Rescue Me: A Novel

by Christy Reece

  Meaning, was there something wrong with her? If she weren't pretty damn sure their every word was being listened to and weighed, she'd say yes, there was definitely something wrong and that she wanted to sleep in another room, without him.

  She was about to lie down next to a man who at one time meant the world to her. A man who'd made love to her with an all-consuming passion. How could it be that after years of not even thinking about sex, it was suddenly at the forefront of her mind? Sensual, sexual feelings she'd successfully repressed for years were suddenly springing to life, unwanted and unprovoked.

  She'd known this was coming. Had known she'd have to lie beside him, sleep with him. They'd discussed this. The cameras would most certainly be in the bedroom. She knew they'd have to kiss, cuddle, perhaps even fake sex to maintain their cover.

  When they talked about it, she'd been sure she could do this. She was used to playing a role. It was what she did. She was good at this, dammit.

  Now, with Jordan's hard, masculine body waiting for her under the covers, she was suddenly unsure and awkward. Eden St. Claire morphing back to a young, immature schoolgirl with a crush on her hero. No. Hell no. That was not going to happen. Setting her chin determinedly, Eden got into bed, resolved to ignore the gorgeous man beside her.

  For several long moments, Jordan held her gaze, curiosity and barely veiled concern in his expression. Eden returned his look with an arrogant arch of her brow, almost challenging him to comment.

  Breathing out a long, low sigh, he turned away to flip the lamp switch beside the bed.

  Darkness washed over the room, shielding their bodies. Blankets created a cocoon of intimacy. Eden told herself she could sleep like this. The king-sized bed gave her ample room. The big body beside her was no one of importance or consequence. She blew out a long, exhausted breath, forcing her body and mind to relax … let go.

  Jordan heard the moment when she finally allowed herself to drift into slumber. What an extraordinary blend … cool, sophisticated beauty and an oddly insecure vulnerability. The more he knew Eden St. Claire, the more she intrigued him.

  The giggly sex kitten she'd displayed earlier had him convinced she could play any role with ease. Then, tonight, she walked out of the bathroom wearing a sexy, almost nonexistent nightgown and his radar had shot up, along with a part of his anatomy he fiercely ignored. A normal male reaction to a beautiful female form, nothing more.

  He'd watched with interest as she flitted around the bedroom, putting clothes away, straightening the newspapers he'd read earlier, stacking and restacking the three magazines she'd brought with her. Hell, he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd started dusting the furniture. Then, as if she knew she was behaving oddly, she strode to the bed and began to beat the hell out of her pillow.

  Watching her parade in front of him, beautiful skin glowing, long hair flowing down her almost naked back, hadn't erased his arousal. The nervous, worried expression on her face had done that. What the hell was she afraid of?

  Ignoring the soft breathing and delicate fragrance of the woman beside him wasn't easy. The attraction he felt for Eden had grown stronger. McCall was right. Eden was very good at what she did. The professionalism she'd exhibited over the last two weeks was nothing short of impeccable. Quite different from what he'd perceived when he first met her as an LCR operative.

  Perhaps McCall's theory that the job she'd been on had taken a lot out of her had been correct. Since then, he'd seen nothing other than a professional, undercover operative with a quick, intelligent mind and a beauty that defied description. A beauty he was doing his dead level best to ignore.

  As he had for years, Jordan forced sleep. Spending years on missions when functioning on almost zero sleep was the norm; he'd trained himself to take sleep when he could. His mind drifted, his body relaxed, he slept.

  A scream pierced the night.

  Reaching for his gun with one hand, he grabbed for Eden with the other. Empty space met his fingers searching for his gun. Dammit, he didn't have one. Eden jerked and twitched beside him.

  Uncaring about cameras or prying eyes, Jordan quickly switched on the bedside lamp. His gaze swept the room for danger, finding it empty of threats. The woman beside him seemed to think otherwise. Caught in the throes of a nightmare, Eden thrashed on the bed, moaning and whimpering, as if in pain.

  Leaning forward, he whispered, “Wake up, sweetheart.” The crying continued, almost heartbreaking in its ferocity. Her eyes closed, the tortured expression on her face revealed a horror only she could see.

  Touching her shoulder gently, not wanting to startle her, he was unprepared for the stark cry of a wounded animal.

  To hell with cameras. Grabbing her shoulders, Jordan pulled her into his arms, unable to listen to her pain without trying to help. Instead of fighting him, as he thought she would, she buried her head and sobbed against his chest.

  Whispering soft, soothing words of comfort, Jordan wrapped his arms around her, cradled her to his chest, and rocked. Her sobs quieted. He felt the moment when she became fully awake and aware of where she was. Her spine stiffened, breath hitched, and then stopped for several seconds.

  She pulled away and looked up at him. Beautiful eyes drenched from her tears, remnants of the nightmare still lingered. Breath shuddered through her. “What happened?”

  “You had a nightmare.”

  Horror swept across her face. “What kind of … Did I …” Her throat jerked convulsively as she struggled for words. “What did I say?”

  “Nothing. You screamed, and then you cried.”

  “I don't cry.”

  The words were said with such indignation, Jordan struggled not to smile. She acted as if he'd accused her of an outrageous crime.

  Allowing her the lie, he shrugged. “I must have misunderstood.”

  She looked around the room as if just realizing where they were. “My God, I forgot … I didn't …”

  “No, everything is fine.” He shook her shoulders slightly. “Okay?”

  Her body going limp with relief, Jordan released her, letting her settle back on the pillow.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Oh, Barry,” she breathed, “you know I always have bad dreams this time of year. Remember, my mama passed away two years ago this coming Saturday.”

  And just like that, Maggie Johnson had returned.

  Jordan was momentarily stunned into speechlessness. How the hell did she do that? Not only did her expression change to a naïve young woman, her entire body shifted in some way he couldn't easily identify. Somehow, she just was Maggie.

  He put on Barry with a little more difficulty. “I'm sorry, sweetcakes, I forgot all about that. Come over here and let me hold you.”

  Alarm flared in her eyes, but she quickly doused it. Instead, her luscious lips tilted up in a smile guaranteed to make an aging Barry Johnson feel like a young buck. “Turn off the light.”

  In the darkness, the cameras wouldn't pick up the fact that he wasn't holding her. Refusing to acknowledge the disappointment of not being able to hold her against him again, Jordan gave her a greasy Barry smile and switched off the light.

  As they settled down next to each other, he barely felt the soft whisper of her mouth on his ear as she leaned over him. “I'm sorry. That won't happen again.”

  Since he really didn't know what had happened, other than an awful nightmare that he doubted she'd ever explain, he merely whispered back, “No problem.”

  And that was that. Soon Eden's soft, even breaths were the only sounds in the room. Jordan told himself to force sleep again. He would need to be on his toes over the next few days. He needed every advantage. But somehow sleep wouldn't come as easily as before. The woman beside him continued to amaze and confuse him. She was certainly one of the most talented women he'd ever met, but the story she'd told him about her life now seemed almost too simplistic. What could have triggered the nightmare she'd suffered? Had something happened to her while she was on a miss
ion?

  What ever had happened, it was obvious the experience still affected her, if only subconsciously. If he asked what brought on the nightmare, he was sure she'd tell him it was none of his damn business. And she'd be right.

  Still, he wondered.

  As if she didn't have a care in the world, Eden lay facedown on the rubber raft and floated lazily in the giant swimming pool. The sun beat down upon her almost naked back, heating her skin, but did nothing to ease the tension inside her. What would be expected of them the rest of the week, and when would they get this show on the road?

  Though Lawson said it would take days to find the perfect child for them, they knew they were still under observation. They'd been invited to stay until it was time to choose.

  So far, they'd been treated as honored and well-fed guest prisoners, allowed to roam around the estate, but not leave it. They relinquished their cellphones when they first arrived and weren't allowed contact with the outside world. This lack of action, and not knowing when they'd be able to move, drove Eden crazy. She wanted to get this over with and get these slimeballs behind bars.

  “Make sure you don't burn that beautiful ass of yours.”

  She jerked her head up. Wishing she could glare, but knowing what was expected of her, she giggled instead. “Now, Barry, you know you'd just kiss it and make it better.”

  He grinned like a sleazy wolf as he stepped out of his sandals and dropped his robe. Eden stifled what would have been a real giggle when she saw his ridiculous swim trunks. She purchased them, having assured him that someone with Barry's overbearing personality would also have deplorable taste in his clothing. He'd drawn the line at wearing flowered shirts and flashy jewelry, but reluctantly agreed with her choice of swimming attire.

  The bright yellow trunks with orange stripes would be funny enough, but the giant peacock covering his groin created all sorts of hilarious images regarding his manhood. The orange T-shirt she'd bought to complement it had drawn as big a frown as the trunks had. But when she'd reminded him that he'd need to wear the T-shirt since he needed to feign a slight paunch, he hadn't been able to argue.

  Her laughter disintegrated when she saw he intended to join her in the pool. The last couple of days had been relatively calm … no more electric caresses and looks. They'd been playing Barry and Maggie to the hilt.

  The humiliating nightmare the first night had been an anomaly. Nothing remotely similar had happened since. Even sleeping side by side night after night in the king-sized bed hadn't created any kind of problem. She'd even defeated those odd, unwanted sensual thoughts.

  For some reason, perhaps her own sense of self-preservation, Eden knew that was about to change.

  She heard, rather than saw, Jordan slide in the water and swim toward her. Lying on a float in the middle of the pool, she felt at a disadvantage. Could it be because she was wearing her own ridiculous bathing suit, the one he insisted she wear?

  “Enjoying yourself?” Where had Barry's slightly nasal, good old boy voice gone? Jordan's sexy, gravelly tone sent shivers through her. Despite the sun glaring down on her, goose bumps covered her body.

  A hand, rough and tender at the same time, glided down her arm. “You cold?”

  Eden knew no one could hear them. They were surrounded by water, but the chance they were being observed was great. It would be too risky to ignore or snap at him. But the greater risk was what she longed to do, which was to turn, wrap her arms and legs around him, and give him the deep, delicious, heart-stopping kiss she'd been dreaming about for days.

  “Hey, you okay?” Jordan's concerned tone told her she wasn't acting normally.

  Remembering her role with difficulty, Eden turned her head and smiled brightly. “I'm fine. Guess I was almost asleep and didn't hear you.”

  His eyes narrowed. She waited to see if he would challenge her. Instead he gave her a tender smile and softly kissed her cheek. Oh hell. There went her erotic sensors, blaring full blast at the top of their nonexistent lungs.

  Repressing another shiver, she slid from the float into the water, hoping he'd get the hint and allow her to escape. His hand grabbed her as she tried to swim away and brought her flush up to his body.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Hissing through a bright, adoring smile was somewhat difficult, but she managed to convey her dis pleasure.

  A growl in her ear. “Lawson is standing at the window, watching us. I figured he'd wonder why I wasn't feeling up my gorgeous wife.”

  Eden closed her eyes, hoping that it looked, at least to Lawson, as though she was feeling ecstasy, when she felt nothing but the agony of not being able to act out what she wanted. She stilled at that thought. Why shouldn't she act it out? Lawson expected them to act like besotted lovebirds. She could give him the show he expected and take what she wanted for herself.

  With that delightful thought, Eden relaxed into Jordan's arms and then groaned as she rubbed herself against him. He felt so good.

  Warm water caressing them with a silken promise, they floated together, holding each other tight. She could hear his breath in her ear, faster than normal. Without conscious thought, she pushed him forward until he was pressed up against the edge of the pool.

  When she realized Jordan had taken it no further than to simply hold her, Eden leaned back to look at him. His eyes, usually so cool, often amused, looked down at her with a dark, almost desperate fire.

  Unable to let this moment go by, Eden put her hand behind his head and pulled his face toward her … slowly. Again he didn't stop her, but neither did he participate.

  He wanted her. Desire blazed in his eyes. The thin shield of his swim trunks couldn't mask the hard evidence of that desire. Why wasn't he taking this any further?

  Eden lifted up on her toes and pressed her mouth against his. With that first touch, something seemed to break loose inside him. He groaned against her mouth.

  Eden opened her mouth under his, inviting him in. He took full advantage and thrust his tongue inside. His taste, familiar, yet not, plunged her into a spiraling vortex of need. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, then her legs around his waist.

  Jordan whirled her around, pressed her against the edge of the pool, and proceeded to show her what a real kiss could be.

  Sucking on his tongue, giving him hers, her body undulated, mimicking the lovemaking she suddenly craved above all things.

  When his hands grasped her bottom, she groaned against his mouth, thinking he meant to stop her. She soon found out differently when those large, beautiful hands began to caress and knead her ass with firm but tender strokes.

  Realizing she was on the verge of climax, Eden pulled away abruptly, suddenly afraid. She opened her eyes to see Jordan's smoldering gaze. The obvious desire she saw there gave her the courage to continue. Her eyes locked with his, she untied her swim top, pulled one of his hands from her bottom, and placed it over a breast. Her nipple, hard and aching, pulsed with need as his warm hand covered the mound. When his fingers pinched the tip hard, she gasped, startled at the hot spear of arousal.

  “You're even more beautiful than I imagined.” He lowered his head and took the nipple into his mouth, sucking hard and then laving it with his tongue.

  Eden's neck would no longer hold her head up and she rested it against the edge of the pool as Jordan suckled and devoured her as if she were the sweetest of candy. The edge of the orgasm she'd temporarily held off was back in full force, pounding, pulsing away at her sex … screaming for release. On the verge … about to drop off the edge … nanoseconds from climax, Jordan pulled away.

  She was so into the moment, it took several seconds to realize Jordan no longer suckled her breast and was, in fact, holding her away from him. His erection, hard and throbbing, still pressed against her. But the look on his face, the dark, sexy, “I want to slide inside you and stay there forever” expression, had disappeared.

  “Jordan?” she whispered in confusion and a want so bad that she literally ached.

/>   “We can't do this… I can't do this.”

  “But … but … why …?” Oh God, she was sputtering like a schoolgirl. Eden froze. Schoolgirl. No. God, no. She couldn't … wouldn't go back to that feeling.

  With a small, soft sob, she shoved him hard. He was three times stronger and twice as big, but he moved abruptly, allowing her to swim away from him. She swam deep, shutting out all thought but the terrifying certainty that if she didn't get away from him, she would scream.

  When she finally surfaced, he was gone. With careful, calm movements, she replaced the minuscule cloth that covered her breasts, ignoring the slight sting as the fabric abraded her sensitive nipple.

  Knowing she was being observed … Hell, they'd seen a peep show of her almost naked, a near sexual intercourse, and what probably looked to them like a little tiff between lovers. She refused to give them anything else. Her main purpose and goal was to get to her room and hide until she regained her composure. And if Jordan was in the room? She'd throw him out the window.

  thirteen

  Jordan didn't stop until he reached the other side of the estate. Since he was supposed to look a bit out of shape and much older, he'd had to refrain from running full speed. With every footfall, he cursed himself. How unprofessional could he be? He'd almost taken her in the pool, in front of an audience.

  What the bloody hell had he been thinking? Nothing. That's what. At least nothing to do with his brain. The minute he saw her lying on that raft in the pool, that luscious bare body glistening under the sun, he'd lost all sense of time, his reasons for being there, and that at least four pairs of eyes bored into his back. His only thought was to get to her and touch her. He'd told himself he could remain in his role and still touch her. It would be expected of him and damned if he didn't want to suddenly play the role of a man who had every right to caress and kiss every inch of that sexy, beautiful body.

  She'd been on the verge of climax. He'd felt her sex throbbing against his. When she'd given him her breast, he'd lost it, had come within a second of pulling that scrap of material out of the way and plunging into her, riding her until they both shouted with release. Witnesses be damned.