Tragic Desires

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Tragic Desires Page 9

by A. M. Hargrove


  “Her life was so sad.”

  “No, it wasn’t. You filled it with great joy.”

  Shaking my head, I say, “Not really. She sacrificed her happiness.”

  “Maybe so. But you would do the same. If you found out someone you loved were a terrorist, you wouldn’t want hundreds to die because of that person. She knew that she did the right thing. The sad part is that she was killed before she could tell you face to face. She deserved to have at least that much.”

  “It all makes sense now. She always told me I would know when I met the man I loved because love would rule all. She must’ve loved him a great deal.”

  My heart is so tangled up over this letter, I can’t decide if I’m relieved he read it. The truth has now been revealed and I’m no longer in the dark about who my father was.

  “Do you think he’s still alive?” I ask.

  “Who? Your father?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We can check.”

  “And I guess the other thing we’re searching for now is the file she took off his computer that she didn’t give to the CIA.”

  Drex is holding my hand, sliding his thumb across the top of it. It’s distracting. “Yeah. I wonder what it is.”

  “Just another list.”

  “No. That’s not it. It’s something much greater than that.”

  Oh, Mom! What the hell did you do? Why didn’t you just take what they told you to get and be done with it? Why did you do all this?

  “What are you thinking?”

  I roll my head, my muscles screaming at me. “I’m pissed off at my mom.”

  “For this letter?”

  “Nah. For taking that extra information. If she’d left it alone, she’d probably still be alive.”

  “No doubt you’re right.” He stands and grabs my hands. “Come on, let’s get out of here for a little bit.”

  We leave the den and Jeff is there, wanting to know if we need anything. Drex asks him if he’d mind going over the papers from the box to see if we missed anything.

  “Don’t mind at all.”

  “We’re hunting for clues and I’m not saying anything else. I want you to have an open mind on this.” Jeff nods. “We’re going for a walk. We’ll be back in about thirty.”

  Drex walks me through the house. We go out the back door and head down a gravel path about thirty yards. I hear water and we reach a patio area with a lit fountain. The stars are out. It’s a nice quiet night.

  “My head’s exploding.”

  “You need something for pain?”

  “No, I need some answers on what my mom hid.”

  “Listen, Gemini, there’s always that chance you may never get them.”

  That’s a discomforting thought. I can’t stand it. My breath leaves me in a rush. “I’m not prepared for or willing to accept that.”

  “We need to straighten out your hair,” he says as he grabs a handful and lets it slide through his fingers. That intimate gesture catches me off guard. I don’t know what to say.

  “That was random.”

  “It was meant as a distraction.”

  One thing that is distracting is his mouth. He has beautiful lips and when he smiles, one corner lifts slightly higher. Dark brown hair, almost black, falls across his forehead, and he wears it completely messy. It looks like he just rolled out of bed and I have an urge to slide my hands through it. He’s tall, well over six feet. But he’s as hard as a brick wall. When I ran into him at the hotel, he was solid muscle. I could almost count his six-pack under his shirt. But his eyes are his hottest feature. Smoke in the center but blue on the periphery. And in the middle of his iris, they merge together. I guess you might say the total package of Drexel is very distracting.

  “What’s going through that mind of yours, Onyx?”

  “Onyx?”

  “That’s what I called you before I knew your name. Your eyes … they’re like onyx. Dark as night but like gemstones.”

  Don’t ask me why I did it, but I close the distance between us and wrap my hands in his shirt. Before I take the time to think, my lips press on his. My fear that he’ll push me away dissolves when he hitches me up against him and wraps one arm around my waist. The other one grabs my hair and winds it around his hand. He kisses me back. The kiss intensifies as he takes over and demands more from me with his lips and tongue. I’m butter in his hands, and I melt like I’ve never done before. This man knows his way around a girl’s mouth. He nips at my lips, the effect of which I’m sure he can feel as my heart pounds against his chest. My hands leave his shirt and make their way to his neck, my fingers buried in his hair. I can’t ever remember getting this much out of a kiss. How is this possible?

  He stops but leans his forehead against mine. We’re panting like two dogs in a heat wave. I want to check if my tongue is hanging out of my mouth.

  “That was certainly unexpected.” His voice is low and sexy.

  Now I feel shy. “I … I guess I should apologize.”

  “I wouldn’t dare do that if I were you.” Did he just scold me?

  My lower lip is between my teeth, but I feel myself grin. “Okay. I won’t. And I’m not the least bit sorry, either.”

  Now he laughs. “Good, because I’m glad you kissed me. I’ve wanted to kiss you since I saw you the first night in the bar.”

  “You have?”

  “I have. I’ve wanted to do much more than kiss.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Dirty things. All kinds of dirty things I shouldn’t be talking about.”

  Oh, hell! I’m grinning again and want to kiss him some more, but footsteps crunch on the gravel. We break apart just as Jeff comes into view.

  “I take it you’re Amira Assaf?” Jeff asks.

  “Yeah,” I say.

  “From what I can gather, your mother entered the WPP when you were two or three years old. And you were too young to remember your life before then. This key,” he holds it up, “is the real key to what you need to know. The why of it all. Whatever file she took was important enough for her to go to these extremes. She was wise not to keep whatever it unlocks in the same place as these documents. So my guess is that’s it’s close so she could access it whenever she needed. Maybe within a few hours, no farther.”

  Drex asks, “What kind of box do you think it is?”

  “Not sure. It may not be a box at all. This certainly isn’t a safe deposit box key or anything similar. It looks to me like an ordinary lock, maybe a padlock or …” An odd look crosses his face and he smiles. “My best guess is that it’s a key to a storage unit somewhere.”

  “That’s it. But the million-dollar question is, where?” Drex paces. Seems when he thinks really hard, he gets energized and can’t stand or sit still. “Gemini, you went to Austin and San Antonio a lot, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Any other cities close to here? Think. She would’ve wanted somewhere that she could’ve gotten to and from within a day. Maybe even while you were in school.”

  “No, only those two,” I answer.

  “Then it has to be in either of those two cities,” Jeff says. “That’s the most logical.”

  “So how do we find it?”

  The men look at each other and shrug. Drex says, “It’ll have to be a process of elimination. Gemini, I want you to focus on things you did in those two cities and things she would say to you.”

  “Okay, this is a long shot, but for whatever reason, she used to love to walk around the downtown area of Austin. Even Sixth Street. All the cafes and things. And then we’d window shop. She’d also take me down South Congress too. That’s one of the reasons I moved to Austin. It brought back memories of a happier time.”

  Drex says, “Anything similar with San Antonio?”

  “Only the River Walk area. But now that I think about it, we really went to Austin a lot more than San Antonio.”

  “Then that’s where you need to focus first,” Jeff says.

  That thought wo
rries me to no end.

  “It’s going to be risky,” Drexel says. “That’s where they’re all looking for her right now. So we’ll need a wig and some different clothes to disguise her.”

  “Can you spend the night here?”

  After he takes a deep breath, Drex asks, “Is it safe to keep the helo here over night?”

  “Yeah, that won’t be a problem. We’re twenty miles out of town. Farmers crop dust all the time. No one will think twice about that.”

  “What about my men? Do you mind if they stay?”

  “Not at all. You know I have the two small guest houses and three bedrooms in the main house, so I have plenty of room.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “No worries. You hungry? Can I get you some food?”

  My stomach must’ve heard the question because it answered before I had the chance.

  Jeff laughs and says, “Follow me.”

  We head inside and he leads us into the kitchen where he pulls out sandwich fixings from the refrigerator.

  “Would you like an adult beverage. Beer, wine?”

  “Please,” I say.

  “Help yourself to whatever you find in the fridge. And if you need anything else, just hunt it down.”

  Drex and I make up sandwiches and sit down at the island to eat. My last bite finished, I ask, “I could really use a shower. Do you think Jeff would mind?”

  “Would I mind what?” Jeff asks as he walks back into the room.

  “I need a shower and was wondering if …”

  “Right this way.”

  I follow him upstairs and into a bedroom where there’s a light turned on. Then he shows me to the bathroom.

  “This is a Jack-and-Jill bath, so Drex will be sharing it with you. His room is on the other side. Unless you want to share one. That’s your business, not mine, so I’ll leave it up to you. Anyway, you’ll find plenty of towels in the cabinet. Help yourself to whatever you need. Make yourself at home. I don’t have much as far as women’s clothes go, but I’ll leave a pair of sweats and a T-shirt on the bed for you.”

  This man is a godsend. I place my hand on his arm and thank him. “This is so kind of you. You can’t know how much I appreciate this.”

  He nods and leaves the room as I head for the shower. My excitement soars at the thought of scrubbing off the day’s grime. My muscles quickly relax under the hot water. When I’m done, Drex is standing outside the bathroom, holding sweats and a T-shirt for me.

  He surprises me and I can’t help the gasp that escapes.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m sorry. I just was going to leave these for you.”

  “Thank you.” It’s an awkward moment, one that I wish I could smooth over. Instead, I grin. What I’d really like to do is kiss him again, but I don’t want to be that bold twice.

  “How’s your nose?” he asks.

  “Good.”

  “Good? It looks like it’s sore. You have two black eyes and bruises on your jaw from where they hit you. I wouldn’t exactly call that good.”

  “It’s way better than a migraine,” I say.

  His gaze scours me and my body heats. “I’d better go before I do something we’ll both regret,” he murmurs.

  “I don’t think there’s anything you could do that I would regret.” Where is this assertiveness coming from? I’ve never acted like this before.

  We exchange scorching looks and I freeze as a fire sparks within. He walks up to me, puts his hands on either side of my face, and slowly kisses me. He groans into my mouth and everything that was on my mind before this fades away and is replaced by all that is Drexel.

  THIS IS NOT good. I know better than to start this, but something pulls at me from down deep and for once in my life, I’m not in control of my actions. Oh, I suppose I could stop. But that’s the last damn thing I want to do. Her long hair is nothing but wet tangles hanging down her back. Her gorgeous black fuck-me eyes stare straight into mine and I want to tumble head first into them and never crawl out. And don’t even get me started on her mouth. When her tongue flicks across her lower lip, there’s no doubt I have to taste her again. Oh, fuck me now. Please.

  She’s in my arms and her mouth is on mine before I can think twice. There’s no hesitation, either. It’s me, her, and nothing but the skimpy scrap of cloth between us. And that’s where I have to draw the line. I don’t want to. God, I don’t want to. I’d like nothing more than to jerk that towel away from her and see what lies beneath, but I refrain. It would be wrong on all kinds of levels, but God help me, it’s all I can think of right now.

  And then she lets the damn thing go to put her arms around my neck so I know that with one tiny movement, it would fall at our feet. Give me some damn strength because I sure as fuck need it.

  My cock is nearly busting through my jeans and I’m kissing her with a ferocity I need to tame. But it’s impossible because her passion matches mine. It’s like I’m back in high school again, hormones raging, making out with my latest girl. But this is way more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced. Unfortunately, my need for oxygen necessitates that I break off the kiss. When I do, I rub my cheek against hers and move my lips close to her ear.

  “Goddamn, Onyx. I need a minute here.” My breath comes in rough bursts. Her fingers tighten in my hair and I feel her tug, so I lean back to look at her. “Everything okay with you?” I want to make sure she’s good with this.

  “More than okay, I’d say.” Then her hand moves to my cheek in a tender caress, her thumb tracing my brow. She looks as though she wants to say something but isn’t sure if she should. Then that same thumb travels to my lips and she traces my lower one until I capture it with my teeth and give it a gentle bite. She studies me intently and finally says, “I’ve never been kissed like that before.”

  “Like what?”

  She shakes her head a little. I’m not sure if that means she doesn’t know or if it means something else.

  Then she lets out a tiny laugh and says, “I don’t know. I guess so thoroughly. Or maybe so passionately.” And then she kisses me and we’re at it again. And I know that I want this girl. I want inside of her. I want her on top of me and underneath me. But I won’t take her. I can’t. At least not here or now. My dick is not happy about this, but too bad. I can’t let her go just yet, so I hold her even tighter and move my hand into her wet hair as I cup the back of her head. I imagine what it would feel like to sink my fingers into the cheeks of her sweet ass.

  Our tongues twist and play as we discover all the hidden secrets of each other’s mouths until we’re both breathless once again. Of all the women I’ve ever been with, she has the power to brand me with just her soft touch and her mouth. Oh dear God, that mouth of hers. I know it will be the only thing I can think of for days on end … how those lips would feel wrapped around my dick and her tongue working me over. That, and how I want to be inside her.

  When we break, I say, “Don’t move, Onyx, or you’ll be naked.” Why do I have to be such a fucking gentleman now?

  Her sigh is so damn sexy, I want that towel to fall away, just so I can glimpse her. “Thanks for reminding me.” Her voice is breathy and my damn pants grow tighter, if that’s possible.

  “Gemini, I wish I could photograph you right now because I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.”

  At first she gapes and then lets out a hearty laugh. “I’m a mess! My hair is lopsided. I didn’t brush it. I have bruises all over my face. I must look awful.”

  “No, you don’t. Awful doesn’t exist when it comes to you. You look sexy as fuck, bruises and all.” I take her hand and put it on me. “See what I mean?”

  She stills and our eyes meet. “I … I think you’re sexy too.” Her voice is so husky, my dick jerks when she speaks.

  “I think you need to get dressed because if you don’t, I may stop acting the gentleman.”

  Her face falls. Was that disappointment? I hope so because I don’t want her to get dressed. I want her n
aked as hell.

  My arms tighten around her for a second and then I kiss the top of her head, right before I lift her chin. “My men should be here any second.”

  “Oh! I forgot all about that.”

  I take her hand and put it on her towel. “Hold on to this unless you want me to see you naked.”

  “I don’t mind if you see me naked. I’d love to be naked with you, Drex.”

  Damn, my guts jumble. “Onyx, I can’t think of anything more I’d rather be than naked with you.” I cup her cheek and give her a quick kiss. “But I think we need to get our asses downstairs.”

  “Right.”

  “I’ll meet you down there. I’m going to take a shower.” And I don’t tell her it’s going to be an ice cold one. I have a raging boner that needs taming.

  She gives me a funny look and I nod. So she knows after all. I head into the bathroom and when I’m finished, Gemini is waiting on me.

  “I didn’t want to go down without you since I don’t know them.”

  “Shy, are you?” I ask.

  “In certain situations.”

  She’s trembling and I notice goosebumps on her arms. “Hey, no need to be nervous. You’ll really like Huff. He’s a great guy. And so is Blake.”

  “I’m not nervous, Drex.”

  “Then …”

  “Drugs.”

  “You need something?”

  “I want to get off them,” she tells me.

  “But your headaches. What will you do?”

  “I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

  Turning to face her, I put my hands on her shoulders. “You need them for the pain. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never seen anyone in agony like you were. I don’t want to see you like that again.”

  “You will. In the morning.”

  That’s something I don’t want to hear. “We’re gonna get this thing figured out, Gemini.” I take her hand and we go downstairs.

  Huff and Blake Strickland, another of my employees, sit at the island with Jeff. They rise when Gemini and I enter. I make the introductions and fill them in on what’s going on. As we discuss the situation, they agree that Austin is the place to be.

  “So, for tomorrow, one of you will need to get the Lady Belle refueled,” I say.

 

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