Sweet Revenge

by Christy Reece

  “Raise your arms.”

  Her entire body now a mass of quivering, aroused nerves, Jamie lifted her arms and Dylan whipped her shirt over her head. Then, with speedy efficiency, he unhooked the front clasp of her bra.

  His voice thick, he growled, “Take off your shoes.”

  Feeling hypnotized by the hot green eyes holding her gaze, Jamie slipped her shoes from her feet. Quickly, he took her jeans, along with her panties, and shoved them down her legs.

  “Step out of them.”

  Once again, Jamie complied. Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult. Dylan was giving her no time to think, to do anything other than follow his gruff commands.

  The knowledge that she was completely nude and he was still partially dressed penetrated her haze of lust. She had never felt vulnerable with him, and though the heat inside her could almost make her forget, she couldn’t help but feel a little uncertain.

  As if he could read her thoughts, Dylan used the same quick efficiency on himself and in seconds was stripped bare. Jamie let her eyes feast on him: the rock-hard chest, copper-colored nipples, and light sprinkling of springy black hair that trailed down the unbelievably hard abdomen. Her eyes went lower, and her entire body clenched at his penis jutting out toward her. The other night, the room had been dark, and though she’d felt his erection inside her, she hadn’t touched him the way she’d wanted to. Tonight, she wanted to know Dylan in every way possible.

  Her hand went tentatively toward him, and Dylan caught it before it could reach him.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He tugged at her arm. “Let’s lie down in front of the fire. We didn’t get to do this the other night. I want to make up for it.”

  Following him, she asked, “Do what?”

  He pulled her down onto the rug and lowered himself beside her. “Explore.” And with those words, Dylan pushed her gently onto her back and began a heated and thorough exploration she wasn’t sure she would survive. Starting at her neck, he tenderly bathed her with his tongue, then nibbled his way down to her breasts, where he spent torturous, bone-melting moments sucking and licking. Before he could continue farther, Jamie stopped him with her hands on his shoulders. “Wait.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “When do I get to do the same thing to you?”

  For an instant, before he quickly masked it, something like astonishment flared in his expression. “I want to make you feel good.”

  She almost laughed. “Touching you will make me feel good.”

  Pressing a quick, hard kiss to her mouth, he moved to lie back on the rug. “Then have at it, sweetheart.”

  Feeling as though she’d been given the keys to fantasyland, Jamie placed her hands on his chest and began to live out what she had only dreamed.

  At the first touch of her soft, delicate hands on him, Dylan knew he was in trouble. Control during sex had never been a real issue with him. Giving pleasure to a woman was one of nature’s greatest wonders, and he’d enjoyed the hell out of it more times than he wanted to count. The other night, though he’d come close to losing it a couple of times, she had allowed him to give her pleasure without the need to caress him. Tonight, she wanted to play, and while he couldn’t deny that it felt better than damn good, losing control wasn’t a comfortable place for him. Locked inside him were fierce emotions that were rarely unleashed. He didn’t lose his temper, rarely said things he didn’t mean, and almost never veered from a set course. Trust Jamie to tempt him like no one else.

  Her hands glided down his chest and stopped on his stomach. Dylan ground his teeth as she slowly caressed him, her hand going lower and lower, until she stopped at his throbbing cock. A cool, soft hand closed around him, and he bucked up, hissing his pleasure. He hadn’t come prematurely since puberty, but damned if he didn’t think that was about to happen.

  “You’re like hard steel encased in satin.”

  He’d been watching her hands, but at the wonderment in her voice, he moved his gaze to her eyes. She looked so enthralled, almost enchanted. He’d never seen that look on a lover’s face before. Jamie was truly enjoying touching him.

  At that realization, Dylan knew he’d hang on. Tonight would be the last time they’d be together. The memories would have to sustain him for a lifetime; he’d be damned if he’d shorten her pleasure or his by coming too soon.

  The first lick of her tongue almost had him changing his mind. Gritting his teeth, he endured the delicious feeling of her hot, tight mouth sucking on him and then taking him deep, almost to her throat. He endured until it was no longer humanly possible.

  With a gentle touch to her face to get her attention, he pulled out of her mouth. “Don’t think I don’t love this, but …” Unable to speak with any coherence, Dylan grabbed a condom he’d hidden beneath the rug. After easing it over his erection, he rolled, taking Jamie with him. Above her now, he set out to make sure she was fully with him. Kissing her deeply, he sucked on her tongue, loving her moans, her fingers digging into his back. He lifted his mouth and trailed kisses down the length of her body, stopping at the juncture of her legs; then he lowered his head and delved deep with his tongue. She was wet and so hot he almost lost control again as he imagined what it was going to feel like to slide inside her.

  Unable to wait, he shifted between her legs, raised them up, and pressed into her. His gaze locked with hers, and her eyes widened as he went deeper, and then deeper still. Finally buried to the hilt, Dylan lost all hope of maintaining any kind of control. Setting up a hard, driving thrust and retreat, he rode her until explosion loomed. Determined to make sure she was with him, he put his thumb on her clitoris and pinched. She gave a soft little scream and spasmed around him. Finally giving in, he groaned her name as he came.

  Sated and so relaxed she could barely move, Jamie rubbed her face against Dylan’s chest. The experience had been beyond her comprehension. The other night, Dylan had been passionate but so controlled. Tonight that control had broken. He had groaned her name several times, and while the pleasure he’d given her had been phenomenal, his obvious pleasure had increased her enjoyment even more.

  As if in deep thought, Dylan absently caressed her hip. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking, but she feared the answer. Would he go back to treating her as if she barely existed? No, she wouldn’t allow that.

  His voice grumbled under her ear. “Dinner is probably ruined.”

  She wanted to say that it was okay, she wasn’t hungry. Unfortunately, her stomach, at the word “dinner,” gave a loud, rumbling reminder that it was empty.

  Another rumble sounded under her ear, this time husky laughter. The sexy, masculine sound sent heat running through her veins again. “I guess that means I need to get up and find us something to eat.”

  “We never did eat the cheese and crackers.”

  Dylan rolled her over, pressed a quick, hard kiss to her mouth, and got to his feet. Grabbing the tray of cheese and crackers, he set them in front of her. “Munch on these. Be right back.”

  Enthralled, Jamie watched a very naked Dylan pull on his jeans and pad into the kitchen. When she could no longer see him, she picked up a piece of cheese to nibble. She was tempted to offer to help, but he seemed so intent on doing everything himself, and Jamie couldn’t deny her delight at the thought of Dylan wanting to please her.

  She had barely swallowed her second piece of cheese when he appeared at the kitchen doorway and announced, “It’s salvageable.”

  Before she could ask what that meant, Dylan headed toward her with two steaming plates. She looked around and quickly cleared off a place on the coffee table.

  As he set the plates down, Jamie was suddenly very aware that she was nude. Though he’d seen, tasted, and touched every part of her body, the thought of eating a meal naked was a little too extreme.

  “Here.”

  She turned to catch the shirt Dylan tossed her—his shirt. Standing, she shrugged it on and stood still as he buttoned it for her.
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br />   “Though I’d much rather take your clothes off than put them on you, I figured you’d be more comfortable.” Leaning down, he gave her a quick whisper of a kiss. “Besides, I’ll look forward to taking it off you after dinner.”

  Jamie was tempted to tell him to forget about dinner. Before she could open her mouth, he turned away. A ragged sigh escaped her. The man was too potent.

  Dropping a plump pillow on the floor next to the table, he held out his hand. “Come eat.”

  Jamie sat down and breathed in the fragrance. “Smells delicious.”

  “My grandmother’s lasagna is hard to mess up.”

  Jamie took a bite; flavors exploded in her mouth. “Oh wow, this is good.”

  “I made it yesterday while you were working out and kept it in the fridge overnight. That was one of her secrets … she said it brought out the flavors.”

  “Your grandmother must’ve been a wonderful cook.”

  Without looking up from his plate, he nodded. Jamie mentally shrugged. Dylan wasn’t the type to be forced into anything. When and if he ever told her anything more about his past, it would be because he wanted to, not because she’d coerced the information from him.

  From talking with McKenna, she knew that many LCR operatives had come from horrific backgrounds or circumstances. It hurt her to know that Dylan’s childhood had scarred him so deeply. The one clue that he’d given her—that his father had killed his mother—was certainly enough to damage any person for life. But Jamie had a feeling that there was even more behind his inability to share. She sensed a deep, never healed wound. Would he ever let her get close enough to soothe those hurts?

  Feeling his eyes on her, she raised her head and swallowed a startled gasp. There was a look on Dylan’s face she’d never seen before—a dark, hard, almost ruthless expression. In the next instant, it was gone, replaced by a wry grimace. “Wish we had some of those brownies you made the other day.”

  Suddenly nervous and not sure why, she turned her mouth up in a tense smile. “I could whip some up for you.”

  “That’s okay. There’s something I’d rather have anyway.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You.”

  It was an odd feeling to shiver with excitement and blush at the same time. Though they’d made love less than an hour ago, the memory of Dylan’s kisses, of his mouth on her breasts and between her legs, of his hard body driving into her caused a reaction in every erogenous zone she possessed.

  “Are you finished?”

  Had his voice gotten thicker? Heat flooding through her, she nodded. Thinking to help him clear the dishes, she stood and picked up her plate. Before she could move, he took the plate from her and set it back on the table.

  “I’ll clean up later.” Surprising her, he scooped her into his arms and strode toward her bedroom.

  Something had changed Dylan’s mind tonight. At some point, they’d have to talk about what and why, but that could come later. For now, she wanted to revel and delight in the knowledge that this brave, gorgeous man wanted her. Everything else could wait.

  His jaw tight, Dylan dropped Jamie onto the bed and followed her down. He’d started the night with the clear intent of finding out Jamie’s secrets. Instead, he’d gotten completely off track, detoured by the sheer need to kiss her, hold her, and be inside her.

  That couldn’t happen again. He might hate himself for what he had to do, but he’d hate himself a lot more if Jamie went through with her cockamamie plan and ended up dead. Seducing a woman to get information from her wasn’t his forte. Dylan knew he didn’t have the charm it took. However, never had he been more determined to seduce a woman in his life.

  Unbuttoning his shirt, which she was still wearing, he slowly uncovered her beautiful breasts—round with dark pink nipples that were peaked and hard, as if begging for his mouth. He knew their taste, how they would redden even more once he’d suckled on them, and knew the moans she would make deep in her throat.

  Moving the shirt over, he shifted his gaze to her flat stomach and her delicate little belly button. His eyes went farther, taking in her sleekly toned legs and narrow, feminine feet. Her body quivered, and he was startled to see her arch upward toward him. Unable to resist, he trailed his fingers over her torso, bypassing the dark gold curls at her mound, and traveled down one leg and then came up the other leg.

  “Dylan, stop torturing me.”

  The husky, aroused voice almost did him in … almost made him forget his goal once again. Desire pounded through him; he wanted nothing more than to mount her and reignite the fire they could create within each other.

  His eyes roamed up and down her body, devouring her. He was ready to kiss, caress, and love her until she was so insensate with need, so desperate for release, she would hold nothing back from him. She would give him everything in return for the intense pleasure only he could offer.

  He raised his gaze to her eyes—a fatal mistake. Desire shimmered within their depths, but he also saw the innocence and the trust. She had given him her body so sweetly. Trusted him not to hurt her, not to take advantage of that gift. And now, what was he about to do? He was about to breach that trust. Holy hell, was he any better than the bastards who’d hurt her before?

  Cursing violently, Dylan shot off the bed.

  Jamie gasped and sat up. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t do this.”

  “Do what? I don’t understand.”

  She looked at him as if he were crazy. Damned if he could argue with the assessment. He knew what he looked like. Standing in front of the bed, half naked, wild-eyed with lust and an erection so hard he could hammer nails with it. Hell, she was probably wondering why she’d wanted him in the first place.

  Reason and anger were all he had left. He opted for reason first. “You need to tell me what you know about Reddington.”

  Her eyes went wide with astonishment. “I don’t understand.… Why are you bringing this up now?”

  “Because time is running out. The bastard’s returning to business as usual. If you’re holding back information that could get us inside his organization, it’s not only damn irresponsible, it’s fucking selfish.”

  She flinched, but he refused to feel guilty about his bad language. If the F-word bothered her, she was in for a hell of a wake-up call.

  “I’ve already told you that—”

  “Yeah, I know. You’ll tell McCall when your training is over. That’s not soon enough. I need to know now.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m leaving.”

  Her entire body jerked as if he’d slapped her. “Where are you going?”

  “I’ve got a new op.”

  “But what about—”

  “Aidan Thorne’s going to finish up your training.”

  “But why?”

  “Because I’ve got a new job.”

  As if just realizing that she was naked she jerked the shirt over her body. Her hands were shaking, and he knew that no matter what he said or did, there was no way she wasn’t going to be hurt. Might as well get to it and get it over with.

  “You’re not trained, Jamie. You’ll never be trained for this kind of operation. You’re a schoolteacher. A young woman who something bad happened to. It’s only natural that you want revenge, but—”

  Like Venus rising from the sea, she rose slowly from the bed and got to her feet. “Don’t you dare tell me what I am. I know what I am, Dylan Savage. And I know who I am.” Her voice was shaking badly, and at first Dylan thought it was because she was about to cry. When he saw her eyes, he realized that the tremble in her voice came from fury, not tears.

  “You think this is all about revenge, you go right ahead. I know my reasons.” She turned and opened a dresser drawer.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Packing.”

  “Jamie, stop it.”

  “No. My training is over as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Dammit!” Grabbing her shoulder, he pull
ed her around to face him. He should have remembered that he’d trained her for this kind of attack. She whirled and punched his face. Dylan jerked back, but she still got in a stinging blow to his jaw.

  Refusing to let that deter him, he wrapped both of his arms around her and pulled her off her feet. Throwing her onto the bed, he pinned her down and growled, “Dammit, settle down and listen to me.”

  Furious breaths heaved through her body as she glared up at him. “Let. Me. Go.”

  “As soon as you calm down.”

  She bucked up and tried to throw him off. He had more than a hundreds pounds on her and a hell of a lot more training. He didn’t budge.

  “Let me up.”

  “Damn you, Jamie. You can’t even handle me. How the hell do you think you’re going to not only survive in a snake pit with Reddington and his minions but steal information from him?” He lowered his head and growled into her ear: “Tell me what I want to know and I’ll let you up.”

  As if they both realized that this was the final act—that whatever came next would be the end, one way or the other—they froze in place, neither of them breathing. Seconds passed. Then finally, inevitably, Dylan felt Jamie’s surrender. The breath whooshed from her lungs as she wilted like a scorched flower. “I know where he gets his domestic help.”

  “What?”

  “The company he uses in Madrid to get his domestics is called Superior Services. I thought if I could apply as a maid, I could get into his home and steal his files.”

  At the thought of her actually going to Reddington’s hideaway, Dylan’s blood froze. “Dammit, Jamie. We have credible intel that the bastard sold several of his domestics when he tired of them.”

  “That’s why I wanted the training. To get what I need and then get away from him.”

  He was torn between shouting at her for being such a naïve fool and kissing her for wanting to be so brave and creative. He did neither. With the knowledge that no matter if she stayed for further training or left now, whatever they had between them was over, Dylan pulled away from her and stood.

  Jamie didn’t move. Just continued to lie there as if she had no life left in her.