Banged Up

by Jeanne St. James

  She lingered above him, putting her weight on her shins. She was so far above him.

  Too far. She needed to be closer. Much closer. “Condom?” he squeaked out. He held onto her upper arms making sure she didn’t lower herself yet. Not until some important business was taken care of first.

  “It’s taken care of.”

  “Okay, uh…”

  Colby leaned forward and placed her lips by his ear, whispering, “I’ve been on birth control, but I wasn’t sure before… Now, I am. I want just you, only you, inside me, nothing in between.”

  Mace groaned in anticipation; it sounded like a good plan to him. His cock jerked and it brushed against her damp curls, which in turn made him thrust his hips up in response.

  Colby laughed huskily. “Down, boy.”

  She spread one open hand against his chest for balance and grabbed his shaft with the other; she rubbed it against her slit, making it even slicker, if possible. She lined it up in perfect position, and he was ready, so ready to send it home.

  She made small circles with her hips, lowering herself. She’d go down one inch, come back up until only the tip was in her, go down two inches, and come back up. Then down three inches before coming back up, all the while keeping her inner muscles tight and circling her hips.

  He was going to pass out. Any second he was going to just drop over dead. With the biggest fucking grin on his face, too.

  When she sank down on him, swallowing him whole, he lost his train of thought. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her there. She ground circles against his lap and he pressed his face between her breasts, air hissing from his lungs. He struggled to catch his breath when she started rocking against him, letting out little mews and gasps.

  Her sounds vibrated through her chest against his cheek as he nuzzled her breasts, moving until he caught a nipple in his mouth, drawing down on the tight, hard nub. She rocked faster and he sucked harder.

  Suddenly her movements became frantic, and within seconds she stiffened, clenching her inner muscles around him and letting out a long wail. He thrust up and felt the heat rolling through him. He released himself deep within her, his cock jerking along with her orgasm.

  Colby collapsed against his chest, wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing.

  “Wow,” she whispered into his hair.

  He chuckled. “Ditto.” He nuzzled her neck and kissed her damp skin.

  She said, “I need to get off your leg.” But she made no effort to do so.

  “No. You’re fine. I don’t want you to move.” His leg was only spasming slightly. It would settle down soon.

  The phone rang, making Colby jerk against him. She eyed the phone worriedly.

  “How about now?”

  “Still fine.” He stretched over and plucked the cordless phone from the side table.

  “Hello?” Silence greeted him. He tried once more time. “Hello?” A soft laughter answered him before he heard a click and the dial tone. Mace’s stomach dropped.

  He pushed the “end” button on the phone and slammed it on the tabletop. “Well, we know now who wasn’t making those calls.”

  Colby’s arms tightened around him and she buried her face against his neck. He traced his fingers up and down the crease of her spine.

  At first, he’d been hoping it was some stupid kid pranking the house. After Craig had showed up, he’d just hoped it had just been the bastard. But he was getting a very bad feeling about this. He was at the point now where he was going to have the Bureau trace the calls.

  He cupped Colby’s ass cheeks. He wanted to get to the bottom of this soon.

  Chapter Eleven

  Colby walked through the aisles of what, at first glance, looked like junk. It wasn’t, though. Antiques and other household items lay in long rows on the grass. Every so often, something—a unique piece of furniture or knickknack—would catch her eye and she would hesitate, investigate, and inspect.

  If she liked it, it would go on her list along with what she thought it was worth or at least what her limit was while bidding. Since her funds were limited when it came to furnishing the house, she had to keep herself under control. Renovations were her priority. Having a non-leaking roof over her head was more important than an antique settee.

  As it was, auctions had a tendency to get her caught up in the moment and before she knew it, she had spent way too much on an item. Auctions were fun, but addicting.

  She couldn’t believe Mace had wanted to come with her and Martin today. Recently, Mace seemed to want to stick close to her. Any time she had to run an errand, he would either insist on doing it for her or at least want to go along.

  She didn’t know if he was trying to be helpful or just being overly possessive. Either way, he had tagged along today. Not long after arriving, Martin and Mace had wandered away talking about what pieces of furniture would go nicely with the wainscoting and wood molding in her house.

  She preferred the auctions held during the week and during the day, because those usually had less competition for an item she wanted. However, this auction was loaded with people, because it was a beautiful Saturday morning.

  The property was only about a mile away from hers and the auction was being offered by the estate of the late owner. The house itself was being auctioned off, but it was in very bad shape, even worse than hers had been when she bought it. Whoever bought it today would most likely have to tear it down and start over. But though the house was in disarray, the old wood furniture had been kept up. Classic, stunning pieces littered the yard.

  She strolled down another aisle until she found a particular piece she had seen listed in the auction catalog. It was a beautiful Victorian dresser made from a burl of walnut.

  She pulled open a drawer to inspect the dovetailing. The mirror was large and the wood around the glass was hand carved. The top was made of molded and variegated marble, white in color, a stunning contrast with the rich walnut color of the wood. It was in excellent condition for a piece of furniture which had survived since the 1860s.

  Colby stepped back to stare at it. She really wanted it. But knew it was going to bring a hefty price. She sighed in disappointment. Some collector would snap it up at a price way out of her range.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Colby jumped at the deep male voice which came from right over her shoulder. She turned quickly to face the stranger. “Yes. I’d love it, but I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it.”

  “How do you know you can’t afford it? This is an auction. Deals can always be found at an auction.”

  The tall but stocky man had dark brown eyes and his hair was just as dark. His complexion was darker than Mace’s, more olive-toned, and unmistakably ethnic even though he didn’t have an accent. Something about him made her uncomfortable. Maybe it was just because he was standing too close; he was invading her personal space.

  Colby had to sidestep to put a little more room between them. She shrugged. “I know what similar pieces like this have gone for. I’m not holding out hope to win this.”

  “But you will bid?”

  She thought a moment. “Yes, until it passes my budget.”

  “Which is?”

  She didn’t feel comfortable talking money with a complete stranger, so she skirted the question. “What things are you interested in?”

  He gave a slight shrug. He buried his hands into the pockets of his slacks. But not before she saw the expensive watch on his wrist. Rolex. Could be a knock-off.

  “I’m just here to observe.”

  Observe? That was a bit weird. Most people who came to auctions came because they either wanted a good deal or a particular item, not just to observe. “Are you related to the estate?”

  “No. I was just driving by when I saw the cars and the auction sign. I figured I’d check it out.”

  Yes, there were a lot of cars parked haphazardly. On the street, on the lawn, blocking the neighbors’ driveways. Just a typical auction day. B
ut this wasn’t a thoroughfare. This road wasn’t a cut-through or even a typical road used for commuting. “So you are from the area?”

  Those dark eyes, suddenly cold, pinned her for a moment and Colby fought the urge to shiver. Why would a simple question like that bother him?

  “No. I’m just visiting … friends.” He tilted his head and slowly ran his gaze over her as if she was one of the precious antiques up for bid in the auction.

  Unable to fight it this time, a shiver ran up her spine. And it wasn’t from him showing an interest in her. A “something was off” feeling overcame her. Something was just not right. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. She feigned interest in the dresser’s mirror, running her fingers around the serpentine carving.

  “Exquisite woodwork, yes?”

  Without answering, Colby looked up into the mirror. The man was directly over her right shoulder, but over her left she spotted Martin and Mace. They were now only two aisles away, deep in conversation. In fact, it looked like they were debating over a clawfoot tub.

  Would it be really obvious if she turned and started frantically waving them over?

  But luckily she didn’t have to. Mace glanced up suddenly, as if he had felt her gaze and her silent plea. He spotted the man near her, straightened, and began walking quickly toward her, no indication of a limp in his determined stride.

  If she wasn’t concerned before about this stranger, she was now. Mace’s expression looked a bit panicked and his body language showed a bit of urgency. He was struggling to hide both, but was failing miserably.

  For him to be an undercover federal agent and to have his emotions shown so clearly…

  Which just proved she needed to move and she needed to move now. Standing there like a dope wasn’t going to do her any good, if this man wanted to hurt her. But… what the hell? Why would this guy want to hurt her?

  She turned to face the man. He was gone. Just like that, he was gone. She looked around and he wasn’t even in the nearby aisles.

  Mace rushed up to her and grabbed her upper arm—more firmly than was necessary.

  “Ow. What’s going on?”

  Mace’s gaze searched the nearby aisles and crowds also, pulling her tightly against him. Martin was still making his way toward them, dodging other auction attendees who gathered near the podium in anticipation of the start of the auction.

  “Who was that?” Mace asked her, finally giving her all of his attention.

  “I have no idea. Just some auction attendee, I guess.” At least that was what she had thought. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  “Did he tell you his name?”

  “No. Should he have?” Mace didn’t answer. He went back to eyeballing the crowd.

  “Mace, what the hell is going on?”

  He visibly relaxed and gave her light brush of his lips on her forehead. Placating her.

  Like something so simple would do it. “Nothing. A bit of jealousy.”

  He was lying. He was good at it, but it was obvious he was lying. He was not the type of man who would ever admit he was jealous. Never.

  “Martin and I had an interesting conversation,” he said suddenly.

  He was trying to change the subject. “Oh?”

  “Yeah.” He grabbed her elbow and steered her away from the crowd. He moved her toward a stretch of trees and a bit of privacy. Once there, he pinned her back against a tree, out of the view from the rest of the crowd. “He told me something that disturbed me,” Mace said, his face close to hers. He was just fractions of an inch away from her.

  She was still trying to wrap her brain around the sudden change in subject.

  Distracting her wasn’t going to work. “Okay, are you going to keep me in suspense? Or are you going to tell me?”

  “He knew all about Craig.”

  Crap. Maybe distracting her would work. “Mace, he’s my friend, my co-worker. I confided in him.”

  “But you couldn’t tell me about him. You couldn’t warn me.”

  “I told you why.” Craig was not a topic she liked to talk about since he was an embarrassing part of her past. One she wanted to forget, especially now Mace ran him off.

  “You didn’t feel comfortable enough with me to tell me.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.

  Okay, this was bothering him more than she ever would have thought. “Jesus, Mace. Are you really so bent out of shape about it?”

  He didn’t say anything for a long moment, just studied her face. He lowered his head until their lips met. At first it was a soft kiss, but it became more urgent. He buried his fingers into her braid, twisting his mouth over hers, dipping his tongue between her lips.

  His knee worked its way between her thighs, until it was pressed against her mound. In an instant, he was pushing against her clit, grinding his thigh against her, making her moan into his mouth.

  He pulled back a fraction, his breath mingling with hers. “Damn it, Colby, I want you to trust me.”

  She didn’t answer. She wanted to trust him too.

  “Come on. We have to see if we can get some stuff to fill up that big, empty house of yours.” Mace pushed away from her and walked back toward the crowd.

  He was trying to cover up his fear about something. It was more than her just having a random conversation with a stranger. And not knowing what he was afraid of worried her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mace reached out to beat on the annoying object. The vibrating cell phone once again danced over the smooth surface of the bed stand. He picked it up reluctantly and put it to his ear. “What?”

  He was greeted by dead silence until he realized he held the phone upside down. He righted it and repeated his gruff greeting.

  “Keep an eye out, Walker. We’ve been getting reports—reliable ones—Spinozi and his men are looking for you.”

  If that wasn’t a wake-up call, Mace didn’t know what was. He sat up slightly, leaning back against the headboard. “Wait, wait.” He glanced over at the pillow next to him to make sure Colby was still asleep. Cupping his hand around his mouth and the cell, he whispered, “Okay, what the hell is going on?”

  “There’s a price on your head.”

  Well, wonder of all wonders. “A hit? What’s the prize?”

  “You’ll never guess…”

  “So just tell me.”

  “Two and a half.”

  “Thousand?”

  The man on the other end chuckled.

  “Hundred thousand?” Mace still didn’t get a response. He shook his head in disbelief. “No.”

  “Yes. I’m almost tempted to kill you myself.”

  Mace dragged a hand through his disheveled hair. “Two and a half … million? Holy shit, Spinozi must be really pissed.”

  “Hmm. I’d say that’s an understatement. I hope you’re healing rapidly. I hate to tell you, but you’re on your own, buddy. I was going to send a couple men out to cover you, but I don’t have anyone to spare. And anyway, you’re twice as good as my second best man. I figured you’d be able to handle this little snag on your own.”

  “Little snag?” A little snag was not being shot in cold blood by a Mafia kingpin’s goon.

  “For your sake and hers, get rid of the girl and think about getting yourself to a safe house. The contract is fresh, so if they don’t know about her already, she’ll be okay. But don’t wait. It’s only a matter of time.”

  Mace softly cursed when the phone went silent. He snapped it shut and turned to watch Colby sleep. Her breathing was deep and steady. He had no reason to think she had heard any of it.

  Damn. How was he going to get her out of his life? These last few weeks had been the best weeks he’d ever had. She was great. She was sexy and smart. Hell, the sex was unbelievable. Biochemist by day, sex kitten by night. She was open to his suggestions, willing to try something new every night. Every morning too.

  However, he paid the price of their daily romper room. During the day when she was at work, his physical therapist
worked out the intense leg cramps he had due to the increased activity. Robin told him he ought to stop torturing himself; he told her to forget it. The cramps were worth it, even if Colby didn’t know what a strain it put on him.

  Shit. What was he going to do? Break it off with her? He couldn’t do it. He had to think. How could he keep her safe but still in his life?

  He couldn’t.

  That little run-in with the stranger at the auction was proof enough he couldn’t protect her 24/7. He might have been some random stranger, but…

  He didn’t want to think about the “buts.”

  Damn, he was going to have to separate himself from her, and in a way she wouldn’t figure out the real reason either. He couldn’t tell her he had a contract on his head. The last thing he wanted was to panic her. If someone just pranking the house was stressing her out the way it had…

  Well, maybe it was to be expected. She originally thought it had been Craig doing it.

  He couldn’t blame her for being scared of the bastard after what he’d seen in those photos.

  It would be better for her not to be frightened. For herself. For him. She needed to live her life safe and securely. She finally had Craig Jones out of her life. But now, with Spinozi putting contracts out on his head, her little safe world might come crashing down.

  She deserved better.

  If Spinozi had any idea what he felt for Colby, the fat bastard wouldn’t hesitate knocking her off. Or worse.

  Okay, think, think, think. How could he suddenly distance himself from her?

  What would be plausible after everything that had happened between the two of them? They had gotten into a routine: her working during the week while he went to PT, dinner together at night, down and dirty dessert later in the evening, weekends at her house fixing it up.

  Mace groaned. He was going to have to be a cold-hearted bastard. He was going to have to get into character, play one of his parts. He would have to become something, someone she hated.