She looked down the path. “So your friend . . . Archer? He can fly us out of here? Then what?”
Then he needed to get away from her before he did something stupid like forgot about all the rational reasons this thing between them would never work.
He dropped his hand, moved back. “Um . . . then we turn that stone over to the authorities and let them sort out the mess.”
She nodded, and he figured telling her the rest of it—that Jake had confirmed young Javier was planning to sell the stone to a rival cartel who believed it would grant them power and protection from the gods—was more than she needed to know. Let her go on thinking her friend had been trying to right a wrong and leave it at that.
They didn’t speak as they moved through the overgrown jungle, and Finn was glad. The longer he spent with the sexy supermodel, the more tangled his thoughts became.
He cleared a path as best he could, but vines and twigs snagged their clothing and scratched Lauren’s bare legs. The humidity made it hard to breathe. The thick foliage left all but what was directly in front of them hidden from view. What little light filtered down from above showcased vibrant greens, bright oranges, deep reds and golden yellows.
She didn’t complain, not about the heat or humidity or even the ridiculous orange flip-flops on her feet. And as they moved, Finn marveled at one more piece of Lauren Kauffman that just didn’t fit with her public persona. At this point, Sylvia would have been whining her ass off. The thought stilled his feet. No, by this point Sylvia would have been a blubbering, crying, moaning mess. If, that is, she’d ever been able to get off the roof of Palladium. Which he seriously doubted she ever could have done amid the chaos.
He flashed on Lauren throwing her precious Givenchys at those thugs on the roof. Coming to his rescue and saving his ass. A chuckle slipped from his lips.
“Something funny, Tierney?” Lauren stepped by him, taking the lead on the small path he’d found about a quarter mile back. It wasn’t wide, but at least following it meant they didn’t have to blaze their own trail.
He watched the sexy sway of her backside as she moved ahead of him, the flex of muscles in her shoulders and back left bare by her halter top. He remembered running his fingers over those ridges and dips, following them with his lips and tongue. God, she was sexy, and so damn beautiful. He couldn’t believe she’d actuallyistened to him when he’d said she was built like a teenaged boy. Didn’t she have eyes? Couldn’t she see what he did?
She swatted at a bug, reached for a vine and carefully stepped over it, kept on going. And from where he stood, he almost thought he heard her . . . humming.
No, he realized, listening to the soft lilt of her voice. Fame and money and modeling aside, Lauren Kauffman was as different from Sylvia Grace as apples were from, well, crabapples.
Her humming stopped abruptly, her feet stilled on the path. But it was the squeal that slipped from her mouth that shocked Finn back to reality.
He pulled his gun from the small of his back and sprinted to catch up with her, his heart in his throat because he’d spaced out when he should have been paying attention. But when he reached her, he realized she wasn’t hurt or scared or in danger. She was smiling. Excitement illuminated her face and brought a sparkle to her eyes.
“Look,” she whispered, pointing through the trees toward what he now realized was a small river. She stepped forward.
“Slim, wait.”
She took off running, her flip-flops clacking against the soles of her feet. By the time he caught up with her, she was already tearing off her shirt and shimmying out of her skirt.
Holy hell. All he could do was watch as each inch of glowing skin came into view. He’d had his hands on that last night. Had run his fingers over that slim hip, had caressed those luscious breasts, had drawn his tongue over and around that sweet little belly button. His gaze slid lower. He swallowed back a rush of arousal. He’d tasted that. . .
She dropped the garments on the riverbank, kicked off the grimy flip-flops and didn’t even look back as she ran into the water and dropped down until all that was left was the tip-top of her golden head.
Common sense finally kicked in. He moved to the edge of the water and waited until she came back up. She emerged on her back, where she floated with her head reclined, water sliding down the curves of her naked flesh, making her skin sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight flittering through the treetops. “Okay, Slim. Get out of the water.”
“This feels so good,” she said, ignoring him as she let the current carry her downstream. “You should get in, Tierney. Cool off.”
No shit, he needed to cool off, but he doubted water was going to do the trick. He picked up her clothes and shoes, followed her down the riverbank so she didn’t float away from him. “You don’t know what’s in that water. There could be snakes, bugs . . . crocodiles.” Were there crocodiles in Mexico? Shit, he didn’t know.
“At this point I’m willing to take my chances.” Her eyes slid closed, and she moaned, the same sort of sound she’d made last night when he’d been deep inside her. “Oh, my God, Finn. This is heavenly.”
His blood warmed and his skin grew tight, but he pushed down the desire because what he needed was for her to get out of the damn water. “Slim, Archer’s waiting for us. We don’t have a lot of time to dick around here.”
“Yeah, okay. Just . . . a few more minutes.”
He clenched his jaw, stepped over a downed palm tree. The foliage on the edge of the river thickened, so he moved around a clump of mangrove. A crashing sound met his ears. For just a split second she was out of view. A scream cut through the hot, humid air.
Shit.
He raced around the treestopped on the edge of the river again, but Lauren had disappeared.
“Lauren!” He dropped her clothes, rushed into the river. The cool water reached his thighs. Heart in his throat, he pushed his free hand through the murky depths, searching for her. Laughter echoed from somewhere close.
He turned, looked ahead, realized that the river dropped and the crashing he’d heard was actually the rush of water over rocks. He pushed himself through the water toward the sound and stopped at the top of a fifteen-foot waterfall. Lauren looked up at him from the pool below, treading water with a smile on her famous face.
“Now that was a rush!” she hollered up at him. “Better than Blizzard Beach! Come on down!”
Holy shit, she was . . . She had to be kidding. She wanted him to . . .
He turned before he said something he knew he’d regret. Made it back to shore without losing his cool. Yanking her clothes from the rocks, he headed down the embankment toward the edge of the pool, water squishing in his shoes as he moved, muttering to himself about all the other, more important things he could be doing right now. Like pulling hostages out of a refugee camp, saving orphans from crime lords in South America, guarding a fucking president, for crying out loud.
He pushed through the palm fronds on the edge of the pool and found her floating in the middle of the lagoon, the tips of her breasts visible above the surface. She didn’t even seem to care that she’d just scared the shit out of him.
He stomped two feet into the water, worked like hell to keep his voice calm. “Get out of the water now, Slim.”
Her head popped up, and she shot a sassy smile his way. “I’ve still got the necklace, don’t worry.”
Like he cared about the damn necklace right now? His jaw clenched. “I’m not kid—”
“Oh, come on, Tierney. No one knows we’re here. You said yourself we weren’t followed. We’ve got time.”
That was true. But it didn’t mean they had time for screwing around. He needed to get her to safety sooner rather than later—if not for her sanity, then for his. “I’m not going to tell you again.”
Surprise registered in her baby blues, followed by a look he recognized as a very clear challenge that curled the edge of her mouth in a wicked way. “Why don’t you come in here and not tell me that aga
in?”
“I swear to God, Lauren, if you don’t—”
Her splash cut off his words. She swam toward the rocks, spraying water in her wake. At the base of the waterfall she grasped the rocks and pulled herself up and out. Water cascaded down her model-perfect naked body. She laughed, braced her hands on the rocks above to steady herself. At her back the wall of stone curved in to form the start of a natural cave, this portion of the wide opening protected by the streaming liquid. She let go of the slippery rocks with one hand, ran it over her hair, pushed the wet mass back from her face.
Around her, majestic green ferns and vibrant orchids the color of the gem at her chest framed the falling water. She looked toward him as the cool liquid continued to rush over every inch of her sultry skin. Then she grinned.
“You’re not scared, are you, Tierney?” She slid her foot to the right, to the edge of the moss-covered rock and made a face, pretending to lose her balance. “I could slip and hurt myself. Are you sure you don’t want to come over here and . . . save me?”
That was it. As much as he could take. It was the same wicked challenge she’d been dangling in front of him all week. The same I-want-you, are-you-man-enough-to-come-and-take-me look that had nearly driven him to insanity. His chest constricted, his jeans grew tight. The blood turned to a roar in his ears, so loud it was the only thing he could hear. She expected him to be a gentleman like he’d been last night. But every man had a breaking point, and she’d finally pushed him to his.
“Yer gonna regret making me come get you,” he said in a low voice.
Her eyes flared with victory, and her grin grew wider. “I doubt it.”
“You will.”
Bugs and snakes and crocodiles forgotten, Finn maneuvered his way out onto the rocks. Lauren shifted so she was on the far side of the waterfall, well out of his reach. Knowing he was getting wet one way or the other, Finn kicked off his wet boots, stripped out of his clothes and dropped them and his gun on the rocks. Then he dove.
When he came up for air beneath her, she was laughing. His hand wrapped around her ankle, and he pulled. Her squeal met his ears just before the crash of her body slapping water. Then he didn’t hear anything. He felt and he tasted and he took exactly what he’d wanted since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.
CHAPTER 7
Maybe teasing the sexy Irishman had been a bad idea.
Finn’s naked body was as hard as the stone in that waterfall, his mouth blistering hot against her own. Lauren pushed away, needing to reach the surface for a breath, but he held her below the water and kissed her harder, until her eyes flew wide and she thought she would pass out.
Finally, he dragged her to the surface. She gasped for air, but he didn’t give her a chance to catch her bearings. He flipped her around so her back was against his chest and the long, lean line of his body was pressed up tight against her own. His arms wrapped around her torso, pinning her in place, his erection pushed against her ass—hard, thick, insistent.
Her heartbeat picked up speed. Desire flooded her veins, mixed with apprehension over this new show of force.
“Is this what you wanted?” he whispered in her ear, his breath hot and sensual sliding over her skin.
“Um—”
His teeth sank into her earlobe, and she moaned, the shot of pain unexpected and at the same time, arousing.
“We seem to have a little trouble in the communication department, Slim. I think it’s time you started listening to me.” He pulled her toward the waterfall. “Grab that rock.”
She did as he said, mostly to keep from drowning. His hand slipped between her legs, and she gasped as he pushed a finger deep inside her.
“That’s right,” he said in her ear. “Yer not in control of this anymore. I am. I told you you’d regret making me come after you. Spread your legs.”
She gasped when a second finger joined the first and he circled her clit with his thumb. His other hand slid up to palm her breast, and his cock found its way into the valley between her cheeks.
This was not the same slow, easy lover she’d been with last night. This was a man who knew what he wanted and was taking it. The thought superheated her blood and was so erotic she softened in his arms without a thought,giving herself over to his wicked touch and tantalizing mouth.
He sucked her earlobe, stroked her deep as he drove her headlong toward the peak. His other hand grazed her nipples, sent shards of electricity to that spot between her legs.
“That’s right, Lauren. Yer gonna come for me. Right here, right now, aren’t you?”
The way he said her name . . . oh . . . She moaned, tipped her head, tried to find his mouth, but he avoided her lips. Instead he bit her neck, circling her skin with his hot, wet tongue.
The feel of his hands, the draw of his lips, that hard cock pressed against her ass . . . it was all too much. Bright light exploded behind her eyes and a shockwave of sensation arced outward from her center.
He didn’t give her time to ride the high of her release before he was pushing her forward in the water. “Climb up on that rock, Slim.”
Arms weak, she reached up. Her foot found the rocky ledge. He lifted her until she got her balance. Her body came three-quarters of the way out of the lagoon as she gripped the rock at her front and pulled. Water cascaded down her skin, bathing her limbs in the cool, clear liquid. Then he was at her back, easing her toward the boulder, lifting her hips, kicking her legs wider and pressing his body tight against her own.
She realized what he had planned a split second before he thrust. A groan tore from her chest. He didn’t ask permission, didn’t wait to see if she was ready. She was so wet from her release, he slid in deep. He pulled out and thrust again.
Fire rippled through her body just before all thought slipped from her mind. His guttural moan echoed in her ears. His fingers dug into her hips, pulling her back tight against his hips as he thrust again and again.
“God, Lauren, I love being inside you.”
His fingers slipped down between her legs, found her clit. Her eyes drifted closed as she braced herself, pushed back against him, gave herself over to him. Completely. She loved being with him too. So much . . .
His thrusts picked up speed. Electricity spiraled through her body until she felt ready to come out of her skin. She arched her back, reached behind and grabbed his ass, pulling him into her. Deeper. Harder. The sound of skin slapping skin, the thought of what he was doing to her, out here in the open, it was all so hot. Before she could brace herself the orgasm slammed into her, stole her breath, ricocheted through her limbs and tore a cry from her throat. He grew impossibly hard inside her, igniting a second, all-consuming wave of pulsing pleasure that went on and on and on.
He groaned long and deep, thrust once more. Twice. His entire body shuddered, and then he slumped against her back, breathing hard, his pulse racing like wildfire next to her skin.
Minutes passed. Or maybe it was only seconds, she wasn’t sure. Time seemed to stop in those moments. He was heavy against her, and she was pretty sure she was going to have bruises from being pinned up against these rocks, but a smile stretched across Lauren’s face as she rested her cheek on her hand and breathed deep.
Now that . . . that was what she’d expected from him the first time. Hot. Wild. X-rated. Totally out of control and better than anything she could remember.
Water dripped over her cheek, ran down her lips. She opened her mouth, desperate for the cool, clear liquid to quench her thirst. But it was the man at her back she couldn’t get enough of.
“Shit, Lauren,” Finn mumbled, pushing away from her. “I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to—”
Alarm bells rang. Any pain she felt slipped to the back of her mind. She turned quickly, caught him around the neck before he could get away from her. “Didn’t mean to what?”
His eyes widened as he lost his balance. His hands flew out to steady them both, but it was too late. They were already tipping back, falling into the
pool below.
Lauren didn’t let go. They submerged, and both kicked to the surface. When their heads cleared the water, she pressed her lips against his and pulled back. “You’d better not be sorry for what just happened.”
“I didn’t plan—”
“So what? That was awesome.” She pulled herself tight against him, wrapped her legs around his lean waist so he had no choice but to slide his arms around her ribs to keep them balanced. The gem at her chest rested between them, warmed from their skin. “If we didn’t have to be somewhere, I’d find a way to get you to do it again.”
“I wasn’t thinking, Lauren. I didn’t plan . . . shit.” He took a breath. “I . . .”
His worry and embarrassment registered, and eased the pinch in her chest. Please let this be his only issue right now.
She ran her fingers through his dark, thick, dripping hair, desperate to ease his angst. “I’ve got you covered. Don’t worry.”
His gaze narrowed. “What—?”
“I’m on Depo. You know, the shots?”
“You—”
Her back came up, just a tad. “I don’t get around, if that’s what you’re thinking. In my profession I can’t chance an unplanned pregnancy. It’s just safer to be prepared. And I’m clean, in case that’s what you’re worried about. I know the tabloids make me out to be some hussy, but you’re actually the first guy I’ve been with in quite a while, and I, well . . .”
Her mouth slammed shut when she realized he was staring at her as if she’d sprouted wings. Okay, now she was rambling. And sounding desperate. Dammit, that wasn’t the way she wanted to sound right now. Calm, clear, confident, collected . . . any of those would suffice. Heat rushed to her cheeks.
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” he said softly.
“It’s not?”
“No. Though thanks for pointing out one more thing I fucked up on.”
“Oh. Then what’s wrong?”
“Why aren’t you pissed at me?”
Her brow wrinkled. “Should I be?”
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