Face the Music (COBRA Securities Book 9)

by Velvet Vaughn

  He ran the back of his hand against the material. “I like,” he murmured. One finger slipped under the band and she flopped to the mattress. Her head jerked up when she felt him grasping the edges and tugging the underwear down. Then his mouth was there and she was lost. Sensations washed over her in rolling waves. When she collapsed, boneless and spent, he crawled up her body, taking her top with him. She was too exhausted from two incredible orgasms to help. He unsnapped her bra and then sat back. She blinked her eyes open. He was staring at her with reverence in his eyes. “You are so damn beautiful.”

  “So are you.” She reached for him but he ignored her pleas and feasted on her breasts, bringing her from zero to sixty in seconds.

  “I want you with me this time. Please.” She tugged at his shirt, exposing his amazing chest, lightly dusted with dark hair. His abs were rippled and defined, each muscle standing out. The man was in the prime of his life and so incredibly fit. She traced her fingers down the ridges, headed for the snap on his jeans but he grabbed her hand to stop her.

  “If you touch me, this will be over before it starts.”

  She smiled, amazed that she could make this incredible man lose control. She didn’t think it happened very often. With an impish gleam, she ran her hands over the hard ridge. He sucked in a breath.

  He made quick work of the jeans and grabbed a condom. Layla could do nothing but stare. He was by far the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. Every part of him was big. Every part perfect. A few scars dared to mar his honed body, but none of them distracted from his pure male perfection. They were badges of honor, obtained in his quest to protect and serve.

  She snatched the condom from his startled hands and ripped open the package. Then she reached for him.

  #

  Luke couldn’t believe he was about to make love to the most beautiful woman he’d ever met. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was kind and caring. She gave up her career so that her siblings would be safe. Having done the same thing, he appreciated how hard the decision had been for her. Yet, she didn’t complain.

  And damn, those cerulean blue eyes were mesmerizing.

  He knew he was crossing a dangerous line, sleeping with a client, but he couldn’t stop if he tried. She was so responsive to his touch. He felt ten feet tall. Hell, he was harder than he’d ever been in his life. When she made that mewling sound in the back of her throat, he almost lost it right then.

  Now she was opening the condom and he had to close his eyes and grit his teeth when her soft hands reached for him. He was dangerously close to losing it. He wanted to be inside her when he did. He hissed out a breath at the contact, sweat popping out on his forehead. Something wet touched him and he glanced down to see her licking him like a lollipop. That did it. He picked her up, ignoring her startled cry, and placed her on the bed again.

  “Hey, I wasn’t done.”

  “I almost was,” he admitted, reaching for the condom. He sheathed himself and then dropped down to his forearms, staring into her eyes as he slowly pushed inside. Heaven. They both groaned at the contact. When she closed her eyes, he stopped, only halfway in.

  “Look at me, Layla.”

  Her lids snapped open and he was staring into the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen, glazed with passion. For him. He slid the rest of the way home and groaned. Nothing had ever felt so perfect. She squeezed him intimately and his restraint broke. He moved inside her, encouraged by her breathy moans and the nails digging in his skin. When her back arched and she gripped him again, he couldn’t hold back any longer. They came together, calling out each other’s names. It lasted forever and not long enough. He felt completely drained. Didn’t want to move. Ever. It almost killed him to pull out, especially when her body did its best to keep him inside. He kissed away her whimper of protest and then made quick work of the spent condom. When he returned, she hadn’t moved, glorious in her nakedness. Her eyes were closed but one side of her kiss-swollen lips was tilted in a grin. She looked young and vulnerable and was, by far, the most beautiful woman in the world. He choked back a sudden lump in his throat. He would do anything to protect her.

  Sliding in beside her he gathered the blanket to cover them. She hummed and rolled to him, plastering herself against him. Just like that, he was hard again. Amazing since he’d never come so hard in his life not two minutes earlier.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Hunter moved purposefully through the house, on a mission to find the very mysterious Talia. There was only one way Layla Brooks could have disappeared from Mullins’ study and Hunter had a feeling the yoga instructor had something to do with it. Mullins was murderous. He ordered the men to find her or face his wrath.

  Hunter had been floored when Morris barged in the senator’s office and ripped off the bag to reveal Layla Brooks. He, like the rest of the country, thought the signer was dead. Killed in a car accident. But to see her standing in front of him, and then hearing Mullins admit he’d made sure she was dead, was pretty much the final nail in the man’s coffin.

  He pulled out his cell and dialed a number. He hadn’t returned it to the safe last night, hoping to have a report. “Do you have any information on Talia Levy for me?”

  “Not yet. Several layers down and everything checks out. I’m still digging.”

  “Dig deeper,” he barked and stashed his phone in his pocket. Yoga teacher his ass. She knew something and he intended to find out what. He hadn’t had a chance to question her after watching the tape last night and seeing her sneak into Mullins’ study. He planned on confronting her after they finished the yoga session, but Mullins needed him in the office. He’d put it off long enough. It was time to find out what she knew.

  She wasn’t in her room and a quick check of the workout studio turned up empty. He spotted her coming up the steps from the basement. He marched over and grabbed her arm. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “Ow, you are hurting me,” she cried.

  He knew damn well he wasn’t hurting her. He barely grasped her arm. Still, he loosened his hold. She narrowed her eyes at him and then at his hold on her arm. He let go but grabbed her hand. “Come with me.”

  “I am not going anywhere with you, you brute. I will scream bloody murder.”

  He turned and lowered his head until their noses almost touched. “Go ahead. Maybe Mullins will console you. Alone. In his room.”

  “Bastard,” she muttered under her breath.

  He turned back around before she caught him smiling and guided her out of the house. Mullins expected him to be looking for Layla. He couldn’t believe his undead stepdaughter had gotten away. He ordered the men to find her and he didn’t care if she was dead or alive, though he preferred dead. And he swore them to secrecy that she was alive. He wanted to kill her before word got out.

  Hunter unlocked the door to the carriage house and ushered her inside.

  “What are we doing here? I am going back.”

  She turned for the door but he blocked her path. “I have something you need to see.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I have seen many before and believe me, they are not all that.”

  He barked out a laugh. “My, my, you have a dirty mind, Ms. Levy. I was talking about the computer.” He lifted the lid, punched in his security code, making sure she couldn’t see what he typed in, and brought up the feed of Mullins’ office from last night. He froze the frame when she appeared in the room.

  She inhaled sharply and then lifted her pert little chin. “So? You know I was in the room. What is the big deal?”

  “Seriously? You’re going to play it that way? Unless you’re Samantha from Bewitched, no one just twitches their nose and materializes in a room.”

  She sniffed. “I came in the door, same as you.”

  “You’re a real piece of work, lady.” He accessed the still shots showing her entering through the bookcase. Her olive skin paled. “Who the hell are you?”

  She crossed her arms. “Who the hell are you?
”

  Damn, she was a spitfire. “I’m the man who holds your fate in my hands. All I have to do is show this clip to Mullins.” He snapped his fingers. “You’ll be fired, of course…or worse.” He let the implication hang. Not that he had any intention of handing her over to the sadistic son-of-a-bitch. He just wanted to find out her story.

  She slugged him on the arm and his eyes crossed. “Hell, that hurt.” She punched harder than Meat Hook McGurskey and that man lived up to his nickname. He rubbed the sting.

  “You are a bastard.” She got into his face and pointed and damn if he didn’t flinch. “You would offer me up as a lamb to a slaughter?”

  “You’re no lamb,” he scoffed.

  “And you are no gentleman.”

  “Never said I was.”

  Her body was shaking, her face a brilliant shade of crimson. He could tell she was holding her temper and his body reacted. What was it about this woman that got under his skin? He usually went for sweet, caring women. Girl-next-door types. This woman was combative and mysterious and so damn sexy. She was staring at him and if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a touch of hatred there. Pity. He’d love to tame her. In bed.

  “Well? No answer?” He shrugged nonchalantly and removed a flash drive from his computer. “Guess I’ll just go have a chat with the boss.”

  “Ooh, I do not like you.”

  “Right back at’cha, sweet cheeks.” He winked as he sauntered by.

  A low growl was the only warning he had. Suddenly he was kissing the wood floor, stunned and disoriented. What the hell just happened? Had she just face-planted him to the ground?

  “Give me that!”

  The she-devil on his back clawed at the useless disk in his hand. Damn, she was strong. She finagled it from his grip. He told himself it was because he was disoriented after having his skull used as a basketball. She jumped up in victory, waving the disk in her hand.

  “Ha. Now you have no proof.”

  “S’not the right disk.”

  She stopped her celebratory dance. “What did you say?”

  He rolled to his back, wondering when her twin sister had joined her. Hum, double-vision wasn’t so bad sometimes. “I said, that disk is blank. The real one’s safe in my pocket.” His eyes widened and he held up his hands but it was too late. The two Talias launched themselves at him…more specifically, his lower body. “Mama,” he croaked. She was digging inside his jeans pockets, being none too gentle with the family jewels. “That’s not a disk, baby,” he ground out when she grabbed him.

  “Feels small enough to be one,” she retorted.

  Ouch. Direct hit.

  “Where is it?”

  “I didn’t say my jeans pocket,” he wheezed.

  “Ooh.” She shoved off him, her knee dangerously close to his happy place. He managed to twist in time to preserve future generations of Malones.

  He pushed upright, happy to see his double-vision had cleared. He wasn’t so happy to be staring down the barrel of a gun.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Luke blinked at the ceiling, trying to gather his bearings. What the hell just happened? Had he really slept with a client? And not just any client, but a Grammy-winning international superstar. Well, when he threw caution to the wind, he made sure it was a fastball.

  He’d been with a lot of women over the years, but this was by far the most intense, most amazing, most perfect encounter of his life. It seemed surreal. He was afraid he had a serious crush for the woman nestled against his side.

  He was headed for one seriously broken heart.

  His stomach growled, reminding him he’d forgotten to order the pizza. He needed to fetch her car from the grocery store parking lot, too. Careful not to wake her, he disentangled from her arms and slipped out of bed.

  Clothes were strewn across the floor. He picked hers up and folded them, placing them in a neat pile on top of the dresser. He found his pants draped across the computer monitor from where he’d flung them in his haste to get naked. He stepped into the jeans and located his shirt. After sliding on his Nikes, he attached the holster holding his SIG and covered it with a hoodie. He padded to his gear bag, found the black wand he was searching for, and inserted it inside his sleeve. After scribbling a quick note in case she woke up, he grabbed his keys and hers and left the house.

  The sun had set recently, the sky holding traces of red and orange and pink. A dog greeted him as he jogged by, the happy yips making him smile. He slowed as he neared the store, his eyes scanning the lot for any suspicious vehicles. He located Layla’s car parked midway down a row. He approached cautiously, dodging determined shoppers pushing carts full of supplies. Spotting no imminent threat, he unlocked the door, shoved the seat back as far as it would go and folded himself inside. It was a tight fit.

  He backed out and coasted through the lot, keeping an eye on the mirrors for any tails. Flipping on the blinker, he turned in the opposite direction of the house. When no one followed, he pulled into a strip mall and parked facing the road. Traffic whizzed back at a steady pace. He waited for a few minutes and when he was sure it was safe, he withdrew the black wand and stepped outside. He scanned the entire vehicle, running the device over every surface, inside and out. Clean.

  Relying on his keen sense of direction, he took a circuitous route back to the house. After parking the car in the garage beside his SUV, he unloaded the groceries, snacking on an apple and crackers as he put them away.

  After disposing of the core, he padded upstairs. Layla hadn’t moved. He toed off his sneakers, removed the hoodie and unclipped his holster, sliding the gun out to arrange it on the table beside the bed for easy access. He removed the rest of his clothes and eased under the covers. Layla snuggled up to him and just like that, his body hardened.

  He’d just closed his eyes when her voice drifted to him.

  “Luke?”

  He glided his fingers over her arm because he couldn’t stop touching her. “Hum?”

  “Do you think Mullins will try to kill me?”

  He hated to scare her, but he wouldn’t lie to her, either. She needed to be prepared and stay alert. “I think it’s possible. But you don’t have to worry. I’ll protect you, with my life if necessary.”

  Instantly awake, she jerked up, dislodging his arms. She twisted to face him. “No. I don’t want you risking your life because of me.”

  “Babe, that’s what I do.”

  She shook her head. “This is my fight. I don’t want you in danger.”

  “Do you want me to walk away and leave you to fend on your own?”

  Her face blanched but she nodded gamely. “Yes.”

  He jerked her arms out from under her and rolled on top. He was painfully aroused again. “If you think I’d walk away, then you don’t know me at all. Let’s rectify that.”

  #

  Talia aimed her SIG Sauer at Hunter Malone’s head, thinking it was a shame to mar that handsome face, but she could not fail this mission. It was her first as a COBRA Securities agent. If she was exposed, she would no doubt be fired. Her father would insist she come back to Israel. She’d had a hard-enough time breaking away from him once. She didn’t know if she could do it again. That is, if Mullins didn’t kill her first.

  She’d been so busy pondering her situation, she hadn’t seen Malone move. He’d disarmed her ridiculously easy.

  “Damn,” she muttered.

  He shoved the gun in the back waistband of his jeans and reached for her, spinning her around to manacle her hands. “You’re under arrest.”

  “What?” She tried to twist to see his face but he slapped plastic cuffs on her wrists. “You cannot arrest me. You are a stupid security guard for goodness sake.”

  “Ever heard of citizen’s arrest?”

  “Unhand me this instant.”

  “You have the right to remain silent. Please use it.”

  “You are Mirandizing me?” She tried to see his face again. “Are you a cop?”

  “
Not a cop. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

  “Oh, shut up,” she muttered. “You cannot arrest me, citizens or otherwise. I have done nothing wrong.”

  “We’ll start with breaking and entering. Tack on assault on a federal agent.”

  She gasped. “You are a federal agent? I did not know this so you cannot arrest me. Are you not supposed to identify yourself?”

  “I’m guessing you don’t understand the concept of undercover.”

  “I do not see any blood, so you are not hurt. There was no assault.”

  “Sexual.”

  “Excuse me,” she sputtered.

  “You were awful grabby with the goods. I felt violated.”

  She scoffed. “Oh please. Like I could violate you. I’m just a tiny little woman.”

  He turned her around to face him, his eyes narrowed. “Tiny, my ass.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Are you calling me fat?”

  His gaze raked her body and she fought a shudder. “Definitely not fat,” he murmured.

  She was going to have to have a talk with her traitorous body. It responded to his hot gaze. “How was I supposed to know you are a federal agent? You did not tell me this. Maybe I thought you were a rapist, dragging me to your lair. Against my will, I should add.”

  He shook his head and chuckled. “You are a real piece of work. Now tell me why you’re here or I will arrest you.”

  “Release me and I’ll talk.”

  “And risk you pulling a gun again? I don’t think so.”

  She made a noise of frustration. He was so hard-headed. “Why are you here?”

  He ticked a finger back and forth. “I asked first.”

  “What if I tell Mullins that you are an agent. Hum? Do you think he would be upset? I wonder what he would do to a traitor.”

  His smile was a wolfish grin. “You think I’m letting you get close to him? Think again, lady.”

  “Are you kidnapping me?”

  “We’ll call it federal custody.”