“Why didn’t Nate do something?”
“We never told him what was going on. When Joan knew he was coming home, she’d clean the house, stock the cabinets and fridge, and tell us to behave. We knew better than to cross her.”
“I know Cade tried to protect you but there’s really no way to protect a child from that kind of neglect and emotional abuse. Addison said when Joan drank she was mean.”
“She was an alcoholic and unpredictable.”
“How’d she manage to stay sober when your dad was home?”
“She didn’t. When he was home, they’d go out and when they came home the arguing would begin. She’d yell things like ‘don’t touch me’ or ‘stay back’ and then she’d scream and I thought he was beating her. After he left again Joan always told me I was just like my dad and she felt sorry for any woman dumb enough to love me.”
“Oh, Jackson, she was so wrong.” Jenna lifted one of his hands and kissed it. “You’re a wonderful man and I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”
“She said it so often that I began to believe it. When Earl Baume told me I was just like my dad, all those old fears swamped me. I was already in love with you and the thought of hurting you terrified me. It just reinforced my decision to put some distance between us by joining the Marines.”
“Oh, Jackson.”
“Staying away from you was the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do in my life. Last year, after we spent the night together, I watched you sleep and I knew if I didn’t send you away I’d destroy your love for me.” He looked into her eyes. “I’m so sorry I hurt you, Jenna. Will you forgive me?”
Jenna smiled. “Oh, Jackson, yes, because I love you and there’s nothing you could ever do that would change that.”
Jackson pulled her to him and kissed her while he untied the bows and her clothes fell away. He stood and carried her to the bed.
“What about our game?” Jenna asked.
“Tonight I just want to make love to you.” He laid her down and caged her with his body and kissed her before trailing kisses down her body. When he reached her pussy he ran his fingers over it and looked up at her.
“What?” Jenna slid her hands into his hair. “Tell me, Jackson.”
“We’ve never talked about babies.”
Jenna smiled. “Yours or babies in general?”
“Ours.”
“I want at least four. Is that okay?”
“Yes.” Jackson stroked his finger down her slit then touched her clit. “I keep track of your cycle. You have a week of pills left.” He looked up at her. “What do you think about trying for a baby?”
“I’d like that.”
Jackson smiled. “Tonight I’m going to feast on your body.”
Jenna turned until her mouth was over his cock. “How about we feast on each other?” She kissed the head of his cock and licked it. He drew a gasp from her when he licked her clit then sucked on it.
Jenna lapped at him like he was her favorite food. He let her for a few minutes then pushed her onto her back and slid his cock into her in one long, smooth thrust. He hugged her tight against his body the way he knew she liked and pressed his weight onto her.
“Oh, Jackson, I love when you hold me like this.” Jenna threaded her fingers into his hair. “Yes, like that.”
Jackson kissed her and pumped his hips until she tightened around him. She gasped his name as she came and the pulsing of her vagina around his cock threw him into an explosive orgasm. It rushed through him as he collapsed against her. He kissed her forehead then rolled onto his back and pulled her against him. “How would you feel about getting married in May?”
Jenna laughed. “Let me guess—at the annual Ramsey party?”
“Yup.”
Jenna kissed his neck. “May it is then.”
Chapter Three
For Cade the flight back to Texas from Colombia took forever in some ways, and went too quickly in others. He was anxious to see Addison, but couldn’t help feeling that they’d overlooked something. As the miles between him and the man he considered a fifth brother grew his anxiety grew in equal measure. He flipped through the pictures of the cottage paying special attention to the partial word Marisol had written on the inside of the tub. On the table in front of him a laptop was open and a dictionary site was pulled up. He went over the selection of words that began with those four letters over and over but none of them made sense.
“I don’t know what she meant to write. Damn it.” Cade sighed, then collapsed back in his seat.
“We’ll show it to Jenna when we get home,” Nymph said. “She has an uncanny ability when it comes to solving puzzles.”
“By the time we figure it out it will be too late,” Cade said. “Every minute that goes by the trail grows colder.” He rubbed his tired eyes and ran his hands over his hair. “Damn it, we missed something. I know we did.” He stood and began pacing the area between the seats. “They were attacked in the bathroom while they were in the shower.”
“How do we know they were both in the shower?” Nymph asked. “Maybe only one of them was in the shower.”
“If only one of them was in the shower it was Thor,” Nate said. “He wouldn’t have trapped himself in the bathroom otherwise. Not enough room to fight.”
Cade nodded. “Marisol had probably already gotten out and dried off. Addison always gets out first to dry her hair.”
“That’s why there were dried piles of towels on the floor.” Nymph smiled. “Marisol always does that because she knows it drives Thor nuts.”
Cade swung around and sent her an “aha” look. “He bitches about that all the time. Thor is worse than Luc when it comes to having things done the right way.”
Nymph smiled. “That drives Marisol crazy. Anyway, maybe she heard them breaking into the cottage.”
“No sign of a break-in,” Dirk said.
“They entered with a key and Marisol either heard them or saw them. She would have warned Thor. He put her in the tub to protect her and she grabbed her eyeliner and tried to leave a message. But what?”
“No food,” Bridget said.
“What?” Dirk asked.
“The champagne was the only thing in the fridge. These high-end resorts stock the kitchens with snacks. That’s more proof they knew Thor and Marisol weren’t going to be there long enough to eat.”
“Do you think they drugged the wine?” Nymph asked.
“Doubtful. Thor wouldn’t have poured a drink from an opened bottle,” Nate said.
Cade rubbed the back of his neck. “So, they were attacked in the cottage, subdued, and taken next door. The bushes were torn up so we know Thor, and maybe even Marisol, fought them. One or both of them were injured.”
“Or, one of the assailants was injured,” Nymph said. “Thor wouldn’t go down easy.”
“I’d say there were injuries on both sides,” Bridget said.
“What about you two?” Nate looked at Dirk and Sabre. “You pick up any vibes from either cottage?”
Dirk and Sabre shook their head. “The trail was too cold,” Sabre said.
“Vibes?” Nymph asked.
Bridget smiled. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it sometime.”
“Okay, but this time, I’m holding you to it.” Nymph yawned.
Nate slid his arm around Nymph’s waist. “Tired?”
She leaned against him. “A little.”
Dirk laughed. “If you two want to take a little nap in the bedroom, go ahead. I’m kicking back here.” He reached out and snagged Bridget by the waist and pulled her down onto his lap. She laughed, then snuggled up to him and Sabre tossed a light blanket over them.
“Sleep, Bridget,” Sabre said.
* * * *
Nymph followed Nate to the bedroom in the back of the jet. He closed the door, swung her into his arms, and laid her on the bed. Before she could stop him, he stripped her sandals from her feet and reached for the snap on her jeans. “Lift up.”
&
nbsp; She raised her hips and he pulled her jeans and sheer lace panties off, then grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head and dropped it. While she watched he undressed, then dropped down on top of her, caging her with his arms and legs. They stared into each other’s eyes for several moments before he lowered his lips to hers. He kissed her once, twice, then a third time before he ran his lips down her nose. “If I live to be a hundred I’ll never tire of the taste of your mouth, Nymph. Every time I taste you it’s like the first day I met you when you claimed me.”
Nymph laughed. “I knew even then the only way I’d get to keep you was to grab on and never let go.”
He touched the scar on her belly where Ben’s knife had accidentally stabbed into her, then looked up at her with worried eyes. “I could have lost you.”
“But you didn’t.”
He ran his fingers across her belly from one side to the other and back to the center where he circled her belly button before he planted a kiss on her tummy.
Nymph slid her hands over his hair. The few silver strands hidden among the dark black strands at his temples managed to make his eyes even bluer. At fifty-two, Nate was an outstandingly gorgeous man with a smile that could break her heart. She ran her hands down his face to his neck and grasped his shoulders. “What’s on your mind?”
He glanced up at her then back down where his fingers played with her belly button. “Do you ever regret not having a baby?”
“I’ve always felt like I had five of them.”
Nate pressed his face against her belly while his arms surrounded her hips and held her tightly. She could see his shoulders shaking, then felt his tears slide down her belly and over her hips. She covered his head with her hands and held him. Twenty-one years. It had taken twenty-one years for this man to cry for himself and everything he’d lost. She held him and let him cry. When he dried his face on her belly, she rubbed her fingertips against his scalp.
“I love you, Nate. You’re the best man I’ve ever known. Your sons are lucky to have you. Someday, they’ll know that.”
He scooted up the bed then flipped onto his back and held her against him. “They won’t be safe until Mendez is dead, but I don’t want to risk you again.”
“But you also want to stay near them, right?”
“Yes.”
“Because of Cade and Addison’s baby?”
“Yes,” he said and smiled. “You’re going to be married to an old man, baby. A grandpa.”
Nymph sat up, threw a leg over his waist then glared down at him. “Who you calling old? Surely not us! I’ll have you know we can party with the best of them. Still.”
“You party. I think I’ll take a nap.”
Nymph reached behind her and ran her hand over his erection. “Doesn’t feel like all of you wants to take a nap.”
“That part’s always had a mind of its own when you’re around.” He smiled and the smoky blackness of his lashes turned his eyes to a blazing blue.
She smiled and slid down his legs. With her mouth hovering over his cock she looked up. “Let’s see if I can get this unruly cock under control.”
Nate crossed his arms on the pillow above his head. “I’m in your hands,” he said, then added, “And, mouth,” when she slid her lips down the length of the shaft. “God, Nymph.” He exhaled and his belly sunk inward.
Nymph ran her hands down his belly to his cock and surrounded it with her fingers. She took the head into her mouth and swirled her tongue over it before she sucked on it. His fingers threaded through her hair, but he didn’t put any pressure on her head. She released the head, licked down the shaft, and placed a ring of kisses around it. Her tongue left a wet trail on his balls before she licked her way back up to the head and took it into her mouth. Gradually, she worked her way down until the head bumped the back of her throat. She swallowed, then hummed and pulled back to the head. She looked up and met Nate’s eyes before she slid her lips back down and repeated the swallow and hum pattern.
“Damn, baby.” His voice was rough.
Nymph licked up and down and around his shaft, then slid her hand to his balls and cupped them. She rolled them, then slid her lips down his shaft. She loved the satiny smoothness of his skin over the hardness of his strength. He tasted of the land and the Texas sky, and generations of men who didn’t back down. She sucked on him for a moment, then released him and kissed her way up his belly to his nipples. The left one got a nibble, then the right one, until he shivered. She smiled, then moved on to his lips.
He nipped her bottom lip, then growled. “Slide down onto my cock.”
“Like this?” She wiggled down until the mushroom-shaped head slid into her an inch.
He grasped her hips and pressed her down onto his shaft.
She moaned and wiggled again. “Oh, that feels so good.” Sitting up, she placed her hands on his chest and rose up, then slid down again. “I love having you inside me.” A little rotation of her hips gave her the sensation she needed and she threw her head back and moaned with pleasure again. “Right there, oh, yes, yes.”
Nate grasped her hips. “That’s it. Just like that.” He pressed her down and lifted her up and thrust up into her.
Nymph closed her eyes, dropped her head back, and enjoyed the sensation of having Nate inside her. She slid her hands over her breasts, brushing over her nipples until they were hard and swollen. Nate’s hands replaced hers. His fingers pinched her nipples until she gasped and pressed all her weight onto his cock and rolled her hips. He grasped her waist and flipped them over and began thrusting hard into her.
One of his hands slid beneath her back as the fingers of his other hand dug into the back of her thigh as he raised it and held it against his waist. His thrusts became hard, deep and measured, with a little extra twist at the end that slid his cock over her clit. Each move drew a little mewling sound from her until she was panting. “Please, please, oh.”
“That’s it, Nymph. Come now, love.”
The sound of his voice, deep and rough with passion, sent her over the edge. She screamed her pleasure against his chest as she wrapped her legs around his waist and pressed her pussy against him. The orgasm went on and on until her legs shook and dark spots blazed in front of her eyes.
She drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes. He buried his head against her neck and began a sliding thrust, belly to belly, mound to mound. When his breathing became rough, she tightened the muscles of her channel around his shaft. He groaned, paused, then thrust hard several more times before he shuddered and moaned her name as he came.
Another tremor of pleasure flared through her and she whispered his name.
He brushed his stubble-roughened cheek against her throat. “I love you, Nymph.”
He rolled off her, pulled her against his side and pulled the sheet over them. A few seconds later, she heard his breathing even out. She slid her leg between his and closed her eyes. A small smile curved her lips as she fell asleep.
* * * *
A cold wind blew rain against the windows, but inside a fire blazed in the fireplace. Jenna mumbled the word fragment Marisol had left as a clue while she paced the living room. Addison lounged on the couch where Cade had placed her after their Thanksgiving lunch. He’d covered her up, given her a long kiss, and handed her a stack of catalogues along with his credit card.
Nymph watched Addison turn a page, take a sip of herbal tea, then dial a number on her cell phone. A moment later, she was busy ordering another item for the baby, or Cade, or anyone else who frequented the house. It hadn’t taken Nymph long to realize that Addison got more enjoyment buying things for the people she loved than for herself. Every now and then, she’d show Nymph a picture of a piece of expensive jewelry or a dress and Nymph would shake her head, declining the offer. Addison would pout, shrug, and return to her shopping.
A few minutes later, she smiled and held up a picture of a custom handgun. Nymph couldn’t prevent her look of interest before she shook her head. Ad
dison smiled then dialed the phone and Nymph knew that gun would wind up gift-wrapped and under the tree in a month.
“It’s time to get up and walk around, Addison,” Nymph said.
“Thank goodness. I’ve got to go to the ladies’ and I’m starving.” Addison threw back the blanket, stood up, and stretched, then tried to bend over and touch her toes. Her belly got in the way. She laughed, then slid her hands over it and smiled.
Jenna tossed the picture she’d been carrying onto the coffee table. “How can you be hungry? You had seconds of everything at lunch.”
Addison shrugged. “I’m eating for two.”
Jenna laughed. “Okay. I’ll rustle us up some leftovers.”
She and Addison left the room and a few seconds later, the doorbell rang. Nymph moved to the door and peeked out. One of the guards from the gate stood on the other side holding up another man. A closer look revealed a pale and dirty Vitale. She pulled the door open and he practically fell into the hallway. She slid her arm around his waist and helped the guard move him into the living room.
“Nate!” she yelled. “Cade!”
They must have heard the alarm in her voice as the sound of rapid boot steps on the wood floors drew closer and they appeared in the archway with their hands on their guns.
“What the hell?” Cade demanded. “Vitale?”
“He’s sick,” Nymph said.
Vitale shook his head. “Mendez…ambushed us…killed my uncle’s men…shot me…back. My uncle…on the run…contact got me home.”
They laid him on the couch and Nymph covered him with Addison’s blanket.
“Have to tell you,” he said, his voice weak. “Thor. Marisol. On a barge.”
Jenna and Addison returned in time to hear the last part of his statement. Jenna gasped, then said, “Of course, Marisol wrote in Spanish. ‘Barca’ translates to ‘barge’ in English.”
Nymph placed her hand on Vitale’s forehead. “You’re burning up. You need to go to the hospital.”
He groaned. “Infected.”
Addison spoke to someone on the phone, then hung up. “There’s an ambulance on the way.”
The Ramsey Doms Page 5