by Kaylea Cross
Her legs were still wrapped around his hips and when she tried to pull him tighter, he pulled back a little and looked at her. When she opened her eyes, she could see something there, something she hadn’t seen yet.
“I want you to meet my family in Washington.” He held still, almost holding his breath. She could tell it meant a lot to him and when she nodded her head yes, he smiled and kissed her softly on the lips.
She took the kiss deeper, running her fingers through his dark hair, keeping his mouth to hers until she felt her lungs would explode. Then she pulled back, and reaching around, took his hips, sinking her nails into his skin. She willed him to move faster. He did.
He grabbed hold of the side of the pool to anchor himself as he pumped his hips until they were both breathless. Then, when she couldn’t wait any longer, she felt him tense with his release, just as the stars exploded behind her eyes.
“I’m going to get you in a bed one of these times,” he groaned as he buried his face in her wet hair. She smelled of chlorine and tasted like heaven. If he didn’t hold them both up in the water, there was no doubt that they would sink to the bottom.
She chuckled lightly, her perfect breasts rubbing against his chest. He could already feel himself getting hard again and this time, he wanted her horizontal and on a soft surface.
Using his new-found energy, he pulled her to the wide steps and carried her to one of the large, soft recliners that sat on the wide deck. He laid her down on it, grabbed the large towel, and quickly dried himself off, shaking his head like a dog to dry his hair quickly. Then, while she watched him, he took the towel and slowly started to dry her legs. As he traveled up each long limb, he thought he saw her desire building.
By the time he ran the edge of the towel across the apex of her legs, her eyes were closed and her head was tilted back. He couldn’t pass up the chance to tease her, so he lightly passed over the spot again, watching her face as he went. He slowly dried her stomach, making sure to hit every sensitive rib. Her hands came up, trying to pull him down until he finally gripped them in one of his hands and pulled them above her head, holding her still.
“Ethan, please.”
“I want to enjoy every inch of you. You look so beautiful in the sun. Your skin is like silk under my fingers.” He leaned over and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking gently on the peak until he heard her moan. Then he started down, raining hot kisses over her toned stomach until finally he came back to her core, where he dipped his head and tasted her sweetness. Her hands gripped his hair as she spread her legs wider on the soft cushion. He ran his hands up her legs and spread them even wider, pulling her knees up so her feet were flat beside his shoulders, exposing her even more to his mouth. Then he moved his hands to her butt and lifted her hips off the cushions, holding her tight so he could slide his tongue over her from front to back. He enjoyed licking every inch of her as her toes curled next to him.
When he was happy that she couldn’t stand any more, he kissed his way up her body until he slid slowly into her. He watched as her eyes clouded and closed on a moan.
“Come with me, Ann,” he said with his mouth next to hers as he claimed her, completely.
Chapter Ten
Ann woke later in a darkened room. Reaching around and feeling the sheets, she found that she was lying in a very large bed, alone. Sitting up, she realized she was still very naked and grabbed the sheet to cover herself as she looked around for something to wear.
She noticed a large suitcase sitting on the dresser. Walking over, she realized it was full of woman’s clothing. Looking at the expensive items, she wondered how Raul had known her size, or for that matter, how he’d known that she’d be coming along.
She pulled out a silk tank top and slipped it over her head, then put on a pair of black shorts and tiptoed into the next room. She could hear him talking on the phone out on the patio and when she walked out, he turned and smiled at her.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll see you then. I love you, too, Mom.” He flipped the cellphone closed.
She thought it was the most endearing thing for him to tell his mother that he loved her. She hadn’t realized until then that she’d totally fallen head over heels in love with him. The realization took her breath away, and she stood there looking and feeling like an idiot. Her arms were down by her sides, feeling like weights holding her still.
Her eyes were staring off into the distance, not really seeing. How had she come to this point in her life? Sure, she’d felt infatuation before. She’d even felt a distinct like, but nothing had ever come this close to the big fall before. Her heart started beating faster, and she wished he’d stop staring at her. But he stood there across the dimly lit deck with the bright stars and moon overhead, and they just looked at each other, almost like they had just found each other after searching years and years.
“Ann?” Her name sounded good in the wind and before she knew it, she was in his arms as he carried her back into the bedroom.
The next morning, she woke to the enticing smells of bacon and eggs and stretched on the large bed. She realized she was once again naked and smiled.
Grabbing up her top and shorts, she walked into the next room and laughed as she saw him standing at the stove with an apron on.
“Is this what you always wear to cook in, in your glass house?” She chuckled as he turned a circle and showed her the front of his apron which had a large picture of a woman’s front in a string bikini. He held the spatula up and smiled at her, looking absolutely ridiculous.
“Only on Monday’s. Okay, it’s Raul’s, but it’s kind of growing on me.” He looked down and chuckled at his image, then looked back up at her and waved his finger at her. “Why don’t you come over here and kiss the cook.”
She walked over and laid a long, heated kiss on him.
“Mmmm, why don’t we forget the food and…” He started walking her back to the bedroom.
“Oh no! That food smells too good to pass up. Besides, we have the whole day to…” She kissed him again.
She enjoyed sitting out on the deck and eating breakfast with him. This morning they kept the conversation light. After they had cleaned the dishes, they decided a quick trip to the beach and town would help pass their time quickly. Besides, she’d never been to Peru and wanted to have a look around before they had to hop back on another plane tomorrow.
In the back of her mind, she kept dreading being shoved into another crate and carted to the US. Even though she didn’t know if that was how they were going to travel, she doubted they’d get first class seats since they were trying to lay low.
They drove a small Audi that had been parked in the garage into town and when she asked, he said he kept it around for Raul to use. She started wondering how much he earned by being a mercenary.
But when they finally made it into town, she was too preoccupied by all the wonderful shops and stores to think about what he did for a living. It was almost as if she was back in the US. The shops and tall glass buildings made her feel a little more like she was home. The fact that everyone spoke Spanish didn’t escape her, though. She’d spent a few years taking the language in school and felt almost at ease speaking it. She purchased a new handbag and some new boots at the small stores thanks to Ethan, who had quickly paid for the items in cash. When she told him on the short ride to the beach that she’d pay him back, he just smiled.
When they made it to the white sand beach, she knew exactly why he’d chosen to buy a place here. The beaches were more beautiful than any resort she’d ever been to. The sand and water sparkled and the people smiled and were very friendly. They spent almost two hours playing in the surf. He even taught her how to body surf. She was a complete failure at it, but enjoyed having his hands on her while he taught her how to lay her body flat to catch the surf.
By the time they made it back to the house, she was worn out. Ethan walked into the next room to check his messages and came back in holding the phone and looking worried.
“Your father called. He wants you to call him as soon as possible.” He handed her the phone. “Don’t worry, it’s a secure line. No one can trace the call.” When she took the phone, he turned and walked out, shutting the door quietly behind him.
In the last few days, she hadn’t really thought of what her father must be going through. She thought that since Ethan had talked to Dave that first day, her father knew that she was okay. But other than that, he’d been so far from her mind. She started feeling guilty. Okay, so she’d been running for her life. It wasn’t as if she’d had time to think of him. Then her mind played over last night and today and she felt even more guilty.
She should have called him last night when she’d heard Ethan talking to his mother. Damn.
Dialing the phone, she waited as it rang. On the third ring, Blake picked up the phone. Hearing his husky voice, she almost cried. To think he’d gone through something like this just five years ago.
“Hey, Blake. How are you doing?” She tried to sound lighthearted.
“Hey, Ann. Dad and Mom were just talking about you. I guess you got in some trouble, huh?”
“Yeah, but everything is okay and we’re on our way back home.”
“Is GI Joe with you?”
“Yeah,” she smiled.
“Cool, tell him hi from me. Here’s dad. He’s pretty upset that you didn’t call him last night.”
Her heart sank a little and she listened as her brother handed the phone over.
“Hey, Ann. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, Dad. I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner. I guess I’ve kind of been in shock with everything that’s happened over the last few days.”
She hated lying to her father, but doubted he would want to hear all the details of her sex life.
“Listen, the real reason I needed to talk to you was that I have some news as to why you might be in trouble.”
* * *
He let the phone ring until finally, on the fourth ring, the man answered.
“They are in Lima.”
“Lima? Are you sure? I can have my men…”
“Don’t bother, they won’t be there long. They are heading back to the States. I need you here.”
“Okay, give me a few hours to round up some men.”
“No, for what I have in mind, all we will need is you. Too many men will draw attention. This is going to be a more personal setting and I think someone with your skills will be just what we need.”
“What kind of equipment shall I bring?”
“Nothing. I’ll arrange for everything you will need here. There might even be a way that you can redeem yourself for letting Ann slip through your fingers in Rio. Just get here as quickly as you can.”
After he hung up, he sat in the dark room and thought about the new plan. Letting her come home might not be the best plan, but having her close and having the possibility of personally getting his hands on her thrilled him.
He’d wanted his hands on her since the first time he’d been introduced to her by her father. Being close to the family was a blessing. Hiding in plain sight had always been his specialty.
Now he just needed to spin his web so he could sit back and wait for them to take the bait. He thought of all the hard work he’d done over the last year, all the lies, all the deceit, and smiled. He was good at his job.
He’d embedded himself so far in the society that if he disappeared, it wouldn’t go unnoticed. Plus, he was in too good of a position to not be an asset.
The goal was the same: stop the senator at any cost. So much money was riding on him doing his job well. Drug money ran through his veins. It was what drove him and the people he worked for.
Power and wealth had become something easily obtained if you knew the right people and didn’t mind getting your hands dirty.
He looked down at his manicured fingers and smiled knowing his hands were dirtier than most others. Just because he enjoyed the job didn’t mean he didn’t have the drive to someday be the one calling all the shots.
He knew his boss wasn’t pleased that it had taken this long, but what could the old man do? It wasn’t like the man was around much anyway. When he was there, though, he was a force to be reckoned with.
He was one step away from taking over. After all, the old man was very old and frail. He couldn’t live forever. Maybe after this job was over, he’d have to personally step in and see about the man’s health. He knew a few tricks for helping someone’s health deteriorate. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t get close to the man. He was a recluse after all.
Yes, it would be nice to not have to worry about doing someone else’s dirty work. He leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms behind his head. Looking around the dark office, he could just imagine it all being his one day.
* * *
After hanging up the phone with her father, Ann walked back into the living room feeling light headed. She found Ethan at the table on a laptop and talking on another phone. He looked busy, so she sat and zoned out while he talked. She was so busy thinking about the conversation she’d just had with her father, that when Ethan came and sat next to her she almost jumped.
“Sorry, I know you were deep in thought. I didn’t mean to startle—”
“It’s not my fault. The interview had nothing to do with what happened in Rio,” she blurted out.
“Yeah. I just confirmed that, as well. It appears there’s a contract out on you. They’re after your father for his new bill that will make it harder for drugs to come into the US through Texas. Ann.” He waited until she turned and looked at him. “That’s why he hired me. Just in case this was going to come back to him, through you. My buddy Marco is watching Blake. And I have some of my other buddies watching your family back home. I knew it could be something like this, but I wasn’t sure.”
He ran his hands through his hair and she could tell he was struggling. “I guess I should have told you. I didn’t think—”
“You knew there was a chance that all this,” she said, waving her hands in the air wildly, “wasn’t my fault and you didn’t say anything?” She stood and looked down at him.
The hurt and guilt she’d felt since seeing her friend’s body replayed in her mind. He could have spared her some of that. She walked from the room, heading out the glass doors towards the cliffs. When she reached the edge, she sat down in the grass and cried.
When the sun started sinking below the water, Ethan walked out and sat next to her. His arms rested on his knees as he looked off towards the sunset.
“Ann, there’s a lot about me that I haven’t told you. A lot of things I don’t want to tell you. A lot of things I can’t tell you.” He turned and looked at her. “If I kept something from you, it was for a reason. I didn’t know for sure it had anything to do with your father. I was under the same assumption as you were, that it had everything to do with this.” He pulled the black disk from his pocket and set it in her lap. “Javan sent a copy to Austin the morning after everything exploded. This is just your copy.”
“You had this, the entire time?” She looked at him. When he nodded she felt even more betrayed.
“Don’t,” he said and pulled her shoulders until she looked at him. “What I did, everything I did, was to protect you. You didn’t trust me when we first started this journey. I didn’t trust you. I needed that leverage over you, in case you tried to bolt. You were safer with me, and I needed you to have a reason to stay.”
She looked down at the disk in her hands and remembered thinking about getting him fired from his job. Then she realized he was making sense.
“What about now?” She looked at him and saw the confusion in his eyes.
“You obviously trust me enough to give me this. Do you think I’ll take off?”
“I hope you won’t for more reasons than I’m willing to admit to right now.” He looked back towards the sunset and pulled her into his arms. “I still want you to come to Washington, to meet my family.” He kissed the top
of her head, “But I’d totally understand if you didn’t.”
She sighed and thought about it, then leaned into his shoulder even more. “Ethan, I trust you completely. I’d still love to go with you to meet your family.”
They sat there watching the sun set together and she knew without a doubt that she’d fallen hard for him. And there was no way she would ever turn back.
Chapter Eleven
That night Ethan didn’t get much sleep. The fact that he never really slept the whole night through didn’t normally bother him. But that night he wanted nothing more than to lay there holding Ann and doze off peacefully. But his mind just wouldn’t shut down, so he gently moved her off his chest and went into the living room to work on his laptop. He checked their travel arrangements and chatted online with his contacts. Then he emailed his sister, Roberta, and told her they were going to be in town.
He checked the news in Rio and checked in with his sources there. When he got in touch with Javan, he was shocked to hear that he’d had to disappear for a while and was now back in Jamaica. Evidently word had gotten out that he’d helped them escape, and he was blacklisted around Brazil. So he’d hightailed it back home to lay low. He’d ended up doing some more research on Ann’s father. Trying to find out who was after him was like finding a needle in a haystack. There were too many drug lords out there that would want to see the Senator’s new bill fail.
Just as the sun was rising, Ethan walked in and woke Ann so they could start their journey to the States. By the time they were showered and dressed, Raul was driving up to the house and they loaded their new luggage filled with their new clothes in the back of the van.
“No crate this time?” Ann asked as they sat in the back of the plush van. Ethan laughed.
“No, this time we ride in style.”
The private jet left the small airport less than an hour later, its pilot another one of Ethan’s trusted buddies from his Special Forces days.
“I could get used to this,” Ann said, leaning back in the leather chair. The private cabin was not only plush, but packed with a few extra benefits as well. The gourmet food brought out by the flight attendant was of the highest quality.
