by Lia Slater
“Ready,” she said softly and laughed again.
Lord, he was going to miss her. One last night. One last time pleasuring her. He needed to make it worth her while...before it was too late.
Chapter Five
Poppy sat in her blue two-door hatchback and stared across the street through her cracked windshield. After she had overheard Kade on the phone, an uncanny feeling had her running circles in her head.
Who had he been talking to?
Whoever it was obviously had plans for Lily or Ava or whatever. It didn’t really matter what her name was now that the slut was leaving and would be out of the picture.
Poor Jarred should have called the police on her ass. His nose was the size of a grapefruit. Sort of deserved it. But still. He was the only guy who’d ever cared for her. Enough to rescue her from the streets and give her a job. A safe job. One where she didn’t have to spread her legs for just any ol’ pervert who flashed some money at her.
Those days were over thanks to Jarred. She owed him. And hopefully one day he’d realize she was good enough for marriage, and maybe a kid or two.
Her mama would’ve liked to see that, if she were still alive.
Not that Poppy didn’t allow a man to have his way with her once in a while. If the money was right and the man was worthy enough, she’d do just about anything. She didn’t let Jarred in on her little side jobs, although he was always suspicious.
But what Jarred didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him. Besides, he wasn’t exactly faithful.
If only tramps like Ava would stop tempting him, he’d stop fooling around and get serious. Maybe buy me a nice ring. Get down on one knee like you see in the movies. They could buy a house. The one on Bluebird Street with the wraparound porch and that nice big elm in the front.
She sighed and gripped the steering wheel. Someday she’d get what she wanted.
The light dimmed in the hotel room across the street, and Poppy’s mind started swarming with ideas again. What if that Kade guy was a spy? What if Ava was a criminal and the mysterious person on the phone wanted to put her in prison? What if...
* * * * *
Ava loved the broad width of Kade’s back and shoulders. His well-defined arms weren’t bad either. Especially when they flexed while he reached down to pull off his underwear. As he turned to climb onto the bed, she licked her lips at the sight of her favorite muscle of all.
“I swear that is the most beautiful penis I have ever laid my eyes on.” She ran her hands over her thighs in anticipation.
“Have you seen many?” He moved to kneel between her legs, and began massaging the inside of her thighs with his rough hands.
“Jealous?” She inhaled deeply at the feel of his touch.
“Just want to know how many other guys I’ve beat out.” He shrugged and smiled. “It’s a man thing.” His fingers kneaded and molded her flesh, stroking from her knee to the heat burning between her thighs.
“A few.” She bit into her lip both to keep from moaning and to hide her grin. Could a guy like Kade get jealous? He didn’t seem to care about much.
A finger brushed lightly against her clit, teasingly, back and forth. “Four? Five?” he asked in a heady voice.
Ava let out a small whimper. “Umm.” She tried to gain focus. “Tell me your last name, and I’ll answer your question.”
He nudged a finger inside of her wet slit. “Gavin.”
Mmm. She arched her back and angled her hips to urge him in farther. “Kade Gavin, you have beat out two other men. Congratulations.” She smiled up at him, but he didn’t return the favor.
“What were their names?” His eyes narrowed, and he slid in a second finger.
She sighed at the welcome invasion, happy she was getting one last thrill from the mysterious man who was becoming more familiar by the minute. Maybe he was jealous. But that would mean he cared. Was it possible?
“Tell me where you live?” she countered and clenched down on his fingers.
He inhaled deeply. “Rocky Mountains.”
“Colorado?”
He nodded, extreme concern still written all over his face. “Your turn.”
“Josh and Zack.” She let out a moan as he found a sensitive spot.
“Did you love them?”
“Why do you care?” She grasped her breasts and pinched her hard nipples as fire coiled tightly in her belly. “Oh, Kade,” she breathed out.
He withdrew his fingers and pierced her with a glare. “Tell me.”
“No, don’t stop. Please. I didn’t love them. Not even a little. I swear.” Bracing herself on her elbows, she glanced at the god of a man who had more power over her than she ever thought possible.
His impressive cock stood erect, arcing toward his muscled abdomen. His broad chest, his cut features, the scars that held numerous stories--every inch of him captivated her. She wondered what else she’d tell him in the heat of the moment.
He eased his fingers back into her swollen pussy, so wet her juice trickled down past her anus. She let herself relax and fell back onto the bed. The ice from the towel spilled next to her, stinging her skin. With her arm, she pushed it back but was distracted by the sudden heat and heaviness of Kade’s body on top of hers.
“Hi,” she said startled but welcoming.
The pale depth of his eyes answered for him as he peered down at her, only centimeters from her face. His short dark hair clung in damp ringlets to his forehead. His tempting lips lingered just above hers. The angle of his jaw, chin, and nose were harsh and masculine. God, he was gorgeous. Ava imagined she could stare at him for eternity and never grow bored. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever give her that option.
“Have you ever been in love?” she dared to ask.
“Never.” The single word sounded so definite. Infinite.
“Oh.” Ava’s heart sank.
His Adam’s apple fell and rose again. “Want me to get rid of this ice?”
“Umm, sure. It’s kind of cold against my arm.” Who was she kidding? She couldn’t feel anything but desire burning inside of her.
With one hand he scooped the ice back onto the towel. In the process, his body moved against hers, and Ava held back the urge to wrap her arms and legs around him until he broke down and made love to her.
Instead, she watched with false patience as he picked up one of the cubes and ran it over her lips. Water melted into her mouth as she parted it for him, letting him know she was ready for his game.
He dipped his head and licked across the path. When he pulled away, Ava ran her tongue over her lip to taste him. She could have sucked on his familiar cinnamon flavor for days. He was yummy inside and out.
She caught her breath when he maneuvered down her body, trailing the ice cube along her neck, over her shoulder, up the curve of breast to her nipple. He circled the bud until it hardened painfully, shooting lightning to her core. When she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he laved his warm tongue over it.
Every nerve in her body crackled with want. She reached to caress her breasts as he continued hungrily lapping at her sensitive bud. Then he sucked it into his hot mouth, so hard the pleasure was painfully good. She bucked under his touch and jammed her fingers into his damp hair. More. God, she wanted more.
She got her wish as he moved to the other breast and gave it the same treatment. Sucking, licking, nibbling. Blurring her mind with an overwhelming need, propelling fiery sparks to her core.
He released her nipple and met her stare, his eyes drunk with lust. “Time to move on.”
“Please do,” she quipped, arching her hips toward him.
He sat up, selected a new piece of ice, and dropped it onto her stomach.
Ava gasped from the sudden chill against her feverish skin.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll make it feel better.” He pressed on the cube with his palm and slid it over her navel. His mouth followed the path, kissing and licking her skin.
When he reached her trembling mou
nd, his lips halted but his hand kept going. Over and in, he directed the shrinking ice.
Ava shuddered at the clash of cold on heat.
“Fuck,” he mumbled. “It melted.” He grabbed for another cube and then paused, looking her over as if planning his attack.
After setting the ice next to her, he took hold of her legs and slid her to the edge of the mattress.
Ava wanted to ask what the hell he was doing, but clamped her mouth shut, afraid he’d waste time by answering her. Just as long as he was touching her in some way, she was pleased...no, ecstatic.
Her legs and half of her ass were off the bed, her feet planted on the floor. Kade picked up the ice again and knelt down before her, out of her view.
Without warning, she felt a cold sting on her clit. She tried to bring her legs together, but he was in the way. He coerced them apart, as far as they could go.
“Let me do this.” He sounded a mile away, his voice echoing around her.
“What is it that you’re trying to do?” Ava attempted to sit up, but he forced her back down with one large hand.
“Just relax. I’m not going to hurt you.” His tone was calm and tender. “Trust me. I want to make you feel good.”
At that, Ava lay back down and waited, staring up at the ceiling. Trust wasn’t something that came easily to her. Not after losing her parents as a small child or being thrown out into the world alone at the ripe age of seventeen. And especially not after what Zack had put her through.
But Kade was different. Somehow she could sense he’d never harm her. Never put her in danger. After all, he had been there to help her escape from Jarred. Who knew what could have happened if he hadn’t shown up.
Another frosty pinch nipped at her as he stroked the ice against her clit, but this time it was quickly followed up with the warmth and softness of his tongue. It was odd how pain and pleasure went so well together.
He repeated the torturous action twice more. Cold. Heat. Cold. Heat. She tensed and relaxed under his intense workings, surprised as the sting dulled, leaving only a delicious throbbing ache. The bliss spread from her pussy to her womb, where warmth curled and smoldered.
She whimpered and bit into her bottom lip. Her hands clutched onto the comforter at her sides.
He stared at her as he slid the ice cube lower and buried it inside her feverish pussy. Ava gasped and covered her face with her hand. It was too much...until his hot tongue dipped deep inside, thawing it.
He sucked and prodded, elating her. The sound of his tongue and lips eagerly kissing and licking as he gripped her thighs with his rough hands sent her spiraling. Her pussy pulsed, her core singed, and her body writhed and bucked against his ready mouth.
“Kade. Oh God, Kade.”
“Mmm,” he groaned and greedily consumed her, licking the juices, from her pussy to the path it took to her sensitive anus.
Ava cried out when he lingered there, his tongue nudging her taut entrance.
“So good, baby.” His fingers pierced into her hips as he held her close, not letting her go until her sobs broke off and her body settled.
When he finally released her, he reached for something under the bed. “Don’t move.”
Ava was so exhausted and enraptured, she didn’t argue. Whatever he wanted from her, he could have. Whatever he wanted to do to her, she would let him.
The crinkling of a wrapper told her what he was preparing to do next. He stood up and guided her back a few inches so her ass was fully on the mattress. Clasping onto her calves, he pushed her legs toward her, spreading them as far apart as her body would allow. Then he thrust his hard, thick length into her, filling her pleading, wet pussy. So full.
In short passes, he drove in and out repeatedly, already building a new heated sensation deep inside her. His hips slapped against her, and she felt his balls hitting her ass. Her thighs quivered as he hunched over her, watching her with a dark intensity. His stomach muscles constricted with each thrust. His solid arms held her legs.
She wanted to feel him, to touch him, but he was too far away. She ran her fingers over her mound and let them skim over his cock as it slid into her pussy. It was hard and slick with her cream, a tangible reality of their passion for each other.
“Yes, baby, feel me fucking you. My cock driving into your tight little pussy. Does that feel good?”
“God, yes!” She loved him inside of her, filling her, stretching her. Her orgasm rose to a level she’d never known existed. Her entire body was on fire, hot and pulsing as he clenched tight to her thighs and drove in and out of her. “Oh, Kade! Yes! Yes!”
Tears welled in her eyes as she came hard, sparks bursting from her core and spreading to her fingertips and toes. How could she say good-bye to him? To this connection she’d never been able to find with another man?
He pushed her back farther onto the bed and lay on top of her. Ava wrapped her arms and legs around him as he drove harder and faster. After-spasms tingled and delighted.
She was his. All his. Her fingertips coursed down the corded muscles on his back, felt them bunch each time he pumped into her. Hot breaths huffed beside her ear.
“Oh, baby, I’m going to come.” He groaned and shuddered, violently filling the latex separating them.
Their hearts hammered in rhythm as he stilled. The air smelled of sex, and she nuzzled her nose into his neck, licking his salty heated skin.
Not enough. It would never be enough.
Ava ran her hand through his damp hair as they recovered together. She kissed his stubbly jaw and welcomed his warm sweet breath against her cheek. It felt natural to hold him close and adore him.
Suddenly fatigued, she sighed and closed her eyes.
“Don’t go to sleep yet,” he whispered into her ear. “Please.”
Her lids were heavy, but she managed to lift them and see him brush a soft kiss to her lips.
“Where in the Rockies?” she heard herself ask and only wondered briefly where the thought had come from. It was sorely obvious. She didn’t want to lose him. Not yet.
“It’s a cabin. Pretty remote area. Maybe I can take you there sometime.”
She ran her fingers over his five o’clock shadow, and he leaned into her touch, drawing in a heavy sigh. He did care for her. She could see it in his expression. “I’d like that.” She shut her eyes again and began to drift.
“I hope so,” she heard him say in a low voice.
* * * * *
Kade tore himself off Ava’s unconscious body. Raw emotion was eating at him, but he needed to stay focused.
Don’t give in to weakness.
She was too good for him anyway and was bound to detest him when she found out who he really was. And that he’d drugged her so he could kidnap her. What was the point in caring? In falling for a woman he couldn’t have? His was a life of danger and solitude, and Ava was only a distraction.
Beautiful, spirited and goddamn sexy...but not his to enjoy permanently.
Nor was she Zack Moreno’s, but Kade planned on taking care of that detail when the time came.
He swiped the remaining melting ice onto the floor and covered her body with the blanket so she wouldn’t get chilled before he had a chance to dress her.
How had she ever gotten involved with the likes of Moreno? He was a lying, deceiving, short-tempered bastard. He was a corrupt minion for an even more corrupt Senator. And he was Kade’s current boss. Fuck him.
It nauseated Kade to know he was about to let him close to Ava.
He only wants to have a conversation.
That was all Kade was going to allow. Get it over with so Ava could move on without having to hide from the bastard. And so Kade would know she was safe.
He wouldn’t be able to live with himself knowing Ava’s life was in jeopardy. This was one target he couldn’t deliver without knowing the outcome. Whether he liked it or not, he cared too damn much.
* * * * *
Poppy perked up when she saw Kade stepping out of his h
otel room with a duffle bag in his grasp. It was hard to tell if he looked guilty or innocent from across the street, but his head was bowed and his step was quick.
He shoved his bag onto the floor of his shiny, blue truck and relocked it. Next, he traveled two rooms over and disappeared inside.
Where was Ava?
She hadn’t answered the door.
The same overpowering curiosity Poppy’s mama used to warn her about was rearing its ugly head, and there was nothing she could do about it.
She exited the car and made her way across the street.
* * * * *
Kade found a backpack and a plastic grocery bag in Ava’s dresser. He grabbed them and opened the second drawer. Inside were an array of panties, one pair of jeans, two skirts, a sweater, tennis shoes, a tattered novel, and a T-shirt.
He scooped up everything and shoved it into the backpack.
The bathroom contained a sparse amount of makeup and personal items. Everything went into the plastic bag. He wasn’t going to leave any scent of her behind. Not even the stupid brown contacts.
He scanned the entire hotel room, but there was nothing else. Not even a picture of a family member or an old friend, and Kade couldn’t help but wonder if she’d had any. And if they missed her.
Like he was going to. How could he not?
He took a moment to roll his tense shoulders and then locked the door behind him. A flash of blonde hair and long legs from the corner of his eye startled him out of his stupor. He turned quickly to see Poppy standing in front of the soda vending machine that stood between his and Ava’s room.
Shit.
It wasn’t like him to be so careless by not scoping out the area beforehand. Thank God it was only the scatterbrained blonde from the club.
She pressed the button on the machine but nothing came out. “Oh, shoot. I think it’s broken,” she said, clearly lying. She turned toward Kade and her gaze swept over him. “Do you have a dollar so I can try it again?”
Annoyed, Kade cleared his throat and dug into his pocket to pull out a crinkled bill. “Here.” He handed it over and tried to walk around her.
“Where’s Ava?” she asked, stopping him in his tracks.