by Reina Torres
She’d never say a word to anyone, but she liked this better.
Watching his hand, the hard length he held, bared to her gaze. And then the feel of him pressing against her, stretching her around him.
Hi`ilani watched him as he let go, smoothing his hand under her thigh, opening her farther so they could both watch the way he fit inside her.
Stroked her in the most intimate of ways, and filled her.
She lifted her hand and smoothed it up his stomach, smiling at the way her fingers bumped into the ridges of his muscles, the way it made him gasp and tense.
“I love you, Jackson. So much it scares me.”
“You terrify me,” she heard the truth in his voice. “Touching you, holding you,” he touched his hand to her belly and smoothed his thumb over her skin, “making love to you is everything to me. I won’t lose you again.”
Hi`ilani shook her head, managing to whisper around the tightness in her throat. “I can’t lose you either.”
“I’m going to hold onto you so tight.”
“Then show me, Jack.” She grabbed his arms and tried to draw him down to her. “Show me how.”
He withdrew almost to the tip and she felt empty, almost scared.
He lifted his eyes to hers and shook his head. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
And to prove his point he was suddenly filling her again.
And again.
His arm under her leg, holding her close, it felt more like dancing, driving a hard, demanding rhythm and she felt like laughing, crying, everything.
She felt him around her.
In her.
Every breath she took, she took from air that he breathed. The air that had touched his skin.
It never seemed to end, pushing forward, pushing them higher on the bed, deeper and harder until she was sure she would be able to absorb him through her skin.
The fan above them, spinning through the humid air was all she could hear above the rush of blood coursing through her ears. Spinning and spinning like the thoughts in her head.
She felt light as if she would float if Jackson moved away, she’d never been so grateful for his delicious weight on top of her.
Canting her hips up, his next thrust had her grasping at him, desperate for release. And she was so, so close.
“A little more, Jack. Please. A little harder.”
“You are trying to kill me.”
She opened her mouth to speak but his hand fell to her hip and he gave her harder and faster.
Hi`ilani took it all and held onto him as if her life depended on it.
A moment later it did.
Her release curled through her body like a wave over the reef, breaking and spinning, energy becoming energy. Pleasure rushed through her veins, traveling through every inch of her body.
She felt him tense against her.
Felt his cock twitch inside her body as her own spasmed around him.
“Jack,” she gasped out his name once, twice… who knows how many times.
But she finally quieted down when she felt his lips on her neck, heard his voice murmur against her skin. “I’ll never let you go.”
It was still dark when she woke up. Most mornings she slept in. Saving her energy for the classes that she taught and then her performances at night. Being up before the sun was not what she did.
Stretching on the bed she turned on her side and saw Jackson sprawled on the bed. He was out like a light and she lifted a hand, stroking her fingertips down his cheek.
He turned and pressed a kiss to her fingers before mumbling in her direction. “Come back to bed, baby.”
She smiled and sighed. “I’m still in bed.”
“Oh, good.”
And he was out like a light again.
Sliding to the edge of the bed, she set her feet on the ground and stood up.
So far so good.
It wasn’t that she was trying to get away from him.
No. She just had to use the restroom and really who wants to tell your guy that you have to pee?
Not her. And not the guy that ran super-secret missions to save people.
Besides, she’d be back in bed in a minute or two. What was the harm?
She bent down and picked up Jackson’s shirt that she’d worn the night before and slipped it over her head. Darting into the shared bathroom she was very happy that his friends weren’t coming back for a little bit. It was going to get very interesting when there were four of them in the house and one bathroom to share.
Closing the door, she crossed to the far side of the room and tried to ignore the slight wince when she sat down. They hadn’t stopped at one time the night before. After they’d napped a bit she woke up and wrapped her arms around him, reaching her hand under the blanket and…
She heard Jackson walking outside the door and she felt guilty for leaving the room without telling him. Worrying that he was upset, it only took her a few seconds to finish up and wash her hands.
Wiping her hands on a towel hanging on a rod against the side wall she stepped to the door and opened it up.
“Hey, Jack, I-”
The face that looked back at her wasn’t Jack. The eyes were enough for her to see the difference. She was exhausted, but fear lent her strength.
Slamming the door, she screamed.
Chapter 10
Jackson leapt out of bed, his sidearm in his hand. It took him less than a heartbeat to cross the room and fling open the door. The man standing in the hall was glaring at him.
Jerking his thumb at the bathroom door, Baron sighed and clenched his teeth together. “I think I scared your girl.”
“Woman,” Jackson corrected him with a pointed grin.
“Whatever you want to call her, she’s going to wake the neighbors and that means-”
“That a one-star general is going to be breathing down our asses.”
Baron’s smile was almost feral. “Your ass, maybe. I’ll throw you under the bus so fast.”
Jackson leaned closer to the bathroom door and knocked on it. “It’s okay. You can come out.”
“Seriously? Is that guy gone? Did you chase him away?”
“It’ll take more than you screaming to chase this guy away. He’s one of my team.”
The door swung open and Hi`ilani moved straight from the bathroom to his side. “I thought you said it would take a day or two.”
Baron snorted and Jackson glared at him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming in early?”
“I got in on a military transport less than two hours ago. I came straight here. Not my fault this house only has one bathroom.” Ignoring his brother-in-arms, he held out his hand to Hi`ilani. “Sorry about that. They call me Baron.”
She reached out a hand and shook Baron’s hand. “I’m Hi`ilani.”
“Oh,” Baron gave her a grin, “I know.”
Hi`ilani had no idea how rare a smile like that was.
A knock at the front door turned all of their heads.
Jackson pulled her to his side and then turned to put himself between her and the front door.
Before Jackson could ask, Baron held up his hands. “I’ll get the door, but I wouldn’t worry,” he explained as he walked across the room, “the bad guys rarely knock.”
Jackson knew Baron was right, but still…
Baron looked through the clear-glass, half-circle window and gestured at Jackson’s weapon before he reached the door.
Jackson set his gun down on a shelf built into the wall, tucking it behind a bunch of books. “Hey, guys.” Stepping aside, Baron gestured for the men to enter. “Did you get a noise complaint?”
One of the MPs looked back at Baron. “General Sanderson said there was screaming coming from this house.”
“That was me, sorry.”
Jackson looked down at Hi`ilani and gave her a smile before he addressed the officers. “My girlfriend is staying over for a few days and we didn’t expect Lt. Roth to
be back from his trip so early.”
The attention shifted back to Baron who shrugged. “Consider this a lesson learned. When you share one of these houses, add in another bathroom or two. Sharing sucks.”
“It was dark,” Hi`ilani explained, moving to Jackson’s side, “I opened the door and he was standing there. I’m sorry if I caused trouble.”
Jackson noticed that the men were having a little difficulty with keeping their eyes strictly on her face.
Turning slightly, he followed their gazes with his own.
When he looked back at the MPs, Jackson couldn’t help but see that Baron knew what he was thinking. Apparently he’d noticed what Hi`ilani was… or wasn’t wearing.
“So, is there anything you need from us besides an assurance that we’ll keep things quiet?”
He’d caught the two unawares and when they turned to look at him, they nodded and then shook their heads, still a little dazed.
“Thank you, and um… in the future, just keep each other informed about your plans. Okay?”
Jackson hoped that Baron kept his temper in check. He took orders from certain people. Well, two. That was it. Having an MP give them ‘advice’ pushed on that line. “Thanks. We’ll keep that in mind.”
The men said their good byes and left leaving the three of them alone again.
Baron locked the door and flopped down on the sofa putting his feet up on the armrest and one arm behind his head. “So, things have certainly changed while I’ve been gone.”
Hi`ilani looked over at Baron before she met Jackson’s eyes. She looked a little shell shocked.
Jackson put his hands on her arms and gave her a gentle squeeze. “You okay?”
Her laughter was a little forced. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just a little tired and now I’m feeling a little silly.” She darted a glance around him at his teammate. “I’m sure it wasn’t the best first impression.”
Looking over his shoulder, Jackson gave Baron a look that clearly told him to behave.
Baron gave him a wide-eyed innocent stare.
Oh, brother.
He turned back to Hi`ilani and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. You didn’t know the jerk was going to show up out of nowhere-”
“To my own house!” Baron sighed loudly.
“Without calling to let us know he was on island.”
“And if I had called,” Baron cleared his throat, “I can guess what the two of you were doing at that time. I don’t think you would have answered.”
Jackson felt her reaction. She pulled away slightly, her gaze meeting his with a troubled furrow between her brows.
Her face was flushed red under her tan and he saw the worry in her eyes.
Leaning closer, he touched his forehead to hers and whispered. “Go and finish getting dressed.”
“Go and finish…” she looked down at her bare legs and ran for the bedroom.
He watched her go and even when she closed the door to their bedroom he didn’t turn around.
“Well, look at you, Ajax. Or should we change it to Odysseus, since she was your once and now future woman?”
Jackson still didn’t turn around. “If you’re trying to get me to kick your sorry ass-”
“I think maybe I should let your woman know that you seem to be obsessed with my ass.”
Jackson heard Baron shifting on the couch and turned. “Kicking it? Sure. That’s all of it.”
Baron was nodding at him. “And given the look that we got of her ass, I know you’ve got more than enough to hold onto.”
He growled at his friend. “You didn’t see her… you didn’t see anything of the kind,” he informed him, “my shirt isn’t that short on her.”
An eyebrow crooked up giving Baron a knowing look. “And I have a feeling while I was heading back here to base it was you and not your shirt that was on her.”
Jackson glared at him. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. Stop.”
Baron looked back at him with an even stare. “Besides saving her life, you’re telling me that this is a thing again?”
“It was always a thing for me. I never wanted to give her up.”
“You were the only one of us who was involved at the time and you were a pain in the ass for months after you broke up with her.” Baron yawned and let one foot fall down to the ground, the sound heavier because of his boots. “You know I’ll have your back no matter what, but this… between the two of you. You’re good? Happy?”
“Everything’s been a bit of a rush, but even before the shooting I knew I needed her back in my life.”
Groaning, Baron sat up, letting his other foot drop down to the ground. With a hand on the back of the seat, he pushed himself up. “Well, I am going to use the bathroom now that it’s empty and then get some shut-eye.”
Jackson could only smile at his teammate. “Thanks for coming back early.”
Baron looked back at him, his face set in his customarily stoic stare. “Like I said, I’ve got your back.” Shrugging, he added the littlest bit of a smile at the corners. “And by extension, hers too. Go, get in bed and try not to be too loud. Some of us don’t have someone gorgeous to snuggle up to.”
Jackson kept his mouth shut even though he just couldn’t seem to imagine Baron snuggling up to anyone.
One step shy of his doorway, Jackson’s second in command added one more thought. “And while she’s here, can we keep the amount of feminine paraphernalia in the bathroom to a minimum.”
“You’re tired, Baron. Go and get some sleep or I’ll let Hi`ilani kick your ass. She’d like it too.”
Baron nodded agreeably. “And really, the way she looks? I might enjoy it too.”
Jackson left his friend standing in the hallway with a one finger salute in his direction. Baron’s laughter followed him as he closed the door.
Peck had to turn his body almost sideways to fit through the narrow gate. A heartbeat later he had to crouch down to clear his head through the doorway. Once inside the darkened stairwell he reached up to pluck at the ridiculous cotton shirt he wore.
Sato, the bastard that he was, thought he was something of a wit when he told him to change the way he dressed.
“You stick out like a sore hand, Peck.”
“Don’t you mean a sore thumb?”
His eyes were hard even though Sato smiled. “You’re too damn big to be just a thumb.”
So there he was in one of those ubiquitous aloha shirts, but one that was muted in color, moving around the Chinatown area thinking he’d still stick out.
But thanks to the age that he lived in there were so many people on their phones that the only people who seemed to notice him knew better than to make a fuss.
Fear was a helpful thing in his line of work.
The stairs were short, likely made back when the people who lived here when it was a thriving community of immigrants, but amazingly quiet, even under his heavier footsteps.
The upper hallway had all of one working bulb and even that flickered on and off. “What a dump.”
The door at the end of the hallway was his aim, at least what he’d been told by the dealer he’d found lurking in the alley outside of O’Malley’s bar.
He didn’t even bother to knock, just twisted the knob and gave the door a good shove. The lock was old enough that it slipped free and swung open.
On the couch, Billy barely managed to lift his head. “What are you doing here”
“I’m here, because having you hide out isn’t helping my boss.”
Billy’s hand fell from the back of the couch and onto his chest. “He’s my boss too.”
“Good. Glad you remembered, because he’s got a job for you.”
Peck moved across the tiny apartment and picked up the ancient coffee pot and took a sniff of the brew in it.
It smelled like sulfur, moved like tar. He couldn’t even toss it in the sink, it barely slid an inch down the side of the pot when he turned it over.
<
br /> “You’re a slob, Billy boy. A damn slob.” Grabbing the knob on the sink he twisted it. The pipes shuddered and the water found a way out of the spigot, an almost clear gush of water. Good enough to slosh out the sludge. “I’m going to make you some coffee,” he turned and saw Billy reaching for the pipe on the table, “touch that and I’ll break your hand.”
Billy slouched back on the couch cushion. “What do you care? Wouldn’t it be easier for Sato if I killed myself?”
“Not at the moment. The boss has a big job for you. A way to prove that you’re not that much of a fuck up.”
Lowering his bare feet to the floor, Billy sat up and groaned. He dropped his head into his hands. “What now?”
When Peck set the coffee pot down it made a rather disgusting crunch on whatever crusty remains were on the metal plate.
Once he flicked the switch and saw the red-light blink on, he turned back around and glared at Billy. “We need to get you sober enough to remember the plan.”
“And then?”
Peck tugged at the cotton fabric, pulling it away from his sweaty chest. “And then you’re going to get yourself caught by the police.”
“What the hell? No way! He said I needed to hide out!”
“He changed his mind. With you missing, they’re hiding that girl away somewhere. If you were behind bars, they’ll loosen up.”
Squeezing his eyes shut against the pain of the sunlight hitting his eyes from a crack in the window, Billy cursed. “And you? You’re going to be caught too?”
“Idiot,” Peck glared at him. “I need to stay out here so I can clean up your mess, Billy. And until that happens… you’re more help to us behind bars than sitting here in your own filth.”
Hi`ilani barely managed to fall into the chair at the Local Grinds Coffee Shop. “My feet are aching!”
Mary and Rayne took the seats on either side of her, laughing the whole time. “This is nothing,” Rayne leaned in and sighed happily, “it seems like every one of our women has needed to replace their entire wardrobe at some point after meeting one of the men.”
