Breaking Free

by Layla Nash

  “And miss the chance to keep an eye on you? No fucking way.” Nick grumbled to himself and watched the city roll by. “I haven’t forgotten that you knocked up my little sister, asshole.”

  “Look, man, she wanted —“

  “Don’t finish that sentence,” Lacey said, laughing.

  God, Nick loved when she laughed. He loved the sound of it, the texture of it against his skin, the way her face relaxed and her eyes lit up and everything about her looked lighter. Nick exhaled and leaned forward to grip her shoulders, squeezing and massaging until her head fell back against the head-rest of the seat. “My little sister is above reproach. Pure as the driven snow until this asshole got his hands on her.”

  And again Owen snorted, though he turned red and gripped the steering wheel tight enough the leather creaked. “Kara definitely wasn’t —“

  “Really don’t finish that sentence,” Lacey interrupted again. She laughed more, shaking her head, and patted Owen’s shoulder. “Poor bear.”

  Owen’s complexion went closer to purple and he pulled the car to a stop right outside the warehouse where the bears lived. He gathered some semblance of dignity and undid his seat belt. “I was going to say, Kara wasn’t interested in sharing that part of our life with her brother. Particularly when he’d been around the block a lot. A lot.”

  Lacey opened her door and got out, and Nick waited in the backseat so he could get a good look at her ass. He wanted to grab her with both hands and drag her into his room, bite her ass and her thighs and her shoulder and everywhere else he could get a taste of her skin. He barely managed to get out of the car, and the second Lacey looked at him, her face flamed red and her eyes got all soft and sweet and welcoming.

  Owen cleared his throat and stayed by the car, though he gestured at the door. “You all go on inside. I’m going to stay out here until the air, uh, clears a bit. I don’t want to see any more of you than I’ve already seen, Nick, so just —”

  “Shut up,” Nick said. But he reached out to shake the kid’s hand before he stalked toward Lacey. “You’re a good kid, Owen. Thanks for looking after my sister. Just don’t ever sleep with her again.”

  The bear snorted and rolled his eyes, leaning back against the car as he pulled out his phone and started texting someone. Nick couldn’t get the doors open fast enough, but then he and Lacey were inside his room and Nick could finally lock the door and really kiss her. Lacey pulled at his shirt, tossing aside the rags, and Nick broke the kiss long enough to rip off her clothes.

  A wild hunger spiraled through him, desperate and wanting, and the wolf growled as he walked her back to the bed until her legs bumped into the mattress and she tumbled back into the sheets. He kicked off his shoes and stripped off his jeans and jumped on top of her, still growling, and squeezed her breasts until Lacey gasped and arched. Nick buried his face in her throat and hair, letting her feel his teeth, and barely managed to get the words out. “I want you so much I can’t fucking control myself.”

  Her nails raked up his naked back, leaving stinging trails behind, and Nick groaned. He released her breasts long enough to rip at the button on her jeans, tearing the fabric, then plunged his hand under her panties so he could feel the slippery flesh that was just waiting for him.

  Lacey sucked in a breath and wiggled her hips, trying to get rid of the jeans, but Nick kind of liked her being bound up. He chuckled and lowered his mouth to her breast so he could tease her nipple as his fingers pinched and circled her clit. The hyena queen cursed him and writhed against him, and Nick slowed down still more, taking his damn time to tease her entrance. She felt like silk and cream, warm and soft, and he fought the need to taste her again. The jeans still kept her knees together with just enough room for his arm to move and press against her.

  Lacey dug her nails into his shoulders, moving her hips to encourage him to go faster, go deeper. To give her more. And Nick backed off, giving her softer brushes, until she growled in frustration and scowled up at him in pure fury. “You bastard, stop playing around and fuck me.”

  Nick grinned as his cock jumped in anticipation, and leaned down so she could feel it against her hip. “Oh, I’m getting there. I just like to hear you beg me, Your Highness.”

  Her back arched and she groaned, gripping his wrist with both hands so she could use him to please herself, and Nick almost unloaded in his drawers as he watched her. The flush rose from her breasts and up her throat to her face as she panted and arched and muttered curses at him. As she hovered on the edge, her body starting to tense and relax, he sucked her breast into his mouth and grabbed a handful of her hair to pull her head back so she would watch him. Their eyes met just as she came, her mouth open in a silent cry, and he held her gaze as the wolf surged to the surface and her hyena answered.

  The world shifted and Nick felt everything fall into place as he pressed his fingers into her and bit her nipple and neither of them looked away.

  Then she collapsed and panted, her legs falling open as far as the jeans would allow, and Nick chuckled. He freed her from the jeans and crawled on top if her, watching as her eyelashes fluttered and a small curved her lips. He leaned down to kiss her, murmuring in her ear, “Time to start trying everything. What should we try first?”

  She bit her lower lip and he almost lost control completely. Then Lacey stretched and linked her arms around his neck, letting her head fall back on the pillow to expose her throat — and the deliberately submissive pose made his wolf howl in anticipation. God help him. She trusted him with her throat. No one had ever done that.

  Nick leaned down to set his teeth against the smooth skin right over her pulse, closing his eyes, and Lacey sighed. “I trust you. Your pick, big guy.”

  He chuckled and squeezed her ass, letting his fingers dig in. “You sure?”

  Her eyes flickered open and found his in the half-light of the room. “Absolutely.”

  Nick grinned and kissed her again. “Then get ready.”

  Lacey stretched and relaxed, running her fingers through his hair. Nick had to stop for a second to revel in the way she looked at him, the feel of her body stretched against his, the quiet intimacy of being there with her. Every wild and crazy kink he’d ever experimented with ran through his thoughts, but none of them felt right. There would be time for that later. He wanted her, to connect with her. He buried his face against her chest and squeezed his eyes shut against a swell of emotion.

  Perfect. It was all too perfect.

  Chapter Forty-six

  Lacey

  I wondered why he stopped, but I couldn’t stop to think about it too long. Something shifted between us, some connection was made, and everything would be fine. I nudged his shoulder until Nick lay on his back, watching me with those gold wolf-eyes, and I carefully straddled his thighs. A smile tugged at his mouth and his palms rested roughly against my waist.

  I planted my hands on his chest when he started to reach for me, and shook my finger in his face. “My turn, wolf.”

  He growled and moved his hips so I almost fell off, and I let my nails go sharp so I could drag them down his sides until he grimaced and squirmed and squeezed my hips more. I wrapped my hand around his cock and Nick sucked in a breath, watching me as heat blazed in his expression, and I stroked him in a long drag that sent heat right to my core.

  Breathing grew more difficult as I continued to stroke his cock, listening to the sounds he made as he fought the wolf and urged me to move faster or just fuck him already. I smiled, feeling a little evil, and scooted back so I could lean down and breathe against the head of his cock.

  Nick groaned and grabbed fistfuls of the sheets, his whole body bowing off the mattress. “Jesus Christ, Lacey.”

  “Hmm.” I kissed the tip and ran my tongue around the crown, taking my time to taste him and touch as much of him as I could. Nick growled more and said something that sounded like Russian — something demanding and rough. His hips lifted to try and take more of my mouth, but I held back from doing m
ore than teasing him.

  When sweat broke out of his forehead and Nick’s teeth flashed white at me, I relented and took as much of his cock in my mouth as I could. I braced my hands on his hips to keep him from thrusting at me, and his ragged breathing told me how much he liked what I did. The hand on the back of my head also gave me a clue as I sucked harder.

  I ran my tongue up and down his cock before letting him back in, stroking and twisting with my hand since I couldn’t take him all. Nick panted and gripped my hair as he lifted his hips. “Just a little more, baby.”

  I relaxed my jaw and changed my angle, trying to get him deeper without gagging, and Nick made a guttural sound that made my thighs clench. He pulled back so I could breathe, then eased forward again with more encouragement, and I shivered and moved my hand to touch myself, teasing my clit as he held tighter to my head and moved his hips faster, more insistently. I moaned around him and Nick cursed, his whole body jerking, and he growled, “That’s it. Touch yourself. Faster, babe. I want you to come while you suck my cock.”

  I moaned again and pinched myself, hips jerking, and used my free hand to twist my nipple as he held my head and took over. It didn’t take long before his rough touch and dirty talk sent me spiraling into ecstasy and I cried out as I thrashed on the mattress.

  Nick grunted and filled my mouth, holding me close as his hips moved slowly, then he withdrew and sprawled across the bed. I collapsed on top of him, stars still dotting my vision, and I didn’t even mind swallowing. I draped my thigh over his, so he could feel the wetness seeping out of my core, and Nick moved to cup my sex and move his long fingers against me. “You ready for more, babe?”

  I grinned and ran my fingers over his chest, tugging on his chest hair, and glanced down at deflated manhood. “Are you?”

  “Very soon,” he murmured, then dragged me over his once more until I sat on his chest. He moved me forward until he could drag his tongue along my core, and I ran my fingers into his hair to guide him as he devoured me.

  It didn’t take long for me to climb the peak again, freezing on top of him as Nick sucked my clit against his teeth and teased my ass with his fingers, and by then Nick had fully recovered. I expected him to throw me down and fuck me, but instead he slid me down him until his cock rested between my ass cheeks. I managed to give him a slanted look, and he laughed, a dark sexy sound that had me wiggle against him in anticipation. “Not tonight, my love, but soon. I’ll have your ass, too, and you’ll love every second of it.”

  I shivered, balancing on my knees as I lifted myself up and he held his cock ready to stroke against my slick folds. I groaned as he pressed against me, then I sank down and he filled me in a heated rush that pushed me into another spasm of ecstasy. My head fell back as I groaned, squeezing my breasts, and Nick’s palm collided with my hip. “Move, baby.”

  I seated myself against him more, grinding down on him, and started to rock as I tried to memorize every inch of him. Every whisper and breath and the hard angle of his muscles and the heavy thickness of his cock deep inside me. I moaned and froze against him, terrified of the climax that hovered just out of reach but so overpowering that I thought it might shatter me to pieces. Nick raised his hips in a smooth thrust that set him deep and I gnawed my lip ragged to keep from screaming.

  He kept moving to meet me as we found a rhythm, fighting back the end to draw it all out, and sweat rolled down my skin to meet his, mixing with his scent. I’d never get tired of him. Ever. Even the bad jokes and corny pickup lines and questionable sense of self-preservation. I needed everything about him.

  I curled my fingers against his chest, holding on as tightly as I could, and rode him until we both lost control. Nick surged up and wrapped his arms around me, rolling us until he was on top. He dragged my legs to his shoulders and filled me again with a growl. I wailed as he pushed me over the edge and my body seized up, clenching to keep him close, and he thrust wildly until he froze on top of me, groaning, and his teeth sank into my shoulder.

  It was too much, the pain of his bite blending into the pleasure of where his body still rode against my sensitive flesh, and my entire brain shorted out.

  I came back some time later after Nick cleaned us up and dragged the sheets and blankets over us, and draped himself over me like a heated blanket. I kissed his shoulder and lifted my hand to stroke his back, tracing his backbone all the way down to the firm swell of his ass.

  He grumbled and lifted his head enough to kiss me before he sighed and closed his eyes. “Keep your hands north of the border, girlie. I’m too tired to fuck you again right now.”

  I made a thoughtful noise and instead rubbed my foot against his calf. “I find that disappointing.”

  He snorted, squeezing me closer. “A nap and a beer and I’ll be ready to go again.”

  My thoughts drifted as I kept touching him, and I imagined all the places we could go and all the things we could do. We’d need money, but since Nick didn’t seem concerned about any of that, maybe it wouldn’t be a problem. We could always pick up odd jobs along the way. I’d always wanted to be a beach bum of some kind, renting out scooters or fishing poles or whatever to tourists. We could find some place sunny and warm, after we took care of some business in Europe. Despite freeing everyone in the BadCreek compound who wanted to leave, and making it clear to those who remained that their shenanigans wouldn’t be tolerated in the future, there still remained the problem of Markus Keller. The mastermind behind the whole scheme had disappeared into Europe and avoided Logan Chase’s best efforts to track him down, but Nick claimed to have had a lead on his whereabouts.

  I leaned again to kiss Nick’s shoulder, and he grumbled. His head turned on the pillow until his lips pressed to my temple, his breath warm against my skin. “What are you thinking about, Lacey?”

  I should have just told him I wondered about killing Markus Keller, which would no doubt put him in the mood again, but instead my gaze lingered on my left hand, resting casually on his back. “Does it bother you, that I still wear my engagement ring?”

  He blinked, only one eye open as he squinted at me, and his expression remained closed to me. My throat closed. What if it bothered him? What if he demanded I take it off and get rid of it?

  Nick sighed and nuzzled a little closer. “Why would it bother me, babe?”

  “Because it’s Cal’s ring. It’s another man’s ring.” I stared at the ceiling and willed away tears. I wouldn’t cry. I absolutely wouldn’t cry. Not when I had every reason to be happy.

  “I’m happy you had him to look after you before I got here,” Nick said quietly, pushing up on his elbows so he could bump his nose against mine. “And I’m sad you lost him and that hurt you. That’s your ring, baby. You keep it on as long as you need to. I hope you’ll wear mine eventually, but that doesn’t mean you have to take his off.”

  A knot in my throat made it tough to breathe, and I lost the battle against the tears. “What did I do to deserve both of you? How did I get so much love?”

  “You deserve it because you’re you,” he said, grumbling and gruff. He pulled me closer and tried to smother the sad right out of me. “You’re Lacey fucking Szdoka, former hyena queen and forever badass chick, as someone informed me recently.”

  I laughed, even though it was a little misty, and closed my eyes as his mouth found mine for another deep, leisurely kiss. Nick’s interest rekindled in a sudden pressure against my hip, and I opened an eye to glance under the sheets. “Really?”

  “I didn’t get my nap or my beer, so a shower will have to do.” He grinned and started untangling us from the sheets. “Then we’ll take a nap.”

  I let him pick me up and carry me through the room, kicking aside dirty laundry, and I rested my head on his shoulder. He really meant what he said about trying everything, and I didn’t mind at all, just like he promised. The whole world waited for us, and I couldn’t wait to see it all. Maybe we’d run into Iskander on the way. We’d finally broken free of all the ties
binding us down, me and the djinn and even Nick. It was time to fly.

  Epilogue

  Four months later…

  Nick and I stood on the Charles Bridge overlooking the river in Prague. We stood just below the castle and basked in the late fall sun as a few snowflakes sifted down from the dreary clouds. I’d come to love everything about Prague. We wandered for hours every day for the last month, though some days we stayed inside our top-floor apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and ate cheese and drank wine and fucked until we were both too exhausted to move.

  We’d wandered around Europe for four months, following different leads and rumors about Keller but also enjoying croissants and bread in Paris, pasta and seafood in Sicily, baklava in Istanbul... I leaned closer to Nick and he wrapped his arm around me, resting his cheek against the top of my head as we leaned on the railing. “I told you to wear a heavier coat.”

  “I’m fine,” I said, ignoring the half-teasing reminder. “I’ve got you. Plus I don’t think we’ll be out here long.”

  He grumbled, then pulled my gloves and a hat out of his pocket and handed them to me. “Then put these on, you hooligan. The first rule of this kind of work is to always make sure you’re dressed appropriately for the weather. You’re no good to me if your hands and feet are too numb to run or fight.”

  I slid one of those cold hands under his shirt and Nick jumped, giving me a dirty look. He was remarkably ticklish, even though he denied it. “Did you hear from Kara?”

  “Yeah,” he said, and handed me his phone so I could see the new photo in the background: a red-headed, smushed-face infant, mouth open in a furious scream and blue eyes wide. “That’s our niece. Gretta, I think she said. I told them Nicola was the better name, but Owen didn’t listen.”

  I snorted and turned the phone to appreciate the baby. “She’s definitely got your way of complaining down.”