Safe In Your Arms (9 page)

“What’s wrong?” Fear filled her widened eyes as he moved toward her. Kneeling before her, he grabbed her face and kissed her hard. Her fingers dug into his arms as she met his tongue stroke for stroke. Desperation flavored their kiss, blending deliciously with her fear and his need to possess her.

“Mina, I’m sorry,” he muttered as he broke the kiss. She shook her head and placed tiny kisses on his cheeks and nose.

“It isn’t your fault.” She looked into his eyes, into him, as she smiled. “No more apologizing, you’ll give us both a complex.” He found himself grinning as she went back to kissing him. He captured her mouth, holding her head as he deepened the kiss. Lust and need exploded between them, blocking out everything. The rain, the sound of the boat beneath them, and the waves against the hull, all disappeared as he reached for the ties on her life jacket. He paused to look at her.

“Will you be all right without this, Duchess?”

Mina looked down at the vest and then back up at him. “Don’t you know by now that the only place I feel truly safe is in your arms, Gabriel Landing?” She laughed and tugged at the clips to shrug out of the vest. Then she launched herself at him, knocking him back to the carpeted floorboard of the boat. Her teeth nibbled at his lower lip as her hands dove under the wet cotton of his shirt.

Gabe was lost in her. He immediately yanked her jacket off and she helped him tug the soaked green tank top off over her head. His teeth clamped teasingly on a tight nipple, licking the rainwater off her with a hum of appreciation. “I could drink off you for the rest of my life,” he commented, smiling as she hummed her pleasure in his ear.

“That would be my idea of heaven,” she purred, sending a shooting flash of heat straight to his groin. He growled and rolled her over to stare down at her. She was all pale skin and darkened nipples. He easily spanned her waist with his hands before moving over her tummy to unhook the button of her jeans. She stared up at him, the trust in her eyes instantly replaced by stark desire as he yanked the wet jeans down her legs.

“Let me help.” She sat up, reaching for his zipper with a devilish grin on her lush lips. Gabe thanked his lucky stars, his hands moving over her shoulders and breasts as she freed him from the denim. “Commando, sergeant?” Her teasing voice sent a shiver down his spine, followed quickly by a groan as her hand grasped his cock with a pressure that only made him harder.

“You do realize that I’m not a sergeant, right?” he pointed out, closing his eyes as he kissed her bare shoulder and then grazed the sensitive flesh with his teeth.

“Does it matter?” He bit her shoulder as she stroked him hard. His control instantly snapped. Pushing her back, his hands ripped the tiny piece of lace she wore as underwear. Before she could protest or try to stop him, he grasped her legs, parted them, and sank his face against her feminine core. A soft cry escaped her and he smiled as he licked her, paying special attention to her clit when her fingers dug into his shoulders.

She was gasping his name over and over, her hips thrusting up against his mouth, when he moved over her to slide inside her wet body. Her dark eyes dilated, her mouth gaping open as she climaxed convulsively beneath him.

Gabe waited until she caught her breath, her soft hands sliding over his back. Then he smiled down at her. “Round two, Duchess.”

***

“Round two?” Mina could barely breathe and he was grinning down at her like a man on a mission. Rain ran off his dark hair, dripping into her face, but she didn’t care. The boat could sink, her worst fear, and she would still be holding him close.

“My turn.” He bent his head to kiss the swell of her breast, his hips retreating. When he slammed back into her, Mina’s head came right off the floor of the boat. Her body instantly began to climb with every hard thrust of his thick member within her. His mouth latched onto her nipple, teeth devilishly grazing the sensitive tip and pushing her closer to an even bigger climax.

Mina held onto him, her mind lost in the intense pleasure of their joining as he pulled her right with him into a mind-numbing climax. She screamed, couldn’t hold it in, as he shuddered above her. Gabe’s big body collapsed onto hers, his weight feeling perfectly right as she lay beneath him. She opened her eyes to stare up at the dark clouds just as they separated to reveal a ray of sunshine. The rain seemed to let up as well. A peace filled her as she stroked his wet back. She loved feeling him pinning her, loved how he breathed heavily into her neck as he tried to catch his breath. Damn, she thought, as she bit her lip. She loved him, loved Gabriel Landing with every breath she took. She was scared to move, for fear he’d get up and leave her the way he had the first time.

Disappointment filled her as he pushed up on his elbows to look down at her. The sated smile on his handsome face made her swallow hard. One big hand gently pulled wet hair off her cheek. His eyes dropped to her mouth as he dipped his head to place a kiss on her lips. The move was tender, a reminder of the way he’d kissed her at the grave.

“Gabe—”

“Sh...” He nuzzled her neck and she closed her eyes at the feel of his hot tongue against her ear. “Did you know that I wanted to bite this earlobe more than once during that summer you were here?” She gasped, but he shook his head, his wet hair brushing her lips as he signaled for her to be quiet. “I thought you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen. At first I thought you wanted to get to know me, too. Then you seemed so aloof when I started making friends with Callista.”

He lifted up to stare down at her. “I even got up the nerve to ask you to dance, but you turned this pretty little nose up at me.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “You, Duchess, are a snob, but it didn’t stop me from watching you.”

“I thought you liked Callie. I didn’t want to be a third wheel!” she burst out. His head jerked back in surprise. “You idiot!” She smacked his shoulder hard. “I had a major crush on you from day one. I was miserable watching you two go off in the boat, knowing I was too terrified to join you.” She bit her lip nervously as he studied her silently. Then a devilish light lit his blue gaze.

“You don’t seem too nervous right now, Duchess. In fact, you look quite relaxed,” he teased her.

“Oh, shit! Where are we? Gabe, we could have drifted past the summer house.” True panic had her pushing at his solid chest.

“Easy, baby.” He kissed her and she stopped struggling, sinking into the feel of his lips and tongue as he slowly made her forget to worry. “I can always backtrack.” He kissed her nose and pushed himself up.

“What if someone saw us...?” She watched him stop pulling on his jeans to grin down at her.

“Lucky them. Now, get dressed, Duchess. That is no way for a senator’s daughter to be found.” He deftly caught the wet shirt she threw at him and shrugged into it.

They were only a couple feet past the boat launch leading up a set of wooden steps to the summer house she remembered and loved so well. Gabe stopped her as she made to climb over the side of the boat.

“Here, it will stink, but if there are Z’s up there, they’ll ignore us both.” He sprayed her father’s old army jacket with a black liquid that stank like a rotten carcass.

“Thanks, I think.” She watched as he shrugged into his leather jacket and sprayed it.

“I hope we won’t need it.”

Mina let him lead the way up the steps. The house seemed quiet, too quiet. An ominous feeling pressed down on her, making her steps slow. She stopped at the beginning of the brick pathway leading up to the back deck. Gabe turned to face her, his expression questioning her pause.

“What’s wrong?”

“What if they aren’t there?” His expression softened as he came back and took her hand in his big one. She felt his comforting touch ease some of her tension as she clutched his fingers tight.

“We’ll face it, together.” His reassurance helped her move forward beside him. They climbed the steps to the deck and Gabe peered through the glass door. “Let’s go in. I don’t think knocking is going to do it. If they’re here, then they are hiding.”

Mina clutched his hand and the hilt of her knife as he turned the knob and it opened easily. He looked back at her, a frown on his face. Her stomach sank like a stone. There was no way they would leave the doors unlocked like that. Something was wrong. She followed him inside the house with a feeling of dread.

It hadn’t changed much since the last time she was there. The kitchen was a country design with apples and flowers. The big kitchen table was empty, chairs pushed in like they were waiting for the family to sit down to eat. Her mother was a country girl from a small town and the summer house reflected her need for simple things. The living room had a fireplace in one corner with a big rug in front for reading before the fire. The mantel was crowded with framed photos of the family. Gabe paused in their search of the house to lift one of her on a pony. Her wide smile showed off an impressive gap between her front teeth. His dark brows rose as he looked at her over the frame.

“Don’t even say it,” she warned him with a scowl. “I went through torture with braces. I prefer not to revisit those years.”

“Oh, I think you were very cute.” He tugged on her braid and replaced the photo.

“I don’t think they are here.” Disappointment was a hard pill to take. Her eyes scanned the room slowly. The couches were cloth with big throw pillows arranged in the corners. No one had sat on them for a while, but the sheets that should be covering them to prevent dust were missing. “It does look like someone was here. Mom likes the furniture covered when we close up the house.”

“The door was unlocked, too.” Gabe seemed preoccupied as he moved to the front window to stare out into the street. She moved to his side, but he shut the curtain, and grabbed her hand. “Let’s check upstairs.”

“I hope you’re not thinking about getting lucky. My mother would have a fit,” she teased him, but he barely cracked a smile. He’d seen something outside. Something he didn’t like.

“There’s always the boat. You seemed to like that.” He took to the steps ahead of her and Mina followed. They went through all the rooms, but no one was there. She followed him back down into the living room feeling like her world had grown dark. Worry for her family gnawed at her gut as she thought about her little sister. She’d never even been able to say she was sorry for being such a bitch to her while they were growing up. Did Callie even know how much she loved her?

“They probably went to Washington with your father, Mina.” He came over to wrap his strong arms around her. She held onto him, ignoring the stink of his jacket as she sought comfort.

“I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.” She pulled back to stare up at him. “I have a cell phone, but the battery is close to dead. I could go to one of the stores and grab a charger. If you know your father’s or Callie’s phone number, then you can call them.”

“It won’t work. We tried that the first couple days. There wasn’t a signal anywhere.”

“Yeah, the first couple days everyone was trying to call out. I figure it caused the system to collapse with the heavy influx of calls. Three days ago I got a signal, but the charge was too low. I had intended to get one of those battery chargers when I spotted you and your fire.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“It never came up.” He shrugged a shoulder and stepped over to the door to pull back the blind. “I think I can make it to the Stop and Grab on the corner. Do you want me to grab you anything special while I’m there? Perhaps a chocolate bar or two?” His grin didn’t fool her one bit. She stepped up to him and looked out the other side of the window.

The walkway was brightly lit up; wet blossoms edging the path were opening up for the sunshine that was just coming out. She looked out over the grass that was in bad need of trimming to the street. Her breath gasped out and she clamped her mouth shut tightly. Cars were parked at odd angles in the middle of the street. Some of the doors were wide open and blood stained the cars in odd places. She fixated on a bloody handprint on a white SUV.

“Mina, don’t look out there.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, but she jerked out of his grasp. Across the road, standing on old Mrs. Gibos’ porch, was a man. He looked off at the house next door. His hair was missing in patches, his shirt and pants torn and soaked with the rainwater. His cheek was torn and black liquid oozed down over his neck and collar. His placement on her neighbor’s porch, standing between two pretty hanging baskets of purple and white pansies, was a macabre sight.

“You can’t go out there!” Panic had her turning to clutch at his shoulders.

“Easy, Mina.” He lowered his voice to match her fierce whisper. “We don’t have a choice. You need to make that call. I can walk right past him, but I’m taking the backyards like we used to do as kids. I can be there and back in no time.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No, you’ll be safer here. I can’t protect you—”

“I’m not asking for your protection. I can protect you.” She was going to hit him if he laughed. He didn’t. Gabe looked worried, scared even. Then his expression hardened to the one he wore when he first brought her over to the island.

“What do you plan to do? Pay them off? In case you haven’t noticed, money and position went out with the last regime. The new world order is based on common sense and brute strength, both of which you haven’t shown a hell of a lot of. I’ll be safer with you right here, Duchess.”

“That might have hurt, if I didn’t know you were just trying to keep me here. I can help you, Gabe. Besides, if you leave me here, what is to stop me from checking the other homes for people?” She crossed her arms over her chest and his eyes immediately dropped to her breasts. She smiled as he heaved a heavy sigh of defeat.

“Fine, but you do as I say. Mina, I mean it. I say run and that cute little ass better be gone.”

“No problem, sergeant.” She moved toward the kitchen. “Besides, when have I ever not obeyed your orders?” She grinned as she heard him swear behind her.

It was surprisingly easy getting to the small country store. The back door of the Stop and Grab was wide open and they exchanged a look as they went inside. It was dark inside, but the sunshine coming through the outside windows gave them just enough light.