"Sure," I murmured. I pulled away, then considered the mess we'd just made. "Um ..."

"I'll clean it up," he said quickly. "Just get ready for bed. I want to hold you-remember that night out behind the bunkhouse at your dad's place? Aside from the part where you nearly killed me, that was one of the best nights of my life."

"You also held me the night you kidnapped me," I said, my voice dry. He shrugged.

"That was pretty good, too," he admitted. "At least for me. But I figured you might have a different perspective ..."

"You'll make it up to me," I told him, and I had no doubt of it. But not tonight.

My beautiful man needed rest, and he'd d.a.m.ned well get it.

HUNTER.

I woke up to an empty bed.

Em had been so cute last night ... First she jerked me off like a pro, and then she'd come to bed wearing one of my T-shirts, which I'd confiscated. Guess she didn't have time to find any of those pretty presents I'd "given" her. Not that it mattered-I didn't want anything between her skin and mine anyway. I slept surrounded by her warmth and smell and her hair all over my face, which should've been annoying but in reality kicked a.s.s.

Her face wasn't waiting for me when I closed my eyes, though. Nope, I saw the faces of my brothers right before I'd shot them. One of them had cried, begging for his life. The other sneered and flipped me off.

Two of our own, selling us out to the cartel.

It wasn't the first time I'd killed for the club-but I'd never had to put down a brother like a dog before. I'd known there was dissension in the ranks and fully realized that there were men who'd do anything to keep us from making peace with the Reapers. I even understood their perspective, to a degree. We'd been in a cold war with the other club for close to twenty years. That made for a lot of bad blood.

But they'd gone beyond betrayal-this was treason.

Good men died because of what they'd done.

On the long drive up from Redding, I focused on Em. How much I wanted to hold her and smell her and absolutely not think of anything but her gorgeous body and the flash of her ice-blue eyes.

Then Deke and his pet prospect got in the way and I'd lost it.

f.u.c.k.

I couldn't believe how stupid I'd been. I hated to admit it, but Em had been right. What the h.e.l.l was I thinking, risking the peace for one night? With any luck we'd have years together, something that definitely wouldn't be happening if I started a new war with her dad's club.

So f.u.c.king stupid ... but at least one of us had kept her s.h.i.t together. A reluctant smile crossed my face, because Em had saved my a.s.s yet again. I heard the shower running in the bathroom, and I realized she must be in there, all slippery and wet. Ten seconds later I was on my feet, sliding back the curtain and stepping in behind her.

"Hey, baby," I whispered in her ear. "I forgot to give you something last night."

She gave a s.e.xy little squeak as I slid my hands around her body, grasping her breast and reaching for her c.l.i.t at the same time. Then she leaned into me and for the first time I got to explore her body without rushing.

Beautiful.

Of course, I knew every curve she had. I'd studied her pictures a thousand times, memorizing every inch of her skin and fantasizing about what I'd do to her, given the chance. The reality was better than my dreams. Way better. She was soft, but I felt the strong muscles underneath her curves. I knew she'd have endurance, and despite what she'd said to me that night in Coeur d'Alene, she'd already proven herself one h.e.l.l of an old lady.

She said she didn't want to follow orders.

Fine by me-I didn't need to control her ... I just wanted to sit back and watch her, try to figure out what made her tick and hold on for the ride. I knew she'd support me, but I also knew she'd protect me from myself. She'd already protected our clubs. Last night she'd done a better job than I had. I promised myself that I'd never pull that kind of bulls.h.i.t on her again.

h.e.l.l, I should be following her lead, because she'd been smarter than me and Deke put together. Now that I'd cooled off, I could see the humor in the situation. Somehow she'd managed to bypa.s.s all of us, not exactly defusing the situation, but definitely ending it without violence.

So what if Deke was p.i.s.sed? So far as I could tell, the man was permanently p.i.s.sed. He hated the Jacks and had threatened to kill me more than once, so I wasn't exactly crying over his hurt feelings. As for Em, she was under my protection now, so it didn't really matter how frustrated he got. He'd be dealing with me from now on.

Em squirmed in my arms, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I reached down and slipped my fingers into her hot warmth, and she squeaked in my arms. Why the f.u.c.k was I thinking about Deke when I had a naked woman in my arms?

I swiveled Em in my arms, finding her mouth and sucking her lower lip into mine. Then I lifted her, carrying her out of the tub and setting her on the bathroom counter. My hand slipped between us, dipping into that sweet p.u.s.s.y of hers.

So f.u.c.king hot and tight ...

Em gasped against my mouth, giving me the opportunity to slip my tongue inside. Down below, I had two fingers up inside her now. She clenched around me, bringing back some mighty fine memories of her wrapped around my c.o.c.k the other night, when we visited my very favorite alley in the history of time.

She reached down and grabbed my d.i.c.k, squeezing it hard like I'd taught her the night before.

Very nice.

Then she tried to guide me into her.

"Condom," I managed to get out. "They're out in the room."

"Let's go find them," Em whispered, her blue eyes bright and hungry. Like I'd argue with that? She hopped down and tried to push past me, but I caught her, jerking her into my body for a long, hard kiss that left both of us gasping.

"Holy c.r.a.p," she muttered as I let her lips go. "How do you do that? Seriously, that was like a movie kiss or something."

"Chemistry," I told her. "Technique doesn't even start to explain something this good."

She gave me a wicked smile.

"Ooohh, I love chemistry. How 'bout you be the science teacher, and I'll be the dirty girl who needs detention?"

EM.

I tripped out of the bathroom, giggling as Hunter lunged after me. He caught me, lifting me high and throwing me down on the bed. Before I could catch my breath, he had me over his lap, one hand in the center of my back, the other sliding down between the cheeks of my a.s.s.

I screamed, wiggling wildly.

"You said you needed detention," he told me, his voice stern. "I'm just trying to be a good teacher."

With this his fingers slid into me, deep. I stiffened at the invasion, then relaxed and sighed as he found my G-spot.

"That good?" he asked, rubbing my back up and down.

"Sure," I muttered, letting my head fall forward on the bed. It felt more than fine, actually. His fingers kept working me, and then his second hand lifted and smacked my a.s.s abruptly.

I squealed and tried to sit up, but he held me down tight. His thumb had found my c.l.i.t, and now he worked me inside and out. I felt tension spiraling up, and I squirmed awkwardly. I wanted him inside me, d.a.m.n it. Hunter had other ideas. His clever fingers kept going, pushing me closer to an o.r.g.a.s.m.

Holy h.e.l.l, that was nice.

"You like that?"

"Yeah," I whimpered, twisting on his lap. "Like" wasn't really the right word. I wanted him to go faster, harder. Instead he slowed down, teasing me with a low, satisfied laugh.

"Please," I muttered, closing my eyes. "I need ..."

Hunter smacked my a.s.s again. I was so close now, something he must've sensed because he sped up again. My o.r.g.a.s.m hovered, taunting me. I felt myself reaching for it, my legs stiffening. Hunter's c.o.c.k was rock hard beneath me, and I realized with a thrill that after I came, I had another whole ride ahead of me.

That pushed me over the edge.

When I came, it hit so hard I clawed the bed, completely focused on the sensations taking over my body. Holy s.h.i.t, that was incredible. I drifted through the aftershocks as he lifted me, laying me down on my stomach across the bed. I stretched out my arms, enjoying the feel of cool sheets beneath me as he stretched over me.

Hunter kissed his way slowly down my back, fingers trailing along the lines of my body until they reached my rear. My flesh knew the touch of his hands now, and when he slid his fingers back in, I sighed happily. Then his thumb edged up, lightly touching my a.s.shole, and I stiffened.

"Trust me, babe?"

I considered the question. I trusted him not to hurt me, but this? I wasn't sure I was ready for this.

"It's okay," he murmured, kissing the small of my back. "Christ, I'll never run out of ways I want to f.u.c.k you, believe me. If you don't like one, we'll move on."

I sighed, then rolled over. Hunter nudged my knees apart, settling himself over my body as he smoothed a condom down over the length of his erection. I watched, mesmerized that something so large could fit inside me.

Then he kissed me, tongue probing deep as my arms came up around his shoulders. The kiss went on forever, alternating between deep, openmouthed tongue-play and him pulling back to suck and nibble on my lips. The whole time I shifted restlessly beneath him, his d.i.c.k sliding back and forth along my c.l.i.t.

Perfect.

Hunter lifted his head, eyes dark with need.

"You ready?" he asked me, positioning the tip of his c.o.c.k against my opening. I nodded, more than ready. I felt his broad, rounded head push against me, slowly sliding deep inside. This was different than that first time. He was gentle this morning, and while the pain I'd felt in the alley had been sheer pleasure, this was something different entirely.

This was fantastic.

He spread me wide, opening me up as I watched us come together. There was something incredibly s.e.xy about the sight of his c.o.c.k entering my body.

I reached down between us, rubbing my c.l.i.t gently.

"That's f.u.c.king hot," Hunter said, looking up at my face with a smile that literally took my breath away. "I think you should have to touch yourself every time we're alone together, even if we're just watching a movie or something."

"That might get awkward," I murmured, trying not to giggle.

"I don't care," he said, his tone urgent. "f.u.c.k awkward. I want this."

"Ahh ..." I gasped as he hit bottom. I let my hand drop, savoring the feeling of being pinned down.

"I like those little gasping noises you make, too," he said. "In fact, I like almost everything you do when you're naked."

This time I did giggle, although I stopped as he pulled out, then started sliding in a rhythm that had clearly been invented by Satan for the express purpose of driving me crazy. I tilted up my hips just a little, which was just enough to make his c.o.c.k drag along my c.l.i.t with each stroke. Then I let my arms flop to the side, because everything felt so good I couldn't imagine doing anything but just lying back and drinking it in.

"Sorry," I murmured. "I think I've lost the ability to move."

"Your moves last night were pretty good," he told me. "I'll give you a freebie?"

"Perfect," I whimpered, then closed my eyes to focus on the sensations running through me. d.a.m.n. Hunter was just really good at s.e.x.

My o.r.g.a.s.m built slowly this time.

Not because it wasn't perfect, the way he moved inside me. But I was more relaxed than I'd been in the alley, able to simply enjoy the feeling of his hard c.o.c.k filling me and then retreating, brushing my c.l.i.t and b.u.mping my G-spot with every stroke. And even though his movements stayed slow and steady, each one built me up just a little higher until I felt an electrical tension winding tight.

"You getting close?" he asked, dropping his head to kiss the side of my neck.

"Uh-huh," I managed to say. "Very close. Oh G.o.d. Just a little more."

He sped up then, clearly reading my desire. Now his strokes. .h.i.t harder, pushing up against my cervix with every thrust. It should've been painful, but it felt fantastic.

Just what I needed to push me over the edge.

When I finally came, it was almost a surprise. He'd created such a slow, steady buildup that I hadn't realized just how close I'd gotten until it hit. I spasmed around him, setting him off because he started moving faster, pounding me into the bed for long seconds before he came, too.

I felt his pulsing release with deep satisfaction, loving the press of his weight across my body. My arms wrapped around him, fingers tracing the lines of his back gently.

"I've decided we're staying here in the hotel," he muttered, nuzzling my hair. "We'll have food delivered and I'll just keep you naked."

Food?

My stomach woke up, growling suddenly. My cheeks heated with a blush. Could I ever-even for a day-be smooth and fabulous? Apparently not.

"Or I can take you out and we can talk," Hunter said, winking at me. "I don't want you fainting from exhaustion, and I have a feeling that if we stay in, you're not gonna get a chance to actually eat."

"Waffles?" I asked hopefully. He lifted up on his arms and smiled.

"Honey, seeing as my d.i.c.k's still in your body, you can have whatever the h.e.l.l you want."