Tooth And Nailed Part 16

"Sweetie." She laid one hand on his cheek. "Trust me. No woman wants to go out with a man who's just seen her at her worst."

"Darling, if that was your worst, then I'd really like to see your best. You were beautifula"soaking wet and spitting mad." He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "It was instant l.u.s.t."

"Really?" She couldn't help the goofy grin that spread across her face at the notion.

"Absolutely," he said. "And then I got to know you a bita"as much as you'd allow in any casea"and I was even more smitten."

Despite herself, she felt her face begin to heat. His smile went gentle as he stroked a fingertip across her cheek. "And you spurned my every advance."

She shrugged. "It seemed like the right thing to do," she said. "You're one of those guys, you know."

"One of those guys?"

She nodded. "Yeah. One of those guys girls talk about when we're alone. The ones we look at and say, *Yep, there he is. That's trouble.' Then we shake our heads, adjust our panties and go for ice cream."

He laughed, tugging her face down to his for a quick kiss. "I can't help but take that as a compliment."

"You should," she said. "I don't adjust my panties for just anyone."

"Indeed," he chuckled. "How did we get on this topic?"

"You were telling me you l.u.s.ted after me."

He tweaked her nose. "I was not. I was telling you I like you and have from the first."

"Oh right." She smiled smugly. "That was it."

"Brat," he said.

She put her hands on his face, pressing her forehead to his and looked into his eyes. With her heart in her throat, she whispered, "I like you too."

"I know," he whispered back. "But thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome," she whispered. "Wanna make out?"

He laughed, giving her a kiss and a quick pat on the hip then shifted her off his lap as he stood. "I'd love too, darling, but I've got to check in with the lads back in L.A., do a little work."

She sighed. "Okay, if you have to. If you talk to my father, will you tell him I love him?"

He kissed her again, lingering this time. "Of course."

She watched him go out the door. "Jesus," she muttered. "I'm in love with a vampire."

And she could only shake her head and laugh when he called back, "I heard that!"

When the phone rang several hours later, Rowan looked up from her book with a frown. A quick glance at her watch told her it was after one in the morning. Jack hadn't returned to the apartment but she'd been rereading the latest Harry Potter and hadn't noticed.

The phone shrilled again but she ignored it. Jack had given her a pager to wear and would call it if he were trying to get in touch with her. The phone was off-limits, just one of the many rules he'd put in place to safeguard her. It had chaffed at the time, being so completely cut off from the world at large, but as time went on, she found she liked the freedom to ignore it.

The machine clicked on, Jack's voice bidding the caller to leave a message and she c.o.c.ked her head to listen.

"Jack, it's Deacon. If you're there, pick up."

Rowan put her book down, her brow furrowed in concern. Deacon sounded horriblea"his voice agitated and ragged, and she was reaching for the receiver to pick up the call when Jack burst through the door.

He spared her a baleful glance when he saw her hand hovering over the receiver. She pulled it back as he s.n.a.t.c.hed it up.

"Deacon," he said then listened intently. Rowan could hear Deacon's voice on the other end of the line but couldn't make out any of the words. Unfortunately, the machine automatically stopped recording when someone picked up so she wasn't able to hear the whole conversation.

Then Jack asked, "Is everyone accounted for?" and she started to panic.

"Jack, what's going on?" she demanded, rising from her p.r.o.ne position on the couch to stand next to him. He shook his head at her, indicating he was listening to Deacon. He caught her hand in his, gave a rea.s.suring squeeze and she forced herself to wait.

By the time he hung up the phone a few minutes later she was practically vibrating. He barely had the receiver away from his ear when she began pelting him with questions.

"Wait!" he said, and she stopped to take a breath. He framed her face in his hands and kissed her quickly. "Thank you. Now, first thingsa"everyone is fine."

Rowan drew a deep breath at that, feeling the relief flood her tense muscles. "Okay. What happened?"

"Your father's house was broken into last night by a few Army of G.o.d henchmen."

Completely forgetting what he'd said about everyone being all right, she clutched at his arm. "What?"

"Rowan, calm down." He peeled her fingers off his arm and sat on the sofa, tugging her down to sit beside him. "The house was empty. Your father's been staying at a safe house and none of the regular staff were there. I had my own people in place, just in case something like this happened."

"Okay," she said, and took another cleansing breath. "So what happened?"

"Well, from what I can get so far they were sent in to either kill your father or kidnap him. There are some conflicting statements on that."

"So they were arrested?"

He nodded. "Two of them were killed in the process but the majority of them were rounded up by the local police and are being interrogated by both them and the FBI."

She frowned. "Will your security people be in any trouble for the dead ones?"

He shook his head. "No, the L.A. police and the FBI are well aware of the situation and all of my people are fully trained. Several of them used to work for the police or the FBI, so aside from the nightmare of paperwork there won't be any trouble."

"Have they arrested Job?"

"No, they haven't."

"Well, why the f.u.c.k not?" she exploded. "I mean, obviously they were working for him. Why don't they arrest him?"

He began stroking her hand in an unconscious bid to calm her down. "They do know the kidnapping attempt came from him. Some of his flunkies aren't very bright and they're singing a jolly tune to try to keep themselves from felony jail time. But they haven't arrested him because they can't seem to find him."

"Well, s.h.i.t."

He grinned at her acerbic tone. "I can always count on you to drill through the muck to the heart of the matter, darling."

She ignored that. "Have you talked to my father?"

"Not yet, but I did talk to the man in charge of his security detail. He's fine and very eager to talk to you."

"I can talk to him?" she asked, her entire face lighting up at the prospect.

"The threat isn't completely over," he said, "not until Job is caught. But this bunch we have in custody is already singing to the FBIa"apparently Job doesn't treat his minions very well. They're closing in on Job and should have him in custody within twenty-four hours, so yes, you can talk to your father."

"Can I go home?"

When he hesitated, she scowled. "I can't go home."

"I'm just not sure it's one hundred percent safe, Rowan."

"Jack, crossing the d.a.m.n street isn't one hundred percent safe. Nothing is." He narrowed his eyes at her and she tamped down her exasperation. "Did you or did you not just say that it wouldn't be long before they caught Job?"

"Yes," he mumbled grudgingly.

"They're closing in on him."

"Yes."

"So why can't I go home?"

"Because I want to keep you here as my love slave a little while longer."

Immediately, her scowl faded as her face broke out into a smile. "Aww. That's really sweet." She waited until his mouth was within a breath of hers then said, "It's also bulls.h.i.t."

He rested his forehead against hers. "d.a.m.n."

She grinned at the despair in his voice. "Come on, Jack. You know there's no reason to keep me here anymore."

"They're probably watching your house," he said.

"And so are you," she countered. "And so is the FBI. And they'll have Job in custody before we even get there."

"f.u.c.k," he muttered, and she chuckled.

"You're cute when you're defeated," she whispered, and watched his head come up like lightning.

"Defeated?" he growled, scowling when she giggled. "Defeated? Woman, I do not get defeated."

"Oh," she said, trying without success to school her features into serious lines. "Well, maybe I'm wrong. It must be the heavy layer of desperation in your voice. That's what made me say defeated." She shrugged when he glared harder. "My mistake."

Jack shook his head slowly, his eyes lit with a predatory gleam. "Oh sweetheart. You've got five seconds."

She swallowed the laugh and looked him dead in the eye. "Five seconds until what?"

"Until I throw you over my shoulder, carry you back to the bedroom and f.u.c.k your brains out."

"Hmm." She licked her lips. "If you need a few extra momentsa"you know, in case you have to deal with the despaira"feel free to take them."

The words were barely out of her mouth when he lurched to his feet. He was still holding her hand and he used it to yank her to her feet. He ducked as she rose, tucking his shoulder to her midsection and smoothly lifting her over a shoulder in a fireman's carry. She giggled, her head spinning as he started toward the bedroom.

"Was it something I said?" she asked as she bounced against his back, clinging to his belt for balance.

"Yes," he said, the terse answer making her giggle again. She opened her mouth to speak and squealed instead when she found herself suddenly flying through the air.

"Oof!" She landed in the middle of the bed with a whump, bouncing twice before settling into the mattress. She pushed herself up on her elbows, giggling again as she watched him strip out of his clothes with lightning speed.

"Remind me what it was later," she said as he crawled naked on top of her. "So I can be sure to say it again."

"Shut up," he said, and clamped his mouth on hers.

Rowan moaned into his mouth, sucking avidly on his tongue as he speared it past her teeth. She felt him tearing at the fastening on her jeans and in seconds she was as naked as him, her clothes lying in shreds across the bed. Later she was sure, she'd be upset or at the very least miffed at the sight of her favorite pair of perfectly worn-in jeans in tatters. Now however, the only thing she could think of was how perfect he felt against her skin. How delicious he tasted, how good his hands felt as they slid over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her belly, hera"

"G.o.d!" she gasped, tearing her mouth from his and arching her head back as the pleasure speared through her. He twisted his wrist, sliding two fingers slowly into her c.u.n.t as she gasped for air. She clutched at him, fingernails digging into his wrist in an effort to slow him down, speed him up, she wasn't sure which. Whatever the plea, he ignored it, continuing the steady pump and plunge as his mouth slid down her neck.

She spasmed around his invading fingers when he nipped at the vein that throbbed in her throat and he chuckled against her skin.

"You like that," he murmured. He did it again, biting hard enough this time to draw the tiniest trickle of blood. She heard him growl, felt his c.o.c.k grow impossibly hard and thick against her hip. And when she felt the warmth of his tongue lapping at her blood, she screamed and exploded.

When she could see again, she found him looming over her. His hands were braced by her shoulders, her legs caught over his elbows. She was spread wide, tilted up and open for him, but he didn't move.

She licked dry lips. "What're you waiting for?" she managed, her voice sounding harsh to her own ears.

"For you to be with me," he all but growled, and she felt her heart expand in her chest until she feared it might burst free.

She moved her hands from where they'd fallen limp, sliding them up to where his were braced against the mattress. She pushed her hands beneath his, palm to palm, their fingers laced together so he held her hands pinned to the mattress as he braced his weight over her.

"I'm with you," she whispered.

Jack blinked down at her, his eyes darting to where he held her hands captive and back again to the utter trust and love that shined in her face as she looked at him. He swallowed convulsively, opening his mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Jack," she whispered. His eyes locked on hers, br.i.m.m.i.n.g over with emotion she couldn'ta"or wouldn'ta"name. "Jack," she said again, "come inside me. Please, I need you inside me."

He lowered his head to hers, his breathing ragged and uneven. In a shaky voice, he said, "I do love you."

She smiled, radiant and sure. "I know you do," she whispered, and arching up, pressed her mouth to his.

The kiss seemed to break the chains holding him and with a groan, he sank into her, pushing deep, deep, deep, until it was impossible to tell where he ended and she began.

He held himself still, deep inside her, letting her body adjust to the invasion of his. Her mouth clung to his, her whimpering cries swallowed in his kiss. Unable to keep still, her hips surged against his and with a rumbling groan he began to move.

He shifted, lifting his mouth from hers so he could watch her face as he moved in and out of her. He kept his thrusts slow and steady, resisting her efforts to increase the pace and watching the pleasure wash over her.

Rowan tossed her head from side to side, the pleasure and the pressure building in her body as he thrust in and out. She strained to meet his thrusts, arching her hips as much as she could, whimpering in frustration when he refused to speed up.