My body moved without thought, my muscles remembering how to fight after hours of training. I heard the man with the bloody nose cry out again, and the dull crack let me know Jason had broken his arm, just as he’d promised.
But the sound was periphery. I focused on the first of the three men rushing at us. He lunged for me, and I sidestepped, landing a vicious kick to his knee as I moved. He went down with an agonized shout. I didn’t take a moment to think about the damage I’d done; I needed to focus on the other two men comin
g at me.
But it turned out I didn’t need to. When I looked past the fallen man, I watched as Jason took down the last attacker with a brutal blow to his throat. The other man was already on the ground, clutching his stomach and moaning.
“Get the fuck out of my bar.” The bouncer’s roar called my attention away from the fight. He slapped a baseball bat against his palm menacingly.
Jason held up his hands and took a step back from the bleeding men strewn out on the ground at our feet.
“We were just leaving.” He ensnared my hand in his and pulled me along in his wake as we rushed out of the bar.
I let out a burst of adrenaline-fueled laughter when the cool night air kissed my heated skin. I’d never been in a real fight before. It was undeniably exhilarating.
Suddenly, Jason caught me up in a fierce embrace and crushed his lips to mine. The kiss was nothing like the teasing seduction he’d shown me so far. In the bar, he’d touched me with the barest brush of his hand, his mouth. Now, he branded me with heat, his tongue tracing the seam of my lips and demanding entrance. I gasped in a shocked breath at the sudden, electric contact, and he took advantage of my open mouth. His tongue delved in, tangling with mine. Visceral lust quickly swept aside my surprise, and I speared my fingers through his glossy black hair, tugging him closer. He nipped at my lower lip with a growl.
The light hit of pain and the warning rumble connected with my primal brain in a way I didn’t fully understand. After the brutally efficient bar fight, giddiness rushed through my system, making my blood fizz in my veins. Jason’s raw dominance in the way he handled my mouth brought forth a facet of my sexuality that was somehow both stronger and softer than I’d ever known. The riptide of desire for him was nearly overwhelming, driving me into a frenzy, and yet his teeth against my lips and the firmness of his fingers on my hips kept me trembling and compliant in his hold. I wanted to rub myself against him, to find any stimulation I could when my every nerve ending was alight with need.
Despite my physical desires, my fingers unknotted from his hair, my palms skimming down his cheeks and neck to rest submissively against his sculpted chest. I felt his muscles flex beneath my fingers, and a low sound of his approval rolled against my tongue, vibrating into my chest before sinking lower down in my body. My core heated and clenched, aching for him to fill me, to fuck me. I melted against him, my entire body softening and shaping to his hard, masculine frame.
He pulled back just far enough to allow me to gasp in a much-needed breath, and his emerald eyes caught mine. “You’re incredible,” he murmured against my lips. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”
“Does it matter?” I panted. I didn’t want to talk about my life or my reasons for being here. I might be fiercely attracted to him, but Jason was a stranger, and he didn’t need to know about my plans at the FBI academy. All we would have was one scorching hot night together, and I certainly didn’t want to waste any time talking.
He grinned savagely. “I guess not,” he allowed. “Where are you staying?”
“This way,” I urged, stepping out of his embrace so I could lead him across the street to my motel room. Although he followed me, his fingers closed around my wrist in a possessive grip that very clearly let me know I was not in control, even if I was momentarily taking the lead.
Within minutes, we were standing under the fluorescent lights outside the motel as I fished the key out of my pocket. I hadn’t bothered taking my usually overstuffed purse to the bar, so I was able to make quick work of my task.
As soon as I got the door open, Jason pushed me inside, spinning my body so my back was pressed against the wall. He slammed the door closed with a kick, and his big hands began tearing at my clothes as his mouth found mine again. I gasped against his hot lips, shocked and aroused at his intensity. I’d had rough sex before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Jason’s actions boded for an extremely hot night.
His fingers fisted in my sweater, and he pulled it up my torso, his calloused palms making my skin pebble as they skimmed along my abdomen. I lifted my arms so he could fully remove the garment, and he quickly ripped it off and tossed it aside.
Catching onto his frenzied desire, I returned his kiss with fervor, my tongue tangling with his as my fingers fumbled at the buttons on his crisp white dress shirt. Before I managed to get one free, he caught my wrists and pinned them against the wall above my head, holding them in one hand. His other cupped my jaw, tilting my face up so he could plunder my mouth more deeply. I shuddered and softened. Despite the lust raging through me, I couldn’t seem to help submitting. It wasn’t like me to surrender to a man’s strength so easily, but I’d never been kissed by a man like Jason.
He pulled back, ending the kiss. I stared up at him, wide-eyed and panting.
“You’re mine for the night,” he declared. “I’m in charge, and I’m going to give you more pleasure than you’ve ever known.”
“And how would you know that?” I managed in a weak attempt at a challenge.
He brushed his knuckles down my cheek, keeping my wrists pinned with his other hand. The firmness of his grip contrasted with the gentle touch on my face, making my head spin. He was a study in contradictions: hard and unyielding, but tender and careful. Although I wouldn’t be able to escape him in this position, he wasn’t holding me cruelly. He’d subjugated my body, but he wasn’t hurting me.
“Because beneath all your fire, you’re a sweet submissive, and I don’t think anyone knows it. Not even you.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“You like when I take control.” He squeezed my wrists for emphasis. My sex contracted in response, and I squirmed against him. He smirked. “I could tell as soon as I touched you for the first time. You sauntered into that bar, confident you could take on any man who challenged you. And after how you handled yourself in there, I know you could. But when I Topped you, you melted.”
“Topped?”
He cupped my cheek in his big hand. “I dominated you, kitten. I took control, and you loved it.”
“Kitten?” I demanded, not caring for an overused endearment. “Is that what you call all your one-night stands?”
“No,” he said earnestly, and the slight surprise in his eyes let me know he wasn’t lying. “I’ve never called anyone that before.”