Retribution (29 page)

The sound of her soft moans and pants and his deeper grunts commingled with the sounds of their flesh slapping together. It drove her mad. So close, if she just reached out, she could let it burn so sweetly over them, take them where they both wanted to be.

Then it was theirs.

Her body bowed in the instant before she came and screamed his name.

“
Cheansa!
”

It was the most explosive feeling she’d ever encountered. As the aftershocks of her blown world drifted over her, she had a fleeting thought that neither of them had thought of birth control. She stiffened, and he must have read her mind.

“I’m clean. I wouldn’t have touched you otherwise,” he whispered against her neck.

What about pregnancy? It struck her then, and a picture formed behind her eyelids. Her pregnant with his child. She gasped. The picture was so real she felt she could touch it. She tensed and he chuckled.

“You’d be beautiful,” he said and suckled at her earlobe.

“You read minds too?”

“Nah. Just common sense. We kinda seem to do things backward.” A beat of silence then, “Would you mind?”

She didn’t answer. In truth, she couldn’t. The concept was too foreign. Not even forty-eight hours ago she’d been watching him laugh and touch another woman.

And now he was embedded in her body, talking babies.

“You’re mine, Sasha.
Cheansa.
”

There it was, that alpha-male, he-man, beat the chest absolution she needed right in this moment. She smiled but didn’t open her eyes. Some things were self-evident.

“Yes, and you’re mine.”

Her body was replete, and she snuggled closer to his warmth. The shower had turned lukewarm, and they’d have to move soon. Unwilling to give him up from the depths of her body, she shifted so she could see his face. He rested now against the back of the tiled stall, the lower half of his body resting on hers, the upper half propped up by the wall and his arm.

Her eyes burned and her view blurred. She’d waited her whole life for this man. She’d seen him and known on a visceral level that she was his, but the actual realization of her dreams overwhelmed her in that moment. Silent tears streamed from her eyes as she gazed at his face. She loved him so much it was a sharp physical ache inside of her.

His gaze sliced to hers and alarm entered his eyes.

“Oh baby, did I hurt you? Tell me I didn’t hurt you,” he implored as he moved to brush the tears from her eyes.

He made to move off of her, but she held on tight, and he moved over her completely. She looked up at him, stunned anew that she was here in his arms. She felt his cock lengthen and harden inside her.

His look was sheepish. “It’s what you do to me.”

She laughed. “Yeah.”

She understood because the fires that had been banked a few moments ago with her shattering climax rushed back in full blaze.

“Let’s do it again, since practice makes perfect,” she countered as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her.

Her tongue darted out to lick a stream of water off the side of his mouth. His tongue had just darted out to meet hers when reality intruded.

“Dray!” Con’s urgent voice sounded from the other side of her bedroom door. “Get out here, man, we’ve had movement in sector four. I think it might be some of your friends from around the way.”

And just like that, her dynamic lover from just moments before disappeared to be replaced by her diligent soldier who would do whatever necessary to ensure her safety. She didn’t have time to mourn the loss of their privacy before he gently moved off of her.

He groaned as he dragged his flesh from hers, and she closed her eyes tightly, stifling her own choked groans at the pleasure/pain of him sliding out of her.

A queer ache tackled her heart. She felt bereft for a moment, lost without him deep inside of her. How he had become so necessary to her in such a short time? Would her body always need his to feel complete?

“I’m forever saying this it seems, but we’ll finish this later. I promise.” He helped her stand and held her close. “Shower off, baby, and get dressed so you can eat.”

Tears threatened again and she sighed. The beauty of what they’d shared just moments ago could never be dulled, but she’d felt such an aching sense of loss as he’d left her body. It was like a bad omen of things to come.

“What’s wrong?” he quietly asked her, concern in his voice as his big hands cradled her face.

“I don’t want it to ever be finished. I accept your promise. You better keep it.” She expected no quarter and gave none in return.

“I’ll always keep my promises to you,
mo ghrá.
” He leaned down to kiss her softly before he turned and left the shower. He glanced back. “I don’t want the world to intrude, but I have to take care of this. If it’s Dempsey showing his face, we can’t wait for him to move first. So haul ass, woman, and once you’ve showered and dressed, come meet me in the kitchen,” he ordered as he lightly smacked her backside and then rubbed it to ease any sting.

His hands lingered on the crease between her cheeks, roaming down to the slit between her thighs and garnering another moan from her lips.

He smiled. “Maybe we’ll have to try a little more of that later ’cause from the way your eyes are smoking, you liked that, didn’t you, sweetheart?”

Her breath caught, and she trembled from the inside out. “Maybe we can have you spank me, then instead of rubbing the sting, you lick it all better, hmmm?”

“Like to live dangerously don’t you,
mo chroí
?”

He sighed and, looking extremely put out, made to turn away. At the last second he turned back to her. “When this is all said and done, we’ll explore all of our options. Everything I’ve ever wanted to do, and anything you can come up with. My word is good.”

She went wet all over again.

His gaze lowered to her chest, and he cleared his throat. “But for now, get dressed.”

Sasha saluted smartly. “Yes, sir!”

“Imp!” he said on a laugh, and then he was gone.

Fifteen minutes later and Sasha had bathed again and dressed. She walked toward the kitchen, saw no sign of Dray or Con, and made her way into the living room. Con hadn’t been there when she’d gone to bed last night, but he was obviously here now.

She stopped and put a hand to her mouth.
Oh, God! Did he hear us?

“You’re quite the screamer, little bitty.”

Heat rose up her throat. Just crawled right up her neck and settled in her cheeks. She closed her eyes and turned around.

He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she laughed. Couldn’t help it. Con was such a tease. His laid-back California surfer attitude didn’t let him miss a chance to taunt somebody.

“Leave her alone, Con,” Dray said in a hard voice.

His voice hit her low in her abdomen, and every nerve she had sparked. Her gaze automatically sought him and
damn
, he was so fine. He’d changed into faded jeans, a dark gray T-shirt, and combat boots. He was magnificent, her tall, proud modern-day warrior. He could have any woman he wanted, and yet he’d picked her when she’d been at her worst. Hell, he’d continued wanting her and caring for her safety even after she’d pushed him away.

Not that he hadn’t done his fair share of pushing. She wouldn’t let Dawn intrude here. The other woman meant nothing to him, and she trusted in that. Trusted him. Because if she were Dawn, she’d be all up in this bitch wanting to know what Dray was doing with another woman. Dawn hadn’t been seen or heard from since the other night. Sasha’s was the only valid claim.

Their eyes met, and she saw in his the knowledge of what they’d shared and what it meant to him. His eyes smoldered with passion, and her nipples tightened under her T-shirt. Her womb clenched with the need to be filled again by him. It was definitely the sweetest kind of madness, this thing she had going with him. She prayed it’d last forever.

She forced herself to break visual contact with Dray while trying to maintain some dignity, even though her face and neck were beet red, and she looked at Con and said, “You’re just jealous it wasn’t you screaming.”

He kind of snort-wheezed in laughter. “Well, that’d be a hoot, yeah? If Dray was making me scream, well, then the problem would be much bigger than just my lungs.”

Her face was going to be permanently stained red. “Shut up, Con. You deliberately misunderstood me, you big oaf. Now come here and give me a hug. I need to apologize for last night.” He raised his eyebrow at her words. “I meant the other night at Ray’s. I know I acted like a first-class bitch, and I’m sorry.”

He laughed and picked her up in a bear hug. “Nothing to apologize for,” he said loud enough for Dray to hear. In her ear he whispered, “Take care of him for us; make him happy.”

“Deal!” she said, turning when she heard what sounded like growling from behind her.

“Put her down, Con. No touchy-feely with my woman, you ass. Get your own,” Dray growled in a low, mean voice. His lowered brows and widened stance with his hands across his chest didn’t scream “I’m playing”, either.

“No, thank you very much. Look what a woman’s done for you—gettin’ all possessive, and the looks you two throw at each other? Man, you have to dodge to keep from being singed by the heat. That’s okay, I’ll pass. I’m more of a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy.” He wagged his eyebrows again.

“You mean screw ’em and leave ’em, right? ’Cause I have never heard you say love when it comes to your activities with a woman. But keep your mitts off of mine and you’ll survive,” Dray repeated.

Her stare wavered between the big men. She shook her head. “If ya’ll are finished with the whole macho man thing you’ve got going on here, can I inquire as to how my sisters are doing?” Sasha asked.

“Well,
hun
,” Con began in a horrible Southern drawl imitation, “they’re doing just fine.”

His fine came out
faaahn
.

She laughed. “Well, I do declare!”

Dray grunted and Sasha sobered. He really wasn’t playing.

“So, come on,” she continued in a normal voice. “Tell me how they’re really doing. They’re killing Surrey, aren’t they? I don’t know what Hal’s problem is. Well, I do, but damn. She just can’t not argue when someone’s willing to give it right back to her. And Kara—you know I love all my sisters—but Kara can be downright pushy when it comes to keeping everybody straight.”

“Yep, well they’re both doing their thing and keeping old Sur on his toes, that’s for sure. How about some breakfast, Sasha? I know you gotta be starving since Dray took forever getting you off—oops! What I meant to say was, ‘getting you
up.
’ Yeah, yeah, that’s what I meant.” Con laughed as he ducked to avoid the pillow she threw at him.

The heat rose into her cheeks again, and Con started laughing all over again.

“Jerk!” she bit out in mock anger as she flung another sofa pillow at him.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go eat, shall we?” Con asked as he picked up the discarded pillows and set the sofa back to rights.

Dray’s SAT phone picked that moment to ring again, and Sasha sighed loudly. She looked pointedly at the phone he was reaching for. “That’s not going to always be ringing, is it?”

“Yeah, it probably will. Why?” he asked.

“Well, we either need to download some different tunes, or um…” It was her wagging her eyebrows this time. “Or we need to turn it on vibrate. You know, for when we’re
busy
?”

“That’s so my cue to leave. I’m in the kitchen.” Con coughed and beat a hasty retreat.

Dray ignored the ringing phone, walked over to her, and drew her close.

“So you’re thinking we’ll be busy, huh?”

There was the heat, and she hissed in a breath. He leaned down at the same time she went up on tiptoe, and their lips met, twisted together and then parted.

“No, I’m
knowing
we’ll be busy. I have a lot of time without you to make up for, so I’m debating on how to work you.”

“Baby, you can work me in any way you want,” he said fervently as he cupped her bottom in his big hands and lifted her against his engorged cock.

He knew her every happy spot. She groaned. “You’re a tease. Let me down, I’m gonna go eat. You answer your phone. I meant it about the vibrate.”

“There’s so many things the word vibrate coming from your mouth conjures up. You better leave, little rabbit, before I jump on you like a hungry wolf. No more talk of anything vibrating until we’re alone.” He bared his teeth in a smile as he set her back on her feet. “You better go eat while you can because if you stand there one more second, I’m going to toss you on the coffee table and make love to you until you scream.”

She winked at him. “And that would be a bad thing, why?”

“One, there clearly isn’t enough time right now to do all the things I want to do to your body. Two, we have company outside, and I need to go make them feel welcome. Three, did I mention that there isn’t enough time right now to do all the things I want to do to your body?”

“Yeah, you did, so okay. I’m going to eat, you go play great big heaping he-man GI Joe,” she said pitching her voice deep in her best imitation of him. “Be careful.”

She went in the direction of the kitchen but stopped just before she entered. She turned back and gave him an impish look. “Remember to be careful. You have to be around later to reward me for not asking a lot of questions and following you blindly. ’K, big boy?” she winked and turned to go eat.

He sighed, flipped open the SAT phone, and barked, “Talk!”

She heard him and laughed.

Dray rubbed his forehead and took a deep breath.

The news was not good. Kelly Jordian, a longtime friend and one time compatriot in the Rangers, had called to let Dray know that someone had been asking questions about the big warehouse on Rowe’s Wharf.

Dray’s warehouse.

Con had told him earlier as they’d met in the office that Dempsey’s phone was relaying his location as just south of Boston proper. The day promised the rat bastard’s arrival, but Dray was prepared. Dempsey had reinforcements, and it had become apparent he had an inside informant somewhere in either Presidio, which Dray was unwilling to accept, or the government, specifically, General Post’s arena.