by Kaily Hart
She felt the color flood her cheeks. “I did.”
“Under duress maybe. I’ll do most of the work this time, okay?”
Ah, she was pretty sure he’d done most of the work last time. “Ward—”
One hard hand grasped the back of her thigh and she drew in a quick breath when he used it to urge her up and over him. He might have lingering issues from his injuries, but lack of strength wasn’t one of them. Muscles bulged in his arms, across his massive chest as he lifted her and positioned her above him with a precision she was in awe of.
His gaze was steady on hers, all hint of lightness gone from his eyes.
“Show me you want me inside you, Quinn, that this isn’t just me being a demanding jerk.”
Quinn reached down, curled a shaky hand around him and positioned him against her. His eyelids flickered, a pulse ticked at his temple and he let out a long, shuddering breath.
And then his hardness was stretching flesh still tender, still sensitive and still wanting.
“Oh, God.”
The words were torn from her as he filled her slowly, her wetness easing his way, his movements relentless. All the while he watched her, hot and steady, as if he was making sure it wasn’t too much, too fast, until he was buried deep, so deep.
One rough hand slid up her thigh as she fought to catch her breath, his fingers sliding down to where they were joined. His thumb… God, his thumb rubbed against her clit, right where she ached, stung, and her hips flexed against him without thought, without consciousness until she was grinding herself against him, back and forth, there, right where she needed it.
“See?” he rasped, his eyes fixed on his hand. “I got this.”
He urged her forward, leaned up and caught her nipple in his mouth, hot and wet and pulling. She whimpered when he sucked—hard. Sensation arced through her, pooling between her legs and she trembled at the power of it. He licked at her nipple, flicking back and forth with that wicked tongue in the exact same rhythm his body began surging against and into her.
Quinn let her eyes drift shut. She couldn’t do anything else. He’d just warmed her up before because this time? Despite what she’d said? With this body pounding into her, his mouth doing it’s damnedest to drive her out of her mind? Yeah, forget the second orgasm. She might just explode into flames instead.
* * * * *
“You held yourself back.”
“Say what?” Ward gave Quinn a quick glance as he pulled his t-shirt down over his head and tucked the front into the waistband of his jeans. She had her arms crossed. And here he’d been feeling pretty fucking pleased with himself. “You came, you screamed, you screamed when you came. Am I wrong?”
He needed to get home and he needed time to get some composure after she’d stripped him raw and wrung him out. Or had he done that all to himself? The pink surge into her cheeks was a reward of sorts.
“You still held yourself back with me.” Although her voice was soft, it still stung.
He frowned. “Ah…yeah. I’m big, Quinn. You’re not.”
“I’m a lot tougher than I look.”
He gave her another once-over, thinking not for the first time that it was such a waste she’d covered herself with a robe. And that he didn’t like it. “I doubt that.”
“Don’t do it again, okay?”
Again? His heart skipped a beat and just like that he was hard. And ready for that second round right now, which should have been pretty much impossible. Or would it count as a third?
“Quinn, you don’t know what the hell you’re asking for.”
“I could tell you were holding yourself back.”
“You have complaints? About my performance?”
Jesus, was she serious? Yeah, he might have been hesitant about sex at first, so hesitant he’d kept himself from even trying with anyone for three fucking years, but Ward knew his strengths and his weaknesses. In his line of work, he had to have an unbiased, realistic perspective of his skills, capabilities and potential in every situation he faced. Arrogance could get you killed, but this? He swallowed with an effort, pushed aside the tight, black feeling in the pit of his stomach. He’d never had any complaints before, actually just the opposite. He ground his teeth together because that niggling feeling was still there. That had all been a long time ago. Besides, none of how he’d operated with women seemed to apply to Quinn, so why would this?
“I got you off, didn’t I?”
She raised her chin and looked him square in the eye. “It was fine but there’s more to sex than getting off, you know.”
There was? Since when? And…? He clenched his jaw until he thought his bones would pop.
“Fine? Fine?” he grated. There was that word again. “I don’t know what kind of sex you’re used to having but what we had? That was wild, Quinn. Out-of-this-world wild. Blow-the-top-of-my-fucking-head-off wild. And you didn’t just get off. You came. And you screamed my name. Twice.”
Pink color flooded into her cheeks this time and he felt the tension ease out of his muscles. Some.
“Maybe, but you still held yourself back with me and you had to be thinking to be able to do that.”
He grabbed her wrist, held her arm up in front of him and slapped his palm up against hers. His hand—big, rugged, rough—dwarfed her own.
“I may not be the man I once was, but I’d better be thinking when I’m buried as far as I can go inside you. I’d better be fucking thinking when you make that move with your hips, when you breathe my name in my ear, when you whimper just as you’re about to go over. When you say the word ‘come’ to me.” He let out a rough breath. “I’m twice your size, Quinn. I’m trained to kill with no sound and minimal effort. I’m bigger, stronger—”
“You would never hurt me,” she whispered. “Ever.”
“Yeah, well, I’d never take that chance because you know what? I know you could have me in that state where I can’t think, where I don’t even know my own fucking name and I for one don’t want to find out what goes down when that happens. Okay?”
Chapter Four
Fuck it.
Why couldn’t he keep his Goddamn eyes off her? One part of him was glad she’d shown up for boot camp, despite the way he’d stormed out last night. The other? The other knew it would have made things a hell of a lot easier if she hadn’t.
He let out a rough breath. She might have just managed a half-decent pushup and she had the silly smile plastered all over her face to show for it. He had an insane urge to smile right along with her.
Hype had greeted Quinn this morning like a fucking puppy wagging his tail, eager for any affection she gave him. And she’d given him plenty. And okay…maybe, just maybe, he was jealous of his own damn dog.
Quinn. Jeez. She had no filter, or not much of one and no self-preservation instinct. He scared most people, knew he intimidated the fuck out of them. He’d perfected the ability almost to an art form. Maybe he even got some perverse pleasure from it. At a minimum people were wary around him, but not her. She didn’t seem to even notice the tough-guy vibe he did his best to give off. She hadn’t reacted to his “don’t fuck with me or I’ll rip your head off” look either.
He’d learned a long time ago it was a great way to avoid senseless conversation. Or unwanted scrutiny. Her curiosity and persistence should have annoyed him, pissed him the hell off, but it flat-out intrigued him. She was open and honest. The lack of artifice was refreshing but it made him uneasy too. Someone that open? Someone who made themselves vulnerable to everything and everyone around them? Yeah, that was nuts, but if he was honest with himself? He kinda liked it.
“Hey, man.”
Ward started at the hand that slapped onto his shoulder.
“Sorry.” Gus laughed. “You day dreaming?”
Son of a bitch. Gus had never managed to sneak up on him before. Never. He rubbed the back of his neck, wondered not for the first time what the hell was happening to his instincts.
Ward gave Quinn a la
st quick glance before turning his attention to his brother. He was still supposed to be gone for another couple of days.
“You’re back? Since when?”
Gus smiled. “I got in late last night. Couldn’t stay away.”
“Not a moment too fucking soon, that’s for sure,” Ward ground out.
“Why? What’s wrong? My ladies too much for you?”
Ward’s gaze went straight to Quinn. Again. He couldn’t seem to help himself. “Do yourself a favor and turn off the call forwarding to me, okay? This getting up at the ass crack of dawn is for the fucking birds. So is all the damn hand-holding. You’re here, so I’m not. Later.”
Gus frowned. “Yeah, okay. Later.”
Ward had an out—a logical, simple out—right here, right now. He could finish it. For good. All he had to do was just walk away and not look back. Easy, right? So why the fuck did he stop, turn and head straight for Quinn?
Yeah, because she would have thought him a rude jerk, that’s why. And why that worried him, let alone even occurred to him at all, he had no fucking idea.
“Hey, I’m gonna split. Gus is back to take over so…”
She blew the loose hair out of her eyes when she noticed him. She was sweaty, her cheeks flushed and damn if he didn’t feel himself harden. Hot and sweaty was his favorite look on her.
“You’re leaving?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”
“Okay.” She held out her hand. “Then it was nice meeting you.”
Meet? Right. He looked down at her hand and all of a sudden it pissed him the hell off that she’d think to kiss him off with a fucking hand shake.
He folded his hand around hers and tugged until she was forced to step into him. Close.
He leaned down. “My place. Tonight. Seven. I’ll come get you. We’ll eat and…”
Yeah, he wanted to eat all right. Her. And damn if it didn’t just occur to him that he hadn’t gotten the chance to do just that last night. So fucking remiss of him. He might not have the mobility he used to, but for that he’d figure out a way.
She licked her lips and his mind went nuclear with explicit image after explicit image. “And?” she whispered.
“And I’m going to do my damnedest to show you sex with me isn’t ‘fine’ or ‘good’. And I’m going to get off again on hearing you pant my name in my ear when you come.”
“Oh my God,” she gasped, looking around to make sure no one heard him. “Did you just say that out loud?”
He smiled at the horrified look on her face. “Wear a dress.”
Yeah, a dress. That’d work. He’d make it work. Somehow.
“What—”
“Seven. Okay?”
She nodded. The dazed look looked good on her. He planned on recreating it later.
Quinn dragged her gaze away from Ward’s broad back and sexier-than-sin walk. She should be annoyed at his attitude at the very least, at the high handed way he’d just assumed she’d be more than happy to— Oh, God, who was she kidding? Her body was already heating up with just the thought of what he could do to her later, what she wanted him to do to her.
“Now you I have to meet. I’m Gus. The bonehead’s brother.”
Quinn swung around and blinked like an idiot up at the guy in front of her. She put her palm against the hand he held out and tried to ignore the fact that hers might be sweaty or grubby or both. His hand was warm, his clasp firm. His touch was nice, pleasant, but had none of the instant heat or sharp need of Ward’s touch against her skin. Or the hyperawareness she felt when he looked at her with those dark eyes of his.
“Quinn,” she managed. “The bonehead’s…thorn in his side, I guess.”
Gus laughed, soft and husky and she couldn’t help but smile in return. All the women were already giggling, preening, ogling. Quinn could see the appeal. Gus was gorgeous with that open smile and those crinkly eyes when he laughed. He was lean and ripped, a younger, more relaxed, more open version of Ward except… Gus didn’t have the raw edginess Ward carried wrapped around him like a shield, a shield she just wanted to peel back, layer by layer. A shield she wanted to crawl inside of and wrap herself in. And apparently, a perpetual dark scowl did a heck of a lot more for her than friendly, drop-dead hot did. Who knew?
“So spill, gorgeous.”
Gorgeous?
Quinn looked behind her to see if there was a chance there was someone else he’d been talking to. Nope. This got another chuckle from Gus, warm and inviting.
She laughed this time. “Spill?”
“Yeah, so…you and Ward, huh?”
“What? No. Are you kidding? Of course not. At least…” She sighed. “Honestly? I don’t know exactly.”
“Yeah. I know the feeling.” Gus crossed his arms over his thick chest. “Ward doesn’t do common courtesy not to mention the almost PDA, but he did with you. That tells me you mean something to him.” He looked her up and down and frowned. “You definitely don’t seem his type.”
“His type? What’s that?”
“These days? No one. Once upon a time? Leggy brunettes.” He gave her another once-over. “The athletic type,” he added.
Right. Of course. As far removed from herself as you could get. Some would even say opposite. As if she needed any further confirmation that she and Ward? Probably. Not. Going. Anywhere. Fast.
“Jeez, I’m sorry,” Gus muttered, shook his head. “Really. That was unforgivably rude. I’ve just never seen him like that with anyone before.”
“Like what?”
“Interested. He smiled for God’s sake. At you.”
Quinn frowned at the odd tone in his voice. “Are you warning me off him?”
“Hell, no.”
“Then what?” Because there was definitely something.
“Just…go easy on him, okay?”
“Me? Are you kidding?”
Gus sighed. “Ward can be pretty hard core but he’s…underneath he’s…”
“Vulnerable? Yeah, I know.”
Gus looked at her for a long moment, his gaze intense. “No one sees that side of him. No one. You might have some mad observation skills but if he hadn’t wanted you to see that, you wouldn’t have.”
Quinn fought against fidgeting under that scrutiny. She’d figured that out all on her own.
“You didn’t really need him to step in to do the boot camp program, did you?”
“You’re good. Scary good.” Gus gave a slight shake of his head. “He works with a bunch of guys just like him. Former military, all hard-core badasses. They’ve all been through a lot of shit, but they could all do with some lightening up, you know?”
“Yeah, well… I’m pretty sure Ward can take care of himself. Now…who the heck names a baby Gus?”
Gus chuckled and leaned in close, the warmth back in his eyes. “When you get to know me better, maybe I’ll tell you what it’s short for.”
“Whew,” Quinn breathed. “I can see how that technique could be positively lethal.”
“Technique?” he asked but he knew exactly what she was talking about.
“Flirting. Got it down to a science, huh?”
He smiled, all white perfect teeth, dimples and sparkling eyes. And then he winked. “You have no idea.”
Too bad she was already immune. Maybe permanently.
Gus moved off toward the group and the noise level was immediately ear-piercing, especially when Gus took off his jacket, revealing a muscle shirt underneath and some impressive biceps of his own.
“Morning, ladies,” he called out, giving them a bow. A bow, for God’s sake. Quinn rolled her eyes.
“A moment of silence please,” he continued. “For all those chunks stuck in traffic at this very moment on their way to the gym to ride stationary bikes.”
Laughter. Cheers. It was a nice change from awkward silences and tension, so much tension. Gus’s mere presence had already buoyed the group, ramped up the enthusiasm, relaxed everyone. Quinn knew which she’d prefer though. A
nd who.
* * * * *
“Wow. Consequence threat management must really pay well.”
Quinn had used finger quotes to throw his own words back at him while she looked around. Ward’s home was in a renovated warehouse—high ceilings, exposed brick, original hardwood. The huge windows provided a picture perfect view of the city skyline and told her the place must have cost a small fortune. Of course, the new Mercedes he’d been driving should have been her first clue.
He’d been mostly silent, hot looks since he’d picked her up and noticed she hadn’t worn the dress. Like now. Right now his eyes were telling her he had plans, plans that made her tremble and ache in anticipation, despite the jeans she’d decided on.
The corner of his mouth lifted. “You’d be surprised how many paranoid rich people are worried about being kidnapped for ransom.”
“Really? There’s a danger of that?”
He shrugged. “Some need it, some don’t. They insist anyway and I still charge them a shitload for peace of mind. There’s no one else who can deliver what my team and I can.”
She couldn’t miss the thread of pride in his voice. Or the arrogance that came right along with it. She had a feeling it was justified.
“How do you get into something like that?”
His gaze narrowed on her. “I’m trained to break into impenetrable places and neutralize threats. Being a trained killer doesn’t hurt either. Seemed a good fit.”
Whew. He threw the violent words around as casually as if he were talking about the weather. Not for the first time she wondered what the hell she was doing here. With him. It was so unlike her. She didn’t do this. She didn’t sleep with a guy she’d only just met. She didn’t go to their house. She didn’t tremble in anticipation of him touching her. She didn’t want it like a drug, ache for it, except…something about him called to her, awakened something inside her. Maybe it was the wounded beast thing he had going on. Rough, rugged, savage, but hurting, and not just his injuries. She could see it in his eyes every time he looked at her and that made her ache too.
Whatever it was between them, Quinn knew it wasn’t heading into permanent territory. She was an anomaly. No big mystery there. She’d somehow made it through the impenetrable barrier he shielded himself with and he’d trusted her. With himself. And when that was over? Yeah, they probably would be too.