Cherished: A Masters and Mercenaries Novella (5 page)

She didn’t want him to. She was fairly certain she was going to fall into bed with him in the next ten minutes. Maybe he was right. Maybe she took everything too seriously and she should have some fun for once in her life. Maybe she could handle it. “Will?”

His mouth hovered right over hers, and there was no way to mistake the satisfaction coming off him. He wanted her. God, he really wanted her. “Yes, Bridget?”

“Do you want to come to Hawaii with me? We could have fun.” She would understand that it was temporary. Or maybe it was a way to get to know each other. Maybe to find out if they were compatible.

“Hey, Will. It’s Mitch. I couldn’t get you on your cell. I wanted to let you know that I talked to Jace and he has agreed to be conveniently unable to travel for the next couple of weeks. That’s the last of them and it should be smooth sailing for you. If Bratty Bridget wants a date, she’s going to have to come to you. According to the report my investigator did on her, there’s no one else she can go to unless she wants to call her loser ex-boyfriend.”

He reached over and picked up the phone and slammed the receiver back down.

Bridget froze, the words pouring over her like icy rain.

She’d spent days going hat in hand to the Doms of Sanctum and she’d never stood a chance. Not with any of them.

“All right. I’m hoping you view this as something kind of flattering. I mean, I did go to a lot of trouble to make sure I was the last guy standing.” He tried to move back in.

Bridget stepped away, putting her hands up. “Somehow I don’t see it as flattering. And Bratty Bridget? Is that what everyone calls me behind my back?”

“You can’t argue with it. Everyone’s come up against that mouth of yours.”

“Is that what this is about? You want to show everyone that you can take me down a peg?” She was not going to cry. She didn’t fucking cry. She’d learned it didn’t buy her anything, not even peace since her father would “give her something to cry about” when she did. “Fuck you, Daley.”

She turned and started for the door.

* * * *

He was going to kill Mitch. The bastard had the worst timing ever and he was so fucking impatient. If the son of a bitch had left a message on his cell like the rest of the world, he would be kissing Bridget right now. He’d been so close. He would have gone slow, made her feel comfortable. All the while he would have been maneuvering her straight to bed. He would have wined and dined her and woken up beside her the next day.

Now he had to make sure she didn’t murder him in his sleep.

“Hey, we’re not done.” He tried his most authoritative voice on her.

She reached the door. “Oh, we’re done. You can bite my ass, Doc.”

She slammed the door open and began storming out, proving she really did know how to make an exit. Dramatic. That was one way to describe it.

He reached her in three strides, taking her elbow in his hand and turning her around. “I’m sorry you heard that.”

Her face was flushed to an embarrassed pink, but she’d shoved a wall up the minute she’d heard that message and now he couldn’t read her emotions. When he’d been close, he’d watched as desire and something like longing had played across her pretty face. She’d started to open to him and now the castle defenses were firmly back in place.

“I’m sorry I ever met you.” Yes. Bratty Bridget was back.

“Come on. What was I supposed to do? You wouldn’t give me the time of day.” He had very few places to go since he really was the dick in this scenario. He’d done the crime and gotten caught. He had to find a way to plead his case because now that he’d been so close to her, he knew he couldn’t let it go. If she hadn’t responded to him, hadn’t opened up, he would have admired her from afar. But that wasn’t what happened.

“You know what you’re supposed to do? You’re supposed to take the fucking hint, Daley. Not interested.”

It made him crazy. She was lying. He’d seen the way she softened. “You’re pissed off and I understand that, but not a one of those men would take care of you the way I will.”

Her eyes rolled. “Of course. None of them could possibly be interested in me. Guess what? I wasn’t looking for passion out of this. I was trying to find a man to be my date. I wasn’t trying to find a lover.”

She was so naïve. “You can’t invite a man to stay in a hotel with you and expect him to keep his hands to himself.”

“Why not? Are you all animals? Do you run around raping any woman you want?”

“Of course not, but every fucking Dom at Sanctum would attempt to seduce you and I don’t want that. I want to be the one who seduces you. I want to be the one who sees if you can purr.” That was about as honest as he could get. “Bridget, tell me you feel this chemistry for another guy and I’ll go talk to him myself. I’ll make sure he can go with you.”

A calculated risk. She’d already proven she could lie when she wanted to. If she did, he would have to go with it.

But her body was already coming close to his as though they were magnetized. She could spout bile all she liked, but her body responded to his. “I’m not looking for chemistry. I simply want a nice guy to help me out.”

“I’ll help you. You want someone to play your fiancé and all parents love me. I’ll be your successful, supportive fake future husband. I’ll let you dress me and I’ll charm those nasty cousins of yours until they all want what you have.”

The cutest look flashed across her face. She was even lovely when she was annoyed with him. “You know about my cousins?”

The whole while he was backing her up, leading her to the wall so she wouldn’t have anywhere else to go. “I eavesdropped. That should tell you how pathetic I am about you.”

“Or what a freaky stalker you are.” Her back was against the wall and there was no way to miss the hitch in her breath.

“You are pessimistic, sweetheart. Why can’t you see it as quirky and charming? I swear I’ve never stalked anyone before. You’re my first.” Maybe she would see that as adorable.

She shook her head. “Try it on another girl. I’m not buying it.”

So frustrating. “Let me kiss you. One kiss and if you don’t want me as much as I want you, I’ll walk away. But you won’t find anyone as perfect as me for this job of yours. I can give you my full attention, baby. I can make it my goal in life to ensure that everyone thinks you’re the luckiest girl on earth by the end of that wedding, and you know what else?”

Her hands had gone to his waist. She’d already made the decision. He knew he would get his one shot with her. Excitement built in his gut and his dick was already hard as a rock.

“What else, Daley?”

“I’ll be your Dom. I’ll show you what it means. Any questions you have, I’ll answer. We’ll sign a short-term contract and by the end, you’ll know for sure if you want to find a permanent Dom. Hell, I’ll help you find one if that’s what you want.”

Something passed over her face, almost a sadness, but he couldn’t be sure because she was so good at hiding it. Her chin came up stubbornly. “All right then. Kiss me.”

Suddenly he wished he’d talked her back into his condo, wished he’d been able to sit and eat with her. He wanted more time and he wasn’t even sure why. Up to this point, all he’d required was her body, but now he realized she was more than a glorious set of tits and a heart-shaped ass.

She was a mystery.

He leaned over because he wasn’t going to get more time. He had roughly two minutes to tempt her into something that likely wouldn’t be good for her. He was a bastard and he knew it and he still couldn’t stop his head from dropping. His lips pressed against hers and warmth poured through him. He let his hands find her waist. He wasn’t going to go straight for her ass. He hadn’t earned it.

Gently he molded his lips against hers, savoring the sensation. He could fucking eat her up. She was wearing some kind of lip balm, something sweet. Whatever it was, he couldn’t get enough of it. He ate at her mouth, softly running his lips over hers and giving her the barest hint of his tongue. He didn’t want to scare her with what his every instinct told him to do. He wouldn’t have dreamed of it, but there was a caveman deep inside him, and cavedick wanted to drag her back to his bed and make sure she couldn’t leave it come morning.

He wasn’t that guy. He was civilized, educated. He didn’t get addicted to anything. Anything. He wasn’t about to get addicted to a sweet brat who would make him crazy. Peace. He needed peace and he wouldn’t get it from her.

Not that he wanted peace in that moment. He wanted inside her. Every cell in his body was singing like it never had before. She stirred him.

Bridget sighed and softened against him and he stopped thinking. Only one thing mattered and that was the feel of her in his arms, the way she moaned into his mouth. Her jaw dropped slightly and he was inside, his tongue playing against hers. So soft. Everything about her was so damn soft.

He dragged her hard against his body, no longer worried about frightening her. She needed to know what he could offer. He could give her the dominance she craved. His cock pressed to her belly and rubbed against her like a cat seeking affection. Her hands clutched at him as she gave as good as she got.

Pure fire threatened to take over. He didn’t need a bed. He could fuck her right here in the hallway. He could drop his jeans and he wouldn’t care who watched.

Before he reached for her breasts, she put a hand between them.

“Stop.” Her voice was husky, out of breath.

Fuck. He took a step back because he wasn’t sure he would be capable of following her very clear order. His damn hands were shaking. “All right.”

She took a long breath and seemed to compose herself. “I’ll admit, physically it seems like we’re compatible.”

“We’re explosive, Bridget.” He’d never had that reaction to another woman. He wasn’t sure he liked it, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

“That doesn’t mean this is good for either of us. I don’t like being manipulated, Daley.”

“Call me Will.” He wasn’t dumb. He’d taken enough psych classes to know when a person was distancing. He couldn’t allow it.

She slipped by him and started going through her purse. In seconds she had the key out. “Fine. I don’t like being manipulated, Will.”

A pit opened up in his gut. He forced himself to walk back to his own door. “Answer me this. Would you have asked me? Would you have ever let me kiss you?”

“No.”

“Then at least I got my shot.” He was used to having to fight for the things he wanted. He’d been doing it since he was born.

She opened the door, but her eyes stayed on him. “I need to think about it. Can I have a couple of days?”

She wasn’t outright rejecting him? “Sure. My schedule’s open. I won’t change that. I really can help you, Bridget.”

“I’m not so sure about that. I’ll get back to you.” She disappeared behind her door.

He wasn’t out yet. He still had a shot, but it was going to be a long couple of days.

His phone rang again. His cell this time. Damn it. He wasn’t on call. He should get a little bit of peace. He shut and locked the door and crossed the floor to grab his cell. He didn’t recognize the number, but answered anyway. Sometimes Laurel forgot to charge her phone. His sisters were the real reason he always answered his damn phone. He’d spent his whole life watching out for them and now he couldn’t quite stop.

“Hello?”

“Will?”

He went still because he recognized that voice. He didn’t want to believe it was true. “This is Doctor Daley. Who is this?”

A sniffle came over the line. “Will, it’s Starr.”

He hung up immediately.

He was going to have to change his number. He quickly dialed Mitch’s phone and was happy when he picked up on the first ring. Will didn’t wait for his voice to come over the line. “Why the fuck is she out of jail?”

“Well, hello to you, Doctor Daley. You’re in a good mood.”

“I got a call from Leslie Starling.” Starr’s real name. She’d told him she preferred Starr because they twinkled so brightly and she wanted to be something pretty.

He’d met her at the first club he’d gone to. He hadn’t been able to resist his needs a second longer. That club had been a hellhole compared to Sanctum, but he’d felt at home the minute he took a class and picked up a flogger. He’d finally found a place he belonged and then she’d shown up. Lovely and deeply submissive, she’d brought him a certain peace. She’d needed him.

She’d been lying all the while.

He could still feel the needle in his neck, the pain flaring before something so much sweeter took its place. Heroin. They’d given him heroin.

He still thought about it.

“Shit. The prison allowed her to call you? Are you fucking kidding me?” Mitch’s voice grounded him. “All right. First, I’m going to call and have the warden’s ass and then I’m going to make sure every guard at that prison knows her status. I can get a restraining order even while she’s waiting trial.”

He forced himself to calm. He wasn’t truly afraid of a five foot nothing girl. He was afraid of what she’d done to him. She’d taken his control. She’d shown him how good it could be to float away. Like his mother had. He’d always known he was a time bomb waiting to go off. “She wasn’t calling from prison. Trust me. I know there’s a protocol to be followed when one calls from prison.”

His mother had called every time she got arrested. She would call and beg him to make her bail. He’d started getting those calls when he was ten years old and every time a voice came over the phone requesting that he take a call from so and so prison or jail. He still got those damn calls at least once a month. Starr’s voice hadn’t been preceded by anything. Starr was out. She was walking the streets.

“All right. First, I’ll find out what’s happening on my way to your place,” Mitch said.

“You don’t have to come here.”

“Yes, I do because this is going to get to you. You’re going to think about it and you need someone around to talk to. We’ll sit and watch the game and order a pizza. Unless you have other plans.”

Something eased in his gut. He really would rather have company. “No pizza. Lisa made dinner and no, I don’t have plans, you bastard. I almost had Bridget but guess who called right before I got to the good stuff?”