by Katie Reus
A big echo from the back ricocheted through the church as something slammed into the stone of the entryway. It was followed by a startled hum of voices that seemed to grow louder. Maria glanced in the direction but couldn’t see anything over the throng of heads. As they reached the end of the pew, Cade placed a hand on her shoulder, signaling for her to stop as he stepped forward and started talking to one of the security men who’d been in front of them.
Even though the guy wouldn’t be able to see what was going on either, he had an earpiece and it seemed as if he was relaying what had happened. Their voices were too low for her to hear over the rest of the din of people murmuring among themselves.
When she saw her father standing by the middle altar hugging her aunt, she thought she would lose it. Seeing her father cry was too much. The icing on the shittiest cake in the world.
Cade was still talking to one of the men and Maria knew if she tried to talk to him, she’d break. She clutched onto the forearm of one of the other security men and pointed to the exit. Her throat tightened, making it impossible to speak. It ached so badly from trying to hold back her tears.
He understood, though, because he nodded and hustled her away, his expression sympathetic. Seconds later they were outside. Bending over at the waist, she placed her hands on her knees and tried to drag in a deep breath. As air filled her lungs, she felt less light-headed but not much better than she had inside.
“Can I get you anything?” the man asked softly as he stood next to her. She’d seen him around the grounds of her parents’ home before but couldn’t remember his name.
She shook her head. “No, thank you.” Her voice was raspy, unsteady as tears clogged her throat.
“Maria.” At Cade’s tight voice she stood to find him barreling out the side door, his expression dark.
“Don’t,” she snapped, unable to handle any chastising. She’d been with a security guy, so it wasn’t as if she’d just run outside without any protection.
Before he could respond, her friend Leah hurried out the door, followed by two annoyed-looking security guys. When she hugged Leah, the men stepped back and she heard Cade mutter something under his breath about the weak security, but at least he didn’t try to stop her.
“Is this a new look?” Leah asked, her voice watery and her eyes red.
Maria let out a harsh, shaky laugh. “Not exactly.”
“I didn’t realize it was you at first, but then I saw him,” her friend said quietly, nodding behind Maria.
Right. Even if she was in disguise, Cade definitely wasn’t. “Thanks for coming.”
She snorted. “As if that was ever in doubt. Honey, I’m so sorry about your mom. What do you want me doing right now? I want to help you any way I can.”
Maria shook her head. “Just keep doing what you’re doing at the center. That’s the biggest thing you can do right now.”
Leah nodded and took Maria’s chilled hands. “That’s a given. Do you want me to bring meals over? Do you need help with—”
“I need Dr. York’s contact info,” she said abruptly. That he could possibly help with her memory loss problem just popped into her mind. It was a long shot, but at this point she was willing to try pretty much anything. This helpless sensation of not being able to remember was too much. She had to get her memories back from the night of the explosion. The need clawed at her insides. Her mother’s murderers would be brought to justice. Something important hovered at the corners of her memory. She just had to dig it out.
Leah’s blond eyebrows furrowed together, but she nodded. “Okay. I’ll text you the information in a sec. I’ve got it stored in my phone.”
“Thank you—”
“Maria. We need to leave now.” Cade’s firm hand landed on her elbow. She looked up to find a hard expression on his face. Not directed at her exactly, but he was annoyed.
“I know. I just—”
“Maria?” She looked up at the sound of a familiar male voice calling her name.
“Fucking security,” Cade muttered as he moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from the man heading her way.
Andre was a family friend and knew her fairly well. She should have known the wig wouldn’t fool everyone. She nodded at him but let him cross the ten or so yards to meet her instead of making a move toward him.
“I’ll text you right now. Call me if you need anything. Or if you just want to cry. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night and you want me to bring ice cream and a bottle of wine over, I’m there.” Leah dropped a quick kiss on her cheek before hurrying away.
“Cade, he’s fine,” Maria murmured, low enough for Cade to hear as she placed a hand on his forearm.
He ignored her as he positioned himself in front of her.
“I knew you wouldn’t miss the funeral. I don’t understand why your father said you weren’t here,” Andre said as he reached her and Cade. He gave Cade a confused look. “Who are you?”
“He’s . . . a friend.” Maria completely stepped out from behind Cade’s protective stance. “Thank you for coming, Andre. I’m sorry I won’t be able to be at my father’s after this, but I appreciate you attending today. Both my dad and I do.” She felt so lame doing the polite small talk but knew she had to be civil.
The majority of the people had come because they truly cared her mom was gone. She couldn’t forget that even through the piercing agony searing her chest.
“Of course,” he said quietly.
A new rush of people exited the side door and Cade let out an angry curse, earning a surprised glance from Andre. When Maria spotted Wayne Gregory among the crowd of mourners, she frowned. She hadn’t realized he was attending, though she did appreciate it. Still, if she had to make small talk with any more people, she was going to collapse.
Luckily Cade didn’t give her a choice. He held firmly on to her elbow. “We have to leave now. Excuse us.” Cade didn’t give either one of them a chance to respond as he steered her toward the stone walkway.
Unfortunately they had to head past all the people milling out. She turned her face toward Cade’s chest as they passed Wayne, letting Cade guide her. She avoided looking at everyone she recognized and getting caught up in a conversation. Not that Cade would have let her stop anyway.
He was moving her along at such a fast clip she could barely keep up. She nearly stumbled in her heels, skating past a couple of the mourners, but Cade didn’t even let her apologize as he whisked her away.
“Slow down,” she snapped.
“I should throw you over my shoulder and carry you.” There was a barely contained note of anger in his voice.
Why the hell was he angry with her? She’d just come from her mother’s funeral. But she didn’t question him as they backtracked their original route. She was half jogging by the time they reached the truck and he unceremoniously shoved her into the passenger seat.
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” she practically shouted as he slid into the driver’s seat.
“You were too exposed. Why’d you leave like that?” His voice was sharp as he started the engine.
“I wasn’t alone. I had a security guy with me.”
“Some fucking security.” Now the rage was there, but not directed at her. Still, she could see it simmering beneath the surface of those green eyes.
“What happened?”
“Some idiot knocked over one of the big vases of flowers and people apparently forgot how to fucking walk. They started using the side exits. And security couldn’t maintain them.” There was a definite bit of sarcasm behind those words as he put the vehicle into gear and pulled away from the curb.
“What were they going to do, shoot them?” Her voice was wry.
Some of the tension eased from his shoulders as he gave her a ghost of a smile, but his profile was still hard as he drove them away from the ch
urch. “Why’d you leave like that?”
“I was about to have a breakdown for the fiftieth time and needed to breathe. I didn’t want a bunch of people staring at me if I started sobbing uncontrollably. I needed some air.” She understood he had security concerns, but she wasn’t trained for a situation like this. She was barely hanging on to her sanity right now.
Now his expression completely softened and he shot her a quick glance as he pulled up to a stop sign. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek, his gaze intense as he watched her. His big hand was so gentle it stunned her. The feel of his callused palm against her skin was startlingly reassuring. “And I need you safe,” he whispered.
Well, hell. She couldn’t get angry at that.
Just as quickly he dropped his hand and returned his attention to the street. As he drove through the quiet residential streets, she tried to get ahold of the jumbled mess that her mind was right now. But it was no use. Today had been awful and last night . . . “Why’d you leave so suddenly last night?”
Cade’s hands jerked slightly on the wheel, but he didn’t respond. Just looked in the rearview mirror before pulling into a small parking area next to a local park. There was no one around and no cars anywhere, but he still scanned the area diligently before putting the SUV into park and looking at her.
He cupped her cheek again in that sweet way of his and his eyes dipped to her mouth. For a moment she saw a flash of raw, unrestricted desire in his eyes. He leaned forward a fraction but stopped himself. Still, he didn’t drop his hand, just lightly rubbed his thumb over her cheek. The action was so soft, but it was in opposition to the hunger burning in his gaze. “Last night was . . .”
He seemed to struggle with his words, as if he wanted to say the night before had been a mistake. She was glad he didn’t. She could tell he didn’t plan to take things any further between them, though. But she didn’t have a problem acting on her need. She just wanted a few minutes—okay, hours—of pure pleasure. Something to wash away, or at least mute, the grief burning out of control inside her. Cade was the only one who could help her temporarily forget. She knew this wouldn’t be about a relationship or anything long-term. He’d already shown her that he had no problem walking away. So right now she didn’t feel bad for wanting to use him just a little bit to help ease her grief.
“Cade . . .” She swallowed hard, trying to find the right words as her gaze strayed to his mouth. She wouldn’t bother hiding what she wanted. Without thinking she licked her lips.
The radio was off and she guessed the windows were bullet resistant or something because she couldn’t hear anything outside, not that there were any people nearby. It made the silence in the vehicle deafening, their increasingly ragged breathing the only sounds.
“Maria . . .” There was a wealth of regret in that one word. His hand still cupped her jaw, and his fingers flexed against her skin, the rough pads of them sending a shiver through her.
She refused to accept whatever he was going to say. Leaning over, she brushed her lips against his. Just to test his reaction. After last night she knew how much he wanted her, but she was still feeling vulnerable and yeah, insecure. When their mouths touched, it was like something igniting between them. She felt it all the way down to her toes.
A spark of fiery hunger shot through her as he took over, completely dominating the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth. His hand slid back and cupped her head in that way she loved. Craved.
His other hand quickly sought out her hip as she clutched his shoulders to steady herself. It was pointless. She was a quaking mass of nerves and untamed energy. Nothing could steady her now. As her fingers dug into his hard muscle, he tugged her over the center console and in a few moves she was straddling his lap. She lost one of her shoes in the process. Her dress pushed up her thighs, but he shoved the material farther until it was bunched against her waist.
The cool air from the air-conditioning rolled over her bare skin, but as his big hand roamed over her backside, digging into her soft flesh, a blast of heat surged through her, making her nipples tighten and her inner walls clench with an unfulfilled need. The man could get her hot in seconds flat.
The windows were darkly tinted—probably illegally—so she wasn’t worried about anyone seeing them. Hell, she wasn’t worried about anything at the moment and she knew she should be. Her only concern was feeling him inside her. Because if he was thrusting deep into her she wouldn’t be thinking about anything else. She wouldn’t be battling her grief. She didn’t care if she was using sex as a temporary Band-Aid.
As his tongue danced against hers, she slowly started grinding against him. The feel of his erection rubbing over her covered mound was delicious. It didn’t matter that his pants and her flimsy panties were in the way. The friction against her clit was mounting each time he rolled his hips, rubbing harder and harder against her.
When cool air rushed over her back, it registered that he’d tugged the zipper of her dress down. She hadn’t even felt him move. Hadn’t even been aware.
As the simple black boat-neck dress loosened and fell down her body, he leaned back so that their lips weren’t touching anymore. She immediately felt the loss, but as she looked at his face and saw the hunger in his gaze as he stared at her breasts, another wave of heat punched through her. She grew even damper as he practically devoured her with his eyes.
He didn’t even unhook her bra, just shoved the lace cups down and latched onto one of her breasts with his hungry mouth. The abrupt action took her off guard. Arching into his mouth, she held on to his shoulder and head as pleasure swamped her. She loved the feel of his buzz cut. It was soft against her palm.
He lightly pressed down with his teeth on her hardened nipple as he flicked his tongue against the already sensitized bud over and over. The tender lashing had her body trembling out of control. It wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge.
When his hips surged up again, that thick hardness rubbing against her clit, she let her head fall back and began moving against him. The sensation of his erection hitting her sensitive bundle of nerves in just the right spot, over and over, had her entire body pulling taut.
She told herself to stop, but it was impossible. She had absolutely no self-control. It was as if she’d turned into some primal being who only cared about pleasure.
Because pleasure drowned out everything else. Things she wouldn’t let herself think about now. If she did, she’d sink into the pain and might never claw her way out.
Suddenly he switched breasts, making sounds of pleasure as he sucked on her other nipple. As his covered cock continued stimulating her clit, she let free what had been building inside her. The orgasm swept through her, the tingles reaching all her nerve endings. As her climax built, her thighs tightened around him.
She buried her face against his neck as it crested higher. His hands slid up and down her back as he held her through the release. As she came down from her high, she inwardly cringed even as she inhaled that spicy familiar scent she loved so much.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling embarrassed. She’d just jumped him, then come against him like a cat in heat.
“What the hell for?” he growled, pulling her back so she had to look at him.
With her breasts on display and her clothes tangled around her, she could feel her face heat up and knew she must be crimson. What the hell was wrong with her? She felt like a hot freaking mess, minus the hot part. God, she was just a mess, plain and simple, doing this right after the funeral. “For . . . attacking you.” She trailed off as more heat flooded her face. Internally she winced, feeling selfish. What if he felt sorry for her and was just . . . She covered her face with her hand, unable to look at him. “If . . . this was some kind of pity thing, I really am sorry and just, God, I’m sorry and—”
“Maria! Look at me.” His voice was harsh and demanding.
Internally berating herse
lf, she met his gaze.
“That wasn’t about pity. I’m going to come inside you. Soon. But I’m going to take you in a bed where I can do a hell of a lot more than a frantic fuck.” There was a raw, guttural sound to his words, and his face was slightly flushed but not from embarrassment like hers. He was incredibly turned on, the desire written all over his face.
She nodded and tried to think of a response, but a soft buzzing cut through the air. Frowning, she looked around for her purse, but when Cade cursed she realized it was his phone.
He fished it out of his pocket and swore again when he looked at the caller ID. “Perfect timing,” he muttered.
Maria quickly slid her dress back up her arms and eased off him as he answered his cell. She straightened her clothes and listened to the one-sided conversation. By the time he was done, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
When he ended the call, his expression was grim as he turned to her. “That was my boss. There have been a couple new developments. Looks like we might have a lead on the suspected bombers and he wants me to be part of the direct assault team.”
Nodding, she swallowed. “Oh.” What more was there to say?
“I hate to drag you anywhere but the safe house, but you’ll be under the protection of four trained agents while I go in with the rest of the team. You won’t be close to the action, but you’ll be in the vicinity. We don’t have any teams set up off-site and I don’t trust you with any other agency. I’m sorry but we just don’t have time to take you anywhere else right now or I swear I would. If we bring these guys down, you’ll be safe again. No more hiding.”
