by Chloe Lang
“I know Austin can bend rules when he has to.”
“You can say that again. He knows something, I’m sure of it. Whoever is holding the reins on my brother’s business was quick to fire and replace all the employees loyal to Trent with their own people within days of his disappearance. Can you help me or not?” She stood. “If you can’t, then I’m asking you to keep this to yourself. Can you do that for me?”
Wade stood up and pulled her into his body. “I can help. I will help. I didn’t mean to sound cold, Mackenzie. I just wanted to get the whole picture. Sounds like you and Trent are close. Close like Wyatt and me.”
Her knees buckled. She would have hit the floor if he hadn’t caught her.
“Where the hell is my brother?” The question wasn’t really to him or to anyone, in truth. It came from the very dark and hopeless place that had been born the moment she’d realized Trent was gone and in danger. Her total despair took hold of her, and she began pounding on Wade’s chest. It wasn’t that she was angry with him. It was that she needed somewhere to let out the anxiety and dread she’d been holding in. His muscled frame was there to take the beating.
He grabbed her wrists. “Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here. You’re not alone.”
Like a dam bursting, a stream of salty tears spilled over her eyelids and down her cheek. The whole world became sob after sob. God, she hated crying. Especially when she did it in front of people. It wasn’t like her. Tears didn’t come easy. But she’d never faced anything as difficult, as heart wrenching, as Trent’s disappearance. Her brother had to be alive. He just had to.
* * * *
Wade lifted Mackenzie up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom.
“Where are you taking me?” she choked out.
“Quiet. Trust me, sweetheart. You need this more than you even know. You’ve been under too much stress and worry. I want you to have a moment of reprieve from it. I can ease your mind for a little bit by giving you pleasure beyond your ability to imagine.” He watched her gorgeous lips part to say something, but he placed his index finger on them. “Shh. I’ll help you find your brother, Mackenzie, but you must be clearheaded. You’re not. Don’t deny it. I can see it all over your face. We’ll find your brother—Wyatt and me. I promise.”
He hated using Mackenzie’s pain to seduce her, but he must. Had he ever sunk so low? Not really, though he’d gotten quite close. But wasn’t sex the only way he knew how to communicate with a woman? Always had been. Sex and control were his only weapons with the female psyche.
For the first time in his life, he was torn. Why? What was it about her that made him doubt himself? Everything. So very strong and determined, yet also soft and tender.
This thing with her missing brother was a concern. The guy could be in a whole ton of trouble, and Wade wasn’t about to let Mackenzie get any closer to danger than she already had. Settled that moving her to a submissive state was the right path, he sighed. It was risky. He might even lose her for the long run, but if he didn’t use a firm steel hand with her, she might be harmed, or even dead. That wasn’t about to happen to her. He wouldn’t allow it.
As he lowered her to his bed, more tears fell, ones she’d obviously been holding at bay. She put her head into his pillow, soaking it. A flood of anxiety poured out of her. Her entire body rolled with each uncontrollable sob. His gut tightened. He hated seeing her suffer.
“Mackenzie?” Wade breathed gently. “We’ll help you.”
Her crying subsided. Her feminine scent and the heat from her pussy lured him closer. “Wade, please. I’m not ready to have sex with you.”
You will, darling. You will. He stroked her hair. “It’s what you need, sweetheart. Trust me.”
She sighed. “You might be right that it will take my suffering away, but I just can’t.”
Guilt, an emotion he wasn’t too familiar with, rose up in him. Was his real motive to make love to her, to drown her in pleasure and take away her pain? Or was it more about him, about his desire to possess her in the most intimate way? Truthfully both. Win-win.
“Why the ruse, sweetheart? Why not just ask Austin?”
She took a long breath before answering. “I thought about that. I really did. But with the police being unhelpful and with the possibility that Austin might’ve been behind Trent’s abduction, I decided to try it the only way I knew how.”
“And that was…?”
“I’m an investigative reporter, cowboy. A very good investigative reporter.”
He grinned. “Makes sense.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re a terrible waitress. You frequently get more coffee on the table than in the cup.”
She laughed. “That’s not true.”
“No, it’s not, but I did get you to smile.” That smile had been one of his main reasons for visiting Norma’s so often.
“You did. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Tell me where your brother’s apartment is.” Wade would prefer to move forward with his seduction plans, but he needed to get some information from her first.
“Denver. It’s our home.”
Denver was a big city. No wonder she couldn’t get the police to help. “You told me about the drugs. What about forced entry?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Another reason for the police to suspect he was missing by his own choice. “Did he have a car?”
“Yes. It’s still unrecovered.” Her voice shook as she answered his questions. This was obviously difficult for her.
“Perhaps he’s just decided to fall off the grid, doll.” He didn’t really suspect that. More likely he was on the run or dead.
She shook her head and closed her eyes. They were swollen from the tears. “We’re too close. Way too close. He would never do that to me. Never. Never. Never. Someone took him from his apartment by force. I’m certain of it. He’s been kidnapped for some reason.” Her panic seemed to push its way to the surface of her mind. How long had she been on this mission, a mission destined to fail? She’d been in Wilde for two months. That long for certain.
He wasn’t about to make her suffer any more. “Okay, sweetheart. It’s okay. You’re not alone now. I will help you.”
Pleasure was the only medicine he knew to still a troubled mind, and God knew, Mackenzie needed to drown in it tonight.
She pulled his sheet up to her swollen eyes as a makeshift tissue. Then she turned to him. “You really will help me?”
He nodded. “I have to, sweetheart. You’re definitely not a quitter. It’s just one of the things I love about you.”
He would move heaven and earth for her. Whatever it took to give her peace, he would do. His desires for her had grown from the moment he’d seen her at Norma’s and for the months to come. But tonight, this very moment, he wanted her for himself. Not just her body, but all of her. He wanted her by his side.
“I will never give up, Wade. I will find Trent no matter what it takes.”
Her determination to find her brother had returned in full force. He couldn’t help but admire that. She was resilient like no other he’d ever known. Family meant everything to Mackenzie. He wanted to kiss her, take her. Not just to appease his lust, but for something strong and deep inside him, something instinctual demanding he devour all that she had to offer, then take more.
“If I can get into Austin’s office and onto his computer, I will be able to—”
Without hesitation, he grasped both sides of her face and turned her to him. “I will help you find your brother, sweetheart, and not just me but Wyatt, too. But you will not continue this investigation alone. Understand?”
She grabbed his hands and tried to pull them free of her cheeks. Of course she failed. “What if I’ve made a mistake? What if I can’t trust you?”
“Have I given you any reason not to trust me?”
She blinked but didn’t answer.
He continued, hoping to drive his point home. “Search
ing for your brother alone is too much for one person, even a loving sister.”
A sob escaped Mackenzie’s lips.
“Austin is dangerous.” Wade had known Austin his whole life. He could be a ruthless bastard when it came to business, but he knew Austin wouldn’t be involved with drugs or missing people. He actually trusted the man, but she obviously didn’t. If that tidbit helped him get her to open up, he would use it to his advantage. Once he had her full trust, he would bring her around to see the Wilde brother the way he did. “You may have many talents, but so does Austin. If he catches you snooping around his computer, he’ll have you tied up and screaming before you know he’s even coming.”
Her eyes grew wide as she considered his words.
Imagining her tied up got his cock throbbing and his balls aching. “You need me and Wyatt. Wilde isn’t like any other place in the world. Trust me.”
For a moment, he thought she would say something. Instead, she closed her eyes and let go of his hands.
“I’m here for you.” He leaned in and kissed her eyes, hoping to ease her worry.
He pulled away and smoothed her hair back from her face. Wade knew right then that even if he had to move heaven and earth, he would not fail her. He’d help her find her missing brother, and if he was dead, Wade vowed to be there for her to pick up the pieces. He resumed kissing her, intensifying his mouth’s assault. Time to overwhelm her, to take away the pain, to make her succumb to his whims. Pleasure was a powerful tool, and he knew just how to use it.
Her little trembles were proof that she was responding just as he desired. She needed relief from her suffering. As his lust thundered inside him for satiation, he knew his intentions weren’t all selfless. As her long eyelashes fluttered like butterflies, drawing him in more, he felt unleashed and hungry.
He undid the zipper of her jeans, moving his hands until he felt the silk of her panties and was rewarded with a shiver and the tiniest moan. She was uncertain and hesitant. Made sense. Mackenzie clearly wasn’t unfamiliar with the bedroom, but she wasn’t an expert either. He would venture she’d only had a handful of boyfriends, and the relationships probably hadn’t lasted more than a couple of months, if that long. She was the type of woman who needed a mix of coaxing and wooing to trust enough to let a man touch her so intimately. But with the danger her brother had apparently stepped in, time was a luxury Wade didn’t have. He pulled her jeans to her ankles but was careful to let her panties remain in place.
“Wade, this is too fast.”
He kissed her silent. “No. You need this more than you know, sweetheart, and I’ve been dreaming about this for far too long. Now is the time for me to taste all of you.”
He placed his hands on the insides of her thighs, urging her to part her legs for him. At first, she resisted, but he was not deterred and began massaging her legs gently with his hands. Slowly she relaxed and her thighs drifted apart. His fingers eased under her panties and found her slick folds. He loved his treasure, her moistness. He licked his lips in anticipation. The thought of tasting her pussy caused his blood to pulse hard and fast.
“I shouldn’t do this. Not with Trent still—”
“You’re not alone, Mackenzie. I’m here. You need this. Trust me. Just for now, let me take all your worry. Trust me.” He planted a kiss on her mouth. “Trust me.” The next kiss landed on her neck. He pulled her green shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. “Trust me.”
“Oh God.”
“Trust me, Mackenzie. I’m here.” Pushing aside her bra, he sucked on her left nipple until he could almost feel her pulse in the tip. “Trust me.” He breathed the two syllables on her right nipple before licking it into submission. Wade wanted to quiet her mind and ease her fear. Where he touched her, he could feel her temperature rising. His cock stretched even more, and he felt heat in his veins.
“I do need this. God forgive me.”
Her suffering sliced him in pieces. “Trust me.”
“I will, cowboy, for tonight.”
It would have to suffice, for now. “Sweetheart, do you like me touching you?”
“Yes.”
His balls grew even heavier, making him grit his teeth. Could he really keep the dark lust that beat inside him at bay? Vanilla wasn’t his norm. Never had been. But she wasn’t ready. Training subs was his and Wyatt’s specialty, but Mackenzie might be a sub or might not be. His gut told him she was, but she wasn’t ready for any kind of training tonight. She needed only to feel safe and secure, to feel pleasure, to let go of the very first levels of resistance. If he came on über-Dom, she would be lost to him and to herself. He had to be vanilla all the way tonight. But vanilla didn’t have to mean boring. No way. She deserved more from him.
Wade moved down from her mouth to her shoulders, licking the entire way.
“F–Feels good.”
“Just wait, baby. Just wait. I’m just getting warmed up.” He licked her sides tenderly, inciting little gasps just shy of giggles. “You will be dripping with desire like you’ve never been before. That’s a promise.”
He felt her fingers stroking his hair. “You sound really confident about that.”
“You’ll see. I’m going to see those gorgeous lips of yours begging me to take and fill every part of you, sweetheart.”
“I’m not the begging kind.”
“By the time I’m done tasting the rest of your amazing body, I promise you will be.” He inhaled the sweet scent coming from her pussy. Control was important here if he was to deliver on his promise. Her juices would have to wait. She needed more revving up. Much more. Insanely more. Her breasts required his attention. He unhooked her bra and tossed it aside, gently massaging her breasts until her breathing changed to little gasps. Taking both delectable, taut tips between his thumbs and forefingers, he squeezed. Mackenzie gave a long moan and tilted her head back, delighting him to his core. He pinched harder. She grabbed his forearms and gasped, blasting his willpower to bits. He had to taste her pussy now. No more waiting. His reason scattered, overtaken by need. In the back of his head, he knew he must stay focused, but something about her made that impossible.
She wiggled under him, her skin flushing with warmth, causing his own heat to rise up even more. “So good,” she whispered with her eyes closed.
He looked at her face and saw the lines of worry gone from her expression. When she opened her eyes and gazed at him with those gorgeous blue orbs, his insides exploded with instinctual desire beyond any he’d ever felt before. The hunger to move his mouth over hers, slip past her lips for another sampling, seared him, leaving him weak-headed as all his remaining blood rushed to his cock.
He moved to kiss her, touching her soft lips with his forefinger first. Then he pressed his mouth to hers, tasting her wonderfully warm sweetness. He pressed harder into the kiss. Insistent want engulfed him. Control was gone. All of it. He was acting on instinct and need. Desire filled every inch of him for their coming orgasms. The world outside had no meaning for him now. All he craved was to see her writhing with pleasure, pleasure he’d given her. He puzzled over the new ache she’d brought forth, more compelling than any before—a need to possess, not for a single night, but for longer. Much longer. He couldn’t bring himself to think the word “forever,” but what was rolling around in his head didn’t feel like letting go was possible. Not when it came to Mackenzie.
Still fully clothed, including boots, he gently rolled Mackenzie to her left side. Her silent submission drove his need to dominate her to the very edge of sanity. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Not now. Hell, maybe not ever. She needed something softer, but still firm. A well-trained Dom knew when to push and when to caress, and he was very well trained.
Pushing his hunger down, he found the mounds that had been tempting him since her arrival in Wilde. Her firm, reddish nipples jutted out to him, tempting him to touch, to taste, to devour, to deliver just the right amount of sting between his teeth. He took one at a time between his thumb and forefinge
r and pinched.
Her lips quivered, and her eyelashes fluttered.
He paused and took measure of his willpower. Could he control his hunger enough?
“Everything okay?” she whispered softly.
He was the Dom. He should be the one asking the questions. “Do you like how I’m touching you, sweetheart?”
She nodded and grinned ever so slightly.
Willpower be damned. Her invisible white flag of surrender boiled his lust.
Rolling her nipples between his fingers with a bit more pressure rewarded him with a little moan from her lush lips. Leaning in, he nipped her rigid tips back and forth, sucking hard. Her shivering frame gave him more fuel. He wanted her overwhelmed, inundated, and swamped with pleasure.
Moving her to the side of his bed, he sat her up and dropped to his knees. In one quick swoop, he removed her jeans, leaving her with only her soaked pale green panties clinging to her swollen sex. He moved in close to her pussy until he could feel the moisture, her moisture, on the tip of his nose. He inhaled her scent into his lungs, holding it there, relishing in the sweetness she gave.
Another moan from her caused his balls to grow even heavier and his cock to pulse. Moving his head side to side, he licked her inner thighs. Her gasp delighted him. He pulled her panties off and moved her legs wider.
“So beautiful,” he said, amazed at the perfection of her pussy. The little drops of her liquid looked like diamonds on her pubes. She’d trimmed them into a sliver of a landing strip, ready for his tongue to touch down. Her swollen clit tempted him to lick, but he knew to get her to the heights of frenzy, he needed her to feel an onslaught of pleasure that would have to wait. Using only his fingers, he parted her pinkish lips and then sent a hot blast of his breath over all of her sex. Her tremble revealed how right he was about what worked for her. He couldn’t wait another second to turn up the heat. He kissed her pussy, and felt her push up into his mouth. His instinct, his hunger, his very being swirled with desire. Instead of him trapping Mackenzie, everything about her was ensnaring him. It wasn’t just her sensual femininity, or just her beauty, or just her surrender that held him fast. It was all of her. Everything. Her courage. Her wit.