Nash: A Rough Romance

by Piper Stone

  Exasperated, I heard a slight whimper coming from her mouth as I rushed forward. While the sound yanked at my heart, my anger remained. But when she jumped into my arms, wrapping hers around my neck and burying her face against the side, all I could think about was the fact she was safe.

  “Reaper,” she repeated.

  “Jesus Christ,” Scorpion said from behind me.

  I swiveled around to face him as he lowered his weapon, shaking his head. That’s the moment when another round of anger and frustration with her behavior rushed in. “What were you doing?”

  She pushed away, her eyes imploring. “I heard something.”

  “You heard something? So you freaking left the protection of the house?” As I eased her down, I kept my grip on her arms, shaking her slightly. “Answer me.”

  “I…” Her jaw clenched and she darted her gaze around toward Scorpion. “I was careful. I’m not a fool.”

  “Uh-huh. Careful? What you did was reckless as fuck. That’s not going to happen again.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you cared about me.”

  Scorpion coughed, but I knew he was hiding a chuckle.

  “This isn’t funny, Mitch. You don’t listen or maybe you choose not to hear me. We’re not fucking around any longer. There are some very bad men out to get you and they have damn good reason.”

  “Does that mean you found the jump drives?” she asked with hope in her tone of voice.

  “We found them,” Scorpion answered.

  “Along with your truck, which was trashed and my house turned upside down.” I studied her face as she paled, her entire body starting to shake.

  Grimacing, I yanked her against me as I scanned the woods, looking for any sign that our location had been compromised again. While there was no indication, her reckless behavior could have cost Mitch her life.

  “I’ll check the grounds, but I think you’re safe,” Scorpion said quietly, the damn asshole keeping a wide grin on his face. Even his freaking eyes shimmered as if this entire situation was amusing.

  “Yeah, maybe for now. I appreciate it. I need to get her back inside.” I didn’t bother wasting time, lifting and tossing her over my shoulder.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Locking you down. It’s obvious I have to.” As I took long strides through the snow, my jaws ached from the fact that I was clenching them. When I had her inside, I smacked her bottom several times before easing her onto her feet.

  She backed away, a look of fury crossing her face. “I told you that I was careful.”

  “Careful is not going against my rules. Careful would be to call the police. Careful would be to stay inside.” I huffed as I paced the floor, glaring at her every few seconds. “What the hell did you think you heard?”

  “I don’t know. Just a sound, like there was someone outside walking around the house. That’s when I called you. Didn’t you get the message?”

  “What freaking message? Five seconds.”

  She pulled the phone out of her pocket and grimaced as she searched her call history. “Shit. I didn’t realize. I didn’t plan on leaving the deck. Okay? When I didn’t see anything else, I thought I’d just check for any signs of them. Footprints. Anything. That’s why I called you.”

  “Uh-huh. Which made you an easy target for a sharpshooter.”

  “Okay. Maybe I was an idiot. Maybe I’m exhausted and uncertain of everything that’s happening including my surroundings. Even you. I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do. I wasn’t entirely certain you were even coming back.”

  She glared at me with all the defiance in the world.

  “And maybe I just wanted some fresh air!” she continued. The way she jerked off her jacket reminded me just how infuriating she could be.

  And how damn exciting.

  I wanted to rip off her clothes and keep her body pressed against mine, fucking her over and over again.

  “I would never leave you stranded, Mitch. Never,” I said quietly.

  After taking a deep breath, I pulled the phone from her hand, very slowly walking toward the table and putting it down. I yanked off my coat, tossing it over the back of the couch. After pushing up my sleeves, I did my best to snuff out my anger. Then I returned, taking her hands into mine and squeezing. “We are going to talk this through, but you need another lesson in following the rules. If this one doesn’t stick, then we’re talking handcuffs.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  “Does it look like I’m serious?” As I dragged her toward the couch, yanking her over my lap, I couldn’t stop thinking about what could have happened.

  “Don’t! I promise I’ll be good.”

  “Promises. Promises. Not something I can buy any longer.”

  When I brought my hand down across her backside, the dull ache in my heart had turned into one hell of a sharp pain. After a few seconds, I was able to recognize exactly what it was.

  Fuck.

  Love.

  I was falling in love with the pigheaded, refuse-to-listen, beautiful, ballsy woman.

  What the hell was I gonna do now?

  Chapter 16

  Mitch

  Humiliation.

  Shock.

  Relief.

  They were all filtering from my mind to my toes even as a fresh round of pain reminded me that I had indeed been one stupid girl. What the hell had I been thinking? The point was I wasn’t thinking. At all. I’d drifted into some never-neverland of refusing to accept the level of danger I was in. This wasn’t some fantasy being fulfilled, a virtual reality game.

  This was real life.

  And real men with bullets were out to kill me.

  As Reaper brought his hand down against my bottom several times, I yelped louder than I’d intended. “You’re a bastard.”

  “Uh-huh. I wasn’t the one who decided to lose all her common sense,” he huffed.

  Okay. Okay. He had more than just a point.

  I closed my eyes as the spanking continued, unable to stop from throwing my hand across my already aching ass cheeks.

  “None of that, little brat,” he said in his commanding voice, the tone sending shivers dancing down my spine. “I really thought you understood.” He stopped long enough to rub his fingers across my bottom. “You just don’t get it. I’m completely disappointed that I can’t trust you. At all.”

  Why did I have the feeling this was only the beginning of my punishment?

  Well deserved. You are a huge brat, not just a little one.

  Shut the hell up, inner voice. I don’t need a lecture.

  I struggled in his arms, regretting my stupidity as well as disappointing him.

  The sound of the door opening, heavy boots walking inside was just another slam in the embarrassment department. Now he was spanking me in front of his friends. At least he hadn’t jerked my jeans down.

  Yet.

  “Hmmm… Am I interrupting something?” his buddy asked and damn if he wasn’t enjoying this far too much.

  Heat rushed into my face, my cheeks burning as much as my bottom would be later.

  “Nah. Not at all. Just handling some business,” Reaper answering, smacking me four times in rapid succession.

  I was ready to lash out, my mind blown by what he was doing.

  “There were some bear tracks out there. That’s what she must have heard,” Scorpion commented, amusement still in his voice. “Bears can make a lot of noise.”

  I threw my head in his direction. “Bear tracks? As in a bear?”

  “Yup. We grow ‘em big around here. Big enough they can eat a person whole.” Scorpion had a serious look on his face.

  “What?” I pushed my hands against the couch, struggling to get out of Reaper’s arms. All I managed to do was rub back and forth across the massive bulge between his legs. He was aroused? “A real bear?”

  Scorpion nodded several times then burst into laughter. “We do get an occasional bear down here, but maybe
you heard a deer munching on the shrubbery, feeding her fawn. There were several sets of tracks and they’ll come right up to the house. That’s likely all it was, although you went in the opposite direction.”

  Reaper smacked me at least six additional times, a growl permeating the space around us. “But bears do roam out here. You just don’t understand how much danger you put yourself in.”

  “Stop. Okay? I get it. I do.” I knew my wails had to be the funniest thing in the world to the two burly men.

  “Hey, buddy. Why don’t you give her a break? It’s been a hell of a couple days.”

  I was surprised at Scorpion’s suggestion, even more shocked when Reaper exhaled, drumming his fingers on the small of my back then easing me onto my feet. He continued to hold my arms for a few seconds, slowly lifting his head. There was something entirely different about his beautiful eyes. They were more soulful, and there was tremendous concern.

  “I don’t give anyone a break,” Reaper said as he towered over me, the same look remaining. He brushed his fingers across my cheek as he shook his head slowly. “I was worried about you.”

  “I know you were. I’m sorry. I’m just frustrated that I can’t do anything.”

  He chuckled. “Toss me those jump drives, will ya, buddy?”

  Another rush of relief washed through me. Thank God they hadn’t been found.

  Reaper caught them easily, holding them in front of me. “The sheriff is aware of what you did. I’m curious to see this evidence you risked your life to obtain. Sadly, we’d need a computer to do that.”

  “Thought you might need one. I brought my laptop with me. It’s yours for the duration,” Scorpion volunteered.

  “You think of everything,” Reaper said, laughing.

  “I just knew you’d want to see what you were dealing with. By the way, I heard from Mustang. His buddy assures me that your Mr. Porter is on the up and up. That’s not how the assholes knew where to search for you.”

  “Really? Then how?” I asked, my mind churning away.

  “Shit. Let’s just hope that evidence is enough to take Giordani off the streets for good,” Reaper said before exhaling.

  “Trust me. It’s enough to put him away at least for a few years. It’s not good enough since he killed that man in cold blood, but at least it’s something. As long as the assholes in Chicago will do their jobs, then maybe the streets will be safer.” My exclamation was followed by another look shared between them. Damn it. They couldn’t understand the situation. They were honorable men who had spent their careers helping people.

  “Makes sense, Mitch. You should be aware that Sheriff Robertson had a conversation with that DA of yours.”

  “Really? Isn’t that risky?” I asked, although at this point, what the hell was either one of us supposed to do?

  “Maybe, but I doubt the sheriff would be stupid enough to give away any real information. However, she also seems to believe that Mr. Porter is on the up and up.”

  I felt the tension swamping my system. I also found it difficult to continue looking into his eyes. As I tried to back away, he grabbed my arm, keeping me close to him.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” he demanded.

  “There’s nothing to tell. I had only a few minutes to leave.”

  “But you said that’s not your truck.”

  Uh-oh. “No, it belongs to the single friend I have in Chicago.”

  Another look was shared between the men.

  “You had to give her a reason why you wanted to borrow her truck,” Reaper said in a controlled manner.

  “Actually? I took it without her knowledge.” That was the truth.

  When Scorpion laughed, I shot him a look. “I’m serious. I’ve borrowed her truck before. I knew where she kept the keys. She has another vehicle anyway.”

  “Well, we can add thief to your list of wrongdoings,” Reaper half whispered.

  The men remained quiet. I took the opportunity to break away from Reaper. “Are we staying here?”

  “For tonight. In the morning we’re going to have a nice little visit with the sheriff. Mr. Porter sent her several pictures of the various men working for Giordani. If any of them attempt to cross state lines, they’ll be found.”

  I laughed softly as I started to walk into the kitchen.

  “Where are you going?” he demanded.

  “To get a drink. Is that at least allowed?”

  “I could use one,” he answered. “Scorp?”

  “I gotta get back. I still have a bar to run. Remember? I brought a rifle with me ‘cause I figured you were going to stay here tonight. You might as well have double barrel protection.”

  Double barrel protection. My God. We were in a war.

  “That’ll work,” Reaper said half under his breath.

  “Call me if the shit hits the fan,” Scorpion added.

  My head ached, my intuition telling me that something very bad was going to happen tonight.

  I didn’t bother listening in on their conversation. Every part of me shook as I found a bottle of bourbon, foregoing the wine. My nerves remained on edge. I was certain I’d seen someone out in the woods, watching and waiting. While I’d found nothing, no tracks or even broken limbs on a tree, my instinct refused to stop nagging me.

  Hell if I knew what I would have done if I’d seen one of them. I poured two glasses, methodically placing several cubes of ice into them. My actions were robotic, the chill from before still skittering throughout my body. I just wanted this to be over with. I stared out at the waning light, another early night cascading over the city. I’d spent the day alone thinking, trying to plan what my life would be if Dante was arrested. Could I live in Chicago? Could I dare do something bold?

  Sadly, I didn’t have a final answer.

  I sensed Reaper’s presence behind me, and I inhaled, the scent of him so manly and full of testosterone. When I felt his fingers rubbing down the length of my back, my breathing ragged.

  “You know Giordani is going to attempt to find you. It might be tomorrow or even next week, but he will find a way to attempt to get to you.” His voice was softer than usual, yet the husky vibe made me drag my tongue across my lips.

  “I know.”

  “I hope you also realize that if that motherfucker lays a single finger on you, he will die.”

  “You can’t risk your life for me, Reaper. That’s not fair.”

  “You’re worth the risk, Mitch. You’re worth fighting for.”

  I hadn’t expected the words, or the sentiment that I felt coming from his mind as well as his heart. No one other than my parents had ever fought for me. I felt tears springing to my eyes, but I refused to give into the anguish that had nearly crushed my soul.

  “I’m not sure I’m worth the trouble or the anger you’d been forced to feel. I am sorry, Reaper.”

  “Nash. You can call me Nash.”

  He turned me around to face him, lifting the drink from my hand. As he took several sips then lowered his head, I knew I couldn’t resist this man, not on any level. Not for any reason. I’d been pulled into his cowboy world, a city girl with no understanding of rugged country life. But I could learn. Right?

  As he pressed his lips against mine, gently pushing them open, I wrapped my arms around his neck. He was the kind of irresistible man who would never take no for an answer. He’d simply take what he believed belonged to him.

  His toy.

  His pet.

  His possession.

  I was trembling all over again but this time from the deliciousness of his actions, the way I felt in his arms. As I curled my fingers in his hair, he pulled me closer, allowing the smooth bourbon to slide into my mouth. Another round of excitement coursed through me, my nipples aching and my pussy dampening my panties.

  I could tell he was attempting to place the glass on the counter. When the tumbler almost slipped off, he broke the kiss, issuing the most guttural growl yet. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Oh, yeah
? You think that’s funny?” he asked, but in an entirely seductive way.

  “Yes, actually I do.”

  “Let’s see how funny you think it is when I turn that bottom of yours into the loveliest shade of scarlet.”

  “No! No, you brute. You already spanked me.”

  He gave me a mischievous look before unfastening my jeans despite my efforts to stop him.

  “I own you. Remember? You will do as I say, although you seem to have selective amnesia.” The filthy smile remained on his face as he managed to yank the dense material over my hips. All I could do was groan as he wrangled them to the floor, lifting me into the air with a single arm then dragging them away from me.

  “You’re nothing but a savage cowboy,” I purred, moaning the second he slipped his hand between my legs, fingering my clit. My God, the feel of his explosive heat was incredible, leaving my mouth watering and my heart racing.

  “Don’t you forget it, little brat. I can take you anywhere and anytime I want.”

  I knew he wasn’t kidding. He’d determined that I’d become his possession. His to discipline.

  His to train.

  His to fuck.

  Winking, he tossed me over the edge of the island counter, holding me down as he searched through a drawer. What the hell was he trying to find? As he brought a wooden spoon into the light, I gulped audibly.

  “I just had a spanking!”

  He huffed and twirled the damn thing in front of me. “You had about fifteen smacks over your jeans. It’s much more effective on your naked bottom.”

  As if making his point, he swatted me four times in a row, moving from one side to the other.

  “Ouch!”

  “Yup. Spankings are supposed to hurt. I think you need to get that through your pretty little head. Maybe if you do, I won’t have to punish you so often.” He issued several more, humming as he kept a perfect rhythm.

  The pain was biting but even more, the desire for him continued to build. I leaned into the counter, pressing my face against it and hoping that he would thrust his cock deep inside. I didn’t even mind the spanking. In fact, with every rough smack of the ugly implement, my nipples ached and my pussy quivered.