Close to the Edge

by Dawn Ryder

  For a moment, she was more alone than she’d been in a while. Part of her enjoyed the freedom, but there was also the memory of being bound and gagged and laid out next to a dead girl.

  Jenna looked at the far side of the base, where the official fence was and the civilian area of the beach began. She knew the area. There was a little barbeque place just two blocks away and an Irish pub across the street from that.

  Places she could never go back to.

  Dare had said it to drive a wedge between them. He’d pissed her off, and she realized that was exactly his plan.

  It was sad.

  The guy was pitting his life against the sort of people who killed girls like the one she’d seen in the shipping container. He deserved some happiness. In fact, he’d earned it. Which just enhanced his appeal because it was a true mark of maturity when a person started earning their way instead of waiting for life to give them their fair share.

  Life wasn’t fair.

  Nope. And Dare and his team were content with the fact, too. They loved what they did, expecting to live in obscurity.

  He doesn’t want to be saved.

  No, at least not by her anyway.

  Still. The idea refused to be shoved off into the oblivion of “don’t go there.” Jenna forced herself to look for the water cooler. She spied it just inside the hangar door.

  “Jenna!”

  She’d only made it two steps when she heard her name being shouted. Turning back around, she looked for the source.

  “Jenna!!!!” Sam was running up the sidewalk from the parking lot.

  The sight hit her like a concrete block, sending a jolt of pain through her chest as her pep talks dissolved, leaving her facing what she’d truly lost. Sam was waving with his full arm, Paul coming up behind him with car keys still dangling from his fingers. Jenna felt herself smiling as she lifted her hand to wave back. Relief spread across her friends’ faces bright enough to melt the chill Jenna hadn’t realized was clamped around her heart.

  A second later her wrist was caught in a hard hold. There was a jerk and her arm was locked up.

  “What are you doing?” she demanded.

  “My job,” Dare replied.

  She was swung around, helpless to do anything but go where Dare Servant pushed her with the lock he had her arm in.

  “What the fuck is your problem?” Sam bellowed behind her. “That is my friend!”

  Jenna didn’t get a chance to see him again. Dare strong-armed her right into the open side of the news van. She landed on her knees, face first into a seat and heard the click of handcuffs as he secured them around her wrists.

  “You … prick!” she growled.

  Most of the venom in her tone was lost as someone put their foot down on the accelerator and the van pitched forward. Jenna went face first into the pleather-covered seat. Without her hands, it was a hard connection.

  Whoever was driving took a turn. The van wobbled and jiggled, jolting Jenna around like a forgotten soccer ball.

  “Keep your head down, Jenna.”

  Dare’s voice was Arctic cold. He reached over and pushed her face-first into the seat with a hand on the nape of her neck.

  She wasn’t going to win the battle, but that didn’t make it easy to stop fighting. The urge was all consuming, flaring up into true rage as she heard herself snarling.

  Of course it didn’t change how pathetically easy it was for Dare to reduce her to his will. Helplessness was bitter beyond her endurance, and the hold he had on her neck forced her to swallow it while the van took her away from everything she knew.

  Her eyes stung with tears.

  No! She refused to cry.

  But the damned tears flooded her eyes anyway.

  * * *

  “Jenna Henson doesn’t exist any longer.”

  The little seventies-era home was still as death.

  Dare had deposited Jenna in a chair while he faced off with her, and his teammates stood on the sides like velociraptors making ready to go for a kill.

  Well, she wasn’t having any of it.

  “You were told no contact, Jenna,” Dare continued.

  “I was told no such thing.” Jenna made sure she enunciated each syllable. Her hands were still locked behind her, but she sat on the edge of the seat, shooting him daggers. “You tossed me out without a single word on what this afternoon would entail.”

  He wanted to argue the point, but she could see him thinking and accepting she’d won the argument. His eyes narrowed as he switched tracks.

  “You’re a witness, which means you don’t sit in on team briefings.”

  “Exactly my point, I wasn’t told anything about what was expected from me today,” she growled. “You wanted a front-line seat to a knee-jerk reaction at my expense.” Greer tilted his head to one side, proving she’d hit the nail on the head.

  “You’re not the only professional in this room, Servant,” she continued. “I’ve seen my share of observation-based, analysis-data gathering sessions. Being the subject of it is a first though. Hope you enjoyed the show.”

  Silence returned. For a long moment Jenna stared Dare down. She took a great deal of pleasure out of knowing she’d shut him down, even if she didn’t expect it to last very long. He decided on action, ripping open a small pocket sealed with Velcro on his chest harness. The sound bounced around the room because of how still everyone was.

  Jenna actually heard his steps as he came closer. Her damned insides tightened though, pissing her off because of how responsive she was to him. Sitting still was a torment she suffered only long enough for him to unlock one of the cuffs. Jenna slipped off the chair and out of his reach with the open cuff dangling from her wrist.

  “Let me unlock…”

  She stuck her finger up between them. “You’ve done quite enough, thank you, Agent Servant.”

  She needed space.

  Or to scream.

  Maybe hit something.

  Not something … him.

  She felt like her blood was surging through her veins. Nothing made sense because her instinct was to keep arguing with him while she knew logically he’d never budge from his choices.

  And you don’t want him to bend …

  Jenna turned and headed for the bedroom that had become her holding cell. Her stupid hormones were reducing her to putty.

  Yeah, there was a truth and a half.

  She was pissed off, and all she wanted to do was fuck the hell out of Dare Servant. Jenna sent the bedroom door shut with the help of all her pent-up frustration. The damn thing rattled, proclaiming just how under her skin Dare was.

  Fine.

  Let him hear it.

  And know she’d scrounged up enough dignity to walk away from him. The knowledge was slim pickings as far as compensation went for what she really wanted. Especially when she made it across the room to the dresser. It had a mirror mounted onto it. One that showed her how flushed she was. There were bright patches over her cheek bones, which just made her recall the way he’d stroked her face.

  She shivered and watched the soft fabric of her dress rise up when her nipples contracted into hard points.

  “Cases like this,” he began. “Cause a surge of hormonal response. It’s a survival instinct. You can’t trust it, Jenna.”

  Fate was a bitch. Because Dare had been so very right.

  At least he was experienced enough to know the facts. Someday, she’d think good thoughts about him and the way he’d left her alone.

  Today however, all she wanted to do was get back in his face and keep at him until he was as worked up as she was.

  Wave the flag in front of the bull …

  Sex had never been such a force of nature in her life. It was titillating the way the urge invaded every aspect of her dealings with Dare. It didn’t seem to matter if she was on good terms or spitting mad at him, the answer was still the same.

  Get her hands on him.

  Jenna forced herself to look at the handcuffs, made h
erself focus on the hard reality and use those facts to stay right where she was until her body settled down.

  One deep breath helped.

  But the door was being pushed in before she took the second one.

  “You need to hear what I’m telling you, Jenna. You are my witness,” Dare started in on her.

  “Fine,” Jenna responded as she turned to face him.

  He was right on her tail, pulling up when she whirled around to face him.

  “But that’s not why you’re following me,” she hissed at him.

  His expression tightened. He really did have midnight eyes. Jenna seriously could have labeled him a marauder and it would have suited him.

  “By all means,” he demanded in a husky tone. “Share your opinion with me, Ms. Henson.”

  “You followed me because you want to nip at me as much as I want to keep at you until we both just give in.” She took another deep breath, grinning just a little, as she discovered herself sweeping him from head to toe because he was utterly devastating to her entire system.

  “Be honest,” she muttered off-handedly. Maybe that was a challenge, so be it. “You’ve been quick to toss the psychology facts at me. Well, I walked away because I think you’re right. This situation is driving me crazy. Otherwise, I’m left thinking you’re a prick for today’s little handcuff and face plant into a seat maneuver.”

  He was looming over her. The door to the bedroom closing with a soft sound as Jenna caught the scent of his skin.

  Musk …

  Her blood started racing through her veins again, the small amount of calmness she’d fought to gain slipping away like it had never been there. His nostrils flared, while her heart accelerated. Time slowed down, allowing her to experience every minute detail.

  “I did follow you because I can’t drop it,” he said.

  It was an admission. Dare didn’t really care too much for making it either. She watched frustration draw his lips tight.

  Lips she really wanted to feel against her own again.

  He caught her own admission, read it right off her face as her attention lingered on his mouth.

  “We … can’t do this Jenna…” He was hissing at her, a soft sound that seemed to be escaping through the holes in the wall he was using to hold back his impulses.

  “I…” She jabbed him in the middle of his chest with her finger. “Walked … away…”

  His lips twitched. “After throwing down a gauntlet, baby…”

  She had. Satisfaction filled her as he admitted to noticing it. Their gazes were locked, ensuring he saw it flash through her eyes.

  “So pick it up already,” she said.

  She was daring him.

  Jenna opened her arms wide. “I can’t change where circumstances have dropped me, but I sure as hell can enjoy the ride. Leave the way you came if you don’t have the guts for it.”

  She was having a breakdown.

  And Jenna suddenly understood it was exactly what she’d been needing. A full breakdown of all the walls holding her in position, while fate flung her into their hard surfaces over and over again.

  There was a rip of Velcro and Dare was shrugging out of his chest harness. The hard glint in his eyes was as much warning as promise.

  It fucking curled her toes.

  She stepped back, needing to put more space between the outside world and the place where she could indulge in what she wanted from Dare.

  “Second thoughts?” he questioned, his hands freezing on the button of his waistband.

  She shook her head, biting her lip as she tried to decide what to do next. Her brain was shutting down, instinct trying to take over, only she kept trying to understand, which left her confused.

  “I want … you…” Another step back and he followed, her insides twisting as her nipples tingled with anticipation.

  He reached out. She expected him to capture her nape. Instead he cupped her face. His fingers warm against her cheek. The touch so tender, she shuddered as her eyes slid shut.

  “It can be easy…” he was cooing. His tone dark and enticing.

  She let out a little breathy sound as she opened her eyes. “Don’t be … angry…” Jenna reached for him, her fingertips landing on where he’d opened the first couple of buttons of his shirt. “Don’t let me be … alone in this … need…”

  He stroked her cheek. Sending a ripple of awareness down her spine.

  “You’re not…” He moved closer, slipping his hand into her hair before he tightened his grip and held her head still so he could loom over her. “You’re just more honest than I am.”

  She felt her lips twitching. “It’s all I have left. Me. And whatever that really is.”

  “It’s pretty impressive.”

  The compliment hit her ears a moment before he was kissing her. She gasped, the level of sensation shocking her system. He teased her lips as he took them in a kiss that left nothing between them. Intimacy became a living thing, something that blurred the lines between where he ended and she began.

  Which felt perfect.

  Jenna kissed him back, tracing his lower lip with the tip of her tongue before he boldly thrust his into her mouth.

  She grabbed his hair, trying to pull him closer as he stroked her tongue with his, setting off a need to have him deep inside her.

  He pressed her back another few steps, lifting his head from hers as she felt her bottom hit the dresser.

  Satisfaction glittered in his eyes as he clasped her hips and lifted her. He sat her on the smooth wood, pushing her skirt up as he stepped forward, making her spread her thighs.

  “Impressive isn’t a word I use lightly, baby…”

  “You never struck me as a brown-noser,” she answered.

  His lips split in a grin, flashing his teeth at her. It was a raw expression, one that gave her a glimpse at just how wild he truly was.

  God, she fucking loved the sight.

  It made her tremble.

  And it made her wet.

  Blunt? Sure was.

  But truthful.

  And she wanted to know she wasn’t alone. She reached out, pressing against the front of his pants, a little sound of approval rising from her throat as she encountered his erection.

  “I’ll rise to your challenge, Jenna, but you’re going to wait for what you want.”

  He pulled back, reaching up to find the sides of her underwear and pulling the garment down her legs. For a moment, her knees were back together. Dare parted them with a sure motion that sent another zip of excitement through her belly.

  “I’m going to watch you first…”

  He’d moved back between her thighs, keeping them wide with his hips.

  “Going to make sure you get a taste of how out of control you make me feel…” Dare warned her darkly.

  She felt her eyes widen as he caught her hair again. He was sweeping up the inside of her thigh, doing it slowly while he watched her.

  “You’re wet…”

  She was and he could smell it. Jenna felt her eyes widen. She’d never been so exposed, so very much at the mercy of what she craved.

  His fingers reached her slit, skimming the edge of her folds as his lips thinned in enjoyment.

  “I did this to you…”

  Jenna tried to nod but his grip was too tight.

  Dare shook his head. “Not a chance baby. You’re going to vocalize. I’m not letting you get away with anything less.”

  “Yes…” Her tone was a raspy whisper.

  He was so dammed commanding, and she loved it too much for her pride.

  But her cravings needed him just the way he was.

  She reached out and gripped his shirt, curling her fingers into the fabric. He drew in a breath, a hard one that was caught in his gritted teeth. “And you want me, no matter how bad an idea it is.”

  The hand on her nape tightened, the sound of his breath hitting her ears as she felt it touching her lips because he was so close to her.

  “Yes�
�” he growled.

  The admission pleased her. She felt the last bits of restraint crumbling as she watched him fumble with his pants.

  For a moment she was alone, watching the way he yanked a condom from his wallet and tossed the wrapper on the dresser top. A couple of sure motions and he’d sheathed himself.

  And then he was back. A hard arm encircling her back as he guided his length to her folds.

  “I want you too damned bad…”

  It was half growl, half confession.

  But all Jenna cared about was the first touch of his hard flesh against hers. She shuddered, her clit giving a crazy twist that made her gasp.

  Not yet …

  It was too soon, and yet her body wasn’t interested in savoring the moment. She struggled against the tide, losing the battle after only a few hard thrusts. Climax twisted through her, wringing her, and snapping through her in a hard jolt that dropped her like a rock.

  Dare smothered her cry beneath his lips, holding himself deep inside her as she twisted and strained.

  “Fuck…” she muttered when he lifted his mouth from hers, frustration clear in her tone.

  “We’re not done, Jenna.” He pulled free and pushed back in with a slow motion of his hips. “Not by a long shot.”

  A ripple of sensation went through her. His cock stretching her passage as it tried to contract.

  Dare clasped her hips, making her flatten her hands on the dresser behind her.

  “I’m going to take … my … time…” he promised.

  There was a warning in his tone.

  His eyes were full of determination as he locked gazes with her.

  “Going to give you exactly what you crave…”

  He was making good on his words, working his cock in and out of her with a control that left perspiration on his skin. His hold on her hips sent a crazy little tingle of excitement through her, touching on some deeply embedded instinct she had to be taken.

  He was up to the challenge.

  Filling her.

  Holding still for just long enough for her to feel like she’d die if he didn’t start moving.

  She was straining toward him, trying to gain just a tiny bit more friction as her clit throbbed for release.

  “Not yet…”

  “You are such a control…” He thrust hard, killing her train of thought. Taking her to the edge of release but leaving her poised when he pulled free.