Masters, page 17
“You keep pointing that out,” she noted in exasperation. “It is starting to get irritating.”
He asked, “What part is getting irritating?”
“The mention of the emotional traumas,” she replied. “I’m not wounded. I’m not devastated by any of this. Obviously now I have the absolute best reasons in the world to smile,” she pointed out, “but even before that I was not somebody you needed to treat with kid gloves.”
“Ouch, I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Good,” she snapped. Then she laughed. “Listen to us. We already sound like an old married couple.”
He opened his eyes and smiled. “A lot to be said for that.”
“There is, indeed,” she murmured, “but neither of us is in great shape to start a relationship right this moment.”
“I’m in great shape. I just needed sleep.” And he waggled his eyebrows at her. “You’re the one who doesn’t want to be treated like you’re some lame duck.”
She winced. “This is a stupid conversation.”
“Agreed, so how about we stop the whole conversation and do something else instead?” Slowly and carefully, waiting for a reaction from her, he pulled her down until she was lying half on his chest and half off.
She stared at him. She knew they were coming to this point, at least hoping they were. She just hadn’t thought that they would reach it anytime soon. And yet why not? Why not now that they had a pathway open, allowing them to have a relationship? As she settled onto his chest, she whispered, “I guess that means I should be gentle, huh?”
His eyes widened, then he snorted. “Have you looked at your face lately?”
She winced and shook her head. “No.”
“In that case, you don’t have to be gentle for my sake,” he stated. “I’m just worried about you. You do have broken bones in your face, remember?”
“I’m fine,” she muttered. “Totally fine, until the painkillers wear off.” Then she leaned over and kissed him. And this time she kissed him with a ferocity that surprised them both. When she lifted her head, her eyes glazed, she muttered, “Oh my God, I don’t even know what that was.”
“I don’t know either,” he admitted, his tone thick and raspy, “but I sure as hell want to find out.” And he pulled her down and gave her another one.
Chapter 15
‡
Masters gave Elizabeth plenty of time to change her mind, but she wasn’t having any of it. Not after that first taste. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and held him close.
“I don’t want to hurt your face,” he murmured.
She smiled at him. “I’m the one who kissed you. I don’t think hurting my face was exactly on the top of my mind. Plus those painkillers are helping.”
He chuckled. “Maybe so, but I don’t want it to get any more painful than it already is.”
She shrugged. “Too late.” She shifted. “You are wearing a lot of clothes.”
And he looked at the two of them and nodded. “We are both wearing too many clothes.”
She got up, and, without any self-consciousness, pulled her T-shirt over her head and then kicked off her jeans and socks.
He smiled. “It is nice to see somebody comfortable in their own skin.”
“I’ve always been comfortable in my skin. Not everybody appreciates it, but this is me.” And a challenge filled her tone as she spoke.
He grinned. “If you don’t think that is even more attractive, you have no idea how my mind works.” He pulled her down and gave her a deeply passionate kiss.
She pulled back again and repeated, “You’re still wearing too many clothes.”
“I can take care of that.” And he was up, and down to his boxers in seconds.
She stared at him, stunned. “I don’t even know how you did that so fast,” she muttered.
“Doesn’t matter, just accept that I’ll always be better at some things than you.”
Such a smug tone filled his words that she burst out laughing. Then, kneeling on the bed, completely nude, she shook her head. “You’re still wearing too many clothes.”
He dropped his boxers to the floor, revealing the proud erection standing right in front of her.
“Wow, I wasn’t expecting that much action already.”
He laughed. “Guys like me, we’re built for action.”
“Yeah,” she muttered, as she admired what was in front of her. She leaned over and kissed the tip, and he made a shocked gasp. “The thing is, are you also built for the long haul?” she asked.
He grinned broadly as he lay her on the bed. “I aim to please.”
“I already sensed that, but making me wait is making me cold.”
“Oh, I can never leave a lady waiting,” he murmured. As he quickly covered her, she moaned at the heat that poured in and around her just from his body.
“Good God, you’re like a furnace.”
“I am a furnace, yes,” he agreed, with a smile. “Can’t say I ever thought that was a bad thing.”
“No, it’s not a bad thing,” she muttered, “but dear God.” She wiggled underneath him, and, when he sucked in his breath, she laughed. “Probably shouldn’t do that right away, huh?”
“Not unless you want it to be over, like, right now.”
“Not just now,” she clarified. Then she looped her arms around his neck and whispered against his throat, “I think we should have a little bit of fun first.” Her hand slid down his back and across his buttocks, where she slapped him.
He chuckled. “Glad to see you like to have a little fun.”
“A little fun?” she repeated, staring at him. “Can’t say I’m into any of the other stuff though.”
“No, it should be consensual at all times,” he agreed, as he dropped kisses across her cheeks and chin. Then he moved slowly down her throat and across her collarbone.
She twisted sinuously underneath him, absolutely loving the feel of his touch. His hands stroked her buttocks and thighs and all the way down to her toes, and then slowly crept up the underside of her calves. When he touched the back of her knees, she giggled.
He lifted his head and grinned. “And you’re ticklish.”
“And you’re not?” she challenged. “I bet you are somewhere.”
He nodded and moved away from her tickly spot. “I absolutely am,” he said, with a laugh. “And please don’t.”
“Uh-huh, you just wait.”
He groaned. “And that’s fine. Just remember that two can play that game.”
“Maybe not today then,” she noted, with a laugh, pulling him closer, until the two of them kissed, deeper and deeper, more heat rising, as long sighs of joy and peace moved between them.
He gently lowered his head, until they were forehead to forehead. “Something is so very peaceful, joyful, about this.”
She nodded. “Caring,” she added. “I think that’s the word.”
“Maybe, and let’s hope that it moves from caring to loving.”
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and nodded. “Now that … would be lovely.”
He kissed her and asked, “You ever been in love?”
“No, at least not the real thing. At times I thought I was, and then it would turn out to be something completely different.”
“Been there, done that too,” he shared. “How about we decide right off the bat that we will work on whatever this is and will find that spot of joy for both of us here.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, “That sounds perfect. Honestly what would be perfect at this moment is if you found your place inside me.”
His eyes widened, and he nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” And in one smooth move, he was suddenly seated deep inside her.
She arched beneath him, now his total possession. She shifted beneath him.
He whispered, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but it’s been a while, and you’re rather—” She wiggled her hips underneath him, feeling his own control starting to slip, and she chuckled. “Rather large.”
He pistoned his hips, once, twice. “Unfortunately I’m ready right now. I want you with me too. Next time will be slower, I promise. Maybe after a nap.”
As he started to drive harder and faster and deeper, she hung on for the ride, not knowing if there would be anything for her out of this. Yet, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, her body responded in a way she hadn’t expected. She arched up beneath him, grabbed his hips, and started to drive for her climax, crying out with her own joy as her world exploded around her. When he cried out moments later, she realized that somehow the two of them were in sync in ways that she hadn’t even expected.
When he collapsed back down and pulled her into his arms, he whispered, “You okay?”
“Okay? As a matter of fact, I’ve never been better.” He chuckled, as she slid up against him and dropped her head against his chest. “Now, how about that nap you promised me.”
“Nap? I thought you promised me coffee. Coffee would be good too,” he muttered. Just as he rolled over to give her a gentle kiss, he froze.
She looked up at him. “What’s the matter?”
His expression morphed, and he whispered against her ear, “We have company.”
*
Masters had his boxers and jeans on in seconds, as he slipped to the bedroom doorway. He looked back at Elizabeth, seeing her quickly getting dressed. He placed a finger against his lips and motioned toward the closet. She hesitated and then nodded. As she moved to the closet, he stepped out into the hallway and froze. If somebody was out there, he should hear something. He had heard something earlier; he just didn’t know what. He kept moving toward the stairs, listening every few feet. When he heard nothing more, he knew better than to relax. It just meant some intruder was waiting, in a position to attack, hoping that Masters hadn’t noticed the little bit of noise that had been made.
But Masters had noticed it, and he knew that whoever was here in the house was a danger and a problem that they would have to solve once and for all. No way could Masters afford to leave Elizabeth alone at any point in time, not if this was the shit that would happen. Yet he needed to leave her because he had to continue working his job. He didn’t know whether their intruder was after him or after her, but neither was acceptable.
At the top of the stairs, he listened for anything, but it remained dead silent. Too silent. Swearing under his breath, he moved down the stairs, until he got to the edge of the living room. There he stopped once again and froze, waiting, looking for anything that would reveal whatever the intruder had decided to come for, during this time of night. Masters heard not a sound anywhere, but he knew better. He waited and waited, and finally a noise ever-so-slightly came off to the side. He smiled and moved closer.
Just as he was about to surprise his intruder, a buzz came. Masters froze and heard somebody swearing inside the kitchen, right behind the connecting door, as the intruder scrambled to turn off his phone. It was a rookie mistake, and yet, in this day and age, often one that was overlooked more than expected because communication also meant they had to have their phones on.
Masters stepped up tight against the door, listening.
“I’m here, yes. … No, I think she’s upstairs. I’m just going up there. … Look, I can leave, if you want. … Fine, fine. I’ll bring her with me.” And, with that, the intruder ended the call, and the guy headed to the stairs. Except Masters waited in anticipation for their intruder to come around the corner. Just as Masters readied to attack, the intruder must have sensed something because he froze. Under his breath he muttered, “Shit.”
Masters waited and waited and waited.
The other man swore again, then stepped into the hallway.
And Masters was on him.
The intruder roared, “I knew you were here, you motherfucker.”
And the fight was on, between fists and kicks, with boots from the intruder’s side and bare feet on Masters’s side. It should have been an uneven fight, but Masters was fighting for everything that he had suddenly found in his life, and no way in hell would he give that up easily. He took several direct blows to the jaw, returned with an undercut that slammed the intruder back against the wall, then pummeled him several times in the ribs.
Just as Masters had the advantage, the intruder suddenly knocked Masters’s feet out from under him and down he went, the two of them now rolling on the floor.
When a loud bang and a hard groan followed, the intruder sagged against Masters’s chest. He was out. Masters looked up to see Elizabeth standing above them. In her hand, of all things, was a cast iron frying pan. She quickly turned on the hall light, still holding the pan, just in case their intruder attacked again.
Masters smiled. “Sweetheart, I always knew you would be a bang-up cook.”
She looked down at the unconscious man on her floor, then back at the frying pan in her hand and giggled.
Masters smiled even more. He rolled the intruder off him, got up, then, grabbing her in his arms, he held her close. “Thank you.” She nodded, almost numb. When he saw the shock on her face, he swore. “It’s okay. It’s all right. It’s over with.”
She took several deep breaths and nodded. “It’s just—I didn’t know how to get a good shot in,” she muttered, as she stared down again at the man on the floor. “Every time I tried to get a good swipe in, it might have hit you instead.”
He winced at that thought. “Thank you for waiting until you had a proper opportunity,” he murmured.
She grinned and muttered, “Yeah, you should be damn thankful. I’m new to this. So who is he?”
“I don’t know.” He walked over and stared down at the unconscious man on her floor. He looked back at her. “Do you recognize him?’
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“He was supposed to bring you back with him.”
She paled and he nodded. “So, this, at least this part of it, is about you.”
“Jeez, unless it’s really about my brother.”
“And that’s quite possible too,” Masters agreed. “Let me get a team over here.” He quickly phoned for backup, even as he kept an arm around her shoulders. He explained to Jasper what had just happened, making sure to note that Elizabeth had conked the gunman on the head. At the term gunman, she was in shock, and Masters pointed to the weapon at the far side of the room that Masters had kicked free. She started to shake, and, as soon as he got off the phone, he wrapped her up tightly and whispered, “You did great.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she cried out. “Oh my God.”
“I know. If you’re not used to this warfare, it’s quite a shock.” She just trembled in his arms for a few minutes, and then he suggested, “Why don’t you go make coffee? We’ll have company soon.”
She took several deep, bracing breaths, then nodded and headed into the kitchen. He, on the other hand, bent over the gunman, realized that he was just starting to come around, so he tapped him lightly to keep him out cold.
When she returned, she asked, “How come he’s not awake? Do you think I hurt him badly?”
“I don’t care if you hurt him or not,” he declared. “He entered your house with a weapon.”
She nodded. “But still.”
“I understand. And the reason he’s out cold is that he was starting to come around, so I knocked him out again.”
She sighed in relief. “I guess we don’t want to deal with him right now, do we?”
“We’ll deal with him because we don’t have a choice,” he declared, “but I would just as soon have my team here.”
Almost immediately they saw headlights coming toward them.
“You think that’s Jasper?” she asked, walking over to the window.
He moved her back from the window and whispered, “Just in case, honey, let’s not make that mistake twice.”
She paled and nodded. “Fine.”
It appeared to be Jasper. And when Masters’s phone buzzed moments later, he read the text and walked to the door and let him in.
As soon as Jasper walked in, he smiled at Elizabeth, marched to the gunman, and squatted beside him for a look. “Hmm. Do either of you know him?”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“No, I sure don’t,” Masters replied cheerfully. “We’ve got all kinds of these assholes coming out of the woodwork.”
Jasper looked back over at Elizabeth. “How are you doing?”
She gave him a wan smile, then shrugged. “I’m okay.”
“She’s doing better than okay,” Masters announced proudly. “Turns out she’s wicked with a frying pan.”
She rolled her eyes at that. “That’ll be the joke of the ages, won’t it?”
“Hey, there are worse jokes,” Masters murmured, with a grin.
“Right, that’s true. … At least we survived the moment.”
“Now the question is,” Jasper asked, “why did they want you?”
“The only thing I can think of is that it’s connected to my brother. Maybe they thought if they had me hostage, he would willingly go back.”
“Would he?” Jasper asked.
“Absolutely he would,” she declared. “Yet they didn’t need me originally. They needed him. And now that we have him, they might want some leverage.”
Jasper nodded, sharing a knowing glance with Masters. “But they won’t get him, and they won’t get you.”
“I sure hope not,” she muttered. “From the little bit I saw of these guys, they don’t play nice.”
“No, they’re definitely a group who doesn’t seem to care what turmoil they cause, but they’re after something. Until we figure out what, we won’t get to the bottom of this.”
“Maybe not,” she agreed, “but we also don’t know if it’s related to that friend of yours who got shot.”
“Mason. He’s my cousin-in-law,” Jasper shared, turning to give her a small smile. “Tesla’s my cousin but closer really, like a sister. So Mason’s not just my brother-in-law but he’s definitely close family.”
“Lucky you,” she replied. “Sounds like you’ve got good people for family.”
