by Karen Anders
The water soothed her parched throat and she felt a tiny bit guilty she’d overplayed her injuries. She found a lot of men in law enforcement were very protective and a swooning woman hit all the right buttons. She couldn’t say she wouldn’t want to hit some of his other buttons. Being cradled in his arms made her forget about the bruised ribs that were all too real.
She downplayed her experience in her head because it was so much easier than dealing with what had happened to her at the hands of Eduardo Fuentes. She knew her stepbrother would never have backed down from a challenge, and she had no intention of backing down, either.
“Better?” he asked.
She nodded and gave him a smile. His eyes lit up and he smiled back. Whoa, he was a loaded weapon and deadly with that smile.
“So, I’m sorry to pull you off whatever case you were working on to babysit me. I really don’t need a bodyguard. Too bad they’re worried about a mole. Looks like we have to play in the same sandbox for a little while.”
“I don’t mind kicking up some sand, Rio, as long as we’re honest with each other. Misinformation can be a dangerous thing.”
Rio bit her lip. She was already getting herself in trouble here. She absolutely hated this assignment, but the thought of an agent, someone like her stepbrother, losing his life due to interference in an investigation was more than her conscience could bear. She only had to keep him busy for two weeks, and then she’d be healed and ready to go at Fuentes again.
She smiled and nodded. “We have an interagency agreement.” She hoped this all wouldn’t backfire on her.
The door opened and the supervisor’s assistant let them know the car was downstairs.
Max put out his hand to help her up. Rio hesitated slightly before she slid her palm over his, trying to tamp down the excitement the warmth of his hand generated deep in the pit of her stomach.
A tropical paradise—warm sands, ocean breezes and decadence were almost enough to send her into another swoon, but add sexy Max Carpenter to that mix and it almost seemed, well…criminal.
TURNED ON AT 30,000 FEET. Probably made him a candidate for the Mile High Club, but engaging in sex in a tiny bathroom didn’t appeal to Max. He liked space and time to indulge himself in a woman, steep himself in her scent and the softness of her skin, take his sweet time in making her come long and hard.
The DEA hadn’t skimped on their accommodations. They were seated in first class with all the amenities—fancy booze, gourmet food and comfortable, spacious seats. But at this moment Max was crowded. Rio Marshall had fallen asleep shortly after takeoff. Her head had landed on his shoulder as soon as the “buckle seat belt” sign clicked off, and was now nestled against him, her copper hair spread all over his suit jacket.
When the flight attendant passed him, Max stopped her. “Could I get a blanket for the lady?”
“Certainly, sir,” the attendant said and she returned quickly with a blanket. He covered Rio, that damn protective instinct kicking in again. He couldn’t seem to help it. She may need his protection for the short term, but she was a seasoned agent and he was sure she had considerable skills. But she looked so defenseless with her dusky lashes against her pale cheeks. He could see more bruises she’d attempted to cover with makeup and he got angry all over again.
He loosened his tie and then pulled it off, unbuttoning a couple of his shirt buttons to get more comfortable.
Their flight was an hour to Honolulu and then another forty minutes to Maui.
Rio shifted in her sleep with a small moan that sliced through him with unexpected desire. The soft noise mimicked what she would sound like in the throes of passion. Her hand slid up his torso and rested at the base of his throat, her palm hot against his skin. The blanket slipped and exposed her long, shapely legs. Her delicate feet were wrapped in strappy sandals and her toenails painted a deep, passionate red.
He got hard just sitting here with her warm, pliant body against his, her soft hair tickling his chin, as he took in her clean, female scent every time he inhaled.
She moaned again, her eyes fluttering, but this time she was in distress. She shifted again and whimpered, her breathing coming faster.
“Rio,” he said softly, touching her shoulder. She jerked awake, her eyes open wide and frightened. “It’s okay.” He soothed her. “We’re on a plane on our way to Hawaii. You’re okay.”
With a soft cry she buried her face in his neck, her whole body trembling. Max gathered her close, holding her instinctively, knowing she needed the closeness and the comfort after her nightmare that was all too real.
His hand came up to smooth through her hair, and it was softer than it looked as he cradled her head.
“Man that was bad. I dreamed about my stepbrother and a day at the beach that turned bad. That’s odd.”
“Going through what you went through with the Ghost could mess with your head. Did you talk to your shrink?”
She raised her head, a wry look on her face. “Yes, I talked to her and she helped. But it was only four days ago and I just got out of the hospital.”
“Who got you out of Colombia?”
“A guy named Drew Miller and his team. They literally blew up part of Fuentes’s compound to get me out. I guess they wanted me back.”
“Miller? He’s going to be my new brother-in-law. He’s engaged to my sister Allie.”
“No kidding.”
She seemed to realize she was plastered to him and she moved away, suddenly self-conscious. Max would have been content to hold her all the way to Honolulu. His gut said there was something “off” about her he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She seemed so strong, but then…he wasn’t sure how to read her.
“Excuse me,” Rio said as she rose. “I need to use the bathroom.”
Max rose, too, and Rio squeezed by him, so close her breasts brushed against his chest.
He couldn’t help but watch as she made her way unsteadily down the aisle.
When he realized he was staring, he directed his attention away and sat down. But within minutes he felt a tap on his shoulder. Rio stood at his elbow. “I…ah…need your help.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“My bandage from my ribs has loosened and I just can’t get it tight enough. It’s at least bearable when it’s tight, but when it’s loose…”
He rose. “I guess the bathroom would be the best place.”
“Yes. I’m really sorry for bothering you.”
“It’s no bother.” Max’s eyes followed her curvy body down the aisle. She slipped inside the bathroom and he followed her in.
“I know this is awkward, but I have to lift your sweater.”
“Sure.”
He put his hands on her waist and rolled the sweater up all the way to her lacy, bright red, sexy bra, the soft skin of her torso smooth and warm beneath his hands.
He released the clips on her bandage and unwound it from around her ribs. Then he swore loud and long.
“What is it?”
He inhaled and closed his eyes at the damage they’d done to her. “Bastards. I’d like to get my hands on them.”
She looked down and realization dawned on her face. “Oh, the bruises. Yeah, they look pretty bad.”
“Pretty bad? They were brutal.”
“They wanted to know who I was and why I was there. When I didn’t give them any information, it made them really mad. They worked me over and threw me in a cell. I’m sure there would have been worse treatment, but Drew Miller showed up and got me out. I don’t remember much after that.”
“How tight do you want it?”
“Snug, but not too tight.”
He started to wrap the bandage and tried to be gentle, but she gasped. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s just really sore.”
“How’s that?”
“That’s good.”
He secured the bandage. But before he could pull down her sweater, the plane jerked and she was thrown against him.
As his back hit the door, his arms went around her to keep her ribs from taking any more damage. Her body was tight against his from his chest to his groin, her sweet face and lush lips inches from his own.
She stared up at him, her features softening. “Thank you for saving my ribs. You are my hero.”
He smiled slightly because she was trying to be funny in a funny situation, but her humor only added to his attraction to her.
Her eyes were deep and dark, guarding her secrets in that enigmatic way that only women possessed.
He’d experienced pure chemistry before, but with this woman, it was so much more than that. He wanted to get into her head, into her body and into her heart. His head descended, his mouth covered hers.
He kissed her with hunger and unadulterated need. His tongue dove deep, seeking the intimate flavor beyond her lips. His hands went to her butt, gripping her bottom tight, and dragged her into him, forcing her legs to widen against his hips so the thick length of his cock pressed hard, insistent and intimate against her damp heat.
She slid her arms around his neck and wrapped one of her long, slender legs around his leg. He leaned more fully into her and instinctively thrust, straining to get closer, just as she arched rhythmically against him in perfect unison. Had it not been for her insubstantial panties and the material of his dress pants separating them, the motion would have caused him to slide deep inside her…right where he wanted to be.
He groaned at the incredible surge of hot, carnal lust that kicked up his adrenaline a few notches. He felt primal and possessive and ravenous, burning up from the inside out and unable to get enough of this woman who affected him not only sexually, but also on a deeper level he’d yet to fully define. All he knew was he had to have her, and then he’d work on unraveling the mystery surrounding her, the contradictions, and the secrets she seemed determined to keep. He already knew one night with her wasn’t going to be enough for him.
She moaned and panted against his lips, her thigh locking along the back of his thigh as her hips rocked and gyrated against his shaft. He felt her shudder and was stunned to realize she was on the precarious verge of coming…just like this. She seemed to realize it at the same moment, too, and with a soft gasp she pressed her palms against his shoulders in an attempt to push him away and stop the spiraling madness.
But he wasn’t about to let such a provocative encounter end without giving her the release her body so obviously needed. Wrenching his mouth from hers, he stared into her bright, startled eyes, all the while keeping up the steady pressure and the illicit friction that was driving her toward that ultimate peak of pleasure.
He saw her fear and the pain she’d endured and he saw the need for her to experience life after coming so close to death. “Let it happen. Take what you need,” he said.
His words must have struck a chord with her, because she did exactly that. Her hands relaxed and slid down his chest, and she tossed her head back with a soft, dissolving kind of moan. Her body arched into his one last time before she succumbed to the orgasm she’d been desperately trying to hold at bay.
Muscles wired taut with discipline, he gritted his teeth to keep from tumbling over the same edge that promised pure ecstasy. Instead he focused on her beautiful face as she came, captivated by her sensuality and enthralled by her candid response.
A sigh of contentment escaped her lips and she drifted back in slow, gradual degrees, her half-mast eyes a languid shade of amber. She looked incredibly sexy and fulfilled.
He couldn’t help himself. Everything about Rio Marshall was gunslinger-tough, even her name. It wasn’t anything overt she was doing, just the entire package she presented.
He hadn’t meant to kiss her, but her silky voice and her soft body—along with the courage it must have taken to defy her captors—and the abuse she’d suffered were all too much.
He’d always been drawn to strength. Something she had in spades.
Rio looked up at him as dazed as he was. “This is very inconvenient, Agent Carpenter.”
He’d faced danger head-on, sudden danger, and known danger, but kissing Rio and making her come were two of the most dangerous acts he’d ever performed. She was supposed to be a job.
But now he wanted a lot more than to protect her with his body—he wanted her body under him, on top of him, all over him.
Max felt a settling deep inside where he was always restless. Something was changing inside him and he was powerless to stop it.
All of a sudden, sex in an airplane bathroom didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
2
“HEY, ARE YOU almost done in there? There’s a line out here.”
Rio’s eyes snapped open and she pushed away from his chest. Well, she could check one thing off her clandestine list. She’d seduced Max Carpenter, except he’d turned the tables on her and he’d been the one doing all the work and she’d reaped the rewards.
She could tell by the look in his eyes the people outside the door didn’t bother him and the part of her that lived for the adrenaline rush wanted to forget about them, too. But she must not be too wanton, too eager, and give up the prize too soon.
It didn’t help that Max was one of the good guys. And considering he was also the epitome of a bad boy was quite an intoxicating mix. And doubly dangerous. To her, and to her mission. From the moment she’d met Max, she had this uncontrollable urge to confide in him. And, just now, she wanted to lean on him, wanted things she couldn’t have. But for Rio that was out of the question. She’d been making her own way since her stepbrother, Shane, had given his life in the war against drugs.
She pushed away from him, fighting an internal battle of want over necessity. This man made it easy to play the siren. One look from him and she felt like some primal creature whose only edict was to dissolve him down to his most fundamental core. It was a wonder they both hadn’t gone up in flames. And God help her, it was her mission to do so. In her mind, keeping him occupied hadn’t really involved anything physical between them. Rio could have avoided it and still kept him right where she wanted him. But that was before she’d met him.
“The move is yours,” Max said.
“This isn’t some chess game. There are angry people out there who need to take care of a different bodily function. They get just as testy about their needs as we do.”
“I doubt that, but I’m trained to handle them.”
“I bet you can handle just about anything.”
He laughed. “That was before I met you.”
“We’re supposed to be focusing on hiding. Inciting an angry mob on an airplane is a good way to draw attention to ourselves. This is supposed to be about business,” Rio said.
“FBI and DEA business,” he said.
Rio got a glimpse of that slick, intelligent mind. “Bodyguard business,” she corrected.
“I’m thinking about your body right now.” His grin was as unabashed as ever. He pressed his hips against hers, making them both groan just a little.
“I can see and, oh, my, feel you are, but let’s let these people get on with their…business.”
Some of the fog blessedly lifted from his eyes. “Okay, Rio, but I’ve got a feeling you can handle yourself quite easily without a bodyguard.”
“Except I’m injured.”
“True,” he said.
She disengaged her hands from his and tried to put some distance between them. She hadn’t expected to feel such a strong tug. A tug that wasn’t entirely physical. It was bad enough he could make her body tremble in need with nothing more than a glance and a smile. Her heart absolutely could not—would not—come into play. And yet she was looking at him and feeling something was undeniably out of control.
Foolhardy indeed.
She needed to get some distance from him, and quickly, if she was going to think even a bit clearly on the matter. For whatever reason—and she was certain he had one—he let her go.
She thought she’d been having a crappy day when she’d so badly b
ungled her one prime opportunity to get some dirt on Eduardo Fuentes. Now, she was away from Colombia and her one objective, completing a mission she didn’t want to complete. Duping a man like Max would come back to haunt her. She knew it.
But a DEA agent’s life hung in the balance and Max’s investigation could put that agent’s life in danger.
When she was ready to leave, Max opened the door. He stepped out and held out his hand. Rio took it, the warmth of his palm like a shock to her system. She held her ribs as she stepped over the threshold, making it clear to the people waiting she was injured. Some eyes were sly, but she ignored them as she followed him back to their seats.
“That was decidedly embarrassing.”
“Ha. All those guys wish they could step out of an airplane lavatory with a woman like you with your beautiful face and all this amazing red hair.”
He said it easily, without artifice.
A blush stained her cheeks, catching her off guard. It was surprising she had this reaction now, as what they had done together in the lavatory made blushing seem ridiculous.
It was true their interactions had been lustful, but the fact he had said something so earnest, and so…genuine made her react in ways that were dangerous to say the least. Such as wondering what it would be like to be with Max in regular, day-to-day situations, where she wouldn’t have to watch every word, every move she made, looking for potential danger to her mission. It was a jarring concept.
She slid into her seat. “Thank you for the compliment,” she said, still struggling to reset her equilibrium even now that his hands weren’t on her. “But we need to remember why we’re on this plane and heading out of Los Angeles.”
“The Ghost,” Max growled. “I was getting close. I could feel it.”
“It sounds personal.”
“It is. And it’s professional, too. And how about you? What got you into hot water in Colombia? Sounds like you made a bad decision, or worse, one that didn’t involve intellect, but emotion.”
She was silent for a moment, and then said, “Touché, Max.” Her personal agenda regarding her stepbrother was her business. She didn’t share with people and she certainly wasn’t going to share with Max. She tightened her resolve. She only had to distract Max for two weeks. Then she would be healed and ready to tackle Fuentes again.
