COLE (Dragon Security Book 1) (27 page)

Silence fell over the room for a long moment. Then Detective Warren caught Ash’s eye, as she said, “He has a point.”

He looked at Donovan, wondering how much of this was coming from a need to prove that he was still the strong, unbiased operative he’d always been and how much came from a real desire to end this as quickly as possible. The one made the situation doable, but the other made it extremely dangerous. Gray Wolf never lost a target in its two years of operation. Ash was not prepared to have Kate Thompson be the first.

“Okay,” Ash said slowly. “But we do it my way. No deviation from the plan.”

Donovan

We spent the entire day going over Ash’s plan step by step, over and over again, just like we’d always done for missions when we were both still Green Berets. It was exhausting, but necessary. The more we reviewed the plan, the easier it was to act on instinct.

Kate curled up on a couch and slept for a while. Her father left, dragging her stepmother behind him despite her clear reluctance to leave. She was even more pleased to meet Kirkland than she’d been to flirt with Ash. And when Joss came in and refused to speak to her no matter how much she badgered her, it became something of a game for her. Embarrassing. If Kate had been awake, he was sure she’d be horrified. Daniel clearly was.

I found myself wondering how lonely Daniel must have been to allow himself to fall into the trap that woman set for him. I hoped he was smart enough to get an ironclad pre-nup.

The new safe house was one I’d spent a great deal of time in six months ago. It was a little house about three miles from Kate’s bank. Very simple, like all the others, it had just a small kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms that shared a bath. I had thought Kate would dislike the place and make some comment about how cheap it all looked, but she hadn’t said a word.

I could hear her in the bathroom, brushing her teeth and going through her nighttime routine. Emily had collected some things for her from her house, for which Kate was grateful. I think she’d forgiven Emily for the kiss she saw her give me. I was happy for that because Kate needed to trust someone right now, and Emily was number one on the list of those I knew she could trust.

I stripped out of my clothes and crawled into bed, exhaustion making my eyes heavy. Tomorrow would be a long day. I needed to get some sleep, but the moment my eyes began to slide shut, I heard the door to the jack-and-jill bathroom open on my side.

“Kate,” I said softly, loving the sound of her name on my lips.

She came to the bed, crawling in beside me. Her hands slipped under the blankets, her fingers dancing on my bare chest.

“We can’t, Kate,” I whispered, gesturing with my chin toward the place where I knew a camera was watching down on us.

“I can’t just lay here with you?”

“It’s unprofessional. I’m on the clock now.”

“But you weren’t earlier?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but I could see the soft lilt to her lips. She was teasing.

“Have you stayed in this house before?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Was it a woman on the other side of that door?” She gestured toward the bathroom. “A scared, lonely woman?”

“I’m not supposed to—”

“You can’t just tell me the person’s gender?”

I groaned. “It was a woman.”

“Did she come on to you?”

I debated the merits of lying to her, but I knew she would know it was the lie the moment it was out of my mouth. And avoiding the question all together was not going to happen because I’d already let myself think about it too long.

“Yes,” I finally said.

“Did you do anything about it?”

“Of course not.” I shrugged the blankets off my shoulders as I sat up. “You really have to go, Kate.”

“Come with me.”

She crawled off the bed, moving slowly, a seductive smile on her lips as she made sure I got a lovely view of the peak of her breast that came with her position on her hands and knees as she backed away from me.

I watched as she walked to the bathroom, pausing in the doorway to wiggle her finger at me. I knew Ash wouldn’t like it. I knew I was walking a path that could take me to utter ecstasy or complete devastation. But I couldn’t help myself.

I got up and followed her, careful to leave my smartphone on the bedside table.

I pushed open the bathroom door and found her leaning against the sink. She’d taken off the light shirt and panties that she’d been wearing, and she was leaning there, her ankles crossed and her arms arranged so that they covered her breasts as her hands rested over her pubic mound. It was the most erotic sight I think I’d ever set my eyes on.

“Was there something in particular you wanted?” I asked, as I leaned against the doorframe, trying to adopt a casual stance when my heart was pounding and my body absolutely ached to touch her.

Her eyes came up slowly, raking over my body like fingernails scraping my flesh.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said softly. “Your hands on my hips. Your mouth on mine. Your cock—”

“That’s pretty specific,” I said, pushing away from the doorway.

“Well, you know what they say. A woman who knows what she wants…”

“They say that?”

“Someone does.”

I approached her, lifting a piece of deep, auburn hair and pushing it behind her ear. I let my fingers hesitate on her jaw, sliding slowly down to her bottom lip.

“I think you’re just a tease.”

“Why do you say that?” she asked.

“Because you have this way of only allowing me to see what you want me to.”

“And that makes me a tease?”

“It does.”

“I think it’s more about keeping a few secrets. Once you know everything, life becomes quite boring, doesn’t it? And you wouldn’t want life to be boring.”

Oh, hell!

I thought I might have a stroke. So fucking beautiful! The way she was looking at me, the way she made my heart pound as if I’d just run an entire obstacle course at boot camp. I wanted her. It was simple and primal. It was almost unbearable.

I ran the back of my fingers slowly along the outside of her arm, watching as it slid over her upper arm, her elbow, sliding down along her slightly out turned wrist. And then I slid my finger inside the palm of her hand, my fingertip caressing her hand while my nail brushed the moistness of her silky lips.

“I don’t think knowing everything is all that boring,” I said, as I moved closer to her, my lips just brushing the outer lobe of her ear.

“Maybe boring wasn’t the right word,” she said on a long sigh.

I moved my finger around, rotated it until she gave a little gasp and I knew I had it in just the right place. She turned her head as I brushed my lips against her upper jaw, her lips puckered as she reached for me. But if she was going to deny me, I wasn’t going to simply give her what she wanted. She’d have to work for it.

I moved closer to her, working another finger between her hand and her cunt. She pressed her lips to my throat, her tongue touching me so lightly, so gently, that it gave birth to a groan that got stuck in my throat as I ran my own tongue along the outer edge of her earlobe. I worked my fingers tighter against her, sliding a fingertip over the swollen bud of her clit. She moaned against my throat, the vibration rushing through my flesh to ignite my nerve endings.

“You taste so good,” she whispered.

“I want to taste you,” I said, pressing that finger tighter against her clit so that she would know exactly what I meant.

She made a funny little sound as I kissed her throat, my lips slipping down to her arm, to follow the same path my fingers had followed moments before. I pulled my fingers away and her eyes were bright, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, as I slowly slid to my knees.

“Donovan,” she whispered, the last syllable coming out like a moan, as I gently urged her knees apart.

I kissed her thigh, tugging a little flesh between my teeth before moving on to the next space. That’s how I moved up her leg, a little bit at a time, loving the little sounds that escaped her lips as I came closer and closer to where her hands were still pressed against that place I so desperately wanted to touch. I felt her tense, as I reached the sweet dip between her leg and her beautiful cunt. But then I turned and began again just above her other knee, enjoying every sweet inch of her thigh.

She lifted her foot and rested it on my shoulder as I continued my exploration. I don’t know how I had the self-control to take so much time, but I did, and I was loving every second of it. How long had I dreamed of being here, of being back in the arms of the only girl who’d ever meant anything to me? How long had I imagined her face? How long had I dreamed of her, of this distant chance of being back with her? How many conflicts had it gotten me through, thinking of the possibility of this moment? I wasn’t about to rush it.

I ran my hand over the back of both her hands as I reached the center again. I looked up at her and found her watching me, a dark blush staining her cheeks.

“Don’t be shy, baby,” I said.

“Do you remember the first time you called me baby?”

I pressed my hand to her inner thigh, urging her hips to open a little wider.

“I remember.”

Of course I remembered. It was the first time she met me under the bleachers of our high school gym, the first time she let me slide my hand under her cheerleading skirt.

She leaned back against the mirror, resting the heel of her foot on the edge of the counter while the other slid from my shoulder and came to a rest in the center of my back. And then, so slowly that it felt like it took a millennium to move, she removed her hands.

And what a beautiful sight!

I brushed a finger over her thin line of trimmed pubes, a perfect arrow if I ever saw one. And then my finger moved slowly over her bare lips and spread them gently, revealing the treasure hidden inside. Kate moaned, as I brushed my thumb over her clit.

“So ready,” I said.

She didn’t answer.

I teased her clit a little, rubbing my thumb against it just hard enough that she could feel it, but not hard enough to offer her any relief. She wiggled her hips a little, but she wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t touch me. So then I used the tip of my tongue to tease her and she hissed as her whole body stiffened. She pressed her hands to the mirror on either side of her and pulled herself up just slightly, stopping when she started to pull her clit too far from my reach.

I loved the way she tried to fight the one thing we both knew she desperately wanted. She was the one who invited me in here, after all. Therefore, I teased her a few more times, nearly laughing when a long, low moan finally escaped those perfectly full lips.

Then I couldn’t help myself. I really did want to taste her.

I slowly slid the tip of my tongue down below her clit, touching places that made her jerk and moan, places that made her wiggle her hips until I touched that place where she wanted me to be more than anywhere else. After a minute, her hand molded itself to the back of my head, her fingertips digging into my skull, directing me, helping me give her as much pleasure as possible. And I could hear the pleasure just as if it had a voice all its own. The sounds coming from her lips were more than music to me, more than the sounds of pleasure. They were a sort of salvation, a recognition that my life wasn’t as rudderless as I’d begun to think.

When her thighs tightened around my neck, I knew it was time. All resistance was gone as I made my way slowly up her belly, tasting and loving a path from her navel to the valley between her breasts. I paused to nibble one nipple, then the other. And then our mouths met and her hands were tugging at my briefs, reaching inside to tug my cock free.

She guided me to her, her eyes burning as they bore into mine. And when I was inside of her, when we were connected in the most complete way physically possible, it was overwhelming. I tugged her close to me, buried my hands in her hair and held her pressed against my chest. I could see my tattoo in the mirror; I could read as clearly as though it’d been written there just today. I thought my life ended that day. That the rest was just the sacrifice before the fall.

Now I certainly hoped not.

She wrapped her legs around me and I could barely move, but the rotation of her hips as she ground herself against me was more than enough. I felt her fall, and I went quickly after her.

If this was all there was, then it was enough.

I loved her. I’d always loved her. And I would always follow her down.

Kate

I was nervous. My hands shook as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and tried to apply eyeliner. I don’t know why I insisted on going to this stupid party. I mean, it could impact my chance of getting the promotion, but probably not that much. My manager knew what was going on and why I was missing work. She probably wouldn’t even notice if I didn’t make the party. But now that I’d put my foot in it, I had to go with it.

I’d had a dream last night, an odd dream that caused me to wake a little out of sorts. Then I got up and found Donovan in the kitchen, humming under his breath as he made breakfast. He smiled when I walked into the kitchen, his eyes moving slowly over the length of me as though he was thinking about what we’d done in this very bathroom last night. I knew I couldn’t stop thinking about it. But we couldn’t touch, couldn’t even offer each other a kiss good morning. So we sat on the couch and stared at each other while we pushed the food around our plates.

Then Ash arrived so there wasn’t even the possibility of ducking into the bathroom again.

I could hear him moving around in his bedroom, dressing in the tuxedo Ash brought him. I had to say, I was looking forward to seeing him in it. Not that he didn’t fill out a pair of jeans quite well. But some men look amazingly good in casual and formal clothing. I was pretty sure Donovan would be one of those.

“Damn,” I muttered under my breath as I missed the line of my bottom lid. I carefully wiped away the makeup and started again, beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get it done.

He had a scar on his back, above his hip. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. When I remembered the Purple Heart in his bedroom, it frightened me. What or who hurt him? And how close had he come to death? I overheard someone mention that he worked with explosives over there in Afghanistan. Had something gone wrong? Or had someone tried to stop him from making something go right?

I was afraid to know. That’s why I hadn’t asked.

How would I deal with the knowledge that I’d almost lost him before I finally understood that I needed him?

I drew down my bottom eyelid with a shaking finger and tried to draw the line again, but again I screwed it up.

“Damn it!” I cried, throwing the eyeliner pencil at the mirror.

A slight woman dressed in a dark suit suddenly appeared behind me. I jumped, swallowing a scream as I realized she was the female operative I’d seen at the Gray Wolf compound yesterday. She pointed to the pencil and then at herself.

She wanted to help.

I nodded and stepped aside as she reached for the pencil. She gently pushed on my shoulder, settling me on the edge of the counter at almost the same spot Donovan had…well, she settled me down and moved close enough that I could see the green specks in her blue eyes as she carefully fixed my makeup. Not only did she apply the eyeliner, but she adjust the shadow I’d put on my lids and chose a shade of lipstick that she carefully applied, making a pucker face my mom made when she taught me how to apply lipstick.

“Thank you.”

She inclined her head and smiled.

I turned and looked at myself in the mirror, more than satisfied with the image that looked back at me. I was wearing a simple black shift that I bought weeks ago that someone had thoughtfully gotten from my closet at home, my hair pulled back into a simple French knot that I’d perfected from watching YouTube videos when I joined the workforce. My makeup was simple but sophisticated, thanks to this small woman.

“Your name is Joss, right?”

She nodded.

“You don’t talk much.”

She shrugged as though to say there wasn’t much to say.

I studied her face for a minute, then nodded myself.

“You’ve probably got it right. It’s the rest of us who are still trying to figure it out.”

She gave me a thumbs-up with a sweet, crooked grin. Then she gestured toward the door.

Time to go.

They were all there in the living room. Ash in dark clothes not unlike Joss’. Kirkland in jeans and a dark leather jacket, that charming smile permanently affixed to his face. And Donovan.

Dapper was probably the word my father would have used for how Donovan looked. I would have said drop-dead sexy. The tux looked like it was made for him, the way it fit his broad shoulders and thick arms almost perfectly. The jacket accentuated those broad shoulders and still managed to emphasize his narrow hips. And the high collar was exactly Donovan’s personality. No tie, but formal enough to still look right.

“Hey,” he said softly, his eyes moving slowly over me. And when our eyes met, we were the only ones in the room for that brief second.

“Okay, soldiers, let’s go over this one more time,” Ash demanded.

I wanted to slap him. Or make him disappear.

“Joss will drive you to the hotel. You are not to make any detour, no stops anywhere but the hotel parking lot.”

Joss nodded.

“Then Kirkland and I will be stationed inside the ballroom. Joss will take up a position by the back door. And we’ll have a team scattered throughout the hotel.”

Ash focused on me then, holding up a smartphone. “This is connected directly to David’s program. If you find yourself in trouble for some reason and you cannot identify a member of our team, you push this button,” he said, brushing his thumb over the home button at the bottom of the phone. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

He studied my face for a second, then handed me the phone. “Keep it on you at all times.”

“Wouldn’t think of putting it down.”

Ash stepped back and studied each of us, one at a time, his eyes lingering on Donovan.

“Let’s get to work. And don’t get dead.”

Donovan slid his hand into mine and led the way through the house to the side door. There was a stretch limousine half pulled into the small garage, a whole third of its butt sticking out the door. Joss nearly knocked us over, pushing past us so that she could open the door. She even found a chauffeur’s hat somewhere that she took off and waved with a flourish as she bowed.

“Thank you, my lady,” Donovan said in his most haughty tone of voice as he ushered me inside.

Joss smacked his ass with the hat as he went to slip inside. “Hey!”

She just shrugged, looking around as though trying to find the real culprit.

Donovan laughed.

She slammed the door behind him and climbed into the front, making a show of closing the partition between the two sections to give us privacy. Donovan slid his arm around me and tugged me into his arms, kissing me quite intensely. I pressed my hand against his jaw, sliding my fingers over the curve just below his ear to tug him closer.

“I’ve wanted to do that all day,” he said when he came up for air.

“Me, too.”

I moved closer to him, resting my head against his chest, loving the feel of his heart beating under my cheek.

“Can I ask you a question?”

He groaned, the vibration rushing through me. “Haven’t we covered this already? Joss is not my girlfriend. I don’t have a girlfriend. I just let you think I did because I was trying to see how jealous you would get.”

“Nice to know,” I said. “But that’s not what I was going to ask.”

“Oh.”

“What’s the deal with Joss? Why doesn’t she talk?”

Donovan shifted, forcing me to sit up. He looked uncomfortable, like he didn’t really appreciate the turn in conversation.

“I’m just curious.”

“It’s really her story to tell.”

“Yeah, well, she’s not telling much of anything.”

He glanced at the partition, then he sighed.

“She had a family. She managed to do what the rest of us haven’t: find some normalcy outside the military. And from what Ash tells me, she was very happy. But then there was an accident…”

“Accidents seem to follow Ash and those close to him around.”

Donovan glanced at me, and I knew it was the wrong thing to say.

“Bad things happen sometimes, Kate. It doesn’t have anything to do with who you are or who you know.”

I sat up a little more and slid further over on the slick seat.

“You have nightmares. Ash and David lost their parents. Joss lost her family. What happened to Kirkland?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re all broken.”

He glanced at me. “Not broken, Kate. Just human.”

“Yes, well, the five of you seem to be more human than most.”