He moved her, gently, back behind the register counter, then parked himself directly behind her. Fuck it.

Fuck everyone that wanted to gossip. Screw the bastard watching her. At least now he knew Janey wasn’t undefended. And as far as Alex was concerned, she never would be.

TWENTY-ONE

“That was so wrong, on so many levels.” Janey slammed the office door closed after Alex passed through it behind her, just after midnight.

He hadn’t left her side. If she went to the kitchen, Alex went to the kitchen. His hand would lie low on her back, or curl around her neck. He’d touched her often enough that she was one big, blazing hormone by the time they walked into the office, and pissed off over it.

“What was wrong?” He arched his brow and crossed his arms over his white shirt. He’d rolled the sleeves back, displaying his muscled forearms. His biceps bulged beneath the sleeves. She just wanted to jump his bones right now, but she was mad him. Furious with him.

“You beat those guys up,” she snapped. “All you had to do was push them out the door. You didn’t have to hit them.”

“I wasn’t alone,” he pointed out mildly. “Natches and Timothy helped, you know. You’re not yelling at them.”

“Natches wouldn’t listen if I did,” she argued, then gave him a scandalized look. “And you want me to jump on Tim? Geez, Alex, that’s like jumping on Santa Claus or something. He’s a sweetheart.”

Alex stared back at her in horror. “My God, don’t put Santa Claus and Timothy’s name in the same sentence. That should be illegal, Janey.”

“Don’t be mean to Tim, Alex, and it’s totally beside the point. You did not have to go out and fight. It was insane and so completely unnecessary,” she retorted furiously, thrusting her fingers through her hair in frustration. “Do you think it’s the first time it’s happened?”

She didn’t expect his reaction. Before Janey could respond, he had her against the wall of the office, lifting her, pulling her to him.

“It’s the last damned time it’s going to happen,” he bit out, practically snarling in her face.

“I don’t need you babysitting me, Alex.” She would have pushed at his shoulders, but she was afraid of hurting the wound. Instead, she tried to push at his chest, and he wasn’t moving.

The problem with Alex not moving was that the arousal that had been building all day was only growing worse now. With his body pressed against her, the feel of his erection pressing into her lower stomach, she was beginning to burn for him.

“I’ll be damned if I’m going to let those jackasses talk to you that way.” Anger filled his voice, his expression.

His hands gripped her hips, no bruising, but firm as his gaze lit with fury.

“For God’s sake, Alex. It won’t be the last either. You can’t just beat everyone up.”

“Watch me!” His head lowered, his expression furious as his lips pulled back from his teeth. “Oh, baby, you just fucking watch me.”

Her lips parted to argue. She had the argument on the tip of her tongue, and it was a damned good one.

Something about him just being one man. But he stole the words. He stole her thoughts. His lips covered

hers and he stole her senses in a kiss that sizzled clear to the soles of her feet.

She said she owned him; perhaps she owned his passion, his sense of responsibility. She couldn’t forget the fact that he had been doing everything possible to ensure that she conceived. As though the thought of a baby with her pleased him.

The distant thought whispered through her head, that she make it be enough. She loved him so much, ached for him, needed him. Surely she could make what she had of him, which he swore was every part of him, be enough.

She couldn’t help her arms from curling around his neck, her hands from splaying through his hair. She tried to breathe, but breathing was just a waste of time when she needed to feel his kiss, deep, as deep at it was. His lips slanted over hers. One hand held her head in place, and his tongue delved into her mouth like a stroke of hot, dark velvet.

He tasted of a hint of whiskey and pure dark male lust. He held her easily, despite the wounds in his shoulder, and within seconds nothing mattered more to Janey than getting closer. Tasting more of his kiss and feeling him in every cell of her body.

“You’re mine, Janey,” he groaned as his lips pulled from hers.

Scattered, hot kisses moved over her neck. Tiny bites. She’d be marked again and she didn’t care, because she fully intended to mark him again.

She lifted her legs, encasing his thighs, then his hips as he jerked the skirt over hers. One hand moved between them, releasing the zipper of his jeans and the hard, engorged length of his cock.

“This is crazy. You’re hurt,” she gasped.

“Go easy on me, then.” He nipped her collarbone as he jerked her shirt from her skirt. “Think about my wounds. Fighting me could make them bleed, Janey.”

Disbelief mixed with excitement, anger, arousal. He was outrageous. Wicked.

“Get ready.” He licked over her collarbone before lifting his eyes to hers. “I’m ripping those damned panties off you.”

Her eyes widened at the sound of cloth rending, then there was nothing between her and the thick, heavy length of his cock.

“Ah hell yes.” The hot shaft pressed into the wet folds as he gripped her butt and rode her against him.

The silk-over-iron erection rubbed against her clit, stealing her breath as her head fell back against the wall.

Alex had never seen anything so beautiful. Janey’s face was flushed with pleasure, with arousal. Her green eyes were darker, her black hair feathering around her face in silken ribbons where she had straightened it.

She enchanted him. Like some damned witch. She cast a spell over him that he couldn’t escape—hell, didn’t want to escape.

“Alex.” Her hands spread out over his biceps and he swore her nipples beneath the silk blouse were harder for it.

Damn, he’d never been proud of his body until now. The bunch of his muscles, the hardness of them, she loved it. Her fingers flexed against his upper arms and her breathing heightened, her gaze became hotter, her pussy became wetter.

“Oh, Janey, I’m so gonna fuck you hard.” He watched her eyes, watched them dilate as he lifted her, his fingers clenching her ass. “Put those pretty legs around my hips, baby.”

He felt her legs lock at his lower back as he moved her, shifted, his cock pressing against the tender opening of her pussy.

Her juices eased over his dick, lubricating the engorged head as he began to push inside her.

Sweet, blistering ecstasy began to wrap around the head of his cock. Pleasure, sensations so rich, so fucking strong he could barely stand it, began to sizzle across his nerve endings.

“Damn, this is sweet.” He pressed deeper, feeling sweat pop on his forehead, his back. She was like a supernova, so hot she burned inside and out. “Sweet and tight. Ah, Janey, it’s like fucking pure paradise.

Like possessing fire.”

He didn’t know how to be a poet, but damn if this feeling wasn’t worth rhyming. He wanted inside her

forever. For the rest of his fucking life, buried right here.

Gritting his teeth, he surged deeper, deeper. Bending his knees and holding her fast, he pushed every hard, aching inch of his cock and balls deep inside her and let out a hard, harsh groan of triumph as he felt her flesh rippling around him.

Her pussy milked him in slow, long contractions from base to tip. Tightened on him like a vise as little sobs tore from her throat. Her nails bit into his shirt, kneaded his biceps like a little cat.

“Don’t stop.” Her head rolled against the wall, her hips writhed, her pussy gripped until he thought he was going to go insane from the sheer pleasure of being inside her.

Pulling back, he let his lips catch hers again. Her kisses enflamed him. Sweet, silken lips, her curious little tongue dueling with his, fighting for dominance. Challenging him, even here.

He pushed inside her hard and deep, groaning at her shattered cry of pleasure. He didn’t have to hold back with Janey, didn’t have to force himself to handle her like glass. She gave what she got, and demanded more in return.

Turning, he carried her to the table, pushed aside the papers in the middle, and laid her back. Oh, fucking perfect.

He spread her thighs, stared at where he penetrated her and pulled back again. Sweet syrup clung to his cock, shimmering and hot. He pushed inside her again, watching the swollen folds of flesh part, watching the hard throb of her clit.

And his mouth watered. Watered for the sweet taste of her, the feel of her pleasure against his lips and tongue.

He didn’t know if he had the strength to pull back, to ease from the wicked, brutally pleasured grip she had on his dick.

But he needed to taste.

Janey jerked, lifting to her elbows as she felt him release her. His cock slid from her, the incredible stretching burn easing. She watched, gasping as he knelt in front of the desk and his lips and tongue buried into her tormented sex.

“Oh God, Alex,” she cried out as he let her watch.

He stared up at her, his tongue running over the desperately aching flesh, circling her clit, rimming it with fire before he pursed his lips and sucked at it gently.

“I can’t stand this,” she whimpered. “I need you again. I need you fucking me.”

“Not yet,” he groaned. “Let me taste you, baby. God, it’s like an addiction. You’re so damned sweet I want the taste of you in my mouth forever. Every second, Janey.”

His tongue licked through the narrow cleft, lapped, moved to the opening, and plunged inside.

Janey shrieked out his name, her legs lifting until the tips of the black boots rested at his shoulders, opening her farther.

“Oh hell yes.” His grin was wicked as he pulled back, his hands running up the thin leather of the boots.

“Fucking sexy legs. Stay just like that, baby. Just like that while I eat the sweetest pussy in the world.”

His hands gripped her ankles, his lips lowered again, and he was devouring her. Licking and sucking until nothing mattered but his lips, the pleasure, the tormenting licks of his tongue and the need rising by the second.

Janey pushed her top over her breasts, pulled her bra over the swollen mounds, and heard his heated growl as her fingers began pulling on her nipples.

Oh yes, so good. She was so close. The additional sensations on the swollen tips added to the fire burning in her clit. She was arching, her juices spilling, begging with every cry for release.

His lips moved to the hard, tortured nub of her clit, surrounded it, and sucked it. His tongue rasped around it, and Janey felt herself unraveling from the inside out. Her fingers tightened on her nipples, a wail spilled from her lips, and she exploded in a shower of brilliant, blazing light.

As she exploded, the pleasure imploded as well. Alex thrust inside her, one hard, deep thrust that speared into the gripping, tightening tissue of her pussy and pushed her further.

Her upper body jerked up as he held her legs over his arms and gripped her hips, jerking her forward.

She gasped for breath, her eyes widening, her gaze dimming as he pounded inside her, pushed her higher,

even as the first orgasm continued to wash over her. Only to throw her into another—higher, harder, brighter.

His name was a breathless attempt at a scream as she felt the rocking, desperate pulses of release tearing through her. It was a plea, a tormented cry as she flew outside herself, surrounded in ecstasy.

She could feel him, burying himself in her one last time, his own release spurting inside her as his male shout filled the room.

“Fuck!” His head tipped back, the tendons sharply defined in his neck. “Janey. Ah God. Baby.”

His hips bucked, and his seed spilled inside her, unprotected, blasting hard and heated into the depths of her body as he finally collapsed over her.