Don't Play With Odin (Trouble For Hire Book 2)

by Cynthia Eden

  Another hard step. “Damn straight it’s my thing.” He towered over her. “In case you missed it, I’m bigger than you, stronger than you, and a million times meaner than you. I can take a threat. I can take an attack…”

  Okay, he was deliberately trying to be all intimidating and tough and he had no idea just how mean she could be when the situation called for it—

  “But I cannot fucking take anything happening to you,” he added, voice thickening even more. “I’m not worth something happening to you. Got it? I can take the hits. I’ve always taken them. I will always take them. But you are different. Never put yourself in danger for me.”

  Her chin lifted. “That’s just not a promise I’m willing to make.”

  “What?” Veins seemed to bulge in his neck.

  “I’m not going to say that I’ll hide and let danger take you. Not happening. If I can help you, I’m gonna do it!”

  He grabbed her. Hauled her into his arms. Crushed his mouth against hers. The kiss was unlike the others they’d shared. Absolutely consuming. Crazed. Desperate.

  She kissed him back the same way. Her mouth opened wider. Her tongue met his in a hungry dance. His taste had lust exploding through her.

  The storm of emotions she’d felt on the drive there had transformed in an instant—became greedy, consuming lust. She yanked at his shirt. Shoved it out of her way. Then her hands were touching hot, hard skin. Lickable, sexy skin. He was so strong. So gorgeous.

  Her hands slid down. She grabbed the front of his jeans. Yanked at the button. Distantly, she was aware that this was very much not the way she usually acted. She didn’t rip off men’s clothes. Didn’t haul down their zippers—as she was doing. He wasn’t wearing underwear—such a typical, macho Odin thing, she wasn’t even a little surprised—and his heavy cock sprang toward her. She put one of her hands on him. Squeezed him with her fingers. Like everything else about Odin, his cock was built on the same massive scale and she wasn’t sure—

  “Fucking need you.” His hands were on the snap of her jeans now. He yanked at the button, hauled down that zipper.

  She kicked off her heels. Shimmied out of the jeans. Let go of him just long enough so that she could completely ditch her jeans.

  Odin lifted her and carried her a few feet. Dazed, she glanced around. Had the vague thought of…Please, do not let anyone else be here! But he’d said War was on his honeymoon so that meant the place was empty, didn’t it?

  He lowered her onto the edge of a tall table. Pushed her legs apart. She still had on her panties, so those were—

  Ripped away. Maisey gasped at the sound of the fabric tearing. “Odin?”

  He put his mouth on her. Pressed his mouth right against her sex, and Maisey choked out a moan as she arched against him. He wasn’t doing some careful foreplay. Not some getting-to-know-you move. His mouth took her like he’d tasted her a thousand times before. Like he knew exactly what she wanted.

  And he did.

  His tongue licked her clit. His lips feathered over her. His finger slid into her. One, then he worked in a second as she gasped and arched. He was lashing her clit with the fast licks of his tongue, and it was incredible. She tried to say his name, but she couldn’t. His fingers were stretching her. His mouth was making her insane, and her whole body was tightening as the lust and hunger she felt amped up to a fever pitch.

  A hard banging echoed through the cabin. “Odin!” A bellow.

  Odin didn’t stop. His mouth became even rougher. His fingers slid out of her, then his tongue thrust inside.

  Maisey lost it. She came on a wave of release so powerful that she couldn’t even squeak out a breath. She could only feel pleasure so intense that she shuddered and her sex quivered and her heart thundered. Nothing had ever felt this good. Sex wasn’t supposed to be this good. If it was, then, God, she’d been doing it wrong for years. Because this was a whole new insane level of amazing.

  More banging. “Odin! You told me to meet you! Open the damn door!”

  Her eyes opened. She looked down. Odin was still between her legs.

  Odin is between my legs.

  She still had on her shirt. Her bra. His hands were on her thighs—her very spread thighs—and as she gaped at him, his head slowly lifted. When she saw his eyes, the burning, primitive heat in his possessive stare, Maisey couldn’t look away.

  That had been…wow.

  She swallowed. Licked her lips. “I think…” Her voice was too husky. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Your friend wants inside.”

  His gaze dropped to her sex. “So the fuck do I.”

  She did not have a comeback for that one. Except…I want you in, too.

  Odin stared at her exposed body. Then his fingers slid up her thigh. Slid to her quivering core…

  “Odin,” she whispered.

  “Odin!” Jinx thundered. “I am about to pick this lock! You know I’ll do it!”

  Odin’s fingers brushed over her sex. His breath panted out, and she could see him fighting for his self-control.

  Maisey was afraid to move.

  But with his fingers teasing her…

  Pleasure built again. She was so primed. So tuned to him—

  Odin shuddered and moved back. His fingers slid away from her. “There’s a guest bath down the hallway.” His voice rasped. “You can straighten up in there.” His hands slid to his open jeans. His cock—very heavy and big—thrust toward her. He pushed it back into his jeans. With an effort and a curse, he zipped and buttoned up. “I’ll deal with Jinx.”

  Her heart hammered as she sat up on that table. She finally became aware that it was—“Oh, no. Is this a kitchen table?” Heat burned her cheeks. “I can never come here and have a meal with your friend War. Never. Ever. This is so embarrassing.”

  Odin caught her hand. Stared into her eyes.

  Her tumble of words stopped.

  “When Jinx is gone, I’m having you. Don’t fucking care if it’s on a table, on the floor, in a bed, or up against a wall. I’m getting in you as deep as I can go…”

  Her mouth was dry.

  “And I am not stopping until I come in you at least four times.”

  What? Four?

  And who said stuff like that?

  Obviously…Odin.

  “Don’t worry.” His fingers skimmed her cheeks. “You’ll come first, every single time.”

  That was good to know.

  “Odin!” Jinx’s annoyed voice. “Just so you’re aware, I’ve picked the lock. Did it in like five seconds. I am coming in! This is a warning so everyone had sure as hell better be decent in there! But I’m getting worried, so I am coming—”

  Odin stepped back. “Guest bath,” he said. “Go. Because if he sees you like this…” A ragged breath. “Go.”

  Right, yes, going was on her agenda. Provided that she could get off the table and her legs would not crumple beneath her. She tried to give him a smile.

  A furrow appeared between his brows.

  She wondered how uncertain her smile looked. Probably as uncertain as she felt. Everything in her world was suddenly way off-balance, seeming to sway and shift, and, sure enough, as soon as her feet touched the floor, her knees did a little shimmy and her body was swaying, too, as she prepared for a fast fall.

  Odin curled one hand under her arm. “You okay?”

  She steadied. “F-fine.” Far, far from it. Maisey honestly wasn’t sure if she would ever be fine again. “You can let go.”

  “But I don’t want to. Not ever.”

  She stared into his eyes.

  And heard the squeak of the door opening. Not the door that led to the screen porch. The door that led directly into the cabin. She realized that Jinx had been on the porch the whole time, and now he was about to see her—

  Bare from the waist down. Oh, no. Red stained her cheeks. She wrenched away from Odin, grabbed her jeans, and rushed down the hallway. She flew into the guest bathroom—or what she hoped was the guest bath—and slamme
d the door shut behind her.

  ***

  He’s a friend. You don’t attack a friend. Odin mentally repeated his mantra four times as he tried to get himself back under control. But I can still taste her.

  “Well,” Jinx sighed. “You seem to be unharmed. When you didn’t answer the door—or respond to my many calls—I was afraid the bad guys had beat me here. That they’d incapacitated you, and you were unable to call out for help in your poor, pitiful, weakened state.”

  Odin could feel a faint tremble in his fingers. Because I want her so fucking much. It had taken all of his strength not to drive into her. He’d tasted her. He’d felt her come against his mouth. She’d been gorgeous when the pleasure hit her. He’d lapped her up, and he wanted more. He wanted his dick buried in her. He wanted to feel the contractions of her release around his cock. He wanted—

  “Yo. Earth to Odin. Hate to ask but, are those panties next to your boot?”

  His gaze shot to the floor. Sure the hell enough, he saw the delicate panties—panties he’d torn in his haste to touch Maisey—on the floor. He scooped them up, swallowed them in one big fist, and whirled to face Jinx. “Not a word to her,” he warned.

  Jinx blinked, striving to look innocent. Failing because Jinx had never been innocent. “A word? About what? Whatever would I say? I mean, would I ask the lovely lady if she was currently running around all commando because—”

  Odin surged toward him.

  Jinx jumped back. Only to trip on high heels. Maisey’s high heels. He righted himself quickly before he could fall on his ass. “Oh, look at that.” More fake innocence. “So weird, but I think your girlfriend lost both her panties and her shoes. Now, wonder what made her do that?”

  “Jinx…”

  “Guess you weren’t under attack in here, huh?” A fast grin. A saucy wink.

  Odin did not smile back. He leveled a killing glare at Jinx. “You make her feel uncomfortable, and I will make you sorry.”

  The grin faded, a little. “Just a joke, man. I mean, hey, good for you on finding a girlfriend who can put up with you and your scary-ass, serious self. Not like you—”

  “She’s not my girlfriend. She’s a client.” The words felt hollow.

  “You’re holding her panties in your hand. Pretty sure that means she’s your girlfriend.”

  And I can still taste her on my tongue. Does that mean she’s mine? He wanted her to be his.

  No, screw that…she is. She was his. She just might not know it yet.

  “How about you give me an update on what the hell is going on—not your sexual shit, but why you just had half the criminals in the area coming at you—and then I will let you get back to your, ah, personal business, okay?” Jinx’s blue eyes glinted. “Does that sound like a deal?”

  “What the hell are you even doing down here?” Odin rolled back his shoulders—and shoved Maisey’s panties in his pocket. “You went off the radar. Haven’t seen you or heard from you in months.”

  Jinx’s stare darted away.

  On the surface, Jinx was always all smiles and laughter. But that was just surface. Odin knew there was far more to him than met the eye.

  “I was doing freelance work for Uncle Sam,” Jinx finally replied. “By the time I actually got the invitation to War’s wedding, it was too late. But then I heard about the mess that went down with that killer he was chasing, heard about how he’d started his own PI business, and I thought I might see if he needed an extra hand.” He lifted his fingers. Wiggled them. “I’ve always been good with my hands.”

  Good with his hands, understatement. The things that man could do with a knife were chilling. But Jinx was also good at picking locks. Cracking safes. Stealing highly classified and confidential information from enemy officers…

  The guy had incredible luck. Most days. But when Jinx was lucky, others usually weren’t.

  “Anyway,” Jinx shrugged. “I headed down this way. Found War’s cabin all dark and empty, so I thought I’d go amuse myself for a bit. The next thing you know, fate is smiling on me—you know she likes to do that—”

  Odin snorted.

  “And you were walking right into the same bar I was in. Just like that, two best friends were reunited.” Jinx’s gaze darted to the right. To the hallway. His stare sharpened.

  Odin whipped around to see Maisey padding down the hallway. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair tousled, and her eyes—so beautiful. Her gaze seemed to swim with emotion, but for the life of him, he could not figure out exactly how she felt. The emotions were a tangle he couldn’t read. Not that he’d ever been particularly good at understanding how women felt. They were generally a mystery to him.

  As he watched her, Maisey slowed to a stop. She’d put her jeans back on. Straightened her shirt. Her lips were swollen and red from his mouth, and for a moment, all he could think of was the way she’d tasted when he’d had his mouth between her legs and she’d come for him.

  “Oh, are you missing something?” Jinx called out to her. “I think you are. I think you are missing—”

  A growl broke from Odin.

  “Your shoes,” Jinx finished. He scooped them up and hurried toward Maisey. “Very Cinderella-like, I must say.” He offered the heels to her. “I’m Jinx, by the way. But you probably figured that out earlier.”

  Slowly, she took the shoes. “Thank you?” The words seemed more of a question that anything else.

  “I didn’t catch your name,” Jinx added. He waited, all expectant-like.

  Maisey slid on the heels. Peered uncertainly at Odin. “He’s a friend? You’re sure of that?”

  Jinx put a hand over his heart. “Only one of his most treasured friends on the planet. I know his secrets. He knows mine. We’d die to protect each other in a heartbeat.” The words—and his tone—were mocking.

  But Jinx was speaking the truth. He was one of Odin’s best friends. And they would kill to protect each other in a heartbeat. Odin preferred killing to dying. “You can trust him,” Odin told her. “I do.”

  “With his very life, he trusts me,” Jinx assured her.

  “Then I guess I will trust you, too.” She offered him a tentative smile. A smile that hinted at her dimples. “I’m Maisey Bright.” She extended her hand.

  It was immediately engulfed by Jinx’s. “A pleasure to meet you.” His gaze slid over her, and he gave a low whistle. “I have to say, I am impressed. Odin usually scares off most women within five minutes of meeting them.”

  “Why?” Maisey appeared genuinely perplexed.

  Jinx released her hand. “I don’t know. Could be the one-word answers he likes to give. The weird shit he can sometimes say. His complete lack of a sense of humor—”

  Maisey’s shoulders stiffened. “I thought you were his friend.”

  “Uh, yeah, we just covered—”

  She glared at him. Her dimples were completely gone. “He has a wonderful sense of humor, and he doesn’t say the wrong things. Maybe you just don’t listen the right way when he talks.” A sniff. “There is nothing weird about him. Odin has been exactly what I need, and I will not just stand here and let some—some bad luck guy say rude things about him!”

  “Bad luck?” Jinx took a step away from her. He sucked in a breath. “Take that back.”

  Jinx was superstitious as hell. “She didn’t mean it,” Odin hurried to reassure him. “Relax, man. No need to pull out salt and start sprinkling it everywhere.” He’d already seen Jinx’s hand dart toward his pocket.

  Maisey kept glaring.

  But Jinx slowly seemed to relax. “You passed the test, too.” He inclined his head toward Maisey. “Good for you.”

  Maisey’s glare wavered. “What test?”

  But Jinx just shrugged. Then he turned back to Odin. “I like her.”

  Odin felt a warning was in order. “Don’t go liking her too much.”

  Maisey darted to Odin’s side.

  Jinx took note of the movement. “Message received.” His hand dipped into h
is pocket. Quickly, he tossed something over his shoulder.

  “Was that salt?” Maisey asked at once. “You’re only supposed to throw that over your left shoulder if you spill some of it.” A considering pause. “Of course, there are many civilizations that believe salt itself can help to act as a talisman against evil spirits, so I suppose if you felt something evil was coming at you, then tossing a little salt might help you to—”

  “Maisey.” Odin tangled his fingers with hers. “Don’t give the man more justification than he needs.” Not that Jinx ever needed justification for the things he did.

  Jinx rubbed his chin. “Are we gonna talk about salt all night or are you two gonna tell me what in the hell is going on? You know, what with the whole bar that was attacking you, Odin? I swear, O, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times…If you can’t learn to play well with others, then you shouldn’t play at all.”

  “The bar scene happened because of me.” Maisey’s voice was clear. Odin slanted her a fast glance and saw that her delicate jaw had tightened. “Odin had to fight tonight because I hired him. We’re hunting a killer, and the hunt led us to that bar.”

  Jinx didn’t show so much as a flicker of surprise. “A killer, hmm?” He did a little bounce. Seemed to bubble with energy. “Then count me in.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “It’s not a game, Jinx,” Odin said as he walked Jinx to his motorcycle.

  “Life’s a game, man. I’ve told you that very thing numerous times. We’re all playing, every single day. Whether we want to do it or not, we’re in the game.”

  Odin glanced back at War’s cabin. Maisey was inside. He’d wanted to speak privately with Jinx. Don’t want to alarm her. “It’s just us, so you can cut the act.”

  “What act?”

  “The act where you pretend you don’t care about anything.” Everything. “This case is serious.”

  “Three victims sounds very serious.”

  “He almost took Maisey,” Odin snapped. “The bastard nearly had her yesterday. He was trying to load her into a truck and drive away with her. She’s his next target because Maisey was the one doing all the investigating—on her own until I took the case—and now he’s locked on her.”