Hell on Wheels

by Karen Kelley

  “What have you done to me?” he whispered, not really aware he’d spoken the words aloud.

  She stirred. “We had sex. That’s all.”

  When she started to rise, he pushed gently on her shoulder. “Don’t go.”

  She hesitated, and he pulled her closer to him.

  “I like having you in bed with me. You smell good.”

  “I smell like someone who’s just had sex.” She lifted an eyebrow in his direction.

  “No.” He leaned closer and smelled her hair. “You smell like tropical breezes. Did you know every time I climb into the Mustang, I can smell this same fragrance. It’s been driving me crazy for weeks.

  “It’s just shampoo and body oil. The same thing I used the other…night.” She shrugged.

  She was running away from him. Maybe not physically, but mentally. She was closing herself off. Blocking him from getting too near. Why was she so scared? She said Rodney had left one day without warning. Had others walked out of her life? Old boyfriends?

  “I’d better get back to my room,” she mumbled.

  Again, he kept her from rising. “Why? Your air conditioner isn’t working. The room is probably hot. You’ll never be able to fall asleep.”

  She angled her face until she was looking him in the eye. “How did you know it wasn’t working?”

  A smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “After the noise died down from those college kids, I could hear it clanking all the way in here. It sounded like a car when it throws a rod. You can’t sleep in there without air-conditioning. When you went to the bathroom, I turned it off.”

  “You think it’ll be cooler in here?”

  “The temperature of the room will be less hot.” He traced his finger between her breasts, then circled one areola before brushing his finger lightly back and forth over her nipple. It immediately tightened. “I can’t say much about how cool your body will stay. I know mine is starting to feel a little warm.”

  He lowered his head, taking her breast into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the nipple, scraping his teeth across the hard nub, then gently sucking.

  Cody arched her back. He inwardly smiled. Damn, she was hot. Hell, so was he. Why he’d pulled his jeans back on was a mystery to him. They both knew making love once tonight would not be enough. Not after waiting so long.

  With his free hand, he undid his jeans and kicked them off. He didn’t have to take her hand and guide it to him. Her hand was already making the journey. She rolled to her side so she could have better access and grasped him in her hand.

  Closing his eyes for a moment, he let the sensations she created wash over him. Slowly her hand moved, sliding his foreskin up, then down again. Slow and easy, she let the passion build inside him.

  “Do you like that,” she whispered close to his ear. Her tongue flicked his lobe before delving inside.

  The heat from her mouth nearly consumed him. He might have started this sensual game, but she’d taken control. He could only mumble something unintelligible as he sank into a cloud of pleasure.

  She moved her mouth to his nipple, licking and lightly biting.

  “And this? Do you like my mouth on you?”

  Before he could say anything, she slid farther down in the bed and lightly placed kisses on the head of his erection, flicking her tongue back and forth over the tip. He jerked toward her mouth, heard her laughter, but couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He was locked in a world of delight so erotic he couldn’t do much of anything.

  “Do you want me to stop…or take all of you inside my mouth? I like kissing and licking you. Sucking you deep inside my mouth is even better, though. I like the way you feel against my tongue.”

  He arched closer to her mouth. “Take me,” he moaned.

  She didn’t disappoint, but licked the full length of his erection, then sucked him inside—one slow inch at a time.

  Ahh, damn, it felt so good. The wet heat of her mouth enclosed him in a tight cocoon. He let the sensual sensations swirl around him in hazy deep blues and reds, but he knew that he had to stop her. He didn’t want to be the only one receiving pleasure.

  He pulled her body up, urging her on top of him after he slipped on the condom he grabbed off the nightstand. She sank her body over his, impaling herself. He stilled her movements with his hands on her hips.

  “Just stay like this for a minute,” he grated out, barely in control of his body. He took a few seconds to catch his breath, then sat up, locking his hands around her back so she didn’t lose her balance.

  She grasped him around his neck, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist and bringing her closer to his body. Their noses were almost touching.

  “Nice,” she murmured, wiggling her bottom on top of his thighs.

  “I’ll make it even better. Hang on.” He stood and sank further inside her, grunting with pleasure.

  He gritted his teeth as he fought the incredible feeling of being this damn deep inside a woman. When she tightened her inner muscles, squeezing and releasing, he thought he’d lose it right then. It took a conscious effort to breathe in and breathe out.

  “More,” she begged, nipping at his ear, then swirling her tongue inside.

  Locking his hands beneath her, he raised her, then lowered her back down on him at the same time he moved his hips forward. He watched the expression on her face. She caught her bottom lip with her teeth and moaned from low and deep in her throat.

  He thrust inside her again and again, until his legs grew weak and he had to sit on the side of the bed, but he immediately rolled her onto her back and continued the momentum, thrusting deeper and deeper. She cried out, caught in the throes of her orgasm. He was afraid his body would disintegrate any second now if he held back much longer. He let go, let the fire of Cody’s body engulf him in wave after wave of pleasure.

  Damn, it was incredible. His orgasm wrapped around him, spreading outward to each nerve ending before it exploded again and again.

  He finally drew in a deep, shuddering breath, burying his head in Cody’s hair.

  The French called an orgasm the little death. Maybe they were right because he felt like he’d died and gone to heaven. He rolled his weight off her, but kept her close to him, not wanting to lose contact just yet, needing the connection of her body as well as her mind. Hell, he didn’t think he ever wanted to lose contact with this woman.

  He brushed the hair out of her face. “What are you thinking about?”

  “About how sore I’m going to be in the morning.”

  As sarcastic as she tried to be, she still sounded like a woman who’d been completely and utterly satisfied. “Ah, but wasn’t it worth it?”

  She was quiet for a moment and he wondered if she would answer him.

  “Yeah, it was worth it.”

  Chapter 16

  Morning came too soon. It seemed to Josh that they’d just fallen asleep when light filtered in through the window blinds. He could’ve spent another couple of days with her arms wrapped around him, but with daylight came the realization that they were here to do a job. Odd how he seemed to keep forgetting.

  He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. After he dried off, he pulled on clean clothes. His thoughts were in the next room, though, with Cody, knowing she’d just stepped out of the shower because he’d heard the water stop.

  She’d insisted on going back to her room to shower and get dressed. He’d known there was more to it than the fact that her clothes were there. She needed time alone to absorb everything that had happened between them, and something had happened. He couldn’t exactly say what it was—a subtle difference from the other times, or maybe it had been there all along and they were both beginning to notice it.

  Hell, he couldn’t blame her for needing time alone to digest everything. He was still trying to figure it out.

  But it certainly didn’t help what his body was going through at this very moment.

  Knowing what she looked like naked, what she
felt like, what she tasted like—his imagination was driving him crazy as he thought about her stepping from the shower. It was as if he had X-ray vision and he could see through the walls.

  He closed his eyes and let his thoughts take flight.

  Slowly, she’d run the white towel over her damp body. Caressing her breasts, the nipples tightening, begging for more attention. Then she would slide the towel over her abdomen, down to the juncture between her legs.

  Would she get off remembering how he’d touched her there? How his mouth had sucked and licked?

  He drew in a ragged breath, wondering if he had time for another shower, but this time he’d use straight cold water. Not that he thought it would really help. All he could think about was sinking into her hot, moist body.

  Shit, what was his life coming to? No woman had ever consumed his thoughts like Cody was doing right now. He’d figured spending time with her would help, but he was afraid he’d only accomplished the exact opposite.

  Wouldn’t Wade have a field day with this? He’d probably tell him something crazy, like how he was falling for Cody. Now that was a ridiculous notion. Cody could be so prickly-tempered, she’d make a porcupine run in the opposite direction.

  A knock on the door from Cody’s room drew his attention. She must be ready to go to Sinclair’s sister’s home. At least that would give him something more to think about than sex.

  He opened the door—and thoughts of sex were firmly back in place. How could one woman look so damn tempting in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt? She’d left off her vest, her shape clearly defined beneath the cotton material. He wanted to unhook her bra, slip it off…

  “You ready?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.

  “Yeah.” But not for what she was thinking. One look from her deep green eyes and he was more than ready. Maybe because she hadn’t just glanced at him. No, it had been a lot more than a glance. Her gaze had caressed him…slowly, sensuously. She tried to hide how she felt behind a tough veneer, but he knew better.

  When she swept past him, it was all he could do not to grab her in his arms and feel her body melt against his, prove just how much she’d enjoyed having sex with him.

  That wouldn’t put Adam behind bars, though.

  She opened the door and stepped into the bright sunshine. She’d only walked a couple of feet before stopping so suddenly that he almost ran into her.

  “You have a flat,” she said.

  His gaze moved to his back tire. “Son-of-a-bitch.” He’d just bought those tires. He strode the rest of the way and knelt down, running his hand over the rubber. He hadn’t picked up a nail. More like a knife had slashed across and down the rubber.

  “I hate to tell you this, but the other back tire is flat, too,” she said as she walked to the other side. She squatted and felt along the tire. “Knife,” she said.

  “This side, too.” He stood, their gazes meeting across the car before he made a sweep of the parking lot.

  “The college guys?” she asked. “Maybe they thought they were being funny.”

  “Maybe, but we aren’t the only bounty hunters on Adam’s trail.” He wouldn’t put it past Turbo to have discovered where they were staying. If he had, then Turbo also knew about him and Cody joining forces. That would really piss him off, especially when she’d scorned his advances.

  They spent the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon getting new tires. It seemed every gas station in town was on a tight schedule. When they were finally on their way, Josh had time to think about something besides slashed tires and if Turbo or someone else was responsible.

  What came to mind was Cody.

  She was quiet on the drive to Adam’s sister’s house. Hell, she’d been quiet all morning. Was she thinking about the way they’d spent last night? He hoped she was. He hoped it was plaguing her as much as it was him. He hoped she wanted a repeat performance.

  If not, he was a doomed man.

  As he turned up the drive, it struck him again what an idiotic scheme this was. Just walk right up to the front door and explain they were bounty hunters looking for Adam. It would never work. How the hell had he let her talk him into doing this? It was crazy.

  That was it. The more he was around her, the more he was losing his mind.

  He cast a look in her direction. She’d tempt a saint.

  “Are you having second thoughts?” she asked, apparently noticing the sideways glances he was giving her.

  “Yeah.”

  “Do you want to change your mind?”

  “No.” He looked at her and grinned. “Who’s to say a little boldness might not work on Sinclair’s sister? Maybe she doesn’t like deception. This will be the first time I’ve been this honest on a case, though. It’ll be interesting to see what happens.”

  He pulled to a stop and killed the engine. It was tempting to look up at the second-floor window. He could feel the woman’s gaze on them as they walked toward the front door. Now or never. He rang the doorbell.

  The sound of heels across a hardwood floor was a distant tap-tapping that drew nearer before the door opened.

  The same woman who’d been walking down the stairs last night stood before them. She was taller up close. Maybe five-eleven, and she wore her gray hair in a severe bun at the base of her neck, pulled so tight her wrinkles were more like slash marks. Everything about her was stiff, cold, unyielding. This didn’t bode well.

  “Yes,” she said, dragging that one word out. Her eyebrows rose almost to her hairline and she actually sniffed, as if in disdain of her mistress’s unwelcome visitors.

  Beside him, Cody stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders. He didn’t know who he felt more sorry for, the woman looking down her very narrow nose at them, or Cody. She might have guessed wrong about using honesty as her strategy.

  This was Cody’s ballgame, though. He’d let her throw the first pitch.

  “We’re here to speak with Bertrice Sinclair.”

  The woman’s lip curled. “Do you have an appointment?”

  Cody raised her chin. “You know damn well we don’t.”

  “Then what is your purpose in seeing Ms. Sinclair?”

  Josh had to give her credit. The old battle-ax didn’t blink an eye. He didn’t have long to wait to see what Cody would say next.

  “We’re recovery agents. Adam Sinclair skipped bail. We can bring him in, or someone else can. Our way will be a hell of a lot easier on her brother than some of the goons out there who call themselves recovery agents.”

  The woman opened her mouth to deliver what Josh was almost certain would be a stinging retort, but the phone beside the door gave a shrill ring. Her mouth snapped shut as she turned to answer it.

  “Yes, Ms. Sinclair.” She looked over her shoulder. “Are you sure? They say they’re recovery agents. Yes, ma’am.” She replaced the phone in the cradle.

  When she turned back to face them she didn’t look a bit happy.

  She opened the door wider. “Ms. Sinclair will see you.”

  As soon as they were inside, she shut the door behind them, none too gently. Josh looked at Cody as they followed the woman up a winding staircase. Cody didn’t have to say I told you so. Her smug expression said it all. Well, they hadn’t gotten any information yet, but he’d like to know what was going through her mind. Like how she knew Sinclair’s sister would let them inside the house.

  Cody could feel Josh’s gaze on her. She didn’t even try to stop the self-satisfied smile from turning up the corners of her mouth. At least she didn’t stick her tongue out at him. He should be grateful for that.

  Her gut instinct had been right this time. Adam and his sister cared for each other. That was evident in the way she lived. They were very nice digs. This must’ve set Adam back a pretty penny.

  A heavy, ornate iron chandelier cast a warm light over the downstairs entry. Paintings of landscapes lined the wall where one would normally see family portraits. She knew Adam had come from humble beginnings. Was t
his his way of taking care of his sister? Is that why he’d killed his partner?

  At the top of the stairs, Tight Ass went to the first door and opened it. Her glare warned them she would be close by if Bertrice needed her. Cody glared right back, letting her know she wasn’t in the least intimidated, and waltzed inside the room.

  Some of her bravado diminished when she noted the stern, unyielding look on the face of the woman sitting in a high-backed chair by the window. She was unable to meet her look for long.

  She glanced away and noted the cane that leaned against her chair and the brace on one of her legs. Cody looked past it, her gaze taking in the rest of the room.

  A four-poster bed in rich, dark wood. A gold comforter. The dresser matched the bed. Everything neat, no-nonsense. Just like the woman in the chair.

  “Sit,” she told them in a strong voice that belied the fragility of her body. “I don’t want to strain my neck in order to see who I’m talking with.”

  Tight Ass quietly closed the door as she left.

  “We’re sorry to disturb you,” Josh said, pulling two chairs forward.

  “No, you’re not. You’re probably laughing, thinking you got past the front door where the others hadn’t.” She shrugged slender shoulders. “I would, too, if the truth be known.”

  “We didn’t lie,” Cody said. “If we’re the ones who bring your brother in, then it will go easier for him. You have our promise on that.”

  The older woman cocked an eyebrow. “And who’s to say you’re not lying?”

  She was toying with them. Was she bored? Was that why she’d asked them to come upstairs? Adam’s sister had dangled the carrot, but would she let them get close enough to grab it?

  “You’ll just have to take our word for it, but one thing we both know is that time is wasting. Another bounty hunter could be close on your brother’s heels. I know some of them. They won’t be nice,” Cody warned.

  “Adam is my half brother. Same father, different mother.”

  “Not having the same mother never mattered, did it?” Josh asked.