Fatal Exposure (11 page)

Poppy sat back in her seat. “Why didn’t you call the police on her?” she asked in a soft voice. The question was sure to anger him, but she needed to know the truth.

“And tell them that a hundred and nothing pound woman broke my nose so they can laugh in

my face?” He hit the steering wheel with his fist.

“Fuck that.”

“You hit her back.” Poppy dared to remind him and braced for war.

He glared at her from the corner of his eye. A small threat from a large man. “Drop it, okay?”

“Sure.” She knew his breaking point and had no intention of crossing it. Not tonight.

Instead, she allowed herself to wonder if this man was really who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Sure, he’d practically saved her life. And he could afford a nice ring...and that house on Bluebird. But did she love him?

She shook the recurring cynical thoughts out of her head. Love was a distant fantasy. It didn’t happen to people like her.

He pulled up in front of the club and hit the brakes. “Let’s go inside. I’ll show you what a real man feels like.”

Poppy doubted it, but she followed him in anyway, thinking maybe it was one step closer to getting what she wanted.

****

Kade was exhausted when he finally pulled up to the cabin at dawn. A snowstorm must have blown in ahead of him. There was at least two feet up against the log walls and the front door. Inside was probably freezing. He needed to get in there and start a fire before Ava woke up. He looked down at the petite, bundled up body stretched out on the seat next to him. Her long auburn hair splayed across his lap. He’d had the urge to run his fingers through her tresses for most of the trip. The act was soothing...but stupid. Very stupid.

If he wanted to move on with his life and his career, he’d have to keep his distance from her. Which was easier said than done.

He was so exhausted, all he wanted to do was carry her to his bed and wrap her in his arms. Feel the warmth from her body against him. Run his fingers over the soft suppleness of her skin. Inhale her fresh, lively scent.

Lord, he wanted to make love to her again, but he couldn’t.

He left her in the heated truck while he went inside and prepared a fire in both the living room and bedroom.

There was only one bed. It was king-sized and large enough for the both of them. She couldn’t deny him that. Besides, she was already going to want to kill him for everything else he’d done. Lying to her, drugging her, kidnapping her, and now holding her against her will.

It was pointless to try to salvage his morality now.

He trudged back out into the snow and gathered her in his arms. Her body was limp as he carried her inside, to
his
bedroom, and placed her gently onto the bed.
His
bed.

His heart constricted at the sight of her there. He never brought women to his bedroom, not even Lucy, but somehow this seemed right. He could easily imagine waking in the night and drawing her close, wrapping her up safe in his arms. Protecting her. Feeling her soft flesh bumped up against him, her warm steady breath on his skin.

One beam of light from the rising sun pierced the room and lit it up. It was too bright so Kade pulled the shade down, instantly darkening the room

enough to create shadows on the wall from the crackling fire.

He spread her dark coppery hair out on the white pillow and wondered for a moment what she looked like with her natural blonde color. Too bad he wasn’t going to be able to see that. After everything was said and done, she’d leave here angry and hating him, never wanting to see him again. Which, of course, was for the best.

At least she would be safe. At least she’d be alive and well and not at the hands of some maniacal dickhead. But for now, while she was in his home, he’d take care of her, make sure she was comfortable.
Protect her
.

The room was warm enough to get her out of her jeans and sweater. He worked with the tiny buttons and slid her top off, exposing her bare breasts. She stirred slightly and one of her hands brushed her budding nipple.

He grew hard at the sight.
I’m such a bastard
. But he couldn’t stop now. She needed to sleep comfortably, he told himself as he tugged her jeans off and then took in the full view of her body. Creamy skin. Ample, perky breasts. Rosy pink nipples. Supple, curvy hips. Flat, smooth stomach. Her skimpy red panties that barely covered her—

Snap out of it
. Kade tucked her under the safety of the comforter and forced himself to the bathroom. He splashed his face with ice-cold water but still couldn’t relieve himself of the desire that was imbedded in him.

It’s not right
.

He’d known that from the very moment he’d realized she was his target. But that hadn’t changed

his feelings for her, how she tempted him. How he never wanted to let her go.

He showered and brushed his teeth, trying to erase the image of her body lying naked on his bed.
Nothing could happen. Not tonight. Not again.

Chapter Six

The fire was slowly burning out, but Kade didn’t dare move, afraid he’d wake her. He’d tried with all his might to keep to his side of the bed, but after all her tossing and turning, she ended up with her supple, curvy backside butted up against his swollen cock.He was cornered and growing more lustful by the minute.

So much for getting some sleep before she woke up.

After wiping the beads of perspiration from his forehead, he attempted to ease her body away from his aching erection. He gripped her hips and slowly urged her forward.

“Mmm.” She moaned and smiled in her sleep.

“Don’t stop.”

Oh, shit
.

Her fingers intertwined with his, and together they slid slowly up to her breast.

Stop. Wake her up. Tell her what’s going on.
Her skin was soft, her nipples hard. She pressed her hand against his, and Kade couldn’t help but cup her supple flesh. She moaned again.

Breathe
.

“Touch me,” she mumbled and pulled his hand down, down, down. She opened her legs enough for both of their hands to fit cozily up against her lacecovered pussy. Warm, inviting.

And mine
.

He couldn’t let her go. Wouldn’t. She’d have to forgive him. God, he hoped she would.

Eagerly, he shoved her hand out of the way and slipped his fingers under the elastic band of her panties. He spread her smooth folds, and dipped two fingers into her wetness. She was cream and silk at his fingertips. So wet and hungry for his touch, even in her hazy state of sleep.

“
Yes
.” Her bottom angled back against his throbbing cock. Her juicy walls clenched tightly against his fingers while he kneaded them into her. She maneuvered her hand under his arm and into his boxers, rubbing against him lightly, making him pulse with want. All blood drained from his brain and shot straight to where she massaged him. Small moans mixed with pants rose up in her half-asleep body. She must have thought they were still in the hotel room...and he was still a normal guy she’d simply stumbled upon. Unfortunately, neither was the case.

He removed her hand from his throbbing cock, and she quickly moved it up to caress his face.

“I need you, Ava,” he whispered into her ear as he circled his fingers along her clit. “I want you so much it’s killing me not to have you. Do you understand that?”

She grinned and sluggishly tugged at her panties. “Take them off.” Her voice was a husky whisper. “Please.”

Kade didn’t waste time following her orders. He stripped the lace down her legs and watched as she lazily kicked it to the side. His heart raced unsteadily when she lifted her leg over his hip, giving him better access.

Oh, hell. Did he have a condom?

With the greatest of care, he leaned back and opened the nightstand beside the bed, just behind him. He couldn’t see a thing, but his fingers finally reached the unopened box he kept there. After tugging his boxers down just enough to slide the rubber on, he fingered her again, making sure she was still ready for him.

“Mmm,” she responded and ran her fingers back around his head and through his hair. “Fuck me.”

Good enough.

Kade found her pussy with his hard length and slid into her slick tightness. If he wasn’t going to burn in hell already, he might after this. But damn it, he needed her. He needed Ava.

****

Ava felt him enter but didn’t bother to open her eyes. Waking up to a man like Kade was a fantasy she’d had for a long time. But she never imagined it would feel this good.

As he slowly drove in and out of her from behind, Ava wrapped her leg around him tighter. His thick cock brushed past her butt cheeks as it plodded steady, curving upward as he moved into her pussy. Pressing against her walls. Finding new and undiscovered areas to tantalize.

One of his hands gripped her hip while the other reached around and firmly stroked her sensitive clit. Her eyes fluttered as his pubic bone hit her anus, stirring a new sensation that prickled her skin and sent her reeling. “Oh, oh.” She leaned back against his hard chest.

“Yes.” His minty warm breath brushed her cheek. “Come for me, baby.”

He thrust up almost taking her onto his lap, his cock pressing into her G-spot. She cried out and bore down on him, attempting to return the favor. Clenching her muscles as tight as possible, she shoved off him and then let him slam back in. She opened her eyes, but the room was blurry. It was just the two of them in the throes of passion. In a hazy euphoria, Ava pressed her ass against him. Anything he wanted, he could have. She wanted to give him every part of her.

He swore and pulled out. “Ava. God, honey, I need you closer. I can’t get enough of you. Never enough.” There was growl of desperation in his voice as he grabbed her hips, shoved her onto her back, and wedged his solid body between her thighs.

“Have me,” she whispered, ignoring the cotton feel of her throat and her weighted eyelids. The hard lines of his face were rigid as he guided himself into her welcoming pussy. His movements were slow, tender, deliberate. She caressed his ass, pulling him forward, wanting him deep. His cock crammed her innermost walls, and he carefully prodded her there, tapping and teasing. His lovemaking was gentle and loving. Different. All the same, the familiar heated pressure built in her core. She dragged in a breath and smelled sex, piney soap, and him.

His nostrils flared, and perspiration dampened his forehead as he dipped down and kissed her lips.

“This won’t be the last time I fuck you.” He tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. “I promise you that.”

His words mixed with his steady, provocative rhythm pulsed through her thighs, her belly...and into her heart as she lazily met his intense stare.

He skimmed a hand down the curve of her hips, then lifted her leg over his thigh. He wetted his finger with her juices and slipped it back to her sensitive anus. There, he circled and nudged. Prickles of delight shot through her core, and she whimpered his name.

“I want to feel every inch of you, Ava.” His warm breath rustled in her ear. “Do you see how much I need you?” He dipped his slippery finger into her taut puckered entrance, jolting her pussy.

“Oh, God, yes.” Her voice was hoarse, but nothing mattered at that moment but the crackling pleasure buzzing and building in her womb. She cradled his stubbly cheeks with her hands and let him see how he affected her. Gasping at the intimate invasion, she threw her head back and arched up to meet him.

His breathing was heavy and strained against her ear. “Such a tight pretty ass, Ava. It’s mine. Every inch of you is mine.”

She was aware of every sensation. Tingling and spiraling. Her aching nipples as they hardened and scraped against his chest. His finger where no other man had explored, matching the pumping rhythm of his powerful cock.

He could have her there. Anywhere he wanted. Her mouth hung open as she gasped for air. The overwhelming pressure coiling, burning, like a ball of flames licking and blazing up through her abdomen and down through her thighs. Until it exploded, splintering blissfully to every nerve in her body. She cried out and held tight to his damp muscles, her fingers digging into his solid flesh.

“Kade.” His name echoed through the room and into her heart.

“Yes, baby. God, you’re squeezing me so tight. So fucking tight.” He gripped her hips as he drove into her one last time and then let his weight fall on her body as he quaked and trembled. His lips pressed to her cheek and then her forehead.

Ava accepted the kisses, quickly reeling down from the ecstasy. Exhausted and utterly sated, her body relaxed and her eyes grew heavy.

She closed them and drifted off again.

****

Kade cursed himself as he swung the ax up and over his head, splitting the log in two. There was already a large pile of firewood at his disposal that he’d prepared before the snow came in. But this was the only way he knew how to take out his frustration.

Not only would she hate him now, she’d accuse him of taking advantage of her. And he couldn’t deny it. He’d tricked her, deceived her, and used her. Fuck. He’d fallen in love with her.