Nobody's Hero (34 page)

Taking a running start, she catapulted
herself across the postage-stamp sized lawn and was in his arms
before he could even get off the bike. “Oh, Sir. I thought you were
dead.”

“Whoa! What’s this all about, kitten?”

“When I heard you were riding this damned
bike out here, I just pictured all kinds of horrible things. Then
you didn’t answer our text messages or voicemails...”

With his hands on her shoulders, he pulled
her away from him, then swung his left leg over the bike’s saddle
and pulled her between his thighs. “Where’s Damián? I want a piece
of his hide for telling you.”

Karla’s index finger stabbed his
leather-covered chest for emphasis, trying to command his
attention. “You should have been the one to tell me. Why did you
choose to ride this damned machine when you knew how I felt? Don’t
pretend you were trying to take my feelings into consideration. I
don’t buy it. I’m pissed at you right now.”

“I thought you were just eternally grateful I
wasn’t road kill.”

She pounded her fist against his chest, but
probably hurt herself more than him. “Don’t you dare make fun of my
fears!”

“C’mon, tiger. Retract your claws. You should
know by now I’m indestructible. Besides, it’s been a helluva long
ride and I don’t need you riding me, now. At least not like
this.”

She looked up at him and locked her jaw so it
wouldn’t shake. “Oh, Adam. I kept picturing you lying
somewhere…”

He held his arms out to her.

Karla walked into his embrace and held on
tightly, wanting nothing more than to take care of him. She never
could stay angry long.

“I’m sorry I worried you, kitten. It wasn’t
my intention. I was just the easiest way to get the bike out here
and Damián can always handle things better when he can go for a
ride and think.”

“I understand. Just don’t do it again.”

He chuckled. “Are you telling your Dom what
to do?”

“Punish me all you want, but yes, I am.” Her
voice filled with emotion. “I anything happened to you, Sir,
I’d…”

“Enough, Karla. Nothing happened. I’m here.
End of story.”

Karla sighed. “Yes, Sir. Come inside. We have
leftover enchiladas and Spanish rice. You can take a shower or bath
first, if you like.”

“I don’t suppose there’s room in the tub for
both of us.”

She leaned back and grinned up at him. “I
don’t think so, unless we take a shower.” Memories of his taking
her roughly in the shower last month made her clit throb. Hard to
believe it had only been a few weeks.

He met her gaze. “Oh, yeah. Shower it is.” He
grinned.

How could she stay mad at him, when all she
wanted was to be in bed—after being in the shower—with him
again?

Adam grew serious as he stood up next to her.
“Now, before I go in there, tell me how things are going.”

Karla gave him updates on Teresa and Rosa and
told him she’d spent most of her time entertaining ten-year-old
José, who didn’t understand what had happened, but knew some
serious shit had gone down around him.

“How about you, kitten? Have you been eating?
You look like you’ve lost weight. Are you getting enough sleep?”
The pads of his thumbs brushed against the circles she’d seen in
the mirror this morning.

It touched her heart that he’d think about
her at a time like this, even when she knew she must look a mess,
after her recent episode in the bathroom. “I’m fine, now that
you’re here.” She stepped into his arms again, wrapped her arms
around his waist, and held on tight. Despite the road grime, she
still detected a hint of his woodsy scent, along with the more
potent male musk and sweat. “I missed you so much, Sir.”

His arms around her “Not half as much as I
missed you, kitten.” He bent down and brushed his lips against her,
sending shockwaves through her body. She’d missed his touch, his
kisses, his…

“You two need to get a room.”

Karla broke apart from Adam to find Damián
standing a few feet away, grinning at them warily as he met Adam’s
gaze. Adam gave him a withering stare in return. “Your ass is
grass, son, for worrying Karla like that.”

Damián grew serious. “It just slipped out
this morning. I swear, if I could have called the words back, I
would have. Immediately.” Then his tone turned accusatory. “So, why
didn’t you respond to our messages?”

“Fucking phone died outside Las Vegas this
morning.” Adam looked down and scraped the toe of his boot against
the curb. “Okay, so I forgot to charge it at the motel.”

His sheepish grin warmed her heart all over
again. “You stopped?”

“Hell, yeah. Twelve hours on the road was my
limit. Pulled into Vegas this morning and decided to get some
shuteye before I took the last five-hour stretch.”

He did use a little common sense. She smiled,
and he quirked an eyebrow at her, but she didn't explain. Instead,
she wrapped her arms around him again and felt his encircle
her.

“But I did win a nice jackpot playing dollar
slots in the motel lobby before I left town. I’ll treat you all to
dinner, after I get the layers of road dirt off.”

“We’ll take a rain check. I’m taking Rosa and
the kids down to the amusement park in San Diego tonight.” Damián
grinned, a twinkle in his eyes. “You two have the house to
yourselves for the next six hours or so. Enjoy.”

Karla eased out of Adam’s embrace and crossed
to the sidewalk to give Damián a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks. I owe
you one,” she whispered.

“Hey, it’s the least I can do to keep him
from coming along tonight and chewing my ass out all the way to the
city and back.” He gave her a hug and turned to go back into the
house. Karla returned to Adam’s arms, not wanting to be away from
him for a second longer.

“Damián.” He stopped and turned to face Adam.
“How are you doing?”

Damián balled his hands into fists before she
watched him forcibly regain control of his emotions.
“Motherfucker…” He glanced at Karla. “No apologies. That’s what he
is.” He looked back at Adam. “Motherfucker hasn’t been caught
yet.”

“Shit. Stay here as long as you need to, to
protect your family.”

“Might as well. I got fired from the
shop.”

Karla hadn’t heard about that. Like Adam,
Damián didn’t reveal much. Without question, his being here was
necessary. His family needed him and she could tell he served in a
paternal role with them, even long distance.

“Aw, hell, I’m sorry to hear that, son. I
know how much you liked working there.”

Damián shrugged, but she knew how much he
loved his work, too. “There’ll be other jobs. My place is here
right now.”

“I’m proud of you, son, for taking care of
your family.”

Damián’s voice grew husky. “Thanks, Dad.
Coming from you, that means a lot.”

Karla didn’t try to hide the tears wetting
her cheeks. These two men had such a special connection. She was so
glad they had each other, even if they’d had to bond under such
horrific circumstances in Fallujah. She didn’t know a lot about
what had happened there, but the pieces she’d overheard from them
when they spoke with other vets at the club, including Marc, told
her it had caused many nightmares for all of them.

“I’d better get inside. Teresa and José were
pretty excited about going to San Diego. Rosa, well, she just needs
a change of scenery.”

“What can I do to help, son?”

Damián cast a worried glance at Karla before
turning back to Adam. Rage in the younger man seethed just below
the surface. She could even feel the tenseness in Adam and knew he
harbored a deep-seated anger as well.

“We’ll talk in the morning.”

She had a feeling she didn’t want to know
what the two of them would be planning, but she was sure it had to
do with Julio. She hoped the police caught him before either or
both of these two men did.

Adam pulled a huge roll of bills out of his
jacket pocket, the outer bill a twenty, and handed it to Damián.
“Here. These winnings are for you.”

Damián held his hand up, palm facing Adam.
“No, I don’t need…”

“Take it.” When Adam used that tone, she knew
she’d never refuse him. Neither did Damián, who reached out to
accept the money.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Looking
embarrassed, Damián turned and went toward the house. Thank
goodness Adam had had a lucky streak. She hadn’t thought about how
being here was affecting Damián’s livelihood, although he obviously
couldn't make money if he wasn’t able to go to the shop. Then she
wondered if Adam had really won the money, or if this was his way
to get a man with
machismo
to accept his help without
appearing unable to meet the needs of his family.

Men and their pride. She shook her head,
rolling her eyes.

Adam reached down and stroked her cheek. “I’m
proud of you.”

“For what?”

“For the whole way you handled Damián and
dealt with his crisis while I was gone—better than I could have
done.”

“That’s ridiculous. He’d have rather had you
here. Besides, I just did what anyone would do.” She smiled,
finally able to use the line that Adam had thrown at her so many
times.

“Stop disagreeing with your Dom, baby
tiger.”

“Yes, Sir.”

He chuckled. “Just know that you made me very
proud. You’re strong and invincible. I’d want you fighting by my
side any day.”

Hearing those words warmed her more than
anything he could have said. She’d felt so helpless with Damián
back in Denver, and she hadn't been able to help Rosa at all
despite enjoying time spent with the kids to give their mom a
break. Now she was happy to relinquish authority to Adam. How he
managed to stay so strong when everyone was always coming to him to
solve their problems was beyond her.

Adam handed her his helmet and turned around
to retrieve a small overnight bag from the compartment in the back
of the hog. He turned back toward her and covered her hand with
his. “C’mon, kitten. Let’s go get that shower. I’ve decided I like
it when you bathe me—but only as my sub, not my slave.”

She grinned, anxious to get to minister to
his needs again. Thank God Adam had come back to her in one piece.
The world had righted itself again.

* * *

Adam shampooed the sweat and grit out of his
hair as Karla’s hands playfully lathering up his chest and
underarms. Having her hands on his skin again after more than a
week apart nearly caused him to embarrass himself. He didn’t expect
to last long the first time, but they had plenty of time to go at
it again after the shower. He couldn’t wait to hear her scream for
him again.

When her soapy hands took his erect dick and
stroked him, as if he were some kind of slick tug-of-war rope she
was trying to gain hold of, his dick grew even harder. He leaned
back against the shower stall and let her continue, eyes closed. He
spread his legs and she washed his balls, careful not to stroke
those as hard. In such a short time, she’d learned just how to
touch him, how to please him.

After she removed the soap from his dick, she
knelt and soaped him up from his legs to his toes. With her hands
against his thighs, she positioned him under the spray so that she
would rinse the soap away from his legs. Her sweet submission to
him, taking care of him like this, just made him want her even
more.

“I need to do this, Sir. For me.” Before he
knew what “this” was, she brushed her fingertips and tongue along
his water-slickened cock, which practically bobbed into her mouth
on its own. Taking him in hand near the base, she used her lips to
kiss the head, then sucked him inside her warm mouth.

God damn it!
How was he supposed to
hold up against this kind of attack?

“You don’t have to do that, Karla,” he said,
trying to pull her up. She looked up at him and smiled, never
releasing his cock from her mouth.
Sweet Jesus. So fucking
sexy
.

“I wmamt to.”

He grinned. “Then don’t talk with your mouth
full.”

She flicked her tongue against the underside
of his cock before he could protest again, trailing her tongue
along the veined shaft and pressing kisses against the length of
him as she sucked his tight skin down to his balls and back up
again.

“Oh, baby! Your mouth is so fucking hot.”

The corners of Karla’s eyes crinkled as she
looked up and smiled at him, releasing all but the tip, flicking
her tongue rapidly against the underside, then taking him a little
further inside her mouth. Her hand let go of the base and she
placed both hands on his hips, pushing his pelvis away from her
face, ever so slowly.

Adam groaned with regret, although he
understood her not being ready for more yet. Then she drew him back
inside her mouth. “Augghhhh, yes, kitten.”
Sweet torture
. He
looked down to watch the water cascading over her head. She
increased the rate she pumped him in and out of her mouth. He
grabbed a thick shank of her black curls in each hand, winding them
several times around his fists for a better grip and, with gentle
tugs to her hair, set the pace his body needed, pulling her mouth
over his shaft, then releasing the tension to let her ease off
before pulling her mouth onto his dick again. Sometimes he slowed
the pace, just to make the exquisite sensations last longer. She
encased him as deeply in her mouth as she could. He hoped he wasn’t
forcing himself too far into her, but he wasn’t sure he could
control himself anymore.

He threw his head back and moaned. She
increased the depth in which she took him into her mouth on her
own. Instinctively, he pounded his dick into her face harder, one
stroke touching the back of her throat, causing her to gag.

Fuck!

“I’m sorry, kitten.” He looked down to make
sure she was okay.