by LK Shaw
My eyes returned to the scene across the way and the scene in front of me blurred. The pallbearers, three of whom were my other brothers, had placed the casket on the lowering device. My eyes were dry and gritty, and I felt like I was suffocating. Warm fingers threaded through mine, and I knew without a doubt who stood next to me. Suddenly, I could breathe. I squeezed tightly, my fingernails digging into the back of Tomás’ hand, and his gruff voice sounded in my ear.
“Stay strong, raya. For Ernesto.”
“Did you mean what you said in your note?” My voice came out choked, my throat thick.
“Yes.”
I swallowed down the thickness. “Thank you.”
It seemed such an odd thing to say to someone who just confessed to murdering someone to avenge your family. He didn’t respond. Only offered me his strength with a slight squeeze of his long, calloused fingers. We continued standing in silence as my brother was lowered into the ground. Tomás and I remained connected long after the grave had been covered and everyone dispersed, the sounds of our breathing the only noise between us. The sun was setting, but I didn’t want to be alone. I turned toward him, my vision distorted by the netting covering my face.
“Why did you come?” I didn’t understand this man. He was brutal, yet tender. My head kept screaming he was a criminal, while my heart kept seeing the man who’d held me in my grief. Both last week and again today.
He brought our threaded fingers to his mouth and kissed my knuckles, his eyes darkening with emotion. “Because you needed me.”
I licked my dry lips, drawing his gaze downward, and his eyes darkened even further, this time with another emotion. My nipples pebbled beneath my dress.
Tomás broke the connection between us. “Come, it’s getting late.”
He pulled me away from our hiding spot and led me to my car. I finally noticed his motorcycle. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard his arrival.
“I’ll follow you home. Make sure you get there safely.” He opened the driver’s side door for me.
I merely nodded before sliding behind the wheel and lifting the net from in front of my face.
Putting the car in drive, we exited the cemetery. I kept glancing in my review mirror while I drove home. He stayed right behind me the whole way. When I reached my front door, I stopped when his footfalls grew louder behind me. It was a sharp contrast between Tomás and Alejandro, who never once saw me inside. Inhaling for courage, I turned.
“Will you stay with me tonight? I don’t think I can be alone.” My words were barely above a whisper.
Tomás’ look was pained. He shook his head. “It’s not a good idea, Ines.”
I clasped his hand between mine and squeezed it against my chest. “Please.”
He warred with indecision, but I knew the moment he made his choice. He took the keys from my hand and led me inside, closing and locking the door behind us. I flipped on the light and removed my hat, laying it on the side table. Next I slipped out of my heels, leaving them at the door. I padded barefoot across the living room until I reached the kitchen, my body humming with awareness of the man following behind me. Tension radiated off him and I could hear his soft footsteps. I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and popped the top off both before turning and handing him one.
Our eyes connected and neither of us broke the contact. Tomás continued his white-knuckled hold on his at the same time I took a long pull from mine. My body thrummed and my core pulsed. A spark lit my fingers when he slipped the bottle from them, our skin grazing, and set both mine and his on the counter. In one long stride, he was almost pressed up against me. We were so close, we practically breathed in each other’s air. My nipples hardened with arousal, and when he reached up and brushed a strand of hair off my face, tucking it behind my ear, my breath hitched.
“You’re so beautiful and far too good for me.” Tomás’ voice was husky.
Slowly, he backed me up until I ran up against the counter, out of room, his arms caging my body. Not that I wanted to go anywhere. With infinite care, like he was waiting for me to stop him, Tomás dipped his head, our gazes still colliding, and brushed a kiss across my lips. His touch was featherlight, and I wanted more. I tried to deepen the kiss, but he wasn’t having it. He pulled back, my body immediately missing his warmth.
“Come.” He didn’t bother asking. Instead, he reached for my hand and guided me to my bedroom.
When we reached the bed, I expected him to lay down and bring me with him. Instead, he issued another command.
“Sit here.”
Again, I responded automatically and sat on the edge of the bed while he disappeared into the bathroom. Running water sounded and soon the smell of jasmine wafted out to tickle my nose. Steam soon followed. The water shut off and Tomás exited the bathroom. His palm found the back of my head and he lightly fisted my hair, pulling gently to tilt my head up so our eyes met.
“Your bath is ready. I want you to soak and relax. When you’re finished, put on the robe hanging behind the door.”
His lips dusted my forehead, and then I was alone in my room, my whole body tense with arousal. I squeezed my legs together to stop the throbbing. I quickly disrobed and headed to my bath.
Chapter 14
I shouldn’t be here, but I’d been helpless to resist her broken plea. While Ines was in the bath, I paced. I tried not to imagine the water gliding across her caramel colored skin. I fought the images but they wouldn’t stop flashing in my head. Soapy hands running up and down her body. Brown nipples pebbled in the cool air. I groaned at the image and adjusted my aching cock.
I froze at the click of the bathroom door. Then she was in front of me, her sweat-dampened hair piled on top of her head, her tight body hidden beneath the robe.
“Lay on your stomach.” I barely recognized my own voice with the guttural command.
Ines moved to unbelt her robe.
“No.” She froze at the harsh directive. I softened my tone. “No, leave it.”
I exhaled when she obeyed. Her head was turned toward me and she observed me with eyes that begged me to touch her. I didn’t know how long I could resist. I removed my suit jacket and folded it over the back of her vanity seat before rolling my cuffs up to my elbows. Her gaze tracked my every move and her pupils widened. I toed off my shoes, but everything else remained on. I sat next to her and began to knead her shoulders, keeping my touch gentle. Her eyes grew heavy, and she moaned when I hit certain spots. I bit my lip to not respond with a groan of my own.
I moved down Ines’ body, her warm skin now under mine as I massaged and kneaded her thighs and calves. She let out a long sigh of satisfaction when I reached her feet. Up and down I massaged, staying on top of her robe, even as it slid up to expose the crease of her thigh under her ass cheek. Her breathing grew shallow, and I knew she was almost asleep. The day had taken its toll. When I thought she was asleep, I slipped the sheet over her.
I shrugged back into my jacket and donned my shoes. I’d almost made my escape when her sleepy voice had me pausing in my tracks.
“You said you’d stay.”
I turned back. She was on her side, elbow crooked, her head resting on her open palm, that damn robe gaping open and offering me a glimpse of her rounded breast. Her drowsy, sex-kitten eyes beckoned me.
“It’s not a good idea, Ines,” I repeated my earlier words.
“Just hold me until I fall asleep. Please.”
This woman slayed me. Knowing I’d regret my decision, I once again found myself jacket-less and shoe-less. Only now I was on my back, in a bed belonging to a woman I couldn’t have, holding her luscious body against my side, her arm across my chest.
Warm, wet heat closed around my cock, and a tongue circled the bulbous tip at the same time a hand squeezed the base with just the right amount of pressure. I fisted her hair and pulled the woman’s head down at the same time I thrust upward. Coughing ensued when I hit the back of her throat and she pulled away, startling me awake. The fo
g receded and I realized I wasn’t dreaming.
“Ines,” I groaned when she returned to her task.
“Let me.” She stared up at me with pleading eyes.
Pleasure overrode common sense. Once again her head lowered and my cock disappeared inside her mouth. Up and down she moved, taking me further with each downward motion until I reached the back of her throat again. Her hands gently squeezed and cupped my balls, rolling them between her fingers. My fingers threaded through her hair and my pelvis moved of its own accord, gently thrusting upward to meet her.
“Relax your throat.”
On command, Ines responded and she took me even deeper. My balls tightened, and I could feel my climax building.
“I’m going to come,” I warned even though I didn’t slow my thrusts. In response, she only took a deep breath and completely relaxed her throat, engulfing my entire cock, never once taking her eyes off me. The move was so fucking hot, I couldn’t stop my release, and she swallowed everything I gave her. Once I’d emptied myself, she pulled away, saliva and come running out the side of her mouth. God, that was so fucking sexy. Her eyes widened when I traced the moisture with my thumb and licked it off.
The sexual haze began to clear and I knew that this was only the beginning. Despite my earlier conviction, I couldn’t let Ines go. It wasn’t the near-perfect blow job that changed my mind either. Ines was more stubborn than me. It was time to acknowledge the truth I’d been fighting for far too long. She was mine, and I planned on doing whatever I could to not only keep her, but protect her. With my life if necessary.
“Come here.”
She scooted upward and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close to me.
“What were you like as a girl?”
I couldn’t see it, but I could almost feel her smile. “I was a hellion. Had no real idea how to be a little girl. I pestered my brothers to no end. Ernesto was the one I drove the most crazy. He was almost ten years older than me. He once told me he started going gray at fifteen because of me. Victor is the nearest in age to me, so I was always closest to him growing up. There were no such things as boy stuff and girl stuff to me. Exploring the mountains near where we lived in Colorado was my most favorite thing to do.”
I could picture her as a young girl, hair braided while she trekked up and down the mountains, not caring if she got dirty or scraped her knees. “I’m sure you kept your brothers on their toes.”
She giggled, the sound carefree. “Of course. I couldn’t let them think they were better than me. It was important their heads didn’t get too big.”
The sun had long risen, and I knew it was time to get up, but I was reluctant to leave her arms. Except, we needed to talk.
Chapter 15
After Tomás left the room, I flopped back on the bed, my body still humming. When I’d woken in his arms, I studied him. I didn’t know his actual age, but based on the few strands of gray hair I noticed at his temples and the lines near his eyes, I put him in his late-thirties. In sleep, he looked younger.
I didn’t know what was going to happen between us. Over the last week, I’d been pulling further and further away from Alejandro. There was no need to entice him for information about my brother anymore. Ernesto was dead.
After I’d recovered from the news of his death, I’d had the bright idea of seducing Tomás for cartel information, but an inner voice had stopped that train of thought. Regardless of us being on opposite sides of the law, there was something about him that spoke to me. Like I recognized some inherent good in him, despite who his employer was.
I jumped out of the bed, washed my face, and slipped into a comfortable pink t-shirt and white shorts. I’d foregone shoes, which made my feet enter the living room soundlessly. I stood in the doorway for a few minutes absorbing the sight of him. He’d put his shoes back on, and his jacket was firmly buttoned and covering his body like armor. I knew he wanted to put distance between us, and his attire helped. Oddly though, he looked like he belonged here in this house. Even though I knew it was a ridiculous daydream, I envisioned him being here when I got home from a hard day at the precinct, greeting me with a kiss. I shook off the thought, because it was insanity. We should be, were, enemies, yet I couldn’t think of him that way.
Sensing my presence, he finally lifted his head. Our eyes connected, and I read so many different emotions. Lust, regret, guilt. I stepped fully into the room and sat on the couch, my leg tucked underneath me.
“How did you know where to find me?”
“I knew when the funeral was, and I just thought you might need some support.”
Tomás’ words shocked and confused me. “What if they had been watching? You work for Miguel, Tomás. I’m a cop even if you’re the only one who knows. How were you going to explain either of us being there? Especially…together.”
That’s what they’d assume. That he and I were together. That I was cheating on Alejandro. Tomás merely shrugged like it was of no consequence.
“They weren’t.”
“Alejandro would kill you if he thought I was cheating on him. It doesn’t matter that I’ve practically broken up with him.”
“I can handle Alejandro.” Tomás’ confidence was apparent. “Don’t worry Ines. I’ll protect you.”
I jumped up from the couch, my fists clenched at my sides. “But who’s going to protect you?”
In two strides, he was in front of my cupping my cheeks in his large hands, staring intensely down at me. “Don’t worry about me. I can protect myself, I promise.”
“I never slept with Alejandro. Not even to get information about my brother.”
His smile was cocky. “I know.”
“You don’t know that.”
His smile never dimmed.
“You don’t,” I insisted mulishly.
“Raya, there isn’t a chance in hell you slept with that punk.” I found his confidence extremely sexy. Irritating, but sexy.
“And how do you know that?”
Now, his smile flattened and a darkness flared in his eyes. “Because if you’d slept with Alejandro, I’d have to kill him.”
Oh. The bloodthirsty statement shouldn’t have me hot and bothered, but holy hell. There must be something seriously wrong with me. “I guess that means I’m breaking up with him.” I joked uncomfortably.
Tomás didn’t smile. “I guess so.”
Apparently today was the day for confessions, because I couldn’t stop another one from spilling from my lips. “I’d planned on seducing you for cartel business information.”
This time, a small smile graced his lips. “Is that what this morning was all about?”
Surprisingly, I blushed. “No. This morning was purely for want and desire. It shouldn’t have happened though.”
“No, it shouldn’t have.”
My voice dropped. “It’s going to happen again though, isn’t it?”
Tomás stepped back into my personal space, reached out for the end of my braid, and wrapped it around his fist, gently pulling me forward. He lowered his head, but stopped just before his lips reached mine. His breath tickled and I unconsciously licked my lips, my tongue inadvertently flicking against his mouth. He drew in a sharp breath.
“Most definitely. And more.”
My entire body shivered at the promise in his tone.
Chapter 16
I knew I should regret what happened between Ines and me, but I couldn’t. She’d become an addiction I didn’t want to kick. She’d been taken aback when I said I’d have to kill Alejandro. It wasn’t a lie. Jealous rage boiled my blood thinking of that little shit touching her. For the first time in five years, I was rethinking my undercover work. Yes, I’d proven my skills over the years by leading the D.E.A. to bust hundreds, if not thousands of drug deals. We’d slowed Miguel for a while, but it always seemed like for every dealer within the organization we brought down, two more would pop up.
For so long, my obsession with stopping the sale of drugs had been my li
fe goal. Now, though, I’d promised I would protect Ines, which meant I needed to stay away, but that proved impossible if the last two days were any indication. Before I’d left her house yesterday, I’d programmed her number into my phone with a promise to call her.
In the meantime, I was on my way to a meeting with Miguel to discuss the latest deal. It was guaranteed to be a lucrative one with a lot of drugs and a lot of money exchanging hands. It was also a deal the D.E.A. would be busting.
Son of a bitch.
I spotted a familiar silver Porsche. Reluctantly, I’d driven my “office car”, instead of my Softail. The Audi R8 Spyder was far more conducive to conducting drug deals than a Harley. Miguel had paid for the car, and it was definitely a beaut, but it made me feel claustrophobic. I needed the rush of air and the open space that came from my bike.
I wandered through each room, the soles of my shoes clicking on the marble floor and echoing throughout the high-ceilings, before exiting the French doors and heading out into the courtyard. The temperature was about fifteen degrees warmer than the air conditioned inside of the house, but about ten degrees cooler than if the whole area wasn’t entirely shaded by the giant trees spread throughout.
Miguel and Alejandro were seated at a table near the pool, each sipping, based on the snifter housing it, Miguel’s favorite liquor from Mexico, Sotol. Approaching the duo, I pasted on a smile.
“Greetings, Miguel. Alejandro.”
Miguel rose with hand outstretched. “Ah, Tomás, so good to see you. Would you like a drink?”
I shook my head. “No, thank you, though. I prefer a clear head when discussing business. So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“Always focused on work, aren’t you, mi amigo?” He laughed like he’d made a joke.