Strangers in the Night

by Saskia Walker

  Strangers in the Night

  Saskia Walker

  Contents

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Loving on the Edge: Book Two

  I

  Once upon a time, there were three brothers—heroes, one and all. But these three men worked so hard they didn’t have the time to pin down the right woman. Until one steamy summer, when each of them met a crazy lady during the course of their duties—a crazy lady out of control…

  When the beaten-up Land Rover pulled up alongside him on that midsummer evening, Ben had been standing on the isolated Kent lane for nearly an hour. His classic car was parked on the roadside, radiator steaming, and two vehicles had already passed him by without stopping. There was maybe an hour until sundown, if that.

  The four-wheel drive stopped with a clunk, one headlight flickering on and off, the engine idling erratically. Someone needed to check that tick over. He ducked his head down as he opened the passenger door, expecting to find a local farmer driving out here in the sticks. “Thanks for stopping. Can I get a lift to the nearest station? I need to get back to London before the last train.”

  When he saw the woman behind the wheel, he lost track of what he was saying. She was exotic looking, both sultry and alternative, with red streaks in her shoulder-length black hair.

  “Hey, you’re that TV documentary investigator aren’t you? Benjamin O’Neil, yes?” Her emerald-green eyes widened with interest and she smiled at him invitingly.

  He folded his arms up against the car roof, flexing his biceps, and looked in at her with a grin. “Yes I am. You’ve seen the show?”

  “I’m a big fan.” She patted the passenger seat invitingly. Her glance was entirely sexual, and it captured his attention in kind.

  Ben threw his bag into the foot well and climbed in, noticing as he did her silver jewelry, and the skintight top and cut-off jeans she wore.

  “Benjamin O’Neil,” she repeated, and then reached over and kissed him on both cheeks, which surprised him no end. “Last week’s show, where you infiltrated that gang—that was high-octane viewing, amazing work. Hard-hitting, too.”

  He was listening, but he wasn’t thinking about the show. He was thinking about the way she looked, exotic and untamed. He took a long slow breath of her perfume. It was musky and enticing, like she was.

  She glanced down at the video camera in the bag with curiosity. “Are you out here on a job?”

  “I was.” He nodded back at where the car was parked on the side of the road. “Car broke down. My brother will tow it for me, but it’s knocked my plans out for tonight.”

  “Was it something exciting?” She had an accent, and she exaggerated her sibilants in the most delicious way.

  “You’re French, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.” She put out her hand. “Patrice Reynaud. It’s good to meet you.”

  Her hand was small but gripped his firmly. There was no bra under that strappy top she wore, and her breasts looked provocative through the tight fabric, capturing his attention when she moved. A tribal tattoo scrolled over one shoulder. Her legs were long and her arse looked fit inside the tight denim of her cut-off jeans. If this were a nightclub, he’d offer to buy her a drink and try to get to know her.

  She was looking at him expectantly.

  He gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I can’t really say what it was.”

  “I bet it has something to do with that old farmhouse up the road.”

  Ben was surprised. He hadn’t wanted to say, but if she guessed, that was different. “What makes you think that?”

  She switched off the engine. “I live just up the road. Graleston. It’s a little village, off the beaten track and quiet, which is what I wanted. I’m an artist. But just after midnight every Friday a big truck rumbles past, sometimes two, and they are headed towards the disused farm. One night I was up working so I watched the headlights and I could see where they were headed. Something is going on up there.”

  This was useful. It reinforced what their informer had said, probably one of her neighbors. “It’s good to hear your take. I’m going on a tip-off that it’s being used as a warehouse for contraband goods.”

  “Contraband?” Her eyes rounded.

  “Often these things turn out to be hoaxes,” he added. He didn’t have time for hoaxes. Besides, this job was minor compared to the meatier content of the show. It was destined to be a filler segment within the magazine format, but it was worthwhile all the same. “Is it far?”

  “No, less than a quarter of a mile.”

  He was so close. It was a damn shame the car had conked out.

  “Maybe I can help you with it,” she added, eyes sparkling. “I’m a big fan of what you do. Such exciting work.” The way she said “exciting” and the naughty expression in her eyes seemed to suggest she meant something sexy.

  “Maybe you can.” His attention was well and truly hooked; she was an invitation he wanted to accept.

  She tossed back her hair. “What is it that you were going to do?”

  “I was hoping to take a look at the outside perimeter in the daylight, check out if there is anyone around and then go back and get some footage of the goods going in. Then, if it’s what I think it is, pass information over to my contact at Her Majesty’s Customs. Maybe get some footage of them going in for the clean up.”

  “What do you think it is?” She looked fascinated, and the more interested she became the more sexy she looked.

  Why was that? Ben couldn’t fathom it out, but it intrigued him, and he couldn’t help wanting to egg it forward, even though he knew he shouldn’t be sharing information with her. “Smuggled booty, goods where the duty hasn’t been paid. Cigarettes, booze. It’s small-fry really, but we like to do our bit to raise awareness.”

  She glanced at her watch. “It’s nearly nine o’clock.” She looked out of the car window. “It’s only going to be light for a bit longer. I’ll show you the way.”

  “I would appreciate that. I have to be back in London for a meeting tomorrow, it would mean another trip out here if I don’t look into it tonight.”

  “Is the meeting with a girlfriend?”

  Direct. He liked her more by the moment. Her raw energy filled the car, and he wanted to get a taste of it. “No, my producer.”

  She nodded, pleased. “We can drive a bit closer. There’s a public footpath through the woods that I know. We’ll go up and check it out.” Her eyes were bright with anticipation. “Then we can wait until the lorry comes so you can get your footage.”

  “No. I can’t let you get involved.”

  “You’ll never find it in the dark, not without my help”

  She had a point, and she was local. Besides, he was pretty sure the place was only used as a depot, and that it would be deserted until the drop. But still, it wasn’t right.

  “It can’t hurt. Come on, Ben,” she said, and stroked his thigh. She blinked. “Let me come.”

  He wanted her to come all right; he wanted to make her come. Mutual attraction hung heavy in the air between them. He reached over and lifted her hair back from her face. “Well, I guess I could let you tag along.”

  She turned the key in the engine. “This is so exciting, like an aphrodisiac!”

  Aphrodisiac? Ben got a big kick out of his work, but her response opened a window on a whole new dimension of experience, and he had to admit—he was enjoying the view.

  II

  “There, just up ahead.” The stone wall around the farm was just visible in the dusk light, and a security lamp illuminated the overgrown lane in the area around the heavy metal double gates. Patrice pointed through the trees,
and looked back at Ben. “It’s not a large estate, the house is boarded up and there’s one barn, just on the left-hand side as you go in through the gates.”

  “How do you know the layout?”

  “I saw it when I was walking here in the forest. The gates don’t quite meet, and I had a peep.”

  “Naughty girl,” he commented, but he seemed pleased.

  She felt his hand on her hip, pulling her in against him, and smiled to herself. Mr. Serious TV Documentary Maker seemed to be having fun. Her pulse quickened. This was turning out to be an adventure in more ways than one. She’d always had a thing for Ben O’ Neil, and here he was—in the flesh—and he was every bit as gorgeous as he looked on TV, if not more so.

  “Okay, I want you to stay near the gate. Call me if you see any headlights approaching, and then take off towards the car. I just want to see how quickly I can scale the wall and get a look at the layout of the inside.”

  Patrice studied him in the half-light, her artist’s eye finding beauty in the not-quite-symmetry of his face. He was an attractive man, with dark hair that was a little overlong, and a hungry, intense look in his blue eyes. His bone structure alone caught her attention, his jaw, brow and cheekbones all beautifully defined. And, with his arm loosely around her, she could feel the heat of his body. She rested a hand against his chest. There, she felt strength, and her body clamored to experience that. When she touched him, his eyes glittered in the moonlight.

  It was her lucky night. On her way back from teaching an evening art class, she’d been wishing that she had a man to go home to. Then she’d seen him standing alongside the lane.

  “Let’s do it,” he said and paused to kiss her quickly on the mouth before heading off.

  Patrice followed, sauntering along with her hands in her pockets. She felt like a decoy, standing in the light by the gates while he scaled the wall in the darkness. An accomplice, that’s what she was. It was exciting, and it was making her horny.

  Beyond the light cast by the security lamp, the forest had an inky darkness about it, and she kept glancing at the sky, watching as the sun moved lower over the distant hills. She thought she heard a sound and peered into the gloom where Ben had gone. She could just about make out his figure, squatting on top of the wall. It was maybe a foot higher than he was. He’d scaled much higher on the TV show, and he sometimes wore a camera as he did so, making it very real for the viewer. Patrice often felt as if she were there, climbing with him.

  It was just then, while she was admiring him in her own private show, that she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “Hey, what are you up to?”

  Spinning on the spot, she found herself staring at a man all dressed in black, a baseball cap covering his hair and shielding his eyes from her view. In one hand he held a large metal object, a torch, she hoped, although it wasn’t on. Her heart beat hard in her chest. “Oh, hello, am I glad to see you! I got lost on the lane. I’m looking for Graleston; I’m visiting a friend in the village. I was hoping for directions.”

  The tension in the man dissipated marginally. “Oh, right.”

  She realized how important it was to keep his attention, and she turned toward the security light, so that the man had his back to the place where Ben was. Putting one hand up against the wall, she smiled and gave him a deliberate appraisal. “I’m so glad to find you here. I was beginning to think I was never going to find anyone who could point me in the right direction.”

  Behind his head, she could see Ben’s crouching figure. He was making his way along the wall in the opposite direction, glancing back occasionally as he went.

  “Is it far to the village?”

  “No, just about a half a mile that way.” He gestured beyond the place where her car was parked, and then pushed his cap back on his head. She saw bushy eyebrows and deep-set eyes. He smiled at her, and she realized she’d got his attention.

  She rested her back against the wall and lifted her foot against it, rubbing her knee and the bare skin of her thigh. The man looked down at her legs. She risked a glance in Ben’s direction. He was watching too. That made her pulse race ever faster, and she lifted her chin, aware of two men’s scrutiny on her. The danger was thoroughly exhilarating. “Do you live here in this estate?”

  “No, I just keep an eye on the place for a friend.”

  “Shame, it looks like it must be a big old house, judging from the size of the wall.”

  “Derelict,” the man said, gruffly.

  She saw Ben’s shadow move and his hand lifted in her direction as he jumped lithely down into the forest. She cleared her throat. “Okay, thanks for the directions. I better get back to my car and head on to my friend’s place, it’s getting late.”

  She didn’t catch his reply.

  She forced herself to walk at first, but when she grew accustomed to the limited light among the trees and knew she was out of view of the old farm, she broke into a jog. She felt positively high, and couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Ben was waiting up ahead. Darting past the place where he stood, she laughed aloud when he grabbed her into his arms, holding her close against him. His body felt good. Hard, and eager to hold on to her.

  “You’re crazy, you should have just taken off.” Concern marked his expression.

  “I thought I handled him well.”

  “You did.”

  Admiration shone in his eyes, and it made her proud.

  “Glad to have you safe,” he admitted. “But, I have to say, I was getting jealous of the guy, you were practically flirting with him.”

  She reached around to clasp his buttocks in her hands, pressing him even closer against her. “No need to be jealous. I was thinking of you, honey, honest.”

  He laughed, and it was a deep and sexy sound that rumbled in his chest. Then he ducked down and kissed her, his mouth demanding in a way that stimulated all her senses, hard and soft, all at once. Her sex ached to have him, and when she moved up and down against him, she found an equally vibrant response. It had been a while, and she didn’t want to stop and think about it, she wanted to go with the flow of the moment.

  “The adrenaline rush,” she admitted, rubbing up against him. “I’m really horny.” She laughed, kind of embarrassed.

  “You’re not the only one, having a woman with me is doing weird stuff to me.” He leaned into her, his hands meshing in her hair as he drew her in to kiss her again.

  She could feel the desire in him, and she responded easily, her lips parting. They shared this thing, this taste for danger, and now she wanted to share more. Running her hands up and down his back, she invited him closer. The stubble on his jaw was rough against her skin. His body was warm under her hands, his cock hard under his clothes. It made her feel powerfully alive to be in his arms.

  When he came up for air, she nodded back in the direction of the old farm. “I think he might be waiting for the drop you mentioned.”

  “Uh-huh, and I’ve just thought of a great way to pass the time until then.”

  She nodded, her gaze locked with his. She could see the suggestion there and she knew that once they let go they’d be on a roll and there would be no stopping them.

  “Come on, let’s go back to the car.” He grabbed her hand and led the way quickly along the path back to where the car was parked. Thrilled, she darted alongside him, savoring the intense look in his eyes as he glanced at her.

  When they got back, he pulled her against the Land Rover and lifted her right leg against his, with his hand beneath her bottom. With his other hand he clutched her pussy through her cut-off jeans, squeezing it possessively. “You’re so hot.”

  He was pressing the seam of her shorts right against her clit, moving it side to side. Her hips rocked instinctively, her body needy for release. He was attractive, he was hard and he wanted her, and she was ready to take everything he had to offer. Wave after wave of intense stimulation hit her, and she had to hang on to him to stay upright. “Mon Dieux, that’s good.”

 
He grinned and the look in his eyes was devilish.

  “Oh, oh, oh,” she said, and then rode up and down against his hand as a sweet and sudden climax hit her, her clit buzzing with sensation. It empowered her, and it made her want more, the full deal. Her hand closed over his erection. “I want you, Ben O’Neil.”

  He reached beside her hip and opened the car door, jerking her into his arms. “In the car, now, before I get done for indecent exposure on a public footpath.”

  She climbed in, crawling across the passenger seat and into the driver seat, turning to watch as he got in behind her. “This is much more fun than taking you to the station, right?” she asked, teasingly, as he shut the door.

  “Too right. The only problem is this car isn’t big enough for all the things I want to do to you.” A slow, sexy grin spread over his face.

  “There isn’t time to go anywhere else,” she whispered, and trailed her hand up his thigh, to rest over the bulge in his jeans.

  “Nope, we’ll have to make it work.”

  “I can go on top.” The courtesy light was fading out, and she watched his face for his reaction as the light went.

  He pushed one fist up against the roof of the car, tense, like a coiled snake ready to pounce. “Needs must, when the devil drives,” he responded, and his voice was hoarse with restraint.

  A heady rush hit her. “Please tell me you have a condom.”

  “Oh yes. And as soon as I have it on, I’d like to be inside you.”

  She pushed her hair back, trying to steady her erratic breathing.

  Grappling in his jeans pocket he pulled out a wallet and began thumbing through it. A moment later he drew out a silver packet.

  She snatched it off him, then reached down and flipped his seat back.

  “Whoa,” he said, and then quieted as she undid his belt.

  She plucked open the buttons on his jeans, sighing with pleasure when his cock bounced free. He was so long and hard, and the head of his cock perfectly formed, she ached to have it inside her.