Mr. Dangerous (The Dangerous Delaney Brothers Book 1)

by July Dawson

  Some of the tension in his jaw vanished, his lips curving up slightly. “Like Joe said. You’ve always been the smart one.”

  “Not when it comes to you.” It was too damn true.

  He tilted my chin up so he could kiss me. There was an electric tingle between us when he pressed his lips to mine, an arc that went straight to my core. Rob was my lightning strike, my one-in-a-million love, no matter how stupid it was for me to stand out in the storm.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured, our lips a breath apart.

  “Don’t be,” I said, and kissed him back, my hands knitting together behind his neck, holding him close to me. There were plenty of things for Rob to be sorry about, but those men who had come after me weren’t on the list.

  I’d always known that Rob would be right behind them. That there was nothing that could stand between me and the warrior who would do anything to protect me.

  Except his own stupid walls.

  “You can’t just shut me out,” I said softly. “This is my battle too now, Rob.”

  “Okay,” he promised, his big hand cupping my jaw. “You’re right. No more secrets.”

  I raised a skeptical gaze to his fond blue eyes, and he promised me, “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you here with me, safe and sound.”

  I had to shake my head. “I guess we’re stuck with each other until this is all over.”

  He smiled faintly, a self-deprecating twitch of the corners of that handsome mouth. “I guess I’m pretty happy you’re stuck with me, since lord knows I can’t win you over on my own.”

  “You do have your good points,” I said, and then he pushed me gently down into one of the patio chairs on the balcony. One of his eyebrows was quirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

  “We shouldn’t,” I said, but I was so tired, so eager to be wrapped tight in his arms and comforted, and when he knelt between my thighs, I let them fall open. He rested his big hands on my knees, fondly kissing the inside of one knee and then the other. His lips were so soft, and the contrast with his big, rough, warrior’s body always surprised me.

  He dragged my jeans and panties down, and when those deep blue eyes flickered up to mine, I was surprised as ever by how those normally icy eyes turned warm and soft when they met mine. Those eyes didn’t lie. Those eyes gave him away.

  “Just reminding you why you put up with me,” he said, and before I could make the saucy comeback on my mind, he leaned forward and licked my clit. I gasped at the sensation of that strong pink tongue, the ripple of lust it sent through my core. With his powerful forearms braced on my lap, his eyes still on mine, he slipped his tongue inside me. His tongue thrust inside me over and over, his mouth working on my clit. I felt the heat of my orgasm building, and I tried to push him away. The corners of his mouths quirked up slightly, but he didn’t stop. I felt my toes curl against the cool tile floor of the balcony.

  “Stop,” I murmured, pushing on his arms. “I want you inside me.”

  This time when I pushed his shoulders, he let himself tumble back, sitting on the tile floor of the balcony with a self-satisfied smirk. I slipped off my seat and straddled him, pinning him to the tile with my throbbing core pressed against the rough fabric of his jeans. My fingers slipped as I tried to work his damn impossible belt buckle. I could almost feel him grinning without having to look up at him, some of the sexual tension between us breaking in my exasperation. Then I had the clasp undone, and I yanked the butter-soft leather out of the clasp, pushing his jeans down his narrow hips. He popped his hips up, and I felt his hard length against me before I yanked his jeans away down his legs.

  I leaned over him, my hands on either side of his broad shoulders, and kissed him hard. I could feel the tip of his cock brushing between my inner thighs, teasing me, and I grabbed him hard and slid him against my core. I made slow circles, feeling how wet I was for him, the deliberate, lazy circle of his cock against my clit making us both moan in desire.

  He grabbed my hips and popped his hips one more time, sliding smoothly inside me. I heard myself moan. I was so close already from the way he’d pleasured me with his mouth. I rode him, traveling up and down his shaft, his hands on my hips guiding me. And at the same time, I could feel the moan on his lips while we were kissing, the way his jaw tensed as he came, and as he shattered inside me I felt myself tighten around him, my orgasm making me blush hot.

  I slumped against his chest, feeling his hard arms around me, his cock still buried deep inside me. His abs and chest were hard, angular, against my body, but I still drew warmth and comfort from his body.

  Right. I’d been mad at him. I’d had good reason to be. It was hard to remember any of that now.

  “And you can’t – we can’t keep doing this thing, Rob.” I said, even as I was wrapped in his powerful arms, breathing in that clean, minty scent of his body.

  “Okay,” he said. He kept on holding me tight. And I clung back to him, no matter what I said.

  He turned his head to kiss my forehead, brushing a wayward curl back from my face. I knew I should get up and move, but I was so content there, held against his body.

  The surf rolled in, the waves breaking on the rocks that lined the beach.

  I never knew that this was what it would be like to live in a castle.

  To be a princess.

  To be adored.

  To be trapped.

  To love an impossible man with all my heart, no matter what it cost me, no matter what dragons waited for us.

  Hello gorgeous!

  If you enjoy this book and you’d like to read more, I’d love to send you a free book! I’ll send you a free copy of TAMED BY THE OUTLAW when you join my newsletter. You’ll also be the first to hear about deals and new releases, as well as getting exclusive content, from deleted scenes (what were Alice and Liam up to, anyway?) to A VERY DELANEY CHRISTMAS this winter).

  I love sharing books with my readers, and I'm always trying to connect with people who love the same steamy, action-filled stories I do! You can help me so much if you're willing to write a review. They mean so much to indie authors. You can review on Amazon here and on Goodreads here. If you do review, thank you, thank you!

  Feel free to get in touch with me any time at JulyDawsonBooks@gmail.com or in my Facebook group, July Dawson’s Rocking Readers.

  Wishing you much love & adventure in your life,

  July

  1

  Naomi

  I woke with the feeling that there was something wrong. I sat up in bed with my heart hammering.

  Rob still lay beside me on his stomach, his head resting on his folded arms. The duvet was pushed down to the small of his back, and I could run my hand over the naked curve of his spine and his powerful, broad shoulders.

  Rob, who had a Navy SEAL's light sleep habits and reflexes, would be awake if there was something to fear. I skated my fingers slowly over his skin, comforted by his presence, and waited for him to come back to me. I felt too alone; the Delaney mansion always made me feel lonely. Despite my best intentions to stay out of Rob’s bed, I couldn’t sleep in my room down the hall. I needed to be close to him.

  Rob lifted his head from his arms, blinking dark-lashed eyes the same brilliant blue as the ocean lapping at the beach outside the house.

  "You okay?" His voice was a low, sexy rumble.

  I ran my fingers through my hair, smiling at him. "I thought I heard something. Must just be high-strung."

  "You? Never." He sat up in bed, dropping a kiss in my curls, and then swung his legs out of bed. He stood and slid his gun, with its lock and holster, out of the nightstand drawer. "I'll check the house."

  I drew my knees up to my chest as he moved on silent feet across the lush carpet towards the door to the hallway. Rob was tall and broad-shouldered, a big guy despite the narrowness of his waist and hips, and it amazed me that he could move so lithely. Despite my anxiety, I couldn't help but enjoy the view until he slid out the door into the hall.

  The room
was quiet. The windows were closed and locked, part of our current security plans, but even so I could hear the faint roar of the ocean. Beyond the rich gildings of the room, I could see the vibrant beauty of the green yard, the white sand beach, and the sparkling blue beyond that. The aesthetics of the Delaney mansion didn't mean much to me right now. I didn't want to be apart from Rob, but I didn't want to be here, either. His family drama had trapped us in the mansion.

  I wished I could do something besides wait for him. I hated feeling helpless. In my everyday life, I was highly competent: I kept the books for my business, cut the wood for my own fireplace, rescued angry cats and could take virtually any stain out of the laundry. Rob's world, though, was not everyday: it was a glamorous, sexy, dangerous world where I seemed to spend too much time waiting for someone to tell me that things were going to be okay. I hated it. I didn’t want to be the helpless princess.

  Too bad I took ballet as a kid instead of Krav Maga.

  Rob sauntered back into the room, his abs rippling with the movement of his body, and set the gun carefully back in the drawer. "All clear."

  He threw himself onto the bed, suddenly boyish, and I had to smile as he wormed his way across the bed, resting his big head in my lap. I drew my fingers through his short dark hair; it was longer than I'd seen it since he was a boy, beginning to grow out while he was home on R&R.

  "Swim with me?" Rob asked.

  "You know I can never turn that down."

  He waggled his eyebrows at me. Somehow those dark eyebrows over those cool-water blue eyes and hard-edged jaw were still sexy, no matter how silly he acted. I ignored the pang of lust that I couldn't help for him, and rolled away out of bed.

  "Come on, let's get out into the surf before someone catches us."

  "You know we're real grown-ups," he said. "My grandmother might not approve, but she isn't going to do anything but glare at us."

  "She tried," I reminded him. Rebecca had done her best to force me away from Rob by attacking the family business. Luckily, even though Rob had been away from Newport for years, he still had some clout as one of the town's favored sons. My housekeeping company had more clients than ever.

  That favored son was, at that moment, stepping out of his boxers and dragging a pair of swim trunks over his lean, muscular legs. I hurried to catch up, pulling my own suit straps over my shoulders.

  "But anyway. Before real life catches us." I said.

  "There, you have a point." Rob held out his hand.

  I slid my hand into his, feeling the broad warmth and strength of his grip. For all I hated this place, and for all I hated our current situation, I didn't really want to be anywhere but by his side.

  He took off, running down the hall with me like we were teens again, and I held back my giggle as my bare feet flew over the carpet after him.

  We crossed the gorgeous wood and Italian tile floors of the main floor, running through the quiet of the early morning house where no one else stirred yet, and down the stairs to the basement. We passed the pool table and air hockey table and enormous linen sectional, and then had to stop while Rob unlocked the door at the security pad. There were security cameras and motion detectors set up to monitor the property. Recent events had prompted Rob to turn the Delaney home into a fortress, and I felt both a shiver of irresponsible delight for this moment of light-heartedness and a sense of joy at seeing Rob embrace it, too. I wanted to bring some lightness, some goodness, to his tough life.

  Rob opened the sliding door, and we stepped out on the cool stone of the patio. He grinned. "Even in June, it's so cold here. Reminds me of happy days back in Coronado."

  "Happy?"

  He pulled me close to him, and I felt my breeze-stiffened nipples brush against his hard pecs. "Maybe happy is the wrong word."

  "I think maybe," I said.

  "Happy is how I feel with you around."

  I ducked my head to hide a smile, because I couldn't meet those intense eyes when he said things like that.

  He squeezed my hand before he let go. "Happy is how I feel when I'm about to leave you in my wake. First to the buoy."

  I grinned at him, shaking my dark hair back from my shoulders, and then took off flying across the yard. He stood there watching me go, letting me take the lead. As if he enjoyed watching me.

  I heard his feet pounding down the beach behind me as I skidded into the breathtakingly cold blue water of the Atlantic. Icy drops splatted against my skin, which was still cool from the air-conditioned house. Even in June, the cool of the ocean in Newport was startling.

  Rob's strong arms slid around my stomach, lifting me off my feet. He carried me for a few staggering steps, his splashing footfalls sending white water spraying. I grabbed his muscular shoulders as he carried me into the surf. Rob had an expression of mock-seriousness on his hard-lined face, but his eyes danced with mischief.

  ""What are you doing?" I demanded. "This is supposed to be a race."

  "Couldn't keep my hands off you." He threw himself backward in the water, cradling me against his chest protectively as foamy water splashed up around us.

  I imagined that I could feel the heat of that hard-angled body in contrast to the cool water around them. Rob's big shoulders rested in the sand, blue water pooling around his black hair, which stood out spiky in the water.

  I pushed myself up, my hands on his pecs, and said, "You have a funny idea of what's romantic, just tackling girls like that."

  "I think I know what you find romantic," he said fondly, tucking a string of wet hair back behind my ear. "I don't really worry about girls."

  I kissed him as the surf lapped around us, losing myself to the strange combination of the water buoying up my body, making me weightless, and Rob’s comforting solidity. His hands rested on my waist, each finger so warm against my water-beaded skin that I could feel them individually. His mouth opened beneath mine, the softness of his narrow lips always a surprising counterpoint to the hardness of his mouth. Our tongues slipped against each other, the warm and slickness reminding me of another way our bodies moved together.

  I pulled my lips away from his long enough to murmur, "I'm not sure I'm really in the mood for a race."

  He stroked a finger down my shoulder, brushing away water droplets and sending a shiver of desire through my core. "That's probably for the best."

  "Oh?"

  "You were about to lose." He sat up, his arms sliding around my waist, and I threw my arms around his neck as he stood, carrying me towards the house.

  "Let's go in the hot tub," I said, my arms still looped around his powerful neck. "It's chilly this morning."

  Rob quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. He lowered me onto one of the cushy white-and-blue chaise lounges that ringed the patio, and when his arms slid out from under my thighs and lower back, I felt disappointed to be away from his touch for even that long.

  He lingered to kiss me again, his dark-lashed eyes drifting shut, until my hands caught around his shoulders to pull him down on top of me. Then he stood, shaking his head playfully. "I'll be right back."

  He dragged the cover off the hot tub and began to fiddle with the knobs.

  I yawned. "Maybe I should go make us some coffee while you figure that out..."

  "Are you implying that I don't know how to operate the hot tub?" he asked without turning around. "Or that I didn’t let you sleep enough at night?”

  The truth was, I’d barely slept last night, troubled by the memories of running through the woods, my breath frantic and my mind clouded with fear. Even though Rob had been there to protect me, the memory still made my throat thicken with terror. I had come to his room in the small hours of the morning. As much as I knew it was a bad idea to need Rob, I did. He opened his arms to hold me without a word, and I had fallen into a restless sleep with my cheek pressed against his shoulder.

  I watched as he tested the water with his hand. The hot tub came to bubbly, swirling life. His broad shoulders and the V of his back above his navy tru
nks always made me feel a little thrill of longing.

  I slid my bathing seat off, stepping out of it, and crossed to him, my bare feet leaving wet prints on the stone below. Rob started to turn, saying something about the water still being warm, and I pressed myself against his back.

  I studied the faint white threads of an old scar against his tanned skin, as my hands skated down his hard abs to the damp waistband of his swim trunks, and lower to the warm, hard solidity of his desire for me.

  I heard the faint, satisfied intake of Rob's breath.

  "Turn around," I said. When he did, his eyes widened slightly with appreciation. He drank in my naked body, as if despite how much time we'd spent naked together, he was still delighted every time.

  I pushed his trunks down as I knelt, my sore knee meeting the stone awkwardly, and I kissed his inner thigh. His muscled thighs gleamed with the ocean water, and when I took him into my mouth, I tasted the salty water of the ocean.

  Rob's fingers skimmed through my hair, his big rough-hewn jaw tilting skyward as he lost himself to the pleasure of my mouth. I felt a thrill of satisfaction that I was the one who affected him that way.

  Rob pulled away from me to lean back against the hot tub, and I followed him eagerly, bracing myself with my hands on the walls of the humming tub.

  Rob murmured, "Stop, Naomi. I'm going to lose it."

  His thighs were trembling, and the thought of taking this in-control man over the edge, having him helpless for me, couldn't be resisted. Rob muttered, "Fuck, Naomi," as he filled my mouth.

  I stood, wiping the edges of my mouth. Like a lady. Rob stepped out of his trunks, drawing himself to his full height, already back in control. But for a minute, he'd been nothing but putty in my hands.

  Rob slid his arms around me tight. "God, Naomi. I think I love you."

  "It doesn't count within ten minutes of a blow job, sorry," I said. "Even I know that much about men."