Her mind screamed for her to go downstairs to him, make sure he was all right. Logic kept her feet planted in place. What now? If she made a sound, it was game over. She’d place Gabriel in more danger.
She glanced around Lucas’s bedroom. Moonlight broke through the windows, highlighting a white phone on the nightstand to her right.
Relief filled her. She palmed the receiver, the cold plastic slipping a little in her sweaty grasp. Dead.
Tears threatened to spill. She inhaled to the count of three. Gabriel needed her.
With her heart still in her throat, Ema moved to the door and eased around the corner, being careful not to make a sound. Just a few steps separated her from the banister.
Large hands engulfed her shoulders, spun her, and hauled her up against a broad chest. She stiffened, gasping for air. Blood rushed in her ears and she thrashed against the wall of muscle.
Instinct drove her elbow up into the silhouetted jaw. Her attacker loosened his grip enough for her to kick free. She followed her defense with a blow to the gut. She lurched forward, landing a solid foot, and pushed. Bastardo!
Her attacker took the hard way down the stairs…headfirst.
She followed, keeping to the shadows. She stepped over the unconscious dude at the foot of the stairs and paused, the smell of smoke and gasoline overwhelming. She pushed forward.
Left would take her to the kitchen. Right the living area. She maneuvered around the last corner separating her from the living room then pulled up short.
Cold steel pressed against her temple. Diablos.
“Ahi señorita, it’s good to see you’re still alive.” A big hand pushed her toward the living area and toward the voice. What was it with thugs? Was it a recruiting requirement to have sausage hands to push people with?
She recognized the smug voice. Her gaze darted around in search of the man who went with it. At least her instincts were finally back on target.
Lights flickered on, revealing four men standing in front of her, each with a gun pointed at Gabriel. A little worse for wear, but the bad guys had fared much worse. She held back a smirk. She bet the one with the broken arm and bloody nose wouldn’t forget the wrath of a Recon Marine anytime soon.
Her attention drew back to Gabriel. He knelt on the floor, focused on her. His mouth tilted up on one side and he winked. Small ripples of relief loosened the knot of fear lodged in her stomach. Much more and the damn thing would take up permanent residence.
She wished she had the same confidence he obviously had, because right now she’d say this Mexican stand-off was a little one-sided.
“I thought we’d finish our conversation, señorita. Since we were interrupted by your guard dog earlier, you never heard my offer for your business.” His gaze raked over her, and she shuddered from the slimy feeling he gave her.
She narrowed her eyes as Bougainvillea closed the distance between them. “Señor Bougainvillea.” Her words curt and tainted with contempt.
Anger curled his lip, marring his otherwise handsome features. Whatever happened to the boy her mother talked so fondly of? The very stories that had prompted Ema to make the call in the first place.
One thing was for sure, from the cold, calculating eyes that stared down at her, the man standing before her was no longer the boy her mother had grown up with.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a slight movement. Gabriel’s hands were bound in front of him. A flash of pink from her misplaced cell phone cupped between his palms clued her in.
Okay. Keep Bougainvillea’s attention. She could do that. And breathe. Don’t forget to breathe.
“So starting fires and scaring the shit out of people is your version of talking business? Kinda hard to strike a deal when one side is dead, don’t you think?” Her voice didn’t crack so that was a bonus point for her.
Beneath his pristine white shirt and tie, she could see a tic in his neck as her words struck a nerve. Soulless eyes locked on hers.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, followed by a rush of dread up her spine. She cringed inwardly. One point for the bad guy.
She gulped in air. She’d never seen such malice in one person. Looking in his eyes was like looking in a pit of tar. Nothing ever escaped. How had she missed that earlier? On second thought, maybe she hadn’t. Bougainvillea was obviously skilled at hiding his true nature from most, but Gabriel had seen the person beneath the persona.
She took a step back and into a wall of muscle. She was so focused on the danger before her she’d forgotten about the one at her back.
“You guys really know how to work a room,” she muttered more to herself than to the man standing way to close for comfort. Her attention flicked over to where Gabriel knelt. He tilted his head down a fraction before mouthing, Trust me.
She blinked her understanding then turned her attention back to Bougainvillea. “Sabes que? You know what? Take whatever offer you have, and leave. I’m nowhere near interested anymore.” Anger clipped her words.
Hatred flared in Bougainvillea’s eyes. He struck out with the back of his hand so fast she had no chance to block. Pain shot through the side of her face. She gasped and gritted her teeth. The taste of copper filled her mouth. Diablos.
In a blur of skin and gun metal, Gabriel moved on the men guarding him. She ducked behind the first thing she saw in an effort to get the hell out of the way. Everything was a blur of motion—like a car wreck.
Rapid gunfire rang in her ears. Shallow, ragged breaths shook her chest. Male voices called out in both Spanish and English, followed by thuds and metal against metal. Then all went silent above the roar in her head.
Hands grabbed her and pulled her from where she crouched behind the overstuffed sofa.
She struck out, palm angled up to take out the attacker’s nuts or nose. Whatever was closer.
“Whoa there, precious, it’s me. You’re safe now.” Warm fingers wrapped around her wrist a moment before strong arms gathered her up and pulled her close. The smell of Gabriel’s scent worked to calm her nerves as he knelt beside her.
“Gracias a dios!” Ema threw herself into Gabe’s embrace. “Thank God.” When she woke this morning everything was fine, then she blinked and the jaws of life were prying back the wreckage. No more blinking.
A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. His heart beat steady beneath her ear. She had no idea how he stayed so calm in all the chaos.
“Remind me never to piss you off. That was one wicked uppercut, precious.” Gabe leaned down, his lips poised to claim hers.
“So how’s my little cuz?” Lucas walked up behind Gabriel and leaned over his shoulder. “Everyone all right here?”
Ema pulled back, but not before Gabe gently kissed her lower lip tenderly, where Bougainvillea had caught her with his backhand. “I’ll make it all better, soon, baby,” he whispered softly for only her to hear. The heat in his eyes melded with her own and shot straight to her core. Ahì sì, this was far from being over.
Gabe stood, pulling her up with him and into his arms in a single fluid motion.
“Primo.” She hugged Gabe tighter while looking at her cousin. “What are you doing here?”
Gabriel started. “When we left the bungalow, I caught a tail. While you showered, I phoned Lucas again when we realized Bougainvillea’s interest for you didn’t fade with him leaving the wedding. Then I phoned our CO.”
Lucas picked up from there. “After a quick rundown of the situation, our CO called in a couple of friends in the police force here in Cabos. When the name Bougainvillea was mentioned, everything snowballed from there. He’s been on their high priority list for the trafficking of illegal substance, and most recently, young women. According to the local PD Captain, the word on the street is he’s been looking for a mule to help him cross his merchandise between the borders.”
“Looks like he had his sights set on one pretty Latina and her flower shop.” Gabriel touched a finger to the tip of her nose.
“That�
��s crazy. I don’t have any clients this side of the border. How could I possibly help him?”
“To him your shop was the perfect setup. Small enough not to draw attention. And I suspect, once he found out you were in trouble, he planned to masquerade as your savior long enough to dig his hooks in.”
Ema stared. Could tonight get any worse?
“Señores. We’re done.” A portly man with fine lines creasing the rim of his eyes walked up to Gabe and Lucas. “We’ll be taking Bougainvillea in along with the one man you left breathing.” The officer cocked a brow at Gabe who only shrugged.
“Lucky I didn’t take ‘em all out. No one threatens a woman in my presence and walks away. Especially if she’s mine.” Gabe’s piercing eyes held her attention. Possessiveness sounded so damn hot when he said it like that.
“Hey, I need to get back to my wedding, ya know, man? On the way I’ll call the CO and fill him in on the latest Daniels adventure.”
Gabe slapped Lucas on the back. “Couldn’t ask for a better friend. Thanks, man. I owe you and the wife.”
“For damn sure, bro. Catch you on the flip side.”
“Wait, before you go, the man by the stairs. He’s the one from the bungalow,” Ema added.
“I’ll let the overseeing officers know, sweetheart. You guys settle in for the night. The alarm is reset so you should be good. And by the looks of it” Lucas’s eyes roved over her marked neck “you guys have some unfinished business of your own to take care of. Take all the time you need.”
Chapter Seven
A half hour later, Gabriel closed the door behind the last of the detectives. He propped himself on the doorway to the guest room, watching Ema soak in the moonlight.
She was as stubborn as she was beautiful.
So young to have so much weight on her delicate shoulders. A burden he wanted to relieve for her if she would only let him close enough to help.
Bougainvillea had almost succeeded in taking her from him tonight. He’d be damned if he waited another day before making sure she understood she was his. Heart and soul.
Making her see through the wall she held firmly in place might prove the hardest damn thing he’d ever do. When Bougainvillea’s goons had broken through the sliding door, his instincts had kicked in, flooding his thoughts with nothing but protecting what he cherished most in the world. He’d never had to do that before. The battlefield carried a different set of emotions. Fighting this close to home shot his system full of fear, his mind screaming at him to take out the enemy. And he had.
Good thing he was just as stubborn as she was. Otherwise, going back in there and opening himself up to same rejection his father dished out all his life might take him out faster than enemy fire.
He walked to where she stood by the window.
“What will it take for me to show you just how deep under my skin you are?”
He scooped her up into his embrace, and buried his face in her hair, filling his lungs with her sweet smell. “Esmeralda, this is it. The fear of losing you or you walking out is tearing my heart in half, and it fucking scares the shit out of me. Tell me what you want.”
“I saw fear in your eyes tonight when Bougainvillea had his gun pointed at me. I’ve seen that fear before. Inside myself. Instead of running away from it or giving up, you showed me something else. You pushed back, which saved us both.” Resolve replaced the panic she’d held so close before.
“Tell me what to do, Ema, because I don’t know anymore. I don’t know how to make you see I’m worth having by your side. Or how much I love you.”
***
Ema grasped her chest at the impact of his words. “You have it wrong, Amor. I’m not leaving.” She pulled him tighter, closer. She cupped his face. With their gazes connected, she continued. “If anything, you’ve proven to me that fear is just as powerful as love. That it can drive us to reach deeper than we’ve ever done in our lives. I had it all wrong. You were right. Grabbing onto what we love and holding it tight…it can save us from ourselves.”
God, she would do anything to erase the hurt she saw in their depth just minutes before. She had no intention of letting anything come between them again.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is if you still want me, us, I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been a fool, unable to see the gift of love right here, right now between us. I should have latched onto the love you offered six months ago.” She was so lucky for such a patient man. “Maybe Bougainvillea was just the thing I needed to have the blindfold ripped away.”
“Then maybe I should be thanking the bastard.” Gabe’s voice washed over her, filling her with relief.
“Not so fast. I’m not sure I want to thank him. He almost killed the man I love.”
“So you’re not afraid anymore? Afraid of opening your heart to love? Mine in particular?” A small smile titled the corner of his lips.
She shook her head. “Amor, I’m scared out of my mind. Not of opening my heart to let you in, but of never knowing what it’s like to wake up to your smile every single day of my life.”
Gabe eased his hands beneath the hem of her shirt to run the pad of his fingers along her abdomen. “Maybe we should see what it’s like to make real love then?” He lifted the edge of her cotton T-Shirt and pulled it over her head to reveal her bare breasts. Warm air pushed between them to harden her nipples. His attention honed in on her.
Gabriel slipped the tips of his thumbs into the band of her sweatpants, his mouth poised over hers a beat before he slowly dipped his head. His lips, soft and tender, pressed into hers, lingering. As if he wanted the special moment to last as long as possible.
He pulled back, kissing her from neck to bellybutton as he lowered himself to the floor. With each kiss, he removed her pants a little farther until finally she stood before him, her body—her heart— revealed for him to see.
A rush of desire washed over her, leaving small quakes of lust to rock her heated core—the heat almost beyond what she could bear.
He lowered his mouth. With a single tug and nip along her lower abdomen, he took control.
He wrapped his hands around her waist. Her body molded to his touch. With each kiss and lick across her skin her heart had nowhere to go but straight to him. He made sure of it.
Heat pooled between her folds and overflowed to coat her thighs. He slipped a finger to her already swollen bud, pulling a gasp of delight from her.
“Show me the juices I know are already spilling down your thighs. Show me,” Gabriel demanded.
Fire blazed in his eyes, daring her to disobey. She wasn’t one to disappoint, but teasing him a little more was too tempting to resist. She turned and walked to the window. Moonlight cascaded in, enough to highlight her against the darkness of the room. A small table to her left with a single yellow rose was the only other adornment in the guest room. Fitting since it represented new love and promises. Like fate had a game plan all along.
She glanced over her shoulder to watch him reveal his body to her. With his jeans in a heap on the floor, he climbed on the bed and pushed himself up against the pillows, lightly stroking his already hardening shaft.
Anticipation gathered along the folds of her pussy and spilled warm liquid in the V of her legs.
She parted her thighs, the pale light illuminating her juices. He gripped his dick. “Touch yourself, precious.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, but shaded with a dark desire aimed for her alone. He wanted more? She could do that.
Cool night air surrounded her, caressing her exposed skin. Stoking the fire that grew from within.
But nothing compared to the heat she felt brush against her clit as Gabriel watched her part her legs even farther for him. She perched her foot on the corner of the nearby chair. The need to give him everything consumed her to the core. She sucked back a breath as she parted her swollen folds, her clit still sensitive from when he claimed her at the bungalow. He’d made her whole body weak from the power of her orgasm, yet here
she stood drenched and ready for whatever he wanted.
How was that possible? How could this man have such power over her pleasure? It no longer frightened her, but sent a rush of anticipation through her.
“What now, Gabriel?” Her voice low, husky with need.
“I can see your liquid glistening in the moonlight, precious. Touch yourself; stroke your finger across your wet flesh.”
Ema lowered her hand to do as he asked, fingers poised just above her soft pink folds, ready to sink her fingers into her channel.
“No,” he demanded roughly. “One finger only. One finger, from pussy to clit.” She loved how his voice reached into her, guiding her hand as his own.
She locked their gaze, her womb vibrated with building tremors, ready to come for him just from watching him stroke his dick.
He fisted his engorged shaft, the head swollen with its own need for release. She knew the feeling. A moan escaped, and she bit her lip, forcing herself to focus. She had plenty of experience in making herself orgasm. Now she wanted Gabriel to make her come.
His gaze darted to her mouth, his own lips parted as if he wanted to be the one doing the biting. Heat flushed her skin. Esmeralda trailed her hand from her breasts down along her abdomen, his eyes were fixated on her every move.
She parted her folds, placing a single finger at her heated entrance. It was too much. She needed to take the edge off. Just a little. Her pussy clenched as she sank a finger, then two in her soaked channel. She flung her head back, her core trembled and her knees grew weak. She slowly withdrew her fingers only to push them back in. She gasped. So good, but her body already ached for more. She wanted him.
She straightened, her vision still clouded with pleasure.
“Ahh…that will cost you, precious.” His gravely tone held a delicious and sinful promise she hoped he fulfilled.
Gabriel pushed up from his reclined position on the bed. With determination set in his features, he advanced on her.
His movements that of a predator. His muscles rippled with each step, his attention locked on her. Her eyes darted between the dangers of the molten fire of his eyes and the massive cock that bobbed against his abdomen.
Tequila Sunset: A Military Erotic Romance (Sexy Siesta Series Book 2) Page 6
