The Legend

by Donna Grant

  “Are you going to join me or stand there staring?” she taunted.

  “I’m enjoying the view.”

  With a carnal smile, she spread her legs, giving him a view of her sex and the triangle of trimmed hair. “Still want to wait?” she teased.

  The last of his self-control vanished. He knelt between her legs and held himself over her with his hands.

  “Please,” she begged, the smile gone. “I need to feel your weight atop me.”

  He lowered himself, settling between her legs.

  Her eyes closed as she sighed contentedly. “I missed this.”

  “I missed you.”

  The words were out before he could stop them. But if he thought they would have any effect on her, he was wrong. She acted as though she hadn’t heard him while running her hands over his back.

  He was glad she hadn’t heard. That way, he didn’t have to explain or lie. And he wouldn’t repeat such a mistake. It didn’t benefit either of them.

  He hissed in a breath when she ground her hips against him. He knew what she wanted, because he wanted it, too. But it wasn’t time yet.

  He wanted to hear her scream in pleasure first.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Callie was on fire with an ache that only Wyatt could ease.

  “I missed you.”

  His words rang in her head like the tolling of a bell. They were so unexpected, so astonishing that they blindsided her. There were no words because she didn’t want to think about what his whispered confession meant.

  She only wanted to feel.

  To take the promise of pleasure he offered.

  All thought ceased when he kissed down her stomach to the junction of her thighs. She held her breath, waiting. He lightly nipped the tender flesh of her inner thigh, causing her to gasp and then moan.

  His large hands spread her legs, holding them open. She looked at him to find his gold eyes on her. A shiver of awareness, of pure, unadulterated longing went through her like lightning. Every nerve ending sizzled, her muscles tightening. Her breath stopped.

  His mouth hovered over her, his warm breath fanning over her womanhood. With agonizing slowness, he lowered his head and ran his tongue over her.

  Her heart skipped a beat when his eyes closed, and he moaned at the taste of her. At this rate, she would go up in flames.

  But she should’ve known that this was only the beginning with him.

  He used his thumbs to spread her woman’s lips then he licked, laved, and teased her swollen clit. Her head dropped back as pleasure slid through her, wrapping her in its clutches until she was a slave to its bewitching and irresistible lure.

  With one look or touch, she turned into a wanton. Once she was in his arms, it was useless to fight the inevitable. Her body knew the ecstasy that awaited—and yearned for it.

  He was the master of decadence and hedonism, as if he’d been schooled by the gods on how to bring her to unimaginable heights.

  And she, the willing sacrifice, submitted completely.

  The flames of desire soared, engulfing her. It coiled low in her belly until she was a quivering mass of nerves. She couldn’t form words to beg Wyatt to end her torture. All she could manage was to sling her head from side to side as he brought her ever closer to that pinnacle.

  And just when she was about to go over the edge, he stopped.

  A cry of despair welled up within her, filling the room. He held her immobile with just his hands and a look. She met his gaze, trying to form the words while begging him with her eyes.

  She whimpered when his mouth once more returned to its exquisite torture. The slow circles of his tongue around her clit were driving her mad. Unable to stop herself, she tried to put her hand on her sex to give herself the direct contact she craved.

  “No.”

  That one simple word halted her.

  Her sex convulsed, waiting for what he would do next. He wasn’t touching her, and it was driving her mad. Then something touched her face. She jerked her head away.

  “Easy,” he whispered.

  She held steady as he covered her eyes and tied the material. Then her hands were gathered above her head and tied. Excitement strummed through her.

  When he finished, he slid a hand around her breasts, never touching her aching nipples. That same palm moved lower. She raised her hips, eager for his to touch. He gently pushed her hips down and ran his fingers along the edges of her sex. It was maddening how his touch could affect her in such a way—but she welcomed it.

  Her attempt to touch herself only prolonged her torment as he moved his hand away and settled between her legs once again. He then bared her clit, swirling his tongue around it before sucking it between his lips.

  Callie gasped then cried out at the intense pleasure. She was pushed to the edge of release quickly, where he held her. If only he would give her the shove she needed, but he had other ideas. He kept her on the brink time and again, allowing her to build to right before climax, then pulling away.

  She sighed when his tongue licked her sex before moving to her entrance. Her body tensed expectantly when she felt his tongue sink into her ever so slightly, but then it was gone, leaving her desperate for more.

  It was becoming too much. She had to have release. She pulled at the restraints at her wrists, but they held tightly, keeping her in place.

  Her futile attempts were halted when his tongue returned to her entrance, slowly sliding in and out of her several times. The slight penetration only added to the sweet anguish.

  When he moved away from her, she strained to hear. The blindfold enhanced her other senses, exciting her. Her ragged breathing masked his movements. He was close. She could sense that.

  His hand cupped her sex. She bit her lip, waiting expectantly. One of his fingers slipped inside her with agonizing slowness. A second was added before the fingers curled up inside. She moaned and tried to shift her hips to take the fingers deeper.

  Thankfully, he complied. He moved his digits in and out, unhurriedly. She arched her back when he pushed them deep and held still.

  If only he would touch her clit or breasts or move faster, she could climax. She wanted to touch him, to feel his heat and muscle against her. To kiss him and taste him. To wrap her fingers around his thick arousal and stroke him.

  As if he knew her mind was drifting, he moved his fingers inside her.

  “What do you want?” he asked.

  She licked her dry lips. “You know.”

  “Tell me. I have to hear it,” he urged.

  Her stomach quivered at the low, sexy tone. “I want you.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Oh, God. He was going to make her say it. All of it.

  “I want you inside me,” she said before swallowing. With that first sentence out, she grew bolder. Somehow, the blindfold made it easier to say the things she saw in her mind—she wasn’t sure she could otherwise. “I want to feel you deep within.”

  He withdrew his fingers from her slowly. “What else?”

  “I want our bodies sliding against each other.”

  “Hmm,” he said with a moan rumbling his chest. “And?”

  Her breath hitched when the pad of a finger swirled around her clit. “I … I want to lose control. With you,” she added before he could ask.

  God, how she’d missed this—missed him. He’d always had such expert command over her body, pushing her to the limit and allowing her to explore her most intimate fantasies.

  With him, she felt beautiful, wanted.

  With him, she gave in to the base desires she otherwise ignored.

  With him, she was simply … herself.

  Wyatt was the only man who didn’t make her think she needed to hide her flaws, needs, or cravings. He’d always accepted everything that she was without question or judgment.

  A tear slipped out of her eye and fell down her temple. Fortunately, the blindfold hid it. Wyatt couldn’t see how the longing he’d released distressed her.<
br />
  It wasn’t him. She refused to allow him to be the cause.

  It was everything else—Orrin’s kidnapping, Virgil’s and Charlotte’s murder, the attacks, her family coming for her again, and the Saints.

  It wasn’t Wyatt.

  It couldn’t be him.

  “Where are you, baby girl?”

  It hurt to hear his endearment for her on his lips after all these years. “With you.”

  “No, you weren’t. Which means I’m not doing my duties correctly.”

  Few people knew how tender and downright sexy Wyatt could be. Even at a young age, she’d known Wyatt would protect her. He hadn’t changed.

  “Tell me what you were thinking,” he demanded as he thrust a finger deep inside her.

  She arched her back. “I’m thinking of you.”

  “Now you are.”

  “Don’t let the world intrude. Not tonight.”

  There was a beat of silence before he whispered, “I won’t.”

  With that promise, it was easy for her mind to let go of everything. He pulled his finger from her and ran his hands from her hips up to her breasts, squeezing her nipples before caressing down her sides.

  And just like that, her body was his again.

  “You’re going to scream for me,” he announced as he moved over her.

  Excitement filled her. “Yes,” she answered breathlessly.

  She forgot to breathe when the head of his cock butted against her entrance. Her sex clenched, impatient to have him inside.

  Her head rolled to the side when she felt his lips at her ear. Then he whispered in that deep, seductive voice of his, “I ache to be inside you.”

  “Yes,” she replied eagerly.

  “I want you.”

  She rubbed her cheek against his since she couldn’t touch him. “Take me. I’m yours.”

  Always have been.

  That last bit she kept to herself.

  His arousal pressed against her delicate lips before he pushed inside. She yanked against her bonds to touch him as her body stretched while he slowly entered her until he was seated fully.

  The sound of his heavy breaths told her he was as affected as she by their joining. They remained locked together for another second before he began moving his hips.

  Suddenly, her blindfold was yanked off. She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her with his gold eyes lit by an internal flame of desire.

  The bonds holding her were loosened. She pulled her hands free and wrapped her arms around his neck. With her palms running along his back, she felt the muscles move with him.

  Everything about Wyatt made her ache with desire. There was no use denying that, not when she was in his arms.

  His tempo increased, pushing her to the edge once more. Their bodies slid against one another, slick with sweat. She was wound so tightly that, at any moment, she would peak. His thrusts went deeper as his hold tightened around her.

  “Together,” he said.

  She met his gaze, unsure if she could hold off her orgasm until he was ready. He’d kept her at the brink for so long that she craved the release. Then it was upon her, the first waves of pleasure battering against her.

  “Now, baby girl.”

  That was all she needed to hear. The climax was powerful, wracking her body with shudders of white-hot ecstasy. Her eyes closed as she was held in the clutches of the violent orgasm.

  All the while, she felt Wyatt above her, pounding her body to prolong her pleasure until he stiffened with his own release.

  It felt like an eternity before she came back to herself. When she opened her eyes, it was to find him smiling down at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I told you I’d make you scream.”

  She couldn’t remember doing that, but then again, he’d always made her scream. “Was it loud?”

  “I think they heard you in the next county.”

  It was impossible not to smile. The ease between them was familiar, right. She didn’t want it to end.

  He gave her a soft kiss before pulling out of her and rolling to the side. When he raised a brow in question, she snuggled next to him.

  The morning light would change everything, but she had asked for tonight—and he was giving it to her.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  There wasn’t much in Wyatt’s life that he regretted. Once a decision was made, he stuck by it. But he mourned the life he could’ve had with Callie.

  If his mother hadn’t been murdered.

  If his father had found the killer.

  If he hadn’t joined the military.

  If his heart hadn’t turned to stone.

  But he’d loved Callie too deeply. Some days, it was easier to push his feelings aside. Other days, it threatened to smother him—like now.

  As he held her in his arms, he couldn’t believe he’d gone so many years without her. If only he could freeze time and keep them as they were, but he didn’t have any superpowers. He was but a man who had made enemies, and now, those enemies were coming for him.

  Wyatt stared at the ceiling while listening to her breathing even out as she drifted into sleep. Being with her, making love to her, had shown him how lonely he was.

  It hadn’t been evident until he returned to Texas. And the more time he spent with Callie, the clearer it became.

  He wasn’t whole unless he was with her.

  For almost two decades, he had walked through the days only half alive. He’d known it when he left Texas, but that ache had dulled, blunted. Blurred.

  Now, it was in crystal clear focus once more.

  Maybe that’s why he’d been so damn good at his job, because he hadn’t cared if he lived or died. He readily walked into the toughest of situations, and somehow, always walked—or limped—out.

  Many times, he’d been wounded and even spent some time Stateside in a VA hospital to recuperate, but then he returned to his unit, ready to do it all over again.

  He took missions that would have otherwise gone to men with families, because no one cared if he died. Those other men had people counting on them. He had … nobody.

  Now, the only precious thing in his life was in danger. It hadn’t sat well with him when it had just been the Saints, but having Ahmadi and the Reeds closing in put everything into perspective.

  He turned on his side to face Callie. It was unfathomable that she was in his arms again. He grazed the back of his knuckles along her cheek and down her jaw.

  “Hey, baby girl,” he whispered.

  She groaned in annoyance and nuzzled her face against his arm. He smiled, regret twisting his gut. How he wished he could leave her sleeping, perhaps wake her in the early morning hours as the sunlight came through the window and then make love to her again. But it wasn’t meant to be.

  As the evening had worn on, a particular feeling had begun nudging him. He knew it well. Danger was fast approaching—and he had to do something.

  “Callie.”

  She let out a huff and opened her eyes to glare at him. “What?”

  “We need to leave.”

  Her gaze cleared of sleep with a blink. “Why?”

  “A gut feeling.”

  Since they agreed to trust each other’s instincts, he wasn’t surprised when she asked, “When?”

  “Now.”

  Without another word, she sat up and grabbed her clothes to dress. Wyatt did the same, and then put out the fire. In the next half hour, they packed all the food, clothes, weapons, and ammunition they could carry.

  He put a hand over hers when Callie grabbed her keys. “Mercy stays here.”

  Callie started to open her mouth to argue then nodded. “Are we stealing a car?”

  “We’ll be on foot.”

  She didn’t bat an eye as she zipped her computer into her backpack and handed him one of the two new burner phones. “I programmed each of the numbers into the other. I also added in Orrin’s number. Just in case.”

  Wyatt looked at the c
abin now bathed in darkness. “I promised you the night.”

  “I’d rather have my life.”

  Always practical, he thought with an inward smile. “Ready?”

  “Yep.”

  He walked to the back door and slowly opened it, peering out. Then he slipped through the opening. Callie was quick to follow. Once the door closed silently behind her, he led her around the traps he’d set, picking up weapons as he went.

  She stayed close behind him with a pistol in one hand. So far, he hadn’t seen any evidence of others approaching the cabin, but that didn’t mean anything. His intuition had told him to leave that night, and he wasn’t going to question that—especially if it saved Callie’s life.

  The cabin being as secluded as it was, they walked for a couple of miles without encountering any other houses. It wouldn’t be long before they hit a city. Luckily, there were still areas around Austin used exclusively for ranching.

  Wyatt didn’t like trespassing on someone else’s land, but the situation certainly called for it. And he would make sure to stay away from any houses to keep from being spotted.

  They’d been walking for almost an hour before Callie asked, “Where are we going?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Wow. You didn’t even try to lie.”

  He slowed so that she came even with him. “There’s no point.”

  “Do you have a general direction you’ve pointed us in?”

  He shook his head at her, disappointed. “Don’t you remember the lessons I gave you about using the stars as a guide.”

  “Obviously, not,” she replied testily. “I knew I should’ve just pulled out the phone.”

  “We’re headed north.”

  She jerked her head to him. “Why?”

  “I had four directions to choose from. I chose north.”

  “For a reason,” she pointed out.

  He pressed his lips together before sighing. “I’m taking us back to the ranch.”

  “Good,” she stated.

  He’d expected an argument, but he should’ve known better. “We need to alert Owen and Natalie that we’re headed back.”

  “I’ll do that in the morning. What about Orrin and Cullen?”

  “What do you think about giving Cullen and Mia the information on Jankovic and letting them track down the scientist since we seem to have our hands full.”