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  Impressive.

  And he approved. With a knife, he cut through the makeshift tie job she’d done on him. Then he moved to Mindy. Again, the damage done was impressive. He’d seen Mindy take down men in the gang without a thought or seeming to be any threat. But here the two of them lay, looking rough. One thing was for certain—they would be hurting when they finally woke.

  Once he was back on his feet, he went to the door before going back to Travis and taking a knee briefly beside him before leaving the room. Immediately, his gaze shot over to his woman. Xahara.

  He didn’t think she’d lied to him about her name and he believed that she wasn’t from here. Not that it mattered—Paul wasn’t getting his hands on her.

  Stopping before he got to Paul, he stretched out his arm and beckoned her. “Come here, baby.”

  She didn’t make him say it again, and as she moved, he restrained himself from punching his boss for leering at her as she walked.

  “Let’s go.” He tucked her against his side.

  “I don’t like people fucking with my orders, Jager.”

  “You told us we were leaving for a while. Fine. I’m in, I am here with you, but I wasn’t about to up and leave my woman to the cops to question. Not when I don’t fucking know when I’ll be back.”

  He needed to get her out of here and take a look at her side. She was damn good about keeping that side away from Paul, but he knew she’d been shot. The fact that she wasn’t out cold was impressive as hell. Jager hadn’t ever felt so blatantly possessive before.

  Paul glared at them both and he didn’t move beneath the intense scrutiny. He wanted to, not from nerves, but anger. This psychotic fuck would have killed her without a damn bit of compunction about it.

  The glide of a feminine hand along the swath of his lower back, ass and over to his other side, shifted his main focus. He couldn’t help it. This woman fought like a warrior, looked like a fucking beauty queen and had moxie.

  “If you’re with him, why don’t you know Mindy and Travis?”

  “I’m with him and you didn’t know me. Why am I supposed to know them? My man was very clear about him not sharing. I’m the same way.” She looked at him and touched the tip of one finger to his jawline, and his cock declared mutiny, determined to get to this woman and have that touch on him.

  He squeezed the nape of her neck again and she sighed heavily before settling her head against his shoulder. Okay, he could get used to this. Take away the guns, the danger and the fact that his perfect woman was bleeding from a gunshot wound, and all would be aces in his book.

  The bathroom door opened and out stumbled Mindy and Travis.

  “Boss,” Travis called before his gaze landed on the woman tucked tight to Jager’s side.

  “Useless piece of shit. Get up front and see if you can’t keep an eye on the defenseless women and children.” Paul waved him on with the barrel of the rifle, not at all concealing how much he’d like to shoot the shit.

  Mindy glared at Xahara, and he tightened his grip when Xahara leaned forward, like she couldn’t withstand the challenge. She was a predator and Mindy was about to be her prey.

  “What’s that bitch doing with you? She was—”

  “I know he told you to stay away from him.” Xahara’s voice was dagger sharp. “He described you and told me how you continued to invite him into your bed. Bitch, he’s got a woman, and the next time you try to touch him, I’m going to fucking slit your throat. That little ass kicking you got in there is going to be like a fluffy cloud settling around you.”

  She was good, correctly reading the pissed-off vibe from Paul toward Mindy. This Xahara was full of surprises and the thought that he would get to keep her around and dig them out one by one pleased him. Inordinately.

  Paul snagged Mindy’s hair and yanked her head back. She didn’t back down but swung hard, connecting with his face. Then they were kissing.

  Jager edged past them both, keeping his body between Xahara and the kissing duo. “We’ll be up front when you’re done. Let’s not forget we have less than five minutes before the cops show.”

  Jager continued and by the time they reached the main lobby, he had basically taken over all the support of her weight.

  “Hang on, Dove.”

  God, hang on—I’m not ready to lose you and I haven’t even had the chance to meet you.

  Chapter Two

  Xahara blinked and allowed the solid man at her side to hold more of her weight. Black spots were beginning to flicker in front of her eyes and she knew it wasn’t going to be long before her world was completely dark.

  None of this made any sense. This man, by all accounts, should have sold her out. Protected himself and his crew. But he was holding her as if she were the most important thing in his world.

  She struggled to figure out the connecting link that seemed to be just out of her reach.

  “Easy there, Dove.” His whisper went directly into her ear. “Can you hold out for a little bit longer? I’ll get a kit and tend you soon.”

  “Don’t bother.” She forced anger into her tone, hating how she wanted to let him take care of her, get her help. “Better you just let me die, because I’m fucking going to make you pay for trying to rob this place.”

  I must be insane, because I should know better than to antagonize someone in this position, especially with me in the one I’m in.

  If her way of speaking to him bothered him, he didn’t show it. They reached where the others had convened.

  “Everything is loaded, time to leave.”

  The room spun, but he only anchored her closer to him. He and Paul shared a look before Paul turned and walked away.

  “Hang on, Dove.”

  “Dove of Death? Yes. Yours.”

  He tsked. “That’s not any way to talk to the love of your life.”

  Whatever she had been about to say faded when he damn near shoved her into the back of a waiting vehicle.

  “Who’s the bitch?”

  “Mine.”

  He put her by the window and sat close. The others piled in, the haul behind them. It had been planned down to the last detail and the driver pulled away without hesitation, not checking with anyone else about what was going on. There were two other cars with them that others had gotten into and driven off as well.

  Each vehicle went different ways. She didn’t care about the other two. Breathing began to grow increasingly difficult and she no longer fought the urge to close her eyes. The man beside her nuzzled her cheek and played the adoring boyfriend, lover, whatever he was supposed to be.

  That’s right, my man.

  It bothered her how much that pleased her. She would not push a man like him out of her bed. Mentally rolling her eyes at her line of thought, she realized she had to get out of this fucked up situation she’d gotten herself into before she could even contemplate taking a man to bed.

  “What are you thinking about?” His voice, a low, bassy rasp, set her hypersensitive nerves on fire.

  “Taking a man to bed.”

  Fuck. That slipped out.

  “Damn,” the one he’d called Paul said. “Your bitch gets hard up after robbing a depository? I want a turn with her.”

  “Don’t share my woman or my cut.” Jager’s voice was concrete and unmovable.

  “We’re supposed to be a team.”

  “You have Mindy and a number of other whores waiting to spread their legs for you. She belongs to me.”

  “What the fuck ever man, probably a fucking ice cube in bed.”

  Her limbs weren’t moving so well and she sank deeper against the man who had his arm wrapped about her. He had anchored her to the present, even though her grasp on it was fading. He wasn’t letting her go. Fleeting touches, caresses and the flow of his warm breath along her skin all combined to keep her there. Wanting to see what happened next, what he could make her feel next.

  “Is that true?”

  Three words that pulled up her eyelids. He was right
there, eyes locking on hers the second they could.

  “Is what true?”

  His gaze touched her lightly and her belly clenched for a reason other than pain. At least on the physical level.

  “That you’re an ice cube in bed.” His lip twitched as that sexy gaze darkened even more. “Because I doubt that very much, Dove. I bet anything you’re a goddamn firecracker.”

  He pushed closer to her, somehow touching her in places he didn’t even have access to.

  “Hang on, Dove, because I’m not willing to let you go until I find out for myself.”

  “I didn’t know hell froze over.”

  Despite the concern in his eyes, he smiled. “Hold on to that fighting spirit.”

  This kiss was so featherlight, she believed she may have missed it. She closed her eyes and woke up later, lying on a bed in a room with low lighting.

  Xahara skimmed the room, unable to pinpoint where she was, and that alone set her on alert.

  Fucking got me to a secondary location. Something that had been drummed into her from the beginning. And not just police training, her father had drummed this into from the start. Never, ever let them get her to a secondary location. And here, because she’d listened to her traitorous ovaries, she was now elsewhere. Unsure of where and injured.

  “Don’t panic, Dove. You’re fine.”

  There it was once more. That darkly decadent voice that belonged to Jager.

  “Jager.”

  A shadow pushed from the wall and flowed toward her until she could make out his ruggedness. The fucking sexy smirk made her mind drift from the lingering pain.

  “Glad you remember my name, Dove. I got the bullet out and stitched you up. No over-the-top heroics. And I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but we have to abstain from the heavy, hard sex for a bit.” He bent closer and stroked the back of two scarred knuckles down her face. “But slow, long, and drugging sex is always an option, if you can’t wait until you recover.”

  Despite her instincts screaming that this man was dangerous and she needed to find a way to get far, far away from this too tempting specimen, she smiled.

  “I’ll be fine. You, however, will have a difficult time keeping your hands off me.”

  His lips twitched. “Already am.”

  She sobered and struggled to sit up, not liking his advantage over her. Positive he knew her discomfort, he didn’t speak on it, nor did he assist her to a sitting position. It wasn’t as good as if she were on her feet, but it was better.

  “Thank you. Not sure about your reasons for saving me, but you need to let me go.”

  Sexy as hell he may have been, but the bastard didn’t even bat an eye.

  “Not a chance. I saved you. You’re mine.”

  “Planning on shooting me?” She weighed her injury and her chances of taking this hard physique down.

  And the sexy came back in full force. He crossed his arms and stared down at her. Fucking little dimple in his cheek that had her wanting to dip her tongue in there. She could see all his ink that poured from beneath his sleeves. It wasn’t quite a full sleeve that he had, but there was a lot there and she wanted to see it all.

  And by all, she meant all.

  “I plan on getting you better, then making you come.”

  His incredible blue eyes darkened, and she swallowed. Hard.

  On his right wrist sat a black beaded bracelet and a small, what looked to be a silver torc—but for the wrist, not the neck.

  “I’m not staying here. I’m no thief.”

  One side of his mouth twitched up. Seconds later, he was encroaching on her space, one arm braced behind her as his other was moving with all too familiar slickness up the front of the shirt she wore. Not her own. From the scent around her, it was his. Her sweater was beside her leg, partially buried below the bedding.

  “What are you doing?”

  He changed the direction of his hand and had just dipped his fingers below the waistband of her pants when the door was kicked open, admitting Paul, who had a firm scowl in place.

  Jager’s face was pressed tight to her neck, his facial hair doing wicked things to her as his heated breath flowed over her blatantly hyperactive skin.

  “Oh!” The sharp gasp fell from her lips, even as her legs—traitorous fuckers—fell wider for him, granting easier access.

  Jager didn’t believe he could get any harder than he was. This woman had a fucking landing strip and the soft hair tickled at his fingertips. For fuck’s sake, he wanted nothing more than to push her back and settle between her legs after he’d removed pants, panties and any other obstacle in his way.

  Including Paul.

  Without removing his hand—and he knew he was lucky that this woman hadn’t fucking killed him for taking such liberties with her—he lifted his head, skimming his lips along her jaw before turning his head to glare at the intruder.

  “What the fuck do you want?” he growled.

  “What are you two doing?”

  “We were about to celebrate, but someone interrupted us.”

  “You know I’m the boss of this little outfit, right? This was my plan? My people?”

  Even though he didn’t want to, Jager withdrew his hand from her underwear but not her pants, angling himself so that he could protect her better and keep her injury from view. He licked his fingers, cock kicking hard within his pants, and grinned at the jealousy in Paul’s eyes.

  “You came to me, fucker. You were the one who hunted me down because of my ability to get in there. You rule them, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re partners.” He cracked his neck and fingers, making damn sure he was as imposing as he could be while sitting on a bed with a sexy woman and having just pulled his fingers out of her pants. “The only reason I’m still here is because, out of respect, I was waiting until your drivers came back before getting my cut and leaving. Keep on like this and I’ll take mine now and bounce.”

  Paul snarled at him. Xahara pressed against his back and he almost reached for her when her hand landed on his Glock. Movements slight, she removed it but didn’t shift away from him.

  “You really want to do this, Paul?”

  “I should kill you and take your bitch.”

  Expecting her to voice her displeasure at his comment, Jager was pleased when all she did was inch closer. His balls and cock jerked when she slid a hand around him, settling on his abdomen. She raked her nails lightly along his fevered skin. He captured her hand and held her still. The heat she created within him only increased when she took her index finger and began tracing the tattoo on the back of his hand. Her nails, the same color as her sweater just with a hint of glitter, had him envisioning what it was going to be like when she touched him for real. When she allowed her nails to bite into him as he stroked deep into her pussy and made her scream his name.

  “Don’t bother me for the next two hours. I’ve got business to attend with Dove.”

  Paul braced a shoulder against the doorframe. “Two hours?”

  Jager snarled once more. “I get it. You wouldn’t have that lying with the whores you frequent, but when you have someone like my Dove, you take your time. While it’s not nearly long enough for me to assuage my desire for her, as the remaining two guys are due back then, it’s all the time we have. And you’re dipping into that.”

  The two of them glared at each other for a few more moments, then Paul stomped away, slamming the door in his wake.

  He did not want to move his hand, but he did, even though she’d not tensed up beside him. As his fingers got free of her waistband, he turned to stare at her. Those damnable eyes waited for him.

  “Is this where you tell me you’re going to kill me?”

  “I should.” Her voice was low and breathy.

  His cock became dipped in iron with those two words and he shifted against the mattress. She continued to touch the back of his hand with two fingers even as she remained locked on to his gaze.

  “Why?”

  “For tea
sing me. It’s not common for a man to put his hands down my pants and not give me an orgasm.”

  He shifted closer and put them lips to lips. “Is that what you want? Me to give you an orgasm?”

  Her thready breathing pushed more need through him. Jager flicked his tongue out and skimmed along the seam of her lips.

  “Tell me.”

  “I need to be getting the fuck away from you.”

  “And yet, here you sit.”

  She blinked and he wanted to know if her lashes were real. He’d never seen any so long, thick and curvy before.

  “Here I sit. Wanting your hand back down my pants and giving me the orgasm I so fucking need.”

  Jager took her at her word. This was so far out of the book he had pretty much thrown it out of the window of a goddamn bullet train. Pressing his lips to the gentle yet strong curve of her neck, he smiled as she whimpered. Nose in her soft hair, he inhaled and was surrounded by the scent of fresh raindrops, and it glided along his skin, tempting him further.

  He placed his hand back on her abdomen and went down, his cock throbbing as he dipped once more beyond the band of her pants. Satin met him and he continued over the smoothness of her panties until he hit the left edge. Her breath hitched.

  “You fucking smell like heaven.” He indulged in another few delicate laps against her skin.

  “Stop teasing me.”

  Helping her to lie back, he nibbled and nipped his way along her neck. Making sure he didn’t hit or aggravate her injury, he closed his hand over her upper arm as she lay in his arms, one around her back, supporting her and his other hand down her pants, seeking and locating that damn landing strip.

  “I can’t wait to pull these pants off you and sink between your fucking thighs and put my mouth to this pussy. Feel your thighs tighten around my head. Taste your cream.” He nipped at her skin again. “Just like I can’t wait until you fucking ride my face, taking what you need until I’m covered in your juices. I know you’re going to taste fucking amazing.”

  She whimpered, and his cock took on another layer of steel. In his peripheral vision , he watched her hands clenched the bedding beneath them.