by Desiree Holt
She rode his tongue, thrusting herself at him while her liquid filled her mouth. He had barely let her recover when he stripped off his jeans, rolled on a condom, and took his place between her legs again. With his hands beneath the cheeks of her ass to lift and hold her, he drove into her with one hard thrust.
Jesus!
He had to close his eyes and reach for control or he would embarrass himself. She was so hot and wet and tight. And buried in her, he felt as if he’d come home after a long unhappy journey. He tried to pace himself to give her time to recover, but it appeared she was ready before he expected.
“Do it, Zak,” she cried. “Fuck me. You know how.”
And he did, hard and fast and deep. Again and again and again, until she wrapped her legs around his, locking her ankles at the small of his back to pull him even deeper inside her. The soft skin of her breasts against his chest was an aphrodisiac, her cries driving him higher, the walls of her cunt gripping him like a wet vise.
And then they exploded, together. He took her mouth in a hot kiss to capture her cries as he rode them both to completion.
He had no idea how long it was before he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, desperate to read what was in there. The love he used to see, the incredible need and desire, were back again, and relief swept over him. It wasn’t until this moment that he understood how much he wanted this. He opened his mouth to say something, but she touched them with the tips of her fingers, smiled, and shook her head.
“You don’t need to say a word,” she told him. “I feel it, too.”
“It never went away. It was just hiding. We’re never going to lose it again.”
“No, we’re not.” Then her lips curved in the smile that filled his heart. “We’re damn sure not.”
“We should move,” she said at last. “Where’s Keith? Did we entertain him through the closed door?”
“I sent him outside to keep an eye out for a black van that’s come by a couple of times.”
And just like that the fear was back.
“Zak, I—”
He shook his head. “Don’t say anything, but we need to get dressed. I’ll see what the situation is and then we can eat.”
“Did you find out anything about those companies I wrote down?” she asked anxiously when she was all put back together. “I didn’t remember much. And some of the names were only partials. Like I told you, I only got a very quick look.”
“I’ve had people researching them. Even Reno took a crack at some of them.” He shook his head. “So far all of them are fakes. Big surprise, right? But my super-techie wrote a program to see if that would help us. We’re running it on one of the computers to see what we come up with.”
“That doesn’t sound very optimistic,” she told him.
“Let’s just wait and see what shows up. Nina has worked miracles before. Meanwhile, how about we get something to eat? I brought your favorite. Chinese food.”
“But—”
“Then I have some homework for you. Maybe you’ll spot something that will help us with our search. Okay, kitten?”
“No.” The small grin she gave him made his heart turn over. “But I can be bought with sweet and sour shrimp and sesame chicken.”
“Then come on.” He took her hand. “Let’s feed the inner man. Or woman, as it were.”
Zoe was surprised that she was actually hungry, but the tempting aroma of the food was too seductive to resist. Zak insisted on making small talk while they ate, putting aside the situation they were in for just an hour. She tried to ignore his frequent check-ins via the handheld radio with Keith, who was keeping an eye on things from the den.
He had not seen the black van while he was outside, but as Zak pointed out, that didn’t mean anything. It could show up at any time or it could already have gotten what it was there for. She was at least grateful that Keith acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She wondered if he had to practice the poker face he wore.
“He’ll watch the security monitor and keep checking the perimeter,” Zak told her after the last all clear. “Dean will be here about midnight so Keith can get some rest.”
“Don’t you have to take a turn?”
He smiled. “I’m the boss.”
When they had put away the leftovers and cleaned up the kitchen, Zak took the laptop off the counter, set it up in front of her, and booted it up.
“What’s this for?” she asked.
“Stuff. Nina downloaded everything they were able to pull off your main frame before they got shut out. I want to see what you recognize and what you could possibly resurrect. And there’s also information on there they dug up about Caz Morgan and Max Detwiler.” He pulled up a chair next to her. “So let’s get started.”
Three hours later, Zoe had a raging headache, Zak’s frustration was palpable, and they weren’t much further along than when they started.
“Okay.” Zak poured them each a cold drink. “I think it won’t take much to summarize here.” He held up his hand and ticked off the items on his fingers one by one. “First. Caz and Nate met when Nate was just out of college, back here in San Antonio, and trying to hustle his way into the oil lease business. Caz had connections, Nate had the right personality, and they were off to the races.”
“Second.” He touched the next finger. “Caz was the one who found Max and his money when they needed an infusion of capital to swing a major real estate deal. We still don’t know where Max’s cash came from.” He made a sound of disgust. “I think I need to take lessons from these people on how to bury information.”
“And third,” Zoe picked up the thread, “there’s definitely something wrong with these simulations. There’re changes in here I didn’t make, but I can’t tell you what since I don’t have even one complete file.”
Zak flipped a chair around and straddled it. “Tell me what the new simulations were about and how they could be adapted for commercial use.”
“Okay. It’s really not complicated. We—I designed simulations for corporate clients to use to practice security techniques. We tailored them to specific clients as the requests came in. We also did some hostage rescue operations sims for a huge mercenary company and even for a couple for airlines to teach their employees how to behave in a high-jacking situation. Then we’d wipe any reference to the company and anything that could indicate who the original design was for, make some modifications, and voila! A video game.” She frowned again.
“What’s wrong?”
“Like I said before, there are some strange adjustments here that I can’t figure out.” She stared at the screen, rubbing her forehead.
Zak pulled the laptop around, shut down the programs, and closed the computer. “Enough for tonight. Let’s get some sleep and start fresh in the morning.”
She rubbed her eyes. “I guess you’re right.”
When she stood up, she and Zak were so close there wasn’t room for a sheet of paper between them. Heat flashed in his eyes, and his rock-hard erection pressed against the softness of her tummy, making her breasts ache and every pulse in her body throb. She had missed this so much. More than she wanted to admit. And that hot interlude when he got here didn’t go far at all to make up for lost time.
Then his head came down and his mouth was ravenous against hers, taking and giving at the same time. When her lips parted slightly, his tongue swept in, bringing liquid fire with it.
She melted, her bones fluid, her muscles limp. She clung to him, locking her arms around his neck as much to keep herself upright as to hold him tightly to her.
When he lifted his head, his breathing was uneven, but no more so than hers.
“This is impossible.” He blew out a breath of frustration. “I can’t believe myself. Your ass is on the line, I don’t even know who’s after you, and all I want to do is make love to you.”
“Sounds good to me,” she breathed, the combination of danger and the chemistry between them a powerful aphrodisiac.
>
“I can’t believe I want you again so fast.”
She ticked up one corner of her mouth in a half smile. “You used to want me all the time.”
“Apparently, old habits never die.” He sighed. “Kitten.” The word was like a prayer on his lips.
One hand slid up along her rib cage and cupped her breast, his thumb chafing the nipple. Zoe heard a low moan and realized it was hers.
“We either need to stop now,” he told her, “or take this into the bedroom.”
“I vote the bedroom.” Her voice was no steadier than his.
“Good. We have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
The moment the bedroom door closed he pulled her into his arms again, showering kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, before slipping his tongue inside her mouth again. She twisted hers with his, tasting the flavor of him. When he gently bit down on hers, spikes of electricity shot through her and the pulse between her legs beat harder and faster.
She wanted him, wanted the familiar feel of his body on her, in her, driving her to an almost unreachable plane of ecstasy that she’d never been able to forget. The hot electricity was still there. What happened earlier was the appetizer. She wanted the full meal.
He walked her backward to the bed, stopping when the backs of her knees hit the mattress. When his hands released her face and he lifted his head, she reached to yank her T-shirt over her head, but his fingers encircled her wrists.
“No. Let me do it.”
Slowly, he drew the soft fabric up and over her head, his eyes eating her alive as they focused on her breasts nestled in their lace cups. His hands slid up to cup her breasts, his thumbs grazing her nipples. They hardened, and she knew he could see their firm, dark tips through the sheer material. When he bent his head and ran his tongue across the top edge of her bra, a wave of weakness swept over her and she had to clutch his forearms to keep from falling.
“Your skin tastes as good as it always did,” he murmured, drawing circles with the tip of his tongue. “That taste has haunted me all this time.”
Zoe drew in a deep breath, moved her hands to his waist, and tugged his shirt free of his jeans. His back was warm against her hands, taut muscles playing beneath the smooth skin. The simple contact sent heat blazing through her and ratcheted up her heartbeat. She and Zak had always had the most incredible chemistry. Now it seemed, if anything, it was stronger than ever.
Zak moved away just a fraction and slowly removed the rest of her clothes, kissing every area of her skin as he uncovered it, as if he hadn’t just seen every inch of her mere hours ago. The fire and heat of his tongue were like a flame tracing paths everywhere, melting her. Grabbing the covers on the bed with one hand, he flung them back and placed her gently on the cool sheets.
He took the gun from the small of his back where he carried it, placed it on the nightstand, and began to undress. She watched as he removed his clothes, eyes capturing the familiar shape of his body, the defined muscles, the soft dusting of hair on his chest, the magnificence of his cock as it rose out from his body, ready and wanting her. How had she lived without this for so long? How had she been so stupid and hard-headed as to throw this all away?
His eyes glittered as they raked over her body, as if they were reacquainting themselves with every inch. His gaze never broke as he bent and lifted his jeans, fishing in a pocket for a small foil packet.
Zoe’s eyes widened. “You planned—”
“I hoped,” he interrupted. His mouth tilted in a lopsided grin. “I didn’t know how long my willpower would last, and I always like to be prepared.”
When his body came down on top of hers, she felt the same thing she’d sensed when she’d cried on his lap.
Home. I’m home.
Then all thought left her brain as his mouth began to move over her again. He placed a sucking kiss at the hollow of her throat, licking the pulse that pounded there. Lips like rough silk brushed at the swell of her breasts, closed firmly around each aching nipple, traveled a path along her tummy and lower.
His warm breath was a match to her skin, blowing across the thatch of her pubic curls. His mouth traveled lower and lower, his hands pushing her thighs wider to give him greater access. The touch of his tongue licking its way up the inside of her thighs made her inner muscles quiver and her pulse beat erratically.
Zoe hitched her hips at him, urging him to move to her center, to pay attention to her demanding sex. And then he was there, his educated tongue tasting her liquid and flicking at the throbbing, furled nub. She grabbed his head with both hands, pressing him against her, afraid he’d stop too soon.
The coil of need that had been wound tightly inside her for so long began to unwind with amazing speed, the onset of orgasm rushing through her.
When his tongue slipped inside her and his thumbs pressed on her swollen bud, the climax exploded with such force it shook her from head to toe. If Zak hadn’t been holding her, she was sure it would have tossed her off the bed.
Every muscle in her body clamped and convulsed, again and again, until she couldn’t breathe. But when it was over and she lay panting, his glittering gaze looking up at her from between her thighs, she knew it hadn’t been enough.
“Zak…” She moaned.
“I know.” His voice was hoarse and thick with desire.
Sliding up her body, he kissed her, hard, her juices still fresh on his lips. He groaned into the wet cavern of her mouth as his tongue did magical things to hers and his big hands gripped her.
Zoe couldn’t get enough of touching him, her hands racing everywhere over his heated skin. The familiar shape of his shoulder, the lean muscles of his back, the taut lines of his buttocks—everything coming back to her like a well-remembered map. She wanted him inside her. Now. Right now.
When he settled himself in the cradle of her thighs, she welcomed him with a sigh. At last he slid inside her, his thick cock filling every inch of her. He eased it out slowly, dragging it against her inner flesh, then thrusting forward again. With each movement of his hips, each drive of his hard shaft into her hot, grasping sex, the need grew stronger. Wrapping her legs around him, she locked their bodies together so they moved in concert.
“Look at me,” he demanded, his voice rough and low.
She opened her eyes and found him looking into hers with so much emotion her heart cracked. Her body strained to reach that elusive peak as he pounded into her again and again.
“Now,” he ordered. “Come now, Zoe.”
And just like that she exploded, her body shuddering with his, heart slamming against her ribs, her lungs starving for air. And then it eased and they relaxed into each other, still locked together. She knew, at least for the moment, nothing else mattered.
This was so right. It was definitely so right. If she could just convince Zak.
Chapter Eight
The cell phone in the man’s pocket rang, and he punched Talk.
“Is it done?” he asked.
“It will be in a minute,” came back the answer. “We scoped the place out pretty good. Everyone’s inside, no outside guards. A perimeter check every thirty minutes, which gives us a good window.”
“How will you do it? I don’t want you caught under any circumstances.”
“Same old same old. We won’t even have to get out of the van.”
“Fine. Good. Call me when it’s done. And there better not be any mistakes this time.” He punched the End button, trying to ignore the bad sensations teasing at his body.
****
A knock on the door woke them. Zak glanced at the clock on the nightstand, the red numbers reading three o’clock. Zoe’s warm body was nestled against his, her rounded ass fitting nicely against his thighs. With an effort, he rolled away to face Dean in the doorway. At the sight of the gun in the man’s hand, he was instantly alert.
“What?” he asked.
“Sorry to bother you like this, boss, but that van Keith told you about is back. It’s parked
two houses down, but no one’s gotten out of it. I don’t like the smell of it.”
In an instant, Zak pulled on his jeans and shirt.
“What’s going on?” Zoe sleepily rolled over. Spotting Dean she came instantly awake, sat up, and tugged the covers up to her shoulders. “Dean? What happened?”
Zak took a second to kiss her forehead before he picked up his gun from the nightstand.
“Get dressed,” he told her. “Throw everything you can in the duffel bag, including the laptops, and wait here for me.”
“What’s—”
He touched a finger to her lips. “No questions. Just do as I ask, okay?”
She swallowed hard and nodded.
Zak turned to Dean. “Let’s go.”
Keith was watching the monitor carefully, his own gun out. A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Still no movement,” he said. “Something funky is going on.”
“It can’t be about us,” Dean said. “No one knows we’re here. Or anything about this house.”
“We’ll know in a minute if someone’s found us or not.”
Three pairs of eyes were focused on the screen. As they watched, the side panel of the truck slid partially open and the vehicle began to roll along the curb. They could just make out the outline of something protruding from the space.
“Jesus,” Zak breathed. “We need to get the hell out of here.”
“What if they’ve got the back covered?” Keith asked.
“They don’t,” Dean assured him. “I scanned the area with the infrared. Nothing except bodies in the houses, and the count matches what we expect. If we’re going, we need to do it right now. I have secondary transport waiting for us. Let’s move, people, before we’re history.”
Zak raced for the bedroom where Zoe had just finished zipping the duffel closed. When she looked up, her eyes were wild with panic, but she was holding herself together.
“I’m ready,” she told him.
