Hudson had been caught in the middle of both worlds. Too knowledgeable for the city, but too sheltered for the compound.
Except now there was a third world available to her. The outlaw world, where people had sex because they liked it and advertised their “kinks” without giving a damn what other people thought about them.
“There’s one last rule,” Connor said. “When one or both of us is no longer interested in the sex, then we call it. No arguments, no tears. We shake hands and life goes on.”
She studied him. “Do you lay down these ground rules for everyone you sleep with?”
“No.”
“Why me?”
“Because this isn’t a whorehouse. I won’t be able to sleep with you and then walk away. You’ll be living in this camp, sharing meals with me, working beside me. I won’t let sex complicate my life here.”
“How long can I stay?” She couldn’t contain the happy quaver in her voice.
“As long as you’re useful.”
“As long as I please you sexually, you mean?”
He gave a harsh laugh. “I told you, sex has nothing to do with camp. It’s your other skills I’m concerned about. If you don’t pull your own weight, you’re gone. If I decide you’re more of a threat than an asset, you’re gone. If Knox comes pounding on my door, you’re gone. Are we in agreement?”
Since it was the best offer she was going to get from this man, she nodded in response.
“Good. Now go back to your cabin. It’s late.”
Surprise rippled through her. He wanted her to go? Now? After they’d just struck a bargain that gave her permission to put her hands all over him?
She took a step closer. “Or… you could kiss me.”
He touched her chin, his thumb drawing a teasing line up her jaw, leaving shivers in its wake. “Yeah? Is that what you think I should do?”
His mouth lowered, and warm lips brushed her cheek before retreating.
A frustrated noise slipped out. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Something sinful passed through his eyes as he brought his lips to her ear. She gasped when his tongue darted out to circle her earlobe. “You already came once tonight, greedy girl.” He drew back slightly, his breath a warm tease on her skin. “I’m sure that’ll tide you over until I’m ready for you.”
8
The sound of male voices and low chuckles outside her cabin woke Hudson up the next morning, a stark contrast from the foghorn that always blasted through the Enforcer compound at the crack of dawn. She definitely preferred waking up to Connor’s husky laughter.
She didn’t linger in her cabin long – she was too curious to see how the men passed their time when they weren’t robbing supply compounds. Hudson took a quick shower, her teeth chattering under the icy-cold spray, but she was in too good of a mood to care that her lips were turning blue. Besides, the cabin didn’t have air-conditioning, so she had a feeling she’d be welcoming the cold showers once the summer kicked into full gear.
Either way, she didn’t care. Because Connor was letting her stay.
Not even last night’s mocking parting words could dim the joy and relief swirling inside her. For the first time since she’d left the Enforcer compound, she felt… safe. Grounded. Her life had been spinning out of control before she’d escaped, moving in a direction she’d never expected, never wanted.
Even the guilt of abandoning her brother was beginning to wear off, because the twin she’d idolized growing up didn’t exist anymore. He’d turned into a violent, reckless man. A man who’d been willing to hand his own sister over to a monster.
She swallowed a lump of resentment and focused on getting dressed. She threw on cutoff denim shorts, a tank top, and the sneakers that had been stashed in her bag.
Another wave of laughter rolled past her window, and her body heated in response. She’d noticed that Connor didn’t laugh much, but he seemed to do it a lot when he was around Rylan.
She thought about what Rylan had told her, how they all belonged to Connor, but she was still struggling to make sense of that. What was it about Connor that made his men so willing to “belong” to him? It had to be all that power he exuded, she decided. The way he could make you feel protected with one look, one raspy word. He was controlled. Confident. Strong in an intense yet understated way that she couldn’t help but be drawn to.
When she stepped outside, she encountered a sight that brought a smile to her lips. Connor and Rylan were bare-chested, with shovels in hand, standing on a large stretch of dirt next to a vegetable garden she hadn’t noticed before. They’d been away from camp all day and night yesterday, so she hadn’t had much time to explore, but she was hoping to change that, starting today.
“’Morning, Blondie,” Rylan called out. “Coffee’s in the lodge if you want.”
Connor’s gaze met hers. Something hot and sinful passed through his stare as he swept it up and down her body.
“Thanks.” She headed into the lodge, where Kade greeted her with a smile and handed her a cup of coffee. Xander was across the room, his dark head bent over a computing tablet that he’d broken apart, and he was using tweezers to poke at the inner workings of the electronic device.
Coffee in hand, she drifted back outside and approached the edge of the garden. “What are you guys doing?”
“Expanding the garden,” Rylan explained. “We want to plant some summer crops.”
She looked around, noticing that aside from the neat, fenced-off vegetable garden, the rest of the clearing was overgrown.
“Why don’t you plant any flowers?”
Rylan rolled his eyes. “Because you can’t eat flowers.”
“You can eat some of them,” she countered, but she supposed he had a point. Sustenance was important. Aesthetics were not.
She thought about the potted plants in her bedroom at the compound, the colorful flowers she’d planted in the courtyard. Dominik had teased her about her dedication to that garden. Said it wasn’t befitting of a warrior.
Damn it. She really needed to stop thinking about Dom, but it was so hard to do when every memory she had was intricately tangled with her brother.
She drained her coffee and set the cup on the fence post. “What can I do to help?”
“Just stand there and look pretty,” Rylan said solemnly.
Hudson made a face. “I’m serious. Give me something to do.”
Connor spoke up. “Start tilling that section over there.”
She dutifully accepted the pitchfork he handed her and walked over to the patch of dirt he’d pointed to. There was something incredibly satisfying about working outdoors, doing something that mattered, without looking over her shoulder because she knew Dominik or Knox was watching. She’d never felt more at peace as she worked the fork into the soil, over and over again, getting the earth ready for the crops it would grow.
They worked for an hour before taking a break. Hudson picked a tomato right off the vine and took a bite, sighing ruefully as a shot of juice spurted between her breasts. When she noticed Rylan grinning at her, she raised an eyebrow and very deliberately used her index finger to mop up the moisture.
His blue irises darkened.
With a suggestive grin, she brought her finger to her mouth and licked it clean.
“Hey, Con?” Rylan drawled.
“Yeah?”
“She’s eye-fucking me.”
Connor looked over at her. “Stop distracting him, sweetheart.”
Ha. She was the distraction? More like the other way around. How on earth was she supposed to concentrate when Connor was taunting her with his bare chest? It gleamed in the sunshine, drops of perspiration pooling between his pecs and clinging to every hard ridge of his torso. Rylan was equally sweaty and equally appetizing.
They both had tattoos. She wondered how they’d managed to get them, because as far as she knew, tattoo parlors existed only in the city. The ink on Connor’s tanned flesh was mostly curved bla
ck lines and intricate flames spanning one muscular arm and half his back. Rylan had lines of text on various areas of his chest, but she was too busy ogling his roped muscles to try to read the words.
Connor stuck his shovel in the dirt. “Let’s take a break. It’s fucking hot out today.”
The two men headed to the water cistern near the porch. Hudson watched, mesmerized, as they scrubbed their hands and splashed water on their faces. Droplets slid down their chests, and she had to fight the urge to march over and lick their glistening male flesh.
Her gaze locked with Connor’s, and she knew he could see the hunger on her face. She didn’t try to hide it. Didn’t want to hide it. She wasn’t in the city anymore, and it was liberating to know that she didn’t have to suppress her lust. That she could admire these men and imagine all the dirty things she wanted to do to them without having to worry about anyone judging or reprimanding her.
She held Connor’s gaze, waiting for him to say something. To do something. But he just smirked and gave a slight shake of the head, as if to say Not now.
Rylan came up beside her, and her gaze tracked the beads of water dripping down his chest. He didn’t have an ounce of fat anywhere on him. Just tantalizing stretches of sleek, taut muscle that her fingers ached to touch.
Damn Connor and his I-call-the-shots decree. Why did he get to decide who she could touch and when she could do it?
Well, screw that. She was an outlaw now. She could do whatever the hell she wanted, right?
Turning her back to Connor, she met Rylan’s eyes, then leaned in and licked a drop of water right off his chest.
He hissed out a breath, peering past her shoulders. She knew that Connor was behind her, but she didn’t care. She’d told him last night what she wanted, and he’d promised to give it to her.
Now she was calling his bluff.
Her lips moved from Rylan’s chest to his shoulder, and she had to lean up on her tiptoes to drag her tongue over his warm flesh. She nipped at his shoulder, then grumbled in annoyance when he gently pushed her head away.
“Nice try, gorgeous. But you know the deal.”
She cast him an innocent look. “I must have forgotten – what’s the deal again?”
“I’m the deal,” a male voice growled, and then Connor’s chest pressed up against her back. “My camp, my rules.”
Hudson twisted her head to frown at him. “Yeah? Because it seems like the only rule you have is being a prude.”
That got her a delighted laugh from Rylan. “Oh, man, I think that’s the first time anyone’s ever accused Con of that.”
Her gaze stayed on Connor. “Am I wrong?”
“Damn right you are.”
She shivered when a strong hand splayed across her lower back, callused fingers rubbing the strip of bare flesh where her shirt met her shorts. Another hand came around and slid upward, hovering below her breasts.
“Did you enjoy putting your tongue on him?” he asked in a low voice.
She assumed it was a rhetorical question and didn’t answer, because he damn well knew she’d enjoyed it.
“You broke the rules.” His lips tickled her ear. “I’ll let it slide this time because I know how hungry you are for it. But it wasn’t fair to tease him, sweetheart. I think you need to be punished for that.”
Connor lightly stroked the undersides of her breasts, sending another shiver racing through her. “Here’s how I see it. You put your tongue on him… so it’s only fair that he gets to put his tongue on you.” His palm glided over the curve of her ass. “Don’t you think?”
All the oxygen got trapped in her lungs when she saw the impish gleam in Rylan’s eyes. Then he peered past her again, as if waiting for permission.
Keeping her flush against his bare chest, Connor moved his hand to the button at her waistband and deftly popped it open.
She wanted to turn around and see his face, but she was far too fascinated by Rylan’s expression as he watched Connor tug the shorts down her trembling legs. Blue eyes flared with heat as her skimpy black panties were exposed, but he still didn’t make a move.
Connor’s talented hands continued to wreak havoc on her body as he undressed her. He tugged her tank top up to her collarbone and her arms involuntarily rose to allow him to pull the shirt off.
She was in her underwear now, standing ten feet from the lodge in the middle of the day, as brilliant sunshine warmed her skin and blinded her eyes. The other men could stumble upon them at any second, but she didn’t give a damn. She was too focused on the possessive glide of Connor’s hands on her stomach, on the way Rylan was eating her up with his sultry gaze.
She gasped when Connor thrust his jeans-clad groin against her ass and rotated his hips.
“See what you do to me? You get me so fucking hard.” He made a strangled sound as he ground his erection against her, and when he barked out an order, it wasn’t directed at her. “I want your mouth on her.”
“About damn time,” Rylan choked out.
He dropped to his knees so fast Hudson didn’t even have time to blink. Her pulse sped up as he teasingly drew her panties down her legs and exposed her to his hungry gaze.
“Oh Jesus, Con,” he mumbled. “She’s got the prettiest pussy.”
Connor’s groan heated the back of her neck. “Taste it.”
His husky command was dark and obscene and so thrilling, her thighs quivered in anticipation.
On the ground, Rylan licked his lips. Then, sporting the filthiest smile she’d ever seen on a man, he leaned forward and swiped his tongue over her folds.
Hudson nearly jumped out of her own skin. Every nerve ending in her body crackled to life as Rylan’s lips traveled lower and the tip of his tongue lapped at the moisture gathered at her opening.
He groaned in approval. “So fucking sweet.”
Connor growled. He grabbed Hudson’s hand and shoved it between her thighs, hissing out another command. “Put your finger inside. Nice and deep.”
It was hard to follow orders when her whole body was pulsing, hot and electric. Laughing, Rylan took her hand and coaxed her finger inside her pussy.
“Let me taste.” Connor yanked her hand back up and brought her glistening finger to his mouth.
Hudson moaned when his lips closed around her finger. He sucked it clean, rumbling deep in his throat before releasing her.
Rylan planted both hands on her thighs. “Wider, baby. I want to see every inch of you.”
Her legs parted of their own volition. She wasn’t sure how she even managed to stay on her feet. Waves of sensation coursed through her, spiraling downward and centering between her legs. Her clit throbbed, tight and painful. She’d never been more turned on in her life.
Connor’s strong chest provided support, the only thing keeping her from keeling over. When he cupped her breasts, she trembled hard enough to shake them both, but that was nothing compared to the way she shuddered when Rylan’s tongue found her again.
“You like having his face buried in your pussy?” Connor asked, lightly pinching her nipples in time to Rylan’s quick, teasing licks.
She moaned in response. Her brain was too foggy to think, her throat too tight to answer.
Rylan’s tongue circled her clit and a jolt of pleasure shot through her. Connor’s thumbs rubbed her nipples, slow and skillful, stroking and pinching until they were two tight points that ached every time she drew a breath. She couldn’t believe how close she was. Ripples of impending orgasm pulsed inside her, seconds away from spilling to the surface.
It was too much. The hot mouth between her legs. The rough fingers on her breasts. Her blood roared in her ears, her inner muscles squeezing tight as the ache deepened, as her hips rocked into Rylan’s face in search of relief.
He closed his mouth around her clit and groaned, and she felt the husky sound everywhere. Between her legs, vibrating up her spine, shivering through her breasts.
“He’s loving every second of it.” Connor’s raspy voice tic
kled her neck, and she whimpered when his teeth nipped at the sensitive spot right below her ear.
“Hell yeah, I am.” Rylan lifted his head with a grin.
The sight of his glossy lips almost did her in, but she breathed deep and fought the orgasm threatening to crash over her. She wasn’t ready to come yet. She wanted to soak up the agonizing, achy, incredible sensations surging through her.