Top Gun Guardian

by Carol Ericson

  He stopped at the bedroom door, slouching against the doorjamb. “Do you want me to sleep on the sofa in the family room? I can always pretend I fell asleep in front of the TV.”

  “No. Unless you want to fall asleep in front of the T.V.”

  “Nope.”

  “Um, could I use one of your T-shirts or something for pajamas?” She waved her hand at the closet doors.

  “Knock yourself out. Do you want to take a shower first? I’m going to take one after rolling around in the dirt after that crane malfunction.”

  Shower? Was that code word for planning sex?

  “Yeah, I’ll take a quick shower.” Raven opened his dresser drawer and plucked a white T-shirt from the neat stack. Clutching it to her chest, she slipped into the attached bathroom.

  She secured her hair and stepped into the shower. Three minutes later, squeaky clean, she toweled off and brushed her teeth. She’d soaped up and rinsed off like the Energizer Bunny in case Buzz changed his mind and packed off downstairs. But on second thought, if she’d taken longer, maybe he would’ve joined her.

  She dropped the T-shirt over her head, surprised at the fresh scent. Buzz kept a supply of clothes at the ranch, but she didn’t expect them to be freshly laundered.

  Bunching her dirty clothes in her arms, she opened the bathroom door and peered around the edge. Buzz looked up from his book.

  “That was fast. Knowing how long you usually take in the bathroom, I was settling in for a good, long wait.”

  She stuck out her tongue. “Some things do change.”

  “That’s good to hear.” He snapped his book shut and slid off the bed. “That T-shirt looks a lot better on you than me.”

  Raven stared at the bathroom door after he’d closed it behind him. Her gaze tracked to the chair in the corner. Should she pretend maidenly modesty and claim the chair?

  She blew out a puff of air. She wasn’t a maiden and she wasn’t modest. Why pretend now?

  She peeled back the covers on the bed and slipped between the sheets. Leaning over, she plugged in her cell phone charger and then plumped the pillows behind her. She didn’t have a book or even a magazine from downstairs, so she picked up Buzz’s book—a political thriller. Didn’t he get enough of that in real life?

  She thumbed through the pages and jumped when Buzz swung open the bathroom door. Wisps of steam curled around his body as he stepped into the room, a towel hanging low on his hips. His biceps bunched as he reached up and sluiced back his hair.

  Raven’s belly fluttered and she squeezed her thighs together. He looked like a page from a calendar—hot pilots. Maybe Mr. November.

  He raised one eyebrow at her snuggled in his bed. She chewed on her lower lip. Maybe she should’ve bunked in the chair.

  “Did you lose my place?”

  “Huh?”

  “In my book.” He pointed to the forgotten tome in her hands. “Did you lose my place?”

  She held up the book and flicked the card he’d used as a bookmark. “No. You’re at the place where he finds the dead body.”

  “Really?” He turned and placed his palms on the dresser, hunching forward to look into the mirror. “I thought I was at the place he has sex with his hot accomplice.”

  His towel slipped an inch down his backside and Raven’s fingertips tingled at the thought of running her hands across his hard muscles. She drummed her fingers on the book’s cover. “If you can’t remember, the sex scenes must not be very good.”

  “I prefer doing, not reading.”

  Raven dropped the book. Well, he sure cleared that up. She patted the space beside her on the bed. “Are you going to do me or are you taking the chair?”

  She gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. Did she just ask him if he was going to do her?

  Buzz laughed. “The chair? You gave yourself away with that Freudian slip. Besides, the minute you told me you didn’t want me sleeping on the sofa, I knew what you wanted.”

  He did? She hadn’t been quite sure herself, but leave it to a man to see everything in black and white. If they were sharing a bed, it was a done deal.

  He whipped off the towel and tossed it onto the chair. At least that chair had served some good purpose. She studied his form, drinking in all the familiar ridges and dips, and he let her. He could’ve been a marble statue positioned for her enjoyment.

  But he was flesh and blood and the finest male specimen she’d ever had the pleasure of pleasuring.

  He approached the bed slowly. He grabbed the book and tossed it onto the nightstand. Kneeling on the bed, he yanked the covers off her body.

  Goosebumps raced across her flesh and her nipples hardened against the soft cotton of the T-shirt in anticipation of his touch. He straddled her and curled his fingers along the hem of the shirt.

  “You don’t need this anymore.”

  She opened her eyes wide. “You mean you want it back already?”

  Bunching the material in his hands he yanked, and the T-shirt ripped right up the middle. She gasped. “You really didn’t like that T-shirt, did you?”

  “I didn’t appreciate that it kept me from this.” He placed his index finger at the base of her throat and began tracing a line down her body. He ended at the elastic waist of her panties.

  “Oh no, you don’t.” She grabbed his hand. “I have a limited supply of these.”

  He leaned over her, his erection skimming her belly, and placed a finger on her lips. “I’ll be careful.”

  Sitting back on his heels, he wedged two fingers on either side of the elastic. When his warm fingers made contact with her hips, she jerked.

  Buzz dipped his head and gripped the waistband with his teeth, tugging lightly. Sucking in a breath, Raven tipped up her pelvis. He dragged her panties down as his hair tickled her belly and his nose skimmed across her sensitive skin.

  He got them as far as her thighs, and then looked up with a satisfied grin. “Pretty talented, huh?”

  “You can use your hands for the rest.”

  Buzz pulled off her panties with a flourish. He ran his palms along the outsides of her thighs until they curved in at her waist. Splaying his hands on her ribcage, he tickled the underside of her breasts with his thumbs.

  Raven skimmed her fingers through his short hair, pulling his head toward her breasts. He didn’t need much encouragement. His warm lips puckered around one nipple, drawing it into his mouth.

  Raven arched her back to make contact with his erection. She rubbed herself against his hardness and hooked one leg around his muscular thigh.

  The dull ache of wanting that had carved a hole in the pit of her stomach since the day she left him flared into a hot, demanding need. She cried out hoarsely, “Take me.”

  He kissed her neck, her ear and finally her lips. As his tongue invaded her mouth, he parted her thighs and entered her with a desire that matched her own. She wrapped her legs around his hips and rode him, sucking his tongue and digging her nails into his buttocks, wanting him closer still.

  With each thrust, he created a seal between them. She reached a shattering climax, its shifting pieces stabbing her with new delight at different points in her body.

  Just when she thought she’d wrung out every drop of pleasure from her orgasm, Buzz exploded inside her and the pleasure turned into a deep, abiding contentment.

  Still inside her, he braced himself on his forearms and kissed her nose. “I’m glad some things don’t change.”

  Her eyelashes fluttered. “Oh, I don’t know. That was better than I remembered it.”

  He tugged the torn T-shirt around her. “Do you want to keep this on?”

  Her eyelids flew open. “I have to keep something on. What if Malika calls for me in the middle of the night?”

  “What did you have on last night?”

  “Not even a torn T-shirt.”

  “Then what’s different about tonight? If she calls out, grab another T-shirt. I have plenty that aren’t ripped.”

  “But
I… But we…” She stammered to a stop. They’d just made love. That was the difference. Couldn’t a child always tell when her parents’ attention lay elsewhere? She could.

  He bounded from the bed. “I tell you what. I’ll get another shirt, a bigger one, and put it at the foot of the bed. That way, if she calls you’ll be ready.”

  “Okay.” She slid back against the pillows. She jerked her head toward the nightstand when her charging phone buzzed. It must still be on.

  “What’s that noise?” Buzz tossed another T-shirt onto the foot of the bed.

  “It’s my phone.” She grabbed it by the charger and swung it into her lap. “Caller unknown.”

  Buzz perched on her side of the bed, his body suddenly tense. “Answer it.”

  “Are you crazy? We just made love. We’re kind of in the middle of something here.”

  “Take the call, Raven.”

  She studied his serious face for a moment and then punched the call button. “Hello?”

  Michael’s voice rushed over the line, filled with relief. “It’s great to hear your voice live, Raven.”

  “Michael?” Signaling to Buzz, she drew her brows together. “What do you mean, live?”

  “I got your voicemail from earlier, but I didn’t pick it up until a few minutes ago. Your message made no sense at all. Where are you anyway?”

  “Why didn’t you understand my message? You called and we got disconnected.” She met Buzz’s eyes and shrugged.

  He whispered, “Speaker,” and she pushed the button without hesitation. She had nothing to hide, and the muscle ticking in Buzz’s clenched jaw didn’t look like jealousy.

  “That’s the thing, Raven. I never called you.”

  Her pulse ramped up and she licked her lips. “Now you’re not making sense, Michael. I got a call earlier this evening and your caller ID popped up. We tried a conversation but…the call dropped. I called you back and got your voicemail.”

  “Raven, the strangest thing happened the night of our date. I mean stranger than your not being home when I went to pick you up. I rang your bell outside a few times, and then Jenny Baker, you know the woman on the fifth floor?”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Raven forced the words out as her lungs felt depleted of air.

  “Jenny let me in. I noticed a guy lounging near the elevators, but didn’t think anything of it at the time. Then I banged on your door a few times and took off when you didn’t respond.”

  “Did you try to call me?”

  “That’s the weird part. I went outside and walked up the street for a bit to catch a cab. When I fumbled in my pocket for my cell, some guy came up behind me and whacked me on the back of the head.”

  Raven choked and met Buzz’s blazing blue eyes. “A-are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but the dude who attacked me, and I’m sure it’s the same guy who was in your apartment building, stole my wallet and my cell phone.”

  “Your cell phone?”

  “Yeah, isn’t that odd? Maybe he took it because I had it out and he was afraid I’d call the cops when I came to or something. Anyway, what I’m trying to tell you, Raven, is that I got your message because I dialed into my voicemail from my landline. I didn’t call you before because your number was in my cell phone. When I got your message, I went through a few hoops to get your cell number.”

  “You never called me?”

  “That’s what I’m telling you. The person who called you earlier from my phone is probably the guy who mugged me.”

  Chapter Ten

  The phone slid from Raven’s hand. With the blood pounding behind his temples, Buzz scooped up the phone from the bed and held it out to Raven in his cupped hand. He whispered, “Keep talking.”

  “Raven?”

  She cleared her throat. “The guy who stole your phone called me? Creepy. Why would he do that?”

  Buzz massaged the back of his neck. He could think of several reasons.

  “I have no idea. Maybe he just went through my contacts and called all the women. Are you okay? I heard about some ruckus at the U.N. and thought about you. Were you involved in that?”

  “Oh, no. That was just some false alarm.” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m sorry about the date, and I’m especially sorry about the mugging outside my building. My boss called me away on a special assignment and I’ll be out of town for a while. It was all rush-rush.”

  “Maybe another time then. Just wanted to make sure you were okay with all the strange happenings. And if that dude calls you again, tell him I still have a headache and to return my damned phone.”

  Raven managed a short laugh although her face was stiff with worry. When she ended the call, she pressed the phone against her chest. “What does it mean, Buzz?”

  He folded back the covers and pulled her down next to him, encircling her with his arms. With her back molded against his chest, he rested his cheek against her hair. He didn’t want to scare her, but she already knew the truth.

  “I think someone was watching your place. When Michael showed up for your date and knocked on your door, that someone followed him, mugged him and took his phone. He then used it to call you. It’s probably how they got your number the first time they texted you with that warning from the disposable phone.”

  A tremble coursed through her frame and Buzz hugged her tighter.

  “But the crane. That had to be an accident. It’s just a coincidence I got that call at the same time.”

  He couldn’t take her down that path any more tonight. He wouldn’t give voice to his wild speculations. Instead he nuzzled her soft ear and murmured. “Sure, babe. The crane was a coincidence.”

  THE NEXT MORNING, BUZZ REACHED across the cold sheets to pull Raven close again. She’d slept curled up against him all night and he wanted more. But his hands clutched at emptiness.

  The noise from the shower meant she hadn’t been up long, but it also meant she was ready to start her day and had moved beyond tangled sheets and warm kisses.

  Unless he joined her in the shower.

  He swung his legs over the side of the bed, and the shower stopped. It worked like a splash of cold water on his face…and other areas farther south. He’d better not get too invested this time. He wanted one lifestyle and she wanted something completely different. They couldn’t see eye-to-eye before and not much had changed…except Raven had saved the life of a little girl and that little girl had come to love her and depend on her. Was it enough to change Raven?

  The bathroom door inched open, and Buzz called out. “It’s okay. I’m awake.”

  She poked her wet head into the room and puckered her lips into an O. “Did I wake you? You looked so peaceful. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

  “No, you didn’t wake me up.” He jerked his head toward the bedroom door. “Is anyone else up and about?”

  She toweled her hair and replied in a muffled voice. “I’ve been hearing some clinks and clanks that sound like breakfast. Does your sister cook?”

  “Yeah, she does. She’s not such a bad addition to the household after all.”

  “I’m glad the two of you are talking again. What’s on the agenda for today?”

  Raven retreated into the bathroom and then sauntered into the bedroom, running her fingers through her black locks.

  Buzz suffered a stab of disappointment when he took in her fully clothed body. Even if their expectations for the future veered in different directions, he could go for more of what they’d shared last night in the here and now.

  “The kids will want to go back to the festival. Josie will probably want to do some riding, and I might get Malika on a pony. You too?”

  “Buzz.” She sat on the foot of the bed and pulled on one of her boots. “Why are we avoiding the obvious?”

  Blood rushed to all the right places and his toes curled into the rug. Maybe she could go for some here and now, too.

  “I mean, some terrorist who’s trying to kidnap Malika mugged my frien
d and stole his cell phone to call me.”

  Second splash of cold water this morning.

  Buzz scratched his chin. It’s not as if he’d forgotten about the danger, but damn, having sex with your beautiful ex-fiancée while on an assignment was a major distraction.

  “So Farouk knows your name, knows where you live and mugged your date. It doesn’t mean he knows where you are now or even that you have Malika.”

  He’d been the one spouting doom and gloom last night, and now he was trying to put a good spin on it. A good night’s sleep and the light of day could do a lot toward banishing paranoia.

  Raven dropped her other boot with a thud. “You think Farouk is after me?”

  “Whoa.” He shifted toward her and massaged the back of her neck. “Nobody is after you. They want Malika. You’re of no interest to them without her. And Farouk wouldn’t stake out your apartment or mug Michael. He’d send his henchmen for that.”

  Her neck stiffened beneath his fingers and she twisted her head around. “Henchmen?”

  “Associates.”

  “You said henchmen.” She stuffed her foot into her boot and stomped her feet when she stood up. “Maybe we need to get out of White Cloud.”

  Buzz pushed off the bed, dragging the sheet with him. The time for naked bodies had long since passed. “My agreement with President Okeke includes White Cloud and White Cloud only.”

  “But if we can’t keep her safe here?”

  Did Raven doubt his abilities to protect Malika? He tucked the sheet around his waist and squared his shoulders, trying for a little dignity. “I’ll keep her safe. We can’t go dragging President Okeke’s daughter all over the country without his knowledge or approval. What if something happens to her on the road?”

  Raven flattened her palms against his bare chest, sending another shaft of desire through his core. “Okay, I trust you, Buzz. Now I’m going downstairs to see what your sister whipped up for breakfast.”

  She planted a chaste kiss on his lips and scurried out of the bedroom as if she feared that kiss would lead to an all-out conflagration. If only.