Avenged (Hostage Rescue Team Series) (Volume 5) (20 page)

“What did you want to talk to me about in private, anyway?” she asked Nathan as they stepped inside the elevator. Vance was upstairs checking their rooms and Cruz was staying in the lobby until she was safely in her room.

“Tell you in a second,” he said quietly, his gaze scanning the nearly empty lobby as the doors slid slowly closed.

Still on alert, even though she knew he must be beyond tired. When she’d exited the hospital room, he’d been standing right there leaning against the wall, waiting for her. Alone, since Vance had been by the Emergency entrance and Cruz at the ICU entrance. He’d stood guard outside the door the entire time she’d been in there with her dad and brother.

She’d smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, thanked him for waiting, glad the others weren’t there because she wouldn’t have been affectionate with him in front of his teammates. He’d taken her chin in his hand, and his answer had made her heart squeeze.

I’d have waited for as long as you needed me to, little warrior.

They started moving. “We’ve got two rooms,” he said, his expression serious, “and because of the potential new threat against you, you’ll have to room with one of us. I wanted to give you the option of picking who you want for a roomie in private. I don’t want you to feel pressured to share a room with me just because of what happened earlier. Or because of what happened in Afghanistan.”

His thoughtfulness touched her. “Well I appreciate that, thank you, but I want to stay with you.” In her mind there’d never been any other option for her.

Relief filled his eyes and he smiled a little. A slow, sexy smile that lit her entire body with tingles of arousal. They’d been dormant since receiving news about her father, but now they were back and stronger than ever.

She wanted more of what he could offer her. Wanted to belong to him, even if only for one night. Not because she was willing to be a one-night stand, but because their time together was short.

“Okay then,” he murmured.

Had he been worried she’d pull away from him now? Or not trust him to do his job guarding her because of what had happened back at the inn?

She opened up more to him. “And the truth is, I really don’t want to be alone right now.” No, more than that. She didn’t want to sleep alone; she wanted Nathan right there next to her. In three days she could be taking the stand and she wouldn’t be seeing him until her testimony, and maybe even the entire trial, ended. Now that her father was out of immediate danger and resting, she wanted time alone with Nathan.

At that his gaze sharpened on her, his eyes darkening with a possessive hunger that sent a shiver of longing through her. “Okay.”

The elevator stopped moving. A soft ding alerted her a moment before the doors slid open. Nathan stepped past her out into the hallway, checking both directions before leading her down it, his large hand firm against the small of her back, the heat of his palm burning her.

He pulled out a keycard and unlocked the door to their room. “It’s already been swept but I’m going to check it again anyway.” He entered the room.

Taya slipped her purse strap off her shoulder and sighed as she rolled her head from side to side. It had been a long, emotionally draining day. She was going to make sure it ended better than it had begun, and wind up in bed with Nathan.

He opened the door wide a few moments later and stepped aside for her to enter. “All clear.”

She passed by him and into the room, her entire body buzzing with awareness as he shut the door behind her. The room was standard, with two queen-size beds and a small bathroom. She barely noticed any of it, too caught up with having over six feet and two-hundred-plus pounds of the sexiest man on earth standing just feet away from her. The skin along her spine buzzed with an almost electric charge, her entire body aching for his touch.

But then doubt suddenly overtook her. Compared to him she was ridiculously inexperienced at this. And she could just imagine how good he’d be in bed. While she was fairly certain he wouldn’t turn her down if she threw herself at him now, she didn’t want to seem pathetic and desperate, either. It was hard not to think about all the other women who called him.

Now or never, Taya. This could be your only shot with him.

She took a deep, bracing breath, and started to turn around. Before she could, two strong hands curled over the muscles at the top of her shoulders and squeezed. Taken by surprise, she smiled and let out a little groan of pleasure as her eyes slid closed. “Oh my God, that’s exactly the spot.”

His deep chuckle ruffled the hair at her nape as his hands kneaded her stiff muscles with firm, toe-curling pressure. “It’s cuz I’ve got magic hands.”

Oh, she had no doubt of that. Just the thought of them stroking over her naked body made her wet.

She turned to look up at him and the expression on his face stole the breath from her lungs. Hungry. Focused. Watching her closely.

Waiting. A hungry panther ready to spring.

Desire shot through her, her pulse thudding in her ears. When he reached up to pull the ball cap off her head and ran his hands through her hair, she couldn’t stop the moan that spilled from her throat.

Those gorgeous, skilled hands that were equally capable of taking a life and saving one tightened in the strands, his gaze locked with hers. A heartbeat later his mouth crashed down on hers.

She’d been waiting for it, even expecting it on some level, but the heated urgency of the kiss took her off guard.

Taya gasped and grabbed hold of his broad shoulders, her fingers sinking into the hard muscle there. That coiled strength beneath her palms had carried her when she’d been too weak to go on, was protecting her even now. The sense of security combined with the feel of his mouth moving over hers, setting her blood on fire.

She pressed against the full length of him, hungry for the feel of that strength wrapped around her. He made a low sound in his throat and drove his tongue into her mouth, sending a velvet shock to the center of her abdomen and between her thighs. Her nipples were hard, achy points against the lace of her bra as they met the hard wall of his chest.

His mouth was hungry over hers, taking complete charge of the kiss until her head spun and she couldn’t breathe. Raw need roared through her, growing stronger with every throb of her heart.

Impatient to feel more of him, she slipped her hands down his chest, over his abdomen to grasp the bottom of his T-shirt and shoved it upward, hungry to explore his bare skin.

Nathan grabbed the back of it with one fist and hauled it upward, breaking the kiss only long enough to yank it over his head and throwing it aside before claiming her mouth once more. Her searching hands met heated, naked skin dusted with hair. She slid her palms over him eagerly as she twined her tongue with his, getting lost in his taste, the feel of him.

One hand controlling her head, he slid the other down to grip her hip and spun them around fast, pinning her up against the nearest wall with that long, powerful body. Both his hands gripped her hair now, his mouth still devouring hers as his hips met her pelvis. The thick, hard length of his erection pressed against her lower belly, igniting a throb between her legs.

She made a soft sound of longing and locked her hands around the back of his neck, anchored herself as she curled one leg around his. The man was a master with his mouth. He was so big and strong and he knew just how to touch her, just how to move to rocket her need into a fever pitch.

Taya shivered, needing more. Feeling like she’d die if he didn’t strip her and push into her soon. Then he dropped one hand to her butt and gripped one cheek, lifting her as he bent his knees to settle more fully between her thighs.

Oh, God…

Heat exploded in her belly with every stroke of his erection against her needy core. Her lips found his jaw, teeth nipping, the frantic need tearing at her. He gave a low growl and pinned her harder to the wall, his big body caging hers, each roll of his hips sending a streak of heat through her.

“It’s been so long,” she moaned against his jaw, feeling like she was burning from the inside out. “So damn long. Touch me. Touch me all over.” She needed him to quench this uncontrollable hunger raging inside her.

“I will, baby,” he whispered against her cheek, turning her head and finding her mouth with his again.

One big hand slid from her hair, his slightly roughened fingertips trailing down the side of her neck until they skimmed over a tight nipple. Taya tore her mouth from his on a moan and arched, her hand automatically locking around his wrist to push her breast harder into his palm. The towering need made her dizzy. Then her brain caught up with her body and a trickle of uncertainty slid through her.

She stilled, heart pounding, body aching with the most intense desire she’d ever known.

Nathan stopped and raised his head to look down at her, his hand still cupping her breast. He was breathing as hard as she was, his eyes glittering with a hunger so raw it sliced her inside.

When she didn’t say anything he started to remove his hand but she tightened her grip and held him there as she gazed into his eyes. “I can’t be just another notch on your belt, Nathan,” she whispered in an agonized voice. Not with him, it would crush her. If that’s all she was to him, she would rather stop things here than continue. She’d already battled long and hard to overcome feeling cheap and used. She wouldn’t do it again for any man, not even Nathan.

The anguished look on his face made her feel terrible for saying it, but she’d had to make it clear. “No,” he insisted, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers and closing his eyes. She could feel the urgency in him, the way it strung his muscles tight, the fingers in her hair sliding open to cradle the back of her skull. The protective, possessive gesture made her melt and lean into his hold. “No, you’re not, I swear to God you’re not.”

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t pull away from him either. Because she believed him.

And when he raised his head to look down at her again, she saw the resolve in his gaze, blended with concern and a fierce tenderness that rocked her. “Do you trust me, Taya?” he murmured.

She nodded. “You know I do.” With her life. But she wanted to be able to trust him with her heart as well.

His body relaxed against her, but his expression never changed. “Then let me touch you, take care of you. I need to touch you.” His eyes blazed down at her, completely molten with desire.

With a soft smile she leaned up and pressed her lips to his. This time he groaned out loud and crushed her to him, sliding his hands down to grip her hips. Turning her from the wall, he walked her over to one of the beds. After pulling down the comforter he pushed her backward onto the fitted sheet and followed, covering her with his weight.

Taya moaned in undiluted pleasure and wrapped her arms and legs around him, letting her hands explore the length of his back. Muscles bunched and shifted beneath her palms as he settled atop her and braced his forearms on either side of her head, caging her in. He took her mouth in an urgent, hungry kiss, his tongue sliding against hers.

He kissed his way over her jaw and down her throat, rolling to his side a little so he could push up the hem of her shirt. Taya helped him, lifting enough to pull it over her head. His eyes fastened on her pale blue lace bra and something close to a growl came out of his throat.

He slid his hands around her ribcage and leaned down to nuzzle the valley between her breasts as he reached beneath her to unhook her bra. She ran her hands up the deep indent of his spine to plunge her fingers into his thick hair, pulling his mouth to her chest.

Cool air rushed over her naked breasts, her nipples tightening even more, then the heat of his mouth closed around one taut peak. The last man to ever see her naked was Hassan, and her last lover nearly a year before that. With anyone else she would have been nervous and stiff but with Nathan she felt safe and…cherished.

Wanted. Needed, even.

A low sob came out of her at the feel of his lips and tongue working her sensitive flesh. She moved restlessly beneath him, the throb between her legs becoming unbearable. Nathan cupped her other breast as he sucked at her, his free hand smoothing down her stomach to the button of her jeans.

Desperate for more, she released his hair and undid her jeans for him. He grabbed the unfastened waistband and tugged, peeled the denim over her hips and down her legs, where she kicked them off with an impatient flick of her feet.

His big hand trailed up her inner thigh, spreading electric tingles over her skin and making her even wetter for him. He turned his head, captured her other nipple in his mouth as he cupped her slick sex with his palm.

Taya shuddered, her soft cry mixing with his deep groan of approval. “You’re so wet, baby,” he murmured, adding pressure with his palm.

“Nathan,” she moaned, twisting in his hold, the need becoming painful. She craved this, craved the release he could give her.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured against her breast, his hands sure on her body.

The words froze her for an instant. She raised her head and stared down at him. Releasing her nipple with a knowing flick of his tongue that made her back arch, Nathan looked up at her. His eyes were made up of flecks of gray and blue with a tawny ring around the pupils. For an instant the present merged with the past, the line separating them blurred.

I’ve got you, Taya.

The hands giving her pleasure right now had been pressed hard to the side of her neck when he’d said that to her last, in Afghanistan.

He hadn’t let her down then, and he wouldn’t now. Whatever happened after this, she knew at least tonight he’d do everything in his power to give her what she wanted.

A needy sound came from her throat when he drew his fingers through her damp folds. His eyes smoldered in the lamplight as he watched her response, and Taya was too far-gone with pleasure and need to feel shy.

He didn’t tease or make her wait, just pushed two fingers inside her. Her back bowed and she clutched his head, panting at the exquisite stretching sensation, being filled by a man who cared about her after all this time. Apparently satisfied by her reaction, he lowered his head to suck one tender nipple, his tongue flicking against it as he withdrew his fingers from her core and slid them up to circle her aching clit.