Whiplash: A Sports Romance (47 page)

“Goodnight,” Fox says as she walks towards her room in the back. His eyes linger on the floor between us, purposefully avoiding mine. He’s probably still a little embarrassed that I caught him in his lie but I won’t tease him about it anymore.

My thoughts go dark. There’s something that’s plagued me since the moment his bullet struck the masked man in my stairwell. Mercer’s words at the hotel just made it worse. “Fox, how do you do it?”

He looks up at me. “Do what?”

I rub my hands against my knees to dry the sweat. “How do you kill someone and be completely normal ten minutes later?”

His eyes go soft but he doesn’t even blink. “Like all skills, it takes practice.” He sets the teacup down. “Are you okay?”

A laugh escapes me. “Pretty loaded question at this point, Fox. In the last twenty-four hours, I’ve been shot at, I jumped off a roof, crashed through windows, and I… I drove ten hours in a car thinking you were going to die in the seat next to me.”

“I’m sorry, Dani.” His hands fidget together. “I never wanted this for you.”

“I can’t stop thinking about that gun in my hand.” His brow furrows in confusion. “Mercer came for me and... I could have shot him, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I tried, but… I couldn’t be like you.”

“Good,” he says.

“Fox, if I had, this wouldn’t have happened to you.”

“And if I had killed him six months ago when I had the chance, this wouldn’t have happened to you.” He shakes his head. “You can’t live like that, Dani. Don’t regret what you should have done, look forward at what you will do to fix it.”

“How are we supposed to fix this, Fox?”

He falls silent and sits back in his chair. I don’t expect him to have an answer right now. He’s still wounded, still healing. His eyes shift and he turns around to glance back into the dining room. “Where are my clothes?”

“Ruined.”

“The flash drive was in my pocket. Do you have it?”

I reach into my jeans for it. “It fell out while I was… taking your pants off.” He reaches for it and I pass it to him. He exhales the panic from his chest as he turns it over his fingers. “Did Boxcar manage to decrypt it?”

“Yes.”

“What are we going to do with it?”

Fox keeps his head down. “Well, we can’t plug it in here. They’ll trace it. It’s how they found us at the hotel.”

I wait for him to offer a second option but he just stares at it. “Fox?”

“I’ll take it into town and give it the local police. They’ll call in the F.B.I. and they’ll take it from there.”

“And then you’ll come back here?”

He squeezes it in his palm. “Dani, I’m in this file.”

I stare at him, trying to decide if that’s good or bad. “Okay…” He stands up from the chair. “Fox, where are you going?”

“I need you to stay here.” He walks out of the living room towards the front door.

“Fox—” I say his name but he doesn’t slow down. “Fox!” I follow him into the entryway, moving as fast as I can to catch up with him. “Fox, what are you doing?”

“I’m going to turn my myself in and hand over the file.”

“Wait,
right now
?”

“Stay with Mrs. Clark,” he says. “She’s old, but she’s spry.”

I search his eyes. “You can’t do this.”

“Stay here, Dani.” He turns around and walks outside.

My heart pumps wild blood through my veins. I shake with a horrible anticipation like I’m standing on a vibrating train track. “Fox—” My voice cuts off at a whisper. I can’t just let him walk away from me. I can’t. “Fox!” I push myself out the door, taking long strides to catch up with him. “Wait—”

“Go back inside, Dani,” he says over his shoulder.

I keep moving forward, refusing to stop. “You’re leaving
now
?”

“The sooner the better. I’ve wasted enough time already,” he explains as we reach the cabin.

“Fox,
please
. Can you just stop for a minute? We should talk about this.”

“Twelve, twenty-four, oh-seven.”

I close the cabin door behind us. “What?”

“Twelve, twenty-four, oh-seven.” He lowers to his knees and pulls a large case out from under his bed. “Say it back.”

“Twelve, twenty-four, oh-seven. What the hell is that?”

He pops open the case and my eyes grow wide at the selection of guns inside nestled in black foam. “It’s the night we met. Christmas Eve, 2007.” I stare into his eyes, unsure of what to say as his expression shifts towards memory. “My mother got you that hideous red and white scarf. I could tell you hated it, but you wore it the entire night anyway because you wanted to make a good impression on her.”

“I remember,” I say. “Why are you telling me this?”

Fox grabs a Glock from the foam and slides the case back under the bed. “Twelve, twenty-four, oh-seven. It’s the combination to the safe in the closet. There’s plenty of money in there. It’ll last you for a long time.”

He hands me the gun and my heart breaks. “Fox, I can’t…”

“Dani, I want you to stay here until you’re sure it’s okay to leave. Mercer can’t find you out here, so you’ll be safe until this all blows over.” He brushes past me and pulls open the closet to grab a jacket hanging inside.

I rush for the door. “Fox, stop.”

He reaches around me for the handle but I press my body against the door. “Dani, there’s no time—”

“Are you really going to leave like this, Fox?” My eyes swell. “Is this really how you’re leaving me?”

He hangs his head with closed eyes. “I came back to protect you.”

“Then do it, but don’t drop me off out in the middle of nowhere and leave me there.”

“This is the safest place for you, Dani.”

“But what about you?” I ask. “What’s going to happen to you? When will I see you again?”

“You won’t.”

The train finally strikes me and my chest caves in like a black hole. “That’s not okay,” I whimper.

“After this, Snake Eyes will be exposed,” he says. “That includes me.”

“No.” I shake my head. “There has to be another way.”

“There isn’t. And honestly, there shouldn’t be. I deserve to be put away, Dani.”

“If you really believed that, you never would have gone into hiding in the first place.”

“Dani—”

“No
, Fox. I won’t let you leave me again.”

“Move away from the door.”

I stand still.
“No.”

“You’re better off this way,” he whispers. “You have everything you need back home — you don’t need me.”

“That’s not true.”

“You have a
good
life, Dani. That’s what I’ve been fighting for this whole time. I want you to be happy.”

“You think
this
will make me happy?”

“I think you’ll be alive. That’s good enough for me.” He moves forward to open the door again, but I push it back. “Dani—”

I throw my arms around him and sink into his chest. The gun slips from my fingers and falls to the floor by our feet. He goes tense, but his body quickly relaxes against mine and he lays his hands on me.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “There’s no other way.”

I hold him tighter and he lays his nose against my hair, taking in my scent. A smile rolls on my lips; I can’t help it. Every sense I have bursts for him. “Fox…” I lean back to look into his eyes. “If this is your last night as a free man, I want to spend it with you.”

He tries to blink away the painful desire but it stays there, staring back at me. His hand moves to my cheek and his thumb brushes along my bottom lip, igniting every nerve in me. I push in closer, so close his lips graze mine. I slide my fingers beneath his shirt to feel his skin. He trembles as my fingertips brush his abs, striking fire between us like little match tips.

I kiss him and he pushes me back against the door. His lips descend on mine, eager and driven as he’s always been. I submit to his kiss, leaning back as his mouth travels my neck. I push my fingers beneath his jacket and it falls to the floor. My body aches for him, succumbing to sensations I’ve never experienced and a fear I can’t deny.

His hands move behind me and he secures his grip on my rear before raising me off the floor. My insides shift but I can’t pull my lips from his as he carries me across the room and lowers me onto his bed.

I lie back as he raises his shirt over his head. The black cobra eyes stare down at me from his bruised skin, a permanent reminder of the threat looming between us. I reach out and run my fingers along its tail. It’s just ink; nothing more. Just a meaningless picture sketched by a needle. I lean forward and kiss his chest while he pulls my shirt over my head to reveal my bare breasts.

He descends on me again, his breath hot and wild against my skin. I let him move down my body, licking and nibbling with intent to devour me.

He grabs my arm and twists me around onto my stomach. His fingers grip my hair and his teeth scrape my neck, driving fresh fear into my passions.

“Dani…” he whispers, latching my hair even tighter. “Tell me to stop and I will.”

I gasp with pleasure as fire runs down my spine. He presses his body against mine and I feel his stiffness begging to be free. His other hand slithers beneath me and he angles my hips to get at my zipper. His lips never leave my back as he moves to pull my jeans down. It’s more exposed than I’ve ever been in my life.

He returns to me and reaches for my face, turning my head to kiss me. His lips cover my entire mouth and I taste his tongue on mine, sweet and warm. His chest heaves, desires building high. Then he leans back and I hear him pull down his pants.

My fingers latch against the pillow by my head. Contradiction tears me apart. Nervous tension plagues my muscles while burning heat radiates from my core. I breathe deep, hoping to dispel my fear before he lays his hands on me again but the intense quiver shakes me as he leans over me again. His manhood presses against my slit, settling hard between my folds but he doesn’t enter me.

“Dani…”

I glance at him and he studies my eyes before turning me around onto my back again. He kisses me with love and slowly eases himself between my thighs. His hands travel my arms, pushing them up to pin them above my head as he tastes me over and over again. My body melts like warm milk. His hands graze down my naked chest, all the way south to my radiating heat. He parts it with a single finger and traces a line along my swollen bud.

A moan challenges my throat. He massages me even more with a smirk on his tight lips. I writhe against his hand, new pleasures rocking my hips. I dig my nails into the pillow beneath my head and bite my lip to keep from screaming. He kisses me again and I gasp into his parted lips. His fingertips work me faster. Blood pounds in my ears. I’m trapped beneath him, my life in his hands, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fox pulls a climax out of me and the tension breaks me in two. I moan and scream and buck my hips for more. He kisses me in blissful triumph but his fingers never leave my skin. They travel up to my hands and he pins me again, stealing kisses from my lips until he’s had his fill.

I lie exhausted and wet but still wanting. His hardness rests firm against my throbbing core, just as eager for satisfaction as I am. I part my legs wider around him, giving him access to my everything.

Fox
. My stepbrother. My protector and my biggest fan. May as well be my first lover, too.

He hooks his fingers beneath my knees and angles my hips upward, aligning his cock with my entrance. I sigh against him, breathing out the last bit of fear I have as he pushes forward and slides inside.

If it hurts, I can’t feel it. My body submits to his will, taking only pleasure where there should be pain. He keeps going, filling me with every inch of his sizable length, waiting for me cry out for him to stop — but I never do. I lick his lips, pulling him in for another kiss. He smiles and I feel him pull out until only an inch remains inside of me. Then he gives me one, hard thrust, challenging me to stop him but I only moan for more.

I close my eyes, focusing on nothing but this sweet pleasure growing inside. Fox pistons in and out of me, massaging and dominating my body as if he’s always known how. I found his experience frightening before but now I’m thankful for it. Every move he makes, every purposeful twitch of his cock calls to my desires like a siren’s song.

He groans against my neck, purring the most perfect vibrations down my arms and through my fingertips. My toes curl. My muscles ache. I’m so full of new sensations, I have no idea where to start.

His fingers latch around my wrists and he quickly rises to his knees. My body twitches with disappointment as he falls out of me, then lurches from dizziness as he spins me around and forces me back onto my belly. His fingers run across my skin and he pulls me in close to him.

I gasp, feeling his thick rod enter me again from behind. It’s tighter, harder, and more primal than before. I bite my lip, feeling his thrust take me over again. Fingers snake up my neck and into my hair to grip it tight. He holds me there, pounding away at me with a smirk on his lips. I imagine this look would grace any man’s face as he hits the Hollywood jackpot but I don’t mind. I know I’m more than that to him. I always have been. I push up higher on my arms, leaning back as far as I can go and he kisses me.

I settle against the bed and he lowers down with me, grinding inside. A powerful moan escapes me. His tip pulses against my inner walls, torturing me in the sweetest of spots. He pushes harder and deeper, purposefully shoving me closer to the edge. I hold my face in my hands and bite my fingers to keep from screaming his name. I feel him reach around me, pinning his hand between my body and the bed. My clit burns again as his fingers rub around it, enticing climax to find me again. I can do nothing but moan. I’m out-manned and out-gunned, helpless to stop my domination.

Climax charges through my body, washing away every fear and doubt I have, leaving me completely numb in his arms. I whimper with lust and Fox pauses deep inside of me, catching his breath as my inner muscles twitch around him.

I look back at him. His eyes are closed. His movements are focused and controlled. He finally opens them again and makes contact with mine. His smile, sly and devious, never leaves his lips as he reaches for me and raises me off the bed. He settles into a seated position and holds me against him while I wrap my legs around his waist.