Shrouded in Darkness (Shrouded Series) (31 page)

God, she wanted him. Now. This second. She wanted to feel him atop her, beneath her, inside her. She wanted all of him—

body, mind and soul.

He pressed up against her until the silken heat of him burned against her naked flesh and his chest flattened the tips of her breasts. His hair roughened legs brushed against hers as he urged her back against the bed and bowed his head to claim her lips.

Easing back against the sheets, she opened her arms and wrapped them around his neck as he sank into her curves.

This time, though, she wanted to lead, to control, to push him to the edge. Pressing an elbow against the mattress, she moved, skimming across his body until she lay across the length of him, her legs cradling his hips, his penis, rigid and hot against her stomach. She inched up and across his body until she felt the tip of his shaft between her legs.

Jake gasped and jerked his hips beneath her, almost managing to thrust into her right then, but she slipped sideways. Her breasts skated across his chest as she leaned over him and bound his wrists with her hands and pulled them over his head. She nipped at his lower lip, urging his mouth open. Then she kissed him deeply, savoring the taste of him against her tongue.

He arched his head off the pillow and dipped his tongue between her parted lips, stroking, teasing, demanding a response she couldn’t help but match with equal fever.

Desire burned through her flesh. So very hot.

“Oh, baby,” she whispered against the corner of his mouth, “I need you. Now.”

Digging her knees against the bed, Margot rose slowly, then lowered, taking his shaft inside her inch by magnificent inch, until she was completely impaled. He filled her, stretched her. The heat, the fullness of him so very deep inside her, was absolutely heaven.

Jake jerked beneath her. She groaned, closed her eyes and felt the burn as she rose up and down over his shaft.

Jake watched her ride him. Her skin glowed, slick and flushed with desire. Her breasts swayed while wisps of raven hair clung to cheeks and shoulders, damp with her sweat. She was gorgeous, unashamed of her body, of her lust, of her beauty. He lifted the weight of her breasts beneath his palms and scraped his thumbs across her nipples. They tightened with his touch, and a whimper slipped from her throat.

When she arched above him and stiffened, he caught her hip in one hand and thrust into her, harder, faster, deeper, while he used his other hand to stroke the swollen nub between her legs, again and again, matching the rhythm with each jerk of his hips.

Then she strained above him, squeezed him, and cried out his name as she came, hard and long above him.

Only then did he push off the mattress and catch her up against his chest, wrapping her beautiful long legs around his waist as he captured her mouth. He kissed her deep and hard, while sliding one hand into her hair at the base of her skull and using the other to hold her hips steady as he plunged into her. He’d thought he’d been deep before, but now—now she had all of him as she tightened her legs around his waist and crashed against him, over and over until he felt his climax build, higher, tighter, harder. Then he was spilling his seed into her, jerking uncontrollably and shivering in her arms. He was falling...drowning.

Slowly, he became aware of Margot wrapped around him, of the evening behind the drawn curtains, of the cool air against his skin. The flannel sheets had been flung off the bed.

“Jesus.” Jake eased back and looked at her. He saw the wonder in her eyes and knew the same expression reflected from his own. With a knuckle, he caressed her cheek and found her skin, still damp and flushed from their lovemaking, incredibly soft. “That was beyond words. Beyond anything. You’re beautiful. Do you know that?”

“No.” She shook her head and kissed him lightly, tenderly. “You’re beautiful. Inside and out. I fell for you even before I knew what you looked like. I fell for the man you are and the man you can be.”

“You know, I don’t think—no, I know—I’ve never been this happy in my life. There was always something I wanted, something I always felt I was missing. I didn’t realize until this moment that it was love.”

He reclined against the pillows, and Margot nestled up against his side and rested a cheek against his chest. He reached over for the bedside lamp, but she caught his wrist.

“No. If I wake up during the night, I want to make sure you’re there. Flesh and blood and not some phantom shadow.”

He left the light and pulled her closer. The touch of her lips against his chest was so faint that for a moment he thought he’d imagined it. He glanced down at the crown of her head, and then smiled up at the ceiling.

Happy. That didn’t even begin to describe the feeling inside of Jake. Tightening his arm around Margot’s waist, he rubbed his chin against the glossy waves of her hair and drank in the scent of her. He’d never get tired of her distinct fragrance—not in this lifetime or the next.

Jake thought of one thing that would make it perfect. He opened his mouth to ask her to marry him, but stopped.

No. Not yet. The timing was way off.

Earlier today, he’d gotten ahead of himself and placed an order on the net while she’d been in the shower. He should get the package tomorrow. But it didn’t matter. Not now, at least.

Because there was Malcolm. For a while, he’d forgotten about Margot’s ex-husband. Somewhere out there, Malcolm, a constant threat, waited and planned his next move...until Jake stopped him. Tomorrow, after Jake destroyed Miracell and insured Margot’s safety, he’d finish this thing with Malcolm, one way or another.

Reaching over, Malcolm pulled the 38 out of the glove compartment. He checked the safety before placing it on the car seat beside him and kept his hand wrapped around the cold metal. He glanced back up at the road and saw the sharp curve. Too late. He hit the brakes hard and sped around the turn. Too fast. The tires lost traction and started skidding.

“Son of a bitch!”

He pumped the brakes. The tires gripped the road again and some miracle stopped the car from nose-diving over the shoulder and into one of the pines that lined the side of the road. When he pulled back in his lane again, he exhaled loudly.

Shit. That was a close one. He might have ended up like John. Dead. He laughed harshly.

Margot would have loved that.

At the thought of her, Malcolm wrung the steering wheel with fisted hands. What the hell had happened to them? There was a time, which seemed more like decades ago right now, when he’d loved her and he knew she’d felt the same about him. But then she’d become this woman he didn’t know. Someone that wouldn’t listen to him, wouldn’t take his suggestions, wouldn’t agree with him. She’d become someone separate with her own thoughts and ideals.

And those damn questions of hers about Miltronics and his work. She hadn’t been able to leave it alone. She’d started harping, digging into dangerous territory. Why hadn’t she been able to understand that work and his personal life where separate and completely different from each other?

Then the fights started. She wanted to know every stupid detail of his life. Intimidation, threats, nothing had worked to shut her up. The last time they’d had a row, she’d ended up in the hospital. It hadn’t been his fault. She was the one who fell down the stairs.

It wasn’t like he’d pushed her.

He blinked back watery eyes and wiped at his nose with the back of hand. She’d walked out on him and filed for divorce. Just remembering being served brought rage to the forefront. Yes. He needed to focus on that emotion. He didn’t love her anymore. He wouldn’t. She’d betrayed him. Just as Jake and John had betrayed him.

He’d left Pinetop almost an hour ago, and was about twenty-minute from Greyson. He hated the mountain town. He hated everything about the two bit little clap board, stinking town.

Malcolm exhaled, his breath fanning clouds into the car’s interior. He cranked up the heat. He hadn’t been able to get warm since he’d left the airport in Flagstaff. But he was almost there. Another fifteen minutes and he’d hit the road that led to Margot’s place.

His jaw clenched. Soon. Real soon. The gun wouldn’t be cold metal in his hand. It would be hot, so damn hot from putting a couple of bullets in Jake’s head.

To hell with the formula. If Jake hadn’t figured it out by now, he never would. He’d used Margot to push Jake harder, knowing how much of a sucker Jake was for a lost cause. But now, Malcolm wanted revenge. He craved it.

As for Margot. If the formula hadn’t killed her, he’d have to do something. He didn’t see her keeping quiet. Her principles wouldn’t allow it. Surprisingly, she had that in common with Jake. There’d been a time that he’d thought Jake hadn’t had any. That was a gross miscalculation on Malcolm’s part. Well, he’d eliminate that problem real quick.

“Hey, sleepy head.”

The next morning, Margot placed a breakfast tray with orange juice, waffles, scrambled eggs and a banana across Jake’s lap and sank down on the edge of the bed beside him. He lay flat on his back with only a flannel sheet draped across his hips. When he didn’t stir, she sat in silence and watched him with a silly grin on her face. God, he looked good.

This was the first time she’d had the chance to really sit back and take in Jake’s appearance. He had such a masculine face—a strong jaw, thick brows and high, prominent cheekbones. Lines bracketed his mouth. A mouth with a full, sensual bottom lip that knew exactly what to do with her body. She shivered in remembrance. Reddish gold hair, thick and cut close to the scalp, capped, and accented his strong, square face. There was nothing feminine about him, except maybe his dark lashes and sun kissed complexion. Not one scar marred his body. It was shameful to have such beautiful skin.

He also had the most incredible baby blue eyes. Eyes now open and smiling at her.

She smiled back. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Tired and thoroughly used.”

She gave him a cocky grin. “Oh, really? And I wonder how that happened?”

“This incredibly gorgeous woman decided to jump my bones last night. The way she moved that body of hers had me doing the most amazing contortions.”

“Oooh, reeeally?” Unable to resist, she took the banana from his tray, started to peel it and looked for a reaction.

Jake watched her slip her mouth over the fruit’s tip and take a slow but deliberate bite. Wow. Then she licked her lips in the most suggestive manner. He swallowed audibly. “You better watch it. If you keep that up, I’ll be wanting you to do something equally suggestive on me.”

“Is that so...” She took another slow nibble from her banana, all the while holding his gaze.

“Oh yeah...”

He curled a hand around the back of her neck and urged her over his lap. He kissed her, tasting the banana on her lips, loving the way she quivered against his hand and her little intake of breath that told him she was just as moved as he was with a simple, little kiss.

He pulled her closer. The glass of orange juice on the breakfast tray shot sideways and spilled onto his lap.

“Damn!”

Margot pulled away and made a face. “Now look what you did. You made me spill your juice!”

“Me?”

“You better believe it. If you’d kept your hands to yourself...”

As she took the glass from beside his hip and placed it back on the tray, he shifted and winced as more liquid seeped through the sheet and right into his crotch. A cold shower couldn’t have been better.

“I guess that’s just as well. I need to get up and get going. After a shower, I want to go down to the lab and clear out the formula and antidote from the computer files.” He placed the tray to the side, pulled back the sheet and stood. “You want to join me in the shower?”

He watched her look boldly over his naked body and tried not to grin.

She glanced at the bed and wrinkled her nose before she retrieved the tray. “I better clean this up before it soaks into the mattress.”

Jake watched her go, then shook himself mentally. If he weren’t careful, every minute of his day would be consumed by thoughts of her. But then again, that wouldn’t be so bad.

He showered and dressed. Fifteen minutes later he headed down to the lab. The second the door closed behind him, he walked over to the desk and booted up the computer. Systematically, he went through each file and deleted it from the system. While he waited for the large files to purge, he pulled out two thumb drives from the desk drawer. He didn’t bother erasing the data through the computer, but took each one and broke them apart. He tossed the plastic and metal pieces into the garbage.

With the files almost purged and the backups in the trash, the suffocating burden strapped around Jake’s shoulders lifted.

The lab door opened from behind Jake.

“My, God!”

Jake stiffened, tension cracking through his limbs as he turned around.

Malcolm, gun in hand, stood five feet from the lab’s entrance. Excitement glittered in his eyes. “You pulled it off! I knew if anyone could do it, you’d be the one. You just needed a little more incentive with Margot.”

Right this second, Jake wanted to launch himself at Malcolm and pound a fist into his face. “You’re sick. I can’t believe you involved Margot. She had nothing to do with this.”

“Oh, please. Save me the bullshit. It’s called opportunity. Margot just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time.” His face hardened as he advanced toward Jake. “And don’t think you’re any better than me. You’ve played just as dirty—what with that number you pulled back in Boston.”

“That doesn’t compare. But it stopped you for a while. I just don’t understand how you managed to get out of jail so quickly.”

“Money and a good lawyer. What else? Did you really think framing me would stop me? Life’s not that simple. Haven’t you learned that yet?”

He hated Malcolm’s confidence, his holier than thou attitude. “Money can only last so long. Even you can’t pull from a bottomless well.”