. When he lifted her to her feet, she saw that the other man had Nick over his shoulder and had already started toward the door.
“You’ve made two very powerful enemies, Munson.” Struggling to pull away, she found herself yanked back against him.
His grip tightened on her arm, so tight she knew it would leave bruises. “Your boyfriend is the one who made a powerful enemy when he blew the whistle on me.”
“You shot him!” Tasting blood, she spat at him, fury and fear making her reckless.
He wiped his face and, with a cruel smile, lifted her arms behind her back, raising them higher and higher until the pain became unbearable and she screamed. Scared that he’d dislocate her shoulders, she sobbed. “Stop. Please stop.”
He got in her face, lifting her arms higher. “Shut up. And if you think of screaming, I’ll break your arms.” Lowering her arms again, he started out of the room with her.
Alarmed at his strength, Julianna struggled to stay on her feet, her arms now slightly numb. She swayed, and if not for the hand wrapped around her upper arm, she would have fallen as he dragged her from the room. Concentrating on not falling on the stairs, she kept Nick in sight, unobtrusively searching the shadows for Mike, Ron, or Jay. Hell, even Lawrence. Seeing no one, she wondered if they even knew Paul Munson was here.
They had to know.
Please, God, let them come out and save us.
But no one came.
She hurried after Nick, not about to let him out of her sight. When they got to the kitchen, she looked around, frantically searching for something she could use as a weapon. She came to a stop, a scream rising up in her throat when she saw Lawrence lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.
“Oh, my God! You killed him. You killed Lawrence.”
Munson shoved her. “Keep moving.”
The reality of the danger she found herself and Nick in hit her hard. These men were killers. Real killers, not the kind on television.
-->
