Coveted Kiss (Savage Security Book 3)

by Karen Tjebben

  Tucking her hair behind her ear, she decided that she didn’t need to figure everything out right now. She would just wait and see what happened between them. She didn’t need to overthink this. Stepping up to the door, she knocked and waited.

  Jack rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he stood and grabbed a fresh t-shirt. “Come in,” he called, hoping it was Bella. If it wasn’t her, he’d hunt her down before he left. No way was he leaving without seeing her.

  Bella opened the door and stepped into the office. Jack’s arms were raised as he pulled a t-shirt over his head. At the sight of his bare chest, her heart raced as heat flooded her. She’d never seen him with his shirt off. His pecs and abs were clearly defined by hard ridges of muscle. A dusting of light hair covered his pecs, and a happy trail descended from his bellybutton and disappeared into his cargo pants.

  Jack caught Bella’s heated gaze as he eased the shirt down his torso. If she didn’t stop staring at him like that he would pull his shirt off again and let her explore his body with more than just her eyes.

  Rolling his shoulders to adjust the fit of the t-shirt as he tugged on the hem, he enjoyed the lust in her eyes. “Glad you showed up,” he said.

  Heat flushed Bella’s face as she ripped her gaze from his broad chest and focused on his eyes. His smirk only embarrassed her more. He’d caught her ogling him like a horny teenager who’d never seen a hot man before.

  She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and bit, unsure of what to say. I never knew what a rockin’ bod you have just didn’t seem appropriate, so she went with, “Yeah,” as she fiddled with the laptop in her hands. “Mike said you’d be leaving soon. Thought I’d say goodbye.” She inwardly groaned at her lame response. At least she hadn’t told him to be careful.

  She looked so uncomfortable standing there, like she didn’t know what to do. He hated the insecurity in her eyes and the tense rigidity in her face. Bella was a woman who should never feel insecure or unsure of her talents and abilities. He did the only thing he knew to do.

  Never breaking eye contact, he walked to her and eased the laptop out of her hands and set it on his desk. Then, standing in front of her, he slid his hands gently over her cheeks. He hated the purpling bruises around her eye and cheek. He wanted to make Eric look a thousand times worse than she did, but he wouldn’t get that pleasure. Instead, he’d have to settle for the pleasure of Bella’s touch and taste.

  When his fingers brushed over her cheeks and threaded into her hair, Bella’s heart rate soared. She stood there, staring back into his eyes as his lips descended towards her. Ever so gently, he brushed a kiss to her swollen eye and then over her bruised cheek. The tenderness in his touch melted her heart and rocked her to her core. As his warm breath gently puffed against her face, she reached out and gripped his shirt at his waist. He adjusted his stance, and his tongue slid along the seam of her mouth. She closed her eyes and relished the tsunami of feelings that flooded her. She let go of her fear, of her concerns for how this may affect her at work, and she opened her mouth to him.

  Jack eased the tip of his tongue along her lips and then gently explored her mouth, rubbing the tip of his tongue against hers. He made sure every movement was gentle so that he wouldn’t hurt her battered body.

  Stepping closer, he brought his body flush with hers as he explored her mouth. She tasted sweet, like chocolate and soda. One of her hands settled on his chest, and her other hand wrapped around his waist. The heat from her hands ignited his blood and sent it racing through his body like lava. His cock strained against the tight cotton fabric of his boxer briefs. And when she moaned, he deepened the kiss.

  Pressing her palm against his chest, the racing beat of his heart thrilled her. Exploring his firm chest with her hand, his nipple hardened as her nail scraped over it through his shirt, and in jealousy, her nipples hardened in response. How would Jack touch her? Would he gently caress her, roll her nipple between his fingers as he tugged, or would he nip at her? She splayed her other hand along his abs and felt them tense through his t-shirt as she toyed with his nipple.

  Jack moved one hand out of her hair and ran it down her spine, gently pulling her closer. Needing to feel her, he rocked his hips into her and angled her head up to deepen the kiss. She gasped and winced at the new position.

  Jack pulled away and brushed a thumb over her chin. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He was an ass. Here she was, beaten up and sore and he was pawing at her like a horny teenager.

  As much as she was enjoying the intimacy, the new position had craned her neck and pulled on her ribs. Bella’s chest heaved as she ran her fingertips down his chest and stopped on his waist. She noted the bulge in his pants. He was as turned on as she was, and as much as she liked that, it made her nervous. “That’s all right,” she replied and brushed her hand over her neck. “My ribs are still sore, too.”

  “I’m sorry. I got carried away.” He’d wanted her for so long that his mind shut down and he let his sex drive take over when she was in his arms. It was a place that he wanted her often.

  Bella shrugged one shoulder and gave a weak smile. “Me, too.” She swallowed, hating the slight pain that spread through her throat at the movement. She wasn’t in any shape to let her desires take control, and she’d certainly egged him on by the way she touched his body. She’d done nothing to dissuade him.

  Jack’s hands traveled down the outsides of Bella’s arms and stopped on her waist. “It’s just that I’ve wanted to kiss you for so long.” He paused and smirked. “It was nice.”

  Nice? Her heart still pounded in her chest, practically slamming into the ribs that were bruised by Jack’s life-saving talents. “Yeah,” she replied lamely, but it didn’t affect his smile. Her body thrummed with desire, yet she didn’t have a clue what to say to him. “Do you know when you’ll get back?” she asked, taking the focus off their kiss. She needed to get it together.

  He shook his head. “No. It shouldn’t take too long. Maybe a few hours.” He wanted to kiss her again, re-enter that state of absolute bliss when she’d pressed herself against him and moaned into his mouth. “Try to get some rest while I’m gone.”

  She nodded and said, “Be careful.” She was an idiot for spewing out those lame words.

  He chuckled. “You’ve never said that to me before. Does that mean you care?” He cocked his head to the side and gave her a cocky smile.

  She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’ve always cared.” That was true. She’d always cared about the guys at work, but her feelings were shifting in regards to Jack. She was starting to care a little more.

  “Good to know.” He leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss along her lips. Then he turned and grabbed his Glock off his desk. “Don’t get into trouble while I’m gone,” he teased.

  “Wouldn’t think of it.”

  He gave her another smile and then headed out the door. She didn’t want to stare at him like some needy puppy as he made his way down the hall, so she shut the door behind him and grabbed her laptop off his desk. She was in the mood for a romantic comedy.

  29

  Mike and Jack went over the necessary information as they made their way to Aditya’s hotel. Logan sat in the backseat of the truck. Nerves rattled him, making acid burn in his chest. He had no idea what he’d discover in Aditya’s hotel room. Would there be information on him? Information on the team?

  Mike glaced at Logan through the rearview mirror. He knew it would be hard for Logan to see Aditya’s stuff, perhaps even plans that discussed him, but Logan would survive. No one understood why she hadn’t killed Logan when everything hit the fan. Perhaps she had true feelings for him.

  They walked around the back of the truck and headed towards the hotel. Mike glanced around the parking lot. A lot of minivans and some nicer sedans dotted the lot. The hotel was several stories high with nice flower beds along the perimeter while taller trees provided shade for the parking lot.

  “You got the ma
nager’s name?” Mike asked, turning his head to look at Logan.

  “Yeah, his name is Tom Stevens,” Logan replied. “He’s expecting us.”

  “Good.” They approached the entrance, and the automatic sliding doors opened. Stepping through the second set of doors, they entered the lobby. The concierge desk was straight ahead.

  As they made their way to the desk, a man headed them off and stuck out a hand.

  “Hello, I’m Tom Stevens. The manager,” he added. He’d been nervous when he got the call from Savage Security regarding a guest at the hotel. Nothing like this had happened at any of the hotels he was familiar with, so he went online to view the security agents’ profile pictures to ensure that he’d recognize them when they entered. His first instinct had been to try to prevent them from searching the hotel room without a warrant, but when he learned that the guest was dead and time could be an issue, he’d decided to let them in. It also didn’t hurt that he’d received a phone call from Captain Wallace with the Department of Defense.

  Jack took the man’s hand and gave him a firm shake as he introduced himself. He’d guess Mr. Stevens was in his late 30s. A bald spot on the crown of his head was ringed with short brown hair. It reminded Jack of a friar or monk from an old Disney movie he’d seen as a kid. The man was short. He’d guess around 5 feet 6 inches with a slight frame and pale skin.

  “I’m Mike Lewis. Thank you for agreeing to help us. This is Logan Murphy.” He motioned towards Logan.

  Jack gave a welcoming head nod and introduced himself.

  “Of course,” Tom said, shaking Logan’s hand. “This is highly unusual, but since the guest is dead, the hotel is happy to work with law enforcement.” He knew the Carrisburg Police Officers would show up next, but the men in front of him looked like former military. “Follow me,” Tom said with a flick of his hand as he headed to the elevators. He pushed the call button and looked at the men again.

  Mike eased his lips into a subtle smile as Mr. Stevens looked at him. It was obvious that Mr. Stevens was nervous. This kind of thing didn’t happen very often.

  The elevator doors opened and the men stepped in. Tom hit the correct floor number and said, “I’ll need to stay in the room with you. The police officers are on their way over.” His gut churned. He’d popped a few antacids, but they weren’t cutting it. He knew what he needed to say to the men, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to enforce it. By the looks of these men, they didn’t take orders. They gave them.

  Mr. Stevens cleared his throat and said, “The hotel asks that you do not remove anything from Ms. Chopra’s room, but you may take pictures.”

  Jack nodded. “That’s what we’ve been told.” If Aditya was still alive, Jack knew they wouldn’t be allowed into the room, but since she was dead and no one was going to trial, they were given permission to search for information only. The police would arrive soon with a warrant in case any information on other people was discovered that could lead to a trial.

  The elevator stopped and the men filed out. Mr. Stevens led them down the hallway and stopped outside Aditya’s room. “This is it,” he said, putting his key card to the door sensor. The light turned green, and he pushed open the door.

  Mike and Jack walked in first, letting their eyes rove over the room. She’d kept her place neat. The kitchenette area was free of clutter. The sitting area appeared to have been straightened. The television remote sat on the corner of the coffee table with the descriptor list of channels under it.

  “Has housekeeping been in here since yesterday morning?” Jack asked, facing Mr. Stevens.

  Tom was glad he’d checked on that. “Yes, housekeeping straightened the room yesterday morning. They were due to work in here this morning, but I cancelled their cleaning when I learned of Ms. Chopra’s death.” Was that the best way to describe what happened to her? Death instead of suicide? At least he didn’t have a murdered guest on his hands, or a dead body in his hotel.

  Mike nodded and walked to the refrigerator. Pulling the door open, he spied some bottled waters, a few yogurts, and a six-pack of soda. She obviously didn’t eat much at the hotel.

  Logan walked to the desk area and sat. Letting his fingertips graze over her computer, he was nervous about what he’d find in there. What kind of information did she have on them… on him?

  Jack wandered to the doorway that led into the bedroom. “I’ll check out the room,” he said over his shoulder. The bed was made, which didn’t surprise him since housekeeping had been in. Walking to the dresser, he opened the first drawer. Some jeans and shirts were folded neatly. He carefully sifted through the clothes, looking for anything that would give them insight about her.

  Mike wandered into the bathroom off the bedroom to see what else he could learn. He knew the most important stuff would be on her computer, which Logan was hacking into. Logan would copy everything from her computer and then take it back to Savage Security to methodically sift through.

  Tom stood in the doorway between the living area and the bedroom. He didn’t want to take his eyes off any of the men. He didn’t want the hatchet to fall on his neck if it was discovered that they’d stolen something. And it bothered him that he couldn’t see the one that just walked into the bathroom. There was no perfect spectating spot. He wished the police would arrive. He was ready to give them control of the room and let them deal with the hassle of the men from Savage Security.

  Mike rummaged through her toiletries bag that lay on the bathroom counter. No illegal drugs were present. He didn’t find any prescription medications either. The lone drug of choice was the ibuprofen. Popping off the top, Mike confirmed that only ibuprofen was in the bottle.

  Jack opened the closet in the bedroom. It was mostly empty, a few blouses hung on hangers and a lone suitcase stood in the corner. He grabbed it by the handle and tossed it onto the bed. The zipper hummed as he pulled it around the edge of the black suitcase. Gripping the side, he tossed open the cover. It was mostly empty, except for a black abaya and niqab. Jack clutched the fabric in his hand and held it up. “Look what I found,” he said.

  Mike popped his head into the doorway from the bathroom. Anger churned in his gut when he saw the garments. She’d worn those the day she killed Lieutenant Shaw. ‘Hmm,’ Mike grunted.

  Logan stepped around Tom into the bedroom. “What did you find?” This situation still felt surreal to him, like he was watching someone else’s life. During his time in the military, he was always in a room full of computers surrounded by people making decisions. He didn’t have the battlefield experience that the others from Savage Security had, so being attacked, especially in his home, hadn’t felt like a valid concern before. He was still struggling to deal with the harsh reality that crashed down on him.

  Logan took the few steps to Jack and took the soft cotton fabric out of Jack’s hand. He’d been staring at Aditya’s grainy eyes behind that niqab for hours while going over the security tapes. He’d watched her walk away from the hotel wearing those clothes as a damn mask. A mask that was completely normal in that society. She’d been invisible in those clothes. Logan scrunched up the clothes and tossed them back into the suitcase. With a huff, he left the room.

  Tom wanted to ask why the clothes were significant because they obviously meant something to the men, but he just stood there. He glanced at his watch again, willing the police to get there faster.

  A zippered section was sewn into the cover of the suitcase. Jack had noticed a sliding sound when he’d flipped the top onto the bedcover. Stepping to the side nearest to the zippered pouch, he unzipped it. Peeking into the dark section, he noticed something inside. Sliding his hand into the pouch, he pulled out a small book.

  The cover was bright and cheery and said, “Just Me and My BFF!” He flipped open the cover and realized it was a small photo album. “I got something,” he said, waving the book in the air for Mike to see.

  Logan heard Jack’s comment, but he didn’t want to see any more. Digging through the information o
n the computer would be hard enough. Besides, he knew he’d eventually see what Jack had found, so he continued to transfer information from her computer to his portable memory drive.

  Mike crossed the room and stood beside Jack. The first photo was of three young women. Aditya and her twin, Riya, stood on each side of another Indian girl. He’d guess the women to be around twenty in the photo. Aditya and Riya looked nearly identical, except for the tiny mole high on Riya’s cheek. The one in the middle was several inches taller than the twins, but all three women radiated happiness.

  Jack flipped the page to the next photo. This was another shot of the same three women at an amusement park wearing old-time Western clothes resembling saloon girls in a back-in-time photo. He flipped again and again. The book was full of photos of the Aditya, Riya, and the mystery woman.

  “We need to figure out who she is,” Mike said, pointing to the unknown woman.

  Jack nodded. Aditya traveled light, but the photo album was obviously important since she’d kept it with her. “Logan can run her picture through the facial recognition program. If she’s got a driver’s license, she should be easy to find.”

  The moment Tom had been waiting for arrived when one of his front desk agents opened the room door and escorted police officers into the room. Reaching out his hand, Tom exchanged greetings with the officers.

  Detective Hal Webb had a sick feeling in his gut. The fact that men from a private security company were allowed into the victim’s hotel room pissed him off. And getting a glance at the hotel manager, Tom Stevens, he knew there was nothing Mr. Stevens could do to stop the Savage Security agents from messing with evidence if they wanted to. But he knew not to rock the boat when the powers that be, whoever the hell they were, gave a demand. And the demand he’d received was to work with the security company agents.