by Regina Cole
Garrett crooked a brow, but she flew into the bathroom before he could ask what the fuck was wrong with her.
She yanked the tap on full blast and sat on the edge of the tub with her head in her hands. Good god. What was she doing here? She’d had a rule before. No guys with more baggage than she had. But Garrett had a 747 full of baggage, so why the fuck wasn’t she running the other way?
With a sigh, she lifted her head and glanced in the mirror. A horrified squeal escaped as she took in the god-awful vision in front of her.
“Mia? You okay?” He knocked, gentle but insistent.
“Oh my god, how could you let me go into a nice restaurant looking like this?” Mia’s horrified stare looked right back at her. “My hair is a mess, my eyeliner is all over my damn face, and my clothes are wrinkled and dusty from that freaking warehouse!”
Garrett’s chuckle came through the door.
“Are you laughing at me?” She flung open the bathroom door, upsetting Garrett’s balance as he’d apparently been leaning on it. She shoved an angry finger right under his nose. “Were you laughing at me this whole time? You jerk!”
“Mia,” Garrett said gently, grasping her finger and lowering it. “You looked fine. More than fine. You looked beautiful. Your eyeliner didn’t smudge until you started crying at the table, and I didn’t want to make you self-conscious about it.” He lowered his head and kissed her tenderly.
She tried to hold on to her irritation, but as his demanding tongue took her mouth in broad, possessive sweeps, she couldn’t stop it from changing into pure passion. His hands moved up from her arms, rubbing along the back of her neck to tangle in the curls at the base of her skull, the pulling sensation only making her want him more.
His lips moved over hers and she matched every motion, a willing participant in this passionate onslaught. Hooking her leg over his hip, she moaned into his mouth at the feeling of his insistent erection pressing against her hot, throbbing core.
Tearing her mouth away, she gasped as his kisses trailed down her jawline and onto her throat, her pulse pounding in response to his demanding mouth.
“Shower,” she breathed, dropping her leg and moving deeper into the bathroom. “Now.”
He growled in frustration at having to move, but once she grasped the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head, his eyes lit up in appreciation. They stripped quickly, neither of them wanting to wait.
Mia leaned against the counter as Garrett turned the water on to heat, and she couldn’t help admiring the strong lines of his back and muscled ass. While he was still bent over, she stepped closer, gripping his hips and bending to press her breasts against his back.
“You,” she dropped kisses along his spine, just below the dragon tattoo that winged across the right half of his back, “are incredibly toned. You make me self-conscious, you know.”
She squealed as he bumped her backward, turning and catching her before she could fall against the counter. “You have zero need to be self-conscious.” He grasped her breast firmly, not enough to hurt but more than enough to prove he meant business. “This body is incredible. Soft, warm curves that drive me fucking wild.” He grabbed her hand and put it on his cock, hot and hard and velvet-smooth in her palm.
She stroked it as he caressed her breast, his thumb flicking the hardened nub of her nipple. As the bathroom filled with steam, he bent his head low and captured that bud in his mouth, lips and tongue caressing the sensitive flesh.
Mia tilted her head back in abandon, moving her hand slowly along his shaft as he sucked on her breast. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the sensations. His mouth was so hot as he teased and flicked her tight nipple, creating waves of sensation that shot straight to her throbbing and moistening pussy. And his hard length in her hand—good god. She moved her hand from the silky-smooth tip of him, along the shaft that pulsed with want, down to the base surrounded by neatly trimmed pubic hair. His teeth nipped her sensitive skin and she gasped, gripping his shaft harder in response. He growled deep in his throat, and she took that as encouragement to keep exploring his body.
Her questing touch traveled along his shaft, to cup the twin globes beneath, heavy with his desire. They overflowed her palm, so full, the skin that covered them almost as soft as that of his cock head. She leaned forward, forcing her breast harder against his mouth, so that she could reach more of him. Just behind his sac, that little spot…
When her fingers found it, he lifted his head from her breast.
“Jesus, Mia,” he groaned against her throat.
She smiled, gently pressing high against the sensitive point. “You like that?”
“You’re about to see how much I like that.”
He nipped at her throat before stepping back and breaking their connection. He bent to the faucet again, adjusting the temperature of the shower’s spray.
Mia indulged her lusty fingertips and ran them lightly over his body, anxious for more. She hadn’t been this horny for a guy since her first-ever boyfriend. And even then, nothing they’d shared had come close to what she felt with Garrett.
Once he was satisfied with the temperature, Garrett straightened and helped Mia into the tub. She tilted her face to the warm spray, sighing in delight as the water ran down her skin. Garrett stepped in behind her, his large body rubbing against her wet flesh.
When she reached for the shower curtain to close it, his hand closed over hers, stopping her.
“What is it?” She glanced over her shoulder at him, taken suddenly with how tall he was. God, when he stood straight up it made her feel so small, so delicate. Like a fairy princess.
He nodded toward the counter. “Look.”
Mia did as he asked, her mouth forming a soft “o” as she realized. The mirror. Large, extending the length of the bathroom, it presented a perfect picture of their nude bodies.
“You want to watch us?” she asked, looking at him in the mirror. His nod was slow, emphatic.
Never letting her stare leave his in the mirror, she turned, kneeling slowly in the spray, her hair getting wetter and wetter as she descended to her knees. Once there, she turned her attention to the heavy throbbing cock in front of her. She allowed herself a small smile as she gripped the shaft in one hand, cupping his sac in the other. And when her mouth closed over him, she looked over from the corner of her eye.
Garrett was transfixed, watching her in the mirror as she sucked his cock. Hand and mouth moving in perfect rhythm, she took him deep, her throat muscles gripping him as she gagged slightly. A heavy drop of precum slicked the tip of him, and she drank it in with relish. Moving quicker now, her tongue sliding up the thick vein on the underside, the suction making her cheeks draw in with each thrust. Garrett’s gaze was heavy, half-lidded, but he couldn’t stop watching.
And then she reached beneath his sac, finding that tiny space that had driven him wild earlier. Massaging it in time with the strokes of her mouth, she went crazy on him.
He tasted so good; his cock filled her mouth like she wanted it to fill her pussy. His skin was so hot, so smooth, his body so incredible, just made for her to please herself. He was like an amusement park for one. She could suck and suck and rub wherever she wanted, and it made her want to scream in pleasure, in pride, for what she felt and what she could make him feel.
Faster and harder she sucked, working him, her grip on the base of his rod, her other hand working furiously behind his balls. His hips thrust against her, his muscles trembling with the effort to stay still, to hold back.
“I can’t… God, Mia, I…”
Do it. She looked up at him, hoping her eyes could tell him what she wanted. She moved her head forward, his cock sliding into her throat, her muscles contracting around the thick head of him. And then, her thumb slid higher, pressing into the dark, tight hole just above that tender spot she’d been working.
His hoarse shout echoed in the bathroom and his release spurted deep into her throat. She gagged but didn’t m
ove, using the spasms in her throat to milk every last drop of his cum. Her hands slowed, then stilled as he shuddered, knees buckling as the adrenaline rushed through him.
She lifted her head as he leaned drunkenly against the shower wall.
“You like to watch, huh?”
Garrett looked down, just to make sure the head of his cock hadn’t blown off. Jesus Christ, Mia had some skills.
The warm water pelted her back, pulling her curls nearly straight, the black river of hair flowing over her shoulders as she knelt smiling up at him and licking her lips.
“Yeah, I guess the sight of your lips around my cock gets me off.” His voice was a breathy growl as he pushed off the wall to stand upright again. “But what about you? Do you like to watch?”
She took his hand and stood, a devilish light in her eyes. “Maybe.”
“Let’s find out.”
He turned her to face the mirror, stepping behind her, his body still tingling and sensitive from his recent orgasm. If he had his way, very soon she’d be feeling the exact same. He smiled as he took in the vision of her shiny wet curves in the large mirror across from them.
“See?” He ran a hand along her waist, higher to cup her breast and lift it, the dark, rosy nipple puckering tighter at his touch. Water sluiced down his side, across his arm to trickle over her torso, the tiny stream dipping into her pierced navel and then lower. Her eyes darkened and she bit her lip, pressing her hips back against him.
“You’re beautiful, Mia.” His left hand descended, rubbing her ass, her hip, then her soft thigh. Grasping behind her knee, he lifted her leg and placed her foot carefully on the edge of the tub. Another quick glimpse at their reflection proved his machinations had worked out in his favor.
With her knee propped high, her labia were clearly visible in the mirror. Thank god for low counters and elevated tubs. The shiny silver clit ring was winking at him, pink jewel glittering as it nestled high in her rosy flesh.
Her breaths were heavy and quick as she rubbed against him, her little fingers digging into his thighs. “I want more, Garrett.”
He released her breast and carefully twisted her wet mass of hair to one side, leaving the delicious curve of her neck bare to his gaze, and his kiss. The soft flesh there was so sweet, so easy to kiss, to suck, to nip and make her moan. His left hand rubbed all over her wet thigh, the skin chilled from the dampness. His circles moved higher and higher, coming so close to the silky skin of her vulva, never actually touching. Even though that clit ring called to him like the brass ring on a carousel, he wouldn’t be touching it until he was sure she was desperate.
He was a bastard like that.
Kissing down the line of her shoulder, he brought both hands up to cup her breasts, smiling in evil delight at her frustrated moan.
“Garrett,” she said, staring him down in the mirror. “Are you teasing me?”
He pinched both nipples, gratified to see her mouth open wide and her back arch in response. “I’m not teasing. I’m prepping.”
“Then I’m helping.” She brought her hands forward, covering his on her breasts. With her thumbs and forefingers, she forced him to pinch her nipples harder, twisting them. He knew the burning pain that must cause, but if her face was any indication, she liked a little bit of pain with her pleasure.
A woman after his own heart.
With that, he released her breasts and gripped the inside of her elevated knee. Making sure to keep his body close, he lifted her leg higher, forcing her thighs farther apart, the silky lips of her vulva parting even wider.
“Watch me, Mia. Watch what I do to you.”
He ran his hand with deliberate slowness down her abdomen, the soft swell of her belly, past the little landing strip and around her glistening core. She whimpered in protest when he didn’t actually touch her, but he was getting there. She’d have to be patient.
He started on the outside, making small circles on her heated skin. When he edged past the fleshy outer lips, dragging a finger across the tender inner flesh, she raised her arm to grasp him, her head falling back onto his chest as her eyes closed.
“Mia,” he growled into her ear. “Watch me. Now.”
As soon as her gaze lit upon his in the mirror, he plunged two fingers into her soaked cunt. She screamed, thrusting her hips forward to meet him. God, she felt so good, gripping his hand like she’d gripped his cock before.
He knew what she wanted, and now he was ready to give it to her. Propping his leg beneath hers to keep it elevated and free his hand, he pinched the hard little nub behind that shiny silver piercing. Her body shuddered then moved harder against his hand, her hips pumping as her body strained for that peak. She grabbed her own breasts, pinching and rolling her nipples as her gaze stayed glued to his hands on her pussy.
“Watch me,” Garrett said, keeping his stare locked on her in the mirror. “Keep your eyes on how I’m fucking you with my hands, Mia. You want another finger, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she whimpered, raising her breasts higher. “God, please, fuck me harder, Garrett!”
He added a third finger, stretching her walls as she bathed him in the sweet, hot fluid of her arousal. He quickened his hand on her clit as his fingers plunged deep within her. Over and over, deeper and harder as her pants turned into cries, and then to screams when she finally couldn’t take any more.
He pressed down on her clit as hard as he could, adding a fourth finger, and then she came, shuddering and thrusting, arching her back and fondling her own breasts, a wild creature covered in water and only standing because he refused to let her fall. Her pussy clenched around his hand as if it never wanted to let him leave.
When she quieted and fell limp against him, he withdrew his hands and helped her stand. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he smiled.
“I guess you like to watch too.”
The rest of the shower was much less eventful. They shared the tiny bar of hotel soap, moving quickly since the hot water was all but gone. Mia smiled at him in the mirror as she bent to turn off the water.
“I’m glad this isn’t my house.”
Garrett stepped onto the terrycloth bathmat, wrinkling his nose as it squished beneath his feet. “You and me both.”
The whole room was soaked, but fortunately the towels on the top shelf were only a little damp. Mia wrapped herself in one, taking another to make a tall turban atop her head.
“I’m going to grab some pajamas. I’ll be right back.” Pressing a kiss to his lips, she darted from the room.
Garrett reached over and picked up his discarded clothing from their haphazard pile in front of the bathroom door. Mia was humming tunelessly in the other room, a happy, contented sound. As he pulled on his jeans, a dark feeling started to descend on him.
It was time. He’d known it since before the restaurant, but he hadn’t really wanted to think about it. This wasn’t real life for him. This had been a wonderful interlude in the constant war zone that was his existence. Revenge was the only lady in his life. He didn’t have room for anyone else, even someone as wonderful as Mia.
Something deep inside begged him to reconsider, but as he pulled the shirt over his head, covering the large police shield over his heart, he slammed the door on those thoughts.
It wouldn’t be fair to Mia to ask her to give him a chance. After all, there was a good possibility that Art Ford might discover Garrett’s vendetta and have him killed. Garrett wasn’t prepared to think about the danger that Mia could be in if she was involved with him. He’d already lost someone he cared about, and he wasn’t about to do it again. He’d keep her safe from afar, but that was it. The safest thing for him—and more importantly, for her—would be a clean break, right now.
No matter how much it hurt.
Chapter Ten
Her blood hadn’t really stopped racing through her veins and she should be about to fall asleep, but for some reason, as Mia pawed through her suitcase to find the cute nightie she’d stuck in there on a whim
, she was oddly energized. Humming one of her favorite songs, she unzipped the front of her weathered black case.
There. Emerald green, lacy cups, spaghetti straps. Perfect for sleeping next to her hunky ex-cop.
The thought made her laugh. Her, Mia Bartholomew, dating a former police officer? Well, as Abuela would say, stranger things had happened.
Untucking the corner of the towel, she let it fall to the floor. Shivering at the sudden feel of air-conditioned air on her still-damp skin, she shimmied into the nightie, not bothering to put on a pair of panties. After all, considering their track record, she probably wouldn’t be needing them.
As she untwisted her towel turban and began carefully drying her hair, a sudden sound brought her attention around.
Garrett was standing, fully dressed, by the bathroom door.
“Sorry,” she said, her heart thumping a little harder at the sight of him. “Was I humming too loud?”
“No,” he said, his face too serious. “No, nothing like that. I… I need to get going.” He turned and reached for the handle of the hotel room door.
Mia dropped the towel, shock making her fingers numb. “Wait! Where…I mean, you don’t need to go, do you?” She ran to his side. “I thought you might want to stay. Here. With me.”
He looked down into her face, and she wasn’t sure what that expression was. His ghost-gray eyes looked right through her, didn’t seem to see her at all.
“I can’t. I have to take care of things, and I don’t have room for anything else. But don’t worry, I’m going to make sure you’re safe.”
Worry shot through her and she grabbed his arm before he could reach for the doorknob again. “Garrett, please. This is about more than just tonight. This guy, this Ford, he’s dangerous. You said so. I know I haven’t known you very long, but I don’t think this revenge business is a good idea.” Her voice fell to an almost-whisper. “You could get hurt.”
“People already have been hurt.” He stared at the wall above her head. “But I can stop this. I’m so close, Mia. I can’t give up now.”
