Finally, he closed his lips around the hard, rosy tip of one breast, pinching and twisting the other between his fingers. She responded with an anguished wail of need that torqued him up and urged him on. He abraded her nipple with his tongue, then followed with a soft bite of teeth before sucking it deep.

  She grabbed him in a desperate grip. “Trees!”

  “That’s a good girl,” he crooned. “Let me make you feel good.”

  “Yes. Yes…”

  Whatever else she meant to say dissolved into wordless pleading as he switched from one breast to the other and repeated the delicate torture, stoking her desire and keeping satisfaction out of reach. He wanted her to not merely want him but to crave him like he craved her—a constant, clawing ache that would not be denied and would not go away.

  Beneath him, her legs spread. Her hips lifted. Her lips skimmed his shoulder before she sucked at his neck, breathing hard against his skin, sending shudder after shudder down his spine.

  Fuck, this was quickly becoming a runaway train that he didn’t see ending without him inside her, thrusting every hard, aching inch deep until she begged him for more with unintelligible words, then cried out in bliss.

  Trees wasn’t thinking about anything else when he migrated a hand down her body, covered her pussy with his greedy palm, and shoved a pair of fingers inside her. Yep, wet—and not just a little. She was downright juicy, and the thought of her body softening and making way for his cock added another gallon of gas onto the raging fire between them.

  With a mewl, she bit into his neck and gyrated herself against his hand, impaling herself on his fingers all the way to hilt. “Trees…”

  “Need more, honey?” he murmured against her breast.

  Frantically, she nodded, spreading her thighs even wider, wrapping one of her legs around his, then lifting to him feverishly.

  How had this “good-night kiss” gotten so out of hand so quickly?

  Does it matter? Are you really going to stop?

  Fuck no. Hector and Victor Ramos had done nothing but crush her spirit before they’d abused her trust and her body. If he could show her real pleasure and make her realize she deserved it, hell yeah. This wasn’t forever; he knew that. Why would she be happy in his three-bedroom ranch house in the middle of Nowhere, Louisiana? It was nothing fancy, and he wasn’t anyone special. But he could make her feel good and help her build trust until she returned to life with her sister…and eventually paired off with the man she would marry. Whose children she would bear.

  Some time with Laila was better than none, right?

  In theory, but her leaving might rip out his heart.

  Trees refused to worry about it now. He settled his thumb over her clit and thrust his way back into her mouth, making love to her lips like it might be the last time. Because it very well might. He wasn’t taking anything for granted.

  Beneath him, she tensed. She tossed her head back, breaking their kiss, breathing so hard he could see her chest rising and falling in the shadows, her diamond-hard nipples leading the way.

  The sight of her, hot and wet for him, unhinged him. “What do you want?”

  “More…” she whimpered.

  The only way he could make that happen was to give her his cock. He shouldn’t. She’d asked for a good-night kiss. But she’d also egged him on, offering herself up and begging him to partake.

  No way could he say no to her.

  “Fuck, Laila. All I do is want you…” He shoved his basketball shorts down to his hips, carefully climbed between her thighs, and gripped her as he desperately aligned his crest to her slick opening. “I burn and ache to have you.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know. I always have. It’s impossible to stop.” He took her wrists in his grip and settled them flat on the bed, pinning her until she was beautifully helpless beneath him. “Laila…”

  He reared back and worked his cock into her a few inches at a time, drilling down, down, down into her sultry heat, so scorching and welcoming and wide open to him.

  Finally, he bottomed out and tossed his head back with a feral roar of pleasure. “Laila!”

  “Trees. Trees…” She tensed beneath him. “Red.”

  It took a long moment for that word to penetrate his haze of lust, but it finally stabbed its way into his consciousness. He stilled.

  Gritting his teeth and dying inside, he speared her with a demanding stare. “Did you use your safe word?”

  She nodded, breathing hard and choppy. “Yes.”

  Fuck. Gritting his teeth, every muscle in his body protesting, he withdrew from her and yanked up his shorts, then flung himself to the opposite side of the bed. “What’s wrong? What happened? The scabs on your thighs hurt too much?”

  Laila whipped the shirt down to cover her breasts, staring at him in wide-eyed shock. “You stopped.”

  “Of course. You safe worded.”

  She still looked confounded. “You told me one word would stop you, but…”

  He understood now. She hadn’t believed him, so she’d tested him.

  Son of a bitch.

  “I kept my word, Laila. If you need me to stop, I stop. I always will.”

  “You did.” She still sounded shocked. “Thank you.”

  She softened, then inched across the bed toward him again. Every receptor in his body went off, and when she reached for him, wrapping her fingers around his shoulder and scooting even closer, his weeping cock ached to jump out of his shorts and burrow its way inside her again.

  “I did not believe you.”

  “Clearly.”

  “I am sorry. You do not have to stop everything,” she whispered, leaning closer. “I liked what we were doing.”

  Yeah, he’d liked it, too. But he needed to make a few things clear to her.

  Trees pulled back, eluding her touch. “Your safe word? You’re only supposed to use it if you’re in physical pain or mental distress. You use it to stop me so I can understand how I’ve hurt you and we can discuss ways to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It’s not a tool to test me or a way to build your trust in me. If you have any doubt about a man, Laila, don’t consent to let him between your legs.”

  She looked hurt. “I understand. You are right.”

  “You didn’t know. Now you do. Don’t use your safe word for anything other than its intended purpose again.”

  “I will not. Can we resume now?”

  Having sex? In theory, yes. But she didn’t get to yank his chain without suffering some consequences.

  “Come with me.” He grabbed her wrist and tugged her off the bed.

  She trailed him to the bathroom. “What are you doing?”

  He flipped on the jets in his big walk-in shower. “Shirt off.”

  Laila hesitated, her gaze searching. Yeah, she knew something was off and she was trying to read him. Trees didn’t explain, simply waited for her to comply. Finally, she drew his huge shirt over her head and handed it to him.

  He tossed it on the counter behind him without a word, then shucked his basketball shorts. He threw them on top of Laila’s nightshirt. Her eyes bulged as she took him in from head to toe, her gaze lingering on his cock standing straight up between them.

  Even her stare on him made his blood heat and his cock stiffen more. He was half a second from giving in to her. Goddamn it, she needed to understand that if she toyed with him, he would do the same to her.

  “Get in.” He gestured.

  “I-I do not need a shower.”

  “You don’t want to get wet? Fine. Stand in that corner.” He pointed to the very back of the massive stall. “You’ll stay dry.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can’t give you an opportunity to escape. And because you need to understand what’s going to happen if you play with my feelings again. Go.”

  With her arms curled around her middle, she ducked past the rainfall head and tucked herself into the spot he’d indicated. It was a measure of progress that she complied, finally believing he would not beat or rape her. But he was too annoyed to be grateful.

  Her eyes never left him as he followed her in and stood under the overhead spray, letting the warm water sluice down his body. He braced his hands against the dark tile wall and closed his eyes as the heat rolled down his back. He tried like hell to let go of his tension, of his need for her. All the while, he felt Laila’s stare, both chastened and curious.

  Fuck. That wasn’t helping. He wasn’t coming down from the erotic endorphin high of having her underneath him, her pussy around him, squeezing tight, as she begged him for more.

  Might as well get this shit over with.

  With a sigh, he reached for his shower gel and dumped a glop into his palm. “Did you really want to have sex?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  A long moment passed before she answered. “Because it feels different with you.”

  He didn’t love being compared to her rapists, but she had no other comparison. He got that. “It’s different with you, too. I wanted you, more than I should probably admit. More than I can remember wanting anyone.”

  Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away. “I am sorry.”

  “Honey, I understand you have trust issues. I know exactly why. I’m a patient man. I’ll listen. I’ll talk to you. I’ll do my best to help you bury your fears. But I fucking won’t let you misuse your safe word again. It’s like crying wolf.”

  “I will not. I promise. If you will come back to bed, I will be available to you in any way you want.”

  He shook his head. “That ship sailed. I needed you to be honest and you weren’t. Now neither of is getting what we want tonight. That orgasm you asked me for? Denied. You just get to watch. Don’t look away.”

  He didn’t explain more, simply lathered up the soap in his hands, faced her, braced his hand on the wall beside her head, and started stroking his cock with rough, unfinessed pulls.

  Laila gasped, her eyes glued to his motions. “Y-You are…self-pleasuring.”

  It wasn’t even a pleasure now, just a point he was making. “Yep. I don’t masturbate much because I’d rather have a willing partner, but since you want to play games…”

  “Trees—”

  “The time for talking about it is over. Just watch me.”

  She did, her eyes never wavering as he tugged his way up his cock and jerked back down. He was making a point, punishing her by withholding his touch and her pleasure. He felt almost nothing but anger and regret…until he realized her rapt eyes were on him. Her mouth gaped. Her heart raced. He’d bet she had a wet pussy, too. One he couldn’t have tonight, damn it.

  Still, what began simply as discipline had turned into an unexpected thrill.

  He continued stroking himself. His shoulder burned. His biceps protested. And Laila just watched, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes unwavering, her cheeks flushing.

  He needed more. He needed to be closer to her, to connect more with her.

  Trees closed his eyes and tried to imagine that Laila hadn’t safe worded out, that he was still inside her, still feeling her all around him, still one with her. It wasn’t enough when he knew she was right in front of him.

  “Look at me,” he barked.

  She dragged her gaze up to him. Their eyes met.

  Zing.

  His veins—and everything else—flooded with pleasure.

  Her eyes darkened. Her nipples hardened. Their breaths mingled and merged. Neither blinked as they fell into the moment together.

  Suddenly, he didn’t care about anything except their now. He ramped up his strokes, losing himself in her eyes, groaning as the end edged closer.

  In the silence broken only by their panting, she reached for him, touching his hip. Encouragement.

  Her thumb slid across his skin, leaving a burning arc in its path. That nudged him even closer to orgasm. He could feel it brewing, hot and deep—a churning urge only she could fulfill.

  “Laila…”

  “Trees,” she whispered back.

  Then she cupped his balls and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, his neck, his jawline. “I cannot stop looking at you. You are so strong and so male. So beautiful.”

  Then she laid her cheek against his, and he could hear her aroused, uneven breaths in his ear. He jolted again, his desire ratcheting up.

  Fuck it. If he was going to have to settle for coming by his own hand tonight, he was going to be as close to her as possible.

  He yanked his bracing palm off the wall and gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his stare. They were mere inches apart, almost nose to nose. He buried the head of his cock against her stomach and rolled against her, his thumb working the rim of his sensitive crest over and over.

  Need jacked him up. His blood boiled and pooled. His balls felt ready to explode.

  “Laila.” He couldn’t say more. He was too far gone.

  But she understood. “I am here. I am with you.”

  And she was—with her wide eyes, red cheeks, and soft touch.

  That was all he needed.

  The sensations surged, creating a choke point of tingles that finally burst open and gave way to a geyser of ecstasy. He cried out, a hoarse sound of rapture that wouldn’t be denied. His semen coated her skin and drove him to a higher, gasping peak of bliss that seemed to go on forever.

  Finally, the pinnacle broke and he tumbled into a heavy-limbed daze. His body felt momentarily sated, but he wasn’t satisfied. Without being inside her, the orgasm had been hollow, like applying a Band-Aid when he needed a tourniquet.

  Fuck, how far gone was he for this woman?

  Trees jerked away. He needed some distance between them to sort out his thoughts. Quickly, he soaped and rinsed himself, then grabbed a towel and turned back to her. “Clean up. I’ll get you a towel.”

  She blinked at him, almost pleading. “But I-I ache…”

  A glance down showed him her slick, swollen pussy. He almost groaned—and gave in. But he was a Dom. He had to be fair but firm. “I know, but that’s the consequences for using your safe word under false pretenses. Don’t do it again.”

  “I will not, but…” Her fingers trailed across her thigh, then burrowed between her puffy folds. She began rubbing in circles.

  He grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She howled out, her groan sounding pained.

  At any other time, he would let Laila have pleasure. Hell, she deserved it all day, every day. By his hand, by her hand—it didn’t matter. But tonight, he had to draw the line to ensure she didn’t pull this shit again.

  “No.” He batted her hands away and washed her off, sending her a stern warning glare when she tried to circumvent him. Once she was clean, he led her out of the shower, dried her off, then shoved his big T-shirt back over her body. “Get in bed. Go to sleep.”

  “How am I supposed to do that?”

  When every part of her ached. He understood. Despite his self-induced climax, he felt it keenly and wondered if he would ever stop wanting her.

  “I will not sleep,” she said in begging tones.

  God, it was as if she knew how to push every single one of his buttons.

  He jumped into his basketball shorts and dragged her back to the bed. “Well, honey, that makes two of us.”

  Chapter Nine

  It was oh-dark-hundred when his phone vibrated on his nightstand. Groaning after a sleepless night of Laila resting fitfully beside him, Trees grabbed his phone. If Zy was calling at this hour, it must be bad.

  “What’s up? Talk to me.”

  “We’ve got a problem, buddy. A jogger came past the office about twenty minutes ago and found a trio of bodies in the EM parking lot. All men. All mutilated. Given everything going on right now, I doubt that’s a coincidence.”

  Trees agreed. “The vics anyone we knew?”

  “I don’t think so. At least I’ve never seen any of these guys. We’re waiting on IDs now, but the bosses called me here as soon as the police reached out to them. They all look to be Hispanic, late twenties to mid-thirties, tatted up and rough. But it’s hard to tell actual identities when they had missing eyes or noses. It’s gruesome shit. Someone is sending us a message.”

  Goddamn it. “But who? And why?”

  Was it a warning from Kimber’s kidnappers? If so, why kill three unnamed men when they had the leverage of their pretty hostage? They could drive home whatever point they were trying to make without killing her. A finger here, a toe there. Trees had seen it done to speed along the ransom process.

  Was it retribution for Emilo’s death by One-Mile Walker’s bullet? If so, why not go directly after him? Why hack up three unknowns?

  Or was another party with a different agenda jumping into this shit show? It was conceivable that more than one faction of the Tierra Caliente cartel wanted their hands on Valeria, not just Emilo’s power-hungry father, Geraldo. Maybe someone else was throwing their hat in the ring to fill the power vacuum left after Emilo’s death. Trees didn’t have a fucking clue.

  But he knew someone who might.

  Trees turned to find Laila curled up into a ball, finally sleeping soundly.

  “I don’t know who or why.” Zy sounded frustrated. “One-Mile is on his way here. We’re going to pull the security footage and see if we can find anything helpful. The police have swarmed the place, too. Maybe they’ll figure out something.”

  But Zy sounded like he had as much hope as Trees. Cartels didn’t get to be powerful by allowing themselves to be tripped up by local law enforcement. And as good as the Lafayette PD might be, they were no match for this lawless group of drug-pushing thugs who ruled half of Mexico and beyond.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “If I can get my hands on the crime scene photos, I’ll send you the pictures. See if any of these faces look familiar to you. And make sure you’ve got Laila locked down.”

  “The bosses still want to use her as bait?”

  “As of last night, they have no new leads on Kimber, so…yeah. I think that’s still on the table. Sorry. I know how you feel about that.”

  Trees’s gut tightened as he padded into the kitchen, started the coffeepot, and growled in Zy’s ear. “What if that was Tessa? What if the bosses wanted to dangle the woman you love as a tempting little morsel in front of a bunch of brutal criminals in a game of winner takes all? You’d be out of your fucking mind.”