by Lexi Blake
When he thought about it, taking Noelle as a sub would make it easier to keep track of her. Yeah, that’s what he’d tell the guys. What he’d tell her was the truth—that he was crazy about her.
He stepped back and decided to give her what she wanted. He tugged his shirt off and was really glad he hadn’t given up his workout routine. His abs were one good thing that had come out of his time with McDonald. He stared at her for a moment, taking her in. “You’re fucking perfect.”
“And you are blind, but I’m okay with it. You know I’m never this comfortable with a guy. It’s weird, but I knew these scars wouldn’t scare you off.”
She had a few scars on her lower back and a couple on her legs. They showed how serious that accident had been, but he wasn’t a man who worshipped perfection. She was beautifully Noelle, and the scar across her shoulder didn’t detract from that. He reached out and touched it, brushing his fingers over the line that went from her shoulder blade to right above her breast. “Was this part of the accident, too?”
She nodded, her eyes on him. “The car flipped and there was jagged metal where I pulled myself out. It’s the one that bugs me most.”
Because it was the one she had to see in the mirror every day. He had one of those, too. He took her hand in his and brought it to the left side of his body, below his ribs. “This is the one I have to look at every day. It was a knife wound.”
“From that woman who took you?”
Her fingers moved over that ancient scar, and he had to bite back a groan. He wasn’t sure what magic this woman worked on him, but when she touched him his body came to life in a way it never had before. “No. She was actually excellent about not leaving scars. She had other methods of punishment for me. No. This is from when I was on the streets. I was sleeping in an alleyway and woke up to a guy with serious problems trying to gut me. I still dream about it from time to time, but I don’t wake up fighting or anything. You’re safe to sleep with me.”
That time seemed so long ago. A complete lifetime. He wasn’t alone now. He had a family, though they didn’t share blood. It struck him how far he was from that lonely, scared boy. He was in a warm place now, and it was made infinitely warmer by her.
“Take off my jeans.” He wanted to be skin to skin with her, wanted to get in that bed and mold his body to hers, wanted to sleep wrapped around her.
But first he wanted to know what it was like to be deep inside her.
She moved to the end of the bed, seated in front of him, and her head tilted up as she undid the fly of his jeans.
She licked her lips, but he wasn’t sure he could handle that. He would come far too soon, and he couldn’t wait another moment to fuck her. They had days and days to play. He would take her to Sanctum and start her training. He would let her explore everything, but tonight he had to have her.
He stepped back and shoved his jeans down. “I don’t trust myself to let you touch me too much.”
Her lips curled up in the sweetest grin. “Do you think you’ll like my touch?”
“Way too much.” He kicked his jeans off. His boots were in the living room, so he moved toward her completely naked and comfortable being that way with her. He put his body between her legs and dropped his head down to meld their mouths together.
He loved kissing her. Her mouth was soft and yielding, her tongue sliding along his. He let his hands sink into the silk of her hair, and he gave over to the sensation of being surrounded by her. Her hands stroked down his back to cup his ass. His cock brushed her belly and started an insistent pulse that could only end one way.
And then he remembered that he wasn’t exactly prepared. He hadn’t shoved a condom in his pocket or anything. He hadn’t started the day thinking it would end this way. He cupped her breast, feeling her nipple against his palm. “Noelle, baby, do you have some condoms?”
Her eyes came open. “What? No. I don’t.”
“I’ll be right back.” He might have one in his bag. Might. Fuck. He needed to be way more prepared.
His bag was on the sofa. Hopefully Kyle had gone back to bed. He opened the door and had no such luck.
Kyle sighed, shook his head, and handed him a line of condoms, proving he was better prepared than Hutch. “Dumbass.” Kyle turned and started back toward the guest room. “I left the military for this job.”
Yeah, Kyle should get used to shenanigans because they went hand in hand with being a McKay-Taggart employee. No shame washed through Hutch, just a deep gratitude that someone had condoms. Otherwise he would be running into some 24-hour store begging.
Noelle had gotten into bed and covered herself with a sheet by the time he came back.
That was not happening.
He gripped the sheet and pulled it back. “Don’t cover yourself when we’re playing. I want to see every inch of you. When we’re playing, you’re mine. If you want to stop, that’s fine, but I don’t think you want to.”
He pulled off one of the condoms, placing the rest on her dresser. He ripped it open and found her staring at him.
“I think you’re perfect, too,” she said quietly.
He was far from, but he would take it. He stroked himself as he stared down at her, getting himself hard and ready. She watched him, her eyes on his cock. She bit her bottom lip, and her nipples were a deep pink and stiff. She still wanted him.
He laid himself out, wanting to give her the control in this case. Later, he could turn her and twist her and fuck her any way he wanted. But this first time he wanted her to go at any pace she liked. He’d eaten her pussy in an attempt to make sure she came, but he wanted to watch her come again, wanted to see the look on her face, know they were together in this moment.
“I want you on top. I want to watch you,” he said, offering her his body.
“You want to push me.” She pressed up off the bed. “I’ve never been on top.”
He shook his head. “I want to watch you. Why wouldn’t you…” Was it hard for her to be on top? Did the position hurt her in some way? “I want to give you what you want.”
She smiled and moved over his body. “I like the fact that you don’t immediately think of my legs and whether or not they work. I don’t know how this is going to go. Let’s find out.”
She was awkward and gorgeous as she straddled him and took his cock in hand. He bit back a groan as he felt the heat of her pussy start to surround him.
He let his hands find her hips. “You’re the sub, baby. You’re the only one who gets to tell people what your limits are, and we can explore them all. In that, yes, I do want to push you and I want you to push me, too.”
But right now he wanted her to fuck him. His eyes threatened to roll to the back of his head as she started to lower herself onto his cock. He watched as she gasped and adjusted to take in every inch. He tilted his hips up, wanting there to be absolutely nothing between them.
“I think I like this,” she whispered as she started to move. “It feels really good.”
It felt like heaven.
He glanced up, and there was a look of wonder in her eyes that had his hands gripping her harder as though she might disappear if he didn’t hold on to her.
“I like this a lot, Hutch. It feels different.” She moved up and then back down.
It took her a minute to find a good rhythm, but he helped her. He thrust up, every muscle in his body tense and wanting. “You feel different.”
Different than anything he’d had before. He matched her, finally synching up and letting himself go. He let go of anything but how good it felt to be here with her. Her head dropped back and he felt her tighten around him, sending him straight over the blissful edge.
She dropped onto his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, perfectly content that he was still inside her.
“I think you could push me a little more, Sir,” she whispered in his ear.
He flipped her over and kissed her.
He intended to push her all night long.
Chapt
er Seven
Hutch finished up the toast and stretched, pure satisfaction running through him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so well. He’d wrapped himself around her and slept like a baby.
He’d thought about waking her up with sex, but decided to prove he could feed her other hungers, too. She had to go back to work, and he was going to make sure she was ready.
Damn, but he was in a good mood this morning.
“Is any of that for me?” Kyle was already dressed, wearing slacks and a button-down shirt. He looked smooth and polished.
It was a good thing his Noelle seemed to prefer scruffy with a hint of nerd. Hutch was still all comfy in pajama bottoms and the T-shirt he’d worn the day before. “I was getting ready to cook the eggs. Scrambled okay? There’s coffee in the pot.”
“Excellent. If they’re good, I might forgive you for what you put me through last night.” Kyle reached for a mug. “I’ve seen far too much of you.”
Hutch shrugged because he wasn’t about to feel bad about that. It had been one of the best nights of his life. “Get used to it. I heard you’re in the training program at Sanctum. You’ll see a lot of everyone once you get on the dungeon floor.”
“Yeah, not sure that’s going to happen. Not at Sanctum.” Kyle took a sip of black coffee. “I’m in this training program because The Club doesn’t have one.”
The Club was another BDSM club run by a man named Julian Lodge. Lodge was one of the richest men in Texas, and he’d supplied much of the seed money for McKay-Taggart. In a lot of ways, The Club had been where Ian Taggart had learned how to run Sanctum. “Why would you play there?”
“Uh, I love my mom. I do not need to see that or hear about it or even be in the same space where it happens.” A shudder went through Kyle. “Dude, I know that lots of siblings play in the same club, but this is my mom and stepdad. It’s not happening. Julian is offering me a membership because he understands that as some of the kids grow up, they’re not going to want to play where their parents play, so he and Tag are switching off where they can. My brother’s thinking about doing it too.”
Hutch snorted. “Don’t expect those kids to go to Julian’s. I can see where that would work for you and David, but I don’t see it happening with the younger set. Nah, they’ll start their own and scare the shit out of their parents.”
“My sister already scares the shit out of me,” Kyle admitted. “Carys is fifteen and basically dating two guys, and we all ignore it. I’m convinced my stepdad genuinely thinks she’s simply hanging out with two guy friends—who buy her things, and when they think no one’s looking, hold her hands. Both of them.”
He didn’t see what was wrong with it. After all, Carys had two hands. “It works for Tristan’s parents.”
Tristan was Jake, Serena, and Adam’s oldest kiddo. He and Liam’s son, Aidan, had been trailing after Carys since they were all babies. Hutch thought it was sweet. And it really did work for Jake and Serena and Adam. They’d been married for fifteen years without much drama. The threesome still played every week at Sanctum. Serena seemed perfectly happy to have two men holding her hands.
“Yeah, well, Carys is in high school. It’s not known to be the most accepting place,” Kyle explained. “From what I can tell no one’s outed them yet because Aidan goes to a different school, but at some point, it’s going to come out and my sister will bear the brunt of it. No matter how confident Carys is, that’s going to hurt.”
He didn’t like to think about that. He’d watched those kids grow up, and now they were old enough that the world was going to start biting at them, taking its share of their souls. “I’ll take care of anyone who hurts her.”
“I think that’s my job,” Kyle replied. “And trust me, Sean can take care of her, but this is something we can’t fix. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe kids these days will shrug and threesomes will become a thing, but I worry. I’m also worried about what happened last night. Did you two talk about how this is going to work now?”
They’d talked about important stuff, and this evening they’d talk some more. “I’m going to write up a contract between us. And I promise to always carry a condom from now on. Don’t tell Tag about that.”
The big boss had a thing about condoms. Probably because he had five kids.
A devilish grin came over Kyle’s face. “I’ll probably get a raise for saving you.” He sobered. “Seriously, have you two talked this out? You started a sexual relationship last night, and while you might be accustomed to one-night stands, she is not. You’ve read the reports on her. She hasn’t even dated in a couple of years. I seriously doubt she’s been tearing through guys. It’s not going to help us protect her if you break the client’s heart.”
“Why would you think I would break her heart?” He cracked a couple of eggs into a bowl. Then he looked at Kyle and cracked five more. He was a big dude. “I’m serious about her.”
“You’re serious about a woman you met yesterday?”
He shrugged, a light feeling coming over him as he beat the eggs and added some milk before pouring them into the pan. It didn’t seem like it was just yesterday. The morning before seemed light years behind him. “What can I say? When you know, you know. I’m not saying we’re getting married or anything.” That would be crazy, so he wasn’t going to say it. Not out loud, but some instinct told him Noelle was the one, the magical stupid one his married friends talked about. “But we’re together. Don’t worry about me hurting her. I’m going to take excellent care of her.”
Kyle’s expression told him he still wasn’t sure. “See that you do. You need to check your texts. Big Tag wants you in the office this morning. I’ll take Noelle to work and see if I can’t get a job.”
He wanted to argue, but sometime in the night he’d decided Kyle was right. He had the best in, and he should take it. “You’re sure you can handle undercover? Jessica Layne is smart, and she’ll see through you if you aren’t careful.”
“I think I can handle it,” Kyle said with the confidence of a man who’d done undercover. Though the files on him didn’t report he had. He’d been a Naval officer. The longer Hutch was with him the less he seemed like an everyday military guy. “I’m not going to forget that this is an op and we’ve got work to do.”
Hutch turned back to the eggs and hoped Kyle wasn’t the reason he was being called into the office. If Kyle expressed his worries to Tag, there could be trouble. He wasn’t about to allow himself to be pulled off this case.
“Say hi to MaeBe for me,” Kyle said. “Tell her it took a while, but my spine is finally straightening out.”
It was good to remember he wasn’t the only one who’d chased after a woman the day before. “Are you going to ask her out?”
Kyle seemed flummoxed at that question. He stopped and went still for a moment.
“It’s not a hard question.” Hutch watched him. It was odd to see that deer-in-the-headlights look on the tough guy. “You like the girl. You ask the girl out. You see if the girl likes you.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m not in a good place for that. I was just…I had fun with her yesterday. It’s been a long time since I was around someone as carefree as MaeBe. I don’t like her that way. Does anyone else think I like her like that?”
There was an odd, almost panicked undertone to his question. “I don’t think I’ve heard any rumors about you.”
Kyle’s face smoothed out, and he was back to the neutral expression he usually wore. “Good, because while I enjoyed spending the afternoon with her, we’re not compatible.”
Hutch kind of thought they were. MaeBe and Kyle had been in synch in a way he rarely saw two people who didn’t know each other be. They’d smiled more in each other’s presence. He’d caught MaeBe looking at Kyle when he turned away.
Something about Kyle’s obviously emotional response made Hutch think.
Then he wasn’t thinking about anything but Noelle because the door came open and she walked out wearing a pretty
green dress and leaning heavily on her cane. She smiled brightly until she caught sight of Kyle. Then she gave him a polite nod, as though trying to hide the fact that they’d gone at it hard the night before.
“Good morning, Kyle, Hutch. I hope you both slept well,” she said.
“It was hard to sleep when you two were…” Kyle began.
Hutch snatched the coffee mug out of his hand. “You can get your own, asshole.”
Noelle had gone the sweetest shade of pink as she approached the bar. “I thought we were quiet.”
“I’m your bodyguard.” Kyle got a mug and simply poured another cup. “I don’t sleep deeply when I’m on assignment. I woke up when Hutch went onto the balcony. I was willing to let him die, but then you joined him. Could the two of you find a place that isn’t out in the open with at least five sniper perches available? Don’t blush, Noelle. Or maybe do. Get it all out of your system because on Thursday, the freaky stuff starts.”
She hauled herself up on the barstool. Had he been too rough with her? She’d been through a lot the day before and he’d spent the whole evening twisting her around so he could get his dick inside her.
He got her a cup of coffee and her sugar jar and put it in front of her. “Do you want some cream, baby?”
Her eyes widened slightly, as though she was surprised by the affectionate name. Well, she’d better get used to it.
“No. Just sugar, thank you. And thanks for making breakfast. I usually skip it.”
Not while he was taking care of her. “No problem. Breakfast is my specialty. I’ll make some pancakes tomorrow.”
“That might make up for what I went through last night,” Kyle snarked under his breath before sitting down next to Noelle. “So are you going to call Kai and tell him or should Hutch do it?”
“Tell Kai what?” Noelle asked.
Hutch plated her eggs and gave her a piece of toast, sliding it in front of her before plating his and Kyle’s.
“I’ll deal with Kai.” He wasn’t going to make her explain to Kai, who would likely tell her she was moving far too fast.