Her heart jumped. “Can you read directly from my mind? I thought you could only sense feelings.”
“Relax. I am not reading your mind. I would not invade your privacy that way. I just know I would not want to expose someone I was hiding by seeking them out. I can practically see you trying to work out the logistics as you brutalize that piece of bread.”
She felt relief, but something he said troubled her. “Then you can read minds? Really read them?”
He looked away and his expression was hard and distant. When he looked back, she saw pain in those beautiful eyes. “When I was in training, they taught us to probe minds. If you are in physical contact, it’s possible. If you have permission and the person opens their mind to you, it is very intimate. It’s possible to share something unique.”
“I’m guessing not everyone feels permission is necessary,” she said.
His jaw ticked. “If a telepath probes a mind that is closed, it is violent, painful and can destroy the victim. I consider it a type of rape.”
She could not help the shiver that ran up her spine at the idea of someone like Wade or Banta invading her mind in such a way. Then she thought about Kane. He had worshiped her with his body. What would it mean to share his thoughts? Her pussy clenched at the idea, even though her heart pounded with fear at the notion of being totally exposed.
He cleared his throat. When she met his gaze, he also looked aroused. She wondered if his thoughts were similar to hers. She didn’t ask. “I am going to have to trust you completely in order to get to my grandmother and protect her from Oscar and his people.”
“And you don’t.” He didn’t say it with anger. His voice was very matter-of-fact. They both knew it was true.
“I’m tempted to just tell you to take me in to the Boston authorities. At least Gran would be safe.”
“But you would likely end up in that body bag.” He sounded angrier than she’d expected.
She knew he was right. Oscar would either have her killed or he would somehow get his hands on her, and if that happened, she would kill herself. Either way, she would be zipped into one of those bags and the first vision would come to pass.
“I don’t want you dead, Lena. I’m willing to play this thing out until your trial date. Which means we have less than a week to find Grandma, figure out how to clear your name and get you to the Boston courthouse.”
“Why are you helping me?” She had to know.
“I’ve never felt like this before. I’ve never wanted what we saw in the second vision. It never even occurred to me that kind of life was possible for a man like me. I’m still not convinced, but I’m willing to risk everything to find out.” His eyes sparkled in the flicker of the candles on the table.
It must have been a very sad existence as a little boy growing up the way he did. “My mother and I lived with my grandmother until Momma died a few years ago. I barely knew my father, but I had a happy childhood. I was loved very much. When you grew up in the training facility, did you have friends?”
He cocked his head to one side. “Sure. Wade was my friend for a time.”
“What happened?”
He shrugged and then laughed. He looked as if he remembered something long forgotten. “We grew up and took different paths.”
“You are both paid bounty hunters working for the same company. How are your paths different?”
“We are contractors. Some are willing to overlook what’s legal in favor of profit. Wade is one of those people. He has an odd sense of right and wrong.”
“But not you.”
“No. I don’t need money that badly. I have enough.” He looked over her shoulder toward the beach, seeming lost in thought.
“What about women?”
His focus was back and he looked at her as if he might jump over the table and take her in the restaurant. “What about them?”
“Were there women in training with you?”
“Sure. I know a lot of great women recovery agents.”
“Do you sleep with them?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Sometimes.”
She hadn’t expected the pang of jealousy at the idea of him having sex with another woman, but there it was. She felt a jolt of anger and had to push it down. “Did you ever fall in love with any of them?”
He must have sensed her jealousy. That devastating smile returned. “I would tease you, but I can’t do it. No, Lena, I’ve never fallen in love with any of the women I’ve slept with. Not on the job or off. Never—”
He stopped so abruptly, it seemed as if he was going to say more. “So you’ve never loved anyone in your life.”
“No.”
The intensity in his stare made her heart pound faster. “I want you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth as if of their own accord. She didn’t know why she had said them, other than they were the truth. She did want him, all of him.
An instant later, he called for the check.
When he gripped her arm and pulled her from the restaurant, she wasn’t surprised, but then he didn’t head toward their room. “Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer, just turned and grinned down at her before sliding his hand down her arm and taking her hand in his.
They walked along the beach. Refreshing gusts of cool sea air blew away the heat of the day. When he turned onto the street and headed for town, she asked again, “Where are you taking me?”
“I need to make a phone call.”
“There’s a phone in our room.”
He turned a corner into a dark alley. Music wafted from the Cabo Wabo bar down the block. Vines grew up a trellis and obscured them from the main street. Kane pressed her back against the hard stucco wall. Her shoulders were bare and they scratched against the building. His body pressed tight to hers. His hard cock pressed tightly between them. She gasped and pushed forward to feel him more keenly.
He moved her hair to one side and ran his tongue down the side of her neck while his hands slid down her waist and he undid the button of her shorts in one quick move. Her entire body was on fire. He couldn’t intend to fuck her in the street. People were walking past the alley every few seconds to go to the busy bars and restaurants. She rose on her tiptoes and his shaft rubbed low against her abdomen.
Kane thrust his knee between her legs. She moaned loudly as her bathing suit abraded her clit. “Kane?”
“Do you still want me, Lena?”
Was he nuts? What kind of telepath was he? “I want you.”
“Here?” He pressed his knee against her pussy again and slid his hand down into her shorts and suit bottom. He squeezed her ass and let his fingers slide between her ass cheeks.
“Everywhere. Anywhere.” She didn’t know which one she meant at that point. Maybe she meant them both. Her body cried for more of him.
He covered her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue inside and devouring her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders, then pulled herself up so that her pubic bone rubbed his cock, before lowering back down and letting her pussy grind against his thigh.
The rumble in his chest told her he wanted her too. His hand slid over her hip and between her legs. Pushing inside her shorts and suit, he spread her juices over her clit while rubbing back and forth.
His kisses drowned out her gasps and cries. He rubbed harder, dipped his finger in her slit and rubbed her clit again. A woman laughed loudly just on the other side of the leafy trellis that hid them. A man’s voice followed, but the words were obscured by the blood rushing through her ears.
Every muscle tightened and her body shuddered. She tightened her grip on his neck, pulling their bodies tight, and let go of the orgasm that crashed down on her.
Kane’s kisses softened. He pulled her bottom lip between his and then did the same with her top one. His fingers slid from her wetness and he sucked them into his mouth, giving them both a taste of her. Lena moaned again. Her pussy already yearned for more. She wanted his cock buried deep inside her. She would
have let him fuck her right there in the street. In fact, the proximity of so many people had turned her on. She had never been one for public displays, but the idea that at any moment they could be discovered was thrilling.
“I can’t risk using the phone in the room. I need a payphone.” He answered the question which she’d almost forgotten she’d asked.
She pressed her cheek to his chest and breathed in his spicy, warm scent. Her arms curled around his back and she pulled his ass tight to her. Feeling how hard he still was, it was nearly torture when he pulled away.
His smile was light, but she could see the intensity of his desire in his eyes. “You can take care of that later. Let’s find a phone and get a drink.”
Lena took a breath, buttoned her shorts, made sure her bikini top was still in place and took his hand before they walked out onto the street. Dozens of people were walking in pairs and groups. It was a busy night for partying in Cabo San Lucas. They walked for a block and found a payphone. She stayed close listening.
“Josh… Yeah, it’s me… I’m underground and need an exit plan… It’s not good… I’m where we were that time after Istanbul… And we’re going to need some clothes… You know who I’ve got… Good… You never know…” He smiled. “Thanks… See you there.”
“Who was that?” she asked.
“Joshua.” He paused for a long moment. “My brother.”
She couldn’t process the information. He’d said he didn’t have family. “You have a brother? I thought you grew up in an orphanage.”
“We did. He was taken for training a few years earlier. He’s a year older and had a higher level rating in the Psi-Alignment. I didn’t see him for almost ten years.”
“Does he work for the same company as you?”
He took her hand again and they walked down the block toward the loud bar. “No. He works for the government.”
“And he’s going to help us?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “He’s my brother.”
She couldn’t imagine the world Kane had grown up in. No parents, no love and a brother he never saw. She had gone to public school, been deeply loved by her mother and grandmother. She’d had friends and lovers and even fallen in love a few times. She had never told any of her lovers about the stones, not until Oscar. Now Kane had them tucked in the pocket of his swimming trunks and she felt no trepidation about him having them.
Cabo Wabo was an American bar, but it was made to look as if it was an old Mexican villa. Inside, the walls were made of stone, as was the long bar. Large columns held up the wood-framed ceilings. The rustic construction gave the place an old-world feel.
An archway led to a second room where a band played loudly as a crowd danced and cheered.
They found a table in the corner of the barroom and a buxom waitress rushed over to take their order. Kane ordered two shots of tequila. The girl turned to her. “I’ll have the same.”
Kane smiled.
“How do we get out of here?”
“Josh will send a plane for us at dawn.”
“Where will it take us?”
His eyes widened in surprise. “That’s up to you. Where is your grandmother?”
She realized she trusted this bounty hunter more than she had trusted anyone in years. He didn’t care about the stones. His only concern was keeping her alive and doing right by his duty. She could understand that. “She’s—”
He stopped her by squeezing her arm hard. “Close your mind, Lena.”
She did as he said and followed his gaze to the sandy-blond man walking toward their table. It was the man from the bar in Savannah. His dull eyes remained focused on Kane and his thin lips were turned up in a grin.
He pulled a chair out from another table and straddled it facing them as if they were old friends. “You’re not the easiest man to track down, old friend.”
“That was the point, Shamus.”
Wade’s face turned down in a quick frown and then he switched back to the fake grin again. “I’m going to take this woman in, Lakeland. I don’t want you to get hurt, but it’s me or Banta and I think she’d be better off with me, don’t you?”
Lena’s heart was pounding. She might have run, but Kane had the stones. Even so, she thought of running. She could get the stones back later.
“Who are you working for?” Kane asked.
“I can’t say.” Wade looked pleased that he had a secret, as if he felt important for keeping something from Kane.
Kane studied him for a second. “Government? What does the government want with her?”
Wade looked as if he’d lost his best friend. His eyes narrowed and his mouth turned to a pout. Lena thought he looked ridiculous and nearly laughed.
Kane shrugged and answered the question she assumed Wade was thinking. “You never could close your mind off, old friend.”
Wade pounded his fist on the table, making Lena jump.
The waitress brought the tequila shots and the conversation stopped. Kane paid the bill and Lena downed a shot before the waitress had walked away. The fiery liquid burned down her throat and chest. She wanted to down the other immediately, but didn’t think it was the right time to get hammered. She was likely going to have to run soon.
Wade downed a shot. “I need this girl, Kane. If you don’t give her over, I’m taking her.”
Kane drank a shot. “Now we both know that’s not going to happen, Shamus.”
“Stop calling me that. I hate that name.”
Kane smiled and waited while Wade drank the last shot.
“The people who want her are real serious,” he said in a loud whisper.
“Banta?”
Wade shook his head, looked around and signaled for the waitress. He made a round motion toward the table.
The waitress came over with four more shots a minute later. Kane paid the bill.
Wade took another shot and another. “Banta works for her ex.” He pointed to Lena. “Ain’t that something? I mean, I don’t like my ex none, but I wouldn’t be sending a freak like Banta out after her no matter what she’d done.”
He drank down another shot.
Lena didn’t say anything. She watched with great interest as Shamus Wade drank his fifth shot of tequila. He then turned to her and looked between them. “You don’t got the hots for her, do you?” He rubbed his face. “Kane, I thought you were better than this. This one is trouble from the get-go.” He started to slur his words.
“I’m aware of that.” Kane gave her a smile.
A moment later, the last shot sat empty on the table. Kane had already ordered four more shots and they arrived just in time. Wade drank another two as if he were a chain smoker lighting his next smoke.
“Perhaps you should stop drinking those, Mr. Wade,” Lena suggested.
Wade looked at her as if she was an alien. He picked up another shot and had some trouble getting it to his mouth. His head lolled to one side.
The punch was almost too quick for her to see. Kane popped Wade in the side of the head and then caught him as he fell from the chair. He then dragged the large man into the corner behind their table, drank down the last shot of tequila and left a fifty on the table. “Time to go, Lena.” He picked up his duffle and reached for her hand.
She took his hand. Warmth spread from his fingers. Her heart rate had begun to return to normal as the bounty hunter got drunker and drunker. Now it sped up again. Just holding hands with Kane was enough to excite her.
A moment later, they were on the street again. “Where to?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, we can’t go back to that nice room. It’s a shame. I had big plans for that bed tonight.”
Her nipples tightened and she let down her mental wall. He stopped in the street, turned and pulled her in for a fast, hard kiss. Moisture pooled between her legs once again. I’m running for my life and all I can think about is fucking this man. I must have lost my mind.
He broke
the kiss and gave her one of his heart-stopping smiles. They walked quickly to the next block and hailed a cab.
* * * * *
The small, private airstrip had one hangar and it was completely dark. The taxi driver seemed hesitant to leave them at the deserted location, but Kane gave him a fifty-dollar tip and told him it was fine, he knew the owner.
She stayed close behind him, moving along the building in nearly total darkness. Only the half-moon lit their way. They reached a door at the side of the metal building, Kane turned the knob and they were inside.
“I’m guessing you’ve been here before.” It was even darker inside. Lena tried to make out the shadows of large objects. She guessed they were airplanes.
“A few times. A friend of mine owns this place.” He found her hand even in the darkness and tugged her through the maze of objects she couldn’t quite make out.
Another door and he said, “Wait here a second.” His voice was low and just next to her ear. She felt his breath on her lobe and her clit pulsed with desire.
He moved away. She could hear his footsteps and then something fell over before a small desk lamp revealed an interior office with a desk, two folding chairs and a beat-up leather couch. Kane turned back toward her. “It’s not quite what I had in mind, but it will be safe for the night.”
She stepped forward. “You don’t think Wade will find us here?”
“He’ll be passed out for hours. He never could hold his liquor. I used to tell him not to drink, but he can’t help himself once he gets started.”
“I thought I was going to have to run.”
He nodded. “It was an option. If he hadn’t started drinking, I would have given you a signal. I would have told you to get out.”
“What about your bounty?” She was mere inches away from him. His body heat drew her closer still.
“I would have found you again.”
Her heart sank. He had called her a mark and that was all she was to him. He wanted her, sure, but he didn’t care for her. She’d turned her head, but he touched her cheek gently, turning her back to face him.
He slid his fingers through her hair. “I won’t let anyone harm you, Lena. I agreed to bring you in, but it doesn’t mean I won’t protect you or die trying.”
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