by Skye Jordan
“And they did it? Even though she didn’t have the right?”
“Hired guns rarely care about right and wrong. You can pay people to do just about anything you want. But the team didn’t account for countermeasures. They either didn’t know I was military or didn’t think I’d fight back. They were wrong on both counts.
“By then, I’d gotten my shit together and secured three million in seed money. I moved Bella to Costa Rica. American-friendly, safe. Not as cheap as Mexico, but my company received its first order. I was able to pay back the investment and buy the house. As more orders came in, I added staff. One of my grandmothers is Costa Rican, so I was able to petition for citizenship for myself and Bella through ancestry. I got a US passport for Bella as soon as I got custody. Then got her a Costa Rican passport as soon as we got our citizenship there.”
Everly shook her head. “I can’t even imagine how much work and worry has gone into this. Why couldn’t you just work out shared custody? You could have stayed with the military, and Seaver would get the accolades for raising her part-time.”
Austin’s gut clenched. A dark, ugly feeling crept in. “Because Seaver refused to keep her father away from Bella.”
“Why was that so important?”
He heaved a breath and pushed the words out. “Because he molested Dawn.” He forced himself to look at Everly. She was as shocked as Austin had been when he’d first heard. “She told me about it in college. At first, I thought she was using it as an attention-getter, you know? But the longer I knew her, the more details came out. Usually when she was drunk or high. She said her mother knew about it. Seaver told Dawn all the money in their family came from her father, so if she wanted to stay in college, she’d better suck it up and deal with it. She continued to make Dawn spend holidays with him. I know it’s why she turned to drugs. And I think it finally broke her. There was no way in hell my little girl was going to go anywhere near that fucker if I could help it.”
“Holy shit,” Everly whispered. “Was he ever charged?”
He huffed a caustic laugh. “And damage Seaver’s precious reputation on Capitol Hill? Never.”
“Is that why you don’t go back to the States? Because you’re afraid she’ll sue for custody again?”
“No.” This was a hard one. He hated admitting it. “It’s because she currently has custody. She pulled strings, filed a suit, and won custody after she’d discovered she couldn’t use the Hague loophole. Luckily for us, Costa Rica doesn’t go out of their way to enforce the Hague Convention. Especially not against Costa Rican citizens. So even though she had custody, she couldn’t use legal means to reach Bella.”
“Wow, you have this nailed down to the last detail.”
“The alternative is allowing Bella to grow up abused and neglected. Not an option.”
“You think those guys from tonight were hired by Seaver?”
He didn’t answer immediately. He didn’t suspect Everly anymore. It didn’t make sense to go to those extremes against her own people when she could have just taken Bella while Austin was caught up with the guests. But his gut told him something still wasn’t quite right.
“Decker’s searching for a trail from this security team to Seaver. Even if he doesn’t find one, I’m going to have to put travel on hold for a couple of years. The company won’t grow, but I’m not going to risk this again. I’ll just have to hope the competition doesn’t catch up. If it does…” He shrugged. “Guess I’ll have to come up with another idea. Once the primaries are over, win or lose, she won’t be interested in Bella anymore. Life can go on.” He heaved a sigh, surprised how good it felt to get all that out in the open. “Ready to jump ship now?”
“I don’t shrink from opposition.” She twisted a little more to face him but kept one hand on the bed beside Bella. She crossed her ankles, exposing duct tape on her foot. “But I won’t be treated like an enemy from within my own camp either.”
“What in the hell is that?”
She looked down. “I made a few butterfly bandages out of the duct tape, padded it with toilet paper, and wrapped it so I can walk on it.”
“Everly.” He met her gaze. “Will you go to the ER if I take you?”
“I don’t need the ER. I just need a few days to heal.”
He shook his head. “Did you take something for pain?”
“Couldn’t find anything in my bathroom.”
He turned into his bathroom and searched the cabinets. “I’ll have one of the guys go pick something up.”
“No. Don’t. I can get some tomorrow if I need them.”
“Bingo.” He found a bottle of Tylenol and shook out two pills, then filled a glass on the counter with water and brought them to her.
“It’s not that bad.” But she stood and took the pills.
Austin caught sight of a shadow on the left side of her jaw. After she downed the pills and finished the water, Austin turned her head to see her face. “Shit. When did that happen?”
“The first guy caught me off guard.”
He ran his thumb over the bruising. “I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault. One person can only do so much.”
He sighed and let his fingers slide across her jaw. Then he slid them underneath her hair and cupped her neck. “Your turn. How in the hell did you turn out tough as nails?”
“I spent several years in Israel off and on during the Israel-Gaza conflict. Most of that time, I was in Gaza and Sinai. I spent long days wandering while my mom worked in field hospitals. She was supposed to be homeschooling me, but she was gone from sunup to sundown. And after sundown, there was very little light. Most of the places we stayed didn’t have electricity. I don’t remember dates, but I was in the region for about three years.”
Bella rolled to her side, murmuring something unintelligible. Everly set the water glass on the nightstand and rubbed her back. When she quieted again, Everly continued while she watched Bella sleep.
“I was young and looked more like a boy than a girl until my midteens. Kids are mean everywhere, but I was a lanky, awkward American girl. That made me evil incarnate. I got my share of bullying. I’d had the opportunity to see my share of fighting—among soldiers, among civilians, between soldiers and civilians. One day, I’d gotten a particularly bad beating by some Palestinian kids who learned my mom was a nurse treating Israelis. She’d treated plenty of Palestinians too, but they didn’t care. One of the doctors working with my mom was livid. His brother was with Mossad.” She smiled over her shoulder. “Long story short, I got private lessons in Krav Maga from the very best.”
Austin was riveted to the story, even while wondering how much of it was true. He was exhausted from the stress and tired of resisting the urge to touch her. He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her, whispering, “Go on,” in her ear.
She rested one hand on his arm at her waist. “I’ve always been athletic. Had great hand-eye coordination, ran really fast. It’s just the way I was made. I caught on quick, and Mossad soldiers thought it was great fun to watch me whip the asses of their teammates.”
The image made him smile.
“Then my body got a dose of hormones. And it didn’t take me long to realize that fighting wasn’t just for fun anymore. It became the only way I could protect myself. Fighting gave me confidence to do things I never would have tried otherwise. Out of everything I learned living overseas in the worst situations, fighting is still the most valuable. One I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
It wasn’t just plausible, it was admirable. Im-fucking-pressive. It also exposed just how alike they were in ways they never would have guessed. “That explains a lot.”
They stood there in silence, watching Bella sleep. The comfort was so all-encompassing, it sank into Austin’s bones.
“She was brave tonight,” she murmured. “So scared but so brave. She did exactly as I asked, which was why I could do what I did. I hated having her there. Hated having her so close to such—”
> Her voice broke, and she pressed a fist to her mouth.
Austin tightened his hold. “It’s over.”
She pushed a hand into her hair on a sound of frustration. “I was so scared, you know? Me, whatever. But Bella…” She shook her head. “Nothing could happen to Bella.”
“I know.” He lowered his mouth to her shoulder and kissed her. “I live it every day.”
She smelled like springtime and felt like heaven. Connecting with her like this somehow lightened the load on his own shoulders. It also made him hungry in a way he couldn’t describe. She created a deep, gnawing need.
Austin lifted his head and prepared to pull away, but a stain on her T-shirt caught his eye. “You’re bleeding.”
She turned her head to look. “Probably just a scrape from breaking the window.”
He pulled at the neckline of her tee, but the cut was too low on her shoulder blade to see it. Without thought, he lifted the hem of her tee to expose the injury—and ended up exposing her very naked body beneath. The curve of her ass and the slope of her spine glowed in the moonlight.
He made a sound, caught between surprise and lust, then dragged his gaze from her body and turned her to move the cut into the light. “I think you need some butterflies on this one too.”
“I’ve got a whole roll of duct tape in my room. Carry one everywhere. The things you can do with that stuff. Modern miracle, I’m telling you.” She turned, and he dropped the hem of her shirt. “You’re going to have to put it on for me, though. I can’t reach.”
When she left the room, Austin wiped a hand over his face and found it damp. “Jesus Christ.” He fussed with Bella’s covers and sent up a prayer of gratitude.
Then Everly returned and stood in the doorway, hip cocked, a roll of duct tape hanging from one finger. “Let’s see if I can teach you a thing or two.”
12
The man had admirable willpower, Everly had to give him that.
She walked past him and continued through the adjoining bathroom and into his bedroom. The windows were open, and a crisp ocean breeze filled the room. The scent of salt hinted in the air. And the sound of gentle ocean waves undulated in the distance.
When he finally followed, closing the bathroom door behind him, she tossed the duct tape on the bed, turned her back toward him, and pulled her T-shirt over her head. When she let it drop to the floor, Austin exhaled heavily.
When he didn’t come to her, she eased to a seat on the edge of the bed, her back toward him. She picked up the duct tape and tore off a strip. The rip sounded harsh in the silence.
She smiled over her shoulder. “You’re going to have to get closer than that.”
He moved to the bedside and sat behind her. His heat washed her back and sent a wave of bone-deep desire through her. Everly closed her eyes, soaking in the feeling. His fingers probed the cut on her shoulder, and she sucked in a breath, annoyed by the sudden shift in sensations.
“Sorry. Everly, this looks deep. You really need to get this stitched.”
“Maybe tomorrow. One thing I learned over and over from observing medicine overseas was that the human body finds amazing ways to heal, even when you don’t have a Mayo Clinic around the corner. Fewer cuts than you’d imagine actually need stitching.”
She offered a small strip of duct tape over her shoulder. “Just twist this twice in the center, stick it to the skin on one side of the cut, pull the skin together and stick it to the other side. How long is the cut?”
“Maybe four inches.”
“Use a couple of these. Then use a strip to secure the ends. We’ll look at it again in the morning. See if it needs something more.”
He let out a long breath and finally took the tape.
Silence filled the room while Austin did exactly as she instructed, carefully twisting and placing each strip of tape she offered. Once he’d secured the last long piece covering the ends of each row of tape, he slapped his thighs. “You’re good to go.”
She looked over her shoulder and twisted toward him. “Austin, I admire your sense of honor. I’m blown away by the way you stick by your personal code of conduct. I’m humbled by your sense of loyalty. But if you don’t touch me—right now—my self-esteem is going to take a significant dive. And if you think I’ve been difficult in the past, you’re not going to want to see how difficult I can be when I’m pissy.”
He laughed. His head dropped, his shoulders eased. “You have no idea how hard it is to keep myself from touching you right now.” He wiped a hand down his face again. “I just… You’re here for Bella…”
“Bella doesn’t need me right now.” She eased back, leaning against his chest. “But I think you do.”
When he looked at her, his gaze drifted down the front of her body. Even though he hadn’t touched her yet, Everly had never felt the kind of heat his glance created inside her body.
“What about you?” he asked, his voice rough.
Her brain fought the haze of lust. “What about me?”
He met and held her gaze again and stroked a hand over her damp hair. “What do you need?”
She sighed. “I thought I was making that clear. You. I really need you.”
Impatient, she wrapped her arm back and around his neck, then arched to press her lips to his. He kissed her, but his body remained stiff.
“Everly,” he whispered against her lips. “You’ve been through a lot tonight. And I won’t be able to stop once we start.”
With lust coursing through her veins, she smiled, fisted his hair, and murmured, “Hallelujah,” before pulling him down and opening to him.
It took only a split second for him to respond. He cradled her head with one hand, and the other slid across her abdomen while his tongue stroked hers. A wild thank God passed through her thoughts before they focused on him.
He groaned, and the sound shot adrenaline into her blood. She needed him. Needed him fast and hot. But when she turned to face him, he tightened the arm around her body, holding her still.
She broke the kiss, panting. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so turned on. “Scoot back.”
Instead, she watched his free hand slide over her belly again, up her ribs, then close over one breast. She gripped his thigh, and arched into his touch. His mouth pressed against hers again, his tongue teasing while he stroked a thumb over her nipple.
Everly growled and tried to twist out of his grip to face him. “Austin, let me turn.”
“But I’ve got such a beautiful view.” His hand moved to the other breast, then drifted down her abdomen, across her belly, down the outside of her thigh.
She kissed his neck, then pushed against his thigh to lift her body and rocked her ass against his erection. He groaned, long and low.
She lifted her hips, her sex aching. “Austin.”
His hand caressed a familiar path low across her belly, then eased between her legs.
Everly’s breath caught. Her body tensed. And she immediately knew she was in trouble, because the man knew how to use his hands. His fingers teased and explored.
“Spread your legs.” His erotic order streaked excitement through her body.
She obeyed, and he took full advantage of the space, pushing his hand deep and stroking her before easing one thick finger inside. Everly moaned and rocked her hips.
“Fuck,” he whispered at her ear, the sound ragged and darkly sexual.
She gripped his other thigh and tried to lift herself and turn, but he was strong.
“So hungry for you,” he told her in a raspy voice just before he pulled his hand away from her body and plunged two fingers back inside.
Everly cried out in pleasure, and her fingers dug into his thighs as her body rocked toward his touch.
“God, you’re so fucking sexy,” he murmured. “Watch me touch you.”
She dropped her head and blinked away the lust haze. Moonlight cast their bodies in cool bluish-white light. His thickly muscled arm was a wildly masculine contra
st to her smooth belly. His big hand worked her sex, the muscles of his forearm rippling beneath his skin.
A surge of excitement pushed her higher.
“Oh my God.” She’d never been so easily excited.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, stroking and sliding. Plunging and pulling out. “So wet.”
Without warning, he pulled his hand from her body and lifted his fingers to his mouth. He drew them deep between his lips and sucked with a moan.
Lust pummeled her. When he pushed his hand between her legs again, she was on the edge of climax.
“Austin…” The way he touched her made her forget what she was going to say. Her mouth hung open, but nothing but sounds of pleasure came out. “Fuck, Austin…”
“That’s it,” he said, his voice dripping with dark delight. “Rock into me. Fuck my hand, baby.”
The man’s sexuality completely blindsided her. Consumed her. And now controlled her. She rocked her hips to drive his fingers deeper, even as he manipulated her movement with the arm around her waist.
“God damn, you are beautiful.” He bit her neck, and the sting added to the passion.
She released his thigh and covered the forearm around her waist. “Austin…”
“Feels so damn good. Take your time. I could watch you all night.”
“Ah, fuck.” She gritted her teeth as the pleasure crashed through her, the orgasm buckling her muscles, making her rock and writhe. And rock and writhe. And rock and writhe.
When the waves finally stopped crashing, she melted against his body with a breathless “Holy shit.”
Her head swam, and she let it drop against his shoulder. He turned his head, kissed her neck, then buried his face there. “Fuck, you’re beautiful. I never should have hired you.”