He took out his cell phone and dialed the FBI’s regional number. He wanted assurance they were not chasing a dead man and being shot at for their trouble.
Thinking over their latest narrow escape, Gun was more determined than ever to find Conteguez. The bastard wasn’t about to leave the country. His only goal was to kill Donavon.
Chapter 43
New York Federal Bureau’s office was huge and impersonal compared to the smaller, more intimate setting in the St. Louis office.
The looks she and Gun received from the well-groomed, well-fed bunch of agents in the halls didn’t surprise Ali. They were dirty and disheveled, looking more like a target on the run than a couple of agents.
Gun took her hand, the gesture comforting. She hated feeling like Alice in Wonderland, but the echo of their footsteps in the spit-and-polish hall rang eerily in her imagination. He paused and pointed at a fortress-like door of solid mahogany.
“Must be the supervisor’s office.”
“Yeah.” She brushed several times at her hair and coat. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to see a couple of his agents looking like hobos from Bumsville.”
“Can it.” Gun caught her shoulders to look in her eyes. “Doing your job is all he cares about.”
“Right.” She grimaced, wishing she had at least washed her face and hands.
Too late to be concerned about the little things. Gun opened the forbidding door and led her inside the outer office. This had to be the plushest government office she’d ever seen. Maroon carpeting and cut-velvet drapes dressed the floor to ceiling paneled glass windows. The elegance was reflected by cut-glass cases holding vases and figurines that must be worth a fortune.
She nudged Gun’s arm. “Damn. Are we in the right place?”
A deep male voice answered her question. “If you’re Alison Donavon and Jack Gunnison, you’re in the right place.”
She turned to face a formidable man of medium height and tremendous male confidence. “Yes, sir. I’m Agent Donavon, and this is my partner, Agent Jack Gunnison”
He stepped forward and held his hand out. She knew what a specimen felt like under the microscope now. His clear blue eyes seemed to dissect her and cut through Gun like a chain saw.
They weren’t offered chairs or refreshment. The greeting was far from cordial.
“Haver Winston.” His voice penetrated her head, yet was modulated for clarity. “We got a call this morning, advising that your target had come under some fire at the hands of his own people.”
Gun frowned. “He’s still breathing, isn’t he?”
The supervisor nodded. “He was at the last communication.” He casually eyed Ali’s hair. “We would offer assistance, but this is a continuation of a mission started by the two of you in the St. Louis office. You will be expected to finish it.”
She read the blaze of anger in Gun’s stoic glare toward Winston. The man looking them over didn’t realize how pissed off Agent Jack Gunnison was and stupidly continued talking down to them.
“We don’t like leaving our people out in the cold, but at the moment, we are stretched beyond our budget.” Haver fiddled with the cuff of his fine cotton shirt. “Just exactly what do you want us to do? This unit doesn’t chase drug dealers unless they are carrying a bomb. Perhaps, if you were to put in more time and effort, you’d get your man.”
Gun stepped forward blocking her complete view of the important man insulting them. “We didn’t come here for help. Just some information.”
Ali held her breath. He was an eyelash from getting drummed out of the agency. But, no! He was too damned hard-headed to let things slide. Right now, he had to plunge into dangerous waters with his hot temper and big mouth.
“You think he’s not dangerous? He took the heads of ten Americans and trades the people of his own country like cheap commodities on the market.” Gun pulled Ali closer to the supervisor. “I wouldn’t chase the fucker so hard if he wasn’t trying to whack my partner. She’s the biggest target on his list.”
She touched his arm. “We got what we came for. Conteguez is still here and having problems of his own.” She nodded at Winston. “We won’t take up any more of your valuable time, sir.”
He obviously thought she was showing reverence to his position. “No imposition, Agent Donavon. We try to take care of our own people.”
At her side, Gun was building a head of steam. “We don’t need to be taken care of. Conteguez is still alive, and we just want to know we aren’t wasting our time looking for a fucking corpse!” His glower should have melted the supervisor’s fancy tie tack. “That’s all we need.”
Ali stuck her hand out to distract the red-faced man. “Thank you, sir. We appreciate you taking the time.” Willing to crawl from the room, she tugged on Gun’s coat. “We’ll be on our way. Won’t we, Gunnison?”
He grabbed her arm and propelled her toward the door, waiting for Winston to open it. Their departure was swift and accompanied by Gun’s low, growling comments. “Son-of-a-bitch! What’s he think we’re doing? Gold bricking? Partying?”
She put her hand over his mouth. “Shut up, you lunatic! He’s still watching us.”
Gun turned and saluted the supervisor. “Thank you, sir.”
Her comment was barely audible. “I don’t see how you have stayed alive all these years.”
“What?” He sounded incredulous. “How old do you think I am?”
“Old enough.”
They eyed each other with amused understanding, then headed for the entrance, leaving well enough alone.
Gun laughed soft, under his breath. “Can you believe that guy? I’ve gotten more help from the enemy.”
Ali agreed completely, but didn’t want to throw fuel on his temper. “Forget him. He probably just had an ass-chewing from his superior.”
He nodded in agreement. “You’re right. We’ll handle this alone.” His jaw was set in a hard line, eyes narrowed. Gun was visibly angry. “Let’s get out of here before we have to talk with another asshole.”
He draped his arm over her shoulders in a companionable way. “Yeah. Damn straight.” He rubbed her cheek with his knuckles. “What do you say we go back to the hotel and get a fast, hot shower?”
She bit the tip of her tongue. No, she couldn’t say she wanted to take that shower with him, hot and fast. Instead, she rubbed her nose and ignored the nice clean people casting furtive glances their way.
What was he really thinking at that moment? He wouldn’t know how much she wanted to slam the damn door on the fucking world and just hold him. Ali no longer fought the ache of dread at the coming separation from him.
The past few days had driven home the futility of him ever being in love with her. She thought over what she would bring to a solid relationship and found her inventory pretty meager.
She had to give him her best or nothing. With his appetite for the fast and loose lifestyle, asking for forever was out of the question.
Right now, she just wanted to touch him. That deep yearning shook Ali to her core.
The mood was getting softer, and she saw no reason to enjoy an intimate evening. She wouldn’t let her feelings get in the way. “Gun.” The depth of his eyes was like midnight under the deep-summer Milky Way when she looked at him. “Let’s pick up some good Italian for dinner and eat in our room.”
Had that been too pushy?
“Great.” His grin was awesome and natural. “That little bistro across from the hotel looks like a good place. Okay with you?”
“Yeah. It sounds heavenly to me.” She licked her lips.
In a hurry, he took her hand. “Come on. We gotta catch a ride out of this hellhole.”
Chapter 44
He had to know that his exhibitionist nature stoked her sensualist blood to boiling. She was quickly turned on just watching him dry his lean, hard body. Ali could hear a faint, throbbing bass and alto sax, the kind of music heard in smoky dives and strip clubs. This meant extra time in the shower for her to relieve the
growing ache between her legs.
The minute they’d returned to their hotel, he’d stripped and gone to his shower. Of course, she’d taken time to set out their meal and get fresh clothes from her suitcase.
Her desire for food disappeared when Gun came from his steam-filled bathroom, arriving in a cloud of steam around his awesome body. She could look all she wanted while his back was turned.
The sight of his naked, hard body was enough to tickle her into a delicious yearning for everything he could give her. Meticulous in his toweling routine, it seemed to take forever for him to move down his glistening pecs and flat, rock-hard belly.
Her fingers flexed. His half-hard cock swung like a heavy pendulum between his strong thigh. The odds of not being caught ogling him were getting slimmer while she stood salivating over forbidden fruit and nuts. She grinned and did an about face to leave the crime scene, with no class at all. Her elbow brushed the silver teapot Gun brought her that morning, and the damn thing tumbled to the floor.
Well, too bad! Scurrying into the bathroom, she reached behind the shower door to turn on the water, skinning off her clothes like she’d been hit by lightning. She didn’t want him to know he was the lone weakness in her armor, or that her blood ran hot for him.
“Donavon!”
Ignore him.
Through the frosted glass of the shower, she could see Gun walk into the bathroom.
Be quiet. Keep on scrubbing.
A shiver of expectation raked her body. He opened the door slowly, grinning at her through the shower spray.
“Hi, baby. Just wanted to make sure you hadn’t hurt yourself running away from me.”
Hell yes, he was wise to her every move. “Please leave.” His hesitation was rewarded by a splash of water. A rivulet of water streamed from her hard nipple. There was no damned way she would turn away, her gaze direct and unflinching. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
He wiped his face and shut the stall door. Ali leaned against the wall for several minutes. Closing her eyes proved to be a mistake. His image stepped into her thoughts and re-ran his drying routine, several times, until her breasts grew heavy, and her hand covered her throbbing vee.
Her body almost jackknifed at that light touch, hot fingers of desire slithered over her swollen folds. The hunger in her blood drew a moan from her throat. Stroking her sensitive clit shot off red flares in her brain. No, stop it! You’re not that desperate. Yet!
Gritting her teeth, she soaped up and rinsed, avoiding her crotch as much as possible. Ali fought back hot frustration. She had to be the horniest woman on earth.
Drying quickly, she pulled on knit loungers and a long sleeved thermal undershirt, letting her damp hair have its freedom. She paused at the door to his room and tried to regulate her breathing and assume a sensible attitude. Gun was probably hungry, and she had no right to delay his meal.
“Okay,” she called out cheerfully. “Let’s chow down.”
His gaze brushed her nipples and settled on her lips. “I’ll second that.”
He had put on a pair of light gray lounge pants, and as usual, no shirt. How could she keep her eyes off his chest and the nice directional arrow of black hair leading down to a hell of a party.
She looked up. He was staring at her hard nipples. Obviously, she wasn’t the only one in distress.
He handed her a plate with a generous helping of lasagna and olive salad before they sat down on the sofa to eat their meal.
Her mouth watered. She loved his hands, couldn’t take her eyes off them as he pulled apart his hefty piece of crusty bread. Her heart thumped with rare contentment, a gossamer-thin happiness she would grab before losing it forever.
Of course, there would be other women. His lofty sex drive wouldn’t let him be celibate long.
Screw that. She didn’t want to think about tomorrow or his ease of finding someone else.
Gun leaned back and smiled at her. “Feeling better now?”
Was she? No. “Sure. I’m doing fine.”
He took her empty plate and placed it on the coffee table with his. “I’ll give you a massage.”
Ali licked her lips. “I don’t...I feel okay.”
“I didn’t say deep massage.” His smile brushed a warm kiss to her nipples. He stood and leaned over to pick her up in his arms. “Trust me.”
She harrumphed, even though her nerves tingled with excitement. Having his hands on her always meant a blissful, erotic buildup to sizzling climax. He arched his brows and nuzzled her cheek. “Trust me?”
“Why not?” She sounded confident and calm, nothing like the quaking going on in her heart. Why did she always come apart at the seams if he simply looked at her?
She yawned and met his gaze, casually putting her arm around his neck as he carried her to his bed.
Desire bloomed and spread shamelessly through her. With his mouth above hers while he gave orders to lie on her stomach, Ali couldn’t deal with the shock waves of approaching climax between her legs.
He noticed she held her breath and squeezed her thighs together.
“Lighten up, Donavon. I know what I’m doing.”
Ali arched her back and stretched her arms out, relaxing as much as possible.
Okay, this was fine, the way his big, strong fingers rolled and pressed her tense muscles. She did relax and groaned with pleasure when he hit a particularly tight knot in her lower back.
“Feel good?” His voice was warm dark seduction.
“Like heaven.” Her legs stiffened while she reached out to grip the edge of the mattress. Every move took her closer to the roaring hot fire of orgasm.
Beneath her, the bed moved a little as he changed position, moving to straddle her.
“I won’t crush you.” He placed his hands on her waist and used his thumbs to press into the first rounding curve of her ass, sliding them up to go under her shirt. “You’ve got a fine-looking back, Donavon.”
The cool air had tightened her nipples into even harder peaks, and she wanted him to suck them until they relaxed. “You can’t have a bad back and be in the department.” That was so idiotic.
“They got the best with you.” He ran his palms down to press on her lower back. “The best ass I ever saw.”
Shit! She tightened her cheeks against a quiver of hormones on fire. “You don’t have to compliment me to feel me up, Gun.”
He hooked his fingers in the flimsy band of her loungers and pulled them down to kiss her tense cheeks. “That’s no idle compliment, lady. It’s the God-awful truth. Lord.”
Be casual, her brain coached. “I think you mean that.” Gun’s big on casual.
“But,” he drawled before nipping her ass again, “I’m kind of partial to your super-fine tatas.”
She buried her face in the pillow as he kissed her crack and tongued her cheeks. If you have a speck of decency, stop him! But, you don’t, not when it comes to Gun.
He made a soft, growling sound in his throat, sucking on the tender flesh of her waist, telling her what he wanted as he made his way up her tingling back. “They’re especially sweet when I get to unwrap them.”
With the ease of a sensualist, he skimmed her loungers off her quivering legs.
Ali couldn’t control the sweeping emotion tumbling through her. Let it go or vaporize.
The moan she’d been smothering poured free, and she stifled it in her pillow.
Well, what’s it to be? Stop him or lie back and enjoy it to the hilt?
A hint of a devious smile lifted the corners of her lips when she conceded to herself that her libido was pure wanton. “Ummm. You have the touch of a cat burglar.”
She couldn’t silence a breathless cry of excitement as he flipped her over onto her back.
His deep voice touched her between the legs and hovered over her crotch. “You like that?”
The time had come to toss out false pride and disinterest. She was hot for Gun and didn’t give a damn that he knew. “Hell yes. So…burgle!”
&n
bsp; His rich laugh bound her with a rope of pleasure, banishing resistance hovering in her mind. Why lie to herself? Fucking Gun was the only thing she wanted.
Why did he hesitate? She burned to plunge her tongue in his mouth, wrap her legs around him, and meld to him like warm honey.
Ali arched her back, attempting to press her breasts to his chest.
Yet he held her captive, continuing to torture her with the sweet pain of foreplay. She was his prisoner, hands locked above her head, breathing rapidly as his lips brushed wild seduction on her ears and down her neck.
At last, he freed her hands. She touched his hair, marveling at the cool, crisp thicket of ebony. Coarse and thick, he kept cut short and neat, yet it still had the stubborn will to fall onto his forehead and spike at his crown. God, she loved his hair.
Especially while he moved down to push her legs apart and drag them over his broad shoulders. Oh, yes! He was going to use his tongue and mouth to shoot her to the moon.
But not like that! His lips whispered over her throbbing mound of pulsing heat, then pressed to her inner thigh. Please, Gun. Don’t tantalize me too long.
The evil man moved up to plunge his tongue into her belly button, then licked his way over her stomach. In his hands, her fevered breasts swelled and flamed with need.
Powerful waves of want rocked her hips and lifted them off the bed. She wanted him inside her, being one with her.
“Not yet, baby.” He took her hands and kissed her palms. “Let’s not miss anything tonight.”
There it was again, the little message in her brain, written in a field of twinkling stars. Damn! Ali! You’re crazy in love with this man.
“Gun, come up here.”
He obligingly moved up to lie over her.
“You want to bypass my specialty, the full-body lick?” He sounded incredulous at the thought.
Her voice lowered in timbre, the beat of her heart strangely sedate. “This won’t take long. Just lie with me for a minute.”
He picked up on the fact a new piece in their personal relationship puzzle was ready to drop. “Okay, gorgeous. What’s more important than getting your box kissed?”
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