Reed (The Love Family Series Book 4) (4 page)

Reed stepped closer, and Avery held up her hand.

Stuart moved to the other side of her neck and placed another kiss as his hand slid up her waist to right below her breast.

“Nice of Emily to leave a trail of lipstick showing where she’s been.”

“Stuart, I kissed him,” Emily said, and one of the guards started to drag her out of the room.

Stuart held up his hand and released Avery, turning to Emily. He lifted his hand to smack her, and an anger Reed rarely felt bubbled up inside his veins. He grabbed Stuart’s hand, stopping him before he made contact.

“I kissed her, and I would have fucked her, if we hadn’t been interrupted.”

Stuart yanked his hand free, and Reed never saw the fist that connected with his face, knocking him to the ground. He cupped his aching jaw when Stuart’s foot connected to his ribs, leaving Reed gasping for air.

Reed glanced up to find Avery being held back, venom in her eyes.

Stuart slid a gun out of the waist of his dress pants and bent down, pressing the silencer of the gun against Reed’s head. “Someone needs to teach you some manners.”

Reed swallowed around the lump in his throat and brushed his fingers against the blood on his lip. “You call a sucker punch teaching me manners?”

Reed spit out the blood before he felt another blow to the side of his face. He collapsed on the floor, and his world turned dark.

Chapter 6

“Now we’re even,” Stuart said, glaring down at Reed.

Avery yanked out of the beefy arms holding hers, struggling to get to the gun before it went off. Stuart had already knocked Reed out, and now Reed’s shoulder oozed with blood. Avery’s heart raced as she pushed her way between the gun and Reed, blocking any more shots. She pulled the knife from the sheath beneath her dress and held it against Stuart’s crotch. “Touch him again and I’ll cut off your balls and shove them down your throat.”

Stuart’s nostrils flared, and Avery held his glare and slowed her breathing, holding the knife in place. “Those are big words for a little girl. Do you think you can beat my guards and me all by yourself?”

“She doesn’t need to.” Sam’s deep voice was a relief to her ears as he and another agent, Rick, stepped into the room with guns pointed at the two bodyguards.

“You okay?” Rick asked.

She nodded but refused to look away from Stuart as she slipped the gun free from his fingers. She cold-cocked him with the butt of the gun, returning the favor he’d done to Reed. Stuart dropped to the floor unconscious. She lifted the gun and aimed it at the asshole as venom coursed through her veins. She pulled the trigger, making an identical hole in his shoulder as he’d done to Reed. “
Now
we’re even.”

Sam and Rick held the bodyguards at gunpoint and disarmed them before gesturing with the barrel of their guns for them to sit on the bed. Avery helped Emily restrain them with the cuffs and chains attached to the bed, the kinky shit coming in handy for once.

“You put Reed in danger,” Avery gritted out through clenched teeth without looking up at Emily.

“I didn’t have a choice.” She clicked the cuffs in place and stood. “They know where Landon is hiding. I had to make my move; it was either now or never.”

Avery shook her head, moved to Reed’s side, and lifted him to look at the exit wound on his back. The bullet had made a clean shot, in one side and out the other.

“We need to get Reed out of here.” She glanced up at Sam, and Rick and he shoved their guns away and moved her out of the way. Sam handed his gun to Emily before lifting Reed to carry him out fireman style. Avery and Emily took up the rear, watching behind them in the event they were followed.

Sam had the SUV just outside the exit door and hurried to lay Reed inside as the others got in. Sam slid behind the wheel. Rick had his phone pressed to his ear. “Send the maid. We need a cleaning.”

Code words for someone to come clean up the mess they’d left behind. Within ten minutes of the call, someone would come to take care of the Stuart and the guards, holding them in containment to extract information.       

****

Reed relaxed into the soft bed and turned his head toward the warmth of the light. He’d dreamt of Avery in her short dress, and within seconds, the memories came flooding back. His eyes shot open.

The room he was in wasn’t the B&B where they were staying. His jaw ached, and he reached for it, stopping short at the pull in his arm. He glanced to his side and found an IV hanging. A line attached from a drip bag ran to his arm.

Reed reached for the bandage on his shoulder and winced from his touch.

“Where am I?”

“You shouldn’t move.” Emily’s voice drifted to his ears as she rose from the seat across the room and approached the bed. “You’re in a safe house outside of town.”

“You?” Reed snarled.

Emily lifted her hands and froze in her spot. “You were shot.”

Reed’s brows dipped as he tried to remember being shot. He didn’t.

“Where’s Avery?”

“She stepped out to talk to Sam and Rick. She’ll be right back.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Two days.”

Reed let out a resigned breath before he remembered what Emily had said in the room, before the door busted in at the gentleman’s club.

“They found Landon. I’ve got to help him.” He moved to sit up and reached for the IV in his arm. Emily was by his side within seconds, trying to hold him down.

“Avery,” she hollered. “Landon is safe for now.”

Reed abandoned his efforts to get up. “But you said…”

“Stuart is a little tied up, not to mention sporting the same wound as you.”

Reed shook his head, trying to make sense out of Emily’s words. “He was shot?”

Emily’s lips twisted at the corners as she moved from the bed when Reed relaxed. “You can thank your girlfriend for that. She must really like you.”

The door flew open and Avery stood on the threshold. “Nice of you to rejoin us, Love,” she said as she stepped into the room. “You gave us a little scare.”

Avery glanced at Emily and nodded toward the door.

“Let me know if you need anything.” She gave Reed a small smile. “I am so sorry for what happened.”

Reed waited for the door to close. “What exactly happened? She said I was shot.”

“You were. Stuart knocked you out cold and then shot you. Luckily, he only got your shoulder.”

“And you returned the favor?”

Avery’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. The look was unfamiliar and turned him rock hard in seconds. Avery blushing was a sight, and he quietly wondered how he might be able to make her do it again. “He’s lucky I didn’t cut off his balls first.”

“Ouch.”

Avery crawled up next to him on the bed and rested her cheek in her palm as she held his gaze, reading him like an open book.

“Those things I said in the room…”

Avery’s lips tilted up in the corners. “You mean when you took the blame for kissing Emily, and how you were going to screw her.”

Reed swallowed. “Yeah…that.”

“I know why you said it. Stupid, but I understand.” She cupped his cheek. The warmth of her touch was familiar and gentle. She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “If you ever do anything like that again, I’ll personally beat more sense into that thick skull.”

“Emily said Stuart knew where Landon was. We have to find him before he gets himself killed, Avery.”

Avery rolled to lie on her back and stared up at the ceiling. “I sent a team in to extract Landon. They checked where I thought he’d be hiding, but he was gone.” 

“Emily said Landon was looking for her sister, Alice. Maybe he found her, and they’re on the run.”

Avery shook her head, reached for Reed’s hand, and laced their fingers together. “Stuart sent Landon into a trap, set up by the people who have Alice.”

Air in Reed’s lungs rushed out, his shoulders tightened, and he closed his eyes. “How do you know that?”

“My employer has a way of getting people to talk.”

Reed turned to meet her gaze. “What if Landon’s hurt or, God forbid, captured?”

“He’s not. Landon got out.”

“You don’t know that.”

She turned to face him again. “Yes, I do.” She gave him a small smile. “The first day I started working with Landon, we set up a code that only he and I know.”

Reed frowned, trying to push back the hope that bloomed in his chest.

“What kind of code?”

“An ad in the
New York Chronicle
.”

Avery slipped out of the bed and crossed the room, returning moments later with a paper in her hand. She read. “Sexy man wanted, must love long walks on the beach.” She grinned and glanced at him before continuing. “Must be sensitive and caring.” Her sultry voice lowered as she continued. “Only surfers need apply.”

“And he’ll know that’s you?”

“Yeah, and the series of x’s and o’s I included at the end will tell him exactly where to find me and when to meet. He checks the paper daily and knows that when he sees that ad, he’s to drop everything and meet at our designated rendezvous spot, no matter what he’s involved with.”

“What if he can’t?”

“He will.” She leaned down and kissed his lips again. “He’s already responded.”

“What? How? Did he call?”

Avery’s eyes softened, and she twisted the ad section around so he could see. She pointed to another ad in the paper.
Surf’s up, Gidget.

“Get some rest while I make you something to eat. We’re leaving in twenty-four hours for the rendezvous point.”

Chapter 7

Avery stopped Sam in the hall. Having an ex-military medic on the team was a must in her line of work. “How is he?”

“A little sore from the stitches, but it’s to be expected. The wound looks good, so that’s always a bonus. I removed the IV, so he’s mobile; just keep an eye on him and the bandage.”

The tension in Avery’s shoulders released. Losing Reed wasn’t an option, and not just because Landon would kill her. In the short time she’d spent with Reed, he’d found a way into her thoughts, digging beneath the walls she kept firmly in place. “Thanks.”

Avery walked into the empty room and stilled. The sound of running water drifted to her ears so she moved to the open bathroom door and leaned against the wall facing the bedroom window. “Reed, are you okay?”

“I wish everyone would quit asking me that.”

Avery’s lips twisted into a smile, and the clench in her chest released like a breath of fresh air. “What are you doing?”

“I saw you got my bags, so I’m taking a bath and changing clothes.”

“Are you decent?”

There was a splashing sound. “Damn it.”

Avery pushed off the wall and looked into the bathroom. Reed was already in the tub trying to grab and open the shampoo bottle with one hand. The spa-sized tub kept most of him out of her view. “Can I give you a hand?”

“Is that a loaded question?” he asked, and his grin turned mischievous.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m talking about with your hair.”

Avery flipped a switch, and the jets in the tub started, creating bubbles, and giving him cover.

“Oh, now that feels good.” He rested his head against the wall.

Avery stripped to her panties and bra, grabbed a towel and rolled it up, putting it under Reed’s arm on the side of the tub to help stabilize the movements. She gestured for Reed to move forward before she climbed in behind him. She gently guided his head back into the water, holding him from going under before she helped him to sit up. Within minutes, she had his hair washed with little complaint. Avery had risen to get out when Reed stopped her.

“Aren’t you going to wash my back too?”

“You’re pushing it, Love.”

“You know you want to,” he teased.

Avery eased back down into the warm water, picked up the soap, and lathered the suds in her hands before resting her palms on his body. Her body heated from the tiny contact, making her long for things she hadn’t realized she’d been missing.

“Do you come here often?” Reed teased.

“You’re such a nerd. Is that the best you’ve got?”

“Not by a long shot.” He chuckled when his hand landed on her leg. She ignored the connection and worked knots out of his back, careful of the bandage on his shoulder.

“Oh, that feels good.” Reed moaned, and his fingers traveled a path behind his back following the curve of her leg up to the juncture of her thighs.

Her fingers stilled, and she leaned her head against his back and closed her eyes. “I guess you never learned the lesson in school about keeping your hands to yourself.”

“I must have missed that day.”

“Obviously.”

Reed ran his fingers over the wet fabric covering her mound, teasing her.

“This would be a lot easier if we changed places.” He glanced over his shoulder and she leaned in so he could capture her lips. He rubbed harder. His fingers toyed with the elastic of her panties, and there was nothing she wanted more.

Avery rose and slid around him to stand in front of him. Reed had his hand on her leg and rubbed it up her thigh.

“You’re wearing too many clothes.” He leaned forward and kissed her leg, His hand traveled up the back of her leg to her ass. “Take them off, Avery.”

“For someone with an injury, you’re awfully demanding.” Avery reached behind her and unhooked her bra, letting it slip down her arms. She tossed it onto the bathroom floor.

“A brush with death will do that to a man.” He rubbed her leg again. “Damn, you’re beautiful. Come closer.”

Avery wiggled her pointer finger and reached for her panties, slowly sliding those down her legs. She stepped out of those, too, and tossed them over the side of the tub. She eased down into the water. His palm rested on her waist as she took his length in her hand and stroked him once before she eased his erection inside her. His girth touched every part of her, deliciously stretching her to accommodate his size.

Reed moaned, and his hand tightened on her hip as he leaned forward and took her breast into his mouth, toying with her nipple and sending an electric current straight to her core. Reed moved to the other one, running his tongue over her breast and scraping his teeth against her skin.

“I don’t do relationships,” she whispered and eased back down on him.

“We’ll change that,” he answered, pistoning his hips up to fill her completely. She held his hooded gaze and lifted up before sliding back down, increasing her movements with the need that filled her.

“No, we won’t,” she said on a breath. She moaned. “God, you feel so good.”

“Wait until I’m in control.” He kissed her chest. Water sloshed around the tub from their frenzied movements.

“You need to go back home and let me handle this.”

Reed lifted his hips again, meeting her on the down stroke. “Not a chance.”

“It’s dangerous.” Her words came out on a pant. Every nerve fiber in her body was strung tight as she built closer to the edge of her orgasm.

“I should have asked earlier. Are you on the pill?” Reed asked, slipping his fingers between them and circling her clit; the added stimulus had her channel tightening around his shaft as she fought the release.

“Yeah, and you’re changing the subject.”

“I learned from the master.” He kissed her hard. “I’m not sure I could have stopped if you’d said no.” He held her gaze. The heat in his eyes matched the intensity of the warmth coursing through her body.

“Come for me, baby. I’m not going to last,” Reed whispered and quickened the circle over her tiny bud.

“No.” She kept moving, fighting harder not to come. “You first.”

“Together.” He pressed down on her clit and lifted his hips harder.

Avery’s body tightened when her orgasm hit. Her movement stilled as she held on to him, savoring every spasm that wrung through her. Reed moaned her name, lifting his hips and spilling his seed. He moved his hand to her waist and held her to keep the connection.

She lowered her head to his good shoulder until she caught her breath. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

“We should have been doing that the entire time.”

“Reed, I don’t need a fuck buddy, and that’s all you’d be.” Avery eased off of him and stood to climb out of the water. “I was serious about you going home.”

Reed wobbled to stand, knocking the towel to the floor. “Then you should know I was serious when I said that I’m not going anywhere.”

Avery grabbed a towel from beneath the sink and dried her face and her chest. “You’re hurt. You’re no good to anyone.”

“I think I just proved that theory wrong.” Reed stepped out of the tub, and she grabbed his towel and tossed it at him.

“I don’t need any emotional ties.” She turned to leave, and he stopped her, pressing her against the door, and their eyes met.

“Nice to see you’re not emotional and clingy.” He smiled and watched her throat contract as it swallowed. “The woman I know doesn’t run from anything.”

“Shows you exactly how much you don’t know about me. I don’t stick around…for anyone.” Her eyes searched the depths of his baby blues, hoping that the resolve showed on her face. She was falling for this Love, and in her line of work, that had disaster written in bold. The first thing they’d taught her in the academy was to find her own weaknesses and come to grips with the possibilities of them being exploited. Avery had that narrowed down to one, Nonnie, and there was no way in hell she was about to make that two. Landon was close enough to being the second, and even he was a risk she hadn’t wanted to take.

“Consider me warned.” He cupped her cheek and thoroughly kissed her until her body melded against his before he pulled away. “Unless you want me to take you again, I suggest you get dressed.”

He tapped her on the ass and moved out of the doorway and into the room, where he struggled one-handed with the zipper on his bag and getting his clothes out.

“Reed, we should talk.”

“No need,” he said, sitting on the bed, trying to maneuver his track pants up his legs. “I heard you loud and clear.” He rose and pulled the pants up to his waist. “You don’t do relationships. That’s your right.”

He grabbed a T-shirt out of his bag and slid it up his bandaged arm before twisting to get it over the rest of his body. “My right is to try and convince you otherwise.”

“Reed, you’re wasting your time.” She tossed her towel at him before stomping over to her bag and yanking out her clothes. The man infuriated her. The ending would be the same, no matter what tactics he tried to implement.

“It’s my time to waste.” With a smile on his lips, Reed watched her dress.

“I’m not going to fall for you.” She glanced at him as she pulled up her panties and jeans. “I’m not the falling type. You picked the wrong girl.” Her words were ice cold, and her resolve just as frozen. She wouldn’t give him an inch, no matter what her body and her heart wanted. Not now, not ever.

“I heard you, princess.”

Princess? He did
not
just call her princess. She snapped her gaze to his and bit the inside of her cheek, trying to hold back a snappy retort that was at the tip of her tongue. “Reed, you’re a nice guy.”

“I don’t want to be nice. They finish last.”

“You’ll find a girl back home that wants to spend time with you, one that will swoon and fall at your feet. One that’s looking for a serious relationship.” The words left a sour taste in her mouth, but she pushed through. “And when you do, you’ll fall madly in love and live your happily ever after.” She pulled her shirt on and straightened her shoulders. “I’m happy with my life just the way it is. It’s easier this way.”

He gave a little nod, grabbed his backpack, and slung it over his good shoulder. “You don’t have to beat a dead horse, Avery. I heard you loud and clear; let’s call a truce. Agree to disagree. You’ll come around. I think you just need more time to admit that we’d be good together.” He glanced up at her. “In and out of bed.”

She’d never admit it, even if there was a smidgen of truth to his words.