Risking it All (6 page)

and engaged him enthusiastically. A

guttural groan met her action, the hand in

her hair tightening as he backed her

against the hallway wall.

She needed to breathe, but he seemed

unwilling to let her do so. Worked for

her. Breathing would give her time to

think, and even a tiny flash of clarity

could talk her out of this and it felt so

good
. His tongue worked deep inside

her mouth, claiming her, leaving no room

for protest. Then, oh
then
, his hips fit to

hers and began mimicking the rhythm of

his tongue. Slow, measured grinds that

were somehow a little frantic at the

same time. A thrum built between her

legs, becoming unbearable. When she

whimpered, he bent his knees and came

up more firmly between her thighs,

plastering every inch of them together.

Finally, as dizziness set in, his lips

left hers. “Jesus,” he grated at her lips.

“I said a kiss. You’re begging to be

fucked
.”

His words barely penetrated the

desire still blanketing her mind. Quick

rushes of breath seemed to be amplified

in her ears as she drew them. “I…I am?”

He searched her eyes for a moment,

his regard so intense she nearly missed

the hardness pressed against her belly.

But once she felt…it…nothing could

prevent her face from heating, reddening.

Bowen’s gaze fell to her flushed skin

and he released a tortured laugh. “Ah,

sweetheart, I don’t fuck around with

virgins.” His head dipped, teeth closing

around her ear and tugging. “But I’ll get

down on my knees and eat that untouched

pussy like a motherfucker.”

“Well, shit, Driscol. Looks like

you’ve met my new waitress.”

Hogan’s

voice

brought

Sera’s

surroundings back to her in a blinding

flash. She shoved out from underneath

the hard body pinning her to the wall,

needing to escape into the dining room

before her mortification swallowed her

whole. But Hogan’s words halted her in

her tracks.

Driscol
. She’d heard that name

before. Countless times.

When it hit Sera whom exactly she’d

just let kiss her within an inch of her life,

it took all her willpower not to buckle

on the spot.

She’d just made out with Bowen

Driscol, recent heir to South Brooklyn’s

most ruthless criminal enterprise.

CHAPTER FOUR

Hear that? It’s the sound of your plan

backfiring. Twice.

Doing his best to appear unconcerned

at Hogan’s sudden arrival, Bowen

watched Sera’s face as she processed

her boss’s words. His last name and

everything that came along with it. Why

did he feel a surge of pride when she

didn’t even flinch? He could pile it right

on top of every other insane reaction

he’d had to her since walking into Rush,

because he sure as hell didn’t have a

fucking clue. While he might not

understand the fierce urge to protect a

virtual stranger, one thing had become

instantly clear. He wasn’t leaving her

there to fend for herself. Not a chance.

When they’d briefed him at police

headquarters, he’d told them he would

do this his own way or not at all. It

would be a cold day in hell before he

took orders from the police, so they

would have to trust him to handle it.

When Newsom had balked at this

condition, he’d managed to convince him

that the closer the cops came to Sera, the

more danger she would be in. He’d

meant it, too. Everyone in this

neighborhood knew one another. They

craved the familiar.

It was one of the reasons he knew

Sera’s time was limited.

Already, the idea of her being harmed

had him by the throat.
She’d
had him by

the damn throat since the moment he’d

arrived. After seeing the photograph of

her, he’d expected to walk in and find a

wide-eyed Girl Scout seconds from her

death. Only half of that expectation had

come true. There was innocence, so

much innocence, but she’d done a bang-

up job hiding it underneath skintight

jeans and a crop top. Rich brown hair,

drizzled with a honey color, brushed

where he knew her nipples would be if

he lifted her shirt. Just enough makeup to

fit in without looking unnatural, like

most of the girls who frequented Rush.

No spray tan, no glittery eye goop, just a

rosy glow that made his hands itch to

touch her skin. On sight, she’d affected

him so much it hurt to look at her, while

at the same time it hurt worse to look

away. Then her lips parted and that

husky voice had come out, stroking over

every inch of his body.

At that moment, his game plan had

changed from simply making her casual

acquaintance to daring anyone to come

within ten feet of her. And the quickest

way to ensure her safety, in his mind,

had been to put a stamp of ownership on

her. Right there in the middle of Rush.

Which is about when his plan had

gone to shit. Anyone who knew him was

aware that Bowen’s relationships ended

as quickly as they started. Usually within

the same night. It only took a few

whispered words and a nod toward the

door to convince a girl to leave with

him. He sure as hell didn’t dry-hump

them in plain view of the dining room,

keeping his mouth locked to theirs until

his brain forced him to breathe. Like

he’d done with Sera, right in front of

several neighborhood lifers who were

no doubt more curious about her than

before his ass had ever walked through

the door. So, yeah. Now instead of

Bowen’s latest hookup
, she’d become a

possible target.

B u t
Christ.
She’d tasted so damn

good. With her perfection pressed up

against him, her eager tongue tangling

with his, he’d lost his cool. That kiss

had complicated the shit out of

everything. A virgin. She hadn’t needed

to say it out loud; he’d seen the answer

in her eyes, the surprised noise she made

when he’d shoved up between her legs.

No time to think about that now,

though. He was the only thing standing

between her and possible death. Time

for damage control. He adopted his best

shit-eating grin and faced Hogan. As

he’d anticipated, the man looked

suspicious. “Someone’s got to keep the

waitresses in line when you’re not

around, right?” Bowen put his hand out

and after a slight hesitation, Hogan

shook it. “I came by to talk. Guess I got a

little distracted.”

Hogan still appeared dubious, but he

nodded once. “Can’t say I blame you.

She’s quite the little distraction.”

It took every ounce of Bowen’s

control not to grab Hogan by the throat

when he gave Sera a lustful once-over.

“Why don’t we let her get back to

work?” Hogan’s features tightened at

Bowen’s

not-so-subtle

command,

warning him to reel back his obvious

interest in Sera. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

Hogan very deliberately rubbed his

jaw. “All right, Driscol.” He turned his

hard gaze on Sera. “Enough standing

around. You’re downstairs to serve

drinks.”

Fists clenched so hard he thought the

bones might shatter, Bowen followed

Hogan to the bar. He somehow resisted

the impulse to turn around and gauge

Sera’s expression. Pass on some sort of

reassurance that he’d handle Hogan. But

not only would she reject such

reassurance from him, she didn’t know

he was on her side.

And she couldn’t know. He’d agreed

to keep his involvement in the

investigation from her. Newsom had

explained that his niece’s stubborn

nature might cause her to make rash

decisions if she knew the police were

monitoring her, possibly getting ready to

swoop in and put an end to her

impulsive mission.
She’s got nothing to

lose
, he’d said.
No care for her own

well-being
. Bowen damn well wished

he hadn’t agreed to that condition now

so he could talk some sense into her.

When he reached the seat he’d left

vacant what felt like hours ago, he slid

onto the stool and signaled for a

whiskey. God only knew how much he

needed it.

Hogan took the seat beside him,

looking thoughtful. “You know, I hadn’t

quite decided not to have her for

myself.” One by one, he popped his

knuckles. “How was she?”

Stay calm. Stay calm.
“I wouldn’t

know. You interrupted us before we got

to the good part, man.”

The other man smiled tightly. “Are

you expecting an apology?” He picked

up the shot of top-shelf tequila the

bartender had placed in front of him. “I

don’t know if I like you coming into my

club, handling my waitress. We might be

making peace, but that doesn’t mean I

have an open-door policy.”

Since he would rather chew nails than

apologize,

Bowen

stayed

silent.

Eventually, Hogan laughed and slapped

him on the back, making him stiffen.

“So let’s talk.” Hogan leaned close.

“Everything still in order for next

week’s shipment?”

He nodded, the familiar pit opening in

his stomach that always came when

discussing business. “All set. I need to

know what kind of manpower you’re

bringing, so I can match it. With that

much cargo, we’ll need a decent number,

but they’ve all got to be trustworthy. No

last-minute additions.”

Hogan rubbed his palms together,

turned on by the promise of the

upcoming score. “Not a problem. I’ve

handpicked every one of them. They

know what happens if they talk.”

Rapping the bar with one hand, he

looked back toward the dining room.

“I’m not taking any chances with this

one. It’s too big. Which is why I hope

you got the waitress out of your system.”

Bowen’s blood ran cold. “Meaning?”

Hogan’s voice dipped low. “I kept her

around because one of my guys got his

ass shot a couple weeks back. She

seemed to know what the fuck she was

doing, and I sure as hell didn’t have time

to play nurse to anyone. So I brought her

here.” He shrugged. “He’s up and

around now. And she’s not exactly

waitress of the year. In fact, there’s

something about her…”

“Besides

those

legs?”

Bowen

interjected, wanting to distract Hogan

from that suspicious line of thinking.

He acknowledged Bowen’s comment

with a cold smirk. “She’s been around

too long. I can’t be sure what she’s

heard or seen.” A touch of concern laced

his tone. “Anyway, in the spirit of taking

no chances leading up to this next

shipment, I’m not keeping an outsider

around longer than necessary.”

The clawing in Bowen’s throat was

back. “Seems a little hasty, doesn’t it?”

His comment earned him a jab in the

shoulder. Hogan actually had the nerve

to look amused after so casually

mentioning his decision to get rid of

Sera. “Should I take that to mean she’s

not out of your system yet?”

Hating the words he was about to say,

Bowen made an indifferent gesture. “I

wouldn’t mind finishing what we started

first.” His stomach turned over. “After

that, it’s none of my business.”

Hogan leaned back on his stool, eyes

focused sharply on Bowen. “Tell you

what. I’m heading to my Jersey club for

a week to knock some heads together.

Until

I

get

back,

she’s

your

responsibility.” One of his shoulders

lifted. “Why not let you have your fun?”