Rescue Me

by Allie Adams

  Spencer's senses cooled. He didn't like the direction this conversation suddenly turned. “Meaning?”

  “I don't want you starting back up with her again. Got it?”

  Want in one hand and shit in the other, buddy. No way would anyone tell Spencer what to do, not when it came to Kathryn. He'd already made up his mind. Weber didn't get to tell him how to balance the job and Kathryn. “I understand.”

  “No, I don't think you do.”

  “I understand you think you can tell me what to do when I'm not on shift. My personal business is my business.”

  The color in Weber's neck crept up to his cheeks. “You sure are one cocky bastard, you know that?”

  “Yep.”

  “And do you think that shit flies with me? You've been with TREX long enough to know how far you can push me, and you've already passed that point. I'm not backing down on this. I don't give a shit what the board says. You are not to have any sort of relations with Kat Davis outside of the finds TREX calls K-SAR in on.”

  Spencer pushed off the wall and approached the desk, his fists doubled, his voice low and even. His outrage sent every cell in his body vibrating with anger. “With all due respect, you can't control what I do outside of my job.”

  “But I can control what happens on the job,” Weber countered.

  Spencer didn't back away from the desk, instead locking his gaze with Weber's and holding his ground. He had nothing but respect for his SAC, but Weber was wrong on this. Spencer had to find a way to prove that to him without losing his job over it.

  “I like you Spence. I really do. It's why I promoted you to special agent and gave you your own team. You are a pain in my ass, but you've earned the right to be.”

  Spencer stepped back, completely taken off-guard by Weber's praise.

  Weber sighed and looked like he'd aged a good five years in a matter of seconds. “That's why it's like a kick in the fucking teeth to have to put this out there, but I can tell by the way you're pushing back that you aren't going to listen. So here it is. If you and Kat start up again, you have two choices. Either TREX breaks all ties with K-SAR, or TREX breaks all ties with you.”

  No. Not just no, but hell no. Spencer stood rigid, his insides still. That would destroy him. TREX was the only thing good he had left in his life. “Are you fucking kidding me? You'd kick me out over this?”

  “At least with field work. If you choose her over your job, you're done as the team leader. You're done as a field agent. Period. You'd be lucky to join Lyons behind some desk.”

  “You can't do that.” He couldn't lose his team. It would be like losing a limb. They were a part of him, his family.

  Weber's blue gaze bore into him.

  “But...” His voice trailed off when he realized Weber could. He had connections that went as high as Miller, if not higher. And by that look on his face, he'd use every last one of them. Spencer let a curse roll off his lips and drew in a sharp breath to ward off the rage that had bubbled to the surface and threatened to spill over. He backed away from Weber's desk before he doubled up a fist and put a hole in it.

  Weber rubbed his face and let out a long sigh that Spencer felt shudder through him. “I have to protect my assets. Don't make this personal.”

  “How, exactly, am I supposed to not make this personal?” He clenched his jaw so tight his words came out in a hiss. Goddamn it. Not for the first time, TREX forced him to choose between Kathryn and his job. Being a TREX agent had won out the last time. Would it win again? Could he do that to her this time? To him?

  “Do we need to have that talk again? I'm getting tired of repeating myself with you.”

  Spencer knew what Weber needed to hear to get him off his ass, even if he didn't believe a word of it. “It was just a kiss, Weber. The search was over. We found Tommy alive. We were both so relieved that we just got caught up in the moment.” He swallowed and threw out the rest of his bold-faced lie. “Nothing more.”

  Weber studied him for several seconds. “Make sure it doesn't happen again. Because if it does—”

  “Is that all?” Spencer interrupted. Weber had already made it clear what would happen if he and Kathryn were caught in each other's arms again.

  He'd just have to make sure they never got caught.

  No one, not even threats from his SAC, would keep him from Kathryn this time around.

  TWELVE

  Sitting on her couch flipping through channels to keep her mind off why a certain sexy TREX agent had failed to come over, Kat finally settled on an infomercial about some miraculous blender that promised instant popularity. She could use that since she'd be spending the rest of her life alone.

  She was such an idiot to think Spencer wanted her for more than the here and now. His words. His heated nips and tender caresses. His body's obvious arousal. She'd fallen for it all.

  But his actions told an entirely different story. After the search, he practically left a rooster trail to get away from her, using some lousy excuse about needing to clean up before he came over. And she'd believed him, believed he was just as anxious to pick up where they left off as she was.

  “Fool,” she berated herself. When the sting of humiliating tears smarted in her eyes, she drew in a quick breath and changed the channel, both mentally and on the TV.

  A reality show came on about some guy weeding through hordes of women to find the one. Kat watched it for a few minutes, wondering what type of woman would vie for the affection of a complete stranger. She already had a man she thought was the one and he'd turned out to be, well, not.

  The announcer interviewed a woman who looked like she spent way too much time in tanning booths. “Christina, tell me what you're looking for in a man.”

  “I want a man who will put me above everything else.”

  “Good luck with that one,” Kat grumbled and turned off the TV. Her stomach ached and she dragged herself up off the couch to find something to eat. After deciding which box of frozen pasta looked the least unappetizing, she popped it in the microwave and then warmed water for tea.

  During the past year she'd had a lot of time to think about her life, or lack thereof. Frozen entrees for lunch and dinner. One pot of coffee minimum for breakfast every morning. Week after week she did the same routine, surviving life instead of living it. After the thrill of finding Tommy and returning him to his mother, Kat didn't want to be that person any longer.

  She wanted to live life and, damn it, she didn't want to do it alone.

  Her thoughts drifted to Spencer. He used to cook the most extravagant meals in that ultimate dream kitchen of his. Kat glanced around her tiny kitchen and let out a sulky sigh. They wouldn't even fit in this kitchen at the same time, let alone have enough room to cook a meal together. Well, he'd cook. She'd watch the master at work and fall in love with him even more.

  This sucked. Why would she still be in love with him after everything he'd put her through? She was a glutton for punishment. That had to be it. One look from him, one kiss, and she couldn't wait to jump back in with both feet. She'd end up living at his house more than her apartment again and actually looked forward to it. Not only would she wake up in Spencer's arms every morning, she'd be in a place she could actually make into a home.

  Spencer had the most beautiful house residing on an eastside Olympia inlet. Kat used to dream of their future together and it always involved that huge house full of windows facing the water. It would be like paradise raising children there. She'd lecture them to stay off the docks and away from daddy's new boat, to not run with scissors, and all of the other motherly things she'd earn the right to say since mothers did earn those things and hers never missed a chance to wield that power.

  Her mother took every opportunity to lecture her on still being single. “You aren't getting any younger,” she'd tell Kat. “You're little brother Bobby already has four kids.”

  Well, good for him. He also had a perpetually pregnant wife. A few more kids and they could start their own r
eality show.

  And what did she have? A stubborn man who wouldn't even tell her everything he did for a living. She knew so little about him. He'd lost his father at thirteen but wouldn't tell her how. He had dinner with his mother at least twice a month but had never invited Kat to join them. He clearly had money judging by the size of that enormous house and boat he had docked in front of it, yet he didn't flaunt it. When he wasn't saving the world as a TREX agent, he was on his boat. He'd fish. He'd just drive. It didn't matter. The man loved to be on the water, which explained why he had a house right next to a giant inlet.

  Other than that, she knew practically nothing about him. Oh, except the fact that he didn't want a future with her.

  She refused to go through that disappointment again. He'd never change, which meant she had to. She couldn't wait around for Spencer to make up his mind about her. She loved him. She always would. But it was time to move on. At twenty-eight years old, she wanted to have at least started her family by now. She would have to find a husband first. Or at least a man willing to be a father.

  Spencer refused to talk about being either.

  Kat thought again about getting a dog. At least then something would be happy to see her when she came home. But dogs were such maintenance and with her schedule, she may be gone for days at a time. Besides, her apartment complex didn't allow pets.

  The microwave beeped and she opened the door, her mind consumed with what Spencer had said to her in the back of the Com Van.

  No more denying ourselves. Well, here she was ready, willing, and definitely able. Apparently he'd changed his mind. Yet another sign that loving this man was a ridiculous waste of effort.

  Kat poured water into her cup and then bobbed the teabag as she stared off into the distance, fighting to keep her eyes open. Not even thoughts of a sexy TREX agent could ward off job exhaustion.

  When a knock on the door echoed through her apartment she jerked and tipped her cup, spilling the steaming tea into her pasta. She grabbed for a towel but the knock sounded again, this time louder. She held the towel in her hand and went to the door, threw it open, and took a breath to tell the intruder to go away.

  Shock and amazement stunned her into silence at the sight. Spencer stood there, his eyes dancing wickedly. He didn't speak. He didn't blink. He simply stared at her, his hungry gaze darkening as he raked it across her face, and then slowly let it slide down her body. His full lips lifted into a lazy curl.

  “You look...”

  She fought the urge to cover herself. With her plaid flannel pajama bottoms and baggy t-shirt she'd thrown on after her shower, she knew exactly how she looked. The thin material did nothing to hide her nipples as they poked against the material. Spencer's gaze rested on the hard little peaks, causing them to pucker and ache. She wanted his mouth on them. Now.

  “Like hell, I know.”

  Shaking his head, he let out an audible growl. His eyes glittered as he assessed her and stepped inside. “Oh, contraire. You look so damn good it hurts. And I'm dying here, Kathryn. You're killing me.”

  Oh God. The way the ardent need turned his eyes almost black sent waves of trembling desire right to her pussy, drenching her lips. She squeezed her thighs together to try and relieve some of the ache. That look relentlessly attacked her senses, rendering her helpless to do anything but to stand there and stare back at him.

  Their gazes met. Her own hunger built in her body, raging like a violent fire trapped in a burning building, searching for an escape. She fought to not jump into his arms, to give into the desperate arousal pulsing through her system. “You're late.”

  “I know.” Spencer took the two steps needed to pull her into his arms and slanted his lips over hers all in the same motion. He kicked the door closed behind him without breaking their contact.

  Dropping the towel as well as her resolve, she wrapped her arms around his neck and arched toward him. She had to get closer, had to feel the hardness of his chest against hers, the feel of his coarse hair scraping her nipples and driving her crazy.

  Her need to taste him, to have him touch her and relieve the ache that had consumed her for the past year, took control. Attempting a breath only opened her mouth to him. His tongue invaded, teasing and exploring, and pulled a heated moan from her.

  He explored every inch of her mouth before moving onto her jaw and settling on the tender spot behind her ear. Sweet chills dusted her skin, tickling her, arousing her more. She shuddered and pushed up against him, her nipples angry in their need to be touched and teased.

  “You taste even better than I remember, my sweet baby.” The heated moisture of his breath sent her skin humming as a shiver of arousal ripped through her body. Having this man touch her like this, searing her with his kiss, made the past year disappear.

  He snuck his hands beneath her top and ran his fingers along the small of her back. Debilitating chills washed over her when he pulled the top up and over her head.

  “Beautiful,” he rasped. The tremor in his voice vibrated across her senses and twisted straight to her core. When he lowered his head and covered an aching nipple with his lips her head fell back and she moaned.

  She loved how he scraped his teeth across her hardened flesh. He took it to a whole new level as he nipped at the bud, then blew on it, before consuming it. His lips surrounded her nipple and he sucked greedily, pulling another moan from her.

  “The other. Don't you dare start playing favorites now.”

  He dove in, feasting on her other breast like a starving man.

  Oh, dear God. He was really good at that. His touch blasted erotic surges straight to her throbbing, sensitive sex. She reached for his chest, needing to touch him. “I didn't think you'd come.”

  His resonating chuckle sent her juices loose like a tidal wave, flowing freely and drenching her panties. “I'm not there yet, baby. You first.”

  She could handle that. She needed to come, to drive this tormenting ache from her body. One blinding orgasm, and then when he left her again it might not destroy her.

  His lips found hers once more. The blistering need coursing through her exploded when his tongue thrust in and out of her mouth, mimicking the motion she wanted him to do with the rock hard cock pushing up against her stomach.

  Each brush of his tongue against hers shot scorching bolts straight to her already drowning pussy. Weaving her fingers into his thick hair, she held him to her. Her knees wobbled when he sucked in her bottom lip and teased it by gently biting down. He then licked and kissed her lips, melding them together and devouring her.

  Kat had to have him. Now. She'd die if he didn't take her into the bedroom and attack her body with insatiable need. Desperation fueled her kiss. Her lips met his in a demand that matched his, possibly surpassed it.

  She jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his lean hips. He stumbled back against the door and held her to him, a rough growl rumbling deep in the base of his throat. “Holy shit, woman.”

  “Shut up and kiss me.” She'd never been this aggressive during sex. Ever. She did what Spencer wanted, when he wanted it, and never deviated. But a year of waiting, of aching, had her wrought with a desire so violent she didn't know if she'd survive to take another breath. It was high time she started making a few demands of her own.

  He devoured her lips with his as he stepped away from the door and carried them toward the bedroom. They slammed into the hallway wall and both laughed. He pulled them away from the wall only to rebound off the other side. They laughed again as they moved down the hall, bouncing around like a frenzied pinball in fast forward, still stealing quick, heated kisses from each other the whole time.

  She lowered her legs to the floor and unfastened his jeans. His torrid cock sprang out, heavy and fully engorged. She wrapped her hand around his hard flesh and squeezed, knowing what it did to him. “Do you like that?”

  “Ah, Jesus,” he groaned and dove for her ear, biting her lobe.

  Her pussy pulsated to be filled by
him. He increased the intensity of their kiss, growling as he untied her pj bottoms. She yanked his jeans down to his knees, followed by his boxers.

  He hopped to stay connected with her lips. Another giggle bubbled up inside her. Bouncing into the doorframe, almost falling several times, they made it to the bedroom. Holy Jesus, she loved their frantic need to make it to the bed.

  As part of her newfound sexual prowess, she took full advantage of the jeans around his knees and pushed him toward the bed. He didn't even fight as he fell back, landing on the mattress, the voracious look in his dark eyes attacking her senses.

  “What's gotten into you?”

  She paused, suddenly unsure. “You don't like it?”

  “I love it. Come here.”

  Kat no sooner tumbled to the bed than he had them both naked. He kissed her tummy and trailed his tongue down, circled her navel, and then continued. Her breath quickened when he dragged his tongue up the inner part of her thigh. He used his thumbs to open her lower lips, exposing herself completely to him. When he lowered his mouth and hovered right over her eager clit, she stiffened in anticipation and fisted the sheets.

  He drew in a deep breath. “Holy Jesus, baby. I can't believe how wet you are. I can smell how much you want me.”

  Sharp chills swept across her flesh. “Stop talking.”

  He flicked his gaze up to her, a wicked, gleam in his eye. “Don't you want to prolong this?”

  “What do you think?” She rocked her hips in an attempt to meet him halfway.

  His chuckle shook the room. And still he didn't attack. Instead he dropped his gaze back to her aching pussy. Slowly, so damn slowly, he traced the curve of her lips with his finger, mixing her juices around. Damn him. He tormented her on purpose and it made her even hotter, fraught in her need for him to touch her. She reached for him but he easily moved her hands away.

  “I think I need to teach you a lesson.”