Free Sacrifice by Lora Leigh

position before he saw
Jared.
    Jared smiled in anticipation. He
could see the other man’s desire to jump, to attack. It quivered in the muscles
of his body, glittered in his hazel eyes and flushed his pale face with an
unattractive ruddy color.
    “Go for it,” he said simply, his
body relaxed, ready for any move the other man would make. “I dare you.”
    Adams tensed, then evidently
thought before attacking the man he had been sent to guard.
    “This is my office,” Jared said
simply, warningly as the other man stood down. “You don’t have any business
here.”
    Adams’ lips firmed as his gaze went
around the room before pausing at the couch. There was no mistaking the
dampness that still lingered on the center cushion, proof of Kimberly’s passion
and her need.
    Jared watched as fury built within
the younger man, his body shaking with it.
    “Sorry,” he finally snapped with no
sign of apology. “Wrong turn.”
    He moved to pass Jared and escape.
    “I don’t think so, junior.” Jared
caught Adams in a neck hold that had him gasping for breath, his body tensing
in surprise.
    “I think you know just how easy it
would be for me to snap your neck right now,” Jared kept his tone pleasant
despite the fury pouring through him. “Someone as well trained as yourself,
Adams, should know better than to ever turn your back on your enemy. And trust
me, you just made an enemy,” he growled at the other man’s ear. “Now you listen
here, and you listen good. Kimberly is none of your business. Period. And don’t
think you can report this to the Senator and get away with it. Won’t happen,
son, I’ll hear about it. And when I do, I’ll kill you. You understand me?”
    Adams choked with fury, the harsh
sounds of his anger and his fight to breathe filled the room for long seconds
before Jared loosened his hold enough to allow him to take a breath.
    “You understand me, Adams?” he
repeated the question, keeping his voice soft, deadly.
    “He’ll find out,” Adams gasped.
“She won’t get away with it.”
    Jared smiled tightly. “As long as
she remains a virgin, she can get away with whatever the hell she wants to,
right?” He tightened his hold as Adams struggled vainly for release. “Answer
me, boy, before I break your neck now.”
    “Yes,” Adams hissed.
    “Exactly.” Jared loosed the grip on
his neck further. “But whether she does or not, you’re not going to be
spreading any tales are you, pissant? You want to know why? Because you know
who I am. You know what I can do. And you know I will kill you. Don’t you,
Adams?”
    “Yes.” Raw helpless rage echoed in
the voice.
    “Good boy,” Jared commended him
mockingly. “Now, you make sure you remember this little lesson, because I would
sure hate to have to spill blood in my house. My housekeeper gets real testy
when she has to clean up the mess. We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
    Jared released him slowly, watching
with narrowed eyes as Adams tore out away from him. The smaller man turned
back, his eyes flashing with anger.
    “Do you think the Senator doesn’t
know what she is?” Adams snarled. “Do you think he won’t have her checked first
thing after this assignment?”
    Jared stilled the need to kill the
other man. Hiding the body would be a pure pain anyway.
    “Won’t matter,” he finally said,
his voice chillingly cold. “She’ll be a virgin. He won’t win and neither will
you. I’ll make certain of it. Now get the hell out of my office before I lose
my control and show you just how far you’re pushing me right now.”
    He evidently didn’t have to give a
second warning. Adams shot out of the room, the curse that fell from his lips
echoing in the room behind him.
    “Get fucked.”
    Jared sighed wearily. If only…

Chapter Eleven
     
    Kimberly admitted she had little
experience with the male of the species. And she had even less experience with
this relationship deal that Jared seemed to want. She felt unprepared for