Ultimate Courage (True Heroes Book 2) (15 page)

Thinking of Souze, Rojas amended his thought. Some dogs took longer than others. But he was making progress with Souze.

He could use the same patience with Elisa, and he had the gut feeling she was worth every bit as much effort. More.

“Welcome to Philadelphia, Mr. Corbin. I hope your flight was smooth.”

Joseph Corbin Jr. settled into the back of the town car without bothering to glance at the young woman already seated inside. “Baggage handling is slow as ever.”

“It is.” The assistant made a sympathetic noise. “The driver will bring your bag as soon as it comes up on the carousel and we’ll get you to your hotel. Your contractor will be ready to meet you first thing in the morning.”

“No,” Joseph snapped. “He’ll meet with me tonight. I want an update and confirmation that my item of interest is ready for acquisition.”

There was a moment of hesitation, then, “Of course. I’ll arrange for a meeting at the hotel tonight.”

It was already late at night, but his man wasn’t far away from the city. Joseph stared out at the bustling Arrivals pick-up lanes. The East Coast was supposed to move at a faster pace than the California lifestyle but whenever he visited his offices either in Philadelphia or DC, all he saw was an insane amount of traffic. Not much different from LA. He preferred the steadier climate and temperatures back in California.

What had possessed Elisa to run here?

It didn’t matter. Phase 1 of his highest priority project had completed this week, ahead of schedule. They were on the brink of finalizing the statement of work on Phase 2. It was time for Elisa to come home, where she belonged. He needed her.

“Arrange for a second contract, different vendor.” He reached over and tapped the surface of the assistant’s tablet. “I want a backup team on standby to ensure my item is acquired as soon as possible.”

E
lisa slept better than she had in months. That didn’t mean she hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night. More than once. But each time, the presence of Souze was a reassurance. He’d have given some sort of alert if something wasn’t right.

The phone Alex had given her was another reassuring presence, cool and slim, just under her pillow.

One signal from Souze and she could call Alex for help.

As a result, every time she’d awakened, she’d been able to slip back into sleep. Free of fear and more quickly than those heart-pounding, agonizing late night hours she’d spent second-guessing herself and wondering if she should roll out of bed, get in her car, and keep driving.

So it took her a few seconds to come to her senses when she woke up slowly to the sound of snuffling, followed by a long sigh right next to her ear.

Groggy, she opened her eyes and turned her head, wondering what could be right…

A big, wet, black nose was inches from hers.

She sat straight up, and Souze backed away from the edge of the bed, sitting with his ears tipped back, scanning the room. Maybe he was looking around for whatever had startled her.

“You.” She swallowed against a sleep-dry throat. “I didn’t realize you were tall enough to have your head on the bed without even putting your paws up here.”

Souze tilted his head then rose to his four feet, stepping forward and extending his head right over the edge of the bed to touch her hand with his nose. Damn, but he was a big dog.

“No need to prove it again.” She grabbed the clothes she’d worn yesterday, because she didn’t have anything else, and swung her legs over to set them on the floor. “I’m guessing you need to go out?”

Souze only sat again and stared at her expectantly.

Well, he wasn’t going to start talking to her, but a bark or soft woof or something might have helped give her a clue.

Maybe not. She didn’t exactly speak dog, and this wasn’t a movie or television show. But Souze was a smart dog. And she, theoretically, was an intelligent human. If Alex Rojas, Brandon Forte, and David Cruz could figure out what their dogs were thinking, then she should at least be able to figure out one instance of Souze trying to communicate with her.

He had to be. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have woken her up. All night, she’d heard nothing but the occasional rustle as he laid down or changed position on the rug next to her bed. Each of those times had been right after she’d tossed or turned in bed. Otherwise, he’d been extraordinarily quiet for something his size. All of her ex’s guard dogs had been the type to bark. A lot.

Souze was both different and more than them, in her opinion. And since the moment she’d met him, he hadn’t exactly been generous with the direct tactile contact.

It’d be worth an experiment to see if she could get a clearer response out of him. Standing, she headed to the door and placed her hand on the knob as she craned her neck to watch Souze. As soon as her fingertips touched the rounded surface of the doorknob, he came to his feet and wagged his tail once.

“That’s pretty clear, then.” She wondered if he could hold it a minute or two longer. “Just let me swap clothes and get a bra on, then we’ll head downstairs. Hopefully, Gary and Greg are already down there and they can let us out the back door.”

Alex had told her not to go outside until he’d returned in the morning, but she couldn’t very well leave Souze in distress. She personally hated the feeling of needing a restroom and having to wait. Didn’t seem fair not to care about Souze in a similar circumstance. Besides, she really didn’t know how good the dog’s discipline would be, and she didn’t want him ruining the nice carpet up here. Somewhat gross, but could she get him to stand in the shower?

She’d prefer not to try the option. Instead, she hustled into the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. Then she grabbed the hem of her sleep tee and started to pull it up over her head.

A quiet knock sounded at the door. “Elisa, are you awake? It’s Alex.”

She yanked the tee back down. Turning to Souze, she asked, “Did you know he was here?”

Souze only gave her a doggie grin.

Maybe that was why the dog had woken her.
Gah
. Either way, she needed to get a bra on.

Or maybe there were other priorities. Giving Souze a look, she rushed to the door, scooping up the leash. Undoing the deadlock and the lighter lock on the doorknob, she cracked open the door. Alex stood on the other side, dressed in a black Revolution MMA tee and gym shorts. It’d be interesting to ask him how many of those he had later. She shoved Souze’s leash through the door. “Here.”

Alex regarded the leash. “Um. There’s supposed to be a dog attached to the other end.”

True. And she had no idea whether Souze would let her put it back on again. “Give me five seconds to get into the bathroom, then you can come in and grab Souze. I’ll meet you both downstairs.”

There was a pause. “Five seconds it is. Should I count out loud?”

Oh, Alex was extremely entertained. She could hear the amusement in his voice even if he wasn’t outright laughing. “Out loud can’t hurt.”

With that, she bolted past Souze for the bathroom, slipped inside, and shut the door.

Good for his word, Alex counted out loud. He even gave her a play-by-play account of what he was doing once he finished counting.

“I’m coming in now.”

“I’ve got Souze.”

“We’re leaving now, and I’m closing the door behind us.”

Great. Fantastic. She still waited until they both left to actually go to the bathroom.

Rojas made it downstairs and caught sight of Cannon. There were chances that’d passed Rojas by over the years, and this was one of those moments he didn’t want to let pass him by just because he was too much of a gentleman to give a woman an option she hadn’t considered.

“Hey, Cannon.” Rojas waved the man over. “You owe me from yesterday.”

“Huh?” Cannon walked over. Luckily, the man still had his shoes on.

“Do me a favor and take Souze out to do his morning business. When he’s done, he can come back here and hang out over in the corner while you guys train.” Rojas turned to head up the stairs. Cannon was a capable handler for a little while. Souze would be fine.

Cannon called a question after him, but he didn’t answer. He didn’t care what anyone thought, and possibly he’d be right back down in about thirty seconds. But he was hoping not.

He knocked on the door and heard a very muffled surprise squeak. After a few seconds, Elisa opened the door, her hair in adorable disarray. Her eyes were narrowed. “Did you forget something?”

He cleared his throat. Not exactly the reception he’d been hoping for. “Did I do something wrong?”

Her cheeks colored, and she looked anywhere but at him. “No. You just have…interesting timing.”

Oh, now there were some possibilities.

“Well, if I’m timely, maybe there’s something I could help with.” He smiled, nice and slow, enjoying the way her gaze zeroed in on his mouth when she finally looked at him.

“I do not need help getting my shirt off.” The words tumbled out, and her eyes widened as she clapped a hand over her mouth.

It surprised a laugh out of him. “If you don’t need help, can I watch instead?”

She narrowed her eyes again and uncovered her mouth, which was good because he liked looking at it and imagining naughty things. “Almost every time I’m about to take off my shirt, you’ve managed to knock on the door.”

“I am sincerely sad I wasn’t aware of this situation.” He took a chance and stepped forward. She gave way, letting the door open and allowing him inside the room. “Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

Heat flashed in her eyes, and her lips parted. His groin tightened in response, and he decided it’d be good to lock the door after he closed it behind him. Uncertainty flickered across her expression then and he froze.

Reining in his raging hormones, he said slowly, “Any time you want things to stop, I will. I promise. I won’t be angry. I will back off.”

She swallowed, and a fraction of tension left her shoulders. “I don’t want to lead you on.”

“I want to be here.” He smiled, gave her time to gain confidence again. He found her grumpy morning personality hot, challenging, fun. “We go as far as you’re comfortable, and I will consider myself a lucky, lucky man.”

The heat came back into her gaze, and she licked her lower lip. “I was going to take a shower.”

His cock came to attention immediately. “That is a great idea.”

And none of the knuckleheads downstairs would hear a thing. Not that he cared for himself, but for her sake, they didn’t need to know what was going on or even that she was up here. Not this morning.

He waited, though, and thought he might strain a muscle holding still until she took a hesitant step, then another toward him. He held out his hands to her, and she placed hers in his, gently tugging him toward the close privacy of the bathroom.

Closed inside, he’d normally chafe at the tiny room, but right now he was completely focused on Elisa. She was facing him, searching his eyes with her cloudy blue gaze. Emotions swirled in a maelstrom through her, and he figured she could ask him to stop at any moment. Until she did, he wanted to give her as much pleasure as he could.

He reached out to touch the hem of her shirt, but she beat him to it and pulled the tee off in a smooth motion. His knees almost buckled on seeing her smooth shoulders, ivory skin, and very pretty breasts. He’d figured she hadn’t had a bra on under her tee, but suddenly having her right there, exposed to him, was a sight to feast on.

Pulling a few brain cells together was almost painful, but he did and realized she was nervously waiting for him. So he figured fair was fair. Moving slow, he stripped off his T-shirt, too, taking his time so she could get an eyeful.

And she did. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the workout holster he wore strapped around his torso, but she didn’t back away. Instead she watched him closely as he removed it and set it carefully on the floor next to his discarded tee. Then he straightened, and her gaze followed him. She stared, taking in his chest and abs, before reaching out and running her hands over him. Her touch sent shocks of heat coursing through him and he closed his eyes to just enjoy it at first.

Her touch was featherlight, and he couldn’t keep his hands to himself anymore. Opening his eyes again so he could see as well as touch, he started at her shoulders, caressing and learning the ultra-softness of her skin. The sight of his darker, tanned hands on her pale skin was only one contrast of many, and he wanted to explore them all with her. He moved his hands down her back until he settled his grip in the small of her back and gently pulled her close.

She closed her eyes as he did, splaying her hands across his chest and tipping her head back in invitation. He bent, brushing his lips over the temptation of hers and going lower to press his lips to the hollow of her throat. She uttered a tiny gasp and he smiled as he licked at her pulse point with the tip of his tongue. Encouraged by the sound, and planning to experiment to hear even more, he licked again. Just a flick against her skin. Fine tremors ran through her when he did and he experimented, kissing and licking his way up the side of her neck to her ear before he captured her earlobe and sucked gently.

He liked her little moans, guessed she didn’t realize just how responsive she was, and delighted in the way she responded to the barest of touches.

She was gasping when he finally settled his mouth on hers, teasing her gently with his tongue until her fingers dug into his chest. Desire flared as she did and he struggled to keep his grip on her firm but not painful. Then he deepened the kiss to match her hunger and sent them both drowning in the heat of it.

She tore free of his mouth, tilting her face up to look at him, her eyes stormy and wild. Her chest lifted as she tried to catch her breath, and he gave her the moment, easing his hold on her until she leaned back against the bathroom counter for support. Reaching into the shower, he flipped on the water.

She’d gathered herself during the brief respite, and he was very happy the hunger was still in her gaze. Biting her lip, holding his gaze, she hooked her thumbs in her oh-so-loose sweat pants and pushed them down off her hips, revealing very pretty blue lace panties.

He groaned. “Do you want to keep those?”

Her eyes widened. “I need to take them off to shower and…other things.”

He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the counter at either side of her hips to keep them busy until he could clarify. Her breath puffed hot against his collarbone, and his scrambled brain registered how petite she was compared to him, how well she’d fit tucked against him. “If you want to keep them, tell me. Otherwise, they’re going to end up in pieces.”

Her lips shaped a very lovely
O
for a moment, and her answer came in a bare whisper. “I don’t have many pairs right now, and I kind of like these.”

“I like them, too.” He knelt in front of her and very carefully slid them down. “Let’s put these someplace safe. Okay?”

She lifted each foot for him as she gave him a breathless agreement.

Panties safely tucked into his pocket, because they could totally get lost in the bathroom, he returned his attention to her very lovely legs. She had slender ankles and muscle to her calves and thighs. Like she’d been in shape for a long time and only recently had gone sleek. He alternated between running his hands over her skin and gripping the muscles of her calves, the backs of her legs, until she was the one clutching the edge of the counter.

When he thought he might have some sort of control, he discovered a very hot secret. She kept herself immaculately groomed. Shaved. He pressed his mouth to the smooth lips between her legs. She sucked in air and held it.

He traced the edges of her labia with a gentle finger. “Breathe. We don’t want you passing out.”

“No?” she whispered.

“Uh uh. You are not going to want to miss this.” He leaned forward and tasted her.