Exquisite Danger (25 page)

“Ye-yes.”

He nodded and set to work gently cutting through my makeshift bandage while Smoke began to breathe heavily next to me. I reached out and grasped his hand, giving it a good squeeze when the soggy cloth was peeled off my wound. Glancing down at the injury, I was glad to see that while it would probably leave an ugly scar, it wasn’t that bad. At the sight of the blood, my scattered thoughts shifted to Breaker.

“Is he okay? Breaker, is he all right?”

“He’s fine. Take more than a bump on the head to put him out of commission,” Frame said in a soothing voice. “I’m going to give you a shot so we can numb the area and stitch up the wound.”

“Okay.” By this point, I was still a little woozy and my whole body ached, but I was alive and so fucking thankful. “Where am I?”

Smoke stroked my hair back from my face again, his hand faintly trembling. I grabbed it and placed a kiss on his palm as he said, “At the clubhouse. We’ve got a small clinic set up here for emergencies that we’d rather not have to deal with hospital bullshit over. Don’t have the equipment to do brain surgery, but we can fix someone up after a gunshot or two.”

Men’s voices came from outside the door, and a moment later, Khan walked in along with Hulk and three other men I didn’t recognize. Smoke stepped closer to me, hovering to the point that Frame nudged him with his shoulder. “Gimme some room.”

Instead of moving away, Smoke sat on the exam table and moved me back into the cradle of his thighs. His wet warmth surrounded me and his heart beat against my back as I shifted my blanket around as best I could with one arm to cover him as well. Wrapping himself around me he remained silent, but I could almost sense the aggressive looks he was giving the other men. I shifted enough so Frame could give me a shot. Thankfully, the area of burning pain began to numb quickly, and I slumped against Smoke with a relieved sigh.

Khan closed the door after himself and leaned against it, watching me closely. “Swan, can you tell us what happened?”

He wanted a debrief. Now, when my mind felt like day old pudding. Okay, I could do that. I went through what had happened, reliving the memory. My voice broke a couple times. When I got to the part about my phone not working, Khan told me one of the men found a jammer on one of the guys I’d killed. My mind tried to deal with the fact that I’d taken lives today, but I forced that knowledge down deep and continued. When I got to the actual gunfight, Smoke began to breathe heavily. By the time I finished the report, my wound had been stitched up and bandaged. The mood had shifted to one of suppressed, tightly controlled rage. Smoke growled out, “When I find the motherfuckers responsible for this…”

I’d had my fill of violence by this point and really, really needed some time to process—and sleep. “Can I please go to my room?”

Smoke swept me into his arms. “Hey, I can walk.”

He spared me a glance, his dark eyes glittering with a mixture of intense emotions that I couldn’t even begin to identify. “No.”

Well aware that arguing with him was a lost cause, I sighed and rested my head against his damp shirt, exhaustion now hitting me full force.

“I’m taking her to bed,” Smoke said in a no bullshit tone. “Let me know if you learn anything.

“Will do, brother.”

We were now in what looked like a hallway, and there were several other men standing around. Khan cleared his throat. “Swan, you did well today, I’m proud of you. Not many men that I know, let alone a little girl like you, would have made it out in one piece. That’s a good woman you’ve got there, Smoke. Hold onto her.”

The other men murmured similar things, but I ignored them as Smoke carried me through the hallway. We didn’t say anything, and even though I wanted to just go to sleep with every beat of my heart, I managed to stay awake until we made it to our room. Once we were inside, Smoke set me gently on our bed, and I sighed in relief. Instead of joining me, he searched our room, then pulled an Uzi out of his bag and set it on the table next to the bed. Outside the grey twilight had given away almost completely to a dark, night sky, and I curled in on myself, my mind totally unable to cope with anything at the moment.

I have no idea how long I laid there in a dazed state, but soon I found myself being picked up. It was a testament to the depth of the numbness surrounding me that I didn’t take a moment to grope and admire him, instead, letting him prop me up against the wall in the bathroom while he efficiently stripped me out of my cold, wet clothing. Steam filled the air, and he guided me into the bathtub with him. Part of me was aware of the sensation of the warm water on my body, but I almost felt like an observer from the outside looking in.

Smoke hummed a song I wasn’t familiar with, while he carefully washed me, his touch so gentle, so welcome, that I began to rise from the fog protecting me from the events of the last few hours. By the time he was working conditioner through my long hair, untangling any knots he found with care, I had my arms wrapped around him, clinging to him like someone would try to take him away from me. Resting my cheek against the broad expanse of his chest I could feel the rumble of his humming against my cheek mixed with the steady beat of his heart.

It was beautiful.

“What song is that?”

“An old Spanish lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was a kid and couldn’t fall asleep.”

“It’s lovely.”

When I didn’t say anything more he went back to caring for me, the melody of the song seducing me into relaxing. As I became aware of my body, I also became aware of his heavy erection pressed against my stomach. Despite the growing ache from my arm, I began to crave a different kind of touch from Smoke, and I pressed my hips into his, loving the way he groaned while he stroked my back with a light touch that sent little electric shivers through me. My love for this man roared through me like a flash fire, fed by the fear I’d endured. I tipped my head back and my heart ached as our gazes met, and I saw everything I felt for him reflected back to me in his eyes.

Sliding up his torso, I placed a kiss on his sinfully full lips, a kiss that soon turned hot and dirty. We devoured each other, our teeth clashing as our tongues stroked together, imitating the way we were rubbing our bodies in a sinful rhythm. I was overwhelmed by an intense arousal, mixed with some frantic emotion I couldn’t name, as I reached between us and stroked his hard length. My pussy throbbed with my need for him to be inside me, my flesh swollen and wet. As our desire built, so did my aggression until I had Smoke pressed against me tight enough that it was a little hard to breathe. He kissed his way from my jaw to my neck, murmuring to me how much he loved me, how much I meant to him, and how proud he was of me.

And thankful, so very thankful.

Warmth blossomed in my chest like a flower opening, and I told him how much I loved him, how much he meant to me, and how scared I’d been. But mostly, I tried to make him understand what he did to me, how I couldn’t imagine how I survived before him, and I begged him to never leave me.

His lips returned to mine and he fisted my wet hair, pulling me back enough that he could look into my eyes. “I’ve been through some terrible shit in my life, done some horrible things, but I’d do it all over again because at the end is you, my reward, my blessing. Baby girl, you own me—wretched heart and wicked soul.”

I placed my fingertips against his lips. “You do not have a wicked soul. I wouldn’t be able to love an evil man.”

He gripped my wrist and held my hand to his chest over his heart. “This beats for you. When…when I thought I wouldn’t make it in time, I swear I felt like I died. You’re my life now, and I promise I’ll do a better job protecting you. I’m so fuckin’ sorry I failed you.”

The way his voice broke on those last words, the guilt saturating his voice, made me angry. “You. Were. Not. Responsible. Do you hear me?”

“I should—”

Slapping my hand none too gently against his mouth I growled out. “Stop. Just stop that fucking bullshit right now. I’m not some delicate princess waiting for Prince Charming to come rescue her. Just because I have a pussy doesn’t mean I’m weak. It doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself. I did what I’ve been trained to do. It fucking sucked, and I was scared out of my mind, but I don’t regret what I did. I don’t regret those men’s deaths, nor do I blame you.”

He closed his eyes and lifted me up until my arms were wrapped around his neck and my legs were around his waist. I was slick and slippery from the water, but he managed to keep his grip on me, his fingers digging into my ass, while I licked the drops of water from his neck and he carried me out of the bathroom then into the bedroom. I bit him gently over his throbbing pulse and tasted his skin. That elicited a delicious growl from Smoke, and I sank my nails into his shoulders, holding on while he laid me on the bed, following me onto the thick comforter and surrounding me with his presence.

A feeling of being safe and protected enveloped me, and as we kissed, tears burned my eyes. The reality of how close I’d come to dying made me frantic for more, for him to be a part of me in an undeniable way that proved we were alive. My arm ached as the anesthetic Frame had used began to wear off, but the pleasure of Smoke’s touch was overwhelming. He shifted his attention to my breasts and gathered one in his large hand, squeezing gently while his thumb played with my nipple.

“So pretty. Love the way your nipples get so hard for me, how they press against your shirt when you look at me with those big, blue, fuck-me eyes.”

The more he touched me, the more I needed him, until I was writhing beneath him, the urge to fuck became overwhelming. His musk, mixed with mine scented the air with a unique combination that was us, and filled me with a sense of satisfaction that this magnificent man belonged to me and only me. I believed him when he said he loved me, when he said we were going to be together for the rest of our lives, and I believed him when he said he was made for me, because it was the absolute truth.

If I was his blessing, he was my gift.

One of his hands slipped between us and stroked the slippery entrance of my sex, a low growl vibrating against my nipple that seemed to be connected to my clit. Each draw felt like a pull on that little bundle of nerves, and I ground myself against his fingers, shameless in my need for the life-affirming pleasure that only he could give me. His thumb began to rub little circles on my nub, and I panted out his name, straining for my orgasm.

Beyond shame at this point, I pleaded with him in a strained voice, “Miguel, please, let me come.”

He shivered and I groaned, arching into him, loving how deeply it affected him when I said his name. “Baby girl, who do you belong to?”

“You, always you.”

“Come for me.”

He slipped a deliciously thick finger into my empty sex and my inner muscles clamped down him. I swear my heart skipped a beat, and I exploded in ecstasy as an intense climax raced through me. I became aware of the blood rushing through my veins, the joy of being alive and how precious every second was. Smoke continued to gently rub my clit until I was trying to push him away, overwhelmed by his touch on my sensitive flesh. Little aftershocks of gratification stole my remaining senses, and I made small mews of pleasure as I twitched beneath his heavy bulk.

His warmth left me, and I reached out for him, begging him to come back to me but unable to say the words. Delicious, gentle waves of desire still moved through me, and when he ran his hands down my waist and groaned, all I could do was smile. His love for me was evident in his touch, and I drank down every drop of his affection as it chased back the lingering shadows of fear and panic trying to invade my mind.

“So fuckin’ beautiful,” he whispered. My hips jerked when he ran the thick head of his cock against my sensitive clit, teasing me.

I struggled to open my eyes, and when I did, I was greeted with the pussy clenching sight of a naked Smoke next to me staring down at where he was rubbing the crest of his dick against my stiff clit. His muscles stood out in stark relief, and I wished for an ounce of artistic talent to preserve that image because he was so damn beautiful. From the dark disks of his nipples to the sharp V leading to his groin, he was perfection, and I wondered if the sight of him would ever grow old. Using my good arm, I caught one of his hands in my own and lifted it to my lips, placing gentle kisses on his bruised knuckles. He looked up at me, and the warmth in his gaze made my whole body buzz as hormones flooded my system.

The mood between us changed when he moved over me, and my back arched to meet him as he slowly entered and filled me. The slight pressure of my body accommodating his thick girth made my toes curl, and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped me. He felt so damn good, and my pussy contracted then released with each gentle push of his hips. I swear his steel-hard cock throbbed deep inside of me, and my skin tingled everywhere he touched me.

“Swan, look at me.”

I hadn’t even realized I’d closed my eyes, but when I opened them I found myself drowning in the warm, brown velvet of his eyes. He cupped my face and watched my expression as he pulled out, my pussy gripping him in an effort to keep him inside of me. He pushed back in with a fluid roll of his hips. Holy shit, my man could move his body in ways that destroyed me. Our eyes held while he made love to me, building my orgasm while I watched so many emotions race through his gaze. At this moment, I felt as if we were one person and submitted to him fully, allowing him into my soul, like he was in my body. Our breathing sped up, and soon, I was lifting my hips to his. A high-pitched sound of pleasure escaped me when he ground his pelvis against mine, his thick cock splitting me wide with each thrust.

He sat back on his heels, still not looking away from my eyes, and lifted one of my legs so that it laid across his chest with my toes pointing up at the ceiling. This allowed him to move deeper in me until each building thrust made him bottom out inside of me. I felt owned in every sense of the word and reveled in his adoration. I treasured it, valued how he took complete control of our lovemaking in order to bring both of us the most pleasure possible. As if his physical prowess wasn’t enough, the way his gaze captured mine sent me racing to the edge of my release.