Cats Meow (8 page)

Tom wobbled, and she was tempted to yell
timber as he fell to the ground.

Micah growled and pulled at the chains, which
rattled but failed to budge. Jack just gaped at his fallen coworker.

She glared pointedly at Jack. “You’re not
going to be stupid, are you, Jack?”

“No, ma’am,” he said, and tossed her a ring of
keys. “That’s why I’m gonna get out of here before you unlock him.” Jack helped
Tom up and the two beat feet back inside the building.

What a mess. The unfortunate scene would draw
attention, not that she’d have done anything different. When faced with a bully
she would always defend herself.

Rebecca sensed the electronic eyes of various
security cameras watching, but the immediate threat came from the drugged, angry
man left standing before her. Weltman was right, she had no idea how he’d react
to different situations. The low, constant growl coming from Micah didn’t bode
well.

His body trembled as if he fought an internal
struggle. She knew the lion yearned to be free. It was clear in the brown eyes
staring at the tree line, and the taut muscles rippling beneath his skin as she
removed the horrible collar.

She spoke in a soft tone, praying it would
soothe him. “You have to keep the lion on a leash, Micah. Shift now and we’ll
never get out of here. They will shoot you full of more tranquilizers and drag
you back to the cell.”

She feared it was already too late—the lion
too close to the surface. Still, she tried to help. “Breathe through it, Micah.
You are strong and can do this. Just a few more minutes.” If he shifted, they
were both in a heap of trouble. Not that she hadn’t already done a good job of
screwing things up.

“Look at me,” she demanded. When he refused,
she cupped his chin and gently turned his face toward hers. His eyes were
steady and calm. “Good.” She released the breath she’d been holding. “That’s
good. You have to hold on for a few more minutes. For me. You can do it for me!
So I can get you out of here.”

He gave a curt nod as she stepped in closer,
the warmth of him washing over her. Rebecca worked the lock securing his arms
with hands that trembled. Not with fear, but longing. She wanted to be wrapped
in his strong embrace, lying beneath his solid mass, taking his cock deep
within her body, moving together as one. God, how she’d longed to be with him
since the morning she’d foolishly walked away.

Leaving him was her one and only regret.

“Don’t be afraid of me. I would never hurt
you.” He spoke in a gruff tone, having mistaken her desire for fear. “Never,
Becca! Neither would the lion.”

The chains slid through her hands, landing
with a loud clatter at their feet. She stood tall, meeting his hard gaze
head-on. She felt like crap for having doubted him even briefly. “I know, but
if I don’t get your cock in me soon, I’ll go insane with the want. So shut up,
let me get you out of these shackles and let’s get the hell out of here.”

His pupils dilated even further and his
nostrils flared. Micah held her gaze for a long moment then growled. “Hurry!”

Memories of their night in Asheville flashed
through her mind as she sunk to her knees, glancing up at him from beneath her
lashes. She made a slow perusal over the rugged planes of his face, along his
corded neck and down the roped muscles. Her gaze took in his wide shoulders and
chest, narrowing to trim hips sporting a rather large bulge.

“Becca,” he barked, “you naughty girl. Stop
that or I’ll take your right here. Fuck the cameras.”

“And that’s a bad idea, why?” she teased,
thankful to see a bit of the normal spark back in his eyes.

“Don’t push me, baby. Weltman would get off on
watching.”

She shuddered at the reminder of her creepy
boss, fumbled the keys and rushed to free his ankles. Before the last chain
fell, Micah lifted her to her feet, still strong regardless of the sedation,
and got them moving toward the car.

“Where the hell are we going?”

Chapter Nine

Micah opened the car window and took a deep
breath of crisp, cool mountain air. His first real breath in weeks. A free
breath. Man, did it ever feel good to not be watched constantly by the Nanotech
guards. He couldn’t wait to take a shower without someone observing his every
movement.

When Becca went all commando and attacked Tom,
Micah’s heart had beat against his ribs so hard he thought they might crack. He
had been terrified and frustrated because he couldn’t help her. Compared to the
big security guard she looked so tiny and frail.

Then she kicked Tom’s ass and Micah’s dick had
gone harder than rock. He had never seen anything half as provocative as Becca
pounding a man twice her size into the ground.

“Pull over,” he snapped.

“What?” Becca shot him a concerned glance
before turning her attention back to the road. “What’s wrong? Are you going to
be sick?”

“Just pull over.”

He unfastened the seat belt and waited for her
to shift the car into park.

“Micah, what—”

He leaned across the console, fingers spearing
into her soft hair, drawing her closer, and claimed her mouth. His tongue slid
along the seam of her lips, plunging inside as they parted for him.

Sweet heaven.

It had been too long. She’d called him a
pirate captain that first night, and it fit his current mood. He suited savage
action to the description. Micah dominated the aggressive kiss, demanded her
submission to the forceful thrust of his tongue. With teeth, lips and tongue he
plundered her mouth, ruthless in his passion, taking everything she had to give
and demanding more.

More of her addictive taste.

More of her sweet warmth.

More of Becca.

The need for oxygen separated them, both
gasping for breath. Becca wore a sexy, dazed expression, her lips red and
swollen from his kiss.
God, she was beautiful.

And beyond miraculous, she’d fought for him.

“Okay. Now we can go.”

“What?”

“That helped, but we have to get wherever
we’re going. Fast.”

“I…uh…”

Damn, she had no idea of the effect she had on
him. Her eyes had gone all glassy and slumberous. Her cheeks held a sexy pink
flush. If she didn’t get the car moving again, he’d have her stripped bare with
his cock driven deep into the tight clasp of her pussy in a matter of seconds.

“Becca.” He gave her trembling hand a slight
squeeze. “Drive, honey.”

Not wanting to delay any longer, Micah studied
the scenery before talking again. It was late in the fall season. The trees
were shedding leaves, which covered the ground in vibrant shades of gold,
orange, red and brown. Considering the chill in the air, once the sun went down
they were in for a cold night. He hoped wherever they were going had a
fireplace.

“So what happened with Weltman? How’d you get him
to agree to let me out of there?”

She shot him a nervous glance. “I went to talk
to him about the situation and how the lab setting was detrimental to making
any progress. There was a security guy in the office who agreed, but added a
condition. I have to call and check in with him. I was given a company phone.”

They were traveling a winding mountain road,
but she held the steering wheel in an overly tight grip. He knew there had to
be a lot more to the story. “And…”

She sighed heavily. “He made it clear that
should I miss calling in it would take less than ten minutes for his ‘team’ to
invade my house.”

“Fuck!” Sure sounded like Slater. “Where’s the
phone?” he snarled.

His sudden change in demeanor had her cringing
away from him. “In my purse.” She gestured toward a handbag Micah hadn’t
noticed resting between the seats. He grabbed the bag and dug through the
various feminine paraphernalia until his fingers connected with a duplicate of
the phone he’d used when working for Nanotech. “Damn it!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Cell phones can be tracked. The phones are
programmed to check for a signal every few seconds, which connects it to any
nearby antenna towers and exchanges information. The position of the phone can
be pinpointed based on the signal strength. Plus, these particular phones have
been fitted with a GPS chip.” He dug around in her purse.

“But it’s not even turned on.”

“Doesn’t matter. The company can still track
the device.” And he would know. Micah had picked out the official
communications devices used by Nanotech and installed the chips himself.

He powered up the phone long enough to jot
down the stored contact information then located a metal nail file in the
bottom of her purse. With great care he pried open the casing and removed the
wafer-thin chip, along with the SIM card. Glancing out the window, he spotted a
small independent grocery with several cars in the parking lot. “Pull in to the
grocery store.”

“You can’t just ditch the chip.”

“Just pull over, baby.” He didn’t take the
time to explain. Once she’d parked the car in a space he said, “Stay here.”

She’d pulled in next to the perfect solution—a
local vehicle with a trusting owner who didn’t lock the doors. A rip in the
cloth-covered seat provided a handy hiding spot for the chip. In less than two
minutes they were back on the road.

“So Nanotech will be keeping tabs on whoever
owns that car now?”

“Yeah.” He removed the battery from the phone
and dropped both into her bag. “Is there a landline where we’re going?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Make all of your calls from there or
payphones in town. Dial star sixty-seven to block caller id. Keep the calls
short. If they try to draw out the conversation come up with a reason to end
the call quickly. And don’t tell them where you are for any reason.” He made a
mental note to check her car for tracking devices.

A wicked gleam flashed in Becca’s eyes. “Good
thing I didn’t correct their assumption we’d be going to the house Nanotech
provided for my use. They set up the phone service there and probably have a
duplicate set of keys to the place.”

They’d come full circle to his original
question. “So where are we going?”

“I rented a cabin under an assumed name. The
physical distance from the lab is only a few miles, but on these mountain roads
the drive takes almost an hour to drive it. Cross-country it’s much less.”

Micah watched her closely, seeing a side of
Becca he had been unaware of. He never doubted she was smart, but he looked at
his sexy accomplice with new appreciation. Dr. Rebecca Southerby
had been endowed with rare, highly valuable qualities found in so few men, much
less in women. She had the determined, courageous heart of a warrior and the
instincts of someone experienced in battle.

Sure, she’d passed out the first time he’d
shifted in her presence. That was a lot for anyone to grasp. In a very short
time she’d proven herself to be fearsome, adaptable and fast one her feet in
difficult situations.

The woman was damn near perfect…
for him
.

She made him feel things, which was a
disturbing prospect. Micah was a soldier, a tough fighting man, not some wimpy
guy all in touch with his emotions and shit. What a crock. Real men weren’t
sensitive and they sure as hell didn’t possess some imaginary feminine side
they had to get in touch with.

Screw that!

Rebecca glanced at Micah and stifled an
inward groan. The man was scowling again.

“What’s wrong? You’re all pouty again.”

“I don’t pout,” he grumbled.

She couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Yeah,
right. I’m getting whiplash over here. Your moods swing faster than a
menopausal woman. What happened now?”

“Nothing.” His voice took on a petulant
note.

“Don’t have a hissy fit. Sheesh! Forget I
said anything.”

“That’d be easier if you’d shut up for five
minutes and let me think.”

“Well,” she huffed. “All righty then.”

The car filled with thick, almost
smothering tension for the rest of what turned into a long drive. At least it
cured her pent-up sexual frustration. His current bad attitude had her keeping
her distance. Not that she blamed him for the stressed-out reaction. He’d been
through hell.

They finally turned onto the private drive
and he went into he-man military mode.

Oh joy.

“What kind of security does this place
have? How close is the nearest neighbor? And have you taken the time to walk
the perimeter?”

She sighed heavily. “Relax, Rambo. There
are locks on all the doors and windows, no close neighbors and when exactly do
you think I had time to walk the perimeter, even if I was so inclined?”

Muttering something about women—derogatory,
no doubt—he jumped out of the car soon as she put it in park and went skulking
off into the woods. Well, good, let him go do his alpha he-man routine. She
could use a few minutes alone to breathe without him critiquing how she inhaled
and exhaled.

Rebecca headed into the cabin alone,
locking the door behind her. Let Rambo knock to get in. Served him right.

After hanging her jacket on a coat tree,
she glanced around the homey cabin and fell in love with the place all over
again. She could easily picture herself living here.

Straight ahead in the sitting area a hunter
green, butter-soft leather couch and recliner sat atop braided cotton rugs. The
wooden tables appeared handmade. Cute knickknacks were placed through the
inviting room.

Off to her right, the kitchen table was
covered by a red gingham cloth and the windows bore matching curtains. A large
hutch contained stoneware table settings in an apple motif. Throughout the
kitchen was a collection of antique teapots in a variety of shapes, sizes and
designs.

A doorway to the left led into a bedroom with
its huge rustic pine bed covered by a patchwork quilt in warm tones of ivory,
rose, sage and cinnamon. Matching pillows were artfully scattered across the
top of the bed.

Only one bed.

For the two of them.

And the weather was perfect for snuggling
close. If only he wasn’t being such a jerk. He’d been through a lot so she cut
him some slack but he’d better get over himself soon if he wanted to get lucky
tonight.

Rebecca sighed and shook off the wayward
thought, instead considering her favorite feature of the cabin. An enclosed
porch extended along the back of the building and in one corner stood the hot
tub. Images of her and Micah all dripping wet in the hot swirling water drifted
through her mind and heated her body.

Oh yeah! She was definitely anticipating some
water play.

Her blood had heated up but the air held a
distinct chill that made her shiver. She placed a few logs in the fireplace,
along with a bundle of dried herbs wrapped in birch bark she’d purchased at a
rustic little shop in town. After lighting the fire, she warmed herself before
the hearth. Within a few minutes the cabin filled with the scent of bay leaves,
sage, rosemary, lavender and cinnamon.

Figuring she might as well get some dinner
started, she headed into the kitchen. Busywork should distract her thoughts
from Micah and anticipation of the night to come.

She preheated the oven and whipped up some
sweet corn muffin batter, which she poured into a pan and put in the oven.
While the muffins baked, she opened a large Mason jar of gourmet Southern chili
and put it on the stove to heat. With her task completed, Rebecca found herself
staring out the window, rubbing her flat tummy, her mind filled with thoughts
of the future.

Would Micah be pleased to learn about the
baby? Would he want to be a part of their lives? Or would the thought of
fatherhood scare the crap out of him? Did she stand a chance in hell of turning
them into a family? That’s all she ever really wanted—a comfortable home and
her own little family.

An arm clasped around her waist from behind
and Rebecca screamed. She hadn’t heard a sound but someone had gotten into the
locked cabin.

She attempted several defensive moves, but her
attacker countered them all. Before she knew what was happening, Rebecca found
herself turned around, her body flattened against hard masculine planes with
arms holding her tighter than steel bands, giving her no room to maneuver.
Blood pounded in her ears and her heart rate was through the roof.

“Whoa, baby. Easy. It’s just me.”

Her head snapped up and she took in Micah’s
bewildered expression. “H-how did you get in here?” And how the hell had he
managed to sneak up on her?

He flashed a sardonic grin. “I specialized in
black ops, baby. No cheap door lock is going to slow me down.”

Okay, she’d give him that, but she hadn’t
heard a sound other than the hum of the refrigerator and the crackling fire.
He’d been completely silent. She hadn’t detected even the lightest footfall on
the wooden floor, no squeak of floorboards, not even the brush of clothing as
he moved. He must have been one heck of an operative.

“Sorry for being a jerk earlier.”

He took her totally off guard. She hadn’t
expected an apology. And just like that, she melted. “You’re forgiven.”

His breath warmed that wonderful spot behind
her ear as he spoke in a raspy tone. “Something smells good.” She shivered as
his hot, damp tongue flicked teasingly over her skin.

“Chili and corn muffins.” She was proud of how
level and calm her voice sounded. “I thought we would sit by the fire and eat.”

“I wasn’t talking about dinner, baby.” Micah
chuckled and her knees shook. “Although, I am very hungry,” he nibbled her
earlobe, “for you.”