Broken: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 3) Read online

  “Not helping,” I say, glaring at Jonah. “Cut it out. I don’t want any trouble here.”

  I turn to Blondie, who’s sputtering in outrage, hoping to distract him and win a hundred bucks in the process. “I accept your bet,” I say, pulling my wallet out of my back pocket and withdrawing a crisp hundred dollar bill, which I slap down on our table. “A hundred bucks says I’ll beat you, straight up 8-ball.”

  “You’re on, babe!”

  “Don’t call me babe. Do you wanna rack or break?”

  “I’ll rack, cause when you miss on the break, I’ll run the table.”

  Yeah, good luck with that, pal.

  Chapter 26

  Blondie lays a hundred dollar bill on top of mine, then sets his beer bottle down on our table and proceeds to rack the balls. I grab my cue stick and chalk up.

  Since Blondie racked the balls, I break, sending the cue ball hard into the formation of colorful balls. The balls scatter across the green felt surface of the table like cockroaches skittering away at the first light of day.

  I manage to pocket the solid blue ball, so it’s solids for me. I take another shot, then another, and I’ve pocketed three of my balls. Blondie looks disgruntled as he scowls at me.

  “You didn’t think she could play, did you?” Jonah says, grinning smugly at my competitor. Jonah’s hovering next to the pool table, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he manages to keep himself positioned between me and blondie.

  “You shut the fuck up, pretty boy,” Blondie says, pointing at Jonah.

  I miss my next shot, so it’s Blondie’s turn. He tries for the red stripe into the corner pocket and misses, but just barely. Ha! The balls are well placed, and here’s my chance to run the table. I sink three more of my solid colored balls, and I could probably drop the seventh in the corner pocket, but Blondie is starting to look really pissed, and I don’t want any trouble, so I forfeit my last shot to give him another shot at winning.

  He manages to sink two balls on his next turn, but he bungles the third shot. I sink my last ball, then the 8-ball, and the game’s over. It took less than ten minutes.

  “Good game,” I tell him, giving him a respectful nod. And thanks for the hundred bucks.

  As I reach for the money, he slaps his big, sweaty paw on top of my hand. “Not so fast, babe. Let’s go for best two out of three,” he growls.

  Jonah’s eyes narrow as he takes a few steps toward Blondie. I shake my head, signaling him to back off. Like I said, I don’t want any trouble here. My brothers come to this bar when they’re staying at the cabin. I don’t want to make waves unnecessarily.

  “Sure,” I say to Blondie. “Two out of three. Rack or break?”

  He grabs the rack and sets up the balls. “You break.”

  “Fine.” I shoot the cue ball, hitting the formation spot on, sending the balls crashing with a loud crack. The 8-ball shoots across the table, following an unobstructed path to the far corner pocket. It’s sheer luck that it goes straight into the pocket, a swift and clean shot. I’ve never managed to sink the 8-ball on a break. Game over! I just wish my brothers could have been here to see this.

  Blondie, who’d brought his beer bottle up to his lips, chokes on his brew. “What the fuck!”

  I smile apologetically. “That was a lucky shot.”

  “No, it wasn’t!” Blondie slams his beer down on the edge of the pool table, splashing liquid on the felt. “You cunt! You’re a ringer! You’re a God-damned fucking ringer!”

  Jonah lunges toward Blondie, who cracks his pool cue on the edge of the table, snapping it in two, and holding Jonah back with one of the jagged ends. He points the other jagged end at me. “You fucking bitch!”

  I scoff. “I’m no ringer, asshole. You just can’t take being beaten by a girl.”

  Blondie swings the broken stick at my face, just barely missing me as I jump back. That little prick nearly cut me! I’m done with playing nice. He swings at me again, and I catch the stick and jerk it out of his grasp. I throw the stick behind me, out of his reach. “Walk away,” I tell him, pointing toward the exit. “While you still can.”

  “Fuck you!” He charges around the corner of the table to face me, his hands balled up into fists and his face beet red. “You don’t tell me what to do, bitch!”

  He reaches for my arm, but I’ve had enough of this douchebag. It’s time to end it. But before I can touch him, Jonah comes barreling past me like a locomotive, crashing into Blondie and sending the pair of them right to the floor. Jonah lands on top of Blondie, rises his fist and slams it into Blondie’s face. Blondie’s head snaps back and hits the wooden floor with a loud thud.

  Well, shit. I can envision all sorts of lawsuits directed at Jonah. “Jonah, stop!”

  But Jonah’s just getting warmed up. He hauls back his right arm and drives his fist into Blondie’s face, once more, then again.

  “Jonah, that’s enough!” I intercept Jonah’s fist mid-blow and hold it firm, catching his attention. “I said stop!”

  Jonah looks affronted. “He tried to hurt you!”

  I smile. “Tried, yes. Succeeded, no. Big difference. Now, get up.”

  Hal comes over to us, drying his hands on a less than pristine white dishcloth. “You two had better go,” he says, looking at me. “I’m gonna have to call 9-1-1.”

  Great. That’s all I need... for Jonah to get arrested for assault and battery while on my watch. “Come on, tiger,” I say, urging him to his feet. “The party’s over. Let’s go.”

  Once on his feet, Jonah sways into me, and I catch him. He’s still not quite sober. The coffee didn’t help as much as I’d hoped.

  Now there’s another biker, an older guy, kneeling on the floor beside Blondie, shaking him. “Neal, wake up, man! Neal!”

  At least now I know his real name. That’ll come in handy when the court summons arrives.

  * * *

  I walk Jonah out to the Jeep, making sure he doesn’t fall on his ass as he climbs inside the vehicle. Yeah, he’s definitely a little worse for wear, thanks to the alcohol.

  “Are you all right, Lia?” he asks.

  “I’m fine. Are you all right?” I pick up his right hand and look at his battered knuckles, which are already discolored and swollen. There’s blood on his hand, too, but I can’t tell if it’s Jonah’s blood or Blondie’s – Neal’s. Neal, the guy who will sue Jonah for a fortune if he gets wind of who his assailant is.

  “I’m fine.” He groans as he leans his head back in his seat and closes his eyes. “I am a little dizzy, though. Probably shouldn’t have had that last beer.”

  “You don’t say.” I latch his seatbelt and lock his door, then walk around to the driver’s side and climb in. I waste no time hightailing it out of there before someone starts asking questions. Technically, Neal started it, and Jonah was only defending my honor. As there were plenty of witnesses in the bar to testify to that, I doubt the local cops will charge Jonah with anything. But still, Jonah doesn’t need the publicity.

  We’re barely a block from the bar when the sheriff’s car passes us, lights flashing. In my rearview mirror, I watch as the vehicle pulls up to the front of the bar. Great.

  * * *

  “Sit down, before you fall down,” I say, guiding Jonah to his bed.

  He drops down on his ass and falls back on the mattress, groaning. He’s absolutely wiped, from the pressures of his life, the stress of tonight, and a poor food-to-alcohol ratio for the day.

  I pull off his boots and drop them on the floor. “Can you take it from here?”

  “I gotta take a piss,” he says, rolling to his side and then pushing himself up and off the bed. “Wait here.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not coming into the john with you.”

  He chuckles. “That’s not what I meant. I meant wait here in my room for me to come back. Don’t leave.”

  After a few minutes, I hear the water running in the bathroom, and a moment later he comes out. He walks right up to me,
swaying a little on his feet.

  “Get in bed, Jonah. You need sleep, badly.”

  He shakes his head. “What I need is you.”

  He envelopes me in his arms and holds me against his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me, practically smothering me. Standing this close to him, I can smell him, his scent. The hint of a man’s cologne, and a little sweat. And he’s radiating heat like a furnace which, surprisingly, makes me want to latch onto him. But sadly, that’s not part of the plan.

  I walk him backward until his legs hit the side of the bed, then I gently maneuver him flat onto his back. “You need sleep.”

  He glances at this watch. “It’s too early. I can’t sleep yet. You know that.”

  “Why not, Jonah? You’re clearly exhausted. Just relax and let yourself go to sleep.”

  He closes his eyes and shakes his head. He takes hold of my upper arms and tries to pull me onto the bed with him. “Lie down with me, Lia. Please. Just for a little while.”

  I’m finding it damn hard to resist him when he’s like this. “Jonah – ”

  “Please. Just until I fall asleep.”

  He’s manipulating me, but frankly, right now I don’t care. Half of his hair has come loose from his ponytail, and he looks like a disheveled dark angel.

  I know this is a really bad idea. “All right. Give me a minute.” I run to my room and grab my toiletries bag, then spend a few minutes in the bathroom getting ready for bed. When I return to his darkened bedroom, I climb into bed with him, and he turns us on our sides, spooning behind me. My pulse speeds up, and I’m vibrating like a live wire.

  “Just rest a while, that’s all,” he says, lightly stroking my arm as if trying to gentle a wild animal.

  His arm snakes around my waist, and he tucks me into him. The warmth of his body is seductive, and I feel his lips in my hair. I can also feel a very impressive erection nudging my butt cheeks.

  “Shh, just relax,” he says. “Don’t move. I’m dizzy and I might puke.”

  “Oh, that’s a lovely thought.”

  “Shh, don’t jinx me.”

  He chuckles, his breath ruffling the hair at the nape of my neck, sending tingles along my frayed nerves and making me shiver. “Shh. Don’t think, don’t talk, just let me hold you. Don’t be afraid, Lia. I’ll stay awake to protect you. I won’t let him touch you. I won’t ever let him touch you.”

  Protect me? From whom? At first, I think he means Blondie – I mean Neal. But then I’m not so sure.

  “Protect me from whom, Jonah?”

  His breathing slows and deepens, and I suspect he’s on the verge of passing out. “Hmm?”

  “Who are you going to protect me from?”

  “Shh, you’re making the room spin. No talking.”

  It’s well past midnight, and we’ve both had a long day. I’m so comfortable lying here with him that it’s making me drowsy. I could easily fall asleep like this.

  * * *

  I must have dozed off for a while. When I stir, it’s still dark outside. I roll over onto my back and look at Jonah, who’s wide awake, staring at the ceiling. I can just barely make out his face in the moonlight filtering through the curtains.

  “You’re awake,” I whisper. Although it’s silly to whisper since we’re the only ones here.

  “Yeah. I guess old habits are hard to break.”

  He sounds a lot more alert now. It looks like a short cat nap revived him. But still, the guy needs sleep, badly. He has a performance coming up in less than 48 hours, and he needs his rest if he’s going to perform in front of a crowd, even a small one. I figure if anything can knock him out, it’s a really good orgasm. And if I’m going to be honest with myself, I could use one too. I woke up feeling... needy.

  I unfasten my jeans and push them and my underwear off. I can tell myself I’m doing this solely for his benefit, like it’s a public service or something. That way I don’t have to examine my feelings too closely.

  “What are you doing?” He sounds part suspicious, part amused.

  “Nothing.” I sit up and pull off my T-shirt and bra and toss them onto the arm chair across the room.

  His eyes widen in the semidarkness. Now that I’m naked and have his full attention, he stops asking stupid questions. I kneel on the bed and begin to undress him, starting with his jeans and briefs.

  “Lia – ”

  “Shut up and go with the flow. Sit up.”

  He obeys, probably because he’s in shock, and I strip off everything below the belt. Then I straddle his hips and pull his T-shirt up over his head and toss it aside, leaving him as buck naked as I am. We’re just two naked people sharing a bed, that’s all.

  “Don’t read anything into this, Jonah. I’m just doing you a favor.” Maybe if I keep telling myself that, I’ll start to believe it myself.

  He’s grinning at me like a fool, and he shivers when I run my hands along his muscular shoulders and down his arms, my fingers following the firm curves of his well-shaped biceps. He has strong, muscular arms, thanks to his guitar playing, which is a huge turn-on for me. I get off on arm porn, especially when tats are involved. Even in the darkness, I can make out the interlocking shapes and lines of the dark tattoos snaking down his arms.

  I kiss his sternum, then run my tongue down his torso, over ridges of muscle down to his belly button. He flinches when I swirl the tip of my tongue around the rim of the little indentation, and I suspect he might be ticklish there. But I keep going, following the happy trail that leads to his beautiful cock rooted in a nest of dark hair. His length rises long and thick from its base, defying gravity as it lifts into the air, almost as if it’s searching for something. The broad head of his cock is a deep ruddy hue, blatantly advertising his arousal, and the thought of that blunt knob pushing inside me makes my stomach quiver.

  God, I want to make him come completely undone. I want to make him shout the roof off. I lower my head and suck the broad head of his cock into my mouth, twirling my tongue around the tip, taking a moment to tease the sensitive skin beneath the rim. I can already taste his pre-come.

  He gasps, threading his fingers into my hair. “What are you doing, Lia?”

  I lift my head just long enough to ask, snaring his gaze. “Is that a trick question?” I had assumed he’d want this, but maybe I’m wrong. “Do you want me to stop?”

  He growls low in his throat. “No, I don’t want you to stop. I just thought you didn’t want – ”

  That’s all the green light I need. I draw him deeply into my mouth until the head of his cock hits the back of my throat.

  “God, Lia!”

  I proceed to torment the hell out of him, sucking and licking and drawing him deeply into my throat. My intention is to bring him right to the edge and keep him there as long as he can take it. He lays back on the bed and blindly fists the sheets, holding on for dear life as he groans helplessly.

  He’s close, really close, but I’m not ready for this to end, so I release his cock with a loud, wet sound, and his hands come up to cup my face.

  “You amaze me,” he says.

  He reaches for the lamp on the nightstand beside the bed and switches on the light. It’s just a nightlight, so it hardly puts out any light. But it’s enough light to send me straight into panic mode.

  “Turn it off!” My pulse jumps into my throat, and it’s all I can do to keep from lunging across the bed and ripping the power cord right out of the wall.

  “Lia, I want to see you.”

  “No. I told you, no lights. Turn it off.” I’m holding on to my panic, trying not to let it overwhelm me. I’m sure he thinks I’m nuts, that it’s some neurotic quirk of mine, and maybe he’s right. But I really don’t give a flying fuck right now. It’s this way, or no way.

  “All right,” he says, sounding resigned as he switches off the light. His hands come to rest at my waist, and he slides them up my sides to my breasts, which feel full and tender. His big palms cup my breasts, as his thumbs sweep up to br
ush my nipples, making them pucker instantly. I shudder in response, as intense pleasure shoots from my breasts down to my sex.

  Jonah reaches down between my legs and touches me, his fingers slipping through my wet folds. “Please tell me I can have you,” he says, his voice rough with need.

  Reality intrudes with a vengeance. “Shit! Do you have condoms?”

  He tips his head toward his duffle bag on the armchair. “Ribbed, for your pleasure.”

  I smack him on the shoulder as I scramble off the bed and unzip his duffle bag. Inside, I find an unopened box of extra large condoms. An entire box. “You’re an optimistic man.”

  I think he shrugs, but it’s difficult to tell in the dark. “It never hurts to be prepared.” He sounds awfully pleased with himself.

  Chapter 27

  I roll a condom onto his thick erection, and damn, if that extra large condom doesn’t fit him perfectly. Show off.

  Sliding in beside him, I urge him down over me, then grab hold of his ass and pull him close, savoring the feel of his hard length pressed against my heat. His erection nudges blindly between my legs, eager to be inside me. And I’m more than ready for him. I take hold of him and direct him to my opening.

  He lowers his mouth, touching his lips to mine, just a light glancing of his flesh over mine, and a shiver ripples through me. He chuckles at my reaction, then deepens the kiss, his warm lips melding with mine. We kiss like that, just a gentle melding of lips for several long, languid moments. In the back of my mind, I realize this isn’t just fucking. This is something different, something more. Something I’ve never experienced before... or even wanted. When his tongue slips into my mouth, searching and seeking, I sigh, our breaths mingling.

  Jonah lifts his head and gazes into my eyes, and there’s more emotion there than I’m prepared to deal with. “Lia – ”

  “Don’t! Don’t say a word. Just shut up and kiss me.” I pull his mouth back down to mine and offer him my tongue as a distraction. It works. He greedily accepts, drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it.