“What’s wrong with you?” Wrath reached out with a lightning-fast strike and nailed Carson in the belly. “Stop brooding.”
The two women were in the small sitting area with their heads together. Carson had known enough women in his lifetime to know when they were plotting something that they shouldn’t be. Beside him, Wrath didn’t even bother to hide his groan.
Wrath pointed at Tegan. “What are you whispering about?”
“Nothing!” she said defensively.
Wrath flopped onto the couch next to her and wrestled her into his arms. He gave her a big kiss on her cheek. “When you say nothing, that means it’s something that will end with me getting shot.”
“That isn’t true!” Tegan protested.
The couple tussled on the couch. There was lots of mock growling, giggling, and rolling around as Wrath tickled Tegan, and eventually they wound up in a very compromising position with their faces close enough to—oh, yes. Here it was. The kiss followed by some murmured words of love and adoration. Wrath told her he didn’t want her to get hurt, blah, blah, blah.
“It’s disgusting.”
Carson looked down to see that Kayla was standing right beside him. Her arms were crossed beneath her generous breasts, and she was staring at Wrath and Tegan as though they were some kind of foreign species of slug.
Carson cleared his throat. “I don’t know if I would say it’s disgusting. It’s certainly more—ah—uninhibited than I’m comfortable with.”
“Uninhibited?”
He turned to find her staring up at him with open amusement on her face. Carson felt his ears getting hot. What the hell? Was he going to stand here and blush like some teenaged boy? He cleared his throat. “I’m just saying that I don’t typically do the public display of affection thing.”
“Ah.” Now Kayla was nodding. “Nor do I. I think if you love someone, or maybe if you just give a shit, then you don’t really need all of the touching and the words to make it real.”
“You should be able to convey it all in a look,” Carson murmured. It was something his father used to say about his mother. The two had been and still were married for over sixty years.
“Exactly!” Kayla nudged him with her shoulder.
The contact burned. Carson actually turned to stare at the place where their bodies had touched. He had never felt anything like it before. It was like electricity zapping from one place to another. He didn’t believe in that sort of thing. The force of nature thing where two people just sort of hit it off as though some cosmic force meant them to be together.
He could not deny that the woman was very attractive. Okay. That was selling it short. Kayla Hyde was gorgeous in a very unique and individual way. There was nothing conventional about her. She was unlike any other woman Carson had been with or even considered. Yet her personality didn’t seem to match what he would have expected from the wild bohemian look she had going on.
“You’re staring,” Kayla told him. She raised her eyebrows at him. “You want to take a picture or something?”
“You’re not what I would expect.” The words sort of slipped out without Carson’s permission. It was very odd.
She laughed. “You think people who look like me”—she spread her arms to indicate her body—“should wear flowers in their hair and dance naked beneath a full moon? You were thinking hippie type? Artist with no head for business who eats organic food and is into essential oils?”
“I suppose that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Carson admitted. “I apologize for the obvious stereotyping.”
“So formal,” she murmured. “Are you always like this?”
He was getting hotter. How was that even possible? The room was not hot. He could feel the much cooler ambient air gently brushing over his heated skin. He cleared his throat yet again and tried to get control. “Am I always in control of myself? Of course.”
That was such a lie.
Chapter Four
Kayla was utterly distracted by this new and exciting development in the bullshit story of her “protection.” Carson Holcum was attracted to her! It was fascinating, although she could not have said why exactly. He was a man. She was a woman. The attraction thing was a rather old hat by now, wasn’t it? Except a man like Carson was a challenge that Kayla could not pass up. He was so controlled. What would it be like to coax him into letting go? It wasn’t like she was trying to get him to make out in a public place. This was just sex she was proposing. Or—what she would be proposing if she ever got around to figuring out what she intended to do with this situation. After all, it wasn’t like there was nothing else going on in her life.
Kayla sighed. She left the group to go and fetch a broom since it did not appear that this protection squad thing came with a cleaning package that would somehow magically make all of the broken glass and other debris from her recent attack disappear. She was surprised, however, when Carson immediately came over to help.
“Here.” He gently plucked the dustpan from her hand. “I’ll hold it steady so that the glass won’t just get flung around the room.”
Kayla said nothing. She wordlessly swept up the mess. When it became obvious as to what she was doing, Tegan actually leaped up off the couch and ran to retrieve the large trashcan that Kayla kept on hand for the waste byproducts of all of her art projects. In moments, they had all pitched in and the floor was clean.
“Do you have any plywood?” Carson was examining the broken windowpanes. “I would be happy to board this up for you.”
Tegan laughed. “Would it be normal for any other city dweller to have plywood just sitting around inside their apartment?”
Carson looked momentarily blank. “I suppose I have very little experience with city dwellers.”
“I have plywood,” Kayla offered. She shot her cousin a dirty look. “Why don’t you and your lover excuse yourselves to go finish what you started in a hotel room? I think my friendly guard dog can help me handle what’s left to do here.”
Tegan looked surprised. “I thought you didn’t want Carson anywhere near your place.”
“It doesn’t seem as though I have much choice, does it?” Kayla shrugged. “Might as well keep him around in case that nasty Peeping Tom comes back.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Tegan said quickly. “I want to check on you and—you know—chat.”
Kayla snorted. Wrath was already looking suspicious. Tegan was just about the worst when it came to subterfuge or sneaking around. It would be up to Kayla to make sure they didn’t get caught if they were going to infiltrate the Russian mob.
But that was tomorrow. For tonight, Kayla just wanted to think about blowing off some steam and seducing her bodyguard just for kicks. Yes. That would be a much better way to distract herself from the current state of things in her life.
Soon the elevator doors slammed shut and Kayla was alone with Carson. He seemed preoccupied with the plywood. He had found her stash of boards behind the stack of canvasses in the far corner. She kept the wood on hand to use for a base when she was sculpting or creating a large piece out of metal.
“You have a butane torch in here?” Carson poked at her welding equipment with interest. “What do you need this for?”
“Metal working,” Kayla explained. “I like making sculptures and other things with metal. An actual torch is much faster and more permanent than just a soldering iron.”
“I suppose it would be.” Carson turned his back and returned to his hammering.
Kayla’s seduction plan was not working. Hmm. Figuring she had absolutely nothing to lose, she waited until he was watching from the corner of his eye. Then she unfastened her shorts and stepped out of them. “My clothes are filthy and covered in glass.”
“I’m—I’m sorry?”
There! That was the reaction she was going for. Kayla pulled her shirt over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and her black satin panties barely covered her mound. She kept her pubic hair trimmed into a short strip, and she
knew that her body looked good like this. Her breasts were naturally perky, and her nipples were hardening while Carson watched.
“What?” She gave him an innocent look. “You’re staring, you know?”
He seemed unable to formulate words. “You’re naked.”
“You’re getting an erection,” she pointed out. “I think those things go together in most cases. Don’t you?”
“Excuse me?” He sounded almost panicky. The hammer fell to the floor. He looked around as though he didn’t realize that he’d dropped it.
Kayla walked boldly toward Carson. “I’m not one for public displays of affection, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like a nice hard fuck in the privacy of my own home.”
Carson was actually gaping at her now. Kayla couldn’t help it. She smiled at him and closed the distance between them in perhaps three strides. Looking up at his handsome and somewhat shell-shocked face, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him square on the mouth.
There was almost no reaction at first, but Kayla wasn’t discouraged. She knew that men like Carson didn’t let go without a little warming up. Besides, it was the challenge that intrigued her. If he were easy, she wouldn’t have wanted him to begin with.
Kayla slowly moved her mouth against Carson’s. She let her tongue skate lightly across the seam of his lips. He exhaled suddenly, almost a gasp. His lips parted and she pushed her tongue inside his mouth. She rubbed it slowly against his and waited until she felt his hands slide around her body. He pressed his palms to her naked back, and she knew that she had him.
WHATEVER WAS LEFT of Carson’s self-control was going down in flames. The taste of Kayla was intoxicating, forbidden even. She was wild and hot. Her tongue was soft but insistent. He’d never been kissed like this before. His lovers had been cool and intellectual, like himself. Never had he felt as though he were touching a hot coal only waiting to burst into an inferno of passion.
She was naked, and he was absolutely helpless against the desire he felt for her. His hands found their way to her full breasts almost without thought. He cupped the mounds, kneaded them with his fingers, and thumbed her nipples into hard little points. Finally overcome, he moved his mouth away from hers in order to dip his head and taste her warm flesh.
The salty sweetness of her skin was only made better by the soft cries of pleasure she made. He sucked hard at her nipples. First one, then the other, until his head was spinning and she was digging her nails into his scalp to pull him closer.
“I knew you would be wild,” she whispered.
Had she? How odd. Carson would have never expected this behavior from himself. But when Kayla pulled away and grabbed at the fly of his cargos, Carson would not have dreamed of telling her otherwise. He managed to pull his shirt over his head just as she released his cock from the confines of his pants and undershorts.
He hissed at the feel of her hand against his swollen flesh. He had never been this hard for anyone. It was almost painful. Then she began to pump him from base to tip, and he nearly went to his knees.
“Take me,” she whispered. “I’m going to bend over the couch, and you’re going to fuck me. We’re going to screw like animals, and I’m going to come so hard on your cock that I’ll milk you dry.”
The erotic demand made Carson groan. He shuddered with need. She was as good as her word. Kayla tossed a hot look over her shoulder as she walked a few steps to the couch. She bent over, and all Carson could focus on was the pink slit of her pussy on display. Her bottom was perfectly shaped. He could not resist the opportunity to touch such a gorgeous backside.
Carson cupped her cheeks in both hands and squeezed. She moaned and arched her back. The position let him see just a hint of the sweet pink flesh between her legs. He moved his hands toward the center of her body. Her slit was warm and wet. He gently brushed the swollen folds of her sex with his fingertips. She trembled and hissed as she pushed back against him to wordlessly beg for more.
His cock was weeping its desire. Clear fluid beaded at the tip of him. He gripped his shaft with a shaking hand. Very gently dragging the head of his cock through her wetness, he savored the burning friction. She whimpered and clutched at the couch. She was standing on tiptoe and pushing her butt at him as though demanding that he sink inside her.
Carson felt raw inside. The need clawing at him was pure unadulterated lust. There was nothing else in this moment. He was a man. She was a woman. She wanted him. It was obvious. Her cream was all over his hands. Her scent filled the room. She was moaning and begging him to take her, to fuck her. The sensation was liberating. He’d never experienced anything like it.
He felt the head of his cock catch against her opening. Her inner muscles flexed. He slipped inside her. Just the head of him penetrated her slick sheath. Then he clenched his buttocks and pushed forward. He slipped in a little more. Then a little more. And finally, he was fully seated inside her hot depths.
Carson forced himself to hold still and savor the burning heat of her wet pussy. Then she flexed around him and he was gone. All reason and intellect vanished. He clenched her hips in his hands and began slamming inside her body. She cried out like a beast. She rammed her ass back at him, and he met her halfway. They grappled and fucked and thrust and retreated until there was nothing for him but the wet pussy squeezing his cock and forcing him to the brink of climax.
Sweat beaded on his bare chest and ran down his belly. His abdominal muscles were taut with the strain of holding back. He wanted to come. He felt his balls tightening between his thighs. He needed to mark her, to fill her with his seed and to see the white fluid seeping from her opening to coat the insides of her legs.
He had never felt anything so visceral before in his life. Carson gripped Kayla’s hips hard in his hands. His fingers dug into her curves as he thrust harder and harder into her softly yielding flesh. Then he felt her tighten. Everything inside her locked down until it was almost impossible for him to move. There was a moment of suspension, and then Kayla’s pussy melted around his cock.
She began moaning and writhing against him. One of her hands moved as though she intended to finger herself. Carson caught it and anchored it back against the couch. He’d never done anything like that before. But if this woman was going to finger her clit, he wanted to watch. And for now, he wanted to feel her milking him exactly as she had promised that she would.
His balls tightened. He felt his breath stick in his throat. And then the moment came, and Carson soared to the heavens with the force of his orgasm. His cock throbbed, and he poured his seed into Kayla’s body. He strained against her, pushing and thrusting to get as deep inside her as possible as he gave her everything that he had and more.
When the storm had subsided, Kayla wriggled until Carson pulled his dick free of her body. He could see the glistening fluid running down the insides of her legs. Nothing had ever satisfied him more.
Kayla only gave him a sassy grin. She put her finger in the center of his chest and poked. “Not bad for a first fuck, marine. With a little practice, I bet you can make me come just by blowing on my pussy.”
If only.
Chapter Five
“I cannot believe you talked me into this,” Kayla muttered to Tegan. “You’re going to get us killed. Can you not look a little less—I don’t know…”
“Proper?” Tegan supplied.
“No.” Kayla led the way into the bar on a busy corner of the Roxbury neighborhood. “I was actually going to say expensive. You’re wearing Prada, aren’t you?” It wasn’t a question. Sometimes Kayla wondered if Tegan had anything but top-of-the-line designer clothing in her closet.
Tegan glanced down at her outfit. The little black dress was cute, but obviously expensive. “So what? Lots of people wear Prada.”
Kayla sighed. “Lots of people in Cambridge or Brookline. Not lots of other people in regular neighborhoods in Boston. Only a few can afford that sort of thing, and they don’t have closets stuffed full of it.”
“They
aren’t going to know what’s in my closet anyway,” Tegan reasoned. “Just relax. You’re acting like we’ve stepped into a really bad movie about mobsters.”
Kayla did not remind her cousin that technically they had walked into a bad mobster movie. There was no need to beleaguer the fact or to make Tegan nervous. A nervous Tegan would give them away before she even opened her mouth.
Kayla focused, instead, on the room. That had the dual purpose of letting her focus on something other than Carson Holcum. She needed to stop thinking about him. Just because they’d had incredible sex didn’t mean anything. It was just sex.
“See that guy?” Kayla murmured as she and Tegan made their way up to the bar. Kayla nodded to the bartender to order a few drinks while surreptitiously gesturing to a bald-headed man across the bar.
“I see him,” Tegan murmured.
Tegan jumped up onto a barstool and tossed a long hank of golden blond hair over one shoulder. Every male eye in the bar was now fixed on Tegan and Kayla. Kayla had forgotten that men were drawn to Tegan’s gorgeous blond looks like bees to honey. Kayla’s looks were a little more subtle. Her aunt had once described her as earthy. Kayla had gradually decided that meant she was the sort of woman that men wanted to screw more than they wanted to date. So far that was fine with her.
“What can I get you ladies?” The bartender slung a towel over one broad shoulder. He looked mean as hell, but he was being polite. Kayla knew he worked for the Sokolovs, so being careful was a must.
“I’d like a seven and seven,” Kayla said with a flirty smile. “My friend here will have a white wine spritzer.”
The corner of the bartender’s mouth tilted upward when he heard Tegan’s drink of choice. True to her sheltered nature, Tegan didn’t even notice this. Kayla let the man start mixing their drinks before venturing her next question.
“Hey.” Her throaty voice immediately got his attention. “Who’s that guy over there? The one with the earring?”
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