Smooth Moves

by Marie Harte

  Watching the women together, it would be wrong to say Naomi’s natural beauty outshone Jordan’s. Because Jordan had a subtle elegance she’d be the first to deny. But it was there regardless. Athletic, feminine, and unique. She didn’t have classically beautiful features. Full lips too sensual for traditional beauty. Dark-brown eyes that turned lighter or darker depending upon her mood. And skin a shade between tan and bronze, not creamy white but a rich beige. She had strength of character, an inner toughness guarding a marshmallow of a heart. So, yeah, he saw so much more than the physical with Jordan. But her “physical” stole his breath too. He loved her toned body, her firm, no-more-than-a-handful breasts, that tight ass he could grip just right while sliding inside her.

  Most of all he loved her neck, because she fit right where he needed her to when they made love. And he could access it while trailing kisses from her breasts to her ripe lips.

  Yep. There went his hard-on, always just a thought away when he was with Jordan.

  They turned on the main road toward her apartment, and she put a hand on his arm.

  “Slow down, but don’t stop.”

  He followed her orders. “What’s wrong?”

  “See that boy there?” A lanky teenager stood beside a black SUV with some friends, laughing and smoking as if they had no place to go. The SUV sat outside a nice house and looked like it belonged there. Nothing suspicious about the teenagers hanging out that Cash could see.

  Jordan said, “That’s Juan, one of Rafi’s bad news friends. I’m just glad Rafi’s steering clear of him lately.”

  Except the kid wasn’t. Across the street, away from where Jordan was looking, Cash saw Rafi stop, frozen, staring at them in the car. Then he hurried away, hiding behind some bushes. Now, if the kid hadn’t been doing anything wrong, why hide? Yep. Busted.

  Cash didn’t say anything to Jordan, not wanting to ruin her good mood. But he promised himself a talk with the boy later.

  He pulled up to her complex and parked then walked her to her door.

  “I’m safe enough,” she said.

  “Humor me.”

  She rolled her eyes—she did that a lot around him—and they entered.

  “So you can see, I’m good.”

  “I bother you, don’t I?”

  “What? I—no.” She frowned and took off her shoes.

  He did the same.

  “What are you doing? You’re not staying.”

  He ignored her and looked around for Rafi, for her, because he’d already seen the kid. That took all of one minute because the apartment didn’t have space. “Nope. He’s not here yet.”

  “He should be home soon though.”

  “You sound nervous.” That excited him. He noticed her keeping an eye on him, saw her continually glance at his crotch, at his chest, his face.

  Her nipples were hard points beneath her shirt, and he wanted to make her eyes go dark with passion, to see her lips slick from his kisses.

  “I’m not nervous.” She gave a nervous laugh. “Now get out.”

  Her bluntness charmed him. “Make me.” He backed her against her front door. “Go ahead. I dare you.”

  She licked her lips. “Rafi could be home at any minute.”

  “Guess we’ll have to make this fast then.” Before she could protest, he kissed her. Hard.

  She moaned into his mouth and snaked a hand down his belly.

  No surprise she found him thick and aching. She unbuttoned and unzipped him then pushed his pants down. He shoved her pants and panties down as well, then turned her around and pulled her hips back.

  “I’m coming in” was all the warning he gave.

  Cash shoved inside her, gliding through her cream, and fucked her in earnest. So wet, she made a delicious friction, and he saw her hand move to her front. “Yeah, touch yourself,” he whispered, hoping they’d get to finish before her brother returned.

  The naughty, rushed aspect of their coupling added to the excitement. As did fucking her without a rubber. “Gonna come in you again, Jordan. Deep in you,” he rasped as he took her harder, faster.

  “Not before I come first. God, Cash, you feel huge.” She moaned, a soft, breathy little sound that turned his world inside out. Then she seized around him, and he couldn’t stop himself.

  Cash took her like a man possessed and climaxed between one breath and the next. He saw stars, cresting his orgasm and praying for it to never end. Being with Jordan was like having a religious experience. The woman owned him, plain and simple. If he could have, he’d have taken her into her bedroom and fucked her until neither of them could walk then hugged her to him and never let go.

  Instead, he waited until he’d started to soften then tucked himself back into his underwear and straightened his clothes. He hurried to get her a paper towel from the kitchen to clean her up.

  “Thanks a lot,” she grumbled. “You’ve ruined yet another pair of panties.”

  “Yeah?” He smiled, feeling damn good about that.

  She sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. I like you inside me, but condoms made it less messy.”

  And less fun, he thought but didn’t say. “Man, you get to me. I swear, around you it’s like my cock is always ready to burst.”

  “That’s an image.” She tossed the paper towel in the trash and fixed her clothing. Then she kissed him and opened the door. “Wham bam. Thanks and get out.”

  He chuckled and put on his shoes. “Glad to be of service, ma’am.”

  “Shut up.” She yanked him back for another kiss then pushed him away. “Stop distracting me. I have a younger brother to berate for not texting me that he wouldn’t be home.”

  “See you at work?” He and Reid had a bit more packing to do at their mother’s the next day.

  “Yep. At work, where you will not rip Smith’s lips off when he tries to rile you. And where you’ll ignore anyone flirting with or teasing me. Like you promised.” A good point. They hadn’t yet been together at work while a couple. The past few days he’d been home due to his head.

  “I’d say scout’s honor, but I was never a scout.” He nodded. “It won’t be weird. Just…don’t ignore me and act like I don’t exist, okay?” He’d spent a childhood with a woman who’d treated him that way, had almost married another who’d acted no better. It would kill him for Jordan to treat him like he didn’t matter, even in pretend.

  “I won’t. And don’t ignore me the next time I warn you some loose chick wants in your pants.”

  He blanked then blushed recalling the incident from a few weeks ago. “Come on. That woman was old enough to have been my mother. And it wasn’t my fault. I was trying to catch her falling from a ladder.”

  “That fall conveniently happened right when you passed by. Her hand landed in your lap.”

  He grimaced. “The guys razzed me about it for days. You weren’t much better.” He couldn’t help laughing because that woman’s move had actually worked. “But, really, can you blame her? I’m me.”

  “The ‘I’m me’ excuse is pathetic. Although if you’re saying it’s okay for you to mess around, that means it’s okay for me to mess around, right? You know, just in fun.” She gave him an overdone wink. “Maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to ignore the guys asking me out.”

  “I was kidding, and you know it.” The thought of Jordan with anyone else enraged him. More, it hurt. “That lady really was an accident. I swear.”

  She grinned. “I know. I just like giving you shit.”

  “Jackass.” He laughed when she blew him a kiss and flipped him off, then slammed the door in his face.

  * * *

  Sunday went well with Reid. Cash finally had his mother’s house cleared of everything but the furniture he still debated keeping. The donations truck had picked up the many items he’d left outside. Reid had taken a few more boxes back to their hou
se for a later inspection. Now Cash had to figure out what to do with the place. Emptied of almost everything, it didn’t feel like the hell he’d grown up in. Could he live here?

  Should he keep it? Sell it? Maybe even rent it? Jordan was no help with ideas, deferring to him on everything. Annoying, but she had a point. The house was his burden to handle.

  The week passed swiftly. By Thursday, Cash had done his best to treat Jordan like everyone else at work. It helped that Reid had made two formal statements explaining Vets on the Go!’s new hierarchy because Cash still had a problem being Jordan’s “boss” and lover. But now, with Evan heading up a new human resources department and Cash having nothing to do with personnel management anymore, work wouldn’t stand in the way of their relationship.

  The others didn’t seem to care either way and teased him about being “the common man.” Then Jordan had reiterated that by calling him an asshole and daring him to fire her.

  Which of course he hadn’t. Finley and Funny Rob had taunted him and didn’t stop until he put Finley in a headlock, threatening to drag all their sorry asses to HR for the constant harassment. All in all, it had been a decent week, and he’d managed to mostly ignore Smith and his many sneers.

  Now known as the company’s PR liaison when not working regular moves, Cash had a fancy title and no idea what they meant him to do with it. Wasn’t PR what they paid Naomi, owner of Starr PR, to do?

  Despite her and Reid being a thing, Naomi had first come to them as a public relations expert. She still worked for them, and they paid her. Reid and Naomi did well separating business from pleasure.

  If they did it, so could Cash and Jordan.

  He thought about her all the time, and he knew her brother’s distance and odd mood continued to bother her. He decided it was past time to have a talk with Rafi. So after work Thursday, he cleaned up then drove over to Jordan’s. He planned to offer to take Rafi to dinner for some guy-to-guy bonding, knowing Jordan wouldn’t mind. For some reason she considered him a kind of mentor for the kid, and he had no desire to disabuse her of the notion. Plus he wanted to help the boy.

  He had a feeling she had no idea Rafi and that Juan kid were hanging out.

  He parked and headed to her apartment. But as he walked down the outer hallway, he slowed, hearing an unfamiliar male through her front door.

  “I’m sorry,” the man said, not sounding sorry at all. Cash recognized smug when he heard it. “But if you don’t have the money, you’ll have to leave.”

  “But Mrs. Alvarez was fine with what I was paying before,” Jordan said. “I have a contract to prove it.”

  The smug jerk continued, “The contract is only valid if Mrs. Alvarez owns the property. She’s dead, and it’s mine now. Like I told you, I’m her son. I inherited the building.” A pause. “But I’m sure we could come to some kind of agreement.”

  That suggestive tone told him all he needed to hear. Cash saw red.

  Behind him, he heard footsteps and turned.

  Rafi barreled toward him, a frown on his face. “What—?”

  Cash shushed him then motioned to the door. His first inclination had been to bust in and kick the new landlord’s ass. But he figured it was Jordan’s play, so he’d wait it out.

  Rafi still frowned but crept closer, keeping quiet, and listened.

  “Are you kidding me?” Jordan barked an angry laugh. “Let me get this straight. If I sleep with you, you’ll let me keep my apartment?”

  Oh man. Cash couldn’t wait to see what she did to the guy.

  “To keep it at the rate you have now. It’s not free.” The man chuckled. “Although if you’re as good with that mouth as you look, we could negotiate the price. Why don’t we find out?”

  Rafi looked to intervene, and Cash held him back. He took the key Rafi had in hand and quietly put it in the lock then turned the deadbolt.

  “Motherfucker.” Jordan’s rage sounded fierce.

  Cash pushed the door open and held Rafi back when the boy made to rush inside.

  They watched as Jordan not only disabled the fool, she nailed him in the stomach with a right cross he hadn’t expected before manhandling him to the floor. In seconds, she had removed his belt, turned the guy belly down, and tied the belt around his wrists behind him. Her knee rammed into his back while the dickhead wheezed, still trying to catch his breath.

  Jordan had yet to stop cursing.

  Love rocked Cash from head to toe. Damn, but she could move. He beamed. “Just…wow.”

  She blinked up at him and slowly stood. “Cash?”

  Rafi looked stunned.

  “See, man? Your sister had it all under control.” He lost his smile when he noticed how much larger the new super was.

  “You’ll regret this, you bitch,” the guy threatened in between panting. “Get out. And get ready for the police to drag your ass to jail for assault.”

  Cash toed the guy in the ribs, not hard but enough to introduce himself. “Shut the fuck up, asshole.” The guy glanced up at him and paled. Cash smiled down at him. “Hey, Jordan. Why don’t you and Rafi grab some stuff and pack up your car? I’ll watch your new landlord for you.”

  “Don’t hurt him,” she ordered. “I mean it.”

  “Nah. I know he’s the type to sue first, ask questions later.” He glared down at the dead man walking. “Don’t worry. I know how to handle his type.”

  She gave Cash a suspicious look. “Come on, Rafi. Help me pack some clothes.” They darted to her bedroom, leaving him alone with rapey Casanova.

  Cash leaned down and released the belt. The landlord hurried to his feet and moved back from Cash then tried to run around him for the door.

  Cash stepped in front of him, causing contact. The man bounced off him, but the brush was good enough for Cash. He clenched his hand into a fist. “Now you’re assaulting me?”

  “What? No.”

  Before the man could move, Cash slammed him against the wall so hard his teeth rattled. “Look, fuckhead, you did something to my girl I’m not happy about. So this is what you’re going to do. You’re going to wait until she packs up all her stuff and leaves. You’re going to wait until I tell you she’s done. Tomorrow, in a week, whatever she needs to get out of here. Understand?”

  “What? No, this is my—”

  Cash punched him in the gut, right where Jordan had socked him. He didn’t use too much force, not wanting to cause major damage, just enough to get the dick’s attention. And it had the loser gasping in pain.

  “I said I’ll tell you when you can have the unit back. She’s out of her lease as of right now. And you’re going to leave her the fuck alone or you’ll deal with me.” He leaned closer. “I don’t give a shit about the law. In fact, I like dancing all over it. So you want to play, keep pushing.”

  “Wh-what can you do?”

  Cash smiled. “You’ve got balls, I’ll give you that. But guess what I have. An unregistered Beretta. Oh, and about a dozen ways to kill a man without leaving a mark. Us combat Marine types like to challenge ourselves. I bet I could make this look like a B&E. Wipe away all the prints and have the cops scratching their heads for leads. Or, hell, maybe we could make it look like you had a heart attack. I know a guy who has the drugs to make it happen. Then again, I could just beat you to death. More fun for me that way.”

  The asshole looked white enough to pass out, his eyes wide with fear. “No, no. We’re good. It’s okay. She’s free to leave whenever.”

  “That’s right. And I’m going to talk to every other tenant here. You try any sleazy shit with any of them, I’ll be back. Just me and my Ka-Bar.” He gave the guy his best mean smile.

  The man looked about ready to piss himself and held up his hands in surrender. “No, no. I won’t. It’s all good. Everything’s good, buddy.”

  “I ain’t your friend, dickhead.” He finished by grab
bing the guy’s wallet and making a big production out of saying his name and address out loud. “Okay, Ricky Alvarez. You and me, we don’t want to meet again, do we?” Then, because he didn’t like the guy, he kneed him in the balls and watched him fall to the floor in tears. “Do we, Ricky?”

  “No. God, no.” Ricky, the shithead, was crying. Cash wouldn’t have thought less of him for crying the pain away, but he had a feeling the tears came from fear. So pathetic and typical of a bully. Stand up to them, and they crumbled.

  He glanced up and froze. Jordan and Rafi stared at him with wide eyes.

  Shit. “What? He tripped into my knee.”

  Rafi swallowed audibly, took a wide step around Cash, and darted outside with his duffel bag.

  Jordan groaned. “This is going to come back on me. Thanks a lot.”

  Cash squatted down and forced Alvarez to meet his gaze. “Is it, Ricky? Is this going to come back on my girlfriend?”

  “N-no. Not at all.” He blubbered and moaned, cupping his crotch. “S-sorry you have to leave. I’ll pay your deposit back, no problem.”

  Jordan frowned. “But I didn’t—”

  “You do that,” Cash interrupted. “Or I’ll be back.” Then he dragged the fucker outside into the hallway and left him there. “Lock up, Jordan.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” she snapped as she locked up, a full sea bag over her shoulder.

  He didn’t dare offer to take it from her, warned away by the glint in her eyes. He followed in silence as she stomped through the hall and down the stairwell. He only stopped when she did, next to her car.

  Seeing her anger and pain poleaxed him all over again. “Damn, Jordan. I’m so sorry.”

  “Oh, you asshole.” She smacked him in the chest.

  “Uh, Jordan, I think we should go,” Rafi said from the other side of the car. He gave Cash a tremulous look before hurriedly looking away. “Now would be good before that guy calls the cops.”

  “He won’t be calling anyone.” Cash ignored the need to go back and finish the son of a bitch. “Seriously, you guys are free.”