"'Nuff said. You both look like hell, so I'll let you shower and change while I whip up something to eat. If you're up to it, we can pop a movie in the DVD later."
Erika exhaled, her shoulders relaxed. Chad's invitation to shower signaled that he'd let it go. She needed to check in with the CO first, but then the idea of a hot shower and losing herself in a flick for a couple of hours held great appeal. Anything to distract her from the fact that she'd be spending the night under the same roof as Aiden.
After agreeing to regroup in half an hour, Chad escorted Aiden upstairs. Erika watched as Aiden's fine butt flexed with each step he took, until he turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Dear merciful God, how could she have forgotten how handsome the man was? And why was he getting to her after so many years apart?
As she'd watched him from a distance for the past month, his rugged good looks didn't hold near the distraction they did up close. Dark eyebrows arched over deep-set gray eyes. His nose broadened at the tip a bit much to be considered classical. When combined with his chiseled cheekbones, full lower lip, and powerful cleft chin, the effect was devastating.
Then there was that body ... slap a black cowboy hat on his head and he'd look like a hunky country singer. Since a short stint in Texas, she'd become a big fan of country music and a bigger fan of some of its male stars.
She shook off thoughts of Aiden upstairs, naked in a shower, and made her way to the office. From there, she'd be able to make a secure phone call and receive any information available by fax or computer. Right now, she needed to be reminded of her responsibilities and her job. She had to get this mission back on track.
Her perfect record at AFSA was not about to be broken now.
* * * *
Damn, damn, damn.
Hot water pounded Aiden's body as he stood in the shower stall heating away the aches and pains, but it didn't manage to knock any sense into him. He wondered how in the hell he'd managed to end up in an AFSA safe house, naked, with an ex-girlfriend prowling the halls outside the bathroom door. When had his life gone so out of control?
He'd been on his way to the office, going back even after one of the senior partners had forced him home on Friday night with orders to take the weekend off because he'd been putting in too many hours. He didn't need to sit in his apartment and take some time off. That was for the fortunate ones who had a life outside the office. Who'd ever heard of a senior partner telling an associate to not work too hard, anyway?
It was much easier for him to work sixteen hours a day, cracking the law books and pretending his life hadn't gotten so far off track. He could fall into an exhausted restless sleep until the alarm signaled the start of yet another day of faking it.
After his divorce, he'd immersed himself in his work. The long hours filled the time between weekend visits with his children. He missed Samantha and Christopher. Being with them for only two days a week sucked. Part of him wished he and Nancy had been able to make their marriage work. Or more accurately, according to Nancy, that he'd been able to make their marriage work. All those years, ever since he was little, he'd thought he wanted a traditional marriage—with him as the breadwinner, a stay-at-home wife, and children. When he had it, he'd discovered it wasn't what he wanted, after all. In the end, he'd made the decision to do what was best for all of them; he'd moved out and Nancy had filed for divorce.
So how did he get to today? After dropping the twins off back at the house, he'd gone home, showered, and headed for the office. He'd stepped out of his apartment building, thumbed the button on his remote start fob, and blown his life past hell.
All because of Sonny. Again.
If that weren't bad enough, Erika Dalton dropped into his life from one too many wet dreams and pulled him right back into the espionage and drama and danger he'd left the Air Force to avoid. He'd gotten out as soon as his five year hitch ended—having endured more excitement for more than two lifetimes—found a safe and quiet life, and hadn't looked back. Seems he didn't need to—the bullshit found him.
Dammit. He wanted nothing to do with any of this. He wanted to go back to his Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day existence. He'd left the Air Force for a more normal—read that unexciting—life. It didn't get more normal than being a divorced father. Even his job as a corporate compliance attorney smacked of average and mainstream.
He'd gotten exactly what he wished for when he'd left his job as a counter-narcotics intelligence officer behind.
Hadn't he?
Flipping the nozzle and turning off the water, Aiden stepped out of the shower and dried off. His first order of business involved finding Erika and demanding she talk to her CO about a way to get him back home to his so-called life, as soon as possible. Sonny had ruined his life once before, too many lives, and he refused to allow the drug lord to do it again. They'd just have to find a way to keep him and his family safe while they concentrated their efforts on returning Sonny to prison.
Aiden stood in front of the sink, staring at himself in the steamy mirror. Erika Dalton. Over the years, he'd worked to get as far away from her as possible. He'd forgotten how her startling emerald green eyes captivated him. He'd forgotten how her luxurious brown hair refused to be contained. He'd failed to remember the full curve of her breasts and the subtle swell of her ass. The Erika Dalton of his fantasies for more than a decade was a pale comparison to the real one. He'd been fantasizing about her when he should have been lusting after his wife. Being with her again could not possibly be a good thing. Could it? After all, nothing had changed.
He had to confront her, get rid of Sonny, and get back on solid ground.
Plan of action determined, Aiden wrapped the towel around his hips and struck out in the direction of the bedroom Marilyn had pointed out. He didn't relish putting on dirty, torn clothes that stank of smoke, but he didn't have a choice. Since he was taller and heavier than the only other man in the house, borrowing a t-shirt and shorts wasn't an option.
Fifteen minutes later, he exited the room and heard the water running. Erika had hopped into the shower. Visions of her naked wet body crowded out all rational thought. Hell yes, he needed to get out of here sooner than humanly possible. Being around Erika stirred up memories of the life he'd left behind and didn't want to return to.
He tracked down Marilyn in the den and settled in to watch a movie and munch on a couple of sandwiches while he waited for Erika. Stretched out in the leather armchair in front of the big screen television, he decided AFSA officers sure lived well. When he'd been a counter-narcotics intelligence officer, his free time had been spent in primitive third world conditions. Damn, he'd picked the wrong branch of the intel field. If he'd chosen this one, maybe he'd still be a part of the Air Force.
"She's a hell of a woman.” Marilyn's voice broke the silence.
"Who's that?"
"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly who I mean. The woman you pretended not to date our first class year, even though everyone knew you two had it bad. The woman you're still pretending to ignore."
"Hey, dude, cadets don't ca-date.” Aiden recited the lame ass rule told to every incoming cadet. It beat acknowledging the second comment.
"Oh, and no one ever broke that rule. I have to give you two credit for not flaunting your relationship like some classmates."
Aiden chuckled. There was no point in denying the comment, but he was not in the mood to discuss his past relationship with Erika with anyone. Not even one of his closest friends from his Academy days. He regretted that he'd been forced to cut off relationships with all of his military buddies once he got out, but he couldn't risk anyone from Sonny's organization using those relationships to track him.
And yet, they had.
How?
"Don't look so worried. She's one of the best officers—if not the best—in the AFSA. You can trust her with your life."
That gave Aiden pause. The Marilyn he'd known didn't hand out compliments unless they were justified.
"
She'll get you to wherever it is you're going in one piece, regardless of what you're up against."
"All she has to do is get me back to Cinci. I can hide there until this all blows over. I'll play possum like a good guy, but I have no desire to go halfway across the country just to hide out.” Nope, he'd given up exciting and dangerous when he'd gotten out of the Air Force. He had no intention of being dragged back into it.
He liked his life just the way it was. Didn't he? His year-long funk had to do with missing his kids, right? Not any greater dissatisfaction with his life.
Marilyn clicked off the television and sat up in his recliner. “You can't be serious? Look, I don't know why you're here and I don't want to know. Okay, so maybe I do. But the fact you're sitting in the middle of an AFSA safe house tells me that you're in some deep shit. Erika wouldn't have brought you here if she thought she had another option. Did you even know about these safe houses until you got here?"
Aiden shrugged his shoulders.
"You need Ed."
"All I need is to go home."
"You need to listen to me, ‘cause it's not like I can pull rank on you or anything.” Chad shifted in his seat, glaring at Aiden. “The fact they sent Ed on this assignment indicates that something huge is going down. You need to reclaim your balls, work with her, and do what's best for yourself."
Aiden about choked as he glared back at his one-time friend. What the hell did this man know about him any more? “Excuse me?"
"No, I won't excuse you. The Aiden Greene I knew played at life to win. He was a leader, a fighter. Sure as hell not a tuck-his-dick-between-his-legs-and-hide-out-dipshit. Definitely not this lame-ass sitting in front of me. 'All she has to do is take me back to Cincinnati.' The man I knew jumped into the action so fast, no one knew what the hell he was doing until he'd done it. He would have taken an active role in whatever the hell is going down, not sat back and taken it up the ass like a pussy. So, like I said, grab your balls and get back in the game."
"You have no idea what happened in Cancuen."
"You're right, I don't. I've heard rumors, but that's all I know. It doesn't change my opinion one damn bit. You caved, buddy, gave in. You may have captured Sonny, but in the end, you fucking let him win. The time has come to find yourself a pair of brass ones and be the man the military trained you to be."
* * * *
The glowing red light of the alarm clock mocked Erika. Time moved with excruciating slowness as she tossed and turned, wide awake and hypervigilant all night long. Her mind raced, preventing her body from getting the sleep she needed. Even the steady drone and cooling air of the ceiling fan failed to soothe her.
Her conversation with Colonel Covington, her CO, replayed through her mind. She'd come dangerously close to disobeying a direct order when he'd commanded her to drive Aiden straight to Bolling with all due haste when all she wanted to do was get away from him. Covington had assigned his best officer to this aspect of the case and expected a successful mission, points he'd made patently clear.
Too bad he hadn't known the cost to her. Being so close to Aiden weakened her. He was her kryptonite. The guys back at the base would get their jollies if they learned their Superwoman had an Achilles’ heel. Not that she planned to reveal any such thing to any such person.
It sucked even admitting it to herself. But as much as her conversation with her CO looped through her brain in a continuous playback, memories of Aiden past and present crowded in.
She'd avoided Aiden and Chad after that conversation with the colonel. She didn't have the strength to face Aiden, knowing she'd have to tell him they were about to drive halfway across the United States. There'd be plenty of time to tell him as soon as she felt stronger, more in control, when she'd be able to resist whatever he threw at her. So she'd called down her regrets and headed to bed.
Aiden had been hard to resist at the Academy, turning the heads of many female cadets and inspiring fantasies. Including hers. They'd had several classes together and been part of study groups by the time the second semester of their second class year rolled around. Their friendship had been forged through the fires of physical training and hours of academic pursuit. As much as she'd been aware of him as a man, she'd never imagined he thought of her as anything other than a fellow cadet. Until a late night study session, when he snuck a kiss in the library in between rows and rows of books and discussions of ethics and leadership and asked her to the Ring Dance. From then on, they'd spent as much time together as possible.
Until he'd shown his true colors and they'd crashed and burned faster than a newbie naval pilot on her first attempt at a carrier landing.
She'd gone half mad alone in the bedroom, so she sucked up some courage and headed back downstairs. There she found Chad stretched out in the only chair and Aiden sitting on a small couch, more of a love seat, really. She debated the merits of sitting on the floor. Not willing to give either man any cause to question her, she flopped down on the couch, too close to Aiden for her comfort.
Serious effort had been exerted in order to keep the memory of Aiden's old-fashioned Cro-Magnon beliefs first and foremost in her mind as she sat watching an action movie with the guys. Visions of tangling her fingers in Aiden's too long hair prevented her from concentrating on the events on the small screen. Memories of his body pressed between her thighs a few hours earlier when she'd landed on top of him near the burning wreckage heated her blood, most of the warmth pooling between her legs. Her nipples ached, tightening into stiff peaks she prayed weren't obvious in the dim light.
Damn traitorous body. It only remembered the good times they'd shared at the Academy.
Women were supposed to be ruled by their emotions and hers were decidedly anti-Aiden. For once, she wished her body would behave more like the woman she was and not like a man, ruled by his libido. It just happened to be damned inconvenient to be lusting after the one she'd parted with on very bad terms and hadn't seen in more than ten years. The distraction robbed her of her focus, a dangerous position to be in given the fact that one attempt had already been made on Aiden's life. She needed all her wits to deliver him to her CO in one piece. She'd deposit him at his door, then he could keep Aiden safe while she joined the hunt for Sonny. Those wits flew to places unknown when she started thinking about riding him like a bull in a one night rodeo.
* * * *
Shit. A quick glance at the clock revealed that only fifteen minutes had passed since her last check of the time.
She kicked at the blanket, freeing herself from the tangled mess she'd made and rocked to her feet. Untwisting her shorts and tugging her shirt into place, she tiptoed down the stairs to the kitchen with the hope that a warm glass of milk might do the trick. Otherwise, she'd drag Aiden out of bed and hit the road. The sooner she passed him off, the happier she'd be.
The hair on the back of her neck stood at attention as she neared the kitchen. Her hand automatically reached for her gun, only to come up empty. She'd left it in the nightstand by her bed. Since the alarm hadn't gone off, the odds favored either Chad or Aiden rummaging for a late night snack. Still, she'd learned to be prepared for the worst. She'd been trained to incapacitate or even kill with her bare hands. Her pulse raced and her heart lodged in her throat as she crept in the direction of the noise, prepared to do bodily harm.
Her breath left her in an inaudible rush when her eyes fixed on the source of the rustling.
Aiden stood next to the counter, barefoot and shirtless, his unbuttoned pants slung low on his waist. All those muscles she'd fantasized about were on display, bathed in the soft glow of the nightlight. A sparse coating of dark hair dusted his pecs, leaving his six pack abs gloriously smooth except for a trail of hair that disappeared behind the zipper. Oh to follow that path to its destination.
She didn't know if she sighed or moaned or if the floor creaked under her feet. Whatever the reason, Aiden spun in her direction and speared her with one look.
"What are you doing up?” His sleep-
roughened voice rubbed along her senses, jacking up her desire.
"I could ask you the very same question."
"And I'd have to say that I'm warming up some milk. It's been a while since I've had this much excitement. Couldn't sleep.” He turned his attention back to the pot on the stove, preventing her from analyzing the look on his face.
Half a dozen comments came to her mind, but she decided silence was best, before she made another suggestion on how to sleep. She stepped into the kitchen, as close to him as she dared. For the sake of her sanity, only immediate retreat would work, but she refused to show any weakness.
"I guessed you'd drop right off to sleep. This sort of...” He made a vague gesture, keeping his eyes on the heating milk, “...stuff must be second nature to you by now."
"This job is never the same day to day, let alone assignment to assignment. Some of them are tougher than others."
The light from over the stove highlighted his face, drawing her unwilling eyes to his strong jaw line and the faint shadow of stubble. She'd always preferred smooth-shaven men, so the urge to rub against his cheek like a cat in heat stunned her.
Shifting his gaze, he caught her staring. “What makes this one more difficult?"
You, she wanted to shout. Being around you has stirred up feelings I've spent years burying, but obviously not deep enough. Being next to you makes me feel things I haven't felt with any man since you.
The Superwoman her fellow officers knew answered him, instead of the weak, wounded woman hiding inside. “Sonny is determined to find and hurt you. I don't like to fail and he's already gotten the jump on me once."
"Why didn't you let me speak to your CO when you had him on the phone?"
"How did you know I spoke to him?"
"I heard you talking to someone when Marilyn and I were watching a movie."
"He gave me a direct order; there wasn't much else to say."
"What was that order?” He shifted the pot of warming milk over the flame.
"I'm to bring you to Bolling ASAP."
The Class of '93 Trilogy: Deadly Briefs Page 3
