by Bex Dane
"Why are we calling cows?" The pungent scent of alcohol hit my nose. On the small stove in the kitchen, I spotted a glass tumbler half-full of dark liquid and an empty bottle of whiskey.
"Because it's fun. Try it. Look out the window and when you see a cow say cows on my side."
I looked down at my hand, which was now gripping the tiny bedroom doorknob like it could be a weapon if I pulled it loose. "I was about to get dressed."
"No." He dragged out the word and moved his head in an exaggerated circle. Oh yeah, he'd been drinking and was feeling toasty. "Those jammies are da bomb." He pointed his two fingers at my nipples tenting the fabric like he was shooting two guns at once.
"Uh." I covered my breasts with my hands.
He grinned like a kid who'd caught a peek at a nudie girl behind a curtain. "You wear those all day. No clothes."
"What?"
"Cows on my side!" He raced back to his window. "Three-zip. Catch up, Teimosa."
After a brief pause, the absurdity of it all burst from my gut in a belly laugh. How did I end up racing across the country with a crazy drunk guy and his equally nutso friend? I spent the last week crying in isolation and now I found myself here? However it happened, all I could do is what I always did. Enjoy it while it lasted.
I squinted and peeked through the blinds. "I don't see anything." The sun glinted off tall buildings in a busy city center. "There's no way you saw all those cows."
"Come closer. Look." He stepped back and motioned for me to squeeze into the tiny space between the table and the seat. I climbed up on my knees and bent forward with one hand on the wall of the RV, one on the top of the seat.
"Where?" I bobbed my head up and down to look through all the gaps in the blinds. No cows. Falcon was insane.
The RV left the highway and we passed a huge wall mural that said Welcome to Jackson. Wow, we'd driven all the way to Mississippi while I slept? I shifted my weight as the brakes squealed and compressed air escaped from somewhere.
The warmth of Falcon's hand at my hip seeped through the fabric of my PJs, and the heat of his body hit my butt. "There." He curled around me from behind and moved my hand up farther on the wall, causing me to bend deeper in the seat. His groin rubbed my ass.
While Falcon exemplified every girl's dream of a sexy bad boy, and I technically wasn't with Torrez, Falcon didn't spark my plugs half as much as Torrez. Like a smoking hot older brother, I liked him, but the chemistry didn't exist. "Listen, Falc— "
A whoosh of air blew across my back, and Falcon's fingers tightened on my hips before they scraped away. I turned to see Falcon on his back, Torrez on his knees with a fist pulled back, and his elbow across Falcon's throat.
With a primal grunt, Falcon grabbed the fist headed for his face and twisted to gain the advantage. He straddled Torrez for a split second before they whirled to the side and banged into the cabinets. A blur of jeans, T-shirts, and tattoos tumbled in the narrow kitchen aisle like two boulders in a rockslide.
I didn't know for sure, but I think I heard Torrez call Falcon crazy in Spanish, which would be accurate.
Then I heard something that sounded like Falcon insulting Torrez' mother.
"Uh. Stop." My first attempt to speak came out much too soft to be heard. They slammed into the wall again. "Knock it the hell off!"
They paused and leered up at me like I'd interrupted them playing rugby.
"Stop fighting. It's stupid. Just talk it out." Torrez tilted his head and Falcon drew his brows so high he made wrinkles in his forehead. Two confused puppies listening to their master's voice. "You know, use your words? Kindergarten 101?"
"Yes, let's have words." Torrez struck a sucker punch to Falcon's jaw. Falcon growled, and their fists started pummeling again. They ended up on their knees, crashing down next to my feet. I screamed and jumped back. They stopped fighting and glanced at me.
Torrez climbed to his feet and stumbled backward, holding his side, his eyes checking me out head to toe. When he saw I wasn't hurt, he said to Falcon, "Ela é minha."
That sounded like she is mine. Oh my goodness.
Falcon stood up and breathed heavily as he leaned against the wall. He looked like a rabid beast with his hair covering his face. "What's that? I can't understand your fucked up Spanish."
"Portuguese, fucker." Torrez braced one hand on the driver's seat and pointed to the door. "We're in Jackson. Falcon's getting off here."
Falcon chuckled as he pulled his hair back and twisted. It miraculously stayed in place. "Hey now. She has a bodacious ass, but that little rub-a-dub-dub wasn't nearly enough to get me off."
Torrez gritted his teeth at Falcon's joke, and I held back my laugh. "You're not getting off in here. You're getting off the rig here, idiot."
"You're going on without me?" Falcon sounded like the kid in the PE class lineup who wasn't picked for the team.
"Yep." Torrez stepped in front of me and crossed his arms as he tilted his head to the door.
Falcon smirked at him, not moving for the door. "You cut me off, I lose out on a fat per diem."
"I asked for transport. I didn't order a man."
"But you need one." Falcon glanced at me and his voice became caring and persuasive. "Maybe two or three. You're being tracked by two powerful groups who want to kill you."
"Groups want to kill you?" I asked. "We need two or three men?" This kept getting scarier.
Torrez held a finger up for me to wait. "I'll tell you later." He scowled at Falcon. "I can handle it alone."
"Where will you go?" Falcon's voice challenged Torrez.
"I don't know," Torrez answered deadpan.
"You should go through Mexico. Greco's hitmen won't cross into Reynosa territory. If you don't wanna be found, the belly of Mexico is the best place to hide."
Torrez relaxed his stiff arms and rubbed his chin with his thumb. "It's risky." The tension over the fight forgotten, these two military men had shifted into tactical mode.
"Hitmen?" I asked. Oh my god, actual hitmen after us?
"If you know the right places to go, follow the customs, you'll be fine. I'll send you through my hometown." Falcon kept talking as if I hadn't spoken.
"Your hometown safe?" Torrez asked.
"What is safe? Safety is an illusion. The chances of getting killed don't matter because you only need that one shot and you're dead. You stay clear when shit goes down, you're safe."
Torrez rubbed his palms over his cheeks. "I'm getting a vibe off you, you're being genuine."
"Oh, friend. I feel sad. I thought you trusted me."
"Don't trust anyone I haven't served next to in combat."
"Rogan sent me. He can attest to the many times over the last fifteen years I got his ass out of enemy fire. Without me, he'd be a bucket of bullets."
"Never served with Rogan, but—"
"Do not go there." Falcon got his face up in Torrez', so close I'm sure Torrez could taste the alcohol reeking off Falcon. "Rogan and Z Security are a class act. My brother, my friend, would lay his life down for any one of us. He's also a damn straight shot, so I wouldn't be putting him down unless you'd like to test his aim with your forehead."
Torrez rolled his eyes and pushed Falcon back. "You interrupted me. I never served with Rogan, but Dallas vouched for him, and I watched him in action at Dallas's wedding. It's obvious he has his shit together. The work Z Security is doing has been noticed. He's earning a rep as the best. So I trust him, and if he sent you, I'd expect he had a good reason."
Falcon nodded. "That reason being I know you can disappear in Mexico. No one better at staying off the grid than me."
Torrez stared out the door to the RV and squinted like he was envisioning us in Mexico. I'd never been there. "It might be crazy enough to work. Greco and Yegor would be out of their league in the heat of Mexico."
"Exactly. I would never send your Teimosa into harm's way."
Torrez turned his gaze to mine and a warm tingle went through me. Was I his Teimosa?
Falcon pulled a map from the glovebox and circled something. "Nuevo Laredo by the Texas border. Tell them Primitivo Borrego de la Cruz sent you." Falcon snapped the pen closed and drew his shoulders back. "Keep Soraya under control."
"I can take care of myself." I didn't need supervision like a child.
"I'll manage her," Torrez replied. "Now get the hell off my rig. Whether we head to Mexico or not, your ugly mug isn't invited."
"Let me grab my gear. Rogan will send you a bill for a flight back to North Carolina. And I fly first class."
"As long as your butt is off this bus, I'll pay whatever it takes."
Falcon reached into a small closet next to the bathroom and came out with an olive green duffle bag over his shoulder. "Hasta luego." He tipped his head to me as he walked to the door. "Be safe."
A twinge of sadness passed through me at Falcon leaving. I didn't get to know him very well, but being around him brought out adventurous and daring parts of my personality. "Bye, Falcon. And uh, thank you. For the RV. And for traveling this far with us. I had a good time."
Falcon and Torrez chuckled as they shared a fist grab and a bro hug. They nodded one last time like all was forgiven and the door snapped shut behind Falcon.
Chapter 11
As Falcon's larger-than-life presence left the tiny space, the wrath of Torrez the bull quickly exploded into the void.
His sinister glare locked me in place. I took a step back and my calves hit the seat cushion. He stalked toward me with his hands curling into fists.
"Now listen, Torrez. Nothing happened. He was playing around." I scrambled behind the table.
His jaw jutted forward and his nostrils flared. "I don't like other people playing with you."
"Oh."
"I am the only one who plays with you." He reached the table and stopped. "Come out from behind there."
"No thanks. I'm good right here." The ceiling of the RV forced my neck to bend at an awkward angle.
"Come over here."
"You're scaring me." And turning me on. But I didn't let him know that.
"I won't hurt you. You had fun with Falcon. Bow it's my turn to play." His big arms widened, and his fists wrapped around the edges of the table. The floor cracked and creaked as he hoisted it up and tossed it to the floor. The crash made me jump and bang my head on the roof.
"Ouch!"
A tug on my arm knocked me off balance. The ceiling and floor spun. My stomach hitting his shoulder forced a grunt from deep in my throat. Through the curtain of my hair, his ass came into view. Gorgeous as it was, I didn't want to be carried right now. I worked a hand free and slung it around to punch him in the lower back. My fist bounced off the rock hard curve of his spine. Was any part of this man soft?
"Decided something. 'Bout time I share it with you." He started talking, but I had no idea what he meant. The room spun again, and g-forces pummeled my stomach. My head bounced off the pillow I'd been sleeping on just minutes before.
Mornings suck. I shoulda stayed in bed. "Are you talking to me now or just rambling to yourself?"
He stood at the end of the bed, his chest heaving, his eyes drilling into me. "I'm talking to you, so listen up. Slept next to you last night while Falcon drove."
Oh. So it wasn't a dream? "I thought it was a dream."
"No dream. Held you in my arms while you slept deep. Probably one of the most real nights I've ever had." He crawled up on the bed and poled his arms next to my head. "Want more of that. Want my life to be real for the first time."
The heat of his body surrounded me like a cage. "Your life has never been real?"
"Not until now. I was either fighting to survive, which is not a normal state of reality for most people, or pretending to be someone I didn't wanna be."
"Who—"
His lips crashing down on mine silenced me. He growled as he lowered his hips and pressed a huge erection between my legs. Darn. Darn. Why did he have to feel so good? He stopped to nip my lower lip and tease my mouth open. This was my last chance to get out from under him, but I didn't say anything. The pull toward him overwhelmed me and surpassed all logic. With the intense passion bombarding me, and his gorgeous eyes molten on me, I didn't stand a chance. My body ached for everything he offered.
Like my head on the pillow wasn't enough for him, he planted an elbow on the bed and curled his hand around my neck. He lifted my head, pushing me into an open-mouthed kiss.
His other hand roamed over the silk of my PJs. He ended the kiss, his lips moving up my cheek. "Teimosa." He spoke so smooth and breathy. Not fair. Too sexy. With the heat of him over me, his lush lips on my skin, and the beautiful way in which he spoke, I wouldn't be surprised if I spontaneously combusted on the spot.
He reached up and pulled on something. "I knew it."
"What?" I struggled to see over my head.
"Falcon pimped us out with gear."
Arching my neck and turning my body, I saw him digging inside a compartment built into the wall at the top of the bed. "Body armor, right?"
"No. Restraints and toys."
"So like what? You could torture the bad guys with games if you catch them?"
"Nope. So I can tie you up and tease the hell outta you right now." His eyes turned devious like he was plotting my demise as he sorted through a jumble of ropes and leather bands. "You up for a serious reality check?"
"What did you have in mind?" I had an idea, but I needed to hear it from him.
"Let me bind your limbs." He held up a length of thick canvas rope. "You relax and stop thinking all the fucked up shit swirling around in there." His fingers caressed across my temple and curled into my hair behind my ear. "I'll take over for a while. At the end, you'll be so lost in the physical reality of right here and now, you'll forget your worries."
Oh my. That sounded wonderful, but... "I don't have any worries."
"You mean you're not thinking about Yegor or Greco finding us? Not scared shitless you're falling in love with me and you're not sure you can trust me?"
I shook my head, but he was right.
"You're terrified."
I nodded.
"Arms up. I'll make you trust me."
Should I do this? I could fall deeper for Torrez. Possibly beyond the point of no return. I'd never been tied up. I'd never had kinky sex. Shoot, I'd never even had good sex before Torrez. But I wanted it. I'd fantasized about a take-charge man testing my boundaries like he was suggesting. My legs shook and I grew even more wet between my legs. My body had already agreed before my mind could protest.
I stared into the emerald light of his eyes and slowly raised my arms over my head.
He grinned. "Good choice." He bent and kissed me, sensual and passionate. Yes, I'd made a good choice. Torrez would show me things I'd always dreamed of doing. Somehow, while we were kissing, he'd worked open the buttons of my top. He slipped the sleeves down my shoulders, and I arched my back to help him get it off me.
"Shit. Fuck." He groaned and stared at my naked breasts.
"Is something wrong?" I asked him
"No, God, no. I just need to pace myself."
He sucked my nipple into his mouth, biting down just enough to feel good and hurt at the same time. His other hand massaged my breast, tweaking and flicking my nipple, sending lightning spears jolting through my body.
"Pick up the pace." My hands came down and squeezed his ass.
"No. We need this. You need to trust me." He sat back and worked off my pajama bottoms and underwear. "Legs spread."
I hesitated. He pulled off his shirt and oh my lordy lordy, yes. My legs spread wide of their own will.
I lost sight of him as he wrapped a silk blindfold over my eyes and tied a snug knot. He straddled my chest, and I felt the fly of his pants brush my lips as the rope worked around my wrist. He yanked it tight and pulled my arm taut. I bit him through his pants and he groaned. "Woman."
He tied my other arm and each of my ankles. I was spread wide open for him.<
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"At anytime you feel uncomfortable, say cows on my side."
I sputtered a laugh. "Seriously?"
"Yep. You say it, I untie you and we talk it out. I won't be angry. Get it?"
"Got it."
"Good. Fuck, you look unbelievable like this. My dick is screaming to be inside you, but first…"
A thud hit my hip and trailed away. It didn't hurt. It was soft, like leather. Or suede?
"What was—"
"Relax. It's a flogger. I won't hurt you. Just focus on the spots where it hits your skin."
Another thud on my hip and the caress over my skin. Yes, definitely suede. Too smooth to be leather, it left behind a soft tingle.
"Okay?" he asked.
"Yes, more." I bent one knee as far as I could and lifted my hips from the bed. His hand on my stomach forced me back down. I bit my lip and held my breath as swipe after swipe hit every inch of my abdomen. He moved it ever so slightly each time, precise and methodical from left to right. The rhythm remained steady and relaxed, totally controlled by Torrez.
He increased the speed and pressure as he progressed lower, and by the time he reached the apex of my thighs, I squirmed and wiggled, begging him to do it there.
Maddeningly, the next round of swashes hit my upper thigh and trailed down my leg. He even tenderized my toes.
He moved up the other leg and closer to my inner thigh. If he skipped my clit again, I was going to have to say cows on my side so I could strangle the bastard.
His progress halted just below my sex with alternating swats on my inner thighs. So close.
"Please, please." I was an incoherent mess.
"You feeling your reality right about now?" He'd been quiet but his voice came out hoarse.
"Yes, yes, please."
"This is your reality, babe. I'm here. I can do this to you. Only me. Hot as hell, isn't it?"
"Yes, please. Keep going. Higher. I want to feel it."
The flogger stopped.
"No! Don't stop."
"Adding a dimension for you."
Hmm? What dimension? I gasped as his hand came down over my pussy. Two fingers probed inside and curled up. His mouth hit my tit. He bit and growled with my nipple between his teeth until it was a rigid nub. I was so turned on, I couldn't breathe or speak. All I could do was wait for Torrez to give me whatever the next layer would be.
