Alexis mouthed to Dekker, “Now what?”
He held up his hand, silently telling her to stay. Alexis watched him pick up a pipe and back away. She waited a breath, and then another. Her legs began to shake from fatigue, but she couldn’t move. She had to stay hidden.
With each breath, she felt the toll all that adrenaline had taken. What exactly was Dekker going to do, and exactly how long was it going to take him to do it?
She shouldn’t have worried, as the sound of metal upon metal rang, filling the air. A giant pile of metal and garbage collapsed, pinning the guy with the wrench under it. His screams were muffled by the mass covering his face.
Dekker’s pipe rocketed out from behind the mattress, clipping the guy with the bat in the shoulder. Alexis heard booted footsteps behind her. Pain shot through her body as she stood. She tried to look defiant, but her limp gave her away as two men strode toward her. One blocked her escape forward, and the other blocked the way back.
The first guy lunged at her. She dove to the ground, rolling on her right shoulder. She screamed as she felt it pop out of the socket. Forcing herself back on her feet, she held her right arm across her chest.
The second guy leveraged kick after kick at her. Blocking with her left arm, she scrambled backward—each movement sending shards of pain through her arm. Finally, she ran out of real estate as she bumped into the porch railing of the house. Looping her good arm over the railing, she tightened her abdomen by pulling her knees up and thrusting her legs at her attacker’s chest, knocking him off his feet.
To her right, the first guy approached. Alexis wobbled. The guy cocked his arm back. Before he could release his punch, Dekker came out of nowhere and rammed his shoulder into the guy’s stomach. Grunting, they both landed hard on the ground. Arms punched as legs kicked. The two rolled on the oily ground. Dekker finally pinned the guy, and with one solid punch, he knocked him out cold.
Dekker swung his leg off the guy and stood. He brushed the dirt off his ripped pants as he walked over to Alexis. He had a gash on his cheek—the blood already dry. His knuckles oozed fresh blood.
A wave of nausea crashed over Alexis as warmth rushed through her body. Dekker caught Alexis before she collapsed at his feet.
But when he bent to scoop her into his arms, she stopped him.
“No. I want to walk out of here. Not with you carrying me.”
He straightened, smiling that smile that made her feel prouder than she had when she’d graduated from the police academy.
However, walk might have been an optimistic term. It was more like limp out of there. Dekker looped her left arm over his shoulder and helped her to the steps. Once at the top he twisted the knob, leading her into a darkened room.
“Please tell me we’re done,” she begged as he helped her across the room.
“Almost.”
Alexis groaned. Dekker was going to have to make good on his offer of protecting her now, because she didn’t know how much fight she had left in her.
He opened the door in front of him. Disco lights flashed, the throbbing bass of dance music filled the room. The walking wounded lined one wall. You could tell they had competed based on the number of bruises and teeth missing. One was missing a shirt, and a wide white bandage crisscrossed his rib cage. The guy with the spikes had his right eye swollen shut. That didn’t stop the scantily clad women from fawning all over the fighters, though.
The dance floor itself was filled with dozens of people gyrating to the throbbing music.
“You can’t seriously be expecting us to dance?” she asked, fearful of his answer.
Dekker just smiled and walked them out the side door. They found the guy who registered them when they first got there. He was seated behind another desk.
“Congratulations, Mr. Dekker,” he said, and then spotted Alexis. “And your guest …” It was pretty damned obvious he didn’t expect her to make it through. The man turned to Dekker again. “How would you like your funds dispersed?”
“Just roll them over,” Dekker said as they exited.
He did this regularly? Once was enough. It turned out getting your ass kicked felt like … well, getting your ass kicked.
“Where to?” Dekker asked as he opened the passenger door.
Alexis cradled her arm as she got in. “The nearest hospital.”
“You don’t need a hospital,” he coaxed as he got in and revved the car.
“Dekker, have you taken a good look at me?” Alexis insisted. “I’m one step away from requiring surgery.”
“I told you I’d take care of you, didn’t I?”
That he did. So far, though, being taken care of had resulted in a lot of bruises.
Then he leaned over and kissed her shoulder. “Did that make it any better?”
Damned if it didn’t.
CHAPTER 14
“The studio?” Lexie groaned, as Dekker helped her out of his car.
When she refused to be taken home, he figured that she didn’t want her roommate to see her looking as though a Mack Truck had smacked into her. Dekker had debated taking her to his house. Then he remembered the condition it was in. Yeah, the studio was the better option. At least it had a fully stocked first-aid kit.
And the fact that she only needed a first-aid kit rather than an emergency splenectomy, like the last guy he had taken through the gauntlet, was nothing short of amazing. Of course, he’d stepped in before the final blow, but Lexie should be proud that she even made it that far. Dekker had gone up against Bruce before. And knew the kind of damage his iron fist could do.
Dekker flicked on the lights and locked the door behind them.
“I want to perfect some of those moves of yours,” he said, teasing.
Not that she got it. Lexie’s body stiffened, and her face scrunched into a grimace. “You can’t possibly be serious?”
“Duh.” He felt her relax against him as he led her back to the locker room. “I brought you here to get you cleaned up.”
“Oh.”
Dekker gently helped her down on the bench. As she gingerly inspected her various wounds, he retrieved the first-aid kit. When he returned, Dekker found her leaning back against the wall, her eyes closed. The sight took him back to his first fight. Between the fear and adrenaline rush, his body would pretty much give up. He’d slept for days before he could finally bring himself to crawl out of bed. And even then, it was only long enough to eat.
Letting her get some much-deserved rest, Dekker unzipped her boots and set them on the floor. After tugging off her socks, he picked up her foot. His thumb massaged her instep in a slow, circular motion. Lexie stirred, moaning softly. God, what he wouldn’t give to hear her make that sound awake. With him inside of her.
But he stopped himself. She was beat-up and in no shape for the fantasies playing out in his head. His blood still rushed with adrenaline, urging him to fulfill his desire. How could he, though? Even groggy, her features radiated all the hurt she had been through.
Opening the kit, Dekker resolved to shove any other thought aside that didn’t involve getting Lexie on the mend. He pulled out the antiseptic wipes and swiped them over the myriad of cuts and scrapes on her hands. Her eyes fluttered open.
“It’s okay. Just rest.”
He could see Lexie fight it, but slowly her eyes closed again.
Carefully, he cleaned the wounds on her arms. Finally, he worked his way up to her neck. He brushed his fingers over the red welt she wore like a necklace. When Dekker saw Chet grab Lexie from behind and pull her out of sight, he went berserk. The four guys who blocked his path paid the price. One guy was down with a broken arm. The others had a few broken ribs and maybe skull fractures, but they should have known to get out of his way.
White-hot rage had him racing through the course, but somehow Lexie had gotten away from the garrote on her own. When he’d found her crouched down, hiding beside the house, he had to stop himself from tossing the two hundred grand away and running across to her
. His only thought had been to sweep her up into his arms. But something in her eyes had stopped him. A fire there. She didn’t need him to treat her like a child. She could handle herself.
It was that dichotomy between her confidence and vulnerability that made him risk so much when he knew so little about her.
Grabbing a clean wipe, he gently cleaned the dirt and blood off her neck. Dekker looked up to find Lexie watching him. No recrimination. No judgment.
“Guess I should have warned you about Chet’s fondness for wire …” he said as she flinched from his ministrations.
Dekker pulled his T-shirt away from his neck, revealing a thin, white scar.
“Got this the first time I went through.”
She put a finger out and traced the scar. Her touch created a line of fire that stung worse than the original injury. Lexie’s hand drifted down his chest. God only knew how badly he wanted her hand to travel further south, but there was only one problem.
Dekker rose to his feet. “Now comes the hard part.”
* * *
Hard part? Um, where had Dekker been the last few hours?
Dekker knelt in front of her. His hands rested on her knees. “We need to pop your shoulder back into place.”
Alexis shook her head back and forth. No way. No how. She wanted a hospital with all those good drugs they gave you. Vicodin had never sounded quite so appealing.
His eyes softened. She could tell he didn’t want to hurt her. “Lexie, we need to do it. It will hurt at first, but the pain will ease.”
Alexis hugged her arm to her chest. Knowing that the dislocation needed to be fixed and having Dekker actually do it were two very different things. She’d seen it done before back at the academy. One of the recruit’s shoulders could pop in and out. The guy must have slammed it back into place a dozen times during training. The memory of the sound it made did not help.
Dekker put his hand out, asking for hers. When he looked like that, how could she refuse him? Tenderly he took her hand.
“You are going to need to lie down.”
Lying down? That wasn’t hard at all.
Once on the floor, he gently brought her arm to her side.
“The key to this is to relax,” he said.
Relax? Was he kidding? Another one of his jokes? But by the frown on his face, Dekker wasn’t joking. Taking a deep breath, she forced her muscles to stand down. Slowly, he brought her hand above her head.
His hand gently caressed her hair.
“On three, I’m going to try to pop it back in, okay?”
“Mmhm,” she groaned.
“One.”
Alexis sucked in a breath and held it, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Two.”
Her scream echoed off the lockers as Dekker rotated her arm into position. She felt the grind as the bone popped back into the socket. Sweat mixed with her tears dripped down her cheek.
“You said on three!” she moaned through gritted teeth.
Dekker rolled her into his arms, cradling her. He swiped her cheek with his thumb.
“Some lies are for the greater good.”
Like the ones I’ve been telling you since I met you, Alexis reflected. And what lies have you been telling me? she wondered.
Whether it was the pain, fatigue, or something else, Alexis felt her body melt into his. Her cheek rested against his chest as it rose and fell. His heart beat strong and slow. Somehow, her shoulder didn’t ache quite the way it had just a moment ago.
He tipped her chin up with his finger, stroking her cheek with his thumb. She closed her eyes, letting his aroma fill her nostrils. His sweat tasted sweet, with a sharp tang of blood. Alexis could feel him leaning closer and closer. Her lips parted.
“What’s that?”
Alexis’ eyes flew open. His response was not the response she had expected. Dekker lifted the side of her jacket. A large scrape extended under the leather. His fingers went to the zipper, but suddenly Alexis felt embarrassed. Callie and her damned lace camisole.
But Dekker grinned that wicked grin of his. “I’ve been waiting all night for this.”
She didn’t protest as he unzipped the jacket, inch by inch.
“Not bad, not bad at all,” Dekker commented as he brushed the edge of her jacket away with his hand. “The scrape, I mean.”
He met her eyes. “The rest, well, the rest is …”
Dekker’s palm hovered at the edge of the lace. Heat beat down on her skin. He looked ready to caress her, and then Dekker’s hand went to her shoulder.
“Does it still hurt?” he asked, the huskiness drained from his voice.
“Not anymore,” she said putting her hand over Dekker’s.
She leaned in and met his lips. At first the kiss was tender, tentative. Then Dekker’s
tongue slipped into her mouth. His soft caress then turned hungry as he delved deeper. Moaning, Alexis reached her hand up, her fingers digging in his hair. His hand slid down her back, cupping her ass, pressing his excitement against her.
She shifted in Dekker’s arms until her legs straddled his. Desperate to feel his skin on hers, Alexis tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, trying to lift it over his head, but with her weakened arm, she failed. Dekker broke the kiss and whipped the shirt off, tossing it aside as his other hand behind her head drew her mouth back to his.
There was nothing tentative about the way their bodies met, her nails digging into his skin as she rocked her hips against his. Dekker stood, lifting her with little effort. Legs wrapped around him, Dekker carried her to his office.
He set Alexis on the edge of his desk as his mouth traveled down her jaw to her neck. Alexis traced the scars on Dekker’s chest. Each one held its own story. Alexis hoped that one day he would tell her what each one stood for.
But all thoughts receded as her skin burned where his lips touched. The pain in her shoulder was a dull ache compared to the throbbing between her legs. She arched her back, giving him better access to the swell of her breasts.
Alexis’ legs flexed around Dekker’s hips as he ground his pelvis against her. His hands brushed the camisole straps down her arms and around her waist. The lace bra was the only thing standing between his lips and her nipples. But he didn’t remove the top, much to Alexis’ disappointment. Instead, his fingers unbuttoned her jeans, pushing them over the swell of her hips. He let them fall to the floor, revealing bruises that peppered her legs.
Dekker placed a soft kiss on each one. Her breath hitched in her chest. Alexis grasped his chin, pulling his mouth back to hers. She fumbled with the button on his jeans as Dekker kicked his shoes off. Still, her fingers refused to cooperate as his jeans stayed secured.
“Let me,” he said as he backed away a step.
Deftly he unbuttoned the jeans but then put her hands on either side of his hips. With a tug, she brought those pants down. She reached for his boxers, but he stilled her hand.
“My turn,” he said.
Dekker’s hand slid up her side, finally resting against the curve of her breast. His thumb stroked her nipple through the lace. It tightened to the point of pain, yet she couldn’t imagine him stopping. He kissed the tender flesh along the edge of the bra, making her wish he’d just rip the damn thing off. If he didn’t, she would.
Dekker’s other arm snaked around her waist, drawing their hips together. Her moisture met his excitement. The boxers and thong weren’t doing much to keep them apart. Finally, his hand made its way up to her bra strap, unclipping it on the first try. As the lace slipped away, revealing her dark, hard nipples, Dekker smiled.
Cupping her breast, he brought tender lips to the target. Alexis clutched his hair, driving the nipple all the way into his mouth, where his tongue licked faster and faster. Her legs urged his hips forward, nearly crushing herself against him. Her fingers fueled by desire tugged off her thong as Dekker sucked just the right amount. His hand squeezed her breast in rhythm to their hips.
She couldn’t wait any longer. Alexis
snagged the edge of Dekker’s boxers and jerked them down. Now nothing stood in the way of consummating their passion.
Only Dekker pulled his lips away from her breast and met her eyes. His hand guided hers down to his excitement. He wrapped her fingers around it.
“Feel what is going into you.”
Oh God, she felt it. His cock throbbed in her hand, firm and thick. She tightened her grip, making Dekker moan. Brushing her thumb over the tip, getting it nice and wet, she stroked his cock, making Dekker nearly double over. He was so hard he couldn’t even stand.
He was so close, but he moved her hand away.
“Don’t you want to feel me come? Inside of you?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Lie back.”
She wanted to do anything but lie, but his strong hands guided her back, then a single finger of Dekker’s traced down her sternum, causing her breasts to perk, then down her belly, pausing above her pubis.
“Spread your legs.”
Naked, Alexis had never felt so exposed, yet safe.
She did as he asked.
“You are so beautiful,” Dekker’s tone husky as he leaned over her. Alexis’ legs wrapped around his waist, urging him inside of her, but he resisted. Dekker held himself back.
“Surrender?”
Alexis looked at Dekker, confused. Hadn’t she already surrendered herself?
Full Body Contact Page 11