Blown Away

by Stephanie Julian

  *

  “That cotton candy was probably a bad idea on top of the ice cream but damn, they both tasted good.”

  Merri laughed, exactly as he’d hoped. She’d laughed a lot today, and the sound made him hard every damn time.

  They’d walked through most of the park and now sat on a bench across from the big cats’ enclosure. Merri loved cats. Earlier, he’d asked if she had one and the longing on her face had surprised him. When he asked why she didn’t, she’d shrugged and changed the subject.

  It’d taken him a few seconds to realize she wasn’t home enough to take care of one.

  He’d been shocked to realize he wanted to go out and get her a kitten. Hell, he wanted to get her two.

  So he made her laugh with some idiotic comment about how much he’d eaten today.

  “I haven’t had cotton candy in years.” She plucked another piece of pink fluff off the cone and slipped it between her lips. Then her tongue came out to lick at her fingers and Jimmy nearly melted onto the ground at her feet.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blown off an entire day. He wasn’t as much of a workaholic as Merri… All right, maybe he was but he certainly wasn’t wound as tight.

  He had his family to ground him. Merri had no one.

  She needed someone to ground her. He wanted to be that someone.

  Which was ridiculous.

  She was here for a week, maybe two. She wouldn’t stay.

  Jimmy had been there, done that and he never wanted to get on that roller coaster of pain again.

  Not that Merri reminded him of Barbara in any way.

  Except for the fact that Merri tended to lose herself in her job. And had no intention of changing.

  And would leave him.

  Okay, maybe she had more in common with Barbara than he was comfortable with. Except for the fact that he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted Barbara.

  Which should scare the shit out of him.

  “So I guess we should be going soon.” She sounded reluctant to leave and he felt the same. Then she slid him a sideways glance and he lit up like kindle hit with a flame.

  “Yeah, we probably should.”

  “Are we heading back to your place?”

  Hell yes. “I was planning to. Unless you—”

  “That’s fine. I’m ready to go.”

  Standing, he held out his hand. And wanted to pound his chest in victory when she took it.

  They didn’t actually run to the car, but it was close. They were both grinning by the time they strapped themselves in.

  The drive home was quiet but Jimmy swore he could taste the lust in the air.

  By the time he pulled the car into the garage and turned the car off, every muscle in his body had tightened with anticipation.

  When they finally reached the living room, Jimmy realized this time wasn’t going to be as civilized as the last.

  He didn’t feel civilized. He felt…out of control.

  And when Merri stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face him, her smile severed the last shred of his restraint.

  He grabbed her by the waist and yanked her against him, ground his mouth down on hers and kissed her until he couldn’t breathe.

  He heard her suck in a startled gasp, but she immediately went onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing him even closer.

  Their bodies meshed together as perfectly as their mouths. When he lifted her, she knew exactly what he wanted and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  He managed to get them to his bedroom without damaging either one of them. They fell on the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, tearing at clothes, teeth nipping at exposed skin.

  When their clothes lay in a pile on the floor, Jimmy began to kiss his way down Merri’s body. He stopped for a brief moment to suck her nipples into his mouth and tease them with his tongue before continuing on to the smooth skin of her stomach.

  He flicked at her belly button with his tongue, heard her draw in a sharp breath, and felt the muscles of her abdomen tighten. Her fingers slid into his hair, her nails scratching at his scalp.

  His cock throbbed, hard and ready. And when he licked her clit, he nearly came at the sound she made.

  With his hands clamped on her hips, he brought her to the edge of orgasm twice before he crawled back up her body and kissed her as he teased the tip of his cock against her lower lips.

  He wasn’t prepared for her to smile so smugly then flip him onto his back.

  Straddling him, she teased him with the brush of her sex against his, rocking her hips and driving him closer to the edge.

  She reached for the side table and pulled out a condom, taking a few extra seconds to tease him as she rolled on the sheath.

  He responded by grabbing her around the neck and pulling her forward until he could kiss her, grinding his mouth against hers. She didn’t seem to mind as she sighed into his mouth, aligned their bodies and slid down his shaft.

  She rode him slow at first, gradually gaining speed. Their fingers meshed and their gazes met and held. His release gathered lower in his body, his balls tightening as she moved faster then frantically.

  When she finally released a breathless cry and came, her body contracted around him, drawing his release.

  Seconds later, she sank onto his chest, snuggled her head under his chin, and went completely limp.

  Jimmy tightened his arms so she wouldn’t slip away.

  Too late for him, though. He was already gone.

  *

  Merri had no idea what woke her.

  Probably Jimmy’s hand over her mouth. She panicked for one second before the bone-deep knowledge that Jimmy would never hurt her sank in. Then she froze. Another second later, he whispered in her ear, so quietly she had to think about what he said.

  “Someone’s here.”

  She didn’t figure that was a good thing, so she nodded to let him know she understood and he removed his hand.

  As Jimmy moved silently off the bed, she slid to the other side and pulled on the first thing she grabbed. Jimmy’s t-shirt.

  In the glow from the nightlight in the attached bath, she saw Jimmy grab his shorts off the floor.

  The door to the bedroom was open, but Merri didn’t hear any noise from the rest of the house. Didn’t matter. She trusted Jimmy. If he said there was someone in the house, there was someone here.

  He crept toward the door, making barely a whisper of sound.

  She heard it then. The faint shush of papers being moved. The sound came from the back of the house, probably the office.

  As Jimmy disappeared into the dark hallway, Merri eased off the bed as quietly as she could manage and tiptoed to the door.

  But as soon as she heard the muffled sound of a fight, she took off.

  By the time she got there, Jimmy had his arms up, blocking the punches of a much smaller person dressed in black. Since there was no light, she had a tough time seeing exactly what was going on, but she could tell Jimmy wasn’t throwing any punches.

  What the—

  Ah. Merri saw it now. The intruder was a woman.

  And she knew Jimmy well enough by now to know he wouldn’t hit a woman unless she was trying to kill him.

  Apparently this one wasn’t.

  But Merri had no trouble hitting another woman. Especially one who was hitting her man.

  She rushed the woman, hoping to take her off guard, but the intruder was good. She jumped out of the way to avoid Merri and landed behind the desk. Probably not where she wanted to be but the best she could do at the moment.

  Obviously, she hadn’t been counting on getting caught but now that she had, she was looking for a way out.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Jimmy said. “You’re not getting out of here.”

  “Oh really?” The woman’s voice held a smug tone that grated on Merri’s nerves. “Considering you refuse to hurt me and she hits like a girl, I don’t know how you’re going to stop me.�
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  “Hey.” Merri’s hands automatically went to her hips. “Trust me, lady, if I wanted to hurt you, you’d hurt.”

  Even in the dark, Merri could see the arrogance on the woman’s face. “So here we stand. Eventually one of you is going to have to move and then I’ll be gone. Why don’t you just give in to the inevitable now and step aside?”

  “Why are you here?” Jimmy asked.

  As Merri’s eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she saw the woman more clearly. Older than Merri but probably only by a few years. A little taller, more muscular. Pretty but in a nondescript way. She’d probably disappear in a crowd.

  She also clearly saw the woman roll her eyes. “Please. You know why I’m here. Let’s not play that game. And you have to realize I’m not going to tell you anything else so you might as well just make a phone call to have someone pick me up. But I gotta warn you, the next person my employers send probably won’t be as nice as me.”

  For a second, Merri thought Jimmy might just reach out and sock her. Then he started to laugh.

  And their intruder showed the first signs of unease. She tried to hide it, but Merri noticed how her hands tightened for several seconds before uncurling.

  “But in the end, they’ll be just as disappointed as you,” Jimmy said. “You didn’t find my notes, did you?”

  The woman stared at him, her expression showing nothing.

  “That’s because there are none,” Jimmy continued. “The only set that remains is with the Army. And even those aren’t complete. I learned my lesson years ago. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Or, in this case, in one set of notes. The only problem for you is, there is no complete set. Or there won’t be until I go to the lab and finish them.”

  The intruder took several seconds to think that over and so did Merri. It made complete sense, though. If the notes were stolen, no one would be able to replicate the formula without the missing pieces. And once Jimmy committed the formula to memory, he only had to access that huge brain of his to recall the missing pieces and plug them into the formula at whatever facility they were using it.

  Yeah, she totally loved the guy.

  “If you release me,” the woman finally spoke again, “I’ll relay that information to my employers.”

  Merri snorted. “So they can send someone bigger and stronger to take Jimmy hostage and force him to give them the information? No way.”

  Jimmy slid her a smile. “That’s not gonna happen, Merri. Trust me. I’m pretty sure I know who put our midnight visitor up to this, and he doesn’t have the balls to take this any further.”

  The woman shrugged, all tension gone now. “I can neither confirm nor deny the identity of my employer, but I can agree with the no-balls assumption.”

  Jimmy’s mouth quirked in a half grin before his expression got dead serious. “You know who I am, right? Who my family is?”

  The woman’s head tilted back for a brief second before she nodded.

  “Then you know what happens if you ever try to steal from me again.”

  She nodded again then shrugged as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Can’t blame a girl for trying. You’re not what I was led to expect, Jimmy DeMarco.”

  Jimmy laughed again and Merri’s gaze narrowed. Probably foolish of her, but she didn’t want Jimmy to smile at the woman who could have hurt him.

  “Oh yeah? So what were you expecting?”

  “Short, skinny, and nerdy.” Stepping closer, the thief lifted her hand and trailed a finger down Jimmy’s naked chest. “Definitely not tall, dark, and gorgeous.”

  Merri’s mouth dropped open. Was the woman actually flirting? Merri had the almost insane urge to give her a shot to the chin. Just one…

  Instead, she grabbed the woman’s hand and bent back her fingers until she grimaced in pain.

  Thank you, Mal, for showing me how to fight dirty.

  When she released the woman’s fingers, Merri stared at her until the other woman nodded in understanding.

  And when Jimmy draped his arm around her upper chest and drew her back against him, she couldn’t help the grin that curved her lips.

  “Can’t blame a girl for trying.” The thief propped her hands on her hips, looking as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “So, can I leave? No harm, no foul, and you won’t see me again.”

  “Name first,” Jimmy said. “Then you can leave.”

  The woman balked. Merri saw her weigh her options before she came to the only conclusion she could. “Kate O’Leary. But that’s not for public consumption, Mr. DeMarco.”

  “Don’t worry, Ms. O’Leary. The DeMarcos know how to keep secrets.”

  “So I’ve been told. But I’m not usually in the habit of putting my life in other people’s hands. Still, I guess I owe you one.”

  When Kate moved toward the window she’d obviously climbed through, Jimmy made no motion to follow her and Merri, though it went against everything she believed in, stayed by Jimmy’s side.

  After the woman had disappeared back into the night, Jimmy sighed as he leaned down…to bite her earlobe.

  Desire swept through her on the heels of the adrenaline still pumping through her veins. Sex should have been the farthest thing from her mind right now but it was front and center.

  When his teeth grazed along her neck, she shuddered. “Shouldn’t you call your brother or your parents? Tell them what happened?”

  “Yeah, I guess I should.”

  But he made no move to stop. His hands cupped her breasts, fingers pinching at her nipples. And his erection pressed against her ass.

  “Jimmy?”

  “Yeah?”

  One hand began to work its way down her body to the hem of the shirt. Then it dipped beneath and she could barely breathe.

  “I think you should make that call later.”

  In the next heartbeat, he’d turned her to face him and lifted her onto the desk. “I think you’re right.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Kate O’Leary. Now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.”

  Mal sat at the breakfast bar in Jimmy’s kitchen, drinking coffee and shaking his head between sips.

  “So you do know her?” Jimmy asked. “I figured if anyone did, you would. Seemed pretty young to be that good. I figured she had government training.”

  “Yeah, she’s former Navy intelligence. Went out on her own about a year ago and slipped off the grid. Didn’t know she’d joined the dark side.”

  “I’m not sure she has completely.” Jimmy tugged on one of Merri’s braids, though when she looked at him, she could tell his mind was elsewhere. He’d been doing that a lot, touching her while occupied in another way.

  She liked it. A lot.

  “She had no weapons, and if we hadn’t caught her, she would’ve been gone. I’m pretty sure I know who she’s working for, and I don’t think we have to worry about him trying this again. Rick Devereaux isn’t stupid… well, he might be a little stupid, especially since he thought I’d have another copy of the notes in my house. But a little healthy corporate espionage keeps everyone on their toes.”

  “And you’re sure that’s all this is?”

  Jimmy nodded. “Yeah. I just needed you to confirm her identity. Sorry to drag you out here this early, Mal, but I wanted to be sure.”

  “No problem. Hey, Mare, you coming into the office today? Janey’s got some new program she wants to show you.”

  “Sure, I—”

  Her phone gave a familiar ring that made her heart stop for a second before beginning to race like a revving engine. Even from the bedroom, where she’d left it lie on the table next to the bed she hadn’t slept in last night, she heard it loud and clear.

  “Merri? Hey, what’s wrong? You just turned white as a sheet. You feel okay?”

  Jimmy’s hand tightened on her shoulder, and she wanted so much to turn in to him, wrap her arms around his waist, and ignore her phone.

  But even though she was on leave, even though
she’d been told to go on leave, she couldn’t let it go unanswered.

  That tone meant shit was hitting the fan somewhere and she needed to get her ass back to her team at Fort Meade.

  She didn’t want to go.

  For the first time in, well, ever, she wasn’t itching to go back. Wasn’t jonesing for her office or the next challenge.

  “Shit,” Mal muttered under his breath, but she knew he knew what that tone was. He used to have the same one.

  Merri looked up at Jimmy, into those blue eyes. She reached up to rub one hand along the dark stubble on his chin and watched his expression darken. “What’s going on?”

  “My phone’s ringing. If I don’t answer it or return the call in ninety seconds, my boss will assume I’ve been compromised and send a team after me.”

  Jimmy’s brows lifted. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” Mal answered for her, probably because he realized she couldn’t find the words. “Merri, you better get it.”

  She knew that. She also knew once she did answer the phone, the little fantasy world she’d been living in came to an end.

  Jimmy had apparently reached the same conclusion. His expression went blank as he nodded and took a step back. Maybe he thought he was giving her room to breathe. Maybe that’s all it was.

  But she couldn’t help but think he was distancing himself.

  It hurt. She knew it shouldn’t. Knew the feelings she had for Jimmy could be heightened because of the situation.

  And yet… She knew that wasn’t it.

  From the moment she’d met him, she’d known there was something different about him. Something that drew her to him. Not just his intelligence or his looks. It was the whole package.

  She wanted to stay. Didn’t want to go back to Fort Meade, where she’d lose herself in her work again. Leave him to lose himself in his.

  Tears began to gather and before they could fall, she turned and hurried into the bedroom to get her phone.

  Jimmy watched Merri practically run for her phone.

  The sense of helplessness that hit him in the gut sucked the air from his lungs. He seriously considered going after her to lock her in his bedroom.