It eased her fears as they made their way to their seats. She buckled herself in as he stowed their little belongings into the overhead storage. Somehow, they managed to get on board without being searched. She wasn’t sure how he managed that, but it was something he had to have done. “After Brazil, what is the plan?”
“I think finding a nice private beach.” He sat down next to her, leaning in close to whisper to her. He had a sexy grin pulling at his lips. “And finding all sorts of interesting places that sand can get in and whether sex on the beach should be just a drink.”
That drew a laugh from her. This banter amused her. He didn’t seem to have to make much effort to draw laughter from her. “You are back to sex again.”
“You enjoyed it before.” He shrugged and leaned back into his seat, buckling up and preparing for take-off. He had a slight pout now, as if she were being serious and could somehow resist his sexual appeal.
“Oh, I did enjoy it.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I am sure I will enjoy it when we are able to celebrate that we are getting away with our lives. But after all of that . . .” She looked up at him because she had her doubts. “After that, will we be safe? Are we safe now in the air?”
He frowned lightly, resting his cheek against her hair and taking up her hand. She thought he seemed to enjoy holding it quite a bit. “Not totally,” he admitted as he seemed to distract himself with the lines of her palm.
“To some degree, we’ll be hunted for a long time. Unless we can manage to find asylum somewhere. Russia would be the place to go for that because they like putting pressure on our government, but it would come at a cost.” He sighed and relaxed against her. “I don’t think I would want you to pay it, much less risk the chance of them deciding to turn you in as a bargaining chip instead. I know I don’t like the idea.” He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a light kiss against her palm.
“I would rather us not take that chance to begin with,” she said lightly without even bothering to consider it as an option. “I had no desire to give them information the first time I was seduced into it. I am sure that I have no information I want to give them this time around. I cannot imagine what they think I have that would be useful.”
“How did that happen?” He sounded curious as he continued to entertain himself with mapping out her hand. His fingers seemed to take measurement of each her fingers. She was so distracted she wasn’t even aware of what he was doing.
“A date gone wrong. I assumed that it was a date but it was not,” she said lightly as she thought back to it. There was no reason to make a joke of what had led her to being in this situation. But when the attractive man first approached her, she couldn’t turn him down when he invited her out.
“I was drugged with something that caused me to answer questions without wanting to.” She frowned as she considered it. “There are drugs like GHB or Rohypnol that can influence the exposed person’s inhibitions.” She didn’t look at him, not prepared for his judgement. “I have no recollection of what I was asked. I experienced days of nausea and extreme holes in my memory. I feared that I had been raped, so I went to the hospital to find that he had not raped my body, just my mind.”
“It’s possible that’s what was used,” he murmured, and she felt his lips brush her temple, trying to offer her comfort.
“My going to the hospital had alerted my superiors, and it became apparent that my lifestyle choices had made me a liability.” She stared ahead at the seat in front of her. Her stomach lurched as the plane began to roll along the runway.
“I suppose if it had not happened, there would be little chance of me meeting you again.” She frowned as she considered it. “I suppose there is something to the situation that has made this bearable.”
He laughed, trying to ease the mood, it seemed, and cupped her cheek. “That’s a silver lining I can get behind.” He turned her so he could catch her mouth. They kissed to the point where she was ready to climb into his lap and seek comfort and pleasure in his embrace.
“What do you want to happen from here?” he asked, and she saw uncertainty in his gaze now. Surely, this strong, handsome man could tell where this would go. Why did he look afraid now?
She couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. “To be safe.” She reached forward to curl her fingers through his short hair. “To find peace where the two of us can focus on each other without danger.”
“I want that.” He sighed and pressed his brow to hers. “I want that more than anything right now.”
“Perhaps we can find that,” she murmured. “Perhaps Brazil will be where we can safely hide and focus on learning more about one another.”
“Whatever happens,” he assured her, “I will be right beside you to keep you safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Just having you beside me is enough for me to feel safe,” she breathed, wishing that they were anywhere but on a plane for the next four hours. They were safe up in the air. They had left all of their enemies at the United States border. Or so she hoped.
Chapter 16
As the plane landed at a private little strip just outside Rio, Scott felt less like a hardened agent and more like a doting boyfriend. An eager lover. Well, they were the Millers now. Stephen and Laura. That meant they were married. He could pretend that he was her husband. That was a step above boyfriend. They could be open with their displays of affection.
When it came to renting a car, he had a hard time keeping his hands to himself. He kept a hand on her far hip. He wanted to touch her, to keep a hand on her, to never let her go. Having his hands on her seemed to cement the thought in his mind that she was safe.
The bitch in the desert had fired a shot at Jovana, though she didn’t seem to be aware just who it was she was shooting at. There had been a real fear that she had been struck. He wouldn’t forget the feeling of his heart stopping when the cloud of sand kicked up where he had left her. He still hadn’t had a good chance to take the time to reassure himself that she was fine.
It was a need he wasn’t aware that he had, but it kept his hands on her. She didn’t protest. She didn’t try to shake him off. She let him squeeze her hips and rub her shoulders.
When he wrapped his arms around her shoulders at the car rental counter and buried his nose in her hair, she leaned back into him. “I hope you two enjoy your honeymoon,” the clerk said politely as she gave them the keys and rental agreement, assuming that was what they were doing by the way he was acting.
He didn’t even try to correct her. It was enough to make him giddy. Would this be what it felt like if they were to get married?
He tugged her to their rental car and loaded the few things into the trunk. He had an address to where they would be staying, though he had no idea what the state of it would be like. He had spent time in shady places over the years, and while it hadn’t really bothered him before, the thought of staying in a shack with Jovana wasn’t something he wanted to do.
For the first time, he wanted to treat her to a four-star hotel. He wanted to shower her with extravagance. Of course, it wouldn’t be a good idea to do that, but he still had the desire to take her in something other than a musty old motel room.
Fortunately, he was surprised when they rolled up onto a picturesque villa that looked as if it sat on a private beach. It was open and airy, and there was a small pool that overlooked the rainforest. It seemed like a cocoon from the outside world. Who would think to look for them here? It looked as if it was the perfect place to hide away, and they could enjoy the feel of freedom even if it was fleeting.
Jovana led the way through the villa. It was small but more than enough room for just the two of them. It was lavishly decorated, and the motel rooms he frequented didn’t hold a flame to this place. He opened every door to let the air in. It was hot, and the fresh air seemed to offer him more comfort, like all the problems had been left behind. She stopped by the pool in awe. “This is gorgeous.”
“
It is,” he agreed, lingering behind her. They were alone in a secluded place, a piece of the world that could be theirs. It was almost painful to not touch her.
“It’s a pity we do not have swimsuits with us.” She sighed as if it were reason enough to not get in the clear water.
“You need a swimsuit?” he asked, and he stepped away, taking his time to tug his shirt off. “It’s just me and you,” he said as he dropped his shirt. He unbuttoned his jeans then pushed them down with his boxers. He hadn’t been joking about the blue balls. He hung at half-mast and the idea of being in the pool with her was enough to get the blood rushing from his head. “You’re not afraid of skinny dipping, are you?”
She watched him step into the pool, taking in the wall of muscle that he was and the sight that was his bare ass. He could feel her eyes on him, and he made no attempt to cover himself. He turned around and backed into deeper water, giving her a good look at his hard cock.
It had been a while since they had been able to enjoy each other. It seemed like the perfect time and the perfect chance. No one was around, and there was no danger to interrupt them. He wanted her so fucking much.
He watched her arms fold over her chest and he knew her gaze was going along the view he created. Not that he was cocky about his appearance. So far, though, Jovana had enjoyed his physique and hadn’t made any complaints. From the look on her face, she seemed to appreciate his appearance like he did hers. “You gonna get in or are you just going to enjoy the view?”
“Well . . .” She shrugged lightly, trying to look nonchalant as she appreciated him. “It is a nice view.”
“Get in,” he growled at her as he prowled back to the edge of the pool. “Or I’m gonna have to come get you and get you all wet.”
“Oh.” She started to pull her clothing off slowly. “You need to make little effort to get me wet, Scott.” As more of her sleek curves became exposed, she moved slower, teasing him with a view of her nude form.
“Get in,” he said lightly. “And I’ll be sure to take advantage of that and make you scream loud enough to bother the birds.” She didn’t hesitate after that. She stepped into the pool and went to him. He tugged her so that she was flush against him, and the pool became more about enjoying the feel of her and less about swimming.
Chapter 17
They spent the majority of the first day in Brazil in the pool. He had immediately taken advantage of skinny dipping by pushing her to the edge of the pool and sliding into her, finding little resistance. It had been more than a day since they had been able to be so close. The days they had spent in the little motel room making love didn’t seem to hold a flame to what he had made her feel now.
“Turn around,” he growled in her ear. Something about the way he spoke seemed to promise just how good he was about to make her feel.
It took little motivation for her to do as he asked. She had begun the contraceptives as soon as he had given them to her while they were still in Santa Fe. He slid into her bare and they both moaned. He took her from behind in the pool and they faced away from one another. She was wrapped around him in a fashion that she didn’t think she would change. This was a clear difference that she was going to enjoy each time they made love.
His hands gripped hers as he thrust into her, the water splashing up over the edge he had her pressed against. “This,” he hissed in her ear. “This is what I want. This feeling you’re making me have.” His hips picked up with the force he used to thrust into her. “Every day, I want this.” His mouth pressed against her ear, and she felt his hard chest pressed into her back. “Every day, with you.”
“Every day,” she echoed, so close to exploding around him.
His breathing hitched and his thrusts began to lose the rhythm he had built. His mouth was at her ear, his tongue coiling over it and brushing against the shell. She tilted her head back to rest on his shoulder, moaning her encouragement.
She felt him quaking, and the stutter to his thrusts shift into something jerkier. He was losing control, and it was clear just how close he was. “I love you,” he gasped. “God, I love you.” His arms came around her and she felt him erupt inside her.
His words and the hot liquid he spilled within her had her gasping, her hands clinging to the cement that surrounded the pool. She cried out and pressed back into him, though the words echoed in her mind, seemingly on repeat. He loved her. He just admitted to loving her.
Her breath hitched. Did he realize what he had said? Did he know? Would he be upset? There had been so much that happened that surely, it was the stress of their situation that brought him to say that.
His voice cracked slightly. He knew what he’d said. “Withhold sex long enough, and I go admitting embarrassing shit.”
“I did not withhold it. There was not time before where we could have it,” She gasped and leaned back against him, her muscles still trembling. “Do you regret it?”
“No, you didn’t,” he agreed, and he grunted when he pulled out of her. It was a loss she felt. “And no, I don’t.” He turned her around in the pool so they faced one another. “It might have been something I felt or just said in the heat of the moment.” She met his gaze. His brows were drawn together and his face was flushed as he seemed to consider his words.
She wasn’t sure if the flush was due to their just having sex or his embarrassment. “You struck a chord with me since I first saw you in Kosovo. You have lived with me in my heart and in my head for years.” He cupped her face in his hands. “When I saw you again, I thought I was going to go through with my duty. I thought I was going to kill you because of an order, but as soon as I touched you, as soon as I looked in your eyes again, I knew I couldn’t. You’ve meant too much to me for so long. I couldn’t just kill all of that because of an order.”
His voice quaked and the emotions were evident, fear and hope. He was afraid of what she would say. “I needed you. I needed you living in my heart and head. Now that I have you right here with me, I can’t just let you go. I need you.”
Her chest became tight and her throat began to burn with tears. “I love you,” she choked out. “You have been with me, giving me drive to pursue the job that I did, to do all that I could. All because you spared me. You drove me to be intelligent and strong.” A sob managed to break through, but his hands on her face kept her from completely crumbling. He was holding her together.
“I saw you when I slept, anytime I felt doubt. You have been in my heart and in my head for so long.” She closed her eyes, suddenly not able to face the emotions reflected in his eyes. “I need you, too.”
He released her face and caught her mouth, kissing her gently. “Never going to be rid of me now,” he murmured against her lips. He pulled away from her, and without another word, tugged her out of the pool. He tugged her through the little villa that would be their haven until it was time to go again.
He walked through it without a care of their nudity until he found a bed. Still wet from the pool, he pushed her onto the bed and crawled on top of her. “You’ve saved me,” he murmured to her as he curled around her. “I had no idea where I was going and I was just living day to day. I didn’t know if I could be normal, if I could love someone. When I realized that I couldn’t kill you, I knew I had to keep you safe. You gave me direction to do more. You showed me that I could love.”
She laughed lightly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “You have saved me quite literally.” She kissed him. “If it had been anyone other than you, we both know where I would be.” She sobered. “It is very likely that we would not be here if you had not been assigned this mission.”
“You’re here with me now,” he growled at her. “And that’s all that matters now.” He returned her kisses, the hunger in them growing to the point that he was nudging her legs apart and was pressing his hard cock back between her thighs. “No one will take you from me,” he grunted as he slid back into her, pressing into her to the hilt. “We’re in this together.”
“Yes,�
�� she hissed, her arms going around his shoulders and holding onto him tightly as he began to move. “Together.”
They rocked together slowly, not as desperate as before in the pool. This was more about the connection, more about the feel of one another than just the completion. They kissed, and the tenderness in it made her heart clench just as it made her tremble.
She knew that the exchange in the pool had been true. She loved him, there was no denying it. She loved him for sparing her life when she was still a child. She loved him for sparing her again when his duty was to kill her—again. And she loved him for doing all that he could to keep her safe.
If this was a sign of what Brazil would bring them, then she was so glad this is where he thought to bring her. “I love you,” she breathed in his ear again, clinging to him as his thrusts became too much and she was so close to falling apart.
“I love you,” he gritted out as she trembled apart, and as she quaked, she felt him filling her again. They stayed connected, him fully sheathed in her, twisting onto their sides so that they were both comfortable.
The day, the long flight, and the confrontation that they had with Sasha added up. Sleep tugged at the edge of her senses and she fought it. She didn’t want to lose the feeling that warmed her chest. “Sleep,” he murmured, as if he knew she was struggling with it. “I’m right here. In this together,” he breathed against her brow. “Not going anywhere.”
“Together,” she echoed, deciding to give in, letting sleep take her.
He heard a noise. It was just soft enough to get his attention and pull him out of sleep. That was saying something because he was wrapped around Jovana and so comfortable that it should have taken a bomb going off to wake him. But instinct woke him and prevented him from drifting back to sleep. Scott sat up and rubbed a hand over his face, still so tired after everything that had happened. The noises that filtered in through the open doors drifted to him. He could hear waves crashing against the beach, the chirps of bugs, and a soft creak of wood as weight shifted on it. That was the something that woke him.
Lethal Seduction: A CIA Romantic Suspense (CIA Agents Book 1) Page 9
