Re/Deemed (Doms of the FBI Book 8)

by Michele Zurlo

  “No—my driving makes you feel like you don’t have control. You’re afraid when you don’t have control.”

  “That’s not a fear. It’s a preference. But you’re right. Your driving does scare me. I see us dying in a spectacular accident and taking out at least ten other cars at the same time. I’d prefer not to kill anyone.”

  Was this an opening? Should she push? Brows furrowed, she considered the angles. Under no circumstances was he going to feel comfortable talking about his job as a fixer for The Eye. He hadn’t even really answered her question about how he’d ended up at Redemption Center.

  “Huh.” She let that thoughtful utterance hang in the air between them.

  He didn’t take the bait.

  No matter—she had time.

  An hour later, he ordered her to exit the freeway and go to a gas station.

  “We have half a tank left,” she scoffed.

  “Yeah, well my tank is full, and I’ve had about all I can take of watching you ride up on cars because you don’t like that they’re driving the speed limit.”

  She hadn’t done a great job of regulating her speed, especially when the road opened up and nobody was around. She had the heart of a speed demon. “Wimp.”

  “You’re going to get your ass paddled tonight for disobeying the driving guidelines I set out and for calling me names.”

  She parked next to a pump. They might as well fill up since they were stopped. She cut the engine and faced him. “Oh, Daddy, after this morning, I am completely on board with that plan.”

  “No orgasms for you tonight.”

  With a grin, she unbuckled. “We’ll see how that works out, man with the magic dick.”

  He leaned across the console, stopping with his lips an inch from hers. “My magic dick isn’t going to give you an orgasm when you’re sucking it.”

  Her gaze dropped as she contemplated whether it would fit in her mouth.

  Reading her mind again, he chuckled with evil glee. “It’ll fit, Firebrand. It’s big, but so is your mouth.” With that, he planted a smacking kiss on her lips and got out of the car.

  He filled up, and then he walked her inside.

  “Pick out a snack for yourself, and get some trail mix for me.” Then he headed toward the restroom.

  It had been so long since she’d indulged, the night before in the honeymoon suite notwithstanding, so she helped herself to her favorite chocolate and caramel candy bar. Then she studied the vast selection of trail mix. She didn’t know enough about his preferences to choose one, though she knew he’d eat anything she got for him. After studying the packages, she selected the one with the most ingredients.

  On the way to the register, a display of stuffed animals caught her attention. They were red and white, holding hearts or balloons, and each was inscribed with a Valentine’s Day slogan. She’d been away from home for two months. Guilt over the stress her father was under washed through her. She wished he wouldn’t worry about her so much. She stroked the fur on a cute little elephant holding a heart that said, “Be Mine.” Most of the elephant was white, but the pads of the ears and the ends of the limbs were red. The eyes were shaped like hearts.

  “Want one?” Lukas appeared behind her, his hand on her lower back.

  “Oh, no. That’s okay.” She held up the pack of trail mix she’d selected. “I got you this, but if it’s not what you want, they have more to choose from.”

  He looked it over. “It’s fine.” He took the candy and trail mix from her, and he handed over the keys. “Go start the car, but get into the passenger side. Hey—do you want anything to drink?”

  Miffed over not being allowed to drive, she shrugged. “Whatever.”

  She grumbled all the way to the car.

  Before long, he joined her. He tossed a bag onto her lap. It had water and pink lemonade inside. She put those into the cup holders. As she fished out her candy bar, he set the stuffed elephant on the arm rest between them.

  Brandy stared. She couldn’t think of a single person who’d given her a stuffed animal after she’d turned twelve. And yet, she was curiously delighted.

  “Firebrand, when you drive, I feel like I’m taking my life in my hands, but when you smile at me, I forget all about it.” He swiped a thumb under her eye. “You can drive a little tomorrow. I need recovery time.”

  She was crying for a second time in one day. She lifted the elephant and placed it on her lap. When she hugged it to her, she found she could slip her arm between the body and the curved trunk, and it seemed to be hugging her back.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I can’t remember the last time I had a stuffed animal.”

  “You’re welcome, little one. Now come here and give your Daddy a kiss.”

  With a pleased laugh, she leaned toward him to greet the brief press of his lips. She eased away, noting his smile.

  “I love your laugh. It’s different—husky and sexy. I think I’ve heard you laugh more since you decided to throw your lot in with me than in all the time before.”

  She pressed another kiss to his mouth. “I must be happy.”

  “Yeah.” His voice trailed off, and he frowned as he peered past her.

  Following his line of sight, she saw Jed cleaning a windshield a few pumps over. She touched Lukas’s cheek. “Daddy? Are we going to get on the road? You said we had to make up a lot of time.”

  His leaned forward, possibly to see who was in the car with Jed. Brandy leaned forward as well, angling for his attention to keep it away from her team.

  “That guy.” Lukas pointed. “I saw him at the hotel when I went to get ice.”

  Reluctantly she glanced over. “You’re sure it’s the same guy?”

  “In a sea of white faces, black guys notice each other.”

  She let her gaze roam over his face. “I thought you were half Colombian and a quarter Libyan. You identify more as Black than Latino?”

  He didn’t take his eyes from Jed. “Half Latino, half Black. My dad had very dark skin, and my mom was darker as well. That guy is maybe Asian and Black.”

  “Maybe he identifies more as Asian.” Brandy had been successful in getting him to talk a little about his roots before. She hoped to distract him now. “You shouldn’t assume things about people. Maybe he’s a different guy from the one you saw in Iowa, or maybe he got caught in the same storm and is headed to Arizona as well.”

  Lukas’ frown deepened. “Maybe. Doesn’t matter. We’re heading to Houston first.”

  She thought about the Interstate they were on, and she realized it branched fairly soon. It also wasn’t the fastest way to get to Houston, so she wondered how he was communicating with The Eye. This had to be a deviation from the original plan.

  Her distraction wasn’t working, so she went back to something she knew pushed his buttons. “I heard everyone drives fast in Texas. I bet I’d fit right in.”

  That did it. His gaze snapped to hers. “This is not open for discussion.”

  “Is it open for begging?”

  He licked his lips. “Oh, you’ll be begging tonight, Firebrand. That’s a promise.”

  She didn’t beg that night. They caught a few hours of rest in a cheap motel before getting back on the road.

  “Tomorrow,” he said. “Don’t worry, Firebrand. A punishment will keep.”

  In Texas, he stopped at a cowboy store. He bought a pair of very comfortable boots for her. They looked good with her jeans, emphasizing the shape of her legs and somehow making her ass look great. In her line of work, she often wore heels with her power suit. On days she was in the field, she wore flats with pants. It was hard to find a good dress shoe that was up to running or whatever she needed to do to bring down a suspect. She fell in love with the cowboy boots.

  “I wonder if you can run in these?”

  Lukas shook his head. “Short distances. You don’t want those on your feet after the third mile.”

  A sultry smile bloomed in her heart. She walked her fingers up h
is arm. “Do you want me to wear these later tonight, Daddy?”

  “No. I have different plans tonight.” He picked up a thick leather belt hanging from the wall nearby. He slapped it against his palm, forearm, and thigh.

  She tilted her head as she tried to figure out what he was doing. “Do you want me to spank you tonight? I’m not opposed, but I wouldn’t have pegged you for a masochist.” He wasn’t much of a sadist either. He was dominant and protective.

  His grin was answer enough. Spanking with his hand had only made her wet and horny. He was kicking it up a notch with the belt. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

  Texas was huge. Brandy was used to flying places she needed to go. Car trips were for the last hour or two of the journey, if they happened at all. They didn’t arrive in Houston until nightfall. She wanted to say they would have been there hours ago if he’d have let her drive, but she refrained. It was an exercise in restraint.

  Lukas rented a hotel room on the outskirts of town. It wasn’t a luxury suite like in Iowa, but it was clean, and the hotel served breakfast—always a plus in Brandy’s book. She missed having waffles, eggs, bacon, and cereal all for one meal.

  She helped carry in their duffle bag and two boxes of household goods.

  Having stopped for dinner a few hours earlier, she was tired and ready for bed. By bed, she meant sex. She unpacked their toiletries and brushed her teeth while Lukas went for ice.

  She didn’t understand his preoccupation with getting ice. This was their third hotel together, and he’d gone for ice at each one. It sat in the bucket and melted because they never used it.

  The FBI part of her brain figured he was using it as an excuse to communicate with The Eye without her knowing.

  He returned to find her wearing only one of his T-shirts, which she knew he found completely sexy and utterly adorable. From the first time he’d seen her in one of his shirts, his expression would soften, and he’d have trouble looking away.

  Now that things were different, he looked her up and down. “Have I told you how sexy your legs are? One of the reasons I don’t let you run with me is because I spend way too much time checking out your legs.”

  She brushed a hand over her thigh, smoothing the hem of the shirt. “You haven’t said a word, and I never saw you look.”

  The beginnings of a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “I’m good.”

  “I’ll definitely leave you a 5-star review.” She closed the distance between them and pressed her chest to his. “I’m ready for bed. Want to tuck me in, Daddy?”

  He cocked his head. “First things first.”

  She slid her palms along his shoulders. “Mind-blowing sex?”

  “Not for you, Firebrand. You’ve earned a punishment, so that means no orgasms for you tonight.”

  Her jaw dropped. “What about the spanking? I thought that was supposed to be my punishment—not that I did anything wrong.”

  “You disobeyed traffic laws after I ordered you not to exceed the speed limit and to stay right except to pass.”

  She pushed out her bottom lip in a pout. “I had to go faster to pass, and since I was passing everybody, I had to stay to the left.”

  “I see your obstinate nature is in full force.” He cupped the side of her head in one of his huge mitts. “We’ll see if that’s still the case in the morning.”

  With that, he captured her lips in a tender kiss that sent warmth flooding her insides. She melted into his embrace, and submitted to the drug of his kiss. When he broke the kiss to lift her shirt over her head, she shivered in anticipation.

  “Cold?” He rubbed her arms. “I could turn up the heat in the room.”

  “Anticipation.” She snuggled into his chest. “I’m sure you’re going to warm me up and then keep me toasty with your body heat.”

  “I can do that, Firebrand, but not the way you’re thinking.” He chuckled and stepped back. “I think you’ve forgotten that I said you can’t orgasm tonight.”

  Her gaze roved up and down his frame, admiring his bulky mass of muscles as she reminded him of the ace up her sleeve. Well, in his pants. “Daddy, I think you’ve forgotten you have a magic dick.”

  He laughed again. “I haven’t forgotten.” He slid his new belt from the loops on his jeans. “Stand next to the bed and bend over.”

  Brandy eyeballed the belt, her lips pursed in thought. She could call her safeword, but she didn’t think it would get her out of a punishment. Besides, she’d loved the one he delivered with his hand, and she’d heard Darcy, Malcolm’s wife, rave about what a good belt could do for her.

  Still, she couldn’t just do what he said. “You said I couldn’t have an orgasm, and that was my punishment. What’s this for?”

  That crooked, deliciously evil grin grew, making him look so handsome she forgot to breathe for a moment. “Because I want it.”

  It was really hard to be naughty when he said things like that. She bent over the side of the bed.

  “Widen your stance a bit.”

  “Yes, Daddy.” She also lifted her ass and wiggled it at him. “How many?”

  “Eleven is my favorite number. Let’s see if you can make it that far.” He rubbed his palm over her ass and thighs, getting the blood circulating, and then he followed up with a few slaps from his hand. By the time he finished warming her up, her pussy wept for attention.

  The first crack of the belt took a moment to register. When it did, Brandy moaned. “Oh, Daddy. Yes to this.”

  He chuckled. “Count them, Firebrand, and mind your manners.”

  “One. Thank you, Daddy.”

  Five were pleasurable. Seven pushed her stamina. Nine saw her ass burst into flames. Eleven had tears streaming down her cheeks. While the experience didn’t want to make her drive any differently, she could appreciate the way it gentled her spirit without breaking it.

  She slid to her knees to present herself to her Daddy.

  He touched her hair. “How do you feel, Firebrand?”

  “Hot on my backside, wet where it counts, and curiously calm.”

  “Are you ready for your punishment?”

  “Am I ready to not have an orgasm? Um, isn’t that kind of a default setting?” She was incredibly horny, so right now that was most assuredly NOT her setting.

  “How badly do you want to come?”

  She considered the question. “On a scale of one to ten? Six-ish.”

  He laughed again.

  “Daddy, did you enjoy spanking me?”

  “Yes, Firebrand. I very much enjoyed it.” He undid his fly and lifted out his hard cock. His fist pumped up and down it a couple times, mocking her vagina for driving too fast. He sat on the bed, scooted to lie back on the pillow, and then he patted the place next to him. “Come up here. Let’s put that sexy, naughty mouth to good use.”

  She climbed onto the bed and took his cock in hand. “It’s not going to fit, Daddy. It’s much too large.”

  He pushed her head toward his member. “It’s not too large. Open up, and yes, you can use your hands.”

  Brandy approached it like any puzzle waiting to be solved. She couldn’t unhinge her jaw, which he knew, so she figured he maybe didn’t mind being scraped by teeth. If nothing else, it would punish him for leaving her high and dry. No—high and wet.

  She took the thing in hand and licked it, playfully swirling her tongue around the crown. He gathered her hair in one hand, and she looked up at him as she closed her lips around the head.

  He was right—it fit. She couldn’t justify even a tiny nibble.

  It didn’t take long for her bratty thoughts to fly away. He gazed at her with those liquid whiskey eyes, the lids half-mast, and his mouth soft with passion. With her gaze locked to his, she threw herself into pleasuring him.

  “Touch my balls, Brandy. That’s it. Oh, sweetheart, your mouth and hands feel so fucking wonderful.”

  She set a good pace, and then she felt the fingers of his free hand probing her wet pussy. He swirled
them around her clit before dipping them inside. His touch felt good, but not firm or fast enough to generate the kind of heat she needed.

  He was playing with her—torturing her as she sucked him off.

  She whimpered in protest, and he groaned. He dropped his head back and released her hair as passion took him and he thrust into her mouth. He kept his wits about him enough to keep his movements gentle, and that’s when she felt his touch on her pussy wander into forbidden territory.

  They had not discussed how she felt about anal. If he’d asked, she would have said she was firmly against it.

  But he didn’t ask, and his finger invaded her virgin hole. It didn’t hurt, but it felt strange—invasive and unwelcome. She made a noise of protest, but it just vibrated against his dick and made him moan.

  Her mind raced, and she realized he was claiming her, dominating her, reminding her that she belonged to him. His desire and his pleasure were the only thing that mattered.

  Surrendering to the iniquity and embracing her submission, she concentrated on sucking his cock.

  With a loud groan and a tightening of the fist in her hair, he came. His body jerked as his seed emptied into her mouth, and his hand dropped away from her body.

  She eased away from him and went into the bathroom to spit into the sink, and then she got a cloth to clean his hand and her sopping wet pussy. Her juices slicked her pubic hair and smeared over her thighs.

  Before she could bring the cloth to him, he took it from her. First he cleaned her juices, leaving her pussy wet, but most of the rest of her areas fresher. Then he washed his other hand.

  “So, you’re really not going to let me come?”

  “No, Firebrand. That’s your punishment. When you disobey your Daddy, you get punished.”

  With a pout, she flounced away, snagged her elephant stuffed animal, and got into bed. She kept her clothes off as a way to induce him to change his mind. “You’re a big meanie.”

  “I’m whatever you need me to be.” He put on his pants and looped his belt back through.

  “What are you doing?” She expected him to join her, even if he was going to leave her hanging.

  “Getting dressed. I have to go out tonight.”