Bruises lined her throat. A dark, feral rage bubbled inside him, and he had to tamp it down for fear of scaring her. Instead of going hunting for the asshole who’d hurt her, he gently kissed each one of those bruises, silently willing away her pain—not that she seemed to be feeling any pain now.
She was breathing hard. Her face was flushed. Her fingers were working the buttons on her shirt, undoing them to make way for him. He loved it that she wasn’t at all shy, but threw herself into the moment with abandon. A woman like that went straight to a man’s head.
As soon as the buttons were free, she stripped the shirt off and tossed it behind her. Between kisses, he caught a glimpse of her white lace bra and the way it lifted her breasts toward him, as if offering him a treat.
Tanner groaned at the sight. He stared down and traced one finger along the edge of the lace, watching as her nipples beaded up against the thin fabric. She shivered at his touch. He slid his finger beneath the strap and eased it down over her shoulder.
His mouth followed in the bra’s wake as he dragged the lace across her nipple, baring her breast completely. As much as he wanted to move slowly, her noises of encouragement were driving him on, spurring him to take more and more.
He palmed her breast, lifting it to his watering mouth. Her skin was so soft here, so smooth and feminine. She fit in his hand just right, making him wonder how well the rest of them would fit. The thought drove him wild, and he covered her nipple with his mouth, licking and sucking to see what she liked best.
The scent of her skin filled his head, mixed with a heady dose of arousal. He’d been with her like this only twice, but he knew without a doubt that he’d always remember the way she smelled right now, so sweet and hungry for him.
He sucked harder, drawing a low moan of pleasure from her mouth. She hooked her ankles around his hips and pulled him closer, until he was settled between her thighs, feeling the heat of her mound sinking through their clothing.
His cock surged toward her, eager to be free of all the fabric. He wanted to feel her naked skin, slick from her arousal, sliding against him.
Her hands gripped his shirt, tugging it up. He let go of her nipple long enough to strip out of the garment, then bared her other breast to his mouth. Her eager noises of appreciation told him she liked what he was doing. No way was he stopping now.
Roxanne’s fingers moved between them, stroking his erection through his jeans.
Lights exploded behind his eyes, and he had to dig deep for the self-control it took to stop himself from losing it right there. He hadn’t been with a woman in months—too long for him to have the kind of patience he needed to play it cool. He was running hot, dying for more of her, while drowning in what he’d already experienced. She overwhelmed him, filling his senses and stimulating him to the point of insanity.
“I need you,” she whispered as her fingers tugged at the waistband of his jeans. The button popped open easily. The zipper slid down. A second later, her silky fingers were on him, stroking down his cock.
He groaned at her breast, and her hand tightened.
“Now, Tanner.” There was no hesitation in her voice. No question. Just the demanding confidence of a woman who knew what she wanted.
Tanner thanked God that he was the object of that want. He wasn’t going to fuck it up by losing control before he’d had the chance to give her what she needed.
He tugged her hand from his pants and pushed her back until she was lying on the table. It was bolted to the floor, nice and secure. He could drive hard and deep inside her and not worry about any furniture malfunctions.
He wasted no time undoing her jeans. He slid them and her panties from her slim legs, knocking her shoes off as he went. His hands were poised at his waistband, ready to shuck his own jeans, when he caught sight of her. His whole world went still.
Muted sunshine from the setting sun flowed in through the RV’s curtains, casting golden swaths of light across her skin. Slender muscles lent a feminine strength to her body that left him speechless. Strong but delicate, she was a woman to be cherished for her rareness. And she wanted him.
Tanner couldn’t stop himself from touching her. He splayed his hand across her stomach, feeling the muscles beneath his palm flutter in reaction to his touch. Goose bumps rose on her skin. Her nipples were red and puckered from his mouth, and a pink flush spread out over her chest and shoulders.
His hand slid down, reveling in the feel of her skin against his. What little hair she had covering her mound was dark blond, and with her legs wrapped around him like this, she couldn’t hide the shiny proof of her arousal.
He cupped her there, feeling her wet heat against the heel of his hand. His fingers slid between her labia until he found her engorged clit. He barely brushed it, but the touch was enough to make her arch her back off the table and suck in a breath.
She was so responsive, so sensitive. He couldn’t help but do it again and watch as her lips parted on a heavy sigh.
She looked up at him, her golden eyes half-lidded and luminous with desire. He’d never had a woman look at him like that before—with such utter need. “Now, Tanner. Please.”
He couldn’t deny her—not when she looked at him like that. He wanted to give her the world.
Tanner shucked his jeans, and the condom from his pocket went on in seconds.
She sat up, looped her arms around his neck, and kissed him as if he were the only man on Earth. He lifted her up enough to align their bodies and then let her sink down. The moment her tight heat slid around the head of his cock, he was lost.
Her sweet sigh of pleasure reassured him even as it drove him further out of control. Sharp fingernails bit into his shoulders, setting his nerve endings ablaze. His entire spine was on fire as he laid her down on the table and set a hard, fast pace.
He didn’t want this to end, but he wasn’t going to last long, not with her mouth on his, and her sexy little cries filling his ears. His usual stamina was AWOL.
Tanner forced himself to slow the pace and stood upright. She tried to follow him, but he pressed one hand between her breasts, pinning her to the table.
Roxanne opened her mouth to say something, but he didn’t want to talk—not now, not when he was so close to the edge. Words were beyond him.
He covered her lips with his finger. She sucked it into her mouth and gave him the most wicked, knowing stare.
A wave of lust hit him so hard, his heart nearly exploded from the pressure. Sweat cooled his back. He grabbed her hips and pulled them to the edge of the table, which drove his cock deep inside her, locking them together.
She gasped, and her eyes fluttered closed in pleasure. Her body went languid as her arms sprawled over her head and her back arched. She made one slow, undulating rotation of her hips, which Tanner felt all the way to his toes.
He wasn’t going to survive this. She was going to kill him with pleasure.
He couldn’t bring himself to care what happened to him, so long as he got to hear her climax, to feel her pulse around him as he sent her spinning.
Roxanne tugged at her nipples while he thrust inside her. She kept her gaze fixed on him, telling him she wasn’t thinking about anyone else—just him.
Her sexy show turned him on, and he took mental notes, watching how she pleasured herself so that he could do it the way she liked next time.
If there was a next time.
The unwelcome thought was cast aside. It had no place between them—not now.
A searing wave of sensation trickled down his spine, and he stopped midstroke, waiting for it to pass. Roxanne apparently wasn’t willing to be patient. Her hips bucked and her breathing sped until she was panting. She grabbed his arms and held on tight while she ground herself against him.
A dark red flush and a light sheen of perspiration covered her chest and face. Her nipples stood at attention. He had to taste them again.
Tanner leaned over her, gathering her in his arms to bring her close. The heat of h
er skin amplified his own until he was sure he’d combust on the spot. The need to come coiled inside him, shoving him higher with every stroke of their bodies.
He licked her nipple, tasting the salt of her skin and smelling her rising desire. She let out as sharp whimper and dug her fingernails into his scalp. He felt the first fluttering contractions around his cock and heard her pull in a deep breath.
She let it out in a harsh cry of pleasure, her body thrashing against his as she climaxed.
His body’s reaction was immediate and violent. A searing wave of sensation exploded through his body, blinding him with the force of it. He roared in response, unable to control the hard, frantic thrust of his hips against hers as he came. The power of his orgasm choked the breath from his body as his semen pumped from his cock in time with the pulses of her climax.
If he hadn’t been in such good shape, sex with Roxanne probably would have killed him. As it was, it left him sprawled on the floor of the MCC, gasping for breath. She was on top of him, limp and boneless. Small aftershocks shook her body and fluttered around his cock.
He was still inside her, and in no hurry to leave, but that wasn’t safe for her. Condoms could leak, though he was still hard enough that the thing was on tight. Rather than risk it, he disengaged their bodies and settled her against his chest.
Slowly, their breathing returned to normal, and their skin cooled. He stroked her hair, floating in the calm after the storm.
Roxanne pushed herself up and hovered over him. Her hair was a mess and her makeup was smudged. There was a bit of beard burn on her chin and even more on her breasts.
He was going to have to shave before he made her come again.
The thought gave him pause. There were no guarantees of a repeat performance. And while what they’d done was perfectly legal, it was against company policy.
Her golden eyes scoured his face. “You’re already regretting it, aren’t you?”
Regret was not the right word. He could never regret something as perfect and explosive as what they’d just shared. But his family had to come first for once. And right now, his family needed him to keep this job.
“We both know the two of us will never be more than a good time in the sack. Now that we’ve gotten the lust out of our systems, we’ll be able to focus on getting Jake home.”
She flinched, but covered it quickly. “You’re right,” she said as she pushed herself to her feet and turned her back. “The itch is scratched. Time to move on.”
That wasn’t exactly what he’d meant, but the reality was the same. He just wished the thought of never holding her again didn’t bother him half as much as it did.
Roxanne gathered her clothes and hid in the minuscule bathroom to dress.
She felt discarded. Not used—she’d wanted Tanner as much as he’d wanted her, maybe more—but she’d been set aside. Dismissed.
Not that she blamed him for being curt. He’d been clear to her from the start that he didn’t want to mix business with pleasure. She’d all but thrown herself at him, and she had gotten exactly what she deserved.
Along with the most mind-blowing orgasm of her life. Her head was still swimming, and she was sure her pulse would never again return to normal.
All in all, the risk had been worth the reward. She was satisfied, and her curiosity was appeased.
The problem was, now that she knew what it was like to be with Tanner, there was no doubt in her mind she’d want more.
Oh, well. It wouldn’t be the first thing in her life she’d wanted and not been able to have. Despite her wealth, that list was too long to count. The important things in life couldn’t be purchased with any amount of money.
She guessed that meant she wasn’t all that important. She’d been worth only three percent to her own flesh and blood. Her own parents hadn’t been willing to pay a penny more for her safe return, and because of them, she was literally scarred for life.
Shame burned her cheeks. She checked the mirror and did her best to repair her hair and makeup. There were obvious signs of their tryst: her swollen lips, a red mark on her chin where his stubble had rubbed her as they’d kissed, and a hickey on her neck that could possibly be mistaken for one more bruise. But the real sign was in her eyes. They seemed darker, as if the knowledge of what she’d lost before she could ever really have it lurked there for everyone to see.
She wasn’t going to let anyone, including herself, feel sorry for her. If her eyes were too expressive, she’d buy a pair of fucking sunglasses. It was time to get over her own personal drama and focus on Jake. He was out there, he needed her, and she was going to tear down heaven and earth to find him.
Chapter Seventeen
The hair on the back of Clay’s neck stood on end. Someone was watching him, and it wasn’t the sweet young blonde with the perky tits that was setting off his radar.
Reid was at the pool table, chatting up a couple of divor-cées. Gage was playing poker at a table in the back room. Clay sat at the bar, nursing a beer and making nice with the bartender. He waited until the bartender was busy at the other end of the bar before he spoke. “I think we have company.”
“Fold,” said Gage.
“Eight ball, corner pocket. Then I have to go,” said Reid to the ladies.
A burly man in his early twenties sat down on the stool next to Clay. His back was straight, and he moved like a man who knew his way around a fight. His wide jaw was clean-shaven, and his hair was military short. He wore a T-shirt and jeans, but rather than the ubiquitous cowboy boots the rest of the town wore, this man had combat boots on his big feet.
“I hear you’re looking for a friend,” said the man.
“That’s right. Our buddy Jake. Have you seen him?”
The man looked around before responding. “Maybe. What’s he look like?”
Clay pulled a photo from his shirt pocket and slid it across the polished wood. “Seen him?”
“Yeah. Maybe a week ago. He was sick.”
“What’s your name?” asked Clay.
“Hemmer.”
Clay held his hand out to the man. “Good to meet you, Hemmer. I’m Clay.”
Hemmer nearly crushed the bones in Clay’s hand, but Clay had the distinct impression that he hadn’t meant to do it. There was no look of challenge in his eyes, no hint of insecurity. In fact, there was nothing in Hemmer’s dark eyes at all. He looked . . . empty.
A flash of memory slammed into Clay, making his brain spin. There was an older man in a white room. Clay knew him. Trusted him. A kid sat on the edge of a narrow bed, staring off into space with that same blank look Hemmer wore.
It was then that Clay realized he was a kid, too. The man in front of him had done that to the boy. He’d turned him into a doll—he could move and talk, but there was nothing inside anymore.
And the man wanted to do it to Clay, too.
Reality whirled back around and caught him hard. He gripped the edge of the bar to keep from toppling off his stool. His sore shoulder burned with the strain. Sweat beaded up along his brow, and he was sure he was going to puke up his beer all over the floor.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Gage stand from the poker table and start toward him. “Hang on. I’m coming.”
Reid extracted himself from the ladies and headed his way, too.
Clay swallowed and cleared his throat. “Whew. One too many, I guess.”
“That stuff isn’t good for you.”
No shit, Sherlock. “So, where did you see Jake?”
“An abandoned ranch outside of town.”
“What the hell was he doing there?”
Hemmer shrugged. “Didn’t ask.”
Reid had walked up during the last exchange. “What were you doing there?”
“A woman.”
A flimsy story made even thinner by the lack of lust or gloating in his voice.
Gage took the stool on the other side of Hemmer—the one nearer the exit.
“Can you tell us how to get
there?” asked Reid.
“I can show you.”
Of course he could. “Lead the way.”
“I’m going to stay for another round. I’ll catch up with you later,” said Reid. Once Clay and Gage were out of earshot, Reid’s voice came through his comm unit. “It’s a trap.”
Clay waited for Hemmer to pass through the exit before he turned back to look at Reid. “I know, but it’s the best lead we’ve got.”
Tanner had just pulled up his jeans when he heard his brother’s angry voice echoing over the speakers. “Tanner! Fuck. Where are you?”
He scrambled to the communications station and flipped on the microphone. “I’m here. What’s up?”
“Where the hell have you been?” Reid sounded out of breath.
No way was Tanner going to tell his brother that he’d lost his mind and had sex with Roxanne. “What’s going on?”
“Clay and Gage are walking into some kind of trap. We need backup. Now, before I lose them.”
“Where are you?”
“Outside the bar. Heading north. On foot.”
Roxanne came out of the bathroom in time to hear Reid. Without hesitation, she slipped into the chair and started flipping switches. One of the monitors came on and displayed a map. Red dots glowed on the map, and next to each one was a numerical ID.
She looked up at Tanner. “Drive.” Into the microphone, she said, “We’re coming for you, Reid. I see your location. Clay’s and Gage’s, too. They’re wearing their tags.”
Tanner got behind the wheel and started the engine. The sun was down, and the sky was a brilliant display of pinks and oranges. He gunned the engine, driving as fast as he dared in something so unwieldy.
“Left up ahead,” said Roxanne. “Seventh Street.”
Tanner turned, following her directions. “How did you find them?”
“Mira put trackers in our ID tags. They don’t work over long distances, but there’s a receiver here that can track them.”
They’d looked like normal dog tags to him, except for the information displayed. Instead of his name stamped into the metal, there was a bar code—one he hadn’t been able to see until Mira showed him the tag under UV light. To the naked eye, the thing looked like just a blank tag. And even if someone did find the bar code on the tag, she said they’d have to be able to cross-reference that ID with a secure database in order to find out any personal information.
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