by Dana Marton
“You got it recently, after the car bomb incident. You’re too shook up to remember where the registration is. Promise to bring it to the station tomorrow. I’ll have one for you by then.”
The sirens were sounding from right outside now.
Sam stepped away from the window. “They’re here.”
Nick glanced around one last time. “Okay. So this Ettori guy who worked for one of Savall Consulting’s clients had been trying to ask you out for a while. You said no a few times, thought nothing of it. Then he showed up tonight and forced his way in.”
“He threatened you, acting all crazy,” Gina added. “You are starting to believe he might have been behind the car bomb, too. Give the cops enough so they can close everything and get off your back for good.”
Carly swallowed, drew her back straight. “Thanks. Okay.”
Nick watched her for another second, and the resolve he saw in her eyes reassured him. She could handle it. He stepped away from her and into the bedroom.
“We have to go.” He followed Sam, Gina and Anita into his apartment through the closet. “Make sure you close up everything good behind me.”
SHE KNOCKED ON the partition before going over to Nick.
“How is the leg?”
“No big deal,” he said, sitting by the kitchen table and turning off his laptop. “Everything okay at work?”
“We are trying to find a connection to one of the four men on our list, someone we know who knows him and could make an introduction or recommend us to him.”
“Which one?”
“Cavanaugh.
“Be careful.” He got up and limped to the fridge. “Want a drink?”
“Sure. Thanks.” She fidgeted with the soda can when he handed it to her. “I just came over to say thanks for everything.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“And I wanted to tell you that I get it. Back when…I mean why you didn’t recruit me.” She’d thought a lot about this at work today. Their operation at the bank, the car bomb, the assassin in her apartment. Nick had been right. She couldn’t have handled that six years ago. She could barely handle it now.
“So I’m completely forgiven?”
She nodded.
“That’s good.” He was giving her a funny look. “One down, one to go.”
What was he talking about? “One what?”
“We still have to decide what we’re going to do about this thing between us.”
She swallowed.
“We’re not going to waste time denying it, are we?”
“No,” she said, although she was a little scared. “It’s not going to go away, is it?”
He flashed a rueful grin and shook his head. “It’s neither the right time nor the right place.”
“What is?” The last six years certainly hadn’t been right for her to fall in love. “What’s going to be different in a couple of months when the mission is over? You won’t be around.”
“I will be,” he said with quiet certainty.
“And if I don’t want to wait? If…something happens to one of us?”
“Nothing will happen.” He stepped closer and drew her into his arms.
“I don’t want to wait.”
He watched her closely for a while, his expression closed. Then he said, “Okay.”
Okay? Her knees wobbled.
His smile was devastating. “Will you stay the night?”
Her heart stopped then started again, the little voice in her head screaming yes, yes, yes.
“That’s not the whole truth,” he said before she could respond.
It isn’t? She searched his gaze. He couldn’t change his mind. Not now.
But he said, “I want you to stay the week, the month, the year, maybe forever. I just don’t think it’s possible. I chose a different kind of life.”
The way she was feeling right now anything seemed possible. “Let’s just focus on the first step and make sure that’s executed to the best of our abilities.”
He grinned at hearing his own words back from her training at Quantico. “You always were a quick study.”
“I had a good teacher.” She ran her fingers up his chest, unable to stand still without touching him.
He reached up and trapped her hand under his, right over his heart, stepped closer without letting go. “This might get serious,” he said, and then he kissed her.
This time, there was no rush, it wasn’t a matter of being carried away by the moment. The brush of his lips across hers was slow and deliberate.
He was going to demonstrate patience now? She pressed against him. He tasted her lips and, when she opened, he invaded as if he meant business. Genghis Khan had nothing on the man.
Her body hummed with pleasure and need. And then he put his hands on her. His long fingers grabbed her waist, slid under her shirt and moved up.
Yes, please, yes.
He didn’t meander but kept his focus on the target as a good soldier would and went straight to it. When his palms cupped her breasts, she moaned into his mouth.
During her lonely times over the past few years, she had sometimes fantasized what it would be like to be out and with a man again. Her imagination hadn’t come close to the sharp pleasure Nick brought to her body.
She reached for his T-shirt and rolled it up, leaned back from him so she could pull it over his head. He had an awesome chest, an awesome body on the whole. She took her time exploring it, feeling a response in her own nipples when his pebbled under her fingertips.
“Having fun?” he asked after a few moments, his voice sounding as if his throat was parched. His hand slipped to the hem of her shirt and he pulled it up.
“I’m still deciding. Keep going.” She lifted her arms to help him.
He slipped off the shirt and tossed it aside, brought his hands to her shoulders and drew them down, took a deep breath that had his chest expanding.
Wasn’t that a mesmerizing sight for sore eyes? But then he pulled her close, enfolding her in his arms so she was forced to look up into his face. “I wouldn’t mind just holding you like this for eternity.”
Skin touched naked skin. How on earth could he think of remote things like eternity? All she could think of was that she wanted him, now, now, now. And he wanted her; she had the proof of that pressing against her low on her belly.
He ran his hands down her sides and over her butt, lifted her up and backed her onto the table. Then he went for her bra. Being released felt so good. His hands were over her the next second, then, as he bent, his mouth.
He was on a “leave no erogenous zone behind” tour of her body and she liked that just fine. Being with him like this went beyond anything she’d ever felt. And she didn’t think it had that much to do with youth and inexperience that had factored in during her college days. It had everything to do with the man in front of her, who seemed to know her more than anyone at this stage of her life, who accepted her without reservations, who looked at her as if she were the Venus de Milo come to life.
Were they really doing this? Was she going to sleep with him? The power of what they had between them scared her a little.
The phone rang in her apartment.
It provided the excuse to pause, to try to find a moment of sanity. She pulled away and scrambled off the bed, picked up her shirt and held it in front of her.
“I should get that.”
The ringing stopped when she was halfway through her bedroom. Probably Anita, or one of the others. She’d call back. Carly stood there, breathing hard, her mind on a million things, most of them having something to do with Nick and the fact that he was waiting for her, half-naked. She turned.
He was standing in her closet. “Wanted to make sure that you were coming back.”
He had that crooked smile going, his hair all messed up, the strength of him evident not only in his body, but his eyes that watched her with passion and warmth and something more.
She was falling in love with him.
The
thought made her dizzy, but she walked toward him and stepped into the closet, put her arms around him and buried her face against the crook of his neck, soaked in the feel and the scent of him.
“So what are you going to do when we nab T. and it’s all over?” he asked.
Was she supposed to think about major life issues at a moment like this? “I thought about developing some software.” If she couldn’t talk him into getting her on that team of his.
“No more hacking?” He bent and nibbled her ear, dragged kisses across her cheek to her mouth.
“I learned my lesson,” she said, dazed. “It doesn’t pay to get too good at anything. People don’t know what to do with you when you stick out. I’m not going to do that again.”
He pulled back and turned serious. “Are you going to be happy like that?”
She shrugged. “I’m happy right now. Can’t we just focus on the here and now?”
“Don’t you want to soar?” he asked.
She could have fallen in love with him for that question alone.
“After we’re done with Tsernyakov, I’m going to submit an updated evaluation and request your recruitment to the team I’m working on.” He was still holding her at arm’s length. “Nobody should put any limits on someone like you.”
Ah, there she went—hit and sunk.
He kissed her finally, and she slid into the pleasure of his caresses, then somehow down, with him, to the floor, the comforter she’d taken off the bed—the nights were too hot even with the air conditioner going—at her back.
“You think I can handle it?” She had trouble getting the words out.
“Your exploits will probably be legendary. My own stellar reputation is sure to suffer in comparison. I suppose I’ll have to learn to live in your shadow.” He grinned against her mouth. “You can compensate me at home in between missions.”
For the first time in forever, she had such hope for her future—hope he had a lot to do with. “Deal,” she said.
She explored his body, hard and steady above her, wiggled out of the rest of her clothes, helped him out of his.
“Wait.” He pulled a small foil pack from her back pocket.
A few seconds later he was over her again. “You’re sure?”
Tension burst through her body. It took effort to get out a strained “Yes.”
He sank into her with slow care, holding his power in check. Pleasure built, filled every cell, every pore.
“Okay?”
That he would be worried about her melted her heart. “Much better than that.” She smiled, then caught her breath as he started to move.
Her back bowed, her muscles tightened. She looked up, at him, caught sight of her tank tops swaying on their hangers above his head. “I can’t believe we are making love in the closet.”
“It’s kind of symbolic when you think about it. Our two worlds, meeting in the middle and all.”
“Symbolism?” she asked. “Do I see a writer gene poking through?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Want to move?”
“Absolutely not.” She ran her hands down his sides and hips.
He grinned. “We’ll get to the beds later.”
He bent to kiss her nipples, lavished them with attention. Pleasure burst, small pops of it at first then an explosion that shook her and left her weak and dizzy. She could feel his release deep inside her. The moment stretched on forever. Then he flipped them gently, until she sprawled on top.
“You need a bigger closet,” he said.
“Why do we work so good?” The thought playing in her pleasure-soaked brain rolled off her tongue.
He opened an eye.
“I mean, we’re two very different people thrown together. We’re a kluge.”
He had both eyes open now as he brought up his hands to cup her face. “I don’t think so,” he said. “We’re an elegant solution. A kluge couldn’t make me fall in love.”
She searched his face and felt her heart expand.
Yes, she thought. They were both people who fell outside the norm. They both needed challenge and they seemed to provide that challenge to each other. An elegant solution. No less than what you needed and no more—perfect.
A team.
She was finding her way into teams left and right these days. She had friends now, too. How weird was that? And a man in her life. Not just a man—the man, her hacker’s instincts were screaming.
He was looking at her with so much heat in his eyes it made her heartbeat pick up speed. “Admit it. We fit like a RAID adapter into an I/O unit,” he said, his voice all husky.
She wasn’t about to argue. All she could manage was a smile.
“You like it when I talk dirty, don’t you?” He was grinning, all cocky.
“Mmm,” she said as she moved in for another kiss.
“Did you know that a one-minute kiss burns twenty-six calories?” she asked, her brain fuzzy when they broke apart.
He rubbed his lips over hers again. “We better do a lot of it then. Considering your doughnut habit.”
She felt wonderful enough to let the small dig at her preference for a certain perfectly respectable breakfast item go, but couldn’t resist one small remark. “Banging your head against the wall burns 150 calories per hour.”
He drew back to look at her, shook his head. “If it’s all the same to you, let’s just stick with the kissing,” he said and bent to the task with dedication.
She reciprocated with equal enthusiasm. Don’t let it be said that she was the slacker on the team.
ISBN: 9781426800405
SECRET CONTRACT
Copyright © 2007 by Dana Marton
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
CAST OF CHARACTERS Carly Jones —After making some serious mistakes in her past, she gets the chance to start over. But with someone gunning for her, will she survive her mission? Nick Tarasov —Member of the SDDU (Special Designation Defense Unit). His job is to train and supervise Carly and her teammates. He also needs to ignore his attraction to Carly and focus on the mission. Anita Caballo, Samantha Hanley and Gina Torno —Carly’s teammates. Can they cooperate long enough to bring the mission to success? Brant Law —The FBI agent working with Nick to put together the team. Tsernyakov —The illegal weapons trader is among the five most wanted criminals in the world. Dimitry —A decoy Tsernyakov uses to stand in for him at meetings with prospective clients, so his own face can remain unknown. Peter Alexeev —A close associate who crossed Tsernyakov, for which his whole family must pay the price. Salvatore Ettori —A security guard at one of the companies Savall Consulting works with. The que
Chapter One Burge, happy whenever he got to order her around, pushed her through the green metal door at the far end of the cell block but didn’t follow. What
did they want with her now? She was on her guard, scanning the people ahead with suspicion—a good basic stance for the incarcerated. The sharp scent of bleach hit her nose. The room had gotten a scrub down that morning. Thank God, she hadn’t been pulled for that job. “Miss Jones.” The greeting came from one of three men, outsiders, who stood at the head of the room. “Why don’t you take a seat?” One of the dozen or so harsh fluorescent lights above flickered as she went straight to the back, picking her way among white plastic chairs and folding tables that were set up classroom style for the elderly volunteer who came in twice a week to give GED classes. Three women waited there already, wearing the same orange jumpsuit that hung on Carly’s figure. Clothes that marked them, set them apart. She would never wear orange again once s
Chapter One
Chapter Two Her mother was there, visiting. “I’m sorry, honey.” She wore her Easter hat. Seemed odd for September. Must have cut her hair short again—she did that from time to time on a whim—not a single chestnut curl showed. She was as slim as ever but her face had aged. Too much so, Carly thought. How long had it been since they’d seen each other? “It’s okay,” she told her. “I’m sorry, too.” I missed you. She didn’t say that or, Where have you been? “Visitation over. All inmates, please line up for exit inspection,” the overhead loudspeaker demanded. No. Not yet. She grabbed the edge of the table. She still had so much to say and no words to say it. She wasn’t good with words. Did her mother understand that? “Bomb in building! Sixty seconds to explosion!” A real person yelled that, not the loudspeaker this time. She turned back to the guards who watched over the visiting room, but they were disappearing into the darkness. The next second she was pulled awake, in the middle of the nig
Chapter Two
Chapter Three “You must have been wondering what your mission is going to be.” Brant Law stood at the head of a training room that was smaller, but much better furnished, than the prison classroom where the women had first met him. Tarasov and Moretti stood to the side, tension making the mood in the room brittle. He turned to the desk that held his laptop and started a presentation, projecting his slides to the white screen on the wall. The first image was of a rectangle with a shadow of a man’s profile with a big question mark over it. “Your target is someone who has managed to elude law enforcement for the last twenty years. He has no known picture. We haven’t been able to narrow his location to as much as a country. We don’t know his first name, or exactly how old he is.” “So what do you know?” Gina spoke up. The four women were together again. That she wasn’t completely alone in this mess made Carly feel slightly better, although she was far from trusting any of the people in the