Dark Nights Dangerous Men

by Elisabeth Naughton, Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus, Alexandra Ivy, Laura Wright, Joan Swan

Despite the grungy motel room the sheets held the faint scent of fresh detergent and there weren’t any visible stains on the covers. Not that she really cared at the moment. Her eyes felt as if sandbags weighed on them. There was nothing else they could do tonight and she was starting to crash. It was like she’d been on a rollercoaster and was in an utter freefall. She’d been so high on adrenaline barely an hour before and now all she wanted to do was sleep and block out the rest of the world.

  “If you want to take the bed I’ll take the chair,” Porter said, motioning to where he’d draped his jacket earlier. The cheap wooden chair that sat next to the equally cheap table.

  She supposed it was meant to be a breakfast nook of some sort but both pieces of furniture looked as if they might fall apart from a soft breeze. Not to mention he’d already risked so much for her. She wouldn’t make him sleep like that. “We’re both adults. We can share this bed, but…” She glanced down at her rumpled, torn and dirty dress. While she didn’t want to sleep in it, it was better than sleeping in only her panties. Especially when the only thing that would be separating them was a flimsy white sheet.

  “You can sleep in my shirt.” Porter was already unbuttoning his oxford style shirt and handing it to her before she could think of saying no.

  Part of her wanted to protest but the most feminine part of her really wanted to see what was underneath his clothes again. When he bared himself to her, it took a moment to catch her breath. Yep, still as sexy as ever. Her fingers itched to trace along the taut muscles of his chest and trail down the ripped eight pack of his abdomen. And she would follow with her mouth. Slowly.

  When Porter cleared his throat, her head snapped up and she realized she’d been blatantly staring. Her face flamed as he gave her a knowing, almost satisfied look. Brushing aside her embarrassment, she stood and grabbed the shirt from him. “Thanks,” she murmured.

  It was definitely going to be a long night. Tired or not, the thought of sharing a bed with Porter made her knees go weak and the already growing heat between her legs increase to scorching hot levels.

  After buttoning up his shirt—which smelled deliciously like Porter, all spicy male goodness—she exited the room to find Porter already lying in the bed. He’d turned off the lamp on the nightstand so the neon lights from the sign outside shined through the thin white curtain, providing their only illumination. The cover was pulled down and only the sheet covered Porter’s lower half. When she spotted his pants on the chair on top of his jacket she wondered if he was wearing boxers or anything beneath that sheet. It was dark so it was too hard to tell.

  Unfortunately her imagination ran rampant. Mentally shaking herself, she hurried to the bed and slid under the sheet, careful to avert her gaze from checking him out too much.

  Turning on her side and away from him, she stared at the outline of the flickering neon light. Several moments passed and while his breathing was steady, she knew he wasn’t sleeping. Despite her adrenaline crash, the need to talk to him was overwhelming. “So…was hotwiring cars a skill you learned in the Marines?” She knew he’d been in for eight years before going to college then working for his father. But the hotwiring thing was something he’d never told her about.

  He chuckled softly behind her. “Definitely not. Though that skill came in handy once or twice overseas when I needed to get out of a tight spot.”

  The sheet rustled beneath her as she turned over to face him. “I know how long you were in, but how much time did you actually spend overseas?”

  As he shifted a little and turned fully in her direction, it was hard to see more than the outline of his face with the light behind her. “Almost seven years.”

  Her eyebrows raised. “That’s like ninety percent of your military career. Was it all…in a warzone?”

  He nodded. “For the most part, yes. I spent about six months in Africa though. Not fun, but not a warzone.”

  Lizzy paused for a moment. “I didn’t even know we had a base there…Do you mind me asking you these questions?”

  Porter shook his head, making a quiet swishing sound against his pillow. “No, and if you’re interested, the base is in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.”

  “Oh. Why don’t you mind me asking? When we were, uh, together, I kind of got the impression that your military career was off limits.”

  He was silent for a long moment, but he eventually spoke. “I normally don’t like talking about it with anyone. It had nothing to do with you personally. After what you’ve been through today, I figure you can ask any damn thing you want. You reacted better under first-time gunfire than some trained men I’ve seen.”

  Lizzy’s eyebrows drew together. “Really? I still feel like a mess, like I can’t get a grip on the shakiness inside me…I’m afraid that feeling won’t ever go away.”

  Wordlessly he scooted a few inches closer and wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her toward him. She didn’t even think about resisting. She laid her head on his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart. She hadn’t even realized how much she’d needed to be held until that moment, but his arms were like solid anchors. “Thank you,” she whispered against his bare skin.

  In response he squeezed her a fraction closer and kissed the top of her head. “Get some sleep, Lizzy,” he whispered.

  Lizzy. She loved when he called her that. Sighing, she snuggled closer. His heartbeat was so soothing and just like that, calmness threaded through her and she listened to what her body desperately needed. Sleep.

  Chapter Seven

  Porter tried to move without jostling Elizabeth but found he liked the way her lithe body draped against his a little too much. Last night it had been impossible not to hold her close to him. Not when she’d so obviously needed that extra contact.

  About an hour ago she’d shifted in her sleep and was now wrapped around him and holding on tight. As if he was her pillow and she couldn’t bear to let him go. One of her slim legs was thrown over his lower body and all he had as a barrier was boxers. Now he was rethinking his decision to sleep in only them.

  In all the fantasies he’d imagined of Elizabeth in bed with him, none of them had included this much clothing or a hard-on he couldn’t do anything about. When she rubbed a hand down his chest and burrowed her head deeper against his neck he let out a soft groan, unable to hold it back.

  At the sound, Elizabeth stirred and slowly looked up at him. Her espresso-colored eyes were confused. Frowning, she blinked a couple times then looked down at their entwined bodies. The shirt of his she’d worn had pushed up to the enticing curve of her hip and with the sheet thrown off them, a lot of her skin and very skimpy underwear was showing. He could see the soft curve of her butt and it was taking all his restraint to not trace his hand down her back and keep going until he’d cupped her even tighter against him.

  His own reaction was obvious and she had to feel it on her inner thigh considering her leg was slung seductively across his body. When she looked back at him, her cheeks flushed pink but she didn’t make a move to get off him.

  Instead, she licked her lips. Slowly. Nervously. She almost appeared half asleep but it was the fire and heat in her eyes that pushed him over the edge. That wasn’t sleep, it was lust.

  He was a goner.

  Uncaring about the consequences, he tangled his fingers in her dark hair and brought her mouth to meet his. Her tongue met his stroke for stroke. Feeling almost frenzied, he flipped her over so that he was on top of her. He couldn’t stop kissing her. Couldn’t stop the hunger raging through him.

  After opening up to her last night, even as short as that conversation had been, he wanted to take from her. Take and give her so much pleasure she couldn’t see straight. To lose himself in her sweet body. Ever since their breakup he’d been fighting his damn feelings for her and he was tired of it. Tired of trying to pretend she hadn’t gotten under his skin in the worst way.

  She didn’t attempt to stop what they were doing. No, she completely molded against
him. Elizabeth spread her thighs wider to accommodate him as he settled between her legs. What he wouldn’t give to strip away the few barriers of clothing between them and sink deep inside her.

  This had disaster written all over it. Her emotions had to be high and after two near-death experiences yesterday she might not be thinking straight. Might even regret this later. With her writhing underneath his body, so willing, so pliant in his arms, the voice of reason in his head was silenced.

  She spread her hands across his chest, slightly digging her nails into him when she reached his shoulders. The feel of her touching even that expanse of skin made him ache. He could only imagine what it would feel like to have her hand grasped around his erection. Holding him. Stroking him.

  With that thought, his hips jerked against hers and she moaned into his mouth.

  Reaching between them he blindly tugged at the buttons on her shirt. Well, his shirt. Seeing her wearing his clothes had done something primal to him last night. She looked sexier in that than any lingerie. And now his scent would be on her. Soon, in more ways than one. How he wanted to slide his cock into her over and over until she was crying out his name.

  He pulled the flaps of the shirt back and sucked in a quick breath as he got his first view of her naked body. The woman was absolutely perfect. Just like he’d known she’d be. Small breasts, perfect brown nipples—he’d wondered so many damn times what color they’d be—and soft, kissable skin he wanted to rake his teeth and tongue over.

  Her fingers tightened on his shoulders and he realized he’d been staring too long. Without pause, he dipped his head and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth. Using his teeth, he lightly tugged until the nub was rock hard and she was quietly moaning underneath him.

  “More,” she whispered.

  Gladly. Smiling, he began lightly circling the taut bud with his tongue and enjoying the way she moved under him with each stroke. He’d barely stimulated her but she was so reactive.

  As he kissed his way toward her other breast, a litany of shouts from the next room made them both pause. A woman was shouting obscenities at someone. A man, if the return shouts were any indication. He could ignore them if Elizabeth could. Right now the voice of reason in the back of his head was telling him to put the brakes on. To stop this before things went too far and he fell for her even worse than he already had. Nothing about their relationship had changed between last night and this morning. Keeping his gaze on her bared breasts, he tried to pull back. To listen to that voice in his head.

  When she slid her fingers through his hair and tugged him toward her breast, he lost the battle.

  Dipping down again, he slowly ran his tongue around her areola. As he did, he tweaked her other nipple with his forefinger and thumb, gently rolling and teasing it.

  Breathing hard, she wrapped her legs around his waist and began slowly grinding against his erection as he played her body.

  “Porter,” she breathed out his name so reverently it was like a punch to his system. Her fingers clutched his shoulders and tightened with each stroke of his tongue. “That’s perfect.” The words were more moan than anything.

  He hadn’t even gotten started. Reaching between them, he started to cup her mound when his cell phone rang. His hand froze by her lower abdomen and her entire body tensed.

  He wanted to ignore it. Ignore everything and keep pleasuring Elizabeth. As he flicked his tongue over her nipple, she shuddered.

  Then his phone rang again.

  Beneath him Lizzy sighed and loosened her legs from around him, letting them fall completely away from his hips. “It might be one of your brothers,” she muttered, looking just as disappointed as he felt.

  Clenching his jaw, he leaned over and grabbed his cell off the dresser. Sure enough, it was Grant.

  The cursing next door had simmered down to mere shouting, but after these interruptions he knew the moment between him and Elizabeth was over. It was probably for the best. Unfortunately it was hard to think with all her exposed skin. When she started to button her shirt and sit up, he sighed and flipped his phone open.

  “Yeah,” he practically growled.

  “Have you seen the news this morning?” Grant’s voice was grim.

  Porter’s heart beat a staccato rhythm. What could have happened now? “No.”

  A heavy sigh. “That ‘little’ explosion made the morning news.”

  “Do the detectives on the case know any details?”

  His brother cursed under his breath. “They know the SUV is registered to Red Stone but other than that, they’re in the dark.”

  Porter rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t want you taking any heat for this later. Tell them I was driving it and—”

  “Not yet. Right now they’re not so much concerned on who was driving it as who fired that RPG. I’ve let one of the detectives know—off the record—to look at the Seventy Ninth Street Gang as a starting point. They’re not wasting man hours and they know more than they would have without my help. I still think you two should come in. After what happened it’s understandable that you went into hiding but—”

  “Forget it.”

  “Why are you being such a hardass? I know you want to protect Lizzy, but—”

  “It’s better you don’t know everything, Grant.” Porter wasn’t about to tell his brother about the key they’d found. Not yet. First he wanted to see what was inside the safe deposit box. Not to mention he’d stolen a car the night before. Telling his detective brother about that would put Grant in a compromising position and Porter didn’t want to put pressure on Grant. Keeping his family uninvolved in all of this was one of his main priorities. Right after keeping Lizzy—no, Elizabeth—safe. He forced himself to think of her as Elizabeth. It was the only way to keep his distance from her. Lizzy was the woman he’d dated. The woman he fantasized about. The woman who he’d just been half-naked with. “I’ll call you later.” Before his brother could protest, Porter ended the call.

  When he turned toward the bathroom door he realized Elizabeth had hung his shirt on the knob. Inside the other room he could hear water running. “I’m going to grab some breakfast bars for us,” he called through the door as he slipped his shirt on.

  “Okay. I’ll be out in a sec.” Her voice was slightly muffled with the barrier between them.

  After checking out the window to make sure there wasn’t anyone waiting to ambush him, he opened the door and he headed down the cracked sidewalk toward the main office. He’d seen two snack machines the night before and while there wasn’t much inside either one, he knew Elizabeth would be hungry. As soon as they left the motel he planned to find an inexpensive outlet store and buy them both a change of clothes with cash. Since Orlando wasn’t as powerful as his father, Alberto, had been, Porter doubted Orlando had the ability to track their credit cards, but at this point he and Elizabeth were staying off all radars.

  If they went to the bank wearing their clothes from last night they’d stand out. And Porter had no idea how many spies Orlando had around Miami. Blending in was one of the most important things they could do right now.

  After purchasing four snack bars, he walked back to the room. As he strode down the sidewalk he noticed a blue, two-door muscle car cruising through the parking lot at a very slow speed. Too slow. It was about eight in the morning but there wasn’t any other movement outside the rooms or in the parking lot. When he spotted the blue and black bandanas the two men in the front seat wore around their heads, his heart rate increased. Seventy Ninth Street Gang colors.

  Instead of showing a reaction, he peeled open one of the bars and started eating it like he didn’t have a care in the world. Keeping his pace normal even though every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, he remained steady until he entered the motel room. If these guys were after Elizabeth they wouldn’t want to do anything out in the open. They’d try to strike inside the motel room. Which gave Porter a few moments to get her to safety.

  The second he shut an
d locked the door behind him, he tossed the food and grabbed the extra gun he’d left for Elizabeth on the nightstand.

  At that moment Elizabeth walked out of the bathroom wearing her rumpled dress from the night before. She must have read the expression on his face because hers instantly tightened in alarm. “What’s going on?”

  “I saw what looked like a couple of Seventy Ninth Street Gang members drive by. Could be nothing but we can’t leave out the front door.” Without waiting for a response, he motioned for her to follow as he headed into the bathroom. In seconds he managed to shove open the small window. He glanced over his shoulder. “We’ll crawl out here.”

  “Okay.” With wide eyes, she nodded. After yesterday she was unfortunately aware of just how bad their situation really was, which was probably why she didn’t question him.

  Chapter Eight

  Lizzy wiped damp palms against her ruined dress. When would this nightmare end? It was as if there was nowhere they’d be safe. Not until she and Porter figured out what that blasted key opened up.

  After peering out the window, Porter grabbed her by the waist and helped hoist her up through it. Without shoes, the gravelly pavement dug into her bare feet, but it was a small price to pay.

  As Porter slid through after her, she heard the distinctive sound of their front door slamming open.

  Then male voices.

  Her pulse skyrocketed.

  “Run,” Porter said, his voice barely above a whisper.

  With a racing heart, she did just that. Ignoring the biting pain in her feet, she took off with Porter next to her across the parking lot behind the motel.

  There was only one car and a green Dumpster in the back and it didn’t provide them much cover. She knew Porter had a couple guns on him but without any place to hide and at least two men after them, she was still terrified.

  “What are we doing?” she rasped out.

  Before he answered, someone shouted loudly behind them. “Hey!”