Freed (Bad Boy Hitman Romance) (51 page)

Chapter 25

Emily

I was just going to make something simple tonight, a pizza with garlic bread. I also had to run down to the wine cellar and pick something out, although I had no idea the difference between the wines. Tanner didn’t seem to care, so neither did I. We seriously needed to get to a grocery store. I wondered if there’d be a day when I’d be allowed out to do those things. I really wished he trusted me enough to know I’d come back. Maybe one day…

We’d made a deal and I had no intention of going back on that deal and I was starting to come to terms with the realization that it wasn’t just because we had a deal, but I was beginning to feel something for him. I shouldn’t be feeling affection towards him, it was insane, but it was there. With him being injured and his mood mellowing, I was finally being given rare glimpses of a person with a soul. I sighed. Or maybe it was just the drugs keeping him loopy and I was being a foolish little girl again, trying to convince myself there was a possibility of a fairy tale ending after all.
  

I was just putting the twelve-inch pizza into the oven when I felt two strong arms wrapping around my waist and lips caressing the side of my neck. With a soft moan, I leaned back into him then turned my head and caught his lips with mine. His kiss was tender but brief. I was becoming accustomed to his tender kisses the past couple of days. He seemed to be trying, really trying. God, I hoped it didn’t end.

“Pizza tonight, I see.”

“Why are you up?” I spun in his arms and slipped my hands around his neck, lacing my fingers. He was bare-chested, with a pair of jogging pants sitting low on his hips. Most of his back was covered in bandages. It was a damned good thing he kept an excessive amount of first aid supplies on hand; I didn’t want to take a trip down the road that leads to the reasons why he had more medical supplies on hand then a small medical clinic – so I didn’t.
 

He smiled, a sexy, easygoing smile. There wasn’t even a hint of the monster he could be in his dark eyes. Why couldn’t he be like this all the time? God, I prayed every night that some miracle would happen and he would be. “I’m not an invalid Emily.”

“I’m just concerned. That’s all.”

“Be careful what you say, Emily. You might start giving me the impression that you care.” His smile widened and he brushed his lips against mine again.

It felt so good to be held tenderly by him and have him smile down at me as if we were a young couple in love. I could get used to it, which was why I pulled away from him. I needed to be hard, otherwise when things changed back to normal it would be ten times harder. “Please don’t do this.”

His brow creased into a frown, but he pulled me back into his arms and brushed his lips along the side of my neck again, nipping at my earlobe. The warmth of his breath on my neck sent a shiver of desire through me. “Do what?” he whispered into my ear.
 

“Tease me like that.”

“I don’t understand.” I attempted to pull from him again, but he backed me up, pinning me against the counter. Even injured he could easily overpower me.

“Be nice to me just to turn around tomorrow or the next day and be cruel. I’d rather you be cruel the whole time; at least then I know where I stand.”

He remained silent for a moment, his eyes taking on a faraway look. For a moment I thought he’d gone off into a drug-induced trance or was having a hallucination. Whatever he’d been taking was strong and had on several occasions done both to him over the past few days. When his gaze refocused on me, his face remained expressionless. I hated that I couldn’t read him much of the time; it would sure make life easier if I could.
 
Unfortunately, I only saw what he allowed me to see.

“Emily, I’m trying,” he finally stated.

Cocking my head to the side, I couldn’t hide the look of confusion on my face. “Excuse me?”

“I’m trying to find a way to be what you need. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I really want to try. I’ve spent years indulging in whatever urges I’ve had, but I’ve never actually had a connection with someone. I’m not even sure how to be in a real relationship, but I want to try. I don’t know how successful I’ll be, but I will give it my best effort.”

How was I supposed to respond to that? Did I actually allow myself to hope he was being genuine? But he hadn’t given me any reason not to believe him. He may be a lot of things, but he’d always been good to his word. Aside from the night he’d abducted me, he’d never lied or misled me.

“What if you can’t?” I couldn’t help but ask. Why am I testing it? I should let it be and hope whatever he had in mind stuck.

“I’ve never failed at anything in my life. I don’t intend on failing now.”

“But—”

“We’ll find a way.” Sliding a hand to the back of my neck, Tanner grasped my neck and held me still as he lowered his lips to mine, claiming mine roughly as he pressed up against me. The ridge of his rapidly thickening erection pressed against my stomach and my body immediately responded, need flaring out within me.

While I’d slept next to him each night, he’d been so drugged up that he hadn’t so much as hinted towards being with me in any way. I moaned, parting my lips to his insistent tongue as I ground my hips against him. I was rewarded by a low growl-like groan from him. Hearing a man like him groan for me made me feel powerful. There was a time when he’d first taken me that I hadn’t thought I’d ever feel powerful; I’d been trained to submit all of my life, so this made the feeling all the more exhilarating. It was ironic that the one man who was keeping me prisoner was the only one who made me feel empowered.

“Three days without feeling you,” he whispered. “Way too long.”

With reluctance, I pushed him back. “It’s going to have to be a bit longer. That pizza will be done any minute and we’re running low on supplies.”

He groaned but allowed himself to be pushed back. “What are you talking about? There’s a freezer full of food in the wine cellar.”

I crinkled up my nose at him and gave my head a shake, a flush colouring my cheeks.

“What? Didn’t you check?”

“I ummm.” I raked my hand through my hair, not sure how to respond as to why I hadn’t wanted to check. “I kinda thought that maybe I wouldn’t want to see…”

His concern faded and he laughed. “You think I have a body in there? Or maybe someone chopped up?”

“Well, you did kill that guy…” God, I was starting to feel stupid. Of course he didn’t have anyone in the freezer.

“Flynn took the body to dispose of it.” His smile faded, but I could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. “Or are you accusing me of being a wannabe Jeffrey Dahmer? You thought maybe when I’d ask do you want Asian tonight that perhaps I had a little, dead
Filipina
woman in bits in the freezer?” He laughed harder, doubling over, but abruptly stopped and groaned.

“Okay, it was stupid. I’m sorry.”

Shaking off the discomfort, his gaze turned heated again. Grabbing my waist, he lifted me up onto the countertop, although I didn’t miss the wince he made as he did it. Again, I felt bad. I’d done that to him; his wounds were so much worse than mine were. I still couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to lose control like that and it wouldn’t quit bothering me.

My eyes locked onto his and a tremor of need rocked through me. “The only part of a woman I have any desire to eat, you’ve got covered by these damned jogging pants.” He fingered the waistband of my jogging pants – correction, his jogging pants – and I tensed. He looked back up at me, the amused twinkle back in his eyes. “And when exactly did I tell you that you could wear these?”

Relaxing, I returned his smile, deciding it was safe to return his banter. I could seriously get used to this change in attitude of his, although it hadn’t been a sudden change. When I gave the events of the past week or so some thoght, there had been distinct differences in him. He no longer scolded me for using his name and it had been a while since I’d been called slave, in that snarly voice of his. Even before he’d made a conscious effort to change, he’d begun to change.

 
“You didn’t.” I shrugged. “But it’s not like you could have stopped me.” On impulse I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed. Damn, he was easy-going right now. Had it not been for the fact his eyes peered into mine with full alertness I’d have thought he’d been getting into the happy pills.

“Oh yes, remind me of how useless I’ve been these last few days.”

Letting his good mood fuel my bravery, I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in to him, claiming his lips with my own. He stepped forward and gave in to my kiss. I halfway expected him to fist my hair and yank me back in anger like he’d done on previous occasions, but he didn’t. His tongue swept along my lower lip and then slid between my parted lips, dancing with mine. It felt so good, my fear and anxiety of him were quickly evaporating. Wrapping my legs around his waist, being careful to stay below the bandages. I pulled him tighter, the ridge of his hard cock pressing against my mound causing a throbbing to begin between my legs as my pussy grew warm with need.

“The pizza,” I gasped as his lips left mine to work their way down my neck.

Reaching past me, he turned off the oven. “There’s lots in the freezer.” Stepping back, he grabbed my hand and pulled me from the counter. “Come on. I’d carry you, but I doubt that would be pleasant for either of us.”

“You’ve only had an omelet to eat today.” My protest was half-hearted at best as I followed him through the house towards the bedroom.
 

“I’ll be fine. I’ve spent days, enduring countless erections waiting to fuck you again. I’m done waiting.”

His words which might have offended me before meeting him, now had the opposite effect. My pussy clenched as the need between my legs ignited. Reaching the bedroom, he wasted no time leading me to the bed and stripping me bare.

“Mmm. Much better.” He leaned in and just as he was about to kiss me, he jerked back. Grabbing my upper thighs, he pulled my legs out from under me and tossed me onto the bed. I squealed as I toppled backwards and bounced a couple of times on the soft mattress, then watched as he pulled down his jogging pants and kicked them to the side. Turning to the side, he opened the night-side table drawer and began rummaging through it.

My eyes lowered to his shaft, already rock hard and ready for me. The need between my legs intensified. Spreading my legs wide and without even realizing what I was doing, I slid my hand between my legs, parting my moistening folds, and began to stroke my clit.

 
“You’re going to end up making me come like a damned teenager, without even touching you, doing that.”

My eyes lifted from his cock, to see him watching my hand as it worked my clit. I fought the urge to pull my hand away and close my legs. My gaze landed on the vibrator in one hand and tube of lube in the other. My hand stilled its teasing and my body tensed. “What are those for?”

He didn’t answer, but gave me a wicked smile as he placed the items on the bed next to me. He crawled onto the bed, settling between my legs, and captured my left nipple in his mouth. He nipped just hard enough to cause me to yelp and then moan as a surge of pleasure flowed down my spine.

“I think you know what they’re for,” he murmured, kissing his way to the other breast.