Critical Intelligence

by Mandy M. Roth

  Roi’s brows drew together and she instantly wanted to smooth away the crinkle on his forehead. “Am I interrupting something?” The tone of his voice was not friendly.

  Tension filled the air around them. Instincts told Missy to defuse the situation quickly or risk a huge scene that would be hard to explain away later. Smiling, Missy slid her arms around Roi’s rock-solid waist and hugged him tight. He stiffened beneath her touch. “You’re hard to stay mad at, sweetie.”

  “Huh?” he questioned, sounding dumbfounded.

  Moving her hands down, she dug them into his lower back. The tips of her fingers brushed past what could only be a weapon. That didn’t surprise her in the least. Roi was a special operative. It made perfect sense he’d be armed all the time. She was. “Sweetie, if I ever find another woman’s phone number in your pants pocket again, I won’t be so forgiving. You’ll lose vital body parts. I bet you can’t guess where I’ll start first.”

  A slow, sexy smile spread over Roi’s face. Leaning down, he pulled her close and seized the moment, pressing his lips against hers. She gasped. Roi used that moment of stunned surprise to thrust his tongue in. The sweet taste of his mouth caused her to give in and return his kiss. Her entire body tingled as she stood on her tiptoes to reach him better.

  Heat blazed between them, and for a moment Missy thought she might pass out from the combination of the rising temperature and his silky tongue caressing hers. Her breasts swelled and her nipples hardened as Roi slid his hands under her cami, scorching her skin on the way.

  Growling slightly, Roi moved his head back and forth, leaving Missy no choice but to follow his lead. Not that she had any other intentions. Her resolve was all but gone as she slid her hands slowly up his smooth chest. She wanted to feel Roi’s bare skin. She wanted to feel the weight of his body pressed to hers. She wanted to get the hell away from him before she begged him to fuck her.

  Pulling back from Roi, she smiled as he let out a tiny whimper. Missy gave him a slight smile and winked, thinking that would teach him for pulling a stunt like that. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

  “So I take it that everything is still on, baby?”

  Missy cast him a questioning look.

  Roi pulled her to him tight and ground his hips against her as he rocked their bodies slightly. “Mmm, you had me scared for a minute there that you were going to tell me no on spending the weekend tucked away at my cabin, naked, with the phone shut off so we aren’t interrupted while we fuck the night—”

  She’d been right about him from the word go. He was a pig’s asshole.

  Grabbing hold of his belt loop, Missy narrowed her eyes. “Sweetie, I don’t think we’re up for that right now. I’m still a bit pissed about the number situation and wondering how many other numbers you have hidden around the house. I’m afraid you’ll be sleeping alone tonight.”

  “Baby, I don’t plan to sleep at all tonight.” He bent fast and pressed his mouth to her ear. The moment he began to whisper, she shuddered. “I think we both know that we’ll be fucking until the wee hours of the morning.”

  Not one to back down, Missy nipped at his rugged jawline as he kept his mouth pressed to her. He jerked slightly as his breathing increased.

  “Did you get your pills refilled?” she asked. “I’d hate to have another repeat of the promise of pleasure only to find that you aren’t quite ‘up’ to the task. I don’t mind masturbating, but doing it when you’re there and unable to perform is so disappointing.”

  “Care to see how up for the task I am? I’m sure you’ll find it more than acceptable. In fact, you can tell me all about it tomorrow night when you’re still lying in my arms because you’re recovering from an entire night of having all of me in little ol’ you.”

  “Funny, I was under the impression that you would be lying there trying to recover from having little ol’ me wear you out. I’m not sure you’ll be able to tell me about it though. I have a funny feeling you’ll be nursing a rather raw cock and sprained tongue, but thanks for the mental image.” With that she turned around to find that the two men were no longer there.

  “Mmm, sprained tongue, huh?” Roi asked, touching her shoulders lightly.

  Scanning the room, Missy found Mr. Gold Chains and his bosom buddy sitting at a booth in the back corner doing their best to appear as though they weren’t still watching her.

  Roi moved in around her and hugged her tight to him. The feel of his erection against her back made her eyes widen. His guess on the morning after was probably way more accurate than hers. “Where are you sitting?”

  Missy motioned toward their booth and groaned.

  “Come on, it wasn’t that bad, was it?” His deep voice seemed to move through her very being. It caressed her in places it shouldn’t. That wasn’t the worst part. No. The fact that Missy wanted Roi to truly be touching her in all those same areas was what almost did her in.

  “What? The kiss?” she questioned.

  Roi laughed. “Okay, but I was talking about the idea of me fucking you all night long. I’m willing to get an answer on how the kiss was.”

  She rolled her eyes and did her best to block the image of him doing that very thing. Needing to get her mind off his dick, she nodded and changed the subject. “Thanks for helping me out.”

  “Ah, carefully avoiding having to answer how the kiss was for you. Wow, you’re good. Care to just drive the knife in and save time?” he asked, snickering as he went.

  “I didn’t see you offering up any information on it, so why should I? It was what it was, Playboy Roi.”

  “Playboy Roi?”

  She snorted at the idea of him not being a playboy. “Please don’t try to tell me that no one has ever accused you of being a womanizer, and isn’t it better than being a pig’s asshole?”

  Roi ran his hand over her back lightly as they headed to the booth. She knew she should move away from him, but she couldn’t seem to get her body on the same page as her mind.

  “Well, if anyone ever dares to accuse me of being a womanizer, I’ll refer them to you—the one woman whose armor I can’t seem to make a chink in. That’ll kill that theory and blow my entire image.” He let out a soft laugh. “I’ve spent so long creating just the right image too. You know, just this side of smarmy with a pinch of dark and mysterious. It’s a shame that one tiny woman has managed to destroy it.”

  Missy couldn’t help but laugh. He certainly nailed the dark and mysterious part. Sure, he could be cocky and arrogant, but there was something about him that Missy couldn’t put her finger on. Something that called to her on some strange level.

  “So, you stopped in here to eat, huh?” she asked, knowing that not once in all the years she’d grown up around the place had she seen Roi drop by.

  “Yep, I was starving and it was close. Tell me they have good food here because they have shit music.”

  “They do have great food.”

  “Great, then let’s eat,” he replied.

  She went to protest but he stopped her before she started.

  “Think of it as two new friends feasting on, umm, I mean with each other.” The sexual implications in his statement both turned her on and turned her stomach. Giving in to Roi meant giving in to being used and discarded at a moment’s whim. Men like him didn’t keep women around after their needs were met, and although meeting his needs sounded like fun, Missy wasn’t strong enough to fight another broken heart.

  She attempted to pull away from him, but it didn’t work. “Wouldn’t we have to be friends for your little scenario to work?”

  “Ouch,” Roi said as he pulled her toward him. She drew in a sharp breath as her body rubbed against his. “I think you know that we could be so much more than friends, little one.”

  Common sense surfaced and Missy elbowed Roi in the ribs. He grunted and she smiled. “My name is Missy, not doll, not baby, not sugar, not little one, not … ooh, you get the point.”

  “Yes, but I’d much rather have you get on
my point, Missy doll.”

  Resistance is futile.

  Even her conscience had thrown the towel in. Trying to ignore Roi was like trying not to breathe—you could do it, but in the end it hurt and your body forced you to do it anyways.

  Surrendering, she went to climb into the booth. Maybe after he ate, he’d leave. Somehow she doubted it, but it was worth a shot. Sliding into the booth, Missy grunted as Roi pushed her aside, shoving her to the wall just to sit next to her. “Ugh, do you have to sit by me? There are plenty of chairs around here. Pull one up and sit at the end of the booth. Is it really necessary to cram me against the wall?”

  Turning to her, he flashed a wide, white smile. “Yep.”

  “That’s a rather wolfish grin,” she said, rolling her eyes.

  “You have no idea, Missy doll, no idea.”

  “Could you at least move down a bit? Three of us fit here fine and you’ve got enough room to have company sit next to you.”

  “Nope. I like where I’m at. The seat’s warm now.” Roi grabbed a fry off her plate and popped it into his mouth. It took Missy a moment to realize that she was staring at the entire event as if it were a live-action porn flick. In many ways, it was. Roi had a way of making almost any actions oddly erotic. He also had an uncanny gift of grating on her last nerve.

  Sexy and annoying, gee, I attract all the good ones.

  “Do you mind?” she asked, reaching for her plate.

  Dropping his hand down onto hers, he put his face dangerously close to hers. “Not at all.”

  “Ass.”

  “Are you offering yours up?”

  She snorted. “Do you ever shut up?”

  “Give me something to keep my mouth occupied and I might.” His gaze raked down her body and landed on her lower region, instantly causing her pussy to pulsate.

  Grabbing a fry, she shoved it in his mouth. “There, that should shut you up.” Missy picked up one for herself and popped it into her mouth while she gave Roi a wide grin.

  “Mmm, a woman who actually eats.” His hot gaze moved over her. “That’s rare. Where the hell do you put it or do you just eat one fry?”

  Missy laughed and peeked at the table full of food. “There are only three of us here tonight.”

  Roi glanced at the table and then her. “Are the other two men?”

  “Nope.”

  “Three girls eat five burgers, a large pizza, and a basket of fries? And who is drinking beer? Shouldn’t you all have bottles of water or drinks with umbrellas in them?”

  Missy chuckled. “Melanie normally does have drinks like that. She’s on water tonight though. The beer is mine.”

  Suddenly, she could feel the weight of an unfriendly stare. Glancing around toward the back of the bar, she locked eyes with Norris and didn’t look away. He and his friend were up to no good and she hadn’t forgotten about them.

  Roi touched her hand and she jolted slightly in the booth. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Not taking her eyes off Norris, Missy nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  The sound of Styx’s “Mr. Roboto” came over the sound system. Missy shook her head, knowing Eadan was doing this to tease her. One of his favorite pastimes was making fun of her eclectic taste in music.

  Roi lifted a brow. “The music here really is shit.”

  Chapter Five

  Roi’s cock twitched and fought to be free of his jeans. It dug hard into the zipper, leaving him shifting uncomfortably. Having Missy this close to him was too much. He needed to find release soon or risk dying from erection overload. Though he’d never actually heard of that being fatal, there was always a first time for everything. He could hear it now: “Man reported dead after having an erection last several days straight. Cause: Hot, mysterious woman denial.”

  He’d damn near passed out when he spotted Missy in the bar. After showering, he’d decided that he needed to eat and he had the strangest urge to stop at this particular bar while driving by. It was as if something was pulling him, tugging at his gut, and he was powerless to stop it. Having been alive a long time and seen enough odd occurrences to know better than to question his gut, he stopped. The minute he caught Missy’s scent, he knew what the driving force was that called to him—her. Who would have guessed that the one woman who hated his guts would turn out to be his mate?

  My mate? Why the hell did I refer to her as that? Slap me with a stupid stick—or would that be a ball and chain?

  Missy shifted slightly, allowing him a glimpse down the front of her red top. God, she was perfect in every way. Her breasts weren’t too big, but not too small, and the fact she was so damned tiny compared to him made him want to protect her all the more. If that wasn’t enough, every time she looked up at him with her chestnut brown, cat-like eyes, he pictured what she’d look like staring down at him while riding him. It was so easy to imagine her silky, long black hair falling down and over him as she worked that little body of hers on his until they were both sweaty and sated. If being sated was even possible around her. He’d never wanted to caress a woman more in his life. He knew that one taste of her skin wouldn’t be enough. It’d never be enough.

  His cell phone buzzed. Unclipping it from his waist, he pressed the button. “Geoffroi here.” He used his full name in hopes that whichever I-Op was trying to reach him would understand he wasn’t in a secure location.

  “Geoffroi?” Missy mused.

  “Where the hell are you? And what the hell are you listening to?” Lukian asked, sounding incredibly annoyed.

  “Just getting a bite to eat, Captain, and enjoying the sounds of Styx, umm, just like everyone does. Did you need me?” Being submissive and cordial would no doubt tip Lukian off that Roi wasn’t alone. If that didn’t work, claiming to like Styx would surely give it away.

  “Finish fucking whatever bimbo you found to scratch that itch you had and get your ass back here! New targets were identified. My half-unit wasn’t the only one in danger.” Using the term half-unit referred to one’s wife, or mate. Peren, Lukian’s mate, had been the target of an assassination attempt. If Peren wasn’t the only target from the group that had assisted Parker, then more people were in danger.

  “Make sure he knows that I’m not a bimbo and we aren’t fucking. And tell him that I am not scratching any itch of yours,” Missy shot back, huffing slightly. “As if I’d ever stoop that low, Pig’s Asshole. I prefer masturbation to you. I know where I’ve been.”

  Roi jerked upright, needing to adjust his cock soon or risk permanent damage. Running his tongue over his lower lip, he looked at Missy. “Can I watch?”

  “Can you watch what?” Lukian asked.

  Roi ignored him.

  Missy glared at him. “Go to hell, Geoffroi.”

  Roi stiffened, wondering if his attempts at wooing Ms. Carter could possibly flop more. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he concentrated on what Lukian was telling him. Peren wasn’t the only target. “Roger that, Captain. Any indication on the identity of the others?”

  A slight buzzing touched Roi’s mind and he knew that Lukian was attempting to communicate with him telepathically. It was one more bond that they shared. He focused on him and waited.

  Roi, this is bad. I’m staring at a file full of photos and information on at least thirty other targets. We’re trying to reach out to PSI for help decoding the rest. We’ve also learned about at least two teams of ex-military men from around the world that have been assembled to “reclaim” the original targets. And…

  And, Roi pushed back at him. It gets worse?

  Yes, I’m afraid it does. There was a long pause. Melissa Carter is on the list of targets, brother. Most of the targets have the word “retrieve” next to their names. She has “retrieve or eliminate” next to hers.

  “Missy’s has what?” A low growl emanated from deep within him. The very thought of Missy being in danger made the beast within him fight to get out. It wanted to hurt something. He wanted to hurt something.

  “Huh?” Mis
sy asked.

  Roi’s palms began to sweat. He couldn’t keep his wolf under control, talk on the phone, communicate with Lukian mentally, and not slip up around Missy. “Shit, I’ll call you back in a minute, Captain.”

  Roi, I need you to track Missy down. I called Peren and she said they’re at some bar that Melanie’s family owns. Get your ass over there and—

  Calm down, Lukian. Missy is sitting next to me. I won’t let her out of my sight. I can assure you of that, Roi returned with his mind.

  I’m not even going to ask why she’s with you, but you need to stay with her. When you can, get her back here. Green wants to run some tests on her. I don’t want to scare her so take your time. Think of some way to ease her into coming with you. If she resists, drag her. I tried to get Peren to bring her in, but she’s refusing to leave Melanie—something about someone being sick. I don’t know. Plus, Peren’s dead set on it being you who handles this. I’m not willing to risk my mate’s wrath, so do as I say or I’ll be bunking up at your place until she calms down. Listen, if you feel that Melanie and Peren are in any danger, force them to come too. Got it?

  Roi nodded even though Lukian couldn’t see the action. Roger that.

  You’ll also need to prepare yourself in the event we need to head out. Wilson and Jon are with the colonel now. They’re trying to get a hold of PSI. I think Brooks has it in his head that we’re going to have to work hand-in-hand with them.

  You mean hold their hands, right?

  Yes, said Lukian.

  Roi out.

  Lukian ended their mental connection and Roi focused on Missy. She looked puzzled. He couldn’t blame her. He was about to say something to her when Melanie and Peren approached the table.

  “You okay, hon?” Missy asked, concern lacing her soft voice as she stared at her friend Melanie.