Chapter 10
10
JESSE
J esse had spent most of his life preparing for war. He’d suffered dozens of wounds, leaving their scars on his body, yet nothing prepared him for the gut-wrenching fear of losing Keely. Keely handled herself better than most trained soldiers and ensured his wound received treatment.
He’d trained his body, his mind, his instincts, all with one purpose—to protect, to survive, to win. But as he sat in the dimly lit conference room of the Silver Spur Security offices, his team surrounding him, maps and weapons spread out across the wooden table, he realized this fight was different.
Because this time, it wasn’t just an op. This time, it was Keely.
They’d locked off their floor of the building so the only way up was via a private elevator they’d had installed. Someone could try to climb up, rappel down or come at them with a helicopter, but when they’d moved in, Gavin and Reed had paid to replace all the windows on their floor with bulletproof glass.
Reed stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, his face carved from stone. His eyes burned with something Jesse knew too well—rage, frustration, and fear.
“We hit them before they hit us,” Reed said, his voice sharp. “I’m done waiting for Alvarez to make his move.”
Gavin nodded, his expression just as serious. “We tracked down his last known location—he’s holed up in a compound outside of town. Security’s tight, but nothing we can’t handle.”
Jesse rubbed his bearded stubble on his jaw. “And the diamonds?”
Hawke pulled up a file on his tablet. “We’ve picked up some chatter. He knows we still have them. We think he was planning a trade before Keely ended up with the wrong suitcase.”
Jesse’s jaw clenched. “So this was never about her. It was about losing his payday.”
Dawson tapped a knife against the table. “Doesn’t matter. We all know guys like Alvarez don’t just walk away.”
Reed’s gaze flicked toward Jesse, something unreadable in his eyes. “This isn’t just another job. If we go in, we go in knowing there’s no backing out.”
Jesse met his stare. “I never back out.”
The words settled between them. The plan was simple—hit Alvarez hard, take out his men, and end this before it got any worse. But simple didn’t mean safe, and there was a myriad of things that could go wrong.
Keely’s voice broke through his thoughts, soft but strong. “Then let’s finish this.”
Jesse turned toward her, taking in the fire in her eyes and the cold steel in her voice. If he’d ever doubted it, he knew for certain that she was her brother’s sister. He’d heard the same tone of voice from her brother more than once over the years.
He’d always known she was fearless, and God help him, he had never wanted her more.
They’d moved from the office to the club. The Iron Spur was in a fortified building at the edge of town and it, too, boasted bulletproof glass as well as other security measures. It wasn’t open for business for the next few days, and they all figured they’d be safer and more comfortable holed up there than in the office. In addition, there was less chance of collateral damage.
Jesse stood in the doorway of one of the privacy rooms, watching Keely as she sat on the edge of the bed, looking out the window like she could see what was coming. He knew that feeling. The quiet before the storm—the way the air thickened before a fight, before someone spilled blood, before the battle truly began.
Keely didn’t turn when she spoke. “Do you think we’re going to make it out of this alive?”
Jesse stepped inside, his boots solid against the wooden floor. “No doubt. We don’t lose.”
She let out a soft breath, not quite a laugh, not quite disbelief. “That so?”
Jesse moved behind her, sliding his hands over her shoulders, feeling the tension coiled tight in her muscles.
“We end this,” he murmured against her ear. “And then we figure out what comes next.”
She turned then, looking up at him, her gaze searching. Jesse knew what she saw—a man who was barely holding it together, a man who wanted her so damn badly it was tearing him apart.
Her fingers curled into his shirt. “What if this is our last night?”
Something inside him snapped. Jesse grabbed her by the waist, lifting her off the bed and into his arms, his mouth crashing against hers in a kiss that wasn’t just desperate—it was claiming. He moved back to the door and kicked it closed behind him, grateful that Keely reached down to engage the lock.
Keely moaned into his mouth, her body molding perfectly against him, her fingers tangling in his hair as he carried her back to the bed. He laid her down slowly, his weight pressing into her, his hands trailing fire over her skin.
She arched into him, her breath ragged, pleading.
“Jesse...”
“Shh,” he murmured, his lips trailing down her neck. “I’ve got you.”
Her breath caught, her body shivering beneath him. He needed this. He needed to feel her surrender, needed to show her exactly what she meant to him. His fingers slid down her sides, slow, measured, deliberate.
Keely gasped, her back arching as he took his time, his hands mapping every inch of her, his mouth leaving a trail of fire down her body. She was his.
And tonight, he was going to make sure she knew it.
With a low growl, Jesse claimed her mouth in a kiss that was both punishing and passionate. His tongue demanded entry, exploring every inch of her mouth as if it were a territory to conquer. Keely moaned, her hands tangling in his hair, encouraging his aggressive display of desire.
Jesse's hands roamed over her body, her clothing doing little to hide the evidence of her arousal. He cupped her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her hardened nipples, eliciting a gasp from her lips. Keely arched her back, offering herself to him, her lithe body trembling with need.
With a swift motion, Jesse tore at her clothing, stripping her naked and baring her breasts to his hungry gaze. He bent his head, taking a taut peak into his mouth, suckling and biting gently until Keely was writhing beneath him. His hands traveled lower, skimming the moist heat between her thighs, making her hips buck against his touch.
"Please, Jesse," she whispered, her voice hoarse with desire. "I need you inside me."
He growled in response, his fingers delving into her wetness, stroking her sensitive flesh. Keely cried out, her body trembling on the edge of release. Jesse positioned himself at her entrance, his thick length pressing against her. With one powerful thrust, he filled her, claiming her body as his own.
Keely cried out, her nails digging into Jesse's shoulders as he began to move, his strokes deep and relentless. The bed creaked with each thrust, adding a primal rhythm to their passionate dance. Jesse's control slipped as he pounded into her, his primal nature taking over.
"You're mine, Keely Malone," he groaned between thrusts. "Mine to protect, mine to use and mine to pleasure."
Keely's eyes blazed with a mixture of passion and defiance. "Yes, Jesse, yes!"
Their bodies moved as one, driven by primal instincts and a growing emotional connection. Jesse's thrusts became more urgent, his own release building. Keely's inner walls clenched around him, milking his cock as she soared towards her own climax.
With a final, powerful lunge, Jesse buried himself deep within her, his groan echoing through the room as he spilled his seed, marking her as his own. Keely's body convulsed around him, her orgasm ripping through her like a lightning strike.
As their hearts pounded and their breathing slowed, they remained entangled, sweat-soaked and sated. Jesse, still inside her, gently brushed the hair from her face, his expression softening.
“I love you,” he said, quietly.
“You don’t have to say that.”
“I do if it’s true, and you’d best tell me the same.”
She laughed softly. “And if I don’t?”
He chuckled. “I’ll spank that pretty ass of yours until you can’t sit down until sometime next week.”
“Well, in that case, I love you too, cowboy.”
He rolled from her, pulling her close. Keely lay against his chest, her fingers tracing lazy circles over his skin.
Jesse’s heart was still pounding, but for the first time in a long damn while, he felt… at peace.
She sighed, her breath warm against his skin. “I think I might be in trouble.”
Jesse tilted his head, looking down at her. “Why’s that?”
Her fingers stilled, her voice quieter now. “Because I don’t think I’m ready to lose you.”
Jesse felt the words like a punch to the gut. He tightened his grip on her, pressing a kiss to her hair, breathing her in.
“You’re not going to lose me,” he murmured.
Keely let her breath out slowly. “Promise?”
Jesse held her closer, his jaw tight. They had a war waiting for them tomorrow.
But tonight? Tonight, she was his.
And that was the only thing that mattered.
Jesse had never known a woman who infuriated and wrecked him in equal measure.
But Keely Malone had never been like anyone else. She was fire wrapped in silk, soft in all the places that made a man weak but strong enough to drive him to his knees.
And right now? She was his. When this was over, he’d have Reed to deal with, but Jesse didn’t care. He would never let her go.
Jesse had meant to keep his hands off her. He had meant to keep things controlled, professional. But that was before she had wrapped herself around him, kissed him like she needed him to breathe, and whispered his name like it was the only damn thing keeping her tethered to this world. Now, there was no turning back.
She lay beside him, her body flushed, her breathing deep and even. His fingers slid along her bare thigh, tracing slow, unhurried lines, watching as she shivered beneath him.
“You trust me?” His voice was rough, edged with something dangerous, something untamed.
Keely’s eyes fluttered open, her lips still kiss-swollen, her gaze heavy-lidded but clear.
“Yes.”
The word hit him like a bullet. He knew she had never trusted anyone—not like this, not enough to relinquish control, to allow herself to be taken, owned, claimed. He vowed to himself to never take that for granted. The minute this thing was over, he’d have a collar around her neck and a ring around her finger. Reed be damned.
Jesse wrapped a hand around her wrist, guiding it above her head, pinning it to the mattress. “No second-guessing. No trying to take control.”
Keely swallowed hard, nodding. His grip tightened, just enough to hold her still. “Say it.”
Her breath hitched, but she obeyed. “No second-guessing. No trying to take control.”
Jesse brushed his lips along the shell of her ear, his voice a dark promise. “Good girl.”
Her whole body shuddered beneath him. And then Jesse did what he had been dying to do since the moment she first challenged him. He took his time wrecking her for a second time that night.
Keely lay boneless beside him, her head tucked against his shoulder, her fingers tracing absent-minded patterns over his chest.
For once, she wasn’t fighting him. For once, she was still. This was what he could bring to her. Well, this and discipline… God knew she needed both. Jesse pressed a kiss to her forehead, breathing her in, locking the moment into memory.
Because at dawn, everything would change.
Her voice was soft when she spoke. “What happens when this is over?”
Jesse stiffened, his fingers halting their movements. She lifted her head, looking up at him, searching his face for answers he wasn’t sure he could give her. How could she ask that?
“I mean it, Jesse,” she whispered. “What happens to us?”
Jesse let out a slow breath, tilting her chin up so she couldn’t look away.
“I’m not letting you go.”
Her breath hitched, eyes dark and dilated, lips parting just enough to make his chest tighten.
“Don’t say that if you don’t mean it,” she whispered.
Jesse brushed his thumb over her lower lip, his voice a vow, absolute and unshakable. “The instant this is over, I’m going to borrow one of the training collars and put it around your neck. Then I’m going to fuck you stupid, and while you’re recovering from that, I’m going to go find you the perfect permanent collar and engagement ring.”
“Is that your idea of a romantic proposal?” she teased.
“Nope. You asked me what was going to happen after this was over and I’m telling you.”
“What if Reed objects?”
“We’ll fight. I’ll win.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because your brother is too much of a gentleman and I have no problem fighting dirty, if the cause is just. And you, Keely Malone, are the most just thing I’ve ever known.”
She swallowed hard, like she wanted to argue but couldn’t bring herself to. So instead, she just pressed her forehead against his chest, breathing him in.
The following morning, Jesse was almost finished dressing when she opened her eyes. He watched as fear crept into them when she saw the tactical gear.
He came and sat on the bed next to her as he checked his Glock and the two extra clips. “It’ll be all right, Keely. We don’t lose; besides your brother wants to kill me himself.”
“I take it he’s not happy about us?”
“It’s nothing personal. As Gavin pointed out, he’s made it a rule to never play on the nights you’re at the club. I think he’d like to think you’re still a virgin. But I’ll bring him around… no matter how many fights it takes.”
“Jesse, I’m afraid.”
He knew what that admission had cost her. Leaning over, he fisted her hair, tilting it back and kissing her deeply. “I told you, this unit doesn’t lose. Ever.”
Keely let out a soft breath, then nodded once.
Jesse released her, then turned toward the door where Reed, Gavin, Hawke, and Dawson were now waiting.
“You and I are going to have a long talk, little sister,” said Reed.
“Anything you want to discuss, you can discuss with me,” said Jesse.
Reed looked at her, his brow furrowing. Keely smiled mischievously, “What he said.”
They were ready. This ended today. Jesse cast one last glance at Keely. Then he joined the others to get ready for the fight.