3013: CLAIMED (19 page)

Serra looked away to survey their surroundings, then her eyes met his again. Lowering her voice, she whispered, “I don’t think anyone can see us.”

“Son of a bitch…”

Jax captured her mouth, thrusting his tongue deep as he fed off her. He felt her arms wrap around his neck as their tongues tangled together…stroking, tasting. “We’ve been careful with you,” he murmured before nipping lightly at her lower lip. “But there’s a part of you that wants to be wild, isn’t there? You want to see just how far you can push me…want to see what I’ll do when I lose control. You want to feel that rush of being taken.”

“Jax…”

She let out a gasp when his hand wrapped around her throat, tilting her head back. “Answer me. Tell me what you want.”

“I want it all. You’re my bonded, don’t hold back on me. Give it to me, give me all you’ve got,” she challenged.

Jax felt his cock throbbing, urging him on to take what she offered. What she demanded of him. He could see the hunger in her eyes, could feel the need pulsing through her veins beneath his palm. He felt the thrill of being wanted, of having her need him as he needed her. He watched her as his other hand dropped down to her thigh, slowly lifting the hem of her dress.

“I’m going to take you,” he promised darkly, pressing the full length of his powerful body against her. “I’ll take you, and I won’t stop until you’re full of me. It’s going to be fast, hard and a little rough, but you’ll love it, won’t you, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” she panted out. “God, yes. Please—”

Her cry was cut off as his mouth crushed down on hers again, feeding that desperate hunger inside of him. He felt his control snap, like a thin thread that held back the madness of his need for her, and let the fires of lust consumed them both.

Serra moaned as he shoved her roughly against the wall. He felt vicious triumph rip through him when she clung to his arms, her nails biting through the fabric of his uniform jacket. He shoved the skirt of her dress all the way up, exposing her to the cool night air, and let out a frustrated growl as his fingers brushed over the barrier of her panties. He needed to feel the slick flesh of her pussy with nothing between them.

Swept away in the storm of passion raging between them, he grabbed hold of the thin material and jerked hard, tearing the panties from her body, dropping them carelessly to the floor. Touching her was electric, and he felt the jolt sing up his arm as his hand met the heated flesh of her pussy, hot and slick as he slid two of his fingers inside her. He felt her tremble and knew he she was ready for him.

“Oh, God!”

Serra’s head fell back against the wall. His touch was like magic, making her body hum with pleasure. He muffled the sound of her moans with his own mouth when his thumb played over her clit, watching her with predatory eyes that gave her no doubt how much he wanted her.

She heard his zipper releasing, then felt his cock touching her bare skin. Lifting her easily, he braced her back against the wall with his large body pressing tight against her front. “Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded in a harsh whisper. “Do it now.”

Eagerly, she did as he asked, then felt the broad head of his cock pressing against her entrance of her pussy. Mouth crushing down on hers again, he drank down her cry of pleasure as he thrust hard, filling her with the full length of his cock.

It was madness.

There in the shadows, their eyes met and held. So much was said without saying a word, with only the sound of their ragged breathing breaking through the silence. She watched the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead, and lifted her hands from his shoulders to wipe them away before they dripped into his eyes. Sounds from the gala drifted on the wind, adding a little sense of fear into the mix at the thought of strangers catching them.

But nothing could stop them now.

The cool night breeze created a stimulating contrast to their heated bodies. The contrasting sensations drove her closer toward the edge of release, and he pushed her even further when he shifted his hips. Her body jerked when his pelvis hit her clit, his every thrust slapping that tight bundle of nerves as he fucked her.

“Jax. Oh, God, Jax—”

“Shh, quiet now. You don’t want us to get caught, do you? If any other man saw you like this I’d have to kill him. You’re mine,” Jax snarled as his hips pumped, thrusting his cock into her hard and fast, just like he’d promised.

“Jax, I’m going to come…” she warned on a breathless whisper.

“Do it. Come on my cock and take me with you. Give it to me. Milk my seed from me when you come.”

Jerking forward, she muffled her scream against his bare throat as she gave herself over to the pleasure. She bit down hard when he pushed her that final inch so her body shuddered as she came. Legs tensed around his waist, gripping him tight as the ripples of her climax tore through her. She felt the deep guttural growl rumble in his chest as he came, following her over the edge as he filled her with pulse after pulse of his hot cum.

Jax felt his legs shaking, and had to brace a hand against the wall so he wouldn’t crush Serra as he slumped forward. Now that the storm of passion was over, he gentled his touch, pressing soft kisses on her cheek as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“So…would that be considered a quickie?”

He snorted in amusement as he tried to catch his breath. “Was that a complaint?”

“Not at all. I was just wondering, since a quickie was on my list of things to do.”

Shifting, his looked down at her in astonishment. “You have a list?”

“Of course I do.”

“What exactly is on this list?”

She sighed happily. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

***

Chapter Twelve

Serra detoured to the restroom to clean up before heading back into the main hall where her men waited for her. She exchanged smiles with several guests as she moved through the crowd. She felt lighter. Sated from her excursion with Jax, yes, but also centered. It eased her mind to know that they were willing to compromise and work something out so she wouldn’t have to give up her work. Both Jax and Sully were alpha to the core, but she understood now that they would always pay attention to what mattered to her.

“Serra.”

Distracted by her own thoughts, Serra missed the approach of her fathers’ mistress, Diane Delacourt. The Delacourt family was a powerful force within the Alliance. Serra had once felt sorry for Diane after learning how she had fallen in love with her fathers as a young woman, but since she was infertile, she hadn’t been a suitable candidate for their chosen. Diane was polished, sophisticated and stunningly beautiful, but Serra had never liked her.

“I thought that was you, Serra,” Diane said, coming to a stop in front of Serra. The older woman pressed air kisses near Serra’s cheeks before stepping back to smile. “How nice to see you. And, my, don’t you look…nice tonight.”

Serra heard the not so subtle dig on her daring crimson gown. Dressed in a conservative gown of midnight blue, Serra looked at the abundance of sapphires draped over Diane’s neck, wrists and fingers with her own not so subtle look of disgust.

“Diane. You certainly look…sparkling.”

“Cade and Andrew tell me congratulations are in order.” Diane cast a quick glance at the claiming mark near Serra’s eyes. For a moment the other woman’s smile turned brittle before it smoothed back into her usual polite mask. “It is quite an accomplishment to have attached yourself to two strong elites such as Commander Spartan and Commander Archer. I’m sure they’re a great comfort to you.”

“What do you mean?”

Diane shot her a sympathetic look that instantly put Serra on alert. “I know Cade and Andrew attended your claiming ceremony. I just wanted to tell you how brave I think you are for handling all of this so well.”

“Brave? I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”

Diane reached out and patted Serra’s hand, making her want to snatch it away from the older woman’s touch. Serra knew Diane was lying, but didn’t understand why. Both of her fathers had told everyone that they were on a special assignment, even Diane, and they had been careful not to talk to anyone since, due to the operation they were all involved in. Sure, it was possible that Diane had found out from one of the guests that had attended ceremony. They had always known word would get out, but why would Diane lie about it?

Diane sighed. “This must all be so difficult for you. It’s not like Cade or Andrew could say no when ordered to attend an event by their commanders.”

Serra’s eyes narrowed as her temper began to spike. “They weren’t ordered to attend. And Jax and Sully aren’t my fathers’ commanders. They’re generals in Light City, not the Capital.”

“Still,” Diane waved that away with a careless gesture that had the sapphires on her wrist flashing in the light. “You bonded with two powerful Alliance commanders. Of course they couldn’t say no, even though you know how they really feel about you. I know about the letter they sent you, asking you not to come visit us. This must be so hard for you to see them again after everything that has happened.”

Serra’s mind raced even as she struggled to hide her rage. “How do you know about that letter, Diane?” she asked, trying for a curious expression.

“I begged them not to send it,” Diane whispered in a voice filled with sympathy. “I told them that it was cruel, but they thought it was best you understood how they felt. They never wanted a daughter. Not really. But how can they say that to you now that you’re bonded to Commander Spartan and Archer?”

“That’s odd. Considering that I know that letter wasn’t real. My fathers never sent it.” Serra voice went hard, and she watched as Diane’s face paled. “So I’ll ask again, how do you know about the letter?”

“That’s a damn good question,” Donna Spartan-Rollins snapped from behind them. Serra turned around as saw Jax’s mother glaring at Diane with such disgust it was a wonder the other woman didn’t wither under the weight of it.

“Donna, there’s been some sort of misunderstanding—”

“I don’t think you can call what you just said a misunderstanding. Serra, dear,” Donna said, never looking away from Diane. “Why don’t you go get your men while I keep Diane here. I suggest you stay right where you are, or I’d be happy to knock you on your lying, gaudy ass.”

Serra spun around, intent to do just that, but she saw that Jax and Sully were already pushing through the crowd. Jax reached her first and gripped her arms so tight she had to hold back a wince. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

She filled them in, and saw the fury on her fathers faces as they joined them. Cade whirled on Diane, who tried to step back from his wrath only to bump into Dom who had moved in behind her. “You sent that letter? How could you, Diane?” Cade roared.

“I did it for you, Cade!” she pleaded. “I love you and Andrew. Tania said—”

“Tania,” Andrew muttered in revulsion. “That bloody bitch is a plague.”

“I’m taking Ms. Delacourt into custody,” Dom informed them as he restrained the now weeping woman.

“I’ll come with you. I want to hear what she has to say,” Jax said, his voice filled with icy distain. Those gray eyes warmed as he looked down at Serra. “Did you want to come?”

“Is it all right if I just stay here?”

“I’ll stay,” Archer offered, wrapping an arm around her waist, drawing her close. Gratefully, she burrowed into his side. Jax kissed her lightly then walked off with Dom, the crowd parting as they escorted the wailing woman out of the hall.

Ignoring the onlookers in the crowd, Cade turned to Serra with devastated eyes. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

“We should go with them. We have to know the extent of the damage she’s done,” Andrew clarified, his own voice broken. “Serra—”

“Stop,” Serra commanded. Over the last week, she had spent a lot of time with her fathers, getting to know them again. They weren’t perfect, and they had made mistakes in the past, but they were healing together, and that was all that mattered to her. “This isn’t your fault. Anything she’s done isn’t on you.”

“She’ll be taken care of,”
Regent Spartan said as he and Jack walked up to join them. Donna leaned into Jack’s side as Ian Spartan cupped her face. “Will you forgive me if I leave for a little while?”

“Go.” Donna smiled. “I never did like her. She’s an…obvious sort of woman.”

“Not obvious to us, apparently,” Cade said bitterly.

“You have a penis. Pretty faces tend to get in the way of your kind seeing the true nature of a woman sometimes.”

“Darling,” Jack murmured into Donna’s ear. “I happen to be very fond of your pretty face.”

“Yes, but I’ve never hidden who I really am with you.”

“No, you tend to speak your mind quite clearly,” Ian Spartan said with a laugh. He leaned down to place a tender kiss on her lips. “I will try to get back to you soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.” The regent left with Serra’s fathers, and Donna smiled brightly at Serra. “Well, you sure know how to spice up a party.”

Serra choked back a laugh. “That was unintentional on my part.”

Archer pressed his lips to her forehead as he reached down to still her fingers tapping against her thigh with his hand. “I’m sorry, hummingbird.”

She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “They’ll figure out what to do with her. I’m just glad she won’t be influencing my relationship with my fathers anymore.”

“She won’t” Archer agreed, then turned to address the older couple. “Now, if you would excuse us, I still haven’t gotten the chance to dance with my woman.”

He led Serra onto the dance floor, sweeping her into his arms. “The hits just keep on coming, don’t they? I’m sorry for upsetting you earlier, Serra.”

“It’s okay. I think we still have a lot to learn about making this relationship work.”

“But we will, I swear it.”

She smiled up at him. “You know, Jax apologized…thoroughly outside.”

“I heard,” Archer lowered his voice to a seductive whisper as lust whipped through his system, heating his blood. “Perhaps I should also apologize…in private as well.”

“Perhaps you should,” she said with a laugh.