38. Chapter 38
TIERNEY
My heart thundered in my chest as I straddled Ahren.
We'd dropped so fast, there hadn't been a way of avoiding the broken brick paver left carelessly on the driveway.
The back of his head had taken a direct impact, and I knew it would take him a moment to shake it off. Until he did, he was vulnerable.
After a few tense moments, I realized another shot wasn't coming. My gaze swept across the hillside as well as the valley below, hoping to catch any signs of movement or the sunlight glinting off a scope.
In one fluid motion, I spun around, gaining my feet. The pistols clattered against the brick driveway as I pulled my scout from behind my back and lifted it into position, hoping the scope would help me see better .
The whole thing was an adrenaline fueled fantasy though. As my racing heart settled, so did the realization that it was most likely a pro that took the shot and he would be long gone by now.
Loosing a heavy breath, I lowered my weapon, taking a few more deep breaths to steady myself.
"Fucking sexy." Ahren murmured behind me.
I threw him a half smile, turning to face him.
"Standing here ineffectively looking for something to shoot is sexy?" I asked, arching my brow.
That dark chuckle I'd come to love rumbled in his chest. "Not quite what I meant."
His expression sobered. "You sitting on my dick, protecting me. That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen."
I turned away, feeling my face heat under his praise. Not that the red stain would be visible under the coating of blood and grime I wore.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Ahren stand, retrieving the discarded pistols from the ground. His arms wrapped around me from behind.
"All I can think is how relieved I am it wasn't you," he murmured, his heated breath fanning across my neck with each word.
I nodded. That had been my first thought, too. I knew we came here to save Jax, and I should be more upset at his death, but all I could think was 'at least Ahren wasn't hit'.
"The shooter is long gone. Let's go home." I turned in his arms, finding him staring down at me with an unreadable expression.
Wordlessly, he nodded. His hands sliding down my arms until only our fingers were connected.
"Get in. I'll be there in a sec. "
He walked over to where Jax's body lay, reaching in his pocket to retrieve his phone. His brow furrowed as he tapped against the screen, finally throwing it so it landed on the roof of the single-story house.
He dropped into the driver's seat, slammed the truck into gear, and raced out of the driveway.
Connor and I sat quietly, both still in shock at the events of the last ten minutes. Just as I opened my mouth to ask why we were in such a hurry, an explosion rocked the truck.
Ahren swerved, but was thankfully able to keep the truck on the road.
"Failsafe." he said. His quiet tone seeming at odds with the chaos of the moment.
"Jax was no fool. He knew what I am. Knew the risks. He rigged his place so no one could go snooping through his system after he was gone."
"And he taught the assassin how to arm it?" I asked.
He chuckled quietly. "Yeah. He trusted me. I don't know that I would exactly call us friends, but—well, you get the picture."
The rest of the drive passed in quiet contemplation. Each of us was well aware she'd broken the rules she'd set. The shot had been timed for maximum impact. She'd meant to rattle us—and she had.
The realization settled over us that the rules of the game had given us a false sense of security. We had been grasping at straws all along, trying to catch up with the crazy bitch, only to find out we weren't even playing the right game.
We needed a final strategy before the next blow came. My gut told me that would be sooner than any of us would like.
The truck rolled to a stop, but none of us rushed to leave. The silence hanging over us was near suffocating .
"Tierney and I are covered in pink mist. If you wouldn't mind removing the seat covers and floor mats, I would appreciate it. Toss them into the incinerator."
Connor nodded, eager to do whatever she could to help—that was just her nature.
Neither of us spoke as we stripped off our clothes, tossing each piece into the fire.
"This way." He said, grabbing my fingers and pulling me toward a small teakwood box near the back of the house.
He pulled the door shut as we stepped inside. "Close your eyes," he murmured.
My eyes pinched shut just as a torrent of icy water rained down from above, hitting my skin like tiny frozen needles. I gasped, quickly snapping my mouth shut so I wouldn't swallow any debris.
An outside shower was a brilliant idea, but he was definitely going to pay for not giving me a warning.
Warm hands swiped across my face, washing away the grime.
"You can open them," he said gently.
I cracked them open, a little at first, then opened wide, taking in the cramped dimensions of the teakwood shower, clearly only meant for one.
Ahren stared down at me as he continued running his hands along my skin, taking a new layer of grime with each swipe.
I began doing the same, placing my hands on the hard planes of his abdomen, pushing up with one long swipe, revealing a path of golden tanned skin. He was achingly beautiful, even covered in blood and gore.
Each brush of a hand, both his and mine, was another step up the tightly wound spiral staircase of desire we had been climbing.
He offered a teasing smile as his thumbs brushed across my nipples, sending a jolt of pleasure straight to my clit, his hands seeming to follow the same invisible path as they traveled lower.
He leaned down, catching my lip between his as his fingers slid through that patch of unruly curls at the apex of my thighs, silently asking for entrance.
My lips parted with a gasp and his tongue pushed through as my legs fell open. My breath sawed in and out of me in short, heavy pants, my mind a mess and my body on overload, unable to keep up with the frenzied pace of his kiss. All I could do was let him give me the pleasure he wanted.
My fingers dug into his shoulders as I pulled him closer, desperate for more.
I cried out, the heat pooling in my lower half seemed to liquify all at once, sending waves of pleasure so strong my vision whited out for a moment.
"You're so fucking beautiful when you come."
I opened my eyes to find him staring at me, like one might stare at a sunrise over the Grand Canyon, with awe and reverence.
He rubbed his hands over my back in soothing circles as I fought to get my racing heart under control and keep my legs from shaking.
"I-I'm ok," I said, stepping back, pressing against the wall.
Confusion marred his face, and I took it in my hand. "I just need a moment. That was—I don't know that I have a word for that just yet. I want more. I want all of you, Ahren. I just need a moment to catch my breath."
He nodded. Reaching behind him, he brought out a bottle of shampoo and squirted some in his palm and quickly scrubbed it through his hair and rinsed until the water was clean.
"Want me to do you?" He asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a sly smile .
"What if I do?" I asked, pasting on my best wide-eyed innocent look.
"Turn around," he growled, spinning me toward the wall and kicking my legs apart slightly. "Hands on the wall."
I obeyed immediately, pressing my palms against the wall.
"I'm going to have so much fucking fun with you," he growled, biting my ear softly.