Surrender: Tales of Submission (7 page)

As she stepped closer to the bed, even more of his

naked body came into view. The deeply tanned skin and

corded muscle indicated he spent a great deal of time

working outside. His jet black hair fanning across her

pillow appeared a little too long. The soft light spilling from the bathroom bathed his body with just enough

illumination for her to see plenty. That amazing ass

connected to huge muscular thighs, and for a split second, she thought about what it would be like to have those hard muscles pressed against her body.

Get a grip. He's a complete stranger. An intruder in your
home and you're fantasizing about his legs?

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Gripping her gun tighter, she opened her mouth to

demand what the hell he was doing in her bed, when he

gently rolled over on to his back. With the first glance of his chest, liquid pooled in her panties. His gloriously sculpted pecs with a sprinkling of hair narrowed down to a trail leading to…

Stop! Quit thinking with your pussy and use your brain.

She shook her head to clear the fog threatening to take over and looked up to his face to see if she could identify him.

Time stopped. She couldn't breathe. Her chest

constricted. Her arm holding the gun went slack.

She hissed, a quick intake of breath.

The shock of seeing him in her bed after all this time

rattled through her brain, and before she could process what was happening, a strong hand circled her wrist,

pulling her toward the bed. With no time to react she

quickly found herself pinned underneath him, staring into his steel blue eyes.

"Jesus Christ, Carli, you could have gotten one of us killed, sneaking up on me like that."

Her airway constricted as she tried to form words.

"Aidan," she croaked out. Realizing he'd put too much pressure on her lungs, he shifted to the side, placing more of his weight on his arm.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?" Not that she was complaining, as this was what she'd been dreaming

about for so many years. Still, for him to show up after all these years, break into her house and then crawl into her bed seemed a little over the top. "I could have shot
you
."

"What's wrong, baby? You're not happy to see me?"

The rich timbre of his voice resonated deep in her body, sparking a reaction she wasn't quite ready for. Yet, the sarcastic overtones caused the hair on her neck to bristle, giving her a bad feeling. She learned long ago to listen to those instincts. They hadn't failed her yet, and she didn't 56

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think they would now.

"You've got some nerve showing up after all this time and making yourself comfortable like this." She placed her hands on his chest to give him a quick shove. "In my house."

First mistake.

The velvety soft skin over hard muscle and bone made

her fingers itch with the need to stroke his chest and

maybe more. Placing her palms flat on his chiseled chest again, she shoved. Hard. Nothing happened. His body

didn't move an inch.

"Get off of me. You're crushing me. Dammit. I want you to tell me what the hell is going on here." She squirmed against him, trying to shake him loose.

Second mistake.

His cock hardened and lengthened against the inside

of her thigh. The more she struggled, the more it grew.

Despite her annoyance with him, her pulse quickened, and her clit throbbed.

"Not yet, baby. I'm liking this position a whole lot right now." He grabbed her hands from his chest and raised them above her head, pinning her to the mattress.

Before she could even pant a token protest, he crushed

her mouth with a hard, demanding kiss. His tongue

pushed between her taut lips, forcing her to allow him

entry. His tongue tangled with hers in a fierce sensual battle. For a moment more, she considered fighting him, but it was too good. It had been too long. She needed this.

Needed him.

His forcefulness was unexpected but welcomed. She

needed…no, desired a man who took what he wanted in

bed. She liked her sex a little on the rough side anyway.

Although she would have never expected this from Aidan, the pressure and intensity of his kiss quickly pushed her past her ability to reason this situation out. Her hips bucked against his hard cock, digging into her thigh. She 57

SURRENDER

struggled to free her arms. She had to touch him. He

simply tightened his hold. She wouldn't get loose until he let her.

Instead of releasing her, he nestled his cock right into the vee of her thighs, pressing right against her clit. She couldn't hold back the moan that escaped. This unexpected show of dominance fed her need. A few more thrusts of

his cock, and she experienced her first fully clothed

orgasm.

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He'd known finding him naked in her bed would

likely unnerve Carli, but he didn't expect this much

reaction.

God, she felt good.

He didn't want to stop. He wanted to tear her clothes

from her athletic body and force his throbbing dick up her juicy pussy. Releasing Carli's mouth, he trailed his lips along her jaw and neck, nipping at her sensitive skin as he went. When he reached her breasts, he rubbed his cheek

against the cool silk of her shirt, feeling her distended nipple. Carli arched her back into his touch, begging for more.

Maintaining his grip on her wrists with one hand,

Aidan reached underneath her shirt pulling the fabric out of his way, exposing her bright rosy nipple. Instead of laving her gently with his tongue as she anticipated, he bit her nipple with a quick sharp bite. She didn't protest his roughness but instead surged against him, pleading for

more.

Unfortunately, looking back up at her face, flushed

with her arousal, brought Aidan's memories crashing back down. He remembered the last time he'd seen her, and the pain of his heart splitting in two when she told him, just before their wedding, that she needed something more.

Needed to travel. Needed to get away from him for a

while. In the end, the anger caused by her betrayal had won out and he'd opted to leave town.

Rifling through her personal belongings when he

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entered her home had brought out a need in him he

thought long buried. As much as he wanted to fuck her

mindless, he couldn't do this. Couldn't screw Carli now without thinking of the girl back then. The girl who

crushed his heart, leaving him behind as she went to

explore the world. As his lust subsided, cold anger took its place. He released her arms and stood. He had a job to do, and reliving old times with Carli would only fuck that up.

He turned his back on her as he reached to the floor

for his discarded jeans. Quickly pulling them up, not even bothering to button them before turning back around to

face her. The expression on her face remained blank, but her eyes sparked with repressed emotion.

"I can't do this, Carli." His gut tightened at the pain he saw flicker across her face.

She looked up at the ceiling and tunneled her fingers

through her long chestnut locks, probably trying to get control of her body just as he did.

With a pronounced sigh, she nailed him with a steely

stare. "Why are you here, Aidan? What brings you back to my bed after all these years?" she bit out, her voice laced with cold sarcasm.

Boldly lying back against the pillows, she crossed her

arms behind her head, further baring her breast to him, and waited for his answer.

"I'm here on assignment. I need your cooperation." He paused, waiting for a reaction that never materialized.

Oh, she's good. Very good at keeping her cool when it
counted.

Aidan knew Carli had tried several times over the last

couple of years to find him, as his organization kept tabs on that kind of information. But he didn't want to be

found. If not for this mission, he would never have

returned to this old town. Aidan didn't need the physical reminder of where he came from or the circumstances

under which he had left. The sooner Aidan got the

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information he needed from Carli, the sooner he would be out of here. In the meantime, he had no intention of letting her get to him. No one got to him anymore. Her leaving

him taught him how to build barriers to shield his heart.

At least he could thank her for that.

* * * *

reason for being in
her
house. Over the years she had perfected the art of patience. It was what made her so good at what she did—both as a sniper and now as an

investigator. To further throw Aidan off, she struck a more casual, carefree pose by tucking her hands behind her neck and crossing her ankles. She could wait him out.

Looking over at him standing in front of her dresser,

she couldn't help marvel at the changes in his appearance.

Gone was the tall, lanky nineteen-year-old who stole her heart. Replaced with this tall, powerful, very muscled, devilishly handsome man. She wondered what else about

him had changed.

"I need your help locating someone." His long pause led her to believe he was definitely avoiding telling her more. What could he be up to that would be hard for her to handle? His reluctance was a clear sign that he didn't trust her.

Then why come to me? Why not get someone else, anyone
else to help him?

"Why me? If you don't really want to be here with me, why not find someone else to help you?" Sensing she wasn't going to like his answers, she braced herself for the other shoe to drop.

"It's—It's your brother, Carli. I'm here to gather some information that will help me find him. He is wanted for treason against the U.S. government."

Thunk.

The shoe dropped
.

* * * *

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"What? Are you crazy?" Sitting up, her body tensed.

Anger flushed her face, and she expected him to back

away. He didn't. "My brother has been serving as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy for over six years.

How dare you make such crazy accusations?" She stepped forward, getting right in his face. "You better explain yourself right now."

He smirked. He couldn't help himself. Her eyes

sparking with anger were even more arousing than before.

He relished the thought that she might tackle him and kick his ass. Aidan would love to take the time to get down and dirty with her and teach her a lesson or two. Lessons she would never forget. He hadn't. He still harbored a lot of resentment toward her and would love to take the time to have it out with her.

But he had a job to do, and do it he would. He

couldn't afford to get wrapped up in the past, even if it came in a tight body that screamed
fuck me
with every move.

"A couple of days ago, we intercepted a message

between your brother, Cliff, and a top terrorist leader.

Twelve hours later, Cliff disappeared." He didn't try to soften the blow he knew this news would create. Aidan

needed to see and analyze every reaction Carli had to

assure himself she wasn't somehow involved. "We know how close you and your twin are, so we expect either you already know where he is or he will be contacting you

soon to let you know something."

His gut told him that no way would Carli be involved

in anything like this. Hell, he was even surprised her

brother Cliff would be. Her face paled from the shock of his words, confirming his instincts. She knew absolutely nothing of this. Cliff had somehow managed to not only

get himself involved in an international incident, but keep the news from his twin sister.
Interesting.

She staggered back, and he snaked his arm around her

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waist to steady her. Taking some deep breaths to calm

herself, Carli managed a whisper. "This is a mistake. Cliff would never do anything like this. He must be in some

sort of trouble. I have to help him."

* * * *

him see the truth in her eyes. After all they had been

through, how could he suspect her own flesh and blood of treason?

"Wait a damn minute!" She backed away from him.

"Why are you really here? Do you think I have something to do with this? Am I a suspect?"

He hesitated.

So that's how it was. She was under investigation

along with her brother. Blinded by anger, she scooped up her gun from the floor and aimed it dead center at his

chest.

"Whoa, Carli." He threw his hands out in surrender.

"There's no need for that. I don't personally suspect that you are involved in anything. I'm just here to gather

information and wait to see if your brother contacts you."

"Why should I believe you?" Tears were welling in Carli's eyes, but she would be damned if she allowed them to fall. All these years, she waited for him to return so she could beg his forgiveness, and instead he showed up here with a charge of treason, ready to arrest her brother and possibly her, too.

"Believe me? Why wouldn't you?" he frowned. "Have I ever lied to you?" No, he hadn't lied. Just disappeared and left her frustrated and confused for far too long. Too much had happened, and too much time had passed. She

couldn't tell him now that she had come back six weeks

later, prepared to beg his forgiveness for leaving him, only to find him gone without a trace. The only man she'd ever loved was standing in front of her. He wasn't nineteen