Falling For A Redneck (13 page)

Dirk whistled all the way home from work, happy at seeing his boys and their usual exuberance at daddy’s arrival home but also excited about the fact that his princess would probably pay him another visit tonight. Arrogant, but after the night of loving they’d indulged in, well, he knew he was the man.

Talk about explosive sex. That woman had more sizzle in one little finger than most women had in their whole bodies. She gave herself to lovemaking with an abandon that made his heart stop and the blood rush to his cock. She became so beautiful and free when she let loose
. It made him ache to see it again and again…

Oh
God, the boys’ bedtime can’t come soon enough.

Pulling into his driveway, he glanced next door and crinkled his face in puzzlement when he saw Marissa had all her drapes and blinds drawn. He’d never seen her do that before. Maybe she was hoping he’d come over and had a surprise planned. Damn, he really needed to find a babysitter for the evenings so that they could maybe go out for dinner or a movie or something before jumping into the sack.
And
, he thought with a grin,
once we get back to her place, I can make her scream instead of making her hold it in.

Dirk had little time to enjoy this erotic thought
, as two little hurricanes came whipping out the door. He had just enough time to get out of his car before they threw themselves on him.

Hugging h
is boys, he went to spend some quality time with them, pushing aside thoughts of his princess until later.

A few hours later, the boys settled down to sleep, he waited for her to come over. Fifteen minutes
then half an hour went by. Perhaps she didn’t realize he wanted to see her. She’d slipped out early this morning, after only speaking a few words which in his half asleep state, might have emerged incoherent. Was she perhaps expecting him to fetch her?

Grabbing the phone, he decided to call her
, only to realize he’d never gotten her number. He’d have to rectify that; in the meantime, he’d have to go visit in person. Baby monitor in hand to keep an ear on the boys, he sauntered over to knock on her front door, stopping before the top step, foot hovering over a dark splotch.

What’s this?
Crouching in the darkness, he clenched his jaw at the sight of one of Marissa’s plants lying in a mangled heap. Her assailant had returned.
Shit!

Dirk pounded on the door, the lack of lights in the house sending an icy chill through him.
Please let her be all right. I should have never left her alone.

The house stayed silent as a tomb. Dirk pounded harder to no response.

“Marissa!” he shouted, uncaring of the neighbors. “If you’re in there, open up. It’s me. Come on, princess.”

At the continued silence, Dirk prepared to kick in the door, bringing back a booted foot, only to
halt it when the door opened a crack.

“I’m fine,”
came her morose voice. “Just go away.”

“You are not fine,” he said
, pushing open the door, which she made no attempt to block.

Body taut with tension
, he stopped when he saw her. Gone was the cold, proud woman he’d met, and in her place stood a hunched, red-eyed shadow.

Hating that look, and hating even more
the fact he hadn’t been here to protect her from it, he grabbed her to him, hugging her tight. “It’s all right, princess. No one’s going to hurt you. I won’t let them.”

Her shoulders shook, and his shirt dampen
ed where her face pressed against him as she cried silently. Her quiet misery struck a blow to his emotional psyche.
I failed her.

Sweeping her up and carrying her outside, he slammed her door shut behind them before he carried her back to his house.

He didn’t let her go once inside, just carried her straight to the big plaid chair, sitting down with her cradled in his lap.

She clung to him desperately, not in desire, but relief and fear.
A fact that made him angry.

How dare someone do this to her?
And how could he stop it?

Dirk rocked her in his lap as she sobbed until finally her body stopped shaking and she lay still in his arms.
Embarrassment filled her. She’d completely fallen apart like some weak female, the kind she hated.
Oh, how the mighty have tumbled.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he asked softly.

“Not really,” she replied huskily, her throat raw. She clung to the warmth and strength in his arms, for the first time in hours not feeling so dreadfully alone—and scared. God, the terror. It still hovered at the edge of her consciousness, ready to take over again.

“You’re not hurt?”

Not physically
, she thought,
yet
. “No. I’m sorry for being such a mess. I thought—I thought—” she stuttered, the tears choking her. “That once I told them I was done being a pro-domme, that it would all go away. That this person, whoever they are, would leave me alone.”

“I take it by the plant I saw they didn’t.”

“N-no. They left me a note too. And—and—” Marissa tried to go on, but the fear rose in her, claiming her voice, making her unable to speak. Instead, she pulled out the wadded piece of paper from her sweater pocket and handed it to him.

Watching his face as he read it, a grim look
with darkening eyes, Marissa shivered. Feeling it, he hugged her tight. “No one’s going to hurt you. I promise you that.”

“But how?” she said, despair lacing her tone. “You can’t be with me twenty
-four hours a day.”

“You’re staying here tonight. I’ll figure something out for tomorrow. Come on, you need to go to bed. You look like shit.”

“Gee, thanks. That’s just what a girl wants to hear,” she said dryly, a little spark of her usual self sallying forth. Of course, he was right. She did look like crap. She’d spent the last couple of hours in a manic state. Definitely not her finest hour.

“Hey, you are still the hottest babe around,” he said
, kissing her lightly on the lips. “But like anybody would be in this situation, you are mentally exhausted and not thinking clearly. I’m going to put you to bed, and I’ll join you in a little bit. I’ve got some phone calls to make.”

“You won’t tell anyone what I did?” Marissa asked in a panic.

“That is our little secret. Nope, I’ve got an idea on how to keep you safe until this person either gets tired of threatening you or we can catch them.”

“What are you planning to do?” she asked suspiciously.

“Me?” he said, eyes wide in mock innocence. “Nothing. Now come on and be a good little girl.”

Marissa didn’t rise to the little girl bait and allowed him to carry her upstairs and nestle her into his bed, a bed that smelled comfortingly of him.

Leaning down, he kissed her on the forehead, a gentle, sweet caress that brought tears to her eyes.

“Shh
, princess. Everything is going to be all right. Sleep. I’ll be up in a bit.”

Marissa couldn’t sleep
, though.
What am I going to do?
This person stalking me is obviously deranged. I know I should go to the cops, but…
The shame and stigma frightened her just as much as her assailant did.

And
as for Dirk, sweet as his bold claim to protect her was, what could he really do? He had to work, and Marissa couldn’t hide out at his place forever. What if her stalker decided to attack her here? What if the boys got hurt? Marissa couldn’t live with herself if that happened. She cared too much. A fact that didn’t bother her as much as it should.

She couldn’t put them in danger. She’d have to deal with this somehow. Try and make her enemy realize that she wasn’t a threat anymore. That she was done with her former career.
But how to make contact?

Feigning sleep when Dirk came to bed, she waited until his breathing evened out.
Easing out from the arm that hugged her, she stared down at him wistfully. If only she were a different person, a better person.

Much as she longed to jump back in his bed and stay cuddled in his embrace, she couldn’t with a clear conscience involve him in her mess.

With shaky hands, she crossed his dark lawn to her own home and crept in silently like a thief. Everything was as it should be, but her home felt alien. Full of shadows and possible menace, her sweet haven no longer a refuge.

Grabbing her biggest knife from the kitchen, she huddled in her bed, eyes darting nervously at every sound and shadow
until finally, exhausted, she fell asleep.

The next day, there was no pounding at the door, just
Dirk suddenly looming in her bedroom at the ungodly hour of—she squinted—six a.m.

“Why did you leave me last night?” he asked, six foot some
thing of male muscle bristling.

“How did you get in?” she asked instead. “I locked the door.”

He snorted. “Former criminal, remember? And you’re avoiding my question. Why did you go?”

“This isn’t your problem. I don’t want to drag you into this. What if you or the boys got hurt? I’ll deal with this.”

“Are you saying you don’t think I can protect you?”

“No,” said Marissa
, sitting up slowly in bed, leaving the knife hidden under the covers. “I know you can, but you shouldn’t have to. This person is deranged. What if us being involved makes them target you or the boys instead?”

Dirk’s face darkened, his brows beetling together. “No one’s going to touch my boys. Or you either,” he said flatly.

Marissa sighed. Her redneck was a true alpha male. And she had to admit to herself, she found that hot. But she needed to make him leave.
It’s for his own good.

“Well, I don’t need your help. And while the sex was great, I’m over it now. The challenge is gone.
So you might as well go. It’s over.”

“Is that a dare?” he asked
, coming to sit on the side of the bed and tugging the cover down. She snatched it from his hands with a glare and pulled it back up. Stupid, stubborn redneck.

He laughed. “Oh please. I know every inch of your body now
, princess,
intimately
,” he said, yanking the sheet back and leaning in to place a kiss on each of her nipples over the pajamas she wore. As he did so, they immediately hardened into nubs. He chuckled and nipped one before leaning back. “I don’t believe you. I know you still want me. I think this is your misguided way of trying to protect me. Nice try, but I am not leaving. Now I don’t care if we do this kicking and screaming or peacefully, but you are coming with me.”

“Where?” she asked suspiciously.
“You know I have to go to work.”

“It’s a surprise,” he said
, grinning. “Tell them you’re taking the rest of the week off.”

Marissa already had, not that she’d tell him that. Her head still throbbed lightly
, and the bruise had turned a beautiful yellow-green last night, and quite honestly, hours of paperwork did not sound appealing in her mentally wrecked state. “I hate surprises,” she lied. She’d actually never really gotten a surprise and found herself more intrigued than she wanted to admit.

“There’s my ice princess,” he said
, grinning at her. She frowned back at him out of habit and watched as he opened her closet. He turned around and looked at her incredulously. “Do you know your clothes are perfectly spaced and divided by color in here?”

“So what?” she said
, squirming back under the covers. “I like my stuff organized. Who’s watching the boys?” she asked, taking his mind off the fact she had a few obsessive-compulsive neuroses.

“
The boys are sleeping, but they’ll be coming with us. And Andy’s supposed to arrive any minute for the keys to the garage.”

Marissa felt imbued in warmth
, even a little giddy. He wanted to spend time with her and the boys. Then reality set in. He wasn’t doing this because he loved her and wanted them to be a family; he was just protecting them.

“You know what
? Why don’t you go shower while I pack for you? The boys are still sleeping,” he said, patting the baby monitor on his hip. “So I’ve got a few minutes.”

“You can’t pack for me,” she said
, trying to get out of bed while not showing any flesh. Stupid, as he’d seen every inch of her, even the two scars on her belly, which he’d never asked about. “Women need things. And just how long are we going for?”

“If I had my way, you’d be naked the entire trip.” Marissa actually gaped at him
, and her redneck chuckled. “But where we’re going that would probably be frowned upon. Go on, get in that shower before I start thinking you’re just tempting me for some morning nookie. On second thought, let’s have a quick romp first. It’s been hours since I’ve had you, and I don’t know if I’ll survive if I don’t get some soon.”

Marissa blushed but then ran pell
-mell from her room to hop in the shower. As she soaped herself under the hot water, her hand trailing languorously across her breasts and puckered nipples, she started hoping he’d join her.

But alas, she finished her shower alone, and horny. Coming out encased in a white terrycloth robe
and rubbing her still-wet hair, she found him zipping up a suitcase. His smoky eyes appraised her glistening skin, and feeling mischievous—and still very aroused—she dropped the robe to the floor.

“Hand me some panties
, would you?” she said coyly, tilting a hip and resting a hand on it.

Dirk’s eyes glazed over
, and she thought she heard him growl before he took the few steps that separated them. He grabbed her and fell with her on the bed.

Marissa squirmed under his body
. “Now is not the time,” she said tauntingly. “The boys are going to wake anytime, and I need to get ready.” She pushed at him with her hands, halfheartedly; after all, he’d done exactly as she wanted. Now if he’d just get naked…

He grabbed her hands in his and pulled them above her head, trapping them in a meaty fist. He leaned back and eyed her naked body, one corner of his lip curling up when he noticed her nipples pucker under his perusal. Marissa caught her breath and struggled to free her arms, suddenly feeling vulnerable, an unfamiliar
emotion for her. One that had her trembling and wet.

But Dirk held her hands tight and leaned
down, fanning his warm breath across her sensitive nubs. He let the bristle on his chin rub across them, a pleasurable friction that had her moaning and arching.

She gasped.
“Suck them.”

He just smiled enigmatically at her and shook his head. He blew on her taut nubs and flicked the tip of his tongue against one. Marissa pulled at her trapped hands, the coiling warmth in her body making her frantic. But he held her down, submissive to his whims, and
dripping wet between her legs.

Taking pity on her
—or unable to resist—he finally took her breast into his mouth, laving and twirling his tongue before giving her nipple a hard suck. Marissa bucked. Her legs were spread wide beneath his body, but his jeans were in the way. The coarse fabric rubbed against her, and she began to pant in need.

“You drive me wild
, princess,” he said in a low growl before finally letting her hands go to unbuckle his pants. Opening them just enough to free his swollen member, he grabbed her by the thighs and plunged inside of her.

Marissa’s back bowed
, and she let out a loud moan.
God that feels so good,
she thought before losing herself in the mindless maelstrom that was making love to Dirk. He pounded her willing flesh, his hard body slapping up against hers, his strong hands holding her thighs up off the bed so he could plunge as deeply as possible inside. Marissa’s hands scrabbled at the sheets as she approached that brink; then she shrieked as she crossed it, her flesh pulsating around his as he bellowed, his entire poised body rigid as he came.

Collapsing beside her, he drew her in close to his body
, and she leaned her head on his chest, listening to the frantic sound of his heart.

The sudden sound of high
, piping voices in her house had them scrabbling, Dirk to do up his pants and Marissa looking for her robe. They managed it just in time before the two dynamos burst into her bedchamber.

“
Andy said you’d be over here,” Avery stated.

Mason smiled at Mari
ssa. “Hi, Mari. Your hair is messy.”

Marissa blushed then wished for the earth to open up and swallow her as Andy sauntered into her previously sanctified room. “Sorry, these guys are fast. I couldn’t catch
’em before they got here. Hope they didn’t interrupt too soon.” He winked at her with her a knowing smile. Marissa opened her mouth to give him an icy earful, but Dirk stepped in front of her.

“All right
, everyone, let’s get out of here and let Marissa get dressed.”

With a grin over his shoulder at her, Dirk ushered their audience out and left Marissa alone. Marissa shook her head.
I guess if I’m going to stay involved with Dirk, I’d better get used to a lot less privacy.
Scary!