Abducted

by Samantha Keith

  Needing to take over, to bring her over the edge, he grasped her waist and rolled her beneath him. Her legs locked around his hips as she gripped him. He ground deep inside her, holding his release at bay until her orgasm shook her. He pulled out on a slow stroke, and then drove deep, filling her. She cried out, her body jerking hard, begging for more. His release came next, a desperate need pulsating through him as he moved inside her, the friction taking him over the cusp until every muscle was ready to snap. He let go, falling into an oblivion of pleasure as he went limp over the top of her.

  Cal woke hours later, stretched out on his side with Lana’s face nestled into his chest. Her breath came out evenly, her lips lightly swollen, her cheeks pink and warm from his body heat.

  Sonofabitch.

  He’d slept with her without a condom. Being able to feel her softness and drown in her wetness was something he didn’t regret. He hoped to hell she was on birth control or something. He was never careless with sex. But this was Lana, and everything had been different with her from the beginning. He was in it for the long run, whatever that meant.

  He tiptoed to the bathroom and cleaned up, then pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. He grabbed his cell phone off the dresser and looked at the time: 4 a.m.

  He’d slept longer than he had in months, and surely Lana needed more rest. His mind was already moving, planning his next step. He would talk to Nate before deciding if he would approach Tanner, but every instinct told him he needed to. Nate would be at his office today, so Cal would wait to call him until later. Ethan, he would call in an hour.

  He made coffee, let Rufus out, gave him one of the dog cookies Nate had left him, and filled his dishes with food and water. He hadn’t worked out in almost a week, and the lack of soreness in his muscles annoyed him. The cabin lacked the gym he had at home, but he kept weights and a skipping rope here. He had time for a light workout and then to make breakfast before Lana woke.

  Slamming back his coffee, he made his way to the back of the cabin. One of the first things he’d done upon purchasing the place was to put on an addition. The thing that had attracted him most had been the lot size and view. He’d put in floor-to-ceiling windows, which gave the room the feel of a four-season porch. He closed the sliding door tightly, and turned some music on the sound system. It was still pitch-black out. He liked to get up early, and waiting for the sunrise was always a nice way to start the day. But today, for the first time, the bright reflection and inability to see through the window unnerved him.

  This shit had to end. Today. He wasn’t afraid, not exactly. But having someone to look after was new to him. That constant threat gnawed at the back of his mind. He hated being away from her at all, and leaving her side knowing someone wanted to kill her made his blood churn. They were safe here. But he wouldn’t be at ease until this was over.

  An hour later, drenched in sweat, he dropped the dumbbell. Man, it felt good to tear muscles. A lot of frustration had built up over the last week, some of which he’d released with Lana. The mind-numbing, muscle-burning workout had savaged the rest. He wiped the rivulets of sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt and entered the house.

  “Morning,” Lana sang sweetly from the kitchen. Her hair was secured in a high ponytail at the crown of her head, and her dark locks tangled down her back. She wore one of his T-shirts that barely reached mid-thigh, and her legs were bare and her nipples visible through the thin gray material. The aroma of pancakes and coffee wafted to his nose. His stomach growled.

  She flitted around the small kitchen and set two glasses of juice at the island. His heart pounded against his chest from the intense workout, and the near-glimpse of Lana’s ass as she leaned forward to scratch Rufus’s head. He caught her around the waist, drawing her back against his chest. He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, kissing her delicate flesh.

  “Morning, sexy. You’re up early.”

  She turned in his arms, her eyes shining with delight as she pressed her lips to his. She pulled away sharply and patted his chest. “Mmm-hmm. There wasn’t much food in the fridge, so pancakes will have to do. You’re all sweaty. Did you have a good workout?”

  He slid into one of the chairs as she set a plate down in front of him. “This is perfect, thanks. It was great. I was hoping you would have slept longer, though. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  She filled her plate, then took the chair next to him. “Not at all. I slept like a rock.” She dipped her head. A shy smile spread across her face, as she took a bite of her breakfast.

  “Glad to hear. Anytime you require assistance, you let me know.”

  She laughed and crossed her legs on the chair. He couldn’t resist dropping his hand to feel the smooth skin of her sexy thigh. If she kept this up, he’d have to take her on the kitchen counter. That image danced across his mind. Definitely something to remember for later.

  “Likewise.” She winked at him and took a bite of her pancakes. “What’s the plan for today?”

  He finished chewing. “I have somewhere I need to go later, but nothing planned for this morning.”

  “Where are you going?”

  He smiled. “I can’t tell you.”

  Her eyes narrowed at him. He didn’t relent. It was something he needed to do, something for her. He couldn’t guarantee everything would end today and that the people behind her planned death would be held accountable, but he could damn well appease for it. The guilt over her family was something he had been stupid to ignore. Lana was sweet and sensitive, and something of that magnitude had surely weighed heavily on her slight shoulders. She’d hidden it well from him. Today, he would make up for the pain he’d seen in her eyes. Ethan would be more than happy to come by while he went out.

  “Can I come?”

  “Not this time, babe. But I won’t be long, and I think you’ll be pretty happy with what I bring back.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “It’s a surprise?”

  “Yup.”

  “Okay, you get brownie points for that one.” A smile returned to her mouth, easing the frown lines on her forehead. She stood from the island, her plate not yet finished.

  Her fingers clasped his, pulling him to his feet. He took a hasty bite of his pancakes before he let her drag him away. “I think I need a shower…and so do you.”

  The hunger in his belly died. His body went on alert. Good God, he loved her sexuality. He winked at her, sending her laughing and scampering to the master bedroom. He chased her into the bedroom and swooped her up and into his arms.

  He could get used to this.

  Chapter 20

  They lazed around all morning until Ethan showed up. While Cal was gone, Lana put her sweats on and made use of the workout room. Her usually lithe and flexible muscles were as tight as a guitar string. The sun creeped over the mountains, lighting the sky with its pink and orange glow. She stretched out on a mat. Her hips—as well as other places—ached from sex. A delightful shiver raced through her. Amazing sex, but nonetheless, her body was sore.

  Fuzzy warmth spread through her veins at the memory. The scar on his chest had been a harsh reminder of how different they were. But did it matter? Couldn’t they try to make things work? It hadn’t been an issue so far, but when she went back to her old life, it could be a problem. She would always worry about him. He was strong and capable, but he wasn’t invincible. At the same time, she didn’t want to come between him and his career.

  Aside from that, there was her family to think about. Her mom had always been supportive, and if she knew Lana was happy, that would be enough for her. Her father, on the other hand… He cared about her happiness, undoubtedly. But to him, security and social standing were also important. Not just for her, but for his own image. As he’d told her a million times before, professionalism came first in order to be successful. That was why he’d always been so strict about her pers
onal life.

  She pushed herself up to a downward-facing dog pose, releasing the tension in her shoulders. She wasn’t a child anymore. For God’s sake, her mother had been twenty-two when she’d married Lana’s father and twenty-three when she’d had Lana. Their marriage had lasted twelve years. Her mother had told her that they’d divorced because her father hadn’t been able or willing to slow down. He’d been too busy growing his empire to spend time on his marriage. Eventually she’d had it, and she’d left.

  At twenty-six, Lana didn’t need his permission or approval regarding her personal life. Distaste filled her mouth. She didn’t want to fight with him, but he would have to respect her decisions.

  After her workout, she passed Ethan in the kitchen on his phone, talking to Cal. “She’s right here, do you want to talk to her?” he said. Lana paused, waiting. Ethan nodded, then, “Sounds good, we’ll see you in a bit.” He hung up the phone.

  She balanced her hand on her hip, her eyebrows lowered. “Cal didn’t want to talk to me?”

  He gave a slight shrug. The movement was awkward on his enormous frame. “He said he wouldn’t be long.”

  That was odd. Why wouldn’t he at least speak with her? She shrugged. Soon he would be home and she could ask him herself.

  “All right. Can you tell him to come find me when he gets home? I’m going to shower.”

  Ethan’s ears turned pink. He scratched his head, his gaze at the floor. “Ah, sure—”

  “I mean…” Oh God. Her cheeks burned. How was she going to clarify that one?

  He waved her off. She ducked her head and laughed as she exited the kitchen. In the shower, images of the night before branded her under the hot water. Cal’s mouth on her wet body, her insides quaking as he brought her to climax. God, he knew his way around a woman’s body.

  She got dressed and applied her makeup. A glance at the clock showed her it was going on noon. He’d been gone almost two hours. What on earth was he doing that was so secretive?

  Woof, woof!

  She shoved the mascara wand back in the tube and straightened her shirt. Rufus’s excited barks echoed down the hall. She frowned. It wasn’t like him to carry on like that. Just as she approached the bedroom door, it opened. Cal’s shoulders blocked the doorway.

  “Come here, babe.” He held his hand out to her. A wicked smile played over his mouth.

  Her frown deepened. She curled her fingers into his palm. “What’s going on?”

  He chuckled. “Why so worried? Trust me.”

  Soft voices from the kitchen piqued her interest. “I’m not worried. Just nervous.”

  “You’ll like this.” He led her down the hall and to the kitchen. She rounded the corner.

  Her breath caught. Tears filled her eyes before she could catch them. She covered her mouth with her hand and a small sob escaped her throat.

  “Mom!” She threw her arms around her mother.

  “My baby!” Her mother’s soft voice eased the tremor in her body. Her arms locked around Lana, her lips pressed into her hair. “Oh, honey. I’ve been so worried.”

  “What are you doing here?” She pulled out of her arms far enough to spot Cal. A big, warm smile spread across his face. His eyes danced with pleasure. He shoved his hands in his pockets and winked at her. “How did you—”

  “This man”—she gestured to Cal, her eyebrow raised with mock chastising—“cornered me on the street in front of my hotel. He told me that if I wanted to see you, I needed to come with him.” She lifted a hand to her slight hip. Her cool blond hair was pulled back in a clip at the nape of her neck. “Scared the life out of me.”

  Cal grinned. “Sorry about that, ma’am. We’re trying to be very careful.”

  “Please, call me Sonja.” She waved at him. “Ma’am makes me feel old.” She pulled Lana to her chest again. “Can we talk, sweetie? I want to know everything that’s been going on.”

  “Of course.”

  “Would you like something to drink, Sonja?” Cal stepped away from the counter. “Water?” he offered.

  Sonja accepted, and Cal poured her a glass from the fridge. Cal and her mother…in the same room. She looked from one to the other. Sonja was as gracious as always, but her eyes were sharp beneath her kindness. Her mother wasn’t stupid. She would smell their attraction for each other a mile away. Aside from her daughter’s disappearance, she would want to know every detail about Cal.

  Wanting complete privacy from the men’s ears, Lana brought her mother back to the master bedroom. The room she and Cal had had sex in.

  Sonja set her glass down on a nearby table and situated herself on the edge of the bed. Lana folded her legs up next to her. Her face warmed at the still-rumpled sheets.

  “What the hell is going on, honey?” Sonya’s tone was gentle, yet demanding.

  Lana rolled her lips in. Best not to beat around the bush. She breathed a sigh through her lips. “I’ll tackle one topic at a time. First of all, someone hired some people—hired hit men—to kill me.” She would not tell her mother that Cal had been one of those people. Of all the things to be disclosed, that was one that Sonja did not need to know.

  Her mother’s hand fluttered to her mouth like the wing of a broken bird. She closed her other hand around Lana’s, and tears filled her eyes. Her brow snapped down, and fire shot from her eyes, which were the same hue of blue as her own.

  “Who would do such a thing? How do you know this?”

  She shifted on the bed. “We believe it was Tanner. He–he came on to me a few months ago, and it didn’t go over well. I talked to Grace about it and I thought it had blown over.” She toyed with the rumpled duvet cover. “One of Cal’s friends is a special agent with the FBI. He did some digging on Tanner and found that as a minor he’d been charged with rape.” She wet her lips. Sonja’s eyes never left hers. “Then later, he was a person of interest in the murder of a different young woman. He was never convicted, nor did the suspicion cops had of him make it to the tabloids. That makes it look like he used money to protect his name.”

  Sonja pressed her fingers to her mouth. Her eyes clouded with worry. The faint lines that had begun to crease her face in recent years deepened. “Why would he do all of this? Why would he want to kill you over that?”

  “If people were to find out about his assault on me—”

  Her hand grabbed Lana’s arm, her fingernails piercing the skin. “He hurt you?”

  “No, Mom. He just behaved badly, and I had to throw him out with the threat to call the police. He left right after. But if people found out that happened, it could open up interest in the other cases he was a suspect in.”

  She released her hold. Her hand pressed against her chest. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She shrugged. “I handled it.”

  “You don’t think it’s all a misunderstanding? How do you know someone planned to have you killed?”

  “Cal found the man who’d been hired.”

  Her lips pressed together, and her eyes narrowed. “How did Cal come into the picture? Who is he?”

  Lana tucked her hair behind her ear. Shit. Nothing got past her mom. Ever. That was one of the reasons why, as a teenager, she’d chosen to live with her dad.

  “He…he works in cases like this.”

  Sonja’s brow furrowed.

  She took a deep breath and continued, “He’s a freelance security contractor.”

  If her mom’s eyebrows could have flown off of her face, they would have taken flight. “He’s a what?” she hissed.

  “Mom, it’s nothing like what you think.” It was everything, and worse, that she would be thinking. “He was in the military and in recon. From there, he began doing freelance work, and now he’s hired to help take down drug rings or find missing people.”

  Sonja’s eyes widened. That was as PG as it was going to get. Her finger
s dug into her palms, waiting for the backlash.

  Her mom crossed and uncrossed her legs, then smoothed an invisible wrinkle from her dress pants. “I see. Well, you’re a grown woman. You know what you’re doing. I know something is going on between you two, I can see it.”

  Lana bit her lip. “Mom, you were around us for two minutes.”

  “That’s all it took.” Her hand closed around hers. “Just be careful, honey. It’s easy to get fascinated by men like that.” She waved her hand in the air as if she was shooing away a fly. “It’s not real, though.”

  Lana straightened her spine. Certainty filled her veins. “I’m more sure of him than I am of anything in my life.”

  Sonja’s eyes grew heavy with worry. She pursed her lips. “I suppose I’d better get to know him, then.”

  Gratitude warmed her chest. Years and distance had changed her mom. Lana was a grown woman and maybe her mother saw that now. A weight lifted from her chest, making her breathing easier.

  One parent down, one to go.

  She hugged her mom tightly. “Thanks, Mom. Can you tell Dad I’m okay?”

  She patted her back. “Of course, honey. He’s going to have a lot of questions, though. I don’t know how I’m going to keep your location a secret. Your father’s house looks like a beehive filled with men in suits. The phone lines are tapped, and he has private investigators scouring the streets. He’s really bent out of shape.”

  Guilt lodged a painful rock in her throat. “Tell him that I love him and will be home soon. Just be sure he doesn’t say anything to anyone.”

  She nodded. Together they made their way to the kitchen, where Cal and Ethan patiently waited.

  “I hope Lana was able to cover everything you need to know and ease any concerns,” Cal said as he led Sonja to the center island, where he’d set some chopped veggies, crackers, and cheese. Amusement rippled through her. He was trying to impress her mother.