Circle of Deception

by Carla Swafford

  She nodded, unable to make a coherent sound.

  “Keep making those sweet sounds.” His deep voice wove a spell around her.

  The stone wall in front of her, protecting them from the edge of the balcony, stood waist-high to her. He leaned over her back, holding her tight. She released his arm and with palms flat braced her upper torso on the ledge. Her feet landed back on the balcony’s floor. His hands grabbed the straps of the slip and jerked it down past her hips to pool around her ankles. Her ballet-style shoes remained on her feet.

  “Don’t move,” he commanded.

  If not for being so ready, she would’ve protested his tone, but instead she closed her eyes and sank into all of the sensations surrounding her. His warmth behind her, the light warm breeze caressing her skin, the distant sounds of automobiles and the world moving while she waited for what the man behind her did next.

  He caressed her buttocks, and goose bumps popped over her skin from the anticipation. His warm hands clasped the inside of her thighs and spread her apart. The sound of a zipper being lowered and clothing moved caused her to shift with need.

  A burning slap to her ass brought her straight up to glare over her shoulder. His face was in the shadows and with his dark shirt on, his belt still clasped, and his hard, thick cock in his hand, he looked scary sexy. She had to admit she liked knowing she was naked in front of him, ready for his instructions.

  “Turn back around and don’t move until I tell you.”

  Both hands gripped her hips, thumbs pulled her apart, and he eased into her up until the last couple inches. Then he thrust hard. Her body jerked forward and she barely caught herself from hitting the stone ledge. Facing forward, looking over the city beyond, she inhaled the fresh air as he began moving. She loved how full he made her feel. Though her knees were locked, the push and pull of his body rocked hers. Her naked breasts swayed and the tips brushed the sleek stone. The mixed sensations had her mouth open for extra air. Each pant matched his thrust.

  She wiggled, loving how he stretched her and how the scratch of his pants fabric excited her more.

  His broad hand slapped her ass again. “I told you not to move.” Streaks of pain and pleasure raced directly to every highly charged sexual nerve.

  Then he lifted her hips a little higher, and her feet no longer touched the floor. She moved quickly and caught the ledge before her chest slammed into it. That was when she realized he’d been taking her with his knees bent. At his full height and a better grip, he began to hammer into her. Her legs swung on each side of his. Her fingers gripped the stone warming beneath her chest.

  Moist and needing to climax, she whimpered, wanting more. With the combination of the dangerous height and the lethal man fucking her, she needed to reach the pinnacle before her heart exploded. As if he realized what she wanted, his hand reached around and covered her mound to pinch her clit. She screamed. If anyone heard her that high off the ground and with the wind picking up speed, she didn’t know or care. He pounded into her a few more times before he grunted and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her. Her back landed against his chest, his shirt warm, and she felt his heart beating hard and fast.

  As if she were a doll, he turned her until he had an arm beneath her back and another at the bend of her knees. Then he carried her into the suite, his limp reminding her of his bullet wound.

  “Your hip. Put me down before you pull the stitches out.”

  “Shh. Don’t worry. I’m fine.” To prove it, he took the steps two at a time with his long strides. When he paused beside the bed and looked down at her, his heated gaze studied every inch of her body. The way his eyes almost closed showed how much he enjoyed looking at her naked.

  All thoughts of his wound were forgotten.

  He released her legs and her body slid over his. For the first time in her life, she felt small, delicate, and feminine. His shoulders were so broad and chest so wide, she smoothed her hands across them until she clasped her hands behind his neck and pulled him down for another kiss. She licked and sucked, wanting more. Their tongues danced and twined together. His hands cupped her buttocks and lifted. She wrapped her legs around his waist. His cock, still out of his pants, was hard and ready. Open, wet, and needy, she lined up and thrust down. He groaned and arched into her as he threw back his head.

  When she worked her hips up and down several more times, she looked into his eyes. They glittered with a primitive satisfaction.

  He grasped her hips. “Stop. Wait.”

  Then he peeled her off him and dropped her onto the bed. She sat up and before she could scramble back to touch every toned ripple of his body, his strong fingers dug into her knees and separated them. With her hands on the mattress behind her, and her legs spread out in a provocative position, she waited for his next move.

  Once he stepped away, he double gripped the back of his shirt and jerked it over and off and then shucked his pants and briefs to finally crawl over her.

  He slid into her heated depths with one fluid movement. Ankles crossed at the small of his back, she stared up at his face. Arms straight, he stared back.

  REX WANTED TO explain to Abby what he felt for her. He never knew he was a coward. Saying I love you wasn’t a common practice in the home he grew up in. He was more apt to get slapped around.

  He cupped her dear face. If only he could stay inside her. She felt so good, smelled so good, looked so good. Heaven. The only time he ever felt he had a place in the world was in her arms and between her legs.

  “Abby.”

  “Hmmm.” With her half-mast eyes, she looked happy and satisfied.

  “Let’s start over.”

  Her bark of laughter caused her pelvis to shake and he almost lost control.

  “I don’t know if I can do it,” she teased.

  “No. Let’s start over without the past.” Did she understand what he was saying?

  The smile on her face faded. Maybe she did.

  “I would like that. A lot.”

  “Good. Hi, I’m Rex Drago.” Unable to resist, he leaned down and sipped on a taut nipple.

  “Agh! No fair!” She covered her breasts with her hands. “Nice to meet you. I’m Abby Rodriguez.”

  With his cock continuing to harden inside of her, he grinned and showed her how unfair he could be in bed. He withdrew to the tip and quickly plunged into her.

  She arched into him, her hips reaching for more. Yeah. He liked that.

  Unable to hold back anymore, he pumped hard and fast into her while keeping his gaze on hers. Then she screamed as she bowed her body and closed her eyes.

  Before he could roll over, clapping near the doorway jerked him around. He pushed Abby behind him.

  “A better show than the one you two put on in my home.” Brody leaned against the door frame, while two of his thugs stood in the bedroom with MP5s aimed their way.

  “Get the hell out of here!” Rex remembered to include Rurik’s accent.

  “You’re not smart to have only one guard. The little fellow didn’t put up much of a fight.” Brody stepped out of the doorway and jerked his head toward the bed. Two more thugs walked into the room with handcuffs and rope.

  Rex jumped the nearest man. His arm wrapped around the man’s neck, keeping him in the line of fire.

  “Don’t shoot yet!” Brody shoved one of his own men against the wall.

  A crack vibrated in the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Abby fighting the other man. A naked Amazon kicking butt. Beautiful. His attention divided between Brody and his gun-toting thugs, but he couldn’t help admiring Abby’s moves. With a twist in midair, one long leg kicked out and knocked the man out. Before she landed on her feet, another thug picked up a lamp and busted it over her head, and she crumbled to the floor.

  Rex roared, slinging the man in his arms into Brody. In two strides he reached for the asshole who’d hurt Abby. The man slammed into him, jabbing his wound. Fury blinded him to the pain as he picked up the man and sho
ok him. With his back turned, he didn’t realize until the last minute that Brody had moved closer. A bright spray of stars blinded him and then he sank into darkness.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  * * *

  ABBY SQUEEZED HER eyes shut several times, trying to adjust her vision to the blinking fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling. When it finally cleared up, déjà vu set in. The light wasn’t going on and off. A naked man hung upside down from a hook, swinging back and forth, blocking and unblocking the light.

  Ah, shit! Stretched out on her side and as naked as a redneck in a heat wave, she used an elbow to sit up and then lean back against the wall. Her wrists burned from rubbing against the rope. Looking around, she sighed. Raw cinder-block walls stood about ten feet tall around her, and only one steel door to escape through was across the room. What in the world happened?

  “About fucking time you woke up,” Rex said, his deep voice accented. That meant someone was listening at the door or he suspected the room to be bugged.

  “What is up with you and getting hung upside down naked?”

  “Ha-ha.” He twisted his body. “Maybe the question should be why do people think it’s necessary?”

  He had a point.

  He continued to make his body swing, causing the rope to jerk. Wouldn’t it cause the rope to tighten on his ankles? Didn’t it hurt?

  “What the hell? Quit doing that. You’re giving me a headache. The stupid light keeps blinking and that looks painful.”

  Then again, was there another man in the world who looked as good as Rex naked, hanging upside down from a hook? Checking all the parts she’d reacquainted herself with the past few weeks—she would need to be dead not to look—her gaze came to a stop. Instead of what she first thought were shadows, blood covered his side, dripping off one broad shoulder.

  Terrified, she struggled with her own ties. “Stop moving. You’re bleeding!”

  “No shit, Sherlock!”

  “Hey, no need to get snippy with me.” She flinched when she looked down. The throbbing bump on the back of her head didn’t help matters as she worked the rope around her wrists. It was a little loose. Probably Brody did it. He appeared to believe women were on the helpless side. Why do men underestimate women? The knot gave a micro inch. Thank God they did.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Shh!”

  “Don’t shush me!”

  “Children, enough already. I could hear you two arguing down the hallway.” Brody walked in all grins and golden looks. “Our kind hosts are getting a little antsy with all the yelling in here.”

  “Hosts?” Abby and Rex asked at the same time.

  “You really thought I would have a munitions facility on my farm, didn’t you?” Brody chuckled and placed his hands behind his back as he circled Rex. “No. The Inferno was kind enough to provide me with everything I needed to make all the bullets they desired since the . . . what? Is it now seven shipments that have gone astray?” He crouched in front of Rex, staring down into his eyes. “From what they’ve told me, I have you to thank for my troubles. I knew we were competitors, but I believed in honor among arms dealers. But you obviously do not.” He dipped his finger into the wet blood dripping down Rex’s side and rubbed it between his forefinger and thumb as if contemplating the thickness. Then with another swipe, he marked a gruesome X on Rex’s naked chest. “You’re a dead man. Even if I don’t have you killed, my friends with the Inferno said they plan to take you out. Remember Leif and Spring Erickson?” He cleaned his finger in Rex’s hair.

  With a jerk of his head, Rex eyed the man with hatred. “I’m not surprised those two freaks are involved with a fucked-up group like Inferno.”

  Brody stood and slapped at his pant legs. Mere inches from Rex’s groin, Brody chuckled.

  “Damn, I never got a good look at it, what with the way you kept sticking it in every orifice Abby possesses.” He crossed his arms and tilted his head as he stared at Rex’s cock.

  “I don’t play for the other team,” Rex sneered.

  “I do. Making the money that I do helps me indulge in all my fantasies. I bet if I was in the mood, you would find swinging both ways to be quite enjoyable.”

  Crappy crap. She never expected that. He’d always been such a man’s man, even in high school. Sure he had guys hanging around him, but she’d guessed it had more to do with catching Brody’s throwaway girlfriends than anything to do with personal pleasures. It gave a whole new flavor to friends with benefits.

  “I’ve been told you’ve been feeding information to an organization called The Circle. They’re a very interesting group. Rumor is they’re trying to go mainstream, but someone high up in their ranks is fighting it. You never know when information like that can come in handy.”

  Rex’s cold gray eyes remained on Brody. She could tell that even upside down, he struggled to keep his mouth shut. His jaw flexed as his teeth ground together.

  With a shrug of his shoulders, Brody turned his attention toward her. She moved her knees closer to her breasts. Odd that the room’s temperature dipped at that precise moment. With her ankles crossed and legs tight, she prayed he couldn’t see any more than what he probably had already.

  “And you. I’m sorry that you got mixed up with this bastard.” His gaze swept over her as if he was unsure what to make of her. And despite tying her, he’d already proven he’d disregarded her as a threat. She still wasn’t sure if she should feel insulted or relieved. Arrogance was many a man’s downfall. “I’ll see if I can find you something to wear and talk the nuts around here into letting you go.”

  Brody sauntered out of the room and gave a sardonic salute. “It’s been nice knowing you, Rurik.”

  As the door closed behind him, Abby caught a glimpse of the guard and short hallway leading to another door.

  “Well, that went nicely.” Abby couldn’t help the sarcasm.

  “I’m looking forward to the day I smash in that pretty boy nose he loves so much.” His voice lowered since Brody had mentioned the guard was able to hear them earlier. Rex grunted as he fought the tie around his wrists. “Come over here and help me untie my hands.”

  “Give me a minute.” She worked harder at the knot. “When do you think Jack will get here?” Each tug stung like fire ants chowing down.

  When he didn’t answer, she looked over at Rex.

  He glanced at her and then away. His face appeared to be made out of stone.

  “What?” she hissed.

  “He’s not coming.”

  “Of course he is. He’s my boss.”

  “Nope. Ryker suspended him.”

  “What the hell do you mean suspended?”

  “They’re investigating Nic’s . . . the operatives’ deaths.”

  His face became harder, more like cold stone. Why did he think he needed to shut off his feelings for Nic with her? Sure she’d been jealous of the woman, but she had also been there when he needed someone.

  “That’s the hazard of the job. When the enemy attacks, people can die.” She hated sounding cold, but he needed to be reminded. Yet something was missing. What was Rex not telling her? Before she could ask, the shuffling of boots outside the door caught her attention.

  Perfect timing, she dropped the rope she’d finally worked loose and darted behind the door.

  “Untie me,” Rex hissed.

  She shook her head and waved a hand at him to be quiet. There wasn’t enough time.

  The guard walked in carrying a bundle of clothes. As soon as he noticed she wasn’t on the floor, he dropped what he was carrying and reached for the pistol at his side. She closed the door, drawing his attention, and kicked his chin. He lifted off the ground and flipped backward as if he were a stuntman. Sprawled out cold, he didn’t make a sound as she searched his pockets.

  “Quit feeling him up and get me down from here.”

  She pushed him over to check his back pockets. “Give me a minute.” Eureka! She found a knife strapped to his back in
a sheath. The fellow had issues; the knife was as long as her forearm. When she lifted the blade, Rex eyed her with distrust.

  “You’re going to be careful with that, right? I don’t need to come up missing any fingers.”

  “You won’t miss one or two.”

  “You might.” His lascivious grin looked even more evil with the added pull of the scar and easily told what he was thinking.

  She rolled her eyes and sliced through the rope, being careful not to damage his talented fingers. Handing off the knife to Rex, she stepped back.

  As if he did it daily, he bent at the waist and caught the back of his leg with one hand while the other used the knife to cut the tied rope. His feet dropped but he caught the large hook with his free hand. His legs probably needed the circulation to return before he landed on his feet.

  No way could she hold back the sigh. Right-side up, he was even more gorgeous. Muscles and tendons stretched and moved in ways that were nothing short of sensual.

  Mouth dry, she turned away and swallowed. Seeing the clothes on the floor, she thought it best to cover up. No underwear. Go figure. But the black pants were soft and stretchy like the type worn to exercise in, and the plain gray T-shirt was a little small as it molded to her breasts and torso.

  A thud next to her warned Rex had landed on his feet.

  “Check his tag and see what size pants he wears.”

  “No way. I’ve touched him enough. Anyway, his clothes won’t fit you.”

  Rex shoved her out of the way. “I can’t go around naked.”

  “You won’t hurt my feelings.” She knew she had a mischievous grin.

  With a sideways glance at her, he brought a blush to her face. She lost the grin. He actually embarrassed her with a look so hot she trembled. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t gotten embarrassed last time he was naked and hanging from a hook. Of course, last time she’d had only faded memories. But now new vivid memories rose to the surface and heated her face. She bit the side of her mouth as she tried to regain control of her body.

  He said, “Yeah. I can tell. Your nipples are hard. And if I stay naked any longer, I’ll be in you, pumping.”