by Dawn Ryder
Once Mercer killed the engine, music filled the air. A hard, classic-rock sort of music that suited the dozen or so bearded men smoking on the porch of the establishment. They wore leather and boots, had tattoos and piercings. There was more than one shaved head. They stared right at Mercer and her without a care for polite behavior. Direct, calculating looks. She was sized up from head to toe, a couple of snorts coming her way.
“Let’s eat.”
Mercer pulled her past the smoking group as he gave them a warning glance. The grip on her hand didn’t go unnoticed, either. It was a territorial declaration.
The inside of the place matched the outside. More weathered wood and tin siding. There was a fence running across a corner of the place from floor to ceiling with a band playing behind it. She got the feeling the fence wasn’t there to keep the band in.
“Tough venue?” she asked.
Mercer pulled her into one of the booths whose sides went all the way to the ceiling before he nodded. “Trial by fire. If the audience doesn’t like your sound, they’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Think I’ll stick with my day job.”
“What you drinking?” a waitress in a leather vest and skirt asked as she came by the table. She was all woman and looked like she just might double as a bouncer, her arms defined and tattooed. A brazen amount of breast was on display that she had no trouble aiming toward Mercer.
Mercer tossed a couple of twenties on the table. “Bring us what’s cold and goes with the special.”
She scraped the money off the table and tucked it into her cleavage. “Sure thing.” She looked at Zoe and her heavily lipstick-coated mouth curved mockingly before she glanced back at Mercer. “Let me know when you get tired of playing with baby dolls.”
Zoe managed to hold in her snickers until the waitress was far enough away. Mercer eyed her with a raised eyebrow. She interlaced her fingers, propped her elbows on the table, and put her chin on her fingers. “Baby dolls.” She mimicked the waitress’s words as she fluttered her eyelashes.
Mercer spread out on the other side of the booth, propping one foot on the seat so that his knee was bent and he was lounging in the corner. “She’s not too far off the mark. Surprised she didn’t card you.”
Zoe didn’t exactly care for the assessment. “So that’s how I strike you? A real babe in the woods?”
His eyes narrowed, like he was rethinking his opinion of her. She stared straight back at him, making it clear she wasn’t going to buckle. He let out a half laugh that was an admission of sorts. “Maybe you just look sweet and innocent.”
Something in his tone touched off a tingle on the back of her neck. But the waitress returned, dropping off two longneck bottles that had frosty surfaces and a glass of water that she plopped down in front of Zoe with a flourish of her manicured hand.
“How thoughtful of you,” Zoe said, earning herself a cutting look before the woman turned around at the sound of a bell being rung.
“If she spits in your food, it’ll be your fault,” Mercer observed.
“Not likely.” Zoe fingered the neck of the beer. “You’re lounging across the booth like a serving of cream in a silver saucer. Little wonder she wants to encourage me to shove off.”
He snorted. “Can’t wait for you to take a lick.”
Zoe took a swig of her beer instead. It might not have been the wisest thing. Her wits were already buzzed on pheromones. “Guess you’re going to have to wait … since we’re in public and all.”
His eyes narrowed. It lasted only a moment. He actually looked surprised for an instant before he recovered his nonchalant expression. “Tease.”
There was a double ring on the bell on the counter between the kitchen and the restaurant as Zoe took another sip from her beer. “Maybe I’m adjusting to my company.”
His lips curved approvingly before the waitress was back with a couple of plates that she slid onto the table. She was gone as someone whistled at her.
“You’re playing some sort of game.” Zoe wasn’t really sure where her suspicion was coming from or why she felt the need to voice it. But it was there.
Mercer lowered his leg and sat up to the table. He grabbed the steaming sandwich crowned with glassy onions and took a bite. Zoe picked up a fork and started eating her food with the utensil because there was no way she was going to fit the thing in her mouth.
“I always thought dating was a game, too.”
“Smart-ass.” She pointed her fork at him. “You’re up to something.”
He’d taken another bite and was chewing it. He opened his hands in an innocent gesture.
Zoe wasn’t buying. Mercer wiped his lips before answering. “I wanted to find a way to get you to wrap your thighs around me. Had to settle for you doing it with your clothes still on.” His eyes narrowed. “This time anyway.”
“Very funny.”
“The waitress probably thinks it is,” he answered.
Zoe laughed and took another bite to avoid talking. She needed to think but couldn’t really decide just what it was about the situation that was bugging her. Part of her wanted to say it was the guarded look that surfaced on Mercer’s face from time to time.
Yeah, well, it’s not exactly like he knows me any better than I know him.
Point for the “making too much out of nothing” team. Or as Roni would say, Live a little. This isn’t a dress rehearsal. Either she was interested in tasting life or she could just head on home and get started on being a crazy cat lady.
“Dog or cats?”
Mercer’s eyes narrowed in confusion.
Zoe shrugged. “Getting to know each other? Right? The nice-guy thing? So what’s your style, dogs or cats?”
He claimed his beer from the tabletop with a slow motion of his fingers that made her breath catch. “That’s a trick question.”
“How so?”
He pointed at her as he placed the bottle down. “You’re a bird person.”
“No, I’m just domestic staff for a parrot,” she clarified.
He offered her a half laugh, his gaze lingering on her lips. She still didn’t know very much about him but the space between them felt like a small canyon. Zoe laid her fork down. Mercer’s expression tightened, need flickering in her eyes. He slid out of the booth and captured her hand. The waitress shot her a cutting look as they crossed the restaurant.
That’s right. He’s mine tonight.
Maybe just tonight, but she’d worry about that tomorrow.
It was a really long time away.
* * *
Greer McRae turned around from the bar, pulling his phone from his breast jacket pocket. He typed in a message before tossing down some bills and walking toward the door. Men turned to look at him, sizing up his ability to fight by the way he moved. Greer admitted to enjoying it. He liked a good fight and always had. His grandfather said it was in his genes. Maybe so. Greer had seen his share of fighting men and even among their ranks, he found an enjoyment in brawling that just might be better suited to the Highlands of Scotland a century ago. About the only thing he didn’t like was the way his blond hair showed every drop of blood. Someone always called over a damn medic when what he really wanted was a shot of whiskey.
Mercer was already on the back of his bike, their mark slipping on behind him with a hesitant smile on her lips. A blind man wouldn’t have missed what was on her mind.
Greer wished he could have. The details of the operation were leaving a dirty taste in his mouth. Sure, he knew it came with the territory, understood that sometimes you had to roll through the gutter to find the criminals who did business there.
Still, the Magnus family had an impressive service record. Honor was earned and the Magnus family had done their time and duty. If her father was innocent, he was going to be pissed. Rightfully so.
But the evidence was there. Saxon wouldn’t have been assigned the case otherwise. Greer shook off his guilt. It was rare but not unheard of for a man like Zoe’s fathe
r to get tired of being paid only in respect. Personally, it turned Greer’s stomach to think of the man going bad, but it happened.
Greer started up his bike and headed out, tailing Mercer through the winding hill roads. He needed to focus on the mission. Regret would show up later.
It always did.
* * *
Mercer kissed her before she got off the bike using a handful of the leather jacket to pull her close.
It was a hungry kiss, his mouth claiming hers, and no matter how impulsive it was she kissed him back just as hard.
She wanted to know what he tasted like.
“Let’s get inside…” His voice was sharp and his words clipped. He lifted her right off the back of the bike with one hand, dropping her on her feet with an ease that made her breath catch again. Somehow, in the nice, civilized world that surrounded her, she’d never really come face-to-face with just how much stronger a man was than herself.
It was both alarming and sexy, the two sensations mingling to produce an edgy sort of anticipation that made her steps clumsy on the way to her front door.
Mercer was right behind her. Shoving the door shut and slipping one arm around her waist with the other one beneath her knees, he swept her off her feet in one sure motion.
“A little over the top, carrying me off to bed…” She wasn’t entirely sure what she meant. The truth was, she was grasping at the remains of her control.
He took her right up the stairs without missing a beat. “Not planning on giving you time to consider reaching for that pepper spray.”
He spun her loose in her bedroom, the light from downstairs illuminating him. She was being so impulsive but it felt too damn good to stop.
“I’d rather keep you besotted…”
“You’re mighty sure of yourself.”
He stripped off his own jacket and the shirt beneath it. Her mouth went dry. His torso was far more impressive bare than she’d thought it was covered by his T-shirt.
“I’m sure of how we react to each other, double sure I want to see how much more intense it can get.”
His voice was hypnotic, and the way he moved set chills down her body. Right … wrong, she didn’t give a damn at the moment. She wanted to know how much deeper the sensation might go.
She wanted to wrap her bare thighs around his equally bare skin.
She chucked the leather jacket aside and reached for the hem of her shirt but Mercer beat her to it. He ripped it up and over her head with a satisfied grunt.
“Your nipples have been driving me crazy.” The soft cups of her bra proved no barrier for him. He slid his hands down over the tops of her breasts and beneath the beige fabric. She shivered when he curled his fingers around each globe and lifted them above the lace edge. There was so much sensation flooding her, just standing took too much effort.
“Beautiful rosebuds.” He brushed each peak with his thumbs while backing her up against the foot of her bed. “I bet they taste delicious.”
Her bed didn’t have a footboard. Mercer grasped her waist and tossed her onto the mattress. She bounced a few times and actually giggled.
“That’s it, honey, let loose a little. Let’s play, like adults.”
He crawled up onto the bed, every muscle in his arms visible. He just looked too damn male. Her belly tightened with anticipation, her humor evaporating. Heat consumed her. Need ate at her like a living force. She wanted to scratch and bite. She wanted—to take. Just … take.
But Mercer pushed her back, hovering over her like the predator she’d decided he was. He nuzzled her belly before moving up her body to where her breasts had slipped back behind the cups of her bra. He still found her nipples with his mouth, sucking one through the fabric of the undergarment. She gasped, her spine arching to make sure he maintained his hold on the sensitive tip.
He chuckled but it sounded dark and dangerous. He found the waistband of her jeans and popped the button open. Pleasure mixed with the need burning inside her until he released her nipple, sending a little jolt of frustration through her. She reached for his shoulders but he rose above her and flipped her over. Her hair went flying and her face sank into the goose-down comforter.
“I don’t think I ever enjoyed unwrapping a present more than I am right now.”
He unhooked her bra and slid his hands down to her hips. A moment later her jeans went slipping down her legs and onto the floor. She half turned to see him sitting on his haunches, magnificent torso illuminated by the entryway light. But what made her hesitate was the look on his face. The raw expression of hunger. It glittered in his eyes and drew his features tight. Her body filled with a longing that hurt. The ache centered in her channel, making her almost desperate to have him inside her. It frightened her with its intensity, but it also made her want to lunge toward what she craved.
Wild abandonment … no holds barred.
She suddenly had a new understanding of the phrase. The urge to chicken out pricked her, illuminating the fact that all control was about to be ripped from her hands. She’d never done anything so rash, so utterly impulsive.
I’m not a kid anymore …
Which made it so damn tempting.
“Show yourself to me, baby. I want to see you.”
Mercer wasn’t asking, he was demanding. Anticipation took command of his features and she turned over, amazed at her power to captivate him.
“You’re stunning,” he muttered before his hands hit the bed and he began to crawl back up her body. “Unbelievably beautiful.”
He paused over the triangle of her panties. Her clit gave a crazy twist of excitement as she felt his breath against her folds. It was stunning just how sensitive her body was. She couldn’t recall ever feeling such an abundance of need and sensation. Sex had never felt so damn good before, or so incredibly necessary. A tiny sound escaped her lips.
“We can do better than that.” His hand landed on top of her pubic bone, pressing down on the soft flesh with just enough pressure to send a bolt of need through her. “A whole lot better.”
He slid his hand lower, rubbing against her entire slit. She gasped, shivering as the need to climax became almost unbearable. She grasped the bedding and lifted her hips for the next downward motion, but it didn’t come. Instead Mercer grabbed the thin straps of her panties and snapped them.
“Still not enough,” he announced before pushing her thighs wide. “I want to hear you scream.”
His last sentence came out between clenched teeth. Zoe wasn’t even sure it made sense to her because she was so focused on the need burning her alive. Her eyelids closed but she didn’t need to see; touch was the only important thing.
Mercer didn’t waste any time fulfilling her need. He leaned back down and caught her folds between his lips. Sandwiched between the delicate tissues, her clit responded to the pressure with a crazy spike of pleasure. It ripped into her belly, sending a moan past her lips.
“That’s more like it.”
He separated the folds before returning to her spread sex. “But there’s room for improvement.”
Zoe opened her eyes but squeezed them shut a second later when his tongue swept over her clit. The sensation almost qualified as pain but it was completely mind blowing, taking her past a threshold she hadn’t realized was there inside her. Conscious thought ceased; all that remained was response. She twisted beneath the motions of his tongue. Her hips lifted, seeking more pressure, just a little more to send her over the edge into release.
Mercer didn’t leave her hanging. He thrust two fingers deep inside her sheath at the same time his lips closed around her clit. The combination sent her body spiraling into climax.
“Oh sweet Christ!” Pleasure snapped hard and sharp along her nerves. It drew her muscles tight while she strained toward the source of pressure giving her release. The moment felt like an eternity, and when her brain began functioning once more she was gasping because she’d forgotten to breathe. Perspiration dotted her forehead and her limbs ached fro
m the ways she’d been straining. Another first. Climax had never been such a whole-body experience before.
“Much better.”
Mercer growled, his fingers still gently working in and out of her sheath.
“But … you didn’t enjoy that…”
One dark eyebrow arched. “Didn’t I?”
His voice was coated with satisfaction. “Don’t doubt I enjoy making you respond, baby.”
She curled up, propping her elbows behind her so she could stare at him. “You sound so controlling and smug.”
His lips curled into an arrogant grin that flashed his teeth. “And you loved it.”
He pushed back onto his haunches and opened the front of his pants. Her mind stopped functioning on a rational level again, her attention drawn to the hard flesh he pulled into sight. His cock was rigid. Long and thick, it was crowned with a ruby head. Despite the satisfaction still rippling along her body, her vagina demanded a taste of it.
“In fact, I think your last few boyfriends have been too complacent to suit your needs, Zoe. Great sex is sometimes hard and demanding.”
He reached out and grabbed her hips. The bed rocked again, letting out a squeak when he tossed her over onto her belly. He grasped both sides of her hips and pulled her up onto her knees, sending a spike of anticipation through her.
She whimpered when he rose up behind her, the sound of a condom wrapper crinkling before the head of his cock slipped between the folds of her sex. He leaned down, covering her back with his length, his skin hot against her own. His breath brushed the side of her neck, on that tender spot that was so vulnerable. She quivered, caught between helplessness and anticipation. Mercer didn’t give her time to dwell on her feelings. He pulled free and plunged back into her with a solid motion.
“You need to be taken sometimes, Zoe, admit it.” His grip tightened on her hips. “You want to feel my strength. It makes you fucking hot, doesn’t it? Admit it.”