by Jayne Blue
“Those tapes, Huck. They’re out there now, aren’t they?”
“We don’t know that. Like I said, we’ll figure out where he was staying and turn it upside down.”
“Unless he already handed them over to whoever’s truly behind all of this. I’m finished, Huck. One way or another. And I hate that I’m standing here worried about my own neck when Ross is … after… shit.”
She lifted her foot and kicked my mismatched ottoman across the floor. “Sorry,” she said, still pacing. “So what do we do now?”
“Sit tight.” She whirled on me, eyes blazing. I lifted my hands in a conciliatory gesture. “For now. I’m sorry I couldn’t arrange for more … uh … suitable accommodations, but I think you’re just about as safe here as anywhere. Until tomorrow at least. Then we figure out our next move.”
“No!” Her hair had come loose from her bun and for once, she left it alone. “I mean it, Huck. No. No way. I’ll stay here tonight. I don’t want to put you or anyone else at greater risk. But I’m sick and tired of hiding and running scared. They’ve already driven us out of the courthouse. When will it end? Am I supposed to hide in a hole like a scared jackrabbit forever? I won’t do it. I swear to God I won’t. I can’t let them take control of my life. If I can’t do my job from the bench, then I’m for damn sure going to do it anywhere else I can. The President of the United States wants me in Virginia in two days. I’m going to that fundraiser at The Maples, Huck.”
I gritted my teeth, afraid she was going to insist on exactly that. As much as I wanted to carry out my threat to tie her up and keep her safe, I knew that wasn’t realistic. I also pretty much fucking hated President Vance right now. I could protest all I wanted, but if I suggested we keep Jillian out of view, there would be a different kind of hell to pay if Vance wanted her there.
“Once the president understands the situation, I think he might …”
“He understands.” She cut me off. “He gets multiple daily briefings from the head of Homeland Security and the FBI. There’s a midterm election in two weeks. Like it or not, he needs me by his side at that funder. I need to be there.”
I shook my head and ran a hand across my jaw. I needed a damn shave. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
Jillian dropped her shoulders and smiled. She came to me and took her place beside me again. Lifting her hands she cupped my face and kissed me. “And I trust you to keep me safe. The place is going to be crawling with Secret Service anyway. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Don’t say that. Jesus. Don’t ever say that.”
“So, what do you say?”
I sighed and pulled back. “Woman, you drive me crazy.”
Her eyes widened, then she smiled, the first genuine one I’d seen on her in days. I leaned in and kissed her hard and deep. She was here. She was safe. She was mine. I was damn sick of talking about any of the rest of it.
Jillian sagged against me and let me take her in my arms. “Do we have time?” she asked.
“Time for what?” A slow smile crept across my face. I felt a tightening in my pants and hoped like hell I’d correctly guessed her answer.
“I just want to stop thinking for a while. And I want you to keep holding me. My head has been going a mile a minute for so long.”
I hooked a finger beneath her chin and lifted it until her lips met mine again. She was sweet and supple. She melted into the kiss and let out a soft groan that set off a fuse in me. This woman did drive me crazy with worry, and lust, and everything in between. She had me spinning.
“I think we have some time. Not much. Drake and Moore are on their way. I need to debrief them and we need to set up a team here if you’re spending the night.”
“Mmm. What will they think? Isn’t that dangerous for you?”
I laughed softly against her cheek as I ran my hand down her arm. Her skin rippled with gooseflesh at my touch and I knew her blood heated the same way mine did.
“They won’t have a chance to think anything if we’re quick. I figure we’ve got a good twenty minutes if we’re lucky.”
“Do they have to set up command central inside your house? Can we keep them outside? Um. All night, I mean.”
I made a noise low in my throat that came out as a growl. I couldn’t help it. This woman brought out every animalistic instinct I had. I wanted to claim her over and over again. I wanted to wipe away the thought of any other man she’d ever been with. She was mine. My need for her damn near overpowered me.
Through our kisses, I answered her. “Nineteen minutes now.”
I slid my arms around her waist and lifted her. She let out a surprised gasp as I flung her over my shoulder the way I’d wanted to damn near since the first second I laid eyes on her. Blood shot straight to my groin as I took long, solid strides and kicked open my bedroom door. I tossed her gently on the bed. She landed breathless, her breasts heaving and her eyes ignited with the same lust coursing through me.
I loosened my tie and flung it aside. Jillian pushed up her skirt. When she started to kick off her heels I stopped her. “Leave those,” I commanded. She smiled and licked her lips. I reached for her, dragging her pink silk panties down until they dangled around one of her ankles. Hell, that was damn sexy too so I left it.
She loosened the buttons of her blouse. Her lacy pink bra matched the panties. It unhooked in the front, spilling her breasts for me. I hovered over her with one hand planted on each side of her. Jillian leaned up and nipped my bottom lip.
“Huck,” she gasped as I pressed her knees flat and licked her. My Jillian tasted like honey. I wasted no time driving her to near orgasm as I sucked her sweet, sensitive little bud. My dick strained against my pants so I reached down and unzipped my fly.
“Fifteen … uh … minutes,” she whispered.
“We won’t need that long, baby,” I said. I put my hands on her hips and flipped her with one strong movement that made her squeal. I had to step back though and enjoy the view.
“God, do you have any idea how sexy you are like that?” She was. I had her in the center of my bed on all fours in those killer black heels, her skirt rucked up past her hips, her panties still dangling from her ankle. To everyone else she was some untouchable Ice Queen, for me, she was on fire.
“Huck,” she sighed. “Please!”
God. Yes. I wanted her to beg me for it. I wanted to take all night with her and into the next day. Instead, I couldn’t wait another second. I loosened my belt. My cock sprang free. She quivered in anticipation as I ran my hand along her sweet, supple ass. I couldn’t help myself. I gave her a light spank that made her cry out with pleasure. I gave her another one on the other cheek and her pussy glistened as she grew even wetter for me.
She was mine. No one else’s. I could look at her like this forever. But we only had a few more minutes. I spread her wide as she braced herself, then I plunged inside of her. Her fingers curled in the sheets as she kept herself in position.
“Yes,” she cried. “God. Yes. Huck. Harder.”
Jillian’s wish was my command. I drove deep and hard, setting a punishing rhythm that only made her wetter. Her walls clenched around me and I knew she was about to come. I reached around and worked her. Her legs shook as she started to shudder. Jillian threw her head back; arching her back she bucked against me. I stroked her as I thrust into her over and over. Then she came around me. Her body went rigid and the tiny bud beneath my fingertips pulsed. She made me slick too and the noise of our lovemaking filled the room. I plunged even deeper and held myself still, letting Jillian take what she needed from me.
She screamed my name over and over. She was a wild thing. If the other deputies showed up early, they might have busted down the door to make sure she was safe. I wished for soundproof walls and smiled. I liked the sound of my name on her lips as her orgasm ripped through her. Then she sagged against the bed, the sensation overpowering her. But I wasn’t done yet. Far from it.
I withdrew from her. She foun
d the strength to shift her weight and went to her back. I meant to wrap her legs around my shoulders and drive myself back home. But the judge had other ideas. She gave me a wicked smile and sat up. She reached for me and closed her fist around my dick. She stroked me with expert skill, drawing up the length of me and stroking my heavy balls with her other hand.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
Then Jillian smiled again and took me in her mouth. “Fuck!” I threw my head back. My eyes rolled back into my head as Jillian finished me off. Her mouth was heaven. She used her tongue and lips in all the right ways. I said she was mine. She was. But dammit she owned me too. With every stroke of her tongue, every moan, every quiver. She made me hers until my own need shattered through it all. Jillian milked me, taking every last drop as I shuddered inside of her.
When I’d finished, she slowly rose to her feet. Her panties were ruined where I’d half torn them from her. She cast them aside. Dammit. I liked that. I meant to tell her never to wear them around me again. She straightened her skirt and piled her hair back into her trademark bun. She buttoned her blouse then reached up to button my shirt while I refastened my belt.
“How are we doing on time?” she asked, her voice still sultry and smoky.
The pounding at my front door gave her the answer she sought.
Chapter Eighteen
Jillian
Deputy US Marshal Raymond “Huck” Huckman undid me in every way. I’d given in to him and let chaos back into my life. But this time, chaos felt oh so good even though I knew what it could cost me. If Marshals Moore and Drake suspected anything, they kept their cards close to the vest. We stayed at Huck’s that night and the next. Then it was time to leave for Virginia.
“I still hate everything about this,” Huck said. We sat on the tarmac at the small airstrip owned by The Maples resort. Even from the small window to my left, I marveled at the beauty of the site. Huck begrudgingly agreed. The Maples got its name from the shape of its landscape. The resort sat on a maple leaf-shaped peninsula jutting out against the crystal-clear waters of Smith Mountain Lake. A hazy mist blanketed the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance.
“Relax. This place will be a fortress this weekend and you know it.” Still, Huck had insisted on micromanaging the accommodations. While the rest of the guests would stay at the resort’s main lodge, we were staying at one of the private luxury cabins on the east edge of the wooded trails. We had a room booked in the main lodge to throw off anyone asking. It meant we’d need to travel by golf cart to and from the lodge for the slew of dinner parties and events packed into our three-day stay.
“It’s fantastic!” Gemma squealed beside me. She was the thing I insisted on. At the last minute, I’d been asked to give a speech on the first night. I needed her beside me, helping me with tidbits and information about the scores of notable attendees from all ends of the party spectrum. Whether I liked it or not, just my presence here looked good for the president. The midterms were a week away. After that, he’d need to kick off his re-election campaign. I was a good visual for him, both for women voters and his stance on anti-terrorism. The notoriety I’d received for surviving last week’s bombing rankled me, but I knew how this machine worked and would play my part. I owed him that much. He didn’t say so directly in our phone conversation, but when your president asks you for a favor, no is not an option.
“You did pack your tux, right?” I elbowed Huck. He sat with his arms crossed in front of him and a deep scowl on his face. I knew he wanted to be anywhere but here. I also felt the sense that he was keeping something from me. Just before our flight took off, he’d gotten a call from Terry Loomis and had so far refused to tell me what it was about. My heart tripped running through the possibilities. The FBI was still having trouble figuring out where Ross had been staying. With each passing day, I feared I’d pick up my phone and see those naked pictures of me splashed all over the internet.
“I still don’t see the point,” he grumbled.
“The point is there will be press there. And God knows how many contraband cell phone videos. If you walk in there with your marshal’s badge flashing and your side arm, it’ll draw attention.”
“Good!” He looked at me. “It’ll tell everyone there not to fucking mess with you and help me do my job.”
I wanted nothing more than to kiss the scowl off his face but Gemma and the flight attendant were just a few feet away. Huck looked back toward Gemma and back at me. His eyes flashed with our secret and I knew the same thought had just crossed his mind. A stab of heat ran through me and I wondered if we’d ever have a chance to be alone this weekend.
The pilot finally taxied to our hangar and the flight attendant opened the door and extended the stairs to the tarmac. I took a deep breath. Huck gave me a quick squeeze on the knee before we got up to disembark.
“This is paradise!” Gemma’s mouth dropped open as we walked up the trail toward the main lodge. It really was. The fall colors had ripened. All along the lake, towering oaks and red maples turned red and gold. They cast long reflections in the lake making it shimmer in copper.
The Lodge loomed before us, styled as a massive log cabin with balconies wrapping all the way around. The Secret Service were already a presence although I knew the president himself probably wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow morning. Tonight’s festivities included the opening dinner with my speech. As we walked into the great building, Huck tapped his phone to pull up the guest list again. I think he’d memorized it by now.
“Any surprises?” I said. He gave me an unintelligible huff as an answer as Gemma went up to the front desk to check us in and make arrangements for transportation over to our private villa on the east side of the compound.
Huck shook his head and slid his phone into his jacket pocket. “Just your usual bunch of fat heads.”
“Mmm. Including me.”
He gave me a sheepish grin that I hoped no one else noticed. We really needed to get better at hiding what was really going on in our heads. If anyone here suspected I was sleeping with him, it could be disastrous for both of us. That and the looming threat of that videotape had me on edge.
“We’re all set,” Gemma said. She handed a key card to Huck and another one to me. “The porter over there is going to drive us over. Our bags will be waiting for us.” She positively gushed. I was so glad to see it. Never mind her injuries, last week’s bombing had truly traumatized her. Though she was only about a dozen years younger than me, I felt a sort of maternal protectiveness over Gemma over the last few days. I reached out and patted her arm.
“Thanks so much for coming,” I told her. “I don’t know how I’d get through this weekend without you.”
She gave me a guarded smile and nodded. “Anything I can do. You know that.”
The porter showed up at the lobby entrance. Huck slipped into the passenger seat of the golf cart and I couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. With his size, his knees thrust up nearly to his chest. That and his own need for control rankled him. He wasn’t going to like being driven around in that thing. He shot me a seething look. I smiled and shrugged, then Gemma and I climbed in back.
The porter gave us a guided tour as we took the winding trails through the deep woods. The Maples had its own golf course, riding and hiking trails, tennis courts, and kayaking. Though it was far too cold for it now, if we wanted to go water skiing he said he could hook us up.
Our cabin was nestled deep in the woods at the top of a small hill. Another golf cart was parked alongside it and the porter gave Huck the keys to it. The cabin itself looked like a smaller version of the main lodge. A two-story log cabin, it had a large living room with a fireplace complete with a moose head above it. The kitchen could accommodate twenty people though I doubted we’d be doing any cooking. The master bedroom was on the first floor with an attached bath. The loft above had four bedrooms. Plenty of room for just the three of us, but no privacy whatsoever. I saw that realization flicker on Huck’s face
. But this was no vacation. Both of our jobs depended on everything going well. I couldn’t afford scandal or distraction and neither could he.
I tipped the porter while Huck did a walk-through of the house and the immediate grounds. That scowl hadn’t left his face and it started to unnerve me too.
“I’ll head back up to the main lodge with the porter,” Gemma said. “I need to meet with the event planner and make sure everything is set up for your speech tonight.”
“Good,” Huck said as he walked back through the front door. “If you can get your hands on the seating chart for the dining room I’d appreciate it.”
“No problem.” Gemma smiled up at him. Her earlier crush seemed to have subsided. If anything, she acted more scared of him. I couldn’t blame her. Huck cut an imposing figure most of the time. Now he positively vibrated with simmering rage I didn’t quite understand. I was glad Gemma had something to do that would give us at least a few minutes alone. She left with the porter and a promise to be back within the hour. I’d turned down the offer of having a stylist come out and help me get ready for tonight. Gemma had decided to take on that role and threatened to dress me and do my makeup for my big moment.
Once we were alone, I went to the fireplace and busied myself with starting it. The cabin was large and drafty, and the weather reports said a cold front was coming in.
“Let me help you with that,” Huck said. I pushed him aside.
“This I can handle,” I told him. He laughed when I flicked a switch and the logs blazed to life. It was fed by gas though it looked realistic enough from a distance.
“So I guess I can eliminate wood chopping from my list of chores tonight.”
“Yes, you can. Now sit down with me and tell me what the hell has you pissy.”
