by Taylor Lee
“Rafe. Oh, God…Ahhh.”
“That’s right, Darlin’. Spread your legs, just like that. I need to get acquainted with this fucking tattoo you put on your hot body, the one that scared the hell out of me the other night.”
At her soft moan, he snapped the fragile strings of her thong and gazed in wonder at the sight below. It was even more erotic than he remembered. With trembling fingers, he traced the curve of the sinuous snake, stopping to press on the point of its wicked tongue. Her shuddering cry confirmed that the snake’s tongue pointed the way to Nirvana, a path he fully intended to explore.
Damn. How could an innocent young woman be so fucking knowledgeable? To decorate her most intimate area with this shockingly flagrant invitation? Yet he knew that it was this mix of innocence and wantonness that made Nicki so irresistible… made him intent on spending his life tapping into her passionate sensuality, discovering and meeting her driving needs that he realized with a start were as great as his.
Nicki couldn’t believe what Rafe was doing to her—with his hands, his mouth and, oh God, his tongue. He was all over her. It was as though he had a roadmap of all the pleasure zones on her body and was determined to find each and every erotic corner. She squirmed and wriggled, eager to meet his overtures. A wave of intoxicating pleasure swept over her when he moved between her legs, his shoulders wedging her thighs apart. She shivered at the rush of air against her heated flesh. His gasp and low rumble confirmed he had found her snake. His fingers trailed over the sensuous coils she knew so well then he pressed against the exquisitely sensitive nub hidden beneath the wicked tongue of the snake. She cried out, agonized, needy.
The sensations were so intense that she was afraid. She understood for the first time true physical need. It was as though her body had waited a lifetime for this man and she wanted him now. But she was frightened. He was experienced, skilled, knowing and she was…naïve. What if she disappointed him, if she did something wrong, something to push him away? She’d heard stories, listened to other women. They all seemed so knowledgeable. Oh God, she should have asked Katya.
At that moment, his fingers spread her open and her fear overwhelmed her. Her voice was shaky, contorted by need and fear.
“Rafe, I want you to touch me, not stop. But, I…I’m a little scared. I don’t know what you want me to do…what I am supposed to do.…”
Immediately he was beside her, his hard body stretched against hers. She breathed in his unique odor. She smelled the intoxicating alcohol on his tongue, the smoky fragrance of his imported cigarettes, the powerful mix of leather, soap and strong man.
His big hand cupped her chin. He lifted her face toward his, refusing to let her avoid his perceptive gaze. When she tried to close her eyes against his intensity, Rafe murmured, “No, no, Nicki. Look at me, Darlin’ and listen to me. You need to hear me. I have never wanted a woman the way that I want you. If I could I would devour you, that is how much I need to touch you, kiss you, feel you. Most of all, I need to be inside of you.”
He lifted her chin, forcing her to hold his gaze. His eyes were wide, dark. A deep furrow between his brows telegraphed the strain he was feeling.
“I’m scared too, Nicki. I want you bad, baby. I don’t want to hold back. But I don’t want to frighten you. I don’t want to hurt you. I…. Can you do something for me, Princess?”
Hovering over her, his tone was deceptively mild, belying his rigid jawline, his corded neck muscles and rock hard biceps.
“Will you, Darlin? Will you do what I ask?”
She swallowed and gave him a tentative nod.
“Don’t think, Nicki. Just feel. Let your glorious body feel all the passion buried inside of you. Let me touch you and taste you? And finally let me come inside of you and love you the way I have wanted to since the first day I saw you. Will you do that, Princess?”
Nicki was stunned at Rafe’s confession. Had he really wanted her all this time, the way she wanted him? She felt a gush of moisture between her legs at the thought of him truly making love to her. Rather than being embarrassed she was grateful that her body knew what it wanted, what she needed, what she had to have.
Surprising herself with her intensity, she grasped his face between her hands and pinned him with a fierce stare. Her voice was strained, tight with need—shaky but firm.
“Rafe?”
“Yes, Nicki.”
“Will you promise me something?”
He frowned. “I already told you I won’t stop, Darlin’. I promise I won’t do what I did before.”
“No—not that. I know you won’t. No, Rafe, I need you to promise me something else.”
He nodded.
“Anything, Princess.”
“Promise me that you won’t hold back? That you will take me the way you want to. As hard as you can? We can do it soft later. Rafe, right now I am on fire. I need you so much. Please, Rafe! Please don’t hold back.”
“Jesus, Nicki. You don’t know what you are saying. I’m a hard man, Nicki. A controlling man. A rough demanding lover. I make love the way I fight. You don’t know the way I want to take you. The things I want to do to you, to your body. The things I want you to feel.”
Nicki was fierce. “Then show me. Start now. Show me what it means to love a hard man. Because, Rafe, I do love you and I want you, all of you.”
He groaned. “Nicki, you don’t understand. You have no idea what I want to do to you. I want tie you to the bed and fuck you until you can’t move. Give you so many orgasms your body collapses. I want to blindfold you, introduce you to toys you never knew existed. Take you in every imaginable place from the top of my desk to the hood of my car. And baby, I wanna fuck every part of your body. Do you understand? Do you have any idea what I mean, Nicki?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t… not really. But… I want to. And I want to start now.”
He peered into her eyes and hesitated; then a deceptively soft smile crossed his face. His eyes gleamed with a mix of lust and a sharp tangible need. He stood beside the bed and unbuttoned his pants. Shoving them over his hips, he kicked them off. Nicki couldn’t squelch a gasp. She’d glimpsed naked men before but she had never seen an aroused male or one that looked like Rafe. His swollen member jutted in front of him, hard, long and thick.
She stared at him, fascinated, stunned at the fiery sensations flooding her. She looked up at him and whispered, “You are so beautiful, Rafe. Please? Now?”
A wicked grin crossed his face. He moved fully on top of her, resting on his elbows and letting the length of his hard body press against hers. He stared into her eyes, and crooned a low, sexy sound.
“Oh yeah, Nicki. I’ll take you. But first I’m going to prepare you. I’m going to put my hands, and my fingers and my mouth in places you didn’t know you had. I’m a big man, sweetheart. I could hurt you if you aren’t ready for me. I need to take up where that puny vibrator of yours left off. Get you ready for me. This snake has had you all to itself. Stood guard long enough. As much as I appreciate its good work, it’s time to breech those defenses. Your body is mine now, Nicki. All mine. Only mine.”
The outrageous claim stoked the coals inside her, sending flares of heat racing over her.
Rafe pressed his throbbing member between her legs. She moaned and trembled with excitement when he pushed the engorged head against her heated folds. His murmur was husky, close to a growl.
“When you are ready for me, I’m going to put this inside of you—all of it. And Princess? I’m not going to hold back.”
Chapter 30
Long after Nicki had drifted off to sleep, wrapped in his arms, Rafe lay quietly reliving the night. Gazing at her lovely body still damp, sweaty, fragrant with the combined smells of their lovemaking, he marveled. He’d known passion over the years. And he’d known women, too many to count or remember. But he had never known the pure joy he’d felt buried deep within Nicki’s welcoming body. He told himself he should be ashamed, should apologize for being so r
ough, so fierce. But she had been as demanding, as hungry as he was. His body stirred at the memory of her insistence, her begging for more, her eager cries. “More, more, Oh, yes, God, yes. Like that Rafe!”
He shuddered, remembering the moment he entered her. She was so tight, so damned tight. He should have stopped right there. But she refused to let him. She wanted him, insisted that he come into her deeper, harder. And God help him, he did. Throwing aside all caution, he’d thrust into her tight channel, driving deeper than he thought possible, in a place he knew he would spend a lifetime exploring. They rose together to unimaginable heights. The only sound more erotic than her ecstatic wail when she came was his roar, the wild uninhibited cry of a triumphant male animal who had found his mate.
Hearing the soft tap on his door, he reached for his phone on the bedside stand. He squinted at the time, frowning. Damn. Not even 5 o’clock. He slid out of bed, trying not to wake her. Hearing her moan in her sleep, he smiled and tucked the blankets tight around her body to mimic his embrace. Snagging his jeans, he shuffled across the room, still buttoning his pants as he opened the door.
Grayson and Caleb were standing in the hallway, their stern expressions signaling that something was up. Ignoring his own half-naked state, Rafe moved into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind him.
Grayson lifted a brow and threw him a questioning look. When Rafe just frowned and motioned impatiently, a glimmer of understanding streaked across Grayson’s face. When he spoke, the tension in his voice was apparent.
“Jeff intercepted a text message on Mindy’s phone. We have a location.”
Rafe immediately snapped to attention.
“The party?”
“No, at this point just the city.”
Grayson grimaced and snorted a harsh laugh.
“Shouldn’t be too hard to find the party location. Hell, New York City isn’t all that big.”
Rafe nodded.
“Get the rest of the men. Have Andre bring breakfast to the Cave. And tell him to make extra coffee. I got a feeling this is going to be a shit of a long day.”
As he turned to go back inside, Gray clapped him on the shoulder.
“Should I have someone wake Nicki?”
Rafe gave a soft snort, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll make sure she gets the message.”
He grinned when he heard the two friends chortling as they strode down the hallway. Remembering the scene in the great room, an understanding flashed over him. Fuck. He wondered just how many of his team had been in on the subterfuge. He grimaced. Katya of course. Knowing her as he did from the wild tales Vlad had relayed, he was sure Katya had been involved in the scheme, up to her mischievous eyeballs. Back in his room, Rafe shook his head, thinking he should be angry at their interference, but seeing the tangled cloud of Nicki’s bright red hair on his pillow he was filled with gratitude. Thank God his friends were wiser, more courageous than he was.
After he’d showered and dressed, he sat on the edge of the bed and nudged her gently.
Like all trained warriors, Nicki woke immediately, coming to full attention in seconds. Her eyes widened at the sight of him fully dressed, and then she flushed, grabbing the sheet to cover her naked body.
He chuckled and grinned at her as he pried her fingers off the sheet, pulling it down to her waist.
“Little late to be modest, Princess.”
At her embarrassed groan, he laughed and hauled her across his lap with surprising ease. Holding her fragrant body close to his, he nuzzled his lips against her ear. His voice was a husky drawl.
“You better get used to waking up naked in my bed, Nicki, because that’s where you are going to be. Except when I am in yours.”
Nicki gasped then snuggled in closer.
For a long moment they clung to each other, their mutual wonder too intense for words.
It took everything Rafe had to loosen his hold and unwind her fingers from around his neck.
“We’ve got the location, Nicki. Jeff has the details.”
He reluctantly sat her back on the bed, resting her against the pillows. Gazing at her flushed face, her lips, swollen puffy from his raging kisses, he stood, knowing how little it would take to strip off his clothes and climb back in beside her.
Clasping the sheet up under her chin, Nicki smiled shyly, her eyes wide, shining.
“Go Rafe. I’m okay. I’ll get dressed in my room and be there quick as I can.”
“There’s a robe in my bathroom, Princess. You can shower there. We’re all meeting in the Cave. I’ll wait for you there.”
At the doorway, he turned back. A wicked grin stole across his face.
“That’s quite a snake you’ve got there, Princess. I’ll confess. I’ve never seen or felt anything like it in my life. And just so you know, there’s some parts of me that plan to get a helluva lot more acquainted with it. Up close and personal, if you know what I mean.”
~~~
Nicki swept her damp hair up in a ponytail on the top of her head, but not even trying to capture the tendrils that sprung free. She hoped that her cammo pants, boots, and long-sleeved black t-shirt would counteract the glow on her cheeks. At least the shirt would hide the marks on her neck and arms. Thank goodness, no one could see the abrasions on her thighs. Glancing in the mirror, she laughed out loud at the flush on her face. As Rafe had said, it was a little late to be modest. Had she really done and said all of those things? Begged him to come inside of her? Not to hold back? And then, dear God, he had. Never in her life could she have imagined what it would feel like to have Rafe make love to her the way that he did. Just the memory sent a streak of heat over her sensitized flesh. Good God, how could she sit with him in a meeting and act as though her life hadn’t changed forever?
She remembered with a groan that everyone who’d be there probably knew what had happened. Nothing like shouting it from the roof top! She grimaced, then laughed. Maybe she should do like the knights of old did and hang her bloodied sheets in the doorway signifying that she was no longer a maiden. Glancing in the reflection at her shining eyes, flushed face and huge smile, she chuckled. Nope. That wouldn’t be necessary.
~~~
Not trusting herself to meet Rafe’s eyes, Nicki slipped into her seat at the table as quietly as she could. Jeff was talking, referring to the text message spread across the big screens in the front of the room. Andre came up behind her, carrying a platter of fresh crepes and sausages. She nodded eagerly, as he piled more food on her plate than she’d eaten in two days. Tony came from the other side and handed her a cup of her special latte, overflowing with aromas of cinnamon and hazelnut.
Caleb nudged a basket of croissants over to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Been working up an appetite, hotstuff?”
Nicki felt the heat flood her cheeks and shoved a sharp elbow in his ribs.
Caleb chuckled and then outrageous as ever, whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Stop hitting on me, hotstuff, or everyone is going to think that it’s me that put that sparkle in your eyes.”
A chorus of groans greeted his remark, but palpable relief spread around the table breaking the tension that blanketed the room when Nicki entered.
Rafe shot Caleb an annoyed glare but his eyes were twinkling.
“Someday, Caleb, you’re going to go too far, even for me.”
Caleb grinned.
“And then what, Boss? You gonna fight me for hotstuff? Maybe we should just flip a coin. Heads I win, tails you lose. Whadda you say, hotstuff? You want a nice well-behaved gentleman like me or you want that bad tempered, Hollywood alpha dog up there that has the rest of us cowering in our boots?”
Nicki gave him a sweet smile and patted him on the head.
“Sorry, Caleb. I’m afraid I’m more attracted to badass alpha dogs than to sweet annoying pussy cats. But don’t think for a moment that I don’t love you.”
Amidst
the hoots and meows from the delighted men around the table, Nicki reached up and gave Caleb a big kiss full on his lips.
She whispered, “Thank you. I really do love you, you know.”
He grinned. “Yeah, hotstuff, I know you do.”
Nicki chanced a glance to see how Rafe was responding to their banter. She was relieved to see the twinkle in his eyes. If anything, he looked more relaxed than he had in weeks. She quickly looked down. There was no way she could hide the emotions flooding her if she had to see the wicked gleam in his eyes, and remember the feel of his lips on hers just before he showed her what a badass alpha dog he really was.
Chapter 31
“The most we know is that they want Mindy to fly into New York City tomorrow morning. They’ll pick her up at the airport and take her to the party.”
Jeff scrolled through the text messages on the big screens.
“As expected, there is nothing in these messages that hints at the location for the actual event. Just that they will meet her at the airport and that she is bring a party dress and casual ‘pool clothes’ for the rest of the weekend. Apparently, they’ve decided to forego the treasure hunt aspects of their former events. Either they are over eager or getting more brazen.”
Rafe broke in, his expression telegraphing unwelcome news.
“Unfortunately, I think it is neither. I had a message early this morning from Abdullah. For those who don’t know, Abdullah is our code name for an Afghani team member in deep cover. At this moment he’s in D.C. and called to alert me to an ‘auction’ that is planned for this weekend somewhere on the East Coast. As you might guess, the goods being auctioned are not material, they are human. In this case, young women. They are being advertised as ‘premium’ stock, certain to satisfy the most exacting tastes. Abdullah is invaluable: He has infiltrated an unusual cadre of infamous leaders who thrive on anonymity. They are the international uber-wealthy. From Chinese entrepreneurs to Saudi princes to gang lords of every stripe. They all share a consistent attribute. They’re as well protected as they are rich.”
