Close Cover (Masters and Mercenaries #16)(28)

He pulled out and thrust back in, setting a hard pace. Over and over he fucked her, giving her all of him and holding nothing back. For the most part he went easy on a woman, but this one was his. This one was made to take him and break him and put him back together again.

Lisa’s nails dug deep as she matched him thrust for thrust. She tightened around him and his name gasped from her mouth as she came.

Remy lost it. He lost his rhythm, lost his control, lost something he wasn’t sure he wanted back from her. Pure emotion drove him as though he could brand himself on this one woman and somehow make himself complete.

Instinct drove him. He pressed in and let go, let himself feel every bit of the pleasure she brought him.

He fell on top of her, giving her all of his weight. Peace surged through him. Always before, he was as anxious to be alone again as he’d been to have sex, but now he let his head rest next to hers.

“Okay, that didn’t suck,” she said with a low chuckle.

“Didn’t suck?” He managed to bring his head up. “That was phenomenal and you know it.”

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she sighed. “It was, but I think you can probably do even better.”

Well, he’d wanted a woman who challenged him. “Oh, I’ll show you better, ma crevette. I’ll show you everything.”

He kissed her again, ready to make good on his promise.





Chapter Five


Remy woke up to the sound of Lisa laughing and the smell of bacon. Damn. That was the perfect way to wake up. He sighed and turned on his side, looking at the place where she’d lain next to him all night. Well, when he hadn’t been on top of her. Or under her.

His cell phone trilled. He glanced at the clock, a bit surprised he’d slept in. It was almost eight thirty. He didn’t have to be in the office since he was already on duty, but he usually woke up before his alarm went off.

Something about sleeping wrapped around Lisa’s petite body had been good for his beauty rest.

He picked up the phone and answered quickly because the number was familiar. “Momma?”

“No, it’s Seraphina, big brother,” a female voice said. “Momma is at church praying for your soul. Like she does every Wednesday morning. And Sunday. And Friday. And those are merely the Catholic services. I won’t tell you about the hoodoo priestess she meets with every Thursday.”

She didn’t need to. His momma told him enough. “How is Miss Marcelle? She still running that hair salon of hers?”

“I’m telling you that woman doesn’t age. She’s got to be a hundred and ten and she’s still scaring the shit out of tourists with those snakes of hers. Her daughter, Sylvie, and I have regular therapy sessions. Well, we drink a lot of vodka and wonder what it would be like to have normal mothers. You know, the kind who don’t come up with plans to haunt the new nail salon and run it out of business. Momma dressed up and everything. I’m fairly certain there’s a lawsuit brewing there.”

So everything was the same in Papillon. “You know she’s always had odd notions about how to protect her town.”

“I don’t trust Jean-Claude, Remy. He’s up to no good and I think it has something to do with you buying him out.”

He yawned. “I signed the papers of intent. I’ve got forty-five days to come up with the money. The bank here is going to approve the loan and everything’s going to be smooth sailing from there. We’ll have the wharf safely back where it belongs and a mountain of debt over our heads. It’ll be just like the old days.”

“Then why is he still meeting with that slick as snot developer?” Seraphina asked. “I was in New Orleans yesterday visiting a friend. He doesn’t know I saw him having lunch with that same city ass who came through a couple of months ago telling everyone he would buy up their land.”

“He can talk to the man all he likes. According to the way Pop-Pop’s will was written, he’s got to give me a chance to buy him out before he sells to a stranger. Don’t worry, Sera. I’ve got this. I’m going to be home soon.”

“That’s what you’ve been saying for years,” she said in a perfectly stubborn tone.

“Well, I mean it this time. And you can’t count the Army against me.”

“I can indeed. I can be as unreasonable as I like.” She was silent for a moment. “We miss you.”

“I’ll be home soon,” he promised. “I’ll be back and I’m going to take charge. I’ll make everything right.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Right? What do you mean by right?”

How could she not understand this? “I mean I’m the reason we lost our half in the first place. I’m the reason Zep is twelve kinds of screwed up. I’m the reason you haven’t gotten married. I’m coming home and I’m going to fix everything.”

“Maybe Momma’s right to pray for you. You sure are taking a lot on those shoulders of yours. Before you come home, think on this. Yes, you married poorly, and yes, Josette demanded that you give her the money from half of your half of the wharf. That was her choice, not yours, and when Momma or I tried to find a way around it, you plowed on through and sold to Jean-Claude. I know it was a lot of money, but I wish you had given us a chance to try to figure it out. Zep was an awkward kid. He is not a kid anymore. You’ll be surprised at how baby brother has grown up, and I haven’t gotten married because I don’t want to. Think about that before you walk back in after seven years of barely being home, three of not seeing us at all. You think before you try to walk in as the patriarch of this family and start issuing orders. And remember that Momma taught me how to use a gun. I would remind you that I think Jean-Claude is going to try something, but you know better than I do. Good-bye.”