Her thrashing stops almost immediately, and I groan when she starts kissing me back and pulling at my hair to get me closer. I want inside her right now, right fucking now, I think when I remember the way I felt just two hours ago and the terror I felt that we’d miss her.
“Jared,” she mumbles against my lips and I pull my mouth away to glare down at her.
“What the hell were you thinking? What the fuck were you thinking?!” I yell, letting my emotions run free now that my heart is beating again. “It’s a trap. It’s a fucking—”
“I know,” she says softly, cutting me off by laying a feather-soft hand over my lips as she smiles sadly. “I know, Sugar Bear.”
That only pisses me off even more and I feel my blood start boiling when she bites her lips and shrugs.
“Why?”
“Because I need to,” she answers softly. “It’s about more than just proving that I can, Jared. They got Lynn.”
“I know that, baby. Did you really think Miah would let them know where she is without taking at least some precautions?” I ask, kissing her again because I just can’t help myself.
That gets her attention and she stills beneath me, looking up at me with her big, golden cat eyes.
“You know.”
“Yeah, we’ve got an ex-SEAL buddy eyeballing her as we speak,” I murmur, going in for another kiss that has my dick going pike hard in mere seconds.
I want nothing more right now than to strip her bare and make love to her so hard and long, she won’t even dare to think of defying me ever again. Or putting herself in danger.
But this Goddamned bed is disgusting and I’d die before I take her on dirty sheets. So instead of doing what my body is begging me for, I pull away and sit up, shifting her onto my lap for a long overdue talk.
“Tell me what’s going on with you, Cupcake. If this is because I sprang the marriage thing on you—”
“No! No!” she whimpers, turning to me with such vehement love that I feel myself finally relax. “This was always unavoidable, Jared, and I knew it the moment I put that toxin in Cleo’s tea. The vote must be cast, that’s the way it works, baby. They would have come for me if I didn’t go for them, and I can’t put the family in that kind of danger. Besides, I told you that Roman is not the bad guy here, and I have to help him if I can. I failed him last time, Jared. I can’t do that again,” she says quietly, her eyes imploring me to understand.
I don’t. Maybe because I don’t want to. All I do know is that I won’t let her anywhere near those murdering scum as long as I have breath in me.
“The estate is secure—”
“I got out without anyone knowing when or how, Jared. You think one of the Patriots mercenaries won’t find a way in?” she asks sombrely, making me curse and close my eyes.
“I can’t let you do this, Paulie, please. Don’t ask me to because you know how much I hate saying no to you, baby.”
It hurts me when she’s disappointed and she damn well knows it, something I see when she grins at me and kisses me soundly.
“I have to. I can’t walk away without one of them coming for me. I am proxy. If you have a better plan to keep them from going to your family’s place for me, then tell me, baby, but if you don’t then we need to rethink and come to a compromise. Before Jerry or one of the others lose patience and come for me.”
She’s right and I hate that she is. She’s exposed a weakness we didn’t know was there, and after we iron things out, we’ll have to find the weak spots and fortify shit nice and tight.
For now I need to think of something that will satisfy us both, because if not, I’ll either have to let her go or tie her to me till this shit ends.
“Can’t you transfer—”
“Nope. Tried that already when Jerry deadlocked a vote and I was undecided. It’s mine till Cleo wakes up.”
“Shit,” I growl, pushing her to the bed to stand and start pacing.
I can’t stand the thought of her going into danger and it’s killing me that by doing this, I would be breaking one of the vows I made to her after finding her in that alley just days ago.
It feels like an eternity has passed in the last few days, and I could almost forgive myself for the weakness that keeps gripping me if not for the reminder that she could die twice in less than a week if anything goes wrong.
But I also have my family to think about. Paulie is right and I hate it, but I can’t ignore it. She has to go or the first place these pigs will go is to my family.
We’re strong and I’m not afraid of them, but as we’ve already noted, they have weapons that could kill my entire clan so quickly, it’s terrifying. That’s why we’re here in the first place, because Uncle Sam asked us to shut this shit down before innocent lives are lost.
Lives like Ma and Pop and little Al and my precious Josh.
“Tell me then,” I finally say, lowering myself into a chair to face her.
Paulie smiles softly and shrugs, a move that drives me nuts and she knows it.
“I called Clyde while you were chasing me.”
“Paulette.”
Those lips twitch again and I pull at my hair in an attempt not to start yelling at her.
“Calm down, baby. He’s not exactly in any position to hurt me with what I have on him, so you need to calm down and listen to me,” she says slowly, waiting patiently for me as I struggle with my temper before taking another breath and nodding.
“Tell me.”
“About three months ago the cops brought in another shipment stolen from evidence. Seems that it’s easy to get it all in one go because they’re paying off the receiver at the police compound where the drugs go to be destroyed. So anyway, the shipment came in and Cleo put me in charge of it from start to finish. Only I never got to execute my plans because I caught Clyde doing a double deal. He was fudging the intake records and selling to one of the gangs in the city.”
Ah, so she’s got him.
“You caught him stealing and kept it quiet?”
“Nope.” She smiles, making me fall in love with her even more. “I got it on tape. That’s the only reason he didn’t kill me like he was ordered to, and instead dumped me in that alley for you to find. He got scared when I finally got to tell him about the video evidence I have. They wouldn’t just kill him for stealing, Jared, you know that.”
I do know and that’s why when she’s out of this and clear of it all, I will personally send that video to Jerry and watch them tear the shit apart.
“So what now?”
“Now I go to that meeting with Clyde Rydell and his lover Andrew Huley at my back, ready to vote my way.” She chuckles, nodding at my shocked expression.
“Clyde and Andrew?”
“Nuh-uh. Clyde, Andrew, and Cleo.”
Well shit.
“I have to be there.”
“Sure if you can be there and still be far enough away not to get us busted.”
That’s when I smile because I know exactly how I’ll protect her without being right beside her, and I honestly look forward to it.
Chapter Ten
Paulette
After my little bombshell and one of the most terrifyingly confident smiles I’ve ever seen from Jared, he picks me up and carries me to the car.
We drive for exactly an hour before reaching a hotel that looks clean enough to eat off the floor and books us all in under false names that are written on the back of a few hundred-dollar bills.
The ride up is exhausting because I haven’t slept at all besides that fitful sleep on the flea motel’s bed, but the minute I get into the room I feel it all melt away when he grabs me and pulls me into his body.
His mouth lands on mine and I moan when his hard length pushes closer, thrusting at my sex in slow circles that have my blood and need boiling to a point that has me desperate in under a minute.
“Jared.”
“Shh, baby, it’s okay,” he murmurs, holding my mouth open to lick at me while he methodically str
ips us both and pushes me down onto the bed.
I’m not nervous as he slowly comes down over me and pushes my legs apart with his hips.
He loves me. He really loves me and I can’t help but feel turned on by the knowledge that this perfect man wants me so desperately that he’s drive an hour just to find a clean bed for us.
I feel cherished and desperately needed when he pushes away and releases my mouth to look down at me with eyes so full of adoration.
“I want you so much,” he whispers, leaning down to lick at my parted lips with a groan. “I don’t want to hurt you, Cupcake.”
He’s trembling above me as I push my fingers into his hair and pull him down to meet my lips, kissing him with more heat than finesse, needing him to lose the fear and do whatever it is he needs.
I kiss him so much, with so much tongue and the wet melding of lips, that I’m gratified when his hips shoot down and the solid length of his erection hits the slippery valley between my legs.
He groans at the contact and I let out a moan of my own when the head of his sex touches my clit and sets the little pearl throbbing with insistent need.
“Please, Jared,” I plead, letting go of his face to grab at his hips.
I want him touching me everywhere, inside and out. I’m so hot and ready for him that I feel the slide of more moisture pool from my clenching sheath.
“I’m so wet and empty, baby. Please,” I beg again when all he does is kiss me and pull his hips farther back.
My words have the desired effect and I feel him groan into my mouth before settling the length of his throbbing sex in the rift between my folds.
In this position, I can’t help the needy roll and thrust of my hips as I grind closer and start seeking satisfaction from the friction created by his slowly sliding dick over my clit.
The rhythm he sets is explosive and I’m clutching at him, digging my nails deeper into his hips as he pushes in and starts rolling over me.
“You’re so hot, baby,” he groans, pulling away with a snarl when I try to grab him and get off before he can stop me. “No. We’ll do this right.”
I start to protest and groan instead when he moves and latches on to my nipple, sucking hard and fast as I thrash and push closer, lost in the feel of a mouth on my breasts for the first time.
It feels so good. I love his mouth and the way he gently nibbles at my nipples before sucking strongly enough that I feel the pull in my clit.
He keeps that up for ages, moaning and snarling into my flesh as if he can’t get enough of my taste. It’s only when I’m crying out and pleading for more that he releases my aching breasts and moves down, pausing to run his nose through the sparse sprinkling of hair on my mons. I almost climax right then when he drags his nose down lower and rubs it and mouth over my nub, closing his eyes as if the scent of me is killing him with pleasure.
I feel so much love and desperation once again hits me when he suddenly opens his eyes and stares up at me as his tongue flicks out to lick me.
“Oh God.”
The moan is ripped from somewhere deep within and I hardly breathe as he starts licking at me as if sampling my essence. This time he groans, long and loud, and then I’m crying out when he seems to lose his iron will and starts sucking and licking at me in a frenzy.
“Taste so good,” he growls and I almost come when he dives lower and pierces me with his nimble tongue.
The sensation is so consuming that I’m riding his face before I can stop myself, desperately seeking the release hovering just out of touch. I feel empty inside. I need him inside me, filling me.
“Please. Please take me,” I gasp, almost going crazy when he pulls his tongue free and latches on to my bud. “Please!”
The growl he lets out is part frustration when he suddenly rears up over me and meets my lips in a kiss that steals my sanity.
“Don’t tense up,” he whispers just before lining up with my opening and pushing in so slowly, I feel every movement of his sex as he steadily fills me.
It pinches a little, because no matter how wet and ready I am, he is so much bigger, but it feels so good when my muscles finally relent and open for him. I moan and try to break free of his hold on my hips, wanting harder, faster, something.
His snarl is a warning and I attempt to keep still till he finally reaches my limits and lets out a quaking groan.
“So hot and tight. You’re so perfect,” he gasps, searching for control when all I want is for him to move and release the ache brewing inside me.
“Move, Jared.”
He obeys and starts moving slowly, thrusting in and out in a languid drag.
“Ah, harder.”
His eyes close and I feel him tremble a second before he opens those blue jewels and spears my gaze with his. And then he really starts moving, throwing one of my legs over his shoulder to get a deeper angle.
“Ah, yes, oh yes, more,” I sob, digging my fingers into his shoulders when the coiling mass deep inside my abdomen tightens to the point of pain before releasing in a sudden and explosive wave of the most consuming pleasure I’ve ever felt.
The orgasm is endless and intense, stealing my sight, sense, and reason as I feel my sex clench and release around his girth in painful yet blissful swallows.
It’s tight and hot and so good that it takes only two more thrusts before Jared pushes in hard, as deep as he can go, and releases with a bellow that rattles the walls.
I feel every pulse deep inside and shudder delicately as the last quake leaves me just when he collapses and groans into my neck.
“That was…”
Words fail me as he rolls to his back, keeping us linked as he pulls me over his chest and settles me over his wildly beating heart.
He groans under his breath and I feel one last pulse leave him before he relaxes with a sigh.
I want to shout my love and joy and do it all over again right now, just to prove to myself that I’m not dreaming the unearthly pleasure I just felt.
I fall asleep instead to the sound of Jared’s heart and his adoring whispers as he plays with my hair.
***
Jared
The fear of what’s to come is so strong that I find myself lying awake for the rest of the night, just breathing Cupcake in as she slumbers softly against my heart.
The perfection of the lovemaking we shared is still so fresh and intense in my mind that it scares me a bit just thinking of that bond, only hours before I know that she’ll be walking directly into a danger I can’t shield her from.
I hate this whole mess. If I were a better mate, I’d grab her and run, leave it all behind. Fortunately for us both, I know that would never work because she wouldn’t allow it.
No, my Paulie is a fighter, soft heart and all, and she’d never abandon my family or the innocent people that will be lost if the Patriots are allowed to keep thriving day by day.
I don’t like it, though, and that’s all I can repeat to myself as she snuggles closer with a sigh and smiles in her sleep just as the sun rises to bathe her beautiful face in a soft glow that makes her resemble a perfect, fallen angel.
The plan that we have is simple, and it’s so sketchy that my nerves are strung tight with everything that could go wrong in the blink of an eye. Case, Jace, and I are excellent snipers and I have every faith in our ability to keep Paulie safe, even from hundreds of yards away.
My nerves come in not knowing how Rydell is going to react or how things will shake down with Roman. I want my brother back and that’s the only thing stopping me from stalking into that warehouse Paulie told me about and beating him bloody for putting us all through this hell.
He’s a bastard for doing this to us, and I know that of us all, Miah is the one suffering most for his stupidity in trusting Roman. I’m not saying he’s the bad guy here, but he is in danger and Miah is slowly going insane the longer this shit drags out
I ought to just march in there, shoot them all, and drag Roman home by the fucking ear for Ma
to take care of. I bet you’d really like that, huh, you selfish asshole, I sneer, fighting the anger that keeps trying to break free every time I think of Roman and his selfish behavior.
The sun is finally up and shining brightly when I feel Paulie stretch awake and look up at me with a sleepy smile that’s sexy and cute all at once.
“Morning, Cupcake,” I purr, kissing her silly despite both our morning breaths and her squeal of protest.
I kiss her deeply and purr at her flavor, getting a purr in return when her tongue pops out to lick into my mouth. I want to make love to her again, once more, but I stop myself and pull away instead, chuckling cockily at her squeak of annoyed disapproval.
I refuse to go again,, simply because it hints at the desperation and the hopelessness that keeps trying to overtake me.
I won’t touch her again until after we get home safely because I refuse to believe that this could be the last time we see each other.
“What’s wrong, baby?” she whispers when all I can do is look down at her and feel my heart stammer with fear.
“I love you, you know,” I say proudly, smiling at her look of joy.
She’s so happy just to hear me say the words that it humbles me to have her as my own. She’s easy to please and too humble to be real, and yet I have her here beneath me, all mine.
I want to wrap her up and refuse to let her go ever again, but I can’t. She’s strong and brave and my match in every way, so I know that we have to do this no matter how much I don’t want to.
She deserves the chance to right the wrongs she feels she did, and though I can’t find it within myself to agree with her, I understand what it is to feel guilt and need absolution.
“I love you, too, Mr. Lane. Now stop frowning and worrying about me. Everything will be fine. I promise. You just worry about taking care of Mama when we get home, because I just know she’s going to be ready to skin me alive.” Paulie laughs, kissing me once more before rolling away and rising to walk to the bathroom.
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