Chapter Five
The last patron glanced over his shoulder as he left the elevator. “You two kids have fun.” He acted as if he fully understood what his departure signified and allowed.
Kelly kept her head low, studying the floor as if she were trying to debate on a different shade of carpeting to order.
When the ding resounded around them and the lift began moving again, Colt slammed his hand over the emergency stop button. He looked at her as if he planned to eat her alive.
“Colt,” she rasped, realizing his name fell from her lips as if she wanted to beg him, as if she were full of expectations, lust-filled anticipation. At that moment, she wasn’t sure if she cared where their actions would later leave them.
He shrugged his jacket away from his shoulders and tossed the material over the camera. At the same time, he grabbed her purse and propped it against the rail, placing the bag over the barely visible surveillance camera.
“You’re beautiful.” He pursued her. “Always so fucking sexy.”
“Colt, you can’t do this.”
“Give me one good reason to stop and I will.”
She opened her mouth, but the words never formed. Not that he gave her the opportunity to object. Lifting her to him, he bracketed her legs around his waist and slammed her back against the wall. She winced, but not from pain. The excitement was too much to bear, too hot and enticing. His aggression told promising tales of the pleasure he held in store.
Lowering his mouth to hers, he hungrily kissed her. Greedily, he devoured her, his tongue thrusting to part her lips, fluttering inside her mouth as he ground his cock against her moist center.
Her thong served no purpose as his rigid cock thumped against her pussy, pressing against her until the weight of his erection forced the thin garment right inside her opening. She clawed at his shoulders, wanting to touch, dying to feel his hot skin underneath her fingertips.
His tongue drove her. His dick encouraged her. Oh dear God, she could come without penetration.
“Colt, oh Colt,” she hummed, wrapping her legs tighter around him.
He clasped her hand and held it high above her head, rubbing his thick penis against her. She bucked under him, her body flailing about as he continued to feed her fiery lust and seduce her further with his apparent uncontrollable urges.
His body never stopped its impetuous grind. His hands and fingers roamed. And his mouth, oh God, his lips were like velvet as they explored her, ravaged her.
She reached for his cock, nervously fumbling with his belt. He didn’t make access easy as he pounded against her. Their kiss only deepened as the passion between them spun out of control.
Oh, how she’d longed for him, how she’d missed him.
Her pussy burned. Her womb clenched. She felt as if he’d struck a match to her folds as he throttled her with uneven strokes, broken beats.
“Damn it,” he growled, slowing down the hip action and bunching her hair in his hands. He pressed their foreheads together and kissed her again. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“Ah, Colt,” she whispered, turning her head as he kissed the side of her neck.
“Do you know what you do to me, Kelly?” His wicked tongue traced the shell of her ear. “Do you, baby?”
She knew. God yeah, she knew. How could she not? His kiss drugged her. His body was more potent than a first sip of aged whiskey. And she was drunk on his loving, completely spellbound.
“You have to stop.” She said one thing, but her actions proved she wanted something else entirely.
Her hand slipped inside his slacks and she rapidly pulled at his cock, enjoying the swell of his erection as she pumped. His head snapped back and he stared down the bridge of his nose. “You’re right, baby,” he crooned. “Taking you right here probably isn’t a good idea. There’s not enough time. I want to lay you down and have my way with you.”
Not here? Was he out of his mind?
“You started this,” she reminded him, taking a tighter hold. He thrust forward and jerked back. Then, as if the madness alone drove him, he grabbed hold of her torso and hoisted her in his arms, holding her ass as he kissed her deeply, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth while holding her against his cock.
“If you don’t unzip these slacks, I will,” she said, the new positioning preventing full access.
“Fuck,” he muttered, releasing her at once. With his blond hair a mangled mess, he backed completely away, finding refuge in the opposite corner. “Not here, Kelly.”
Breathless, she gasped for air, watching his every move as he pulled his shirt away from his waistband and yanked the material down in an apparent effort to hide the bulge between his thighs.
“Fix your dress,” he said coolly. His blue eyes were as dark as a midnight sky as his gaze flitted over her.
Dazed and temporarily confused, she smoothed her palms over her dress and reassembled the V cut of the material, making certain she was decent. With trembling fingers, she fiddled with the slit up the side of her dress.
Colt took a deep breath, released the emergency button, and the elevator continued upward. A second later, he retrieved his jacket and handed off her purse. “Kelly, I—”
“Don’t,” she warned him, feeling as if she’d just been rejected. What had she been thinking? She was engaged to a man—a criminal—who could make one call and have Colt marked for dead. She bowed her head and resisted the tears forming in her eyes. To make matters worse, Colt had clearly used her.
She was a game to him. His only purpose tonight was to see if could still conquer and dominate, seduce her with a look and make her grovel for his touch.
“Baby, listen to me,” he said, stepping in front of her. He tilted her chin to his and left a peck upon her lips. “I want us to talk about this.”
The doors opened, and she hurriedly left the lift, digging in her purse for her room key. Retrieving the key card, she started to unlock her suite, but Colt stopped her.
Slapping his hand over the peephole in the upper center portion of the door, he said, “You can’t marry him.”
“I’m marrying him, Colt.”
“You can’t, baby,” he said, slowly shaking his head.
“Now it’s your turn. Give me one good reason why,” she told him, silently praying he would give her more than one, maybe even several reasons why he didn’t want her to marry Lorenzo.
Brooding, he said, “You don’t love him.”
“You haven’t seen me in a year, Colt. What the hell do you know about me?”
When he didn’t reply, her heart shattered. Fighting back the tears, she said, “That right there says everything when you say nothing at all.”
She shoved the keycard in the lock access cylinder and walked inside, slamming the door in his face.
* * * *
Colt glared at the door as if the wood represented his enemy. Crue and Gabe sat motionless, staring at the computer monitors.
Finally, Gabe clapped his hands together three times, pausing between each one. “That was really beautiful. Better than any show an overpriced movie ticket would buy you.”
“Shut up, Gabe,” Crue bit out, his heart breaking for his brother.
Colt looked defeated. Crue wanted to go to him and be the kind of shoulder his older brother needed, but he knew better than to try. Where Kelly was concerned, Colt didn’t want anyone’s shoulder. He wanted Kelly lying in his arms. How well Crue could relate to those distorted emotions.
As Colt backed away from her room, Crue zoomed in on his brother’s expression, watching as his pain took hold. Then, to Crue’s surprise, Colt made a fist and slammed his balled hand against the door.
“Uh-oh,” Gabe said. “This is about to get really good.”
Crue’s eyes darted to the other half of the divided screen, awaiting Kelly’s response. She stood midway between the foyer and living area, but didn’t move. She remained stoic, expressionless.
In the other frame, Colt pounded again. Then, h
is lips moved. Whatever he said must’ve grabbed Kelly’s attention. Apparently, she’d heard him. She took a couple of steps, then she sprinted across the room and slung open the door.
Crue’s head snapped as he studied the other frame. The hallway was empty. “What the fuck? Where’d he go?”
Gabe shrugged and grabbed a handful of peanuts from a nearby dish. “I’ve never understood why Daniel chose you for a shadow. You couldn’t multitask if your life depended on it.”
“What’d I miss?” Crue asked. He hit the rewind option. Then, he punched fast-forward. “Turn up the volume.”
Gabe followed Crue’s instructions, leaning back in his chair with folded arms.
“Damn it, Kelly! Open this door!” Colt had shouted. “You want a reason? Is that what you said? You need a reason? Damn it to hell!” He’d stormed off but quickly returned. Placing his forehead against the wooden panels, he’d said, “I love you, Kel. I love you. I love you. Do you hear me? There’s your reason. Need a few others? Open the door and I’ll give you four more.”
“She shouldn’t have stalled right there,” Gabe said, wagging his finger in front of the screen.
“No shit,” Crue said, pained by what he’d seen unfold before his eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
Gabe placed hand on Crue’s forearm. “Man, you can’t do it.”
“I’m going out for fresh air.”
“The hell you are. You’re going to see Colt, and I can’t let you do it. Those two have a lot of things to work out. We can’t intervene just because we’re the eyes in the sky.”
“Why not? Casinos do it all the time. I can help my brother with what I know, and he can march back over there and drag her out of this mess.”
“We’re not talking about counting cards and cheating players here, man. You’re interfering with something that doesn’t need to be resolved tonight.” Gabe took a deep breath. “In fact, those two are better off if this thing between them remains unsettled until this job is over.”
Crue thought of the many things he’d had to stand and witness over the last three months. The way Lorenzo had taunted Kelly, the way he’d abused her by badgering her with his insults one minute, his fists the next.
He knew with every ounce of his blood that his brother would never be able to do the same. Colt would kill Lorenzo if he realized the kind of hell he’d put Kelly through. He would take him out with his bare hands.
Then, Daniel would have their heads. Brock Donovan would demand their jobs.
“Later,” Gabe promised. “We’ll save him a disc and show him when the time is right.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Gabe returned to work, searching through some earlier clips. Crue replayed the footage without the volume, watching as his brother professed his love and finally gave Kelly what he realized she’d longed to hear.
Damn it! Why didn’t Colt wait? Why did he bolt before she answered the door?
Colt had about as much patience as a fire dancer. Once the fuse was lit, he’d darted away from the flames. Maybe he’d been afraid of the combustion, feared what he’d do next.
Maybe he did the right thing by running the other way.
“Lorenzo’s back,” Gabe announced, pointing at one of the computers. “I guess everything happens for a reason, man. You’d better be glad Colt got the hell out of there.”
Crue mulled over the possibilities. Watching a replay of Colt and Kelly entering the elevator, he rubbed the corners of his mouth, in deep thought. “What do you think happened after he put his coat over the camera?”
“I think he fucked her.”
Crue shook his head. “They didn’t have enough time.”
“For a quick fuck? They had the time. Trust me.”
Crue shook his head. “He wouldn’t have fucked her there. After all this time, he wanted longer than a minute or two.”
“I would’ve fucked her in the elevator,” Gabe admitted.
“You’re not in love with her,” Crue said, slapping him on the back.
Gabe stilled and his face went pale. “Right. I forgot about that. I’m not in love with her.”
Chapter Six
Kemper and Brand returned to the suite around five o’clock in the morning. Standing at the coffeepot, Colt filled his cup, grabbed the newspaper from Kemper’s hand, and took a seat in the living room.
“Good morning to you, too,” Brand said, heading for the coffee.
“You look freshly fucked,” Colt remarked coolly, bringing his cup to his lips.
“Don’t I wish,” Kemper grumbled, dragging his ass to the bedroom.
“Long night?” Colt asked, pissed because these two never could seem to keep their dicks in their pants. They needed to remember why they were there.
Brand sat in front of him. “It’s not how it looks.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation,” Colt said, his gaze meeting Brand’s.
“Actually we do,” Brand said, rubbing his nape. “Unfortunately.”
Colt lowered the newspaper. Brand looked troubled. Wherever he spent the night, he definitely hadn’t slept. “You hired those escorts for companionship. You were supposed to buy their dinner, send them home after dessert without partaking in anything more.”
Brand’s nostrils flared. “We did all that. Surely you don’t think we fucked those women. We’re here for Kelly, Colt.”
“Really?” Colt asked, lifting the paper again. Glancing at the sports section, he added, “Kemper obviously doesn’t want you to tell me so it can be your dirty little secret, but I hope you wore a condom. God knows if we all end up in Kelly’s bed again, I don’t want to worry about where you guys have been.”
Brand slammed his hand against Colt’s paper. Jolting to attention, Colt narrowed his eyes on his fellow operative. “What the hell is going on?”
“We didn’t fuck those girls.”
Colt sneered. “Then spit it out. What happened that’s got your undies bunched? It can’t be as bad as your theatrics suggest.”
Falling against the sofa cushions, Brand ran his hand down the length of his face. “I’m afraid it is.”
Colt leaned forward, dropping his hands in between his splayed legs. “What can be worse?”
Kemper entered the room. “We lost a lot of money at the tables last night.”
“You what?” Colt roared with anger, coming to his feet.
“We lost a good chunk of change,” Kemper repeated himself.
Colt’s gaze bounced between Kemper and Brand. “How much?”
“The entire expense account,” Kemper replied.
“Are you out of your fucking minds?” Colt asked, stomping to the window then pacing like a caged lion, circling them like a predator taunting his prey. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“We can explain, Colt,” Brand told him calmly.
Colt glared at him. “I doubt that.”
“If you’ll calm down and listen, we can.”
“Don’t say another word until he sits down,” Brand said.
Kemper poured a cup of coffee and leaned over the wet bar. “He’s not our daddy. If he’d been in the same spot as we were, he would’ve bet the bank, too.”
“It’s not my bank we’re discussing here. Nor was it yours.” Colt ran his fingers through his hair, growing more and more irritated by the second. “This mission was not a field trip to the casino!”
“We know that, Colt. It was a life-or-death situation,” Kemper said.
“A life-or-death situation?” Colt asked, his voice pitched an octave higher. “How do you figure?”
His veins pulsed with anger. He needed to hit something. He wanted to deck his fellow operatives. He clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms.
“What the hell, what the hell,” Colt muttered. “Our expense account had over a million dollars in it for this job. Are you telling me it’s gone?”
“Every penny,” Kemper said, seemingly unbothered by the fact.
“Fuck,�
�� Colt grated out, turning his head sideways and trying to think of what to do. Daniel would have their heads. “I’ll talk to Kelly. Maybe she can return some of the money to the Underground Unit account. I’ll let her know we’ll pay it back—every single dime.”
“That won’t work,” Kemper said, rubbing his nearly bald head. After ten years in the military, Kemper kept his hair trimmed close to his head. Good thing, too. After this stunt, he was lucky he didn’t have hair to lose. Colt might have pulled out every strand, plucked one lock at a time.
“Why won’t it work?” Colt asked. “Please tell me you weren’t playing at another casino.”
“Oh no, we were here all night,” Brand said.
“Then I’ll talk to Kelly,” Colt said, pursuing the door. He’d set the alarm so he could get in a good workout. The last thing he wanted to do was stand there and listen to these two as they sputtered their excuses. He’d run out his frustrations on the treadmill.
“Kelly can’t help us,” Brand told him before he exited the suite. “I mean, I guess she could, but then it would be a handout.”
“I’m tired of dancing here, boys,” Colt said. “Spit it out or don’t waste my time.”
Kemper walked over to the sitting area. He set his mug on the coffee table and looked at Colt. “You have to remain calm, Colt. We need to tell you the whole story before you go the hell off. Deal?”
Colt’s pulse raced. They were easing their way around the conversation, and he suddenly didn’t think this had anything to do with losing over a million dollars from their expense account. There was a bigger picture, and if he cared to guess, Kelly was at the base of the frame. His throat constricted. He felt pressure in his temple, an early sign of a headache.
“Before we tell you what happened, you have to promise you’ll remain professional. Remember why we’re here. We have a job to do.”
“What happened to Kelly?” he asked tersely.
“We were on our way back from dinner,” Kemper began, a true master at storytelling. “We heard about your little rendezvous in the elevator and apparently Lorenzo caught wind of the action, too, which confirms my suspicions all along. I figured if Lorenzo kept moving his people in here, he had a few of them in place in various areas of the casino. Turns out, I must’ve been right.”
Cowboy Boots and Unadulterated Pleasures [Cowboy Boots 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 5
