Dare You to Run (32 page)

“Yeah, three damn years.” He scooped her up, cradling her for a moment before laying her on the bed. In the back of her mind, she heard the steady drone of the engines and felt the vibration of flight, but she was much more interested in the way Vitus was opening his pants and shucking them off.

His cock sprang into sight, hard and thick, exactly what she craved. The bed rocked as she flipped over, getting her knees under her before wrapping her fingers around his length.

“Christ,” he growled as she stroked, closing her fingers around him and pushing her hand down to the base of his cock as she leaned over and licked one side of his ball sack.

It was bluntly sexual, which she craved from him as much as the tenderness of that first kiss. Now, she wanted to make him squirm, wanted to feel his cock jerk in her grasp and taste his cum because he couldn't hold back.

“Damascus.”

His teeth were grinding as she licked around the ridge of flesh that crowned his cock, his body drawn tight as she stroked him and licked the slit on the head. She heard him cuss when she closed her lips around the head and listened as he groaned when she started to suck.

His hand was in her hair, holding her in place even as he made a halfhearted attempt to get her to stop.

“Princess … ease up…”

She had no intention of doing so. She hollowed her cheeks, sucking harder on him as she used her tongue on the underside of the head, rubbing against that little cluster of nerve endings as she used her hands to stroke the portion of his length she just couldn't get into her mouth.

His grip tightened as he lost control, his cock giving up the load from his balls. She sucked him through it, reveling in the sounds coming from him. Deep male ones that set off a wave of satisfaction inside her.

He pulled her head back, forcing her to release his cock. She looked up his body, enjoying the glitter in his eyes.

“Proud of yourself, aren't you?”

She nodded, forcing him to release her hair or pull it. He let go, but a moment later he was pushing her back onto the bed, parting her thighs and spreading her folds wide. It was a swift reversal of power, an instant transition that left her gasping as she felt vulnerable beneath him.

“I think you should share that sense of victory, Princess.” He was watching her, looking up her prone body with a smug curve on his lips. “Since you've made sure I can focus now, I don't plan on wasting the opportunity to induct you into the mile-high club.”

He was teasing the curls on the top of her sex as he spoke, sending little ripples of excitement through her clit and across her belly. There was a flash of victory in his eyes before he shifted his attention to her spread body.

“Copper curls,” he cooed as he teased them again. “Guys talk about these, know that?” He looked back up her body, flashing his teeth at her.

“No, I wouldn't know that.” She choked on her amusement.

“They do, like it's a myth.”

Vitus chuckled and pressed her flat on her back with one large hand in the center of her belly. An insane little twist of anticipation went through her as he watched her.

“Can't let my opportunity get away,” he muttered before leaning forward.

She felt his breath against her wet folds, a prelude to the first touch of his lips, which sent a shaft of pleasure through her core. She twisted again, unable to remain still. It was simply impossible. Her body was a mass of receptors, all firing off in rapid succession. Vitus gripped her hips, pulling her to him, his shoulders making it impossible for her to snap her thighs shut. She gripped him as he plied his tongue across her clit and closed his lips around the little bundle of nerve endings, sucking until she was crying out with rapture. It was sharp and hard, shaking her to her bones and leaving her a panting mess in the middle of the bed.

Vitus was chuckling with victory. He pushed back onto his haunches, taking a good long look at the state he'd reduced her to. “Now
that
is a very good look on you, Princess.”

She snorted at him, trying to compose herself, but his cock caught her attention and her body clenched as she realized she wasn't really satisfied. She wanted him inside her, deep, so that he pushed every bit of reality aside. He knew it, craved it as well. The desire was glittering in his eyes as he cocked a finger at her.

“Come here baby…”

It was all the encouragement she needed. Damascus sat up, reaching for his shoulders as he guided her onto his length with a firm grasp on either side of her hips. She was slick and ready, mounting him with ease.

“God,” he groaned as she sheathed him. Vitus moved his hands around so that he was cupping both sides of her bottom, lifting her up and letting gravity take her back down. “Goddamn that's good.”

It was. Although “good” just wasn't the right word. “Intense” came to mind, right before she lost all grasp on thinking. They were back in that moment, that little wonder-filled bubble where all that mattered was the way they made each other feel. The sheer heights the connection between their bodies produced took command and she was a willing servant, striving toward him as he worked beneath her, driving them toward a final eruption that blew both of them into tiny shards.

Somehow, she ended up on the bed, Vitus curled around her back, his arms locking her in place. She fought off sleep, needing to soak it up, but there wasn't any room in her for fear—even though she knew they were flying toward a date with reality, she just couldn't rise above the security of his embrace. So she didn't, and lay in his arms as sleep claimed her.

So perfect.

It was too bad they were going to have to come back down to earth.

*   *   *

“Don't look too pleased with yourself.”

Tyler didn't bother to change his expression. At least, not at first. Then a hard look from Kagan wiped it clean.

“I'll expect something for that girl.” Kagan got down to business. “I'm not stupid enough to not be able to figure out that you're getting a good amount for her.”

“So don't cheap you out?” Tyler asked.

Kagan nodded a single time, his attention on the people moving through the park. He liked the view, enjoyed knowing there were still inhabitants of the city who had no idea what other reasons the park was used for. They were content to walk their dogs, push their kids, and take selfies without ever questioning what other people were doing there.

Yeah, that was why he did what he did. For the people who didn't even know he was alive. He wanted to keep it that way, ensure they never had a reason to step outside their own personal snow globes.

“Look at it this way.” Tyler Martin laid out his reasoning. “You can't do shit about the way Ryland wants this to end for your men. I know someone who can influence him, maybe go so far as to jerk his chain.”

“Carl Davis, no doubt.”

Tyler stiffened, giving Kagan a moment of pure enjoyment. “You know I'm not stupid, Tyler. Don't get cocky at this stage of the game. Besides, I'd like to get a bite of that girl myself. She's a ten all the way. Davis has good taste.”

Tyler relaxed and even offered him a nod. Kagan hid his revulsion behind a smirk that Tyler mistook for male enjoyment.

“She's got a great package,” Tyler said. “But she's out of our league. You're smart enough to know to keep your hands off.”

Kagan nodded and kept his lips sealed as he waited for Tyler to spill some information.

Tyler hesitated, clearly rolling the facts through his head before opening his mouth. Kagan didn't say a word, just let the pressure build as time grew longer.

“Fine. Get me the girl, I'll get Ryland off the Hale brothers.”

“I'll need some assurance of that,” Kagan said, pressing the issue.

Tyler didn't care for it. His lips turned white because of how hard he was pressing them together.

“What? Did you think I would just do it on your word?” Kagan demanded softly. “You waxed two of my men. They were just kids.”

“Only because I was ordered to get at the Hale brothers. And if you want to work with me, better get used to handing out a little meat from time to time. At least when we're on top, it won't be
our
blood on the pavement.” Tyler was cracking, talking too fast as he jumped to defend himself.

“And you're still under those orders.” Kagan tightened the noose. “Maybe I'll just let Dunn Bateson keep her. That man made a very persuasive argument and he'd make a good friend. It's not like it will be very hard for me to convince her it's in her best interest to stay off American soil. Besides, Dunn could just keep her, all I have to do it put it to him the right way. Convince him that she'll come around given enough time with him. Not that I doubt that, she's smart enough. She'll toss in with Dunn when she realizes he can keep her in the style she likes.”

“I'll get you what you want,” Tyler snapped.

He was off the bench a second later, cutting around people who were moving too slow to suit him.

“That was brilliant.” Thais Sinclair spoke into the microphone taped to the face of a doll she was cradling like an infant against her breast. Kagan didn't look over his shoulder at her, maintaining his position in case Tyler had someone watching him.

Now all they had to do was wait and hope that Tyler went to Davis to expose their link. Without hard evidence, it was nothing but hearsay, and Tyler was right about one thing: the powerful didn't answer to the same set of rules that he did. Carl Davis would walk away without so much as a scratch, even if both Hale brothers were lying in a pool of blood in his entryway.

Not that Kagan expected any evidence to go very far. It was a hard fact that Davis would continue to enjoy his life no matter how much dirt he got caught with on his hands. But maybe, if they got enough luck tossed their way, Saxon and Vitus wouldn't have to die. That wouldn't come for free though.

But both men were worth sticking his neck out for.

*   *   *

“I trust you're here to tell me about a happy event soon to take place in my life.”

Carl Davis didn't mince words. He squared off with Tyler, showing off some of his character. Tyler had to admire the man's brass. It told him a lot about just why he was in line for the White House. He was the sort who got things done, no matter the means necessary. The man didn't mind getting his hands dirty. Tyler was getting sick of working for turds like Ryland who ordered shit but wouldn't lower themselves to doing the actual job. It just seemed to him that if Ryland was so hell-bent on seeing Vitus Hale capped, he should be man enough to pull the trigger.

“She's on her way back.” Tyler tossed out a sample of what he could do. Davis cracked a smile that he controlled quickly because he wasn't stupid enough to think it was going to be so simple.

“And you need what from me?” Davis inquired smoothly, as easily as he might have ordered a whiskey on the rocks.

“I need Ryland handled,” Tyler said. “He has this notion of seeing the Hale brothers dead. I never had anything against them. I set the girl up as bait to satisfy him. Seems it should be
your
call now, since she's going to be your wife and he's lined up as your running mate.”

“He's a loose cannon all right,” Carl Davis said as he was thinking. “I like the way you think.” He'd stepped away from his desk and was pacing. “I like it a lot. Once Damascus is back, I'm going to need you to make sure she keeps that spotless reputation intact.”

Carl had stopped pacing and locked gazes with him. Tyler nodded firmly. “Her daddy's obsession is counterproductive to that. Jeb goes off the deep end, and it will splatter onto her.”

“Agreed.” Carl rocked back on his heels and drew in a stiff breath. “Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I'll deal with it directly.”

Carl started reaching for the button that would unlock the office door.

“Just one more thing,” Tyler said. “I'm going to need a little time with her, to ensure she returns to you under the conditions you laid out. So the exchange is going to be private.”

Understanding crossed Carl's face. For a moment, Tyler Martin witnessed a flare of disagreement, but Carl masked it quickly.

“So long as she's happy to be home and wearing my ring.” Carl Davis made his demands clear.

“I will make sure of it.”

Carl offered him his hand. Tyler shook it, enjoying the moment a great deal because it was a sure bet that Ryland would never shake his hand. No, he was an underling to Ryland.

“And just as soon as Damascus is attached to me, I'll need you to come on board full time,” Carl finished up. “I can't trust my bride to just anyone.”

“It will be my pleasure,” Tyler answered.

Carl pressed the security button and the outer door popped open. “I look forward to the conclusion of our business, Mr. Martin.”

Tyler did too. Of course, there was no way to go but forward. Not that he regretted anything. Damascus Ryland might have a few scrapes and a little less of an ear, but she'd hardly known a harsh life. Born into the elite, she'd been raised with better-grade toilet paper in her bathroom than men like him. It was the new world, the reality he'd warned Kagan to embrace or run the risk of having it flatten him when he refused to clear the path. No one was going to stop the men of the ruling class from doing exactly what they pleased. The best that men like him might hope for was to secure a position in their employ.

Tyler refused to feel guilty about what price he was going to pay for that position. Damascus would settle in. Sure, at the moment, she wanted her lover. Tyler chuckled, not begrudging her that desire. They all got the itch for someone, and she was used to getting what she wanted out of life more so than most people.

Tyler consoled himself with the fact that her fascination with Vitus Hale wouldn't last. A woman like her didn't play by the same rules as the rest of the world. Monogamy was nothing more than a necessary sham, used to make people beneath her think she was a good person. In reality, she didn't even have the same definitions of the word “good.”