Jasmine (Kings of Guardian Book 6) Read online

Jasmine made quick work of removing her makeup. It seemed like eons ago she had put it on while trying to convince herself she wasn’t interested, that the job came first. It was ironic that while she was taking off the same makeup, she was trying to find a reason not to sleep with the man if he made an overture. The job be damned. She took a quick shower and looked at the thin, black lace and silk nightgown she’d brought in with her. The matching lace thong lay on top. She also had an oversized t-shirt and cotton boy shorts. Shit… overt or not? She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and worried it with her teeth. Jasmine glanced at her reflection and sighed. You want him. Wear the lace. She picked up the silky material and slipped it on. The thong she rolled up in the t-shirt. No pretense.

  Jasmine turned off the light and noticed the lights in the bedroom were out too. She closed her eyes tightly for ten seconds and then reopened them. She could see well enough to drop her clothes on the top of her bag and make it to her side of the bed. She slipped under the covers and turned to face Chad.

  He was lying on his side facing away from her. She could tell by the way he was breathing he wasn’t asleep. No pretense. Jasmine reached out and traced a finger down the divot of his spine. His muscles shifted under her touch.

  “Don’t play games, Jasmine.” His voice was thick with desire. She could almost feel the heat of his need from her side of the bed.

  “I don’t play games. I never have.”

  He turned over and faced her. “I gave up one night stands years ago.”

  “You do scenes.” She reached up and traced his jawline with her finger. The stubble sensitized her fingertip.

  “I have. I don’t want a one-night stand with you. I don’t want a scene with you.” He reached over and pushed her hair away from her shoulder, exposing her neck. His hand cupped the column of her throat, and his thumb caressed her jaw, but he didn’t move past that contact.

  “What do you want from me?” She swallowed hard. His eyes held hers, and a tempest of emotion showed in his expression.

  “I want more.”

  “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to give you more.”

  “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met.”

  “You barely know me.”

  “And yet you know me better than anyone on the planet.”

  “I want to try.”

  “I need more than a try.”

  “What do you need?”

  “You. All of you.”

  “I’ve never been able to give that to anyone.”

  “I’ve never wanted it from anyone else.”

  ~~

  Chad pulled her across the sheets. He needed to feel the soft contours of her body against him. He captured her lips and wrapped his arms around her, anchoring her on top of him as he rolled to his back. Her long legs fell between his, and the feel of her soft body against his straining cock pulled a growl from deep inside him. He needed more. Just like he’d told her. He needed all of her.

  He held her still by wrapping his hand through her silky hair. He plundered her mouth, stealing the silken riches buried within. His free hand mapped her back and perfect ass. All warmth and softness and yet so strong and vital. The woman shattered any idea of what he had once thought he’d wanted. Her. He wanted her with a need so strong he was lost in it.

  He’d spent all afternoon trying to understand how his focus had narrowed to this woman when he’d sought the exact opposite for years. There was no single reason, but a mashup of minute details. The vulnerability he sensed more than saw. It was the glimpses of the woman and not the professional that enticed him. Her willingness to literally put herself in front of a bullet for him. Not since the military had he felt that level of connection with another human. Her presence stabilized a world that had cartwheeled into chaos. He sighed into the kiss. She was his safe harbor.

  Jasmine’s tongue danced with his. A soft mewl from her lips when he pulled her away sent a thrill through him. He rolled her underneath him and pushed off his boxers, freeing his cock. The enraged bastard slapped his abs in protest when the elastic of his waistband caught on his hard on. He kicked the sheets out of the way and positioned himself between her mile-long legs. The grip of one hand still firm in her hair, he rocked forward slightly and descended for another kiss. Her arms slid around his neck, and she melted under him. He lifted away from her lips to find the pounding pulse point in her neck.

  “Yeah, just like that, babe. Let me in,” he whispered as his hands pulled the thin straps of her gown down her arms. He traced her delicate collar bone and tasted the fresh, sweet flesh of her shoulders. His breath against her heated skin pulled a shiver from her that crawled straight through his skin and nestled deep inside him. His free hand worked to drop the lace of her gown, exposing her beautiful, full breasts. His tongue followed his fingertips in a deliberate Braille reading of her incomprehensible beauty. Circling, swirling, sucking, he memorized the body under him. Her hand weaved through his hair and held him against her breast when he finally took her nipple into his mouth. When he added pressure to the small nips he’d been teasing her with, she gasped, lifted her hips under him and ground against his hard-as-a-fucking-diamond cock.

  She released a small moan when he lowered all his weight and trapped her under him. If she bucked up against him like that again, he wouldn’t be able to… fuck… He’d lose it, and he needed to make this the best thing she’d ever experienced, because, for him, it already was.

  He lifted and found her mouth again as his hands lifted her gown, bunching the material at her waist. He was too fucking hard and desperate to try to figure out how to get her out of the lace and silk. His hand trailed her hip… no panties. Surprised, he lifted from the kiss and looked down. He groaned and lifted her leg up to his hip, opening her sex to him.

  “You wanted this. You wanted me.” He rotated his hips. His cock wept against her thigh.

  “I did.”

  Her panted admission launched his desire to a level he’d never experienced. He had to claim her, own her… taste her. He lifted and lowered himself until he worked between her legs, lifting them over his shoulders. She trembled beneath his touch. He kissed the inside of each thigh and licked a trail to her sex. Everything about her was perfect. Her taste, her scent, the way her body quaked with need under his touch. He opened her sex and with slow, deliberate intent drove her insane. Perfection. Her hands gripped his hair, his shoulders, and then the bed. Her small pants turned into staccato pleas. He worshiped her with long strokes of his tongue and fingers, punctuated with short hard suction. He stopped just short of bringing her relief. Her body clenched and shook under his sensual torture. Her pleas ceased making sense. The insistence of her body’s needs hurtled her toward the edge that he wouldn’t be able to pull her back from unless he hurt her, and he’d be damned if he’d do that without a very long talk beforehand. He wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her down, attacking her with a ferocity that guaranteed her orgasm. Her body arched, even though he pinned her against him.

  A strangled gasp of air punctuated the exact moment her body fell over the edge. Chad moved his fingers inside her and continued his assault. She arched again, and her body released the sweet honey he’d been seeking. God, the taste of her desire transcended anything he’d known. She shuddered violently under him before he lifted. Her arms grabbed him and with a strength that surprised him she pulled him down on top of her. Their mouths fused as he wrapped his hands in her long tresses again.

  He pulled away enough to speak. “I don’t have protection. I’m clean.” He trailed kisses down her throat. God, the thought of not finishing inside her was almost too much to think about.

  “I’m on birth control, and I haven’t… I’m good.”

  He lifted back to capture her lust-filled gaze. “Baby, you are better than good. You’re perfect.”

  Chad lifted her leg and pushed the head of his painful erection against her core. He held her gaze as he pushed forward. The heat and softness as he e
ntered her slowly melted his brain. He became an instinctual animal. This woman was his. His. He’d be damned if he’d let another man ever experience the heavenly sensation of her body. Chad dropped his head to her shoulder the moment he ground himself to the hilt inside her. Jasmine’s body contracted around him, and he groaned.

  “Come on, cowboy. Show me how well you can ride.”

  He lifted his head and laughed at the huge smile on her face.

  “Yeah?” She wanted it hard and fast?

  “Yeah. Rock my world. Again.”

  With that praise, he would have moved a mountain for her. He lifted to his knees and pulled her up, so she was straddling his lap, her knees on the bed and perfect for him to thrust like a jackhammer. He leaned in and kissed her and pulled her hands from his chest to his shoulders. “Hang on, baby.”

  Chad withdrew and slammed home. Her eyes widened as he started a punishing pace urged on by a need so deep he didn’t know where it came from. Her eyes closed, her mouth opened as she gasped each time he pounded into her. He watched a flush spread over her chest, neck and face. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He launched off the bed and pinned her under him. Stopping now wasn’t an option. He lifted her leg, found traction with his knees and followed his body’s need. Her shouted prayer to God, arched body, and convulsing sheath pulled him into the abyss. He ground in as deep as he could and lost his mind. An orgasm ripped through him, and black and red spots exploded behind his closed eyelids. His heart slammed against his chest, and he gasped for air. He felt Jasmine’s shallow pants below him and with the last ounce of strength he had in his body, shifted his weight off her to allow her to breathe.

  He pulled her close to his side and stroked her hair as he tried desperately to fill his lungs with enough oxygen to function on even a basic level.

  “Wow.” Her whisper pulled a chuckle from him.

  “Yeah. That was…” How did he describe earth shattering, reality-bending sex?

  “Fucking amazing.”

  “Better than that.” He wiped his sweat-drenched face with his free hand. “Holy fuck, that was…”

  “Fucking amazing,” Jasmine repeated, and flopped away from him onto her back with her arm stretched out over the mattress.

  “Yeah.” He lay on his back and took a deep breath.

  “Just FYI… I’m going to want to do that again.”

  Chad laughed and so did she. He looked over at her. Her expression mirrored the happiness he felt.

  “Going to have to give me a minute.”

  “Take two. I’m generous like that.”

  Chad rolled over and kissed her. Her arms slipped around his neck. He pulled away and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Never mind, I’m ready now.” She squealed as he pounced.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A cell phone’s trill woke her. She blinked, trying to orient herself for a moment. Chad pulled her closer and wrapped his leg around her. She relaxed into him before the trill sounded again. She grabbed the phone. His phone. The screen flashed one word, Mom. She elbowed him gently.

  “Who’s it.” His sleepy voice rumbled through her.

  She held it up for him. “Your mom.”

  He grabbed the phone and groaned. He answered it, not moving from his position wrapped around her.

  “Mom? What’s wrong?

  Chad rolled onto his back. Jasmine sat up in bed. She could hear his mom’s voice clearly in the silent hotel room.

  “I’ve been thinking. Something happened yesterday after you left, and it didn’t settle well with me. I’m sorry if I woke you up, but I couldn’t sleep. Maybe I’m an old woman, but I think the press snookered me.”

  “What do you mean, Mom?” Chad rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he spoke.

  “Well, right after Jasmine’s people left with all the fan mail, I was closing up the house. The doorbell rang, so like a fool I answered it. Two men dressed in suits and driving a black SUV like Jasmine’s asked if you were at the house. They said they had something very important they needed to give Jasmine. I told them that you left for Kansas City about two hours before. They thanked me and left. But Teddy, wouldn’t they have known that? I mean, shouldn’t they have that information?”

  Chad stared at her, and she nodded. Shit. Did Chad’s stalker hire someone? And why would they say they needed to give Jasmine something? Fuck. She needed to check with Jared before she jumped to conclusions. She glanced at the clock. Five a.m. Wonderful. She could sleep for another five or six hours. Chad had worn her out. Her body was delightfully reminding her of that fact.

  “Mom, I’m sure everything is fine. Jasmine’s people probably got their wires crossed. It happens in a big organization like that. If it were the press, they wouldn’t have left. They would have asked you all sorts of questions. Are you at Zelda’s?”

  “Yes. I left about a half hour after those two showed up. Are you sure those guys didn’t play me? I mean, something was just off.”

  “It’s fine, Mom, I promise.”

  Jasmine grabbed her phone. It was six on the East Coast. She tapped out a text to Jared.

  Did u send 2nd team to Nelson’s mom’s house yesterday?

  Her phone rang almost immediately. She motioned toward the bathroom and Chad nodded as he continued to reassure his mom she’d done nothing wrong. She slipped from the sheets naked and was rewarded with a low groan. She winked over her shoulder and answered the phone as she shut the bathroom door.

  “No, why?”

  “Chad’s mom just called. She said two men in an SUV showed up after the team left with the fan mail, and according to her, they said they had something important to give me.”

  “Fuck, no. Who would show up at Nelson’s mother’s looking for you?” Jared growled the words into the phone.

  “I’m thinking the stalker. He threatened both of us.”

  “That doesn’t compute. A stalker by definition is on a personal crusade to reach their obsession. They don’t hire out the contract.”

  “Unless the stalker and the murderer is the same person. He could be using the resources he has to eliminate his targets.”

  “Fuck, Jazz. I need to get into the office and get you a security team.”

  “J, I don’t think that’s necessary. The name you registered us under at the hotel is an alias, and you pre-paid it, so there is no credit card information of mine to hack. The likelihood of a stalker or even a halfway decent contractor finding us is one in a couple million. We are heading north as soon as we get ready. By the time you get a team here, we’ll be at the ranch having a drink with the Wonder Twins.”

  Her brother was silent for several moments before he sighed. “I don’t like it, Jazz. Two and two doesn’t equal seventeen, and that’s what this is adding up to be. I need to talk to Nic and probably Jason. Take your time getting ready, but don’t leave that hotel room until I get back with you. I’ll give you a call when we make a decision.”

  “You got it. Staying tucked away until you call. Bye, J.”

  “Love you, Jazz. Be safe. Stay sharp.”

  Jasmine placed the phone on the vanity. She could still hear Chad’s low rumbling voice as he spoke to his mom. Turning on the water, she waited for the temperature to warm, grabbed a fresh washcloth and stepped under the spray. The hot water felt remarkable against her muscles. Her hand swept over her breasts and she winced as it skimmed over a couple of rather large love bites. She looked down her body and shook her head with a smile. There were little bruises from Chad all over her breasts, one on her abs, another on her hip and one at the V of her leg. The door to the bathroom opened, and the shower curtain pulled back.

  Jasmine took in the beautiful male form in front of her. A light brush of dark hair flowed from his pecs to a line that dropped down his rock-hard, sculpted abs to the wonderfully proud stiff-as-a-board cock that he held in his hand. Jasmine stepped into him and kissed his shoulder. He was five or six inches taller than her, and with the broad expanse of his sh
oulders, she felt feminine and petite. She slowly sank to her knees, dropping the washcloth to cushion the hard ceramic of the tub.

  His hand slid through the wet mass of her hair at the back of her neck and pulled, forcing her to look up. Dark hunger burned in his eyes, and Jasmine shivered at the power behind his stare.

  “Kneeling for me?” His voice carried an edge. She took in the length and size of his cock and lowered her eyes. She nodded her head. The position she assumed should have made her crazy with disgust. She was a strong woman. She didn’t have to do this, but God, she wanted to…

  Chad tugged her hair lightly, urging her to look up. She didn’t want to deal with the emotion, not yet. Instead, she pulled away from his grip and nuzzled the soft skin of his cock. She softly kissed the base before she licked up the bulging vein running under his shaft. Her tongue circled the head before she took him into her mouth. His girth made it difficult to take much of his length.

  Hands on her head held her lightly. Chad’s hips slowly pulled away and thrust back. Her hands found purchase on his marble-hard thighs. She could feel the tension in his body and heard the breath catch in his throat as he thrust forward. Jasmine allowed him to set the pace and swirled her tongue every time he pulled away. He didn’t speed up, even though Jasmine could tell he was close. The slightly bitter tang of pre-come lingered on her taste buds. He did guide himself further into her mouth. Jasmine expected his slow retreat again, but he stilled. Jasmine lifted her eyes.

  “Beautiful.” He caressed her cheek and ran a finger over her stretched lips. “Absolutely beautiful.”

  Jasmine swallowed. The reflective move pulled a tight curse from her lover. He withdrew slowly. She lifted slightly to get a better angle, and when he thrust forward, she moved too, bringing his cockhead to the back of her mouth. She felt him breach her throat and stilled, praying for her gag reflex to relax.

  Chad’s thighs trembled under her touch. She lifted, took a deep breath and lowered herself, again swallowing almost all of his shaft. Her actions seemed to release his need to go slow. His thrusts no longer held a deliberate tempo. He wove his hands through her hair and held on as she set the pace.