Havoc by Shannon McKenna
9
Was she really going to do this? Throw herself into the arms of a guy she just met? A man who had assaulted her before he’d even introduced himself?
The same guy who had taken it upon himself to guard her, unasked. Who had fought off murderous fiends for her. Who had raced after armed criminals in the face of gunfire to retrieve her dad’s journal. Who had brought her to the safest place he knew.
He also had the thickest, hardest shoulders she’d ever felt, and the most ravishing grin. And God, those eyes. The enthusiastic bulge against her belly when she was clutching him desperately in the hotel parking lot had turned her on so intensely, she could have done him right there, bent over the hood of a car. No amount of yammering from the persnickety executive function of her brain could discourage her.
Even her fear of rejection was gone. He made her feel like a red hot sex goddess. The extreme events of the day had pulled her shell away, and under it was something raw and wild and barely recognizable. It wanted what it wanted. Fuck the consequences.
Of course, all depended on whether or not he ever got out of that damn shower. She was all for hygiene, certainly, but for God’s sake.
She’d been so focused on finding out what happened to Dad. Finding answers for the questions Mom had suffered and died with. No wonder her lovers had felt shut out. Her mind had been consumed by her mission. Her own desires and cravings had never really floated to the top at all. In fact, they had been buried so deep, she barely knew them.
So this greedy, selfish, ravenous feeling—this was new. And unprecedented.
The shower went quiet at last. Sometime later, the door opened, letting out a cloud of scented steam. Mace switched the bathroom light off, and emerged barefoot, clad in fresh, clean sweatpants and a loose black T-shirt.
And he’d shaved. Whoo, boy. So handsome. He’d been great looking before, all bearded and rough, but he was even better all polished up, the sharp points of his broad, square jaw on display. Sharp, striking cheekbones. His eyes so bright, catching light like crumpled foil. His skin looked so warm, supple, smooth. Touchable.
His feet were big and strong and well-shaped. The scars on his arms stretched up to his elbows, with some scarring above as well.
“Look at you,” she said. “Your chin. So different.”
He rubbed his chin self-consciously. “I needed to freshen up,” he muttered. “I must’ve looked like Bigfoot to you, when I jumped you.”
“More like the Kraken,” she said. “It felt like you had multiple arms and legs, and all of them were squeezing me into jelly.”
“Hey.” His tone was defensive. “I was trying to keep you from tearing me into bloody shreds, all without hurting you. That’s not easy.”
“I’m not complaining,” she told him. “Never has a man redeemed himself more completely than you did.”
His face brightened. “Did I? Cool.”
“Absolutely,” she said. “You were right where you needed to be, doing exactly what you needed to do, and you saved my bacon.”
“So I racked up some points.” He sounded pleased with himself.
“Huge points,” she assured him.
“That’s good to hear. I’m sorry I scared you at the cave. But what I regret most today was not taking one of those punks down hard enough so they couldn’t get up and run. I almost pulled it off, but one of them pulled a gun. Changed the rules of engagement. Maybe if my brothers had been with me…but whatever. It happened, it’s done.”
“I’m so glad they didn’t shoot you,” she said fervently.
“Those men had been instructed to nab you without attracting any attention,” Mace said. “I overheard them. They weren’t expecting me. But if they’d shot me in the hotel, there wouldn’t have been anyone to hear.”
Cait shook her head. “I’d rather not think about that right now.”
“Of course not. We’ll hash it out tomorrow, with the others.”
She took a step closer. He had a sexy mouth. Sensual, well-shaped lips. “Thanks for letting me crash here,” she told him.
“You can relax,” he said. “Every approach to this place is constantly monitored. There are two guys on guard at all times. There’s only one problem.”
“And what’s that?”
“It starts whenever you walk out the front door,” he told her. “You’re on that asshole’s hit list now, and once you’re on it, you’re on it for the duration.”
“Like I said, I don’t want to—”
“To think about it. Right. Sorry. I’ll show you the bedroom. You must be tired.”
He turned and displayed that stunning back view as he beckoned for her to follow him. “Bedroom’s back here, bathroom in the corridor, and feel free to use whatever you find in there. I put out a couple of towels for you.”
Cait had been well aware of his rock-hard body even when swathed in his forest camo coat. But this vantage point was just…well, wow. His back muscles hugged by the shirt, sleeves distended by his thick biceps, and that tight, muscular ass—it was just unfair.
The bedroom was a big, comfortable room with lots of windows. Almost no furniture. A king size bed, neatly made. A suitcase in the corner.
Mace turned down the cover. “Make yourself at home.”
“Look at you,” she teased. “Turn down service, even. Very classy. Thanks.”
“I wish I had a chocolate mint for your pillow,” he said.
“About that,” she said. “That’s not what I’m actually hungry for.”
His smile faded. The air suddenly felt thick. Heavy and hot. “Should I, ah…find you something to eat?”
“That’s not what I meant,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. “My appetite tonight is very specific.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you can’t fit on that couch, Mace. You’re too tall. You’ll dangle off of it.”
“Don’t give it a thought. I’ll be fine. The bed is yours. Gallantry demands it.”
“Gallantry,” she repeated. “What an antiquated concept. You have an old-timey nineteenth-century gentleman sort of style. Funny, considering how we met.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” he said. “But your virtue is safe with me.”
“It’s your own virtue you should be worrying about,” she said.
In the silence, the sexual awareness suddenly surged again. It made her breathless.
“What are you saying, Cait?” he asked.
“Do I have to spell it out?” she complained.
“Yes, actually,” he said. “I’m a real simple, direct sort of guy. I don’t do complicated codes. Not when it comes to this.”
“Bullshit,” she said.
He looked startled. “I beg your pardon? What part of that is bullshit?”
“Simple sort of guy, my ass,” she said. “You’re far from it. I know a lot of extremely smart guys. You run rings around them all. You’re tracking on all levels.”
“Maybe so, I don’t know. But when it comes to sex—and I assume we’re talking about sex—I keep it simple. By which I mean, crystal-fucking-clear. No guesswork.”
“You’re very brave,” she said demurely. “Saying the s-word. Breaking the spell.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Cait. My sense of humor is at a low ebb tonight.”
“I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m fucking with you. You really don’t deserve it. I’m just wound up, shooting off my mouth, and it comes off sounding snarky.”
“Maybe it would be safer to just shelve this conversation for now,” he said. “For when things aren’t so…you know. Wound up. Fraught.”
“I don’t want to shelve it,” she said rebelliously. “I don’t want to wait.” She put her fingertips on his chest, and his body jerked, shivering. She touched his cheek, skirting the scratches she had given him, and the little marks he’d gotten from gravel in the parking lot. “I’m so sorry your face got hurt.”
“I’m fine.” He covered her hand with his huge, warm one and turned his face against it, pressing a hot, lingering kiss against her palm.
That dreamy buzz surged in an instant. A yearning that almost hurt. It made her want to move restlessly, squeeze her thighs together, touch herself. But he didn’t move.
“You’re hesitating,” she said. “But I get the sense that you’re interested.”
He snorted. “Interested, my ass. I could drive nails with this hard-on. I’m just worried.”
“About what?”
“About after,” he said. “It would suck for us both, if morning came, and you decided this was a mistake. Because you won’t have the time-honored option of sneaking away without saying goodbye. If you walk out of this place unprotected, you’re meat.”
“So, is that a no?” she asked, crestfallen.
“I didn’t say that,” he said swiftly. “I just really hope that the person you are right now is the same person that you’ll be tomorrow morning.”
“For God’s sake. Mace Trask, has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”
He laughed out loud. “All the fucking time.”
She grabbed her fleece sleep shirt, and peeled it off over her head.
He stared at her naked torso as she struck her best femme fatale pose. Heavy-lidded eyes, pouted-out lips, shoulders back, chin up, boobs tilted to maximum advantage. The weight of his eyes alone made her nipples tighten up until they literally ached.
“Before I lose my mind, let me just get this basic info out there,” he said. “No diseases. Got a physical a few months ago. No issues, no STDs, and no lovers since then. Not since this craziness began. Months ago.”
“Months? You seem like a lusty guy, to be celibate so long.”
His grin was rueful and crooked. “I am, actually. But since all this crap with Kimball started, it’s not like I can make polite conversation with the ladies over dinner or drinks. It’s like, oh, you’re an insurance adjuster, or a real estate agent? Myself, I just spend all my time trying to keep my family from getting slaughtered by a sadistic maniac. It doesn’t work, you know? There’s an invisible barrier of freaky weirdness I can’t get past. And you’re the first woman who ever just…well. Stepped right over it.”
She laughed. “That makes me special, hmm?”
“You were plenty special before.”
“Nice to hear.” She stripped off her athletic pants, tugging off her panties along with them. She kicked them all in the general direction of her shirt. “Since we’re on the subject, when it comes to diseases, I’m in the clear. I got bloodwork a few months ago. I also have a contraceptive. I got it a while back, for the last relationship attempt. It didn’t pan out, but it’s still good. If you trust me, that is.”
Mace’s eyes burned with eagerness. “Being inside you, without latex? I might just faint dead away from excitement. Are you sure you trust me that much?”
“I’m standing here, buck naked. What more do I need to do to convince you?”
Mace dragged off his shirt, grinning, and the sheer impact of his naked torso made her blow out a sharp, startled breath. At how gorgeous and well-made he was. At the energy and intense masculinity roaring off him, like heat from a blast furnace.
“Is that better?” he asked.
She looked him up and down. “We’re getting there. We have a ways to go. Nice necklace you’ve got there. I wouldn’t have pegged you as a guy who wore jewelry.”
Mace glanced down at the long pendant, and gave her a smile, whipping it off and placing it on the table. Then he stripped off sweat pants and briefs, and stood there naked.
Oh my. All of him was gorgeous. His legs, his hips, his cock. Long and thick and broad. His gleaming cockhead dark red with eagerness. Flushed veins pulsing along his thick shaft. It rose up from the shaggy thicket of dark pubic hair. Straining toward her.
Cait placed her hands on his chest. The contact made them gasp, and his dick jerk. A cascade of endorphins, rushing along her skin. Startling and electric and delicious.
She ran her fingertips over the red spots, the scrapes and bruises on his ribs. Then the star-shaped, puckered scar on his belly. “Wow. What’s that from?”
“Gut shot,” he murmured. “Marine Force Recon. The wound that made me retire.”
“I see.” She slowly circled him, her fingertips trailing across his back. Tracing scars there, too. “What on earth caused these?”
He looked like he was hesitating. “I got flogged,” he said. “Long time ago, at GodsAcre. Kimball’s work. He did the same to my brothers.”
She stared at him, shocked. Then she dropped a kiss on one of his scars, circling around to face him. She grasped his cock, caressed the heavy ball sack. One hand above, stroking his chest, exploring his taut nipples, one hand below, cradling him. Squeezing.
So hard, so hot. His nipples seemed stretched out tight over his enormous pecs. The silky arrow of hair pointing down his belly, over tight, cut abs, toward that gorgeous cock. Stiff and hot and ready for action. She was getting wet from just looking at him.
She slid her hand down, caressing him, two-handed. “You’ve got three options, Mace Trask,” she purred. “I can take you to the cops. I can take you to the hospital. Or I can take you to my bed. Choose wisely.”
He was still laughing when he covered her mouth with his.