His Target: The Downing Family Book 4

by Wild, Cassie

  A sudden longing for my mother hit me just then, hard.

  She would have loved to see this.

  By the time she’d died, things between her and my dad had started to change, tension, no doubt, from the lifestyle he’d settled into. Not that I’d ever asked, but I remembered the fights, how upset she’d get.

  After she died, I’d hoped for a while that he’d rethink things, but I’d seen no sign of it really happening.

  But moments like this gave me hope.

  My brothers, even Declan, were all laughing and talking, and my father was quick to join in.

  Such a warm, happy family couldn’t be tangled up in…

  I cut the thought off, as I always did. It was cowardly, but I didn’t want to think about whatever it was that had made my father so rich. Sooner or later, I knew I’d have to face it, but I was more than willing to pay the piper later, rather than sooner.

  Seventeen

  Briar

  I grinned at the sight of the van waiting in the driveway of my house. It was all but crowded up against the edge of the asphalt to make room for my Ferrari California T. The car was insanely luxurious and made me feel every bit the spoiled brat my dad had called me—a loved, pampered spoiled brat with a kick-ass car.

  I climbed out of said car with a smile on my face, and the smile spread even wider as Cormac slid out of the van. The air was cool, but he wore only a short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of battered-looking jeans.

  Stepping into his arms, I gripped his shoulders and rose onto my toes to kiss his cheek. “Weren’t you the guy complaining about it being cold a few days ago?”

  “Maybe I just said that to lure your fine ass into the back of my van,” he said, eyes gleaming.

  I pursed my lips as I studied him, pretending to consider it. “I think I’m okay with that.” Leaning in, I pressed my mouth to his.

  Predictably, my body reacted, my nipples tightening, while a little ball of heat settled in my belly. The lust wasn’t the driving factor, though, and judging by the way he rested his hands on my hips and tugged me in closer, seemingly content just to hold me for a while, I thought maybe he might feel the same way.

  My heart flipped over as he brushed a kiss on the top of my head. I pressed my face into his chest as emotion suddenly washed over me. I’d grown up seeing how crazy in love my parents were, and lately, I’d been seeing friends of mine, including my own brother, fall in love. Was this how Brooks first felt when he realized he was falling for Daria? Was this how she felt?

  “How was work?” Cormac asked, his voice gruff yet soft against my ear.

  Unable to stop the grin from spreading over my face, I pulled back and tipped my head back so I could meet his eyes. “Are you sure you want to know?” I teased him.

  “That depends,” he said, making a face. “Is this a contest of who’s got a stronger stomach? Because if it is, I concede defeat. Please don’t tell me about another insane toddler who jammed a pencil straight up his poor nose.”

  I laughed, delighted with him. Cupping his cheeks in my hands, I pulled his face down until it was on level with mine. I kissed his scowling mouth. “No, nothing so unsettling as that.”

  I decided I wouldn’t tell him about the guy who came in with a candle—complete with the votive-glass candle holder and all—shoved up a bodily orifice. After all, Cormac might not find it as grotesquely amusing as some in the medical field did.

  He made a face at me. “I’m already coming to recognize that glint in your eye. What happened? Did some daft idiot shove a hamster up his bum?”

  Sometimes, that accent of his did me in.

  “No. There were no live animals—or dead ones—harmed during this shift.” I had another unstoppable urge and reached up to trace my finger over the full lower curve of his mouth. “You’ve got an insanely pretty mouth…for a guy.” I batted my lashes at him as I added the last part.

  “And you’ve got an insanely sexy one.” He dipped his head and caught my lower lip between his teeth, giving it a slow, sensual tug. “For a girl.”

  It startled a laugh out of me, and I grinned up at him. “Want to come inside? We can order a pizza, have some wine, and fuck each other until we’re too tired to keep going.”

  “Well…” He bobbed his head back and forth, pretending to consider it. He gave a definitive nod, then added, “But just so you know…I might still be fucking you come sun-up. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

  My insides all but melted. Struggling not to let him see how deeply he was starting to affect me, I pulled away and offered my hand. “Let’s get inside then. I’m going to shower. The take-out menus are in the drawer of the table by the front door. Order whatever appeals. I’ll leave some cash on the kitchen table.”

  * * *

  It wasn’t really a surprise to me to see that the cash was still on the table when we were cleaning up a couple hours later.

  Cormac had proven to be old-fashioned when it came to such things, and while normally, it would bother me, there was something almost…old-worldly about him that made the habit endearing rather than annoying.

  Still, because I didn’t want him to make it a habit, I picked up the bills and waved them in front of him. “Hello! It was my turn to pay.”

  “I forgot,” he said, giving me a look of faux innocence.

  “Sure.” I folded my arms over my chest and glared at him.

  He edged his way closer, looking at me with hooded eyes, mouth curled in a sexy smile that somehow conveyed the idea that he was pouting too. “Don’t be mad, Briar.” He lifted his arms and draped them over my shoulders. Then, in a possessive move that struck me as unbelievably sexy, he X’d his wrists behind my neck, effectively caging me in. “You can’t be mad, really. I was going to ask you out on a date. If you’re mad, that ruins everything.”

  I rolled my eyes at him, but again, he’d somehow managed to make my heart flip over in my chest. “A date, huh? Let me guess. You buy the food, and we make out on my couch.”

  “Well…” He gave me a roguish look. “I wouldn’t mind if we ended up the evening by making out on your couch, and that’s a fact. But I was going to ask if you wanted to come to a Halloween party with me this weekend.”

  He effectively managed to surprise me.

  After a few seconds of stunned surprise, I asked, “A Halloween party?” Almost immediately, horror gripped me. “Please tell me that costumes aren’t required.”

  “Completely at your own discretion. So, does that mean you’re interested?”

  Had anybody else asked me, I think my answer would have been a casual, thanks, but I’ll pass.

  But as Cormac stood there gazing down at me, I found myself smiling at him.

  “I most definitely am interested.”

  * * *

  I actually did dress up…as myself.

  Cormac knocked on the door, and I answered, wearing a pair of scrubs and a fresh lab coat over them, complete with a cheap, ten-dollar throwaway stethoscope. I had several good ones I kept in the house, but I knew how easy it was to lose a good scope. I wasn’t about to use one of them as a prop for a costume.

  His eyes glinted as he looked me up and down. It was a bit unsettling to find that he could even manage to rock skull-face makeup. That’s what he wore—paint on his face that made his features into an oddly realistic skull, paired with a form-fitting black, long-sleeve shirt and black cargos.

  “Out to scare people, I see,” I said, bringing my hands up to curl in the stretchy material of his shirt.

  “Always.” He covered my hands with his. “It’s what I do best, really.”

  There was an odd note of sincerity in his voice that had me cocking my head to study him more closely. “Weird. I’m not scared of you.”

  He pressed his thumb against my lower lip.

  His voice was almost…sad as he replied, “Maybe you should be, love.”

  Before I could ask him what he meant, he pulled away and took my hand. Thankfully, he didn
’t elaborate, and when he smiled at me, there was nothing but the sly, sardonic humor I’d come to associate with him.

  “If you’re ready, darling Briar, then I’ll escort you to your chariot.”

  The chariot was the van he’d been driving when he came to see me at the hospital that day.

  I’d decided that was the safest way to think of it—the van he drove when he came to see me, rather than the van we’d had one hell of a hot, urgent quickie in while I was working.

  As we parked on a street where only half of the lights worked, I looked over at him. “Interesting area of Philadelphia you picked.”

  “Yeah.” He shot me a wide grin. “You’re not scared, are you, princess?”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Please.”

  His response was a bark of laughter, and I turned away from him in a huff. “I’ve been up to my wrists in entrails. If you think some busted lights are going to bother me, you really need to take a better look at me.”

  “I do little else but look at you, Briar,” he murmured, his mouth a breath away from my ear. “Haven’t you noticed?”

  I had no chance to respond because he slid from the vehicle. By the time he’d circled around, I’d convinced my heart to calm down and thought maybe I looked relatively collected as he helped me down out of the van.

  We hadn’t even made it five steps up the busted sidewalk of the old brick house when a cute, perky blonde appeared in front of me. “Is that you, Cormac?” she asked, her voice high-pitched, but it sounded almost natural. “I swear, I’d recognize that ass of yours anywhere.”

  She slid me a look from the corner of her eye before focusing her attention back on him.

  Was that supposed to get to me?

  Judging by the glint in her eyes, I decided that it had absolutely been the intention behind her catty greeting.

  “Melia,” Cormac said in a cool voice.

  She didn’t let it get to her. Or if she did, it wasn’t obvious. She turned her attention to me, and in a cooing voice, commented, “Oh, aren’t you adorable? Pretending to be a doctor for Halloween?”

  “Yes,” I said in a deadpan voice. “I’m…pretending.” Tilting my head to the side, I asked, “And you’re a…rabbit?”

  Her pretty mouth puckered in a scowl. “I’m a Playboy Bunny, thank you.”

  “Damn. If you were really a rabbit, I would have told you that I borrowed the clothes from my job…where I’m a surgeon.”

  Her eyes widened. Almost immediately, the surprise left her face, and she waved a hand in my direction. “That’s cute, sweetie. I almost believed you there.”

  Cormac stroked a hand down my back. “Not really a stretch, Melia. She was the one who fixed me up after that fight I was in. She works over at the hospital close to the shop.” He slanted a look at me. “The doctor thing totally works for me, Briar. But if you ever feel the need to wear one of those sexy nurse get-ups, I’m all for that too.”

  I choked on my laugh as he led me away.

  “Sexy nurse?” I asked, struggling to keep a straight face. “You know how unrealistic those get-ups are?”

  “It’s not about realism,” he said with a shrug. “It’s about fantasy.” He stopped on the steps, one above me, and turned that hot, sexy smile on me. “You can appreciate a good fantasy from time to time, can’t you, Briar?”

  “Who wouldn’t appreciate a good fantasy from time to time?” I replied, struggling to keep my tone level.

  The truth was that I’d been…appreciating a good fantasy or two a day ever since he’d come into my life.

  He reached out and caught my ponytail in his fist, tugging my head back and staring down at me. I half-hoped he’d kissed me, but he didn’t. If it wasn’t for the skull make-up he wore, I would have kissed him.

  After a few taut seconds, he murmured, “Maybe sometime soon, you can tell me all about your fantasies. And I’ll tell you mine.”

  He released his hold on my hair then and turned, catching my hand in a gesture that was almost absent, but at the same time…familiar. Too familiar. Everything about him, about us, this…it all fit.

  With a tightening in my chest, I followed him into the house.

  I told myself not to read anything into what we had going between us.

  I all but insisted on it.

  But oddly…nothing in me really gave a good damn.

  * * *

  I hadn’t done too many parties when I first started college. It was understandable, considering that I’d already started my residency when I was nineteen. Most people my age were just finishing up college, but I’d done that when I was sixteen.

  Even some of the biggest partiers on a college campus were a bit reluctant to hang out with somebody who was still technically jailbait, so I went my entire college career without attending a single party.

  That changed once I finally started medical school, but while a few of those parties had been raucous, they didn’t quite compare to the events unfolding around Cormac and me.

  I’d passed more than a few people who looked like they were on the verge of either fighting or fucking, and I was almost certain that one of the couples had definitely been fucking. She’d been sitting on his lap, eyes practically rolling back in her head every few seconds. During the other seconds, she looked to be conversing with the person in front of her. She sat with her back to her…um… Date? Boyfriend? I had no idea, but there was something just a bit too…torrid about the way he gripped her hips and urged her back and forth against him for me to believe they weren’t going at it.

  A couple of others stood by, watching them with varying shades of surprise and intrigue, so I knew I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed something…odd.

  It was more than a little disconcerting for me to realize that I found it oddly erotic, watching the two of them.

  Cormac, damn his eyes, noticed too.

  He’d been talking to a friend—I couldn’t remember the guy’s name, but then abruptly, he dipped his head and whispered in my ear. “If you’re that keen on what’s going on, you and I can give these people a show. But you wouldn’t be as quiet as she, love. I guarantee you that.”

  I should have been appalled.

  To be truthful, part of me was…shocked. Completely and utterly shocked.

  But that wasn’t the dominant feeling in control as I turned my head and looked up at him.

  I was shocked. Shocked and aroused…and intrigued.

  “Are you interested?” he asked, mouth close to my ear. “I can find a spot, nudge your knickers down just enough…we can use that jacket as cover. I could be inside you in a moment. Most people will know, even if they can’t see anything. But I should warn you…if I get inside you and you change your mind…well, I’ll do my best to change it back. I’ll fuck you good and proper, and you’ll beg for it.”

  My knees felt weak.

  I had to lock them just to stay upright. But finally, I managed to turn my head and look up at him.

  “Well. What’s your answer?” he asked.

  “I…I don’t think so,” I told him, my voice coming out on a breathy sigh.

  “Then you better quit looking at me like that. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself getting a good, hard fuck.” He brushed my hair back from my face, eyes intent on mine. “Understand me?”

  * * *

  In theory, I’d understood him perfectly.

  But theory and reality were two totally different beasts, I was coming to understand.

  And I hadn’t thought it completely through when I rose up onto my toes and caught his lower lip between my teeth, forgetting entirely about what it might do to his skull-face make-up and my face. “Promises, promises,” I whispered to him as I let go.

  It hadn’t taken him more than two minutes to sweep us out of the room.

  I now had no idea where we were, but I’d figured out some important details.

  My pants were around my ankles, and so were my panties.

  I was facing the wall, bent over
with my hands braced on some hard, flat surface, while Cormac filled me from behind.

  My scrub pants were trapped around my ankles, making it impossible to spread my legs, while he filled me, hard and rough, one hand on my hip, the other gripping my breast.

  “Tell me you want me, Briar,” Cormac demanded.

  I opened my mouth to respond, but I couldn’t find my voice.

  “Say it,” he said, voice raspy and raw. He reached down and plunged his hand between my thighs, working my clit until it was so swollen, it hurt. “Say it, Briar. Tell me you want me to fuck you.”

  “Please…” I whimpered. “Cormac, please…”

  But the words that came from me weren’t exactly what he’d insisted on hearing from me.

  “Cormac…please…make love to me…don’t ever stop…”

  Eighteen

  Cormac

  Make love to me…don't ever stop.

  I’d never once concerned myself with phrases like making love.

  At least not until she’d spoken them.

  It had changed everything, and in ways that were making it hard for me to think clearly.

  Make love to me…don't ever stop.

  Love.

  For the longest time, I’d told myself that love was just a lie people told each other to explain away stupid shit. In my mind, my parents, who had claimed to love each other, had just stayed together because it was easier to do it that way.

  Admittedly, I had a lousy history when it came to dealing with that odd emotion.

  My parents had claimed to love me, but when things got rough, they hadn’t stood by me. Their excuse had been…sometimes, tough love is the only way to go, Cormac.

  I’d seen it as a cop-out. If love was real, then people wouldn’t want those they loved to suffer.

  But maybe it hadn’t been about suffering, the way I’d thought. It had been about…wanting something better. Not for themselves, really, but for the one they’d loved. The one that kept fucking up.