Morgan, Nicole - Sweet Vengeance [Sweet Awakenings 3] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Nicole Morgan

  “Sorry, it’s right here. A small town about 175 miles south east of Denver. It’s called Cheyenne Wells.”

  “175 miles? Shit, that’s not on the outskirts of town, that’s a several hour drive.” Not that it mattered. He would drive for days if it meant finally getting vengeance on the asshole that took Ally from him.

  “Yeah well, you’re the boss, so do you want me to go there or not? I know you said spare no expense, but—” He was quickly interrupted by Adam.

  “I’m at least four hours away. What time are they supposed to meet?” He glanced at the clock on the wall, knowing it was already approaching evening.

  “Relax. I figured you’d want me there, so I’m already on my way. They’re supposed to meet at eight o’clock at some restaurant called The Lazy Aces. I should get there in time, as long as I don’t hit any traffic. Seeing as how it’s Saturday and the town is out in the middle of nowhere, that should be no problem, but I have to find a way to be inconspicuous. They chose this location for a reason. Me rolling into town at the same time they are won’t look good. Any ideas?”

  He was pissed he couldn’t be there himself, but he knew there was no way he’d make it in time. Short of having a helicopter or small plane and only two hours until the meeting time it was just not possible.

  “I don’t know, but you better figure it out because if you fuck this up you’ll not only be fired, I’ll find you and kick the ever loving shit out of you, got it?”

  “Yeah, I got it.”

  “And another thing. Call me. As soon as they have met and give me a status. And follow his ass to wherever they have him holed up. I don’t want him getting out of our grasp again.”

  “You’re the boss.” Detective Taylor hung up the phone.

  Adam closed his cell phone and walked to his bedroom. He needed that workout more than ever now. Something to distract him, take his mind off of the next couple of hours until he got Taylor’s next call.

  He reached in his closet for his gym bag and the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of Ally’s picture. He stopped, hesitated, and reached to touch the outer edge of the photo.

  “Jesus, I’m so sorry, Ally. I’ll make it right. He’ll pay, I promise you that.”

  With a gentle swipe of his thumb across her image, he quickly threw his bag over his shoulder and closed the closet door.

  He would have vengeance for Ally and for their child. If it was the last thing he did in this life, there would be vengeance.

  An hour later, Adam was thoroughly beating the shit out of a heavy bag at Jack’s gym when he heard someone call out to him. He turned to see Rex, Jack, and the cop, Andrew, who had almost arrested him the night before approaching him.

  “Hey, not in a real social mood, so if you don’t mind?”

  Jack gave him a sarcastic look. “No shit, but are you ever?”

  “Look, Peyton, I said I wasn’t in the fucking mood.”

  Knowing Jack was about ready to knock their old SEAL buddy on his ass, Rex intervened. “All right, we’ve been over this. Adam is an asshole, but he was and is our brother-in-arms, so let’s let bygones be bygones and move on, shall we?”

  Jack just glared at Adam. “Fine. But seriously, man, you need to chill out on the intense asshole persona. It gets old.”

  “Yeah, I’d have to agree, and I don’t even know you,” Andrew interjected.

  Shit. Adam hated his freaking conscience. He knew he was an ass most, if not all, of the time. He was just so damn angry all the time. His rage almost always took over his emotions, leaving him with little or no room to communicate in a friendly manner.

  Dropping his hands to his sides he turned to face the three men. “Fuck, all right. I get it, I’m a prick. Can we just leave it at that?”

  “No we can’t. We came over here to say ‘hey, what’s up’ and you can’t even be civil for two damn seconds. Jesus, man, we know what you lost, okay, but you have got to move on with your life. It will kill you if you don’t.”

  Pissed by Jack’s poor choice of words, he grabbed Jack by the shirt and threw him up against the wall. “Listen, fucker. The only thing that was killed was Ally and our child. Don’t even begin to pretend to understand what that feels like. Because you can’t!”

  Rex was pulling Adam off of Jack when Andrew spoke. “My God, man, are you trying to get me to arrest you? Every time I turn around, it’s something else with you.”

  Jack’s mocking smile only pissed Adam off more. “What the fuck are you smiling at?”

  “Are you pissed?” Jack asked him.

  “Yeah, I’m pissed! Why?” He was in no mood for games. He wanted the time to pass quickly so he could get the information from Taylor.

  “Good! Because it’s time you start dealing with your guilt. I’ve been there. I know how it can eat away at you. I almost lost Tamara once because of it. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna watch one of my brothers lose any chance for a future because of his own guilt.”

  Rex spoke first. “Jack, I don’t think this is the time or the place.”

  “Fine we’ll go to my office, but this is definitely the time. Shit, Rex, you pushed me when I didn’t want to be pushed and if you hadn’t, I can’t say that I wouldn’t be married with a kid on the way.” Jack’s face turned white as soon as he said it.

  “Yeah, how fucking nice for you that you have all that, asshole!” Adam released Jack from the hold he had on him and stalked off.

  “Adam, he didn’t mean anything by it,” Rex yelled out to him. It was too late though, Adam was already out the doors by the time he finished his sentence.

  Chapter 17

  Chelsea was applying her lipstick when she heard the doorbell. She took a deep breath as she stared back at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes still burned from the tears she cried over Adam. She honestly didn’t know why she allowed herself to get so emotionally attached to him in such a short time. Regardless of the reasons though, she had.

  Cullen Jr. greeted her with a smile and a small bouquet of tulips when she opened the door.

  “Oh, they’re beautiful. And purple, too, those are my favorite color of flowers,” she told him as she reached for the bouquet and opened the door to let him inside.

  “Really? Good, I’m glad because I stood there in front of the display case and agonized over which flowers to pick. The purple tulips stood out, so I took a chance.” He smiled at her.

  “You agonized, huh? It’s hard for me to picture the rugged motorcycle riding police officer agonizing over a little decision like flowers.”

  “Yeah, well us rugged motorcycle riding cop types have our sensitive sides, too.” He winked at her and laughed.

  She had to admit that he was cute and funny. Trying to erase the memory of what happened earlier with Adam, she laughed along with him.

  They went to the kitchen and talked casually while she put the flowers in a vase and arranged them before placing them on the kitchen table.

  “These really are beautiful, Cullen, thank you so much.”

  He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. But I’m really glad you like them. So, I was thinking we could maybe grab a bite to eat, and then if you felt like it we’d catch a late movie. Sound good?”

  She smiled at how nervous he seemed. “That sounds great.”

  “Okay then, after you m’lady.” He held his hand out in a gallant and ushering manner.

  They had just walked outside when she felt it. Chills raced down her spine and she knew, without even looking to her right, that he was watching. Adam’s piercing stare was cutting right through her. She told herself not to look as Cullen opened her door and waited for her to get inside. As she smiled up at him when he politely closed her door, her line of vision caught the site of Adam standing on his front porch. Once Cullen started to walk to his side of the car, she forced herself to look Adam in the eye, not wanting to give into the intimidation she was sure she’d see on his face.

  She was right. He was leaning over his porch railing. His
hands were gripping the railing so hard she could see the white of his knuckles and the glare she saw in his eyes both frightened and aroused her at the same time. He was clearly angry with her for going out on her date with Cullen. Was that the reason for the throbbing she felt instantly between her thighs? That she thought he was jealous? Or was it something much more? Did his dangerous and arrogant mannerisms actually turn her on?

  She shook the thought off as she heard Cullen slide in beside her. Turning to him she forced a smile and tried to ignore the wetness that was coating her panties.

  “Hey isn’t that the guy that Rex and Jack were in the SEALs with? What’s his name, Collins?” Cullen asked her.

  “Huh? Oh yeah, Collins, Adam Collins. Wait…what did you just say? He was in the SEALs?”

  She had noticed a tattoo on his back, and scars on his body, but since their rendezvous were always fast paced and left no time to linger on any one part of his body, she hadn’t paid that much attention to them.

  “Yeah. He was in the unit that finally rescued Rex and Jack from Colombia, and I’m guessing from the look on your face, you have no idea what I’m talking about right?”

  She nodded. “Right. Sorry, it looks like there’s quite a bit I don’t know about my neighbor.”

  She turned back to look and he was still standing there, staring at her, telling her with his eyes what he told her earlier that day. He not only did not want her to go on this date, his expression was completely forbidding it.

  “Jesus, he looks intense. I guess all the rumors I hear about his demeanor are true.” He told her.

  “Rumors? Why? What do they say about him?” She hoped her question sounded as casual as she intended it to.

  Cullen put the key in the ignition and started the engine. “I guess he had some serious stuff go down a little over a year ago. Got shot and some other stuff. I really don’t know all the details. Only that it damaged him in some way. Even Rex, who I thought was the most arrogant son of a bitch I’d ever met, said Adam was pushing the envelope on keeping his sanity in check.”

  “Really? He was shot? My God that’s so—” She stopped when she looked over and saw him walking toward the car. Oh no! What was he going to do?

  “Hey, he’s walking toward us. Maybe you should wait here. He looks a bit too intense. I’ll be back.” Cullen left the car running but got out of the car and approached him.

  Please don’t let Adam do anything stupid, she prayed. She was reaching for the door handle to intervene before anything could happen when she saw Cullen motion to her by holding his hand up and asking her to hold on. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she watched Cullen walk away and toward his parent’s house. Adam’s confident smirk told her that he was all too proud of himself for whatever he’d just done.

  She tried to swallow the dry lump in her throat as he came toward her. Refusing to get out of the vehicle, she locked the door and unrolled the window instead.

  Adam had gotten to her door just in time to see her attempts to lock him out and he laughed at her. “You think that’s gonna keep me away, sugar?”

  He reached his hand inside and flipped the door lock to unlock and opened her door. Kneeling down next to her he licked his lips and stared at her chest.

  “Why are your nipples so hard, Chelsea? Were they that hard when Cullen came to your door? Or did it happen after you saw me?” He reached his hand over and gently pinched one, massaging it through the thin material of her summer dress.

  She looked away from him and closed her eyes on the sensation of him touching her. God, why did she love his touch so much? She ached for him. Her pussy was throbbing, and she could actually feel the hot fluid coat her sex.

  “Oh, sugar. You’re so hot for me right now aren’t you?” He leaned inside and licked his tongue along the length of her neck. “Mmm, you always taste so sweet. You want me, don’t you, sugar? You want me right now. Sitting in another man’s car, all you can think about is me fucking you.”

  His arrogance should have pissed her off. It should have made her turn and slap him, but the sensation of his tongue and his fingers were playing havoc on her self-control. Involuntarily, she moaned and turned her head toward him.

  Adam watched her. The heavy, lust-filled eyes that stared back at him told him how right he was. He knew he was taking a chance when he told the little shit that he thought he heard a loud crash and scream come from his parent’s house, but he hadn’t cared at the time. In that moment, all he cared about was getting him away from Chelsea. It wasn’t until he saw her arousal through the thin layer of clothing she wore that he lost all sense of what he came to tell her.

  “Tell me, Chelsea. Tell me what you want.”

  She didn’t answer him, instead she opened her mouth and slipped her tongue along his lower lip. She was on fire for him, he knew that. There was no denying it. There was something about her responses when he touched her that told him exactly what she needed and wanted.

  With every one of his touches, the way he spoke to her and played with her body, and the way she spoke to him without words, but her body’s response, he always knew exactly what to do next that would drive her insane with a desire that was completely amazing to him.

  He kissed her, devoured her mouth as he continued to play with her nipple. With his other hand, he trailed his fingertips down and skimmed his knuckles along her smooth thighs. A groan tore from his throat when he felt how wet her panties were.

  He tore his mouth away from hers. “Oh Jesus, baby. God, you’re so wet.”

  Her rapid breathing and inability to speak told him how much she ached. The idea that she was sitting in another man’s car to go on a date left his mind. The only thing he needed at that moment was to make her come.

  “Tell me, sugar. Tell me you want me to touch you. Tell me you want me to make you come.”

  “Yes! Please Adam…I need it, I need you.”

  With an animalistic growl he reached his hand inside her panties and bit out a curse at the feel of how saturated she was in her arousal. He used his middle finger to slide inside her pussy and had to rein in every amount of control he had to not peel down his jeans and fuck her right then and there.

  Needing to feel more of her, he took his index and middle fingers and slid them inside at the same time he took his thumb and grazed it along her swollen clit. He realized how sensitive she was to his touch when she jolted in her seat and then began grinding her hips against his hand.

  “Jesus, do you have any idea how fucking gorgeous you are? You’re like a goddess, writhing underneath my touch.”

  She only whimpered when he took his mouth to her throat and started laving her neck with long, seductive kisses. He glanced up and saw the front door open to the Bristows’ house.

  “Now, Chelsea! Come for me. I want you to come under my touch, no one else’s.”

  He increased the pressure as he flicked his thumb across her clit and dug his fingers as deep inside her as they would go, wiggling them around inside her and massaging her inner walls.

  He heard her whimper and watched as she bit her lip. He knew she was close. He also knew that if he didn’t feel her come he was going to die. He looked over and saw that despite the door being open, Bristow was still standing in the doorway with his back turned to them.

  Not caring any longer, he lowered his head and took an erect nipple in his mouth. He laved it with his tongue and bit gently at it through the fabric.

  She was moaning now, and he felt her insides start to tremble and quiver against the ministrations of his fingers. Increasing pressure with his mouth and fingers, he was thoroughly fucking her as best he could without having his cock inside her.

  Then it happened. She literally screamed and he felt his hand get pumped, the same way she would do to his dick when her orgasm overcame her when he was inside of her. The hot fluid poured all over his hand and caused a sharp stabbing pain to hit him in the chest.

  Fuck! Why did making her feel good cause such emotions
in him? He hated it. He hated that her pleasure caused such havoc to his self-control.

  Breathing heavy she opened her eyes and looked at him. “Adam…I…why? Why did you?”

  “Shh…because, Chelsea. Because I had to.”

  He knew how wrong he was to continue to push and pull at her emotions, but he couldn’t help himself when it came to her. His arousal whenever he was near her was instantaneous and consuming.

  Both of their heads jerked to the side as they heard the front door close on the Bristows’ house. The scared looked in her eyes only made the pain in his chest worse.

  “Go inside. I’ll make an excuse you’re sick or something.”

  “But, what about Cullen? He was really looking forward to—”

  Not letting her finish, he raised his voice. “I said get inside. I’ll talk to him, but no way in hell are you going on that date tonight. Okay?”

  Chapter 18

  Chelsea stared at him for a moment before he became impatient with her.

  “Damn it, Chelsea, trust me! Get inside the house now!”

  The intensity of his eyes mixed with the emotions swirling around inside her told her she had better do exactly what he told her.

  Quickly, she raced to her house and ignored Cullen as he yelled to her. She knew anyone that looked at her would know she had just had sex. Albeit not the traditional kind, but she had sex just the same, complete with a mind-blowing orgasm brought on by the sexiest man she had ever seen.

  She slammed her front door closed and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she went into her bathroom to turn on the shower water. How many showers had she had since Adam stormed into her bed and into her life?

  Once her clothes were discarded and on the bathroom floor, she got inside and let the water wash across her body. Her tears didn’t stop. She was thoroughly humiliated. How dare he? How dare he give her everything that her body wanted and needed and nothing that her heart did?

  She no longer cared that it had only been two days since their first encounter. She wanted him, all of him, and he was a jerk to keep toying with her, controlling her with his touch.