Exposed (10 page)

He nearly choked on his fake beer. Quickly swallowing, he fought back a cough and gaped at his sister, wiping the back of one hand across his mouth. “Are you fucking serious?”

She nodded. “Dead serious.”

It couldn’t be true. There was no way. It just wasn’t possible. “How the hell do you know that?” he blurted. There was no way Marisol would just go around telling people that, not even Carmela.

Carm gave him a pitying look and sighed. “I’m best friends with her older sister, that’s how.”

Yeah, he guessed that would do it. But seriously, Marisol was still a virgin?
How
? It made no sense.

“All I’m saying is, if I read that look you gave her right, just don’t play with her. She deserves better. That’s all I meant.”

Ethan didn’t answer, just shifted his gaze to the house as Carm walked away, carrying the container. He could see Marisol in the kitchen with his mom, laughing as they stood doing something at the kitchen counter together.

It felt like he was looking at her with brand new eyes. She was in her mid-twenties. How could a woman as smart and hot as her make it to that age without having sex? Obviously she hadn’t wanted to, but why?

As he stared at her from afar, that dark sense of possessiveness she brought out in him surged to the surface. She’d never had sex, had never slept with a man before. And if she’d stayed a virgin this long, it meant she had strong reasons for doing so. The man she chose for her first lover would have to earn that right. Be worthy of it.

I could be her first.

The thought was loud in his head, and undeniable. Hell, at that moment all he could think about was how much he
wanted
to be her first.

He had a sudden, vivid image of him stretched out on top of her naked body, his hips wedged between her open thighs, his hands fisting her hair as he surged inside her, watching her face the entire time. It was so freaking hot he could barely drag air into his lungs.

She trusted him, she’d even said so. She knew he would never hurt her. He could show her how good sex could be with the right partner, how good he could make her feel.

A warning tingle started up in his gut, cautioning him to be careful. She’d already gotten under his skin, without even trying. He had the feeling that if things ever went that far between them, he’d never be able to get her out of his system. A real problem when she was rooted so deeply here and he was leaving Miami soon.

A set of keys suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, dangling from a dark fist. He looked over his shoulder to find Vance standing behind him, a half smirk on his face. “What?” Ethan demanded.

“I said your name twice and you didn’t hear me. I’m gonna catch a ride back to the hotel with Evers and Bauer,” he said. “You go do whatcha gotta do, brother. See her home safe.”

Ethan took the keys with a nod, glad Vance understood and that he didn’t have to explain anything. Because he was absolutely seeing Marisol home safely tonight.

Vance smacked him on his sore shoulder on the way past and Ethan couldn’t even drum up enough annoyance to glare at him. He was too focused on the mysterious and tantalizing woman somewhere in his mom’s house.

He hurried over to the deck and stepped inside the kitchen. Marisol stood over beside the sink. She paused in the midst of drying her hands on a kitchen towel, her sea green gaze finding his.

Her purse lay in front of her on the counter, her keys set next to it. He knew in his gut she’d totally planned on bailing without a word to him. Because he made her uncomfortable? Unless it was because she was unsure of how to handle the attraction between them, he wasn’t okay with that.

He slid his hands into his front pockets. “You weren’t gonna leave without saying goodbye, were you?”

“No, but I didn’t want to interrupt you and your friends. I was just going to wave at you from the deck and then go.”

Like hell he’d have allowed her to brush him off that way. “I’ll follow you back to your friend’s place, make sure you get there safe.”

“It’s not necessary—”

“Soli. I’m following you.” He put just enough steel into his voice to make it clear there was no room for argument.

She sighed, nodded. “All right.” She went out onto the deck to hug his mother and Carm goodbye. When she headed for the front door without looking at him, Ethan was right behind her.

Chapter Seven

“I’m so not letting him live this down next time I see him.”

Special Agent Sawyer Vance grinned at Schroder, who’d just taken the empty deck chair beside him a minute ago to watch Ethan leave with Marisol. “Payback?”

“Kind of. Mostly I just like to give you guys a hard time whenever I get the chance.” Schroder took a bite of a thick wedge of brownie Mama Cruz had set out for them on a platter. Sawyer had already devoured three of them.

In addition to being a sweet but albeit nosy lady, his adopted mother was one helluva cook. He’d already eaten the better part of her famous flan and a serving of bread pudding, which she’d made especially for him because she knew they were his favorites.

“So I overheard you say Taya might be moving to Virginia soon?”

“Yeah, we hope in the next few weeks. Her dad’s better now and it sucks being apart from her when I’m back in Quantico. It’d be way easier if she moved in with me. We’re both looking forward to spending more time together, instead of the odd day here and there when I can get time off to go see her down in Raleigh.”

“That’s great, man. Glad to hear it.” That lady had been through hell and back and she’d done wonders for Schroder’s headspace already. They deserved to be together, deserved every bit of happiness they could wring out of this life.

Schroder smiled and took a sip of his drink. “Thanks. You seeing anybody?” he asked casually.

“Nah.” He’d gone on a handful of dates over the past few months, but nothing had ever come from them. It was probably too soon for him to date anyway. The raw wounds he’d been carrying around inside had only recently begun to heal.

“Hard to put yourself out there with our line of work.”

“I guess.” Normally this kind of conversation with one of the guys would make him uncomfortable as hell, but with Schroder he didn’t mind. The guy had a way about him that made him easy to talk to. “Not easy to find someone worthwhile, you know?” Even when he thought he’d found The One, he’d been proven dead wrong about that, as he’d learned a little over a year ago. While he wasn’t bitter about the split anymore, he no longer trusted his instincts where women were concerned.

And speaking of the opposite sex, there was one woman he was trying desperately not to notice in that way.

“No, it’s not,” Schroder agreed with a shake of his head before chomping down on the brownie. Sawyer knew they were still warm from the oven. He could totally go for another one. Or three.

A whiff of something fruity and delicious was his only warning an instant before a warm weight settled on his knee.

“Hey, you.” Carmela leaned in to push up the brim of his Stetson with one finger, a teasing smile on her face.

And just that fast, he went rigid.

All over.

“Hey,” he answered, automatically grabbing her hips to keep her from shifting any closer to his groin. That was a mistake too, though, since all it did was draw attention to how soft yet firm her hips were. The woman had curves that wouldn’t quit, no matter how hard he tried not to notice. It was torture.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’ve been trying to avoid me all night.” She tilted her head, her light brown eyes delving into his. Refusing to let him worm his way out of this. “Hope that’s not true.”

“Ah, no. No, of course not.” Out of the corner of his eye he caught Schroder staring at them with obvious interest, paused mid-chew with his mouth full of brownie. His teammate raised both eyebrows at him before getting up and sauntering off, but not before Sawyer saw the little smirk on the guy’s face. Oh yeah, he hadn’t heard the last on this.

Seeming not to notice his teammate, Carmela drew a gentle fingertip down the side of his cheek. “The goatee’s new. I like it.”

The gesture could be construed as merely affectionate, but he didn’t think so, not anymore. And his body thought otherwise as well. Her seemingly intimate touch sizzled across the nerve endings in his face, making his jeans even tighter at the crotch.

Shit, shit, shit.

He shifted slightly, his fingers digging into the swell of her hips and it was impossible to ignore the sudden image that popped into his head. Her, naked and straddling him, her long, chocolate-brown hair spilling down her back, him holding her this same way as he guided her up and down his erection.

It made him feel guilty as fuck, because she was Ethan’s freaking
sister
. What was wrong with him?

“Um, thanks,” he muttered. Seemed like the right response even as he banished the erotic images from his head. He was glad Ethan wasn’t here because if he even suspected something was up between them, he’d kill him.

Or maybe cut Sawyer’s balls off with a rusty knife while he slept.

Ethan was his best friend and had been for the past two years, but Sawyer adored both Carmela and their mother too. They’d accepted him as part of their family and that meant the world to him. He wouldn’t let anything jeopardize that, not even his new and not-so-brotherly feelings for Carmela.

No matter how much he’d fantasized about stripping the woman on his lap and pinning her to the nearest flat surface while he made her writhe and sob in pleasure until she came, calling his name.

He relaxed his grip on her, made himself let go. Shit, he had to stop this dangerous train of thought, but he didn’t know how. He’d been so careful to hide his growing feelings for her over the past few months. Ever since she’d started giving subtle signals that she was attracted to him when she’d come up to Quantico to visit Ethan in February.

She’d always teased him a little, a light and borderline flirtation he hadn’t thought much of before, but lately when they talked occasionally on the phone or via e-mail, she’d been less subtle. Her flirting had become more obvious, her tone more suggestive. Again, he hadn’t worried because of the thousand miles between them. He’d always thought she was sexy but he’d ruthlessly squelched those thoughts around her.

Tonight there was zero distance, and no question that she’d just upped the ante. It was dangerous. It felt like he and Carmela were on a collision course to disaster and he was helpless to stop it from happening.

Sawyer cleared his throat, glanced away as he forced his body to relax. Nobody else was paying any attention to them except for Schroder, who was grinning at him from over in the corner of the yard while stuffing his face with yet another brownie where he stood with Blackwell and Evers.

He struggled to think of something safe to say to Carmela. He sensed that if he showed her even a hint of interest, it would be game over. She wouldn’t do anything too overt here in front of her mother and the guys, but he had to be very careful to avoid being alone with her.

Because God help him, he didn’t think he had the strength to stop her, let alone turn her down if she made a move, consequences or not. He could easily shut her down now and be nice about it, sure, but he just couldn’t do it. Didn’t
want
to.

“So Ethan seems to be pretty into Marisol, huh?” he said to change the subject. Throwing his buddy under the bus while he wasn’t here to defend himself might be kinda low, but at least it took the heat off Sawyer’s predicament for the moment.

Carmela was still way too close. Smelled way too good. “I saw that. I already warned him to keep his hands off. Soli doesn’t play around like that.”

Sawyer shifted his gaze back to her. “I don’t think he’s aiming to play with her.” He’d seen the way Ethan had looked at Marisol tonight and he’d looked like a man with anything but playing on his mind, which was why he’d handed over the keys to the vehicle. His buddy seemed to have some things to straighten out with her.

She grinned. “I love it when your accent comes through like that.”

“I don’t have an accent.” Not anymore.

“Sure you do. It’s subtle, but it comes out every now and again. Like now, when you said ‘aiming to play with her’. It sounded very Oklahoma.”

“Well, I guess you can take the boy out of Oklahoma, but you can’t take Oklahoma out of the boy.”

“Trust me, there’s nothing boyish about you. Except maybe your grin, and when I make you blush,” she added in a near whisper, leaning a little closer.

It felt like she was challenging him. He should have leaned away but his stubborn streak wouldn’t let him. He didn’t back down. Wouldn’t, even if he knew what would happen if he let things go too far.

He could feel the heat creeping up the back of his neck as she stared at him. “So, how did your brother take that news about Marisol?” he asked to change the subject again.

Carmela snorted. “You just saw for yourself how he marched out the door to follow her home.” She shook her head. “I know he’s a decent guy and that he’d never hurt her on purpose. It’s him hurting her by accident that worries me. It’d be awkward, you know? If anything bad happened between them it would wreck everything.”

“Yeah.”
Just like it would wreck everything with you and me
. Not to mention his relationship with her family. Sawyer couldn’t handle those consequences. Not again.

Carmela shifted on his knee, settling more of her weight onto his thigh, then stopped, searching his eyes. “Am I hurting your leg?”

He nearly snorted at the question. “No.” He was a big guy and she was maybe a hundred and forty pounds, soaking wet.

Mmmm, Carmela, naked and soaking wet…

No, her weight felt way too fucking good. And man, her scent was making his mouth water. Coconut and something tart, like lime or something. A fresh mix of sweet and tart, just like her. He’d bet she tasted just as good as she smelled, too.

He mentally slapped the thought away. It may have been months since he’d last been with a woman, but his current erection had nothing to do with sexual frustration and everything to do with the woman perched on his knee. Carmela was hot and smart and sweet. And way too freaking sexy for his own good.