“Alright. I understand. But before I release you on Morales, Doc is going to give you a physical. I’m not sending my brother into an assassin’s way without knowing his exact condition.”
“I don’t need—“
“No. I’m your supervisor and your brother, damn it. You can have Morales, but you’ll go through a complete physical, a go/no go evaluation and you will follow reporting protocols. Period. Is that understood?”
“When I have eliminated the Spaniard get Doc out here. I’m not sitting on my ass while you get people in position.”
“He’s close by. Keep yourself alive, old man.”
Joseph hung up the phone and took a long drink from the milk container finishing it. Old man? When did that happen? Joseph knew Chief had heard most of the conversation. Without turning he spoke, “I’m using you and Em as bait. I’ll leave tomorrow morning and ghost into the hills. If he was overseas when he got the assignment, I should have at least another full day before he’s in the area. I’ll try to stop him before he reaches either of you. Don’t leave her alone.”
Chief walked to the coffee pot and poured a cup. “Got it. Are you going to be able to hang? I mean physically?” The Cherokee nodded towards the remodeling flesh on his ribs and shoulder. “You need to heal.”
“Fuck, man—I got no choice.”
Chief grunted in acknowledgement. “I’ll take care of your woman when you go after the Cartel. I figure you’ll have to trail them and learn the organization before you can infiltrate and neutralize him. Use that time to regain your strength. Call me when you’re ready to go in the morning. I’ll be camping out on the perimeter. You need some time with your woman.” He turned to back the door and looked out at the meadow. “Fury, I got your back, man. I promise I’ll keep her safe until you take out Morales.
Joseph nodded, not giving Chief’s use of his code name a second thought. “I can’t risk waiting. Once the hired gun on her is neutralized, we have to move. It won’t be easy to get into the Cartel and it could take several months or longer to work my way to Morales.”
Chief drank the steaming hot coffee like ice water, finishing the cup before he spoke. “I owe you my life. On that debt of honor, know I’ll keep her safe.”
Joseph turned, put a hand on the Cherokee’s shoulder, and squeezed. Words couldn’t express what he was feeling. Dropping his hand, he walked back to the bedroom.
He’d tell Ember, but not now. Now he needed her. They were going to have a few good memories of their time together. He’d make sure of it. Hell, they both deserved at least that much.
Joseph opened the door and smiled when he heard the shower running. He dropped his jeans near the bed and took off his t-shirt throwing it on the chair as he passed into the bathroom. She was standing under the water with her eyes closed but smiled sensing he was there. “I’m so glad you’re here. I need someone to wash my back for me.”
He walked up to her and pulled her front into him holding her as she bent backwards rinsing her hair. God he could lose himself in her soft warm body. Years of loneliness pulled at him. The emptiness he existed in ceased when he took her in his arms. He lowered his head to her throat and alternated between kissing and nipping the steady pulse of her neck. Her heartbeat filled his senses and for once he allowed himself to pretend he could have something this good. She pulled forward out of the water leaning into him giving him the opportunity he wanted. He’d pay for the emotional attachment he allowed himself, but right now he didn’t fucking care. He lifted from her neck and captured her mouth. Her softness molded against him as he took her mouth forcefully.
The knowledge he’d be leaving her soon amped up his desire and perhaps motivated his aggressiveness now. Yeah, not really. He wanted her. Period. If he had the next fifty years to discover her secrets, it wouldn’t matter. His hands traveled her body, caressing, holding and pressing her against him. This woman symbolized everything good and whole in his life. She represented a time before all he knew was death. He would never be able to get enough of her.
Bending down, he lifted her and walked her to the shower wall. He leaned her back against it as he continued to use his hand to discover her body.
“Wrap your legs around me, babe.”
“No, your wounds will open up again. Put me down, Joey, I have an idea.”
He lifted away from her and slowly smiled. Interesting. By all means—tell me how you want it. “Okay, baby girl, what’s your idea?”
She lifted her eyebrows and smiled. Turning around, she put her back against him and leaned back. “Hold on to me.”
He grabbed her waist with one arm and cupped her breasts with the other. She spread her legs and pushed her ass back against his raging cock. They aligned perfectly and his cock took immediate notice. “Jesus, woman, don’t destroy me before we get a chance to try your new position.”
She laughed as he grabbed her ass with both hands. “Come on, old man. I want you to take us to the moon. Think you can handle that?”
“You wicked, demanding wench, who are you calling old?” Her sultry laugh barely registered as his attention was one hundred percent riveted on that perfect ass pressed against his painfully erect cock.
She leaned forward against the shower bench. Reverently he smoothed his hands over her soft cheeks before he buried his fingers in her flesh. “Oh God, I have always fucking loved this beautiful ass.” He lifted her away slightly. Bending, he pushed his rock hard cock into her hot, wet core and damn near came right then from the tight heat of her body. Ember’s head fell forward as he pulled back slowly only to thrust deep inside her again.
“Harder, Joey. I want you deeper and faster!”
Oh God, what this woman did to him. His control snapped with her words and he pummeled into her, pulling her back to meet his cock as he buried deep inside of her. Her tight body opened to take his entire length, and he pounded her softness.
“God, don’t stop!” Her panted plea turned into shattered cries as he felt her body clenching around his cock. He slipped a hand around her and fingered her clit. She came screaming his name. His control broke and he crashed into her, grinding through her orgasm. He pulled out of her, still rock hard. He wanted, no needed something more. His dark desires ran deep.
He reached behind her and turned off the water. Reaching out the door for a towel, he slowly dried her, stopping to kiss every area he rubbed dry. She shook from head to toe by the time he moved slowly back up and dried her hair. He dropped his lips to hers. “So responsive to my touch. So beautiful. Such a good girl for me.”
He straightened and pulled away. He wrapped a towel around her and reached for another to dry himself. “Dry me off baby.” He held the towel out to her waiting for her response.
*
Ember took the towel slowly. ‘Good girl’ echoed in her mind. Unfathomably the thought of being called his good girl made her happy. She felt her skin heat at the implications of being possessed by this man. His to care for, his to use, his to take. His approval and praise struck a chord deep inside her. At that moment, she would have done or given anything to earn his approval, to be called his good girl again. God, what did that say about her?
While her mind dissected and examined his words and her feelings, she used the same method to dry him that he’d used on her. Kissing his shoulders, biceps, pecs and abs after the towel, pink from the wounds that still hadn’t fully closed, she dried his skin. The injuries that marred his body were invisible to her. She kissed the man, not his past.
Em dried his erection, her smile faltering as she lowered herself to her knees.
“Why didn’t you finish? Wasn’t I enough?”
“I’m not done with you yet, little one. I want something—more,” His desire for pain. His unspoken desire sent a chill down her spine.
She slid her fingertips down his chest and abs. His muscles contracted and shuddered under her feather light touches. Ember smiled to herself. She had discovered in college that she had little to no
gag reflex and the few boyfriends she did have raved about her ability to take them deep down her throat. Comparatively speaking, they were boys. This was a man, but she wanted to try. Taking hold of him, she kissed the dark pink head of his hard cock. She moved her attention to the sensitive underside, licking and kissing all the way down to his tight balls. The feel of the soft, wrinkled, skin covering the heavy weights and the quiver of his legs when she sucked one into her mouth flipped a switch in her body sending a cascade of her own juices down her leg. Her desire combined with lust filling her with a base, raw hunger to gratify the man before her.
Em looked up at him and smiled when his intense blue-green eyes met hers. He watched as her tongue laved its way back up his shaft. Taking the head of his cock, she sucked it into her mouth and caressed the bottom with her tongue. His body thrust forward and a growl sounded deep in his chest. Her tongue and hands worked together as she opened her throat and took him as deeply as she could. His hand dropped to her wet hair and entwined in the riot of curls. Her mouth and hands worked in unison, coaxing and caressing his sensitive skin, taking her time to stoke his desire and work her way down his shaft. When her throat relaxed enough, she braced her hands on his thighs and pulled forward taking him to the root. She wanted to smile as a low guttural moan echoed in the bathroom. His arms tensed and he momentarily held her head against him and shuddered around her. Joseph pulled completely out of her mouth surprising her. She gazed up at him, silently asking for the reason he stopped. The emotion in his eyes blazed back at her.
“Baby girl, if I take your mouth again I’m not going to stop. I want to fuck your lovely lips hard. Have you ever had anyone fuck your face, baby? Anyone force you onto them and shoot down your throat? I’m giving you one chance to get off your knees.”
Em saw his muscles shaking as he stood over her. Oh, yeah. She wanted this. She wanted to be his good girl. Em lowered her eyes to hide the embarrassment that flooded through every fiber of her body with that realization. “I want you to take my mouth. I want to taste you. I want you to…” To be proud of me? To call me your good girl again? How could she say those things?
Instead of saying anything, she leaned forward and licked the head of his blood engorged shaft and swallowed him until his cockhead hit the back of her throat. That’s all it took. Immediate forceful stabs of his massive shaft ripped past her lips stopping only when he could go no further. She struggled before she could relax her throat enough to take him. It didn’t matter. He used her hard, chasing his release. His hands gripped her hair tightly. The pain excited her more. His hips surged forward relentless and demanding. When she could take no more, he held her at the root of his shaft. She started to panic when he didn’t release her. Long seconds passed before he withdrew. She drew great gulps of air into her burning lungs.
“Good, so damn good.” Over and over he rammed his cock deep and held her tight against his body, using her throat for his pleasure. She fought for air when he pulled away, desperate for oxygen. Her eyes watered and saliva ran from her mouth as he took her throat. Depraved? Demeaning? God, she had no idea, but she was pleasing him. Right now, that was all that mattered. As if hearing her thoughts his words fell on her calming her, rewarding her. “So good baby girl. Yeah, just like that. That perfect mouth. Ahh…take me. That’s so fucking good. So hot.”
His words of encouragement wrapped around her spurring on her efforts to surrender everything to him. Time stopped. Thoughts stopped. One goal consumed her mind and body. His pleasure.
“Oh, such a good girl. I feel you, so hot and wet. That’s right, let me have your body. Let me take it baby. Let me in.”
He pulled out enough for her to breathe. “Open your eyes Em. Take a deep breath, baby. Another. Good. No, look at me don’t close your eyes.”
His fingers stroked her cheek, cool trails on her overheated, tear-soaked skin. “So beautiful with my cock in your mouth.”
His hand threaded through her hair again and he smiled that wicked, sinister grin. Fingers grasped her hair tightly and his grip pressed her forward as he thrust into her throat holding her against him. She couldn’t breathe and yet her heart flew when he praised her, desperate to please him. “God yes! Look at you wrapped around my cock. Now take me deeper. No, all the way in. More. Stay there, don’t move.” His fingers pulled her hair holding her head still. “Yeah, that’s it. No, you can’t breathe yet.” He held her tightly. The lack of oxygen tinged her world with black spots. She began to push on his legs desperate for a breath of air.
Hot jets of cum burst into her throat. Lips sealed against his cock she tried to swallow his musky seed but choked sending a white trail seeping down her chin. His hands pushed her back allowing her to breathe. Her rational, medically trained mind knew he’d edged her close to unconsciousness—but he hadn’t crossed the line. He was an assassin. He knew the fine line intimately, and he hadn’t crossed it. He knew exactly how to balance her on the edge of danger. Refusing to pull away from his shaft, she coughed and licked him worshipfully while sucking air into her lungs. Lost to anything but him, she continued until he cupped his hand around her neck and moved her away from him.
Joseph dropped to his knees in front of her and lifted his hand to her face wiping his cum off with his thumb. Em turned her cheek into his hand and licked his thumb clean.
“Amazing. Just amazing, baby girl. Thank you for trusting me. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Did I…I mean…was I?” Damn it, she hated when her voice trembled.
“Perfect, baby girl. You’re absolutely perfect. Come on, let’s go lie down.”
His body shuttered, a last tremor of passion and then he stood, strong, alpha, and vastly more coordinated than she felt. His hand stroked her hair. “Are you okay?”
“Hmmm… better than okay.” Her body lacked any skeletal structure and the blissful aura that settled around her made his movements seem all the more abrupt. “Whoa, I hope you don’t think I’m moving that fast anytime soon. Did you do go drink an energy drink or something? Not that I’m complaining mind you.”
“Energy drink? Hell no. Years of physical training, the promise of mind-blowing sex and a couple days sleep did the trick. I did drink half a gallon of milk and ate a couple dozen cookies. Maybe it’s the sugar.” He offered her a hand up. “Now I believe we were headed to bed.”
Her laughter pealed across the room and became contagious as her legs almost gave out. “Well, if I could stand without help that would be an excellent idea. That is, of course, unless you need more sustenance. Once I get feeling back in my legs, if I still have legs, I can make us some lunch or dinner. I honestly have no idea what time it is.”
“It is too early for dinner and too late for lunch. I vote bed for at least another hour or so, and then we can worry about food.” His lips found hers in a soft, warm, coaxing kiss.
“Hmmm…it is unanimous. Bed, now, Mr. King.”
She watched as his features hardened and changed. He stood and offered her a hand, “Yeah, come on. We need to talk.”
Ember lifted her eyes to him. A frigid shaft of fear pierced through her contented cloud of post-orgasmic bliss. “Talk? Why? What’s wrong?”
He wrapped his arms around her loosely. “We have new intel. Let’s go into the bedroom.”
She let him lead her out and slid into bed next to him. He covered them with a quilt and positioned her next to him. She memorized the feel of his body warm and hard against her.
“Please tell me what’s going on.” Her hand drew small circles on his stomach almost hoping he wouldn’t answer.
“There’s been a contract placed on you and it was accepted by a professional. The good news is I know the man and he has no idea that I’m protecting you. I am better than he is but in order to keep you safe, I’ll need to leave. I’m taking the hunt to him out there in the hills where I have the advantage. Chief will stay here with you. After I take care of the contractor, I’ll come back, gather what I need, and then go after Mo
rales. Chief will take you away from here and watch over you until its safe.”
“A contract on me?”
“Yes.”
“Why? I’m nobody. I don’t have any idea what was on the drive.”
“No, but you did manage to allude Morales. You’re everything he can’t allow. You’re an embarrassment to him. You’re a woman. A woman who is smart and strong. A woman who escaped his grasp. He can’t allow you to live simply because you’ve damaged his reputation.”
“You said you know him? I mean the guy they hired to kill me. You know him?”
“I know of him. People in our profession don’t get friendly. Life expectancy plummets when introductions are made.”
“But he’s here? He’s in the Black Hills? How did he find us?”
His fingers pushed back a bounce of red curls so he could see her eyes. “There are ways to track anomalies. The use of our satphone is an anomaly. He’s very good. I have no doubt he’s aware of our location.”
“Can’t we just run? Hide somewhere until they forget about me?”
“No, baby girl. This man will find you, and he’ll kill you unless I stop him. Your only hope for a normal life right now is me—doing my job.”
“I’m not going to lie, Joey. I’m really scared right now.”
“Do you trust me, baby girl?”
“With everything I am.”
He pulled her to him and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before he said, “Maybe I should’ve had that energy drink.”
Chapter Ten
Ember walked through the thick waves of thigh-high prairie grass and plucked another dainty violet flower adding it to her bouquet. She knew Joey was somewhere in the hills surrounding the cabin. He had left early before the morning sun could shine over the peaks of the beautiful mountains. She walked further and gathered more of the blossoms.
“Ember, please don’t go out any farther. Joseph isn’t expecting our guest for a day or so, but he would kick my ass if I let a bear get you.” Chief’s warning caused her to pause and look back at the house. She had, in fact, walked longer than she intended. She smiled and waved to him turning back towards the cabin. Spying a lovely cluster of the beautiful purple flowers she walked over. The profusion of violet waved happily in the light breeze of the late spring afternoon.
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