“I hope you’re not laughing at my technique darlin’, my ego is frail you know.” He panted as they both let out a gratified groan.
“Your ego is as massive as…other things.” Sara smirked, leaning over to kiss his bristly jaw just as she tightened her inner core, causing Nick to swear as he pumped into her.
“Do that again,” he gasped, “and they’re both going to be deflated.”
***
Her flushed face and whiskey colored eyes filled with passion and laughter directed towards him was the biggest turn on Nick ever had. Her beautiful breasts, limned by the light peeking through the gap in her bedroom blinds, bounced in synchronicity with the motion of their bodies. Her skin glowed dusky pink with a fine sheen of sweat, and as he gazed down at their joined bodies all he could think was, Mine. He wanted—needed—to stake his claim on her. One that couldn’t be denied.
A Child.
Holy shit. He realized what was different. No protection.
“Ah…sweetheart, God, we need to stop this. Sara, no con…dom,” Nick croaked, his eyes almost crossing as she did that twist and tighten thing that about drove him wild.
“It’s okay, I’m on the pill. Are you okay…with that?” Sara panted, close to the edge now.
“Hoo-yah, babe, better than okay.” He looked into her glazed eyes, “Come on honey, let go for me. I’ve got you.” Stretching between them, he lightly brushed her core back and forth a couple times. Her whole frame tensed. She dropped her head to his chest, and sucked back a cry as she came, in turn triggering his own massive release. Hooyah.
They lay boneless together for a while, then arose and climbed into a long-drawn-out shower spent scrubbing each other’s one hundred and one parts. Afterward, reality intruded and they sat at the kitchen table, the purloined file open on the laptop in front of them. She’d been right. Tom was into some heavy shit with several very powerful men. Reading down the list of names and dates was like checking back issues of front-page news stories. It contained everything from the ongoing trouble south of the border, to the escalated drug and trafficking trade right here in the U.S.
This file could shut down a major corridor between their country and overseas black market avenues. “Wow, honey, you weren’t kidding, this is big.” He turned away from the computer and looked at her sitting beside him, lost in that old bathrobe of hers. She resembled a turtle sinking into its shell. As if seeing that file open on the table had made her shrink into her own skin.
“I want it to stop, Nick. I only took those reports in case I needed to use them as leverage against him.” She whispered, and the pain in her tone broke his heart. “I had to make him stop. Instead, now he won’t leave us alone.”
Feeling like an ass for not noticing how upset she’d become while he’d been pouring over the information, Nick hastened to assure her. “I know, sweetheart, I know. It’s going to be fine, don’t worry. I called some friends for help. These are good people, Sara. They’ll be able to figure out the next steps to keep you and Jess safe, okay? Trust me, it really will be all right.” He leaned over to give her a lingering kiss, pleased with her immediate response.
“Listen, honey, why don’t you lay down and have a rest? You didn’t get much sleep last night.” Thinking about all the reasons why, had him hardening all over again. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of gazing at her beautiful eyes opening next to his on their pillow every morning. A thousand conflicting emotions inside fought to escape. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
I’m in love.
He wanted to slay all her dragons. He wanted to lock her and Jessica away somewhere safe where nothing could ever take them away from him. He wanted to give them anything they could ever wish for. His chest swelled until it was almost painful. It’d be over his dead body before her ex came anywhere near her or Jessica ever again.
“Mm-hmm, I am a little worn out,” she murmured, setting her chair back and rising before leaning over to give him a warm hug. His throat closed, trapping all the emotions racing around his chest. His arms tightened their hold, and he buried his face in her soft bosom. When she pulled away, even though it’d been his idea, he felt the loss.
Nick watched until she was out of sight, and then turned back to the computer with renewed resolve. He needed to find the key to snap this ring. A bio on the asshole would be a good place to start. With that in mind he opened up a search on Sara Reed and didn’t have long to wait for the results to come pouring in.
She’d married a shipping magnate who was a U.S Attorney, currently running for governor. Was there anything the prick wasn’t into? He ran down the list and noticing an interview in a society column, hit the link. A grainy picture popped up and when Nick enlarged it, he fell back in his chair.
Well, son-of-a-bitch. Tom Sheridan.
Sara’s no-good ex happened to be the very same American they were assigned to protect. The American from the bar in Iraq. Crazy. No wonder Tom had been so chummy with those sketchy men, all those years ago. So he’d been doing this for quite some time. Making a fortune on the backs of innocent victim’s like that poor girl Nick had tried to help.
It made him furious, but it also scared him to death. These people knew Sara had this file. He no doubt had a whole army of men out searching for her. It made Nick doubly glad he had made that call to Frank yesterday. They should be arriving sometime tonight, and not a moment too soon, according to this. The deeper into the files they’d gone, the more they became aware of how far her husband’s duplicity ran. She’d tweaked the monster’s tail by getting away from him. He hoped they could find a way to slay it.
After her nap they spent what was left of the afternoon talking and making out on Sara’s comfortable old chintz sofa, knowing that after today it would be a lot harder to find any alone time, at least until a resolution was found.
They both decided Jessica would be better off staying with the Campbell’s for now, so Sara set the phone on speaker and called over to the craft store. After ascertaining the kids were getting along and not causing trouble she asked Annie if her offer still stood.
“Are you kidding me? I would love to take care of the munchkin. She keeps Chris from boredom. Do you and that handsome man of yours have something special planned?”
He only wished. It’d be great if the only thing they had to think about was plans for a romantic evening together. He’d love to take her out, his choice this time. Maybe a moonlit drive through the countryside. Find a nice private spot for a picnic and stargazing. Love-making. Hooyah.
“Oh Annie, I’m not even sure where to start. I’ll try to explain everything when I come for Jess tomorrow. Better put a big pot of coffee on. It’ll take a while.” Sara sighed.
She’d just hung up the phone when a sledgehammer like pounding began at the door. Jake jumped to his feet, barking up a storm. Sara recoiled before running to the replica Quaker style end table, and opening the drawer, pulled out the can of mace.
That won’t stop a bullet, my love.
Shushing the dog with a quick upward hand motion, he waved Sara back to the kitchen, which she of course ignored, then moved to check the viewer in the door. Relief swamped him when he saw who was putting up the hullabaloo on the other side. Rushing to flip the locks, he swung the door wide, and only had time for a quick salute before Jared grabbed him up off his feet in a bruiser of a bear hug.
“Nick. Good to see you buddy. It’s been way too long. I was wondering what the hell you’ve been up to all these years. Now I see you went and got yourself a little woman. Shit man, you’ve put on some pounds, too.” Jared laughed as he set Nick back down and pretended to hold his back in pain.
Nick grinned so hard he felt his jaw pop. “Hey Jare, I hear you have been up to the same old, same old. Great to see you too, bro.”
Turning back to the door, Nick took in the chief. He knew as he gazed into the proud man’s eyes that Frank still, even after all this time, held himself responsible for Adam getting shot and
killed.
Giving his mentor a sharp salute, Nick held out his hand and Frank latched on, hauling him into a tight clinch.
“I’ve missed you, sir. It’s been too God-damned long.” His throat closed, filled with hot emotion. These men were his family. How had they let themselves drift apart for so long?
“Nickolaus…ah man, I’m so sorry. Every damn day it sits there in my guts. I know how close to Adam you were. I wish…”
The Chief would have taken those bullets himself if he could have. Nick never once blamed the man for what went down. It tore him apart that Frank had been castigating himself all these years. He should have kept in touch. Some friend.
“There was nothing you could have done, sir. We all knew when we signed up that there was a chance that some of us would go home in body bags. It’s the way it is.”
“That it is, I should have made an effort to track you down when I got out. Things happen, time passes, and before you know it here we all are, five fucking years later.” As his gaze moved past Nick’s shoulder, he bowed his head slightly. “Begging your pardon, ma’am, been out on the range with only the cows for company for too long, I guess.”
***
Three different sets of eyes zeroed in on her, and Sara’s cheeks warmed. Holy testosterone, she felt like a midget at a Globetrotters game. These men were huge.
Nick had described his chief to her as larger than life. He hadn’t been kidding. The Man filled her doorway with his shoulders, and had to duck as he entered the house, instantly dwarfing the entry. She liked his craggy, lived in face, tanned a deep red, no doubt from the hot Texas sun. Coffee colored hair hung slightly shaggy around his ears, highlighting silver eyes. Those eyes had seen too much of the wretched side of life. They made Sara wish that she had a sketchbook handy; she wanted to catch all the little nuances she could see in them, stunning.
Nick’s friend Jared was lean and lanky, with sandy blonde hair and multiple tattoos marching up and down his arms. Between the beat up leather coat swinging by a finger over his shoulder and the fading bruises on his face, he reminded her of a biker. Nick had depicted Jared as an easygoing, brilliant man, but after seeing him in person, she sensed there was a lot hidden inside his good-old-boy vibe.
“Sara, honey, come and meet two of the best guys you could ever have on your side. Chief, Jare, this is Sara. She and her little girl need your help; she’s up to her beautiful neck in some heavy shit.”
These men looked what they were, fully capable of creating some major chaos on those that crossed them and theirs. As she went about the business of making enough food to fill an army, the men sat at the table with big mugs of strong black coffee, looking over that ugly file and strategizing their next move. She placed a plate piled high with the roast beef she had started earlier in the day, a mountain of mashed potatoes with a bowl of thick, rich gravy, and the requisite green vegetable, beans, on the table in front of them.
Nick caught her hand as she pulled back, and turning it over, kissed the inside of her wrist as he gazed up into her eyes. The sudden flare of awareness between them spiked her blood and if it were not for Jared’s smart aleck voice reminding her of their company, she knew Nick would have liked nothing more than to lay her out on the table as his own personal banquet.
“What do you see in that ugly face gorgeous? Come run away with me, I’m way more fun than old Mr. Responsibility there.” He began to sing in a horribly off-key but compelling voice, “sweet dreams are made of the year, who are we to disagree. Come on sugar; I’ll be your sweet dream.” He wagged his eyebrows, Groucho Marx style and his turquoise eyes highlighted by glasses and a dark tan were quite mesmerizing.
Sara laughed at his silly antics, sitting beside Nick who retained a firm hold on her hand as if she might actually go, silly man. Her heart already belonged to him, no matter how cute his friends were. Not that she’d told him yet, she was still adjusting to it herself. She was almost sure Nick felt the same way about her too, after the way he had held her and made love to her this afternoon. His eyes glowed whenever they landed on her and he touched her often, as if he could not get enough of her.
“This is roast beef the way my mama does it, tender and juicy, thank-you for the nice meal, ma’am.” Frank frowned at Jared before sending a careful look her way, taking note of their linked hands.
So he wasn’t as ready as his friend to accept her into their little fold yet. That’s okay, she was a little overwhelmed by them also. “Sara, please, and you’re more than welcome Mr. Stein. I cannot tell you how deeply I appreciate Mr. Ford and yourself coming all this way to help my daughter and myself. When we began this journey, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I guess I thought that Tom would conclude that it would be easier to let us live our lives. I should have recognized, especially after seeing the contents of his file he would never give up until he found us.”
“Why did you take it ma’am, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“No I don’t mind. When I copied that folder, all I was looking for was a little advantage, something to make him leave us alone. I knew it was a record of his transactions, but I never guessed it was full of names and dates. Important names. Now that I’ve read it, I understand it was the worst possible thing I could have done. He’ll never stop now, he can’t afford to. And I haven’t been able to stop running because whom would I trust this to? The names listed in there are some of the highest-ranking officials in our country.” Frustrated and angry with the whole situation, she jumped to her feet.
“I know you’re wondering how I could have been married to the man for nine years and not known what he was involved with. The only thing I can say in my defense is the man I married who was gentle and caring, changed. He became secretive, stayed late at the office, went on business trips without me. At first, I thought he was having an affair. My marriage was floundering when I found out I was pregnant but I was optimistic this would bring us closer together again, however when I shared the news with Tom, he was distressed. He began to drink excessively and turned into someone I didn’t know or like very much.”
Gazing soberly at each of the men around her table, Sara admitted, “Things got bad, bad enough that I felt I had no choice but to run. Tom was once a good man, Mr. Stein. I don’t think I can say that anymore.” She patted Nick on the shoulder to assure him she was fine, and began clearing plates from the table.
An awkward silence filled the room punctuated by the dripping of the tap from the old sink and Jake noisily slurping up the gravy from Nick’s discarded meal. She could practically slice the tension in the room. Each one of them were going over as much of what she hadn’t said as what she had.
“I guess that explains why the dipshit liked to spend all that time with the locals over there, and it wasn’t to be a good citizen. What an asshole,” came Jared’s blistering proclamation.
“Wait until you get a load of what our old pal Sheridan has been up to, you won’t believe it,” Nick said as she came and slid under his arm. Then it sunk in.
Old pal.
Shock had her standing frozen as the men laughed and talked over her head. They knew Tom. Betrayal rose up her throat, ugly and corrosive. How could she have missed it? She’d trusted him. Loved him. How stupid could she possibly get?
Her cell phone rang out from where she’d left it on the coffee table when her and Nick…stopping that thought in its tracks, she escaped his hold to answer. It was probably Annie calling to let Jessica say goodnight.
Swallowing rapidly to conceal her tears, she picked up, “Hello, peanut.”
“You still care, how refreshing.” Her husband’s pompous tone in her ear had her sliding in a boneless heap onto the sofa behind her.
“What do you want, Tom? How did you get this number?” The sudden silence in her home was deafening. Unable to help herself, her gaze locked on Nick, begging for support. He hurried over and sank down beside her, his warm palm settling over her thigh. She turned the phone to speaker with shaking fin
gers, and tried to regulate the tremor in her tone. “I would have thought you’d have figured out by now I want nothing to do with you. It’s over between us. Leave us alone. Please, Tom.” She couldn’t help it. Entreaty filled her voice. Even after being away from him for this long, the sound of his silky voice still brought frissons of anxiety skating over her skin.
“I think you must be confused, my dear. Since when do you get to give any commands in this relationship? I’ve missed you, Sara. It’s time for you to quit this insanity and come home.”
“That’s not going to happen. The only thing you’ve missed is your precious file. I’ve read it, Tom. If I turn it over to the authorities, you’re going to jail. You and I both know it. All I want is for you to give me custody of Jessica, and a divorce. In return, I’ll give you back your precious flash drive. Take the deal; you won’t like the alternative.” Her teeth threatened to chatter themselves right out of her head as shock began to set in. She wrapped her arms around her body. She was cold, so very cold.
“Au contraire, I think the best would be if you did as I God-damn asked for once in your stupid, insipid little life.” The octaves rose, his power indisputable even through the airwaves, had Sara shrinking back as if he were right there before her. “I’ve asked you nice, but as per usual, you aren’t listening, so I’ll let someone else convince you to pay attention. I plan to win, Sara.”
“Don’t tell him anything, I’m so sor…”
“Oh my God, Fiona. Are you okay? Fiona!” Sara sobbed. Then in the background they heard a slap, and a choked off cry along with the wounded screech of a chair overturning and hitting the floor. Hard.
Tom’s manic laugh rang through the room. “Sorry my dear, she’s temporarily incapacitated. Your pretty friend was very forthcoming with your number when she realized just how much I’ve been missing you. We’ve been spending a little time together, getting to know each other. She’s quite the firebrand, must be all that red hair.”
Tidal Falls (Wounded Hearts Book 1) Page 11
