Stealing His Thunder (Masters of Adrenaline) (14 page)

But Fox had shut that plan down.

Could Luke turn into an ally? Did she even want to work with them anymore? Luke seemed a little more lenient than Fox. Maybe she could win him over and join the group without landing in anyone’s bed.

But god damn did she enjoy his bed. Her past partners were shit at dirty talk compared to Fox. He could melt her with just a few words. And the way he’d commanded her body . . . No one else had ever been able to put her in subspace, to hurt her so good, to make her come so hard.

As for other feelings she’d started having for him, she didn’t even want to think about all the crying she’d been doing, or the fact that it probably meant it’d been about more than sex for her.

She gave her head a shake. That was over. Time to get down to business. “Give me the broom,” she said, putting out her hand. “I’ll sweep up out here.”

He grimaced. “I don’t know. Fox will be back soon. I don’t think he’ll like you being here.”

“Let me deal with him,” she said, braver than she felt. “I’ll just leave when he gets here.” When he still seemed torn, she pressed. “Come on. If this shop is the best, we need to get it fixed up. My dad’s car is a piece of junk and he can’t afford a new one. I need someone I can trust to fix it.”

Luke gave in with a sigh. “Fine.” He shoved the broom at her. “But if Fox is pissed, don’t blame me.”

She swallowed hard. Did she secretly want to see him again? Was that what this was about? Duh. Of course it was. Maybe a bit of closure would help. An official breakup. Or maybe another chance at getting into the group, at least peripherally. Maybe if she told him why the stakes were so high, he’d have pity and let her join them.

She snorted at herself. Yeah right. She was delusional. The best course of action would be to sneak away as soon as she saw his car come down the road. Or just be a freakin’ genius and leave now.

Avoidance. She didn’t usually do things that way. She was a head-on confronter, but she still couldn’t control her emotions when it came to him, and the last thing she needed was to show weakness in front of the very group she had lingering hopes might accept her.

The two worked, side by side. Luke was pleasant, joked and smiled a lot. Way more than Fox did. But there was no sizzle between them—no chemistry. Not like with his cousin, who’d woken senses the second she’d met him.

Luke turned on an old radio he’d found in the back room, which made the job seem to go faster. She swept the glass as she hummed along to the songs, not minding when Luke grinned a few times at her singing.

About half an hour later, another car pulled up. It was Fox.

For some reason, she didn’t bolt for her dad’s car and drive off. Sometimes she was too stubborn to take the easy way out. Her body froze in place and her chest tightened as she watched him get out of the vehicle with his brother, Atlas, right behind him. They grabbed cans of paint from the trunk then headed toward the shop.

When he spotted her, he stopped in his tracks. For a moment she forgot to breathe.

“What are you doing here?” Fox snapped.

Luke emerged from the shop and winced.

Fox looked at his cousin. “What the hell is she doing here?”

“Chill out,” Luke answered. “She brought her dad’s car in for repairs then offered to help sweep. It’s not a big deal.”

Fox put the cans on the ground. “Her dad’s car? Here of all places?” He narrowed his eyes at his cousin. “What have the two of you been doing? How long has she been here?” He shifted his gaze to her, looking suspicious. “Why are you dressed like that?”

What? She looked down at her V-neck shirt and flirty skirt. What was wrong with what she was wearing?

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Luke protested. “I’d never invade your territory, Fox. You know that.”

Territory? Anger boiled up in her gut mixed with a deep sadness that came with being rejected. She was his territory, but he didn’t want her. How did that make any sense? Obviously just being friends with them wasn’t going to work. That approach had been a stupid idea anyway—she’d burned the “only friends” bridge when she’d started sleeping with Fox.

“I was just leaving,” she murmured. “Obviously you can’t stand the sight of me so I’ll just go.” She leaned the broom up against the wall then made for her dad’s car.

Fox stepped in her path. “It’s not like that, Addison.”

“What’s it like then?” She glared at him. “Enlighten me.”

He stared at her for a long moment. She tried to look away, to tell herself she didn’t care, to walk away and not look back, but she was helpless to do anything but continue to stare, searching for some small amount of hope.

Stupid, stupid girl.

Even after all of this—the anger and dejection—she was still attracted to him. Like the end of a magnet, she was always pulled toward him. In his ratty old painting shirt that clung to his long, hard, tattooed muscles like a second skin, and his jeans riddled with holes, he looked more fuckable than ever. His reddish-blond Mohawk was tied back in a topknot, probably to keep it out of his way for work, and it drew her attention to his strong jaw and beautiful blue eyes.

However lame and self-destructive it might be, she still cared about him.

“I explained about Marcel,” Luke said, pulling her from her thoughts. “You might as well tell her the rest and stop being an idiot.”

Fox grabbed her hand and towed her into the building, past the wreckage, and into an office in the back. A large desk dominated the space while filing cabinets and shelves filled the rest. This was the one room left untouched by the thugs and she figured either the door had been too hard to break through, or maybe they just hadn’t bothered.

Fox shut the door behind them.

She backed away then leaned up against the desk. He followed her, pressing his body against hers. When she tried to slide out of the way, he gripped the back of her neck and held her in place.

Inches from her face, he whispered harshly, “The last thing I wanted to do was hurt your feelings.” For some reason, the grave look in his eye made her believe him. “But we have enemies. I don’t want you tangled up in this.”

Being in his arms, no matter how aggravating and stubborn he was being, made her will melt away. Was he going to kiss her?

“I can take care of myself,” she said, her voice sounding smaller than she’d meant it to.

“That’s not how I work and you know it.” His hand tangled in her hair, and excitement flared through her.

Of course it wasn’t how he worked. Fox was used to being in charge. It made her simultaneously want to smack him and crawl to him. She warred with herself for a moment while he held her in place, letting her feel the power he had over her. Her thighs clenched and she felt her body trying to respond to him, but she held back, not wanting to make a fool of herself.

He pulled her head to the side then kissed her exposed neck. Shivers chased up her spine and he grazed her skin with his teeth. Helpless to resist him, she groaned.

Damn him.

“You’re too important to risk,” he said in her ear.

What? Her eyes rolled back as lust tried to overtake her, but she fought past it, trying to focus on his words. She was important to him? That changed things. She’d written him off, convinced she’d just been the flavor of the week and he’d gotten bored of her.

But important also made her angry. Three days of confusion, of hurt, of wondering what she’d done wrong. And for what?

She pushed weakly at his chest, but he didn’t budge. His mouth moved to her ear, under her jaw, then to her lips. They kissed, fervently, passionately, and she put every ounce of frustration into it.

Mind spinning, she managed to pull away enough to say, “You didn’t make me feel important. I texted you and you ignored me.”

“I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against him. Then he turned her and walked her backward. “It was a shitty way to keep you safe.” He pushed her up against the wall. It was hard and cold against her back and made her feel pleasantly trapped.

But was he only into her for the sex? That hadn’t been ruled out, and the idea stung. She’d thought there was more developing between them—an emotional connection. Yeah, the chemistry was off the charts, but she wasn’t interested in a perpetual booty call. The revelation shocked her. She’d been thinking Fox was a fling, but until he’d ended it, she hadn’t realized how much it wasn’t a fling at all.

He cradled her face. “Have I mentioned I missed you?” In that moment she saw vulnerability there, and sincerity. From his expression, he didn’t mean he missed fucking her. The soft brush of his lips on hers made the last of her objections melt away. When he pressed his forehead to hers and just stared into her eyes, she had to reel her heart back into her chest.

“You smell like you.” He sighed. His nostrils flared and his jaw clenched as though he was at war with himself too. “Fuck, you make me crazy.” He kissed her again and at the same time, dragged his hand up one of her thighs.

Tingles followed in his hand’s wake. Heat knotted low in her belly. They could argue later. She wanted him inside her. Now.

“I hate you,” she said unconvincingly against his mouth. She couldn’t make things too easy for him. And he made her just as crazy as he claimed she made him.

“No, you don’t.”

She groaned. “I want to.”

“But you can’t.” He leaned back to look in her eyes again. “Just like I can’t stay away from you, even if it’s selfish of me to put you in danger.”

She didn’t want him to stay away.

Abruptly, he stepped back. “Put your hands above your head and keep them there.”

“Fuck you, Fox,” she spat. She didn’t take orders from him anymore. But heat rushed to her groin, and her nipples hardened. What she should have said was “fuck me, Fox,” but it was too late now.

His answering grin was feral and not at all comforting. “That’s my feisty girl.” In one move, he had both her wrists in one of his hands and pinned to the wall above her. “And that should have been ‘yes, Fox.’”

“We’re not in the bedroom. You don’t get to boss me around out here.”

“Does it look like I care?”

No, it looks like you want to fuck me against this wall.

“You’re mine, Addison,” he growled. “No matter where we are.” He grabbed her pussy and she gasped. “Do you understand me, woman?”

She moaned and her eyes fell closed. He slipped his fingers inside her panties and stroked between her labia to pinch her clit. She squeaked. God, the wonderful, terrible things he did to her body.

Before she could stop herself, she murmured, “Yes, Fox.”

Fox kissed her hard and she melted against him, whimpering into his mouth as he pulled his fingers away from her slick heat and hooked them into the waistband of her panties. He drew them down, breaking the kiss to crouch and slide them off. She held his shoulders and stepped out of them and he got a flash of her sexy thighs.

“Oh my god,” she whispered furtively. “You’re going to fuck me here, with everyone outside the door?”

As he stood again and tucked her panties in his pocket, he arched a brow. “I could open the door and let them in. I’m sure they’d love to watch.”

Wide eyes grew wider, as though the thought both horrified and intrigued her.

Enough with the damn talk. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her, then shoved her roughly against the wall. Her soft cry of distress heated his blood.

It had only been a few days, but he hadn’t stopped thinking about her. About this. Maybe it was bordering on obsession, but how could he be expected to resist her when her reactions said she wanted him just as badly?

She sobbed low in her throat and pressed her sexy ass back against him. Unable to resist, he lifted the hem of her skirt, skimming it up her blessedly plump bottom and draping it over her lower back. Several urges warred. He wanted to bite her, to mark her creamy skin, to grope the globes of her ass with rough hands, to fuck her hard from behind.

He was only human, and they only had so much time alone in here. How was he supposed to make this kind of decision?

With trembling, hasty hands he unfastened his jeans, thankful he’d been carrying a condom everywhere with him for the past few days, just in case he ran into her. Maybe it was creepy but he didn’t regret it now. It had been a pipe dream—he’d never expected her to actually turn up or let him do this, until he’d seen his own desire mirrored in her eyes. Being apart had apparently sucked for her too. As soon as he could calm down long enough to roll the damned condom on, he yanked off his shirt and crowded into her again.

“Brace yourself against the wall,” he growled roughly in her ear.

A high, impatient whimper was followed by her forearms coming up as he’d directed. The way she shoved her ass out at him again spoke volumes. Maybe she was still pissed at him, but she responded to his dominance like she couldn’t resist. Her reactions to him were a potent aphrodisiac.

Attempting to rein himself in and be gentle failed. The wet heat of her and the scent of her arousal overwhelmed him and he plunged into her. The second thrust was hard enough that her feet left the floor. Her cries rang through the small space as he fucked her with slow, violent thrusts.

He wanted to fuck her hard and give her aches to remember him by in case this was the last time they were together. He was half-delirious from the way her pussy clutched at his cock, and how eagerly she took him. Wrapping his hand around her pretty throat just to remind her who was boss made her moan aloud.

God, she was so perfect.

When he caught her stiff little clit between his fingers and rolled it, she shuddered against his chest then stilled.

“No, no . . .” she whimpered. Her pussy fluttered around him, and he tried to distract himself by shutting his eyes, but the scent of her painted a picture in his mind that the insides of his eyelids couldn’t banish.

“Are you going to come for me, baby?”

“Nooo.” The anguished word was a thing of beauty. She was fighting the orgasm so hard, but from the tension in her luscious body, she was going to have to give in. Frozen in place, tremulous, she was like a leaf in a gale.

“Come on, Addison. I want to feel your hot little cunt come all over my cock.”

The sound of her sobbing made his balls impossibly tight. Painful.

Leverage . . . he needed more before she lost control. He slid his hand off of her throat and braced against the wall before pinching her clit hard between his fingers.

Her screech rang in his ears. Tight heat clamped around his cock, attempting to milk him of his sanity.

Fuck.

He tried to breathe through it. Delaying his orgasm while watching her struggle through her own was sweet agony. When her arms gave out, he crushed her against the wall, fucking her hard. His own grunts were loud in his ears. She was helpless, her body yielding to him, clutching at his through a relentless orgasm. Unable to hold back any longer, tension sang through him. The last of his control vanished. He covered her with his body, jamming his cock up inside her over and over. The orgasm shuddered through him with shocking force. He tried to control his thrusts, tried not to hurt her, but she took what he gave her and screamed in pleasure until he’d given her everything he had.

Shuddering, she sagged in his arms. He held her there, trapped between him and the wall, both of them panting for breath. He bit her earlobe and sucked it into his mouth. She quivered and cried out, then mewled when he moved his attentions to her neck. An aftershock fluttered through her and they both moaned. He nuzzled the side of her face and brushed his lips along one of her high cheekbones. God, she was gorgeous. Her face and neck were mottled pink. He longed to kiss her mouth, but it was too awkward in this position.

“Sorry I was so rough. Are you okay?” he asked. She was so small compared to him. He really needed to learn more control around her.

“Yeah, I think so.” Her laugh was shaky.

When her legs took responsibility for holding her up again, he regretfully pulled out, his cock almost ready for another round. She gasped at his withdrawal and turned to blink up at him.

“Do you think the music drowned us out?”

Would lying make her feel better? Only for a few minutes, until she found out the truth.

“We were pretty loud.”

She closed her eyes and a bright blush stained her cheeks. “Fuck.”

“Again?” he teased.

“I think I need a Tylenol before I even entertain that idea.”

He smiled apologetically and she smiled back, and suddenly he felt the need to make himself busy doing something besides stare at her like a lovesick calf.

There was a box of tissues on the desk, and he made short work of cleaning up and getting rid of the condom. He pulled up his jeans. Hell, this was the first vanilla sex he’d had in years, but there’d been no way to slow down and get fancy this time. What was it about her that made him feel so out of control?

“Just remember, if they say anything, they’re just jealous.”

She nodded. “This doesn’t change anything, Fox. You can’t bribe me with orgasms. I’m still pissed about you cutting me out of things.”

A combination of anger and fear crowded in. “Have you taken a look around this shop, Addison? What we’re doing is dangerous. This life is dangerous. I shouldn’t even let you hang around with us. I was doing so well staying away from you then you had to show up here looking like that.” He raked her with his gaze, and she shyly ducked her head. God, how was he ever going to end things? It was for her own good, but not seeing her made him crazy.

“Why didn’t you just tell me what happened?”

“You didn’t give me time to explain.” He pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and brought his mouth down on hers. They kissed for a few minutes before he drew back. “I also realized that if you were pissed at me you’d stay away.”

She kissed him again, and he allowed himself to enjoy the moment of being with her and not needing anything else right then. Inside him something stirred. He . . . liked this little hellion. Far too much.

“I thought you suddenly didn’t respect my abilities or something.” She bit her lip, looking up at him. The reproach in her eyes was hard to live with. “Just because I submitted to you doesn’t mean I’m helpless, or useless as a thief.”

Shit. Where had she gotten that impression? It wasn’t the time to replay their fight in his head now. He rolled out Jimmy’s desk chair and sat, then pulled her down into his lap. “Fuck no. Never that. I’m sorry it came across that way.” He hugged her, but he could sense she still wasn’t happy.

“You’re not my daddy, Fox. I’m still going to steal cars with or without your involvement. I need the money, and I love doing it. If I told
you
it was dangerous, you’d blow me off and tell me to mind my own fucking business.”

He tried to stay calm. Why did she have to be so damn stubborn?

“This isn’t about being controlling, Addison. It’s about very real danger from a man who doesn’t make threats lightly. I know you feel like you’re tough, but you can’t fight off a bunch of his thugs if you get jumped. They might seriously hurt you even if they just mean to scare you. You’re so small . . .” Did she think she was invincible? One regular-sized guy could put her in the hospital, let alone a group of Marcel’s goons. Even if she was carrying mace and knew self-defense it wouldn’t make him feel any better, and he didn’t get the impression she was secretly a black belt in karate.

She shrugged. “I need money and my other job is never going to give me that kind of cash. It’s either this or I start stripping. The problem is, I’m lazy and like pizza.”

A laugh burst from his lips. Crazy girl. He sighed and shook his head. Of course she didn’t have to listen to him, but he also didn’t want to let her put herself at risk. Maybe she’d settle for a compromise.

“For now, the best I can do is let you help us plan things and work on gadgets. You’ll get a cut, but I don’t want you out on jobs. Not until Marcel chills the fuck out. In a few weeks this should blow over, but for now it’s too dangerous.”

“This honestly isn’t because you think my work is shit?”

“Oh, for fucksakes, Addison. You’ve got a gift for this. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. There are extenuating circumstances right now.”

The eye roll that won was pretty much expected, but she relaxed against him. “Fine. But I won’t be happy with this arrangement forever. Just until you get Marcel off your back.”

“Okay.”

“And give me back my panties, you bastard,” she whispered harshly, holding out an expectant hand. “I’m not going out there commando.”

He chuckled, having forgotten they were in his back pocket.

“But I wanted to go hang them from my rearview mirror. I’m sure the guys would keep you company while I go out to do that.”

Addison gave him what she probably considered a death glare, but was more disgruntled kitten frowning. “Give them to me now, or else.”

“Or else what?” He smirked at her, just to piss her off.

Her glare turned slightly more sinister and he had to bite back a laugh as he handed them over. So fucking adorable.

***

“You’ve got the heat too low.”

Fox stared at the grill, wondering why his father thought so. The heat was perfectly fine. The old man probably just liked to hear himself talk. One of the things he didn’t miss about being with family was his father armchair-coaching when he was grilling, but it looked like that wasn’t going to change at his own place. Hopefully the two-day visit wouldn’t feel like two weeks.

No support was forthcoming from Atlas or Luke, who were in the pool and probably hadn’t heard anything. If they had, they’d be steering his father away from the steaks before he made Fox overcook everything.

“What the fuck, Steve?” his uncle Scott immediately grumbled, then sipped his beer. “Leave the kid alone. You burn the shit out of everything, and you know it. Fox knows what he’s doing.”

Typical. If there was a disagreement to be had, his father and the old man’s brother would find it. They were best friends but in an annoying, constantly bickering way.

There was no wonder they’d both divorced young and stayed single. There was no room in their symbiotic relationship for other people. It also meant he and Atlas had been raised with Luke by two hardened criminals for fathers. His uncle also approved of him more than his father ever had.

Having at least one mother in the house would have made for a very different childhood than the one they’d had, but neither of their moms had stuck around. At least Luke’s little sister Macy’s mother had insisted on visitation. But even that was hard since their profession moved them around so much. It wasn’t safe to stay in the same area long. They’d seen a lot of the world, yes, but sometimes he wondered if the lack of stability had affected him somehow.

Macy sighed and pushed back her dark ringlets without bothering to look up from the textbook she was reading. It had gotten to the point where she was almost the older men’s handler, since they were getting grumpier as they aged and she was home alone with them now. As soon as she finished pre-med, she was talking about going away for med school. How their dads would manage on their own none of them knew, but it wasn’t fair to trap Macy with them forever.

Actually, he’d probably worry more about his father and his uncle than about Macy, who’d turned out pretty tough, despite the fact that they’d been overprotective of her growing up.

“So this Marcel character has the corner on the market for the whole fucking town?” Uncle Scott asked. “Like Brian back in New York?”

Luke and Atlas padded over, toweling off, likely lured by the aroma of grilled meat.

“Yeah, but Marcel is more of a thug than Brian was,” Atlas grumbled. “At least Brian had class.”

They all grunted in agreement. After Luke had accidentally scooped one of Brian’s jobs when they were young, the guy had talked to Scott rather than lose his shit and threaten them. Marcel would have inspired more respect if he’d negotiated rather than resorted to violence.

Atlas handed him plates as the steaks came off the grill, and soon they were all too busy eating to talk. When the feeding frenzy died down, Macy put her plate aside and grinned at Fox.

“So, Lukey tells me there’s a girl on your team now, Fox. Is that true?” Her mouth twisted and a brow raised in challenge. They’d been giving Macy the brush-off for years, hoping she’d pick a safer profession. Medicine was her new passion, but she had no qualms about regularly giving them shit for leaving her out. She had always believed it was because she was female, but it was more that she had been born years after Atlas. It was hard to think of her as anything more than a cute and pesky kid who needed supervision.