by Elle James
Once again Sophia’s body tensed at all the sensations running through it. “Faster,” she said. Her hands on his ass guided him into the rhythm she preferred.
He obliged, going faster and faster, until he suddenly pulled out and said, “Wait.”
Sophia’s breath hitched.
“Wait. I almost forgot.” He fished in the sheets for the packet that had been left beside them, tore it open with his teeth, and rolled it down over his cock. Then he was back again, pumping in and out of her.
She rose with her hips meeting his, thrust for thrust.
His body tensed beneath her fingertips. He sank into her and held steady, his cock throbbing as he released inside her channel.
For a long moment, she lay there enjoying the feel of him inside of her and wondering how one time would be enough.
Blade dropped down on his elbows and bent to kiss her. Then he rolled, bringing them both to their sides, without losing connection. They lay for a long time together in the most intimate way.
As she lay in his arms Sophia could hear the soft sound of rain on the roof.
Blade smoothed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. “Go to sleep, Sophia.”
She snuggled into the crook of his arm and closed her eyes, smiling. She was where she had always wanted to be. She’d enjoy it while it lasted though she was sure it wouldn’t be for very long.
Chapter 9
When Sophia opened her eyes again, the pillow beside her was empty, and sun shone through an open window. Sophia stretched, feeling deliciously sore in all the right places.
Blade strode through the door. “Hey, lazy head, get up. Our excursion leaves in fifteen minutes.”
She pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts and sat up straight. “Excursion? What excursion? I thought we couldn’t go anywhere.”
“I made a last-minute reservation on a trip out to Chichen Itza. If we play our cards right, we can dodge whatever cartel spies are hanging out looking for us, but we have to get moving.”
Sophia tossed the sheet aside. “Wouldn’t you rather stay here?” she asked with a grin.
His eyes smoldered. “Don’t tempt me, woman.”
“Tempt you?” she grinned. “Is that all it is?”
“More than you know. So, get up, get dressed and let’s go.”
She pouted. “I was just getting used to the idea of staying in all day.”
“We have ruins to climb and lessons to learn about the Mayan people. Get moving.” He clapped his hands twice.
Sophia swung her legs over the side of the bed, stood and pranced past Blade wearing nothing but a smile. “Your loss.”
He groaned. “And don’t I know it.”
She dressed in shorts, running shoes and a tank top. She’d brushed her teeth and pulled her hair up into a messy bun, plunking a hat on top to cover all her hair. She hid her eyes with a pair of sunglasses and looked up at Blade. “Will this do?” she asked.
“Great disguise, but if you’ve got a lightweight jacket to cover your arms, that would be good too.”
“I’ll be right back.” She ducked into her bedroom and pulled out a light windbreaker and slipped it over her shoulders. When she returned, she found Blade wearing a polo shirt, khaki slacks, hiking boots, a Cancún baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses.
She hated the thought of him hiding his sleek black hair and gorgeous blue eyes, but better to disguise and get out without being detected than having a tail on them all day.
Rather than follow the path up to the hotel, they slipped around behind the bungalows and took a maintenance road leading to the hotel. They arrived just in time to catch the bus that would them out to Chichen Itza. Blade and Sophia climbed aboard the large bus with other tourists, taking a seat near the rear.
“Did you see our bouncers from last night?” she whispered.
“I thought I saw one standing beside the resort’s front door.” He nodded toward the man. “I don’t think he saw us.”
Sophia grinned. “Good. Maybe we’ll have a nice day after all.”
“I hope so,” he said. “I hate to think we might be pushing our luck.”
As the bus traveled the road out to Chichen Itza, Sophia and Blade took every opportunity and curve to look behind them to see if they were being followed. As far as they could tell, they weren’t.
Eventually, Sophia relaxed against her seat.
Blade reached for her hand and took it in his.
It was looking more and more like a perfect day with the sun softly shining after freshly fallen rain. When they arrived at the ruins, the bus parked alongside several other buses filled with tourists. People climbed out and started the long hike through the jungle to the temple.
Blade maintained his hold on Sophia’s hand, much to her pleasure.
Once they reached the base of the temple, Blade smiled at Sophia. “Are you up for a climb?”
She looked up at the steep stairs, shaking inside. “Did I ever tell you I have a fear of heights?”
His brow furrowed. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
“Are you going up?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Not without you.”
“Then let’s do it. You might have to lead me back down, because I might have to close my eyes to descend.”
He squeezed her hand. “Seriously, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”
Sophia lifted her chin. “I like to challenge my fears. Most often, it pays off.”
“Then hold on tightly to my hand,” Blade said.
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me twice.” Sophia held his hand in a death grip as they started up the steep steps. By the time she got to the top, she was breathing hard. “I need to work out more.”
Blade wasn’t breathing hard at all. He turned around and looked out at the view. “This is amazing.”
Sophia made it a point to stare straight out. “Yeah, just don’t look down.”
Blade chuckled. “Not yet anyway.”
His words made her look down, and she swayed. “Holy crap.”
His hand came up to steady her. “It’ll be all right. I’ll be right with you and hold your hand all the way down. You just have to take it one step at a time.”
As Blade instructed her, Sophia took it one step at a time, only looking at that one step, not all the way down to the bottom.
Though they moved painfully slowly, they arrived safely at the bottom, and they didn’t take anybody down in front of them.
Sophia wanted to drop to a prone position on the ground and kiss the dirt, but she restrained herself. Thankfully, they had a long hike back to the bus, which gave her time to stop shaking.
They’d almost made it back to the parking area when Blade stopped her in her tracks, spun her around and kissed her, long and hard.
When he raised his head, Sophia laughed. “What was that for?”
“I needed a reason to stop suddenly, and kissing you was just as good as any other reason.”
Sophia snorted. “Wow, I’m underwhelmed. Why’d you need to stop suddenly?”
“Don’t look now,” he said, “but guayabera man is standing beside our bus.”
Sophia swore and turned slowly. Just as Blade had said, the guy who had worn the guayabera shirt the night before at the lounge was talking to the bus driver outside the bus they’d arrived in.
Sophia swore softly. “How are we going get on the bus with him standing there?”
Blade shook his head. “We’re not. We’re going to get on a different bus.”
“Won’t they notice that they’ve got two extra passengers?” she asked.
“We’ll sneak aboard, sit way at the back and duck down low.”
“What if the bus isn’t going to our hotel?”
“I’d almost guarantee it’s not, but anything is better than going back with that man following us every step of the way.” Blade’s gaze remained on the man talking to their bus driver. “We can catch a cab or some
thing else to get back to our hotel.”
Sophia nodded, glad they didn’t have to run the gauntlet of having to go past guayabera man to get on a bus. If it meant they’d be a little inconvenienced getting back to their hotel, that would be fine. As long as they got back in one piece.
They waited for a large group to board a bus on the far end of the parking lot. Sophia recognized the name of the resort as the one that was next to the resort where they were staying. If anything, they could walk. They blended in with the others and got aboard, aiming for the last seats on the bus.
Fortunately, there was enough room that they didn’t displace anybody else, and when the tour guide made his count, they ducked low behind the seats.
The bus pulled out of the parking lot. They looked back at the bus they should have taken. Their tour group had already boarded, and the bus driver was still standing outside, talking to guayabera man and, apparently, looking around for his missing passengers.
Sophia felt bad for the bus driver, but not bad enough to risk their lives.
They made it back to the neighboring resort without incident.
“We can take a cab back or walk along the beach,” Blade suggested.
“The beach, please,” Sophia said.
They walked through the resort and out onto the sand where they stripped off their shoes and carried them. They walked along, holding hands like any other young couple on vacation, only Sophia knew that Blade was there as a friend and protector. Not as her lover, although last night had been pretty wonderful. But she’d promised him no strings.
Now, she was regretting that promise.
They were able to sneak up behind their bungalow, searching the shadows for any suspicious characters hanging around. The two bouncers from the evening before were nowhere to be seen. They only spotted a lone female stopping to smell the bougainvillea in front of the bungalow next to theirs.
When Blade started to step out toward the front door of their bungalow, Sophia grabbed his arm. “What if that woman is part of the cartel?”
Blade frowned. “Good point.”
“You in a hurry?” Sophia asked.
He shook his head. “Not at all. We can wait.”
And they did.
The woman took her time smelling the bougainvillea. Then she straightened, glancing right and left before setting out on the path toward the hotel. She stopped halfway up the path and turned, looking at the last bungalow.
“I’d say she looks pretty suspicious, don’t you?” Sophia asked.
“Maybe. Unless she’s waiting for someone who didn’t show up, she has no reason to turn around and look back in our direction,” Blade said.
Sophia nodded. “We might put her on our ‘to be watched’ list.”
The woman disappeared around a corner.
“Well, if we can’t see her, she can’t see us,” Blade said. “Let’s go in.” He entered the bungalow first. “Let me check to make sure it’s safe.” He spent a few seconds checking the bedroom and bathroom. When he came out, he grinned. “All clear.”
Sophia laughed. “Is this what you do at all the hotels you stay at?”
He shook his head. “No, only at the ones where the cartel might be mad at me.”
“Or me,” Sophia said. “After all, I did hit Calderón in the back of the head with a board.”
Blade grinned. “Yes, and I was impressed that you jumped into the fray.”
“I wasn’t going to let it be three to one. It was bad enough two to one. Although you were doing a good job of it.”
He dipped his head. “Thank you. But you’re right, I didn’t see that other guy coming. What do you want to do for dinner tonight?”
Sophia tilted her head. “We could go to a different resort and have dinner at one of their restaurants, since the cartel knows that we live here for now.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” Blade said. “I do know of a good seafood restaurant in Cancún that we could go to. But that might be pushing our luck.”
Sophia nodded. “One night in downtown Cancún got us into this pickle. Why risk a second shot at it?”
“Agreed,” Blade said.
“Although, other than having to take a different bus back, I enjoyed my day,” Sophia said. “I consider it a bonus that we got to walk along the beach.”
“Me, too.” Blade patted his flat stomach. “But now, I’m kind of hungry.”
Sophia frowned. “You know you’re right. I didn’t get breakfast or lunch.”
“Me either,” Blade said. “Let’s aim for an early dinner. You want the shower first, or do you want me to assume the lead?”
Sophia tipped her head toward the bathroom. “You can go first. I need to grab the clothes I want to wear.”
Blade snagged his shaving kit and clothes and headed for the bathroom. As usual, he left the door ajar so he could listen for any sounds.
Sophia thought it was as good an excuse as any for her to slip out of her clothes and join him in the shower.
His head was under the water when she stepped into the shower stall with him. Very quietly she applied soap to her hands and then smoothed them on his body.
He tensed. “What are you doing, Sophia?”
“I didn’t feel safe out in the living room by myself.”
“You shouldn’t feel safe in here either.”
“I do. I feel a whole lot safer when I’m with you.” She spread the soap suds all over his chest.
She reached into the soap dish and held up a packet. “I found these on the counter.”
“In my shaving kit?” he asked an eyebrow cocked.
She shrugged. “Just thinking ahead.”
“What am I going to do with you, Sophia?”
“I have a few ideas.” She lathered up more soap and ran her hands over his chest, his shoulders and down his arms to his waist. “Getting the drift?”
His cock hardened.
“Never mind,” she said, “I can see you’ve got the idea.” She smiled up at him. “Are you in a big hurry to get food?”
Blade growled. “I’m hungry, but now I’m in the mood for something else besides food.”
Sophia captured his gaze. “So am I.”
Blade slipped his arms around Sophia and dragged her against him. He kissed her soundly then grabbed the backs of her thighs and lifted her, until she wrapped her legs around him. Then he pressed her back against the cool tile wall. He must have lost his mind. Making love to Sophia could only mean disaster for their friendship. A friendship he wanted more than anything. Still, he couldn’t stop himself as he applied the condom and drove into her slick wetness.
She rode him with her head flung back and her hands braced on his shoulders. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps.
As a lover, she was everything Blade could imagine or want. She was also his neighbor and his friend. When they returned from Cancún, what then? They couldn’t pick up where they’d left off. Things would be changed. It would be awkward.
He slipped in and out of her. She rested her hands on his shoulders as he rode her hard. She climaxed with him, shouting his name.
When they could breathe again, he soaped her body and washed her hair, and then rinsed her off beneath the shower spray.
She returned the favor, touching every part of his body and making him want even more.
When they stepped out of the shower, they dried each other off, taking longer than necessary by kissing the dry spots as they worked their way over each other’s bodies. If they didn’t stop touching each other, they’d never make it out of the bungalow.
But it was so hard to stop.
Blade cleared his throat and took a step backward. “So, what do you want for dinner tonight?” Personally, he’d rather stay in and order out, having somebody deliver food to the room. The more time he could spend alone with Sophia, the better. Damn, he was in deep.
He’d already broken his promise to his teammates by sleeping with Sophia. She’d given him carte blanche with no s
trings attached, which still didn’t make it right.
Guilt knotted his belly. He’d known she was a good neighbor and good friend, but he hadn’t known how much fun she was to be with, and how sexy and passionate she was in bed. If he wasn’t careful, he’d start thinking down the path of wanting to wake up with her every morning for the rest of his life.
Sadly, he wasn’t marriage material. Not with his upbringing and his job. Not that Rucker, Dash, Mac and Bull hadn’t proven they could find somebody who could love them even in their current jobs. Mac and Dash had it even worse. Their women were on the road as much as they were as a war correspondent and a performer. They had a lot more confidence and optimism in their ability to maintain a long-distance relationship, and their women seemed happy enough to take whatever bits and pieces they could have of them.
His teammates’ ladies were all strong and able to take care of themselves in most situations. For that matter, so was Sophia. As a waitress and bartender, she had to defend herself on a daily basis. She might look all soft and feminine, but she was tough and capable.
“Let’s order something in,” Sophia said. “I don’t feel like getting dressed up and putting on makeup.”
“Deal,” Blade said. “I think I’ll have it delivered to our favorite security guy up front and have him bring it to us. One less unfamiliar face.”
Sophia smiled. “Good point. Think he’ll mind?”
Blade shook his head. “He told me to come to him for anything we might need.” He grinned. “We need food.”
Blade placed an order for a seafood platter to be delivered to the front desk. He made a call to the security desk and asked for Ramón, the same man who had walked them to their bungalow the night before. He spoke with him in Spanish and arranged to have Ramón bring their food to them when it arrived.
“In the meantime,” Sophia stared through the glass of the patio door, “do you think we could sit on our deck and enjoy the remaining light in the sky before it gets dark?”
“That’s a possibility. Let me clear it first. And you might want to wear your big floppy hat.” Blade opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto the deck. He made a complete circle around the bungalow, looking for anybody hanging around, and then he walked out onto the beach to check to make sure the suspicious woman was gone, and that none of the bouncers they’d seen the night before had made an appearance.
