His comment was the last thing she’d expected, and taken aback, she was at a loss for words.
“Elizabeth, have I made you feel that way?”
“No, not at all,” she replied earnestly. “I didn’t tell you because I was embarrassed, not because I was scared.”
As he abruptly leaned forward and pulled her into his arms, she heard him let out a breath.
He’d been worried.
Her heart swelled.
“You’re welcome to whatever you need,” he murmured as she sank against him, “but you’re not to go off on any more lone wolf explorations.”
“I know, and I won’t. I do have a question though. How did you know?”
“Ah, I’ve been meaning to tell you about this,” he declared, breaking the hug and picking up his phone from the desk. “We’ve had so many other things going on I just haven’t had the chance. Meet Einstein.”
“Your phone? Wait—is this room monitored? Did you see me?”
“Yes and no,” he replied. “Think of this phone as a Harvard professor. Your so-called smart phone is barely in kindergarten. There’s some very expensive equipment in that closet. When you opened the door, I was alerted, just as I was when you pulled out the compartment that held the gun, and again when you returned it. This phone is constantly giving me information. Most of it is superfluous, but when it’s not, it’s usually vitally important.”
“Doesn’t it drive you crazy? How can you possibly keep track of it all?”
“I’ve been doing this a while,” he replied with a grin. “I can check every room in this house, lock doors and unlock doors, I can do just about anything you can imagine with this device, but I will admit, learning to use it was like a college course.”
“I hope it never falls into the wrong hands.”
“It has several features to deal with unauthorized users.”
“I’m sure, but Scott, I am sorry I didn’t tell you about the gun, and thank you for being so great about it.”
“I know you are, and it’s cool. Next time, though, speak up. I’ll always supply you with whatever you need, unless I think there’s a reason not to.”
“I will, for sure. Um, is there much more for you to do?”
“A few things, and I have to wait for Jack. Why? Are you ready to call it a night?”
“I think so. I’m tired, but I’m still a bit keyed up.”
“I’ll make you my special nighttime toddy. It’s guaranteed to help you relax and go to sleep.”
“I doubt I’ll be able to sleep without you next to me,” she said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder.
“You’re welcome to stay, but you are looking pretty beat.”
She yawned, then nodded. “I am.”
“Come on,” he said, rising to his feet and taking her hand. “You hit the sack, and I’ll bring in your drink.”
“Can you put the security camera network on my phone? It will give me something to do while I’m winding down.”
“There’s a television in the armoire.”
“I know, but I love looking at security cameras, they’re so intriguing,” she said with a grin, “even when there’s nothing going on.”
“I’ll give you another phone that has it already installed. It’s not like Einstein, but you’ll be able to monitor the cameras to your heart’s content, though I doubt there’ll be much to see. You go, and I’ll bring it to you shortly.”
As she ambled from the room, she could feel the fatigue moving through her body. She’d always thought of herself as athletic, fit, and healthy, but Scott was like Superman.
Readying herself for bed, she imagined him in his fatigues running black ops in the Middle East. She suspected he saw the operation against Conchello like a walk in the park compared to what he’d experienced in the past, but the drug lord could not be underestimated, not for a second. Just the thought sent a chill shivering down her spine.
As she climbed between the sheets, Scott walked in the door. Watching him stride across the room toward her, she couldn’t help but admire his tall, muscled frame and chiseled handsome face.
“You could’ve been a model.”
He laughed out loud, almost spilling the drink in his hand.
“It’s not that funny,” she exclaimed, though starting to giggle herself.
“Me, striding down a runway wearing trendy fashions? I don’t think so, though hanging out with the girls might have been fun.”
“Smart ass.”
“But I find beautiful law enforcement women much more appealing,” he added, shooting her a wink. “Here you go,” he continued, placing a steaming mug on the nightstand along with a phone. “The password to open it is TEMP. Got it?”
“Got it, and thanks,” she said, but her smile quickly faded, and she stared up at him solemnly. “Scott, will you please be careful tomorrow night?”
“I told you, I’m always careful.”
“I know, but you have to promise to be really, really careful.”
“Hey, remember what I said about worry?” he murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Yeah, but I know about Conchello. He always has tricks up his sleeve,” she said earnestly. “At least, that’s what people used to say around the mansion. Please promise to be really, really careful, and remember this; if you think you’ve got him cornered, look out. You probably haven’t.”
“I promise, and I’ll take that cautionary note to heart. Now drink your toddy and get some rest. I’ll try not to wake you when I come in.”
“You can wake me any time,” she said, putting her arms around him and hugging him tightly. “In fact, I hope you do.”
* * *
The moment Dan and Roxy walked into Roxy’s modest home, their lips locked in a fervent kiss, but when she led him into her bedroom, she carefully removed his new clothes and placed them neatly on a chair.
Her constraint lasted only a moment.
Quickly sliding her hand over his boxers and feeling his stiffened cock, she caught her breath. Its length and breadth matched his physique.
“Yeah, Roxy, I’m a big boy,” he murmured, raising her dress and clutching her full, fleshy backside over her panties. “Can you handle it?”
“I sure as hell want to try,” she muttered urgently as he pushed her backwards onto the bed.
Swiftly removing her clothes, he straightened up, stared down at her, then dramatically pulled off his underwear and exposed his mammoth member. The look on her face sent his lips curling into a wicked grin. He was hung like a horse. Sex was an area in which he’d always felt supremely confident.
“You can start by sucking me.”
Wordlessly kneeling up and grasping his long, hefty shaft, she closed her mouth around him, drew him in, and bobbed her head with gusto, pausing every few seconds to slurp around the tip.
“Fuck,” he grunted as energy surged through his loins, “where did you learn to do that?”
Ignoring his question, she grabbed his balls and lightly squeezed, but not used to such ardent attention, he fisted her hair and made her stop.
“Turn around and bend over the bed, and get those legs spread nice and wide.”
“Yes, Detective,” she mumbled, making a strange mewling sound as she placed herself in position.
Staring down at her wonderfully full, round backside, he slapped her curvaceous cheeks, then thrust his fingers into her pussy.
She was as soaked as he was hard.
Not caring he didn’t have protection, he placed himself at her slick entrance, grasped her waist, and cautiously pushed forward. To his great joy, she let out a cry and bucked back against him.
“Fuck me,” she gasped. “Please, it’s been so long… fuck me.”
Snaking his way into her depths, he began to slowly pump, and though her channel was tight, her cries and moans told him she was loving every rigid inch. Not wanting to leave her sore, he thrust at a leisurely pace.
“Please, Detective,” she b
egged, “please fuck me harder.”
“Detective,” he repeated with a grin. “Does that turn you on, baby?”
“Yeah, totally.”
“If I had my cuffs with me—”
“Ooh, fuck me, fuck me.”
“You asked for it,” he growled, tightening his grip and quickening his strokes.
He’d had no lack of partners. Most of the girls who frequented Conchello’s mansion were there to keep the men happy, but none compared to this voluptuous woman moaning with gratitude and enthusiastically gyrating her hips. Pausing for a moment to milk the intense pleasure, he leaned over her and clutched her ample breasts.
“You’ve got such great tits,” he muttered, pulling on her nipples. “I’m gonna spend an entire night feasting on these babies.”
“Please keep going,” she begged, and letting out a long, low groan, she writhed beneath him, underscoring her carnal lust.
“Do you love my big dick?” he demanded huskily, his lips at her ear.
“Yes, yes, so much, you’re filling me all the way to my throat.”
“Are you gonna come for me? Are you gonna come hard, baby?”
“I could’ve climaxed the minute I saw it,” she panted. “Please, I love it so much I can’t stand it.”
Savoring her excitement, he kept hold of her luscious mounds and quickened his pace, relishing the feel of her plump breasts in his hands. As his climax loomed, he gripped them tighter, and spurred on by her euphoric cries, he thrust with vigor, abruptly exploding inside her with a series of loud groans.
As the violent spasms waned and he flopped on the bed, she stretched out beside him, pressed her curvaceous body next to his, and let out a long, contented sigh.
“Feel good?” he murmured, moving an arm around her.
“Good is a decent cup of coffee. That was Dom Perignon served in crystal flutes.”
“Yeah, I’ll go with that.”
“You don’t have to leave, do you?”
“Nope, not unless you want me to,” he replied, letting out a heavy breath. “Do you?”
“No, uh, but don’t feel you have to stay if—”
“Stop,” he said firmly. “Do you want me to stay overnight, yes or no?”
“Yes, definitely.”
“Then it’s settled, and I’m ready to sleep. Turn off that lamp.”
She switched off the small bedside light, and they slid between the sheets.
“Goodnight, Danny,” she murmured softly, snuggling against him. “Thank you for a wonderful evening.”
“Goodnight, Roxy baby. I had a great time too. The best in ages.”
“Truly?”
“Yep, truly.”
But his eyes didn’t close.
Staring up at the ceiling, he was consumed with thoughts of the morning ahead. What he had to do was a huge risk, but it was one he had to take.
Chapter 27
Waking from a deep sleep, Dan blinked open his eyes and glanced at his watch. It never left his wrist, but staring at the valuable timepiece, he wanted to sell it. One way or another, his days of living in fear were over. He’d either make himself disappear, or be dead. If he survived, the watch would be a constant reminder of dark days, and he certainly wouldn’t need it six feet under.
Roxy stirred next to him.
As much as he wanted to start the day devouring her, his mind was focused on his mission.
“Roxy baby, I have to roll,” he murmured, hugging her tightly. “I’m not sure when I’ll be back, hopefully this afternoon, but there are some things up in the air. I’ll call you when I can.”
“I’d like that,” she said softly.
“I need a favor. There are some bad dudes after me. If anyone asks if I’ve been here in the last twenty-four hours—”
“I haven’t seen you,” she said softly, interrupting him, “and whatever it is you have to do, I hope it goes smoothly.”
“Thanks, me too,” he muttered, wondering what the morning would bring.
“I’ll get you the keys.”
“There’s no need for you to get up, it’s still early. Stay in bed and get some sleep. Just tell me where they are.”
“The hall tree drawer. It’s berth 42 at the Crown Bay Marina. She’s a motor launch named Minnie. I keep her gassed up and ready to go.”
“Great, thanks, Roxy, you’re a lifesaver,” he said, kissing her quickly before climbing from the bed.
Though the word was an overused adage, she actually was.
* * *
Waking up to find Scott holding her from behind, and his stiff member sliding into her channel, Elizabeth moaned as he nuzzled her neck and kneaded her breasts. Losing track of time as he passionately pumped, and his hands roamed over her body, when she reached the brink and begged for permission to climax, she expected him to pause, but he continued his vigorous thrusting.
Suddenly placing his hand over her mouth, he whispered his permission and rode her into her orgasm. Muffling her cries as she shuddered through the spasms, he pressed his lips against her neck and stifled his loud groans. A few minutes later, still floating in the post-orgasmic haze, she felt him start to move from the bed.
“Do you have to leave already?” she asked, her eyes still half-closed. “Can’t you stay and snuggle for just a little while?”
“I have to check in and make sure there were no surprises overnight, then I’m having breakfast with Jack and heading to St. John. I have a meeting with the agents working with the catering companies. Once I’ve done that—”
“It’s okay. You don’t need to give me the laundry list.”
“You’re welcome to join Jack and me if you want,” he offered, walking into the bathroom. “He always cooks too much.”
“I will, I think I’m hungry.”
“You think?” he said with a chuckle, pausing at the door.
She broke into a grin. “I am.”
As he disappeared, she stretched her arms above her head, then climbed from the bed and padded across to the sliding glass window. Peering through the shades, she found a beatific day. The aqua waters sparkled, no ominous clouds hung low in the sky, and the hint of a breeze fluttered the colorful flora.
But later that night Scott would be entering a dangerous den swirling with a tempest of treachery.
A chill pricked her skin.
“Please keep him safe,” she quietly prayed, closing her eyes.
Leaning her forehead against the glass and letting out a worried sigh, she resolved to appear bright and positive regardless of the fear coursing through her veins.
“He’s only a man.”
Scott’s voice startling her, she turned to see him walking toward her, a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets of water dribbled down his torso. She wanted to lie on top of him and lick away every single—
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Uh, yeah, but I’m not worried,” she replied, forcing a smile. “I know everything will go well.”
“I thought we agreed to be straight with each other.”
“But I do know everything will go well.”
“You’re scared,” he said softly, taking her into his arms. “I can read you at fifty paces.”
“So you’re psychic on top of everything else?”
“Sometimes, and what I just said is true. Sonny Conchello is only a man.”
“He may be only a man, but he’s still an evil genius,” she murmured, pulling back and looking up at him.
“An evil genius is still only human, and humans are inherently flawed,” he said confidently. “They make mistakes. He’s no different.”
“You, on the other hand, being Superman, are incapable of such frailty.”
“On the contrary, making mistakes has made me smarter and wiser. What’s the old saying? If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger.”
“But have you ever taken down an international drug lord and lived to tell the tale?”
“Nope, but I’ve taken down in
ternational terrorists, and they’re a whole lot tougher and meaner than some self-important drug dealer.”
“Yeah, I guess they would be,” she muttered, trying to imagine his days in the Middle East.
“Elizabeth, listen to me,” he said, lowering his voice and walking her back to the bed to sit down “Much of Conchello’s power comes from the illusion he’s created. All knowing, all powerful, eyes in the back of his head. The people around him think like you do, so they’re afraid to go up against him, and if they do dare to take the plunge, they go into battle expecting to be outwitted.”
“With good reason,” she interjected. “You don’t know him.”
“Trust me, I know plenty, and I’m going in with the opposite expectation. I will outmaneuver him, and I don’t see him as some brilliant warlord. I see him as a narcissistic psychopath, and believe me, beneath his fearless exterior beats the heart of a coward. I have absolutely no doubt I’ll be leading him out of that estate in handcuffs… assuming he’s still alive.”
The short earnest speech hit home.
“You’re right,” she whispered. “Everyone thinks he’s an indestructible being who sees and hears everything, and is impossible to defeat.”
“It’s all theater, Elizabeth. Yeah, he’s cruel and sadistic, but he also plays a role. Strip off his flashy jewelry and clothes, and imagine him in his underwear sniveling in a prison cell. How sinister and indomitable is he then?”
“Wow, that’s such a powerful image.”
“That’s how I see him. Weak, frightened, and utterly at my mercy. Does that make you feel better?”
“So much better,” she said gratefully. “I can breathe again.”
“Good, now get yourself together. I need to have breakfast and take off.”
As he strode from the room, she quickly straightened the bed and took a shower. Hurriedly toweling off and running her wide-tooth comb through her tousled, tangled tresses, she dressed in shorts and a T-shirt and headed to the kitchen. As she approached, she could hear Scott and Jack deep in conversation. Pausing at the door, she poked her head in.
Her Very Strict Captain Page 21