“I need . . . I need,” she began. She convulsed wildly against him. Her body tightened, blew out of control.
“What do you need, sugar?” he asked as he released one of her arms to reach down between them.
He stroked her quivering clit.
“That, oh my God, that!”
She started to lower her free arm, but he growled in protest.
“Keep it high where I can see it.”
He reached over with the hand that held her other and captured her fingers, meshing them against her other palm. He continued to finger her slick flesh as he rode her harder.
“Say my name,” he demanded.
“Jack!” she cried out.
“Come for me, Mia. Come here in my hand while I’m touching and fucking you.”
She rolled her hips as a huge wave began building in her belly. It spread like fire to her pussy, all her attention focused on the depths he reached with his cock.
“Come now.”
She opened her mouth to scream, and he slammed his mouth over hers sucking her response into his throat. She closed her eyes and screamed again. He sucked her tongue into his mouth, and she lost all ability to breathe.
Little bands of tension began popping in her cunt. The sound of his balls slapping against her pussy—wet, erotic sounds—filled the room.
“Put your legs around me,” he panted. “Take me deep.”
She obeyed and moaned as he slipped even deeper. He paused, his hips quivering against the back of her legs. Then his cock jerked and pulsed, and the flood of his release spilled into her.
He lay there a long time, deeply embedded in her, her hands held tightly over her head. He relaxed his sweat-soaked body onto her already damp one. She twisted restlessly, loving how her body accommodated him, cradled him. A perfect fit.
Finally he released her hands, and she lowered her arms to his shoulders, holding him close to her.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked gruffly.
She shook her head. Hurt was the last thing she’d experienced. As far as first times went, it couldn’t get any better than that.
Slowly, he extricated himself from her hold, sliding from her pussy in a wet rush. He left the bed and returned a moment later with a damp cloth.
He spread her legs until she was bared to him. Then he gently cleaned her still-quivering pussy, wiping and soothing with the cool towel. When he was finished, he tossed the cloth across the room and turned back to her.
She lay staring at him, unsure of what came next. The silence felt awkward, but she’d always known he wasn’t a fan of too much talking. He tended to get things accomplished with action.
He slid up the bed until they were facing each other. Then he hooked an arm over her waist and pulled her up tight against him.
“You set your course, sugar. You’re mine now, and I don’t readily give up what belongs to me.”
She exhaled in relief. He wasn’t tossing her out as she’d feared he would. Possession burned darkly in his eyes. They gleamed in the low light, almost predatory.
“I’ve always wanted you, Jack,” she said huskily. “I’ve always wanted to belong to you.”
He tucked her head under his chin. “You don’t know what that entails, little one. You may not feel that way when you find out just what it does mean.”
She stared quizzically at him. He shook his head at her silent question.
“I’m tired, and you look like the cat who got the cream. All soft and contented. Lay in my arms. We can talk tomorrow.”
She snuggled into his strong arms, laying her head on his hard chest. Tomorrow sounded good.
CHAPTER 2
Mia came awake, a cock deep in her pussy, Jack’s mouth on her breast. She gasped as he sucked at her nipple then bit down on the bud.
“You’re awake.”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he slid his tongue past her lips, devouring her with his kiss. After several breathless moments, he pulled slightly away.
“We need to talk, Mia.”
She panted, unable to form a response. He was fucking her in slow, deep thrusts. Talk? She couldn’t even think.
“Can’t we talk later?”
He kissed her again then slid his mouth down her cheek to the curve of her neck. He bit and sucked, marking her. She bruised easily, and she knew she’d have one hell of a hickey when it was over with.
“I swore I’d never touch you. Not when you were so young and had no idea what you wanted. Told myself I’d never go to you, that you’d have to come to me.”
Her breath hitched and her pulse sped up. He had wanted her.
“We shouldn’t be doing this. You have no understanding of how it would be if you belonged to me.”
She shivered. Her heart pulsed and ached with the power of those words. His. God how she’d longed to belong to somebody. Her entire life had been spent longing for someone to love her. Her.
Jack had been her hero since the day he’d broken down the door to her dad’s house in a routine drug bust. He’d saved her from her father’s clutches when he would have taken her down with him. Then Jack had held her while she cried. He’d been responsible for finding her an apartment and a job. He’d insisted she finish high school. In short, he’d saved her life.
“I’m yours,” she said.
He withdrew and held himself at the rim of her pussy entrance. Then he rolled his hips and sank back into her.
“I’m not an easy man to live with. You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
She frowned. He was so serious. Like he was an ax murderer or something.
A ringing phone distracted her from his cryptic statement. She glanced at the nightstand, but the phone there wasn’t the one ringing.
Above her, Jack froze then swore.
“I have to get that,” he said as he pulled away from her body.
Cold air washed over her, and she sat up, reaching for the blankets. She pulled them up to her chin and watched as Jack stumbled across the floor to where his jeans lay in a heap.
He reached into the pocket and pulled out a cell phone.
“Yeah,” he bit out.
Mia hugged her knees to her chest and waited.
“What? When?” He broke off and swore. “Where?” he finally said. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
He snapped the phone shut then strode back over to the bed. She looked up at him, disappointment weighing heavy in her chest.
“I’ve got to go. Sorry.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her forcefully. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
She nodded and shivered as a chill took over her.
He spent a few minutes pulling his jeans and a shirt on then fastened his shoulder holster. He reached for his gun and shoved it into the holster.
He stopped long enough to give her a smoldering look then disappeared out the bedroom door.
Mia sighed in disappointment and slid her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up, a bit shaky after the night’s activities. He hadn’t lied. He hadn’t been the least gentle. The soreness between her legs was a testament to that.
But she loved that about him. His raw, rugged appeal. The fact he didn’t simper and play the understanding male. She liked him strong and unyielding. He made her feel safe.
She trudged to the shower and took a quick rinse under the warm spray. Afterward, she retrieved her clothing from the floor outside Jack’s door where she’d shed it the previous night. Then she headed to the kitchen in search of food.
She spent the day in anticipation of his return. When evening fell, she wondered if she should stay or return to her apartment. Maybe he’d gotten busy with a case. She needed to get a change of clothing anyway.
But she wanted to be here when he got back. So she waited, finally falling asleep on the couch at midnight.
The next morning, she awakened to a beam of sunlight stabbing through the window across the room. It hit her square in the eyes, and she winced and turned her head away. Her eyes
fell on the wall clock hanging over the mantle: 9 A.M.
She sat up, looking around the room. Where was Jack? She stood up and paced back and forth. What should she do? He hadn’t even tried to call her. She gnawed nervously at her lip.
She hated the uncertainty she felt. Maybe she should go home and wait for him to call.
After battling indecision, she searched around for her shoes and slipped out the kitchen door into the garage. Her beat up Honda Civic was parked on the apron, and she climbed into the hot interior.
She drove the fifteen minutes to her apartment complex and let herself in. Not wanting to miss Jack if he returned home, she quickly packed a few changes of clothes plus her work uniform for the next day. She got back into her car and traveled back to Jack’s house.
To her disappointment his truck was still gone when she pulled into his driveway. Palming the spare key Jack had given her, she walked to the kitchen door to let herself back in.
For the rest of the day, she watched TV, browsed idly through the collection of magazines on the coffee table before falling asleep again on the couch.
The next morning she got ready for work and drove to the diner. After a full day of waitressing, she was exhausted and more than ready to see Jack. She stopped by her apartment to shower and change. She wanted to look her best, not like a wilted, sweaty dishrag.
As she pulled into Jack’s driveway, she noticed a “For Sale” sign in his front yard. What the hell? She hadn’t known he was selling his house. Surely that would have come up in conversation before now.
Nervousness settled into her stomach as she climbed out of her car. Jack’s truck still wasn’t there, but he’d had to have been home at some point if he managed to have a realtor out.
She took the key and inserted it into the lock. It wouldn’t budge. She stuck it in again and twisted. The key didn’t work. What on earth was going on? She stared in bewilderment at the door. The locks had been changed.
She walked around to the front window and tried it. Locked fast. When she looked inside, she froze. All the living room furniture was gone. The room was completely empty. Spotless.
She stood there for a long moment, unable to process what she was seeing. Then she returned to her car. This didn’t make sense. None of it made sense. Where was Jack?
Her purse lay on the seat, and she fumbled through the contents, finally yanking out her cell phone. She dialed information and asked for the number for the district Texas Rangers office.
After a few moments she was connected to Jack’s office. A man answered with the standard greeting, and Mia bucked up her courage and asked for Jack Kincaid.
There was a long pause.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, there’s no one here by that name.”
The knot grew in Mia’s stomach. Something was wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong.
“There must be some mistake,” she said. “Jack Kincaid works for the Texas Rangers. He’s worked there for years.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he repeated. “We have no record of a Jack Kincaid.”
“But he works there. I’m not crazy!”
There was another long pause. “I’m truly sorry. There’s nothing I can do. I’ve never heard of Jack Kincaid.”
Mia shut her phone in stunned disbelief. How could he have disappeared? What had happened? Surely he wouldn’t leave town and not tell her.
She drove back to her apartment, numb, in shock, disbelieving what she’d seen and heard. Was she dreaming? Would she wake up in Jack’s arms, the whole thing nothing more than a bizarre nightmare?
The tears began to fall as soon as she walked into her apartment. She huddled on her couch, drawing an old afghan around her for comfort. What had gone wrong? Had he lied to her? Was he dead somewhere? What kind of bizarre situation occurred that his house was on the market and no one at the Texas Rangers knew who he was?
The simple answer was that he’d left, plain and simple. But she couldn’t face that. Couldn’t face the idea that after getting close to him, finally, he was gone.
What was she going to do? She’d never felt so alone in her life. Or so afraid.
Over the next several weeks, she got up, went to work, drove by Jack’s, came home, went to bed and started the routine all over again. She lost weight, knew she looked like hell. The other waitresses were casting suspicious glances in her direction.
She’d managed to thoroughly embarrass herself when she’d gone to where Jack had worked and demanded to see him. In the end, she’d been escorted out and been told none too kindly not to return.
Then three months after Jack’s disappearance, Mia drove by his house, just like she’d done every day. Only today she saw a large moving truck out front. Two kids played out on the front lawn while the parents directed the unpacking of the truck. On the “For Sale” sign was a big fat “Sold.”
She stopped her car in the middle of the street and just stared. Her hands shook, and her eyes stung. She wiped at her face, willing the sick feeling welling in her stomach to go away.
He was gone. Really gone.
Before now she’d hoped that one day she’d drive by and see his truck parked in the garage. Until today, she hadn’t given up hope. But now . . . now she had to face reality. He’d left her and his life here behind. Why she didn’t know. She was afraid to examine the reasons. But it was apparent he wasn’t coming back.
CHAPTER 3
TWO YEARS LATER
Jack Kincaid stood staring out the window of his Dallas office. He flexed his neck and rotated his shoulder. Even after being back for six months, he still had trouble being confined to the desk again.
He’s spent the eighteen months before that living a different life, one that went against everything he fought for on a daily basis, but one that had given him freedoms he’d sometimes enjoyed.
He tried to conjure guilt for the life he’d led. Told himself he should regret it. But the simple fact was, in the end, he’d brought down the biggest drug ring in Texas—hell the entire South. He’d done what he had to do, and the world was a better place for it.
A nagging sense of regret filtered through his mind. Not for the job he’d done, but for a girl, all soft and sweet. Big innocent blue eyes and pretty blond hair. Mia.
He let out a sigh and turned away from the window. He’d known when he got the phone call he wouldn’t be back. That day he’d left Jack Kincaid and his life behind. Become Todd Kirkland. Member of the most notorious motorcycle gang in the South.
Mia was young. She only thought she wanted him. She’d be pissed for a few days, but she’d go on and live her life without him. Maybe settle down with a nice guy and have a few babies. He’d fully expected to find her married when he got back. Only she hadn’t been there.
He’d asked idly about her in the diner where she’d worked only to be informed she’d left there not long after he’d gone undercover. Maybe she’d gotten smart and stopped waiting around for a man she only thought she wanted to be with. Wherever she was, he hoped she was happy. She’d had too much pain in her young life.
But still, that night, the night she’d come to him, so full of fire and passion, still burned in his mind. His body still reacted to that memory. Never mind that he should have kicked her out of his bed the minute she planted herself there. He was fourteen years older than her. Almost old enough to be her fucking father.
That fact should have stopped him. He should have never taken her innocence. A selfish part of himself wasn’t sorry for it. That memory had carried him through a lot of terrible times in the following months.