Tangled: A Dark Protectors--Reece Family Novella

by Rebecca Zanetti

  He held his hand against her smarting rear, holding in the heat. She panted, her eyes wide, wondering what he’d do next. After the count of two heartbeats, he flipped her over.

  Then he was on her.

  Finally.

  Chapter 12

  Theo had waited too many damn long years to wait any longer. He kissed Ginny, and the taste of woman exploded on his tongue. Honey and spice and all intrigue. She tunneled her hands through his hair, kissing him back, her body softening for him. Her thighs rose on either side of his hips, and his jeans suddenly felt way too tight.

  He leaned to the side, and she helped him tug his shirt over his head. Then he kicked his jeans to the ground. Wait. He had to make sure. “Ginny.”

  She grabbed his head and pulled him back down, her mouth seeking his.

  “Wait,” he said, grasping her hands and pressing them on either side of her head. “I have to know. You need to say it.”

  She blinked, her blue eyes dark pools of need. “Yes, Theo. To the mating. Not just to live, either. I want you.”

  He’d wanted her for centuries, and he’d never thought he’d hear those words from her. Not really. There were so many words and promises he wanted to give to her, but she widened her legs, and he could feel her heat. “You like being spanked.”

  Fire flashed in those eyes. “I most certainly do not.”

  That brogue in such a classy voice nearly made him come right then and there. He kissed her hard, forcing his body to relax as he brushed the bra off her arms. “You’re lying to yourself if you believe that. Regardless, you should probably behave from now on,” he said, his mouth against the pounding pulse in her neck.

  “Not a chance,” she breathed, arching into his body. Then she paused. “Wait a minute.”

  Hell, no. But he levered up, letting his bare chest rub against her hardened nipples. God, she was fucking amazing. “What?”

  She writhed against him, somehow frowning. “I may be a fugitive. I don’t want you in trouble with the Realm just because of me.”

  The woman was worried about him? His heart did a long roll, and his cock pulsed against her core. She was so warm and wet. “I won’t let you go to jail, sweetheart.”

  Her light eyebrows arched. “Oh, I can get out of any jail. I was just worried you’d go to war or something.”

  Get out of jail? She looked intrigued…not frightened. His gaze narrowed. “You are not going to jail or breaking out of jail.” It’d take a millennium to figure her out. Three of them to tame her. Good damn thing he was immortal. “Get that out of your head right now.”

  Her pout was cute and sexy at the same time. God, he wanted to bind her to him forever. He’d figure out why and what to do with her later. Right now, his fangs ached with the need to take a bite. He let them slide down.

  Her eyes widened, and she stilled beneath him. “I’ve never been bitten before. By anybody.” She swallowed.

  “Get used to it.” He scraped along her jugular, adding pressure but not harming her. Grinning, he licked across her neck and kissed her collarbone, heading down to her amazing breasts.

  She hitched her breath.

  He licked her, nipping and sucking, careful to keep his fangs from harming her. The threat was there, and she held still. He flicked a nipple, enjoying her startled gasp. “I’ve waited so long to touch you.” To think he’d almost lost her. What if Saul had pressed the button? Theo kept kissing his way down her torso, wanting nothing more than to taste her again. He had to get the mating process going to protect her in case Saul did give her too much planekite. No matter what.

  Her legs trembled when he reached her core, and he slid his fangs in one inner thigh.

  She cried out, the sound surprised and full of pleasure. “Shouldn’t that hurt more?” she gasped, her nails raking the bedclothes.

  He pulled them out, licking the wound closed. “They’re too sharp for you to feel the pain.” Unless he wanted to cause pain. That was a different matter. Then he licked along her slit, kissing her clit. He could spend all fucking year doing this. Licking her, making her squirm, listening to the sounds of pleasure she made.

  His chest felt full, and the beast inside him, the one deep down, reared awake. Ready to possess and claim. But he needed her ready, because he was past being gentle. So he slid two fingers into her heat, twisting them, enjoying the arch of her against him. He sucked her clit into his mouth, not making her wait. She detonated, his name tumbling from her lips as she rode out the waves he tried to prolong.

  Now that was sweet. His name from her. He’d waited a lifetime to hear that.

  Maneuvering up, he kissed and licked, his body on fire for her. His cock throbbed like he’d been punched, and he needed to be inside her now.

  He kissed her, and she ran her hands down his sides, pausing at the contusions still there. “Theo.”

  “Broken ribs,” he confirmed. “House blew up.”

  She pushed his hair back, her eyes satisfied. “I’m so sorry. I wonder how he knew.”

  “Your anklet,” Theo whispered right against her ear and then moved to pepper her jawline with kisses. “We think it broadcasts. He could hear us talking earlier.” He kept his voice quiet enough that Saul couldn’t hear.

  “Oh.” She kissed his forehead and then paused. Her body went wooden board stiff. “Wait a minute.”

  Fuck. He shouldn’t have said anything.

  She pushed him hard enough that he rolled off her, and then she bounded to stand. Her breasts bobbed, and panic filled her face. “He can hear us? Right now?” she mouthed silently, gesturing wildly.

  Damn it. Theo stood, facing her down. “Yes,” he mouthed just as silently. It didn’t matter. This was going to happen, and right now, in order to protect her. It was the only way he could possibly keep her safe before the next mission. One they both had to go on. “Come here, Ginny.”

  * * * *

  Oh, bloody to the hell and no. Ginny backed away, the offensive anklet feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds. Her body was flush with desire, even now, but this could so not happen. She held up a hand to ward off Theo.

  Naked and fully aroused, he looked like an avenging god standing between her and the door. “Ginny.”

  The way he said her name—patience and determination and possession all rolled into two syllables. “No,” she whispered, not willing to speak any louder, although if the damn thing could hear her, it probably could make out the slightest of sounds. God. She’d just orgasmed. Loudly.

  As if reading her mind, Theo smiled, his fangs still showing. “You can scream my name as loud as you like for the world to hear,” he mouthed, very clearly.

  Heat flared into her face. She wanted to shush him, but he’d probably start talking louder so Saul could hear. Her clothes were on the floor, and she edged toward them.

  “No,” Theo said softly.

  Why did that low voice send butterflies winging through her abdomen? The brand on her palm ached with the need to mark him, and her entire wrist was starting to hurt. She’d have to take the pain until she could get the anklet off. She pantomimed that they needed to get it off by pointing to it.

  “After,” he mouthed clearly.

  She gulped.

  “Ginny.” He let his voice raise this time.

  She panicked and waved her arms to shut him up. Saul wouldn’t know what they were talking about. Well, he’d probably know, but he didn’t know that they knew that he could hear. She shook her head. This was crazy.

  Theo watched her, his gaze nearly physical. “Get back on the bed, Ginny.”

  Her sex clenched. Why in the thunder of the gods did that order, said in the gruff voice, turn her insides into lava? She went with her strengths and batted her eyes, fanning her face. “Theo? I need a moment. Please.”

  “No.”

  She coughed. No? He’d said no? She fanned harder, letting her body sway.

  “Oh, knock it off. Get your ass on the bed or I’m going to put it there,” he sa
id, his gaze implacable.

  She lost the act and glared. Why the hell couldn’t she fool him? And now Saul knew full on that they were arguing about sex. She put her hands on her hips.

  “That’s better,” Theo said, his chin lifting. His torso was wide and muscled, and his cock… Well, now. Hard, thick, and full. Apparently he had no problem standing there in the nude. Why would he? “Now, Ginny.”

  She only had one chance. Bunching her legs, she leaped for the door. He caught her around the waist, spinning her around and over the edge of the bed. She tried to stand, but he held her in place, her face to the bedspread, her feet on the plush carpet, her butt vulnerable to the vampire. Then he reached between her legs, his thumbnail scraping her clit.

  Nerves fired, sending electricity through her. She was so primed and ready. Her body moved against him, shutting out her brain. He rubbed her, his talented fingers knowing just where to touch. How hard and how fast.

  She bit her lip, pressing her mouth to the bed. No way would she make a sound. The hard slap of his other hand to her butt echoed through the room. Fire rushed through her, and she cried out. Another slap. This one she arched into. He lifted her all the way onto her hands and knees on the bed, his hand still working her, his body covering hers.

  She rode his fingers, unable to stop. He kissed the back of her neck and reached around to pluck her nipples. Lord and saints, it was too much. He was everywhere, his mouth and fingers, his thighs and the hard press of his cock at her entrance.

  He paused, and the world seemed to stop. “Ginny.” It wasn’t a question, but he still didn’t move.

  “Aye,” she said, pushing back against him. Her body ruled. She wanted this, and she wanted him. All of him. “If you can catch me.” She lunged forward.

  He instantly banded an arm around her waist, yanking her back toward him. Then he gently guided himself inside her, his arm solid as steel, taking his time as he took her completely. Pain accompanied his movements, followed by a pleasure so intense she had to shut her eyes. He was so big, he filled everything she’d ever be.

  Yet he went slow, letting her body get accustomed to him. Or maybe making sure she understood this was a claiming of the most primitive type. There was nothing she could do but accept him.

  On his terms.

  The fingers on her breasts tapped up until his hand settled on the front of her neck, holding firmly and lifting her head. She swallowed, her body open to him. Her heart flooded as he finally pushed all the way inside her.

  Theo Reese. Completely inside her. Tears filled her eyes. This. This is what she’d waited for all these years. He touched every nerve she had, inside and outside, his body bracketing hers and holding her in place. He was all male, and she’d never, not ever, felt so much the female. Oh, she’d played. But she’d never felt this feminine. “Theo,” she whispered.

  “Yes.” He pulled out and pushed back in, his movements slow and controlled. Then again. And again. Holding her in place, taking his time, taking her.

  A quivering started deep inside her in a place she hadn’t known existed. It spiraled out, circling.

  She closed her eyes again just to feel, her body softening. The second she did, he increased the speed and depth of his thrusts, pulling her back each time so he could go deeper. He hammered into her, hard and fast, his breath turning ragged in her ear. The quivers turned to shakes and finally sparks of live electricity.

  She broke first, screaming his name, the entire world exploding and then narrowing to right this second. His fangs flashed into her neck, going deep and striking bone. Pain detonated and then pleasure overwhelmed her, shooting throughout her entire body. She came hard, nearly sobbing with her orgasm.

  His fangs retracted and he licked her shoulder before pulling out and rolling her onto her back. A second later, and he plunged inside her again, lifting one of her thighs to go deeper.

  His eyes had turned a startling green. Crimson covered his high cheekbones, and his nostrils flared like a predator catching prey. He pounded inside her, his gaze intent.

  She clasped her ankles around his big back and tilted her pelvis to take more of him.

  He growled, and his fangs dropped again.

  Instinctively, she turned her neck to grant him access. The second he slid the fangs back in, she planted her palm right over his heart. The marking flowed through her, from her core, and branded on his flesh with a heat that sparked white and fierce.

  His fangs retracted, and he buried his head in her neck, shuddering as he came.

  She gasped out air, her chest panting, and rubbed his back. Holy saints alive. She’d just mated Theo Reese. She could sleep for a year.

  He lifted his head, a lock of hair falling across his forehead. “Now we get serious.”

  Chapter 13

  Theo spent all day trying to decipher the damn flash drive, even inventing new computer programs on the spot. Chalton checked in on the phone several times, also working the problem from his place.

  Ginny worked on her own laptop across the small table, blushing several times throughout the day.

  Theo let her work through her feelings, finally settling back in his chair at the kitchen table, his gaze on her. She was squirming a little in her seat, and he bit back a grin. “Sore?”

  She rolled her eyes. “No. By the way, what was up with the spanking?”

  It was fun listening to modern slang in her old-fashioned brogue. “Don’t put yourself in danger by robbing Realm banks, darlin’.” Plus, she’d liked it.

  She snorted. “This isn’t a Lexi Blake novel, damn it. Keep your hands to yourself.”

  “You don’t mean that,” he said, letting the smile loose. They’d mated. They should probably talk about that, but it was more important they lived until the next day. He sobered. It was time to get serious. “The meet is tonight at midnight.”

  “I know,” she said, glancing down at the ankle monitor, her jaw tightening.

  Theo grabbed her phone off the counter, scrolled through the contacts, and dialed one. “Saul?” he asked, his voice a low rumble. “I’ve mated Ginny, which means you have no chance. Now tell me where to meet you, and I’ll give you the flash drive in exchange for you removing the anklet and letting her father go.” He pressed the speaker button and put the phone on the table.

  She opened her mouth to argue, and Theo held up a hand. “Trust me,” he mouthed. They couldn’t let Saul know they’d figured out he could hear them.

  Her frown didn’t hold a hell of a lot of trust. More irritation, really.

  “Theo, how lovely to hear your voice,” Saul said, his tone even more nasally than before. “I have to say, I think Ginny could’ve done a lot better.”

  Ginny’s face blazed a bright red.

  Theo bit back irritation. “I think my mate is going to insist I gut you for that. Here I thought we’d reach an agreement like reasonable men.” There was nothing reasonable about the way he was feeling. His hand itched to go for his knife. “Saul, where shall I meet you with the flash drive my mate stole from you yesterday?” Yeah. He’d said my mate twice.

  “What flash drive?” Saul said. “Oh, the one planted in the Realm bank? There’s nothing on it but a new encryption program I’m developing.”

  Theo arched an eyebrow at Ginny, who shrugged. “I’m not buying it. I bet I’ll have it cracked by tonight,” he said.

  “Irrelevant,” Saul said. “Here’s the deal. I want Ginny and the Benjamin file at the meet. Not you. Not your brothers—assuming Jared survived last night. He wasn’t moving after the explosion, now was he?”

  The bastard had had cameras watching them. Theo forced a bored tone into his voice. “Dude, it’s Jared. He’s fine and now thirsting for your blood. You know. It’s a normal Tuesday for him.”

  “If she’s not alone, I kill her father,” Saul said, his voice rising imperceptibly.

  Theo moved to stop her from speaking, or to comfort her, but she stared at him calmly. Oh, sometimes even he forgot what
a badass she could be. “It goes without saying, and yet I’m saying it anyway. If you hurt Elroy in any way, I’ll hunt you to the end of my days. For sport.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “Rumor has it I have a knack for hunting.”

  Saul audibly swallowed. “I want the file, Theo.”

  “Why?” Theo eyed the program running rapidly across his screen. “It’s just family information. Some land ownings, other stocks, some secrets but nothing all that interesting.”

  “Oh, Theo.” Saul chuckled, low and loud. “I know what’s in there. The Green Rock file.”

  Fuck on motherfucker. Theo tensed but kept his voice level. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.” How had word gotten out, especially to a fucking shifter like Saul? Shit. Even if Theo somehow kept the file under wraps, he’d have to tell Chalton. Just so his brother had a heads-up. “You’re inventing rumors.”

  “You know I’m not. I know about the file, and I want it. In addition to the rest of the information on Benny and the family. I’m actually surprised he hasn’t come for your head yet,” Saul said.

  Oh, Benny was on his way, probably with his knife already sharpened. Or sword. Benny did love his swords. “Ben is family. That trumps everything.” Theo shook his head at Ginny’s inquisitive look. Benny would easily slice off Theo’s head if given the opportunity. The guy really did see things in black and white, and sometimes family became too much of a pain in the ass for him.

  “Tell Ginny I want her at midnight. I’m tired of dicking around here, Theo. Either she brings the flash drive or I’m letting the anklet finally do its job. Your mating is too new to protect her from the planekite, so I have to strike now before she can survive it. Tell the bitch she should’ve mated me.” Saul clicked off.

  “He is such a complete dick,” Ginny said, glaring at the anklet.

  Theo tensed for Saul to push whatever button he used, but nothing happened. Maybe the guy wanted Ginny at full strength for the night? Or maybe he didn’t want to tip his hand that he could hear them. Sick asshole.