Die For You: Catastrophe Series, Book 1 (25 page)

“Five,” she whispered, her hand resting on top of Josie’s head. “First there were three men who kidnapped us, and then two more showed up. Apparently, there’s a nest of them living in some mansion higher up in the mountains. They were planning on taking us up there tomorrow. This place was just a stop over.”

“Great,” Christian grumbled.

Five. Five men. That means…

Sebastian walked up behind Phoebe and put his hands on her shoulders. “Phoebe, there’s only four bodies in the house now,” he said. “Where’s Spike?”

Phoebe sucked in a breath. “He’s not here? Spike left a while ago to get Rachel. Where’s Rachel? Isn’t she with you?”

Fuck.

“No, she’s not, we left her behind.” Adam swiveled, poised to run and get his woman.

“Adam.” Phoebe grabbed his arm with surprising strength. “Be careful. Spike was drunk. Very drunk.”

* * * * *

“Get your ass out here and meet your new man,” Spike roared outside of Rachel’s cage. “There’s no way your fucking rescue party is keeping me from you.” The sun was rising behind them, dusting the sky with brushes of pink and orange, allowing Rachel to see just how drunk off his ass Spike really was. Crap. A drunken Spike was a dangerous Spike. Sober, Spike might have had a no-raping rule, but she suspected drunken Spike didn’t give one fuck about that rule or any other. How long would it be before Adam or the others realized Spike was missing?

He unlocked the heavy steel door, banged it open and stumbled inside, evil laughter bubbling from his chest. Rachel shot to her feet, intent on escape.

“Ready for cock?” he asked, his voice full of menace.

“Not yours,” she hissed. “What the hell is wrong with you? No wonder you were in prison.”

“I’ve had you out here for hours, waiting for you to break. I ain’t waiting another fucking minute. I want you before they find you. On your knees. First, you’re taking me in your mouth.”

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her close, slamming her against his chest. One hand dug into her hip, the other fisted her hair, jerking her head back. He put his lips on her neck. “Shit,” he moaned. “You’re sweet.”

This was it. The only chance she’d have. She held on to his waist, pretending to melt in his arms, pressing against him…and immediately kneed him in the groin, using every bit of her newfound strength. Spike grunted and dropped to the ground. She spun around and darted out the open door of the cage, running away as fast as her feet would carry her.

“Get back here, you bitch,” he snarled behind her.

She ran faster. But she was wearing those damn high heels and she didn’t even have a moment to kick them off. Oh God, oh God. Her chest heaved. Adrenaline rushed through her body. She darted across a clearing to the side of the animal enclosures. Crap, she was barely gaining ground. He was right behind her, she could hear his feet hitting the pavement and then being muffled in the tall grass. She could practically feel his breath on the back of her neck.

She kept running, ready to turn and jump over—

He tackled her to the ground.
Uhmph.
Her breath whooshed out of her lungs. She took the brunt of the fall on her shoulder.

Shit, that hurt.

They twisted around in the damp grass. He was strong, so strong. She had to think of something fast or she was in for a world of shit. Adam and the others would be back, but until then, she was on her own. Spike pinned her arms underneath them and ground his lips and his groin against hers. His mouth on hers tasted of alcohol and smoke. Bile rose in her throat. She bit his lip. Hard.

He lifted his head. “Fuck,” he shouted. He let go of her, sat up and wiped a smear of blood across his handsome face. “You’re going to pay for that, bitch.”

She pulled clear of him and leapt to her feet. “Oh, really?” She smiled grimly as she lifted and aimed the Glock—
her
Glock—the one she’d just pulled out of his waistband as they’d tussled on the ground—and shot him in the shoulder.

Bam!

Chapter Thirty-Two

A shot rang out.

Adam twisted his head. He banged out of Rachel’s empty cage and sprinted toward the sound, gun in hand. He crashed through bushes and saw Rachel with a man moaning on the ground in front of her.

The asshole tried to sit up. “You bitch, I’m going to—”

She shot him in the leg. He screamed, high pitched like a little girl, fell back and rolled over, clutching his thigh.

“What?” she taunted. “What are you going to do? Bleed on me? Shut up or I’ll shoot you again.”

Adam stood where he was, a smile plastered on his face. He holstered his weapon. She’d taken the fucker out with the baby Glock, correct stance and hold, just like he’d taught her. Relief flooded his system. This was why he’d trained her, pushed her so hard to run, to exercise and learn how to shoot and protect herself. For this. This. He’d always known there’d come a time when he couldn’t be there and she’d have to save her own life. Today was that day. She’d gone through a crucible and come out the other side, her metamorphosis complete. The bird had flown out of the nest, free and strong. He’d never been so proud of anyone in his whole damn life.

Rachel began moving, and he stilled, because in that moment he saw her, really saw her in the predawn light.

Sweet Jesus.

His heart sped up and his nostrils flared. What was going on? She was dressed like he’d never seen before. In clothes he knew she didn’t own. Where did she get those skin-tight black leather pants and high heels? Christ, he loved a woman in leather pants.

Totally fuckable.

She twisted and bent over to pick something off the ground, and his gaze moved from the leather to her top. His dick went hard in his pants. Her silky red shirt was backless, held together by strings, exposing an expanse of creamy, soft skin he’d caressed so many times before. The pants were low, revealing the sweep of her hips and the top of her ass. Her gorgeous ass.

She took his breath away.

Rachel stood up and froze as her gaze collided with his.

Her hair was different too, sleek and shiny. Make-up darker than usual.
Fuck
. Who was this woman?

“Adam?” A slow, sexy smile spread across her face. She stared at him intently. She strutted across the grass, her high-heeled fuck-me shoes carefully picking over the carnage, leaving the asshole behind. Her hips swayed as she slid her gun into the hip of her pants and came straight for him.

Oh, fuck. It was too much. He didn’t know why she was in that get-up and he didn’t much care. This was his fantasy woman come to life. Everything he’d ever dreamed of. And she was his, just for the taking.

Adam fell to his knees before her.

She lowered her gaze to meet his. “What are you doing?” She laughed, her smile brilliant and genuine. “Get up, I could use some help here.”

He swallowed hard. He grabbed both her hips and squeezed tight. “You’re mine,” he growled.

Her eyes darkened. Her hair fell forward as she looked down at him and cupped his face tenderly. “Of course I am, baby. I’ve been yours since the moment we met.”

Something dropped in the pit of his stomach. He loved her. Loved this woman. Worshiped the ground she walked on. It had started during those first five days they’d spent together, he knew it now. And the moment she’d allowed him to take her virginity…well, that was it, he was gone. He’d spent the last two months acting like an asshole, not giving her everything because the last time he’d given a woman everything he’d had it thrown back in his face.

But this was different, and he knew it.

He stood. Rachel grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down for a crushing kiss. He felt the world around them slip away as he gave himself to the moment. Her lips on his, her tongue inside his mouth. His woman. Possessing him, leaving her mark, letting him know she was his and he was hers. It was fucking fantastic.

Rachel trembled under Adam’s touch, pent-up emotion welling inside.

His hands drifted down and caressed the sides of her breasts, slid along her hips and down behind to cup her ass and press her pelvis against his groin. Her nipples peaked to hard points as desire shot across her belly. His bulge felt large,
big
. And she’d discovered she definitely liked big.

“Adam,” she moaned.

He met her gaze with unwavering intensity. “I love you, Rachel.”

Her jaw dropped open. Loved her? Euphoria swept through her. Now he was telling her this? She’d just shot a man, spent the night in a smelly cat enclosure and who knew what had happened to Phoebe and Josie. This was when he was finally ready to open his heart? Despite it all, she felt weightless, like a feather floating in the wind. “I love you too, Adam,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”

“Rachel, are you all right?” Trevor yelled as he and Christian ran into the clearing.

She blinked, stunned into silence at Adam’s words, by everything that had just happened. It all seemed like a dream. Had she really shot Spike? Did Adam just say he loved her?

“She’s fine,” Adam answered for her. He cocked his head toward Spike, who was still moaning in the grass. She realized she felt separate from the whole situation, as if it were happening to someone else. “Can you two figure out what to do with that asshole? And can you go back and get the others and get them to leave with you and meet us back at the farm? Rachel and I are leaving.”

“You are?” Trevor grinned.

“We are?” she asked, her head spinning. “Wait. Wait. What about Phoebe and Josie?” Her voice turned urgent. “What happened, are they okay?”

“Don’t worry,” Christian answered gently. “We killed all four of the men that were in the main lodge with them, and Phoebe and Josie are safe now.”

“Oh, thank God. I was so worried. But—”

Adam grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the SUV.

“See ya later.” Trevor laughed. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

“Wh-what are you doing?” Rachel stuttered as Adam’s long legs ate up the ground. Watching her feet, she concentrated on following without tripping in her high heels. Adam marched them to his new truck parked behind a work shed and partially hidden from view. He braked next to the door and whipped her around. He pressed her back against the warm metal and her heart beat like a hummingbird’s wings. Fear, need and excitement all crashed together within her.

She licked her lips and watched his eyes darken with passion. He stroked her face, her hair—rough fingertips against her cheek, next to her lips. “I almost lost you today, and it scared the ever livin’ crap outta me.”

Her throat tightened. “But—”

“No. Just listen. I was a lucky bastard the day I met you on the freeway. Lucky. I need you, Rachel, I need you right now. I need to know that you’re here with me. We’re both still alive. We’re still together even after the crap I said, after everything that happened. I need to feel you. Feel your warmth. I need to be inside of you. Now. I can’t wait. I’ll go crazy if I wait.” He swooped down and captured her lips again, leaving no room for dissent. She moaned into this mouth. Her breath came out in short gasps. He cupped her breast and brushed a nipple. Warmth gushed between her legs.

He released her mouth, and she blinked. Vulnerable, waiting for his touch, she felt wobbly, like a newborn colt. “I’m sorry about how I acted yesterday, how I left you. It was inexcusable. It won’t happen again. I promise.” The driver’s side door of the truck creaked open. “Get in,” he ordered.

Her head spun. “But—”

“Now.” He brushed his mouth over her ear. “I’m fucking you now, but not out here. In the cab, where it’s safe. I can’t watch out for assholes and fuck you at the same time. I’m good, but I’m not that good.”

Before she could muster a reply, hands were under her arms, cupping her elbows, lifting her into the driver’s seat. The gray leather of the bench seat slid under the backs of her thighs. Adam’s large body followed. The door slammed shut and he reached down and adjusted the seat as far back as it would go.

“You. On top of me,” he ordered. “I need inside of you, now.”

She nodded and did as instructed. God, she loved take-charge Adam. She smiled, finally feeling awake and alert, letting the horror of last night and this morning fade away. They both desperately needed this, to erase away what had happened, skin against skin, their bodies connected, a renewal of feeling, of commitment.

She mounted him like a horse—one leg over and across his hips, face-to-face, crotches rubbing through cloth. She looked into his eyes and ran her hand across the stubble on his cheek. The contrast of a man’s skin to a woman’s fascinated her, it was so deliciously masculine.

“Christ, I love you so much. Kiss me again,” he said with a deep, sexy rumble.

Happy to oblige, Rachel threaded her arm behind his neck, gripping his muscular thigh for support. The last few hours had been spent in a state of heightened awareness, edgy, scared out of her mind, constantly on the brink of disaster. The preceding rush of relief left her supercharged and pumped with adrenaline. But she didn’t want to just fuck Adam. She wanted to make love to him, to show him how much she cared. Her fingers tingled with restless energy as they skimmed the bottom of his shirt. “Can I touch you?” she asked.

Strong biceps rippled as he pulled the shirt up and over his head, revealing his perfect chest and that luscious bronzed skin, so much darker than her own. She loved the contrast. Loved it. With one hand on the firm landscape of his washboard abs, Rachel leaned down to pepper kisses across his pecs and up the column of his neck. The feel of his skin underneath her lips…
mmm
. She could feast on him all day.

He sucked in his breath and gripped her hips with his big hands. “I’ve dreamed of you this way,” he said with a husky voice.

“Here, in the truck?” she mumbled while drawing his earlobe between her teeth.

“In a car. That first day when we met on the freeway, I wanted to drag you to the Hummer and fuck you blind.”

“I had no idea.”

“Good, you weren’t supposed to.”

“Me?” she questioned. “You wanted
me
that first day?”

“You. With your hair down.” He threaded his fingers through the thick strands. Pressed it against his nose and inhaled. “You smell like spring air. Fresh and clean.”

“That’s impossible,” she said. “I spent the night in a cage that smelled like cat piss.”

He laughed and licked her neck.

“Well, lucky for you,” she told him. “Bad smells seem to bounce off of me. But when we get home, the first thing I’m doing is taking a shower.” She gazed into his warm brown eyes, so dear, and touched his face. Short black hair, bronzed skin, perfect lips. Sexy stubble. Wicked scar. She almost forgot to breathe.

“You like?” his deep voice rumbled.

“Oh, yeah.” This was more fun than humans were meant to have. “What happens next in your dream?” she asked.

“I order you to take your shirt and bra off so I can suck your nipples.”

She threw her shirt off in record time.

“You were walking around without a bra?” he groaned as he cupped her breasts. “Your tits are gorgeous.”

“Those comments of yours are starting to go to my head, you know. I’m thinking I should have trained to be a topless showgirl at Bally’s instead of a teacher.”

“You would’ve made more money.”

She laughed. “That’s for sure.”

He concentrated on her tits, playing with them at first, plumping them up, kneading them. She leaned forward, trying to give him easier access. Loving every minute of it. Watching his hunger made her wild with need. He latched his mouth on to the tip of one, pinching the other, and she jumped as if shocked by electricity. She arched her back and tried to get closer. More.

His mouth popped free and he switched to her other breast. Omigod. Wonderful. A small orgasm clenched her vagina, pulsing bright. She gasped in his ear and tightened her fingers on his arms. She ground against his groin.

His penis needed to be inside of her. Now.

“Adam,” she whimpered. “I need…” She reached between them and fumbled with the button on his pants.

He let go of her nipple. “Move back.”

The steering wheel only allowed a few inches of movement, but she managed.

He tugged his jeans past his hips. White underwear slid over his heavy erection, allowing his penis to jut free. She swallowed. Adam’s eyes glittered with lust. He grabbed her ass and drew her up against his hard cock. She closed her eyes for a moment. Heaven.

“Touch me,” he said.

His cock was beautiful, long, thick and veined, with a head wider than the shaft. She wrapped her fingers around the velvety head. She pulled back and reached down. Her hand went around the hard, thick cock. She heard his harsh gasp. A drop of precome glistened on the tip. She touched the slit and spread the moisture around the top of his penis.

He clenched his jaw and dropped his arms to his sides.

She reached out and grabbed his tremendous erection. Her fingers couldn’t meet around the width. He hissed and arched his back. Precome leaked again from the slit at the top.

Adam groaned. “Your pants are coming off. Now.”

She gasped as he easily picked her up, placed her on her back on the seat next to him and made short work of yanking off her leather pants. Her Jimmy Choos came off first so the pants could slide off. She started to rise up, but he picked up a black heel and gestured to her feet. “No, these need to stay on.” He grinned and slid the zipper down the back of each shoe and carefully replaced her lace and black patent leather stilettos. “Sweetheart, I’m fucking you with these shoes on. I want to look at your naked body, watch it respond to me, watch my cock pound into your pussy all while you’re wearing these fuck-me shoes.”

“Okay.”

His hands went around her waist and he used his powerful arms to lift her up and on top of him.

“I need your pussy.”

She pressed down hard, impaling herself on his enormous cock. Good thing she was so wet. Her eyes popped wide open, her breath expelled in a rush.

“Jesus, baby, you’re so tight.”

Her orgasm fluttered in her belly, just out of reach as he thrust in and out. He rubbed a finger perfectly against her clit, hitting the sweet spot again and again. She pushed down harder and threw her head back in ecstasy as his cock pounded into her.