Authors: Becky Barker
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #General
Chapter 9
"
W
ow." Rianna exclaimed in a soft, sighing whisper. She'd never shared anything so intimate, but she could understand why women enjoyed it so much.
Their chests had stopped heaving, but his vibrated again with triumphant male laughter.
"'Wow' doesn't even come close," he argued gruffly. "It gets a lot better, I promise."
That brought a smile of satisfaction to her lips. She'd wanted their loving to be incredibly special because that's how she felt about him—a special, unique feeling unlike anything she'd ever known with a man.
His response thrilled her and sounded so sincere that she pressed a hard kiss on his chest.
"Control yourself, woman," he teased, running his fingers through her hair.
Then he cupped her head with his palm and lifted her face for a long, sweet kiss. She gently sucked his tongue into her mouth until a low, hungry sound gurgled from his throat.
When their lips parted, their gazes tangled. They stared into each other's eyes, intently searching. Rianna wondered what he hoped to find in hers. The dark, possessive gleam in his sent a tremble over her. Her nipples tightened in reaction. Their bodies were still so closely entwined that she felt his muscles begin to twitch with renewed energy.
"You should have told me," he insisted.
She didn't want to discuss her virginity or make a big deal of it. Nor did she want to tell him that he was the first man who'd ever tempted her to part with it.
"I'm the one who did the seducing," she reminded. He wasn't satisfied with her response. He started to speak, but she placed a hand over his mouth. "We have to get moving." She wanted nothing more than to spend the day, or several, in bed in his arms. There was so much about him that she still needed to explore.
Kyle lifted his arm to check his watch. "It's after eleven and we have to be out of here by noon."
He didn't mention that Gregory's men might have tracked down Rudy and the rented Jeep by now. Given enough time, they'd eventually find them.
Rianna sighed. "First dibs on the bathroom," she said, wondering how to gracefully extricate herself from their embrace. Even though they'd just shared an incredible intimacy, she suddenly felt shy and awkward. She had no experience to fall back on, and modesty had her searching for something to cover herself.
"How about we share a shower? It'll save time," said Kyle.
She blinked, and then studied his wickedly suggestive expression. His eyes had that hungry look again. Her stomach muscles clenched, but she had to resist temptation.
"You don't really think that will save time, do you?" she admonished, laughing and wedging some space between their upper bodies.
"It could happen."
When she started to sit up, he cupped her breasts in his hands. The contrast between his deeply tanned skin and her pale flesh gave her a feminine thrill. She watched him watching her as her breasts swelled, the tips budding. He teased them to hardness. When she felt his body hardening within hers, she cried out softly.
"Kyle!"
He held her gaze. "I know, we have to go, and you can't take a shower. You can't get your neck wet. But we could share a quick bath."
So sexy. So much a man. He was so handsome and irresistible that Rianna felt herself melting all over again. She barely recognized her own throaty voice when she finally managed a response.
"A bath sounds nice."
Kyle twisted around until his feet hit the floor, then he grasped her hips, lifting her without withdrawing from her body. She gasped at the exquisite sensation that coursed through her. His strength and obvious desire stirred hers to
a frenzy
again.
"Gun and condom," he mumbled as he locked his mouth on her neck, sucking strongly, drawing another gurgle of approval from deep in her throat.
Rianna grabbed both from the bedside stand,
then
wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rubbing her breasts against his chest to ease their tight ache.
She locked the door behind them once they'd entered the bathroom, then scattered kisses over his chest while he reached down to turn on the faucets. They paused for a long kiss as water filled the tub and steam began to fill the room.
Kyle laid the gun on the soap shelf, took care of protection and brought his hands back to her buttocks. He cupped her with his big palms, squeezing gently, then more roughly as sharp, heated passion flared between them again. He clutched her closer. She rocked against him in demand, and then swallowed his low growl.
She felt the heavy thrust of his hips as he began to move deep inside of her with renewed fervor. The fire in her belly flared like a torch to kindling. She wanted him closer, deeper. She wanted him so close that he became an extension of
herself
.
He turned, pressing her back against the wall so that he could free a hand to grasp her head. Then he plunged his tongue into her mouth, demanding another deep, wet, devouring kiss.
Rianna's thighs clenched convulsively, and she hugged him with arms and legs as he rocked against her. She returned his hungry kisses while meeting him thrust for powerful thrust, until they exploded in another fierce eruption of pleasure.
Guttural sighs of completion mingled in their mouths. When Kyle finally broke the contact, he pressed his forehead against hers. They sagged against the wall, trembling from head to toe, momentarily exhausted. Their breathing was labored again, with each fighting to draw air into depleted lungs.
"Whew!" he exclaimed on a harshly exhaled breath. Rianna didn't even have the strength to laugh. She gave him a shaky smile, then a light kiss on the nose. She clung to his sweat-slick body with what little strength she had left in hers.
He tightened his hold on her again, turning toward the tub. After testing the temperature, he shut off the taps and slowly eased her into the water. She tried to tug him in with her, but he resisted.
"Better not," he said, his voice still rough, his eyes glazed with satisfaction. He pressed a hard kiss to her lips, then drew in a rough breath and continued. "We'll have an overflow and end up wasting more time."
Rianna knew he was right. She reluctantly released him, then immediately felt naked and exposed. As soon as he'd moved back a step, she pulled the curtain to block his view.
"Hey!" he complained.
"I'm shy," she responded, grabbing a washcloth and soap.
His sexy laughter echoed in the small room. "You'll get over it," he promised.
She smiled to herself, but wondered at his assurances. Would she get the chance to grow accustomed to Kyle's loving? Would there ever be time and opportunity to make love until they were totally comfortable with each other? She doubted it, and it scared her to want it so badly.
As soon as he was out of sight, doubts started to assail her. For years, the only future she'd considered was the successful completion of this assignment. She hadn't allowed herself to think beyond that goal.
She had never allowed herself to become emotionally involved with a man. Never allowed
herself
to care so much, so fast. Had she just risked their lives by tempting fate? In her life, caring too much meant inviting pain and heartache.
One thing was certain. They had to concentrate on getting back to D.C. She couldn't fail now. She couldn't worry about relationships or the future or anything other than bringing Gregory Haroldson to justice. Everything else had to be put on hold until she'd accomplished that objective. She needed to stay focused, but it was getting harder and harder to do, with Kyle so near.
He shaved while she finished bathing, then they switched places. By the time he'd finished showering, she'd dressed in jeans and a yellow T-shirt. She was getting really tired of stiff, itchy new clothes, but didn't have much choice. Soon she'd be home and could get comfortable again.
Just a few more hours.
Then what? What would happen when she no longer needed Kyle's protection? When his promise to Donald had been fulfilled and their extraordinary partnership dissolved? Would that be the end of it? Would he go home, get on with his life and chalk up their time together as just one final assignment to be forgotten?
It hurt to even think about the what-ifs.
And that scared her
spitless
. The hurting part. She'd had more than her fair share of hurting. She'd been so careful not to care too much about anyone, yet Kyle had sneaked past her guard. He'd crept into her wary heart while she'd been too busy staying alive to notice the risk.
She couldn't worry about it now. They had to get back to
Rianna sat down on the bed and started pulling on her shoes, but when the bathroom door opened, her gaze flew to it. She caught her breath at the sight of Kyle, still damp from his shower, wearing nothing but a towel hitched around his waist.
Gorgeous didn't even come close to describing him. Extremely sexy. Incredibly virile. Unbearably appealing. His sun-bronzed skin glistened over broad shoulders, a muscled chest and flat stomach. Silvery-blond hair curled between dark nipples and arrowed downward toward the low-slung towel. Her blood began to heat all over again.
He returned her stare with equal intensity until the emotion flowing between them became almost too painful to bear. Panic clutched at her chest and climbed into her throat.
Her brave, sexy lover was also one of the most honorable men she'd ever known. That thought crowded out his physical appeal and reminded her that she'd complicated his life, endangered it, and made him an unwilling accomplice to the nightmare she'd been living for months.
"What's wrong?"
She shook her head and dropped her gaze, then concentrated on tying her shoes.
"Rianna?"
He started toward her, but she rose and put out a hand to halt him.
He frowned. "You're not sorry…"
"No!"
Her emphatic response seemed to reassure him. He gave her a smile and she returned it with one of her own.
"You're sure?" he demanded.
"Positive."
He studied her for another few seconds. "Good," he said. "I don't want you to have any regrets."
When she gave her head a vigorous shake, he finally turned away and started pulling clothes out of shopping bags.
She tried to lighten the mood. "I'm just worrying again," she said, moving toward the window to peek out the curtain. "Everything looks quiet, and there's only one car in the parking lot. We're probably the last to leave."
"Yeah, I imagine most of their customers are vacation travelers. Everyone else probably got an early start."
Rianna kept her gaze on the parking lot, but her attention stayed on Kyle. She heard him pulling on his shorts, then jeans, the zipper sounding especially loud in the quiet of the room. When he tugged a white T-shirt over his head, she turned to watch the flex of muscles as he tucked in his shirt and fastened the snap of his jeans.
Everything he did, every move he made, fascinated her. She wanted more time to explore, wanted to sate herself with him and then start all over again. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest at the idea of unrestrained, uninhibited loving.
Until today, she'd never thought of herself as a particularly sensual woman, but he'd changed that image forever. She wanted to smell and taste and feel until she had her fill. Just a pipe dream at this point in her life.
"Rianna? You sure you're okay?"
She realized she was staring at him again, and licked her suddenly dry lips. "To be honest, I'm having a little withdrawal here. I want to go back to bed with you and stay there for a long, long time."
She could see the effect her honesty had on him. His eyes darkened, his jaw tightened and his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His whole body went tense,
then
he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Someday soon," he swore softly.
She forced herself to breathe deeply, too. "I'm going to hold you to that, Tremont."
He grinned, a purely male, purely wicked grin that lightened her spirits. "You won't have to work too hard at it."
"Promise?"
"On my life."
She returned his grin, and then crossed the room to collect the small pistol from the nightstand. She stashed it in a leather fanny pack she'd bought at the store last night, added the plastic bag with the disabled electronic bug they'd smashed and bagged, along with the refrigerator magnet. It was further evidence of Gregory's treachery.
Kyle tucked the Glock into the waistband of his jeans and covered it with his shirt. They were ready again.
"What now? Rent a car and drive to D.C.? Or take a cab to the airport?"
"I vote for flying, but the airports would be the most likely place to look for us. Especially Dulles," she said.