by Cat Mason
Opening my front door, I step inside, not missing Matt’s satisfied grin when my alarm starts chirping. “Ugh,” I mutter, throwing down my keys. “This thing is like a nagging wife. Shut the fuck up already.” Moving toward the keypad, I punch in the code to silence the damn thing.
“That nagging means you’re safe,” Matt breathes, leaning into my ear as the tips of his fingers skate long my hip. “It’s a good sound.”
“You do realize I’ve never had any issues with my safety before, right?” I ask, closing my eyes and letting my head fall back against his shoulder. “I can’t really remember a time when I felt like I was truly in danger.”
“Are we going to argue about using the security system,” Matt asks, kissing along my jaw. Tugging my dress up my thighs, he slips his hand into my panties, cupping my pussy. “Or can I get you naked now?”
“You’re distracting me with sex,” I breathe, reaching back to grab onto his hip as his fingers find my clit.
“Fuckin’ trying,” he growls low in his throat. “Is it working?”
“Obviously,” I sigh, rolling my ass back into him.
“Great,” he growls, grinding his erection into me as his teeth sink into my earlobe. I moan, writhing against him shamelessly. “Now strip.”
“Bossy ass man,” I grumble, pulling my dress over my head and draping it over the banister.
Matt flashes me the same devilish grin from before. “We’re not in your kitchen anymore, sweetheart.”
“I’ve noticed, smartass,” I tease, throwing my bra at him. Shimmy my panties down my legs, I kick out of them, my eyes taking in his still fully clothed body. “Want me to undress you, too?”
“I don’t want you to undress me, Sienna.” Stepping behind me, Matt’s hand covers one ass cheek, palming it roughly. “I want you to bend over.”
“Huh?”
He stops me when I attempt to turn and face him. Instead, he lays a path of hot opened mouth kisses down my neck, to my shoulder before playfully biting down.
“Ah, fuck!” I cry out, my body aching.
“Don’t make me wait, baby.”
Squaring my shoulders, I take a step forward. Bracing my hands on the step in front of me, I do as he asked. Flattening his hands at the back of my thighs, Matt slowly slides them up, stopping at my hips. “You have the sexiest ass,” he growls, yanking me back hard against him.
“Glad you like it,” I moan, feeling his erection pressing against me through his jeans. “I’m sort of attached to it.”
“Yeah, babe.” Taking a step back, Matt kneads my flesh with both hands. “That makes two of us.”
“Another thing we have in common?” I ask, taunting him.
His hand comes down hard on my ass, the slap radiating throughout my entire body. And while I yelp from the sting, my hips rock back, seeking more of his touch. It’s addictive and I am afraid I will never get my fill. His hand lands in a different spot each time, the delicious burn spreading like an uncontrollable wildfire. I am helpless to do anything other than take everything he is giving me. Bite of pain, taste of pleasure. The anticipation of what is coming next is agony, yet I find myself soaking up every second like I will die without it.
My eyes squeeze shut when his hand slides between my legs, two fingers plunging inside me. “Soaked.” Gripping my thighs, he drops to his knees. “Spread your legs wide for me. Stick out that ass and offer me that pussy.”
Sweet mother Mary and her slutty sister Susie.
“That filthy mouth of yours should be a registered weapon,” I breathe, barely hanging on to my composure.
“Mmm,” he hums appreciatively, pressing his lips to my clit.
“Oh God.” The words fall from my lips on a long rush of air.
Matt teases me with torturously slow flicks of his tongue. Rocking my hips, I seek more of his mouth, which he is quickly able to control by shifting our bodies so that my hip is pressed to the banister. Call it greed, or desperation, but every cell in my body pulses with a need that only grows hotter and hungrier by the second. Matt isn’t having any of that. It is very clear, without any words, that he is not giving away one ounce of power here. Working my clit with his fingers, he thrusts his tongue inside me, my body shaking with my impending climax.
“Please, Matt!” I cry out, clinging to the step to keep me upright as my knees start to buckle.
The sound of glass shattering has me bolting upright, a scream tearing from my chest as I try to turn and see what the hell is going on. Shifting his body, Matt yanks me back against his chest, shielding me. With his body wrapped around mine, he rolls us to the side of the stairs, positioning me safely between him and the wall.
“Fuck!” he shouts, releasing me and leaping to his feet. “Stay down.” Snatching the throw off the chair, Matt charges across the room.
Sitting up, my eyes widen when I see the shattered window in my living room and Matt struggling to snuff out the flames on my couch and curtains. Ripping the fabric from the wall, he throws it to the ground, stomping it out. “Oh my God,” I gasp, a sob bubbling up in my throat. “What the hell was that?”
“Need to call this in,” he informs me, drenching the last of the burning cushions with the water in the vase of fresh flowers I keep on my coffee table. “Clothes, Sienna. Now.”
“O-okay,” I stammer, my hands trembling as I get to my feet.
Scrambling, I manage to get back into my bra and dress while Matt calls the police. My underwear, however, is missing in action. Yanking a small black handgun from his boot, Matt heads for the front door. “Stay here,” he says, pinning me with his stare. “I want to get a look outside.”
Nodding my head, I slip on my shoes, so that I don’t cut myself on any of the shards of glass scattered all over my living room floor. Walking over, I drop my ass down onto the arm of the chair, staring at my now ruined couch and window. I push back the tears that threaten, angry that my emotions aren’t in check.
I don’t understand what is happening. The reasons why are shrouded in clouds so dark that it not only makes me angry, but nervous for what is going to come next. The unknown, that set of spiraling events just beyond my control, have my heart hammering so hard that I fear it will leap from my chest.
Why is this happening?
When will it stop?
How much more am I expected to take?
Hunching over, I brace my elbows on my knees, dragging air into my lungs. Closing my eyes tightly, I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks as I count to ten again and again, wishing that it would help ease the panic swelling in my chest.
Chapter 15
Matt
After sweeping the perimeter of Sienna’s house, along with the street, I head back inside to check on her. No matter how she well she appears to have continually brushed all of this off, I know this shit can’t be easy on her. It sure as hell has been hard to watch her go through it. The cop in me wants to dig in and see the person responsible brought to justice. The man in me wants to drag them out into a back alley and stomp them into the goddamn pavement.
I have felt protective of Sienna since the moment I met her. With the added chaos spiraling around her, that feeling has only intensified. When I step into the house again and see her sobbing, every fucking thought about protocol and the best plan of action goes right out the damn window. All I want to do is hold her. I need to show her she is safe, make it clear that she isn’t alone and I won’t let anything hurt her. Because I won’t.
I protect what’s mine and there is no doubt in my mind that Sienna is exactly that. The time we have been together is irrelevant at this point. I have come to terms with that.
I can’t get across the room fast enough. Lifting her into my arms, I sit in the chair, pulling her close. “Got a unit in route now,” I tell her, knowing that honestly, she doesn’t give a shit about the damn police report right now. Everything is crashing down around her. Literally. She only wants it to stop.
Pressing her face into my neck
, she sobs softly, her hands clinging tightly to my t-shirt. It isn’t until the sound of sirens pierce the air, and flashing lights of the approaching squad cars appear through the broken window that Sienna finally releases her hold on me. “I’m sorry,” she sniffles, sitting up in my lap.
“You don’t have a damn thing to be sorry for, baby,” I tell her, brushing away a stray tear.
Nodding slowly, she stands to her feet, glass cracking and crunching beneath her shoes as she moves toward the front door. Following behind her, I jerk my chin at Beckett when I see him step inside. “Hey, Liam.”
“You guys okay?” he asks, glancing between the two of us.
“Yeah,” I nod, draping my arm over Sienna’s shoulders. “Just a little on edge.”
“I’d say so,” he admits, looking to me. “What have we got?”
Taking him into the living room, I start breaking down what happened. Sienna speaks when needed, though she seems completely disconnected from the conversation. I can see her mind working, her green eyes filled with conflict and worry. That fear she claims to never have felt before, now written all over her beautiful face. The danger of this situation now all too clear to her given how, had this been last night, she and Kelsie would have been sitting right on that very couch.
“You see anything?” Liam asks, shifting some of the glass with his boot.
“No.” Clearing my throat, my eyes lock on the corner by the stairs where the pink lace panties Sienna had on earlier lay wedged beside the leg of the chair at the entrance to the room. “We were in the front room. Had only been inside a few minutes.”
“Sounds like they tailed you here,” he says, and I couldn’t agree more.
“Sorry,” Sienna blurts, her voice so low I almost miss it. Swallowing hard, she avoids eye contact with both of us. “Can I have a minute?”
“Sure thing,” Liam says, nodding in understanding. Reaching out, he gives her arm a squeeze. “Take a breath. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Sienna’s face is devoid of all emotion. Turning, she heads toward the stairs. “Throw some shit in a bag while you’re up there, babe,” I call out the moment her hand grabs the banister. “You’re sleeping at my place tonight.”
Her body stills, those green eyes meeting mine. I expect them to spark, for her to give me some of the sarcastic sass I generally get for bossing her ass around. I don’t. Instead, she gives me a quick nod of acceptance and disappears from view.
Yanking a hand through my hair, I focus my attention back to the shit storm going on down here. “Alibi and lawyer or not, that son of a bitch is behind all of this shit, Lee. I fucking know it. There’s no way he isn’t involved somehow.”
“Anderson?” he asks, staring at the charred sofa and curtains. “I’ve got Daniels out front finding out where he’s at now. If he’s played a part, we’ll get his ass. Count on it.”
I believe him. Beckett and I have that in common. Not only do we mean what we say, we also have no toleration for someone mistreating a woman. Ever. Seeing him with his wife and daughter says it all. I wouldn’t work closely with him otherwise.
“Your girl,” he says, jerking his chin in the direction of the stairs. “If she were mine, she’d have an active R.O. yesterday.”
“First thing in the morning that’s happening. Bet your ass,” I reply, knowing damn good and well that if I have to, I’ll haul Sienna into the police station over my shoulder to get that restraining order on Jimmy.
Chapter 16
Sienna
After a few moments to regain my composure, and to put on a new pair of underwear, I manage to throw some things into a bag and head back downstairs where Matt is waiting with Liam Beckett and his partner Officer Daniels. I sweep up the glass as best I can, needing to do something to keep my hands busy. My clean up leads me to find my discarded panties from before shoved beneath the chair. Thankfully, I manage to toss them into the laundry room while the guys help my next-door neighbor, Nick, and his boyfriend, Brad, get up some boards over my window, along with securing a tarp in case it rains.
I start to argue leaving my house and going to Matt’s, only to stop myself. I don’t even fight him when he offers to pull my car into the garage before he drives us over in his truck. While I don’t like the idea of not being in my own home, I also am drained beyond any ability to actively disagree about any of this shit tonight. All I want is a hot shower and as much sleep as possible. It will all still be there waiting for me tomorrow.
Along with another call to my insurance adjuster to file the matching home claim to my already processing one for the shop.
Matt is quiet on the ride across town to his apartment. Whether that is because he is working shit over in his head, or allowing me to, is anyone’s guess. It doesn’t matter if he were talking his head off right now, I wouldn’t be able to hear anything over the thoughts running through my head. If only the thoughts offered some kind of reassurance or guidance. They don’t. All they do is give me a fucking headache.
After going through the gate, which requires a code for entry, Matt parks and leads me up the stairs to the second floor. His place is the last on the left, overlooking the lot and the street as well. He is literally able to watch the place like a hawk from his nest. Opening the door, which has a heavy-duty door knob, as well as a massive deadbolt, Matt swings open the door. The lights in the living room turn on, and I don’t miss the familiar chirping of an alarm system.
“You’re locked up so tight up here, I bet the spiders don’t even try to get in,” I tease, toeing my shoes off.
Smirking, Matt tosses my bag onto the bar separating the living room and kitchen. “Packed your sense of humor, I see.”
I shrug. “Some things you never leave home without.”
“Come here, Sienna.” His words are soft, but a command nonetheless.
“Matt, I’m fine, really,” I blurt, waving him off. “I just need a hot shower and about eighteen hours of sleep.”
When I don’t move, he does. Snatching my wrist as it moves through the air, he pulls me to him. My eyes close when he cups my cheek, the softness too much for my emotions to handle right now. “Look at me.” My eyes betray me, snapping to his the moment he speaks. “Good girl,” he says, the two simple words sending a rush through my body, calming me enough that my hands stop shaking for the first time in hours. Matt stares down at me, his eyes filling with concern as he searches mine. “Breathe, babe. You’re stretching yourself too thin; when you do that, you’ll only break.”
“I don’t want to talk about this.” Sighing, my eyes drop to his chest.
“Then don’t,” he says, tipping my chin up with his fingers. “It saves time if you shut up and let me talk.”
“Bossy asshole,” I mutter, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Stubborn wench,” he tosses right back at me, his lips twitching up in a smile. “You only get pissy about me voicing my opinion when you know I’m telling you the truth.”
“Opinion?” I snort sarcastically. “Not exactly how I’d describe it.”
“Yeah,” he nods. “My opinion. Because, even though I voice my two cents, I’ve yet to force you to do anything you didn’t want to do. You still have that control you need so much. And, yes, I know you need that, babe. Just like I know you need to use that sarcasm and wit of yours to ease a heavy conversation. I’m also not planning to take any more of that control than you’re willing to give me. Get good with that. What’s happening between us doesn’t seem to be giving us much time to catch up.”
“What is happening between us, Matt?” I ask, barely recognizing my own voice. “We’re moving so fast it leaves my head spinning.”
“Sweet Sienna.” His knuckles brush my cheek. “My head hasn’t stopped spinning since that night at Dirty Dog.”
“I don’t think that’s normal, Matt. You don’t fall into a relationship the way we have. Insta-man, insta-relationship,” I swallow hard. “Those insta-love style romances aren’t reality. They only
happen in romance novels and Hallmark movies.”
“When my Pop was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri, for his basic training, he met my mom. She was a waitress at a damn Cracker Barrel and spilled a pitcher of tea right into his lap. First time he saw her he was a fucking goner. You meet him, he’ll tell you himself, his head hasn’t stopped spinning in thirty-nine years.” Stepping closer, he bends and brushes a soft kiss over my lips, his tongue darting out to wet my bottom lip. “Relationships don’t come with some how-to manual. There’s no acceptable timeframe or protocol to follow. This is our story, Sienna. Just breathe, the pages will write themselves.”
“Matt—”
“Plus,” he continues, ignoring me. “I haven’t used the ‘R’ word until now. If I remember correctly, you threw it out first. The only label I’m concerned with is the one where I get to say you’re mine. The rest doesn’t matter to me.”
“I can’t be held responsible for what I say when I’m intoxicated,” I murmur, rolling my eyes.
“Those times,” he purrs, his smile spreading. “And when you’re naked and moaning my name, are the only times you don’t hold back. It’s when your mind shuts off and you fucking relax enough to let me in.” His arm slips around my waist, pulling me flush against him, those soft lips of his only a breath away from mine. “I wasn’t expecting any of this either, but I’m not about to pretend I don’t like the way it feels when you look at me like you’re looking at me now.”
“How am I looking at you?” I ask, nearly choking on my tongue when his eyes warm.
“Like I’m yours.”
Taking his face in my hands, I push up on my toes and take his mouth with mine. Matt doesn’t falter. Grabbing my hips, he lifts me from my feet, kissing me back, yet still allowing me to set the pace. I don’t want words. The last thing I want to do is process any fucking thing else tonight. What I want is for Matt to shut my mind off in all the ways I know he can. I want to feel something other than the worry and fear that something horrible is waiting just around the corner to break me for good.