Blackmailed (4 page)

-22-
Blackmailed

Especially since she was never allowed to mention him. Her father would

kill her if he could hear her now. “I’ve been home-schooling him. Scottie

is really smart, extremely lonely, but very intelligent. You’d like him, he’s

a great kid.”

“You love him, don’t you?” Cole’s words were laced with compassion.

“Yeah, I do.” She sighed, letting her shoulders relax half an inch.

“He’s why I’m here. My father asked me if I would go for a ride with him,

something he’d never done before. Curious, I said yes, and that’s when

he dropped this little bombshell. I tried to make him see reason, that

there was no way to guarantee anyone could give him a boy. But he

laughed and said he’d researched your family and there hasn’t been a

girl born for generations.”

“Hmm. I guess he didn’t research well enough, or he would have

known I’m adopted.”

Brianna choked and then, ridiculously, started giggling.

Cole’s left eyebrow arched. “You find that funny?”

His mouth brushed across her cheek, making her shiver. “No, no, not

at all. It’s just…he’s such a planner, and this will really tick him off.”

“Oops.” He shrugged as his knuckle traced lightly over the cheek he’d

just kissed.

She sagged against his lean body, trembling from his touch and

wanting more. “So, what do we do now?”

“We go along with it.”

“Why would we do that? Why would you hand over your sperm,” her

face burned as she said the words, “knowing you’d never have a say in

your child’s life. That’s despicable.”

“Let’s get one thing straight here. I won’t ever ‘hand over’ any of my

sperm for your father’s use. I will, however, share it for my own use.” He

shrugged again, an action she was getting very used to.

Brianna snapped her head backward, smacking it on the wall and

dazing herself. She squeezed her eyes shut. This could not be happening.

“Jesus.” Cole’s voice was gruff and laced with the same earlier

concern for her well-being. “You’re going to be hell for me to keep

healthy, aren’t you?”

-23-
Annmarie McKenna

His hands tenderly rubbed the bump forming on the back of her

skull. He lowered his head until their foreheads touched.

“I think I want to leave now.” She forced the words out while her

brain and heart were both shouting,
No you don’t you little idiot. You

want to ease this insistent ache between your legs.
She had a feeling only

Cole could do that for her.

Cole chuckled. “No you don’t.”

His right hand slid down her cheek, her jaw line, her neck, over her

heart, and came to rest on her left breast. Her traitor of a nipple stabbed

his palm as he kneaded the soft mound of flesh that had never before

known a man’s hand.

“What you really want is for me to fuck you.”

“No,” she denied, shaking her head.

“You want me to suck these hard, tight, little nipples.”

“No.” She shook her head harder. He pressed more fully into her, his

thigh rubbing against her swollen clit. A groan slid past her lips as he

kissed around her face while he talked.

“You want me to tie you down, your legs spread wide. You want me to

go down on you, to stab my tongue inside you, to suck on your clit until

you explode in my mouth.”

His hands slid slowly south and eased under the hem of her shirt.

Her tummy muscles quivered as fingers stroked her abdomen on their

way back north. Then they were at her bra, flicking the clasp between

her breasts open and easing the material off her plumpness.

He was killing her! The tips of his fingers skated across the top of the

breasts he’d just uncovered, learning them through unseen touch.

Brianna sagged against the wall, her head rolling back and forth on the

hard surface with the exquisite feelings he invoked.

Dimly she realized the only thing holding her up was his thigh, which

she was subconsciously grinding her mound against. He sucked her

earlobe into the moist heat of his mouth and nibbled gently with his

sharp teeth.

“Come for me, Bri,” he whispered.

-24-
Blackmailed

She exploded and screamed and dropped her cheek to his shoulder.

He pinched her nipple between his fingers and rolled it gently as her

climax ebbed beneath his assault.

God! How humiliating. She had come at his command. She loved this

man and she’d known him less than an hour. No. Not love, lust. She

lusted after him. It wasn’t possible to love someone in such a short

amount of time.

At some point he’d removed his hand from her shirt and hugged her

closer to him. His chin rested on top of her head.

Embarrassed, Brianna hid her face in his chest. She felt like the

whore she'd thought about earlier, coming like that. Surely he’d throw

her out the door now. The thought panicked her in more ways than one.

If she didn’t stay, Scottie would be taken away
and
she’d never see Cole

again.

The second she got her breathing under control, Cole lifted her face

with the crook of his finger. He stared at her, like he was looking into her

soul, then he descended on her and kissed her with what felt like

everything he had. His lips melded with hers, prying them easily apart

and his tongue thrust between her teeth. It stroked her own with velvet

softness, teaching her how he wanted to be kissed back. He sucked her

tongue into his mouth and held it with a strong suction. Brianna felt her

arms lift to cling around his neck.

The kiss was over before she wanted it to be, and Cole was backing

off, standing her on her own two feet and steadying her with his hands at

her shoulders. Brianna licked her lips, tasting him again and wishing he

were still there.

Cole chuckled, bringing a flood of color to her face, then sobered into

an intense stare. “I want you, Brianna, there’s no denying that. And

based on your response, you want me too. So here’s the deal. I’ll give

your brother anything he needs if you stay and do anything I ask you to.”

His eyes glinted with mischief. “Sexually, of course.”

Her knees nearly buckled. She could not have heard him right. He

would help her brother in exchange for her body. “My body for my

brother? Sounds like another round of blackmail to me.” Not to mention

-25-
Annmarie McKenna

she was afraid she would lose more than control of her body. Somehow

she felt her heart would be involved.

“Mm. You can take it that way. But make no mistake. I don’t just

want your body, I want all of you. Meaning you would do anything I say,

no questions asked.”

She must have looked seriously bewildered because he added,

“There’ll be plenty of time for me to explain later.” He turned, leaving her

staring helpless at his back. “For now I’ll show you to your room.”

Uncertain about his abrupt change in demeanor, Brianna stood,

unmoving. As if he hadn’t just given her an earth-shattering climax, Cole

turned to her and held out a hand. He looked certain she would come to

him. She did, as if pulled by some magic string, clasping his hand and

somehow trusting him with her life for at least the next week.

-26-
Blackmailed

Chapter Two

Cole pulled the only slightly reluctant Bri behind him, the pounding

of his heart echoing in his ears. He couldn’t wait to take her completely

and make her his. She already was his, if the size of his hard-on had

anything to say about it.

He didn’t know what had prompted him to offer refuge for her

younger brother. He only knew he had to have her. Some innate sense

told him she would fit nicely between Tyler and himself. A woman who

would be perfect for both of them. It was scary how strong the feeling

was, making it hard to think about anything but how she would look and

the noises she would make, as he and Ty pumped their erections in and

out of her.

Cole paused outside his master suite, sure Bri would balk at staying

in his room and in his bed, but he was not about to give her any

breathing room. Well, actually he was. After booting her father out the

door, he’d called his physician to come and give her a complete

evaluation. She probably wouldn’t like that either, but he was getting

increasingly concerned about her asthma.

Had her father ever had her monitored or tried other medications?

From what he’d seen and heard from the bastard, he didn’t think so.

Cole would take it upon himself to see she received anything she needed

or wanted. She’d already affected him that much.

“I’ll have your things sent over and brought in here,” he told her as

he tugged her through the door. He knew what she would see. An

imposing four-poster bed. Each post was adorned with various rings and

hooks.
The better to tie you up with, my dear.
Most of the other furniture

was standard issue and functional.

-27-
Annmarie McKenna

“Is this
your
room?” Her voice was trembling, he hoped from the bliss

he’d just launched her into, and not fear.

“Yes. My room, my bed.” He turned to her. “We’ll be spending a lot of

time here, Bri.” For now he’d wait to tell her about Tyler. He watched her

bite her lip, probably wondering if she’d made the right decision or not.

Her vulnerability made him want her even more, and he blatantly

adjusted his cock in his jeans to show her just how he felt. Her eyes

widened in what Cole read as shocked curiosity.

“Why don’t you get comfortable? Take a bath, rest, whatever. I’ll have

Freddy send up a tray of snacks for you. The doctor will be here in a

couple of hours.” He nearly laughed at the look on her face and would

have had she not also looked so scared. He caressed her cheek with his

knuckles, wanting to feel the softness of her skin again. They flushed

prettily under his ministration. With his thumb he rubbed at her bottom

lip where she’d bitten it and nearly groaned out loud when he thought

about those lips wrapped around his cock.

“Why? So you can see if I’m childbearing worthy?” she demanded,

yanking him out of his fantasy.

“I wouldn’t give a shit if you could never have children,” he growled. “I

called because I don’t like the sound of your asthma, Bri. Have you seen

your doctor lately?” Cole watched as her breathing sped up just thinking

about it.

“No.” She swallowed and her gaze darted around the room. He could

tell she was waging a battle within herself not to cry.

“Why not? Asthma is not something to play around with.” At her

questioning look, Cole lifted a shoulder. “My little brother’s got it. I’ve

helped him for years get through some pretty scary attacks.”

“That’s nice.”

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You’re the last person who should

think having to battle this disease is nice.”

“No, no. Not that. You really don’t need to go to all that trouble for

me.” She backed away from him and he thought he saw her flinch. Did

she think he would hit her? Had her father?

-28-
Blackmailed

Okay, he probably would be doing some hitting, but not in anger. He

would cut off his arm before he’d hurt the doe-like creature standing in

front of him.

“I just meant, it’s nice, that…that you, you know, helped him. Get

through it I mean.”

“No one’s ever been there for you?” He advanced on her, took her

hands and rubbed her knuckles with his thumbs.

“Helga did once, but my father fired her when his dinner was late.

She’d taken me to the emergency room because I couldn’t stop coughing,

even with my inhaler.”

She said this matter-of-factly as though it weren’t an unusual

occurrence for the staff to be fired for showing an interest in the man’s

daughter.

He cursed beneath his breath. “How old were you?”

“Eleven.”

“Jesus. Well,” he cleared his throat, “I don’t want to have to worry

about you fighting for a breath while you’re fighting for an orgasm.”

He laughed when she yanked her hands out of his, but grabbed her

chin with his thumb and forefinger.

“Seriously. I want you healthy.”

Bri took on a mutinous look. “So you can stuff me with your sperm to

provide my father with an heir?” Her face was beginning to burn red.

So there was some fire underneath her shyness after all. Too bad

someone had given her such an ugly version of how sex with a man

would be. One guess who that was. No matter, he’d change her opinion

real quick.

He sighed. “How many times are you going to bring that up? I

thought we already agreed we’d do this for us and your brother, not your

father. I promise that my sperm, should they happen to congregate with

one of your eggs, will never benefit Andrew Wyatt other than possibly

making him a grandfather.”

“Ever heard of a condom? A thin sheet of rubber would keep your

sperm from going to church with my eggs. Then we could just say it

didn’t work.”

-29-
Annmarie McKenna

She looked so hopeful staring up at him and nibbling on her lower

lip. He wanted to push her to her knees and have her use those teeth on