Calculating Desires (The Rockford Security Series Book 4)

by Jones, Lee Anne

  “Yes.” She arched against him and he damned near came on the spot.

  No more waiting.

  Owen pushed off of her and quickly stripped off his clothes then removed Alison’s, pausing now and again to kiss and worship her lovely breasts and the soft, white skin of her inner thighs before slicking on a condom.

  Suited up and ready for action, he stretched out atop her again, relishing the feel of her naked and pressed intimately against him for a moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, their tongues stroking and mimicking what their bodies would be doing soon. Once she locked her legs around his lower back and the tip of his aching cock brushed the warm, wet heat of her, he was a goner.

  “Do it,” she whispered, grasping his earlobe between her teeth.

  “Fuck, yes.” He entered her, hilt-deep, in one long thrust. The feeling of being buried inside her slick tightness was indescribable, infinitely incredible. For a long moment, Owen stayed still, allowing Alison’s body to adjust to his while he rained kisses over her beautiful face—her high cheekbones, her delicate nose, her soft, slightly swollen lips. “Okay, honey?”

  “More. I need more.”

  He set a rhythm with his thrusts—harder, faster, deeper—adjusting the angle of his penetration to hit that bundle of nerves just inside her that made her buck hard against him and groan with pleasure.

  Sweet Christ, she was perfect.

  Soon, a familiar tightness started deep in his balls, signaling his climax was near. Normally, he could go all night long, but not this time. Something about her pushed him toward ecstasy far too fast.

  Next time.

  Next time he’d savor her, taste her, bringing her to climax again and again before he ever considered his own. And given the instant, undeniable chemistry between them, there would most definitely be a next time.

  This time, though, they both needed it too badly. Her movements beneath him grew more frantic as she sought her own release, and once more, he gentled her. “Easy, honey. Easy. I’ve got you.”

  Owen reached between them and found her swollen clitoris with his thumb and forefinger, teasing it, flicking it, pinching it lightly until she panted for release. “Close, honey?”

  “Please…”

  Her plea was his undoing. He pressed harder on her throbbing nub and inhaled sharply as he felt her body tighten around him, milking him as her climax struck hard.

  Alison cried out, her head thrown back and her fingers clutching his hair tight. “Oh, God! Yes, Owen. God, yes! I’m coming!”

  He wasn’t far behind. Abstinence coupled with the intense power of her climax pushed him to the edge of his own release. One thrust, two, then…

  His whole body tensed, driving home as he came hard, so hard, inside her. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over him until he didn’t have the strength to hold himself up anymore and he relaxed against her, his head cradled between her breasts and their bodies still joined.

  “That. Was. Amazing,” he managed to croak once his breathing slowed.

  “It was, wasn’t it?”

  Her fingers toyed with his hair and lulled him deeper into near-sleep. Owen eventually pulled away from her long enough to dispose of the condom and clean himself up before climbing back between the sheets with her. The early evening air had grown chilly and he sought the warmth of her soft curves to snuggle.

  “I should go,” she said, shattering his hazy happiness.

  “What? No. Why?” He wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her against him, her back to his front, spooning her from behind. “Stay.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely.” He stroked the silky skin of her abdomen and buried his face in her lush hair, inhaling deep of her scent. “What kind of perfume do you wear?”

  “I don’t.” She giggled, the movement sending delicious ripples of awareness through him. “That’s my shampoo. It’s specifically for curly hair.”

  “Hmm. Promise me you’ll be here when I get up.”

  “Are you sure?” Even as she said the words, she cuddled in closer to him and he couldn’t help smiling, then dropping a quick kiss on the back of her neck.

  “Positive.”

  “Okay, I promise.”

  “Good, now go to sleep.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He grinned at her latest military reference. Maybe having a new relationship wouldn’t be so bad after all. Her breathing evened out into the patterns of sleep and a niggle of doubt bored into his contentment.

  Of course, there was still a lot of unfinished business between them. Things she didn’t know about him. Things he didn’t know about her. Having sex this early was probably a mistake.

  Still, as he yawned and let his tired eyes finally drift closed, he couldn’t quite bring himself to regret it.

  * * *

  Alison blinked into the bright sunshine, then squinted around the unfamiliar room. Her heart raced as panic set in.

  Where am I? What happened? Did Copernatech find me?

  It took a moment for her drowsy brain to catch up with her pounding pulse, but when it did she flopped back onto the mattress and groaned.

  Owen’s. I’m at Owen’s.

  He’d helped her bandage her arm, fed her dinner, made love to her all night long.

  Sore and sated, she stretched beneath the covers then stared at the white ceiling above. One-night stands weren’t her usual MO, and on the rare occasions when she did indulge, she never spent the night. But he’d been so darned cute and persuasive and oh my God the things he’d done to her in the dark with his hands and his lips and his tongue and…

  Heat prickled her cheeks and she sat up.

  Yeah, time to go.

  Definitely.

  With the sheet wrapped around her, she got out of bed and scrounged for her clothes. After slipping them on, she went in search of her shoes. If memory served, they were in the living room. All she had to do was sneak out there and slip them on and she could get out of here before Owen discovered she was gone.

  Speaking of gone, where was he?

  His side of the bed had been cold when she’d checked, meaning he’d gotten up long before she’d awakened.

  Work maybe?

  She padded out to the living room and stopped short.

  “Mornin’, honey.” He winked at her from the open kitchen, clad only in a Kiss the Cook apron from the waist up. “Sleep good?”

  Well, damn. So much for sneaking out unnoticed. And didn’t he just look fine all tousled and stubbly in the morning. She took a seat to put on her sneakers. Her arm still stung from the cut, but nothing nearly as bad as the day before. “Yep. Slept fine, thanks. And you?”

  “Like a baby.”

  She didn’t miss his slightly naughty undertones. Of course they’d both slept like the dead. They’d worn themselves out with pleasure. She smoothed her hands through her hair then tucked them beneath her, unsure how to act or what to say in this situation.

  “Hope you like eggs and bacon.”

  “Sure.” Her stomach growled despite her awkwardness. “Can I help with anything?”

  “You can set the table if you want.’

  “Okay.” She walked into the kitchen and grabbed plates and silverware and napkins from the places he pointed, then did as he’d asked. “What about drinks?”

  “I’ve got my coffee already.” He held up his mug. “But help yourself to whatever you’d like.”

  “Coffee’s good for me too.” She fixed herself a mug—black, nothing added—then leaned against the edge of the counter while he served up their food. “What time do you have to go to work today?”

  “It’s Friday, so a late shift for me. I don’t go in until around noon. How about you? Got big plans for the weekend?”

  “No.” She sipped her mug then took her plate and followed him to the table. “Just the usual.”

  “What the usual?”

  “Just stuff. Nothing interesting.”

  They eac
h dug into their food, keeping the conversation light and impersonal.

  After he’d finished his last bite of toast, he narrowed his gaze. “We should go to dinner tonight. You know, so I can repay you for helping me catch Walpole.”

  “Dinner?” She swallowed hard to avoid choking on her eggs. Sex was one thing, moving beyond that to…more, was something else entirely. “Um, okay. Sure. Dinner’s good. Tonight’s out though.”

  “Got another hot date?” He watched her closely. “We didn’t really discuss your end of things.”

  “No, no date.” She didn’t want to lie to him, but she couldn’t tell him the truth either. “There’s a bunch of crazed, homicidal pharmacy execs who want me dead,” wasn’t exactly first-date or morning-after fodder. “I have some errands I need to take care of. Rain check?”

  “Okay, sure. No problem.” He stood and cleared their plates.

  She could tell from his now shuttered expression that he’d taken her refusal as more than a no, but there wasn’t much she could do given the current circumstances. With the precarious nature of her life at present, cooling things off between them was probably for the best anyway, no matter how much it hurt to let him go and move on.

  “Well.” Alison pushed to her feet and grabbed her hoodie from the back of his sofa where she’d thrown it yesterday afternoon. The sleeve was ripped where the glass had sliced through it and she’d have to patch it when she got back to her apartment, but still, the garment gave her a modicum of comfort and protection against the harsh world outside. “I should, um, probably go and get out of your hair.”

  “Sure.” He walked toward her and her heart kicked into overdrive. “Whatever.”

  He’s going to kiss me. God, yes, please let him kiss me just once more.

  Except he didn’t.

  Instead, Owen brushed past her and opened the front door. “See you around, then.”

  “Yeah.” She walked out into the hall and turned to say goodbye, only to have the door shut in her face. Eyes burning with unshed tears, she leaned her back against the opposite wall and whispered, “See ya.”

  The ride in the elevator down to the lobby of his building passed in a blur. Lost in her thoughts, she headed outside and into the bright Vegas morning.

  Faye.

  She needed to talk to her best friend, work out what had happened the night before, figure out where to go from here. Faye’s apartment was only a few blocks away and the day was warm. No reason she couldn’t make the short walk.

  No reason except the nagging tingle on the back of her neck.

  Someone’s watching me again.

  Scanning the crowd around her, Alison didn’t spot anyone in particular, but that didn’t mean Copernatech hadn’t caught up with her at last.

  Nervous, she hailed a cab for the short ride to her apartment instead. If they had found her, if her time in Vegas was up, she needed to leave without a trace, which ruled out going to Faye’s.

  Once the taxi pulled up near the curb at Ms. Baker’s, she paid the fare, then let herself in to her basement abode. Hell, she hadn’t even had time to unpack from her last almost-bail. The only difference this time would be when she left town, no one would ever find her again.

  Thirteen

  “Hey!” Faye said, her smile quickly dissolving into a frown. “What's wrong?”

  Alison pushed inside, her heavy duffle bag in tow. She’d tossed and turned all night. Her mind on Owen's rejection. But was it really a rejection? She had turned down his invitation to dinner, maybe he thought she was rejecting him. But what did it matter, She had to leave town anyway and she'd seriously considered just going, but deep friendship and the fact she’d left her computer here had stopped her. “Nothing. I need my laptop.”

  “What’s with the bag then?” Faye closed the door then leaned back against it, arms crossed. “And the hunted attitude. I know you, girlfriend. Something’s wrong.”

  “No, you don’t,” Alison mumbled, tossing throw pillows aside on the sofa in search of her missing computer. Locating it stuck between two seat cushions, she pulled it out and unzipped the side pocket on her duffle to shove it inside. “You don’t know me. Not really. No one does.”

  “You’re leaving again, aren’t you?” Faye raised a speculative brow, not budging from her position and effectively blocking Alison’s exit. “Don’t lie to me.”

  Shoulders slumped, she looked away, regret bubbling hot and thick in her stomach. “I can’t stay here.”

  “Why not?”

  “I just can’t.” She exhaled slow and squeezed her eyes shut. Damn. She was so tired of running, of hiding, of lying to the people she cared about most.

  But Copernatech wouldn’t stop coming, wouldn’t stop searching for her, wouldn’t care if they took out hundreds of innocent lives to silence the whistleblower who’d escaped. Sometimes she almost wished she’d just kept her damned mouth shut about everything.

  Almost.

  Then again, the numbers said it was better to sacrifice one life to save thousands of others.

  Too bad it was her life that had to be the one to go.

  She sank down onto the sofa, as if the weight of all the months of living in secrecy were too much to bear. “I’m running from something.”

  “That’s obvious.” Faye took a seat beside her. “What is it? Abusive boyfriend?”

  “I wish.” Alison buried her face in her hands. “A boyfriend I could handle. No. This is much, much worse and if they find me, it won’t just be me who’s in danger. It’ll be everyone I know too.”

  Faye snorted. “Sounds like a bad action-movie plot. Seriously, I’m sure he’s not that bad. How do you know he’s still even looking for you?”

  Alison peered up at her friend from between her fingers. She apparently still thought it was a man after her. Another lie, but perhaps one that would keep her friend safe. Resigned, she straightened and dropped her hands into her lap, swallowing hard to push the knot of tension in her throat deeper inside. “I know because a mutual friend warned me.”

  Never mind this “mutual friend” had put her own life on the line by still working at Copernatech while feeding Alison information. That thought was followed closely by another—one that made her stomach sink to her toes. In her haste to get out of town, she’d forgotten to check under the bench for a new envelope.

  She shifted in her seat and crossed her legs away from Faye. Didn’t matter. Once she reached a new city, she’d have to send word to her contact to set up a new drop point anyway. That meant she’d have to find a new go-between as well. More headaches she didn’t want to deal with, but such was her life now.

  Faye continued to watch her with a narrowed gaze, her expression far too knowing for Alison’s comfort. “Know what I think? I think you’re leaving because you’re scared. Period. Not because someone’s after you, but because you’re terrified.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Don’t I? You don’t open up to anyone. You never show any vulnerability. In fact, I think you’re really leaving because of Owen.”

  Alison pushed to the far corner of the sofa and gave her friend a dubious look even as distracting images of their torrid night together flashed through her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. Whatever happened or didn’t happen between us was a mistake. Nothing more.”

  “Right.” Faye shook her head and grinned. “And I suppose that mistake is why your face is flushed and your eyes are sparkling. Nope. I think you’re running now because you’re afraid he’ll say no again.”

  There is that too.

  Given the way he’d seemingly dismissed her without a second thought on the morning after, another rejection from Owen was a foregone conclusion. Not that Alison had left him her contact info, meaning he couldn’t really contact her easily even if he wanted to, but still. Faye was a mutual friend. If he’d wanted to get in touch with her bad enough, he would have found a way. Plus, the more time she spent with him, the less she wanted to
leave Vegas.

  Not good. Not good at all.

  She shrugged and stared out the window across the room. “I’m not afraid he’ll say no.”

  “Yeah?” Faye’s tone turned curious. “Why’s that? Did something happen already between the two of you?”

  She didn’t answer. No point in arguing anyway.

  “I thought so.” Faye clapped excitedly. “Oh, this could be good. This could be exactly what you need to heal from whatever you’re running from. You can’t let fear run your life.”

  “Fear’s all I’ve got these days.” Alison pushed to her feet, slinging her heavy duffle over her shoulder once more and heading for the door before Faye could stop her. “I need to get out of here.”

  “Fine. Go. If that’s what you want.” Faye trailed behind her, her voice carrying a hint of taunt. “Be a coward and leave your friends behind to suffer. But you at least should say goodbye to Owen and let him know you’re leaving for good this time.”

  Despite her better judgment, Alison glanced back at her best friend over her shoulder, only to find Faye’s cell phone front and center in her vision. On-screen was Owen’s contact information.

  Damn. Damn. Damn.

  With her near-eidetic memory, those digits were now forever burned into her brain. Emotional blackmail, that’s what it was. The worst kind of all. She shook her head and walked out into the hall as fast as her feet would take her. No looking back again. “Goodbye.”

  It was better this way, really. A clean break. No chance of the ones she left behind looking for her, calling in the authorities. Putting up missing person posters. That had happened once before and it had been a nightmare.

  Nope.

  Clean and quick and anonymous was definitely the way to go.

  Even if it broke her heart she’d never have one more night in Owen’s arms, never see his crooked smile, never feel the comfort of being cared for, loved…

  The envelope.

  Maybe if she got the envelope and things were still all-clear, she could have that one last chance to say goodbye. After all, she’d just won back his trust from the whole cheating incident. It would be a shame to throw all of it away by having him uncover her lies about the past.