Chapter Twenty-Four
KELSIE WALKED TOWARD him with her head held high and shoulders back like a damn model owning the runway in those tiny denim shorts and the fitted top that revealed just a hint of skin at her waistline.
How the hell was he supposed to keep from getting hard?
It wasn’t possible, so right there in front of her father and the man drilling holes in the back of Ty’s head with his pissed-off glare, he got the boner to end all boners. The second they returned to their motel, he was ripping her out of those sinful fucking shorts and getting his mouth on her pussy. The only thing that would slake his rampant lust was her loud moan of pleasure as he ate her out.
Fuck, she needed to walk faster.
He reached down to his hard cock.
Kelsie’s eyes flared as he adjusted himself. They stayed wide and darkened with a need that matched his own.
Her steps quickened.
Ty uncrossed his arms and opened the French doors before she reached them. “Ready to get the fuck outta here?” he asked as he extended his hand. He shifted his gaze to her scowling father as he spoke.
Kelsie glanced over her shoulder and then turned back. “Very ready.” She took his hand, and together, they crossed the room toward the goon still guarding the door.
The guy didn’t move to let them out. He stood with one hand on the butt of his gun and one on his hip.
Ty rolled his eyes. “You don’t want us here, and we don’t wanna be here any longer, so just let us fucking pass, man.”
The computer chimed behind them.
Kelsie flinched then squeezed his hand so hard that his knuckle popped.
The guard frowned.
They needed to get the hell out of there and fast. He’d left the flash drive in the USB port, so as soon as Carver sat down, he’d notice, but it couldn’t be helped. This secret service wannabe had come back before the virus finished uploading.
But they weren’t out of the woods. If Carver sat at his desk before they’d fled the scene, he’d never let them go. They’d be detained and probably separated. He’d rather fail this mission than put Kelsie through that.
Over my dead body.
The guard grunted and stepped aside. His full attention stayed riveted to the computer that should have been asleep but made another unfamiliar chime.
“Walk fast,” Ty whispered.
Kelsie nodded once, tightened her grip, then booked it out the door and down the hallway. Clinging to each other’s hands, they jogged down the never-ending staircase and toward the front door without speaking.
The butler stood, ready for their exit. He pulled the heavy door open for them as they approached. “Please do call next time. Mr. Carver does not appreciate unplanned guests. You will not be admitted without prior scheduling.”
“Fuck off, Jeeves.” They strode right past the starched man who probably knew more of Carver’s secrets than anyone and out into the hot sunshine.
One second before the door shut behind them, a loud, “Stop them!” rang out from inside the house.
“Shit. Move, baby,” Ty barked. “They’re on to us.”
As they sprinted down the long walkway to Ty’s truck, Carver’s door flew open, and three security guards burst from the house wearing tactical gear. “Freeze!” one of them shouted.
“Shit,” Kelsie said. “They’re going to catch us.”
Kelsie sprinted as fast as she could, but her shorter legs couldn’t eat up the distance nearly as fast as he could.
“Not if I can help it.” Without missing a beat, he scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder, still moving at a dead run.
Kelsie yelped. Her hands scratched against his back before fisting his shirt. With her in a fireman’s carry, he was able to double his speed. He pumped his legs as fast as he could. His lungs burned as the hot air sawed in and out in harsh pants.
Booted feet pounded the stone walkway behind them.
Thank fuck he’d left the truck unlocked.
When he reached his vehicle, he yanked the door open. The hot door handle singed his palm, but he didn’t have time to attend to the discomfort. Heart racing, he practically tossed Kelsie onto the bench seat. She didn’t so much as squeak in protest but scrambled across to the passenger side and buckled in as he started the car.
He didn’t bother with his seat belt or even shutting the door. He crushed the gas pedal to the floor just as the guards reached his truck. One reached into the truck, but it lurched ahead. The abrupt forward momentum caused the door to swing closed.
A pained curse rang out as the door slammed against the guard, knocking him to the ground. Ty grabbed the door handle and hauled it closed, steering with the other hand. They sped down the long driveway.
“Hang on,” he ordered as he reached the end of the driveway. “I’m not slowing for the turn.”
Kelsie nodded and grabbed the oh-shit handle. The truck practically levitated as he swung onto the road without losing speed. As he flew down the road, he checked the rearview mirror every two to three seconds. So far, no one had followed them from Carver’s property. Still, he didn’t risk lowering his speed for another five minutes.
Kelsie hadn’t said a word. She sat, clutching the handlebar and staring at the side mirror.
Ty’s heart sank. Fuck, she had to be scared out of her wits.
With a final glance behind them, he slowed the truck to ten miles above the speed limit. A sign whizzed by announcing a state nature preserve a half mile up the road.
He veered off to the right, following the signs to the park. The preserve consisted of a small lake surrounded by trees. The sign boasted picnic tables, walking trails, and a playground for children. Though the water looked serene, he’d lived in the south long enough to know the toothy reptiles who lurked beneath the surface. Sure enough, small signs posted all around warned of alligators and prohibited swimming.
Being a Monday afternoon, the park was vacant, save for one lone, empty car parked near the entrance. Ty drove to the opposite end of the lot and parked his truck.
“Are you okay?” he said, turning toward Kelsie. He didn’t kill the engine. Without the air conditioning, they’d roast in seconds.
Her head rested against the back of the seat, and she’d closed her eyes. Her breathing seemed even and calm, but Kelsie was skilled at hiding her fear. He wanted nothing more than to reach for her and draw her into his arms, but he didn’t know what the reality of being chased had done to her.
She opened her eyes and rolled her head his way. A smile broke out across her beautiful face, and she chuckled.
What the hell?
Her chuckle grew into a full-blown laugh, which had Ty frowning. Was this a delayed reaction to the stress?
“Oh my God.” She pressed a hand to her stomach, still grinning like they’d come from Disney World instead of being run off her father’s property. “That was insane. Is there something wrong with me if I think that was one of the best experiences of my life?”
Ty snorted. “Yes, Kels, I think so. We almost got fucking caught.”
That had her laughing all over again. The sound was infectious, and he was snickering with her within seconds.
“I’m sorry,” she said as she blew out a breath. “I just feel so free. I mean, I am free. Wanna know what he said to me?”
He couldn’t resist touching her any longer, so he reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “What, baby?”
“He told me once I left his house, he would consider me one of you guys, and I’d be subject to the same treatment as any of the Handlers.”
Shit.
“Kels, this isn’t a good thing.”
“Isn’t it, though? I’ve spent so much of my life wishing I wasn’t his daughter. Wishing he had no claim to me, even emotionally. And now he doesn’t. He released me today, which was the greatest moment of my life. Well…” She winked. “In the top five.”
He got it. He really did. And if he were in her shoes, he’d probably feel the same liberation and excitement. But as the man who loved her—and oh fuck how he loved her—all he could focus on was the threat buried in Carver’s statement.
He’d be coming for the Handlers as expected, but now Ty understood he’d show his daughter no mercy.
And that turned Ty’s blood to ice, even as the thought of her being his heated him.
Kelsie stared at him, eyes bright and hot. Her head still rested against the seat back. Her chest rose and fell in a rapid clip, drawing his attention to her tits in that damn tight shirt. “Ty,” she whispered, voice like liquid silk.
Tension in the car grew like a pressure cooker about to burst.
The only sound was their harsh breathing.
He’d never know who moved first. Hell, maybe they moved simultaneously. All he knew was his cock went from interested to rock-fucking-hard in a fraction of a second. Kelsie scrambled into place, backing against the door. She wiggled her shorts over her hips as he shifted to his knees.
When her shorts and panties cleared her luscious ass, he yanked them down the rest of the way. They caught on her sneakers. Kelsie made the most adorable, frustrated sound as Ty struggled to pull them over her feet.
As soon as the shorts cleared one foot, he dove between her thighs. All he could think about was getting her on his tongue, not finesse or technique.
Kelsie cried out and fisted his hair. She spread her legs wide, hooking one up behind the seat. Her ass left the seat as she ground her pussy against his face. Ty slipped his hands beneath her ass and fucking feasted on her.
She was the best thing he’d ever tasted on his tongue. He fucked it into her a dozen times before moving to her clit. He showed the little bud no mercy, lashing with his tongue over and over.
Kelsie’s head thudded against the window. She pulled tight on his hair, keeping him trapped against her soaking wet pussy.
Fucking heaven on Earth.
“God,” she said, panting. “This is the best thing ever.”
That made him chuckle against her clit, which drew a whimper from her.
“I’m gonna come already,” she said with a moan. “It’s too good. Way too good.”
He drew her clit between his lips and sucked. Just as he was about to slide two fingers into her channel, she stiffened and let out a wail the gators would be able to hear at the bottom of the lake.
After a few moments of a gorgeous orgasm, she loosened her grip on his hair. He crawled up her body and kissed her long, hard, and sloppy. Kelsie moaned a happy little sound into his mouth.
“That’s it, baby, taste yourself.”
Her hands smacked against his chest, and she shoved him back, hard.
She climbed into his lap as he hit the driver’s side door. Neither broke the wild kiss. Kelsie’s hand worked his jeans open in seconds. She wrapped her warm hand around his cock, and he saw stars. Before he had a chance to grunt, she slid down on him.
Wet, slippery, and tight heat.
His eyes rolled back in his head.
There was nothing better in the goddamned world.
Their gazes locked, and time slowed to a delicious crawl. The frantic way they’d been going at it turned into something else. Something deeper and as tender as it was hot.
“Ty,” she whispered, voice trembling.
And he got it. He truly did. The power she held over him was terrifying, and if he had a fraction of that power over her, she probably felt the same fear. She could destroy him.
“I feel it, too, baby.” He cupped her face and kissed her slow, deep, and so drugging he didn’t care if he ever came up for air.
They kissed until the car steamed and sweat slicked their bodies. Kelsie rocked her pelvis on him in a slow, tantalizing rhythm. The urgency faded away, and they got lost in the moment. Every touch, sound and stroke of her tongue against his tied another velvet rope around his heart, anchoring him to her.
Eventually, they stopped kissing, and he found himself staring into eyes full of wonder, trust, and trepidation. Sentiment he never thought he’d feel for a woman again fell easily from his mouth. “You’re mine, Kels.”
Her eyes widened, and she gasped. An orgasm washed over her. She trembled in his arms. Her pussy rippled around him. Ty closed his eyes, hugged her close, and surrendered to his climax. It wasn’t violent or teeth rattling like others had been. Instead, it was a bone-melting feeling of pleasure and warmth he never wanted to end.
Kelsie sagged against him, blowing out a breath. The warm air wafted across his nipple, drawing a final shudder from him. She straightened and stared at him through watery eyes. “Ty?”
“You’re mine,” he said again. “Tell me you’re mine.”
“It’s so complicated. There’s so much against us. I have so much baggage. Are you sure?”
He cupped her face. “It’s an honor to carry your baggage. It’s my honor. And I don’t give a flying fuck about complications. I think we proved today we can handle whatever shit life throws our way. So, yeah, baby, I want you, and I want it fucking official.”
Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. He wiped them away with his thumbs.
Fuck. Had he said too much? Scared her away? She still had so much trauma to work through. If he set her back even an inch, he’d be gutted. “Kels, don’t cry.”
“I’m good, Ty. So good. Promise.” She laughed through her tears. “I’m yours. Of course, I’m yours. I have been from the moment you carried me out of hell.”
Years ago, he’d said “I do” to a woman he thought he loved. She tore his heart out and stomped on it over and over. What he’d felt for Trina didn’t compare to what he felt for Kelsie. He would protect this woman and their relationship with his life.
She was young, but he didn’t doubt her ability to commit to him. Kelsie’s experiences have made her grow beyond her years.
“Thank you, Ty.” Her tears dried, and she’d stopped moving.
He could stay there for the rest of the day, buried inside her, holding her, loving her. “What on earth are you thanking me for?”
“The moment you carried me out of captivity months ago, my life changed for the better. And not just because you rescued me from hell, but because you came into my life. I feel safe with you. Safe enough to give you my body and my heart.”
She pressed her hand to the left side of his chest. His heart skipped a beat beneath her palm as though excited to be connected to her.
“I couldn’t be this way with any other man. I can feel that in my soul. It’s you, Ty. Only you.”
Christ. He rested his forehead against hers as he inhaled, breathing her in. “You fucking humble me, Kelsie. I don’t deserve half of what you give me, but fuck, I’m never letting you go now. You have me forever.”
He kissed the happy smile right off her face. They didn’t speak again. It wasn’t necessary. Their bodies spoke for them, coming together like he never had. Despite their histories and differences, he connected with Kelsie on every level.
And he’d do everything in his power to keep it that way.
Forever.