Heroes In Uniform (11 page)

“Right.”

“Jackpot then,” Konstantin said. He waved his hand dramatically. “Nina’s phones can’t give any signals while they’re in my special magic box, my friends. You may go to bed and catch forty-winks whilst Sir Constantinos casts a circle of protection spell around us.”

Nina gave Luke one of her looks. Oh yeah, he would need to explain to her about his friend’s weird online character. But, right now, he was taking her to bed as soon as possible.

“Let’s look at the contents in your envelope,” he said.

Nina carefully tore it open. There was a tiny clear plastic case inside. She passed it around the table. Four ampoules filled with some kind of liquid were encased within the case.

“Let’s not open it,” he said. “I have a feeling these are not vitamins.”

“I don’t think so either,” Nina agreed. She hid a yawn behind a hand. “Maybe they’re energy pills.”

“I’ll see what’s in the market that would fit the description of liquid-filled bullets,” Konstantin said. “The case holding them is made very securely, so I’m thinking let’s not try to open it like some stupid thieves would.”

“Agreed. So, can we leave you to do your thing for a few hours?” Luke tugged Nina to her feet. “Let’s get some rest.”

“Bathroom?” she mouthed.

“Over there, down the hall. My room is the one to the right.”

“Yes, I need my alone time now, folks. I’ll bellow when I find anything,” Konstantin said, picking up the box and heading for his study. When Nina disappeared into the bathroom, he added, in a low snarky voice, “Well, well, well. The Cowboy and La Niina, sitting on a branch.”

“Sitting in a tree,” Luke corrected.

“K-i-s-s-i-n-g,” continued Konstantin, ignoring the correction. “Is love next?”

“I thought you said you needed your alone time, as you call it?”

Kostya did a little jig. “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage.”

“You’ve gone cuckoo,” Luke said, mildly irritated by the teasing. “I’m heading to the guest bath to wash up.”

“Denial is a river in Egypt, my friend,” Konstantin retorted with a wide grin. “You got her in your bedroom. Sure you’re going to rest.”

After freshening up, Luke knocked on his bedroom door and entered. Every good intention fled out the window at the sight of Nina lying on his bed in her bra and panties.

“What are your options now, Cowboy Ranger?” she mocked.

Option Three had never sounded so damn good.

* * *

Nina was tired of playing games and out-thinking opponents. Living on the edge, patiently making deliberate moves, sacrificing her needs because the end goal of saving her father was important. She’d followed MI6’s instructions and played the role—stealing, retrieving, passing information and things of import—because they had needed to figure out the reason they were keeping her father prisoner and alive, but the British agency was just as secretive with her as with the terrorists. Drei, whom they’d hired to help for one retrieval, was the only one who had stepped up and helped her as much as he could.

She was tired. She wanted answers, especially now that everything had gone to hell. She’d almost died tonight and if not for Luke, she probably would have, or at least been seriously injured. Of course, going into this job, she’d been prepared to die, but damn it, she was this close to solving the mystery and saving her father. Why couldn’t these stupid agencies be upfront about anything? Maybe MI6 was just as clueless at its end and was using her as a pawn, getting as much information from her unexpected talent while they could, before the inevitable.

Nina wanted to howl in frustration. Taking a deep breath, she took off her clothes and set them on a nearby chair. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. There was really nothing she could do but take control of her emotions and remain Nina, the remote and clever operative working for a MI6 fake, black market company in Estonia. It was clever, really, doing black market business as a front and finding out what the underground was up to. Everyone was a pawn and she was the idiot pawn, playing both sides on her own.

Well, she was tired of being alone. Tonight showed her how tired she was. And alone. Luke St. James, the man who had haunted her dreams this past year, had, within a span of hours, made her feel alive again. She’d laughed and oh yes, she’d actually enjoyed herself.

She stretched out on the bed, wondering about the man coming in. She had an idea what they would be doing other than sleep. One thing she was sure about—if she were going to die, she must first get to see Luke St. James naked and spend the little bit of time left with that delicious man. Nina the spy cautiously approved. Her real self, Naya, totally, enthusiastically approved. All settled, then.

The door opened. She struck a sultry pose.

“What are your options now, Cowboy Ranger?” she asked.

Her dream man did exactly what she’d hoped for. No words. Just that devilish smile with the hint of reckless abandon she’d always been drawn to. He started taking off his clothes.

He started with the black tee that snugly hugged that broad chest she’d wanted to explore. Oh. My. Nina pushed up against the pillow so she could comfortably watch. He was lightly tanned all over, like he spent time outdoors without his shirt, his color stayed with him through the colder months too.

There was nothing sexier than a muscular and fit man wearing nothing but jeans, especially one with molten heat in his eyes, devouring her with that male gaze. Every fiber in her body tingled at that look. She was glad he wanted her just as badly as she did him.

His jeans dropped to the floor and he stepped out of them. Nina stayed very still as he stalked towards the bed, his fierce arousal jutting out. Coming for her. She had never seen anything more beautiful.

“I got to see The Cowboy naked,” she said lightly, her voice sounding unnaturally breathless. She needed to diffuse the tension she felt inside. “I can die happy now.”

He climbed over her. “You aren’t going to die, Nina,” he informed her in a deep voice. “Unless you mean
la petit mort
. In that case, I can help with that.”

“Mmm, promises, promises,” Nina taunted. She didn’t want to think about serious stuff right now. “Fuck me, Cowboy. Do it right this time. The first one earlier was too quick for my liking. In fact, let me show you how it’s done.”

She pushed against him and he obediently went onto his back. Sitting astride she admired the hard-on between her legs, waiting so patiently for her. It was gorgeous, if she could call a cock gorgeous—golden and smooth, with a beautiful head. She fisted the base of his penis and pulled the skin until it was taut and with her other hand, caressed his balls. He lay there, his lower body straining slightly, his breathing uneven. She smiled sensuously.

“I have a deadline looming and I need to come very badly, so the foreplay will have to wait, darling,” she said.

“Foreplay can be a later option,” he said, his voice gravelly with desire.

Putting her weight on her knees, she slowly guided him inside her, pushing down, all the while pulling gently at his balls. Luke muttered something but she didn’t pay attention, too intent on the feeling of fullness as he slid inside. Letting go, she put her hands on his chest and started rocking up and down.

She could feel his thudding heart. Moving her hips rhythmically, she leaned over and licked his golden skin. Yum. His hand came up on her lower back, urging her down further. Another warm hand guided hers to her clitoris.

“Touch yourself,” he ordered.

She slid her finger against her nub, slick with her own damp desire, rubbing in time with her long slide down. Every glide brought an extra trill of pleasure as she writhed against her finger. He started moving his hips in time with her and it felt like she was riding the best stud in the whole…then his fingers joined hers, pressing down on her clitoris.

The building orgasm that was balling white hot in her stomach burst into flame. It was a double pleasure, teasing herself outside and his cock caressing her inside. She moaned, bucking wildly. She was so wet, her essence marking him.
Mine
, she thought.
Mine, mine, mine.

Nina fell forward, coming hard, calling his name. Somehow she was on her back and he was on top, riding her now, thrusting in deep. Her orgasm continued in waves, her inner muscles clenching and unclenching, milking that hot cock inside her as it slid against her sensitive core.

With a groan, he gave her one hard thrust and came, pushing in so deep, she had to wrap her legs around him and hold on while their bodies shook uncontrollably.

This was what she had wanted to do with him for months and months.

It was worth the wait.

Dangerously Hot
: Chapter Seven

They slept, tangled in each other’s arms. Luke woke up several times, thinking of what she’d told him and of his brother, trying to figure out how everything tied together. He watched Nina. She was soft and yielding in sleep, one hand tucked under her cheek like a child. He wanted to keep her by his side.

“Guys, wake up.” Konstantin’s voice called out through the door. “I need you out here ASAP.”

Nina stirred.

“We’re up,” Luke said loudly. “Will be there soon.”

“Hurry up! I’ve got answers!”

Luke caressed Nina’s face gently with the back of his hand. Her eyelashes fluttered and she smiled.

“I don’t want to wake up,” she murmured.

“Me neither.”

She opened her eyes sleepily. “Car chases tire me out,” she said.

He chuckled quietly. She was even amusing in the morning. “And here I thought it was me.”

She cuddled in for a kiss and he obliged. Her mouth was soft under his, but her response was bold and challenging. Her tongue teased his, inviting him to play and he did so. He ran his hand down her body slowly, first cupping one breast, then sliding down the soft womanly curves to rest between her legs. She responded to his touch there too, dampening his hand.

“Hey, we’re supposed to wake up,” she reminded him huskily before gasping softly.

“That’s what I’m doing, waking us up,” Luke said. He really liked watching her slowly going wild while he aroused her with his fingers. He circled her clitoris counter clockwise. “I can do this all day and keep you at my mercy.”

“That sounds kinky,” she whispered. “Can you go faster? Oh. Yes, like that.”

There were a few seconds of silence as he brought her higher. He rubbed her a little faster and she moaned. When she came, he prolonged her orgasm, lightly scissoring that sensitive little pearl and massaging around it.

He decided watching a woman let go and come was the best way to start the day. He’d just satisfied his fantasy woman. Bring on reality then.

It was another half hour before they joined Konstantin in the kitchen. He pointed to the coffee pot.

“Leftover pizza for breakfast. Sorry.” He patted the pile of papers on the table. Next to them was Nina’s procured laptop. “Unlike you two, I’ve been working.”

Luke rubbed his stubble. “About time you do that instead of playing your stupid treasure-hunting game,” he said dryly.

“Ha. You guys are doing the same thing too. All these items?” He patted the pile next to him again. “They are like little bits of clues to some treasure. You’re after some, she’s after some, and there are others in this big game too. What we need to do is figure out what the treasure is.”

Nina sipped her coffee. “Did you really manage to hack into the laptop? You did? What did you find out?”

Konstantin huffed out indignantly. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I have clues to the treasure. We have a set of characters—you, Luke, the terrorists, even MI6, as well as an assortment of others. I’ve been mapping out who is who all night.”

Luke shook his head at Nina’s puzzled glance at him. “To understand Kostya, you have to speak his language,” he explained sardonically. “Everything is about a quest to him right now.”

“But it’s true, she is on a quest! You both are,” Konstantin exclaimed. “She’s trying to free her father and you’re looking for Drei. And these quests are intermingled with lots of black market magic.”

Luke sighed and taking out the pizza he’d just heated up from the microwave, he placed one on a plate for Nina and handed it to her. He sat down beside her.

“Fine,” he said. “Tell us about the black market magic.”

Konstantin smiled. “First, let me show you how those evil wizards track you last night.” He pulled out a cell phone, one Luke recognized was Nina’s. “That’s the magic wand.” He tapped on some keys on the laptop. A page came up. “This is a password-protected key to your phone. Every time you reply to a text from your headquarters, it unlocks your exact location on this map. Your masters have been making sure you were where you said you were, Nina. All you had to do was acknowledged their text.”

“Damn,” Nina said, looking at the screen. “So they know when I was with Drei because I remember texting them. And last night, I did acknowledge their buzzing me while I was…busy.”

Luke kept a straight face. She’d been busy all right. “When did you do this?” He asked, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.

She looked back at him with an innocent expression. “When you were carrying me up the stairs. The phone was in my back pocket and I managed to click on it. I knew they would buzz me since I hadn’t contacted them after my assignment. I wanted them to know I was okay.”

“Was he really carrying you?”

Konstantin bellowed out a long bout of laughter. Luke knew he would find that amusing, since he had been acting so coolly whenever the subject of La Niina was brought up.

“Kostya, we need you to hurry this along,” Luke said when the hoots died down a little. “We’re under pressure here.”

“Right. Okay, then, you ready? I think your pursuers were after Nina for her envelope. Unfortunately, you started carrying her up the stairs or something and thus stopped her from going back to her Headquarters where they’d assumed she would be. So, they had your handler find out where you were and by acknowledging his buzz, they have your location through the tracking software. I could show you, except I’ve disengaged the device. I’m not chancing them buzzing it with some other magical program.”