by Linda Conrad
Without question, he trusted her not to disappear from his life the way other women he’d cared about had, the same way his mother had. He needed Jass to trust him as well. It was important, not only for their mission, but for her well-being. He wanted her to feel a real emotional connection to someone who had nothing whatever to gain by caring.
Standing flush against him and throwing her arms around his neck for balance, she kissed him back with equal desire. The water cascaded down on their heads. He pushed his thigh between her legs, backing her away from the direct spray and up against the tile wall. Because he couldn’t stand being close and not touching. And because he was growing more insistent by the moment. Skimming his fingers along her ribs, he thrilled to the touch of her soft-as-a-cloud skin. He let his fingers roam lower, until his greedy hands palmed the sweetest bottom in existence.
Meanwhile he kissed her neck, gently nipping and then soothing with his tongue. Sliding his lips across her chin to capture her mouth, he kissed her deeply, angling his head to get a better taste.
Perfect curves. Slick bare skin. He broke the kiss and took a half step back to take her all in. She was a goddess.
He knelt to worship her body, wrapping his arms around her thighs and burying his face in her belly. The loveliness and the feminine scent of her went to his head, steaming his senses. Warning himself to take it slow, he eased open her legs and pressed his tongue to the hot, wet center of her desire. Teasing her. Licking her.
She moaned, softly grinding her hips to give him access to her velvet folds. Then she tunneled her hands through his hair to hold him in place.
Nothing short of death would’ve moved him away. Not yet. Not when this was what he’d wanted since the first moment he’d ever laid eyes on her.
“Tarik.” The sound of his name on her lips whispered like a tangible force through his brain.
She spread her legs a little wider and he used the opportunity to slip his fingers up inside. Tight. Wet. What a gift she was, turning him harder than ever and electrifying his every cell. Plying her with his tongue and loving every taste, he reveled in the way she kept holding him tighter and snugger to her. He listened as the tiny little catches in her throat came closer together.
Come apart for me, love. He badly wanted to feel her flying. To give her a small part of the fantasy she was giving to him. He needed desperately to be the man who took her higher than she’d ever been.
Her guttural murmurs grew rougher as she forced his name from her lips over and over. He continued pleasuring her, on and on, endlessly sliding his fingers in and out and teasing her with the tip of his tongue.
He lost track of time until she tensed underneath his hands and her murmurs grew to soft cries. But as he felt the contractions of her release rippling through her body, she spat out a curse.
Yeah, sweetheart. The climax of a lifetime.
Her knees buckled and he rose to his feet to hold her upright in his arms. “Okay?”
She leaned in, put her mouth to his ear and groaned, “More.”
Mindlessly, he covered her open and pliant mouth with his own and filled a hand with her breast. More. The word echoed through his mind as he tweaked one of her nipples.
Her moans grew more insistent. His mind twisted and bent in response. He pushed her back against the wall, his body taut and out of control.
Wrapping his free hand under her thigh, Tarik lifted her leg around his waist. With his tongue in her mouth and a hand still on her breast, he drove into her.
How easy it was to have found a reckless pleasure deep and true enough that he never wanted it to end. Like this. With this woman. For the rest of a lifetime.
He thrust into her. Higher. Deeper. Again and again. Her body drew him all the way inside when she moved her hips in time with his. The heat and the rhythm urged him toward the ultimate edge.
Diving deep inside her one final time, he was grateful to feel her coming apart along with him while the extreme pleasure blasted at his body with a fiery heat. Her gasping breaths were hot against his mouth. Perfect.
Breathing in heavy pants, he remained inside her, listening to the sounds she made deep in her throat. He could do this all night. Stay right here with her in his arms.
Finally, she rocked against him. Only the slightest of movements, but it sent shock waves careening through his veins.
He tightened his arms around her and nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent and savoring the wondrous sensations of the soft and limp body wrapped around his. Did they have to move? Would either of them make it to the other room if they did?
“Oh, Tarik. That was so good.” She ran her fingers through his hair and as she sucked on his earlobe.
She was the most responsive, giving woman he had ever encountered. No one else would ever come close to matching her in the future.
The ramifications of that thought had yet to sink in. They were only vague ideas, little ripples of unease in his subconscious mind. Later. He would give them further consideration later.
Slowly, and with more care than he thought he had in him, he pulled out of her. Lifting her in his arms, he reached around and flipped off the water. He stepped from the shower and, kissing her full on the mouth, carried her to bed.
Again, was all he could think. Under him. Surrounding him. Hovering over him while she rode him to bliss. Until they both went mad.
He wanted her again. And again.
Chapter 12
Jass sat upright against the headboard with the sheet pulled up under her armpits.
She glanced over at Tarik and found him asleep on his stomach, naked and stunningly male. And still looking good enough to make her head spin after two hours of lovemaking.
Golden skin and long black lashes gave his face an almost beautiful quality. The dark hair covering his chest ran down across tight abs and a flat stomach. Sleek and sinewy legs plus a good, strong butt drew her attention, holding her gaze immobile until she thought she might go cross-eyed. Raking her glance upward, she focused on his full head of tousled dark brown hair that had the sweetest way of curling along the edge of his neck. Her fondest wish was to never stop gazing at the man exactly like this.
But she could just imagine how she looked. No makeup. Sweat-dampened hair sticking up in spikes from Tarik running his fingers through it. Eyes probably a little bloodshot from her pulse rate soaring over the moon every time he made her come.
But Tarik hadn’t seemed to mind how she looked. He’d held her and cared for her and gazed into her eyes with such hunger that he didn’t even need to touch her in order to send her sailing.
And, dear God, she wanted him to do it over and over again.
One look at him brought on a rush of pure arousal. She dragged her eyes away and stared straight ahead. For now she needed to put her head back together and shape up. What had taken place between them had to be set right.
They were partners. Though how would they ever be able to work together again?
She couldn’t look into his eyes now and pretend to see Sheik Abu Zohdi. Tarik would never touch her again without her seeing images of what they’d done; the way his clever fingers had touched her and his tongue had been compelling and erotic.
If she told Tarik nothing like that could ever happen between them again, would he pay attention? Maybe not. Would her own mind listen to reason? Probably not.
Desperate to find a solution to the dilemma she saw ahead of her, she tried a little rationalization. Asking herself if only one spectacular afternoon in bed could possibly make for a forever relationship, she determined that she wasn’t a casual love ’em and leave ’em person. Tarik seemed more the explode and burn type rather than the steady, ever-after hero of her dreams. He was all fireworks and flames—for a time. Judging by his staying power in bed…perhaps a long time. But he wasn’t someone who could make her happy over an entire lifetime. Was he?
He couldn’t be her type. He was far too casual and easygoing. Almost too accommodating. Yes, it wa
s nice having someone show such concern over her welfare. He’d been the most solicitous lover she’d ever had. Waiting until she was satisfied before—well, before satisfying himself. But…how many others out there in the world also thought he cared only for them?
The idea that dozens of other women could be waiting for him to return was exactly the jerk on her chain she’d been needing to move her to action. Shoving the sheet back, she swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood.
As naked as the day she was born, she felt someone watching her and turned around to find Tarik’s eyes open and a huge grin creasing his face. “You okay, love?”
“Stop that.” She turned her back on him and found her robe. But she could still see him in the mirror.
“Stop what?” He sat up and leaned on his elbow, watching her shrug into the sleeves.
“Number one: Stop calling me love in private. You don’t know me well enough for gooey stuff like that. We’re partners on a mission. Period.”
The silly grin never faltered.
“And number two: Stop asking me if I’m okay. I’m a big girl. If I wasn’t okay, I would speak up and tell you so.”
“Sorry. But you can’t put the genie back in the bottle, partner.” Tarik tilted his head as his eyes softened. “Why don’t we discuss this later? Right now, come back to bed.”
The gorgeous bastard actually had the nerve to hold out his hand as though he expected her to obey and blindly fall all over him.
“We’re partners,” she insisted. “What happened can’t happen again. This is a mission, not playtime.”
That broke the grin and brought him up out of the bed in one fluid motion. “Number one,” he ground out as he headed around the bed in her direction. “We’re undercover as lovers on this mission. Zohdi and Celile will be kissing, touching and in bed together again before we’re finished with the job.”
He reached for her and pulled her into his arms as she tried to step back. “And number two—” His dark gaze pinned her with steely intent. “You think we can ignore the raging passion between us for the rest of this mission? I believe you’re wrong, but let’s say you’re right. I promise you that after the mission, we will be revisiting not only what happened between us, but also this whole conversation. Take those words to the bank.”
She opened her mouth to disagree, but he leaned in and hungrily glued his mouth to hers. As they tangled their tongues together, he clutched her hips and dragged her close. She’d already noticed how hard he was again, how much he wanted her. Now she felt the truth. It was impossible to miss. Her body yearned to take him in, to welcome him right back inside where she wanted him to stay.
Taking a breath, she murmured against his lips, “Why me? Why now?”
He pushed her away and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know why this had to happen now. But I do know why you. Because you’re important. Because…we fit.”
She was speechless as her eyes filled with tears. They did fit, but what the hell was she supposed to do about that?
As he reached for her again, the room phone rang. Both of them jerked around to stare at the offending object as if it were a king cobra.
Tarik snagged the receiver and murmured something she couldn’t make out. He spoke a few more soft words in the broken English of Sheik Zohdi while she tightened the robe around her waist.
After he hung up, he ignored her and went to the closet. “We’re expected downstairs for dinner in an hour.”
The mission. Her head went back into the game in a flash. “I had supposed they would skip dinner altogether tonight. It’s late.”
“It’s only ten.” When Tarik reappeared he was wearing his robe and had a tiny laptop in his hand. “We’re in South America, remember.”
Yeah, she was having a hard time remembering anything since he’d kissed her to the point of delirium and told her she was important.
Tarik set the laptop up on the desk and hit a few keys. All of a sudden a vaguely familiar voice came through the speaker. It was the Taj Zabbar agent who’d stopped her on the stairs. She would never forget that gravelly voice. What was he saying?
After about a half an hour of listening to drivel while the two Taj Zabbar agents argued in their own language, Tarik finally heard something worthwhile.
“I told you before not to concern yourself with the other bidders.” Malik Kasim, head of Taj secret police, was not happy with his underling.
Tarik had no trouble translating the words he was receiving from the device he’d planted in the agent’s room. What he was having trouble with was getting his mind and body back under control. Still hungry for Jass and becoming more frustrated by the second, he clamped down on his teeth and forced the delectable image of her in the shower out of his head.
Malik continued haranguing his counterpart. “All of this…the dinner, the supposed auction on Tuesday. All of it is for show.” He drew a breath and clicked his lips. “Finish packing our bags. We leave here before morning.”
“But, Excellency, Eltsin told the woman she had as good a chance as any of making the winning bid. I heard him.”
“Stop being such a fool. Once more, there will be no bids. Eltsin has already sold me a piece of what we came here seeking. As soon as he verifies our cash has been deposited to his bank later tonight, we will have everything we need.”
“But the others…?”
“While we disappear with our prize, the other supposed bidders will be eliminated. It is part of our deal with Eltsin.”
Dead air came through the listening device as the other man apparently questioned his boss without words.
“Our deal with Eltsin,” Malik repeated with force. “No one leaves here who can identify us or make any connection to the Taj Zabbar.”
Tarik listened another minute or two, but all he heard was Malik leave the other man with instructions on what to wear and when to appear downstairs. Shutting down the receiving device, Tarik stashed it away. He needed to talk to his brothers. Was Shakir nearby?
“What were they saying?”
He gazed up at Jass and his chest burned with the pain of how beautiful she looked. “Get dressed. And pack whatever you think you’ll need for a quick departure.”
She came closer. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
How could he tell her she was already marked for death because of the parts they were playing? It wouldn’t happen of course. He wouldn’t let it. But he was having trouble forming the words.
“You just told me I was important. If that’s true, if you think of me as more than a partner, then tell me what you overheard. Was it about whatever is supposed to be auctioned off?”
Shaking his head, he swallowed the unwarranted fear gripping his gut and thought only about Jass being a professional covert agent. “The Taj Zabbar are preparing to leave later tonight. They were talking about Eltsin killing off the rest of the bidders after they go.”
Instead of fear or even apprehension in Jass’s eyes, he saw understanding and determination. Inexplicably his chest swelled with pride. There you go, my covert love.
“The auction is a ruse, then,” she said almost to herself while she shook her head thoughtfully. “Of course it would be. But Eltsin has a lot of nerve to off Celile and Zohdi. It’ll ruin his reputation for any arms business he might want to do in the future.”
“I suspect he’ll be getting paid enough from the Taj that he won’t mind.”
“Must be liberating to control that much money.” Jass shrugged a shoulder. “Or very seductive. Money can be the ruination of otherwise decent people.”
He nodded.
“Sad but true.”
“So what’s your plan?” she asked.
“One of my brothers and a few men are supposed to be standing by. Probably in the forest within sight of Eltsin’s mansion right now. We need a way out of here and a way to follow the Taj.” He breathed deeply. “Plainly, we need help, and I don’t think we can wait until the local CIA troops
make it up here.”
“Agreed. But how do you intend to reach your brother? Part of our instructions were not to use the internet or wireless communications while inside Eltsin’s compound. He could easily intercept any of those kinds of signals and kill us without a second thought.”
“True.” He went into the closet to check the weapons and his Zohdi suit, still capable of talking to Jass without seeing her. “I have to find a way to step outside the mansion walls alone. Maybe into the patio and pool area while everyone else is in the dining room?”
“Hmm.”
Okay, he needed to see her face. That didn’t sound good.
Sticking his head out the closet door, he watched as she put a thoughtful finger to her chin and tapped a foot on the carpet. “What’s going on in that tricky little mind of yours?”
“Little mind?” She gave him a joking smile but raised her eyebrows as if she were truly questioning his words.
“Come on, give. You know what I meant.”
“Yeah, I know. And I think I have a plan.” She started toward him. “But there’s one major problem to work out first.”
He leaned back as she brushed past him into the closet. “What’s that? Maybe I can help.”
She started digging through Celile’s clothes. “I’ll tell you all about it in a minute. Right now you would only slow me down. I have to decide on the right thing for Celile to wear. That’s going to be the key.”
With her head held high, Jass strode into Eltsin’s huge, gilt-edged dining room on Tarik’s arm. She knew her partner still wasn’t crazy about her plan. But it would work, and he had finally agreed that it was all they had.
On their way across the foyer, she’d stashed a collapsible backpack with their weapons and a change of clothes behind a mahogany grandfather clock decorated with gold leaf details and hand-tooled scrolls. The clock was one big, ugly son of a gun, but it would be stable when she was in a hurry. And it stood close to the front doors, where she could grab the pack on the fly.
Tarik, in his Zohdi suit and thick head scarf, had armed himself to the teeth with concealed weapons. But his most important accessories were the communications devices he’d planted in both his ears and then covered with the white cloth.
