Cole’s gaze narrowed. “Just how well do you know him?”
“We talk.”
“When the hell do you have time to talk? When we’re all together for a mission, there sure as hell isn’t time for chitchat.”
“Duh, I have a life outside our missions, you know.”
Cole’s mouth popped open. Granted he didn’t know jack about what his team members did outside the job. If he was honest, most of the time they lived, ate and breathed the job. Sometimes they spent weeks together, day in, day out. It was hard to imagine anyone’s life outside the team.
“I saw him when he was in Colorado a few months back,” she said with a huff of impatience. “He knew I lived in the area so he looked me up. We had a few drinks. Talked shop.”
Cole scowled again and glanced over at Steele to see how he took the news. He appeared as unruffled as ever, but then that was Steele. He never interfered in their private lives. When they were on a mission, their asses belonged to Steele. No questions asked. They followed his command without question. But when they finished, they each went their own way, and until now, Cole never gave a thought to how his teammates lived when they weren’t together.
P.J. was a good looking, very in-shape woman. She was smart. Sharp as a tack. And she could damn well look after herself. Any red-blooded male would be tripping over his tongue to hook up with her.
Now it was going to bug him to wonder what had happened between P.J. and Rio. Not that it was any of his business. P.J. was just a teammate. Nothing more.
But as they slipped farther down the river, Cole couldn’t help but imagine P.J. with Rio.
He scowled harder.
Thirty minutes later, they docked at a bend in the river. It was a moonless night and they were far enough from any town that the entire area was shrouded in a cloak of darkness. Cole’s eyes rapidly adjusted and he caught movement at the other end of the dock.
He pushed P.J. back and stepped in front of her, then barked a low warning to Steele and pulled up his rifle.
Rio rippled out of the shadows and murmured a greeting to Steele and his team. P.J. shoved by Cole and then got into his face, her eyes spitting fury.
“What the fuck was that, Coletraine? You ever pull a stunt like that again and I’ll cut your balls off.”
“Yeah, we’re clear.”
Hell, he didn’t know what had possessed him to do that. She had a right to be mad. He’d treated her like she was someone in need of protecting. Not like an equal.
“Let’s go,” Steele said shortly. “We’ve got until dawn to scout and get into position.”
CHAPTER 36
SARAH yawned and gave a gigantic stretch as she pried open her eyes. According to the clock at her bedside, it was already past noon. Noon? Holy cow.
She bolted upward and started to leap out of bed but then she flopped back onto her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Why did she have to hurry? There was absolutely no place she had to be. Nothing to do other than whatever she wanted.
It was a nice feeling to know that she was safe and that she could slow down and stop the incessant worrying that had plagued her for so long that she’d forgotten what it felt like to just be.
She had Garrett to thank for that. Well, and Marcus, but mostly Garrett. The man had made her feel like living again. She smiled and yawned lazily. After a moment, the sounds coming from the bathroom pricked her ears and she realized Garrett was showering.
Feeling devilish, she scooted from the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Sure enough, he was in the shower and steam rose, fogging the shower doors and the bathroom windows. With a grin, she shed her nightshirt and opened the shower door to see Garrett standing with his eyes closed, face turned up into the spray as water cascaded over his muscular, lean body.
All the breath left her as she simply stared. He was so gorgeous. Sweet merciful lord. but the man was simply lethal.
Water slid over his belly, down through the dark hair of his groin and then down thickly corded legs. She frowned when she spotted a large, ugly scar on his upper leg that she hadn’t noticed before. It was old but large. It didn’t look like it had been stitched well. There was a mass of scar tissue, still angry looking, white at the edges and dull pink in the center.
When she glanced back up, she saw that his eyes were open and he was staring at her. His cock twitched under the onslaught of water and stiffened until it rose toward his navel.
She smiled.
He scowled.
“It’s disgusting how little control I have around you,” he muttered.
She stepped into the shower and shut the door behind him. Water bounced off him and pelted her as she sidled up to him and pressed her body to his. They both moaned when their flesh met. His erection was pressed between them but she was aware of his length, pulsing against her belly, growing more turgid by the moment.
“I thought I’d give you a little help,” she said as she reached for the washcloth and the liquid soap.
“Oh, I can always use your kind of help.”
He stretched his arms up to rest on the walls of the shower so she had full access to his body. She lathered soap onto the cloth and began at his shoulders. Gently, she lavished attention over his entire body, taking special care around the still-vivid bruises at his midsection.
She might have washed his behind more than necessary, but she was mesmerized by the full cheeks and the contrast between them and his lean hips and muscular legs. The pale globes were a stark contrast to his tanned arms and legs. It was all she could do not to lean over and take a bite out of his ass.
She knelt and rubbed up one leg and then the other. Each time her gaze was drawn to his thick cock thrusting upward from his groin. Deciding it needed extra special attention, she tossed aside the cloth and curled her hands around the base, guiding it down toward her mouth.
“Oh hell,” Garrett groaned.
He dropped one hand and thrust it in her wet hair just as she sucked him deep into her mouth. He trembled from head to toe and thrust impatiently over her lips.
Before she could really get into it, Garrett reached down and hauled her up into his arms. He slammed her against the wall of the shower and devoured her mouth like he was starving.
“No condoms in here, damn it,” he said in frustration.
He spun around, threw open the shower door and stepped out. She shivered as cooler air hit her wet body. Garrett stalked through the bathroom and into the bedroom. He tumbled her onto the bed and before she could take a breath, he flipped her onto her belly. She heard the nightstand drawer open and then slam. Felt his hands gripping her hips and pulling her to the edge of the bed.
“That’s the last condom,” she teased. “Better make it good.”
His fingers slipped between her legs and pushed inward as if testing her readiness. She was wet. She was definitely ready. She squirmed impatiently as his hand left her.
Firm hands gripped her legs, spread her and then he thrust into her from behind.
She cried out at the instant fullness. The indescribable pleasure at having him buried to the balls inside her body. The tightness, the sensitivity. Her heart raced. Her blood pounded through her veins. Her pussy pulsed and clenched around him. Every nerve ending was on fire, sizzling like the shortest of fuses.
“Are you okay?” he murmured close to her ear. He’d gone completely still as he awaited her response. Her chest lurched and she closed her eyes, smiling at the depth of his concern and caring.
“I’m fine,” she groaned. “Please don’t stop. You feel wonderful.”
He chuckled then and pulled out slowly, his length rippling over her swollen tissues until she squirmed underneath him. He pushed forward again, gaining depth at his hips pressed into her buttocks.
His hands smoothed over her back and he leaned down to kiss between her shoulder blades. He slid his tongue over her shoulder to her neck and then he nipped, eliciting shiver after shiver to quake down her spine.
He began pumping against her, the noisy smacks echoing erotically through the room. He maintained a steady rhythm, one destined to drive her insane. He drove her to the very brink of orgasm and then he’d pause and change his speed and strength, forcing her to start all over again.
She panted frantically through her mouth until it was dry and all she could do was croak out her protests. Halfhearted protests. She even managed to confuse herself. Stop. Don’t stop. You’re killing me. That feels wonderful.
He was patient and he had the staying power of a damn machine. How could he hold out that long? She was exhausted and he still fucked her like he’d just begun.
His body blanketed hers, pressing her into the mattress. There wasn’t a part of her body that wasn’t enveloped by him and his heat. His hips moved rhythmically against her behind, pushing her harder and further. She closed her eyes, curled her fingers into the sheets and arched up as high as she could with his weight pressing down on her.
By the time she realized that this time he wasn’t going to stop, she was exhausted and so dizzy with pleasure that she was senseless. She moaned as the pressure increased. Burned. Sharp. A razor’s edge. Higher and higher. Harder and harder. She didn’t have the strength. This orgasm was going to kill her.
A high keening wail split the air and she realized it was her. Garrett pushed himself up off her by pressing his hands into the mattress on either side of her head and he began working into her hard. Much harder than before. He was as close as she was.
Her legs spread wider and the force of his thrusts pushed her up the bed until her head crept over the opposite side. She stared down at the floor, her vision going blurry and fuzzy as she arched painfully.
Then the pressure suddenly blew like a tire under pressure. She gave a gasp of relief and then moaned as the aftershocks splintered through her, painful, edgy, so good. So very good.
His teeth sank into his shoulder like he was a beast marking his mate and his hips pressed firmly against her, holding himself deep as if to tell her there was no escape. She was his. He was a part of her.
She melted into the covers and turned her face so that her cheek was pressed flat against the mattress. She closed her eyes and panted softly as he sprawled over her body, his cock still buried deep inside her.
She was pinned, filled, covered, and she loved it.
Garrett kissed her shoulder but continued to lay on her as his chest heaved. When he finally pushed himself up, she felt bereft of his touch. Felt naked and cold. She shivered and turned, seeking his warmth.
He stood by the bed, quickly rolling the condom off to toss in the trash. She stared up at him as he turned back to her and she sighed in utter contentment at the look in his eyes. No, words simply couldn’t replace the way he looked at her, the way he touched her, the way he loved her like there was no one else in the world for him.
The words bubbled up again, and this time she knew she was ready to tell him.
She reached for his hand and he slid his fingers over her palm as he crawled back into bed beside her. She crawled into his arms, cuddling against his side. She threw one leg over his body, holding him as possessively as he often held her.
“I love you,” she said softly.
He tensed beneath her and she smiled. Before he could respond, she put a finger to his lips.
“Shhh. Don’t say anything. Please. I’ve wanted to tell you, but the time just wasn’t right. Maybe it’s not now, but I can’t hold back any longer. But the thing is, I don’t want you to respond. I don’t want you to say anything at all. I just need you to know how much I love you. How grateful I am for you. How utterly amazed I am that a man like you exists.”
She levered up and over him and stared down into his eyes as earnestly as she knew how.
“No matter what happens, I wanted you to know that you are the most special man I’ve ever met. I’ll never forget you. I’ll never forget our time together. I never considered that I’d be able to trust someone again. Somehow you made it easy. You made it second nature. I didn’t even have to think about it long. You just snuck past my defenses and you made yourself at home.”
She kissed him warmly, pressing her mouth softly to his. “I love you,” she whispered again. “So much I ache. Thank you for helping me take back everything Allen and Stanley Cross took from me.”
Garrett gathered her in his arms and squeezed her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. “Sarah, I—”
The door burst open and Garrett rolled Sarah underneath him to shield her from view.
“What the fuck?” Garrett roared.
Rio stood in the doorway, his expression grim.
“We have to move. The whole damn jungle is on fire and we’re in its path.”
CHAPTER 37
GARRETT pushed himself from the bed and yanked up the sheets to cover Sarah. He strode naked to the door where Rio stood. “Tell me.”
“Big fire. It’s moving rapidly in our direction. The smoke’s made using the helicopter impossible. We’ll have to go by boat. Meet at the trucks in five. We’re moving out.”
Garrett cursed and turned in the direction of the bed, where Sarah sat up, the covers pulled to her chin. Her eyes were wide and concerned and her fingers were white against the sheets.
“We talk.”
“When the hell do you have time to talk? When we’re all together for a mission, there sure as hell isn’t time for chitchat.”
“Duh, I have a life outside our missions, you know.”
Cole’s mouth popped open. Granted he didn’t know jack about what his team members did outside the job. If he was honest, most of the time they lived, ate and breathed the job. Sometimes they spent weeks together, day in, day out. It was hard to imagine anyone’s life outside the team.
“I saw him when he was in Colorado a few months back,” she said with a huff of impatience. “He knew I lived in the area so he looked me up. We had a few drinks. Talked shop.”
Cole scowled again and glanced over at Steele to see how he took the news. He appeared as unruffled as ever, but then that was Steele. He never interfered in their private lives. When they were on a mission, their asses belonged to Steele. No questions asked. They followed his command without question. But when they finished, they each went their own way, and until now, Cole never gave a thought to how his teammates lived when they weren’t together.
P.J. was a good looking, very in-shape woman. She was smart. Sharp as a tack. And she could damn well look after herself. Any red-blooded male would be tripping over his tongue to hook up with her.
Now it was going to bug him to wonder what had happened between P.J. and Rio. Not that it was any of his business. P.J. was just a teammate. Nothing more.
But as they slipped farther down the river, Cole couldn’t help but imagine P.J. with Rio.
He scowled harder.
Thirty minutes later, they docked at a bend in the river. It was a moonless night and they were far enough from any town that the entire area was shrouded in a cloak of darkness. Cole’s eyes rapidly adjusted and he caught movement at the other end of the dock.
He pushed P.J. back and stepped in front of her, then barked a low warning to Steele and pulled up his rifle.
Rio rippled out of the shadows and murmured a greeting to Steele and his team. P.J. shoved by Cole and then got into his face, her eyes spitting fury.
“What the fuck was that, Coletraine? You ever pull a stunt like that again and I’ll cut your balls off.”
“Yeah, we’re clear.”
Hell, he didn’t know what had possessed him to do that. She had a right to be mad. He’d treated her like she was someone in need of protecting. Not like an equal.
“Let’s go,” Steele said shortly. “We’ve got until dawn to scout and get into position.”
CHAPTER 36
SARAH yawned and gave a gigantic stretch as she pried open her eyes. According to the clock at her bedside, it was already past noon. Noon? Holy cow.
She bolted upward and started to leap out of bed but then she flopped back onto her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Why did she have to hurry? There was absolutely no place she had to be. Nothing to do other than whatever she wanted.
It was a nice feeling to know that she was safe and that she could slow down and stop the incessant worrying that had plagued her for so long that she’d forgotten what it felt like to just be.
She had Garrett to thank for that. Well, and Marcus, but mostly Garrett. The man had made her feel like living again. She smiled and yawned lazily. After a moment, the sounds coming from the bathroom pricked her ears and she realized Garrett was showering.
Feeling devilish, she scooted from the bed and hurried into the bathroom. Sure enough, he was in the shower and steam rose, fogging the shower doors and the bathroom windows. With a grin, she shed her nightshirt and opened the shower door to see Garrett standing with his eyes closed, face turned up into the spray as water cascaded over his muscular, lean body.
All the breath left her as she simply stared. He was so gorgeous. Sweet merciful lord. but the man was simply lethal.
Water slid over his belly, down through the dark hair of his groin and then down thickly corded legs. She frowned when she spotted a large, ugly scar on his upper leg that she hadn’t noticed before. It was old but large. It didn’t look like it had been stitched well. There was a mass of scar tissue, still angry looking, white at the edges and dull pink in the center.
When she glanced back up, she saw that his eyes were open and he was staring at her. His cock twitched under the onslaught of water and stiffened until it rose toward his navel.
She smiled.
He scowled.
“It’s disgusting how little control I have around you,” he muttered.
She stepped into the shower and shut the door behind him. Water bounced off him and pelted her as she sidled up to him and pressed her body to his. They both moaned when their flesh met. His erection was pressed between them but she was aware of his length, pulsing against her belly, growing more turgid by the moment.
“I thought I’d give you a little help,” she said as she reached for the washcloth and the liquid soap.
“Oh, I can always use your kind of help.”
He stretched his arms up to rest on the walls of the shower so she had full access to his body. She lathered soap onto the cloth and began at his shoulders. Gently, she lavished attention over his entire body, taking special care around the still-vivid bruises at his midsection.
She might have washed his behind more than necessary, but she was mesmerized by the full cheeks and the contrast between them and his lean hips and muscular legs. The pale globes were a stark contrast to his tanned arms and legs. It was all she could do not to lean over and take a bite out of his ass.
She knelt and rubbed up one leg and then the other. Each time her gaze was drawn to his thick cock thrusting upward from his groin. Deciding it needed extra special attention, she tossed aside the cloth and curled her hands around the base, guiding it down toward her mouth.
“Oh hell,” Garrett groaned.
He dropped one hand and thrust it in her wet hair just as she sucked him deep into her mouth. He trembled from head to toe and thrust impatiently over her lips.
Before she could really get into it, Garrett reached down and hauled her up into his arms. He slammed her against the wall of the shower and devoured her mouth like he was starving.
“No condoms in here, damn it,” he said in frustration.
He spun around, threw open the shower door and stepped out. She shivered as cooler air hit her wet body. Garrett stalked through the bathroom and into the bedroom. He tumbled her onto the bed and before she could take a breath, he flipped her onto her belly. She heard the nightstand drawer open and then slam. Felt his hands gripping her hips and pulling her to the edge of the bed.
“That’s the last condom,” she teased. “Better make it good.”
His fingers slipped between her legs and pushed inward as if testing her readiness. She was wet. She was definitely ready. She squirmed impatiently as his hand left her.
Firm hands gripped her legs, spread her and then he thrust into her from behind.
She cried out at the instant fullness. The indescribable pleasure at having him buried to the balls inside her body. The tightness, the sensitivity. Her heart raced. Her blood pounded through her veins. Her pussy pulsed and clenched around him. Every nerve ending was on fire, sizzling like the shortest of fuses.
“Are you okay?” he murmured close to her ear. He’d gone completely still as he awaited her response. Her chest lurched and she closed her eyes, smiling at the depth of his concern and caring.
“I’m fine,” she groaned. “Please don’t stop. You feel wonderful.”
He chuckled then and pulled out slowly, his length rippling over her swollen tissues until she squirmed underneath him. He pushed forward again, gaining depth at his hips pressed into her buttocks.
His hands smoothed over her back and he leaned down to kiss between her shoulder blades. He slid his tongue over her shoulder to her neck and then he nipped, eliciting shiver after shiver to quake down her spine.
He began pumping against her, the noisy smacks echoing erotically through the room. He maintained a steady rhythm, one destined to drive her insane. He drove her to the very brink of orgasm and then he’d pause and change his speed and strength, forcing her to start all over again.
She panted frantically through her mouth until it was dry and all she could do was croak out her protests. Halfhearted protests. She even managed to confuse herself. Stop. Don’t stop. You’re killing me. That feels wonderful.
He was patient and he had the staying power of a damn machine. How could he hold out that long? She was exhausted and he still fucked her like he’d just begun.
His body blanketed hers, pressing her into the mattress. There wasn’t a part of her body that wasn’t enveloped by him and his heat. His hips moved rhythmically against her behind, pushing her harder and further. She closed her eyes, curled her fingers into the sheets and arched up as high as she could with his weight pressing down on her.
By the time she realized that this time he wasn’t going to stop, she was exhausted and so dizzy with pleasure that she was senseless. She moaned as the pressure increased. Burned. Sharp. A razor’s edge. Higher and higher. Harder and harder. She didn’t have the strength. This orgasm was going to kill her.
A high keening wail split the air and she realized it was her. Garrett pushed himself up off her by pressing his hands into the mattress on either side of her head and he began working into her hard. Much harder than before. He was as close as she was.
Her legs spread wider and the force of his thrusts pushed her up the bed until her head crept over the opposite side. She stared down at the floor, her vision going blurry and fuzzy as she arched painfully.
Then the pressure suddenly blew like a tire under pressure. She gave a gasp of relief and then moaned as the aftershocks splintered through her, painful, edgy, so good. So very good.
His teeth sank into his shoulder like he was a beast marking his mate and his hips pressed firmly against her, holding himself deep as if to tell her there was no escape. She was his. He was a part of her.
She melted into the covers and turned her face so that her cheek was pressed flat against the mattress. She closed her eyes and panted softly as he sprawled over her body, his cock still buried deep inside her.
She was pinned, filled, covered, and she loved it.
Garrett kissed her shoulder but continued to lay on her as his chest heaved. When he finally pushed himself up, she felt bereft of his touch. Felt naked and cold. She shivered and turned, seeking his warmth.
He stood by the bed, quickly rolling the condom off to toss in the trash. She stared up at him as he turned back to her and she sighed in utter contentment at the look in his eyes. No, words simply couldn’t replace the way he looked at her, the way he touched her, the way he loved her like there was no one else in the world for him.
The words bubbled up again, and this time she knew she was ready to tell him.
She reached for his hand and he slid his fingers over her palm as he crawled back into bed beside her. She crawled into his arms, cuddling against his side. She threw one leg over his body, holding him as possessively as he often held her.
“I love you,” she said softly.
He tensed beneath her and she smiled. Before he could respond, she put a finger to his lips.
“Shhh. Don’t say anything. Please. I’ve wanted to tell you, but the time just wasn’t right. Maybe it’s not now, but I can’t hold back any longer. But the thing is, I don’t want you to respond. I don’t want you to say anything at all. I just need you to know how much I love you. How grateful I am for you. How utterly amazed I am that a man like you exists.”
She levered up and over him and stared down into his eyes as earnestly as she knew how.
“No matter what happens, I wanted you to know that you are the most special man I’ve ever met. I’ll never forget you. I’ll never forget our time together. I never considered that I’d be able to trust someone again. Somehow you made it easy. You made it second nature. I didn’t even have to think about it long. You just snuck past my defenses and you made yourself at home.”
She kissed him warmly, pressing her mouth softly to his. “I love you,” she whispered again. “So much I ache. Thank you for helping me take back everything Allen and Stanley Cross took from me.”
Garrett gathered her in his arms and squeezed her so tightly she couldn’t breathe. “Sarah, I—”
The door burst open and Garrett rolled Sarah underneath him to shield her from view.
“What the fuck?” Garrett roared.
Rio stood in the doorway, his expression grim.
“We have to move. The whole damn jungle is on fire and we’re in its path.”
CHAPTER 37
GARRETT pushed himself from the bed and yanked up the sheets to cover Sarah. He strode naked to the door where Rio stood. “Tell me.”
“Big fire. It’s moving rapidly in our direction. The smoke’s made using the helicopter impossible. We’ll have to go by boat. Meet at the trucks in five. We’re moving out.”
Garrett cursed and turned in the direction of the bed, where Sarah sat up, the covers pulled to her chin. Her eyes were wide and concerned and her fingers were white against the sheets.
