Chapter 17

Chapter

Seventeen

Z ara had received the coordinates of Fariq’s boat and was closing in on his position. She could see his massive yacht in the distance and the gunboats that patrolled it, keeping others away. Apparently, they’d been given the green light for Zara to approach. She was given instructions where to tie up to Fariq’s floating fortress and was greeted by the captain, who she had met before.

“May I take your bag?” he asked, indicating the large messenger bag that contained the laptop.

“Not until I speak with your boss, and he and I have come to an arrangement.”

The captain offered his hand and helped her aboard. He waved a wand over her person that would indicate metal or gunpowder of any kind. While Zara had taken a gun with her, she had left it on the boat.

“This way, Ms. Hughes. Mr. Abdal has had tea set up on the top deck.”

“I didn’t come for tea, and I’d really prefer to meet here close to my boat. Tell Fariq if he wants what I have, he can come to me.”

Zara’s peripheral vision took in the gunboats that continued to circle the yacht. They were black and closely resembled shark fins in infested waters.

“As you wish,” the captain said before offering her a slight bow and disappearing—leaving her alone on deck.

Her being alone was merely an illusion. She was quite sure any wrong move would reveal those Fariq had tasked with keeping her under close guard. She heard several sets of footsteps approach.

“Zara! How delightful to see you. Are you sure I can’t tempt you with some tea and cakes? My new pastry chef is beyond belief with her skill.”

“No, thank you, Fariq. I would prefer to get this over and done with.”

“I take it the laptop is in the bag?”

“It is, but what assurances do I have you’ll hold up your end of the bargain and not continue to hunt me and those I hold dear?”

“You have my word, which has always been good. Besides, Zara, I have always liked you, and we have served each other well over the years. I have no interest in Mr. Taylor or his firm as long as they leave me alone. As for the contract on your life, I have reprimanded Reid for his ill-considered decision. I have let it be known the contract is rescinded, and anyone trying to harm you in fulfillment of that contract will be dealt with in the most serious of ways.”

“Why would you do that when you didn’t even have the laptop?”

“Call it a gesture of goodwill. One which I hope you will share with the Wild Mustang Security Firm.”

She nodded. “And you’ll leave all the members of the firm alone?”

“Yes. Please, Zara, come and sit. In the past, we have always dealt with each other, if not as friends, then at least as friendly adversaries.”

“That was before your second-in-command involved his sister in this fiasco and tried to have me killed.”

“As I said, a most unfortunate circumstance—one which I have already moved to address. As for anything you might have heard about the firm’s headquarters, what was sent was an EMP to destroy the data. Ask yourself, unless I knew for certain I could get all of them, why on earth would I try to move against them? Ethan McDaniel has put together a team that would stop at nothing to take revenge.”

“What you say makes some sense…” she said, preparing to move forward.

Zara’s arms were crossed over her chest, holding the messenger bag with the laptop in place as a kind of shield. Glancing down to check her footing, she saw a small green dot dead center of her chest mere seconds prior to a shot ringing out. The impact of the blow knocked her backward, causing her to lose her footing and stumble back into her own boat.

Fariq was shouting orders in Arabic and sending his men for the shooter. Before she could react, a wet hand closed over her mouth—a hand she knew intimately.

“Stay down,” Noah ordered, then sprang up behind the wheel of the boat and opened the throttle to full.

Knowing her boat had been secured to Fariq’s yacht, Zara tried to belly crawl to the back of the boat to see if she couldn’t set them free. Noah’s hand grasped her ankle and dragged her back.

“Damn it, woman. Stay.”

“The line…”

“I already cut it. Now, stay down,” he commanded as the boat lurched forward.

She could hear bullets and could feel the spray of the water both from the speed of the boat, and she supposed, from the bullets hitting the water instead of their intended targets. She lifted herself just enough off the deck to be able to peer over the side, which earned her a hard swat from Noah’s hand.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to get up. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever have the opportunity to get up. She crawled back to Noah and curled at his feet. He rested his hand gently on her head and shot her a brief smile. They gained speed until the front of the boat began to lift out of the water.

Zara’s heart beat fast in her chest, then she wondered why it was, in fact, beating at all.

Noah reached down, and she took his hand as he helped her up and brought her to stand between him and the wheel. Zara glanced over her shoulder and could see that ever-increasing distance between them and Fariq’s yacht and patrol boats. New boats had joined in the attack on Fariq’s floating fortress.

Noah nuzzled her neck. “You’re all right. I’ve got you.”

She couldn’t suppress a nervous giggle. “That’s what worries me.”

He chuckled. “It should. Can you drive at this speed?”

She nodded and took the wheel as he walked to the back of the boat.

“What happened? This should have been a straight exchange—the laptop with the information—and we walk away clear.”

“It looks like there’s been a break between Reid and Fariq.”

“Fariq said he put out the word that the contract on me was off. He also said he had arranged for an EMP to hit the firm.”

“He did, but because you alerted us there was a threat, it only did minimal damage.”

He came back to where she was standing and took the wheel as he handed her the messenger bag. Zara looked down and saw the bullet lodged in it.

“I don’t understand,” she stammered.

“The bag has a Kevlar lining, and the laptop has a bulletproof case. That sniper’s bullet probably destroyed both, but they saved your life. The next bullet would have been right between your eyes.”

Turning, so she could see they weren’t being pursued, she asked, “How safe is my life now?”

“Your life is perfectly safe. Your ass… not so much.”

“Noah, I can explain…”

“He threatened my life, and you went off to save me,” he said melodramatically.

“How did you know?”

“My phone records everything automatically and transmits it back to base in Mesa unless I turn off the feature.”

“Then you know I had good reason.”

“You had good reason to talk to me, but not to try to take on one of the most notorious arms dealers in the world. What were you thinking?”

“Didn’t you read my note?”

“It said nothing.”

“Nothing?” Her voice increased in volume and intensity. “I told you I loved you. That’s nothing to you?”

Noah pulled her hard against his body, and his mouth descended on hers with fury and passion. He had her locked up against him as his tongue plundered her mouth and sought to remind her that he was the dominant one. Zara lost her will to resist and melted against him.

“It means everything to me,” he growled.

“Then why was my note nothing?”

He grinned at her. “Because it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know… including that you are stubborn and reckless.”

“You’re impossible.”

“I thought I was obnoxious, insufferable, and arrogant?”

“And mine,” she whispered against his lips. “All mine.”

“Yes, sweetheart. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

“What now? Is there a plan?”

“What? Do you think we just make this shit up as we go along? Of course, there’s a plan,” he snorted.

“Mind filling me in?”

“Not at all. Because, unlike some people, I don’t think I have to do everything myself. We’re meeting Thom at the dock. He’ll take care of the boat, and you and I will head back to the cottage, where we will come to a meeting of the minds about doing what you’re told and keeping yourself safe.”

“Why is it I don’t think it’s my mind you plan to explain things to?”

“Because you’re a bright girl, and you know you deserve to have me take my belt to your backside.”

“Noah…”

“Don’t start, Zara.”

“At some point, will you still make me that scallop risotto?”

He laughed again. “Don’t believe by making me laugh, I’m not going to put you facedown over my knee when we get back to the cottage.”

Noah slowed the boat as they started into the harbor. Zara walked up and ducked under his arm, so she was once again standing in a loose embrace. He pressed himself into her, and she could feel the evidence of his need… a need that matched her own. Turning around, she wrapped her body around his, needing to be close to him. She laid her head on his chest, closed her eyes, and relaxed against him.

“It’s all right, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”

He docked the boat, and he and Thom tied it off, then he extended his hand and helped her off the boat. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her close, and she took sanctuary in his strength.

“Good to see you, Zara,” said Thom.

“I’m afraid I ruined your bag and the laptop.”

“Those are just things. We can replace them. We couldn’t have replaced you,” he said, leaning forward and kissing her cheek. He turned to Noah. “All hell’s broken out in Fariq’s organization. As far as we can tell, Fariq survived. No one is sure about Reid. Mac thinks, at least for the next while, they’ll be more interested in taking each other out than anything else. And as far as Reid is concerned, the information is gone. If he’s still alive, his need to kill Zara is greatly diminished.”

“Zara said Fariq has called in the contract and put out the word she’s not to be harmed. I think we offer him the laptop as a gesture. Let him know we don’t think what happened this afternoon or any of it, for that matter, is his fault.”

“But you said he just sat back and let Springer and Reid start this whole bloody business,” Zara said.

“He did, but he also stepped up and let folks know you were not to be harmed. I can give him a pass for the rest.”

Thom nodded. “That was Mac’s thinking as well. NATO’s got a stick up their butts and wants to have a little chitchat with us. Mac’s sending John to handle that. He figured maybe you and Zara would want a little downtime to yourselves. Avery and I will stay here in Monaco, but he wants us all en route for home by day after tomorrow.” He leaned over and kissed Zara’s other cheek. “Glad you’re safe, but I hope he beats your ass.” With that parting shot, Thom turned and walked away.

“He’s going to get what he hoped for, isn’t he?” she asked, looking at Noah.

“He is, indeed.”

Arriving at the cottage, Noah had her remain in the SUV while he double-checked the premises. When he was sure everything was as they had left it, he came out and escorted her into the cottage.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Noah pulled her to him, and his mouth latched onto hers. They tore at each other’s clothing, their need to feel skin on skin, making everything else unnecessary and irrelevant. Cloth ripped and gave way as each sought to get the other naked, clawing and grabbing each other. When the last of their clothing had been either torn off or kicked away, Noah grasped her by the throat, his thumb and forefinger anchoring her face beneath her jaw. Lowering his head, he captured her mouth, thrusting his tongue past her teeth and reminding her of his dominance over her.

Zara responded, not because she was submissive, but because she chose to acknowledge her acceptance of his claim. His soft groan was music to her ears. Noah relinquished the grip he had on her, and his kisses began to seduce instead of demand. He pinned her arms over her head and pressed his body against hers—his cock poking and prodding her, demanding she give him entrance between her legs.

Moving his hand down, he stroked the soft, curly hair that covered her mons, then dragged his finger through it, seeking and finding her swollen clit. She moaned as he tugged and played with it until her breath was shallow and out of rhythm. When Noah slipped his hand farther between her thighs, her labia was slick with her arousal.

He lowered his head and used his teeth on her nipple, then brought it into his mouth to suckle while his other hand teased and played with her. Fingering her swollen sex before thrusting two of them up into her hot, wet channel, he finger fucked her roughly until her breathing caught, and her cunt clamped down on his fingers as she climaxed.

Zara could feel his cock just beneath and behind his hand. It throbbed and nudged, trying to replace his fingers. Noah released her hands, directed his staff toward its goal, then grasped her by both thighs. Lifting her off the floor, the wall scraped her back as he pressed her against it. When she was poised above him, he lowered her onto his staff with a heavy groan, and Zara cried out in wicked surrender to his need. Nothing had ever been this good or this right in her life. She understood now that she was made to be his, that she would always belong to him.

Zara collapsed against him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he began to fuck her hard. Between his grip on her legs, his cock deep in her sheath, and having her pinned against the wall, there was little she could do but allow him to plunder her body. Harder and harder, he pumped himself into her, causing her to writhe on his cock, calling his name.

She came for him repeatedly—time after time.

After each shattering climax, he would nuzzle her neck and growl, “Again.”

Finally, he hammered her hard enough to bring on his own orgasm. She called his name in capitulation and need as he pumped his cum deep into her pussy, groaning in male satisfaction and triumph.

When the storm had passed, he didn’t try to lift her away from him or in any way, disengage from her.

“Wrap your legs around my waist,” he commanded.

She did, and he carried her into the bedroom that way, carefully placing her on the bed without dislodging himself. While his staff had lost a little of its rigidity when he spilled himself in her, he was rapidly recovering, and his cock was growing in size and vigor. Noah stretched out between her legs, settling there.

Slowly, he withdrew until only the head was lodged in her before plunging back into her depths with power and strength, his thrusts unhurried and deliberate. With each stroke, Noah’s cock caressed every part of her pussy. She clawed at his back, then reached down to grasp his ass as he drove into her, urging him on.

“Surrender to me, Zara,” he growled as he pummeled her hot sheath.

“Noah,” she wailed, another orgasm tearing through her.

Growling low, thrusting harder and deeper, his stroking became more frenzied and brought her to climax again. He gave one hard, ferocious thrust deep inside her, sending her over the edge, screaming in ecstasy, her pussy spasming as her legs trembled while she writhed in his hold.

“One more,” he whispered.

Zara’s body responded to his call and was able to meet his need for her to come as her pussy clamped down on him, greedily enticing his shaft to empty itself. His long, drawn-out groan coincided with his cock releasing the last of his seed deep inside her.

“Mine,” he murmured, rolling off her and drawing her close to his side.

She snuggled against him and smiled as he pulled her hip over his, so she straddled his thigh. Her pussy pulsed in response to his withdrawal, and she felt empty without him.

“Always and forever, Zara, do you hear me?” he rumbled, pushing her hair out of her face and leaning his head toward hers.

She reached up, cradling his head in her hands, and took possession of his mouth as he so often did with hers.

“I hear you, Noah. You do realize that just as much as I’m yours, you’re mine, right?”

Noah nodded. “Damn straight.”

Zara wasn’t sure what the future would bring, didn’t know where all the pieces of the puzzle would fit, but knew, at last, she had the piece that had been missing—the love of her life. Her surrender to him was in equal measure to his victory over her—unequivocal and complete.

R eady for Thom’s story? Click here to read Thom.

Turn the page for a First Look into Thom.

Some daddies are gentle. He’s not one of them.

Thom Lyndon has had his eye on Avery Jackson for a while, knowing full well that the Wild Mustang Security Firm’s daredevil pilot is in desperate need of a firm-handed daddy. When he catches her moonlighting as a rodeo clown he decides to take her in hand.

After Thom claims her thoroughly, Avery is left in no doubt that her new daddy is in charge now. Her reckless defiance leads her into unexpected danger.

With the firm’s enemies closing in, will Thom and Avery’s skill and courage prove sufficient to keep their friends safe?