by Lori Foster
Opening her hands on his back, she stroked him. “Reyes? Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” As she’d said, she was with him. Of course he was okay. “Let me show you the rest of the place.”
Though she continued to watch him with concern, she still appropriately appreciated the masculine design of the bathroom and bedroom.
“I have a dorm-sized fridge and a microwave, but I never use them since Bernard always has something good upstairs.”
“Guess I’ll need to go upstairs for coffee.”
“Nah.” He kissed her forehead, the bridge of her nose and, lastly, her mouth. “I’ll fetch it for you whenever you want.” To keep her from thanking him again, he asked, “Would you like a nice warm bath?”
Slowly she grinned. “The way you say that, I wonder if you have more than a good soak in mind.”
“You, naked? The view alone will be worth it.”
She laughed, the sound light and easy, proving she really was recovering.
“But, babe, you’re hurt, so no hanky-panky.” He lifted her bandaged wrist. “The water will sting.”
“It’ll be worth it.”
“Come on.” While she watched, he prepped the bath for her and set out fluffy towels. “What else do you need?”
“A way to put up my hair? Clothes to change into?”
“Will a rubber band do? Madison left more clothes, and Bernard washed your bra and panties, so that’s covered.”
Her face went hot, making him grin.
“What?” he teased. “I’m sure Bernard didn’t mind.”
“And if I mind?”
“Too late.” Strange that he could be so concerned for her and also so damned turned on. “Do you need help getting undressed?”
She gave him a look. “No.”
“Then I’ll get your things for you.”
When he returned a minute later, Kennedy was, indeed, naked, and Reyes began wondering if this was such a great idea after all. Just seeing her made him half-hard, but he wasn’t about to—
“Stop it,” she said, taking the band from him, flipping her hair forward and securing it.
He wouldn’t mind seeing her do that a dozen more times—when she wasn’t riddled with bruises. “Er, stop what?”
“Thinking of reasons why we can’t enjoy each other.” She sent him a look so sultry he had to lock his knees. “Just so you know, I need you.”
“Kennedy—”
Her chin lifted. “I feel safer with you. Stronger, too. Being with you is like having everything good rolled up in pleasure. I want that, Reyes. I need to feel alive, and I need you close.”
Damn, he couldn’t breathe. Trying to soothe her, he whispered, “I’m not going to budge from your side, but I don’t want to risk—”
“Did you miss the part where I said I need it?” Her lips trembled before she firmed them. “I need you.”
Yeah, that did it. Whatever control he’d had was just blown to smithereens. He watched her gingerly step into the steamy water, favoring her injured leg. He was used to seeing bruises on himself. On Cade. But on Kennedy?
A light bruise spread out over her right shoulder blade. His dad wouldn’t have seen that one, or the bruise on her left hip. Kennedy had been adamant that she only show so much, and she’d promised that nothing else was hurt.
He understood what she meant. There was hurt, and then there was damaged, like with an injury. On Kennedy, he couldn’t seem to distinguish the two. Even the smallest scratch pained him.
He wanted to surround her with his strength, protect her against the world. And yeah, he wanted to hold her close, sink into her, ride her gently until they both forgot about the near miss.
Ruthlessly he blocked that thought. Just because Kennedy assumed she’d be up to sex, didn’t mean she was.
She sighed as she reclined back, but when the water hit her abraded arm, she hissed a breath.
“Is it bad?”
“No, it just smarts.” She gave him a smile. “I won’t let you slide on sex, so stop looking for a way out.”
What an incredible woman. “Now, how could I possibly deny you?”
“You can’t.” Sinking chin-deep into the water, she said, “Oh, this is nice.”
“Warm enough?” Because now that she was naked and relaxed, he was seriously sweltering. After she nodded, he stripped off his shirt and knelt by the tub.
“There’s room for two.”
True. He’d deliberately chosen a roomy tub for those rare occasions when he wanted a hot soak to relieve stiff muscles. At the moment, it wasn’t his muscles that were stiff, and he wouldn’t crowd her for fear of bumping one of her sore spots. “How about I just enjoy you, instead?”
She eyed him. “Enjoy me how?”
“You stay just like that and let me take care of everything.”
She considered that for a second, then smiled again. “Mmm, that sounds indulgent.”
“For both of us.” Reyes picked up the bar of unscented soap—the kind he used—and worked it into the washcloth until he had a nice lather. Leisurely, he bathed every inch of her, paying special attention to key places, until her breath was choppy and need left her skin rosy.
When he reached beneath the water to touch her, she groaned. Reyes couldn’t look away from her face. He loved seeing her pleasure because it spiked his own. Right now her eyes were heavy, her cheeks flushed and her lips slightly parted.
“Relax your legs, babe.”
Breathing faster, she said, “Maybe we should end the bath.”
“Not yet.” He pressed one finger into her and whispered again, “Relax your legs.”
She swallowed heavily and gradually let her thighs fall open.
“That’s it.” Gently he stroked her, loving the heat of her body, the growing slickness. Her nipples, puckered tight, tempted him until he shifted to lean over her, licking first one, then the other. With a soft sound of need, she locked her hands around his neck and urged him to linger.
While he circled that nipple, playing with her, he withdrew his finger, then pressed in two. Her hips lifted.
“Easy, babe. I don’t want to hurt you.” No matter how he burned, he wouldn’t forget that she’d been injured and was recovering. “Be as still as you can.”
She groaned out a curse, making him smile.
“That’s it,” he praised her, when she relaxed again. He rewarded her by closing his mouth around her nipple, drawing gently first, then sucking harder as he moved his fingers inside her.
He felt her rising need in the way her body trembled, the rush of slippery moisture against his fingers and the sounds she made. Ever so lightly he drifted his thumb over her clitoris, again and again.
Though she locked her fingers in his hair, disregarding his instructions, he couldn’t chide her over that—and wouldn’t have anyway. She was so close to release that he doubted either of them could remember caution.
When the climax hit her, he nearly came, too. Water sloshed out of the tub, but who cared? Her body clenched around his fingers. He lifted his head to watch her expression tighten in honest reaction. So real. So beautiful.
Such a freaking turn-on.
As soon as she quieted, Reyes eased away from her and pulled the drain on the tub. His jeans were soaked so he shucked them off in record time, tossing them over the puddle on the floor. Catching Kennedy under the arms, he lifted her from the tub, set her on her feet and wrapped the fluffy towel around her before picking her up again.
She smiled, her eyes still closed, and let him have his way.
On the way to the bed, he said, “I will not hurt you.”
“I know.” She kissed his throat, her mouth open, her tongue hot. “I trust you, Reyes.”
Lowering her to her feet, he gently dried her.
She laughed at
his caution. “Take off your boxers.”
Every day, in some new way, she astounded him. “Not yet.” If he did, it’d be over.
Frowning, she poked his chest. “No more playing, Reyes.” Then in a more plaintive voice, she said, “I need you now.”
“Get in the bed.”
“Bossy much?” She crawled in as she said that, stealing his breath in the process.
“Horny much, actually.” He went to the nightstand to dig out a rubber, then sprawled out beside her. Reminding himself to use ultimate care, to utilize every ounce of gentleness he possessed, he took her mouth in a deep, wet, tongue-dueling kiss while palming her breasts. Every inch of her enticed him, her silky skin, her firm bottom, the taste of her, her scent.
He kissed her throat, down to her breasts, where he concentrated for a while on getting her back to the edge, then down to her ribs and her stomach. He kissed every bruise, every small scrape, and everywhere in between as he slowly progressed down her body.
Probably guessing his intent, she made small, desperate sounds of need.
Carefully parting her thighs, he looked at her, seeing her pink flesh swollen and wet. She definitely wanted him. Whatever pain she felt, it wasn’t hindering her.
“Reyes?”
There were no words for all the things she made him feel. Without forewarning, he licked over her, into her, and didn’t even mind when her hips lifted. Sex had a way of obliterating aches and worries, and given how Kennedy moved now, she wasn’t feeling, either.
Lifting her thighs over his shoulders, he settled in to sate himself on her taste, licking her, prodding with his tongue, nibbling with his lips. Even when she quickly spiraled into another climax, he couldn’t get enough. He closed his mouth over her clitoris and suckled until she cried out, her entire body straining.
Seconds ticked by, maybe even a full minute, and his senses returned in a startling rush. Damn it, he shouldn’t have pushed her like that. He was supposed to be pampering her.
Dreading the discomfort he might see on her face, he rose up and found her resting boneless across his mattress, her thighs sprawled, her arms out and limp, eyes closed and cheeks damp.
“You’re mine.”
Her eyelids fluttered. “What?” she whispered.
No, he didn’t want to get into explanations right now, not when he was strung so tight. He grabbed the condom and rolled it on. “If anything bothers you, if your head hurts—”
“Reyes.” She smiled up at him. “Have you ever known me to be shy?”
“A little.”
She pressed a warm kiss to his mouth. “Not with sex.” She stroked a small, warm hand over his chest.
“The bruises—”
“What bruises?” she whispered, kissing him again, and this time her lips were open, her tongue bold.
Hell, he was a goner. Slowly he moved over her, giving her time to adjust her legs in whatever way was most comfortable for her. Gripping his shoulders, she hooked her uninjured leg over his hips.
Reyes slid one hand under her sexy behind, tilted her hips and pressed into her in one long, smooth thrust.
Heaven.
It was a good thing she’d already come twice because, after all that, he was on a hair trigger.
While he kept up an easy and steady rhythm, Kennedy seemed content to kiss him senseless while stroking his back. Just when he knew he couldn’t hold back a moment longer, he pressed his face into her neck and growled a powerful release. And even then he was aware of her, of how precious she was to him, how delicate. And how strong.
She’d fought a kidnapper from her past who’d had the vilest of intent. She’d persevered through injuries and fear. And she’d stolen his heart, irrevocably.
Plus, she gave him the best sex he’d ever had.
“Somehow,” she whispered near his ear, “it keeps getting better.”
He couldn’t yet speak, but he kissed her shoulder, then rolled to his back to relieve her of his weight. She should have been crying, or at least sleeping, after her ordeal.
Instead, Kennedy immediately snuggled into his side.
They rested like that for a bit until he thought to ask, “Did I hurt you?”
“Of course you didn’t. You never would.”
No, he wouldn’t.
She yawned. “But I am crazy tired again.”
He made himself man up, but it wasn’t easy. “Give me two minutes.” Leaving the bed, he disposed of the condom, cleaned up and found the pills his dad wanted her to take.
He carried her one with a bottle of water. At first he thought she was already asleep, until she opened her eyes. She’d removed the band from her hair and now it tumbled over the pillow. She rested one hand on her stomach and the other, palm up, by her head.
Liking the way she smiled, Reyes sat on the side of the bed and offered her the medicine. When that was done, he straightened the bedding, turned off the light and stretched out beside her. “I’ll keep you warm, okay?”
“Yes.”
Holding her close with one arm, he asked, “Why were you smiling?”
“I was just thinking how funny it was that today should have been one of the scariest since I escaped traffickers, but with you, it was also one of the nicest.”
Damn, she knew how to level him.
I love you. The words burned in his throat, but saying them aloud would be a commitment. Before he did that, they had a lot to work out, most especially his career. He wanted her to know that one day he would comfortably retire. He wouldn’t go into his old age fighting bad guys. He’d have money in the bank, a nice house... She wouldn’t have to worry about growing old with him.
Her career was another matter. He was so damned proud of her, but he knew his limitations, and he couldn’t imagine letting her go off on her own without protection. Not with her past, and not with his awareness of the dangers in the world.
Would she rebel against that?
He had dozens of concerns, but voicing them would start another long conversation when what she really needed was sleep.
When he realized her breathing had deepened, he knew she’d already nodded off.
They’d make it work, he told himself. He didn’t know if Kennedy loved him, but she cared. She liked being with him. She loved the sex.
He could start there and build on the rest.
And with that thought, he drifted off to sleep, too.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON, they headed over to see Jodi. Kennedy had insisted on seeing her friend, against protests from everyone except Reyes.
He, at least, knew her well enough to understand this was something she had to do. She wanted to be close to her, to hug her, to literally be there for her.
Parrish wanted her to wear dark sunglasses because of her concussion, though, honestly, the effects of it weren’t nearly as bad today. Madison had given her a puffer coat to wear, so she wasn’t cold. And with Cade and Sterling trailing them, she wasn’t too nervous, either.
Reyes was in full-blown protector mode, meaning he constantly scanned their surroundings without talking much.
Little by little, Kennedy was starting to grasp the complexities of their operation and how they all worked together, complementing each other’s efforts, giving physical and emotional support wherever needed.
That morning, before she’d even made it out of Reyes’s suite, Cade had gotten the window on the truck fixed. Soon as she and Reyes had joined the others in the kitchen for a light breakfast, Madison presented new info she’d uncovered, specifically locating a few small-time thugs with a past association to Golly. They were still local, therefore it stood to reason that they might be working with Golly again.
They’d decided it was worth checking into, and another two hours were spent going over the names, records and current residen
ces of each of them. It was a thorough discussion, with all possibilities covered.
The process had kept Kennedy enthralled.
Reyes’s family was a unit, and she admired that.
Though Madison had her information perfectly organized, she didn’t seem as chipper as usual. Kennedy would bet it had something to do with the detective, but since no one else mentioned Crosby, she didn’t, either.
She’d sat beside Reyes, of course, and when Madison passed him full color images that she’d printed of the thugs, Kennedy was shocked to recognize one of them.
“It’s him.”
All eyes turned to her. “Him, who?” Reyes asked.
“The man who was on my balcony. Remember, I told you about him?”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.” She’d never forget that face, not after the way he’d terrified her.
Briefly Reyes explained about the incident that took place before the fire. “The police thought it was an attempted break-in, but Kennedy never bought that.”
“Not with the way he stood there smiling at me.” The memory disturbed her all over again, and she muttered, “I had my gun, but was too frozen to do anything other than aim at him.”
Sterling grinned. “Likely that was enough.”
“Given you have a history with him, that almost guarantees he’s tied to Golly,” Parrish decreed. “Which also casts suspicion on any close associates of his.”
“I’m on it,” Madison had promised. “I’ll have more by the end of the day.”
Now in Reyes’s truck with the afternoon sunlight reflecting through the newly replaced window, she was glad Parrish had provided the glasses. They served the dual purpose of protecting her eyes from the glare and shielding her tumultuous thoughts from his discerning gaze. Not that she wanted to keep anything from him, but with him so attuned to their surroundings, she didn’t want to distract him, either.
As if he’d just read her mind, he asked, “Doing okay?” without glancing at her.
She accepted that nothing much got past Reyes. “Much better today, thank you.”
“Headache?”
“Not too bad.” She looked at the bruise on his forehead. “You?”