Ultimate Prey (Book 3 Ultimate CORE) (CORE Series) (52 page)

He touched her bare shoulders and eased her onto the mattress. Resting a knee on the bed and bracing his arms along either side of her, he leaned in and captured her lips in a lingering kiss. “I need you to come back to me,” he murmured, then kissed her again.

Taking his time, he deepened the kiss. Slow and in no way comparing to the need rushing through him, he swept his tongue along hers, then drew back and placed open-mouthed kisses along her jaw and neck before returning to her lips. He teased her and tormented himself. He wanted to take and possess. If he hadn’t been fully clothed, he’d already be inside her, but he needed to make the moment last and show her how much he valued her as a friend and lover.

She snaked her hand through his hair, tried forcing his mouth to stay with hers, nipped his lower lip when he refused, which drove him insane with raw desire. When she ran a hand over his rear, then along his erection, he groaned against her mouth before pulling away. He took her wrists and pinned them over her head, then kissed a path to her breasts. He teased her nipple, brushing his lips, then his tongue, along the taut peak before drawing it into his mouth.

She tugged and tried to free herself, raised both feet onto the mattress, which caused her legs to spread wider. Anxious to taste her, he let go of her wrists, dragged his mouth down her slim waist and cupped her breasts with his hands. When he reached her sex, he teased her nipples with his fingertips, and slowly swept his tongue along her labia.

With a low moan, she rose onto her elbows and pushed a hand through his hair. He looked up, stared into her eyes and ran his tongue along her folds before drawing the soft skin between his lips.

“More,” she murmured, and gently pressed his head and raised her pelvis.

After wrapping his arm under, and then around her right thigh, he spread her lips, exposing her completely. “Like this?” he asked, then penetrated her folds with his tongue. “Or like this?” He drew her clit between his lips and pressed two fingers into her heat.

“Yes,” she hissed, gripping his head with both hands, and pressing her knees together, caging him between her thighs. Which worked for him. He loved tasting her. Loved the way she let him know what she wanted and liked, loved her gasps, pants and moans.

Eager to taste her orgasm and sink himself into her wetness, he pumped his fingers between her folds and flicked his tongue over her clit. Again and again, until her entire body tensed and she let out a harsh groan.

He kissed her trembling inner thigh, then quickly stood. As he pulled his t-shirt over his head, Lola slipped her fingers inside the slack waistband of his old pair of sweat shorts, and pressed her mouth, then her tongue along his stomach. He sucked in a breath, when she looked up at him and tugged his shorts and boxers down, releasing his erection.

She looked so damned sexy. Her golden-brown eyes bright, her cheeks flush, her dark, damp hair spilling around her shoulders. Then she bent and ran her tongue from his sac, along his length, then to the tip. His knees buckled slightly when she took him into her mouth. He speared his hand through her hair, gripped the thick, silky strands and wrapped them around his hand.

With her taste still lingering on his tongue, he watched her and once again wished their time together wasn’t limited. He more than liked her. What worried him was that she would go home, become too busy with work or fall back into her regular routine, and end up with tangible excuses to not take that vacation next month. As she stroked him, took him deep into her throat, he forced himself not to think about what could happen and kept his mind on the here and now.

And right now, if she didn’t stop doing that sexy drag of her tongue along his dick, he wasn’t going to last much longer. He gently tugged at her hair, slipped himself from her mouth, then, stroking his slick length, took a step back.

“Lie down.” She did, but kept herself semi-upright with her elbows. He ran his free hand along her inner thigh. “I don’t have a condom.”

“You didn’t last night, either,” she said, her voice husky, sexy as she cocked her head. Then, poised on one elbow, she reached between her thighs and spread her lips. “Do what you did in the shower, we’ll buy condoms tomorrow. Come here. I need you.”

Not want. Damn. One little word made a huge difference. Before he went down that road and over-thought what was happening between them more than he already had, he moved to the edge of the bed. He rested his knee on the mattress and, holding the base of his erection, pressed the tip against her heat.

“I need…” He couldn’t formulate any other words as he sank inside her. She was so tight, so wet…

“What?” she asked, twining her arms around his neck and bringing them chest to breast.

“You.” He captured her lips, and caught up on the friction, the way her sex gripped him, he moved over her. Took his time, thrusting slow and steady, drawing out the pleasure. Although he’d told himself to go slow, to make love to her, to let her know she wasn’t a quick lay, the need to move faster, to give them both the release they craved was there. Every muscle in his body tensed and he tried his damnedest stay in control.

Then she grabbed his ass with one hand and his jaw in the other. “This isn’t just sex,” she said, meeting his gaze. “Give us what we both need.”

He pressed himself until he was completely inside her, and didn’t move. “I’m trying so damned hard to show you that you’re special.” He grazed his lips along hers. “So special to me.”

She nipped his lower lip, then curled her tongue along his. “You already have.”

Emotion, passion, desire…whatever the hell it was, took over and, without finesse, he crushed his mouth against hers and pumped his hips. Sank himself into her heat over and over. Part of him wanted to change positions, to pleasure her at another angle, but with the way she’d pressed her nails into his ass, he saw no reason to do anything but love her body. Her pleasure was his only concern.

“Harder,” she whispered, her voice ragged as she dragged her other hand over his chest, then down his abs.

His stomach tightened. He did as she asked, drove himself deeper, harder. And when she reached between their joined bodies and touched herself, the sight was so damned sexy, it took everything in him to maintain control. He wanted to come, but he wanted to
feel
her orgasm first.

“Like that,” she groaned. “Don’t you dare stop.”

He raised her leg over her shoulder and rocked his hips faster. “I won’t. Not until you come.”

She reached up and drew his head close to hers. Her breath fanned across his mouth, just before she grazed her tongue along lips. He captured it with his own, then mimicked every thrust, made love to her mouth until that first tremor of his own release tightened his sac, his body.

“Come for me,” he murmured against her mouth, knocked her hand away and rubbed her clit.

She wound her arms around his neck, pressed her pelvis forward and matched each rock of his hips until she let out a harsh groan. Her sex gripped him. She stilled, then arched her back.

As his own orgasm tore through him, he quickly pulled out and let himself go. Then shuddered when she wrapped her hand around his length and stroked him. As the last tremors wracked his body, he hovered over her, breathing hard. Unable to resist, he kissed her before reaching for her discarded towel. After he cleaned her stomach, he pulled the comforter over her, then reached for his boxers.

“Leave them off and come to bed.” She scooted over, then flipped back the blankets. “I loved sleeping naked against you last night.”

He had, too. “Need anything else before I turn off the light?”

“Just you.”

Sadie chose that moment to come into the room. Instead of jumping on the bed like usual, she curled up on the dog bed in the corner, then closed her eyes. Apparently Sadie liked Lola as much as he did. She didn’t give up her side of the bed for just anyone.

He turned off the light, then lay next to Lola. She shifted, her soft, warm body fitting perfectly against him as she used his chest as a pillow. “Ryan?” She caressed his chest, her touch feather light. “I can’t believe we met only two days ago.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I know. It’s crazy.”

“There’s so much I don’t know about you, but I still feel like I know you…does that make sense?”

“It does.” He rubbed her arm. “Do you still want to go fishing tomorrow afternoon after everyone leaves? While I teach you how to fish and drive a boat, we can play twenty questions.”

“I’d love to.” She smiled against his chest. “Don’t be surprised if I bring a list with me, and if there are more than twenty questions.”

As he gave her a final kiss good night, a bunch of his own questions came to mind, but only one mattered…

How was he going to let her walk away?

Ian and Cami’s Rental House, Everglade City, Florida

Saturday, 10:38 a.m. Eastern Standard Time

Ian carefully sat in the leather office chair and waited as Lola closed the door to the den. Once she took a seat across from him, she stared at him with curiosity and interest.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. “Mom said you slept well last night.”

“Sore, but good.”

Knowing Steven could no longer hurt Cami or his agents, and that they had erased all evidence tying Steven back to CORE, had helped. Sharing his plans with Cami and gaining her approval had been what allowed him to drift off to sleep.

In all the years CORE had been in business, he’d never sought approval from anyone, and had run his agency on his terms. After talking with Cami, he had realized he’d been short sighted. His fiancée had given him suggestions he hadn’t considered, which made him wonder how his company might have evolved had he opened his mind to ideas and recommendations from his agents. Since he couldn’t turn back the clock, he recognized that, as he moved his company forward, it would be to his benefit to include his agents on future decisions. Which was why, earlier this morning, he’d asked Dante, John and Hudson to join him during a Skype call with Rachel and Owen. He valued them and their opinion.

She looked to the clock on the desk. “Are we waiting for the others to join us?”

“No. I want to talk to you alone.”

She gripped the armrests tight enough her knuckles whitened. “What about?” she asked, her tone defensive. “Did I do something wrong? I know I took over a bit last night, but—”

“Lola, relax. I’m very pleased with how you reacted yesterday. You were levelheaded, and took care of what needed to be done. You did good.”

She eased her grip on the armrests, then settled her hands in her lap. “Thank you,” she said with a smile. “So what do you want to talk about?”

“You and your future with CORE.”

Her smile fell. “I’m sorry I threatened to resign. I know you had my best interest in mind. It was…childish on my part.”

He shrugged. “No. You were fighting for the chance to finish the mission you’d started. I can appreciate that, and I regret the way I’ve been keeping your wings clipped.”

“Meaning?”

“Before I hired you, I made a deal with your mom. I honestly didn’t think you had what it took to work for me. Let’s face it, your resume isn’t very strong and you couldn’t hold a job for more than ten months.”

“I see,” she said, her jaw tightening as she looked to the area rug.

“No. I’m the one who didn’t
see
your potential.” He shook his head and let out a deep breath. “Or maybe I did, but was worried that if I used you in the capacity I wanted, I might lose your mom. The day you ended up hospitalized after going up against five men, part of me wanted to take you and mold you into the agent I knew you could be. Only the selfish part of me wanted to keep you caged. You’d walked away from those men, but if you hadn’t, I would have had to live with the guilt and…I probably would have lost Cami.”

“She’s a little overprotective.”

He held his thumb and index finger an inch apart. “Just a little,” he said with a grin. “But your mom knows you’re more than capable of doing your job. I do too, only I also see a leader…and an opportunity.”

Her eyes brightened with excitement. “Thank you, Ian. I’ll be honest, until a couple of days ago, I wasn’t sure I belonged at CORE. I didn’t
feel
like a belonged, or that the other agents thought I was good enough to work with them.”

“And now?”

“I’ve never been part of a team before. Even
Jiu Jitsu
is an individual sport. But after partnering with Ryan, and the way Dante, John and Hudson treated me as their equal…I want to stay with CORE.”

“Since you mentioned Ryan… How do you feel about him?”

Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “He’s very skilled and knowledgeable. He was able to track Steven and—”

He waved a hand. “I’m well aware of his qualifications and am highly impressed by them, and him. I want to know how you feel about him.”

She cleared her throat. “I don’t think it’s any of your business.”

“It is if there’s a chance that you two will work together.”

Her eyes widened. “You’ve asked Ryan to join CORE?”

“Not quite.” He lightly pressed on his side and leaned back in the chair. “Lola, I have wealthy, powerful clients who, in the past, have asked me to help them in a way that would not involve the police or any other government agency.”