by Zoe Dawson
Bryant’s gaze narrowed. “No, Cris. I think we do well together. I am staying.”
Cris moved forward and said, “It’s not going to work. We have different visions.”
“Don’t come in here and dictate to me. I saved you and this company. I’m not talking about this anymore.”
“Bryant—”
Cris backed up, his words cut off when Bryant lifted his arm and pointed a gun at him. “Don’t push me. I say what goes and you’re going to follow in line like a good little partner.” He rounded the desk and shoved the gun against Cris’s forehead. “I’ve got things going on, so you and that sweet little family of yours better keep your noses out of it.” He nudged the gun for emphasis, the barrel cold against Cris’s sweaty brow. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you…or to them.” His platitudes couldn’t hide the ominous threat in his words. Bryant was giving Cris an ultimatum. “You understand,” he continued in a caring tone, but his eyes were hard and cold. “It’s safer.”
Cris swallowed hard, the fear for his family escalating just as Bryant had intended. Anger was mixed in as well. Bryant was a barbarian, and there was no telling what he would do to protect whatever illegal and dangerous thing he was doing. Cris’s mouth went dry…the thought that Ariane, Riky, or his precious little Jhosselin would be harmed made his gut tighten, every protective instinct surface.
Cris held up his hands. “All right!” he bit out. “I’ll back down. I don’t want to be involved in any of your messes.”
“You won’t be if you fucking mind your own business. This meeting is over.” He stared at Cris until he backed away from the gun’s threat. His heart pounding, feeling trapped in Bryant’s threat. Outside the door, he almost ran into Reggie and Dean. They regarded him with hostility, but this time it wasn’t hidden. He left the warehouse, shaken and afraid. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for his family. Not anything.
Bryant Anderson clenched his jaw and tucked the gun back into his waistband. Reggie and Dean walked in and closed the door.
“Why didn’t you just kill him. He could be trouble,” Dean said. “Hell, I’ll do it in some dark alley, make it look like a robbery.”
Bryant shook his head. “We can’t afford any heat right now. We’ll finish this operation, and Cris and his family can find another way to make a living.” He was well aware what Cris would do. Not a goddamned thing. He had his family to protect, and they meant everything to him. He knew now that if he stepped out of line, Bryant would put a bullet in each of them.
No one was going to mess up this operation. He had buyers for those weapons, buyers who were breathing down his neck. Kirikhan rebels from Kirikhanistan, filled with radical Islamists and rebel fighters who wanted independence from the now Post-Soviet states, the former Soviet Union. When a vast amount of oil had been detected in the small state tucked against Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, there was an attempt to overtake it that led to unrest and civil war. Now there were always bottom feeders in every society, but the leaders of the Kirikhan rebels were some of the finest. Boris and Natasha Golovkin. The only funny thing about them was their connection to Rocky and Bullwinkle. Those two didn’t give a damn about complications or stupid former marines who couldn’t assess whether they had a mortal wound or not. A former marine who had died just on the other side of La Paz close to the town of Colomi. The stupid, incompetent bastard. Bryant had practically tied everything up with a bow before he, Reggie, and Dean had left Coronado. All Duffield had to do was fly the damn plane.
He mulled over what Dean had said. The guy who’d attacked him had seemed like he’d been special forces. Hmmm, Pete Wilder’s kid? Ashe. Bryant wondered if he had followed in his old man’s footsteps. “Get on the horn to one of our contacts. Find out what Ashe Wilder is doing when he’s not skirt chasing and extreme sporting.”
“Roger that,” Dean said, pulling out his cell.
If that kid was anything like his bleeding-heart father, then they would have something else to handle. Wilder had been a tough, fearless bastard, but in the end, he had died, and he’d never seen it coming. Medal of Honor winner, ha! The CIA never got recognition for their deeds. Bryant was okay with that. He’d screwed over the agency as easily as he’d screwed everyone else he’d come into contact with. It was survival of the fittest, and Bryant was at the top of the food chain.
Except for the Kirikhans. They were animals and had no patience for people who screwed up. That was a scary duo, and he had no intention of missing his second deadline with their arms dealer, Anatoly Makarov. He seemed like a jovial Russian bear, but his claws would rend and tear Bryant apart.
It didn’t matter who was involved, he was going to recover everything or his life wouldn’t be worth a plug nickel.
The Kirikhans would see to that.
8
Kid woke up, momentarily disoriented and confused about where he was, until his sleepy vision and mind cleared and his surroundings came into focus. This wasn’t his hotel room…no, the scent of smoke in the air, the fact that he wasn’t lying down and his body felt heavy. The scent of this place stirred his senses, feminine, delicate, delicious. With a low exhale, he turned his head and glanced to his side.
Paige was fast asleep, snuggled up against him like he was her favorite pillow. Her silky black hair was tousled over his shoulder and down his arm, her hands curled against her face. Even in sleep, she was a paradox. While she’d been confident and assertive last night, now she looked vulnerable and sweet.
He wondered at her independence, at how she seemed to like to be alone. Was that how she’d felt when she was growing up. Was she afraid of relying on one particular person too much, even for something as simple as tenderness and a warm, secure embrace? Or was he reading too much into her actions?
She had three brothers whom she raised to be men. As he continued to watch her sleep, he wondered if he’d ever figure her out. All those facets and layers that showed him that the person she presented to the outside world wasn’t necessarily who she was inside.
That kinda hit him in the heart.
The usual male occurrence in the morning was tight against the zipper of his jeans and waking to Paige didn’t help it one bit. Paige twitched, then stirred, gradually coming awake. She blinked slumberously, her lashes still weighing heavily with sleep.
“Morning,” he murmured. She looked up at him and sighed.
“Kid Chaos,” she whispered softly. Then she slid up closing the barely there, intimate space between them. Settling her mouth over his, she ambushed him, took him down with nothing but her hot, moist mouth.
He made a low, indistinguishable sound as he kissed her back. She clutched at him, and he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her across his hips. When she straddled him, intimately and fully aligning her body against his, he groaned, soft and deep, his dick thickening and pressing hard against the jeans. He caught her jaw, his hand sliding around the back of her neck, over her soft, satiny nape, his fingers tunneling up into her hair, holding her, his tongue sliding into the warm, honeyed depths of her mouth.
And sliding again, exploring, taking her with a kiss again and again while she moved those beautiful hips against him. He held her tighter, kissed her harder, his heart starting to pound—because she let him. She more than let him. Damn, for such a solitary little thing, she was so sweet, turning into him, her lips so soft, her tongue sliding over his. She made a sound deep in her throat, and he knew he was in trouble, hands down, no holds barred—and he loved it, the heated thrill of it, the chase, anticipating the hot, hot sex of discovering a woman for the first time, the excitement of taking her clothes off—the way he wanted to take Paige’s clothes off and just get into her.
Yeah.
He slanted his mouth over hers more fully, taking more of her, taking everything he could get, all the sweet surrender and every soft sigh.
She rocked against him, and his eyes almost crossed. The torture of it aching all the way down to his tigh
t, engorged balls.
Her cell phone went off, and they both froze as if cold water had been thrown on them. He swore, viciously. She stopped kissing him and lifted her head, her mouth swollen, her face burned by his beard.
He was pinned to the sofa, his body rigid with the need for her aching through him. She gasped softly, her breath hot against his mouth. He closed his eyes to gain control.
They both trembled, the need rippling out, hers vibrating against his body. “Fuck it. Just fuck the whole damn world,” he growled.
He held her as she reached for the damn instrument of his sexual destruction and frustration.
“Hello.” She listened, the need draining from her face. “Is he all right? I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” She disconnected the call and threw it to the sofa. “Oh, Ashe,” she murmured, softening against him and running her fingers up through his hair. “I think we’re in trouble here.”
He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, breathing her in, filled himself with the warm and lovely scent of her skin. “You feel so damn good.”
“You do, too.” She sighed. “I guess this is going to be an issue.”
He nodded. “Yeah, babe, from where I’m sitting, I don’t think it’s something easily ignored. We can talk about it later. You need to go?”
“Yes, that was Juan from work. He said Cris came back from an errand looking really upset. I want to make sure he’s okay. Also, I could possibly get you a job as a guide since Juan dislocated his shoulder from his last trip down, and Cris has him on office duties.”
“That’s a good idea. Get me into the fold.”
He groaned softly when she moved. He couldn’t help it. She came back down on him. Which was both wonderful and tortuous. She looked so upset. “I’m sorry. Should I…” She moved again, and he bit back a curse.
“Wait,” he gritted out and grabbed her around the waist, standing. He held her against him. “Oh, this is so much better.”
“No, what would be better is if you were riding me right now.” She had her arms around his neck. He loved the way she met his eyes.
“I’d like that, too. I’m sorry about your…”
“Hard-on? No need to be sorry there, ma’am. It’s working as intended.”
“I can vouch for that.”
“It’s all because of you.” He tortured himself by letting her slip down his body. She stepped back. “I should get a shower.” She was looking at his mouth. Sweet Jesus, his eyes closed on a silent prayer. And the answer was…yes. He wasn’t sure he wanted it to be no when he felt her hand on his face, tracing his jaw to his bottom lip.
Could this be the biggest mistake of his life, and if he stopped running from commitment, might he find it?
His eyes opened, and he felt as if his chest was too tight. What? He hadn’t run from commitment. Where the hell had that thought come from? He was committed to the Navy and to both women he’d loved. Fuck that. What?
He had no doubt where the two of them were going to end up—hot and naked and all over each other. He didn’t see any way around it.
His gaze was riveted to her eyes that roamed over his face. She was well aware of it, too.
He was so doomed.
He brought his hand up to her face and gently cupped her cheek, then leaned sideways and pressed his mouth to her temple, just to feel the softness of her skin—and she was soft, incredibly, seductively soft, so female. He slid his mouth lower, closer to her ear. Her hair tickled his skin. He breathed her in again, that woman scent, one-hundred percent pure female; a deeper, unnamable essence that was simply, irrevocably her.
He breathed her in, letting his mouth roam even lower, down to the delicate angle of her jaw and the tender skin of her throat. Moving back up, he nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck and his satisfaction deepened. She was trembling, her pulse fluttering, and she was cupping his face tenderly in her hand, her palm brushing lightly against his just-there beard.
He’d won her last night, through strength and cunning and skill. Fought for her and won.
He was completely in chaos, not here in this place, not like he’d been in other places, at other times—but he’d still won her and he wanted to claim what he’d won.
He lowered his mouth to hers and gave himself up to the biggest risk of his life. It was the sweetest thing he’d ever done—to sink into her kiss, to feel the texture of her mouth beneath his, absorb her. The smell of her was like a balm to his soul, soft skin, warm scent, sweet woman sighing in his mouth and firing him all the way up. He pulled her close, loving the feel of her, the life of her.
It had been too long since he’d done this, lost himself in a woman.
With a soft exhalation, he gave her a nudge toward the bathroom. “We’d better go, now, babe, or we won’t be going for some time.”
“Ashe.” Was all she said, and he liked that there was regret there.
“Shower, now,” he whispered. “I’m going to run to the hotel. I’ll meet you at the office.”
She nodded.
And he was already gone. Out the door, down the cute path between the palm trees and to the street. The boots he wore were quite nice and unlike the borrowed clothes, he decided he would keep them. He made it back to his hotel room in record time, stripped, showered and ran an electric razor over his face.
He donned cargo pants, T-shirt, and an open shirt over the top, then a light jacket. He wished he had his nine mil. Then he was back out the door to the street. He eyed the church where they had cut through the cemetery to get to her little cottage.
As he reached Going Down Wilderness Excursions, he saw her coming down the street. He waved to her. She looked good in her jeans, boots, a light jacket over a deep brown sweater that only made her tiger-eyes pop.
She handed him some fruit and a doughy cake. “I stopped at the market,” she said. Her eyes went over him before he opened the door for her.
They stepped inside and Juan, his arm in a sling said, “He’s in his office. He hasn’t come out.” When he spied Kid he said, “Hey man, Juan.”
“Ashe,” Kid responded with a smile and a handshake.
“This way,” Paige said. “Thanks for calling me.”
When she got to Cris’s office, she knocked. “Come in,” he said. She pushed the door open and Kid walked in behind her.
“Paige, I told you to take a couple days off,” he scolded. “You had quite a scare yesterday. I wanted you to have the opportunity to rest. What brings you into the office against my orders.”
“You. I heard you were upset. Are you okay?”
“Never better,” he said in a forced cheerful voice, but Kid could see he was lying. He could smell the fear on the guy.
“Cris, you can always count on me,” she said, and he could see that she was completely sincere. Cris’s features softened, and he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was spooked, royally spooked.
“Of course, I know that, Paige, but everything is fine.” He looked at Kid. “How are you, Ashe? You had just as much of a scare. This was supposed to be your vacation. I thought you’d be doing some sightseeing.”
“No, I heard that you were looking for a guide. I can do the job for a bit if that will help you out.”
He mulled it over, giving Ashe a scrutinizing look. “We can talk about it. I want to make sure you know the drill, and can handle the job.”
“Of course.”
He talked with Cris while Paige went out to the front office to do some work. When they were finished, Cris was happy to have him on board. “So, Ashe, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m in the Navy.”
Cris’s brows rose, but it wasn’t because he was surprised. It was almost as if he knew Kid would say that.
“Special Operations?”
“Why do you ask?”
“The way you handled yourself with Paige, your reflexes. A split second too late, and she wouldn’t be here.” That made his gut tighten. “I’m in th
e teams. I’m glad I was there to save her. She’s special.”
“That she is. Thank you for helping us out.”
Kid nodded and rose. “I will see you tomorrow.”
Cris nodded looking preoccupied. “You have family, young man?”
“Yes.”
“They are precious.”
“Yes, they are.”
Cris nodded once more, then turned back to his computer.
Kid exited the office and when Paige saw him she came around the counter. “I’ll see you later, Juan.”
He waved with his good arm.
“Why don’t we get a bite at the hotel? Then we can discuss your reports.”
“All right,” she said as she followed him down the cobblestone street. “About last night and this morning.”
“Intense,” he said, giving her a side glance, her hair caught the breeze and fluttered. He wanted to touch her.
“I don’t really have time for relationships in my life, but I could make room for something temporary while you’re here.”
“Yeah, I get it. Distance is a bitch.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I live in San Diego, so that’s not a problem. I just need to focus on my job, even more so when I get the promotion.”
He nodded. “Totally get it.” He felt the need to say, “I’m gone a lot, Paige. It’s not an easy time for anyone who’s waiting for me at home. I’m focused one-hundred percent on what I do. It’s primary in my life. I don’t apologize for that ever. You always have to suck it up and do what needs to be done. It goes double for my private life.”
“Just as long as we’re clear, Ashe.”
“You know, my friends call me Kid.”
“Do they?”
“Well,” he shrugged, “my guy friends.”
“Are you uncomfortable with me calling you by your first name, too personal?”
“No.”
“All right, it’s interchangeable then.”
