by Jodi Redford
Joe stepped from the shack as they approached. The mega-wattage of his adoring smile threatening to outshine the sun, he glanced at Ruby. “I was just about to go check the hydroponics. Did you still want to come?”
“Definitely.” Ruby peered up at Teague, her expression hopeful. “Join us?”
“No, you go on ahead. I need to talk to Miles about a few things.” After I dunk my dick in an ice bath.
“Should I stay?”
He shook his head and prodded her gently in Joe’s direction. Her expression slightly worried, Ruby reluctantly allowed Joe to lead her toward the underground garden the guys maintained in the neighboring field. Teague returned to the trap door in the shack and descended the ladder. Sabby and Miles were in the control center, bickering over something. Knowing them, they were probably arguing over which one of them should get supreme bragging rights in their latest online role-playing tournament. Sabby might profess not to be a raging nerd, but that was a crock of shit. He’d racked up more game time than Joe and Miles combined.
The two men halted their heated discussion and eyed Teague. Sabby cleared his throat. “Tell him, damn it.”
Miles’s lips pinched tight. Teague frowned. “Tell me what?”
“Nothing.” Miles glared at Sabby.
Teague crossed to Miles and stared him down. “Ever had a proctology exam done by a Light Guardian? Trust me, they’re no fun.”
Miles grumbled and wheeled his chair away from the table. “We just got off the phone with Colin.”
Teague shoved aside his annoyance over Miles’s stubbornness. “How is he? Those bastards at the border didn’t rough him up too much, did they?”
“He’s fine. But apparently news has come through the grapevine that Hugo Winston has been appointed as the queen’s advisor.”
The mention of Hugo sucker-punched Teague in the sternum. Renewed anger boiled in his gut. The son of a bitch deserved to be dead, not working his way up the Shadow ranks. Teague clenched his fist.
The casters creaked on Miles’s chair as he rested his elbow on the edge of his workstation. “You need to drop this vendetta with Winston.”
Teague bared his teeth. “No fucking way.”
“Your main objective should be on the queen. We can’t afford for your emotions to get in the way of that.” Miles raked his fingers through his cropped hair. “Look at it this way—destroying the queen will ultimately be the death of Hugo. He has no power without her, and we all know that without power, he’s a spineless nothing. Not even worth crushing.”
“Wrong. I’m going to enjoy flattening him beneath my boot heel. A lot.”
Miles rubbed his forehead wearily. “You’re a stubborn ass.”
Teague relaxed his fist. “My plans for Hugo are none of your concern, so drop it.”
Sabby rocked in his seat. “You do realize he’s Ruby’s uncle, right? She might not take kindly to you reaming him with a lightning bolt.”
“She knows how I feel about him.”
Miles dropped his hand. “You told her? Damn, that’s a first—you actually sharing anything.”
Sabby snorted. “Amen. So what’s her stance on the whole subject of your vengeance?”
“She didn’t exactly tell me.” Probably just as well. The two of them had enough complications to work through. Throwing his desire to kill one of her relatives into the mix would only make things a million times more fucked up.
A few minutes after Miles put the finishing touches on the steaks they were having for dinner, Joe finally deigned to bring Ruby back to the bunker. Teague wasn’t jealous of the time Joe had spent monopolizing Ruby. Mostly. It was just a damn good thing it hadn’t been Sabby down in the garden with her. Teague trusted that hound dog about as far as he could throw him—which would easily be a kilometer or two, considering the mood he was in. But that was beside the point.
Sabby poured a glass of their contraband wine and handed it to Ruby. “Did you have a nice tour of the garden?”
“I did. Hydroponics has always fascinated me.” She took a delicate sip of the Chardonnay. “The operation you’re running is amazing. And you’re helping so many people.”
“Not nearly enough,” Miles interjected. “But that will change once the queen is dead. We’ll have no more need for the black market.”
The wistfulness in Ruby’s eyes squeezed at Teague’s heart. He wanted to tell her not to pin her hopes on Miles’s fools quest, but it’d only make him sound like a bastard. Even if he was right.
Ruby took another sip of wine and licked her lips. He tracked the motion of her tongue, lust stirring low in his belly. She caught his eye and her breathing quickened. Her nipples visibly tightened beneath the skintight fit of her tank top.
Damn Sabby, Miles and Joe for being in the room.
As if he’d read Teague’s thoughts, Sabby grinned obnoxiously. “Maybe Ruby would like to check out our mill operation after dinner.”
“I don’t fucking think so,” Teague bit out.
Joe reached past them for the breadbasket. “I’d be happy to take her.”
Teague clamped a hand on Joe’s shoulder and leaned close to his ear. “Shut up before I’m forced to stuff that baguette down your throat.”
Joe gulped and hurried to the table.
Dinner took half an hour longer to get through than Teague would have liked. By the time the dishes were cleaned and put away, he was on edge with a barely leashed hunger that had nothing to do with food. While the guys adjourned to the living room, he followed the short hallway to the guestroom where Ruby had been situated. He ducked inside and heard the water splashing from the sink in the tiny attached bathroom. Recalling the luscious sight of her soapy breasts earlier that morning, he rapped on the door.
A brief silence stretched before she cracked the door and peeked out at him. “Teague. What are—?”
He coaxed the door open farther, backing her toward the sink. “Remember that lesson I promised?” Before she could answer, he hooked his hand behind her head and gave in to the combustible need that’d been burning inside him for the past hour. Her lips met his, seeking, taking and giving everything in return. Their tongues danced together, stoking the fire higher and higher. Groaning, he reached for the hem of her tank top and tugged it upward. He flung it aside as he dropped to his knees. Plumping her breasts in his hands, he flicked his thumbs across her nipples before rolling his tongue over the pebbled nubs.
She arched her back, her grip tightening on the sink ledge behind her. “Teague. God.”
His hot stare lifted to her face. “Do you have any idea the number of wet dreams I’ve had starring these breasts?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, too fucking many to count.” Lowering his head again, he hummed in appreciation as he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Releasing the stiffened peak, he traced her puckered areola with the tip of his tongue. “I want to find out if all of you is equally tasty.”
“Oh yes. Please.”
Licking a slow path down her quivering abdomen, he unzipped her cargo pants. He swirled his tongue around the perimeter of her bellybutton, exactly like he’d visualized doing earlier. Tucking his thumbs into the waistband of her pants and bikini bottoms, he scooted the garments down her legs and helped her step out of them. He nuzzled the ginger curls covering her mound and kissed her hipbone before spreading her thighs wider. His fingers coasted along her slick labia and raised the tiny hood guarding her clit.
“Pretty.” Saliva pooling in his mouth, he leaned down and teased the throbbing bundle of nerves with the tip of his tongue before tasting her fully.
Hips jerking, Ruby tunneled her fingers through his hair and moaned in a way that made his balls ache. He intensified his lazy swirls and laps to fast tongue flicks, reveling in the way her breaths grew thin and reedy. Her limbs trembled. Ruby on the cusp of orgasm was a thing of beauty. He curled his tongue, pouring every ounce of his concentration on the tiny, slick nub of her clit. Body tensing, she dug her
fingers into his skull.
Almost. There.
She bucked, a strangled cry ripping from her throat.
He stroked her through the aftershocks. “I was right. You’re delicious all over.” Straightening, he made fast work stripping from his clothes. Her heavy-lidded eyes surveyed him with a sultry stare. He trailed his palm along the curve of her hip. “I went in for my reproductive inoculation three months ago.”
“Two for me.”
His cock bobbed against her thigh. “Then we’re safe. Nothing to worry about.” Not entirely true. They had a shitload of things to stress about. But he was damn well not going to think about any of them for the next hour or two. She slid her calf along his, earning his hissing intake of breath. Leaning down, he hooked her behind the knees with his arms and lifted her onto the basin. He rubbed the length of his cock along the folds of her labia, letting the head kiss over her clit. She gasped as he dragged his shaft toward her slit. He eased inside an inch, stretching her. Shifting his hips, he pumped deeper before retreating in a slow, delicious glide. The walls of her pussy clung to him in a snug, hugging embrace. A trickle of sweat slid down his spine as he fought the urge to pound his way to a hard, fast release.
“Teague.” Strain raised her voice an octave.
“Stroke yourself, Ruby. Come with me.”
She obeyed his command without hesitation, her fingers a busy blur over her clit. The sight was all it took to make him lose the last of his hard-fought control. He thrust like a madman, rattling the sink. Ruby’s eyes rolled back, her inner muscles squeezing him tight. He jerked, barely caging his shout as he came. Shuddering and moaning, he slumped forward, one hand braced against the wall while his cock continued to throb and pulse inside Ruby. She slid her arms around his waist and held him close, her lips soothing along his sweaty breastbone.
Once he was reasonably assured his knees were no longer jelly, he scooped her off the basin and carried her into the bedroom. Flipping back the covers on the bed, he settled her in and spooned up behind her. He’d never in his life slept an entire night in a woman’s bed, but he didn’t have the strength to leave her.
Not now. Maybe not ever.
Chapter Ten
The next several days were all about practice for Ruby. She quickly learned that Teague didn’t believe in going easy on her when they were training. Although she knew he was only trying to toughen her up and prepare her for what lay ahead of them, her aching body wasn’t quite ready to let him off the hook.
Praying that their current session was ready to wind to a close, she bent at the waist and gasped for breath. Sweat streaked every inch of her. She was afraid to inhale and discover just how disgusting she smelled. “Mercy.”
“No way, babe. I’m getting at least another hour out of you before we break for lunch.”
She glared at him. “You can forget about me ever giving you a blow job again.”
Teague hesitated. “We’ll compromise. Thirty minutes. And I’ll give you a massage tonight.”
Damn it. She loved his massages. Heaving a breath, she straightened. “Fine. But you’re also rubbing my feet.”
His grin was absolutely panty-wetting. “Only if I can suck your toes.”
“What are we waiting for? We can take a bath and my toes are all yours.”
“Nice try. Now hit that target over there.” He pointed to the coffee can resting on a rock fifty yards in front of her.
Squaring her feet with her shoulders, she extended her arm.
Teague clucked his tongue. “With your eyes closed.”
“But—”
“Do you want me to add another fifteen minutes?”
“You suck.” Growling, she closed her eyes and visualized her energy striking the can across the way. Stretching her fingertips, she let her power fly. A buzzing current streaked across her skin and thundered through her cells. She focused it outward in an unending spiral.
Boom.
Cracking one eye open, she peeked at the can. It was a good twenty feet beyond the rock. Her smile smug, she glanced at Teague. “Jealous?”
He grunted. “Not bad. I can still beat you though.”
“Sounds like a lot of empty talk to me.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Care to wager on that?”
She shrugged. “Why not?”
Teague rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowed in contemplation. “Hm, what do I want when I win?”
“Don’t you mean what do I want when I win?”
“That one’s easy. My body.” He flexed his pecs.
That was definitely true. Throw his heart into the bargain, and she’d be the happiest woman on the planet. She gnawed her lip, uncertainty creeping in. She knew Teague desired her and loved making love to her. Beyond that, she had no idea what his true feelings were. As for her, she lost another piece of her heart to him with each passing second they spent together.
A part of her knew their relationship was doomed. Beyond the fact she was related to the man Teague hungered to annihilate, there was her own link to the Shadow to consider. Until she killed the queen and destroyed that unwanted part of herself, she would never be wholly Light Guardian and human.
“Okay, I’ve decided on my prize.” Teague laced his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. “A sexy striptease in your cat suit.”
The moment of levity was exactly what she needed. “I don’t think it’ll fit you.”
He chuckled. “Okay, sassy woman. Prepare to be impressed.” He strode across the clearing and snatched the can. Trekking the extra twenty-five feet to the copse of trees, he placed the target on a pine branch before returning to her. “A kiss for good luck?”
“But I want you to lose.”
“Kiss me anyway.” He crooked his finger invitingly.
Resistance was futile. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his. The hot slide of his tongue liquefied her insides.
God, she had it bad.
The scuff of feet announced that Sabby, Miles and Joe had joined them. Releasing her, Teague tossed the guys a cocky grin. “Now you can see how the big boys do it.”
Pushing up the sleeves of his black crew neck, Teague turned so he was facing away from the target. Planting his feet wide, he raised his arms until they were parallel with the ground. He cupped his palms and a pair of brilliant white orbs spun into creation, their glowing filaments threading together to form two sparkling masses. Without warning, Teague snapped his hands behind him, hurtling the balls of energy. In less time than it took to blink, they smashed into the can, blowing it to smithereens.
Ruby’s jaw dropped. Reaching out with one hand, Teague tipped her chin up, closing her mouth. “Don’t want the flies getting any ideas.” He shot the guys a challenging look.
Sabby snorted. “She’s still prettier than you.”
“You’ll get no argument from me there.”
Teague’s compliment—as well as the heat in his eyes—filled her with warm pleasure.
Miles crossed his arms over his chest. “I think this proves you’re both ready to take on the queen.”
The announcement filled her with equal parts dread and excitement. She’d been anticipating this moment. There was no reason for the crazy adrenaline spike that skyrocketed her pulse.
“Another week would be better.” Tension thrummed through Teague’s voice.
“In another week they’ll close down the ice train’s access to Shadow Vail for the season. It’s going to be a treacherous-enough trip up that mountain to the queen’s fortress as it is. The entire trip on foot would be a nightmare.”
She could tell from the rigidity of Teague’s jaw that he wanted to argue. Twining their fingers together, she squeezed his hand, offering a reassurance she desperately wanted to feel. “He’s right. We need to do it now.”
The tension continued radiating from Teague, but he finally nodded. “We’ll leave in the morning.”
For their last meal in the bunker, Miles fixed a scrumptious filet of beef for din
ner. Delicious as it was, she had a difficult time cleaning her plate. Her nerves were strung tighter than a wire. Was this what her mother had gone through before she’d left on her final mission to cripple the Shadow? Probably not. Luna had been a bona fide superhero. Along with the cape, she’d likely possessed nerves of steel. It was just one more reminder to Ruby that she was so incredibly far from being a hero.
Yeah, her strength and skills were definitely improving. But she didn’t feel like an undefeatable force inside. She felt small and vulnerable. Glancing toward the guys, she ensured they were all busy situating the kitchen for the duration of their absence. Satisfied they were properly preoccupied, she journeyed to her room. Crossing to the small trunk, she picked up the cat suit and carried it with her to the bed. Running her hand along the smooth fabric, she draped the garment over her lap. She knew it was only a costume and wouldn’t grant her additional powers. But the symbolism behind the suit did count for something.
The door creaked, and she looked up to find Teague watching her.
“You should take it with us.”
She rubbed the slick fabric between her thumb and forefinger. “My mother didn’t wear it when she went after the queen.”
“You could start a new trend.”
She swallowed. “Do you think I’m crazy to attempt this?”
He was silent for a long spell.
She shook her head. “Never mind. I know I am. I think I finally understand why my father tried so hard to make me bad all those years. He somehow knew it would come down to this.”
“Are you still mad at him for what he did?”
She placed her hand over her heart, expecting to feel familiar hurts in there. For once there were none. “No. He loved me in his own way. I could never hate him for that.”