“You’re doing it again. Don’t you want me, Joel?”
He wanted nothing—no one—more. “Hell, yes.” He wanted to rip those panties away and sink into her as deeply as he could go.
“Then what are you waiting for? Come and take me.”
Like he had to hear that twice. He hauled her into his arms and his mouth took hers with a rush of need. He didn’t think about anything else as his tongue thrust past her lips, and he tasted her. Only Chloe. She moaned and arched into him, and his cock shoved hard against the front of his jeans. He wanted in her. Wanted her surrounding him. Wanted them both to get lost in the white-hot pleasure that they gave each other.
His hands curled around her hips, and he lifted her up against him. Chloe’s legs wrapped around him and he began to walk toward the bedroom. He pulled his mouth away from her, but only so he could turn his head and watch where the hell he was going. When he lifted his head, Chloe began to press a trail of kisses along his neck. A hot path that made him growl.
She licked his skin. Nipped.
His cock was so hard he felt like he’d explode right then and there. When it came to distracting him, Chloe was a master. He wasn’t thinking about the case. He could only focus on her.
He lowered her onto the bed and his hands immediately went to her panties. He hauled them down and Chloe kicked them away. For a moment, he stood by the bed, staring at her. She was so gorgeous to him. He wanted to touch and caress every single inch of her.
His hands pushed her thighs apart as he crawled onto the bed. His fingers slid into the hot haven of her sex. Stroked her clit. Enjoyed the way she arched eagerly up toward him and hissed out his name. But he wanted more than a hiss of his name from her.
He spread her legs apart even more and put his mouth on her.
“Joel!”
That was better. Still, he’d take more. He worked her with his tongue and his lips. Tasting and taking and trying to drive her wild. He liked it when Chloe went wild. When her careful control was gone, and she was demanding in her need. Her hands grabbed his shoulders, and her nails raked him even as she pushed her sex eagerly against his mouth.
So hot.
He could feel her body tensing as the first orgasm surged closer. He didn’t ease up, but used his fingers and mouth to push her even harder, even higher. When she jerked against him and her body shuddered, he let her ride out the climax. He freaking loved her taste.
Another lick, and he lifted his head. He knew he wasn’t even going to be able to strip off all his clothes before he took her. The need was too strong. Her scent and taste consumed him, and he wanted to drive deep into her.
“What are you waiting for?” Her sensual whisper.
He yanked open his jeans. Wasn’t wearing underwear so his dick sprang forward. He put the head of his cock at the entrance of her body then caught her hands with his. He pushed her hands back against the bed and thrust into her.
Her breath sucked in on a gasp. His erupted on a guttural groan. Her sex clamped around him like a greedy, tight glove. Joel thought he might lose his mind because she felt so insanely good.
Perfect.
Even before he withdrew, Joel knew he wasn’t going to be able to hold back. Knew that he would be too rough and uncontrolled. A dangerous intensity seemed to be riding him. Maybe because of the day…maybe because of the new nightmares that plagued him…Joel just wanted her. Needed her to wipe everything else away. He wanted to imprint himself on Chloe. Bind her to him.
Never let go.
He drove into her over and over again even as his fingers threaded with hers. He stared into her eyes as she surged up and met him thrust for thrust. They were racing toward a release that would crash over them both. Harder. Deeper. The bed heaved beneath them, and he didn’t ease up. Joel kept driving into her. When he felt her delicate, inner muscles start to tremble, he knew she was close.
“Come on, sweetheart…” He kissed her. Thrust his tongue past those lush lips of hers. “Let me feel everything.”
She did. Her sex squeezed him tight and her body shuddered as the release ripped through her. Her hands tightened around his, and he was gone. He drove into her one more time, sinking as deep as he could go, and Joel came with a release that obliterated everything else. Pleasure blasted through his whole body, and the world seemed to fade around him. She was his focus. The only thing that mattered. He emptied into her and never, ever wanted to let her go.
***
“Stay,” he growled.
Sometimes, she left him. Went back up to the main house. He lived on the massive estate that she owned—an estate that had been some mysterious gift to her. Joel had never gotten the full details on that deal. The place had once been known as the “Mob Murder House”…now it was Chloe’s home. His home, too.
He lived in the guest house. A hold-over from when he’d first started working with her. She stayed at the main home, along with her brother and one of Chloe’s friends, Marie Kim. The mysterious Marie had just as many secrets as Chloe did.
Chloe had a habit of collecting friends with secrets. Part of her charm.
Friends with secrets and friends who were very, very dangerous.
At his growled command, Chloe turned toward him. Joel had ditched the rest of his clothes earlier and she’d been cuddled against him, completely naked, in bed. He’d felt at peace with her beside him. She was the only person who ever did give him peace.
Then he’d felt her careful movements.
“I thought you were asleep,” she murmured.
“That why you were slipping away?” She’d thought she could get out without him noticing?
Chloe settled back down against him. “I’m not in any rush.”
His arms slid around her. She felt good against him. Right. Darkness filled the room, but when he looked up, he could see the night sky. A thousand glittering stars. A huge section of the bedroom ceiling was made of glass. To the side, massive glass doors let him look out to the pool area. Chloe had done that—put in all of the glass. Even before he’d moved in, she’d had the updates made to the place.
Because even then, she knew I couldn’t stand to feel confined. Before we even met, she’d learned so many secrets about me.
Despite the fact that he hadn’t been thrilled to discover Chloe knew about his confinement issues before he met her…Joel still loved the damn view. Before he’d moved in, there had been too many nights when he’d felt trapped. The walls and ceiling of his old place had closed in on him.
And he’d felt like he was back in the grave again.
But with Chloe curled at his side and his arm wrapped around her, it was easy to let go and slide into sleep. So very easy…
Until the nightmares came.
***
“Why the fuck are you doing this?” Joel demanded. Blood covered his body. He’d been stabbed. Over and over. The sonofabitch had started with light slices, but then he’d begun to drive the knife deep into Joel’s body. He’d been careful—he knew what he was doing. He’d avoided all major organs, so far. No way had that been by luck.
A mask was on his face—a surgical damn mask—and a bright light was strapped to his forehead. Sometimes, he hummed while he cut into Joel. Didn’t seem worried or rushed.
They were in the hospital. Someone should come to help him. Someone should—