Jaci Burton (16 page)

in each other. There’s been a void in the year she’s been out

of my life. I hadn’t realized until now how much I’ve missed

having someone to talk to.”

“Maybe you need to broaden your circle of friends.”

She wound her arms around his neck. “It’s not that easy for

me.”

He slipped an arm around her waist, liking the feel of her

sitting on his lap. Comfortable. Too comfortable, actual y. He’d

fal en into an easy rhythm of talking to her, listening to her.

“You have another friend already and it wasn’t so hard, was

it?”

Her brows arched. “I do?”

“Yeah.” He kissed her, a light brush of his lips across hers.

He didn’t want to take it further than that because he knew

once he started he wouldn’t stop. Not when he liked kissing

her so much. “Me.”

Her lips lifted. “Is that what we are, Rick? Friends?”

Warning bel s clanged, loud and clear. Did she want more

than that?

Did he?

No. He didn’t. It wasn’t in his nature. In his lifestyle. In his

future.

“Yeah. We’re friends.”

He saw the light dim in her eyes, wished he hadn’t been the

one to put it there, but he wouldn’t give her false hope.

“I can’t be what you want me to be, Ava. Al there can be

between us is what there is right now.”

“Which is what? Sex and friendship?”

He smiled. “What’s wrong with that?”

She sighed. “Nothing at al . I’m hardly an incurable romantic

looking for a happily ever after, so you don’t have to worry

about me.”

It was sad that she wasn’t. Weren’t women supposed to be

out there looking for the man of their dreams?

Or maybe those kinds of guys didn’t exist. He just knew he

wasn’t one of them.

She leaned into him then, laid her head on his shoulder,

and, goddamn, it felt good. There was something about

holding Ava in his arms that was unlike holding any other

woman. Maybe because she wasn’t like the other women

who’d passed in and out of his life before. She was solid,

steady, knew exactly what she wanted out of life—and what

she didn’t want. And rather than being closed off to new

experiences and things that might be a little scary, she

opened herself up to them, took a chance on being hurt. She

was an adventurer, even if she didn’t know it.

For the right guy, she was perfect.

He just wasn’t the right guy.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her, expecting

nothing.

But he sure got a hel of a lot in return.

More than he’d ever expected. And maybe he could offer

her something. Comfort. Take her mind off her friend.

He tilted her back and she lifted her dark lashes, looked at

him with eyes that made his gut clench and his dick harden.

She must have read his mind, because she reached up,

caressed his cheek with her soft hand, and rubbed her thumb

across his bottom lip.

He kissed her, and she sighed into his mouth. A sigh of

surrender, of giving herself to him. She told him by leaning into

him and sliding her tongue against his that this was the kind of

comfort she wanted. No hesitation at al . The way she seemed

to melt into him made him tighten his hold on her with a fierce

possessiveness he’d never felt for a woman before.

He’d felt lots of firsts with Ava, and none of them were good

for his long-term outlook. But he wasn’t going to think about

any of that right now. He was going to think about Ava’s

breasts pil owed against his chest, her ful lips sliding across

his, and those sweet sounds she made that made him rock

hard in record time.

He dipped her over his arm and ran his hand over her

breasts, absorbing the sound of her gasp as he scraped his

palm back and forth on her nipples. Wanting more of that, he

raised her shirt, released the clasp on her bra, and freed her

breasts, then lifted her just enough to fit one soft peak into his

mouth.

Ava fisted her hand in his hair and held on tight while he

sucked her nipple. Her body writhed against him, lifting and

rocking, and she made this sound that drove him crazy—a

purring sound that came from deep in her throat, almost like a

soft growl.

Every time he thought she was calm and soothing, she

taught him something new about her.

Ava could get riled—sexual y wound up like a wildcat. And,

oh man, did that turn him on. His bal s tightened feeling her

squirming against him, knowing al he was giving her was his

mouth on her nipple, and knowing she wanted a hel of a lot

more than that right now.

He released her nipple and lifted her upright on his lap, then

pul ed her shirt off, fol owed by her bra.

“Stand up.”

It wasn’t a request, but he couldn’t wait any longer.

Fortunately she didn’t seem to mind. She stood and watched

while he unzipped her jeans and jerked them down to her

ankles.

“Goddamn boots,” he murmured, but didn’t take the time to

sit her back down to remove them. Not when he wanted her

—just like this. He slid his hand between her legs, felt the

wetness there. And her legs quivered.

He wanted her real y ready for him. He pul ed her by the

hips and drew her against him, then leaned between her legs

to take a nice long lick of her sweet pussy. This time she let

out a soft moan and laid her hand on the back of his head, her

fingers curling into his hair.

God, she was hot, tasted like butter, and he could lick her

like this al day. The way she responded, arching her hips

forward to feed him her pussy, gave his hard-on a punch that

made him ache al over to be inside her.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice laced with a hard edge of

need. “Right there.”

He gave her exactly what she asked for, swirling his tongue

around her clit. He tucked his finger inside her pussy—damn

—so hot and wet. He finger fucked her, slow and easy, just like

he licked her, listening to her gasp, moan, whimper, and, oh

man, he real y loved those sounds she made. They made his

bal s quiver. He lifted his head and used his thumb on her clit,

taking a moment to gaze up at her face. Her expression was

tight, pained, her lips parted as she panted hard and fast. Her

hips were thrust forward, undulating against his hand as he

worked her pussy and clit with his fingers. He leaned in and

licked her again, took her clit between his lips and sucked.

She exploded, crying out, pushing her sex against his face

as she came. Her pussy convulsed around his finger in tight

contractions. He held on to her, licking her until her tremors

subsided.

But she was stil shaking al over.

He knew the feeling. So was he.

He lifted her then, his patience long gone, and laid her on

the bed, taking only a few seconds to yank her boots and

jeans off. He grabbed a condom, unzipped his pants, pul ed

out his cock, and crawled on top of her.

She was ready, her legs spread, her arms wide open and

beckoning to him.

He dragged her hips to the edge of the bed and slid inside

her, felt her close around him, her pussy gripping him tight. He

gritted his teeth to keep from shooting off right then. She’d

gotten him so hot so fast he was ready right now. But he

wanted her to come again.

He held his arms rigid so he could watch his cock go in and

out of her, could watch her pussy lips grip his shaft every time

he thrust against her.

“Come on, ride with me,” he said, pul ing out and sliding

inside her, forcing himself to take his time despite the need to

fuck her hard.

She grabbed his arms and dug her nails in. The pain only

ratcheted up his pleasure, made it even harder to maintain

control. But he did, because with every thrust she tightened

around him, the look on her face told him she was getting

closer. He leaned down, pressing their bodies together. He

swept his hand under her ass to lift her up, and ground against

her.

“Rick. Damn. Yes. Just like that. I can feel it against my clit.”

He loved when she talked to him, told him what she needed.

She bent her knees and gave him more access, and this

time he couldn’t hold back. He drove inside her hard, letting

out a guttural cry when his orgasm ripped through his body

like a rush, blinding him to anything and everything but the feel

of Ava’s body shaking underneath him, the sounds she made

making him shudder against her as he lost control and gave

everything up to her. He drank in her loud cries with a kiss, his

tongue dueling with hers as they went over the edge together.

Spent, sweating, he could only take in deep gulps of air with

every breath. They slid onto the floor and Rick pul ed Ava on

top of him, hoping like hel he hadn’t hurt her. He’d had her in

such a tight hold at the end he was afraid he’d crushed her.

She lifted her head and he swept her hair away from her

face, hoping he wouldn’t see anger or fear there.

Instead, her lips curled in a smile. “Wel , that was fun.”

He let out a short laugh. “You surprise me.”

“Yeah? How?”

“Sometimes you seem so straitlaced, like I have no idea

what you’re doing hanging out with a bunch of bikers. Other

times, like this, you’re so wild and out of control.”

“Real y?” She grinned. “Hmm, maybe I’m a woman of

mystery.”

He cocked a brow. “Maybe you are.”

“Good. I like that.”

“In other words, you aren’t going to tel me which one is the

real Ava.”

She sat up. “What fun would that be?”

What fun indeed? He had to admit he liked her just the way

she was. He’d never known another woman like her. Maybe it

was because she was whol y unpredictable.

Which didn’t make his assignment any easier, because as

soon as he thought he had a handle on why she was here and

what she was doing, she surprised the hel out of him. She

was innocent one minute, a wild vixen the next. And he stil had

no idea who she real y was.

As soon as they cleaned up, there was a knock on the door.

Rick went to look at the peephole. It was Bo and Lacey, so he

opened the door.

“Oh, you’re here, too. Hi,” Lacey said as she brushed by

Rick.

Bo nodded and walked in.

“What’s going on?” Rick asked.

Bo yawned. “Nothing much. Late start today.”

“Long night?”

Bo laughed. “Yeah. But oh so worth it. You two should have

stayed. We’d have had some fun.”

Rick didn’t share women. Not his kind of fun. “Yeah, wel ,

some other time, maybe.”

Like never.

“What’s going on over there?” Rick motioned with his head

to the excited conversation between Lacey and Ava.

“Oh. I’m giving Lacey a trip to Mexico. She wants Ava to go

with her.”

“Yeah? When?”

“Today.”

Those warning bel s clanged so damn loud inside his head

that Rick couldn’t hear himself think. “In the middle of the ral y?

Why not wait ’til it’s over?”

Bo shrugged. “It just hit me spur of the moment.”

“What hit you?”

Bo looked over at the women. “Lace, you okay for a few?

Rick and I are gonna go grab some coffee.”

Lacey waved her hand. “Go on. We’l meet you down there.”

They ordered two coffees in the smal coffee shop

downstairs, since the restaurant was ful with the lunch crowd.

“So what’s with the impromptu vacation?”

Bo shifted, leaning forward. “I have a sel er just over the

border, and Lacey’s my mule. She’s going to do the pickup for

me.”

Rick tensed, hid the shock that rocked him. “Yeah? Does

she know that?”

Bo’s lips lifted. “Hel no.”

“Has she done this for you before?”

Bo let out a soft laugh. “Yeah. A few times, actual y. She

thinks I love her so much that I routinely send her on these spa

trips while I have business to attend to. I tel her it’s because I

feel guilty and I don’t want her to be lonely.”

“Unaware she’s transporting drugs across the border, of

course.”

“Of course.”

What a fucking asshole. Rick hid his disgust with a smirk.

“No wonder she’s in love with you.”

“Hey, man, I treat her like a princess. I buy her presents,

feed her, clothe her, cater to her, and once a month she gets a

free trip. What more could she want?”

Honesty? Integrity? A man who actual y cared about her and

wasn’t putting her future on the chopping block for his own

selfish gain?

“I can’t imagine. So what’s the deal? What are you running?

”

“Cocaine. We’ve got a great supplier and he gives me