Hard Fought (A Stepbrother Warriors Novel)(25)

"You don't have anything to say to me?" I ask, stubbing out the end of the joint. "Why'd you accept this stupid job?"

"You don't think it's weird? The new security center? The license scanner at the front gate? I mean, this place is locked down."

"My dad's nuts. I thought you knew."

"Maybe...or maybe there's something he knows that he's not sharing."

"That does sound like him. He loves knowing things that other people don't know. And using it against them. So you're saying you took the job because you think I might actually be in danger?"

"Maybe."

"But..." I trail off and clear my throat, wondering how to put this delicately. "You were also convinced I was in danger tonight."

He flinches, and runs his hands through his hair. "So you don't trust my instincts," he says quietly.

"Carter...it's just, whatever you've been through, it's got your mind playing tricks on you. I'm just saying, maybe you're seeing danger where there isn't any."

"I used to be one of the best..." he murmurs, staring out at the water.

"I am touched, though. That you'd care if I were in danger," I say, nudging him with my foot.

His head snaps in my direction and he frowns. "Of course I would. Why would you say that?"

"Seriously?" I roll my eyes. "Just forget it."

He frowns, but lets it go. "How old is Nikki's husband, anyway?"

"Like, forty-five, I think." He laughs and leans back, spreading his arms across the back of the couch. One of his fingertips gently rests on my bare shoulder, and he begins to mindlessly flick it back and forth. "Feeling better?"

"Mm," he murmurs, and takes a deep breath. I watch his chest expand and admire his profile in the gray light reflecting off the water. "You're a felon," he says, looking at me, and begins to laugh. It's catching, and I begin to giggle. "Your skin is so soft," he says suddenly, leaning forward to examine my shoulder. "Do you rub something on it?"

"Like lotion? Not really. I guess I should," I reply, staring at him in amusement.

"No, it's good the way it is. Feel my palm," he says, extending an open hand to me.

"Rough," I observe, trailing my fingers across the huge callouses.

"I was so excited when I first saw them, when I first started working out."

"How old were you?"

"Sixteen, maybe fifteen. I was tall, but bony, and everyone was teasing me about not inheriting my father's muscles."

"He's strong?"

"Well, he was a professional football player."

"Shit, really? Does Jack know him?"

"No one does, anymore. I think you should go back to school," he says. I'm not sure if he's changing the subject or if he's just speaking in a stream of consciousness.

"So you were listening in on my phone call," I say, pulling my hand back, but he latches onto it with his.

"I have excellent hearing. I can hear your heartbeat right now."

"You cannot."

"Yes," he replies, pulling me closer and wrapping his hand around my wrist. I feel his thumb move over the artery on the underside of my wrist.

"You are impossible," I sigh in frustration as his scent overwhelms me. "You said very specifically that we were never doing this again."

"So did you. On the plane."

"Yeah, well, you said it more recently."

"I felt jealous tonight. Of the man touching you. I want to be the only one who's allowed to touch you."

"Carter, you can't say things like—" Abruptly, he leans forward and kisses me. I gasp and pull back, fighting the desire that's coursing through my veins. "You're just—"

But he pulls me in again, now wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing himself down on top of me. Oh, fuck. My willpower dissolves as his tongue slips into my mouth. Any thought of turning back is wiped from my mind as I wrap my arms around his neck.

I moan as he pulls my strapless dress down and takes my breast in his calloused palm. His mouth leaves mine and I arch my back as he sucks my nipple into his mouth. He flicks it back and forth with his tongue and grazes it gently with his teeth. His hands push up my dress as his mouth moves to my left nipple, whirling it around inside his warm mouth.

He takes my waist and turns me so that my back is leaning up against the armrest of the couch, then brings both of my feet onto the couch and pulls my legs apart, kneeling between them. I hear fabric tear and the cool breeze against me and look down to see him dropping my cotton thong on the ground in tatters. I shake my head at him and he gives me a wolfish grin before bending his head forward and taking a long lick of my clit.