Stripped Defenseless (25 page)

Without
another thought, she made her way to the kitchen drawer where she kept it
hidden. The small black pistol was the perfect size and fit for her hands as
she grasped hold of it.

She’d
been through too much to simply roll over and die now.

No,
she was still a survivor. And whoever attempted to change that would regret it.

* * * * *

Kade
let the hot drizzling water run down his back. He had to do something to ease
his mind from the nervous anxiety of seeing Ava again.

He
pictured her in his head—deep blue-gray eyes that saw right through him. A
petite curvy body he could hold in his arms. Nice, plump breasts. Soft. Supple.
Lickable skin. Every inch of her. God, he couldn’t wait to taste her. That
sweet flavor. He grew hard just thinking of it. Six months was too long.

“Who
the hell’s there?” Her voice echoed into the bathroom.

The
feisty sound of it made him smile. Sassy, lovable Ava.

He
reached down to shut the water off and then yanked open the pink, flowery
curtain that hung between them.

She
stood there with a pistol gripped tightly pointed at him. Eyes wide and
bloodshot. Face pale. Hair was blonde and cut short. Lips pursed. Light makeup.

He’d
never seen such a beautiful sight. “Hi, sweetheart.”

“Kade.”
She choked out a whisper. Her eyes rolled back into her head and her body went
limp. The gun dropped to the rug.

Before
she could fall to the hard linoleum floor, he grabbed hold of her waist and
lifted her into his arms. Her small, feminine body fit perfectly in his
embrace.

He
was home.

* * * * *

Her
fast fluttering heartbeat woke her as he carried her to the bedroom. He was
naked against her. Wet.

It
was Kade, wasn’t it?

The
same searing eyes looked down at her through those dark lashes, saying so much
more than words ever could.

“Are
you okay?” he asked with a half grin.

Ava
nodded, not knowing whether to scream, cry, or cheer. How could it be? She had
gone to his funeral. Closed casket. Jax Cullen, his only family, had insisted
on it even after Ava begged for one last look to say good-bye.

“I
don’t understand,” she said as he gently placed her on the bed. “They said—”

“It
was a lie. A cover up. I had to play along to avoid prison time.” He lay beside
her and kissed her once. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, against her mouth.

The
feel of his lips released a wave of pent-up fantasies she’d been evading ever
since she spent her first night alone without him. But he was here now.

Wasn’t
he?

It
seemed too good to be true. She brought her hands up to his clean-shaven face
and cradled his strong jaw line. His head dipped down to kiss her again. His
velvety tongue slipped past her stunned lips and possessed her mouth,
commanding her to want so much more.

Yes,
it was Kade. It had to be. No other man had the ability to blur her mind with a
mere kiss. A surge of overwhelming heat raced down her body, settling between
her legs. How the miracle of getting him back came about wasn’t important. But
as his hand made quick work of the buttons on her silk blouse, a horrible
thought occurred to her.

She
pulled away from his kiss. “Where have you been? You don’t have to leave me
again, do you?” she asked all in one fretful breath.

He
smiled and shook his sexy shaven head. “We’ll talk about it after I’m done
making love to you. And, no, I’m not going anywhere.” He finished unbuttoning
and then threw her blouse to the floor. He dragged his fingers down her belly
to unfasten her jeans and tugged them off with panties that were already soaked
with her desire for him.

There
was an urgent yearning in his eyes that left Ava wanting to quench it. To give
him everything he needed and desired. She kissed his lips, his cheek, the
droplets of water on his neck. She inhaled his masculine scent, unable to get
enough.

“Damn,
I missed you,” his voice rumbled out of his mouth and into her heart.

Eager,
she continued down his moist body, trailing a path along his powerfully built
chest, solid to the touch. He leaned back and allowed her to lick at the
rippled muscles on his stomach. She arrived at his cock—hard, thick and long. Stiff
under her lips. She ran her tongue over the tip, tasting a small amount of his
pre-cum. Delicious. Familiar. Hers. It was enough to make her hunger for
more—to have him shudder under her power.

Before
she could wrap her mouth around his hardness, he grabbed her and hauled her up
to his broad chest. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her, taking back
control.

She
resisted. “Wait. I have a better idea.”

“No.
I need you.”

“And
you’ll get me, but on my terms.” Joy overwhelmed her, but she kept a serious
frown on her face. It was time to take matters into her own hands. No more
being led around by a leash
or
a gun. No more allowing a man to have
complete control of her destiny. It was time for Ava Lureau to be in charge.

“What
are you talking about?”

“I’m
not your captive anymore, Kade. I’m a free woman and I’ll do whatever I want
whenever I want.”
With you.

No
response. Just a blank stare. Apparently, he hadn’t factored in the possibility
of her saying no. She wanted to laugh out loud. But she remained poker-faced
for the game. She gestured toward the grip he had on her upper arms. “Let go.”

He
did as she commanded but sure as hell didn’t look happy about it. “You know I
didn’t mean to—”

“Shush.”
She clapped her hands against his chest and shoved away from him. “Lie on your
back in the middle of the bed.”

“Do
you want to be on top?”

“I
want you to be silent.” She turned her head away so he wouldn’t see her smile.
This felt way too good. But who knew how far he’d go for her.

I
guess I’ll find out soon.
She made her way to her dresser and plucked out a handful of her silk scarves.
When she returned to the bed, he was in the middle, just as she had ordered. He
propped up on his elbows and watched her.

“Maybe
we should talk about this,” he said. “I’m sure this was all a lot for you to
take in.”

Ava
ignored him and attached one of the scarves to his ankle.

“What
are you doing? Tying me up?” A tight-lipped, anxious grin spread across his
face.

“Trust
me.” She jerked the scarf toward the bedpost and knotted. “Trust your
intuition.”

“Oh,
I get it. This is cute, but maybe we could play later. After I’ve made love to
you.”

“Nope.”
She secured his other leg to the opposite post, forcing his muscular legs
apart. His cock jutted up, arched toward his stomach. God, she wanted him
inside her. It had been too long.

His
gorgeous ice-blue gaze followed her as she maneuvered around the left side of
the bed and grabbed his wrist. His head fell back against the mattress. “You’re
mad, right? You want to teach me a lesson?”

Not
bothering to answer him, she yanked and tied. Then she climbed on top of his
naked body and sat on his chest. Attempting to avoid his piercing stare, she
gripped his free hand and began to wrap the last scarf around it.

“I’ll
do anything you want,” he said but twisted out of her grasp. “However, I need
to be able to touch you.” He cradled her cheek and ran his thumb over her lips.

Weakened
by the loving gesture, she closed her eyes. She felt him drag his fingers down
her neck and over her tender breast, swollen with the need for his touch. He
circled her nipple twice and then continued along her stomach.

Ava’s
skin prickled from the intimate contact. Something she thought she’d never
experience again but was ecstatic to have once more.

The
tips of his fingers encircled her navel and then trailed back up the same path.
“I love your body,” he said in a husky voice. “Every part of it.”

She
forced her eyes open as he reached her cheek. She took a deep breath to steady
her pounding heart. He’d had a certain power over her since the first day she’d
met him. Today was no different.

Determined
to take back the control, she gripped his hand and slid it back down to her
breast. “I have one scarf left. Do you want to touch me or see me?”

* * * * *

Kade
understood the game. And he didn’t mind playing as long as he won the prize of
Ava at the end. He squeezed her breast. “Touch.”

After
all, he could do so much more with his hand than he could with his eyes. He
dragged his fingers down her stomach to the sexy patch of blonde hair on her
mound, arrow-shaped, pointing to heaven. He’d liked the smooth bald look, but
somehow the downy curls seemed more authentic. More Ava.

“Okay.”
She gulped and leaned over him to pick up the last red scarf.

He
watched as her rosy pebbled nipples lightly grazed his chest. Damn, he was
going to miss the view.

She
finished wrapping the silk around his head, blinding him, forcing his other
senses into overdrive. The heat from her wet pussy smoldered against his chest
as he lifted his head for her to tighten the knot. He could smell her sweet
scent, feel the supple skin as his fingers skimmed her outer thigh, and hear
her breathing when she spread out over his body. He could taste her fruity lip
gloss as she molded her soft lips to his.

He
enveloped his hand around the back of her neck and held her to him. Then he
slid his tongue into her lush mouth, hot and delicious.

She
let out a small moan but pulled away from him.

Fuck.
Why was she fighting it?

Maybe
she needed clarification of his feelings for her.

“I
love you, Ava.” The words drifted into the air above him and didn’t return. Had
she changed her mind about him? Did he even stand a chance? Lord only knew.
He’d put her through hell and back and wouldn’t blame her if she despised him.

She
sat up on his stomach and brushed her fingertips across his chest.

Kade
reached for her, finding her leg. He made his way over to her soft folds and
slid a finger in between his stomach and her pussy, up into her tight, moist
heat. So wet. She might not love him, but she definitely wanted him. He could
work with that.

She
clenched down on his finger as he slipped in and out, rubbing against her clit
with each pass. She moaned as she began working with the rhythm of his finger,
her ass sweeping up against his throbbing cock.

“I
want you, Kade,” she said breathlessly.

“You
can have me. Whatever you want, it’s all yours.” His body. His heart. His soul.

Without
warning, she grabbed his wrist and tore his hand away from her wet juices. Then
she lifted off him, and his body felt empty without her heat warming him from
the outside in.

“Are
you teasing me, sweetheart?” he asked, blindly attempting to locate where she
had gone. “Are we even yet?” This was getting ridiculous. All he wanted was to
be close to her after all the time they’d been apart.

The
bed creaked, and the softness of her lips touched his ear. “Not even close,”
she whispered. “I’m going to go hide your shoes. Be right back.”

“What?”
The shock of her words made him forget he was tied down. He attempted to rise
but jerked back to the bed when reality hit. “Ava,” he bellowed. “Ava, I
thought you forgave me.”

With
his free hand, he yanked his blindfold onto his forehead—and saw her sitting at
the end of the bed with one of her crinkly, adorable smiles on her face.

“Just
kidding.”

“Very
cute.” He tried to grab her, but she was out of reach.

She
crawled on her hands and knees across the mattress, her short blonde hair
swaying with her movements. God, this new hairstyle was sexy as hell. And it
suited her.

His
cock tightened when she stopped between his legs and kissed the tip of his
engorged head. His gut knotted painfully, and he gritted his jaw.

Her
deep blue eyes stared intently at him as her pink, slick tongue slid out and
licked. “Mmm,” she murmured against his skin.

Kade
inhaled sharply. The woman played a good game. “Are you going to let me make
love to you yet?”

“After.”
She ran her slick tongue down his shaft and up again.

Oh,
hell. “After what?”

“After
you promise me no more secrets. I want to know all there is to know about Kade
Gavin.” She brushed her fingers over his ever-increasing erection and dipped
his throbbing head into her hot mouth.

Fuck.
He was about to burst. “Kade Gavin is dead,” he said, mindlessly.

Ava
jerked her head up and sent him a glaring look. “Probably not a good time to be
joking around like that.”