They rode up the elevator, barely breathing, doing nothing more than holding hands. As soon as the door of her apartment closed behind them, however, Dax hauled her to him, and the fire they’d held back for so long exploded, consuming them both.
With other men, she’d always held a part of her back, protecting herself. She didn’t hold anything back with Dax. She trusted him in a way she’d never thought she could trust a man. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t promise her forever—he was hers that night.
Dax swung her up in his arms and carried her through the living room. He stopped kissing her just long enough to ask where her bedroom was. Kenzi impatiently waved a hand in the direction of her bedroom door. She didn’t want to talk, she wanted his mouth on hers, his hands to continue their strong caresses. She needed it.
They kissed urgently all the way to her room. Kenzi pulled off his tie and had started on the buttons of his shirt when he placed her down on her feet and took her hands in his. “Easy, Kenzi. Take it slow.”
Kenzi wanted to say they’d taken it as slowly as any human could endure, but one look at him changed her mind. There was a tender concern in his expression that brought an entirely new intimacy to what they were doing. He was a man who was used to taking, but with her he gave.
Because he cares about how I feel.
She took a deep breath and moved one of her hands to his still-clothed chest. His heart was beating wildly. Desire burned in his eyes, and Kenzi had never felt so close to a man. Dax wanted her to see she was in control of what happened to her, even here.
Kenzi held eye contact with him as she moved her hand lower and enjoyed the ridges of his stomach. He closed his eyes briefly in pleasure then opened to find her eyes again. She slid her hand even lower so her hand cupped his straining cock. He bent to kiss her neck while she caressed him. She whispered, “I want this, Dax. All of it. All of you. Don’t hold back because you think I’m fragile. I’m not. Take me, Dax. Give me what you’ve been holding back.”
One of his hands plunged into the hair on the back of her head, and he plundered her mouth with a kiss so intense Kenzi thought she could orgasm before either of them had removed any clothing. She shifted to grip his shoulders and steady herself while one of his hands moved to her ass, grinding her forward against his excitement.
He lifted his head, and she saw how close he was to losing control. Kenzi unbuttoned her shirt quickly and dropped it to the floor. She unclasped her bra and dropped it as well.
He groaned and shifted her position so her legs were wrapped around his waist. He kissed the curve of her neck, down her newly bared shoulders, and between her breasts. Everywhere his lips went, his tongue teased. Kenzi was on fire. When he took one of her nipples between his teeth and gave it a gentle tug, she cried out, “Oh God, yes!”
He took his time with one breast then moved to the other until Kenzi was shaking with need. He stepped forward and eased her down onto the bed so she was lying flat, but her feet still rested on the floor. His mouth was hot and burning a trail of kisses across her stomach. He removed her shoes then continued to kiss her as his hands undid the fastening of her pants and pulled them off at the same time as her panties.
He dropped to his knees and positioned himself between Kenzi’s legs. She gripped the bed sheets on either side of her in anticipation. He ran his hands up and down the length of her legs as he kissed the sensitive skin inside one of her thighs and then the other. She was near tears by the time she felt his hot breath on her sex, but still he took his time.
His hands gripped her thighs from above as he appreciated the view. “You’re so goddamn perfect.”
Kenzi shuddered. She was wet and ready for him. Instead of feeling exposed or vulnerable, she felt wonderfully, indescribably sexy. She rolled to a sitting position and pulled his face up to hers. Yes, she wanted what he was offering, but she wanted it on her terms, too. With him, she knew she could have both. Their tongues danced deeply together.
Dax slid a finger inside her wet slit. Kenzi gasped against his mouth when he found her clit and rolled it between his fingers. There was a strength to his touch that bordered on too much, but was actually, excruciatingly perfect.
She lay back on the bed, and he kissed his way downward. His fingers parted her lips and his mouth sought her already throbbing nub. Kenzi cried out again as he slid two fingers inside her and pumped in and out while his mouth worked its magic on her clit.
There was no past, no future, only pleasure and the need for release. Dax brought her to the edge of climax again and again only to pull away just before and kiss his way across her thighs again. Kenzi writhed on the bed, begging him to take her.
He stood, removed his clothing, and donned a condom. He rolled onto the bed with her, his huge cock grazing against the inside of her thighs as he settled himself above her. He kissed the space between her breasts. They kissed deeply again. With one hand he lifted her ass off the bed and entered her with a powerful thrust.
She tasted herself on his tongue and loved it in a way she’d never thought she would. She opened her legs and her mouth wider for him, giving herself over to him completely. He filled her deeply, fully. It wasn’t just the size of him, although he was beautifully endowed. He drove into her with controlled, strong thrusts that took her closer and closer to the climax she’d begged for earlier.
Her hands couldn’t touch enough of him. She couldn’t take him deeply enough into her. She jutted her hips up to meet his and the way he groaned into their kiss drove her even wilder beneath him.
When she finally came she was calling out his name again and again, his thrusts becoming as wild and uncontrolled as she felt. He made a feral sound and took one final plunge.
Kenzi collapsed, sweaty and spent. Dax held his weight off her even though they remained intimately connected. He looked down at her and smiled. “Kenzi.”
Kenzi was floating on the warm aftermath of her orgasm. She smiled back dreamily. “Dax.”
He rolled away briefly and cleaned himself. When he returned he took her into his arms and pulled a sheet over both of them. He was still smiling as he kissed her forehead. “Holy shit.”
She cuddled her naked body against his. “I was thinking the same thing.”
They lay comfortably against each other for a while, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Dax caressed Kenzi’s back lightly. Kenzi rested her head on his shoulder, savoring the light scent of his cologne. The same one she’d given him that would forever meld with the memory of him inside her, of her calling out his name while she climaxed.
Now that’s a good sales pitch for a cologne.
She smiled against his shoulder.
“What are you smiling about?” Dax asked.
She answered him honestly because he’d always done that with her. “I love your cologne. It’s amazing.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t wear any today. That’s me.”
Kenzi sniffed his neck. “Well, then you smell amazing.”
He rolled so he was half above her. “So do you, but you taste even better. I imagined this so many times.” He cupped one of her breasts beneath the sheet. “But you’re even more perfect than I imagined.”
Kenzi touched his cheek gently. “I’m not perfect, Dax, I’m just me.”
He growled in her ear. “How about sexy as hell and so addictive I can barely think of anything else.”
Kenzi smiled and murmured against his lips, “I’ll take that.”
He kissed her neck. “What else do you like?” His cock nudged against one of her thighs as it came fully to attention again.
Boldly Kenzi wrapped a hand around his erection and pumped up and down. She’d never felt so free to be herself with a man. “I like you, Dax.”
He raised his head and looked down at her intensely for a long moment. “I like you, too, Kenzi. This isn’t a one-time thing for me.”
They weren’t exactly words of love, but Kenzi could tell they were more than Dax normally said.
She continued to caress him with one hand while she pulled his mouth back to hers with her other.
Things with Dax were simple. No, he didn’t promise her anything, but he also didn’t demand anything. There was no guilt, no fear that either of them would hurt the other. For once she could simply let go and enjoy.
That’s exactly what she did with Dax well into the night and then again the next morning. She gave herself over to the uninhibited bliss of sex with a man who cared about her with no strings and no expectations.
While showering with Dax, she marveled at how comfortable she was around him. She’d never felt so relaxed with a man.
They had a leisurely breakfast together and chatted about their plans for the day. Finally, Dax looked down at his watch, swore, and started gathering his wallet and phone.
Kenzi walked him to the door, and he gave her one final deep kiss. It wasn’t until he said, “I’ll call you,” that Kenzi had a moment of panic.
He’d said that before—and hadn’t.
She’d told herself she could accept him on his terms, but the idea of not hearing from him again sent a stabbing pain through her. She wanted to grab his arm and demand he keep that promise, then she remembered what he’d said about not believing in promises.
She kept her silence as much out of habit as respect for how he had accepted her, scars and all. He’d helped her find her voice, and now he’d shown her how good things could be with the right man. No matter what happened, she was glad he’d come into her life. “Bye, Dax,” Kenzi said and closed the door. She slumped against it then took several deep breaths.
He’d said what they had wasn’t a one-time thing.
He doesn’t believe in getting attached. Will this end when he returns to London? Are we together until then? Is that what he meant?
Dax had left Kenzi in the morning mostly because he’d never wanted to stay with anyone as much as he’d wanted to stay with her. He’d woken before her to the feeling of her bare body snuggled up against his and been spooked by how good it had felt. She wasn’t the first woman who’d woken up beside him, but she was the first one he felt belonged there.
He’d awakened her with a kiss, and they’d made love slowly. It had been every bit as good as the wilder sex from the night before. He should have felt amazing, but his insides were churning. Kenzi had joined him in the shower and, although it had been a sexually charged experience, it had also been more. They’d talked and laughed in an easy way he wasn’t used to. She wasn’t just a woman he was having sex with.
But what did that make her?
There were times when he’d have said they were friends, although he didn’t have female friends. He’s always believed mixing friendship and sex made things too complicated, and he didn’t like complicated.
Complicated was Kenzi’s middle name.
He’d told her that what they had wasn’t a one-time deal. He’d meant it. Being with her had only made him want to be with her again. He wanted to tell her he would be the only man in her life, the only one in her bed.
That sounded an awful lot like a relationship, and he didn’t do those.
He’d told himself he could be with Kenzi without hurting her, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. Whenever she looked at him he saw how little she knew him. He wasn’t a kind man, not the way she thought he was. He could supply her with list after list of people who either feared or hated him, and it wasn’t something that had bothered him before. People who thought success could be attained without personal cost were either inexperienced or stupid.
Dax changed at his office and tried to use work to clear his head. His thoughts kept going back to Kenzi. He wondered if she had Taffy yet. He knew she was planning to take her to a veterinarian before taking her home. He hoped she received good news about her health.
He thought about Dean Henderson and how he’d warned Dax to stay away from Kenzi. Once the news of what had happened to Kenzi got back to her family they’d see Dean in a different light. Everyone would. I do.
How would Kenzi’s family react when they heard her secret? Would they rush to support her? She said they wanted to protect her. He knew her brothers by reputation. They were powerful men who were often just as ruthless as he was. How would they react to the news that they’d failed to protect one of their own?
With that in mind, Dax realized he hadn’t seen Parker or Josh Draun the last time he’d been there. Usually a bodyguard was somewhere in the background, invisible to most, but there. Dax had his secretary hunt down Parker’s number, and he called him. He was surprisingly tight-lipped about both why he’d been hired and when he’d been let go. It spoke volumes about his loyalty to Kenzi, but left Dax with an unsettled feeling.
Between meetings Dax located Grant Barrington’s phone number. He’d spoken to Grant a few times in the past regarding investments. Grant had a solid reputation for speaking his mind and, from what Dax knew of the family, was the least hot-headed of the Barringtons.
Grant answered in a neutral business tone. “Dax Marshall. I’ve heard your name often lately. What can I do for you?”
“Grant. I’m calling on a personal matter.”
“Go on.”
“I need to know the reason your family hired a bodyguard for your sister. Was it based on a specific threat or general concern for her?”
Grant’s first response was silence. He might have been waiting for Dax to explain why he felt he had the right to ask, but Dax didn’t explain himself to anyone. Grant finally said, “I wasn’t aware you knew my sister.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I have no intention of answering anything until I hear how you know Kenzi.”
“We’re friends.” That was the truth. As much truth as he’d reveal for Kenzi’s sake. “Is she in any danger?”
“She has, as you’ve said, security watching her.”
“Not anymore. Does she need it?”
“What do you mean not anymore?”
“She let him go. How about we stop playing twenty questions, and you tell me why he was hired in the first place?”
“Kenzi has never mentioned knowing you.”
“I’d say there is a lot you don’t know about your sister, but that’s another matter. We both want the same thing, so give me the information I need, or I’ll find it elsewhere.”
“If there were a reason, what would you do?”
“I’d make sure she had protection she couldn’t see or fire.”
“Because you’re friends?”
“Yes.”
Grant was quiet for another long moment. “Our family received a few threats from abroad. They were linked to some recent family business in Trundaie. They may have been empty threats, but we weren’t taking any chances when it came to Kenzi.”
“Consider it covered. I have local people who are paid well to stay invisible.”
Grant made a displeased sound, but wasn’t going to argue the point. “What did you mean when you said there is a lot I don’t know about Kenzi?”
“Are you close to her?”
“She’s my sister.”
“Are you close?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say. In fact, there is not much about this conversation I understand or am comfortable with. Of course I’m close to my sister.”
“She’s going to need you soon. I don’t know what you normally say or do, but don’t do it this week.”
“What are you talking about? Did something happen? If you hurt her—”
“I’ve said all I am going to say, but you seem to care about your sister. If you do, this is a good time to prove it.” Dax hung up before Grant had a chance to ask him more.
He was irritated with himself for saying as much as he had to Kenzi’s brother. Her story was hers to tell and how her family responded to the news, whenever they heard it, was none of his business. He hadn’t planned to say anything to Grant about it when he’d called. All he’d needed to know was that Kenzi would be sa
fe if he stepped away from her to clear his head. There was work piling up for him in London. He’d half decided already that a trip back would be the best for him and Kenzi.
When he’d spoken to Grant, though, he’d felt compelled to warn them Kenzi would need their support. From what she’d said, her family didn’t handle things well. He wanted them to be there for her this time.
He thought back over the conversation he’d had with Grant and shook his head. I don’t get involved. What the fuck am I doing?
His cell phone beeped with an incoming message. A photo of Taffy curled up on a footstool beside Kenzi’s stocking feet came through with a message from her. Taffy wants to say thank you for her new home. She is officially now the most spoiled dog in the Boston area. I hope it doesn’t go to her head.
Dax smiled and texted back. What did the vet say?
Nothing more than we already knew. Once he heard her story he thought she might try to bite someone when they looked her over, but she was a good girl. It was like she knew they were there to help her. I had a crash course in skin conditions and how to apply ointments and bandages. We’re home now, though, and she looks happy to be here.
Kenzi’s unasked question hung heavily in the air.
If she’d waited for him to call her that day, he wouldn’t have. Or he might have. Hell, he didn’t know. She had him so turned around he couldn’t predict what he’d say or do next.
There was nothing sexy about a shot of Kenzi’s foot beside the ugliest dog Dax had ever seen, but he couldn’t stop looking at the photo. What’s your favorite takeout place? She named a sushi place that was one of his favorites when he came to town. I can be at your place at seven. Eat in?
Yes. Her simple answer sent a wave of warmth through him and shot his plan to stay away from her for a few days straight to hell.
See you tonight, he texted back and threw his phone on his desk. Every time he thought he knew how to handle Kenzi, he was drawn back to her. He still thought the best thing he could do for her would be to end it early before she became too attached to him.