Hitman's Revenge (a Forbidden Bad Boy Romance) (13 page)

“
Y
ou shouldn’t be moving
that shoulder just yet. It’s going to bleed, and I will be pissed that you messed up my handiwork.”

I ignored Sophia’s rants as I slowly and methodically rotated my injured shoulder, gritting through the pain. My conversation with Hazel had pissed me off, but it also shed some light on the struggles I was going to have protecting her. If she felt like she needed to help, it told me she didn’t have any faith that I could actually keep her safe. I couldn’t have that.

“I give up,” Sophia said, placing the tray of bandages beside the bed. “Go on, make yourself bleed, but you will be changing your own damn bandages from now on.”

I looked over at her, pausing midair with my exercise. “I need you to pack a bag and go to your sister’s.”

“I think not,” she said stubbornly, placing her hands on her ample hips. “I don’t run.”

I sighed then, dropping my arm into my lap and feeling the burn as a result. What had I done to deserve two stubborn women in my life? Couldn’t they see I was only doing this for their own good?

“Listen to me, Sophia. You need to get out of here. What’s coming, I don’t want you caught up in it. I can’t have you caught up in it.”

Some of the fight left Sophia’s face as she looked at me, hearing the slight desperation in my voice. “What’s going on, Jack? Tell me that much.”

“I… hell,” I said, rubbing a hand over my face. “Hazel’s been targeted; there’s a large bounty on her head. I have to keep her safe, and I have no idea what’s coming down the pipe. It could be several lone wolf guys, or who knows, they could’ve all teamed up together for this one job. All I know is that I have to stop this.”

“Oh no,” Sophia breathed, knowing enough about it all to understand what that meant. “You have to let her come with me then.”

“No,” I said a bit sharply, trying to rein in that side of my feelings. Sophia arched an eyebrow, and I knew she could see through me. Hell. “I need to have her with me for this. I-I can’t trust anyone else or put anyone else in danger. I’m sorry, not even you. Her bounty is too high, and I really feel that Colt himself is going to try and cash in on his own money so he doesn’t have to pay out.”

Something clattered in the hall, and I felt the control slip slightly as Hazel came into the room, her eyes wide with fear and surprise. “I-I’m a job?”

“I’ll go pack that bag now,” Sophia said quickly, exiting the room as fast as she could. I looked at Hazel’s expression and shook my head. “You’re not a job, Hazel.”

Her chin trembled slightly, but she straightened, anger flashing in her eyes. “How much?”

“That’s not the point,” I argued, wanting to get off of this dangerous conversation. “Fuck. Maybe you should go with Sophia.”

“How much, Jack? And by god if you don’t answer my question, I will sock you in your hurt shoulder.”

“It’s half a million.” One of the biggest bounties I’d seen in a long while. No wonder I had gotten shot.

“Half a million?” she stammered, the air leaving her chest. I watched as the panic started to claw to the surface, and I shot off the bed quickly, grabbing her around the waist and pressing her trembling body against mine.

“It’s not that big a deal, really,” I said, trying to soothe her a bit. I should have never told her, never have opened my mouth about it.

A hysterical laugh escaped her, and she pushed at my uninjured shoulder, forcing me to release her. “Would you cash in?”

That pissed me off. “What the hell does that mean?”

“You’re a paid, trained assassin,” she countered, a strange look in her eyes. “Would you take me out for that amount of money? It’s an easy question, Jack. Yes or no.”

I looked at her, seeing the cracks of vulnerability in her expression. She was really worried, and if I didn’t turn this around quickly, she was going to run. Then I would be up shit’s creek.

Reaching for her, I pulled her close, cursing inwardly as I placed my lips on hers like I’d wanted to all damn day, all my life.

The minute we connected I felt the spark that I had always known was there, the softness of her lips eliciting a sensation straight down to my groin, causing my cock to twitch uncomfortably. The initial surprise in her kiss soon gave way to need, and her lips softened under mine as I molded my lips to hers, coaxing until she opened her mouth before I took control. Or lost it, I wasn’t so sure.

Her tongue tentatively touched mine, and I growled low in my throat, thinking of how it would feel tracing my body, touching my cock as she explored me with her tongue for the first time. Sliding my hand up her side, I cupped her neck, massaging the sensitive area as she moaned low in her throat. I could take her now, against my bed with her glorious hair spilled over my pillow as I pounded into her. I could take her on the floor, against the wall, pushed against the chair in the corner. The thoughts were endless, and that was when I forced myself to step back, to separate myself from her before I did something stupid. Instead, I looked at her red lips, the dreamy expression on her face. “What do you think now, Hazel?”

“I think there’s more between us than just one kiss,” she said softly, bringing her fingers up to her lips.

My cock twitched again but I ignored it, giving her my best hard stare though I was full of shit on the inside. Damn right there was more than just that kiss, but I couldn’t let her know that. If she did, she would force me into breaking my promise, going against my word. But fuck, I’d already done that several times over… it was like no matter what I did, the magnetic pull of her was constantly testing me. “It can’t be more than that,” I ground out, “so don’t think this is going to change between us.”

“I think it already has,” she said honestly before walking quickly out of the room, leaving me to contemplate the kiss by myself.

“Shit,” I said softly. She was right, damn her. That kiss, and the ones that had gone before it, had changed everything between us, changes that I couldn’t have in this life. Hazel wasn’t meant for this, for me, and I was going to damn well keep that in the forefront of my mind. I had to get this finished and get Hazel back to Louisiana where she would be far away from me.

Somehow though, I didn’t think even sending her halfway around the world would help and one taste was never going to be enough, either.

T
he stars twinkled
above as I exhaled, thinking of how much I wanted to be anywhere but where I was. Sophia had left about an hour ago, hefting her bag into the car that we had brought and driving away like it was nothing to take a stolen car. Idly I had wondered how much she actually knew about Jack and what she had done for him over the years.

Jack
. The name had so much meaning now. The kiss had come out of left field with the argument we were having, but it hadn’t left my mind since I had fled that bedroom. I wanted more, I craved more.

With a sigh, I sat down on one of the lounge chairs that dotted the deck, wishing that I could sort out what was really going on here. I hadn’t really thought that Jack would kill me and collect the bounty, knowing in my heart of hearts that he would never hurt me physically. But after that kiss, the kiss I had dreamed about in my younger years, I knew he could hurt me in other ways, and I was more concerned about that than ever before.

“Hazel.”

Gulping, I turned toward the doorway, seeing his familiar outline there. There were no lights on the outside of the house, so I couldn’t make out his facial expression, but the tension was ever present.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“I was just taking in the stars,” I said, looking back up at the sky. “They are beautiful out here.” I heard his boots on the deck as he stepped out, making my heart pound with each step. What was he going to say or do? Was he thinking of that kiss like I was? Was he regretting it? I hoped not. It had renewed my faith in the feelings I once had for Jack, feelings that seemed taboo but really weren’t. I embraced those feelings, even though I knew it wasn’t going to change anything. Or was it?

He came to sit beside me, his weight causing the chair next to me to creak slightly. I looked over and noticed that he had gotten rid of the sling; his arm rested loosely on his knee instead. “I’ve been thinking. Maybe I should try and train you to defend yourself. Nixon should’ve done it properly years ago… so we might as well.”

“Really?” I asked, surprised at the change of tone. He nodded and looked away, focusing on the dark woods instead. “My limitation has shown me that I can’t have you defenseless. I’m willing to show you some basic moves and how to handle a gun if you are up to it.”

“Of course I am,” I replied, feeling a bit of excitement in my veins. I was game for whatever training he could provide. “How’s your arm?”

“It’s not going to fall off despite Sophia’s warnings,” he chuckled. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

We lapsed back into silence once more, the sounds of the night all around us. It was peaceful, different from the sound and feel of the bayou. I was used to the smell of the swamp, not the crisp mountain air. I could see why Jack had chosen to have this place.

“I want to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“You shouldn’t have kissed me?” I asked, pointing out the elephant in the room.

“Ah hell, Hazel, you know how to cut to the quick,” he said with a sigh. “But yes, I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“Why?” I asked, wanting to see what he was going to say. I wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily. I didn’t regret the kiss, not one bit, and really, I didn’t think Jack did either.

“Because I don’t deserve to touch you,” he ground out. “I don’t want you in my life, and I don’t want you confusing me when I am trying to save our hides.”

His voice lacked the conviction I was listening for, and I stood, looking down at him. “Jack, you never could lie very well.”

“I’m not lying,” he frowned.

I smiled, taking the opportunity to kneel before him, my hands on his knees. His nostrils flared, but he didn’t say anything. Those hawk like eyes watched my every move. “Of course you’re not.” Was I rattling him? I didn’t know. His facial expression was stone cold, but those eyes of his told me something else, something that warmed my heart. Carefully, I lifted my hand and touched his face, feeling the scruff of his whiskers under my palm. I could also feel the steely strength of him, the part of Jack that scared and excited me all at the same time.

“What are you doing, Hazel?” he asked, his voice harsh to my ears.

I gave him the bravest smile I could, even though I felt like I was going to explode on the inside. I leaned up, brushing my lips across his. “I’m kissing you this time, so we are even. I might be dead tomorrow, I’m not going to waste another moment.”

He opened his mouth to say something I probably didn’t want to hear, so I covered it with mine, slipping my tongue inside, tasting him. For a moment he didn’t move as I tried to coax him to kiss me back. I started to pull away, my hopes a bit deflated. Maybe the kiss didn’t mean anything to him at all. Maybe I had been wrong all this time, perhaps he still saw me as that little girl following him around.

Then his hand slid up to cup the back of my neck and he pulled me in. A rush of hot fire coursed through my veins as Jack coaxed me back towards him with his tongue, making my insides melt. He was a damn good kisser. Moving between his legs, I wrapped my arms around his neck and let him devour me, knowing in my heart this was right.

This was something we had both fought for years, Jack more so than I, but I knew him better than anyone. I knew the real, caring Jack that hid behind the gruff exterior. I knew the one that had comforted me at night, had come to rescue me from the clutches of evil while risking his own life, and I never wanted to let him go again.

Did I have enough to offer him to keep him this time around?

I
was drowning
in the second circle of hell. Hazel’s scent was all around me, her lips soft and sweet as I teased them, her little sighs driving me wild. I should stop, I needed to stop but I couldn’t, not yet. She was the one bright spot in my dreary world, and I wasn’t ready to give it up. And if she was right and our time on this earth was nearing an end, then why they hell shouldn’t I take what I’d dreamt about?

I slid a trembling hand down her neck and around her shoulder, sliding it down the front of her shirt between the vee of her breasts. She shuddered, and I grinned against her lips, allowing some of my tough exterior to relax. She sighed again, and I couldn’t find it in me to pull away. I brushed one of my fingers over her taut nipple that was visible under her shirt, my own blood starting to hum with anticipation. I couldn’t let my own wants get ahead of the common sense that this was Hazel, but the need, the want to have her was overriding everything.

“Jack, don’t stop,” she breathed, her voice soft against my face. Of all the women who had said my name over the years, the soft sighs and sounds of Hazel made them all pale in comparison.

Ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of my mind, I eased her shirt up with one hand. Her pale breasts came into view as she grabbed the hem and pulled it off the rest of the way. I felt a sudden nervousness come over me as I looked at Hazel, topless and bare before me. Never before had any woman rattled me like Hazel was at this moment, and I felt myself tremble inwardly. I’d never been so concerned about what a woman might think of me, how I would perform, but this was Hazel, and Hazel deserved the best. Suddenly I didn’t feel good enough for her.

Though my hands were itching to touch her soft skin, I didn’t raise them. “Put your shirt back on.”

Her eyes clouded with confusion, but she didn’t move to grab her shirt as I was desperately hoping she would. Instead, her expression changed to anger. “You’re not doing this to me again, Jack.”

“Just put your damn shirt on and leave,” I growled, hoping that I would scare her into submission. I was barely hanging on by a thread, and if she pushed too hard, I would cave. I wanted her so bad I could already taste her skin on my tongue. My cock was straining against my jeans, longing to be inside her. I was going to lose it.

Hazel stared at me for a moment before her hands slid to her jeans and pushed them off, revealing the underwear I’d bought her. “What are you doing?” I forced out, my voice unsure to my own ears. I had expected her to storm off, but she was standing her ground. Testing me right up to the edge.

“I’m giving you a choice,” she said softly, placing her hands on her hips. God she was gorgeous. “You can either sit there and wish you hadn’t put your hands on me, or you can follow me and touch me all you want. I’m tired of getting hot and cold from you. If you don’t touch me, you won’t ever. Got that? This is your last chance.” She then walked away, her pale ass drawing me like a moth to the flame. She was giving me a choice, and I was scared shitless of making the wrong one.