"Did I hurt you?" His gaze rose to meet hers.
"No. My scar is disgusting. I don't expect you to pretend otherwise."
"You think I'm pretending?" His eyes widened. "You're beautiful. Every inch of you."
His tongue stroked all the way to the top. Her legs turned to rubber.
He lifted one breast in his hand and circled her nipple with his thumb. He repeated the process on the other side. He sucked the already taut tip into his mouth.
Heat ripped through her system. She clutched his head, bowed her back, and held him close. The sensation coupled with the erotic scene of his head bent over her while he teased her nipples into raw, hard ridges set small explosions off deep inside.
His attention returned to her scar, placing soft, warm kisses from one tip to the other of the constant reminder of her attack. Ana closed her eyes and gave in to the sensations. His hands stroked, his mouth suckled, until the pressure shifted lower, pushing her closer to the edge. She'd never had an orgasm during foreplay, but an explosion was building and a dam was about to burst.
"Stop. I'm going to come."
"I like it here," he mumbled as his teeth clamped down.
His hand slid between her legs. Even through her jeans, his touch proved to be too much. She rocked against his fingers as wave after wave of desire swept the outside world away, leaving nothing but a glorious eruption of stars.
Breathing hard, she clung to his shoulders. "That's never happened before."
"I'm glad. You're so beautiful when you come. I want to see more." He looked up with eyes full of desire.
"Me, too." A little embarrassed that she'd given herself over so freely, she couldn't hold his gaze.
He smiled, looking positively evil. "Let's see what other new trails we can blaze."
****
Ty reluctantly pulled away from the most incredible breasts he'd ever tasted. Her confidence was fragile. He wanted her to know she was beautiful. He cupped her curvy butt in his hands, stood and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Soft lips nipped their way up his jawline. She immobilized him by sucking his earlobe into her mouth as he had her nipple.
"You do have too many clothes on," he managed to whisper, setting her on her feet.
Ty unzipped her jeans and wiggled them down lush, round curves, revealing a wisp of white against creamy caramel skin. He groaned at the sight of her scar and in anger at the bastard who'd injured this fabulous creature.
"So beautiful." He knelt in front of her, placing her hands on his shoulders to steady her.
He took his time, tasting each strip of flesh as he slid the skimpy panties to the floor. He licked the scar from tip to tip, feeling Ana relax into the moment. Her body vibrated under his mouth as he kissed his way to her core. He ran his index finger through the soft folds and found her hot and wet. She made a sound, a soft pleading noise that was almost the end of him. He'd have to mentally dismantle and clean his Beretta if he wanted to last more than sixty seconds.
He gently pushed her onto the bed. She watched closely while he dropped his warm-ups to the floor. Shit. His wallet was in the other room. "Condom?"
"No." Her eyes widened. "I don't have one."
"Don't move." Ty jerked up his pants and made a covert trip to the other room. Thank you, Jesus. Marcus was off having a beer with Jack. Ty grabbed a condom from his wallet and hurried back to Ana.
He stopped just inside her room. The sight of her stretched out on the bed, waiting for him, made his knees weak.
"Join me." Her voice whispered across his skin. She patted the spot next to her.
He dropped the warm-ups. Ana shook her head and smiled.
"What?"
"I'm not the beautiful one in the room. You are breathtaking."
He climbed astride her, shoved the foil packet under the pillow, and laughed. Damn, it felt good. He couldn't remember doing a lot of that lately. "That's twice you've said something to me no one else has ever said."
"It's the truth." The cinnamon flecks in her brown eyes glittered.
"Now who's lying?" He kissed the scar on the inside of her thigh again. Her shiver said more than words.
He took a leisurely trip over her body. Kissing, tasting, and commenting as he went. Her back bowed as he ran his tongue around her navel. He slid one hand under her hips and lifted slightly, then kissed her right between the legs.
"Ty," she whispered. "Please."
He increased the pressure, delving deep with his tongue and then backing off until she begged for release.
She watched his every move as he located the condom packet and covered himself. In the light of day, she might regret tonight, but he wouldn't. He'd treasure this memory.
Her eyes widened slightly when he breached her entrance. A welcome-home look that pushed him right to the edge. She lifted her legs around his waist, elevating her hips to take him deeper. Holy hell, she was hot and wet and moving him in and out.
"Finally," she said, reaching up and pulling his lips to hers.
Ty battled for restraint. Fought the desire to pound into her until she screamed with delight, but he caught her hips and held her still.
"Easy. Or I'll be done before we begin." Or maybe not. Not moving was worse, because her inner muscles contracted as her body adjusted to his size.
He pushed further into her waiting heat. Pulled back. Dove deeper. Started to retreat once more. She stopped him by tightening her legs. She met his thrust. And his second. Their bodies moved faster. Synchronized motion in a sensual dance. He slid his hand between her legs, her moan of pleasure telling him she was close.
She moved like liquid, rising and falling to meet him. She crested and cried out his name just as his climax boiled from deep inside and he roared his release.
Holding his weight on his arms, he kissed her swollen lips. She'd opened her heart and body to him. It was a gift he'd always cherish. The last thing he wanted was to hurt this beautiful woman. The first thing he wanted was to kill the bastard who'd hurt her.
He rolled to his side, turning her to face him. Waves of chocolate-colored hair fell across her shoulder and covered her face. Picking up a curl, he rubbed the soft texture between his fingers. What would he see when he pushed it back? Would he see regret? Clearly, this had been an error in judgment on their part. Not that he regretted making love with her. He didn't, would never. That didn't stop him from worrying she'd expect more than he could give. He hoped he hadn't added more pain to her life.
She lifted her head and rolled her long mane around her hand, shoving it to the back of her head. He watched for a reaction in her eyes, a tinge of sorrow but found none.
A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "That's better. Now maybe I can see the wheels I felt spinning in your head. I'm not sorry, if that's what you were wondering."
"Me either," Ty said, unable to hold back a grin. "And it had crossed my mind."
"I'll be fine when this mission is over."
There. He saw the flicker, or had he imagined seeing a lie hidden behind those warm, sparkling eyes?
"You're a damn sight better than 'fine.' You're spectacular. Beautiful. Brave. Smart. Want me to go on?"
"You made me feel all those things." Her tongue slid across her bottom lip. "And I appreciate it."
"Your gratitude is not what I want," he teased. With her, joking felt right.
Pink and swollen from his all-out assault, her lips were too inviting, so he kissed her, reveling in how she leaned into him for deeper contact. Her tongue sliding inside his mouth sent an immediate reaction south. Jesus, he was already hard as steel.
First, he had a question to ask. "Who ordered the hit on your birth parents?"
Her expression tightened. "Ortega's father. He died years ago."
Her eyes narrowed, darkened not with lust, but with hate. Her hand covered the scar between her breasts.
"Too bad he's already dead."
"He was too high up in the cartel to get his hands bloody, but he had someon
e skilled with the knife, someone who enjoyed cutting people."
Son of a bitch. That someone had been Manuel. Her statement hit Ty like a brick building landing on his head. Anger boiled like rolling lava. His chest ached. His hands curled into fists with the need to kill. How could he have been so stupid not to have figured it out?
"Why didn't you tell me Ortega personally did this?" He rested his hand between her breasts.
"It's hard to talk about him rationally. In my head, I still hear his laughter when Papa begged him to spare my mother and me."
A knock on the door sent both of them to their feet. Shit. He should have never left his Beretta in the other room. Ana caught him by the arm and pressed something cool against his palm.
The second knock stopped him from asking where she'd gotten the Glock. He turned to motion her back to find she'd already retreated and was dressing.
Smart enough not to stand directly behind the peephole, he stood to the side of the window and inched back the curtain. From the looks of the young man holding a cardboard box, he was a local.
"I don't see a gun. Come look. See if you know him." Ty slipped on his jeans, glad she'd brought them to him.
"No," Ana said, after taking his place behind the curtain. "What are you going to do?"
"Tell him to hang on a second. Finish dressing then open the door wide, but step back a couple of feet."
"You want him inside?"
"It's the only way we'll find out who he is."
Chapter Seventeen
Ana did her best to keep her voice steady as she called out, "One minute," then changed it to, "Un minuto, por favor."
She and Ty finished dressing in silence. The muscles in his arms rippled as he slid his shirt on, reminding her that their beautiful evening had ended. Would there ever be another time to share such intimacy with him?
His tenderness had touched her soul, but perhaps this was a fitting end to their evening together. There would always be an outside distraction for them both.
"I'm ready." She mouthed the words.
Ty stood to the side, out of sight, and nodded. She removed the chain, flipped the lock, and then swung the door back. He reached out and jerked the kid inside. Ty had moved like lightning. So fast, she wasn't exactly sure how it had happened.
Maybe in his early twenties, the kid stumbled forward. His eyes went wide when he saw the gun pointed at his head. Was that relief on his face when he saw her? Immediately, he spit out a rapid-fire string of Spanish.
"Wait," Ana shouted over the barrage of words.
Ty didn't lower the gun. "What did he say?"
"He says he was told to deliver the box to me. It contains weapons bought off the black market."
Ty kept the pistol pointed at the man. "Tell him to put the box on the table and talk slow, so I can understand him."
"Maybe my uncle sent them," Ana suggested.
The man complied with her instructions, never once showing a hint of alarm. Ty was much taller and more intimidating, but men in her country seemed to grow up hard. They feared little.
Ty pulled the box open. "Tell him I appreciate the grenades, but give him your number. We need a heads-up next time."
Panic rose high in her throat. "My uncle has my number." She hoped the stranger really didn't understand English.
By the slight stiffening of Ty's shoulders, she knew he understood what she meant. No one except Ortega would have the nerve to attack so boldly, but how had he known where to find her?
The smaller man pulled a knife and lunged. He jumped behind her and wrapped his forearm around her neck, waving the blade in front of her face. She grabbed his arm, fighting for air, and gasped in a lungful when he loosened his hold.
Ty's gun was aimed straight at the man's head.
"Let her go." Ty took a small step closer. The simmering anger in his tone filled the room.
"She goes with me," the intruder said in broken English.
"The lady's not going anywhere."
"Then she dies here."
"Hurt her and I will kill you."
Ty's words were so matter of fact, so chilling, that the man's body tensed, and he tightened his choke hold. He took a step toward the door, dragging her by the neck. She had to help Ty help her. Could she give Ty an edge? Dare she take a chance?
She dropped her arms, buckled her knees, and went limp as a rag against the arm at her throat, cutting off all air.
"Puta," he muttered, stumbling sideways.
Ty moved like a sleek black panther. In one second he stood across the room. With the time it took to blink, he had the intruder in his grasp. The two men struggled. Ana fell free and landed on the floor. On hands and knees, she scrambled out of the way.
A gun fired. The mirror hanging on the wall above her shattered. She ducked and covered her head as shards of glass fell. The sound of a body hitting the floor sent streaks of terror through her system. Please, God. Keep Ty safe.
The door opened and closed. She had to look. Strong hands picked her up as if she weighed nothing. She knew by his touch that Ty held her. Her heart sang with relief, even though she cried on his shoulder. He cradled her in his arms, whispering soothing words as if she were a child.
"Shh. It's over."
"You're okay?"
"You bet." He brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I checked the hall, and it's empty. But that gunshot won't go unreported. We have to be gone when the cops arrive." He tugged her chin up. "And we have to hurry."
"I understand." She reluctantly gave up the warmth and safety of his arms.
He held onto her arms. "Can you stand?"
"My knees are weak, but they'll do." Ana saw the intruder and gasped. His head lay at an odd angle. His lifeless eyes stared up at the ceiling. "You broke his neck?"
"Quietest way to do it. He won't hurt you again." Ty unlocked and opened the adjoining door. Then he repeated the process with the outside entry.
"What about his body?"
"Jack will have to square this away with your government. Do you want me to stay with you while you gather your things?"
"No." Ana shook her head, unable to pull her gaze away from the body blocking her path. "You go pack."
Ty slid his hands under the dead man's shoulders and dragged him out of the way.
"If Marcus and Jack had heard the gunshot, they'd have already been here." Ty picked up his cell and dialed a number. Without going into detail, he instructed Marcus to hurry.
"We need to be ready. The guys were at the corner bar. They'll be here in minutes."
Ana's hands shook so badly that folding anything was impossible. Giving up on neatness, she packed Ty's way. She grabbed her clothes and stuffed them in her bag. Her few toiletries were raked into her makeup bag without care.
The loud talking in the other room alerted her Marcus and Jack had returned. Marcus slid to a stop in her doorway.
"What the..." No doubt, with his training it only took a second for him to assess the situation. His eyebrows pulled together. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Ana picked up her bag. "I'm ready."
Jack Fury looked over Marcus's shoulder. "What the fuck happened?"
"He tried to snatch Ana. You can deal with the cops through the government," Ty said to Jack. "Right?"
"This isn't going to be easy," Jack grumbled.
"Grab your stuff and meet us at the cars." Ty ignored the complaint, issuing instructions to her instead.
Marcus's eyes were full of concern as his gaze swept between her and Ty. "You're sure neither of you are hurt?"
"We're better off than he is." Ty jerked his head toward the body. "We'll take Jack's car."
"Sure." Jack tossed Ty the keys. "You drive. I've got to make some calls if I'm going to get this shit fixed."
They drove away from the motel and met two police cars with sirens blaring. Leaving had only taken a few minutes. To Ana it had seemed like an eternity.
"Now that we're fugitives, where the fuck are we going?
" Jack growled from the backseat.
"Calm down," Ty fired back. "What are you along for except to grease the wheels? Dig your phone out and smooth that over. The son of a bitch tried to kill Ana."
She understood Jack's concern. Her government would frown on them leaving the scene. Listening to his phone call, she could tell he was trying to explain the dead man to his boss first.
Ana fished out her phone. "I'll call my uncle. He'll know somewhere safe we can stay."
"Will he help? He clearly didn't want to blow his cover by getting involved in this op."
Had the situation not been so dire, she might've laughed at Ty's huge sigh. He wasn't upset with her suggestion. His concern had to be the mission he'd been given.
The idea nagged at her that he and Marcus might leave her behind. They could kill Ortega and be out of the country in hours. No. She refused to consider he'd do such a thing. Not now. Not after they'd made love.
"Call him," Ty agreed. "Make sure he understands that we'll keep him out of the picture."
Marcus leaned forward, his hand on Ty's shoulder. "I hate to be the naysayer here, but what if he leaked our location to Ortega?"
The bottom of her stomach dropped. She turned in the seat to face Marcus, ensuring he understood the full measure of her anger. "Do you Americans know so little of family honor? My uncle would die before breaking my confidence."
Ty cut a glance at her. "So you did tell him where we were staying."
"Of course, I did." She fought to keep her tone level, but it seemed to be a losing battle. "And gave him my cell number."
"It's okay." Ty rested his hand on her knee. "The question had to be asked."
"Don't tell me it's okay." Anger churned from her stomach up to her throat. "Why did such an insulting thing have to be asked? He knew nothing of your so-called safe house in Texas. Yet it was bullet-riddled when we drove away from it."
"You're right," Ty said. "There's a leak, and we have to find it."
"After I call my boss, I'm calling Nate. This op is a bust." Jack's voice stopped the argument.
Ty abruptly pulled the car to the side of the road. He unbuckled his seat belt and looked back over his shoulder. Fire jumped from his eyes.
Cold Day In Hell Page 16