Текст книги "Mine"

Автор книги: Dimon HelenKay

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FOURTEEN

Gabe shut the door, blocking out the cold wind and every memory of his brother. Inside meant Natalie. It was just the two of them, safe and warm. No new threats. No realities to face. And if Gabe guessed right, at least until Rick landed back in D.C. and delivered his report to whomever needed to hear it, very limited risk of attack.

That meant no more kissing Natalie while a warning light flashed in the back of his head to be careful. He’d told her he needed to watch the door and have a gun nearby. All true, up to a point. Now, not so much. And as soon as he burned off some of this anger toward Rick, he’d touch her. Really touch her.

She’d taken her boots off and stood up from her position kneeling on the couch where it looked like she’d been on some sort of guard duty. Her approach was cautious. She fidgeted as she rubbed her hands together. “Are you okay?”

“Sure.” He would be. He just needed a few more minutes, but staring at her helped.

Damn, but she was pretty. That face, round with big eyes. A body that left him breathless and a soft southern accent that appeared and disappeared depending on her mood. That part proved to be one of his favorite things about her.

“Gabe, please.” Her head tilted to the side and her soft hair fell over her shoulder. “I can see the distress in every line of your body. Hear it in your voice.”

“I can’t pretend he’s not trying to rip my life apart.” But he could focus on something else. Something clean and light and full of energy—her.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t expect you to, but why let him get away with bullshit answers and send him away?”

Now he understood. It made sense that she’d want concrete intel and promises in writing, though the ones she had didn’t appear to be all that rock solid. “Because he will make the report to the people who hired him. He’ll make it clear that they are engaging in a game of mutually assured destruction if they continue.”

She shrugged. “I’m not convinced that will be enough since they’ve known I held the leverage all along. Bast used it in the negotiations.”

“Clearly they thought that was a bluff or that they could take you out before you could use your leverage.”

“Idiots.”

“And none of that matters because by the time Rick gets back home we will be moving again.” He probably should have led with that. By this time tomorrow they would be out of here. Rick could send all the men he wanted to watch over them. They’d be staring at an empty cabin.

“What?” She said the word nice and slow, as if trying to figure out his plan.

Gabe didn’t see a reason to make her guess. They were talking about her life. Her safety. “We’re leaving here.”

“That sounds better than hanging around depending on your brother for help.”

“That’s not happening, ever.” Even before the fight Gabe didn’t operate that way. He’d long moved past the time when he needed his big brother to swoop in and take over. In fact, the idea of it pissed Gabe off. As an adult and successful businessman, he was in charge. Always and completely.

“Any chance you can pick a beach area next time?”

Tempting, but Gabe already had a destination in mind. “We’re going to my house.”

She stilled, every muscle frozen in place. “The fake one in Maryland?”

“The real one in Virginia.” The words came out before he could mentally weigh the pros and cons and find more cons. Taking her breached his personal vow to keep his work world and private world separate. Truth was, bringing her to his most sacred place, the house he shared with Brandon when he wasn’t off at college, meant something. He didn’t want to examine what, he just knew it was the right answer.

And the things they could do in his big bed. His feelings for her went beyond sex, but the fantasy had been working in his head. He looked forward to the live version.

She sat down hard on the armrest of the couch. “You often take people you’re protecting to your private home?”

“Never.” He slipped off his coat then kicked off his boots. The move gave her a little extra time to process, which she seemed to need since she just stood there.

Her eyes finally narrowed. “Why me?”

The simple answer popped into his head and he said it. “You’re special.”

She shook her head. “I’m not.”

Damn it, someone did a number on her. Her idiot father or some loser she dated. Somewhere along the line she’d learned the lesson that she didn’t matter except for what she brought to the job. Even that got trounced by the men in her office who insisted on taking credit for her ideas. He’d seen the evidence in the research file he complied for this job and heard about the annoying tendency during his talks with Eli and Bast about her.

“I’m going to show you.” Not that she lacked confidence. She just funneled it all to the CIA and her abilities there. Not to who she was as a woman. And that part of her appealed to him on a very primal level. “Do you remember what I told you around the time we got to Montana about liking to be in charge?”

“I don’t know what you’re—”

“Right.” He didn’t believe her. Her eyes and the faint color on her cheeks said otherwise. “I’m going to tie you down.”

“There’s no headboard.”

Always so practical, but interesting how she’d already done the math on that one. “I’ll improvise.”

Her mouth broke into a sudden smile. “You’re not going to watch the door this time.”

He liked this side of her, playful and sexy. When she let go and allowed this part of her personality to come out it was pure magic.

“The only thing I’ll be looking at is you.” He started unbuttoning his shirt. “Consider it a good-bye gift to the cabin.”

“Does the sex end in Montana?”

She had to be kidding. “No.”

He didn’t even want it to end in Virginia. That was the problem. The way she wound her life around his without even trying. Maybe without intending to.

Scary shit.

She nodded, clearly unaware of the thoughts in his head. “Good.”

“Take off your clothes.” This time he wanted to see all of her, take all of her. It would whet their appetites until he got them back to Virginia. “All of them. I want you naked.”

She didn’t fight him. Her fingers went to the hem of her sweater. She lifted it up and over her head. Shed the bra next. Her body trembled in what he hoped was excitement as she moved. The flush of her skin suggested yes. So did the way her nipples stood in stiff peaks.

The temptation to touch her, run his hands over her while his mouth went to work tasting her, kicked strong. He held it off. This time he would give her pleasure the way he needed it. In control. He liked when she touched his dick or licked her tongue over him. She could initiate sex any time she wanted and he was in. But this time would be about a mutual satisfaction brought on by anticipation.

When she continued to stand there, with her hands at her sides, he pushed a little further. “The pants, Natalie. Don’t make me wait.”

Her hands went to the buckle of her belt. With aching slowness, she opened the clasp. The zipper came next, ticking down with a sound that vibrated in his head. This sexy woman knew how to play him. Knew exactly what it took to rev him up until he itched with the need to touch her,

But not yet.

“Keep going, baby.” He lowered his gaze to her legs. “Off.”

She shimmied then. Rocked her hips from side to side as she peeled the slim jeans down. Hands down the hottest striptease he’d ever seen. Heat flushed through him, and he had to force his body to remain still. When she stood back up, completely naked, he almost lost it.

He had to swallow before issuing the next command. “Get on your back on the bed. Fingertips against the wall and legs open.”

This was going to kill him. No question about it. Just watching that high, firm ass walk across the room had his erection thumping. And she knew it. She worked that walk. The gentle swing of her hips. The way she glanced back at him over her shoulder, as if to tease and lure him in.

Here he thought he was in charge. Truth was all the power lay with her. She said yes or no. She turned him on. When she harnessed that feminine strength he turned to mush. It was fucking embarrassing, but he was starting to get used to it.

Now he just had to survive the next hour. He stepped into the bedroom doorway. Neither one of them could hide in the small space. She didn’t even try. She sprawled out on the bed, that skin gleaming in the soft white light. When she spread her legs, taking her time and stretching out the process, he had to remember to swallow. He was pretty sure he’d stopped blinking, too.

As he stood there, she lowered her arms. “No, hands against the wall.”

“There’s nothing to tie me to.”

Goddamn. “Then you’ll have to be a good girl and keep those hands up.”

She shifted her legs from side to side on the mattress, blocking his view but enticing with every move. “You don’t want them on you?”

He heard a screeching sound in his brain but ignored it. “There will be time for that later. After.”

He wanted her this way first, open and free. Following his commands as he walked her through each step and brought her body to the brink. The question was whether he could survive this. He’d been dreaming about her, thinking about her, for so long. The sex they’d had before now only stirred his cravings. He wanted more.

He slipped his shirt over his head and reached for his belt. When she flinched, as if wanting to join in and help, he stopped. Dropped his hands to his sides and lifted an eyebrow. She quickly got the hint. Those palms pressed tighter against the wall.

“Nice.” And he meant all of it. Her body glowed. Every inch firm and lean, toned from exercise and all of her training, which she never gave up even once she exchanged the streets for a desk at Langley.

The pants came off next. Something inside him drove him to rip them off. He fought the sensation, choosing instead to strip them down, watching her as she watched his hands. The boots, the socks, nothing stayed on. This time would be their bodies with no barriers other than a condom.

The reminder had him picking up his jeans and digging the one out of the pocket where he had put it this morning. He clenched it between his teeth as he crawled up the bed. He would have smiled as she opened her legs to make room for him but his nerves had his body pulling tight and his emotions raw.

Settling between her thighs, he could smell her, see how wet she was before he ever touched her. This woman matched his needs so perfectly. Looking at her made him hard. Stripping for him got her ready.

He put a palm on the inside of each leg and pushed them open a little wider, inhaling her compelling fragrance. He ran his tongue along the fleshy high parts of her thighs, stopping to kiss and nibble on her skin. With each pass of his tongue her body pulled tighter. He glanced up the length of her, saw her head tip back and her shoulders fall against the flat pillow.

He blew a cool breath over her and felt her tremble. A soft moan filled the room. She was better than any drug.

“Hands on the wall.” As her body fell deeper into a sensual haze her fingers dropped. And he could not allow that. Not this time.

She immediately listened, stretching her body even longer as she placed her palms flat against the wall. He wanted to praise her, but the need to taste her took over. He swept his tongue along her seam then dipped inside her. He licked around her clit until she squirmed. Heavy breaths punched out of her, and he could see her chest rise and fall.

If only he had a tie, something to hold her arms down, but this would do. He could drive her to the brink of madness just like this. Both of them, actually.

His tongue went back to work and she swelled under his mouth. When his finger slipped inside her, a tiny growling noise, almost like a low hum, rumbled in the back of her throat. He didn’t let up on the pressure. His mouth and fingers took turns. A lick and a thrust, he rotated, touched her in every way at both times, until she soaked his fingers.

When her hips lifted off the bed he stopped. Her body froze except for her head, which lifted as she glared down at him. “What are you doing?”

“You’re not ready.”

She looked ready to pounce. “I am.”

She was. Every cell in her body sang for him. He could feel the gentle shake in her muscles as she strained to keep her legs open. Loved the way her chest rose and fell. And that’s what he wanted. To kiss her everywhere before he entered her. He’d hoped to make this last longer. To make her come then start all over again, but his control waned.

He wanted her. All of her.

Taking his time as much as he could stand it, he walked up the bed on his hands and knees. Let his body brush over hers. Felt the friction of skin against skin and the sharp intake of her breath. He didn’t sit alone on the shaky edge of control. She was right there with him. Proving even more the power she held over him.

He could usually go at this for hours. Enjoy being with a woman until they both were left wrung out and weak. With Natalie, he got to that point so fast. When he’d said she was special, he meant it. He hadn’t totally and completely figured out where she fit in, but she did. Had even back when she was ordering him around and he spent most of his days pretending to ignore her.

His elbows rested on the bed by her neck and his fingers slid into her hair. He reached one hand up and slipped his forefinger into her half-closed palm. Her fingers curled around his one in a loose hold. Still, it was a bond of sorts. One he didn’t want to break.

He fumbled with the other hand to get the condom wrapper open. She watched with a knowing smile on her face, but he did not ask for help. Not this time. After a few false starts he got it open and tugged it on. Still, he didn’t slip inside her. His mouth went to her breasts, and he wondered why he’d let this part of her body go unattended for so long.

He sucked the peaks into his mouth. Slid his fingers through hers as his mouth traveled from one breast to the other. He kissed and sucked. Took her soft skin into his mouth and rolled the nipples between his teeth. By the time he stopped, her ankles pressed into the back of his legs and her grip on his hand tightened to the point of snapping.

Not that he cared. He’d take whatever she wanted to give. He only wished he could survive hours of foreplay. Maybe next time, after he worked her out of his system. After he sheathed his body in hers and let go.

With his hand wrapped around his stiff cock, he started to enter her. Slow at first, then pushing in one long thrust. Her insides clamped down on him. He could feel her closing around him, clenching him as she pulled him in tighter.

Energy welled inside of him. He could barely breathe as he pressed in and pulled out. Then something primal took over. He stretched his hand and touched the wall by her hand. The shift gave him leverage, let him plunge deeper inside her. The bed rocked and sweat broke out along his shoulders. He could feel the wet smoothness of her skin under him. The chill of the room evaporated and heat poured over them.

He kept moving. Pushed faster. The tempo picked up, and his nails dug into the wall. He could hear her palms slap against the wall close to his with each thrust. Feel the grip of her legs bind around him.

Every thrust, every breath, centered on bringing her pleasure. He didn’t hold back. One hand roamed over her as the other braced against the wall. He hovered right on the brink of something amazing. He’d abandoned his control and let the energy sweep them both up in its wake. Now his body bucked without any signals from his brain. He moved on pure instinct. In and out.

His hand slipped around her body to land on her ass. He cupped her cheek and brought her in even tighter against him. The move had her body jerking. She started to chant his name as an orgasm ripped through her. He could watch it play in the puffs of her cheeks and flush of her skin. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back. Her arms stiffened and her hands curled into balls.

The stunning display could have lasted seconds or minutes. He couldn’t tell, but he watched it all. Envied every inhale while he held back. This time was about her, but his body had other ideas. As soon as the pulsing died down inside her, his ticked up. The tightening finally snapped and he let go, biting back a groan as he came.

His palm slammed against the wall right as her arms dropped next to her head. It was as if her muscles lost their strength. Being inside her zapped his. He felt both weak and strong as his orgasm raged on. When he finished his arms wobbled. He didn’t have the strength to balance above her.

To keep from crushing her, he rolled to the side and took her with him. There, with their arms curled around each other in the darkness, she cuddled in even closer. He remained lodged inside her and didn’t care. She felt so good. So fucking right.

She kissed his throat. “That was impressive.”

He laughed because he couldn’t hold it back. The sudden happiness inside him seemed to swamp him. “I think you stopped my heart.”

She placed one last kiss on his chin then settled in against his chest. “I can only imagine what you’ll do when you actually tie me up.”

His body jerked as visions from his dreams ran through his head. “Soon.”

“I’m holding you to that promise.”

“I always keep them.” And he would keep this one, too. Trust and honesty mattered to him. Except for some omissions about Brandon, he’d never lied to her, and he wasn’t about to start now.

FIFTEEN

Natalie wandered around the cabin in a daze the next morning. Her body still hummed from the lovemaking the afternoon and night before. When Gabe felt free to explore, he did not hold back. That might be her favorite new thing about him. That and his mouth. Lord, the man could use that mouth.

She stood over her small duffel bag where she’d opened it on the bed and tried to think of what she was forgetting. Not that any of the items in there, in Montana, truly belonged to her. Gabe had picked them all out, which explained the slim-fitting T-shirts for under the bulky sweaters. She was pretty sure he was a breast man. At least he seemed to be last night.

She almost turned around but then she heard footsteps. His footsteps. They thundered except for those instances where he wanted to sneak around. It was an impressive skill.

Arms wrapped around her from behind and his chin rested on her shoulder. The move struck her as so normal it almost freaked her out. She didn’t do dating and ordinary. Just the thought of it made her flinch inside.

But something about Gabe smoothed out the usual rough spots. Things that had her twitching and panicky with other men barely registered. With him, life zipped along in a way she hadn’t experienced before.

She chalked the feeling up to her current place in the world. Nothing stayed certain. She didn’t even know what she could do now and where she should start. She ruled out Montana as her new home base thanks to the snow, but that left a lot of options. Every time she tried to run through them in her head she thought about Gabe and Virginia.

Now she thought about his strong arms and all the things he could do with those fingers. She had to say something or risk dragging him back to bed, and that sure was a tempting idea. “What’s happening today?”

“A plane crash.”

The words sank in and she spun around to face him. “What?”

He rested his hands on her hips and stared down at her. “Not a real one.”

“Okay.” He sounded so serious, as if she thought he might really bring a plane down with them on it. Though there was a tiny part of her that did wonder if he could actually pull that off and have them all walk away safely—not that she intended to find out today. “Well, I guess that’s good news.”

“Andy and I set it up.”

“When?” And why hadn’t they filled her in?

“It was in our list of potential plans. We decided to set it in motion because of the Rick piece and the obvious fact someone you used to work with wants you, at the very least, followed and your movements analyzed.”

“Aren’t you enterprising.” If she’d had more people like Gabe working for her she might not be in this mess. She’d only landed on everyone’s radar this time because of a rogue agent under her watch. She’d raised concerns but no one listened. Then when everyone overreacted by trying to neutralize the rest of her team, she stepped in. Thanks to that she didn’t have a career or a clue as to how to lead the rest of her life.

“He’ll have footage and reports. Photos of a plane and, I’m afraid, your body. Well, one he produces.”

“But not a real person.” She sure hoped that was true.

“That’s up to him.” Gabe shrugged. “Either way, it will look legitimate to most people and provide cover.”

“This is to throw the CIA off?” Because she couldn’t imagine that. A good forensics team would see through the ruse, and it would take weeks of planning and a whole host of trustworthy staff to really pull something like this off. They didn’t have the time or the resources.

“They’ll figure out it’s fake. The point is to show them you have every intention of disappearing. Of not being Natalie, one of their star agents, anymore. Apparently Bast has been doing a lot of yelling. This venture will support his claims about you.”

It was the right answer, but it chilled her insides. The idea of pretending to plunge to her death and doing it so she could walk away into . . . what? That’s where she kept getting tripped up. All of this, the hiding, the bodyguard, the players, the negotiation, all of it led to a place where she could have a new life.

The amount of work that went into the setup and execution awed and humbled her. She couldn’t even figure out a way to express her gratitude now that she’d stopped feeling so sorry for herself for being thrust into this situation. But what now? No one seemed to be able to answer that question. Not even her.

Gabe rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “What are you thinking about?”

“The future.” Which wasn’t a lie, except for the fact that she didn’t really have one.

He gave her forearms a squeeze before dropping his hands to his sides. “Let’s concentrate on today.”

An idea popped into her head. A view of the bigger picture and the consequences he kept ignoring. “Some of the people who hired Rick are going to be ticked off that you’re doing this.”

“I’ve decided that crowd is never happy. They don’t want you at your desk. Don’t want you away from it. Want you dead then alive. No, dead.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s exhausting.”

She couldn’t miss the humor in his voice, and it helped. He wasn’t making fun of her, but he tried to take some of the pressure off the situation. That she understood. The faking of her death she liked a little less. She’d lost her family long ago and didn’t collect friends, but there were other people invested in her life, including the people who insisted she be protected right now like Bast and Elijah and a few others.

“Is this like witness protection and—”

“Anyone you want to know you’re alive, will.” He cupped her cheek in his palm in a gesture so reassuring she almost sighed. “This setup is purely for cover for those in your old office most prone to panic.”

She snorted. Couldn’t help it. “So, most of them.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.” The words came out softer than she intended but the feeling behind them was heartfelt.

After she’d nearly driven him mad with her stubbornness he should rightly hate her. She pushed and denied right up to the point where he drugged her and got her on the plane. Not her finest moment, but the lack of trust came from a very real place. A shaky one that wanted life to shift back to normal, even though she knew that could never happen. She’d made that decision the day she opted to keep her people safe over covering her own ass.

Before he could say anything to ruin the moment, she rushed to set some emotional ground rules. “And don’t say you’re only here because you’re being paid. I mean, I know that’s true and all.”

“Natalie.”

He stared at her until the heat bore into her and she looked up. “Yes?”

“I am here because I want to be here. You are going to my house in Virginia because I want you there.”

The words washed over her. She turned each one over and around, looking for a hidden meaning, and didn’t find one. He wanted to be with her. Her, little Natalie from the trailer park. Little Natalie who killed her father and couldn’t save her mother.

Emotion clogged her throat. She knew she should say something profound but nothing came to her. Her mind got stuck on the beautiful comments he made. The ones she’d hug close in the future when and if her new life fell apart.

She settled for expedient. “Then let’s go crash a plane.”

He held up a finger. “Fake crash.”

“Yeah, let’s definitely do it that way.” She glanced around the tiny bedroom and looked into the family room beyond. “I’m going to miss this place.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

The words finally came to her. Stuttering and a little disjointed, but the idea behind them stuck with her. “Actually yes, since I’m taking the one thing I would miss along with me.”

He nodded. “The shampoo?”

“You.”

•   •   •

Andy didn’t even look up from the file in front of him when Rick walked into his office. He’d insisted on being buzzed in five minutes ago. Andy seriously considered pretending not to be in.

This is why he preferred being in the field. No one just stopped by out there. No one annoyed him with mindless chatter. He had no idea how Gabe tolerated running this place and managed to do it without killing anyone. That was some impressive personal strength right there.

Andy kept flipping pages even though he had read through this operation report several times already. “You’re starting to be here a lot.”

Without any introduction or hello Rick dropped into the open chair across from Andy. “My guy was right. They’re together.”

The next thing on the agenda was to remove that extra chair. Maybe making people stand would usher them out of his office faster. But first he needed to figure out what mess Rick had created now. “And you know this how?”

“I went to Montana.”

Of course he did. Hopped on a plane, flew to an area where no one lived except militia members and off-the-grid types and bothered Gabe. Andy thought there had to be a better job out there than the family business. He thought maybe he and Gabe should take it. “Now there was a terrible idea.”

Rick slouched down in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. “Gabe didn’t exactly welcome me to the place.”

“You thought surprising him out there, in the middle of nowhere . . . the guy who’s an expert shot, by the way, was a good idea.” It was a wonder they weren’t planning a funeral right now. “You’re lucky to be alive.”

“Natalie wasn’t exactly happy to see me either.” Rick frowned. “Threatened to kill me more than once. Seemed mighty connected to Gabe.”

“Not a surprise.” At least not the first part. Natalie might be on the run, but that woman was capable. She also had a loyalty streak that rivaled Gabe’s.

But the last part piqued Andy’s interest. Gabe’s attraction to her wasn’t exactly a secret. He took this assignment, one he would normally outsource to someone on the staff. He insisted he be the one to communicate about Natalie’s case. That he be the one to run this operation. The guy practically drooled when she walked in the room.

While Andy liked to see a spark of life in Gabe, that road could lead to some very dark places. Andy knew from experience. His feelings for Eli once had him so wrapped up that when the guy left, Andy checked out. Literally. Had to go away for a while. The whole scene knocked him sideways. He saw hints of the same thing between Gabe and Natalie.

“But dangerous,” Rick pointed out.

Andy couldn’t argue with that, so he didn’t really try. “So was going out there without any warning.”

“I needed him to know where we were.”

“Uh-huh.” Now that sounded like nonsense. It ignored pretty much every rule of surveillance. Also skipped over the part where Andy could contact Gabe. Rick didn’t need to take this one on personally and fly back and forth to Montana in something like eighteen hours.

“What’s the matter with you?” Rick asked, but there was no real heat behind his words. Not this time. Not like usual.

But that didn’t mean Andy thought they’d worked through their issues. A battle loomed and he dreaded its coming with every cell inside him. “I’m just waiting to see what you say next.”

“He’s still pissed off about Brandon and my request for a DNA test.”

There was no way a trained operative, a guy who could read people and interrogate in ways Andy didn’t even want to think about, could be this clueless. “Now there’s a surprise.”

Rick shook his head. “I don’t understand why you two don’t see how important this is to me.”

And that said it all. That was the part about being a father by blood only that Rick could not ferret out and deal with in any real way. “You mean to Brandon.”

“What?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Andy closed the file and put it on the stack on the left side of his desk. “Look, you did your duty by Gabe. I’ll take over now.”

“Fine.” Rick stood up and headed for the door. Didn’t actually get there but stood nearby, as if ready to bolt any minute.

But the concession came too easy. Andy had never known Rick to agree and walk away. Just to be safe, he poked around. “Did you contact the CIA as you promised you would?”

“I have a meeting scheduled this afternoon.”

Andy wasn’t convinced they were saying the same thing. He’d call Eli and Bast just to be sure they kept applying pressure. He’d take care of the subterfuge on his end. Fake a plane crash, because how fun would that be. He’d faked a lot of things, but never this.

But Rick still needed to play his part. “Be convincing.”

Rick nodded then turned to the door. His hand slid off the doorknob as he spun around to face Andy again. “Gabe is gone, isn’t he? He took Natalie and left Montana already.”

Now there was the smart, quick-thinking brother he knew. “Wouldn’t you have done the same thing?”