“What?” His leg. Everyone wanted to talk about his leg. “No.”
Well, not until she mentioned it. Any talk of the wound started the intense throbbing from his knee to his foot. Seemed fair since the rest of him now was, too.
“What about your arms?” she asked.
“My what?”
“You held my dead weight for a long time over the side of that boat.”
His shoulder picked that moment to freeze up. “It’s fine. You’re not heavy.”
He groaned inwardly at his lack of smoothness. Yeah, because every woman wanted to hear that sort of thing.
“Aren’t you sweet?”
Huh, maybe they did.
She glanced around the room, her focus falling on the photograph on the dresser of Pax with his brother and Lara. “You never told me whose house this is.”
He was pretty sure he had, but he welcomed the idle chatter. It gave his brain cells an opportunity to regroup and potentially begin firing again. “Davis and Lara own it.”
“And the older woman next door who waved to you from the upstairs window? Wasn’t expecting that. Not at midnight.”
Pax knew she would be there. She guarded Davis from a distance, believing he was some sort of superspy...and at one time he had been. “Mrs. Winston? She’s a very nice and slightly nosy neighbor. Davis watches over her and vice versa.”
And Pax had no idea why they were talking about the neighborhood. Not when Kelsey had pulled the drapes and turned on the light on the far bedside table, casting the entire room in a soft glow. Not when she sat like that and he could barely stand.
“Mrs. Winston just sits in that window?”
“It’s a long story, but she played a significant role in helping Davis handle the men after Lara.”
Kelsey’s ankle continued to wave back and forth. “Really?”
Pax leaned against the door frame. No way was he going an inch farther into that room. “Don’t let the white hair and petite frame fool you. She possesses a lot of strength and a loyalty streak for Davis.”
But whom was he telling? Kelsey greeted customers with a smile and filled out her blue work apron in ways Pax always found interesting. Who would have guessed she’d have a stronger will than him?
Her hands slipped against the comforter and her back dipped closer to the mattress. “Are you coming to bed?”
He ignored the way she said that. The way her body moved, so sleek it made him crazy. “Kelsey, if I get on that mattress we are not going to get an hour of rest before dawn.”
Her eyebrow lifted. “And?”
“You need sleep. Hell, I need sleep.” His mind went to the condoms he’d thrown in the nightstand right before his shower. He chalked it up to a healthy dose of wishful thinking.
Truth was he put them in the bag back at team headquarters and hid them in this room when he’d handed the bag over to her twenty minutes ago. Didn’t want her to find them and for him to come off as too sleazy or presumptuous.
Protecting a woman was mandatory for him. He viewed that as the man’s job in the bedroom and out. But he grabbed the packets back when he thought the terror of the night was ebbing and they could spend a few hours winding down in the most interesting ways. Then he’d subjected her to terror-by-water, somehow got through it and decided she’d had enough for one day.
“Is that what you want?” One leg slid off the other and she curled them up under her as she lay on her side with her head resting on her hand. “For me to go into the other room and leave you alone?”
Still killing him.
But why lie? “No.”
She smiled in that way women did when the men in their lives strayed into their sexy little mind traps. “Then come to bed.”
He debated the pros and cons, thought about every angle and heard Connor’s arguments running in his head. That took all of two seconds. Pax spent the rest of the time on his walk to the mattress, imagining how good her bare skin would feel against his.
He stopped at the edge of the bed and skimmed his fingers along her side, over her hip and onto her upper thigh. “You are so beautiful. From the first time I saw you, I wanted you.”
“My hair was in a ponytail and my feet ached from waiting on the rush hour crowd.” She slipped her hand over his and brought his palm back up to her waist. “Yeah, I remember the first time you came in, too. All hot and sexy with that five o’clock shadow and the faded jeans.”
Now that sounded promising...and hard to resist no matter how chivalrous he intended to be. “Sexy, huh?”
“You can’t be that clueless.” She shifted to her back as she pressed his hand against her bare stomach. “You do own a mirror, right?”
Physical looks weren’t on his radar. Hers, yes. His? No.
He sat down next to her, and she scooted over to make room for him by her hip. There were so many things he wanted to do. So many places he wanted to touch. He settled for lowering his head and pressing his mouth against hers.
Her soft lips opened under his as her hand slid up his thigh. Hot and wet, he kissed her, letting her feel the buildup of need that had been haunting him all day. Electricity shot between them and his heart smacked against his breastbone. The kiss went to his head and then spread through the rest of him. The intoxicating touch made him wonder how he’d waited until now to have her.
But he wanted more. His mouth traveled over her chin to the thin line of her neck. Every inch of her tasted sweet and smooth. His fingers brushed up her stomach to the underside of her breast. He cupped her, caressed her. He had to see her.
In one swift move he had her shirt up and off. With infinite care, he traced his finger around her bare breasts to the center. Fire raced through him a second later as her back lifted off the bed and her arms wrapped around his neck. He touched her everywhere. With his mouth and his hands. His fingertips rubbed against her nipples as he marveled at how her body reacted to his.
There wasn’t a breath of air between them. He sprawled over her, careful not to crush her under his weight. Up on his elbows, he could see her expressive face and watch her skin flush as his hand slipped under the waistband of her shorts. He kept going until he felt her heat and wetness against his skin.
Never breaking contact, he reached out for the nightstand drawer. His fingers fumbled on the knob and slapped against the top. With a yank the drawer came out in a rush and hung from his hand. He grabbed for a condom and then let the wooden drawer crash to the floor.
She never stopped kissing him. Her mouth skimmed along his throat as her hands rolled his tee in a ball before wrenching it off. Skin hit skin and everything inside him tightened and coiled. He wanted to rush and get inside her, but he needed to slow down. He had to make this good for her.
He thought about kissing down her belly and tasting the very heat of her, but she had other ideas. Her fingers went to his zipper, and it ripped through the room as she lowered it.
One minute his erection was cramped in his tight jeans. The next she freed him, sliding her hand inside and closing her fist over him.
His mind spun, and all intelligent thought raced from his brain. His concern centered on stripping her naked and rolling around in those sheets with her. They could sleep later. Right now he needed her.
When he lowered his mouth to hers again, he felt a tug in his hand and a scrape against his palm. The condom slipped out of his grasp. He wanted to lift his head and see what happened, but a tearing sound ripped through the room. She had the condom out. Then she rolled it on him.
His brain screamed for him to slow down and savor, but he was too far gone. The combination of her tongue against his and her hand moving up and down his erection made slamming the brakes on impossible. Instinct took over. His fingers met hers as he helped her fit the condom to him.
Then his fingers
slipped inside her. Her thighs opened on each side of his hip and her hips bucked against him. He slid into her, back and forth, harder with each push.
“Faster.” She whispered the word right before she bit down on his ear.
He blocked out everything but the unsteady pulse of her breathing and the slide of skin against skin. Blood hammered as it rushed to his ears and drummed there.
A mix of excitement and need spun inside him. The churning revved as he pressed in and out. Light exploded in his brain just as her head rocked against her mattress. She was sexy and vibrant, and when her fingernails dug into his back, he knew what he found with her was more than a onetime thing.
Chapter Fifteen
The next afternoon Joel stopped clicking on his keyboard and threw his fists in the air in triumph. “He’s good but I’m better.”
Connor leaned over Kelsey’s shoulder and dropped a plate of premade deli sandwiches on the table. “A general topic would be helpful.”
“And some idea about the ‘who’ in that sentence would be nice.” Since this was the third time Joel had declared his brilliance during the past hour, and she still didn’t know why, she didn’t get too excited. Instead, she picked through the tuna choices until she found turkey. Boss or not, the man sure knew how to order food.
Joel spun his chair around to face the conference room table. His gaze switched from Kelsey to Pax, who sat across from her. “I traced the check on Pax’s file to its source. As we thought, a facial recognition program using a video of Pax pinged the DOD file. Took twenty hours of nonstop work, but I made the connections.”
She almost hated to ask a simple question when Joel’s huge smile suggested he was pretty proud of his accomplishment. She just wished she knew what that accomplishment was. “How exactly?”
Joel waved her off. “Trade secrets.”
She would have bet money he’d say that. Even Pax chuckled at the obvious response. She went with an eye roll and sarcastic tone. “Well, of course it is.”
“Not from your boss it isn’t.” Connor sat down next to her with his ever-present cup of coffee. “Spill it.”
“I’ll fill in the details later, but by tapping into the FBI’s database on—”
Connor groaned. “Forget it. I don’t want to know. If you skip this part I can maintain plausible deniability when I get called into the FBI to explain, and I’m betting I will.”
Pax, who had been quiet since they came back to headquarters at Connor’s request an hour ago, leaned back in his chair. “Was there a point to all the celebration?”
“Bryce Kingston. To be more specific, or less specific, depending on how you look at it, Kingston’s office. The security breach about Pax’s identity was initiated there. We thought so and now we have proof.”
Joel didn’t say “busted,” but for some reason she thought it was implied.
“So he did see me with Pax outside my shop.” She’d expected this answer, but knowing someone watched her every move made her want to shower for a decade.
“Can you pinpoint which desk or computer? I want to tag Bryce with this but it could be someone under him. Someone he will throw under the bus when the time comes.” Connor scooped up a sandwich and put it on the napkin in front of him. He didn’t eat it. Just let it sit there.
“No one is that good,” Joel said.
She glanced at Pax and spied him looking at her. The smile spread across her lips before she could stop it. The rush of heat to her cheeks was harder to hide. She settled for holding a coffee mug to her mouth, forgetting that it was empty. She hoped Connor didn’t pick up on that fact.
But sitting there trying to act cool and together after spending hours last night rolling across the guest room bed with Pax proved difficult. Being with him topped all her expectations and blew away her dreams. She wanted the real version and now that she had him, she couldn’t go back to pretending he was nothing more than an attractive and unforgettable customer.
They had a bond, strong and sexy. He calmed her ragged nerves even as he set her blood on fire. The combination of protective and caring felled her. He’d spent the entire night touching her.
Even when the lovemaking died down and they drifted off to sleep, his hand rested against her stomach or her shoulder or her back. She’d felt his breath and his smooth touch. He continued all morning with a brush against her arm here and a hand through her hair there.
She’d been relieved when he took the chair across from her at the office. Her body was so sensitized to him that any close proximity might result in her losing her mind, ignoring the crowd and climbing right on top of him and showering him with another round of kisses. She doubted that little item number was on Connor’s daily agenda. Turned out sitting across from Pax and looking deep into his eyes wasn’t any easier on her control.
“So, genius, what does this tell us?” Pax asked.
“Kingston is hacking into your life, which means he’s likely the person sending the attackers after you and Kelsey.”
She understood the math here. One plus one and all that, but the bottom line didn’t fit together for her. “He’s a businessman.”
Connor winced. “That’s a naive response.”
The words didn’t offend her. The comment was more about filling her in than talking down to her. She could sense that in the even tone and constant eye contact. “Do you honestly think he would kill me to keep some information I don’t even understand quiet? If Joel is right, Kingston has seen Pax’s government file, and you think that’s not a deterrent? It would be a big risk to take Pax on.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
“Bryce Kingston’s potential take on this project is in the billions, and that’s just to start,” Connor said.
True, that was a pretty big reward. Maybe even worth the risk. She learned from her father what some men would do for money—marry, abandon their children, break the law, wrongly accuse old friends, lie about everything.
The list went on and on. “Okay, admittedly that’s big money.”
Joel tapped his pen against his open palm. “It looks like Sean broke through Kingston’s security system and took the data, which means Kingston could be looking at a lifetime ban in government contracting for failing to oversee the secure program.”
There was one factor that could save them all...at least she hoped that was true. Maybe they could fix whatever Sean did before it totally blew up.
Where before she’d blindly say and think Sean could fend for himself, now she knew she’d step in and help if she could. Whatever blood bond they shared ensured at least that much. She craved more, wanted what Pax had with Davis, but she doubted that could ever be.
“But the government wants the product.” She didn’t bother with the question. She skipped right to a fact she knew from Connor’s earlier briefing.
“Sometimes in these things another company suddenly has the R&D to launch a prototype at the same time, and the government goes with them instead.”
That sounded bad. Like, lost-their-leverage bad. “So now what?”
“We pay Mr. Kingston a visit.” Pax swiveled in his chair and stood up. Wherever he was going became a memory when Connor started talking.
He pointed at her and then Pax. “Not you. Or her.”
She was mostly okay with that last part.
Pax leaned across the table. “I need to question this Kingston guy.”
“He’s digging into your background,” Connor said. “We’re not making it easier for him to find you.”
Pax’s hands found his hips and his frown cut through his words. “He needs to know I’m not afraid and will most certainly come after him if he doesn’t back off.”
“He’ll get that message. I will see to it.” Connor’s voice remained even but the intensity of his stare did not ease.
Kelsey’s gaze bounced around the room as she watched the men argue. Joel stayed out of this part, but from the way he sat on the edge of his chair, he was no less engaged. Part of her wanted to crawl under the table.
She sat there and listened to Pax insist on his right to rush into danger. The idea of him being a target—again—because of her family made her put down the turkey sandwich. No way could she eat now.
Pax knocked his fists against the table. “I want to be there.”
Of course he did. He wouldn’t sit this one out. She knew any mention of his injury would have that tick in his cheek snapping. Trying to help him could ratchet up his defense shield and guarantee he stepped further into danger.
That left few options for her. She wanted to hide in a closet, but when it came to keeping Pax safe she was prepared to come out fighting. No one touched him. She understood his training and believed he could handle almost anything, but that didn’t mean she could sit back and agree to let it happen.
“You and Kelsey need to be in hiding, making it difficult for anyone to get to either of you. Flaunting you in front of Kingston is not the answer.” Connor shot Pax a man-to-man serious expression. “It also jeopardizes the team.”
She liked the way that sounded. No way could Pax argue with that logic. “You should have led with that argument.”
Joel’s pen tapping picked up speed. “Not to question Connor’s authority here or risk Kelsey’s wrath, but I think Pax should go.”
She seriously considered punching the man, or at least hitting him with the keyboard he loved so much. “Why?”
“Pax’s presence will shake Kingston up. That’s our only chance here. Catch him off guard and measure the reaction. We bring in government officials and start asking questions, and this whole thing will shut down without us knowing who is after Kelsey or Sean’s piece in this.”
“Meaning too many loose ends,” Connor mumbled.
Pax snapped his fingers a few times and pointed at Joel. “Exactly my point.”
She knew that was a bad sign. Pax now had an ally. They’d work on Connor until he caved, and he sounded right on the edge already. The man was strong but not stupid. If Pax agreed to take on the danger and it meant an end to the case, she suspected Connor would allow it. That would leave her out as the lone dissenter.
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