by Liliana Hart
“Get real, Cal. We can’t be together every second of every day.”
“Sure we can, sugar. I’ll scrub your back in the shower. By the way, I sleep on the left side of the bed.”
This time it was her mouth that dropped open in surprise. The look Cal gave her was so hot and filled with lust she wondered how she didn’t combust into flames where she stood. Heat rushed to her cheeks and things she hadn’t allowed herself to feel since she was a teenager overwhelmed her. It was a hell of a time for her hormones to awaken. Cal had always been at the center of her fantasies. Until he’d killed them. It was important to remember why she’d stopped loving him.
“Now wait just a damned minute, Cal,” her father said. His cheeks flushed with anger.
“No interference, Robert,” Cal interrupted. “That was your promise when I took the job. You’re the one who’s been meddling in Evie’s life, trying to get her to settle down. I’m just answering the call. You’ve done your part. Now it’s up to the two of us.”
“You’re supposed to be protecting her, not seducing her. I know your reputation better than anyone, son.”
“I will protect her. With my life if I have to. The seduction is just an added bonus.” He grinned unapologetically and she started to worry that Cal was going too far. Her father looked ready to commit murder.
She’d never seen Cal face down her father before. Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen anyone face down her father. He was the boss. Larger than life. And he was no one to mess with.
“I’ve treated you like a son for most of your life and this is how you repay me?”
“You once told me that family never had to repay anything. You just do things because it’s family.”
“I’m getting damned tired of the two of you remembering my words of wisdom for once. And that doesn’t negate the fact that you’re talking about my daughter. She’s not someone to dally with.”
“She’s standing right here and she can speak for herself,” Evangeline said, irritated with both of them now. “I feel like you’re about to start bartering cheese wheels and cattle for my hand in marriage. And if that’s the case, then I’m going to have to shoot both of you. Cal and I don’t even like each other, so I don’t think this is going to be an issue.”
“I like you just fine, sugar. You’re the one that knows how to hold a grudge.” Cal grinned and turned back to her father. “But in all seriousness, you’re not treating this situation the way you should. The man who’s after you is dangerous, and I’m not going to risk your life because you don’t want your privacy invaded.
“You’ve been a father to me, Robert,” Cal said, turning to the older man. “But you set this in motion. It’s time to step back and let it play out. You know I won’t hurt her. But I’m also not going to stand here and let her manipulate me into letting her call the shots. And if you’d stop and think like the intelligence officer you once were and not the father you are then you’d see that as plain as I do. My first priority is to protect her. My second priority is to get her to stop being so hard-headed and realize that we can work better together than apart. Maybe that’s within a personal relationship or maybe not. But it’s something we’ll have to figure out for ourselves.”
Her eyebrows raised in surprise. She wasn’t expecting something so—mature to come out of Cal’s mouth. Not that she was going to give him the time of day. She certainly did know how to hold a grudge. He’d been right about that. And despite Cal’s talk about personal relationships to her father, there was the little issue of trust to deal with.
What was more surprising than anything was her father nodding his head in agreement. He turned to her and said, “Cal stays. You can’t fire him. Only I can do that. Do what he says when it comes to your safety. If he gets out of line with the other let me know.”
Then he turned back to Cal and gave him a warning. “If you break her heart you’re a dead man. I don’t have time to hide any bodies with my schedule the way it is, and honestly I just don’t want to deal with Declan. But I’ll do it if you force my hand. Dec wasn’t someone I liked messing with when he was one of my agents, and I want to mess with him even less now. He’s a mean son of a bitch when he wants to be. I think he learned that from me.”
With nothing more than a quick wave goodbye, he exited the room and left them alone. The front door closed behind him, and the silence was palpable.
Evangeline felt the temper she tried so hard to control bubbling to the surface, and her hands fisted at her sides until her nails bit into her palms. The last time she’d felt this much anger and lack of control was the day Cal had taken everything important away from her.
As if reading her mind he said, “So what do you say, Evie? Do you still hate me?”
CHAPTER SIX
* * *
Cal knew he was walking a fine line, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. There was something about Evangeline that made him want to keep pushing, to argue with her just for the sake of controversy. Because the rush he got from pitting his wits against hers was the best fucking foreplay he’d ever had. He’d been hard from the moment he’d stepped into the room and seen her pouting on the couch.
He’d kept close tabs on her over the years, so he was prepared to see her again in the flesh. Thought he was prepared to see her again. She sure as hell wasn’t a girl of twenty anymore. The baggy clothes she wore couldn’t hide the curves beneath. Hell, he didn’t know why she bothered at all. He knew enough about women to recognize someone who was in good shape and took care of their body. Nothing could hide that kind of work ethic.
“Seriously? You’re asking if I still hate you after the little stunt you just pulled? You must be out of your damned mind.”
He winked at her and went to close the sliding glass door, testing the locking mechanism just to be safe. And then he pulled the curtains.
All the entry and exit points in the house made him want to pack her up and get her on the next plane to Surrender and the MacKenzie Compound, but Victor Taber would find them no matter where they were, and there was no reason to endanger anyone else. It was better to do things under his own terms.
The beach house was a security nightmare from his standpoint. The front of the house was gated by a ten-foot fence that matched the pink stucco. But the back of the house was completely open so the view of the ocean wasn’t obstructed. It was a private beach. But that wouldn’t matter if someone wanted to get to Evangeline bad enough. They might as well have been advertising for the bad guys to come get them.
“Sugar, I’ve never been more clear in my thinking. You placed the bet. I’m calling your bluff.”
He closed the blinds on all the other windows and then brushed against her as he passed by. She didn’t step out of his way, and he swore he could hear her heart pounding from where he stood. Her eyes dilated, so only a thin ring of purple showed and her breath was shallow. He knew what desire looked like. Electricity sizzled between, and he had to fight the urge to move in closer. To feel her flush against him.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Cal.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He continued into the kitchen and she followed behind him. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Evie. Neither of us are young and naïve. It’s been ten years. That’s long enough. We’re too old to play games anymore and it’s time to move forward.”
“What if I don’t want to move forward, Cal? You can tell yourself whatever you want to feel better, but the fact of the matter is that you purposely set out to take everything from me. You blackmailed me. Forced me to give up the only thing I’ve ever really loved. And why? Because I was getting too good? Closing in on your heels? I guess it wouldn’t look good in the underground community for the legendary Cypher to get overtaken by a twenty year old girl.”
He was silent while he checked the kitchen. It was surprisingly large and comfortable—white granite countertops and cabinets that the housekeepers probably hated, accented
by splashes of bright colors and natural light.
An entire wall was windows and another set of French doors that looked out onto the front gardens. There were no blinds to cover the windows, so he made a mental note to put a couple of extra weapons in the kitchen, just in case. The good news about the windows was that the ten foot privacy fence and the location of the kitchen as opposed to the rest of the house made it a secluded area. They wouldn’t have to worry about Taber getting off a long shot from the grounds. There wasn’t a place to hide. He’d have to move in up close and personal.
“I didn’t take anything from you,” he finally said. “I gave you a chance to grow up without disgracing yourself and your family. And the fact that you can’t see that makes you narrow-minded and ungrateful in my opinion.”
“I don’t remember asking for your opinion. And I’m more than happy to admit that I wasn’t in the right. I know I wasn’t. It was stupid and done more for kicks than anything. To prove that Robert Lockwood’s daughter could do something like that and get away with it. It was an incredible high.”
“I know what you mean,” he said. She stood near the doorway, looking like she was ready to flee. “I could see it in your eyes. The thrill of the adrenaline rush—driving you to take chances—to up the stakes and make the high even better. You needed someone to make you stop. You never could’ve done it on your own. Your pride wouldn’t let you.”
He wanted to put her at ease so he went to the refrigerator and looked inside, settling on cold cuts and cheese to make sandwiches. “Want something to eat?” he asked.
“Stop changing the subject, Cal.”
“Suit yourself. I make a hell of a sandwich.”
“Bully for you.”
He grinned and got the bread out of the breadbox. “You know what else I saw that night?” He left everything on the counter and closed the distance between them, testing her to see if she’d back away from him.
She didn’t.
“What?” She looked up at him warily as he drew closer, until he stood only inches from her.
“I saw a woman that knew what it was to want.” She started to take a step back but he took her arms in his grasp and kept her still. “She was misguided and too stubborn for her own good, but at the core of who she was she had needs. Don’t think I didn’t see it for what it was.”
Evie licked her lips and his cock twitched behind his zipper. Just that small peak of her tongue and he could feel it as if it were licking along his shaft. He pulled her closer, so her full breasts pressed against his chest.
“You have a hell of an ego, Cal.”
“Thank you, sugar. It’s well deserved. Just like I know you have one that matches. Do you know how fucking turned on I was, watching you lead me all over hell and back while I was trying to trace you? I wanted your mind before I ever saw that luscious body of yours.”
“Uh, huh.” She placed her hands on top of his arms, preparing to push him back, but he tightened his grip and brought her even closer. Close enough that she could feel the hard ridge of his erection pressing against her stomach. She gasped and her eyes widened as she looked up at him.
“And then I saw it was you and it was like being hit in the face with a two by four. I’ve been taken off guard two times in my life. The first was when I was fourteen and your father knocked on my door. The second was when you looked up at me through that elevator grate. You can’t tell me it wasn’t the same for you. When you realized I’d trapped you it sparked something inside of you.” He leaned in closer until his lips were right at her ear. “An edge of fear?” he whispered. “A sense of danger? A challenge?”
“What are you trying to prove? That you’re better than me? That you win? Haven’t you already humiliated me enough?”
“You’ve got it all wrong, sugar.” He nipped at her earlobe and she whimpered, her body betraying her and going pliant against him. “I set you free. Now you’ve got to make the choice to come back to what you love on the right terms.” He let the phrase soak in. What she loved. She’d loved him once upon a time. Maybe she could again.
“You mean your terms?” Her fingers tightened on his biceps and he kissed his way down to the side of her neck.
“I’m willing to negotiate the terms. The power was always in your hands. All you had to do was decide to use it. But for the right reasons. For the right agenda.”
“Everyone thinks their agenda is right. It’s why wars are fought and elections are won. Just because you fight for it doesn’t make it right for everyone.”
“Now you’re just being stubborn, sugar. You know the difference between right and wrong the same as I do. All I’m saying is that if you want to play for the good guys, now’s as good of a time as any to dip your toe back in.”
“Oh, gee,” she said, leaning back to look him in the eye. “The great and powerful Cal Colter is giving me permission to sit at my little computer and work magic against the side of evil. How generous and thoughtful of him.”
She fluttered her eyelashes at him and he had the sudden urge to bend her over his knee and redden her behind with a few well-placed spanks.
He shrugged. “I’m giving you the choice to take back what you keep saying I stole from you. The only thing I know for certain is that your mouth is a temptation and I’m tired of negotiating for the moment.”
Cal moved in slowly, giving her the opportunity to push him away. But she stood there defiantly, daring him to take the kiss. He leaned in closer, his breath hot against her lips and he barely glanced the corner of her mouth. She whimpered and he felt a surge of satisfaction. Her eyes had turned a deep, dark amethyst and her pupils were large. She held onto him as if he were her lifeline.
The pleasure of not kissing her was driving him insane. He couldn’t imagine what actually putting his lips over hers would be like.
It was heaven.
It was pure torture.
And he knew with that one touch that he was in deep trouble. His lips slanted over hers, sipping, tasting, until her mouth opened beneath his in surrender. He groaned as their tongues tangled, and then he didn’t see or hear or feel anything except the blood rushing in his head and the pounding of his heart in his chest.
“Evangeline,” he whispered.
“This is so stupid,” she said when his lips trailed down her neck, suckling and nipping just above her collarbone. “I’m still mad at you.” Her head dropped back with a moan to give him easier access.
“I know, sugar. But this has been a long time coming. It would’ve happened eventually if circumstances had been different. The other stuff will work itself out.”
He didn’t give her time to argue with him, but took her mouth again with a hungry growl. His hands slid from her back to her ribs and down to her waist, memorizing the shape of her. And then he continued from her waist to the flare of her hips and around to her ass. Damn, she was wearing too many clothes. What the hell was she doing covering up a body like the one she had?
Evangeline was determined to put a stop to the madness. But then Cal would find a new way to touch her—a new place on her body she’d never realized was an erogenous zone—and every thought would slide right out of her head.
She’d made a lot of mistakes in her life. She wasn’t afraid to admit it. And she’d spent a lot of years trying to make up for those mistakes the best way she knew how. But kissing Cal Colter had to be one of the biggest.
It was every fantasy she’d ever had come to life—better than her dreams—hotter than her wildest fantasies. She’d never had the kind of response for another man that Cal managed to elicit from her. It was just her luck that that kind of pleasure should be unattainable for more than a fleeting moment in her life. Because there was too much baggage and hurt feelings between them to ever sustain anything else.
“Evie,” he said, biting her bottom lip. “Stop thinking so hard. Just enjoy the moment.”
She almost replied back that it was easy for him to say, but his hand cupped her breast and his
thumb skimmed across her nipple and then she stopped thinking altogether. Her shirt slid up across her sensitized skin and over her head and then his hands grabbed her ass and pressed her tighter against him.
“Jesus,” he said, staring in awe at the purple lace bra she wore. “This is the type of underwear you wear under those baggy clothes?”
“I have to get my kicks from somewhere.”
“Thank Christ for it.”
Her leg tangled around his hip and she whimpered as his cock pressed against her pubic bone. It was suddenly imperative that she feel more of it—the quest for pleasure the only thing on her mind now.
The next thing she knew the world was spinning. His lips never left hers, slanting across them, his tongue sliding against hers. She’d never been kissed so thoroughly. He set her down on the kitchen island and jerked her against him, so he could press fully against her. Her legs wrapped around his waist.
Oh, God. His cock pressed against her and she felt herself pushing, moving against him, writhing as she got closer and closer to release. His hand fisted in her hair, and the bite of pain only heightened the pleasure.
She’d never let herself go like this—feel like this. Because she’d never expected the reality of Cal to be hard between her thighs, making her fantasies a reality. His hips rolled and lifted, a hypnotic motion that was driving her crazy, and her hands fumbled clumsily for the belt at his waist.
“If you undo that belt I’m going to be inside you before you can blink, sugar. You’d better be damned sure about what you’re doing.”
She didn’t care. She was too close.
“Shut up, Cal,” she panted. “Stop thinking so hard.”
He chuckled as she repeated his earlier words, and then moved to help her get the buckle undone.
Master of Puppets shouted loudly from his phone, and his pocket vibrated. Declan always did have perfect timing. Evie’s fingers froze for a moment on his belt buckle, but then she attacked it again with determination.
