Damage: (Lakefield Book 5)

by Jennifer Vester

  “Fuck, Suzie. Need you,” he said as he bit my lip.

  “Asshole,” I muttered and licked his bottom lip.

  He leaned back and gazed down at me with a smug smile. It annoyed me that he knew I was turned on. He was the only man in my entire life, that brought out both the waspish attitude and made me so wet it was hard to be near him. He was arrogant, overbearing and the kind of man that I would happily irritate for the rest of my life. And that smile of his said it all. He knew it and enjoyed it.

  He pulled me off the desk and turned me around, still holding onto my hair. As he pushed me down he swiped the keyboard off his desk and tugged the shirt I was wearing down around my shoulder.

  I let out a moan as his mouth and tongue started burning a path across my neck. It felt possessive, utterly dominant, and yet he made me burn for him.

  “Fucking hate this shirt.”

  “Ohh,” I said and closed my eyes when he bit the back of my neck. A lightning bolt of pure need shot down my back and clenched through my hips. My hands fumbled for something to hold onto and knocked a notepad off the table as I gripped the end of the desk.

  His hand deftly undid the button on my shorts, then I felt them pushed down my legs. My back arched as his mouth licked across the same spot he’d just bitten. His mouth found the side of my neck and started sucking with intent. It had taken me an hour to cover the last hickey he’d left, and now he was marking the other side. Staking his claim. Making it so obvious that I was taken that no one would doubt it.

  “Oh, fuck,” I whispered.

  Pulling my head to the side, he gently kissed my mouth as I felt him fumble behind me.

  “That’s what I plan on doing. Give you a good fucking so you remember that you’re mine.”

  “Yes. Oh, yes!” I moaned as I felt his hard cock pressed against my ass.

  One of his fingers slid down my middle and he flicked my center. “Like that, baby?”

  “Please,” I groaned as he rubbed against my clit. I was wet as hell as he slid his fingers through my need and explored.

  “Please, what?”

  I groaned in frustration. “Please C—”

  He bent over to nibble my ear and chuckled. “It’s Mark. Always Mark here, baby.”

  It was dirty, calling him Mark, especially knowing that wasn’t his name. But for some reason, it sent a jolt through me, and made me want him more.

  “Please, Mark!” I begged.

  I let out a yell as the tip of his cock slid in then slammed home with force. He grunted as he retreated and then slammed back in again.

  “God, I can’t get enough of you, pretty girl. It’ll never be enough. You’re mine and you always will be from now on.”

  His control over my body was absolute as he tightened his grasp in my hair and controlled my hips with his other hand. His thrusts slowed as he found a steady rhythm and I began softly moaning.

  The heat of him against my back sank into me and I wanted more. I wanted to see him, to know that he was feeling the same way that I felt whenever we touched. It had always been like this. The push and pull, the electric jolt of pleasure whenever he was near.

  “I want to see you.”

  The hold he had on my hair tightened for a moment. His hips throttled into me mercilessly.

  “Ask me, Suzie.”

  “Please,” I groaned.

  He pulled out slowly and moved me off the desk. When he spun me around, his hand lifted me back up onto the desk and he slid inside again.

  “Better, naughty girl?”

  I nodded and moaned as he lay me down gently, his hand cupping the back of one of my knees as I lifted them up around his waist. His other hand was squeezing one of my nipples underneath the edge of my bra. He yanked it down with a swift motion and his tongue slid across me.

  My hands found the back of his head and pulled at his hair in desperation. He grunted and redoubled his sucking as his cock filled me.

  He stood back after I started whimpering and stared down at me as he found an angle that pleased him. His eyes glazed, and jaw clenched. I let out a long groan of pleasure as his fiery eyes seemed to burn me. The gaze was almost pained, as if looking at me, hurt him more than it pleased him.

  Then he circled with his hips and found my spot. My mouth fell open in a silent scream as I felt myself starting to clench around him.

  The hunger for release built in me as he continued his circular thrusts. A deep burning slid through my body from my chest to my stomach. When his hand slid over my clit and squeezed, I came.

  One of his arms slid around my lower back as he covered my mouth with his. He swelled inside me as he deepened his thrusts and stretched me to my limit. With one last push, he jerked and let out a muffled groan against my mouth.

  He kissed my face almost sweetly, reverently, as I lay in a complete haze.

  While he slid out of me gently, he brushed a kiss against my chest, which was nearly completely exposed.

  He stared up at me and clenched his jaw as he slid the shirt back in place. “Still hate this shirt. But I’m liking my marks on your tits.”

  Chuckling, I sat up with his help as he retrieved my shorts and panties from the floor. I glanced down at my chest and found it flushed and marked with his fading hand prints.

  “Of course, you would,” I said and frowned at him. “I can’t seriously go back out there like this.”

  He shrugged and gave me a devilish smirk. “You can quit and go home.”

  “Not in your wildest dreams,” I huffed. “This is important.”

  He tugged his jeans on and pulled his shirt in place. “Not as important as your life. You need to go home, and let Holden take you to the compound.”

  I gaped at him. “We’re still on this? Fucking-A, do you ever give up?”

  He leaned toward me, his expression very serious. “Nope. My bar my rules. My woman, my rules. If you think I’m being an ass, just wait.”

  I laughed hard and as I did, he gave me a scorching glare, warning me. “Your woman, your rules? Are you kidding? What sort of…no. You know what? I know exactly what kind of man thinks like that. And all five of you are insane. Every single one of you.”

  He sat down and smiled as I adjusted my shirt. The damn thing was stretched so badly it would barely stay on my shoulders.

  “Need a different shirt?” he chuckled.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ve got one in my bag.”

  “And yet you don’t have the key to leave.”

  I stared over at the door handle and realized that it locked from the inside with a key.

  Tilting my hip, I gave him an annoyed look.

  He lifted his hand and dangled the key from his fingers. “Who wins?”

  “I could start screaming.”

  “You’ve already done that, and no one came running to your rescue.”

  I sighed. “I could just stab you with a pen.”

  He grinned. “Not unless you want your ass spanked again for bad behavior.”

  “Is that what that was for? Bad behavior?”

  “Oh, that was your wake-up call spanking, sweetness. That mouth of yours was saying the wrong words. It’s not your fault, though. Apparently, I wasn’t very clear the other night. I mean, I was talking and there were words coming out of my mouth, but for some reason your brain didn’t process it.”

  “You’re an ass.”

  “You have no idea what an ass I can be, pretty girl,” he said and wiggled the keys again. “You think you know, but you don’t.”

  I tilted my head and gave him a reproachful look. “What the fuck? I’ve known you for a couple of years now. I think I know what a jackass you can be. You’re the most irritating man I’ve ever met, and just because you have some balls, doesn’t mean you have to be a big dick.”

  He laughed. “God, you’re all sweet and sour when you’re pissed. It’s cute.”

  I grabbed for the keys and his hand jerked back.

  “Nuh uh, sunshine.”

&nbs
p; Clenching my jaw, I narrowed my eyes at him. There was the funny sweet man that I knew, then there was this guy. Maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.

  “Cade, give me the key.”

  “Admit that you’re mine, and fucking quit this ridiculous crusade to get yourself killed.”

  “It isn’t ridiculous to want to help. You can’t possibly think that since you volunteered to do this in the first place. And I heard everything you said at the hotel. I just don’t agree with you, and that pisses you off.”

  He shook his head and rolled his eyes.

  I growled at him and lunged, but over-extended and ended up sprawled across him reaching for the key. His arm had moved back further, and as I struggled against him he immobilized me with his other arm.

  “So fucking stubborn,” he chuckled, and kissed the side of my neck.

  “Get used to it,” I hissed, slapping at his forearm.

  A phone rang somewhere near the desk as we strained against each other. He leaned back further, and the chair tipped once, then twice, and we ended up in a heap on the floor. Scrambling over his chest, I nearly had the key in hand when a knock at the office door made us both freeze.

  He chuckled darkly. “Wonder who that is.”

  I swiped at his hand again and he let me have the key. He lay there for a moment as I extracted myself from our tangled arms and legs, then raised up on his elbows and watched me walk to the door.

  Still smiling like the devil, he waited for me open it.

  I stepped back when I saw who it was. No way was he supposed to be there with the operation underway.

  Agent Kennedy took one glimpse of me, then slid his eyes to a laughing Cade, who was still on the floor.

  Wyatt stepped in and shut the door with a solid slam.

  “Do you think I’m running a shit show here?” he asked, directing most of his question toward Cade. His eyes then slid over to me, and I could tell by the hard stare he gave me that his wrath extended to both of us.

  “Hey, Agent Asswipe,” Cade said as he stood up.

  Wyatt’s head swung back to Cade and gave him a challenging look. “Apparently, you think this is a fucking joke. Think I can use any of this in court?”

  I didn’t quite understand the meaning as he stalked forward and glared at Cade. His expression was furious. After Cade set the chair back in place, he leaned against the desk with his arms crossed and smiled.

  “I can’t use a damn bit of this to nail the bastard if he does show up.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “We haven’t even started really.”

  Wyatt’s eyebrows shot up as he glanced over at me. “We started the moment you agreed to help. Every single move has to be on record for this to work in a court of law.”

  “Oh, damn,” Cade said sarcastically. “Guess you can’t use that last bit at all.”

  I gave Cade a questioning look. He grinned at me like a lunatic and glanced back at the agent.

  Wyatt ran a hand down his face and clenched his eyes shut for a moment. “I knew this was going to be a clusterfuck as soon as Mick mentioned who he had undercover.”

  Cade put a hand over his stomach in mock surprise. “What? You mean I have a reputation? Is it better than Brock’s? I really want to know—”

  Wyatt clenched his jaw then pointed at him. “Don’t even go there. You’re a fucking wild card and always were. That’s why we wanted Holden.”

  Cade made a face and looked offended. “You’re joking, right? He’s a fucking menace.”

  “Shut the hell up,” Wyatt barked.

  Cade swung his eyes to me, giving me an innocent shrug.

  “What just happened?” I asked.

  Wyatt turned back to me with a frustrated expression on his face. “The club is bugged. Has been since yesterday. Your boyfriend just made a public scene, and I can’t use the last twenty minutes of tape in any testimony outside a porn flick.”

  My mouth dropped as I stared at Wyatt. “What the fuck?”

  “You’re both off the case. I’ll have Mick bring you some additional papers to sign.”

  “But what about catching this guy?” I protested, still not sure what the hell was going on.

  “We’ll catch him a different way, but in the meantime, I would suggest staying low and not drawing a lot of attention to yourself. Maybe take your mother on a vacation, or let these assholes find you a safe place to stay for the duration.”

  My eyes slid to Cade for a moment, who was watching our conversation with some amusement. He didn’t show any surprise at all to the news.

  I turned back to Wyatt, “So, that’s it? Can’t you just lock him in jail for a while and I could still help?”

  Wyatt shook his head.

  There was a deep growl that came from Cade’s direction, but I didn’t bother to look. It was obvious that he’d done all of this on purpose. Maybe not so much the fighting, which was both of us, but he’d definitely initiated the sex, knowing that the office was bugged.

  My face flushed red when I thought of the faceless other people on Wyatt’s team who had likely listened in.

  “You really are an asshole,” I said to Cade, as I walked to the door. Turning back, I glanced up at Agent Kennedy. “Is it safe to leave? I’m headed home to pack.”

  I saw Cade’s head appear behind Wyatt as he leaned around to stare at me. The look he shot me was an angry one, but I didn’t care. He’d gotten his way. Stepped so far over the line to get it, that I wouldn’t be able to help the way I wanted to. Not to mention he embarrassed me in front of people I didn’t even know.

  Wyatt’s expression was sympathetic. I was relieved that he’d kept a straight face the entire time. Had he been one bit amused, or given me anything else that indicated that he’d heard our exchange in the office, I would have found the nearest weapon and used it to kill the dead man behind him.

  “You’re going to be monitored all the way to Lakefield, Suzanne. I can arrange some transportation for you if you’d like.”

  “Fuck that,” Cade said. “I’ll take her.”

  Shaking my head, I stared down at the floor. “No, you won’t. I’ll be driving. I just need to get some things and lock up the house.”

  When I glanced back up, Wyatt nodded. “Then I’ll get an agent to follow you in a vehicle. I meant what I said about this guy. He’s dangerous. Let Aiden Latimer and his security team put you and your mother in a safe spot until this is over. But until then, I’m afraid that you’re going to have to make some adjustments.”

  “You can say that again,” I mumbled. “Thanks, Wyatt.”

  I heard Cade yell my name as I turned and walked into the hallway. The door shut firmly behind me and I heard something crash.

  “Calm your ass down, Cade!” I heard Wyatt bark.

  Luckily no one was in the hallway staring, no one was sitting around wondering what the hell had happened. I ducked into the breakroom for a minute to grab my bag and keys. I checked myself in the mirror and straightened what I could. There was no hiding the flushed look on my face or the mark on my neck, though.

  There was no walk of shame, just a quick exit through the kitchen and into the bar. It was packed, and the music was muffling most of the conversations around me. There were a few people that glanced at me, but for the most part, the crowd had gone back to their partying and drinking for the night.

  When I headed to the door I saw Duke staring at me with curiosity. He gave me a chin lift and I returned it. Breaking eye contact and too embarrassed by what I probably looked like, I focused on leaving. Michelle was hustling between tables with another girl I’d seen before, but they were too occupied to notice me passing by.

  I was sure I looked dreadful. It was embarrassing enough to know that my sex life had just been captured on tape. It made me feel ashamed in a way that I couldn’t define.

  With or without Cade, sex was private. Something that didn’t deserve anyone else’s examination or speculation. He made me mad, he made me want
him, and he made me burn like no one else. But, in that moment, he also made me feel used. Like I’d been just a pawn in the game he’d played with the FBI. I wondered if he’d consulted with Aiden, his lawyers or any of his men before he’d decided on his course of action. My heart clenched with the thought.

  Holding my head up, I pulled back my shoulders and shook it off. Fuck this. Fuck him. It was over, and I needed to get my life moving forward with my mom.

  I exited to a clear night sky and took a deep breath. Time to pack.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Either by some unwritten acknowledgement, or by my attitude alone, the guys gave me a wide berth once my mom and I were settled in Olivia’s old house. I'd been staying there a month, and I was restless.

  The two-story condo was pretty. Very obviously a house that had been decorated by a woman. The furnishings were low-key and struck me as something that Liv would like more than Aiden. But having visited their house in the country, it was similar and seemed to match both of their tastes.

  It was heavily monitored from what I’d been advised. Not that I cared too much or even bothered to ask how. I just knew there was a car at all times in front of the house, no rent to pay, and more decisions to make. Mom loved the little house with the small backyard. She loved the visits from the girls, who brought over their kids to play with her. She enjoyed it, but it wasn’t home. A home where she felt comfortable and things were familiar.

  Maybe that was something I wanted too at this point. I’d packed some essentials after returning to the house in Bakersville the night I left. And under close supervision of an agent, with Cade sitting in a direct line of site in a car down the street, I’d shoved clothing and things I thought were important into the back of my SUV.

  When I got to Lakefield, I’d been tired from the road and wanted to take my mom to a hotel. The compound, as they called it, was nestled on the back of Aiden’s property, and served as a training facility for his security team.

  It was no place for us really. And even when Liv asked about what happened, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to her about it. I just needed my mom. One of the few people that had always been in my corner.