Retribution Boxed Set (Books One and Two)
Page 33
He cocked a brow, a satisfied look on his face. “How am I supposed to ride a bike now?”
She laughed. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
He made a few inconspicuous adjustments before he climbed onto the seat. She made sure she scooted extra close to him when she got on behind.
He turned the handlebars until he could see her in his rearview mirror. “You’re a big tease,” he said.
“You started it,” she said with a grin that quickly spread to his face, too.
They headed back toward Portland, taking a few side trips to view the roadside waterfalls. At each stop, it had become a game to see who could kiss who without anyone else seeing them.
One stop required a short hike along a tree-covered hillside that led them back into a recessed cove. Sparkling water rushed over the edge above them, landing hard enough in the pool at the bottom that it sent tiny droplets of water spraying toward them.
They leaned against the metal railing and watched the misty forces of Mother Nature.
“I should have come here more often,” Janie said. “This isn’t that far away from home, and it’s so beautiful. So peaceful.”
“It cleanses the soul.” He turned so that his back was to the waterfall. He placed a leg on the other side of hers and he pulled her toward him, wrapping her in his embrace. The tilted trail forced her to rest against him.
Wind from the rushing water teased her face with carefree strands of her hair. He tamed the wild strands with his fingers before framing her face. “You are so beautiful.”
Heat rushed to her cheeks. “Don’t,” she said with a laugh. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“Too bad.” He pulled her in for a soft kiss that left her weak.
For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why a guy who seemed to have everything going for him would want to get tangled up with a girl who was in such a mess. “I thought we weren’t going to let anyone catch us kissing,” she whispered in his ear as a group of Asian tourists walked past.
“Too late.” He kissed her again, pulling her into a foggy mist of passion like the spray coming from the waterfall, and she stopped caring what passersby might think.
“I have a problem,” he said against her mouth.
She pulled back and looked at him, expecting to find something other than need burning in his eyes.
He trailed a finger down her cheek and across her lips, sizzling her nerves. “I want you.”
A hot shock of energy zipped through her. She didn’t know how to respond.
He kissed her again, sending her thoughts and emotions tumbling over the precipice. “I don’t know if you feel the same. I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for, but I can’t stop thinking about you. About the way you taste. The way you’ll feel….”
She tried to breathe, but her constricted chest made it hard to accept air. “I…” was all she managed to get out.
“You don’t have to answer. Don’t have to do anything.” He blew out a breath. “In fact, you should probably tell me to go to hell.”
“No….” She shook her head.
“I—anyway we should go. It’s getting late, and I told Christian we’d be back before dinner. He’s not going into the pub until later tonight, and he wanted the three of us to grill some steaks. He’s invited another friend of ours, Ryan. Not sure if he’ll show, but if he can make it, I’d like to introduce you to him.”
“Okay.”
He took her hand and led her back along the trail, the way they’d entered.
Another introduction. To someone important to Sam. Little by little he was inching his way into her heart. That’s what scared the hell out of her. Sex with Sam would be amazing. But it wouldn’t be just sex for him.
She was afraid it wouldn’t be for her, either.
* * *
Christian refused any help with dinner, so while he cooked, Janie showered off the day’s grime. Being out in nature freed her spirit, but she found she couldn’t get that close to nature without bringing some of it back with her, not to mention, the hours beneath a helmet didn’t help her hair.
Thoughts of Sam’s proposition replayed through her mind as she dried her hair and reapplied makeup. She slipped into a sleeveless, button-down shirt, loving the way the silky lavender material caressed her skin. When she felt presentable, she headed to the main area of the house.
She caught sight of the three men sitting outside on the back patio, and an odd sensation overtook her. A month ago, she knew none of them with the exception of the brief meeting with Sam. Now, she lived with two of them. And one wanted to make love with her.
Despite their activities this side of the law, they seemed to be good, upstanding men. At least Sam, Christian and Xander did. She should probably trust them. They were on her side.
Anxiety tightened her nerves, but she took a big breath and walked outside.
Sam stood the moment she stepped onto the patio. The other men turned to her, Christian with a friendly smile. A man with almost-shaved dark hair and piercing green eyes assessed her in a not-unfriendly manner.
Sam stepped forward, putting a reassuring hand on her back. “Janie, this is Ryan Atwood, a friend of mine. Ryan, I’d like you to meet Janie Singleton.”
Ryan stood and shook her hand in a firm greeting. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” He had a slight southern accent that left her feeling very feminine. “Sam has told me a lot about you.”
Her heart sunk. She hated that her weakness, her mistakes were a topic of conversation between these strong, vibrant men.
“He said you’re a great chef,” Ryan continued as though he’d picked up on her sad vibrations, and his compliment raised her spirits. “I was kind of hoping I’d get a taste of your cooking tonight.” He aimed a glance at Christian. “But at least Chris is good on the grill.”
Christian shrugged. “A single guy has to know how to grill a steak if he wants to survive.” The other two agreed with him, making her smile. It was obvious they enjoyed each other’s company. Like brothers.
Sam led her to the remaining chair. “You look amazing,” he whispered as he helped her sit.
“Thank you.” Nervous flutters tickled her stomach. Even though Sam had said she didn’t have to give him an answer, she felt like she did. She studied his hands as he sat next to her, imagining him touching her skin. She’d like to slip her fingers beneath his shirt and discover his chest. She wondered if he liked to have his neck kissed. If he liked to be on top or bottom.
She caught his gaze, and her face warmed. Definitely on top.
“Janie did make us dessert, though,” Sam announced, never taking his eyes off her. “Chocolate cake.”
Ryan widened his eyes. “My favorite. My mamma used to make us chocolate cake every Sunday.”
The rest of his sentence faded into a buzz. Oh my. Sam’s fevered gaze confirmed he was thinking about the same thing as she was. She swallowed, wishing she could cool down her skin, not to mention her insides. She caught a scent of his cologne and had to hold back a moan. She wanted the man. Bad. She closed her eyes as the center of her liquefied.
“Would you like a drink?” Sam whispered.
“Please.” Her voice came out breathless, drawing the attention of the other two men. She cleared her throat. “I’ll have a beer with the rest of you.”
She held Sam’s gaze as he pulled a bottle out of a small ice-filled container and opened it for her. He watched as she placed her lips on the rim and swallowed. She’d never known such an innocent act could become adult-rated.
She took another swallow and looked away from Sam. If she continued to stare at him, she’d combust into a pile of ashes right in front of everyone.
* * *
Paul opened the door to his apartment and nearly vomited from the sour stench. “What the hell is that smell?” he asked Brent.
“I don’t know.” The kid widened his eyes. “I’ve searched the place and can’t find anything.”
“Bitch,” he whispered when his gaze stumbled on the lamp she’d busted over his head.
“I thought it might be all your blood in the kitchen so I cleaned that up, but it still stinks. I know you wanted me to keep an eye on the place, but it was hard to stay in here for very long.”
“It’s gotta be something in the kitchen. Did you take out the trash?”
“I did.” The kid’s voice rose higher in protest.
“Chill. I’m not your fucking dad making you do chores.” He made his way to the couch. He needed to sit for a minute. It was hard to catch his breath after walking up the flight of stairs.
Brent headed for the kitchen and then returned to him. “It’s something in this room, I think. It smells way worse than the kitchen.”
Paul heaved in a determined breath and released it, the putrid scent making him gag, but he needed air. “Open a goddamn window, will you?”
The kid scrambled to open all the windows. It helped, but not enough to keep his head from pounding.
His cell rang, and he pulled it from his pocket. Shit. It was Hardy. “Give a guy a fucking minute to heal, would ya?” he said before pushing the answer button. “Hey. How are you doing, Hardy?”
“Where’s the girl? Angel’s voice came across the line deep and graveled from years of smoking. Paul could picture the ex-con sitting in the isolated small house near the edge of town. The guy had done well for himself after being released from prison, but he didn’t show it.
“We’ve got eyes out for her. Don’t worry. She’s either left town, or she’s gone underground because she knows I’m after her ass.” He knew asking Janie to move in with him would come back to bite him. But he didn’t like waiting when he was horny and needed a good fuck. And at first, he liked the way she made him want to be a better man. Until the stress of keeping up pretenses became too much. Still, he’d been good to her.
“That’s not good enough. I’ve cut you some slack because you’ve been laid up, but the time is now. There’s only one thing that will keep her from talking. You know what you gotta do.”
“I do.” He’d take pleasure in it, too. She should have known better than to cause him this kind of grief. “I’ve got plans in place to draw her out.”
“How long?”
“A week?”
“I’ll give you five days. After that, you’re dead to us. We can’t have any loose ends.”
A sick chill rushed through him. He was smart enough to know “dead to us” actually meant “dead to everyone”.
He hung up the phone and opened the apartment door to see if he could get a crosswind to clear out the stench. As he leaned against the doorframe, he noticed the dead flowers lying next to Janie’s vase on the table. He leaned to the side to pick them up when the smell overwhelmed him. He looked inside the vase. “What the fuck died in here?”
* * *
For Janie, the rest of the evening passed by in a pleasant haze of good food and good conversation. She didn’t know if the other two picked up on the sexual undercurrents passing between her and Sam. To her, they were a neon sign. If the men did, no one said anything.
Janie wasn’t surprised to learn Ryan had a military background. He looked and sounded the part. He’d been out of the service for a couple of years, but prior to that, he’d spent time in Afghanistan.
He was probably a great asset to their organization.
“Hey,” Christian said as they carried dishes inside after their meal. “Anyone want to go with me to check out that new bar that opened a block from mine? I need to keep an eye on the competition.”
“I’ll go,” Ryan said without hesitating. She glanced at the two men, and almost smiled as Christian tried to keep a straight face when he turned to Sam. “Either of you?”
They were clearing the house.
Sam had either said something to them earlier, or they were tired of being in the middle of her and Sam’s visual foreplay.
“Nah, I think I’ll pass this time,” Sam said and then glanced at Janie. “You want to go?”
If she said yes, she had the perfect excuse to avoid dealing with Sam. “I’ll stay home, too, if Christian and Ryan won’t feel slighted. I hate to say it, but riding around on the bike all day wore me out.”
Sam jumped to attention. “Really? Like how tired? These men were so obvious it was laughable, but in an adorable kind of way.
“Exhausted.” She pretended a yawn. “I think I’m going to head for bed. It was very nice to meet you, Ryan.”
“Same here.” He smiled, and Janie knew he’d be all kinds of trouble for plenty of women out there.
Chapter Seventeen
Janie waited until she heard Christian and Ryan leave before she headed back out of her room. She was too tightly wound to ignore her need for Sam. Deep down, she knew she’d decided back at the waterfall she wanted to make love with him. It might not be the best decision she’d ever made, but she knew she wouldn’t regret it.
All the lights in the house were still on, so she knew he hadn’t gone to bed, but she couldn’t immediately see him.
Then she spotted him sitting on the patio, lost deep in thought, perhaps a look of disappointment lingering on his face.
She smiled. He thought she’d rejected him.
She couldn’t outright go to him, didn’t want him to think she was too easy, though she knew he’d never consider her in that light. In a ploy to draw him inside, she opened a cupboard and removed a plate, letting the wooden door slam as she closed it. Then she rustled around in the silverware drawer, pulling out a knife and fork.
When she looked up, he stood in the doorway.
Her breath whooshed out of her.
Everything alpha about him emanated in a sexual wave that slammed into her, leaving her unsteady.
“What are you doing?” he asked. It was as though staying in her room had protected her from him, but coming into an open area left her fair game.
“Cake,” she responded. There was only one thing she wanted for dessert, and it wasn’t cake, but cutting a slice had seemed like a good way to catch his attention. She followed through with her declaration and served a piece onto the plate, clumsily dropping her fork onto the floor at the same time.
He was by her side in a second, picking up the renegade piece of silverware and tossing it in the sink. He grabbed another from the drawer, but instead of handing it to her, he cut off the tip of the cake and held it out for her. “You sure know how to make a great chocolate cake.”
She took the bite, staring into his eyes, knowing he had her intentions. She swallowed. “Thank you.” She glanced at the cake, wishing she could push it aside and devour him instead. “Would you like another taste?”
“You already know the answer to that.” He stuck the fork into the slice of cake and left it there before pulling her to him. She went willingly.
His mouth met hers in a heated kiss that left her hungry for more. She pushed up his t-shirt, her fingers greedy on his skin. She’d ached to touch him like this for a long time.
He grabbed the hem of his shirt and ripped it over his head, baring his chest for her. She splayed her fingers across his pecs before digging her nails into his taut skin. She leaned forward to trace a nipple with her tongue, earning a groan from deep within his chest. “Ah, Janie. You know how much I want you.”
She cradled his face between her hands, capturing his gaze. “I want you, too.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.” His gaze pleaded for her to say yes, but she knew if she said no, he’d stop.
“I’m positive.” She stepped back and began unbuttoning her blouse. She watched his hunger intensify as she flipped open each button, his reaction making her hotter as well. When she finished opening her shirt, she slid it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor with a whisper. �
��Are you going to make me do this all by myself?”
He slowly nodded. “I like watching you.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “Really? I never pictured you as the type to stand back and watch.”
“Me, either.” Still, he didn’t move.
She arched a brow, and he responded with the same gesture, urging her to continue. The thought of stripping in front of him in the brightly lit kitchen, of watching his reaction to the real her, appealed to her. She wanted this man to see her for exactly who she was. She wanted to bare it all and know that he loved her regardless. If there was no chance of unconditional love, she needed to know that going in.
She popped open the button on her pants. A sultry grin tilted his lips. She slid the zipper down, and he watched as she grabbed the waistband and started to shimmy out of her jeans.
“Shit,” he whispered as his gaze devoured her. He took a step forward, but she stopped him.
“Uh-uh. You wanted the show. You’re going to have to wait.”
A laugh erupted from him. “I can’t wait.”
“Too bad.” She turned her back to him and watched over her shoulder as she reached around and unhooked her bra. Her breasts, weighted by passion, fell forward without the support. She slipped the straps from her arms and tossed her bra over her shoulder toward Sam. He snatched it out of the air and bit it with his teeth.
She laughed as she turned, her mirth morphing into heated passion as the expression on his face also changed.
“Janie,” he warned.
“Not yet,” she whispered. She cupped her breasts from beneath, massaging them, tugging on her nipples as pleasure rushed through her.
He took a step forward, and she stepped back, bumping into the counter behind her. She slipped her fingers beneath the elastic of her panties, but before she could draw them down, Sam crushed her against him, his mouth hot and demanding on hers.
Big, greedy hands coursed down her back, cupped her bottom, hauling her against his hard desire. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with heated need.
A swift thrill shot through her when he lifted her, setting her on the counter. He settled between her legs, her heat beckoning him to touch her as he sucked a sensitive nipple in his mouth. She leaned back, arching into him, letting pleasure radiate outward from the point where he consumed her.