by JL Madore
A throaty male laugh moved toward the silky taupe drapes and as the light filtered to a respectable level, I opened my eyes. King size bed, plush antique furniture, spa inspired soaker-tub . . . right, I was in the master bedroom of Bruin's suite.
When the mattress took a major dip beside me, I surveyed the landscape. Yep, just as delicious as I remembered. Long, graceful lines flowed from his shoulder, down his broad, rippled chest, to the waistband of ripped, unbuttoned jeans.
He lifted my knuckle to his lips, his expanse of skin throwing off heat in waves. "Not a morning person?"
"Not until after I'm properly caffeinated."
"Then you're in luck," he said, his smirk nothing but sexy. Turning to the night stand he grabbed two oversized mugs. "You see, living with two women has taught me a few important life lessons. Original Cuban or mocha-vanilla latte?"
I reached for the latte. "How long have you all been together?"
Bruin flipped his bangs out of his eyes and I sucked in my breath. Again. "I was twelve when Maximus Rain, our father, took me in."
"Rain is a powerful element."
"It is. In this case though, it’s R-e-i-g-n. As in sovereign power."
"Strong name."
"Matches the man." He sipped at the rim of his mug and then stared down at the deep brown surface. "Reign has a soft spot for orphans. Jade was his first, then Lexi came to him a few years later. Julian and I arrived in the same summer, two years after that. We're not your typical family, but it works for us."
Passing my latte under my nose I moaned. Nothing rivaled the first coffee of the morning. That rich, sweet smell that nudges you awake, the flavor that spreads down your throat and expands from your stomach to ignite every cell in your body. As I swallowed a long slow sip, I closed my eyes and shifted my legs under the covers.
Stretching brought attention to the tenderness of many of my parts and sparked a flash of memory: the club, the alley—the soaker tub.
"What happened last night? I don't remember anything after you started assaulting me with your magic fingers."
He chuckled and set his mug on the bedside table. "That's because you dissolved into putty the moment I turned on the jets."
My cheeks flared and I prayed that the lack of light hid my embarrassment. "I fell asleep on you? In the tub?"
He nodded. "Quite a hit to my ego."
"So, we didn't. . ."
Bruin frowned, his brow arced at an adorable angle. "Trust me. When we get together, you'll remember. No. Last night you were in no condition for anything beyond me drying you off and putting you to bed."
"And that's all I missed?"
"Yeah, that and you snoring like a badly tuned band saw all night—" He evaded my hand as I swung, his laughter a deep rumble from his chest.
"I don't snore."
"All right, band saw might be exaggerating."
I sucked in another long swallow of coffee and took a mental inventory of what was happening with me under the fancy, ivory linens. Naked. Definitely still naked. The memory of his fingers touching my skin as his tongue plundered my mouth had my pulse racing. Our bodies made promises last night and I wasn't about to let him off the hook. He had, after all, just said 'when' we get together.
"So, white knight, is this savior routine an everyday thing or a new career path for you?"
He eased the mug from my hand and set it next to his. When his gaze met mine, gold flecks glittered in his eyes. "I think of myself as more of an honor driven, black knight."
Interesting. "So, where did you sleep?"
He laid his palm flat beside my hip and leaned close. "I was expecting a call this morning and didn’t want to disturb you. After I got you settled, I crashed in the other bedroom."
I swallowed. Man, he smelled good. "You didn't need to do that. After last night, I don't think anything could have disturbed me."
He kissed my good cheek, his scruff-shadowed jaw brushing mine. "Are you very sore?"
I caught the intention in his voice. The current in the air changed and my skin tingled. "After two false starts you're still into getting together?"
"It's all I've thought about since last night. You're under my skin, pretty lady. I honestly think if I let you walk out of this suite without burying myself inside you—I might die."
Shit, where was all the air in the room?
With a shift of his body, Bruin reached two long fingers into his jeans pocket and came out holding one of the blue foil packets I'd tucked into my robe last night. When he spoke, his voice was even deeper than usual. "Shall we see if the third time really is the charm?"
Hells yes.
Bruin made quick work of his jeans and the fact that he went commando called a mad heat from within me. He laid over me, our bodies touching flesh against flesh from our entwined feet all the way to our shoulders. He kissed his way down my neck, my breastbone, my chest. The sensation of his moist mouth sealed upon my breast made me cry out. And that was before he began to suckle. His touch lowered, brushing over the top of my thigh, down further—
My pelvis arched, urging him on. After the agonizing seconds it took for him to fulfill my safety standards, he rose over me, sheathed and poised, a rock-hard body twice the size of my own. Broad, muscled shoulders loomed large as the blunt head of his erection probed the heat of my sex.
He paused.
I laced my fingers into his shaggy hair, cupped his face and nodded.
When he kissed me, the decadence of lust mixed with coffee hit me hard. His tongue twined with mine, penetrating, demanding more. My hips rose off the mattress as I ground my mouth to his and tightened my grip in his hair. I didn't understand the desperate need to have him inside me, but the consuming desire brought a rush of moist heat between my thighs.
I moaned. That was all the encouragement he needed.
He parted my flesh in a slow single thrust that spread my thighs and overloaded my senses. The invasion—it could be considered nothing less—tore through me, filled me, woke places inside me I'd never known. I arced to let him slide all the way in and shifted my palms down his smooth back to the dip at the base of his spine.
Eyes closed, head thrown back, a strangled sound ripped from his throat. As his rhythm built, he clenched his jaw so hard his cheeks hollowed, his face an erotic mask of restraint. With every careful thrust and retreat his pecs shifted.
Seeing him suspended in tortured ecstasy killed me. "You're holding back. Why?"
He kissed the bruise on my cheek. "You're so tiny. I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm not as fragile as I look." When he looked skeptical I bit his lip and sunk my nails into the flesh of his ass. I didn't wait for a response, I showed him my demands and he met them.
From that moment, our sex took on a life of its own.
Bruin was heavy as a truck on top of me, his body solid muscle and hard edges—I didn't mind a bit. Unhinged and unhindered the man was pure sex. The sheen of sweat covering our bodies increased the slide of skin-on-skin.
"Fuck, you feel amazing." His words brushed my collarbone as his silky hair tickled my cheek. My nails raked his back and his thrusts picked up speed. His hips no longer surged but powered inside me.
"So. Damn. Amazing."
Hard. Fierce. Carnal.
The pinch of his teeth on my neck undid me. My orgasm hit in a devastating blast. He chuckled in dark satisfaction as my body bucked and shuddered beneath him. I screamed something unintelligible against his heaving chest as another wave of moisture slicked our connection. The cry that ripped from my lungs triggered something wild in him. As my inner muscles gripped and squeezed, his breathing hitched and hips locked against mine.
Bruin's massive body torqued and strained, and as he released, I caught a spectacular glimpse of his ass in the bedroom mirror. Heavy thighs flexed and the lines of his tattoo stretched tight from his waist to his shoulder as his head tossed back.
He didn't so much roll off me as collapse, panting for breath. When he c
ould speak again, he ran a feather touch up my hip and circled my breast. My nipple gathered to the attention and he smiled. "I didn't mean to lose control like that . . . I wasn't too rough? Was I?"
"No," I said, just as breathless. "No, I'm . . . great. The best. You?"
His brow arced and it disappeared under his bangs. "As soon as I reacquaint my lungs with oxygen, I'm going to treat you like you've never been treated before. You don't have any plans for the next . . . oh . . . three hours, do you?"
The smirk twisting the corners of his mouth had my core pulsing again. Three hours? He was kidding, right?
CHAPTER SIX
Mid-afternoon, I stepped through the sliding glass doors on rubber legs and all but crumpled into the lounge chair opposite the terrace rail. The distant hiss of water signalled Bruin's return to the shower—solo this time—and him getting ready to take us for dinner.
Back in my clothes, mug in hand, I tried to sort through the jumble of the past twenty-four hours. There was a hell of a lot to reflect on: the publication of my exposé of the Nimithic Group, the airing of the news coverage, the attack at Spankz and then winding up spending the night at the Wedgewood Hotel with my mysterious honor-bound black knight.
And then there was the sex. Sex? The word didn't even do us justice.
Flipping my phone open I scrolled through eleven missed text messages. Paige, Meg, Em, Paige, Paige, Liane, Meg, Paige and so the list continued. My girls were seriously jonesing for a check in . . . and probably a morning-after-the-night-before update. Selecting them all from my directory I considered what would tide them over. All is well. Wedgewood hotel penthouse with hunk-in-vest. Sore in girly places I didn't know existed. Will call later. Luv, M.
"Is this a private party or can I crash?"
I drank in the sight of Bruin's freshly washed body and the way those worn blue jeans hung from his hips. Knowing he protested doing up the top button was one thing. Knowing he went commando underneath—
I hit SEND and buried my phone deep into my pocket. Sweeping my hand to the side, I gestured to the empty chair across the table. "This is your slice of heaven. I'm sure there's room for one more."
Bruin carried a tray heaped with bagels, cheese, crackers, fruit and spreads and set it on the table. "Is this all right? We missed out on a few meals today and our reservation isn't for another couple of hours. I figured we could use refueling."
"Looks delicious." Was I talking about the food or him bending over in front of me wearing those low riding jeans? Tough call.
He caught me ogling and his chest bounced with amusement. My cheeks flushed warm, but I didn't care. Moving opposite me, he grabbed a plate for himself and started filling it. "I wasn't sure what you like, so I asked for a bit of everything."
"Thanks. A bagel and coffee is perfection, but I'll take some fruit too." I picked up half a plain bagel and smeared some strawberry cream cheese on it. It was warm, melting the cream cheese as it spread. "There's a family-owned, coffee shop around the corner from my office called Suzie's. They bake bagels fresh every morning. If you get there early enough, they're warm, like these. Best thing you've ever tasted in your life. Orgasmic really."
Bruin sputtered in his cup and shot me a sideways glance. "Truly? You take one bite and lose yourself right there in the shop?"
I giggled. "Yep. It's a little embarrassing. I make quite a spectacle."
Bruin barked a laugh. "I'll have to go with you. I'd like to catch the show. I've grown fond of watching that particular spectacle."
I looked out over Vancouver and focused on not choking. Rays of sunlight crept around the corner of the building and pooled on the edge of the terrace. In another twenty minutes, they would be clouded over by the grey sky rolling in off the Pacific. Until then I'd enjoy the sunshine. We sat in silence for a long while, watching the folks below, out for a Saturday afternoon stroll in Robson's Gardens.
A man and his daughter explored the greenery. The two walked hand in hand, flitting from one flower to another like dragonflies dancing in the sun. The father, totally absorbed in his child's fascination, let the girl's small stride set the pace of their meandering. My bagel sank like a stone in my gut. "Do you ever wonder what their stories are?"
Bruin leaned forward. "Not really. Why?"
I shrugged. "Just a game I play sometimes. It helps keep my observation skills sharp." I pointed to a woman jogging toward our building with a border collie. "Let's call her Jess. She's happy with her life and loves her dog. She's health conscious, but isn't afraid to indulge a little. She's open to new people and experiences, but likes the comfort of things she's accustomed to."
Bruin looked at me over his cup, one brow cocked and obscured by damp, brown bangs. As good as he looked he smelled even better. Sandalwood soap mixed with a faint musky scent of clean male and the outdoors. "So, is that a guess or do you actually believe it?"
"Well, it's a guess, but I bet I'm not far from the truth."
Bruin popped a strawberry in his mouth and licked the juice from his bottom lip. "Okay, I'll bite. You know this, how?"
I swallowed the last of my bagel and washed it down with a sip of coffee. "Observation. Take in the visual cues people give off. It's part of my job to observe people and figure out what's going on under the surface."
Bruin stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his ankles while he studied my expression. "Okay Sherlock, so what kind of read do you get off me?"
I confiscated the strawberry he'd picked up, plucked the stem and took stock. Ignoring the sultry smile and all that taut bronze skin, I looked deeper. "You're passionate and fun, have a strong sense of justice and aren't afraid of conflict. My guess is, you or someone you love was badly hurt and no one stepped in."
Bruin's expression remained passively blank but the tension in the air ratcheted.
I continued. "You're a lethal fighter, but a true and giving lover." I bit the berry in half, juice dribbling down my chin. "Extraordinarily tender actually . . . when the mood strikes you."
Bruin caught my hand as I grabbed for a napkin and knelt in front of me. Sliding his fingers behind my neck, he tugged me forward and kissed the juice from my skin. Slow, warm sweeps of his lips worked their way from my jaw to the corner of my mouth. "What if I said the mood was striking me as we speak?"
His eyes held that sexual glimmer I'd become familiar with a few hours ago. It triggered a Pavlovian bloom and just like that, I lost all reason. What had this guy done to me? "I'd say the terrace is too public in daylight. I'd also say you're relentless."
He nodded and pulled me to my feet. "Insatiable."
"Yeah, you're an animal all right," Kobi said. I jumped and spun to where Bruin's fight-night partner leaned against the frame of the open sliding glass doors. In black jeans and muscle shirt he looked like a really bad idea for a really good night. By the smirk on his face he was enjoying himself a little too much at our expense.
Bruin shot him a glare. "Ever heard of knocking, asshole?"
He shrugged. "Heard of it. You got more java? I need a minute. Reign called."
Bruin sighed as Kobi disappeared into the suite. As he reached the glass door he looked back. "Don't move. I'll get rid of him and we'll finish what we started."
I set my mug on the tray with our plates. "How about I give you two some privacy and make a quick run to my office. I've got a couple file folders I want to grab and have a change of clothes there too. I'll check in with my life and meet you downstairs in say . . . an hour?"
"Or, I could get rid of Kobi, finish what we started and then zip you to your office before dinner to grab your clothes." He waggled his brow and sucked me into his lecherous embrace.
I struggled against the cage of his hold, but it was a half-hearted effort at best. "But we'd just end up on the living room floor or the dining room table . . . again and the odds of us actually making it to dinner will be out the window."
He flashed me a devilish smile and raised my hand to his kiss.
<
br /> "And by the way your stomach growled earlier, you need to eat, big guy."
He leaned forward, brushing my ear with his lips as whispered, "I could make a meal of you and die a happy man."
"Yo, Romeo," Kobi said, boomeranging back up the hall, coffee mug in hand. "Cut the cord and let her out the fucking door. I need a minute."
Bruin pulled back and exhaled heavy. "You're a pain in my ass, Kobi. You know that?"
"It's my life's work."
Bruin scowled, walking me to the door. "Well, everyone needs a purpose."
I found my purse where it had landed as we'd stumbled in, and bent down to scoop up my belongings. Bruin met me on the rug and gathered up a pile of business cards and my Taser.
He held up my weapon and chuckled. "We're you planning on using this on me?"
"Only if you got outta hand."
He handed back my stuff and I slipped him one of my cards. "This is my cell number if you need to call about dinner. Or who knows, you might come back to town after this weekend and feel the need to rescue someone."
I pushed onto my tip-toes and kissed him. His lips were warm and soft. With a sigh, I slung the straps of my purse over my shoulder. "I'll see you downstairs in an hour."
Bruin fingered the straps of my purse and nodded. "I'll see you to your truck—"
As he scanned the card, his eyes narrowed. "The Vancouver Sun? Wha—You're a reporter?"
"Why do you look like someone just bashed you in the boys with a cricket paddle?"
He scrubbed his palm across his jaw a scowl covering his previously perfect face. "I thought you were some kind of therapist. You said you observe people . . . interpret what they're not saying."
"Right. I'm an investigative journalist. I mainly focus on wildlife protection and poaching, but don’t discriminate. If another story comes along I write it."
Bruin’s expression blanked right out and he cast a fleeting glance to Kobi.
"What's the problem?"
He cleared his throat and forced a smile. "No problem. I just remembered why Reign called. I totally spaced. Kobi and I are supposed to meet up with him." He grabbed his key card and opened the door. "I have to bail on dinner. Sorry. Rain check?"