by Shayla Black
“You saying I should be getting busy with you instead?” He laughed.
She peppered kisses up his neck, along his jawline, and slanted her mouth under his. “Exactly.”
The woman surprised him all the time, and god, he loved that about her.
“Oh, baby. The next sounds in this room will be you screaming for me.”
A smile flitted across her lips before she hooked her arms around his neck and lifted herself to him, breasts pressed to his chest. He took her mouth.
Fuck, he could taste the love in her kiss. She’d only ever given herself to the man she had married. But she was surrendering to him now. Devotion flowed from her fingertips. Acceptance oozed from her soft palms, gliding onto his skin. She believed in him. Wanted him. Opened her heart to him.
Nick intended to make sure she spent forever with him.
Sasha’s fingertips whispered down the line of his spine before she cupped his ass and lifted her hips to him in a blatant invitation no man could misunderstand. He started to sweat.
Fuck taking things slow. That’s what next time was for.
“Sasha,” he groaned.
“I want you.” She looked into his eyes, hers so hazel-green and pleading.
“I want you, too, baby. I just need a condom.” And fuck if it wasn’t going to kill him to break away from her for even an instant for a dumbass piece of latex.
Wrenching up from the mattress, Nick found the box and tore into it, quickly ripping a foil square and rolling the slippery casing over his cock. The instant he finished, he launched himself back on top of her and captured her mouth again.
Beneath him, she whimpered and opened in welcome, knees bending to surround his hips. She poured her soul into the touch of her fingers and tangle of their tongues. “Hurry.”
His dick sure wanted him to, but he’d waited way too long for this woman to simply shove his way inside her and pound out an orgasm.
“As soon as we make a few things clear.” Because there was no way she was slipping through his fingers.
“What?” she sounded impatient. “You want to be in charge in bed.”
“Always. But that’s not—” He sighed. Damn, he needed to spit the words out. If she was going to argue…well, he knew how to coax her and change her fucking mind. Besides, he wasn’t asking. Sasha was his, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Once we eliminate Clifford, you’re marrying me. I know my past looks bad on paper but—”
“Yes.”
No arguments? “Really? You mean that?”
“You and I know well that life can be short. I love you. I’m sure. Why wait? Besides, little girls should have a strong father figure in their lives. Harper needs you to be hers. Mike chose you to take his place in my life. I’m sure he’d want you to help me raise Harper, too.”
Nick didn’t really get warm fuzzies much. But…damn it. Everything Sasha said filled him with a flurry. “You’re right. I’ll always watch over Harper, protect her. She needs siblings, too.”
“You want more children?”
“Fuck, yeah.” The thought of her belly swelling with the child he’d put inside there nearly undid him. “With you. Baby…I can’t wait.”
Sasha spread her legs wider. “Then don’t.”
“Yeah. Hold on.” It had been a long time for both of them. “This is going to be a rough ride.”
She sighed his name as if that didn’t upset her in the least and clutched his shoulders.
Gripping her hips, he dipped his head and nipped his way across her neck and the swells of her breasts—he’d come back here later—then probed her opening.
His head slid through her folds like butter. She was slick and tight and as close to heaven as he’d ever been.
She squeezed his arms in a passion-filled grip, as if braced for pleasure.
Nick held her tighter and breathed his way deeper inside her pussy.
As he did, she let a high-pitched cry loose from her throat.
He jerked his hips, stroking, desperate, on fucking fire to bury every inch inside her.
She clenched her thighs around his hips and urged him on even more.
He goddamn gave her everything, surging into her with a push and a rush until he couldn’t shove his way in any further.
She cried out, voice hoarse, fingernails embedding in his skin, perspiration covering her as he unleashed his desire and made her his.
With stroke after hard stroke, the bed squeaked. He wrenched gasps and moans from her lips. Bliss streaked fire through his body.
Jesus, he wasn’t going to last. It had been forever since he’d had sex, and he had never wanted a woman as fiercely as he wanted this one. Whatever he felt tearing through his veins and decimating his restraint wasn’t mere desire. This was unraveling his brain, changing the way he perceived ecstasy. It was rewriting his definition of pleasure.
Beneath him, she tightened—her grip around his shoulders, her legs around his hips, and her sweet pussy all over his weeping cock.
Fuck, he needed her to come with him now.
Nick reached a thumb between them and dragged it over her clit. Her harsh breaths stuttered. She tossed her head back and forth. Her little pearl hardened beneath his touch.
“No…”
“Yeah, baby. You fucking come for me now.”
“It’s…so…”
“Good? Let it go. Fucking scream it.”
She tensed, her body arched, her rosy little mouth bowed into an O. And she wailed his name at the top of her lungs as she spasmed, clenched, and climaxed with her entire body.
Nick knew that would never get old for him.
It was the last thought he had before the pleasure steamrolled him and he lost his damn mind, emptying himself into her as she undid him and took hold of his heart forever.
Into the silence punctuated only by their panting, he clutched her tight.
“What was that?” She sounded as stunned as he felt.
“Not just sex.” He knew the difference. Nick was pretty sure what they’d just shared had unraveled his brain, rewired him for her and her alone, and remade him into a committed man. “But next time will be better.”
“How?” Her gaze was stunned, as if she couldn’t even think of a way their sex could remotely improve.
He grinned. “I’ll be slower. I’ll have more control, I promise.”
“Why bother?” She sighed. “That was so damn amazing.”
He’d never once heard her swear. Hearing her so emphatic now made him laugh. “How about if I promise it will be someplace nicer?”
Sasha grimaced. “That, I would love.”
“You got it, baby. You’ve got me. Always. I love you.”
“As crazy as it sounds, I love you too, Nick. Let’s catch a bad guy and live happily ever after.”
He didn’t think Walter Clifford intended to make things quite that easy, but he didn’t want to worry Sasha, so he just nodded. “Absolutely.”
Chapter Six
Nick lay staring at the stained ceiling, absently stroking Sasha’s back as she curled against him like a kitten, soft and all but purring. The thought made him smile. Sex the second time had been even better than the first. He’d dragged out her pleasure, made her wait and claw and beg for it. Then she’d undone him with a talented tongue and her bedroom eyes until he’d shoved her on her back again and ridden her to a euphoric climax that still had him reeling.
He could handle fifty years of that with her.
First, they had to dispose of Walter Clifford. A glance at the clock told Nick that he and Sasha needed to be out the door to reach Josh Krandall’s house in about forty minutes.
Had they really been making love for the last three hours? As boneless as his legs felt, he believed that.
The cell phone buzzing on his nightstand broke into his thoughts. Nick snatched it up before the sound woke Sasha. “What?”
“Oh, grouchy. You’re either not getting any or I interrupted,” Xander teased.
“Neithe
r.” Nick eased away from Sasha and headed to the desk, speaking in low tones. “You calling for a reason or just want to yank my chain?”
The younger Santiago sighed. “As much as I love to rile you, this isn’t a social call.”
Something about the way he said those words made Nick suddenly wish it was. “Harper?”
“She’s fine. But we’ve moved to a safe house the Edgington brothers have just to be certain.”
His gut tightened. “What happened?”
“Someone broke into your rental a few hours ago. They trashed the place but didn’t take anything.”
“Coincidence?” But even as the question left Nick’s mouth, he shook his head. No way he was buying that.
“What are the odds? I think they were looking for something.”
“The video. It’s reasonable to assume Clifford knows we have it.” Nick wasn’t sure how the asshole managed to work that fast, but he was ruthless and had power. And he was getting frantic—almost reckless—to find Sasha before Mike’s evidence leaked out.
“That’s my guess. One other thing you should know. They left graffiti on the walls that read YOU’RE GOING TO DIE, BITCH.”
Nick’s heart stopped cold.
“Fuck.” He looked over his shoulder to find Sasha still sleeping. “So Clifford also knows she’s with me.”
“Yeah. You need to wrap this up fast. If this DA already linked the house we rented to you, it won’t be long before they come sniffing around for Harper.”
Which also put London and Dulce in danger. Damn it.
“I’ll take care of it tonight. I’ve got to go.”
“Damn it, Nick. I know that tone,” Xander shouted. “Tell me your game plan. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Stupid? No. Just whatever was necessary to keep Sasha and Harper safe. “I’ll call you in a few hours.”
“Nick—”
He hung up. With his gut screaming at him, he lifted the laptop lid, clicking onto a local TV station for all the latest New Orleans news. There at the top, just as he feared, was a developing story. ADA Murdered At Stoplight In Broad Daylight.
Josh Krandall was dead.
Clifford wasn’t fucking around. The asshole had been tracking them most of the day. Nick realized the fucker must not know where they’d holed up now or he’d already be beating on their motel room door. But by cutting down the people who could help Nick, the bastard was sending a message.
Too bad for him Nick wasn’t listening. He intended to make the dirty DA pay for everything he’d done.
Nick mentally rolled through all his options. Going to the cops or the FBI was no bueno. Clifford was lining the pockets of the dirty ones, and how was Nick supposed to know who was clean? Hell, whoever the DA had been on the phone with in Mike’s video sounded like law enforcement of some sort. They’d discussed rigging a trial and killing Mike like it happened all the time. They’d think nothing of ending Sasha and her daughter. Sure, Nick figured he could try the press, but he didn’t have the kind of pull to get their attention, especially in a busy post-election season. If they ran with the story, it would be too little too late to save Sasha.
Raking a hand through his hair, Nick fixed his gaze on his woman again. What would life be without her? Could he live if the worst happened and he hadn’t done everything possible to save her and Harper?
Fuck no. He was going to have to choose Plan B.
Turning the phone over in his hands, he sighed. Denial raged. Regret swelled. Fury decimated. Son of a bitch. He didn’t want his vengeance to end this way. But he’d always put Sasha first. End of story.
Cursing, he looked up the number for the DA’s office. After a little prowling, he found the man’s direct line. Voice mail. Shit.
“Clifford, Nick Navarro here. Let’s negotiate. I have what you want. I’ll give it to you if you agree to leave Sasha Porter and her daughter alone. In exchange, you can have the video and my life. I will make sure she never says a word. That’s the deal; take it or leave it. Be at Popp Bandstand at nine tonight.”
Nick didn’t tell the man to come alone; he wouldn’t. Just like he also knew that Clifford would never believe that Sasha would keep her mouth shut simply because Nick had told her to. Men like Walter Clifford understood violence, brute force, and death. Luckily, Nick spoke his language. He probably wouldn’t come out of this meeting still breathing…but neither would the fucker who had killed Mike and ruined Sasha’s life.
As far as Nick was concerned, that was a fair exchange.
Feeling older than his thirty-three years, he stood, holstered his gun, and paced across the room to Sasha, bending to press a kiss on her forehead, his lips lingering. The inevitability of the moment choked him. He dragged in a rough breath filled with her floral scent and the smell of their sex. At least he’d be walking away with one of the best memories of his life. Better to go out on top.
“I’d hoped we’d have a million tomorrows, baby,” he whispered. “At least I can give that to you and Harper. I love you.”
Taking the car keys and weapon—leaving behind his phone, the video evidence, and his heart—Nick departed the motel and disappeared into the night.
* * * *
Sasha woke alone with a start. She sensed the emptiness in the room immediately. With a gasp, she sat up, looked around. Nick was gone, as was his gun. The phone and the computer still sat on the desk. What did that mean?
Heart pounding, she tossed on her clothes and searched the room, just in case. But as she suspected, Nick was nowhere in sight. She had an ominous feeling, a lot like the one she’d gotten the night Mike had disappeared.
She refused to lose another man she loved to the same killer. She would not lose Nick now that she’d started to live again.
What could she do? Where had he gone? How could she help him?
Sasha raced to his phone and looked at the last call he’d dialed. An unfamiliar but local number. She lifted the laptop lid to do a reverse search on the digits, but the open browser gave her the answer. Cold slithered through her blood. The DA’s office. He’d located Clifford’s direct line.
Why would Nick call the man? Sasha refused to believe he was selling her and Mike out. He wouldn’t take favors from the criminal in exchange for the video. A few days ago, she might have believed the man was capable of that—and worse. Now she knew better.
She clicked on the other browser tab he’d opened. A local news story. Gasping, she read the headline. Josh had been killed in a seemingly random drive-by? Sasha didn’t believe it had been happenstance for an instant. Clifford had offed his own employee before he could see Mike’s evidence and take it to the task force.
Suddenly, she feared she knew exactly what Nick was up to.
Panic gripped her heart as she plucked up his phone and flipped through his contacts. Thankfully, there were few, and Xander was easy to find.
The man picked up on the first ring. “Thank fuck. After our last call, I was afraid you were going to do something stupid and heroic, you prick. Don’t—”
“I think he is,” she breathed into the phone. “This is Sasha. I woke from a nap to find him gone. He took his gun and left his phone. The ADA we were going to see in thirty minutes is dead.”
“Okay, don’t panic. I talked to him maybe ten minutes ago. I’m hoping he hasn’t been able to manage too much stupid in that time.” Xander swore aloud. “Listen to me. Logan Edgington is one of my best friends.”
“Former Navy SEAL. Nick told me.”
“Yeah. He’s headed your way. Best there is. Give me your location.” As soon as she did, Xander went on. “I’ll get him to you. I’m also trying to track Nick down. Any idea where he might have gone?”
Sasha tried to think but drew a blank. “It’s a big city. He could be anywhere.”
“Tell me the places you’ve been lately.”
She recited each location in chronological order. “I can only think of one he’d go back to, and that’s Popp Bandstand. It had meani
ng for him and Mike. On a Monday night, it wouldn’t be that crowded, especially as the hour grows later. But he could be somewhere else entirely…”
“I’ll keep working angles here. I need you to do something, Sasha. E-mail that video to every local TV station you can find. I’m doing the same in Lafayette. Tell them you’re Mike’s widow. We need to make Clifford a public target as quickly as possible. Logan can make the two-hour trip down there in about an hour and a half since he drives like a NASCAR pro. I’m also contacting the FBI. I tried to tell Nick that I know a guy, but he hung up. Sean will put us in touch with the right people.” Xander finally took a breath. “We’ll save Nick.”
“I hope so.” Sasha wished she could do more to help the man she loved since it felt as if sending videos to news outlets was something safe and removed. Something Nick would have wanted Xander to ask her to do. Like busy work.
“We will. He helped save me from doing something stupid and sacrificial when London was in danger once. I owe him.”
“I can’t lose him.” She hated the tears in her voice. Now wasn’t the time to fall apart.
“You’ve lost so much.”
Yes. Losing Mike had wrenched her life apart. Losing Nick would forever rip her heart to shreds.
“Is Harper all right?”
“Great. Having fun. She’s almost healed. Dr. Minn saw her this afternoon and was pleased with her progress. Remove her from your list of worries. We’ve got this.”
“Thanks for everything.”
“I’m texting you a picture of Logan, so you’ll know the right guy when he comes to your motel door. Call me if you hear from Nick at all. I’ll do the same.
With a murmured good-bye, Sasha hung up. If Logan was going to be here in just over an hour, she had some preparing to do. After sending the e-mails to all the TV stations, she grabbed a room key, darted out to the sporting goods store just down the street, and made one purchase, thanking goodness Louisiana had no waiting period.
Sasha was ready for whatever happened—except losing Nick. She was damn determined that wasn’t going to happen.
Chapter Seven
