by Em Petrova
“How about my date to the senior prom?”
He fished out the name from the file locked in his brain. “Sam Marsh.”
A half-scream, half-moan rose from her. “Oh my God, what don’t you know? Don’t answer that.” She snatched up her sandwich and took a two bites, rapidly chewing and then swallowing. She took up her mug and sipped.
He found some cookies and offered her one.
She snatched it up and threw it at him. It bounced off his chest and hit the floor, crumbling on the tile.
He fixed her in his stare.
She scrambled off her stool and backed up.
He circled the counter, stalking her all the way across the room until her back struck the wall. Dylan was a little ticked at not understanding who this woman really was in all of this—and wholeheartedly aroused.
Bracing his palms on the wall on each side of her head, he leaned in. She tipped her face up, boldly meeting his gaze. “Athena, I don’t know what role you play in this game, but I am not treating you badly, am I?”
“Cocoa and a sandwich don’t make up for you taking me out of my shop and forcing me into this safe house.” Her voice held an edge that only set his blood racing faster.
He dipped his gaze to her lips. “The cookie doesn’t make up for it?”
Her breaths came faster. “You know what I thought about the cookie.”
Grunting, he resisted the need to swoop in and claim those plump lips, to swallow all the sassy words she used to combat him in the only way she knew how.
“Cher, I am not the enemy—know that.”
“What are you then? I don’t want to be here, and I’ve done nothing wrong.”
He studied her expression, confused by the way her eyes dilated. Fuck, he wanted to kiss her until she was gasping. Then thrust into her until she was screaming his name.
“Athena, I run off gut instincts, and all my alarms are saying I need to keep you here.”
“I’m in danger?” Her words came out too soft, too breathless.
Yeah, in danger of him ripping off all her clothes.
* * * * *
As Dylan leaned over her, the storm was drowned out by the thunder of Athena’s heart. His spicy male scent ignited body parts she’d forgotten she owned, sending a smoldering heat down between her legs.
God, she could still feel that hard thigh of his wedged there when she’d fallen over him in the hallway.
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said.
She stared at his angular jaw, so shadowed with beard growth that it could no longer be considered scruff. In the few hours between finding her in that closet and now, he’d sprouted a full-on beard.
Her eyes threatened to slip shut, and she bit off the feminine sigh that his good looks roused in her. She must be out of her freakin’ mind. Maybe this was what Stockholm syndrome felt like—didn’t they all claim they were protectors and not captors?
Except she was being accused of terrorist activity.
Her head told her to duck out from under his arm and break for her room. So why was she standing so still, rooted beneath his dark gaze?
“I can’t let anything happen to you.” His warm breath washed over her lips. A string pulled tight between her nipples and her pussy, a bolt of need with more energy that any lightning the storm could bring.
Oh God, he was hovering so close, his hard lips a scant inch away. If she went on tiptoe, she’d be able to see if his mouth was really as hard as it looked.
And if that beard was rough.
“Dylan…”
“Athena. Hell, I want to kiss you.”
He did? Her mind stuttered to a stop, and she closed her eyes, waiting for it to come.
But it never did. Five heartbeats later, she opened her eyes.
His stare zapped her with electricity. She barely registered his movement before his mouth slanted over hers, landing with all the hard need she’d read in his eyes.
A soft moan left her, and she angled her head. He took immediately advantage, parting her lips with his tongue and sweeping it inside her mouth. Another moan escaped, more primal this time.
Raised as a lady, she should be horrified at how she sounded right now, but she’d forgotten how to care about anything but Dylan’s taste and the feel of his mouth moving over hers.
She raised a hand and grasped his shirt, balling the fabric in it. He planted a hand on her lower back and swayed her away from the wall, bowing her hips to meet his even as he plunged his tongue deep.
Tremors started in her core and spread out through her entire body until she was tingling with want. She must be insane, reacting to all the fear she’d felt the past six hours. This definitely wasn’t her.
Okay, she wasn’t so prim that she couldn’t kiss a handsome—okay, hot—man back. But he was a stranger, a brute who’d put her in a situation she did not want, even if it was his job.
He moved his fingers in small circles up her spine, leaving heated tension with each warm pass of his fingertips. Another crash of thunder shook the house, and suddenly Dylan jerked away.
Breathing hard, he glared at her as if she’d been the one to initiate the kiss.
She ducked under his arm and took a step back.
“Fuck. I’m sorry.” His arms hung at his sides. Damn, his appearance punched a hole through her, all carved muscles and the strength of two men. And he roused the desire of two men as well.
Confusion claimed her mind, taking all the words with it. She held his stare for another heartbeat before turning away and going back to her room. She closed the door quietly and leaned against it, thinking how good she’d felt in his strong arms while the storm raged around her.
* * * * *
Fucking hell. Why had he kissed her?
His body was asking a totally different question, though—why hadn’t he picked her up and taken her to bed?
He blew out air through his nostrils and stared at where she’d last been standing.
He wasn’t one to take advantage of people—ever. And it didn’t set well with him that his desires had overcome his control. Ben would hand his ass to him and Colonel Jackson would have him court martialed for his actions.
Only he wasn’t about to tell them. Would Athena tell?
When he thought of her soft lips under his and her body pressed so tightly against him, he only felt her need, not fear. She’d kissed him back with as much enthusiasm, but he still had no excuse for what he’d done.
The impulse to return to her door and sit outside was strong, but he couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to keep from knocking softly and asking for entry.
The storm was beginning to die down, the thunder moving off in the distance. Rain fell more gently. As he stood in the kitchen, contemplating his actions, the power restored and he moved to shut off his flashlight.
Athena’s plate and mug were still on the counter, and he took them to the sink. The cookie crushed under his boot, and he shook off the crumbs with a smile.
Damn, the little wildcat had gotten enough guts to throw a cookie at a man who outweighed her by a good hundred pounds and had been trained to be a killing machine.
He moved to the living room and stretched out on the sofa, a step up from the floor in front of her door. He listened hard for any noise coming from her bedroom but only heard the rain pattering the windows and roof.
His mind was too exhausted to work over the puzzle that was Athena—whether or not she was working with the people they were trying to bring down was something he’d have to leave until tomorrow.
The pillow beneath his head was lumpy and he tossed onto his side. Then returned to his back again. Finally, he tossed the pillow to the floor and tried using his arm, but no way was he going to fall asleep. There was another bed, but he couldn’t trust himself with only a wall between him and Athena. At least this way, he had to take enough steps to reach her that he’d come to his senses before walking into her room while simultaneously unbuckling his belt.
His cock throbbed behind his fly at the scenario he’d conjured, and now all he could think about was Athena’s skin glistening with perspiration as she rode him nice and slow…
Fuck. He sat up and then gained his feet, standing for a moment, undecided. When his cock gave another hard twitch, he sprang forward. There was a bathroom off the kitchen and he’d at least have some privacy if he had trouble swallowing his moans.
He navigated in the dark, his vision supreme, and barely closed the door before he whipped open his jeans and reached into his briefs for his hard cock. Wrapping his fingers around the base, he squeezed. Eyes closing at the sensation of pulsating need.
Part of him knew he was acting like a horny animal, but he was a man in his prime and he’d gone too long between lovers.
No, he was not totally losing it over this woman who was his charge.
In his mind’s eye, he undressed her. Starting at the dainty buttons at her throat and moving all the way down between her breasts, dipping his fingers between the fabric as he went.
He stroked his cock from base to tip, a groan at his lips. Fuck, he needed to stroke hard and fast to get this out of his system, but the images flooding his mind were too damn good to ignore.
Dropping his lips to hers, sinking his tongue deep into her sweet mouth and tasting her rising desire. Then peeling off her top and skirt to reveal the fancy lingerie he knew she must wear, judging by what she carried in her shop.
Perky breasts.
A moan passed his lips as he rolled his swollen cock head through his fist.
Laying her down and parting her round thighs.
Jesus, he was going to blow any second.
A thumping noise made him fall still, though it took more willpower to stop his fist. He breathed hard in the small enclosed space, his orgasm right there.
Another bump and then more that could only be footsteps.
And Athena didn’t have any shoes.
“Goddammit.” He shoved his steely cock back in his underwear and zipped his pants. When he stepped out of the bathroom, the Knight Ops team was standing in the kitchen. Roades bent over before the fridge, pulling out containers.
Chaz grinned. “Forgot to flush, dude.”
“I didn’t get to finish. What the fuck are you assholes doing here?” Blood raced through his system, and he felt all his veins standing out, snaking down his arms.
Roades shut the refrigerator, cutting off the light in the room.
Ben stepped up. “There wasn’t time to mess with a call or text. We need you and the woman out of here. Now.”
Dylan’s brain caught up to his brother’s words. “Why?”
“If she doesn’t open her shop tomorrow, it presents more of a problem to all parties.” Ben eyed Dylan as if he knew every dirty thought in Dylan’s mind since he’d set eyes on his charge.
“Meaning if she doesn’t open, the people who are involved will know something’s up and she becomes more of a target.”
“A target with a beautiful face and great hair.” Chaz bit off a precooked sausage and chewed.
“Hey, don’t underestimate a lot of hair. Great for pulling or pinning to the bed.” Roades held up an unpeeled carrot and bit it off.
Dylan clenched his fist, prepared to knock his mouthy brothers on their asses.
Ben closed his eyes momentarily. Finally, he opened his eyes and stared at Dylan. “Get the girl and meet us outside. You’ve got five minutes.”
The room emptied as Knight Ops filed back out the door, each carrying some food Roades had swiped and leaving Dylan standing there wondering what the hell he was doing.
He shouldn’t be in the middle of this at all. If he hadn’t insisted on bringing Athena to the safe house in the first place, he wouldn’t need to worry about getting her back safely to open her shop because she’d already be prepared to do that.
Her shop.
If she was opening those doors tomorrow, they had a lot of work to do tonight to right what they’d destroyed inside when tossing the place.
There weren’t any options.
He walked through the house and rapped on Athena’s door. She answered immediately, and his cock hardened more at the sleepy rasp of her voice. Five minutes wasn’t enough time to do anything with her, even steal a kiss, because once he started, he’d never stop.
“Athena, we need to move you again.”
The door flew open and she stood there, eyes wild. “Where? Is there a threat?”
God, now he wanted to pull her into his arms and press her head to his chest and whisper that it was going to be okay.
Him? Whisper? He was a fucking Marine with the mind of an intelligence officer. He could hack a man’s entire life and then turn around and shoot him between the eyes from half a mile away.
Whatever this woman was doing to him needed to end—now.
“We need you back at your boutique. You have to open it in the morning.”
“My—Are you kidding? I can’t open so soon after you guys tore it apart!”
His gaze centered on her hair, and Roades’ words filtered into his brain again. Good for pulling, pinning to the bed.
Fuck.
“We need to go. Did you leave anything behind?” She was still fully dressed minus the pantyhose.
She gave him one of her trademark looks that he was beginning to recognize as her gearing up to open her mouth and give him the sass.
“Do I look like I have anything to leave behind? You ripped me out of a closet and I don’t even have shoes.”
He did feel bad about that, but his experience with his sisters was that if you gave them thirty seconds to complain, it wouldn’t stop for a very long time.
Grabbing her by the elbow, he drew her out of the room and led her down the hall. At the front door, he looked at her bare feet. “Do you need me to carry you to the vehicle?”
She blinked rapidly and then said, “I’m fine.”
As he closed the door behind them, he mentally scoped the house. He’d walked in with exactly one woman and was going back out with her. He did still have the burner phone in his pocket, though.
The black Knight Ops SUV sat waiting for them in the shadows. When they approached, the side door opened and he urged Athena inside. Then he dropped the phone to the ground and stomped it hard, smashing it to pieces. He kicked them into the gutter and climbed in.
“We saved you some cheese.” Roades reached over the back seat and extended a block of cheese still in the wrapping.
Athena glanced back like she couldn’t believe her eyes, but Dylan barked out a laugh. Leave it to his brothers. As kids, their maman said they could eat even if the world was coming to an end.
He took the cheese and held it out to her.
She shook her head and faced forward again, arms wrapped tight around her torso.
Hell, he really was hungry as hell. Did she realize how delicious her breasts looked thrust upward like that?
Chapter Four
As they drove through the familiar streets of New Orleans, Athena was surrounded by big intimidating males. The city was still alive with activity—Mardi Gras was a nonstop celebration.
Next to her, Dylan shifted for the third time. Good—she hoped he was uncomfortable.
A wrapper crinkled and the man behind them tossed the plastic at the back of Dylan’s head. It fell over his shoulder to hit his lap, and she saw the wrapper from the cheese he’d handed back after Athena refused it.
She shook her head again. Not that she knew what to expect from a special ops team, but they seemed weirder than normal.
Dylan smashed the paper in his fist and stuffed it into the pocket on the seat in front of him. “What’s the plan?”
Ben… and was it Sean?... cast him looks over their shoulders.
“You can speak in front of her. She needs to know what’s happening, doesn’t she?”
She gripped the edge of the seat until her fingers grew cold, waiting to hear t
heir responses.
“We’ve got all the equipment you need in the back. Jackson’s orders. You set up on the premises and she opens tomorrow as usual.”
“How can I open Athena’s Creations when it’s trashed? It will take me days to clean up.” She thought of all those gowns lying trampled on the floor. So many things had to be destroyed. Plus she had alterations to do for Mrs. Landrenau, and that woman did not like being kept waiting.
Tears threatened the backs of Athena’s eyes, but she refused to let her emotions kick in. She had work to do, if what they were saying was true.
Minutes later, they pulled into the alley behind her building. Just hours ago, they’d burst in her back door.
When Dylan got out and extended a hand to her, she glared at his fingers—they were far too callused for her liking anyway—and refused his help.
He stepped aside to allow her to exit the vehicle while Ben opened her back door again.
“Wait a minute—is that my key?” She bit off the words that felt like acid on her tongue. Her father used to tell her that she let her temper get the best of her too often, and Athena had worked hard to master that. Now no matter how many times she counted to ten—backward and then forward—she was still seething.
When she walked into her store and switched on the lights, all the suppressed fury rose up. She threw her head back with a strangled scream.
Silk and satin gowns were strewn across the floor, some with boot prints on them. Accessories were dumped all over the glass counters and shoes lay in disarray. She mourned a sparkly rhinestone buckle that lay smashed near her bare feet.
She whirled to face the men and picked out Dylan among them. “There’s no way I can clean this up to open by morning!”
“You don’t have an option.” He stared at her, his expression as stern as ever. She balled her fists. Why had she ever let him kiss her?
Then the other guys started carrying in boxes and Dylan directed them to her office. She waved at their broad backs cloaked in black.
“What are they doing?” she demanded of Dylan.
