Range of Motion (Ranger Ops Book 4)

by Em Petrova

  With the point of his tongue, he trailed a line over her mound and over to her other thigh. He repeated the torment three times, then four.

  He wanted her writhing for him, crying out his name when he finally buried his tongue in her soaking pussy.

  “I didn’t realize you’re a tormenter,” she rasped.

  He rumbled a chuckle against her thigh. “You’re getting me, baby. This is how I play. How much can you take?”

  “Not much. I’ve been waiting since…” her words cut off on a gasp, “that reception.”

  “Just what I wanted to hear.” Watching her face, he thumbed apart her pussy lips and blew a warm breath over her folds. Her hard clit begged for his tongue, and he was teasing himself too with this extended foreplay—his cock throbbed, trapped inside his jeans.

  She trembled under him, thighs tensed.

  He lowered his mouth and kissed her pussy. The soft brushing over her clit had her bucking upward and moaning. He held her tight and continued to press soft kisses down the length of her seam. At the bottom, his lips and jaw were coated with her juices, and he couldn’t hold back anymore.

  He dived in. Lifting her ass in his hands, he licked at her neediest spots. She clenched and released under the tip of his tongue, growing slipperier by the heartbeat.

  She dug her fingers into his shoulder. “Lennon, I—”

  The orgasm ripped through her fast—he’d made her wait too long for it—and her loud rasps of pleasure echoed in his ears even as her pussy contracted under his tongue.

  He slipped a finger into her pussy. Her body clenched around him, and he withdrew it slowly before adding a second finger and thrusting back inside.

  “Take me, Lennon!” Her face was flushed, her nipples primed. She was the most gorgeous thing he’d ever seen and even more responsive to his touch than he’d ever dreamed. She rocked her hips, and he captured her clit between his lips, sucking lightly as he finger-fucked her over and over.

  The second release brought a feminine scream from her that made his cock that much harder. He didn’t let up on her, demanding she throw away her reservations and give him this.

  This trust to make her feel good.

  To see her safe.

  To tell him the truth.

  He dragged her orgasm out for long seconds, gentling his touch to bring her down from her high. When he raised his head, her bright blue eyes were fixed on him, hazy with desire.

  “I think you killed me.” She flopped back.

  He chuckled as he straightened to remove his jeans and underwear. Drawing his hard length out into his hand, he held Edie’s gaze. “Your turn, baby. I want your lips around me.”

  * * * * *

  She felt like a jittery bowl of jelly after two back-to-back orgasms. Never in her life had she been worked up enough to experience two in a row.

  Looking at Lennon in all his naked glory, his cock longer than any she’d seen in person, thicker too, made her worry if she could handle a man like him. He was huge, demanding… and a little sadistic too in how he’d tormented her for so long.

  She also wanted him like nothing else in her life.

  He stood at the edge of the mattress, looking down at her with a softness in his gaze that had her stomach dipping.

  Moving to a sitting position, she flattened her hands on his hard ass and drew him a step closer. With her seated on the bed, his cock was right at her mouth level, the head purple with need and veins snaking up and down the impressive length to guide her tongue.

  Holding her gaze, he guided his cock to her lips. She ran her tongue over the crest, across sweet pre-cum pooled in the depression.

  “Jesus Christ.” He threw his head back.

  Burning all over again, she parted her lips and took him inside. The spongy head filled her mouth and hit the back of her throat, but there was so much she couldn’t fit. On a moan, she began to draw on him even as she wrapped her fingers around his base. Musky male scents hit her in a cocktail too exciting to even put words to.

  She moved down his length and back up to the tip, where she swirled her tongue. She didn’t get to tease him for thirty seconds before he was stepping back. She stared at his erection bobbing on those glorious six-pack abs of his.

  He released a rough noise and grabbed her up. Her spine hit the mattress, and he wedged himself between her thighs. As he looked down into her eyes, he slipped on a condom he must have been holding the entire time. It was impossible to look away from the tendons of his forearm as he situated the rubber to the base of his cock.

  He pulled her up and into him with one hard thrust. Filling her to places that had been untouched until now, he swiveled his hips. She clutched at his shoulders and brought his mouth back to hers.

  Having a man like Lennon buried inside her, claiming her with lips, teeth, tongue and cock… she didn’t know how she’d ever be able to not tell him the truth now. She felt too close to him to keep secrets.

  With a moan, she swirled her tongue over his and pushed down on his cock. He groaned, the rumble of his chest exciting a gasp from her. The bed shook. Outside the door, Ranger whined.

  Lennon shot Edie a grin before kissing her again. The wildness of the moment blossomed and then suddenly, she was coming again. This time, her mind blanked and she only saw hazel eyes, tasted Lennon on her lips.

  He let loose, jerked hard in her arms and collapsed forward, head bowed as he pumped his own release into her. Her insides gave another hard clutch at his cock and bliss washed through her body.

  Edie’s heart took over, and she pulled his head down to her chest and wrapped her arms around him to hold him there.

  But he wasn’t moving. Clearly, they were equally matched in stupidity.

  Chapter Six

  Lennon heard the click of the front door shutting, and he was on his feet before his eyes even opened. Edie wasn’t in the bedroom.

  Striding out of the room, he threw a glance at the guest room door, but he could see the bed was untouched and Edie wasn’t there.

  He called out for Ranger, who came to him.

  “Well, she didn’t take you for a walk, did she, boy?” He rushed to throw on his jeans and shoes before running out the front door.

  Edie was standing on the front lawn, talking to a young kid. Her soft voice came to Lennon, but he couldn’t make out what they were talking about. Lennon closed the front door, and she and the kid who couldn’t be more than fifteen looked up at him. The kid’s face scorched red, and he backed up a step.

  Edie turned to him and rested a hand on his arm before walking back up to Lennon’s house. “Good morning, Lennon,” she said as she breezed past him to rub Ranger’s ears. “Good morning to you too.” She twisted to glance at Lennon. “I already took him for his morning walk, but I put him inside so he could drink while I talked to Jordan.”

  He followed her and Ranger into the house. “Jordan. Do you know that kid?” He closed and locked his door, eyeing her up. She was wearing workout pants and a T-shirt with a saying on it about journalists doing it better knotted at her waist. A sliver of skin between her top and bottoms drew Lennon in.

  “I do now,” she answered. “Are you a coffee drinker? I am. I hope you have some.” She took off for the kitchen.

  Stunned that she’d scoffed off the entire thing with Jordan and that she hadn’t told him why she was talking to the young kid, Lennon strode after her. She was opening cupboards, looking for coffee.

  “I don’t drink the stuff, but I have some of those… pod things you put in that.” He pointed to a machine on his counter. “Also a gift from Momma.”

  “Well, she set you up to have a great night’s sleep and a great morning.” She threw him a smile that hit him square in the chest.

  She set me up to give YOU a great night and a great morning.

  He’d have to thank his momma later.

  Reaching onto a top shelf, he pulled down a box of assorted pods for the machine. Edie took it and immediately rummaged in the box t
o find her flavor of choice.

  “Oh, there’s tea too. I’ll have that later.” She walked over to the coffee machine, giving Lennon a view of her round ass in those clingy workout pants.

  “What were you talking to that kid about?”

  “He lives a few houses down and while I was walking Ranger, I ran into him.” She returned to the cupboard holding the mugs and took one out. “He asked if he could mow the lawn.”

  He stared at her as she chewed her lip. “You know I like mowing my own lawn. I told you yesterday.”

  “Yes, but he’s trying to earn money, Lennon. I asked what the cause was, thinking he just needed it to buy a new skateboard or spend it on his girlfriend.” She folded her arms over her chest with an expression of outrage. “Do you know what he needs the money for?”

  Lennon was getting deeper into this woman by the second. The look of fiery anger in her eyes was enough to bring him a step closer to her.

  She whirled to the counter again and grabbed her now full mug. “His lunch account at the school is in arrears, and his family can’t afford to pay. If he doesn’t pay, he can’t eat lunch this upcoming school year. So he’s mowing lawns to earn money to pay the bill.”

  “Damn. Poor kid.”

  “I know! I’m outraged a school would do this. Lunches should be free, provided by taxpayer money. I have half a mind to write this story and expose the entire system to the ridicule it deserves!”

  Lennon wanted to smile but held it in check. He didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her statements, when it was the fire in her that was making him happy. Damn, she was beautiful when outraged, her cheeks flushed and that point of her chin tipped up in defiance.

  He wished the Ranger Ops had actually been called to the rally so he could have seen her in action on that stage.

  He cleared his throat. “Life’s not fair, that’s for sure, and it’s good the kid is resourceful—it will see him through the tough times. He’ll need that. I think I could forego mowing the lawn a few times to give him work.”

  She suddenly set down her mug and threw her arms around his neck.

  Lennon brought his arms around Edie, hauling her against his chest. Her soft breasts gave him a thrill.

  “Thank you, Lennon.”

  “This right here is enough thanks, if I needed it. But I don’t. I’m glad to help Jordan’s cause. The kid’s really going to be crushing on you when he’s cutting the grass and you’re home.” He grinned.

  “He’s fifteen.”

  “Clearly you don’t have a brother. If you did, you’d know fifteen-year-old boys crush on pretty women no matter what their ages.”

  A shadow crossed Edie’s face, and she dropped her gaze to stare at his chest. “No, I don’t have any brothers.” She pulled from his arms and returned to her coffee mug. As she sipped, he watched her closely.

  Son. Of. A. Bitch.

  He hadn’t wanted to be right about her tie to Senator Arthur, but the look on her face made Lennon pretty fucking certain he was.

  “Edie,” Lennon said quietly.

  She looked up.

  He turned to the counter and drew his computer tablet into his hands. A few swipes had him pulling up the image of her at the rally. He swallowed hard before turning it in his hands to show her.

  “When are we going to talk about this?”

  * * * * *

  She dropped the coffee mug, and it struck the floor with a clunk. Hot coffee spilled out, some hitting her shin.

  Her heart was just as shattered, though. She’d believed she was safe here with Lennon, far from the troubles plaguing her. How wrong she was.

  She crouched to grab the broken pieces of the mug, but Lennon squatted before her and stopped her with his hands on her shoulders.

  Looking down into her eyes, he said, “Leave it,” and drew her to her feet again. Taking her by one hand, he led her to the living room.

  Her heart was thumping so hard, she could hardly breathe. Her mind was blank even as it sped along pathways she never believed she’d have to navigate.

  He knew. He’d put it all together.

  Which meant so many others had as well. Her mother and the senator… even her half-siblings who didn’t know a thing about her existence, would all be affected.

  I’ve messed up, but I can’t go back and fix yesterday. Only today.

  How did she go about that? She hoped Hallie came through with that informant soon.

  Lennon took her into the living room and drew her down to sit on the sofa. He sat next to her, staring at her for a long minute.

  Finally, he dragged his fingers through his hair, making it stand on end. “Look, Edie. I think we both need to come clean with each other.”

  She jerked to her feet, backing away a step as panic set in. What was this? Was he part of some group—maybe even the very one targeting the senator?

  “Jesus, Edie, don’t look at me like that. I’d never hurt you—ever. I thought you knew that. Hell.” He stood and caught her in his arms.

  For a moment, she didn’t know if she should succumb to the protection he offered or shove him away.

  He went still, loosening his hold enough that she could pull free if she wanted. She didn’t—yet. She still needed to hear what he had to tell her.

  “You don’t really believe I’m the bad guy, do you? Jesus, Edie. I’m here to help you.”

  She swallowed hard. After a few seconds, she nodded. “I’ll listen to what you have to say.”

  This time when he sat with her, he pulled her across his lap, her legs dangling over his hard denim-clad thighs. He trailed his fingers down her spine, moving up and down until she felt herself begin to relax.

  “I’ll start, okay? Maybe it will make things easier for you.”

  “I-I don’t know if I want to hear your story,” she said with a tremor in her voice.

  He pushed out a long sigh. “I didn’t have a clue who you were when we met at Big Mike’s. I was just in town visiting my mother and avoiding my real reason of being there, which was to visit Adam’s grave. So I came down to have a beer and shoot the shit with some old friends.”

  She nodded. “And I was only there with Hallie, because she wants me to love the country like she does.”

  His eyes burned into hers. “I wanted to see more of you. I tried again and again, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  She dropped her gaze. “I did.”

  “Then when you wanted a date to the reception, I thought what the hell, she’s beautiful and I’m single. And I needed a distraction from thoughts of my buddy who died.”

  She felt herself drawn to comforting him and placed a hand over the back of his. He turned his palm up and laced their fingers. Talking this way, with her curled close to him, somehow made it all seem less frightening.

  “What I’m saying is, I had no idea who you are, Edie, besides somebody I wanted to know a hell of a lot better. But you see, I wasn’t completely open with you about my line of work. I do work for a government agency—and that agency is Homeland Security.”

  She gaped at him.

  “I’m in a special forces unit, a Southern division. We were formed to battle terrorism in Texas and the bordering states. But it isn’t common knowledge and has to remain that way.”

  Good God. Of all the things he might have told her, she never could have guessed this. It took her a long minute to process his words.

  Of course she wouldn’t tell, and she sure as hell would never put fingers to the keyboard with this topic in mind. Lennon was trusting her by telling her, and that brought her even closer to him than last night when he’d known exactly what to do to make her feel amazing.

  “The team’s called Ranger Ops. See, we were all Texas Rangers before this.”

  “It’s why you have no clue when you’ll be called out,” she said in quiet amazement.

  He nodded. “Ranger really does need a sitter. I wasn’t lying.”

  She saw now that he’d never lied to her, only with
held what he needed to.

  “Twice, we’ve been called in to end things when Senator Arthur was in trouble. We rescued his nephew from those hostages a few months back.”

  Her eyes flew open wide.

  “And we were on standby to put a stop to things at that speech Saturday.”

  “Oh my God. You were there and saw me get onstage.” Her fingers twitched, and he tightened his grasp on them.

  “No, we were on standby, not actually there in the arena. I didn’t see you, but as a team, we keep abreast of all current events, and you’re pretty unmistakable on the front page of every newspaper in the state.”

  A shudder ran through her, partly from the danger hanging over her head and partly because it was a relief that somebody in the world knew what was happening to her.

  Someone who had the power—and team backing him—to truly keep her safe.

  “Jesus, you’re a hero, out saving people,” she said. “Is that why you came for me?”

  He caught her gaze. “You know I’ve been trying to win you over long before that. But yes, my only thought was to react to the alarm bells blaring in my mind. I knew this couldn’t be good, you being linked to Senator Arthur and all the trouble in his house. But of course, this is all speculation. You haven’t told me your side of the story yet.”

  He waited expectantly, and suddenly, her throat dried out, along with any words she was about to say.

  At last, she dipped her gaze. “I’m the result of an affair between the senator and my mother, who’s also a journalist, early in his career. She was following his path, and I guess things got out of hand. I’ve never met my father in person—until Saturday at the speech.”

  Lennon’s palm was on her back again, soothing her with long, slow touches.

  She continued, “It was stupid to get onstage, to want to throw myself in his face. I’d never met him before, you see… It was juvenile of me. I made a mistake. If I hadn’t done that, nobody would have snapped those pictures, and nobody would have put us together.”

  She saw now that much of her last year or so had been spent trying to get closer to the man who’d fathered her, even when Edie hadn’t recognized it. First via Jake and then she’d taken matters into her own hands.