Marked (Tortured Heroes Book 3)

by Jayne Blue

  I blushed to the roots of my hair and shut the door on him before he could make any more smartass comments at my expense. It didn’t stop him from talking. I couldn’t help that I liked the sound of his deep, muffled voice on the other side of the wall as I slipped beneath the covers. God, my bed had never felt so good. My mind raced a mile a minute, but as soon as I hit the pillow the world fell away.

  Until it came blistering back into focus.

  Tongues of flame came for me, reaching around every corner as I tried to run. I saw Rhonda’s face with blood coming down, then Gemma’s. My mother lay in the middle of Liberty Street with her leg bent at a wrong angle. I heard my father’s laughter reaching me through the fire. Over and over again I opened the front door to my parents’ house in Petoskey. A state trooper stood there with his hat in his hand. He talked over my shoulder to my father, telling me my mother had an accident. She wasn’t coming home. Then it was Rhonda who’d had the accident. Then me.

  I don’t remember screaming. I don’t remember calling his name. Later, he’d tell me I had, over and over again. I woke in a cold sweat with Huck’s arms around me.

  “Dammit!” I yelled when I finally came fully back into myself. Huck sat at the edge of my bed. It was fully dark now. Only the blue glow of my cell phone illuminated the silhouette of his features. I seemed to drown in a sea of chaos. But Huck’s arms, his heartbeat tethered me to Earth.

  “Don’t leave,” I said, gasping for air as I pressed my forehead against his chest.

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I don’t want to be weak,” I said, giving voice to the fear that had plagued me all day. “I hate it, Huck. I can’t control anything if I’m weak.”

  “You can’t control anything anyway. Not really. And you’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever seen.”

  I reached up and traced the outlines of his jaw. I wanted to see him again in the full light. But here, in the darkness, he was strong and solid and holding me close. He was dangerous. Bringing him into my life had turned it upside down. It would get worse if I gave into the thing I craved.

  But I did crave it. Like a drug. All the things I’d told myself after I’d nearly given in to this before came flooding back then promptly washed away like the tide. He said I was strong, but I was weak when it came to him. Everything around me was fragile and tenuous. But here, in his arms, I felt his solid strength and wanted to bring it into me. To hell with what came next.

  “It’s a bad idea,” I said, pressing my forehead against his chest again. I wore nothing but a thin silk shift. My nipples hardened as they pressed against his forearm. My skin seemed to catch fire as his hand went up and he slid it along my spine. There, in the quiet darkness, we were both hurtling toward something we knew would change everything.

  One of us could have stopped it that night. All it would have taken was a simple word. But as Huck whispered my name as he held me close, I knew I might have drowned if he let me go.

  I shifted, turning until I faced him. Huck sat so still, afraid to even breathe maybe. My protector. Even then. Instinctually I knew it would have to be me. As much as his own desire seemed to pour off him in waves, he would protect me even from himself if that’s what it took. But I knew better. I leaned forward and finished the kiss we started in the woods.

  That one kiss was a match strike.

  Huck gathered me into his arms. I drowned with him, in him. He was shirtless. My hands were everywhere. I traced the hard muscles of his chest. His breath hitched when I circled his nipples. I moved to his strong back, rippling beneath my touch. I found the cotton drawstring of his pajama pants and tugged it.

  I wanted control, even of this. His manhood sprang free and I closed my fingers gently around it. God. He was huge and hard. So big. So thick. For a moment I wanted the lights on so I could marvel at the beauty of it. If that first kiss was a match strike, as I stroked the length of him, my touch ignited a powder keg.

  Huck let out a primal noise that sent desire shivering through me. He slid his fingers beneath the straps of my gown and peeled it off. He had me naked in seconds, quivering beneath him. I could pretend I’d shown restraint in the woods that day but it would be a lie. Just like then, I was powerless to my own desires as Huck plied me with soft kisses and his masterful touch.

  I spread my legs, beckoning him further on the bed. Huck rose above me. He slid his pants off. I saw his massive cock bob before me and licked my lips. Yes, I wanted that too. My mouth watered thinking about how wonderful he’d feel inside my mouth, inside me everywhere.

  Huck leaned forward, pressing my shoulders flat against the pillows. Then he took one hand and pushed my knee down, spreading me wide before him.

  “Huck!” I gasped his name. He leaned down and captured my nipple between his lips. I bucked and moaned. Just that single, skillful touch and he melted me. He slid his other hand up my thigh and found me wet, dripping for him.

  “Fuck,” he whispered when he realized how much I really wanted him. He worked me just like he’d done the other day, sliding his fingers along my slick, swollen folds, opening me for him. I arched my back. I could hide nothing. He knew how much I wanted to control everything during the day. Here, in the dark of night, I gave it all over to him and relished every second of it.

  He slid the pad of his thumb over my swollen clit, making me gasp and moan, beg and plead. But Huck stretched me out with languid strokes, coaxing me to the edge of an orgasm and back again. It didn’t take long before he had me thrashing on the bed, begging for release.

  “God,” he whispered. “Do you know how badly, how long I’ve wanted to see you like this?”

  I don’t know how he could form words. I was beyond it. But Huck seemed content to draw me out, playing me like an instrument. He had me strung tight as a bow as he slid his fingers in and out of me. He leaned back on one elbow and watched the show.

  Finally, I couldn’t take it another second. I reared up and threw my leg over his hips. Huck’s wicked smile nearly undid me. He leaned back, hooking his hands behind his head as I settled over him.

  My hair hung wild and free. I hovered for a fraction of a second, then slid myself down the length of him. Gasping, I took him in. He was huge and hard and stretched me wide and full. I settled on him, feeling his turgid cock twitch inside of me for one pulse beat, then another.

  Huck snapped his teeth and I knew he was having just as much trouble holding back as I was. And then we didn’t. I reared up and started to ride him. I was wild and reckless just like I wanted to be in the woods. Huck slid his hands to the small of my back to steady me. But he matched me stroke for stroke. I wanted more. I wanted it to last forever. But Huck had primed me so well my body took over.

  I came around him, screaming his name. I threw my head back. Huck knew just how to touch me to make me come even harder. He gently pulled one nipple, then the other as wave after wave of pleasure washed over me.

  “Take it, baby,” he whispered. “Let it go. Come for me.”

  And I did. Over and over, each stroke crashing through me as Huck held me in place. Then I crested down and Huck was there for me too. He gently turned me, keeping himself deeply rooted inside of me. He lay me on my side and rose above me. From this angle, he pushed himself even deeper, reaching pleasure spots I didn’t even know I had.

  Then Huck lost control and I relished every drop of it. From this angle, he drilled me deep. I arched my back again and moaned his name. He came hard and deep and hot. When I reached up to caress his cheek I saw his eyes roll back into his head.

  We finished together boneless in a tangle of limbs and sheets. Then Huck pulled me close and promised to never let me go. So many men. So many promises. He would break them just like all the others. I knew it. But for now, I just wanted him. Chaos swirled around me but in Huck’s arms I felt safe, even if it was only for a moment.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Huck

  Dawn light stabbed through the curtains while Jill
ian slept in my arms. Fretful dreams came to her over and over. This time though, when she cried out I was there for her, gathering her into my arms until she settled again without waking. It was my name she called in the dark of night. She filled my heart with it even as I knew morning would change everything.

  For now though, while she slept I had her all to myself. I traced the delicate arch of her blonde brow with my thumb. She stirred but didn’t wake. Jillian shifted her weight until she lay on her back. The sheet slipped, exposing her pert, pink nipples, slightly swollen from the sucking and teasing she begged for earlier in the night.

  God, she had me spellbound. I traced a line from the hollow of her throat around each nipple. I cupped her full breasts, loving the weight of them in my palm. I pulled the sheet back the rest of the way and marveled at her body. She was perfect. Strong and round in the places I liked. I’d taken her again and again into the wee hours of the night until we were both spent beyond exhaustion.

  The phone rang dozens of times. Let them wait. The deputies I had stationed around the house knew we were safe. I also hoped they didn’t hear anything amiss. My Judge Key was a screaming hellcat when she came and I loved every second of it. My dick throbbed with the memory of it and in another second, I knew I could take her again. She was everything I dreamed she’d be and more. And that was the problem.

  Checking my watch, I carefully slid my arm out from under Jillian’s head and leaned back against the pillows. Giving into this with her was the exact last thing I should be doing. If Terry found out … if anyone found out, I’d lose my badge at a minimum. That wasn’t even the worst of it. I was in too deep now. I cared too much. Jillian wasn’t just a job anymore. She needed me at the top of my game now more than ever. Fucking her could cloud my judgment. Shit. It already had. I should be on the phone talking to the investigators. Hell, I should be at the scene filling them in on what I saw and what I suspected. But in the end my job was to keep her safe. Right now, at this moment in time she was as safe as I could make her. God, if I hadn’t followed my gut … if we’d walked toward that office building she might be lying in a hospital bed instead of her own or worse.

  Careful not to wake her, I slid out of the bed and found my clothes. My phone vibrated on the dresser and nearly fell to the floor before I caught it. I stepped into the hallway, closing the door quietly behind me.

  “Huckman,” I answered, trying to make my tone neutral.

  “Jesus, Huck! Why the hell haven’t you answered your goddamn phone!”

  Terry screamed through the speakers. I held the phone away a little, certain he was loud enough to wake Jillian. I bounded down the stairs to find a more private place to talk to him.

  “I’m answering now,” I said. “Do you have something for me?”

  “Yeah. I need you to get your ass back in the office. Now. You’re an eyewitness to a terror attack. The director of the goddamn FBI is calling me for answers. And we don’t know shit right now. The threats against the judge are the best lead we have.”

  I sighed. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah. Fuck is right. I want you on this, Huck. I need you on this.”

  “I am on it. You know that. She’s safe. I’m doing my job.”

  “Your job is what I say it is. Let the other deputies play babysitter for a little while. I’m pulling you off the bench and putting you back in the game. I want you on the task force the FBI and Homeland Security is putting together on this one.”

  I swallowed hard and pressed my phone against my forehead. A couple of months ago, I would have jumped at the opportunity. Hell, I still wanted to. But the idea of handing Jillian’s security over to anyone else made my blood run cold.

  “I’ll be down there in two hours. I need some time to debrief the deputies. They’ve been standing guard outside all night. I’ve got fresh bodies coming in. Let me deal with the transition and tell the judge. Then I’ll be there.”

  “Fuck all that. She’s a grown-up. I want you here in less than an hour.”

  I opened my mouth to answer but Terry had already clicked off. I tossed my phone on the kitchen counter and put my hands on my hips. How the hell I was going to explain all of this to Jillian without her thinking I was walking out on her, I didn’t know. I ran my hand over my face. I had a day’s worth of stubble and needed a shower. To make the field office under Terry’s timetable would take a miracle.

  I turned and faced the stairway. Jillian was already standing there fully clothed in a navy blue business suit and her hair pulled back into her trademark bun. Her expression was cool except for her eyes. Those flashed fire as she slowly descended the stairs with her armor fully back in place.

  “Jillian,” I said. It was no good. Now that I’d gotten close to her, I wouldn’t let her turn into the Ice Queen again around me. Not when we were alone. As I approached her, she put up her hands to stop me.

  “I need to go to the hospital. You promised me yesterday you’d find a way to arrange it.”

  So that’s how she wanted to play it. The smart thing to do would have been to let her. We both knew getting involved with each other meant playing with professional fire. Her job was important. So was mine. But right now, she was my job.

  “I did,” I said. “And I will. But right now I need to go to the field office for a debriefing on what happened yesterday.” The minute I said it, I knew the two of us needed a debriefing of sorts too.

  Jillian stepped around me and made her way to the coffee pot. “I’m already late for work.”

  I barked out a laugh. “Jillian, there is no work. The area around the courthouse is a crime scene. The building is on lockdown. No one in or out, not even you. You’re staying put today.”

  “Except for the hospital,” she said. “I need to see Rhonda and Gemma with my own eyes. I’m not going to budge on that.”

  “Well, I’ll see what I can do. But we’re not in your courtroom right now, Jillian. The Marshals Service is in charge.”

  Her fingers trembled as she pulled her favorite coffee mug out of the cupboard. I went to her and pulled her back against me. Her head rested on my chest and I felt her body stiffen for a fraction of a second, then she released a breath and sank into me. This felt good. Neither of us could pretend it didn’t. I turned her to face me. She took a breath and I knew her well enough to know she was about to give me a bunch of rapid-fire orders aimed at avoiding talking about anything real. I stopped her with a kiss.

  Jillian’s hands went up. She laced her fingers through my hair and kissed me back. She tasted clean and sweet. I wanted nothing more than to bend her over the counter and hike her skirt up. I slid my fingers up her leg and found her heated core. She was wet for me beneath the thin fabric of her cotton panties. My mind and heart were a mix of thoughts and emotions. I should walk away. It was the smart thing for both of us. But when she was this close to me, my skin warming hers, I damn well couldn’t stop myself.

  Then she pressed her hands flat against my chest and shoved me hard. “No,” she gasped. “We can’t. I can’t.”

  I leaned against the kitchen counter and smiled at her. God, how I loved seeing her teeter on the edge of control. Her hands went to her hair and she smoothed it back.

  “Look,” she said, catching her breath. “We are both adults. We both know what last night was.”

  “Oh? Tell me, Judge. What’s your ruling?”

  She raised a brow and pursed her lips. “Adrenaline. That’s all. Maybe you’re more used to that kind of thing in your line of work, but we were both keyed up. We went through a harrowing, life-or-death experience. It’s only natural that we felt … uh … the need to give into our baser instincts. It was good. It was wonderful. But it’s over.”

  “Hmm. So you want to pretend like nothing happened?”

  “What? No. I’m just saying it can’t happen again. I know that. So don’t worry. Your job isn’t in jeopardy or anything.”

  “And neither is yours.”

  “Exactly.”

&nb
sp; I went to her. Smoothing my hand down her arm, I hooked a finger beneath her chin and forced her to look at me. She blinked wildly and her cheeks flushed, but she held my gaze and I watched as hers hardened. She was doing it again, putting her armor up, trying to seize control.

  “Look. Jillian. That was more than just adrenaline and you know it. But you’re right. I’m not looking to hurt either of us professionally. Too much is at stake. So for now we’ll play this however you want. You’re safe with me in every way you need to be. Okay?”

  She nodded. It took everything in me not to press my lips against hers. It didn’t help one bit that she picked that moment to bite hers.

  “Okay.”

  “I have to leave now. But I’m going to come back. And we’re going to have a talk if you want.”

  “I’d rather not.” She stepped out of my reach and backed up against the opposite counter. “I meant what I said.”

  “Hmm. Well, I meant what I said. Last night and this morning. Now, I’ve got to tell you something you aren’t going to like. And I need you to not freak out.”

  Jillian’s eyes narrowed. “Deputy Huckman, I don’t freak out.”

  “Right. Of course not. My apologies, Your Honor. But listen, Director Loomis called me a little while ago. He’s who I’m going to meet with when I leave here. With everything that’s happened in Ann Arbor, he wants to pull me off your detail and work the investigation side of this with the FBI. I haven’t told him my answer.”

  “You should,” she said, her voice breathless. Jillian straightened her back. The color drained from her face and a tiny pulse beat a furious pace near her temple. I knew that look. I knew that tone. She was very much on the edge right now. “I mean it. It would solve a lot of problems, don’t you think?”

  God, this woman drove me insane. Just a few hours ago she’d made me promise not to leave her. Now she was damn near kicking me out the door. She was right though. Coming off her detail would solve the biggest problem of all. Except my guts just about tore out of me thinking about it.