Protected Pt. 09

He cinched me down tighter still, taking my lips in a desperate kiss as he began to drive into me hard and fast, his quiet whimpers of erotic pain instantly setting me on edge. The salty taste of his lips, the feel of our sweat drenched bodies sliding smoothly against each other, and the sensualness of our surroundings made this the single perfect moment, a moment I never wanted to end.

I groaned, almost imagining I could hear my ribs creaking as he tightened his embrace even more, but I wanted to be held tighter still. I pulled back from the kiss as he began pounding into me with berserker like fury, roaring loudly into the still Texas night as he spilled his essence into me. I added my own wail to his as his loud cry of completion and desperate attempt to finish me wound me tighter and tighter until my own climax exploded from me like a gusher.

My wail became louder still as we cried our rapture into the night. I couldn't remain still as our hips rose and plunged in savage fury, our bodies in an erotic duel, taking what they wanted and giving back in return. Then it was over, my orgasm washing out of me with a long shuddering groan as Colt's froze beneath me, his body taut with effort, his cock held deep, until with an explosive exhale, he relaxed and his hips crashed back to earth.

I lay panting, weak and dripping sweat as Colt's embrace slowly relaxed. Beneath me, he gasped for air as an occasional ripple shuddered through him. With supreme effort, I started to bring my lips to his, but before I could taste his lips, he grunted hard and deep as he rammed his cock into me with three powerful strokes. When he suffered aftershocks like these, I knew I'd fucked him good. I smiled as I waited for his moment to pass, then took what I so desperately wanted.

"Fuck," he panted as our lips slowly parted.

"Fuck is right," I sighed while pushing a strand of hair out of my face. I blew out a cleansing breath as I watched his eyes. "It's a good thing we're out here in the middle of nowhere because you sure are a loud fuck."

A smile danced over his lips, a smile I kissed away. "I wasn't before I met you," he breathed as our kiss dissolved. "You make me come so damned hard." His smile returned, brighter this time. "Besides, you're one to talk."

I sighed with a smile, my galloping heart still slowing. "Yeah, I suppose I am." I brushed his lips with mine. "It's your fault."

"Don't care," he whispered as he brushed my lips with his.

My smile spread. "Me either."

He slowly pumped his hips as he pulled me down into a leisurely kiss. Colt had amazing stamina. He couldn't always go twice, and when he could, he usually needed a few minutes to recharge and reload, but I loved the fact that he was always slow to go soft. That allowed him, like now, to make slow and easy love to me, to extend our passion for just that little bit longer.

"Oh God, that feels good," I breathed before taking his lips again.

After a long moment, and many slow kisses, Colt was finally too soft for us to continue, but I didn't care. In fact, I hoped he wouldn't want a second helping tonight because nothing could top what we'd just shared. It had been amazing, and magical, and I wanted to end the night with me falling asleep right here on his chest as he slowly caressed by back. Despite what had happened only hours before, I'd never been more at peace.

My head on his chest, I was listening to the rhythmic thud of his heart and songs of the night, when I heard a far-off rumble. I listened for a moment, trying to determine what could be producing the sound. I would have suspected the well, but the sound was coming from the other direction. With a flash of light, low to the ground I realized what I was hearing.

"Someone's coming!" Colt whispered, his voice tight with concern. "Get behind the tank and stay out of sight!"

He began to dress but realized he didn't have time and settled for pulling on only his pants with no underwear. As the lights approached, he pulled his pistol from its holster and crouched behind one of the legs of the windmill. I wanted to look, I was desperate to look, but I stayed low.

The vehicle stopped and Colt rose. I could see his smile in the glare of the vehicle's headlamps. "Jesus, you scared the shit out of me."

"Where's Willow?" I wilted with relief as I recognized Big Dick's voice.

"We didn't know who was coming, so she'd hiding behind the tank."

"It's okay, Willow!" Big Dick called. "The cavalry is here!"

"I'm not dressed!" I yelled back.

There was a moment of silence. "We don't mind!" a third voice called, maybe Maestro, but I wasn't sure.

I grinned. "I do!"

There was another moment of silence. "So, are you two done, or should we come back later?" Big Dick asked, clearly speaking loud enough so I could hear.

"Oh, shut up! Just bring me my clothes!"

"No problem!" Big Dick exclaimed as I heard the truck door open.

I giggled. "Not you! Colt!"

"Dammit! Why does the President get all the perks?"

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COLT

I slumped on the sumptuously comfortable couch in Harris Larke's office, nodding drowsily as Willow and I waited for her father to arrive. I was gritty from sweat, covered in thin, dried mud from the dust mixing with my perspiration, and my back was aching from Willow and I making love on the hard ground, but this wasn't a social visit, and the fact I couldn't get comfortable helped keep me awake. Willow was just as dirty as she dozed in her father's chair, only our hands and faces clean, but I'd never seen a more beautiful woman. I smiled to myself as I watched her sleep. I still couldn't believe such a smart, beautiful, sexy, funny, caring, amazing woman, and a PhD geologist to boot, wanted me, a regular guy with nothing but a high school education, but I'd do everything I could to earn her love every day, cherishing her as no other man would.

After Big Dick found us, and I'd filled my bike from the can of gas he'd brought, I'd followed him to the highway, before we'd turned north and ridden straight to Houston, stopping only for more gas and a quick meal of fast food. It was frustrating to discover highway 83 was only ten miles from where we'd stopped, and if I'd just kept going on the road we were on, we'd have stumbled across it on our own. Whether there was enough gas left in the bike to make it to a gas station was another matter.

Willow had been worried about her damned cat being left alone and had wanted us to return home so she could get him and bring him with us. As we made ready to ride, we'd argued it around briefly, with me pointing out we didn't know what we were going to encounter, and he might have to spend days cooped up in a carrier. In the end, I'd given Big Dick the key to my house and asked him to arrange for someone to check on Mafic once or twice a day, which seemed to satisfy her.

Limpkin and Ricky had been found, waiting by the trucks, unharmed other than a few bruises and scratches obtained when they bailed from their bikes. The men who'd been chasing us, all cartel members with the tattoo on their necks, hadn't fared as well. All four had been dealt with by Limpkin and Ricky using extreme prejudice. Once our brothers were located, the club had rallied to their aid. They'd hauled the damaged trucks off their bikes before loading the wrecked Harley's onto a trailer, wiped down the trucks to remove any fingerprints, picked up all the motorcycle parts they could find, and left the dead men to either rot or to be eaten by predators. I wasn't sure that had been the right choice, but old habits die hard, and we apparently still weren't on the best of terms with the cops because of our past and what had happened on the road. What was done was done. They knew the situation, I didn't, and I refused to second guess their decisions or actions.

We'd arrived at the Larke Oil office about three, dirty and tired. After parking my bike out of sight and well away from Harris's reserved spot, we'd used Willow's key to enter the building. Either as the head geologist, or the president's daughter, she had free run of the building, and we had no trouble getting into Harris's office. Now we were simply waiting for him to arrive. I was either going to help Harris turn Larke Oil upside down to find the culprit, or if it were Harris himself... I didn't want to think about what that would do to Willow, but I'd do what was necessary to make her safe... even if it cost me her love.

Some stirring in the outer office pulled me out of my semi-sleep. I glanced at the time on my phone. 7:12. I silently rose, crossed the room, and touched Willow on the shoulder. She jerked awake with a soft gasp and a start. I held my finger to my lips to indicate silence.

"Someone is in the office," I whispered as I jerked my head toward the door.

"It's probably Greta, Dad's assistant," she whispered in reply. "What time is it?"

"About 7:15."

She nodded as she yawned and stretched. "He should be here pretty soon then."

I kissed her briefly. "Are you ready for this?"

She nodded. "It's not him. I know it's not."

"I hope you're right, but follow my lead and let me do the talking, okay?"

"What are you going to do?" she asked, her concern clear on her face.

"I'm going to get some answers." She stared at me. "It's going to be okay. Just follow me lead."

"Okay," she said softly.

Twenty minutes later, I heard a man's voice speaking in the outer office. I rose and walked to the blind side of the door and stood against the wall. A moment later, the door swung open, and Harris stepped into the room, pausing in the door.

"Willow? Baby Girl? What are you doing here? What happened to you?" Harris asked as he recovered and stepped further into the room, his surprise at seeing his daughter sitting at his desk unmistakable in his voice.

I closed the door behind him. "Sit down, Mr. Larke." I had my weapon out but wasn't pointing it at him. "We have a few questions to ask you."

He stared at the pistol in my hand. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Just a friendly conversation. Now sit down."

He glanced between his daughter and me, and then sat in one of the guest chairs. "Willow! What are you doing! What's fuck is going on?"

"That's what we're here to find out. Who did you tell I was in Rio Lago?" she asked before I could speak.

"What? Nobody! Why are you here? What happened to you?"

"What happened to me is somebody tried to kill me yesterday. Again."

"What?" he cried as the blood drained from his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but isn't it funny how nothing happened for nearly a month, then only a few days after you find out where I am, I'm suddenly attacked again. Colt thinks it's you who's feeding information to the cartel."

He stared at me. "Me?" he cried. "You've got to be shitting me! My own daughter!"

I held his gaze. "You just said you didn't tell anybody, so how'd they know?"

"I don't know, but you're crazy as shit if you think I'd have my own daughter killed!" He started to stand, but I popped my weapon up to point at him, and he settled back into the chair. "What possible reason would I have to kill Willow?"

"You tell us."

"There isn't one!"

"So you explain it."

He paused. "I can't. I didn't tell anyone. Nobody except..."

"Except who?" I demanded.

"Pam," he murmured.

"Aunt Pam?" Willow asked. I could tell by her tone and expression she didn't believe her aunt was guilty any more than she believed it was her father.

"I told her you were with Colt so she wouldn't worry after the break in at your house."

"Aunt Pam?" she repeated. "That's almost as hard to believe as you doing it."

"When?" I asked.

"When did I tell her?" I nodded. "I don't remember exactly. I told her that Willow had been attacked again, but that she was with safe and with you the night you called me. She and I worked on the scholarships together, and I might have told her where you were when I mailed the scholarships to you. I remember asking her if Rio Lago was where you lived." He paused as he looked at Willow, a haunted expression on his face. "I was so stupid," said softly. His color had returned after I pointed my weapon at him, but now he paled again, and the life seemed to drain out of him. "I didn't think... but it has to be her... it has to be. She's the only person I told." He paused again. "My own sister," he murmured to nobody.

"Maybe she told somebody else."

He shook his head slowly. "I told her what was at stake after that guy broke into Willow's house," he said softly.

The three of us looked at each other a moment before I tucked my pistol away. "We have to know. We need to talk to her. We'll tell her we found the mole." I turned my attention to Willow. "We'll blame it on somebody in your group. Who would make sense?"

"Nobody."

"You've got to give me somebody, even if it's not from your lab."

"Okay... how about Marsha? She's my backup."

"Is that older lady that works in your lab?" She nodded. "Okay, we'll tell her its Marsha, but to not say anything to anyone because we need proof and I'm working on getting that. We'll tell her we're staying at Willow's place, but we'll actually be at the Houstonian."

Harris nodded. "And if they show up at her house..."

"Right. Willow and I will talk to her in a moment. I need you to pretend like you know nothing of this. We're not here as far as you know until she tells you, okay?"

He nodded slowly. "I still can't believe it's her."

"Maybe's it's not. Maybe she told someone else. We'll take the chain one link at a time."

"If it is her, I'll kill her myself," Harris growled, his color not only returning, but he became flush.

"Don't say anything like that ever again," I snapped. "If she's mixed up in the cartel, and something happens to her, shit like that will come back and bite you in the ass in the worst way."

He was quiet for a moment and then nodded once. "I understand." He paused but then continued. "I underestimated you, Mr. Arne. What I don't understand is, if Pam wanted Willow out of the way, why did she hire security?"

"Probably to make it look good and she thought we'd fail. We've been damn lucky these last three times. By all rights, Willow should have been killed at the drill site. If not there, certainly at the RV, and we only just managed to escape yesterday. A lot of my people have been hurt or killed protecting her."

"I believe we make our own luck." He paused, but before I could speak, he continued. "Send all expenses related to this, medical, funeral, educational, whatever we haven't already covered, directly to me. I can't bring your people back, but I can help the survivors. I won't forget what the Buitre del Demonio has done for Willow... and for me," he said as he looked at his daughter, his love for her clear on his face.

"Count on it. If you're serious, I have a couple of brothers who sacrificed their bikes to make sure we got away."

"Done. Have them pick out what they want and then have the dealership send the invoices to my attention at Larke Oil."

If Harris was feeling generous, I was going to get what I could from him for my brothers. "Repairs on the other bikes that were crashed during the last attack, and Big Dick's truck that got shot up at the RV?"

"Get them repaired or replaced, and send the bills directly to me. I want to make this right."

I couldn't stop my smile. "I'll let the brothers know."

"Anything else?"

"I had two men that missed over a month of work after they were--"

"I'll have accounting send them a check. Send me their names and addresses. You said a month? Would ten thousand each be enough to cover their loss of income? These were the two men injured in the RV?"

"Yes. You've already covered their medical expenses, but... Anyway, that's very generous. Thank you."

"No... you thank the men for me. Anything else?"

"Not at the moment."

"A payment to the families of the men who died?" Willow suggested.

Harris nodded. "Yes, of course," he said, his attention shifting to Willow. "Talk to the families and work out what would be a fair settlement."

Willow smiled. "I will."

Harris rose and offered his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Arne, thank you and all your men for keeping my daughter safe. I want you to stay by her side until this is resolved. Send me any expenses you incur, but keep her safe, no matter the cost. I can never repay the debit I owe you, but I can make payments on it, so if you ever need anything, anything at all, you contact me."

"I'll protect her. You have my word."

"That's good enough for me."

I jerked my head at the door. "Willow, let's go pay a visit to your aunt." I turned my attention back to Harris. "Remember, we're not here until Ms. Larke tells you we paid her a visit. Can you trust your sec... assistant to keep quiet when we leave?"

"I'll tell her, and then yes." He smiled briefly. "If she told everything she knows about me, she could ruin me."

Willow smiled as she stopped beside me. "Sounds to me like we need to have a girls' lunch, just the two of us, when this is over."

Harris pulled his daughter into a hug. "See that you're able to have that lunch."

"I love you, Dad. I knew it couldn't be you."

"I love you too, Baby Girl."

They held each other tight a moment before she pulled out of his arms and gave him a sad smile. I opened the door, smiling at Harris's secretary's startled expression when we exited the office. Harris followed us out.

"They're not here, and you didn't see them, understand?" Harris said, his tone brooking no argument or questions, and leaving no doubt that failure to follow his instructions would result in unpleasantness.

"Yes, Mr. Larke."

"Love you, Dad," Willow said as she opened the outer office door.

"Love you too, Baby Girl."

I followed Willow the hundred feet or so until she turned into Pam's office. "Is she in?" Willow asked as she walked into Pam's office suite, not slowing as she passed the secretary's desk.

"Willow? Yes, she's in, but she has a meeting in--"

"We won't be long," Willow said as she opened the door to the inner office and walked in without slowing.

Pam glanced up from her desk where she was peering at a computer, her surprise at seeing us evident. "Willow? Colt? What are you doing here?" she asked before her eyes widened slightly at our appearance. "What happened to you two?"

"We had a bit of a problem yesterday. Someone took another shot at Willow," I said as Willow shut the door.

"What?" she squawked. "Where?"

"In Rio Lago. I think it's her father," I said.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Willow snap her head around, but she said nothing.

"Harris? You must be joking!"

"It all fits. Willow told him a few days ago where she was. There were no attempts for a month, then only a couple days after he finds out, bang!"

Pam stared at me wide-eyed. "I can't believe it. Why would he do such a thing?"

"I don't know, but he was the only one who knew."

"Well, he told me. Could he have told anyone else?"

"He told you?" Willow asked, playing along.

"Yeah, right after the attack, and how you suspected it was someone in Larke Oil, but I didn't tell anyone. You must be mistaken. Harris is a lot of things, but a killer isn't one of them. We should call him and find out if he told anyone else," Pam said while reaching for her phone.

I quickly moved to the desk and pressed down on the button as she lifted the receiver. "No. If it's him, I don't want him to know we suspect him. We'll call him later and tell him we're staying at the Houstonian. We'll rent a room there, but we'll actually be staying at Willow's house."

Pam nodded slowly. "And if someone breaks into the room at the Houstonian..."