Addicted (Outlaws Book 2) (15 page)

The three of them hopped out, their boots silently hitting the dirt. Ignoring the stack of books in the backseat, Lennox mumbled something about needing to tell Reese about the appearance of more bandits in the area, and stalked off. Beckett trailed after him.

Jamie went to the law office instead of tagging along. She was still pissed off too. At Lennox. At herself. At fucking everything. She needed a shower and a drink, in that order. The first one was easy to cross off the list, but after she’d washed all the blood and dirt off her body and headed outside again, she hesitated on the sidewalk. The thought of chatting with anyone who might be at the restaurant was about as appealing as having Lennox rage at her again.

She went to the kitchen instead, which was really just another restaurant, but this one was used only to store food in the huge walk-in freezers and refrigerators. She grabbed a beer from one of the fridges, ignoring the rows of liquor bottles on the shelves across the room. Anything stronger than beer would go right to her head and bring on an adrenaline crash she didn’t feel like enduring.

She’d thought she was alone in the dark restaurant, so when a deep voice said, “Hey,” she jumped nearly two feet in the air. Kade was seated at a table in the shadowy corner of the room. He held a beer bottle in both hands, watching her with wary eyes.

“Hey,” she answered in a wobbly voice. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Everything all right?”

“Nope.”

That made him chuckle. He rapped his knuckles on the tabletop. “Want to sit down?”

Not really. She felt like pacing the room until she managed to dispel the negative energy coursing through her. She still wanted to rip Lennox’s throat out for the way he’d talked to her.

But since she couldn’t exactly murder her best friend, she forced herself to sit across from Kade and gripped the beer bottle tight enough to turn her knuckles white.

“What happened?” Kade asked.

She took a small sip. “We ran into bandits on the road.”

Concern immediately filled his dark eyes. “They give you any trouble?”

“Yeah. It got pretty bad for a moment there. But Lennox and Beck came to my rescue.” She couldn’t stop a twinge of sarcasm at the end.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he said dryly.

She swallowed some more beer, her heart squeezing as she remembered Lennox’s enraged face. “He yelled at me,” she confessed.

Kade looked as though he was trying not to laugh. “Lennox?”

Jamie nodded unhappily. “It was bad. He totally lost it, Kade. Like,
lost it
. I’ve never seen him like that before.”

“He was worried about you. And probably scared shitless about what could have happened if he hadn’t shown up.”

“He’s allowed to be scared. But he’s not allowed to treat me like I’m an idiot. We’ve been traveling together for years. He knows I can take care of myself.”

“Sounds like you couldn’t tonight,” Kade hedged in. “You said so yourself – you needed rescuing.”

“Maybe, but the way he reacted…” The anger returned, simmering in her belly. “We’ve gotten each other out of jams before. Trust me, this isn’t the first time I’ve screwed up, and God knows he’s screwed up before too. But we’ve always backed each other up, because that’s what we do. We’re there for each other.” A helpless feeling clogged her throat. “Tonight he acted like I’m the weak link in our relationship. Like it’s up to him and him alone to give orders and make decisions. Like he’s the one who’s always protected
me
and I’ve never done the same for him. Which is complete bullshit.”

Even with the lights off, she could see the thoughtful gleam in Kade’s dark eyes. “I heard you guys are sleeping together now.”

She bristled. “So?”

“But you weren’t before?”

“No.” Why did she get the feeling she was about to hear the same speech that Reese had given her earlier?

“It’s different when a man is having sex with someone,” Kade began.

Yep, there it was. Another bullshit speech about how everything would change.

He saw her skeptical expression and added, “Seriously, honey. It’s a whole other level of protective instincts. Possessiveness. It’s like this basic, primal urge suddenly comes out and makes a man extra determined to protect the woman in his bed.”

“Why?” She asked more out of annoyance than curiosity, because sex had nothing to do with whether or not a woman could take care of herself.

Kade shrugged. “Maybe it’s because he’s seen her at her most vulnerable? Sex is intimate. You’re naked, exposed. There’s a certain degree of trust involved.” He raised his bottle to his lips. “I don’t know. It’s hard to explain. Bottom line – sex turns guys into cavemen.”

“Yeah, well, he still had no right to call me stupid,” Jamie muttered.

Kade whistled. “Shit. Lennox called you stupid? He must’ve
really
been worried about you.”

That didn’t appease her. Lennox had every reason to be worried, but there was no excuse for the way he’d handled himself.

“If it makes you feel any better, I get the same bullshit from Xan.”

Kade’s confession sparked her curiosity, especially when she recognized the implication. “Wait… are you saying the two of you are sleeping together?” She’d seen Kade and Xander share women before, but she’d never witnessed them going at it solo.

“No,” he answered, chuckling softly. “We’re not. But I was in a similar situation as you were tonight when Connor and the guys found me two years ago. I was getting the shit kicked out of me by bandits – they fucked me up pretty good – and I don’t think Xander has been able to erase that first impression of me, all bloody and beaten.”

“How many men were there? Attacking you, I mean?”

“Three.” He gave another chuckle, rueful this time. “I was literally out of the city for two days when it happened. I had no idea what life was like out here. I knew some Enforcers who’d had contact with outlaws, and they always described you guys as fierce but incredibly loyal to each other. I hadn’t realized bandits existed, men who didn’t give a shit about anyone but themselves. So I wasn’t prepared, and I suffered for it.” He shrugged. “But that put a brand of weakness on me. They still think I’m weak.”

“They don’t think you’re weak,” she objected.

“Of course they do. Connor sent me here for more training, for fuck’s sake,” Kade said with a laugh. “It’s different with Xan, though. He doesn’t just try to teach me how to defend myself. He somehow got it in his head that he needs to watch over me.”

“He cares about you.”

“Lennox cares about you,” Kade countered.

They fell silent as they sipped their beers again. She knew Kade was right – Lennox did care about her. But he’d made her feel…
inferior
tonight. And weak. He’d made it sound as if he’d been carrying her all these years, when she’d truly believed they were carrying each other.

She didn’t like that. No, she
hated
it. Hated thinking that Lennox viewed her as helpless or lacking. That they weren’t a team, but a leader and his obedient follower.

She swallowed another gulp of beer. The bitter liquid slid down to her stomach, joining the unbearable knot of bitterness already lodged there.

Lennox’s meeting with Reese was brief. The Foxworth leader wasn’t pleased that a second group of bandits had drifted this close to her town, but other than send a few men to make sure the assholes were really gone, there wasn’t much more she could do. And she agreed with Lennox that she didn’t expect them to return.

After he left Reese’s building, he went on an immediate hunt for Jamie. She wasn’t in their rooms, the restaurant, or the loft, which left one other place he needed to check – the rec hall.

Sure enough, he spotted her the moment he walked inside. She was sitting alone in the corner, a bottle of beer resting on her knee. Lennox took one look at her cloudy, stay-the-hell-away-from-me expression and knew she was still pissed.

He might have overreacted earlier. Just a tad.

More than a tad, asshole
.

Regret floated through him as he thought about his behavior. The second he and Beckett were alone earlier, the man had told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to apologize to Jamie. Apparently Beck had heard Lennox shouting all the way from the Jeep, and he’d given Lennox a sympathetic pat on the shoulder when they were leaving Reese’s apartment. Even Beck knew that it would take a shit ton of groveling to earn Jamie’s forgiveness.

Lennox stifled a sigh and approached Jamie the way one might approach an animal with a thorn in its paw. He knew she was hurting, but he also knew that she’d lash out if he gave her even the slightest provocation.

He sat beside her on the couch. “Hey,” he said gruffly.

She sipped her beer and stared straight ahead.

“Come on, love,” he urged. “Talk to me.”

“Oh, we
talk
to each other now?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. “I thought our relationship just involved you yelling at me.”

A sliver of guilt pricked his gut. He shouldn’t have yelled at her. But he’d been so fucking scared. His heart had been ripped from his chest when he saw her on the ground like that, vulnerable and afraid and at the mercy of those scavengers. They’d had their filthy hands on her, damn it. Even now a rush of visceral rage burned his throat as he remembered it. As he envisioned what those bastards would’ve done to her if he and Beckett hadn’t heard the gunshots.

Truth was, it was his fault. He’d checked the area around the library, but not the houses. He’d been too eager to break in and find some books, and, once they were inside, too focused on making Jamie come to be as vigilant as he normally was. And then he’d let her go outside by herself because he was too busy trying to score some
candy
.

Jesus. What kind of protector was he? How had he allowed such trivial distractions to get the better of him?

“I’m sorry,” he told her.

Jamie didn’t respond.

“I shouldn’t have yelled at you, baby. I shouldn’t have called you stupid.”

“No shit.” The hurt in her voice made his heart clench. “I’m
not
stupid, Len.”

“I know that.” He touched her cheek, and cursed when she stiffened. “Please, love. Don’t tense up on me. Let me make this right.”

“It’s not going to happen tonight.” Her blue eyes continued to flash with anger. “I’m still pissed off at you. There’s too much aggression inside me right now.”

“Then let’s release it.”

The suggestion brought a scowl to her lips, but Lennox didn’t dismiss the idea as quickly as she did. He knew Jamie well. When she was mad, she lost her temper and struck out at whoever was around her. But when she was
hurt
? She bottled it up. She let it gnaw at her insides because she hadn’t quite mastered the talent of channeling all the volatile energy.

He would help her channel it. When he felt like this, he either fought or fucked. Since they’d already seen too much violence tonight, it looked like he’d have to coax Jamie to do the latter.

“I’m serious,” he said when she made a derisive sound. “Let’s release all that aggression, love. It’s nothing a few orgasms won’t help.”

She gaped at him. “You think orgasms are going to make it better? I want to
hit
you right now, Len.”

Shit. She really was wound up. He might need to call in some backup.

Lennox scanned the room until his gaze stopped on Beckett, who wore his trademark lazy grin as he chatted with Arch and Bethany. No, Beck would be too playful. The fire in Jamie’s eyes required a different kind of stoking than what Beck could offer.

He shifted his gaze and spotted Sloan talking to Nash. Which was an odd display, since Lennox had never seen the man do anything but lean against the wall and watch Reese. Either way, he doubted Sloan would be interested in what Lennox had in mind.

And fuck, the thought of Sloan or Beckett or any other man touching Jamie tonight, after already witnessing those goddamn bandits pawing at her… it made his blood boil.

He forced the protective urges aside. “Who do you want?” he asked hoarsely. His gaze moved again, then landed on the one man he knew who would not mind the violence. “How about Pike? He’ll let you claw at him all night.”

A furious sound escaped her mouth as she shot to her feet. “You’re unbelievable. You really think a threesome is the answer?
That’s
your apology?”

She stormed off before he could answer. Lennox cursed and hurried after her, but she was already out the door and his pleas for her to stop went unheeded. As frustration surged in his blood, he chased her down the street and into their building, but she was quick when she wanted to be, and he didn’t catch up to her until she’d reached her bedroom. When she tried to slam the door on him, he muscled his way inside and growled in frustration.

“Damn it, Jamie!”

“Damn
you
, Lennox!” Her cheeks were bright red. “Leave me alone. It’s late. I want to go to sleep.”

“Not until we talk.”

“Again with the talking bullshit? Because it sounded back there like you were in the mood for a gang bang.” She blew out an angry breath.

“I just want you to let out your anger,” he said through clenched teeth. “I know you, love. You’re going to keep it all inside and it’ll make you crazy.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t need
Pike
to help me with that. I don’t want him or anyone else tonight.”

“Not even me?” His chest squeezed at the thought that he might have blown it with her for good. He swallowed, forcing himself to ask, “Are you saying we’re done?”

His fear must have been written on his face, because her expression immediately softened. “No, we’re not done.” She grumbled out a curse. “But I don’t want to be around you right now. I’m too wound up. I want to hurt you.”

Clearly his dick was a masochist, because it stirred at that. “Then hurt me,” Lennox said softly.

“Lennox.” She sounded exasperated.

“I mean it.” He moved closer and pinched her chin with his fingers. “Hurt me, love. I fucking deserve it. I shouldn’t have lost it on you earlier and I deserve to be punished for it.”

When she didn’t respond, he started ripping his clothes off. His belt was yanked out of the buckle. His jeans and boots hit the floor. His shirt snagged against the arm of the chair. Then he stood naked in front of her, and despite the tension still crackling between them, it was impossible for his dick not to get hard when Jamie’s eyes were on him. When her body was this close to his.

“Punish me,” he commanded.

“You’re being ridiculous again.”

He grabbed her hand and brought it to his chest, then forcibly raked her fingernails over his skin. The sting of pain was surprisingly welcome. Shit. Maybe they both needed the violence tonight.

“For fuck’s sake, Len!” Jamie jerked her hand away, but didn’t smack him with it.

Her expression had transformed from annoyance to arousal. The air all around them thickened as her blue eyes roamed his naked body. She stared at his jutting erection. Her tongue came out to swipe her bottom lip. Then a curious smile tipped her mouth and she placed her hand on his chest again.

He flinched when her nails clawed down his abs. Harder than before. Deep enough to leave faint dots of blood.

“You’re an asshole, Lennox.” She didn’t sound angry. Just thoughtful.

“I know,” he said hoarsely.

One fingernail scraped his nipple and he tensed, waiting for her to bring the pain. But rather than pinch or scratch that hardened bud, she captured his bottom lip with her teeth instead. She bit down hard, making him curse wildly. She’d drawn more blood.

“More,” he rasped, licking at the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “Make me hurt, love.”

A wicked gleam entered her eyes. She reached down and circled her fingers around his cock. She clutched him so tightly it triggered a jolt of pain. But also pleasure. Her rough grip made his balls ache. Filled him with anticipation.

Still squeezing the daylights out of his cock, she leaned in to kiss him, then whispered, “Get on the fucking bed.”

He was on the mattress so fast he experienced a wave of vertigo from the rapid shift from upright to horizontal.

Jamie approached the foot of the bed. Without a word, she started removing every scrap of clothing, assaulting his vision with flashes of smooth skin and perfect curves. His hungry gaze tracked the motion of her naked body as she walked over to the canvas bag across the room. Her tits swayed sensually as she bent over to unzip the bag.

When her hand emerged with a coil of thin cable, Lennox’s mouth went dry.

A moment later, she was crawling up his body to straddle his thighs. The cable hung loosely from her fingers, and she scraped the end of it over his bare stomach. “Hands above your head,” she murmured.

He was quick to obey. And he said nothing as she bound his wrists together, then secured them to the bed frame. She’d tied the cables tighter than she needed to, because even if he’d had the use of his arms, he wouldn’t be going anywhere. But he knew it was part of his punishment. She
wanted
the wires to dig into his wrists, and Lennox knew it was going to hurt like a bitch once his blood flow was obstructed. But he didn’t care. He’d hurt her tonight.

Pleased with her work, Jamie straightened up. She reached for his cock again and dragged her nails down the hard length. “You were a bad boy tonight, Len.”

“So bad,” he agreed.

“You want me to punish you, but this feels like a reward.” She stroked his shaft, then lowered her head to rub her cheek over his engorged tip. “Doesn’t seem fair, does it? You freak out on me and I punish you by taking this big cock in my mouth?”

He moaned when her tongue flicked over his slit and lapped at the precome pooled there.

“But I guess there’s something to be said for sexual torture, right?” She lifted her head and smiled at him.

The dark gleam in her eyes sent his pulse careening. Shit. She wasn’t going down the path he’d expected her to take – slap him, bite him, ride him until they were both limp. Evidently she had other ideas, and now his heart was beating even faster, because he didn’t like surprises.

Jamie moved her other hand to his balls, toying absently with the tight sac as she pumped his dick. “I can do whatever I want to you, baby.” She met his eyes. “And you’re not going to stop me, are you?”

“No.” He swallowed hard. “I won’t.”

“Good.” Then she dipped down again and sucked him.

His hips jerked off the mattress, instinctively seeking more contact, trying to delve deep into her hot mouth. That only caused her to retreat. She kissed her way to his balls and began tormenting him, licking and nibbling and driving him bat-shit crazy. His eyes slammed closed as he lost himself in each new burst of pleasure that went off inside him. When he heard a sucking noise, his eyes flew open to find Jamie had popped one finger in her mouth. She got it nice and wet, her heated gaze fixed on him. Then she trailed that finger down the crease of his ass, and his entire body stiffened.

“You can’t stop me, can you?” she mocked.

His breath got stuck in his lungs, making his voice shake. “No.”

Laughing softly, she used the tip of her finger to toy with the delicate skin right beneath his sac. An unexpected shock of heat rippled through his cock. He moaned in surprise, and she laughed again, then wrapped her lips around his cock head at the same time she pushed her finger into his ass.

Holy shit.
 

“Jamie…,” he said helplessly.

She wasn’t listening. Her mouth had swallowed him up, wicked tongue swirling around his tip while she rubbed his tight passage, hitting a spot that had him crying out. Sweet Lord. What was she doing to him? And why did it feel so fucking good?

Lennox trembled uncontrollably as she worked him with her mouth and her finger. The headboard vibrated as he fought against the cables around his wrists. He wanted to touch her. Wanted to shove his hands in her hair and pound into her mouth. He couldn’t get loose, though, and soon he was too weak to keep trying. His dick was pulsing with excitement, and every time her finger breached his sensitive hole, he found himself bearing down on it.

Jesus, he was close. His spine was tingling. His balls ached as they’d never ached before. His ass was on fire, goddamn it, and for some reason he welcomed the burn.

He groaned in dismay when she suddenly released him. She was laughing again, but her expression grew serious when their eyes locked.

“We’re a team,” she said firmly.

Her finger pushed in deep, and he grunted in pleasure.

“Say it, Lennox. We’re a team.”

“We’re a team,” he croaked.

With a satisfied look, she dipped her head and sucked him all the way down to the root. Then she scraped her teeth over his cock head and gave a gentle bite, and he came so hard that his mind imploded. Wild shudders overtook his body as he shot down her throat, as he squeezed his ass cheeks and bore down harder on her finger.

He was gasping for air by the time she released him, his wrists frantically banging the bed frame. “Untie me,” he begged. “I need to touch you.”

“No.” Her tone was firm, her eyes taunting him. “That’s your punishment, Len. You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to make me come.” Her hand slipped between her legs. “I want you to see how well I can take care of myself.”