by Delta James
She wanted to throw it at him like she had the night before, but the aroma was enticing, and she was hungry.
Zara snatched the plate from him and took a bite; it was heaven enfolded in light and fluffy eggs. The perfectly finished omelet was filled with Gruyere cheese, lots of crispy and crumbled bacon, caramelized onions, and sundried tomatoes. He had accompanied it with two small potato latkes and some citrus fruit salad.
“This is very good,” she said, digging in. “I’m hungry.”
“I don’t doubt it.” He grinned. “You didn’t have dinner yesterday, and I rode you pretty hard during the night.”
“I am not some wild mustang to be mounted and ridden whenever you damn well please.”
The sheet had slipped from under her arms and was pooled in her lap, leaving her breasts exposed. Noah hefted one in his hand as he flicked his thumb back and forth across her rapidly stiffening nipple.
“Think not?” He clearly enjoyed her arousal in response to his fondling. “I’ll bet if I reached between your legs, I’d find your clit just as hard and a wealth of your honey gathering in your pussy.”
Zara hissed at him—at his presumptiveness, his handling of her feminine parts as if they belonged to him, and the fact that his assessment was entirely correct.
“You are insufferable,” she said between bites.
“Now,” he said, tweaking her nipple and causing her to gasp, “be a good girl and finish your breakfast. We don’t have much time before we have to get on the horn with the team. Why don’t you grab a shower…”
“Why? Do you find the stench of my having had sex with you offensive?”
He arched his eyebrow at her again. It was a somewhat endearing trait and did signal when she was starting to get under his skin.
“Maybe,” he said, “in addition to getting laid in the morning, you need to get your ass spanked first. For your information, I find the scent of you mingled with my own to be the finest perfume I’ve ever inhaled. Settle down and behave yourself or no number of pillows is going to make it comfortable for you to be seated when we talk to the team,” he growled.
“And what would your employer think of the idea that you have spanked and fucked me more than once since you took me into your custody against my will?” she challenged.
“You mean since I saved your life? He’d probably admonish me for not getting you taken in hand the first time.”
Noah laughed at the look of shock on her face.
“This may or may not come as a newsflash to you, but the men I work with have no problem with a little girl getting her bottom paddled when she deserves it. So, go ahead and complain; Mac will probably just advise me to use my belt if there’s a next time.”
“I can’t believe he would allow you to treat a client or a potential witness this way.”
“He doesn’t, and I don’t. But I will ensure my woman is cared for and safe…whether she likes it or not.”
Zara finished her breakfast and scooted across the mattress from him to get out on the other side of the bed. She grimaced as she did so. Noah wisely said nothing. Zara walked around him to the bath and started to close the door.
“Leave it open, Zara. I want to be able to keep my eye on you.”
“Pervert!”
He laughed. “Nevertheless, the door stays open, or I come in there to supervise.”
“Fine. It isn’t anything you haven’t already seen,” she snapped.
“Doesn’t matter how many times I see it; it’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever beheld.”
Zara rolled her eyes then turned on the shower. She made short work of her shower…not because she didn’t enjoy it or even minded Noah was watching. It was that her memories of the day before when she’d shared it with him were still too vivid in her mind. His strong hands using the sudsy sea sponge to get her clean, the lingering touches, the feel of his body pressed to hers under the hot water. No, she really needed to get a handle on her own traitorous thoughts. Zara rejoined him wrapped only in a towel.
“I don’t suppose you have clean clothes?” she asked.
“I think you look fine.” He laughed.
As the storm clouds gathered in her eyes, he crossed over from the bed, took hold of her shoulders, and pulled her close to kiss her briefly but thoroughly. One thing about Noah, he was very deliberate and completely in control where she was concerned. For the moment, Zara would let him believe that.
“We do, however, keep a variety of sweats in the dresser, and I put away the things I had in my go bag. There’s a couple of my sweaters you might like.”
“Sweats will be just fine.”
“Suit yourself. The sweaters are softer…I thought you might prefer them. If this looks to become long term, we’ll need to get additional supplies, including clothing.”
Zara found a pair of sweats that looked like they’d fit. They were a bit too big in the waist, so she rolled them down, making them ride low on her hips. She started to put on the sweatshirt but realized it wouldn’t be all that comfortable. It would either be a bit too tight in the bust or huge everywhere else. She knew she could just select another but saw a black sweater of Noah’s lying on the chair. He was right; it was incredibly soft to the touch. She pulled it over her head and went to join him. She didn’t like the way his eyes lit up when he saw she was wearing his sweater.
“Don’t get any ideas. You were right; it’s nicer than the sweats. Although these pants are baggy enough that they don’t put any pressure on my ass, which, in case you wanted to know, still hurts.”
Noah was busying himself with getting the video conference set up.
He looked up at her. “I don’t doubt it. If it didn’t, it would mean I hadn’t spanked you hard enough last night. You were still showing quite a bit of color on your pretty little bottom this morning when you went into the shower.”
“Oh, she was, was she?” came Mac’s voice over the comm system before the monitor blinked on, revealing his bemused expression. He seemed to be alone in the conference room. “That was fast. In fact, a damn sight faster than I thought it would be.”
“What do you mean by that?” accused Zara. She waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter. I demand that you tell this supercilious goon of yours to release me at once and take me, if not home, then to a train station, so I can get back to my job and my life.”
“Feisty, isn’t she, Noah?” Mac laughed. “I’ve heard you called a lot of things, but I think that’s the first time anyone has ever accused you of being a supercilious goon.”
“That she is,” agreed Noah. “What can I say? She’s a writer. She likes words.”
“Aren’t you the guy who wanted a nice, quiet girl?” asked Mac.
Noah chuckled. “Yeah, that would be me.” He turned to her. “You do know, Zara, I’m never going to hear the end of being with you.”
“Do you two assholes hear yourselves? I’m in the fucking room. And neither of you has any dominion over me. I’m warning you, McDaniel. I have friends at Scotland Yard, and they take a dim view of a British citizen being unlawfully detained.”
“That would be Michael Bestwick? He has been advised. We have looped him in unofficially as to what’s going on. He said to send you his best.”
“Arrgghh!” She stomped her foot.
Mac chuckled. “Croft and I may have gotten the spitfires, but you, my friend, have yourself a hell-raising firebrand. The rest of the team should be joining us in a minute.”
“She can behave herself when she wants to,” said Noah, obviously enjoying her temper. “Zara, that’s enough. Come and sit down.”
She moved past him toward the chair he’d indicated. He was sitting on one of the hardwood counter stools while offering her the padded office chair with a pillow already in place. Passing between her and the system’s camera, his hand connected sharply with her rear end.
“Settle down.”
Zara sat in the chair gingerly. The camera at Wild Mustang Security drew back
so that all of those gathered at the conference table could be seen. She was glad to see Finn in attendance as well.
“You’re all right?” asked Finn.
“As well as can be expected when I’m being held against my will,” replied Zara, eyes shooting daggers at Noah who merely smiled benignly at her.
“They said that some kind of team assaulted your home? Jesus, Zara, I’m so sorry. I never should have involved you.”
“Are you kidding? This story could be huge. I’ve already been able to confirm parts of what you told me,” said Zara excitedly.
“I’m surprised you’d tell them that,” said Finn, laughing.
“Didn’t they tell you? The bastards hacked my system and have downloaded all my stuff.”
Finn turned on Croft. He really was easy on the eyes. In some ways better looking than Noah. Croft had those East Coast patrician looks about him, like old money or nobility. She smiled to herself as she remembered how Finn had once described Zara’s taste in men as tall, dark, and voted most likely to take a life. She wasn’t all that far off the mark. Noah certainly filled that bill. And the man was likely the most dominant alpha male she’d ever encountered. And yet, he seemed to have a sensitive side that called to her.
“You hacked her system?”
“Sure did,” said Croft, grinning at her. “Thom’s finishing up in London but said he should have all the data compiled, including what they found at Zara’s overnight. If there’s anything significant, we’ll contact you at the same time tomorrow.”
“So nothing really new to report?” asked Noah.
“I’m afraid not,” said Mac. “Springer had flown the coup. At least Bestwick was able to get the French police to go and check the farmhouse where Finn was held, aside from the dead bodies they found, the place had been cleaned out and wiped down. He said it was very disconcerting as the bodies were laid out neatly in a row and the rest of house appeared to be untouched. Bestwick said their forensic techs were a bit spooked by it. They obviously took their time clearing out.”
“What about Abdal?” asked Noah.
“He’s been fairly forthcoming about everything. Problem is Springer knew everything and moved swiftly to consolidate his stranglehold on Abdal’s operation. Abdal seems fairly resigned to letting him have it and retiring someplace he can be safe and die an old man.”
Zara listened but said nothing. They were fools if they thought Abdal would simply fade away. They may have had business dealings with him, but Zara had dined with him on several occasions. The dinners had covered different aspects of stories she was writing, as well as giving her finely-honed reporter’s instincts an incredible breadth of knowledge about what made the man tick. And tick he did…much like an explosive device. She very much doubted Abdal would have revealed that to side of himself the Wild Mustang Security people.
Fariq Abdal would not walk away without a fight. He presented himself to the world and to those who dealt with him as a sophisticated businessman, when, in fact, he was a ruthless killer not above using whatever means he could find to re-establish his supremacy in the international community of arms dealers and terrorists.
The video conference ended with Noah’s assessment of their situation. He was content to stay at their current location until they checked in the day after tomorrow, but then thought that after that, he’d be inclined to move. Even as remote and secure as they were, no safe house was truly safe if those hunting you were willing to pay whatever it took for information to find you.
Chapter 8
Noah kept his eyes on Zara for most of the conference call. She’d been snarly to start with then genuinely happy to see Finn and then quiet. With most women, he might chalk up the last part to having reality sink in and fear along with it. But not Zara. She knew, or at least thought she knew, something they didn’t. And she had no intention of telling them. He’d let her keep her own counsel for a bit to see if she wouldn’t come clean.
He hadn’t been joking when he’d said he would never hear the end of it from his team. He’d always been pretty vocal about the kind of woman he wanted—one he could go home to, take to bed, spend the evening seeing how many orgasms he could wring out of her then kick back and have her fix him a nice meal before taking her back to bed. Well, he’d gotten the sex part right, but that was about it. And even that he had to fight for. Zara had no intention of surrendering without a fight, but he was certain that, in the end, she would. Mac was right, she was a hellion and wouldn’t easily give her heart, but Noah was determined she would be his and he’d make her damn happy she was.
They logged off the video conference.
“That went well,” he said.
“For you. I was humiliated you made it very clear to your boss and your buddies you were fucking me.”
“Settle down, Zara. It isn’t like that. I would never deliberately humiliate you. You’ll never find a group of guys who have greater respect for or enjoy more spending their time in the company of women.”
“You made that abundantly clear,” she said in a scathing tone.
“If Mac’s and my talking shit to each other hurt your feelings, then I apologize. But, sweetheart, Mac isn’t stupid. He’d have figured it out as would every man in that room. Better to just get it all out on the table. I find having clear and open lines of communication works best for everyone. Withholding tidbits of information in a relationship—”
“Is that what you think we have? A relationship? Don’t flatter yourself.”
“You really are trying to push my buttons, aren’t you? If you’ve missed being spanked since Damian died—”
“Don’t you dare mention his name to me,” she said angrily.
“Zara, I didn’t say it to upset you. What I was trying to say, in as non-threatening a way as I could, was if you needed to be spanked, you can just tell me. You don’t need to act out.”
“You like direct communication? Good. Then hear me when I say, we have no relationship. You are my captor and I am your hostage or prisoner. That is all.”
“No, it isn’t. Communication is a two-way street. I’m not the bad guy here. I’m the guy who saved your life—”
“That doesn’t give you the right to try and take it over. It sure as hell doesn’t give you the right to spank or fuck me whenever you want; I won’t even talk about how over the line the whole figging thing was.”
He smiled. “Funny you know what it’s called.”
“I’m a writer, you ass. I know lots of things.”
“I believe you. Fact is, I believe you know more about this whole situation than you’re letting on, and we’ll circle back to that in a minute. I know this thing between us happened fast, and neither one of us expected it—”
“Only one of us thinks it’s more than adrenaline-fueled lust between two people who haven’t been getting laid frequently enough of late.”
“You can be a nasty, viper-tongued bitch when you try.”
“As you said, I’m a writer…I like words.”
He chuckled. “Touché, sweetheart.”
Noah got up and caught her by the wrist before she could pull away. “It’s more than that…a whole helluva lot more than that, and you know it,” he said in a soothing, seductive voice. “I know you’re scared, and not just of Abdal and Springer and whatever they’ve got going down. But I’ll keep you safe from them.”
“But who will keep me safe from you?” she whispered.
The look on her face told him she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“You don’t have any need to be kept safe from me.”
She nodded. “Yes, I do. I swore I’d never get involved with someone like you again.”
“Sexy, tough, ruggedly handsome, and hung?” he teased.
“All of those and chauvinistic, dominant, and arrogant. Someone who truly believes men are far superior to women, and we need to be kept safe and cherished. I won’t have it. I won’t live that way again. I’m damn good at what I do.”
/> Noah sat back but did not relinquish his hold on her.
“I’ll give you dominant, but I’m neither chauvinistic nor arrogant. Fact is, in most ways, I think women are far superior to men. In general, you’re every bit as tough if not tougher, far more intelligent, and you’re one hell of a lot sexier. Am I opinionated? Yes. I think there’s a natural order to things, and the best relationships I know are the ones where the men are dominant, but that doesn’t mean their women are submissive. I don’t want a submissive woman. You were right. I’d be bored in a month.”
“I never said anything like that to you,” she accused softly.
He grinned. “You did once in a dream.”
“You dreamed about me?”
“Only a couple of times, but I’ve had numerous erotic fantasies where you were the star.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You called me a coward and nailed me on the type of woman I thought I wanted. But, even then, my soul knew you were the one. We can take it slow on the relationship part. You need to fight me before you capitulate? I can deal with that for a while. But know that, at some point, I’ll make you tell me everything I want to hear.”
“So, you’re saying you aren’t going to touch me again?”
He laughed. “Oh hell no. I have no intention of not availing myself of your sexy body whenever I want.” He drew her closer and ran his hand down her back, slipping inside the sweatpants and tracing his finger along the crack of her ass. “And I’ll take any hole I want and spank this sweet of ass of yours when you need it, but if you want to tell yourself for a while longer that we aren’t in a committed relationship, I can let you have that little victory…for now. But never, ever doubt for a minute that you will surrender everything to me in the end.”
Noah pulled her into his arms; she was already so much a part of him. Her body pressed close to his, especially when he had his cock buried in her, was the most perfect thing he would ever experience, and they both damn well knew it. He was just willing to admit it, and she wasn’t. She’d need to get over that and, if she couldn’t do it on her own, he’d help her…one way or another.