STORY EXCERPT

“There’s something we probably should have told you days ago, but we weren’t quite sure if you were ready to hear it.”

Ava sat quietly, trying to hold on to her composure, as she waited for Nathan to explain.

“We’ve managed to…ah…apprehend the person who was trying to kill you, but it would seem that she’s not the only one liable to come after you.”

“Me? Seriously?” Ava shook her head in confusion. “I’m a plain-old-ordinary-everyday-dime-a-dozen kind of woman. One disturbed mind wanting me dead because I was born on a certain day is understandable in a twisted kind of way, but to say there’s more than one killer after me…What did I do? Piss off some sort of cult?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Nathan said slowly. He glanced over her shoulder at Brody, and it seemed he was looking for help to explain to the poor little human what the hell was going on. Annoyingly, her eyes filled with tears, and she closed them against the urge to cry. Despite her little speech, she knew she was no longer an ordinary human. It didn’t make much sense, but somehow, someway, something had changed the day that kid had appeared in her kitchen.

“I can’t go back home, can I?”

“We don’t think it would be safe. It’s inevitable that someone will eventually look into what the ah…assassin was doing and pick up where she left off.”

“What was she?” Ava asked, tired of living with half-truths. If she were honest with herself, she’d admit to hiding in her e-reader while trying to ignore the world as it fell apart around her.

“A pixie,” Brody answered, his hand running soothingly up and down her arm.

Nathan looked like he was going to swallow his tongue, and for a moment Ava could see the humor in the situation.

“Are you a dragon-shifter, too?” she asked with a half smile.

“Nope, plain old ordinary human.”

“Who just happens to be one of the best bodyguards available—human or otherwise,” Brody added.

Ava wasn’t sure how to react to that. There was no doubting they were good at their jobs. She hadn’t really felt frightened at all once they’d arrived at her home and moved her to a safe house. The policeman who’d been with her that day and his partner had stayed until Brody and Nathan had arrived, but it wasn’t until they’d taken over her protection that she’d actually felt safe.

“So…what happens now?” she asked worriedly. If there was a never-ending line of assassins waiting for their chance to kill her, how would she ever be safe? They couldn’t protect her for the rest of her life. Surely they had their own lives to get back to.

Brody glanced worriedly at her and grimaced as he said the words. “Ava Seeton is going to die in a horrific car accident tonight. It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

“You’re going to keep me safe by killing me?”

“Of course,” Nathan said with a grin that told her she was seriously missing the point here.

Maybe it was the stress of the past week, but it took another three seconds for it to finally sink in what they meant. “You’re going to fake my death?”

“Shit,” Brody said as he wrapped his arms more tightly around her and rocked slightly. “Sorry, sweetheart. We explained that badly.” He glanced at Nathan’s worried expression. “She’s shaking like a leaf. She thought we meant to kill her for real.”

“No I didn’t,” she denied quickly. She hadn’t, not really. She just hadn’t understood exactly what they’d meant straight away. “I just…um…it’s been a long couple of weeks.” They both gave her a look that said they didn’t quite believe her lame excuse, but Nathan leaned in and kissed her cheek as Brody ran his hand slowly up and down her arm.

“We’re sorry anyway.” Nathan made a self-deprecating sound. “We’ve both been working so long with our teams that we tend to talk in shorthand. We should have explained it more fully.”

“How long have you two been doing this?” Did it say something about her that jealousy was boiling in her gut? Did they cuddle and kiss every woman they were assigned to protect?

“I’ve been working for Deeks Security in one capacity or another for the past fourteen years,” Nathan said. He tilted his head toward Brody. “The old guy here has been part of the PUP teams for…what? Sixty, seventy years now?”

“Close enough,” Brody said in a tone that suggested he wasn’t even close.

Ava really wanted to say something, but every time she opened her mouth nothing came out. Not even a squeak. Surely they were joking. Sixty, seventy years? The guy didn’t look a day over thirty. Ava rubbed her eyes tiredly. Okay, so he wasn’t actually human. He was a dragon-shifter, but still sixty or seventy years of cuddling up to every woman they’d been tasked to protect made her green with jealousy and nausea.

“What is it, baby?” Nathan asked, looking really concerned. She was just freaked out enough to blurt the truth.

“I thought that we had a connection. I just…”

“You think we cuddle all of our clients?” Brody asked, sounding offended. Great, just what she needed—to piss off a dragon. She already knew there was some truth to the whole breathing fire part of dragon mythology. But then his words sank in.

ADULT EXCERPT

Nathan continued to caress her spine and shoulders as he came to sit on the bed beside her. He leaned over, pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek, and smiled at her soft squeak when Brody wrapped his hands around her thighs and lifted her pussy to his mouth.

His touch was gentle, his tongue soothing as he lapped at the soft folds of her pussy. She squirmed in his hold, needing more, loving the sweet caress but wanting to feel his full strength, his need for her, his domination.

“You won’t hurt her, Brody,” Nathan said confidently. “She needs you to tongue-fuck her. See how’s she’s squirming? She needs you to take what you want. Fuck her with your mouth. You’re the one in control.”

Brody stopped licking her, and for a moment she feared he was about to walk away. But then his incredibly hot tongue flicked over her clit as he lifted her higher, dragging her knees off the mattress so that she nearly dangled in his grasp, only her head and shoulders still on the bed. She moaned as he stabbed his tongue into her pussy, thrusting over and over, filling her channel, pressing deeper than she’d believed possible.

Her orgasm began slowly, heat curling through her as every muscle vibrated with release, but then she squealed, jerking in his hold, as he licked up the crease of her ass and poked and prodded her back passage. Climax slammed her, racing over the top of her earlier orgasm, shattering her mind into a million tiny pieces as sensation overtook reality. Again and again heated waves of ecstasy crashed over her. She shook everywhere, screaming again when Brody lifted her over Nathan and pushed her onto his hard cock, impaling her, forcing her legs open further as he controlled the pace. Nathan held her close, wrapping his arms around her upper body as Brody forced her into orgasm once more.

She let them control her, let them do as they pleased, submitted to their attentions, trusting them to keep her safe. Eventually, slowly, the frantic heat of passion came down to a slow simmer, the exhaustion of true release curling through her.

But then, just as she thought they would take their own satisfaction, both men pulled away. Before she could protest, Brody lifted her to her hands and knees, threaded a hand through her hair, and guided her mouth onto Nathan’s still-hard cock.

“Suck him, sweetheart,” he ordered even as he pushed her lower. She didn’t protest, taking Nathan into her mouth willingly, even a little surprised to enjoy the taste of their combined flavor. Brody controlled the pace, caressing her spine with his other hand as he watched her pleasure his friend. Nathan groaned as she tightened the suction, using her tongue to caress the underside of his cock.

Without letting go of her hair, Brody slid his cock into her dripping pussy, holding still inside her, letting her adjust to his size as he caressed her scalp and spine.

But then, almost as if by some signal, both men groaned. Nathan started lifting up into her mouth, pushing deeper with every stroke. “Swallow,” he growled, holding her head trapped as his cock hit the back of her throat. She closed her eyes, concentrating on finding the right muscles to be able to do as he said, damn near coming herself when she finally managed to take him deeper into her throat. His cock swelled, pumping his essence into her. He pulled out partially, letting her taste him.

She swallowed convulsively, lapping at his cock as he pulled away. Ava smiled as he held her close and praised her efforts. And then he nodded to Brody and all hell broke loose.