Reluctantly Rescued (The Barrington Billionaires, Book 9)

by Ruth Cardello

  There was no gentleness in him and no request for some from her. “I’m coming,” she called out with a shudder. He kept his rhythm, but held back.

  When she sighed he turned her around and walked with her in his arms until her back was against the wall. Her legs wound around his hips, opening her for him again. He slammed into her, again and again, fucking her mouth with his tongue while driving himself deeper and deeper into her.

  She whimpered and he raised his head, worried he might have been too rough. She dragged his mouth back to hers, saying, “Don’t stop. Don’t you dare fucking stop. I’m going to come again.”

  It was a demand he had no issue following. Their tongues intertwined again and he let the last of his control go, loving that she liked it as rough as he did. God, she was perfect.

  Chapter Ten

  It had taken just a suggestion of post-sex skinny-dipping for Joanna and Bradford to end up in her pool. Although her property bustled during the day with visitors, she’d made it clear that it was also her home. Aly and Angelina tended to think Joanna was a pushover but she wasn’t—not when it came to things that mattered.

  Treasures Farm was a life passion and she ran it with strict policies because the animals she took in depended on her. Compassion—to be worthwhile—needed to be followed with meaningful action.

  Joanna had her arms draped over a pool float as Bradford did laps. She would have encouraged him to relax and join her but she was enjoying the view too much. His technique was different from how most people swam. He kicked off the wall of the pool but stayed on the surface with his face underwater. Rather than use his arms to swim, he kept them together in front of him or flush at his sides. Every now and then he would roll to one side to catch a breath. Her pool was long but he made it across with very little effort.

  She shamelessly enjoyed watching him. He was all muscle and looked more at home in the water than she would have guessed. The scars on his back still pained her, but the shock of them had passed. She would have loved to ask him about each of his tattoos, but she understood the value of patience.

  Every creature came around on their own schedule, but the process for reaching them was the same—consistency and kindness. Bradford had trust issues, but after hearing about his childhood she understood why. She didn’t like the idea of killing anything, human or animal, but she wasn’t naive when it came to the existence of evil in the world.

  What would I do to someone who killed my parents? Someone who hurt my sister, if I had one, and was the reason for her death as well? If I knew they were out there still hurting others and no one else could stop them?

  I don’t know what I would do in that case.

  She thought about the other situations he’d shared with her. If someone had my child? If they’d already killed and I was confident they’d kill mine as well? Could I take that person’s life?

  I think I could.

  How would I see someone like Bradford? Someone who came in, killed the kidnapper, and returned my child?

  He would forever be a hero in my heart.

  Bradford doesn’t see himself in that light.

  Her heart broke for the young man who had tried and failed to save his sister. He’d said it scared him when he enjoyed taking a criminal out. I can understand that too. No hero wants to become what he’s fighting against.

  My grandfather feared he had.

  Bradford went back and forth across the pool without seeming to tire. He pushes himself. Does he hate himself the way my grandfather did?

  Do I have what it takes to help him if he does?

  As if sensing her thoughts were headed down a dark path, Bradford ended his last lap by returning to her. “I haven’t had a swim for pleasure in a long time. This was a great idea.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “The pleasure was all mine.”

  He moved to where he could stand and pulled her into the circle of his arms. She slid along his muscular thighs and moaned her approval. Gently, he traced the side of her face with the back of his hand. “How did any man ever let you go?”

  She wrapped her legs around his waist for balance. “It’s usually me who breaks it off.”

  He leisurely cupped one of her breasts. “Because?”

  She didn’t want to talk about other men with him, but he’d shared so much with her she felt she owed him the truth. “I don’t want to settle. I’ve been with people I could imagine living with, but I’ve never found anyone I couldn’t imagine living without.”

  He looked down into her eyes. “That’s what you were hoping to find with Dylan?”

  She frowned. “It’s what I’m always looking for. That being said, I believe in giving people a chance. In order to really know someone you have to put in the time. I don’t regret any of my past relationships even if they didn’t work out. We tried.”

  “So that’s what you’re doing . . . giving us a try?”

  She wasn’t sure what he was looking for her to say, but she believed a person couldn’t go wrong with honesty. “That’s all we can do. You might discover you prefer a woman who smells a little less like horse all the time. I might—” She stopped there, not sure if they were at that level of truth yet.

  “I prefer horse over perfume.” His hands slid down her back to her bare ass. “What would your deal breaker be?”

  She decided to just say it. She ran her hands up his chest and down his strong arms. “If you released any of your anger on me or anyone in my life. Treasures Farm is a place where feeling safe is priority one for everyone and every creature.”

  His hands tightened on her ass. “I would never hurt you.”

  “I would never let you.” She gripped his shoulders. It was an uncomfortable conversation, but one that once begun needed to be completed. “I don’t believe you would hurt me, but you asked the question and that’s my answer. You’re a good man, but you’ve been through more than any person should. To be in my life you can’t let your pain be an excuse to hurt those around you. That would be my deal breaker. How about you?”

  Without hesitation he answered, “If I ever thought I couldn’t keep you safe.”

  She fell a little bit in love with him right then. He hadn’t said the words with bravado or even to win her over. They were simply how he felt.

  She gave him a slippery, full-body hug that included a kiss she hoped expressed how she felt. He spun her around, his cock coming to attention beneath the water. At the same time, her stomach rumbled and she remembered something. “I have a confession.”

  He froze but didn’t say anything, just looked down at her and waited.

  She wrinkled her nose. “I never made dinner. How do you feel about cereal?”

  His expression didn’t change for a moment, then a smile spread across his face. “Is it a brand of cereal that one might serve naked?”

  “Always,” she answered with a wink.

  “Then I’m starving.” He started to walk into the shallow end of the pool with her still wrapped around him.

  She held on tighter as he carried her up the steps and toward the house. “I’ve heard this brand is best served in bed and shared.”

  He stopped on the back porch of her house and lowered her to her feet. “I’ll take my bag to your bedroom.”

  “I’ll get the cereal.”

  He gave her a curious look. “I have glow in the dark condoms and boxers with hearts on them.”

  Joanna burst out laughing. “Sounds like a wild party to me.”

  He laughed along and gave her ass a swat. She opened the door, held it for him to walk through, and gave his naked ass a swat as well.

  They’d had some heavy conversations that day, shared more than she would have imagined this early on, and returned to a playful place.

  She was hopeful.

  Hungry.

  And ready for round three.

  Not a bad second date. Not bad at all.

  Chapter Eleven

  It was just after three in the morning when Bra
dford barely contained an angry scream and sat straight up in Joanna’s bed. He was in a full sweat and breathing like he’d just run a 10K. Worst of all, he remembered his dreams this time.

  His traitorous subconscious had just shown him endless ways he could put Joanna at risk and every single time he failed her. Every fucking time.

  She was shot running for cover. She drowned jumping from a boat set to explode. He saw her tortured as he’d been, raped repeatedly, sold into the sex trade. No matter what he did, he couldn’t save her. Just before he woke she’d been about to inject herself with a drug one of her captors told her would take her pain away. He’d screamed for her to stop, begged her to drop the needle and come to him, but she merely looked at him sadly and brought the needle up to her arm.

  He bent over in the bed and gasped for air, doing his best to push the images out of his head. Joanna turned on a light beside the bed and put an arm around him. He hated that he was still shaking. He didn’t want any part of what was in his head to affect her.

  She didn’t speak for a long time. Even though he didn’t return her embrace, she continued to simply hold him. He took several deep breaths and slowly brought his body back under control. In a guttural tone, he said, “Sorry I woke you.”

  She simply hugged him tighter. “Yeah, you’re a real asshole.”

  He smiled and brought an arm around her. “This is why I don’t normally spend the night with anyone.”

  She brought a hand up to his scarred cheek. “Thank you for trusting me enough to let me see it.”

  He turned his face so he could kiss her hand. “I’m fucked up, Joanna. Maybe too much.”

  She wiped a tear from one of her cheeks. “I don’t believe that, but I do think if you have something that you can’t handle on your own there is no shame seeking out a professional—or a priest.”

  He shook his head. “Too much of what’s in my head is classified and would endanger people’s lives if it got out.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “It would almost be worth it to see the expression on a priest’s face if I let it all out on him.” He glanced down at Joanna. “I’d have to kill him though, for the safety of others, so how much would that help?”

  She tensed, scanned his face, then relaxed. “That’s not funny.”

  He took another deep breath and acknowledged his attempt at lightening the mood might have been too dark to be effective. He pinched the air in front of his face. “Not even a little?”

  She rolled her eyes then settled against him again. “Do you want to talk about your dream?”

  “Not really.”

  For several moments neither of them said anything. Her presence was both a comfort and a reminder of his nightmare. “Have you ever done drugs?”

  “No. You?”

  “Never. Don’t take them. Even if they make you feel good in the moment, they will destroy your life.”

  “I have no plans of experimenting with drugs, but okay.”

  He took another deep breath. “Don’t believe anyone you don’t know well who says I sent them to get you. I would never do that. If I couldn’t make it to you, I would send Ian or Connor. Possibly the Barringtons. Maybe Aly or Angelina.”

  “Ooo-kay.”

  “Do you know how to swim well? If not, I could teach you.”

  “I’m a good swimmer.” She tipped her head to the side. “Bradford, what is this about?” When he didn’t answer, she asked, “Did you dream about something happening to me?”

  He shuddered. “I can’t be the reason you get hurt.”

  “You won’t be.”

  He turned and looked her in the eye. “If we do this—if we give us a real try—you’ll always need to be careful. Is being with me worth it?”

  Holding his gaze without blinking, she answered, “Yes.”

  He pulled her across his lap and hugged her to him, burying his face in her hair. “I did not know it was possible to feel so good and so bad at the same time. The biggest favor I could do for you would be to walk away and not look back, but I can’t. Staying is selfish and dangerous, but I don’t want to be anywhere but here.”

  She ran a comforting hand back and forth across his chest. “You should definitely talk to someone, but I understand what you’re saying about the sensitive nature of what you need to get out. You know who has never spilled a single secret I’ve ever shared with her? Betty.”

  “Betty, your rescue horse?”

  “She’s a very good listener.”

  He kissed the top of Joanna’s head. “Thanks, but no.” If he got to the point where he needed to unload his issues on a miniature horse, he might as well cash in his chips right then. “Three o’clock is a tough hour for me.”

  Joanna’s mouth rounded. “Is that—Was that when—”

  “Yes, that’s my sister’s time of death on the coroner’s report.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s not always this bad.”

  “What do you do when it is?”

  “I usually go for a run.”

  “Well, I’m wide awake so would you consider a walk instead? I didn’t check the barn before we went to bed. It’s dark, but I can still show you around.”

  “I’d like that.”

  She stood and began to dress. “Depending on how long we’re out there, we might as well feed and clean the stalls. Good news? I told my help to stay home this morning so we could be alone. Bad news, no one will be here until around ten to help out.”

  It all sounded good to him. He rose and began to dress as well. “How many horses do you have?”

  “Wait, do you not know?”

  “Nine. One you’ve had for years, Betty, and the rest are here for training before heading off to the Seeing Horse Foundation or any of the horse therapy organizations you’re affiliated with.”

  Pausing just before putting a shirt on, she said, “These background checks of yours seem quite detailed.”

  A guilty smile curled his lips. “I may have found you and what you do fascinating.”

  That brought a smile to her face as well. She put on her shirt then moved to sit on the bed to pull on socks as well. “It’s a little unfair that you know so much about me before I know that much about you, but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

  “I don’t normally tell anyone what I know about them. It tends to creep people out.”

  She stood. “I could see that happening. I don’t have anything to hide so I don’t really care, but if you have uncovered anything about my parents there’s no need to tell them when you meet them.”

  He looked up from tucking in his shirt. “Why would I meet your parents?”

  “They’re a big part of my life. If you spend much time with me you’re bound to run into them.”

  “Oh.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “Don’t worry, it’s not like it’s going to happen any time soon. And if it does, just be yourself. My parents are laid back like me, but my father might still think I’m a virgin.”

  Bradford coughed.

  Joanna arched an eyebrow. “I said might.”

  He laughed.

  She joined in then added, “You know what? Just for that, I’m going to pretend I have no idea what to do the next time we have sex.” She rounded her eyes and feigned fear. “Is that a p-p-penis? I’ve never seen one before, can’t even say the word.”

  He closed the distance between them and looped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. “I have no desire to imagine you with another man, but I also have no complaints.”

  She arched her back so she could look up at him. “We don’t need to talk about our exes. I don’t like imagining you with anyone else either.”

  He kissed her and let the passion that welled up between them be his promise. When he raised his head, he took an extra moment to simply appreciate the beauty of her flushed face. “If we’re going for a walk we should go . . .”

  “Yeah, we definitely need to pace ourselves. One more orgasm and I may l
ose my ability to speak. I’m so freaking relaxed.”

  He shifted her against his arousing cock. “Wait, you didn’t tell me silence was a possible outcome. If more women offered that I guarantee men would be better fucks.”

  “Don’t make me kick your ass.” She smacked his chest lightly.

  He bent and murmured in her ear, “Could you do it without talking?”

  “I can do this without saying a word.” With lightning speed Joanna brought her hands to his sides and started tickling. Things quickly evolved into a playful skirmish he could have easily won had he wanted to. He thought about the deal breaker she’d shared earlier and knew it wouldn’t be an issue. He would never hurt a woman, and anyone or anything Joanna cared about was now under his protection. With a laugh he conceded defeat and her hands moved up behind his neck.

  “Do you really think I talk too much?” she asked.

  Just to bust her chops, he said, “That’s an unfair question to ask while you have your hands around my throat.”

  “And that wasn’t an answer.” She looked skyward. “Not that I’m worried because I am who I am. Love me or hate me, this is me.”

  “I don’t hate you.”

  Love? He’d never imagined feeling that was a possibility for him. It wasn’t a description for how he felt yet, but if there ever was a woman he could imagine spending the rest of his life with, it was Joanna.

  He joked about her talking too much, but the reality was he’d shared more with her than he ever had with anyone else. So, really, the joke is about me and how all she has to do is look at me and I start vomiting my life’s story to her.

  “Those chores you mentioned, could they wait an hour or so?”

  She tipped her head to the side. “The horses would probably prefer it. At this time of day they’re still sleeping.”

  He pulled his shirt up and over his head.

  She did the same, dropping her bra on it without looking away from Bradford.

  They both stepped out of the rest of their clothing pretty much in unison. She was so damned beautiful he was the one who was at a loss for words. “Don’t change a single thing about yourself—not for me, not for anyone.”