Wicked Ties (Steele Security Series) (14 page)

Chaise gasped audibly and the color drained from her face.  “Worse than that gang?  What’s worse than having a gang after me?”

Bull cautiously answered her, “This is an
international
organized crime group.  They are very professional and thorough, Chaise.  They have their hands in several different illegal activities, including human trafficking and drugs.  They don’t tolerate failure, either.  The guy on the video has been found shot—execution style.  My guess is he was killed because he failed to get you.”

The shock and terror that Chaise felt was indescribable and overwhelming.  They had killed a man because he failed to kidnap her.  He was supposed to kidnap her because she discovered the missing girls.  The mere question of what else they could be hiding was equally as frightening as what she’d already uncovered.

“Colton, what am I supposed to do?”

His eyes revealed that his response held an intentional double entendre meaning, “Anything I tell you to do, Chaise.” 

“I’m serious.”

“So am I,” he declared.  “Just stick with me, baby.  I’ll keep you safe.”

“Come on.  I know this is more serious than what you’re telling me,” Chaise gently chided him.  “I know I haven’t been a pillar of stone, but I’m not stupid.”

Bull smiled gently, “I never thought you were, Chaise.  Yes, it’s dangerous but there’s a reason why we’re the best at what we do.  You’ll just have to trust me.”

“I do trust you, Colton,” she replied warmly as she stroked his cheek.  Her face took a serious countenance as she continued, “I hope you know you can trust me, too.”

“I’m learning that,” he said sincerely as he wrapped his hand around hers.  Chaise was happy to have earned that much faith from Bull in their short time together. 

“So, what do we do now?” 

“We’ll stay here for the next few days.  We’ll keep off their radar and figure out our next move.   Rebel and Shadow are gathering more
intel on them.  No one else even knows where you are.”

“Let’s just stay here forever, then,
” Chaise whispered while gazing deep into his eyes.

“That’s the best plan I’ve heard in a long time,” Bull replied.  “I have all kinds of ideas for you.”

“It’s a good thing I have nowhere else I have to be then, isn’t it?  I don’t even have to worry about going back to work Monday,” she replied with a sultry smile.

“Come on.  It’s time to eat and I’ll show you around,”
he said as he stood and helped her up from the hammock.

Bull took Chaise out to eat at an oceanfront restaurant.  Tiny white lights adorned the trellis that covered the intimate patio setting, naturally creating a romantic ambiance.  Large, exotic plants were placed strategically to avoid blocking the ocean view but also gave the guests a modicum of privacy.

Once the maître d’ seated them, Bull emphasized as he leaned over the table, “You are stunning.”   His hooded eyes matched the bedroom quality of his voice and Chaise clenched her thighs in response.  The low timbre of his voice seemed to have more control over her body than she had herself.

“You know, you said that when you tried to get me to stay home with you tonight.  But, since a lady never tires of hearing how good she looks, I won’t try to stop you from telling me again,” Chaise flirted and teased Bull.

“I offered to feed you,” Bull responded and laughed when Chaise’s face heated from her blush.

The waitress appeared and saved Chaise from having to respond to his overt attempt to arouse her.  Placing the menus in front of them, she recited the daily specials before taking their drink orders.  Once she was gone, Chaise looked back at Bull who was still smirking.

“So, tell me something I don’t know about Colton Lanier,” Chaise said, trying to change the subject and knowing she was opening herself up to questioning as well.

“What do you want to know?”  Bull leaned back in his chair and put his hands in his lap.  His posture was relaxed and open.  His face showed his amusement, though she wasn’t sure if that was from her abrupt change in subject or her question.

“Have you ever been in love?” Chaise asked while trying to hide her hesitancy.  While she wasn’t naïve, she didn’t know if she really wanted the answer to this question.

“Straight for the jugular, huh?” Bull asked with his panty-dropping smile.  “I thought I was, once.  But while I thought she was a good person, it turns out she was a lying, cheating skank behind my back.  After that fiasco, I decided relationships weren’t for me. 

“I think, now, that it wasn’t really love at all.  I didn’t know her like I thought I did.  I ignored too many signs that were more like huge, blinking billboards.  It’s not a mistake I’ve made since.”

What he didn’t tell Chaise was that he had fast developed feelings for her.  He wouldn’t go so far as to say it was
love, but he couldn’t deny that he thought he
could
fall in love with her.  She was the first woman who had made him feel that way—protective, possessive, and happy.  For the first time in a very long time, he wanted to see how a relationship with Chaise could work.

“It sounds like you’ve already decided that’s not something you want,” Chaise replied.  Bull noted that she kept her voice even and unemotional, but her eyes betrayed her and revealed her true feelings.

“For a long time, yes, it was that way.  My mind isn’t so set in stone now,” he replied cryptically.  “My turn.”  He immediately noticed the rigid tone of Chaise’s posture and the flash of panic that crossed her face.

“Ask away,” Chaise said, preparing herself for the one question she didn’t want to hear.

Bull narrowed his eyes and contemplated his question.  He had a visceral need to understand her connection to Reaper.  He wanted to know why she reacted the way she did when Reaper’s name was brought up in conversation.  He wanted to ask her how she could trust him with her life and in his bed, but not with her real last name.

“Have you ever lied to me?” Bull asked. 

Chaise’s body relaxed and she reached her hand across the table, palm up in request for his hand.  Bull complied but didn’t move his gaze from hers.

“I
have—but I tried to tell you I did and you said you knew.  Martin isn’t my last name, Colton.  My last name is-,” Chaise was cut off by the waitress.

“Here are your drinks.  Now, are you ready to order?”

Bull squeezed Chaise’s hand and said, “Yes, I think we are.”

Bull ordered their main entrees and handed the menus back to the waitress.  The band started playing and
Bull stood, offered his hand to Chaise, and led her to the dance floor.  He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck.  He pulled her as tightly to him as he could, just to feel her body pressed against his as they moved to the slow, melodic music.

Chaise looked up at him, “Colton, I want to tell you.”

“I know you do.  And for now, that’s enough—it tells me you finally trust me enough.  We can talk about it when we get home.  Then you can explain why you had to keep it a secret.”

Chaise stretched up and kissed his lips.  Bull tilted his head down to meet her and deepened their kiss.  The music played in the background but it was of no consequence.  They were in their own world, their own time
, and dancing to their own music.  Their fully clothed bodies, intertwined and moving as one, was as sensual, erotic, and intimate as anything Chaise had ever experienced.

When the song finished, Bull led Chaise back to the table with his hand placed possessively on the small of her back.  She liked the feeling that small gesture gave her; it announced to the world that she belonged with him.  They arrived back at their table just as the wait staff arrived with their meals. 

After their meals were finished, and Chaise had consumed several glasses of Moscato wine, Bull led her back to his truck.  She was tipsy but not drunk, though her inhibitions were significantly lessened. The lascivious look she gave Bull left no room for misinterpretation when she said, “I can’t wait to try out that hammock, Colton.” 

Bull’s head whipped around to look at her, shock and complete surprise at her boldness registered on his face.  It was quickly replaced by wanton need and heated desire.  His foot pushed the gas pedal harder as he sped back to his house.

Bull m
ade himself comfortable in the hammock while Chaise took time to freshen up.  He was enjoying the ocean breeze, the sway of the hammock, and the white noise from the waves breaking.  A sizzle in the air caught his attention and his head snapped up from the pillow in time to see Chaise emerge from the back door.

He nearly swallowed his tongue at the outfit she had chosen in which to be more comfortable.  He immediately decided she wouldn’t be wearing it long enough to get comfortable.  In fact, he couldn’t wait to remove it from her perfectly toned body with his teeth.  She was glowing with radiant beauty and the slight blush that crept up her cheeks only made her even more gorgeous.

Bull swung his legs over the side of the hammock and watched intently as she made her way to him.  She was wearing a baby blue camisole that barely reached the top of her bikini line, revealing the small, triangular shaped piece of matching blue lace that covered her mound.  The camisole top tied between her breasts and flowed open, revealing her toned abdomen.  The four-inch black heels she wore completed her ensemble and made her legs look even longer and more toned. 

She stopped directly in front of him, just barely out of his reach, as she asked, “Well, what do you think?”  When she twirled around to give him a full view, his mouth dropped open when he realized her
panties were actually a thong and her spectacular ass was on full display for him. 

“I think if I’d known you had that here, we wouldn’t have ever left the house today,” Bull replied but his eyes never left her body.  She saw the bulge in his pants and, as she seductively swayed
toward him, she watched in amazement how the bulge continued to grow and strain against the front of his pants.  Her mouth watered and she ached to be the initiator this time. 

Bull stood and reached out to pull her to him but she quickly stepped back just out of his reach.  He tilted his head to the side and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he attempted to figure out what she had planned.  Her sly smile eased across her face as she simultaneously shook her head and her index finger at him.

“Stand still.  No touching me,” she warned while cocking one eyebrow at him, as if that made her directive more threatening.

“There’s no fun in not touching you,” he replied dryly.

“There could be,” she teased.  “Just try it.  For me?”

Bull gave her his most seductive smile and her knees were suddenly very weak beneath her.  “For you, I will try it.”

Projecting confidence she didn’t really possess, she sauntered up to him and deftly removed his belt and unzipped his pants.  When she’d pushed them, along with his boxer briefs, down to his ankles, she dropped to her knees in front of him.

His blue eyes grew wide with surprise and then they deepened to the color of a turbulent sea.  She kept her mint-green eyes trained on his and she took his thick shaft in her hand and stroked it from base to tip.  Before he could reach for her, she took him in her mouth, rolling her tongue around the head of his manhood before taking him fully into her mouth.

As she worked him with her mouth and her hand, his moans of pleasure became louder.  As he touched the back of her throat, she moaned loudly. The reverberation shot through him and his hands instinctively shot to her head, fisted her hair, and held her head as she continued.

“Damn,
Chaise—you’re killing me, baby,” he growled out his pleasure.  As he felt the pressure building up inside him, he dropped his head back and enjoyed the ecstasy her warm, wet mouth brought him.  The pressure was about to erupt as he tried to stop her.  “Baby, you have to stop now or-,” but his words only spurred her on more. 

Unable to contain it any longer, Bull let go of his control and allowed her to finish him, taking every last drop from him until she was sure he was completely empty.  When she stopped, she looked up at him with her adoring eyes.  Her heart skipped a beat from the adoring look he gave back to her.

His hands reached down and grabbed her elbows to steady her as she stood.  He bowed his head and captured her mouth with his—gently and sweetly, but thoroughly kissed her.  When he ended the kiss, he moved his mouth to her ear.  His warm breath fanned out across her cheek as he whispered, “I seem to remember something about you wanting to try out the hammock tonight.”

His chuckle rumbled through his chest when she gasped.  She looked up at him from under her lashes and replied, “Oh, absolutely, Colton.  We may even break that hammock tonight.”  His all-male growl sent shivers down her spine.

He stepped out of his pants and pulled her backward with him to the hammock.  Bull sat down, and true to his thoughts, leaned forward to grasp the tiny swath of fabric between his teeth and slowly pulled them down her legs until they dropped and pooled at her feet. 

Bull turned and stretched out on the hammock.  “Climb aboard,” he instructed with a cocky grin.  Chaise kicked off her shoes
,
stepped out of her panties, and fished his wallet from his pants.  Bull removed a condom and looked at her expectantly.  Chaise took the wrapper from him and opened it with her teeth before slowly rolling it onto him.  She climbed onto him and positioned herself directly above his waiting erection.  As she lowered herself onto him, she relished every sensation of being stretched and filled.   She moaned in delight as her wet channel grabbed him and she sank deeper onto him.

They began moving in
tandem—as she came down on him, he thrusts his hips upward into her.  Every thrust brought her closer to climax.  Bull’s hand reached up and untied her camisole to reveal her perfect breasts and toned stomach.  His hands moved down her body, taking his time with each breast and nipple.  Then with his rough, calloused thumb, he applied pressure to the nub of nerve endings that made stars shoot behind her eyes.

He felt her inner walls quiver, spasm
, and grab hold of him as she rocked her hips back and forth, up and down, and side to side on him.  His thumb continued its assault on her nub and she began to move faster, milking him with her inner muscles with every movement. 

He took her hands in his, holding them up to give her leverage to push against as she rode him.  When he felt the pressure building again, he demanded, “Look at me, Chaise.  I want to see your eyes when you come.”  The stare only intensified the feelings and soon they climaxed together.

When she leaned her head back and screamed out his name, he responded with, “That’s my girl.  Fuck, you turn me on even more when you do that.”

Chaise fell forward, splayed out on his chest, with his manhood still fully buried inside her.  She loved the feeling of being connected to him and wasn’t quite ready to let him go.  His hand gently stroked her back as the hammock continued to gently sway.   Both were unwilling to say it, but they both felt
it—the shift in their relationship, the knowledge that it was more than a passing fling, and the unknown decision of what they would do about it.

Together, they fell into a deep slumber in the warm Alabama air.  The gently swaying hammock rocked them to sleep and the warmth of their bodies cocooned them for the night.  When the sun came up, the rays bleeding through the canopy of the trees woke Chaise.  She realized that somehow she had moved from lying on top of Bull to being tucked protectively into the crook of his arm and his other was draped protectively over her.  He had removed his shirt and used it to cover her.

Titling her head up, she realized that he was watching her.  Chaise asked, “Did I wake you?”

“No, baby.  I’ve been
awake—just watching you sleep.”

She smiled without responding.

“What is it?” he asked.

“You’ve started calling me ‘baby.’  I like it,” she responded as she snuggled in tightly to him.  Her top leg moved over his as she wrapped her body around him.  The hammock moved slightly, rocking them as it swayed in the wind.

His arm tightened around her as he lowered his lips to her ear, “It’s a good thing you do, because I wasn’t going to stop.”

Chaise laughed jovially as she swatted his bare chest.  “Now why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“It really shouldn’t,” he teased. 

After breakfast, Bull convinced Chaise to change into her bathing suit so they could enjoy a relaxing day at the beach together.  It had been way too long since Bull had taken a real vacation.  Work had always been his priority and he prided himself on giving it his all.

That day, his work and his vacation were one in the same.  He had to keep Chaise away from Miami to keep her safe.  There was nothing else pressing that he wanted to do.  In fact, continuing the conversation with his mother was the very last thing he wanted to even think about, much less actually do.

While Chaise changed, Bull gathered all the beach supplies they would need and waited patiently on the patio.  His low whistle of appreciation brought a smile to Chaise’s face when she stepped through the door.  Her tanned body and black hair accentuated her light pink bikini.  Her curves on display made Bull’s mouth salivate as if he’d never tasted her before.

Or maybe it was because he already knew exactly how she tasted.

Hand in hand, they strolled across the hot sand to where the waves rolled up on the shore.  Placing the bag out of reach of the water,
Bull removed two masks, two snorkels, and two sets of fins.  Handing one set to Chaise, he asked, “Do you know how to use these?”

“Of course,” she replied casually, “I grew up around the ocean and I love the water.”

“There’s a manmade reef several yards off the shore.  We’ll swim out and have a little fun out there,” Bull said with a smile.

“Let’s go!”  Chaise sat in the shallow water to put her fins on her feet and to fit the mask to her face.  Once she was set, she floated on the shallow water until the water was deep enough for her to turn and wait for Bull. 

Bull had watched her with amazement that she was bold enough to don the equipment and swim out without waiting for him.  Most women, in his experience, were afraid of what the water held.  She seemed to relish in the discovery of it.  He waded into the water to join her and they swam off to explore.

Hours later, they were both completely exhausted from their excursions as they headed back to Bull’s beachfront home.  They had first explored the manmade reef just off the shore.  After a light snack on the beach, they walked along the shoreline, talking and simply enjoying each other’s company.  Once they reached the house, Bull led Chaise to the bedroom and wrapped his arms around her for a mid-afternoon nap.

Over the next three days, they spent their time together in much the same way.  After realizing how much Chaise loved the swimming, snorkeling, and the ocean in general, Bull made it a point to take her to new places each day.  They explored new snorkeling spots, took long walks on the beach, and christened many new places with their lovemaking.  In the evenings, he would take her to the boardwalk area to walk on the pier, shop in the beachfront stores, and eat in the local restaurants. 

For brief moments, Chaise forgot that she was being pursued by a masterful criminal organization.  She was in her own paradise oasis with Bull where she could happily stay. 
The time alone with him had given her a view into the real Colton Lanier—the man whom few seldom had the opportunity to experience.

And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she’d fallen completely and undeniably in love with him.  She never said the words
, but she didn’t try to hide the actions or feelings.  The little things mattered to Chaise.  He took such good care of her; she wanted to give what she could in return.

Every day, she rose early to cook his breakfast and make sure his black coffee was made just right.  She dressed to the nines when he took her out to eat so that he would be proud to have her on his arm.  When other men blatantly stared at her, she only had eyes for Bull.  Lastly, she made sure that at any time he wanted her she was more than willing.

But with every time they joined, he kept her hands off of him.  Before or after they made love, he seemed to love the feel of her hands on him.  He acted as if he craved her touch and couldn’t get enough of her.  Then in midst of the their passionate encounters, he found a way to actively prohibit her from touching him. 

Chaise remembered their swim on one particular day.  Bull’s strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her to him.  Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as he hungrily captured her mouth with his.  Her lips parted and his tongue plunged in, wrapping around hers in a slow and sensual dance. 

She felt his growing erection pressing into her core and she pressed her hips downward, grinding into him.  Her hand traveled down his chest and abdomen until she felt the exposed tip of his mushroom head.  Pulling on the string, she loosened his shorts as his fingers pulled her swatch of bikini fabric to the side.

He broke the kiss to peer into her eyes.  He placed one of his hands on her chest and lightly pushed her
backward as his other hand supported her back.  Chaise shot him a nervous look and he replied calmly, “Trust me, baby.”  She relaxed into his hold until her back floated on the ocean water, her legs remained wrapped around his waist and his thick shaft was poised at her core.