Stripped Away: Shadow Destroyers Book 2

by Sydney Somers

  She smiled weakly. “What if we can’t?”

  “Here you go.” Cass returned and held out the bottle.

  “Thanks.” Quinn folded her arms around her sister, her need to reassure her twin evident on both her face and the resulting warning of “lung piercing” from Cass.

  Rocking back on his heels, Braxton waited another minute then nodded towards his room. “If everything is okay, I’m gonna head back to bed.”

  Quinn followed him, stopping just inside his room. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.”

  Faster than he expected, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and tugged him closer. She reached up and brushed her mouth tenderly over his.

  The kiss was over before it even started, leaving his insides stretched to the point of snapping in two.

  “See you in the morning.” Quinn closed the door softly.

  He turned away only to face the door again, thinking to coax her back into his room, into his bed. Where he could at least have her close if another nightmare struck. Or so he told himself.

  Instead, he turned and headed for the shower.

  * * *

  “I mean it, Drew. If you even look at her breasts too long, I’ll take your head off.” Quinn’s lips barely moved as she issued the warning to the other agent, knowing his finely tuned senses would guarantee he was the only one who heard her.

  It was already dark outside and they’d chanced letting Cass stop by the house long enough to gather a few things. Braxton had driven the rental car around to the back and they made sure to draw all the blinds in case Woody got curious.

  Cass’s bags were all packed and the four of them stood in the kitchen. She hated the thought of letting her sister leave her sight after the last few days, but the only way to make sure nothing happened to her again was to slay the demon responsible. Any other demons that happened to cross paths with Quinn before then were just gravy.

  She felt Braxton’s gaze and judging by the twitch at the corner of his mouth, he had an idea she’d been warning Drew.

  “Drew?” she prompted when he refused to meet her eyes.

  The blond-haired agent sighed and nodded, snatching an apple from the fruit bowl on the table.

  Quinn hugged her sister again. “If he gives you a hard time, just call me.”

  Drew pretended to shiver. “Was she that threatening growing up?”

  “I actually used to kick her ass,” Cass said.

  “Thumb wrestling does not count,” Quinn pointed out.

  Drew held the door open. “All set?”

  “No,” Cass answered, hugging Quinn again. “Just because you work in private security doesn’t mean you need to be the one to talk to the police.” Almost as though she knew she was wasting her breath, she said to Braxton, “Take care of her.”

  “I will.”

  Quinn pretended to elbow him. “I’ll be fine, and I’ll see you in a day or so.” Before Cass could launch into another argument about why she didn’t need to leave without her, Quinn nudged her towards the door with one final goodbye.

  “Call me,” Cass ordered, finally following Drew.

  Quinn shut the door, bracing her hands against the wood. “I came so close to losing her.” She squeezed her eyes shut and second-guessed sending Cass with Drew for the dozenth time.

  “Drew will make sure she’s looked after. He’ll behave,” he added when she only looked over her shoulder skeptically.

  “Yeah.” She forced herself to back away from the door. Things just needed to play out a little longer. All she had to do was be visible for a couple of days. Cass had already called in to work to take a short leave of absence so Quinn wouldn’t be required to put in an appearance there.

  She walked over to the table where she’d left the bag she’d picked up at the pharmacy down the street. She held out the small box to Braxton. “How good are you with hair?”

  He eyed the box of black hair dye doubtfully.

  While he stood there looking as though he’d rather deal with a dozen faulty tracking devices, Quinn set everything out, then dampened her hair with the attachment at the kitchen sink. By the time she was sitting in the chair, a towel draped around her shoulders, his expression was resigned.

  For the last few hours she’d been expecting him to probe her about her nightmares and was grateful when he flipped on the radio instead of taking the opportunity to raise the subject.

  He divided her hair into sections and was already applying the dye after giving the printed directions a skim. Leave it to Braxton to be the only man on the planet to read the directions without being prompted.

  “So you’ve done this before.”

  “Sadly, yes. Four younger sisters, remember.”

  “You dyed their hair?” She didn’t bother to mask her skepticism.

  “A few times.”

  “Yet another mystery unlocked.”

  “Really?”

  “I always wondered why some days your hair looks better than mine.” She relaxed in the chair, closing her eyes as he massaged the color through her hair.

  Quinn listened as he elaborated on the first time he’d been roped into coloring one of his middle sisters’ hair and the disastrous results. While they waited for the color to set in Quinn’s hair, they sat at the kitchen table exchanging more childhood stories they’d never before taken the time to share. Having damn near chugged the beer Braxton had placed in front of her as they talked, her stomach buzzed warmly. Much of the heat, she knew, stemmed from the lengthy glances they shared before switching the subject once more.

  “I’m going to need you for the rinsing part.” She’d already cleaned out the sink and pulled out the detachable hose next to the faucet.

  “Wouldn’t a shower be easier?”

  “Probably, but I don’t want to get black dye all over Cass’s tub.”

  She leaned over the edge of the sink, offering him the nozzle. When a few seconds ticked off, she turned to find him still on the opposite side of the kitchen. “You’re not gonna chicken out on me now are you, Max Factor?”

  His shoulders tensed, and he moved to take the nozzle from her. His fingers closed over hers. “Keep your eyes closed.” The raspy edge to his voice curled down her backbone.

  She leaned over, doing as he asked as his hands and the hot water worked away the black dye needed to cover her blue streaks. His fingers grazed the back of her neck and she laughed at the almost ticklish sensation, jostling back into him. Her behind came up against his groin, and everything inside her skidded to a stop.

  His hand only paused for a moment as he finished rinsing her hair, then, grabbing the extra towel from the counter, used it to work the excess moisture from her hair. More than once he shifted closer, his thigh brushing hers, the erection he sported—thick and hard—nudging her ass.

  She straightened, but he didn’t leave her any room to move aside. The towel slipped to the floor as his fingers sank into her hips, tugging her back to rock against his arousal. Her stomach back-flipped, and all the warmth in her body tunneled down to thump fiercely between her thighs.

  Braxton brushed her wet hair aside, his mouth hot against her skin as he explored the slope of her neck.

  She closed her eyes, resting her hands over his. The soft scrape of his teeth and slow sweet pull of his lips pushed her body from the first waves of desire into a full frontal assault.

  He spun her around and crushed his mouth down on hers.

  Quinn locked her arms around his neck, moaning deep in her throat as he slid under her shirt to cup her breast. His thumbs brushed her nipples, hardening the sensitive flesh, then tugging fiercely until each peak was rock hard and hungry for his mouth.

  The counter dug into her lower back as he swiveled his hips, grinding into her until she could scarcely drag in a breath. His tongue plundered her mouth in smooth savage strokes that threatened to liquefy her bones.

  She felt the snap on her pants give way, and then they were yanked off. She clung to him as
he pulled her knee up to curve the outside of his thigh. Eager to touch him, she trapped a hand between their bodies, closing her hand around his cock.

  He groaned, and thrust against her palm as she first loosened her hold on him, then gripped him tighter. The feral sound of approval that rumbled in his chest made the fire licking up the inside of her thighs burn hotter. At this rate there would be nothing left by the time she hit the climax already coiling fast and hot inside her.

  Braxton jerked her shirt up and clamped down on her nipple, sucking it hard between his lips.

  “Brax,” she cried out.

  He drew back as though speaking had broken the moment.

  She caught his jaw in her palm before he could even think to retreat. “Don’t say a word. We’re not stopping this time. Not a damn word or so help me—”

  He cut her off with a hungry kiss.

  “Good answer,” she mumbled.

  He lifted her and set her on the counter, rubbing the heel of his hand against her aching sex with ruthless precision. Only when she groaned against his mouth did he slip beneath the edge of her panties to stroke down her damp cleft.

  She lifted her hips off the counter, pushing hard against the hand between her legs.

  “I’m dying a very slow death.” The raw confession escaped between each molten kiss he trailed down her throat.

  “Still one a hell of a ride.”

  “It will be,” he promised darkly, then plunged a finger deep in her sex.

  Chapter Seven

  Her wet inner walls clenched greedily around his fingers. Braxton groaned at the exquisite sensation, leaning in to catch the long moan that shuddered through her. She raked her nails down his shoulders, dragging him closer.

  “Not bad?” he breathed, nipping her bottom lip before sliding his tongue back into her mouth, drowning in the taste of her. He could stand here all night, driving her towards the release that charged on the air between them, and it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the bottomless need to keep her in his arms.

  “Very, very good.” Her hard sigh filled his mouth when he leaned forward to kiss her again.

  Her slick folds parted easily as he dragged his thumb up to slowly rub her clit. The swollen flesh plumped even tighter under his touch. Quinn dropped her head back, her cry of pleasure as stimulating as if she’d curled her fingers around his shaft and tugged. He licked at the soft hollow of her throat, her skin like wet satin as it slipped between his lips.

  Lifting her hips, Quinn pumped them to the rhythm he set as he added another finger, sinking deeper.

  “And what about that?” he challenged, his voice increasingly hoarse.

  “More.”

  “Soft and slow?” He withdrew to swirl his fingers around the sensitive knot, then took his time gliding them back into her sex. “Or,” he offered, retreating only to ram back inside, “hard and fast?”

  Quinn answered by kissing him until he wasn’t even sure he was touching her, so lost in the way she devoured his mouth.

  Her uneven breaths were warm against his face. “Do I have to choose?”

  With one hand between her parted thighs, he used the other to lift her ass off the counter, allowing him to change the angle. “I could always stop.”

  Her answering glare might have been convincing if not for the desire that simmered in her eyes. “You really don’t want to do that.”

  Lust streamlined down his spine as her inner muscles clutched and pulled at his fingers. “No, I don’t.” He strummed her clit ruthlessly, his attention firmly locked on her face as her cheeks flushed and she slammed her eyes shut, riding his hand.

  Braxton muffled her scream of release with his mouth, grunting at the way she spasmed and came hard against him. She slumped back against the cupboard, studying him from beneath heavy lids. A heartbeat later, she straightened to unsnap his jeans.

  “No more waiting, Brax. It’s been too long.”

  He helped her work his pants down, a lusty sigh humming in the back of his throat as his cock sprang free, hard and hungry.

  For her. Always for her.

  She closed her warm palm around him, tightening her hold before drawing her fist up. He ground his teeth, his hands motionless at his side as he savored each exquisite pull. She swirled her thumb across the pearly drop of fluid at the head of his cock. The slippery exploration made for a carnal contrast with the flexing of her fingers up his shaft. “No more waiting.”

  Braxton pulled away the underwear he’d already worked halfway down her thighs, slid his hands under her ass and sank his cock deep inside her. He wanted to yell at the slick, snug fit, but pacified himself with finding her mouth, pushing his tongue past her lips to stroke deep.

  Like with his fingers, her sex clenched and unclenched around his shaft, the sensation intensifying as he withdrew and forced himself back inside her.

  Quinn locked her ankles behind his back, pushing herself up on her palms to let him drive deeper between her thighs. He slowed the pace just long enough to again capture one of the dark nipples standing hard and erect, begging for his mouth. Her fingers curved the nape of his neck as he sucked the tip of her breast into his mouth, holding her between his lips with a fierce, wet suction.

  Her hands fisted in his hair, then she dragged him up to her lips, crying out breathlessly as another orgasm claimed her. Rocking into her, his shaft sliding effortlessly and embedding deep in her sex, Braxton struggled to keep it together.

  The intensity worked against him, and he exploded in a thunderous rush.

  His heart was still knocking against his ribs, his lungs working hard to pull in enough oxygen as he reclaimed her mouth in one more conquering kiss. Every brush of her swollen lips dug a path that twisted dangerously close to his heart.

  “Impressive, Boy Scout.”

  Without an ounce of awkwardness, she jumped off the edge of the counter. She snatched her beer from the table and finished it off. The sight of her naked lithe body as she moved comfortably around the kitchen made his spent erection ignite in a fresh wave of need.

  Quinn eyed him playfully from the doorway. “Think you can handle a bed too?” She didn’t wait for his answer, but vanished down the hall.

  He caught up with her on the stairs, and only because they both knew she wanted to be caught. She paused two steps above his, her ass offering a tempting invitation, one he couldn’t have resisted for all the demons in their realm.

  The sultry expression on her face as she watched him carefully over her shoulder punched a burst of need straight to his groin. Starting at the ankle, Braxton ran his hand up the inside of her leg. He bypassed the soft flesh of her sex to smooth his palm across her behind. He molded his hand to the sweet curve, sinking into her skin until she instinctively parted her legs for him.

  He grinned at her impatience and caged his own deep in his chest, determined to commit the feel of every dip and swell of her body to memory.

  As Braxton expected, she was slick and hot when he trailed his fingers back down along the crease between her cheeks. Quinn rocked back on her heels, impaling herself on the fingers he circled around her opening.

  She hissed out a breath, gripping the landing above for leverage.

  He moved up directly behind her. With one hand on her hip, he reached around to press his other palm against her sex, rotating slowly.

  Quinn tipped her chin up to her shoulder, her lips parted for him. He bent to capture her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers in a motion as painfully arousing as the slow grind of his hand between her legs.

  She turned to face him, looping her arms around his neck. He wanted to read more into the desire that smoldered in her gaze, but didn’t dare let himself. Not when he wasn’t ready to contemplate what finally crossing this line had ultimately changed between them. For weeks he’d convinced himself the intensity between them had been heightened by the effects of the lust demon. Realizing that the connection between them went far beyond that one night, far beyond what he ever felt f
or anyone else, made it even more important to be honest with her about that night.

  She shifted in his arms, rocking provocatively against his arousal, erasing everything from his mind but how incredible she felt in his arms.

  “Hold on.” He lifted her up, groaning as his cock nestled against her as she wrapped her legs around him.

  “Where are we headed?” For a moment he wondered if she meant literally, or what this meant for them. It was damn hard to concentrate with her mouth skating up the side of his neck, nipping a gut wrenching trail that made it impossible not to stop in the middle of the hall. He pressed her against the wall.

  “Changing your mind?” The sexy smile in Quinn’s voice licked a searing path around the base of his heavy erection.

  “Not even close.” He eased away, guiding the length of his cock down to slide back and forth along her damp cleft, then slammed into her.

  Once, twice, three times—pumping away the snaking need that tangled around his spine. She was far too deep under his skin now and he couldn’t make himself care.

  Braxton continued on to the guestroom, lowering her to the bed, groaning at the way she tightened her slick walls around shaft.

  “The windows,” she reminded him.

  He sat up, loath to separate himself from her. Quinn beat him to it and double checked the blinds to make sure it stayed just the two of them.

  He stretched out on his back, admiring the curve of her hip, the fullness of her breasts, the stiff peaks thrusting out.

  She crawled up the bed until she was straddling him. “Ready for round two?”

  “If you think you can keep up.”

  She slid her tongue along her bottom lip. “I’m pretty sure I can hold my own.”

  He gripped her hips, coaxing her down. “Come here.”

  Quinn propped her hands on either side of his head. “You could say please.”

  He lifted his head off the pillow and sucked one hard nipple between his lips. First lashing the tip with his tongue, then dragging it deeper into his mouth, he finally let it slide free. “Pretty please?”

  Her eyes drifted open, and she rolled her hips to brush her sex the length of his arousal. “You forgot to say with sugar on top.”