Authors: Regina Cole
Over the last couple of hours, the light had grown long
enough to stretch from the window to touch Mia’s feet. She pulled them back to
rest her chin on her knees, shifting slightly on the pile of empty duffel bags
beneath her. Garret had thoughtfully piled them there to give her something to
sit on in the dusty, empty office.
She glanced over at Garrett, who was still standing behind
that camera with the giant lens. He’d barely looked away from it. Trent had
changed positions several times, moving from room to room within the empty
warehouse to get different vantage points, but Garrett had been statue-still all
day, eyes locked on the body shop across the street.
A sudden tingling in her feet reminded her that she hadn’t
moved in way too long either. The circulation was returning. She hissed in a
breath and winced.
“Are you okay?” Garrett lifted his gaze to look at her.
“Yeah,” she said, massaging her foot gently. “Just let my
feet fall asleep.”
He nodded and turned back to the camera.
Once she was sure her feet were awake enough to hold her up,
Mia stood and stretched, reveling in the cracks and pops of her spine as it
shifted into alignment. Good lord, she hadn’t realized it had been that long.
She’d been just as caught up in the spying as the two guys were, borrowing a
small set of binoculars from Trent. A quick glimpse at her watch proved she’d
been there with them for almost ten hours.
“Shit,” she said aloud. “I missed the whole day of the
conference.”
Garrett adjusted the camera lens. “I’m sorry. I thought I’d
have you back before now.”
“You haven’t exactly tried. What does this whole thing have
to do with me, Garrett? And don’t give me any more of that ‘you’re safer here’
BS. I want the truth.” Mia turned her back to the window, glad that Trent
wasn’t in the room at the moment. “I’ve been patient enough.”
He didn’t reply, but she hadn’t honestly expected him to. He
hadn’t answered that question all day, so his silence now was par for the
course. She paced along the back wall and back again, keeping her footsteps
light and her breaths even.
She’d be fired. That should worry her a lot more than it
did. She’d been fired before, quit before, even left and didn’t come back once
when a shop owner had hit on her one too many times. She could find another
job. Tattoo shops were a dime a dozen. Ignoring the worry that started gnawing
at the back of her neck, she bent down and grabbed the binoculars again.
Garrett would eventually have to tell her the truth. She’d
worry about tomorrow—well, tomorrow.
“Had a pretty good view from the third-floor bathroom,”
Trent said as he entered the room. “Nothing’s going on down there. Redmond’s
guy is actually napping in the office.”
“Shit,” Garrett said, stepping back from the camera to give
his friend a look. “He should have been here by now.”
“Probably waiting for dark,” Trent said matter-of-factly. “A
drop this big means he’s going to be cautious. He probably wanted Redmond to
keep the place secure for a few hours prior.”
“So why couldn’t you take me back if nothing’s going to
happen until dark? This doesn’t make any sense.” She stalked toward Garrett. “
What
are you keeping me safe from? Just freaking tell me.”
Garrett ran a hand over his close-cropped hair, his light
eyes flashing. “I need to get some air. Trent, can you keep an eye?”
“Sure,” Trent said calmly as Garrett stalked from the room.
Mia watched him go, something in her wanting to follow. But
she didn’t.
Garrett’s footsteps faded in the distance, and Mia turned
her attention to the setting sun. The sky was flaring dark-orange now, the last
fingers of sunlight making their grab for the sky before falling into darkness.
It was beautiful, or would have been if she wasn’t so sure there was bad shit
going down, and soon.
She stared out the window. “Who is he, Trent?”
Trent didn’t look away from the camera’s eyepiece. “Isn’t
that something you should ask him?”
“Yes, but he won’t answer.” Mia shoved her hands in the
pockets of her capri pants, which had gotten dusty from the warehouse. “So why
don’t you?”
Trent laughed a little, running a hand through his dark
hair. “You’ve only known him for a day and you already know what he’ll do.
Damn. Okay, Mia, this is Garrett in a nutshell. He’s an ex-cop who lost someone
special when a bad guy got away. So now he’s going to catch that bad guy and
make him face what he’s done.”
Catching her lip in her teeth, Mia nodded. “Okay. But why
me? Why’s he protecting me, and what from?”
Trent looked down at his hands. “Someone saw you with him
last night. We aren’t sure about their relationship with Ford, but Garrett
wanted you to stay with us today just in case. If the wrong people catch you,
it’ll be history repeating itself.”
“I understand,” Mia said softly. And she did. She turned to
leave Trent to his surveillance, but his voice stopped her.
“Mia…”
“Yeah?”
Trent flashed a tight smile. “Nothing. Just…here.” He
scribbled something on a scrap of paper ripped from the notebook beside him.
“Keep that.”
Mia tilted her head in question but took the paper anyway.
Shoving it into her pocket, she turned and made her way down the stairs.
Garrett was there, looking out the tiny, dirt-streaked
window by the loading bay door. He didn’t turn at her approach. “Why’d you come
down here?”
Mia shrugged as she drew alongside him. “I wanted to. You
seemed like you needed a friend.”
“I’ve got Trent. I’m not alone.”
“That’s not what I meant,” she twined her arms around his
neck, “and you know it.”
He turned to her, big hands resting on her hips. “You don’t
know me.”
“I know enough.”
His mouth captured hers then, a possessive, demanding kiss
that scrambled her thoughts and fired her blood. She shoved her fingers in his
short hair, pulling as best she could as his tongue swept her lips. His hips
ground against hers, his thick, hot erection pressing demandingly into her
belly.
Her mouth opened wider, demanding more, and he delivered.
Hot sweeps of his tongue, hands wandering up to cup her breasts. He forced her
backward until her ass pressed against the seat of his bike. Then he bent her
backward over it, holding her neck as his lips burned a trail down the column
and across her collarbones.
“Garrett,” Mia hissed as she clung to his shoulders, the
vulnerable position making her nipples peak and her lower belly throb with
anticipation. She couldn’t rise, couldn’t stand, could only hold on for dear
life as Garrett did what he wanted with her.
And strangely, she didn’t mind at all.
Garrett didn’t know what the hell had caused the lust that
had his brain locked in its grip, but he didn’t care. Sunset—and the alleged
drop—was still a little while away, they had time. He’d make time. He stared at
Mia, cradling her head as he bent her body over the seat of his bike. She
didn’t fight him, didn’t complain at the awkward position, in fact she pulled
him back down to her, forcing him to continue their kiss.
It was a chore he relished.
He gripped her tightly as he kissed her neck, devouring the
sweet softness of her skin. Her legs wrapped around his, forcing his cock into
contact with the deep heat of her pussy through her pants. He groaned against
her skin, his teeth grazing her collarbone as he yanked her upright.
“I don’t have time for this to be sweet or tender or
gentle,” he growled into her ear as he yanked the button of her pants open. “I
can’t promise it won’t hurt.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” she said as she kicked off her pants
then ripped the shirt over his head, tracing the lines of the shield on his
chest. “I want you. Hard, fast, now.”
It was almost impossible to shove his pants down while he
kissed her so passionately, tongues and mouths tangling, but somehow he managed
it. And when her hands wrapped around the length of his cock, he pushed her
back again, lifting her to sit sideways on the seat of the bike. His pants were
around his ankles but he widened his stance as much as he could and forced her
thighs farther apart.
The shine of her wet flesh and the glint of her silver clit
ring made the blood pound in the head of his cock. Damn, he wanted her.
Even though he ached to plunge into her pussy right then,
feel the naked heat and wetness accept him, he waited. Gripping his cock, he
began to sweep it up and down her nether lips, parting them with the blunt
head, pressing hard against that little silver ring and then retreating. She
moaned at the torture.
“God, Garrett,” she tried to push forward, force him to
enter her, but he pulled back. “Please.”
“No, not yet.” He tweaked her nipples through her shirt.
“When I say. Not before.”
He crouched in front of her then and kissed that little
silver ring. He smiled to himself as she moaned even louder. Trent was going to
know what was up, but Garrett didn’t really give a shit. This was good enough
that everyone should know about it.
He suckled at her nether lips, gathering the wetness and
rubbing his face against it. She twisted and writhed, making the bike shudder
beneath her. Garrett gripped the tire as he thrust his tongue inside her. She
liked that, he knew. She bucked her hips against his face, proving her point.
Much sooner than he would have liked, he pulled away and dug
for his wallet.
“Last one,” he said as he pulled the condom free. “Let’s
make it good, huh?”
He rolled the condom over his erection, hands steadier than
he thought they’d be. When he looked back at Mia, his breath caught in his
throat.
Her legs were still splayed wide apart, one hand braced on
the center of the handlebars while the other held her shirt high, revealing her
breasts. Her hair was everywhere, her eyes bright and hungry as she slid off
the seat.
“Let’s make it good,” she confirmed, turning and bending
over the saddle, presenting that beautiful ass to him. “Fuck me, Garrett.”
She didn’t have to ask twice.
He gripped her hips and lifted her feet off the ground as he
drove his cock deep into her pussy. She cried out, hands clawing the seat to
keep herself steady.
“Keep quiet or Trent will hear.”
She looked at him over her shoulder and bit her lip.
Garrett dropped his head back, closing his eyes as he
relished the feel of her tight cunt hugging his hard length. She was hotter
than hell, tighter than a vise, wilder than a jungle cat. And for the moment,
she was all his.
He drove into her, higher and harder, deeper and faster,
again and again. Her cries came more often, louder, echoing in the emptiness of
the warehouse around them. But then she moaned, almost pitifully.
“I… I can’t…reach…” she whispered, twisting her body. But
the way she was hanging over the bike’s seat, there was no way she could reach
down between her legs and flick that tiny switch that would make her orgasm.
Garrett thrust forward once more then withdrew from her
pussy with a sigh. But he wouldn’t be gone long.
“I’ll rub your clit,” he said, fisting his condom-covered
cock, which was slick from her body and the condom’s lubricant. “But you’ve got
to let me in.”
“You already were—” she began.
“I mean here.” He pressed his swollen head against her back
entrance, and her moan was high, thin and wanting. “I want to fuck you in the
ass, Mia.”
She didn’t just agree. She fucking begged.
“Pleeaaaase,” she hissed in a rough whisper, pushing back against
him. “Do it, now!”
Her pussy had been so wet, and that moisture helped him now.
His cock slid into her tight hole as if it belonged there, slipping past the
ring of muscle that fought him only briefly. Her pussy had been tight, but her
ass? It gripped him as though it never wanted to let go.
He moved slower at first, but Mia thrust back against him
and he lost his head. Three thrusts, four, tight and hot and wanting and
needing more, and then he bent over her back and reached between her legs,
finding that tiny little ring that guarded her clit. He timed his thrusts with
the movements of his hands, faster and harder and rougher until she gasped,
bucking against him and forcing him inside her to the hilt.
As she writhed, he lost all control, spending himself while
deep inside her. His cock spasmed and jerked, and Garrett held her close to his
chest as the pleasure ripped through him, leaving his knees weak and his head
light.
He rested against her wild curls, his heart roaring in his
ears.
“Holy shit,” Mia said breathlessly.
He couldn’t agree more.
Mia’s heart thumped hard against the motorcycle seat beneath
her, and she was grateful for how sturdy the bike felt. With Garrett’s body
pressing against hers from above, she could almost pretend her brain wasn’t
floating somewhere near the ceiling. Her body thrummed with pleasure, her
breaths as loud as his in the silence of the warehouse.
Until several quick gunshots echoed through the space.
Mia cried out in alarm as Garrett jerked backward, cursing.
“Goddammit,” he hissed as he jerked up his pants. “Trent!”
He disappeared up the stairs before Mia could get her pants
back on. She grabbed her shoes and ran barefoot up to the second floor after
Garrett, loud bangs still echoing through the large building. By the time she’d
made her way to the office, the shots had stopped.
“It’s the cops,” Trent said calmly from his position by the
window, lowering his binoculars.
“Ford?” Garrett snapped, bending to the camera.
“No, not him. Someone I’ve never seen before. Cops stopped
him before he could go into the shop, then the idiot pulled a gun.”
“Shit,” Garrett said, straightening. “No way in hell Ford’ll
show up now.” He turned to the wall, hands on his hips. “Fuck!” His fist shot
out, sinking into the sagging plaster. Mia stumbled backward as white dust
fell.
“Easy, man,” Trent said in his low voice. “They’ll have to
reschedule the drop. We’ll get them on the next round.”
Mia bit her lip as she watched Garrett’s face. His frown was
pronounced, jaw tight, eyes hooded as he turned back to Trent. “Don’t have a
choice, do we.”
It wasn’t a question, but Trent nodded anyway. “It’ll be
fine. Let me do some checking around and…”
Mia wrapped her arms around her middle, tucking herself into
the corner of the room as Garrett and Trent talked. Even though the drop hadn’t
happened, and there was nothing for Garrett to have seen, she couldn’t shake
the guilty feeling that was creeping up her spine. Light from the streetlamp
outside the warehouse streamed through the window, a single yellowed beam
illuminating the strong planes of his somber face.
She hadn’t meant for things to turn physical between them
downstairs. Was he mad at her now, for taking him away from his post?
Well, he shouldn’t be. He was the one who’d gone down there
in the first place.
Her body warmed at the memory of the way he’d bent her over
his bike, fucking her like a wild man. Her nipples tightened, aching at the
thought. He was hot, there was no denying that. But it wasn’t smart for her to
get too involved with him. That was painfully clear.
Garrett and Trent finished talking and started packing up
the surveillance equipment at a leisurely pace. Mia figured they had to wait
out the cops still milling about in the street below. Garrett looked over at
her once, his expression blank. Damn it, why didn’t he just look the way he
felt? It’d make things a hell of a lot easier. She wouldn’t have to wonder if
he was pissed, or still horny, or just fucking disappointed in the way things
had shaken out.
Mia didn’t bother to ask if they needed help, she just did
it. Garrett tried to stop her from putting a case into the duffel, but he must
have been able to sense that her raised eyebrows meant “back off, I’ll help if
I want to”.
Once all the equipment was bagged and the last cop car
finally left, Garrett turned to Mia. “I’m sorry about this.”
“For what? Saving my ass at the race? Keeping me here with
you to make sure I’m okay? Consider yourself forgiven.” Mia crossed her arms.
Yeah, she was being a little short with him, but worry and fear were swirling
in her stomach.
“I’ll take you back to the convention tonight, hang around
through the rest of it, make sure Ford isn’t targeting you. But don’t worry,
you won’t see me.”
“How do you have time for that?” Mia lowered her brows. “I
thought you’d be trying to figure out if they’re relocating the drop. Won’t
they have a backup plan?”
Garrett’s mouth fell open. “Well, yeah, I mean, it’s…”
“You can’t track them down if you’re babysitting me for the
weekend.” Mia turned to Trent. “Talk him out of this. He can’t afford the time
away.”
Trent quirked a smile, then talked over Garrett’s bluster.
“Me and the other guys are going to jump on it. Seriously, we’ll be okay here.
You and Garrett can head off. We’ve been doing this for a while, Mia. We’re not
going to let Ford get away, not when we’re so close.”
Mia shoved hair off her forehead. “I can’t help but think
I’ll be costing you guys time. Garrett, you don’t need to take me back. I’m
nobody, they won’t bother me. I can take a bus or a cab or something.”
Garrett’s brows lowered and he took a step toward her. “Are
you fucking crazy? Number one, you don’t have enough money for a cab back to
your hotel. And two, do you seriously think I’m going to let you waltz out of
here alone and hang out at a bus stop for an hour in the dark? Ford’s guy was
just here!”
Mia stood her ground, staring up into his eyes. “You’re
right. But I’m pretty sure the boys in blue took care of him. I appreciate the
concern, but you’re not my husband, my boyfriend or my daddy. You’ve got shit
to do, and I’m just in the way. I’m an adult, and I can take care of myself.”
“I brought you here, so getting you home safe is my
responsibility.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I’m holding you up from what you
want—no,
need
—to do, so let me take care of myself. I’m not going to get
murdered at the fucking bus stop.”
Garrett winced visibly.
“Catching this guy is a big deal to you, so don’t let me
hold you up any further.” She stepped backward, not looking away from him. “I’m
going downstairs. Trent, can you let me out?”
She didn’t wait to hear Trent’s answer, just turned and left
the office, her bare feet not making a sound on the stairs. Once she’d reached
the ground, she pulled on her wedges and waited.
Voices floated down, one hushed and calming, the other
growly and full of tension. Mia smiled to herself despite the churning in her
stomach.
Why did it matter if Garrett took her back?
If she was honest with herself, which she wasn’t too often,
she’d admit she didn’t really want to say goodbye to the guy. The last
twenty-four hours had been so full, it seemed like a lifetime. She didn’t want
it to end, didn’t want to see Garrett ride off on that bike, the one he’d bent
her over and fucked her on. Even the thought that he’d be somewhere around the
convention didn’t comfort her. He’d said it himself—she wouldn’t see him.
It would seem too fucking final. Better she leave on her
own. Besides, with the cops swarming around, she’d be fine. Garrett could get
back to his chase, and she could start groveling to her boss for missing the
day’s work at the convention.
Mia sighed. Dammit. Real life was calling, and as much as
she hated to answer, she didn’t really have a choice.
Garrett started after Mia, her name angry on his lips, but
Trent’s hand on his shoulder made him pause.
“What are you doing, man?” Trent’s question came softly.
“Seriously, what’s going on with you? I haven’t seen you act like this over a
woman in a long—”
“Fuck off, Trent.” Garrett shrugged off his friend’s hand
and kept walking for the door. “I’m not about to let her walk out of here
unprotected. Ford might have more guys around, and I can’t let him see—”
“You like her.”
Garrett froze as if the floor was made of glue. He didn’t
breathe, his heart didn’t beat.
No, Trent was wrong.
“It’s okay, man. I can tell.”
“I just met her,” Garrett said angrily, whirling on his
friend. “You need to keep your goddamn opinions to yourself.”
Trent smiled wryly, stroking his dark beard. “She’s nice,
you know. It’s good. I like her; she’s got a temper on her just like you.”
“It doesn’t fucking matter how nice she is,” Garrett said,
throwing his hands up in the air. “She’s leaving. I’m taking her back to her
hotel and that’s the end of it. She’ll be glad she never has to look at me again.”
“It sounded like you guys were doing a helluva lot more than
looking at one another not that long ago.”
Shit.
Garrett deflated, guilt rising in place of his
frustration. “I didn’t mean for that to happen. I never should have gotten so
distracted, we might have—”
“It wouldn’t have changed shit, and you know that.” Trent
grabbed the handles of the closest duffel bag, throwing the long black strap
over his shoulder. The light-gray nylon stood out starkly against his fitted
black tee. “Ford wasn’t anywhere near when that asshole got in the way. This
just wasn’t our time, man, and you know it.”
“Trent?” Mia’s voice called up from the main floor of the
warehouse. “You going to let me out?”
Trent nodded toward the door. “Go ahead.
I’m
not
going to let her walk to the fucking bus stop in the dark either.”
Garrett stared at his friend. For a second, he saw the lanky
kid he’d first met fifteen years ago, in the cafeteria of his new high school.
His shaggy dark hair had nearly covered his eyes, his vintage Nirvana tee
hanging on his bony shoulders. It was almost as if the guy in front of him now,
muscled and compact like a bulldog, was a completely different person. But he
wasn’t. He was still quiet, kind, fiercely clever and even more loyal. The kind
of friend Garrett didn’t deserve and could never hope to repay for all he’d
done.
“Thanks,” Garrett said quietly before he turned to leave the
room.
Trent just laughed. “Get out of here.”
But as Garrett hurried down the stairs, he wasn’t quite
prepared for the look that Mia launched at him.
She stood by the bottom step, one hand on the railing while
the other was planted firmly on the flare of her hip. Her clothes were wrinkled
and dusty from the warehouse, her hair was wilder than ever and her green eyes
sized him up.
“Please let me out. I’m not interested in another argument
with you.”
“I don’t want to fight either,” Garret said matter-of-factly
as he took her hand and led her over to the bike. “That’s why it’ll be a lot
easier if you just shut up and get on my bike.”
She yanked her hand free of his grip. “I’m fine. I can get
back on my own. You have shit to take care of—”
“And part of that shit is you, so come on and let me do
this.” Garrett swung his leg over the bike, but Mia flew around and planted her
hands on the handlebars before he could roll the machine forward.
“I’m shit now, is that what you’re saying?”
Garret ran his hand over his close-cropped hair in
annoyance. “Jesus Christ, Mia, that wasn’t what I meant and you know it.
Listen, there’s nothing else we can do tonight. The rest of the guys are going
home and they’ll follow up leads tomorrow. So I’m at a loose end, and I’d like
to take you back. If you remember, I promised to do that, so I’d really
appreciate it if you let me keep my promise.”
She stared at him hard for a moment and he stared right
back. Her chest was heaving with temper, her perfect brows narrowed in a scowl.
But after a moment, she relented, stepping off and coming around to the side of
the bike. “You’d better not be lying to me.”
Garrett cranked the engine as she settled in behind him. “I
don’t need to lie to you.” He glanced over his right shoulder and gave Trent a
tight nod. His friend had come down the stairs while he and Mia were having
their “discussion”.
“Take care, man,” Trent said as he punched the button for
the door.
“You too.” Garrett rolled down the ramp and Mia’s arms
tightened around his middle. The engine roared as Garrett accelerated, shooting
down the narrow street as if he were racing the devil. Mia squealed and he let
off the gas instantly, hoping he hadn’t scared her. But then her delighted
laugh rained down on him and he grinned.
He should have known she’d like it fast and furious. She did
everything else, so why not this?
They moved way too fast through the streets, Garrett opening
it up on every straightaway, just to feel Mia’s excitement, hear that wonderful
laugh. He was almost disappointed when they finally arrived downtown at the
Sheraton.
As he braked beneath the portico, Mia leaned closer to his
ear.
“Why don’t you park? Come up for a minute?”
Shit, she wasn’t supposed to say that. Garrett’s hands
tightened on the grips. A fast, clean break. She should wave as she went into
the hotel and not look back. She’d be safe as long as she stayed away from him.
“Come on, biker boy. You said you were free tonight, and you
have to be as hungry as I am. Let’s get some dinner.” She poked him in the ribs
playfully.
“Dammit,” Garrett muttered to himself, way too quietly for
her to hear over the idling engine. He rolled the machine forward, maneuvering
it deftly into the parking deck.
This was a bad idea. A really bad idea. He didn’t need to
get involved with her any more than he already was. Trent had been right; he
did
like her. He shouldn’t, but he did. He should leave now, put some distance
between them. But he was going to go have dinner with her anyway.
Fucking idiot.