Addicted (Outlaws Book 2) (12 page)

Lennox was gone when Jamie woke up the next morning. She fought a rush of disappointment, then an even bigger rush of dread, because his absence had triggered an unwelcome thought.

Were things about to get awkward between them?

God, she really hoped not. She couldn’t stomach the thought of Lennox shutting down on her again, avoiding her again. But her worries were erased when she rolled over and found a crumpled note on Lennox’s pillow.

She smoothed out the paper, smiling when she glimpsed his familiar handwriting.

Promised Randy I’d meet up with him before tournament for extra training. See you there. —L.
 

She was pretty sure she was the only person on the planet who could have read that note, because Lennox’s masculine scribbles were damn near illegible.

Sometimes it scared her how well they knew each other. She could list every single one of Lennox’s likes and dislikes. His favorite food – toast, of all things, though that was probably because bread was a rare commodity in the free land. She knew his drink of choice was tequila, and that his favorite weapon was the old bolt-action rifle that had belonged to his dad. She knew he hated carrots with a passion and preferred the coast to the mountains. That he hated taking walks unless it was raining out.

Last night she’d gotten to know a whole different side of him. She’d been introduced to a rough, demanding man whose sexuality rippled off him in waves, a man who was insatiable in bed and could go all night without so much as a smoke break.

He’d been incredible.

A shiver ran through her as she climbed off the mattress. The delicious soreness between her legs made her smile. Hell, even her nipples were sore. She’d never been fucked that hard – or that good – in her life. She had no idea if they would do it again, but holy hell, she wanted to.

Her favorite thing about the building they were staying in was the bathroom. Whoever had worked here all those decades ago must have lived in his office, because the bathroom had a spacious shower stall, which allowed her to take advantage of her favorite thing about the town itself: readily available hot water.

After a quick shower, she brushed her wet hair and pulled it back in a ponytail. For clothing she threw on leggings and a loose striped shirt, an outfit that would be easier to fight in. She hadn’t checked to see what “events” there were today, but she wanted to be prepared in case sparring was on the schedule.

When she walked outside, she discovered that Rylan and Pike had set up big pieces of plywood in the town square and beyond it, some as far as three and four hundred yards away. Looked like they were playing with guns today.

Since her team members hadn’t arrived yet, she drifted over to say hello to Beckett, who took one look at her and said, “So you two finally screwed. Years in the making, huh?”

Jamie played dumb. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” His dimples popped out as he grinned. “So, how was it?”

She paused. Sighed. Then said, “Fan-fucking-tastic.”

Beckett hooted, which captured the attention of the man they were discussing. Lennox had been talking to Randy, but now his head shifted toward her, and the look in his eyes almost knocked her over. Oh, they weren’t done, all right. His gaze held so much heat she could feel flames prickling her skin.

Lennox licked his lips. Slowly. Thoroughly. As if he was imagining licking something else. Her thighs clenched so hard she had to break the eye contact. Fortunately her group arrived before she did something crazy, like march over, undo Lennox’s pants, and ride him in front of everyone.

“Hey, Jamie.” Sara walked up to her.

The girl was smiling, but it was a reserved smile. Highly cautious. Jamie liked her, but she wished Sara would let down her guard more often.

Jamie glanced around. “Where’s your dad?” For once, Sara’s father was out of sight.

“At the farm, helping Scott and Anna.” An unexpected twinkle lit the girl’s dark eyes. “See? He’s not always breathing down my neck. Oh, and he lets me feed myself and tie my own shoelaces sometimes.”

Jamie snickered, then reached out and touched the girl’s arm. “Hey, it’s nice to have someone looking out for you. Trust me, you’re lucky your dad is here.”

Sara was a perceptive girl, and her expression instantly softened. “Your parents are dead?”

Jamie nodded and swallowed a lump of sorrow. She had adored her parents, especially her mother, who’d been tough as nails. Sometimes Jamie still couldn’t believe her mom had died of
pneumonia
. The woman who’d come out victorious in every battle she’d ever fought hadn’t been able to conquer one stupid illness. It was so damn sad. Her dad had been tough too, but also very gentle. God, he’d told the silliest jokes around the campfire.

Losing them both had been like a knife to Jamie’s heart. She probably wouldn’t have survived it if it weren’t for Lennox. He’d been there for her during the grieving process, same way she’d been there for him when he lost his own parents.

“I’m sorry,” Sara said quietly.

“Me too.” She cleared her throat of the massive lump inside it. “Come on, let’s go see what Rylan and Pike have in store for us today.”

As it turned out, the day’s target practice would be a group effort. Each team had to select five shooters to fire at three targets of varying distances. The team with the most direct hits would get the coveted point.

Jamie studied her team. “Okay… obviously my girl Sara over here,” she said with a decisive nod.

The teenager beamed as she quickly stepped to Jamie’s side.

“And… um…” Jamie scanned the faces. “Porter and Walt.”

The two thirty-something men who were good with a rifle moved forward.

“And… how about Tina?” Her gaze rested on the twenty-year-old with mocha skin and big dark eyes. Tina had kept to herself so far, and Jamie was determined to draw her out of her shell.

Once all the shooters had been picked, everyone lined up to the spot Rylan indicated and studied their first target. Jamie was busy studying the other teams. Lennox’s group included Randy and three guys she didn’t recognize. Beckett’s team featured their star shooter, Sam, the woman Pike had been impressed with since day one. And Travis had taken a risk and chosen team members who were all under the age of nineteen.

“All right, Green Team. First shooter,” Rylan announced.

Randy stepped up and hefted the rifle on his skinny shoulder. A silence fell over the town square as he slowly lined up his shot. One squeeze of the trigger and the kid sent a bullet straight into his target. It didn’t hit the center, but the far left corner, which summoned a curse from Randy’s lips.

Lennox, however, patted him on the back and said, “Nice shot.”

“It sucked,” Randy grumbled.

Jamie found it hard to pay attention to the next two shooters – she was too distracted by the sight of Lennox’s ass, tight and firm beneath his snug cargo pants. She’d dug her nails into that ass numerous times last night. When she’d run her finger down the crease, she clearly remembered a violent shudder overtaking his body. She wondered if he liked ass play…

God, there were so many dirty things she still needed to learn about him. She couldn’t fucking wait.

Lennox caught her staring, and his gray eyes smoldered, resting on her breasts. Her nipples stood as if on command, puckering under his sultry gaze.

“Blue Team!” Rylan barked.

Jamie’s head snapped up. Still distracted, she looked at her people. “Um… Porter, you’re up first.”

As the bearded man aimed his rifle, she heard Lennox chuckling. He knew exactly where her mind had drifted, and his mocking laughter irked, because
ha
, like he hadn’t been thinking the same damn thing.

After everyone had taken their turn with the first target, Travis’s team of young guns was in the lead thanks to their impressively accurate shots. Lennox’s team was in second place, followed by Beckett’s, while Jamie’s group trailed behind.

The second round caused a huge shift in the rankings, as the farther distance was trickier, requiring the novice shooters to take factors like wind and gravity into account. After the last shot was fired, Lennox’s team moved up to occupy the first slot. Jamie’s group was in second, and the spectator members of her team cheered wildly for their shooter comrades when Rylan announced the standings.

“Even the smallest change in distance will change the way your rifle shoots,” Rylan reminded one of Travis’s teenagers, a boy who’d demanded to know why he could hit all the short targets but not the long ones. “It’s not just a difference of millimeters – it could mean adjusting your aim half a meter, maybe more.”

As Rylan answered more questions, Lennox sidled up to her. “You should give up now,” he taunted. “You’re not beating us.”

His deep voice sent a shiver through her. When she remembered the way he’d issued wicked commands at her, the shiver turned into a full-blown shudder.

“You might do better if you weren’t so distracted. What’s on your mind, love?” he asked innocently, but his knowing smile told her he was playing with her again.

She glowered at him. Oh, hell no. He wasn’t allowed to pretend she was the only one who was hot and bothered thinking about last night. And he definitely wasn’t allowed to win this event, because then he’d lord his victory over her all day.

It was time to ramp up the pressure.

As the third and final round commenced, Jamie wasted no time putting her new plan in motion. The plan was simple: drive Lennox wild.

She moved forward to take her turn, loosely holding her rifle in one hand. She donned a contemplative expression, slipped one finger into her mouth, and pretended to examine the target in the distance. Then she winked at Lennox and curled her tongue around the tip of her finger.

When she heard his strangled curse, she stifled a laugh and fired her rifle. The bullet hit the target dead center, splintering a hole right through the plywood.

Pleased with herself, she lowered her gun and smirked at Lennox, whose eyes were more than a little glazed.

“You’re up, Len,” Rylan announced.

“Hold on,” Jamie called, coming to Lennox’s side. “Team leader conference.”

Lennox looked as though he was gritting his teeth. “What is it?”

She stroked his bare arm, and a muscle ticked noticeably in his jaw. “It’s getting windier,” she told him. “Just wanted to make sure you account for that before you shoot.”

“Well aware of the wind.”

Her fingers danced along his biceps. “Don’t forget to aim above the target,” she said helpfully.

His breath hitched when she stroked her way up his corded neck to his mouth. “No shit,” he ground out.

She teased his lips with her fingertips. “And remember to breathe.”

The intensity in his eyes was overwhelming. Jesus. He might as well have been fucking her, the way he was looking at her.

With a saccharine smile, she moved her hand off his mouth, smacked it on his ass, and sauntered off.

She wasn’t surprised when Lennox missed the target completely. To the very vocal dismay of his team.

“That was a disgrace,” Jamie informed him when he stalked up to her.

“You don’t play fair, love.”

“So?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Do I need to challenge you to a duel?”

“Swords or pistols?” She tilted her head. “Actually, forget the duel. I’d rather have a good old-fashioned Wild West gunfight.”

“Wild West?” Randy asked curiously.

They both turned toward the kid. Jamie noticed Lennox’s expression was resigned. “You don’t know about the Wild West?” he prompted.

Randy shook his head.

“Me neither,” another teenage boy admitted.

“Same,” Sara spoke up, walking over to them.

“It was one of the most badass periods in history,” Lennox told them. “Cowboys and Indians, saloons, poker games that usually ended in gunfights. Pretty much a time with no rules and lots of violence.”

“Sort of like now?” Sara said dryly.

Lennox sighed. “Yeah, sort of like now.”

Rylan broke up the history lesson by signaling the final shooters to take their places, and once the third round was over, Jamie’s team was declared the winner of the event. Her charges broke out in victorious cheers. Sara surprised her with a huge hug. Even Tina was grinning from ear to ear, which made Jamie’s sabotage of Lennox taste all the sweeter. She was thrilled to see the two very reserved girls having a good time.

Rylan clapped his hands together. “All right, everyone. Grab something to eat and meet back here in an hour for the next event.”

“More target shooting?” one of the kids whined.

“Yep, but double the distance this time. This is what separates the boys from the men.” Rylan glanced at Jamie. “Damn good shooting this morning, gorgeous.”

The compliment made her swell with pride. She turned to gloat at Lennox, but her mouth slammed shut when she saw his face.

“I’m starving. Let’s go.” His rough tone of voice told her they weren’t going to the restaurant or the help-yourself kitchen across the street.

He didn’t touch her. He didn’t look at her. For all he knew she wasn’t even following him, but of course she was. She’d go anywhere Lennox led her right now, just to see his eyes burn with arousal again.

They ducked into a narrow alley situated between two storefronts, and Jamie didn’t even have time to take a breath before his mouth was on hers. He hadn’t lied – he
was
starving, devouring her mouth with single-minded purpose while his big hands deftly slipped under her waistband.

He tugged her leggings and panties down, but not off. The stretchy fabric remained pooled at her ankles as Lennox spun her around and pushed her forward. Her palms fell flat against the brick wall, bracing her for what was about to happen. She heard voices, footsteps echoing from the sidewalk, but she ignored them. Or maybe they faded away. Her entire being centered on the incessant pulsing between her legs, yet when she felt Lennox’s hands clamp onto her ass, she instinctively closed her legs.

“Oh no, you don’t,” he rasped. “You don’t get to close your legs on me, Jamie. You’re going to take this, you hear me? You’ve been teasing me all morning and now I’m giving you what your body has been begging for.”