Circle of Deception

by Carla Swafford

  “Do you think he’s the inventor?” She nodded toward the redneck. “I hate being presumptuous, but I don’t think he’s that smart,” she said softly.

  Rex wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. If the others wondered about their delay in joining them, they would simply appear like many newlyweds, becoming immersed in each other.

  “Looks can be deceiving but I agree. We’ve learned that lesson a few times. What about Greta?”

  “Give me a break. She’s too interested in impressing Brody with her body. Her mind would be the last thing she’d use.”

  “Do I hear the hissing of jealousy?” he teased, and then said, “And by the way, she’s doing a great job.” The grin on his face showed how much he appreciated it too.

  Abby looked at the woman. She reached across Brody toward a bowl of fruit placed on an end table. Her breasts swung free of her gaping blouse, giving everyone a clear view. Brody took advantage and tweaked a nipple. With a squeal, she shot up straight to her knees and clasped his hand, not letting him move it away.

  “Maybe I need to do the same to you,” Greta teased.

  He lifted his shirt, showing off a toned broad chest, and she twisted a tiny male nipple. Brody moaned and, from the slack expression on his face, enjoyed it.

  The redneck wife howled with laughter and reached over to her husband, appearing to try the same move. Instead, Bubba grabbed her and started tickling her sides. The two albinos, as Abby thought of them, smiled and watched the risqué roughhousing.

  “Obviously, he has the inventor stashed away somewhere. Maybe we’ll get lucky and have the information we need by the end of tomorrow.”

  When Rex stayed quiet, she looked up. His eyelids heavy, he gazed into her eyes and then looked down at her lips. Unable to stop herself, she licked her bottom lip. The pupils in his eyes widened until the gray disappeared into the black rim of his iris. She’d never seen him react so fully to her like that before. Was all the sexual horseplay exciting him?

  “Hey, you two. Quit being antisocial and come over here and have a seat.” Brody laughed as his hand shot between Greta’s legs and underneath her skirt. She squealed—goodness she could hit high notes—and cupped his groin.

  “Mr. Walker, dinner has been served in the courtyard as you instructed,” a servant announced with all the fanfare of one who lived in a castle.

  Abby expected horns to blow next.

  “Let’s go back outside. We’re eating Roman-style today.” Brody lifted Greta as she screeched in excitement.

  “Save my ears now.” Abby never understood a woman needing to sound like a banshee.

  Face flushed, Rex snatched her glass and placed it on a table nearby. Before she could ask why he’d done that, he picked her up. She inhaled deeply, but thankfully no high-pitched sound escaped.

  Hand pushing against his back and arms straight as she remained upright, she looked over at the last two couples. The redneck tossed his wife over his shoulder; the giggles emerging from his back indicated she thought it was a hoot. But the albinos softly spoke to each other and followed behind the group into the courtyard.

  Next to the waterfall, a large red rug held a long, low table and dozens of cushions in every color of the rainbow. The crystal and silverware glistened from the candles arranged on the rocks and around the water. The early evening temperature was perfect to relax in and eat. Abby hated to admit it but she loved Brody’s house, especially the courtyard.

  With a smooth move, Rex placed her back on her feet next to the table.

  Brody and Greta sat at one end with the albinos at the other. The redneck and his wife took the area on the left of Brody, leaving the pillows on the right for her and Rex.

  At first, Abby tried sitting up but quickly realized the table would be too far away, so she followed the other couples’ lead and rested on one elbow with Rex stretched out behind her. She could tell he was enjoying himself as he pulled her to his body, buttocks to groin. Oh, yeah, the hedonistic life had its perks.

  “Let’s toast to a wonderful weekend of discovery.” With a glass raised high, Brody stared at Rex and then Abby.

  What the hell did he mean by that? The glint of lust in his eyes wasn’t good. Then again, she’d been an operative long enough to use it to her advantage. But how would Rex react to it?

  Chapter Seventeen

  * * *

  REX SHOOK HIS head. The wine tasted good. He was more of a beer guy, but he’d learned over the years that he could hold his liquor pretty well. Mostly he would get a little maudlin but he would relax and sleep hard.

  He noticed Abby’s drink stayed about the same level; then he remembered her saying something about being an easy drunk. He wondered if she became more open. Sure would be nice for her to become a little chatty. He’d never known a woman to be so close mouthed.

  Her butt moved as she reached for a slice of watermelon. He groaned. Hard as a bowling pin, he wanted to grind against her. She was so close that he could smell the flowery shampoo she’d used.

  Before he could stop himself, his nose was buried in her hair, his hands holding her head in place. Fuck, he wanted her and bad. Though they’d only spent two nights at her brother’s, it felt like it’d been five years since he’d been in her. From the first time he’d ever touched her, she’d always felt right. Like no other woman was as soft or he would never tire of her. How the heat of her body was perfect for his aching cock. Ah, hell, he hurt so badly. He thrust against her buttocks.

  “Rurik?” Abby’s voice, filled with concern, brought him back.

  He kissed the top of her head and released her. Uncomfortable with his uncharacteristic public display of affection—hell, lust—he looked straight toward Brody. The man stared back, grinning.

  Bastard, what was he up to?

  For the next hour, they ate and Rex worked at keeping his hands to himself. Brody knew no restraint, and a few times, he expected the man to spread Greta open and have at her in front of everyone. Jack had warned him that Brody enjoyed having sex with an audience, but he guessed he hadn’t really expected it.

  Rex lifted his glass of wine. “Brody, this is good. I wonder if I could purchase a bottle or two from you.” Maybe he could talk Abby into drinking in their room later. He still had questions for her, and lately he was beginning to feel a little desperate for answers. Though his brother had provided a lot, there were still more.

  He rubbed his eyes. Dammit, he needed to keep his mind on the mission.

  “I’ll be happy to send you a couple. You couldn’t buy it anyway, as it’s my own private stock.” Brody withdrew his hands from beneath the blonde’s clothing. “Let’s all call it a night. A servant will show you to your rooms. Tomorrow, be sure to dress casually for the tour. We’ll be riding ATVs, plus I thought we would get some hunting done. I have a surplus of wild pigs we need to cull on my land. Nothing like a smoked pig for dinner.”

  Brody was a mixed bag, one moment talking about private wine and the next planning a hunt for their dinner. He was certainly a new age redneck.

  Stretching his legs, Rex grabbed Abby by the waist and followed the servant to the front of the house and the archway they had seen earlier. When they walked into the large bedroom suite, he grinned. The mattress was large enough for his height. There had been numerous missions where his feet hung off the end; even the hotel’s bed caused him to curl up a bit to keep from hanging off. French doors lined one wall. He opened one set and moved out to what he thought was a private patio. Instead it was the same courtyard they’d been in earlier. Looking back, he noticed all of the bedrooms lined one side of the courtyard.

  Across the way were more French doors with no curtains, but that bedroom was larger and had to be the master. Brody hadn’t wasted time. He had all the lights on, putting on a show as he pounded into the blonde from the rear. Bent over the bed, arms straight, her breasts swayed with each thrust.

  Having seen more than he ever wanted to of a man he didn’t tru
st, he turned to walk back into his bedroom when he noticed the tall redneck and his wife staring out from their bedroom, but instead of watching Brody, they looked straight at him.

  Rex nodded and returned to Abby, closing and locking the doors behind him.

  GRABBING HER SMALL suitcase, Abby rushed into the bathroom to wash up and change into her favorite oversized nightshirt and gym shorts. She stared in the mirror. The woman peering back at her had large dark eyes that looked wide and frightened. Why? In less than a week, she’d gone from sure-footed operative to a confused and sex-starved maniac. Sex-starved? Was that the right adjective for a woman who’d gotten plenty from Rex only a few nights ago? What was wrong with her? She needed to pull her act together and keep her mind on the mission.

  She wished she could blame all the crazy thoughts and feelings on Brody. Why couldn’t the man keep his hands to himself? His beautiful muscular body and his masculine fingers pinching and probing the blonde in front of everyone—she’d never thought of herself as a voyeur, but wow! It was ten times better than Cinemax After Dark.

  One last look in the mirror and she caught the flush on her cheeks. She wanted Rex. Would they take a chance that Brody had cameras hidden in the bedroom? Between the glass in the French doors and the mood lighting in the courtyard, could others see inside the bedroom?

  She covered her eyes and shook her head. Talk about crazy missions. How much crazier could it get than watching Brody feel up his girlfriend and then talk about killing pigs? Never a big advocate of hunting animals—humans could at least defend themselves—she refused to shoot a wild pig.

  Swinging from sensual overload to surreal violence and back to the promise of another night with the sexiest man alive, she expected to fall off the edge of sanity.

  Peeking between her fingers, the man likely to push her into madness stood behind her. His warm gaze caressed her backside as she watched his reflection in the mirror.

  “Are you about finished in here?” His deep, rumbling voice rolled down her spine and heated her groin. Oh, yeah, she loved the sound of his voice, and with the accent he used to maintain his cover, she melted further until she locked her knees.

  “Uh, yes.”

  She moved sideways to slip by him. He shifted until her back was pressed to the door frame.

  “Get in bed and strip.” He leaned in and the old Rex whispered in her ear, “I want you ready for me. No cameras in the room, but there is a listening device and I don’t give a fuck what they hear.” His big hands clasped the back of her head as his thumbs rested beneath her jaw. He lifted her face to his. “Don’t argue with me. Don’t push me. Not tonight, Abby.”

  Then his mouth covered hers. Each forceful thrust of his tongue caused her to moisten with need. She wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but being honest, his domineering attitude turned her on even more.

  She’d never gotten into the dominant/submissive game some people enjoyed, but that wasn’t what Rex was trying to pull. If there was anything Abby had learned in those first few weeks together, it was that Rex knew what he wanted in bed and from a lover and he didn’t mind expressing it. His forceful, authoritarian tone turned her on like nothing had in a long, long time.

  Abby walked into the bedroom, surprised to see a large cloth shade had been lowered from a recessed area in the ceiling. Nice. The delicate crystal accent lamp on the nightstand gave off a soft glow, enough light for her to strip and crawl into the huge bed.

  When Rex closed the bathroom door behind him, he was naked and hard. She liked how his cock swayed with each step he took to the bed. There was something sensual and dangerous about his movement that caused her heartbeat to pick up. He looked like a king entering his harem and expecting satisfaction. He tossed back the cover from where she’d covered herself, chilled by the air conditioner working overtime.

  His grunt of approval brought a half-grin to her face. He was playing the part perfectly. Lord and master approving his slave girl’s obedience. Who was she to make him stop when she enjoyed the new sensations?

  She opened her arms.

  “That’s right. Open up to me.” His hands scooped her body to his as his mouth covered a taut nipple. Her head fell back, mouth open in a silent scream of pleasure as he feasted on the other breast. “So sweet.”

  His hands clasped her waist and maneuvered her until she spread out on the bed with his knees next to her head. He leaned across her torso, one hand clamped over her mound. “You’re so hot and moist.” His finger split the swollen lips and rubbed the hard knot.

  She arched, pressing her groin to that talented digit.

  “Please, please.” She bit the inside of her mouth as she came close to saying Rex instead of Rurik. Touching his hip, she stroked his warm skin, loving how hard and masculine he felt beneath her fingers.

  He widened his knees, straddling her head so his cock dangled above her mouth. With her attention centered on reaching what fascinated her, she jumped when his mouth covered her clit.

  His mouth moved from her and she lifted her hips. “No. Take me into your mouth and then I’ll give you more,” he said.

  One slow thrust of his hips and his cock entered her mouth. She gripped the base of his cock to stop him from choking her as her other hand caressed his ass and tenderly stroked his tight scrotum. As she sucked, he began to carefully fuck her face while his tongue lapped at her excitement.

  “So responsive.” He licked and sucked on her inner lips. He nibbled at her clit, and each time his teeth grazed the tip, she arched and his cock muffled her scream. “That’s it. You’re so good.” He tried to move away but she held tight and pulled harder with her mouth. She wanted him to come. In response, he took another long lick from her clit to her anus and she screamed again.

  When she finally released him, she looked over to where he was stretched out on his back, loose limbed and satisfied, swiping his arm across his mouth.

  He cupped one hand over her mons and used the other to pull her closer until his cheek rested on her stomach. “I want you again.”

  She glanced down. Okay, no sleep tonight.

  Chapter Eighteen

  * * *

  ABBY YAWNED AGAIN and choked. Spitting and coughing, she thumped Rex’s back in anger.

  “Shit! If I swallow another bug, I swear I’ll scream.” Each word shook out of her mouth as the ATV traveled at breakneck speed, keeping up with the others. With her arms wrapped tight around his chest, she felt his chuckle. No need for him to say, even if she could hear him, that he was thinking of the last time she’d screamed and the last unusual thing she swallowed. “Shut up!”

  He howled with laughter.

  She ducked her head, and unable to resist, she bit his shoulder.

  The ATV sprayed rocks and grass as he slid to a stop.

  “If you don’t be careful, I’ll pull you over my knee and spank that bottom.” Rex eyed her with interest and then squeezed hard on the gas, kicking out dirt and more as he caught back up with the group.

  Eyebrows lifted, she grinned. Why did the idea turn her on? What was going on with her? She acted as if she couldn’t get enough of Rex. She’d never been so obsessed with a man like she was with him.

  Brody waved them over to one of five long metal buildings. By the time the dust settled, they were gathered in front of a door marked OFFICE. They already knew the routine, as they had made two other stops since starting out.

  When the men had gotten up before the crack of dawn to hunt wild pig, she’d thought about protesting the chauvinistic division but opted instead for the facials and manicures Brody offered. Lot of good they’d done with all the crap flying in her face and hair now.

  So after a light lunch, the fellows had picked them up on ATVs and went on a tour of the grounds. One peanut field followed a hundred more with an equal amount of cornfields. The first building had been near a couple silos and the next building was a large barn for milk cows. The handsome playboy had milk cows? Abby had a hard time wrapping he
r mind around that.

  The smell and sound warned Abby she wouldn’t be interested in going inside. Then someone caught her attention off to the side.

  “You coming in, Abby?” Rex asked.

  “Nah, you go ahead. I have no interest in seeing buildings jam-packed with chickens. I’ll stay out here and stretch my legs.”

  As soon as the crowd closed the door behind them, she walked around the corner. She ran her hand along the back of her jeans, ensuring the knife remained in its holster. Only two weapons survived detection from Brody’s guards: a switchblade and a Beretta pistol. Rex had the gun. “How’s it going, Liam?”

  Dressed like a hunched over old man, Liam eyed Abby and looked around. “This is one mission I’m not enjoying at all. You have any idea at all how filthy chickens are? They eat their own poop. I don’t believe I’ll ever eat another one of those feathered beasties in my life.” He straightened and rolled his shoulders.

  “Have you found anything that looks like an ammo facility?” She swatted at the gnats hovering in front of her face.

  “There’s only one area so far they’ve limited all employees from going into, and that’s at the far northeast corner of the property. It’s an overgrown mountain filled with limestone caves. They claim it’s dangerous because sinkholes are everywhere. So far that’s the most logical place to build a secret manufacturing plant. The consistent temperature inside a cave would be helpful.” Liam continued to scan the area. “I would check out the area, but I can’t get away for longer than fifteen minutes, too little time.” He quickly stooped over. “Got to go.” Then he scurried around the corner.

  She turned to see everyone filing out of the building.