Necessary Risk (Bodyguard) (28 page)

Her words must have unleashed something in him, and with a low growl, he kissed her again, the kiss raw and urgent. He broke it and rose, and she watched his gloriously sexy body come into view as he shed his T-shirt and jeans. He grabbed another condom from the nightstand and came around to the foot of the bed.

“Come here, sweetheart.” He tossed the condom onto the bed, and she pulled the shirt off over her head. She crawled across the bed toward him, smiling at the look of pure hunger on his face. “Holy fuck, that’s a gorgeous sight.” He ran a hand down her back, and she rose onto her knees. His cock rubbed the insides of her thighs, her breasts pressed against his chest. He took his cock in one hand and rubbed it through her folds, slicking her wetness over himself.

She nipped at his neck, savoring the perfection of his skin under her mouth. “I want you deep inside me.” She pulled back to look at him. “I want you to take what’s yours.”

He caught her mouth in a searing kiss and guided her down onto her back on the bed, her legs dangling off the edge. Still standing at the edge, he took her ankles and spread her wide open, a sexy, possessive smile on his face.

“Mmm. So fucking pretty.” He laid her ankles on his shoulders and rolled on the condom, pressing the head of his cock against her entrance. He teased her, almost pushing in and then slipping away to rub himself through her folds. He licked his thumb and circled her clit, causing her hips to writhe against him. It was as though he already knew exactly how to touch her. As though their bodies had been made for each other.

He slipped first one and then a second finger into her, teasing her and testing her readiness. She clenched around his fingers and he smiled that lopsided sexy smile. She knew he could feel exactly how turned on she was, and spread beneath him, she felt both vulnerable and powerful. He slowly pulled his fingers out and pushed his cock into her, stealing her breath. With her ankles on his shoulders and his thick, long cock driving deep, the burn bordered on painful at first. He held still, giving her a second to adjust around him as he continued to circle his thumb around her clit. He pulled slowly out of her, almost all the way, and then slid back in, filling her and hitting every pleasurable spot she owned. She moaned out his name, and he grabbed her hips, guiding her onto his cock, deepening the angle even more, and with each thrust, a shattering sparkle of pleasure burst over her skin.

Each stroke was slow and impossibly deep, and she arched up off the mattress. Something she’d never quite felt before was building deep inside her, an intense yet wholly pleasurable sensation fanning out across her skin and through her entire body.

She’d had a feeling sex with Sean would be hot, and fun, and probably pretty damn good. She’d had no idea that it would be off-the-charts intense like this. It was addictive—not just the pleasure, but the high of belonging to someone who belonged to her.

Waves of pleasure crashed through her as he thrust into her, and his eyes held hers. He shifted his grip on her hips, and with a deep thrust, an orgasm crested over her, pleasure exploding through her. Every muscle went taut as she rode out the orgasm, her skin tingling from head to toe. Her body felt like ten thousand tiny miracles, all shimmering at once.

“You are so goddamn beautiful,” he breathed, sweat dotting his hairline. He thrust into her again and she kept coming, each thrust hitting something deep inside, and she felt as if her heart were on fire. He continued his slow, steady, deep thrusts, and she rode the peaks and valleys, holding nothing back. Her body, her mind, her heart—they were all wide open and his for the taking.

And he was taking. Taking and claiming and cherishing. And she was giving, wanting him to have every piece of her. Wanting every piece of him in return.

Her entire body shook, pleasure sparkling over her until everything was a blur, and the only thing anchoring her was Sean’s body inside hers. He pumped harder, faster, deeper, and ground out her name as he came. She trembled still, aftershocks of what had been the most intense orgasm of her life coursing through her.

Minutes later, tucked against the solid warmth of his bare chest, she fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 22

S
ean pulled his SUV into Sierra’s driveway, Sierra in the passenger seat beside him. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d gone from being Sierra, the client, to being
his
Sierra. He hadn’t wanted to bring her back to her vandalized house, but she was leaving for Miami tomorrow and needed to get her stuff together for the trip. He’d reviewed the travel details and decided that he and Jamie would accompany her. Given that Sacrosanct didn’t have a known presence in Miami, the risks associated with the trip were fairly minimal, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances.

His father’s words from the night before echoed through his mind, but he pushed them away, doing his best to ignore the tiny shard of doubt lodged somewhere deep in his brain. His father was wrong, and after last night, the idea of leaving her safety up to someone else was unbearable. Excruciating. Unthinkable. She was his to protect, and he’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

She sat with her eyes glued to the screen of her phone, reading what looked like an e-mail. She must’ve felt his gaze on her because she looked up, her brow furrowed.

“There’s a protest rally in support of Choices all day today at City Hall. I want to go.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I know, but I really want to show my support. And I think, as one of their key spokespeople, it’s important for me to be there.”

“I get that, but there are too many variables. It’s an open, public space, Sacrosanct is still out there, and you’d be vulnerable. I’m sorry, but no.” The police had reviewed the footage from the security cameras, and just as he’d predicted, the creeps had been wearing ski masks. The police and Virtus were both doing everything they could to get a lead on Sacrosanct, but so far they’d come up empty-handed. Given everything that had happened, protecting her was challenging enough. The fact that he was protecting her from shadows and ghosts made it that much more difficult.

“Even if you and one of the other guys come with me?”

“Even then. I don’t want to scare you, but what if there’s another bomb? What if Sacrosanct is there and tries to hurt you?”

She hesitated, chewing on her lip. “Going to stuff like this is part of my job, Sean. And right now, after last night, it’s important for us to show strength, and solidarity. To show that we won’t be bullied. It’s at City Hall, and I’m sure there will be tons of security.”

He paused, turning the idea over in his mind. Everything was getting muddy. Was he hesitant because it truly was a bad idea, or because he didn’t want the woman he was falling in love with to be in danger? Was he making the same decisions he’d make if Sierra were just a client?

Of course he wasn’t.

Once again his father’s words echoed through his mind, casting doubt over his decisions.

“How did you find out about the rally?” he asked, turning the SUV off.

“Choices e-mail blast.”

He blew out a breath. “Let me see who else is available. If I can get someone else, then…” He trailed off. “I’m still not sure, Sierra. Let me think about it.”

She nodded and hopped out of the car. He followed Sierra into the house, and he was proud of the way she didn’t hesitate, just walked straight in and right up the stairs. But he didn’t miss the tension in her slender shoulders or the slight jerkiness to her movements as she opened her closet and yanked a small suitcase out. Barely looking at what she was touching, she tossed clothing into the suitcase at lightning speed. The worst of the mess had been cleaned up already by the crime scene cleaning team Antonio had called in, but the metallic smell of blood still hung in the air.

“Do you not want me to go to the protest rally because you think it’s dangerous, or because you’re worried about me because of…because of us?” she asked, giving voice to the exact thoughts spinning through his head. She stepped into her bathroom to gather more toiletries.

“Both. It’s risky. Very risky. I understand why you want to go, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” He leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb, watching as she threw more stuff into her suitcase. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

She paused with a curling iron in one hand and a can of hair spray in the other. “You do that to yourself, don’t you?” she asked softly, and something in his chest clenched. Apparently she’d heard more last night than he’d realized.

“We’re not talking about that right now.” His voice came out a bit gruffer than he’d intended. “We’re talking about your safety.”

“I know. But we’re also talking about my job. It looks bad if I don’t show up today. With this grant on the line, they need all the support they can get.”

He sighed and nodded, pulling his phone out of his pocket and stepping out into the hallway to make the calls. As he spoke with Carter, and then Jamie, his heart sank, just a little. They were both in and didn’t think it would be an issue to keep her safe at the rally, proving to Sean just how clouded his own judgment was becoming when it came to Sierra.

He was going to have to let her go to the damn rally.

She was just zipping up her suitcase when he came back into her bedroom. “Both Carter and Jamie are going to come with us to the rally.”

Her head snapped up. “So I can go?”

His mouth was dry, and he licked his lips before he spoke. “Yes.”

She flashed him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

Unable to help himself, he returned the smile and tipped his head toward the stairs. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

*  *  *

He leaned back in his leather desk chair, his gaze riveted to the television screen mounted on the wall and tuned to CNN. The bombing at last night’s gala was still one of the top stories, and although no one had been killed, several people had been seriously injured. Too bad that fucker Owens hadn’t been one of them.

Bombing the gala had been a risk, but it had gone off without a hitch, and it had made a hell of a statement. Choices had no idea who they were messing with, and last night had been a wake-up call.

What he hadn’t anticipated was the showing of support from the public, including that damn protest rally at City Hall. And if their little star Sierra showed up, it would galvanize support even further. He could feel the grant—and his life, if he didn’t get the money—slipping through his fingers.

So the solution was simple, really. She couldn’t make it to the rally.

The phone on his desk buzzed, and he lowered the volume on the TV. “Yeah?”

“We got eyes on her. She’s at her house right now with the bodyguard.”

“Is she going to the rally?”

“Unconfirmed. She must know about it. Maybe she’ll be too scared to show up.”

He laughed. “Unlikely.”

“What do you want us to do?”

“I don’t want her to show up at that rally. It would be bad for us.” He drummed his fingers on his desk, thinking. “Follow her and the bodyguard when they leave. If they head toward City Hall, take them out. And make it look like an accident.”

He sighed heavily. He didn’t want to kill her. He really didn’t. But it was becoming clearer and clearer that getting rid of her might be his only option.

“The bodyguard too?”

“Especially him.” His lip curled, and tension radiated down his neck. “I want Sean Owens dead.”

*  *  *

Sean and Sierra headed back down the driveway, her suitcase in Sean’s hand. He opened the hatch and tossed it into the back before climbing into the driver’s seat. He was about to press the ignition button when he froze.

As a rule he kept his car neat. No garbage, no extra stuff, nothing. Not even an air freshener. So the sight of a screw and a tiny bit of wire on the floor under the steering column set off alarm bells in his mind immediately. His blood rushed through his ears, his heart pumping frantically as he realized someone had tampered with his vehicle.

“Get out of the car.” He glanced at Sierra, silently imploring her not to argue.

“What? Why? What’s wrong?”

“Get out of the car.”

Some of the color drained from her face and she nodded, opening the passenger side door and sliding out. Sean did the same, and without a word, he took her hand, led her back into the house, and locked the door behind him. He drew his gun and flattened his back against the living room wall, peering cautiously out the window.

Sierra laid a hand on his arm. “What’s going on?”

“Someone tampered with the SUV. We’re being watched, and whoever did it is probably still nearby. We were only in here for fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.” She went to go look out one of the living room windows, but he held her back. “Stay away from the windows. I’m going to call the cops and the team to let them know what’s going on.”

She nodded and sank down onto the stairs, watching him as he made two quick phone calls to Antonio and Carter.

“If someone’s watching us, I don’t want to stay here. My car’s locked up in the garage. We can take it to the rally and get out of here.”

“I agree that we shouldn’t stay here. You sure you still want to go to this rally?” He sent up a silent prayer that she’d changed her mind.