One Minute to Midnight (Black Ops: Automatik) (10 page)

“Surviving a week in that house full of mob goons, then getting out alive while the bullets were flying?” He shook his head with respect. “Badass.”

“Badass enough for Art.” She’d seen the profound connection between them during the after-hours dinner Hayley had put together at their restaurant. Not a minute went by that they weren’t in contact.

“If a surly bastard like that can find something good in the world, then there’s hope for the rest of us hunter killers.”

She ate the chips and salsa and didn’t respond. She didn’t hope. She trained, stalked and acted. But she wanted to feel now. The rush of breath. The possibility of two bodies together. The connection with Ben grew stronger, lit by the way the candle shined off his deep brown eyes and the way he navigated the layers of her life. Where would it go? She hadn’t trained for anything like this. Could she dive into the unknown if victory wasn’t guaranteed?

And there was her problem. Words like “victory” had no place in matters of the heart.

“Is that what you’re looking for when you’re finding a hookup at a club?” She studied his face. “Something good in the world?”

He started a smile, almost responded quickly, then quieted. A glib line would’ve come easily. She saw that he searched for a truth. “I’m...” He looked at his hands on the table. “I’m looking to not fight. I’ve been fighting for a while now. This is a good one I’m in now.” He brought his gaze to her. “But I can’t be in combat all the time.”

That same pressure had wrapped around her for years. On base, she never knew when she’d be deployed. In the field, death could come from any angle, any time. She’d lived in a constant state of readiness. With Automatik, the pace had let up and the open and direct communication kept her up to the minute, but the danger on an op hadn’t changed.

When she was a soldier, she’d avoided any emotional ties to the men. A few had tried for her as a trophy; others might’ve been genuine. It didn’t matter. She had to focus on her job to stay alive. In the civilian world, no one had been able to unwind the tense coils that dug through her. No one had understood her.

Ben understood her.

Slowly, she skimmed her hand across the table until it rested next to his. “How do we not fight?”

“We let go.” His thumb moved against the side of her hand and stopped there. “And we hold on.”

She slipped her hand over his and curled her fingers around him. He made a fist that wove their fingers together. Heat spread from her joints as tension released through her body. As if he were touching all those spots, easing his strength along the knots of her muscles and loosening them. Allowing herself to take a long breath was more freedom than she’d ever felt.

Her eyes opened and she realized she’d closed them. Ben gazed at her with a heat of his own. And a secret smile, just curling on the ends of his mouth. He licked his lips. She tightened her grip on his hand. Their first kiss had opened so many possibilities. They echoed back harder through her now. In a hot stripe down between her breasts that took her breath.

She drew him toward her and they stood to lean over the table. His mouth took hers in an honest kiss, revealing he had her same needs. Both of them kept their eyes open and aware of their surroundings.

They parted and sat again, hands still wound together.

She held his gaze. “Handle with care.”

“Nitroglycerine,” he vowed. Their food arrived, and they parted hands. But Ben kept his look on her and continued after the waitress had left. “Sexy, tough, ass-kicking, bangin’ body nitroglycerine.”

She laughed, yet each word caressed up and down her spine. She had to grind her hips in the chair. His smile disappeared into a heated look as he watched her.

The plates of food cooled until she and Ben tore their attention away from each other and turned to dinner. She was vaguely aware of good steak and beans and rice. When Ben stretched his leg out to touch hers, she nearly swept the heavy table out of the way so she could push him against the wall and slam her body into his.

“Enjoying your meal?” His voice was so steady.

Cold disappointment splashed through her chest. Here she was, ready to tear his clothes off in the middle of a restaurant, and he was as calm as a helicopter pilot.

He must’ve noticed the shift in her mood because he leaned forward with concern on his face. “You good?”

“I’m fine.” She collected herself and allowed gravity to take her back to earth. “I’m just eating dinner.”

He studied her. “We weren’t
just
eating dinner.”

She could’ve slammed on the brakes. Contained the emotions and the carnal thoughts, locked them away and focused only on the mission. She risked herself. “Then how can you be so cold-blooded?”

His brow lifted, showing the light in his eyes. “I’m making conversation. Getting by.” He moved closer, containing his words for only her over the table. “But Mary, I’m dying a death over here. I don’t need a fucking dinner. A table and chairs. A restaurant. You and I can survive anywhere.” His breath quickened and the cords of his neck flexed. Her own pulse raced again. “I want you everywhere.”

She was too contained. In public. In her clothes. Within herself. “I...I need that. I need...” Had she ever admitted this? “You.”

But they were still in the restaurant, though wicked intent glimmered in Ben’s look. “You’ve got me. Right here.” He growled, “Wherever you need me.”

She suppressed a moan. It was hard enough to free her emotions and erotic desires. But in an unsecured space? Part of her wanted to shut Ben down. The dizzy rush, though, charged through her, and each spot he mentioned blazed with the possibility.

He continued, voice dropping to a carnal secret across the table. “And with my hands around your waist, I’m going to kiss down your chest. Your breasts.” He swallowed and showed his teeth in a sensual smile. “My mouth around your nipple, I’m going to bite, just enough so you dig your nails into my shoulders.”

Her nipples tightened. Wet heat gathered in her pussy. She cleared her throat to keep from growling like an animal. She waved at the waitress and motioned for the check.

Thankfully, it arrived quickly. If not, she may have thrown a wad of cash on the table as she dragged Ben out, stripping their clothes off as they went.

Ben put his hand on the bill and slid it toward him before she could get to it. “My turn. You paid at the diner.” He counted cash out.

“But you paid in the parking lot.” She remembered how hard it had been to drive away.

He breathed a small laugh. “Hopefully this is an easier exit.” With the bill squared away, he poised to stand and waited for her.

She rose; he joined her. They put on their coats, gave a wave to the waitress and exchanged the warm restaurant for the cold street. His heat remained close to her, though his hip fit comfortably against hers. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they moved toward the car.

“I didn’t want to leave you there,” she confessed. “In the diner parking lot. I should’ve been there to finish them with you.”

He shrugged it off. “It was part of the mission parameters. We both knew I could handle them. What are a couple of scrapes if it gets us the big target at the end?”

She stopped their progress and faced him. “I didn’t like it.”

His swagger receded as still emotion and appreciation rose in his face. “Thanks.”

His hand tightened on her hip. She drew into him and slid her hand across his chest under his jacket. He rumbled beneath her touch and his broad muscles tightened. She and Ben came together in a soft kiss. An exchange of quiet trust. Once they balanced together, the intensity grew. She opened her mouth, flicked her tongue against his. He dove into her. She wanted to swallow him completely. To fill the hollow, hot and needy ache that spread through her.

She snuck her fingers in between the buttons of his shirt to find his skin. He reached into her coat. Cold fingers swept under the hem of her shirt and soon warmed on the naked skin of her hip. She leaned harder and rubbed her tight nipples against him. And when their hips pressed together, she felt the rigid length of his cock in his jeans. She was wet and needed to wrap herself around him.

“Car,” she whispered when they separated to take a breath.

They walked without completely disentangling themselves. His hand skimmed her hip. She hooked her fingers in his back pocket. They had to separate at the SUV, but it was quick, and they were soon sitting in the closed car, kissing again.

He stroked her cheek, held the side of her neck. She brushed her fingers down the front of his throat. Her body had endured the rigors of fighting wars and hadn’t been broken, but she discovered new strength. Lost sensations were found. Pleasure in a light touch. The hint of things to come. The needy ache that pressed her closer to Ben. He responded with his own craving.

She had to find what they were together. “Get us somewhere private.”

Chapter Ten

Each inch closer to Morris Flats brought the danger, the chill of unspoken threats and the intense focus of the mission. Mary’s body pulsed with need as she rode next to Ben, but as the tension increased, her joints and muscles lost the fleeting pleasure and took on the steel she needed to survive as an operator.

Ben drove with both fists on the steering wheel. Tight, like he was feeling the same increase in pressure she was. They both knew how to soldier. But she was lost trying to figure out how to hold on to the safety that had allowed them to flirt and kiss and bring themselves to the edge of passion. Was the night over?

He let go of the steering wheel with one hand and rested it on her thigh. She pressed into his touch and couldn’t get enough. The connection remained alive. Her ache hadn’t been satisfied. She put her hand on top of his and the skin burned with delicious fire.

He seduced her with a murmur. “It’s dark out here.”

They’d left the lights of Dansville behind and were surrounded by miles of inky farm fields.

She scratched along the back of his hand and heard his breath hitch. She whispered to lead him toward her. “Dark enough for ghosts like us.”

With a flick, he turned off the headlights. Her eyes adjusted quickly and divided the view into the slate planes of the highway, the fields and the starry sky. They were alone on the road. The farmhouses were set far back and wouldn’t be able to see them in the black SUV.

Ben slowed. The silhouette of a large tree stretched against the sky. The car rumbled over the dirt of the highway shoulder and pulled to the far side of the tree, completely hidden from the highway. He shut down the engine and they both sat, silent and still, to assess the environment. It was always the first thing she did when inserting into hostile territory. Open the senses and wait. Become part of the shadows while detecting anything out of the ordinary.

Wind hummed a chorus through the bare tree branches. The stars glittered, and a tremble ran through Mary. She savored the excitement. Nothing had felt this new for a very long time.

Ben turned toward her, gently ran his fingers through her hair. The rough pads scratched deliciously against her scalp. She tilted to rub her head against him.

“You deserve a five-star hotel.” He caressed with his voice, too. “King-sized bed with crisp sheets. Bathtub for two.”

“We’re not going to find that out here.” Feeling his words like a blush on her skin was one thing. She needed something more real to match the pulsing awareness over her skin. She reached out and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and tipped her head toward the backseat.

He swung out of the driver’s side door. She crawled between the seats and was at the next row by the time he opened the back door and met her there. A brief blast of cold air chased him in, but it quickly dissipated when she brought herself close to Ben again. The smell of his refined soap was surrounded by the aromas of soft earth and dry leaves. He was at once sophisticated and primal.

She traced her finger along his lips and memorized the firm lines. What she’d been watching was now real. What she’d been wanting was within reach. She held him by the back of the neck and pulled him into a kiss. It didn’t matter that they were in a rented SUV on the side of the road. Need and pleasure and exploration took over. She’d made her need known, and he didn’t hold back. His kiss grew more intense as he swept his tongue along hers. He tugged her coat off, and she did his. The night took the details away, so she had to learn them by touch. The breadth of his shoulders. The strength of his neck and how it rose into his defined jaw. She undid more of his buttons and smoothed her hands along his chest to remove his shirt. Hot skin slid beneath her palms. His muscles bunched firm, then stretched as he helped her take off the clothing. Her nipples tightened, wanting to be pressed against his chest. Heat flashed up her legs and centered in her pussy. There was enough light to see the hints of his wicked smile.

His fingers plucked at the buttons of her cardigan. He slipped the thin fabric off her and ran his rough palms down her arms, the way she’d imagined. She sighed with the simple touch. He was careful and deliberate and explored more of her shoulders and arms and back, making her skin feel bright in the dark. She allowed herself to be moved by him, and the tremble of freedom returned.

“Cold?” he asked with concern.

“Not if you’re close.”

He wrapped himself around her. She twined her arms behind his neck and kissed his cheek and along the edge of his ear. The spice of his soap mixed with the salt on his skin. She learned more, like the way his jaw muscles flexed when she kissed over them. He moved them so he was sitting on the bench seat and she straddled him.

His hand ran up the back of her head and through her hair, bringing tingling awareness. She tilted back into his touch, and his mouth found the side of her neck in a series of kisses that stole her breath. She ground her hips against his and felt how wet her pussy was. Sparks rained up from where they met. His erect cock rubbed against her sex through the layers of their clothes. He growled and gripped her firm around the waist, holding the two of them tighter together.

Oh, God, could she come like this? She felt like she was already on the edge. His hands moving up her ribs, under her shirt, almost brought the climax on. But she was a chaos of sensations, trying to take it all in, and couldn’t focus on the one way to that pleasure. He continued higher until one palm stroked over her bra. Her nipple pressed forward. He dipped his fingers over the top of her bra to skim over the areola and tease next to the hardened point.

She tried to whisper how good he felt touching her but only managed broken syllables through rushed breath. Her cheek rubbed against his stubble; the simplest sensation became exquisite.

He slid his hands behind her back and unclasped her bra. Her shirt and bra were quickly swept over her head. The naked flesh of her chest pressed against his. She moaned. He murmured words of heat onto her throat.

Then his lips found the top of her chest. She gripped his shoulders to ground herself as his kisses moved down over her breasts. His tongue flicked against her nipple. She gasped. Her sounds were animal when his teeth bit into the tip. She dug her nails into his shoulders and urged him closer. With his teeth still gently holding her sensitive point, he surrounded her nipple with his mouth. She shook with pleasure and rode her hips harder into him.

His broad hands splayed across her back. She was surrounded and safe to pursue all her needs. She ran her fingers along the muscles of his neck and over his tight hair. He licked across her nipple, sending a jolt of electric need straight down between her legs.

“You’re a very dangerous man.” She tilted his head up so she could kiss him.

“And still you scare the hell out of me.” There was truth in his voice, along with a sexual smoke.

She swung off his lap and sat next to him. The tip of her finger traced a line down his chest. His abs tightened under her touch. Yes, she could move him, too, and that fueled her pleasure. He surged up when her hand slid over his belt and to his erection in his jeans. She ached to know all his flesh. Along her body. Inside her.

“Your belt.” She whispered her commands. “Your jeans.”

“And my gun and my knife.” He kicked off his shoes and undid his jeans. A pistol in a nylon holster released from his ankle. She heard him stow a folding knife on the floorboard.

She ventured over his hips, his boxer briefs and down his strong thighs. He moaned and searched her as well, with warm hands over her breasts and ribs and waist.

She found his cock again, and his movement slowed. His length pressed through the fabric of the boxer briefs. She teased at the waistband, then dove past it to take him in her hand. He was firm and hot and so potent. Having his raw sexuality in her grip brought out her own. Leaving her armor behind was deliciously scary.

He quickly shucked his underwear and was now completely naked. Exposed to her. She kissed his mouth and stroked up and down his cock. He thrust with her. She opened her mouth wider to take his tongue in. Her pace on his cock sped. Her body swiveled, longing to feel all of him. He growled into her.

The sound turned to frustration as he felt along her jeans-covered legs. “Get naked with me.”

She released her hold on him to pull the knife from her boot. He helped her tug off the shoes, then undid the button and zipper of her jeans. She braced her feet and tilted up so he could drag the denim and her panties away. His hands instantly returned to her legs, exploring the length, tracing the curves and rasping pleasure along her skin.

“Deadly,” he murmured.

His movements slowed as his hands reached higher up her thighs. The shiver returned. She’d never been this nude with someone. Unclothed, yes, but not this open. She sat back and spread her legs.

He moved close and wrapped an arm around her to bring her into his chest. He kissed her temple. She turned her head so their mouths could meet. The connection strengthened with each touch. Each move into the unknown. They trusted.

His fingers skimmed up the inside of her thigh. She writhed. The sensation was so real it nearly blinded her nerves. Her vision went completely white when his finger drew up along her cleft.

“Oh, God, yeah,” he whispered reverently.

He slicked back and forth in an easy, long line. She rocked with him in an attempt to push the pace. But he maintained the steady stroke. She discovered why when she breathed into the pleasure and allowed it to soak through her skin and nerves to places she hadn’t yet felt. His body remained next to her, solid, as she writhed. Her nails scratched along his arm and over his chest. She searched lower until she found his cock.

His length felt even firmer, more ready for her. She gasped when his finger dipped into her. She wrapped her hand around him. Her back arched further, legs spread wider. She ached, craving complete release. The brief tease of his finger had centered her attention at her pussy. With him in her hand, she could imagine what he would be inside her. What she would be wrapped around him. Completely connected and real.

He thrust in her grip at the same time he slid two fingers over her opening and up to her clit. Bright heat spread out from that point, shaking her limbs. She and Ben moved with each other, hands on each other, mouths meeting and parting. But still the climax couldn’t rise through the chaos of sensations.

“You good?” He must’ve picked up on her disarray and slowed the pace.

“Yeah,” she reassured him. “I’m just... It’s just...” The answer wasn’t exactly clear to her, but the trust she had with Ben allowed her to admit quietly, “It’s been a while.”

His arm around her shoulders supported her. “I got you.”

She released her hold of his cock and rested her hand on his leg. “I’m finding my way.”

He shook his head. “We’ll find it together. Alright?”

She’d thought she’d known all about Ben and his quick-strike tactic with women, but he’d been straight with her every step of the way. If he’d been lying or playing her to get them to the side of this highway in the middle of nowhere, she would’ve known.

“Alright,” she answered, and tingled with a scary flutter of trust.

He pulled his arm out from behind her. His shadowy presence slid in front of her, eyes glittering in the shadows. “I’m going to taste you—” he spoke slowly, each word a seduction, “—and you’re going to tell me what feels good, so I can give you what you need.”

She leaned forward and found him for a kiss. He held her trust with care. She rubbed her cheek against his and whispered in his ear, “Taste me.”

He moved down her body like a thundercloud, full of electric power and silent strength. She quivered, anticipation growing with each kiss he placed on her chest, then belly. He took her hips in his hands and slid her forward on the seat to perch her at the edge. Hot breath rolled across her open thighs. He crouched in the foot well, and his broad shoulders widened her legs farther.

She’d never been this exposed for a man. She’d never allowed someone this close. But Ben shared her experience in the world, in the wars. He’d revealed his truths and had accepted her, even wanted more of her as she’d peeled back her armor. Still, she shivered.

His mouth on her inner thigh slammed her attention back to her body and the waves of electricity he invoked with each touch. He kissed her thigh again, higher. And higher toward her sex. She’d shatter when he finally reached her wetness.

He paused. She was ready to break. His tongue licked, warm and firm, up her pussy. She moaned, her voice tight around them in the contained car. He drew closer and dragged the flat of his tongue over her clit. Her legs locked around him as she held on to the delicious shock of pleasure.

Ben wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her tighter to him. She let herself be moved. It felt like the two of them were spinning through the darkness together. The pace accelerated with Ben licking up and back, again and again.

He probed his tongue into her opening, and all the chaos collected to a single bright point. Her breath raced faster and she dug her heels into his sides.

“Right there,” she gasped.

“This?” He slipped his tongue up her pussy and flicked against her clit. She jolted with the quick wash of sparkling pleasure. “Or this?” He dove back inside her with his firm heat.

She couldn’t answer. She could only run her hand over his hair and hold his head harder to her sex. He alternated between thrusting into her and sweeping up through her lips and around her bud. Her encouraging words rasped in hurried fragments. The climax sped close and wound tight, charged by Ben’s mouth and tongue on her pussy.

His relentless pace continued. She gulped one last breath and shattered. The orgasm spread through her hot and fast. Ben didn’t let up. He kept licking into her, driving the pleasure higher and higher until she thought she couldn’t take it. But she did. She relished pushing herself that far and feeling the lost corners of herself brighten, alive.