“No, dammit,” Sax said. “We need that boat to come back so I can track it.”
Jennessy sat back. “He’s doing a terrible thing for a good reason? I wonder if the sister knows where he’s getting his money.”
Sax rubbed his chin in thought. “He needs money. But he’s waiting until we leave, so we leave as soon as possible. I’ll tell Darius that I don’t think Willie is going to do anything while we’re still here, omitting the fact that I know it for sure. I’m not cut out for this investigation stuff, so I’ll let his oh-so-capable PI handle it from here, blah blah blah.”
“And then?” They’d go their separate ways.
“I’ll come back via boat and stick that patch. The boat needs to return to its home base and lead the police to their front door. With trafficking added onto the drug dealing, there’s no doubt the Bahamian authorities will be very motivated to act. They’ll catch Willie with the ketamine.”
She felt relieved to have a plan, but far from it at the thought of not seeing Sax after tomorrow. “You sure you don’t need me to stick around and help?”
He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “You’ve been a huge help, but tonight got way too dangerous. I can’t continue to put a civvie in danger.” He leaned back, rubbing his forehead. “Hell, I’m a civilian, too. Hard to get used to that.” He took a quick breath. “I should say, I can’t involve an untrained civvie in a dicey situation. And you are not trained in this kind of action.”
“What about the accomplice? We still haven’t figured out who it is.”
“I have some ideas.” Sax laced his fingers with hers as he faced her, and gently pushed her back onto the bed. He planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. “For now, I want you to sleep, love.”
She smiled. “You called me love.”
That odd expression crossed his face again, but this time she saw what it was: longing. It was gone so fast, so completely, that she thought maybe she’d imagined it. Especially when he looked her in the eyes and said, “It’s just a Southern endearment.”
He tucked her in again, then sat at the foot of the bed and called the front desk to change their flights. She loved the sound of his voice, polite with a slight Louisiana accent that came out even more as he thanked the woman for her assistance.
“We’re on the seven forty-five flight,” he said once he’d hung up.
“Are we sitting together?”
“They didn’t have a pair of seats open.”
Why that deflated her so much, she didn’t know. It was a short flight to Nassau anyway.
He made another call. “Hey, buddy, it’s Sax…Yeah, having a blast. Unfortunately, I’ve been asked to leave. There was an incident tonight with a suspicious boat offshore, shots were fired…No, everyone is fine…Everyone meaning me and a lady who’s been, er, hanging out with me…What do you mean, ‘not you, too’?” He did some more verbal dancing while he filled Chase in.
“I have a couple of vacation days coming. Why don’t we meet in Nassau, see about renting a boat to cruise the islands in?…Yeah, that sounds cool. I think Knox would really like this place. You know what a sex fiend he is. I can’t wait to tell him all about it. Later, dude.” He had told his boss everything he needed to know without it sounding like a plan.
“You’re going to meet in Nassau and come back here on a boat,” she guessed.
“Yep.”
“Who’s Knox, and is he a sex fiend?”
Sax stretched out beside her. “He’s one of my SEAL brothers, and no, just the opposite. When we all went out on the town, I figured Knox was being good because he was married. He didn’t even look at the whores in some of those seedy clubs we had to hang out at. Or the SEAL groupies when we were back at home. But now he’s divorced, and he still has no interest in sowing his oats. We’ve been trying to get him to hit the clubs or the beach, but even when we do twist his arm, he’s not into it.” Sax grinned. “That’s why I suggested it be him to come out here.”
She brushed her fingers through his hair, feeling the salt on the silky strands. “You’re a naughty boy.”
But none of the playfulness of her statement was reflected in his eyes. “And don’t you forget it.”
Chapter 16
Sax watched Jennessy sleep. He tried to ignore the fact that he’d never done this before. Tried to keep from touching her cheek and waking her.
If you wake her, you’ll—
Yeah, he knew exactly what would happen. She would open those beautiful eyes and smile, they’d start kissing, and he would be buried in her sweet heaven again. It wouldn’t be quick and dirty. It would be long and sweet and would make it even more difficult to say goodbye. This was when his interest usually waned, but it was just the opposite with Jennessy. The ache he felt at waking her sent warning bells screaming through him.
So he had to content himself with simply soaking her in. The fringe of her blond lashes, the curve of her cheek, the elegance of her neck. Had he kissed the spot beneath her earlobe? Nibbled the curve of her shoulder?
A sound emanated from deep in his throat, and he forced himself to leave the bed and go shower. When had he ever forgone an opportunity for sex? This wasn’t like him at all. Hell, he’d nearly blabbed about protecting his heart from falling. Right after her assurance that her attraction to him was merely physical. What if she was telling the truth?
He kept his shower as quick as the ones he’d taken during deployment. When he was drying off, he heard her soft, sleepy voice calling his name like a siren song.
“It’s not a strange man in your room.” He wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door. “Did I wake you?”
She rubbed her eyes. “I was having a bit of déjà vu. Waking up hearing the shower, knowing someone was here.” She scrubbed her fingers through her hair and smiled. “At least this time I’m here under my own power. Because I want to be.”
She wanted to be here. Back off, boy. “Much better than the last time.”
“Why are you up so early? It’s only four o’clock.”
“I had an idea when I put my laptop back in the safe and saw the bottle of K water. Ketamine makes people cooperative. Maybe it’ll work as a truth serum. I remembered that there were glasses in Willie’s sink with traces of orange juice at the bottom. I’m going to sneak in, lace his juice, and when he’s good and toasty, we’ll have a little chat.”
“And as a bonus, it gives him a taste of his own medicine,” she said with an impish grin. That smile faded. “I suppose you’re not going to let me come with you.”
“I’m not comfortable leaving you here now that Willie and his accomplice know what we’re up to—and probably have access to our rooms. So yes, you’re coming. That way I’ll know where you are at all times.”
Her smile returned. “Do I have time to grab a shower?”
He checked his watch. “Can you do it in five minutes?”
She lifted a hank of her curls. “With this hair? No, I can do it.”
She slipped inside the bathroom and closed the door. In seven minutes, she was out, catching her breath as she blindly braided her hair. “Ready.” She wore no makeup, and she looked fresh and pretty.
Dayum.
He led her out of the room, checking to make sure the asshat PI wasn’t lurking around. The resort was quiet, with only distant laughter from a small group of people in the main pool’s hot tub and soft music floating over the speaker system. Sax and Jennessy took a circuitous route toward the tennis courts and the employee entrance. The trail to the housing was faintly lit, and Sax listened and watched for any activity up ahead. He knew Willie’s shift at Connections started at ten, so he should sleep in. Especially after their late night. Sax kept an earbud in as he monitored the surveillance software. There were no sounds coming from the cottage other than a soft sawing he suspected was snoring.
They walked toward the edge of the forest where he situated her, phone in hand, so she could alert him if anyone approached. She wore the same black outfit she’d wor
n during their earlier escapade, but even in the dark, her blond hair was clearly visible. He hadn’t thought to paint it brown. He pulled off his black shirt and draped it over her head, and she nodded, understanding exactly what he was doing.
He checked on her when he reached Willie’s back porch. Couldn’t see her at all. He tried the door. Locked, of course. Willie would be on alert now. Sax extracted the key from beneath the pot beside the door, donned his gloves, and carefully opened the door.
The snoring emanated from the back bedroom. There were four plates and two glasses in the sink. Sax lifted one and sniffed. Definitely orange juice.
He wrapped his fingers around the handle of the fridge and eased the door open. After emptying out about a third of the remaining orange juice, he poured in the K water. Now he had to wait until the man woke up and imbibed.
He found Jennessy despite her camouflage, took her hand, and led her toward the beach where he’d seen the employees frolicking. Their beach area was rocky and narrow, with cheap plastic chairs scattered around. The moon glittered over the rippled water, reminding him of many a SEAL mission where he’d approached a target in water such as this. Orienting himself, he headed left, where a rickety fence went a few feet into the water and a sign warned not to enter the guest area.
Walking over the rocks, he kept his hand at the ready in case she lost her balance. Once they reached the other side, they picked their way over a short, rocky stretch before coming to the edge of the Wild beach. Tons of white sand obviously covered the rockier section of beach on this side of the island.
The beach was deserted, at least as far as his senses could pick up. He trusted them; they’d saved his ass more than once. The breeze washed over him, softly rustling the hairs on his arms, whispering in his ear. Alone. Last opportunity to be together.
“My phone will alert me when there’s a loud sound at the cottage,” he whispered.
She handed him his shirt, and he tucked it into his waist. He spotted one of those cabana beds that allowed guests to close the curtains and have sex amid the crowds.
They were not having sex. He needed to keep his hands off her. Every time he touched her, he felt himself slipping deeper. He wasn’t sure what was at the end of that slippery slope, but he had a feeling it involved fantasies about saying something like, Hey, maybe we could explore this thing between us. Make it work.
Had his father thought he could overcome it when he married his mother? Had his uncle Jeter thought he could stay true when he fell in love with his wife? Rumor had it that he’d lasted a whole year before sticking his dick where he shouldn’t. Broke Aunt Cara’s heart. They’d struggled for another few years before she’d finally left him for good.
No, he wasn’t taking that chance with Jennessy’s heart.
Sax gestured to the bed. “Why don’t you lie down and grab some shut-eye? You didn’t get much sleep at the room.”
“Ew, I’m not touching that mattress. I don’t want to even think about the germs on that thing.”
“Guess I didn’t think about that. I’ll steal some towels from the cabinet over there.” He trudged through the sand toward the cabinet that he’d seen manned by a towel boy the other day. Now it was closed up tight, but Sax would manage to break in. He’d get her safely settled in for a snooze.
Safe for whom? his inner voice taunted.
—
Jennessy watched Sax walking away, thrown into two dimensions by the soft moonlight. She could only faintly see the outline of his broad shoulders and how they tapered to his waist. She could well imagine, though, the confident swagger of his hips and the way his pants molded a very fine behind. Was he trying to get rid of her without actually getting rid of her? He was sure anxious for her to sleep. And while she hadn’t slept much, she was wide awake. Wired.
Aroused.
Deserted beach. Check. Gentle sea breeze. Check. Romantic moonlight. Check. Bed. Yep, even that. As Sax returned with a stack of towels, she added: and a sexy, sweet, strong man she wasn’t ready to let fly out of her life just yet. Check.
Hey. She was calling the shots here, so he should acquiesce. Unless he had lost interest in her. Her darn self-doubt kicked in as he made the bed with layers of towels, the muscles of his back flexing with his movements. Maybe she’d misinterpreted that cryptic statement about it not being her he was protecting. Probably. A guy like Sax wouldn’t worry about protecting his heart.
There you go, wallowing in doubt to protect yourself. And how will you feel, as you sit on the plane, knowing you lost a last chance to make love with the most delicious man you’ve ever been with?
He patted the bed. “There you go, darlin’. I’ll watch over you, make sure no germs sneak up while you sleep.”
Jennessy could hear the humor in his voice, even if she couldn’t see the glint of it in his eyes. She climbed onto the bed and walked on her knees to where he stood on the other side. She looped her arms over his shoulders. “Oh, Sax, my brave protector.”
His arms went around her waist. “Anything for m’lady.”
“Anything?” She let the word hang seductively for a moment. “You’ve helped me to figure out some of the things I like. Riding Sea-Doos. Margaritas with salt. Sneaking around trying to bring justice to horrible people. And sex. With you. Because if the quick and dirty was that incredible, I want to experience the not-quick, not-dirty version.”
There was that sound in his throat again, as if he were on a diet and she’d just presented a piece of chocolate cake.
His hands slid from her waist down beneath her pants and panties, cupping her behind and pulling her against a part of him that was in complete agreement. “Anything for m’lady,” he said again, his voice thick.
His mouth plastered over hers in a kiss that lacked a speck of reluctance. Or disinterest. He squeezed her behind, and she pressed even closer to the hard length of him. That he wanted her too shot desire through her. That maybe he’d already been hard before she even made the suggestion because he’d gone through the same checklist she had.
She threaded her fingers through his silky hair, making him shiver as her thumbs brushed his ears. He was hers, in this moment, to direct, to touch, to love. It stirred her to the core, and her core didn’t need any more stirring.
His fingers slid lower, teasingly close to that core. She tilted closer, aching for more of his touch. She’d never felt so…hungry for a man before. So needful of his hands on her, his cock inside her. The good Catholic girl was way long gone.
He slid his hands around to the front of her pants, and within seconds he’d unbuttoned them and pushed them down to her knees. She eased back so he could pull those and her panties all the way off. The night air rushed between her legs, chilling her dampness, energizing her even more.
His hands went to his waistband, and he unbuttoned his pants. Even in the dim light she could see the evidence of his own need for her straining against his dark briefs. He shoved them down and tossed them onto the corner of the bed. He was so breathtakingly gorgeous that her mouth actually watered.
He leaned close, gripping the bottom edge of her shirt and easing it up as she arched to help him. Her bra went the way of her clothing, and being naked with him out in the open fired all of her nerve endings.
He knelt beside her, skimming his hand over her breasts almost reverently. When his hand slid over her stomach, he leaned down and kissed a trail across her skin. “Your stomach is perfect.” He moved over her rib cage and then covered her nipple with his mouth. “Your breasts are perfect,” he murmured as he ran his tongue over the sensitive peak. “This one.” He kissed every inch of her breast, then dipped his tongue in the valley between and gave her other one the same loving attention. “And this one.”
As she sank into the wondrous sensations, and those amazing words, she dug her fingers through his hair. “And you’re perfect, too, Sax. Every inch.”
He kissed her hard and fast, his body hovering just above hers. His mouth was sinful, a pro
mise of everything he would do to her lower down. Sucking. Flicking. Slow and sweet. And he made his way agonizingly down her body, her neck, nibbling on her earlobe, kissing the spot beneath, moving down her neck, to her shoulder. Even the mundane parts of her felt erotic, alive.
He spread her legs as he worked his way down her belly again, to the ticklish skin of her pelvis, to her inner thigh. His finger slid into her opening, slick and easy, as he thrust it in and out. She could barely focus on that as his lips kissed all along her inner thighs, closer, closer, and then…his mouth touched her clit.
She gasped at the finally-ness of it. His finger continued to move in and out, and his tongue worked utter magic, building a crazy sensation throughout her body. She contorted, arched, and then the orgasm broke over her. Her fingers curled in his hair, tugging as she lost her mind.
His tongue kept moving, and another orgasm ripped through her senses. More, more battled with enough! in her mind, but she couldn’t even begin to find her voice. So more won as yet another wave washed over her.
He kissed down her inner thigh, the back of her knee, and even the arch of her foot. Then he started at her other foot and worked his way up. And when he came up to her chin, she kissed him, tasting the faint essence of the pleasure he’d given her.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and rocked to the side until he rolled over. She straddled him, her still-throbbing core pressed against his hard stomach. Now it was her turn for her mouth to take a leisurely stroll over his body. She reveled in the contours of his muscles contrasting his soft skin. He’d bent his arms above his head in complete surrender.
It made her heady, that he was so confident in his own power that he’d given it up to her. She used her mouth to let him know how much that meant, reveling in this new kind of power she now held over him. His fingers curled into the layers of towels as his body stiffened. His breathing stepped up, making his chest rise and fall.
His hands came down over her head. “If you want more than this, I suggest you stop now.”
She sat up, trying to see his face in the dark. “I want a lot more.”
Wild Nights Page 19