Tied Up in Knots (29 page)

She squeezed me tighter, burying her face in the side of my neck, and I simply held on and rubbed her back and told her how much I loved and adored her. It was easy to say nice things to my girl since they were all true.

In the booth she did a really sweet thing and reached out for Ian. He took her hand quickly and then kissed it before holding on. She went a little melty right there.

“So where’s Ned?” Ian asked.

Her gaze shifted to the ceiling. “It’s so cute in here, don’t you think?”

Ian glanced at me. I shrugged.

Aruna mouthed “MIA” and pointed at Janet.

“He’s gonna kill me,” I assured her.

“Oh, he will not, and geez, Miro, don’t be so dramatic. Ned just hates that,” she said irritably, letting me know exactly how Ned had sounded when he was talking to her. “I mean, heaven fucking forbid his pregnant wife gets a bit emotional!”

“He’s just learning to navigate the hormones,” Aruna commented. “Liam had a learning curve too.”

Janet passed judgment. “Liam’s a saint. My husband is an ass who cares more about being with his family for the holidays than being with me.”

I sighed deeply as I carded my fingers through my hair. “Tell me he’s not expecting you to show up in Alexandria tonight.”

“He’s not expecting me to show up in Alexandria tonight.” The dazzling smile I got made it even worse.

“He’s gonna murder me.”

“We’re talking about Ned,” Janet said with a contentious sneer.

“You’re not being nice.”

“Like I—”

“Shut up,” Aruna commanded as she read something on her phone.

“That’s not very nice,” I said, trying playfully to swipe it out of her hands.

“Stop—oh my God,” she snapped, her hands shaking as she shoved the phone at Ian. “Did you know?”

I leaned sideways to see what had her all in a twist, and there was Craig Hartley grinning back at me. The words “escaped from federal custody” and “manhunt” were especially noticeable in the headline.

“Yeah, I know,” Ian told her, reaching for her hand and reclaiming Janet’s at the same time. “And I promise you both that it’s gonna be okay.”

Neither woman was looking at me. Ian had them riveted as they each grabbed a hand tight and caught their breath.

“Everything’s fine,” he promised, nodding as he spoke, and after a second, Aruna was nodding too, along with Janet, mirroring Ian. “The office is on it, every law enforcement agency you can think of is involved, and Miro will not get hurt.”

They were bespelled, neither of them could look away.

“I love him, yeah?”

More nodding in agreement.

“You guys know I do.”

And again.

“I couldn’t—I mean, he’s my life, so… what would I do without him?”

My chest hurt with all the honesty. He loved me and he was telling my friends, the people closest to me in the world. I was stunned that he would be so open with them and even more overwhelmed that he didn’t seem to care in the least where we were. For a man who so hated any public display of affection, he was being awfully touchy-feely at the moment.

“You have to know I’d protect him with my life.”

Both sets of dear sweet eyes welled up with tears at the same time. I figured Janet would, she was hormonal after all, but Aruna was a tough cookie.

“I’ve got this, all right?”

The final round of nodding and he gave both hands a final squeeze before turning to me.

“I knew you loved me,” I sighed.

“You’re such an ass.”

Not what I was expecting. “But you just said you—”

“Shut up.”

I turned to my friends.

“How dare you not let me know about Hartley,” Aruna admonished.

“That’s terrible to make us worry,” Janet joined in.

“I—”

“Thank God Ian is here,” Aruna said, smiling at him.

“Yes, thank goodness,” Janet agreed, also lavishing him with a huge smile.

I threw up my hands in defeat.

IAN CALLED
Kage after we finished lunch, having gorged on deep-dish pizza—spinach for me and Aruna, sausage for Ian and Janet—and asked if there were uniformed patrolman in front of our house in Lincoln Park. I was surprised when Kage answered that there were FBI agents there actually because Hartley had “gotten lost” on their watch and they were taking it as a personal affront. If Hartley didn’t make a move on me in a few weeks, priorities would be reevaluated. But at the moment, that’s who was guarding our Greystone.

I knew Ian’s glare was supposed to be scary, was supposed to shame me into being careful, not taking any chances, and staying inside, but all it managed to do was make me hot. All that bristling, simmering anger furrowing his brows, darkening his eyes, and making him growl and snap needed an outlet, and I was ready to provide.

Once we got home at the end of the day, I followed Ian upstairs and shoved him down on the bed.

“No, I’m pissed at you,” he snarled, rolling over fast but not quite making it before I came down on top of him. “Get off me.”

“Oh, come on,” I entreated, kissing him softly, chastely, before sucking his bottom lip into my mouth. “You don’t want me?”

I wiggled on top of him, pressing my ass to the rise in his dress pants before I rubbed my groin over the washboard abs I could feel the bumps of through his shirt.

“What if Hartley shows up? What if he takes you again?”

“He’d never come for me in a million years,” I stated, absolutely certain I was right. I loved the feel of his thickening cock under me and him tightening his hands on my ass. “But I’ll come for you.”

“It’s not funny.”

“No,” I agreed, moving back and forth, writhing, needing him before we were invaded by some of my favorite people on the planet. “Not funny.”

“Stand up.”

I did as ordered, and he turned over like he was boneless, found the lube in the riot of blankets since we hadn’t made the bed that morning, and then sat up and got his belt open and shoved his briefs and pants to his ankles. He snapped open the cap, dribbled lube on the flared head of his cock, and then ordered me to get naked.

“Shouldn’t I leave my shirt and tie on in case someone shows up at the door?” I asked playfully, baiting him.

“No. I wanna see you,” he said. His voice was flat and hard and left no room for argument. “Do what I say. Take off your clothes and get in my lap.”

Oh… God.

It was like a switch had been flipped and I had a different man on my hands, one who wanted to claim what was his.

“Did you hear me?”

I huffed out a breath as pure liquid need washed through me.

“Miro?”

“Yes,” I rasped because Ian all possessive and dominant was enough to bring my cock to full, drooling attention in moments. I liked to be the one to hold him down and give directions, but it was a big fat turn-on to hear him issuing demands.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

Moving quickly, I toed off my dark-brown Prada wingtips and then tore everything else off as fast as I could. Once I was stripped bare, I stood there a moment, taking in the decadent sight of him just sitting there, stroking his own length.

“I will take care of you, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“In every way.”

I couldn’t speak. My words deserted me in the face of his obvious need to protect and reassure himself that I was there and whole.

“Come here.”

I lunged at him, but he stopped me, slowed me with a gentle hand on my hip, and carefully guided me down into his lap so I was straddling his hips.

“Take me in.”

The words, his words, swept everything else from my mind. Gone was worry or fear, gone was Hartley and the military, babies and any other plans. There was only me sinking down over him, the slide and the burn, feeling every inch as he filled and stretched me, riding the wave of arousal as it crested and receded, loving his hands sliding over my back, up my sides and down, touching, smoothing, before he took my face in them and pulled me close for a kiss.

He made love to me with his mouth, with his tongue, and I in turn rode him, lifting and lowering, impaling myself over and over, rocking into him until he was buried to the hilt one second and almost free the next.

“Oh God, you feel good,” he said thickly, sounding drunk as I grabbed hold of his shoulders so I could lever down harder, deeper, and faster. “Fuck yourself on my dick.”

In minutes I no longer cared who saw us or who came in. There was only Ian moving inside of me and working my cock with one hand as he anchored me to him with the other. He’d leave bruises, as tight as he was holding on, and between what I could feel in my heart and the erotic counterpoint of my muscles greedily fisting around him, I climaxed seconds later in a rush of euphoria that for a split second was blinding.

He cupped my face in his hands again and kissed me like I was food, air, all of it, voracious in his attention, sucking on my tongue so I couldn’t pull away. He reached for my legs and wrapped them around his hips, toppling me onto my back fast and easy.

He rolled forward, draped my legs over his arms, and pounded down into me, the pumping lasting only seconds before his body tightened and he came.

“I’ll take care of you,” he promised as he released my legs and found my mouth, kissing me deeply, at the same time shoving both hands under my ass, kneading, squeezing, not ready to let me go. “Always.”

I stared up at him, at the man I loved.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” he whispered before he kissed me and then hugged me. Tight.

Ian was a good hugger, the best, because he always gave me his whole heart when he did it. I could always feel his body settle, and breathe.

“What was that?” he asked abruptly, breaking the spell.

“I don’t hear—” But there was suddenly the jingle of keys in the lock on the front door. “Oh crap!”

Ian slid gently from my body and kissed me one last time.

“Are you guys here?” Liam bellowed as he came through the door. He’d been watching Chickie all day, and by the sound of it, had brought him back.

I dived down on the side of the bed as Ian popped up and leaned over the railing.

“You guys need to learn to knock,” he yelled down from the loft.

“And your boyfriend needs to learn not to take what isn’t his.”

“I’m sorry?” I said, offended as I stood, wrapped up in a sheet from the bed, and moved over next to Ian so I could stare down at him.

Unfortunately, Janet was there, too, as was Aruna, carrying Sajani, and both women were looking up at me with wide eyes, judgment all over their faces.

“What?” I barked at them. “This is
my
house.”

“And you’re allowed to get your freak on whenever you like,” Aruna assured me as Sajani called my name and waved. “But how pervy do you feel right now?” she asked as Sajani started waving at Ian too.

I groaned.

“I feel like a god,” Ian announced, as Janet snickered, Liam rolled his eyes and went to put groceries down in the kitchen, and Chickie tore up the stairs to us.

Aruna nodded. “Good for you, Irish,” she said, giving him the thumbs-up.

He gave her his killer grin, and I left to change as Chickie darted by me on his way to Ian.

“Get off the bed!” The all-powerful god ordered his dog to absolutely no avail.

I TRIED
to give Aruna cash for the groceries, but she fought me, as usual, and even when I shoved the money in Liam’s back pocket, she took it out.

“I feel like a stripper,” he said.

“I could see that,” I told him.

“Over my dead body,” Aruna assured me.

“Take the money,” I ordered her.

One eyebrow lifted and I gave up. “I’m putting it in Sajani’s college fund.”

“Now that is a good idea,” she conceded as she began doing the prep, issuing orders to Liam and Ian as I helped with the chopping and cutting, and Janet sat on a bar stool in the kitchen and ate ranch dip and veggies.

Every time Liam got close to me, Aruna gave him another task.

“But I have something to say to Miro,” he growled.

“
After
you go through their fridge and make room for everything I’m going to be putting in there, as well as figuring out the best place to put the cooler for the drinks, you can.”

He wasn’t happy and nearly yanked the fridge’s door off the hinges when he opened it. I glanced at Aruna, who rolled her eyes and shrugged. Clearly whatever it was, was not life or death.

Ian eventually took Sajani and Chickie for a walk, and as soon as the door closed, Liam, who was pacing back and forth in the living room, started in on me.

“You can’t just keep them. They’re not yours anymore!”

I glanced over at Aruna. “What is he talking about?”

“I have no earthly idea,” she said, feeding me a spoonful of the green curry she made a few days ago and brought for us to eat.

“They all love you—Aruna, Janet, Min, Catherine—and come at a moment’s notice when you call. Do you have any idea what I had to threaten Aruna with when you were in that hospital in Phoenix? She was buying herself a plane ticket when I told her that I’d tie her to the bed if she tried to leave.”

“Kinky,” I teased.

“Bowchickabowmow,” Aruna said, turning to give Liam an exaggerated wink.

He threw up his hands, which looked funny on the huge mountain of muscle that he was. “You need to cut the cord, Miro! These women are your family, yes, but they have other families now too!”

Janet slid off the stool and walked over to me, leaning in and wrapping her arms around my waist. “I’m so glad I can come move in with you and Ian once the baby’s born.”

I looked down at her, completely lost. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked Ian. He said I could. He loves Sajani, and he said he’d love another little one around here as long as I was part of the package.”

It was really sweet of the love of my life to say that to Janet. He obviously loved me and so would make room in his life for my dearest friends. Yes, it was really very sweet, but no way in hell was that actually going to happen.

“Awww,” Aruna cooed, making a face at me. “He loves my little muffin.”