Rough & Tumble (The Haven Brotherhood)

by Rhenna Morgan

  Jace cupped the hard length and stroked. “Love the way you’re staring at my dick, babe, but I’d like it a lot better without these briefs.”

  “Yeah.” Whether she answered out loud, or only inside her head was a bit of a toss-up, her focus too intent on peeling the tight waistband down until his perfect cock sprang free. Long and thick, it stretched nearly to his belly button, a heavy weight against his stomach. She swallowed and licked her lower lip, leaving him to kick his briefs the rest of the way off. She straddled his thighs and ran her finger along a prominent vein running from the base to the ridge beneath the flared head.

  Her hair fell around her on either side as she leaned in, blocking out the light, but she didn’t need it. Her lips skimmed the rigid length on feel alone, her lungs reveling in the woodsy musk of his sex.

  Jace hissed and swept her hair up in two hands. He fisted it against the back of her head, flexing his hips against her questing mouth. “Fuck, that’s beautiful.”

  She licked the deep ridge beneath the head, circled his glans, and closed her lips around him. His salty pre-come coated her tongue, and a low, animalistic growl rang in her ears a second before he gripped her beneath her arms and pulled her astride his hips.

  The condom package was already open and Jace was sheathing his thick rod before she’d even caught her bearings. “One of these days, I’m going to indulge the hell out of that fantasy, but the first time I come it’ll be buried deep in your pussy.” With one hand gripping her firmly at the hip, he eased her up and over his shaft and slicked his cock’s flared head through her wet folds. His hot, heavy breath fanned across her face. “You want this?”

  Was he insane? The house could be on fire and a nuclear bomb headed straight for Dallas and she’d want this. “Do I look like I’m running?”

  “Nah, sugar. You look like you’re ready to be well and truly fucked.” He nudged just past her entrance, promising without giving. “You want it, then take it.”

  Damn right she would. She braced her hands on his pecs and sank deep, the dark stretch of his cock ripping a long, gritty moan past her lips.

  Perfect. Steel wrapped in softness, each ridge and ripple raking her channel with exquisite sensations. Over and over, she took him, her heavy breasts swaying with each punch of his hips against hers.

  He urged her closer with a hand behind her shoulder blades and sucked one nipple deep, his big hand molding and holding her in place for his devious mouth while the other anchored at her hip. His thrusts took over, pounding up and into her in a tumultuous rhythm.

  She widened her knees farther, taking what he gave her. Surrendering to the hedonistic bliss, every raw and dirty sensation she’d always craved.

  He suckled the other nipple and worked the one he’d left with a pinch and pull.

  “Jace.”

  “Fuckin’ love my name on your lips.” He grazed the sensitized peak with his teeth and flayed it with his tongue. “Say it again.”

  “Jace.”

  A guttural rumble vibrated from his chest and up her forearms. He clenched both of her hips and stabbed deeper, pounding to the root. “Again.”

  “Jace.”

  “That’s right.” He dipped his thumb between them and circled her clit. “Find it, sugar. Come on my cock and give me my name, one more time.”

  So close. Her belly clenched and her thighs shook, release so close it hovered just a breath away. “Please.”

  “Oh, baby, I’ll make you beg. Next time. I’ll spank that pretty ass until it’s bright red and please is the only word you know.”

  Fuck. Her pussy seized, a relentless grip that fisted his shaft in heart-stopping contractions and sent colors blazing behind her clenched eyelids.

  “Son of a—” Jace punched upward, once, twice, and ground himself against her, his cock jerking inside her as his fingers dug into her ass. His short pants huffed against her neck and his beard tickled her collarbone, his hips grinding in slow, deep circles that rubbed her clit just right and drew out the torturous pulses from her climax.

  That image. Her, bent over Jace’s lap and vulnerable to whatever he wanted, had burned a perma-space inside her mind, her core still fluttering with the promise of actual fulfillment. She nuzzled into the crook of his neck, pulling his strong, manly scent deeper into her lungs and riding the lingering aftershocks.

  She’d never bared her fantasies before. Wouldn’t have dared with the staid, professional types she’d dated the last few years. But Jace...she’d bet he’d be all over them. And what did the fact that she’d consider sharing them with him say about the direction her feelings were headed?

  Splaying one hand at the small of her back, he rolled them over, his cock still buried inside her. He braced one elbow by her head and speared the fingers of his free hand through her hair. His hips softly undulated against hers. His eyelids were heavy with release and his grin reeked of well-satisfied male. “Think I’ve made an executive decision. We’re never leaving the house.”

  A little more of the barricade she’d erected to keep her safe the last many years crumbled, and a tight burn started at the base of her throat. “Yeah?” She bit her lip to hold back the emotion and glanced at the one remaining condom on the bed. “I don’t think you came prepared for that kind of a lock-in.”

  “Good point. We’ll leave, get provisions, then barricade ourselves after.” He slipped free and sat back on his heels. “Gonna take care of this condom, sugar. You stay put.”

  “Bossy.”

  He studied her for long, tense seconds then smiled in a sexy-sweet lopsided grin that made her breath catch. “Felt good, didn’t it?” He smacked her hip and shifted off the bed. “Don’t move.” He ambled to the small connecting bathroom, the tight muscles in his ass flexing in a way that made it evident where the bulk of those amazing thrusts had come from.

  A languid glow drifted through her, lulling her toward something she couldn’t quite describe. Heck, she wasn’t even sure she wanted to know what it was, let alone describe it. It felt too dangerous. Too risky. But it was tempting, too. The promise of belonging mingled with a roller-coaster-worthy thrill.

  The water in the bathroom shut off, and he padded into the room, the light behind him perfectly outlining his strong body. He paused beside the bed, looking his fill at her stretched out on her side with one hand tucked beneath her cheek and a knee cocked in front of her. The rumbling bass of his voice was even deeper than usual, rich and sated. “I got it wrong.”

  “Got what wrong?”

  He tugged the sheets out from underneath her, slid in beside her, and tucked her inside the crook of his arm. “Tried to imagine what you’d look like after. Your hair down, that sleepy, well-fucked look on your face, and a little smile on your lips.” He swept her hair off her back and ghosted his fingertips slowly up and down her spine. “I didn’t do you justice.”

  God, she was so screwed. The space behind her sternum tightened, and tears muddled her vision, years of stuffed emotion bubbling up no matter how hard she gritted her teeth. So damned long she’d fought to better herself and build a safe life, and yet, here she was, tangled up and perched on the edge of falling for a man her instincts insisted was dangerous. Everything about him drew her in. His intensity. His intelligence. His presence. Never mind the bad press and him being on a first name basis with drug dealers. If things went sideways with Jace, he could destroy her heart far worse than her mom and dad ever did.

  And she still wanted him. On every level.

  He smoothed his hand over her ass, gentle and yet possessive. “You okay?”

  No. Not even close. She’d never felt so gloriously exposed in her life. So alive and terrified in the same breath. For the life of her, she couldn’t figure out how to balance the two. Not with him this close, his scent lingering on her skin and his warmth seeping to her bones. She let out a slow breath through quaking lips an
d fought for a light, playful tone. “I don’t think anything that’s happened in the last hour can be categorized as okay.”

  “Nope. Exceptional, maybe. Stellar’s probably better.” He rolled, propped himself on one elbow beside her, and stared down at her with the most heart-stopping concern she’d ever seen on a man. “Doesn’t explain why you’re trembling next to me though.”

  A tear slipped down her temple before she could choke it back. “I’m a girl. Great sex makes us emotional.”

  One side of his mouth crooked in a funny grin. “Thought we agreed on stellar.”

  “You picked stellar. I was leaning toward phenomenal.”

  Downstairs, Jace’s mobile rang.

  She toyed with the chain around his neck and focused on the intricate design etched on the platinum tags. “Go answer your phone. I’ll be fine. I just need a minute to level out, that’s all.”

  He studied her, slowly tracing her jawline with his thumb. “You get from now until I finish that call. Then we’re talking.”

  Not if she could help it. It was too soon and everything too close to the surface to do more than simply enjoy. Her voice wobbled a bit, more husky and broken than she’d hoped for. “Talking’s overrated. Go get your phone and come back to bed.”

  He smirked, kissed her cheek and whispered low in her ear. “Nice try, sugar. But we’re still talking.”

  He crawled off the bed, tugged his pants on, and stalked down the stairs. In less than a minute, one side of a heated conversation and a whole string of profanities filtered up the staircase, followed by a clipped ending and Jace’s heavy footsteps.

  Not long enough. Not nearly long enough for her to plug up all the emotions swarming her.

  Carelessly tossing his mobile to a chair in the corner of the room, he crawled across the bed and straddled her, turning her so she couldn’t hide her face. He swiped his thumb along her cheek. His lips were pressed in a harsh line that said he wasn’t giving up until he got to the bottom of whatever troubled her. “Talk.”

  What could she say? That he’d stomped in, upended her tidy life and pried open her eyes to everything she’d been missing? “I’m scared.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I scare you?”

  A half laugh, half sob huffed out and she swiped the back of her hand across a new tear. “Yes, I’m scared. Of you, of this, of us. It’s not safe.”

  He flinched and leaned back on his heels. “And you need safe. Like Paul.”

  Her sob shifted to more of a self-deprecating chuckle. “Paul is definitely safe. You are not.”

  His eyes widened and, for the briefest moment, the confidence that always surrounded him like a living, breathing shield fell away, revealing the raw and vulnerable man underneath. Just as quickly, his expression hardened, his lips pressed into an unforgiving line and his brow furrowed. He rolled off the bed and snatched his shirt.

  Viv scrambled to the edge of the bed, instincts tripping into damage control. She’d seen all kinds of moods with Jace in the two weeks she’d known him, but never had she seen him as abrupt and closed off as he was now. “Where are you going?”

  He left his shirt unbuttoned, sat in the side chair and started on his socks. “Work.”

  “Work? Now? It’s after one o’clock.”

  “Crowd’s gotten out of hand and the press is out for a story.” He practically stomped into his shoes, crammed his phone in his pocket, and glared down at her. “Clothes and pedigree don’t make a man, nor do they make a man safe. You want some tame, soft-touch jackass who’ll screw you and toss you aside when it suits him, then Paul’s your man.” His gaze slid to the tattoo on her hip. “The sooner you figure out who the hell you are on the inside, the happier you’ll be.”

  Before her mind could process his entire rant, he was at the front door, slamming it shut behind him.

  What. The. Hell.

  She dropped down to the bed, pulling the covers over her and fisting her hair on the top of her head. Being an emotional mess was her job. And she’d been doing a damned fine job of it, too. What kind of man gave a woman two mind-blowing orgasms and then flipped out like a hair-trigger teenage girl?

  The twinkle lights she’d rearranged to match what she’d seen at The Den glowed back at her, not one single answer cascading down no matter how long she stared. Everything had been fine. He’d even been sensitive in his own he-man kind of way with the whole “talk” thing.

  And then you told him he wasn’t safe.

  She’d compared him to Paul. A man who’d looked down on Jace with disdain and disgust. She might not know the story between them, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see it was ugly.

  Most people see what they want, no matter what you show them.

  Oh, shit. He wasn’t mad, he was hurt. Badly. Flayed wide open by words she’d intended an entirely different way.

  She lurched from the bed. 1:30 a.m. glowed a soft white from the bedside clock, only thirty minutes until closing time. If she hurried she could catch him before he headed out to God knew where and fix it. Or at least try.

  She hustled to her bedroom and her walk-in closet, and stood in front of the long row of suits pants and skirts she usually wore. In the back corner of the closet, her favorite white tank and jeans were folded up on the shelf.

  Maybe Jace was right. Maybe she had been hiding, stifling who she was and what she enjoyed beneath her twisted childhood fears. She snatched the well-worn clothes off the shelf and suited up. Well, she could fix it. Both her path forward and the damage she’d done tonight. Assuming she could find and corner him long enough to listen.

  Chapter 18

  Work lights flickered to life over the dance floor, and the last of the Saturday night crowd staggered toward the exits. Most nights Jace nursed the promise of an overflowing bottom line while he watched the bar empty, but tonight he just wanted everyone to get out. The sooner folks were gone, the sooner he could get to Haven. Away from work. Away from people.

  Away from Viv.

  He knocked back another slug of his Scotch and hissed around the burn as it slid down his throat. Safe. Hell no, he wasn’t safe, and didn’t want to be. If Viv wanted to stuff all that passion she had bottled up and waste it on a coattail-riding, pretty boy like Paul, then so be it.

  The door to his office opened and Axel sauntered in, his unruly Scot’s hair tied back in a tidy tail and a drink fisted in one hand. “Cops are gone.” He shut the door behind him and dropped onto the leather sofa. “Sorry they bugged you during your thing with Viv. The office chicks didn’t know I was on call.”

  Below him, the bouncers started their sweep from the back to the front, checking for passed out patrons and any other nasty surprises. “Doesn’t matter. You got it handled, and I needed an out.”

  “Odd since the only thing you’ve thought of lately was how to get in.”

  Jace fisted his hand in his pants pocket, pride and mangy stubbornness refusing to meet Axel’s steady gaze in the window’s reflection. “Misjudged this one.”

  “You sure?”

  He wasn’t sure what he thought anymore. He couldn’t remember the last time his gut had called it so wrong, but she’d stated her fears about as blunt as a sledgehammer. “Girls up front said the DPD hit us three times tonight.”

  Axel shook his head, clearly not buying Jace’s diversion tactic. “Crowd was crazy. Soon as we broke up one brawl, someone else started another. Cops said they’re getting customer call-ins.”

  Fan-fucking-tastic. Although, maybe now that Viv was out the picture, he’d pull his head out of his ass and figure out how to navigate his club from the PR Bermuda Triangle.

  “Head to Haven, Jace. Take some time, nurse a few pours of Scotch, and chill tomorrow. I can take the clubs for another night.”

  Twenty-four solid hours at home and offline from his businesses? His mom and Axel’s mom
, Sylvie, would be in hog heaven. Much as he hated Axel having to cover the properties another night, digging in with his roots would be smart. To surround himself with where he came from and what he did all this for. “I’ll help you shut down first.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Axel stood and clapped Jace on the shoulder. “You check the North and East bar, and I’ll meet you in the office in thirty. We’ll have you home in no time.”

  Jace powered off his computer and tossed back the last of his Scotch. Three-thousand acres and nothing but quiet and killing time how he pleased. Normally, the idea of heading to their place out north of Allen sent his brain offline, but tonight it felt a little off.

  Combing the North bar and checking out the bartenders took all of ten minutes. That section of the bar catered more to rough men craving low-key, high-quality liquor and zero bullshit. They might not be the tidiest bastards, but they held their liquor a hell of a lot better than the yuppies did, and they almost always used cash.

  He dropped off the register drawers with Shelly at the office and headed back out for the East bar. A smoky cigarette haze hung high over the lobby, paired with sweat and an overpowering clash of colognes and perfumes. He’d have to talk to the guys on floor duty about cracking down on the smoking, or he’d just be waving another red flag for the city to nail him with.

  “Damn it, let me through. I want to see Jace.”

  Jace halted at the sound of Viv’s irate voice slicing from the entrance.

  He turned in time to catch his bouncer, Bruce, block the partially open entry and rumble something in return. Viv wasn’t visible, but the flashes of movement and heavy chatter from outside said his closing crowd wasn’t in too big of a hurry to head home.

  “Don’t give me that shit,” Viv bit back loud and clear. “I’ve been in and out of here every day for the last two weeks. You know I’ve got business here. Now get out of my way.”