Seduced by the Loan Shark (4 page)

my makeup. I quickly styled my hair and

left the bathroom. It was just a few steps

to my bedroom.

As an undergrad on scholarships who

worked part-time in one of the astronomy

labs on campus, I couldn't afford much

more than this tiny box of an apartment. It

was cozy enough and in a safe

neighborhood. I was luckier than a lot of

my classmates.

I stepped inside my small closet and

flicked through my hangers. I only had two

little black dresses that were appropriate

for a date. I didn't really get out much so

I'd never bothered to spend much money

on that kind of a wardrobe. Jeans, tees,

comfy skirts and casual dresses were

staples in my closet. Short, sexy and

sassy? Not so much.

My ears perked to the sound of the front

door opening and then footsteps in the

living room. Certain Ronnie had come

back to ask for money, I rolled my eyes

and announced loudly, "There are a

couple of twenties in my wallet. That's all

I have."

"Thanks for the offer, sweetheart, but

I'll pass."

Hagen's low timbre startled me. I

jumped and spun around to find him

standing in the doorway of my bedroom.

He looked impossibly huge and filled the

space with his wide shoulders and

imposing height. His eyes glinted with

amusement. "I like that look on you."

I gripped the edges of my fluffy

turquoise bath robe and tugged them

together to cover my nakedness. "How the

hell did you get in here?"

The expression of amusement on his

face was quickly eclipsed by one of

displeasure. "You left the front door

unlocked."

I groaned. "Ronnie."

"Your brother left the door unlocked?"

I nodded. "He was kind of pissed when

he left. I guess he forgot to lock it behind

him."

"I'm so glad he cares about his little

sister's safety."

"He's not like that normally. Really," I

added quickly. "He's a good brother."

"Who gets into debt and sends his little

sister to clean up the mess?"

My lips flattened into a grim line.

"Please. I just—not tonight."

His face softened. "All right."

"Thank you."

"But, Cassie, you need to know how

lucky you are."

Now it was my turn to frown. "Lucky?"

"Do you have any idea what the

Russians or the Mexicans do to people

who owe them the kind of money your

brother owes?"

I shook my head. "No."

"They go after the family. You're lucky

I'm such a gentleman."

I couldn't help myself. I snorted in a

very unladylike fashion. "Um, you do

remember extorting me earlier today,

right? You know, in your office. On your

desk?"

Hagen had the decency to look contrite.

"But I gave you the choice. Other guys?"

He shook his head. "They take. They

injure. They kill."

His ominous tone filtered through me. I

didn't doubt his warning. There had been

snippets in the local papers about the

increase in violent crimes, many of them

involving foreign mafia types.

"I suppose I should thank you."

"You will. Later," he said with a tilt of

his head. "What are you wearing tonight?"

I showed him the little black dress I'd

chosen. "This one."

"Very nice." He fingered the fabric and

then touched my robe. "Take this off."

A quiver of anxiety pierced my belly.

Even after our impromptu sex session this

afternoon, I still felt shy about revealing

my body to him. I placed the dress back in

the closet so it wouldn't get wrinkled. My

fingers trembled as I untied the belt of my

robe and slipped out of the plush fabric. I

placed it on the hook near my closet and

turned to face him.

Hagen's hungry gaze roamed my naked

curves. He palmed my breast and brushed

his thumb over the soft flesh. His thumb

coaxed my nipple into a tight peak. He

pinched it lightly, making me gasp and rise

up on my toes. Ever the gentleman, he

soothed the sharp twinge with a tender

kiss.

As he kissed my nipple, Hagen enjoyed

my body. His big hand slid down my back

to cup my bare bottom. I felt so small and

vulnerable. He dragged me closer and

slipped his fingers through my hair. He

dipped my head back and claimed my

mouth in a possessive kiss.

Desperate for something to hold onto, I

gripped the lapels of his suit jacket. His

tongue touched mine. He nibbled my

lower lip. Breathless and needy, I gazed

up at this dangerous man and wondered

how he made me feel so safe and secure.

"You're

shaking."

He

sounded

concerned. "Are you still afraid of me?"

"It's not that kind of shaking."

His lips curved upward. "Ah. I see."

I inhaled a sharp, shocked breath as he

swung me up into his arms. With two

steps, he reached my bed and gently

deposited me on the tiny twin surface.

Reality cut through my haze of need. "We

won't fit."

He laughed. "I've squeezed into tighter

places."

I pursed my lips in annoyance at his

double entendre. "I'm being serious.

You're, like, seven feet tall."

"You're about seven inches too big on

that estimate," he said and knelt at the

edge of my bed.

I squeezed my knees together. "Wait.

We can't. My brother—"

"Is not here," he interjected.

"But he could come back!"

Hagen leveled a stare my way. "Do you

honestly think your brother is going to

come up the stairs to your apartment after

spotting my men in the breezeway?"

He had a point. Knowing Ronnie, he

would tuck tail and run the other way.

"No."

"Exactly." He pushed my shoulders

toward the mattress. "Now hush and let

me eat this sweet little cunt of yours."

I gasped at his explicit instruction.

Lower belly wobbling like a bowl of

gelatin, I clutched my bedcovers in both

hands and prayed I wouldn't make too

much noise. The idea of Hagen's men

hearing me in throes of passion again

wasn't one I relished. I could only imagine

what they thought of me. Probably the

same thing Ronnie had.
Whore
.

But Hagen didn't. Of that, I was

absolutely sure. Somehow knowing that he

didn't consider me a tramp made it all

okay.

I moaned as his tongue fluttered

between the lips of my sex. He discovered

the pink kernel hidden there and lapped

gently at the tiny nub. I relaxed under his

skillful ministration and let him have his

way with me. Those big hands clasped my

inner thighs and shoved them wide apart,

opening my pussy for his exploring tongue.

He licked and flicked at my clit. When

he sucked the swollen kernel between his

lips and rolled his tongue across the

sensitive bundle of nerves, I clapped a

hand over my mouth and cried out against

my palm. Sparks of ecstasy snapped in my

core. It wouldn't be long. Another lick…

Just another…

"Hagen!" I shouted his name, the sound

muffled by my hand. He attacked my pussy

with his mouth. The first waves of orgasm

had just started to fade when he forced me

into another climax with that expert tongue

of his. I reached down and scratched my

fingernails along his scalp as he drove me

crazy. "Oh! Yes!
Yes
!"

I thrashed atop my bed and reveled in

the wicked sensations his lips and tongue

created. When my orgasm finally left me, I

sagged against the bed. My whole body

felt limp and liquid. I couldn't even move

when he stood up and walked away from

the bed. I watched him disappear into the

hallway and return with a damp wash

cloth and a hand towel.

"You don't have to—"

"Sh." He silenced me with a look. Ever

so gently, he cleaned between my thighs.

He dropped the towel and cloth onto my

bed. Grasping my hands, he tugged me into

a sitting position. I was suddenly eye-to-

eye with the bulge in his pants. Thinking

that he wanted me to return the favor, I

reached for his fly. His hand snatched my

hand and stopped me. "No."

I frowned up at him. "But you just—"

"I just indulged my craving for your

pussy," he said matter-of-factly. "You've

been driving me crazy all day thinking

about it. This?" He gestured to his

erection. "This can wait."

"Are you sure?" I couldn't believe he

was turning down the offer of a blow job.

Most guys would have been yanking out

their cocks and shoving them in my face

by now.

"Positive." He touched my cheek. "I

like the anticipation."

"Oh."

"Where do you keep your lingerie?"

"Lingerie?" I blinked at him. "I keep my

bras and panties in that drawer."

He followed my pointing finger to the

small dresser against the wall. It was a

thrift store find I'd repainted a creamy

white to fit my style. He dug around in the

drawer and produced a simple black bra.

"Is this all the lingerie you have?"

"You do remember that I'm a college

student, right? I'm scraping by on

scholarships and work a part-time job on

campus to survive. I don't have money to

waste on sexy bras and panties that no one

is ever going to see."

Hagen grunted and walked back to my

side. "Stand up."

I quickly complied. My eyes widened

when I realized he wanted to dress me.

"I'm a big girl, Hagen. I know how to put

on my own clothes."

"Indulge me."

His soft tone won me over. "All right."

He slipped the bra up my arms and into

place. "Why are you on such a tight

budget, Cassie?"

"My scholarships cover my tuition and

most of my books and other fees. I make

enough doing part-time work in a lab to

cover my living expenses and the

premiums for a crappy student health

insurance plan. I guess I could work more

but my class load is heavy. I'm trying to

maintain a 4.0 GPA for grad school."

He grabbed my dress from the closet

and unzipped the back. "Your parents

didn't have life insurance?"

My gaze jumped to his. Suspicion was

easy to read on his face. "I'm sure you

know the answer to that one."

He exhaled roughly. "Ronnie spent your

portion of the life insurance."

I nodded reluctantly. "Our parents didn't

leave a will. I was underage and he

became the executor of our family estate."

"And you trusted him?"

"He's my big brother. He wasn't like

this back then."

"And now?" He touched my arm.

Now I know better." At his silent

urging, I lifted both arms overhead. I

would have preferred to step into the

dress but I wasn’t about to correct him. He

seemed to enjoy this simple act so much. I

didn't want to ruin his moment

Hagen pulled the dress down over my

head and adjusted the fabric. He swept my

hair free from the neckline and placed a

ticklish kiss on my nape. "That's a hard

lesson to learn."

"He wasn't always like this, you know.

The accident…"

Hagen zipped the dress and gently

turned me. He tipped my chin up and

peered down at me. "He was driving?"

"It was raining and there was this stupid

deer…" I couldn't finish the tale. The

sickening crunch of metal, the taste of

blood in my mouth, the stink of gas and

vomit—they all came flooding back to me.

"It was awful. I was in the hospital and

rehab for months. He walked away with a

few cuts and a dislocated shoulder and

elbow. He blames himself for all of it.

This gambling thing? It's the way he

escapes from the guilt."

"It's going to put him six feet under if

he's not careful."

Hagen's

warning

scared

me.

I

understood what he meant.
He
wasn't

going to hurt Ronnie because he wasn't