No Reason to Run (12 page)

Chapter 21

Olivia burst through
Shane’s front door the minute Striker used the borrowed keys to push it open.
Her need to see Chloe and reassure herself took precedence over anything else.
Masculine voices came from the familiar family room. Olivia darted inside and
stopped in her tracks at the door.

“At this point you
want to accelerate the car and it will bring you out of the controlled spin.”
Vik stretched out on his stomach on the floor several toy cars in front of him
while he demonstrated. Chloe mimicked his pose her gaze trained on him as he
pushed a car around pencils and a silver fork on the carpeted floor.

Shane sat on the
coffee table, his weight braced forward. He narrowed his gaze and pointed out,
“Not necessarily. She might need to brake coming around here.”

Vik studied the
cars, evaluating Shane’s words and nodded. “You’re right.” Vik’s long tanned
fingers tapped two of the cars. “See if you can practice the evasive maneuvers
both ways, Chloe.”

Laughter bubbled
forth. Chloe turned toward the sound, spotted her mother and jumped to her feet
and ran over. “Mommy.”

Olivia leaned down
to hug her daughter in relief but kept her gaze on the two men. Her humor
increased further when she caught sight of the slow red flush staining both
their cheeks.

Striker ignored
their embarrassment and entered the room. He stopped close to Vik and kneeled
next to the mini road set-up. Dark brows slashed low and his eyes narrowed
while he took stock of the scene. “Defensive driving?”

“Yes.” Shane rose to
his feet and stepped over the roadway, his gaze never leaving Olivia.

Striker studied the
arrangements a moment longer and nodded. “Good idea. Maybe I can show her some
of the other defensive techniques.”

Shane stopped beside
Olivia, his alert eyes watching her. Suddenly his features darkened. His hand
came up and touched the tender side of her face. He turned her head this way
and that. “Striker didn’t mention you were hurt. Are you okay?”

This was the third
time she’d been asked the question. A lump formed in her throat. Unable to get
the words passed the tight knot, she nodded.

“Striker, explain.”
Shane’s gray eyes glowered.

Olivia shivered.
“No, it’s my fault.” She placed a hand on the wrist near her face. Striker rose
from his crouch.

They stood like that
while Shane assessed her words. “We’ll talk later.”

Though Shane wasn’t
facing him, Olivia took note of Striker’s nod.

“Come back over,
Chloe,” Vik called, “Striker’s got some scenes I want you to observe.”

To Olivia’s
surprise, her daughter bounced away and sat cross legged with the guys, no
hesitation in her actions. On their stomachs, both men rearranged cars and the
miscellaneous items scattered around them. Olivia arched a brow at Shane and
mouthed, “Defensive driving?”

He released her face
and rubbed the back of his neck. “You said no more television and it was the
only thing we could think of to entertain her.”

Olivia smothered
another laugh. Driving style and maneuvers were the best they could do to
entertain a toddler. It touched her that two grown men would make the effort.
Curiosity poked at her. “Where’d you find the toys?” Unless he really did have
a wife and kids stashed somewhere, she couldn’t imagine his need for them.

“My nephew must have
left them behind. I found them on a shelf in the room he uses when he stays
overnight.”

“Is this Eden’s
son?” She recalled him mentioning a sister.

“Yes.” Shane reached
for her hand. “Let’s go in the kitchen while you tell me exactly what happened
when you and Striker were out.”

Olivia snatched away
from his touch. Her palms burned from the contact. “I need to wash these.”

A crease appeared
between Shane’s brows so she flashed him her dirty, scraped hands. He grabbed
one and muffled a curse. “Come on. Let’s get these cleaned up.”

Shane signaled to
his men. They nodded even as they kept up their running instructions with
Chloe. Olivia’s last glance showed Chloe moving the cars around and knocking
over the other cars with no mind to any style Olivia could identify. Judging by
the pained grimace on Vik and Striker’s face, it probably wasn’t the effect
they were aiming for either.

****

Shane gathered his
first aid kit from beneath the kitchen counter and waved Olivia over to a bar
stool at the island. “Sit.” He used the distraction of gathering the supplies
to keep his anger under control. Striker’s call from the truck caught him off
guard and left Shane feeling helpless stuck at the house.
     With a little hitch, Olivia’s round bottom ended up on the backless chair,
providing Shane with a nice view. Nicer than the damage done to her face.

“It’s not that bad.”
Olivia’s mouth turned down in the corners while she turned her hands back and
forth.

Shane steadied his
nerves and braced his hands on the counter. A deep cleansing breath did nothing
to release the burn in the pit of his stomach. She obviously had no idea of the
image she presented with the dried blood at the side of her mouth and her
slightly puffy lips. He placed the red and white kit on the table between them
and pulled out some gauze and disinfectant. “I want to kill him.” He extended
his hand after the announcement and waited for her to place her palm in his.

Trembling fingers
stretched out until their hands touched. “He scared me, Shane.”

His eyes flew to
hers and barely managed to subdue his rage. The woman seated across from him
looked emotionally beaten. Her shoulders slumped forward as if a fundamental
truth about her life had been shattered. “I promise I won’t let him get to you
and Chloe. From now on, neither of you will leave the house.” Shane needed her
to believe him. To trust that he would take care of her problem with Senator
O’Donnell.

He waited for her
nod which was slow in coming. “Now talk. Tell me what went wrong.” Striker
exemplified the best of Shane’s employees. He’d contacted him for that very
reason. No one should have gotten close to her. With his head bent to the task,
Shane listened as she detailed what should have been a simple trip to the store
and back.

“I should have
listened to Striker and stayed by the entrance,” she admitted.

Shane focused on her
palms. Olivia flinched each time he touched the antiseptic wipes to the
abrasions. Not letting himself think about his actions, he lifted both her
hands to his mouth and blew on them lightly. Her fingers curled down in reflex.

“Yes, you should
have. If you want us to help, you have to listen and do everything we ask
exactly.” But fault didn’t lie with her. Striker failed as a trained
professional to keep the mission objective. Protect Olivia. Shane would deal
with him later.

Her teeth nibbled
her bottom lip and then she cried out from contact with the puffy wound. The
left side of her cheek showed signs of a stellar bruise come morning. If Shane
had his way, he’d jump in his car and find the bastards who tried to take her.

Instead, he forced
himself to think rationally. Releasing her wrists, he moistened a new cotton
wipe and dabbed at her bottom lip cleaning it. She angled her face to the side
and he moved to her cheek. While he made sure to remove all of the blood, her
breath puffed warmth along his fingers.

Her lashes fluttered
and this close her vanilla fragrance surrounded him. One simple look told him
of Olivia’s desire. Arousal pumped through him. Shane tossed aside the wipe.
Memories of their earlier make-out session in his basement played havoc with
his libido. His dick swelled hot and hard beneath his jeans.

Her tongue licked
her bottom lip. Another wince. He brushed his thumb along her uninjured
cheekbone. After all she’d been through Olivia still managed to turn him on.
Shane leaned forward. “We
will
finish what we started.”

She used her free
hand to tuck loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I told you I don’t sleep
around.”

He lifted her hand
to his mouth and nipped her knuckles. Her blue eyes darkened. “Neither do I.”
He dropped her hand and walked around the counter. A flick of his wrist twisted
the stool she sat on.

Another step placed
him between her thighs front and center. His hands grasped her hips and jerked
her toward him. Like butterflies, her hands touched his chest, his shoulders,
unsure where to land. She settled for his chest and Shane groaned.

Doubt danced across
her features. Shyness followed her doubt. He had to slow down. He didn’t want
to scare her away.
Easy and gentle, Mitchell.

“You’re a potent
mix, princess.” He slid his hands down her hips, over her slender thighs and
made his way back up. She couldn’t hide her shiver.

“We can’t do this,
Shane.” The whispered words landed on deaf ears. He intended to fuck her.
Tonight if he had his way. It was only a matter of convincing her to go along
with his plan.

He lowered his head
until their faces were inches apart. Her lashes fluttered and closed. Each
breath she took caressed his cheek at this distance. He wanted to kiss her,
devour her mouth the way she’d devoured his earlier except he didn’t want to
hurt her. Shane kissed the dark shadow on her jaw. “Tell me if it’s too much,”
he whispered and trailed kisses to her ear. He nipped the delicate lobe,
pleased when she jumped.

Using his hold, he
pulled her lower half closer, forcing her to lean back against the counter for
support. Her legs curled around his thighs setting the heat of her mound flush
with his erection. Muffling a groan, he buried his face in her neck.

“Shane.”

The way she called
his name seared his insides. For years he’d fucked without feeling or meaning.
Now, his body wanted more. Shane wanted to brand himself on her. Mark her as
deeply as she’d marked him with her love bites.

He nuzzled the sweet
neck in front of him and licked her racing pulse. “Maybe I should return the
favor.” The thought of putting his mark on her rocked him on his heels.

“What?” Olivia’s
hands moved from his chest to his hair. His dick hardened further if possible
and he rocked against her jean covered crotch. He needed to be closer but no
way he could risk getting her fully naked in his kitchen with his men only a
few feet away down the hall and her kid around.

“Undue your jeans
for me, princess.” If he got a little taste of her now then he could handle the
wait for pleasure later.

****

Olivia put up token
resistance but his growled words sent heat flooding her panties. The press of
his hard body chased away the chill of fear and warmed her front. She wanted
what this gruff man offered. Pounding passion followed by immense release.

Giving in, she eased
her zipper down. Olivia scooted up her hips and allowed him to slide her jeans
passed her thighs and cleared one ankle. The rough denim couldn’t go further
with his body hindering her movements. She expected him to back up. Instead,
Shane’s hand immediately moved from her hip and fingered the lacy underwear.
Her indrawn breath drew his gaze back to her face.

The gleam in his
eyes warned her. A sharp pull and the silk material snapped. They both looked
down. An easy tug followed and the scrap of silk and lace teased her folds as
he removed them completely. Her heart thumped frantically and her breath
hitched.

Her panties
disappeared in his front pocket. The action implied a shared intimacy. Using
her elbows on the counter behind her, Olivia balanced her weight. He allowed
little room between them but a glance down revealed moisture glistening on her
bare sex. She gave thanks that she groomed on a regular basis or her life on
the run would have left different results.

“Open.”

Tiny prickles dotted
her skin. The one word command carried overtones of darkness. She met his gaze
and choked back a gasp. Wet slicked her inner folds. His eyes dipped low then
back to hers. The misty gray swirls leaked to shades of dark smoke. The look
within didn’t beg, it demanded. Olivia relaxed, letting her legs part as much
as the restricting clothing would allow. He pushed her legs back further
spreading her thighs wide.

“Fuck. You look good
like this.”

Her lower muscles
clenched. She’d never bared herself like this to a man. Her mind warred with
embarrassment and shame. She tried to close her legs.

“No, let me see how
wet you are for me.” His thumb stroked a path. Moisture gathered on his finger.
Her heart tripped faster. As if in slow motion, he placed his finger in his
open mouth and licked it clean.

It was the hottest
thing she’d ever witnessed. Nothing in her past prepared her for a man like
Shane Mitchell. Unexpectedly, humor came to her aid. Her lips tipped up on a
grin. “What’s next, soldier man?”

Shane’s responding
lip curl melted her insides even as Olivia savored the moment.

“Next, I get to
taste this pretty treat.” He dropped to his knees and proceeded to take her
apart.

Olivia started to
struggle when she realized his intention but then his mouth made contact. A low
hiss escaped her parted lip as her spine arched backward. His tongue delved
into her core without mercy. Short, swift stabbing motions followed by slow,
hot licks. Her grip tightened in his hair unsure if she wanted to pull him closer
or hold him away.

“Please, Shane.”
More,
give me more. Stop, don’t stop.

He paused to look
up, his mouth shiny. “Screamer or moaner?”

Olivia panted and
tried to think. What did he want from her?

“You have to stay
quiet, princess,” he continued, “or my men are going to know more about you
than you want.”

“What?”

Shane’s smile
reflected masculine pride but Olivia was too far gone to care. “Nod if you
understand.”