by Katie Reus
“No more,” she whispered.
He could do this all day but he stood and cupped her face with both hands, wishing again he had the right words to tell her what she meant to him. They were stuck somewhere in his brain, refusing to get out.
Wordlessly, he bent his head and took her mouth with his, and when he kissed her it felt like coming home. She was everything he’d never realized he’d been missing. As she flicked her tongue against his, he jerked in surprise as she wrapped her fingers around his erection.
Oh yeah.
Smiling in pleasure against his mouth, she started stroking him as they kissed, and for the second time that morning, he came, this time all over her stomach and breasts.
Long and hard, his climax seemed to go on forever, and feeling like a caveman, he rubbed himself into her skin, wanting to imprint himself on her everywhere.
He wanted her to remember him, because when this ended, he was never going to forget her.
Chapter 17
Arianna’s heart was an erratic beat as she waited for Ellis to make the necessary phone call.
“You don’t have to listen to this,” he said as they sat in the truck outside the random warehouse he’d chosen. From their position they could see if anyone approached and the building gave them a decent amount of cover. And it had no security cameras.
He’d given Arianna a wig and a ball cap to wear as well as oversized sunglasses, so she’d sat in the front seat with him, not worried about any CCTV cameras capturing their images. Ellis seemed to understand exactly how facial recognition software programs worked and apparently they weren’t as cool as she’d always thought. There was a high error rate, and even changing certain facial things or just covering them messed up the software. And with her disguise she was nearly unrecognizable. “No, I want to listen. I know in my heart that he set up those accounts, but I want to hear him say it.” She needed to.
Jaw tight, Ellis simply nodded and made the call.
She kept her hands folded tightly in her lap, sitting quietly as he turned on the voice synthesizer.
“Who is this?” Her stepfather’s voice came through the line loud and clear, his words clipped and concise. There was the faintest hint of an accent but it was barely discernible.
Her stomach tightened at hearing him on the other end. She knew that all of this was real but still, the bizarreness of it all overwhelmed her. Just a few days ago she’d been an elementary school teacher living in ignorant bliss. Now? She knew her stepfather was a monster.
“I texted you yesterday. If you ever want to see your daughter again, you’ll meet with me today. We have some things to discuss.”
Her stepfather made a scoffing sound. “You can keep my stepdaughter. I want my money.”
Even though she’d expected Vitaly to push back against a kidnapper, for some reason she had not expected that. She hadn’t expected him to dismiss her so easily and quickly.
Turning away, she looked out the passenger window as Ellis continued the call. His voice sounded normal to her, but she knew the app he was using would mask who he was. “I find it hard to believe you don’t care about her.”
Vitaly snorted. “She’s not my blood. And you know what, keep the money,” Vitaly spat, his voice actually trembling with his rage.
That brought her head back around. Eyes wide, she looked at Ellis but all his focus was on the phone as he frowned in confusion. “You don’t want your money back?”
“Oh, I want it. And I will get it. So if I were you, I would run far and fast. Wherever you go, it won’t be far enough. No one takes from me and…” He cleared his throat as if remembering himself. “Enjoy it while you have it.” The phone went dead.
Swearing, Ellis took the battery out then tossed the pieces out the window.
She had the most absurd thought that he shouldn’t be littering. “He doesn’t care about the money?” she asked even though it was obvious because Vitaly had just said so. “Maybe this is just a ploy.”
Ellis looked at her as he tapped his finger against the center console and she could see he was working something through in his mind. “Shit.”
“What?”
“I don’t think he was bluffing. And if he doesn’t want the money, it’s because he’s making his move against Berezin.” He tightened his jaw again, which seemed to be typical when he was frustrated.
“His move?”
“He’s going to kill Berezin or have someone else do it. He’s making his play to take over the East Coast operations and he’s probably doing it today or tomorrow. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” He let out a savage curse and slammed his hand against the steering wheel.
That ball of worry in her stomach tightened even more. For years she’d suspected that Vitaly’s business wasn’t exactly on the up and up, but she’d never imagined anything like this. Nothing with guns or drugs, especially considering how Max had died. “So what does this mean?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, tension etched into every line. “It means I have to find another way to get close to him. This was a long shot anyway.”
Maybe, maybe not. It was clear that Ellis had definitely been banking on this helping him out. She hated the defeat in his eyes that he was trying to hide. “Is there anything I can do?”
“I need to get you into police custody.” Even as she made a face at the word police, he shook his head. “Or federal custody. I’m not saying witness protection or anything, but… We need to come up with a plan for you to be found as a kidnap victim. It’s the only way your stepfather will let this go as far as you’re concerned.”
Yeah, she knew that and was trying not to think too hard about it. “What about you?”
“He’ll still be hunting for me, but he won’t find anything. And soon he’ll have bigger problems if he’s taking out Berezin. Look, my friend Lizzy—whose name you still need to forget—might know someone. Actually…I might know someone else I can call.” He tightened his jaw again and though he was looking at her she realized he wasn’t seeing her at all. She could practically see the wheels in his head turning as he came to a decision. Wordlessly he looked away from her and started the engine.
“Ah, are you going to fill me in on whatever you just decided?” she asked.
“Not yet. I’m still thinking this over in my head. I want to make sure you’re picked up by someone I trust. Someone completely untouchable. It needs to happen quietly because your stepfather will want to talk to you afterward. And you have to look completely innocent. It’s the only way you walk away from this.”
Unfortunately he was right. If Vitaly thought she might be involved with this and not just a victim, he would kill her. At this point she had no doubt. “I can’t believe he just dismissed me so easily,” she whispered. “I don’t understand what my mother ever saw in him.” Okay, that was a lie—Vitaly had provided a nice lifestyle for her mother and it was something her mama had desperately needed, to feel…worthy and loved.
Reaching out, Ellis took her hand in his, bringing her knuckles up to his mouth. So very gently, he brushed his lips against her skin. “I’m sorry. Truly I am. I thought he would want you and the money back.”
“We never had a warm and fuzzy relationship, but I think he loved my mother. Or…he loved the son she gave him. I know he loved my half-brother. And Max—sweet Maximus—adored me.” She let out a tired sigh. “We adored each other, so maybe Vitaly just…put up with me, I guess. I can’t believe he didn’t even try to fight for me.”
Ellis was silent as he kissed her hand again and put the truck into drive. There was nothing more to say anyway as they headed back to the safe house. He’d told her that he hadn’t wanted to make the call anywhere near there in case Vitaly had been working with the DEA and had tracking technology. He wasn’t sure what kind of technology Vitaly had for tracing a call or anything else.
Now time stretched out as she digested her stepfather’s easy rejection and the reality that she and Ellis had to come up
with something to make sure she looked like an innocent victim. If they didn’t, she could never return to her life without the threat of Vitaly coming after her.
Chapter 18
Ellis ended the call and looked at Arianna, who was sitting on the kitchen countertop, her fingers wrapped tightly around the quartz on either side of her. “How do you feel about the plan?” he asked.
They’d figured out what they thought was a solid plan, even if he hated part of it. He was going to leave her abandoned in the back of an SUV. Then he was going to call in a tip to the local police. Lizzy’s detective brother-in-law was going to be on standby and ready to swoop in and be the first one on scene. That way Arianna would get into police custody with someone he trusted and all of this would be on the record.
He did not want her in the hands of her stepfather now. How about never. But definitely not now when it was pretty clear to him at least that Vitaly was soon going to be making a move on Berezin. Things were going to get violent and bloody. And it was pretty clear she was disposable to him.
“If you trust this detective, then I will too.” She pushed off the kitchen counter and reached for him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Humbled that she trusted him so much, he pulled her close, hugging her tight. She fit right against him, as if they’d been made for each other. “We’ll go over everything tonight so it’s all fresh in your mind. We’ll make sure you have your cover story down.”
Groaning, she buried her face against his chest. “I’m not worried about that. I mean I am worried, but I’m just really going to miss you.” As she finished, she looked up at him, her expression so open and vulnerable. She wasn’t hiding anything from him.
It was instinctive to hide his emotions, but there was no reason to deny that he was going to miss her too. No reason to deny anything at all. “I’m going to miss you too,” he rasped out. Though that seemed far too passive a way to explain his feelings. He’d spent years hiding the real him, always pretending to be someone else. So even though it was foreign, he continued as he cupped her face. “If I’d met you under normal circumstances, I would have asked you out on a date. And if I’d been lucky enough to get your phone number, I wouldn’t have waited to call you and set up that date.”
There was a slight sheen of wetness in her green eyes as she looked at him. “I would have said yes,” she whispered.
Something shifted deep inside him. He couldn’t stand this. Could not stand knowing he was going to have to let her go. “I want to say more to you, but it’s not fair. I don’t know what’s going to happen after tomorrow.” Because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to clear his name or get his life back. So he couldn’t make promises to her he wasn’t sure he would keep. “You need to be safe.”
She wrapped her arms tighter around him, her lush body pressing against his. “I know. So let’s not waste any of this time together.” There was a desperation in her voice that he felt in his bones.
“You’re the kind of woman I would walk away from this job for.” He felt as if he’d swallowed gravel as he rasped the words out. That was as close as he could get to telling her how he truly felt. He didn’t want to lay anything else on her, because tomorrow they would have to separate and he had no idea when he would talk to her next. If he ever would. There was no guarantee he was coming out of any of this alive.
Her eyes widened slightly as she grabbed onto his shirt and tugged him toward her.
Leaning down, he covered her mouth with his, needing to taste her again. Grabbing her by the hips, he hoisted her up and barely made it to the living room. He wanted to make it upstairs and into the bedroom but that wasn’t happening. Not with how desperate they both were.
He grabbed some of the pillows and blankets on the back of the couch and tossed them down in front of the fireplace for a makeshift bed.
She clutched onto him, a soft smile curving her lips as he sat her on the bundle of blankets. One lamp in the corner was more than enough light, illuminating everything he needed to see.
He couldn’t even force his mouth to curve upward in a semblance of a smile. There was too much inside him right now. Too much he was trying to keep in check. Because this was saying goodbye, something he knew on every level. He didn’t want to let her go, but tomorrow he would.
Now… Now was for them. Instead of focusing on what he was losing, he was going to soak up every single second he had with her. It wouldn’t be enough, but it would have to last. He would take these memories and make them last.
And just pray to a God he wasn’t sure he believed in that he came back to her. Because when this was over, he was walking away from the DEA. If he cleared his name.
No, there was no room for those kinds of thoughts right now.
“Tell me to stop and we stop,” he murmured as he reached for the top of her pants and tugged them off. He couldn’t believe his hands were shaking, but they were. He could shoot a target at a thousand yards in poor wind conditions. But this? It was almost too much.
“Okay. But I don’t want to stop.” The need sparking in her eyes mirrored exactly how he felt.
And as she bared herself to him, quickly stripping off her sweater, he sucked in a sharp breath.
His erection pressed against his zipper as he stared at her in her bra and panties. A pink and black sports bra held up her full breasts and a little scrap of lace just barely covered her mound.
He’d seen her in the shower, had touched and kissed her everywhere—had been lucky enough to taste her as she came. But seeing her in this state of undress was still like a punch to all of his senses.
“What?” Her voice was low and she started to wrap her arms around her middle.
No way. He never wanted Arianna to cover up in front of him, never wanted there to be any barriers between them. “Nothing. I was just admiring the view.” He inwardly winced because he sounded stupid, but if the way her cheeks flushed was any indication, he’d said the right thing. The truth was almost always the right thing.
He crawled over her, until he had her caged in underneath him. Propped up on his elbows, he looked down at her.
“I…” He couldn’t find any words that didn’t sound pathetically short of anything he wanted to express, so he leaned down and covered her mouth with his.
Thankfully she didn’t seem to need any words because she arched into him, rubbing her unfortunately still covered breasts over his chest. He needed to get undressed too, but he enjoyed the feel of her wrapped around him.
Desperate for more, he slid his hands under her sports bra, cupping her smooth, full breasts against his palm.
She moaned into his mouth as he teased her nipples, the sound of her pleasure going to his head.
He ordered himself to go slow even though his body was trembling with unparalleled need. She was literally his fantasy woman and he couldn’t believe she was in his arms right now.
Especially not after what he’d done. He didn’t deserve her but he was damn sure going to do everything in his power to get back to her once this mess was settled.
That knowledge hit him with a gut-punching force. He would do anything to get back to her. He wanted to clear his name, but more than anything he wanted a future with her.
As she slid one of her legs lower, her heels rubbing against his ass and then wrapping around his upper leg, he rolled his hips against her.
He needed her completely naked right now. Shifting slightly so that he could lift his weight off her, he quickly took off her sports bra.
Her breasts spilled out, full and heavy, and it took all his self-control not to bury his face against them. Not yet.
Her dark hair splayed everywhere around her as he shimmied down her body and grasped the edges of her black panties. It took mere seconds to drag them down her legs. She was smooth and soft and perfect. Her skin was a perfect bronze that seemed to glow in the dim light of the living room lamp. He wished he had something better for their first time like candles or…someth
ing romantic that she deserved. But he hoped a couple orgasms would make up for it. “I wish I could give you more than—”
“Stop.” Sitting up, she grabbed at the bottom of his shirt and tugged upward. “No what-ifs or wishing. We have right now. And I’m grateful for this time with you. As insane as it sounds, I am grateful I met you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Damn. He swallowed hard as that intangible thing in his chest shifted again, settling even deeper. Meeting her had changed everything.
Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead to hers. For just a moment, he swore he could see, so clearly, all the way into the far-flung future, a reality with her that he so desperately wanted, and it carved an ache in his chest. It was a dangerous thing to want something too badly. Experience told him it always got taken away. But he couldn’t stop wanting her, couldn’t stop this obsession running full speed with no way to stop it.
So he kissed her hard, falling back on top of her as she stretched out underneath him, all lithe and sensual woman. All his. Her hard nipples brushed against his chest as he plundered her mouth once again. He was fully addicted to her taste, completely addicted to her, and he didn’t care.
She reached between their bodies and rubbed a hand over his thick erection.
Shuddering under her soft touch, he growled against her mouth. The feel of her touching him was too much right now. He was barely in control as it was, balancing on a tightrope of restraint that was about to snap at any moment.
He tore his mouth from hers and slowly began kissing down her body, memorizing every inch, every dip and curve, until he knelt between her legs.
He’d seen and tasted her in the shower, but this somehow felt different. Because he knew this was about more than just sex. This was about more than the physical. At least for him. No, he knew it was for her too. It was like there was this unspoken thing between them that connected them.
