Getting the Edge: Betrayed Book 1 (12 page)

“Can’t do what?” Brandon snapped. “Follow a simple request?” He managed to find some duct tape and a plastic trash bag. That would have to do for now. He sat them on the chair next to the window, then turned to Mandy. “Well?”

“I can’t drag you back into this mess. It’s my mess—I have to clean it up.”

Brandon ran a hand through his hair. “It affects me, too. That means I’m in it for the duration.”

When he sat next to her, she stiffened. “Don’t you understand? I can’t let them kill you.”

Brandon pulled her into his arms. “They won’t kill me, Mandy. I’m a cop—rather, I
was
a cop. I know how to investigate.”

Mandy winced. She’d cost him so much. Had there been another choice? Did she ruin his life for nothing? “You can’t. They won’t just get us—they’ll get everyone we hold dear. You. Your partner being reassigned. It’s all connected.”

“Connected how? How do you know that they are responsible for your parents’ deaths. Who told you that?” He watched her, waiting for her to answer him.

“The man. The one that called me.”

“When, Amanda? Just tell me. Don’t make me drag every damn bit of information out of you. It’s exhausting,” he said.

“I know. I’m sorry. It would kill me if anything happened to you, Brandon. That’s why I did all of this. To protect you—keep you safe. There is more to this than you can even begin to understand,” she said urgently. “Let’s talk about it later, okay?”

“No, let’s talk about it now. I need to know what the hell is going on,” he snapped. “How else can I protect us both?”

“You can’t! We have to split up. If they find out we’re together…” Mandy shuddered. “Please, just let me go.”

Brandon looked at his watch. It was after ten already. God, where had the damn day gone? He knew that more than anything, Mandy needed to rest.

“Mandy, it’s late and I’m tired. Let’s just go to bed, okay? We’ll talk in the morning. Somehow, we’ll figure this out.”

Mandy looked at him with wide eyes. “I just don’t know what to do,” she said, her voice breaking.

“You’re not alone now, Mandy.” He sat next to her. “Look at me.”

Slowly, she turned her head and looked at him. “What?”

“Promise me you’ll stay with me. Tomorrow, we’ll leave and find somewhere else to go. I’m not sure we’re safe here.”

“I—I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll stay and give me a chance, Mandy. I deserve that, don’t I?” he asked gently.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks. “Yes.”

Brandon pulled her onto his lap. “We will figure this out. I promise you, we will. I won’t let anyone hurt you—trust me.”

He stood with her still in his arms and carried her into the bedroom before standing her on her feet. “Get ready for bed, okay? Do you want me to find something to cover your arm so you can shower?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll shower in the morning.”

Brandon went to her backpack and pulled out the sweats she slept in. “Here you go. Do you need any help?”

Mandy blushed. “No, I can manage.” She took the sweats and walked into the bathroom.

Brandon stripped down to his boxers. After quickly taping the plastic over the window, he climbed into the bed.

It wasn’t really big enough for both of them, but it’d do again. He closed his eyes, knowing that when she came out, he was going to make love to her again—after he busted her ass for scaring ten years off his life.

Chapter Fourteen

Mandy walked into the room and looked at him. God, she’d never stop wanting him, she didn’t think.

Even now—after all they’d gone trough—he seemed to want her as well. She still didn’t understand that. “I can sleep in the other room,” she said huskily.

Brandon raised a brow. “Mandy?”

“What?” she whispered.

“Come here,” he said huskily.

Slowly, she walked over to the edge of the bed. Before she could even say anything, he’d yanked her down next to him and into his embrace. With a contented sigh, she rested her head against his chest, the sound of his heartbeat in her ear was a comfort.

For a long moment, he held her against him, his hand smoothing down her back. When he finally pulled her back a bit, she looked into his eyes. “What?”

“You drive me absolutely nuts, but I promise you, we are going to find a way to fix this,” he murmured, then kissed her gently.

“I thought you were mad at me.”

“I am,” he said, and cupped her bottom.

“But you’re being nice,” she said.

He grinned, and kissed her again. “You should be grateful I’m not flipping you over my knee.”

Mandy clung to him, and then smiled. “I thought you were going to.”

Brandon moved onto his back and rolled her over on top of him, his hands around her waist. “I still might, so behave,” he teased, giving her ass a swat.

Mandy lifted her head and looked at him. “I like it.”

Brandon seemed to consider for a long moment, then apparently made up his mind. “Nope, not tonight.”

Mandy frowned. “But—”

He grinned and gave her bottom a pat. “Next time I spank you, it’ll be when you least expect it.”

Mandy relaxed against him. “Okay.”

Brandon chuckled, and held her tightly until she squeaked. “You could try the patience of a saint, brat,” he teased, giving her bottom another swat. “So, are we going to make love or are we going to go to sleep?”

Mandy felt him hard against her stomach. He was turned on, and so was she. “Make love,” she decided.

Brandon grinned, then kissed her. “Okay, but first…”

Mandy yelped when he sat up against the middle of the bed and pulled her across his lap again. He wrapped a hand around her waist and held her against him.

She could feel his erection against her, and wiggled against it.

“Oh no, not just yet, little girl,” he said. “I think we need to get a few things settled first.”

Mandy turned her head and looked at him. There was a serious look on his face and she tensed. “Like what?”

“You’ll find out,” he said. He pulled down the sweatpants she wore, and her panties, bunching them down.

“Hey! You said you weren’t going to—” Her words were cut off by a sharp slap to her ass.

“You’re not going to leave,” he said with another spank. “Do you understand?”

Mandy felt the burn and wiggled. “Yes.”

Brandon felt her moving against his erection and really wanted nothing more than to turn her over and drive himself into her. But, he knew that part of her needed this release. He started spanking, talking to her all the while.

“And you’re done keeping secrets from me?” he said with another spank. This one, he aimed right at the base of her bottom. He’d promised she wouldn’t be able to sit down.

Well, of course, he wasn’t going to spank her that hard, but she’d certainly remember this when she sat tomorrow. “Lift up,” he ordered.

Mandy lifted her hips, and he lowered the pants down past her knees.

“Kick out of them,” he said huskily.

Once she was naked from the waist down, Brandon grinned to himself. “Good girl,” he said. “Now, the top. Take it off.”

He’d be damned if she was going to sleep in sweats. He’d give her the spanking she wanted, but he was also intent on making love to her, too. He helped her pull the shirt over her head and he pulled it off and tossed it over the edge of the bed.

Only then did he hold her against him. He smoothed his hand down her back, until it rested on her bottom. “Still want this?” he asked huskily.

In answer, she raised her hips.

Brandon chuckled. “Yeah, okay.” He raised his hand and started to spank her, keeping the spanks light at first, and alternating cheeks.

He knew she liked it—they’d determined that before—but damned if he didn’t, too. He started to aim more of the spanks to the lower part of her ass, where it met her thigh. She’d feel it when she sat down tomorrow.

Gradually, he started to spank harder, his hand coming down in sharp spanks. He paused a moment. “Still okay?” he asked, smoothing his hand across her pink bottom.

“Uh huh,” she said.

He studied her a long moment. She’d rested her head on her arms and was wiggling a bit with each swat. “If it gets to be too much, just say sunrise, all right?”

“Uh huh,” she said, wiggling against his erection.

Brandon didn’t chuckle, but he wanted to. She was enjoying herself, so he continued the spanking.

His hand rose and fell, covering all the now-pink flesh as he heard her moans of desire.

Mandy closed her eyes, absorbing the combination of pain and pleasure as his hand continued to spank her. He was spanking harder now, and she resisted the urge to tense, but when a particularly hard smack fell at the base of her bottom, where her ass met her thigh, she couldn’t suppress a little yelp.

“Felt that one, huh?” he teased, giving an identical smack to the other side in the same spot.

Mandy winced again. “Yes!”

She felt several more smacks to that particular sensitive area, but then only his hand moving softly on her now burning bottom. She moaned when she felt his hand slide between her slightly parted thighs.

“Are you going to run again, Amanda?” he asked softly.

Mandy couldn’t even think. “Yes,” she moaned as his fingers found her, driving deep inside her. She arched, wanting him inside her now.

She heard him chuckle, before his fingers moved away and she felt two more smacks to that same spot he had to know really stung. “Hey!” she said.

“You’re the one that wanted spanked, remember?”

But the next spanks were much lighter, and he smoothed his hands over the burning flesh with each one. It didn’t matter whether they were painful spanks or gently caresses—they were turning her on so much she thought she’d combust if he didn’t come inside her soon.

His fingers moved again, and he was smacking the tops of her thighs—though not really heard. She wiggled, though, wanting his hand back where it had been.

“Stay still, Mandy,” he ordered as he continued to spank. “I want you to feel this when you sit down tomorrow.” He started spanking her thighs a bit harder now.

Mandy winced, but didn’t move. “I’m sorry,” she finally said when a particularly set of harder spanks hit her upper thighs.

“Shh, don’t be sorry. Just promise me you won’t disappear on me again.”

His voice was very serious now, bringing her back from the edge. “I—I don’t plan on it,” she hedged, wincing as she expected him to really wallop her now.

But he didn’t, he just moved his hand back to her hot bottom, caressing the sting. “I guess we’ll take that for now. Have you had enough?” he asked, as his hand strayed between her thighs once more.

“I want you inside me,” she admitted. “Please, make love to me.”

Brandon chuckled. “Oh, I plan on it, love. When I’m ready.” He continued to caress her, moving his thumb to her hidden nub and circling it gently.

Now, he was going to torture her. She moved, trying to force his fingers deeper inside her, but a sharp spank stopped her.

“No, Mandy. Stay still. You can’t come until I tell you to,” he said softly. “Just feel.”

He couldn’t know what he was doing to her. If he kept moving those fingers in and out of her like he was, while his thumb teased and tormented her, she wouldn’t be able to hold back.

The fingers moving inside her drove deeper and harder.

She used her own hand and moved it between their bodies, stroking the hard length of him as he caressed her. Two could play this game, and she was rewarded with his groan of pleasure.

“Hands back under your head, young lady,” he ordered roughly.

Mandy grinned to herself and shook her head.

Brandon shook his own head, though she didn’t see it as she continued to stroke him, trying to make him as desperate for her as she was for him.

Instead, he withdrew his fingers and his hand moved back to her tender bottom. “I warned you,” he growled low and started to spank her in earnest; sharp spanks that he didn’t relieve this time with the caresses.

Within only a moment, she was torn between overwhelming desire and the need to reach back and stop the punishing smacks. “Enough!” she cried out at last.

Brandon stopped the spanking when her hand moved back beneath her head. “Good girl,” he said, rewarding her by driving two fingers inside her again.

“Remember, don’t come,” he ordered, his voice rough. “Or I’m getting my belt.”

Mandy froze.
Belt? Seriously?
“You’d do that?” she asked.

“I think it’s time you learned that there is only so much I’m going to put up with, Mandy. So yeah, I’d do that,” he promised as he continued to caress her.

Mandy felt her heart race. She didn’t want that—but why did it excite her at the same time. “I’m trying,” she finally said as she fought to keep from coming. She was sooo close, though…