by Lexi Ryan
Paige’s cell buzzed, alerting her to a new text. It was from Director O’Leary, Secret Service. “Winston’s people want to meet with us today.”
“You told them to keep the president away from Eden?” Chrissie asked.
Paige nodded. “And now they want to meet with the three of us and with Darian’s unit.”
* * * *
Darian’s eyes were hot on Paige from the second she walked into the meeting. They burned into her, moving down her body shamelessly.
When she’d grabbed a skirt from her closet instead of jeans this morning, she’d told herself she wasn’t dressing for him. To prove it, she’d twisted her hair into the two braids she preferred. Now she regretted the hair. She could have done something else to it. Pippi braids were hardly sexy. She should have borrowed some of Josie’s clothes or—
Oh, hell. If she didn’t watch it, he was going to turn her into one of those girls.
She strode to where he sat at the table and squatted so his eyes—which had been lingering on her breasts—were level with hers. “Looking for something, Lorring?”
“Not at all,” he murmured. “Enjoying the scenery.”
He dropped his gaze again, and she tilted his chin up with one finger. “Behave.” She regretted the touch the second her fingertip grazed his skin. He showed her hot mouths on bare flesh, slick with sweat, entangled limbs, and desperate rocking bodies seeking higher peaks of ecstasy. She swallowed, her thighs flexing. “Do you ever think about anything but sex?”
“Not when you’re around.”
Chrissie was staring at her from across the table, the question written on her face. Since when did Paige flirt?
Hell. He was turning her into one of those girls.
She started to walk away and he snatched her hand and tugged her down into the seat beside him.
She thumped onto her bottom and turned to glare at him, but—damn her deep, dark, secret girly side—she couldn’t stop her lips from curving into a smile. “Who said I wanted to sit by you?”
“Quit playing hard to get, Paige. It’s not you.” His thumb caressed the top of her hand and her breath caught.
He liked her. It wasn’t just about sex. He really, truly liked her. The affection in his mind at once warmed her and made her withdraw. She did so slowly, adjusting herself in office chair, organizing her notes on the table. She wasn’t one of those girls, and she really wasn’t interested in a guy who was going to bring his goddamned emotions into the equation.
The conference room at SIA headquarters filled quickly—Stilettos, Inc., Darian’s unit, the SIA director, and several representatives from the Secret Service. They all talked among themselves, making it easy for Darian to speak to her without being overheard.
“You didn’t have to sneak out this morning.”
“You wanted me to wake you for a good-morning kiss?”
His eyes met hers and the tender heat there about made her melt off her chair. “Something like that.”
She pretended to shudder. “You obviously haven’t experienced my morning breath.”
“You’ve never given me the chance.”
“Listen, if meeting up with you last night gave you the wrong idea about us—”
“Stop that,” he said, his voice soft and eyes serious. “When are you going to figure out that you don’t have to protect yourself from me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The Secret Service director walked into the conference room and shut the door behind him, leaving no question that the meeting had commenced.
The SIA director sat at the end of the table and began. “I’m sorry to call you here at the last minute,” he said. Then, to Paige, “I appreciate your willingness to work with the SIA on this project.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Chrissie said, “we haven’t agreed to anything yet.”
He nodded. “I understand. Director O’Leary? Would you mind describing our plan?”
The Secret Service director nodded. “All intelligence points to the next attempt on President Winston’s life taking place on the island called Eden. With no timetable, that doesn’t give us much to work with, but we need to find the threat so we can snuff it out. We’ll be sending the three SIA gentlemen and you ladies from—” he looked at his paperwork and frowned “—Stilettos, Incorporated?”
“That’s right,” Chrissie said, giving the director a what of it? cock of her head.
“Right, we’ll be sending the six of you to the island to investigate.”
Paige shook her head. “Excuse me, but does the president even plan to visit Eden?”
“No,” O’Leary said. “Obviously, at this point, we would advise against any such plans.”
Paige and Chrissie exchanged a look.
Paige spoke first. “Again, with all due respect, I’m sure you’ve considered that the threat to avert is the point at which they would get him to the island.”
“There could be a kidnapping in the works,” Chrissie suggested. “Which would suggest you need your best teams right here in the States, working alongside the president.”
“Yes, we’ve considered this. I can guarantee you the Secret Service has everything covered on this end. We’re asking the SIA and Stilettos, Inc. to go to the island and find out what you can.”
“We don’t even know what we’re up against,” Paige said. “If Collin is behind this, you can bet he has a whole slew of Specials on hand to help him. We don’t know what he’s going to do. Or when, or how.” She lifted her palms. “I’ll give you everything I can, but I can’t stress enough the need to have Specials working on both ends.”
The SIA director and Secret Service director exchanged a look. O’Leary spoke, “Just let us do our job, and we’ll let you Stiletto Girls do yours.” His voice dripped with condescension.
Chrissie squirmed in her seat and fisted her hands.
Paige shot her a warning glance.
Fernandez, who’d been quietly listening and watching until now, shifted and cleared his throat. “There are other obstacles to consider,” he said, nodding to Paige. “Our intelligence shows Collin Raines connected with these threats, and for that reason I would suggest that Stilettos, Inc. is not the best choice for the job.”
Chrissie glared at him. “What the fuck?”
“Chrissie!” Paige and Josie said at once, at the same time as Darian warned Fernandez with, “Enough.”
Fernandez put up his hands. “Hey, I just want to make sure that everyone in the field can do what needs to be done.”
Paige gritted her teeth. What did that mean? Kill Collin? “I can do my job.” Hell, this morning she’d been ready to kill him, and it hadn’t been about her job at all.
Darian shifted beside her. “No one is suggesting you can’t do your job, but you do have a history with Raines that would make it much harder on you—”
“I will do what has to be done to protect my country. I may not work for the SIA, but I am no traitor.”
“No one is suggesting you’re a—”
“You could kill someone you love?” Fernandez asked.
“I don’t love Collin Raines anymore, but yes.” She released a long, slow breath. “I could kill someone I love for the greater good.”
Director O’Leary cleared his throat. “The Secret Service isn’t concerned about Ms. Sykes’s loyalty,” he said.
The SIA director added, “The situation with Raines has escalated. We have some intelligence linking the missing Specials to Raines, but we haven’t been able to make connections thus far. We’re operating under the assumption that the vanishing Specials are forming a militia with Raines.”
Josie frowned. “Stilettos, Inc. has been working on this case, and our profiles as a whole don’t support that theory.”
Paige rubbed her eyes. “There’s another possibility,” she said softly, thinking of what she’d seen at Collin’s apartment that morning.
“We’re certainly open to hearing yo
ur theories, Ms. Sykes,” the SIA director said, impatience sharpening the edges of his words.
They won’t think you’re crazy, she told herself. Just tell them what you saw. “It’s probably in their file, but the Raines twins were subjected to extensive testing when they were children and adolescents. During that time, they saw a lot of unpleasant things. Collin once told me there were Specials who strengthened their powers by drinking other Specials’ blood.”
“Vampires?” Fernandez asked.
Paige shrugged. “I guess you could see it that way. But no pointy teeth or stakes through the heart. Just Specials like you or me.”
“I think most of us are familiar with the mythology,” O’Leary said.
“I used to think it was mythology, too. I didn’t think Collin was lying to me, exactly, but they saw a lot of terrible things during those years, and because of that, I figured it was just easier for him to buy into the mythology. But today I saw something that made me reconsider.” Paige looked at Darian. She should have told him before she told the others, but she hadn’t had a chance. “I went to Collin’s apartment today, and he was drinking his girlfriend’s blood.”
O’Leary looked skeptical.
The SIA director frowned. “Did you call the police? Is she okay?”
“She was fine,” Paige said. “Actually, she seemed to be...enjoying herself.”
“Are you sure that’s what you saw?” Fernandez asked.
Darian only studied her, his question in his eyes. Why did you go to Collin’s?
“I’m sure,” Paige said.
O’Leary rubbed his eyes. “I’m not sure what the activities Raines and his girlfriend partake in have to do with the problem at hand.”
“It seems pretty obvious to me,” Chrissie shot back, leaning over the table.
“Chrissie,” Paige warned, holding up a hand.
Chrissie settled back into her chair, jaw set.
“My point is,” Paige said, “that if the blood-drinking part of the mythology is true, maybe all of it is.”
“The transfer of powers,” Darian murmured, nodding. “And even if it’s not true, maybe Specials are disappearing because someone believes it is.”
“Refresh my memory?” Wiley asked.
Darian shifted his attention to Wiley. “There’s further mythology, less common, but I’ve heard it, that Specials can take other Specials’ powers by drinking their blood.” He looked at Paige. “That’s it, right?”
Paige sighed. “Yes, but the way Collin always told it, they have to drain them. The other Special has to die.”
“Which would explain the vanishing Specials,” Chrissie said. “If Collin is trying to assassinate the president, he could be kidnapping Specials and taking their blood—killing them—to make himself stronger.”
Paige’s heart protested—she couldn’t imagine Collin becoming a serial killer to gain powers.
O’Leary nodded. “Okay, Ms. Sykes, we’ll take your theory under consideration.” Those were his words, but his tone said, You’re as crazy as your mother was, aren’t you?
As O’Leary discussed plans, Josie cocked her head at Paige and frowned. You okay? she mouthed.
Paige nodded and averted her eyes as a map of the island appeared on the projection screen, and the group began discussing island layout.
“It’s going to be okay,” Darian whispered. “Any three people in this room could protect the president.”
Paige shook her head. “I don’t like it. It doesn’t make sense. They need the best people with him until we know more.”
“We’ll find more on the island. We’ll make sure we’re at our best,” he said. “We can do this.”
“Make sure we’re at our best?” She stifled a laugh. The tension slipped away. “Oh, the sacrifices you make for your country.”
“Slip away with me tomorrow when we get to the island?” Darian asked in a low whisper.
“What do you have in mind?”
Under the table, he weaved his fingers into hers.
He was over her, kissing her, moving over her body, his mouth moving down her neck, over her breasts, across her stomach.
Paige blinked at the rush of pleasure and arousal that pumped through her.
He turned her on her stomach and pressed her against the cool sheets. His hands were everywhere—on her back, reaching around to cup her breasts, drifting lower to slip between her legs.
She was wet. In the vision. In the conference room. She turned to look at him, and his eyes were hot, raking over her face, her chest, down her belly. His gaze scorched into her. Making her skin tingle and her cheeks flame.
He trailed his mouth down her back, sucking, licking, biting. His hands lifted her hips and he bit lightly into the soft flesh of her ass.
O’Leary was speaking. “Paige, can you speak to the areas of the island restricted from public access?”
He slipped his hand underneath her, found her clit and rubbed it between two fingers.
“Um—” She inhaled. Exhaled. If she were sane at all, she’d tell Darian to stop, but, fuck, it felt so good she didn’t even want him to. Did they know he was mind-fucking her right here? Right at this table? “I’ve been in touch with the staff and they’ve given us permission—”
He nudged her thighs apart so she was exposed to him.
“—permission to access those areas.” She swallowed as Darian showed her just how she looked like that, red, swollen, open to him. She blinked as he showed her an image of him sliding his fingers inside her. Pleasure spiraled through her, making her shift in her chair.
Chrissie frowned at her, furrowing her brow. Josie—no doubt having seen this coming—covered a smile with her hand.
He lowered his head to suck at the skin of her inner thigh while his fingers pumped in and out of her.
“The grounds manager will meet with us when we arrive,” she said, following that statement with her best attempt at a reassuring smile.
Director O’Leary nodded.
His fingers curled inside her, pressing against her sweet spot, milking it.
Paige bit her lip to keep from moaning. Telling him to stop—suddenly she couldn’t remember if that would be the stupidest thing she’d ever done or the smartest. What was it about sitting in the meeting and having so many people watch her while his mouth moved closer and closer to where she wanted it?
“Check in when you get there,” O’Leary said. “I’ll be arriving with the president, but I’ll be sending a few of my men early to check the area out.”
Suddenly, he removed his fingers and replaced them with his tongue.
“Yeah, okay.” Paige gripped her chair and fought to keep her eyes from rolling back in her head. Jesus.
His fingers found her clit again while his mouth sucked, licked. Nibbled. Just. So. Softly.
“Meet you back at the office?” Chrissie asked, eyeing both Darian and Paige suspiciously.
Josie snagged Chrissie’s hand. “Leave her alone,” she said in a harsh whisper before yanking Chrissie out the door.
Then they were alone in the conference room, and Darian was staring at her.
His tongue moved in and out. His fingers stroked.
Paige stood, legs wobbly, and shook her head. “Hurry. Let’s get out of here,” she said, her breath coming in short gasps now.
“No,” he said.
This images and sensations stopped, but her sex pulsed, still wanted more. She resisted the urge to whimper.
“Where are the restricted areas of Eden?” Darian asked, pointing to the map.
Paige’s jaw dropped. Was he serious? She wanted to get out of here so they could fuck like rabbits on ecstasy, and he wanted to review the restricted areas?
“Show me—” his lips curved into a bashful smile “—on the maps.”
She leaned over the table, and he lifted her skirt and pulled her thong to the side.
“Darian,” she scolded in a whisper, but she didn’t dare move as he slipped inside he
r. “We can’t do this here,” she gasped. But even as she said, she was pressing herself into him, arching her back so he could push deeper into her. Even as she said it, she knew she’d scream if he stopped now. She’d beg.
He gripped her hips and leaned over her. “Can’t we?” he whispered in her ear. “But isn’t that what has you so hot right now? You liked them watching you while I licked your pussy with my mind. You like knowing that any minute someone could walk in that door.”
She clenched around him. Pulsing. Pulsing. Then releasing in a great rush that had her whimpering as she leaned forward on her arms.
Seconds later he came, and she felt his orgasm as if it were her own, had to bite her hand to keep from crying out.
Chapter Twelve
“Did you enjoy that meeting?” Chrissie asked Paige the next morning at Headquarters.
“Stop it,” Josie scolded Chrissie softly. “She’s glowing! When was the last time you saw Paige glow?”
Chrissie frowned. “I honestly can’t remember ever seeing you glow,” she grumbled. “Hell, I want to glow.”
Josie laughed. “You will, my dear, you will.”
Chrissie released a frustrated growl. “I hate when you do that!”
Paige smiled at her friends. Actually, she hadn’t stopped smiling since the meeting. She’d slept at Darian’s last night and even kissed him before leaving to meet the girls this morning. “You ladies ready?”
The girls pulled their bags onto their shoulders, and Paige set the alarm, turning on the motion detectors. Just before she pulled the door closed behind her, the alarm squealed, followed by the sound of footsteps running toward the back door.
“Shit!” Paige dropped her bags and took off, following the sound of the steps, stretching her ability to feel the emotions of someone she wasn’t touching.
The invisible footsteps grew quieter, then a vase flew off an end table in their waiting room. Paige charged, connecting with a solid, invisible mass and slamming it against the wall. She whipped her gun out of her pants and held it against the body of the invisible intruder.
“Josie! Chrissie!” she called. “Could I have your help in here?”