Chapter 27
Brody
The ride from the hospital to a motel at the edge of the city gives me time to digest the hard-drive bombshell.
Trinity offered me the keys to the castle.
If this drive can damage Declan, it’s the ultimate piece of leverage. My ticket to finally getting the old man’s respect.
Plus Finn.
Plus Trinity.
Though whatever good feelings Trinity has for me will be toast if I go through with killing her brother. Can I live with that? Do I want to cause her more heartache?
Deep down, I know the answer is no.
Regardless, I can play along with Trinity’s game. Let her believe I’m her chauffeur, her white knight, her equal, her recruit. Whatever she needs me to be.
This changes nothing. I’ll get the drive, and then I’ll deliver it—and her—to my father. Maybe Declan will treat me like Connor’s equal for the first time, rather than a second-rate son.
If not, at least he’ll realize I have the qualities of an underboss. And maybe, once he no longer needs her, he’ll let Trinity go.
Maybe then she can live a normal life. She deserves that much.
Still, what if Declan doesn’t let her go? What if he kills her?
No. I won’t let that happen. I don’t know how this will turn out, but I’m certain about one thing.
I won’t let anyone harm Trinity.
We settle into the motel room, an ugly brown-and-green monstrosity with peeling paint and a mattress that squeals when I settle on the springs.
The cheap potpourri bowl sitting on a rickety dresser clashes unpleasantly with the scent of stale smoke, but at least the space comes with a TV and a lock on the door.
I’ve slept in worse places.
Trinity props two pillows between my back and the headboard, sets a water bottle on the nightstand, and smooths the edges of the blanket over my legs.
Then she paces in the corner to the bathroom, rattling the shower rings on the rod and thumping around out of sight.
What the hell is she doing?
By the time she returns to the bed and starts fidgeting with the pillows she already placed behind me, my nerves are frayed.
“Will you stop?” She flinches at my bark. I count to three and try that again. “You’re stressing me out. Just sit down.”
Trinity huffs and picks at the threadbare quilt. “How can you say that when we’re being hunted?”
“You’re the one who suggested staying put for a minute.”
She levels a narrow-eyed glare at me. I swallow a laugh—I know she won’t appreciate that—and wave a hand at the bag I grabbed from the trunk. “I have some spare clothes in there. Go get a shower and relax.”
Grumping under her breath, Trinity stands and snatches the bag before stalking into the bathroom. She closes the door with a snap, and a few seconds later, the hiss of water echoes into the room.
Finally. Maybe now she’ll calm down, and I can too.
She’s not wrong to be on edge. I still don’t understand how the hell the Russians found us to begin with, but there’s no connection between the Port Kings and this motel. As long as we don’t linger too long in one place, we should be safe.
After a good night’s sleep, we’ll ditch the Beemer, grab some new wheels, and hit the road first thing in the morning.
The pain meds from the IV have started to wear off. My leg aches like a bitch and a half. So does the lump on the side of my head, and the various bandages and butterfly stiches on my torso and arms itch like crazy.
I’m alive, though.
When Trinity emerges from the bathroom—dressed in one of my t-shirts and a pair of boxers, her fiery hair falling in a wet curtain down her shoulders—my body reminds me that its alive too.
She’s temptation in the flesh. Though I’m exhausted, my dick is more than willing. Seeing her in my clothes fills me with primal satisfaction.
I remind myself that this is just business. Despite what I told her, my mission remains the same.
Though that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some of the perks of keeping a woman like Trinity close by. Since she believes we’re on the same team now, nothing’s stopping us from having a little fun.
I catch her gaze and pat the bed beside me.
She sits on the mattress while combing her fingers through her hair. “Need something? I saw some painkillers in that bag, just generics but—”
“I’m fine, princess.”
I place my hand on her knee, and the heat of her freshly showered skin warms my palm.
She jolts, her attention fixated on that hand.
The sparks sizzling between us could power an amphitheater.
I trail my fingers up her leg, watching goosebumps bloom in the wake of my touch. I brush my knuckles up her arm, over her cheek, and twist my fingers through strands of copper hair.
She sucks in a breath, the tip of her tongue wetting her pretty pink lips.
Fuck, she’s beautiful.
She bends forward, like she might press her lips to mine, but I stop her with a tug.
I push up on my knees, ignoring the sting from the stitches in my leg, and grab her by the hips. With a quick jerk, she’s on her back, those gemstone eyes wide and shining, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
Perfect.
I capture her mouth, swallowing her soft little groan. This isn’t like the kisses at the Cypress or the safe house. This one is slower and deeper as I caress her sides and hips before pushing my fingers up under her shirt.
She’s pliant beneath me, her hands gripping my shoulders and pulling me closer. She’s not fighting or pretending she doesn’t want this just as much as I do.
This time, I’m going to make sure she comes first.
She may think she’s in control here—she aimed my own gun at me, concocted the plan, called the shots—but that won’t stand for long.
I drag my lips from her mouth to her neck, sucking a dark mark right over her pulse, and slide my hand up her stomach to cup one flawless breast in my palm.
Trinity moans, her back arching off the bed as I tease her by pinching and rolling her nipple between my fingers. With my free hand, I shove those borrowed boxers down and slip my fingers between her thighs.
She’s soaked.
I lean back to peer down at her, with her flushed cheeks and damp hair spread over the pillow. Her chest heaves under the t-shirt, and her pupils are blown as she meets my gaze.
“Brody…what…”
I drop my face down and slide my tongue over her clit.
She gasps, grasping a fistful of my hair. “Oh!”
I can’t wait to pull more of those noises from her.
I work her tender flesh, slowly at first, then harder, my hands gripping her thighs to hold her in place. She rocks against my face and whimpers.
I run my tongue lower down her pussy before thrusting it inside and pushing deep.
“Brody…” She pants, her hips bucking.
I reach down and palm my erection.
Control. That’s what I needed. Trinity panting, flushed, and exposed under my hands and mouth.
To hear her sweet little noises as she comes undone beneath me.
With my tongue still thrusting, licking, and sucking, I push one hand flat against her pelvis. My thumb circles her clit, matching the speed of my tongue.
Trinity’s thighs cling to the sides of my head, the muscles trembling against my skull. She yanks on my hair, and the sting only gets me more stiff.
A few seconds later, she cries out and convulses as she comes all over my tongue.
She’s sweet as sin.
I pull away and wipe my mouth.
As she lies on the bed, her breasts heave beneath my shirt. Her lips are red and swollen, and her eyes are hazed with pleasure.
Fuck. Me.
I roll to my side, gritting my teeth when my thigh complains, and prop up on my elbow. “You okay there?”
Trinity hits me with an irritated glare, though the heat in her eyes is no match for the flush on her cheeks.
“I’m fine.” Her gaze falls to the tent in the front of these sweat pants. “Not so sure about you, though.”
I adjust myself. “I can take care of this…unless you want a taste?”
I expect her to hiss at me like an angry cat, so when she sits up and pushes on my shoulder to situate me onto my back, I collapse in shock.
An instant later, she tugs down my pants and boxers, freeing my erect cock.
I’m the one who ends up hissing when Trinity drags a finger across the wet slit.
She curves her fingers around the shaft and squeezes, and my hips buck in response.
Then she removes her hand, licks her palm, and begins stroking me.
A soft moan slips from my lips. That feels so good.
She pauses, her eyes flicking up to my face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. Don’t stop.”
Her grin appears more than a little feral as she hovers closer and opens her mouth. As she hovers over my dick, my lungs stop functioning. Before I can beg, her hot mouth wraps around me and delicately sucks on my head.
“Damn!” I buck up while clutching a fistful of her copper waves.
Those lips on my dick are a better pain reliever than all the morphine in the world.
She swirls her tongue around the crown, licking me like I’m a damn popsicle. I’m rock-hard as she opens wide again and swallows me all the way, her hands stroking the base where her lips can’t reach.
Pleasure streaks through me as her head bobs up and down. Her mouth and hands work in synchronicity to get me off.
Nothing has ever felt this amazing.
My entire body buzzes. My toes curl. For a brief moment, I wonder who’s in control of who.
As long as her lips are sealed around my cock, it’s definitely her.
Pressure gathers at the base of my spine, and my balls tighten.
I grip her hair. “Shit, I’m coming.”
She pulls her lips off with a pop and leans back, her hands working double time to stroke me.
With a jaw-clenched groan, I come all over her palms, jerking up into her hands as she works me through the orgasm.
After everything—the Russians, the running, the injuries, the hospital—this release was just what the doctor ordered.
Trinity steals all my attention as she wipes her hands on my discarded pants.
Brody
I stand in the pre-dawn gloom of the motel room, taking a drag from a cigarette I bummed off the janitor. The aftermath of last night lingers in the air, prickling my skin.
I slept for about four hours, but when my injuries pried me awake, the first thing I remembered was her sucking me off and the sensation of her thighs hugging my face.
After that, sleep proved impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I could taste her.
I need to stop letting her distract me. Last night was supposed to serve as a lesson. A reassertion of control after all the shit she put me through.
I own you, Trinity Gallagher, and don’t you forget it.
Hell, the woman left me on the side of the road like a coyote or a deer. Then, aided by my own gun, she tried to blackmail me in the hospital room.
Ballsy. Sexy. Infuriating.
Trinity forms a lump beneath the cheap motel sheets, her copper curls hiding her face. Every time she exhales, one strand flits away from her lips, and the longer I stare, the harder it is to remind myself that the mission is my priority.
I shake my head. Last night was nothing more than a transaction. A release of tension and a way to gain her trust. The goal hasn’t changed. Obtain the drive. Deliver the asset.
I can’t allow the complication of this thing we share to sway me.
We need to move. The longer we stay in one place, the bigger the target on our backs.
I sink onto the edge of the bed. For a second, I soften as I brush the reddish strands away from her face. “Hey.”
Trinity stretches, a quiet little mumble slipping past her lips. “Hmm?”
“We have to go.”
Ten minutes later, we’re gulping down the desert’s dry morning air as the sun peeks over the horizon. The silent parking lot contains a decent number of vehicles to choose from.
I stop in front of a clean silver Dodge minivan that looks ancient enough that the locks are simple to jimmy open.
I slide behind the driver’s seat, grimacing when the action pulls at the slice in my leg. Climbing in and out of cars will hurt for a while.
Maybe if I ask nicely later, Trinity will agree to more of her brand of pain relief.
My dick twitches in response, so I force the thought from my head.
Trinity lingers beside the open door, peering around like an anxious chicken. I flick my hand toward the passenger side. “Get in.”
With a little jump, she circles the hood, tossing my duffel bag in the back seat as she clambers in. While I’m busy pulling the wires from under the steering wheel, Trinity opens the glove box and extracts a stack of papers.
I side-eye her. “What are you doing?”
“I just want to make sure these people have up-to-date insurance, so they can get the money for their stolen vehicle.”
I snort. Of course she’s worried about their insurance claim when we’re literally running for our lives.
Such a noncriminal. I refuse to let her cuteness charm me.
As the engine kicks to life, I pull my sore leg inside with a groan. “If they didn’t, were you planning to force me to steal a different one?” I adjust the mirrors and back out of the parking space.
“Um…” She hesitates. “This Dodge looks well-maintained, which usually means it’s insured.”
“That doesn’t answer the question.”
“I guess not.” She shoves the paperwork back in the glove box and straps on her seat belt.
Am I insane, or is this not the same woman who helped drag me out of the hospital last night? She hasn’t been this stiff with me the entire time. “You good?”
“Fine.” She stares out the windshield into the rising sun. “Let’s just go.”
I guess this is the first normal morning we’ve shared. Maybe she needs some caffeine after that mind-blowing orgasm.
Once we ease out of the motel lot, I head toward the closest gas station. With coffee in our stomachs and donut holes in the console between us, we hit the interstate.
After a few minutes on the road with nothing but the radio to keep us company, Trinity starts talking.
She spills all her plans to move to Texas and continue studying in Austin while working at a crisis center. To live a normal life and help those in need.
Frowning, I flex my hands on the wheel. “If you wanted a normal life, why the hell did you go digging and compile that drive?”
In my periphery, Trinity chews on her bottom lip and gazes out the window.
I don’t like that one bit. “What didn’t you tell me yesterday?”
She finishes her coffee and sets the empty cup in the pocket on the door. Then she cranks her seat back and closes her eyes, effectively shutting me out.
I stare straight ahead at the gray highway flanked by dry brown dirt.
My phone GPS shows eighteen hours and change.
Great. This will be a long trip.