Claimed (Blood Ties Book 6)

“No!” Carven bucked and roared beside me, thrashing against the sheets.

“I’m right here,” I soothed, rolling over to stare at him in the dark. “Carven, I’m right here.”

I pressed my body against him, comforting without using my hands to touch him. The last thing I wanted to do was shock him while he was deep in whatever hell he battled. It was the third time he’d screamed in his sleep. The third time I’d talked him down from whatever terror gripped him tight. He was more like Colt than he realized.

“Vivienne?” he mumbled, his voice husky.

“I’m here.”

“Maybe it’s better for you to sleep in your own bed. Don’t want to hurt you.”

I flinched, keeping it from my tone. “Okay.”

I wanted to stay and fight, but I just didn’t have the energy. We were all just doing the best we could, protecting each other, hiding our own demons. My movements were slow as I rolled and kicked the sheets away. Exhausted and just done, I made my way to my room, pulled on silk pajamas from my dresser, and crawled under the blankets, shivering against the cold sheets.

This wasn’t right.

Us here without him.

I closed my eyes and rolled over in the bed, but I suddenly jerked them open. Something nagged me. A sound…a feeling. I slid out of bed and made my way into the hallway in time to catch the fleeting flare of headlights, then the crunch of tires.

London.

I followed the sound to the rear of the house, listening to the thud of the back door before heavy steps faded into the weapons room. He didn’t hear me, didn’t even see me, even when he flicked on the overhead light and stepped further inside the small room.

Rows and rows of weapons, from Glocks to SIG Sauers, to some kind of gun melded with a wicked-looking knife. I no longer flinched at the sight of them. Now I felt their edge…their brutality. Now, I knew how to hate.

He stiffened, suddenly realizing I was there. “Pet.” His voice was quiet…too quiet. “You don’t want to look at me right now.”

“Don’t I?”

He shook his head.

“Try me?”

He turned around, those dark eyes boring into mine. He was covered in blood. Flecks splattered his cheeks and there was a drop at the edge of his jaw. But that was nothing compared to his hands. I lowered my gaze, feeling my heart stop. Busted knuckles crusted with blood clenched, then dropped away as I stared.

My pulse boomed as the energy between us crackled, until we both lunged, slamming against each other. Teeth gnashed as we kissed, hands grabbed, tearing what clothing we could.

He still wore the tactical black vest…still wore his weapons, bloodied from whatever he’d been up to. But none of that mattered right now. I cupped his cock, gripping the hard length under black cargos.

“Jesus, pet,” he groaned.

That primal sound triggered something just as ferocious in me. I reached up, grabbed the webbing around his shoulders, and yanked him harder against me. “Fuck me,” I demanded. “Fuck me like you’ve fucked me before.”

He stilled, that stare pure predatory. “You don’t want that.”

“Like I said…try me.”

With a wicked curl of his lips, he lashed out, grasped my wrists, and drove me backwards. I hit the wall hard, knocking my teeth together. Then he kissed me so hard he bruised my lips against my teeth. I moaned, driving my body from the wall to press against him. I wanted to feel that bulge in his trousers, needed to rub myself against him.

“Uh-uh.” He pulled his hips away. “This is for me. You want to be a good little whore for me, pet?”

I trembled as I released a moan. “Yes.”

“My wet cunt,” he moaned. “That’s what you are, aren’t you? I bet you’re fucking dripping.” He lifted his gaze to my hands, then reached up, grasped the webbing of a shoulder holster hanging on the wall, and he wrapped the straps around my wrists. “No pulling away now,” he ordered as he secured my other hand.

I twisted my hands and grasped the hard weave as he slowly sank to his knees.

The overhead light shone against the steel of his gun, still snug against his hard chest. But this man didn’t need the damn Sig…he was a weapon all on his own. Those bloody knuckles moved as he reached under my long silk nightshirt and dragged down my panties.

“Look at this…” He lifted the blush pink fabric, then crushed it in his fist and pulled it to his nose. “You’re goddamn soaked,” he groaned, then pushed them into his pocket. “Mine.” He lifted his gaze to me. “All fucking mine. I’m going to use them later. I’m going to fist that lace and rub it over the head of my cock. I’m going to imagine it’s your sweet cunt as I’m fucking it. What do you think about that, pet?”

A tremor quaked through me as he shifted his focus to my buttons, then reached up. “I’m going to use them, just like I’m going to use you.”

He worked the buttons, opening one after another slowly until he reached the end. One sweep of his hand and he parted my shirt, letting it slip to the sides of my breasts.

“Fuck me, you are perfect,” he moaned, slowly taking in every inch of me.

My body tightened as he brushed his thumb across my nipple, then leaned close. I closed my eyes and clenched the tactical vest tighter as his warmth closed around the peak. The graze of his teeth had me moaning, then a sudden lick and he pulled away.

“Not for you, pet,” he growled as he ran those bloodstained fingers down my stomach and my abdomen, then over my mound.

He met my gaze. “Open.”

I swallowed, doing as he demanded and widening my stance. A surge of excitement and fear tore through me as he narrowed his gaze between my legs.

One brush of his thumb over my mound and he murmured, “Look at that pretty pussy. Did Carven use you?”

I licked my lips and nodded.

“Use your words, Vivienne. Did the Son take out his frustration on this sweet body?”

“Yes.” My heart raced with acceptance.

“Did he fuck you hard? Did he hurt you?” He slipped his thumb along the top of my slit, dragging it over my clit until he parted me.

He saw all of me under the bright overhead lights, more so when he used his other hand to widen my pussy.

I shivered, lifting my gaze to stare across the room. “No…no, he didn’t hurt me.”

“Good.” He leaned close, pressing that bloodied face to my slit. “Very good.”

He licked, pushing his face lower. “Leg over my shoulder, Vivienne.”

I obeyed instantly, resting my knee over his good shoulder, giving him the access he wanted. His tongue was so warm, so soft, licking my clit in feathered touches before he gripped my hips and pushed his face against my slit, driving the tip of his tongue into the core of me. I dropped my head backwards, slowly thrusting against his mouth. I needed this. “Jesus, London…I’m going to…”

“No, you’re not.” He pulled away, staring at my pussy as I clenched. “You’re not going to come until I say, do you understand me?”

I opened my eyes, but all I could do was swallow hard and nod, even as my body quaked. He pulled away, unclipped his vest, and let it fall to the floor with a thud. His weapons were forgotten, even his busted hands didn’t make him wince. Instead, he couldn’t look away from between my legs. London St. James was occupied by something far more interesting…to him at least.

He rose from the floor and moved closer. “No coming now, pet,” he urged, sliding his fingers in deep. “Understand? No. Fucking. Coming.”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek as that hunger rose. My hips were fixed in position. I didn’t dare move. A slight shift, a tightening would be all it took to send me over the edge.

I could fuck Carven and Colt all night…

Still, they never affected me the way London did.

They didn’t make me melt.

His singleminded obsession and filthy mouth made me weak at the knees. He was so powerful. So…in control.

“You won’t come until I have my fill of you. Do you understand me?”

My response was an inhuman whimper. One that made him chuckle as he lowered his head and breathed again my neck. “I want to hear you moan my name, pet.”

I grasped the holster, held on with all I had, and whispered, “London.”

His deft fingers stroked and pushed in, only to slide all the way out as he thumbed my clit. “Now, you can do better than that,” he chastised.

My knees trembled. “London,” I forced through clenched teeth.

It took every ounce of my willpower not to succumb to those drugging waves until he pulled away and unbuttoned his pants with slow, careful movements. I gripped the holster and looked down. His cock pushed out of his boxers, the head flushed and ready, making me part my thighs even wider.

He lifted his gaze, met mine, and pressed his body against me. One hard thrust and he was inside. “Do. Better. Pet.”

He filled me, stretching my pussy until I rose on my toes. “London,” I moaned, arching my back.

“That’s the way,” he grunted, sliding out, only to drive all the way in. “Again.”

“Lon-don,” I moaned.

“Again,” he demanded, his voice husky against my ear.

“London,” I panted. “Jesus Christ, London.”

He thrust so hard he made me jolt. This was the second time tonight I’d been fucked ruthlessly.

“Tell me…” he gasped, driving deeper…harder. “Tell me you love me.”

My pulse sped as a pang tore across my chest. “Not love,” I moaned against his ear. “It’s not…enough,” I wheezed. “Obsessed, controlled. Owned.…that’s what I am. I’m owned by you.”

“As.” Thrust. “I.” Thrust. “Am with you pet.”

I gave myself over to the power of his passion, to the way he smelled like death and blood and danger…and the way he loved me. The way he hungered for me.

“I…need…” I moaned, spreading my legs as wide as I could. “Christ, I need.”

“Come for me, Vivienne. Come all over my cock.”

I closed my eyes and dropped my head forward as my body tightened and clenched while jolts of electricity tore through my core.

“Fuck,” London mumbled. “You feel so goddamn good.”

With a deep, carnal sound, he stopped suddenly and spilled deep inside me. I held on, one leg wrapped around his ass, driving his softening length deeper inside.

“Jesus,” I breathed.

“Not the first time I’ve done battle with him tonight,” he growled and turned his head, meeting my gaze. “Nor will it be the last.”

That unflinching sound in his tone made me scared. “London?”

“It’s nothing.” He pulled away, slipping free, then stilled and met my stare. “Really, it’s nothing.”

He glanced down at my parted pajamas. “It’s late. You should be asleep.”

“I can’t.”

“Can’t?” He eased my foot to the floor, then reached up and untangled my hands until they dropped free.

I shook my head, unable to tell him about how empty and cold my bed was.

“Do you want to sleep on the sofa while I work?”

I weighed the options, a kink in my neck opposed to a night spent tossing and turning. “Yes, thank you.”

He fixed his trousers and reached into his pocket to tug my panties free. “But you don’t get these back.”

A hint of a smile tugged the corner of my lips. “Fine.”

One brow rose. “Fine.”

He grabbed his vest from the floor and secured it on the rack, then held out his hand. “Come on. Let me get you settled.”

I took his hand and followed him to the study. He flicked on the light, dulling the glow as I sat on the sofa, watching him. The rush of gas hissed before the fireplace came alight.

“This will soothe you,” he murmured.

“You will soothe me.”

He turned, giving me a sad smile. “Only you would say that.”

I tried to stifle a yawn and pulled my bare feet underneath me as he reached behind the sofa and pulled up a cushion and a large, soft throw. “Head down.” He gave a nod.

I complied, knowing it was useless to fight him, even if I’d wanted to. And I didn’t want to. The soft gray cashmere settled over me as I eased my head onto the cushion and closed my eyes. Footsteps sounded as London moved around the room and finally settled in his chair, the creak of leather drawing my focus.

But it didn’t linger long. The soft crackle of the fire and the shuffling of pages lulled me. London’s dangerous tone came sometime later.

“I don’t care what you have to pay, I want Hale found…”

I sank lower, safe knowing that if anyone would find Colt, I’d be London. He’d raze the city to the ground to do it as well. Just like he’d do that for me. Because we belong to him.

I drifted into the darkness, surrendering myself to that bleak emptiness…where there was no Colt.

A clink woke me later. I cracked open my eyes, feeling him beside me.

“Sorry,” London murmured next to me. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Through my slitted eyes, I found him sitting on the other end of the sofa with a glass of Scotch in his hand. He looked from me to the fire, torment sparkling in his stare. One he kept from me as he glanced at the flames flickering in the fire.

I shifted against him, letting him pull my feet over his lap. His hand ran up my legs, his fingers splayed over my thighs. “I’ve done things tonight…things I’m not proud of. But they were necessary. You understand that?”

I didn’t know if he was talking or confessing. Either way, I nodded. “Yes.”

His big hands slid down the backs of my thighs, still kneading, as though the movement eased him.

“I blame myself,” he murmured. The brush of his thumb grazed my skin. “There were opportunities to take out the major players.” His warm hand slid over the curve of my ass, then brushed my slit.

He moved, brushing his chest against my curled knees on his lap. The soft cashmere blanket shifted with a gentle tug and cold air moved over my body. Fingers sank through soft lips, making me catch my breath.

“I would’ve killed them if I’d known. You have to believe me.” He pushed his thumb along my slit. “You do believe me, don’t you?”

The question pulled me away from the sensations of his fingers. “Yes.” I managed. “Yes, I believe you.”

He turned his head, those dark eyes finally meeting mine before they dropped. My pussy clenched, gripping tight, even as his fingers slipped free. But I didn’t have to wait long. He gripped my leg and eased it to the side, making me shift my hips flat against the sofa.

“If I’d known what they were planning, that Hale had already given your contract away, I would’ve killed him then and there.” It was so wrong to speak of murder as he eased my legs wider and looked down. So fucking wrong, and yet that was how London loved. He schemed…he destroyed. He slid his thumb down my slit, then inside. “I would’ve killed anyone before they laid a hand on you. I want to kill Killion all over again. I want to kill them all.”

I tried to stay with his words, but my brain wouldn’t focus, not when he slipped his thumb free and sank two fingers inside. “Sometimes we make alliances with those we have to. You realize that, don’t you?”

The crackle of the fire.

The stroke of his fingers.

I bit my lip and nodded.

“But it doesn’t change our purpose. It doesn’t change those who we explicitly trust. I need you to understand that.”

He spoke in riddles…and I was lost to the way he drove inside me, unable to stop my body driving down against his touch.

“You are mine. You always have been and always will be. From the first moment I knew about you on that DNA report and for always. You were my weapon…now you’re my salvation. Never forget that, pet. Never ever forget that.”

I reached over my head, driving down on his fingers. “I won’t,” I moaned. “I won’t just, for Christ’s sake, London, I need your mouth. I need you to lick me.”

He gave me a soft, devious smile, then lifted the remaining Scotch above my pussy and tipped. Liquid dribbled down my slit before he pushed upward, then leaned down. “Whatever you need, lover. Whatever you damn well need.”

I needed this, arching up from the sofa as his mouth connected with my body.

My hand went to his thick, dark hair. My fingers clenched, fisting the strands as I lifted my leg higher, driving his face hard against me. “Oh…fuck.”

A dangerous snarl came from him as he opened his mouth, sinking lower to suck and probe. It sent me over, toppling into that seductive lull of delirium. He ate like a man starving, tilting my hips upwards as he surged above me.

One hand lowered to his trousers, undoing his button.

He was inside me, sinking into that swollen heat.

“Use me,” I groaned. “God, I want you to use me.”

He gripped the armrest of the sofa with one hand and slammed his hips against mine, driving all the way inside. “You will be pregnant with my baby, Vivienne,” he grunted. “I will have every goddamn inch of you.”

And the image of that filled my mind.

I gripped his body, feeling his powerful muscles flex under my grip.

And unleashed a cry, coming hard.