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CONOR

WARRIOR’S DANCE - THE PRODIGY

THE FOLLOWING DAY

When my phone lit up with a message, I stared at the link with a frown.

Reaching for one of my earbuds, I slotted it in then pressed play.

As a rock fan, “Warrior’s Dance” by The Prodigy wasn’t exactly my thing, but I listened to it with a smirk, head rocking to the synth loop.

“Knew you’d like it,” Star called out from the bedroom.

“You don’t know I liked it.”

“Sure I do. You listened to the whole track.”

“How do you know?”

“You hummed the last melody.”

“Sneaky. You shouldn’t have been listening.”

“That’s our anthem. We’re the warriors.”

We.

Liking the inclusion, I got to my feet and stretched while I began the short walk to where she was lying down.

Burrowed among ten or so cushions that Edgar had happily provided upon her request, the duvet covering her almost entirely, she had her laptop on her knee. Beneath the duvet, she had a mouse she used to control her computer.

“It’s not that cold,” I remarked with a soft smile.

“It is.”

“Are you coming down with something?”

“No. I just get cold sometimes.” She studied me. “Well?”

My brow crinkled. “The song or my findings?”

“Both.”

“I like the song even though my rock-loving heart is crying on the inside.”

“So dramatic,” she quipped.

“As for my findings, well, we’ve got less than I’d like but more than I could have hoped for.”

“Details.”

“It’s a standard email app. Contacts aren’t automatically collated. They have to be added. A set number of messages are retained in storage unless you search for keywords which will bring up older emails.”

“Meaning we have to scour through individual emails to build up a contact list and to gain as much intel as we can from the app?”

“Yes. I’m just relieved it didn’t depend on local storage.”

“Shit, you’re right. That would have screwed us over.”

“It would. Unless the cops have DeLaCroix’s actual phone, of course.”

“I’m sure they have one in evidence but that doesn’t mean it’s the right phone.”

“Yup. So, we’ve got plenty to work with is the good news and I can bring in some bots to start the collation process.

“You’re more integrated with their methods, so do you want to draw up a list of trigger words to feed the bots so they can get to trawling?”

“Sure. I’m just trying to find any information I can on Kuznetsov’s son. So far, no dice. But I’ll get the keyword list to you by tonight.”

“Speaking of tonight…”

She arched a brow at me. “Yes?”

“It’ll take a couple of hours for the protocol I’m running to complete.”

“And?”

“I wondered if you’d like to go on a date with me.”

She sat upright. “You want to go on a date with me.”

“Was there a question in there?”

“No,” was her wary response.

“I didn’t ask you to come on a murder spree with me, Star. Just wanted to know if you felt like eating pizza in Dubrovnik! Although,” I continued with a huff, “knowing you, you’d prefer the murder spree.”

Her grin was immediate. “You’d be right.”

“Thought as much. I don’t have anyone who needs to die yet so you’re shit out of luck.”

The twinkle was back in her eye though. That gave me some satisfaction. She’d been quiet since yesterday evening, going through the motions in a sense once she knew of the girl. We both could imagine what was being done to her, and though we were working to rescue her, it didn’t exactly put either of us in a good mood.

Only after she’d called Kat before bedtime in the US did she switch focus from the girl to working on this case. Around an hour later, I’d fallen asleep on the couch, my own computer humming away on my lap while she worked at the table. Earlier today, after a restful sleep, I’d woken up with her curled at my side again, my rig on the coffee table. Single-handedly, she’d graced me with the two best wakeups I’d ever had—I included Christmas Day among those memories.

Santa Claus had nothing on Star Sullivan.

“What would we do on a date?” was her next wary question.

“Eat.” I paused. “Drink, if you want.”

“Water or alcohol?”

“I can afford both. But if you’re worried about my net worth, by all means,” I mocked, “order still water.”

Her grin peeped out again. “Sassy. What would we discuss?”

“Life? Game of Thrones ? Halo ? Whatever the hell you want.”

“If we stayed here, we could talk about the case.”

“All the more reason to head out. We’re letting our code do the work for us, Star, so we can go and play. It’s for one night. I think you deserve to let your hair down.”

She frowned. “I don’t even know what that looks like.”

“Then we need to work on that. Remember when I asked you what you’d do once this was over?”

Her gulp was audible. “Yeah.”

“That time is approaching, Star. I can feel it. ” I stepped closer to the bed, and though I still had shit to do and so did she now, I lifted the duvet and burrowed beneath the blanket and pillow fort she’d made for herself.

I was surprised when she leaned over and put her laptop and mouse on the floor next to the bed for safekeeping. At first, I thought she was going to leave because I’d climbed in, then she was turning on her side to face me and her hand was reaching out to gently trace the furrow between my brows.

“Have you ever let your work define you to the point that you don’t have anything else in your life?”

I blinked. “You do know who you’re talking to, don’t you?”

Her snicker warmed my heart. “You’re funnier in real life.”

“I have an active audience.”

“True,” she teased, eyes gleaming.

“And, to answer your question, of course. I didn’t have anything in my life aside from work and family for too long. Now you’re in the mix as well and let me tell you, you’re more trouble than both of them put together. Which, considering I’ve got five brothers who also happen to run a mob empire, is saying something.”

She cackled. “I’ll keep you on your toes then.”

“I imagine you will, yes.” Shuffling closer, I let my hand fall on her bicep. “How about it? Pizza. Still water. I’ll even spring for some gelato.”

“Pistachio?”

I hummed. “Two scoops. Let’s go wild.”

With a snort, she wriggled closer to me until her front was pressed to mine. Eyes at the same level, she whispered, “I’ll share my ice cream with you.”

“Didn’t think you’d find that hygienic.”

“Hygiene, smygiene. I’ve shared spit with you. I think I can deal with you eating my gelato.”

“I was thinking you’d be eating my gelato.”

“I’m the guest.”

“True. Still, I’d get to watch you sucking ice cream off a cone. That sounds like spank bank material right there.”

Her eyes widened. “Spank bank?”

Unashamed, I admitted, “Yes.”

“You jerk off?—”

“To thoughts of you?” I smiled. “Often.”

Her cheeks glowed cherry red. Every time that happened, it was the strangest fucking thing. I had a serial killer in my bed. A serial killer who didn’t give a shit about the lives she took or how she did it. Didn’t care who got hurt in her pursuit of the truth. Yet she could blush when I talked about this stuff.

It was a dichotomy I didn’t particularly want to change, mostly because I knew she blushed because it was me .

Sex didn’t make her nervous.

I did.

And not for negative reasons, either. Just because she wanted me as much as I wanted her, and Star wasn’t used to wanting. She’d said it herself—she used. But she couldn’t use me. There was nothing to gain from sex with me other than pleasure, and her pleasure was my priority anyway.

“What do you think of when… You know?” she whispered like we were discussing state secrets.

“We added to the spank bank yesterday. Seeing you get off was better than listening to it.”

She swallowed. “Did you like hearing me come?”

I let my finger trickle down her throat and settle between her collarbones. “Yes.”

Her knee shifted and pressed against mine. I parted them so she could slot hers between my legs. When she angled closer, she whispered, “I should get to work on those keywords.”

“They’ll be there in an hour.”

“An hour?” she queried, clearly intrigued by the prospect of how I could fill up a whole sixty minutes while horizontal on a mattress.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I let my fingers do the talking. I traced over the line of her collarbones, smoothing them along her chest, watching as goosebumps popped into being. Through the tank she wore, her nipples were visible, and I let my hand come to a halt above one.

“Can I?”

Her throat bobbed as she nodded, prompting me to circle the taut flesh. She shivered, her knee pressing against my thighs, muscles contracting and releasing in response.

Her moan as I gently tugged at her nipple had me hiding a smile.

“Your moan is spank bank material,” I informed her. “That little hitch is perfection. I love knowing that I make you feel good.”

She exhaled. “W-Why?”

I continued on my journey, letting my fingers trail along the crotch of the boxer briefs she wore—mine. She’d stolen them and I’d never been so happy to have a thief in my bed than I was right now.

Trickling the digits along the seam, I rubbed her very gently, watching her eyelids turn heavy.

“Because a woman like you deserves pleasure.”

Her gaze turned watchful.

“Because a man like me knows when he’s lucky and isn’t dumb enough to throw it away.”

“You’re not lucky,” she rasped. “I’m a minefield.”

“I like playing with things that could burn me,” I teased, content when her lips quirked. Just when she relaxed, I found the top of her pussy and gave her some pressure. “Does that feel good?”

A shaky breath was my answer.

“Words, Star. I need to know you’re all in or I’ll stop.”

“Y-You don’t need to stop.”

“Yeah, I do. I’m not willing to push your boundaries. Not until you’re more comfortable being in bed with me.”

She moaned when I rubbed her clit through the boxer briefs and her hips tipped back. “What if I’m never comfortable around you?”

“We’re already a thousand steps ahead of where we were yesterday.” Understatement. Even though we’d known each other for years, I hadn’t put a deadline on getting into her panties. If she needed time, I had nothing but that for her. Playing with the buttons on the briefs, I heard her breathing hitch in response and asked, “Can I?”

“Y-Yes.”

My fingers tucked into the gap and my nostrils flared when her knee shifted higher so it put pressure against my dick. Simultaneously, my fingers found the hot silk between her thighs. She mewled when bare skin met bare skin, and her hand reached over to cup my wrist, holding me in place as she rocked her hips, creating her own friction.

I’d thought to give her pleasure, but she took it and I’d never seen anything fucking hotter than her using my hand to get off.

Her shoulders arched as her body rippled, hips writhing from side to side as she found the place where she needed more attention.

“Eyes on me, Star,” I whispered softly, happy when they popped open and clashed with mine.

Dazed, I watched the dilation of her pupils as they bloated, contracting fully as her brow puckered, soft cries escaping her as she neared?—

Like it had never been there in the first place, she sagged.

For a moment, we both froze.

I thought she’d start again, but she didn’t. If anything, she seemed to shrink in front of me. Shame curdled into mortification.

Surprised, I rasped, “Take it slow. There’s no rush.”

She wriggled her leg from between mine, jerked at my wrist to move it away, then flopped onto her back. She didn’t jump out of bed though, just lay there, panting as she stared up at the ceiling.

Unsure of what had happened, I moved nearer. “What went wrong?”

“I-I don’t know.”

I knew she’d been into it. “Did your mind drift?”

She swallowed. “Maybe.”

Definitely.

“What can we do to stop that from happening again?”

Her head rocked to the side. “How about I kill every man that touched me?”

“That’s a solution, I guess.”

With a huff, she muttered, “A shitty solution.” Reaching up, she rubbed her eyes. “It’s like conceding defeat.”

“What is?”

“They used to force me to fight, Conor. My getting off wasn’t fun for them, but—” She sighed. “The guy who bought me, the one I killed, he used to like doing stuff to get me off. Then he’d say it wasn’t rape. He’d tell me that he loved me and he’d make me tell him…” Her brow furrowed. “I lost myself. I lost everything.”

“That piece of shit,” I growled.

“Why do you think I snapped his neck?” she muttered, her arm moving to cover her face so she could hide her eyes from me. “It wasn’t just for the family silver.”

“What happened?”

“He got me pregnant.”

My mouth rounded in astonishment. “Y-You had a baby with him?”

“No.” Her throat bobbed. “When I found out, he was happy.” Her top lip curved into a sneer. “I’d already intended on killing him, but like I said, I got… lost. That sped things along fast.”

Lost—I couldn’t imagine Star ever being that way. She was such a force to be reckoned with. I couldn’t imagine wanting her to be anything other than what she was—living, breathing mayhem.

“What things?”

“He wasn’t my husband at the time.”

“The pregnancy made it happen?”

“Yes. It worked in my favor. He said he loved me, and I knew what would happen if I got pregnant?—”

“Did you make it happen on purpose?” I questioned softly.

She snorted. “No. I didn’t have a say in anything. I had to ask to use the bathroom, Conor. You think he gave me a choice about getting pregnant? Hell, he could have brought in a football team and ordered me to fuck them and I’d have to or I’d end up?—”

“What?” I prompted when she stilled.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said with a sigh. “He had a way of making me do whatever he wanted.

“I knew that with a kid and his warped ideas of love, he’d make sure he provided for us. I killed him a week after he’d been to visit his attorney to change his will.

“I broke into his medicine cabinet, drugged his whiskey, then got him ready for the end. When he started to stir, I strung him up and watched him dance for me .” A ghost of a smile drifted onto her lips and I knew point blank that that bastard had made her do that—dance for him. The smile barely had a chance to exist before it was immediately quenched. “I was going to get an abortion but God proved he exists because he smiled down on me and I miscarried.”

“What happened?”

“Helped Hans hang himself. He kicked me while he was swinging. I fell.”

She uttered the words in such a facile tone that I knew those were the bare bones of what had undoubtedly been one of many traumatizing days in her life.

Her hesitation was palpable as she mumbled, “You’re Catholic.”

“Your body, your choice,” was my immediate reply. “And I’m not really Catholic.”

She grunted. “I know that, just wasn’t sure if you did and if I’d have to kick you around a bit until you understood that even if I hadn’t miscarried, I wasn’t going to let?—”

I pressed a finger to her lips. “Your body. Your choice. Anyway, what is it with you and fighting? Or is it just a self-defense thing?”

“Got a black belt in Ju-Jitsu at fourteen. What do you think?”

“Wow.”

Another grunt.

“If you ever want to fight me… I’m not a black belt, but Brennan makes us train.”

“He makes you train? You aren’t ten and have anger issues.”

“That’s why you got your black belt so young?”

“Yeah.”

“I had authority issues but Da let me burn that off by hacking into government agencies.” Her snicker soothed the agitation her anecdote had stirred.

“That was a Krav Maga move you pulled on the guard at the dinner table.”

I shrugged. “Brennan is the kind of guy who gets straight to the point.”

“Why teach something unless it’ll decimate an attacker?”

“That’s him in a nutshell,” I said with a chuckle. “Why waste time punching someone in the face when you can snap their fingers, rupture a testicle, and puncture a lung?”

She whistled. “I like his style.”

“Thought you might,” I quipped. “He’s always taught us to be light on our feet, but I only got back into fighting and training because of Shay.”

“Explain.”

“Bossy.”

Her nose crinkled. “Get on with it.”

“Brennan got into boxing when he was a teenager; he was the one with anger problems.”

“In your family, jeez, what a surprise.”

“Right? Stunned us all.” I smirked. “But he’s always been the fists of the fam so it’s fitting. Anyway, Seamus got bullied at school and I told Brennan he needed to train him. Shay needed moral support, so I got into the swing of things.

“All the sisters-in-law train with him now too.”

“Self-defense?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s awesome. Brennan sounds like good people.”

“You’re only saying that because he’s the fists.”

Her laughter burned away some of the truths she’d spilled. “True. You know I love me some bloodshed, but I couldn’t deal with my partner being like me.”

Her head had rocked to the side so she could look at me as she uttered those words.

Our eyes locked on one another’s, I rasped, “No?”

“No. A partnership can only sustain a certain amount of crazy. We both know I tip the balance of that set of scales.”

Unsure if she’d let me touch her, I moved even closer so that we were back to where we’d been earlier—she made no move to stop me.

“Do you judge me for thinking about getting an abortion?”

“That man bought you, Star. He owned your body; I don’t think he had the right to own that much of your future too.”

“His name was Hans,” she confessed, disgust making her lips twist. “I think that’s why, when I found Katina, I had to bring her home with me. I never thought I’d do something like that. All the shit I’ve done in my life, all the people I’ve killed, you wouldn’t think that’d matter, would you? But it did.” Her eyes closed again. “I cried when it happened.”

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “He was a man who frequented a place that dealt in trafficked women. He bought you. He raped you. He forced you to get pregnant… I’ll never judge you, Star. Never.”

She swallowed. “Why not?”

I understood where her question came from, but I didn’t really know how to answer. Not because I didn’t have the words, but because… “I know who you are, Star,” I reasoned eventually. “I’ve known for a while. I know you’re cocky and arrogant. I know you have weird morals and a skewed system of loyalty. I know that you’re brilliant and have mad skills, but I also know that we fit together. We make sense.

“So, I won’t judge you because I’d also be judging myself, and people in glass houses should not throw stones. I’ve done shit that’s horrific too. I’ve given my father and brothers evidence that led to them torturing people and I’ve seen things that would make the average man cry.

“If I judged you, I’d be implying that I’m perfect and I’m not. Neither of us is and I wouldn’t want us to be because your crazy and my crazy work together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

I watched her work her bottom lip between her teeth. “I didn’t expect you to be patient.”

“What? Nearly two years of online chatting when we live barely an hour away from each other didn’t give you a hint?”

She smirked. “No. But there’s a difference.”

“I don’t see that there’s any rush.”

“So, this date…?”

“What about it?”

“I’ll go if I can have three scoops of gelato.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” I teased.

“It’s one of my best assets.”

“Nah, that’s your ass.”

She snorted. “Don’t be such a guy.”

“I can’t help it.” I winked at her then, with a slow smile, asked, “Star, will you go on an ice cream date with me?”

“Don’t forget the pizza.”

“I didn’t.”

“Ask again then. But do it properly.”

“Star, will you go on a pizza and ice cream date with me?”

“Yes, Conor, I will.”

“Good. And… will you let me help you?”

Her chin jerked up at that, and her legs jolted as if she wanted to raise them to her chest in a fetal position.

She knew exactly what I was talking about.

After licking her lips, she rasped, “I don’t think I can.” She gritted her teeth. “The bitch of it is if you try to fight me, I’d probably be fine. It’s because it’s… tender. I’m not used to that.”

Well, wasn’t that as painful as a bullet to the chest?

I was speechless, literally had no words again, then I asked the only thing that made sense to me: “Would you let me try? I think you deserve pleasure, Star. Guilt-free, shame-free, no strings attached, pain-free pleasure. Don’t you?”

She studied me for so long that I didn’t think she’d say yes, then she whispered, “Only if you get off too.”

“That’s not no strings,” was all I said, not sure if an erection was even possible after that admission of hers.

“It is for us. Mutual pleasure or no dice.”

Slowly, I nodded, then I pressed my lips to her forehead. “The moment you feel yourself drift away, you tell me and we stop. Got it?”

“O—” She exhaled. “—kay.”

My hand drifted over the sleep tank she wore, gently cupping her breast. “Are you okay with me talking to you?”

“I-I think I’d like that. Your voice…” Another exhalation. “It grounds me.”

“I’m glad it does.” I squeezed her tit again. “We’ll get there, Star. This isn’t a race.”

Though she nodded, she stunned me by sitting up and dragging her tank off. My eyes were instantly glued to the soft curves.

Once she took a deep breath, she muttered, “I don’t have much sensitivity in them anymore.”

Put a Sparrow in front of me at that moment and I swore I’d have killed them. Bare hands. No weapon. And with glee .

I rolled a nipple between my pointer and middle finger.

“Are you sure you don’t want to fight?” she blurted out. “You said Brennan trained you?—”

“You didn’t need to fight yesterday,” I said blandly, keeping my motions non-threatening.

“I didn’t overthink it yesterday. You distracted me.”

“Why are you overthinking it now?”

Her nostrils flared. “Because I’d like you to fuck me.”

“You’re not ready for that.”

“No, and that’s why I’m annoyed. The one goddamn man I’ve wanted in years and my head is taking charge. If we let my body take over?—”

“No. That’s not how it’s going to be between us. You’ve given me a hand job, Star. Do you know how big a deal that was for me?” Her eyes rounded. “And I want you to put your hands in my hair when I go down on you and I want you to nearly tear it from the roots because I’m eating you out so fucking good.” Her soft moan made my cock ache. “One day, we’re going to be everything to each other. But you’re too impatient. We have to build toward that. So, let me concentrate on what we’ll have in the future, okay? Because you suck at it.”

A snort of laughter escaped her then. Her wicked smile made my heart pound before it gentled and she nodded. “I’ll let you be the builder, Conor.”

I just hummed before I pressed my mouth to hers and kissed her slowly. I ran my tongue around her Cupid’s bow, dipping it in to tease her and darting away before she could reciprocate. Soft pecks landed on the tip of her nose, on her cheeks, and on her brows. All the while, my hand continued plying her nipple.

“I’ve dreamed of this for years,” I rasped against her lips, tugging the bottom one between my teeth. “You taste so much fucking better than I imagined.”

She growled when I finally slipped inside her mouth, and her promise to be patient faded as she turned the kiss aggressive. I pulled back whenever she did, sampling her kisses, teasing and tasting, reveling in the freedom to explore her body that she handed me.

Unfortunately for her, I was waiting for something and I wouldn’t stop until she gave it to me.

When I angled over her, her legs spread to cup my hips, and though her feet dug into my ass and she tried to grind into me, I stayed a heavy weight, not letting her manipulate my body. My tongue thrust against hers, gradually increasing in speed then?—

Finally.

She whimpered.

The softest of sounds but I heard it.

Right at the back of her throat.

“Are you wet for me, Star?”

Her eyelashes fluttered as she moaned, “Y-Yes, Conor.”

“Do I make you feel good?”

“God, yes,” was her thick retort.

“You make me so hard, Star. Everything about you. I was put on this planet to make sure you know what pleasure is, do you hear me?” I ran my nose down her cheek, then, tugging at her earlobe, I repeated, “Do you hear me?”

She swallowed. “I-I hear you.”

Satisfied, my lips returned to hers as I slid my hand down her side and angled her thighs higher around me. It was easier on the bed because we had more space.

With better leverage, I started to grind my hips, rocking into her. Immediately, her hands went to my shoulders, nails digging into the flesh there. I wasn’t surprised when she dragged them along my spine, clawing at me as she fought my kiss, trying to make me move faster, but I wouldn’t be swayed.

She cried out when I rocked my full length along her covered slit, then moaned into my mouth as I repeated the move. Harder, I ground into her, making sure I found her clit with every thrust.

Her skin clung to mine by the time she was edging ever nearer, and that was when I moved faster because her sounds had gone from high-pitched mewls to guttural groans as if I were tearing them from her.

“Take your pleasure, Star. Own it,” I rumbled against her mouth. “It’s yours. You earned it.”

A hoarse sob escaped her, not soft like before but deep, from the soul, and she rode me back, nearly lifting us both off the damn bed in her desire to reciprocate the move.

She wriggled and writhed, seeking an orgasm, and just when I thought she’d give up, her body bowed beneath me.

It quivered like a bow that had been sprung.

She hovered in place until she gave a husky shout that saw her collapsing into the bed.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I grated out.

She shuddered beneath me, and when I thought she’d pull away to catch her breath, even though she had to be tired, she carried on until I found my release too. Both of us arched into one another, dry humping like teenagers who were scared to take it all the way. But fuck, it was perfect.

She was perfect.

Shouting out my climax while she held me in her embrace so tightly that I knew she didn’t want to let go of me, I came for the second time in as many days in my pants. If this was all we had together for the rest of my days on this planet, I’d take it because being with her like this was better than a thousand throw-away fucks which was what my sex life had amounted to in the past.

When I sank onto her, panting, the pleasure so goddamn intense that it was exhausting, I twisted us onto our sides again, one leg hooked over the other to stay tangled between the sheets.

I relaxed into the soft down and so did she, knowing that sleep was coming and embracing the newly budded trust that had formed between us.

Then, when I was an inch away from sleep, she whispered, “If I throw you out of bed, don’t be offended.”

The ramifications of ‘why’ made my eyes pop open, but around a yawn, I muttered, “It’s worth being tossed out of bed to fall asleep with you in it.”

Her arms clung to me, tightening as she nodded against my chest.

Shit would never get boring with Star around.