Lady Killer (Tangled Desires Book 2) (13 page)

He chuckles and clasps my face in his big hands. “Well, judge, do you like what you see?”

Like it? Like the fact that he could impale me on that thing and I might never be able to walk straight again? I almost cross my legs at the thought. “It’s, um, impressive.”

“Oh? Just impressive?” He smirks.

“Well, you know what they say. It’s not how big the gun is, it’s whether you know how to use it.” I wind my fingers around the shaft and slowly stroke him, using his pre-cum as lubrication until my palm is sliding up and down easily.

“Don’t worry, princess, I know how to use it.” His hips rock, pushing him harder into my grip with each stroke. But I’m adventurous. Or, maybe I’m a sucker for a challenge. So I get down on my knees and roll my tongue over the tip, over the little loop of metal.

A sharp intake of breath makes it obvious he finds what I’m doing hot, and when I glance up at him, opening my mouth for him to push in, there’s such intense hunger in his gaze that my whole body clenches with need. Even when he isn’t touching me, when this is all about him, he arouses me in ways I didn’t even think were possible. Unreal.

Nudging my lips with the head, he slowly eases into my mouth. My lips are tight around him, my mouth full of him, and his slightly salty, tangy flavor bursts on my taste buds.

“Fuck, you’re so dirty and sweet, princess, with your mouth full of my cock.” He pushes deeper, almost to the back of my throat.

I hum in response and the vibration has him surging forward, temporarily uncontrolled. That might be a first for him. The loss of control I’ve wreaked on him. If my mouth wasn’t so full I might actually grin at the knowledge I can pull him apart so easily. Instead I cup his tight, heavy balls in my hand and stroke them while he fucks my mouth, our gazes locked.

“Needed this,” he grinds out between clenched teeth. “Wanted you.”

He moans as the first jet of release hits my throat. “Want you.”

His balls deflate in my hands as he pumps into me over and over, his taste something I will never be able to get out of my mouth. Not that I would ever want to.

When I release him he pulls from between my lips with a wet ‘pop’. Then he’s lifting me up, his mouth owning mine, his hands touching me everywhere with a wildness I don’t expect. “Never expected you to come along. Wish I had known.”

I’m not sure what to make of his words. Then he’s setting me on my feet, straightening my jumpsuit, making sure there’s no evidence of what happened, before he does up his pants. “We better get going. Claire will kill me if we’re late.”

Tom

Everyone’s waiting when we get to the restaurant. They’ve managed to get a table right next to the glass wall that provides a view of the lake. Raze and Claire stand around, talking with Mom and Dad, while Chelsea and Mace sit at the table together. Her cheeks are pink, and she’s glaring at him like she’s fast losing patience. Then she jumps, the whole table moving. “You’re such a…a… tool.”

He grins, pleased with himself by the looks of it. “Can’t help it, Hells. I’m nothing if not a tool.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her go so red. She’s almost the same shade as the tomatoes Mom used to grow.

Mom makes her way toward us, and I brace myself. The woman is a saint, but God knows she can terrorize giants. She had to be that tough, to raise us. Especially when Dad’s a lot quieter than the rest of us.

Gem tries to take her hand from mine, but I squeeze it, keeping her firmly beside me. I’m not letting her go, not tonight, not ever. We’re going to get through the next week of engagement festivities, and then, me, Mace, and Razer are going to pay Jimmy Santiago a visit. I’m pretty sure it would only take one of us for him to get the hint to stay far away from Gem, but I want to scare the living shit out of him. Hell, I want to do a lot more damage than that after what he’s put Gem through, but thinking about it puts cracks in my control, which is probably another good reason to take my brothers. So I don’t go too far. The way he did. I won’t be like that asshole.

“Look at you, baby.” Mom pulls me in for a hug, and I’m forced to let go of Gem so I can lift her off her feet and give her the bear hug she deserves.

“I’m a bit old to be calling baby, don’t you think?” I grin.

“Never.” She slaps my shoulder, her blue eyes full of warmth. “I gave birth to you. You’re always going to be my baby.”

Dad claps a hand to my back when I put her down. “Good to see you, Tommy boy.”

“You too, old man.” I shake his hand. “How’s the sunshine and sand treating you?”

“Living on the coast has its benefits.” He smiles. “Like your mother in a bikini.”

“Oh good Lord, I did not want to hear that.” No wonder we’re all so willing to speak our mind, with this as the example we grew up with. “How’s your golf swing?”

“Good.” He nods. “We should play some holes while we’re here.”

“Tell me when. I’m more than happy to whoop your ass.” I grin.

“Who’s this?” Mom asks, taking Gem’s hand and pulling her in for a hug. Gem flushes under her gaze, probably feeling a little like a butterfly on a pin board. “Quite pretty, aren’t you?”

“Gem, this is my mother, Mona.” I put my arm around Gem’s waist, squeeze her hip, hoping she’s not too intimidated by meeting my parents so soon, since we haven’t even discovered what we are yet. Oh hell, who am I kidding? Everyone can probably tell I think she’s my one.

“How long have you two known each other?”

“Not long.” I try to save Gem from my mother.

But mom isn’t having any of it. Her shrewd gaze takes us in. “I’m pretty sure she has a tongue in her head. I doubt she needs you to answer for her.”

“A week.” Gem says. “But we met years ago.”

“And how did you meet?”

Taken aback, Gem stumbles over the part where we both were on the circuit together. “And then more recently, I made the mistake of walking into Tom’s gym.”

“She gave me a serve. Told me to stay the hell away from her.” I smirk.

Mom laughs. “Good. I think I’m going to like you, Gem. I’ve never met one of Tommy’s girlfriends before.”

Gem relaxes beside me. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Walk with me, Gem. You and I have things to talk about.” Mom takes her hand, dragging her away. “So what do you do for work?”

Gem glances back at me, and I shrug. No one messes with the woman who raised the Hadleys. Not even me.

“If your brother hasn’t scared her away, son, your mother isn’t going to be able to, either,” Dad says, before we join the others. “Claire told us about your little conundrum. Is she the girl?”

“Nope.” Folding my arms over my chest, I glare at my little sister, who responds with a sheepish smile. I can’t blame her for telling them. Not really. Not when none of us have ever been any good at keeping secrets from the others. Well, not for long. Claire and Razer tried their best when they got together to keep their relationship hidden, but that only lasted a few weeks before it was all out in the open. Having the honorary brother we grew up with become a legit part of the family is cool, even if he was a dickhead, taking his sweet ass time giving into his feelings for my sister because he thought we wouldn’t accept it.

“What are you going to do when you find her?” Dad asks.

“Got to find her first, Dad.” Not that I’m sure she exists. I’m down to one last possibility and it’ll damn well destroy me if she’s kept this secret from me. So maybe I’m off the hook. Of course that leaves questions. Questions I may never know the answers to. Like who the hell sent the pee-stick and why.

I squeeze his shoulder, and take a seat beside Mace.

“Claire told on you?”

“Something like that.” I glance around, trying to spot Gem. “Do you know where Mom got to with Gem?”

“Probably has her holed up in the bathroom. This being a first for her and all.” He chuckles. Sure we all brought home girls in high school, but that was mucking around. These days she only gets to meet the people we’re serious about, and Claire sure as hell robbed her of her first real meet the boyfriend/girlfriend when she fell in love with the guy my mom raised along with us.

“Gem’s not my girlfriend,” I say. Only because there are so many other things to deal with first.

Mom leads Gem back to the table, a smug smile on her face. I know that look and so does Mace. “Oh, she’s your girlfriend all right. Look at Mom, all proud and shit.”

“Mind your language, Mace.” She snaps the standard response as she settles next to Dad and Gem comes to sit beside me.

Servers are already making their way to our table, bringing platters they place down the middle. Then it’s a free for all, and I fight amongst my siblings to get some food onto Gem’s plate and pile my own, grinning when I manage to end up with more than Mace.

“So how’s the wedding planning, Little Bit?” Dad asks. “Everything under control? Do you need any money?”

“No, Dad.” She smiles, digging her fork into Razer’s food, while he steals a piece of calamari from her plate. “Everything’s under control.”

The conversation continues, a blur of noise and laughter. It’s been too long since we all sat around a table together like this, enjoying each other’s company, and it might just be more perfect because Gem’s here.

It’s late before we finally make a move, piling out onto the street. A flicker of something catches the corner of my eye. It’s been a while since we’ve worried about cameras, but I should have realized Claire would be no less interesting to the media, since her asshole TV evangelist ex finally got caught with his pants down and sent his loving audience into a hate-filled frenzy.

I’m not expecting it, and it takes a minute for it to hit me that Gem’s tried to stay hidden so long, the last thing she needs is her photo in the public eye. Claire’s already turned into Razer’s side, her hair curtaining her face, when Gem notices the man with the camera across the road. 

“Oh my God. Are they taking photos of us?” Panic flows off her in waves. Her hands cover her face. “Is that the media? Are they paps?”

I pull her into me, protecting her as we race toward the car. Opening the car door, I get her inside and slam it shut while I check on the others. Mace and Dad are running interference with the photographer while the others pile into Claire’s car. Satisfied that everything’s handled, I jump in the car and get Gem the hell out of there.

“Do you think they saw me? Do you think they got photos?” She’s shaking, her voice trembling almost as much as her hands.

“It’s okay.” I grab one of her hands and pull it onto my lap, squeezing to let her know she’s safe with me. “They were focused on Claire. I doubt they even noticed you.”

“They might have gotten a shot. What do you think they’re going to do with them? Oh God, what if he sees them? What if someone recognizes me?”

Pulling over to the side of the road, I fumble with her seatbelt and pull her onto my lap. “You’ve got me. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, not going to let anyone scare you off.”

“You think you can protect me? You think he won’t try to kill you? I’ve already cost you too much.”

“That’s nothing compared to the price I’ll pay if you run, princess.” The idea of her taking off is a heavy weight that makes it hard to breathe. I’m smitten with her already. Can’t she see I can’t let her go now? “Let me keep you safe.”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, and for a second it’s like a fist is squeezing my lungs. Then she nods, her fingers winding into my shirt, holding onto me as though she’s scared to let go.

So I press my thumb to that lip and pull it free. Then I put my mouth on her, until she responds with her own claim on me.

***

“Did you guys get away easy enough?” Mace asks as soon as we walk in the door. He must have seen Gem freak out.

“Sure.” I tighten my grip on Gem. “She’s a little worried they’ll find her if those photos go to print.”

“Yeah, I can imagine.” Mace takes her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. He’s done this 180 in attitude toward her since he verified she wasn’t lying to me. Plus, I think he can see she’s not some random woman to me. That I might be looking at my future. “No safer place for you than right here.”

Mom comes out of the kitchen. “Tommy, Claire says you’re organizing the cake for the engagement party. It’s not going to be some last minute purchase from the grocery store, is it?”

“Of course not, Mom.” I leave Gem with Mace while I talk to mom about the cake, but I can’t take my eyes off her. Can’t seem to concentrate on anything except having her all to myself.

Everyone stands around the kitchen counter, drinking coffee, sharing pie out of a tin and laughing over stories Mom and Dad share about when we were younger. Mace and Gem join us. Gem’s fairly quiet and I want to hook her to me, ensure she’s included in my family. She gives me a gentle smile, and my heart is freaking close to bursting. I’m going to have to tell her about everything soon. Before I get in too deep.

It’s probably too late. If she can’t handle my secrets, I don’t know what I’ll do, because it’s pretty clear I’m not going to get over her so easy.

Mace guffaws over something Dad says, and slams an elbow into my ribs. “I’d forgotten about that. You always did have a way with the ladies. Even when you c-couldn’t t-talk p-properly.”

“Shut up,” I mutter.

“But you were so cute, baby.” He retorts, mimicking our mother.

So I remind him of the night he got caught with his pants down in front of the next door neighbor’s house.

It’s close to midnight when my parents decide to head back to the hotel. Normally, they would have stayed here, but with everyone living here, it’s a little crowded.

Gem settles on the couch, tucking her feet under her. It must be some woman thing. All of them do it. I tried it once but I felt like an accordion all squeezed up. So I spread out beside her, resting my arm over her shoulders.

“Your family is so sweet.” She takes my hand, and complete serenity fills me.

“They’re a handful. Embarrassing, too.” I chuckle, resting my head on the cushion, my eyes closed, enjoying her warmth pressed against me, her scent faint in my nostrils. I could get used to this.

“I thought all those stories were cute.” She sighs, resting her head in the crook of my arm. There’s an undercurrent of sadness in her voice, as she explores my fingers, and I’m guessing she misses her family a whole hell of a lot more than she’s letting on.

Mace lounges against the wall, one hand in his pocket. “Need a minute, Tommy boy.”

I squeeze her hand, and she squeezes back. A little reassurance that she’s no longer running the minute my back’s turned.

Still, I unwind my arm from her slowly, not wanting to leave her side, but Mace has that look on his face, expressionless, guarded. So I follow him into the kitchen.

“What’s the problem?”

“You falling for her?” He crosses his legs at the ankles, leaning against the counter, his hand still in his pocket. Strange for him to do that, but he doesn’t mention what he’s got in there.

Instead he shakes his head, a softness to his jaw. “Look at you, little brother. This girl’s got you tied up in knots.”

I shrug, because really, what can I say, when it’s fucking obvious.

“A word of advice?”

“Sure. Because you have so much experience in this field.”

His lips twitch, once, twice. “You’d be surprised.” Then he claps me on the shoulder. “There is more to her story, and you’ve got your own trouble to deal with. Remember that.”

Like I could forget when I’m constantly being reminded that my life is not this simple, and that I’m going to have to tell her things that might change her mind about staying. “Whatever it is, I’m sure we can deal with it.”