Code Name: Ghost

by Natasza Waters

  His thumb stroked her nipple with perfect pressure, and a sizzling line of pleasure made her wetter as her nipples peaked with his touch. “I can’t,” she breathed, deciding she better fess up.

  A rumble of laughter rolled through his powerful chest. He hovered over her, his strength demanding she submit. Teasing her sex over her panties, the ache bit deep inside her. The sensual touch of his fingers dipped behind her lace, slipping into her wetness, caressing her. “Let go, baby,” he whispered.

  Her lips parted watching him. Like a wicked spell breaking, finally freed from her prison, she knew she’d always be safe in his arms.

  He swayed his head. “I’m going to wipe every other man’s touch from your soul, and leave only mine.” Leaning over, he kissed her stomach, feathering her skin down to her moist nub and drew it between his lips. His touch was the most erotic she’d ever known, and her body melted in his hands and with his words.

  Thane pulled away, taut muscle roping from his hips to his hardened shaft. Her chest rose and fell with deep pants. Another ache squeezed her channel. She moistened her lips, and ran her tongue up the length of him, filling her mouth with his flesh.

  Thane’s body shuddered. “God, you have such a sweet mouth,” he groaned, his head falling back as she took more of him in, her hand weaving between his fingers. His abs compressed into smooth marble under her touch. Moans of pleasure grew from both of them, but suddenly he pulled back. Kneeling down he palmed her cheeks, kissing her as if he was in a fevered delirium.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked, searching her eyes to make sure it was the truth.

  She nodded. He took command of her body, and she released her inhibitions and her control to him.

  “Baby, roll over onto your hands and knees. I wanna rock your world.”

  His palm gently rounded her ass slipping her panties down her legs. Sliding his long fingers into her channel, he stroked her to a heady, sensual place. Her arms wanted to give out on her with the sensations coursing through her. Cries of pleasure fell from her lips one after the other, and she couldn’t stop them. He freed her body and set her afloat in a sea of sensations.

  Lying on his back, he slid between her legs. Watching him suck and lick her turned her desire into a flash fire, and she cried out.

  “Do you like that?” he asked, sweeping his finger in and out of her slowly.

  “That feels so gloriously good,” she panted. His tongue flicked against her hardened nub, and he kissed the very tip, teasing it, stealing her breath. Two fingers slipped inside her and she clutched at them with her muscles, her body vibrating. Her senses spiked into overdrive with this amazing man making love to her.

  “Trust me, Kayla,” he whispered. “Relax,” and he bit her thigh gently.

  And she did. Guiding her through the night, loving her over and over again, and making her feel things she’d never thought possible, the Commander proved why he was in command in all ways.

  They napped tangled in each other’s arms, but need woke them. Thane worshiped her body until the wee hours of the morning when his restraint finally broke and he took her to new heights in a slow sensual burn until he came inside her with so much force his body erupted with convulsions, crushing hers with his strength.

  * * * *

  The sun peeked through the trees and cut a beam of light into the bedroom, it roused her, and she opened her eyes to see Thane gazing down at her with his head propped in his palm. Her lips were raw from his kisses, her body sore, but she didn’t complain because the warm, lazy feeling inside her was all worth it. They didn’t speak, instead he talked to her with his touch, his message loving and seductive.

  Later, he brought her a cloth, holding the wet warmth against her soreness, soothing her, and kissing her the entire time. How could this be the same man she’d known for months, but hadn’t really known at all? He was supposed to be a warrior, hard and unemotional.

  When he slid back into bed, he immediately pulled her close. Thane’s hands intrigued her, and she twined her fingers through his, brushing his callused palm, following the angles and lines, imagining the violence and struggle they’d endured, the lives they’d taken and the ones they’d protected. “Now, a memory of me will be here as well,” she whispered to herself, deep in her thoughts.

  His other hand wrapped around hers, pulling her attention back to him. “Sweetheart?”

  “Hmm.”

  “You’re more than a memory,” he said, raising her arm and kissing the soft underside of it, tickling her.

  She strained to pull away, but that was about as stupid as trying to blow the Empire State Building over with a sneeze. “Commander, stop.” She fought like crazy, laughing at the same time. “Commander—”

  “We’ve gotta work on that self-defense,” releasing her before she went nuts. Sliding off the bed, he knelt down and folded his massive tanned arms on the sheets beside her. He gazed at her as if seeing her for the first time. Weaving his fingers through her hair, which must have been a tussled mess, he said, “Coffee?” and grinned at her.

  She propped her head in her palm. “How are we supposed to sleep with coffee?”

  “Who said anything about sleep,” his grin widening.

  “Comm…” he pressed one finger to her lips.

  “Thane, my name is Thane, and I love when you say it. I love everything about you. I wanted to prove that to you.”

  She shook her head and gave him a sad smile. “Don’t.”

  A look akin to hurt crossed his features.

  “You can’t stop him, and I’m not going to let you keep protecting me.” She glanced around his large, cleanly styled bedroom—a man’s bedroom, with heavy wood accents and sparse decoration. A built-in bookshelf filled with books told her he liked to read when given the chance. His walk-in closet door sat ajar and she could see he kept it as neat as a pin. Hers was already overflowing and stuffed to the brim.

  “Kayla, look at me.”

  She didn’t want to because she knew he was going to try and convince her to hang on, be brave, and everything would be alright, but it couldn’t be. The soft pillow folded around her cheek as she turned on her side curling her legs under the sheets. Violence had always been in her life, and the worst was yet to come. These special moments with Thane were a reprieve, a small breath while fate looked the other way.

  “Kayla, I know how to kill a man. You’ll never have to live in fear that one day he’ll be free.”

  “I don’t want you to do that.” She didn’t want him anywhere near the Blood Shark. “That psychotic bastard tried to kill you last night.”

  “I know, and he’s not getting another chance. Taking that risk means he’s unraveling. We’ve got him, we just have to wait.”

  Leaning over, she kissed the top of his hand. Slowly he released the sheet he’d bunched into his palm.

  “I’m not leaving you until this is over.” Her eyes flashed up to his, and he gave his head a quick jerk, a silly smile breaking out. “I always say the wrong thing to you.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “You’re such a little woman, but I think I’m scared of you.”

  “What?” she blurted, laughing at the same time.

  “It’s true,” he said, a grin puckering his cheeks. “On the first day I saw you, you shook everything I believed in to rubble.” His thumb brushed her lips tenderly, and she folded her palm around it.

  He killed men for a living, had the nerves of Superman, yet he was nervous around her. Yeah, right! “Get outta here,” she scoffed and rolled onto her back. He sat on the edge of the bed and propped his arm across her, sliding his hand along her hip. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked down at her with a day’s worth of shadow on his rugged features. It made him look a little scruffy and a lot of sexy. If she had a lifetime with him, she’d never get tired of looking into his eyes.

  “In fact it’s so true I want you to have this.” He reached over to the side table and opened the top drawer, drawing a chain out of it. Clasping it ar
ound her neck, his finger followed each link, stopping for a moment on the pendant and then he looked at her with so much meaning it stilled her heart.

  She dropped her eyes to the cool metal sitting between her breasts. “Commander, no!” She reached up to touch his trident, and felt a tremor of awe pulse through her. “Comm…” His brows shot up. “Thane…” He cut her off with a long kiss. The man certainly knew how to wipe her mind of any logical thoughts. Once his lips parted from hers, she had to put the pieces back together and start again.

  “I want you to remember me as deeply as I will always remember you,” he whispered against her lips.

  “I don’t need your trident for that. I can’t accept this.” She tried to pull it off but he stilled her hand. “Commander, please—you need to give this to someone special.”

  “I just did.” His hands tangled in her curls. “Say you’ll always wear it, and I’ll always be with you.”

  Her heart constricted, seeing her breasts pressed against his chest, the trident caught between their hearts. “Commander, I—” She stopped herself before the words slipped out. Words like he was her hero, her strength, how much she trusted him. All the words he needed to hear, but not from her. He searched her face, and she knew he was trying to read her mind again.

  A grin slipped across his expression as if satisfied with what he saw. “Now, breakfast?” he suggested, leaning back. “And then we’re going for a long drive.”

  “Where?” And why was he doing this?

  “We’ll keep driving until we feel like stopping.” A quick kiss on her cheek and a lingering one on her lips removed any argument. “Maybe we should keep going, and never come back.” He smiled down at her. “We’ll stop for food and to make love. We’ll put four tires on the highway and follow the yellow lines until the end.”

  Cupping her hands around his strong jaw, she nodded. He sounded wishful, as if it was what he wanted, too. As if he needed to run away as much as she did. “That’s a sweet thought, but we’re going to end up in Canada,” she stated with a serious tone.

  “Then we’ll end up in Canada.”

  “I can’t. There’s a wanted poster out for me.”

  “What?”

  Her lips tightened trying not to laugh seeing he believed her.

  “You’re bad.”

  From the corner of her eye, something or someone flashed past the window and she tensed. Thane’s attention shot to the window as did hers, and they both bolted upright.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “What was it?”

  Kayla scrambled from the bed, and Thane caught her around the waist and drew her to the wall behind him. “Someone, I don’t know, but definitely someone.”

  “Wait here.”

  “No.”

  “Do what I say,” he ordered sharply.

  Her skin rippled with goose bumps, her heart beating fast. “No, you don’t have the team to back you up.”

  He slid along the wall to peer out the window. Scooping at the ground, Thane grabbed his pants and yanked them onto his legs. “Take the phone and go in my bathroom and lock the door.” He pinned her with a “don’t argue” look.

  “No way,” she spit back, and grabbed his shirt throwing it across her shoulders. He snatched the weapon laying on the night table into his hand. A cool wind swept past her as he closed the door behind him.

  He whirled around when she cracked the door and caught up to him in the hallway.

  “Kayla, get in the goddamn bathroom.”

  “Get moving.”

  “Jesus Christ, woman.” He snatched her hand into his muttering, “Spending the rest of my life with you is going to drive me to drinking.”

  She blinked, but before she could think, he was yanking her behind him.

  Following him through the house, he stopped at the patio door, his eyes searching. The sun had broken over the trees and filled the backyard with early light. She darted a look at the kitchen clock above the sink. Seven-thirty.

  Thane cracked the door quietly. “Not one foot outside,” he warned, and slipped through it.

  She kept her eyes glued to him for as long as she could, but when he disappeared from her view, her heart started to bang in her chest. Skirting the wall, she darted across the house to the front window. The street was empty except for a city truck parked in front. A dog yapped from next door followed by a quick shout. It wasn’t Thane. Oh, God. She flew out the front door and around the house. Thane’s muscled arm coiled around a young guy’s throat, ready to snap his neck.

  “Thane, no!” she yelled. The man’s blonde bangs covered one eye, but not the terror in them. He tried to break Thane’s lock on his throat, but it looked more like a fish flapping helplessly.

  “Lady,” he squeaked, his air almost cut off. “Help.”

  “Thane, let go,” she shouted at him. “He’s not the Shark.” The deadly fury burning in Thane’s eyes frightened her. It was like his soul had flown away. “Thane,” she yelled at the top of her lungs. She breathed out, seeing him relax his grip.

  “Who are you?” he growled, frightening the kid even more.

  “Water…” he coughed, and yanked himself away, only because Thane let him. “Work for water, the county.”

  Oh, no.

  “You’re not Jordan,” Thane barked at him.

  “No,” he said messaging his throat. “I’m Rick. Jordan’s on vacation. Jesus! What the hell’s the matter with you, man?”

  Thane’s deadly gaze diminished as he realized he’d almost killed a city worker. “Sorry, Rick.” He jerked his head. “Thought you were a serial killer.”

  “A what?” Forehead wrinkling, he backed away, putting more distance between them.

  Kayla approached, the grass cool and dewy under her feet. “Can I get you some water, Rick?”

  “You people are crazy.”

  She held her hand up, but Rick was already hoofing it toward his truck, shoulder-checking at the same time. Her eyelids fell to half-mast as she hinged her hands on her hips. “You almost killed the meter reader, Commander.”

  “Well, they should tell me if they’re gonna change personnel,” he snapped, thrusting his arm out angrily.

  She burst out laughing at him. “You’re the Commander of a naval base, not the city. God, you can be pompous.”

  His eyes narrowed with a wicked glint. He lunged for her and she high-tailed it away from him. Laughing, she ran through the front door where he caught up to her. She heard Thane close the door behind her, but the drumming in her heart drowned everything else out. Her breath caught in her throat, and then a scream shot from her mouth without warning. Scrambling backwards, she thrust herself against Thane.

  Pierced in the middle of the wooden coffee table, a twelve-inch knife was stuck through the middle of what could only be a human heart. Fresh blood pooled around it as if she had just been murdered. The Shark was here only seconds ago, and only seconds ago she’d left the house.

  “Kay—”

  Thane’s arms cinched around her. She couldn’t take her eyes off it until he yanked her behind him. The garage door sat open, blocking their view, and the coppery smell of blood filled her nose.

  He launched across the opening to the garage and swept the weapon in front of him. “Stay there, Kayla,” he warned, and disappeared from her view.

  Her body had never been so cold. Ice coated her spine making her legs heavy and her heart slow to a deadly low thump, but she took a step anyway. “Oh—my—God.” Blood, so much blood and torn flesh, her tongue dried with the sight. Thane filled the doorway and slammed it closed behind him.

  He wrapped one large arm around her smothering her against his chest, then grabbed the phone. “Lieutenant Manchester, it’s Commander Thane Austen.”

  * * * *

  Never in all her years would she forget the sight of the woman splayed out on the hood of his car—never. Police, military and civilian, swarmed the house. A cup of coffee clutched between her fingers only warmed them. T
he rest of her remained cold. The team had showed up and Mace had her cradled in his arms.

  “Kayla, it’s psychological warfare. He’s trying to get off on terrorizing you, because he can’t get to you,” Mace explained.

  She jerked her head with a nod. The garage door opener clanked and began a slow growl as it drew the main door open. Turning, she saw the coroner’s vehicle backing into the driveway. Mace’s arms tightened around her, and he rested his chin on the top of her head. Everything was so brutally real now. The finger had been disturbing, but this was totally different. The Shark had been in the garage for who knew how long working on the woman—skinning her body, mutilating her while they were in the house. Her ears picked up Thane’s voice from behind her.

  “How long?” he asked Manchester.

  “She’s been dead for approximately an hour. The Shark removed the glass from the garage window and then brought the victim in through the side door.”

  “He’s unraveling fast,” Thane said. “I’m not BAU Behavior Analysis Unit but I know why he did this.”

  “You’re assumptions are probably correct. In his mind, he replaced the kill as best and close as he could to Kayla. He’s going to come up with something inventive to get to her, and he is highly intelligent,” Manchester warned.

  They both rounded the couch. Thane knelt down in front of her and took her hand. “Sweetheart, we’re going to move you to Mace’s place. He lives on the base in a military run condominium. We can secure it, watch it, and there’s no way the Shark is going to get close to you.”

  Numbness, like white noise, folded around her soul to protect itself. An eerie silence, her body’s version of the “quiet before the storm,” forged a wall between reality and her emotions. “Work, I’m late for work.” Reaching up, she clutched Thane’s trident like a talisman.

  “Kayla. Oh, Jesus.”

  Her mind told her Thane was close by, she could hear him, but he sounded so far away.

  “Please baby, hang on. It’s gonna be all right.”