Walker (Bad Boys of X-Ops #1) (23 page)

The Spy Who Loves Me

JADE?

Black leather. Black hair with the lush magenta streaks. Glowing green eyes slanted toward me. And that beauty mark Monroe piercing.

Oh, man.

Everyone gave her wide berth, maybe because her stiletto-heeled boots struck like gunfire on the floor, or maybe because her eyes aimed at me alone.

The woman probably had a blade sheathed in her boot, and she most certainly had a Beretta holstered on her somewhere.

I knocked the stool back, standing to spread my hands across my hips.

Fuck.

Beautiful

Deadly.

Lethal.

Mine.

“How’d you find me?”

“You aren’t as good as you think.”

“Oh really?” I lifted an eyebrow, my heart doing the bongo beat as I folded my arms over my chest.

I thought she was dead. I though at the very least I’d never see her again. She looked . . .

Holy shit, she looked fucking amazing.

She came closer, and despite being a world-class killer and a killer looker, all her bravado fled. “And Hunter helped me out.”

“Why?” I took a half step back from her, remaining stoic even though all I wanted to do was haul her to me. “Why now, Jade? It’s fucking May! It’s been two goddamn months and you didn’t even bother to let me know you were okay?”

Everyone in the MC was staring at us, and I lowered my voice. “Do you have any idea what that did to me?”

“I’m sorry. I . . .” She reached out hesitantly before retracting her hand, my mother’s token still on her wrist. “I’m tired of fighting.”

Rubbing a hand over my mouth, I averted my gaze. She was too much. Too beautiful. I’d ached for her for too long.

“Are you going to look at me, Walker?”

And I did.

The last time I’d seen her she’d been on death’s door with one foot over the threshold. The sallow skin was gone. So was the lank hair. She shined from within like she always had—a fucking force of nature hypnotizing me.

I started to lean forward. Her lips, those beautiful soft lips sang to me. I wanted to kiss her, hold her, take her home and bury myself inside her.

Jade flung herself into my arms, but I stopped her before our mouths met. I gripped her by the shoulders.

“Wait. Wait, goddammit!” I pulled my hands off her, still too wary to let her back in. “None of this explains why you’d planned a second exit strategy, Jade.”

Her shoulders sloped down and she dropped her eyes.

“I had to,” she whispered. “I made contact before I turned myself over. That was the only time. I . . . I wasn’t sure you’d come for me.”

“How the hell could you even question—”

“Because,” she hissed. “Because, we were thrown together in a situation we couldn’t control. Because I wasn’t sure I trusted my feelings. I didn’t know if you’d been playing me all along!

“It wasn’t until I was recovering, when I started remembering—you in that hotel room in Beirut. The way you looked at me like my pain was your pain.” She paused, her lips trembling.

“You don’t have to talk about that day.” My voice was rough.

“You, yelling at me to live and doing everything to keep me alive.”

I tilted up her chin, delving into those stunning eyes that gleamed, slightly damp. “And now?”

“I know you love me, Walker.” Her smile broke free, and she finally touched me, her fingertips caressing the dark stubble I’d let grow on my face.

“I do.” I nodded, my heart resuming its fundamental beat. “And you?”

“There was one other reason I had another plan lined up.” Her fingers trailed down my neck until they rested over my heart. “I never wanted you to see me weak. And I knew they’d probably try to break me.”

I swallowed roughly. “I could never—”

“I didn’t want you to have to watch me die. Or have to take care of my remains if the worst happened, not after you lost your Kimimela and Winona.”

A choking sound wrenched from my throat, and I scooped her tightly against me. “Jesus, Jade.”

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulled me down. “I love you, Walker.”

Our kiss began slow—tongues touching and chasing away. I groaned, slanting my head, tasting her deeper. Jade twisted my hair in her hands, turning up the heat until my knees felt weak and I wanted nothing more than to lay her out flat on the bar top and peel her skintight leathers off then and there.

I moved a breath away, husky laughter on my tongue. “Goddamn good thing I did come for you. That crap team of yours showed up late.”

“Oh, Walker. I love you.” Her mouth melted against mine, and her tongue’s entry between my lips swiped every other thought from my mind.

To taste her again. To touch her. To love her openly . . .

She whispered something—my name—when our lips parted, but I was too hungry to stop. Holding her hips, I lifted her up. We grinded together where my cock bulged, erect enough to bust through my jeans. I growled into her mouth when she bit the tip of my tongue, but it was a stinging pain I liked.

“Walker.” Jade broke away. “We have an audience.”

Fuck yeah we did. All the goons and their gorgeous babes whistled, roared, stomped, clapped, filling the air with combustible energy I was ready to tap into.

“Don’t care,” I murmured against Jade’s lips, tugging the bottom one between my teeth before sucking on it.

Both her hands slid to my face and she kissed across to my ear. “Let me take care of you later.” One hand dropped to my groin where she tripped light fingers up and down. “When we’re alone.”

A forceful shudder ripped through me. “I’m gonna keep you to that promise.”

Brodie Steele, the club VP, masked his grin with a tug on his wicked blond goatee.

He held out a fist to me when I finally unlatched Jade from my arms. “Fuckin’ A, man. Make us wait for the happy reunion a little longer next time, why don’t ya?”

“Because we don’t got enough drama around here on a daily basis.” Boomer Steele clapped a huge hand onto my shoulder.

I introduced Jade around the joint, to the officers of the club, the regulars, all their ladies, and dozens of others I’d gotten to know. Cole and Kinkaid. Sadie and JB. The chick mechanic called Rayce who formed part of their Ladies of Redemption MC. Ashe Kingston—Brodie’s woman. Tail and Tucker and the dude whose roadname was Handsome.

Jade had no problem fitting in. She and I were used to blending into the surrounds, playing different roles. Reading people with one glance was part of the job. But I could tell this was all pure, undiluted Jade. And she was a surefire winner.

Back at the bar, I announced in a loud voice, “Drinks are on Jade!”

“Walker.” She punched me hard enough to leave a bruise on my ribs.

Good thing I was used to her.

“Hey now.” I rubbed my side. “I was kidding. Drinks are on Hunter!” I megaphoned out.

“Whatever.” Hunter draped an arm around my shoulders. “Nice to have you back to being yourself, even if it means you’re more of an asshole than ever.”

“A lovable asshole.” I smirked.

“I’ll have to take Jade’s word on that,” Hunter said.

“Lovable
ahss
hole it is.” She aped a full southern drawl and then, with a wink, hopped behind the bar to help Kinkaid and Cole with the orders swarming in from every corner of Retribution.

I watched her, knowing the two probies had no idea what kind of woman they were joking around with.

But I did.

Only me.

Especially when her shirt lifted above her waist, and I saw the blade sheathed there.

I’d have been content to watch her all night . . .

Not.

I couldn’t wait to get her alone, and naked, and mine.

So I was especially pleased later when she snuck up behind me, and her words whispered beside my ear, “Take me home, Walker.”

I chuckled, pulling her roaming hands to my chest. “You do understand my real home is in the middle of nowhere,
not
even
the middle-of-nowhere cabin on the reservation, right?” I kissed her fingertips. “No High Street boutiques or perfectly prepared frappuccinos and not a single salon in sight.”

Turning, I flicked her long, wildly streaked hair.

“What? I can do low maintenance.” She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at me.

I chuckled again.

“Hey!” Smoothing one hand across my chest, she looked at me through the long fan of her eyelashes. “All I need is you.”

Tail did a drive-by. “Look at you, you sly dog.” He gave his trademark panty-dropping grin to Jade. “Where you been all this time, darlin’?”

“Touch me, and I’ll break all the bones in your hand.” She half-turned and rucked up her top just enough to show the grooved knife grip skimming against her lower spine. “Before I carve you to pieces.” She smiled sweetly.

Tail gawped. Speechless for the first time in history.

“No lie. She dislocated my shoulder.” I curled an arm around Jade’s waist, claiming my stake on her just as surely as she’d done me.

Tail knocked his head back with a huge guffaw. “Walker got him a live one!”

That I did.

****

I also got Jade on my ’49 Scout, finally. Cross that motherfucker off the bucket list. Good thing I’d gone ahead and put the new seat on it, too. Room for two, but not enough our bodies were separated by anything when I hopped on behind Jade.

I’d seen her on street bikes swerving across sidewalks and clipping way too close to cars. I’d never had her on my vintage metal beast before, though.

We tore up Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, laying tracks on the road and punching it down full throttle. The sleek classic black Scout with the red-orange insignia, the long curving chromework, the fully restored and babied engine that purred like a lioness.

Jade held on, taking all the turns I torqued as close to pavement as I could.

We were both thrill seekers. Sometimes bullets and blades didn’t have to be involved, just full metal in the form of mental high speeds and a hammering hard ride.

Hunter had lent me JB’s house once again, under duress. I’d threatened to build a fucking teepee on his front yard and send out smoke signals.

He’d reluctantly handed over the keys.

I throttled down the engine, entering JB’s old neighborhood. The gang of nosy kids just freakin’ loved to come out and get all handsy
all
over the Scout.

I usually let them have a heyday. But not tonight.

I had Jade back in my arms.

Jade shut the front door of the house and closed us inside.

I pounced immediately.

Dragging her to me, I lifted her in my arms, grabbing her duffel while I was at it. I took the stairs two at a time and, inside the bedroom we’d shared before, I slipped her down my body.

“Home sweet home.” Jade’s hot lips hit every part of my skin as she tore off my clothes.

“Not exactly.” I cranked her hair in my hand and licked her neck. “Just like old times?”

“Not exactly.” Jade dropped down, her tongue swirling into my V-cuts.

My breath sawed in and out of my chest as she rid me of the rest of my clothes. She pushed me onto the bed.

“Why not?” Every single muscle on my body stood up, taut as a carving.

My dick rose from my pubes, pulsing and huge. The Thunderbird stretched across my chest, ready to take flight.

“Because now I love you. And”—she brought a large wooden box out of her big duffle—“I have plans for you tonight.”

My cock twitched at the thought.

My voice throbbed from my throat. “What kind of plans?”

“These.” She jingled a pair of handcuffs.

“Kinky woman.” I grabbed onto the headboard, preparing myself.

“There’s more.”

“Bring it.”

Hell, she’d already broken me down, built me up. Might as well let her tie me down, too.

Jade restrained one of my hands, cuffing me to the headboard. She trailed fingertips down the underside of my arm from my wrist to forearm to bicep. She kissed across my shoulder and chest—taking time to swirl her hot tongue along the brightly colored Thunderbird tat stretched across a wall of muscle—to the other side, and slipped my other wrist into the ring of leather.

“Padded?” I asked, breaths chugging in and out of my chest.

“Want the other ones?” Leaning low, she licked across my lips.

I shook my head, fucking grunting. Hell no. I’d probably lose a thumb getting free of metal manacles just to have my hands on her. My cock rose like a fucking flag pole from my groin, and I spread my legs wider as she swept her hands across my chest and abdomen.

With the lights low there was nothing to focus on but her, and that was just fine with me. But she was still dressed.