She shook her head and tried to clear the unwanted thoughts from her brain. How he treated his kid was none of her business. This didn’t amount to a love affair. Their time together centered on waiting out a threat, and possibly running from one, and sex. Boredom-burning, don’t-overanalyze-it sex.
And to get back to the mindless pleasure of that she needed him to step off guard duty. “No one is coming in without you knowing. Not on foot.”
He leaned his head back against the cabin wall and rubbed his eyes. “We can’t be sure.”
The man was losing it. “You’re the one who told me that.” She patted her hand against the hard floor. “Come here.”
He dropped his hand to his side and looked over at her. “I need to focus.”
She expected a haze. She got an unwavering stare. One that told her his mind had been on something other than a potential attacker. “You can’t do that here by the couch?”
“Not if I’m sitting with you.”
Big tough guy wanted sex and was determined to deny it. She’d dealt with cocky assholes her entire career. Guys who thought every word and every explanation they gave came dipped in gold. Seeing Gabe fight his attraction while trying to keep her safe turned out to be pretty endearing.
She didn’t do sweet or long. The last time a guy made a move to switch from convenient sex to something that included dinners and movies she cut him off. That was the right answer. Always the right answer. You stayed safe by staying smart. But the idea of losing herself in him for a few more days tugged at her. She just never thought she’d have to beg for it. Gabe MacIntosh was a mystery.
Instead of saying all of that or unbuttoning her shirt, she told the truth. One she struggled to understand because the concept seemed so foreign to her. “I trust your control.”
“Don’t.”
He meant sex. The guy preached pleasure and could back up the words. “You don’t strike me as someone who loses his way.”
“Usually, no.” He slid along the wall, away from the window and moved closer to her. “You’re different.”
If he let her she’d release some of that tension that caught him in a stranglehold. “How?”
“The competence.”
Well that was . . . not interesting at all. She could almost feel something inside of her deflate. “How sexy of you to notice.”
He laughed then, rich and deep, and the sound washed through the room. “It is. Trust me.”
Enough dancing around it. “Come. Here.”
“Why?” But he was already moving, coming in closer as his eyes flashed with an intense heat.
“The tension in here is about to choke us.” Much more of this and she’d drag him to the floor with her.
“Sitting will fix that?”
Damn the man was dense today. “I will fix that.”
“Something’s off.”
“What?” Whatever the sensation, it had been pricking him since they’d been outside. He stayed calm at seeing the tracks, or the not-really-tracks, but then something changed. A snap, and his mood morphed into something dark and almost paranoid.
“It’s a feeling, really. Like danger is coming and I need to be ready.”
She waited for her instincts to kick into gear and . . . nothing. She’d been so sure at the start of all this that the answer was to run off alone and hide. Somehow start her new, boring life that she hadn’t been trained to handle. No other option made sense, and dragging someone into her mess seemed ridiculous. But here, in the cabin with him, she felt at ease. The usual panic and need to plan an exit strategy didn’t hit her.
She sensed, even with someone lurking around out there, they were safe. At least for now. Which meant she needed to concentrate on him. “You can stare at the door the whole time.”
He shook his head as a smile inched up one side of his mouth. “I know I’ve said it before, but you are so fucking tempting. You say these things and all I want to do is get you naked.”
Now they were at least talking the same language.
“Then come here and let me tempt you.” She glanced at the couch cushion then back at him. It qualified as the least subtle offer ever, and if he didn’t take it soon she’d take it off the table.
Proving he was as smart as she thought, he started moving. Slipped the rest of the way along the wall, then to the end of the couch. He put his gun on the small table, pointed away from them, as he sat down.
“Are you going to join me?” he asked, in a voice that sounded scratchier than usual.
“Soon.” She turned over and pushed up on her knees. The wood squeaked under her legs, but she ignored the sound. Gabe’s gaze held her captive. The unblinking stare. And then there was the way he ran his hand up and down her leg.
When she touched his thigh, he opened his knees and she slid between. Her fingers trailed along his sleek muscles to rest on his hips. She leaned in, and he met her halfway. Without words, their mouths met and the kiss burned through her. Just like before, the touch of his lips against hers was like being thrown in a whirlwind. Energy whipped around her and waves of excitement crashed through her.
It would be so easy to lose herself, let him take over. But she wanted to lead on this. To show him that she could envelope him in pleasure.
Before he could make a move or even say anything, she reached for his belt. The buckle clanked as she opened it and pushed the ends aside. Her fingers moved to the jeans button and slid it free from the hole. Next came the zipper. His bulge grew until, with one brush against the waistband of his briefs, his cock spilled into her hand.
“Nat, please.”
The temptation to draw this out, make him wait, pushed her. But she wanted this as much as he did. Lowering her head, she took him in her mouth. The first few inches slid between her lips as her hand moved up and down along his length. She lifted her head just long enough to sweep her tongue over his tip, and she felt his fingers slip into her hair.
The heat of his stare didn’t throw her. She could sense his need, feel the attraction thrumming off him. When she took him deep, he groaned. The sound deepened when she tightened her fingers and licked her tongue over him. The combination of the pumping of her hand and suction of her mouth had his hips lifting off the couch.
She picked up speed, caressing his cock with her mouth. Taking her time to cover every inch of him. One hand held him still for her mouth while the other traveled. She massaged his balls and let her pinky finger slip between his ass cheeks. The intimate touch might have other men bolting off the couch, spouting a stream of denial. Not Gabe. He leaned into the touch. Let her learn what turned his insides wild with desire.
With each plunge of her mouth his body pulled taut. He wound her long hair around his fist and held her there. Looking down the length of his body, he watched her. Saw every puff of her cheeks and lick of her tongue.
When she swallowed him to the base one last time, he started to come. His body shook, and low, guttural sounds rumbled in his throat. She could feel and hear him shift as those fingers tightened against her scalp.
“Jesus, Natalie.” The whisper floated through the room as his hips continued to shift. “You’re amazing.”
She swallowed and sat back on her heels. Tried to regain her usual even breathing as she took in the sight of him in a half-naked sprawl. He’d slouched down until his head balanced against the cushions, and those sexy dark eyes stayed shut.
Her legs ached and she needed to stand up. She was about to when his eyes popped open and he looked at her.
A smile formed on his lips. “Your turn.”
She thought he’d never ask.
• • •
An hour later Gabe slipped around the left side of the cabin at the point farthest away from where he’d seen a break in the trees. Another few steps and whoever was out there would have tripped a sensor. A bit to the side and he would have snagged a wire and been hanging in a net from a tree branch.
The tracker seemed to be too smart to get ca
ught fast and clean. Erasing the footprints showed serious training. Gabe would have made the same move but done better. The trick is not to make the trail too perfect. That operated as much as a giveaway as leaving the footprints.
After years of building his skills and refining his craft, he didn’t get thrown off easily. In stepping outside, he’d blocked Natalie from his mind. Pretended he couldn’t still feel her mouth on him or remember the feel of her skin under his fingertips. He needed focus and clarity.
All good things, except for the fact that he could smell her. That shampoo he’d purchased and thrown in her go bag before taking off for Montana smelled like the beach. Recalling her blond hair and that scent, his mind wandered, and that could not happen now.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw her creeping up behind him. She’d been quiet, even managing to keep her footsteps from crunching in the icy snow. He glared at her anyway.
When she fell in behind him with her body almost touching his, he whispered. “I told you to stay inside.”
“Outside of the bedroom you aren’t the boss of me.”
Fucking damn. “We’re not talking about that now.”
“What are you looking at?”
He hesitated, convinced the answer was to shoo her inside. Not that she was a shooing type of woman. “Around the back of the cabin to our eleven o’clock.”
She eased her way to the end of the cabin wall and peeked out. Her eyes went to the ground then lifted before she turned to face him again. “In the tree.”
“Good catch.” Not that he was surprised. She might have spent the last few years riding a desk and commanding from headquarters and behind armed guards, but she understood how the game worked and didn’t show fear.
“Has he moved?”
Despite the stress of the moment Gabe had to smile at that. “You think he’s dead?”
“No, genius. I’m wondering if he possesses your stalking and waiting skills.” She took out her gun and checked it.
Watching her hands move, those fingers sliding over steel, mesmerized him. “Possibly.”
“What’s the plan?”
“We’re not shooting him.” Though part of Gabe did think that would be the most efficient solution. Dump their tail then move on. Maybe to somewhere warmer this time.
“I think that should be Plan B.”
Since she sounded so serious, he decided she probably was. The snow had begun falling again. The watcher was about to get cold and wet. As much as he wanted her out of this, grabbing the watcher’s attention now might be the best way to shake a few answers out of him. Then he could talk with Andy at the prearranged time and report in.
That meant subterfuge. Gabe would bet she excelled at that, too. “Since you’re out here, we’ll flush him out. You create a distraction, and I’ll bring him down.” With a shot, if the guy even thought about raising a weapon in Natalie’s direction.
She nodded. “Sounds good.”
“Walk around the front. Carry the hatchet or something that suggests you’re gathering wood or whatever. We’ll have only seconds before he realizes I’m not with you and we lose our edge.”
“Then you’d better run fast.”
“I aim to impress.” He didn’t hear what she said after that because she turned around and headed toward the front of the cabin, but the mumble sounded like “You do.”
Gabe slipped to the corner of the cabin where the side wall met the back and hunkered down. His timing had to be perfect. One second off and he’d be spotted, and the guy could bolt. One second too early and there could be gunfire. Gabe was up for both options but secretly hoped this went according to their informal plan.
From this position he couldn’t see the cabin’s front and watch whatever Natalie was doing, but he trusted her to follow through. He focused all of his energy on movement in the trees, looking for any sign the other guy got up or moved. The world around him fell into a still silence as he concentrated. He took the small magnifying lens out of his pocket and watched.
After a few seconds, the surveillance paid off. An arm shifted and the guy’s weight moved forward. He stayed on his stomach, but he’d switched to alert. That could only mean one thing: Natalie.
Gabe didn’t wait. He took off at a flat-out run, ignoring the way his boots slipped against the snow. The depth of the pile slowed his movements, but he stepped as lightly as possible, careful not to sink.
By the time he hit the clearing where the open area met the edge of the trees, the guy was already climbing down. Gabe jumped over the trap he knew lay right there and jumped deeper into the thick woods. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Natalie running toward him.
“Match my steps.” It was all the warning he could get out before he picked up the pace. All of his attention stayed on the guy bounding down the tree with an ease that almost suggested he’d been raised in one.
The guy let go of the last branch and Gabe leapt. Hit him square in the side and knocked them both off balance. They flew, falling to the ground. Rough rocks and broken tree limbs poked into Gabe as they rolled. The other man, younger and lighter, used his legs and hands. He was fast, but Gabe had the weight edge and a load of fury fueling his movements.
They ended their sparring with the guy’s back on the ground and Gabe straddling his hips. The guy kept moving. Reached for a knife in a holder by his waist. Might have gotten off a swipe if Natalie hadn’t picked that moment to step up.
She aimed her gun at the stranger’s head. “I’d stop moving unless you want us both to shoot you.”
While she covered him, Gabe sat back and caught his breath. A second later he searched the guy for weapons. Slid his hands into pockets and conducted a pat down. Unpacked two knives and two guns and figured he’d missed a few before getting up to stand next to Natalie.
Out of patience and pissed off at being in wet clothes again, Gabe launched right into threats. “You have ten seconds to tell me who you are and why you’re here before she uses you for target practice.”
The guy kept the back of his hands flat against the ground by his head. Smartly did not move even as his gaze went back and forth, and fear showed in his eyes. “Just scouting out the area.”
That just made Gabe ache to shoot. “Eight seconds.”
Something in his tone or about the situation must have broken through, because the guy dropped the scared innocent look. A calm washed over him as his gaze bounced to Natalie then back to Gabe. “This isn’t about you.”
“Six.” Gabe took off an extra second just because the guy looked at her.
She sighed, clearly done with the testosterone show. “Just tell him.”
“Can I sit up?” the guy asked.
Gabe wanted to say no but Natalie beat him to the answer. “I’d do it slow and keep your hands up.”
The guy obeyed but once his ass hit the cold ground he winced. “I was sent to watch over you both.”
“Watch over?” Natalie repeated the words slowly, drawing out the last syllable.
The guy’s gaze flicked to Gabe. “By someone concerned with your continued safety. Someone in the business who’s worried you’re in trouble.”
The motion was enough to clue him in. He didn’t lower the gun because the news didn’t do anything to lessen his shoot-first instincts. “Ah, fuck. Rick sent you.”
“Rick, as in your black-ops brother Rick?” She shrugged when Gabe stared at her. “What? I told you I read your file.”
The guy on the ground cleared his voice. “Can I get up?”
Since he delivered shitty news, Gabe thought no. “Is Rick in Montana?”
For a second the guy didn’t say anything. Then Natalie gave his upper thigh a kick with the snow-covered toe of her boot. “I’d answer if I were you.”
“No.”
She frowned at the guy. “You don’t sound convincing.”
“My orders were to watch and report back. Not make contact.” Rick’s man dropped his hands to the ground but didn’t make a mo
ve toward any part of him that could hide a weapon.
“You failed on that score,” she mumbled.
They needed to collect as much information as possible, so Gabe focused on that rather than Rick. “Where’s the plane?”
“Belongs to a local.”
She blew out a long dramatic breath. “A well-paid one, I’m assuming.”
That explained the informal checking and how he got in so close despite there not being a single cabin nearby. The closest one sat miles away, which in this weather and on foot could amount to a ten-day trek.
Not that the guy was staying.
Now that Gabe knew he couldn’t, or shouldn’t, kill the guy, he went with the next best thing. Made him a messenger. “Your job is to go back to D.C. and tell my big brother to fuck himself.”
Natalie smiled then. “Probably won’t do much for this poor schmuck’s job security.”
“As if I give a shit.” Gabe didn’t. That would teach this guy to throw in with Rick.
“Report back that we’re living in a cabin,” Natalie said as she took over. “Not in contact with anyone. Not hurting anyone. Because all of that is true.”
The guy started shaking his head before she got all the words out. “Can’t.”
Now that was irritating. Gabe tightened his grip on the weapon. “I’m still holding a gun.”
“You’re not going to shoot him,” she said.
“I never promised that.”
The guy must have sensed his death sentence had been commuted because he stumbled to his feet. “I sit here and do my job and we all get to go home faster. Easy.”
“Your job is to contact Rick. Tell him I spotted you and that everything is clear here.” Gabe refused to budge from that position. “Then tell him to fuck himself. Don’t forget that part. It’s important.”
“Gabe—”
“That’s as nice as I can be.” He slid a hand under her elbow and started to walk away. He turned back and glanced around the ground by the guy’s feet. “And I’d be careful where you step. It would suck for you to step in the wrong place and die for Rick and one of his operations. He’s not worth it.”
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