Deserve (20 page)

“You’re going to be so sore, you’ll be lucky if you can make
your way to the bathroom tomorrow. We’ll come back next week.”

“Damn.” I frown, impatient to improve. After just one
session, I already feel more self-assured. I turn to Serena and thank her
effusively.

“You’re welcome. If you want another lesson, just give me a
call.”

“I’ll definitely be coming back,” I say.

As we start our drive back into Manhattan, I place my hand
on Sean’s thigh. “Thanks for arranging all of this. I loved it.”

Picking up my hand, he kisses my knuckles. “I’m glad and there’s
no need to thank me.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I love him, but I
hold back. I don’t want Sean to feel pressured to say something he doesn’t
mean.

“In fact, when you start walking like a bow-legged cowboy,
you’re going to be cursing me.”

I groan, anticipating the aching muscles. Now that I’m no
longer moving, I already feel the fatigue in my arms and legs.

“Maybe you can convince me to give you a massage.”

Sean’s hands rubbing
all over me? Hell yes!

Raising one brow, I pretend to consider the offer. “Oh? And
what do you expect in return?”

He shoots me a lustful grin. “I’m sure I can think of
something.”

“I bet you can,” I say tongue-in-cheek, feeling like I’m
going to float away.

Hanging up the phone, I grin at Marc. “Sheena’s agreed to
testify!”

“Hot damn! That’s the best news I’ve heard all week.” Marc
leans over and gives me a high-five. “I bow to your whispering skills.” He
mock
bows, placing his palms flat on his desk and lowering
his head.

“Jackass!”

Marc and I work frenziedly to put the pieces into place—contacting
the DA, getting Sheena into a safe house, and filling out a never-ending stack
of paperwork. After I finish triple-checking the files, I sit back and allow myself
to savor the moment. The hours spent talking to Sheena have finally paid off. With
her testimony, Carmona will sit in jail for the rest of his life.

My phone rings and seeing the caller I.D., I pick up
immediately. “Hey, Bo.”

“The bird has returned to the nest. The rabbit is back in
the hutch.”

“You’re a regular comedian, Gonzalez.”

Maniacal laughter tapers off to intermittent chuckles. “Your
girl’s in the apartment. No suspicious characters. Went to school, hung out
with a few friends, and then Todd
Jorgsen
accompanied
her back.”

“She didn’t spot you, did she?” If Maggie finds out I’m
having her tailed, she’s going to be hopping mad, but since she won’t let me
take any more time off to guard her, this was the only avenue left to me. I’ll
be damned if that fucker gets an opportunity to touch her again.

I met Bo Gonzalez at a national security summit a few years
back. His firm specializes in protecting high-profile clients—normally
leaders of volatile nations in the Middle East and Africa. This job is small
potatoes to him, but he’s doing this as a favor to me.

Affront threading every syllable, he scoffs, “Whom do you
think you’re talking about? I’m stealth, man.”

“I’m sorry to question your manhood,” I say dryly. “Thanks,
Bo. I’m heading out so you can take off.” Luckily the stubborn brat heeds my advice
and doesn’t go anywhere by herself.

“You’re welcome, man.”

I hang up the phone and look at Marc. “I’m going to call it
a day and go home.”

Home.
All the air
leaves my lungs at the thought. This is the first time I’ve considered my
apartment as a home and it’s all because of one slender redhead. Somehow she
has managed to transform an empty, sterile dwelling into a warm, inviting
space. Just the thought of seeing her face at the end of my day makes the
bullshit easier to deal with.

I say an absent goodbye to Marc, anxious to get home to
Maggie.

When I open the door, the tantalizing smell of tomato sauce
fills the air and I look in the direction of the kitchen. She’s bent at the
waist, peering through the door of the oven. My lips quirk at the sight of
Maggie’s lush behind sticking in the air, reminding me of the first time I saw
her at the airport.
God, that’s a sight I
can come home to every day.

I quietly close the door and pad softly to stand behind her.
“That smells good, but the view is even better.”

As soon as the first word leaves my mouth, she jerks upright
with a shriek and whips around, her pupils dilated with fear, her body wracked
by tremors.

“SHIT!” I yank her into my arms, wanting to kick my own ass
for scaring her. “I’m sorry, angel. It’s me. You’re okay. You’re safe.” I run
my hands up and down her spine, trying to reassure her, repeating the last two
words until I feel her shaking subside.

“Don’t sneak up on me!” A small hand smacks my arm and I
smile in relief that I haven’t wrought lasting damage. God, I hope this doesn’t
trigger her nightmare.

I kiss her in apology and when her tongue touches mine, I
almost get sidetracked completely, but concern makes me break away. “I’m sorry.
Are you okay?” I frown at her, troubled by the nervous energy emanating from
her.

She lifts her shoulders and scrunches her nose, making her
freckles bunch together. “Yes. I’m just jumpy because I thought someone was
watching me the whole day.”

Oh shit.
I guess Bo isn’t as stealth as he thinks he
is.
In the next instant, my thoughts take a sharp, dark turn and I scowl,
wondering if someone else is following her. Taking her shoulders in my hands, I
ask urgently, “Did you see anybody? What did he look like?”

“No, I didn’t see anyone. It’s probably all in my head.” Her
brows furrow with worry. “I think I’m starting to jump at my own shadow.”

For half a beat I contemplate telling her about Bo and the
rest of the team, but I don’t want her to dodge my protective measures. “Don’t
doubt your instincts. If anything or anyone makes you uneasy, you need to follow
your intuition.”

She nods in agreement and then her eyes widen. “Oh damn!”

I look at her in alarm. “What?”

“You ruined my surprise. Happy birthday!” she screams,
jumping up and down and throwing her arms around me in excitement. Her face is
now glowing, her smile wide and her green eyes sparkling. Fucking beautiful.

“It’s not my birthday,” I point out, pulling her in closer.
As expected, my cock stirs at her proximity.

“I know. It’s tomorrow, but since I’m flying out to Chicago
first thing in the morning, I thought we should move your birthday to
accommodate me,” she says cheekily.

“Wait.” I rear back in confusion. “You’re flying out
tomorrow?”

“Sean,” she says patiently. “I told you about my plans weeks
ago. I’m flying home for Thanksgiving. You’re welcome to come, you know.”

Like a spoiled child, I want to tell her I don’t want her to
go, but I know she misses her brother. I consider accepting her offer, but a
familiar rush of guilt swamps me at the thought of facing
Cael
.
The longer I don’t tell him about Maggie’s assault and our relationship, the
more trapped I feel. Lying to him over the phone is already difficult enough; I
can’t do it face-to-face. I convinced myself I was doing what Maggie wanted,
but I know it’s my own selfishness driving my silence. I want to put off the
inevitable fallout for as long as I can. The lies are so gnarled and
twisted,
they’ve formed a Gordian knot.

“I’ve got to do Thanksgiving with the Senator.” My lips
twist into a sneer at the thought of the upcoming luncheon. Instead of an
intimate meal with immediate family, my father has invited his political allies
and their families, along with a select few members of the press corps. I guess
it’s never too early to cultivate friendly media relations for the next
election cycle.

I already dread the hours of false holiday cheer.

My relationship with my father has thawed slightly since the
night of the party, but it is still tension-ridden. I haven’t invited Maggie to
go to any more public events, citing the press as an excuse, but the truth is,
I don’t want her to witness another confrontation between my father and me; I
don’t acquit myself well in interactions with him.

“I’m going to miss you.” Maggie presses her face into my
chest.

The words “I miss you” snag in my throat. Instead of trying
to talk, I turn off the oven and cover her lips, pouring all my unspoken
emotions into the kiss.

After a few minutes, she breaks away and murmurs, “Sean, your
dinner is going to spoil.”

This is the first time in my adult life that a woman has
cooked for me. An unfamiliar feeling stirs in my chest, like a baby bird
testing its wings. “Whatever you made smells delicious, but I want my birthday
present.”

She blinks and furrows her brow. “Okay, but I hope you’re
not expecting anything spectacular. It’s in my backpack.”

Before she can walk away, I swing her into my arms and say,
“Oh, it’s spectacular alright and I can’t wait to unwrap her.” I leer at her,
leaving no doubt as to what present I want.

Her eyes darkening to an emerald green, she wiggles close
and loops her arms around my neck. “Oh, can I ask for a similar present for
Christmas?”

Grinning, I say suggestively, “Angel, you got it. In fact, I
insist you get a present every day.”

She hides her head in my shoulder and giggles. “You’re
terrible.”

As soon as I cross the threshold of the bedroom, I place her
on her feet and start to strip her. I pull her arms over her head and yank her sweater
over her head.

“You’re beautiful.” I stare at her pale, soft skin.

“I’m not,” she says shyly, stroking my jaw. “You’re the
beautiful one.”

“Don’t argue with me, woman,” I growl playfully and nip her
smiling lips. I glance down at her tender curves, letting my hand follow the
subtle lines, careful to avoid her ticklish spots. Her eyes glaze over at my
caress and my body tightens in reaction. Her responsiveness is like a siren
call.

Her black lace bra is sexy as hell, but it too has to go.
When her pretty tits are bared to me, I can’t resist nuzzling my nose against a
pink nipple. The peak tightens, beckoning me to taste. I suck her pebbled tip
into my mouth and she clutches me closer with a soft moan.

I push both hands underneath her sweats and panties to get
to her fine ass. Her flesh is firm and resilient under my touch and I can’t
wait a second longer to have it under my mouth.

“Fuck it,” I mutter. I spin her around, kneel on the floor
and yank her panties and bottom off. Something tears, but I don’t give a flying
fuck because her luscious ass—round and generous—is right in front
of me. Plumping one cheek in my hand, I sink my teeth gently into the flesh and
Maggie squeals. I would have smiled, but my mouth is busy marking her. I don’t
want to break her skin, but I have a compulsion to see my stamp of ownership on
her.

When I pull back, there are two red imprints from my top and
bottom teeth. I take a few moments to admire my efforts before I lean down to
lick her other cheek.

“Sean!”

It doesn’t sound like a complaint, but to check, I press two
fingers between her thighs.
Fuck!
She’s
soaked.

My teeth bite into the strip of flesh where her thigh curves
into her ass. With a shriek, she pitches forward to brace her hands against the
duvet. I groan at how perfectly she’s positioned for me to take her from behind.

Carefully I release her flesh from my mouth and use one hand
to sooth the redness. My present is truly spectacular and my dick is howling
with impatience to sink into her. I stand up, my cock threatening to tear the
seams of my trousers.

The view is incredible. Her smooth back tapers into a slim
waist before flaring into plump, pale cheeks. Between the dark
valley
of her thighs, I catch a glimpse of her slick folds
and I groan hungrily.

“Fuck. I can’t wait another second.”

 
“Me either. I want
you, Sean.”

At her whispered words, I move as fast as I can, feeling the
primal need rise in me.

With my eyes firmly fixed on her nakedness, I discard my
clothes. She’s my every fantasy come to life. Her body revs me up each and
every time, but it’s the beauty of her soul that makes her irresistible. She
twists her head, her green eyes tracking my movements and when they lock onto
my dick, it jerks with need.

Wrapping one arm around her middle, I position myself
between her thighs and let my engorged cock nudge her wet pussy lips. “You make
me so goddamn hard.”

Her sexy whimper almost brings me to my knees. I love it
when she reveals how much she wants me. Her skin is flushed with passion. Her
breaths are coming out as short pants and when I curl my hand around her left
breast and abrade the peak with my thumb, she arches her back, pushing her
sweet derriere into my groin.

I place the flared tip of my cock at her entrance and sink
slowly into her warmth. Wet and tight, her pussy walls hug the length of my
shaft like nothing I’ve ever felt with any other woman.

“Fuck. You feel so good,” I murmur into her shoulder blade
as I try to hang onto my sanity. She shimmies under me, causing my balls to
draw up and I’m ready to go off like a virgin with his first woman.

“Stop moving!” I still her hips, struggling for the control
that is always in short supply with her.

“Sean, what are you waiting for?” she huffs adorably.

“Don’t move or it’ll be over too soon,” I warn her and move
my hand to her other breast, flicking her sensitive nipple with my finger.

She moans and tries to push back into me, but I easily hold
her immobile. Kissing from the elegant slope of her shoulder to her neck, I
croon into her ears, “I need to hear the words, angel. Tell me again.”

From the way she stiffens, I know she doesn’t need me to
clarify. I know I have no right to ask, but I don’t care. I continue to seduce
her with my body and words, desperate to hear those three words from her.
To bind her irrevocably to me.
I swivel my hips from side to
side, drawing out a long, low moan from her. Licking the patch of skin right
behind her ear, I cajole, “Tell me, Maggie. I need to hear it.”

She drops her head over her fisted hands and sobs softly, “I
love you.”

I close my eyes as the words wash over me, cleansing me with
her goodness. “Again, angel. Please.”

“I love you,” she says more clearly, waits a beat and then
whispers, “I love you, Sean.”

Her declaration demolishes my control. I wish I could say I
tried to be gentle, but the truth is my brain shuts down and I pound her hard
until I feel her feminine muscles flutter around me. The clenching of her pussy
signals the end for my poor cock. I throw my head back and let loose all of my
passion. Her scream mixes with my hoarse shout and we sound like a couple of
wild animals mating. Which isn’t that far from the truth because I feel pretty
damn primitive when I come deep inside her.

Mine.

“You’re mine,” I say fiercely.

I’m a wasted, quivering mass when I come to my senses.
Somehow I found the presence of mind to turn my body slightly so I’m not
crushing Maggie under my weight. “Are you okay, angel?”