by Karen Anders
“There’s more than one target, G-man.”
His dark chuckle rumbled through him before he laid his mouth over hers. Something unfamiliar crackled through him. It wasn’t instant, it’d been there, waiting—in that place he’d packed away most of himself. But the suspicion and the distrust dissolved. They were in this together and the need to link himself with her when he’d been solitary for so long was like something calling to him. He kissed her and kissed her until the barrier broke, poured like the pounding waterfall behind them.
“Rio,” he murmured.
Her answer spoke when her tongue slid into his mouth, when her hips pressed down on his. Max nearly roared, letting go a little more. His hands mapped her contours and she moaned, a delicious sound that nearly tore through his restraint. Maybe playtime was over.
Maybe not.
Her hands smoothed over his skin, and she dragged her tongue across his nipple, and then suckled.
It left him trembling, his back arched, and he gripped her hips, wedging her closer. His hand slid upward, along her ribs, teasing the underside of her breast.
At this point, life was very uncertain for both of them. Max had to admit he exerted a lot of control and he liked that control.
She teased, drawing back and making him chase her, then erotically licked the line of his lips before she pushed her tongue between. A hot, desperate need riddled him down to his heels as she kissed him. He wanted her right now, on the rocks again, and the image made his cock feel like lead.
She pulled away and his gaze rolled down her body, and everything between them seemed to go still. By increments she leaned closer, her nipples grazing his chest. The press of flesh to flesh held a sort of euphoria, crossing the line of intimacy. Max had helped a lot of people, rescued many, took lives to protect the innocent, but nothing compared to this. He fought for patience, his body flexing with need.
He rolled with her and her indrawn breath told him he’d surprised her, but she hung on.
He moved low, across her stomach; carefully he spread her legs, moving between.
He held her gaze as his finger followed the edge where her thigh met her groin. He found her and her gasp tumbled into his mouth as he stroked her. At eye level, he missed nothing—her panting, the way her hips started to move with him or her scent.
“Max, please.”
He thrust his fingers inside, and her hips left the ground, but he pushed her back till she lay flat, then his mouth was on her, tongue delving, and Rio moaned softly.
“Oh, Max. Oh dammit.”
He flicked her clit, and then circled it, over and over as his fingers slid in and out. He watched her writhe, draw her legs up and thrust her hips. He wanted to be deep inside her, yet Max held her there, a testimony to his restraint when he wanted to slam into her and fuck her silly. But this was different.
She sat up and climaxed in his arms, clinging to him, her hips thrusting, her expression startled and so unlike any before. Transformed in ecstasy. A little wild, a little innocent. And he held her as she rode the wave of pleasure. Max almost came just watching her.
When she settled she went limp, but not for long. She pushed his erection down, the tip throbbing, and Max gripped her hips, dragged her close and slid into her in one smooth stoke. Eyes locked; they both breathed hard. The solid length of him was heavy and warm.
Her nipples barely touched his chest. His fingers drove into her hair, tipped her head back. It was a possessive move, capturing her, and when she rocked, his kiss deepened. His hand slid down to close over her breast, his thumb making lazy circles while his other hand guided her, urged her. She never broke eye contact, her body undulating like the vast ocean against vast shores.
Max glanced down to see himself disappear into her body. He slammed his eyes shut and fought for command, to keep words he probably shouldn’t say from spilling out. Though planted deep inside her, his body wasn’t listening. He leaned in, kissing, easing her to her back. He withdrew and thrust, and Rio bowed beautifully beneath him. She begged him to come closer, but he’d crush her so he grasped a lip of rock, one hand under her hips, giving them quick motion.
“That’s right, Max, faster.”
“Rio,” he groaned. “I’m trying to hang on.”
“Don’t. Give it to me.”
It broke his control as effectively as an order. Willpower ebbed into a flood of energy and his hips pumped. She responded by taking him in, closing her legs around his hips. She whispered his name, what he was doing to her, how she felt—and her lusty words pushed him to the brink.
Then he felt her tense, quicken, roll her hips in ecstasy as she reached between them to feel him slide deeply into her, then retreat. Her touch was heavy and bold, and he loved this side of her. Her flesh hardened around him, trapped him in a throbbing flex of feminine muscle and slick skin.
Max wanted more, to connect when he hadn’t—he wouldn’t allow himself to trust. He laced his fingers with hers, trapping her, spread under him like a sacrifice. Hovering on stiff arms, he held her gaze.
“Let go, Max.”
His control severed and Max cocked his leg and thrust, driving her across the mossy bed, a primal need taking him over completely. She came and held nothing back from him, whispering her satisfaction. A flex of twisted muscle and slick bodies meshed as his climax joined hers.
Max threw his head back, suspended, the wild grip of her flesh wringing him. Splintered rapture shredded his composure. Yet in the deep throes of release, he noticed things.
Every inch of her skin melded to his, her little tremors, the fear in her smoky eyes. “Aah, Rio, bull’s-eye,” he said softly, driving his arms around her, the last threads of passion dissolving under a slow, thick kiss.
“That was some nice aim, G-man.”
He rolled to his side, gently pulling her injured leg across his, and watched her world come into focus. Her lashes swept up, her eyes soft and satisfied. Her lips curved gently and Max felt air lock in his lungs. Flushed and rosy, she was incredibly beautiful right then.
Needing to touch her again, he brushed her hair back, tucking it in behind her ear.
“You’re messing up this timetable, but good, Carpenter.”
“Am I? It was worth it.”
“We should, you know, get going.”
“Okay.” But he didn’t move.
Rio chuckled. “We have no more time for…”
“This?”
His erection nudged her and he watched her eyes widen. “Max, you sure recover quickly.”
“Good reflexes,” he replied, giving her a wicked smile. He didn’t give her a chance to answer as he took her mouth.
An hour later, they were done with both fooling around and the shower. Working on getting dried off and dressed, Max asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have any food in your Poppins bag, would you?”
She nudged him in the ribs. “Men. It’s all about appetite.”
“Yep, the no fuss–no muss gender.”
He leaned down and kissed the spot where her neck curved into her shoulder.
Dressed in khaki walking shorts now, along with a green T-shirt, a sweatshirt tied around her waist, she slipped on a pair of green socks. Not only did the woman pack for any contingency, but she also matched her clothing while she was at it.
She pulled a comb through her hair, scooped it back and did some crazy wrapping-and-tucking thing until she had a thick wet bun.
She turned toward him. “I have PowerBars and water, so don’t get too excited.”
If only she had a clue how easily she excited him, she’d run for the hills.
Even with no makeup, and her cheeks a little flushed from her exertions in the waterfall, Max’s body leaped to life as though he hadn’t just gotten more satisfaction than that in a very long time. He immediately bent down to lace up the boots she’d provided before she caught him staring at her all moony-eyed or something. She’d also given him a navy blue pair of walking shorts, and a baby-blue T-shirt
. She’d matched his socks, too. He smiled to himself. “That would be great. I’d appreciate it.”
She gave him a cool look and he wasn’t exactly sure why she was a bit distant. Maybe now that things had calmed down, she wasn’t sure where things stood between them, or where he wanted them to stand. That made two of them.
She handed him a PowerBar and a bottle of water, then settled next to him. Neither of them spoke for several long moments. “It smells like rain in the air, which isn’t surprising since we’re sitting smack-dab in the middle of a rain forest, but I for one hope it holds off until we can find some shelter. I don’t relish getting wet again.”
Rio chewed a chunk of bar then swallowed. “I’m with you on that. I don’t have any more dry clothes in my pack.”
He nodded.
“So, I’m sure your training in the military helped you blow up two enemy boats.”
“Marine. Two tours in Iraq when we first went in. When I got out, I applied for Quantico. That kind of training never leaves you.”
“You were a marine?”
He gave her a wistful smile. “There is no past tense, Rio. I’m always going to be a marine.” He took a swig of water. “I copped a couple of those missiles they were lobbing at us and did a quick demolition. Thought it would distract them and make them regroup before they came after us again. It’s at least a ten-mile hike to Hana from here.”
Rio sighed. “But they probably have radios or cell phones.”
Max paused and thought about that. “Speaking of cells…do you have one on you?”
She shook her head. “No, I purposely left it back at the hotel. They could trace us with the phone.”
“No forms of communication in that magic bag of yours?”
She gave him a quelling look.
“What?” he asked, lifting his hands. “I’ve gotten used to you pulling a rabbit out of your hat.”
“Have you? I suppose you think you’re funny? Why don’t you use your gut instinct to get us out of this mess?”
He grinned, he couldn’t help it. “Well, my instincts told me not to get too tangled up with you, and you can see where that landed me.” He watched the color steal into her cheeks, but she didn’t look away.
“So you’re saying you only listen to them when they suit your purposes?” She took a sip of water.
“Or until someone ambushes me with sexy underwear and a big gun.”
“I didn’t ambush—”
Now it was his turn to give her the quelling look. The blush that flushed her skin was even more becoming this time around.
“Okay, so maybe I did. Just a bit. But it wasn’t my plan for us to end up…the way we ended up.”
“But…”
She didn’t bother pretending. Her grin was as bold as his was. “Okay, but I’m glad it did.” She folded her arms in front of her. “So, now what do we do?”
His eyebrows lifted a fraction. “Regarding which event?”
She laughed.
And his heart teetered dangerously inside his chest. “You’re going to get us both in trouble, you know that.”
“I thought I already had. You’re the protector and defender. You’re supposed to keep us on the straight and narrow, focused on the mission at hand.” She lifted her shoulders and batted her eyelashes at him. “I’m just the helpless female in this scenario, remember?”
He snorted. “There is nothing remotely helpless about you.”
“Thank you,” she said. Then, in a more serious tone she added, “Most of the time, I’m pretty fearless about going after what I want.”
“I’ll vouch for that,” he said dryly, hoping to bring back that cocky smile.
Her lips curved ever so slightly. “I’ll admit that I’m not exactly ready to run up the white flag or call in reinforcements, but the situation here is starting to rattle me.” She held his gaze steadily. “I should have been more thankful for your timely intervention.”
“You’d have done something about it, taken action, whether I’d shown up or not.”
“Probably,” she agreed. “But I don’t think I’d have put it all together as quickly. And that might prove to be the difference in getting out of here alive.”
She was such a paradox. Here she was, admitting she needed him, that she was grateful for his help, the same woman who’d just about undone him…and yet there was still a wariness about her that had him wondering what it was going to take to win her over completely.
Which was insanity. Because winning her over was not the objective here. Solving her problem was the only goal that needed achieving, and when that was accomplished, he’d go home. And she’d go back to work. So there was no point in winning anything. He’d tried to tell her that last night.
And yet, he couldn’t manage to find any regret for what had just happened between them. Sure, it wasn’t going to end well. Shit happened in life, and some of it was no fun. But being with her was giving him something he’d never had or felt before. Sometimes when shit happened, it was good.
Max finished his bar and his water and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “So here’s the plan, then. We need to find a place where I can make a phone call.”
“Why?”
Rio took his empty bottle and wrapper and slid them into her pack. Smart not to leave any evidence they were here.
“Remember the guy who saved you in Colombia?”
“Right. Drew Miller.”
“I told you he’s marrying my sister.”
“Right.”
“He’ll lend us a hand and I know I can trust him.”
The snap of her voice told him her feelings. “How? Get us tickets on a commercial flight? What good will that do?”
“No, he’s a pilot. He can fly here and get us off Maui and back to L.A., where we can try to figure all this out in relative safety.”
She rose and paced away from him, scouring the ground to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind. “You’re going to involve someone else in this?”
“We can trust Drew.”
“I don’t care whether or not we can trust him. I don’t want anyone else at risk. I will figure something out.”
He went to her and grabbed her shoulders to turn her gently so she would look at him. “How, Rio? Western Maui is less populated and we’re in the middle of this vast forest preserve. There’s no one around for miles. There’s no way off this island that isn’t being guarded by the Ghost’s men. We have to get some help from someone else.”
“Can’t we just steal a boat?”
“That will show up in a police report and if we’re caught on open water, it’ll all be over.”
“Bribe someone to take us.”
“Then we’re relying on a stranger. I know I can trust Drew.”
“I don’t like it.”
“That’s beside the point, Rio. It’s the best and only plan we have, short of shooting our way out of here or trusting law enforcement. I’m not keen on that.”
“I’m not, either,” she agreed. “My luck is shot to hell both here and in Colombia.”
“Have you been fooling around with your karma?”
She gave him a startled look as if that question really hit home. “Karma, that bitch.”
“It can be,” he said, enjoying that combination of wary amusement he saw on her face. He liked that she fought her attraction to him, or at least questioned it. It meant she was taking this seriously. He didn’t examine why that part was so important to him. “But we have something on our side that beats out karma.”
“We do? Enlighten me.”
“Good old-fashioned training and experience.”
Rio nodded. “True.”
“We get some rest, wake an hour before dawn and then find a phone.”
She leaned in to him. “Okay.” She paused, sighed and then seemed to pull herself up a little. “We don’t do the expected and head for the airport, at least not to try to catch a commercial flight. We’ll confuse him.”
She nodded again, but her gaze was more intent on him.
“What?” he asked, when she continued to regard him in silence.
“Nothing. I just…” She trailed off, lifted a shoulder. “You’re so focused in all this, clearly in your comfort zone, very confident and methodical. On the one hand it reassures me, makes me feel like I can trust you.”
“You can,” he said automatically. “Always.”
She nodded right away, and it was almost ridiculous how good that made him feel. “I know that, in ways that aren’t necessarily rational or even proven.” She held his gaze. “But I do know that.”
“Good,” he said, trying like hell to keep the situation all about business. This was hard to do when his heart was celebrating what felt like an important milestone in their relationship. A relationship that didn’t exist because it had nowhere to go, he reminded himself.
“On the other hand,” she went on, “it scares me. I’ve had a lot of loss in my life, Max.” It was the first time he’d seen her look truly vulnerable. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
He wished he could outright guarantee her he would be fine. But he couldn’t do that. She trusted him, and that meant telling her the truth, even when it was a truth she didn’t want to hear. “I’ve pledged to keep you safe, Rio. I’ll do that no matter what it takes.”
She held his gaze, and then nodded. “That’s the thing that scares me the most.”
7
PRETENDING TO BE the Ghost’s lackey, when, in fact, he was the Ghost, sometimes had its drawbacks. Like now when he was questioned every step of the way. Jammer had learned that hiding in plain sight was all about perception. The Ghost had never been caught because he didn’t really exist. He was Jammer’s fabrication that had effectively thrown off the DEA, FBI, CIA and all the other alphabet-soup agencies who’d put the Ghost on their ten-most-wanted lists.