by Anna Hackett
His bathroom door slammed open.
“Logan!”
Sydney came to a halt in the doorway, staring at him.
She pressed her hands together. “I knocked on the main door. When you didn’t answer, I got worried. I thought you’d passed out or something.”
Logan just stared at her. She’d been worried about him? He tried to remember the last time anybody, especially a woman, had worried about him. Most people expected him to worry about them. Hell, it was his job to protect others.
He took her all in, noting the pink in her cheeks and her fresh clothes. He saw that her gaze was nowhere near his face. The water of his bath didn’t hide anything.
She cleared her throat. “How’s your head?”
He snorted. “Which one?” She could hardly miss his raging hard on.
She lifted her chin. “Sounds like you’re fine.” She took a step backward.
“Don’t.” His voice echoed off the tiles.
She stopped. “This is a bad idea.”
Probably. “Come here, Sydney.”
She shook her head. “We’re here to find my brother. Silk Road is after us—”
“Seems to me that you’ve been doing everything for everyone else for a really long time. When do you get to do what you want?”
She fell silent.
“You’ve helped your country, which meant hiding who you really are from your family and friends. It’s tough when you have to keep that part of yourself separate. You’re learning to run your company for your dad. And you’re down here in South America, in the middle of nowhere in the mountains, for your brother. What about you, Sydney? What do you want?”
She stood there, her slim body vibrating. “Sometimes we don’t get what we want.”
“And sometimes you’ve just got to reach out and take it.”
She took a single step and stopped.
“What do you want, Sydney?”
She shivered. “You.”
“I’m all yours.”
She closed the distance to the tub, dropping down on her knees. “I want…I want to touch you. I thought that Silk Road guy was going to kill you today on that roadside.”
Logan wanted to lunge up and grab her, but he forced himself to stay still. He’d meant it. He wanted Sydney to finally take something for herself, not be always giving and subduing her own needs in the process. He forced himself to stay still, his hands curling under the water.
She reached out, her slender fingers brushing against his chest. She let them drift over his shoulder, skirting the small cut marks. She reached his tattoos at the back of his biceps and stroked each one with a focused attention that made more blood race to his cock. Then her hand drifted down again over his chest, lower, running over each ridge of his abdomen.
Now Logan was breathing hard.
“You’re magnificent,” she said quietly.
He knew that in his entire thirty-five years of living, no one had ever called him magnificent. And no one had ever said it and believed it like Sydney.
He lunged up and grabbed her. She gasped. Naked and wet, he carried her through into the bedroom. He tossed her on the bed, towering above her.
She stared up at him and he saw her chest rising and falling rapidly. Desire flared in her eyes—bright and hot. Her gaze drifted down and locked on his very engorged cock.
Logan lowered himself on top of her. He pressed his lips to hers, driving his tongue inside her mouth. He needed the taste of her. He needed the feel of her. She kissed him back eagerly.
As he devoured her, her hands slid down his sides, and a second later, he felt her slim fingers close around his cock.
He groaned and thrust himself into her hands. “You want me inside you?”
“Yes,” she panted. She stroked him again with firm, hard pumps. “You’re a very generous handful, Logan. I can’t wait for you to be inside me. To watch you lose control.”
He groaned again. Then he heard a knocking sound.
It took him a second to realize that someone was knocking on the door.
“Ready for dinner, O’Connor?” Declan called out.
Hell. Logan felt his entire body trembling and he fought for some control. But Sydney didn’t stop her caresses. She sped up her strokes and he felt the start of his orgasm coiling at the base of his spine.
He’d never had sex like this. Him naked, a woman clothed and giving him pleasure.
“Give me a minute.” He wasn’t sure if Dec would be fooled. Logan lowered his voice “Syd—” His words ended on a tortured growl.
“So big, so hard.” She kept working him. “I want you to come for me, Logan. Right here, right now.”
He groaned, trying to keep it quiet, since he knew Dec was only feet away and separated by thin wood. Logan was usually loud during sex. He’d never been forced to keep his control like this, to contain his response. For him, sex was always fast and a little wild. This was different, and agonizingly amazing.
She stroked faster, and he kept pumping his hips into her hand. She reached down and cupped his balls.
Logan stiffened and came with the force of a freight train. She pulled the sheet up to cover the head of his cock, and instead of roaring out his release, he buried his face in her throat, his lips pressed against her skin. He opened his mouth and gently bit her, catching that sensitive tendon between her neck and shoulder. She arched under him with a fierce, quiet moan.
“Don’t have all day, O’Connor,” Dec called again.
Chest heaving, Logan tried to get his brain firing. His body was still humming with pleasure and his legs felt numb.
“Go,” Sydney whispered.
He pulled back to look down at her. Flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and a very satisfied look in her eyes. Damn, he wanted her. He didn’t care about dinner or his best friend. He wanted to lodge himself inside her and take all night to explore every luscious inch of her. Find out what she liked, what made her cry out, what made her blush, and what made her come.
“I’ll see you at dinner, after I clean up,” she said.
Dec pounded on the door again. “We have details to sort out for tomorrow. Quit snoozing, Logan.”
Logan closed his eyes for a second and raised his voice. “I just finished washing up. Give me a chance to get dressed.”
He gave Sydney one last and frustratingly short kiss, before he stood. “Later.”
She smiled. “Count on it.”
Chapter Seven
Early the next morning, Sydney found herself seated on a horse, riding up the mountainside above Leymebamba. The sun was shining, and the air was crisp and fresh. The view back down to the village in the valley was gorgeous.
The others were riding ahead of her. She stared at Logan’s back. He’d grumbled about getting on the horses that the local guide had brought them, but of course he rode with an easy rhythm.
The local guide, Piero, was chattering away in Spanish to Declan.
“I take tours to the lake, but very few come.” He had a friendly face and dark hair. “The mummies are now all in the museum in the village. But the lake is very beautiful. I wish more people wanted to visit it.”
Sydney smiled to herself. She couldn’t imagine too many tourists wanted to do the strenuous ten-hour trek to Laguna de los Condores. Her gaze drifted back to Logan.
Instantly, she thought about what they’d done in his room. She bit her lip, a shot of heat arrowing between her legs. Man, it was so easy to imagine his hands on her skin, his very mobile mouth moving over hers, and that very large cock in her hands. She huffed out a breath, squirming in the saddle. Now was not the time to be thinking about this.
She’d come here for Drew…not to become a little obsessed with a big, sexy man.
After their sexy little moment, he’d headed off with Declan while she’d cleaned up. She’d met them all at the tiny restaurant and they’d shared dinner. They’d spent the entire time planning today’s trip and eating the simple but delicious food. Logan h
ad kept sending her heated, intense looks from under hooded eyes, and she’d had to use every ounce of her skill at keeping her face impassive.
Sydney had wanted nothing more than to drag him back to her room and strip him naked. But after dinner, Declan had wanted Logan to spar with him. Then he’d looked Sydney straight in the eye and told her to get a good night’s sleep in advance of today’s trek. She suspected Declan had known exactly what was going on in Logan’s room earlier.
She wanted Logan. She gripped the reins harder. She’d never felt this kind of out-of-control desire, or this kind of connection with a man before.
How could someone who seemed so wrong feel so right?
At that moment, he looked back over his shoulder. His intense gaze was like a physical thing. Despite the cool air, heat prickled over her skin. It was like he looked right inside her. No walls, no pretense, no polite society manners. Just raw, primitive want.
But as they continued into the cloud forests, the journey got more challenging. She had to focus on maneuvering her horse along the narrow dirt track. The trees of the cloud forest weren’t massively tall, and they had gnarled trunks and branches. She knew the higher altitude of the cloud forests changed the characteristics of the trees. Lots of lichen, moss and ferns grew as well. At times, the dirt path was very narrow, the drop-off down the hillside breathtaking. A few times, they had to climb off the horses and lead them through rougher patches of the track.
After a couple of hours, they stopped for a rest.
Logan appeared by Sydney’s side. “Okay?”
“My behind is not happy,” she said.
Something flared in his eyes and he leaned down, his lips brushing her ear. “I’ll be happy to rub it for you later.”
She swallowed. This man was dangerous. A wild, stalking predator who’d devour her whole if she wasn’t careful.
“Logan—”
He reached out and fiddled with her hair. “Every time I look at you…I want you even more.”
She released a breath. It was strange to hear the sweet words uttered in that gruff, deep voice. So at odds with the wild desire she saw boiling in his gold-brown eyes.
“Chalk and cheese,” she muttered.
He grinned at her. “I like cheese.”
She snorted. “The sort that squirts out of a can, right? Onto your nachos?” She shook her head. “I like fine wine and Camembert.”
His smile widened. “There’s no fancy French wine and cheese out here, Princess. Just you and me. Besides, don’t knock my cheese until you try it.”
A reluctant laugh broke out of her.
Declan called out. “Everyone, Piero says we need to keep moving. We want to reach the lake before dark.”
They kept moving through the forest. At the next break, Logan and Declan were huddled over a map. Sydney stared up at the overgrown trees and the vines hanging off them. She tried to imagine Drew making this trip. Maybe he’d sat right here to rest. Please be okay, baby brother.
Piero wandered over to check her horse. “Piero, have you seen an American man in your village lately? Over the last few days?” She was a little out of practice with her Spanish, but it was passable.
The man frowned, his dark brows drawing together. “Mr. Declan asked me already. There have been a few tourists.” He lifted one shoulder.
“You haven’t guided a man to the lake recently? He’s about six feet tall, slender, blond hair like mine—?”
Piero’s frown deepened and he shook his head. “No. Sorry, señorita.”
Sydney’s shoulders sagged. She knew it had been a long shot.
Piero stroked his chin. “Maybe I saw a man like you have described in the museum. There was a tourist with blond hair.”
Her pulse leaped. “But he didn’t ask you to take him to Laguna de los Condores?”
“No.”
“Gracias,” she replied.
Piero eyed her for a second, then flashed her a smile, and patted her horse. He took a moment to fiddle with the saddle and then moved back to his own animal.
As they continued on, the journey lost some of the shine and excitement. Monotony set in and her muscles started to ache. The beauty of the forest and the mountains, and the occasional layers of cloud she saw lying over it, had worn off.
Sydney’s horse started playing up—fidgeting, disobeying her commands. He started lagging behind the others.
She noticed Logan look back at her again.
“I think my horse is unhappy.” She couldn’t blame the poor thing.
Piero dropped his horse back. “I will check it.” He waved to the others. “Go on. We will meet you at the rope bridge that is just ahead. I must cross it first.”
Sydney climbed off her horse, massaging her thighs. She was going to be sore tomorrow. She watched Piero as he stroked her horse, clucking to it softly.
She turned and stretched. She was definitely going to be happy to see the end of this journey. And she’d be even happier if it ended with her brother safely back with her.
Suddenly, a hand slammed over her mouth. She felt the prick of something sharp at her side, digging through her clothes. She looked down and saw a large hunting knife. Her heart knocked hard against her ribs.
“You will listen to me.” Piero’s easygoing tone had vanished. He was speaking in perfect English with the faintest touch of an accent that wasn’t South American. “You do as I say, and the others in your group won’t get killed.”
***
On her horse, Sydney approached Logan and the others.
She schooled her features to blandness, like she had thousands of times before at Washington parties, or when she’d been sneaking surveillance devices into offices or hotel rooms, or lately, when she faced the board.
But something that had been so familiar to her now felt so wrong.
Funny. Over the last few days, around the Treasure Hunter Security team, around Logan, she’d gotten used to laughing, trading barbs with Logan, and showing her emotions. She’d felt like herself.
No. She stiffened her spine. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions leak through. She had to put on that mask and lie to protect the people around her.
She sensed Piero, or whatever the hell his name truly was, move his animal up directly behind hers.
Against her chest, she felt the small device he’d shoved inside her shirt. The tiny thing felt like it weighed a ton. He’d said that it was a high-powered explosive, and if she didn’t follow his orders exactly, or she tried to warn the others, he’d kill her.
And he’d smiled as he’d promised that the blast would injure whoever was standing close to her.
Sydney ran her gaze over Logan’s strong form, drinking him in one last time. As it always did, desire rose, but she stamped down on it.
When Logan turned her way, she shifted her gaze and slid off her horse. She was sure he’d read her like an open book if he got a good look at her face.
“How’s the horse?” he asked.
“Fine now,” Piero answered. “There is the bridge.”
Sydney’s stomach clenched. The bridge hardly looked sturdy enough for a child to cross, let alone a full-grown adult and a horse.
The rope bridge was suspended across a long chasm between two mountains. It wasn’t a super long drop to the river below, but long enough. The sides of the drop were steep and rocky.
“The Inca were well known for their rope bridges,” Morgan said.
Piero nodded. “There are many rope bridges in the remote hills. We replace them when they start to wear. Luckily, we can use modern rope now.” He smiled. “Much sturdier.”
His “easygoing guide” persona was back in place. Sydney tried not to glare at him.
Sydney looked at the bridge again. The base of it was reinforced with wooden planks, but she could see small gaps between them. Her stomach did a sickening turn. She wasn’t afraid of heights…usually.
“I’ll go first to test it,” Piero said. “We will have to go one at a
time with our horses. But don’t worry, my friends, the bridge is very strong.”
He’d ordered Sydney to stay close and to ensure she was the first person across after him. She moved closer to the edge, pulling her horse behind her.
Logan’s shoulder brushed against hers. “I’ll go next,” he said.
She shot him a bright smile. “I want to let my inner adventurer loose, Logan. I’m going next.”
He didn’t smile as his gaze traced over her face. She turned away, and saw Piero and his animal step off the other side of the bridge. Sydney pushed forward, stepping onto the swaying bridge, leading her horse out behind her.
Sydney gripped the rope on one side and simply focused on putting one foot in front of the other. She didn’t look down, she didn’t look back. She stared ahead and saw Piero’s dark eyes on her. Once she neared him, she saw him pull out his knife and start sawing through the rope tying the bridge to the rocks on the other side.
She slowed, panic filling her. She wracked her brain for a way out of this. Then she saw Piero pat his chest—right over the same spot where he’d put the small explosive on her. The device felt like it was burning through her skin, even though it was cool to touch.
She stepped off the wobbly bridge onto the ground. Piero nodded, and Sydney pulled in a breath and turned.
She raised her voice. “I’m afraid this is where we part ways.”
On the other side of the gorge, the THS team froze.
“What?” Logan demanded. His gaze zeroed in on Piero who was busy cutting more ropes. “What the hell is he doing?”
“I should never have contracted your services.” Sydney struggled to find her best CEO voice. “I need to find Drew on my own. Thank you for bringing me this far.”
Logan stepped out onto the bridge. “Syd, what the fuck is going on?”
She tried for a bright smile. “I’ll pay the agreed amount.” She forced herself to look at Logan.
“Make it convincing,” Piero murmured.
She swallowed. “I no longer need your services.”
