by Nina Croft
There was nothing she could do.
Nothing that wouldn’t break a thousand protocols. And these weren’t rules for the sake of rules. They were there because, without them, devastating things could happen.
So, stop thinking about it.
But the thought had broken her mood. Quinn was still deep asleep, his breath slow and even. She uncurled his fingers from her waist and slid out from under him, slipped off the bed, and padded naked to the bathroom. She used the toilet, then splashed her face and thought about a shower. But she wasn’t ready to wash the scent of him from her skin.
When she returned to the bedroom, he was still asleep, but had rolled over so he sprawled on his back, all long and lean. His cock lay limp against his thigh. What would he taste like? She wanted to find out. Last night, having his mouth on her had been the most erotic thing she had ever experienced. Like kissing, it had somehow been lost in her time. Why the hell? Just the memory of it had the power to make her go all soft and wet… She wanted to return the pleasure.
She lowered herself gently to the bed, and sat cross legged, the sheet bunched in her lap, and stared her fill. His hair was thick, black, and glossy and curled at the edges. High cheekbones, dark lashes against golden skin. His lips were slightly parted, and she couldn’t resist, lightly touching the full lower lip with her fingertip. She held her breath, but he didn’t wake, just turned his head slightly toward her. She shuffled back a little, so she could lower her head and press her lips to his. She sensed the moment he awoke. Then his hand came up and circled around the back of her neck, threading through her hair, pressing her to him, deepening the kiss. She knew how now, and parted her lips, thrusting her tongue greedily into his mouth, nipping his lip with her teeth. Finally, she sat back. “Good morning.”
His lips curled into a slow smile that was echoed in his eyes. “The best way to wake up.” He shifted up the bed a little, and leaned against the wall, hands behind his head. “Have you been awake long?”
“A little while.” She reached out and rested her hand on his muscular thigh. “I was watching you sleep.”
“You were?”
She nodded, then licked her lips. He groaned. “I was just wondering…” She lowered her head and blew her breath over his shaft, watching as it twitched and jerked. “What you taste like.” He was hard now, and her mouth watered. She glanced up, smiling as he swallowed.
“Jesus.”
She decided he liked the idea. She inched closer.
Then his eyes closed briefly, and he groaned. “I don’t fucking believe this.”
She straightened. “What is it?” Though she could guess.
“We’re about to have company.”
Not fair.
Quinn grabbed the sheet from her and shook it out, so it covered him as well. She held it to her breasts and eyed the door.
“If looks could kill,” he said from beside her, just as the door was pushed open from the outside without so much as a knock.
Rose walked in, crossed the room, then came to a halt by the foot of the bed and stood, hands on her hips, surveying the two of them. Mel tried to read her expression but couldn’t get anything except maybe a vague sense of amusement.
“You weren’t in your room,” she said to Quinn. “We were worried. We thought you might have been abducted by aliens or something.”
Quinn didn’t answer, but just watched her out of narrowed eyes.
“Kaitlin suggested I try in here,” Rose continued. “She said you two have a thing.”
“A thing?” Mel asked.
Rose shrugged. “I said of course you don’t have a thing. Quinn wouldn’t get up close and personal with the enemy.”
“She’s not the enemy.”
Aw, that made her feel all warm and fuzzy, and just a little bit guilty. Though actually, she wasn’t their enemy. Then again, she wasn’t exactly their friend, either.
“Ha.” Rose grinned. “I knew that would get a response. “Actually, we don’t really know what she is. And clearly, you’re having a thing, lover boy.”
He gave a huge exaggerated sigh. “What do you want, Rose?”
“Why? Have you got better things to do?”
Mel did. Quite a few better things, but she kept quiet.
When no one answered, Rose continued, “Jake has called a meeting. It’s in ten minutes and he said he wanted us all there, because he’s not saying this stuff twice.” She grinned. “So, get your sorry asses out of bed. There’s coffee and donuts in the kitchen.” She turned around and left the room but paused just outside the door. “I’m going to leave the door open, so you don’t get sidetracked. Ten minutes.”
Quinn pushed a hand through his hair. “We’d better get up.”
“I don’t want to.”
He shoved down the sheet and climbed out of bed. “Me, neither. But there will be time later.”
Would there? There was never enough time.
As he turned away, she glanced at her watch. She had less than thirty-six hours. And then she’d be gone. Way beyond where Quinn would find her.
And right now, she didn’t want this time to end.
…
Quinn showered quickly, letting the water run cold over his body, washing away the feel of her touch. He hoped he’d told the truth when he’d told her there would be time for them later.
Something had flickered across her face when he’d said the words. He wished again that he could read her. Or even that he understood why he couldn’t.
But so far, Stefan hadn’t been able to find any holes in her story. She appeared to be exactly what she said she was—an FBI agent. He pushed the worries aside. He had more immediate concerns to sort out without making up ones that didn’t exist.
He’d never spent the whole night in bed with a woman before. He’d woken in the dark of the night with her wrapped around him so tight, he couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. They’d made long, slow love, so intense, he’d thought he might shatter. And he’d woken up to find her still there, watching him hungrily and…and now he had to get back to the real world.
She’d showered first and was already dressed when he came out of the bathroom. She’d obviously found the clothes Pete had bought for her yesterday. Slim-fitting jeans and a long-sleeved purple T-shirt. No bra, though. He could see the shape of her breasts beneath the thin material. Maybe she hadn’t worn one before. And maybe he should stop looking.
He turned away, searching the floor for his clothes. He found them where he had dropped them and dressed quickly. He ran his hands through his hair, scrubbed his fingers across his chin—perhaps he should have asked Pete to grab a razor, too.
That brought up more memories of their night together. Her body had been smooth and totally free of hair—he’d never seen that before and wasn’t sure whether he liked it or not. Who had she done it for?
He took another look in the mirror. It was too late to shave now. Everyone would just have to live with his scruffy look. “Come on. Let’s hope they’ve got some good news for us.”
“Is it all right for me to come?” she asked. “I know the others don’t trust me.” Hell, he wasn’t sure he trusted her. “I can stay here.”
“No, you may as well join us. We’re in this together. You need to know what’s going on.”
She smiled. “Good. It would drive me crazy not knowing.”
Kaitlin and Martin were already seated at the table. Pete and Liz were not present.
“I sent them out to check the perimeter,” Rose said as if she had picked up the thought. She might have done—though they stayed out of each other’s heads as a general rule, unless invited. Or unless you were Kaitlin, who didn’t abide by any rules.
She grinned across at him and waggled her fingers.
“I think they suspected I was trying to get rid of them. But maybe they don’t want to know.”
Pete wanted to know. Liz, on the other hand, was in a serious case of denial, and Pete was keeping her company.<
br />
Rose had set up the laptop on the big kitchen table. Mel took a seat a little down from the others. Quinn got a couple of coffees from the pot and sat down next to her, where he could still see the screen. Someone had been out for donuts, and a box sat in the middle of the table. Suddenly, he realized he was starving. He grabbed the box, dragged it across the table and set it between him and Mel. He picked a chocolate iced round donut. Mel stared for a moment, then gave a little shake of her head and picked a pink one. He watched as she bit into it, licking the sugar from her lips. Maybe they should save some for later.
He bit into his own. It was gone in two bites and he took another.
“Someone’s got an appetite,” Rose said. “I wonder why that is. Had a busy night?”
“Fuck off,” he said, washing the second donut down with a swig of coffee. Mel was still nibbling on the first, as though it might kill her to take a big bite. He hoped she wasn’t a health freak. He liked his food fast.
He reached out and picked another donut, and suddenly became aware that he was the center of attention. Or rather, they were. “Fuck off,” he said again, in case anyone had missed it the first time. At that moment, the screen lit up and Jake appeared.
Quinn shuffled his chair around, so he got a better view. This time Jake was alone. So where was Kane? The bastard.
“What’s going on?” he said.
“No good morning?” Jake said. “I was expecting to find you in a better mood.”
Quinn glared at Rose, and she shrugged. “It wasn’t me. Kaitlin’s the one with the big mouth.”
He decided not to pursue it. Because actually, he did feel pretty great. Instead, he grinned. “Good morning. Now what the fuck’s been happening?”
“We’ve got the location.”
Martin got up and came to stand behind him. “They responded?”
“They did. A couple of hours ago.”
“Where are they?”
“Colorado. The Arapaho National Forest—a pretty remote place.”
“And a hell of a long way from here.”
“We’re organizing a private plane for you. A smaller one this time—Quinn can pilot. You can pick it up at Jacksonville Airport. That’s about an hour and a half from where you are now. You’ll need a stopover on the way, but we’ll sort that out by the time you get there.”
Shit. He wasn’t sure he was ready to get on another plane just yet, and from the looks around the table, he wasn’t alone in that thought. But at least he’d be flying this one. Not that he could do much if someone shot at them with missiles, though. They’d just have to hope that lightning wouldn’t strike twice.
“All of us?”
“No. Rose will take Kaitlin back to Boston—she wants to check on Dave. Kaitlin needs proper medical attention. Christa is busy looking up the best option. She’ll contact you with the details when she has them.”
“Yeah, road trip,” Kaitlin said. “Personally, it sounds a lot better option than getting on another plane.”
“You and Martin will go meet the others. They know Martin. It should…ease the situation.”
“And Mel,” Quinn said. “She comes with us. Then afterward, we can help her with her case.”
Jake looked thoughtful for a moment. “That’s what you want?”
Maybe Jake thought he wanted to get rid of her, now he’d slept with her. He’d hardly been the sort to keep his lovers around. But Mel was different. It was best to keep her close. If she did have her own agenda, then perhaps she would come to trust him enough to let him in. “It’s what I want.”
“Did you respond to the message?” Martin asked. He’d given them the codes, so the tribe could verify the transmissions.
“We did. They should be expecting you. There’s a small runway not far from their base. Someone will meet you there. But we don’t know anything else—Kane thought it best we keep communication to a minimum.”
“Where is Kane?” Quinn asked. It wasn’t like him not to be in on a meeting. The man wanted to know everything.
“Kane is on his way to Boston,” Jake said. “He’ll meet Rose and Kaitlin there and organize their transport back here.”
“Why?” Kaitlin sounded suspicious.
“And why Boston?” Rose asked. “If he’s coming all the way over here, why not go to Colorado? Aren’t his parents likely among the group?”
“You mean the parents he hasn’t seen since he was four years old?” Martin said. “The parents who believed him dead all those years? Why would he bother with them now?”
Jake shrugged. “Actually, I think he just wants to make sure you all get back safely.”
“Ha,” Kaitlin snapped. “You mean, I get back safely.”
Jake grinned. “He does have a thing for you. It’s sweet, really.”
“It’s perverted, you mean. He’s old enough to be my great-great…hell, I don’t even know how many greats.”
“Cut him some slack. He was totally freaked out when the plane went down. I don’t think he’s ever really cared for anyone before. Joining up with us has turned his world on its head. But he’s coming around.”
“Great. Well, give Christa a hug, and if you see her dad, give him a kick in the balls from me.” Kaitlin hated the colonel, more than any of them, and with good reason. She blamed him for the death of her brother. Even if he hadn’t been making the decisions himself, he had been carrying out the orders. And she would never forgive him. Quinn was aware that the colonel was a big part of why she’d left Uganda and their people. Like him, she needed to come to terms with their new allies.
“Will do. And I’ll hopefully see you all soon. And for Christ’s sake, no more plane crashes.”
“I’ll do my best,” Quinn said drily.
The screen went blank, and Quinn sat back in his chair. Looked like he wasn’t getting that blowjob anytime soon.
Damn.
Chapter Twenty
They were packed up and out of the house within an hour.
This time, Martin sat in the front seat next to Rose who was driving, and Liz sat in the back of the pickup with him, Mel, and Pete. He’d seen a couple of looks pass between Pete and Liz. The plan was for them to stay with Rose and Kaitlin, and they would be dropped off somewhere between Jacksonville and Boston. Far enough that even if they decided to speak to someone, it would be too late to interfere with their plans. And presumably, they would have to speak to someone. While they were both single, they would have to explain to their employers what had happened to their plane and where they had been since the crash.
Quinn was aware that Ethan was looking for good people to employ, people he could trust. If they all got out of this alive, he would contact Pete later and find out if he was interested. But right now, he suspected the two of them were gearing themselves up to asking a few questions, and he had to decide how much to tell them.
“Tell them everything,” Kaitlin said inside his head. “We need to start coming out in the open. The more people who know, the safer we will be.”
“It might put their lives at risk,” he replied.
“More at risk, you mean,” Rose put in. “You think whoever is after us won’t presume they know something, anyhow? Someone is going to come after them.”
“So, what do we do?” He had an idea, but he’d like to hear what the others thought first.
“Send them to Ethan,” Kaitlin said. “In London. Him and Sadie will be back now. He’ll find a place for them, and something for them to do. Ethan is a good man,” she added though he hadn’t thought anything negative. “I know you don’t trust him, because he’s Conclave,” she said. “But we can’t always help where we are born, only what we become. And he’s trying to do what’s right.”
“You like him?”
“Yeah. And he loves Sadie.”
Quinn ran a hand through his hair. She was right—however much he tried, he couldn’t get his head around Ethan being Conclave, which automatically made him one of the bad guys. Hell, the
top bad guy.
“Try harder,” Kaitlin suggested.
He grinned. “I will.”
They were sitting sideways in the bed of the truck, legs stretched out and braced against the panel opposite them. Mel was beside him, close enough so she touched all the way along his body. Liz and Pete sat across from them. He glanced their way and found them watching him back. Pete had one eyebrow raised. What to tell them? How to suggest that they turn their backs on their lives and go halfway across the world, away from everything they’d known? Their friends and family.
Maybe an apology first.
He gave a small shrug—apologies had never been his strong point.
“Maybe you just need more practice,” Kaitlin muttered.
He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry we got you two into all this. And for your friend, I’m really sorry. He didn’t deserve to die.”
“We’d feel happier about it if we understood why,” Pete replied.
“We’ve spent some time talking,” Liz continued, “and we’re pretty convinced that the people who did this are bad guys. They shot that plane down with no worry about who else was killed. Having said that, just because the bad guys are after you, that doesn’t make you the good guys. So are you going to tell us what’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you what I know.” He felt Mel straighten beside him. She was paying attention, but she wouldn’t hear anything new.
“Nearly a year ago, Kaitlin, Rose, and I were part of a government-run covert operations group.”
“Are you all family?” Liz asked. “You look so similar.”
“Not family…but connected.”
“What sort of covert operations?” Pete said. “What did you do? Kaitlin doesn’t look old enough to be part of something like that.”
“You could say we were brought up within the group, from an early age. We all had a certain talent which the government wished to utilize but needed to keep secret.”
“And that talent was…?”
Well, here goes. Just how much convincing would this take, though really it was a pretty easy thing to prove. “We’re telepaths.”