“I throw you over my shoulder and carry you the fuck out of here.”
Her jaw dropped, that sassy look turning to outright disbelief as she stared at me. “You wouldn’t dare!”
Oh, wouldn’t I?
“One.”
She shook her head. “Wait, hang—”
“Two.”
“Who are you?”
“Cormac,” I said quietly, my eyes burning into hers. I glanced back at the main club dance floor again, and this time, I could see the whole crew. Sylvan, along with Tommy DiFresno and his brother Tony—the three who Nina saw that night. My jaw tensed before I turned back to her.
No more games. No more bullshit. We were getting the fuck out of there now.
“My name is Cormac, and you just ran out of chances.”
Her mouth started to open, and I could almost hear the backtalk she was just dying to throw my way. But like I said, I was fresh out of time for games.
“Three.”
I snatched her up before she could even blink, tossing her small little body up over my broad shoulder like she weighed nothing at all. She shrieked, predictably, kicking and slapping at me in a way that made me grin. Not because I liked that I was scaring her enough to fight back, but because she was fighting back.
She had fire in her, and I liked that. Still, if she kept fighting me like that, I would tie her up if it meant getting her sweet little ass out of there in one piece.
She was clearly a little drunk from the drinks her shitty roommate fed her. And she kept fighting me all the way out the back door to the parking lot, trying to catch me with a heel, or pummeling my back with her fists. But there was no use fighting a man like me. Not when I was on a mission. Not when she was my mission.
She squirmed against me again, and my arm tightened around her waist. She wriggled again, and this time, her short little skirt pulled up high across the backs of her thighs, all the way up over the soft little curve of that tight little ass of hers. My eyes caught a glimpse of tiny pink lace, pulled tight against the crease of her ass, and I fucking growled. My cock throbbed instantly, heat and raw want blazing though me. My balls swelled with cum, and it took everything in my power not to slam her against the side of the SUV, rip those panties off, and plunge every inch of my aching cock deep inside her sweet untouched heaven right then and there.
Somehow, I restrained myself.
I got her in the car. I gave her the basic gist of what was going on. And finally, she stopped trying to fight me. Finally, she took a damn breath. I could feel my pulse roaring as I finally closed her door and then marched around to the driver’s side and climbed in. The engine roared to life, and I glanced once more at the back door as we pulled out. No sign of Sylvan or Tommy or Tony, or their guys. But that didn’t mean I’d lost them, and I knew it.
Nina’s hand’s twisted in her lap as we roared away, her breath coming fast. I watched the swell of her breasts heave against her thin lacy top. I watched that tiny skirt ride up so high on her creamy, tempting thighs. I felt my cock bulging against the front of my jeans, and I felt my heart skip a beat as I took in the absolute angel sitting next to me in that Escalade.
I roared off into the night, and I knew one thing: It was my duty to protect her. But it was my mission to claim her.
3
Nina
The drive had mostly been in silence so far. No music on the radio. No banter. No “so, you kidnap people. How’d you get into that?” style conversations. Nothing. We left the city, and what felt like all of civilization behind as we drove heavily forested roads, moving deeper and deeper into the wilderness. I could still feel the booze pulsing through my veins.
Finally, he pulled off the main road onto a dirt one, driving down that for another mile maybe until suddenly, we came to a stop.
“Where are we?”
My voice felt far away. I’d say it was the fear, but then, I was far less scared than I knew I should be. After all, a big, muscled, growly stranger had just thrown me over his shoulder, stolen me away from my roommate and her friends, and driven me out into the middle of nowhere. By all counts, I should’ve been terrified. Except, for some reason, I wasn’t. Instead, it almost felt like I was anxious—curious, even. Like there was something new and exciting, and yes, even a little scary waiting for me, but that it was something I was dying to discover.