by Lori Foster
And if she believed that, he could sell her a bridge.
He stopped right in front of her, forcing Ray to look up at him. Once again, she noted the differences in their sizes. She knew what she was capable of, and still he made her feel small and helpless.
“The hotel made a mistake, Ray. They gave away our rooms.”
Ray said nothing.
“They’re having a convention and someone fouled up the reservations. This was the only room available. I couldn’t imagine trying to find another hotel tonight, so I accepted. Under the circumstances, and considering you slept at my place last night, I didn’t think you’d mind.”
Of course he didn’t think she’d mind. Eli had no way of knowing her frustration. She’d never felt this level of sexual attraction before, so she didn’t know how to deal with it. And that scared her.
But short of explaining to him that he made her so hot she couldn’t stop thinking about jumping his bones, there was no way to refuse. Locking her jaw, she said, “You’re right. The room is fine.”
“You don’t look like it’s fine.” Eli scrutinized her. “You look ready to flay me alive. I think that’s exceptionally strange given how you strutted around in your underclothes just this morning.”
Much more of this and her teeth would be reduced to powder. “I do not strut.”
With a small smile, he said, “Yeah, you do.” His voice and his expression gentled. “What’s changed, Ray? You don’t trust me?”
Trust him? Ha. It was herself she couldn’t trust anymore.
Needing some physical distance, Ray walked around the bed, pretending to look things over. “I’ll admit it.” She summoned a credible laugh. “For a second there I thought you were getting ideas.”
Eli didn’t share her humor. “And if I was?”
She jerked around to face him from the other side of the bed. “Don’t.”
Briefly, he closed his eyes. “I would never force you, Ray.”
Of all the... “I wouldn’t let you!”
He smiled. “It’s just . . .” His gaze wandered from her face to her body and back again.
Against her better judgement, Ray whispered, “What?”
It seemed Eli wanted to say more, but then he shook his head. “Nothing.” After shoving his hands through his hair, he picked up their bags and set them on the bed. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you get ready for bed and I’ll ring the desk to make certain we get a wake-up call.”
So many strange emotions churned inside her. Disappointment, anticipation, and wariness. She didn’t know herself anymore and that was dangerous. Digging through her things, she located the hideous pajamas and did her best not to strut as she headed to the bathroom.
Her shower, consisting mostly of cold water for obvious reasons, only lasted a mere three minutes. It wasn’t long enough. God, she hadn’t been this jumpy on her first mission, back when she’d been a green kid.
It was stupid to hide in the bathroom, so she threw the door open and strode out.
He was already propped up in bed.
As if someone had suddenly stapled her feet to the floor, Ray stopped dead in her tracks.
He’d removed his shirt.
The sheet only came to his hips and the sight of his bare chest, muscled and enhanced with dark hair, was enough to unravel her. It just wasn’t fair.
On top of being funny and strong and accepting, why the hell did he have to look so good?
Chapter Five
Ray consoled herself with the fact that she could see the waistband of Eli’s boxers. She didn’t think she could have gotten into the bed if he’d been bare-ass naked.
Eli looked up at where she stood in the bathroom doorway. He took note of the new pajamas but kept whatever opinion he had to himself.
Still she stood there, and he sighed. “Would you feel better if I slept on the floor?”
That brought her out of her stupor. “Don’t be stupid. We both need a good night’s sleep.” After all, she told herself, she’d slept in the open with men, side by side, and she’d shared tents when they were available. This would be no different. She tried to convince herself, but the effort was wasted because her voice trembled when she said, “I don’t have a problem with it if you don’t.”
Watching her, alert to her every move, Eli lifted the covers and waited.
It was a good thing she was a sturdy woman in good health, with the way her heart punched inside her chest. Utilizing every ounce of control she possessed, Ray walked to the bed and slipped in beside him.
Eli waited only until she lay back, her arms propped behind her head, before he dropped the covers over her and turned off the light.
The darkness brought out her other senses with the acuity of a predator.
She could smell him, feel the heat of his body seeping over to her, weakening her muscles, penetrating deep inside her.
And she could hear him breathing, light, even breaths.
She knew without being able to see that he was propped on one elbow, staring toward her. An invisible fist tightened on her lungs, then in a husky whisper, his voice a caress, he said, “Good night, Ray Jean. Sleep well.”
Eli wasn’t prepared for the impact of her body landing full against his, or her thumb pressing into his vocals.
“I told you never to call me that.”
If he wasn’t strangling, it would have been funny. Lying still with the shock of her breasts squashed to his bare chest, the warm, smooth weight of her inner thigh against his hip, Eli barely noticed the menace in her tone. “Ray?” he rasped, faking confusion to keep her exactly where she was a bit longer.
“You called me Ray Jean,” she snarled in a low, mean voice. “I warned you not to.” Her breath fanned his mouth and her eyes were a bright glimmer in the dark room, only inches from his. She was in full mercenary mode—and damn, he had a boner.
Very slowly, Eli brought his hands up to frame her waist. She was narrow, firm; his thumbs nearly touched over her midriff, his fingers meeting over her spine.
As hot as he suddenly felt, he still had to struggle to keep from laughing. He found her defense of her name ludicrous—and endearing. Why? What significance did the name hold for her? He wanted to ask, but that’d fall into the category of personal stuff and he didn’t want to scare her off. Other than not being able to breathe, he loved feeling her so close. Given a choice, he’d have kept her right there all night.
“You’re choking me, Ray.” His voice was rough with the pressure she exerted on his throat.
Ray jerked, inadvertently tightening her hold. As if she’d only then realized what she was doing, her eyes widened, apparent even in the darkness of the unlit room. By small degrees, her fingers loosened and she started to pull away. Eli’s grip on her waist stopped her.
“Eli?”
“Hmmm?” It would be so easy to slip his fingers beneath the pajama top and encounter warm skin.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Though she spoke in a mere whisper, he heard the fury, and the confusion. She’d been comfortable enough challenging him physically, but sexually she was at a loss.
“Me?” He tried to sound innocent. “All I did was say good night and you attacked me.”
She remained stonily silent, awaiting her release. Eli moved his fingers in a subtle caress, allowing his thumbs to move tantalizingly close to the soft fullness of her breasts.
It was very tempting . . . No, better not, he decided. She was rigid enough to break already. “Why, Ray? Why are you so touchy about your name?”
“Let. Go.”
He didn’t want to. He wanted to pull her down flush against him, to feel all that vital energy directed at him. He wanted to take her mouth and . . .
“Don’t make me hurt you, Eli.”
He couldn’t help himself. The situation was so novel, and she was so deadly serious in her determination that he chuckled.
Bad idea.
Her hand moved so fast, he bare
ly caught it in time. But he did catch it. The other moved, too, and he grabbed it as well, keeping both her wrists securely held. Ha. Now what would she do?
In the next instant, her forehead smacked against his. The blow was hard enough to ring curses from him and instantly gave her the release she’d requested.
She started to scramble to the side, saying, “You deserved that, Eli. I told you not to—”
Her words were cut short as Eli reacted, turning fast and hard, flipping her onto her stomach beneath him. Before she could counter the move, he had her pinned down. His ears were still ringing and colorful stars danced before his eyes. Had she meant to knock him out?
It seemed probable—and hilarious. He was in bed with a woman he wanted more than any other he’d known, and she had tried to scramble his brains.
He covered her completely, the weight of his big body crushing her smaller frame into the mattress. His fingers wrapped firmly but gently around her wrists, not giving her a chance to get hold of his digits, trapping her arms above her head. His legs were between hers—a nice position, that—totally immobilizing her. He pressed his face into her shoulder, which also held her face down so she couldn’t bite him.
They were both breathing hard.
Without even meaning to, Eli pressed his hips inward, nudging his swollen cock against her firm buttocks, groaning at the feel of her, her softness, the carnality of their positions.
If they were naked, he’d be inside her right now.
Damn. He didn’t want to frighten or hurt her, but he needed a moment to rid himself of the pounding in his head, as well as the insistent throb in his groin, before he let her loose. She didn’t move, didn’t make a sound, and he started to worry. “Are you always so physical, Ray?”
When she didn’t answer, he wrongly assumed her silence was shock.
“Ray? Honey, you okay?”
Her voice was cold, remote, and beyond furious when she growled, “I’m not your honey.”
Relief brought back his amusement. “Such a nasty temper,” he chided. That had her struggling anew, which only caused her rounded behind to push into him again. Eli was caught between the pain in his head and the pleasure her movements brought him.
But given her current mood, pleasure wasn’t too wise. “Settle down, Ray.”
“Get off of me.”
A note of hysteria tinged her command. She wasn’t used to anyone else having the upper hand.
He wondered how many times a man had done this to her?
The thought of someone else making love to her, taking her from behind, made his possessive urges riot. But the thought of a man holding her down as a true captive, intent on hurting her, made him want to kill the faceless bastard.
He closed his eyes, and though he knew she hated it, he hugged himself closer to her. “Not yet, honey. You’d only lay me low again, and my brains can’t take much more. I think I’ll wait until you forgive me for calling you Ray Jean. And until you explain why you’re so touchy about your name.”
Her silence sounded with the same effect as a scream. Hurting for her, though he wasn’t certain why, Eli lowered his head until his breath fanned her nape. It was a risk, getting that close to her. His little soldier knew how to defend herself, and at the moment, she might not mind causing him real pain. On the other hand, he’d rather be shot than hurt her. So if she wanted to, she could probably get loose.
Did that mean she didn’t want to?
“What’s the matter, Ray? Talk to me, please.”
He felt her shuddering breath. Not tears, because she would never let herself cry. He kissed her temple.
“Why do you care?”
He countered that with: “Why would you think I shouldn’t care?”
Her forehead dropped to the mattress; her muscles, tensed and coiled only moments before, went lax. Several seconds passed before she spoke. Her defeated voice was muffled by the covers. “My aunt . . . used to call me Ray Jean, just to remind me that I was female.”
Unable to resist, Eli rubbed his nose against her neck. “She was actually in doubt?”
Her shrug jarred the bed. “She just didn’t think I was very ladylike, and she hated that—she hated me. She tried to insist I curl my hair, that I wear dresses and makeup. Whenever I did, she made fun of me for doing it wrong.”
Eli pressed his face into her neck and just held her.
“She ridiculed the way I walked, the way I talked. Everything. Her prissy daughters were held up as a constant example of what I wasn’t.”
Understanding came, and with it, an ache in his heart that nearly did him in. “So you became just the opposite?”
She made a sound of disgust. “Don’t be an imbecile, Eli.”
He smiled at the insult. No woman had ever called him names before. “Sorry.”
“I was already the opposite. No matter how my aunt pushed, I couldn’t be like them. It’s just not me.”
Eli breathed in the light, natural fragrance of her. Her wrists where he held her were small, the skin silky smooth. He could feel the contours of her body, the dip of her waist, the rise of her rump. God, he wanted her in so many ways. He wanted to hold her, to fuck her and make love to her and talk to her all night.
He also wanted her to trust him. “I think,” he whispered, forcing the words out despite his raging lust, “that you’re about as much as any woman can be.”
Ray didn’t say anything. She held completely still beneath him and that bothered him more than her curses or insults ever could.
When the silence stretched out uncomfortably, Eli said, “I’m sorry for upsetting you.”
She still didn’t answer.
“Ray?”
In a small voice very unlike her usual commanding tone, Ray admitted, “I’m not used to someone getting the best of me. It’s . . . disconcerting.”
Eli wasn’t certain, but he thought he detected a touch of admiration in her tone. It pleased him. “I am a lot bigger, Ray. And stronger.”
She shook her head, and her hair brushed against his jaw and chin. “It’s not that. I could still take you.”
Eli laughed outright. “You think so, do you?”
“I know so.”
“Then what happened?” He settled himself more firmly against her, spreading his legs a little, which forced hers wider, too. “Why are you beneath me instead of the other way around?”
She stiffened. “If you’re going to be a jerk about it, I’ll admit that I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Really?” She was so full of surprises. “What do you call choking me?”
She huffed. “It didn’t shut you up, did it? I could have put you out then, but I didn’t.”
The idea that she might have held back intrigued him. “Why not, Ray?” Did her restraint mean she cared?
“The agency would frown on it.”
He hadn’t laughed so much in a long time. “That’s your only reason, huh? Well, not to brag, you understand, but I held back, too.” Her head came up in surprise, affording him the chance to kiss her cheek. With his mouth still touching her, he said, “You may as well know there’s no way you could ever best me. No holds barred, I’d come out on top.” And he was just horny enough to press into her and whisper, “Again.”
“That cocky attitude is going to get you into trouble.” She looked over her shoulder to add, “Next time I won’t concern myself with returning you whole hide.”
“So we’re to battle it out, huh? I’ll look forward to your efforts, Ray. Not that it’ll change the out-come.”
Ray snorted in derision. “You want me to believe you’d actually fight me?”
He nibbled on her ear. She had very small, delicate ears, and his control weakened by the moment. “No. But I think I could appreciate holding you beneath me for a nice long time. What do you think, Ray? Is that threat incentive enough for you to think twice before attacking me again?”
Fury, or maybe interest, deepened her breathing. Eli couldn’t tell whi
ch. “No.”
She had guts and gumption, and he admired both. “Good. I’m glad.”
“You’re nuts is what you are,” she grumbled. “Now will you get off? We need to get some sleep.”
“If you promise to let bygones be bygones.”
“All right.” A heartbeat passed and she added, “For now.”
Very slowly, Eli removed his weight and rolled to the side. He waited until Ray had resettled herself, her body stiff beside his. He wanted to hug her, but knew better than to even try. “Good night. Ray.”
He was pleased when she returned grudgingly, her words barely audible, “Good night, Eli.”
Despite the heat in his body and the turmoil of his mind, he relaxed with a smile. Ray was unbelievably, delightfully unique from any person he’d ever known, especially the women. With all her outspokenness and arrogance, she was somehow more real. And he already looked forward to spending time with her, without the restrictions of familial duty and worry occupying his thoughts.
When his brother was back home where he belonged, he’d give Ray all his attention.
He was determined to have her, one way or another.
Bored but too restless to sleep, Jeremy stirred in the small confines of his hut. His own body odor, ripe as month-old fruit, rose to assault his nose. Good God, he needed a bath. The one time he’d mentioned it, though, the guerillas had offered to let him use the stream to wash. Of course, he’d refused. Hell, there were leeches in there. He’d seen some of the men—fastidious bastards who bathed every day—peeling the slimy, blood-bloated things off their legs, arms, even their groins.
Jeremy’s stomach jolted with the horrible memory. No thank you. They were all barbarians, forcing him through inhuman conditions. They’d taken him, so they should provide proper means of bathing.
His once comfortable, custom-tailored shirt had gotten dirty during their trip to the make-do prison, thanks to miles of foot travel. The men had tried to “exchange” it for a roughly woven tunic. Right. Like they thought he’d take a nickle’s worth of coarse cloth to replace a shirt that cost more than their damn village.
He’d accused them of only wanting to steal it. That hadn’t gotten him a better shirt. Just the opposite. His soiled shirt had been tossed back at him and not once since had they offered him another.