Chapter Seventeen
I needed to touch him. All of him.
His warm lips were on mine, but I couldn’t get enough. So, while I was still straddling him, I slid my hands under his black T-shirt and let them roam over his hard body. Seth yanked the shirt over his head and discarded it onto the floor. Then he grasped my rear and pulled my hips forward, grinding me fully against a long ridge in his jeans as he kissed me again.
I gasped into his mouth at the sensations he created within me. God, I missed this for the past week. “I need you,” I whispered, rolling my hips over the hard length pressing against his seam. “I want all of you.”
He pulled back slightly and twirled a strand of my blond hair around his finger. “That works both ways, sweetheart. No more holding yourself back from me. I want all of you, too. No clothing. I want to kiss and touch every inch of your luscious body.”
Something warm pooled low in my abdomen, and I nodded.
“Do you trust me?” he whispered.
I nodded again.
“Enough to let me play a little?”
I wasn’t sure what that entailed, and my hesitation was prevalent in my voice. “W-what do you mean?”
His mouth curved. “I want to help you let go of the fears you’ve built up about trusting men. I want to show you that I’m worthy of your trust. Will you let me do that for you?”
My eyes lowered to his chest. “How?”
“Well, after I undress you completely, I’m going to rev up your instincts and let them guide you by blindfolding you.”
My head snapped up, and my eyes widened. “I, uh…don’t think…”
“It’s okay,” he whispered as the corner of his mouth lifted. “If you’re uncomfortable with the idea and want to say no, I’ll completely understand. I know it’s asking a lot. But I need you to see that you can fully trust me. You can’t keep me at a distance any longer, Bobbie.”
I hated the idea of feeling so vulnerable, but if I was ever going to put my trust into another man, it was now or never. “Okay,” I breathed out. He smiled and grabbed the edges of my blouse, but I stilled his hands. “I’ll do it. I’m going to run out of clothes if you keep destroying all of them.”
“All right,” he said, running his hands up the back of my shirt to undo my bra while I undid the front buttons.
Once the buttons were free, I let the top fall off my shoulders and slip down my arms until it fell onto the floor at his feet. Then I pulled the bra off and dropped it as well. I was only half naked and already feeling my stomach tying itself in knots at the thought of being completely nude. But he must’ve sensed my hesitancy because he had me stand up as he unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down my legs to the floor until I could step out of them. Then he slowly peeled my panties off, letting them fall to the floor as well.
Once the painstaking removal of my clothes was out of the way, Seth immediately shifted gears. He stood and maneuvered me onto the bed before picking up his T-shirt from the floor. Using his teeth and hands, he tore a piece of fabric from it, the ripping sound streaking through the air until he had a long strip of material. Then he knelt on the bed next to me and used it to cover my eyes, tying it gently behind my head.
Seth guided me farther up the bed and onto my back. Had lights been on, I probably could’ve seen through the thin cotton material. But, since the room was dark, I couldn’t see a damn thing. Including Seth. Which had my breath coming a little quicker already.
Seth left the bed and a rustling sound drifted to my ears. Was he removing his own clothes? I wasn’t really sure. Damn it, I didn’t like not being able to see what was going on around me.
“Seth?”
The mattress beside me pressed down with his weight. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m right here. I’m not going to leave you.”
“Okay, what now?”
His warm mouth ran over my beaded nipple, wetting it with his tongue. “Now you need a safe word.”
A safe word? Jesus. What the hell was he planning on doing to me? I giggled. “Why in the world would I need a—” His teeth nipped at the rigid bud in his mouth, and a sharp spike of adrenaline shot through my system so fast that my mind went fuzzy. “Oh. Um, okay. How about…leprechaun.”
He laughed. “Leprechaun? Really?”
I couldn’t stop the indignation from coloring my tone. “What’s wrong with leprechaun?”
“Nothing, I guess. I just figured you would pick something a little…um, sexier.”
“I can change it.”
“Nope. Too late. Now you’re stuck with it. At least I know that I won’t confuse that with anything else you might mutter.” He chuckled again. “Okay, so here are the rules. If you use that word, I’ll stop doing whatever it is I’m doing in that particular moment. It doesn’t matter what it is. As long as you say leprechaun, I’ll stop.”
“You promise?” I didn’t know why I was asking this, since I didn’t plan on ever using the safe word. I had always liked everything Seth did to me when we were having sex.
“I promise,” he assured me. “You say it and I stop. Got it?”
“Yep. But one question. What’s your safe word?”
“I don’t need one.”
“Well, that’s not fair. If I get one, you should have one, too.”
“Fine. My safe word is harder.”
“Seth.”
He groaned. “Okay, fine. If you do anything at all that frightens me, I’ll just use yours.” With the way he said that, I had no doubt he was rolling his eyes.
“Okay, sounds good. Now what?”
“Now you tell me what you want me to do to you.”
Confusion had me furrowing my eyebrows. “I’m naked, blindfolded, and on a bed. Isn’t that already established?”
He grunted at me. “No. Say it. Out loud.”
I giggled. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought. “All right. I want you.”
“No,” he said, his frustration clearly growing. “Stop being difficult and tell me what you want me to do to you.”
I sighed wearily. “Don’t tell me you forgot how to have sex. I feel like I’m with a teenage boy who must still be a virgin because he doesn’t know shit about how to please a woman.”
A strangled sound came from his throat. “Okay, that’s it,” he said, grabbing my waist and flipping me over onto my stomach. Then he pulled my hips up and back to force me onto my knees. Before I could even take a breath, there was a stinging slap on my ass, and then his palm ran over my cheek, soothing the area.
Desire coursed through me, and I moaned from deep within my throat.
“That’s what bad girls get when they don’t play fair,” he said, sliding his fingers between my folds, measuring the evidence of my arousal. “Oh yeah, baby. You’re liking this already, aren’t you?”
What the hell was there not to like? “Mmm-hmm.”
“All right. Let’s see if you can give me another reason to spank your beautiful little bottom, shall we?” His long, thick fingers tunneled inside of me, and I nearly collapsed back onto the bed. But he held me steady as he thrust them in and out of me, curving them slightly so they rubbed directly against my G-spot. “You have two minutes to come.”
“And if I don’t?”
He grinned. “Ah, baby, you’re making it sound like you’re going to have a choice in the matter. Trust me, you don’t.”
Well, hell. When he puts it like that…
…
Early the next morning, Seth and I had just finished eating breakfast and were loading the dishwasher when he must’ve heard something outside. He walked over and peered out the nearest window. “Uh, Bobbie. Did you happen to mention anything to your friends about my past?”
“Oh damn. Yeah, I did. I asked Jake to do a background check on you because I knew you were hiding something from me. But don’t worry. I’ll call him and tell him not to worry about it anymore.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because your cavalry just pulled up in front of the house. All four of your boys are getting out of the truck and they’re all packing heat.”
My eyes widened. “What? Let me see.” I moved past him and peeked out the window to see Jake, Cowboy, Ox, and Judd walking from the truck to the house, each of them carrying weapons. “Dear God. They look like they’re loaded for a bear hunt.”
“I know.” Seth grinned, clearly flattered by the idea that it would probably take that much ammo to take him down. “Just stay inside and let me handle this, okay?”
“What? No way.”
“Bobbie, I’m not kidding. I’ll take care of it.” He patted me on the rear. “Just keep that sweet little ass inside like I told you. Got it?”
“But I can explain it to them so they don’t—”
“No. I said let me handle it. I don’t want you in the way in case this all goes in a different direction than I think it will. I need to know you’re safe.”
“So you don’t want my help with this?”
“Nope.”
I crossed my arms. “Okay, fine. You’re on your own.”
Seth walked over and opened the door, grinning. “Hey, fellas. Wanna come inside for some coffee?”
All four of them grabbed Seth, yanked him outside and off the porch, and put him on his knees in the grass just off from the stairs. Then they all four pointed their guns at him, although he didn’t even seem to put up a fight.
“Guess not,” Seth said, chuckling.
I walked out onto the porch. “Stop it!” I yelled. “Don’t hurt him.”
Jake pointed to the house. “Bobbie Jo, go back inside.”
What the hell? Why was everyone telling me what to do on my own property? Ignoring them, I started down the stairs, anyway.
Seth shook his head and glared at me. “Don’t move, Bobbie. Stay right there.”
“Don’t listen to this asshole,” Jake said, then glanced up and saw that I was coming toward them. “Damn it, Bobbie Jo. I told you to go inside. It’s for your own safety.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, crossing my arms. “What the hell’s going on? Let Seth go.”
“No. I’m here to question your boarder.” His hard gaze fastened back on Seth. “Were you in the Army or something?”
Seth grinned. “No. I was the Army.”
Judd laughed. “Whatever, Mr. Badass. No one has a one-man Army.”
“I beg to differ,” Seth said, chuckling.
Cowboy grabbed Seth by his collar and shook him. “What are you? Some kind of government spy or something?”
“Nope. Wrong again,” Seth said, clearly enjoying the fun game he was playing.
I rolled my eyes. “Would you guys knock this crap off and let him up already. You’re making a huge mistake.”
Jake shook his head. “Bobbie, there are things you don’t know about him.”
“Jake, stop. I know all about him being a mercenary.”
He blinked at me. “What the hell do you mean you already know? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Because I’d only found out last night. But I didn’t say that, since I didn’t think it would go over very well. “Look, it’s not what you think. Just sit down with Seth and let him explain it to you.”
Cowboy shook his head. “What’s to explain? He got paid to do things. Bad things. Things that weren’t right. Mercenaries are killers, Bobbie Jo. You’ve been living with a murderer.”
I cringed at his words. “He’s not a murderer. Just listen to him and you’ll—”
“Damn it, Bobbie,” Seth said, glaring at me. “That’s enough. Stop defending me.”
Ox cocked his gun. “Watch the way you’re talking to her, dickhead.”
I stepped over toward Seth. “I’m not staying out of this anymore.”
He chuckled. “You haven’t stayed out of it since I opened the door.”
I glanced around at all of my friends. “You have it all wrong. Now put the guns down, let him go, and get the hell off my property. Otherwise, I’m going to go get my gun and we’re going to see who’s a better shot.”
All of their mouths dropped open, but Seth just grinned and winked at me. “Damn, baby. Do you know how fucking hot that was?”
I couldn’t help but smile back.
Jake finally spoke up. “I’m not leaving you alone with him. Are you insane?”
“I’m not afraid of him.”
Ox shook his head. “We have him, Bobbie Jo. He’s not going anywhere until he starts talking.”
Seth must’ve had enough of their foolishness because he exploded from the ground and quickly disarmed Ox, knocking his feet out from under him. Judd tried to grab him with his meaty hands, but Seth ducked and twisted his body around him until he ended up behind Judd with Ox’s gun pointed directly into his back. “Now who’s got who?”
Jake and Cowboy lifted their weapons and pointed them at Seth’s head, a move that sent shivers down my spine. “Drop the weapon,” Jake ordered.
Seth grinned. “No problem,” he said, shoving Judd toward them while he unloaded the weapon and tossed it to the ground, leaving him defenseless and completely at their mercy. Now who was the insane one?
Cowboy stepped forward to grab him, but Seth used some mixed martial arts move to block Cowboy’s hand, twist it up around his back, and then he grabbed Cowboy’s gun and unloaded it before shoving him to the ground. “Jake, shoot the bastard already,” Cowboy yelled, holding his arm on the ground.
I stepped in front of Seth. “Don’t you dare.”
Seth put his hands on my waist and lifted me, moving me to the side with ease. “Sweetheart, you are going to get your little ass spanked again if you don’t get the hell out of the way.”
“Again?” Ox said, grinning.
Heat pulsed in my cheeks. “Oh shut up. Like you guys didn’t already know we were sleeping together.”
Jake was the only one who still had a weapon trained on Seth. “What the hell, Bobbie? What’s going on?”
“It’s okay, Jake. Just put the weapon down. You always want me to trust in you guys, then you should do the same for me. Seth isn’t a threat to any of us.”
Jake lowered his weapon. “Fine. But he better talk fast, and this better be good.”
I invited them all inside and got an ice pack for Cowboy’s arm while they sat around the dining room table listening to Seth talk about his time in The Resistance. I sat in the chair next to him, and when he got to the part about losing the little boy, I squeezed his hand under the table. He gave me a sad sort of smile, and I knew he was remembering all of it so clearly. But I think talking about it last night and again today had helped him a lot. He suddenly seemed lighter on his feet, as if he’d released some of his demons.
And once my boys had heard the whole story, they each took turns apologizing to Seth for their actions today. Well, except for Cowboy, who shook his head and said, “I ain’t apologizing for shit. The fucker nearly broke my arm with that fancy move he did.”
Seth just grinned. “Want me to show it to you?”
Cowboy grunted. “Hell if I’m going to stand there and let you do it to me again. But you can do it to one of these other morons. I wouldn’t mind seeing it a second time.”
In a gross display of male bravado, all of my boys went outside onto the front lawn and let Seth unarm each of them in order to learn his trademark move.
The idiots.