by Dale Mayer
She needed to call Marge and let her know. Lissa didn’t want her friend and neighbor to show up unexpectedly and see the house like it was.
Add that to the other list of things to do. Plus she had to get a phone—to call the police, the insurance company, and her friend. All of this was a bitter note to herself.
Yet instinct was saying, Don’t move. Enjoy the moment with Stone. Reality will interfere soon enough. Her exposed shoulders were slightly chilled. She reached up and tugged the covers higher and snuggled a little deeper underneath. She loved the wash of warm air as the blankets closed around her. Somehow she’d caught a bit of a chill with all the traveling. She didn’t feel sick—just not quite 100 percent.
“You okay?”
The deep slumber of his voice rolled over her. She patted his forearm wrapped around her chest and said, “Yes. Just cold.”
Instantly he shifted her into a deeper embrace, as if he could impart the necessary heat she needed. And, in fact, he could. Just amazing. Like being surrounded by an oven. Being a big man especially, his body was a furnace.
Her eyes drifted closed, and she relaxed. She’d gone to bed too tired to even think about all the events. Now, of course, her mind wouldn’t shut off.
Was there a connection between whatever had been put in her luggage and the search of her house? She knew what the answer was. How could there not be? Two strange incidences countries apart and she was the common denominator.
Outside the bedroom door in the hallway she could hear footsteps. She froze. Was somebody likely to come into Stone’s bedroom? Would they check out her room and realize she was missing?
She chewed her bottom lip, wondering if she had put him in a tough spot. And yet, for all that she might, she couldn’t feel sorry about where she was right now. For she had been somewhat afraid to be in that room across the hall, a strange bed in a strange bedroom in a strange house. Arriving the way they had, as the minutes ticked by, her fears had gotten worse. And she’d been too tired to work her way through it, so she just came right to Stone. Like a homing pigeon.
“Relax.”
His hand reached down and grabbed hers, making her realize she’d been gently petting his forearm.
When he murmured to her, she smiled. Who’d have thought this guy could be ticklish. She pivoted gently in his arms until she was across his chest, her head tucked up on his shoulder. She let her arm drape across his body. He shifted to give her more room, then wrapped his arms around her again. Perfect.
She dropped a kiss on his chest. It just seemed the right thing to do at the time. Besides, if this led to something so much more, she was totally okay with that. Like she’d said, it had been a long time.
To that end, she pushed herself up on her elbow and looked down at him. In the early morning light, he stared at her. A question was in his eyes. She gave him an impish smile and said in response, “Do we have time?”
He slipped a hand up her ribs and along her shoulder, his big thumb reaching to stroke across her cheeks.
But the frown forming in his expression had her narrowing her gaze at him, and she said, “Don’t even begin to ask me if I’m sure I want this.”
Reaching up to cup his cheek and chin, she slid her fingertips across his lips, and he kissed the tip of one finger. She smiled. “Of all the things I have been through these last few days,” she said, “this is the only one that feels right.”
And she lowered her head and kissed him gently, just a light exploratory taste.
She draped herself across him, dropping several tiny little kisses on his nose, cheeks, chin, then to his lips. This time she slipped her tongue between his and kissed him for real. There was just something about him she couldn’t get enough of. This wasn’t her normal behavior, the last two days either. Now that she tasted him, well, she just couldn’t get enough.
Stone reached up with both hands, and before she realized what was happening, she’d been rolled over to lie flat on her back.
“There might be time,” he whispered.
His lips trailed across her cheeks, warm air from his breathing washed over her. She shivered as tremors rippled down her body. She stretched and laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“But I have no intention of taking a shortcut regardless,” he whispered.
He lowered his head and kissed her—a deep, drugging one that seemed to pull at the muscles at the heart of her. She moaned and held him close. When she felt his erection against her, she shifted enough so she could press her pelvis up tight and cuddle him closer. She felt his gasp, but she’d covered his lips with her own, inhaling it, taking and accepting it, and giving it back to him in yet another kiss. He slid his hands down to come up underneath her T-shirt and cupped her breasts.
She made a small cry and arched her back, pressing her breasts into his hands. Her shirt disappeared somehow, and the blankets were pushed away. She could feel the cool air, but she didn’t care because her body burned for more.
When he lowered his head and suckled her nipple, taking it deep into his mouth, she twisted and cried out, “Stone, dear God.”
He murmured something she couldn’t hear but didn’t care. His hands, fingers, and mouth were busy caressing, stroking, and tending to the fire within. No embers, but a pure flash fire of heat. Stone. She wanted him. She wanted this. She tried to tug him over her, but he wasn’t moving.
Instead he lowered his head straight down to her hip bones, her pelvis. She sat up and tried to tug him higher to kiss him, but it was like trying to move a mountain. When he slid two fingers between her legs, she fell back, crying out, her hips arching up.
She was already wet, waiting, and hot.
He retreated, then slid one finger inside, and she whimpered. “Please, please.”
He slipped in a second finger and she realized he was making sure there was room.
She gave a broken laugh. “I won’t break.”
He lifted his head. Trailing a path with kisses up to her breast, he stopped to feast for a second while his fingers gently teased her. She shuddered, mindless at the gentleness of his hands.
“You sure?” And then he kissed her, his tongue diving deep inside her mouth as he moved on top of her.
When he pushed inside, she wondered if he really was too big. The man was massive, but she didn’t expect that part of him to be any larger than normal. She held her breath, and he plunged deep.
She moaned half in pain, half in joy. She wasn’t just filled, more like almost being impaled. And yet it felt so damn good. How could anything like this be wrong? And yet she couldn’t move as he held her in place.
His arms wrapped around her body, holding her against him. His arms kept her where he wanted her. She tried to stretch, to move, but she really had no place to go.
He tilted her chin and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Still okay?”
She gave a slow, sexy smile, then said, “I am for the moment. If you don’t start moving soon, you won’t be.”
He gave a soft laugh and slowly withdrew, then plunged again. With each one, she was rocked slightly in the bed, and as he withdrew, she cried out, afraid he’d take off and leave her. With his hands holding her hips firm, he drove them both forward.
She twisted, higher and higher, twisting, crying, finally she was pleading, “Stone, please finish this.”
He bent over her, raising himself up slightly, holding her head with his hands, his hips moving forward, driving, plunging, taking them toward the end they both wanted.
Her climax ripped through her.
She shook and trembled beneath him. A growl tore free of his throat as his body shuddered over her; something she’d never heard from any other man before. She held Stone close until finally he collapsed beside her, still shaking. After a long moment he wrapped his arms around her and tucked her up close.
This was not what she’d expected, but dammit, she’d take all she could get.
She yawned and snuggled close. “Any chance of a
couple minutes of sleep?” she asked.
“Sleep. You’ll be fine.”
She closed her eyes but not before she slid her arms around him and held him tight. Dear God, she was getting way too attached to this man. Especially now. Just as she drifted off, she heard the same question he had asked the previous night.
“What am I going to do with you?”
And she answered the same way she had before. “Love me. Just love me.”
She closed her eyes and slept.
*
So he hadn’t imagined that response. And she hadn’t been dreaming … Stone couldn’t quite believe this woman in his arms—so accepting, gracious, and caring—was here with him. He didn’t want to be a hero to her, but he’d known ever since she had first tucked up close to him, that she’d stick by him like glue. He’d wanted her to be able to sleep last night and had been surprised, but also secretly overjoyed, when she’d come to him, again and again. Nice to know that somebody actually cared for him. Sometimes he felt like he was doomed to be alone. But, when he had turned to look at her this morning, she was right here, waiting for him. In more ways than one.
He let his hands slide down her back as he considered the complications.
And there were several.
First, he wasn’t exactly ready for a relationship. Not that he was against it; he just hadn’t expected to meet a woman anytime soon and even if he did, he figured the artificial leg would be a deterrent. He also realized that she had never asked about it and as yet, hadn’t seen the ugly scarring or what he actually looked like when he stood up on just one leg. He knew that would be a shock. Hell, it still was for him every day.
He’d been told by a lot of people that some women just wouldn’t care. He was willing to believe that. He just wasn’t to believe that would be the case with Lissa. She’d been raised among the wealthy; she’d had the best of everything. Maybe not a great family but she certainly hadn’t suffered on a monetary level. She was used to getting her own way and doing what she wanted. That was evident by her turning up her nose to her father at every turn. She showed no fear of reprisals or accountability. And that last one bothered him a lot. He hadn’t expected her to end up in his bed, and he could almost hear the others telling him, “Stone, hell, no. Not only is she a case, but she’s one that’s got some severe complications.”
He still didn’t understand what had gone on in London. Customs had finally let her go, but he wasn’t sure exactly what the issue was. The word “drugs” had been bantered about. He just didn’t understand the where, how, or what. Her bag hadn’t even been with her. So, therefore, it could’ve been anybody’s actions that led to finding drugs in her bag. And he wasn’t even worrying about that part until he had ended up at her house, and then it became an unpleasant reality. What it really meant was … trouble. Something he didn’t need in his life right now.
If she was completely innocent, this wasn’t something she needed either.
He heard footsteps, followed by the soft tap on his door. When it came again, he knew what the message was. He frowned down at the sleeping beauty in his arms and wondered if he could sneak out without waking her. She should be exhausted. He’d caught six hours of sleep and that would likely be all he got.
That knock had been Rhodes. Stone’s presence was required at a meeting downstairs. Soon. Shifting gently, he rolled her on her side, watched until she curled into a ball, covered her up, and then gently eased his weight off the bed. He stood at the side, holding his breath, waiting to see how she’d react.
He needn’t have worried; she just snuggled deeper into the covers. He put on his prosthesis first, then quickly dressed. He’d like to shower, but there was just no time. At the doorway he gave her one last glance, realized she was still asleep and likely to be out for hours. He opened the door and slipped out.
He followed the smell of fresh coffee to the kitchen. When he walked in, there was an awkward silence. He ignored it as he headed to the coffeepot and took out his cup. When he turned and studied the table, he realized they all waited for him to say something. He lifted his cup and said, “Good morning.”
He kept his voice bland, his face neutral—in no way giving any indication what he’d been doing for the last hour.
Besides, from the look on their faces, they already knew.
Levi walked in just then, stopped when he saw Stone, and said, “Good, you’re up. Let’s get moving.”
Chapter 12
Lissa woke up and realized she was alone and still was too damn tired. She rolled over and curled up to sleep. After the second time, she sat up in the big bed and stretched. She felt so good. Hard to believe she had slept with Stone all night, well, except for a little bit of activity between the sheets. She grinned. And that, of course, had been the best of all. She threw back the covers and slid her legs over the side of the bed.
Standing up, she realized her clothes had been collected nicely at the bottom of it.
As if he’d walked around and gathered her clothes into a pile. That was sweet of him. She shook her head. Who knew clean clothes would be something that she’d crave? Should she stay here or go into the other bedroom? None of her belongings were over there. Hell, she hadn’t even gotten undressed in there. She’d lain down on top of that bed and knew she’d never be able to sleep alone.
With that thought in mind, she would stay where she was. She walked into the bathroom, loving the masculine smell of the small room, and stepped under the shower. She’d have to apologize and thank him afterward for letting her use his shampoo because she was desperately in need of getting clean again. She quickly scrubbed down and turned off the water.
When she stepped from the shower with a towel wrapped around her, she heard a noise in the bedroom. She froze.
“Lissa, it’s me.”
She smiled. “Okay, I’ll be out in a second.”
She didn’t have a toothbrush or hairbrush, but he had a comb on the side of the sink, so she rubbed her hair with the towel, picked up the comb, and quickly tamed her long hair. Then she wove it into a single braid down her back. She flipped it to hang over one shoulder.
Stepping from the bathroom, she joined Stone in the bedroom. He stood beside the window, but the look on his face was not one she’d been hoping to see.
Instantly she apologized. “I’m sorry. I hope it’s okay that I used the shower.”
She clutched the towel to her chest and wished she was fully dressed already. She collected her pile of clothes and said, “You want me to go to my room?”
“Of course not. Get dressed. I brought you some coffee. We need to talk, and the rest of the team needs to discuss what we’ll do from here with you.”
Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline. “This involves the rest of them?” She slowly sorted through her clothes as she thought about that. “Just how many people are in the team?”
He laughed. “Just a few more than you’ve already met. Not to worry.” He walked into the bathroom and closed the door. She felt unaccountably pleased to have a few moments of privacy.
She dropped the towel and dressed quickly, figuring he’d given her time on purpose. She’d take the moment as a gift. She wasn’t usually self-conscious, but an awkward morning-after scenario was happening here, and she didn’t like it. By the time he came out, she was trying to pull her T-shirt down over her still-damp body.
He quickly helped her move the cotton from her sticky skin, unrolling it so it would lie flat. She tossed him a bright smile. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. If we had been thinking at all, we’d have grabbed you some more clothes last night from your house.”
She said glumly, “I considered that this morning myself. It’s not that far away, but I can last in these a little longer.” She shrugged and picked up the damp towel, went into the bathroom, and hung it up. “I’m sorry. I also used a little bit of your shampoo too,” she said self-consciously. “I hope you don’t mind. I can always buy you a new bottle.�
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He laughed and held out his hand. “Stop. It’s all good.”
“Really?” She studied his face intently, then decided he was being honest. With a beaming smile she reached out for his hand and said, “Thank heavens for that. I was kind of hoping you weren’t a stickler for things like that, but … you never know with different people.”
“Absolutely you don’t know. Come on. Let’s get you some breakfast.”
She dropped his hand and went to the night table, where she spied the coffee he’d brought her. “I’m not letting the coffee you brought me go cold.” She took a deep sip and then moaned with joy. “Is there anything better than waking up to a fresh cup of coffee?”
He walked over, leaned closer, and whispered, “Yes. Waking up to you and hot coffee. Something I didn’t get a chance to do this morning.”
She could feel the color wash over her face, but smiled at his compliment.
He reached out and grabbed her hand and said, “Now can we go?”
With her cup only half full, she walked carefully at his side as they exited the bedroom, heading to the hallway. It was the first time she’d actually had a chance to look around.
“This place is huge,” she exclaimed. “It’s like a fortress.”
“Almost,” Stone explained. “It is a very safe compound with lots of housing set apart for the unit.”
“Unit?”
He turned to look down at her with a smile on his face. “We were all in the military together.” He shrugged. “For the four of us who came here and started this originally, it still feels like we’re doing the same job.”
“If you helped people in the military, then you are still,” she said, “because you certainly were a huge help to me and the others.”
They walked around a corner to another long hallway, where he stopped and pointed to a double-wide staircase. She shook her head. “This place is really grand,” she said. “By the way, any update on Kevin and Susan?”
Stone shook his head. “Not yet, but I’m not sure anybody called to get one.”
