Secret Storm (10 page)

"I know." She laced her fingers with his,
holding him tight. "I know you need help, but I need to know
how."

"I don't need you...." He shook his head and
pulled away from her. "I don't need help." His body stiffened again
and his eyes narrowed, the scar through his eyebrow turning red and
jagged.

"And I don't need protection." She flung his
hand away so hard he nearly fell over.

Rage blinded her, and she found herself
grabbing the doorknob with shaking hands, having no memory of
crossing the room.
Throw him out!
She rattled the door, but
it wouldn't budge. She spun around, but Jack stood right behind
her, leaning against the door with both hands, pinning her between
his immovable arms, both of them breathing hard.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Her kind
gentleman Jack had disappeared. Through the cracks in his cool
façade, she glimpsed a seething storm, a peek at the mysterious
force driving him.

Fascinating.
Could she use his pent-up
emotions against him? She squirmed in his arms, testing his hold.
She couldn't get away, but then, she didn't want to. "Let go of
me," she hissed.

"No." He crushed her against the door, his
slate blue eyes as hard as his body.

"You came here for a reason." She drew his
chest into hers as she gasped for breath. "You need my help."

"No, I don't."

"All you have to do is ask."

"Never."

The finality of that one word drove Sara into
a thundering fury. Her fists rained down on his solid chest, but he
wouldn't relent. Her eyes burned right through his—she knew he felt
it—but his face remained stoic. She wanted to shatter his cool
control into a billion pieces so he could never put it back
together again.

"Damn it, Jack, let me in."

"No!" He shoved off the door, cursing under
his breath. His eyes blazed and his control slipped. "Do you want
to see what's hiding inside me? Do you want to know what I lived
through?" The smallest tremble shook his voice, a hoarse whisper.
"What I've done?"

She stepped away from the door, holding her
hand out to him, suddenly needing to touch him. "I want all of you,
Jack, whoever you are."

He stared at her hand, his fingers curling as
if he wanted to reach out, but he wrenched himself away. "I can't
let you—"

"Then get out!" She flung open the door, and
the doorknob punched a hole in the wall.

"Is that what you want?"

She stayed silent, her eyes fixed on his
face.

He nodded, and looked down at the floor as if
he expected as much.

His arm brushed her breast as he walked by,
and that old familiar wild thrill shot through her body.
Damn
it, why now?
His irrational need for control drove her crazy,
but all she could think about was knocking his stubborn ass on the
floor and fucking him senseless. "Jack."

He stopped.

"Ask me again."

He didn't move. A deep sigh wracked his body,
and he turned and looked straight into her. "What do you want,
Sara?"

He knew as well as she did. Did she have to
say it?
I want you. Now.
She grabbed his shirt with both
hands, yanked him close, and kissed him hard.

Jack groaned and kicked the door shut, biting
at her mouth as they tumbled into the living room. His hands landed
on her ass and he tried to pick her up, but he slipped. His fingers
slid under her shorts and rubbed against her heated flesh.

She moaned and reflexively trapped his hand
between her thighs, and he laughed into her mouth.
He thinks
he's won? Oh no.
This little power struggle isn't over
yet.
She broke their kiss and shoved him back, catching him off
guard. Her eyes swept over him with unsatisfied lust. They needed
something deeper than this, but why not take what she wanted for
once?

He stumbled back against the coffee table,
kicked it out of the way, then turned and sent the couch crashing
against the bookshelves with one massive push.

Her jaw dropped.

Breathing hard, he stared at her with fire in
his eyes. "Take off your clothes."

More than anything, she hated being told what
to do, so she decided to provoke him. She'd do what he asked—but on
her terms. "Do you think I'm that easy?" She crossed her arms,
staring him down.

"I know you are. Com'ere." He stalked her,
moving her toward the couch.

"No." She tried to dash around him, but he
grabbed her by the waist and tackled her. They fell on the couch,
Sara struggling while Jack tried to hold her still.

"You forgot I'm not just a good runner, but a
good blocker." He tried to pull her down to the floor, but she
slipped from his grasp.

"I didn't forget." She kissed him, throwing
her body against his so hard she knocked him flat on his back.

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled on
top, straddling her hips and pinning her down. She struggled under
him and he laughed. "Take off your clothes."

"No." She squirmed, beating on his rock hard
thighs with her fists, but he didn't budge.

The most devious smile twisted his lips. "If
you don't, I'll do it for you."

***

His heart stopped when he heard his own
words. Had he just threatened her? His smile faded and he searched
her eyes, but instead of fear, he saw excitement. She smiled and
arched beneath him.

"You can try." Her tone dared him to do
it.

Her muscles tensed, perhaps ready for another
football move, but instead he leaned over and took her face in his
hands, brushing her hair behind her ears. His lips touched
hers—barely—and he looked straight into her eyes and pulled her
shirt down off her shoulder, taking her bra strap with it. He did
the same thing to the other shoulder, leaving them exposed to his
touch, his kiss.

Her hot soft skin smelled like strawberries
and cream. He fought the urge to bite her and make her cry out his
name.
Why? Why do I want to make her scream?

***

She sighed and melted into him.
Oh, that
was too easy.
"Oh, so good," she moaned as his tongue slipped
under her bra cup, teasing her nipple.

But this sweet, gentle Jack wasn't quite what
she wanted. She wanted to push him, test him, find out where his
patience ended. She wanted to make him give up the control he held
so tight. His breath warmed her skin, but she wanted it hot. She
wanted to feel all the heated rage he kept buried inside. He needed
to let it out and as much as he denied it, he needed her help to do
it.

I'm not afraid.

He slipped his hand down and unzipped her
shorts, and shoved them down her legs as she twisted and kicked.
She rolled under him and crawled away.

He grabbed at her ankle and missed. "Are you
trying to provoke me?"

She looked back over her shoulder, resting on
her hands and knees. "Come on, Jack. I know what you want." She
wiggled her ass. "Take it." Her eyes dared him.

His hand flew on its own, tearing her panties
off. He flipped her on her back and dropped on top of her.

"Oh!"
Lace makes a nice ripping
sound.

She gasped as he threw her legs over his
shoulders and dove down between them, kissing and licking and even
biting her unprepared flesh. His sudden assault shocked her,
thrilling her to the core. She didn't have to wait for an orgasm,
coming now, hard and fast—hotter than any she'd ever experienced.
Her fingernails ripped his shoulders, but he didn't seem to
mind.

He sat back, triumph lighting up his
face.

Oh no... still too easy.
She gave him
a good shove and rolled over, but just as she got to her knees, he
grabbed her from behind and yanked her back against his hot, hard
body.

"You can't escape me," he growled, his breath
hot in her ear.

Yes. This is what I want. His passion, his
heat.
She struggled in his arms, not because she wanted to
escape, but because she wanted him to control her.

What? Yes. I want to let go and let him
take over, but why
?

At the moment, she just wanted him to take
care of her needs.
Oh hell, I just want him to take me.
She'd never wanted that from anyone before.

She lunged forward, but he caught her by the
waist, and they landed face down on the carpet. Jack held her tight
while he unzipped his jeans.

Yes, she wanted him to control her, but he
had to earn it. His hard cock jammed against her bare ass. She
squirmed and he slammed into her. "Oh Jack!"

***

Mmm....
He liked that sound. He
slammed in hard, pounding her into the floor again and again. Each
time, she called out his name. Grabbing a fistful of her hair, he
pulled her up on her knees and bit down on her shoulder. She
writhed in his arms.
Am I hurting her?
He would stop if she
told him to. If she told him it hurt.

"Oh yes, that's what I want," she gasped.
"Don't stop. Please don't stop."

Jack grabbed her shirt and pulled it all the
way down, ripping it apart. He flung her bra across the room,
groping both her breasts in one hand, pulling and pinching her hard
nipples. Driven by lust, his control a distant memory, he banished
any rational thoughts about what he was doing to her or why.

***

Stripped. Naked.
I'm naked and he
isn't.
Completely vulnerable to him, yet she'd never felt
stronger. Her entire body trembled and he held her tighter, driving
into her with such force he nearly lifted her off the floor. She
came without warning, her body ripping apart at the seams, her mind
spiraling down, down into blissful oblivion.

When she became aware of her surroundings
again, he lay on top of her, naked, planting soft kisses on her
face.
Damn it, he has his control back.

She brushed his hair back from his neck and
nipped at him, biting harder as her mouth moved down his neck and
shoulders. Her tongue touched his nipple and he groaned. Her teeth
closed on it and he hissed.

He rose up on his elbows. "What are you doing
to me?"

She wrapped her legs tightly around his hips
and pulled him in hard so he couldn't move. "Taking you down with
me." She licked his nipple and bit down on it.

He shuddered. "Oh God." His eyes rolled back
in his head and he collapsed.

Pinned under his hard, sweaty body, she clung
to him while his explosion ripped through them. Somehow they
survived the rumbling inferno and he held her in his arms while the
fire burned itself out.

Sara sighed, her fingers floating through his
long dark hair. She'd gotten exactly what she wanted, and she'd
gotten it good.

Pushed to the limits of his control, he'd
proven he'd never hurt her. But still, something dark lurked inside
him.

"You're not telling me everything."

***

Jack groaned, his face still buried between
her neck and shoulder. He had no more strength to fight her. He
inhaled her strawberries and cream scent, letting it soothe him
while he debated how much more he could tell her about the story
behind his scar—dark and dangerous and... definitely not good.

He wracked his brain for something else he
could tell her. Something safe.

Jack hoisted himself up with aching
shoulders, and leaned on his elbow, looking down into her
questioning eyes. He brushed her hair back with his fingers, hoping
his gentle touch would make her trust him even more. "When we ran
away from him, we changed our names for protection. My real name is
Jonathan Prentiss. No one but my mom knows that."

"Austin doesn't know?"

"Nope. We moved next door to him and his
family when I was eight. I was already Jack Wheeler then."

She frowned, her blue eyes searching his.
"You said 'Austin witnessed it.'"

"Did I?"
The woman picks up every
detail.
"I meant he witnessed what I went through after we
ran."

Doubt flickered in her eyes, but she didn't
question him further.

She slid her fingers across his chest,
drawing circles around his heart. "Thank you for trusting me with
your real name."

"You're welcome." He kissed her, pulling her
close and nuzzling against her neck.

"I think...." She lifted her head and looked
at the trashed room.

"Don't think, just enjoy." He tightened his
hold on her.
Is she pulling away already?

Her head hit the floor with a hard thud. "I
think the couch would be more comfortable."

"Uh-huh." He nibbled her ear. "Do you want to
get up?" He kept his arms tucked tightly around her.

"Nope." She sighed and cuddled closer to him.
"I don't want to move."

"Good. I don't either."

For the first time in days, his hard heart
warmed a bit. Did having her in his arms soften his resolve? Or did
sharing some of his past with her take the edge off his pain? It
had taken a lot of control and effort to keep his secret. Sometimes
the weight drained him so much he could barely keep a smile on his
face. Telling Sara about it had been hard, but not as hard as he'd
expected, and it seemed to ease the burden somehow.

Should I tell her the rest?
An icy
chill ran through his veins, turning his heart cold again.
No.
The truth could ruin everything. Keeping the rest of his
secret was the only way to keep them together.

Tired and too happy, he held on to this
exhausted bliss as long as he could. If Jack had his way, he'd
spend all his time and effort making sure this happened more
often—for Sara's sake as well as his own.

Sara's eyes snapped open. Afraid that Jane
could come home at any moment, she grabbed a blanket off the couch
and draped it over their tangled naked bodies, which relaxed her
enough to settle back in to sleep
.
She had no desire to
leave Jack this time.