by Debra Webb
“If you want to get Daniels,” he began, “you’ll do exactly as I say.” He looked directly into her eyes, urging her to pay close attention. “Solomon is safe, that won’t change. And I will bring down Daniels and his partner.”
“You won’t keep anything else from me?” she insisted.
Ian shook his head. “No.”
“We’re in this together. At no time will you try to leave me behind or in the dark?” she prodded.
It was Ian’s turn to hesitate. He wasn’t sure he could promise her that. Her safety was foremost in his mind. He couldn’t risk her getting hurt in the final showdown. Ian wanted her nowhere around when he and Daniels met face-to-face again.
“Promise me, Ian,” she demanded. “If you want me to cooperate with you, then you have to keep me in the loop. I won’t do it any other way.”
“All right,” he finally agreed, against his better judgment. “On one condition.”
She straightened. “What would that be?”
“That you do exactly as I say, no exceptions.”
She sighed wearily. “Agreed.”
NICOLE HUGGED herself more tightly beneath the scratchy blanket. Only two of Solomon’s bedrooms had furniture, the one she was in and the one across the hall that Ian occupied. Nicole blew out a breath of frustration. Ian had not returned Daniels’s call. Ian wanted to make him wait, to heighten the man’s anxiety. Nicole agreed. Once that strategy was decided, Ian had suggested that it would be simpler for them to stay the night here and Nicole hadn’t argued. What did it matter if they were in Solomon’s house or a hotel? They were alone, and without any luggage. Ian had kindly offered his shirt for her to sleep in. Nicole was thankful. She had no desire to sleep in anything that belonged to Solomon.
When her gaze had connected with Daniels’s today at the airport, Nicole had lost it completely. Fear that he would kill Ian had nearly paralyzed her. Without thought of her own safety or anything else, she had made use of the only tactic available to readily lose Ian. Then she had taken Daniels on a hell of a speedy chase. She had tipped the cab driver generously. Daniels didn’t stand a chance against a guy who knew the city the way a good cabbie did. Nicole blew out a breath. Admittedly, she had been lucky. But her diversion had served its purpose. By the time Daniels could have made it back to the airport to try and latch on to Ian, Ian was long gone.
She had accomplished her mission of maintaining the integrity of Solomon’s location while keeping Ian away from harm.
Ian.
Nicole flopped over onto her side and tried not to allow her thoughts to drift to the night before. It was no use. The scene in the woods kept right on playing through her mind. Ian loving her so intimately. The intensity in his eyes. How would she ever survive the rest of her life without him?
Enough, Reed, she chastised.
But what would happen tomorrow? There were so many variables that would be out of her control. What if she or Ian lost their lives tomorrow as this game played out? She would have so many regrets. Not telling him how she really felt. Not making love with him one last time before…
Nicole stilled. It was true. She couldn’t predict what would happen tomorrow. She clamped down hard on her lower lip to hold back the tears that instantly sprang to her eyes. Her whole life was out of control. She had realized that this afternoon. Ian must have thought she had gone off the deep end when she ditched him at the airport. But when he found her, rather than blow a gasket as she had fully expected, he had scolded her gently and then held her and assured her in that deep, sensual voice until she was thinking straight again. Nothing was right with her anymore. Her ability to do her job had obviously gone to hell. A killer had lurked right under her nose and she hadn’t noticed. She had lost everything she owned when her apartment burned. When this was over, Ian would walk out of her life again.
This time forever.
What a mess.
She closed her eyes and banished the thoughts. She couldn’t think about any of that right now, especially the part about Ian. It hurt too much. The conversation in the airport restaurant slammed into her heart with twisting force. Ian could see himself with a wife and children. He wanted those things.
Just not with her.
He didn’t think of her as wife-and-mother material. She had never even thought of herself that way. But Ian made her want those things too.
Why was she torturing herself this way? Nicole threw off the covers and bounced out of the bed. She paced back and forth in the small room. She had known this day would come from the moment she’d walked into Victoria Colby’s office and asked for Ian’s help. Their time together would only be temporary. Why was she getting all weepy about it now?
Because she loved him.
Damn fate’s twisted sense of irony, she mused.
That day in the Colby office she hadn’t realized that significant fact just yet.
But now she knew.
And it didn’t change a thing.
Ian would still leave her, just like before.
But what about tonight?
Could she make him feel the way he had made her feel last night? He had ripped the heart right from her chest. Left her mentally weak and physically satisfied. But was his motivation purely revenge? She had, after all, teased him ruthlessly before handcuffing him to the bed. But a part of her had wanted to make it real. Could she do that again? This time with the intent to follow through with what she started?
Her body warmed with anticipation.
Yes, she could.
Nicole walked to the door.
No, she couldn’t do it. She pivoted and stalked back to the other side of the room.
The memory of his hands moving so expertly over her body sent an ache straight to her core. His mouth had tugged at her breasts. His fingers had played her like a finely tuned cello. Then he had possessed her so completely that her body shuddered toward release even now just recalling the mind-blowing moments.
She looked at the door once more. Just a few feet. That’s all that separated them. They could make long, slow love tonight, then sleep the sleep of satiation in each other’s arms.
Let tomorrow bring what it would.
Nicole retraced her steps, wrapped her fingers around the knob and turned. She opened the door and stepped into the dark hall. She could do this. They would have this one last night together. She shivered as chill bumps rushed over her bare skin. She would not live the rest of her life, however long or short it proved to be, regretting not having taken this one last moment with Ian.
Nicole paused at Ian’s open door and whispered his name.
“What’s wrong?” He sat up in bed.
Nicole could see his dark, tousled hair in the shaft of moonlight slipping in around the closed blinds. She moved closer to his bed…to him.
“I can’t sleep,” she whispered back.
Ian patted the covers beside him. “Sit down, we can talk until you’re sleepy again.”
Nicole crawled onto the bed beside him. Her arms went around his neck. “I don’t want to talk,” she whispered between the little kisses she planted along his throat.
Ian tensed. He encircled her arms with his long fingers. “Don’t even think about it, Nicole,” he warned.
Nicole realized her mistake then. She had said those same words to him before shackling him to the bed. She smiled against his jaw, his stubble sent currents of desire racing through her. “No,” she clarified, then nipped his chin with her teeth. “I mean, I really don’t want to talk.”
Ian sat perfectly still for several moments, then he moved, pulling her down and rolling over so that she was beneath him. “You’re sure about this?” he asked hoarsely.
Nicole didn’t answer. Instead, she reached between them and unfastened his slacks. When she cupped him with her hands, he was exquisitely hard already, pulsing actually. Nicole made a low sound of approval in her throat. She stroked his length, glorying in the feel of him, the smooth satiny texture of his male skin.
He shuddered.
“Kiss me,” he ordered tightly.
Nicole obeyed. She lifted her parted lips to his, thrusting her tongue into his welcoming mouth. She stroked his arousal again, sucked his tongue into her mouth, then lifted her hips against his. Need ripped through her, sending electrical bursts all along her too-hot skin. She was wet and throbbing already.
His hand found its way to her panties and two fingers dipped inside her, stretching, stroking. She gasped into his hungry mouth. He pulled back from the kiss and moved down to her breasts, taking each hard peak into his mouth through the thin material of the shirt. He sucked hard, then nibbled, torturing her endlessly. The shirt buttons opened beneath his efficient touch. He pushed the fabric off her arms, tugged it from under her, then tossed it to the floor. Sensation after sensation flooded her senses in anticipation of his next move. She writhed beneath him when he began again, his mouth loving one breast, his hand the other. Silently, her body speaking for her, she begged him to take her completely. He murmured soothing sounds while he continued his relentless, sensual assault. His weight on her was a delicious feeling of rightness, she tightened her arms around his lean waist and pulled him more firmly to her.
His own control ready to snap, Ian slid her panties down and off. He loomed over her again, then buried himself fully with one long stroke. Nicole cried out his name. He held very still then, their ragged breathing loud in the consuming silence. Slowly at first, his movements began. He drove harder, faster with each rhythmic thrust. She held on to his strong back, trying to make it last, but she couldn’t. When he exploded inside her, filling her with his hot release, Nicole’s body contracted around him, plunging her into that heart-stopping moment of pure physical pleasure.
For long minutes afterwards, they lay still, his forehead pressed to hers, neither speaking. Then he brushed his lips across hers and whispered something in that language she didn’t understand, the sound exotic. Ian rolled to his side and pulled her against his chest, wrapped his strong arms around her.
“Sleep, Nicole,” he whispered. “Tomorrow will be here too soon.”
Something in his voice made the faintest flicker of uneasiness steal through Nicole. Ian knew their time together was drawing to an end the same as she did. Was he feeling the same urgency she was? Nicole snuggled closer to him, buried her face in the crook of his neck. Inhaled his unique masculine essence. Held him tighter than she ever had before…
…for the last time.
Chapter Thirteen
As darkness grayed into dawn Ian sat on the floor next to the bed and watched Nicole sleep. With the blinds partially opened, alternating slats of early-morning light and shadow fell across her prone form. His gaze traveled over the swell of her sheet-covered bottom, then up the smooth, bare skin of her back. Her arms were curled around the pillow, her right cheek snuggled against it. All that blond hair lay fanned across the pale blue sheets. She looked like an angel, all soft and vulnerable. Ian closed his eyes and summoned the vivid images that haunted him. The feel of her fingers on his skin, the taste of her lips. The tight, exquisitely hot feel of her body as he sank deeply into her. Those memories would have to last him a lifetime, because there would never be any more than this one moment between them.
He forced his eyes open and drank in the beauty of her one last time. Ian had been certain that he would never feel this way again. He had survived the devastation wreaked upon his heart once, but he would never get over her this time. She was the one and only woman for him…
…and the very one he couldn’t have.
Ian blinked, then looked away. He did not possess the power to make Nicole happy. There was nothing he could offer her that would change the way this would all end. She would go back to D.C., back to the bureau. And Ian would go back to Chicago. He and Nicole shared just one thing—a kind of physical attraction that most people only dreamed about. Need welled inside at the mere thought of the intensity that drew them together. The kind that dwarfed all else. The fact that Ian loved her made no difference in the equation. The admission of his feelings to himself shook him a little. The realization that he couldn’t have her shook him even harder.
But he could protect her.
Clearing his mind of the things he couldn’t change, Ian dragged his gaze back to Nicole’s sweet face. She was awake now, watching him, those wide blue eyes full of the same desire Ian could no longer conceal. She smiled, and something near his heart shifted.
“Good morning,” she said sleepily. She glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table and frowned. “It’s early.” Her questioning gaze moved back to Ian as she raised up onto her elbows, the sheet now clutched to her bare breasts. “You’re dressed.” She studied him for a moment. “You weren’t planning to cut out on me, were you?”
“No.” Ian stood before she saw the truth in his eyes. Her statement had hit very close to the mark. He would very much like to leave her where she would be safe. “I’ll get your clothes.” He crossed to the door without looking back. He couldn’t look at her one second longer without her seeing what he needed to hide, and without him wanting to take her again. That couldn’t happen. He had to focus on the meeting with Daniels.
Nothing else.
“Do I have time for a shower?” she called after him.
“Sure,” he returned offhandedly. Ian suppressed the images that accompanied the thought of Nicole in the shower, but not before they made an impact. The water gliding over her soft skin. Her breasts jutting forward for his attention. He blew out a breath of frustration and forced the mental pictures away. He moved quickly about the other bedroom gathering Nicole’s carelessly discarded clothes. The shirt he wore was slightly wrinkled this morning. Nicole’s scent lingered on the fabric, distracting him, making his body harden. His jaw clenched when Nicole met him at the door wrapped in the pale blue sheet from the bed they had shared.
“Thanks,” she offered as she accepted the wad of clothing. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“Take your time.” Ian stepped around her, ensuring that their bodies didn’t touch, and headed to the kitchen. There had to be coffee around here somewhere.
The glimpse of vulnerability Ian had seen in Nicole yesterday tugged at him sharply. No matter how tough Nicole wanted to seem, she was still a bit fragile deep inside. Ian dumped the grounds into the basket and poured the water into the reservoir. The past few weeks—especially finding out that Daniels was the killer—had been hard on Nicole. Daniels would pay for that too. Ian intended to see that the bastard paid for every moment of discomfort he had caused Nicole. The smell of fresh brewed coffee drifted from the machine, but it did nothing to lighten Ian’s mood. He had to find a way to convince Nicole to stay out of the line of fire today.
Instinct told him that he would have more luck trying to convince Daniels to forget about the money.
Ian’s cell phone chirped. He withdrew it from his pocket and accepted the call. “Yes.” It was Alex.
“We’re ready to proceed,” he told her. “I’m going to call Daniels in ten minutes.” Alex briefed him on the current status of Solomon and Martinez. The two were safely ensconced in a quiet suburb on the other side of the city. Ethan Delaney had arrived at the airport forty minutes ago in the agency’s jet. He would arrive at Ian’s location within fifteen minutes. Ian thanked Alex for the update and assured her that he would check in every couple of hours. She suggested again that he work a secondary backup plan with the local police, but Ian declined.
If this was going to work, it had to go down without a glitch. The more people involved, the greater the possibility of a breakdown in communications. And that meant a greater risk of someone getting trigger-happy.
“Smells good.”
Ian turned to find Nicole, her hair still slightly damp, standing in the doorway. The blue slacks and sweater looked as good on her slender body today as they had yesterday.
“Have a cup,” he offered, then smiled.
Nicole returned
the smile with a bright one of her own. “Thanks.”
The phone sounded again. This time it would be Daniels, Ian felt relatively certain. He took his time answering, his gaze on Nicole’s every move as she poured the steaming coffee.
“Yes,” he said finally.
“If this is your idea of a joke, Michaels, it’s only going to blow up in your face,” Daniels growled. “I’ve waited long enough for your call.”
“I was just about to call you,” Ian assured him.
Nicole’s gaze met Ian’s. He told her with his eyes that it was Daniels.
“When am I going to get Solomon?” he demanded.
“As soon as I meet your partner,” Ian said bluntly.
“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Daniels screeched. “This is between you and me. You got your fifty percent, what else do you want?”
“I just want to make sure your partner understands our agreement,” Ian explained. “We meet, face-to-face, lay all our cards on the table, decide how we’ll access the money, and then we pick up Solomon.”
“I think you’ve forgotten just one thing,” Daniels said in a cold, menacing tone. “I’m running this show, and I decide how this is going to go down.”
“When you’re feeling more cooperative, you know how to reach me.” Ian ended the call and dropped the phone back into his pocket. Daniels would be calling back shortly. Patience was definitely not one of the man’s virtues.
“What did he say?” Nicole asked, then sipped her coffee. She held the warm mug with both hands.
Ian reached for his cup. “He wasn’t happy.” He took a swallow of the hot liquid. “But he’ll call back,” he added at Nicole’s distressed look.
Nicole nodded. “Okay.” Her gaze locked on Ian’s. “Daniels is on the edge, don’t push him too far. He might do something crazy. We don’t need crazy.”
Ian set his cup back down. He readied himself for Nicole’s blast of fury. “That’s precisely why I want you to stay here today,” Ian said slowly. Nicole’s expression changed from relaxed to irate before he got the last word out.