by Alison Paige
Kate moaned, unashamed. She pressed into his face, driving his tongue deeper, riding his mouth through the last throbs of her come. Her pussy muscles squeezed, a fresh gush of juice wetting the walls, and it was all he could do not to lose control. His balls pulled so tight his cock thumped against his belly, a small spurt wetting his skin.
His muscles jerked, need riding him hard. He’d pushed the limits of his restraint. Joe stood, knees weak. He palmed her hips, his cock arrow straight in front of him.
He stroked himself from root to head and back again, drawing out the glittering thrill of anticipation.
Enough. He nestled his cock between her cheeks, his hand guiding the head, stroking her pussy, pushing until it slipped inside her.
“Fuck, yesss…” he said and Kate gave a matching groan.
Sensation rippled up his cock, knotting tight in his balls, thundering through his heart. Kate pushed into him, her snug pussy squeezing around him, drawing him deeper. Her muscles milked his shaft, molding to him so every move sent a breath-stealing rush through his body. His fingers gripped the top of her legs at the bend of her body. He drew back, rocked her forward, then slammed their bodies together again.
In seconds he was driving himself hard and fast inside her, his bare thighs slapping against hers. Her muscles clamped tighter, sweet friction building and churning, tensing his muscles, drawing him closer and closer to the edge. He couldn’t breathe. It didn’t matter. His chest so tight he could feel his pulse pounding against his skin.
Kate’s body clenched. “Joe. Yes. There. Don’t stop…” Like the quick clench of a wicked vise, her pussy walls hugged harder, tighter around the slip and slide of his cock. She jammed her body backward firmer, faster, meeting his thrust.
All at once he felt her release, everything inside her gushed hot, muscles fluttering, pulsing around his cock. He squeezed his eyes, ground his teeth, fought against the undeniable pull of his own orgasm, drawing out hers as long as he physically could. And then he couldn’t last a moment more.
Joe pulled out and strangled his cock in his hand, pumping his shaft under her belly, his hips bucking as though he was still inside her. Release came in a heart-stopping rush.
“Fuck…fuck…fuck…,” he panted, his hand slowing as the last spurts squeezed out of him.
Joe straightened and Kate leaned forward against the tree, her thighs wet with her come. The haze of lust dissipated from his brain. Reality settled in.
He’d broken his first rule of bodyguarding. He’d fucked his principal. That was bad. It changed everything. So why the hell couldn’t he stop smiling?
Chapter Six
Kate paced the narrow covered porch of Joe’s cottage, wringing her hands. He caught glimpses of her as she crossed by one window to the next. Her riding boots scuffed and clomped over the wooden floor.
“Get her in here,” Joe said.
The white-haired doctor looked up from his watch, his brows high, wrinkling his forehead more than normal. “If she wanted to, she’d be in here. Trust me. That girl’s not one to pussyfoot around.”
He dropped Joe’s wrist and reached into his black leather bag on the couch beside Joe. “Pulse is good, heart sounds good. You feeling any nausea, dizziness? Any pain?”
Joe shook his head. He knew the drill. He was fine. Bruised some, no concussion, nothing worth mentioning. Not that he could focus on anything besides the sultry young woman wearing a rut on his front porch. Scuff-clomp. Scuff-clomp.
Light flashed in his eyes. Joe flinched, shifting his attention from the front windows to the penlight the doc held two inches from his eye. Kate had called the old geezer in to check him over before they’d made it out of the woods. Damn, he never should’ve told her about the car accident. Women—always trying to mother things. A smile tugged the corner of his mouth at the thought.
“Look right here.” The doc flicked the top curve of his enormous ear with his finger, then swung the light in and out of Joe’s eyes. After a moment he stood and sighed. “Nope. No concussion. Take it easy for a day or two, though. Head injuries can be tricky. Especially with your previous damage.”
Damage. He liked that. Yeah, he must be damaged to have fucked his principal. In the five years he’d had his business, he’d never lost focus like that. Never forgot they were the job. Not people. The job.
He’d guarded women before, good-looking women, hot women, women who offered to suck him off just to pass the time. He’d turned them down. He did not fuck the principal. Ever. Until Kate.
Joe sank deeper into the thin cushioned couch and scrubbed his hands over his face. Jeezus, he’d fucked things up royally.
“Yeah. Thanks. I’m good. Been down this road before.” He shoved his fingers through his rain-stiff hair then dropped his hands to his lap, leaning forward, elbows on his thighs, fingers twisting his ring between his legs.
The old man snorted, smoothing a wrinkled hand down the run of buttons on his sea-green dress shirt. He had a small paunch he patted and adjusted the tuck of his shirt behind his belt buckle, straightening an errant fold. “I imagine you have. Well, you know the drill. Call if you experience any symptoms. The Thorndikes have my number.”
“You bet. Hey, Doc.” Joe nodded toward Kate on the porch. “Send her in, will ya?”
The balding man smiled. He glanced over his shoulder at Kate and back to Joe, his cheeks pinking. “I’ll suggest it.”
“Right.”
A few minutes after the doc left, Kate peeked around the door. “You good?”
“Absolutely. Come.” His heart picked up pace. Damn, she was gorgeous. He liked looking at her. Nothing wrong with that. So what if he smiled whenever she walked into a room and his chest pinched? She was a sweetheart most of the time and a pain in the ass other times. But in a good way. Not that it mattered. He felt responsible for her, protective. It was his job. That’s all. That’s why.
Bullshit.
Kate’s smile lit her eyes, though she shied away from meeting his. She closed the door and leaned her shoulder against the wall beside it. Her blouse was dry enough to lose the translucent quality, but her breeches were mud stained and wet. Her hair was still a dark braid down her back except for a few wispy tendrils around her face.
“Listen. I’m…I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking. I should’ve made sure you were okay before we… I mean, I knew about your car accident. I just didn’t think about your head.”
“I’m fine.” Joe watched Kate’s little ears go blood red. Yeah, he liked that about her too. So what?
“I know. But what happened between us. It was great and everything.” She rolled her eyes. “Hell, it was amazing. But I need you to understand that’s not me. Well, not really. I mean, I’m more than a decade past virgin, but it’s not like me to take risks like that. I wasn’t thinking. I can’t believe we didn’t use a condom and—”
“I’m clean, Kate. Relax. I had it under control. Nothing got in. And don’t worry, I still respect you.” Lord she was adorable.
“Good.” She sighed, relieved. Finally her gaze locked on his. “But it can’t happen again.”
“What’s that?” He blinked. Tried to process the direction the conversation had turned. His gut twisted.
Kate’s deep-green eyes flicked to him, her brows shrinking together. “Not just because of your injuries, but… I mean, you’re a client, a business associate and technically a camper. Besides, what happened wasn’t planned. It was just fun—just sex. A one-time thing, right?”
Was she asking or telling? Joe exhaled, his chest uncomfortably tight. He flicked his academy ring around his finger trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with him. This was his out.
Just sex? Most women would be picking china patterns already, talking about feelings and morals they hadn’t displayed. “I’ve never slept with a guy on the first date. You mean so much to me.” Yeah right. Until the guy writes the wrong name on a Valentine card then it’s adiós muchacho.
But Kate was letting him off the hook—for whatever reason. He had to take the offer. Never mind whether he wanted to or not. Her life might depend on it.
“Agreed.”
“Great.” It seemed she meant it.
Joe’s chest gave another squeeze, his gaze traveling over her body. He could still feel the soft give of her flesh in his palm, the liquid heat of her sex. If he closed his eyes he could remember the feel of her pussy hugging around his cock, smell the wildflower scent of her skin, taste the feminine flavor of her cream.
Heat flared through his veins, muscles tingling. He had to concentrate not to clench his jaw. Damn. Not a good sign.
Would one more go ’round really be so bad? His cock nudged at the thought of burying himself balls-deep inside her. What could it hurt? “Kate, what’d ya say we—”
Someone knocked at his door. Saved or foiled? Joe didn’t want to think about it.
“What?”
The door creaked open and a head of shiny black curls poked around the edge, a foot above the knob.
“You sick?” Tony’s coal black eyes appeared, the rest still hidden behind the door.
“What’d ya need, kid?”
The little rug rat shoved the door wide and strutted in, his posse, Delmar, Savion, Garon and Paul, fast at his heels. “Wanted to see what you were…”
His focus drifted to the left, drawn by Kate’s movement behind the door. Tony jumped, his eyes wide. “Miss Kate.”
The rest of the gang gasped and jumped a half beat later, like the wave at a football game.
“Hey, guys. What’s up?” She smiled wide, swinging the door closed behind Paul, the last in line.
“Uh… We, uh…” Tony glanced from Kate to Joe and back again.
“Checkin’ on Joe. That’s all,” Savion said, his slouching been-there-done-that stance making him look years older than the twelve Joe knew him to be. The boy tossed his head so the swath of dirty brown bangs swung from his eyes. A second later they curtained back, nearly obscuring his right eye.
Tony blinked at his friend, his ability to form sentences flooding back. “Yeah. That’s right. Heard they called the doc on him. Makin’ sure he wasn’t dead.”
Kate checked her watch. “That’s very sweet of you boys. But Joe needs his rest and you guys should be saddling your horses by now.”
“Yeah, okay.” Tony edged farther across the room toward Joe. “We’ll be there in a minute. We need to talk to Joe first.”
Kate flashed a suspicious smile. “About what?”
“Uh…uh…”
“Guy stuff,” Savion said, saving Tony again.
“Yeah. Guy stuff.”
“Oh. I see.” Kate’s sexy gaze slid to Joe. “Then I guess I’ll leave the men to their chat. Make it quick, boys.”
Kate pinched Paul’s skinny arm as she passed, not hard, but enough to make him flinch and rub the spot. She winked at him and he smiled, his pale cheeks pinking as the gang of males, Joe included, watched the door drift shut behind her.
Tony and the posse spun toward Joe, then rushed him. “Did ya get her anything? How old is she? Why was she here? You guys doin’ it? Are you comin’ to the party? Did you fall off your horse again?”
Joe tried to decipher the flurry of questions. “What party?”
“Miss Kate’s.” Tony stood beside the couch, hands braced on the upholstered arm, elbows locked. “Next Saturday’s her birthday. Ya got her something didn’t you?”
No. “Don’t worry about it, kid.”
Savion poked an elbow into Tony’s arm. “Course he did. Everybody knows women get grouchy if you forget stuff like that.”
Dating pearls from a twelve-year-old. Joe wondered if he should be taking notes. “Where’s the party?”
“We’re gonna decorate the indoor arena.” Paul plopped his thin frame on the couch next to Joe. “It’s a surprise. We’ve been making gifts for her during craft hour. But you keep skippin’ so…”
Macaroni necklaces and twig-framed God’s eyes? Yeah, he’d had other things he had to do, like keeping a close eye on Kate. Besides, his gift to her would be keeping her alive to enjoy another birthday.
Birthday. There was something in one of the notes the stalker had sent Kate’s father. He’d have to check.
Joe swung his attention to Savion. The kid stood next to Tony, weight on one hip, his small arms crossed over his chest, his freckled face stuck in a perpetual scowl. “You ask if I was doing her?”
The kid shrugged. “I’d do her. Whatever that means. She likes cars. That’s tight.”
“I know. Get outta here. Alla’ya.” Joe fought to keep his smile from taking hold. “I’ll catch up in a minute.”
“Miss Kate said you had to rest,” Paul said, hopping to his feet.
“Yeah, maybe if I was a girl. Now, get.”
The boys agreed with manly nods and childish giggles, flowing out the door like a swarm of gnats.
Joe went to the bedroom and the chest of drawers where he’d stored Kate’s files—the one from her father and the one he’d confiscated from Clayton. He laid them on top, opened the folder from Mathers. He riffled through the photos and notes until he found the one he was looking for.
Dear Mr. Mathers,
I’m writing to respectfully ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage. I bought a ring. It’s a real diamond. I’m going to do it right. Don’t worry about that. I know she comes from a classy family. I’m going to take good care of her, sir. You can see from the photos I’m with her all the time. I’m going to ask her to marry me on her birthday. I really hope you approve. I love her. I’m going to make her happy. No matter what.
Respectfully,
Your future son-in-law
There it was. The stalker had given himself a deadline, and this Saturday, time was up. He’d probably be feeling the pressure now, anxious for the situation to show a positive progression toward his goal.
Worse, if things weren’t moving fast enough, the stalker might be tempted to force the issue. Joe shoved the folders back into the top drawer and headed for the door. He pushed the twinge of anger and the distracting personal concern for Kate from his mind.
Focus on the job. He was all that stood between Kate and the jerk who wanted to own her. It wouldn’t happen. The son of a bitch wouldn’t get near her.
*
Sweet anticipation hummed along her skin, more so than usual, as she wiggled each foot out of her flip-flops. Kate scanned the dark forest, not because she actually thought someone might be watching, but more because it’s what you do before you get naked out in the open. She dropped her robe and tiptoed to the edge of the dock.
God, she needed this, especially after losing her head and screwing the hunky ex-cop out in the woods yesterday. Her body was a mass of tingling, molten lust and Joe hadn’t allowed her a moment’s peace since then to shake it off. The cool lake water would clear her head, always did.
A whole day, that’s how long it’d taken her to find an opportunity to sneak away from her lousy shadow, a.k.a. Joe Garity. She still wasn’t convinced she’d be alone until she heard him snoring through his cottage window at half-past one in the morning. She wasn’t worried about the campers. They didn’t even know the lake existed. Plus, distance, camp rules, dense woods and the late hour made accidental discovery a virtual impossibility.
Kate sighed, trying to exhale all the tension and hot carnal thoughts from her body. She gazed out over the moonlit lake, big enough for a fishing boat, too small for a Jet Ski, hugged on all sides by the dark woods. A soft, almost-there breeze rippled the black water, ruining the glass look of the lake. She dove in.
Her body sliced through the water with quiet efficiency, her mind focused on the easy mechanics of the freestyle stroke. She swam the long length toward the opposite shoreline, the cool water wrapping around her naked flesh, caressing her in places only she and her lovers had touched. Thoughts of Joe filled her head, his touch, his voice, those dark sexy eyes.
&n
bsp; God, why had she told him about Dale? Her first sexual experience had been wonderful and heart-wrenching all at once—and too humiliating to hold focus in her brain for more than a moment. She’d been so naïve, thinking it meant anything more than sex, mistaking lust for love. She’d never made that mistake again. Until Joe.
Kate put her feet down when she knew she could touch and walked a few steps squishing her toes in the soft muddy bottom. She turned around, brushing hair and water back from her face with both hands, preparing for the return swim.
The moon made the faded wood of the dock appear white at the other end of the lake. She could see the small pile of her robe near the edge. The forest looked like a dark wall several yards back, countless trees with pitch-black night in between. Nothing stirred. She didn’t expect it to.
Kate turned again and leaned back into the water, pin-wheeling one arm over her head then the other. The backstroke was her favorite for a lazy swim. No thought required. The water lapped at her cheeks, cocooned around her ears, shutting out the world. Her mind wandered.
What was it about Joe that made her forget all she’d learned about herself? Why with him did she want more than she knew she could have? She couldn’t blame the sex. These feelings were with her every time he smiled at her, every time he made her feel special, like an intimate friend.
Joe wanted sex. Nothing wrong with that, she liked sex. But his attentiveness, his companionship, so much of the reason she wanted him, was fake. He followed her around, gave her his attention, because the Thorndikes paid him to do a job. She had to remember that. Why was it so hard to remember that?
Familiarity gave her the sense she’d nearly reached the dock and Kate glanced behind her. Someone was there. She turned around, treading water. “Joe?”