by James Tate
Small whimpers and moans slipped out of me, but he swallowed the noises with his kiss, his hips bucking as he chased his own release.
My head was spinning, my breathing heavy as Kody released my lips just as the restroom door closed again.
"Are we alone again?" I asked in a breathy whisper.
He licked his lips, his cock still twitching inside me. "Why? You wanna go again already?"
I snickered a laugh. "Always. But I meant more about sneaking out of here unseen."
Kody pouted teasingly but gently placed me back on my feet, then grabbed me a handful of toilet paper to clean up. Still, he watched me with predatory eyes as I wiped away the evidence of our quickie, and I knew he'd make good on his promise to make me come again soon.
Refusing to give into temptation too soon, I ignored the way he eye-fucked me and wiggled back into my dress. "Zip me up, babe," I told him, lifting my hair out of the way.
He did as I asked, then tugged his shirt back on, only buttoning it halfway. He tucked the front back into his pants but let the back hang out. Like he wanted everyone to know we'd been fucking in the bathrooms.
Oh yeah, this was Kody. He did want people to know. I couldn't even tell him off because I quietly loved how much he wanted people to know that I was his.
He cracked our stall door open and peered out before giving me the all clear. Before we re-entered the main club, though, he pinned me to the wall and kissed me breathless. Then he swiped his thumb over my lower lip and grinned.
Oh yeah. I had it bad for Kodiak Jones.
35
The rest of the night turned into a bit of a blur. I remembered Kody following through on his promise by snaking a hand up my skirt while we were at our table. Archer and Steele knew full well what was happening, and that had only turned me on even more. Their eyes stayed locked on me the whole time, and I'd never felt like more of a queen.
Archer had arranged us a hotel suite for the night, but sometime between the club and the lobby, I fell asleep. I had vague flashes of being carried out of the car and soft, low murmurs of conversation between the guys in the elevator but then it was all blank.
When I woke again, sunlight streamed through the gauze-covered windows, and my head was aching.
"Ow," I mumbled, bringing a hand to my eyes to cover them.
Someone laughed at me, and a set of strong, warm arms tightened around me. That made my hangover infinitely more bearable, and I snuggled into the hard body behind me.
"Good morning, gorgeous," Steele murmured in my ear, then kissed my neck.
"My head hurts," I admitted on a sleepy groan, my ass pushing against his morning wood. Fuck, I loved sleepy sex. Hopefully, we were on the same page because...
"Hellcat," Steele replied as his fingertips trailed down my body, then his hand cupped my mound. "I have it on good authority that the best cure for a headache is an orgasm."
I moaned, writhing in encouragement when he pushed his fingers into me. "Hell yes," I gasped, "I'll take that cure."
He gave a soft chuckle. His lips kissed along the curve of my neck as he pumped his fingers into me and his thumb found my clit. Goddamn, he was talented with his fingers.
"Max," I said on a breathy sigh, "I want your dick."
He gave an amused grunt and nipped my neck playfully. "How can I refuse a request like that? Are you okay to sit up?"
I nodded eagerly and let him guide me into straddling his waist, reverse-cowgirl style. Oh, hell yes. With all those piercings? My hangover had already evaporated.
"Oh shit," I gasped as I sank down onto his hard, studded length. I felt every damn one of those piercings as he raised his hips to push into me deeper, and a strangled scream escaped my throat.
"Is that okay?" Steele asked, his own voice tight with arousal.
"Okay?" I snorted a laugh. "That's fucking incredible."
I braced my hands on his thighs, spread my knees wider on the bed, and leaned forward to take him to a deeper, different angle. I'd barely even started moving, riding his laddered cock slowly, when the bedroom door opened.
Archer said nothing when he saw us, just closed the door behind himself and leaned his shoulders against it. His gaze was dark and sultry, though, his gray sweatpants already swelling as he watched me ride his friend.
"You just gonna stand there and watch, big guy?" I asked in a teasing voice. Or it would have been teasing if it wasn't threaded with a sex-drenched moan.
His brows flickered up. His bicep was wrapped in a thick bandage, but the rest of him was muscular, tattooed perfection. "What's the alternative, Princess?"
Steele's hands gripped my hips, urging me to keep riding him, and I grinned wickedly.
"Come over here and fuck my face, Sunshine. I wanna make you come." I punctuated my offer by licking my lips, and Archer's sweats hit the floor faster than I could blink.
A moment later, my mouth was full and my hair swept up in a knot around Archer's fist while Steele took over the pace below me. Shit, yes. Goddamn, yes.
Steele fucked me from below, his piercings doing dirty, amazing things to my cunt, while Archer gave me exactly what I had asked for. He was forceful, demanding, damn near choking me as he fucked my throat harder with every damn thrust. My eyes watered, and I just gripped onto his ass, begging for more.
I came first, my pussy clenching and fluttering around Steele's dick as he slammed into me harder and harder. My screams were muffled as Archer jerked my head forward again. He cried out a curse as he came a moment later, his hot seed shooting straight down my throat as I swallowed eagerly.
Steele only needed a couple of moments more, his fingers tight on my hips as he fucked me faster and I licked down the length of Archer's shaft.
"You're a fucking goddess," Archer growled. He cupped my face and kissed me as Steele grunted his release inside me. "I came to ask what you wanted for breakfast, wifey."
I moaned into his next kiss, still writhing around on Steele's dick. "This was a pretty good breakfast so far," I admitted with a cheeky grin. "But I'll take waffles, if you're ordering room service."
Archer smacked another kiss on my lips. "Done." He pulled his sweats back on and exited the bedroom once more.
Exhausted, I climbed off Steele's cock and collapsed beside him with a lazy grin. "You were right," I told him, snuggling up until we shared a pillow. "Headache is completely gone."
He smirked back at me. "Always trust Doctor Max, Hellcat. He knows what's good for you."
His loved-up, gray-eyed gaze held mine steady as his fingers traced light patterns over my skin, starting at my shoulder, then pausing when he reached the side of my left breast. There, he ever so slowly, ever so gently followed the lines of my third tattoo.
"Is this what you ran off with Cass to do the other day?" His tone was sleepy and relaxed, and my whole damn body was just one giant warm and fuzzy for how in love I was.
I nodded. "Do you like it?"
Pushing himself up on his elbow, he leaned over and kissed my tender skin where I'd inked a design just for him: a treble clef that turned into a pulse line. I couldn't even begin to tell him how long I'd stared at the beeping pulse line of his heart monitor after he'd been shot, so when I'd seen the design Cass had drawn, I’d known it was perfect.
"I love it more than words can even describe, Hellcat," Steele told me in a husky whisper. "I love you more than words can describe."
He kissed me again, letting his lips speak all the emotions that were too big for the spoken language. Who even needed breakfast, anyway? Sure as hell not me.
The bedroom door opened again before I could coax Steele into round two, and Kody raised a brow at us.
"Not cool, guys," he told us with a scowl. "Where was my party invitation?"
I grinned and shrugged. "Pretty sure I left it in the shower. Wanna help me and Max find it in there?"
Kody's lips parted as his gaze heated to scorching, but he let out a long breath and shook his head. "So fucking tempting,
you have no idea. But we just got a tip on some intel about Kruger."
I sat up in shock. "What? We did? What was it?"
Kody grinned. "I have no idea, so get dressed and we can find out. Food should be here in fifteen, too, so hurry the hell up."
I did as I was told, racing through my shower and grabbing fresh clothes out of the overnight bag Archer had stashed in the car for me yesterday.
When I emerged to the living room of our suite, the room service was just arriving. Apparently, the events of our wedding day hadn't eased anyone's paranoia, because I spotted no less than seven unconcealed weapons out while the tense maid pushed her cart in.
Kody signed the bill, and she hurried out of the room like her tail was on fire. Only after the door closed firmly did everyone relax somewhat.
"Okay, if we're all this on edge, how do we know our food hasn't been poisoned?" I planted my hands on my hips and frowned at the food cart.
Kody lifted all the lids from our plates and shrugged. "We don't, but I'm fucking starving." He grabbed one of my waffles and took a bite before I could yell a protest.
"Kody!" I darted over and slapped my breakfast out of his fingers.
He just swallowed his mouthful and grinned. "Tasty waffles. The rat poison seasoning gives them a real kick."
I rolled my eyes, grabbed my plate, and carried it over to the dining table. "Ha-ha, asshole. That'd be hilarious if we'd actually been poisoned. So, what's the news about Kruger?" I posed my question to Archer, guessing that he'd been the one to receive it.
With a one-shouldered shrug, he took the seat beside me and hooked one of my legs over his knee. "Don't know yet. Cass left me a rather cryptic message and said he'd call back again shortly.
I frowned and took a small nibble of my waffles. They tasted okay... I guessed. But now that the idea of poison was in my head, I was going to be imagining it in everything.
"That's annoying." I frowned thoughtfully. Why would Cass leave a vague-as-fuck message like that, then say he'd call back. Like it wasn't safe for us to call him.
"Right?" Kody agreed. "More annoying that Arch missed the call in the first place because he was busy waking you guys up." He wiggled his brows suggestively, knowing full well we'd had a quick fuck before breakfast.
"I've got Sampson and James looking around," Archer told us. His hand rested comfortably on my knee that he'd hooked over his. "One of them will get back to us soon, I'm sure."
Steele nodded his agreement as he ate his bacon and eggs. "It's a fucking shame Danny and Leon had another job to get to; they were useful as hell."
"Tell me about it," Kody agreed, then smirked. "You reckon those two are hitting it?"
Archer rolled his eyes and sighed. "Who cares? They're mercenaries, basically one step away from being actual demons, given how black their souls must be right now."
My brows shot up. "Uh, sorry, is that a judgment I hear? Hypocrisy, thy name is—"
"I wasn't judging, Kate," he growled, cutting me off, "just questioning whether any mercs have enough humanity left for relationships. Also pointing out that it doesn't matter if Danny and Leon fuck like bunnies, it'd never interfere with their job. Mercs aren't hired onto their company easily, and getting fired for underperforming is a hell of a lot more permanent than any other job."
I took that information on with curiosity, but before we could gossip any more, Archer's phone rang.
"James," he snapped on answering the call, "what did you find?"
He switched the call to speakerphone and placed his device down on the table for all of us to hear.
"Boss," James replied, "you were right. Kruger is in Shadow Grove, arrived two days ago via private jet under a fake name and ID. Brought a small army of guys with him, but by my guess he’s missing around a dozen of them after yesterday."
My lips parted in shock. That explained where some of the additional attackers had come from during the wedding. But what the hell did he hope to achieve by being here personally?
"Do you have a location on him?" Archer asked in tight, clipped tones.
His phone pinged with an incoming message as James replied, "Just sent you the address. He's staying in a private home up the coast a way. Based on satellite imaging, he's got around twenty-odd guards around the house. He's one paranoid motherfucker, that's for sure. I'd need to get a better look from the ground to get a clearer picture, though."
Archer seemed annoyed by that, scrubbing a hand over his long stubble.
"Sampson and his guys all there at the house with you?" Steele asked in the silence.
"Sure are," James replied, all business. "Except for Ryan and Adamson on your detail right now. Want us to meet you at Kruger’s location?"
The three guys exchanged a series of meaningful looks, too fast for me to follow.
"Yes," Kody answered. "We'll give you an ETA when we're on the road."
"Got it," James replied. "And Madison Kate?" There was an edge of hesitancy in his voice as he asked about me. Because he was worried? Or... something else?
"Safe," Archer replied. "We'll be in touch shortly." He ended the call without waiting for a reply, then dropped his hand back to my knee. His fingers bit into my skin, but I didn't protest. I knew he was working through his base instinct to be a dick about this change of events.
Just for something new, I thought I could make it easier on everyone. "I don't need to tag along," I told them. "You can leave me here with Ryan and Adamson."
All three of them looked at me like I'd just grown two heads.
"Babe," Kody said on a laugh, "are you feeling okay? That sounded way too reasonable for this time of the morning."
I flipped him off. "Funny, prick. I'm serious; this job sounds like it's way over my pay grade. If I stamp my feet and insist on coming with you, then, for one thing, you'll all be so preoccupied with my safety, you'll likely get shot... again."
Archer scowled at Steele, who just grinned.
"And for another thing," I continued, "this could well be a trap to get to me. Kruger doesn't strike me as the careless sort, considering how many other deaths he has arranged to get his hands on my family estate. He's not likely to bungle it now when I'm the only person who could take it away from him."
"So, what if the trap is to lure us away from you?" Kody countered, looking thoughtful. "Lay a false trail that he knows we will follow, then snatch you away from us here. I don't trust Ryan and Adamson enough to keep you safe, if that's the plan."
I shrugged. "Okay, so what other options do we have? Ignore the tip and live in fear of Kruger forever?"
"Or we can split up," Steele pondered aloud. "Two of us follow up on the tip, and one of us stays here to protect you along with the detail."
I nodded. "That works. I'm sure we could call Cass for extra backup too."
Archer wrinkled his nose. "I'd rather steer clear of the Reapers as much as we can. I could call Zed and see if any of his guys would help out, though."
"Who's staying with MK, then?" Kody asked, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest.
Steele shrugged. "I will."
Kody snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes. "I fucking bet you will. No way. You're the best sharpshooter, so you're the logical choice to take a shot at Kruger." He looked up at the ceiling, then released a long sigh. "Arch, you're staying."
Archer jolted like he'd been stabbed with a fork. "What? No. This is my mission to run. I'm going to choke the life out of Kruger with my bare hands." His voice was dark and laced with menace that made me shiver.
"You're not doing shit with a fresh bullet wound in your dominant arm, dickhead," Kody snapped back at him. "Bad enough that you're going to fuck up your fight next week; we're not risking you getting killed today for being a damn cowboy."
Archer started to protest, and I cleared my throat. "You got a problem staying here with me, Sunshine?"
His jaw moved, but no sounds came out as he quickly recognized the lose-lose situation he was i
n. Yeah, smart boy.
"Alright, good chat," Steele said with a laugh, pushing back from the table. "Come on, Kody, before Hellcat changes her mind."
I rolled my eyes and finished off my waffles as they hurried to get dressed and armed up. Archer muttered under his breath but placed a call to Zed to see if he could spare any backup to keep an eye on the hotel.
"We'll wait until the wolves get here," Kody told us as he checked his own phone.
"Don't," Archer replied. "Every second we hesitate, we risk Kruger slipping away. We're not leaving this room, and nothing is getting past me in the next fifteen minutes. Just go."
"Seconded," I agreed. "Besides, I'm not exactly a helpless damsel anymore either. Arch and I can handle ourselves; you guys go deal with that motherfucker who killed my mom."
Both Kody and Steele looked torn, but quickly kissed me and headed out to meet up with James. As the door closed behind them, I turned to face Archer with my hands on my hips.
"What's that look for?" he asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion and his brow furrowed.
"Sunshine," I replied with a stern voice, "you're not seriously still planning to fight next week?"
One of his brows raised. "Why wouldn't I?"
I gaped at him. "Oh gee, I dunno, maybe because you have a gunshot wound in your arm?"
He just let a slow smile creep over his lips as he tugged me into his lap. He was sitting on the sofa, so I straddled his waist but carefully avoided touching his bandaged bicep.
"Princess," he replied with a low chuckle, "it's adorable that you're worried for my wellbeing. But this little scratch isn't going to stop me from fighting... or anything else."
I dragged my teeth over my lower lip, locking eyes with him. "Oh yeah? Prove it."
A wicked grin flashed over his face, and the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back against the couch with his heavy frame on top of me. I let out a shriek of laughter as he pinned my wrists over my head, but whatever he had planned next was cut short by the ringing of his phone.
