by Tara Wyatt
She managed a tiny smile. “No, but it might entertain me.”
He returned her smile, and she brushed at a tear with the back of her hand. “I just feel like this isn’t ever going to end, and that I can’t win. If I back down, that’s not a guarantee they’ll leave me alone. Not after the video of my speech went viral. But if I don’t, this kind of shit will keep happening. They’ve tried to kill us more than once now.” She slipped her arms back around Sean’s waist and leaned her head against his broad shoulder. “This can’t keep happening.”
“The police are doing everything they can, but they don’t have a lot of concrete evidence to go on.”
“Sierra? Are you OK?” She turned at the familiar voice as Sean’s arms tightened around her, not letting her go. Jack strode toward them, his face pale, his eyes worried. His pace slowed as he took in the charred remains of the house. “Oh my God. I’d hoped it wasn’t true.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth and then studied her. “You’re OK?”
She and Sean stood. “I wasn’t home. I’m OK.” She looked at Sean. “We’re OK.”
Jack glanced upward for a second before rubbing his hand over his mouth again. “Thank God.” He blew out a heavy breath, his hands on his hips as he surveyed the damage. “Listen, I got your e-mail, and I might be able to help.”
Her stomach dropped, and an itchy prickle of heat raced over her skin. She hadn’t told Sean about the e-mail, and now it looked as if she’d gone and deliberately e-mailed her ex-boyfriend behind his back. Which, OK, was kind of what she’d done, but only because she was trying to get both of them out of this situation. She chanced a glance over at Sean, whose brow was furrowed.
“What e-mail?” he asked, and she knew he was angry at being left out of the loop.
“Sierra e-mailed me asking if I could help with the investigation into Sacrosanct, that’s all. And,” he said, turning his attention back to Sierra, “I have a lead on someone who used to work for them. Someone who can give us names, descriptions, even addresses. If I can arrange a meeting, are you interested?”
“Yes, if—” said Sierra at the same time that Sean gave an emphatic “No.” Both she and Jack looked at him. He pushed a hand through his hair, shaking his head as if in disbelief. “It’s way too fucking dangerous. No way am I letting you anywhere near anyone from Sacrosanct, former member or not. Not gonna happen.”
Sierra opened her mouth to speak, but Jack beat her to the punch. “I understand. I’ll keep working my connections, see what I can dig up.” He pulled Sierra in for a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re OK.” He got back into the waiting town car and sped away. When she turned back around, Sean’s mouth was pressed into a thin, tight line.
“You e-mailed Jack?”
She bit her lip, guilt churning her stomach. “Are you mad?”
His expression softened, but she could still see a flicker of anger in his eyes. “No. I just wish you’d told me.” He walked back toward Antonio, and she pressed a hand to her chest, wishing she could rewind a few minutes. Hell, wishing she could rewind back to yesterday, when she’d still had a home.
After a moment Sean came back, his hands shoved in his pockets. “We can go. They’ll call you with any updates or if they need any information.” He raised a hand and cupped her cheek. “You can stay with me as long as you need.”
She leaned into his touch. “I only e-mailed Jack because I want this to be over. I didn’t tell you because there was nothing to tell. I just want to get us out of this.” She wasn’t done making her case for reaching out to Jack’s potential contact, but she knew that now wasn’t the time. She also knew that she didn’t have the mental or emotional energy for it right now. Losing her home had left both her brain and her heart feeling heavy and sluggish as she tried to process the reality of it.
“I get it. But in the future…”
“I won’t keep stuff from you.”
He kissed her, and she felt as though they were back on an even keel. Relief trickled through her. “That’s all I ask. Come on. Let’s go home.”
* * *
Sean had lied to Sierra, and he felt like shit about it, but he didn’t know what else he was supposed to say. Her house had burned down, for fuck’s sake, and he wasn’t going to pile on by admitting that, yeah, he was pissed she’d e-mailed Jack behind his back. Not because he had issues with her talking to Jack, but because she hadn’t told him about it. She hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him, and that hurt. Especially after everything they’d shared the night before. After all the times she’d told him she trusted him.
But right now wasn’t the time to poke into any of that. He needed to focus on keeping her safe, and they could sort through everything later.
He dropped his keys on the table by his front door and locked it behind him, setting the alarm. She’d been quiet on the drive over, her expression unreadable, and he hated how powerless he felt. There was nothing he could say, nothing he could do to make what had happened any less horrible. She’d lost her home and was in shock. Soon enough the devastation of what had happened would creep in, and he’d need to be there for her. That was more important right now than any anger he might be feeling.
He headed into the kitchen to rustle up some food, and she settled on the sectional in the living room, still quiet. When he returned a few minutes later with sandwiches, she was lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling with a thoughtful look on her face, her phone in one hand, the other toying with the shooting star pendant she’d told him her father had given her shortly before he’d died.
“I can’t do this anymore,” she said, still staring at the ceiling. He set the plates down on the coffee table and sat down, pulling her feet into his lap. “I can’t keep living my life like this, and neither can you.”
“We’ll get through it, Sierra.”
“I need to put an end to this.” She sat up and curled her feet under her. Away from him. She held up her phone. “I had a text message from Jack. His contact is willing to meet to give information. But he’ll only talk to me. He doesn’t trust anyone else.”
“If he has information to give, he should go to the cops. Or, hell, why can’t he just give the information to Jack? I don’t understand why he needs to meet with you. I don’t like it.”
She reached out and laid a hand on his cheek. “I want to do this. For me, and for us.”
He laid a hand over hers. “No.”
“But what if this could put an end to everything? It would just be a meeting, and we’d do it as safely as possible. If this guy has information that could stop Sacrosanct, I need to see this through so that I can have my life back. So that dangerous shit doesn’t keep happening to us.”
“No, Sierra. There are too many variables, too many unknowns. It’s a terrible idea. It’s my job to keep you safe, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I let you meet with some stranger, even if I was with you. God only knows what we’d be walking into.”
“Well…you wouldn’t be there. Like I said, Jack’s contact will only talk to me, so I’d have to go by myself.”
Sean let out a mirthless laugh and pushed up off the couch, pacing to the window with his hands on his hips. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me with this, Sierra.” He shook his head, watching the traffic below and trying not to lose his temper. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. This entire idea sounds incredibly dangerous and stupid, not to mention suspicious as hell.”
“I thought you didn’t suspect Jack anymore.” She stood a few feet away, her arms crossed.
“My answer’s no. How do you not see what a fucking terrible idea this is? You’re smarter than that. I know you’re scared, I know you’re frustrated, but no way is this happening. No fucking way.” He sliced his hand through the air, hoping that would be the end of it.
But, to be fair, she had warned him that she was stubborn.
“You’re damn right I’m scared! You’re damn right I’m frustrated! You’re not hearing me, Sean. I. Want. My. Life. Back!
And yes, I know this plan isn’t ideal, but it’s a shot, and I want to take it. I need to put an end to all this!” She threw her phone down on the couch and it bounced against the cushions before landing on the floor with a quiet thud. She took a breath, and then another. “I want to do this.”
He clenched and unclenched his hands, trying not to let his anger and frustration get the better of him. “I’ve kept you safe up to this point, and I’ll keep protecting you until this is behind us. You said you trusted me. Is that still true?”
Her expression softened, and she bit her lip. “Of course I trust you. This isn’t about that.”
“Really? Is it because you trust me that you e-mailed Jack behind my back?” Well, shit. He hadn’t meant to throw that in there, but it was too late to take it back now.
She stepped closer, only a few inches away. “I e-mailed Jack behind your back because I can’t take watching you put yourself in danger for me.”
“I can protect myself, Sierra. I can protect both of us.”
“But what if we can put an end to this?” she asked, cycling back to the beginning of the argument.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “No.” He took a breath, trying to get a handle on his rising temper, heat beating through his veins.
“Because you’re mad I e-mailed Jack?”
Something in him snapped, and he pulled her roughly against him. “Because you’re mine.”
Immediately his mouth was on hers, rough and demanding, and she opened her mouth hungrily. She’d never kissed him quite like this before, and he kissed her like a drowning man trying to breathe. His erection pressed firmly against his zipper and he backed her against the wall, wanting to cage her in, to keep her and protect her from everything. The desperation brought on by the argument hadn’t eased, had only become brighter and hotter, fueling the fire between them.
“I fucking love you, Sierra.” He spoke the words against her mouth, his teeth scraping against her lips.
“Sean.” She moaned out his name on a half sob, and his hands circled her ribs before sliding up, his palms rubbing against her peaked nipples. She choked out a moan and deepened the kiss.
She pushed at his T-shirt, her fingers scraping over his stomach, and he yanked it over his head, dropping it to the floor. As he kissed her with greedy hunger, she raked her nails down his back, the sting of her touch only ratcheting up the intensity sparking between them. She broke the kiss and pressed her mouth to his chest. He sucked in a breath as her teeth nipped at his skin, and he laid his hands against the wall on either side of her head, trying to hold himself upright under the weight of need crashing down on him. Need to protect her. Need to make her understand. Need to be inside her.
“Take your clothes off. Now.”
Eyes holding his, she pulled off her T-shirt, bra, and denim shorts, leaving only a pair of light-blue cotton panties. Without waiting for further instruction, she pried open his belt buckle and shoved her hand into his pants, underneath his boxer briefs, firmly gripping his hard cock.
She met his eyes as she stroked him. “It’s because I love you that I want this over.”
With her hand still in his pants, he shoved them down and stepped out of them, amazed at the level of coordination he had, considering her fingers were curled around his cock. Her words fueled his hunger for her, and he squeezed her breasts and buried his face in them, sucking and nipping across her skin, savoring each shaky breath, each throaty moan, each shiver. His teeth raked over her nipple, and she cried out, arching into him.
Words were failing, but maybe he could make her understand—that she was his to protect, that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe—with his body. Maybe then she’d let this dangerous idea go.
He shoved his boxer briefs down, and his cock snapped against his stomach, thick and heavy.
He pulled her into his arms and led her over to the couch, kissing her as they walked. When they reached the back of the sectional, he spun her around, his cock pressed against the smooth flesh of her ass. With one hand he bent her forward over the couch while he teased his cock over the fabric of her panties with the other. Pushing the cotton aside, he slipped a finger into her. He took a shuddering breath as he slowly eased in and out of her, adding a second finger and drawing a long, loud moan from Sierra.
She glanced up at him over her shoulder. “Fuck me, Sean.” His breathing hitched, and dark lust seared through him.
Roughly he pulled at her panties, but he tugged too sharply, and the fabric tore. Unable to stop himself, he let out a low growl and tore them all the way off before plunging into her, hard and deep. She cried out, moaning his name and a string of curse words. She was so hot around him, so tight and wet, that the pleasure of being inside her was almost too much to take, and he moaned loudly. He thrust into her, establishing a brutal, thrilling rhythm that had every muscle in her body quivering. Caressing a hand up her back and into her hair, he pulled gently, and she arched her back, giving him even deeper access. He pulled again, a little harder, and she screamed out his name.
His breathing harsh, he pounded into her, driving her higher and higher. He smacked her ass with his free hand, and she pushed her hips back into him, riding him.
“Tell me you’re mine.” His voice was hoarse, full of emotion and lust that was echoed back to him when she spoke.
“I’m yours. God, Sean, I’m yours.”
“Mine.” He ground the word out as he drove into her, savage and possessive. She started to come on his cock, pulsing around him and setting all his nerve endings on fire, burning as he took her, hard and deep. Her muscles clenched around him, and he buried himself deep inside her, her name tearing from his mouth on a loud, harsh groan as his orgasm rocked through him.
Mine. The single syllable beat through him like a drum, over and over again, hypnotic and rhythmic.
Mine.
Chapter 27
Sierra lay in Sean’s arms on the couch, a blanket thrown over them, neither of them speaking. She stroked her fingers through his chest hair as he ran a hand up and down her back. She pressed her cheek against his chest, reassured by the steady thump there, breathing in his scent as she held him tighter.
She’d never loved anyone more in her life than she loved this man. She closed her eyes and tried to figure out what to do. She knew that he’d never agree to her plan—that much had been clear. She also knew that meeting with Jack’s contact was potentially a chance to get them out of this situation.
He kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter against him, and she knew they were clinging to each other because the way they were living now wasn’t sustainable.
An idea zapped through her, and her heart sank.
She could go over his head. She could call Antonio…Patrick. If she could get them on board with meeting Jack’s contact, maybe Sean would see that she was right. And then they could put all this behind them.
If he ever forgave her for going behind his back. She knew she’d hurt him with that e-mail. This would be ten times worse. A hundred times. If Antonio and Patrick agreed to her plan and it worked, it might get them out of this situation, but what would their future look like if she went around him? He’d be furious with her.
But if it kept them both out of harm’s way, maybe that was justification enough. She loved him, and she couldn’t let him keep putting himself in danger for her.
He kissed the top of her head, and her heart lurched. Given his relationship with his father, involving him without Sean’s consent was basically taking a stick of dynamite to the relationship they’d just started and blowing it to smithereens. But she also knew that Patrick was the only one at Virtus who held any kind of authority over Sean.
Maybe Sean would see that she’d had no other choice, and they could rebuild.
So many maybes and ifs. Too many. So she focused on the certainties.
She loved Sean. She wanted, more than anything, to get them both out of this situation. To keep him safe.
&nbs
p; Sean loved her, and as long as Sacrosanct was still out there, he’d put himself in danger time and time again to protect her.
Maybe he would understand that she was doing this not just for her but for him. That she was doing this to protect him so that they could have a future together. That she was doing this because she loved him.
Another big maybe.
She was desperate, and with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she knew she had to take this chance. Take it and deal with the fallout once everyone was safe.
She sniffled, fighting back the tears stinging her eyes. Sean tipped her head up with a finger under her chin.
“Hey. Shhh. It’s OK. I’ve got you.”
She let the tears fall, savoring the feel of his arms around her while her heart tore itself to shreds. She wasn’t sure how long they lay like that, holding on to each other. Not long enough before he moved to sit up.
“I should hit the grocery store. The fridge is pretty bare. Anything you want me to pick up?”
She sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself, smiling weakly. “Some new underwear?”
He nodded and chuckled. “I won’t be gone long, and the building’s secure. Set the alarm behind me and call me or one of the guys if you need something.” He kissed her once, a brief, sweet kiss on the lips, and then started pulling his discarded jeans on. A few minutes later he left, and she watched the door click shut behind him. She picked up her phone, tears streaming down her face.
She called first Antonio and then Patrick, telling them about the informant Jack had managed to track down who wanted to meet with her to give her information on Sacrosanct. As she’d expected, both of them immediately jumped all over the plan, and she invited them to come over, hoping they could sway Sean to their side. But even if they couldn’t, she was still going through with it. They finally had a solid lead on Sacrosanct, and she intended to do her part in bringing it down. How could she not, after all the shit it had put her through?
Antonio and Patrick arrived together before Sean got home from the store, using Patrick’s key card to get into the building. She let them in and they all sat down around the small dining table adjacent to the kitchen.
