Show of Force

by Elle James

  She frowned. “Are you afraid I’ll run off?”

  Declan smiled. “Not at all. It’s more for your safety in case we can’t get to you soon enough.”

  Riley slipped the disk into her pocket and leaned her head against Mack’s chest. “Thank you for your concern over my welfare. It’s more than I deserve.”

  “Thanks, Declan,” Mack called over his shoulder as he turned and headed for the first door.

  The spacious room had been prepared by one of Charlie’s staff, the comforter turned back and the pillows fluffed. A powder-blue nightgown lay spread out on the white comforter.

  “This one’s yours.” Mack lowered her legs, letting her body slide down his until her feet hit the floor. “I’ll be next door if you need me.”

  She touched his arm. “Thank you for helping me.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet.”

  “Yes, you have.” Riley tilted her head to the right and then left. “If I’d been on my own in my car, that SUV would have wiped me out.” She tipped her head to the right again and winced.

  “Are you pretty sore from the attack?”

  She shrugged and grimaced. “I guess I am a little more than I thought.”

  Mack turned her around and rested his warm hands on her skin where her neck met her shoulders.

  “Um, that feels good.” She leaned her head forward and relaxed.

  Mack gently rubbed the back of her neck and shoulders, carefully kneading the knots out of her muscles.

  The more he touched her, the more he wanted to touch. His groin tightened, and he shifted to relieve the pressure.

  “I’d better go,” he said, and dropped his hands to his sides, afraid if he lingered any longer he’d want to stay the night.

  Riley turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you for all you’re doing to find Toby.” She pressed her cheek to his chest. “I don’t know where I’d have begun without your help.”

  “Thank me when we get him back.” He gripped her arms and set her to arm’s length. “Now, I’d better go to my own room before I do something I’ll regret.”

  Riley looked up at him with her big sleepy hazel eyes. “Like what?”

  “Like kiss you,” he said. And he did. He leaned forward with the intention of only brushing his lips across hers, ever so softly. But as soon as his mouth connected with hers, he knew he couldn’t stop.

  When Riley’s arms circled his neck and brought him closer, he was a goner.

  He clamped his arms around her waist and pulled her body against his. The hardness of his erection pressing into the softness of her belly. He groaned, knowing this wasn’t the time or place.

  His tongue darted out and met no resistance.

  She parted her lips and accepted him in, curling her own tongue around his in a long, sensual caress.

  Mack weaved his hands into her hair, loving how soft and thick it was against his skin. She was beautiful, strong and yet vulnerable.

  When he brought his head up, he drew in a deep steadying breath. “I should go.”

  “Stay,” she said on a breath of warm air that feathered across his chin and neck.

  Mack moaned and fought his desire, knowing he couldn’t take advantage of her when she was so worried about her brother. “I can’t.”

  “Can’t or won’t?” she said. “I won’t ask anything of you. Just stay with me. Please.”

  “If I stay, I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”

  Her eyes widened. “So?”

  “So, I can’t stay and not touch you.” He shook his head.

  “Then touch me,” she said. “Because I want to touch you, too.” As if to prove her point, she slipped her hands beneath his T-shirt and splayed her fingers across his chest. “Stay with me. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

  Mack was tempted. But the woman was an admitted Russia sleeper agent. If he slept with her, his loyalty to his country could be in question.

  Ah, who was he kidding? He’d been dishonorably discharged from the military. His loyalty was already in question by others. But not to himself. He was still the same marine who’d give his life for his country and the citizens he’d sworn to protect and serve.

  In his heart, he knew this woman wasn’t one of the bad guys. She was a victim of her birth, of her upbringing. But she loved her little brother and would do anything to get him back.

  And, like Riley, Mack would have done anything to save his brother, had he been given a chance.

  They weren’t all that different from each other. And she felt right in his arms.

  Riley leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. “If you don’t want to stay, I understand.” She cupped the back of his head and brought his mouth to hers in a long, warm and wet kiss.

  It was his undoing. Mack scooped her legs out from under her and laid her on the bed. He climbed up to lie on the comforter beside her, deepening the kiss she’d started. What began as two mouths meeting soon turned into his hands exploring the curved surfaces of her body.

  Riley sat up, pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the side. Then she reached for Mack’s T-shirt, dragging it up over his head.

  He raised his arms and took it the rest of the way, slinging it to a far corner. He lay beside Riley, trailing a finger over the curve of her breast, the indentation of her waist and the swell of her hip. “You’re beautiful.”

  She traced a line from his collarbone, across his chest and down to one of the hard brown nipples, where she pinched it between her fingers and rolled it into a tight little bead. “You’re not so hard to look at, you know.”

  “We don’t have to do anything but hold each other,” he said. “I’d be happy with that.”

  “You would?” she asked, looking up with a furrowed brow. “Because I wouldn’t be nearly as satisfied.” Her fingers trailed down his torso to his belly button and lower to the waistband of his jeans. “Be with me tonight. In every sense of the word,” she whispered.

  Mack gave up the good fight to remain unfazed by her touch and embraced all of what she offered. He gathered her close, pressed his lips to her temple and then her cheek. He trailed a path from her lips, across her chin and down the long, smooth line of her neck to the pulse beating wildly at the base.

  Riley moaned and writhed beneath him, her back arching, brushing the lace of her bra across his naked chest. The coarse texture sent a thrill of excitement straight south, making him grow and harden.

  Mack shifted on the bed, rising to lean over Riley. “Say the word and I stop here.”

  She shook her head and reached for the button on his jeans. “Don’t stop. I want what you have. I need you to be with me. I need life to continue on.” Riley flicked the button through the hole and lowered his zipper.

  He sprang free into her palm and nearly lost himself there. But he held back, determined to give her just as much pleasure as he was already feeling.

  All his fatigue disappeared in a rush of adrenaline. He rolled off the bed, shucked his jeans. Then he leaned over Riley, unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her legs. Once she was free of them, he trailed his fingers up the inside of her calf, knee and thigh to her hot center. Her panties were damp from her juices, making Mack want to tear them off with his teeth. Instead he hooked his thumb in the elastic and tugged them over her hips and thighs in a long, slow glide, following the path of her panties with his tongue.

  Once the silk underwear cleared her ankles, she let her knees fall to the sides.

  Mack worked his way back up her long, smooth legs, brushing his lips across every inch of her skin. He didn’t stop until he reached her entrance.

  “Protection?” she gasped, her breath hitching in her throat.

  “Got it.” Mack bent to where he’d shed his jeans, pulled his wallet from the back pocket and unearthed a packet.
He held it out to her.

  She took it, tore it open and rolled it down over his staff. “I want you, Mack. Now.”

  He smiled. “I want you, too. But first you.”

  * * *

  RILEY WAS ALREADY so close to losing herself, she moaned her frustration.

  When Mack slipped a finger inside her channel and swirled it around, Riley nearly came undone. Then he dragged it up to that bundle of tightly packed nerves at her center.

  Riley dug her heels into the mattress and raised her hips to meet his assault on her senses. Every muscle in her body tensed, and tingling began at her center, spreading outward. She couldn’t breathe and couldn’t think beyond what he was doing to her. For a brief moment in time, she forgot about her worries, about Toby, about everything as she shot over the edge and rocketed into the stratosphere.

  For what felt like forever and yet only a moment, she spiraled out of control.

  When she drifted back to earth, she gripped Mack’s shoulders and dragged him up her body.

  He settled between her legs and touched his shaft to her entrance.

  Beyond any kind of patience, she clutched his buttocks and pulled him into her.

  He was hot and thick, filling her and stretching her in a long, delicious glide.

  Riley rose to meet him thrust for thrust until they rocked the bed in rhythm.

  He tensed, his body going as rigid as his shaft. Thrusting one last time, he buried himself inside her.

  Riley held him there, her fingers digging into his buttocks. She’d never felt anything quite as satisfying as making love with Mack and suspected she’d never feel this way with any other man.

  He collapsed against her and rolled them both to their sides without losing their intimate connection.

  Riley snuggled close, pressing her cheek to his chest, inhaling the musky, male scent of the man.

  Exhaustion pulled at her eyelids, and she gave in to sleep.

  As she drifted off, his voice rumbled against her. “We’ll find him. I promise.”

  Chapter Ten

  Mack lay awake after Riley fell asleep, wondering how he would keep his promise to find her brother. He wanted to keep that promise more than anything. But they had so little to go on.

  After a while, he gave up on sleep and returned to the door leading to the computer room.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” Declan padded barefoot in from the direction of the kitchen, carrying a steaming mug. “I made a pot of coffee.”

  “I could use some. Point me in the direction of the kitchen?”

  “I can do better than that. This place is huge and can be confusing.” He tipped his head. “Come on.”

  Mack followed Declan into a huge gourmet kitchen. Jonah sat at a massive table, eating a massive sandwich stuffed full of deli meat.

  Jonah chewed what was in his mouth and swallowed before saying, “Not finding much on those names you gave me. Still looking for the exact location of Pruett’s lake house. It shows up in court records as lots and plats. It’s on a rural route, which to me says dirt road. When I have it, I’ll get that address to you ASAP.”

  “Good. I’ve been thinking about it. You might also expand your search to anyone with access to Riley’s office after hours at Quest. Only someone who came in after hours would have been able to set the camera in the light fixture.”

  “Will get right on it after I finish my breakfast, lunch and dinner.” Jonah held up the sandwich.

  Mack chuckled. “Fair enough. You have to fuel the body, even if you don’t need sleep.”

  “You got that right.” Jonah bit into his sandwich with a healthy growl.

  “How’s Riley holding up?” Declan asked.

  “She’s exhausted. I imagine the worry is eating away at her.”

  “I can’t get over that she’s a trained Russian spy.”

  Mack stiffened. “Riley’s a product of her parents. She didn’t sign up for it or want it.”

  “Still, there had to be some brainwashing along the way. The Russians are really good at raising their own secret agents. Are we sure we can trust her?”

  Mack remembered how he felt inside her and the way she gave herself to him completely. “Can you trust every American you meet?”

  Declan shrugged. “Not everyone. We have our own homegrown terrorists and zealots who’ve got a beef against our government. They’d just as soon shoot you as give you the time of day.”

  “Yeah, but a trained sleeper spy...” Jonah shook his head. “It’s a lot to ask to trust someone who was sent to this country for the benefit of Russia. Their leader isn’t above using every asset at his disposal to take what he wants.”

  “Yeah, he’s a wild card,” Mack agreed.

  “As concerned as she is about her brother, I doubt she’s a threat to us.”

  “Maybe not now. But what about when she finds Toby?” Declan asked. “She needs us now. She’s not going to kill those who can help her, until they are of no more assistance to her.”

  Mack’s instincts had been pretty spot-on for most of his career in the military. His gut told him Riley was one of the good guys. “Charlie trusts her.”

  Declan turned to face Mack, his eyebrows raised. “Yeah, but do you trust her?”

  “I—” A noise drew Mack’s attention away from the conversation. But when he turned toward the living area, no one was there. He might have imagined it, or the sound echoed off the wall close to where Declan was making another pot of coffee. He shook his head and tried to remember the question. “The fact that she didn’t kill our boss says a lot. She could have done exactly what her handler wanted and gotten her brother back sooner.”

  “Or not.”

  “Either way, she didn’t kill Charlie. In fact, I pulled her off Charlie.”

  Declan’s eyes narrowed. “She physically attacked Charlie?”

  “Charlie had the poison Riley was supposed to give her. She threatened to take it herself so that Riley wouldn’t lose her brother. Riley fought Charlie for that poison. She wouldn’t let her take it.”

  “Are you sure that was what she was doing?”

  Mack nodded. “Positive. And Charlie would back it up. Riley went to the gala with the intention of doing whatever it took to get her brother back. But when the rubber hit the road, she couldn’t do it. She might be trained as a Russian spy, with all the skills necessary to survive in that role, but she doesn’t have the heart to kill an innocent woman.”

  Declan handed Mack a cup of coffee. “Sounds like you’ve made up your mind about the woman.”

  “I have.”

  “And it doesn’t have anything to do with her being a knockout?”

  “No. She’s the real deal. I’d trust her with my life.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Declan frowned. “Because you might be playing with fire if you put your faith in her.”

  Mack’s back stiffened. “I’ll take my chances with Riley. I know I’m right about her.”

  Declan’s frown cleared. “Can I get you something to eat?”

  “No. The coffee is all I need for now. I need to get back to work. I’m not good with sitting around waiting for something to happen.”

  “None of us are,” Declan said. “But we don’t have a lot we can do until we know what we’re up against. What’s your next move?”

  “We need to find Steve Pruett’s lake house and pay it a visit.” He hoped like hell they found Toby there. Time was running out for Riley and the kid.

  * * *

  RILEY HAD WOKEN to an empty bed. A glance at the clock indicated it was just past midnight. She pulled the sheet up over her naked breasts and stared around the room, lit only by the starlight shining through the window. Where had Mack gone? Did he regret making love to her?

  She didn’t regret it at all, though it complicated their working relationsh
ip and could only make it more awkward. Still, she couldn’t regret having had the best sex she’d ever experienced. The man’s lips were magic.

  Her body heated with the memory, and she was deliciously sore. Riley moaned softly and ran her hand over her breasts and down the tuft of hair over her sex. She’d really made love to a man she’d only known a short time. What had she been thinking?

  That she needed to hold someone and be held. When the odds were stacked against her, she had Mack to lean on, to help her find her way through the maze of clues. If anyone could help her find her brother, Mack was the one to do it.

  She tossed the sheet aside, pulled on her clothes and tiptoed, barefoot, across the floor to the door. When she opened it, she hoped to find Mack on the other side, on his way back to bed with her.

  He wasn’t there. Curious now, she wandered down the hallway. Voices sounded from across the wide expanse of living area to another room Riley supposed was the kitchen.

  Barefoot, her feet made no sound on the wooden floors. Not until she reached the entryway into the kitchen did she realize the men in the kitchen were talking about her.

  More than once, Mack’s friend Declan said the word Russian.

  Riley eased up to the doorway and cocked her head to better hear what they were saying.

  When Declan asked Mack if he trusted her, Riley froze in place. Mack hesitated with his answer.

  Her heart leaped into her throat, threatening to cut off the air to her brain. Mack didn’t trust her.

  Her pulse pumped so hard against her eardrums she couldn’t hear his response. Her chest hurt so bad she could barely draw a breath. Riley spun and ran from the living room back to the bedroom, where she grabbed her cell phone, called a car service and gave him the address of Charlie’s estate.

  Then she pulled on her shoes, hooked her purse over her arm and slipped out a French door onto a patio. Making her way around the house, she paralleled the driveway, clinging to the shadows as she hurried toward the exit. At the gate, she made note of the camera. So what if Mack saw her leaving? He didn’t trust her anyway. He’d think the worst, that she was skipping out, maybe to complete the job of killing Charlie.