Protecting amy special f.., p.13
Protecting Amy (Special Forces: Operation Alpha), page 13
“Oh god.” She cried it out over and over, doing her best to trap his head between her thighs and keep him there.
The more she did that, the more he wanted from her. Every so often he drew back, just flicking his tongue over her hot clit then going back to work with a vengeance. She was unlike any other woman he’d ever been with, and he didn’t want this ever to stop.
She was begging and crying now, and he wanted to see her come. With his fingers and his mouth, he drove her the rest of the way to the peak and she exploded, her flavor bursting on his tongue. He swallowed again and again, wanted every drop of her inside him. And when at last the shudders slowed then subsided, he crawled his way back up her body and pulled her tightly against him.
He could feel her racing heart slow then settle back into a regular beat. When she opened her eyes, they had a sexy, satisfied look to them.
“Okay?” he asked.
“More than.” She gave him a slow smile. “But don’t think you’re getting away with only that.”
“Oh, we’re hardly finished here.” He chuckled. “We’ve just gotten started.”
He held her, giving her another moment to settle herself then turned her over and placed a string of kisses down the length of her spine. She hummed beneath his touch, squirming slightly when he got to her gorgeous ass. He was pretty sure no one had ever used their mouth on her quite this way before, and he took great delight in drawing every possible response from her. For a woman who hadn’t had sex in ten years, her responses were a welcome surprise.
He covered every inch of her buttocks then traced their lower curve with the tip of his tongue. She was already squirming beneath him, crying out and moaning and crying for more. At last, when he himself couldn’t stand it anymore, when he wanted his shaft sliding into the slick heat of her sex, he turned her over and slid a pillow beneath her hips. His hands actually shook as he rolled on a condom. Then he splayed her out the way he wanted, legs bent and spread wide. He pressed the head of his cock at her opening, grabbed her hips, and drove himself inside.
Asshole! Use a little finesse, for fuck’s sake.
But when he slid partially out and tried to stop for a moment, she wrapped her legs around his waist, digging her heels into the small of his back, and squeezed him against her.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he protested, his voice breathless.
“You’ll hurt me if you don’t get moving.” Her laugh was fractured. “I haven’t wanted this for so long, not until you walked through my door. Don’t make me beg.”
God! He was the one who should be begging.
“You got it, darlin’.”
His every intention had been to take it slow and easy with her, draw it out, but she was like a tiger unleashed, and his own hunger was at its peak. Holding her hips, he began a steady in and out glide, slow at first then faster and faster. She was there with him every inch of the way, even stroking her own clit as she’d done in her dream.
The explosion when it came was cataclysmic. It shook them both, consuming every bit of them as spasm after spasm roared through them. He had no idea how long it lasted, how long they rocked together, shuddering, letting the orgasm wring every last bit of response from them.
At last the spasms slowed and then subsided. Amy eased her legs from around his waist, and he leaned down to wrap his arms around her. He sprinkled kisses on her face before holding her cheeks in his hands and kissing her lips. He was almost afraid to look in her eyes, to see what was there. Was she disappointed? Upset? Ready to go back into her shell? If she did, he’d just work twice as hard to break her out again, but he hoped…
“Don’t look so apprehensive,” she teased in her soft voice. “It was better than my dream, a hundred times.” She brushed his hair back from his damp forehead. “Can we do it again?”
He burst out laughing. “As many times as you want. But first, let me get rid of this condom and rest a little. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“Quinn?” She held his head and forced him to look at her before he moved.
“Hmmm?”
“You aren’t just a body. I want you to know that. If it’s not you, it won’t be anyone.”
“Are you sure? It’s been…”
“A ten-year disaster for me. But I think I was waiting for you all this time.”
“Me, too.” He eased from her body. “You just hold those thoughts. I’ll be right back.”
As he headed to the bathroom, all he could think was he was one lucky bastard. And no one, not a single person, was going to hurt her. They’d have to go through him, and that wasn’t happening.
Amy was lying there with nothing covering her when he climbed back into bed. He rolled her against him and tugged up the sheet.
“How about a little nap before we do this again? I warn you, I might want to do it all night.”
She grinned. “Works for me.”
Chapter 12
“I believe we are all set.”
Jamie stood at the dining room table of the suite they were renting in the quaint but luxurious hotel about twenty-five miles outside of Tampa. Matthew looked at everything assembled there.
“Tell me again about the RF jammer you bought. You’re the electronics expert. Are you sure this one will work?”
Jamie nodded. “From as far as fifty feet away. We can park the car two streets away, stroll over there about an hour after dark, and disable her fancy home security system. This is the best money can buy, and I studied them all. We’ll be able to climb over the fence and get to the house. I hacked the security system, so if it goes silent it won’t send an alarm for an hour.”
“And how do we get inside again?”
“There’s a big sliding glass door at the back of the house, the side that faces the little guest cottage. I’ve got a glass cutter that will get us inside, but we need to wait until after dark.”
“Fine. Fine.” Matthew jumped up and began to pace. “Does she stay up late at night? Watch television? What? We need to know which room she’ll be in.”
“I have not been able to get exact information,” Jamie protested, “because I couldn’t get into the house. And no one I’m paying off is there at night. You know that.”
“Right, right, right. I hate having to wing it, but I guess we have no choice.” He jingled the change in his pocket as he paced. “Fuck, Jamie. I want to get it done.”
“I know.” Jamie’s voice was soothing. “But we have to do it right. All those years of planning, all my hard work, all the bribe money we’ve paid out. Let’s not blow it by moving too fast or at the wrong time.”
“I know.” Matthew sighed and dropped into the chair again. “But we’re a definite go for tomorrow night, right?”
Jamie nodded. “One reason is because a thunderstorm is predicted. Electricity can be uncertain. Neighbors won’t be out walking their dogs. All the elements will be in our favor.”
“We’re leaving here at nine o’clock.”
“Yes, Matt. Nine o’clock. With one thing and another, that will get us to her house at ten. I’m pretty sure she’ll be in bed by then, if not asleep. Nothing I’ve found shows her to be a night owl.”
Matthew grinned. “Good. Let’s get some dinner.”
* * *
Amy indulged in a long, leisurely stretch before she opened her eyes, relishing the feel of a sated, well-loved, well-fucked body. Last night had been many things, the biggest being a miracle. Ten years ago, she had never expected to ever be with a man again. Ever enjoy sex. Never have anything to look forward to. She saw her days as an endless stretch locked to her computer and hidden away from the outside world.
Quinn Molloy had changed all that. That a man like him could have feelings for her was the biggest miracle of all.
“Penny for them.”
The deep, husky voice made her turn her head. Quinn was lying stretched out next to her, on his side, his head braced on his hand, his mouth turned up in a grin.
Her laugh was soft. “Oh, they’re worth a lot more. But I think I’d need a lot more of last night to be able to explain them.”
Now it was his turn to laugh.
“Lord. I didn’t know I had an insatiable woman on my hands.”
She touched her hand to his cheek. “Only for you. Quinn, you are the greatest miracle in my life. I don’t know how or why you feel this way about it, but I’m praying you don’t change your mind.”
“No worries there. I have no interest in anyone or anyplace else.”
She pushed up in bed, ignoring the fact that the covers left her naked from the waist up. “But, is this a temporary assignment for you? Or are you just going to be paid to be my live-in bodyguard forever? What if something else comes along?”
“Not gonna happen. And I don’t know what the future holds for me, except you will definitely be in it. The first project is to help you step out into the world again, and that’s going to take some time. And even when we reach that point, I’m still not leaving. If you’re okay by yourself, I can work local jobs for Security Solutions.”
“You really want to do that?” She held her breath.
He cradled her head in his hands. “I really want to do that. I’ll keep telling you as many times as I have to until you believe it.”
“Good.” She grinned. “Then I think you deserve a big breakfast for that.”
“Certainly after last night,” he teased. “You wore me out, lady.”
“Look who’s talking!” She threw back the covers and stood up. “I’m for a quick shower and breakfast. How about you?”
“I’d say let’s shower together and save water, except then we’d get nothing done all day. I need to do my exercises for my leg, and you have work to do this morning. So, meet you in the kitchen?”
“You bet. Now, get out of here so I can get things done.”
She hummed to herself all through the shower, and while she threw on yoga pants and a T-shirt. And while she assembled all the ingredients for the meal. She even opened the sliding door and stood in the opening with her orange juice, thinking maybe today was the day to take those first steps outside. Her good mood lasted until Quinn came into the kitchen with a tight look on his face.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Dan Rendell called.”
Her heart dropped to her feet. Dan wouldn’t be calling again so soon unless there was a problem.
Quinn took her hands and led her over to the kitchen table. “Sit down, Amy. Let me get you some coffee.”
She didn’t want to sit, but she didn’t argue. She wanted answers.
Quinn set a mug of her favorite coffee in front of her and took the chair cornerwise to hers so he could face her.
“I apologize for this, but we’ve been holding something back from you. I thought you should know, but Rendell hoped it would be resolved before we had to say anything.”
“Know what, Quinn? It’s about Matthew, right?”
He nodded. “I don’t know any other way to say this except straight out. Matthew Baker escaped from prison last week.”
“Last week?” She stared at him. “How? I mean, what happened? And why did Dan decide to keep it from me?”
“I think you know the answer to that, sweetheart. Your fear of him has kept you a prisoner for ten years. Even though he supposedly thought you were dead. And everyone hoped he’d be caught before we had to tell you.”
“So your coming here was all a big setup.” She felt sick at how easily she believed in him.
“No. Get that out of your head. Security Solutions had already offered me a job before I even ‘met’ you. And I would have come here even without it. But I wanted to be with you in person, Amy, and this seemed ideal. Rendell was insisting you have on-site security, I was available and qualified, and it gave me a chance to connect with you in person.” He took her hands and wrapped his big ones around them. “I think I fell in love with you that first night online. Even if no one was paying me, I’d be here, and I’m staying, so get anything else out of your head. Okay?”
She swallowed then nodded her head. She wanted so badly to believe him.
“Why did Dan call you just now? What’s been happening? What came up?”
He told her about the US Marshal service nationwide manhunt. About scoping out all the places where he might go to hide and the fact there was no trace of him anywhere.
“Wait.” She took a sip of the hot coffee. “As far as he’s concerned, I’m dead, so why would I be in any danger?”
So then he told her about her grave being dug up and the coffin pried open.
“Oh my god!” She began to shake so hard Quinn took the mug from her hands and set it on the table.
He wrapped his hands around her shaking ones and squeezed.
“There’s more.”
For a moment, she thought she might pass out. “More? What kind of more?”
“When no one could find any trace of him, they suggested looking into your stepfather’s background. Did you know anything about him before he married your mother, except that he had a crazy son who was a big problem in your family?”
She shook her head, afraid of what he was going to say next.
“I suggested to Harrison that he look even further back, to any details surrounding Harrison’s first wife.”
“And?”
“It turns out that wife brought an illegitimate child to the marriage, an odd situation for a big corporate attorney. Although, apparently she came from a well-respected family, and she’d forced them to acknowledge her child. They were damn happy when Harrison married her.”
“I bet. So, what about the child?”
“A girl. Named Jamie. Two years old at the time, which makes her four years older than Matthew. Now we learn they had an unhealthy relationship. That every time Matthew walked out, he ran to Jamie. That the last couple of years before that awful night, they were in the drug business. Harrison had settled a large amount of money on him—”
She waved her hand. “We knew about that.”
He went on to tell her about the growing bank account Jamie also had access to. About the guard they bribed to carry messages back and forth so there’d be nothing linking her to him. And on and on and on.
Quinn nodded. “Someone just as odd as he was. Now Rendell thinks every time Matthew disappeared from your home, he was with her.”
“They’re friends,” she guessed.
“And maybe more, but let’s not get into that right now.”
Amy forced herself to take a deep breath and sit still, when she really wanted to jump back in bed and pull the covers over her head. She tried to absorb it all while Quinn filled her in on all the other underhanded things they’d done to learn she was alive and find out where she was.
“But the thing is, when they learned all that, that Matthew had help, they focused the search on Tampa because they knew you were his target. The Marshals put a full team on it and circulated their pictures to all the law enforcement agencies in the area. And they’ve both been spotted here.” He gave a humorless laugh. “They only spotted him because he was with her. He changed his appearance some, but she didn’t bother, probably figuring no one would be after her. Until this week, she was right.”
Now Amy really thought she was going to pass out.
“We have to get out of here, Quinn. Have to find a place to hide. Someplace. Anyplace. Now.”
She started to rise, but he stopped her.
“No, we’re not. You’re done running. The storm tonight is a perfect cover for them, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office spotted them getting coffee at a Starbucks. By accident, as a matter of fact, but a lucky break for us.”
“So, what happens now?”
He took both her hands in his. “The Marshals have a team on their way here, plus Security Solutions is sending two agents to help. And a car will be patrolling the neighborhood.”
“Won’t he see them?”
Quinn shook his head. “The sheriff’s deputies who spotted them are in an unmarked car, as it happens, and are broadcasting their progress to the Marshals. It’s all good.”
“But—”
“But the important thing is, I’m going to make sure you’re safe. Trust me on that. We’re making arrangements because all indications are that he’s getting ready to make his move. But, I promise, he’ll never get to you.”
Even after a half hour, she wasn’t convinced, but she decided to follow Quinn’s directions. It began to rain later that morning which helped. Four Marshals arrived in civilian clothing, pretending there was electrical damage from the storm and checking the outside. The fifth was dressed as a housekeeper to fool anyone watching the house. When the woman tugged off her disguise, she was dressed in jeans and a shirt with a badge pinned to the pocket and her gun in a holster at her waist.
She was Amy’s size and immediately requisitioned some of her clothes.
“Just in case,” she told Amy. “If he gets in and grabs anyone, it will be me, and he will not be happy with the outcome.”
“You want them to break in,” she told the Marshal.
“We do. That way we can catch him in the act and get him out of your life for good. This time in a high security prison.”
“See?” Quinn told her. “It will all work out.”
“But what if they don’t try their stuff tonight?” Amy asked. “We can’t go through this every night. They’ll know we’re onto them.”
“Then we’ll look at other options. But Jamie picked up some kind of order at a package mailbox place today and everything else they’ve done indicates they’ll take advantage of the storm to get in here.”
“What about the security system?”
“There’s a possibility it’s an RF signal jammer to jam your security system,” one of the Marshals told her. “Like those thieves who were robbing houses in your neighborhood had. That’s okay. We’re going to let their little act play out. We’re ready for them.”
