by Karen Anders
He drew in a sharp breath when she flicked her tongue across the sensitive tip. His hands came up to her hair.
“Babe,” he said, his voice barely more than a rough whisper.
“Dex,” she said, making his name a vow.
He cupped her head and slowly drew her mouth down to his, his eyes on hers as their lips met.
She took his kiss, letting her eyes drift shut as waves of sensation poured through her. He was heat and muscle and smooth skin. She opened her eyes and he gave her that slow, sensual smile that turned her insides to honey, an unmistakable gleam in his blue eyes.
She loved his smile and at that thought her breath caught in her throat. No, she couldn’t go there and let herself get carried away by his hands sliding up her back and down again.
A violent shudder coursed through him, his breathing harsh and labored in the silent room. “You feel good all over me, Piper,” he said, his hand moving up her stomach, over her breasts, until his hand wrapped around her neck.
That move made her feel claimed, his, and she couldn’t stop the thrill that gave her. She slid on him; his breath caught and she moved again so she could hear the sound again. Then she took him inside her, thrust down on him, teasing him, holding herself so still, second after endless second, until even the slightest movement made him groan.
“Piper...please.”
She pulled out and pushed back on him so slowly she thought she might lose her mind.
His hands went to her hips. She clasped his wrists and pulled his arms over his head, then smoothed her palms over him, then back up, holding him loosely. His eyes were closed, his head thrown back. She leaned into him, pressing her breasts against his chest. He was lost in the pleasure and she watched his face, his open mouth, the way a man looked when he was aroused. Beautiful. She licked his neck, her tongue gliding over his stubble, rasping against her tongue. Then she licked his upper lip, then bit his lower.
He arched his back and with a cascade of groans pushed up inside her as she let go of his wrists. He reared up, bracing his arm across the small of her back. Panting, he dragged them both backward until his back was against the headboard.
He held her and thrust harder, then even faster. She clung to him, riding his hips, the pleasure immeasurable. He dragged her higher, crushing her against him, and Piper sobbed out his name; he was so hard, so full. Dex shuddered, his arms convulsing around her. Roughly angling her hips, he took her on another wild ride. She clasped the back of his neck and sealed her mouth over his, surrendering everything to his hot, searching lips.
Stroking her tongue against his, she moved against him, desperate for the feel of him, silently begging for more, and it was too much as sensation after sensation pulled into one hot, pulsating rush of pleasure that burst inside her.
Before the next contraction started, he clutched at her, a low, tormented groan ripping from him as he jerked against her.
Even as fierce pleasure scored her, she clung to him, incoherent and shredded. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tears mingling in with the sweat and the pleasure as she lost it. This moment, this golden moment, was what she’d been searching for, for a long, long time, but had completely eluded her.
Dex was a sanctuary, so much more than her protector and so much more than her rescuer. He was safe, a place where she could rest.
And it wasn’t that she hadn’t loved Brad, because she had. So, so much. But she hadn’t known this...oh, God...this was possible.
With her breath slowing, reality punched a hole in her heart. He was a warrior and what he did for a living was make war. He was damn good at it.
She wasn’t sure she could live with that, survive losing a man like him, waiting and watching every day, so many days of being without him like this. The magical as well as the mundane.
Even as he uplifted her, her heart lay heavy, feeling the thudding of his.
“Babe. Freaking hell, babe,” he whispered, holding her so that she wouldn’t leave him just yet, rubbing his face against her. Without being able to let her go, he slid down the mattress. “Just give me a minute,” he rasped.
He rolled her, his arms still around her, his breathing still fast, then he kissed her, slanting his mouth over hers and sliding his tongue in deep.
It was a real kiss—the kind a man gave a woman he really cared about—deep, warm, communicating what he either couldn’t or wouldn’t say in words. The kind of kiss that was an exploration, a take-your-time kiss. Kind of perfect because she kissed him back the same way, not just learning all about him, but the taste of him, the feel of his stubbled jaw beneath her fingers, the contours of his hot, muscled body, his weight and height.
God help her...she couldn’t stop the flood of sensation, the overwhelming crashing of her emotions.
She was falling for Lieutenant Dexter Kaczewski not because of what he’d done, but because of who he was and who she was with him. If the danger had a hand in throwing them together, it wasn’t what had sealed her fate here. That might have been the catalyst, but she felt him in the fiber of her soul.
He was her man, her warrior. She was so his.
She was desperate to have this situation solved, desperate for him to go back to his life and for her to take up her own again.
Except... God help her, she wasn’t going back to the Hill the same person. He had changed her, profoundly, and she was grateful, so grateful, for that.
The only thing that hadn’t changed was her fear. That remained like barbed wire around her heart, but even as it kept him out, it also made her bleed.
Marriott Hotel, Pentagon City,
Arlington, Virginia
Austin swore for the five millionth time. Okay, he wasn’t sure how many times he’d sworn, but his gut was shrieking at him that this was it. Getting into Thelma Kaczewski’s social media account was going to net him something big.
Derrick was still asleep, but Austin couldn’t stop. He’d gotten through all of the levels of security except for the very last one.
Frustrated he leaned back against the headboard, his eyes gritty, his back sore. Then his cell buzzed and he leaped for it. He said hello as he grabbed his key card and slipped out of the room. He headed downstairs to the bar.
“Hello, is this Austin Beck?”
“Yes, how can I help you?” He lifted one finger, then the bartender poured a beer from the tap and set it down in front of him.
“This is Russell Kaczewski. I’m Dexter’s brother and my dad told me you were on the case. I want to know what is going on with my brother.”
“We’re following—”
“Don’t give me that following leads line. I was a RECON marine. I know the score, so give it to me straight.”
Austin took a cold sip and sighed, but couldn’t help a small smile. This was a fellow marine, his brother in arms.
“Okay, he’s here in DC and it looks like he’s fine.”
There was a release of a deep breath on the other end of the line. “To tell you the truth, I thought you were going to stonewall me.”
“You mean like your dad did to us?”
“My dad knows Dex is in DC?”
“He’s a wily one, your dad.”
“He plays his cards close to the vest and always on a need-to-know basis. I guess I can’t fault him for that.”
Austin heard sounds of traffic, then a loudspeaker in the background. “Ah, man, don’t come here. There’s nothing you can do.”
“It’s my brother and he’s wounded and people are trying to kill him. What would you do?” Damn military types. “I’ll be staying with my dad. Could you keep me posted?”
“I can’t promise...”
“Beck, c’mon.”
“I’ll see what we can do,” Austin said, polishing off his beer. He disconnected the call as he heade
d back to the room. He was cracking that damn security wall tonight. Inside the room, Derrick turned in his sleep, mumbled something unintelligible. Ha. And he said Austin talked in his sleep, which, of course, he didn’t.
He pulled the laptop back onto his lap and typed and swore some more, tried something else and then bam, he was in!
“Yes,” he hissed into the darkened room. He ran a search and, bingo, her information popped up and he started to scroll through her posts. About halfway down the page, he struck pay dirt. Gotta love social media. She had posted about house-sitting for some friends. The Kramers in the ’burbs. He chuckled, looking through her friends list until he found Kevin and Mary Kramer. Getting their address was going to be a piece of cake. Once Lara got into the office in four hours, he and Derrick would be heading over there.
His gut was never wrong.
Suburbs of Washington, DC
The world smelled faintly of sex...and sugar. Dex stirred and the silky sheets slid across his skin, nearly as soft and fine as the woman wrapped in his arms. He wasn’t sure he was still flesh and blood; surely this girl grenade had blown him to smithereens last night. He got hard just thinking about her moving over him, the sensual tease of her hips and her deliberate movements to drive him insane.
She made him feel like he was drowning and for a SEAL that was kind of scary. In fact, if he was being truthful with himself, and he always tried to be, he knew she would take him under and hold him there, struggling for air. Except it would be a sweet struggle with her melting all over him, ready to take him inside her, and he didn’t mean his erection. The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen with hands he wanted on him, and he knew deep in his heart just how good it would be between them.
The problem was he was liking her way too much. Tyler’s sister. Even as he heeded Rock’s warning and got more guilt dumped on him by the bro code, he’d long ago crossed the line. He didn’t want to lose Tyler’s friendship over this, but he also realized that he was going to hurt her. Because even though she was the most amazing woman and he was amazing with her, and they were amazing together, he still wanted to be a SEAL. Every day in her presence made him think more and more that she was his other unbreakable half. He hadn’t known there was a vulnerability in his armor until he’d met her.
He thought he’d fallen before... Jesus...not even close.
Protecting his heart wasn’t even an option now.
The woman had done him inside out.
The problem here was that he wanted every moment he could get with her. It was a flat-out admission and his cue to back off. Maybe take stock of the situation, reclaim a little pride, but he didn’t take his hands off her. He didn’t lean back and give her room, and he didn’t lift his head from the curve of her neck.
Screw it—he opened his mouth on the soft, sweet skin beneath her ear. He tasted her with his tongue. He slid one hand up her body and moved her hair away from her neck, letting the silky strands drift through his fingers.
It was just one big forbidden mistake after another and he used his other hand to slide down over her bottom and press her into his hips, grazing her throat with his teeth, letting her scent seduce him.
His match...and he sensed that he was going to lose her, even as he entered her from behind and she gasped and arched her back, even as he thrust and thrust, took her body, took her heart, greedy and insatiable for every sound she made, every gasp, every indrawn breath.
He rolled her over onto her stomach, his shaft so hard and aching as he lost his control and drove into her.
He was lost, caught between what he wanted and what he couldn’t live without. There was only one answer, one way he could go.
His job wasn’t just what he did for a living; it fulfilled him at a level that nothing else could. He needed both to survive and be whole, but he would have to give up one.
“Dex,” she whispered in a pleasure-soaked voice, and she rippled around him. He spasmed and came, his body jerking and emptying.
She was still in love with her husband, not over him. He had hurt her last night and with that memory came true, aching regret.
He was so damned selfish. He wanted all of her heart.
He collapsed over her, wincing as he slid to his side. One thing was for sure, he was getting plenty of blood pumping into his wound. He cuddled her against him.
“Dex?” she said into the brightening room.
“Yeah,” he replied, his arm wrapped around her waist, her sated body languid against his.
“I’ve been thinking. I want to get help.”
He stiffened, his whole body going on alert.
“This isn’t the same crap you were trying to feed me last night, Piper. Because you can forget it.”
“No,” she said, sending her hand over the back of his, caressing him.
“What, then?” he said cautiously.
“I want to contact Stephen Montgomery. He’s very well-placed, has a lot of contacts, is discreet and he cares about me.”
“I don’t know, Piper.” Dex didn’t care if the guy was a priest and was personal friends with the freaking Pope. Someone wanted her dead and he wasn’t taking any chances.
“Maybe he can make some headway. We can at least talk to him. We don’t have to reveal our whereabouts. Just get him working for us.”
He sighed. “You trust him?”
“Yes. I do. Not as much as I trust you, but yes.”
That warmed him up inside like a sappy idiot. “All right, but no particulars.”
After they showered and played some more—damn, she was a tease and made him forget everything—they settled on stools in the kitchen and ate breakfast.
“You sure about this Montgomery guy?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” She bit into her toast and chewed, giving him a reassuring look. Her beauty struck him hard, like a metal pipe to the head—a brutal beauty that twisted a guy the hell up.
He just wanted to say, “Yes. Anything you want,” but Dex was a navy SEAL and he was made of tougher stuff. O-kay, he might be 5 percent cream puff around her, but mostly sterner stuff. He had a gut feeling and he was going to follow through with it. She wasn’t going to like it, but he figured he’d feed reality to her a little bit at a time. He didn’t have anything more at stake here than his own life and Piper’s. Those were pretty big to him and he wasn’t going to go soft now, not when she needed him armed and dangerous.
“Call him,” Dex said, “but be vague about exactly where you are. You don’t even have to tell him you’re in DC.” He still didn’t like this idea, but they were pretty much at a standstill. He had a hunch he wanted to execute, but he was sure it was going to put Piper in a tailspin. Couldn’t be helped. He needed to find answers and he didn’t like having to rely on people he didn’t trust to deliver.
Piper was right. He was rich and he was a wild card. Dex liked a sure bet. And unless Montgomery was a navy SEAL, he couldn’t extend his trust that far.
“Yes, sir,” she said, saluting, and it was downright cute as hell.
He chuckled. “There’s no saluting unless there’s a cover on.”
“A cover?”
“Hat,” he said.
“You can’t make an exception in my case, Lieutenant?” Her lower lip protruded in a pout.
He felt like a sappy idiot again. Cream puff. “Well, maybe.” He tapped her phone. “Go. Dial. Put it on speaker.”
She reached for her phone as Dex sipped his coffee. She punched in the number and it rang.
“Hello.”
“Monty?”
“Oh, my God! Pippy!” Dex mouthed, Pippy, and arched his brows, a smile forming on his face, and she hit him on the arm. “Honey, it’s so good to hear your voice. Edward was pretty closed lipped about you and I was going out of my mind with worry. Where are you?”
Dex shook his head and Piper nodded and said, “I’m safe, but I could use your help.”
“Anything. Name it.”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Ty wasn’t all that convinced my car wreck and Brad’s death were accidents.”
“That’s very troubling. Go on.”
“The police were sparse on the information. I don’t even know what they had found out, if anything. They kept telling me it was an accident. Brad had been drinking that night, but he wasn’t drunk. I’m sure of that. They think he just lost control of the car, but I’m not sure that was the case. It’s jumbled up in my head and I’m not sure myself.”
“Let me get this straight. You think Brad was murdered and the police covered it up?”
“I don’t know, but someone tried to kill Tyler by luring him and his SEAL team into an ambush and someone compromised my protection detail. Both of my DS agents tried to kill me. The only connection between Ty and me is that accident.”
“This is very upsetting,” he said, his voice choked. He paused and went on, “Brad was like a son to me. What do you want me to do?”
“I figured anyone who could make those things happen could easily pay off the police. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to use your influence to find out more information from the police. You know the commissioner. Surely, he would be helpful.”
“I will call him now and get back to you with anything I find out. Where can I reach you?”
Dex covered the receiver. “Tell him you’ll call him,” he whispered.
Old Monty didn’t like that; Dex could hear the disgruntlement in his voice. Before he could badger Piper, Dex hit the end button.
“That was rude, Dex. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye.”
“Well, when all this is over, Pippy, I’ll personally apologize to him.”
She huffed a laugh. “Don’t you dare call me that. That’s his childhood name for me. I bet you have one, and if you’re not careful I’ll find out what it is.”