Addicted by Elle Kennedy
Lennox stifled a sigh and approached Jamie the way one might approach an animal with a thorn in its paw. He knew she was hurting, but he also knew that she’d lash out if he gave her even the slightest provocation.
He sat beside her on the couch. “Hey,” he said gruffly.
She sipped her beer and stared straight ahead.
“Come on, love,” he urged. “Talk to me.”
“Oh, we talk to each other now?” Sarcasm dripped from her voice. “I thought our relationship just involved you yelling at me.”
A sliver of guilt pricked his gut. He shouldn’t have yelled at her. But he’d been so fucking scared. His heart had been ripped from his chest when he saw her on the ground like that, vulnerable and afraid and at the mercy of those scavengers. They’d had their filthy hands on her, damn it. Even now a rush of visceral rage burned his throat as he remembered it. As he envisioned what those bastards would’ve done to her if he and Beckett hadn’t heard the gunshots.
Truth was, it was his fault. He’d checked the area around the library, but not the houses. He’d been too eager to break in and find some books, and, once they were inside, too focused on making Jamie come to be as vigilant as he normally was. And then he’d let her go outside by herself because he was too busy trying to score some candy.
Jesus. What kind of protector was he? How had he allowed such trivial distractions to get the better of him?
“I’m sorry,” he told her.
Jamie didn’t respond.
“I shouldn’t have yelled at you, baby. I shouldn’t have called you stupid.”
“No shit.” The hurt in her voice made his heart clench. “I’m not stupid, Len.”
“I know that.” He touched her cheek, and cursed when she stiffened. “Please, love. Don’t tense up on me. Let me make this right.”
“It’s not going to happen tonight.” Her blue eyes continued to flash with anger. “I’m still pissed off at you. There’s too much aggression inside me right now.”
“Then let’s release it.”
The suggestion brought a scowl to her lips, but Lennox didn’t dismiss the idea as quickly as she did. He knew Jamie well. When she was mad, she lost her temper and struck out at whoever was around her. But when she was hurt? She bottled it up. She let it gnaw at her insides because she hadn’t quite mastered the talent of channeling all the volatile energy.
He would help her channel it. When he felt like this, he either fought or fucked. Since they’d already seen too much violence tonight, it looked like he’d have to coax Jamie to do the latter.
“I’m serious,” he said when she made a derisive sound. “Let’s release all that aggression, love. It’s nothing a few orgasms won’t help.”
She gaped at him. “You think orgasms are going to make it better? I want to hit you right now, Len.”
Shit. She really was wound up. He might need to call in some backup.
Lennox scanned the room until his gaze stopped on Beckett, who wore his trademark lazy grin as he chatted with Arch and Bethany. No, Beck would be too playful. The fire in Jamie’s eyes required a different kind of stoking than what Beck could offer.
He shifted his gaze and spotted Sloan talking to Nash. Which was an odd display, since Lennox had never seen the man do anything but lean against the wall and watch Reese. Either way, he doubted Sloan would be interested in what Lennox had in mind.
And fuck, the thought of Sloan or Beckett or any other man touching Jamie tonight, after already witnessing those goddamn bandits pawing at her . . . it made his blood boil.
He forced the protective urges aside. “Who do you want?” he asked hoarsely. His gaze moved again, then landed on the one man he knew who would not mind the violence. “How about Pike? He’ll let you claw at him all night.”
A furious sound escaped her mouth as she shot to her feet. “You’re unbelievable. You really think a threesome is the answer? That’s your apology?”
She stormed off before he could answer. Lennox cursed and hurried after her, but she was already out the door and his pleas for her to stop went unheeded. As frustration surged in his blood, he chased her down the street and into their building, but she was quick when she wanted to be, and he didn’t catch up to her until she’d reached her bedroom. When she tried to slam the door on him, he muscled his way inside and growled in frustration.
“Damn it, Jamie!”
“Damn you, Lennox!” Her cheeks were bright red. “Leave me alone. It’s late. I want to go to sleep.”
“Not until we talk.”
“Again with the talking bullshit? Because it sounded back there like you were in the mood for a gang bang.” She blew out an angry breath.
“I just want you to let out your anger,” he said through clenched teeth. “I know you, love. You’re going to keep it all inside and it’ll make you crazy.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need Pike to help me with that. I don’t want him or anyone else tonight.”
“Not even me?” His chest squeezed at the thought that he might have blown it with her for good. He swallowed, forcing himself to ask, “Are you saying we’re done?”
His fear must have been written on his face, because her expression immediately softened. “No, we’re not done.” She grumbled out a curse. “But I don’t want to be around you right now. I’m too wound up. I want to hurt you.”
Clearly his dick was a masochist, because it stirred at that. “Then hurt me,” Lennox said softly.
“Lennox.” She sounded exasperated.
“I mean it.” He moved closer and pinched her chin with his fingers. “Hurt me, love. I fucking deserve it. I shouldn’t have lost it on you earlier and I deserve to be punished for it.”
When she didn’t respond, he started ripping his clothes off. His belt was yanked out of the buckle. His jeans and boots hit the floor. His shirt snagged against the arm of the chair. Then he stood naked in front of her, and despite the tension still crackling between them, it was impossible for his dick not to get hard when Jamie’s eyes were on him. When her body was this close to his.
“Punish me,” he commanded.
“You’re being ridiculous again.”
He grabbed her hand and brought it to his chest, then forcibly raked her fingernails over his skin. The sting of pain was surprisingly welcome. Shit. Maybe they both needed the violence tonight.
“For fuck’s sake, Len!” Jamie jerked her hand away, but didn’t smack him with it.
Her expression had transformed from annoyance to arousal. The air all around them thickened as her blue eyes roamed his naked body. She stared at his jutting erection. Her tongue came out to swipe her bottom lip. Then a curious smile tipped her mouth and she placed her hand on his chest again.
He flinched when her nails clawed down his abs. Harder than before. Deep enough to leave faint dots of blood.
“You’re an asshole, Lennox.” She didn’t sound angry. Just thoughtful.
“I know,” he said hoarsely.
One fingernail scraped his nipple and he tensed, waiting for her to bring the pain. But rather than pinch or scratch that hardened bud, she captured his bottom lip with her teeth instead. She bit down hard, making him curse wildly. She’d drawn more blood.
“More,” he rasped, licking at the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “Make me hurt, love.”
A wicked gleam entered her eyes. She reached down and circled her fingers around his cock. She clutched him so tightly it triggered a jolt of pain. But also pleasure. Her rough grip made his balls ache. Filled him with anticipation.
Still squeezing the daylights out of his cock, she leaned in to kiss him, then whispered, “Get on the fucking bed.”
He was on the mattress so fast he experienced a wave of vertigo from the rapid shift from upright to horizontal.
Jamie approached the foot of the bed. Wi
When her hand emerged with a coil of thin cable, Lennox’s mouth went dry.
A moment later, she was crawling up his body to straddle his thighs. The cable hung loosely from her fingers, and she scraped the end of it over his bare stomach. “Hands above your head,” she murmured.
He was quick to obey. And he said nothing as she bound his wrists together, then secured them to the bed frame. She’d tied the cables tighter than she needed to, because even if he’d had the use of his arms, he wouldn’t be going anywhere. But he knew it was part of his punishment. She wanted the wires to dig into his wrists, and Lennox knew it was going to hurt like a bitch once his blood flow was obstructed. But he didn’t care. He’d hurt her tonight.
Pleased with her work, Jamie straightened up. She reached for his cock again and dragged her nails down the hard length. “You were a bad boy tonight, Len.”
“So bad,” he agreed.
“You want me to punish you, but this feels like a reward.” She stroked his shaft, then lowered her head to rub her cheek over his engorged tip. “Doesn’t seem fair, does it? You freak out on me and I punish you by taking this big cock in my mouth?”
He moaned when her tongue flicked over his slit and lapped at the precome pooled there.
“But I guess there’s something to be said for sexual torture, right?” She lifted her head and smiled at him.
The dark gleam in her eyes sent his pulse careening. Shit. She wasn’t going down the path he’d expected her to take—slap him, bite him, ride him until they were both limp. Evidently she had other ideas, and now his heart was beating even faster, because he didn’t like surprises.
Jamie moved her other hand to his balls, toying absently with the tight sac as she pumped his dick. “I can do whatever I want to you, baby.” She met his eyes. “And you’re not going to stop me, are you?”
“No.” He swallowed hard. “I won’t.”
“Good.” Then she dipped down again and sucked him.
His hips jerked off the mattress, instinctively seeking more contact, trying to delve deep into her hot mouth. That only caused her to retreat. She kissed her way to his balls and began tormenting him, licking and nibbling and driving him bat-shit crazy. His eyes slammed closed as he lost himself in each new burst of pleasure that went off inside him. When he heard a sucking noise, his eyes flew open to find Jamie had popped one finger in her mouth. She got it nice and wet, her heated gaze fixed on him. Then she trailed that finger down the crease of his ass, and his entire body stiffened.
“You can’t stop me, can you?” she mocked.
His breath got stuck in his lungs, making his voice shake. “No.”
Laughing softly, she used the tip of her finger to toy with the delicate skin right beneath his sac. An unexpected shock of heat rippled through his cock. He moaned in surprise, and she laughed again, then wrapped her lips around his cock head at the same time she pushed her finger into his ass.
Holy shit.
“Jamie . . . ,” he said helplessly.
She wasn’t listening. Her mouth had swallowed him up, wicked tongue swirling around his tip while she rubbed his tight passage, hitting a spot that had him crying out. Sweet Lord. What was she doing to him? And why did it feel so fucking good?
Lennox trembled uncontrollably as she worked him with her mouth and her finger. The headboard vibrated as he fought against the cables around his wrists. He wanted to touch her. Wanted to shove his hands in her hair and pound into her mouth. He couldn’t get loose, though, and soon he was too weak to keep trying. His dick was pulsing with excitement, and every time her finger breached his sensitive hole, he found himself bearing down on it.
Jesus, he was close. His spine was tingling. His balls ached as they’d never ached before. His ass was on fire, goddamn it, and for some reason he welcomed the burn.
He groaned in dismay when she suddenly released him. She was laughing again, but her expression grew serious when their eyes locked.
“We’re a team,” she said firmly.
Her finger pushed in deep, and he grunted in pleasure.
“Say it, Lennox. We’re a team.”
“We’re a team,” he croaked.
With a satisfied look, she dipped her head and sucked him all the way down to the root. Then she scraped her teeth over his cock head and gave a gentle bite, and he came so hard that his mind imploded. Wild shudders overtook his body as he shot down her throat, as he squeezed his ass cheeks and bore down harder on her finger.
He was gasping for air by the time she released him, his wrists frantically banging the bed frame. “Untie me,” he begged. “I need to touch you.”
“No.” Her tone was firm, her eyes taunting him. “That’s your punishment, Len. You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to make me come.” Her hand slipped between her legs. “I want you to see how well I can take care of myself.”
He couldn’t breathe again. His gaze was glued to the seductive movement of her palm as she rubbed it over her core. Son of a bitch. She was right. This was punishment. It was torture. His fingers were buzzing, and not because of the lack of blood reaching them. He was desperate to touch her. Every sexy inch of her.
But she denied him. She stretched out next to him, lifting one knee up so he had a perfect view. One finger delicately stroked her clit, pink and swollen and so damn appetizing his mouth filled with saliva. And even though she’d just milked him dry, his cock was throbbing again.
He’d lied to her the other day. Partly, anyway. He did get easily bored of women. But he could never tire of Jamie. Even thinking it was completely absurd.
Jamie kept him on his toes. She excited him as no other woman ever had. Keeping their friendship out of the bedroom was the only way he could think of to preserve it. That distance was necessary. It had kept him in line all these years, allowed him to focus on taking care of her. Sex would’ve been too big a distraction. Hell, it was a distraction. A team of armed Enforcers could’ve swarmed this bedroom right now and Lennox wouldn’t have even noticed. He was too busy devouring Jamie’s gorgeous pussy with his eyes.
“Me,” she murmured as she stroked herself. “I’m doing this.” She slipped a finger inside, and the wet noises accompanying each gentle thrust told him she was soaked. “I’m making myself wet.” Her index finger moved faster over her clit. “I’m making myself come.”
And then she did, her beautiful features tightening with pleasure as her body convulsed beside him. It was sheer agony lying there and being unable to touch her. Not having his fingers inside her, his tongue on her, licking up every ounce of her arousal.
When the orgasm faded, she sat up with a dreamy smile, then offered him a fleeting taste by rubbing her wet fingertips over his lips.
Lennox growled when she drew her hand away. “More.”
“No.” She climbed off the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the rec hall to finish my beer.” Her grin widened. “I’ll be back in a few hours to untie you.”
“Jamie—” But she was already scooping up her discarded clothing and ducking out of the room.
A strangled expletive flew out of his mouth as he stared at the empty doorway. Fucking hell.
Payback really was a bitch.
16
“You doing all right, sweetie?” Jamie couldn’t fight her concern when she entered the restaurant and found Bethany at the counter, clasping her left hand over her lower back. Her right hand was in the sink, covered with suds as water cascaded from the faucet. There didn’t seem to be anything seriously wrong, but Jamie didn’t like the pained look
“My back is killing me,” Bethany groaned. “And Arch is at the farm today, so I didn’t get my afternoon back rub.”
Jamie had to laugh. “Well, I suck at massages, but I’m damn good at washing dishes.” She pointed to a stool. “Sit. I’ll take over.”
Eyes full of gratitude, Bethany dried her hands on a rag and collapsed onto a stool while Jamie took her place at the sink. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“You need to stop working,” Jamie announced as she picked up a dirty plate from the stack and ran it under the tap.
“And then what? Sit around on my ass all day?” Bethany grumbled. “Reese has rules. If you live in Foxworth, you need to contribute.”
“I’m pretty sure Reese would make an exception for a woman who’s almost seven months pregnant.”
“But then I’ll go crazy with boredom.” Bethany groaned again, still rubbing her back. “What are you doing here, anyway? Isn’t there training today?”
“Nope. It’s our day off.”
Bethany chuckled. “I popped into the rec hall last night and snuck a peek at the scoreboard Rylan tacked up. Lennox is beating you, huh?”
She sighed. “Yep.” On the bright side, she’d managed to push Beckett’s team out of second place. Travis had moved up too, putting Beckett in last place. Which was probably why she’d just spotted him and his teenage charges setting up to practice their long-distance targets on their one day off.
The farther distances were the most difficult for the younger shooters because it meant adjusting for factors like wind and bullet speed. Jamie’s favorite team member, Sara—yep, she was totally picking favorites—seemed to have no problems, though. The girl was a natural sharpshooter.