Collared By The Warrior

by Daniella Wright

  “But… your family…” I mutter in shock.

  “You’re my family now, Jodie.” He replies. As we speed towards the airport, and towards our new lives, there is no question in my heart. I belong to him, and he belongs to me. We belong together. Forever.

  The Bodyguard

  ~Bonus Story~

  An Erotic Mafia Romance

  Luna

  I never thought that while on the lam from the mafia that I would meet someone I could fall for. I had been betrayed by men over and over in my life, but when I met Jett Cocker and saw his cocky grin for the first time I knew that I was in trouble. The chemistry between us was out of control and I gave myself to him immediately, but knew I had to be careful if I wanted to protect my heart.

  Jett

  Luna was just the thing I needed to ground me and put my life back on track. She started as a job, someone I had been hired to protect from some big bad men who were out to get her. She was dangerous, too, an assassin in her own right. I knew she didn’t much need protecting but I couldn’t stay away from her, especially since there was so much tension between us.

  * * *

  Chapter 1: Luna

  I kept an eye out for anybody suspicious. I always did; I was on the run from some dangerous people, people who wanted me dead for what I’d done. Though I looked unintimidating enough with my petite body and large doe eyes, I was an assassin for the mafia and had taken out a dangerous and beloved target. My ex-husband had betrayed me to my enemies, told them just who had killed their top guy and just where to find me. So I evaded capture by finding a place in the middle of nowhere, a small town far south of the place I had been living before. Occasionally, I’d move towns, never settling in one place for too long. I was good at my job and that meant handling the danger that came with it. Still, it was exhausting to keep a look out all the time, so exhausting that occasionally I’d let down my guard without thinking about it.

  I was sitting in a dingy little diner in the small town just off the highway I’d settled in for now, eating and minding my own business, when two men entered the building. I watched them out of the corner of my eye—they looked like brothers, both tall, one a bit overweight and the other lean and muscular. The latter looked younger and fresher, his eyes brighter than his brother’s, his movements more languid and easy. He flashed me a smile when he walked by me, all charm and wickedness, and I rolled my eyes and returned my gaze to the book in my hand. I assumed he would get the hint that I didn’t want to be bothered, but once the men had taken a seat at the booth across from me, he kept looking over at me. I felt his eyes on my face and for some reason blushed. He was undeniably handsome in a rugged sort of way.

  The older brother smacked the other one upside the head with a newspaper and he turned his attention away from me and leaned in to speak to the other man. I heard the older one snap at his brother but and say something in a hushed voice that I couldn’t hear. If they weren’t being so conspicuous, I would have been nervous that they were the men who were after me. They had to be locals or travelers, men who were just sitting down for a bite to eat. Nothing more. The waitress came by to take their order—she was a pretty thing, curvier than me, with long auburn hair and pretty blue eyes. Still, the younger brother only had eyes for me. I felt him staring and as soon as the waitress turned around I gestured her over to get my ticket.

  He stood quickly and approached my table, tapping his fingers on the fake marble top.

  “Good evening,” he said, and I smiled at him despite myself. There was an easy drawl to his voice and a sparkle in his eye that was more than a little attractive. “You look like you could use some company.”

  The older brother glared at him from the other booth but stayed seated.

  “I was actually just leaving,” I told him.

  “Shame,” he said. “I was hoping to take you home with me.”

  His boldness caught me off guard but I was still amused. I let out a soft laugh for the first time in a long time and put my hand on my hip. He studied my face, grinning, his eyes on my lips.

  “Thank you, but no,” I said; for some reason my heart was fluttering and the v between my legs reacting in the most annoying and distracting way. He really was handsome, with longish dark hair that framed his face and matched the stubble along his jaw. He had high cheekbones and olive skin with eyes so green they almost glowed. “I’ve really got to get going. Tempting, though.”

  “I’m sure it is,” he drawled, leaning against the booth. “I can tell you’re considering it.”

  I laughed again and brushed past him, leaving my ticket on the table.

  “At least buy a girl dinner first,” I said over my shoulder. He chuckled and I saw him lay cash on the table, then returned to the booth where his brother sat, his eyes following me as I left the restaurant.

  Back at my hotel I relaxed for a bit in bed and found myself thinking about the handsome stranger and our flirtation at the diner. It had been a long time since I’d taken any interest in anybody and I was surprised to find that I couldn’t get his rakish smile out of my head. He’d been so bold with me, so charming, and though I knew I’d never see him again, I could surely fantasize about what it would be like to have gone home with him.

  I thought about it for a while, then shook myself out of my reverie. I didn’t trust men, least of all the handsome ones. He was too much like my ex, the one who’d betrayed me, and I would never have let my guard down around him enough to even come close to intimacy. I got out of bed and slipped into my shoes, stepping out of my room and through the hall to the ice machine. I heard a noise behind me and turned, locking eyes with the same man I had been thinking about since I’d seen him at the diner. He approached me and took the bucket out of my hand, filled it with a smile and handed it back to me.

  “Are you following me?” I asked, my voice light and airy though there was a faint sense of trepidation in my body. I began to wonder if I’d been found by the people who’d been hunting me, if maybe he was one of them. If he was, he was certainly no good at his job.

  He grinned. “I assure you, I’m not. My brother and I are in town for some business and we’re staying at this hotel.”

  I smiled at him charmingly and brushed past him, our bodies touching slightly.

  “If you say so,” I said, then opened the door to my room. Before I knew it, he had slipped inside with me and shut the door, his back against the wood. I immediately pulled my gun at him, swirling around and aiming it at his face.

  “Well now,” he said, calm as ever. “That’s not very nice.”

  “Get out of here,” I told him, my voice and hand steady. I was a damn good shot and wouldn’t be afraid to pull the trigger if I needed to. In a flash he moved toward me, quicker than I could have imagined. He took my wrist and twisted the gun out of my hand, catching me off guard. Before I had a chance to respond he pulled out the cartridge and put it in his pocket, then kicked the gun under the bed.

  “No good girl carries a gun like that and then pulls it on a man,” he said, still smiling.

  “You’re the one that came into my room without permission,” I said back. “What do you want?”

  “You,” he told me. I wasn’t afraid of him, for some reason. More intrigued than anything. Once my chest had calmed down, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. “I’m fascinated by you. What’s your name?”

  “That’s none of your business,” I breathed. He was moving closer to me, prowling toward me like a cat. I didn’t move, couldn’t move. I felt a heat building in me that I’d never felt so quickly before. Just the idea of him in my room after what he’d said earlier, after the things I’d been imagining only a few moments before, made my body tremble involuntarily.

  “Fair enough,” he said.

  He was studying my face with a small smile on his lips. His eyes traveled down my neck, my breasts, my hips. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but only seemed to fan the flames of my rising desire for him. I didn’t know what it was about him
that made me react in such a way, only that when I closed my eyes I couldn’t help but picture his naked body on top of mine. He moved closer and touched my neck with one fingertip, sliding it up, then over my jaw line.

  “If you won’t tell me your name, sunshine, maybe you’ll at least consider giving me a bit of your time.”

  I sighed and opened my eyes. They connected with his, which were electric with power and want. I could sense he was reading my mind, because he put his fingers to my lips and stroked the bottom one. My mouth parted for him and he leaned in and kissed me softly.

  “No strings,” he said, grinning against my lips. “Let me make you come.”

  I kissed him back then, unable to stop myself. His tongue slipped between my lips and drew mine out, his mouth warm and sweet and soft against mine. I knew I shouldn’t be doing this but my mind was blank, filled with only an inexplicable lust for a man I didn’t even know. It was just one night. One night of what I hoped would be pleasure, and then he’d be gone. I had a feeling he’d be good, knew in my body that a man like that would have no trouble getting my body to respond. He broke our kiss only to pull my shirt above my head; I was wearing no bra and so my breasts were bare to him. I felt wanton and hot, felt an immense pressure building in me as he took my breasts in his palms and circled the nipples with his thumbs. His kiss was passionate and deep as if he’d known me forever. His fingers pinched my nipples, rolling them into hard points before he lowered his arms to unfasten my jeans. He pulled them down but left my panties on, then pushed me down onto my bed. He knelt before me, spreading my legs so that his chest was between them, took a nipple into his mouth and sucked it gently, flicking it with his tongue. I moaned and wanted to rub my legs together, wanted to apply friction where I needed it most but he was holding my knees apart with his arms, his hands tracing my thighs from knee to a spot just before he got to my mound. I knew then that this would not be a quick and easy thing. He was going to draw it out as much as possible, make me as hot as he could before rewarding me with what I wanted. He switched to the other nipple and finally put his palm to the outside of my wet panties and rubbed my mound in a circle that drove me crazy.

  “Stop,” I breathed. He looked up at me with one eyebrow raised in a question.

  “No, I mean stop teasing me.”

  He grinned and began to stroke me through my panties with the tips of two fingers.

  “But that’s the best part. Be patient, sunshine,” he said in a low voice. “I promise I’ll reward you if you let me take my time.”

  As he spoke, he applied more pressure with his fingers, taking time to toy with my sensitive and swollen bud. I lifted my hips upward in frustration and he tilted his head down to kiss my mound, running his tongue up and down my slit through the fabric of my panties. Then he took them off, pulling them down around my ankles so that I was fully naked. I knew that the folds between my legs were probably obscenely ripe, wet and pink and swollen with desire. I had never been so turned on before and from the look on his face it was quite obvious. He pressed his lips to my mound and kissed it gently, then stood up and undressed himself. I marveled at his body, the tattoos that covered it, the slim muscles and large shaft that looked almost too big to fit. He pushed me further on the bed and crawled atop me, pausing to kiss my navel, my breasts and my shoulders.

  “I thought I could wait,” he said, his voice a soft growl of desire. “But I need to be inside of you. Now.”

  I needed that, too. More than anything. I opened my legs for him and he took one over his shoulder so that my legs were completely spread, then aimed himself inside of me and pushed in so slowly it was almost agonizing to take. I started to lift my hips immediately to set a rhythm for our movements, my body almost out of control. He gave a soft laugh and matched me stroke for stroke, staring into my eyes, at my lips as he moved. It was the single most erotic moment of my life to watch him rock back and forth inside of me, to feel him stretching and filling my channel with his large, perfect shaft. I was so close to coming and I closed my eyes, waiting for it to wash over my body, but he put his hand on my chin and squeezed.

  “Look at me,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. “I want you to look at me while you come, sunshine.”

  So I did. I writhed underneath him the moment he placed his hand between my legs and began to rub at my bud while he moved inside of me. I let out a loud moan that was impossible to keep in and my legs shook as my hips bucked against his. He pulled out and spilled his seed on my belly, lowering my leg from his shoulder and climbing off the bed a few moments later. He disappeared into the bathroom and came out with a warm towel, wiped me off with it, then tossed it in the hamper. Then he laid on his back on the bed next to me and turned his face toward mine.

  “Good?” he asked.

  “Amazing,” I breathed, though part of me didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. He grinned at me and ran a finger down my body. I wanted to go again but I was suddenly too shy to ask for it. He seemed to read my mind, because he pulled me on top of him.

  We spent the rest of the night interlocked. Much later, he fell asleep next to me, and I dozed off soon afterward.

  In the morning, he was gone. I was relieved that he’d stuck to the no-strings-attached agreement, even though I had been surprised with how comfortable I’d been that he’d spent the night. We had cuddled in our sleep, my leg slung over his hips, head pillowed on his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around me. It was both comfortably and uncomfortably intimate.

  I was getting ready for the day when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see the man with a bag in his hand, leaning casually against the doorway.

  “Breakfast,” he said, holding the bag up. I looked around the hallway.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” I said. “No strings meant no strings.”

  He shrugged. “I liked what I got. I just wanted to bring this by. To thank you.”

  “I’m not interested,” I said, and he shrugged casually, that charismatic grin on his face. He put the bag down on the ground and walked away without another word. I made sure he was gone when I picked it up. It had been nice of him to bring it, though I was uncomfortable with the gesture. The night before was something I had never done and didn’t want to repeat. I didn’t even know his name; I knew nothing about him. He could be dangerous. I went inside my room, setting the bag on the table by the door, and finished getting ready for the day. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t get the man out of my head.

  Chapter 2: Jett

  “We’re not here for you to sleep with the target,” Alan snapped at me, running his hand through his hair. “I can’t believe you stayed the night with her.”

  “Technically, she’s not our target,” I pointed out. “We’re here to protect her, not kill her.”

  Alan sighed and looked up at me, shaking his head. “You are such an asshole sometimes.”

  “Listen,” I said. “It’s not a big deal. I got closer to her, didn’t I? That was the point.”

  “That’s not why you did it and you know it,” he said. “You just couldn’t control yourself. You never could.”

  “You’re right,” I told him. “I couldn’t. Not with her.”

  It was true. Just thinking about her, about our night together, made me hard as a rock. I obviously hadn’t intended on sleeping with her when we’d taken the job, but one look at her in the diner made me want her so badly it hurt. Meeting her eye is what did it, seeing that smile. I’d made up my mind then that I would have her. And she had melted in my hands like butter, responded to my body in the most perfect way.

  We had been hired to protect Luna by her ex-husband, who had betrayed her to the mafia boss whose right-hand man she had assassinated on assignment. She was a dangerous woman, a hitman, and that turned me on even more. Though I hadn’t shown it, I had been slightly alarmed when she pulled her gun on me when I’d slipped into her room. I hadn’t been surprised, but she was a killer, and I knew that she would protect herself if s
he thought me a threat. I was good at putting people at ease, talking my way out of any situation, but I found it more pertinent to disarm her than to convince her to put the gun down.

  We’d taken the room right next to hers in the hotel so that we could keep an eye out on her during her stay. I hoped to run into her often, though it was obvious that she was trying to distance herself from me. There had been a look in her eye, though, when I’d brought her breakfast. She had been thinking about the night before, about how I’d felt inside of her tight, wet channel, filling her up and giving her more pleasure than she had ever felt before. Certainly her bullshit ex-husband had never paid half the attention to her body as I had. He struck me as the type of man who was selfish in every way; he had betrayed her, after all, and though he was trying to protect her now, it was clear that he had done so to save his own neck. The thought filled me with anger, made me want to protect her even more.