Men-of-Action-Seres-04 -Saints and Sinners

by Capri Montgomery

  She couldn’t be misreading his touch; could she? Maybe she wanted him so much that her mind was making the proverbial mountain out of a mole hill. She wasn’t going to make a fool out of herself by asking, and she certainly wasn’t going to be anybody’s sympathy lay. She could, however; use somebody to talk with and he seemed to be willing to listen.

  “Oh,” she pushed her hands through her hair, sending soft curls on to her back. “My family life is so screwed up. It’s like Days of Our Lives on crack.”

  He chuckled.

  She placed her hands on his shoulders. “I’m sorry you got tossed into the madness. If you want out…”

  “I don’t.”

  “I’d understand; if you did want out I’d understand.” She needed him to know he was clear to leave. “No hard feelings. I promise.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Besides,” he ran one finger across her shoulder. “I have a feeling there’s a lot more going on than either of us are being told. I plan on keeping you alive, which means we’re going to have to figure this out.”

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  “We? As in together? You want me to work with you?”

  “I want you to do a lot of things with me. Work just happens to be one of them.”

  “Things have changed,” she said, “between us. You don’t hate me anymore?”

  “I never hated you. I was just angry and I let that anger cloud my judgment. I’m sorry.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder; her face nestled against his neck and she inhaled his masculine scent. “I’m sorry she hurt you.” He stroked a lazy line down her spine. “Things weren’t roses between us for a long time, but I never expected what she did—not to me and certainly not to Teagan.”

  “She broke your trust.”

  “Yeah,” he mumbled. “But that’s no excuse for my actions.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. We all make mistakes;” she placed a soft kiss on his neck. His skin felt warm against her lips. She wanted him. Judging form the growing bulge in his pants he wanted her too. That is he wanted her sexually; she wouldn’t be quick to say he wanted her for more. Perhaps just this once she could allow herself this pleasure.

  She once again kissed his neck; her lips lingering before placing soft kisses on his cheek. Her hands glided over his shoulders and down his chest until her fingers went on autopilot and started to unbutton his shirt.

  She didn’t stop to look in his eyes for fear she might lose her nerve. Instead, she pushed open the fabric covering his chest and began to Saints and Sinners 106

  kiss his warm flesh. The fine patch of dark hair stretched lightly over his pectoral muscles and down the fine line of his center abdomen before disappearing behind the fabric of his cargo pants. She wanted to follow it, see just where it led and get a look at what had been slowly seducing her.

  Instead, she slid her tongue up the middle line and gently kissed his chest before letting her teeth rasp over his heated skin. A low groan escaped his mouth causing her to look up to his eyes. For one moment it was as if she could see into his soul and he into hers.

  She leaned in and kissed him. Her tongue slowly slipped into his mouth and when she felt him respond she no longer tried to control her own desires. Slowly she rocked atop him, grinding her center to his as she deepened the kiss. A low moan vibrated from her, eliciting one from him in return as he threaded his fingers in her hair and pulled her closer to him.

  “Hmm,” she moaned against his mouth. Effortlessly, without breaking the kiss, he stood. She wondered how he did that. No, on second thought she didn’t care. She just wanted to keep tasting him. She kept her legs wrapped tight around his waist. She felt the sensation of movement. He was walking, walking and kissing her, carrying her somewhere.

  He tasted sweet like lemon coconut cake. It should be illegal for a man to taste so good, but then again, she wasn’t a fan of breaking the law.

  Had kissing Sully been illegal they’d have to lock her up because she wasn’t going to stop.

  He stopped walking. He must have reached his destination.

  Curious, she opened her eyes just long enough to find out. They were in Capri Montgomery 107

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  the bedroom. Unless he had some magical powers he wasn’t going to get her naked with her legs anchored around his waist. While the thought of testing his skills was intriguing she had no desire to slow him down, so she unwrapped her legs. He eased his grip just enough to let her body slide down his.

  She was the first to break the kiss for no reason other than she needed to breathe. “God,” she whispered breathlessly. “You’re good at that.”

  “Hmm,” he mumbled as his hand unerringly found her breast and his thumb pressed against her nipple. “Allow me to show you what else I’m good at.” He trailed kisses down her neck and over her collarbone.

  She slipped his shirt from his shoulders and ran her hands over the defined muscles in his back. He was solid, deliciously solid. He was also in prime position for her to get a look at that bulge she had been rubbing herself against. She set her hands to work, loosening his belt, unzipping his pants; she was close. He grabbed her hands, stopping her.

  “You first,” he mumbled. The warmth of his breath fanned against her neck.

  He released her hands long enough to pull her baby pink cardigan over her head. “Nice,” he mumbled as his fingers slid the strap of her ivory, lace bra from her shoulder.

  He placed one lingering kiss on her shoulder before setting his fingers to work on her jeans. With one swift movement he had jeans and Saints and Sinners 108

  panties pooled around her ankles. Another second and he lifted her just enough for both items to clear her body.

  Before she could get him completely naked he did something she had wanted him to do for days; he took her to bed. He discarded his remaining clothes, expertly parted her thighs with his own leg and wedged his body between her legs.

  One solid thrust took him deep and the sensation of their connection overtook her. As he thrust hard and fast into her she didn’t think about whether or not there would be a future for them once his protection detail had ended; she thought only of the moment. She dug her heals into his behind, spreading her legs wider, allowing him deeper.

  “Don’t stop doing that,” she moaned as he seemed to rotate his hips and pushed into her harder. “Oh God!” She felt it rising, the apex of her orgasm and she surrendered coming hard beneath him as he released his seed inside her.

  “Sully,” she panted as her heart pounded against her chest.

  He placed soft kisses on her temple, on her cheek and then her pliant lips. “Alaina,” he whispered before kissing her softly.

  She let her fingers trail a soft line down his spine. “Hmm…” she moaned.

  “I don’t want to lose you.”

  She opened her eyes and looked deep into his. Her heartbeat increased she cupped his cheek in her hand. “You won’t.” Capri Montgomery 109

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  “You’ll give me a chance to hold a place in here?” He placed one hand over her heart. Something inside of her knew he already held a place in her heart. She smiled, a single tear escaping the corner of her eye.

  “Yes.” Yes, she was ready for this, wanted this, and this time she would fight like hell not to lose it.

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  Chapter Nine

  “When you want something done sometimes you just have to do it yourself,” Tony sat at his dining room table cleaning his gun. He didn’t want to risk being seen, didn’t want to risk his career. Killing wasn’t a problem for him. He had killed before; two of those times had been relatively innocent civilians. Killing Alaina James wouldn’t exactly break his heart, but he had plans, career plans that would tank if anybody could tie him to Miss James’ death—or the others for that matter. He also had an obligation to loyalty, which is why he wanted to make sure every plan was carried out, even if he weren’t the one executing the
final stage.

  He had commissioned the best men he could find—covertly of course, and they failed. He was finished playing the game. Miss James was going to die even if he had to take Masterson out first to accomplish his mission.

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  He had tried the up close and personal kill. Now it was time to do what he did best. A Sniper’s bullet was just as lethal as a nine mil. So long as the job got done he didn’t care which weapon fired the kill shot.

  He put his weapon back together, aimed it at a picture of Alaina and said, “bang; you’re dead—or at least you will be.” He turned out the lights and went to recline on the sofa. Tomorrow he had one more piece of the equation to take care of, one more piece to finalize. Once that piece was out of the equation he was going on the hunt.

  The moment he acquired his target he was going in for the kill. Miss James was going to die.

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  Chapter Ten

  Liz gripped the steering wheel as she drove down the Interstate.

  Her daughter had always been a thorn in her side. Alaina had been messing up her plans since the day she was born. She should have aborted her…a spontaneous miscarriage would have been a boost to her numbers.

  On the other hand, she had needed that little twit to keep her husband in line. Without a child, Sean would have walked away without a second thought. He may have hated failure, hated divorce, but he hated liars more and by year three of their marriage she had no doubt that he was fully aware she had lied to him.

  The family she had said she wanted was non existent because she wanted it that way…she had always wanted it that way. The life he thought he would have with her had vanished in front of his eyes. She didn’t care. She had what she needed from him anyway, but letting him walk away from her could have proved damaging to her career goals. No; she had needed that baby to hold on to him. She probably would have had Capri Montgomery 113

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  a second one to keep him at home, but fortunately for her she hadn’t had to. He had died before it came to that. She thanked God for that. The thought of having to conceive another child made her skin crawl.

  Sean was no longer her problem, Alaina was. She would need to find a way to cover-up her daughter’s absence from the campaign trail.

  She had an idea, one that might just kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. She was sure she could use Friday’s press conference to her advantage. The right words could spin anything in her favor. She was a pro. This was her game and she had every intention of winning it.

  “If we’re going to get any work done you’re going to have to let me out of this bed,” Sully slid his hand up the side of Alaina’s thigh.

  “I’m not stopping you,” she kissed his neck.

  She may not have been forcibly keeping him in bed, but she was definitely stopping him. He was a man with a naked woman on top of him; one he had just spent the night getting to know in the biblical sense of the word. “Alaina,” he cautioned.

  She sat up, straddling his body still. “Fine,” she said. “What is it you would like to know?”

  It would appear she expected him to concentrate in his present position. He would have to try to concentrate on something other than her naked body and the soft curves right in front of him.

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  “What was Troy working on when he died?” He watched her push her hair back over her shoulder. “I don’t know. Sometimes he would talk about his work in detail, but with that one he didn’t. I knew it was big.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “He was meeting with sources…or at least a source. He went out of town for that, but he didn’t say where he was going, just that he would tell me more when he could. I didn’t push. I was curious; he hadn’t met with sources before, that I knew of anyway, and he certainly hadn’t gone out of town for one since we had been steady with each other. The night he died…I think he was going to tell me about it then. He had made reference to talking to me before he wrote it…we never had the chance.” He ran his hand along his jaw. Stubble scratched his fingertips.

  “Did it seem like he wanted your permission?”

  “I never thought about it that way.” He watched her face. Her eyebrows lowered and he could tell she was considering the possibility.

  “Maybe. I don’t know. Maybe he figured it would change our lives so I should have knowledge of it before it did. Troy was ambitious. He wanted to be a serious journalist. He had freelanced for the New York Times.

  Maybe he thought this story could get him hired on permanently.” She slid her palms over his chest. “Why the interest in Troy’s work?” He gripped her hips with his hands. It was damn near impossible to think with her on top of him. Being in the same room with her made him think about their first time together. It had been awhile for him—he was so turned off by the games women played, the lies they told the lives they Capri Montgomery 115

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  ruined that he hadn’t wanted to be with any of them. Coming inside Alaina had been like finding Eureka. The woman was tight and hot, and wet—so wet that he almost climaxed the second he got inside her. She purred like a kitten, roared like a tiger, and she met him, thrust for thrust, lick for lick…incredible didn’t begin to describe the sensations she had provoked.

  Every time he looked at her he wanted to take her where she stood, taste her, touch her, slide so deep inside her that they wouldn’t be able to tell where he stopped and she began.

  He needed to focus. He needed to concentrate on the mission at hand because that mission meant keeping his woman alive. She was his, and he intended to claim her as such. But first, he had work to do.

  “You lost two men in your life…both were in cars when they died.”

  “My father was murdered. Unfortunately one of my mother’s cases followed her home. Troy’s death was an accident.”

  “Maybe,” he mumbled. It may not have been either. His gut told him it wasn’t. There was something more here, something that connected everything. He just needed to figure out what.

  “Is there anybody who might know what he was working on?”

  “I doubt it,” she said. “Troy played things really close to the vest.

  Even though he wasn’t considered a hard nose reporter he liked the element of surprise.” She laughed. “He always said the element of surprise would come in handy one day. He was going to show the world who Troy Saints and Sinners 116

  Christianson was one surprise at a time. But you know, maybe he told Alexander Kensington something about it.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “He’s the editor of the paper that Troy worked for in Augusta…also freelance. Troy didn’t really have a home as a reporter at any paper. He wanted one. I always knew he deserved it. He could write better than half the popular reporters today, but sometimes, even in that industry, it’s about who you know…unless you find some massive story you can put out before anybody else. I think it’s why he wanted the Times so badly…he wanted to be in the game that mattered.”

  “Well then we’ll check with this Kensington guy and see if Troy told him anything. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “Do you want the number of the editor in New York?”

  “No, not yet.” He had an idea that Troy wouldn’t have risked having his story scooped by another reporter at the Times. He was sure, if he had given anybody insight it would have been somebody at the Augusta paper. Given how loyal Alaina made Troy sound, he was starting to think Troy would have given the guys in Augusta first option for his story. Of course if it were really massive then the story would get more press with the larger New York paper.

  “You know, Troy did live with me before he died. I packed up his things, but they’re still at my place. I don’t think he brought work home, but if he did there might be something there.” Capri Montgomery 117

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  Suddenly he felt jealous of a dead man. Being
jealous of a dead man was crazy, but he was. Troy had known Alaina in a way he didn’t, in a way he wanted to. He wanted her to be at ease with him in the way she had been at ease with Troy. It would take time; time he hoped they would have; time he needed to make sure they would have.

  “I don’t want to take you back to your place, not yet. We’ll try the editor first. Your place is a last resort.”

  “Okay. I’ll call him.”

  “No,” he reached up, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, needing to feel her body pressed completely against his. “I like the element of surprise idea; always have.” She slid her hand down his body and reached between them. He moaned. She laughed.

  “Can we get back to this first?”

  “Absolutely.” She was ready for satisfaction and he was willing to give it to her while taking his own satisfaction in return.

  By the time they surfaced for air it was too late to make the trip into Augusta. They had a quick dinner, showered and found themselves back in bed again. By midnight Alaina had fallen asleep in his arms. He looked down at her. She looked peaceful, almost angelic and vulnerable.

  Despite the look of her, he knew she was strong. He liked that strength in her. Despite what she had gone through, despite the hardships and pain, she was a good person with a good heart.

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  He realized if his gut turned out to be wrong that he would be wasting valuable time chasing down nothing; but if his gut happened to be right and everything was connected then their search might save Alaina’s life. He had one more option and he planned to use it. The McGregor men were, and would always be, two of the best investigative analysts he knew.

  Gavin had relocated himself to South Dakota for his beautiful new wife.

  Thomas, of course, was still close enough to help him immediately, and that’s what he needed. He couldn’t afford to wait. Alaina’s life depended on his promptness.

  He unfolded himself from her embrace, grabbed his cell and went into the kitchen.