Surviving Love: Saints Protection & Investigations

by Maryann Jordan

  “Can you be more specific?”

  “Well, one of them walked around to the fuel tank and I remember seeing them drag the nozzle around—they were at the back of the plane.”

  “Did you actually watch them the whole time?” Nick pressured.

  “Uh, well, not every minute. But they weren’t here long,” Hank protested.

  Kevin interrupted, “We’ve got them on camera. They were here for twenty-two minutes. The missing time is after they left.”

  Hank smiled as he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “So, when you left, you locked up and saw them leave?” Monty asked.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Hank replied, his head bobbing. “I was warming my car up so I sat outside the hangar for a few minutes and watched them leave right after they got in their truck.”

  Nodding, Monty turned back around to take a look at the hangar. He wandered around the perimeter, noting the lack of windows. The only entrances, besides the main doors, were the door by the office and a door near the back. The large, metal framed building held no secret entrances or rooms. A typical private hangar with basic security. His gaze shot up toward the cameras in the corners and he wondered about the different ways to get around the security.

  Pulling his phone out once more, Luke picked up on the first ring. “Patch into the FBI’s security on Hangar 23C at Fairbanks International Airport. It was breached, so see what you and Charlie can dig up.”

  “Damn, man, you got a lot of requests,” Luke joked.

  “Yeah, well, I’ll buy the two of you a beer when I get back from this frozen city,” Monty quipped before disconnecting. Walking back over to Nick, he gave a curt nod of his head. Nick responded and it did not pass Monty’s notice that after only one case together, Agent Nick Stone seemed to already be in tune with the Saints. With a slight smile, he walked back toward the hangar’s office.

  Chapter 15

  The wind still howled against the side of the wooden hut, whistling as it seeped into the cracks between the boards, but the accommodations were far superior to the makeshift tent of the previous nights. Marc had planned on building a fire pit once there, but the presence of an old stove made him glad they did not have to rough-it more than they already were.

  He watched the firelight flicker about the dark room, illuminating Kendall’s pale skin and dancing off the highlights of the hair that refused to stay in her braid. The blanket had been spread on pine branches she brought in. At first, she had used a branch like a broom to sweep out the cobwebs and floor, but claimed she liked the fresh scent so well, she wanted to create a fragrant mattress.

  Against his wishes, she had bundled back in her clothes and coats before disappearing into the woods nearby to gather as many armfuls of branches as she could carry. Piling them in the center of the floor, she then lay the blanket on top before standing back to survey her work.

  Scrunching her nose, she complained, “Well, it’s a little lumpy, but I think it’ll be better than just sleeping on the hard floor.”

  She stripped again, down to his long thermals, and plopped down in the middle of the makeshift bed. He grinned, observing how strangely at home she appeared.

  Sitting next to her, he had to admit it was not uncomfortable as they shared a meal. He watched her eat the MRE without complaining. She ate delicately, as though at a fine restaurant. I’d love to take her out for a nice dinner when we get back. Jolting at the thought, he shoved the idea back down. She lives in Louisiana for fuck’s sake. Still, once the idea had taken root, it was hard to sit near her and not want to have that opportunity for a lot longer than just the time they had in the storm.

  “What’s your favorite food?” he asked.

  Her gaze jumped to his, surprised at his question. Swallowing, she licked the sauce off her lips before answering. “Um, I guess it would be Italian. I love pasta, pizza, and anything with tons of cheese.”

  Marc heard words coming out of her mouth, but his gaze was still plastered to her lips where the tip of her tongue had snuck out to lick her lip. Mesmerized, he forced his eyes back to hers. “Italian, huh? Well, maybe when this craziness is over with, we can hit an Italian restaurant sometime.”

  Her lips curved into a smile as she nodded, bolstered by the fact that he thought about seeing her once this was all over. “I’d like that…really. But do you like it? I’d hate for you to take me somewhere and you hated the food.”

  Her smile warmed him as much as the fire and he could not remember the last time he enjoyed just sitting and talking with a woman. He almost proclaimed that as long as she was with him, he would not care what they were eating. Instead, he replied, “I don’t think I’ve found any food I didn’t like!”

  “Well, judging by the size of you, I can imagine that’s right!”

  “Hey! Are you size-shaming me?” he joked, his dimples showing with his huge grin.

  Rolling her eyes, she said, “Hardly! I just mean that you have the big, outdoorsy, mountain-man thing going on.”

  Eyes wide, he said, “That’s quite a description.”

  “Can you deny it?”

  “No,” he chuckled. Then sobering, he added, “And I guess you should know, since you had to bear some of my weight yesterday.”

  Kendall watched the irritation cross his face and shook her head. “You have to stop feeling bad, Marc. You know, I might not be the all-American, athletic type of woman, but I’m hardly the little Miss you have to take care of all the time!”

  “I know, I know,” he admitted, throwing his hands in front of him in defense. “You are definitely tougher than you look.” The two settled into a moment of quiet as they finished their meals before he spoke again. “I guess it’s just hard for me.” Seeing her tilted head as she waited for him to explain, he continued, “In my daily life, I’m used to being in control. I go where I want, take care of my needs. Food, shelter…when I’m out, I can take care of myself and pretty much anyone else who is with me. But this,” he swept his hand around indicating the shack, “you’ve done all of this—and it was my job, my mission. You talked to my crew, got us packed, got us here, everything.”

  “And is there a problem with that?” she asked, her voice soft and melodic. “When we’re here, dry, and somewhat warm? Safer than we were? Does it really matter who helped who?”

  “When it’s my job to be protecting you?” He looked at her imploringly, willing her to understand. “That matters to me. In any other situation…if we were just out camping and hiking together…” Imagining that scenario, he chuckled, finally releasing the pent-up tension. “No, not at all. You’ve done a great job. I’ll be glad to get rescued, out of here, and to rest assured that you’re safe and sound. For now, I admit that you’ve stepped up. You not only saved my life but now yours as well.”

  Settling into a comfortable silence for a moment, she leaned back on her arms and said, “You mentioned your dad and grandfather were farmers. Tell me about working on the farm.”

  Relaxing, he replied, “My papaw worked the farm that had been in our family for generations. My dad did a stint in the Army and then went back, married his high school sweetheart and built a house on the land as well.”

  “Oh, you must have had a lot of acres.”

  Marc nodded and said, “It was over two hundred acres. And papaw did his own crop-dusting and taught me how to fly.”

  Leaning back up, circling her arms around her tucked knees, she said, “So you’ve been flying for a long time!”

  “Yep, I had my pilot’s license by the time I was sixteen and hired myself out to do crop dusting as well. I studied aviation in college, flew planes for the Army, then got on with the CIA.”

  Eyes wide, Kendall exclaimed, “I had no idea you’d done so much. That’s impressive!”

  “I always wanted to travel…see the world. Flying has allowed me to do that.”

  “And the Saints?”

  “My boss, Jack Bryant, used to be with Special Forces and on his last tour he led a multi-u
nit taskforce. It worked so well that, when he got out, he replicated it and created the Saints Protection & Investigations. We take on jobs from the government and private companies.”

  “And who sent you after me…or well, my father?”

  “FBI asked us to assist, wanting the flight to be covert.” Shrugging, he said, “But looks like someone knew what they were planning.”

  Sighing, she nodded silently. Her gaze lifted back to his. “Can you tell me about the medallion around your neck? It looks like a saint.”

  Marc slipped his fingers down the neck of his shirt, pulling out the chain with the pendant dangling. “It’s a St. Mark. My grandmother gave it to me.”

  Leaning forward, she saw the image of a lion with wings. With a smile, she said, “It fits you exactly! You’re just as strong as a lion and you love to fly!”

  Chuckling, he nodded. “That’s exactly what my grandmother said.”

  The two slid into a peaceful silence until she tried to stifle a yawn. “Do you think we should turn in?” she asked.

  Nodding, Marc said, “Yeah. I’ve sent a message letting my crew know we’re alive and safe. Hopefully, the storm will pass tonight or early tomorrow so they can get to us.”

  Standing, Kendall bent to smooth the blanket before laying the sleeping bag to the side. Marc reached into the first aid kit, retrieving another aspirin. Taking it with a swig of water, he turned back to her as she pulled out a stick of sugarless gum from her purse. Biting off half of it, she handed the other half to him.

  “Here, chew this.”

  He followed her instructions and then watched as she pulled out her toothbrush. She wrapped the small wad of gum into the wrapper and began to scrub her teeth. Grinning, he observed her ritual then chuckled as she looked over and blushed.

  “I hate the idea of not being able to brush, so I figure the gum will help.”

  Nodding, he followed her lead, grabbing his toothbrush from his bag as well. Finishing, he watched as she smoothed the blanket on the floor again.

  “You lay down first,” she instructed.

  “You just want to get me in bed so you can have your wicked way with me,” he laughed, but complied.

  She covered him in the sleeping bag after putting a few more sticks into the wood stove. Laying down beside him, she quipped, “Well, with your leg out of commission, I hardly think you’re in a position to do much about it!”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her exactly what position he would like to use to make it work between them, specifically him on his back with her riding his cock but, calling upon all of his discretion, he just smiled and remained silent. Grunting as she snuggled closely, he now wondered how he could tell his cock to behave all night long.

  Pulling the sleeping bag over their two bodies, Kendall cuddled up to his large, warm body. The exhaustion of the day overpowered her nerves about sleeping so closely to the man that had taken over her fantasies.

  Marc lay with Kendall curled up close to his side, their shared warmth under the sleeping bag keeping them toasty. He knew the moment she fell asleep, listening to her breathing slow. He had never talked to anyone so much…especially not a woman. Smiling, his heart warmed at the interest she showed in his life. He shifted, his ankle achy, his head achy, and his cock twitching with the feel of her thigh pressing against his hip. Fatigue finally won the battle and he drifted off to sleep.

  *

  Waking a few hours later, Marc found a weight lying across his groin and his eyes popped open. Glancing down, he saw Kendall’s leg was thrown across his dick, which was now at full-mast, ready to play. Her body was curved into his with her arm across his chest and her head tucked in to his neck.

  Laying there for a moment, he waited for the flight reaction to occur—the desire to get away or have the woman leave. But it did not happen. Instead, he curved his arm around her still-sleeping form and pulled her closer. She was sweet warmth and her soft breath danced across his chest as he held her tight.

  He stared at her face, long dark lashes forming a crescent as they lay on her rosy cheeks. Unable to stop, he gently touched her petal soft skin, trying to convince himself he just wanted to make sure she was warm. She was—but he was still unable to control the desire to rub his thumb over her cheek.

  Her eyes blinked several times and her gaze showed confusion until she focused on his face. And then she smiled. The most glorious smile he had ever seen. It soothed him, warmed him, wrapped itself around him. And he smiled back.

  Sliding his hand from her cheek to underneath her silky hair to cup the back of her neck, he pulled her closer until he captured her lips. Slow…soft…a simple kiss. Using his hand, he slightly moved her head so that the angle allowed him to take the kiss deeper…wetter.

  She sighed into his mouth and he took advantage, slipping his tongue deep inside, exploring every crevice. There was a moan, but he was not sure which one of them created the sound. She tasted minty from the gum she chewed mixed with the intoxicating taste that was purely Kendall.

  She reached out, clinging to his shoulders, her fingers digging into the flesh as the electricity sent shock waves from her tingling lips to her core. The pressure between her legs built, but with her left leg over his, it was easy to press the ache against his thigh, seeking relief. Right now…right here…this man. If this was her only opportunity to have him, she was willing to take the possible heartache later just to drown in his kisses tonight.

  Marc, lost in the kiss, slowly became aware of her warm core rubbing on his leg and a white-hot jolt shot straight to his already engorged cock. Down boy…we need to take this nice and slow. If at all. He hated the thought that they might need to stop when the desire to sink deep inside her sex was overwhelming. But this was not only physical. This was not something he wanted to walk away from.

  Pulling back from her lips, he felt her fingers cling even tighter on his shoulder and watched as her brow crinkled in silent question.

  “I need to let you know, Kendall, this is not something I really want…you are something I really want.”

  “You don’t want this?” she asked, confusion marring her face.

  “No, no, that didn’t come out right. I mean I do want this. Sex. But no, not just sex. I want sex with you.” Huffing, he tried again. Cupping her face in his large hand, he said, “What I’m trying to say is that I do want to have sex with you, but as crazy as it sounds since we’ve only known each other a couple of days, I really like you. I don’t just want to have sex because we’re stuck in a cabin alone.”

  Grinning, knowing that one night would never have been enough, she said, “Shut up and kiss me again, Marc. And for the record, I really like you too!”

  With that resounding declaration, Marc had no trouble doing her bidding. One hand snaked to the bottom of her shirt and slipped underneath the hem. Her warm, silky skin called to him as he skimmed his fingers up her stomach, until she screeched and jerked back.

  “I’m ticklish,” she giggled, before moving back in, latching onto his lips.

  Not wanting to stop their progress, he moved his hand slowly upward, avoiding the sensitive spots. Halting his path with his fingers resting on the undersides of her breasts, he waited to make sure she wanted to continue. A moan slipping from deep inside of her against his tongue was all the permission he needed.

  His hand cupped her breast, feeling the weight as his thumb flicked over her budded nipple. Her reaction was to grind her core against his thigh harder as her fingers gripped him, bunching his thermal shirt in their clutch.

  The thin material she wore did little to keep the heat from flaming through her as his swollen cock dug into her stomach. She slid one hand down from his shoulder, across his massive chest and ripped abs, until her fingers reached his erection. He groaned into her mouth as her hot hand clasped his girth.

  Fighting the desire to come immediately like some teenager, Marc reached down to hold her hand still. “You’ve got to wait. I’m hanging on by a threa
d.”

  Grinning, Kendall moved swiftly and straddled his narrow hips, her hot core pressing tightly. “Is this better for your ankle?”

  “Don’t worry about my ankle,” he said, his eyes raking over her body. “But I’m afraid you’ll be too cold on top.”

  “Well, if I get too cold, we’ll flip,” she winked. With a swift movement, she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and whipped it over her head. The fire kept the cabin from freezing, but it was still cold. Her nipples beaded to hard points but he immediately claimed her breasts in his large palms, warming them.

  “Sweet girl, I’ve got no condom…I’m clean and we have to get checked for my job, but there’s always the chance of—”

  “I’m clean too…and I’m on the pill. Uh…well, I didn’t take it the last two days, but it should be a good time of the month, but, oh—”

  “What if I pull out? I know that’s not a perfect method and it’s up to you. If you want to wait, honey, we’ll wait.”

  Kendall bent low over his body, her breasts pressing against his chest as she licked her lips. “I want you…now.”

  Chapter 16

  Growling low, Marc cinched Kendall’s waist with his hands. “Hold that thought. Just let me add a little more to the fire—don’t want it going out and freezing you.” Gently, he lifted her off, his eyes pinned to her pink-tipped breasts as they bounced slightly. Setting her to the side, he stood up and hobbled over to the stove. Adding a few more sticks, he stoked the fire, battling back the chill in the room. As she rose and stood next to him, he snagged the waistband of her thermal underwear and pulled it down over her hips.

  “I want to take my time,” he moaned, “and worship every inch of you, but I don’t want you to get chilled.”

  “I think we’ll stay warm enough,” she panted, jerking her pants the rest of the way down and dropping them to the blanket.

  They lay back down and his gaze roamed over her nude body, perfection in his eyes. She smiled, warmed underneath his appraisal. She knelt on her knees as he sat up, his shirt quickly shucked and next to hers on the blanket.