Clinch

by Becca Jamesonbecca Jameson

  “What was that?” Ivan shouted.

  “Explosion of some sort. In the alley. That’s all I know. I could tell what direction it came from, but I ran the opposite way to reach you.”

  Katie plastered her palm open on Leo’s chest. He was soaked with sweat. She inhaled his scent, finding it comforting. Her hair stuck to his chest.

  He gripped her tighter.

  As long as he didn’t release her, she would be okay.

  As the crowd dispersed, Leo moved toward the rear door that led to the back hallway, his grip never loosening in her hair.

  She doubted he realized how firmly he held her. Her head would ache later.

  Few people were in the hallway. Most of them had pushed and shoved their way out of the speakeasy and onto the street.

  Leo led them back to the room where he’d left his clothes. She realized his gloves were velcroed together and hung from his free hand at his side. He was barefoot and wore nothing but his black shorts. When he opened the door and ducked into the tiny room, they all crammed inside.

  “Give me two seconds.” He finally released Katie, grabbed his bag from under the bench seat and whipped the zipper open.

  Alena whimpered against Ivan’s chest as he held her facing away from Leo. Katie couldn’t blame her. What would they find outside when they emerged?

  Leo hurried to change back into his street clothes, his massive chest making it difficult to shrug into his black T-shirt over the sweat. Luckily he wasn’t bleeding. In less than a minute, he had his jeans and boots on and had stuffed his shorts and gloves into his duffle. “Let’s go.”

  By this point, no one was in the hallway.

  Leo’s grip on her wasn’t as tight as earlier, but he still held her firmly against his side, not giving an inch.

  When they reached the side door and stepped out into the night, Katie was shocked by the commotion. What had she expected?

  Hundreds of people were gathered in the street. Sirens could be heard from every direction. Flashing lights from two police cars already lit up the night across the street somewhere on the other side of the crowd.

  Leo suddenly froze.

  Ivan gasped.

  Katie lifted her gaze to follow their line of sight, but couldn’t make out anything except smoke billowing up about a block away. Between the tight press of people, she saw the flicker of flames. “What is it?”

  Leo’s grip loosened marginally as his shoulders fell. “My Trans Am.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  It was after two in the morning when Ivan dropped Katie and Leo off at her apartment.

  Leo hadn’t spoken much. In fact, he’d said nothing to Katie directly at all that she could recall. He had ensured she was right next to him several times in the last few hours, but hadn’t made eye contact since spotting his prized possession blown to bits on the side of the road.

  He’d spoken to the police at length, giving them a description of his vehicle. He’d discussed motives and possibilities with Ivan.

  He had most pointedly not spoken to Katie.

  She stiffened as they entered the front of the clinic.

  Deflated, Leo locked the door behind them and set the alarm as Ivan and Alena pulled away from the curb.

  She led the way up the stairs, unsure what to say to comfort him. She knew that car meant the world to him, but why was he cutting her off?

  When they entered the apartment, she turned around to face him as he shut the door at the top of the stairs. “Leo?”

  He still didn’t meet her gaze. Instead he walked past her and headed straight for the window over the street. He peered out the edge of the blinds. “You can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

  “I live here.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “What’s different? You’re here. I’m fine with you.”

  He turned around, looking at the ground, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I’m not staying. You should move back in with your parents.”

  “What?” she shouted, her spine going straight and rigid. She hadn’t even kicked off her heels yet. Her feet were killing her, but now she was frozen. What a crazy thing to say. “Are you insane? My parents? I wouldn’t move back in with them if they were the last people on earth. What’s gotten into you?”

  She realized he must have thought the attack on his car was a warning. Maybe from the Russian Mafia. But still… What did this have to do with her?

  “I can’t keep you safe. Yenin won’t give up.”

  “You think he did this?”

  “I know he did.” He still spoke to the floor.

  “Why won’t you look at me? You’re scaring me.” Her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily.

  He lifted his gaze. “You shouldn’t be with me. I never should have gotten you involved in my mess. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I’ve put your life in danger. The only way to make you safe now is to leave you. Please. Move in with your parents. Stay around people. Don’t go out at night.

  “I’ll work my ass off to ensure Yenin realizes I dumped you until he loses interest. Hell, I’ll go back to him now. Tonight. I’ll pretend not to know he did this and go to him begging him to take me back under his wing. I’ll act paranoid or something and tell him someone’s after me.

  “I’ll make up some sort of fight you and I had and work my way back into his good graces until he trusts me and forgets you.”

  “What the fuck are you saying?” She thought she might collapse. Her legs shook. Her stomach plummeted.

  Leo ran a hand over his short hair and sighed. “It’s the only way.”

  “No. It most certainly is not.” A tear ran down her cheek, pissing her off royally. She would not cry. “Damn you, Leo Gulin. The Master. Do not fucking stand there and tell me to get lost. Do not give up on us. That isn’t who you are.”

  “It’s who I’m going to pretend to be to save your life.”

  “No. No, you’re not. I won’t let you.”

  “You don’t have a choice.” He turned away from her, leaving her standing in the kitchen as he entered the bedroom.

  She stomped after him, finally able to kick off her shoes and get her legs to move. She found him leaning over his duffle bag in the corner of her bedroom, stuffing clothes into it. This was serious.

  She had to make a decision. Fast. It wasn’t like her to throw herself at a man. She was strong. Independent. She didn’t need a man.

  But she couldn’t let this one go. Not without a fight. So what if she made a fool of herself. If Leo walked away from her right now, she wouldn’t have the strength to get up tomorrow. He’d made his mark on her, both literally and figuratively, and she wasn’t about to ignore that and let him toss what they had out the window.

  In a split-second decision, she reached behind her neck and unbuttoned her dress. When she released it, the silky material fluttered to the floor at her feet. She lowered to her knees right in her spot, spread her thighs open, tipped her face to the floor, and clasped her hands behind her back.

  It wasn’t a stance he’d ever demanded, but it was a position she’d read about. If the dominant in him could walk past her and leave her vulnerable and open to him, then it was over.

  She didn’t believe he could ignore her silent pleading. And still she shook inside, fear crawling up her spine to lodge in her shoulders. Her nipples were stiff peaks in the cool air of the room. The plug still nestled in her ass felt ten times larger than earlier.

  The rasp of the zipper closing on Leo’s duffle made her flinch, but she didn’t move or lift her gaze.

  She waited.

  She knew the instant he stood and turned around.

  The air in the room thickened. The silence deepened until she thought the entire world ceased to exist. Frozen. A decisive moment in time that would forever be recorded.

  Seconds ticked by.

  She didn’t think either of them breathed.

  And then Leo sighed, his exhale sounding like a boom in the room. Perhaps lou
der than the earlier explosion. “Do you realize what you’re asking?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “You have a wonderful life. You have parents who love you and will never accept me. You have money and brains and looks and a kind, loving personality. Any man in the world would be lucky to have you. You could have your pick. Don’t throw that away and endanger your life.”

  “I’m yours.” She took deep breaths, unable to stop the rush of emotions. “If you walk out that door, I won’t be whole.”

  “If I stay, you won’t be safe,” he reiterated.

  She jerked her head up to meet his gaze. “Do you think I care about that?”

  “You should. Do you have a death wish?” He stepped closer, his hands flexing at his sides.

  “I’d rather live one night in your arms than ten thousand nights without you. There will never be someone else.” She didn’t realize the gravity of those words until they tumbled out of her mouth. She didn’t plan them or think about them beforehand. She simply spit out her feelings.

  She held Leo’s gaze, both of them breathing hard. She didn’t blink for fear his expression would change for the worse or he would disappear. Her heart pounded. If he walked away from her…

  “I’m not good for you.”

  “You’re perfect for me.”

  “Your mother will never accept me.”

  “She’ll die lonely if that’s the case.”

  His brow was furrowed, but he didn’t drop her gaze. “I’m in love with you.”

  A tear escaped to run down her cheek. She lowered her ass onto her heels, unable to hold herself up any longer. Her shoulders relaxed. “I’m in love with you too.” Her words were soft, spoken slowly. Relief washed through her. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t said those words before, but repeating them now meant he’d surely changed his tune about leaving.

  Leo closed the gap between them in two strides and lowered onto his knees in front of her to take her face in his hands. He stared hard at her eyes for several seconds. “You’re mine.”

  “I’m yours.”

  His hands shook. “I need to dominate you.”

  “I need that too.” Her entire body shook, and not from the chill in the room but rather from the driving need to be consumed by this perfect man.

  He stood, helping her to her feet in front of him. “As much as I like knowing you’re wearing that plug, let’s get it out. I have other plans for your sweet ass tonight.”

  She flushed. It was new territory. But she knew Leo would take it slow and easy and make her writhe with desire before he took her there.

  She was ready. She trusted him.

  As he led her to the bed, she blew out a long breath.

  There would be bumps in the road. A crazy Russian Mafia guy was clearly out to get her man, but they would weather it together.

  Epilogue

  Two weeks later…

  “He’s here.”

  Katie lifted her gaze to find Alena standing in her office doorway.

  Leo sat on the loveseat on the wall opposite Katie’s desk.

  She’d been staring at the strange blood results on the computer screen in front of her for hours, running her hands through her hair as she attempted to make sense of anything she looked at.

  She no longer had samples of blood work from Dmitry. The three samples Ted had stolen were never recovered from his home, which meant he either hid them, took them to his lab, or gave them to Yenin somehow. But that didn’t matter. She had the other five guys’, Alena’s, and now Haley’s. The similarities and peculiarities were astounding. One of these days she would figure out what it all meant.

  But not today. She smiled at Alena and nodded.

  “Who’s here?” Leo asked, sitting up straighter.

  “You’ll see,” Katie said.

  Alena giggled and clapped her hands together before turning around to flounce away from the office and back down the hall, her long blonde curls floating down her back.

  She’d been coming to the clinic nearly every day for a week. She had a lot to learn, but she was intelligent and eager and helpful. The shy woman Katie had met just weeks ago was coming out of her shell.

  “Come on.” Katie pushed herself to standing and stepped around her desk. She grabbed Leo by the hand and hauled him to his feet.

  He lifted a brow. “I don’t like surprises.”

  “Too bad.”

  He groaned. “Babe…”

  “This is a good surprise. At least I hope so.”

  She dragged him down the hallway and through the door to the waiting room at the front of the clinic. It was a Saturday afternoon. All the patients were gone. The only people still in the building were Katie, Leo, and Alena. And now Ivan. Alena had joined him out front, their backs to the door. They faced the tow truck.

  “What the hell?” Leo asked.

  Katie stopped, spun around, and grabbed him by the biceps. “I got you a gift.”

  He groaned again and rolled his eyes. “I don’t want you to buy me things. We’ve been over this. It unmans me. I don’t care how much money you have in your trust fund, don’t use it on me.”

  “This was an inexpensive gift.” She grinned up at him and lifted onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Come see.”

  She spun back around, dragged him toward the front door, and pushed it open.

  Leo gasped when he stepped around her and stared at the flatbed. He glanced down at her, a slow smile lifting at the corners of his mouth. “You didn’t.”

  “I did.”

  He stepped forward, dropping her hand. “Where did you find this? A junk yard?”

  “Maybe.” She bit her lower lip, praying he would like the beat-up, rusted, piece-of-shit Trans Am. It was the same year as the one he’d lost in the explosion.

  She knew what the car meant to him and how much he enjoyed fixing it up and making it his. He could do it again. It would give him something to do rather than standing over her brooding about her safety at all hours of the day and night.

  He rounded to the back side of the car and reached up to stroke it as if it were a prized, million-dollar possession instead of something that the older man she’d bought it from practically paid her to take out of his hands. It had been in his garage for two decades collecting dust. His own son abandoned it to go to college and never looked back.

  Leo lifted his gaze, his smile huge. His eyes twinkled. She thought he might cry if he weren’t such a brute of a man.

  Ivan chuckled and ducked back into the clinic with Alena.

  “Come here, babe.” His voice was commanding.

  She shuddered before she made her way around to his side of the flatbed. “Yeah?” She lifted her gaze.

  Leo hauled her against his chest with one hand and kissed her soundly. “Best gift anyone ever got me.”

  “You like it?” She smiled, relief washing over her. She hadn’t been sure. The entire idea could have as easily backfired on her.

  He set his forehead against hers. “Love it. Almost as much as I love you.”

  “Good, because you’re stuck with both of us, and it’s going to take you a long time to fix us both up to your liking.”

  “The car maybe, but you’re perfect. What makes you think you need fixing?” He lifted one brow in question.

  She shrugged. “You teach me something new every day. I learn more about your dominant side every time you look at me. I’ve got a ways to go, but I’m looking forward to learning more about your world—the dominant one and the fighting one. With a little patience, I’ll be the perfect submissive groupie in no time.”

  He hugged her closer. “You’re already perfect. Now kiss me.”

  She did. She kissed him with every ounce of her soul.

  About the Author

  Becca Jameson lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two kids. After years of editing, she is now a full-time author. With over 40 best-selling books written, she has dabbled in a variety of genres, ranging from parano
rmal to contemporary to BDSM. The voices in her head are clamoring to get out faster than she can get them onto “paper”! She loves chatting with fans, so feel free to contact her through email, Facebook, or her website.

  If you enjoyed this book, this author has other works available here:

  Author's Web Site

  Keep reading for a sneak peek of Guard, book 3 of this series releasing July 2016.

  Chapter One

  Haley Sullivan wrapped her arms around her pillow, inhaled deeply, and snuggled deeper under the covers. She needed more sleep. In fact, a heaviness settled over her as if she’d been up for days.

  Light streamed through her bedroom window, causing her to see orange and pink through her eyelids. Why hadn’t she shut the curtains?

  Every effort to go back to sleep failed. In fact, her mind started racing, filling with the events of the last few weeks of her life—events she’d completely forgotten during the first few seconds of lucidity.

  A strange medical facility…

  Being snatched off the street…

  A giant Russian savior…

  Shit.

  She bolted upright, blinking through the blinding light of day and brushing red curls from her face. Her heart raced as her gaze landed on Mikhail Dudko—the very Russian savior she’d just remembered—sitting on her desk chair just feet away.

  He’d been leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, but when she sat up abruptly, he righted himself and frowned. “You okay?”

  She swallowed, fisting the sheet in her lap with both hands. Finally, when she could breathe normally, she lowered her eyelids and found her voice. “How long was I asleep?”

  “This time?” he teased. “Or altogether since I found you?” His English was perfect, but his Russian accent was sexy as hell.

  She groaned and lowered onto her back to stare at the ceiling, tossing one forearm over her eyes to block the light.

  Mikhail stood and crept closer. She could hear his every move, and his actions both excited and unnerved her. The man was unbelievably sexy—a fact she had been trying to ignore since the first moment she’d seen him.