Joseph (24 page)

Ember looked down at her feet and back at him. He saw the minute understanding hit her. And damn it all if she didn’t turn the tables on him. Her hand caressed the line of buttons on her shirt traveling up and down between her breasts before she pulled it out of the waistband of her tight black skirt. She slid her gaze to him when she licked her lips and unbuttoned the small pearl buttons one at a time, deliberately prolonging the process.

Ember let the material of her shirt float off her shoulders while still keeping her arms in the sleeves. Her hands moved around her waistline and then back up to her white lace bra. She ran her hands over her breasts and gasped when she pinched the nipples of both. Joseph’s cock raged against the material of his slacks.
Fuuuck. When did he lose control?
Her skirt whispered to the floor and lay draped over her shoes. Those fuck-me-now shoes added just a little something to her already perfect ass. Damned if he’d ever let her out of the house wearing them.

She stepped out of the material and dropped her arms allowing the shirt to flutter to the floor. Ember’s fingers traced the top of her white lace panties. Joseph shifted uncomfortably in the chair.

“Stop. I want you to put your hands behind your back.” She didn’t hesitate to pull her arms behind her. Her breasts pushed forward and her breathing sped up.

“That’s it. Now spread your legs.” She sidestepped a couple inches.

“Uh huh, baby girl. Expose yourself to me. Give me access.” Joseph lifted from the chair and nearly groaned at the pain of his erection.

Several small steps split her legs, openly displaying her lace-covered sex. Her pupils were blown wide. “Did you enjoy your tease? Just remember little girls who play with fire usually get burned.” Joseph lowered his lips to her neck and was rewarded with a shiver.

He licked her skin and growled his appreciation, “Fuck, I missed you.”

“Joey, please let me touch you. It’s been so long.” Her breath fanned his hot skin.

“Soon, little one. Right now, I’m marking you. Staking my claim. Collecting my ransom. Make me proud of you, little girl. Hold still.” In between each statement he licked, kissed and nipped down her chest to the top of her bra. Lifting her breasts out of the cups, he held one in each hand and used his thumbs to tease those rose colored nubs. Joseph lost himself feasting on her luscious soft skin. She pulled away from him when the sensations became too much. His growl and bite on her nipple froze her backward retreat. He knew how much to push her before the pain overtook the pleasure and he’d be damned if anything was going to stop him from placing her right on that razor sharp edge.

Her small plea and moan followed him further down her body until he ended on his knees in front of her sex. He hooked a finger around the tiny wisp of lace and yanked. The fabric rent and fell from one leg exposing her weeping sex. The heady smell of her arousal drove into his brain compelling him to delve into her sweetness. His arms snaked through her legs allowing him to capture her ass in his hands. Her body sandwiched between his mouth and hands he dove into her folds forgoing any pretense of gentleness.

Her cry echoed in his ears as his lips and tongue pulled her clit into mouth. His tongue lapped at her center, alternating between suckling her clit and tongue-fucking her sex. Her body tensed and her hands dropped to his shoulders as she convulsed around his ferocious mating of his mouth to her sex. He inhaled her essence when she shattered around him and in his aggression, Joseph bit down on the swollen bud of her sex sending another wave of cream onto his waiting tongue.

He allowed her body to fold down against his and took her mouth still crazed in his need. In the work of a second, he had her back on the bed and his clothes on the floor. Her beautiful porcelain skin held his vivid red love bites from her nipples to her sex.
Oh, fuck yeah she belonged to him!

Lifting her leg, he placed her heeled foot on his hip and pushed forward spreading her open. He locked his stare on her as he centered at her core. “Mine.” The word snapped from him a split second before he struck forward impaling himself deep within her. His mouth covered hers, trapping her cries.
Oh, fuck those sounds
. The small gasps and cries he controlled added layers of euphoric lust to his need. He had to move. The white-hot magma pooling at the base of his spine screamed for release and he was damn well going to take it. The pull of her body when he retreated, coupled with the resistance when he slammed forward, catapulted him towards his finish. He lost any rational thought. His only need—to make his woman his, drove him relentlessly. Her body tightened under him and her nails raked his scarred back sending a delicious stream of pain through him. His orgasm ripped down his spine and burst from him. He shattered, driving his cock as deep inside of her as he physically could go. He released a guttural roar when a second wave crashed through him.

Joseph’s arms shook with the effort it took to keep from falling on top of her. Both of them panted desperately for air. He lowered his head to her shoulder and kissed her soft skin just under the collarbone. “I love you.”

Her soft chuckle under him brought his head up. Her satisfied smile, flushed relaxed face and closed eyes, defined sexual contentment.
Absolutely beautiful and mine.

She slid her hand down his back. His muscles reacted to her caress trembling in the wake of her light touch.

“I love you too, Joey. Promise me you’ll keep us safe and together. Forever.”

He pushed the mass of red curls off her face and kissed her freckled nose. “I have every intention of doing just that, little girl.”

Adam sat beside the pool and watched the family celebrate Joseph and Ember’s wedding. Leave it to the assassin to A: be alive when everyone thought he had bought it and B: to have a surprise wedding and not a funeral. On the beach. At midnight. In Aruba. Seemed the family knew he was alive, but all being in the business, no one had leaked a damn thing. If the community didn’t think Fury was dead, Joseph wouldn’t be able to resume his life. The body that charred in the flames of the explosion in Mexico had fooled everyone. Thanks to a couple donated teeth from Joseph, some really impressive dental work and planted x-rays, the local coroner and at least three independent examiners for various governmental agencies had confirmed the assassin Fury was dead.

He smiled at Ember’s joyful laugh. Keelee would’ve loved to have been here for this. If he’d known, he would have used a pry bar to get her off that damn ranch. His mind wandered back to South Dakota. He wondered what Keelee was doing right now. Looking at his watch, he laughed quietly.
It’s two in the morning. She’s sleeping you fool.

A motion to his left brought his head around so he could see with his good eye. Jacob hit his shoulder and smiled handing him a fresh glass of whiskey. “How the hell you been, Doc?”

“Getting better, Skipper. Got the speech problem fixed. Working on the memory.”

“Chief tells me you been working out with the teams we’re running through the training facility.”

“Yeah, feeling better than I have in a long time.”

“Glad to hear it. Have you remembered anything?” Jacob stretched his legs out on the pool chair.

“I have nightmares of the mission. Everything else? Impressions really. Kind of like a ghost of a memory but not enough to say, ‘Yeah I remember that’.”

Adam cast a look toward Jacob’s wife. Tori and Keelee could be mistaken as twins, not just sisters. Except Tori almost always looked like she had just walked off a fashion runway. Adam preferred the simple beauty Keelee possessed.

As if aware of eyes on her, Tori turned and looked at both men, her baby bump very prominent. Adam chuckled, “Oh and, by the way, congratulations on baby number two, dad. When is she due?”

Jacob’s eyes devoured his wife as he spoke. “Not for four more months. Twins this time. Two more boys.”

Adam laughed. “Serves you right Skipper. Three boys? Damn.”

“Yeah, I’m one virile son of a bitch ain’t I?” Pride dripped from his boasting statement.

“That you are, skipper. That you are. What are you naming them?”

“Keeping the T’s going. Talon will be a big brother for Trace and Tanner.”

“Damn solid names, Skip.” Adam chuckled and sipped his drink. The King tradition of naming all the children starting with a particular letter of the alphabet amused him.

Across the pool, Joseph pulled Ember from the laughing crowd of family and into his arms. Music filled the air as he spun the woman away from the crowd and pulled his wife into him looking at her as if she were the only other person in the world.

“I never thought I would see the day.” Jacob’s voice filled with emotion.

“They both deserve some happiness. What is he going to do now?”

Jacob lifted a finger and motioned toward his brothers, Justin and Jason, who sat on the other side of the pool visiting. “He’s funding two new businesses for Justin. After that? Who knows with him? He has enough money to live this way for the rest of his life.”

Adam nodded. “Yeah, thanks to Gabriel, money has never been a worry for any of us.”

“Really? Are you telling me I need to adjust my pay scale?” Gabriel’s voice came from behind the two men.

Doc twisted looking back before he lifted off his chair and shook Gabriel’s hand. Jacob stood too and offered his hand.

“No, sir. I’m pretty sure nobody here would be happy with me if I suggested that.”

“Damn, it’s good to hear you talking without that hesitation anymore.” Gabriel slapped him on the shoulder and gripped it in a warm hold.

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate you hiring Ember so I could work on my health. I’ve bulked back up and my cardio is probably better than it ever has been.”

“Not saying much there dude. You could never outrun me or the wonder twins over there.” Jacob’s taunt brought a wave of laughter.

Adam looked over at the twins who were talking to Jasmine and Jade. “True, Skipper, but you were usually chasing them because they pissed you off.”

“Yeah, and if they keep hitting on my sisters, they may be running again.” Jacob’s growl earned a laugh from Gabriel.

“What about your memory?” Gabriel nodded at Jason, who walked up to the group.

“A work in progress.” Doc moved over allowing Jason into the conversation.

A wicked scar on Jason’s lower neck slashed a violent purple against his skin. Doc extended a handshake. “How are you doing? I’m sorry I missed you at Talon’s christening. I wasn’t quite ready to take on a crowd.”

Jason dropped his hand and looked at his shoes for a moment before his eyes rose directly to Adam’s. “I’m ultimately the reason for your injuries. If my team hadn’t been ambushed and captured, you never would have had to go through any of this. I know it doesn’t mean shit, but if there was anything I could do to change what happened, the pain you endured…just know I would do it.” Jason’s voice had changed, no longer the smooth baritone of all the King men. His voice had deepened and carried a gravel none of the other brothers possessed. The fucking garrote tied around his neck while he was held captive was probably to blame.

“You didn’t cause my injuries. The fuckers who beat the shit out of me caused them. I’m not looking to point a finger of blame. Never have been. If you are trying to shoulder it, then you need to drop that burden, man. The fact is we work in a dangerous world. We all know the risks and we go into every mission with our eyes wide open. I’m in a good place.”

Jason stared at Doc as if trying to determine if Doc was being up front with him. Finally, he nodded. “Good enough.”

“Well damned glad you two had your moment. Now that the past is firmly in the past what do you two have planned? I got Jacob’s and Jared’s life scheduled for the next twenty-five years, but you two are wild cards. I don’t like wild cards.” Gabriel’s question caused a momentary pause as the two men looked at each other.

Jason chuckled and clapped his brother Jacob on the shoulder hard enough to send him two steps forward. All the Kings were brutes, but Jason was so fucking bulked with muscles he could compete for Mr. Universe. Doc knew the hours of dedicated training it took to get that big. A hell of a lot more time than he was willing to devote.

“I’m hanging in Mississippi. I have a good practice now. I’m working contracts for some new talent in Nashville. I have a small clientele list, to include you and your family. Couple that with playing flying taxi for select personnel and that is enough to keep me busy, but not enough to stress me out. Too much.” Jason winked at Gabriel and drew a deep breath before adding, “And I’m focusing on staying sober.”

Doc got it. Hell, he’d bet they all got it. The man had been through the ringer. His prescription pain medication addiction had almost cost him everything. Yeah, staying in control of what happens in your life…well damn, didn’t they all strive for that?

Jason lifted his soda can and pointed to Doc. “What about you?”

“I’m sure as hell not fit for the field. I’ll probably head back to the ranch after the holidays. There is no one in training now. No need for me to be hanging around up there. Figure I’ll find a beach and get a tan until training starts back up.”

Jacob turned on his heel and gawked at him. “Excuse me? What the fuck do you call Keelee? That girl, son…is a reason.”

A surge of pissed-off pumped through him. “I don’t call her a reason to go back. She has a boyfriend. A rancher.”

Jacob threw back his head and laughed drawing everyone’s attention. “Doc, pull your head out of your ass. She’s only dating Clint because no one else is paying her any attention. Frank told me he thinks the moron is after the ranch, and she knows it. You know you’re my best friend, but damn it, man, you’re blind in both fucking eyes not just the one with a patch over it.”

Joseph, Ember, and Tori walked up as Jacob ranted.

“That’s true you know, Adam.” Ember’s soft voice soothed some of the sting from Jacob’s retort.

Tori agreed before she added, “My sister has been gone on you since the two of you stayed at the line cabin. You hurt her. I don’t know what you said. She’d never tell me. Only that you didn’t want her.”

“But she was sick! For God’s sake, I told her we couldn’t. How the hell was I supposed to…”

Doc staggered and sat down hard on the chair dropping the glass in his hand. It shattered, but nobody noticed. Nobody moved. He held his hands in front of him both shook uncontrollably. Memories collided violently filling the void that had followed him relentlessly. He knew…everything. He remembered it all, the mission, the ranch, the move of the cattle down to lower pastures.

He lifted his eyes to Ember and whispered, “Oh fuck. I remember. She was so weak and sick. I couldn’t take advantage of her. Then I…oh God…”

~ END~

Doc & Keelee’s story resumes in the continuation of the Kings of Guardians series Book 3.

If you enjoyed reading Joseph: Kings of Guardian (Book 2) please consider writing a review!