Damned If You Don't

by Linda J. Parisi

  She didn’t answer, and he was grateful. Any kind of judgment from her would end up hurting. Big time. “So you left the army. What happened after that?”

  “I rolled around a while. Stayed low. Off the radar. Became a chauffeur for a while.”

  “Was she beautiful?”

  How the hell had she figured that one out? Damn. “Yeah. But empty. Like me. I was in this, I don’t know how to describe it other than call it a fog. A funk. I couldn’t feel anything, didn’t care about anything. But she was good to me. And she did teach me.”

  “What?”

  “About the other side of the tracks.”

  “Rich?”

  “Yeah. And bored.”

  “What changed you? What brought you back?”

  “To what?” he asked with a questioning frown.

  “Double-edged question. To life and to the hunt.”

  She was really amazing. “So you figured that out, did you?”

  “We all have comfort zones, Jack. And we all have places where we belong. I’m not sure what I would be if I didn’t have a ‘doctor’ in front of my name.”

  Jack lifted their clasped hands, kissing the back of hers. “Thank you for not judging.”

  She laughed. “Pure cowardice. You might do the same to me.”

  Giving her hand a hard squeeze, he let go. “I’m very good at what I do. So when Sam found me, he threw out a proposal that was too good to pass up. No guns, no uglies, nothing deep. Only the high-end stuff. Embezzlers, corporate espionage, computer hackers, sometimes some dirt on a high muckety-muck. You’d be surprised how easy it really is.”

  “I guess I would.” In spite of his fear, his gaze caught hers, wondering if she thought less of him now. He certainly deserved her derision. “The emptiness went away, didn’t it?”

  He let go of the breath he was holding. She still wouldn’t judge him. “Yeah.”

  Not far away, he was certain, a palm tree swayed lightly in the breeze. Waves crashed onto the shore. And a seagull flew high in the sky because that was what it knew how to do.

  A peace descended on Jack that he’d never known before. He’d fought all his life, scraped and scrapped for what he’d wanted. And gotten more than he’d ever bargained for. But that was what life was all about.

  He couldn’t put into words what sharing this moment with her meant.

  “What about now?” she asked.

  Jack turned to look deep into her eyes. A strand of hair feathered across her face, and he reached up to move it away. He had no control over the hand that trailed trembling fingers across her cheek. His heart beat high inside his chest.

  He wasn’t perfect. She knew that and accepted him as he was.

  At the absolute worst time in his life, under the absolute worst conditions, Jack’s heart filled again. The empty space, the hole, was gone. He wasn’t sure why, figured he’d better not try to find out. He’d trusted life and gotten burned in the process once before. He never, ever, wanted that to happen again.

  His lips covered hers in the sweetest kiss imaginable. Because it was right.

  “Friend of the bride, or friend of the groom?” he whispered, letting go.

  She didn’t hesitate. She simply smiled up at him, the warmth of her gaze making sure the hole was sealed.

  “Friend of Jack.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Morgan wasn’t quite sure where all the courage was coming from, but she thought of that chrysalis again and realized the only limits were the ones she set for herself.

  Jack’s stomach had started to rumble, and Morgan knew they kept a twenty-four-hour coffee service with snacks down in the lobby. So they threw on their clothes, and he wrapped his arm around her waist as they left their room for a breath of fresh air. As they rode the elevator, Morgan couldn’t get over how different she felt, how much stronger she’d become. In such a short time.

  Because of him.

  The lobby was quiet. Which was fine with her. They took their coffee and sat out on a small bench in front of the hotel. The night air was a bit chilly, but Jack’s warmth more than made up for it. They didn’t speak. They didn’t have to.

  Eventually, she got up and he followed. He turned to look at her, and they shared the same thought: going back upstairs and living life to the fullest while they could.

  God, she was insatiable. And, for the first time in her life, not self-conscious of her desire. Somehow, some way, between the two of them, sex was just—right.

  Which only made her want him more.

  “Uh-oh, kitten. You don’t want to look at me like that. ’Cause I may be a bit tired, but I am so not dead yet.”

  Morgan laughed, amazed by her almost wanton behavior. The elevator doors opened, and she looped her arm through his. They stepped inside, and as the doors closed, she said, “Dare you.”

  “You are kidding, right?”

  He swung her into his arms, planted a hot wet one right on her lips, and slid his hand inside her pants and panties. His palm cupped her core, and he slid his finger deep inside her moist heat. Her legs fell open, and Morgan couldn’t believe she was ready again. However, sanity returned as the bell of the elevator rang, advising they’d reached their floor.

  “Jack, please.”

  He pulled his hand out just as the doors opened. They stepped out, and she watched Jack nod at a maintenance man standing in front of the elevator. As they passed, he licked at his finger. Mortified yet thrilled beyond imagination, Morgan started laughing. But when he swallowed that finger nearly all the way, she knew she was in trouble.

  Jack opened the hotel-room door, pulled her inside, shoved her up against the door, and started making love to her. Again.

  “I thought you said you were tired,” she choked out as he nipped his way down the valley between her breasts.

  “I lied,” came his muffled reply.

  The next thing she knew, her pants were puddled down by her ankles, he’d pushed her panties down with them, and his tongue had picked up right where his finger left off.

  “Jack!”

  In spite of the incredible soreness between her legs, Morgan felt her core open, ready and willing to receive all he offered. His mouth moved over her skin while his talented tongue licked everywhere but where she wanted it to go, until finally he flicked at her nub. Her knees gave way, and his hands gripped her hips, holding her upright as he spread tiny kisses all over her belly.

  He took charge of the situation by helping her step out of her pants, unbelting and stepping out of his, and pulling her over to the table in the room.

  “I’ve been dreaming about doing this ever since we met.”

  He turned her around so she faced the table and pushed on her back to bend her over. Morgan spread her legs, opening for him, ready to receive anything and everything he wanted to do to her.

  He teased her with the head of his cock, sliding all around but never inside. “What do you want, kitten?”

  “Damn you, Jack. Please.”

  “You can do better than that,” he chided.

  “Oh please,” she begged. “Don’t play with me. Not now.”

  He teased her some more before thrusting deep inside her. “God, you feel good.”

  He pulled her legs even farther apart with his hands so he could reach even deeper inside. Morgan had never understood the connection of two bodies before. Not really. Not until now.

  Bending over her back, he undid her shirt and unsnapped her bra so that her breasts spilled into his waiting hands. He milked her creamy breasts, sending sparks shooting through her veins, making her contract all around him.

  “Ah, that feels really good.”

  He started moving, pulling all the way out until only the tip remained inside her, and then he thrust all the way back inside. She moaned, and as sated as she thought she’d been, sought something even higher than before.

  “Tell me what you want. Come on, kitten. Growl for me.”

  As he thrust deep into her, she did.
Mewled, begged, and pleaded. She wanted him. All of him. And then she wanted more.

  He didn’t disappoint. His rhythm would slow, and he’d tease, then speed up until she wasn’t sure where he ended and she began. Until finally his breath hitched. His fingers found her nub and started working furiously. He sped up, thrusting into her until he cried out in release. A moment later she followed him, shattering into a thousand pieces.

  Jack collapsed onto her, his chest heaving against her back. If she hadn’t been holding on to the table for dear life, she’d have simply collapsed.

  “I could stay like this forever.”

  Morgan grinned. Her leg muscles were screaming, and her ankles shaking from the strain of standing upright. “You could.”

  He gave her back a possessive nuzzle and her breasts a final tweak before lifting up. She watched with a soft smile as he simply stepped away, unconcerned by his state of undress. Or could it be he was so comfortable with her now that he didn’t care?

  “I’m going to have to take another shower,” he groused.

  “Have fun,” she told him.

  “Um, kitten? Not without you.”

  “Oh, no. That’s going to lead to something I can’t finish. You go ahead,” she said, pushing him away in earnest. “I’m just going to go lie down and try not to collapse.”

  Funny thing about best-laid plans. They always seemed to go awry.

  * * * *

  “Rise and shine, sleepyhead.”

  A wisp of something tickled her cheek. Surrounded by warmth, the slightly musky scent of a man, and a hint of cologne, Morgan snuggled deeper into the bed.

  “Morgan, it’s time to get up. We need to go.”

  Fighting through layers of sleep, she mumbled, “Go away.”

  “Listen,” a voice said from far away, now stern with a hint of concern. “We’ve stayed in one place long enough. You’ve got fifteen, no, thirteen, minutes to get ready.”

  “Bite me.”

  “I would, kitten,” came Jack’s amused reply. “But that would only end up delaying us even further. Now, no matter how appealing the idea, I don’t want to get rough. Well, maybe I do, but we can save that kind of stuff for later.”

  Jack? Where the hell was she? A moment ago she was dreaming they were on the beach, in a tight embrace, waves crashing over entwined legs.

  She groaned. “What time is it?”

  “Five o’clock.”

  “You’re dead.”

  “Quite possibly. More certainly if you don’t move. So how do we play this? The hard way or the easy way? Personally speaking, I’d prefer the hard way.”

  She bit out a physically impossible expletive, half opening one eye. “Coffee.”

  “On the nightstand,” he answered, his laughter grating on her last nerve. “One shot. Almost espresso, if such a thing is possible out of this coffeemaker. Eleven minutes.”

  “Bastard.”

  He didn’t seem fazed by her ire at all. “I could always tickle you, you know.”

  Her other eye popped open. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  He raised a single brow. “I wouldn’t?”

  Morgan knew better. “I’m up,” she answered with a tired sigh.

  “You’ve got ten minutes. You can sleep in the car.”

  She lifted up onto one elbow. “Impossible. No way. I need a shower.”

  “All right. Fifteen. Or I come in and get you.”

  Morgan rose and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Every muscle in her body ached. Her psyche screamed for her to go back to bed.

  “Car?” she asked, glad she wasn’t totally brain-dead.

  “You’ll see.”

  She downed the coffee in two gulps and staggered to the bathroom. The shower helped immensely even though her stomach rebelled at the abuse of straight black espresso with no milk.

  She’d aired out her clothes as best she could but wrinkled her nose as she put them back on. “I’m going to need fresh clothes.”

  “When we get to our next stop.”

  “All right.”

  She brushed out her hair and made a halfhearted attempt at putting on some makeup. Then she stood in front of him and waited. She stared at him; he simply looked at her. Her brow furrowed.

  “What are we waiting for?”

  He laughed. “Directions. I have no idea where we’re heading, remember?”

  With a grin she replied, “Yeah, I guess that would be a good idea. I think we still need to go south, but we also need to head west. Atlanta.”

  He simply nodded. That he didn’t judge simply amazed her. “All right.”

  A taxi took them near the airport, and she liked that Jack chose the least obtrusive of the car-rental companies. However, she watched in horror as he pulled out a license and credit card. His quick, sharp glance cautioned her to be careful, and he explained once they were in the car.

  “The ID is fake, and the card is prepaid under that name. But don’t get any ideas about replacing the Ferragamos or buying a Louis Vuitton. The well has a bottom to it.”

  Morgan laughed and reached out to squeeze his hand. Damn bucket seats. But they would let her lie all the way back and take a nap.

  “Why don’t you try to get some rest?” he asked, his smile gentle.

  “What about you?”

  “I don’t need much sleep. Old habits die hard. My norm is five or six at a clip, so I’m good. I can still go twenty-four without full sleep when I need to.”

  Morgan realized that must have been from his Ranger days. But she didn’t comment on it. The past was the past. End of story. “Then I’m going to take you up on your offer. I’m beat.”

  She lowered the back of the seat and settled in, but she couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind wouldn’t let her. So she stepped back from the situation to process. Above all, she didn’t want anyone to get hurt. She liked Jack’s idea of using leverage to keep BioClin in check, but crunch time was fast approaching. Loosely formed thoughts of being rescued by Dr. Lee needed to be defined into a plan of action, or else she would put him, and God forbid, his family, in danger.

  The first step was to meet with him, preferably in some kind of neutral territory. The second step was to hide him from Sam until they could begin fixing her work. Her mind kicked into overdrive. Was there a way to do both? As she processed, she thought out loud.

  “Jack, we need to get a hold of Dr. Lee and explain the situation first without Sam finding out. If he decides to help us, knowing the risks, then we also need to keep him safe.”

  He didn’t answer right away, and she figured he was processing too. “Our first priority is a safe haven,” he said. “Then BioClin needs to be told that someone has the data but not whom.”

  “But what if they find out?”

  “Right now, bad publicity would be a good safety. We tell them if they continue to harass you or they fire you, you’re going to go to the press.”

  Morgan mulled on that for several mile markers. A deep pain welled inside her along with a full burst of anger. But once the anger started to simmer, Morgan realized she’d never really had a choice. “You’re right. I’d rather have the data lost forever than let it be misused.”

  “You’re taking this really well, kitten. I’m impressed. I’d be spitting mad.”

  “I am, Jack. Believe me, I am. But I also learned my lesson the hard way. It can’t be about the work or the science anymore. And certainly not my pride. Not when people’s lives are at stake.”

  He smiled and nodded, and Morgan sat back, satisfied that if she couldn’t have her cake, then no one else would. Her anger continued to simmer just below the surface and probably always would at the enormous waste of information and hard work. But more important were the benefits those obese patients would never utilize. That was the true crime of this whole mess.

  All of a sudden, Morgan saw a road sign and sat bolt upright. Her heart started hammering double-time in her chest. “Where the hell are we going?”

  “To B
oston.”

  “Boston? Are you nuts? We need to go to Atlanta.”

  She threw him a hard look only to have it caught by a little-boy grin. “We have some unfinished business to take care of first.”

  Morgan didn’t understand. Confusion roiled in her belly, adding to her physical problem of being slightly carsick. “Whoa. Wait a minute, Jack. I’ve just spent the last two weeks running away from the lion’s den. Now you simply want me to walk up to them and say hi, how are you? I don’t get it.”

  A slow smile grew on his face. “I was thinking of the Purple Martin.”

  “Now I know you’re crazy. That’s a bed-and-breakfast. We don’t need a bed; we can do that anywhere. Already have, if memory serves me correctly.”

  He burst out laughing. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist teasing you. You looked like you were about to freak out on me.”

  “I was. And I’m not in the mood for games. Cars, traveling—I get motion sick, as you should have remembered. All of which make my patience wear thin. So I think you’d better explain. Pronto.”

  “First, a little misdirection,” he replied, making a soothing gesture with one hand. At least he knew enough to keep the other on the steering wheel. “I’m betting Sam already knows about Dr. Lee and is expecting us to go directly to the good doctor. I’m thinking more of an end around.”

  Morgan shook her head at the reference to football, wondering if he knew she was a sports nut. Then again, there were a lot of things they didn’t really know about each other yet, things she wanted to learn. To do that, they both needed to stay alive.

  “Wouldn’t he think exactly the way you’re thinking right now?”

  “That’s a chance we’ll have to take, kitten. But I’m betting he’s got his hands full. He’s got BioClin on one side and me on the other.”

  She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and thrusting her chin out. “Point taken. So why don’t you explain what you plan on doing once we get to Boston? We’ve got a ways to go yet,” she ended, her tone full of snark.

  “All right. Here goes,” he continued, totally ignoring her attitude. “So far, all BioClin knows is that you have all the data for your experiments and they don’t. They hired Sam, and then he sent me to track you down and bring you and the data back. But I’m the best there is.”