Do You Trust Me? (15 page)

Her eyes slammed
shut, her mind already sinking into black nothingness. In her befuddled state,
she thought she felt him kiss her forehead. Then she was asleep.

****

Gage had made a new
pot of coffee and was sitting at the table with Les and the other agents who
had just returned. All of them had full mugs and grim expressions.

McCall busied himself
pouring his own coffee, forcing his mind away from Rina and her naked body.
Jesus. He wondered if he’d ever get to the point where he could look at her
without wanting to fuck her senseless. Probably not. Especially since he’d
discovered that, rather than frightening her, his sexual preference actually turned
her on. Go figure.

Damn it, anyway. He’d
made a comfortable niche in life for himself, focusing on his work, content
with the occasional female who was into the kind of sex he liked. Personal
relationships had no place in his life. Not anymore. Yet here he was, allowing Rina
Devargas to pierce his shields and doing a piss poor job of protecting her
because of it.

He was considered the
stoic of the team. Very little rattled him. Except this time. Because of Rina. He
shook his head. Now what did he do?

Not again. I will not
let this happen again. Not to another woman because I can’t keep my dick in my
pants. Although the last time...

“So what now?” Gage
asked, interrupting his mental debate.

“You tell me.” He
leaned against the counter, watching the men at the table. “One at a time,
please.”

“Me first.” Jon
Addison, one of the other agents, set his mug down on the table. “You left us
quite a mess, thank you very much. Screaming women, a hysterical manager, and
an irate agent, to name a few. And no bad guys to be seen, as you know. They
made a clean getaway.”

“Sorry,” McCall said.
“I needed to get Rina out of there and to safety. Particularly since I was the jackass
that got suckered into a blow on the head and nearly lost her. What about the
local cops? How did they react?”

“We told everyone
that some obsessed fan tried to kidnap her.”

“Logical enough.”
McCall nodded. “Let’s hope they all buy into it. You get them calmed down okay?”

“As much as possible.
That Shar’s a bulldog, though. I expect her to come rolling up any minute,
demanding to see her client. Did you know there’s another one of these things
scheduled?”

“Christ.” McCall
raked his fingers through his hair. “I did and I forgot about it. We’ve got to
find a way to cancel it.”

“Or follow her into
the ladies room,” Gage joked.

McCall began pacing. “Not
funny. We have a major problem here and our stupidity’s showing.”

“Well, you better
figure out what to do with Shar,” Gage told him. “Because I think that’s her
car I hear in the driveway.”

McCall groaned. “You
guys need to make yourselves scarce since I don’t have an explanation for you
being here. Where are your cars?”

“Around the corner,”
Pedrosa, the other man, told him. “We figured someone might be watching the house.
We came in through the back yard. Good thing there’s high hedges and a lot of
space between houses out here.”

They vanished through
the sliding door to the patio and faded into the shrubbery as the doorbell rang
again.

McCall barely had the
front door open before Shar charged into the house, indignation in every line
of her body.

“Where is she? I want
to see her with my own eyes. And who the hell are you, anyway? That old lover
shit doesn’t cut it with me, buster. Not after today.”

“Please calm down.” McCall
took her arm and led her into the living room. “Rina and I have known each
other for a long time. I called her because I was going to be in the area, and
she invited me to visit.”

“Oh, tell me another
one,” Shar spat at him. “I want the truth.”

McCall was done
playing games. “If you want any more, you’ll have to ask Rina. And right now
she’s not seeing anyone.”

Shar turned and
looked at him, her eyes probing his, calculating. “Listen,” she said. “I don’t
even care who you are. But that woman is a friend as well as a client, and the
last thing I want is to see her hurt. So what the hell is going on here?”

“Rina will be well
taken care of. That’s all you need to know.” McCall fought to control his
irritation and impatience. He didn’t have time to fool around with this woman.

“Bull.” She glared at
him. “You give me some answers, or I’m going to her room and drag them out of
her.”

“No, you won’t.”
McCall blocked her movements, his voice like steel. “She’s asleep, and she’s
going to stay that way. She’s exhausted. I will
not
have her
interrogated. By you or anyone else.”

McCall was good at
reading people, and he sensed that Shar Fontaine seldom backed down from anyone
or anything. But his body language sent her an unmistakable message—don’t mess
with me on this.

She moistened her
lips with her tongue, watching him carefully. “All right. But I do need to have
some kind of explanation to give out. And the people at the bookstore were
going nuts.”

“I left people there
to handle everything,” McCall assured her. “It’s all being taken care of.”

“What about the other
book signing? The ads are out, and the store’s been loaded with calls. We can’t
just cancel it without some explanation.”

McCall frowned. “It’s
tomorrow, right? Tell me again where it is.”

“The Books Galore on
the other side of San Antonio. Same time as today. Three o’clock.”

“All right. Let me
think a minute.” McCall rapidly ran possible scenarios through his head. “I
want as little opportunity for a repeat of today as possible, so here’s what we’ll
do. Get the presolds here in the morning, and she’ll do them before we leave.
Then you can deliver them back to the store for mailing.”

“But—”

He shook his head. “That’s
not negotiable. Also, no interviews at the store. If anyone wants one, get
their number and tell them Rina will call and do a phone interview.”

“How am I supposed to
explain all these changes to people?” she demanded.

“Don’t you think
after today’s incident they’d be a little surprised if we
didn’t
make
changes?”

Shar stared at him
for a long time. McCall glared right back at her. Finally, she picked up her
purse and turned toward the door.

“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow at the signing. Please try to be there by quarter to three.” She started to leave, then
stopped and turned back, handing him the large envelope tucked under her arm. “These
are for the big Texas Independence Day shindig at the Alamo. I thought she
might like to see them. Also, if there’s anyone she wants to give one to—”

“I think the
publicity machine is grinding enough,” he told her. “I have to tell you, I was
dead set against it, but Rina refused to budge on it.”

“Damn good thing, too.”
Shar looked like she wanted to stamp her foot. “This is too important. I worked
my fanny off to get her included, and the announcements have been out for—”

“I know, I know,”
McCall interrupted. “A year. Tell me, Shar. Aren’t the president’s people or
the governor’s worried that with all this advance publicity some nut might use
it as an opportunity to do something?”

“I’ve spoken with the
head of security for both men as has Rina’s publisher. Everything seems to be
well in hand. These people aren’t novices.”

“But they won’t be
protecting Rina.”

“No, Mr. Macho,” she
snapped. “I assume that’s your job. Deal with it however you have to. But in
just a couple of days Rina will be seated in a tent on the grounds of the Alamo, smiling and signing her books. The governor gets the first book, and we’ll be
handing one over for the president. It’s all arranged. So get your act
together.”

She stormed out of
the room, and in a minute, the front door slammed.

McCall went back to
the kitchen. His team had slipped back inside as soon as they heard the front
door close.

“This is going to be
a nightmare,” he said to the men staring at him. “And you don’t know the half
of it yet.” He raked his hands through his hair. “Okay. I want you guys,” he
pointed to Addison and Pedrosa, “to really scope tomorrow’s location out ahead
of time. I’ll give you the address. No ladies’ room visits for Rina unless I
check the place out first and guard the door while she’s in there.”

“Is that the last of
them?”

“Not by a long shot.
Wait until you hear this.”

When he’d finished
with the details of the Texas Independence Day event, everyone looked at him as
if he’d grown two heads.

“Is this for real?”
Gage asked at last.

“You bet. And we don’t
have a chance of canceling it without, apparently, an incident of national
proportions.”

“This is stupid,
McCall.”

“She discussed it
with Sully and flat out told him she was doing it. Short of locking her in a
closet, we don’t have a choice. We just need to have our best plan in place.”

Gage shrugged. “Your
call, buddy.”

Chapter Nine

When Rina came
downstairs shortly after eight, McCall was sitting at the kitchen table,
reading the paper and nursing a soft drink. She had changed her sleep shirt for
a T-shirt and shorts, but she still felt rumpled from sleeping. The effects of
the spray had not completely dissipated, either, and her bones had a jelly-like
feel to them.

“Where is everyone?” She
yawned and tucked her hair behind her ears.

“Gone on assignments.
How are you feeling?” He folded the newspaper and shoved it aside. His eyes studied
her from head to toe, assessing her condition.

“Not great but not
bad.” She forced a smile. “Better.”

McCall ran a glass of
tap water and handed it to her. “Drink. Doctor’s orders.” When she’d chugged it
all down, he asked, “Would you like something to eat?”

“I am a little hungry,”
she admitted. “I thought I’d make myself a sandwich.”

“Why don’t I just
order some pizza? Can you handle it? I found a takeout menu stuck to your
refrigerator.” He gave her a wry smile. “You must be a regular customer.”

“Cooking for one
doesn’t cut it too much. Pizza sounds great. Pepperoni, mushrooms, and green
peppers, please.”

“You got it.”

They ate in tense
silence, eyeing each other like dogs circling in the yard. Despite her attempts
to question him, McCall avoided any mention of the afternoon until they’d
devoured every bite of the food.

“Okay.” She pushed
away her empty plate. “Quit stalling. I want details.”

So he gave it to her,
as much as he knew, knowing she wouldn’t be satisfied with less. He stressed the
story they’d concocted for everyone’s benefit. “It’s important that no one get
any idea of who those people really are. For their sake as well as yours.”

“An obsessed fan,
huh?” She tried to grin. “Does this mean I’ve hit the big time?”

Beneath the forced
bravado she was shaken, nevertheless, at how vulnerable she’d been. She knew
McCall could see it and was trying to play on it when he told her about the
arrangements for the next signing.

“And no reviewers,”
he insisted, his voice firm.

“No way,” she
protested. “The reviewers are my life’s blood. If they can’t get to me, they’ll
go on to the next author and I could be tomorrow’s bird cage liner.”

“You may have to
settle for that.” McCall was unmovable.

“And hauling the
books back and forth? You don’t think someone will think that’s strange?”

“Not as strange as
finding your dead body,” he said coldly.

His words slapped at
her with the hard punch of reality. Somehow, she hadn’t thought of herself and
death in the same breath. Now she was faced with just how real the threat was.

“And Shar’s okay with
this?”

“Yes.”

That flat ‘yes’ was a
strong indicator that it hadn’t been an easy battle but he’d won.

“McCall?”

“Yeah?”

“Does that mean our
plan to use me as bait is working?”

He waited a long
moment before answering. “All too well, damn it. Using you as bait is one
thing. Letting them get their hands on you is another. We want to draw them out,
not get you killed.”

She frowned. “So what
now?”

“They didn’t succeed
today. They’ll try again.” He narrowed his eyes. “Rina, this would be a good
time to tell me if John said anything to you we should know about. Or gave you
anything to pass along. Maybe we could put an end to this right now.”

The locket suddenly
felt heavy against her skin, like a piece of granite weighing her down.
Tell
him, tell him.
She’d taken this man into her bed. Into her body. Why did
she balk at sharing this most important secret with him? But the trust John had
placed in her was the most important thing. She couldn’t let the demands of her
body override that.

I’ve been betrayed.
John’s words echoed
in her head.
You’ll know who to give the locket to. You’ll read the signal.

How will I know, John?
Is there a secret
word?

Once again she
wondered how she’d handle it if the man who was rapidly becoming so important
to her turned out to be the traitor. God, she didn’t even want to contemplate
that.

“No.” She wet her
lips. “Nothing.”

McCall stared at her,
as if his eyes could pull words from her mouth. Finally, he got up and took
their dishes to the sink. “I expect the local media to give this a lot of air
time. You’re big news.”

Rina grimaced. “Not
the kind of publicity I really want.”

McCall headed toward
the sliding door. “Gage and the others are outside. We’ll check the house and
make sure the alarm is set, see if anything’s stirring.”

“Okay.” He was near
enough she could smell the spice of his aftershave. “McCall?”

“Mmm?”

“Thanks. I mean, for
what you did today.”

“Just part of the
job.”

Was it? Really?

One minute he was as
remote as ever; he might have been two miles away rather than two feet. The
next he was right in front of her, a battle raging in the eyes that devoured
her. He bent, hesitated a moment, then his mouth lowered to hers briefly, his
tongue tasting her. And just as abruptly, he pulled away.

“What—”

“I need to keep my
mind on business. You should go upstairs and rest. Tomorrow will be another
busy day.”

****

In her room Rina lay
back on her bed, trying to make sense of everything. Especially McCall. He was
such an enigma. They were either at each other’s throats or at each other’s
bodies. If only she could get a good reading on him.

The longer she
delayed handing over the locket, the more critical the situation became. She
knew that. But she was terrified of revealing anything before the traitor was
identified. If it turned out to be McCall, she’d be devastated.

What should I do,
John? Help me out here.

How stupid of her.
Did she really expect to hear him whisper in her ear, “Here’s the name, Dusty.
He’s the one.”

God, she was in such big
trouble.

She punched her
pillow and buried her head in it, but that didn’t keep her from hearing the
soft footfalls coming up the stairs and heading down the hall toward her room. She
knew it was McCall, and every other thought flew out of her head.

He closed the door
behind him and locked it.

“All set downstairs,”
he told her, his voice quiet, his face still expressionless.

She sat up, her stomach suddenly churning. “You really think they will try for the house again? With all this
protection.”

“Let me be very clear
on this if I haven’t already.” As he spoke he shucked off his clothes and
tossed them on her small slipper chair. “We’re dealing with a group of the most
ruthless men in the world who have a great deal to lose. Very little will deter
them.”

Rina clutched her
pillow to her, wrapping her arms around it. “But you’re prepared for them,
right?”

McCall nodded. “The
alarm’s set, including the sensors, and we’ve got two armed men on the
perimeter at all times.”

“And what does
everyone have to say about our sleeping arrangements?” She couldn’t help the
tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

His face hardened. “Not
a damn thing if they know what’s good for them.”

Crawling under the
covers, he pulled the pillow away and drew her tight against his body. She
shivered, and he tightened his arms around her.

“You’re still tense,”
he remarked.

“I know. I can’t help
it. I close my eyes and see gremlins everywhere.”

“After the day you’ve
had, I should take myself down the hall to the guest room,” he told her. “But
Jesus, Rina. I can’t keep my hands off of you.”

His feathered kisses
were so gentle, so un-McCall-like, she wondered if she imagined them. But the
trail of his hot mouth down her cheek suddenly kicked loose the knot her nerves
were tied up in.

“Let me make you feel
better, Rina.” His breath was a whisper against her skin. “No games tonight.
Just let me take the nightmares away. At least for the moment.”

He pushed up her
nightshirt so the lower part of her body was exposed and ran his fingertips
through the soft hair covering her mound. Even the light touch of his hands was
electrifying. Every place they skimmed came alive.

With infinite care,
he touched every inch of her body, exploring her with his hands and his mouth.
He kissed the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her neck, the soft spots behind
each ear. He cupped each breast in turn, feeling their weight in his hands,
massaging them, drawing a line around them with his tongue. The peaks of her
nipples pressed into his palms. He bent and caught them in his lips, each in
turn, teasing them, gently biting them until she thought she would die from the
exquisite pain, then laving them with his tongue. The cool air washing over the
wetness of the areoles was like an erotic kiss.

He slid his hand
slowly along the contours of her belly, his touch light and teasing as he
touched the sleek skin now heated and flushed. He nipped at her with his teeth,
blazing a trail from the hollow of her shoulder across the slope of her
breasts, down across the clenching muscles of her abdomen to that tight nest of
curls and the quivering core of her sex, already slick and waiting.

“You don’t know how
much I was looking forward to shaving your mound tonight and seeing it naked,”
he murmured in a taut voice. “We’ll save that treat for another time.”

Rina shivered in
anticipation as the image floated across her brain.

Gently, he parted her
thighs, his fingers probing her aching cunt. Leaning down, he kissed the inside
of first one thigh, then the other, tracing his tongue over the sensitive
flesh. The rough stubble of his beard grazed her skin, sending shivers through
her. When his tongue traced a line the length of her slit, she jerked beneath
his hand, arching closer.

Shifting to kneel
between her thighs, he lapped at her cunt again, pausing to nibble lightly at
her clit. His tongue was like rough silk moving over her, touching every nerve
in that weeping channel. When he lifted his head, cool air washed over the
heated flesh, making the pulse in her womb beat even harder.

And then he went to
work on places she didn’t even know were erotically responsive—her ankles, the
arches of her feet, the backs of her knees. When his mouth began its travels up
and down the insides of her thighs, she shivered with anticipation, trying to
urge him back to her waiting, demanding vaginal channel.

She wanted the feel
of his cock inside her now. Why was he tormenting her this way? Was this supposed
to relax her?

McCall swiped his
tongue across her clit again, then blew against the overheated bundle of nerves.
Rina fisted her hands in the sheet as streaks of pleasure raced through her. She
shifted her hips, trying to push against him, but McCall was devilishly clever,
working his tongue just wickedly enough to make her want more.

“Pinch your nipples
for me,” he whispered in a hoarse voice. “Let me see you pluck those luscious
ripe berries. Make them swell like they did last night.”

Mindlessly, Rina took
her nipples between thumb and forefinger and pinched them until jolts of
pleasure/pain speared through her. McCall’s tongue was working faster now,
plunging in and out of her pussy, filling the whole of her, his thumbs busy
teasing and rubbing and tormenting.

When he lifted his
head again, she cried out in need until he slid first one then two lean fingers
into her, rasping them against the hot, wet walls of her pussy. Spasms already clutched
at her, and her liquid spilled onto his fingers. His thumb found her clit
again, massaging it while his fingers kept up their clever rhythm.

His touch was magic,
coaxing her response, teasing at her, driving her need. She was having trouble
breathing, and her hips were doing their own sensual dance.

“Look at me, Rina,”
he commanded.

With great effort,
she forced her eyes open.

“I want you,” she
begged, her hand stretching out, reaching for his hot erection. “Please.”

He shifted and
grasped both of her wrists with one hand and held them over her head. She
thrust her breasts up to him, the nipples that she plucked into hard points
aching for his touch.

“Not yet.” His voice
was so harsh and rough with passion she almost didn’t recognize it. “I want to
watch you come first. Come for me, Rina.”

The muscles in her
tummy clenched as a climax thrust up from the well of her body, pushing,
grabbing her. Every muscle tightened and clenched, her back bowed as she arched
up off the bed. When she began to moan, McCall slid two fingers back into her
cunt and moved up on her body to cover her mouth with his, swallowing the
scream that bubbled up in her throat.