Freefall (No)

by Jill Sorenson

  She just stared at him, waiting. He was a few years older than Javier, darker and more refined-looking.

  “I know that your name is Faith. Do you know who I am?”

  “Javier’s boss. His friend, at one time.”

  “His friend?”

  “Until you stole his woman.”

  His gaze narrowed. “This woman, is he still involved with her?”

  “He told me he was single.”

  “A common lie for men.”

  Faith agreed that it was.

  “Did he say where he was headed?”

  She shook her head. “He mentioned that he works in Las Vegas.”

  “Did he tell you anything else about Alexia?”

  “Who’s Alexia?”

  “My wife.”

  She remembered Javier saying that the woman had been killed, but she wasn’t going to repeat that to her murderer. “No.”

  He put his hands in his pockets, pensive. “The truth is that Javier stole her from me, not the other way around. They’ve been having an affair for years. She disappeared six months ago. I think they were planning to run away together.”

  Faith searched his eyes for a hint of deception and found none. Javier hadn’t been honest with her about everything, but she believed what he’d said about Alexia. He wasn’t trying to seduce her—she hadn’t needed cajoling.

  One of the men was lying.

  “Javier told me he didn’t want her after you’d had her,” she said, pursing her lips. “Sloppy seconds and all that.”

  His jaw clenched with anger. Finally a real reaction. He crossed the room, removing the silver tray cover. Beneath it, there was an assortment of fruits and cheeses. Her stomach growled as he removed a red grape from the bunch and popped it into his mouth. “Then I know how to make him lose interest in you, don’t I?”

  She glanced away, her pulse racing. The last thing she wanted to do was show fear, but he scared her.

  The threat of rape scared her.

  When he paused at the edge of the bed, reaching out to touch her face, she forced herself not to flinch. “You’re very beautiful,” he said, brushing his knuckles down her cheek. “Del Norte has always had excellent taste.”

  Her body quivered with tension, but she said nothing.

  He dropped his hand. “Your sister shot and killed my man on the top of the mountain. She got away.”

  Faith’s heart leaped at the news.

  Removing the scissors from his pocket, he cut the bonds at her feet. “Make yourself comfortable. Eat, drink, bathe. Rest.”

  She rubbed her ankles. “I’d rather rest at home.”

  “Javier will be more cooperative if he knows you’re here. As soon as I get the information I need from him, you’re free to go.”

  She hoped that was true. “I won’t thank you for the hospitality.”

  “It was a pleasure to meet you,” he said, bowing.

  “All yours.”

  With a dark smile, he turned and walked out.

  * * *

  IT WAS THE worst day of Hope’s life.

  Moments after Owen broke the bad news, a swarm of officials descended on the scene. Caleb and Ted were transported to the nearest hospital, in stable condition. Crime scene investigators studied the plane wreckage and photographed the corpses. Another team went to Mist Falls to search for clues. Hope wasn’t allowed to go with them.

  The physical strain and emotional stress had rendered her almost useless, anyway. She managed the walk to Mineral King, with Sam’s help.

  They were interviewed on the trail and again at park headquarters. Hope recounted as many details as she could remember. She’d used deadly force in the line of duty, so she understood the necessity of a thorough report.

  The sheriff’s department focused their efforts on identifying the remains, but both bodies were unrecognizable. They also contacted the DEA for information on Javier Del Norte. As soon as they found out which criminal organization he was affiliated with, they could begin a search for Faith.

  There was nothing for Hope to do but wait.

  By the time she left headquarters, the sun dipped low in the sky, and she was exhausted. She’d been able to shower and change clothes earlier, but she wasn’t looking forward to retiring for the night. The shared housing for park employees made it difficult to keep anything private. Her coworkers would probably try to comfort her or ask questions. She didn’t want to go straight to bed, and she didn’t want to stay awake.

  Sam was waiting for her in the parking lot, leaning against a silver sports car. It was one of several expensive vehicles he owned. He pushed away from the door and approached her, his expression inscrutable.

  He’d also cleaned up. His casual jeans and polo shirt were well worn, but high quality, an unconscious display of wealth. A few years ago, he’d sold all of his multimillion-dollar companies, so he was set for life.

  She didn’t think less of him for choosing not to work, but she wasn’t overly impressed by his financial success. There was a saying about people who were born on third base and claimed to have hit a home run. Although the second part might not apply to Sam, because he wasn’t boastful, he’d come from a place of privilege.

  Her passion for him had drowned in a river of fear for her sister. When they were riding high on adrenaline, kissing Sam had seemed like a great idea. At the end of a harrowing afternoon, she felt more like slapping him.

  “Have you had dinner?” he asked.

  She shook her head. They’d delivered a late lunch to park headquarters, but she hadn’t been able to eat much.

  “Can I take you out?”

  She glanced down at her old T-shirt and faded jeans. Although their clothes were similar, she was underdressed for a date. More important, she didn’t want to be seen in public. Her sister was missing. She couldn’t handle the curious stares.

  “We can get room service at the lodge.”

  “You’ll pay for a room, just to have dinner?”

  “And to talk.”

  The cost didn’t matter to him, of course. Her stomach ached with emptiness, and she welcomed any distraction from Faith’s disappearance. She also enjoyed Sam’s company, despite his flaws. They’d been through an ordeal together. He understood what she was going through better than anyone else.

  If he expected to get lucky, he was a fool.

  “I’ll meet you there,” she said, climbing behind the wheel of her Jeep. Refusing to ride in his car was a small rebellion. This way, she could walk out on him whenever she wanted, without having to wait for a cab.

  At Long Pine Lodge, she parked near Sam’s car and followed him inside. He must have called ahead for the room, because the concierge greeted him with a key card. They took the elevator to a suite on the top floor.

  Hope had been to the lodge many times, for parties and work events, but she’d only stayed overnight once, with Doug. The evening must not have been very memorable, because she couldn’t recall any specific details. She glanced around at the sumptuous fabrics and plush furniture, recognizing nothing.

  Maybe Doug hadn’t splurged on a suite.

  Sam pulled out a chair for her in the dining area. A large window offered a spectacular view of Mount Whitney. She didn’t need a menu to choose her favorite dish: angel hair pasta. He ordered room service, adding an entrée for himself and a dessert.

  Hope wasn’t sure she’d have an appetite, but she ate everything, including a slice of wild strawberry pie with ice cream. After the dishes were cleared away, he offered her a drink. She declined, checking her cell phone for news of Faith.

  “Any word?”

  “No.”

  He hadn’t said much during the meal. Neither had she. They’d moved past the point of filling every silence with polite conversation. Actually, they’d skipped that stage altogether, along with a couple of others. But the shared meal resembled a date, and his considerate treatment an attempt at courtship.

  Maybe he just felt sorry for her.

>   “I wanted to apologize for what I said this morning,” he said, clearing his throat. “About you having a choice.”

  “I did have a choice.”

  “Yes, but...I judged you, without even listening.”

  She shrugged, scrolling through her text messages. The last one from Faith said Love u! Cant wait to see you!

  “You aren’t making this easy for me.”

  Hope didn’t feel obligated to make anything easy for him, but the man had saved her life. He’d also paid for dinner. The quick intimacy between them had its drawbacks. If this was a real first date, she wouldn’t be checking her messages at the table.

  She turned off the screen and set her phone aside, studying his appearance. He’d shaved off the beard stubble, exposing the hard angles of his face. His tanned neck made a dark contrast to the light-colored shirt. He was like a rock in the wind. All of the soft layers had eroded, leaving only the strongest elements.

  “Would you give me another chance?”

  “At what?”

  “Listening.”

  Pressure built behind her eyes, and she released a slow breath. He was so stripped-down and appealing, with his scarred past and weathered good looks. Being rich and handsome hadn’t insulated him from heartache. She wasn’t protected, either. Just because she knew better didn’t mean she wouldn’t fall in love with him.

  “What do you want to know?” she asked.

  “Everything.”

  Hope faltered, unsure where to start.

  “How did you get pregnant?”

  “The usual way,” she said ruefully. “My boyfriend and I weren’t always careful. One night he promised he’d...withdraw.”

  “Famous last words.”

  “Yes.”

  “How old were you?”

  “I was a senior. Almost eighteen by my due date. We stayed together for a while, and I thought we could make it work. Get married.” She shook her head at the unpleasant memory. “I was stupid.”

  “Why?”

  “I had a scholarship that I was willing to give up, but he didn’t want to make any sacrifices. The closer to my due date, the more distant he became. I think...he was scared. It was too much responsibility for him.” In their final argument, Paul had accused her of trying to ruin his life. “I realized that he wasn’t going to support me, and that a baby would put a huge strain on my family. Especially Faith.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We shared a room, and a car. She also didn’t have a chance at getting a scholarship, to be honest. By giving up mine, I was limiting her opportunities, too. My parents couldn’t afford to send us both to college.”

  “Did you talk to her about it?”

  “No. I didn’t want her to feel guilty.”

  “So you made the decision alone.”

  “Pretty much. My parents didn’t pressure me one way or the other, but I knew adoption was the best choice. I was able to keep my scholarship to Arizona State. I think I’m the only student in the history of the school who never went to parties.”

  “What about Faith?”

  “She went to all of the parties,” Hope said, smiling a little. “Her first semester, she flunked half of her classes, but the important part is that she went. She got the chance to be young and have fun.”

  “And you didn’t?”

  “I tried to...but I’d changed. Everything had changed.”

  “Do you wish you’d made a different choice?”

  She rose from the table and walked to the window. In early June, there was still snow on the mountaintops. “Sometimes. When I’m feeling really...empty...I wonder what my life would have been like with her. I wonder if she’s happy.”

  Sam rose, putting his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t need a diagram to understand that the night she’d gone home with him had been one of those times.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

  “I remember the moment they took her out of my arms,” she said, her throat tight. “I’ve been replaying it over and over today. Losing Faith feels the same way. She’s my baby sister. She’s everything to me. She’s all I have left.” When she turned toward him, her face crumpling, he wrapped his arms around her. She braced her palms against his chest and pressed her nose to his neck. He smelled clean, like soap and pine. Beneath her fingertips, she felt soft cotton over hard muscle.

  “You—you were right about Doug,” she said, looking up at him. “I wasn’t serious about him, so I didn’t mind keeping our relationship a secret. I have a pattern of avoiding commitment. It’s like I’m punishing myself, because I don’t think I deserve love, or a good man, or a...family.”

  Her voice broke on the last word, and she glanced away, blinking the tears from her eyes. He lifted a hand to her chin and forced her gaze back to his. “Hope,” he said, brushing his thumb over her lips.

  “That’s why I want you so much. You have ‘emotionally unavailable’ written all over you. You’re bound to hurt me.”

  His mouth tightened with regret.

  Although she hadn’t come here for sex, Hope didn’t want to cry anymore. She craved human contact. She needed his touch.

  “Please, Sam,” she said, licking the edge of his thumb. “Hurt me.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  THIS WASN’T WHAT he wanted from Hope.

  She drew his thumb into her mouth and sucked it gently, her eyes locked on his. With her silky dark hair and beautiful face, she was one of the sexiest women he’d ever seen. Her lips were soft and wet, her tongue hot. The sensation went straight to his cock, swelling him to full arousal.

  Okay. He wanted it.

  Just not this way, when she was vulnerable. He’d brought her here to apologize, and to comfort her, not to take advantage of her.

  He’d made an important self-discovery today. When she’d come sliding down the cliff, hundreds of feet off the ground, with no safety gear, nothing between her and a certain death but him, he’d realized how much she meant to him. He didn’t want to live without her.

  Although he’d like to express these feelings in words, now wasn’t an appropriate time. He also didn’t know how to break the news about his recovered memories. He couldn’t hijack her grief with his own.

  “Hurt me,” she said.

  If he let this go any further, that’s what he’d do. She thought he was an emotionally stunted jerk—and he was. But she also thought she didn’t deserve better, and he wanted to prove her wrong. He could be a good man to her. He could love her.

  What she was asking for wasn’t love. With the blood rushing from his head to his groin, he couldn’t think of a compelling reason to say no.

  He’d be good later.

  He took his thumb out of her mouth and replaced it with his tongue, pressing her back against the wall. She sucked his tongue just like she’d sucked his thumb. And his cock, the first night they’d been together.

  He groaned at the memory.

  She rubbed against him, twining her arms around his neck. He gripped her bottom and ground his erection into the notch of her thighs. His touch wasn’t gentle, but neither was her response. She bit at his mouth and dug her fingernails into the nape of his neck. With a low growl, he turned toward the bed and fell on top of her. Thrusting his hands into her hair, he plundered her mouth again and again. She tasted wild and sweet, like the strawberries in the pie. He wanted to eat her, all over.

  When she shoved at his chest, he broke the kiss, panting.

  “Take off your clothes,” she said.

  He pulled his shirt over his head, eager to oblige. Her eyes trailed down his bare chest and settled on his distended fly. While he unbuckled his belt slowly, she removed her T-shirt and unfastened her bra.

  Her breasts tumbled free, perky and dark-tipped.

  His fingers flexed in anticipation. She kicked off her tennis shoes and jeans, revealing a pair of simple white panties. The fabric was thin, hinting at the shadowy triangle between her thighs and outlining t
he lips of her sex.

  “Jesus,” he choked.

  Abandoning the attempt to undress, he climbed over her and kissed her berry-flavored mouth once more, skimming his hands along her rib cage. His fly was unzipped, allowing the ridge of his erection to slide up and down her cleft. She gasped, wrapping her legs around his hips and arching against him. He cupped her breast, sweeping his thumb over the taut nipple. Her tongue darted in and out of his mouth.

  “You’re so fucking sexy,” he said, rolling over and bringing her on top. He wanted to play with her tits until she begged to come.

  She rode him through the layers of cotton, her panties and his boxer shorts. He alternated between sucking her nipples and pinching them. Soon she was breathing hard, her hips working faster, the tips of her breasts swollen and wet. She rubbed herself along the length of his erection, raking a hand through her hair.

  He pulled aside the damp crotch of her panties, exposing her. Suddenly he was desperate for a taste.

  Lifting her off him, he set her aside and straightened. While she watched, her eyes half-lidded, he unlaced his boots and stood to shuck the rest of his clothes. She stared at his cock, moistening her lips, but he couldn’t get distracted. He stripped her panties down her legs, pushed her thighs apart and buried his face in her.

  “Oh God,” she moaned, gripping his shoulders.

  For the next few minutes, he kissed every inch of her, sucking her sweet little clit, plunging his tongue into her opening. He did everything but get her off. When she trembled on the edge of climax, he lifted his head. She was so pretty like this, panting with need, her sex glistening and her nipples tight.

  He reached for the condom in his wallet. After suiting up, he stretched out on his back again and held the base of his shaft, inviting her to climb on. She did, with relish. Her body gripped him like a silky fist.

  “I’m going to come before you even move,” he said through clenched teeth, reveling in the feel of her. He wanted to grasp her hips and work her up and down, but he waited. Buried deep, he watched her rock back and forth, breasts jiggling. He lifted his hand to her mouth and she closed her lips around his thumb again. The dual penetration was dizzyingly erotic. After sliding his thumb in and out of her mouth a few times, he placed it over her clitoris, strumming her in slow circles. She strained toward his touch and screamed his name, her stomach quivering as she climaxed.