CHAPTER SIX
ZQ stretched out on the twin bed opposite the one Quinn slept in. The bed could have used an extra two feet of space in both directions, but he’d scrunch in to fit. He wanted one night of hearing his boy sleep, of being close. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling things would turn into a shitstorm when he rescued Ivy.
JJ was right; he had to shed this defeatist attitude. It wasn’t his normal thought process. What had him so knotted up inside? He’d been part of damn near a hundred or more extractions—each one dangerous. But this one was different. It was to rescue the only woman he’d ever loved, fueled by a promise he’d made to his little boy.
Just bringing her back wouldn’t be enough. He had to wipe out the cartel leadership so they wouldn’t come after Ivy again…or his son now that they knew about him. ZQ closed his eyes and went over every step of the three plans they’d drawn up last night to accommodate any potential situation.
Bed clothes rustled and tiny feet padded to his bedside. A fingertip traced the scar through his eyebrow. “Daddy, you ՚wake?”
He kept his eyes closed and whispered a reply. “No. I’m asleep, dreaming about the pony I’m keeping on the ranch whenever you come to visit.” He’d already called his foreman in Texas about a young Paint, asking him to work with the gentle colt for Quinn.
ZQ laughed when his son leapt into bed with him. “A pony, Daddy? For my bery own? What color is it?” His son straddled his chest and cupped his face. “Open youw eyes and tell me.”
“I need the magic word, son.” One eyelid opened in parental expectation.
“Pwease.”
Oh God, this kid had him in the palm of his hand. He’d have to be careful or he’d be buying Quinn a pickup for his next birthday. ZQ wrapped his arms around his son. “Your colt is two years old. He’ll grow up with you. He’s a Paint, which is a breed with spots on it. Yours is white with big brown spots over his back and smaller ones down his legs. His name is Diego. Can you say that?”
“Diego.” Dark eyes twinkled at him in the shadowy room.
“Let’s talk about horses. Even though they’re bigger than us, they scare easily. So, no squealing or shouting. If you build trust with Diego, he’ll look on you as his best friend. Do you know what trust is?”
“No.”
“Who do you know will take care of you?”
“My mommy.”
He touched his finger to Quinn’s nose. “Right. Because you trust her. You trust her to keep you safe and fed and to take care of you when you’re sick. My mom takes care of me when I’m sick, too. She knows I like apples, just not why. So she keeps a bowl of them on the kitchen counter.”
“Why do you wike apples?”
“Because your mommy’s hair used to smell like apples. The shampoo she used was apple scented. Every time I eat an apple, I think of her and how special she is.”
“Oh. Do you wuv her?”
“I’ve never stopped. If I’d known about you, I’d have had two people to love.” Sweet Lord, he’d do anything to keep this child and his momma safe. Suffer any amount of pain. Bleed his final drop of blood. He’d come to the realization when he loved, he loved hard.
He ruffled Quinn’s hair. “Now, back to Diego. When you come visit me at the ranch, work on getting him to trust you. Walk up to him from the front, never from behind. At least until he’s older and recognizes the sound of your step. Softly call his name and rub his face, gentle like this.” His flattened palm slowly imitated how his son should pet his horse. “Now, do it to me.” A little hand swept down his face so lightly he could barely feel it.
“Press harder, Monkey. You’ve almost got it. A firmer rub shows him you care and will look after him.” ZQ covered Quinn’s hand and showed him how much pressure to apply. “Now, do it on your own. I don’t want you to be afraid of Diego. Be his gentle master. Since I won’t be there when you meet him, follow Elroy’s instructions. He’s my foreman and runs the ranch when I’m gone. He knows all about horses. Okay?”
“Okay. Can I sweep wif you?” He was already snuggling into his embrace and ZQ wouldn’t have moved him for the world.
“Yes, son. Sleep with Daddy. Tomorrow when you wake up, I’ll be on my way to get Mommy.”
His little hand curled around ZQ’s neck. “I twust you, too. Mommy and you.” His breathing deepened into sleep. ZQ smiled and closed his eyes. This was contentment.
The alarm on his cell rang softly and ZQ turned it off. His legs swiveled to the edge of the bed where he attached his foot. Once he was dressed, he pulled the stuffed Spider Man from his duffle bag. He’d sent Althea and Steelhead to the toy store to buy it for Quinn yesterday afternoon when they’d shopped for magnetic art supplies.
He tucked the large Spidey next to his son and took a long look at the boy—the child he never expected to have. Then he snatched his bag from the floor and silently strode out. An important mission lay ahead and he would not disappoint little Quinn nor allow danger to touch the woman he’d always loved.
Hushed tones of male conversation filled the kitchen. So did the odors of freshly brewed coffee. JJ gently stirred scrambled eggs with a wooden spoon. Steelhead manned the toaster and Titan flipped pancakes on a griddle. Dust fried bacon while Grey set the table.
ZQ was glad Grey was going along. That made them a team of six; a strong group of powerful and skilled men who knew how to plan and execute dangerous missions. After all, they’d completed hundreds.
Once they reached the fenced-in parking lot where the helicopter was stored, JJ and ZQ started their pre-flight checks while the rest of the men loaded the bird. “You’re moving a little stiff this morning.” JJ observed as he tightened a bolt on a propeller.
“You try sleeping in a twin bed with a four-year-old’s bony knees in your back.”
“That’s some kid you’ve got there.”
“Don’t I know it. Hey, you got any pills in your bag to help my back? Steelhead can co-pilot for a while and I’ll take a nap on the pile of blankets in the cargo area. All I need is a couple hours of shuteye to be at my best for the mission.”
ZQ grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and swallowed the pain pills the medic gave him. He lay on a pad used for wounded personnel and rolled a blanket up for a pillow. Nance settled down beside him, but JJ ordered the dog upfront near him. Anytime they were working, he insisted on Nance’s full attention on him so she’d be alert to his giving her signals.
The helo took off. Between the effects of the drugs and the craft’s vibrations, ZQ’s eyes got weary and he drifted off.
Rose looked sexy as hell tonight in her red sheer halter top that showed off her full breasts and her short black leather skirt that barely covered her bare ass. His leather pants grew tight as soon as his gaze settled on her. Everything about her fet wear tonight was designed to drive him fucking nuts. And that included the red strappy stilettos that showcased her curvy legs he loved running his palms over. But something was wrong. She stood in the area for unclaimed submissives and the smile she sent his way was one of challenge. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be in this spot.
The closer he got, the more confused he grew. “Why are you waiting in this section? Are you hoping another Dom will choose you to play with tonight?” She hiked her chin in defiance, which ratcheted his mood from pissed off to damn near livid. She was his, by damn. “Do you want me to find another sub for the evening?” His insides quaked with possessiveness.
He crossed his arms. “You’ve got thirty seconds to decide, Rose. We might play games, but nothing like this. Either you want to be with me or you don’t.”
She shuddered with the turn-on of his anger as if it zinged across her skin. His stomach tensed. Was she aroused or just afraid to tell him it was over?
Taking her by the hand, he led her behind a wall of potted palms. He wrapped her long hair around his hand and tugged. “We’re having this out. Right here. Right fucking now. I haven’t been with another woman since I met you. There’s been no one but you for over four months. And now you want to stand with the unclaimed subs?” His voice had deepened in anger. Her gaze dropped. “Let me be honest. The thought of another man touching you exposes my murderous side like your tiny skirt exposes that firm ass of yours.
“Are you trying to tell me something? Are you ready to move on or did you just want to see how far you could push me? Because when it comes to you, I have a very short leash. You’re damn well mine.” His words had an ironic sound to them. He’d just accepted he was falling in love with her, that she was the type of woman he could trust to be faithful while he was away on missions. And tonight she gave off I’m-bored-with-you vibes.
“We’ve never talked about exclusivity.”
And there it was—the damn truth of the matter. Well, fuck all if he’d give up so easily.
He jerked her body against his and whispered in her ear. “Exclusivity? What does damn near every night for four months mean to you? Haven’t we dated outside the club? Restaurants, movies, swimming, jet skis, and whatever else you wanted to do? Do you think I touch every woman the way I do you? Get as much pleasure from others as I do you?” His temper had him shaking.
“You want to try another Dom?” He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the wide entrance of the unclaimed submissives’ area. “Stand here, front and center. It won’t take long for someone to snatch you right up. But don’t expect me to hang around and watch.” He pivoted on his heel and charged for the locker room to change clothes.
He needed to get shit-faced drunk. The one-drink minimum at the club wouldn’t begin to calm him down, much less take the edge off his anger.
Her stilettos clattered on the floor behind him. “Quinn, wait! Master, let me explain. Please.”
He halted and relaxed his fists. Good God, he needed to pound into something until they bled. He’d done something he never had before. He’d allowed himself to be vulnerable to a sub. Never again.
She rounded him because all he’d give her was his back. “I needed my Master tonight. I’m under a lot of stress and no one can take that away from me, but you.” She grabbed the edges of his leather vest without his permission. “So I acted like a brat, hoping my punishment would be worse than normal. I needed you and you pulled the jealous card.”
“Exactly what stress are you under?” He glared at her. This better be damn good.
For the first time, she didn’t hesitate to share her private life with him. “I test for the bar tomorrow. On my birthday, of all days.” She glanced away in an effort to hide the fear in her green eyes. The golden striations were gone, leaving them a pale sea green.
“Few law students pass them the first time. I have no clue how rough they’ll be. I mean, I’ve looked at samples in the law library, but they’re all different. I’m scared, Quinn. I need you to push me tonight. Prepare me emotionally for those damn exams.”
“You’re taking the bar? You’ve been going to law school all this time?” She nodded.
They’d both kept their private lives to themselves for their own reasons. Just now she’d shared a part of herself. Delight over her openness assuaged his anger. She trusted him with this part of her life. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her to him so he could whisper gentle kisses across her face.
“I need you.” There was pleading in her voice.
“My cherished sub will be a lawyer. I’m so proud of you. I adore a smart woman.”
“I’m very intelligent, Quinn.” She shot him a smartass grin and he cupped her naked ass.
“So you’re facing the bar and need my strict dominance to shed your nerves so you can concentrate tomorrow?” He kissed her below an ear and she shuddered. “You needed me and I acted like a jealous ass. I’m sorry.
“Still, you displeased your Master. Made him angry. You’ll have to pay and pay dearly. I think a leather flogger followed by a riding crop will teach you a lesson. I expect you to tell me up front when you need extra care, not act out. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Master.” She fluttered her eyelashes and smiled.
“I’m dead serious. Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you.” He bit her lower lip and she shuddered an inhale. To ease the sting, he laved her lip with his tongue before taking command of her mouth. He sucked her lips, her tongue and mimicked what he intended to do to her with his cock. Then he rubbed his cheek against hers. “You’re mine here in the club and anywhere else you happen to go. I’m falling in love with you, Rose. That’s why the thought of you with another man drives me out of my fucking mind.”
She cried and clasped her arms tight around his neck. “Oh, Quinn, I love you too. Beat my ass until it’s that pretty shade of pink you like. Put me into subspace so my mind forgets the bars for a while.”
“Whatever my submissive needs, it’s my duty to provide.” He got a room key from the bartender and they walked back the hallway illuminated with purple lights on the black walls. Every few steps he had her backed against the wall, kissing and nipping her everywhere he could touch. His hands squeezed her ass as he rubbed his erection against her.
“We are exclusive, is that understood?” His voice was deep and masterful. “No one touches you, but me. If I haven’t made it verbally clear, I am now. Your pretty pussy and every other part of your delicious body belongs to me.”
“Yes, Master. I’ll always be yours.”
“Damn straight.” His control snapped and he swept her into his arms, carrying her back to their room. “Always. Mine always.”
He took his time undressing her, touching her golden skin, and tasting her before tying her to the bed on her stomach. She lay with her head to the side as he unwrapped a new doeskin flogger and whipped it through the air a few times. “I really was a bad sub, Master.”
Laughter sprung forth from his chest and he leaned over to capture her lips again. “My sub is a wee bit anxious.
“You deliberately made me angry tonight, lioness. For that, you need punished.” His palm caressed her firm ass. “Does the thought of a hard flogging get you excited?” He dipped his fingers between her bald folds and held the moistened digits in front of her eyes. She really did need this.
“Your defiant behavior deserves twenty swats with this flogger. You will count them out and answer my questions. Am I clear?” The leather strips struck her skin, gently for now. “Whose woman are you?”
“One, sir. Yours, Master.”
He kissed each ass cheek with gentleness and care before swinging the flogger with a firmer hand to the tops of her thighs. “Count and who do you turn to when you need something? Anything? Help or comfort?”
“Two, sir. I turn to you, my Master.”
She was right; she did need this to untie the knots of tension in her body. By the seventh swat. She’d slipped into a tearful subspace.
“That’s it, my lioness with the golden skin and the tawny hair. Cry. Get rid of the tension and fear. You’ll pass these bar exams. You hear me? And I’m your Master.” He swatted her again, harder. “And I’ve got you.”
Floods of tears dampened everything.
“I’m switching to the crop now.” Quinn rubbed her ass and spread kisses down her spinal column. “I love you, Rose. Never forget that.”
“I love you, too, Master.”
The riding crop did its job. He untied her and held her in his arms to provide aftercare. Then he gently laid her on the bed, donned a condom, and placed her knees over his shoulders. Damn, but he rode her hard. His thumb circled her clit until her legs trembled. As soon as he pressed down on it, she exploded, screaming his name. While her walls spammed around him, he plunged deeper as if he were marking her as his.
Heat whipped down his spine and through his balls for a phenomenal climax, bringing on another one for her. Both whispered each other’s names into their lover’s mouths. He didn’t think he’d ever breathe normally again and he didn’t give a good goddamn. Because there should be no doubt in Rose’s mind whose woman she was—or how much he cared for her.