“How are you feeling?” Rusty asked.
Nico shifted his gaze to the man and saw the uncontained humor in his eyes. “Fuck off.”
Rusty laughed. Then he turned his attention to Tamika. “We need to leave for New York ASAP.”
“Yeah, but we’ll need a day or so.”
“We need to get on the trail while it’s hot. A day’s delay will be dangerous. We don’t know what they’re going to do with the plans,” he said with a frown.
Tamika turned to face them both, dropping her arms to her sides. She spoke carefully, “I believe that taking those plans was simply a way to lure Nico into Cruz’s trap.”
Rusty looked thoughtful. “You might be right there.”
“I spoke with Chicha and she’s agreed to help us infiltrate Cruz.”
“Why would you trust her?” Rusty asked
Nico was interested in that question as well. What he knew of the woman was that she was a crook, ready and willing to use anything to get what she wanted. He didn’t think Tamika would be easy to play, but Chicha was a pro.
“I don’t. But, she says that in exchange for helping us, we need to get her child away from Cruz.”
Nico swore.
“There’s a child involved in all this?” Rusty asked.
Tamika nodded.
“Shit. This is going to complicate things. How do we even know she really has a kid?”
Tamika gave him a level stare. “I’m counting on you to verify that claim.”
Rusty pulled out his tablet and immediately began to tap. “Any idea how old that child is?”
“No idea. However, she was with Cruz for six years and I’m assuming the kid is his?”
“Not a lot to go on,” he said, his eyes fixed on his tablet. He got to his feet. “This is going to take a while and I need sustenance.” He walked to the dining area as he spoke, his eyes still glued to the screen.
“I’ll order room service,” Tamika said. She walked towards Nico and he flinched. She rolled her eyes. “How is that?” She waved in the general direction of the ice pack.
If he were honest, the pain had faded to a dull ache. He was pretty sure he could walk, but since he was seeing some remorse in her eyes, he decided to milk it. So he groaned and hunched his back like he was in terrible agony.
She just folded her arms and gave him a knowing look.
“You’re not buying it, are you?”
“Not even for a minute.”
He sighed. “Fine, it doesn’t hurt so much anymore.”
She nodded. “What do I order for you?”
He was suddenly ravenous. “I don’t know, surprise me.”
She gave him a considering glance and nodded. He straightened his posture, but didn’t bother getting up from the floor as he watched her reach for the phone. Now, that he knew what to expect, he was going to have lots of fun yanking her chain.
He reached into the pocket of his slacks and brought out his phone. Going straight to the WhatsApp group that had just he, Alex and Masha, he gave his siblings an update on Uncle Ivan’s latest activity.
Chapter Twenty
Tamika sat on the sofa and went through her messages. There was nothing urgent, except that Ace was off on another case. His was pretty much like hers; he was protecting a celebrity who was being stalked by an overeager fan.
She sent off a message to Pete and Carla, asking about Chicha’s status. She heard footsteps and lifted her eyes to see Nico walking towards her. They were alone in the suite. After lunch, Rusty had returned to his suite, saying he needed to use his laptop. Nico had taken out his laptop and turned the dining table into a work table. He’d been working nonstop for over three hours.
“Are you done with work?” she asked.
“For now.” He walked straight to where she was and dropped down beside her on the sofa, leaving about five inches between them.
His arm brushed against hers, sending waves of electricity up her arm. It spread to other parts of her body rapidly.
“I need to leave for New York tonight,” he said quietly.
“That’s sudden, what happened?”
He sighed and rubbed his eyes, the action revealing his weariness. “Uncle Ivan has been going to the other shareholders, trying to convince them to call an emergency meeting.”
“He’s using the fact that you’re not there to stir up anxiety?”
He nodded. “Our shares have taken a dip, nothing significant. Yet.”
She took a moment to process what he’d said. She’d wanted to wait till Chicha was out of hospital, but there really was no reason to wait. Pete and Carla could watch her and bring her back to New York once she was well enough to travel.
“I’ll inform Rusty,” she said.
He placed a hand on her thigh, making her go still. “You’re coming with me, aren’t you?”
She raised her gaze to his and what she saw there made her heart skip a beat. “I’m your bodyguard, Nico, of course I’ll come with you.”
His eyes clouded over and he shook his head. “That’s not what I’m asking, Tamika.”
“Then perhaps you should ask clearly.” His hand was still on her thigh and the heat from that place had spread to the rest of her body.
Without realizing it, he had closed the gap and was seated very close to her. He held her gaze and his turned smoky.
“I really like you, Tamika, and I would like for us to date.”
She opened her mouth in shock. Okay, she hadn’t seen that coming. “Date, as in girlfriend and boyfriend?”
He nodded.
“I don’t know…”
He placed a finger on her mouth silencing her. “I’m not asking for forever. We’ll take it slow and see where it goes from here.”
“I get what you’re saying, but you do know that we don’t need to date to have sex, right?”
“Dammit, Tamika! Why do you do this?” He leaned back and ran his hand over his head in frustration.
“What?”
“You know damn well this is not just about sex. I’m talking about a relationship. I like you. I want to get to know you better, to be there for you.”
She looked away from his heated gaze, not sure what to say in response. If she were being honest with herself, she wanted what he wanted too, but she was scared. Scared to open up herself like that to another person. She was scared of getting dependent on him, getting to need him only for him to leave. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. It was too much of a risk.
Promise that…you will take a risk.
She remembered the promise she’d made to Janey and shut her eyes. She could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Was she ready to take this risk?
“You are overthinking this, Mi Florecita.”
Her eyes flew open at his use of the endearment, and her gaze went straight to his. Florecita was a term used affectionately for a woman who was beautiful, not just on the outside but also on the inside. Was that really how he saw her? She knew she was pretty, but she’d always thought it was mostly an external thing. She did her best to be kind and to look out for others, but somehow, it had not stopped those she loved from leaving her. First her mother, then her grandma, then Kyle… She’d come to the conclusion that she was defective inside and she knew it would only be a matter of time before Nico saw that and also left.
Well, since she already knew he was going to leave, it meant she could protect herself. Could she do this relationship thing with him and still keep her heart safe? She wanted to try. She did not want to look back later and regret not taking this opportunity to be with Nico. But she would have to be very careful so that she did not fall in love with him because he was going to leave.
She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. She felt the butterflies in the pit of her stomach, kind of like the first time she’d jumped out of a plane. She pressed her abdomen with her hand, trying to still the butterflies. She searched his gaze and saw nothing but sincerity. He really wanted to do this. Okay,
she could do this. She could take the risk.
“Okay,” she said before she lost her nerve.
He slanted his body so that he was facing her. “What?”
“I will be your girlfriend, Nico.”
She saw his eyes light up with joy and it almost brought tears to her eyes. She had no idea it meant so much to him. The twisting feeling inside her belly let up slightly.
Nico lifted his hand to caress her hair. She shivered in reaction. Then his hand cupped her face, the look in his eyes tender.
“I wish I could say I won’t, but I am going to mess up. I’m asking you to forgive me in advance.”
She shook her head, the butterflies disappearing instantly. “Trust you to try covering your ass in advance.” She saw the amusement deep in his eyes and narrowed hers. “You are free to mess up, but I will give you hell if you do.”
He dipped his head, a smile playing about his lips. “I expect nothing less my, mi Sirenita.”
“Seriously? You’re calling me a mermaid now?”
“You are more alluring than one.” He leaned down to kiss her.
Tamika gently pushed him away. She saw the question in his eyes and sighed, “Look dude, if this thing is going to work, we need to keep it real.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
She did not know how to explain what she meant without exposing her self-doubt, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. She should just have let it go, but she was uncomfortable with the endearments. And Spanish endearments were much more elaborate than the English version. Alluring… She shook her head at the exaggeration.
“Tamika?”
He was still waiting for an explanation and she could think of nothing to say, so she grabbed hold of his shirt and drew him closer. “I think we should seal this with a kiss,” she murmured against his lips before kissing him.
The look in his eyes before she shut hers let her know that he was aware that she was trying to divert his attention, but thankfully, he began kissing her back and after a few seconds, she forgot about what they were discussing.
**
Nico knew that he would never get enough of kissing Tamika. He leaned closer till he was pressing against her and deepened the kiss. He loved how her tongue dueled with his, how she moaned as she moved against him. He loved the scent of her hair and how soft it was. He drew back to nibble on her lips and he felt her soft sigh.
His hand went up to her hair and pulled out the band she’d used to hold up the hair. Then he ran his fingers over her scalp, loving the way she moaned.
Just then her phone beeped. She went still then drew back. Nico was not ready to let go of her yet, so he lifted her and placed her on his lap, then wrapped his arms around her. He couldn’t believe he had the right to hold her like this. He had no words to explain the way he’d felt when she had agreed to be his girlfriend. He had felt like he’d won the damn lottery.
He buried his head in the crook of her shoulder while she scrolled through her phone and tapped out a reply.
“Chicha will be out of hospital in a day or two. Rusty and the others will stay with her and join us in New York,” she said, her attention still on her phone.
“Great. I’ve made arrangements for us. We leave this night.” He lifted his head and saw a look of concern on her face. “What’s the matter?”
“I can’t fly commercial with my firearm.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. We have a timeshare on a private jet, so that’s not a problem.” He saw the relief on her face and was glad he’d decided against flying commercial.
“How soon do we need to leave for the airport?”
He glanced at his watch, it was almost five p.m. “Not for another five hours. Why?”
She moved delicately on his lap, her ass brushing against his erection. He drew in a sharp breath as desire coursed through him.
“We need to have a conference call in about half an hour.” Her voice was tinged with regret.
He closed his eyes and groaned. He wanted nothing more than to carry her through that door, into the bedroom. Any of the bedrooms. He ran his hands over her arms and felt her tremble. Slanting his eyes open, he saw the need on her face and knew she felt the same way.
But he had told her that this was not just about sex, and it was time for him to prove it to her. So he pulled her close and placed his lips on hers. He brushed her hair back with his hand, enjoying the way she felt in his arms.
“We have time, sweetheart. Right now, you need to work.”
She drew back slightly, then swung her leg over him so that she was sitting astride him. The action brought his erection in direct contact with her heat. He threw back his head and groaned. He was trying to do the right thing here.
“We have time for a quickie,” she said breathlessly.
“Tamika,” he groaned as he felt his blood turn to molten lava.
She ground her hips against his, eliciting gasps from them both. It had been so long since she’d been in his arms and his ability for rational thought was being gradually eroded.
His hand slipped behind her head and he brought her lips to meet his in a kiss that was heated with passion. She met his ardor, kissing him back with equal passion. He could not believe that it had not even been forty-eight hours since he’d last held her. He felt like a man that was starving.
His hands went down her back and settled on her waist. Slipping his hands beneath her top, he groaned when he felt the velvet smoothness of her skin. He slid his hands over her skin until he got to the swell of her breasts.
Nico broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck. “Tamika, baby…are you sure about this?” He did not want her regretting this and he wasn’t sure he would be able to handle it if she pulled away from him afterwards.
She seemed to understand what he was asking because she pulled back and framed his face with her hands. He lifted his gaze to hers and saw desire, humor and need. The combination was a heady one.
“I promise, I’ll still respect you afterward,” she told him, her eyes dancing with humor.
He smiled back. “Well, in that case…”
“What…Nico!” She squealed as he got to his feet in one go, cradling her in his arms. He headed for the bedroom. Even if they only had a few minutes, he meant to savor every bit of those minutes. Besides, the condoms were in the bedroom.
Tamika wrapped her arms around him as he walked. “You are such a brute,” she said into his ears. Her breath tickled him.
“Don’t you know it.”
She leaned closer and used the tip of her tongue to trace his ear. Nico swore and picked up the pace, enjoying her husky chuckle. He had a feeling he was really going to enjoy dating Tamika White. It was going to be one hell of an adventure.
He dropped her gently on the bed and quickly discarded his clothes. He slipped on a rubber and joined her on the bed. She had already made short work of her clothes. Nico stared at her, from her full breasts to the generous flare of her hips. She really was stunning.
“Hurry up, Nico,” she murmured, then decided to take matters into her hands. Kneeling on the bed, she pushed him. Nico fell onto the bed, landing on his back. In an instant, Tamika was on top of him, sitting astride him. He felt the wetness from her core on him and immediately became harder.
She leaned down until the tips of her breast grazed his chest. By then he was breathing hard. He ran his hands over her back, up to her shoulders and down to her backside.
“You are so wet,” he murmured.
“Yeah, and I need you inside me now.” Her voice was strained.
She lifted herself off him, reached for his erection and adjusting her position, guided him inside her. She fitted him like a glove and as he felt the walls of her vagina stretch to accommodate him, he grew impossibly harder.
“Ohhh…” She moaned as he filled her. She took him all the way to the hilt, then lifting herself up, she slammed down on him.
Their coming together was frantic and desperate. Nico h
eld on to her as she rode him, panting his name till her orgasm hit her. She was still screaming his name when he flipped her around, his hardness still buried inside her. He leaned down and took one of her nipples in his mouth while he brought a hand between them and teased her clit, getting her excited again.
When she began moving impatiently beneath him, moaning his name, he drew out and drove into her. He thrust into her over and over again until she clung to him, panting his name repeatedly. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the room. He felt her tighten around him as another orgasm hit her. She went tense and screamed his name, triggering his own release.
Chapter Twenty-one
“Once we know exactly where he’s keeping the plans, we go in and get them.”
Tamika listened as Emily outlined the plan of action once they got to New York. They were having a conference call with the other Silver Shield operators. The only person who was missing was Ace, which was understandable, since he was off protecting someone else.
“Tamika, I want you to keep close watch over Nico. Since we have identified him as the target, we need to make sure they don’t get to him.”
Tamika nodded, but did not look at Nico, who was sitting across the table from her. Not because she was trying to ignore him. On the contrary. She was afraid that if she so much as glanced at him, she would crawl over the table to where he was seated and have her wicked way with him. She had never felt so out of control with a man before and it disturbed her. They’d just had frantic sex and it should have been enough, she’d had two orgasms after all. But it was nowhere near enough. She wanted much more. Guess she’d become greedy.
“What of the Chicha woman?” Drew asked, pulling her attention away from the mind-blowing orgasms she’d just had.
“I’ll stay behind with Pete and Carla. We’ll see her safely to New York,” Rusty said.
“She’ll be useful to us in getting through to Cruz.”
“On the condition that we get her kid out of there,” Emily said dryly.
Rusty had ascertained that she did actually have a three-year-old daughter with Cruz Fuentes and the child was currently living with the man. Thinking about it awed Tamika. She could not believe that she was an aunt. She felt an immediate sense of protectiveness towards the child she had not yet met. She would rather die than let anything bad happen to that kid.
Silver Shield Security Box Set Page 65
