He shoved his jeans down, freeing his cock, and she drew in a breath at the size and beauty of it. She’d seen cocks before. In porn, a couple of times in person when dudes thought that dropping their pants would make her hot, but she’d never seen one she wanted to explore.
She wanted to touch this one. Taste it. But all of that would have to wait because he rolled on the condom and then picked up one of her legs and wrapped it around him as he positioned himself at her entrance.
“It’ll probably be uncomfortable the first time,” he said, his amber eyes serious.
“I know.” She did know, and she trusted him. He reached between them and rubbed her clit, making little sparks shoot along her nerve endings as her breath caught.
He bent to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him down to her. And then he pushed forward, his cock stretching her wide as he entered. There was a pinching sensation, a hot sting as flesh tore. A moment later, he was fully inside her.
“You okay?”
She was breathing hard, but only part of that was pain. The rest was excitement and the thrill of making love with this gorgeous man she’d once fantasized about. “Yes.”
“It gets better now,” he said, flexing his hips and withdrawing a little bit before pushing forward again.
“Oh,” she gasped as her body responded to that little bit of pressure. “More. Please, more.”
He withdrew again and again, sliding inside her with a little bit of force each time, but not the full force she knew he was capable of. He took her mouth, kissing her hotly as his body possessed hers. Together they climbed toward the peak, their bodies glowing in the firelight, a fine sheen of sweat breaking out on their skin as they moved together. There were sighs and moans and revelations. Jake possessed her completely, loved her delicately hard—if that was a thing—and took her to the edge of something bigger and brighter than she’d ever felt before.
Eva’s body tensed as the pleasure spiraled tighter and tighter—and then Jake took her hip in one broad hand and shifted her beneath him, opening her to him even more.
She sailed over the edge as wave after wave of intense pleasure crashed into her senses. Her heart beat hard as hot emotion swelled inside her. She’d lost her virginity, and she was glad for it. After all these years of feeling dead inside, dead to desire or the possibility of ever feeling normal again, she’d been awakened. She wasn’t numb. Wasn’t broken.
Jake groaned as he found his own release, his hips driving her body down into the cushions of the couch as he pushed deep inside her. His lips sought hers and they kissed for several moments before he broke away and kissed his way to her breasts. He sucked one tight nipple in his mouth while she gasped at how sensitive she was before he pulled away and stood.
She turned on her side as he walked away. He was back a short time later, having dealt with the condom. He climbed onto the couch behind her, scooping her into his body so they pressed together, her back to his front as they watched the fire.
“Any regrets?” he asked her, his breath tickling her ear as he pressed his mouth below it and kissed her neck.
“About you? None at all.”
He ran his hand over her hip and then around to cup her sex. “Not quite sure how you feel about this, but I’m thinking this is mine right now.”
“For how long?”
“We can start with tonight, but a longer term suits me just fine.”
She turned in his arms until she was facing him. The beauty of his face made her belly tighten. “I don’t know what any of this means, but I know I feel things for you I haven’t felt before. I trust you, and I feel safe with you. But…”
She didn’t know what to say. But she didn’t need to say anything. He knew.
He kissed her softly. “I scare you because I’m not what you envisioned, right? I imagine you’ve spent so much time with violent men that you decided you wanted a man who’d never committed an act of violence in his life—and never would.”
She dropped her lashes. “That’s right.”
“I’m not gonna lie, Eva. I’ve committed violence. I’ve killed men—but I do it for the right reasons. I’m not a criminal, and I’m not the man I was seven years ago. I fight for freedom, for my country, for the rights our founding fathers granted us when they made this great nation. I fight for justice, and I don’t give a good goddamn what color someone is or who they love so long as they’re good people and don’t commit crimes or acts of terrorism. I won’t stop fighting for my country or to protect the people in it, so if that kind of violence is still too much for you, I understand.”
Eva gazed up at him, at eyes that made her melt inside, and knew she’d never find another man who made her feel this way. Jake Ryan was worth more than all the accountants and lawyers in the world to her. A safe man wasn’t a man who held a safe job—it was a man with inviolable principles who would do anything to keep you safe from harm when you needed it.
“Maybe you aren’t the kind of man I thought I wanted…but you’re the kind of man I need. I don’t know what this is or where it’s going, but I want to find out.”
He cupped her ass in his hands and pulled her against a burgeoning erection. “I can tell you where it’s going right now, baby, if you think you’re up for it again.”
She threw a leg over his hip and pressed herself closer. “I think that’s a great idea…”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
They spent two days in his cabin in the mountains while the MacKenzies and HOT worked to track down Snake and the evidence needed to put Brandon Cox away once and for all. They spent a lot of time naked, but Jake had the presence of mind to take Eva into town for a jacket and some clothing.
They ate simply—for dinner they had cheeses and fresh bread, olive oil for dipping, slices of salami and ham, and fresh veggies. Breakfast was eggs and bacon. Once, Eva made a homemade pizza, tossing the dough and layering the pie with cheese and ham and mushrooms. They’d eaten it on the deck with wine and a view, and then made love by the fire. Perfection.
Jake loved to watch Eva move, whether it was cooking or drawing or simply standing on the deck with her coffee and staring out at the trees while her breath frosted in the air around her. She was graceful and beautiful, and her body was a work of art. Not only because she was shapely and had all the parts he enjoyed most, but her tattoos also enhanced her beauty. They were a vital part of her, telling her story on her skin in black and gray ink.
She had her sister’s name on her ribcage, inked with angel wings and roses and stylized loops and curls. He shuddered to think of Brandon seeing that, though probably he’d have never realized the connection since there was no last name.
Eva learned quickly when it came to sex. She’d been sore and they’d had to get creative, but she was enthusiastic about whatever they tried. Jake loved being buried inside her, loved seeing the sensuality and wonder in her eyes as he brought her to orgasm. He loved women and loved sex, but he’d never craved a woman’s pleasure the way he did this one’s. There was nothing he wanted more than to see her wrapped around his cock and shuddering in bliss.
It began to dawn on him the more he touched her that he didn’t want to touch anyone else. That Eva Gray had somehow become the woman for him. He hadn’t been looking—hadn’t wanted to settle down with anyone—but here she was and all he could think about was keeping her safe. Coming home to her at the end of a mission and losing himself in her arms.
It was disconcerting as fuck, especially for a man like him. He’d spent a lifetime making sure he didn’t need anyone, and this one woman had turned his life upside down in a matter of days.
When his burner phone rang, he knew their time in the cabin was at an end. He answered with a clipped “Ryan.” Saint was on the other end.
“Need you to bring her in. Hacker and Cypher have found Snake, aka Darrell McKeown, and he’s being picked up as we speak. Also, and this is the really important one for your girl, Tiffany Jenkins’s body
was found yesterday by hunters. Beat up, shallow grave, same M.O. as Heather Collier. If we can get one of the Brothers to crack, we’ll have Brandon Cox on the murder of his girlfriend, too.”
“Don’t count on it,” Jake growled, his gut churning with anger. Could he have saved Tiffany? Should he have realized what was happening and done something? But there’d been nothing to indicate what Brandon was about to do. Hell, he’d been fucking Tiffany in his room the night of the bonfire and she’d come out looking dreamy and satisfied, so they hadn’t been fighting. She’d had no bruises, no marks of any kind that he could remember.
Fuck.
“Yeah, well, we’ll see. Between Snake, and Eva’s testimony, think we can rattle the club enough to break when they see where things are going. Someone will squeal to save his ass.”
“What about the other ties? Find anything on who they’re dealing with in the crime world?”
“Hacker’s working on it with Cypher. Think they’ll get it cracked before too long.”
“Gonna need heavy security for Eva. She’s a high-value target to Cox and the Brothers right now—and to whomever they’re dealing with since ending the Brothers creates problems for their business partners.”
“Well aware, mi amigo,” Saint said. “Cox is still free for the moment, but soon as we have Eva’s statement and we can crack Snake, this will be over. Bring her to DC. This is a federal case so the fibbies will have to take the statement, but she’ll have protection until Cox is taken into custody.”
“Copy that. On the way.”
Eva had never been to Washington, DC, before. She’d been to Atlanta plenty of times, and to Dallas and a few other cities, so the traffic wasn’t necessarily a surprise. Seeing the monuments she’d only ever seen in pictures and on television was pretty surreal, however. Things were never quite the way you thought they were. For one thing, the distance between the Lincoln Memorial and the capitol was a lot farther than it looked in pictures. Not that she had a chance to walk it, but Jake drove her through the city so she could see as much as possible.
He took her to a building out in the suburbs that was surrounded by razor wire and security cameras. She met with an FBI agent and gave her statement while Jake sat in a chair beside her and didn’t say anything. Another agent came in and they questioned her endlessly about what she’d heard, what she’d seen, and what she might know that she’d forgotten.
She told them everything she knew and when it was over, when she was exhausted from the ordeal, Jake took her to a hotel. She’d thought they’d be alone, but she realized as she got out of the car that another car had followed them. A group of men she didn’t recognize emerged. She shot a glance at Jake but he didn’t look alarmed. Instead, he grinned as the men swaggered over.
“Harley, it’s good to see you again,” one of the men said.
“Saint.” Jake and the man did the bro-hug thing and then the others started talking and slapping backs too. When it was over, Jake stepped back and took her hand, tugging her into the curve of his body.
“Guys, this is Eva. Eva, this is my team—Cade, Mal, Ryder, and Noah. We’ve got others, but they’re off doing business for us elsewhere.”
Eva greeted them all. She’d never remember names, but they were all tall and muscled. Dangerous men, every one of them. Except these didn’t make her skin crawl. That’s because, if they were anything like Jake, they were solid down to their core. The kind of men you wanted at your back in a fight.
“Ma’am, we’ve got to keep you safe until we know Brandon Cox is in custody,” the one named Cade—whom Jake had also called Saint—said.
“What’s the word from Declan MacKenzie?” Jake asked.
“They’re ready to go in with the fibbies.” He looked at his watch. “I imagine it’s happening right now.”
Now that the FBI had her statement, he meant. Her pulse skipped along as a spike of fear rolled through her but Jake squeezed her hand and she felt calm wash over her. She had him, and that was all she needed.
They ushered her into a hotel suite and the men set up a command center. No one was getting in or out without going through them, and that made her feel somewhat better.
She was standing by the window, looking out at the surrounding landscape and the distant dome of the capitol, when Jake walked into the bedroom area to join her.
“You doing okay?”
She shrugged. “I’m fine. Tired, but fine.”
He came over and wrapped his arms around her, tucking her head beneath his chin and just holding her. A wave of happiness flowed through her. She loved this man. So quickly, so completely. She hadn’t said the words yet, though. She didn’t know if he felt the same way, or if she was floating along in a sea of delusion. Just because the sex was hot and the emotion seemed so intense between them didn’t mean he was in love with her.
“You’re pretty amazing, Eva. You did a good job today. They’re going to get Brandon.”
“I hope so…but I still feel like I failed Heather. He may go down, but he won’t ever admit to killing her.”
Jake had told her about Tiffany. She’d felt a blow of grief hit her, not because of Tiffany, though she hadn’t wished the woman any harm, but because it had brought back all the pain and anguish from the day they’d gotten the news about Heather. Life had changed that day, and it never changed back again. She’d wanted to get revenge, but she didn’t feel like she had. It was hollow, even if there was victory.
“I know, baby,” Jake said, running his hands up and down her back. “I know.”
There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. “Come in,” Jake said but he didn’t let her go.
It was Cade. “It’s done. They’ve stormed the compound and taken everyone into custody. They’ll be processed. Most will wind up on the streets again, but Brandon and the leadership will be held until the trial for the premeditated murders of Judge Mason and his wife.”
“And Snake?”
“He cracked. Just got word from the MacKenzies. Oh, and something else you should know…there’s another informer.”
Eva perked up at that news. One of the old ladies? She’d never even suspected. “Who?” she asked as her mind raced over the possibilities.
Cade smiled. “According to Declan, an old guy named Duke. He started talking the instant they raided the place and he hasn’t shut up since.”
Eva’s eyes widened. She met Jake’s gaze. “Was he there seven years ago?”
Jake smiled. “He was. If he knows anything about Heather, it’s gonna come out. Holy shit, old Duke. Who’d have guessed he’d turn?”
Maybe it wasn’t as much a surprise as Jake thought. “He talked about a grandson sometimes when he was in my chair. A boy who lives in Alabama with his mother. Duke went to visit sometimes. He loves that kid a lot. Maybe the thought of going away and never seeing him again loosened his tongue?”
“Maybe so. Or maybe he just got decent with age. It happens. I’m proof of that.”
Eva hugged him hard. “You’re the most decent person I know. I love you, Jake Ryan.”
“Whoa, just gonna leave you two…” Cade said. “Uh, yeah.” He turned and slipped back through the door, shutting it behind him.
Jake blinked down at her. “You love me?”
She nodded shyly. Heat suffused her cheeks, but it was too late to back out now. She’d said it.
“Well damn, dreams really do come true. I love you too, Eva Gray. So fucking much.”
He kissed her so tenderly that she wanted to weep. She’d spent the past seven years feeling empty and angry and now she had this. Him. Love and happiness and a future to look forward to rather than fear. Life didn’t always take you in the direction you thought you wanted to go. Sometimes it took you where you needed to be. And it was so much better than you could have ever dreamed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
One year later…
Eva rolled over in bed and watched her husband approaching with a breakfast tray. They’d g
otten married yesterday after a year of living together and loving and being best friends. She couldn’t have gotten through this past year without him.
She’d moved to DC and gone to work in a tattoo parlor. Her portfolio and machines had been returned to her after the FBI raided the Brothers of Sin compound, so she hadn’t lost her work after all. She’d spent a few months working for someone else before opening her own shop.
Jake’s job took him away from home, but he always came back to her. They’d bought a house and moved to a nicer neighborhood. She had the picket fence and the two-car garage, but her fiancé, now husband, was a tattooed badass—she’d added to the tattoos on his sexy body, and she’d even managed to cover the Brothers of Sin tattoo with something better—who cracked heads for a living. And she was a tattooed woman who liked badassery and shooting high-powered weaponry in her leisure time instead of baking cookies and attending neighborhood association meetings.
It hadn’t all been perfect, though. She’d had to face Brandon Cox in federal court and testify against him. He’d glared at her with such hate in his eyes that she’d had nightmares for weeks. But there was nothing he could do. He was a toothless lion. His brothers had turned on him. His business partners had abandoned him. The remaining Brothers of Sin had gotten rid of all the illegal activities and were busy working on being legitimate.
Best of all, Brandon had finally been prosecuted for Heather’s murder. He’d been found guilty, too, though he’d also been found guilty of murdering Tiffany and hiring the murders of Judge Mason and his wife. Eva had cried like a baby when the verdict for Heather’s murder had come down, and she’d wished her mother was still alive to witness it. She’d even gone to visit her aunt, who’d been both shocked and thrilled to see her after so long. Eva had thought no one cared that she’d disappeared, but her aunt had cried and railed at her for never sending postcards or picking up a phone.
They’d worked it out, though, and she stayed in touch on social media and through frequent phone calls.
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