Defending Zara (Mountain Mercenaries #6)(86)

Zara nodded and finished signing the credit card receipt, making sure to leave a generous tip for their attentive waiter. She grabbed her purse and slipped out of the booth. She’d managed to put off thoughts of what would happen between her and Meat when she got home, but now all the carnal things she wanted to do to him came rushing back.

She waved to Harlow and Everly and headed out of the restaurant with Renee. The sooner she got home, the better. She had plans for her boyfriend.



Meat was watching television but having a hard time concentrating on anything he saw because he couldn’t stop thinking about Zara. He’d gotten so used to her being around all the time that he missed her terribly when she was gone. Even when they weren’t in the same room, he at least knew she was nearby, and it soothed him. He loved when she accompanied him to his workshop, whether she chatted with him about nothing in particular or sat in a corner and read a book. Just having her where he could see her every time he looked up was comforting.

But tonight, he couldn’t wait for her to get home because of what she’d told him right before she’d left. She may have been a virgin, but she was now wholeheartedly embracing her sexuality. She was no longer content to let him take the lead all the time either, and it was hot as hell.

He was going to make her strip for him right inside their front door, until all she had on was her new matching underwear, then he was going to take her hard and fast while she was wearing it. Then maybe, if he could control himself, he’d carry her upstairs, where she could practice sucking cock some more.

She really didn’t need any practice, she was a fucking expert already, but he loved to tease her . . . or maybe she was teasing him?

Meat was lost in his fantasies about the woman who had seemed to take over his every waking thought when his phone rang. He looked down and recognized Renee’s phone number. Alarmed, he quickly answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, Meat, it’s Renee.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Well . . . not really nothing. Zara’s had a bit too much to drink tonight, and she’s gotten it in her head that she wants you to come and get her.”

Meat frowned. First off, it was odd that Zara would get drunk. She’d told him once that she’d seen too many men in Peru blow their money on booze, and she didn’t like the way people acted when they were drunk. So her imbibing enough to get that way herself was seriously out of character.

“Is she all right?” Meat asked.

“Yeah,” Renee told him, and Meat couldn’t hear any real concern in her tone, which made him feel a little better. Her voice lowered as she continued. “She’s . . . well . . . she’s horny. Said that she wanted to try something new on the way back to your house, if you know what I mean. Everly tried to tell her that was dangerous, but you know Zara . . .” Her voice trailed off suggestively.

Meat’s cock twitched as he thought about Zara going down on him when he was driving. Everly was right, it wasn’t safe . . . but that didn’t mean Meat didn’t like the image. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”

“Thanks. I’ll tell her you’re on the way,” Renee said. “See you soon.”

“Later.” Meat hung up and immediately stood. It only took him a few minutes to put his shoes on and grab his wallet. He put in the code for the alarm and left the house, knowing it would turn on two minutes after the front door shut. He headed for his car and started down his long driveway.

Within seconds of pulling onto the sparsely traveled road leading to the street that would take him to the interstate, Meat glanced in his rearview mirror in alarm. A truck was gaining on him—very quickly.

He hadn’t seen any vehicles when he’d made the turn onto the road, but now there was a truck right on his ass.

Before he could do anything more than brace, he was rear-ended.

Meat struggled to keep his car on the road, with no luck. He spun in a complete circle before careening toward the trees. He missed two by the skin of his teeth, but wasn’t so lucky when he plowed right into a third.

The airbag went off in Meat’s face, disorienting him and making him see stars. His head spinning from the impact, it took him a moment to get his wits about him. When he was finally able to pull the airbag away from his face, he opened his door to get out and see what the damage was to his car, and to exchange insurance information with the asshole who’d run into him.

But the second he stood up, he froze.

A man was standing by his door with a gun aimed right at his head.

Meat slowly lifted his hands. “Easy, man. You can take whatever money and cards I’ve got in my wallet.”

“I don’t want your money,” the man said. His pupils were dilated, and he looked jittery. If Meat had to guess, he was definitely on something. “Where’s your phone?”

Meat shrugged. “It’s probably on the floorboard of my car. It was on the seat next to me when you hit me.”

“Okay, good.”

“What do you want?” Meat asked, getting more pissed by the second.

“You’re going to come with me,” the man said.

Meat couldn’t help it. He laughed. “Like hell I am,” he said.

“You’ll come with me willingly or Zara will die.”

At that, Meat’s eyes narrowed, and every muscle in his body went tight. “What?”