To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series) (9 page)

He smirked at her reflection in the mirror. “Clothes were still in the dryer.” Trevor tilted his head toward the laundry area. “Voilá. Changed and ready to go.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I win. My choice.”

“Freaking cheat,” Cassandra mumbled under her breath, moving further into the room, beginning her own series of stretches.

Her narrowed eyes followed Trevor as he walked to the media player, peeved that she hadn’t thought of the dryer herself. As the blood-pumping music filled the room, Cassandra felt the heat of Trevor’s appreciative gaze tracking her movements from where he stood. She became a little self-conscious as she moved through the warm-up exercises. Glancing in the mirror, she caught the satisfied triumphant smirk on his face and raised an eyebrow. “What? You cheated, that’s all.” She hated the wide grin that burst across his face at her sulky tone. “But you won. So…what’s it going to be?” She pulled her legs together, reached for the arches of her feet, and laid her forehead on her knees. The burn along the back of her thighs invigorated her.

“How about we do some wrestling. We’re both good at it.”

Cassandra’s eyes gleamed with pleasure. She was always game for a good sparring. The last time they had grappled, she had taken him down. Already picturing herself the winner, she moved to join Trevor at the center of the mat. She balanced on the balls of her feet, knees slightly bent and arms hanging loose at her sides in anticipation of his first move. Cassandra eyed the flexing muscles in Trevor’s arms as he moved from foot to foot across the mat.
Damn he’s hot.
Trevor smirked.

“I just said that out loud, didn’t I?” she asked. His widening grin confirmed her worst fears. Cassandra shook her head.
Can’t a girl ever get a break?
His smugness fueled her already-burning temper. She faked a grab for his leg. As he jumped out of the way, she hooked her other arm around his neck in a headlock and twisted her body in one single fluid movement so her back was to him.

“Still grinning, babe?” she spoke over her shoulder, tightening her hold around his neck and pulling him flush against her hip.

Before she could force him to his knees, Trevor shoved her arm from his neck, grabbed her shirt in both hands, and swept her leg from under her. She fell with a big “oomph!” to the mats.

Trevor grinned down into her face. “Gotcha!” His hearty laughter echoed in the room.

Cassandra stared up at him in surprise and quickly rolled to her feet back into fighting position. “Yeah, keep laughing, boyo.” Wiping her hands on the back of her pants, she watched him closely through narrowed eyes and planned her next move.

They circled each other, looking for a breach in the other’s defenses, eyes locked, perspiration coating their skin. Cassandra lunged for his legs. Trevor shoved her hands away, twisting his body to safety. His chuckle filled her ears.

“Really? Still laughing?” she grumbled under her breath. Dropping into a squat she swept her leg out, knocking Trevor’s legs out from under him.

A hundred and eighty pounds of lean mass collapsed with a whomp to the floor and a groan filled the air. “Damn!” As he hit the mat, Trevor whipped out his hand, snagged the back of Cassandra’s pants, and jerked her to her knees. His move was swift and fluid as he scrambled up behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck in a chokehold. Heart racing in her chest, Cassandra wiggled her hand between his arm and her neck. Covering his hand with her free one, she grabbed three of his fingers and pulled back in a finger lock.

“Fuck, Cassie!” He pushed her from him, shaking his fingers.

Cassandra rolled to her back and a wicked grin covered her face. “Gotcha.”

“Shite! That fucking hurt!” he hissed, rubbing them vigorously.

She sat up, leaning back on her hands. “Sorry Trev, did I hurt you? Poor baby! Not smiling now are we?”

“Your little tab is growing, Cassie Girl,” he growled and she burst out laughing at the scowl on his face.

Trevor shook his hand in an effort to ease the pain shooting up his arm. The pleasurable game he’d imagined had become a hardcore wrestling match. He faced Cassandra, determined to win now more than ever, and made his move. He charged her and pulled her tight against his chest in a bear hug. She shifted her weight with one leg, throwing him off balance and, as he adjusted his stance, slammed her other knee into his stomach. The air exploded from his lungs and pain radiated to all parts of his body as he crumbled to his knees, wrapping his arms around his stomach. The pain was excruciating. He couldn’t breathe. In the distance, he heard her chuckle.

“What the hell?!” he rasped through gritted teeth. “I thought this was grappling, not ‘Beat up Trevor’ practice. Damn, woman!” She laughed louder and dismissed the threat, turning her back to him. “Okay, that’s it! All bets are off now! I am bringing you down!”

Ignoring his screaming stomach muscles, he jumped to his feet, ran at her, grabbing her from behind, and tackled her to the ground, pressing her face-first into the mat with his weight. Cassandra wiggled, kicking her legs and bucking against him. He scissored his legs on the outside of hers, trapping her lower body, and bore all his weight against her back, whispering in a teasing tone close to her ear, “Comfortable?”

Without warning, Cassandra slammed the back of her head against his forehead. His head snapped back and stars crowded his vision. “Fuck!” Rolling to the mat, Trevor lay on his back rubbing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “What kind of training is this? Don’t use your dirty CIA tricks against me! Save them for the bad g—!”

Before he could recover, she landed on his chest, pressing him against the mat with her weight while tucking her feet under his legs, preventing him from knocking her off. “You are pinned! And no, the CIA didn’t teach me that, Bob did,” she smirked with a wide victorious smile.

Trevor dropped his hands from his head and rested them flat on the mat. He took a deep breath and, without opening his eyes, commented with sarcasm dripping from his words, “Remind me to send your dad a thank you note.”

Cassandra snorted and took a good look at him. Sweat ran in rivulets from his temple, his mop of hair was damp and mussed, making him look edible. “I’m sure he’ll be proud.”

Her grin slowly faded when she noticed the red mark marring his forehead. A wash of guilt gripped her and, feeling bad for him, she leaned in to press her lips to the mark, but before her lips touched his reddened skin, Trevor’s arms shot out from under her hands and to the side at the same time his hips drove up into her, thrusting her off his chest.

“Shit!” Cassandra yelled as she landed on her side next him on the mat.

In another fluid move, he shifted his hips around toward her and jerked her arm, forcing her flat on her back. He lifted his leg and brought his heel down on her chest. Cassandra’s body curved up and she squeezed her eyes shut, anticipating the impact that never happened. When pain didn’t radiate through her upper body, she opened her eyes and saw his heel millimeters from her chest.

Her eyes snapped to his, now full of merriment. “Gotcha again.”

“Holy hell, Trev! What kind of move was that?”

Trevor leaned over her with a big smile on his face. “You really thought I would give up that easily? I am a geek, Cassie, not a friggin’ wimp. It’s called the internet and how-to videos.”

“Smart ass,” she gasped.

He watched as she tried to regain her wits and glanced at the big digital clock on the gym’s far wall. They had sparred for a while and killed time. George would be online shortly. Sweat streamed on his skin and he could feel the nice burn in his muscles. Cassandra was a perfect drill sergeant; he had gone from lean to lean-mean machine since their move to Dublin. Their endurance training was proving very successful.

Glancing back at Cassandra, he noticed the big sweat stain soaking her shirt between her breasts. It pleased him that their workout had been just as strenuous on her as it had been on him. “How about we call it a tie today? We need to be on that video chat soon.” He took in her flushed face and couldn’t hold back. “As much as I’d like nothing more than to taste your salty skin and lick you dry right now, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I’d get carried away and we’d miss our call. We have work to do. Chop, chop!”

The image those words brought to mind sent liquid heat straight between Cassandra’s thighs and caused her mind to go blank. She, too, would love nothing better than for him to do just that. The man was definitely skilled with his tongue, in many ways. She grinned back at him and let her eyes travel over his body from head to toe. “Damn, keep those thoughts to yourself next time.”

With a deep sigh, she rolled to her feet. “Now that’s all I’ll be able to think about talking to George.” She rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath and wiped the sweat rolling down the side of her face with her shoulder. Cassandra looked up at him. “I don’t think we even have time for a shower.” She flashed him a wicked grin. “You know how steamy that gets. I’d get carried away and we’d miss our call.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Cassandra observed the calculating look cross Trevor’s face and burst out laughing. She shook her head. “Oh, no. No way, Jose! George did not sound happy, and the time for the call sounded non-negotiable.”

She straightened and walked over to the laundry area. Retrieving two towels from the shelf, she tossed one at Trevor and wiped her face with the other. “Nice work out, by the way. Tie it is.
But
I haven’t forgotten the cheat move.” She flicked his chin with her finger and gripped it, pulling his face down for a kiss before turning for the stairs.

“Hey! You just didn’t think of it. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same if you had thought of it first.”

Cassandra glanced down at Trevor from the stairs. “Yeah, but I didn’t and so—” she flashed a knowing smile and threw the towel at him, “—you cheated. I’m heading straight up to get ready. Can you grab me a bottle of water?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Trevor wiped the sweat from his neck as he fell in step behind her. The sway of her curvy ass as she climbed the stairs tempted him, sending an electric current of heat straight to his groin. His cock grew hard and heavy with need and he called out in a strained voice. “Grabbing the water. I’ll be there in a minute.”

In the kitchen, Trevor rested his hands on the counter and hung his head. His wife would be the death of him, one way or another. He clenched his teeth and sucked in deep breaths, powering through the overwhelming urge to run after her, carry her straight to their room, and lick every inch of her body as he had promised. Once the painful tightness in his groin subsided and he could think straight again, he grabbed two bottles from the fridge.

Back in the office, he claimed the chair next to hers and handed her one of the bottles. His mouth went dry when her lips wrapped around the opening at her first gulp. After downing half the bottle, Cassandra set it on the desk, never once removing her eyes from the screen. “He’s not online yet.”

Trevor squeezed his eyes briefly and controlled the resurging urge to ravish her then and there. Already in work mode, Cassandra appeared completely oblivious to the effect she had on him. A moment later, feeling more in control but still wanting a taste, he scooted his chair closer to hers. He laid his arm along the back of her chair, leaned toward her, and took her mouth with his. Her damp skin smelled of sweat and gym mats. Such a turn-on. Pulling back just a few inches, he looked into her eyes. “Did I mention I love you?”

She brushed his cheek with her fingers, a soft look graced her eyes. “Where’d that come from?”

“I don’t need a reason to let you know how much I care, do I?” The squawk of an incoming call foiled his quest for a second kiss. He straightened in his chair, letting Cassandra answer the call.

George’s face appeared on the screen. “Hey! Finally! Been trying to reach you for a while! Where’s Trev?”

Moving closer to Cassandra and into the camera’s view, Trevor answered, “Here, George. What’s up? You sounded pretty excited on your messages.”

“I think I got something of interest. It’s a flimsy link, but I think it has merit.”

“Go on.”

“The tap on your possible mole was a black hole there for a while. Not a peep. The guy barely talks to family let alone anybody else. Then yesterday he made a call to a number in St. Petersburg.”

George took a deep breath and continued, “I had to get the recording to Jennifer so she could translate it for me, but the dialogue was quite interesting. He talked to a guy about wanting his money and the guy was pretty pissed at Tomlin for calling him. And get this,” George added in an excited tone after a brief pause, “He told him he would get the money when the application was fully functional.”

“Shite! Bingo! They still haven’t completed the development! That’s good news.
Very
good news!” Trevor was pleased. The lack of development on the program bought them the time they needed to pinpoint its location. “You traced the call, right?”

“I’ve already sent you the coords to the location of the recipient’s signal,” George answered matter-of-factly.

“Let’s keep the tap active and listen in for more details. Tap all the phones and any incoming or outgoing digital communication to and from the source.” Trevor frowned. “How much does Jennifer know?”

George eyed him. “I haven’t told her much. She doesn’t know it was for you. I asked her to keep it between us.”

Trevor nodded. “We might need to disclose it to her if we continue to use her as a resource. What do you think, Cassie?”

Cassandra watched the play of emotions cross George’s face, transforming his expression from apprehensive to hopeful. She hated to dash his expectations, but her gut told her they should continue to keep Jennifer out of the loop on this case. “Sorry guys.”

She opened the email program side by side with the video conference window and checked for the email George mentioned. “If it was one of your cases it would be a no-brainer. But it’s not. We still don’t know what we’re up against or how deep it goes. I think for now she stays on ice.” She looked directly at George. “But tell you what, Trevor and I will discuss it and get back to you if we change our minds. Okay?”