Locked and Loaded

by Mandy Baxter

  Mason stared down at his bloodied knuckles. “My temper got the better of me.” He kept his fingers twined with hers. “I think I let it get the better of me more than once today.” It wasn’t much of an apology, but it was a start.

  “What do you want from me, Mason?” Charlie disentangled her hand from his and let it drop from the doorknob. She turned to face him. Anger still smoldered in her eyes, though with considerably less heat.

  Where to begin? Mason couldn’t think of anything he didn’t want from her. His want of her was all-consuming. Nothing mattered anymore. Not Kieran, not the job, not even Faction Five—whoever the hell they were.

  He stepped up to her and wound his fingers in the silky length of her hair. His mouth found the outer shell of her ear. “I want everything, Charlie.”

  She drew in a slow breath and angled her head toward his. “So do I, Mason. And that’s the problem.”

  His hopes deflated like a week-old balloon. “Always the job …”

  “You want everything. Why can’t I have everything I want, too?”

  Mason pulled away. He smoothed his palm over her hair that a moment ago he’d held gathered in his fist. He’d vowed to keep their relationship strictly professional after L.A. Why was it so damned hard to keep his distance from her? Charlie was intentionally antagonistic. Ambitious to a fault. Hardheaded with a king-size chip on her shoulder. Tough and brave. Beautiful and passionate. She was the perfect storm. Everything he admired and desired wrapped up in one hell of a package.

  How could he be anything but obsessed?

  “I want you, Charlie.” The anger that hadn’t fully dissipated made an unwelcome reappearance. “Damn it, I don’t give a single shit about anything else. Why do you think I want you as far away from Kieran as possible?”

  Her anger reignited. “This is about Kieran? Jesus, Mason. When is this rivalry between you two going to end?”

  Mason raked his hands through his hair before brushing it forward with a forceful flick. He blew out a frustrated breath. He might as well be banging his head against the wall, as much good as it did him. “This isn’t about Kieran. This is about you, Charlie! If what you say about Faction Five is accurate, they’re beyond dangerous. They’ll go to any lengths to keep their identities a secret. Do you realize the position you’ve put yourself in? You could be killed!”

  “I—” She averted her gaze. “The task force needs—”

  If not for the gravity of the situation—not to mention his total exasperation with her—Mason would have taken a moment to enjoy how cute she was when she got flustered.

  “I don’t care what the task force needs.” Mason stepped up until he stood chest to chest with Charlie. He guided her face up to meet his. “I need you to be safe. I need to know that you’re okay. At the end of the day, I need to know that I didn’t put you at risk.” He swallowed against the emotion that gathered in his throat. “I can’t have you out in the field while I’m worrying that I can’t protect you. It messes with my head. My focus is shot.”

  “I never said I needed you to protect me. I know what I’m involved in.”

  Mason lived in a constant state of vacillating between wanting to kiss Charlie and needing to shake some damn sense into her. “I know I don’t need to protect you. I want to!” Mason wrapped his arm around Charlie’s waist and hauled her against him. “Damn it, Charlie, I think I’m—”

  *

  Charlie put her lips to Mason’s before he could finish his sentence. She didn’t know why, but she was terrified of the next words that might come out of his mouth. It was too soon for the intense emotions she felt, and knowing that Mason might feel them too shook Charlie to her core. They’d been playing make-believe for too long. Eventually, Mason would come to his senses. When that happened, Charlie had to be sure that her heart was guarded so her entire world didn’t shatter from the pain of losing someone she’d never truly had.

  Mason slanted his mouth across hers and deepened the kiss. His tongue traced her bottom lip before he took it between his teeth. Hands groped for bare skin as they tore at each other’s clothes. Their breaths became wild pants as their passion built to the point of combustion.

  Charlie drew in a sharp gasp as Mason thrust his hand past her waistband and into her underwear. His fingers found her clit and slid against the sensitive flesh, already swollen and dripping wet.

  His lips moved against her mouth as he rasped, “I need to fuck you, Charlie. Right now.”

  “Yes.” She couldn’t think of anything but having Mason inside of her, his large hands on her body, his mouth branding her everywhere it touched.

  Mason took her hand and led her up the narrow stairs of his town house to the bedroom. He didn’t waste any time in reaching for her shirt and pulling it up and over her head. His mouth met her throat as he released the clasp of her bra and a second later it landed behind him on the floor next to her top. Mason tackled her to the bed, yanked off her shoes, her pants, her underwear. She lay on the bed, bare to his gaze, and he stared at her for a long moment.

  “Goddamn, Charlie,” he said on a rush of breath.

  Warmth infused her as he quickly undressed. He reached for the dresser and grabbed a condom from the top drawer. Charlie’s breath raced, her heart pounded. This had been the longest week of her entire life, being away from Mason.

  The gates of their restraint had been opened and all of that pent-up need flooded her. Mason rolled on the condom with a purposeful stroke and Charlie couldn’t help but admire the sight of him as he stood before her. His body had no equal.

  Mason grabbed Charlie by the ankles and pulled her down the mattress toward him before he rolled her over to her stomach. His hands fastened onto her hips as he hitched her ass up and drove home. Charlie let out an indulgent moan as he filled her and began to thrust. She rocked her hips back to meet his forward momentum, intensifying the sensation from the increased force.

  Her fists wound into the heavy coverlet on Mason’s bed and she gripped it as though it was the only thing grounding her. Each wild thrust of his hips felt better than the last, each new shock of pleasure that shot through her caused Charlie to cry out for more.

  Mason’s body came down over hers. He kept one hand on her hip and the other circled her stomach before it slid between her thighs. Charlie sucked in a breath as his fingers found her clit. He slid the pad of one finger over the sensitized knot of nerves as he continued to pound into her. His breath was hot in her ear as he rasped, “Come for me, Charlie.”

  “Mason. Oh, God, yes.” Her thighs trembled with each flick of his fingertip and Charlie spread her legs wider to give him better access. The intensity of his finger circling her clit while he pounded into her nearly short-circuited her brain. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut. The sound of Mason’s body slapping against hers, his breath as it brushed her neck, his touch, the way he filled her so completely, and the delicious friction as he fucked her was more than she could take. A violent tremor shook her as her world burst into myriad particles of stardust. Charlie cried out, wracking sobs of pleasure that echoed off the walls around her. Chills broke out over her skin, her heart hammered in her chest. Wave after wave of pleasure stole over her as Mason’s caresses became softer.

  “You squeeze me so tight when you come,” Mason said close to her ear. His words came from between panted breaths, distorted by the force with which he pounded into her. “I can’t get enough of it.”

  His hand wandered up her torso to cup her breast. Mason held her body against his as he fucked her harder, faster. She reached around and gripped his thigh as she urged him deeper still. Charlie knew exactly how he felt. When it came to Mason there was no such thing as enough. Her want of him was a bottomless chasm, endless and unfillable.

  It brought her to heights of desperation she didn’t know she could feel.

  Charlie lost track of time, space—hell, even her own body. She was weightless, formless, floating on a cloud of bliss. Mason’s low moans became despera
te grunts as his body slapped against hers. His breath in her ear transformed into rasping growls and every muscle on his body went rigid to encase Charlie in stone. A shout burst from his lips as he came. The thrust of his hips became wild and disjointed. He drove hard and deep as he held her body against his and when he had nothing left to give, he collapsed beside her on the bed.

  “You drive me crazy, Charlie.” She strained to hear his whispered words. “I can’t even be in the same room with you without wanting to tear your clothes off. Even when I’m not with you, I’m thinking about you. I need you to understand what that’s doing to me. It’s pulling my focus. I can’t afford to let my guard down with Kieran. You’re a beautiful distraction. When I’m with you, nothing else matters. Do you understand that? If you want Faction Five, you have to give me the space and clarity of mind to do my job.”

  The emotion in his words gutted her. She rolled onto her side, away from him so she wouldn’t be forced to look him in the eye and see the honesty in his expression as well. She’d been seduced by the excitement of working the case, being right in the middle of the action. She’d enjoyed playing a part and leaving the reality of her life behind for a little while. And though she hated to admit it to herself, she’d even enjoyed the attention that Kieran bestowed on her.

  Charlie had always been the smart girl. Level-headed. Organized and focused. She’d never been the desirable woman. Beautiful. Wanted.

  She’d been selfish and hadn’t once considered how all of this affected Mason.

  His weight left the mattress. Charlie glanced over her shoulder and watched as he walked into the bathroom and pulled the pocket door closed. The faucet came on and she listened to the sounds of Mason cleaning up. A chill settled on her cooling skin and she pulled the coverlet around her.

  How in the hell had they gotten to this crazy place? When Charlie had stepped into that elevator and taken in Mason’s cranky countenance almost a month ago, she never would have guessed this was where they’d end up. He’d totally thrown her a curveball.

  Charlie’s life was all about control. Her parents had steered the course of her life from childhood; and after she’d passed the bar, she’d given herself over to her job, letting it define her, shape her, dominate her time and her thoughts. Being with Mason allowed her to let go of that control inch by inch. He made her feel wild and unfettered. She couldn’t plan her next move because he made it impossible to gauge what it should be. That lack of control didn’t frighten her, though. Instead, it empowered her. She could trust Mason and she could trust herself with him.

  She simply had to be brave enough to give him the reins and let him run. The question was, could she actually do it?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Charlie’s nerves were shot. Ever since their wild afternoon at Mason’s town house, she hadn’t been able to shake the guilt over her selfishness. It had taken him opening up to her when they were both still raw and shaken from their passion, for her to see what all of this was doing to him. She had to hear the stress and worry in his voice to realize that she needed to take a step back and let him do his job.

  Thanks to her own silly ego, they were stuck doing at least a couple more jobs with Kieran, and hopefully once they were completed, she could take a backseat and give Mason the space he needed to see this assignment through.

  It hadn’t been a problem to give Kieran what he wanted. Thanks to Mason and CBP, Kieran had managed to get the first of several considerably large shipments of gems into the country without anyone even batting a lash. He’d breezed through customs, and with Mason’s help had transported the stones to a safe-deposit box until they could fence them.

  “Looks like you’re up, Charlie. Dazzle me with the wealthy buyers you’ve set up.”

  Kieran had let his guard down a little since L.A. He appeared more relaxed and at ease. His smile reached his dark eyes as he sipped from the wineglass. Charlie swore she’d never met a man more into gourmet dining—or wine—than Kieran Eagan. He should’ve shunned his criminal lifestyle and become a restaurateur a long time ago.

  Again, everything had been orchestrated to impress Kieran. Undercover FBI and U.S. marshals would pose as buyers and supply Kieran with the money that he needed for his business endeavor. Once the arrests were made, the government would seize the money and everything would be tied up in a neat, easy-to-prosecute bow. At least, that was Charlie’s hope. She wanted everything from here on out to run without a hitch. Mason deserved it.

  “I’ve got buyers lined up in San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego,” Charlie replied. “I also have buyers wait-listed in L.A. and Portland.”

  Kieran raised his glass in a silent toast. “Impressive. Who are they?”

  “Two are jewelers,” Charlie said. “San Francisco and Seattle. They’ll purchase the bulk of the product. Do you have the Kimberley certificates?”

  Kieran nodded. “A stack of them. The forgeries are good. No one would know the difference either way.”

  It was true. The current system for policing the export of blood diamonds was certainly flawed. It was an easy thing to forge a Kimberley certificate and pass the stones off as coming from a conflict-free zone.

  “Who are the other buyers?”

  “Private collectors.” Charlie took a sip from her glass. “I’ve promised the largest stones to them.”

  Kieran chuckled. “Of course. Do you have a projection of what we stand to make from the combined sales?”

  Charlie shrugged. “Somewhere around twenty million.”

  “Very nice.”

  Kieran had made sure to separate Charlie from Mason for this particular meeting. Anxious energy skittered through Charlie’s veins, but she kept her nerves under wraps. Deputy marshals were posted a block down the street, surveilling the restaurant from their car. Knowing someone was close made Charlie feel better, but she had to remind herself that she couldn’t let her guard down.

  “Why aren’t you fencing the diamonds yourself?” Charlie’s goal for today’s meeting was to try to get Kieran to reveal some part of his involvement with Faction Five. “You’ve got plenty of connections and fences you trust. Why use me at all?”

  Kieran’s voice dropped a couple of decibels to a sensual rumble. “Don’t you want me to use you, Charlie?”

  She’d expected him to come on to her. He’d made no secret about his interest when they’d been in L.A. That didn’t make Charlie any more comfortable to be alone with him.

  She let her lips relax into a coy smile. “I wouldn’t have come otherwise. But you understand my curiosity.”

  “You said you used Mason as a way to connect with me,” Kieran said. “Why? You already have connections to buyers.”

  “True,” Charlie said. “But I didn’t have the diamonds.”

  “I’m not as well connected as you think.” Kieran drained his glass and poured another. “I need buyers with deep pockets.”

  “For what?” Adrenaline trickled into Charlie’s bloodstream. Would he finally confide in her?

  His expression turned sour. “I need to raise a shitload of capital in a short amount of time.”

  “Thinking of fleeing the country?” Charlie forced a smile, but she really hoped this wouldn’t end up being an international manhunt.

  “Not yet.” His expression turned wily. Back to the mischievous Kieran. “But everyone has to pay the price of doing business, Charlie. Even someone like me.”

  “How much?” Charlie came to play hardball. She doubted Kieran would expect anything less.

  “Too damn much.”

  Vague. Not to mention frustrating. He’d netted a little under ten million from Katarina. If Charlie managed to bring in another twenty, he’d be on his way to earning a hell of a lot of money. What was Faction Five’s buy-in price? They could stand to make billions depending on the kind of members they allowed to join their ranks. An international crime ring with all the autonomy in the world. The implications of what they could accomplish with that sort of po
wer and backing made Charlie’s head spin.

  “I don’t understand.” Any chance of finding Faction Five dwindled with every tangled word from Kieran’s mouth. “You promised us an epic payday. What it sounds like to me is that you’re using us to do the legwork and buy you out of debt.”

  Kieran sat back in his chair and blew out a breath.

  “If that’s the case,” Charlie continued, “I don’t see any reason for us to work together.”

  She stood and Kieran grabbed her by the wrist. “It’s … complicated.”

  She leveled her gaze. “I can’t work with you if I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “Are you sleeping with Mason?”

  The question knocked the air out of her lungs. “I don’t see how that has anything to do with anything.” He was deflecting, changing the subject in order to steer the focus onto her. “And besides, it’s not any of your business.”

  He leaned in close. “What if I want it to be my business?”

  Mason would throttle her if she used Kieran’s infatuation to gain the upper hand. But Charlie didn’t see any other way. Maybe in this instance it would be better to ask forgiveness than permission.

  Charlie leaned down until her face was mere inches from Kieran’s. “Give me what I want, and maybe I’ll give you something you want.”

  His gaze smoldered. “All right.” A slow smile spread across his lips. “We’re set for tomorrow’s sale, right? Seven o’clock. I’ll pick Mason up and then we’ll swing by your hotel.”

  Charlie answered with an indulgent smile of her own. “It’s a date.”

  He let go of her wrist. “I’m going to let you in, Charlie. Just be patient for a little longer.”

  Charlie had no choice but to be patient at this point. “Thanks for dinner.” She turned and walked away, her heart lodged somewhere in her throat.

  If she managed to string Kieran along, hold his interest for a little bit longer, maybe she’d finally get some answers. But oh man, was Mason going to be pissed when he found out how she was going to get them.