His Prize (The Cleaners Book 1)

by Doris O'Connor

  She felt his lips curl up into a smile against her neck, and another shiver of pure need raced through her when he nibbled her earlobe, and shifting slightly buried his hands in her hair, and gave a sharp tug.

  “Talk to me, pumpkin. Or have I worn you out?”

  He laughed when she moaned and reluctantly opened her eyes again to find him studying her.

  “Hello there, sweetheart.”

  Oh, the way he rolled that simple endearment around his tongue, it did something to her, and against her better judgment she smiled at him.

  “Hi.” She wriggled, and taking the hint at last Ren reached between them and slowly withdrew. Her internal muscles protested the move, and Susie winced at the soreness left behind. Much to her surprise, Ren reached up and released her wrists from the cuffs. Not that she could bring her arms down, and seemingly realizing her predicament, Ren swore softly under his breath.

  “Stay right there. I’ll take care of you. Let me just get rid of this thing.”

  Belatedly she realized he was wearing a condom, and she breathed a sigh of relief at his foresight. She had been in no position to demand he did so, that’s if she’d even remembered to make sure he protected her, which she hadn’t of course.

  Susie winced as she tried to shift her arms and couldn’t. They didn’t seem to belong to her anymore, and she grunted her frustration when she could manage the barest twitch of her fingers. Her legs, at least fared better, as she managed to turn her ankles.

  “That’s it, keep wriggling those pinkies for me. Get that circulation going again. I’m sorry, pumpkin, but this will hurt.”

  The concern in Ren’s deep drawl meant her heart gave several more suspicious bumps against her chest bone, before she cried out in pain, when he brought first one and then the other arm down. She couldn’t see his expression, hidden as it was by his hair, as he concentrated on the task of massaging each one of her limbs until the feeling returned to them, but he kept up a soothing monologue of praise, which meant she would have taken anything for him right now.

  When he at long last seemed satisfied that she was back to normal, and having freed her out of all restraints, he surprised her again, by fetching a warm wash cloth from the bathroom. By the time he’d tenderly washed her down, Susie could barely keep her eyes open.

  Ren laughed when she yawned out loud, and climbing back into bed with her, spooned his big body around her in a lover’s embrace that seemed utterly out of sorts to the odd relationship they seemed to be having. Could you call this a relationship at all?

  “Stop overthinking things, and go to sleep, pumpkin.” Ren’s gentle admonishment freed her of the thoughts swirling in her brain, and sighing she relaxed into the cuddle he offered. “That’s my girl. We’ll talk in the morning. It’s been one hell of a day, and I need my sleep.”

  His even breathing told her that he must have fallen asleep almost immediately, and soothed by his presence Susie, too, eventually drifted back off again. Nightmares plagued her sleep however. Cruel, twisted images of Ren covered in blood, and doing unspeakable acts to God only knew who. Brian’s sneering face also loomed large. In her dreams he had come for her, and Ren handed her over to him with a smirk. Gasping for breath she woke up, only to find Ren awake and watching her.

  “Let it go, pumpkin. I told you I took care of your problems, didn’t I?” His firm lips kicked up into a grim smile, when she whispered Brian’s name.

  “Yeah, he’s fish food, baby, as are most of his goons. It was rather satisfying to clean house, and I’ll have to thank that judge for putting him out on bail. Made getting to the fucker that much easier, especially as I prefer to work with my hands. He squealed like a fucking girl in the end. I should have filmed it to show you really.”

  Susie shook her head and swallowed convulsively to stop herself from being sick, especially as there was no mistaking the hard rod prodding against her thigh. Violence seemed to turn Ren on, and that should terrify her. However her mind might scream at the wrongness of it all, her body wasn’t listening. Not when Ren looked at her with that hooded, lustful expression, and rubbed his thumb over her rapidly hardening nipples. Still sore from his earlier attention to them, the slight abrasion of his calloused pad sent shivers of need across her body, and her breathing sped up. Ren pushed one of his thighs between hers, and everything inside of her tensed, when the action meant the thick head of his cock slid through her pussy lips.

  “Always so fucking wet for me, girl.”

  With that he slid into her body, and Susie moaned at the feel of his large shaft stretching her. Slowly and with surprising tenderness, Ren took ownership of her body again, while he claimed her mouth in a kiss.

  “Relax, baby, let me in.”

  The soothing command was all she needed to let go, and Susie’s breathing sped up in tune to his thrusts in and out of her. Unlike his earlier claim, this was a slow, tender coupling that only served to further scramble her brains. Every thrust and retreat made her sink further into his ownership, and when he reached around and flicked her clit with his thumb, Susie shuddered her release. Only then did Ren flip her over. Pinned under his body weight, he brought her arms up, and clasping their fingers together, he surged back into her.

  Driving deep on every down stroke he pounded her into the mattress, while holding her gaze, and he murmured his approval, when she brought her legs up. Pushing down on his calves she lifted her hips up to meet him halfway, and the tingles of need started again. Ren smirked at her needy moan, and shifted slightly until he hit her sweet spot with every thrust.

  “Let go for me, pumpkin. One more time. Show me how much my sweet little cunt wants my cock. That’s it. So fucking good.”

  The dirty words, panted as they were, as he lost control proved the ultimate catalyst, and throwing her head back, Susie gave herself over to the carnal pleasures Ren wrung from her. He joined her moments later, stiffening above her, before he came with a shout. Head buried in her breasts, he pumped into her a few more times, before he stilled, and they lay there panting for breath. Eventually, he moved off her, and stalked back to bathroom pulling the protection off as he walked. Susie indulged herself by admiring his ass. In the dim light, she could see the myriad of scars marring his body, and she shivered. Whether it was due to the cool air skittering over her sweaty skin, or the realization why he had those scars, she couldn’t be sure.

  The toilet flushed, and moments later Susie was treated to a full frontal view of Ren. His torso held even more scars. Several holes, which must have been bullets, old knife scars, a nasty burn mark on his shoulder, and a fresh and angry looking bruise across his right pectoral.

  Susie scooted into a sitting position when Ren joined her on the bed, and his jaw tensed when she traced the purple mark with her fingertips.

  “What happened?” she asked. Ren stopped her frantic exploration of his scars by grasping her hand and lifting it up to his mouth. Her mouth went dry when he turned her hand over and pressed a lingering kiss to her palm.

  “Occupational hazard, pumpkin, that’s all. It’s nothing.”

  He held onto her hand when she would have pulled away. Ren wrapped his free hand in her hair and tilted her head so that she had no choice but to look at him. A whimper escaped her when he tightened his hold on her. Not so much that it hurt, just enough to ground her, to let her know he was still very much in charge here, and the submissive inside her sighed in relief. This was what she needed after all, to stop the thoughts swirling in her head, and she offered him a tentative smile.

  “Can I ask you something, Sir?”

  Heat flared in his eyes at the use of the title, and his smile of approval further grounded her in this moment. To hell with thoughts of right and wrong. When he looked at her like that, all she wanted to do was sink to her knees, curl around his legs and let him take care of everything else.

  “Of course, sweetheart, though you might not like the answer.” His accompanying wink took away some of the underlying threat his w
ords appeared to imply, and Susie rushed on before she lost her nerve.

  “Why did you kill Brian?” The hand in her hair tightened imperceptibly, and his jaw clenched. The subtle reaction to her question made her heart beat faster, especially when he didn’t meet her gaze.

  “He had it coming, that’s all.”

  “Why now though?” A tick appeared in his jaw, and he still wouldn’t look at her, but at a spot above her shoulder. It gave her the courage to press on with her questioning. “I mean, he’s been working for the Priestly brothers like forever, and now you chose to take him out. Start a whole turf war from the sounds of it. I…”

  She stopped talking when he released her, ran a hand over his face, and then climbed into bed next to her. Without saying a word he stretched out, pulled the covers up, and folded his hands behind his head. He looked the picture of nonchalance if you ignored that tell-tale tic in his jaw.

  “Like I said he had it coming. Huntly doesn’t look kindly on scum that is involved in human trafficking. Let alone when it happens on his turf. Like it or not your grandmother’s house is in our territory, and an attack like that, especially to one of our girls, is unacceptable.” He paused, flicked her a glance, and Susie’s mouth went dry. “And he hurt you.”

  Ren gave a sharp nod when she gasped in answer.

  “I told you. You’re mine, and I look after what’s mine. Those fuckers would have come looking for you again, so the boys and I took care of them. Brian, I dealt with on my own. When they find his body it will set a nice example as to what happens to people who cross me.”

  Susie couldn’t help her shiver, and Ren frowned when she drew her knees up to her chest in a futile effort to make herself as small as possible. He reached across to her, and his expression grew murderous when she flinched away from him. Susie regretted that move immediately, because Ren turned his back on her. He picked up a remote from the night stand, and the room descended into complete darkness.

  “Go to sleep, girl, and don’t even think of escaping. I’ll only hunt you down and make you pay for crossing me.”

  With those ominous words, he went back to sleep, if his even breathing was anything to go by. Susie tried her best to do the same, but it proved useless. Her mind just wouldn’t shut up, and when she couldn’t ignore the urgent demands of her bladder anymore, she kicked off the cover, and gingerly made her way round the bed. She breathed a sigh of relief when her fingertips found the remote she had seen him use, and eventually she got the lights to work enough so that she could see, without fearing she was going to break her neck. Ren’s harsh features had relaxed in his sleep. It meant he looked less menacing, yet still sexy as hell.

  How long she stood there watching him sleep, she couldn’t say, but eventually she had to move. Having relieved herself, she rummaged through her suitcases for something to wear, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found the sport bra and shorts right at the top. Leggings and an oversized t-shirt later, she felt far less exposed, and also very aware of how long it had been since she’d last eaten.

  There was no food down here, as far as she could tell, but there had to be a fully stocked larder somewhere in this house. Ren seemed to share this place with his men, and they would need food to keep going. Susie approached the bottom of the stairs and froze when Ren mumbled something. Was he awake? Was she about to get another punishment for having moved and gotten dressed without his permission? Then again, he wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of letting her pack something, if he intended to keep her locked up and naked forever more, would he? Her head started to throb in protest at her convoluted thought processes. A quick glance over to the bed showed Ren to be still fast asleep, one arm flung over his head, the other one curled into the pillow Susie had been using moments before. The sheet slipped, exposing more of his toned body, and her gaze was drawn to the impressive bulge between his legs. Even in his sleep, he stole her breath, and made her pussy tingle in need. Would she still feel this way, had they met in other circumstances? The sad truth was, she would never know. She was his now to do with as he pleased, and she wouldn’t risk setting him off. From the sounds of it he’d come straight to her after killing Brian, and God only knew how many more people last night. They were criminals for sure, but they were still human beings, and she couldn’t reconcile the rare tender moments he had shown her with the certain knowledge that this man was a killer. He could rip her apart with his bare hands if he so chose, and no one would come to her aid.

  It was a sobering thought indeed, and with her heartbeat pounding in her ears, Susie ascended the stairs. Much to her surprise the handle turned and the heavy door swung open easily enough. It opened into a long hallway, and taking a deep breath in, Susie stepped onto the long oriental runner that sat on top the polished oak flooring. The door whooshed shut behind her, and a clock chimed the hour somewhere in the house.

  Eight gongs later, Susie had her answer. It was breakfast time, and her tummy rumbled its approval at that thought. Male laughter traveled down the hall, as a door opened and brought with it the enticing smell of coffee. Nose in the air, Susie followed that scent, straight past the front door. After all, there was no point in running, if she wanted to live.

  Chapter Six

  Ren reached across the bed, expecting to find a soft female body and frowned when his fingers encountered nothing but a cushion.

  “What the fuck?”

  The light was on, dimmed so as not to wake him, and he swore under his breath when he saw her open suitcase. Disappointment sat heavy in his gut. She wouldn’t get very far if she’d run, but, dammit, he’d hoped she wouldn’t. He’d have to kill her, and that thought made his gut twist in horror.

  Fuck.

  He deliberately hadn’t locked the door, testing her, safe in the knowledge that he’d wake up the minute she stirred and thus would be able to stop her. The fact that he hadn’t, and judging by the stone cold sheet on her side, she had been gone a while didn’t sit well with him. He never slept that soundly, so what the fuck was that all about?

  Pulling on some joggers, he took the stairs three at a time, and stopped dead when he yanked open the fire door at the top.

  Someone was cooking breakfast, and there was bacon involved, unless he was very much mistaken. The delicious smell made his stomach growl in need, reminding him that it had been hours since he’d last eaten, and he’d used up a fair amount of calories since then. Unbidden an image of Susie, bound, naked and at his mercy popped in his head, and predictably his cock stiffened in answer. She’d been so beautifully responsive to him it made her apparent betrayal even harder to swallow. A glance at the front door showed it to be unlocked, and Ren swore under his breath. Someone would pay for this, all right.

  Feminine laughter, which could only belong to his little pumpkin, joined the gruff rumble of his men, and breathing a sigh of relief that she was still here, Ren crossed the distance to the kitchen in record time. His mood darkened further, however, when he entered the kitchen to find a positive picture postcard scene of domestic bliss.

  Four of his men sat round the kitchen table, munching themselves through what looked like their body weight in pancakes. His unruly prize was laughing at something Ty said to her, as he put his empty plate in the kitchen sink, where she seemed to be stirring more pancake mixture.

  Ren barely swallowed his growl of annoyance when his right hand man leaned in to swipe a speck of flour off her cheek.

  “Well, isn't this fucking cozy? What the hell is going on here?”

  Chairs scraped back as his men shot to their feet. Susie jumped and dropped the bowl. Pancake mixture splattered across the floor, the kitchen units and up Ty’s trouser legs in result. The other man took a step away and over the worst of the mess, while shaking his head at Ren.

  “Jeez, boss, relax. Now, look what you made her do.”

  “I didn’t make her do anything. Seems to me she’s taken this all on by herself rather than waiting for my instructions. Did I give you
permission to leave the cellar, girl?”

  Susie swallowed hard, clearly worried at his reaction, which she damn well ought to be. Right now he wanted to pummel her ass for her insolence and then fuck her silly, because she was here.

  She didn’t run away.

  The relief that flooded him at finding her here in his kitchen, safe and sound made his heart beat faster and his chest tighten in emotion, which only served to make him angrier. He didn’t want to fucking care about her.

  Her gaze flitted from Ty to Ren’s, which only served to piss him off more. Especially as Ty put his hands on her shoulders and flashed her a grin, guaranteed to melt any women’s panties. Heat blossomed in Susie’s cheeks, and Ren mentally rearranged Ty’s face with his fists.

  “Get your fucking hands off my property, Ty.”

  Ty blew out a breath, and turned around to face him.

  “Ren, seriously. She just made us breakfast. It’s damn good. You should try some.” Ty’s attempt at a smile changed to a frown when Ren’s mood seemed to dawn on him, and with a sigh he lifted his hands off the girl at last.

  Ren gave him a sharp nod, and taking the hint, Ty stepped away and joined the other men. The tension in the room went up tenfold, a far cry from the happy scene he’d interrupted.

  “I asked you a question, girl, I expect an answer.”

  Susie flinched at his growled question, and sank to her knees right in the mess on the floor, when he pointed downward.

  “No, Sir, you didn’t.”

  Her voice sounded very lost and quiet.

  “Then what the fuck are you doing here?” She flinched anew, and a rumble of discontent went up between his men. Ty looked ready to murder him, and the other four all looked as though they wanted to be anywhere but here, which would have been amusing under any other circumstances. Right now, Ren’s sense of humor would appear to have deserted him, however, especially when she mumbled something he couldn’t quite catch.