by Liliana Hart
“Is the pool table taken?” Mia asked her.
“A group just cleared out. It’s all yours.” She gathered empties from a table, balancing the tray and making it look effortless. “It’s good to see Zeke back in town,” she said, conversationally. “Almost didn’t recognize him. He looks a lot different than he did at nineteen.” She winked and chuckled. “He spent a lot of summers here. Lord, he and those MacKenzies got into some trouble. I’m surprised Duffey even lets any of them in the door.”
“He must not be too mad,” Mia said. “They’re talking to each other.”
“That’s because Duffey is still trying to get Zeke to pay for some damages. Duffey just likes to complain. He’ll overcharge Zeke for the beers and then he’ll feel like he’s gotten away with something. Let me give you a tip. When you’re ready to order anything else, come find me. I’ll make sure your ticket is right.”
Mia shook her head and smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Hey, you guys have had a rough week. Duffey should be giving you the beer.” Jana stretched her neck out to the side to look around the corner toward Duffey. “Don’t tell him I said that. That man’s never given away a thing in his life.”
“Why do you work for him?”
“I’m his granddaughter.” Jana winked and smiled again, and then hefted the tray onto her shoulder and headed toward the kitchen.
Mia already felt the tension draining from her shoulders. Zeke had been right. It was nice to get out. They’d been cooped up at the shop or her apartment all week. It had been nothing but work and worry.
She headed to the far back of the restaurant and took the little hallway to the left. It was a private room they sometimes used for bachelor parties, but it was the only area big enough for the pool table. She tossed her leather jacket over a chair and went to check the cues. And then she racked the balls and waited for Zeke to arrive. Spot her a couple balls her ass.
* * * *
Zeke came in with a pitcher of beer and two frosted mugs, and it was a damned good thing he’d had a good grip on them. Mia was his every fantasy, and the sight of her leaning on her cue stick in worn jeans and a stretchy white top made his cock hard enough to drive nails. She’d let the natural curl in her hair reign free and it flowed down her back, tempting him.
The thought crossed his mind that he might be better off tossing her over his shoulder and heading back home, but then another idea came to mind. He kicked the door shut with the heel of his foot and brought the beer over to one of the little round tables, pouring them each a glass.
“Did you order dinner?” he asked.
“Not yet.” She took a sip of beer and licked her lips, and he swore he felt her tongue straight down his dick. “I figured we could eat after I beat you a couple of times.”
He arched a brow and grinned. “Now you’re talking my language. What do you say we make it interesting.”
“Irish boy,” she said with a smile. “Everything’s a bet.”
“Life’s a bet. So?” he asked. “You in?”
“What are the rules?”
“Winner takes two out of three games. Straight pool.” He answered.
“And what do I get when I win?” she asked, arching a brow.
He laughed and felt the adrenaline surge through him. “Winner gets to be on top. And the loser has to do whatever the winner demands.”
“Ahh, so laundry and doing the dishes. Sounds like a deal to me.”
“Be careful, Mia. I haven’t forgotten how to spank you.”
“Mmm,” she said. “You’d have to win to try it.”
“Challenge accepted. Rack ’em.”
Mia set her cue against the wall and went to the opposite end of the table, leaning over and pressing the balls tight in the triangular rack. Then she lifted it carefully. He could see right down the vee of her shirt to the soft mounds of her breasts and the lacy white bra that barely covered them. His cock had been hard from the second he’d imagined her stretched across that pool table, and he hoped he could concentrate enough to put his money where his mouth was. She was a temptress, and he wanted to be tempted.
As soon as the cue stick was in his hand, his competitive streak took hold. This wasn’t a game he wanted to lose. He broke and the clack of balls hitting was like music to his ears. They’d spent a lot of time in pool halls over the years, watching drug deals go down or just becoming known in the community.
By the end of the second game, he was starting to worry that he might be doing laundry and dishes after all. He’d won the first game. Barely. And she’d taken the second game that had been equally as close as the first.
“You want to quit?” she asked.
“Are you forfeiting? Because if you forfeit that means I win.” He waggled his eyebrows and said, “And I’ve been seeing my handprints on your ass in my head ever since I mentioned it.”
“You’re a sadistic bastard, McBride.”
“You never used to complain, baby.”
“Your break. Unless you want to forfeit. I’ve got a pretty amazing fantasy going through my head too. I’ll let you wear my apron while you’re doing the dishes.”
“I’m just adding a tally of strokes that are going to show red on that sweet ass of yours. Keep talking, sweetheart. My hand is itching.”
The corner of her mouth curled up in a smile and he recognized the look in her eyes. It was the look she had just before he usually found himself flat on his back with her hot mouth around his cock.
The game went quickly. He ran the table and then just missed getting the eight ball in the side pocket. He was sweating bullets as Mia had her own run of luck. She lined up her final shot, and he held his breath as she pulled back the cue stick. And then he watched in disbelief as her cue shifted just slightly out of alignment as she made the shot. The eight ball went in the corner pocket. But the cue ball didn’t stop like it should have. It spun back and went in the side pocket on the opposite side of the table.
Zeke’s eyes met hers as she looked up at him over her cue stick.
“Looks like I missed,” she said.
“Looks like you did.”
He didn’t remember how he got to the other side of the table where she was standing so quickly. He only knew she was there and his mouth was on hers—hot and wet—devouring. He couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop.
His tongue caressed hers and he shuddered as her fingers curled around his shoulders, her nails biting into them.
“God, Mia. You drive me crazy.” His hands skimmed down her sides and he grabbed her hips, pulling her against him so she could feel the rigid length of his cock. His teeth nipped at her lips and he drank in her gasp.
“Let’s go,” she panted. “I want you inside me.” Her head was arched back so her neck was exposed and her eyes were half closed, her lips swollen from his kiss.
“I won, baby. My rules. My demands. I’m going to fuck you right here.” He felt her shiver against him and knew the idea of being caught was always a sexual high for her.
She shook her head. “No, Zeke. We’ll be caught.”
“Not if you don’t scream,” he whispered against her ear. “I’m going to fuck you. And you’re going to feel the heat of my hand against your ass.”
His arm wrapped around her waist and he spun and lifted her so she sat on the edge of the pool table. There wasn’t a lock on the door, and they could both hear the rumble of voices and the clank of glasses from the bar. Their time was limited, so he knew he had no choice but to give them what they both needed fast and hard. He could take his time later, once they’d gotten home.
* * * *
Mia gasped as he lifted her onto the pool table. His mouth found her lips and then his teeth nipped playfully. His mouth moved down her neck and the rasp of his beard scraped against her jaw. She arched into him and felt the hard ridge of his cock press against her clit.
He always pushed her sexually. To discover what she liked, what she feared, and what turned her on. Som
etimes the discoveries intertwined.
“God, Zeke. Hurry.”
His hands came up and grabbed at the vee of her T-shirt, and then he ripped it right down the middle, exposing her bra. Her nipples tightened and her eyes widened with excitement. Her heart pounded in her chest and liquid pooled between her thighs. Her clit throbbed, and she knew it would take very little to plummet her over the edge.
“You are so fucking beautiful.” His voice was rough and raspy and she shivered against him. And then his fingers flicked at the front clasp of her bra and her breasts were exposed to him.
“And you’re making me crazy,” she panted. “I said hurry.”
“Baby, you know it never does any good to give me orders. I’m contrary like that. And I won. I’m issuing the orders here.”
“You won because I threw the game. I decided getting fucked sounded a hell of a lot better than watching you do my laundry.”
His fingers went to the button of her jeans and flicked them open. She lifted her hips so he could pull her jeans and underwear down to her ankles. Her boots were in the way and she growled in frustration at not being able to get her legs wrapped around him.
“Let me tell you a secret,” he whispered. “Even if you’d won you’d still be sitting here on this table with your jeans around your ankles and your tits exposed to the world. You’re too tempting, baby.”
His fingers were rough and trailed over her hip to the slick flesh of her pussy. She was swollen and sensitive, and she hissed as he rubbed against her opening, sending pleasure straight to the taut bud of her clit. She was so close to coming her body tensed and her legs shook with anticipation.
“Anyone could walk in at any time,” he said, continuing to stroke her. “Do you know what they’d see?”
“Zeke,” she groaned, trying to move her hips against his fingers, but he had her anchored to the pool table with his arm.
“They’d walk in and see a woman so fucking sexy they’d be seeing you in their wet dreams from now on. A body that makes a man want to sit up and beg.” He squeezed the hard muscles of her bicep and then brought his hand down so it cupped her breast gently. “You’re hard and soft, all at the same time.” His hand trailed down farther until he cupped her pussy again. “And then they’d see this—bare and pink and wet—just waiting to be fucked.”
“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is, hotshot? Or in this case, why don’t you put your dick in my pussy and we’ll call it even.”
“Fuck, that mouth of yours, Mia. Always getting you into trouble.”
“If by trouble, you mean fucked, then thank God for my mouth.”
She gasped and then laughed as Zeke pulled her to a standing position, turned her around, and then pressed his hand against her back so her breasts rasped against the felt of the pool table.
Anticipation soared through her as she heard the rattle of his belt being undone and the rasp of his zipper. And then she felt the thick head of his cock push between her thighs. He teased her, rubbing his dick through her wetness, and then she felt the burning and stretching of her pussy as he slid inside of her.
“Ohmigod,” she moaned, her head arching back as her breath caught. She couldn’t spread her legs because of the binding around her ankles, so the fit was tighter and she felt every inch of him as he invaded her. And then he was embedded to the hilt and she felt his testicles slap against the lips of her cunt.
He pulled back slowly and she felt every stretch of tissue before he rammed home again. Her mouth opened on a silent scream as pleasure unlike anything she’d ever experienced arced through her body. Her muscles tightened around him and liquid honey coated his cock, and then he settled into a pounding rhythm that sent sensations tearing through her.
“Fuck, you’re so tight. I’m not going to last long, baby. Let me feel that sweet pussy squeeze me tight while you come.”
She heard the strain in his voice and felt his cock swell the closer he got to orgasm. The head of his cock pressed against her G-spot every time he thrust inside her and her fingers scraped at the felt of the table, trying to find something to anchor her during the storm that had taken over her body.
“Come on, baby. Come on,” he panted.
And then she felt it. He pushed against her G-spot one more time and held there. Waves of sensation stole her breath. Her pussy clenched around him, spasming as the orgasm took her by surprise with its intensity. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she was vaguely aware that his hand clamped over her mouth as she began to scream out her release. She didn’t care. A hundred people could’ve rushed through the door at that moment and her orgasm wouldn’t have stopped. She was powerless against it—against the debilitating pleasure that devastated her system.
Ecstasy roared through her and Zeke grew harder and bigger inside of her. And then he leaned over her, his hand still over her mouth, and he bit into her shoulder to silence his own cries as he exploded inside of her. She felt the powerful jets of semen against her inner walls, and it triggered another small orgasm that left her gasping for air.
Seconds, or minutes, or hours passed. She had no idea how long they lay there like that—him covering her body, his cock still semi-hard inside of her. She’d be sore. Eventually. But at the moment she could barely form a coherent thought in her head and her body was numb.
He kissed her shoulder—a sweet gesture considering the feralness of their lovemaking. And then he said something that would’ve made her laugh if she’d had the energy.
“If we hurry home we can do this again.”
“As long as I don’t have to do anything but lie there,” she murmured, slurring her words like a drunk.
He slapped her ass and she gasped as he pulled out of her, the muscles of her vagina swollen and not wanting to release him. “And that’s different how? You just laid there this time.”
“If I had the energy I’d punch you for that.”
“If you’ve got enough energy to punch me then you’ve got enough energy to be on top next time. Now pull your pants up and let’s go or I’ll throw you over my shoulder like you are and carry you out.”
She wouldn’t have put it past him, so she did as he asked.
Chapter Seven
Mia was half asleep as they parked the 4x4 in her spot, but movement near the stairs of her apartment caught her eye. Cooper was just coming down the stairs.
“I thought I’d take the chance y’all would be home,” he said once they’d gotten out of the car.
Mia pulled her jacket tighter around her ripped shirt and wondered if she looked like she felt—like she’d been completely and satisfactorily fucked.
“What’s up?” Zeke asked. “Come on in. We went to Duffey’s for a couple beers.”
To her surprise, Mia felt heat rise to her cheeks, and she was grateful it was dark.
“I’m surprised he even let you in the door,” Cooper said, smiling. “Man, those were the days.”
“I know. Whoever thought either of us would end up on the side of law and order?”
“Not Duffey, that’s for damned sure.”
Mia unlocked the door and shivered as a blast of cold wind wrapped around her porch, and then they all stepped inside into the warmth.
“I won’t stay long,” Cooper said. “I wanted to let you know a couple of fishermen found a body out where they were casting. She’d been in the water a couple days, but the coroner was able to ID her from her prints. She’s identified as Tina Wolfe and has a record. Prostitution and petty theft for the most part. And she’s associated with The Vaqueros. She was a house mouse for a while and then moved up to old lady status. She belonged to Wild Bill Jones.”
“What was cause of death?” Zeke asked.
There was something in the tone of his voice that made her turn and look at him. And then everything started to fall into place and she knew.
“Her tongue was cut out and her hands were both cut off. And they branded her on the inside of her thigh. They’re obviousl
y sending a message. She ratted them out somehow.” Cooper looked at Zeke with some kind of silent communication and she remembered Cooper wasn’t a fool. He’d done his time in the military and a stint or two undercover as well. “Cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head. Execution style. Just like The Vaqueros like. Just thought you might like to know.”
“Yeah,” Zeke said, nodding. “Thanks.”
Cooper left and she closed and locked the door behind him. And then she turned around to face Zeke. “Tina Wolfe was your informant?” she asked.
He nodded and then paced to the wall and back, running his hands over the top of his head in frustration. “Son of a bitch.”
The waves of his anger were palpable, and she knew if he had something to punch he would have. He’d take responsibility for Tina’s death. Blame himself. That part hadn’t changed. He’d always felt a personal responsibility—whether it was to the lowest kind of informant or one of his undercover officers. Everyone was his. He cared. Too deeply sometimes, and that’s why he’d had such a hard time walking away from the job.
“She came in the shop last week,” Mia said. She understood now. Knew why he’d been holding things back from her. He was working an op and he’d been using Tina to gather intel.
“I know,” he said. “Just like I know you’ve got the music box. I snooped through your bag the other night while you were asleep.”
Her lips pressed together, but she couldn’t be mad. She’d have done the same thing if their positions had been reversed.
“I knew I could trust you with the information that’s hidden in that music box. So I told Tina to be patient and wait, and then to take it from Wild Bill when she could. He’s the club president and she was given a certain amount of freedom that the other women didn’t have. She waited until they were gone to a club meeting and then took the music box. She told the other girls she was heading out to get her nails done. And she never looked back once she hit the road.
“She contacted me immediately. We told her we’d bring her in for protection if she brought us the box, but she didn’t trust cops. Some habits die hard, and she felt she’d be safer on her own. So we had to come up with another plan. I gave her the address for your shop and told her to sell it to you and only you. She was determined to escape, despite the danger she knew she was in.”
