Defending Serenty (9 page)

I sigh and move to grab his shirt and haul
him up but Ryder shakes his head. He leans down and whispers in
Mike’s ear. Whatever he says makes the man turn pale. He nods
shakily.

“Sure man, whatever.”

“Three days. Don’t forget,” Ryder warns
him.

Back in the truck I let go of my temper.
“What the fuck was that, man? You should have warned me about that
before we went in there.”

He doesn’t answer. If I’ve passed his test I
don’t know. “What did you whisper to him?”

Ryder grins. “He wants to clear the books so
we have a little job for him. That’s why Hunter let him get in so
deep.”

The day before Christmas Eve. I wonder what
they have planned. “Am I going to be busy that day?”

“Worried about your girlfriend?” he asks.

I glare but I’m getting used to people
describing Serenity like that. I kind of like it.

“You should be home by breakfast,” he says.
“Job starts at midnight.”

I don’t ask any more. Yet. I’m pretty sure
we’re stealing something. Probably a couple cars. I flex my fist
and it smarts. In the low light of the interior of the cab I can
see it’s bleeding. I’ll have to clean up before I go to Serenity’s.
We aren’t too far from the gym and in a few minutes I’m back in my
car. But instead of going home I drive to her place. The front
light is on and the door is locked. It’s easy to pick and I hope
she doesn’t shoot me when I walk inside. She doesn’t even look up.
She’s sitting cross legged on the couch, her computer in her lap.
Her hair is pulled up in that damned pony tail again and she’s
wearing a slinky little nightgown I haven’t seen before. It’s dark
red and hugs her in all the right places leaving her legs mostly
bare.

“You need to stop breaking into my house,”
she says. Testy tonight is she?

“You need better locks.”

I can’t believe I haven’t thought of that
before but until tonight I’ve been with her since she got home from
work. I don’t worry about anyone getting through me, but what if
Monroe gets desperate and sends someone after her? There’s a man
missing already and he’s most likely dead. I’ll replace the locks
tomorrow that way I’ll be sure I have a key. She finally looks at
me, scrutinizing me from head to toe. She sets the laptop aside and
stands.

“You’re bleeding.”

I look down at my fist. “It’s nothing.”

I walk through the house to her bathroom. I’m
running cold water over my knuckles when she walks in.

“Do I want to know?”

I have a lie all figured out, but I don’t use
it. Things are tense enough between us. There’s already so much I
can’t say. Lying to her would make it worse. It just feels wrong.
So I shake my head and I swear to God I see tears in her eyes.
Christ. I’m such an ass. I can’t have this woman, not really, but I
can’t let her go either. I pull her into my arms, brushing a hand
over her hair to pull out the rubber band.

“I’m sorry, baby,” I whisper.

I’m not sure what I’m apologizing for.
Everything. Nothing. And I mean every word. She lets me hold her a
minute before she pulls away. Her eyes are dry but they’re haunted
and I’m afraid in the end I’m going to destroy us both. If I was a
better man I’d leave and never come back. I don’t deserve her, but
I want her all to myself. I see her like no one else does. I see
her naked and vulnerable and I’m not talking about skin. She can’t
hide from me like she does from other people.

She picks my hand up and examines my
knuckles. There are cuts on two but they aren’t a big deal.

“You should put some cream on these and cover
them. You don’t have time to deal with an infection, even a minor
one.”

She sounds worried and I put a finger under
her chin, lift it to look in her eyes. She’s back in control. No
sign of the earlier chink in her armor.

“Will it always be this way, Trace? The
secrets?”

I wince at the subtle accusation in her voice
and that pisses me off. This situation is not entirely my fault.
I’m not the one who’d got a wild hair and decided to become a cop.
I take a deep breath, reminding myself that part of her life is
ending soon. I don’t know if I can give her what she wants
though.

“I don’t know,” I tell her. “I guess that
depends on what you can learn to live with.”

I can see that makes her as uncomfortable as
it does me. The hell with this. I’m sticking to what I
know
I can do right. I pull her back into my arms and she leans into my
kiss with a moan. That’s more like it. I run my hands down her
sides of the smooth fabric of her gown and lean back for a better
look.

“What are you wearing?”

She looks embarrassed. “It’s just a night
gown.”

No it isn’t. It dips low in the bodice, hugs
her body, and barely falls to the top of her thighs. I wonder if
she’s wearing anything under it. God, I hope not.

“I like it,” I murmur before I grab the hem
and slowly pull it up.

She holds her arms over her head so I can
take it off and toss it aside. She’s wearing a matching thong and I
decide to leave it on for a minute. Her nipples are hard tempting
points that I have to taste before I lose my mind. I set my hands
on her hips and lift her so she can wrap her legs around my hips
and hook her heels over my ass. She’s at just the right height for
my mouth and I suck her nipple. I want to take my time but she
makes that noise again and I know this is going to be fast and hard
and very satisfying.

“Trace,” she whispers. “More.”

She wraps one arm around my neck and the
other around my head, holding me close. I know what she wants and I
bite her gently. I switch to the other breast. She groans. Then
begs. It’s fucking music.

“Are you wet for me, baby?”

“Yes,” she pants. “What the hell are you
waiting for?”

I pull her legs loose and see the
anticipation in her eyes. I can’t get out of my jeans fast enough
and by the time I roll on the condom she’s removed her underwear
and stepped towards the bed. But I don’t wait that long. I pick her
up and her eyes widen as I thrust into her. She’s hot and slick and
tight around me. I go to the nearest hard surface, the bedroom
door, and push her back against it. Her legs are around my waist,
her hands gripping my shoulders, and I look down between us at
where we’re connected. I want to feel her coming, watch her face
when she does and I grin.

“Touch yourself, Serenity. Get off for
me.”

She whimpers and slowly moves one hand.
Stroking down my chest to where I’m shuttling in and out of her
sweet pussy. Her fingers graze my cock and I fight down the desire
to fuck her hard and fast. I’m going to drag this out as long as I
can for both of us. This is the best part of our fucked up
relationship and I won’t screw it up.

She finds her clit and brushes a finger over
it. Slowly at first then moving into a faster, demanding rhythm.
She watches me the whole time and I’m struck by how damned
beautiful she is. Her skin is flushed. Her eyes hazy with lust. And
when she comes, she drops her head back and cries out my name. Her
pussy squeezes my cock and it’s even better than the last time. I
can’t hold back any longer and claim her mouth as I pound into her,
fucking her harder. She’s still working her clit and she comes just
after my orgasm over takes me. It’s so damned good I don’t know the
words to describe it. Better than any dream I had during the years
apart and that scares me. One day soon she’s going to wake up and
come to her senses. Then where will I be?

I don’t want to think about that tonight so I
carry her to the bed and slowly pull out of her. Sensation shoots
through me when her pussy flutters. I groan and lay her down. It’s
chilly in the room so I drag the blanket over her though I hate to
hide her gorgeous body. I dispose of the condom and join her,
pulling her into my arms. She’s a perfect fit and when she snuggles
closer she rubs her ass against my cock. I’m primed and ready for
round two in an instant but she’s dead to the world. I resign
myself to an uncomfortable night and hope for sleep.

Chapter Seven

Trace

The longer I walk around free, the more I
consider possible futures, and Serenity always takes center stage.
Revenge against the woman has been a driving force in my life for
so long I’ve failed to look beyond it. She’s under my skin, and I
don’t know how to get her out. I’m not sure if I want to, but she’s
been my focus for so long now that I’ve tasted her, I can’t see
beyond her. Maybe I’ve never seen beyond her.

I’m distracted from my thoughts when a car
turns in the drive and honks its horn. Walker must be back. Leaning
under the hood of my old Camaro, I have an unobstructed view of the
front door and nod when he walks into the garage. I glance at the
clock over the office door and curse. Serenity has some Christmas
country club thing she has to go to that disreputable Trace Graham
isn’t welcome at, but I’m hoping for a quickie before she
leaves.

Rushing, I pick up my tools, lock up the car
and jog to the house to catch a quick shower. Ten minutes later I
walk in her kitchen door. I slow down only long enough to grab one
of the beers I’d left in her fridge, then stride into her bedroom
and look around.

A long red dress hangs on the back of the
closet door and perfume scents the air. I approach the open
bathroom door and lean against the frame, crossing my arms over my
chest. She’s leaning over the counter applying makeup to her
eyelashes with a wand, wearing a red lace bra and panties with
thigh high stockings. My cock throbs at the picture she makes and
it takes all my restraint to keep from tossing her on the bed.
She’s already late.

I twist the top off the beer bottle and toss
it into a nearby wastebasket. Taking a long draw, I watch her screw
the wand back into its tube and reach for some lipstick. It is a
bright shade of red--hell if I know which one--but when she turns
to me, I’m sure of its effect on me. With her hair knotted
intricately on her head and her face made up, she is sexy as hell.
And she has not gone to all this trouble for me.

“Hey,” she finally speaks to me.

“Hey.”

I don’t reach for her or move out of her way,
wishing that just once she’d greet me like she wants me around. She
keeps our relationship on a purely sexual level. But that’s what I
want, right?

“I’m really late, Trace. I need to get
dressed.”

I step back from the doorway and watch her
drop the dress over her head and shimmy it down her hips and
thighs. A zipper hangs open down the back and stepping into high
heels, she looks at me over her shoulder.

“Can you zip me up?”

“Sure.”

Drawing her near, I blow a soft breath on the
nape of her neck and she shivers in response. That’s more like it.
After dragging up the zipper, I step back and she turns around,
smoothing the front of the dress down with one hand. She meets my
gaze and I get my first good look at her all put together.
Beautiful. I reach for her, the hell with her being late, just as
the front doorbell chimes.

Stepping back, she crosses her arms low
across her waist. Her expression closes up and the silence between
us stretches. The door rings again. No one has ever accused me of
being stupid. She has a date. I turn and stalk toward the front
door, but she catches up to me before I can open it.

“This was set up weeks ago,” she says. “I
couldn’t cancel it.”

She waves her hand in the air between us.
“This thing with us...I don’t know what this is. But I had a life
before you showed up and I’ll have one when you leave.”

“Who says I’m leaving?” I grip the back of
her neck and haul her close. Leaning over I say softly, “You’re
mine.”

The doorbell rings a third time and without
releasing her, I yank it open--and in waltzes Tim Monroe. He arches
an eyebrow at the scene in the entryway, and an icy rage moves
through me. My hands fist. I want to wipe the smirk off Monroe’s
face. Serenity breaks free of me and sets a hand over my heart, her
eyes demanding silence.

She turns to her date and smiles. “Give us a
minute, Tim, please.”

Dragging me from the room, she pulls me into
the bedroom and shuts the door behind us. Then she rounds on me,
her eyes shooting sparks as she pokes her finger in my chest. If I
wasn’t so angry, I would laugh at her attempt to push me around.
It’s kind of cute. Instead, I take a step back and set my hands on
my hips.

“You could have canceled this,” I say
coldly.

Her eyes narrow. “Maybe I didn’t want to.
Maybe I have reasons that have nothing to do with you.”

My gut twists. I’ve already figured out she’s
dating Monroe to investigate him. I should have talked to her about
this before but since we’re together I figured she’d drop the
dating pretense. It fucking pisses me off that she hasn’t. Monroe
was the worst of the worst in a bad crowd years ago, but he’s ten
times worse now. His family money and name protected him from
getting busted when he was a kid and it looks like he’s led a
charmed life since then, straightening up and turning his family’s
failing business around. But I know better. Someone that bent
doesn’t go clean. That’s already been confirmed but I can’t tell
her that.

“You can’t go, Serenity,” I say.

She rolls her eyes. “I don’t have time for
this. I’ll see you later.”

“Not good enough, Serenity.” I shake her
shoulders. “Monroe may look pretty, but he’s dangerous.”

Stiffening, she breaks free and moves away.
“Believe it or not, I know that.”

I know she does and that just pisses me off
more. Monroe calls out from the other room. “Um, Lynn? I hate to
rush you, but we’re late.”

She shudders. “He gives me the creeps. We can
talk later. If you’re still around.”

“Oh, I’ll be here.” I take my time looking
over her over. I still want that quickie and something not so
fast.