Tangled Mark

by Becky Harmon

  The alcohol burned Mel’s tongue as she slid it deep inside Nikki’s mouth. Holding the kiss, she walked Nikki backward into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind her. She pulled Nikki’s shirt from her pants and with shaking hands attempted to undo its buttons. Discovering that her mind and fingers were unwilling to cooperate, she broke the kiss long enough to pull the shirt over Nikki’s head. She let her own open shirt fall to the floor and took a step forward until Nikki’s knees made contact with the bed and she collapsed onto it. She unzipped Nikki’s pants and pulled them off, dropping them unceremoniously onto the floor. Hers followed but caught on her boots nearly tripping her. She had to make herself slow down to get the laces untied.

  Boots finally off, she stood and unclasped her bra, letting it fall to the floor in front of her. She looked at Nikki, naked except for her bra, and her breath caught in her throat. She was so beautiful. Mel’s gaze traveled the length of her body before returning to her face. “Slide up,” Mel whispered as she knelt between Nikki’s legs. Her mouth watered in anticipation as she waited for Nikki to get comfortable. She needed to taste her, to savor the sweetness and saltiness in her mouth. She kissed the inside of her knee and traveled up, following the kisses with her tongue. Nikki’s body arched as her mouth closed over the warmth, sucking gently before allowing her tongue to slide inside.

  “Not yet,” Nikki cried.

  Mel didn’t want it to be over yet either, but she couldn’t stop herself. She increased the pace of her stroking, ignoring Nikki’s request. Nikki’s body convulsed as she gave in to Mel’s single-mindedness.

  Mel rested her head on Nikki’s thigh while she waited for her breathing to return to normal. She inhaled deeply, memorizing the fragrance, and her heart raced with desire. She raised her head and looked at Nikki. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her arms were raised above her head where both hands had a death grip on the headboard. At Mel’s movement, Nikki pried her fingers loose and ran them through Mel’s hair.

  “Carter.” Nikki opened her eyes and met Mel’s. “Come up here. Now,” she demanded.

  Mel slid her body up Nikki’s, rubbing her nipples across her hot flesh. Still roaring with arousal, she took Nikki’s silk-covered nipple into her mouth. She supported her weight on one elbow and slid the other hand underneath Nikki and unhooked her bra. She pulled the straps off both shoulders and tossed the bra to the floor before helping herself to a sample of each nipple. Straddling Nikki’s thigh, she balanced her weight on her knees as her hands cupped each breast and then alternately sucked each one into her mouth.

  Nikki’s body arched and Mel ran her hand down it until her fingers were immersed in Nikki’s passion. Stroking gently, she watched Nikki’s face as she slid one finger inside her. “Oh yes,” Nikki mouthed, but the words barely came out. Mel slid a second finger inside as she covered Nikki’s mouth with her own. Nikki clung to her and her fingers dug into Mel’s shoulders. Their bodies found a matched rhythm as Mel pushed deeper into her.

  Without thought Mel ground her hips into Nikki’s already slick thigh with a frenzy that surprised her. The pressure caused her body to spasm and she broke the contact, trying to regain her control. Nikki’s touch brought the tumultuous feeling back and Mel arched, breaking their kiss as their eyes met. Mel stared into Nikki’s flushed face and she felt the heat on her own. Nikki’s blue eyes were clouded, deepening their color, and she was lost in their depths. She pushed her body hard against Nikki’s as they moved in sync. Faster. Together and then apart. The orgasm erupted from each of them but they continued to pulse against each other as their bodies searched for complete release. Unable to hold herself up any longer, Mel collapsed on top of Nikki.

  “Unbelievable,” Mel panted as she rolled off Nikki and lay spread-eagled beside her, gasping for air, her body covered with sweat.

  Nikki turned on her side and ran a hand across Mel’s stomach and over a hard nipple. “What is unbelievable?” She smiled.

  Inhaling deeply, Mel pried her lids open and looked into Nikki’s eyes. “It’s unbelievable that you are even hotter than I first thought you were.”

  Nikki narrowed her eyes. “Don’t play with me, Carter.”

  “But I like to play with you, Mitchell.” Mel raised her arms above her head and arched into Nikki’s touch.

  The quiet was cut by a deafening continuous, ascending and descending tone.

  “What the hell?” Nikki exclaimed as Mel jumped to her feet.

  “It’s the air-raid siren.” Mel tossed clothes from the floor onto the bed, searching through them for items that belonged to her. “We have to go to the bunker.”

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Nikki grumbled as she joined the clothing search.

  “Get up. Get up. Get up.” Liam pounded on the bedroom door. “Ninety seconds to seek shelter. Get up!”

  “Go in the bathroom.” Mel waited until Nikki closed the door before opening the connecting door to the living room. She held her shirt closed with her hand and looked at Liam. His hair was askew and he wore only shorts with his boots. “Go without me, Liam. I’m not going like this.”

  Liam hesitated. She could tell he didn’t want to leave her. “Just go. I’ll be right behind you,” Mel reassured him.

  Liam crossed to the door and whipped it open. Brad stood in the hallway, his hand raised to knock. “Is Nikki still over here?”

  Both men turned to Mel and she nodded. She couldn’t deny Nikki’s presence to Brad and leave him to worry about where she was. She felt Brad’s eyes appraise her appearance and then he grinned. “Come on, Liam. Let’s check out this bunker.” As the door started to fall shut behind them, Brad’s head came in the door again. “Hurry up, Carter. It could be a real attack.” His eyes were filled with genuine concern and she nodded.

  Mel ducked back into the room and pulled on her pants, sticking her feet into unlaced boots. She pulled open the bathroom door to find Nikki fully clothed sitting on the side of the tub.

  “Is Liam gone?”

  “You mean Liam and Brad? Yes, they went to the bunker without us.”

  “Brad too?”

  “Yes, I had to tell him you were here. He would have panicked trying to find you otherwise.” She pulled Nikki into a hug. “Besides, we’re not hiding here. Right?”

  Nikki smiled. “No. I just hadn’t planned to put on a display.”

  “Let’s go. I’m sure they won’t harass us until the attack is over.”

  Mel took her hand as they left the room. There was a loud thud above them as they entered the stairwell.

  Nikki looked up as if she could see what had caused the explosion through the roof of the hotel. “Was that the Iron Dome blocking a missile?”

  Mel shrugged. “Maybe.”

  Seconds later they met hotel guests coming back up the stairs so they turned around and returned to the room.

  “Stay with me tonight.” Mel pulled her into her arms.

  She felt Nikki’s hesitation but it only lasted for a second and then she agreed. “I’ll grab my bag and give Brad a minute to harass me. Then I’ll be back.”

  Mel kissed her before opening her arms and releasing her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Nikki crossed the hall and let herself into the empty room. She hung both of her suits in Brad’s closet and carried her bag into the living room before sitting down on the couch to wait for him. Brad opened the door and looked surprised to see her sitting there.

  “That was fun.” He grabbed two bottled waters from the mini refrigerator, and tossed one to her. “You look dehydrated.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled at him. “I’ll be across the hall if you need anything.”

  He nodded. “Breakfast?”

  “Sure. The senator’s flight arrives at noon. Meet us at zero nine and we’ll decide where to go.”

  She turned to leave. “Thanks, Brad.”

  He grinned. “I’ll store it up for when we are both more awake. Try to get some sleep, please.”

 
She left the room to his laughter. Brad had been easy. Now she had to face Liam.

  She crossed the hall and knocked lightly on the door. Mel pulled it open and Nikki scanned the room. “Where’s Liam?”

  “I sent him to bed.” Mel smiled. “I thought you might prefer it that way.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “How’s Brad?”

  Nikki rolled her eyes. “Oh, Brad is fine.” She grasped Mel’s hand and pulled her toward the bedroom. “Let’s talk about us.”

  Mel walked to the full-length window and opened the curtains to reveal a view of the port lights and miles of deep blue sea.

  Nikki tossed her bag on the floor and turned out all the lights before crossing to the window. She stepped behind Mel, running her hands across the broad shoulders, her fingers tracing the hard ridges covering the length of Mel’s back. She had felt them earlier when Mel was on top of her, and she knew her fingers were touching healed scars. She slid her arms around Mel’s waist to the buttons on the front of her shirt. She wanted to see what her fingers had touched.

  Mel grasped her fingers, stilling their movement, and leaned back into Nikki’s chest. “So, you want to talk about us?”

  Nikki kissed her cheek. She was curious, but whatever had happened in Mel’s past was not something she needed to know today. She rested her head on Mel’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “I am better than okay.” Mel turned in her arms and kissed her hard. “And you?”

  “I’ve never felt this good.” Nikki pulled her toward the bed. “Enough talk.” She spun them around and pushed Mel down onto the bed. Illuminated by the glow of the moonlight streaming into the room, she slowly began stripping out of her clothes as Mel leaned back on her elbows to watch, desire growing in her eyes. Nikki wanted to drive her crazy and it looked like maybe it was already working. With agonizing slowness, she removed each piece of clothing until she stood naked in front of Mel. She straddled Mel’s clothed body and unbuttoned her shirt, displaying full naked breasts. Nikki gasped as Mel sucked a breast into her mouth. Her control was destroyed as Mel released the first breast and sucked in the second one. Mel interlocked their fingers, holding Nikki in place while her tongue stroked the nipple hard and fast. Nikki couldn’t stop her body from sliding across Mel’s bare stomach, giving in to the ecstasy.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Mel lifted her head and looked at the clock on the nightstand. They had just over an hour before Brad would come knocking on the door for breakfast. She wondered if Liam was awake and had checked the phones they were monitoring. She was glad she hadn’t been too distracted to get Abbott’s second phone set to record while Nikki was talking with Brad.

  Nikki. She tried to move and her body ached as if she had run a marathon, reminding her of the events of the previous hours. Her mouth and lips were dry, and she looked longingly at the bottle of water on the nightstand. Before she could convince her hand to pick it up, Nikki reached across her and grabbed it. She twisted the cap off and downed half the bottle before waving it in front of Mel. “Thirsty?”

  “Extremely.” Mel grabbed it and drank the rest, tossing the empty bottle toward the trash can across the room. It bounced off the dresser and came to a stop in the middle of the floor.

  Nikki laughed. “What was that?”

  “That was me refusing to get out of bed yet.”

  “Well,” Nikki snuggled into her, putting an arm across her waist, “I don’t think you have to.”

  “That’s debatable, I guess.” Mel sighed. “But you do have to. You stink and Brad will be here in less than an hour.”

  Nikki laughed. “I’m not going to touch the stink comment, but how long do you really think I need to get ready?”

  “There’s no safe way to answer that is there?”

  “No, probably not. I’ll save you the trauma and just get up. However,” Nikki rolled to her feet, “since I have time to spare…” She grasped Mel’s hand and gave it a tug. “I think I might need assistance.”

  Mel sprang off the bed with a burst of energy. “I can offer assistance.”

  “Wow, where’d that surge come from. After last night I certainly don’t have that kind of zing. Besides, my body is still on Central Standard Time.”

  Mel tilted her head as she calculated. “Oh, it’s midnight for you then. You were up for what? Forty hours? Commercial flying can be brutal.”

  Nikki glared at her. “How’d you get here?”

  “On a Flagler jet, of course. I got plenty of sleep on the flight plus we arrived about ten hours before you guys. I am well rested and fully able to help your body wake up.”

  Nikki stepped closer and ran a hand down Mel’s chest before circling her waist. Pulling her close, she kissed her gently. “I’ll forgive you your life of luxury if you shower with me, but then I’ll need to get as far away from you as I can so I can work today.”

  Mel laughed. “Absolutely. I guess I should get some work done today too.”

  * * *

  Brad arrived right on time, and the four of them decided to walk to breakfast at London’s. Brad and Nikki walked together making plans for their day. Liam and Mel followed behind them, carrying on their own hushed conversation.

  “I can look for parking lots near his apartment, but maybe one of us should just circle until he moves,” Mel said.

  “I’m positive his building doesn’t have parking.” Liam tilted his head. “He probably parks on the street like we did last night. Can you check for a vehicle registered to him?”

  “I think so. I’ll run through all the data when we get back to the hotel.”

  “I hate that we don’t have much, if any, information about him. We should try to figure out where he works.”

  “I’ll bring the laptop while we’re on surveillance.” Mel smiled. “But for now, let’s eat.”

  They stepped inside the restaurant and the aromas took over their conversations while they waited to be seated. Their orders were taken and food was served before Nikki mentioned the air raid from last night. “What did the bunker look like?”

  Brad laughed. “Concrete.”

  “I bet you were packed in like sardines,” Mel commented, taking a sip of her coffee.

  “The bunker was huge since it was for the entire hotel, but yeah, it was still pretty tight,” Liam continued. “I’m glad the soldier at the Home Front Command post decided to sound the alarm since, clearly, we heard a missile being destroyed by Iron Dome.”

  Nikki frowned. “I thought the air-raid sirens were automatic.”

  “Not in Tel Aviv,” Liam explained. “Here a soldier evaluates the data and decides if the trajectory is headed for a populated location or not.”

  “True,” Brad agreed. “But it does go off automatically near the Gaza Strip because they only have fifteen seconds or less to seek shelter.”

  “Right,” Liam said. “Like last night. You guys had ninety seconds to get to the bunker, but even that wasn’t enough time for you.”

  Brad laughed and the others joined in too.

  “We were in the stairwell,” Mel stated. “Well, almost in the stairwell when the Iron Dome intercepted the rocket.”

  “That’s right.” Nikki jumped to their defense too. “Stairwells are considered safe places too.”

  “Only if you can’t get to a bunker,” Brad argued.

  “Fine,” Nikki informed them. “Tonight we will all remain clothed, just in case the siren goes off.”

  “Actually, that’s not such a bad idea,” Brad agreed. “Especially since we’ll be dealing with the senator too.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Speaking of the senator…What are we going to do if the sirens go off tonight? I don’t feel very safe taking her into that crowded bunker,” Brad stated.

  “Good question,” Nikki agreed. She looked across the table at Mel and Liam. “Can we count on you guys to help out if that happens? I know she has other security too, but I’d feel better with help from you guys than
strangers.”

  “Sure,” Mel answered. “If the siren goes off, just wait in the room for us and we’ll all go together.”

  “Although,” Liam added, “we’ll be out for a while.”

  Mel nodded. “True.” She smiled at Nikki. “I’ll check in with you when we return.”

  “Sounds good,” Nikki confirmed.

  Brad looked at Liam. “So what are you guys up to today?”

  Liam grinned. “A little surveillance, I’m guessing.”

  “Yep. We’re just going to be sitting around, watching,” Mel added.

  “I think we should just head back to the hotel, Brad. They aren’t going to tell us anything else.” Nikki nudged him and they both stood. “You guys be careful today and stay in touch.”

  Liam and Mel nodded. “We will. You guys too. We’ll get the check when we’re ready to leave,” Mel told them before they left.

  As soon as they were out of hearing distance, Liam made a suggestion. “I was thinking, let’s try to flush him by doing our surveillance in the open.”

  “It’s worth a try. Right now we got nothing and we need him to do something soon. Our time is short.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Brad stowed the security gear in the trunk and slid into the driver’s seat beside her as he unbuttoned his suit jacket. “Car’s clean.”

  “The airport is only about fifteen miles from here,” Nikki said as they pulled up to the security bar to exit the hotel parking garage. She had her iPad on her lap and had already mapped their course to the airport.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Nikki saw Brad give a wave and she looked up. “Liam and Mel,” Brad said in explanation as he nodded to the two of them walking toward the hotel. Nikki gave them a mock salute. Mel laughed and said something to Liam. They returned the salute as they strolled past their vehicle.

  Nikki’s eyes were glued to the back of Mel, hypnotized by the movement of her body as she walked. The confident stride stretched the black jeans tight across her butt and around the curve of her hip with each step she took. Nikki’s mouth watered involuntarily as she thought about removing the burgundy shirt and touching the soft breasts beneath it. She tried not to think about how long it might be before she would be able to touch her again. Tonight she would be on duty with Brad, and tomorrow they would fly back to Florida. She realized Brad was still talking and forced herself to focus on the job.