Riding Shotgun (Mercenaries 3) (2 page)

“So you’ll back me up when I talk to Sarge?” Jackson slapped him on the back. “Thanks!”

“Sure. No problem.” He sure hoped he hadn’t agreed to anything outrageous. With Jackson, you never knew what you were getting into. He remembered the time the wily mercenary had convinced them all to go to a party in the next province. Hopefully whatever he’d just agreed to wasn’t that dangerous. “Excuse me.”

He quickened his pace, angling to intercept Kalie and Winter. Was it his imagination, or did she slow her pace to allow him to catch up?

“Hey there. How’s it going?”

Kalie slanted an inscrutable look from under her lashes. “Going just fine. Where did you disappear to in such a hurry back there?”

So she’d been looking for him. “Just had to check in with Jackson, make sure I was clear for the rest of the day.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Are you free for the rest of the day?”

“Oh, yeah. The group’s on stand-down for now.”

“What group is that?”

He realized she had no idea who he was, or what he did. Did he want her to know? He couldn’t recall the last time he’d even cared about someone’s opinion of him or his life choices. “I work with a group of ex-soldiers. We fought together during the Provincial wars, and kind of stuck with each other when they were over.” He shrugged. “We’re good at soldiering and it pays the bills.”

“Winter says you only take jobs you believe in.”

So she’d been asking questions about him. “Yeah.” He fell into step beside her. “I’m the company sharpshooter, and Jackson over there is the tech expert. There are six of us in all.”

“Must be nice to do something you believe in.”

He detected a trace of wistfulness in her voice. “Yes, it is. So you race cars?”

“Yeah. Usually I do pretty well, although there’s been a few bizarre accidents lately.” Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she seemed to shake off whatever was bothering her.

“Maybe I could come watch you sometime?” He tried to keep his voice casual, but the thought of this woman controlling a couple thousand pounds of pulsating engine and metal was enough to make his mouth water and his cock stiffen. What else could she control?

She shook her head. “Street races aren’t advertised. Even I don’t know the locations until race day.”

“Too bad. I’d love to see you in action.” He made a mental note to have Trace check and see what he could find out about the street-racing scene. Nothing was buried deep enough to keep Trace out.

She turned and stared straight into his eyes. One shapely brow lifted and the beginnings of a smile crooked the corner of her mouth. “I bet you would. Love to see me in action, that is.”

The challenge in her voice was unmistakable, as was the gleam in her eyes. She had the biggest, softest, darkest eyes he’d ever seen and right now they were glowing with desire. Shotgun didn’t wait for her to rescind the invitation. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her to him and lowered his head to claim her mouth.

Heat flooded through Kalie’s body as Shotgun thrust his tongue into her mouth. She had the feeling that everything about this man was aggressive, but that was okay. She didn’t do gentle. Nothing in her life led her to expect anything except what she fought for and took for herself. Right now she wanted Shotgun. Wanted him so bad she was tempted to take him right here, in front of all her sisters. Insanity.

His mouth moved over hers, tasting, exploring. Claiming. His tongue delved into every crevasse, every space. His arms tightened around her, as if he thought she might actually try to escape.

She kissed him back with a deep hunger that raged out of control. She wasn’t like this. Never did this. Her life was all about control, about making sure that no one was in a position to hurt her ever again. What was it about this man that broke through all those self-imposed barriers?

“My truck is parked down the road.” The skin of her neck muffled his words as he nibbled his way up toward her ear. “We need some privacy.”

She could have ended it there. Should have ended it there. This was too much, too intense. Her legs felt like they’d buckle if he let her go. “Let’s go.”

She wasn’t sure how they managed to get away from the group, how she managed to propel herself all the way down the narrow gravel road and around the corner. As soon as they were out of sight, Shotgun scooped her up in his arms and reclaimed her mouth.

Damn. Where had her sense of propriety gone? It would be obvious to everyone why they’d disappeared. Then again, who cared? What she wanted right now was to feel that long stiff shaft of his buried deep inside her. It had been too long since she’d let herself relax enough to enjoy a rousing good time with a man.

Shotgun managed to put her down on her feet without giving up possession of her mouth. He yanked down the tailgate of the truck and reached in to drag a blanket across the bare metal. Hopping up onto the blanket, he pulled her down onto his lap.

Damn. This was insane. She hadn’t had sex on the tailgate of a truck since, well, never. Just the thought was a turn-on, as if they were a couple of teenagers too horny to find a better place.

As if he could read her mind, Shotgun relinquished her lips, his voice harsh with repressed desire. “We could go find a motel or something?”

Kalie shook her head. Hell, she grew up in a laboratory. Why bother to get prissy now, especially since her hormones seemed to be in overdrive around this guy? She needed to get him out of her system. Reaching down, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

Shotgun let out a low whistle. “Don’t play around, do you, little girl?” Raising his hands, he cupped her naked breasts, kneading them softly before sucking one tightly pebbled tip into his mouth.

“I’m not a little girl.” Kalie stated the obvious, closing her eyes as she savored the feeling of Shotgun’s mouth on her skin. Her gut did a long slow glide down into the depths of desire. She leaned into him, instinctively seeking the shelter of his strong arms. He was so large, so solid. Just for once it was nice to let her guard down and not worry about getting caught.

He took his time, worshipping her breasts with his lips and tongue, swirling a path around the sensitive tips. He grazed his teeth across the nipple, then licked the pain away. Running one hand possessively down her back, he held her prisoner to his demanding mouth.

She could feel the thick length of his cock through the material of her jeans, and an imp of mischief made her wriggle her bottom. Shotgun rewarded her by sliding his hand down to give her a sharp slap on the ass. She let out a yelp of protest, more on principal than because it actually hurt. Truth be told, it felt kind of good.

“Damn, you taste good, little girl.” He caressed her ass through the denim for a moment before bringing his hand around the front to fumble with the fastenings at her waist. Impatient to feel his naked skin against her, Kalie brushed his hand away and undid it herself. Sliding off his lap, she quickly shimmied her legs free and tossed the jeans into the back of the truck.

Shotgun stood and managed to divest himself of his remaining clothes in record time before pulling her back to him. “You’re right. You’re not a little girl, now are you?” Scooping her into his arms with restrained eagerness, he laid her down on the blanket and followed her into the bed of the truck. Propping himself up on one elbow, he used his mouth and hands to explore her body with a fierce thoroughness that took her breath away. He looked so rough and yet his hands were infinitely tender as he parted her thighs and lowered his head to nibble at the soft skin of her inner thighs.

His warm breath feathered across the soft folds of skin guarding her sex, and she let out a little whimper. Wrapping her fingers in his hair, she arched her back, mutely offering herself to him. She wanted him. Needed him. Wanted to feel the thick length of him plundering her moist channel. Needed to feel him inside her.

“Damn you to hell. Fuck me. Now.” She gasped the words out as darts of liquid pleasure raced across the surface of her skin.

He raised his head, his dark eyes fixing on hers as a slow, knowing smile curved the corners of his lips. He didn’t acknowledge her outburst, didn’t reply. Bringing his hand to his mouth, he kept his gaze locked on her as he slowly licked one long finger and then inserted it deep inside her.

Kalie let out a strangled whimper as his thumb brushed across the tiny bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs while his finger sent curls of lust dancing through every nerve ending.

He inserted a second finger and began to pump them in and out, his gaze never leaving her face. “Come on, little Kalie. Show me how hot you are. I want to feel you come apart in my hand.”

Kalie closed her eyes and gave herself up to the desire swirling through her. It had been so long, so very, very long since she’d allowed herself to abandon all caution and enjoy the needs of her body. Her inner muscles started to spasm, grasping at the fingers and trying to draw them deeper inside. A wave of intense pleasure rolled through her, building itself into the perfect storm that raised her up to the stars and threw her over the edge. She let out an inarticulate scream, her hands opening and closing convulsively as pleasure rolled through her in consecutive waves.

When she was able to take a breath, she opened her eyes to find Shotgun staring down at her, his dark eyes glittering with desire. A wickedly lustful smile lit his eyes, and he circled his cock with one hand, slowly stroking the length.

“So. You’re not a little girl after all.” The smile widened, and Kalie felt the moisture begin to gather inside her in reaction to the lust she saw there. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ride Shotgun? I promise you’ll enjoy the ride.”

Kalie blinked as his meaning sunk into her lust-befuddled brain. He rolled over on his back, his muscular legs splayed wide as he slowly stroked his hand down the length of his massive cock.

Oh yeah. She wanted to ride Shotgun.

Rolling over, she got to her knees and straddled the big mercenary’s hips. A glistening bead of pre-cum decorated the head of his cock. She reached out with one finger and touched the tempting droplet, bringing it to her lips.

Shotgun’s eyes were glued to her face as she slowly licked the single drop from her finger. The feeling of power that washed over her as he let out a long groan was heady. He might be bigger and stronger and faster than her, but right now she held his very being in her power.

Rising to her knees, she guided the tip of his cock to the wet entrance of her sex. With infinite slowness she sank down, impaling herself on the thick shaft. She savored every inch as he invaded her channel, stretching her impossibly wider and scraping along nerves that hadn’t quite recovered from the assault of his fingers.

She gave herself over to the moment, throwing her head back as his cock penetrated her body. He speared her with agonizing slowness, deeper and deeper, in a long slow slide until her buttocks rested against his balls. The heat from his body rose, inciting a desire deep within her, and she began to ride him. She set the rhythm slow at first, but soon the desire was more than she could handle. She began to move faster, sliding up and down, his cock slipping in and out of her slick sex. The friction caused a million tiny nerve endings to ignite in flames that roared through her entire body.

She whimpered and circled her hips, wanting to feel every inch of him, to make sure she didn’t miss anything as the familiar heat began to surge up within her. She gave herself up to him then, his hips thrusting up into her, his heat rising to envelope her in flames as another orgasm began to build, taking away everything but the feeling between them.

Shotgun grasped her hips, holding her still as he plunged up into her, his face contorted in pleasure. “Hang on, darling, I’m coming.” He thrust upward one last time, and she felt his cock jerk as his hot seed spilled into her.

The heat of his release triggered her own orgasm, and she gasped for breath as it rocked through her with the force of a volcanic eruption, sending waves of hot pleasure roaring through her. She collapsed on top of him, his cock still buried deep inside her.

He caged her in his arms, holding her tight as tiny aftershocks rippled through them both. She felt safe lying there, totally naked in his arms, and if she thought about it the fact might scare her. So, she decided not to think about it. For one glorious segment of time, she was just going to lie here with her head on the shoulder of the sexiest male she’d ever set eyes on.

Later, she’d let reality drift back in. Later.

* * *

Kalie gripped the steering wheel tightly in both hands and let her senses flare out. There it was again, that tiny quiver in the engine’s rhythm that signalled a problem. The pressure in the cylinders wasn’t holding steady. Every so often, it wavered just enough to interfere with the car’s performance.

Damn! It felt like the head gasket was dissolving but that just wasn’t possible. She’d replaced it less than a month ago, and even under race conditions it should be good for years. What the hell?

These glitches had been occurring with greater frequency lately, and it worried her. She “felt” the weakened area, mentally crossing her fingers. It had been fine before the race started, so with a bit of luck and some careful driving she should be able to finish the race without incident. That meant not going full out in the last few minutes to leave her competition in the dust.

She glanced in her rearview mirror. The kid in the black car had been pushing her hard for the past few miles. She’d intended to use the last straight to leave him choking in her dust, but the weakened gasket made that a bad plan. If she revved the engine too high, it might just blow.

If she kept to the inside on the next corner, she should be able to stay in the lead without risking the engine. She took a deep breath, and concentrated on the road.

The kid took the corner wide, losing ground but he was good. He got the car under control, and she could see him looming in her mirror. The finish line came in sight, and she calculated her odds. She didn’t need a spectacular win. She just needed to come in ahead of the black car.