Descended (The Red Blindfold Book 3) Read online

  This wasn’t just another woman, a slutty girl at one of my clubs looking for a quick fuck. She wasn’t after my money. She knew next to nothing about me. And she was completely in my hands, without a past or a name. I had a responsibility to hold it together, and I always held it together. That was never a problem. Until right now.

  All I had to do was walk away. It was easy, and so fucking hard.

  Just as I turned to leave, I heard her stirring. “Who’s there?” she asked in a thin, frightened voice.

  Back turned, I stopped in my tracks. “Just me. Drex. I came to check on you.”

  “I’m not dressed.”

  Barely awake and already she was testy. She was a feisty little thing, no doubt about it. After what she’d been through, I couldn’t really blame her.

  “I know you’re not,” I said, “I just –”

  “What do you mean, you know?”

  I blew out a sigh. You picked up a woman who was clearly having issues. Don’t be surprised that she’s not acting like the perfect guest.

  “I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  I heard rustling as she stood up and started dressing. “You could have knocked.”

  “I did,” I said. “Three times.”

  “You could have knocked louder.”

  It wasn’t enough that I’d saved her from certain disaster. I needed to not worry about her, and do a much better job of knocking.

  She stepped up next to me, all attitude and flowing damp hair. If I’d thought my clothes would help disguise that sinful body, I was mistaken.

  “Next time, please warn me before you invade my privacy,” she said.

  I frowned at her. “Are you kidding?”

  “You don’t see me smiling.”

  It was all I could do not to drag her back out to my truck. “Listen, lady. You don’t like my hospitality? Then I won’t subject you to it. I’ll give you that hundred bucks you asked for – hell, I’ll give you a thousand – and drop you off where I found you. You can fend for yourself. Sound fair?”

  She crossed her arms. “Perfectly.”

  The cotton shirt gapped where she’d missed a button, revealing a porcelain-white glimpse of her breast. She had no idea how sexy she was, and that made it even worse.

  “You don’t mean that,” I said.

  “Um, hello,” she said. “My face is up here.” I glanced up to see her eyebrows raised and her head tilted to one side.

  “You missed a button, that’s all. I was trying to help.”

  “You try to help in some pretty strange ways. Which reminds me, why did you have to kiss me, anyway? Was that really necessary?”

  “Most women would just be glad they got to experience it.”

  She let out short laugh. “Seriously? Are you that in love with yourself?”

  “Love’s got nothing to do with it.”

  “I’m sure it doesn’t,” she said. “It probably never will.”

  Ouch. I didn’t want her words to sting, but they felt like vinegar on a fresh wound.

  It was almost as if she could see my recent dating history projected on the wall like a bad sex tape. One purely physical relationship after another, none lasting more than five or six months. Lots of pretty girls who did exactly as I instructed, but no challenges. Nobody who made me think, or kept me awake at night.

  “Didn’t you say you were going to earn your keep while you were here, Blue Eyes?”

  She twisted her full mouth. “I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

  “If you’d tell me your name, I would.”

  Now it was her turn to feel the sting. Her eyes shot daggers at me. “You think I’m lying about this? Pretending for the hell of it?”

  “Of course not,” I said, taking an apologetic step toward her.

  She was so riled up her cheeks were flaming red. “Stay where you are.”

  “I will, if you tell me what to call you.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, tossing a hand through the air. “Pick something.”

  “Just – pick a name?”

  She gave me an insolent shrug. “Why not?”

  I’d tied women up, spanked them, and made them crawl around after me on all fours, begging to be fucked. But naming one – now that was a thrill I’d never experienced before tonight.

  I thought for a few seconds. “All right, then. How about Jane?”

  She leveled a deadly gaze at me. “As is Jane Doe?”

  I crossed my arms, daring her to come up with something better. “Why not?”

  “It’s as good a name as any, I guess,” she said. “Kind of goes with this part of the country.”

  “Calamity Jane,” I said.

  “Plain Jane,” she shot back.

  “You’re far from plain,” I said with a smile. “But you knew that already.”

  She blushed a pretty dark pink. Wow. Under all that bluster and fire, she was the kind of woman who blushed.

  And that was exactly the kind of woman who got to me.

  My nylon gym shorts slipped low over her round hips, barely clinging, threatening to slip lower every time she moved.

  The shirt had a cruel way of sliding over her breasts, offering shadowy glimpses of her hard nipples. She could hardly have looked more tempting if she’d been wearing seamed stockings, stripper heels, and nothing else.

  And her panties – she probably wasn’t even wearing them after what that little piece of pink silk had been through. But I wouldn’t think about it. I was a civilized man, and I didn’t treat gorgeous women like sex objects.

  At least that’s what I told myself so I wouldn’t lose my fucking mind while we ate dinner on the terrace.

  “Is there any more chicken?” she asked, scooping up a forkful of spinach. The breeze ruffled her hair, blowing a silky strand across her face. I could still feel that hair in my fingers from grabbing her earlier. It was thick and fine, the perfect length for pulling. I imagined putting her on all fours and kneeling behind her, drawing her head back until her gorgeous neck curved and she whimpered for mercy.

  “One piece left,” I said. “It’s all yours.”

  “Thanks.”

  She hardly looked at me as she ate, filling her cheeks, taking one big bite after another. I tried not to stare at her butter-slick lips and the sensual way she licked the corners of her mouth. Halfway through her last helping, she glanced up and gave me an embarrassed smile. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m pretty hungry.”

  “Of course you are.”

  I had a dozen questions on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t ask any of them. How old are you? Where are you from? What do you do for a living? Her life was only three days old, and something about that fascinated me. She was brand new, open to any intense new experience I might want to give her.

  But she was also scared and traumatized.

  I couldn’t take advantage of a woman in her state, though Christ knew I wanted to. She was somebody’s daughter, maybe somebody’s wife. Even that thought wouldn’t banish my inappropriate but extremely persistent erection.

  “That was delicious,” she said.

  “Thanks, but it wasn’t even close.”

  “It was the best I’ve ever had…in the last three days.”

  She smiled. Whoever she was, whoever she belonged to, she was very special. Maybe her husband had gone crazy with jealousy one night and that was how the whole thing started. I could easily imagine going ballistic if another man so much as looked at her. The blast of pure testosterone driving me as I shoved the guy’s face into the nearest brick wall.

  But I wasn’t like that anymore, was I? I was a trustworthy, low-drama, no-headline CEO type. That’s what my investors wanted, and that’s what I gave them. Even if I still had a primitive side I tried hard to restrict to the bedroom.

  Not that anybody had tempted that side of me lately. And when it did happen, it was more like going through the motions, fantasizing I was with a different type of woman. A woman more like, well
, the one sitting across from me.

  “How long are you staying here?” she asked.

  The one question I couldn’t answer. “As long as it takes to track down my father.”

  “That’s who you’re looking for?”

  “Yes,” I said, reaching for my glass of cabernet. “He took off by himself about a week ago.”

  Jane gave me a curious frown. “What do you mean, took off?”

  Here we go. Damn. Elijah was not my favorite topic of conversation; in fact, I made it a point to keep him a very well-guarded secret.

  But then, he was no secret to the cops and prison wardens down here. He’d been racking up felonies for so long, he was practically a folk legend. The man was one part Jesse James, one part Whitey Bulgur, with a record that read like a loser’s to-do list: assault, attempted murder, bribery, car theft, and on and on through the alphabet to weapons possession.

  After my first arrest at twenty-one for illegal gambling, he’d taken a hard swing at me and missed. But what he’d said had hurt a lot worse than a broken nose. “Apple don’t fall far from the fucking tree, does it? You got my blood, and you’ll never amount to nothing.”

  I’d spent every minute since proving to myself that family didn’t equal fate. My father’s DNA hadn’t ruined my half-brother, and I’d be goddamned if it would ruin me.

  Jane blinked as she waited for my answer. If she’d been anyone else, I’d have shut the conversation down or changed the subject. But the way she looked at me with those piercing blue eyes – it was impossible to dodge her question.

  “He’s been in and out of jail since I was a kid,” I said. “He was finally released two years ago after a twelve-year term. I hoped he’d simmer down with age, but a couple of strokes have made him even more unpredictable. I hired somebody to look after him in Houston, but that only lasted a couple of months. Last week he slipped out of his apartment and took his neighbor’s car. Friday I got a call from a contact of mine in the Chimayo police department. My father’s here again, up to Christ knows what. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Jane’s pale eyebrows went up, giving her a sweet, earnest look.

  It was a nice offer, but come on. She was having a hell of a time just helping herself. “Thanks, but you’ve got enough to deal with,” I said.

  “It sounds like you do, too,” she said.

  So the woman had a little humility, after all. “I didn’t have to get out of my truck.”

  She looked at me over the rim of her wineglass. “I guess I’m glad you did. Now.”

  My guts twisted. I was a sucker for a little encouragement – from her, anyway. “You didn’t seem glad at the time.”

  “You were just another stranger I had to worry about.”

  “If you were so worried about strangers, why’d you start talking to bikers?”

  She smiled. “I stopped being picky about who I talked to about two and a half days ago. That doesn’t mean I stopped worrying.”

  “But bikers?” I said with mock disappointment. “The Dead End? What a dive. I thought you had better taste.”

  “Apparently, I don’t. But look on the bright side. I’m probably a really cheap date.”

  With a playful grin, she stood up and started clearing the plates. God help my sorry ass if she bent over too close to me.

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said. “You’ve had a long day.”

  “I told you I’d earn my keep, and I meant it.”

  “Jane…”

  It took her a second to realize that I was using her new name. She stopped and glanced up, her eyes faintly amused. “Yes?”

  “I’ll let you clear the table if you promise me one thing.”

  “Name it.”

  “Tomorrow we’ll talk to my friend at the police department to see if anyone’s looking for you.”

  She stiffened. “Not the police again.”

  “I understand what happened to you that night, but this’ll be different. I promise.”

  Damned if I didn’t see a glimmer of trust in her eyes. “I just...I don’t want to be a spectacle. I’ve had enough of that.”

  “You don’t have to go with me,” I said. “I just want to ask them a few questions.”

  She considered me through her long, dark lashes before reaching for the pepper grinder. “All right. But don’t expect to find out anything.”

  “I’ve got no expectations at all.”

  “Maybe that should be my new motto,” she said with a sexy little shrug.

  Dishes balanced in both hands, she walked toward the kitchen. How could she look that luscious in nylon gym shorts? And why hadn’t I changed before dinner into something less dusty and wrinkled? Why did I care?

  It had been a long time since I’d wanted to impress a woman. The girls I met were impressed in advance by who I was and what I could do for them, whether it was fuck them senseless or get them a job.

  But Blue Eyes – Jane – knew me as the guy who’d kissed her in front of a bunch of Bandidos. The asshole who’d barged into her room. She didn’t know enough to be blown away or nervous. Even with no makeup and wearing a man’s clothes, she was more confident than anybody I knew.

  And those feet. If they were that sexy bare and without polish, I could only imagine how they’d look painted red in stilettos.

  “Drex!”

  I jumped up from my chair. She was hollering for me as if she’d just seen a tarantula or an armed robber, both of which were very good possibilities around here.

  In two seconds I was in the house, heart hammering, ready to do battle. As soon as I got to the kitchen, I stopped dead in my tracks.

  “Aw, Jesus,” I muttered. “Are you kidding me?”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Diesel, teeth semi-bared, had my lovely houseguest backed against the refrigerator.

  “If only I were,” Jane said, her palms flat against the stainless steel. “Where the hell did she come from?”

  “She must have broken out of her kennel again.”

  Jane snickered. “You trusted a kennel to hold a dog like that?”

  “I wouldn’t say trusted, exactly.”

  Diesel’s tail wagged twice, then went straight up. A deafening bark split the air and she growled, long and low.

  “Growling and wagging her tail,” Jane said. “What does that mean?”

  “Probably that she’s scared of you,” I said.

  “Well, the feeling’s mutual.”

  I didn’t have much authority with Diesel yet, but I needed to get some in a hurry. “Back off,” I said in my firmest voice. “Now.”

  She turned and growled again, this time at me. Hell of a dog whisperer I was.

  “Repetition is key,” I said, glancing at Jane. “Give her time.”

  She frowned. “Time? Just get me out of here, okay? I don’t care how you do it.”

  Don’t tempt me. “You mean that?”

  She answered with a sassy twist of her full mouth.

  “All right, in that case…”

  Stepping around the dog, I grabbed Jane’s waist with both hands and pulled her toward me. It shouldn’t have been erotic just to move her, but I was harder than I’d been since…an hour ago. And if she hadn’t taken a step back, she never would have known.

  But she did, and her hip grazed all eight, thick inches. She gasped in surprise. Instead of letting go, I gripped harder. Yeah, it was improper and wrong, and I didn’t give a damn. For just two more seconds, I wanted to feel how fragile she was. I wanted her to feel the absolute power in my hands. Let her sense what that power could do if I stripped her down, spread her legs apart, and pushed two fingers all the way inside her.

  But now her hands were on mine, trying to pry herself free.

  “No,” I said, low and soothing in her ear. “Stay still. Give Diesel a minute to get used to you.”

  Back low, nose sniffing the air, the dog slowly approached her. Jane backed up, pressing her a
ss into my pelvis. A wave of arousal rocked me, making my palms sweat. She had to feel them, hot and damp through the thin cotton of the shirt. Had to feel my shaft pushed against her like the stock of a rifle.

  Damnit, this was why I’d pulled over this afternoon. Not because she needed rescuing, but because I needed this. I wanted it and I was going to get it, no matter how many lies I had to tell myself.

  “She’s too close,” Jane whispered. Diesel was sniffing her bare leg and walking in a cautious circle.

  “Don’t move. Let her see she can trust you.”

  Jane was breathing fast, her hair tangled against my chest. Her skin was warm and smelled like fragrant soap and pure femininity. This was how she’d respond to my touch – if she didn’t try to deck me first.

  “She can’t trust me,” Jane said. “If I had a broom right now this whole situation would be different.”

  “She’s been through a lot,” I said. “Just like you have.”

  “Yeah. And you don’t see me taking a piece out of somebody’s leg.”

  “She hasn’t done that, either. Yet.”

  The slope of Jane’s waist fit my hands so perfectly it seemed made for me. Hard as I tried, I couldn’t let her go.

  “Down, Diesel,” I said in a hoarse whisper, but I didn’t even mean it. I wanted Diesel to stay right where she was, scaring the wits out of Jane until she spread her lean legs for me on the tile floor.

  “I don’t think she’s listening,” Jane said.

  “I’ve had that problem with women a lot today,” I said.

  If Blue Eyes kept rubbing against me like that, intentional or not, I was going to lose control. She might not be able to remember much, but she knew what a big, stiff cock was for. She knew why my heart was pounding against her back and why my hands were locked like steel to her ribs.

  I lowered my mouth to her neck and let her feel the tip of my tongue. She could punch me or kick me in the balls for all I cared – it would be a small price to pay to taste her warm sweetness.

  Instead, she leaned her head to one side and let out a quivering sigh that made my blood run like hot gasoline. If she was wet – and with that response she fucking had to be – she probably wasn’t wearing those silk panties to soak it up.