Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

H e helped her stand, and she went to the corner. This was something else Zara hated. Why did dominant men find it necessary to make a woman stand in the corner like a small child? She hated it. She wasn’t sure what they thought women did there, but it sure as hell wasn’t contemplating the error of their ways or what they’d done to get sent there. Zara had always used it to figure out how not to get caught the next time.

She heard him go into the bath, run the water in the sink, then laugh.

“Someone was thinking of you, sweetheart. There’s a tube of nice aloe gel in here. That’ll help with some of the sting, especially the welts.”

“It’s not funny, and it hurts, you bastard.”

“I imagine it does. Your ass is a fierce shade of red, and those welts are coming up nicely. The real question is… did I get through to you?”

“Yes.”

Zara heard him rejoining her in the bedroom.

“Doesn’t sound like it. Ah, they must have put Croft in charge of the provisions. There’s a bottle of good bourbon.”

Hearing the whiskey hit the bottom of the glass and splash around, she started to turn her head but was cut short by his growl.

“I said, stick your nose in that corner, and I meant it.”

She turned her head back to the corner, mumbling under her breath.

“Knock it off, Zara. I’m starting to get the feeling I didn’t get through to you.”

“No, Noah, please. You did. I said I was sorry.”

She flinched when he ran his finger down her spine. It wasn’t that she feared him. In fact, just the opposite. Everything about Noah spoke of strength and keeping her safe.

“Easy, sweetheart. Think you can be a good girl?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Then turn around, drop to your knees, and open your mouth.”

Something about the way he said it—his words, his tone of voice—made her want to do exactly as he ordered and sent jolts of electricity from the center of her being straight down to her feminine core. Slowly, Zara turned around, and he lightly pinched each nipple as she sank to her knees and opened her mouth. The fly to his jeans still open, he lifted his cock out, directing it to the hole he intended to use. The head slipped past her lips as he leaned heavily against the wall behind her and penetrated her mouth with his full length, groaning.

“Look at me, Zara,” he purred.

She raised her eyes and saw the predatory fire burning there. Instead of frightening her, its flames served as a reminder of his depth of feeling and that he burned for her.

Noah rocked his hips forward and back, once again fucking her mouth versus letting her give him a blowjob. She sucked and licked his cock as it moved in and out, and he made masculine noises of pleasure. Reaching down, he stroked her hair as he used her mouth.

“I hope for your sake, you got it plenty wet, sweetheart.” He withdrew, then helped her to her feet. “Go kneel on the edge of the bed and spread your legs for me.”

“Noah?” she asked a bit anxiously.

“Do it, Zara. By the time we’re through, you’re going to give me everything.”

He stood to one side and waited for her to comply. She knew she had little to no choice and was starting to feel as though she didn’t really want one. She’d never be meek and submissive, but there was something incredibly erotic about the way Noah handled her and seemed to know what she needed long before she did. She had to admit, if only to herself, he seemed to value her fire and spirit.

She positioned herself on the bed and watched as he removed his jeans. His cock looked like a pillar of stone attached to his groin. She had no doubt in her mind when he talked about making it difficult for her to walk, he had the ability to get the job done.

“Eyes front,” he snarled.

His cock grazed her outer lips as it pushed between her legs. She was surprised when he didn’t mount her, only inserted several fingers into her dripping cunt.

“That’s the way I like my woman, wet and needy.”

“Noah, please?”

“Please what, sweetheart?”

“Please, fuck me?”

“I plan to, only it’s not your pussy I plan to fuck first.”

“What?”

He chuckled. “You heard me. I’m going to fuck your bottom hole.”

“No,” she wailed and started to crawl forward.

He placed his hand on top of her shoulder and pulled her back into place.

“Yes, Zara. You went out of your way to disobey me in every way you could think of. When you show me just how defiant and stubborn you can be, I’m going to show you just how dominant and determined I can be. Now, settle down and ask me to fuck your asshole.”

“I won’t.”

He swatted her between the legs while still holding onto her shoulder. His grip meant she couldn’t move forward from the force of the blow and just had to let her pussy absorb it.

“Ask me to fuck your asshole.”

“Noah, please don’t make me do this.”

He landed another hard swat between her legs, then repeated himself.

“Noah, I won’t fight you, but don’t make me ask.”

His hand landed a third strike, and she yowled in response.

“You will ask me, so I know that you know you damn well deserve it. Ask me.”

“All right. Noah, will you please fuck my ass? I’m sorry for what I did, and I don’t want you to be angry anymore.”

“Not exactly what I wanted, but it’ll do.” His tone had gone from harsh and commanding to sensual and reassuring.

He pressed the head of his cock against her dark rosette, pushing past the ring of tight muscle that had always protected her most secret hole from intrusion. He wasn’t rough or fast, just relentless. The entrance to her back passage began to give way, and he groaned in carnal exultation. Reaching under her, he rubbed her clit, making it hard for her to think about what he was doing. He gained ground in her dark passage inch by inch, groaning and grunting in a supremely satisfied male way.

“That’s my good girl,” he soothed. “You can take it all. Give to me Zara. Let me take your last virgin hole.”

One of his hands pleasured her swollen nub as he seated himself in her ass. He thrust into her, and the inner walls of her pussy shook and quivered as she tried to make sense of the intense pleasure he was giving her. She cried out in an unexpected climax from his fondling and stroking. His other hand grasping her hip, he slowly moved inside her. She caught her breath as he rubbed, tugged, and pinched her clitoris in rhythm to his use of her bottom hole. The slight pain and discomfort gave way, and arousal surged to the forefront. She moaned at the new hedonistic gratification he was inflicting on her.

“That’s my good girl,” he said and moved more deliberately.

“Yes,” she said, making a sound half hiss and half sigh. “Noah, yes!”

He kept one hand on her shoulder, pressing her back, ensuring she couldn’t escape from his exquisite mastery of her body. Another orgasm built in response to the knowledge he was about to shoot his load into her ass for the first time. She neared the crest of her own climax as he shoved three fingers into her gaping cunt and finger fucked her pussy. As he drove into her ass with more power, he gave one more surge, and his cock spilled his cum inside her. She screamed, caught up in the maelstrom of her own orgasm. He caught her by her hips and held her as his cock jerked within her, ensuring his entire load was deposited.

Noah leaned over her back, murmuring kisses up her spine and across her shoulder blades, then withdrew slowly and gently, allowing her to slide onto her belly. Following her down, he stretched out alongside her, running his hands up and down her body, lightly caressing her in a way both tender and erotic.

He started to get up, but Zara reached for him.

“Stay?”

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I thought we could go take a shower, then figure out what we want for dinner.”

“You’re assuming I could help with that. That’s a pretty big assumption.”

He chuckled, and she wondered when she’d gone from hating that sound to it making her quiver inside.

“No, I thought I’d either let you lie here on your belly or on the couch while I made something to eat. It looks like whoever stocked the pantry and fridge made sure we had enough to cook for at least a week.”

“I’m not allowed to sit up?” she challenged softly, catching her breath at the pain that resulted from his lightly tracing a fingertip down one of her welts.

“You can if you like, but pillow or not, I think you’ll be more comfortable on your belly.”

He stood and lifted her in his arms, then carried her into the shower. She sighed in pure, unadulterated bliss as he washed them both, the hot shower soothing her tired and aching body. He held her close and let her rely on his strength. She relaxed into him and rubbed herself against him, sighing in peaceful ecstasy. When she was ready to leave the shower, she nuzzled him a last time, then found the strength to stand on her own without his support. Noah leaned forward and turned off the shower, helping her step out.

He used the big fluffy towels to dry them off, then handed her one of his shirts as he pulled on a pair of jeans. Swinging her up in his arms, he carried her into the sitting room, making sure she would be comfortable lying on her belly, watching him in the kitchen. She rolled to her side, wincing a bit, but she could see him better. She had to acknowledge watching Noah was becoming a habit she rather liked. He moved with power and grace, his movements deliberate and sensual.

He was a conundrum, a man with a murky past, one of the people Ethan McDaniel had brought on board with his private security firm. There had to be a story there—one he didn’t necessarily want to expose to the world, but one she wanted to know.

“Noah?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything you like. Whether I answer will depend on your need to know and whether we’re on or off-the-record.”

“How about if I agree we are off-the-record unless I tell you otherwise…”

Noah looked up from chopping vegetables and smiled slowly with sensuality, which even after their last encounter, shot endorphins fueled by sexual need straight to her core.

“What?” she said a bit unsteadily.

“Nothing, I just like it when you talk about things in the future… things that seem to indicate you’re coming around to the idea of our being together.”

“I thought you said you planned to tie me up, throw me over your saddle, and ride off into the sunset with me when this is all over.”

He laughed. “Would you like that? I can arrange it. I’m not as good with rope as Croft, but I can get him to teach me. You’d look great bound up in rope with a pretty bow.”

“No, I think I’ll pass on that bit of rampant alpha male behavior.”

“Only if you behave yourself,” he teased.

Zara made a dismissive noise.

“What did you do before you joined Wild Mustang?”

“I was in military intelligence, did some deep-cover work for the Company, most of which should never see the light of day.”

Intrigued, she asked, “Are you ashamed of things you did?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll be blunt. I’ve killed people—although all of them either needed killing or were trying to kill me. I don’t take a life lightly, but I don’t regret any of those I’ve taken. When I was finally ready to walk away from that level of violence, Mac came looking to recruit me at first for the Marshals, then he decided to put Wild Mustang together and asked me to join them. I like working with Mac. He’s honorable, intelligent, and would never ask anyone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. The team he put together is simply the best. Fariq Abdal is a nasty bastard and has a pretty lethal organization, but I don’t like their odds if they come up against us.”

“Do you have a family?”

“Not living. I’ve been on my own since I was fifteen. I lied about my age to join the military. I think I was looking for someplace to call home, but I was just as alone there as I was as a kid. It wasn’t until I joined Wild Mustang, I knew I’d found what I was looking for, with the exception of a few key pieces.”

“Those being?” she asked, utterly astonished at how easily he revealed himself to her.

“You. I didn’t know it was you, but I should have.” He laughed, shaking his head with mirth and pointing the chef’s knife at her. “I can’t tell you how many times I said I wanted a nice quiet girl… then you came along, and that notion went right out the window.”

He crossed from the kitchen area to the couch, leaned down, and kissed her with a passionate intensity that belied the fact the kiss itself was brief, and the only part of him that touched her were his lips.

“I can’t believe how I vacillate between losing my heart to you or running like hell,” she sighed.

He had returned to the kitchen and smiled benignly at her.

“You wouldn’t be losing it. You’d be putting it in my safekeeping, a gift I would cherish. And you’ve tried running like hell… how’d that work out for you?”

She laughed. “The welts on my ass would tend to indicate not so well.”

“Then, next time you think to take off on me or put yourself in danger, you remember what it feels like to have me take my belt to you.”

“Is it so easy for you? Just throwing down a gauntlet? Do as I tell you or else?”

He looked up at her and shrugged. “Pretty much.”

She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, what makes you think that’s okay?”

“You’re my woman. Part of my job is to make sure you’re safe. If you choose to behave in a way that makes you unsafe, I’m going to get after you until you decide, staying safe is better.”

“If I’m your woman, does that make you my man?” she asked, afraid to hear his answer.

“I thought I’d made that perfectly clear.”

“You’ve called me yours several times but never said anything about you belonging to me.” Zara hated that this was so important to her, hated that it mattered at all. She feared how she would feel if he said no… feared even more, he’d say yes.

He stopped what he was doing in the kitchen and rejoined her, taking her face in his hands, rubbed her nose with his, and took possession of her mouth with skill and raw lust that left her breathless.

“I would have thought, Zara, as bright as you are, I didn’t need to spell it out for you…”

“It has nothing to do with my intelligence…”

“You’re right. My apology.” He stopped and seemed to gather his thoughts. “I have a sneaking suspicion I’m going to fuck this up badly, so bear with me. I’ve never said this to another woman because I’ve never felt for another woman, even a fraction of what I feel for you.”

“That’s bullshit, Noah. My ass is not the first one you’ve spanked, and I’m damn sure not the only woman you’ve ever fucked into submission.”

“No, you’re not.” He shook his head and grinned. “But I was always playing. I never saw any of those women as mine. Don’t get me wrong, they were my submissive, and I took care of them, but that’s all they were… a submissive for me to Top, so I’d have something to play with. While I would have protected their feelings and knocked some guy into next Tuesday for trying to threaten or harm them or even calling them a bitch when they were behaving like one, I damn sure wouldn’t have killed for them.”

“And would you kill for me?” she whispered.

“In the space of a heartbeat. I never envisioned being with any of those girls for the rest of my life. Always and forever, Zara… that’s what I’m demanding, and that’s what you’ll give me.”

“You can’t demand that,” she whispered, shattered to the core.

There, he’d said it. Why did he have to say it? He’d declared himself in no uncertain terms and let her know she wasn’t something casual. He meant for them to build a life together. Once again, she felt like she was losing her equilibrium.

“I can, and I am. What’s more, not only do you know that, but it’s also what you want.”

“I don’t,” she murmured, shaking her head.

“You do. You’re just afraid because what you had with Damian wasn’t as intense, and it still almost destroyed you when he died.”

“You don’t get to talk about him.”

“Why not? He’s a part of your past. I’m your present and future.”

“I don’t want you to be.”

“Yes, you do.” Gently, he cupped the back of her head and drew her forward. She could feel him breathing and could swear she heard the sound of his heart. His mouth captured hers in a kiss dizzying in its intensity, yet tender and loving.

“What if I don’t want to give you what you want? What if I can’t?”

He grinned. “I’ll take it from you, anyway.” He went back into the kitchen, then turned. “What makes you think you haven’t already?”

“Insufferable. Have I mentioned you are insufferable?”

“Among other things… in fact, that might be the kindest of the lot.”

He finished butchering a chicken, then added it to the Dutch oven to simmer.

“Now, a little wine,” he said, pouring almost half a bottle into the pot.

She laughed. When he wasn’t beating her ass, he really was quite amusing and easy to be with.

“Whatever it is, it smells divine. At this point, I think I should disclose, I’m a lousy cook.”

“It is coq au vin, which is just snooty chicken stew with vegetables and wine. And if you don’t like to cook, I’ll do it. I enjoy it.”

“Where did you learn?”

“Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. I took some time off between the government and Wild Mustang. I was going to just bum around Europe, but I needed more structure, so I went to culinary school and used the time and discipline to clear my head. It helped.”

“Ever think of making it a career?” she asked, intrigued by this newest piece of information.

“Not really. I’m good at what I do with the firm, maybe the best, and it’s important. Maybe someday that’ll change, but for now, I just enjoy cooking for friends. I was honored when Willa asked me to help her with the cooking for her and Mac’s wedding. That was one of the best celebrations I’ve ever been to. Just family and those friends we call family, but we partied until after midnight.”

“You must not go to many weddings. That’s not all that late.”

“It is when it started at nine in the morning, and Mac and Willa left to spend the weekend in New Orleans at seven that night. God, the next morning, my face hurt, I’d laughed so much,” he said, the memory of the event warming his eyes.

“You really are the most complex human being I’ve ever met.”

“Me? Sweetheart, I’m the most transparent, straightforward guy you’ll ever meet.”

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but you come off as this macho, tough guy who is always going to be the dominant partner, then I find out you went to a French cooking school, which means you lived in Paris for a while…”

“I could get lost in the Louvre for days.”

“See what I mean? Part of me feels like I’ve known you forever, that my soul has been waiting to be reunited with yours. Then you throw me for a loop. Would you want to live in Paris again?”

He shook his head as he sat on the end of the couch and rested her head in his lap.

“Maybe some little town in France, but not Paris. I always felt like a fish out of water. I could do London, though, or any of the other capitals in Britain. If you want warmer weather, my choices would be Mesa or Tuscany… New Orleans, if you want a vibrant city.”

“Could you do that, choose to work wherever?”

“Mac has talked about opening an office in Europe, so that wouldn’t be an issue, and New Orleans isn’t so far I couldn’t figure it out. Besides, Mac is big on being with the woman you love. He and Willa were separated for five years. I think it may be his only regret.”

“You envy him.”

“No. I wouldn’t want to take his woman.”

“That’s jealousy—I want what you have. You want him to have his but want one of your own.”

He nodded. “You’re right. I envy him… and John… and now Croft. We’re an odd bunch of guys.”

“I’ll say,” she teased.

“Usually, when you have a group of guys, where there are married and single ones, the single guys are always talking about going out and scoring with women, and the married guys are happy, but a part of them misses those days. In our group, the single guys are all whiney about not being able to find their Willa, Mandy, or Finn. And the married or committed guys look at the single ones and think ‘chump.’”

Zara was thoroughly enjoying getting to know this side of not only Noah but the other men who were a part of the private security firm with a reputation second to none.

“So, you think Croft and Finn will get married?”

“Only if Finn ever wants to sit down again.”

“Obnoxious, insufferable, arrogant, and?—”

“Yours,” he reminded her.

She nodded, finally accepting the truth.

“Yes, and mine.”