Holding Fire

by April Hunt

  “All right, Popsicle Man. Up you go.” Elle hauled a half-sleeping Trey to his feet and stripped him back down to nothing.

  “Hmm. I like this idea.” He curved his hands over her ass and gave her cheeks a little squeeze. “Are you going to warm me up with your body heat, baby?”

  Elle would’ve laughed if the slurring of his words didn’t worry her. “You bet I am, so let’s get you on the floor in front of the fireplace.”

  He didn’t even argue. He sprawled out naked on the floor and closed his eyes two seconds later. Elle grabbed every blanket she could find and started stuffing the heated bottles underneath his armpits and between his legs. Finally, she shimmied out of her own clothes and nestled her body against his freezing skin.

  For the first time since laying eyes on Trey Hanson, she didn’t worry about how to keep him at an arm’s distance. Now, she worried she couldn’t hold him close enough.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Trey took a deep breath and sighed as a familiar warm, sweet scent invaded both his mind and body. He curled his arms around the source and brought it with him as he stretched onto his back. It was so fucking smooth, and he couldn’t stop running his fingers up and down the sleek surface—until that surface moved.

  Trey opened his eyes and immediately registered the sleeping Elle in his arms. He didn’t want to wake her, but he couldn’t help but touch her, running his thumb over her bare arm and nestling her deeper into his hold. Her breathing was deep and even, gently fanning across his chest.

  This was how he wanted to wake up every fucking morning. He just didn’t want to go to sleep as a block of fucking ice for it to happen.

  Elle startled awake, and on their eyes locking, she propped her chin up on her hand. “Are you okay?”

  “Never been better.” He traced a small circle over the small of her back.

  “No heart palpitations? Blurry vision? Muscle weakness?”

  “All’s perfect.” He knew the second she felt his cock brush against her hip. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing into beautiful blue slits.

  “You nearly die from hypothermia and that’s where all your blood goes?”

  He grinned. “It goes to all the vital organs, right? I happen to think my dick’s pretty damn vital.”

  “So you’re sure you’re okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  “Good. Because I’d hate to hurt an injured man.” She smacked his chest. “Don’t you ever do that again.”

  Trey failed to suppress a chuckle, and she pummeled him with a second half-assed punch. “Jesus. That’s some bedside manner. Do you go around physically assaulting all of your patients, Nurse Monroe?”

  “Only the ones who scare me half to death. Do you realize how lucky you are?” Elle growled. She tried pushing off his chest, but he palmed her ass and held her in position on top of him.

  “I’m thinking pretty damn.”

  This time when she pushed up, he let her go—but only so far as to straddle his waist. The new position gave his eyes an impressive view of rose-tipped breasts, and his cock enjoyed the sight, too. He’d gone from typical morning wood to Elle-induced granite in less than a second. The only thing keeping him from sinking into the heat of her body was the flames sparking in her eyes.

  “Elle.”

  “Don’t.” She stood up the second he slackened his grip. For once, she didn’t bother hiding from him as she stalked through the room, collecting halfheartedly tossed clothing. She was muttering something about a sock before he managed to get to his feet. And goddamn. His legs took extra time to lock, but once they did, he was golden.

  Trey kept one hand on the back of the couch—just in case. “I want to make sure that I’m not still delirious. You’re pissed off at me?”

  “Give the man a genius certificate,” Elle grumbled. “I told you I didn’t want to go out on that ice and you goaded me into it. And according to the modus operandi of Elle Monroe, I caved and—”

  “And I fell through the ice.” He was missing something. “Yeah. I was there, and I now own the fucking T-shirt. What do you mean ‘modus operandi’?”

  Elle spun around, eyes blaring blue sapphire daggers his way. “You fell through the ice trying to get me off of it.”

  Realization started to dawn, and his lips twitched. Her glare from before was nothing compared to the javelin spears drilling into him now. Shirt white-knuckled in her fist, she stalked closer to him in all her naked glory. Easygoing and fun Elle was nothing short of gorgeous. But a pissed Elle was fucking spectacular.

  She stormed closer, pushing a finger into the center of his chest. “Do not look at me like this is funny, because it’s not.”

  “That I fell through the ice and could’ve frozen to death? No. You’re right. It’s not funny. What’s funny is you trying to pretend that you’re not pissed because you were worried about me.”

  “Of course I was worried! I’m a nurse, and there’s nothing worse than realizing you could do everything in your power to help someone and it might not be enough.”

  “Sure, and because you care about me.” He trapped her pointy finger in the palm of his hand. “You care about me more than you ever had any intention to, and that scares the shit out of you.”

  “You said you wouldn’t push.” Her tone hovered in between a warning growl and a careful reminder.

  “I’m not. I’m pointing out the fact that my little ice routine showed you that your no-strings rule isn’t quite stringless.” Despite seeing the truth in her eyes, Trey knew her stubbornness wouldn’t let her admit the words aloud. And that was fine—for now.

  He waited for her next move—which was toward the kitchen. One good thing about this cabin was that there was nowhere for her to fucking hide. He watched her walk away, and then he followed.

  He picked her up and deposited her on the counter—bare ass and all.

  “What are you doing?” she squealed.

  “Having breakfast.” Trey stepped between her legs and brushed his nose against the curve of her neck, painfully aware that their still naked bodies touched with every inhaled breath. He trailed his fingers over her goose-bumped torso…across her hip…and down her outer thigh.

  He wouldn’t downplay or add to her fears by stating that, no strings or not, he wouldn’t be making it easy for her to walk away. She’d find that out sooner rather than later and, in the meantime, he’d spend the time figuring out exactly how he felt about her, too.

  There was no denying he wanted her body. He’d spent the last few weeks in a perpetual state of Ready-to-Fuck. But she’d never once felt like a job. She felt like a necessity.

  “You need to rest.” Elle’s breathless voice went husky as he hooked her knee around his hip. “And you should eat something. Your body’s been through a lot. I know it doesn’t feel like it because you’ve been sleeping, but it has a lot of healing to do. Cold stress can be almost as dangerous as hypothermia.”

  “We finally agree on something.” He nipped her earlobe, teasing them both as he glided his cock through her wet folds, oh so close, but not quite taking that final blissful inch. Then he slid his mouth down her neck. He paused at her breasts, cupping one and holding it steady while he delivered a hard suck to its tip. “I’m famished.”

  Elle shivered in his arms. Her gaze tracked him as he homed in on the sweet spot between her legs and brushed the tip of his tongue against her clit.

  She clamped her hands on his arms and let out a soft, keening moan. “I’m still mad at you.”

  Trey didn’t stop his sensual caress. “No you’re not, baby. You’re relieved…and I think you need a reminder that I’m alive and well.”

  Trey couldn’t wait to jog her memory, and he started by savoring every inch of her body…and didn’t stop until she screamed his name at the top of her lungs.

  * * *

  Elle slid into one of the two seats in front of the computer just as a beep advertised an incoming video-call. She opened the line an
d saw Stone and Charlie looking back at her from the screen, the Room of Testosterone in the background.

  “Good morning,” Elle greeted—and got awkward mumblings in return. “Okay, so maybe not such a great morning. Is everything okay?”

  “Where’s Trey?” Stone asked, not answering the question.

  “Here.” Trey sat next to Elle, their chairs so close she might as well have been sitting on his lap. “What’s up? Jesus Christ, Stone. You look like you’ve just been told you have minutes to live. What the hell’s going on?”

  “We have some news.”

  “Obviously, and I’m guessing it’s not the good kind.” Trey draped his arm over the back of Elle’s seat. “No sense in sugarcoating it. Spill.”

  “Although we don’t know who’s behind the specific threat to the Senator and Elle, we finally know who’s been hired to carry out the intimidation tactics. And you’re right. It’s not good. It’s Black Dunes.”

  Trey froze. Stone stilled. Both men stared at each other through the video screen.

  “How certain are you?” Trey finally asked, his voice gruff.

  “One hundred percent,” Stone said grimly.

  And they were back to staring. Elle’s gaze bounced from Trey to Stone’s image on the video feed. After an agonizingly long silence, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Charlie, can you—”

  “Decrypt the man-speak happening right now?” Charlie guessed correctly.

  “Please, since these two have evidently lost the ability to string together two words, much less an entire explanation.”

  “We finally got a hit on your facially scarred friend.”

  “That’s good news, right? That means he’s ex-military like everyone thought? He was in your database?”

  Charlie shifted, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable as she side-eyed her boss. “Not…exactly. I may have borrowed another program, but it’s a good thing I did because your friend, Dean Winters, has been on an international watch list for suspected arms trafficking—which actually makes sense because your dad’s most recent fight against assault weapons puts a real kink in his livelihood. And he also happens to be the founder of Black Dunes.”

  “Which I gather isn’t the name of a dirty beach.”

  Trey removed his arm from her chair and shifted forward, muscles tensed. “They’re a mercenary group that’s not exactly known for their ethics. Actually, they’re the exact fucking opposite of Alpha. They’re the ones the bad guys hire to get shit done. But what I don’t get is why it took so long to link the fucker’s name with his face.”

  Charlie’s eyes narrowed in challenge. “Are you questioning my intelligence digging?”

  “No, I’m questioning why he looks so damn fucking familiar—and yet doesn’t. I’ve never had a run-in with Black Dunes—or Winters—until a few weeks ago. At least, not that I can remember.”

  “Charlie’s already cross-referenced any mention of Black Dunes to your service record with Delta, and like she said, she’s even expanded her search efforts,” Stone admitted, before shooting Charlie a stern glare. “None of your missions crossed paths with any ops that Black Dunes has even been rumored to have a hand in, so I have no fucking clue where the two of you would’ve had a run-in.”

  “Where was Winters before he founded Black Dunes?” Elle asked.

  “Nowhere.” Charlie frowned, obviously displeased. “It’s like the bloody bastard didn’t even exist five years ago. I thought I was a close a few times, but there’s always something off about the facial biometrics. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s Frankenstein’s younger brother.”

  “And there’s still no word on who would’ve hired them?”

  “Sorry, love. The authorities are combing through your father’s emails and other leads, but so far, they’ve got nothing.”

  It wasn’t what Elle wanted to hear, but at least they’d learned something. “So then I guess we still have to sit tight, right?”

  “Afraid so,” Stone confirmed. “But now that we know who we’re dealing with, we can start digging a little more. An outfit like Black Dunes thrives on power trips, and when guys like that start getting cocky, being discreet goes out the fucking window. They’ll fuck up and eventually point us in their direction. In the meantime, there are worse places to be holed up than in the mountains.”

  Two weeks ago, Elle wouldn’t have been so sure. Now it wasn’t so much the mountain that held the allure of staying, but the man currently massaging the back of her neck. More mountain time meant more alone time. Together. She’d take every day like it was an extra gift because she knew it would eventually come to an end.

  “We’ll keep you updated if anything new trickles in,” Stone offered before standing and glancing at Charlie. “And I’d like to see you in my office in five, Sparks. We need to have a little chat about discreetness.”

  Charlie waved him off and waited until he was gone before asking, “Did you get those emails I sent?”

  Elle opened her mouth to reply when she realized the question was directed to Trey.

  “I did,” he answered. “And I told you that I already got it covered.”

  “Are you sure? Because I could—”

  “Got. It. Covered.”

  She tossed up her hands. “Fine. But you better make it memorable, or Penny and I will make sure that a never-ending rain of hell falls onto your head.”

  “I’ll wear a fucking poncho. And Charlie? Don’t let Stone give you the speech about proper channels. Do whatever the hell it is you need to do to find out where this Winters bastard comes from, and if Stone gives you a problem, just say ‘Colombia.’”

  “Why the bloody hell would I say ‘Colombia’?”

  “Do it, and he’ll get off your back. And keep me updated.” Trey clicked off the video link and leaned back in his chair.

  “What happened in Colombia?” Elle asked, curious.

  Trey’s mouth slid into a grin. “I promised Stone I’d keep the actual story to myself. But if mentioning it gives Charlie a little reprieve, then I’m happy bring it up.”

  “I don’t like the idea of her doing whatever the hell she needs to do,” she said honestly. “If this group really is as ruthless as you all believe, then maybe you should all sit back and let the authorities handle it.”

  Trey guided her onto his lap. He let his hands coast up her thighs and over her hips. “Babe, this is us sitting back. Once Charlie and the guys find the bastard, Stone will make sure the authorities get the info—but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he requested being in on the take-down.”

  “I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.” The thought of it made Elle’s stomach churn.

  “Are you kidding? We wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves if we didn’t have a bad-ass to pummel into the ground. When things are quiet around headquarters, things get ugly. Really, really fucking ugly.” Trey guided her mouth down to his for a slow, lingering kiss. “But what isn’t ugly is a day away. Go pack an overnight bag.”

  “We’re going somewhere?”

  “You’ll see when we get there.” He eased her off his lap and gave her ass a playful smack. “Now go. And in an effort to make it speedy, you can forgo pajamas because you won’t be needing them.”

  She glared at him suspiciously.

  Trey wrapped his hand into her hair and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “If you don’t start moving, you’re not going to be bringing any clothes.”

  “Just please tell me that we don’t have to walk a million miles back down the mountain,” she begged hopefully.

  “Nope. We’re taking the much shorter second route. You’ll be staring your surprise in the face before you even know it.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  After a twenty-minute hike down the backside of the mountain to where Alpha kept a back-up vehicle, and another thirty-minute drive, Trey was almost 80 percent sure he’d done the right thing. The other 20 percent had him sweating bullets because he was in
uncharted territory.

  He could end up looking like either an idiot or a thoughtful romantic—and he wasn’t comfortable with either title.

  Trey stole a glance to the passenger-side seat. Elle, in an oversized coat and his military knit cap, looked like a kid about to get a sneak peek at Santa’s village. Ever since he’d told her about the basics of his plan, she hadn’t stopped grinning. And he loved the fact that he’d been the one to do it.

  “You know I was kidding about Jonesville being a booming metropolis, right?” Trey warned with a smirk. “The only streetlight is on the way leading out of town and I’m pretty sure they still use some kind of bartering system for gas and goods.”

  “I’m sure it’s charming. I don’t even care if the public restroom’s an outhouse. We’re off the mountain—at least for a little bit—and I get to walk around people without having to worry if they’re going to abduct me.”

  “Didn’t realize being stuck with me in the cabin has been that trying for you,” he teased.

  Elle reached over and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. When she moved to pull her arm back into her lap, he interlaced their fingers and held her hand captive against his thigh. Trey waited five seconds for her to pull away, and when that didn’t happen, he waited another ten.

  Finally, he released the breath he didn’t know he’d been fucking holding. A few weeks ago, if he’d had the audacity to hold her hand, she probably would’ve run away faster than she had down that Thai alley—after she’d kneed him in the groin.

  He hoped she finally realized that not all men were wired like her father and her ex. Strike that—he hoped she realized that he wasn’t fucking wired that way. That’s what tonight was about, with the added incentive of making her smile.

  He hoped.

  Birthdays had been something his mother had always turned into a big deal when he was growing up, but he couldn’t exactly hire a balloon artist or take Elle to the circus and call it mission accomplished.

  Trey cleared his throat, wincing at how dry it was. “I figured we’d make a few stops before we go exploring the town. Maybe get you some underwear to replace the ones I ripped off you this morning. But I doubt Burl’s Grocery and Tackle’s going to have pretty, lacy ones.”