Dominance Never Dies (Masters and Mercenaries Book 11) (22 page)

Case could handle her family and she could handle Case. She could handle his need to dominate without losing herself. He needed her. He needed her strength and her passion, and she intended to give it all to him.

Her life had been a series of struggles, but if all that pain she’d lived through led her to him, then she would be satisfied.

She gave up any thought of fighting this wave she was riding. The pleasure was simple and amazing, but the emotion was beyond anything she’d felt. He was hers.

She would have given a lot to wrap her arms around him, but for now he seemed to need those ties and bindings so she settled for submitting, for giving him what he requested with every dominant thrust of his tongue.

“Waited so long for this,” he murmured against her lips. “Want it to be good.”

He pushed up and stared down at her as though memorizing her face. His hips moved, rolling against her core. His big cock slid over her clitoris and she could feel the pleasure starting to build again.

“It’s already the best I’ve ever had.” She wasn’t going to play coy with him. She was a woman who’d figured out how to play men from a fairly early age, but she intended to use none of those tricks on him. Honesty. It was all she wanted with him. And this. Her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head as he rubbed against her again. Yes, she needed this.

His eyes seemed to soften. “Me, too. But I promise this is going to be even better.”

His hips flexed and he surged inside, his cock invading with ruthless precision. Once more he devastated her senses. He didn’t play around and give her time to take him. He gave himself to her in one hard thrust and she gasped at the sensation. She was so wet and ready there wasn’t any pain, but she was gloriously full. She tried to squirm, to adjust around him.

“No. Give it a second.” He’d stilled over her, his cock as deep as it could go. “You feel so fucking good, princess. Give it a minute. You were built to take me. I’m beginning to think you were just fucking built for me. Wrap your legs around me. Hold me tight.”

He pressed down again, leaning over to kiss her senseless as she did his bidding. That seemed to be his go-to move when he wanted her attention. All he had to do was press his mouth to hers and she lost her damn mind. While he kissed her, merging their mouths again and again, his body moved, slowly dragging his cock out only to force his way back in. He took it slow and easy, not losing an ounce of control. He drugged her with kisses, with the press of his body against hers.

He ground down and she went over the edge again.

Finally he picked up the pace, his hips moving faster as he seemed to decide it was his time. He fucked her hard and she held on for dear life to the rope that bound her. His face contorted beautifully as he held himself hard against her while he came.

Case fell on her body, burying his face in the crook of her neck and sighing.

It was a beautiful moment that would have been even more so if she could hold on to him the way he was clinging to her. She let the thought go and took what he was willing to give her.

Case lay there for a moment and then he kissed her again before pushing himself off the bed. He winked down at her. “Give me a minute and then we’ll get some sleep.”

She frowned. “Uhm, aren’t you forgetting something?”

His lips quirked up. “Not a thing I can think of.”

He disappeared into the bathroom. She heard the water turn on.

Was he taking a shower and leaving her here? She glanced up at the ropes. Could she get herself out? Maybe she could break the bed and then she would go after that cowboy and teach him a lesson or two about what constituted play and what she wouldn’t put up with.

“Calm down,” he said, but that playful smile was still on his face. “I was teasing.”

His hands went up to the bindings on her wrists, easily untying her. He caught her wrist in his hand, studying the skin there before bringing it to his mouth where he laid a gentle kiss on her pulse before doing the same to her other hand. Before she knew it, he was hauling her up into his arms.

“You weren’t going to leave me there while you took a shower?” She cuddled close to him, reveling in his masculine strength.

He strode to the small bathroom where the water was already making the place steamy. “It might be the best way to keep track of you, but no. I’m going to trust you to keep your promises to me. You’ll obey me in the field. We’re in the field now, Mia. You’re mine to protect and I intend to do that. If I need to go into the city, I’ll leave you here with Fain and Michael. I need to do some research of my own and I can’t do that if I’m watching both our backs. Don’t disappoint me. If you try to leave I will hunt you down.”

He set her on her feet in the tub, the water warming her. He stepped in behind her and drew the curtain closed.

She started to turn, but he caught her, his arms caging her while he drew her back against his body. She could feel his cock stirring against her backside again as his hands came up to cup her breasts. “Why would I leave?”

He held her tight. “You would have a million excuses. All of them good and right in your head and none of them will work on me. You’ll decide you’ve figured out a way to help me. You’ll think up some crazy scheme and need to track me down to tell me. You’ll do any number of things that will seem to be the right thing to do at the time, but inevitably lead to chaos, more chaos, and my hand smacking your ass silly. So don’t. Don’t leave this room. Obey me so I can concentrate on finding my brother instead of worrying about my woman.”

It was the exact right thing to say. Just hearing him call her his woman practically made her melt at his feet. “All right, Case. I’ll be a good girl.”

He chuckled against her ear. “Oh, you couldn’t be a good girl if you tried. You are my incredible brat, and I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

“And you’re an insanely dominant bastard,” she replied even as he started to move his hand down her torso. “But you’re mine.”

“All yours,” he agreed and proceeded to show her just what that meant.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Four days later, Case stepped out into the harsh light of the afternoon. Heat crashed into him, immediately followed by a breeze from the ocean that washed it away. He could smell the ocean, hear the sounds of the parties going on down the beach.

God, he wished he was here with Mia in different circumstances. He wished he was at one of the stunning beach resorts that dotted this part of Colombia and it was their vacation, one they took to get away from work and worry, one where he could spend the whole time pampering her and pleasuring her. He would be here with his family, his brothers and their wives. He and Theo and Ian and Sean would go fishing while the girls went to the spa. Even Erin liked a long massage. She hadn’t at first. She’d tried to be one of the guys, but Charlotte and Grace had won her over. Mia would fit right in with those amazing women.

But Theo wouldn’t be with them and Erin was alone. This wasn’t a vacation. This was a mission and he had to get his head in the game. He’d spent days in bed with Mia, telling himself that he needed to ensure that there wasn’t any heat on them, that no one was coming their way. He’d known that about twenty-four hours in, but he’d stayed close to her. Now, as they waited for the apparently lazy as crap Tony Santos, he needed to do what he should have done that first day. He needed to investigate.

The trouble was his body didn’t want to leave the woman in his motel room behind. It was early afternoon, but Mia was still napping, still readjusting to that first day when she’d stayed up a full day and a half between the flight and the cleanup. His body wanted to be right there beside her, sleeping with his arms wrapped around her and waking up only to make love to her again.

He didn’t try to fool himself. He’d made love to that woman. His woman. Mia was his and she was going to stay that way.

“Should I take your place?” Fain asked, peeling away from the side of the building where he’d been clinging to the shadows like a wraith.

He was good. Case would give him that. Case hadn’t realized he was there. It made him think. He needed to read Fain’s file, figure out what made him tick. If he had any choice in the matter, he would figure out a way to shove the dude out, but he needed backup and the man who had watched his back faithfully for years still wasn’t at full strength. He trusted Hutch, but Hutch wasn’t battle-tested. Fain was former Special Forces and that meant he was a badass.

Of course, being a badass didn’t mean he wasn’t a bad man.

“First off, you’re not taking my place because my place was in bed with her,” he explained in a matter-of-fact voice. “If I catch you trying to take my place, I’ll kill you. That’s not a euphemism. It’s not a turn of phrase intended to make you think I’m rough. It’s the truth, but not the whole truth. I probably don’t need to explain how I’ll torture you if you lay a hand on my girl, but you should know I’ve already got plans. I’ve seen how you look at her. She’s made her choice. You better damn well honor it.”

Fain was wearing sunglasses but Case could practically see those dark eyes of his rolling. “You Taggarts are so very dramatic. You like to play at being cool and icy, but the hotheadedness will be your downfall. It was for your brother.”

Case narrowed his eyes, getting Fain in his sights. It was like that from time to time when he really wanted to hurt someone. The rest of the world faded away and all he could see was his target. “You have something to say about Theo?”

Fain shrugged and if he was intimidated, Case couldn’t tell. “I could actually say it about any of your brothers. Like I said, your family tends to follow their passions instead of sense and logic. I’ve read your files. My boss has Agency connections, too.”

“Files?” He didn’t like the sound of that despite the fact that he knew it to be true. He’d just thought about reading whatever file Hutch had worked up on Fain.

“Of course. McKay-Taggart is closely watched. Like I told you before, after I got out, I went looking for work. Unfortunately, it’s not like your boss takes applications, but I wanted in. It’s why I moved to Dallas a year ago. I was supposed to meet with him eight months ago, but then, well, you know what happened. Big Tag closed all hiring and I landed with Ferland. He definitely keeps watch on you all.”

Maybe there was more to the minor feud between the companies than Ian thought. And he surely knew the event Fain was talking about. Theo’s death. Ian had stopped all hiring and the entire team had pulled in on itself. Theo’s partner, Deke, had been reassigned and they’d moved on very slowly. “What’s he got against us?”

“You make him look bad on a regular basis. He’s everyone’s second choice. He’s the cut-rate version of McKay-Taggart and that bothers him more than you can know. But he is right about a few things and one of them is his assessment of the Taggart men. You’re too emotional.”

Case had to snort at the very idea. “We’re not emotional.”

Taggarts were known for being cold operatives. Fair and smart, but willing to make the hard choices. His oldest brother was a legend in intelligence circles for how quickly he’d moved into the upper echelons. The Agency still called Big Tag when they needed a favor.

“Let’s see, Big Tag screwed up a major op over a woman. Sean Taggart couldn’t keep it in his pants. Ended up shot and nearly dying in the middle of a war he didn’t see coming because he was far too worried about cooking dinner for his target and getting her in bed.” Fain sobered. “And your twin. You have to know he screwed up that assignment. He wanted to show off for his girl. I’ve read the files. His girl should have been the one in charge. Erin Argent was far more qualified to run that op, but again, Big Tag wanted little brother to feel good about himself. I’m not saying this to piss you off. I’m not. I’m saying it because I’m putting my life on the line with you and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes.”

He wanted to argue, but he knew Theo. He knew what his twin had done. Case had gone over and over it with Erin and Ian and Michael. Anyone who would listen. Theo had a reckless streak in him. He’d always been the one who felt more, cared too much, and he’d been so in love with Erin.

Ian had been in love with Charlotte and it had almost cost him everything. Sean had nearly died because he’d been too in love with Grace to see the real traitor in front of him.

Was he making the same mistake with Mia?

Fain held up his hands as though offering to end this particular line of questioning. “Just think about it. I can put one of your fears to rest. I assure you I’m not going to touch Mia. Yes, she’s beautiful and I will admit that when I first met her I thought about hitting on her. But you’re right. She’s made her decision and I think she made it a long time ago. I still hope to make the move over to McKay-Taggart one day so I think fucking around with the boss’s brother’s girl might not get me on a short list. But protecting her might. That’s what I want out of this, Taggart. I want a shot at the next spot that opens up.”

“Why would you want to work for someone you don’t like?” Case asked, trying to stay cool. “Besides, I doubt there will be a spot.”