Cole (Hunting Her)

by Eden Summers

  She hikes her chin. “I won’t be owned, Cole.”

  “Why not? You’ve owned every damn inch of me for too fucking long. Is it really that demeaning to return the favor?”

  Her eyes flare before she quickly hides the shock. “I don’t own you.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “Well, I don’t want to. I need something less sterile.” Her throat works over a heavy swallow. “I want to know there’s more than just heated games between us. Ownership means nothing to me when it’s your heart I want.” Her cheeks darken as if she’s embarrassed by her admission. Such pink, beautiful cheeks that emphasize the intensity in her gaze.

  I prowl closer, her request a lead weight in my throat. “You want love.”

  She shifts her focus over my shoulder, denying me eye contact.

  “You can’t admit it?” My palms sweat, demanding touch. “Why is that?”

  “Is that emotion even possible for you?” Her attention snaps back to mine in accusation. “Do you even know what love is?”

  I take her savage blows without retaliation. “Yes, I know.” I reach out, brushing my hand over her neck.

  She flinches, attempting to back away only to be captured in my grip, my fingers tight around her throat.

  I get in her face, demanding her attention, her heated breath brushing my lips. “I fell in love with you that night under the tree in Greece. With your makeshift shiv and your desperation to stab me. And I’ve loved you in every moment since.”

  Her pulse quickens beneath my touch, her inhales increasing.

  “There’s nobody else, little fox. There never will be.”

  Her throat convulses under my palm, her gaze growing with determination.

  “You will marry me.” My murmured demand snaps her rigid. “Maybe not this week or the next. But you will be my wife.” I lean closer, unable to resist the need to taste her as I press my mouth to her jaw. “And you will be happy. I vow this to you.”

  She shudders, closing her eyes. “I think I fell in love with you before Greece. Back in that café, when you manipulated me with so much ease and confidence before Luther’s escape from custody that it was impossible not to appreciate your brilliance.”

  I grin, falling victim to her admission. Her truth warms me in a way I’ve never experienced. It brings weakness yet so much fucking fortitude.

  There’s no going back from this.

  No walking away.

  No goodbyes.

  “Tell me you’re mine.” I kiss her chin, her cheek, the corner of her mouth. “I need to hear you say it.”

  She whimpers. “I don’t know—”

  I slam my lips against hers, still holding her neck tight. I punish her with my tongue, dragging her body into mine with the tight wrap of my arm. When I ease back, she gasps for air, clinging to my shirt.

  “Cole, I—”

  “Tell me,” I demand. “Convince me you’re done walking away.”

  She shakes her head. “What about the children? And this woman you’re meant to marry? What about Hunter and your sisters?”

  “Leave that shit to me.” I’ll figure a way to right this train wreck. What I need is to know she’ll be waiting for me at the end.

  “I don’t want to lie to you.” She inches back. “I’m in love, Cole. I’m just not sure how this can work.”

  “Trust me,” I growl. “Forget Costa. Forget Hunter and anything else outside this room. And tell me, right now, that I’m what you want. That this—” I point between us. “—is how you want to live your life.”

  She licks her lips, her brows pinched.

  I’m waiting for her to attempt to look at the door, and holy fuck, I’ll hold her head in place if I have to. She wants this. I need her to have the conviction to own it.

  She swallows, holding my gaze, her eyes glassy with vulnerability. “This is what I want.”

  Relief is an overwhelming bitch.

  I plaster my mouth to hers, sinking my fingers into the flesh of her hip. I devour her, stealing her breath and losing my own.

  She mewls against my lips, her hands clutching tight against my shirt. She’s fucking everything. My guidance. My meaning. She’s going to pull me out of the shitshow that has become my life and help right the downfall, but more than that—she’s going to be there. Beside me. Always.

  Forever mine.

  “God, I want you.” She grabs my waistband, unclasps my belt. “I need you.”

  I’m rock hard before she’s yanking at my zipper. I’m fumbling to catch my gun, my dick fucking throbbing by the time she grabs at my boxer briefs.

  “Wait.” I snatch her wrist in warning. “This time you’re meant to be savored.”

  She shakes her head, her eyes wild with lust. “Call me impatient.”

  I snicker as I release her arm to place my gun on the sofa. “You need to be taught some restraint.”

  “To hell with restraint.” She kicks off her shoes and steps closer, placing her hands around my neck. “We have the rest of our lives to savor. I want what comes naturally.”

  A growl of appreciation vibrates in my chest. “Natural means rough.” I grasp her hips, yanking her into me. “Natural means we get our fill, fast and intense.”

  She tilts her pelvis, grinding against my dick, making us both moan.

  “That’s what I want.” She reaches between us, unbuttons my shirt, exposes my chest. “I can’t do slow right now.”

  I swoop forward and pick her up, one arm cradling her back, the other behind her knees, and carry her to the bedroom. I sit her on the mattress as she scrambles to pull out her gun, shoving it toward the top of the bed.

  She reefs off her suit jacket. Discards her holster. Undoes her pants.

  “Stop.” I kick off my shoes. “You’re unwrapping my present without permission.”

  “This isn’t your birthday. We don’t have time to mess around with packaging.”

  I grin, unwilling to further my protest as she fumbles to release her blouse buttons, then leans forward to shove down my open pants and boxer briefs, exposing my dick.

  She grasps my length in her hands, squeezing the hardness. Tempting fate.

  “Wait,” I growl.

  Her eagerness is killing me, especially when I’m being denied the full sight of her.

  I grab her panties, forcing her to let go of me as I yank them off. Her socks, too. “Spread those gorgeous legs.”

  She rests back on her elbows, splayed before me like an artist’s inspiration. I want to remember this until the day I die—the burn in my chest, the hunger in my veins.

  Her knees part slightly as a faint grin teases her lips.

  “I said, spread ’em.” I grasp her knees, forcing them wide, making her gasp.

  This sight is even better, her pussy lips parted, her arousal glistening.

  I should do as I promised and savor her. I should dive between those legs and eat my fill. I could do a million things to ensure she’s aware of my unwavering commitment, but my vow to go slow means nothing when pitted against what she wants from me.

  “There’s no going back.” I place my palms on her thighs, sliding them upward. “This is your life now.”

  She blinks those dark lashes my way, a lock of hair hanging low to seductively cover one eye. “I know.”

  She’s utter brilliance.

  My complete downfall.

  “Forever, Nis. Not just until the next hurdle or you grow tired of me.” I swoop over her, climbing onto the bed from between her thighs. My chest brushes her stomach along the way, my mouth latching on to one nipple to suck and tease as I reclaim her throat in my grip.

  “I won’t grow tired.”

  I pay those breasts homage, kissing one, then the other, until my dick can’t take it any longer. I move higher, trekking my lips over her sternum. Shoulder. Jaw.

  “No other man will experience this again,” I whisper in her ear, settling my hips into hers. “No other man will even dare to touch you.”

&n
bsp; “That works both ways.” She grasps my shoulders, digging her nails into my skin. “Now stop attempting to scare me off and fuck me.”

  “My pleasure.” I grasp my dick, take a second to reposition myself, then give her what she wants, thrusting hard inside her, all the way to the hilt.

  Her tight pussy fits me like a glove. The ultimate vice.

  Her mewl of rapture only affirms the perfection.

  I fuck her rough. Savage thrusts. Slamming home. Over and over, the brutal repetition burning my muscles with fatigue.

  I keep my hand tight around her throat, the high tilt of her neck making it obvious she wants more as my other hand digs into the soft flesh of her hip.

  I squeeze. Claiming her. Owning her.

  Her breaths become fractured—broken and manic. So fucking delectable.

  She digs her claws into my wrist, her gaze holding mine as she whispers, “I own you.”

  I grin. “Yes, you own me.”

  I fuck her harder, wanting to temper her sass and increase it all at the same time. But she feels so fucking good, those legs around my hips holding tight.

  “Oh, fuck.” She tilts her head back, closing her eyes, and shudders.

  She’s fucking coming.

  Already. Without me.

  I grind harder, thrust deeper.

  I pound into her until she screams, the sound echoing off the walls and into my chest.

  Her orgasm is the greatest show I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. Her euphoria. Her peace. Those nails dig deeper into my wrist.

  Her core pulses around me, the agonizing shudders making it almost impossible not to follow along with her. But this isn’t over. Not yet. Not even when her body becomes soft beneath mine, her bliss turning into relaxation.

  “You done?” I drawl.

  She smiles, her eyes still closed. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

  I can definitely believe it. I’ll never forget it either—the moment when she truly succumbed to me will forever be a treasured memory.

  I lean closer, my stubble grazing her cheek as I growl in her ear. “Don’t for one second think this is anywhere near over, little fox.”

  She chuckles. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  I release her neck, trailing kisses where my fingers have heated her skin until her breathing levels. I want her to start all over again. From beginning to end.

  I grind slowly, coaxing her into a moan, but instead of enjoying my gentle lethargy, she places her hands on my chest and pushes me backward.

  “Off,” she demands. “Get off the bed.”

  I frown. “We’re not done.”

  “I know.” She pushes again, and this time I oblige despite the vacuum of bliss that’s sucked from my senses when my cock leaves her pussy.

  I raise to my knees between her thighs, then climb off the mattress. I stand before her, tall, proud, with my fucking cock bobbing like a buoy in troubled waters.

  But she won’t leave me unsatisfied. I know she won’t. It’s not her style.

  My fear is that she’ll give more than what I deserve. Too much pleasure. A dose of something beyond lust to make me fall deeper into this mind-fuck of slavery.

  “Step back.” She slowly rises, creeping from the bed, as I do her bidding.

  She holds my gaze as she stands before me, chin high, eyes glazed, cheeks flushed. Then she descends, falling to her knees to deliver my wildest fantasies.

  “I want to taste you,” is all she says before her unfathomably brilliant mouth engulfs my cock, her lips sliding halfway down my shaft with exquisite suction.

  I groan, clenching every fucking muscle imaginable as she tongues my length.

  It’s beyond words—the lust, the waning restraint.

  I could come with one stroke, but I force myself to prolong this, to take her offering as the gift it is and treasure it.

  I slide my fingers through her hair, unable to stop myself from squeezing tight as she sucks harder.

  “Fuck.” My pulse becomes a pounding beat in my ears. There’s so much pressure. Beneath my ribs. In my temples. No place more adamant than my fucking balls.

  Her tongue works overtime along the underside of my shaft. I can’t help directing her, my hands almost balled into fists in her hair as I force her back and forth, back and forth.

  She groans with my force, the vibration adding a new layer to my torment.

  “You’re going to make me come,” I speak through clenched teeth.

  She nods, taking me all the way to the back of her throat, her eyes rolling as she retreats and starts all over again. Her hands slide to my ass, her nails digging deep.

  I groan, my orgasm building beyond my control.

  “Keep sucking like that and this will be over real soon.”

  Those pretty eyes meet mine, her mouth stretched over my dick, the glistening juices of her arousal and saliva coating her lips.

  She bobs faster, keeping the attention at the sensitive head of my cock, knowing exactly what I need. Those nails dig deeper. Those lips suck harder. She moans again, and I’m almost done for.

  “Don’t stop,” I growl. “Keep sucking until I come down the back of your throat. Then swallow everything I give you.”

  I pull at her hair, thrusting my hips into her mouth, inspiring more of her moans.

  But it’s her nod that sends me over the edge. The sweet acquiescence that draws the orgasm out of me and makes me buck uncontrollably.

  She doesn’t stop. There’s not even a pause as my cum releases down the back of her throat, those eyes forever holding mine.

  “Jesus,” I groan. “Fuck.”

  The euphoria continues, the drawn-out bliss on a whole new level until the last of my seed escapes.

  She may not be convinced about marrying me, but that right there was a commitment pledged by both of us.

  There’s nobody else now.

  Just the two of us. All I have to do is keep her safe in my fucked up world.

  She releases my length with a loud pop, then swallows in a show of erotic simplicity, her tongue confidently swiping her glistening lips.

  “That was perfect.” I grip her chin to drag her to her feet, placing my mouth on hers. “You’re fucking perfect.”

  “That’s because I now own every part of you.” She pulls back with a smirk and walks for the bathroom. “And those were some of my favorite inches.”

  “Feel free to pay homage whenever you like, little fox. Those inches are yours to command.”

  She chuckles and closes the door behind her.

  It takes a split second for the high to fade. As soon as she’s out of sight, the darkness of reality creeps in to steal the warmth.

  I can’t mess around anymore. I can’t lose myself in distraction or put off the upcoming war with Emmanuel. I have to get us all home. I’ve finally got what I’ve craved for too long—and I won’t let anyone fuck with it.

  I’ve pulled my clothes back on and I’m buttoning my shirt by the time she returns to the bedroom, still gloriously naked with a subtle afterglow.

  The space around us isn’t the same though.

  I see her differently, too.

  She’ll have a bigger target on her back now. One unlike anything I’m accustomed to. Law enforcement will see her as a traitor. Those I work with may never fully accept her despite my threats for them to comply.

  The road forward won’t be easy for either of us.

  “Are you okay?” She moves in behind me as I fix the last button on my shirt, and wraps her arms around my waist.

  “Yeah. You?” I turn to face her subtle wince.

  “The after-sex vibe with us is never kind.” She keeps her arms locked around me, her fingers working intricate patterns on the low of my back.

  “We haven’t had the best start. But things will change once we return to Portland.”

  “What’s going to happen in between now and then?”

  “I don’t know. I still have no clue what Costa’s capable of.�
� I press my lips to her forehead, picturing that asshole’s smirking face. “I anticipate having to negotiate with him for a long time. But we’ll eventually come to some sort of agreement.”

  “What if you don’t?”

  “Every man can be bought. One way or another. I just have to find the right price.”

  Her arms fall to her sides as she leans back to meet my gaze. “Do you truly believe that?”

  “In ten years, I haven’t been proven wrong. But the right price might not necessarily be money. Getting out of this could mean getting my hands on what he values most.” I glide my fingers through the silken strands of her hair. “That could mean his sons. Or his wife.”

  “What would you do to them?”

  “Whatever necessary.”

  I brace for her flinch of disgust. It never comes.

  Instead, she holds my gaze with steadfast assurance. “Do whatever it takes. This has gone on long enough.”

  The hardened pressure of pride strips me of my defenses. I’m so fucking besotted, and even though I know it’s a deficiency, I can’t help wanting more of her.

  “I will.” I drag her back to me with a gentle grip around her neck. “And no matter what carnage I create, you’ll be waiting for me once it’s all over.”

  She nods. “No matter what.”

  This thing between us doesn’t make sense. There’s no rhyme or reason. It’s mindless obsession and uncontrollable fascination. But it’s here to stay.

  Nobody will take her from me.

  “Get dressed—” My cell vibrates in my pants, the buzz bringing unwelcome dread as I pull the device from my pocket to stare at the screen.

  “Who is it?” Nissa grabs her clothes from the floor to pile them on the bed.

  “Layla.”

  The endorphin binge is well and truly over. I swipe to connect the call and raise the cell to my ear. “Where are you?”

  “Our hotel suite.” Her voice is brittle, the tone doing a number on my guilt. “Please, tell me you’ve figured out how to get my little girl back.”

  26

  Anissa

  Cole tells his sister to meet us in the penthouse in half an hour then disconnects the call.

  “She’s coming up here?” I keep my gaze on him.

  “They all are.” His posture tightens as he taps at his cell screen and walks for the door. “Get dressed and meet me in the living room.”