The Connaghers Series Boxed Set

by Joely Sue Burkhart

  “Yes, that’s what it felt like. Like I was making him take me inside, even if it was only his mouth. I wanted to be inside him, demanding and taking. I almost wished I were a man so I could take him for real.”

  He couldn’t believe he was saying this, but he was so hard he’d surely lost half his brain cells. “There are ways, babe. You could get a dildo and use it on him.”

  He could almost hear her shudder. “No, nothing fake. For him, I want it real. I want to feel him.”

  He fisted himself, pulling his length through his hand, imagining how she would’ve pushed into Jesse’s mouth, gripping his hair like he was giving her a blowjob on her breast. Christ, he almost lost it right there. “How’d you get off when he was done, babe? If he didn’t come inside you, then I’m guessing you must have let him eat you out.”

  She made a low, strangled sound that he took for assent.

  “How was his technique?”

  “Good,” she retorted in a rough voice. “Damned good. It’s like he worshipped me, not licking or even kissing. He used his whole face, like he didn’t care if he ever breathed again. Like his last wish was to die with my scent on him.”

  Immediately, Elias smelled her as though he’d rubbed his face between her thighs for hours. Remembering the way her body trembled and vibrated with her cries, her fingers tight in his hair, dragging him in to suffocate on that sweet, rich cream.

  She let out a soft little tell-tale moan that made Elias’s back arch off the seat. “Shit, get your fingers out of your panties, Vik. Are you trying to kill me?”

  “Then stuff your dick back in your pants, Reyes. If you’re going to come, then so am I.”

  Sitting up straighter, he turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the parking spot, but he didn’t zip up his pants. “There’s no way in hell this erection is fitting back inside my pants until I come inside you, babe. I’m on my way.”

  “You’re too far away!” It came out as a wail, which made him smile as he gunned his truck down the road.

  “Ten minutes, babe. I’ll be inside you in ten minutes.”

  “I thought you had paperwork to do. Besides, HQ is at least twenty minutes away.”

  “Fuck the paperwork—it’ll still be there tomorrow. Your neighborhood’s 7-11 has the best coffee, so I always come here.” He’d simply gotten in the habit of always coming to check on her first, and then stopping by 7-11 to sit and feel sorry for himself awhile before heading back to work. “Keep that engine purring for me, babe.”

  He could hear her breathing rasping louder, the hitch in her throat. “I don’t know that I’ll make it that long.”

  He floored it. “Five minutes, then. Are you going to take me to your bed, babe? Are you going to take my cock inside you?”

  “Yes,” she groaned out. “As soon as you hit the door.”

  “And when I come inside you, whose name is going to be on your lips?”

  “Elias.”

  15

  Vicki glanced uneasily between the men on either side of her as they walked into the VCONN Tower. After the office chair incident, she wasn’t sure what to expect when Elias had insisted on driving them today for her commercial. So far, he’d been civil to Jesse, although not exactly warm and friendly. If she hadn’t told him about what she’d done with Jesse, then she’d be dealing with wretched guilt, but for a second, she wondered if that might be better than this uneasy silent tension.

  I’ve never lied to Elias. I’m certainly not going to start now.

  Butterflies flocked crazily in her stomach. Shiloh had insisted that they should all personally be in the commercial. Especially Vicki. However, she’d never done any acting. Compound the BDSM flirting they were supposed to be doing with the possibility that Elias might be watching her play with Jesse on camera, and she was an utter mess.

  “What time is Colby going to pick you up?”

  Elias gave her a sardonic wink and even managed a smug look for Jesse over her shoulder. “About an hour, although he sounded like he was running late.”

  An hour. God. How much trouble could she get into in an hour? Way too much with Jesse at her beck and call.

  She forgot her nerves once she started helping everyone pick out their clothes. Elias and Jesse went with Victor—she knew her brother was more than up for the task of keeping the two men from killing each other—while she took Shiloh and Mal into the ladies’ dressing room. Just hearing the women squeal and ooh over their gowns made her glow with pride. However, she quickly noticed that her brother’s fiancée wasn’t her usual perky self.

  Shiloh tried to laugh off her concern. “Oh, I’m just worried about meeting your Mama. We’re supposed to take her to dinner tonight.”

  Vicki made a face like she’d just smelled something rotten. Note to self: don’t answer my phone or the door tonight. Vicki is looooong gone. “Good luck with that.”

  “Oh, now, don’t scare her to death,” Mal said. “Between V’s horror stories and now your obvious lack of enthusiasm, she’s going to be thrilled to meet her monster-in-law.”

  “Sorry.” Vicki shrugged uncomfortably. “I rarely talk to her.”

  Looking sumptuous in her red-silk gown, Shiloh laid her hand on Vicki’s arm. “I’m sorry, hon. Did you have a falling out?”

  “Not exactly.” Vicki blew out a heavy sigh. Only every single time I try to talk to her. “V says we’re too much alike. She has her way, I have mine, and we can’t see eye to eye. I gave up discussing anything with her years ago, and I’m certainly never going to please her. The more I try to make her proud…” Throat tight, she shrugged and managed a lop-sided smile. “You know how mothers and daughters can be.”

  “I was close to my mom when I was younger—it’s only in my adult years that I’ve drifted away.”

  “We were very close when I was a kid,” Vicki replied. “She was a terrific mother. In fact, I’d decided before I hit high school that I was never going to have kids because there’s no way I could be as good a mother as her when I grew up. Then…” She swallowed the flood of tears threatening to embarrass her. She always cried when Mama was involved.

  “Don’t feel bad, hon.” Mal smoothed the zebra-print dress over her hips and gave a low whistle to her reflection in the mirror. “Most teenagers are pretty hard to live with. My Mama said I went from the sweetest child to the most obstinate, independent, wrong-headed fool on the planet.”

  Vicki nodded along with Shiloh, half listening to their stories about the trials and tribulations of their teen years, but she didn’t join in. The memory was too painful to share, too raw to drag out like dirty laundry for her friends to cluck over.

  The past is the past, she tried to tell herself, but she couldn’t get over it. In a heartbeat, Mama had gone from trusted confidante and friend to betrayal, and she couldn’t forget it.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a bright idea.

  Elias watched Jesse slip into his fine duds Vicki had made with such loving care. The poor kid kept peeking at Victor in the mirror and each time, edged closer to Elias. As though he’d protect him.

  There’d always been tension between him and her brother. Part of it was the natural aggression between two very domineering sort of men. It’d be easy to get into a pissing contest, even though they might be family some day. Deep down, Elias had always suspected her brother really didn’t like him much at all. Vicki’s older, protective brother surely hated the fact that Elias was banging his sister without a ring on her hand. To compound his crimes, they’d split up, and he’d abandoned her when she’d needed him the most.

  Or maybe that’s my own guilt talking.

  Between the junkyard Rottweiler and the sleek Doberman, the cream-puff poodle didn’t have a chance. If Victor bared his teeth at the kid, Jesse would be under the chair, shivering.

  “I’m surprised you’re not going to be in the commercial with us,” Victor said in a casual voice that didn’t fool Elias one bit. Her brother might lord and master it over his emp
loyees but if he thought to bark orders at Elias, he’d find out that his bite was just as mean. “Vicki sent several extra shirts—hoping, I think, that I might convince you otherwise.”

  Elias snorted. “She knows better than that. I’m only here for moral support. Once she gets started, she’ll be fine.”

  “Oh, I’m not worried about the commercial.” Victor tilted his chin up and began winding the cloth about his neck that was supposed to be the bondage element. “Mama’s going to stop by.”

  “What?” Elias shot to his feet and began to pace. “Does Vicki know?”

  “Of course not,” Victor drawled, shooting a smug look at Elias through the mirror. “Wild horses wouldn’t have dragged her here if she knew Mama was coming too.”

  Worried, Jesse looked between the two men. “What’s wrong?”

  Elias rolled his eyes and blew out a disgusted breath. “Vicki doesn’t exactly get along with her mother. It’s like tossing two starving alley cats into a burlap sack when those two are in the room.”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  Surprised at the low, intent tone of Jesse’s voice, Elias studied him. For the first time today, he met Elias’s gaze steadily without flushing, cringing, or dropping his gaze to the ground. He even narrowed his gaze and lifted his chin, his eyes challenging, as if to say, Take care of her. Or I’ll be more than happy to step into your place.

  Interesting. If Vicki’s well-being was in question, Jesse would apparently rise to the occasion.

  It was like a cattle prod shoved directly up Elias’s ass. He’d assumed the kid was a total pushover, a little lapdog who’d yip his head off and then run the opposite direction when threatened, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. He hated it when people made stupid assumptions and he’d just made a colossal one.

  Tipping his head back, he laughed but without rancor. Maybe hell had frozen over, because damned if he wasn’t starting to like this kid, even though every time he looked at Jesse he imagined that blond head between Vicki’s thighs.

  “What’s so funny?” Jesse took a step closer, his hands clenched into fists. “I’ll tell Vicki that her mother’s on her way and we’ll be gone in a heartbeat.”

  Elias gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder. “Thanks for reminding me that I can be an asshole.”

  Doubtfully, Jesse watched him like that friendly pat was going to turn into a right hook. “Doesn’t Vicki remind you of that often enough?”

  “Every chance she gets.”

  “So, what are we going to do? She’s already so nervous about the commercial and the gala just around the corner, not to mention…”

  Me. You. Us.

  She had to figure out what she was going to do about them. Whether they could work out some sort of illicit arrangement without anyone getting hurt, especially her.

  “I’ll handle Mrs. Connagher if she arrives while you’re filming the commercial.” Although he found himself wishing he’d grabbed his bullet-proof vest out of the trunk of his car. “You help Vicki get this done as quickly as possible and maybe we’ll be gone before Mrs. Connagher arrives. Otherwise, be prepared. She’s never in a good mood after dealing with her Mama. She’s likely going to rip our heads off if she even gets a hint that we knew her mother was anywhere inside the city limits and we didn’t warn her.”

  Jesse pulled his hair back into a rubber band. “I feel like we’re betraying her if we don’t tell her now.”

  “I’m the one who called Mama.” Until Victor spoke, Elias had forgotten her brother was even in the room. “Vicki needs her whether she knows it or not, and this stalemate of theirs has gone on way too long. They’re both too proud to come together on their own.”

  Staring into the other man’s dark eyes made even more alarming by the mask he wore, Elias suddenly realized he’d been very coolly and deliberately manipulated. Not only had Victor taken it upon himself to bring their mother into the picture to hopefully mend whatever rift was between her and Vicki, but he’d also managed to get Elias and Jesse working together like a team.

  Well done, V. But damned if I’ll ever tell him so.

  Watching Victor and his girlfriend tape their brief interlude for the commercial made Elias feel like a damned pervert. They performed as though the cameras and people simply disappeared, and they were alone in their bedroom. In a smooth, unscripted twenty seconds, Shiloh deliberately antagonized her Master and let him tie her hands together with his cravat. Then he bent her over a desk. The red dress displayed her bare back perfectly.

  The short vignette ended with a well-placed blow from his crop. They both wore masks, but everyone in Dallas who’d watched VCONN’s hit show, America’s Next Top sub, already knew that the CEO was a sadist. The masks would make the audience remember that thrilling first season and all the drama about Master V’s identity.

  Elias had never been a voyeur nor into S&M, but with Vicki standing beside him, he had to wonder. What was she going to do with Jesse? What sort of inclinations did she possess that she’d never told him? Had he been failing her in more ways than one this entire time?

  Gripping her chin, he turned her head up to him. In typical Vicki style, she growled beneath her breath and tried to jerk away, but he held her hard enough his fingers dug into her skin. He searched her eyes, trying to delve for secret needs and desires, but all he saw was anxiety. “Show me what you want to do to him.”

  She tried to look away but he held her firm, making her meet his gaze. “I can’t…”

  “You can do this, babe.” He planted a hard, quick kiss on her mouth. “Do it for me.”

  Jesse threaded his fingers through hers. Meeting his gaze, Elias gave him a subtle nod and the other man led her off for her final primping. Pale and halting, Vicki looked like they were taking her to the guillotine.

  “Whoa, what sort of place have you brought me to?”

  Elias turned as his partner joined him. “Hey, you’re early. I’m not ready yet.”

  “That’s cool.” Younger and taller, Colby had the hard, mean edge to him that a man only gained in active military duty for his country. Two tours in Afghanistan made him tougher and leaner than most rookies. Just two years older than Jesse, Colby had him beaten hands down in experience and confidence. In a fight or shoot out, Elias would never doubt that his partner had his back. “So, what’s going on?”

  “Vicki’s working on a commercial for her new fashion line. You might want to wait in the car—it’s going to get rather steamy in here.”

  Colby’s eyes narrowed with speculation. “Vicki’s your girl and she’s doing a steamy commercial with another guy. Why aren’t you out there?”

  Forcing a laugh, Elias shrugged. “She needs a pretty face for this. Besides, Jesse…” What could he say that wouldn’t make him look whipped for allowing another man to play with his woman? Eyes tight and hard, Colby waited for his response, and he wasn’t going to lie to his partner. “She’s mine, but Jesse’s hers.”

  Colby shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat, man.”

  Elias hadn’t been paired with his new partner long, but after that comment, he wouldn’t have traded him in for anyone else. He owed Colby big time. Which reminded him of one way he planned to pay his partner back. “Are we still on for Friday night?”

  “I don’t know.” Colby sighed. “Wilson backed out. He claims his old lady won’t let him play poker anymore, but I think he’s just too afraid of pissing Rodgers off even more.”

  Rodgers had been a pain in Elias’s backside for months. As a long-time veteran of the force, the man’s transfer to their department should have helped with their backlog, not stirred up animosity and racial tensions. The only reason the guy hadn’t been fired already was his seniority. In a few more months, Rodgers would retire. Until then, he took special delight in tormenting the youngest members of the force, which meant Colby had been on the receiving end of Rodgers’s shit for months. Colby wasn’t a tattletale sort of guy, so they’d decided to handle the man�
��s venom with a not-so-friendly game of cards.

  Rodgers had already been bragging how much he planned to fleece the “snot-nosed kid”. But if they couldn’t get at least one more neutral player, then even he might realize he’d been set up from the beginning. Unless… Surely Jesse has learned a few tricks or two on the streets.

  “I think I’ve got our fourth player. I’ll call you if he can’t make it, but assume we’re on.”

  “I don’t think we’ve met,” Mal drawled out in a whiskey dark voice that made Elias arch a brow in speculation. Damned if the cast-iron Mistress didn’t sound like a purring kitty eyeing its favorite toy. “I’m Malinda Kannes, Executive Producer here at VCONN.”

  “Pleased to meet you, ma’am. I’m Colby Wade, Detective Reyes’s partner.”

  “Oh, so you’re a detective too. You used to be a soldier if that haircut’s any indication. Have you ever done any acting?”

  “No, ma’am.” He gave Elias a look that said what the fuck is going on?

  She squeezed Colby’s biceps like she was measuring his arm for manacles. “So polite.”

  For all Elias knew, that’s exactly what she was doing. I hope she doesn’t decide to measure his other equipment.

  “How would you like to be my partner for just a little while?”

  Elias shook his head, trying to wave Colby off without drawing Mal’s attention, but she knew what he was doing.

  “Oh, don’t pay any attention to him. He doesn’t have any idea what kind of fun—” she squeezed Colby’s arm again, hard enough that his eyes flared, “—we’ll have.”

  Fuck being polite—Elias had to save him from doing something stupid. “If by fun you mean whips and shit. She’s a Domme, Colby. A Mistress. She’ll eat you for lunch.”

  “And what a delightful lunch that would be.” The fierce woman somehow managed to pout playfully. “I don’t have a partner for my portion of the commercial.” She gave Elias a knowing smirk. “Miss Vicki is so attached to her young man that I doubt she’ll share. It’s only for the commercial, Detective Wade. You wouldn’t leave a lady alone and desperate, would you?”