by Dale Mayer
*
The last thing Michael wanted to do was sleep. He had a beautiful woman in his arms, one who had very quickly captured his heart. She was so damn loyal that he couldn’t help but admire her. She was also full of surprises. Like when she’d pulled off her shirt and tossed it over the camera so he had the chance to head out and search the grounds. She also saved him once again when she came out of the bedroom, wrapped up in the sheet. Looking delightful. The woman was prepared to do what needed to be done.
She slowly disengaged from his hold to cradle her head in her arms atop the table.
He was worried about her. She jumped first and looked second. She was so concerned about her sister’s life and her sister’s death, but Mercy would have to walk away, leaving the investigation to the professionals. And he knew she had no intention of doing that.
The only thing he could do to help keep her safe was to get answers for her. Answers for the both of them. She wouldn’t like that. She was on the stubborn side. He smiled, realizing he liked stubborn.
“Stop thinking so hard. You’re keeping me awake.”
Her sleepy murmur had startled him.
She had her head resting on her forearms on the table. He chuckled. “Go to sleep so you can’t hear me thinking.”
“I would if I could, but that’s not possible,” she whispered.
“Try again.” He gently stroked her arms up and down in a soothing, comforting motion. She still had her bra and panties on. “You sure you want to keep your bra on? You can’t be very comfortable. Are you chilled? Do you want to get changed? Your clothes are here.”
“I’m fine. I figured it was safer to keep this much on.”
He raised an eyebrow at that. “Safer?”
“You’re a little too sexy. I figured any barrier, even a tiny thin one, would help,” she said with a smirk.
He lowered his head and dropped a kiss on the curve of her neck. “And you’re too damn sexy even with it on.” He stood and walked to the couch. He took off the cushions and pulled out a bed, much to her delight. He scooped her up and laid her on it.
She rolled over slightly and raised her heavy eyelids to stare up at him with leashed passion in her gaze. Her lips quirked in a sexy gesture at the same time.
That pulled at his heartstrings. He lowered his head and kissed her on her cheek, then on the tip of her nose. “Go to sleep,” he whispered.
“Sleep is looking further and further away from my mind,” she murmured.
“That’s not good,” Michael said, trailing kisses down her jawline. “You need rest.”
She slid her arms up around his neck, tugged him closer and whispered, “Maybe we’ll sleep a little bit later.” And she kissed him. Unlike his kisses, hers were not teasing or slow and relaxed.
Her heat, her need, met his heat and his need, made his temperature soar. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her full length, pressing his hips against hers.
She curled more fully and settled into his pelvis, gently pressing harder against him. He heard her take a deep breath.
“Well, lady, you don’t fool around.”
She chuckled. “So what exactly is this then?” she teased.
He flashed her a grin. “This is serious business.” He lowered his head and unleashed the passion inside.
It was all he could do to control himself as her hands slid, stroked, encircled him, her tongue sliding delicately over his sensitized skin. Her hot kisses pressed against his neck and with a fervor he recognized—because it matched his.
She kissed him again and again and again with a heat that quickly overtook him. He pressed her into the mattress, their bodies hot, demanding, needy. When she opened her legs and wrapped her thighs tight around his hips, he groaned and pulled back, lowering his head to rest against the curve of her neck as he took several deep breaths.
“I need you,” she whispered. “Now.”
He shook his head “I don’t want it over so fast.”
She tilted his chin up so she could look him in the eye. “Next time we’ll take it slower.”
He bit off an oath when she slid a hand down and circled him, then squeezed. There was no holding back no matter how much restraint he might want to have. Within seconds her panties were ripped off and his boxers joined them on the floor.
With the last bit of his control, he rolled to his side and gently slid a hand between her legs. He found her hot, wet, and more than ready for him. She cried out as he probed delicate skin folds, spreading the moisture on her outer lips. She twisted beneath him, trying to pull him on top of her. Finally, she grabbed his ears and tugged him down, kissing him with a hot, ravishing openmouthed kiss.
With a groan deep in the back of his throat, he moved on top of her and settled into place. She wrapped her arms and legs around him like a monkey, pulling him deep inside her. He froze there for a long moment, then, with a feral cry, moved. There was nothing relaxed or controlled about any of his movements. It was a wild, frantic coupling, as if an elastic band stretched too far had suddenly snapped.
Suddenly she clenched him tight, cried out, and climaxed in his arms. He plunged deeper—once, twice, three times—before he exploded. Exhausted, he propped himself on his elbow for a long moment, then eased his weight to the side while still staying within her. He dropped his head to the pillow, desperately trying to control his breathing.
When he could, he lay beside her, Mercy wrapped up in his arms. Into the silence of the night he whispered, “Do you think you can sleep now?”
But there was no answer. He listened to her steady breathing and grinned.
Apparently she could sleep just fine.
Chapter 16
Waking to find herself in Michael’s arms was a unique experience. Even in sleep he cradled her protectively. His body was wrapped around hers to keep her safe. From the circle of his arms she smiled at the world, wondering how she’d gotten so lucky. Mercy had never expected to find somebody here. Obviously, she hadn’t gone looking. But she hadn’t had anybody in her life in a long time. And that made finding him that much more special.
Everything had changed with him, and she didn’t want to lose him. It was time to get out. She knew she’d promised him that she’d leave this morning, yet she’d been looking for a way to change his mind. But now, waking up with him, she realized how precious life was all over again. Making love with Michael had reawakened and affirmed that she wanted to pursue her life as well as to honor her sister’s.
It was odd how she’d known this truth before, but the reality hadn’t been brought home to her. Not like it was now. She snuggled deeper into his arms and enjoyed the moment.
Daylight came through the window, so it was definitely morning. As she didn’t plan to go to work, it probably didn’t matter what time it was. But she didn’t want any confrontation if she could avoid it. She also had to get her belongings and her car.
She struggled to reach for her phone on the side table without waking Michael. As she came up against his arms, they tightened around her and tugged her back against his chest.
“It can’t be morning already,” he murmured.
She twisted slightly, stretched up and kissed him gently on the lips. “It is morning. I just don’t know how late.”
His eyes popped open, and he stared down, a warm welcoming smile in his eyes. He leaned over, effectively locking her underneath him and gave her a hot good morning kiss. Then he bounded up off the bed, leaving her panting for more.
She shook her head. “You can’t do that and walk away, you know?”
His grin was mischievous as he grabbed his phone.
She studied his nude body, loving the play of muscles and bone on a perfectly fit, healthy male in his prime. “He really is beautiful.”
He gave her a startled look, and she realized she’d spoken out loud.
She flushed slightly, then shrugged. “Why hide the truth? You’re gorgeous.”
He shook his head and checked his phone. �
��It’s just after six.”
“And that means time to get up.”
He opened his laptop, checked for emails and then checked his phone for messages. He shook his head and then whispered, “Nothing from anyone.” His voice was resigned.
She understood the feeling. They wanted answers. They wanted action. They wanted something right now. And it wasn’t to be.
He walked into the kitchen to put on coffee. She rose and headed to the shower. As much as she wanted to drag him in with her, there was no time. Nothing like the light of day to remind her of the danger they were both in. Especially Michael, after the security guards came into his apartment last night, unannounced. But would he leave with her?
Mercy knew the answer. No way in hell. Inasmuch as she admired that, she also hated it. Back in the bedroom she dressed quickly.
In the kitchen, she found Michael already dressed, and he had poured two cups of coffee. He handed her one and whispered, “I should go after your toiletry bag alone.”
She looked at him in surprise. “Why?”
“There’s no foot traffic outside. Given the hour, there should be people moving around.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand. What difference does that make?”
“Change. Something’s off.”
She walked to one window and studied the immediate surroundings of the estate. He was right in that she couldn’t see anyone walking or driving around. She walked to the other window. Then shrugged. “It is early.”
“No, not here.” His voice was hard, meaning no argument.
She decided it really wasn’t an issue. “Fine. It’s on the counter.”
He gave her a big grin. “Good. That’s what I like to hear.” He threw back the rest of his coffee and said, “Back in five.” He disappeared out the apartment door and down the stairs.
She watched from the window as he went to her room. The door to the house was locked. Interesting. He did something, and, within a minute, he was inside. She couldn’t see him as he went in but saw his shadow at the top of the stairs. Her room should’ve been locked as well, but he took care of that in seconds. Apparently, he was a very adept cat burglar.
She watched him walk into the bathroom, then come out with her bag in hand.
A few minutes later, he stopped at the window and stared at her directly. She gave a half wave; he tilted his head in acknowledgment and stepped from her room. She saw his shadow briefly, and then he disappeared from sight.
When he was at the bottom door, she watched two men approach. “Shit. Now what?”
*
Michael was about to step outside when he thought he heard voices. He quickly stepped back behind the closed door and waited. Sure enough, he had heard voices.
“Who checked the security this morning?” one of the men asked.
“That was Steve’s first check. What do you want to bet he botched that job too?”
One of the men grunted. “He still has a job. If he’d screwed up, he wouldn’t be here now.”
“He only has a job because we got trouble right now and need every hand on deck.”
The door was pushed wide open, and the men walked upstairs, busy wrangling over staff problems. When they were halfway up, Michael slipped out of the door before it fully closed. Knowing time was very tight, he ran the distance, sprinting through his door and back upstairs.
“Come on. Let’s go,” he said as soon as he saw her.
“Don’t I need to talk to Martha and tell her I quit officially?”
He shook his head. “No time. Let’s go. Now,” he finished sharply.
She nodded and beat it down the stairs. They went the other direction, coming up on the far side of the garage. He walked to his truck, disarmed the alarm, and opened the door for her. She jumped in and sat down.
As he walked to the driver’s door, his name was called. He turned round, watching one of the security guys walking over to talk to him.
“Where you going?”
The man’s voice held curiosity, but he didn’t appear aggressive in any way. And, as such, Michael answered honestly. “Taking the new maid into town. She quit this morning.”
The man snorted. “That’s no surprise.” He glanced down at his watch. “When do you start?”
“Not until 7:30.”
“What about her car?”
Michael shrugged. “She’s pretty overwrought at the moment. I’ll make arrangements to take it to her later.”
The henchman nodded. “Get going and be back in time for work.”
“Yeah. I haven’t even had breakfast yet,” Michael said with a smirk. “I’ll grab something at the drive-through and be back.”
The man grinned. “You know that stuff will kill you.”
Michael laughed and called back, “All kinds of things in life will kill me.” He opened the truck door, shoved the key into the engine, turned it on, and headed out. He glanced at Mercy, slouched in her seat. As he approached the gates, they opened up for him. He drove through without hesitation.
Chapter 17
As soon as they went through the gates, Mercy straightened up and looked around. “We made it out?” She hated she said it with such surprise. Of course they made it; Michael had seen to it. She shuddered. She had no idea if anybody was after her yet, but it felt like they’d made it clear.
“Absolutely. They don’t have any reason to suspect you of anything.”
“Maybe not but it won’t take them long to add two and two together.”
He shrugged. “Better that you are nowhere near this when it blows up.”
She couldn’t agree more. Except one thing bothered her. “I need my car.”
He nodded. “But first you need to be a long way from here.”
“Easy for you to say. I have my real job to return to. I need to head home, do some laundry and get my life back on track, but I need my car for that.”
“That’s fine, but, as you still have time off coming to you, I would like you to spend a few days with a friend of mine—to make sure, when this goes down, they can’t go after you.”
“What?” She turned toward him, startled. “I don’t want to go anywhere but home.”
He pulled into a coffee shop in town and said, “That might be what you want to do, but what you need to do is to stay safe.” Michael parked the truck at the side of the coffee shop. “You must understand how it may not be safe at your place.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to hear that.”
He opened her door and led her inside the coffee shop.
They walked to a table, and Michael said, “When this is over, you can return to your place.”
The waitress approached and asked, “Can I get you anything? A menu and coffee?”
Michael nodded and smiled. “Yes, please.”
Mercy dropped into her chair and glared at him. “Fine. Get me coffee. It won’t make a damn bit of difference.”
“Eating breakfast won’t make a whole lot of difference either,” he said, his voice hard.
The door opened to the restaurant, and a man and woman walked in. Mercy couldn’t help looking up when the door jingled. Michael glanced at the incoming pair and nodded. The woman was strikingly beautiful. They approached their table and sat down beside them, surprising Mercy. Instinctively she moved over to make room.
The beautiful blonde looked at Mercy and said, “Good morning. I’m Ice.”
Mercy smiled. “That’s a very unusual name.”
Ice nodded. “But then Mercy is not very common either.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You know who I am?” She glanced at the man Ice had walked in with, who had similar features in that he was a tall blond, with that same can-do attitude. Obviously these two were a couple.
“Do you guys work with Michael?”
“No, but we’re hoping Michael will work for us,” the man said with a smile.
She glanced at Michael. “I didn’t know you were changing jobs.”
/> “Not changing my job. When this estate business is over, they want me to go into the business with them.”
She turned toward the other man who held out his hand.
“I’m Levi.”
She shook his hand. “Michael’s very good at his job.”
Ice chuckled. “That he is. That’s why we want him to work for us.”
Mercy turned to Michael. “Why won’t you?”
He gave her a flat stare.
She forged on regardless. “It would be good for you. You won’t feel so rootless.”
He leaned forward, his eyebrows shooting up. “How the hell do you know that’s how I was feeling?”
“You had no problem dropping everything to look after Sammy, did you?” she asked in a reasonable tone. “Whatever it was you were doing, you weren’t enjoying it as much as this kind of work.”
He sat back and gave her a narrow look.
She grinned. “And you thought I didn’t notice things.”
After that, the conversation turned to more general issues and never once on the mess at the estate. She presumed it was too public a place for that discussion.
After breakfast, she stood and excused herself to go to the washroom. She figured Michael would ensure she left with Ice and Levi. She didn’t think very much of that idea.
As she walked back out, she found Ice waiting for her. She glanced up, seeing the look on her face, which confirmed her own suspicions. “Michael wants me to stay with you.”
Ice nodded. “You have a problem with that?”
“I have a problem in that I don’t want to go anywhere but home so, yes.”
“Things on the estate will blow up very quickly,” Ice said. “As long as you’re safe and sound, Michael can focus on what he’s doing. That will make a huge difference in his ability to function at his peak levels.”
“Bullshit.”
Ice stared at her in surprise.
“Michael is dedicated and focused. He’ll do the job.”
“Of course he will.” Ice gave Mercy a smile of approval. “But he cares about you deeply. The last thing we need is for him to be worried about someone coming after you in your apartment. If you stay with us for the next few days, he will know you’re safe.”