Saved By A Stranger (5 page)

She leaned against the wall closest to the
open window, trying to make sense of what had happened and came up
short. His jacket emitted his earthy scent, making her too hot for
comfort.

Shrugging out of it, the pale face of Mr.
Fuentes floated up in her mind, the scent of his blood. Her stomach
heaved and she clasped her hands to prevent them from shaking.
Ben’s heavy jacket hit the floor with a dull thud.

He’d killed her future, tried to take a
life.

She glanced up, trying to see the
cold-blooded killer in him, but then again, how did a killer look?
Fearing he’d see the look of despair on her face, she rubbed her
eyes.

Slowly, he came closer and braced his hand
against the wall next to her head. “How are you?”

“
Great, just great.” she
crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Who helped you take off
the ropes?”

He snorted softly and leaned into her. “What
where you doing there? Why where you with him?”

“
Why
shoot
him?”
Hands clenched to fists, she gave him a hard shove.

He wouldn’t move an inch away from her.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath,
which hit her face when he exhaled. “I didn’t mean to scare you,”
he said quietly. “I’m sorry for all of this, I hope you know
that.”

She raised her eyebrows at his lousy excuse.
He’d shot someone—feeling sorry was the least she could expect from
him.

“
I’m fine,” she said. “But
I’d like to hear your explanation now.”

Again, a frown rippled over his forehead.
“Do you work for him?”

“
Who’s him?”

“
The Writer.”

“
If you mean Mr. Fuentes, I
only just met him today.”

He gave her a long, hard stare that seemed
to go straight into her heart.

After another second, he said, “Why give him
the book?”

“
Why fucking shoot
him?”

“
Mr. Fuentes is called the
Writer,” he said. “The DEA has been watching him for months,
compiling evidence. This little black book is like the inside of
his mind.” He bent and picked up his jacket. He took the book from
the pocket and flipped through it.

“
Recently, an agent took
pictures of the pages and, after weeks, they were able to decipher
the code. Fuentes is the head of a large drug cartel and once the
DEA has the book, they’ll be able to nail him.”

She ran his words over in her head a couple
of time to stomach his tale. “You’re DEA?” she finally asked, the
disbelief in her voice audible even to her ears.

“
No, I’m a hitman.” He
paused for a moment. “Retired.”

“
Ha!” she said, thrown off
balance for a second, and then caught herself. “This is quite a
story.”

He was messing with her head. If what he
said was true, then she had no hope left to save her broke ass. And
she couldn’t give up the hope, she just couldn’t.

If she had to choose between a
well-respected and world-renowned hotel owner and a self-proclaimed
hitman, the choice was an easy one.

“
I don’t trust your little
tale.” She had to get the book back. If only to find out if he
spoke the truth. If the DEA was really looking for it, one
inquiring phone call was all it took. And then she could return the
book to Mr. Fuentes and hopefully he wouldn’t hold the incident
against her.

She poked her finger against his chest. “I
don’t trust you. It was stupid that I came here.”

“
You’d probably be
dead
by now if you hadn’t.”

“
I want to
leave.”

“
I won’t let
you.”

All she needed to do was bring up her knee
and hit him where it hurts and she’d be out the window and gone in
a flash.

She took a deep breath. Her chest brushed
against him and it was difficult to keep a clear head. Her breath
caught in her throat as he leaned harder against her, her shoulder
blades pressing into the wall.

“
Would that turn you on,”
she whispered, lifting her head to find his dark gaze. She slid her
hand between them to stroke her index finger over the front of his
jeans, the denim rough under her fingertips.

She could feel him against her, hard
everywhere. “Holding me against my will, fucking me against my
will?” she laughed when his eyes turned darker, his erection
pressing against her crotch. “Do you want to roughen me up, just a
little?”

He swore and took a step back. “Believe me,
it’s only for your best if you stay here with me. I’m not going to
hurt you, if that’s what you fear.”

He was flustered.

She could tell by the way he dodged her
gaze. She took a step after him, rising up to the tips of her feet.
“I want you to try it,” she whispered, which finally earned her his
gaze. The lust she found in the depths of his eyes made her take a
step back, suddenly unsure who pursued whom.

He reached out to trace his finger along her
jawline. Her heart made a summersault when he started to unbutton
her blouse until the fabric slid from her shoulders to the
floor.

“
I think you are
beautiful.” He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, his lips
cool against her skin.

Struck speechless by his reaction, she
wanted to push him away again, but couldn’t. Desire, which had
simmered below the surface, unfurled.

He kissed up her neck, murmuring something
unintelligible that sounded like
my wild thing,
which was a
stupid thing to say, but his hoarse voice nevertheless turned her
on. Hell. He bit gently at her earlobe, sending shockwaves between
her legs. Hardly something she wanted to fight.

He tugged at her clothes. She let him, but
she still didn’t trust him.

Later, she’d struggle with her
conscience.

Chapter Seven

A light rumble in her throat told Ben she
wouldn’t push him again. When he kissed up her neckline, seeking
her full lips, she turned her head. The message was clear, no kiss
for him.

“
Trust me,” he whispered
against her ear. “Just one kiss, just one.”

She shook her head, a stubborn streak around
her mouth.

Irritation gripped his gut. He slid his hand
behind her back to unclasp her bra. She folded her arms over her
head, crossed wrists and closed her eyes. She gave herself up, but
only offered her body, not her heart.

He clamped his hand, hard, over her crossed
wrists, putting more of his strength into it. Her eyes shot open
and he gave a low laugh at the stunned look on her face.

“
Come on,” he whispered
against her mouth, “try to get free.”

She bucked against him, undoubtedly to break
free of his hold in earnest, and not just that titillating wiggle
she’d taunted him with a moment before.

He shifted his entire body against hers,
holding her against the wall. Need wavered up in him, the need to
possess her, to be inside her, take her by force.

He cupped her breast. Heavy and firm, it fit
his hand perfectly. Her heartbeat drummed against his palm. Feeling
her nipple tightening beneath his fingers made his erection
painfully hard. He crushed his mouth on hers, sneaking his tongue
between her lips, getting a taste of her sweetness.

And for three fast heartbeats, her full
mouth yielded under his lips. Then her teeth nipped into him with
more force than he could endure.

He let his arms drop to his side, giving her
every chance to make a run for it. As if answering his thought, she
fingered his jeans, her long lashes painting shadows on her cheeks.
He could feel her hands shake while she pushed his jeans and briefs
down his legs.

He rid himself of both items, his cock heavy
and taut against his stomach, and then took his time to shrug out
of his shirt while she watched his movements like a cat afraid her
mouse would disappear.

He bent to bury his face against her
breasts, hiking up her skirt until it crunched around her hips.
Tasting the flushed texture of a hard nipple, he drew a soft moan
from her as he sucked gently.

When she closed her fingers around his cock,
he groaned, feeling himself thicken against her palm. He wanted to
thrust into her until she cried out his name. Her fingers closed
around his and guided him between her legs.

“
Touch me,” she said,
guiding his hand over her folds. Slick wetness met his inquiring
fingers. She was as ready for him as he was for her, but he wanted
to draw out the pleasure.

He dropped to his knees, taking in the scent
of her arousal. When he touched his tongue to her center, she
tunneled her fingers through his hair. He again licked over her
swollen clit, hearing her moan her longing. She gripped his
shoulders to steady herself. He cupped her butt in both hands,
kneading her flesh and tilting her hips toward him.

He groaned thinking how he would soon be
thrusting into her. But first, he kissed her, down there, plunging
his tongue deep between her swollen lips. Swearing softly, she dug
her fingers into his shoulder muscles. He welcomed the pain,
welcomed any proof she was enjoying herself as much as he was.

He paused, hearing the clicking steps from a
high-heeled woman walking past the apartment door. Liz relaxed her
grip on his shoulders, but her muscles flexed as if she made
herself ready to flee.

He feared he’d hear a key in the lock, but
the steps faded into the distance and were gone a second later.

Relieved, he drew in a deep breath. What the
fuck was he doing? He was buck naked. If the woman had come into
the apartment they wouldn’t have had enough time to dress and leave
through the window. His gaze found his clothes, the gun somewhere
in the pile, the small book in the inside pocket of his jacket.

Still, he couldn’t turn away from her heat.
He kissed her inner thigh, her skin soft and smooth and quivering
under his tongue. Taking his time wasn’t an option anymore.

Kissing his way up over her stomach and the
dip between her breasts, he rose. Holding her heated gaze, he
grasped her hips and lifted her, his cock sliding between her legs,
coating him with her wet juices. She snug her legs around his
waist, a whoosh of breath coming from her mouth as he slammed her
hard against the wall. She moaned, and for a moment, he feared he’d
hurt her, feared he was too rough with her after all.

“
I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Should I stop?” His breath stopped at the idea he’d hurt
her.

Liz gave a sob, causing him more alarm. Her
fingernails dug into his back, and she tipped her head against the
wall, meeting his gaze. Then she moved her hips, rubbing her folds
and clit along his cock. It was almost enough to make him explode.
Groaning, he tilted her hips toward him, the head of his cock
prodding at her wet entrance.

He slid into her with one long, hard thrust,
filling her to the hilt with his cock.

He slowly pumped inside her, her pussy
tightly clamped around his shaft. Short, gasping moans tore from
her throat, and he circled her mouth with his finger, wishing she’d
allow him to kiss her. When she took his finger into the warmth of
her mouth, sucking, he felt his balls tighten.

He studied her face—the lust in her dark
half-lidded eyes, the way she sucked in her bottom lip, her blushed
cheeks.
All mine
, he thought, and fucked her harder, knowing
he was about to come.

He slid his hand between their bodies,
finding the swollen bud of her clit. Pressing, rubbing her there,
he pumped into her wet heat, his cock aching for release. Her head
tipped back, a small thud against the wall.

“
Harder please,” she
whispered, bucking her hips against him to emphasize her demand.
“God, Ben,
please.
”

The emotion in her voice sent a shiver
through him, his self-control slipping. Wrapping his hand in her
hair, he pulled her close. Without giving her a choice, he plunged
his tongue inside her mouth, taking her breath, swallowing her
surprised cry.

Then her hand was around his neck, her mouth
hot on his, her kiss hungry and hard. Her body trembled under his
hands as he slammed into her, nailing her against the wall, fucking
her in rough strokes that made him gasp for breath as her pussy
convulsed around his cock as she came.

With a shout, he thrust deep into her,
burying his shaft in her to the hilt, coming in hot spurts inside
her, feeling how her muscles milked his cock.

She leaned her head against his shoulder,
her breathing slowly calming. He slid out of her tight hold when
she lowered her feet to the floor.

“
Liz,” he began, but she
twisted from his grasp, shaking her head. His heart grew heavy just
looking at her slender back, the fast movements with which she put
her clothes on. Why she’d worn a mortified expression before she
turned her back, he couldn’t comprehend.

Giving her some space, he went to use the
bathroom. Probably contrary to her belief, he wasn’t interested in
the physical only. She was all female, soft, lush, wet, yet so
stubborn. He’d wanted her before, but now he was falling hard and
fast.

He walked back to her, intended to figure
out a way to gain her trust.

She stood at the windowsill, one leg perched
on top of it. She wore his jacket. She merely raised her eyebrow.
The sight of her calm smile sent his heart jumping into his throat
and, a split-second later, hot anger hit his gut. The book was
inside his jacket, which she undoubtedly knew.

“
I’m sorry, Ben.” She
pointed
his
fricking gun at his heart. “This isn’t going to
work.”