“No worries. It’s probably better not to take the risk anyway.” Gage watched as her hands stopped fidgeting and her shoulders relaxed. “Can I ask you something?”
“How can I take showers, but I can’t stand seeing the water?” Dani sighed.
That hadn’t been the question he was going to ask, but since she’d brought it up, he was game. He didn’t say anything, just let Dani continue in her own time.
“I’m not afraid of water by itself, just large bodies of it. My foster mother… Even though we lived in Maine, she used to take me to the beach all year round, no matter the temperature.” Dani’s voice cracked. “The shoreline was rocky but not many waves. She’d make me go barefoot into the water. She would wear rubber boots.”
Dani’s hands were back picking at the napkin, and her shoulders were up around her ears. “She would tell me that if I didn’t listen to her and do exactly as she said, she would make me undress and go out into the deep water until I drowned. I was only four the first time she took me. I never learned how to swim, so I was always terrified.”
Gage’s gut was tied up tighter than Dani’s napkin. Bile rose in his throat. Jesus Christ, what kind of a sick mind would do that to a small child? He clenched his hands into fists. He was glad the kettle chose that moment to boil. He had to turn away. He was having a hard time keeping his anger in check. If he ever met Dani’s foster mother, it might end up being her last day on earth.
He poured the water into the cup and brought the mug to Dani. She was lost in thought and didn’t acknowledge it. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed.
He wanted to do so much more. He wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss her until she forgot every single bad memory. He wanted to love her until nothing else mattered. Jesus where did that come from? He blinked.
Yup, too much time alone with Dani was not a good idea. She was a hacker. Just remember she’s your job. She’s not available in any way, shape, or form.
She cleared her throat and sat up straighter, dislodging his hand. “So anyway…I don’t like water.” She reached out and started to play with the tea bag in the mug.
Gage returned to his seat and sat down hard. He grabbed his beer and took a long swig. He swallowed and then leaned forward. Trying to pull his shit back together could qualify for an Olympic sport, it was just that hard. Work the problem, dammit.
Dani’s eyes were black in the candlelight. He could feel her gaze on his face. He wanted to look at her, but he was afraid if he did, he might frighten her off. He knew his eyes would be dark and stormy, as his mother used to say. He also knew the desire he was feeling for Dani would be there as well. He didn’t need her to know how much he wanted her.
“So why do the job for Drake?” This was the question Gage really wanted the answer to. She’d given him the brush-off before, but there’d been something there. Something more. Something else driving her.
Dani shifted in her seat. “You know, it’s a chance to go up against the best and see if I could create a great software that works.” She took the tea bag out of her mug and dropped it on her plate.
“There’s more to it,” he prodded.
“Nope. Just the idea of competition and, well, the money, of course. The money always helps.” She took a sip of the hot tea.
“Dani.” Gage leaned back in his chair. “I haven’t known you long, but I know when you’re lying. You have a tell. You’re lying now. Or at least not telling me the whole truth. I’m putting my life on the line for you. So are my brothers.”
She started to speak, but he held up a hand. “Yeah, I know Drake is paying us, but he’s not paying me enough to want to die for him. I’m here protecting you because there’s the very real fact that several men on this ship at this moment want your laptop and want you dead. There’s a real possibility they are going to want you dead even after you finish the software and give it to Drake.
“China is known for being very patient and waiting years to get what they want. It’s all a game of chess to them. They’ll wait a long time if they have to. Saving face is a big part of the Chinese culture. You’ve embarrassed them. They’re not ever going to forget that. Even when all this is said and done.”
Dani swallowed hard. Her hands were shaking as she covered her face. She then pulled them down so they covered her lips. Dani stared at him with big, wide eyes.
She had no idea what she’d gotten herself into. Gage knew it as soon as she’d admitted what she’d done. She was young. Street smart but not worldly. She’d had no idea what kind of fallout could come from her actions.
Gage sighed, leaning forward again. He placed his beer bottle on the table. “I promise I will help you, even when the job is over. I’ll find you a new identity, a new place in the world. I’ll continue to protect you. I will not leave you alone to face this. But you have to tell me the whole story. It’s the only way I know to guarantee your safety. Lies are opportunities for things to go wrong.”
Dani was pale. Fear and sadness danced at the edges of her eyes. He knew she hadn’t considered the long game. No one ever really did when they started out.
“I, ah, I appreciate that. I didn’t think…about the Chinese government not letting this go. I just figured…” She knotted her hands together around the tea cup and lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know what I thought. I guess I didn’t, really. I guess I thought I’d be on my way when I was finished.”
“Dani, why are you doing this? Why didn’t you give up at the first sign of trouble? Drake isn’t paying you that much, is he? Is your life worth it?”
Tears filled Dani’s eyes and spilled over, streaming down her cheeks. He wanted to go to her and wipe them away, but he needed her to tell him what was truly going on. What the hell was driving her?
“My life isn’t worth it, but Carly’s is.” It came out barely more than a whisper. “I’m doing this for her.”
Gage’s gut twisted. He didn’t want to ask her questions that made her cry, but he needed answers. “Who is Carly?”
She swiped at her tears with the back of her hand and then took another sip of tea. “Carly is my sister.”
“You have a sister?”
“Not by blood. She’s my foster sister. My foster mother brought her home one day. She said she needed another daughter to make her life complete. I tried to be mean to Carly at first. She was so much younger than me and I didn’t want to get attached to her because I couldn’t be sure I could protect her from our foster mom. Carly is so sweet, though. She just wormed her way into my life, and now I can’t imagine it without her.”
Gage needed to do something with his hands. He was having a hard time not taking Dani into his arms and just holding her. “Is she still with your foster mom?” he asked as he stood up slowly and made his way back to the kettle. He turned it on again and then faced Dani.
She shook her head. She was staring at her nails. When she looked up, her eyes darted over to the picture on the wall, but then she went back to staring at her nails. She was looking anywhere but at Gage. That was probably best for both of them. Gage could tell this was hard for her to talk about, and he wasn’t sure he could take seeing the pain in her eyes.
Dani rolled a napkin between her fingers. “After Carly was with us for about six months, she became sick. Our foster mom, Lydia, took her to the doctor, and they ran some tests and then some more tests. Turned out Carly has a tumor in her brain. Medulloblastoma—brain cancer.” More tears trickled down Dani’s cheeks.
“Lydia couldn’t deal with it. That meant Carly would be too much work. She wouldn’t be able to perform to the high expectations Lydia had. She wouldn’t be the top of her class at school, nor would she excel at ballet or the piano. She was a disappointment. That’s what Lydia called her, a disappointment.
“Carly needed treatment, so Lydia took her to the hospital and left her there. I tried to go back for her, but I couldn’t do it on my own. I wasn’t old enough.” The napkin was balled in Dani’s fist and he
r knuckles were white.
“We kept in touch, though. Carly bounced from one family to another and then was placed in a group home. I aged out of the system and got the hell away from Lydia, but I went back for Carly. Then I wasn’t ‘stable enough’ to take her in as my foster kid.
“Eventually, Carly ended up in the hospital permanently while she got treatment. I was with her every day. And then Drake came along. I said no at first, but Carly asked me to find her a family member, a real actual DNA-sharing member of her family.
“We tried all the ancestry sites, but her DNA doesn’t seem to match anyone out there. She does have an old family picture of her mom when her mom was about fifteen, but I haven’t had any luck finding her. It’s like she dropped off the face of the earth. I thought if I could build the software, maybe I could find her mother using the old family photo, so I finally said yes to Drake.”
Dani looked at Gage, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “But I’m running out of time. Carly isn’t doing so well, and the software isn’t finished. I-I don’t think I’ll be able to m-make her dream come true.” The dam broke, and now Dani’s body was wracked with sobs.
Gage couldn’t take it any longer. He turned off the kettle and went over to Dani and gathered her into his arms.
Chapter Sixteen
When his arms closed around her, she stiffened. She couldn’t help it. She took a deep breath and tried to control her tears, but this day had already been too much. The storm inside her had built to hurricane force. All the fear and sadness and guilt that she’d been jamming down inside came burbling to the surface all at once.
Sobs wracked her body and, for the first time in years, she stopped trying to control it. She leaned into Gage’s embrace and accepted the comfort he offered. She needed him in this moment, but needing people was always bad. She tried again to dial down the storm, but her body wouldn’t have it. She shook as tears streamed down her face. Her breath came in great gasps. She was ugly crying and it was mortifying, but she had no control.
Gage’s hands rubbed up and down her back as he pressed her to his chest. After a few minutes, she caught her breath. The storm inside was passing. Thank goodness, the one outside was not.
The room was still dark. She kept her head bent. The heat in her cheeks only increased as her tears stopped flowing. She had no interest in looking Gage in the eye at this moment. She rarely allowed herself this level of breakdown, and the fact she’d had one in front of Gage was the biggest of all sins. It went against every fiber of her being.
The loud thump was so unexpected, Dani screamed a bit. Gage whirled around, placing himself between Dani and the windows.
“W-what was that?” Dani asked. She wanted to look over Gage’s shoulder, but they were facing the water and it was still light out. Damn these long Alaskan summer days!
“Not sure. Gage took a few steps forward. “I think a plastic cup hit the windows. There’s one caught down below on the ledge. The wind is powerful. Someone probably forgot to bring it inside, and the wind took it.”
Dani said a silent thank you to whoever left the cup outside. It gave her the chance to collect herself. She moved toward the kitchenette, looking for something to wipe her face. She tore off a paper towel, mopped her cheeks and then pulled another.
She needed to blow her nose. Another embarrassment. What choice did she have? She blew her nose and threw everything away. Then she washed her hands in the sink. She threw a bit of water on her face and used yet another paper towel to dry it. So much for being environmentally friendly.
“You okay?”
She hauled in a deep breath and turned, leaning against the counter. Gage rested his butt on the dining table, his legs crossed at the ankles, the pose deceptively casual. She met his eyes but only briefly.
“Um, yes. Sorry about that. I just needed—”
“Don’t worry about it. That’s a hell of a lot to keep bottled up inside. Everyone needs to let loose occasionally.” He crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat. “So, all this is to save your sister.”
“Yes.” Their gazes met again, but she couldn’t hold his. Crying in front of him. Jesus, it didn’t get worse than that in her world.
“Good reason. I’d do anything for one of my brothers.”
He approved? Wait. Why did that matter? Her brain was a mess. She needed to move. To work. That would sort it all out. She glanced at him and then away again. “Well, anyway. I need to work on the software. I need it to work.”
She moved away from the counter and started toward the living room but then the rain let up a bit and she caught site of the water. Her body went cold. She couldn’t breathe. Gage was suddenly in front of her.
“It’s fine. You’re fine.” He gently pushed her hair off her face with his finger. “The water is out there, and you’re in here. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” He put his hands on her arms and rubbed them softly up and down. She looked up at him. Their gazes locked. The ice in her body melted. As suddenly as the cold had come on, it was gone. In its place, fire. A slow burn was starting between her legs.
She was aware of Gage, of the heat from his body, his scent surrounding her, his closeness. Her hands had somehow moved to his chest. His heart beat strong and steady under her palms. A glance at his face confirmed her desire was mirrored in his eyes. She flexed her fingers on his chest and parted her lips.
He swooped down and claimed her mouth. She opened willingly. Their tongues danced while their bodies came together.
His flesh was hot under her hands, even through his shirt. She longed to touch bare skin. He pulled her hips against his. It felt so good she moaned. An immediate hardening in his groin was the response. She moaned again at how good it felt. He walked her backward toward the table until she bumped up against it. Then he picked her up and placed her on top. His lips found hers again.
The kiss deepened, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. God, she wanted him. Wanted this so much. She was running her hands down over his shoulders when he suddenly broke off the kiss.
She opened her eyes, puzzled.
“Dani, I want you. I want to do this, but I need to make sure you’re okay with it. That this is what you want, too.”
A flush clawed its way up her neck into her cheeks. “Was I not obvious enough? Should I be moaning and calling your name every two seconds?” she managed to get out between clenched teeth. She tried to twist away from him, but he held her in place.
“It’s my job to protect you. Having sex with you is breaking every rule in the book. It could be said that I’m in a position of power over you. I don’t want you to feel like you’re being forced into this—that you have to have sex with me. I need you to say you are okay with this. With us having sex.”
She blinked. Once. Twice.
No once. Not once had anyone ever been so clear about sex. About consent. It was mortifying in one way, but sexy as hell in another. Damn. He’d managed to make her go from vulnerable to in charge with the uttering of a few words. Heat shot from her core. She wanted this man like she had wanted no other.
“Gage Callahan, I want to have sex with you. I want to touch, taste, and feel every single part of your body. I want to feel you inside me. I want you to make me moan your name over and over again. And I want to make you yell mine.” She grinned. “Clear enough for you?”
He didn’t speak, only nodded but pulled her hand down to his crotch. He was as hard as rock. He cleared his throat. Once. Twice. “Condoms,” he managed to choke out. “I have one in my wallet.” He pulled the wallet out of his back pocket and threw it on the table.
“Only one?” she asked, making her eyes as big as possible and blinking hard at him.
He groaned and bent down to capture her lips again. She fisted her hands in his hair and deepened the kiss. His tongue joined hers in a now familiar rhythm. She wrapped herself back around him.
He ran his hands down her thighs and gripped her tighter. She lifted her hips and moved ba
ck and forth across his crotch. When she reached for the button of his jeans, she heard his breath catch. She grabbed the bottom of the T-shirt she wore and pulled it over her head. His eyes went down to her breasts and then came back up to lock with hers.
This woman was going to be the death of him. She tasted so good, felt so right against him. He was powerless to say no. He wanted to be a professional and stop this insanity, but he saw the naked lust in her eyes, too. It was his undoing.
He dipped his head and captured one of her nipples in his mouth through her bra. He sucked and pulled at it, her groans spurring him on. He switched to the other breast. When she arched against him, he pushed her back on the table and laid her down slowly. He then moved from her nipples down her body, leaving a trail of kisses across her stomach. He moved back to her nipple and sucked some more. Then he undid her bra and slipped it off. She moaned when his tongue found her bare nipple. He swirled his tongue around it again and again.
Her hands moved over his shoulders as she arched up to meet his mouth. She tugged at his shirt, so he took it off over his head and then went back to her nipples. He trailed more kisses down her belly and then paused only to undo the button of her jeans. She helped him, lifting her butt so he could slide them off. She was wearing the barest scrap of purple lace. He kissed her belly along the edge of her underwear. She fisted her hands in his hair and lifted her hips again. He slid the underwear down over her knees and dropped it to the floor.
He paused above the apex of her legs. Glancing up to make sure she was still with him, he saw her bite her lip, but then her hands reached for him.
He gently pushed her hands away and dropped his mouth over her hot center. She moaned in response. He slowly moved his tongue in little circles, alternating licking and nipping her sensitive area. Her breath was coming in small gasps. He used his fingers in tandem with his tongue. Her breath came faster. He heard her nails scrape against the table.
Hit and Run: A Thrilling Novel of Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security series Book 3) Page 11
