Stripped Defenseless (8 page)

Poppy
followed. “Are you leaving?”

“I’m
not sticking around here to find out what Jarred does next. He’s an animal.”

“Is
that guy going with you?”

“No,”
Ava answered with more force than she had intended. “I’m sure he’s going his
separate way.”

“Really?
Seems like he cares about you.”

Ava
held back a laugh. “Kade cares for no one but himself. Trust me. He’s no better
than the likes of Jarred.”

“I’m
insulted.” Kade’s voice echoed into the stall where she stood, now completely
nude as she prepared to dress in her street clothes.

Poppy
rolled her eyes at Ava. “Good luck,” she said and left.

Ava
held her breath. Knowing he was so close made her ache for contact. Even though
she despised him. Even though she knew he’d break her heart over and over until
she finally got smart and told him no. How the hell was she going to turn off
her own blinders?

A
large shadow on the floor told her he was walking toward her. He stopped outside
of the stall and leaned against it, staring her down. “You don’t think much of
me, do you?”

She
turned, letting him see her in full view. She’d rather have him staring at her
breasts than scoring her with those intense eyes. “Have you given me a reason
to?”

His
gaze drifted down for only a second, and then quickly made its way back up.
“I’ve never hurt a woman before and I never will.”

“Not
that you’ve realized, anyway,” she mumbled and stepped into her panties. She
slid them on but kept eye contact all the while.

“What’s
that supposed to mean?” He moved past her, brushing his muscular arm against
her breasts, and sat on the bench behind her.

Her
nipples puckered disobediently. “Do you mind? I’m trying to get dressed.” She
reached over him and snatched her jeans off the hook above him.

Without
warning, he grabbed her waist and pulled her onto him like a little girl
sitting on Santa Clause’s lap. The only difference was she was a grown woman
with more passion for the man before her than she cared to admit.

He
inspected her face, while his fingers gently ran down her sore cheek. “I
shouldn’t have left you here with him. He had murder in his eyes when I passed
him on my way out the door. I’ve seen that look before. I should’ve known.”

Ava
wanted to ask where he’d seen it, the same expression she’d noticed on Zack
before he beat her to a pulp. But she couldn’t speak. Infatuation filled her
pores and tickled at her lips that were so close to his.

“You
need to put ice on that,” he said with a visible gulp. “Will you come with me
to my room so I can help you?”

With
her mind blurred and her body on fire, she simply nodded.

He
let out a chuckle. “Not that you need my help. You messed that guy up pretty
good.”

“He
deserved it.”

“Yes,
he did.” His fingers traveled to the bottom of her chin where he lifted it and
guided her mouth to his. His other hand trailed lightly down her bare back to
the bottom of her buttocks where he made soft circles against her skin.

A
sweet, light kiss parted her lips and made her quiver with anticipation. How
was she so easily seduced by him? Not a care in the world entered her mind when
she was encompassed by his solid body and musky masculine scent.

Well,
not until he pulled it away.

“We
should get out of here before he sics his henchman on us.” He lifted her to her
feet as if she were a puppet with limp strings. “Finish getting dressed. I’ll
wait for you outside the door.”

* * * * *

The
fuckhead who had hurt Ava was nowhere in sight when Kade scanned the room.
Smart guy. In fact, the club was just as it had been. Bouncers stood in their
assigned spots, and the dancers edged their way from one man to the next.
Except Poppy, who was lazily swaying her hips out of sync to the music on the
nearby stage.

Kade
cleared his mind of Ava and the affect she had on him. His overwhelming need to
touch her, kiss her, and protect her would undoubtedly put one or both of them
in danger, and he needed to get a handle on it somehow. If he only knew what
Moreno had up his sleeve. Why had the man placed such a high price on Ava’s
head? When Kade had spoken to him, it was obvious Zack was passionate about
finding her. But for what reason?

There
was only one way to find out. Kade pulled his cell phone from inside his jacket
and dialed Zack Moreno’s cell phone number.

“Moreno
speaking,” he answered quickly.

“What
are you trying to pull?” Kade asked, tension building inside of him.

“Gavin,
you’re calling.” The man seemed surprised. “This must mean you have good news
for me.”

“Not
just yet. I need you to answer some questions for me first.”

A
false burst of laughter roared into Kade’s ears. “You’re my employee,” Zack
said, adding another chuckle. “You don’t get to ask questions. You get to do
what you’re told. Now, do you have Ava or not?”

“Why
do you want her? You obviously didn’t want me to find her right away with the
bogus eye color you gave me.”

A
moment of silence passed.

“
Why
do you want her?” Kade repeated but with more authority.

“I’m
impressed. You found her despite my misinformation. You’ve lived up to your reputation.
I may have to tell the senator to hire you on.”

“My
reputation is dirt. I’m a son of a bitch, but I still need to know your plans.
I won’t have her put in harm’s way.”

“Relax,
Gavin,” Zack said with a bite. “You act as if she means something to you. I
know that can’t be true because Ava belongs to me. Have you overstepped your
boundaries? Have you
fucked
my property?”

“She
doesn’t belong to anybody, especially you. Is that why you want her? Do you
want to force yourself on her?” Kade gritted his teeth at the mere thought.

Zack
let out another bitter laugh. “Now, that would be illegal, my friend, and I’m a
man of values. I only want to have a conversation. Then she can be on her way
if that’s what she pleases.”

Kade
bit his tongue. Moreno was spitting out garbage and both of them knew it. Ava
was in danger. But why?

“Besides,”
Zack added. “If you don’t follow through, Gavin, you won’t get paid, and I’ll
see to it you don’t work another day in your life. Understand?”

“Completely.”
Kade shut the phone off. There wasn’t anything more to discuss. He knew what he
needed to do. He didn’t like it, and he sure as hell knew Ava would hate him
for it. But it had to be done.

* * * * *

Kade’s
hand on the small of Ava’s back allowed her to momentarily forget about the
stinging sensation on her cheek as the cold air bit into it. She only wished
she knew why he looked as if he had just shot someone. Or wanted to.

This
wasn’t a man who traveled selling software. With his intimidating appearance,
how could anyone trust him?

How
could she? For all she knew, he was being paid by Zack to find her. But that
was ridiculous. Zack would never allow his employee, or anyone, to lay their
hands on her, let alone make love to her over and over. She mentally laughed at
the thought. No, it had been months since she’d left Zack, but she was sure he
would be just as possessive as the day she’d met him.

Which
meant Kade was still a complete mystery. Everything from his last name to his
real occupation to where he came from was a huge puzzle just waiting to be
pieced together. If only he’d let her in long enough to at least have a
glimpse.

“I’ll
go grab some ice from the machine while you warm up inside,” Kade said after
opening the door for her.

She
tried to smile, but her face hurt too much so she just nodded and stepped into
his room. His bed was unmade, but it looked tempting all the same. She crawled
on top of the mattress and snuggled up in the stiff comforter and tangled bed
sheets. Just a hint of his scent lingered on the white-cased pillow. She
inhaled deeply.

God,
what was wrong with her? It was as if she were a lovesick teenager...with
serious doubts about the man she was falling for. How could someone make her
feel so safe and frightened all at once?

Although
she was exhausted, she forced herself to sit up, hauling her body off the bed
like dead weight. A shower was exactly what she needed to clear her head and
start thinking of where to go next.

The
next town over or a whole new state all together? Maybe someplace warm where it
never snowed. The cold weather was beginning to get on her nerves. Phoenix,
maybe? She could get back on the bus and head south, stopping when and where
she felt far enough away from the danger. Ha. That would be never and nowhere.

She
turned the shower on and undressed while the water heated. Her body ached from
being manhandled by Jarred. One thing was for sure—wherever she went, she knew
the people would all be the same and none of them could be trusted.

Sighing,
she stepped into the pelting hot water and let the spray beat down her back.
When had she become such a pessimist? Or was she a realist? Either way, it was
lonely and depressing.

Through
the marbled glass shower door, she saw Kade’s large, distorted image walk into
the bathroom. She held still, not sure if she wanted him to leave or to join
her. Could she handle one last fling? Or would it only leave her craving
something more? Something she realized he wasn’t willing to give. It had been
painfully obvious the first couple of times he’d made that clear.

“I’ll
put the bucket of ice in the sink, Ava.”

She
liked the way he said her name. It felt familiar and warming. “Okay, thanks,”
she answered, still immobile.

For
what seemed like an eternity, he stood there, just outside of the shower door.
She couldn’t tell if he was watching her or not. She guessed there probably
wasn’t much of her he could make out if his view was the same as hers.

“What
are you thinking about?” she asked over the noise of the running water.

The
blackness of his T-shirt fell out of sight, leaving the tan of his flesh. From
what Ava could tell, his jeans dropped next.

Her
heart beat heavily as anticipation pulsed through her, making her breasts ache
for his touch and her pussy grow warm with need.

His
hand pressed against the steamy glass and slid it open. He stepped in and moved
toward her, only allowing Ava to close her eyes before he grasped the good side
of her face with one hand and braced the other hand on the small of her back.
His commanding mouth took control of hers and let her know how much he desired
her.

Ava
reached for him, wanting to feel the mass of his chest, the firmness of his
stomach. She dared to slide her fingers around his waist to run them over his
tight buttocks. Water ran down her arms and onto his backside, making it
slippery to the touch as she rubbed his firm ass.

His
skilled tongue tangled with hers, and she let her fingers crawl up his back,
gliding lightly on the solid muscle.

Her
wet breasts crowded against his body. Their skin slithered smoothly together,
making her nipples aroused and receptive. They pebbled into hard knobs against
the coarse hairs on his chest.

His
erection grew stiff against her stomach, and the craving to explore every inch
of him overwhelmed her. Having a mind of its own, her hand came back around and
encompassed the velvety skin of his long, hard cock.

She
gently squeezed as she slid up and down his wet, slick shaft.

His
lips froze on hers as he drew in a breath. Ava dared to open her eyes and see
firsthand the pleasure she gave him. A heavily lidded gaze stared back at her.
The paleness of his blue eyes read more than just lust, and she shivered at the
possibilities of what he could be thinking.

In
any case, exciting him awarded her more satisfaction than she’d ever imagined.
She took in the sight of his pulsing erection ready to burst at her fingertips.
Scrumptious.

Wanting
nothing more than to taste his warm cum, she shoved him against the far wall
and kneeled at his feet, holding his thick length in her palm.

“Jeezus,
Ava.” The sound of her real name leaving his lips sent warm flutters to her
belly.

Glad
this wasn’t over between them just yet, she licked the salty pre-cum from the
tiny slit at the head his cock. Mmm.

He
hissed out a breath and visibly tensed the cables of his stomach muscles. “You
don’t have to do this. It wasn’t what I’d intended.” He tilted his head.
“You’re hurt. You should rest.”

She
ran her fingertips down the corded muscle that led to his groin. The man was
perfection. And, for this precious moment, he was hers. She dared to meet his
gaze. “I want to do it. I want you, Kade. All of you.”

He
gently cupped her injured cheek and nodded stiffly, his gaze never leaving
hers. “Stop if you feel pain.”