by Elle James
“So do I.”
“Care to join me?” she asked, her voice thick and gravelly, strange to her own ears.
Cole pulled her close to him, again in a long, passionate kiss.
When he tore his mouth away, he scooped her up in his arms. “A shower for my lady,” he said and kissed the tip of her nose.
With his hands full, he couldn’t maneuver the door handle.
CJ reached out, twisted it and pulled it open.
Cole carried her through and across the hallway to the bathroom where he set her on her feet.
Grabbing the hem of her shirt, CJ pulled it up over her head and let it fall to the floor. Then she gripped his T-shirt and tugged it up his torso, stopping halfway up.
Apparently impatient to get naked, Cole tore his shirt the rest of the way off and tossed it into a corner.
CJ reached behind her back for the clasp to her bra.
Cole brushed her hands away and fumbled with the hooks, releasing them and sliding the straps slowly over her shoulders and down her arms. As he did so, her breasts fell free of the garment.
With her breath arrested in her lungs, she fought to draw more in. As her chest rose, so, too, did her breasts, into Cole’s cupped palms.
How warm and rough they were against her nipples. Sweet abrasion that made the heat rise low in her belly and her center ache for more.
He trailed kisses from the corner of her mouth down the long line of her neck and over her collarbone.
“I’m not very good at this,” she admitted, her voice breathy, her hands spanning his hard chest, touching the smooth planes, reveling in the strength of his muscles beneath her fingertips. She had to see more, feel more, and press her body to his in all the right places.
CJ undid the drawstring of her sweatpants, kicked off her shoes and pushed her sweats down her legs, stepping free.
Cole reached into the shower stall and turned on the water. When it had warmed, he finished undressing, toeing off his boots and shucking off his jeans. When he stood naked in front of CJ, she had trouble breathing.
The man was beautiful from the shock of dark hair to the tips of his toes. His broad shoulders seemed to fill the bathroom.
He took her hand and stepped into the shower, ducking beneath the spray, letting the water run over his head and shoulders and across his chest. When he was good and wet, he turned and let her stand beneath the spray.
A shower had always been a means of cleansing her body, nothing more.
Cole showed CJ how much more a shower could be. That it could be a gentle ministration, something tender and sexy at the same time. He lathered a bar of soap in his hands and rubbed the suds over her shoulders and along the long, smooth line of her arms. Then he captured her hips in his soapy hands and followed the curve of her waist up to cup her breasts in his palms.
CJ sucked in a sharp breath, the movement pressing her breasts more firmly into his hands.
He thumbed her nipples and circled them, again and again, the suds washing free of her skin as the spray sluiced over her body. Then he bent to take one of them in his mouth, sucking gently on the little rosy-brown bud. Flicking it with his tongue, he had her so worked up she could barely breathe.
Cole cupped the backs of her thighs and lifted her, pressing her against the cool tile. “You’re driving me crazy.”
“That’s my line,” she said, kissing the droplets off his forehead. She wrapped her legs around his waist and sank down until the tip of his shaft nudged her entrance.
He closed his eyes, as if he was in pain, and then opened them again. “Not yet.”
He set her on her feet, poured shampoo into his hands and lathered her hair.
CJ had never had a man wash her hair. His hands were gentle, and he kissed her often before he turned her back to the water, tipped her head beneath the spray and rinsed the suds from her strands.
Then he lathered his hands again and smoothed them over her entire body from the back of her neck to the tips of her toes, slowing to dip his fingers inside her, making her legs shake and her entrance slick with more than soap.
When Cole was done, CJ took over, lathering his body, exploring every square inch of skin. When she came to his jutting erection, she circled it with both hands and slid her fingers up and down, loving the contrast of the velvety softness of the skin encasing his hardness. She knelt in the shower’s spray and took him into her mouth, tonguing the tip and then tracing a circle around the circumference.
Cole’s body tensed and his fingers dug into her hair, holding her close. When she took all of him into her mouth, he sucked in a breath and held it.
She leaned back, letting him out almost all of the way before taking him in again.
Settling into a rhythm, she sucked him in and out until his fingers dug into her scalp and he pushed her away.
“Too close,” he said through gritted teeth.
She shook her head, a smile curling her lips. “Never.” When she tried to take him again, he pulled her to her feet and set her outside the shower on the bath mat. “We’re done here.”
She blinked the water from her eyes, a frown pulling her brow downward. “Done?” No way. She wanted so much more.
“Done. Here.” He nodded toward the shower as he stepped out beside her on the bath mat. With quick, efficient movements, he toweled her dry.
Using a big, fluffy towel, CJ returned the favor, lingering over that prominent protrusion, her body on fire, begging to consummate their time together. She might never have this kind of opportunity again. Being from completely different backgrounds, what were the chances that what they were feeling and doing would last more than a night, maybe two? She’d take whatever she could get and save the memories for when she was alone once again.
Once they were dry, Cole wrapped a towel around his waist and one around CJ’s body. Then he scooped CJ up into his arms and strode toward the door.
She reached down to twist the knob, open the door and peer out. “Coast is clear.”
Cole strode across the hallway, nudged open the door to her bedroom and carried her over the threshold. He didn’t slow until he reached the bed. He set her on her feet and backed her up until her knees bumped into the mattress and she sat.
“Don’t move.” Cole stepped away from her and rummaged in the nightstand. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he left the room and returned to the bathroom.
CJ leaned over, her gaze following him through the door until he disappeared. She held the towel up over her breasts, her body on fire, barely cooling, even after he left her alone.
Cole was back in moments, carrying his jeans, pulling his wallet from the back pocket. He dug into the folds and pulled out a small foil package with a triumphant grin.
“I’m glad someone is thinking.” CJ stood and took the packet from his fingers. At the same time, she let the towel slide down her body to pool at her feet. “Now, where were we?”
Cole jerked the towel free from his hips and sent it sailing across the room. “I think we were about to rock the world.”
She tore open the packet and slid the protection over his engorged shaft. Backing up to the bed, she sat and scooted backward across the mattress.
Following, Cole climbed up onto the bed, settled between her legs and leaned over her. His staff nudged her opening.
CJ let her knees fall to the side, ready to take him into her.
Cole hesitated, bending to claim her lips. “Not yet,” he repeated.
“Seriously?” she said, her voice a breathy whisper. “I want you. Now.”
“I promise. I’ll get there. But first...” He trailed kisses along her jaw and down the length of her neck. When he reached her breasts, he cupped one while he tongued, nipped and licked the tip of the other. When the nipple tightened into a hard bead, he moved to the other breast and gave it the
same treatment.
CJ’s blood hummed through her veins, molten hot. Heat coiled at her core, her body willing him to take her. But he wasn’t ready.
Cole worked his way down her torso to the triangle of hair covering her sex. He paused, parted her folds and blew a warm stream of air over that special place. Without giving her time to breathe, he thumbed that nubbin of flesh and replaced his thumb with his tongue, tapping, flicking and laving her until she writhed beneath him.
When she thought she couldn’t take any more, he flicked her again, sending her shooting over the edge. She arched her back, digging her heels into the mattress. Her channel throbbed with the intensity of the sensations splintering through her.
What seemed like seconds later, she fell back to earth, her need still strong, her desire to have Cole washing over her. All of Cole. Inside her. Now.
She laced her fingers into his hair and dragged him up her body.
“Hey, the hair is attached,” he said, chuckling as he leaned over her, his gaze capturing hers. “Ready?”
“What do you think?” she quipped as she gripped his buttocks and guided him home.
He sank into her, moving slowly, letting her adjust to his girth. When he’d gone as far as he could, he pulled back out and started all over again.
The pace was far too slow for CJ. She wanted all of him, hard, fast and completely. Her hands still on his buttocks, she set the rhythm, showing him how she wanted it.
He complied, taking over to the point she let her hands fall to her sides where she curled them into the comforter and raised her hips to meet him thrust for thrust.
Cole moved in and out of her, pumping hard, his face tight, his body tense. After one last thrust, he buried himself to the hilt and held steady, his shaft throbbing against the walls of her channel.
A few moments later, he collapsed on top of her and rolled her onto her side, maintaining their intimate connection.
Cole draped a hand over her bare hip and sighed. “I didn’t intend to make love to you,” he said.
“And now that you have?” she asked, holding her breath for his answer, sure he’d say he wished he hadn’t.
“Now that I have, I don’t know how I’ll keep from doing it again.” He leaned close to her and pressed a kiss to her lips. “You are amazing.”
CJ let out the breath she’d been holding and laughed. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“What are we going to do now?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” CJ asked. “Just because we had sex, doesn’t change anything.”
A frown dented Cole’s brow. “The hell it doesn’t. It changes everything.”
“How so?”
“I’m thinking, since I’m too involved in you, I might lose my situational awareness.” He cupped her cheek. “I might not be the right person to protect you.”
CJ stiffened in his arms. “Are you trying to quit on me?”
“I don’t want to, but how can I provide your protection when all I want to do is make love to you again?”
“I never said I needed protection,” she reminded him.
“But you know, as well as I, that you do need someone to have your six.”
“Let me put it this way. I don’t want anyone providing my protection—which I don’t need—unless it’s you.” She frowned across at him. “Unless you’re trying to break it off with me. If that’s the case, you don’t have to come up with any excuses. You can just leave.”
She held up her hand to cut off his next words. That stinging sensation burned her eyes. CJ held tightly to her emotions. “And don’t worry, you won’t break my heart. I never had one to begin with.”
It was a lie. If she didn’t have a heart, why the hell did it feel like it was cracking...right down the middle?
Chapter Seven
Cole lay for a long time after CJ went to sleep, going over her words in his mind. The woman was delusional. Never had a heart to begin with? That was horse hockey. The woman had more heart than even she knew. When they’d first encountered her and learned of her defection from Trinity, she’d told them the triggering event had been her assignment to kill a pregnant woman. The fact that she couldn’t pull the trigger on the woman and her unborn baby said it all. And she’d risked her own safety, coming out of hiding to alert Anne Bellamy to an attack on the White House.
The woman cared more than she would admit. And he’d be a real bastard to think he could make love to her and walk away.
CJ had been left behind as a child, sucked into a killer organization at a young age and given little to no love. That she cared enough to help others was amazing in itself. One didn’t learn that in the environment where she’d been raised. That kind of compassion was as much a part of her as the color of her glorious auburn hair.
Cole stared at her in the little bit of starlight making its way through the windows into the bedroom. He’d been right, telling her that he was the wrong man for the job of protecting her. With her around, he’d have a hard time concentrating on the little clues that might pop up. His attention would be on her and his mind on what he could be doing with her behind closed doors.
If he wanted to remain her protector, he had to be careful and retain his focus. No matter what, he couldn’t let anyone slide through his defenses and get to her. All it took was one well-aimed bullet to end her life.
Though Cole hadn’t known her for long, he realized he wanted to know her even more. One night of making love to the strong, determined woman could not be the end. He wouldn’t let it be. But until they captured the head of Trinity, they would all have to be looking out for each other and their special guest.
The thought of letting someone else take over her protection was enough to kill him. If he couldn’t be with her every moment of every day, he’d be worried and on edge. No. He’d force himself to keep his eyes open and stay alert. He had to be the one to cover her six. He wouldn’t hesitate to take a bullet for her.
He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he remembered was the blaring of the alarm clock on the nightstand beside CJ’s bed.
CJ slapped the alarm, killing the irritating sound. She leaned up on one arm and stared down at him, the sheet falling away from a bare breast.
Cole blinked open his eyes and smiled. “You look like a Valkyrie lording it over your conquest.”
“I feel like one.” She sat up and stretched her long arms over her head. When she brought her arms down, she turned and snuggled back into his embrace, resting a hand across his chest. “Do we have to sneak into the West Wing today?”
“I’d much rather stay here with you.” Cole brushed a strand of her hair from her cheek. “Can we put it off for another day?”
“Though I love the feeling of your hands on my skin, I know we can’t wait another day to take down Trinity.” Her fingernails curled into Cole’s flesh. “I wish Trinity didn’t exist. Then things could have been different between us. I could spend all day with you, just like this.”
“If Trinity didn’t exist, we might never have met,” he pointed out. “For that reason alone, I’m glad they exist. Not that I’m glad you were recruited, but...you know what I mean.”
She nodded. “Still, I’d rather stay here with you.”
“If it’s any consolation to you and me, I’ll be with you all day.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Albeit, fully clothed and hands-off.”
CJ snorted. “Not the same,” she said, twirling a finger around one of his little brown nipples, tickling him. “I guess we don’t have time to...you know.”
Cole turned on his side and ran a hand over her shoulder, cupped a breast and tweaked her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
She gasped, her body arching toward him.
“We can’t go all the way there without protection, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.” He trac
ed a line down her torso to the juncture of her thighs.
CJ shifted, parting her legs, letting him in to strum that little nubbin of tightly packed nerves.
She closed her eyes and let his fingers do all the talking, flicking, tapping and dipping into her channel for the warm juices that made his digits slide across that sensitive spot.
Before long, he had her poised on the edge, her body tense, her hips rocking to his tender ministrations. One more flick and she stiffened, her body rising up to meet his hand. He continued touching her there until she sank back to the mattress, her body limp, glistening with a fine sheen of perspiration.
Cole leaned over and kissed her, drawing her into his arms, pressing his engorged staff against her belly. He wanted more, but he didn’t have anything left in his wallet. No protection. No making love.
CJ wrapped her fingers around him and moved up and down the shaft.
His breath caught and held. He could let her do what she was doing, but he’d want to take it to the next level. Instead, he captured her hand in his and held it still, shaking his head. “We have to get ready for work.”
“But I want you to feel what I felt,” she whispered.
“I did,” he said. “Through you.” He smacked her bottom and sat up. “Come on, we have some undercover work to do. The sooner we catch Trinity’s leader, the sooner we can laze around in bed doing what we like doing better.”
Cole rose, wrapped a towel around his waist and leaned down to capture her mouth in one last kiss. Then he was out the door, leaving her to dress and prepare for a day at the West Wing, gathering information about Chris Carpenter’s role in the attack. That is, if in fact he had a part in the kidnapping of the vice president.
Grabbing his toiletries, he headed to the bathroom to shave. He returned to his bedroom, dressed in his only suit and tie. When he was ready, he fully expected to have to wait for CJ. Opening his bedroom door, he was surprised to see CJ standing there wearing a simple black skirt, a white blouse and black pumps on her feet. She’d tucked her gorgeous auburn hair up into the black wig and had on her black-framed glasses with the clear lenses. Even in the supposedly frumpy disguise, she was sexy as hell.