Training the SECRET (Corrigan & Co #6) (6 page)

“You’re sure this
is okay?”

“It’s perfect.
You’re perfect. Now let me clean you up so we can cuddle all night
before I ravage you again.”

“If I don’t ravage
you first.”

“Please do.”

Jade

I’m wrapped in Nate’s
arms when I wake up, and I couldn’t be happier. Until I realize
that the sun’s streaming in the windows. Shit. I need to close the
blackout drapes before I see anything I’m not supposed to. He’s
letting me touch, but he didn’t say I could look yet.

I squirm out of his
embrace, and am halfway off the bed, when a strong set of arms pulls
me back. “Unless you have to pee really bad, you better not be
trying to get out of this bed. I don’t even care if you’ve got
dragon grade morning breath. I’m nowhere near done with you yet.”

All of me gets tingly
from his words, but I can’t lose sight of my mission. “The
drapes, Nate. I need to close them before I accidentally see you.”

I hear his sharp intake
of breath before he speaks. “Leave them.”

“But just last night
you said I couldn’t look. Are you really ready now?”

“I don’t know if
I’ll ever be fully ready, but just the fact that you’re thinking
of me before anything else makes it okay. You can look at me if you
want.”

“If I want? Are you
insane? I’ve seen your chest so I knew what I was feeling with my
hands was on point. But when I felt you
inside
of me. Sweet Jesus, I wanted to see.”

He laughs at me. “Thank
you for making me laugh, and being…well, you.”

“You’re welcome,
but just so you know, I may be a trained spy but I have trouble
pretending to be anyone I’m not in real life.”

“What I see is what I
get. I knew that about you the first time we met.”

“And you still think
I’m a good idea?”

“Oh yeah. The best
I’ve ever had.”

Since this is all going
so well, I ask the question I’ve wanted to since he let me touch
last night. “You said I could touch, and now look. Am I also
allowed to kiss, lick, and suck?”

“Fuck yeah. You can
bite me, too, if the mood strikes.”

“You didn’t even
think about that for a second.”

“You said you want to
suck me, what’s there to think about?”

“Then why don’t you
lie back and let me enjoy myself for a few minutes.”

“I was hoping to be
inside of you this morning. I need to redeem myself.”

“You’re a fit guy,
I’m sure you have enough stamina to come multiple times.”

I see him flinch, but
he puts a smile on his face almost immediately. I’m not going for
fake smiles, with a side of pain, so I sit back on my heels, while I
take his face in my hands.

“I don’t know what
I said wrong—and you don’t have to tell me—but do you still
want…you know?”

“Your mouth on me?
Uh, yeah. That should never even be a question. Have you lost your
mind, woman?”

“I just wanted…never
mind,” I tell him as I drop my hands and start to pull the covers
off of him.

It’s his turn to cup
my cheeks now. “I know, Jade. I appreciate your concern more than
anything. What I won’t appreciate is if you try and censor yourself
because you’re worried about hurting me. You don’t hurt me—you
heal me. With your words, and your love. Even your hands last night
felt so amazing on me, and I didn’t think that was possible.”

I smile and push him
onto his back. When I slide back the sheet, I nearly faint. I felt
him last night, so I know he’s big and thick, but damn. He’s
big
,
and
thick
. I lick my
lips and look up at him. He’s got an eyebrow quirked, and a smug
smile on his face.

“If you didn’t have
every right to look smug right now, I’d smack you.”

“Are you saying that
you like my cock, Angel?”

“Maybe a little,” I
say as I swirl my tongue over the tip. “Or maybe a whole fucking
lot.”

I take him as far into
my mouth as possible while he practically flies off the bed, cursing
and saying my name. Oh yeah, it feels good to tame the bad boy. Even
as I’m starting to realize that he’s not as bad as he wants
everyone to think. I’m going to find out his secrets, and then I’m
going to really help him heal. He deserves to be happy, and so do I.

* * *

Nate

If fucking was an
Olympic sport, I would’ve definitely medaled today. And so would
Jade. I wake up to the sun high in the sky outside, and an empty bed
beside me. She better not have gone out without waking me. It’s too
dangerous for her to be running around this city without back-up.

I run downstairs and
find her at the kitchen counter. She’s chewing on a pen, and
looking like she wants to curl up somewhere and cry. I come up behind
her, and pull her into my arms.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just looking
at my dad’s medical charts.”

“It’s that bad? I’m
sorry, J.”

“Yes and no. I mean,
he’s had two heart attacks, but he can be treated and get better.”

“That’s great
news.”

“He’ll have to give
up the gym, though. I came here thinking I could help him, and fix it
up, but now there’s no point.”

“Can’t you find
someone to just run it for him? He could still train the guys and
all, but someone could do the office work.”

“Me?”

“No. You have a job
already. One that you’re good at, one that’s important. What
would happen to all those kids if Jade Garrett wasn’t around to
save them?”

“The Society would
find someone else to help them.”

Is it just a job for
her—saving people? Because if it is, I’ve totally misjudged her,
and not in a good way. I’m a little pissed about that and not
hiding it well.

“So it’s just a
paycheck to you? What you do doesn’t mean anything?”

“Now who’s acting
insane? Of course the Society and what we do means something to me.
Is it wrong that my father means more, though?”

Right. It’s her dad.
I need to get over my shit and help her handle this. “No. It just
seemed like you didn’t care for a minute there.”

“I love my job, and I
care about the people we help, Nate. How could you not know that?”

“I
do
know. I…oh, fuck…can we just talk about your dad and the gym
before I choke on the foot that’s in my mouth?”

I hate that she can
make me feel so vulnerable, but I love it, too. I work so hard to
hide things so I can come across as strong and mean with everyone
else. Knowing I can just be myself with her, and she won’t laugh at
me, or pity me, well, it makes me feel happier than I’ve ever felt
in my life.

“I could replace that
foot with my tongue, but then we couldn’t talk.”

I lean over and kiss
her lightly, but then pull back. “While I’ll never turn down a
kiss from you, we need to eat. And talk.”

“Always so sensible,
aren’t you Soldier?”

“I think I was pretty
wild and reckless earlier.”

“Yes you were, and it
was so, so good.”

“I’ve redeemed
myself after the disaster then?”

“You know you have,”
she says, standing up to jump on the island in front of me and spread
her legs wide. “Now, what do you want to eat?”

I didn’t get a good
look at her outfit while she was sitting down, but now I can see it
all. And I’m seriously fucked—not that I’m complaining. She’s
wearing a mesh camisole with Wonder Woman graphics all over it,
paired with matching little blue boy shorts that I saw only covered
half her ass before she turned around.

“Where did you get
that outfit?”

“The store.”

“You’re killing me
smalls.”

She reaches forward and
runs her hands over my shoulders and down to my chest. “Yeah, well,
you’ve been killing me for two years now, so I think we’re even.”

“Not even close,
Angel. Not even close.”

“You never did tell
me what you’re hungry for.”

“Oh, I think you
know.” I gently push her back to lie flat onto the island and
remove those damn little shorts. Then I hand her cell phone to her.
“Call us in a pizza while I have my appetizer.”

“You want me to call
in while you…?” she asks, her eyes going wide.

“You can’t do it?”
I challenge her.

“The fuck I can’t.”

She places the call
while I take my first lick. She knows what I like, so I can
concentrate on what I’m doing while she tells them the order. By
the time her call is done, she’s bucking against my mouth and
holding me in place with her free hand. She manages to sound coherent
with the restaurant, but once she hangs up, the curse words and the
pleas begin. I held her on the edge because I didn’t want anyone
but me to hear her come, but now I take her over.

“Nate,” she says
quietly as she comes hard. My eyes are the ones that are wide right
now.

“I can’t believe
you were so quiet.”

“Two can play the
torture game. You shouldn’t forget that I’m not some random
girl.”

“I’ve never seen
you as that, and it kills me that you think I did.”

She shrugs, and grabs
her panties. “I figured I could one day get you into bed if I kept
trying. I just didn’t expect anything more.”

“You can have
anything you want with me, Jade. You already own me. My heart, my
mind, my body—they all belong to you.”

“I want everything.”

“It’s yours.”

“Really? So you’d
marry me today if I said I wanted to be your wife.”

“Fuck yeah. Let’s
go.”

“I’m not quite
ready for that, but it’s good to know that this is more than just
earth shattering orgasms.”

“I thought I felt the
earth moving a little just now,” I tell her with a smirk. “Oh,
and thanks for ordering me ‘hot, really hot’ wings.”

“Bastard.”

“If I thought you
meant that, I’d be mortally wounded.”

“I can’t believe
this…us…is really finally happening. I guess I should’ve put
myself in the line of fire a long time ago.”

“No, you shouldn’t
have. What should’ve happened is that I should’ve taken my head
out of my ass and made the moves I wanted to make.”

“Have you made them
all, or should we play some more before the pizza gets here?”

“I’m nowhere close
to doing everything I’ve fantasized about with you, but I’ve
gotta eat something more than you if we’re going to play the day
away. Which is something I
really
want.”

“Me too, but we’ll
have to go out for a little bit later.”

“To see your dad?”
She bites her lip, and looks a little nervous. Which has
me
nervous. “Jade?”

“I talked to my dad a
little while ago, and he’s having a good day. So good, in fact,
that he put together a party at the gym for me tonight.”

“I’m guessing the
party’s going to be pretty big, huh?”

“Yeah. All my of
dad’s fighters, their families, customers of the gym, friends, and
probably a bunch of scantily clad women since he said you’ll be
there.”

“You’re going to
hold my hand the whole time, right? To save me from the scantily clad
women who are supposedly coming there for me.”

“If you want me to. I
don’t have anything cute to wear, though, so it might be kind of
embarrassing. I mean, I guess I could go shopping.”

“I really don’t
care what you wear—I’d never be embarrassed to have you with me,
no matter what you have on. But if you want to glam it up, there’s
a couple of suitcases in my trunk with your name on them, courtesy of
Stella.”

“Stella sent me my
clothes? Really?”

“Why are you so
shocked? This is Stella we’re talking about here. She was
practically in tears, saying you’d just gone shopping recently and
left it all behind.”

“Poor girl. I’ll
call her to thank her. I hope she packed a certain dress for me. I’m
sorry, but I can’t really be too revealing at a party my dad’s
throwing, but I still look pretty good in one that’s covered up a
little more.”

“Angel, I know what
you’ve got, and believe me when I say that I am the last person who
would ask you to display it for everyone. I’m not that guy who
feels more masculine if my girl’s showing it all off for the world.
I prefer to have it all for myself, but if you need to show off at
any time, I’ll be right there keeping the assholes at bay.”

“The girls you picked
up at the clubs showed everything.”

“Which should tell
you something.”

“Are you saying I’m
different?”

“Don’t act like you
don’t know that I never called one of them my girl. I haven’t
called
anyone
that
since I was like fifteen.”

“I want to be your
girl.”

“Good, because you
are. I mean, since you want to be. I wouldn’t assume…shit. There
I go again.”

“Being romantic? Why,
yes you are.”

Really? “You think
that’s romantic?”

“You getting all
sweet and tongue tied when talking about wanting to go steady with
me? Oh yeah, that’s pure romance.”

“Huh. Maybe I do know
how to do this shit.”

“You know what would
also be very romantic?” she asks, licking her lips.

“What?” I ask,
thinking I’m going to like whatever she has planned for me.

“If you get those
suitcases and then take care of the pizza delivery while I go through
them.”

“That is so not what
I was expecting.”

She pretends to look
innocent. “No?”

“You know exactly
what you made me think was going to happen, you little vixen.”

“After the party,
Nate.
Exactly
what
you thought I meant will happen then.”

I can deal with that.
And honestly, we both probably need a little more rest from the new
Olympic category we’ve created. “I’m going to get those
suitcases now. You just go do your girly things, and let me take care
of everything else.”