Broken Justice (Justice Brothers)

by Halliday, Suzanne

  Lowering the lights as he made his way through the house, Cam stopped dead in his tracks when he flung open the front door and spied a startled freckled face staring at him from the driveway. She had a deer caught in the headlights look that matched how he was feeling inside. Remembering the box in his hand, he slid it into his pants pocket while his eyes drank in the sight of her.

  She’d worn a very short summery dress to the barbecue that molded perfectly to every one of her curves. The sexy cowgirl boots were a nice touch. He was bummed that the pigtails were nowhere to be seen but the sight of her blonde tresses falling about her shoulders was recompense enough. She was beautiful.

  So far they’d flirted like crazy, kissed like the possessed, fucked liked animals, and indulged every sense in a coupling that had stormed his soul. Seeing her hovering and uncertain at his front door tore at his senses.

  His feet propelled him right at her even though his mind urged a more thoughtful approach. Aware that she’d shown how fearless she was by coming after him, Cam let instinct be his guide. Absolutely nothing was going to stop him from going to her.

  The sound of his feet thumping down the wooden stairs echoed in the silence. In just a few wide strides he reached her, and without missing a beat, swung her into his arms and headed back toward the house. The only sound she made was a short gasp when her feet left the ground. After that all he heard was her shallow, rapid breathing.

  Once inside the house, he secured the door and then walked her to the massive stone fireplace that dominated the center of the open living space. Placing her carefully on her unsteady feet, he switched on the gas that made flames come to life and then retreated several steps to look at her.

  She was taking in the high ceilings throughout the house while Cam watched her with satisfaction. He’d helped design his home and Draegyn had put his impressive woodworking talents to use in every inch of the interior. It was massive and masculine and he loved every inch of it.

  When she eventually returned her gaze to his, he let the energy arcing between them go wild while he held her eyes with his.

  “Take off your dress.” Jesus, had he just told her to strip? He had. He’d also surprised the shit out of her judging by the way she straightened up.

  “Wh-what? Don’t you want to kiss me first?” She looked confused. “Not even a hello, Cameron?”

  “No. I said, take off your dress.”

  Mmm hmm. So that’s how it’s going to be, Lacey thought. She was starting to know this side of him quite well. It was his default setting. Control. Iron control. By calling the shots he got to pretend no emotions were involved. Well, that was going to stop right now.

  Hoping she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself, Lacey let her gut lead the way. It was clear that every time they were alone, they lost their clothes with alarming speed. Not that she minded. Not at all. But this time had to be different if they were going to make real steps forward.

  Sucking in a deep breath to boost her resolve, she gathered her hair, lifting the tresses away from her neck as she walked toward him. Turning around she murmured, “Unzip me, please?”

  Nothing happened for a series of heartbeats. He could, she knew, simply take her with little effort if that’s what he wanted. By allowing her to have a say, they’d be entering new territory and if she had her way that territory would include more than sex.

  Relief and indescribable pleasure surged through her when his fingers moved to the clasp at her neck and then to the zip of the dress he’d demanded she remove. Even though he was putting on a good show of being controlled and demanding, the slight trembling she detected in his touch was more endearing than any words could have been. She had to give him credit. He certainly could give as good as he got.

  It was her turn to tremble when the zipper finally descended, as slowly as humanly possible, and she felt him run his fingers along her spine. The soft caress was enough to send sparks of want and need shooting through her. Keep breathing, she thought. Just keep breathing.

  Taking a few small steps forward but keeping her back to him, Lacey pushed the dress from her shoulders and let it fall to her waist. Though she might be fighting a deficit of confidence, she had enough experience to know he wasn’t missing a single action. Feeling a small burst of female satisfaction at that thought, she went for gold with a deliberate wiggle while she bent forward slightly, easing the garment down her hips and stepping out of it. Tossing the dress aside, she ran her fingers along each thigh to adjust the scrap of stretch lace boy undies she’d worn. Take that, Mister Control, she thought.

  Glad for the warmth coming from the fireplace, she turned around and immediately searched his face for clues to what he was thinking. The half-lidded gaze that had quite obviously been checking out her backside sparked and smoldered making the butterflies dancing in her belly calm.

  Standing before him in her lingerie and a pair of cowboy boots, she struck what she hoped was an attractive pose with a hand on one hip while the other fluffed her hair. She almost said, come and get me, but bit back the words at the last minute. No, she wanted more than that.

  Noting his big hands clenched at his sides, Lacey knew he was having a hard time staying put. She didn’t doubt for a second that if she crooked her finger at him, he’d have her naked and spread out under him in a flash. But that wasn’t the way this was going to play out. Not by a long shot. Mister Cameron Justice was about to learn that he couldn’t always control the situation any more than he could ignore the feelings swirling in the cool desert night around them. She wasn’t going to let him.

  “Is this what you wanted?” Although a question, the words sounded like a challenge to her ears. When she saw his chest rise and fall from the answering breath he’d sucked in, Lacey thought, game on!

  Cam couldn’t believe it when she’d answered his demand to strip by calmly asking him to pull down her zipper and then stepping out of her dress. The sight of her mouth-watering ass in the lace underwear nearly blinded him. Hell, her body was so goddamn perfect that it looked photo-shopped. Add the unexpected boots to the feminine lingerie, and the lady steamed up the room by doing nothing more than standing there.

  His rational side knew his behavior was caveman-like at best, in a situation that he’d already determined required some motherfucking finesse. When he was away from her, his conscience worked overtime telling him he should play it cool, be detached, and let her be. As soon as he saw her, though, all that flew out the window in record time.

  She looked different somehow. He’d been trained to pick up on even the smallest clues in the overall picture. After forcing his mind from the haze of lust fogging his thoughts, a thousand tiny details rushed at him.

  First, everything she had on was new to her wardrobe. The lady had gone shopping. Gone were the baggy second-hand pants and non-descript hoodies. The style she chose now complimented her glorious figure. His Ponytail had good taste.

  Second, she’d had some sort of makeover. Nothing drastic, more like a simple haircut that gave her beautiful blonde hair a very sexy swoosh. Each time her head moved, the hair swung and shifted on her shoulders. She was also wearing nail color, making him wonder if she’d had her toes painted as well. While he liked the kick-ass boots, he suddenly had an aching desire to see her bare feet.

  While those easily discerned subtleties were important, there was something else. Something way more nuanced. Being at the Villa had been good for her, which was plain to see. In just a few short weeks she’d blossomed into an even more beautiful and self-assured woman than the one he’d first met. Her courage turned him on. She’d faced danger and survived challenges that would make most people crumble.

  And then there was the provocative come hither look she was sending his way, which hinted at a confidence that made his balls ache. When she fluffed her hair and pouted so prettily at him, he was a goner.

  “Is this what you wanted?” she purred. And just like that he was hard as a rock and out of his fucking mind with
need.

  Lacey didn’t wait for his answer. Being on a one-woman mission to open up the incredibly hot, sexy man standing just out of her reach was important, yes. But standing there half-naked while he devoured her with his eyes had sparked a throbbing in her core that got more insistent with each passing second. She needed to put her hands on him, wanted to taste him, and planned on getting him out of his clothes so she could do just that.

  Hearing the tap tap of her boots on the hardwood floor, she went at him head-on in a hip-swaying saunter that snagged his gaze. “My turn,” was all she said while her hands landed on the buttons of his chambray shirt. He was breathing heavily now but continued to stand rigid and straight as she slowly slid each button through its hole, one by one, until she’d arrived at the waist of his jeans. Yanking the shirttails free, she finished with the buttons, opening the shirt so she could gaze upon his magnificent chest.

  My God, she thought. It wasn’t right that he was so beautiful. And he smelled so good, too. Lacey couldn’t help herself from leaning in close to breathe in his enticing scent. He was all man, that’s for sure.

  “You’re playing with fire, woman.”

  Oooooh, she liked it when he growled. “I know,” she sighed as her nose crinkled with glee. His eyes narrowed at her playful taunt. Putting both hands on his rock solid abs, she stroked his skin, whispering close to his ear, “Let’s feed the flames a bit, shall we?”

  That was all it took for him to reach for her but she’d been waiting for him to relax some of his formidable restraint and easily side-stepped his touch. Sliding quickly behind him, she peeled the shirt down his arms, exposing his massive shoulders and the bicep tattoo that never failed to catch her attention. Tossing the shirt aside, she placed her lips gently on one shoulder as her hand palmed his butt. The other hand snaked around front and crawled across his torso in a possessive embrace. Touching him was like an aphrodisiac. The more she caressed his skin, the deeper she fell into the sensual thrall that was sweeping her away.

  With her lips still on his shoulder and hand on his chest, she felt as well as heard the lusty grunt that broke from his throat. How could he continue to pretend this was nothing but sex? They had barely started and yet he was already trembling. So was she, just thinking about what she wanted to do to him. Poor man. He had no idea what was coming his way.

  “Mmmmm. You smell good. Feel good, too,” she added with another hearty caress of his ass. Pressing against him so he could feel her breasts on his back, Lacey reached around to his front, running her hands very slowly down his chest, pausing to rub his hardened nipples, and then zeroing in on the zipper of his jeans. His hands covered hers for a nanosecond, as if he was going to stop what she was doing, but she nipped his shoulder and shrugged off his attempt.

  It didn’t take but a moment to deal with the snap and reach for his zipper. Despite the trembling in her limbs, Lacey kept going before she lost her nerve. She’d been naked with him before but never because she took the initiative. Until now she’d been happy to let him be the aggressor. After all, he did so quite well.

  Ah, what the hell, she thought. Even though this was new territory for her, she wanted him in the worst way. Pressing herself against his back, she relished the feel of being so close to him while carefully tugging on the zipper. Instinct and desire took over when she felt the firm bulge of his erection with her fingers. Quickly swallowing the moan about to escape her mouth, she instead bit his shoulder as her hands finished their task.

  He let her reach into his jeans at each hip to help ease them down his legs as she followed them to the floor, crouching behind him to help as he toed off his shoes and raised each foot until the jeans hit the floor with a thud. From that position she had a dizzying view of his muscled thighs and tight butt. Oh yes, she thought with lascivious delight, when she saw he was wearing the cotton boxer briefs she found so damn sexy. Standing up, Lacey made sure to let her fingers drift softly over his fabulous backside causing him to clench the muscles in his butt. She couldn’t help but smile. The guy was positively drool-worthy from the rear. Impossibly broad shoulders, narrow waist, lean hips, muscular legs, and an ass that deserved its own billboard in Times Square.

  She let him stand there for a moment as she admired the enticing, masculine view. Quickly unsnapping her bra, Lacey removed the simple garment and draped it over his shoulder. His surprise was apparent when he reached up and gathered the silk and lace in his hands before throwing it aside. As her lingerie landed on a nearby chair she pressed back against him, shuddering slightly when her hard, aching nipples first touched his skin.

  For a while her mind went blank and all she could concentrate on was how his body felt against her. He was hard in all the right places. Mmmmm. Both of them were breathing heavier while her hands wandered, eventually ending up splayed across his chest. Everything about him set her senses on fire.

  Pressing eager kisses across his shoulders, she moved her hands in a tantalizingly slow descent, mapping every inch of his magnificent torso. When she reached the bulge of his erection, Lacey never paused, using both hands to mold his hardness in the confinement of his briefs. Cameron’s shudders emboldened her actions making her cup and fondle his swelling cock until his head fell back and a tortured moan rumbled from deep inside him. She definitely had his attention now.

  His passionate response made her want to spend an eternity exploring his heated flesh with her questing fingers. There was something uniquely erotic about touching him so intimately through what was left of his clothing. The way his briefs molded his enflamed manhood made her mouth go dry. It was almost as gloriously enticing as being naked.

  He surprised her by reaching back, grabbing her ass in both hands and dragging her forward until her mound slammed against the curve of his rock hard ass. Whoa! Lacey couldn’t stop the corresponding response that ripped through her as she gripped his erection and ground herself against him. If she didn’t get a hold of herself, she’d be losing all control as her body flooded with desire and urged her to chase the orgasm that was building in her aching core.

  It was too delicious to draw away from him just yet though, so she stayed behind him, grinding against his backside while he held firm as her greedy fingers continued stroking through his clothes. He groaned and shook when she placed a very wet, open mouth kiss between his shoulder blades.

  Time for round two, she thought, kicking off her boots. When she slid slowly around his body leaving a trail of wet kisses along his shoulders and then finally across his chest, she stood before him, hands still moving seductively against his bared skin and looked deeply into his smoldering gaze.

  The only thing she could do then was go for broke. She had to lay it all on the line if she wanted this giant of a man. Since he obviously couldn’t, she had to be the one to share what she was feeling. Hopefully, she could reach inside his walled-off emotions and find a way to release his heart.

  “I missed you while you were gone, Cameron. Did you know? Could you feel me thinking about you?”

  Sparkles of emotion lit up his green eyes telling Lacey she had hit the mark. He had been thinking about her, she was sure of it. Now if only he would say so. C’mon big guy, she chanted silently. Be brave. Take a chance. You can trust me. I’ll be here to catch you when you fall.

  He looked at her so pensively that she worried he would reject what she was offering. Biting her lip to stop it trembling, she silently prayed she was doing the right thing. It would kill her if he walked away again.

  “You are always in my thoughts, Ponytail,” he murmured in a deep, throaty growl as he pushed a strand of her hair out of the way. His gentle touch tracing the shell of her ear got her senses cranking on all cylinders.

  “I was a prick for not calling you. Believe me, I know that.” His lips quirked in a wry, half-smile that melted her wildly thumping heart.

  Awwww, she thought. He was being so brave and sweet. She knew just the right way to reward him for his honesty.

  �
��Well, I’ll have to think about forgiving you,” she replied with an arched eyebrow and a look that she hoped suggested how peeved she’d been by his silence. “For now though, I think you need a reminder for the next time you think being all tough and brooding is the way to go with me.” The last few words she’d accented with a firm stroke against his huge bulge and a naughty squeeze for good measure.

  Dropping down in front of him and tugging at the waistband of his briefs, she knew he’d been shocked when he reflexively tried to stop what she was about to do. Absolutely nothing was going to get in the way of what she wanted just then which was his twitching hardness, gripped by her hands. Against her tongue. In her mouth. The desire to explore him with all her senses had been haunting her dreams. This was her chance to let that desire run free.

  Pushing the cotton down his massive thighs had ramped up the excitement. The sight of his rigid cock springing from its confinement made her giddy with need. Did he know how magnificent he was? A brief surge of jealousy for every woman who had ever seen him like this invaded her brain. Doubts, born from inexperience, battered her composure. She’d pictured him before with super models and beautiful women by the dozens. After all, he was too damn hot and gorgeous to be living like a monk. Surely, women lined up for a chance to experience his smoldering sexual prowess.

  Well, be that as it may. He was a grown man in his thirties and hardly inexperienced. It was what was happening right here and now that mattered, not the ghosts of his sexual past. It was up to her to take what she wanted. Waiting for him to lose his reluctance and let honest feelings anywhere near his broken heart wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Men, apparently, did not excel in the realm of emotions. He’d more than proven that with the foot-dragging and running away.

  She liked what she saw once the briefs were a memory. He looked like one of those statues depicting male perfection. The heavy-lidded expression on his face and the way his nostrils flared with each of her caresses gave Lacey the boost of confidence she needed to continue her innocent exploration of his flesh.