“And then”—his voice deepened to a low rumble—“if you’re still feeling afraid, I’m going to strip you down and fuck the fear right out of you.”
He couldn’t be serious. Isabel stepped into the elevator, thinking about Alec’s words, an effective block to what had happened in this box hours ago.
Yeah. He must’ve been kidding. A distraction.
It worked.
He stood silent at her side. Scruffy, tired, tousled, and frigging gorgeous. His T-shirt hugged his muscles as if it were painted on. She was in the same elevator that was part of one of the scariest moments of her life, and all she could think of was unbuttoning his jeans and going down on him.
She’d never had elevator sex before.
He was strong enough to lift her, pin her in the corner, and…
The doors opened. They’d arrived in the basement. The scariest place in her mind.
Alec merely grinned and raised an eyebrow.
He probably knew exactly what she was thinking. She nodded for him to lead the way, wondering all the while if he’d brought condoms. The box hadn’t been on the coffee table after she got dressed.
Motion sensors caused lights to flare as they crossed the vast, disorienting space. Nothing moved in the shadows beyond the light.
The compound was quiet.
But then, it was half past one in the morning.
Inside the firing range, Alec locked the door behind them and then punched numbers into the gun safe keypad. The buzzer sounded, reminding her of the cameras that watched this room, even now.
Yeah, he must’ve been kidding. He wouldn’t touch her in here, not with the cameras rolling. Disappointment filtered through her. They should have stayed in his suite.
He pressed at least a dozen more buttons on the keypad, then turned to her. “Punch in the same code I gave you for my quarters.”
She brushed against him as she reached for the keypad. Instead of moving back to give her space, he leaned a titch closer. She glanced askance and caught a wicked, sexy grin. White teeth surrounded by dark stubble. He hadn’t shaved since yesterday, and his square jaw was heavy with the beginning of a dark beard. He wasn’t the polished politician anymore. She was fairly certain this man was the Ranger, and she found the Ranger a decided turn-on. Somehow she managed to remember and punch in the access code. Barely.
Only one panel of the gun locker opened. Inside was an array of small pistols and racks of ammunition. “That code gives you access to the range and these weapons.”
“What, no fifty-caliber sniper rifles for me?” The bigger guns were in the other half of the gun locker.
“Hell, no. Those things have a nasty kick.” He leaned in close and said in a husky voice, “The cameras are off.”
“You didn’t.”
“Lee set up a special override code that only I have. I can turn off the cameras in any room in the compound.”
“Is that really safe? To shut off the cameras?”
“This room has been on lockdown since I decided to shut down the compound. Only Keith, you, and I have the access code.”
“What if the power goes out? Don’t all the rooms unlock?”
“Most do. But not this one. It can be unlocked manually from the inside, to prevent anyone from being trapped, but otherwise, it would take a battering ram to get in here.”
She glanced at the thick steel door and guessed that even a battering ram wouldn’t be enough. Heat flared in her belly. Maybe he did intend to screw her brains out here and now.
He grabbed the Sig she’d used during her lesson with Ethan and a box of ammo. “Put on headphones. If you hit the bull three times in a row with this, it’s yours.”
Okay. Maybe they really were here just to shoot. “You’ll give me the gun?”
“Yes.”
“All I have to do is hit the bull three times?” Hell, she’d hit the bull’s-eye a dozen times earlier. This would be a piece of cake.
“In a row.”
She cocked her head. “You have to do it too.”
“It’s already my gun. My compound.” His gaze scanned her from head to toe. “Everything in it is mine.” Clearly, his self-imposed restraint toward her was gone.
Restraintless-Alec was even hotter than his previous incarnation—and she’d found him pretty damn hot before.
“Humor me,” she said in the best challenging tone she could muster.
“Fine.” He pulled on a pair of headphones, rammed the magazine into the handle, and one breath later squeezed off three shots in rapid succession. He slapped the button to recall the target, and the human outline on paper floated toward them, a ghost on a wire pulley. When the target reached the counter, Isabel saw three overlapping holes in the red center circle over the chest.
“Your turn,” he said as he reset the target. The paper retracted down the lane but stopped at half the distance. “Twenty-five yards.”
Her first shot was good. But the second went high, and the third went low. He stood behind her and coached her on her grip. With a hand on her hip and another under her elbow, he adjusted her stance. She took another shot. Dead center.
She grinned.
Lips touched the back of her neck, and through the headphones, she heard him say, “God, that’s a turn-on.”
Feeling pumped, she took another shot. It went high. Off-the-target high. He chuckled.
She set the gun on the counter and faced him. Crossing her arms over her chest, she nodded to the lane next to her. “You’re distracting me on purpose. Go shoot in your own lane.”
He grabbed her hips and pulled her against him. His tongue traced the hollow beneath her throat. His lips trailed upward, nuzzling the sensitive skin below her ear. “How about we play a game that’s a lot like strip poker, but with shooting?”
She laughed. “Since you’re obviously an ace marksman, there is no way I could win.”
“Honey, when I get you naked, you’ll feel like the winner.”
She rolled her eyes and pushed him away. “Leave me alone. I’m trying to shoot.”
He dropped a soft kiss on her lips. “Fine.”
Her body hummed with pleasure as she emptied the magazine into the paper man. Every time she hit within the inner circles, she felt a jolt of adrenaline and a kick in the libido.
Next to her, Alec’s target had disintegrated under rapid fire.
She paused to watch, her heart rate increasing as she took in his firm profile as he gazed down the sights. The intensity of his stare as he focused on the target, well, if he wasn’t trying to kill it, she’d be jealous of the poor line drawing.
Watching him shoot was an aphrodisiac.
What was she thinking? Why was she wasting her time shooting at paper when she could be in bed with this man?
She carefully set her gun aside and moved to stand behind him. She cupped his butt with one hand and supported his elbow with the other. “You need to stand up straighter,” she said, giving his perfect ass a solid squeeze. “And lift your elbow.”
He chuckled and did as she said. The shot went high. His first shot that didn’t even hit the target, let alone the inner circles.
“That’s more like it,” she said, tracing a line along his arm, over his pecs, down the T-shirt, finally, finding the hem, she slid her hand up, underneath, and explored those rock-hard abs.
He set down the gun and twisted so fast her hand that had been exploring his abs now rested on his back, and the hand on his ass met his erection. His lips were on hers in a flash, his tongue thrust into her mouth in a deep, erotic kiss that made no secret of exactly where this would go.
She slid her hands under the sinfully tight T-shirt, marveling at the feel of hot skin over iron muscle. He lifted his mouth from hers. “It’s about damn time,” he said.
She laughed and kissed him, losing herself in the hot, knee-melting kiss. His mouth moved lower, to her neck, and a semblance of sanity returned. “Alec, the cameras.”
“They’re off.”
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“But how do we know they’re off? What if your override code didn’t work?”
His mouth remained on her neck, but his right hand darted out and grabbed the gun from the counter. In one smooth motion, he lifted his head and raised the gun. Still holding her against him with one arm, he fired off two shots in rapid succession: one at the camera by the gun locker, and one at the camera affixed in the center of the lanes fifty yards away.
His hazed, lust-filled gaze met hers. “Good enough?”
She sucked in a sharp, shocked breath as heat flooded her system. “Yes.”
“Good.” He set the gun on the other side of the lane divider, next to her weapon, then yanked off the protective headphones and tossed them behind him. Finally, he scooped her up and set her on the counter. “Now. I’ve got another gun ready to fire.”
23
Alec couldn’t help but laugh at his own words. He had a beautiful woman splayed out on the counter before him, and he’d made a crack about his gun. But then, from the moment he’d decided to take Isabel here to exorcise her demons, he’d felt strangely free. He wasn’t a politician right now. Or a boss. Or a Ranger. He was just a man pursuing a woman he had to have.
She’d said something once about the smart thing versus the right thing. He knew being with Isabel might not be the smart thing—politically, she could ruin him—but she was, without a doubt, the right thing. Hell, she was the only thing.
She tugged at his T-shirt. “Off. Now.”
No sooner was the offending article gone than she was pulling apart the buttons at his fly. He stopped her. “No fair. I hit the bull’s-eye more than you did, and you have too many clothes on.”
“This is your reward for shooting so well. I’m going to taste you.”
Her words sent heat straight to his cock. He froze while she wriggled off the counter and dropped to her knees before him. She tugged down his jeans and briefs, freeing his erection in one swift motion.
This was unreal, a thousand fantasies coming true at once. He was with Isabel. In the firing range. And she was about to give him head. This had Penthouse Fantasy Forum stamped all over it.
She cupped his balls in one hand and slid her hand over his cock with the other. He groaned. Kneeling before him, she licked his erection from base to tip, then took him deep in her mouth in one smooth stroke. Pulling back, she sucked lightly on the tip. His balls tightened, and her fingernails grazed the sensitive sac. She slid forward, again taking him deep.
“Holy hell. Iz. That’s…incredible.”
She gazed up at him, her beautiful green eyes lit with wicked intent. The sight of her lips wrapped around his cock was nearly as hot as it felt. He pulled out of her mouth. No way was he going to let her make him come so soon. “Naked. We both need to be naked.”
He tugged her to her feet and lifted the hem of her shirt up, over her head. She wore a sexy, black lacy bra. It was almost a shame to take it off, but he needed to lick and taste every inch of her.
Bra removed, he sucked on a nipple as he unzipped her jeans and slid his hands inside, cupping her ass. She let out a sexy moan as her nipple hardened against his tongue.
Dammit, his clothes were in the way now. He scooted back and bent to untie his boots. In seconds, he had them off and shucked his jeans and briefs. She pushed him backward, to the bench along the wall, and knelt before him. Again she took him in her mouth. The slide of her lips was so intense. Perfect. Impossibly, his cock thickened even more.
“Iz, you’re not naked yet.”
Her mouth, that hot, incredible mouth, slipped off him long enough to say, “I don’t care,” then she took him deep, sucking all the way down.
He groaned and gripped her hair. “I care. Don’t you dare make me come. I need to come inside you.”
“No condoms. You can come in my mouth.”
Her hand circled the base of his cock as he thrust into her mouth. He was so close. So dangerously close. “Condoms. In my. Jeans. Pocket.”
She sucked on the tip a moment longer, then released him, still holding his rigid flesh in her hand. Her eyes were smoky. Hot. Erotic. “You really brought condoms? I figured you were joking. Because of the”—she glanced at the ceiling—“you know. Cameras.”
He laughed and leaned sideways, making sure to stay within the hot circle of her hand as he reached for the packet. “You must’ve figured out by now that I wasn’t about to let the cameras stop us.” He held up the condom. “Take off your jeans.”
Her smile was pure, sensual heat. She stood slowly. Her delicate hands brushed against her hips as she lowered the pants. “Wait. Turn around,” he said.
She complied. With her back to him, she bent over in an exaggerated pose, pushing down the jeans with her ass high in the air. He sucked in a guttural, gasping breath. She was perfect in every way.
And he was going to fuck her brains out until she forgot every bad thing that had ever happened to her.
He reached for that beautiful ass, raised high above her head. With one finger, he slid the crotch of her panties aside. His tongue found her opening and dipped inside. She was tangy and hot. He groaned and tasted her again, then shifted his tongue forward, finding her clitoris and licking until she whimpered with need.
He leaned back. “Take it all off. Now.”
She stood and kicked off her shoes and jeans. Panties dropped next. She turned to face him and he took in her beautiful, naked body. Red curls hid her hot, delicious clit. Firm, round breasts with ripe, pink nipples begged to be tasted again. He wanted to savor this, to slowly drink in every inch of her.
And he wanted to fuck her hard and fast with equal urgency.
He dropped to his knees before her. He’d take it slow. Enjoy her breasts and work his way down. But no sooner did he have his mouth over a nipple and his fingers pressed to her clit than she moaned his name and rocked her hips into the pressure of his fingers. “Alec. I want you inside me. Now.”
Okay, maybe the first time would be fast and hot. They could go slow later. In his bed.
He stood. She turned, kicked down the long, low bench tucked under the shooting range counter that served as a sturdy step stool, and planted her feet on it in a wide stance. She leaned against the counter, offering her ass to him in the most glorious invitation he’d ever received.
No. This wouldn’t be slow lovemaking. This was going to be a hot, hard fuck all the way. He tore open the packet and slid on the condom, then stepped behind her. With the bench, she was at the perfect height. He pressed his erection against her slick opening. “Is this how you want me?” he asked. He reached around and touched her clitoris.
She gasped and panted, “Yes. Please.”
With one hand on her breast and the other at her clit, he buried his lips against her neck and thrust forward, penetrating her in one swift, intense stroke.
She felt amazing. Pure, hot, adrenaline-filled sex with the brilliant, gorgeous woman who’d saved his life. She clenched down on him, and he groaned at the sweet pressure.
“Iz….” But that was all he was capable of saying as he thrust into her tight heat again. She pressed back against him, and his fingers found the rhythm that made her moan as pleasure built.
The intensity of his feelings for her infused each sensation. This was so much more than a hot screw, but the physical thrill kept him grounded in the moment, and heightened his awareness as they rocked with their bodies locked together in the narrow, cavernous space.
Her husky moans echoed back down the lane, making him impossibly hard as he slid inside her hot body. “Come, sweetheart,” he murmured against her neck.
She smelled of sweet, flowery soap, gunpowder, and sex. She fit in his arms like a dream, all soft skin and curves as he massaged her clit with his fingers. He was so damn close to coming. The buildup so intense, his orgasm would be powerful. White-hot. But he refused to come before she did. No way. The little hellcat who’d been a burr in his side for months would know satisfaction before he did.
Her orgasm continued long past his. Spent, he leaned down to nuzzle her neck while wiggling the fingers planted on her clitoris.
She trembled. “Stop. I can’t.” She gasped. “Take. Anymore.”
He kissed the smooth skin at the nape of her neck. “Oh, honey, you’re getting more.” He breathed deep, then nipped her shoulder. “As soon as I can move again. You’re getting more. Just give me four…no, make that five minutes.”
She laughed. “You’ve impressed me already. No need to kill yourself.”
“Good. Then we’ll make it ten. Just enough time to get dressed and go up to my quarters so I can strip you again. I want you in my bed.” He slid out from her and lifted his weight from her hips.
She twisted in his arms until they were chest to chest. Her incredible green eyes were warm with satisfied hunger, and her smile lit a fire dangerously close to his heart. She caressed his face, her fingers playing with the stubble on his cheek. “That was…something. I think you’ve cured my fear of basements and pretty much everything else.”
He grinned. “As a politician, it’s unwise for me to make promises I can’t keep.”
True to his word, no sooner were they back in Alec’s suite than Isabel was drowning in pleasure. While the sex had been hot and fast in the firing range, the second time he insisted on going slow. He touched, tasted, and explored every part of her, making her come until she couldn’t take any more.
After days of being the focus of his deliberate, unwavering seduction, it was no surprise to discover he made love with the same intensity he applied to everything else. Afterward, they lay chest to chest. Her heart gradually slowed as she stared into his incredible blue eyes. “Well,” she said softly, “you’ve got my vote.”
Vote Then Read: Volume II Page 257