by Marie Harte
Bob continued to report about the theft of his van. “Yeah, I’m at—Hey, buddy. Can you tell me what address this is and who you are? I’m going to have to file a police report, but my boss wants to get this down too.”
“NE 2224 Beach Comber. Name is Noel—”
The clipboard shot at his throat so fast Noel only had time to veer back and shift, taking the blow against his collarbone. Better that than his jugular, he thought through the sting. Bob brought his phone up and aimed at Noel’s face.
Noel dropped, narrowly missing the electronic jolt that sizzled in the air. Not a phone after all, but a Taser. Furious with himself for lowering his guard when he knew better, he knocked the phone aside and straightened with an uppercut into his assailant’s gut. He followed up with a knee to the man’s face, a leg sweep, and stood over Bob, holding him in a wristlock to keep him on his back while the asshole bled over the porch with a broken nose.
“Who sent you?”
Bob wheezed. “Fuck you.” A small sound behind him warned Noel to move. Now.
Tiny pops. Gravel in the driveway scattered, and lead thudded into the porch railing as silenced-rounds peppered the area. Noel darted behind an Adirondack chair, determining the shots to be coming from the driveway farther down. He didn’t have a silencer on his pistol and didn’t want to alarm anyone next door, so he wouldn’t use his gun unless he had to.
Instead, he darted into the house and shut the door behind him. Then he grabbed his favorite knife from beneath the coffee table in the living room and turned off all the lights. He exited quietly through the back door.
Fortunately, the late hour and cloudy evening cut way down on ambient light. Noel listened for movement. Hearing a slight rustle from the shrubs in the way back, he stayed low, behind his greenhouse.
Not sure if the intruders had night-vision capability, he figured he’d be better off back inside. But patience normally proved the smarter way to go, so he crouched, still, and waited.
The muffled sound of footsteps through grass had him turn and face the back porch. Before long, he saw a figure in black start up the back porch stairs. Noel rushed the guy and buried the knife in the man’s chest, Noel’s hand over his mouth to prevent a scream. Unfortunately, this intruder didn’t carry more than a knife and garrote with him. Needing to get back to Bob before the guy left, he hurried around to the front.
Bob was gone. Perhaps inside the house, hunting Noel?
Noel swore under his breath, knowing he needed to take care of this before Addy—God forbid—walked into the mess. He had a date to get ready for, and no amount of dead bodies would change that.
Which meant getting rid of unwanted house guests, dead or alive.
He listened cautiously, heard nothing, and let himself into a secret entrance next to his home, hidden by an overlarge shrub. He punched in a silent code, which allowed entry into his basement, where his shooting range, cache of weapons, and backup servers were stored.
After double-checking his clip, he flicked on the security cameras and looked for what didn’t belong.
Ah, there. The enemy lingered in the baby’s room.
That violation bothered him more than anything else that these men had done. It was one thing to go after him. Another to attack Addy, for which they’d pay dearly. But to taint such innocence, to go through the baby’s room, that evil walking into a place that didn’t belong…
Noel turned cold again, focused. He put a tiny metal ball in his pocket and moved on silent feet up the stairs, his gun at the ready. He entered his bedroom through a secret panel behind a bookcase. But he didn’t want more blood in the house. So he stashed his sidearm close, in a nearby hidey-hole, and continued out into the hall toward the baby’s room. Movement inside ceased.
Noel made his move. He rolled the small ball in the opposite direction down the hall.
Bob limped out of the room and aimed at the sound. In a flash, Noel had him in a headlock.
He could have choked him out, left him for Hammer or Deacon to handle. But Bob rasped, “Do whatever you want. That kid and that bitch will be ours soon enough. And they’ll know pain—”
Noel didn’t want to hear any more. He broke the fucker’s neck and dropped him, then collected the man’s gun. After picking up the other weapon from outside, he took a deep breath and let it out. Then he texted Deacon in code and explained the situation.
He didn’t have long to wait. His cell phone rang immediately.
“Yes?” Noel asked.
“The fuck you say,” Deacon swore. “You want me to plant two of them? Right now?”
“A garden is only as good as its fertilizer, Deacon. I can’t risk my tomatoes. You know how much work I’ve put into my planting for today.”
“Hammer can do it. I’m babysitting.” Deacon disconnected.
Minutes later, Hammer appeared at the backdoor, a tarp in hand. “You rang?”
* * * * *
Addy swallowed around a dry throat. She couldn’t say why she was so nervous, except tonight seemed like a turning point in her relationship with Noel. She pulled into his driveway and parked. He’d told her that they’d have the house to themselves while Deacon and Solene babysat.
She turned off the ignition and pulled down the visor mirror, studying her reflection. Despite the mess at work with a leak in the bathroom that had almost spilled through to her room, the janitorial staff had managed to clean it up while she and the principal discussed a few disciplinary actions with students she’d been meaning to talk about for some time. With parent-teacher conferences coming soon, she’d been glad to get that matter straightened out.
But it had burned that she’d had to postpone her time with Noel even more.
She stepped out of her car and knew she looked good. The long, navy-blue skirt made her look taller, and the white silk blouse caressed her slender torso and emphasized the gentle roundness of her breasts. Plus, the shirt set off the deep black of her hair. She’d gone all-out on eyeliner and lipstick too, her hair poker-straight and brushed to within an inch of its life.
She could to do this. Do Noel.
Addy grinned. It felt important that she make the moves tonight. To accept Noel sexually and emotionally, and to get him to commit to her. Granted, their courtship had been whirlwind supersonic, but she knew him. Her vulnerable assassin had been on tenterhooks with her since the shooting. Had he been blasé or cocky, she might have been too scared to be with him again.
But he’d gone right back to being Noel. A bit of a take-charge kind of guy, but so gentle with the baby, with her.
She couldn’t stop thinking about all their night might have been. Had she ever felt so taken care of before? So well-pleasured?
She walked up the steps to his porch and noted a stain. He’d hate that. She’d mention it later, once she determined his mood. Addy rang the bell and waited.
He answered quick enough, wearing khaki pants and a denim button-down shirt and socks. His bright smile welcomed her, as did the tug to pull her into his arms.
“Ah, I was waiting for this.” The slow, sweet kiss had her heart racing. “Come on in, Addy. You’re in for a treat.”
She toed off her heels and joined him in the kitchen. The dining table looked fabulous, all decked out with pretty dinnerware, flowers, and candles. “Okay, I’m impressed.”
“And we haven’t even gotten to the food yet.”
Addy wanted to smile, to joke, but her nerves wouldn’t let her. He wanted them to eat dinner? She had no intention of messing up her clean system, not when she’d been sucking down water all day, preparing her body for a bit of anal play.
She’d read the horror stories when it came to anal sex. And the one and only time she’d tried it she’d been so nervous she’d make a mess or that it would hurt, it had done little for her enjoyment. Then again, the regular sex with good old Mike hadn�
�t been stellar either. She knew with Noel the experience would be different.
She walked toward him, pleased to see caution in his eyes. “How about another kiss first?”
He smiled. “That I can do.” He waited for her to reach him, then sagged back into the counter and hugged her, spreading his feet so she could stand between them. “I missed you, Addy.”
“Me too,” she sighed then kissed him. Time for the kid gloves to come off. Nothing soft or light about the kiss she laid on him. Addy threw herself into it and took advantage until she lost her breath.
She pulled back to see him staring down at her with intense, dark eyes. Then he was back, taking charge and kissing her while pressing a huge erection against her belly.
Bingo. The motherlode.
She dragged her mouth to his cheek, his ear, and whispered, “I don’t want to wait. We can eat…after. I want you inside me now.”
He groaned and gripped her waist while she angled a hand between them and caressed the steel-hard rod in his pants.
“I think you want me right back,” she breathed.
“You know I do.” He squeezed her hips. “You sure, honey? Because once we get started, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop for appetizers.”
She chuckled and pumped his cock. “Oh, I’m sure. I’ve had a hard day. Not as hard as yours, I’m sure.”
His dry laugh caught her off guard.
“What am I missing?”
“Oh, I’ll tell you later. Much later.” He carried her down the hall to his bedroom. Of course, it would have felt more romantic if he hadn’t slung her over a shoulder to carry her, but she’d take what she could get.
He tossed her onto the bed and dragged off his clothing.
She frowned. “Is that a bruise?” A dark mark lined the right side of his collarbone.
“Maybe. Training.”
Huh. She hadn’t thought about that. A man in Noel’s profession had to keep in shape.
“I’ll answer the million questions I can see forming in that teacher brain later. Right now, I need you.”
“Yes, you do.” She pulled her skirt higher, showing off her thigh-high stockings and lacy thong.
“Oh, baby.” Noel stood naked and erect, more than ready for what she had planned.
She spread her legs and bent her knees, flattening her feet on the bed. Then she unbuttoned her shirt and unfastened her matching lace bra by its front clasp. All white, yet she wouldn’t claim to be innocent.
Noel’s gaze burned as it trailed over her. “Who needs steak when I have this?”
“Wait. Did you say steak?” She laughed when he pounced, but she wasn’t laughing anymore when he sucked her nipple and toyed her into a heavy arousal. He palmed one breast while licking the other, and before she knew it, he’d removed her shirt, bra, and panties, leaving her in only her skirt and stockings.
He continued to teethe, and the bites over her sensitive nipples threw her into a deep arousal.
“Yes, Noel. Oh yeah,” she moaned and gripped his hair, needing him to stop caressing her ribs and belly and move lower. “I’m so wet.”
“Good.” He sounded guttural, but he didn’t stop playing with her.
He leaned up and mounted her, no condom that she’d seen, but she didn’t care. The skirt bunched around her waist, but rubbing her stocking-clad legs against Noel felt sinful.
“In me.”
“Oh baby. We’re going to play tonight, Adeline Rose. I’ll make you feel so fucking good.” Noel rarely cursed. He must really be into her. “Don’t worry. I won’t come in your pussy.” He smiled, and a dangerous man stared at her. All that ferocity and need amped her desire. She had a tiger by the tail, and she knew it.
“Where will you come?” she asked, then gasped when he shoved inside her in one slick push.
“In that ass. I can’t wait to fill you up.” He fucked her, hard, but when she felt her release growing too close, he withdrew and left her aching.
Noel slid down her body and yanked her skirt free, leaving her in nothing but her stockings. “You’ll have to wear these for me again.”
“Yes.” Whatever he wanted, he could have. If he’d just let her climb back up that path to ecstasy once more.
But her contract man had no intention of playing nice, apparently. And she fell straight up in love with the riveted killer staring at nothing but her.
Chapter Twelve
Noel wanted to go easier on her, but lust rode him hard. Sinking inside her without a condom had been incredible. He’d fucked her, had felt her perfect body gloving him, and nearly come too soon.
Now he had to seduce the woman who’d already seduced him. Addy had nearly fried his circuits with that kiss in the kitchen. He’d wanted the romance and the candlelight to erase the negative energy from before. Killing in the house he wanted to woo his lady in didn’t seem right.
But this? Fucking Addy, making love to his woman, at her insistence?
“That’s right. Spread those legs wider.” She hadn’t been kidding. Addy was wet, totally slick for him. Her supple thighs felt like silk and had tone. Gripping her to keep her open, he sought the taut pearl he’d sucked not long ago. Her clit was full, and he licked and teethed her into a writhing mess.
He loved it. She tasted like his woman, her scent going straight to his head. He wanted to come inside her, to fill her up. But he’d done that once. In her mouth too. He had yet to take her ass. From what she’d said, she hadn’t had anal sex in a while. But the sparkle in her eye when he’d mentioned it showed him she had a few kinks they had yet to discover.
He couldn’t wait. He ate her out, loving her breathy moans and pleas for satisfaction. He ran his hands between her thighs, then inserted a finger in her pussy while he licked her.
“Yes, Noel. Baby, I’m coming.”
He wanted to feel her over his lips, and he licked her faster, driving his tongue into her snug body while he savored the taste of her.
She cried out and came, and he continued to enjoy her, loving the sweet cream gathering just for him. He could have risen over her and shoved deep, coming with her. So attuned to her pleasure, he wanted it all around him. But she had to want it all, and he needed her to be ready.
He petted her to calm her down, running his hands over the strip of hair covering her sex, over the slick folds guarding her secrets. Her taut belly and full breasts heaved as she caught her breath.
“Noel. My God.”
He chuckled and kissed his way up her body, resting at her nipple. “And we’re just getting started.”
“I came so hard.”
“I know. So tasty.” He licked his lips, her slack face so pretty, so fine. She parted her lips and he had to know her again.
He rose and kissed her, taken with the way she loved his mouth. No easy pecks or simple kisses for Addy. She made love to his lips and tongue, her every touch one of care, of sensual gratitude.
He felt her small hands run down his belly then cup his balls. He arched into her touch and deepened the kiss, trembling with the need to be inside her.
“You’re so hot. So strong.” She ran a hand up his forearm to curl around his biceps, while the other tortured him by stroking his cock and balls until he found himself rocking into her hand, unable to stop. “I love feeling you come in me.”
“Shit, Addy.” He hated to swear around a woman, but Addy destroyed him. “I mean, stop. I don’t want to come on your belly. I want inside your ass.”
She rolled his balls, and he closed his eyes and stilled.
“I want that too.” She let him go, and he opened his eyes and watched her watching him.
She turned onto her belly and tilted her ass up. “In me, right?”
“Gently,” he promised, hoping he didn’t look as desperate as he felt. He reached into the drawer next to the bed and withdrew t
he lube. He drizzled it over his cock, then parted her cheeks and gave her some. “I want you nice and slick,” he said.
Noel blanketed her, resting his cock along the seam in her ass.
“You feel heavy. You have a big dick, Noel. Can I take you?” she asked in a tone that completely did him in.
“Are you trying to make me come before I’m in you?”
She laughed, a seductress’s weapon wielded with precision. Then she arched up again, sliding his cock against her. “We wouldn’t want that.”
Where had this woman come from? This was no innocent schoolteacher or friendly neighbor. She owned him with a smile, a dark look, a seductive laugh.
He edged against her, slowly dragging along her crease, trying to stimulate the more superficial nerve endings. Then he couldn’t take any more of her moans and silken feel. He angled his cock at her hole and gave a small push.
She tensed, and he stopped, sweating, wanting nothing more than to shove home.
“Oh.”
He remained motionless. It was Addy impaling herself on his cock as she slowly rocked back into him while he balanced on his hands above her.
“More?” he asked, his voice gritty.
“Yes. You don’t hurt.” She sounded surprised.
“It’s not as bad if you go slow and you’re lubed.” Most people thought anal sex to be painful, that it needed preparation. It did, but not so much that a woman needed to walk around with a dildo up her ass for days to take a dick.
He wanted to smile at the mental image, but he had no humor left, not with desire riding him so hard.
Noel gave her a little bit more, let her get used to him, then pulled out and pushed back in. Slow increments, until Addy was right there with him, needing the whole of his length.
When Noel seated himself all the way, he closed his eyes and saw stars, enraptured with such closeness.
“Addy, Addy,” he continued to chant. “So good, baby.”
“Move in me,” she ordered and pushed back once more.
“Easy.” If she did that again, he’d ram too deep, because he was barely hanging on to his control.