Silver Fire (Guardians) (17 page)

Sophie blew apart in her dream and woke up finding herself convulsing and half sitting-up to the same Adonis buried between her legs.

“Derek!” she cried as she tried to gain her bearings after waking up with an orgasm. But Derek crept up from between her legs and pushed her back into the pillows and swiftly entered her, burying himself to the hilt. Sophie gasped at the sudden uncomfortable fullness that hit her, but Derek had no intention of letting her adjust. He started pounding into her like a man possessed. His deeply feral grunts oddly titillating. He didn’t say anything, just dipping his head once to kiss her savagely before concentrating on giving her another release. Sophie forgot about her soreness and gave herself up to the pleasure that was building crazily inside her, a tight pressure emanating from between her legs even as her muscles began to quake.

“Oh...ahhh ...” She wanted to prolong the buildup, but she couldn’t. And when Derek lowered his fingers between her legs, she gave in. Screaming and raking her nails down his back, she shook violently, bucking her hips beneath him, her toes curling even as he plunged deeply inside her. She was still coming down from her high when she felt Derek stiffen and shudder above her. This time, he yelled her name before collapsing on top of her.
 

He was heavy, but she welcomed the weight as a part of his possession of her. Just when she was about to wriggle out from underneath him, he rolled on his back and pulled her into his arms. This time she stayed and as he stroked her hair gently, she felt him kiss the top of her head and she fell into a deep sleep.

CHAPTER NINE

Damian Stoltz clicked through the images on the widescreen in his private office. Information about the redhead who was at the bar with Sophie Leroux had just come back from his analyst. Her name was Maia Pierce, she was a marketing executive for Volynsky Pharmaceuticals—a Russian-based company. Flight itineraries, credit history and cell phone records all seemed to check out. She was married to Jack McCord of McCord Defense Industries—a company that had recently concluded negotiations with Silver Fire Research, which would explain her acquaintance with Dr. Leroux. Stoltz clicked through the company’s organizational structure. There were two red flags. McCord himself, who was an ex-Navy SEAL, and Derek Lockwood—the VP for Operations and Design—who was ex-Special Forces.
 

His secure line started flashing. Punching the speaker button, he answered: “Stoltz.”

“Boss.” It was Justin.

“Did you get my files?”

“Yes. The guys from the bar last night were McCord and Lockwood. Lockwood has some sort of claim on Dr. Leroux.”

“Damn it! We need to get rid of him before he becomes a problem. He may have too many connections.”

“I know. I’ll take care of it. How about the redhead?”

“She’s a corporate type, we shouldn’t worry about her. But keep tabs on her just the same, so we can use her for leverage against Dr. Leroux if we have to.”

 
Stoltz ended the call.

McCord Defense Industries could be a problem. Even if their companies were not after the same agenda, there was no question that McCord and Lockwood would do everything to protect their interests, which included keeping Dr. Leroux working in her laboratory.

Stoltz needed Dr. Leroux off-site to build him his bomb, and he had not decided if he would ever let her go.

***

“You’re walking funny,” Beth observed. Her friend was leaning against her car, waiting for Sophie.

“Seriously, Beth,” she replied irritably. At least Beth had waited for Derek to pull away before making that remark.

“Well, how was it?” Beth pressed. “You obviously got some last night.”

Sophie ignored her, took out the keys and opened the front door of the bungalow.
Truthfully
? The sex was mind-blowing. After Derek had woken her up last night with his tongue, he roused her again this morning by sliding into her from behind. It started out slow and deliberate and finished off hard, almost desperate. When he was done, Derek left the bed, walked to the bathroom and took a shower. He then headed to the kitchen, started coffee and made some French toast. He’d become closed off, made some small talk, and said Maia texted him earlier this morning about a meeting at AGS. Derek did not even touch her or make any move to kiss her. If this were a marathon, he had already put half that distance between them. The passionate man from last night all but vanished.

“I think it’s over,” Sophie mumbled.
 

“What?”

Sophie exhaled deeply. “We had sex. Amazing sex. Three times. And then this morning, he couldn’t even look at me. He dropped me off here without a ‘See you later, Sophie.’ He didn’t even kiss me. I mean that jerk just drove...off.” Her voice faltered.

“That asshole!” Beth said angrily. “You’ll come home with me. The last thing you need is some man who’ll blow hot and cold on you.”

“Next time, stop pawning me off on some guy.”
 

“The bright side is, you’ve gotten over the sexual hump. Lockwood has served his purpose.”

“Lockwood has served what purpose?” Stephen’s voice asked behind them.

Sophie turned around and smiled.

“You’ve finally had sex?” Stephen asked, stunned. “Damn, Lockwood is a miracle worker.”

“Don’t feel so awed, the sex god has clay feet,” Beth scoffed and repeated Sophie’s story with some embellishment.

“Are you OK, sweetie?” Stephen asked gently, but anger was lurking behind his blue eyes.
 

“Honestly, I don’t know how I feel,” Sophie admitted. “I feel relieved that I’m not destined for a sex-less existence. I’m also somewhat relieved that he’s lost interest before I’ve actually fallen for him. At the same time I’m feeling a bit rejected.”

“Baby girl, it’s not you!” Beth said furiously, though her anger was clearly directed at Derek. “This fucked-up shit is Lockwood. That asshole thought he could go the monogamous route and found out he couldn’t. So if he says to you that it’s not you, it’s him. It really is.”

Sophie snorted. “Of course it’s him. I didn’t even want to go home with him yesterday, but you were no help when he carried me off.”

“He carried you off?” Stephen asked, wide-eyed.

“Over his shoulder.”

He whistled. “And now he’s acting like the typical jerk.”

“Yep!” Sophie huffed a dejected sigh as she walked into her room and started gathering clothes—what little she had. She laid out her suitcase and started packing in some garments that still had price tags on them, twitching her nose at the new garment smell. Did nothing feel familiar right now? She kept telling herself that what had happened between her and Derek was for the best. So what was that pang in her chest, and why did she feel like crying? After making her feel so special yesterday, he treated her like gum he’d like to scrape off his shoe this morning. Her eyes started to sting.
Damn him
.
 

“Although,” Stephen said as he leaned on the door jamb watching her. “The advantage of having a gay friend is that we can give you a guys’s perspective. Maybe he’s running scared. Maybe he’s falling for you real hard and fast.”

“What kind of reasoning is that?”
 

“Uh, a guy’s?”

“Well that’s plain ridiculous.” Sophie scrunched her nose. “If all men acted that way, then I’m better off without those morons.”

“You said it, girl” Beth declared as she sat on the bed and watched Sophie putter around the room. “Now will you try batting for the other team? I know a couple of gals who are perfect for you.”

Sophie laughed. “I think I’m pretty straight.”

Beth sighed. “Yes, I think you are.”

“Got any updates for me?” Sophie turned to Stephen.

“Yes. A couple actually,” her friend replied. “The contractors are starting on your house next Tuesday, clearing debris and all that. We’ve got a slight problem with the insurance. They’re classifying this as an act of terrorism.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry, our lawyers are looking into it. Because of the nature of your work the insurance on your house has a clause covering some hostile acts. Not sure exactly how it’s worded—”

“As long as Blanton is on it.”

“He is.”

“What else?”

“Silver Fire Research should reopen on Monday. Divergent Management has given us the go ahead. They’re also beefing up security. I’ve re-scheduled your meeting with MDI that was supposed to be on Friday to Tuesday.”

“Shoot! The mold for the trigger housing, has it arrived?”

“No. I called the manufacturer, and they’re delivering it Monday morning.”

“Good. Anything else?”

“Christopher Blackstone wants to schedule an appointment.”

“Any idea what he wants?”

Stephen gave her a dubious look.

“Well, you did dangle the zefinium cores in front of him,” Beth said cynically

“What time is our meeting with MDI on Tuesday?” Sophie asked after giving the reporter an exasperated look.

“Eleven a.m.”

“If Christopher can come by at 9:00 a.m., that would be great. If not, he’ll have to wait for Wednesday, I plan to catch up on some work in the afternoon.”

Stephen nodded.

“Anything else?”

“How about a new car?”

Sophie suddenly got excited. Her poor SUV had been firebombed along with Maia’s vehicle and she really needed a car right now—new or rental. “Everyone up for some car shopping?”

***

Derek knew he fucked up with Sophie and he had no clue how to fix it without coming across like an asshole. He freaked out, plain and simple. He did not know how to behave the morning after sex because he never had the morning after sex. The women he fucked never slept over—they left after the last fuck—no cuddling. He would get up, take a shower alone and go to the kitchen as a signal that they had to get up and get moving.

He was overwhelmed by how incredible Sophie made him feel, his mind had shattered, and he couldn’t think coherently. After that last time he took her, he stumbled into the bathroom and started the shower. But it took him a while to go under the water spray. He was bent over the sink feeling like he’d gone into a battlefield without a Kevlar vest. A fist of fear in his gut twisting him inside and telling him this was it, he did not want anyone else. She had the power to hurt and weaken him.

So he withdrew.

Big mistake. He was a fucking coward.
 

And now he had broken it. That tenuous bond he had with her. It was broken. He saw it when their eyes met briefly when he dropped her off at the bungalow. There was hurt, confusion and betrayal. She had just trusted him with her deepest insecurity, and he threw it back in her face. Dumb shit.

“Hey!” Maia rapped on his car window. He had texted her a few minutes earlier that he was waiting in front of the apartment building. Derek bleeped the locks.

Maia got into the passenger seat and gave him a playful punch. “So how did it go last night?”

Derek waited for a bus to pass him before pulling out of the loading/unloading zone. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

But Maia, being Maia, was tenacious. “Are you telling me you’re going six days without sex?”

“I fucked up—OK?” Derek replied tersely. “I had the most incredible sex of my life, and I blew it.”

“Derek Lockwood!” Maia exclaimed in a censuring tone. “Do not tell me you did the shower brush off with Sophie.”

He sighed and felt Maia bludgeon him with the binder she was carrying. “Fucking moron! I can’t fucking believe this! Why? Why would you do something like that to Sophie? Why even touch her if you’re going to treat her like any of your regular fucks?”

“You’re a potty mouth this morning,” Derek muttered.

“Do not change the subject, Derek!”

“Truth?”

“Yes!”

“I freaked out.”

“Oh Derek.”

His jaw tightened as he heard the pity in Maia’s voice. Great, now he was just plain pathetic. He kept his eyes straight ahead as he took the ramp that led to the interstate.
 

“Are you ending it with her?”

“Hell no,” Derek growled.
Shit. That was it
. The thought of ending things with her had sent his most primal instinct of possessiveness to the surface.
 

“Well, what’s the status then? Derek, you can’t be on a break, you guys had barely begun.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“And you fucked it up already ...”

“Thanks for rubbing it in.”

“The very morning after the first time you had sex.”

“Maia—”

“Incredible sex.”

“Shut it, Maia!” Derek wanted to strangle his friend.

“So what are you going to do?”

“Don’t know yet.”

“Did she notice the brush off?”

“I didn’t touch or kiss her this morning, so I figure that’s an affirmative”

Maia was shaking her head. “And I thought you were the levelheaded one. You always gave great advice.”

Derek didn’t answer. His mind and his gut were in turmoil, but he was not too distracted not to notice that a car appeared to be following them. He glanced in the rearview mirror; an old Saturn sedan was two cars behind them. Derek noticed the car when he pulled in front of Jack’s apartment. The Saturn had shot past him and parked a few vehicles down. It then pulled out when Derek had passed it with the Escalade, and it had been trailing them ever since.
 

“I think we have a tail.”

Maia leaned to the center console to look out the back.

“Rust-colored Saturn,” Derek informed her.

“Hmm,” was all Maia said.
 

“Did Viktor say why this meeting was so important this morning?” Derek asked. Though it wasn’t unheard of, Saturdays morning meetings were rarely scheduled.

“He sounded concerned.” Maia frowned as if something was dawning on her. “Shit, I wonder if...” she looked back at the rear. “The Saturn is pulling up beside us. Three men.”

Derek surveyed the traffic before him. It was early Saturday morning and the roads were fairly clear, which meant everyone was speeding. His hand tensed on the steering wheel as they approached a very sharp turn on the Beltway—he had an idea of what was about to happen and he eased up on the gas pedal. He glanced at the car beside them; it accelerated while the passenger in the backseat lowered his window.