Tempting Boundaries

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “You stupid bitch.”

  Miranda froze, ice creeping up her spine. Damn it. She’d been so focused on Decker and getting out of there that she hadn’t checked the hallway to make sure she was alone…or at least that he wasn’t around.

  “You shouldn’t be near me, Jack,” she said softly. She turned to him to see the blond man glaring, his shoulders hunched.

  “Why? What happened to you, hmm? Nothing. Instead, I have to deal with the cops hounding me.”

  Was he serious? The cops had done nothing because the asshole had talked his way out of it.

  “Go away, Jack.” She swallowed hard, the bitter, metallic taste of fear coating her tongue.

  He stalked toward her, but she raised her chin. She’d run if she had to and probably should, but she wouldn’t be afraid at her work all the time. She could protect herself, and would, if necessary.

  “Why? It’s my place of business as well. You’re the one running around like a timid mouse with her tail between her legs.”

  “I’m done with this, Jack. You hit me. Threw me against a wall and threatened more. You might think you’ve gotten away with it because you’re good with cops or whatever, but I’ll never forget. My family will never forget.”

  “You’re ruining everything,” he spat.

  She had no idea what he was talking about, but it was clear he was mentally unstable. She needed to get out of there as quickly as she could. She turned to run, but he gripped her arm.

  “Let me go, Jack,” she said as calmly as she could.

  “It’s always a hysterical woman ruining everything.”

  “Jack,” she whispered, her voice not as calm as before. She didn’t know why he was doing this, but she knew she was only a small part of the larger problem.

  “Is there something wrong here?”

  Jack immediately let her go, and Miranda sighed then blinked at the familiar voice.

  “Luc?”

  The man who had once been a close friend to the family—more importantly Meghan’s good friend—frowned toward her. His dark coffee skin pinched at the corner of his mouth when he looked toward Jack. His honey-colored eyes made him look like he was ready to commit murder. She didn’t know why he was here, but she was so freaking happy he was.

  “Jack was just leaving,” Miranda clipped.

  Jack snarled but gave a tight nod. “Miranda and I were just having a discussion.”

  Luc raised a dark brow. “Really? Because from where I’m standing, it looked like you were forcing her to do something she didn’t want to do. You want me to call the police, Miranda?”

  For a moment, she thought she should but then remembered the look on the older cop’s face. Jack hadn’t done anything wrong this time, had he? He’d scared her, but that had mostly been because of what had happened during their last encounter. Though they’d had a witness this time in Luc, she wasn’t going to press her luck with Jack.

  She shook her head. “No, I just want to go home.”

  Luc searched her face then gave her a nod. “You better get out of here before I change my mind.”

  Jack sneered but stomped away toward the front of the building. Immediately, Miranda’s body started shaking. Luc’s arm came around her shoulder, and she settled into him. She hadn’t seen him in years, and yet she felt comfortable with him, like another brother in her long line of brothers. He led her to the outside to one of the benches, and she let out a sigh.

  “So, what are you doing here?” she asked, her body finally starting to settle.

  Luc squeezed her once then moved to give them space. “I’m working on some of the electrical work. It’s my first job since coming back to Denver.”

  Luc was an electrician, and for a while, had even worked with Montgomery Inc. and her family. He’d moved away suddenly one year, and she’d never gotten the full story. Not that it was any of her business.

  She turned to him, a true smile on her face. “You’re moving back?”

  He nodded, though he wasn’t smiling. “Already moved back. Now I’m just looking for a job that’s not day-to-day.”

  She shook her head. “Talk to Wes and Storm. You know they’d hire you on in a minute.”

  He shrugged. “We’ll see. I kind of left suddenly before.”

  She wasn’t going to ask about why since, again, it wasn’t her business, plus she had problems of her own. “Talk to them. The worst they can do is say no.”

  He gave her a small smile, and his eyes lit. The man was damn handsome, that was for sure. “I suppose.” He looked around the parking lot and frowned again. “I don’t like the way that man was touching you.”

  “It’s a long story, but I’m moving on.” She had to, or she’d be afraid for the rest of her life.

  “I’ll be around for another week or so getting things back up to code, so I’ll keep an eye out.”

  That time she did roll her eyes. “You’re like another brother, you know that? I have enough of them already.”

  He met her eyes then shrugged. “You’re Meghan’s little sister. I’m not going to let someone bully you.”

  She smiled then shook her head. “All of you are so protective, and I like it, even though sometimes it grates on me.” She stood up and grabbed her bag. “Thanks again for being there. I was going to run, but you being there helped. I’m headed out now, but thank you.”

  He stood with her and walked her to her car. “I’d say any time, but I don’t want it to happen again. Be safe, and see you around.”

  She hugged him again, and he hugged back hard. “Thank you,” she whispered then got into her car. It was nice to see a familiar face—even nicer when that face was there when she hadn’t known she needed him.

  Instead of heading home, she drove to Decker’s house. As much as she wanted to give him space and deal with things on her own, she couldn’t. No, she needed to see him. Needed to know that she wasn’t alone. God, she sounded needy, but Jack had scared her more than she wanted to admit. She might want to act tough, but she sure didn’t feel like it right then.

  She pulled into his place and saw his truck. He was home at least. That was something. When she got out, she took a deep breath then made her way to the front door.

  Decker opened it without her knocking. Apparently, he had seen her pull up. He pulled Gunner away to stop him sniffing at her, and she reached down to pat the dog’s head.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice low. His eyes looked dark and his face pale. In fact, it looked like he’d been sleeping off a bender.

  What the hell?

  She shook her head then sucked in a watery breath.

  He held open his arms, and she sank into him. She inhaled his scent, letting it settle her. He closed the door behind her then lifted her into his arms. She sighed at the movement then nuzzled her face into his neck, inhaling again. He’d recently showered so the smell of soap and man mixed into a heady combination.

  “What happened?” he asked once he sat down on the couch with her on his lap. Gunner sniffed at them then sat at their feet.

  She told him about Jack and then Luc coming in, and all the while, his arms around her tightened. She rubbed his shoulder, trying to soothe him, though it probably should have been the other way around. That wasn’t fair though, and she knew it. She was just in a mood with him since he hadn’t called, and frankly, wasn’t much better off herself.

  “Jesus Christ,” he muttered when she finished. “Thank God Luc was there, baby.” He kissed her temple and rubbed her thigh, his large hand possessive yet protective.

  “I know,” she said honestly. “I’m not going to lie and say it didn’t scare me, because it did. But I was ready to run. I didn’t right away because I thought I could face him, but that was stupid.”

  Decker let out a sigh. “Yeah, it might have been. I know we’ve been practicing with your self-defense moves—and we’ll be working harder on those in the future—but running is always the best defense if you can do it. You don’t know
if he has a weapon or not. Yeah, he’s in school with you, but that didn’t stop him from coming at you. I hate the fact that you have to deal with him at all.”

  She sighed then leaned into him harder. “The only way he’d go away is if he does it on his own or if something worse happens. I’d rather the latter not happen at all.”

  Decker’s arms tightened, and she sucked in a breath before he loosened them. “I’ll fucking kill him if he touches you again, Mir.”

  She turned and cupped his face. “I don’t want you behind bars, so don’t promise things like that. Okay?” She met his gaze and saw the pain in there warring with worry. She didn’t know what was going on in his mind and felt a stab of pain that he didn’t trust her to share. They might not have been together long, but they had been friends for years. She wished he’d share what was on his mind, but she wasn’t sure he’d do it. And now that he was also working with her problems, right then wasn’t the time to ask him to share everything.

  “I missed you today,” she said before she could stop herself.

  He met her gaze and nodded. “I missed you too.”

  Relief slid through her, and then she cursed herself. Why did she care so much about what he thought? How he felt? She’d been perfectly fine throughout the day and had even planned on letting him be. But then Jack had seen her in the hallway, and she’d needed reassurance. After tonight, she’d pull back and remember that she was okay alone.

  But she didn’t want to be alone, and she had to be okay with that fact.

  He still looked like something was off, and she didn’t know how to fix it. “What’s wrong, Decker?”

  “Nothing,” he said quickly. Too quickly.

  “Just tell me. You don’t have to keep things to yourself. I hope you get that.”

  He searched her face then let out a breath. “I’m a little off center since yesterday, and I need to find my bearings. It’s nothing you’ve done, so don’t think it’s about you. It’s about me. Okay? Forgive me?”

  She shook her head. “There’s nothing to forgive. Just know that I’m here if you need me. We’re together, right? That means we can talk about things.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s right.”

  She ran her fingers through his beard and sighed. “I don’t want to think about everything that hurts anymore.” When she brushed her lips on his, his fingers tightened on her thigh.

  “Yeah? What do you want to think about?” he asked, his voice rough.

  “Make me forget? Just for the night?”

  He searched her face and nodded. “Anything you want, Mir. Anything.”

  She swallowed hard, ignoring that ache in her heart. This was just temporary. They hadn’t talked of a future, and it was too soon to do so, but Decker had been very careful to scare her at first. He’d tried to show her the man he was, or at least the man he thought he was, and her trying to change him wouldn’t work.

  She didn’t want to change him. She just wanted him.

  “Stand up and go around to the back of the couch,” Decker ordered. “Put your hands on the edge and stick your ass out.”

  She shivered then stood up. When she got into position, she licked her lips, wondering what he was up to.

  She heard whispers and then claws on wood as Gunner walked to the back of the house.

  Decker came from behind and slid his hands down her sides. When he gripped her hips and pressed the long, rigid length of his denim-clad cock against her butt, she sucked in a breath. She still wore her dress from work, and since it came to her knees, she couldn’t really spread her legs the way she wanted. He tugged at the light sweater she’d worn over her dress, and she let him strip it off of her slowly. That left her in her dress, stockings, and her underwear. If he wasn’t careful, she’d strip out of everything so she could feel his heat against her skin.

  “What do you want today, Mir? You want my cock in your pussy? In your mouth? You want me to make your ass red? I could tie you to the bed and fuck you hard while you’re begging for more. I have so many fucking ideas when it comes to you. Want me to go on?”

  She wiggled against him. So many possibilities. “You decide. I like it when you decide.”

  He reached around and cupped her breast, bringing her back to his chest. He took her face with his other hand and brought her lips to his.

  “That’s what I like to hear, baby,” he said when he pulled back. He bit her lower lip and tugged slightly. Her breath quickened, and she rubbed her thighs together.

  God, this man was too much.

  “I thought I wanted you over the couch, but I think I want you in bed for now. That way I can see your breasts and that pink pussy of yours when I get you naked. You want me to fuck you in my bed, Mir?”

  She nodded.

  “Words, Mir.” He pinched her nipple through her dress, and she gasped.

  “Yes. Fuck me against the door.”

  “That’s my girl.” He smiled, and she fell that much more in love with him.

  She wouldn’t think about that now. Her heart wanted him, and that was all that mattered.

  He led them to his bedroom then stopped in front of the guest room. His mouth crushed against hers, and she moaned into him. His fingers dug into her butt, and she rocked against him.

  “Can’t. Wait.”

  He lifted her up, slamming her back against the closed door. Her legs wrapped around him, and he thrust against her, his cock hitting just the right spot over her panties. He ripped his mouth from hers, his chest heaving.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful, Mir.”

  “Fuck me,” she gasped, digging her heels into his lower back.

  His hand went up her leg and froze. “Jesus Christ. Are you wearing stockings?”

  She wiggled so the tip of his cock pressed against her clit. “Yeah. Not the ones with the garters, but thigh-highs.”

  “Fuck. You’re keeping these on all night, baby.”

  “Just get in me, and we can talk about my wardrobe later.”

  He grunted then rucked her dress up over her waist. “Dirty, dirty little girl. I’m going to have fun finding out how dirty you are.” He shoved her panties out of the way then speared her with two fingers. She gasped, her body clenching around him. “You’re so fucking wet, Mir. I didn’t even touch you, and you were soaked.”

  With one hand under her butt to keep her steady, he removed his fingers then traced them over her lips. She licked her lips and the tip of one finger.

  “That’s it, baby. Taste yourself. You like that?”

  She nodded, wanting him to taste her as well. She pushed at his hand, moving it toward his mouth, and he smiled.

  “You’re a little minx. I love it.”

  She ignored the word love then almost came at the sight of him licking her cream off his fingers.

  “So fucking sweet,” he said then crushed his mouth to hers again. The taste of her on his tongue was even better than before.

  “Inside me. Please,” she gasped.

  He pulled away, keeping one hand on her butt. He nodded then reached down to undo his pants. When she reached down to help, he shook his head.

  “Hold my shoulders, baby. This is going to be a rough ride.”

  With that, he shoved her panties out of the way again then impaled her with one stroke.

  They both froze, her body clenching around his cock in little spasms.

  “Fuck, you just came with that, baby.” He kissed her again. “So. Fucking. Hot.” With each word, he pumped into her, bringing her close to the edge again.

  He met her gaze, and she swallowed hard. He thrust in and out of her, slamming her against the door with each move. She held on, rocking her hips to meet him. With their clothes still on, she’d never felt so sexy, so wanted.

  He reached between them and rubbed along her clit, flicking it with his fingernail. She gasped, her body bowing until she came in a rush. He followed right after, shouting her name as he filled her.

  Filled he
r.

  Fuck. No condom.

  She could feel every inch of him, every spurt deep within her body. His piercing rubbed all the right places, and she shuddered. He met her gaze, his eyes wide.

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to forget the condom. Shit. Shit.”

  She shook her head then cupped his face, kissing him softly. “I’m on birth control. I’m safe.”

  He shuddered out a breath. “I’m safe too. I have papers and everything, but fuck. I’m sorry, Mir. I should have thought.”

  She kissed him again. “It’s okay. We’re good. And I liked feeling you bare inside me.”

  He grinned then, slowly. “Yeah? Well, I liked being able to feel every inch of you around my dick. You want to stop using condoms altogether?”

  She nodded, well aware his still-hard cock was pressed deep inside her. “But you get to sleep on the wet spot.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “God, you’re amazing. I—” He froze. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  She swallowed hard. He hadn’t said what she thought the words were going to be, and she knew it would have only been in the heat of the moment anyway.

  It didn’t matter what he felt, but she loved him enough for the both of them.

  She just prayed it didn’t break her in the process.

  Chapter Seventeen

  He hadn’t felt this nervous in…well, ever. Decker took a deep breath then knocked on the door. Hiding for over a week hadn’t helped him, and if he didn’t face the consequences, he’d just keep fucking things up.

  Miranda had pushed him into this, but he was the one taking the steps.

  When Grif opened the door, Decker braced himself for a punch.

  Only it didn’t come.

  “Hey,” his best friend said.

  “Hey.” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and rolled back on his heels. It had never been this awkward between them, not in the twenty plus years they’d been friends.

  Decker had done that though, so he’d best remember it.

  “Shit, man, just come in. Us standing out here and staring at each other isn’t helping things.”