Wicked and Dangerous (19 page)

She blinked as he came down over her, the feel of his hard, muscular chest pressing
against her breasts bringing another gasp to her lips. “What?”

“You heard me.” His voice was a dark, dangerous rasp in her ear. “Come. Now. Let me
feel it.”

Before she could tell him that she didn’t know how to orgasm on demand, he had his
mouth back on her breasts, sucking and licking at her tight nipples until she could
feel each rhythmic pull of his mouth between her legs, mirrored inside her sex and
her clit. She was pulsing around his pumping fingers in a snug, wet clinch, the thrashing
sound of her heartbeat roaring in her ears, growing steadily louder, until it all
crashed down on her in a shocking, wrenching eruption of pleasure that had her sobbing
and shouting, the muscles in her sex clamping around him so strongly he could barely
move his fingers inside her. She had her nails buried in the hard muscles in his shoulders,
her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she rode out the powerful waves, surging along with
the crazy swells until she was finally floating in a calm, mellow lake of bliss. Her
body felt steeped in heat, and she was so wet between her legs she could hear the
slick sound it made when he eventually pulled his fingers free.

Seconds later, she heard him growl deep in his throat, the angry, guttural sound bringing
her eyes open just in time to see him pulling one of the long fingers he’d had inside
her out of his mouth. She cringed, wondering what was wrong with her, when he snarled,
“You shouldn’t be allowed to taste like this. It’s fucking unreal.”

Oh! Um, then what was the problem? She shook her head with confusion. “And that pisses
you off why exactly?”

“Because now,” he bit out, licking off the glistening juices that shone on his other
finger, “the taste of your cunt is all I’ll be able to think about.”

She started to smile, but ended up gasping instead when he suddenly growled again . . .
and shoved his face against the very place where his fingers had been. Her back arched
as she felt his clever tongue hungrily licking between her drenched folds, and then
pushing up inside her, unable to believe how wickedly good it felt. He was working
her with a hot, delicious tongue-fuck, his hands digging into her thighs so tightly
she knew she’d be bruised. But she didn’t care. She just wanted to keep feeling this
forever, the reality of having Ryder’s mouth on her so much more mind-blowing than
anything she’d ever imagined. It was heart-stopping. Would have ruined her for other
men if he hadn’t already done that all those years ago, without ever even laying a
hand on her.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he groaned, suckling her clit as he shoved those two
fingers back inside her, and Lily could feel that blinding, blissful madness start
to overtake her all over again. She came screaming this time, hands gripping his hair,
pumping herself against his face in a shameless need for more as he replaced his fingers
with his tongue, moving it in and out of her. She shouted his name, holding nothing
back from him. Not even the parts she knew he didn’t want. That she doubted he even
thought about, like her heart. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her.

“Get inside me,” she panted, struggling for breath as she blinked him into focus and
watched him slowly lift his head from between her legs, his mouth wet with her juices.
He flicked his tongue across his top lip, then the bottom one, so unbelievably sexy
she felt a fresh wave of heat and need flood her body, melting her down. “
Please
, Scott. I can’t wait. Don’t make me wait. Just do it.”

•   •   •

AS LILY’S HUSKY
words echoed through his head, Ryder suddenly flinched. He felt like a bucket of ice
water had just been thrown in his face. Jesus. What the hell had he done?

“We have to stop,” he said in a low voice, knowing he had to get away from her. That
instant. Before he took this someplace they couldn’t go.

“Stop?” She blinked, looking confused. Not to mention completely adorable, with her
shirt tucked up under her chin and her face all flushed from her orgasms. “Now?”

Hell yes now. Before he lost what little control he still had left. “We can’t do this
here. We’ve got to go, Lil.”

“Go?” she whispered, bracing herself on her elbows as he sat back on his heels and
reached for his shirt. She watched him pull it on, then shook her head, sending the
strawberry blond waves spilling over her shoulders. “I thought we were having sex.
You said, ‘This is just
sex.
’”

His voice came out like a snarl. “We did.”

“Did what?”

“Have sex,” he muttered, careful not to look any lower than her face.

“Then did I miss something?” she asked slowly, starting to sound pissed. “Because
I have a feeling I’d know if your dick was inside me. I seriously doubt that’s something
that would go unnoticed, even if you
weren’t
huge. Which I could easily tell you are when you were grinding against me this morning!”

“You got oral sex,” he grated, using the bottom of his shirt to wipe his mouth. “And
you came
twice
. So why the hell are you complaining?”

Her eyes went wide, just before she suddenly scrambled away from him. She used the
fall of her hair to hide her face as she quickly sorted out her panties and shorts.
“Oral sex!” she muttered under her breath, lifting the cups of her bra before tugging
down her shirt. “I can’t believe you!”

He glared at her as they moved back to their feet, his dick so hard he knew he was
going to be in hell until they finally made it back to his place, where he could grab
a freezing-cold shower. Not that it would help. Now that he knew how fucking sweet
she tasted, and how hot and wet her tight little pussy could get for him, he doubted
anything but a long, hard, bed-breaking fuck would sort him out. Which meant he was
seriously screwed, because he needed to keep his goddamn hands, as well as his dick,
off
her. Not
in
her!

Shoving his hair back from his brow, he stepped closer and got right in her face.
Well,
over
her face, since he was so much taller than she was. “What is your problem?” he demanded.
“It’s not like I left you hanging. You came so hard you were screaming and damn near
yanking my hair out!” Which he’d loved every second of, and wanted again. The sooner
the better.

“Yes, your tongue is incredible and you made me come,” she seethed, her green eyes
glittering with fire, hands fisted at her sides. “That’s not the point. The point
is that I thought you were offering
more
. I thought I was getting the complete act, with you over me, holding me down, fucking
my brains out!”

He scowled, determined not to let her know how much her words affected him. “Where
the hell did you learn to talk like that?”

She looked ready to stomp her foot with frustration. “Like what? An adult? A woman?
News flash, Scott: I grew up. A
long
time ago. You need to get your head out of your ass and realize I’m not that gangly
seventeen-year-old you met all those years ago.”

“I know you’re not seventeen.” His hooded gaze did a swift pass down her body, before
locking back on hers. “And you’re sure as hell not gangly.”

“Then stop treating me like I need a time-out.”

“I’m just trying to be . . . realistic.”

This time Lily was the one who made a sound like a growl. “God, you are so frustrating!”
She fought the urge to kick him in the shin, figuring she’d end up breaking a toe
in her sandals, and forced herself to turn around instead. She was standing at the
end of the small hallway now, and the instant she faced the room she had to reach
out and brace her hand against the wall. “Oh, shit.”

“Son of a bitch!” he snarled from just behind her, obviously staring over her head
and getting his first look at her room as well. The next thing she knew he had her
trapped between his back and the wall, protecting her with his tall body, a gleaming
black 9mm gripped in his powerful hand. She blinked, shocked that she hadn’t realized
he had the gun tucked into the back of his jeans. He kept her behind him as he edged
toward the side of the closet, kicking it open with his foot, making sure no one was
hiding inside. He did the same with the bathroom, snapping for her to stay plastered
to his back as he checked behind the curtains and under the bed. Only when he was
certain the room was clear did he turn around and glare down into her eyes, the scar
on his face turning white with his anger. “I swear to God, Lily. You make me lose
my fucking mind.” His deep voice was low and clipped. “I can’t believe I was eating
you out on the goddamn floor when there’s a psycho killer on your ass!”

“You think it was Rado’s men who trashed the room?”

He didn’t answer the question, a muscle pulsing hard in his jaw as he looked away
from her, taking in the destruction. The bed and pillows had been slashed, the pieces
scattered all over the floor, along with the smashed drawers from the upturned dresser
and nightstands. Whoever had done this wanted to scare her. It was textbook crime
movie stuff, meant to incite panic and fear.

“Get what you need and do it quickly,” he said in a flat voice. “We need to get out
of here.”

“Do you think they’re still here?”

“I think they’re probably watching the place. So we need to move. Now!” He slipped
the gun into the back of his jeans again and grabbed the small, cheap duffel bag that
she’d bought a few days ago, shoving her scattered clothes into it. She ran into the
bathroom, grabbing the makeup she’d left on the counter, giving it to him to toss
into the bag with her clothes. Then he threw the strap over his shoulder, grabbed
her hand, and pulled her toward the door. “We’re heading to the Jeep from the side
exit and you’re staying right behind me. Understood?”

She nodded at his back, trying to get control of her fear, knowing it wasn’t going
to help anything.

His voice was hard and rough as he shot her a sharp look over his shoulder. “Tell
me you understand, Lily.”

She huffed at his tone. “I understand. I’m not stupid.”

“Stupid, no,” he muttered, opening the door and carefully checking the corridor in
both directions. “But you are definitely stubborn as hell.”

She bit her tongue, knowing better than to argue with him as she followed him to the
side exit. He kept checking to make sure they were alone, and despite the potential
danger, she felt safe because she was with him. He crouched down, quietly telling
her to do the same, as they made their way into the full parking lot. They stayed
behind one of the rows of cars as they headed toward the Jeep, the lot thankfully
empty of other people. She’d just started to breathe a little easier, thinking they
were going to make it, when two thugs came out of nowhere. One second she was behind
Ryder, his strong hand wrapped around her wrist, and in the next he’d shoved her to
the ground, ordering her to hide under the SUV they were in front of as he dropped
her bag and faced off against the two dark-haired assholes.

She didn’t hide. She was too terrified for his safety to do more than crouch by the
SUV’s bumper, ready to help him if she could, but worried that she’d only be in his
way. It’d been so long since she’d seen him fight—she’d always loved to spy on his
sparring sessions when she’d been younger—and she briefly wondered if it would be
like she remembered . . . or if civilian living would have lessened his skill and
intensity. But she’d been stupid to question his abilities for even that brief second.
He wasn’t as good as he’d been, he was even
better
, his body moving with a powerful, lethal grace as he immediately went on the offensive.
He smashed his elbow into one guy’s face, blood spurting from the man’s crushed nose
as he flipped the thug over his shoulder and slammed his booted foot into the jaw
of the other one. Then the guy with the gushing nose fired a wayward shot from the
gun he’d yanked off his ankle, making her scream, but Ryder was in full control. He
didn’t even have to pull his own weapon. He simply spun, grabbed the gun, and tore
it from the man’s hand while slamming his knee into his groin. As the guy doubled
over, snarling something in a Slavic language, Ryder punched him in the face, knocking
him out just as the other one jumped on his back. Within seconds he had the man flipped
over his head and sprawled across the hot asphalt. With a well-placed kick into the
bastard’s face, Ryder left him in the same shape as his partner, both of the idiots
bleeding and unconscious.

Shoving the thug’s gun into her bag, Ryder threw the strap back over his shoulder
and took a death grip on her hand, jerking her to her feet and hustling her toward
the Jeep. He didn’t waste any time getting her inside, then made his way around the
front, tossed her bag in the back, and climbed behind the wheel.

“Now what?” she asked, gripping the seat belt with both hands as she watched him crank
the engine.

“Rado has obviously figured out where you’re at,” he said, not even winded from the
fight, though he flexed his right hand as if it was sore, before curling it around
the steering wheel. “That means he most likely knows you’re here with me. We have
to assume that my place is being watched.”

Her grip on the seat belt tightened. “Which means what?”

His expression was grim as he turned his head and looked out the back window, peeling
out of the parking space so fast the tires squealed in protest. “It means we can’t
go back there,” he grunted, giving her a hard look before accelerating out of the
lot. “So I’m taking you to that safe house.”

FIVE

AS RYDER STEERED THE JEEP THROUGH TOWN, LILY LISTENED
to him talk to Ben on his phone. He told the sheriff what had happened, then arranged
to have a patrol car sent to the motel, though he doubted Rado’s men would still be
there. She knew if she hadn’t been with him that he would have taken the time to question
and arrest them himself. Hell, if they’d tried to hurt her, instead of jumping him,
they would have ended up dead. But he’d left them because he’d wanted to get her out
of there as quickly as possible, his protective instincts making her heart beat just
that tiny bit faster, even though she was still upset that he’d ended things in the
motel room before making love to her. The way she saw it, if a man wasn’t willing
to have sex with you after going down on you, then the odds were high that he just
didn’t want you. That hurt. So much that she couldn’t think of a single thing to say
to him after he’d ended the call, her arms wrapped tight around her middle as she
tried to put on a brave face.

But it wasn’t easy when she felt like a freaking idiot for running to him with her
whole
I need to sleep with Ryder
before I die
plan. What on earth had she been thinking? The guy had made it clear that he didn’t
want to get down and dirty with her. Yeah, he’d made her come, but maybe that’d just
been because he felt bad for not wanting her the way she wanted him. Which just made
her pathetic. She wrapped her arms around herself a little bit tighter and stared
out the window.

“The safe house is in the Westbrook neighborhood, on the north side of town,” he murmured,
breaking the silence. “I have to swing by the station to get the keys, but that should
only take a minute. Ben’s making arrangements for some extra security at the house,
but we should beat them there.”

Without looking at him, she asked, “Who’s he sending over?”

He lifted his shoulder in a shrug, repeatedly checking the rearview mirror to make
sure no one was following them. “I don’t know. But once they get there, I’m going
to head back over to my place to pick up a few things.”

“Won’t that be dangerous?”

He shook his head. “Not if I go in on my own. I’ll be quick, and I know how to get
in without being seen. I’ll also grab the stuff that you left in the guest room while
I’m there.” As if he expected her to argue, he added, “But I won’t be gone long.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she murmured, figuring he was itching to get away from her.
“Just do what you need to do. But be careful.”

She could feel the questioning force of his gaze as he turned his head to glance at
her, before looking back at the road. But he didn’t say anything, and neither did
she.

Thirty minutes later, they were pulling into the driveway of a Spanish-style, single-story
house at the edge of a well-to-do neighborhood. Lily wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting,
but she could understand Ben wanting to unload this place off the city’s budget if
there wasn’t any need for it. Ryder drove up the flower-lined driveway, parking around
the side of the house, and they made their way in through the side door using the
keys he’d picked up on the way there. They took the time to do a walk-through, familiarizing
themselves with the floor plan, and Lily told him she would like to take the smallest
of the three bedrooms, so long as it was okay with him. She’d decided she liked its
bathroom the best because of the gray and white tiles that covered the floor and the
walls. They were similar to the tiles in the bathroom she had in her apartment back
in Virginia, and she was desperate for anything that reminded her of home.

Picking her bag up from where Ryder had set it down by the sectional sofa in the living
room, she said, “If you don’t need me for anything, I’m going to go ahead and grab
a shower.”

“Another one?” he asked, pushing his hands in his front pockets as they eyed each
other across the room. Her hair had still been damp when they’d left his house that
morning, so he knew she’d taken one before getting dressed.

Deciding she wasn’t going to tiptoe around the issue, she gave him an honest answer.
“My bare ass was on that grungy motel room carpet. I’ll feel a lot better when I’ve
scoured myself with some soap and hot water.”

His gaze got a little sharper, as well as his tone. “You didn’t seem to care at the
time.”

Lily snorted. “Trust me, once the glow faded and I realized what a liar you are, it’s
all I’ve been thinking about.”

Before Ryder could argue his side of things, she left the room, closing the bedroom
door behind her. He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his eyes, a frustrated curse on
his lips. Too wound up to sit down, he paced the length of the room a few times, trying
to figure out what the hell he was going to do about her. He still hadn’t come up
with an answer when someone knocked on the front door. Rather than check the security
cameras in the control room, he walked over and looked through the peephole, another
gritty curse on his lips when he saw Mike Hudson standing out on the doorstep.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he growled, after jerking the door open.

“I’m your second set of hands,” Mike replied, a crooked grin kicking up the edge of
his mouth.

Ryder’s eyes widened. “You are fucking shitting me.”

The jackass laughed as he stepped past him into the house, carrying several shopping
bags in each hand, the strap of a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder. “’Fraid not,
super soldier.”

“I’m killing your brother.” He shut the door and locked it before turning to face
the grinning pretty boy.

Setting the bags down in the tiled entryway, Mike’s tone was wry as he said, “This
isn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my days off, so suck it up and be thankful that
I said yes. You could have ended up with Alex.”

Ryder winced. Ben’s older brother was a good guy, but even more quiet and brooding
than he was. The two of them together would have probably driven Lily crazy within
an hour.

Then again, he was pretty sure that Alex wouldn’t hit on her, since that wasn’t his
style.

As if he could read his mind, Mike laughed. “Before you suggest a trade, Alex is out
of town on one of his P.I. cases. So I’m afraid you’re stuck with me. But there are
groceries in a few of these,” he said, nodding toward the bags on the floor, “and
I’ll even make dinner tonight. Nothing fancy, but I can do a mean Mexican spread.
There’s lunch and breakfast stuff, too.”

Ryder crossed his arms over his chest, holding back another wince when he realized
he and Lily still hadn’t eaten that day. Shit. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten
to feed her. Pissed that he obviously hadn’t been thinking as clearly as he’d thought
he was, he asked, “And what’s with all the other crap you’ve brought with you?”

Mike flashed his dimples. “I picked up a few things for Lily.”

“What kind of things?” He darted a suspicious look at the bags.

“I just stopped by a few stores in town and grabbed her some stuff. Jeans and tops.
Things like that. Figured she wouldn’t have much, what with being on the run and all.
And Reese sent over some books and movies that she thought she might enjoy.”

He grunted in response, wanting to tell Mike to take his “stuff” and shove it up his
ass. But he knew Lily probably needed some more things to wear, especially since most
of the clothing she’d had back at the motel was likely to be in bad shape after all
that destruction. He just wished he’d thought of it himself.

When a half hour had gone by and she still hadn’t come out of her room, he went and
knocked on her door, telling her that Mike was there. She came out dressed in jeans
and a tight tank, her friendly smile for Mike setting his teeth on edge. Then Mike
gave her the stuff he’d bought for her, and she actually hugged the jackass, making
Ryder want to smash Mike’s perfect face in with his fist. After that, he’d figured
he’d be in a tense, pissed-off mood for the rest of the day, but he eventually mellowed
out when he realized she was treating Mike the same way she’d treated the guys in
her dad’s unit—one of those friendly, big brother, asexual ways. He’d been the only
one of Heller’s Hellions she hadn’t cut up with easily, and he’d never let himself
think about why, knowing the answer could have been damn dangerous to his control.
Either she’d been scared of him, or she’d wanted him, and he hadn’t wanted to know
which it was at the time.

After they ate some sandwiches and chips, he made the quick trip over to his place
for their things, the fact that she was alone with Mike motivating him to move even
faster. He talked to Ben again on the phone while he was gone, giving him hell about
the Mike situation, which had made Ben laugh, before they got down to the serious
stuff. Ben told him that the thugs he’d left in the parking lot had been gone when
the deputies arrived. The sheriff had all the available deputies in the county searching
the town for any sign of Rado and his crew, and they hoped it wouldn’t be long before
they had his location.

When Ryder made it back to the safe house, it felt good to see Lily’s obvious relief,
though he tried not to let it show. But from the wry look on Mike’s face, he knew
he’d done a shit job of it. The next few hours were spent going over all the security
systems in the house, and he explained to Lily that Ben had deputies canvassing the
town, searching for any signs of Radovich and his men.

Around six, the two of them helped Mike make dinner, filling the house with the spicy
scents of cumin and cilantro. The more she and Mike cut up with each other, the quieter
Ryder got, beginning to feel like the proverbial third wheel. Especially when they
discovered that they loved the same movies and started jawing about actors and screenwriters.
But he suffered in silence, determined not to complain, knowing it would just make
him look like a jealous loser. Unfortunately, his patience didn’t last past the beginning
of the meal. Lily carried their cold Coronas over to the table in the breakfast nook,
taking the seat by the window, while Ryder brought over their plates. When he set
her rice and tacos down in front of her, she looked up at him with a deadpan expression
and asked, “Do you have anything here besides Mexican food?”

He sent her a quizzical look, remembering it was her favorite, while Mike snorted
on the other side of the table and said, “Lips would be fine.”

Lily giggled. Mike smiled. And Ryder lost the tenuous hold on his temper. “What the
hell is so funny?”

Before Lily could explain, Mike shouted, “Line!” and she ended up laughing so hard
that tears filled her eyes.

“I swear to God,” Ryder bit out. “What the fuck is going on?”

“They’re just movie quotes,” she gasped, trying to stop laughing. “From
The Three Amigos
.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling a rough breath, then shoved his hand back
through his hair and scowled. “Never heard of it,” he muttered, feeling like an idiot
as he dropped into his chair.

Lily blinked. “Ohmygod! Steve Martin. Martin Short. Chevy Chase. El Guapo and the
‘Look up here’ scene. Have you really never seen it? Are you serious?”

His response was dry. “As a heart attack.”

With a sympathetic shake of her head, she reached over and laid her hand on top of
his. “We’ll have to fix this. As soon as we’re done with this Rado nightmare, I’m
buying a copy so we can watch it.”

He looked at her hand, making her aware of what she’d said and done, then lifted his
gaze back to hers and slowly arched a brow. She looked away as she pulled her hand
back, reaching for her beer and quickly changing the subject. Ryder remained silent
as he ate his food, irritated with himself as he listened to her and Mike talk about
their families and where they’d grown up.

“And your mom?” Mike asked, after wiping his face with his napkin. “Where is she?”

Pushing the rice on her plate around with her fork, she said, “She died when I was
five.”

Mike winced. “Damn, I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.” She gave him a little smile. “It was a long time ago.”

“So were you one of those teens who gave her old man gray hair?”

“In some respects, probably. But he was a great dad. I’m going to miss the hell out
of him.”

Ryder fisted his hand on the tabletop, fighting the impulse to reach over and pull
her onto his lap, where he could hold her close and comfort her.

“Jesus. I’m sorry. Again,” Mike murmured, looking more than a little pissed at himself
as he leaned back in his chair. “I wasn’t thinking. You just lost him, and here I
am bringing him up. I’m an ass.”

Shaking her head, she said, “No, it’s okay. He wouldn’t have wanted everyone acting
all maudlin.” She was putting on a brave face. But the pain in her voice was unmistakable.
“It actually feels good to talk about him.”

“You were close?”

She took another drink of her beer, then gave a soft laugh. “Yeah. I probably drove
him crazy at times with all the nutty stuff I would do”—she flashed a look at Ryder
that he didn’t quite know what to make of, then turned her gaze back to Mike—“but
I settled down once I moved out. I don’t feel the need to push the limits anymore.”

Ryder had a feeling she was trying to explain something to him, but Mike’s next question
snagged his attention before he could figure out what it was. “And what about men?”

Her head went back as she gave another laugh, this one richer and deeper. “What about
them?”

Mike shot Ryder a knowing look as he leaned forward and braced his crossed arms on
the table. Then he grinned at Lily as he asked, “Any significant others?”

Ryder tensed in anticipation of her response, but Lily just smirked and turned the
tables on Mike. “Any in your life?”

The idiot flashed his dimples. “That would be ladies in my case, not men. And the
answer is not yet. But I wouldn’t turn my back on her if I found her,” he admitted,
grabbing his Corona again and tilting the bottle up to his lips. He gave Ryder another
quick look that set his teeth on edge, and he suddenly wondered if Ben had sent his
brother there with the express instructions to irritate the crap out of him.