Stripped Defenseless (5 page)

“Well?”
She turned to face the mattress in front of her.

With
that, he felt he had no choice but to teach her a lesson. He slapped his hand
firmly against her ass and then drove his cock inside her, deep and
mercilessly. Her tight, slick walls engulfed him, all of him.

He
noticed her hands clench the comforter when he pulled back and slammed into her
a second time.

“Don’t
stop,” she said.

“I’ve
only just begun.” He hoped, anyway, wanting to give her an experience she
wouldn’t soon forget.

He
plunged harder and faster as he dug his fingers into her hips. His balls ground
against her moist flesh with each thrust. He was going to burst soon. She felt
so good. So right. At least, she seemed to be enjoying herself as she moaned and
writhed against the bed. Sweet sounds that made him want more.

Her
pussy contracted, clutching him. He watched his throbbing cock, slick with her
juices, slide out of her and back in. His pulse raced and his gut knotted,
pleading for release. The air in the room was thick as he drew in heavy
breaths. He steadied and sped up his rhythm.

“Ohmigod,
Kade!” she screamed. Again.

That
was all he could take. He crashed into her one last time, letting his cum fill
the protective barrier between them.

His
body wanted to drop onto hers in exhaustion, but he held himself up in fear he
would crush her. Instead, he withdrew and lay by her side.

She
looped a damp, sweaty lock of dark red hair behind her ear and smiled at him
through heavy breaths. Her face was flushed, her cheeks pink, her lips moist
and full. Absolutely beautiful.

Kade
imagined it wouldn’t be difficult waking up to see that face every morning. In
fact, it would be a pleasure. If it was possible for a man like him to settle
down and get married.

He’d
screwed up that likelihood a long time ago when he escaped his father’s fists
by joining the army. Four years later, after being shot in the shoulder by a
sniper, Kade returned home to find his mother dead and buried and his father in
prison for life.

He’d
failed to protect the one person who mattered to him, the one person who loved
him. He didn’t deserve a family, a second chance.

With
his mom dead and his second family, the army, declaring him useless, he’d gone
independent. It suited him. PI work paid well, he was good at it, and he never
had to get close to anyone. Ever.

* * * * *

Ava
rolled over and cuddled up next to Kade’s chest, crushing her breasts against
him and running her fingers through his thick dark hair. “Thank you,” she
whispered. “That was incredible.”

His
face softened to her touch only for an instant before the ice in his eyes
thickened. He slipped away and stood from the bed, then gestured toward the
condom. “Better get rid of ole faithful.”

Here
it goes.

Ava
sighed and pulled the stiff comforter over her bare body. Why had she let
herself spin daydreams that Kade might be
that
guy? The one who would
rescue her from Zack Moreno...and herself. What a joke. Hadn’t she figured it
out by now? The only one who could save her was herself.

She
listened as the toilet flushed and then watched him as he walked back to the
bed with a tight grin on his face. He pulled his jeans on and zipped them up,
all the while avoiding eye contact.

“Want
a beer?” he asked as if they’d just finished watching a football game together
instead of making passionate love twice. He opened the mini refrigerator and
pulled out a bottle.

“I
get it,” she mumbled and began scanning the dimly lit room for any trace of her
clothing. She spotted her panties and scooped them up.

“What
do you get, exactly?” He twisted the cap off, not giving her his full attention
and not seeming to give a crap what her answer would be.

“I’m
supposed to leave before it gets awkward.” She pulled her panties on and picked
up her skirt and sweater.

“Come
on, you said yourself this was a one night stand.” He took a swig of his beer
and then set it down on top of the fridge. “I don’t even know your real name.”

And
it’s a good thing, too.

She
tugged her skirt up and tried to remain calm. She should be used to assholes
treating her like a discount whore, like she was less than her worth.
Unfortunately, she let this particular asshole lure her out of the safety of
the club and straight to his bed.

She’d
been lonely and she’d let herself read too much into his actions, and the
connection they made in bed. It was a stupid mistake, and she wouldn’t let it
happen again.

“Hey,”
he said in a low voice and walked the distance between them. “I’m sorry if you
thought this was leading somewhere. I didn’t mean to give you that impression.
I’m only in town until I complete a job and then I’m gone. A relationship would
never work.”

Ava
gave him her best dirty look. “Don’t you think I know that? Why else wouldn’t I
give you my name? It was just sex. No big deal.”

She
shrugged but couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of his shirtless body. The
ribbed muscles. The scars that didn’t seem to faze him. The eyes that bore into
her.

Focus,
Ava. He’s a jerk.

She
took a deep breath and slid her arms into her sweater. His hand ran down the side
of her breast before she could fully pull it on.

“No
big deal? Do you mean that?” he asked with an unsmiling face.

“Don’t
touch me,” she snapped, more furious with herself than with him.

He
pulled his hand away and clenched it at his side. “Sorry. You tempt me like no
woman I’ve ever known before.”

“You
don’t know me, and you never will.” She clasped her sweater shut and grabbed
her jacket off the floor.

“Listen.
I don’t want it to end this way. I’d like to see you again before I leave.
Maybe tonight after you get off work?”

Ava
held back a laugh. How desperate did he think she was? “Sorry. I have a date,”
she lied.

Dates
were a thing of the past. Something she couldn’t enjoy as long as she was on
the run. But he didn’t need to know that. If he could play games, then so could
she.

“With
who?” he asked, his blue eyes narrowing.

Why
did he even care? She shook her head and opened the door to leave.

“With
who?” he repeated and grabbed her wrist. “One of the bouncers? One of those
loser guys who sit in there all day dishing out money just so they can get a
woman to touch him?”

She
twisted from his grip. “Gee, aren’t
you
one of those loser guys?” she
asked but knew he wasn’t. No, Kade was unlike any other man she’d ever met. The
way he stared at her with thick dark lashes shading his menacing icy eyes told
her that much, and it was answer enough.

She
huffed out a breath and shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. What I do is none of your
business anyway.”

He
heaved the door shut and towered over her, cradling her face and forcing her to
look up at him. “Your date’s canceled. Come back here after work, and I’ll make
you forget any other man exists. I promise.” He dipped his mouth and threatened
to kiss her.

“Promises
are for fools,” she said, staring at his lips. “And I’m no fool.”

“That’s
a shame, because we’d get along a lot better if you were.” He grinned and
trapped her against the door. His mouth molded to hers and his tongue thrust
past her parted lips as she gasped. One of his hands braced the back of her
neck while the other slipped under her sweater and roughly caressed her breast.

Ava
tried to shove him away, but he didn’t budge. She should have been frightened.
She should have bit his tongue, kneed his groin, and shoved the palm of her
hand straight at the bridge of his nose.

Just
like she’d learned in the self-defense class she’d graduated from less than a
month ago.

But
she didn’t fear Kade—she yearned for him. In his bed, cradled in his strong
arms, she could forget all her worries. She didn’t need to think about the
looming possibility of Zack finding and hurting her. She was safe. Free from
fear and free from her disguise.

If
only the overgrown man would stop acting like such an ass.

With
fire in his passionate eyes, he finally broke the kiss and opened the door.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said in a gruff voice.

She
didn’t argue. She’d have plenty of time to do that later. Pinching her sweater
and jacket shut, she left.

Chapter Three

After
getting a few hours of sleep, Kade showered and dressed. It was time to scope
out his probable target, Poppy. And maybe check the stats on Lily’s loser date.

Damn
it. Why did he care? It shouldn’t have mattered to him, but just the thought of
another man touching her made him mad as hell. Especially so soon after she’d
been in his bed, in his arms.

God,
she’d had his cock inside her one night and she was planning on going out with
another man the next. He shook his head. That didn’t seem right. Sure, she was
a stripper, but she seemed so sweet. Not the type to fuck around. And, hell,
she’d been so tight, almost virginal. His balls tightened from the memory.

Her
beautiful face came to mind.
Lily.
The fact that he didn’t know her real
name ground at his nerves as well. How could he even begin to have feelings for
a woman who was nothing but a stripper incognito?

Fuck
it all.
He had more
important things to worry about.

He
reached under his bed and pulled out his duffle bag to see if everything was
still in order before he left the hotel room. His handgun was tucked safely in
its lockbox between a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Satisfied,
he clasped it shut, locked it and then slid the bag back under the bed. It
wasn’t safe to leave it in a hotel room for anyone to find, but he couldn’t get
it past the bouncer’s pat-down at the front door. All he could do was tell the
hotel manager he didn’t want his room cleaned and hope for the best.

Not
that he wanted to carry the gun around. He’d seen enough violence and heard
enough gunshots during his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan to last him a lifetime.

Most
of the time, Kade used his size and sometimes his fists to get what he wanted.
People listened when he talked, making his job that much easier.

Which
is why he wondered how Lily wasn’t afraid of him. Not even after she’d seen the
scars on his body.

She
had to know he wasn’t just a regular businessman traveling through town. She
had to know he was dangerous and selfish, not worth the time of day she’d given
him so far.

Kade
drew in a breath, and the vision of her naked underneath him ran wickedly through
his mind. To hell with it. Until she figured it out, he planned on taking full
of advantage of her naivety.

* * * * *

The
so-called dressing room was filled with every emotion a woman could have. Poppy
was talking and laughing about the guy with man-boobs who always liked to rub
his own nipples when she danced for him. Jasmine was crying about her latest
breakup. Rose was screaming about the hairy spider in the toilet.

And
Ava was angry and horny at the same time.

She
walked past the other women and set her bag in one of the cement-colored,
doorless stalls. The room was comprised of four of them, with the toilets
removed from all but one and replaced with a bench, a full-length mirror and a
single hook to hang stuff. Not exactly classy, but at least it gave Ava a
little privacy when she changed costumes.

What
a glamorous life.
She sighed at just the thought of it. She missed her old life working with the
animals at the shelter while studying to be a veterinarian during the week and
volunteering at the battered women’s group home on the weekend. How ironic that
she had turned into one of them. Zack had called her a saint once, and now he
truly wanted her to join the angels.

“Coming
in, girls,” Jarred warned, and Ava peeked around the stall to see him barging
through the backroom door as if he owned the joint. Arrogant bastard. His
brother was the owner, but Jarred might as well have been. Most of the hiring
and firing was left up to him.

“Hey,
Jarred,” Poppy said in an adoring tone. The woman had a serious crush on the
tall, dark, muscular man and everyone in the club knew it.

Unfortunately,
it didn’t seem Jarred felt the same way. “Hey,” he answered her but gave Ava
his attention. “Could everyone give me and Lily some privacy? I need to discuss
something with her.”

Shit.
Shit. Shit. What did he want now?

With
reluctance and audible irritation, the women left the room, leaving Ava alone
with him. Thankfully, she hadn’t started to undress for her shift yet and was
fully clothed.