Drake rose up quickly and drove deep into her, as deep as he could go—even as the climax still shook her.
Balls deep.
Her eyes were wide and dark with pleasure. Her cheeks flushed. She was beautiful and she was—
Begging for more.
“Please,” Jasmine gasped, her voice husky and desperate. “Drake, please!”
He withdrew. Thrust deeper. He still had her wrists in his grasp and he lifted them up, pinning them above her head. He wanted the control, but he’d sure see to it that she had her share of pleasure.
Enough pleasure to make her scream.
He plunged into her again, his rhythm giving them both just what they needed. Wanted. The wooden posters of his bed thudded into the wall. There was no restraint, no slow build up.
His cock sank into her, again and again.
Her legs lifted and locked around his hips as she tried to meet his thrusts.
It wasn’t enough.
He needed more.
He withdrew from her.
“Drake?”
In a flash, he’d rolled her over, positioning her on her knees. He wanted in her even deeper.
“Hold the headboard,” he ordered.
Her hands curled over the wood.
“Hold tight,” he whispered into her ear as his body wrapped around hers. She shivered against him. “Is this…okay…are you hurting?”
He didn’t want to hurt those stitches—
“Only pleasure,” Jasmine whispered back.
He put his mouth on the curve of her neck. His hand slid under her, fondling her breasts, then moving down, down, and finding the tight center of her need.
He stroked her clit even as he thrust into her.
Jasmine cried out. Her hands flew off the headboard.
“Hold tight!” Drake ordered her.
Her hands slapped back down and he drove into her with a thrust that had them both gasping. He thrust and stroked her, playing with her clit, forcing her closer to another release, one that he knew would be hard and brutal, because the orgasm pounding down on him was going to be that way. It was going to—
Consume.
She screamed his name as he erupted. The spasms of his release had him pounding deep into her. Pleasure made him blind and nearly mad for a moment as he held tightly to her. His whole body ached as the release seemed to go on and on, surging through Drake.
Her breaths were rushed and desperate.
And he was holding her too hard.
Awareness slowly came back to Drake.
Jasmine’s knuckles were white as they curled around the headboard. Her body was quivering.
The scent of sex and vanilla and woman hung in the air.
Perfect.
He kissed her shoulder.
Her head turned then, just a bit, and her eyes met his. There was pleasure on her face. No denying that, but Jasmine also looked…lost?
Had he hurt her? “Jasmine?” Her stitches—
“I…wasn’t prepared for you.”
He didn’t know what that meant. He’d taken care of the protection. He always did. No way would he go bareback with a woman he’d just picked up.
Jasmine’s not just any woman.
She blinked and her expression changed. Now she just looked…happy. Sated.
His.
“That was incredible.” Her voice was still soft and husky, and he was already getting hard inside of her. Again.
Round two, coming up.
But first…
He pulled out of her. Settled her down against the covers. Feasted for a moment with his eyes. He’d give her a few minutes to rest, then he’d get more screams from her.
Sex with Jasmine had been fantastic. Far better than—
His phone was ringing. Hell, where was his phone? He’d thrown it aside earlier when he shed his clothes. He’d been so intent on getting in Jasmine that he hadn’t exactly been paying much attention to the thing.
Ah…there…
He followed the sound and swiped up his phone—it had been under his trousers. “This had better be important,” he snapped. Cause you’re taking me away from paradise.
“Oh, it’s important, all right, boss. Some jerkoff just tried to get access to your vault,” Chad told him, voice flat and hard. “The guy stole a guard’s suit and walked right up here.”
His body tensed. “Where is the joker now?” Drake turned his back on Jasmine.
“He knocked out two of the guards.”
What?
“And he…hell, it looks like he just left. Must’ve realized that he wasn’t going to be able to break through the vault’s security system.”
No, that didn’t fit. The guy knocked out the guards, then left—with nothing?
“Drake?” Jasmine’s voice. Worried.
He glanced over his shoulder. She’d sat up in his bed. Her body was naked. Flushed from the releases he’d given her.
Beautiful, distracting Jasmine.
His jaw clenched as he put puzzle pieces together. “The devices last night were on timers…”
At his words, Jasmine’s gaze seemed to double in size. “What’s happening?” she demanded as she rose from the bed. Her eyes were wide.
“Those were just smoke bombs…” But now Chad’s voice was hard with an edge of worry.
“Tell me what’s happening!” Jasmine grabbed for his arm.
He didn’t respond to her, but he told his security chief, “Maybe those were just smoke last night, but maybe they aren’t tonight.”
Her hand tightened on him. “Was someone at the Arrow?”
As if she didn’t know.
Such a lying, beautiful face.
“What happened?” Her nails dug into him. “Tell me.”
He eased the phone from his mouth. “Someone tried to get to the Arrow’s vault. Attacked the men there but left without taking anything—”
“No,” the word was a stark whisper from her as horror flashed across her face. “He hasn’t taken anything yet. You have to get your men out of there! Close the casino!”
He glared at her. “You know what he’s doing.” A set up. She’s still playing me.
“He’s pissed. If he went in…or if he sent someone else inside…anyone in that casino could be in danger.”
“What will he do, Jasmine?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know…I just…I don’t want anyone hurt.”
Liar. He’d warned her about telling lies.
“Please, be safe.” She was begging again, but not because of passion. “Get the people out of there!”
He brought the phone back to his lips. “Get a sweep going—now. Close the whole place down.” Because even without Jasmine’s words, his gut was clenching with an instinct that couldn’t be denied.
“Yes, sir,” Chad told him instantly.
Jasmine’s breath whispered out as Drake ended the call. She backed away from him. Still naked. Still staring up at him with secrets in her eyes.
But he was figuring out those secrets. And maybe I really did just get fucked. “You’re the distraction.”
“Wh-what?”
“You keep me busy, while what…he goes after my money?” She’d been the one to tell him that he had to head down to New Orleans. A ruse, to get him away from the Arrow so her boss could attack.
He grabbed her, yanking her up on her toes. He’d been lost in her, driven to the edge by his lust, when some of her cronies had been trying to rob him. “What’s he got planned?”
“I-I don’t—”
“What?” Rage erupted inside of him. “Dammit, I have friends in that casino. Innocent people in the club. Don’t you try to cover—”
Her chin slipped up a notch. “I don’t know anything about another attack on the Arrow! I thought he was trying to come after your property down here, not up there in Vegas.”
“You’re lying to me.” He’d warned her before. There were no more warnings.
“No.”
/> “People could die, Jasmine. Stop screwing around and tell me what you know! You wanted my security guards to do a sweep. You knew that something could be happening.”
She was silent.
“Tell me.”
Her lashes lowered as she seemed to go limp in his arms. “I’m a dead woman now.”
What?
“Like you, Maxwell Case was ex-military.”
Maxwell Case. She’d just confirmed the SOB’s identity. And she was still talking.
“Demolitions were his specialty,” her voice was muted. “He liked to—liked to make things explode. That’s what he told me.” When her lashes lifted, her eyes shone with tears. “When I was in his office, I…accessed his computer. Found blueprints for the Arrow. Information on the vault. That’s how I knew where to put my smoke bombs. I used the plans I found on his computer. The placement was so obvious…I…it was just smoke for me, but I’m afraid it won’t be for him.”
He pushed her away and called his head of security. “Chad?” The man answered right away. “Get the bomb squad in there.”
“Boss?”
“Use your connections. Get them there now, and make sure everyone else is out.”
Because he would not have anyone dying on his watch.
Maxwell, you bastard…now I’ll be coming after you.
“I can tell you where to search,” Jasmine whispered. “I can tell you everything I saw on his computer…”
***
The Arrow should’ve blown. A controlled explosion that would’ve given him access to all the cash in that casino.
Not that Maxwell Case needed cash.
He wanted to make a fucking point.
But the bomb squad came. The place didn’t blow. They found all of his devices. In record time.
As if they knew just where to look…as if they knew exactly what he’d planned.
Jasmine.
That little bitch. She had always seen and understood far more than most people realized. It was that deceptively delicate appearance. When you looked that fragile, people expected you to be weak.
Jasmine was the smartest woman he’d ever met.
She was also a dead woman.
You told him, Jasmine.
She’d figured out his game. Figured out how much Maxwell liked the fire. Ah, now that was a shame. He’d had such grand plans for Jasmine.
But she’d gone and wrecked everything.
He slid into the back of the limo that waited for him. One that had been parked blocks away from the Arrow.
“Home, sir?” his driver asked.
“Yeah.” Because there would be no fireworks that night. He pulled out his phone. Pressed the number for the hunter who was proving to be nothing but useless. “Hardin, where the hell is she?”
Silence. Then, voice breaking a bit, the hunter confessed, “She flew away with him…to New Orleans.”
Maxwell nearly smashed the phone. Jasmine wasn’t supposed to leave town. She should’ve returned to him.
“I-I’m boarding a flight now,” Hardin stammered out. “I’ll be right on her tail.”
So will I.
Jasmine…beautiful bitch. She’d switched allegiances. Told Archer about the bombs. Even when she shouldn’t have known about them.
And now…now she’d suffer.
He had a special way of paying back those who betrayed him.
Jasmine, baby, you’re going to burn.
Chapter Six
“They found three explosives.”
Jasmine’s eyes squeezed closed at this news. She was out on Drake’s balcony, clad now in jeans and a t-shirt. The rain had stopped, but she knew the storm was far from over.
“They were all right in the exact spots you said.” His hand closed around her shoulder as he turned her to face him.
She forced herself to hold his furious stare.
“You knew what he was doing.”
The rage on his face terrified her. “I didn’t!”
“You knew every spot—”
“N-no one was hurt?”
Grimly, he shook his head and she was finally able to draw in a deep breath. “Thank God.” She’d been terrified that someone would get hurt before the bombs could be deactivated.
“You’re working for a sadistic asshole who plants bombs.” His hold was almost painful. “So you’ve done this before…just stood by while innocent people suffered. While they were hurt, you—”
“No!” The scream broke from her because it was too much. “I haven’t. I wouldn’t.” So he really thought that of her, huh? Not surprising. Most people had been sure she was just trash all her life. Just like dear old mom. “He gave me the specs to get in to the casino. I told you, he had the blueprints.” Blueprints that she’d discovered when she did a bit of snooping on his computer. “I knew about his demolitions past, okay? And I just put two and two together when you told me that someone was back at your casino. I wanted to make sure everyone was safe.”
He had no clue what she’d just done. Maxwell would discover that his devices had been found. He’d also soon connect the dots and realize that she was the person who’d seen the blueprints. She’d been the one in his office. He would know that. She’d had access to his computer, and getting past his computer’s security system had been all too easy for her.
When he realized what she’d done, Maxwell would come after her.
I’m a dead woman. None of her connections would be able to save her this time.
“It’s not like he rose to power easily in Vegas.” She’d read the newspaper stories. Had done her own research. “He told me once that he had to fight his way to the top of the pack.”
“You’re working with him.”
She shook her head. “I took one job for him. I was supposed to get that business intel on your computer. Nothing more. I swear, I swear, I would never do anything to hurt anyone.”
“You crawled into bed with the wrong man.”
She flinched at that. The memory of being in Drake’s bed was too strong. I can still feel him on my skin. In me.
“I’m going to destroy him,” Drake told her flatly. “No one comes after me like this. No one.”
He pushed her away. As if he didn’t want to touch her anymore. Then he turned his back on her. Left her out there on that balcony.
“Drake?” She took a quick step forward.
He didn’t turn at her call.
Jasmine hurried after him. “Drake, please, it’s not what you think—”
He didn’t answer her. Didn’t talk to her. Didn’t even stop in the den. He left the big, cavernous house. Left her standing there, with her arms wrapped around her stomach.
He said he’d protect me.
But he was leaving her. He’d fucked her, just like he’d said he would.
More like fucked me over.
Jasmine felt as if she were about to shatter into a million pieces.
Maxwell planted bombs in the casino. People could’ve died. He wouldn’t be done, not yet. His attack hadn’t worked, so he’d make a new plan. That was how he operated. Why he was so very dangerous.
He didn’t stop, not until his enemies were eliminated.
She hurried toward the phone in the den, her whole body shaking. Picking up the phone on the nearby table—Jasmine’s phone was some place back in Vegas—she called him blindly.
Maxwell answered on the second ring.
“What have you done?” Jasmine whispered.
“Jasmine…”
“Bombs, Max? Dear God, there were people in there!”
“You found my plans…naughty girl.”
She’d found blueprints. She hadn’t realized just how important they were, not until that moment in Drake’s bedroom. A robbery was one thing. A bombing was another. “I’m going to the cops.” She’d tell them everything she knew about Max.
“The cops won’t save you.”
Goosebumps rose on her arms.
“You know how I deal with betrayal
, Jazz.” Jazz…a nickname that had followed her for so long that it had become her codename in the business.
You wanted information retrieved from a rival…call Jazz.
You needed a computer hacked…call Jazz.
You need a life destroyed…
A sob rose in her throat. “I’m telling them everything. You’re done. You should just…you should get on a plane and get the hell out of the country. Run, while you still can.”
His low laughter slipped over the line. “My, but you must be upset…because you didn’t even try to block this number when you called me. Such an amateur mistake. But then, I already knew you were with him in New Orleans.”
The sob choked her. No, she hadn’t tried to block the call. What would have been the point? When she’d been on Maxwell’s computer, she’d seen the file he had on Drake…a file that had contained the addresses and telephone numbers for all of Drake’s homes. This place in the Quarter, the estate in Vegas, the—
“I know where you are, Jazz, and I’m coming for you.”
No. No! “Stay away from me. Stay away from Drake!”
“I’ll be seeing you in the Big Easy, love. I’ll find you, and then I’ll finish my business with Drake.”
He hated Drake. She didn’t even know why. Surely this wasn’t just about business?
“I’ll show you just how beautiful I can make the flames,” Maxwell promised her. “They’ll be nearly as beautiful as you.”
He’s coming to kill me.
“Stay away from Drake,” she repeated as she swiped at the stupid tears on her cheeks. “And you need—you need to run. You think he was the only one that I hacked? I was in your office, too, Max. I’ve got your files. I’ve got your business. I’ve got your life.”
Silence, then… “You’re playing out of your league.”
“I didn’t want to be in this nightmare at all. You forced my hand.” Now…turnabout, asshole. “Stay away from him.”
He hung up on her.
Her gaze flew around the house.
Then Jasmine did the only thing she could…she ran. It was a good thing that she’d had plenty of practice at running.
I ran away for the first time when I was fifteen. I wasn’t going to let her use me…wasn’t going to let those men touch me.
I ran then.
And she would keep running, for as long as it took. She’d run until she was safe.