Jacob(14)

Tori giggled again. “Dad, what I didn’t tell you was he is an international law enforcement officer and runs a huge company. He is so rich that he makes us look like the Clampett’s before they struck oil.”

Her father grunted. “That so…and?”

“Dad, he’s been shot, twice. He’s hurt and needs to recuperate. May I bring him home with me?”

“I think I liked it better when you brought home stray puppies and kittens, but, yep, that will be fine.” The man’s immediate response stunned Jacob.

“Dad, he has several co-workers who are out of commission until he gets on his feet.”

Her father’s pause was lengthy this time. “Is his team Marines or SEALs?” Jacob mouthed Marines.

“They used to be Marines.”

Jacob automatically corrected Tori. “There is no such thing as a former Marine.”

Jacob heard the old man chuckle. “Ain’t that the truth? Doesn’t matter either way, was just being nosey. They are welcome here, darlin’. Don’t forget we’re leaving early Tuesday to bring the cattle down to the home pastures. Heavy snow is expected by the end of the week.”

“I saw the weather report yesterday after I landed. We’ll be home late Monday.”

“Alright, baby girl, love you.”

“Love you too, Daddy.”

Jacob leaned back in the tub. He would bet the rancher knew immediately what he did and what he was when she told him, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the old man knew exactly what Tori did when she was in D.C.

He hit the jets again. Shit, her last stint in D.C. must have been a bitch if that fuckwad of a shrink from last night was any indication.

“How well do you know that prick, Amiri?”

Tori sat on the side of the bathtub and put her legs into the water. She twisted her mouth in an expression of distaste. “Yeah, I don’t think much of him either. He was in charge of my incident debrief and recovery.”

“Are you on any black list or restrictions as far as working within the community?”

Tori snorted. “My clearance is still valid although I’ve been debriefed on all agency programs. I can work again. Once I get a grip on my issues, I want to work again.”

“How bad are the ramifications?”

“Nightmares. They’re getting better. Anxiety attacks, particularly if I’m in a dark place…go figure, but they occasionally happen for no reason. I’ll always have scars, even if no one can see them.” She turned, grabbed a washcloth off the towel rack and dropped it in the water. Tori stood and stripped, the loaned T-shirt and boxer shorts abandoned on the bathroom floor.

His eyes scanned her body. He raised a hand stopping her from getting into the bathtub. “Not so fast. I’m going to enjoy this view.” Tall, lean, and strong, Tori stood and waited as he drank in her incredible form. He could sense her nervousness, but she waited for him to look his fill. He lifted his good arm and held it out to her. “I could care less about your exterior scars, baby, and we’ll work on those interior ones.”

She took his hand and stepped over the tub, lowering herself slowly. She leaned back and faced him. Jacob pulled her leg towards him and massaged her calf and foot paying particular attention to crisscross of scars that covered the bottom of her feet. “I’ve seen soldiers who lived and ate war for years break with far less torture than you endured. Nightmares and panic attacks are completely normal and to be expected.” He leaned over and kissed the pad of her foot. “Your scars are part of you and because they are, they are beautiful.”

Tori closed her eyes but not before he saw the pain and tears. The scars did not define her, but the circumstances surrounding her acquisition of them had damaged her. Jacob’s hands continued his massage of her leg and foot. “Did Amiri hurt you?” He watched the emotion his question evoked tumble across her expressive face.

Her voice trembled. “Physically? No. Even though I was his patient, his focus was getting information from me for the CIA. I was just a mind that had data and he did his part to ensure I told them everything. I was never a priority—the information was. My recovery wasn’t at the top of his agenda. They needed to ensure they knew everything I told my captors, and that information was all that mattered to him and the agency. When Amiri confirmed he’d extracted what information they needed, I was allowed to resign and go home.”

Jacob worked through her revelations. He continued the slow, methodical kneading of her beautiful legs. Tori kept her eyes closed and appeared to relax as his hands continued the sensuous message. He decided to drop the questions for now. He needed to make her understand that she, not information, was his priority. “Everyone in D.C. has an agenda. I have one, too. I’ll let you in on a little secret. My agenda has just one item, Victoria—you.” He allowed the unadulterated lust he was feeling to resonate in his voice. She deserved to know how much she turned him on. No games with this one.

Her lids lifted to reveal deep blue pools filled with the same desire he was feeling. He brought her foot to his mouth and kissed her toes. He gave a gentle tug on her leg.

She slid towards him. Her nipples tightened enticingly when she lifted out of the water. “How do you propose to take care of your agenda item?”

He grinned at the husky throb in her voice. His last tug on her leg brought her across the tub and he grabbed her waist as she slid next to him. “Straddle me. I’ll show you, woman.”

His lips followed his words as he pulled her into him. The urgency driving them both replaced any pretense of gentleness. Tori lifted over him and braced her knees on the bottom of the tub. Her eyes dropped to his mouth and then back up to his eyes.

“Oh hell yeah, baby. You’re driving me crazy. I want to know and kiss every inch of your body—later. Right now? I want to be deep in you.”

If she hadn’t been mere inches from him, he wouldn’t have heard her breath catch in her throat. Her whispered response was almost lost in the hum of the whirlpool jets. “Then take me.”

Oh God, heaven did exist. His erection strained under her, and the touch of her tight ass against him caused his cock to jump. His hand circled his shaft before a bolt of reality him. Condoms! Fuck! He wanted her. Now. Bare.

“I’m clean baby. Do we need protection?” Jacob’s thumbs circled her tight nipples teasing them.

Tori’s head fell back. Jacob’s lips immediately found her exposed pulse point and sucked and kissed her delicate skin.

“No, I’m on birth control and I was repeatedly tested—after. There’s been no one since. We’re safe.” Her hands clenched on his biceps, biting into his skin as he dropped his head and took her tight nipple into his mouth. Her smooth low moan echoed in the steamy heat of the bathroom.

The need and desire that resonated from her hit Jacob like a sidewinder fired from the rail of an F-15. He lifted her and centered himself under her heat. Tori’s hand opened her delicate folds as the engorged head of his cock pushed through her tight opening. He glanced from her half-closed eyes to where her sex lowered, consuming his cock. Inch by inch she sank onto him. The perfection and feel of her hot channel and the soft beauty of her bare skin forced him to close his eyes and concentrate in order not to come like a horny schoolboy. Finally, her scorching confines consumed his entire shaft.

She trembled at the slightest touch of his hand to her skin. Wet tendrils of hair clung to her cheek and fell over her shoulders. He folded her into his chest and kissed her with soft sweeping lips and tongue. In an instant, his kiss flamed into an explosion of need and desire. Her tongue thrust back against his and he consumed her. He wanted everything she would give him. Maintaining the kiss, he braced his legs on the side of the tub and pumped in and out of her body. The heat of the water paled in comparison to the tight velvet of her core. She gave a small cry as he sank deeper into her. He froze, broke the kiss, and held her face in both hands. “Did I hurt you?”

She took great gulps of air shook her head. “God, no. You fill me up. This is so good. Please, don’t stop.”

Jacob bit her bottom lip and then slid his mouth to her throat biting a trail to her collar bone. “Believe me, I’m not stopping baby.” He held her hips as he lifted her slightly and drove into her again. Her stifled gasp and moan fueled his passion. Over and over, he pumped long, deep, hard movements into her.

He heard her cry of release echo off the walls in the bathroom. Jacob’s own growl broke through his controlled thrusts. His body surged into hers until he held her down tightly as he came, grinding against her as he rode out his own climax.

For fuck’s sake, the last time he was this exhausted he had been without food for three days and was carrying Chief’s heavy ass out of hostile territory—twelve miles with over two hundred pounds on his back. But this…this exhaustion he would gladly volunteer for, over and over and over again. Jacob held her against his chest and stroked her back. His mind searched for any previous sexual experience to equal the sensations he just experienced. He couldn’t think of any. Everything he ever wanted in a woman, smart, sassy, sexy, sensual, erotic, and beautiful lay panting in his arms.