by Mina Carter
“Really now? Do your worst, sweetheart,” he said, his voice dropping low with that sinfully sexy accent of his making her shiver all over. He didn’t move, just watched her. Waiting, as if daring her. And there was nothing she liked more than a challenge.
She trailed her hands down his sides and under his shirt, raking her nails over his back, down to his ass, and squeezing his cheeks. Then she widened her legs, cradling his cock with her pelvis. Oh boy, he was hard and growing harder by the second. Tilting her hips, she pressed him into her. “You were saying?”
His eyes had darkened, and he dropped his hips a little and rocked against her. She caught her breath, pleasure rolling through her. “I was?” He leaned down to brush his lips against hers. “What was that then?”
She lifted a hand off his ass and brought it down with a smack. “I just wondered if you wanted to still keep doing those boring exercises, or did you want to put your mouth to better use?” She licked up his jaw and groaned. “If you prefer, I can put my mouth to better use.”
He groaned, body tight with tension, and she smiled. Unlike the last couple of times they’d had sex, he was more open, relaxed almost. Instead of immediately taking control, he simply held himself still. Taking the opportunity, she tugged at his T-shirt, helping him pull it over his head. Unable to help herself, she sucked in a breath as his hard, toned body was revealed. But before, she could only look...he never let her touch. Now, though, he didn’t stop her when she stroked her hands over all that satin-covered muscle.
Silence reigned, punctuated only by the sound of their breathing. Pushing gently, she urged him onto his back and rolled with him, straddling him.
“So what’s it going to be, big guy?” She trailed a finger down his chest, loving the way his muscles shifted under her touch. “Want to get my mouth better acquainted with your body? Preferably…” She grinned, eyeing the low riding sweats, “…your lower body.”
His hands smoothed over her ample hips, strong fingers digging into her thighs—a little hint of how much she affected him, if the thick bar of his cock between them wasn’t enough indication. “It seems I’m at your mercy,” he rumbled in a low voice.
She smiled in delight. That was the kind of stuff she liked to hear. She’d noticed from the first moment that he liked being in control, so this was quite a change of events. Not that she didn’t love him having his way with her, but it was nice to play the one in charge once in a while.
Sitting back, she looked down at him and allowed her gaze to rove over his body. All hers, to do with as she wanted. It was a heady feeling. Reaching out, she traced a scar, one of the many imperfections that marred his skin but that somehow belonged there, adding to the perfection of the beautiful male animal beneath her.
“Knife.” His voice was so soft she almost couldn’t hear him. Her eyes widened, and she leaned down to place a gentle kiss over the mark. Sitting up, she touched another mark on the side of his ribcage. “Bullet.” Another kiss but this time she didn’t lift up.
Instead, she feathered kisses across his torso until she reached his nipple. Her lips closed around it to suckle gently, and he groaned. His hands drove into her hair, his body bunched beneath her as he held her in place.
She did it again, loving his soft groan every time she sucked. His skin was hot and smooth, almost vibrating under her lips. Licking her way down his abs, she smiled to herself when he inhaled sharply at her tiny bites. She glanced up and met his gaze.
“Sorry,” she said, not really apologizing. “You taste good.”
“No apologies,” he rasped, sliding a big hand through the loosened strands of her hair. “Do it more.”
She moved down his body, rubbing her breasts on his legs on her way. When she got down to his hips, she grinned at the tent in his pants. “Is that a gun in your pants, or are you happy to see me?”
He watched her as she tucked her fingers under the elastic waistband of his sweats, his eyes blazing with arctic heat. “Sweetheart, if I was any happier to see you, you’d be naked and screaming under me already.”
She pulled on his pants, watching his body stiffen as she dragged the material down his legs. Another scar on his hip caught her attention. She didn’t think. She lowered her head to the scar, hating that he’d at one point suffered from the job he’d had, and placed a kiss on his hip. Then she moved up to wrap her hand around his cock. He watched her intently, not saying a single word.
“I bet we could get you screaming under me.” Lowering her head to take a single, long lick, she swiped her tongue over his hard length. He groaned, gripping her hair tighter in his hold. Encouraged, she did it again, cupping his balls in her other hand. She circled the head of his cock with her lips, taking him into her mouth slowly, using her saliva to lubricate his glide down her throat.
His body tightened, abs popping into high relief as she pulled back, sucking all the way. His head dropped back to the mat, fists clenched as he obviously tried to stay still. But the little devil on her shoulder wasn’t having that, and she could resist anything but temptation. With a hum, she swallowed him again, letting the back of her throat vibrate against his cock as she slid him deep.
“Fuck!” he swore, hand driving into her hair as he pulled himself up into a half-crunch. She sucked her way back to the tip and bobbed down again, working his cock until his body shook.
A knock sounded at the door before it flung open. She glanced up to see Tom striding in.
“Oh, for fuck’s sakes. Put some clothes on him. He’s supposed to be teaching you self-defense, not getting naked.” Tom growled.
“Fuck off, Tom,” Drew snarled back, leisurely tucking himself away as she jumped back in surprise. Heat hit her cheeks.
“Tom, the point of knocking is so you wait until you’re asked to enter, not to come barging in and seeing...stuff,” she said, flustered.
Tom was intently studying the ceiling, as though he were personally responsible for the paintwork up there. “I didn’t see a thing,” he said, risking a glance down and then sighing with relief when he saw that they were both decent. “Dav, delivery for you downstairs. The upgrades for the security systems you asked for, I think.”
“On it.” Drew rolled to his feet, grabbing his T-shirt and throwing her a wink at the same time. “Hold that thought, sweetheart, we’ll pick up later.” And with that, he headed for the door, pulling his shirt on en route.
“So, do you know anything about Andrew’s family? He seemed pretty tightlipped when I asked.” She hoped jumping in with a question would make the moment less awkward. She’d never have expected Tom to catch her and Andrew... She wanted to wash the memory out of her head with bleach. It was like being caught by your parents, so embarrassing.
Tom flicked a glance at the door, then back at her. His expression was concerned, and a thread of worry wound around her heart. “Amy...don’t get ideas… Really, don’t.”
He strode toward her, reaching out to grasp her upper arms, rubbing them lightly. “I love the guy like a brother, but...he’s not the kind of man who’ll settle down. He’ll take a bullet for you, lay down his life to protect you, but he’s not the white-picket-fence-and-kids type. Get me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snorted. “I’ve got no ideas.” She lied to him and herself. Pain pinched at her heart. She’d definitely started thinking of Andrew long term. It wasn’t that she’d assumed they’d have a relationship, but she didn’t do one-night stands. So while he might not be there ‘til the end, she had to admit she wanted him to be. “I’m just curious.”
“Hmm, as long as it’s just curiosity,” he warned. “He’s got family in England. Parents are divorced, I think, and he’s got a brother and a sister. Sister’s cute as all hell, but don’t tell him I said that, because he’d rearrange my teeth for me. Brother’s still in the forces as far as I know. In Dav’s old unit, so heaven knows where he is.”
“It must be hard to be away from his family all the time. At least
I have you trying to order me around, but I don’t know if I could be all alone with everyone so far away.” She glanced away, because she knew if Tom looked at her in the face when she asked the next question, he’d know it wasn’t mere curiosity. “Is he...or has he ever been, um, married or in a serious relationship?”
“Married. Once, before I knew him. They divorced.” He shrugged. “A lot of women can’t handle what he did. They’re away a lot of the time, often leaving at the drop of a hat and gone for months at a time without contact. Never knowing if the next knock at the door would be that notification.”
Awesome. Just frickin’ awesome. She had to go and fall for the British G.I. Joe. How in the world would that even work? He wasn’t going to stick around just because she was cute. Granted, she was, but he had the whole world blowing up out there to go save. That sounded a heck of a lot more fun than sitting around playing babysitter to her. It was just as well. She was a busy woman. Too busy for a relationship anyway.
“When he’s done with his job, or as he calls it, favor for you, is he leaving to go back to England?”
Tom shook his head. “I don’t know. He’s a freelancer, and with his kind of training and experience, people pay top money for him. I was lucky to catch him between jobs and in a good mood, but I was prepared to blow the budget to get him here.” He chuckled. “As it was, I had to pull the pity card. Low blow, huh?”
“No way. You did what you felt was necessary, Tom.” She smiled. “I have to admit you were right. At least now I feel like we’ve done something to help things on our end.” She didn’t want to think of Andrew leaving, but he would. Soon. How many more times would she have to kick him in the balls before he felt she did a good enough job? “I’m sure he’s got a lot coming up. We’re doing good here. You’ve changed up our entire system. Things will be fine once he leaves.”
She might not be so fine, but what the heck? Nobody told her to like the annoying, pushy, sexy jerk. So what that he had a great body and could fuck like porn star? They were different people. He was an adventurer, and she was boring. She’d never be able to compete with all the excitement in his life. She guessed she’d just have to enjoy the sex while she had it. Her emotions would have to take a backseat. Figuring those out without turning into a crybaby was going to be hard. Already she felt things for him that she shouldn’t. He wasn’t just good at his job; he was a good man. That made things even harder for her. Why couldn’t he just be a good lay? At least then she’d have reasons to not want to see him again once he left. Stupid honor and shit.
“So what do you have planned for us next? You’re doing a great job with things. I guess he can go soon, huh?”
“Soon, yeah.” Tom crossed his arms over his chest, his brow furrowed. “I’d rather we could keep him here permanently. There’s no price on that kind of firepower in our armory, but he’s put some robust measures in place.” He smiled a little. “And I guess former Special Forces bodyguards on the payroll are a little excessive. I just... Your family wigs me out. I never could shake the feeling they were going to try something, but I guess if they haven’t by now, they’re never going to.”
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, like he was shaking the bad feeling off. “Anyway, we should hop to it. You have a meeting over at Carillon, Inc. this afternoon, don’t you?”
Chapter Six
Amy carried her bag in one hand and held her cell phone up to her ear with the other.
“Hey, Mercedes. What’s going on?”
“Hi, Amy. I wanted to ask what you’re up to. Feels like I don’t see you lately.”
“Ah, well. Right now I’m about leave Carrillon. I was here for a meeting. Sorry it’s been so long, but my bodyguard has been teaching me some self-defense so it’s taking up a lot of my time.”
“Is it working?” Mercedes asked with interest.
“I kicked his ass, so I’d say that’s a yes.”
“We should get together soon, prima.”
“Yeah. I’ll set something up soon. Promise.”
“Well, let me let you go. I’m sure you have a lot more interesting things going on than talking to me. Adios, Amy.” She said, hanging up again before Amy got to say anything.
Amy followed behind her escort from the Carrillon building. The bodyguard appointed by Drew should be inside the car, playing the role of her driver. The Carrillon chief of staff had assured her that their security was top notch and had greeted her with four guards to escort her up to the meeting. Now, only the chief of staff led her back to the car. She should be focused on the contract in her bag. She’d nailed it and gotten everything she wanted. Instead of being happy, though, she couldn’t stop thinking about Drew.
Four of the Carrillon security guards headed to meet them at the garage, the silent, grim-faced men a reassuring presence. She snuck a glance or two at them, but they avoided her gaze. Odd. A small prickle of unease lifted the hairs at the back of her neck. But that was stupid. She was safe here, surely? No way would anyone get through the Carrillon group’s security.
But they weren’t Drew. She didn’t know these men. They could be anyone, and, as Drew had pointed out, men could be bought.
All hell broke loose. The air erupted into a blaze of noise and bullets as two of the guards coming toward them started shooting. At them. She managed a gasp and ducked instinctively. What the hell? Her panicked gaze scanned around. The car was still too far away for her to make a run for it, and they were too far from the door to head back that way. There was no cover, nowhere for her to hide. The chief of staff shoved her in front of him. She didn’t get a chance to be outraged. He ran back the way they’d come, leaving her to fight the fake guards on her own.
Her driver was under fire from the other two guys, shooting back at them from behind the car door. No help there. Shit. Fighting down her panic, she looked at the two men approaching her. They wore grey suits like the rest of the Carrillon security team, but their expressions were hard and unforgiving.
“Oh my god, no. Please,” she wailed as they approached, overacting her panic. Inside though, a strange calm settled over her. She’d gone through scenarios like this with Drew—everything from being taken in the parking lot to a kidnapper in her own bedroom. She knew what to do. She could do this.
“Grab her and let’s go.” The one on the left grunted, still aiming at the door the useless chief of staff had disappeared through. The other locked his gaze on her and approached. She backed up, hands out to fend him off as she let tears stream down her face. Tears were good; they were less likely to think of her as a threat. The longer she could make this play out, the better.
“Come here, bitch,” the guy snapped, reaching out to grab her wrists.
She twisted them, staying just out of reach, but managed to stumble toward him. As soon as her body made contact, she jerked and brought her knee up sharply, just as Drew had taught her. It connected with his groin, and he grunted, folding over in half. Body working on automatic, she slammed her knee up again, right into his face. Something cracked, and warm wetness exploded over her leg. Oh, ew. Not waiting to find out what it was, she ran for it, heading toward the car.
She didn’t get far. The other guy grabbed her by the hair, yanking her to a harsh stop. Dammit! She should have tied her hair up. She tried to fight the guy at her back, but he was clearly smarter than the last guy. He kept his crotch far enough that she couldn’t kick back at him.
“Fucking bitch,” he hissed, yanking her up hard by her hair. “You’ll pay for that.”
Before she could answer, a van screeched around the corner to a halt in front of them. She moaned in fear as the door opened and she was bundled in. Her two assailants clambered in after her, the one she’d kneed alternately rubbing his crotch and wiping blood off his face from the nose she’d obvious broken. His eyes, already displaying black bruises beneath them, glittered malevolently.
He leaned forward, “When my boss has what she needs, bitch, you’re all mine.”
&
nbsp; “Fuck you, asshole,” she snarled back, glaring at him so she wouldn’t show how shit-scared she actually was. Assholes like this were like dogs. One hint of fear and that would be it.
And that was so not happening.
***
Drew looked up as Tom walked into the office. From the foreboding look on the guy’s face, Drew knew he was about to get the hands-off talk he’d been expecting ever since Tom had caught them in the gym the other day. Luckily, the way they’d been angled from the door, Tom hadn’t seen Amanda’s lips wrapped around his cock. He had no doubt that if Tom had, they’d have been having this conversation with fists. It wouldn’t be a long conversation, but it would be with fists.
“Afternoon. You alright, mate?” Drew asked, by way of greeting, his attention between Tom and the crackle of the radio bud in his ear. He’d brought in a new team to replace Tom’s rent-a-cops, all ex-forces veterans with the kind of training he wanted surrounding Amanda. He still didn’t think it was enough. Hell, an army wouldn’t be enough. He wanted to lock her up so she was safe from all threats. And no other man could look at that luscious ass of hers, the little voice in the back of his head added. He ignored it. Being possessive over a woman that way lead to one thing...and he so was not even thinking the ‘L’ word.
“I’ve been talking to Amy.”
“She talks a lot.” Drew’s answer was non-committal. The chatter in his ear was minimal and professional as his team waited for Amanda to finish her meeting. They’d researched her exit routine until the guys could do it in their sleep, and Drew had tested all of them personally.
Tom raised a brow. “She’s not talking my ear off about lingerie shopping, if that’s what you mean. She was asking about your family. And if you’re going back after this job.” He folded his arms over his chest. “She denied it, but I’m starting to think she’s got some feelings for you. What do you think?”
