Blind: Killer Instincts

by Sidney Bristol

  Also, you might want to check the chat logs. Joe is still trying to get blood out of the white shirt he was wearing in that first video. He’s either going off his rocker or something else is going on. I’m sorry to dump that on you, but I’d rather tell you than you be unaware.

  In the end, I’ll do whatever you say. I’m here to uphold the rules of the club and be a team player. I want you to know what Iron is up to right now. He’s at a crucial part of his plan. The third kill, but I think he’s too focused on the one who got away from TBK.

  —Mercy

  Jacob stalked into the duplex behind Emma, pausing to take his boots off. He was being an ass, and he couldn’t stop himself. There was this crazy, senseless chant running through his head he couldn’t silence.

  Mine.

  They had a history born from the same horrors. She soothed the monster inside of him with a touch, a glance. There was nothing but acceptance in her gaze when she looked at him. And, she made him smile. It wasn’t a big thing, but when so much of his life revolved around the dead and dying, smiles were hard to come by. He’d almost forgotten how one went about it. She cut through all that and touched him.

  The last task of the day had been to call Laura Winthrop’s family, and he’d taken it upon himself once she’d been positively identified. The grandmother couldn’t hear, so he’d had to tell her children. Her goddamned children.

  He had to catch this guy, if for no other reason than to let those kids sleep easier at night. They would have a better life than he had.

  “Amanda’s not here this weekend. Or next week, for that matter. Want anything?” Emma turned to face him. She wore a paper thin t-shirt with the sleeves cut out. He could still see her hot pink sports bra though the fabric. Her nipples were two hard dots.

  You.

  “No.”

  She seemed confused about his presence, but if she was looking for him to tell her his intentions, too bad. He didn’t know why he was here, except he needed to be near her. He could no more leave than cut off his own balls.

  “Okay, I’m going to take a quick shower because I’m pretty sure I smell disgusting, then we can, I don’t know, watch a movie or something. If you’re still hungry, help yourself to something in the fridge.”

  “Thanks.”

  Emma studied him for a moment longer before shaking her head and turning into what must be one of the bedrooms. Maybe she was waiting on more of a comment from him? She’d chatted away nervously to him while they grabbed burgers, and he’d kept his replies monosyllabic. The truth was, he hadn’t had anything to say. He’d soaked up her presence, calming himself by simply being around her.

  He made a slow circuit around the room, examining decorations, pictures, taking the measure of the mysterious Amanda, who had let Emma crash here.

  For some reason, Derrick had taken him by surprise, though he shouldn’t. A woman with Emma’s looks and personality had to have a string of exes on one side, and a line of potential boyfriends on the other. How did he measure up to the rest of them? She seemed to have forgiven him for being a cop. But anything else? It was a mystery to him.

  Amanda appeared to be a nurse of some sort. There were many pictures of her with her face smushed up against another, smiling at a camera. Emma was in a few, and in those the girls were making silly faces. He picked up one from a shelf where Emma and Amanda were in lawn chairs at what appeared to be a bonfire. They were leaning toward each other, mouths open, twisted into ridiculous expressions. He had no idea what the story behind the picture was, but he bet if he asked Emma about it she’d laugh first.

  Jacob wanted to laugh like that, but couldn’t remember the last time he had.

  He finished his circuit of the house, checking windows and doors to make sure they were locked. When Emma first mentioned staying with a friend, he’d been relieved. Someone else around to deter a single attacker from targeting her. Two people were harder to handle. Now that she was alone in a house, he wasn’t as thrilled. Anything could happen to her here by herself.

  Despite her actions, his gut said he could trust her. Anyone else looking at her as a suspect would think otherwise. He was traversing a slippery slope, and he knew it. But he couldn’t walk away from her.

  The sounds of her shower echoed through the small house. He peered through the doorway she’d gone through, and saw the bright rectangle of light cast across the bedroom floor. Steam billowed through the opening, and if he listened hard enough, he could hear her humming.

  He blinked, and suddenly the bathroom was opening up before him. He couldn’t remember crossing through the living room or bedroom. It was as if a rope were tied to him and he was being reeled in.

  Emma’s figure was a blur on the other side of the opaque, blue shower curtain. She stilled under the spray of the water.

  “Jacob?”

  “Yeah.” His voice sounded rough.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, doing a walk-through, checking windows and doors.”

  “Okay.” She turned, lifting her arms and stretching.

  Did she know he was watching?

  He should back out, leave now. Maybe go home.

  Instead, he reached out and pulled he shower curtain aside. Emma glanced over her shoulder, not a shred of surprise on her face. She dragged one of those shower poofs over her skin, white suds sprinting down her body.

  “Coming in?” She turned to face him, and he nearly swallowed his tongue.

  He’d touched pretty much all of her, but she still took his breath away. Pert, firm breasts, a generous swell of her hips, and the longest legs he’d ever had the pleasure of having wrapped around him.

  Jacob stepped into the shower, and she laughed, that gorgeous smile tugging her lips. There were marks on her body, ones he hadn’t seen but felt last night.

  “Aren’t you going to take your clothes off?” she asked.

  He didn’t care about his clothes, they weren’t important. He reached for her and she dropped the poof, letting him tug her closer. Her touch settled him, but not as much as the feel of her mouth against his.

  He pushed her back against the shower wall, pinning her with his body. She stared back at him, not a shred of fear or hesitation in her gaze.

  In fact, she seemed to say, Come and get me.

  He slid his hands down her sides until he could cup her ass. She arched her back a bit, and one side of her mouth hitched higher.

  You’ll come, again and again.

  6.

  J

  acob pulled Emma’s pelvis forward, rocking against her. There were a hundred reasons he shouldn’t be here, not the least of which was that she’d lied to him. And yet here he was, with no desire to be anywhere else. He hoped she was sorry, that she wasn’t lying to him again, because if she was, then he was the real fool. But right now, he needed her as much as he needed his next breath.

  She sucked his lower lip between hers and gently bit down. He’d never had a lover bite him before. It was primal, raw, and it drove him crazy. He groaned and leaned into her harder. Despite his conscience telling him to be gentle with her, she seemed to like pushing him to the edge of control. It was as if she liked it when he was rough.

  The spray of the shower didn’t even register to him anymore. Nothing but the taste of her lips and the feel of her ass in his hands.

  She grabbed the tail of his polo shirt and peeled it away from his skin. His clothes were completely soaked, but he couldn’t find it in him to give a fuck. Not when Emma’s nails traced his spine. She’d left scratches on his back that had reminded him of her constantly, and he wouldn’t mind adding to them.

  He leaned back enough to grab the fabric and pull it up and over his head. It hit the bottom of the tub with a heavy slap.

  Emma wiggled her hands into the waistband of his jeans, struggling with the tab. She had this determined expression on her face, brows down, gaze focused, teeth clenched, and her lips parted. There wasn’t an ounce of fear or hesitation about
the way she touched him. Every time he thought he should maybe pull back, she reeled him in closer.

  The waterlogged denim wouldn’t cooperate, but he was sure enjoying her efforts. Her fingers wiggled against his abdomen, and every now and then she scratched him as she lost her grip on the tab. He planted his hands on the wall on either side of her shoulders and nuzzled the crook of her neck. He’d make this good for her, too, so she’d want to come back to him. If he could brand himself on her, maybe she wouldn’t walk away from him.

  Jacob kissed his way up and down her neck, tasting her with his tongue and letting her feel the scrape of his teeth while her fingers slipped and tugged on his jeans. If he weren’t so focused on the little gasps and growls she made, he might laugh at her frustration at his zipper.

  “Ah-ha!” She grinned like the cat who got the cream, all heavy-lidded seduction, as she won the battle with his jeans, spreading them open. “Stay right there, okay?”

  What exactly did she have in mind? He wanted to find out.

  Emma kissed his shoulder, over the scar from his patrol days. A would-be car-jacker had stabbed him, only grazing his skin. Lower, her lips trailed across his ribs, abs and stomach, lingering over the marks and scars that would never go away, until she settled on her knees.

  Oh fuck.

  His vision hazed, and his pulse kicked up as his heart began to beat in double time. He didn’t know if he could handle this. The control it took to stand there, it might be beyond him, but he’d sure as hell allow the lady to do as she wished.

  She tugged his jeans down past his knees and held the denim while he stepped out of them. It was a relief to be out of the confines of his jeans. He’d been sporting wood since she’d peeled that motocross gear off and stood back-lit against the sunset in her damn sports bra.

  Emma settled on her knees and wrapped a hand around his cock. There was nothing hesitant about the way she touched him. She was a woman with confidence and no shame about what she wanted. Maybe she was right, and he’d been chasing the wrong type of woman all along. She didn’t flinch away from his harder side. He’d left bruises on her last night she’d laughed about this morning—even thanked him for. Right now, he’d have to trust her, because he couldn’t trust himself.

  She pumped him several times, root to tip. Her grasp was firm, and her talented fingers sought out the most sensitive places. The thick vein on the underside of his cock, the area under the mushroom cap. She played him like an expert. If he allowed it, she’d drive him mad like this. Hell, she seemed to be smiling in anticipation.

  “Don’t test me, Ems.” His voice was so low and rough, he hardly recognized himself anymore.

  “It doesn’t feel good when I do this?” She massaged his balls and stroked his length once more.

  “It would feel better in you.”

  One side of her mouth hitched higher. “In me? Like this?”

  She didn’t tease him. No, she opened her mouth and took him in until the head of his cock bumped the back of her throat.

  His throat constricted until it was hard to breathe. His vision hazed even more, and he tried to dig his fingernails into the grout between the tiles to keep his hands off her.

  Fuck, she was amazing.

  Her tongue was even better than her fingers. She rubbed the flat of her tongue on the underside of his cock as she bobbed up and down, treating him like some erotic lollipop. He tossed his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. His whole body felt as if it were on fire, both inside and out.

  He should tell her to stop. To back off. How long could he keep his hands off her?

  Unlike other women, Emma didn’t relent after a few pumps and call it foreplay. She sucked down harder, twisting the hand at the base of his cock, working all of him. He felt the whisper of her teeth against the mushroom cap, and his whole body tensed. How he wanted to thrust into her, hammer away, but he couldn’t.

  He groaned and grit his teeth, his muscles screaming for relief. Even watching her was out of the question. It would test his control, and he couldn’t lose it with Emma. He couldn’t live with himself if he saw even a hint of fear in her gaze when she looked at him.

  Her nimble fingers worked his balls, tracing the seam between each testicle, back to that tender, erogenous zone behind his sac. A tingling sensation began at the base of his skull and radiated out through his limbs, pleasant, pleasurable, but nowhere near enough. He rocked up on his toes as she continued back farther. She circled his anus with her finger. His jaw dropped and he gaped at her, too shocked to move.

  He felt the rumble of her chuckle through his cock. She glanced up and winked at him.

  Her hand slid back to his balls. Was she baiting him? His thoughts were too hazy to muddle through her intentions. All he could think was, Want. Now.

  The urge to thrust, to move inside of her was overpowering. He leaned back and arched his hips, just a bit. The pure ecstasy of it, moving together, feeling her touching him, it brought a deep shudder up through his body.

  Oh hell no. He would last longer than this, and there would be a hell of a lot more pleasure.

  He grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her to her feet. She wavered, blinking at him with a dazed, unfocused expression. He crushed his mouth over hers, clenching her to his chest.

  Jacob needed to be inside of her, to feel her and see her all at once.

  She muttered against his lips, something he couldn’t understand.

  “Condom,” she said louder.

  “Where?”

  Emma pushed past him and reached out of the shower and retrieved—an open condom. Her grin widened a bit. “Like I said, I was expecting you. What took you so long?”

  She rolled the latex on him and backed up against the wall once more, like she understood this was how it had to be. This time. He hooked his arm under her leg and she wound hers around his neck, as if it were a choreographed dance and they each knew their parts. He had to bend his knees a bit, but he found her pussy and guided his cock to her entrance. He wanted to go easy on her, but his thrust was hard and deep.

  Emma’s back arched and she tossed her head back and forth. He froze, watching her, feeling her body stretch to accommodate him.

  God, she was beautiful like this.

  He withdrew and thrust, driving into her just as hard.

  “Oh, yes,” she moaned, easing some of his worry that it was too much.

  Trust, he could trust her.

  Jacob’s muscles quivered and he relinquished a little more of his control. She thought he’d been rough with her last night? Hardly. He dug his fingers into her thigh and hip, thrusting harder. Her breath left her lungs in a whoosh as he pressed his body against hers and the shower things rattled on the edge of the tub. Her moans increased in pitch and volume, spurring him on harder. He held onto her with all he had, pistoning into her body. Her nails scraped over his shoulders, digging deeper than before until they stung, adding new tracks to his skin, new marks to remember her by.

  A prickling sensation started at the base of his spine.

  No, no, not yet.

  Jacob couldn’t stop the tidal wave of release rolling up through his body. He tightened his hold as his thrusts became unrestrained, his orgasm shredding the last bits of his control. He groaned and let his head sag forward against her shoulder, spent but sure as hell not sated. Not even a little bit.

  Emma’s back hit the mattress, and her towel slid down around her waist. She laughed as Jacob came down on top of her. He was so stern, so serious. Had no one ever showed him how fun sex could be? Well, she doubted that lesson would come tonight. But another night, she’d make sure he smiled.

  “I’ll give you something to smile about,” he muttered in her ear.

  “Oh yeah?” She stretched, wrapping her arms around his neck and spreading her thighs to accommodate him.

  He supported himself on his forearm and slid his hand between them. She knew where this was going and she still gasped when he slid his fingers inside her. It
wasn’t his cock, but it felt good as he rubbed all those sensitized nerve endings.

  “Your smile is amazing.” He kissed her cheek.

  Words escaped her. Her brain was too scrambled, her body screaming for one thing—release—for anything else to make sense.

  “Stay right there,” he said.

  Where the hell did he think she’d go?

  Jacob scooted down her body and she reached for the spindles on the headboard.

  Oh, yes, please.

  There was something wickedly satisfying about how he moved her around like a rag doll, as if she didn’t weigh an ounce. In the shower, on his table, and now here. He draped her legs over his shoulders, shifted her hips. He made her feel small and petite, which no man had accomplished in at least the last ten years.

  He spread her labia with his fingers and licked over her sensitized clit. She gasped and shifted her hips, or tried to. He had her pinned, completely at his mercy. He was in complete control. There was no moving unless he allowed it.

  “What do you like the most? Clitoral orgasms?” He flicked the nub with his tongue, rubbing it back and forth.

  Her spine arched, and she dug one heel into his back. Hitting that spot shut down all rational thought.

  “Hm. Or do you prefer vaginal?” He thrust two fingers into her pussy and pumped them several times, as deep as he could go. Her body relaxed, and her eyes nearly rolled back in her skull.

  She shuddered and blew out a breath. This teasing business could easily be turned back on him. Next time, she wouldn’t be so nice.

  He curled his fingers deep inside her and pumped.

  “What about your g-spot? Is that the way to go?”

  He stretched her a bit, rubbing all those nerve endings in her vagina—but then he hit something else. A deep pleasure center in her body. Her muscles constricted and her toes curled as sensation shot up and down her body.

  “What if we do these two together?”

  Oh no he—

  Jacob stroked her g-spot and wrapped his lips around her clit. Her jaw nearly came unhinged and she gripped the headboard tight. It was too much, all at once. She tossed her head back and screamed as her orgasm rushed over her, sharp, bright, and immediate, robbing her of her senses. She babbled words, thrashed under his hold, but he continued to stroke her for several moments, drawing it on and on. Her body felt as if it rippled, and her muscles went completely lax until there was no fight left inside her.