by Liliana Hart
“You didn’t ask to use my shirt,” he said. “It seems like your manners are as bad as mine.”
“I’ll make sure to give it back after I look at your arm.” Her throat was dry as dust, and if he didn’t stop circling his finger on the back of her thigh, just where his shirt ended, she was going to be a whimpering puddle at his feet. “Do you have a first aid kit?”
“Yeah,” he said, blowing out a long breath, his arousal obvious behind the stretched fabric of his cargo pants. He pushed her back gently and bent down to grab the first aid kit from underneath the sink.
Bayleigh wet a washrag with warm water and cleaned away the blood. She’d seen her fair share of scrapes and cuts growing up with Brady and Brant, and she knew when a wound needed stitches. Stubborn man.
“Here,” he said, shoving the whiskey she’d sat by the sink into her hand. “I don’t have any antiseptic. This is as good as any.”
Bayleigh took a quick swig from the bottle, grimacing as the liquor burned a path all the way down her throat and into her stomach.
“If you say so. Button up, buttercup.”
She poured the amber liquid over the slice in his arm and winced right along with him as she imagined the burning pain he must be feeling.
“Sorry, sorry,” she said, blowing on it like her mom used to do when they got cuts or scrapes. “I can see almost to the bone, Cade. You’ve got to get stitches.”
“You sew, right?” he said, taking the bottle from her hand and slugging it back. “Just pretend I’m a piece of sexy, delicate silk.”
Bayleigh took a step back and stared at him in shock, the horror of what he was asking starting to penetrate. “Umm, I don’t think—”
“We don’t have a choice. I can’t go to the hospital. The cartel that I was working undercover in has found me. The DEA didn’t destroy it as fully as we’d hoped. Miguel’s son has taken over the reins and he’s here, and he’s been in contact with me. He knows I’m interested in you, and you’re in danger because of it. He’ll stop at nothing to make sure that I pay for what happened. You need to understand the severity of the situation. This is life or death, Bayleigh.”
“It seems a bit extreme to make me a target. We barely know each other.”
Cade grasped her by the chin and made her meet his eyes. “He knows me well, Bayleigh. He knows I wouldn’t normally pursue a woman like you unless—”
“Unless what?”
“I’ve got thread and a needle tucked into a pocket there,” he said, changing the subject. “I need to get bandaged up and get a couple of hours sleep before the sun rises.”
He grabbed the bottle of ibuprofen from the first aid kit and swallowed three of them, while Bayleigh took the needle and thread and swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. Her hands shook and little black dots starting flashing in front of her eyes.
“Take another drink and relax,” he said. “Try not to think of it as flesh. Make your mind see it as something you’re comfortable with.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Not really. Did you notice the scar on my thigh?”
Bayleigh felt the heat rush to her cheeks and she busied herself by threading the needle. She’d noticed everything about his body. He laughed softly and she felt her face flame hotter.
“I didn’t have anyone to sew that one together. That was a little reminder left by Miguel. His way of making sure I was as tough as he’d heard I was. I had to stitch myself together with my left hand. It didn’t turn out pretty.”
She took a deep breath and poured the whiskey over the needle before piercing his flesh. He didn’t even wince as she began to make tiny stitches along the gaping wound.
“I thought you were left-handed,” she said absently, focusing on the task at hand. “Why would that be a big deal?”
“No,” he said, his voice strained even though he wasn’t moving a muscle as she worked. “I got shot in the hand a few years ago, and I had damage to some of the tendons. I couldn’t use it at all for a while, and I had to sit behind a desk until I could show I was proficient using my weapon with my left hand. It’s part of the reason I was given the opportunity to go undercover in del Fuego’s organization. I wasn’t of any use as a field agent, and they needed someone unattached to infiltrate.”
“I’ve got to tell you, I’m not a fan of the fact of how often you seem to get shot or stabbed. Maybe you need a new line of work.”
“Yeah,” he said, his sigh soft against her skin. “I’ve been thinking that a lot lately. But I can’t do anything until the del Fuego cartel is in ashes.”
“There,” Bayleigh said, taking a step back, her stomach feeling queasy now that she was done.
Cade dug around in the First Aid Kit until he came up with some Neosporin, and he spread it liberally over her neat stitches. “Here, wrap me up. Not too tight,” he said, handing her a roll of gauze.
Bayleigh wrapped the wound, and tried to process everything Cade had told her. She’d spent her entire life trying to escape the thought of the dangers her father and brothers faced on a daily basis. And here she was, thrown into a situation she had no control over and falling in love with a man who made her brothers seem like docile pets.
“I think I need to go home,” she finally said after an awkward length of silence. “I’ve got to work tomorrow, and I haven’t exactly had a restful night.”
She handed him the supplies and turned to open the door, but his hand pushed against it before she could get it open. His body shifted, and she felt the presence of him looming over her back before his lips feathered across her ear. Shivers skittered over her skin before she could control her reaction.
“If you think I’m letting you go now,” he whispered, “After I’ve felt how you hold my cock like a glove, then you’re in for a hell of a surprise.”
Chapter Ten
“Cade, don’t make this harder than it already is. I’m not built for this. You could make me fall in love with you.”
He stiffened behind her, rejecting the words, even as they brought him satisfaction. He wanted her love. He just didn’t know if he could return it. After Carmen, he wasn’t sure he was capable of ever loving anyone again, and he hadn’t even wanted to try because of the danger in his life. Not that his caution had helped him any this time. Bayleigh had drawn him in and he was facing a situation that could end up similar to when Carmen was killed. Only this time, he didn’t think he’d be able to survive it. Bayleigh had wrapped herself around his heart that quickly.
Love wasn’t something he could deal with just yet. He only knew he wanted Bayleigh to belong to him. And that it was his duty to keep her safe. Nothing else mattered right now.
His hand skimmed up the silky length of her inner thigh, rubbing in slow circles, teasing at the sensitive flesh he knew was already wet and creamy for him. Her breath hitched as he nibbled at the spot just between her neck and shoulder, and he used his other hand to quickly undo the buttons of the shirt she’d borrowed from him.
She shuddered beneath his fingers and her head leaned against the bathroom door in defeat. She couldn’t deny him, just as he’d never be able to deny her. He turned her around so she faced him and took her mouth quickly—the kiss hot and deep and wet. They were both panting for breath by the time they broke apart, and Cade took a step back before he lost control completely. He’d never lost control with a woman. Never let her take him to the point where rational thought disappeared and all that was left was the animal nature writhing inside of him, trying to break free and claim what was his.
The sight of her pressed back against the door almost had him coming in his pants. Her golden hair was tousled sexily around her face and her lips were swollen and red from his kisses. The dress shirt she wore gaped open, but it was caught just at the edge of her nipples on each side, tempting him with glimpses every time she inhaled. His gaze traveled down to the bare flesh between her thighs, dewy with desire.
He sank to his knees in front of
her, his tongue seeking the sweet honey that coated her pussy, and he reveled in her cries as he sucked at her clitoris and speared inside of her with his tongue. Her hands tangled in his hair and her legs widened so she was able to thrust against his face. He pulled back some, alternating between gentle caresses and hard thrusts, keeping her just on the edge of fulfillment.
“Please, Cade. Stop teasing.”
“But it’s so much fun,” he said, skimming his fingers along the delicate folds before sinking one long digit inside of her.
“Ahh,” she screamed, clamping down on his finger, flooding his mouth with her desire as her orgasm drew nearer.
“You’re so tight around my finger. I can’t wait to feel you on my cock. You’ll be swollen from the orgasm I’m about to give you, and I’ll have to push my way inside you, inch by inch, as your pussy grips me like a fist.”
“Please, please,” she begged, almost sobbing with her need.
Cade withdrew his finger and then added a second as he pushed back inside of her, his mouth clamping on to the taut bud of her clit and sucking it, flicking it rapidly with his tongue, until he felt the explosion of her come against his taste buds. He drank her in until the spasms stopped and she collapsed against him in exhaustion.
He held her up with his good arm and leaned her against the vanity as he untied his boots and stripped out of the rest of his clothes. Her eyes were dazed and half-closed and he could see her heart pounding beneath those amazing breasts. His cock was hard and his balls were drawn up tight. Seeing her unravel in front of him hadn’t done a lot for his control. He’d be lucky to last thirty seconds once he got inside of her.
“No more running from me, Bayleigh. No more denying what you feel. We’re in this together, and I swear I’ll keep you safe. You just have to trust me.”
The shadows that clouded her eyes didn’t go unnoticed, and he wished he could hunt down every one of the bastards that had convinced her she wasn’t good enough—wasn’t special in their arms. They’d whittled away at her self-confidence and undermined her sexuality to the point she had trouble even reaching an orgasm. He could still see her inner struggle the closer and closer she got to coming, and it broke his heart. As much as he demanded her trust, she still wasn’t giving it to him. And he had to have her trust—no, her soul—to be able to do all the things he wanted to do to her, with her.
He slid open the glass door of the shower and turned on the water, making sure the temperature was nice and warm. Steam filled the room quickly and he went back to Bayleigh, taking her into his arms and kissing her softly, deeply, until she was pliant and needy against him once more.
“You shouldn’t get your arm wet,” she said as he led her into the shower, adjusting the nozzle so it didn’t get her hair wet.
“It’ll be fine, sugar. Just kiss me again. I’m so hard for you I ache.”
She surprised him by nipping at his bottom lip, and he growled as pleasure shot straight to his cock. Her mouth was hot and aggressive as her tongue stroked along his own. Cade pumped soap into his hands and quickly washed the night’s activities from his body, and he almost spilled into her hand when she grasped his cock in that tight little hand and started pumping.
“Enough, Bayleigh,” he said, silencing her protest with his mouth.
He backed her against the cool tile wall of the shower and brought her leg up so it wrapped around his hip. The heat from her pussy enveloped his cock as he probed at the saturated folds. Her eyes fluttered closed as he pushed the swollen head inside of her, her inner muscles clamping around him and pulling him inside. She was so wet, so hot, so—unprotected.
“Fuck,” he said, clenching his eyes closed in frustration. “Condom.”
She tightened her leg around his waist and he slid inside a little further, the need to bury himself fully suddenly overwhelming.
“I’m on the pill. Don’t stop. Please.”
The inner struggle didn’t last long. He knew birth control wasn’t a hundred percent effective, but damned if he wanted to put latex between them now that he’d had a taste of what she felt like when they were flesh to flesh.
He groaned in surrender and plunged to the hilt inside of her, holding completely still once he got there because the come in his balls was boiling to the point of explosion and he wasn’t ready for this to end yet. Her inner muscles quivered around him and he gritted his teeth, even as sweat dripped from his temples.
“Damn, you feel too good,” he said, giving up on the battle.
He pulled out of her to the tip of his cock and then slammed back inside of her, swallowing her scream of pleasure with his mouth as he swelled inside her and shot thick streams of semen deep inside her. Part of him hated that she was on the pill—that need to mate and show his dominance by planting his seed inside of her all he could think of as he thrust inside her over and over again.
His lungs burned with the effort to breathe and he could tell that she was struggling to get control of herself. She hadn’t orgasmed, but she was close.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, pulling from her slowly, watching in awe as the combined fluids from their bodies dripped to the shower floor. “I’ll fix it.”
“What?” she asked, genuinely confused as he pumped more soap into his hand and gently cleaned between her thighs.
“You didn’t get there. Just relax and I’ll make sure we’re even in no time.”
“I don’t have to get there, Cade. You give me more pleasure just being inside of me than I’ve ever had before. I don’t expect to come every time. In fact, from what I’ve read, most women don’t come every time they have sex. You don’t have to take it as a personal challenge.”
“Oh, but I do. If you don’t come it means I haven’t done my job right. And I’m always meticulous about getting the job done right.”
He rinsed away the soap and turned her around so her breasts pressed against the tile. He trailed his fingers down her spine, enjoying the goosebumps that pebbled her flesh, and then further down between the cheeks of her ass, swirling once around the puckered star of her anus before dipping in to the drenched folds of her pussy.
He pulled her back some so her cheek and arms were braced against the wall and her ass was presented to him. His fingers teased and tormented as she writhed against him, seeking penetration.
“Christ, do you know how beautiful you look spread out like this? I’m getting hard again. Like a damned teenager. Only you do this to me, Bayleigh.”
She shook her head in denial and whimpered as his fingers parted her folds and pushed inside. She took him in greedily and pushed back against his fingers, fucking them in a rhythm that had her moaning with pleasure.
He brought his other hand up and circled gently around her rear entrance, dipping down to her pussy and gathering juices, and then bringing them back up to lubricate the tiny hole. He sank his index finger inside slowly, stretching the unused portal until she was pushing against him, trying to take more.
“I’m going to take you here soon, Bayleigh.”
He added a second finger, so he now had two in her pussy and two in her ass, and he worked them back and forth in tandem until her legs began to quiver from the strain of pleasure.
“I’ll push inside your tight ass and sink all the way to my balls. You’ll love it, baby. I can already tell. Your pussy is weeping right now, wanting what I can give you.”
“Yes, yes,” she hissed, her body jerking back and forth, searching for the satisfaction that seemed so elusive.
“Have you ever been fucked in the ass? Did your other lovers take you there?”
She shook her head, the words unable to be spoken.
“It’s a shame,” he said. “Maybe that’s why you couldn’t come for them.”
He removed his fingers from her pussy and replaced them with his cock. It was as hard as it had been the first time he’d taken her. He pushed inside of her slowly, his only purpose this time in giving her the release she craved. His hand slipped benea
th her, plucking at her turgid nipple as his thrusts grew deeper, harder.
“Cade,” she chanted over and over again.
He kept his thrusts steady even as his fingers kept working in and out of her ass, and he brought his other hand down until it cupped her weeping pussy. His fingers plucked at her clit, strumming and circling the engorged nub until he felt the ripples of her inner walls around his cock.
“Yeah, baby,” he whispered. “Come all over me. Drench me in that sweet pussy juice.”
His naughty words sent her over the edge and her screams were silent as passion swept through her. Her cunt clenched around him and her ass tightened on his fingers. Wave after wave ripped through her until he could no longer hold his own orgasm back. He gripped her by the hips and fucked her hard before his come coated her insides.
He caught his hand on the wall above her head and hunched over her, hoping to God he wouldn’t embarrass himself by collapsing to the floor. The sight of her face had a smile quirking at his lips. He was pretty sure she was asleep on her feet. He pulled out of her with a groan and cleaned them both up, all the while holding her lax body against him.
“Come on, baby. Time for bed.”
She burrowed against him, her cheek fitting just under his chin, and he felt the lock snick open on his heart.
“Shit,” he whispered, closing his eyes and looking up at the ceiling. He wasn’t ready. As long as he kept that little bit of distance between them, she’d never know how much control she had over him. Because at that moment, he was willing to give her everything.
Chapter Eleven
“I have to go to work, Cade. You can’t just keep me locked up in the house because you’ve decided I’m in danger.”
Bayleigh poured a cup of coffee and dug around in his pantry for something edible. She came out with a half a loaf of bread and an empty box of cereal. She checked the fridge and saw he had a few bottles of beer and two eggs and she sighed in disgust. Her brothers’ refrigerators always looked the same.
