Ruthless

by Sybil Bartel

  Grabbing my other hand, shoving me against the fenced wall of the shower enclosure, he threw my arms above my head and took both wrists in one hand. “Say it,” he growled, low and demanding, as he cupped me between my legs.

  My entire body shuddered, and he dragged his fingers through my heat.

  My head fell back, my eyes closed and I groaned.

  As abruptly and as dominantly as he’d cupped me, his hand left my core and he grasped my jaw. “Eyes on me,” he barked, tilting my head back up.

  Oh God, I wanted him. Spreading my legs, I gripped the top of the fence. “More.”

  “Say it.”

  “Take me.” I thrust my hips toward him. “Fuck me, own me, make me feel good.” Please, please, please.

  His chest heaving, his glare ruthless, he let go of my face and unbuckled his pants. “Birth control?” he ground out, freeing himself.

  Oh God, no, no, no. I wasn’t on anything, but I needed him. I needed him right now more than I needed to breathe. “It doesn’t matter,” I stupidly, foolishly blurted.

  Grasping the back of my thigh, his jaw ticked as he lifted my leg around his waist. “It matters,” he bit out, fisting himself.

  My heart pounded, my core pulsed, and my nails dug into the fence as I lifted my other leg around his waist. “Sawyer,” I begged.

  He dragged his hard length through my desperate need and pressed against my clit.

  “Oh God.”

  “It fucking matters.” He thrust into me.

  My mouth opened with a silent cry of shock at the sheer size of him as pain ripped through my core.

  A guttural growl, low and dominant, tore from his chest as he pulled out and slammed back into me.

  “Is that what you wanted?” he bit out.

  Tears welled. I nodded.

  “Say it,” he demanded, bringing his lips within a breath of mine. “Say it.”

  “Fuck me,” I whispered as the last of my dignity slid down my face.

  Roaring, he pulled out, then shoved into me harder. My back slammed against the fence, and his thumb went to my clit, mercilessly grinding in a circle.

  Desire exploded and my tight, unused muscles released, opening my body for him.

  Grunting, he ground one more tight circle. Then he started to fuck me in earnest.

  Pounding into me fast and slow, thrusting as deep as he could go, grinding his hips—I’d never been fucked like this. Pain morphed into pleasure and stole not only my breath but every thought except of him and his next thrust.

  “More,” I cried, words bleeding out of my mouth. “More, oh God, more.”

  Holding my arms above my head, circling my clit, staring me down, he gave me more.

  He fucked me, and he gave me more.

  “Oh, God.” My body started to shake for an entirely different reason. “I’m going to come.”

  His eyes locked on mine, his chest heaving, his jaw locked, he increased his speed.

  Then he did the last thing I was expecting.

  He pinched my clit.

  Hard.

  My release burst from every nerve ending in my entire body, mocking every single sexual experience, every expectation, and every orgasm I’d ever had in my entire life. My eyes closed, my head fell back, and my arms burned as his huge, giant cock slammed into me and ground the same circle as his merciless torment of my clit.

  My core pulsing so forcefully it was painful, my muscles squeezed around his hard length, a length that already barely fit inside me. The sensation of his body being too big and mine being too small only made my orgasm that much more intense.

  As the last wave of intensity trailed away, he pulled out halfway and shifted his hips, tilting up.

  A new sensation, not entirely pleasurable, made my womb contract, and my eyes flew open in alarm as something deep inside me woke up.

  Fierce blue eyes, darkened with intent, met my alarmed confusion.

  “What are you doing?” I panted.

  With his voice sex-rough and demanding, he issued an order. “Arms around my neck.”

  I didn’t question him. I didn’t even hesitate. Releasing my cramped hands, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  He grasped the backs of my thighs, pulled out halfway, then slammed home.

  The spot deep inside me that he’d merely brushed past before, he drove against hard. Then, angling my thighs wide, watching me intently, he slowly pulled back only to drive into me again.

  His cock slammed into me at an angle I’d never felt before, and he stole my breath. A cry of fear crawled up my throat, but before it escaped my lips, he drove into me again and the cry turned into a groan.

  Watching me, he did it again.

  And again.

  I never saw the second orgasm coming.

  Stars exploded across the night sky as I fell apart into a million pieces of submission.

  Moaning, crying, begging for mercy, I came.

  And I fell.

  I fell so hard, I didn’t notice his lips never touched mine.

  His forehead hit the fence next to me, his hard length left my body, and he let go of one of my legs to grip himself. Pulse after hot pulse of his orgasm spread over the curls between my legs as he held his cock against me and released.

  FUCK.

  FUCK.

  I was my goddamn father.

  But Jesus fucking Christ.

  Hot and tight and… fuck. My fist against the fence, my cock against her heat, my come all over her—Jesus Christ.

  Pull it together, Savatier, fucking pull it together.

  Dropping her other leg, setting her on her feet, I couldn’t fucking look at her. If I did, my mouth would be on hers and I’d never let her go.

  “Sawyer,” she breathed, saying my name with reverence.

  Goddamn it.

  I turned her toward the still running water, now only lukewarm, and barked out a command like I was her CO. “Rinse.”

  I stepped away from her.

  My pants soaked, my dick still hard, I reached for one of the towels, then turned back toward her.

  Standing under the spray, her hair wet, her body made for mine, she looked up at me with her hazel eyes, and she stole my fucking breath.

  She crossed her arms over her breasts. “Do you, um, need the water on?”

  “No,” I clipped, reaching around her to turn it off, then handing her the towel.

  Taking it, she wrapped it around her body.

  I picked up our clothes and her shoes and tossed them in the garbage bag, then I grabbed the second towel and dried off before tossing it in as well.

  She watched me take the shirt from the bench and pull it on. “My shoes too?”

  “Yes, they have blood on them.” I handed her the clothes Talerco had left for her.

  She reached out from under her towel to take them, but she made no move to get dressed.

  “Put the towel in the bag after you’re done with it.” I turned to give her some privacy.

  “That’s it?” she asked.

  I turned back around, but I didn’t say anything. I fucking couldn’t.

  Hurt clouded her features. “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  “What would you like me to say?” That I’d never failed someone more? That she felt better than any woman I’d ever been inside? That I broke my only rule for her?

  Her eyes went wide, like she couldn’t believe what I’d said. “Why are you acting this way?”

  “What way?” I knew exactly what I was doing.

  “Distant.”

  “We were never close.” I hated myself. I’d thought the past five days of keeping my hands off her had been hell, but it was nothing compared to this.

  A temper I’d only seen her unleash a couple times came out. “That…” She waved behind her at the shower. “That wasn’t close? Because it felt pretty damn close to me. Two people can’t get any closer.” Color flooded her cheeks, and as quickly as her temper had flared, it died. “And just so you kno
w, I’ve only ever done that with one other person.” Her voice small, her eyes welled with tears. “So maybe that means nothing to you, but to me?” Her closed fist holding her towel thumped against her chest. “To me, that felt close.”

  My head a mess, my chest feeling like it was in a vise grip, I wanted to walk away as much as I wanted to lift her up and sink inside her tight heat again and again. But she deserved more, and despite her words before I’d let shit go too far, she’d walked out of my place.

  Taking the fucking high road, I nodded toward the clothes in her hand. “Get dressed and we’ll have Talerco remove your staples. Then we can talk back at my place.”

  “Talk,” she stated, like it was a four-letter word.

  I tipped my chin, telling myself that her pissed off at me was better than her shaking with shock and fear.

  “Sure, okay.” All of the emotion from earlier left her voice. “Talk. Dead bodies, a bunch of men with guns, and”—she held up her clothes as sarcasm crept into her tone—“a new outfit because the one I was wearing moments ago is now covered in someone else’s blood and brain matter, which also got in my hair, and which I had to wash off in a stranger’s shower. But you want to talk. Sounds great.”

  “It’s Marek’s shower.” I gave her some information.

  “Marek,” she stated.

  “The one who was inside with me. Dane Marek. This is his house.”

  “Seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation.” She turned and dropped the towel. “If I knew why the hell I was here in the first place.” Careful of her staples, she pulled a green shirt over her head.

  I tried not to stare at her curves and failed. “You were being followed. This is a remote location where Talon knew the terrain.”

  “Terrain. Right.” She pulled on a pair of green, pink, and gray leggings, then used the towel to swipe at her hair one more time before reaching for the garbage bag.

  I grabbed the bag and took the towel from her, shoving it inside and tying it closed.

  “Playboy!” Talon yelled from the back porch. “Time’s a wastin’. Get in here.”

  Stepping toward Genevieve, I reached for her.

  She jerked away from me. “What are you doing?”

  “You don’t have shoes. Carrying you inside.”

  “It’s not the first time I’ve gone without shoes, and I’m sure it won’t be the last,” she clipped, walking around me.

  Jesus. I stood there a beat, feeling even guiltier before grabbing my rifle, handguns, and the garbage bag, and following her to the house.

  Talerco stood on the back porch, holding the door open. “Hey, darlin’. Ready to get those staples out?”

  “Yes.” She walked up the steps.

  A guttural howl of pain sounded from the front yard.

  Genevieve froze in her tracks.

  “Damn.” Talerco shook his head. “Trigger is crazy as fuck.”

  I was almost afraid to ask. “Trigger?”

  “Yeah.” Talerco smirked. “The latecomer to the party. What’s his name? Ty, or some shit like that? You ask me, his momma missed the mark on that one. She shoulda named him Trigger. Fittin’ all the way ’round far as I can tell. Trigger happy, trigger temper.” He shrugged and glanced at Genevieve. “Come on, darlin’.”

  Whoever Ty was working over yelled out again in pain.

  Her back stiff, Genevieve glanced toward the front yard.

  Talerco let go of the door and stepped beside her, putting his arm around her. “Ignore it. It’s all good.” He led her inside.

  I followed.

  Sitting at the kitchen table, his laptop in front of him, Luna looked up. “Hey, chica, come have a seat.”

  Genevieve looked to Talerco.

  Talerco smiled, pulling the chair next to Luna out for her. “Nothin’ doin’, darlin’, nothin’ doin’. Just a little chat.”

  These pricks planned this? “Hey,” I warned Luna. “She’s been through enough tonight.”

  Luna leveled me with a look I knew well, one that made him the boss, before he turned to Genevieve as she sat. “All right, chica, here’s the hard truth. I want to walk away from tonight and take my men with me.” He paused for effect. “I’m in a position to do that.” He waited, giving her a chance to respond.

  She said nothing.

  “So here’s the deal,” Luna continued. “I’ve cleaned this up. There’re no loose ends on my part. A rival gang is taking credit for the kills, and none of my men will talk.” He studied her a beat. “That leaves one wild card. You.”

  Genevieve shifted in her seat. “I’m not a wild card.”

  “You are if you go to the police,” Luna said bluntly.

  I opened my mouth to tell him to back the fuck off, but Luna held a hand up to me.

  “Which is your right,” Luna continued. “We broke no laws. They were trespassing on private property with deadly intent. We defended ourselves, and we—”

  A bloodcurdling scream sounded from the front of the house.

  Luna cleared his throat. “We defended ourselves, and we got the information we needed.”

  The front door burst open, and Ty strode in covered in sweat and out of breath. He beelined for the kitchen, grabbed a knife out of a butcher’s block, and rushed back out, slamming the door behind him.

  “Jesus Christ,” Talerco muttered, crossing his arms as he leaned on the kitchen island. “I’m not triaging whatever the hell mess he leaves behind.”

  Ignoring Talerco, Luna spoke to Genevieve. “If you decide you want the cops involved, tell me now. I’ll make a phone call, and we’ll do it by the book. My way is more expedient, but either way, the end result is the same. You no longer have to worry about looking over your shoulder.”

  “How do you know that?” Genevieve’s voice had a slight tremor. “There could be a hundred gang members still looking for me.”

  “To what end?” Luna asked. “The man you could identify is dead.”

  Genevieve sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Trust me, I would not lie about your safety,” Luna promised. “My word is my reputation. But you need to make a decision one way or another and stick to it, understand? Because if we bury this, we don’t speak about it again.” He gave her a hard, warning stare. “Ever.”

  Genevieve nodded.

  Luna pushed. “So what’s your decision?”

  The woman I’d come to know over the past five days pushed back. “Why is this my decision? I’m not the only one involved. I’m not going to decide everyone’s fate.”

  “First, no one’s fate is at stake. Second, we’re all in agreement the best way to handle this is to let a rival gang step in and take credit, which they are more than willing to do.”

  “Which sounds fine in theory, until one of those gang members leaks the truth or my name.” Her voice was stronger, but Genevieve’s hands twisted in her lap. “They took my purse. They have my wallet, my license. They know where I live.”

  Luna nodded. “I know. And we’re finding out right now who else knows your personal information. Then, I am making you a promise that I will personally deal with it.”

  “If you could personally deal with it, then why after five days have you still not found your stolen SUV?” Genevieve blatantly asked.

  The front door opened again and Ty walked in carrying the knife. Putting it back in the butcher block, he glanced at Luna. “It’s contained. You’re all set.”

  “He still breathin’?” Talerco asked Ty.

  Ty rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. “Is that a rhetorical question?”

  Jesus Christ. “Luna,” I snapped. “Outside, now.” I threw Ty a warning look. “You too.” I pointed at Talerco. “Stay here with her.” I walked out the front door to the overwhelming smell of bleach.

  Luna followed, and I spun on him as soon as Ty closed the door behind them. “What the hell were you thinking?” I jerked my chin toward Ty. “Hiring him wasn’t a fucking mistake, it was outright ignorant, not to mention
you’ve given her enough rope to hang every one of us.”

  “Watch your fucking mouth, Savatier,” Ty bit out, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “We’re all here because of your rich, stupid ass.” He put one in his mouth and pulled out a lighter.

  Luna held a hand up to Ty. “You light that shit up in front of me, I’m gonna break your fucking arm off. And you know damn well we’re all here because some Tres Angulos assholes decided to take my property. The fact that it was Sawyer’s vehicle was bad luck, and his lady getting a visual on one of them was pure accident. You want to blame someone, then blame me and my company vehicle.”

  My back teeth ground, but I didn’t say shit.

  Ty tucked his smoke behind his ear and pocketed his lighter, but he didn’t say shit either.

  Luna glanced at me then back at Ty. “How contained is this?”

  Ty glared at me, then answered Luna. “We’re good. He said no one but the six assholes in the van knew about the chick. The one still alive didn’t even know her name, only her hair color. They’d been taking shifts sitting on Savatier’s place since we left the hospital with her, waiting for an opening.”

  “You were outside the hospital that night. How the hell did you miss them?” I accused.

  “Same way you did, prick,” Ty snapped back. “They’ve been using three vehicles, rotating out, and they were parked behind the privacy fence at the construction site across the street. I don’t have X-ray vision.”

  Luna shook his head. “They should’ve been spotted, by both of you.”

  Goddamn it. “I wasn’t the one on duty.”

  Ty glared at me. “That’s because—”

  “Enough,” Luna cut in. “What’s done is done.” He looked at Ty. “What else did you get?”

  “Nothing important,” he ground out. “They were doing two-man shifts, but today one of them spotted Talerco’s ride pull in, and on a hunch, called the mask-losing prick. He then called the rest of his gang buddies, grabbed his signal jammer, and they were all waiting when Talerco came out. They saw the redhead in the front seat. You know the rest.”

  “Why’d they target the company vehicle in the first place?” Luna asked.

  “They didn’t target it. It was dumb fucking luck. They’d stolen the jammer that night, were going to the diner to eat, and saw the vehicle in the lot. One of them knew it was an L&A ride, and they decided to boost it and test the jammer. They knew you tracked your fleet.”