Sins and Scarlet Lace Read online

  “I have no plans to break your heart. Actually, I think you have the chance to break mine this go around.”

  She was about to dispute him, but he interrupted before she could get the words out.

  “I have an idea that I think will help you on your quest for self-preservation if you want to hear it.”

  “I’m not sure that I do.” She licked her lips again and he saw the hard outline of her nipples from beneath her shirt.

  He unzipped the black bag and rummaged around inside until he found what he was looking for. He tossed the metal handcuffs on the table between them and watched her eyes grow even bigger.

  “I definitely don’t want to hear your idea. Why don’t I go back down to the office and see if they’ve had any cancellations?”

  “No deal, sweetheart. We stick together. But I figure it’ll set your mind at ease if you’re the one in control of the handcuffs.”

  He put his boots by the door and worked at his belt, stripping it out of the loops slowly, before tossing it onto the table next to the cuffs. His erection was hot and hard behind his zipper, and he unbuttoned his jeans and pulled the tab down a bit to give himself some relief.

  “What do you mean when you say I’m in control of the handcuffs?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but the curiosity was there. “I’ve been in handcuffs. I didn’t especially like it.”

  “It means we’re stuck in this hotel room for the night with one bed to share between us, and I figure your self-preservation rule is tied to how I touch you. So the only way for you to get what you need is for me to follow through with the mouth only rule and let you cuff me to the headboard. I trust you not to take advantage of me.” He winked and watched the color darken her cheeks. “Believe me, I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”

  Dec grabbed the cuffs, the key and his gun and headed over to the bed, feeling the heat of her gaze following behind him. He ignored her as he lay the gun and key on the nightstand and stripped out of his jeans and briefs before tossing them in the corner chair.

  “Jesus, Dec,” she sputtered. “Whatever happened to modesty?”

  “Sweetheart, you know better than anyone that’s never been my strong suit. Surely you remember that time we toured the planetarium. Though I’m almost positive the lack of modesty was your idea that time.”

  Her blush grew deeper as erotic memories overwhelmed her already primed senses.

  The cuff snapped around his wrist, and he adjusted the fit so it wasn’t too tight. He could undo the restraint any time he needed to, but Sophia didn’t need to know that. There might be a need to get to his gun in a hurry, and he’d never hamper his movements that way. He pulled the comforter back all the way to the end of the bed. As hot as his skin was the last thing he needed was extra warmth, and he slid onto the cool sheets.

  Declan didn’t bother to try to hide his erection. Hell, he couldn’t have if he’d wanted to. It stood tall and proud against his stomach, the veins rigid and the bulbous head flushed dark with need.

  She hadn’t moved from the entryway, but she watched his every move like he was her prey. He didn’t mind giving up his dominance so he could see that look on her face.

  One handcuffed arm grabbed one of the cheap slats of the headboard, and his other hand took hold of the base of his cock and squeezed. Her breathing became slow and deep, the desire naked in her eyes, and she took a step forward, almost as if she couldn’t help herself.

  His fist tightened and he stroked himself languidly from shaft to tip, and then he did it again. And again.

  “Are you going to fasten the other wrist?” he asked softly. “I’m likely to get into a whole lot of trouble if you leave me as I am.”

  Sophia took a few tentative steps closer to the bed, and he stayed completely still, waiting to see what she’d do. He kept stroking his cock, watching her as she tried to figure out what she should do.

  “Put your hand up with the other.” Her voice was husky, and she cleared her throat once before putting one knee on the bed beside him.

  Declan released his cock and hoped to God his plan didn’t backfire, otherwise he was in for a miserable night. He gripped the rail next to his other hand and waited to see what she’d do next.

  Her ponytail had come loose and tendrils of hair drifted into her face as she leaned over him and tried to reach the handcuffs. A frustrated breath escaped her lips when she realized she’d have to get closer, much closer, before she could do the job properly.

  The bed dipped as her other knee joined the first and she crawled upward until her breasts hung just above his face. The cold metal of the other cuff clicked around his wrist, and he took the opportunity to lift his head up and take her silk covered nipple between his teeth and tug gently.

  She moaned and her head dropped down so it rested against the headboard, just above where his hands were restrained.

  “I’ve got another idea.” He grinned when she snorted out a laugh and moved back out of the range of his mouth. “You’ve got me at your mercy. Maybe you should do something with me.”

  “Or maybe I should just roll over and get a good night’s sleep.” The devilment in her eyes reminded him of when they’d first met. Of how carefree she’d once been. And how he’d taken that from her.

  “You could,” he agreed. “Or you could use this to your advantage and touch every inch of me however you wanted. You used to love to touch.” His muscles strained with the need to break free and take what he wanted. “You could take off your clothes and see what happens?”

  She moved the rest of the way off the bed and moved back several steps, and her face was unreadable other than the desire he saw in the depths of her gaze. The tension grew heavy while he waited to see what she would do, and he didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until her hand rose to the tie at the back of her neck and pulled the string loose.

  The halter straps fell and the top caught on the tips of her breasts, and the chain of her grandmother’s necklace dangled between her breasts. He groaned at the sight of her there, standing lush and confident as she realized her power. Her hands went to her shorts and she undid the button, each movement slow and deliberate. Then she pulled down the tab of the zipper and he realized his hands were fisted so tight around the slats of the headboard that the wood was creaking beneath the pressure.

  “Jesus, Soph. You drive me crazy.”

  The shorts dropped to her ankles so she was left in a pair of plain white cotton panties, and she might have well been wearing the sexiest lingerie in the world. She teased him with glimpses of flesh by pulling up the hem of her shirt to bare her belly and then the undersides of her breast. And he groaned when she finally pulled the material over her head and the plump mounds became visible once and for all. The sight of her in nothing but the cameo necklace hanging between her breasts and panties was almost more than he could bear.

  “Take off the panties. I want to see all of you.”

  “You have a lot of demands for a man who’s handcuffed to a bed,” she said, quirking a brow.

  “Take them off and then come here. I want to taste you again. Come ride my mouth.”

  When he’d first introduced Sophia to sex so many years ago she’d been eager to learn and please. She’d been adventurous to the point he knew he’d never find another woman who would sexually satisfy him like she had. And he’d proven himself right through the passing years. No one had ever come close.

  But he could see the familiar flare of excitement in her eyes at his suggestion, and her fingers played at the waistband of her panties before she pushed them down to join the shorts at her feet.

  “Come here,” he said again, letting the hunger seep out through his tone. The golden curls between her thighs glistened with moisture, and he licked his lips in anticipation of tasting her again. Nothing was ever as sweet.

  “I thought I was in charge,” she said, taking off the necklace before crawling next to him on the bed, much as she had before.

 
“Oh, you are, baby. Every step of the way. I just want to feel your pleasure. I want to taste your release and feel you tighten around my tongue.”

  Her eyes dilated to almost completely black and she crawled up his body until her knees rested next to his face. He turned his head and kissed her knee, and her hands grasped the top of the headboard and her knees straddled his face, and Declan decided this moment was as close to heaven as he was likely to get.

  ***

  Sophia froze as his tongue licked long and slow through the swollen folds of her pussy. Her breath caught and she cried out when he flicked once across the sensitive bud of her clitoris before moving to another spot. He tempted and tormented with every probe, every caress, and she realized this would be over much too soon if she let him continue on this path.

  The power was hers. Just this once. And she wanted to take full advantage of what he’d given her. Touching and tasting him would bring her just as much pleasure as it did him. Before she could talk herself out of it, she moved away from his wicked mouth.

  He groaned at her absence. “I’m not done with you yet. Get back up here.”

  “I’m in charge, remember?”

  “If my hands were free, you’d be in a lot of trouble right now.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing they’re not free then. Besides, good things come to those who wait. You’re much too impatient.”

  “You have no idea.” His voice was all seriousness and her flesh pebbled at the desire she saw in his eyes, as if he were starving for her.

  She changed positions quickly so she straddled his face from the other direction, and she moaned as his tongue easily found its target once again. But this time she was the one with the banquet laid out before her.

  Her hands flexed on the rippling muscles of his stomach, and she laughed mischievously as he jerked beneath her touch. His cock flexed, rising before her, and she leaned forward, letting her breasts brush against his abdomen.

  He was so hard, the engorged crest flushed and swollen, and a small amount of clear liquid gathered at the tip. She remembered exactly what it felt like to have him inside of her. The way his cock wasn’t straight but curved upward slightly, and the way the large mushroom-shaped head made her gasp in surprise when he finally pushed inside of her.

  Pleasure speared from between her thighs and her hips moved involuntarily against his mouth, and her hand gripped the base of his cock as hunger replaced reason. Her tongue licked once around the head, gathering his essence on her tongue, and then she was lost in the sensation of pleasing him as much as he was pleasing her.

  She sucked him in, swirling her tongue around the head, before pulling back again, working her way down farther and farther each time as her tongue lubricated the path. He moaned against her pussy and she tasted the saltiness of his pre-cum. Her nails scraped along his thighs and then she cupped the tight sac of his scrotum in the palm of her hand and his back arched off the bed.

  “Jesus, Soph. You’re going to make me come.”

  “Ditto. Let’s see who can win the race.”

  His tongue stiffened and pushed into her pussy, spearing her over and over again, and her legs trembled as release drew near. She massaged his balls with one hand and stroked him once with the other before taking him in her mouth again, loving the way he swelled within her the closer he got to orgasm.

  She relaxed her throat and began the slow process of swallowing him down so her lips touched the very base of his cock. She breathed through her nose as she held her position there, and she felt him freeze between her thighs.

  “Fuck,” he groaned.

  And then she began the swallowing motions in the back of her throat, the undulating pressure that was sure to drive him over the edge.

  “Fuck, fuck,” he said again.

  This time it was she that screamed around him as his tongue moved faster, never giving her a reprieve to catch her breath. He was relentless in his pursuit, and her body throbbed, the pulse in her clit a rapid flutter. Her body tensed and shuddering sensation washed through her as her release came like a tidal wave.

  Sounds of flesh and pleasure rose around them, and Sophia almost cried out in triumph as Declan’s release ripped from his body, the thick, salty streams filling her mouth before she swallowed him down.

  He called out her name and she prayed she didn’t say anything she’d regret later.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Declan felt a sense of peace come over him as they passed the Welcome to Surrender, Montana sign just at the top of the last hill. They’d driven straight through the rest of the way, not stopping for another night of rest, even though he knew they both needed it.

  Sophia had been subdued and quiet since they’d left Wisconsin, and he knew she was thinking too hard about everything that had happened between them. It had been powerful, more so than when they’d been together before, and they hadn’t done more than pleasure each other with their mouths. He knew he was pulling her in, trying to make her remember the times they’d had before so she could remember that they had been happy together at one point. He knew what he was doing wasn’t fair to her or her need to protect herself, but he couldn’t let her get away this time, and if he had to fight dirty to keep her then so be it.

  He stopped the car at the top of the hill and put on the emergency brake.

  “Come on,” he said, opening the door. “It’s not everyday you get to see a view like this.”

  She unbuckled her seatbelt and followed his lead until they were both leaning against the front hood looking down on Surrender. She wore a pair of black capris, a tank top in pink, and casual black sandals. The cameo necklace was her only accessory and she’d foregone makeup, but she was one of those women who didn’t need it. Her hair was piled up on top of her head, and loose curls broke free as the wind blew, gentle and hot.

  The two-lane road went straight into the town that sat nestled at the base of the hill. Bricked buildings with low flat roofs lined each side of the street like soldiers, and black awnings covered the wooden sidewalks. A white tin building with open garage bays claiming it was Charlie’s Automotive sat off to the side. Charlotte MacKenzie, or Charlie as most people called her, was his cousin Dane’s wife, and she was the best mechanic in this part of the country, and apparently in high demand. The bays and parking lot were full, and it looked like she was doing a brisk business.

  Miles and miles of scenery could be seen from where they stood, and he was almost positive there wasn’t a better view anywhere else on Earth. Lush green hills of grass rolled like waves as the wind blew, and red barns and clapboard houses dotted the countryside. White fences lined the roads and kept cattle and horses contained.

  “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” she said.

  “It’s easy to forget what it’s like when you live here everyday. All you think about is the next haying season, or finding lost cattle when it floods, or weathering the next blizzard and trying not to go stir crazy as you’re trapped indoors for days on end. But when you’ve been away awhile it’s always a nice place to come home to.”

  “You seem like you miss it.”

  “I miss my family. I’ve been trying to work out a way to get everyone back together again. We’re too spread out. Cade lives in Texas with his family and works at our office there. Darcy lives close to me, up in Cherry Hill in Pennsylvania, but she’s teaching at Columbia two days a week and the kids keep her busy. Shane technically still lives here, but he’s on assignment so often he’s hardly ever home. My younger brother Grant is the only one who stayed. He’s married and has a couple kids.” He pointed to the small area of water several miles in the distance. “See the lake over there?”

  “I see it.”

  “Grant and Annabeth’s house is just on the other side of the lake, through all the trees. Then there’s another larger lake just past the trees, right in the middle of about 150 acres. That’s all MacKenzie land. I bought another hundred acres that sits adjacent to it several
years back.”

  He’d bought it back when he’d been thinking of marriage and family. When he’d thought about bringing Sophia home just like this and watching the wonder fill her eyes as she saw what could be their future.

  But then he’d been damaged and thoughts of a home and a family of his own deserted him only to be replaced with the best way to keep the family he had as safe as possible. So his brothers and sister and cousins all had a stake in their ancestral land, and he had the land next to it that had been under development for the last ten years just in case things turned to shit.

  He’d cleared a good portion of the trees, only leaving a thick perimeter to surround the area. His one goal in mind had been to protect his family, so the twelve-foot concrete wall and iron entry gates were the first things that had been built. He’d done background checks on his workers and had overseen it from the ground up, including his own house and the command center that had been built toward the back of the property, and his security rivaled Fort Knox. Two other cabins had already been built, and Shane’s team would be making themselves at home.

  His hope was that his brothers and sister would build homes behind the walls just in case they ever needed a safe haven. And eventually MacKenzie Security would be run from one command center on location instead of two in different parts of the country.

  “Why’d you buy it if you aren’t going to live on it?” she asked.

  “Someday.” He realized that someday might be never. He was thirty-seven years old and he felt like he’d lived three lifetimes. “Things get busy. Especially when you’re working for the government on occasion, and it irritates them if you can’t be in some senator’s office immediately to explain your actions if they want you to. It’s why I set up the D.C. offices where they are. But I’d like to move both operations here eventually and have everyone under one roof. The longer we all work in this business, the more frequently our names are thrown out. It makes my neck itch for everyone to be so far apart.”

  “It’s a good plan,” she said softly. “Good that you want to take care of your family.”