Bare Facts (10 page)

Hot damn!

Her hand slid inside his pants and encountered his naked skin. He’d never been able to tolerate too much clothing. Her touch was smooth up and down his length. Tightening his hands on her back, he glanced down at his body and saw her small hand burrowed into his pants, saw her working him with such tender care that he had to grit his teeth to keep from ending it all right then. But he wanted to be inside her the next time one of them climaxed.

Glancing down, he saw her smiling up at him. Little minx. She was getting back a little of her own and he didn’t mind at all.

His breath caught in his throat. She was exactly as he dreamed she’d be: nipped-in waist, long, slender legs, and full breasts. He nudged her over on her back.

She smiled up at him. He leaned down, capturing her mouth with his as he shoved his pants further down his legs. She opened her legs and he settled between her thighs.

The humid warmth of her center scorched his already aroused flesh—he thrust against her without thought. Damn, she felt good.

He wanted to enter her totally naked. At least this first time, but that was a huge risk and one he knew better than to take. His life was a danger zone and creating a child was a risk he’d never take. He was intimately familiar with how harsh the world was to unwanted kids.

He pushed away from her for a minute, then fumbled with his pants, taking them all the way off. He found the condom he’d put in his pocket earlier today.

He glanced over at her and saw she was watching him. The fire in her eyes made his entire body tight with anticipation. He put the condom on one-handed and turned back to her.

She opened her arms and legs, inviting him into her body. He lowered himself over her and rubbed against her, shifting until he’d caressed every part of her.

She reached between his legs and fondled his sac, cupping him in her hands as he shuddered. He felt weakened by her power over him. He wanted this woman, and in ways beyond the physical, which was something he’d never experienced before.

He needed to be inside her now. He shifted and lifted her thighs, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her hands fluttered between them and their eyes met.

He held her hips steady and entered her slowly, thrusting deeply until he was fully seated. Her eyes widened with each inch he gave her. She clutched at his hips as he started thrusting, holding him to her, eyes half closed, head tipped back.

He leaned down and caught one of her nipples in his teeth, scraping very gently. She started to tighten around him, her hips moving faster, demanding more. But he kept the pace slow, steady, wanting her to come again before he did.

He suckled her nipple and rotated his hips to catch her pleasure point with each thrust. She fit him like a velvet glove, clenching down hard on him each time he retreated. Her hands were in his hair, clenching as she threw her head back, his name escaping her lips. He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and did everything in his power to hold back his own climax until he felt hers ripple through her.

Thrusting faster, he leaned back on his haunches and tipped her hips up to give him deeper access. Her body was still clenching around his when he felt that tightening at the base of his spine seconds before his body erupted into hers. He pounded into her two, three more times, then collapsed against her. Careful to keep his weight from crushing her, he rolled to his side, taking her with him.

He kept his head at her breast and smoothed his hands down her back, knowing his gut had been right—this woman was the one who he wanted to bleed for. And he was very afraid that Sekijima was going to give him his chance to do just that.

C
harity didn’t know that Virgil was a hundred percent right, but lying pressed to Daniel’s side she felt like she had found a place where she could rest forever. She knew it was an illusion, that safety and home weren’t things that lasted. But for this one moment she wanted to close her eyes and enjoy it.

But her mind wouldn’t let her. It was already racing back to what she’d discovered before they’d made love. That pin. He’d used his body and her lust to distract her.

The sweat had barely dried on her body. He was still partially clothed and she was naked except for her bunched-up skirt and her knife.

He was tracing a path down the side of her body, lingering on the curve of her breast and again at the knife. Many men found the tough sides of her personality hard to swallow, but with Daniel she really sensed that was what drew him to her.

She leaned on her elbow, seeing her blond hair fall over her shoulder, and touched his. His hair was dark, his skin tanned…so different from her paleness. They were a study in contrasts. Yet she knew they were more similar than either of them wanted to admit.

She traced the scar on his chest. She had a million questions about it and was coming to know him well enough to know he wouldn’t answer them.

“I still have some questions,” she said softly. With any other man she would have already figured out how to deal with him. Either to be the bubble-headed blonde or the tough-as-nails badass. But with Daniel she didn’t want to play a role.

“I know.”

He rolled away from her and sat up, buttoning his shirt. She reached for her bra and drew it on, glancing up when she felt his hand on her side where her scar was.

“How’d you get this?” he asked, his rough fingertip tracing it.

“Knife fight. Same as you.”

“I meant the circumstances,” he said. Standing up, he disposed of the condom in a trash receptacle built into the wall near the head of the bed.

He drew his pants up over his legs, tucking his shirt in.

“Why don’t you wear underwear?” she asked.

He almost grinned—she saw his lips twitch as he fastened his pants. “I don’t like it. Any other questions along that line?”

“Nah,” she said, standing up and letting her skirt fall down. She found her panties and drew them up her legs.

“I do like yours,” he said. She felt his hand on her backside as she maneuvered her thong up over her thighs and over the sheath.

“Thanks. I do have more questions.”

“Finish getting dressed and I’ll do my best to answer them.”

“Promise?”

“Tell me about the knife fight and yes, I’ll answer your questions about the pin.”

He was so specific, but she wanted the answers about the pin so she nodded her head. She didn’t like to talk about her past. She was willing to bet that Sam and her aikido master were the only two people alive who knew about those days in Kobe.

She drew her blouse on over breasts and skin still sensitive from his touch. She fastened it quickly, then walked over to the bathroom mirror to check out the damage. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, but there was little she could do about that.

She tucked her blouse in and met her own gaze in the mirror, needing to see something on her face, an indication that she hadn’t made a big mistake by sleeping with this man. This client. Oh, God, she’d never done this before, never even been tempted. Despite her relationship with Perry, she’d never before been intimate with a man she was guarding.

“Charity?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, saw him standing there next to the bed with the rumpled comforter. If not for the messed-up bedsheets, there would be no indication that anything untoward had happened. He was put back together and looked as if…nothing of importance had taken place.

Was she just another woman he’d slept with? No, she thought. She was his bodyguard, and it was about time that she started acting like it.

“Fine. You were going to tell me about the pin,” she said, forcing her mind back to the case.

“Knife fight first, remember?”

“How could I forget? I think I mentioned that my parents were killed by a street thug.”

“Yes, you did. Were you with them when they were held up?”

“No, I wasn’t. But I flew to Kobe as soon as I learned of their deaths. They had been my world…Anyway, I arranged for the bodies to be brought back home, and after the funeral I returned to Kobe. The local police weren’t conducting much of an investigation, so I started asking questions.”

“What a dangerous thing to do,” he said, almost under his breath.

“At the time I didn’t realize it. I stepped on someone’s toes and this,” she said, rubbing her side, “was a warning for me to back off.”

“Did you?”

“No.”

Daniel had never known the area around Kobe well. His gang had been U.S.-based with extensions in Japan, but he’d also stayed in the States where he was best used. In Japan he stood out, but he wished now he’d gone there. Wished now he had the connections to find the person who’d “warned” Charity so he could give them a little warning from him.

“What did you find out?” he asked at last, realizing he was staring at her. She looked a little leery of him now. Which was probably exactly what he deserved, but he didn’t like seeing fear in her eyes when she looked at him.

“The name of the man who’d mugged my parents.”

“Who was it?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I want to know.”

“It’s part of my past, Daniel. Are you ready to talk about yours? We could make another bargain. Otherwise, I want to hear about the pin.”

He wasn’t going to give up information about his past, but he was going to find out more about hers. He made a mental note to contact Alvin Myers, the head of his I.T. department and a man who could find more secrets than the government if the money was right.

“What do you want to know about the pin?” he asked, shoving his hand into his pocket. He fingered the pin. There was so much of his past that he’d shoved away so he could move on. Move away from the Dragon Lords and Sekijima. But it was always with him, right up until the last few days, when he’d realized Sekijima was still alive and coming after him.

He’d thought he’d moved on, that he’d left the street thug behind and become the man he pretended to be.

“Can I see it again?”

He handed it to her. She lifted it up, studying the colors and symbols. “Let’s go back into the main cabin where I can jot down some notes.”

“Your lipstick is gone,” he said, suddenly not wanting anyone else to know what had transpired in this room. Holding Charity in his arms was something highly private to him. He doubted he’d get the opportunity to do it again but it was already something he cherished. He’d had so few things to actually call his own. He wanted this to stay between the two of them. And only between the two of them.

“I know.”

So be it, then, he thought. He should have known better than to try to be a gentleman. He wasn’t one, and clearly Charity didn’t expect him to be.

He pushed past her to open the door but she stopped him with her hand on his arm.

“I haven’t done anything I regret.”

“Me, either. I just don’t want the world to know.”

“Why? Are you embarrassed by me?”

He shook his head. As if he could be embarrassed by the finest woman he’d ever seen. Not only physically fine and beautiful, but also good deep inside. And that was the one thing he’d never had. Never even cared to have until he met her.

“Never. But I want this to be private. Something only the two of us share.”

She wrapped her hand around his upper arm and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “It is.”

“Good,” he said, cupping the side of her face and holding her there for a long minute. “Once we go out there…be on your guard. The flight attendant and pilots don’t work for me. Sekijima has contacts in every level of society. He’ll know we were together.”

“I’ll be with you, Daniel,” she said, her voice a gentle reminder.

“In case we get separated,” he said, warning her, wanting her to be on her guard. He realized he had to say more and couldn’t once they left this room. “Sekijima isn’t like anyone you’ve ever faced before, Charity. Now that we’ve been together, he’ll know and he’ll use that to destroy me.”

“Don’t, Daniel. Don’t worry about me. I really am tougher than I look and I’ve survived situations that others haven’t. I’m going to keep you safe from Sekijima and his threats.”

“Don’t worry about protecting me—take care of yourself.”

“Uh, I was hired to protect you,” she said, lifting her head. “You talk about him like he’s some kind of demigod…he’s just a man and I’ve never met one who doesn’t have a weakness.”

She was good at analyzing people and situations. If anyone could find the flaws in Sekijima, he thought, she might have a chance. The man whom Daniel had known was different from the man who was coming after him today.

“He’s been a loyal member of the Dragon Lords for as long as I’ve known him. He’s brought in new members, strong members who have strengthened the power of the gang.”

Charity nodded. “He holds a position of power and it sounds like he earned his way up to the top.”

“He did. Through blood and sweat and other things you shouldn’t know about.”

She shook her head. “I probably already know more than I should. Where is he based? In Seattle like you are?”

“No. Vancouver. But that doesn’t stop him from reaching back to Seattle.”

“Were you in his gang…the Dragon Lords?”

“He’s not with them anymore,” Daniel said. He’d kept that secret hidden for too long to give it up now.

“Who is he with?”

“I have no idea. That’s why I was reluctant to name him. But this pin leaves no doubt that he’s the one behind the blackmail and the death threats.”

“Why don’t you know where he is now? Did you lose contact with him?”

He turned to face Charity, then looked at this room that for a few brief moments had felt like a sanctuary in the craziness of his life. “I don’t know, because he’s supposed to be dead.”

Charity understood that Daniel was talking to her now because he was afraid of being overheard in the other room. Secrecy was very important. She knew that and respected it. And she needed his story so she could figure out how to handle the threat from Sekijima.

Though she was functioning as his bodyguard, she was also a top-notch analyst. She knew how to get into the minds of her enemy and usually could figure out what their next move would be. With Sekijima, her hands were tied to some extent because she’d never dealt with the Yakuza before.

But Daniel had. And he understood them far better than she suspected he wanted to admit.

“Are we dealing with the real man or does someone want you to think we are?” she asked. Questions were key to understanding. Most of their clients didn’t like questions because they had their own secret fears that they had done something to bring on the threat.

“I have no idea. All of the moves that he’s made feel like Sekijima to me. The list of people who knew him and know me is very small,” he admitted. He wouldn’t look at her but kept his gaze slightly over her shoulder.

“How small?” she asked. What wasn’t he saying? Was there something he was avoiding telling her? Some reason that she couldn’t see or understand? Despite the fact that she’d shared her body with Daniel, he was still essentially a stranger.

“Nonexistent. The two men who did know us both are dead.”

“Are you sure?”

“I saw them both lowered into the ground with my own two eyes.”

Which meant that Sekijima was still the main suspect. Daniel was too sure of who he was dealing with. Every move he took was isolating more and more people from him. She was guessing it was his way of protecting those around him.

“Who’s at your homes?”

“Staff-wise?”

“Yes.”

“No one. I gave them all a paid leave until this blows over.”

“We’re going to make this happen quickly, Daniel. Once Liberty Investigations gets involved, we don’t waste time. You’ll have your staff back and your life back in no time.”

“Is that a promise?”

“Yes, and I always keep mine. Do you want to tell me about the pin in here? I’d rather let Justine and Anna hear about it, too, because I think they could add some insight. But the flight attendant doesn’t work for us.”

“I’ve used her before but I have no idea of her loyalty.”

“We can send her in with the pilot and co-pilot,” Charity suggested. “Or bring them both in here.”

“No. I don’t want to do anything else behind closed doors until we are on the ground and on my turf.”

Where he could control the variables, she realized. “Sounds good. So, the pin?”

“If she’s working for Sekijima, she already knows about it. If not, the information will get her killed.”

“Then let’s do it in here. I can catch my team up on it later.”

“You know the longer we stay in here, the more they are going to think we’re still on that bed.”

“So?”

“I wish we were.”

Daniel made her want to curl up next to him and just stay there. There was something in his eyes that said he was entranced by her, and she knew she was entranced by him. She was starting to need him. Liked being in his company so much that she had felt a little twinge of happiness when he’d said that he wanted them to stay in the room by themselves to discuss the background of the case.

She shouldn’t let it mean so much. She knew she was setting herself up for a fall, tried to caution herself that there was nothing real between her and Daniel. But when he caught her hand and drew her down onto the bed next to him, she knew that there was.

No matter what the past had taught her, this man was becoming important to her. It didn’t matter that she’d only known him a few hours—he was having a real impact.

He opened her hand where the pin was and used his good forefinger, the perfect one, to point to the different designs on the face of the pin.

“This symbol is the one for the Dragon Lords,” he said, pointing to a very Japanese-looking dragon. “These colors signify power, fidelity, and face.”