Dark Desires (Dark Romance Boxed Set)

by Cerys du Lys

  She laughed. “You know, in my wildest dreams I never imagined I’d be having a conversation like this.”

  “That’s what you get for picking guys up at an animal shelter.” He reached for the hem of the top of the blue hospital scrubs that she had been given to wear. “Can I?”

  She nodded, touched by the gentleness he’d been displaying since he rescued her. Such a difference from the man she’d walked in on slicing the throat of an assassin. After experiencing the evil that the world had to offer, his actions were justified as far as she was concerned and she accepted that side of him, regardless of why he did what he did.

  He slowly removed her top and after helping her to her feet he peeled the bottoms down her hips and let them drop to the floor. Slipping his arms under her legs, Colin lifted her up and into his arms. Gabriella cuddled tight to his chest, laying her cheek against his muscular shoulder. He carried her into the bathroom and gently placed her in the bath of warm water, then turned off the taps.

  “You’re joining me, right?” She didn’t want him in a different room, she didn’t want him out of her sight. Not now, not ever again.

  He nodded and slowly stripped off his clothing.

  “What the hell happened to your arm?” His upper left arm was bandaged, but aside from that he seemed to be okay.

  His faced flushed as he stepped into the tub, taking a spot behind her, and urging her to lie back against his chest. “I got shot.”

  “Again?”

  Colin laughed. “It just grazed me. No big deal. A few stitches.” He kissed the top of her head and removed the band from her hair. “You should have seen the other guy.”

  She giggled. “I bet.”

  Grabbing a washcloth, Colin applied soap and began to gently wash her, starting at her shoulders and slowly working his way down, not missing an inch of her bruised and bloodied skin. If she weren’t so physically and emotionally exhausted she’d have been aroused by the situation.

  “I’m sorry I got you into this situation.”

  She looked up at him and caught his gaze. “Don’t. Please. I’d go through it a dozen times if it meant I ended up right here, right now, with you.”

  With hesitation he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly. “I love you Gabriella Simons and I’ll never, ever allow anything or anyone to hurt you again.”

  She reached back and touched his cheek. “I love you too, Colin Almond.” With a smile on her lips she relaxed back against him and closed her eyes. Within minutes she was sound asleep, content with the warm water surrounding her, with her hero’s strong arms keeping her safe and secure.

  Safe... Finally safe... Forever.

  ~ Epilogue: 2 months later ~

  “I am not eating pizza again tonight! We’re going to go to a grocery store and we’re going to get a grocery order and I’m going with or without you,” Gabriella fumed, slamming the fridge door closed with such force it made both Oscar and Butch jump back and cower under the kitchen table.

  “You know you’re not allowed out of the house. Those are my orders,” her guard countered, not bothering to look up from the game he was playing on his mobile phone.

  “Well, we need food.”

  “Then give me a list and I’ll send one of the men out to fill it and bring it to us.”

  Gabriella groaned out her frustration. She hated this, hated being babysat while Colin was away fighting the bad guys.

  “And how are you going to stop me?”

  The massive, bald man who’d been her guard for two months now sighed and paused his game. “Do we have to go through this again, Ma’am?”

  “It’s Gabriella!” she growled, her hands fisting at her sides. “For the love of God, it’s Gabriella, or Gabby, or Gab. I don’t care which you use. I think we’re well past the Ma’am and Sir stage.”

  He was so infuriating and such a tight-ass for the rules. If Colin ever came back he’d be getting a big piece of her mind. After he rescued her from the warehouse, they’d gone to a hotel for a few days while the agency finished gathering information on Dominik and his organization. One of the men who’d been keeping the women captive survived Colin’s wrath and was happy to give them information in exchange for not having to deal directly with Colin.

  Once they got the information they needed, Colin and Felicity were on a plane for the Ukraine and in hot pursuit of Dominik. While they were gone, she’d been forced to quit her job and go into protective custody. And protective custody sucked big hairy donkey balls.

  True to the promise Colin had made her when they first met, though, he never missed a day calling her. Each time he called she was tempted to bitch to him, tell him what she really thought about being held prisoner in the suburban nightmare they had her holed up in, but he always sounded so stressed… They last thing she wanted was for something to happen to him because he was worried over her, so she pretended like all was perfect in suburbia.

  “I apologize Gabriella, but you know the rules.”

  “Oh come onnnnn, Agent Bonner,” she whined. “I’m a prisoner here. I need to get out.” She fell to her knees at his feet. “Pleeeeeease.” A little begging never killed anyone, right? She’d tried every other angle, it was worth a shot.

  “You’re not a prisoner. You’re in protective custody until the threat is neutralized. If you were a prisoner, you’d be in shackles.”

  She huffed, “Well, look who’s the comic now.”

  She got to her feet and glared at him. Marching over to her handbag she grabbed it and made her way across the kitchen, intent on leaving.

  “Whoa, Ma’am. Where do you think you’re going?”

  “The store. If you won’t take me I’ll fucking walk.”

  She flung open the front door and rushed out onto the front lawn, her guard in hot pursuit. He stopped her at the end of the paved driveway, blocking her path. “I can’t let you leave, Gabriella.”

  Seeing that she had no intention of being deterred he sighed. “Fine. You go with me, and you don’t leave my side at the grocery store. And we’re not going anywhere else. Just the grocery store, for fifteen minutes and then straight back. Are we clear?”

  She wanted to jump up and down with her small victory, but instead graced him with a tight smile and nod. “Fine.”

  Fifteen minutes later she was in the grocery store and for the first time in her life, Gabriella loved grocery shopping. Of course, that might have a lot to do with the fact that she hadn’t left the property of the small two-story house they had her in for the past two months. She imagined the neighbours assumed she was some sort of shut-in or something. She wasn’t even allowed to walk Butch and Oscar, one of the guards always did that.

  Her first stop was the bakery department. She made her way to the pastry section and inhaled deeply. Ahhhh, so good. The smell of fresh bread and cookies. Her eyes scanned the wide selection of baked goods. Cake, cookies, brownies. She grabbed everything that caught her eye and tossed it into the cart, calories be damned.

  Once done with the bakery department she headed for the produce aisle. She’d just begun to inspect the cantaloupes when her mobile phone buzzed indicating a text message. Pulling the phone from her jeans pocket she glanced down at the screen to see a message from Colin.

  Colin: Where are you?!?!?!

  Gabriella’s finger hovered over the screen, trying to decide how to respond. If she told him the truth Agent Bonner could get in serious trouble. She knew how anal Colin was when it came to her safety, he’d call headquarters as soon as they finished talking. The last thing she wanted was for her babysitter to get into shit because he gave in to her.

  Gabriella: Home, under watchful eye as usual. :/

  Colin: Why are you lying to me?

  Gabriella looked over her shoulder at Agent Bonner, who was busy filling a plastic bag with plums.

  Gabriella: I don’t follow babe. What do you mean?

  There was a long pause before she got a response.

  Colin: Because
you’re not at the house.

  What the fuck? Does he have the house wired with video cameras or something. I swear his overprotective analness knows no bounds. But even as she thought the words, she felt a wave of reassurance that even with him thousands of miles away that he was protecting her, something she needed after her ordeal with Dominik.

  Gabriella: Sure I am. Why would you think I’m not?

  Colin: Because I’m standing in the middle of the kitchen and there’s no one here.

  “Oh shit!” she exclaimed out loud, causing a number of shoppers to turn their heads and give her disapproving stares, Agent Bonner included. Agent Bonner’s gaze lowered as he pulled his ringing phone from his pocket and answered it.

  Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. She turned her cart around and rushed to Agent Bonner’s side.

  “Right away, Sir.” Agent Bonner grabbed her elbow and pulled her away from the shopping cart.

  “What’s going –” She grabbed her handbag from the cart as she was pulled away.

  “We’re leaving. Now.” His tone was curt. He was pissed. In the two months that she’d known him this was the first time she’d seen him genuinely angry.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It was my fault. I had my orders.” He half-led, half-pulled her out of the store and to the car.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  What was she thinking leaving the safehouse? Colin paced as he waited for Gabriella and Agent Bonner to arrive, Oscar and Butch trailing behind him. The trio paced back and forth, back and forth.

  Agent Bonner was as good as fired, once he got around to reporting it to headquarters. The recruit who had been so promising would be lucky to get a job as a meter maid if Colin had anything to say about it.

  Colin raced outside when he heard their car pull into the driveway, the dogs in hot pursuit. He was at Gabriella’s door and opening it for her before Agent Bonner had the car shut off.

  As soon as she stepped out of the car Colin gathered her into his arms, holding her tightly to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into it. Her lavender perfume drifted up to his nose and he inhaled deeply, allowing the sweet scent to surround him. He missed that scent, clung to the memory of it for the past two months.

  “Oh God, I’ve missed you,” he muttered into her hair. Her body felt so good next to him, so soft, so perfect. He’d missed her more than he ever thought he could miss another human being.

  “I’ve missed you, too.” She pulled back in his arms and glanced over at Agent Bonner, who was standing on the other side of the car, looking severely uncomfortable. “Please don’t blame Agent Bonner. I made him take me to the grocery store. I was going mad cooped up at the house. Please, for me.”

  Colin looked back at her and her pleading blue eyes could easily have been his kryptonite. It was impossible for him to deny her anything, even if it meant keeping this lapse in judgment on the other agent’s part to himself. Besides, if he reported the other man then she’d be pissed and the last thing he wanted was to have her pissed at him their first day together in two months.

  “Please, Colin.”

  His jaw clenched as he glanced back over at the other agent. “You’re relieved, Agent Bonner…” He paused, “and if you keep this to yourself, I’ll do the same. Let the agency know I’ve arrived and I’ll be taking care of her from here. It’s over.”

  “Thank you, Sir.” Without hesitating Agent Bonner got into the car and drove off, leaving Colin and Gabriella alone. Just how he wanted it.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Gabriella let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.” She traced his jaw with her index finger and smiled. While he was usually perfectly shaven, he had allowed a few days’ shadow to appear on his jaw. His hair, which was also normally cut short, was shaggy. It was a surprisingly sexy look on him. “I think I like the slightly rugged look on you.”

  “Hmmm. That so?” His dark eyes gleamed with mischief as he brushed his lips across hers. “Dammit, I’ve been waiting to kiss you for too long.”

  She sighed against his lips. Oh, how she’d missed him. “Then what are you waiting for?” She’d barely gotten the words out of her mouth when his lips came crashing down onto hers.

  Grabbing her thighs in his hands he lifted her up onto his hips and began to carry her back into the house. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her. Once they and the dogs were in the house, Colin kicked the door closed with the heel of his boot and carried her into the living room.

  They collapsed onto the sofa, him on top of her. His rock hard erection pressed against her and spiked her arousal. Two months without his kiss or his touch was way too long.

  Their hands ripped at each other’s clothing, each of them needing to feel the other’s body without that obstruction. She’d envisioned their first time together after two months to be slow and romantic, but at that moment going slow was the last thing she wanted.

  “Oh God, I need you,” she groaned as the last piece of clothing was tossed to the floor, leaving them both beautifully naked and panting.

  “Then take it.” Shifting positions, Colin sat on the sofa and pulled her onto his lap, his shaft poking up from between her legs. He fisted her hair and tugged her head back, his lips kissing and nipping their way down the side of her neck.

  She groaned as jolts of pleasure rushed down her spine to intensify the throbbing between her legs. Without hesitation she lifted up, positioned his rock hard cock at her entrance and sank onto him. They both groaned in unison as their bodies united.

  He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her tight to him, her breasts crushing up against his chest. They remained tightly entwined for several minutes and tears of happiness emerged in her eyes.

  She opened her eyes and looked down at him, capturing his gaze, which was also filled with a mixture of intense emotion. She lowered her forehead to his and whispered, “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  She lowered her lips to his as she began to move on him. Their lips and tongues danced as they took pleasure in each other. She began moving on him, rotating her hips in circular motions as she moved up and down, stroking her G-spot with each rotation.

  His body quivered under hers as he bucked up, meeting her thrusts. Neither spoke, but instead savoured the feel of the other person. Their bodies worked together in perfect sync, taking and giving pleasure until they were both on the verge of hitting their climax.

  His balls tightened and his shaft began to throb within her. He was getting close, but so was she. She lifted her lips from his so she could look into his eyes when they came together.

  And then she was there, hitting the summit. “Oh Colin,” she moaned as her pussy clenched around his cock, milking him for his seed. “Come with me.”

  “I’m with you baby,” he assured her, his words meaning more than just the physical moment they were indulging in.

  They remained suspended in the moment of pre-orgasm, the tension at a near unbearable level. She slammed on him a final time and the dam broke. She cried out as her climax broke and her body erupted around him. As she came he groaned, and his cock unleashed his seed within her, filling her.

  She didn’t pull away from him straight away, despite his dick being depleted and their juices dripping from her and onto his lap. Neither seemed to notice as they held tight to each other.

  “What do we do now?” she asked, pulling back from him, but only slightly.

  He cocked his head to the side and eyed her. “What do you mean?”

  “It’s over?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “Then where do we go from here?” It had been something she’d been wondering about the past few weeks, but something she didn’t want to bring up until she knew they had a future together.

  “Anywhere you desire.”

  Her brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

  He chuckled and raked his hands through her long locks. “I mean, go to the map of the
USA, pick a place you’ve always wanted to live and off we’ll go. A new life. A new start. Me, you, the dogs, the kittens. One big happy family.”

  “But what about the agency? Your career?”

  He shrugged. “I resigned as of today.”

  Gabriella was floored, her mouth falling open, unsure of how to react.

  “I don’t need that job anymore. I want to try the family life. To be normal, with you… So, I happen to know some people who know some people who guarantee I can have a job on any police force I choose. I just have to tell them when and where.”

  “Wow.” She had no words. He was willing to leave his world – for her.

  A worried look crossed over his gorgeous features. “That’s if you’ll have me…”

  “Always,” she whispered.

  The End

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