“Sit.” Tegan pointed to a chair and spoke in a voice that suggested she intended to be obeyed.
Wrath sat. He figured it really wasn’t that big of a deal anyway. Nash would be here soon enough, and then they could try and make a plan. Until then, he could give Tegan a lecture on her unsafe behavior.
TEGAN WAS NOT about to let Wrath unleash the lecture she could feel brewing. It was crazy. She could actually see him thinking too much. Didn’t the guy ever relax? It was sort of depressing.
“I’m not listening to you bitch and moan about not staying where you put me or getting out of the cab without permission,” Tegan began. She took a sip of her tea. She loved the way the steam would curl up off the liquid and tickle her nose. It reminded her of sick days home from school with her mother. “I don’t like the idea of letting these bastards run my life, and that’s what they’re doing.”
“You would rather die?”
“The chances of someone lying in wait right there were low,” she pointed out. Really. He acted like there were boogeymen behind every bush.
“Oh, and the chances of some cars attacking us in a random parking lot was high?” The sarcasm in his voice made her cringe.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She waved off whatever he was going to say next. “I want to talk about your hobbies.”
“My what?”
It was as if she had just suggested he dressed in drag on weekends or something. The expression on his face was pure horror. Tegan sighed. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to knit, but I’m more into flower arranging. I love gardens too. I like to be out in the garden in the nice weather. Have you ever grown anything?”
“Yes.” The word was hard and final.
Tegan felt the need to prompt him for more. Why did he seem so adversarial? “What did you grow?”
“Vegetables and herbs in the desert,” he said irritably. “Some of the other marines and I tried to help the locals build an irrigation system after we finally found a spot to put a new well. It wasn’t a humanitarian mission though, so we were out there without much in the way of supplies, trying to grow whatever we could.”
“That’s incredible,” Tegan murmured. “I cannot even imagine that sort of experience. You must have been a lot of really wonderful people.”
He clammed up almost immediately. She didn’t press. It was obvious that he was remembering something that had touched him.
“I’m sorry.” Tegan spoke softly and reached over to gently touch his leg. “Would you like to talk about it?”
“No.” He was clipped, but not mean. “They’re all dead. The area got bombed by the rebels, and that village was blown to smithereens. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was just so—senseless.”
“My father hates the homeless,” Tegan told him softly. “I’ve always felt really touched by that in a way. I’ve always been aware of the gulf between myself and them, you know?”
“Which is why you gave money to that bum who turned out to be an assassin,” Wrath mused. “They’ve obviously been watching you.”
“There was a bum that used to sit on a street corner not far from my elementary school.” Tegan swallowed. Her throat felt suddenly tight. “My father picked me up one evening from an after-school activity. I don’t even remember what grade I was in. It was winter. It was so cold. I remember that my toes were absolutely frozen in my furry boots. We had to walk past this homeless man to get to my father’s limo. I had money in my wallet because my mother always made me carry money just in case. I’d given it to homeless people before, and my mother never minded. She just replaced the cash in my little wallet and told me that I had a good heart.”
Wrath sighed. “So you gave that man some money.”
“I tried to,” she admitted. She took a drink of her hot tea. She suddenly felt so very cold. Her hands were icy against the warm mug. “My father snatched it back away.”
“I’m sorry.” Wrath shook his head. “That was cruel. He should have let you do what you wanted to do with your own money.”
“The man was dead the next morning.” Tegan choked the words out in a whisper. “My mother took me to school the following morning because I lived with her. When we passed the man on the corner, he was just lying there with his eyes wide open and his face in this horrible sort of grimace.”
“Tegan, I’m so sorry.” Wrath moved from the chair to the couch. He set his mug on the coffee table and put his arms around her. “That must have horrified you as a child.”
“I just kept thinking that if my father had let the man keep the twenty-dollar bill, that he might have been able to find shelter or something for the night.” Tegan sighed. She wiped away her tears. She didn’t want to cry all over Wrath. “I know that realistically the man probably would have just bought alcohol or something.”
“But your little-girl brain could not have understood that,” Wrath reasoned. “Not to mention that a good dose of brandy can keep a man alive in subzero temperatures. Not for long, but still. You were right to be hurt and angry at your father.”
“I didn’t stand up to him then,” Tegan whispered. “And I’m not standing up to him now.” Why hadn’t she realized that? Why hadn’t she ever really thought about it in those terms? “Why do I want so badly for a man who has no heart to approve of me?”
“Because he’s your father,” Wrath told her gently. “It’s only natural to want his approval. Most people go their whole lives striving for that before they realize that it wasn’t worth having to begin with. If you have to work that hard to be what he wants, then there’s a good chance that he doesn’t give a shit about you or what’s best for you.”
Wrath held her close. His hands smoothed over her hair and touched her face with such gentleness that he seemed to be wiping away all of the hurt and unease from a lifetime of never being good enough for her father.
“You’re good enough for me,” Wrath whispered. “I think you’re far too good for me, actually. You’re smart and beautiful and you have a good heart. I’ve never met anyone quite like you, Tegan.”
She couldn’t stand it anymore. Lifting her chin, she angled for his mouth and gave him a very sweet kiss full of all the longing and sadness she was feeling in that moment.
Chapter Twenty-One
Wrath had never before considered himself one of those men who was subject to the demands of his physical needs. As a marine, he had often practiced subjugation of wants and needs in order to further the goals of the unit or the operation. When Tegan pressed her soft lips against his, he realized that all of his boasts about self-control and denial were empty.
He needed her so badly that he could think of nothing else. Moving his mouth against hers, he pushed his tongue between her lips and staked his claim without a second thought to whether or not this was a good idea.
Tegan wrapped her arms around his neck and stretched her body full length against his. He laid her back on the couch and gently covered her softness. This was not the place and it was not the time, but he did not care. Wrath braced his hands on either side of Tegan’s sweet body. He moved against her, pushing his erection against the cradle of her hips.
His cock was painfully hard behind the fly of his jeans. He wanted so badly to be naked with Tegan, and yet for this moment, he was content to kiss her, to move his tongue against hers, to make slow love to her with his mouth and feel the desperate longing in every sound she made. She spread her legs further to welcome him closer. Lifting one leg, she rubbed her calf along the back of his thigh and over his butt.
“Wrath,” she moaned. “I need you so bad. I ache.”
He moved his lips to her neck. Devouring her skin, he tickled and teased until she was gasping and writhing beneath him. He found the hem of her blouse. Tugging it up over her head, he heard a few of the buttons pop off and didn’t care. The tops of her breasts swelled over the cups of her bra. He buried his face between them. Inhaling her sweet scent, he kissed and licked at them with his tongue. Her skin ta
sted so very sweet. And when he used one hand to pop the fullness of her breasts over the top of the white satin barrier, he learned that her nipples were even sweeter.
Wrath pushed his hands beneath Tegan and unfastened the clasp of her bra. She pushed it away, and he was left with the bounty of those pert breasts to enjoy. He ran his tongue around each areola. The pale pink buds tightened beautifully. He enjoyed their shape and explored their texture with his tongue. Using the roughness of his chin, he gently abraded the sensitive skin until she was grabbing at his hair and begging him for more.
“Enough, enough!” Tegan moaned. “Wrath, please?”
He fumbled with the fastenings of her designer jeans. She had already taken off her boots, and he was glad he didn’t have to deal with those two. His hands were shaking, and he wasn’t even sure he could get rid of his own clothing at this rate. He might just rip it off and worry about the destruction later. With that in mind, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it away.
The soft skin on her belly felt exquisite next to his. He gently rubbed himself against her and reveled in the sensation of all that silky skin. Finding her lips, he kissed her once again as he tried to skin her jeans down her legs. She squirmed a bit, helping him. Once her jeans and panties were gone, he put his hands on her hips and rocked against her. She moved against him as well, pushing herself at his pelvis as though she was begging for his cock.
Wrath had his hands all over her body. He loved the feel of her. He loved her scent, and when he used his tongue to draw a line down the center of her body, he enjoyed her taste as well. This woman had it all. She was the perfect combination of sweet and wild. He had never been with anyone like her.
Finally managing to get his own jeans over his butt and down his legs, Wrath felt his cock bump up against her mound. He rubbed her gently. She spread her legs. He felt the wetness of her pussy against his head and shaft. She was soaking wet. Wrath angled his hips and nudged at her pussy. Tegan’s legs were spread wide open to eagerly accept him. The head of his cock caught on her opening, and he slipped right inside her hot body.
This was what he had wanted. Wrath tried to be still for a moment to fully appreciate the tight, hot embrace of her, but Tegan was having none of that. She wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked against him as though she were going to make herself come just like that.
“That’s it, baby,” he crooned. “Take me. Use me for your pleasure.”
Her body undulated against his. He watched in utter fascination as her muscular torso rolled and bucked. Each movement of her hips ground his cock against the sweet spot so deep inside her body. In only seconds, she was gasping, and a moment later, she tightened all around him as she came hard and fast.
Tegan cried out in pleasure. Her nails dug into his upper arms and she seemed to lose the ability to hold her rhythm. Wrath wrapped his arms around her and began moving his own hips. He thrust hard inside her pussy and very gently brought the pace back down from frantic to sexy.
TEGAN WAS COMING undone and she didn’t care one bit. Being with Wrath felt so damn good. She didn’t care if there were goofy expressions on her face or she made silly noises. Wrath didn’t mind and she loved every second.
He was so big and she felt so full of him. That was what she liked best. As she stared up into his face, she tried to memorize every line and every nuance of his expressions. She touched his cheeks with her fingertips and traced his jawline. She loved the way he would clench his teeth when he was straining so hard against her cleft. Every time he thrust inside her, she could see how much pleasure he felt in the way the lines around his eyes would relax. She traced the bridge of his nose and glanced down between them to see him moving in and out of her body. It was beyond erotic to see how that powerful abdomen would flex and roll each time he pushed his cock so deep inside her pussy.
Things that would have embarrassed her didn’t bother her anymore. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. She met him thrust for thrust and loved the sound of his flesh slapping against hers. Their combined sweat coated her skin. The scent of sex filled her living room. It was primal and completely out of control, and she only wanted more.
“Fuck me, Wrath,” she begged. “Make me yours.”
He growled and snarled as he began moving faster. The power of him left her breathless with excitement. A slow burn started between her legs. Her clit throbbed, and she felt as though she might be bruised the next day. It didn’t matter. Nothing did. Her legs tingled, and just like that, she was there.
“I’m—I’m—Oh God, I’m coming!” she shouted.
She clutched his arms as the undulating contractions of her orgasm sent her spiraling to the stars. Then Wrath grunted and pushed hard into her body. His cock was buried deep as he shuddered and moaned. The warmth of his seed spilled into her body, and Tegan could not help but smile. This was what she wanted. This was all she wanted. Nothing else mattered.
Finally, Wrath collapsed against her. Tegan laughed and wrapped her arms around him. She felt oddly playful. “Are you dead? Have I killed you?”
“You’ve certainly worn me out.” The couch pillows muffled his voice.
Tegan sighed. She felt absurdly happy. “When we were first—you know—together, you were very dominant. You know?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed. Was she stupid to ask him about this? It was just something that had been in the back of her mind, and she wanted an answer. “But you’re not anymore. Why not?”
“I’m not really sure.” He rolled to his side. With his back pressed to the back of the couch and her tucked against his front, there was just barely enough room for them both on the couch. “It’s about satisfaction. I usually feel the need to dominate my lovers to be satisfied. It isn’t that I don’t make sure they’re satisfied too, I just want to be in charge.”
She tried to process that. “It’s very exciting that way,” she admitted. “But I like to be on top sometimes and be in charge too.”
“And maybe that’s what makes you different,” he told her softly. “I don’t mind letting you because it still feels amazing.”
“Oh, so it’s all about how it feels?” She gave him a mock frown.
He snorted. “Don’t you dare try to pretend it’s not, Little Miss I Ache.”
A wave of embarrassment left her giggling and pressing her face to his chest, but she didn’t feel shame about any of it. “You’re the one who has single-handedly turned me into some kind of sex addict.”
“Is that right?”
“I am!” She sighed in near frustration. “I think about having sex with you all the time! It’s crazy. I’m going to be distracted at school, and when I go to work, it’s going to be even worse.”
“Maybe I’ll just have to stop by for a quickie every afternoon,” he mused. “You know. If you can’t go an eight-hour workday without sex.”
She gave a mock cry out outrage and began grappling with him right there on the couch. Their clothes were strung all over her living room, and they were both naked. None of that prepared her for the sound of someone clearing his or her throat.
“Oh, wow, that is definitely not something I wanted to see.”
Tegan squirmed around to face the direction of the front door. It was Analise! Oh God, she was going to die! Groping wildly behind Wrath, Tegan found the fleece blanket she kept on the back of her sofa. She pulled it down over her and Wrath to at least cover up her bare butt.
“Don’t you knock?” Tegan demanded. “This is my house! You can’t just come strolling inside.”
“I can see why,” Analise muttered. She turned her back to them, and then she aimed her next comment at Wrath. “You’re aware that you’re technically on the clock, right? Because this is so—I don’t even know what to call it.”
“Get out, please,” Tegan told Analise primly.
Analise snorted. “I was doing my perimeter check. We just got back here a few minutes ago, and it’s protocol.”
“I need to talk to Nash,” Wrath told Analise. “We’ve had another incident.”
Analise swung back around and pointed at them. “Yes. Obviously. This is certainly an incident.”
“Don’t be a bitch,” Wrath said irritably. He kissed Tegan’s forehead. “I have to go talk to Nash. Go upstairs. I’ll be up in a little while to let you know what the plan is.”
Wrath leaped off the couch with shocking agility for a man his size. Tegan caught a glimpse of him finding and pulling on his clothes. In far too short a time, she was left alone and naked, with Analise glaring down at her.
“You’re going to get him fired,” Analise said coldly. “I hope your poor little princess routine hasn’t already worn thin when you ruin his life.”
Tegan started to speak, but what could she say? What if Analise was right? What if getting involved with Tegan destroyed Wrath’s life? How could she bear the thought of making him give up everything just to be with her?
Chapter Twenty-Two
To say that it was rather awkward to stand in the close confines of the surveillance truck with Nash and try to ignore the proverbial elephant in the room was a major understatement. One of the first rules of the bodyguard or protection gig was never get involved with a client. Wrath wasn’t just involved. He was starting to suspect that he was in love with his charge.
But that wasn’t the point right now. So, Wrath pointed to the map of Boston that Nash had up on the display. “We were right here when they decided to hit.”
“Why were you in a parking lot?” Nash did not sound amused. “If you had kept moving, it is conceivable that they never would have had an opportunity to make a move.”
“I disagree.” Wrath ignored the parking lot comment. There was no good way to explain that one. “They were obviously ready. We’re talking two vehicles and multiple assailants. I saw at least one person get out of that second car, and there was still a driver behind the wheel.”
Nash Security Solutions Page 13
