Undercover Accomplice

by Carol Ericson

  “Are you getting in or planning to push the car?”

  Hunter blinked and ducked, joining her in the back seat. They kept their mouths shut during the brief ride back to the hotel, but once outside the car they both started talking at once.

  Tucking her hand in the crook of his arm, she leaned her chin against his shoulder. “There’s no use trying to talk me out of anything, Hunter, until I contact The Falcon.”

  “The Falcon?”

  “That’s his code name—and I’ve never told anyone that before.”

  “Does that mean you’re ready to trust me now? Tell me what the two of you have been busy infiltrating all these years?”

  She pressed a finger to her lips as they got into the elevator with another couple.

  Hunter shifted from foot to foot on the ride up to their floor.

  When they got to the room, Sue made a beeline to the hotel safe in the closet. She crouched in front of it and entered the code she’d plugged in earlier. Cupping the phone in her hand, she sat on the edge of the bed with a bounce.

  “You just call each other on cell phones?” He sat beside her and the mattress dipped, her body slanting slightly toward his.

  She scooted forward to straighten up. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”

  She tapped the display to enter the number and held the phone to her ear. A few seconds later, her body became rigid and she sucked in a quick breath.

  Hunter watched her face, as her brows collided over her nose.

  “Two, eight, three, five, six.” She spit out the numbers in rapid succession.

  She jumped to her feet and repeated. “Two, eight, three, five, six.”

  The phone slid from her hand and she spun around to face him. “He’s gone. The Falcon has been compromised.”

  Chapter Nine

  She paced to the window, twisting her fingers in front of her. She chanted under her breath, “This is bad. This is bad.”

  “How do you know? What just went down?” Hunter leaned forward and scooped the burner phone from the floor. “Was that a code between the two of you?”

  “We have a number code that changes for each phone call. We answer calls from each other with random numbers, and the caller returns with the appropriate sequence of numbers based on the original set. It’s a calculation The Falcon made up. Nobody knows it but us.” She clasped the back of her neck beneath her hair and squeezed.

  “What happened this time?” Hunter retrieved a bottle of water from the minifridge and handed it to her.

  “When I placed the call, someone said hello with the voice alteration program on. We’re not supposed to answer with a hello, but I guess he could’ve slipped up.”

  “You’ve never even heard The Falcon’s real voice?”

  She shook her head and her hair whipped back and forth across her face. “I have no idea who he is or where he resides—or who else works on the team.”

  “He answered hello and you threw a random code at him, right?”

  “Yes, but he couldn’t respond. He paused. He recited some numbers, but I knew by then I didn’t have The Falcon on the other end of the line.” She pressed two fingers to her right temple. “I don’t know what could’ve happened.”

  “Maybe he lost the phone and some random person picked it up and was fooling around.”

  Digging her fist into her side, she tilted her head. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, Hunter, but just stop. We both know something’s wrong. Jeffrey tried to take me in for questioning and now this.”

  “They could’ve stolen the phone off him, trying to find another way to reach you.”

  “How do they know The Falcon? I don’t even know The Falcon.”

  The thought of The Falcon, her lifeline, disappearing from the other end of that burner phone suddenly hit her like a sledgehammer and she collapsed onto the bed before her knees gave out beneath her. She flung herself facedown on the mattress and stared at the comforter inches from her nose. “M-maybe The Falcon figured we were made and dropped out of sight for a while.”

  The bed sagged as Hunter sat beside her. “Sure, that could be it. If he’s running a black ops organization, the guy has skills. He’s gonna lay low until it’s safe for him to poke up his head.”

  “The timing couldn’t be worse. I’m under suspicion at work, and I always thought The Falcon would be able to rescue me if things got too heated. Someone in his position would be able to tell the investigators to back off.” She buried her face in the crook of her arm. “What if the CIA actually believes I’ve been working with this terrorist group and there’s no Falcon to bail me out?”

  “It’s going to be okay, Sue. We’re going to clear you and Denver at the same time.” He squeezed her shoulder. “But you have to help me out. You have to give me something—something more than fake kidnappings and barbershops and shadowy black ops commanders. I wanna know what you know.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. Should she really tell Hunter what she knew? If she told him her biggest secret, he might walk away from her forever. Last night she would’ve welcomed that prospect, but now? She’d found her shoulder to lean on.

  Rolling onto her back, she sighed. “The group we’ve infiltrated has ties all over the world. That’s why the people I met in Istanbul are connected to a cell here in DC. In the past years, we’ve become aware that they’re planning something big here in the US, but they’re being coy.”

  “This group has tentacles in Afghanistan? Syria? Nigeria?”

  “Yes, yes and yes.” She narrowed her eyes. Hunter knew more than she thought. “Why did you mention those places?”

  “Because Denver has been tied to all those places, as well—he was placed at a bombing at a Syrian refugee center, he was inspecting suspicious arms at an embassy outpost in Nigeria and he went AWOL in Afghanistan—and some believe he’s still there.”

  “It sounds like he’s tied into the same structure. Who does he know in Afghanistan? Who was his contact there? Do you know?”

  “Pazir—that’s the only name I have.”

  Sue drew her bottom lip between her teeth. “I don’t know that name, but I’m going to do a little research tomorrow.”

  “Thatta girl. Let’s meet this thing head-on and be proactive. No point in sitting around waiting for things to happen.”

  She rolled off the bed and stamped her feet on the carpeted floor. “You mean like intruders, car chases and abductions?”

  “Exactly.” Hunter formed his fingers into a gun and pointed at her.

  “Where’s Jeffrey’s gun?”

  “In my jacket pocket. I’ll lock it up in the safe if there’s room. In a day or two, I might have as many guns as you do cell phones.” He plucked his jacket from the back of a chair. “What did you get off that phone?”

  “The number to set up that meeting tonight.”

  “What did you hope to accomplish by sneaking away to the park to meet with Jeffrey?”

  “The chance to convince them that I’m still on their side, maybe persuade them to stop attacking me.” She yawned, a heavy lethargy stealing over her body. “Can we pick this up tomorrow? I’m going to brush my teeth and hit the sack.”

  “We’ll be thinking more clearly in the morning, anyway.” He grabbed a couple of pillows from the bed and tossed them onto the sofa. “You take the bed, and I’ll stretch out over here.”

  She eyed the sofa, wrinkling her nose. “You’re not going to be stretching out on that, Hunter.” She patted the bed. “This is big enough for both of us.”

  His gaze shifted to the bed and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. “I don’t want to crowd you...or make you uncomfortable.”

  “It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”

  “Yeah, but we weren’t sleeping in that bed.” He thrust out a hand. “Sorry, had to
put that out there.”

  She grinned, a punch-drunk laugh bubbling to her lips. “Oh, I remember.”

  She turned her back on him and weaved her way to the bathroom to escape the intensity of those blue eyes. When she’d safely parked herself in front of the sink, she hunched over the vanity and stared at her flushed cheeks.

  Must be the Chianti...and the fear. Sharing a bed with Hunter Mancini was a dangerous proposition—no telling where that pillow talk might lead.

  She brushed her teeth, wound her hair into a ponytail and washed her face. If he were as exhausted as she was, he’d be out already.

  Opening the bathroom door, she peered into the room, spying Hunter in front of the room safe.

  He twisted his head around. “You wanna share the combination with me, so I can lock up my weapon collection?”

  She reeled off the numbers. “Bathroom’s all yours. I’m ready to black out.”

  Once he secured the guns in the safe, Hunter stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

  Sue let out a breath and stripped out of her clothes in record time. She pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and a camisole and crawled between the covers.

  Hunter had already turned off all the lights except for one over the bed. Sue reached over and flicked it off, leaving the flickering blue light from the TV as the only illumination in the room.

  When the bathroom door clicked open, she squeezed her eyes closed and then relaxed her face muscles. She deepened her breathing. As long as she pretended to be asleep, she’d be safe from Hunter...or rather her own desire for him. She’d always be safe with Hunter. She’d known that from the moment she met him in Paris.

  He’d been wounded by his ex. She’d cheated on him while he’d been deployed, and Sue’s heart ached knowing she’d added to his love battle scars.

  Her lashes fluttered and she watched him undress through the slits in her eyes. The glow from the TV highlighted the flat planes and smooth muscle of his body.

  He’d stripped to his boxers, and she held her breath as he crossed the room to his suitcase in the corner. He glanced over his shoulder once, then plunged his hand into his bag, dragging out a pair of gym shorts—as if those could hide the beauty of his body and dampen the temptation that coursed through her veins at the sight of him.

  He crept past the foot of the bed and tugged at the covers behind her. The bed squeaked as he eased into it.

  The mattress bounced a little and it sounded like he was punching pillows. Then the TV station changed from the news to a cooking show, and every muscle in Sue’s body seized up.

  She’d been hoping he’d fall into an exhausted sleep, but no. The man had more energy than Drake high on sugar at a bouncy house birthday party.

  She covered her mouth. She’d been avoiding making those comparisons between her son and Hunter.

  A soft whisper floated over her. “Is the TV keeping you awake? I’ll turn it down.”

  “I’m sorry, Hunter.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I can watch the cooking shows without sound—unless it’s the light that’s bothering you.”

  She turned toward him, pulling the covers to her chin. “No, I meant I’m sorry that I left you in Paris like that.”

  He lifted one bare shoulder, and the sheet slid from his chest, exposing his chiseled pecs. “It’s all right, Sue. It was a fling—a totally hot, unforgettable fling—and I don’t regret it, even though it ended the way it did.”

  “I—I always meant to look you up later.”

  “Don’t.” He lifted a lock of her hair and wrapped it around his finger. “You don’t have to pretend.”

  “I wasn’t pretending then—” she scooted closer to his warmth “—and I’m not pretending now.”

  A low light burned in his eyes, and it sent a shudder of anticipation through her body. She knew they’d wind up here together—the moment she woke up in the bed of his other hotel room. At the time, she didn’t know how or where, but she knew she had to have this man again, regardless of the consequences.

  His fingers crept through her hair until he loosened the band holding her ponytail together. He pulled it out and scooped one hand through her loose strands.

  “As long as you want this now, I’m not even going to ask for a tomorrow.”

  She placed two fingers against his soft lips. “Let’s not talk about tomorrow.”

  “Let’s not talk.” He slid down until they were face-to-face. He cupped her jaw and pressed his lips against hers. His tongue swept across the seam of her mouth, and she sucked it inside.

  They hadn’t even kissed since he’d walked back into her life, so this intimate invasion left her breathless. How many times had she dreamed about Hunter’s kisses?

  His soft lips carried an edge of greedy urgency, as if he couldn’t get enough of her—or maybe he was taking what he could get before she disappeared from his life again.

  And she’d have to disappear.

  Without breaking his connection to her, he shifted his hands beneath her pajama top and caressed her aching breasts. Would he feel the difference in her body? The new softness since her pregnancy and the birth of Drake?

  A sigh escaped her lips as he rolled her nipples between his fingertips. Men didn’t notice things like that—even men like Hunter, who had a surprisingly tender side despite the rough edges.

  She placed a hand on Hunter’s hip, her fingers tucking inside the waistband of his boxers. Resting her forehead against his, she whispered against his mouth, “I’ve been waiting so long for this.”

  He turned his head to the side and growled in her ear. “Same. Never forgot you. Never wanted to forget you.”

  He slid his hands to her shoulders and pulled her camisole over her head. He dipped his head and let his tongue finish what his fingers started, teasing her nipples to throbbing peaks.

  The tingling sensation curled in her belly and zigzagged down the insides of her thighs. She hooked a leg over his hip and rocked against him.

  His hands slid into her pajama bottoms and her underwear at the same time and he caressed her derriere. He hissed between his teeth. “So smooth.”

  She yanked down his boxers and skimmed her hand down the length of his erection. “So smooth.”

  His breath hitched as he nibbled her earlobe. “Take those off.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice.” She dragged his underwear over his muscled thighs and down the rest of his legs, dropping them onto the floor.

  Before he asked, she stripped off her bottoms and tossed them over her shoulder. “Now we’re even.”

  With a smile lifting one corner of his mouth, he encircled her waist with his hands and pulled her toward him.

  He always did like her on top first. She straddled him and folded her body to smush her breasts against his chest as he dug his fingers into her bottom.

  She laid a path of kisses from the curve of his shoulder to the side of his neck and his strong jaw. She gasped as his fingers probed the soft flesh between her legs.

  As he rhythmically stroked her, she rocked against him, closing her eyes. The passion built from the tips of her toes and raced up her legs, pooling where his fingers teased her and then clawing through her belly.

  She caught her breath and held it, every muscle in her body tensing, awaiting her release.

  As her climax claimed every inch of her body, her lids flew open and her gaze met the flickering blue light in Hunter’s eyes. He plunged his fingers inside her wet core and he rode out her orgasm with her, holding her gaze with his. She couldn’t break that connection even if she wanted to—and she didn’t want to.

  Her body shook and trembled as she came down from her high only to have Hunter enter her slowly and deliberately. He steadied her movement by placing his hands on her hips, guiding her onto his erection as he thrust upward.


  They hit their stride and she rode him hard, controlling how deep he went and how fast. He soon tired of her game.

  Pinching her waist, he flipped her onto her back and wedged one hand against the headboard as he continued to plunge into her.

  Her desire for him burned once again in her pores, and she wrapped her legs around his hips.

  He stopped moving and his voice came out in a strangled whisper. “Are you close?”

  “Don’t wait for me. It feels like you’re ready to explode.”

  “Waited for you for almost four years. I can wait.”

  His words sent a river of electric current across her flesh. She arched her back and undulated against him where their bodies met.

  He sucked in his breath and braced his hands on either side of her head as he pressed and rubbed against her, his face tense, his jaw tight.

  He was a man of steel.

  She puffed out a breath, which started the avalanche. Her orgasm rolled through her, turning her muscles to jelly.

  Feeling her release, Hunter picked up where he’d left off, driving into her, lifting her bottom off the mattress with the force of his thrusts.

  He exploded inside her and kept pounding her until they both lay drained and exhausted.

  Totally sated, Sue let out a squeak. “You’re squishing me.”

  “I’m sorry.” His body slid off hers, slick with sweat and boneless.

  “I can’t move.”

  He rolled his head to the side and opened one eye. “I can barely move.”

  “Water?”

  “I thought you couldn’t move?”

  She snorted. “I’m afraid if I don’t move now, I’ll never get up from this bed.”

  Brushing his knuckles against her hip, he said, “That doesn’t sound so bad to me right now. Here, we’re in a bubble. Out there...”

  “It’s a whole different kind of bubble out there, but the night is young—sort of.”

  His eyebrows jumped. “You mean you’re going to require more of me?”

  “If you play your cards right.” She smoothed her hand across his damp chest and rolled from the bed. “There’s still water in the minibar, right?”