Stripped Defenseless (3 page)

She
gave him a nervous smile. “So you’re smart then, right? I like smart men.
Although, I’ll admit you don’t look like much of a computer geek.” She let out
a giggle and then stopped abruptly, her smile faded to a frown. “Oh geez, not
that I’m calling you a geek. I just—”

Kade
brushed his finger over her lip, quieting her, growing desperate to strip the
anxious smile off her face and the clothes off her body. “Why don’t we pretend
that we knew each other many years ago?” He kept his voice even. “When we were
both innocent and life was easier.”

A
time like that didn’t exist for him, but he was sure it must have for the
petite woman in his arms. Someone must have loved and protected her from the
evils of the world at some point in her life. How could they have not?

Her
dark coppery eyebrows knitted together as she seemed to mull his idea over.
Suddenly, one of them arched up. “Did we used to play doctor?” she asked with a
cute grin.

“Yes.”
At this point he’d say anything to keep her in his arms, to have her soft
breasts crushed against his chest. “And I always made you feel better when you
were sick...or happy when you were sad.” God, that was corny. But at least she
hadn’t backed off yet.

“Oh.”
Her delicate fingers trembled as they fluttered along his neckline and then
settled on his shoulders.

He
grew achingly hard in his jeans, wanting to relax her and give her the pleasure
he knew she hungered for. He fought back the questions racing through his mind.

Was
this the woman Zack Moreno was looking for? And if so, what was her fate? He
couldn’t let himself care. That wasn’t part of the job. Caring. All he needed
to do was seize the target, deliver it to its destination, take the money, and
never look back.

It
was cut-and-dried. Or at least it always had been before.

She
rose onto the tips of her toes to press a kiss on his lingering lips. He
inhaled the innocent fruity scent and slid his tongue into her mouth searching
for more.

A
soft purr rumbled from her throat, and her hand traveled down, down, down his
abdomen until her fingertips lightly brushed over his jean-covered erection.

So
much for focusing on his job.

He
shoved off her jean jacket, let it drop to the floor, and began unbuttoning her
pink sweater. She was braless underneath; he could tell from the dark aroused
nipples piercing against the thinly knitted material. Each button unfastened
with ease, and he made quick work of it before she came to her senses and
walked away.

Before
she realized what a selfish bastard
he was for taking advantage of her. Didn’t she sense it? The danger she was in?

He
fought the struggle within himself. Tell her to run. Tell her to not use her
credit card the next time she forgets and mistakenly hands it to the clerk to
pay for her box of tampons.

That’s
how he had found her. That’s why as soon as he pinpointed his exact target and seized
it, he was going to take the money and not give a fuck what happened next.
Business as usual.

Damn
woman.

He
picked her up in his arms and dropped her on the bed with more force than he
had intended. More than she had counted on from the startled look on her face.

But
still she let him unzip her jean mini skirt and ease it down her legs. Tug her
black, dainty panties down her smooth thighs and drop them alongside the rest
of her scattered clothes.

The
dim lamplight poured over her naked body, and he took in the beautiful sight of
her shaved pussy. Completely bald. Not a single hair to determine if she was a
real redhead. He smirked, not all that surprised. He’d thought as much when
she’d spread her legs for him on the stage at the strip joint. The panties
she’d had on barely covered her.

He
shut out the thought of her doing that same dance for any man who walked in
those doors and let himself pretend he was special. After all, she was here
with him now. And if he believed her words, then she didn’t do this often, or
ever.

If
it was true, he would make this worth her while.

His
cock tightened and his mouth watered as his taste buds anticipated licking and
tasting her soft, smooth pussy. He dipped his head and kissed her mound just
once, as an appetizer for what was to come. Her honey musk scent drugged him as
he drew in a breath and grinned. Good enough to eat.

One
thing was apparent—the woman made him smile when everything and everyone else
in his world left him annoyed and angry.

He
watched her curvy body quiver as he ripped his T-shirt over his head and slowly
unbuckled his belt. He wanted to tease her like she’d teased him. Make her want
him like he wanted her.

 She
caressed her round plump breasts, and his cock throbbed and swelled against his
zipper. When her pink tongue darted over her lips, wetting them, he couldn’t
hold back any longer. He shoved down his jeans and boxers in one swift motion.
Her tanned legs spread apart to welcome him, and he stifled a groan. God, where
did this woman come from?

Hurrying
his pace, he reached underneath the bed, pulled out a condom, and wrapped it
over his swollen cock.

Ava
Lureau or not, she wanted him. Who was he to refuse her?

Chapter Two

Ava
rested her hands on his massive chest when he wedged himself between her
thighs. She couldn’t keep from staring at him. Every inch of his naked body was
toned to perfection, leaving her craving to trace her fingers over the strength
of his muscles. He had a few scars here and there, but the one that grabbed her
attention was the circular indentation on his left shoulder.

A
gunshot wound? She lightly brushed her hand over it.

“Iraq,”
he murmured as if that would explain how he’d been shot. And sadly, it did.
Obviously, he’d been in combat. He’d fought for their country. Which had to
mean he was a man of integrity, a man of honor. Right?

She
clenched her eyes shut and tried to stop her bustling mind from over-analyzing.
This was sex with a hot guy and nothing more.
He
was nothing more.

He
dug his fists into the mattress on either side of her head before dipping his
mouth to softly kiss her top lip and then her bottom. His tongue slipped
between the two, parting them. Gently, patiently—a kiss she’d never experienced
from a man.

He
baited her, and Ava responded by opening for him, sliding her tongue along his.
He tasted of a mixture of cinnamon, quiet confidence, and restrained power.

Who
was he?
She didn’t
even know his last name, but every fiber of fear in her body was disappearing
as he manipulated her mouth with his skilled tongue. It owned her and she
wasn’t protesting.

His
large, hardened cock pressed against the wetness between her thighs, tempting
her. She could only imagine what he was going to feel like inside.

Daring
to seek more, she lifted her pelvis and grazed her pussy against his hard
shaft. He was thicker and larger than either of the two lovers she’d had in the
past. And she was sure he would bring sensations that would stretch and push
her to limits she’d never known.

“Fuck
me,” she heard herself saying, impatiently, shocking herself.

His
eyes opened and met hers, no longer the ice cold color, but a blue that
reminded her of a tantalizing hot, bubble bath.

Ava
took a desperately needed breath. “Please.”

He
grinned, sensually, devilishly, as if he had plans beyond her realm of fantasy.
She pursed her mouth shut, thinking she’d most likely bitten off more than she
could chew.

His
upper half dropped onto his elbows, resting his solid chest against her
sensitive breasts. She prepared herself for the roughness she thought he was
capable of, but instead, she received soft kisses down her jaw line onto her
neck. He licked the crevice behind her ear and gently nibbled a path to the
area just above her shoulder.

Ava
trembled at his touch and wrapped her legs around his waist, preparing for him
to enter her, wanting nothing more.

But
he didn’t. Instead, he trailed licks and kisses in between her breasts and down
her abdomen to her navel, his body moving down, brushing against her sensitive
pussy. Her nerves zapped and tingled, and her skin shivered with need.

“You’re
teasing me,” she said.

“You’re
too impatient,” he mumbled as his fingers spread her folds.

His
powerful lips smiled at her before he descended and slid his warm tongue
against her clit. He licked slowly, forcefully, commanding her to whimper his
name. Kade. It felt like sex rolling off her tongue.

Every
nerve in her body was on fire, burning for him. She ran her hands down her neck
to her breasts as he sucked and nibbled on her nub. The rising pressure was
almost too much to take, and just as she thought she would burst, he plunged
his tongue inside her slit. His fingertips bit into her thighs as he greedily
took her with his mouth. She spread her legs farther apart, enjoying his
uninhibited exploration, loving how he groaned as he tasted her. A new
sensation built inside her slowly...steadily.

 Then
she felt him pull away, leaving the cold air biting into her wet skin. “Wait,”
she pleaded, not wanting the pleasure to end. She’d almost reached climax. So
close. So good.

His
hot breath returned as his teeth skimmed her aching clitoris. “I’m not done
yet,” he murmured and lightly bit her swollen nub. “Not by a long shot.”

Panting,
Ava tilted her head back against the mattress and waited as he climbed up her
body. He was torturing her at his leisure. Again. His MO, it seemed. But she
held her tongue, waging it would be worth it in the end.

He
kissed the same path he’d branded on the way down but stopped at her breasts.
The warmth of his mouth slanted against her nipple as he sucked and ardently
ran his tongue over it.

A
searing pang threaded through her nerves from her breast to her core, making
her writhe and arch against him. “Oh, God,” she said and caressed his face,
infatuation and hunger covering it. “Please, Kade.”

The
low light from the single lamp cast wicked shadows off his eager eyes as he met
her gaze. The tip of his hot tongue scored her as he ran it down the valley
between her breasts and up to her other budded nipple. He tugged at the
sensitive flesh with his teeth before sucking it into his mouth and giving it
equal treatment.

All
the while, he never once broke eye contact. No, his gaze silently promised her
this night wasn’t going to end any time soon. Heat coiled in her womb, and she
let out a small moan.

A
pathetic excitement surged through her at the thought of being in this man’s
arms tonight rather than alone in a cold bed. Absolutely pathetic.

Ava
wondered if he’d look at her that way if he knew who she really was and what
she was running from. If he’d take the chance of falling for a woman who was
frightened enough to leave everything behind and hide shamelessly in a strip
club, the only place where she could make money and stay under wraps.

Would
she ever be able to come out and live normally, fall in love, and start a
family?

He
released her nipple and gently swept his wet lips up her neck, pressed a kiss
on her chin and then her cheek. She relaxed against his sweet, slow pecks and
the warmth of his breath across her face.

How
simple it would be to let her guard down and expose her true identity. How easy
it would be to get used to being loved by a man like this.

So
gentle and caring.

* * * * *

Kade
slipped two fingers inside her. She was soaking wet and, unbelievably hot and
tight...too tight for him to fit his full length in without hurting her.

He
slid in a third finger and worked them in and out until she began to loosen.

Finally.

The
tips of her fingernails trailed up and down his back. He wished she would just
dig them in and get it over with. Teach him a lesson for being such an arrogant
prick. All he wanted her for was instant gratification. A quick fuck, in other
words, and he couldn’t bring himself to care if she deserved more.

Kade
Gavin wasn’t a man who stuck around to see if the scenery was good enough to
pitch a tent. He wanted—no, he
needed
to keep going.

Without
another thought, he rammed the head of his cock inside her slick, tight walls.
He looked into her eyes to see if he had hurt her. But there wasn’t anything
but the dead, blandness of her colored contacts staring back at him. Nothing.
She was nothing to him. Why would he worry what happened to her now or ever?

“Don’t
stop,” she whispered into the air between their lips.

On
her words, he drew out halfway and drove back in as far as he could. He felt
the pain of her fingernails cutting into him. “Sorry,” he mumbled into her ear.
“You okay?”