“And you’ve always been such a trustworthy source of information,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“You wanted to speak to Brandon.”
She didn’t deny it. If she’d called, she would have wanted to speak to all of them, but since she’d grown close to Brandon in the past months, she’d have settled for just him.
“Yes.”
“Because you’re close?” Although he asked the question in an even voice, Jezebel had the feeling that Ramsey was prying into more than just her phone call.
“Because I care about what happens to my team.”
“Do you love him?”
“What does that have to with anything?”
He moved then, coming forward in slow, measured steps, and pausing inches from her. “Because that’s the only reason I could see you doing something so stupid.”
She’d come expecting his anger, but now that it was here, Jezebel felt an answering call of her own.
“And what if I do?” she snapped. “He’s a good man, an honorable man who protects people from criminals who break the law. I could do―have done―much worse.”
“Have you?”
“Did you forget already?” she mused. “I could have taken up with a mobster who kills innocent people, lies when it suits him, cheats and steals.”
“And we don’t want that, do we?”
“No, I certainly don’t.”
“And the baby?”
She frowned. “What does my baby have to do with anything?”
“Since you want to start a good, honorable life with your lover, I’m assuming our child will be staying with me.”
Her heart stopped and she clutched her belly. “What?”
“I didn’t stutter, Jezebel.” His voice lowered to a pleasant tone. “You and Brandon can consummate your love, get married using your real names this time, and have other children, but since this one doesn’t fit with your good, honorable life, I will happily take him off your hands.”
She stepped forward, halting only when her belly bumped his. Pushing onto her toes, she hissed, “If you try to take this baby from me, I will kill you!”
“So vicious, Jezebel,” he breathed. “And I’m the mobster?”
Jezebel sucked in a breath and grabbed for the towel around his neck. When she had a good grip, she yanked it down, forcing him as close to her eye level as possible. He smelled of citrus and musk, as if he’d spent hours in the gym. It irritated her further that instead of being repulsed, she found the smell appealing. “Don’t you ever threaten me with this child, Ramsey. Ever.”
“It wasn’t a threat.”
“No?”
“When I threaten you, Jezebel, you’ll know it.” Sensing that was another threat, Jezebel parted her lips to tell him where to shove it, but started and pulled back when Ramsey’s lips brushed hers in a whisper of a kiss. “That’s not a threat either. It’s a promise.”
***
She released the towel as if burned and hurriedly stepped back. He moved with her, catching her waist to keep her steady and bringing her flush against him again. The press of her belly against his and the warmth emanating from her skin was comforting and familiar. “Easy, Jezebel.”
“Don’t touch me!”
He should listen to her, release her, turn on the light, and send her on her way, but from the moment he’d entered his room to find her asleep in his bed, something had shifted. The fight with his brother had been necessary, but his emotions were still raging. As he’d known he would, Bastian had lost, accepting defeat only when Ramsey took him down and threatened to crush his windpipe.
“This is over,” he’d told his brother as he straddled his back. “Do you understand me? I won’t treat you like a child anymore. Whatever anger, hatred, or jealousy you have toward me, either let it go or I’ll deal with it.”
Seeing Jezebel curled up on his bed had calmed him. Knowing she was waiting to speak to him, he’d gone into the bathroom to wash his face and remove his bloodied shirt. His blood or Bastian’s, he didn’t know. He’d come to her calmer than he’d been in days, but her first sentence had spiked his anger again.
Brandon.
He’d disliked the man from the first time he’d met him, and he was positive that dislike had grown to hate. “Why?”
“What?”
“Was he your rebound? You were hurt and he was there?”
She tensed beneath his touch, then laughed as if he’d told some joke. “Did I say something funny?”
“You’re funny, Ramsey.” Long-fingered, fine-boned hands began working at his, trying unsuccessfully to pry them from her hips. “You told me I don’t matter, tossed me away when you were satisfied, and now you’ve got the nerve to be jealous?”
She was right, but he didn’t care. He had his reasons for doing what he did, and all of them had been his way of protecting her. “What did you tell him?”
She froze, and her hands dropped away from his. “I told him everything.”
“Meaning?”
“Can you turn on the light? It’s dark in here.”
Ramsey ignored her. He liked the darkness, and it suited him well. “What did you tell him, Jezebel?”
“I told him I’m with you.”
He closed his eyes and willed his breathing to remain even. He’d have to contact his lawyers to see if the feds could charge him with removing her from the country. With his uncle’s death and no witness, the government had been forced to drop their case against Ramsey, but they were itching for any leverage to bring him down. “What else?”
“In South Korea.”
“Specifically?”
“Gwangju.”
With that type of information, Brandon would be able to locate her. The FBI had no jurisdiction in South Korea, but this was personal for the other man. She was more than an assignment. Plus, there were covert groups affiliated with the FBI who might attempt an extraction. Ramsey didn’t think they’d get involved, but he’d notify Vince just to cover all of his bases.
“So you told your boyfriend where to find you?”
She sighed. “Ramsey, I shouldn’t have―”
“Despite your close encounter with death while under his protection, you think you’d be safer with him?”
She tried to twist away, but he moved with her, keeping his grip steady, forcing her to remain where she was, plastered against him.
“I know you’re angry, Ramsey, but I’m not going to let you manhandle me because I made a mistake!” Jezebel grabbed his hands again.
“Is he that good in bed?” Except for Jezebel’s sharp intake of breath, there was no other reaction. He leaned down, stopping only when he was inches from her shadow-cast face. “He must be better than me because you were never this stupid when you were with me.”
“I said it was a mistake!”
He didn’t care. Brandon knowing where they were wasn’t necessarily a great cause to move location, but the fact that she’d called the agent irritated Ramsey. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“You didn’t ask me a question worth answering.” She pushed at his hands again. “I told you what I came here to tell you. Now let me go!”
“The FBI has a leak.”
“Obviously,” she spat. “How much did you pay him to tell you where I was?”
“Very good, Jezebel,” he drawled. “And how did my enemies find you? Maybe Brandon needed the money. The government doesn’t pay well.”
She shook her head. “It’s not him.”
“You’re positive?” When she remained silent, he added, “Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money.”
“Is that how much you pay your informants?” she snipped. When he remained silent and only continued to stare at her, she breathed, “He has too much honor for that.”
“Ah, we’re back to honor.”
“Yes, maybe if you had any, you wouldn’t be so offended when someone brings it up.”
He released her, moving around the dark interior o
f his room to the lamp on the end table. Honor was overrated. Up until a few months ago, Ramsey considered himself an honorable man. He’d walked the straight and narrow, earned his money legally for the most part, and he’d failed to protect the one person who couldn’t protect herself.
As he turned the lamp on, Jezebel squinted despite its dimness of the light. He approached her again, feeling his lips tug upward at her wary look. “I may not be as honorable as Brandon, Jezebel, but you’re safest with me.”
She nodded. “I know that.”
Her answer surprised him. “Good.” Grabbing his towel, he pulled it over his hair once more before wiping away droplets of water that had seeped onto his neck and chest. Jezebel watched him, her gaze lingering on his chest for a few seconds longer than necessary. “Do I measure up to your lover?”
Caught, she flushed and looked away.
“A few months ago, you had no complaints about my body.”
Brown eyes flicked to his in shock before she shook her head as if telling herself it wasn’t worth it. “I’m going back to my room.”
Before she could run, Ramsey continued, “Am I making you uncomfortable, Jezebel?” He chuckled despite the anger coursing through his veins. “You see, I’m still trying to figure what would make an intelligent woman call her lover when days ago she was almost killed under his protection?”
Her nostrils flared as her eyes flashed angrily. “I already told you I had a lapse of judgment.”
“Maybe you miss him.” When she glared at him, he continued. “It’s only been a few months, so unless you’ve changed drastically, I don’t think you love him. No, you’re not the type to fall in love easily, are you? I think you miss what he gives you.” He smiled with an ease he didn’t feel. “Is that it?”
“What?”
His strides brought him back to her in a few short seconds. “You said it yourself, ‘pregnancy makes a girl horny.’”
Rapid blinking greeted his declaration. “You think I called Brandon because I’m horny?”
“Are you?”
***
With a shake of her head, Jezebel turned and walked to the door. She didn’t like where the conversation was heading. He had no right to pry into her personal life outside of her pregnancy. She’d divulged what she came to, and now she was leaving. She turned the doorknob and a feeling of déjà-vu settled over her. Without looking up, she knew his hand kept the door pressed in.
She laughed in disbelief before spinning to confront him. He wore a little smirk on his lips. “Do you think this is funny?” At his lifted brow, she forced a smile, and spoke, her tone saccharine sweet. “You and I are not friends. As a matter-of-fact, we are nothing. Thank you for saving my life but it was the least you could do since the only reason I’m living in fear for said life is because you’re in the Korean mafia and your enemies want me dead.” He only continued to stare at her, his face relaxed, the infuriating smirk still in place. “When this threat is…handled, I expect to return to my old life without you.” His brow lifted further, but she continued on, “After the baby is born and you prove that your life is safe for a child, we can work out some type of visitation sched―”
Her words died in his mouth.
The taste of Ramsey and mint dominated her senses and despite her anger and distrust, Jezebel felt an answering call in her own body. Butterflies fluttered in her belly, her nipples pebbled under the bra, making for an uncomfortable press, her heart began a fierce, erratic pounding. It was her hormones. That was it. She was pregnant, and her hormones were in a space between erratic and insane. That could be the only reason her body reacted like it was starved for him.
Jezebel turned away, gasping for breath and trying to ignore the feel of his lips against her cheek. It wasn’t her. She didn’t want him. How could she after all of the heartache he’d caused, all of the things she’d given up because of him? “What are you doing?”
“What I wanted to do when I walked into my bedroom and found you in my bed.” His lips moved down to her neck, and she gasped as his moustache grazed her sensitive skin. She’d never thought a moustache could give such pleasure. His lips closed over her neck and he sucked hard. A sound that was a cross between a groan, a whimper, and “no” passed her lips. Ramsey’s hands were suddenly on her ass, cupping her through her pants, pulling her against the familiar hardness at the juncture of his thighs. Jezebel bit her lip to keep from crying out. It had been months since anyone touched her like this, like he owned her body. “What you want me to do right now.”
When his hands left her buttocks, Jezebel whimpered but his fingers were suddenly undoing the button of her pants, pulling down the zip. She could, should, protest, at least say something, but Jezebel couldn’t. She didn’t have the words. Instead, she allowed him to brace her against the door, slide his fingers into her panties, and touch her.
As his finger swiped her pert bud, Jezebel moaned. Two rapid flicks and she whimpered. His finger slid further back, and it was his turn to groan. “You’re already wet for me, Jezebel.” His tongue laved her ear as one thick finger slid into her. As she opened around him Jezebel exhaled deep and leaned her head against the door, extending her neck. He kissed her there. “That’s it, just let yourself feel…feel me…” Another finger joined the first and she winced as she was stretched further. Ramsey kissed her again, and this time, she kissed him back, eagerly participating in the erotic dance of lips and tongue as she rode his fingers to her release.
“I think you missed me,” he murmured against her lips.
“I didn’t.” That was all she managed to get out before his teeth closed over her bottom lip and pulled. His fingers stopped moving, holding still within her body. He released her lip and brushed his lips against her ear.
“Then why are you so wet?” Ramsey’s thumb settled on her clit and pressed, dragging a low moan from her.
She shook her head and said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m pregnant. It’s the…hormones.”
“Oh?” He circled her nub slowly. “Then I could be anyone?”
Jezebel swallowed and nodded.
“You’d let anyone finger you like this?” he continued, sounding more amused than anything else.
She glared at him. “Stop talking and do it!”
He blinked, seemingly taken aback. His thumb kept up its slow, torturous movement. “Do what, Jezebel?”
Ramsey Stone was neither slow nor stupid so she knew what he wanted. He wanted her to say it, to acknowledge what he was doing to her body. “Do it!”
His lips brushed a trail from her cheek to ear. “You want me to finger you until you come? Is that it? Or should I remove my fingers and let you go back to your room, wet and unsatisfied?”
When she took long seconds to answer, he began withdrawing his hand. Jezebel clutched his wrist. He lifted a brow and waited.
“I want you to finger me,” she whispered, hating her body for putting her in this predicament.
“Until you come?” he probed.
“Until I come,” she bit out.
He kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips. “Good girl.”
Already pushed to the limit by admitting her need, Jezebel was about to tell him where to shove it, not in her, when his fingers began to move, working fast, thrusting quick, curling forward, pressing, thrusting quick…she came.
She awoke sprawled in the middle of Ramsey’s massive bed. Her pants and panties were gone, her thighs spread wide, and he was staring down at her exposed sex with a look of such lust, such abject, unadulterated need, she almost came again.
“Ramsey, wait!” Her senses were returning. With the prior orgasm, her brain started working again. She tried to close her legs, but his finger waylaid her with a soft, butterfly-like touch right over her clit. “I―that shouldn’t have happened.”
“Why not?” He barely spared her a glance and sounded less than concerned.
“I don’t know,” she muttered. “Maybe because I don’t like y
ou, or it could be because you’re a jerk or possibly because you’re the head of the Korean mafia.”
His finger traced her slit before he lifted her legs up and away from her body, spreading her wider.
“Did you hear me―oh!” He swiped again, and again. Before she knew it, his other hand was moving upward, to slowly caress her belly, as he continued to tease her. Jezebel tried to reason with her emotions. She wasn’t just allowing this because it was Ramsey. He could be anyone; she was just hormonal. Even her doctors had explained that her libido might increase or decrease, that it was normal. She was using him to fulfill a basic need and that was it.
When she felt warm air brush her sex, she was at first confused. Confusion departed, along with common sense and rationalization, when Ramsey’s lips closed over her.
***
She tasted even sweeter than he remembered.
Balancing on one elbow, Ramsey stroked her with his tongue, lapping at her dew like a starved man. She was so wet, so ready for him. Of their own volition, her hips worked against his face, wanting more. Jezebel could pretend she hated him, but her body would never lie to him. Her body was made for his. He groaned as another rush of liquid seeped into his mouth, licking up to her clit before sucking on her hardened bud.
Jezebel moaned low and ran her fingers through his hair. He sucked soft and tender before switching to hard sucks, rapid flicks of his tongue and when she was on the edge, her body tensing up for that final release, he moved away.
“W-what are you doing?” Her voice was shaky and she looked at him from beneath droopy lids.
Jezebel could tempt a saint, but pregnant Jezebel made Ramsey itch with the need to possess her, make her scream his name, tell him she wanted him and only him, loved him and only him. Moving over her, he lifted her to a sitting position. Before she could ask questions or protest, he peeled the shirt from her body.
In addition to her belly, which he found fascinating, extended as it was with a dark brown line running down the middle, her breasts were larger. The bra was plain, a black piece made for practicality rather than seduction, but with her breasts held up so invitingly, it was all he could do not to bury his face between them and inhale. Later, he compromised, making quick work of the bra. Cupping her orbs, he tested their new weight, circling her nipples with his thumbs before rolling them between his fingers.
The Dragon (G.O.N.Y. - Double Dragon) Page 12
