by Delta James
He stood up and took her face in his hands before kissing her deeply…letting his mastery over her senses remind her she was his and that she could entrust herself to his keeping. Her resistance was brief and futile. She wrapped her arms around his neck and melted into him, sighing as she did so and giving herself over to the kiss.
Noah raised his head and was surprised to see tears welling in her eyes. He kissed both of them and she closed her lids, as if afraid to let him see into her soul.
“It’ll be all right, Zara. It’s really a nice day. Why don’t we take advantage and go for a walk? The beach is private, and maybe the salt air and stretching your legs will help.”
“What’s it going to help? The situation with Abdal? Discovering Springer’s real end game?”
“Could be. Sometimes, a walk can give your brain the space it needs to process, but I was talking about helping you settle into the idea of us.”
“There is no us.”
“There is, but you just don’t want to admit it…yet.”
Noah took her by the hand and led her out onto the beach. Several times, she tried to pull away from him, but once he showed her he had no intention of letting go of her hand, she relaxed and ended up actually holding onto his. They walked quietly and companionably along the beach, listening to the waves crash and gulls cry overhead.
“You don’t think Springer wants to take over Abdal’s operation?”
She shook her head. “No, I think he wants that. I just don’t think that’s his end game. I think it’s a step toward his real goal. I suspect he wants the money to fund other things.”
“You could be right. We’ve been able to piece together that the Springer brothers seemed to have had their own right-wing, fascist agenda. Do you think he needs Abdal’s operation to fund that?”
“If Springer wants to conduct terrorist operations on a global level, he’ll need access to that kind of money. The fact that the money will come from ammunition and arms he needs as well just make it a better option for him.”
Noah nodded. “That makes sense, but is Springer intelligent enough to pull that off?”
“Doubtful,” she said. “But he’s smart enough to be the right hand to someone who is.”
“Someone other than Abdal…”
“Absolutely. Abdal has no political affiliations. He could care less to whom he sells his weapons of death and destruction. As long as you can pay for it, he doesn’t care what you do with it. There have been conflicts where he has sold to both sides. He is completely amoral, and despite what you think, he has no honor.”
“I don’t know, Zara. We’ve dealt with him a couple of times. He’s always dealt fair and square with us.”
“That’s my point…you were conducting business. And business deals he understands. He’ll keep his word and do what he agrees to…that’s just good business. But don’t ever think, he wouldn’t turn right back around and put a bullet in your brain.”
Noah nodded, and they returned to silence. They made their way back to the cottage. They stopped by the outbuilding that housed the escape vehicle.
“Listen, Zara, can you ride a bike?”
“You mean a bicycle or a motorcycle? Actually, it doesn’t matter. I can ride both.”
“Good. I think we’re safe here, probably for the duration, but I don’t like staying in one place for too long. If something happens, and we get compromised, I need to know that if I tell you to hightail it away from me, you will.”
“Leave you to die? I’d prefer to get to watch…”
“As I said, viper-tongued…”
“I wouldn’t leave you, Noah. It’s not in my nature. As you like to point out to me, you did save my life, for which I am grateful. There’s no way I wouldn’t do the same for anyone.”
“I don’t want you to do it for anyone. I don’t even want you to do it for me. What I want is for you to follow my orders when I have to give them to you. If I tell you to run, you get to this motorcycle and head straight over the hill. You’ll find a burial mound. Take the bike past the barriers and you’ll find a locked entrance. The storage compartment on the motorcycle has the key. Take the bike inside and wait. If I’m not there within the hour, go to the other side of the mound and let yourself out. You’ll find a really old crofter’s hutch. There’s a Range Rover in there with the keys under the driver’s side mat. Get in, use the comm system in it, and call for help and backup. Then you drive to the airport at Cardiff. By the time you get there, a ticket will be waiting. You get on the plane and someone from Wild Mustang Security will pick you up.”
“I may hate you…”
“You don’t,” he teased.
“I do,” she assured. “But I wouldn’t leave anyone to die for me.”
“Not to be overly dramatic, but that’s what I signed up for—and not just as a member of the Wild Mustang team. I’d do that for any client, but I’d damn sure do it for my woman. And make no mistake, you are mine.”
“I’m going to assume you don’t want me to lie to you. If you don’t want me to get killed, then you’d damn well better stay close enough to me to make sure it doesn’t happen. There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell I would leave you behind to die for me. I might end up killing you myself, but that’s a reward I reserve for me and me alone.”
“Then if I tell you to bolt, and you don’t? You’d better hope we go out in a blaze of glory because if we don’t, I’ll take my belt to your backside amidst the carnage and leave welts that will last a week.”
She shivered and smiled. Zara might say she didn’t want to be his—hell, she probably even believed it—but all he had to do was talk about it and she responded to him.
***
Zara watched him. Somewhere on their beach walk, she had lost her wariness with him. She needed to guard against that. Noah Taylor was not the type of man she wanted in her life, nor was he one to trifle with. Yes, she had loved Damien. And yes, he had been dominant with her, but in a far less invasive manner than Noah. Noah meant to be dominant in all aspects of her life, and while he said he didn’t want her to be submissive, she didn’t believe him. That just wasn’t something she had within herself to give to him. She’d never given it to Damien…thus the reason they’d fought the way they had. Zara had never stopped vying for control.
Although she hated to admit it, Noah was far more dominant than Damien had ever been. She wondered at the difference. She remembered reading once that not all dominant men are alpha-types, but that all alpha males were dominant. Perhaps that was the difference. Perhaps, while dominant, Damien had never been an alpha personality. The fact was she had always been able to hold a part of herself aloof from Damien if she chose to. Zara couldn’t seem to do that with Noah. He had a way of latching onto her being at its most fundamental core, making her feel what he wanted and yield to his demands.
Zara smiled to herself. Her orgasmic response to each man was different and was handled differently. Damien would keep her right on the edge of a climax. He would get her there and then not let her have it. When she would push through and achieve it anyway, he would often punish her for her willfulness. Noah seemed to enjoy feeling her come—he seemed to revel in the way her pussy would quiver along his length. He was intent on seeing how many orgasms he could exact from her even when she believed herself to be spent. She had experienced more climaxes at his hands, mouth, and cock than she’d ever believed possible. It was interesting how each man sought to hold the upper hand.
If the opportunity ever presented itself, Zara intended to show Noah he wasn’t the only one who would control their sexual encounters. She could easily imagine enticing him to get comfortable on his back while she sucked his dick. The fact was she liked performing oral sex on men. They were so enamored of a woman who was willing to do it, most would give up any and all control. Even Damian had always enjoyed it when she would suck him until he was hard before lowering herself onto his staff and riding him until they both came. Noah would be no diff
erent. Maybe that was the way—lure him into thinking she, too, believed they were in a relationship and get him well enough laid that he would sleep soundly while she slipped away.
She needed to get to Morocco and hook up with her contacts that might be able to give her a lead on exactly what was at stake for Gerold Springer and whoever he represented. She also wanted to talk to those still loyal to Abdal to get their thoughts. In a perfect world, she’d talk to Abdal himself, but she knew she’d never be successful. Either Noah would catch up to her before then or his buddies would catch her, and she’d be locked down in Mesa until Noah could arrive.
Zara didn’t even want to think about his reaction to that. She had no doubt his threat to welt her ass wasn’t idle. His hand had been bad enough. He’d left her poor posterior swollen and painful. She’d often wondered how something that hurt that much could evoke such a pronounced state of arousal.
While Zara didn’t relive every strike of his hand on her ass, she could certainly recall in vivid detail each caress, stroke of his cock, pleasured groan, and especially the feeling of his cock pumping his seed into her. It had bathed the walls of her pussy and filled her with its warmth. It had felt better than anything in her life, and she was going to miss feeling him mount and possess her. When he began to soften and withdraw, her entire body had been bereft at the loss.
“What are you thinking?” he said, breaking her reverie.
“I was thinking how much I’d like to suck your cock.”
He laughed. “You were, were you?”
“Yes,” she said, rubbing against him, cupping his jeans-covered package. “Right before I mount you and ride you until I’ve made you fill me with your cum.”
“That’s a nice little fantasy, but it won’t happen. I give you any control in our bed, and you’ll give yourself all kinds of silly notions about us being equals. We aren’t. If and when you suck my cock, it’ll be because I want you to. And you won’t suck me off, sweetheart. I’ll fuck your mouth. When I’m done with you, I’ll be the one doing the mounting, and I’ll make you scream my name before I pin you down and fill you with my seed.”
Every nerve ending in her body came alive. Damn the man. He had a way of talking to her that spoke to the very core of who she was. When he touched her, not only did the place he was touching respond to him, but her entire being lit up like Christmas. There was something about him that made her rational mind go into neutral and her libido into overdrive.
“Well, so much for my wanting to give you a blowjob,” she said with more than a little spite as she tried to turn away.
Noah held fast. Zara had expected him to be annoyed with her or even demand that she drop to her knees and service him. Instead, he just laughed.
“Don’t look so disappointed, Zara. I’m sure we’ll get around to that. The fact is, before we’re done, I will have fucked all of your holes.”
She snorted. “You really are the most annoying man I’ve ever had the misfortune to have anything to do with. Let go of me.”
“Kiss me.”
“No.”
He shook his head. “If I’m the most annoying man in your life, you are the single most obstinate, aggravating person I’ve ever met. But you’re intelligent and tactile as all get-out. At some point, you’ll decide it’s just easier to admit the inevitable and yield to me.”
“Don’t hold your breath.” She tried to pull away again. “Let go!”
“Kiss me,” he said, calmly but with a steely determination underlining every word.
He showed no signs of relinquishing her arm, and Zara knew she couldn’t overpower him. She took the half step she needed to and brushed his lips with a sort of drive-by kiss.
“Good girl,” he said, seemingly satisfied with her half-assed effort. He scanned her face before saying, “It wasn’t about the kiss, sweetheart. It was about doing what I told you.”
It was all she could do not to screech at him, but he turned her loose, and she went back into the house, looking to put some kind of distance between them. She went and sat on the bed with her back to the door, a death grip on her thighs to keep from bursting into tears. The man was quite possibly the most maddening human being she’d ever come across. The fact that she was rapidly losing her will to resist him was terrifying. She’d far rather face a hoard of assassins than lose her heart to Noah Taylor.
Chapter 9
Noah watched her go. He wasn’t unaware he was upsetting her equilibrium. In his opinion, it was time someone did. The half-life she had relegated herself to after Damian’s death was no way for a woman of Zara’s passion and intellect to live. He’d never imagined he’d be the man to do it, but now that he had her, even though it was a tenuous hold, he had no intention of letting her go.
As he entered the cottage, he could see her sitting on the bed with her back to the door. Her entire body was rigid with tension. Noah decided to start putting together something for a midday meal and give her a bit of space. His cock throbbed in opposition to that decision. The fact was, he looked forward to having her suck his cock, but not in the way she wanted. He had no illusions her plan was not so much to please him as to allow herself some semblance of control. Noah was quite sure that with Zara, if he gave her an inch, she’d take the bit in her teeth and run for miles.
While the kiss she’d given him wasn’t much as kisses go, in terms of learning to yield to him, it was a step in the right direction…not a big step, but a step nonetheless. Noah prided himself on being able to learn from other men’s mistakes. For instance, Mac had allowed a job promotion to cost him and Willa five years together, a decision Mac bitterly regretted. And Croft had tried to allow Finn to reconcile her conflicting feelings on her own, which had resulted in her taking off on him before realizing her foolishness and returning home. He’d have to remember to thank Finn for that. If she hadn’t done it, Zara might never have become embroiled in all of this. Certainly, it might have taken him longer to decide that he and Zara were meant to be together.
Noah looked at what they had on hand to prepare. Ah, the ultimate comfort food—tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. He often wondered why that was such a universal thing in most western cultures. He went about blending the tomatoes and preparing the sandwich, ensuring the bread was buttery and well toasted. He called to her. “Zara? Come on, sweetheart. I made you some tomato soup and a grilled cheese.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Seriously, is this going to be a thing with you?” He left the kitchen with the sandwich toasting on the grill pan and stalked across the cottage to her, stopping just inside the bedroom door. “Get your ass off that bed and come eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” she repeated, but this time he heard her voice catch in her throat.
Noah walked around the edge of the bed. The evidence of the tears she had shed was apparent. He sat next to her and drew her resisting body into his lap. He held her close and rocked her gently.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. I know it’s been tough, and I probably haven’t done all I could to make it easier for you. I just don’t think lying to you about how things are going to be is productive or helpful.”
“No,” she wailed as the tears began to fall again.
“Shh. I’m here. Everything will be all right.”
She pushed ineffectively at his chest, but he continued to hold her close. Zara continued to fight, but Noah knew it was more with herself than with him. She would come to see that he could be her rock in any of the storms that came her way. Finally, she quit struggling and just held herself perfectly still. He continued to rock her and offer wordless comfort and support. When she wrapped her arms around one of his and clung to him, he kissed her temple in reassurance.
“I don’t like it when you’re nice,” she whispered.
“Good thing for you, then, that it probably won’t happen all that often,” he teased.
She didn’t laugh or giggle, but he could feel her smile.
“I’ve ha
d it. I’m just exhausted. Would you mind if I just stretched out?” she asked.
“Not at all. Do you want some company, or do you just want to be by yourself in here for a while?”
“Just by myself…if that’s okay.”
He kissed her cheek. “It’s fine, but don’t think you have to go through this alone. I do understand that it’s a big change for you.”
“It is, and I don’t know that I want it.”
He laughed softly. “You don’t think you do, but that’s okay…I’m not giving you a choice about that.”
She shook her head. “You’re a real bastard, you know that?”
“I do indeed.”
That made her laugh. He ran his hand down her leg and removed her shoes and socks. Standing up with her in his arms, he placed her softly on her feet then pulled back the covers and helped her undress. Reverently, he kissed her lips and briefly sucked and kissed each of her nipples before helping her into bed. Noah watched as her eyes riveted on the growing bulge in his pants.
“Noah?” she asked tentatively.
“It’ll keep, sweetheart. You close your eyes and take a nap. I have some things I need to do for the office. I’ll get those done. If you’re still asleep, I may come and join you. I’ll just be in the other room if you need me.”
He brushed the hair off her face and was leaning down to bestow a kiss on her face when Zara reached up and drew him to her mouth. She pressed her lips against his, and her small tongue darted past his teeth to flick the tip of his then enticed him to deepen the kiss and take possession of her mouth. He caressed her lips with his before deepening the gesture, inordinately pleased when she sighed and relaxed into his hands, enjoying his attention. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to go on kissing her like that forever. His cock reminded him there were other parts of Zara to be enjoyed, but Noah pushed down his hunger to have her again and finished the kiss as softly as it had begun.
“Are you going to be all right if I go into the other room?”