4
Breck knocked on the door to Stefan’s suite later that evening. He’d decided showing up unannounced was his best bet at catching everyone off guard. He wanted to meet the man himself, take Stefan’s measure. There was only so much that files could tell him. Breck had found in his business dealings that it helped to look an opponent in the eyes. Body language, expression, little tells that could help him get the upper hand.
He looked into the old-fashioned peephole in the door, knowing it hid a tiny, high-tech vidmonitor. There was a thump, the sound of locks disengaging, and then the hulking bulk of Nichols filled the space. “What do you want?”
“I’m here to surprise Tam and take her to dinner.” Breck made his smile guileless. “She wants to go to Ascot this weekend, and we’ll need to make a few plans. Why not combine business and pleasure?”
Nichols’s gaze narrowed, and he opened his mouth to retort when a light male voice sounded behind him. “Don’t leave Mr. Breckenridge standing on the doorstep, Nichols. Let him come in and meet the family.”
There was a chilly bite to the words, and Breck didn’t like associating family with what he’d heard of Stefan. However, if the man was Tam’s stepfather and Sophie’s father, there was no escaping the connection. If—when—Breck mated with Tam, Stefan would be his father-in-law for all intents and purposes. The thought made bitterness coat his tongue, but he pushed past Nichols into the main space.
At first, Stefan appeared slight, almost slender, but then Breck could see it was an illusion. Wiry strength ran through the ropy muscles in the older man’s whipcord lean body. But it was the eyes that gave him away. As cold and dangerous as black ice. Probably just as slippery, too. Keeping his smile in place, Breck offered his hand to Stefan to shake.
“Hello, Stefan.”
“Constantine,” he replied.
Breck fought a wince. He hated his first name. Mostly because his father had named him after his father, and the old man had been a complete bastard. Breck had hated every minute he’d been forced to spend in his grandfather’s company, and he knew his father had hated it more. Why he’d named his only child after a man he despised, Breck had never surmised. It had been a relief for everyone when the elder Constantine passed.
“Call me Breck. As you said, we’re practically family.” How he managed the words without choking on them, he wasn’t sure, but it made Stefan’s gaze sharpen with an emotion Breck couldn’t read. “I understand that Tam and I are being sent to the country for the weekend. I’m hoping to hammer out a few details over dinner. Is she free?”
Free wasn’t a term he’d use to describe what Tam was right now, and he placed a little too much emphasis on that word. Enough to make Stefan’s hand tighten on his. Breck didn’t bother with a wrestling match, but he also didn’t succumb to the pain of the older man’s grip. Such a petty show of dominance that meant nothing in the end. He arched an eyebrow and allowed his amusement to show. After a moment, Stefan snorted and let his hand drop.
“She’s putting Sophie to bed.” The older man led the way to a beautifully appointed bedroom, complete with a child-sized castle in one corner, a personal gaming console embedded in one wall, and moving nanotoys littering every available surface. Most of them looked brand new. Something Stefan had bought the girl when he’d stolen her from wherever Tam had had her stashed? Bribes to keep Sophie compliant?
The girl was tucked into bed, while Tam sat against the headboard, reading her a story where each page was a series of colorful holopics. Sophie struggled valiantly to stay awake, but it was a losing battle, and her eyes drifted closed. Tam’s smile was soft and loving as she bent to kiss her sister’s forehead, tucking the covers around her. The scene sent a pang through Breck. He’d rarely seen such an unguarded expression on Tam’s face, except when she let loose during sex.
“Lovely, aren’t they? I’d hate to see anything happen to either of them.” The soft threat in Stefan’s voice was unmistakable.
“As would I.” Breck met the other man’s gaze squarely.
“Then you have a vested interest in making sure that my plans are followed exactly.” Stefan’s smile was a terrifying thing to witness. “Remember, Tam will never leave without Sophie, and I am Sophie’s father. She belongs to me. Therefore, for the time being, Tam also belongs to me.”
“For the time being,” Breck agreed, working to keep his voice light, to prevent his muscles from tensing, to stop himself from ripping the other man’s throat out. Leland and Nichols were nearby. Such a move wouldn’t end well, and Breck needed to think, not just react the way he wanted to.
Stefan’s gaze was cool and flat, every bit as ruthless as Breck’s private investigator had speculated in the files. There was no exaggeration there. This was a man who would use whatever means were at his disposal to get what he wanted. Including his own daughter. “What exactly do you want from her? From us?”
“For his wife’s birthday, Lord Abernathy is hosting a ball at his house in Surrey. Next Friday. I want you to gain his confidences. Be invited to the ball and to the private events he’s holding throughout that weekend.” Stefan shrugged one shoulder. “That shouldn’t be too difficult for someone as skilled as Tam.”
“And then what?” Tam closed the bedroom door behind her, a pleasant mask firmly in place again.
“When you need to know, I will tell you.” Stefan’s lip lifted in a small sneer. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t trust you with any real confidences. A woman who’s whored herself on so many men simply can’t be trusted.” He flicked a glance at Breck. “Even now, you’ve got one gagging for it.”
Tam’s face went blank at the insult, her chin lifting. “Breck, I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”
“I’m taking you to dinner. We need to plan this weekend.” Breck slid his hands into his pockets, hiding his clenched fists and keeping him from breaking Stefan’s nose.
She nodded, not sparing a glance for her stepfather. “Do I need to change clothes or will these do?”
“You look fine. Let’s go.”
“I’ll be back in a few hours.” The glare she gave Stefan was sulfuric. “I trust that Sophie will still be here sleeping when I return.”
The man widened his eyes, exuding innocence. “So long as you return on time, there’s no reason to assume otherwise. Enjoy your dinner.”
“We’ll show ourselves out.” Breck grasped Tam’s elbow, drawing her away from Stefan. He’d like to keep going and never come back, but Sophie’s existence made that impossible. They’d have to ride it out the way Tam had planned. Something would break their way, and they’d be able to get the girl from her father. They had to be patient and watchful.
Breck let a breath ease from his lungs as Leland shut the door behind them. He pressed the button to call the lift, ignoring Tam’s subtle attempts to pull away from him. No doubt Stefan, Nichols, and Leland were watching their interactions through the peephole.
They stepped onto the lift and Breck punched the button to take them down to the lobby. When they reached the ground floor, he held on to Tam’s arm to keep her inside. A few other passengers got on, and he pressed the button to take them back up to his penthouse. They made three stops along the way for the others to get off, and Tam and he remained silent the entire ride. Her scent teased his nose, exotic spices mixed with sensual female. Irresistible. She brushed against him as she moved aside to let another woman out, and he barely resisted pulling her into his arms. He wanted her. Always. There were so many things he needed to speak to her about, but he wanted to throw that aside and bury his cock in her tight, welcoming sheath.
Deus, she really was going to drive him insane someday. She didn’t even have to try.
The lift slid to a stop on the top floor, and he drew her out into the circular entryway. There were two sets of double doors—one to the right of the elevator and one to the left. Straight ahead was a round polyglass window that overlooked the London skyline. Swirling around the window was a mercurite sculpture that seemed to grow out of the floor and twine toward the ceiling.
“Impressive.” Tam’s mouth formed a little moue.
“Yes, it is. This way.” He tugged her to the right, but pointed left. “I found out the Averys are staying in the other penthouse.”
“Of course they are.”
A tiny smile touched his lips. “They were practically shagging against the wall this afternoon, with Hunter fumbling for the vidpad while Delilah had both hands down his pants.”
“Ah.” Tam brought her fist to her mouth, coughing to cover a laugh. “Newlyweds.”
He tapped his entry code into the vidpad beside his doors and they disarmed with a quiet snick. Pulling one open, he ushered Tam inside. “I had the concierge send up dinner from Le Monde.”
The dining table was long enough to seat thirty and could also be used as a conference table for business meetings. The huge main space opened to an even more massive balcony, and several bedrooms and wash closets opened off of the long hallway. At the end was a private lift he could use whenever he wanted. It was an exquisitely appointed home away from home, and it had been boring until Tam stepped inside.
She moved to the dinner set at one end of the table and slid into a chair. “What did you order for us?”
“The concierge recommended the duck.” He removed the sealed lids that kept the dishes as fresh as the moment they were covered, and rich aromas filled the room.
“It looks lovely.” Tam leaned forward and drew in the scent. “And smells even better. I do love the food at Le Monde.”
“So I was informed.” He poured them both a glass of wine. “The staff here said you preferred the Madeira.”
“I do.” She accepted the glass he offered, startling a bit when he bent down to brush a kiss over her lips. Sweet. Headier than the wine could ever be.
Walking around the table, he took his own seat and set his napkin on his lap. He watched her pick up her utensils and begin to eat. Her body seemed relaxed, but there was a tension around her eyes and mouth that gave her away. She was worried, scared. It made fury spurt through him, protectiveness following on its heels. He hated how helpless he was to fix this problem for her, but they were dancing to Stefan’s tune.
They chatted lightly through the meal, touching on nothing important, and some of the tautness eased from both of them. It was good to be alone with her again, where no one was watching and neither of them was in imminent danger.
He’d missed her. Missed talking to her, being around her, looking at her. Everything.
Sighing, she sat back when she was done, a wan smile crossing her face. “All right, you didn’t just bring me here to feed me.”
He nodded, wishing that the tranquil moment didn’t have to fade so quickly, but time was not a luxury they had. “So, Stefan doesn’t have evidence against you or some precious object you owned. He has your only family held hostage. Is that all, or is there more you haven’t told me yet?”
“No, that sums it up nicely. He has my sister.” She shrugged, her smile growing sharper. “I’m not quite as materialistic as you imagined, despite my professional proclivities.”
He settled back in his chair, unwilling to let her get away with so quick an assumption of his judgment. “I didn’t know what to think. Mostly because you ran off and didn’t tell me anything. Or lied to me.”
She took a sip of her wine. “Both.”
“I know.” He blew out a breath. “My willing assistance comes with one condition.”
“What’s that?” Resignation settled over her lovely features, as if she’d expected him to demand something from her. Well, too bad. Nothing in life was free, not really. Not even love. It demanded everything from you, turned you inside out. No, nothing was free, especially not love.
“Don’t ever lie to me again.”
Her expression wavered, emotions flitting across her face so fast he couldn’t read them. “I won’t. You have my word.”
Could he trust her to be honest, even if she promised? He didn’t know, but they couldn’t be mates if they didn’t trust each other, and that had to start somewhere. So he was going to start here, now. “I want to help you keep your sister safe, but to do that, I need to know you’re not keeping secrets from me, or telling me what you think I want to hear. Just be honest. I can take it.”
“I never thought you couldn’t.” She shifted her shoulders against her chair. “If I thought you were so weak that making you my mark would break you, I wouldn’t have done it. There is some honor among thieves. Some of us anyway. Not Stefan.”
“It’s a shame your mother married him.” So, she thought he could handle her using him and stealing from him? He didn’t know if he should be flattered or insulted.
“Yes, but Sophie is all I have left of my mother. It’s not her fault Stefan is her father.” She refused to meet his gaze. “My mother was beautiful and he wanted her. He made sure my father died in order to get her.”
“Deus.” The man had murdered to steal someone else’s wife? For some reason, that reached a new level of bottom-feeding in Breck’s estimation and made his stomach turn. “What did your mother think about that?”
“Denial was her dearest friend.” Tam snorted, resignation and sadness mixing in her expression. “We lived on the London docks. She wanted out, like everyone else, and Stefan offered her that. She didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
He shook his head, unable to wrap his mind around such an easy acquiesce. “Even though he killed her husband?”
“Denial.”
“What about him forcing her daughter into a life of crime?” He didn’t buy the mentoring bullshit. Tam was too wary of Stefan to have been willing to be his protégé. Perhaps it had started that way—though he had his doubts—but she’d have been no freer to leave then than she was now. That she didn’t deny it made it that much more obvious.
“Denial, Breck. Always denial.” She toasted him and then took a gulp of her wine. “She didn’t see what was going on because she didn’t want to see it.”
“How old were you when he married her?”
“Ten.”
So young. The same age as little Sophie was now. “And how old were you when he forced you to commit a crime?”
“Still ten,” she said, confirming his suspicion. She shrugged, the movement lithe and elegant. “I was a cheetah, so I was faster than anyone else on his payroll. That made me useful. Looking back, I think that was the only reason he didn’t have me killed along with my father.”
If she had died then, Breck would never have known her. The thought made his heart stop. He couldn’t even imagine a world without her now. “How did he convince you to do it?”
He didn’t want to know. Deus, he didn’t, but the shadows that lurked in her eyes told him he’d hit on a sore point, an ugly memory for his mate. His fists balled on his thighs. He ached to reach for her, but the rigid way she held herself made it clear she wouldn’t accept comfort from him now.
“When I told him no, he had one of his men break my arm and then lock me in a room for a week. They fed me only bread and water. When I finally broke, he let me out and told me the next time I defied him it would be worse for me. He’d lock me in with Kessler—one of his men then. Dead now, thank Deus.” She shuddered, her fingers going white-knuckled on her glass. Her gaze was faraway, looking at a horror only she could see. “I knew what that meant. Kessler had had that look in his eyes when he stared at me. He’d have raped me and enjoyed every second of it. Hurting me would have been part of the fun.” She ran her fingertip along a thin old scar on her forearm. “Stefan gave me this as a reminder of the occasion. After that, I did whatever he wanted.”
Breck swallowed the bile that burned its way up the back of his throat. More than ever, he wanted to make sure that not only Tam and her sister came through this safely, but that Stefan got what was coming to him. “How did you get away from him?”
“There’s always someone higher on every food chain.” Her smile was wry, her eyes dark and sad as she met his gaze. “There was a man name Alissander who liked my work, liked my face. He paid Stefan a substantial amount to give me to him. Once Alissander died, I was a free agent.”
The man had sold her, like she was nothing. A possession, a toy to be discarded after he was done playing with it. After he was done breaking it. Yes, Stefan would pay. Breck didn’t know how or when, but the son of a bitch would pay. Rage curdled in his gut, and he struggled to unlock his jaw, to say something more intelligible than a string of curses. “I’m glad you escaped him.”
“For a while, anyway.” Her chin firmed. “Don’t pity me, Breck.”
“I don’t.” How could he? He felt rage for what Stefan had done, and respect for all she had survived and come out the woman he loved. She wasn’t perfect, but she was his. Since she would never listen to him if he told her that simple truth, he changed the subject. “What about Sophie? How does she play into all of this? If he stole her, then she didn’t live with her father after your mother died.”
“No, I put her in an isolated, secure Swiss boarding school.” She spread her hands. “My lifestyle is hardly conducive to child rearing, but what sane person would leave a little girl alone with a man like Stefan?” Her gaze went hard and flat. “Stefan doesn’t give a damn about her. She’s an inconvenience at best. She helped keep my mother tied to him, and that was all he cared about. When my mother died, I took Sophie away on vacation and just never brought her back. Stefan never even noticed, until now.”
“Until she was useful to him.” That seemed to be the only pattern with Stefan—people who were useful got to live. People who got in his way ended up dead. Probably far more of them than Gea had been able to find information on.
“Yes, he’s using her to bring me back into the family fold and keep me in line.” She drew in a breath that raised her lush breasts, and Breck had to force his gaze away.
“Why leave her alone? Why not go legit so you could keep her with you?”
Her laugh was brittle, nothing like her usual husky tones. “Who in their right mind would hire me? I can put together a fake ident with the best of them, but the real me wouldn’t stand up to a simple background check. And I didn’t want to make Sophie live a lie, pretending to be someone she’s not.” She shook her head. “Maybe I should have, but this is all I know how to do. Sad that the only job skills I have are from Stefan. I just . . . wanted better for Sophie.”
“What will he do to her if you don’t do what he wants?”
“At worst? Give her to one of his many disreputable associates for a little playtime. And make me watch. At best?” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Hell, I don’t know. Turn her into me?”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “He’d let a man rape his own daughter just to get to you?”
“She’s a means to an end, Breck. We all are in Stefan’s eyes. Never forget that.” Her gaze was clear and calm. “No matter how nice he is to you, there’s always an angle in it for him. He always has an agenda, an ulterior motive.”
“Even when it came to your mother?”
She sighed, rubbing a hand over her forehead. “No, she was his only exception that I know of, but she would never have gainsaid him, so it didn’t matter. As long as no one tried to use her against him, then he was immune to everyone and everything else.”
Snorting, Breck forced his fingers to relax. “So, he loved her, but not his daughter or his stepdaughter.”
“He was obsessed with her. I suppose that’s as close to love as Stefan could get.” Pushing back from the table, Tam took her plate and glass into the kitchen.
He rose to follow suit, still trying to quell the rage boiling through him. He wasn’t naïve—far from it. He knew there were monsters in the world, and only some of them were professional criminals. There were quite a few in his world of high-stakes business who got away with as much or more than Stefan had. But the people they’d hurt weren’t Tam. She hid it well, but he could see the pain in her eyes, the way she’d suffered, the way she still suffered for what her stepfather had done to her and her family.
It made Breck forget he was a rational, reasonable man. Calculating, even. He always assessed before he acted. He liked taking risks, but he wanted to know the score first. Except when it came to his mate. He’d been flying blind most of the time he’d been with her. No matter how deep he tried to dig so he knew what to anticipate, she seemed to have a knack for jerking the rug out from under him.
He blew out a breath and turned to join her in the kitchen. He found her with her hands braced on the counter, her head down. She looked defeated, hopeless.
Setting his plate aside, he pulled her into his arms and tangled a hand in her long hair. “Keep your chin up, Tam.”
“You don’t know what he’s like, what he’s capable of. Not really.” Her fingers balled in the back of his shirt, holding on tight.
A quiver ran through her slender body, and he dropped his forehead to hers, looking into her dark eyes. “No, but I know what you’re like. You can take him. I’ve got your back, beloved. He won’t win. He won’t hurt your sister. We won’t let him.”
“Breck—”
For a moment, he thought she might burst into tears. Her lips shook and her eyes brightened, but then she buried her hands in his hair and dragged his mouth down to hers. He went rigid for a moment. Deus, he’d pulled her close to offer her comfort, but there was no way his body wouldn’t react to her. The animal within him craved her, demanded he touch and take. Claim her as his.
A groan spilled out of him, and she thrust her tongue between his lips, her fingers turning into claws that sliced through his shirt. Her flavor burst into his mouth, and the experience was visceral. He’d gone so long without tasting her, taking her. The agony of it had knifed into his soul every second of every day they’d been apart. The one time he’d had the night before hadn’t been enough. Once was never enough with her.
His hands roamed her body, relearning her shape, her every soft curve.
Fire pulsed through his veins, flowing like lava. His cock went hard, and every little movement she made rubbed her against his swollen shaft. It was maddening, made him shudder. He cupped her ass, pulling her tight against him, pressing into the notch between her thighs. Exactly where he wanted to be. Her low whimper filled his mouth, drove him wild.
Trailing kisses down her throat, he bit the tendon that connected neck to shoulder lightly. She moaned, letting her head drop back. “Take me to bed, Breck. I want you on top of me, inside of me.”
He didn’t think it was possible, but his cock grew even stiffer. The sound of his own heartbeat rushed in his ears, and he bent to scoop Tam off her feet. She looped her arms around his neck, holding tight. The sight of her lips swollen with his kisses, her dark eyes glazed with passion, her lush breasts rising and falling as she panted was enough to shove him over the edge into feral. He wanted to slide inside her tight pussy and feel how her inner muscles gripped his shaft. A shudder ran through him, and he thought his skull might explode.
Kicking the bedroom door open, he strode in to set her on her feet beside the bed. “I think we’re both wearing far too many clothes. Strip.”
“Yes.” Her fingers were already busy unfastening her top, her gaze gleaming with amusement.
Jerking his shirt over his head, he tossed it across the room. He had his pants and boots unsealed in moments and pushed them down, kicking them aside. He watched her slip off the last of her clothing, loving her smooth curves bared for him. “So beautiful.”
He reached out and slid his fingertip across her collarbone and down to the valley of her cleavage. Her breath caught when he trailed his finger up the slope of one breast and circled her nipple. It went taut, beading tight and jutting toward him. He chuckled and dipped forward to suck the peak into his mouth.
Slim fingers speared into his hair, and he felt the drag of her claws against his scalp. Goose bumps broke down his limbs at the sensation, and he batted her nipple with his tongue, scraped her flesh with his teeth, and bit down ever so lightly. A cry broke from her and she fisted her hands in his hair. The slight pain served to sharpen his pleasure.
Deus, he didn’t think he could wait much longer. He had to be inside her again. The eagle within him demanded he take his mate, link their bodies until there was no question that they could ever be parted again. The man knew how many obstacles lay in their path, but the beast didn’t care. All it wanted was its mate. Always. Backing her toward the bed, he let her tumble onto the mattress while he came down on top of her. A rough sound burst from his throat at the feel of all her soft, silky skin against his. So good. So amazing.
Wrapping her legs around him, she arched into his body, rubbing against his straining cock. He slid his hands up her arms, capturing her wrists. She stilled, her breath going shallow. When she tugged at her bound wrists, he held fast, knowing how much she loved it when she couldn’t escape during sex. Her whimper tangled with a purr as she writhed against him. “Please, Breck. Please.”
“If I had time, I’d tie you up and make you scream and beg while I went down on you.”
“Oh, Deus.” A shiver rippled through her body, and her legs tightened around his waist. “Please.”
There was no resisting her. He transferred her wrists to one hand and reached the other between them to grasp his dick, guiding it to her wet slit. He eased the head in, felt her inner muscles clamp around him.
“Breck!” Desperation laced that one word, and her fangs bared, the feline just below the surface.
He felt his own talons slide forth, knew she felt the bite of them where his fingers gripped her arms, holding her down while he penetrated her. Shoving deep, he hilted his cock within her in a single thrust. She screamed his name, her body undulating beneath him, already moving in the carnal rhythm of sex. Any chance of finesse or control rushed away faster than an eagle diving from the sky. He withdrew, thrust, filled her and reveled in the sensation of her wet heat closing around his cock.
Picking up speed each time he entered her, he pushed them both to the end of their endurance, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow down. He needed this connection, craved it, man and beast united in the unadulterated lust for this one woman. The sound of their skin slapping together echoed in the wide room, and the mattress creaked beneath them.
“I’m going to come.” She moaned, jerking at her caged wrists. Her legs tightened around his hips, angling herself so that he sank even deeper on the next thrust.
“Deus.” His muscles burned as he moved. Faster. Harder. He reached between them, flicking the tip of one talon against her clit.
“Breck, Breck, Breck!” Her sex fisted around his cock as she went over into orgasm.
The feel of her channel clenching on his dick was more than enough to make him explode. He jetted come into her pussy, and kept pumping his cock inside her until she sobbed and pulled at her arms, another climax shuddering through her. A smug grin curled his lips. Deus, he loved how he could make her react. In bed, there were no pretenses.
Her dark eyes unfocused, her breasts heaving as she panted for breath. Which wouldn’t be any easier with him weighing down on her. He heaved himself to the side, letting her loose as he rolled to his back. Contentment unfurled inside of him. If he could have this for the rest of his life, he’d die a happy man. Then again, if Stefan did him in, Breck might just get his wish far sooner than he’d care for.
He sighed, pushing thoughts of their problems away, and closed his eyes. The scent of sex and Tam filled the air, and he groped blindly for her hand, lifting it to his lips for a kiss. “I think we get better every time.”
She chuckled, the sound sleepy and fulfilled. “You might be right.”
“Only might?” He smiled, but bit the base of her thumb as retribution.
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to stop trying to improve and just assume it will.” She laid her cheek on his shoulder. “It does a man good to make him work a little. Makes him appreciate what he’s got.”
There was a moment of awkward silence. She tensed, and he could all but feel her regret in having said those words. Considering he’d been chasing her for months and had left his business in order to come to London, he’d say he’d worked more than a little for her. And it wasn’t over yet. He sighed, leaning over to kiss her forehead. “Then consider yourself the most appreciated woman in the galaxy.”
“Only this galaxy?” She injected teasing into her voice, using a bit of banter they’d said to each other before.
So he gave her his usual reply. “All of them, beloved. All of them.”
Tilting her head back, she met his lips in a sweet kiss. Her tongue tangled with his, her fingers stroking his jaw. The eagle within him preened at the feel of its mate’s touch. Such a primal effect on both beast and man. His cock began to stir again. He’d never get enough of her. He didn’t want to.
A disgruntled groan sounded from her and she fell back, breaking the kiss. “I have to get back.”
“I know.”
She pushed herself off the bed, staggered as she looked around the room for her clothes. “Stefan will be waiting and my time is almost up.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He watched her gather her things into a pile on the end of the bed, then use her cheetah speed to put everything back on. “I’ve secured a hired transit to take us to Ascot. We leave just before dawn. I’ll wait in the lobby for you.”
She nodded, fastening her skirt as she stepped into her shoes. “Will you need any help finding somewhere for us to stay overnight?”
“No, one of my secretaries handled it. I left a message in their cache.” Hating to let her go, but knowing he had no choice, he caught her arm and pulled her close, then brushed a tender kiss across her lips. “Be safe.”
The smell of horses, hay, and churned earth tickled Tam’s nose. So unlike the stink of city that she was used to. The open air was so foreign, no gleaming mercurite skyrises overhead, no crush of people to wade through. A light patter of rain drizzled from the sky, mist winding over the hills in the distance.
The Ascot Raceplex spread out before her, and the box she was in overlooked the huge crowd gathered to watch the race. Vidscreens levitated above the grassy midfield, broadcasting every moment of the action. Horses reared in excitement, eyes rolling. Of course, that could be the scent of thousands of predator-shifters crowding around them. Poor beasties.
This weekend was for the ponies, but the raceplex was also used for dog racing and even shifter-beast racing where humans in their animal forms would compete in speed and endurance competitions. Some of those were somewhat less than legally sanctioned by the crown, but such was the way of the world.
Breck stepped up beside her, running his palm down to the small of her back. He had a glass of champagne in his other hand, delivered to their box along with a few choice hors d’oeuvres. “Any sign of him?”
“Not yet.” But he was here. She could smell him, somewhere in the throng of people. But they’d track him down eventually. Breck had made certain they were in a prime location, and after the race they were attending an exclusive party that Abernathy had also been invited to. She’d had to work every charming bit of manipulation she had to secure that invitation for them. With any luck, she and Breck would make a new friend.
With any luck, they could all get out of this alive.
As glad as she was to be away from Stefan for the weekend, she hated that she’d had to leave her little sister with him. She hated every second that Sophie spent in his company. Or near Leland and Nichols. Or anywhere within a hundred kilometers of anyone Stefan had any influence over. It made her skin crawl, knowing what could happen to her baby sister.
Which was why this was such an effective weapon to use against her, the son of a bitch. And there was no legal way to get Sophie away from him. He was her father. He had legal custody. He could bring every illegal, immoral thing Tam had ever done against her if she tried to sue for any kind of rights. No, they had to settle this the way their kind did—quietly and without any law involved.
What made her stomach turn was how she was ever going to keep Sophie safe once this was over. Stefan had to be dead or in jail for life. Preferably dead. But Tam had never killed anyone. She manipulated, she stole, but she didn’t physically hurt people. Could she coldly kill a man? To keep her sister safe, she hoped so. But how and when? His two guard dogs were always nearby, and Stefan might be twice her age, but he was also stronger than he looked.
And she was afraid of him.
So many years of him beating her down, threatening her, terrifying her. The psychological effect was something she couldn’t deny and shouldn’t underestimate.
“There,” Breck said, jolting her back into the here and now. He nodded toward the ring the trainers and handlers walked the horses in.
She had to focus on using her feline vision to see the man where he stood by the rail inspecting a tall black stallion. “Good eye.”
Breck grunted. “I’m an eagle. And I’m motivated.”
So was she. They had to play this game until they found a way out. “If he sticks to pattern, we’ll see him at the Duke of Gemini’s winner’s celebration.”
“Gemini?” Breck blinked down at her, his eyebrows lifting. “That’s not an English title.”
“No, he’s not English.” She shrugged. “I believe it’s a self-bestowed title.”
His lips twitched in a grin, his brows rising higher. “They allow that?”
“When you own your own island in the middle of the Atlantic, you can call yourself whatever you want.” She smiled back, amusement darting through her. His Grace was nothing if not eccentric, given to flamboyant displays and colorfully covered in nanotats he liked to reconfigure every other day. The buzz was he had his own personal nanotat artist on staff to service him whenever a new whim struck. “Most believe he was quite restrained in leaving it at duke and not trying for king or emperor.”
“Very restrained. What kind of shifter is he?”
She frowned. “Some kind of reptile, I believe. I’m not certain which species, though.”
“What kind of shifter is Stefan?” There was a hint of disgust in his voice when he said the other man’s name. “It wasn’t listed in any of the files I have on him.”
“A weasel.” Her smile wasn’t nice. Neither was Breck’s answering snort. She met his gaze. “Appropriate, but being a lesser predator species doesn’t help him in a fight. He doesn’t often shift unless he’s using his small size to escape someone. Or hide in some dark hole until the coast is clear.”
“And his men?”
“Nichols is a dingo. Nasty little mongrel, very dangerous. Leland, you don’t have to worry about shifting on you. Unless you’re near water, in which case, you’re sunk.”
“He’s a fish-shifter?”
“A great white shark.”
“Of course he is,” Breck muttered, huffing on a laugh and shaking his head. The breeze tossed around his blond hair, and the sun made the strands shine like gold. He was so handsome. His white teeth flashed in a little smile that was warm and just for her. Her heart turned over, even as she tried to harden it against him.
No matter which way this situation flipped, she couldn’t see how someone like her could ever end up with someone like him, mates or not. The thought made her ache inside, but she couldn’t lie to herself. She was a criminal, and he was a golden eagle—the golden boy from a golden family that had been wealthy and influential since before the Third Great War, when most people had lost everything. Circumstances might have brought them together for a little while, but in the end he’d have to fly away. A woman like her would be toxic to him, dragging him down into the gutter with her.
Reaching up, she brushed back a lock of hair from his forehead. He caught her hand, kissed her fingers. “That’s a very serious look you’re wearing, beloved.”
Beloved. She loved it when he called her that, though she knew she shouldn’t. She wished it could last, this thing between them. Nothing had ever felt as good. Not even the rush of pulling off a heist. But she had to focus on getting Sophie free of Stefan, even if it cost Tam’s life to do it. A future wasn’t a luxury she had anymore.
Instead of responding to him verbally, she rose up on tiptoe and kissed him, telling him with actions what she’d never said outright. He hummed, his hands settling on her hips to pull her close. She could feel his rising erection against her stomach, and her body responded with alarming enthusiasm. They both jolted when a loud horn blared out across the raceplex.
“And they’re off!” The announcer’s voice echoed across the grandstands, calling out the actions of the current race. A deafening cheer went up when the horses swept past.
The rest of the day went the same, the tension before a race building up, the horses parading by, the horn blaring, and then a few minutes of controlled chaos before it started all over again.
Breck rolled his shoulders beside her, stepping back to throw himself into one of the kleather chairs in their private box. “Deus, how many more of these are there?”
She glanced at the nanosheet she’d been given when they arrived. “We’ve done six, so . . . three more, according to the program.”
A groan was his only answer. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Tossing the nanosheet onto a low, hammered mercurite table, she reached out to press a button embedded in the wall. A privacy screen engaged, so they could see and hear everything going on around them, but no one could see or hear them. Then she walked over to Breck and crouched beside him. “You don’t have to be involved in—”
“Don’t. Just don’t.” His hand dropped to the arm of the chair and his eyes met hers. “I’m just impatient to do this thing. It’s how I get before closing any big deal. Now is the time I’d usually shift and go for a long flight to burn off some energy.” He shrugged, tapping his fingers restlessly against the kleather. “I’m fine.”
She could definitely understand that. The tension had been winding tighter and tighter inside of her since she’d kissed a sleeping Sophie’s forehead this morning before leaving her in the dubious care of Stefan, Leland, and Nichols.
A little distraction before they went after Abernathy would be a good thing for both of them. She ran the tip of her nail up the inseam of his pants, grinning when the muscles in his leg went taut and his cock began to swell against his fly.
His throat worked when he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “What are you doing?”
“No one can see us.” Glancing at the privacy screen that made the air waver ever so slightly, she tugged at the seal on his fly. “I know you’ve tried exhibitionism before. I remember the night we spent in the Peep Show at Tail. Pressed up against the glass for everyone in the technobrothel to watch.”
The look in his eyes was hot enough to burn. A little smile quirked up one side of his lips. “I remember. I remember every nanosecond we’ve ever spent together. Every word, every sigh, every moan. I’m not the one who’s been running away from what we have.”
Now it was her turn to swallow, her hands stilling. “It was for your own good.”
“Was it?” His finger crooked under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Or was it because you’re scared to be with a man you’re not trying to scam?”
“It’s more complicated than that and you know it. My life is . . .” She rolled a shoulder forward, unable to find the right words. The convincing words. But who was she trying to convince? Him or herself? She didn’t know anymore, and that disturbed her more than she liked.
Breck shook his head. “Your life is what it’s always been, Tamryn. This specific situation is especially personal for you, but . . . this is your life. Playing the game. On the grift.”
Never safe. Never trusting anyone. Never knowing if or when her cover might be blown. Never letting anyone in. She’d been lying to everyone so long, it threw her off balance that he knew the truth, that he was seeing the sordid ugliness of her reality. She might have learned to pass for someone wealthy and worthy of a man like Breck, but she knew what was fiction and what wasn’t. She didn’t lie to herself.
He leaned forward, his lips a micrometer from hers. They stayed that way for a protracted moment, gazes locked. The scent of him filled her nose, and her muscles loosened, heated. His breath brushed against her skin when he spoke. “Maybe if you stay around me long enough, it won’t be so scary to have something real with someone who knows you.”
Butterflies winged through her stomach and she wanted to pull back, wanted to hide behind a convenient mask, a charming smile, but there were no masks with this man. He’d seen behind them. But he was wrong. It wasn’t just scary to consider having something real with someone who wasn’t just another grifter like her.
It was terrifying.
Gut-wrenching. Utterly horrifying.
It couldn’t happen. This wasn’t her reality. There were no fairy-tale endings for people like her. She was no one’s sweet, innocent little Cinderella. She was more akin to the wicked witch. And she didn’t have time for fantasies. She had bigger problems to deal with—like keeping her sister alive and well. That was no game to her.
Pushing to her feet, she twisted away from Breck. “Let’s watch the—”
His hands snapped around her waist, jerking her backward into his lap. She squealed, her claws unsheathing on instinct as she grabbed the arms of the chair for balance. Struggling against his grip, she hissed. “I can slice you open, birdbrain. Don’t forget that.”
He controlled her movements, and she could feel his rigid cock rubbing against her backside as she wriggled. His voice was a low growl in her ear. “Ah, but you know I like it when you use your claws on me, kitty cat. Just like I know that you like it when I make sure you can’t.”
Meaning when he tied her down and did whatever he wanted with her. Wicked, carnal things that made her moan and beg for him to make her come. Over and over again. And he did. He always did.
His arms locked tight around her waist, holding her still. One hand gathered up the front of her dress until he could reach under it and slide his palm up her thigh to cup her sex.
Excitement whipped through her, made her breath rush in little pants and her heart pound in her ears. It almost drowned out the sound of the horn that announced the next race. His talons shredded her panties, left her hot, slick sex exposed. He jerked the scrap of microsilk away and threw it to the floor. The brush of cool air against her heated skin made her shudder and writhe. He ran the tip of one talon along the lips of her pussy, and her hands clenched on the arms of the chair.
“Breck,” she hissed through gritted teeth, feeling her fangs rub against her bottom lip.
Not bothering to answer, he flicked his talon across her hardened clit, and the muscles in her thighs jerked in response. She moaned, opened her legs to hook over his, and let her head fall back on his broad shoulder. The fabric of his shirt rustled, and there was something undeniably erotic about the fact that the only parts of them that were unclothed were their sexes. His cock prodded her backside, making her burn for the surcease that only he could give her.
“Slide my cock into your pussy, Tam.” His voice was a rough, intimate growl that sent shivers racing down her skin.
Releasing her hold on the arm of the chair, she had to concentrate on retracting her claws before she could do as he bid. She reached between her spread thighs to grasp his straining dick. Pressing the head to her entrance, she rocked her hips backward to take him into her while he thrust up. They both moaned as he filled her.
“Breck!”
“Tam,” he groaned in return. “Ride me, beloved.”
As if there was any other choice now. She had to finish this, her body screeched for fulfillment, the cheetah within her little more than a cat in heat. She lifted and lowered her hips, and his rocked to the same quick rhythm she set for them. Now. She wanted to come now. He slipped one hand up to fondle her breasts through her dress, roughly pinching and twisting each tight nipple in turn. Pinpricks of sensation radiated out from where he touched her. It was exquisite torment.
Using her grip on the chair for leverage to move ever faster, she took advantage of her cheetah speed. The cat and woman wrestled for control, and she wasn’t sure who won. They both got what they wanted.
Sweeping the finger on his other hand back and forth across her clit in time with her movements, Breck pushed her to the edge of her endurance. The way his cock filled her, stretched her to the limit, made her clench her teeth. It was too much, each deep penetration sent tingles skipping down her limbs. She could feel orgasm building inside her, her muscles tightening until she knew she’d snap. Up, down, up, down, she rode him hard and fast, sweat slipping down her temples and her lungs heaving as she chased after that inevitable conclusion.
“Come for me, Tam,” he ordered, pinching her clit.
She imploded, her channel fisting around his cock in hard pulses that left her gasping. His hands bracketed her hips, holding tight enough to leave bruises. He took over the motion, forcing her to move on his cock as he kept thrusting into her pussy, dragging her orgasm out while low cries burst from her throat. Her inner muscles flexed on his cock again and again until she thought she might die from the overwhelming sensation, but then he froze beneath her, jerked her down to seal her sex to his, and ground his pelvis upward into her pussy. She screamed as another climax streaked through her, and his come pumped inside of her while he groaned, long and loud.
Relaxing bonelessly against him when it was over, she felt quivers of aftershock running through her limbs. It was headier than a hit of bliss. She sighed and pried her claws out of the kleather. “I ruined the chair.”
“Worth every cred they’re going to charge me for it,” he replied, stroking his fingers in lazy circles on the inside of her thigh. A satiated sigh heaved from his broad chest. “We need to get ready for the party.”
But he made no move to rise, just stayed right where he was. Which made it that much harder for her to do the right thing, but a flash of Sophie’s face went through her mind and she had to act.
She rose on shaky legs, his cock sliding free as she stood. Her thighs were damp with her wetness and his seed. Keeping her dress bunched in her hands, she turned for the wash closet. “I’ll be right back.”
“I can clean up out here.” Grabbing for a napkin that had arrived with the champagne and appetizers, he groaned. “Hurry, I think the last race is about to start.”
As if to prove his point, the blast of the horn echoed over the raceplex. She put a bit of cheetah speed behind her clean up, using water, sanitizer, and a hand towel to take care of as much of the mess they’d made as possible. It would have to do. They didn’t have time to go back to the inn where they were staying to change clothing. She smoothed her dress down her legs and tidied her hair, then stepped out in time to see him sealing his pants.
“Time to go.”
Stooping down, he picked something up off the floor. He dangled what was left of her panties from one finger, bringing them up to his nose to sniff. “Ah, the scent of a woman who’s wet.” His grin was wicked. “I don’t think you’ll be wearing these to the party. Let’s hope there’s no breeze to lift that skirt up.”
“The party is indoors.”
The sound of his rich laughter followed her out of the box.