Her father might have protected her when she was younger. Maybe. She couldn’t quite remember. Most of her life, she’d been the one taking care of him.
The noise of the bar faded when they stepped out into the darkness. Flynn looked both ways, as did she, before heading left. “Who was that guy?” she asked. It seemed an odd way for anyone to approach a man like Flynn.
“Who the fuck knows?” He grabbed one of her hands and lengthened his stride, forcing her to speed up or be dragged in his wake.
“Aren’t you worried?” Having some stranger approach her would have concerned her. But wasn’t that exactly what she’d done to Flynn? Maybe he was used to it.
“No point.” He continued at his fast pace toward the docking station where his ship was located. Her smaller vessel was docked close to his. If she made it out alive, she wanted to be able to make a fast getaway. Lucky for her, she had basic piloting skills, having held down a second job as an on-planet transport operator. But even if she hadn’t been experienced, the ship was fully computerized and could fly without a pilot.
Her son’s abductor had thought of everything.
Flynn’s attitude surprised her. “What if he wants to harm you?” And why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut? No need to give him ideas or make him suspicious.
He pressed his palm against the gate access. The light turned green and cleared them through. “He didn’t want to harm me.”
The Abigail came into view. She’d checked it out earlier, wanting to be sure she knew exactly where to find it. Cerena was getting short of breath and tugged her hand free.
“Are we running a race or something?” Hands on hips, she inhaled deeply. She was starting to sweat, which wasn’t a great way to go about seducing a guy.
That drew him up short. He stopped and dragged his hand though this hair. “Sorry about that. It’s just safer on board my ship.”
He was right about that. And she was supposed to be eager to have sex with him. Surprisingly enough, she was, which kinda freaked her out, considering she was also supposed to kill him.
One thing at a time. Seduction first. Then she’d handle the rest.
“I thought you weren’t worried?” she countered. Why was she deliberately provoking him? Was she trying to get him to storm off and leave her?
God, she didn’t want to kill a man, but she didn’t want her son to die either. And even if her son’s father didn’t harm him, he’d threatened to keep him from her. The thought of never seeing Nix again was more than she could bear. Plus, she couldn’t take a chance, not with her son’s life. The man who’d seduced and left her was coldblooded enough to kill his own son, or at least abandon him in a less than safe place.
Sure, she’d taught Nix how to protect himself. He was her son, after all. But Nix was more intellectual than physical, more interested in books and technology than fighting. And this wasn’t some brawl her son was involved in. He’d been abducted.
Flynn shrugged his massive shoulders. “I’m more worried about someone wanting to talk than I am about someone trying to hurt me.”
That was clear enough. He didn’t want to talk. Fine. It was probably best if she didn’t get to know him too well. Harder to kill him if she was emotionally involved.
Who was she kidding? She was already too involved. Dancing with Flynn had been a huge miscalculation on her part.
“Come on.” Flynn motioned toward his ship. “Unless you changed your mind?”
This was it—the turning point. There would be no going back from here. She could leave and try to find Nix. But she had little to no resources. Being a bouncer paid well, but it all went to providing Nix with a safe home, food, and schooling.
“Let’s go.” She strode past him and across the platform to the hatch of his ship. “Coming?” she called over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure, but she thought he might have laughed. It was short and low, so she couldn’t be certain.
He quickly caught up with her, passing her just before she hit the end of the platform. With his back to her, blocking her view, he placed his hand on a scanner and punched in a code. The door opened with a whoosh.
“After you.” He stood back and waited. He also glanced behind her. Unable to stop herself, she looked but saw no one. “In or out,” Flynn reminded her. “Up to you.”
She took a deep breath and crossed the threshold, releasing it when the door closed behind them. It was done. She was on Flynn’s ship with him. There was only the two of them. It was time for phase two of her plan.
Turning, she gave him what she hoped was a seductive smile. “Now, where were we?”
****
Flynn didn’t know whether to laugh or swear. Cerena was trying, he’d give her that. She was attracted to him. That wasn’t vanity but fact. He’d been around enough women to know when one was hot for him, but there was something else there that bothered him.
It was as though she wanted to seduce him but didn’t.
He’d never had sex with an unwilling woman. Never paid to play either and wasn’t about to start now. “You can change your mind.” He ran the cold metal of one of the robotic fingers up her bare arm. Goosebumps formed on her skin, her breath caught in her throat, and a wild desperation appeared in her eyes.
“I won’t change my mind.”
He wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince—him or herself.
His plans shifted slightly. He still planned to fuck her until they were both sated, but he also wanted to know her secrets. Why was she here? What was driving her?
She wasn’t a professional assassin. There was too much hesitation in her, as though she was conflicted in some way.
He brushed his lips over hers. Like a frightened animal, she remained utterly still. He kept up the slow assault, teasing her mouth with his, slipping his tongue inside. He wanted to yell in triumph when she finally exhaled and relaxed, returning the kiss.
He wasn’t a gentle man by nature. His upbringing had made him tough of mind and body. Life’s events had made him hard in spirit. He trusted no one but his family. Cared for no one but his family.
Cerena made him want to be different.
Sex and secrets, he reminded himself, even as he lost himself in the sweet seduction. This was all about sex and uncovering her secrets.
He ran his hands down her back and cupped her sweet ass. Then he lifted her right off her feet. She gasped and gripped his shoulders. “What are you doing?” she demanded.
“Carrying you to my room.” He made his way through the cargo bay, through several doors, and down a hallway.
“I’m too heavy. Put me down so I can walk.”
“No.” He kept on walking, eager to get to his room. “And you’re not heavy. You’re perfect.”
Sure, she might be too much woman for some men, but he was a big guy. He’d spent all his adult life worried he’d hurt a woman during sex. He’d always tempered his desires, holding back.
That wouldn’t be an issue with Cerena. And didn’t that have his dick trying to blast out of his battlesuit.
“I’m too big,” she whispered.
Yup, definitely some issues there. He stopped and pushed her back up against a wall. “Look at me,” he ordered.
She bristled slightly but met his gaze. Her cheeks were blazing red, but her eyes were filled with defiance and pride.
“You’re perfect,” he told her again. Maybe it shouldn’t bother him, but it did. A woman this lush, this gorgeous shouldn’t doubt herself.
He leaned in until his pelvis pushed against hers. There was no hiding his arousal. He wanted to make it blatantly clear to her. “I want to fuck you.” His blunt statement made her pupils contract.
Fuck this. He kissed her again. Using his body to keep her up against the wall, he undid the fasteners of her vest. When it opened, her large breasts spilled out into his hands. The soft mounds were tipped with nipples already hard with arousal. He groaned and thrust his tongue into her mouth, tasting her heat.
“I
want to strip you naked and kiss and lick every inch of you.” He nipped at her ear, loving the sound of passion that escaped her lips. “I want to fuck you until you scream my name. Then I want to turn you on your stomach and take you from behind until you come again. But first.” He pulled away from the wall and somehow made it to his cabin. He had to get her naked. Hell, he had to get himself naked before the tight material of the battlesuit did permanent damage to his dick.
“But first.” He knelt on the edge of the bed and lowered her to the mattress. “I want to lick your pussy and taste your cream when you come on my face.” He was explicit and raw and blunt. Not all women liked that, but he was who he was.
Cerena moaned and pushed up on her arms. Was she trying to get away from him? Blood pounded in his temples, a roar of denial welling up inside him.
“Help me,” she ordered.
He shook his head, trying to understand.
“Grab the edge of the vest.”
She wasn’t trying to escape. She was trying to get naked.
“Fuck yeah.” He fisted the material and dragged it down her arms and off. It was heavier than it looked because of the hidden weapons and made a loud thud when he dropped it on the floor.
Her breasts were surely a sign of a higher deity. They were large, but not overblown, perfect white mounds tipped with dark pink nipples. Unable to resist the lure, he leaned over her and sucked one into his mouth.
She arched her back. “Yes,” she moaned, “Just like that.”
God, she was responsive. When he flicked his tongue over the tip, she moaned again. Unable to leave one neglected, he kissed his way to the other and gave it the same treatment. Her hands were in his hair. Since it was so short there wasn’t enough to grab onto, she dug her nails into his scalp.
He loved how demanding she was, that her passion was as out-of-control as his.
“Naked.” She grabbed the neckline of his flightsuit and tugged. The material ripped. She didn’t even pause, trying to shove the garment down.
“Fuck yeah.” He reared back and shoved the ripped material down. Her eyes widened when she saw the battlesuit.
“That’s body armor.”
He nodded. “I never leave home without it.”
Her sudden grin made her appear younger. The burnished gold of her hair rested against his white pillow, her lips were lush and damp from his kisses, and her cheeks were rosy. Her eyes were dark brown, like a sweet and slightly bitter chocolate—a delicacy from Earth he’d tasted once a very long time ago. Thick lashes fringed them, making them appear even larger.
She was truly lovely.
He opened the battlesuit and shoved it to his waist. Now they were both naked from the waist up. She ran her hands over his chest, sliding her fingers through the sprinkling of hair that covered his pecs.
“You’re so strong.”
He never really thought about it. He was what he was. Most women seemed to find him attractive, in spite of his messed-up face and hand. There was a wonder in her voice, a tentativeness in her touch that made him wonder how experienced she actually was.
Her hand slipped lower, diving beneath the waistband of his clothes and stroking the head of his cock. “That feels so fucking good.”
She smiled. “That seems to be your favorite word.”
“Fuck?”
She nodded and stroked even lower.
“It’s the perfect word. Depending on how you use it, it can be a noun, a verb, an adverb or an adjective” It was a longstanding argument he had with his brothers. Personally, he just liked the word. And focusing on their conversation was keeping him from spilling his load in her hand before they even got started.
She smiled again, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from coming. Time to take control of the situation. He eased back, his cock flexing in disappointment when her hand fell away. He reached for the closure on her pants.
“Yes or no?”
“Definitely yes.” She undid the fastener and raised her ass, allowing him to pull the leather pants down her gorgeous legs. They were long and sleek with enough muscle to leave no doubts about her strength. He wanted those thighs wrapped around his waist when he fucked her.
Her boots were in the way, so he quickly got rid of them and her socks. When she was finally naked, all he could do was stare. The hair covering her mound was slightly darker than that on her head.
“Damn, you’re hot.” He’d never been the smoothest guy around, but any semblance of it had abandoned him.
“Thank you.” The color in her cheeks heightened. He was grateful she didn’t seem to mind his blunt assessment. “You’re not so bad yourself, but you still have too much clothes on.”
“Right.” He made quick work of stripping.
Her eyes never left him, her gaze going up and down his body before landing on his very aroused cock. She licked her lips, drawing a deep groan from him. That seemed to surprise her.
“I like the way you’re looking at me,” he told her.
“I like the way you’re looking at me, too.”
He went down on the bed, lying right on top of her, but holding most of his weight on his forearms. His impatient dick nudged against her mound. When she opened her thighs and wrapped her legs around him, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. And he wasn’t even inside her yet.
Do it right, a voice in the back of his head reminded him. There was only one first time with a woman. Usually once was enough for him, but not with Cerena. She intrigued him, made him want to discover all her secrets.
That was for later. Now, he just wanted to feel.
When he bent down to kiss her, she met him halfway. Their lips melded, and he started his seduction.
****
Was she on fire? Her skin was hot. So was Flynn’s. But she wanted to get closer. This was not the way things were supposed to go. It was her job to seduce him, but he was the one doing the seducing.
No man had ever looked at her like that before—like she was the perfect woman. And it wasn’t an act. Couldn’t be. He had no idea who she was or why she’d sought him out.
Her body yearned for more of his touch. His mouth and lips and tongue on her breasts had been a revelation. She’d always thought sex was overrated. Sure, she’d been seduced by pretty lies with Nix’s father, but she’d been a sixteen-year-old girl looking for someone to love her, had viewed sex through the lens of falling in love.
She wasn’t in love with Flynn, but she wanted him.
After years of being sexually dormant, her body, her entire being was alive with needs she never even knew she had. Her breasts were heavy and swollen. The throbbing between her legs was getting worse.
She felt empty. Incomplete.
She could almost hate him for it if she didn’t want him so damn much. Not even his vulgar language and blunt sex talk cooled her ardor. If anything, it pumped it up to the next level.
No matter what happened, she wanted this. For once in her life, she wanted to understand what it meant to be a woman who was desired and wanted by a man. He wasn’t put off by her size or strength. Just the opposite.
And that was the biggest turn-on of all.
She loved kissing him. He did it the same way he seemed to do everything else—decisively and without hesitation. With Flynn Marks you’d never had to guess what he was thinking or where you stood. He’d tell you.
And right now, he wanted to fuck her.
Everything else could wait. Nix was safe, for now, and she was here with Flynn. She would have no regrets.
Winding her arms around his neck, she kissed him back with every pent-up frustration and emotion she’d carried around for all these years. It had been sixteen years since she’d had sex.
She was about to make up for lost time.
Chapter Four
Cerena sucked on Flynn’s tongue, excited by his deep groan. She’d done that. A sense of womanly power flowed through her. Her strength had always come from her physical brawn, not her ability to en
tice a man sexually. It was exciting.
Except she was also at his mercy. He made her feel things she never had, or at least hadn’t in a long, long time. She couldn’t allow this to be more than it was—sex. Two people sharing physical pleasure.
She pushed away all thoughts of what came after, not willing to deal with stark reality. Not with his hard cock pressing against her and his hot tongue in her mouth.
She was thirty-two, had a teenage son, and worked as a bouncer in a bar. Innocent wasn’t exactly a word she associated with herself. Yet, being here with Flynn was new and precious.
The muscles in his back and shoulders flexed when she stroked him. The man was built like a rock. His skin was rough in places, signs of old scars. He’d been hurt badly during his life, but he’d survived.
Once again, her reasons for seeking him out tried to rise. Her son was out there somewhere in the vast universe. Did he miss her? Was he afraid, or had his father made it seem as though it was one big adventure? She honestly didn’t know.
Flynn eased away and framed her face with his hands. The heat from the palm of his good hand was a deep contrast to the cool metal of his robotic one. “Everything okay?”
“Never better.” The lie almost choked her, but she was determined. What happened between them in his bed was for them. What came after was anyone’s guess. Only one of them could survive, and it had to be her.
Desperation flooded her. She clung to the one thing that was real—Flynn. His passion was authentic, and her own needs bubbled up inside her, too long repressed. She caught his face and dragged his mouth back to hers.
He gave a muffled laugh but didn’t object. The press of their skin where they touched sent fizzles of excitement dancing through her. The kiss seemed to last forever, yet seemed all too short when he broke away and kissed a path down the curve of her neck and across her collarbone.
He knelt back and cupped her breasts, dragging his thumbs over her distended nipples. Once again, the contrast between flesh and metal was stimulating, cold and heat assaulting her at the same time.
In the dim light of the room, he appeared dark and dangerous, the patch on his eye a reminder of a deadly past. His one good eye gleamed with sexual promise.
Flynn's Assassin (Marks Mercenaries Book 5) Page 3
