Into the Lair (Falcon Mercenary Group #2)(41)

To her immense shock, he leaned further in and brushed his lips across the cut at the corner of her mouth. Though it was the lightest of kisses, it was as if he’d branded her with a hot coal. She jumped at the slight contact, but before she could yank away, his tongue flicked out and lapped gently at the small wound.

She reared back but had nowhere to go. He had her trapped between him and the chair. Her hands flew up and made contact with his muscular chest. She shoved, but he caught both her wrists with his hands and held them against his shirt.

His warm tongue swept over her abused flesh once more, soothing and sweet. Then he coaxed her lips, forming them into a moue with his own as he first nipped and then molded his mouth to hers.

What started gentle turned hot and urgent as he devoured her mouth. Hungry and restless. He stole her breath and returned it in stuttered gasps.

He tasted…male, and she was hungry. So hungry.

Finally he pulled away so that she could see the heated glitter in his eyes. “I’ve wanted to do that every single time you piss me off,” he said huskily.

She swallowed and opened her mouth to tell him precisely what she thought about keeping his damn tongue in his mouth, but nothing came out. The she remembered Ian, and for some reason, guilt crept over her shoulders at the idea that Braden had been kissing her in front of him. Only when she looked over to where he sat, she saw he was gone.

Chapter Twenty-One

“What were you doing kissing her, for God’s sake?” Ian demanded as Braden walked into the front cabin of the plane.

Ian stood with his fists curled at his sides, surprised by just how angry it had made him when Braden had kissed Katie. He felt juvenile and rash, not to mention like a giant, stupid f**k.

Braden gave him a what-the-hell look and sauntered past to snag one of the bottles of water from the galley area.

“What do you care if I kissed her?” Braden asked calmly, after he’d taken a long swig from the bottle. He recapped it and gave Ian a curious glance.

Ian looked past Braden to where Katie lay curled on the couch all but passed out. They were already making their descent, but she was clearly still exhausted and in pain.

“Ah, I get it. You’ve got a thing for her,” he said before Ian could respond.

“I don’t f**king have a thing for her,” Ian snarled.

Braden shrugged. “Not like you to get hyped up because I made a move on a woman you were interested in.”

Ian sucked in a breath. No, it wasn’t like him at all. Women flocked to Braden. Ian wasn’t the jealous type, and it wasn’t as though they didn’t regularly f**k the same woman. At the same time. What was unusual was for one of them to actually have sex with a woman solo.

Boy, did that sound screwed up.

“Just forget I said anything,” Ian mumbled.

“Hey, if you want me to back off, I will,” Braden said. He lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not going to lie and say I’m not hella attracted to her. There’s something about her that makes me crazy, but at the same time, she lights my fires like no other woman ever has.” He grinned and rubbed his chin as if remembering. “Every time she slugs me, I get a hard-on from hell.”

Ian rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. Braden had a way of diffusing even the tensest situation.

“So what’s the deal, man?” Braden said. “You got a thing for her or what?”

Ian sighed and flopped into the seat. “Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is for either of us to even consider getting tangled up with her?”

Braden sat down across from Ian and tilted the bottle to drain the last of his water. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“I think reminding you how stupid it is for either of us to get involved with her is a damn good answer to your question.”

“My head may know that, but the rest of me ain’t cooperating,” Braden said with a grunt. “There’s something about her, man. She makes me nuts but at the same time I have the strongest urge to protect her.” He paused and looked down at his water bottle in disgust. “It’s not just sexual attraction. I wish to hell it was. I don’t know what the f**k is going on, but I don’t like it.”

Ian laughed. At least in this he could relate. He didn’t like his attraction to Katie any more than Braden did, apparently. The problem was, there was something primitive about his reaction to her. Something that spoke to the beast locked within him. It wasn’t something he could control, and he didn’t like it a damn bit.

“I take it you don’t think f**king her brains out is the way to get her out of our systems,” Braden grumbled.

“I can think of about a dozen reasons why it would be a bad idea,” Ian said.

“Yeah, well, I can come up with at least one reason why we should.”

“I’m not even going to ask.”

“You can’t tell me that you don’t know she would rock our damn world,” Braden said with a grin. “Violent chicks make the best lovers.”

Pure unadulterated lust streaked through his groin as Ian imagined f**king her mouth while Braden took her from behind. Yeah, she’d probably eat them both alive, but just because they’d be assured of mind-blowing sex, didn’t mean they should do it.

“Why don’t you jerk off in the shower and get some rest instead. It won’t get you into near as much trouble.”