She lifted her hips, rubbing her clit against his hand. “Stop teasing me, Brian. Just fuck me.”
He pushed his middle finger deep inside her, and when she groaned and trembled, he felt it through his entire body. He drew back out, then pressed in with two. “Like this?”
She groaned. Lifted again.
He stroked her slow and deep, watching his fingers disappearing into her body, reappearing again, covered in her arousal. “Is this what you want, Gracie?”
She tossed her head from side to side. Her hands dug into his shoulders. She was getting close. He could see it on her face. He could feel it in the way she tightened around him. “No. Ah.” She lifted again. “I want to come.”
He curled his fingers inside her, finding that sweet, maddening spot. “Give in to me, baby.”
She cried out, arched her back up off the mattress. And as pleasure rushed over her features, Brian knew she was lost. As lost as he was.
He slid his hand from her sex, braced his palms on the mattress, and rose above her, then lowered and captured her mouth again. And as soon as his tongue found hers, she went wild beneath him. Her arms wound around his ribs, and then she rolled him to his back, straddled his hips, grasped his throbbing cock in her hand, and slid the tip along her slick, steamy slit until she found the opening.
She pulled her mouth from his, braced her hands against his chest, then slowly sank down, taking him deep in one movement, her eyes locked on his so he could see every ounce of ecstasy flicker across her face.
“Ah God, Brian…”
She was so tight he saw stars. The walls of her sex gripped him fiercely, not wanting to let go. And he could feel everything inside her as she began to move. Every ripple of pleasure and each shiver of decadence as it rocketed through her. He wanted to stay. Wanted to fuck her like this, bare, so he could go on feeling everything, but he didn’t want to screw things up any more between them.
“Grace. Wait.” He sat up, wrapped his arms around her, needed to get her off him before he came. Needed to find a condom before that happened. The movement only forced him deeper, short-circuiting his brain. A groan tore from his throat.
“You feel so good, Brian. Don’t stop.”
Her hands clasped his face on both sides, and she slanted her mouth over his again, kissing him deeply as her hips moved faster. He opened to her, brushed his tongue over hers, and couldn’t stop himself from lifting against every downstroke, rocking into her while her pleasure built, as his brain fogged, as his body took over.
“Yes. Ah…” Grace’s hips picked up speed. He thrust up into her, wanting to draw out her pleasure, wanting to give her what she needed. But his own orgasm was barreling close. And if she kept riding him like that, he wasn’t going to last.
“Grace…” He ground his teeth, trying to force it back. “Shit.”
“Oh, yesssss….” Every muscle in her body contracted. She tossed her head back, dug her fingernails into his shoulder, and moaned as her sheath pulsed around him. And though he tried to last, though he tried to give her every bit of pleasure she deserved, he couldn’t. Because she was so fucking sexy, he couldn’t take it anymore. And his body was past the point of listening to his brain.
He pulled out of her, pushed her off him. His climax rocketed down his spine and up through his balls. She slid down his legs to the floor. And just as it was about to hit, she wrapped her silky fingers around the base of his cock, closed her mouth over the head, and sucked him deep.
“Holy fuck…”
White light blinded him, paralyzed him, robbed him of every last thought. His body jerked, and he fell back on the bed as pleasure consumed him from every angle. Grace continued to drive him wild with her tongue, with the sweet suction of her mouth, swallowing every bit of his orgasm until it faded. And when it was over, when he was limp and so wrung out he couldn’t move, she climbed over him, stretched her sweaty, naked body over his, and just breathed slow and deep as Brian tried to steady his raging pulse.
That was…by far, the hottest thing he’d ever lived through.
After several long seconds, she exhaled against him. “I guess you figured out what to do.”
Smiling, he somehow found the strength to lift his arms, to slide his fingers across the smooth, sexy skin of her lower spine, to pull her in closer, even if it was only mentally rather than physically. “I think we both did.”
She rested her hand against his chest, right over his heart. “I’m still mad, Brian. Mad at you a little, but mad about you more than anything.”
He could work with that. He didn’t know how yet. Didn’t know what he was going to tell her brother when he found out about them, but he knew for certain he wanted more than a one—or two—night flight with the woman in his arms.
“I’m happy to hear that, Gracie. I really am. Because I’m not done with you.” He sifted one hand into her hair and used the other to tip her chin up. And loved the soft, sexy purr that echoed from her throat when he kissed her sweet, tempting lips. “Not by a long shot.”
* * *
Brian grazed the palm of his hand across Grace’s lower back and smiled at the soft sigh that slipped from her lips.
She was stretched out on her belly, her hands up near her head, her face tipped his way on the pillow, her eyes closed as her back rose and fell with her steady breaths. Tendrils of dark, curly hair fell over her cheek, and the sheet lay low across her sexy hips, just taunting him to push it down.
He couldn’t resist. He brushed the fabric aside and slid his fingers over the silky curve of her ass, down to the back of her thighs and back up the tempting little crease.
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
He glanced at her face. Her lips were curled into a smile, but her eyes were still closed.
Warmth bloomed in his belly, and arousal stirred in his groin again. He climbed over her and slid down the mattress between her legs so her cute ass was pressing against the top of his chest. Then he skimmed his lips over the adorable twin dimples at the base of her spine. “I’m trying to drug you with my amazing sexual expertise.”
He moved lower, kissing the small mole at the top of her right cheek.
“Mm,” she sighed. “I don’t have the energy to fight you. Whatever you plan to do, just be gentle. I’m already sore from the last showing of your sexual expertise.”
He chuckled, remembering the last time he’d taken her, how he’d pushed her legs back, opening her wide, then sank in deep on one thrust. And he groaned when he remembered how tight she’d been and the sounds she’d made as he’d done it again and again, driving her toward a blistering climax.
Kissing one cheek, then the other, he sighed as he ran his fingers down to her steamy center and back up again. “Baby, I’ve got plenty of naughty things planned for this body, but, unfortunately, they’re gonna have to wait.”
Pushing up on his elbow, he straddled her hips and slid up her back. He brushed the hair away from her neck, then pressed his lips against her nape, loving the little shiver that ran through her at the whisper-soft contact. “I need to do a couple of things. Stay here and dream of me?”
She grunted her response, and he smiled again, knowing he’d worn her out but wanting nothing more than to do it all again.
He climbed out of bed, tugged the covers over her, then looked around for his jeans. He couldn’t get enough of her, and that was new for him. Usually one night with a woman was enough to make him want to run for the hills, but with Grace, he was already thinking about where they were going to stay tomorrow night, and how he was going to talk her into going to a Nuggets game with him next week, and flying out to Nashville to see where she lived after that. And the fact none of those things freaked him out was a nice change of pace.
He’d never told anyone how he’d found his wife Robin when he’d come home from Afghanistan that day to surprise her, but opening up to Grace had been almost…liberating. And when he thought about that song she wrote…
He buttoned his jeans and eyed her looking all rumpled and sexy as hell in that bed, and couldn’t help but think he could have easily missed out on what was right in front of him. If she hadn’t marched up to him in that bar and delivered that line about his hot thighs, he never would have looked twice at her as anything other than an assignment. And if that had happened, he wouldn’t be smiling like a stupid shmuck right this very minute.
Give the woman fifteen minutes’ peace.
Sighing, he grabbed his Henley from the floor and forced himself not to lean over and kiss her again. If he did that, he’d never leave, and he needed to leave so he could check his messages and the villa once more so he could come back to her.
The red glow of embers from the fire he’d made earlier cast an eerie light through the living room. Closing the bedroom door softly at his back, he glanced around and spotted his cell phone on the counter near the kitchen. He swiped his finger across the screen and cringed at the four unread text messages. The last one got his attention loud and clear.
RYDER: If you don’t answer your fucking cell I’m sending Miller after your ass.
Brian typed quickly. The last thing he needed was Landon Miller, former Marine and hulking Aegis operative, hunting him down on Ryder’s orders. Miller could find anyone, especially people who didn’t want to be found. That had been his specialty when he’d worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency before joining Aegis.
WALKER: Bad reception because of the storm. Her room was ransacked. They moved her to a villa.
RYDER: I’m aware of that. Already talked to the manager. Who informed me you were with her.
Brian cringed. Okay, so no use hiding that little piece of info.
WALKER: Yes. Stepped in after the break-in in her room.
RYDER: She try to bite your balls off? She’s got a real chip on her shoulder when it comes to security.
Bite? No. Suck? Oh yeah. Brian’s blood warmed at the memory. Not that he was about to share that little morsel with his boss.
RYDER: It’s not personal. When she was a kid, one of her mother’s bodyguards at the casino tried to feel her up. Guy was a real douche. Her mom caught him before anything bad happened, but it impacted her.
Brian’s heart felt like it shot into his throat. And Grace’s words from earlier, when she’d told him about the security at her mom’s shows, ricocheted through his head.
“Not all of them were nice. Some were downright mean to a kid who didn’t even want to be there.”
She’d tried to tell him, but he’d been so lust-driven crazy for her, he’d skimmed right over the most important part. Even ignored his sixth sense that had been screaming there was something more. A woman as strong as Grace, with Grace’s talents, didn’t hold back from her dreams unless there was a reason.
Swallowing hard, he looked back down at his phone. His fingers shook as he typed.
WALKER: What happened to the guy?
RYDER: My father had the situation taken care of.
Ian Ryder hadn’t just been wealthy, he’d been powerful, and Brian had heard stories about the man’s ruthlessness before he’d passed on from cancer. Jake Ryder might think his father was a son of a bitch for reasons Brian couldn’t even comprehend, but a whisper of relief passed through him knowing Grace’s father had taken care of the piece of shit who’d tried to hurt her.
WALKER: So it can’t be the same guy causing problems now.
RYDER: No. He’s out of the picture. Cops still have no leads on Grace’s stalker tho. It’s like the guy doesn’t even exist.
Brian’s mind flashed to the destruction in Grace’s hotel room.
WALKER: He exists. And he’s pissed. Listen, my battery’s about to die. I’ll call you in the morning. Once the storm passes, I want Grace out of here.
RYDER: I agree. Send her home. I’ll set up 24-hr security for her once she’s back in Nashville.
It just wouldn’t be him. Brian’s stomach tightened as he scanned the message. He’d only been assigned to Grace because, living in Denver, he was the closest operative to her vacation spot of choice. Back in Nashville, Jake would get some other guys from the company to look out for her, and Brian would be nothing but a memory.
He wasn’t ready to let that happen. But he did want her safe. Everything else—how they were going to make this work and what he was going to say to his boss when their relationship came out—he’d deal with that later.
WALKER: Agreed.
Sliding his phone into his back pocket, he moved toward the windows and looked out at the snow. They’d gotten at least twelve fresh inches, and the white stuff didn’t seem to be letting up. His gaze locked on a vehicle parked near a tree fifty yards out, barely visible in the storm. A vehicle that hadn’t been there before.
Probably nothing. No one in their right mind would be out in this weather. But something in the back of his head told him whoever had trashed her room clearly wasn’t in their right mind.
His gaze slid to the door behind which Grace lay softly sleeping. Yeah, he’d feel a thousand times better once he got her out of here for good. But before that happened, he wanted to slip back between those sheets and give her a reason not to forget him. And he planned to do exactly that after he checked out that car and made sure it wasn’t a threat.
He grabbed his coat from the closet, shoved his feet into his boots, and pulled on a knit hat. He’d left his Beretta in the bedroom when he’d dropped it on the dresser before throwing Grace on the bed. He could go get it, but he didn’t want to alarm her. Reaching for the bag he’d left in the closet when they’d first arrived, he rummaged around inside until he found his secondary weapon.
He checked the chamber on the Glock, then stuffed it in the back of his pants and zipped his coat. Ten minutes. In ten minutes, he’d be back in that bed, ravishing that beautiful body, giving her all kinds of reasons she needed to keep him around. Because he hadn’t lied to her earlier. He wasn’t done with her. Not even close.
His hand wrapped around the door handle, and he pulled it open. A wave of snow pelted his face as he stepped out into the wind, a bitter bite of frigid air that streaked across his cheeks. He closed the door, turned to lock it, and just barely caught the silver blur of a shovel rushing toward him from the corner of his eye.
* * *
Grace wasn’t sure what had awoken her, but her eyes popped open, and she looked around the dim room, wondering what time it was.
Lifting her arms over her head, she stretched sore muscles she hadn’t known existed, pushed up on her palms, and glanced toward the clock on the bedside table. 3:45 a.m.
Snow continued to fall outside in big, chunky flakes, whipping against the villa in the storm, but without even looking to her side, she knew she was alone. Rolling to her back, she stared up at the ceiling and listened to the soft hum of the heater in the ceiling.
God, she was in trouble.
After their last crazy ravishment of each other, Brian had pulled the covers over her limp body, kissed her, and climbed out of bed. She knew he was in Aegis-operative mode now—checking the doors and windows, doing research about her time on that reality show on that fancy laptop he’d grabbed from his room before they’d come to the villa, trying to figure out who was harassing her so he could keep her safe—and part of her didn’t mind, because she did feel safe with him, but there was so much else to work out between them.
A tightness squeezed her chest—the same tightness she’d felt in the bathroom when she’d first arrived—and she pressed her fingertips to her closed eyelids as she drew unsteady breaths that did nothing to alleviate the pressure. Now that her emotions weren’t ruling her anymore, her brain was functioning again, and she knew exactly why she’d been so mad at Brian earlier. It wasn’t just because he’d lied to her. No, the reason was simply that she was already falling for the guy, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to stop it.
Geez, she was so stupid. Stupid for being weak. Stupid for letting this happen so fast.
Stupid for feeling these things so soon, especially when she barely knew the guy. But something in her gut told her Brian Walker wasn’t like any other guy she’d ever met. And more than anything, she wanted to get to know him better so they could see if this crazy relationship had a chance of being something more.
That is never gonna happen when your brother catches wind of all this.
Jake… Shit. Most days Grace could handle her overbearing brother. She’d told him long ago to get his nose out of her business and to stay out, and for the most part, he’d listened. But this wasn’t just her business. It was his. She knew he had very strict no-cavorting-with-the-clients rules for his operatives. And when you combined that with the guilt he felt over the different ways the two of them had been raised—him with their father’s money and her with a Vegas showgirl mother who’d refused to take anything from the son of a bitch who’d knocked her up—everything inside Grace told her once Jake found out what had happened here, he was going to come down hard on Brian to try to protect her.
She sat up. Pushed the unruly hair back from her face. Blew out a frustrated breath and looked around the dark bedroom. She didn’t need anyone protecting her. Couldn’t these men figure that out?
Her gaze swept the room and landed on Brian’s black duffel sitting on a chair in the corner. And before she could stop it, a profound sense of loss swept through her.
Even if they could make this work with him living in—shit, she didn’t even know where he really lived—different parts of the country, there was no way they had a chance if Jake fired him. Grace knew what Aegis operatives got paid—and it was good. Her brother went above and beyond to keep his guys happy so they wouldn’t jump ship. Brian was ex-military, and though he had to be good if her brother had hired him, she was sure he wouldn’t be able to find another job stateside with those kinds of perks. If he lost his job all because of her—because of some woman he barely knew—that would kill their budding relationship faster than a bullet from a gun.