Joint Engagement

by Karen Anders

  There was a light and a dark side to him and the combination was doubly dangerous. “Are you?” he whispered. His hand slid to the back of her neck, and he tilted her head. Before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers. Hard, demanding. Hot, so hot, moist, a seductive tease that made every bone in her body melt.

  She couldn’t compare Daniel to Beau and use the same tired reason that she’d used with him. If she was being honest with herself, the reason she needed the distance with Beau was because she wanted him and he was more of a threat to her control, her fear of getting too close. What happened with Daniel and the death of his partner had shattered her confidence. But Beau was already so different. He listened, was supportive and took her seriously.

  And her tingling mouth had been waiting for this. It had been sensual torture. She’d expected a warrior’s kiss, bold and aggressive, attempting to conquer through sheer will and force. It was because he’d looked so fierce and determined.

  But it wasn’t what that felt like. It was an onslaught, all right, an all-out blitz. But he kissed her with an almost desperate need and it couldn’t be more seductive. The fact that he wasn’t as confident as she expected touched that unstable and unsure part of her and made her ache for him just that much more.

  He took her emotions and twisted them around more than any man she’d ever met. He kept surprising her. And the way he twisted her, left gaps in her armor for him to slip through and affect her... Wholly, intensely, without intent or design—just pure reaction at a base level that maybe he wasn’t even aware of. This wasn’t a seduction by him; it was a seduction of him. That was much more difficult to resist than a confident man taking what he wanted, making it all about him and his pleasure. With Beau that just wasn’t the case. There wasn’t anything more alluring or a bigger turn-on than a man she was crazily attracted to who wanted her and made no secret of it.

  She pressed back, kissing him just as fiercely, letting the life of him, his sheer sexy presence, filter through her, seep into her, absorbing him through her pores.

  He slipped his hands under her arms, curling them around her back, and lifted her effortlessly into him, growling softly against her lips when she wrapped her legs around his waist, the sound rumbling through his chest.

  Her hands coiled around the heated muscles of his biceps, traveling up to his broad, flexing shoulders and around his neck, anchoring herself.

  He was breathing harshly. His hot, velvety tongue slipped into her mouth as he drove his hips into hers, and he made a soft sound this time as his erection ground against the core of her.

  He supported her bottom as he pushed them away from the wall and moved to the bed. She held onto him like a limpet. He stopped at the edge of the bed and let her slide down his body. Pushing her jacket off her shoulders, it dropped to the floor behind her. He cupped her cheeks, pushing the hair off her face, his palms smooth.

  She stared up at him, into eyes that held her so solidly, so completely. Body shaking, lips trembling, she held his passionate gaze, held on to it tightly.

  She slipped her hands beneath his jacket and lifted it away, shoving it until he shrugged out of it. Reaching for his shoulder rig, he unbuckled, turned and set it on the chair near the bed. Kinley reached back for her weapon and unclipped it from the small of her back and moved around to slide it onto the nightstand table. She couldn’t lose herself in this man. She had to hold something back. It was self-preservation. Temporary meant short-term. Could she let herself trust him, even though she was losing her resolve?

  She closed her eyes. Was she going to take this step? She was driven by her own goals, but she couldn’t seem to get past one all-consuming feeling—she felt safe with him.

  With Daniel it had been about sex. About alleviating some of her loneliness with the physical closeness.

  But that wasn’t the case with Beau. She wanted to wrap herself around him, there was no doubt about that, but it was a deeper connection with him that she sought. She squeezed her eyes closed, the fear welling up in her.

  “If you don’t want to do this, Kinley, sugar, tell me.”

  Tenderness slammed into her, hard, coming from such a closed and tight place it almost hurt. He was making it difficult to keep her guard up.

  And was the fear that this wasn’t quite a temporary feeling more of a reason to keep him at arms’ length?

  He remained motionless and she let go of a little bit of her stupid fear, let go a little bit of her artificial walls. The experience of him would be the reward. It was time that she stopped denying her needs out of fear.

  “Do you want me, chérie?”

  The tone of his voice melted her completely. He wasn’t demanding or pushing her. It was a simple question. She had a simple answer.

  “Yes, please. I want...you.”

  He made a soft, surrendering sound in his throat, pressing against her from behind, his chest heavy against her back, his hard-on up against her buttocks. She leaned back against him as he pulled the button-down shirt out of her slacks, his hands slipping beneath.

  His hands smoothed over her rib cage, up over her lace-covered breasts then back down. When he came up again, he went under the lace cups, his palms rasping over her nipples.

  She gasped, and arched as he moved. He made quick work of her buttons and her shirt was off. Her bra was nothing but a memory as it dropped from his hands to the rug.

  He stripped her of her pants and undies in one smooth move, spun her until she was up against his fully clothed body. She reached for the hem of his T-shirt and dragged it up to get her hands on his bare skin. He made a soft sound as her mouth connected with his chest. He discarded the shirt in the pile at their feet.

  Her mouth found his flat nipple and she sucked him with strong pulls, her hand going to the hard heat beneath the zipper of his dress pants, squeezing and fondling him.

  He swore in the semidarkness. “Take them off.”

  Her mouth still tasting his hot skin, she undid his belt one-handed and unhooked and unzipped, the loosened pants falling off his hips. Grasping her around the waist, he bent down, dragging her belly against his open mouth. He licked her all the way to her breasts, sucking a hard nipple into his mouth. She cried out at the feel of his hot, greedy mouth.

  Slipping her hands between his briefs and his hard ass, she rolled them off so that they flowed down his body.

  She pushed him back and he folded down against the mattress. Kneeling, she came between his legs and licked his erection. He moaned deep when she slipped her mouth over the head of him, sucking gently. He twisted against the mattress as she worked him over.

  Rearing up, he grasped her under the arms and pulled her across his hot, muscled body. Reaching for protection, he rolled it over himself with practiced ease. Flipping her onto her back, he straddled her. Using his knee to open her legs, he fit himself between her thighs.

  “Beau,” she whispered. “Oh, please.”

  He grunted when he took her, slipping inside to delve deep. She wrapped her legs around his hips and he pulled out and thrust again. She clutched at him as his strokes got short and quick, then slow and deep.

  She exploded, the pleasure detonating in concussive waves of intense pleasure. After a few more thrusts, he stiffened above her and groaned, pumping hard.

  For a few minutes they lay together, him still buried deep inside her, her legs wrapped around him. As her breathing slowed, Beau withdrew, jerking a little as he slipped out of her.

  He dragged her against him, his arms going around her tightly. For a few more minutes they clung to each other. He slipped out of bed and disposed of the condom.

  Sliding back in, he rolled to his back and she settled against his chest.

  “Tell me about him,” he demanded on a growl.

  Kinley sighed. “Why? Because you’re jealous?” She said it with some
thing akin to marvel in her tone. As if it was just completely improbable.

  He rolled on top of her, supporting his upper chest with his forearms. His groin settled against her groin and hips. “I’m not jealous.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “I want to know what I’m up against.” He dipped his head and nuzzled the curve of her jaw, his stubble rasping against her skin.

  “You’re not up against anything.” It shouldn’t have charmed her as much as it did.

  “Tell me about him. What happened between the two of you?” He smoothed damp strands of hair off her face.

  This time it wasn’t a demand. It was a request and she couldn’t resist that look and those thickly lashed, midnight-blue eyes. Against her better judgment, she said, “I was the only woman on the task force. There were two DEA agents, and an FBI agent. With the exception of Daniel, they were all over forty and one of them even called me little lady.”

  He rolled his eyes. “They didn’t take you seriously.”

  “No. That’s an understatement.” She traced her fingertips over his face. “You probably haven’t noticed, but women who attempt to fit into jobs that are traditionally held by men have to be faster, smarter, with infinite patience.”

  “I work with a woman, Kinley, and I love it. She kicks my ass regularly. She’s so damned smart and intuitive.”

  “Who is this woman?”

  He chuckled. “Who’s jealous now?”

  “I’m not jealous,” she insisted. She would just ignore the way her gut tightened and a sense of protective need came over her.

  “Special Agent Amber Dalton. She’s a pistol and she has a boyfriend. Some navy swabbie. I think of her like a sister. But enough about Amber. I was asking about Daniel.”

  She still wanted to know more about Amber, but that would have to wait. “I couldn’t figure out how so many go-fast boats were getting in and out so quickly.”

  He gave her a wry look. “You were the one who had a hunch about the mothership concept?” When she nodded, he said, “I’m impressed.”

  She flushed under his praise. “Yes. I told Daniel’s partner. He was the one that called me little lady. I suggested that it was probably a freight ship and guessed the manifest would show that it came from South America.”

  “You found one in the harbor?”

  “Not exactly. I knew they wouldn’t want to seem suspicious, so I figured it had to be one that had already off-loaded. We used helicopters to find it and it was sitting just off the coast. We went out there, just the three of us, to check it out. Daniel’s partner decided he was going to go aboard. I was against it and insisted we call for backup.”

  “He discounted you again.”

  “He did and so did Daniel.”

  That was why she was so apprehensive about seeing him again. He’d set off those feelings all over again and she didn’t want to dredge them up. It was really why she couldn’t ever see herself with him.

  Time had diminished their time together into fragments of memories, memories that she’d deliberately pushed away into some dark corner of her mind. Once she locked feelings away, she didn’t think about the past. And she didn’t want to think about it now.

  “You were sleeping with him?”

  “I created such a wonderful fantasy in my mind, and I’d been so sure that being with Daniel would be what I had been searching for. I really believed that something special and beautiful would happen.” She buried her face in his neck to avoid his eyes, feeling completely ridiculous. That she was opening up to him like this was unexpected and shocking.

  She didn’t want to dredge up the disillusionment, the panic, the humiliation. She did not want to remember how she’d felt after all her romantic expectations had been shattered and she’d been confronted with the cold light of reality.

  He cupped the back of her head and kissed the top of it. “It was his call?”

  She nodded. “He said it would be a quick look-see. They boarded and the smugglers came back.” He massaged her scalp, running his fingers through her hair, and it was so soothing. “I went overboard, into the water before they saw me, but I had enough time to radio in. Daniel was wounded and his partner was killed before backup got there.”

  “I remember reading the story. You took down the smugglers and confiscated seven tons of cocaine.”

  She felt hollow. “And I was brought up on disciplinary charges. Daniel said nothing and I took the full blame. I got reprimanded and chewed out for not following procedure.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I thought we had something. But when he didn’t back me up, I realized that I was alone. By then, it was too late. He’d already let me take the fall. I was distraught and felt so betrayed. He left and took his promotion. I haven’t spoken to him since.”

  He sent his hands through her hair again. “What a freaking coward. He was worried about losing his promotion.”

  “Yes. I was such a fool. I don’t intend to be that kind of fool again.”

  His head dipped down and he kissed her mouth, lingered over her lips. It was more a comforting kiss and her heart softened. This smart, fierce warrior was sweet, too?

  “Are you this wonderful to all your conquests?”

  “You’re not a conquest,” he said, his head rising and his eyes pinning her. “There is no subjugation here. There is nothing but participation.”

  She reached up and cupped his face, running her palm over his stubble with languid sweeps, the rough texture stimulating. “Okay, I concede that. But you didn’t answer my question.”

  “I’m not with them long enough to have the option. But with you, Kinley, I don’t feel sweet.” She gasped when she felt him harden.

  He reached for protection again and said, “Not sweet at all.”

  Chapter 9

  The snick of the lock woke Beau immediately. His eyes flashed open. Without hesitation he rolled and took Kinley with him down to the floor. He instinctually covered her body with his as automatic gunfire slammed into the headboard above them.

  Beau reached for his pants and snagged the KA-BAR he always carried with him. He had no doubts as to who was trying to kill them. Had to be the Las Espadas. It wouldn’t take much to find out where they were staying and grease some palms to get their room keys.

  His heart pounding, adrenaline drop loading into his system, he tried not to worry about Kinley. She knew how to handle herself.

  Buck naked, he dove for his weapon on the chair. The window above him exploded with a shattering sound followed by a whoosh as the vacuum on the room broke. Wind and shards of glass sliced the air.

  With a somersault, he grabbed his weapon and came to his feet behind the two men firing at the bed. Beau took no chances and went for head shots. The two goons dropped. But another one came through the door and knocked his gun out of his hand. It went spinning across the carpet. A knife sliced at his face, but he was already spinning away and it only nicked him on the jaw. They must be working in teams of two and when they didn’t find Beau in his room, they came here.

  With a quick flip of Beau’s wrist, the KA-BAR’s blade was ready and deadly. Moving fast, he held the knife in a reverse-edged grip. He slashed at his opponent, who avoided the maneuver but wasn’t fast enough to avoid Beau’s follow-up fist, which smashed into his face. As he stumbled backward, another man entered the room. Between one heartbeat and the next, Beau flipped the knife up, caught it and flung it. It buried to the hilt in the man’s throat, just as Kinley put a round in his chest and head. When she turned the gun on the only man left, Beau said, “No!”

  “But you’re unarmed.” Her voice was filled with concern.

  He shook his head. The knife-wielder came at him again with a slash. Beau caught his wrist, pulling the knife away from his body. With a li
ghtning-quick, snapping blow, he hit the man’s nose with the heel of his hand, dazing him. Stepping into the man’s body, Beau used one hand to grab his wrist. Tucking his assailant’s arm under his, Beau grabbed him by the throat with his free hand. With punishing power, he lifted the guy and took him down to the rug. With two blows the man was out.

  His blood rushing, he was across the room. Taking her shoulders, he said, “Are you okay?”

  She nodded as sirens wailed in the night. Either hotel guests or the staff must have called the police. Beau walked around the bed and pulled on his briefs and pants. As she hurriedly got dressed, she asked, “How are we going to explain this?”

  “We were discussing the case when we were attacked,” he said.

  She nodded. “Beau, you’re bleeding.”

  “It’ll be fine. Give me your gun,” he said. “We don’t want any weapons in our hands when the cops get here.” He placed both guns on the bed.

  They both grabbed their badges as the first Bahamian officer shouted, “Police!”

  Beau and Kinley raised their hands with their badges prominently displayed as the police rushed into the room.

  Fifteen minutes later, Daniel and Ken entered the room. Ken shook his head, taking in the carnage. “Looks like they picked on the wrong guy.” He chuckled.

  Daniel took in the bullet spray peppering the mattress and headboard, the blown-out window. Then he looked at Kinley and his lips thinned. “Are you all right?” he asked, his eyes flickering to Beau.

  He’d guessed, but Beau didn’t give a damn.

  She stepped away as Daniel reached out and moved closer to Beau. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  Daniel looked disappointed, then went to one of the bodies and crouched down.

  “Las Espadas Cruzadas,” Beau said. “One of them is alive and on his way to the hospital. Shall we?”

  Daniel rose and nodded. “Let’s go see what this bastard knows.”

  At the hospital, the prisoner had been cleaned up, his nose set and bandaged. When the cartel goon saw Beau, he shouted death threats at him.