Out of Sight

by Cherry Adair

  Never again would she mistake being a man's trophy girlfriend for real emotion. She was worth more than that. She had worth and value with T-FLAC. She liked knowing that she was defined by her ability, not her build.

  "Check that out," Kane said, coming up beside her. He pointed with a jerk of his chin. They observed the chumed-up sand indicating several camels had come this way then veered off and headed southwest.

  AJ frowned. Annoyed with herself for not seeing something that now it had been pointed out to her was obvious. That s it, she thought. Stop thinking about Kane and start thinking about the op. She had to prove herself—not only to Kane, but to herself. She would have noticed had she not been lost in thoughts that had nothing to do with a diabolical madman. Instead she was trying to make some sense out of her—what, relationship with Kane? It wasn't a relationship. But it didn't feel like casual sex, either. AJ knew she no longer worshiped the hero image she had brought from the Academy. Nope, this felt like a whole lot more. Maybe she was falling in love? That was almost as frightening as anything they currently faced.

  "Follow the tracks," Kane shouted ahead to Anum in Arabic.

  "How did you see that?" she demanded, trying to cover the embarrassment other inattentiveness.

  "Put your sunglasses back on. See now?"

  The U.V filtered out the sharp light, leaving a deeper shadow on the surface, making the agitated sand stand out clearly. Yes, she saw, and stored. She wouldn't miss it again. "Must be Raazaq and his cronies."

  "Yeah."

  The sand had a mica sheen, tiny diamonds exposed. The sun was high, and beat down on her covered shoulders. A light, playful breeze made the heat bearable.

  Fascinated by the lurch and sway of the camel in front of her, AJ admired the engineering of its spindly legs, which gave it such perfect balance in the shifting sands of its world. "Did you see the soft white pads under their hooves?" she called to Kane, who rode beside her. "Look how they spread with each step, just like dough. Cool, huh? Prevents them sinking into the sand, and provides traction."

  "Do you remember everything you read?" Kane asked curiously. He looked like some kind of exotic cowboy in his straw hat, black galabayya, and several days' growth of beard darkening his jaw. He'd stroked her body with his face last night, and just remembering the tickle and scrape of that beard on her sensitized skin was enough to make her go weak at the knees. Good thing she was already sitting down.

  She gulped a breath and focused on camels. "Pretty much. For example, did you know that from head to hump, Camelus dromedarius is perfectly adapted to this harsh desert life? Their long eyelashes and nostrils can close to deflect dust. They collect moisture from the air with each expelled breath and then inhale that moisture and take it into their lungs. Oh, and their single, fat-storing hump helps regulate their body temperature and can keep them hydrated for weeks. Which," AJ assured him, "I would prefer not to observe firsthand." She shifted in the saddle.

  "Butt hurt? Try crooking your leg over the seat."

  "In a while. I'm fine. It's spectacular, isn't it?" She indicated the vast, never-ending expanse of caramel-colored sand. The silence made her want to whisper as one did in church.

  "Yeah," he said, not glancing away. "It is."

  They didn't stop for lunch. There wasn't a scrap of shade anywhere. Just flat, camel-colored sand. A few outcroppings of rock once in a while broke the monotony. They ended up lapsing into long periods of silence.

  "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to walk again," AJ confessed when they finally stopped to eat in the late afternoon. Raazaq's track went directly through a wadi. "Oh, look. Shade," she exclaimed happily.

  Kane smiled. "Only an optimist would call that pathetic two inches shade."

  A cluster of five pretty sad-looking palms stood sentinel over a small grassy area, where a muddy puddle indicated a water source. The shade, like the fronds on the date palms, was meager.

  "Shade is shade."

  "They had a cooking fire." Kane kicked at the coals with his toe. Cold.

  Yusuf got the camels to kneel. An interesting rocking motion AJ quite enjoyed, despite her sore butt.

  In his twenties, the young man had bad skin, the sharp features of a small rodent, and the family's slumberous black eyes. He did not look happy. "I am not the servant. Ziyad will prepare tea and food," he told them dismissively in pretty decent English. He went off to sit beside Anum.

  AJ glanced at Kane. "What was that about?"

  He held out his hand to help her down. "Wrong side of the blanket brother, apparently."

  AJ swung her leg over Kika's back. "Ow."

  "Saddle sore?"

  "You have to ask? If you tell me your legs and butt don't hurt, I'll shoot you." AJ's skin felt stretched tight, and she would sell her soul for a gallon of Coke clinking merrily with ice.

  Kane helped her down. Her legs buckled. "Want me to carry you?"

  She was grateful for his help, and her legs wobbled as she stood upright, holding on to Kane to gain her sand legs. "Yes," she told him primly. "But it has nothing to do with my atrophied legs."

  "What does it have to do with?"

  "You holding me. Think they'll mind?" She nodded to the brothers.

  Kane ran his hands up her arms. "Want me to ask them?"

  "Nah. Let's fool around without permission."

  "Let's," he whispered roughly, capturing her mouth.

  She opened her mouth to welcome him.

  Kane groaned. God, she tasted good.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and slumped against him, her hands gripping the back of his galabayya in both hands as she really got into the kiss. Up on her tiptoes, she pressed her body against his and responded to him as if she were dying of thirst and he were the well. He curved his hands over the firm mounds of her butt, drawing her against his body. She moaned low and thick against his mouth.

  Heat and desire rose in him until he was dizzy with it.

  Except this was neither the time nor the place. Damn it.

  He eased her away from him with regret. "Rain check?"

  Her pale-green eyes were hazy with desire, large with want, but she stepped away and nodded, her gaze holding his. "Let it pour."

  He brushed her cheek with his finger. It was warm, and slightly damp. Damn. He understood desire. Hell, he was no monk. He'd had a few long-term relationships, and more than a few short-term ones as well, but this felt… different. His need went beyond the mere physical. Which astounded him, since his physical desires for AJ were like nothing he'd ever known. His entire body seemed to think it couldn't function without her taste in his mouth and the feel of her skin. This wasn't only about giving and receiving carnal pleasure.

  Damn it to hell. He didn't want to go there. Getting emotional about Cooper was the last thing he wanted or needed.

  There be dragons there.

  Unaware, or unconcerned, with where his thoughts had taken him, AJ rubbed her bottom with both hands. Her ass must hurt as badly as his did, but she hadn't complained. Yards of fabric covered her from neck to toe, but when she put her hands back like that the soft material pulled across her flat belly and flowed over her spectacular breasts. Seeing how the kiss had affected her nipples made him hotter than ever.

  "I'm hoping for a monsoon," he murmured, briefly touching her damp lower lip with his thumb.

  Her tongue snaked out and darted a quick temptation before she stepped out of reach. "Torrential rains," she agreed, her eyes sparkling.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  « ^ »

  The camels were already at the water hole. They leaned down, legs comically splayed, to drink. Yusuf and Anum sat on the other side of the green patch, watching Ziyad prepare tea.

  "I'm thirsty enough to lick that mud hole," AJ said as they walked into the shade.

  "May I make another suggestion? "

  "No, you may not." Mouth damp from his kiss, she smiled that infernal smile that drove him to distraction. "How long a break can we afford?
"

  "As long as the camels want to drink, we wait."

  "Thank God they filled up before we left. Otherwise we'd be here for hours." She walked stiff-legged over to the scrubby grass, tossed her hat to the ground, then flopped down, somehow managing to do so without bending her knees. Spread-eagled on her back, she closed her eyes. "Hold that piña colada until I wake up from my nap, Raul."

  Kane dropped down beside her. "Would that be before or after madam's massage?"

  She opened one eye. "Oh, my God! A massage?" She quickly rolled over onto her stomach, pillowing her head on her arm. "I think I love you."

  Kane eyed her speculatively. What an interesting thought. "Spread your legs."

  "I do believe that's the first time a masseuse has said that to me." She opened one eye again. "The spirit might be willing, but the flesh is weak." She gave him a half smile, eyes dancing. "Not to mention Curly, Moe, and Ralph are right over there getting an eyeful."

  "They can't see anything from where they are. And I'm talking massage, not wild monkey sex."

  "Dam."

  "Yeah," he said laconically, kneeling between her spread legs. "Dam."

  He lifted the hem of the all-enveloping cotton garment she wore, running his hands up her smooth calves. Her skin felt warm, silky, resilient under his palms. He rested his hands lightly on the sweet curve behind her knees, and felt the unsteady beat of her pulse there as it picked up speed from the contact. He enjoyed touching her as much as she enjoyed being touched. He ran his hands up the back of her thighs, massaging the tight muscles in her legs in sure, easy strokes. She groaned softly. The sound was sexy as hell, and he came to life in a hurry. Down, boy.

  She made an erotic picture with her body bared to the shoulders and exposed to his hungry gaze. He even found the fact that her slender feet were encased in heavy combat boots sexy. A narrow black thong bared her ass cheeks, which flexed at his touch. So responsive. So not going to happen right now, he reminded himself. He glanced over his shoulder. The brothers were lying down, taking a nap. Good.

  He turned back and concentrated on giving her a proper massage. Her muscles were sore and tight and he kneaded and manipulated her glutes until she practically purred.

  He spanned her narrow waist with his palms, digging his thumbs into the muscles on either side other spine. Found a knot and worked on it until she softened, almost melting into the grass. "Hmmm-hmmm, good."

  Sunlight filtered through the palm fronds high above, painting tiger stripes on her tanned back. Kane stroked instead of kneaded, just because he loved the sensation of her skin under his hands. It felt alive and responded instantly to his touch. He smiled. "Were you a cat in another life?"

  "King Tut's." Her voice was thick. "Worshiped and revered. And I warn you, I became accustomed to it in a hurry."

  "You mean you weren't Cleopatra?"

  She snorted. "Maybe Caesar."

  "Ah. You prefer ruling with an iron fist." This time he smiled fully. How like AJ. She wanted none of the girl trappings. She wasn't a woman who enjoyed games or prevarication. She was direct and straight to the point, with no stops along the way for political correctness. "As Queen of Egypt, Cleo had power," he pointed out.

  "Oh, please. She was too busy drinking pearls, and playing at politics. She should've gone out with her troops and kicked some butt instead of waiting for her guys to save the day."

  Kane laughed. "You're one in a million, Agatha Jethro."

  "Ah-huh. One in a million reincarnated cats. A little to the left… Yeah. Oh, God. That feels sooooo good."

  Kane leaned over and brushed her hair aside to kiss the back of her neck. He brushed his lips over her soft skin, drinking in the fragrances of roses and AJ that was becoming more and more addictive. He laved the spot with his tongue, then blew cool air against the damp spot, making her shiver. He glided his mouth up the side of her throat, and dropped a kiss on her parted lips.

  "Yum. More," she demanded without opening her eyes.

  "Later, little cat." Kane reluctantly lifted his body away from hers. "Camels are ready to rock." He pulled the caftan down over the tantalizing mounds of her spectacular butt and gave it a little pat. "Let's do it, Amy Jean."

  She opened her eyes, rolled over, and stretched. "I owe you one."

  "And I'll collect, too. I suggest we both tap a kidney before we split."

  "Give me a minute." She held out her hand, and he pulled her to her feet. Christ. He was tempted to grab her and take her back down to the ground, rip her clothes off, and sink into the hot, wet heaven of her body. To keep from doing just that, he took a step back, and called to the Brothers Grim.

  AJ walked to the other side of the small wadi, not exactly as private as closing a door, but as private as it was going to get.

  When she returned the camels were ready, Kane on Roopsi, and Yusuf waiting to help her board Kika.

  "Onward and upward." AJ grinned. The massage, and that ten-minute break had done her a world of good. She was refreshed and rarin' to go.

  They followed Raazaq's churned-up tracks out of the wadi. He was still heading south. His trail couldn't have been clearer if he'd stuck a neon signpost saying, I've Gone This Way. Either he was arrogant enough to believe no one would follow him, or he was stupid enough to think jamming their vehicle and communications would stop them.

  "Think our guys are following us?" AJ asked as Kane came up beside her. She was getting used to the camel's gait, a back-and-forth swaying movement that was almost hypnotic. She hooked her knee over the front of the saddle for a little relief on her aching butt. The foot would fall asleep soon, and she'd have to switch legs, but it helped a little if she moved around.

  The hot afternoon sun baked down, a dry heat that burned her nostrils and dried out the moisture in her eyes. She was grateful for the shade of the straw cowboy hat Kane had provided. It could be scrunched up to fit in her back pocket, if she'd had a back pocket, and was much better all-around protection than her baseball cap.

  "I'm hoping they were out of range of whatever shut us down. They'll put two and two together when they can't locate us, and go back to Cairo and get a plane to search."

  "Talking about planes—I haven't noticed any fly over, have you?"

  "Probably not a commercial route."

  "Probably not." AJ drank greedily from her canteen. In this climate one didn't wait to become thirsty, which indicated dehydration. She stuck the container back into the pack in front of her. She frowned. "Unless whatever it is that's stopped everything on the ground also stopped things from flying. Is that possible?"

  Kane shrugged, his face hard. "Sure, you can block instruments, but our pilots can fly blind—if the engines aren't in some way jammed. I know they'll figure out a way to find Raazaq. The problem might be in relaying the info to us."

  The desert stretched out for miles around them, barren and majestic in its vast, unspoiled beauty. Golden ripples of wind-driven sand curved and spiraled up dunes and across flat surfaces in a monochromatic canvas. The only thing spoiling the pristine landscape was the darker, frothed-up tracks of the men they followed. And the threat Raazaq carried across the desert.

  The brothers stopped for prayers at dusk, and Kane and AJ got off the camels and stretched their legs. The setting sun made the air cooler, but heat waves captured by the desert glistened in the distance. A mirage materialized way off, replete with mountains and shimmering water. She wondered how many people had died while trying to reach the mirage that would constantly slip farther out of reach.

  "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Kane murmured as they walked.

  "The desert? Yeah. I like it." She kicked sand with the tip of one sturdy boot and watched the setting sun filter through the drifting grains. "Hate to live here, though—too quiet for me—but it's fascinating to visit."

  "That, too. But I meant, really love working for T-FLAC."

  "Ah, the love of my life."

  He glanced at her. "Is it?"

  "
You know my father was a SEAL? My brother bucked him, and joined T-FLAC straight out of the Marines. Of course, I had no idea what Gideon did until years later." She yanked off the cowboy hat and shook her head, letting the soft wind caress the sweat-dampened curls at her forehead. "The eight years between us made us practically strangers, and of course it didn't help that we each lived with a different parent. But I loved listening to Darrel talk about his years in the service. I craved that kind of commitment. Wanted to do something that made a difference."

  She glanced up, to find his gaze locked on her. Heat skittered along her spine like an electrical current. "From when I was really small, I wanted to be a cop. It took me a while to chuck off the other crap in my life. But I did it. Then I was recruited by T-FLAC, and bam, my life changed."

  "T-FLAC is a hell of a long way from being a beauty queen."

  "Hooray for that." AJ shuddered dramatically. Not needing them, she took off her sunglasses and hooked them on her neckline.

  His lips twitched. "Didn't like it much, huh?"

  "Even getting shot in that training exercise, which was god-awful and scared the crap out of me, was better than parading around half-naked showing my assets." She huffed out a breath. "Maybe it wouldn't've been so bad if any of us had had anything to do with the way we looked—but it was a toss of nature's coin. Genetics."

  "Genetics that must have helped you in life."

  "Well, I suppose it helps not to be butt ugly," she said honestly. "But if anything, what I look like has held me back. A sort of reverse discrimination, you know? I never had a date for any of my proms. Guys just presumed someone else had asked me. And doing what I was doing—all that beauty-pageant crap—people made assumptions about my I.Q. And why wouldn't they? People tend not to look any farther than skin deep. They didn't even care if I had a brain or not. Until I joined T-FLAC."

  "And then?"

  "And then," she grinned ruefully, "I'm not sure if they cared there, either. But I have two things they do covet. My photographic memory, and my sniping abilities. I had nothing to do with the former, but I worked my ass off in sniper school and it's paid off. I plan on being T-FLAC's best sniper. I'm going to build my reputation on it."