SiNN (9 page)

He interrupted, “I never said—I never thought…” His words
trailed off.

“From the moment I saw you and Jake at The Second Circle, I
wanted you both,” she said, then glanced over at Jake. “And you wanted me,
don’t deny it.”

Jake did not. Stark passion transformed his features, making
him look as uncivilized as he had outside.

“We’re here to protect you,” Toby insisted.

With his unyielding answer, Lea spoke quietly, “I need more
than your protection. I don’t want to think about the coming days when I’m
alone again, all right? I’ve had a lifetime of that. I’ll have nothing but it
in the future. Tonight, right now, I need the comfort of someone who wants me
as badly as I want him. Are you going to give that to me or not?”

His jaw tightened. Red blotches darkened his tanned forehead
and cheeks.

“Have it your way,” Lea said, then went to Jake. Standing
before him, she unhooked her bra and pulled it off, dropping it on the floor at
his feet.

He didn’t bother to look at the discarded garment. His full
attention was on her naked breasts.

As she had during her performance, Lea licked her
forefinger, running the moisture over her nipples, constricting the areolas
even more.

Jake pulled in a strained breath.

Encouraging his response, Lea arched her back, displaying
herself.

“How about you?” she asked, running her fingers down the
buttons on his shirt, stopping just short of the meaty bulge behind his fly.
“Are you man enough to give me what we both want?”

She’d meant her ultimatum to provoke and entice.

It worked.

On a barely restrained growl, Jake moved into her. Cupping
Lea’s face in his palms, he tilted her head so she’d have no option but to look
at him, to see what he desired.

Her lids fluttered at his thumbs stroking her cheeks, so
downy they made thinking impossible. She breathed shallowly, sighing out her
air. He liked that. He demanded her, knowing how crazy this was, but not caring
about propriety or rules any more than she did.

In a few days, they’d never see each other again. They’d
have nothing more than memories when Jake would have liked more. Her background
was as fucked up as his, her future as incomplete. Together they might have
been able to repair the damage, if not for Cubrero.

Intolerable hatred flared in Jake, shaking him to his core.
He wanted to tear the prick apart with his bare hands, to hammer him with his
fists until Cubrero screamed for mercy, which Jake wouldn’t give. For what
Cubrero planned to do to Lea, how he’d already screwed her future, he would
pay.

Not tonight though. Nor tomorrow. But he would suffer. Jake
was going to make certain of it.

Not wanting to frighten Lea with his fury, Jake curbed his
emotions and edged even closer, his thighs touching hers.

She sagged against him.

Toby snapped, “Jake.”

He ignored the man.

“Dammit, Jake.”

“I’m not stopping,” he said to his partner as his focus
remained on Lea, her obvious yearning, the drugged look already in her eyes.
“Do whatever the hell you want, but this is going to happen.”

At his promise, Lea’s expression grew even more submissive,
telling him she’d do all that he demanded, denying him nothing.

Swearing beneath his breath, Toby strode to the fireplace,
smacking the heel of his hand against the mantel.

Lea pressed into Jake with the noise. She whispered, “Will
he watch?”

Jake nodded, knowing Toby better than the man knew himself.

“Do you mind?” she asked.

“No.” Slipping his hand to the back of her head, Jake drove
his fingers through her thick mane, keeping her still.

Imprisoned, she parted her lips, her breathing ragged.

Not good enough. Jake wanted her breathless, limp with
arousal, crazy with desire. The real deal, not the performance she’d put on at
the club. For him, there’d be no pretending, just naked, irresistible need.

Leaning down, he brushed his lips over hers, tempting and
teasing, proving in this act, and for the rest of the night, he’d command and
she’d submit. Whenever he wanted. Wherever he wanted. At his pace, not hers.

On a throaty moan, Lea ran her hands up his back, fisting
his shirt in her fingers, tugging the fabric, wordlessly telling him she wanted
more.

In time. For now, Jake drew the tip of his tongue across the
seam of her mouth.

Whimpering, she parted her lips, inviting him inside.

Not yet.

His free hand went to her achingly soft breast, covering it,
owning it, his thumb rubbing her nipple. The nub was so hot and hard, so
incredibly female, he couldn’t pull in enough air.

Mercilessly, Lea ground her cunt into him, taunting his
cock, hardened to the point of pain.

Making a noise that sounded more animal than human, he
tightened his fingers on her scalp and thrust his tongue into her mouth,
filling her fully. Her intense heat, the sheer pleasure of being inside her,
caught Jake off guard, making his thoughts spin, causing his knees to sink.

He locked them. Dropping his hand to her waist, he wrapped
his arm tightly around her so Lea couldn’t get away from him.

She didn’t try. Her nipples poked his chest, her breasts
pushed into him, reminding Jake of their size and weight.

With his hand on her back, he forced her body even closer.

She made primitive noises that matched his, their kiss
sloppy, impassioned, deep.

Exactly what every man lived for. Even Toby. Jake sensed his
partner watching him and Lea. No doubt frowning.

Too fucking bad. Nothing short of Toby’s gun to Jake’s
temple would stop this.

Angling his mouth for greater penetration, Jake swept his
tongue over Lea’s, liking how soft it was, how good she tasted. Who the fuck
needed food or booze when this was available? On a low, needy groan, Jake
kissed her even harder, with less finesse than he would have liked. He was back
to being that kid on the reservation, reckless with passion, wanting what he’d
been denied for too long. Afraid it wouldn’t last.

It wouldn’t.

The thought encouraged Jake to lose himself in Lea’s
scent—musky, yet fresh, with a hint of melon—to enjoy having her body against
his. Her ripe curves were the stuff of men’s wet dreams, her height expected,
but she was also narrow, decidedly delicate, and here he was behaving like a
fucking bruiser.

He gentled his kiss and eased his hold on her.

At the change in his behavior, Lea paused, no longer sucking
his tongue. In the next moment, she dug her nails into his back and forced him
from her mouth so she could fill him with her tongue instead.

Maybe she wasn’t so delicate after all.

He really liked that.

Holding her as tightly as he wanted, proving his strength,
Jake suckled her even deeper and squeezed her breast, using her with a right
she’d given him. Hell, she’d practically dared him not to do this.

He’d accepted and crossed that particular line. There was no
turning back now. He wanted far, far more. Every fucking thing, not just a damn
kiss.

Pulling his mouth from Lea’s, Jake looked down at her.

Long lashes rested on her cheeks, nicely rosy from his
passion. Her bruised lips were parted and damp.

He waited as she forced her lids to open. She blinked slowly
as though trying to focus.

Proud of what he’d accomplished with her, Jake grinned.

Toby adjusted his weight, his shoes tapping the floor.

Lea didn’t appear to notice, or if she did, she wasn’t
letting on. Running her fingers down the buttons on his shirt, she breathed,
“Take it off.”

He never got the chance. Lea grabbed his shirt and tugged so
hard, the fabric ripped. Buttons flew everywhere, one of them striking his
chin.

Jake lifted his brows.

“Sorry,” she said, sounding unrepentant as she planted her
palms on his torso.

He swallowed convulsively at the heat of her hands, the way
her fingers stroked his flesh as she worked her way up to his pecs.

She cupped his muscles, kneading them as he had fondled her,
her thumbs dragging over his nipples.

Jesus. What she was doing sent a surge of heat to his cock,
thickening it even more, making the fucker really hurt.

“More,” she insisted, sounding as if she’d reached the end
of her patience.

And he hadn’t?

Before Jake could reclaim control of the act, Lea slipped
her hands beneath the top of his shirt, dragging it over his shoulders,
stopping at his left biceps.

Her already sultry expression grew downright wanton, her
delicate nostrils flaring slightly as she stared at his tattoo. A black tribal
band of stylized figures curved in all directions and ended in sharpened
points.

She spoke on a sigh, “Wow.”

He grinned. Stupidly, he suspected, and didn’t care. “You
like?”

“Oh yeah.” She ran her tongue over its length.

Jake nearly choked on his swallow. Shivering at the feel of
her hot, wet tongue, he jerked at what she did next. “Hey.”

Paying him no heed, Lea bit his arm again. It wasn’t exactly
painful, but certainly unexpected.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You don’t know?”

He arched a brow at her sass. “You break skin and you’re
going to regret it.”

“That right?” She gave him a defiant look, then turned back
to his arm and nipped him again.

Sensing what game she wanted to play, Jake intended to give
it to her—just as soon as he could move freely. He twisted his other arm,
trying to pull it through the sleeve. The damn thing fought him.

Lea made a contented sound, her teeth continuing to scrape
him.

Screw that. Working the shirt back up to his shoulder, Jake
wrapped his arm around her waist, hauling her away from his biceps and into his
chest.

With slow deliberation, she lifted her face to his. “What
are you doing?”

“You don’t know?” With his free hand, he swatted her ass.

Lea’s lids fluttered. Her words hushed out on a sigh. “Gonna
spank me?”

“If you deserve it, I sure as fuck will.”

Undeterred, she twisted her torso to get back at his arm.
Smiling inwardly, Jake swatted her again, harder this time, the crack mingling
with the tap of footfalls.

In his peripheral vision, Jake saw Toby moving from the
mantel to stand behind one of the chairs, his fingers gripping the leather, no
doubt to keep him from advancing further.

Lea turned at the sound, not quite looking at Toby, but not
ignoring him either. More color flooded her face, making it even rosier.

“You want me to obey,” she murmured to Jake, her eyes
hooded.

“I expect it,” he said.

She seemed to wilt in his arms, her submission more complete
than Jake would have anticipated or hoped.

“Yes, sir,” she breathed, pressing her mouth to his throat,
flicking her tongue over his skin.

The top of his head tingled, his hair practically standing
on end. Losing all of his breath on a hard sigh, Jake had to tighten his legs
to keep from staggering back.

Lea continued to suckle, sliding her hands to either side of
his torso, pushing against his arm, clearly wanting Jake to loosen his grip.

He had no choice. Every part of him—except for his
persistently hard cock—had gone limp at the first sweep of her tongue.

She used it well as she trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses on
his pecs and down his torso, causing his muscles to dance and his skin to burn.

Mouth hanging open, Jake gulped air.

On her knees, Lea gripped his ass in her hands, keeping him
still as she speared her tongue into his navel.

He groaned. Not like the man he was, but as the kid he used
to be, unable to control his spiraling lust.

Lea encouraged it, lapping the dark line of hair beneath his
navel, slipping his jeans’ button through its hole. Despite his harsh
breathing, Jake still heard the metal rasp of her lowering his fly.

Somehow, the sound reminded him of his gun. He couldn’t
believe he’d forgotten about it.

“Wait,” he said.

Lea’s hands stalled on him. “No. Why?”

He heard her caution and the disappointment beneath it.
Before it really bummed her, he explained, “My gun. I need to take it off.”
Removing his waistband’s side holster, he looked for the best place to put it,
while also ignoring Toby and what he sensed was the man’s hard frown.

Selecting the chair nearest him, Jake placed his holstered
gun and his watch on it, then returned to Lea.

She stared at his weapon.

“Does it frighten you?” Jake asked.

“No. It’s just bigger than I imagined it would be. Really
huge.”

He appreciated her obvious awe, hoping she’d say the same
when it came to his stiffened rod. “Take out my cock,” he ordered, not
recognizing or particularly liking the plea in his words. “Now.”

Her fingers returned to his groin, but she took her time,
sneaking her forefinger past the placket of his Jockeys, stroking his hard
length.

A sensation unlike any he’d experienced ripped through Jake,
sending him to his toes. Damn. “Take it fucking out,” he growled.

“Absolutely,” Lea said, far more serene, clearly in command
now. With her thumbs beneath his jeans’ waistband and the elastic of his
boxers, she shoved his clothing to his knees.

Freed, his cock bounced, bumping Lea’s chin. Even that bit
of friction was unbearable for Jake. Shoulders bunched, he huffed out air, then
made a strangled sound at Lea’s fingers curling around his length, her other
hand cupping his balls.

“Don’t leave me,” she murmured.

Was she joking? How could he? Jake lowered his face and
looked at her.

Lea gave him a smile both pleading and hopeful, then on a
wanton moan, pressed her face into his thick, dark bush.

Chapter Five