by K. J. Dahlen
“Max’s brother?” Sawyer frowned. “I didn’t know he had a brother.”
“Neither did anyone else,” he whispered. “He didn’t want anyone to know about his brother, or the fact that his brother was living with him.”
Sawyer stretched her arms out uncomfortably. “Is there any way you can untie me? I can’t lay here anymore.”
Bastian studied her for a moment. “As much as I’d like to I can’t. I don’t want anyone to know what I look like or where I am.”
Sawyer stilled for a moment then asked, “If I promise not to move the blindfold, can you let my hands go? My arms are sore from being tied so long.”
“Do I have your word that you won’t take the blindfold off?”
Sawyer nodded. “I promise.”
“Before I do that there is something I’ve wanted to do for a while now,” he whispered.
“What would that be?” Sawyer asked.
He kissed her. It wasn’t a gentle kiss but a needy kiss.
Sawyer felt his lips on hers and something strange lit up inside her. Her breath quickened and her heart began to race. She opened her mouth and his tongue slid inside. Colors spun out of control behind her closed eyelids. She groaned as her body heated from within.
She felt something unfurling inside her and she wanted so much more.
~* * * *~
This had been kiss that he’d held back for a whole year. He didn’t realize the depth of passion he felt for this woman. He pulled his mouth from hers.
“Please…” she begged.
“What? What do you want?” Bastian whispered brokenly. His lips found hers again and his tongue began doing what he wished his body could. It went in and out of her mouth.
“I want you,” Sawyer whispered to his lips. “I need you.”
He brushed his groin against her thigh. “I know it’s too soon for this and you aren’t ready for any of it, but I just want a small taste, just a sneak peek of what we could be together.” His hands went to her pants as he unbuttoned her jeans. His fingers traced a path along her leg inside her jeans. His lips kissed along her skin as he made his way back up her body. “I can smell your arousal getting stronger as is my own.”
She paused then whispered, “It’s insane, truly, but I do want you to show me what passion is. I want you to take me where no other man ever has.”
“Or ever will.”
Sawyer groaned when his lips nibbled their way down her neck to her collarbone. His fingers made short work of the buttons on her shirt. Then his lips were on her unbound breasts. Kissing and caressing her skin. His teeth nipped on her nipples.
Bastian stopped and laid his forehead against hers. “I can’t do this.”
“Why?” she cried out.
“I promised your father I wouldn’t hurt you. I promised Leon.”
“How can this hurt me?” Sawyer asked. “I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you right now.”
“I just feel as if you may just be feeling fear and its’ not—”
“Please?” She pleaded. “You were right before. I cannot see or touch you, but somehow my other senses know you so well. Like you were meant to be the man for me. I have never felt anything for a guy before. Some tried to kiss me or touch me and it just felt wrong. Your touch is so…” She bit at her lip. “…Like I know your touch. I even love your scent. I know just when you are near. It’s like you’ve crept right into my soul.”
Bastian let out the breath he’d been holding as he couldn’t believe this woman was saying what she was. “I don’t want you forced or to feel like you need to bargain for your life by—?”
“It is of my own free will. I already know that you won’t kill me. You may even love me.”
Bastian tilted his head. Yes, he might indeed love her. He should have caught her before this, gotten his info and then dumped her, but no…he’d instead, followed her around for almost a year. Dreaming of her at night. Thinking of her instead of other things. This is in fact is what he’d dreamt of. Her lying beneath him, wanting him. He reached for her shirt and began unbuttoning it. He parted the material and sucked in his breath at the sight. Her breasts were full and barely contained in her bra. Her rosy nipples stood erect. Waiting for his mouth, his fingers. Her skin looked smooth and slightly tanned. Her bruises were mostly gone but faint traces could still be seen on her ribs from her ordeal with that scum. His gut twisted. The man was lucky he was dead or Bastian would kill him for what he’d done to her.
Her waistline was bare as were her breasts, but Bastian couldn’t help himself. He had to see all of her.
He slipped jeans all the way down and off her legs and the only barrier between them was a pair of dark blue panties. Bastian rubbed his hand over her hot wet core. He could feel her excitement and he could smell her arousal. Her scent was driving him crazy.
He leaned down and began tonguing the wet spot on her panties. Her essence was diluted but still there. He growled when he couldn’t get close enough to what he wanted. Then he pushed the cloth aside and went after it again. This time, he could taste her and her flavor made him wild. She smelled of chocolate and tasted like sweet cream. His fingers brushed against her belly and found their way to her core. He smoothed her dark brown hair away from her clit and she gasped in awe as he parted her lips and thrust two fingers deep inside her.
Bastian reached inside her as far as his fingers could reach. His own body betrayed his as the blood rushed to his cock. His muscles bunched as he tensed. He could smell her arousal and it was driving his need to possess her.
“I need you,” she whispered. “Please…”
He pulled away and his fingers found their way into his mouth. He closed his eyes, as he tasted her essence. He fought with himself. Taking a virgin wasn’t something he ever wanted to do. Despite his reputation, he’d never delivered pain with sex and never violated any of his assignments in that way.
“Why have you stopped?” she asked in a breathless voice. “I know there’s more. I want you to be the one to show me.”
Bastian watched her bare breasts heaving with her panting, he leaned forward and swiped a finger through her cream between her thighs again. She was soaking wet, her nipples were hard and her body was quivering with need. She did want him. He tugged her thighs apart gathered her into his arms and groaned as her wetness covered his face. His tongue speared inside her body and she cried out in pleasure. He nuzzled her outer lips and found her clit. Licking it roughly, he heard her moan. Sucking the tiny nub inside his mouth, she screamed.
Bastian knew she just came and the sensation made his cock hard. He lapped up her nectar and he knew he was a doomed man. She was made for him. He could feel her body responding and he slipped two fingers inside her again. Her core walls tightened around his digits. As he fingered her, he leaned close to her and whispered in her ear, “I want to fuck you so bad right now.”
“Please do it,” she begged as she panted. “Fuck me. I need you so much. I don’t think I could stand it if you don’t take me. I have never wanted anything so badly.”
Bastian couldn’t deny her what they both wanted so badly. He quickly shed his clothes and moved over her. As he settled between her thighs, he pressed forward. His cock felt her tightness and he pushed in gently. He felt her maidenhead and halted. He knew it would kill him to remove himself, but he pulled himself back. What the fuck was he doing? He couldn’t do this, take her while she was bound as his captive! God dammit, it was wrong. His body told him how right it was and his mind disagreed. He raised himself up, intending to move away. He couldn’t have any innocent on his conscience.
Just then, Sawyer wrapped her legs around his waist and tightened them tugging him forward into her.
His pelvis pushed forward again, breaking through. He sucked in a breath as he paused. “Are you all right?” he whispered as his body went rigid. She was so dammed tight. It was he who was imprisoned now. At the mercy of her. The realization floored him.
“I-I…m
ore!” She tugged him closer with her thighs wrapped more tightly around his waist.
Pulling back and thrusting deeper, he set the pace. Each thrust went a little deeper and soon he was bottoming out. Closing his eyes, he simply let himself feel. Leaning over her his lips suckled her breasts.
She moaned. “Harder, I need more of you.”
Bastian picked up the pace and soon lost himself in everything that she was. He felt her pussy flutter and contract and he knew she was close but so was he. Plunging deeper, he felt her give in to her passion. Her muscles clamped down on him and he felt lightening run along his spine as she came on his hard cock, then like a speeding train drove him, he felt himself give in. His cum flooded her insides, filling her.
He stilled for a time to catch his breath and heard her do the same. Moving to one side of her, he brushed his fingertips along her breasts. He watched the heaviness of her breathing slow to normal.
She smiled. “Wow,” she whispered.
“Wow, indeed.” He chuckled. He leaned closer and licked a bead of sweat as it rolled down the side on her face. “Are you all right?”
Sawyer smiled. “Yeah, I’m good.” She cocked her head and asked, “I don’t suppose you’d like to untie me? I would love to—well, feel you up with my hands next.” Her cheeks flamed with a bright pink hue.”
Bastian grinned, though he knew she could not see his amusement. “I suppose I could but then I would have to kill you.”
~* * * *~
“What?” Sawyer gasped. Fear dried her mouth and her heart beat rapidly in her chest.
“Sweetheart, there’s a reason for everything that I do. This…This is not how I usually do business. I had a job to do and for some reason with you, I just couldn’t resist.”
“So now what? I already told you everything I knew and you found the hand, did you not?”
He settled back on the bed. He gathered her into his arms the best he could. “Yeah, I found the hand but I also ran into some trouble at the church.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Malvin Bordeaux was waiting for whoever showed up. Apparently, he followed you guys that night but he didn’t know where in the church the hand was hidden.”
“Malvin was the man I saw at Max’s house?” Sawyer asked.
“Yeah, he was Max’s twin brother. When you told me about a second man, I looked into Max and found he was one of two. Malvin was his twin and they looked enough alike for a kid to mistake one for the other.” He shifted his body around. “I also warned Leon about the hidden rooms. I didn’t want Malvin to kill any of his men without them being aware he was there hiding.”
“So what’s going to happen to me?”
“I can’t let anyone know who I am. I protect my identity for a reason. If I let you go, you could reveal who I am to the world and I can’t have that.”
“So you’re going to kill me anyway?” she whimpered. Her fear took over, but she felt her heart breaking too.
~* * * *~
Bastian sighed as he brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead. “No I can’t do that but I can’t allow you to see me either. Don’t worry, you won’t be here long.” He touched his lips to her forehead. “Try and sleep now, little one.”
He watched as her body slipped into sleep. He hadn’t quite made up his mind what he was going to do with her yet, but he knew he couldn’t keep her no matter how much he wanted to do just that.
He laid there a long time holding her before he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.
~* * * *~
Sam glared at the group of men in the cabin. Deke had his daughter in his arms. Both men had been happy to hear her cry out, “Daddy,” when they burst through the door. They weren’t so happy to see Cricket laid out on the sofa with a bandage on her back.
“What the fuck happened here Colonel?” Sam growled at his old Sergeant. He stared at the man who hadn’t changed all that much over the last thirty years.
He was still a bigger than life size man. His muscles were still tight, his hands still larger than a phone book. The only difference between now and then was the shock of white hair instead of the dark brown he’d had before. It was longer than the stock Marine cut he had thirty years ago but his dark eyes hadn’t changed much. They still knew how to cut through the bullshit of everyday life.
“We got here before they did and got set up just like we always do,” Stone explained. “But the little fucker got impatient and he hid the knife from sight until it was too late to stop him. We came up behind him and he had time to slide it into her before we took him down.”
“The wound is superficial.” Doc shrugged.
Sam snarled at the man.
Deke called out, “Dad, let it go. The girls are okay now.”
Raine knelt down beside Cricket. He brushed the hair away from her face. When her eyelids twitched he called her name. When she opened her eyes and smiled at him Raine asked, “Are you okay, baby?”
“I am now. I am so glad to see you!” She closed her eyes again. Then she opened them and began looking around. “Jemmia! Is she okay?”
“Jemmia’s just fine darling,” Sam assured her as he squatted beside Raine. “Thanks to you, she’s just fine.”
“Yes, she shielded that baby from dumbfuck over there, the entire time,” Stone spoke up. “Protected her with her own body.” He looked like he was in awe.
Cricket frowned and craned her neck to look at the others in the room. “Who are they?” she whispered. Turning her head, she looked at Sam. “They said you sent them.”
Sam grinned. “Yeah, I did. This is my old Sarge from when I was in the Marines another lifetime ago. He was in the area and I knew he could get here before we could. I asked him to stop by and protect you till we could get here.”
Cricket smiled. “Well, thank you very much. Michael was getting out of control.”
“What exactly was he after?” Stone asked.
Cricket motioned to the wall of weapons in front of them. “He wanted the daggers. They belonged to my father’s family and he wanted to win his father over by retrieving them.”
Stone and the others stepped forward and observed the weapons.
Reaper, one of the men in the group let out a low whistle of appreciation.
Sam nodded. “Orrin sure had a very nice collection of weapons and he’d kept them in pristine condition.”
The weapons were old and new. Medieval swords and knives were mixed in with modern day rifles and handguns. Old west Colts and Henry repeating rifles over a hundred years old could be seen as well as Vietnam semiautomatic weapons. In the middle of the wall was a clear sided storage case that housed a set of daggers. The blades sparkled like new and the hilts were covered in jewels.
Michael groaned as he returned to consciousness. He couldn’t move as someone had hogtied him with his hands behind his back. The rope went all the way around his ankles and back up to his wrists. “What the fuck?” he shouted as he struggled to get free.
Stone turned to Cricket and motioned to the weapons. “How long did it take your daddy to get all this together?”
Cricket sat up and smiled sadly. “He worked on that collection most of his life. He was particular what he put into it.”
“It’s a damn fine collection,” Reaper commented.
Cricket frowned. “I hate it.”
Raine looked surprised. “Why is that?”
“I know guns don’t kill, people kill but guns are the weapon of choice for most people.” Cricket winced as she tried to sit up. “They are a fine thing to have when you respect them but not everyone respects the power they represent. My dad tried his hardest to teach us how to use the weapons he had but I never wanted to learn.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Let me guess, your sister liked the knives the best, didn’t she?”
Cricket nodded. “Oh yeah, she did. When she turned twelve after mom died, Dad gave her a knife and showed her how to use it. She loved it. She spent every waking mi
nute learning all she could about handling the weapon. She got to be very good with it. She used to beg my father to allow her to try the swords but he never would.”
“Why not?” Stone asked.
Cricket shook her head in disgust. “He knew she was too much like her father and would use her skills against whoever refused her anything.”
“Her father?” Reaper questioned. “Wasn’t he your father too?”
Cricket sighed. “No, he wasn’t. All three of us have the same mother but I had a different father than the other two. It’s a complicated story.”
Michael twisted around to glare at Cricket. “My father will kill all of you!”
~* * * *~
Cricket got to her feet. Every movement was painful but she did it. She carefully made her way over to the wall of weapons and took down a short sword. Walking over to where Michael was bound she knelt down beside him. “Your father might and I stress the word might miss you but he wouldn’t kill us for killing you. He has no feelings, remember? Neither do you. I could run this sword through you right now. I could watch you bleed to death and that would bother me a hell of a lot more than it would you. The act alone would haunt me for the rest of my life but the same act done by you wouldn’t register for five minutes in your world or your father’s. That’s the difference between us Michael.”
Michael sneered at her.
She ignored his reaction. “You brought me here as a hostage. You used the welfare of a baby against me to get me to do what you wanted me to do. You knew I wouldn’t do it willingly. You and Bane use people. Neither of you give a rats ass about anyone or anything that doesn’t revolve around you. I could give that damn collection away tomorrow and it wouldn’t bother me one bit. In fact…” She turned to the man Sam called Stone. “Do you want the whole fucking collection? You earned it by saving our lives. All accept the daggers, of course. Those I’m gonna shove up my uncle’s ass.”