The Family Jewels

by Christine Bell

  In case it was the last time.

  He shut the thought down ruthlessly and looped the necktie around the bedpost, securing her.

  "We know you stole something, Ms. Leighton. And I need to know what it was."

  She chewed on her lip and stared at a spot over his shoulder. He could tell she was right on the edge. She wanted this. He could see it deep in her eyes, but it went against her nature to be this vulnerable. He waited to see how she would play it.

  "Yeah, well, I'm not telling you. And remember what happened last time you accused me of stealing," she said finally, wriggling a little to test her restraints.

  The memory of that knee to the balls was well played, but even the recalled ache of it didn't sway him.

  "This time, you're not really in a position to argue." He trailed a finger over her abdomen and lower, just above her pubic bone, before stilling. “So I'll ask you one more time. What did you take?"

  She wriggled a little harder this time and he watched as her nipples peaked into tight buds.

  "I didn't take anything. I already told you," she said, her voice slightly breathless.

  "Wrong answer, ma'am," he murmured.

  He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and, without touching her with his hands, bent his head to her breast. He heard the sharp intake of air as he flicked his tongue out to bat at her nipple.

  "Jake-" she murmured, arching her back.

  But he pulled away and waited until she lay flat again. "Stay still, or we're going to have to tighten those restraints."

  She froze, her muscles tensing, as he bent to her again and rubbed his tongue against her nipple over and over. To her credit, she didn't move, but he could hear the pounding of her heart like a bass drum in his ear. Just when he thought she couldn't stand it any longer, he caught the tight bud between his teeth and bit down gently.

  "Ah!"

  He drew her in, sucking hard and deep and this time, when her back arched, he didn't release her.

  "Oh, God, mmm," she moaned, and for a moment he willed the next words from her mouth to be his name. He wanted to hear it break on her lips as she arched into him again, wanted to dip lower and trace her slick folds with his tongue while her cries echoed through the room.

  But there was time for that later.

  With a little "pop" he released her nipple and scooted lower on the bed, traveling down until he had one ankle in hand and he was tracing the soft skin with his thumb.

  "The next words from your lips had better be a confession," he said, and then he kissed the inside of her ankle, tracing the spot with his tongue before working his way just the slightest bit higher.

  "I..." she said, and her leg trembled in its restraint, pulling it tighter around her as she squirmed.

  "Yes?" he asked, and kissed again, holding eye contact with her all the while as he trailed his kisses to the inside of her knee.

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Her voice was thin and aching, and so he kissed the underside of her knee gently, teasing the delicate skin there before working his way to her inner thigh.

  “Are you sure?” Suddenly, he wanted to be done with the charade, wanted to lap her up and down until she bucked and called and cried out for him to shove himself deep, deep inside her. "I want the truth."

  "That is the truth." Her voice cracked on the word and he lowered his lips to her thigh, nibbling gently along the inside until he reached the juncture of her thighs. When he was there at last, he paused, willed himself not to look as he blew one cool breath against her and she shivered in his arms.

  "You're going to break," he whispered, and when he met her gaze, he saw not only hunger and need, but also a determination so fierce that he wondered if only for a second whether she'd really give herself up, even in play.

  Which only made him all the more determined.

  Before the night was over, Sadie Leighton would confess. And he couldn’t wait.

  Her whole body ached, whether it was from the strain of not moving, or simply from her all-consuming need, or both, she didn't know.

  If only he'd take off one piece of clothing, his shirt, his pants, something so she could see the hard planes of his muscle as he teased her to the point of insanity.

  The searing heat of his lips against her ankle subsided, and then the restraint tightened.

  Dammit, she knew she'd pushed him too far, had--

  "Let's try a new game," his deep voice rumbled from behind her, and she turned to follow him as he moved in front of her. His hands were on his belt buckle, and as he undid the fastener, she slid her tongue across her lips.

  Yes, this was what she wanted. All he had to do was take his clothes off. Then she could goad him into touching her…sliding inside of her. Then--

  "You're going to give me clues. And for every clue you give me, I'll take off a piece of clothing. By the time I'm naked, I'm going to guess what you took."

  "And how can you trust me to tell you the truth?"

  "Because if you don't, I'll leave you tied up there all night, waiting and begging for my cock." He pulled off his belt and dropped it onto the floor. "Now, what do you say? Ready to play by my rules?"

  Reluctantly, she nodded. "It's...smaller than a bread box."

  He took off a sock.

  "A sock?" she howled with outrage, nearly making him crack a smile.

  "Give me something good, I'll take off something good. Now where did you hide it?"

  "Someplace you'll never find."

  "I'm not afraid to put the sock back on."

  "It's shiny. And I hid it on my person."

  "I see." He shrugged his shirt off, but as it hit the floor, Sadie started to tsk.

  "Two clues, two items of clothing." She did her best to gesture with her restrained hand.

  "Right you are." He stepped out of his pants and finally she could see the outline of his thick need straining against his boxer shorts.

  A hot blast of lust coursed through her at the knowledge that he was suffering as much as she was.

  One more clue. One more clue and she could finally see him. Maybe if it was good enough he'd walk toward her and let her take him in her mouth, let her suck his rigid shaft until they forgot all about their little cat and mouse game and get swept up entirely in each other.

  She swallowed hard, then licked her lips again as she considered.

  "It's something you should never leave home without."

  In one quick move, he stepped from his boxers and his cock sprang forward. She barely had a moment to enjoy the full view of him, though, before he was stalking toward her, his hands sliding over every inch of her. Each little touch scorched her skin and she did her best not to arch her back as his palms slid over her stomach, behind her neck and then between her thighs. Her nipples strained toward him and she barely resisted the urge to groan as his thumb swept against her aching clit.

  "On your person, huh?" he asked.

  "You'll never find it.” Her own voice sounded far away now as desire sent blood rushing in her ears.

  He kissed her collarbone, and then whispered, "Wanna bet?"

  Then, in one motion, he yanked her ponytail free and his credit card tumbled to the floor.

  "Looks like I'm a better detective than you give me credit for." He dropped a kiss on her lips, then nipped her bottom lip gently before pulling away.

  "You caught me. Does that mean you get to untie me?" she breathed.

  "Oh no, we’re just getting started." He grinned, and then moved to one of the posts at the bottom of the bed. He took her ankle in hand and gently, slowly, pulled the tie away until she was free. Blissfully, sinfully free.

  She waited, her breath caught in her throat, for him to untie the other, but instead he climbed between her legs, bent low and kissed the place she’d been longing for him to touch. It was slow at first, a whisper of a kiss, really, but then he bent lower and dipped his tongue inside and she let out a long, slow moan of pleasure.

  “Jake,” she hissed,
and his response was to kiss her deeper before moving up and down her over and over again, almost reaching her aching bud before leaving her squirming and needing and wanting more.

  “Haven’t you tortured me enough?” she asked, pulling on her restraints despite herself. She’d had enough of her stupid game. She wanted to run her hands through his black hair, to dig her fingernails into his sculpted backside as he pounded into her over and over again.

  “Don’t whine, or I’ll blindfold you,” he warned.

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Wouldn’t I?” He pulled back and grabbed the errant tie from the place where he’d discarded it and she pursed her lips.

  He didn’t play fair.

  “Ah, quiet for once. For that, you get a reward.”

  He bent low to press a kiss to each of her aching nipples before lowering himself back down again and finally sliding his tongue against the slick bundle of nerves so primed for his touch.

  “Yes,” she whispered as the tip of his tongue looped around and around her, forcing her to arch into him deeper, wanting it harder…faster.

  And even as he gave her exactly what she wanted, now that she had it, she craved more. Needing him to push a finger inside her, spur her further and deeper until he finally found her core with his hard, ready shaft.

  “That’s right, baby,” he murmured and she writhed again, bucking as he licked her up and down, teasing her all over again.

  “Fuck me.” She hated the begging, pleading tone in her voice, but she couldn’t stop it. Her body was like a Mack truck, racing toward a cliff with no one at the wheel.

  “What’s the magic word?” he asked, then lapped her center yet again, working that tight bud over and over.

  “Now.”

  He glanced up at her from the juncture of her thighs, a pained, half-smile tilting his lips, but she could see the heat in his eyes. He was as desperate to be inside her as she was to have him there.

  “I’m not going to beg.”

  She wouldn’t. Not any more than she already had.

  He dipped one finger inside of her and she gasped as the shock of pleasure rippled through her.

  “Jake…” she tried to speak, but words failed her as he worked her in and out, over and over again, before adding a second digit. This time, he plunged hard, deep and true, the drag of his fingers rubbing against her G-spot and making her whole body tensed and primed to come.

  He nudged her clit with his tongue, once, twice…

  “Please, Jake, please!” Her chest was tight, her thighs quaked, it felt like every part of her body was filled to the brim and ready to burst and then he sucked long and deep, drawing on her even as his fingers drove in deep. She hung there on the precipice for a long, agonizing moment until…

  “Oh, God!” She’d wanted so badly to wait for him. To come while he was buried deep inside her, but the pressure was too much as every nerve-ending fired at once and she exploded against his hot mouth.

  Shudders wracked her and she swallowed a scream. She dimly heard his low murmurs of approval, encouraging her to take what she needed. She pressed her hips up, burying his face against her as her channel pulsed over his fingers.

  Minutes passed as she slowly came down, gasping for breath.

  She was still twitching when he rose to kneel between her legs.

  “You taste so fucking good,” he muttered, his voice all grit as he stared down at her, his gaze locked between her thighs. He palmed his shaft and then gripped it in one hand, heating her up all over again as he stroked himself up and down, his own breathing going harsh.

  How could she want him so badly still?

  As if he read her mind, he lowered himself to his elbows and pressed his broad head to her waiting entrance. He locked eyes with her and then thrust deep, giving her all of that hard cock at once.

  “You feel fucking incredible,” he ground out when he was buried to the hilt and she nipped at his shoulder, knowing he could never understand just how much she agreed with him.

  Still, though, she wanted more. She wanted to feel the hard plane of his back as her legs wrapped around him, wanted to pull him in deeper and deeper still with every thrust.

  But it was all up to him, moving against her in a steady rhythm as his fingertips explored her.

  “Jake,” she said again, unable to help herself as his powerful thighs slapped hers.

  “Come for me again, Sadie,” he said, “I know you can. Let go.”

  The tension in her shoulders built, but then suddenly everything seemed to click into place.

  She closed her eyes and relaxed into him, moving as he moved, pulling as he pulled, pushing as he pushed. She found rhythm with him and rolled her hips along with him until she did it without thinking at all and lost herself in the smell of him, the heat of his skin, the weight of his body as he bore down on her, the hard tension of his cock as he buried himself inside of her over and over again.

  “Yes,” she breathed, and he kissed her neck hard and fast as he held her hips down and thrust faster and faster still.

  “God, Sadie,” he growled against the shell of her ear.

  The pressure, the endless cords of tension, all snapped at once and she was free falling again, losing herself in lick after lick of fiery pleasure.

  She spasmed around him, and when he joined her in release she arched into him, pushing him deeper as he thrust in long, greedy strokes. And as the waves crashed down on her, she bit her lip to hold in the words that were battering at her lips.

  I love you.

  18

  Jake tucked his arm under Sadie and snuggled her closer, loving the feel of her curvy, supple body against him. He tangled his fingers in her dark hair and stroked gently, sure of only one thing. That he wanted to stay here just as long as he could possibly manage.

  But he’d gotten a message from Rafe, his PI, and there was news about Alistair. He’d apparently received an email with a request for shipping of “merchandise from the Orient”. Not so strange for someone who dealt in artifacts, but definitely strange when the specs read more like a woman’s measurements than a package. He and Rafe were set to meet that afternoon before the poker game to discuss potentially intercepting the next set of emails and attempting to catfish Alistair and compel him to say something much more decisively incriminating. That alone would not only brand him for life in the court of public opinion, it might be enough to get the CIA to open an international investigation.

  Guilt nipped at him at the thought of sidestepping Mike and his team again, but if they weren’t privy to these private emails, how could they ever know it was happening? And, moreover, how could they stop it? Besides, it was surely almost over. Between this latest news from Rafe and how close he was to getting Hannigan to sign the investment contract, he could finally see a light at the end of this long and dark tunnel.

  A tunnel with Sadie waiting on the other side.

  "We slept in," she murmured sleepily, almost as if on cue, interrupting his dark thoughts.

  "If I had my way, we’d stay in this bed all day long."

  "You would starve me to death?"

  "We'd get a pizza delivered to the window." He kissed her shoulder. "It would be great."

  She rolled her eyes, but twisted in the sheets to face him. "I wouldn't mind a pizza. A little later."

  And he would make sure she got one. But then, he had work to do that couldn’t wait.

  He tucked his hand under her chin and led her lips to his. They were warm and full and oh so right, and those lips alone were enough to send a wave of awareness shooting straight to his groin and beg for more.

  "What do you say we-" he started, but then the ring of the doorbell pealed through the house, cutting him off.

  "Expecting someone?" she asked, pulling away to sit up and bringing the sheets up to cover herself, more was the pity.

  "No. I don’t think so." He scrubbed at his stubble, trying to figure out who the hell would wind up on his doorstep at ten i
n the morning unannounced. Nobody ever came to his house.

  Nobody except…

  "Shit."

  He rolled from the bed and shrugged on a shirt, his brain conjuring all the ways this could go wrong.

  Pulling some jeans from a heap of unfolded laundry on the floor, he finished getting dressed and motioned for Sadie to do the same.

  "Should I be worried?" she asked, and he shook his head.

  "No, not worried. It's just my brother."

  Another pounding on the door interrupted him and he heard a voice calling to him through the partially opened bedroom window.

  "Jaaaakey. Wakey wakey."

  "My idiot brother," Jake amended.

  "Your brother." She said the words blankly, almost like she didn't know what they meant. “Your cop brother?” she asked, her eyes going wary and a hint of panic creeping into her face.

  "Yes, and he's not exactly the patient type, so I'm going to go shut him up while you finish getting dressed."

  Jake strode out of the room, already trying to figure out how to spin this situation. As he reached the foyer, the doorbell clanged again and he swung the door open to find his brother mid-knock.

  "Mike," Jake said, "I should have known you wouldn't let me sleep in."

  "On a beautiful day like this?" Mike gestured to the overcast morning sky and grinned. "Never. Now, come on and let me in. I brought brunch."

  Jake stepped aside and that was all the invitation his brother needed. The other man strode into the entryway, taking up almost enough space to make the wide area look tiny as he padded over to the living room.

  "Listen, Mike, I’m a little busy. Can I-"

  "You can thank me. Because I went out of my way to get the good Danish from the Italian bakery. No grocery store bought stuff. I got us a few sandwiches too. "

  Mike's gaze slowly moved from Jake to something just over his shoulder and he knew, even before he got a whiff of her lemony scent, that Sadie had appeared.

  "All right then, looks like we're going to need extra anyway. Hello beautiful, what’s your name? And more importantly, what are you doing with a slob like this?" Mike smiled at her and held out his hand, so she took a step toward him and shook it offering his brother a smile in return.