Hero by Night

by Sara Jane Stone

  Climbing down from his truck, he spotted Hero first, then Lena. Georgia stood in the doorway waving to him while her fiancé followed Lena to the truck.

  “Thanks for getting her home safe,” Georgia called.

  “Anytime.” He waved to Georgia before turning his attention to Lena and her escort. “Hey Eric, I’ll see you at the office tomorrow?”

  Eric nodded, stopping ten feet away from Lena and the truck. “Yes. But before you go, can I have a word?”

  “Sure.” He glanced at Lena, confirmed that she wasn’t falling down drunk, and headed over to his boss/business partner. “But make it quick.”

  “I wanted to let you know that I fired Tim today,” Eric said. “He showed up and one of the guys suspected he was under the influence. After hearing the gossip about your run-­in with him the other night, I decided to let him go. But he left with plenty of hard feelings, and not all of them were aimed at me. Hell, he seemed downright unstable when he stormed out of the office. Next time you run into him, I have a feeling he’ll have a few things to get off his chest.”

  “Sorry it went down like that,” Chad said, relieved that Eric hadn’t marched across his front yard to demand Chad keep his hands off Lena. “But thanks for the heads-­up.”

  Eric slapped him on the shoulder. “Have a good night.”

  “Planning on it.” Chad turned his attention to Lena as his boss headed for his fiancée. He’d expected a waddling, drunken mess, but no, she appeared calm and composed, her steps measured and deliberate.

  “How much did you drink?” he demanded.

  “One glass,” she said, climbing into the passenger seat. “Before dinner. Maybe another half glass after. Enough to know I should come back for my truck in the morning. Georgia promised to pick me up after she takes Nate to preschool.”

  He held out the water. “I’m not sure you’ll need this, Miss One-­and-­a-­Half Glasses, but just in case.”

  Lena took the bottle with one hand and held out a crumpled piece of paper with the other. “For you.”

  He glanced at the oddly folded Post-­it. “Origami?”

  “It’s what I meant to say on the phone.”

  Chad unfolded the paper and scanned the neatly printed words.

  I think I need further instructions. While I’m on my knees.

  “That’s why you called?” His voice was hoarse as he tried to focus on the here and now, not the fact that he wanted to start giving orders in his boss’s front yard.

  “I was feeling wild. And maybe a little brazen.”

  “Lena.” If she kept talking, he might say to hell with the fact that Eric Moore owned this house.

  “I think you should start the truck now,” she said.

  Chad nodded, walking around to the driver’s side, his mind filled with the images of Lena naked and kneeling. But shit, she might throw the brakes on when they got to that point.

  “Are you sure about this?” He put the truck in gear and steered it down the drive to the main road.

  “Yes. But I have to warn you. It has been a while since I took orders. It might take some practice.”

  His mouth went dry. Words escaped him. He always had the right ones on the tip of his tongue, but Lena left him speechless, and sporting a hard-­on that begged him to pull over and let her practice until sunrise.

  “I might need to a give a few commands of my own,” she continued, her tone matter-­of-­fact, as if discussing what she had for dinner. “What I have in mind, it’s on the edge of vanilla.”

  Chad pressed on the brakes, coming to an abrupt halt at the red traffic signal. “Lena, I need you to do me a favor. Sit quietly and drink your water. Not another word until we get home. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes, sir,” she murmured.

  His cock jumped at the potent combination of the word “sir” and her teasing tone. And then she smiled, her face lit with sensual promise. That gleam in her blue eyes—­how could a man see that and walk away from her? He had a feeling it would be burned into his memory. Hell, he might wait damn near forever to see it again.

  His hands tightened around the wheel and his jaw clenched as he turned his attention back to the road. The streets were quiet, even for a Sunday night. If they’d hit traffic, he might have been tempted to break a few laws to get her home and into the studio apartment.

  “You’re sure you haven’t had too much to drink? And yes, you can answer that.”

  “I’m not drunk, Chad. I know what I’m doing, what I’m asking for,” she said, her hands holding tight to the plastic water bottle. “Worried I’ll stop you once you start giving the orders?”

  He turned down his drive and sped toward home. Parking beside the barn, he faced her. “You can always stop me. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He caught another glimpse of that sexy glimmer in her eyes before she opened the truck door and stepped down. Struggling with his seat belt, Chad raced to catch up. He followed her inside and up the stairs, careful to give her space when he wanted to pull her close and freaking take her.

  Inside the small studio, Lena led the reluctant golden retriever to the bathroom and closed the door. She turned around, her hands on her hips as she studied the wooden chairs by the two-­person table, and judging from her gaze, found them lacking.

  “Put your arms up like this,” she said, placing her hands behind her head.

  “OK.” He obeyed, interlacing his fingers at the base of his neck. “But I thought I was giving the orders.”

  “We’re not there yet,” she murmured. She lowered her arms and walked toward him, her blue eyes shining with determination.

  Her fingers brushed his belt buckle. Working the leather free, she unbuttoned his pants. Her hand touched his skin and he groaned. Chad kept his eyes trained on her as she hooked her thumbs in his jeans and drew them down.

  “There are Christmas trees and elves on your underwear,” she said without looking up.

  “I was feeling festive this morning.”

  Her fingers slipped beneath the elastic band. “Have you been a good boy?”

  “That depends.”

  Her hands moved to his low back, drawing his boxers down over his ass, her palms gliding across his skin. If she took one step closer, her body would be pressed against him. One step.

  “Will I be rewarded for good behavior?” he asked.

  “Maybe. But if you were bad . . .”

  Her blue eyes widened as she stared at his cock. She’d abandoned project Remove His Boxers at his thighs, but he wasn’t complaining.

  “This morning, I drank the last of the milk and put the carton back in the fridge,” he said. “Does that count?”

  “Yes.” She stepped back. “I might have to tie you up.”

  “I understand.”

  She reached for his pants, pulling his belt free from the loops. Then she disappeared from view. He heard her moving behind him, then felt the leather strap wrap around his wrist. She maneuvered his belt, her hands moving quickly as if she knew what she was doing. The buckle tightened, binding his wrists together behind his head.

  “Too tight?” she said softly.

  “No,” he said, not giving a damn if it cut off the circulation to his hands. Right now, the blood in his body was rushing south. “Move in front me, Lena. I need to see you.”

  She obeyed, standing so close he could have reached out and touched her—­if his hands weren’t tied. Searching her gorgeous face, he tried to find a hint of panic, a sign she wasn’t ready for this—­and came up empty.

  Halle—­freaking—­lujah.

  “I’m ready, Chad.” She lowered to her knees, brushed her long, blond hair over her shoulders as she looked up at him. “Tell me what you want.”

  “Start at the bottom and work your way to the top.”

  Eyes
closed, her arms at her sides, she pressed her tongue to the base of his cock. He groaned as she licked her way to the tip.

  “And now?” she asked, her lips hovering over the head. He fought the urge to thrust his hips.

  “Wrap your mouth around me, beautiful.”

  Lena followed his orders and his hips flexed as if the muscles had disconnected from his brain.

  “That’s it. Take me deep.”

  Her lips ran down his hard length, her tongue swirling.

  “Put your hand around me,” he demanded, the words escaping before he stopped to think that maybe she wouldn’t feel comfortable touching him. Maybe that was too much. But she followed his orders, wrapping her fingers around him, stroking him up and down as her mouth worked its sweet magic.

  His mind blanked, his hips thrusting into her. Eyes closed, he pressed his head back against his bound hands. Low moans and a chorus of “Fuck yes” and “oh Lena” replaced commands until he exploded.

  He was a bastard for not giving her a moment’s warning. And he’d feel like shit about that in a minute. But right now? With his dick buried in her mouth, his body rocked from head to toe with mind-­blowing pleasure, he felt as if he’d been rocketed to freaking heaven.

  Slowly, the orgasm faded. He opened his eyes as she released him. Her gaze met his, her blue eyes shining with an I-­know-­I-­rocked-­your-­world look.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I got a little carried away.”

  She let out a soft laugh. “Chad, you can play the gentleman when we’re out. But not in here with me.”

  “All right. I’m not sorry. Untie me and I’ll show you that I’m feeling pretty damn grateful.”

  She stepped back, her smile faded. “I don’t think—­”

  “I won’t touch you, Lena. Not if you don’t want me to. The rules are still the rules. But if you think I’m going to leave you alone with your toy . . .” He nodded to the gift bag sitting on her nightstand. He had a hunch the vibrator was inside.

  His hands pulled at the belt. “Untie me, Lena.”

  She shook her head, and he saw a hint of the wicked, wanton gleam in her eyes.

  “Lena.”

  Her fingers gathered the fabric of her long, flowing skirt. Then, in one swift motion, she pulled her dress over her head and tossed it aside. Her bra followed.

  “Chad?”

  “Yes,” he murmured, staring at her full breasts. “I’m listening. And I swear, I’d look at your lips if I could, but right now I can’t stop thinking about running my teeth over your nipples.”

  Her hands moved to her breasts, testing the full weight, pinching her nipples between her thumb and finger.

  “Chad, do you like to watch?” Her hands traveled south to her hips, drawing her panties down her long legs. She stepped out, her underwear joining her dress.

  Chad looked up at her face. “Lena, if it turns you on I’m game. I’m dying to touch you, taste you, but if you want me to watch, I will.”

  She moved to the edge of the bed and sat. Leaning back, she spread her thighs wide, running one hand over the places he’d explored with the vibrator.

  “Come closer,” she said, the words more command than invitation.

  His fingers ached to touch her, but he couldn’t. With his hands still bound behind his head, Chad fell to his knees at her feet. If he leaned forward, he could replace her fingers with his tongue. But he didn’t want to stop there. He wanted to kiss his way up her body to her lips before making his way back down.

  “Lena,” he murmured.

  She lifted her hips up to meet his lips. “Make me scream, Chad. I want to say your name as I come.”

  SHE WATCHED, UNABLE to look away as his lips touched her. His tongue brushed back and forth over her, teasing her clit. Slipping lower, he drew circles around her entrance, taunting her, before moving up, varying the pressure and rhythm in a wicked dance designed to drive her wild.

  Then he stopped, damn him. And she whimpered, a foreign sound on the edge of begging.

  “Say my name, Lena,” he growled. “Now.”

  “I’m not ready to scream yet.” She stared down at the man who knelt by her bed, his arms bound behind his head. “You’re not exactly in a position to challenge me.”

  His blew a slow, steady stream of air against the place that craved his mouth, and she moaned.

  “I can keep going,” he said. “Teasing you, pushing you to the edge and then pulling back, or you can say my name as you come hard and fast. I can take you there, Lena.”

  “Cocky,” she murmured.

  “That’s a lesson for another day.” He smiled up at her, the position she’d chosen highlighting his biceps. Goodness, those biceps. She drew her lower lip into her mouth, wondering how they’d feel.

  “What do you say, Lena? You want more?”

  “Yes,” she said. “Please, Chad. Please.”

  He lowered his head and started stroking her clit in earnest. As if he was using her needy, pleading sounds as a road map, he learned what she liked, how to vary the pressure to drive her out of her mind. Her hips rocked against his mouth, his tongue, silently begging for more. And he delivered, taking her to a place that felt free from everything but the pleas and the sound of his name.

  Chapter 12

  CHAD WALKED AROUND the helicopter. At one time, this tandem rotor, heavy-­lift Chinook had ferried soldiers and supplies in a war zone. But it had spent the past few years hauling limber. And the California logging company that had gone belly-­up thanks to the sluggish economy had stripped the bird down to the metal frame.

  He ran his hand over the exterior. “Perfect.”

  “Glad you approve.” Eric stood a few feet away, arms folded across his chest. “I sent the final payment yesterday. Moore Timber now owns two working helicopters, plus that heap of junk you insisted on buying for parts, and we still have only one pilot on staff.”

  “I ran into Luke Murphy at the gas station this morning. He’s interested in picking up some shifts,” Chad said, struggling to keep his voice serious. After talking to Luke in the checkout line, he’d damn near skipped back to his pickup.

  Not that Luke deserved all the credit. The memory of the beautiful woman on her knees with her lips around his cock played a large part in his good spirits this morning. And the way, Lena had screamed his name while he’d rocked her world; yeah that was icing on the cake that left him skipping like a giddy schoolgirl.

  “Is he qualified?” Eric asked, drawing Chad’s wayward mind away from Lena’s orgasms.

  “Luke flew in the air force, so I’m confident in his skills, and he grew up around here, so he knows the business.”

  “Does he have a sister?”

  “It shouldn’t matter now,” Chad said. “I took myself off the market like you suggested. I’m seeing someone.”

  “Lena Clark. I heard. And I saw enough last night when you picked her up to know it’s more than a rumor.” Eric turned his attention back to the helicopter. “I guess you’re right. It might work out with Luke.”

  “What? You’re not going to lecture me on how I shouldn’t screw around with Lena? How I shouldn’t hurt her after what she’s been through?”

  Eric raised an eyebrow. “Are you messing with her?”

  “No,” he said evenly. They’d laid out the terms of their deals. He belonged to her at night and she pretended to be his during the day.

  “But that didn’t stop Katie from threatening me,” Chad added.

  “I’m willing to bet Lena is stronger than you think,” Eric said. “If you screw up, I won’t be the one to kick your ass. Neither will Katie or Georgia. Lena can do that all by herself.”

  Chad’s phone vibrated against his thigh. Pulling it out of his pocket, he glanced at the screen. His home phone number. “Excuse me, Eric. This might be Brody or Katie calling about
my brother.”

  “Chad?” Lena’s voice erased the oh-­shit-­did-­something-­happen-­to-­Josh feeling.

  “Hey Lena, how’s my girl today?” He walked away from the helicopter.

  “I have an interview.” Excitement disrupted her calm, in-­control voice.

  “That’s great,” he said, his mind stuck on the fact that she’d called him to share the news. Or maybe she’d started with Georgia and Katie, crossing them off one by one until she reached “fake boyfriend” on her list of go-­to contacts.

  “It’s today at four,” she added.

  “I’ll go with you,” he said at the same time she asked, “Would you come—­”

  She broke off, ending her incomplete question with a laugh. “Thank you. It’s the first interview since I started looking. I’m a little nervous.”

  “You’re taking Hero?”

  “Yes. Maybe.” She paused, drawing a deep breath. “It would probably be better if I left him in the truck.”

  “I’ll stay with him. Keep Hero company while you’re inside. And afterward we’ll celebrate. I know just the place.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “And I’m not big on fancy restaurants.”

  “Good.” He glanced over at Eric. “I’m not taking you to one. But trust me, beautiful, you’ll like this surprise.”

  “I might not get the job,” she said.

  “We’ll celebrate either way,” Chad said, the plan taking shape in his mind. He dropped his voice lower, not wanting Eric to overhear. “Where I’m taking you, Lena, you can call the shots. But when we get home tonight, it’s my turn.”

  “WE’D LIKE TO hire a veteran.”

  The middle-­aged man with a mustache and rotund belly designed to fill out a Santa suit raised his hand, rubbing the back of his balding head. Lena could feel the unspoken but hanging in the air, filling the cramped office. The wire factory covered a half-­acre parcel on the Independence Falls town line, but the manager’s workspace occupied only a fraction of the land.

  “I served two tours in Afghanistan, sir,” Lena said, her tone level and even. She stared at the manager’s shiny head. He had no clue what it took for her to sit here, without Hero by her side. Every breath was measured and precise, focused on getting her through this interview without succumbing to panic.