by Marie Harte
After his explosive surrender to the inevitable, he caught his breath on her name.
Alex favored him with a sly grin.
“I know you’ll want to blame this on whatever they did to me, but it’s really you.” She placed a soft, stirring kiss on his mouth. “I can feel what you feel and it’s driving me crazy,” she said, the lust clearly swirling in her dark eyes.
At mention of their connection, Hunter groaned. Damn it. She’d done it to him again. Though part of him raged that the she-devil had gotten the better of him, he had little to complain about. Because he’d just had the most incredible orgasm he’d ever felt in his life. And for the life of him, he wanted it again, but this time, he wanted her body under his, her acceptance, her surrender.
Shit. This woman is more than dangerous. She’s lethal.
To his bewilderment, she apologized. “I’m sorry.” She sighed and sat up, wobbling over him. “I didn’t mean to take advantage of you.” Except advantage came out as avantage.
Hunter swore, knowing only he was to blame. Alex could barely speak. Was it her fault she was too sexy for her own good? Or his fault he hadn’t the strength to resist her? The knowledge that he’d been led by his hormones reminded him of Anna all over again, and he finally found the strength to pull away.
Gently pulling out from under her, he stood and grimaced at the mess in his pants. Mission, man. Think of the mission.
Hunter took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “This thing, this connection between us, it has to stop.”
“Yeah. Cut it out.” Alex closed her eyes and snuggled into the couch. She yawned. “I’m really tired.”
“Hell.” He left and made a phone call requesting help. After getting some sound medical advice from their doctor on staff and a promise of medical attention for the drugged sex kitten on the couch, he returned from the small kitchenette with several bottles of water. “Drink those and then we’ll talk.”
Three hours later, after cleaning himself up, force-feeding Alex water, and a visit from Westlake’s medic on staff, Hunter watched Alex return from another trip to the bathroom. She glared at him.
“I hope you’re happy. I just threw up a great meal and have consumed so much water I feel like I’m going to float away.”
“Actually I do feel much better, thanks.” And not just from that incredible, mind-blowing orgasm. The doctor had confirmed that the drug in Alex’s system wasn’t lethal. It had a lot of the same similarities found in the recent surge of date rape drugs floating around the club scene. The massive amount of water Hunter had forced Alex to drink, as well as the time between her initial ingestion and now, had gone a long way toward helping her recuperate.
His relief over her recovery struck him as more than simple concern for a colleague. He felt territorial, emotional, and guilty as hell that he’d found pleasure from their encounter when she hadn’t. None of it made any sense, and he forced himself to focus on the here and now.
“Well, I think we can now safely assume Omaney wants you any way he can have you.”
Alex sighed. “I should have guessed earlier. They served a pretty spicy lunch and kept refilling my water glass. I didn’t taste anything odd.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“But I was really thirsty. Had a bad case of dry mouth.” She frowned. “Peter Omaney needs to be strung up by his toes.”
“I would have said balls, but okay. The asshole is dirty, and so is his buddy. You felt it, right?”
“I did.”
Hunter lapsed into silence, but he was completely aware of Alex. Her cheeks looked pink, and he thought her the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Shit, I have got to stop thinking like this.
“I, ah, I really am sorry I was all over you earlier.” Alex cleared her throat. “I was drugged, as you know. But I swear I could feel what you were feeling. It’s just so strange.”
Hunter nodded, thinking it was past time they had this talk. “Explain this thing you do to me. You’ve got telepathic abilities, like your uncle?”
Alex shook her head. “Hunter, I keep telling you that I don’t know what this connection is between us. For the record, I don’t read minds. I’ve never experienced this...oneness...before with anyone. It’s weird, not to mention a little scary.”
Hunter wasn’t sure what to believe. She sure sounded convincing.
“What can you do anyway?” Alex asked, throwing him off balance.
“Hmm?”
“I asked Uncle Max about you. He says that most of you Westlake guys are psychically gifted.”
“Just like you Buchanans and Saintes. You first.”
Alex chewed her lip and seemed to come to a decision. She sighed. “Fine.” An empty water bottle floated from the table toward his head. It hovered in the air until he reached out and grabbed it.
“Telekinesis,” he murmured, intrigued by the possibilities, as well as her obvious discomfort in revealing her ability. “Do you have to see the object to move it?”
“Yes. Now what about you?”
He debated telling her, recalling the mess that had resulted the last time he’d confessed the truth to a woman who’d meant something to him. Not that Alex means anything to me. Not at all. But we have to work together. We need to trust each other. And that, more than anything, confirmed his decision.
“I’ve got enhanced sensitivity,” he began slowly. “I’m not psychic. But I can see, hear, taste and smell things with far more acuity than a normal person.”
“Wow, really?” She seemed genuinely interested, as opposed to horrified. So far, so good. Hunter had only once before had a conversation like this, and it certainly hadn’t been so mundane. He wondered that he didn’t feel more exposed for having told her.
“Yeah. When my father was an officer in the Corps, he did some secret missions for the military. He received experimental drugs that he thought were biological deterrents. In any event, nothing happened to my dad. I, however, have this unique ability that enables me to experience life with a degree of clarity that’s well beyond a normal person’s scope.” Not to mention what Adrian can do. His brother was just as gifted, and just as secretive about his abilities.
“You’re aptly named, Hunter.” She didn’t seem at all worried now that she knew the truth.
He kept waiting for her to freak out, as his ex-fiancée had. But she didn’t, and something within him eased.
“Is that it?”
“Is what it?” he asked, bemused.
“Is that all you can do?”
“Isn’t that enough?” No need to push her further. He didn’t plan to divulge his bonus ability—to overtake his prey’s mind when he found that perfect pinnacle of connection. A taste of it had pushed Anna out of his arms and out the door for good.
“Fascinating. None of my relatives can do anything so visceral. Mental mumbo-jumbo, but nothing along your lines.” She studied him, and he wondered if he could believe the growing attraction between them. Now that the drugs had pushed through her system, he’d expected her to grow wary of him once more. But she didn’t. If anything, the woman seemed captivated by his nearness. He was baffled. Women liked him enough in bed. But rarely did they enjoy conversations with him.
Alex rubbed her head. “I guess this odd link we seem to have falls in my court, then. When you first accused me of it, I thought you were crazy. Now it seems it has to be me. You know, I tried to shut you out of my thoughts for a few days last week. Did you have any other weird flashes after our meeting in the coffee shop?”
“No, now that I think about it.”
“Probably not until our group conference. I swear my coffee tasted like a strawberry tart. Now that was bizarre.”
“Tell me about it.”
“I know this is a lot to ask, but I don’t want to mention this to my uncle. If he senses there’s something wrong with me, he might pull me from this assignment. And I don’t want to stop until Rebecca and those women are home safe. I can’tstop.”
&nbs
p; “Why?” Hunter took note of her desperation.
“Because I can finally make a real difference. I need to show my family I’m just as capable as Cole. But more than that, I want to help Gina and her husband. I want to give them back their daughter. I miss my mother more than anything. I’ll bet Rebecca feels the same.”
Hunter might have argued the wisdom of them both continuing the mission with that strange mental business between them. But Alex’s sincerity, the depth of pain in her voice when she spoke about her mother, moved him. He knew all about wanting to make family proud. Hell, he could still see his father’s broad smile after Jurek’s last glowing review. Pleasing the old man had never felt so good.
“Okay. We’ll keep this between us for now. If for some reason I sense something you do, I’ll just...deal with it.”
“Me too.” She paused, then blushed bright red. “And, as for before, it won’t happen again. I’m sorry I jumped you on the couch. I can’t believe I did that.”
The scent of her arousal peaked, and the way she avoided his gaze but snuck a glance at his crotch spoke volumes. The woman still wants me. After everything. Hot damn.
He gave her a noncommittal grunt, and she frowned. “Don’t worry about it, angel. I’ll chalk it up to taking one for the team.” He grinned at her, and she turned a brighter shade of red. He chuckled, sincerely amused. “Hell, you know what? I’ll happily take another one for the team later tonight. Or at least, Jed Black will. He’s going to knock you off your feet. So keep that chemistry hot and heavy between us.” Control over this entire situation once more settled in his grasp. “And know that no matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”
“Or maybe I’ll protect you,” she said softly, her gaze questioning. “You never know.”
Chapter Seven
Any night at Seneca’s delivered a good time, and Monday night was no exception. Strobe lights blinked and glittered. The music pulsed, and the human masses swaying to the rhythms laughed and danced with abandon. Late summer in the South at its finest.
When Alex walked in the door with Peter, she joined the throng of pleasure-seekers. Before long, she found herself dancing in the crowded section near the DJ. Cole worked the bar and Thorne mingled in the crowd. J.D. had even decided to put in an appearance. No one was taking a chance with her safety. Especially not Hunter, who’d given her so many rules she could barely remember them all.
She forced herself not to look for him. “You’ll know me when you see me,” he’d said.
Tonight, she wore a sheer black mini dress with strappy black heels. She’d left her hair down, swinging it around her shoulders as she danced, determined to distract Peter for a while.
He’d picked her up in his limo, all smiles. Neither of them mentioned the odd incident in her suite, and he did no more than kiss her lightly on the mouth, though his lips lingered a tad longer than Alex would have liked. He clearly desired her and made no attempt to hide it. He fully expected tonight to end with them having sex; she could feel it.
Over my dead body.
She continued to dance with Peter until he laughingly called a break. A few friends caught his attention as they made for the stairs. Seeing the restroom so close, Alex made an excuse and promised to meet him at his table.
Turning toward the bathroom, she caught Thorne’s eye before she walked into the women’s lounge and fiddled with her lipstick as she gave herself the extra boost of confidence she needed to be anywhere near Peter after what he’d tried to do. She’d be damned if she’d drink anything he handed her again. The bastard.
She gave herself a few minutes before leaving the lounge. On her way back up the stairs, she deliberately ran into Thorne and dropped her purse. She bent to retrieve it.
“I’m so sorry,” he apologized as he knelt to gather the items that spilled from her bag. The crowd flowed around them, giving them a small moment of privacy.
“Everything set?” she whispered.
“Yes.” Thorne replaced her lipstick with an identical tube. “Take this. J.D. says it’s an undetectable tracking device, just in case you lose your earrings.”
Remy had given her the gold hoops in her ears. The earrings served as a constant tab on her whereabouts and gave Max a breath of peace. But having a backup wouldn’t hurt.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him and would have stood when he grabbed her wrist.
“Not so fast. Give it another ten minutes. See the blonde in the pink dress by the bar? That’s my date. Go talk to her. Then, on your way back to Omaney, you’ll run into Jed Black.”
Alex nodded, but inside she was a bundle of nerves. She needed to relax. She’d gone over this very plan with Hunter earlier. Time to prove she had what it took for this mission. Thorne made small talk as he pulled her to her feet. He apologized again and left her staring after him.
Alex followed his instructions to the letter. She met up with the blonde and they struck up a conversation under the watchful stares of her bartender brother and Peter, who sat at his table on the second level.
Ten minutes later, Alex left the bar and skirted the crowded dance floor. Before she reached the side stairway, a deep voice stopped her.
“Baby, you look good enough to eat.”
She turned slowly to her admirer.
His lips quirked as he assessed her. Tall, with broad shoulders, black hair and dark eyes, he intimidated merely by breathing. A sense of power surrounded him, there in the confident way he moved. He had a bronzed face, no doubt achieved by long hours in the sun. His nose had a small bump in it, as if it had suffered a break. His full lips quirked at her over a square jaw. A familiar jaw.
Holy crap. Was this Hunter?
“And you are?” she asked haughtily, impressed that he’d nearly managed to fool her.
Hunter pulled her back onto the dance floor, in full view of Peter, while people surged around them. His breath whispered over her cheeks, and her body flooded with desire.
“Jed Black, at your service,” he mouthed, so close, only a few inches stood between them. He took her hand and kissed her palm, the way Peter had yesterday. Unlike Peter’s touch, Jed’s lit her up like a Christmas tree. Her nipples hardened and her sex grew moist. Needy. He gripped her hand tighter and rubbed her palm with his thumb. Alex’s entire body throbbed. Good Lord. Talk about taking one for the team.
She stared at Jed in awe. Sex in a bottle and just as mysterious. No one looking at them side by side would think he and Hunter the same man. Jed moved differently. Gone was the stillness so apparent in Hunter Greye. Instead, an almost tangible energy sparked off Jed Black.
He’d done something to the shape of his face and to his nose. Contacts darkened his eyes, and he’d dyed his hair. She couldn’t put her finger on any one substantial change that made the men unique from each other. The small things made all the difference.
A glance at his hand didn’t reveal a scar, and she tensed. Then he flashed his left hand and she noticed a slash running down his pointer finger and over the base of his thumb that looked quite real.
His gaze stripped her without apology. “He’s watching us,” he murmured directly into her ear and leaned back again to watch her.
Alex licked her lips, and he followed the movement without blinking. She rubbed her thighs together, wondering if he could smell her need. The intensity in his gaze suggested he could, giving her a thrill that her desire wasn’t one-sided.
She had to lean close to talk to him. Between the music and the crowd, the noise level was nearly impossible to talk through. “Okay, I’m ready.”
He drew her close and rested his hands on her ass. Alex had to wonder if he was getting into character or having a tease at her expense. Because his every touch made her hotter for more. She looked beyond him to Peter and caught a glimpse of Peter’s anger. Then Jed brought her face back to his.
“Give it to me good, angel,” he mouthed before his lips found hers.
Alex didn’t need to act. The fire of his touch lit her en
tire body. After a moment of feigned struggle, she surrendered to his embrace. He worked his magic, to the point she nearly forgot she played a part when he slowly pulled away.
Several men whistled and toasted them with bawdy acknowledgement. Jed leaned close and thrust an unmistakable erection against her belly. “Want some more?”
“I, I came here with someone else,” she stuttered, remembering her lines. Good Lord, Jed Black was just as bad as Hunter Greye. “My friend Peter.”
“By all means, angel. Let’s meet him so you can say goodbye.”
Jed pulled her with him through the crowd and up the stairwell. The security at the entry to the second floor gave him no problem when he walked by them.
“Alex?” Peter stood, glaring at Jed’s hand on hers.
“Peter.” She blushed. Jed pulled her close and stroked her back, a proprietary gesture Peter couldn’t ignore. “I ran into Jed downstairs. I told him I was with someone, and he wanted to meet you.”
Peter studied Jed before smiling politely. He motioned to his table. “Please, won’t you join us, Mister...?”
“Jed Black.” Jed smiled, showing straight, even teeth.
Peter blinked, seeming taken aback at the introduction. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jed.” He glanced from Jed to her and back again. “So, how do you know Alex?”
“I don’t, not yet.” Jed’s gaze roamed her figure, settling disconcertingly on her breasts before he met Peter’s stare. “I saw her downstairs and knew I had to meet her.”
“Ah. Please, sit down. What brings you to town, Jed?”
“Business.” Jed smiled coolly at Peter as he and Alex settled into their chairs. “Have we met before? You look familiar.”
Alex watched the scene unfold as both men tested each other.