Targets Entangled (24 page)

“Well,” Daegan said softly, a smile forming around his eyes as he lifted his head, “I guess that proves that theory.”

“More, please.” Ferrin was greedy and wanted him to continue on his journey, although she would have loved to have the use of her hands so that he could feel some of the sensations she was experiencing. “Untie me and we can go for more.”

“I’m not nearly finished with having my way with you.” Daegan placed soft kisses along her ribcage and across her abdomen. She couldn’t help but laugh as he did the same to her other side. “Ticklish, I see.”

Daegan then worked his way down her right hip, alternating between his lips and tongue. He didn’t stop until he got to her ankle and when he bit her lightly, she broke out in laughter. He joined in and left her feet alone, catching on to the fact that doing so would have taken her out of the moment. He maneuvered himself in between her legs and gently parted them so that he would fit comfortably. She turned her face into her arm and waited for his mouth to descend on her, causing the intense pleasure she knew he would.

“The things I could do with a vibrator right now,” Daegan said, planting images in her mind as he trailed a finger through her very wet folds. Ferrin lifted her hips to get a firmer touch but he pulled away. “Uh-uh. This is my time to explore my windfall.”

“I’m so getting you back for this,” Ferrin moaned when he used the pad of his finger to lather her cream over her clit. It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t touch him. She would have loved to have her hands on his head, feeling his closely cropped hair and being able to pull him closer. She needed his mouth covering her clit. Instead he slowly slid a finger inside of her without touching her engorged flesh at all. “Oh!”

Ferrin arched and closed her eyes tightly as pleasure traveled over every inch of her. She pulled at her restraints and moaned in protest when she remembered that she was tied to the bunk. She twisted her wrists so that she could hold on to the fabric and leverage herself even more. She heard him laugh when she’d managed to push herself closer to him, but her actions did what she wanted them to when he finally withdrew his finger and she heard the crinkling of the condom wrapper. She inhaled deeply and settled back on the sheets, knowing she was finally going to feel him inside of her.

“Legs up on my shoulders,” Daegan ordered in a deep, raspy voice that sent shivers through her. With his help, he had her exactly the way he wanted her…open and exposed to each and every thrust of his cock. He turned his head to kiss her leg tenderly before putting his tip against her entrance. She restrained herself from heaving upward, needing him inside of her now. Instead she tightened her hold on the strips of fabric and waited for the fullness that she would feel when he drove into her. “Ferrin?”

She looked up into his blue eyes and her breath caught at the sight of emotions that were there. Neither one of them moved, lost in the intimacy of such a cherished moment. His lips parted and her heart stilled for what he might say. He remained silent as he reached out and brushed his thumb across her lower lip. She searched his face for whatever he might have been trying to express, but the moment was broken when he slowly and leisurely pushed his massive girth into her. Her lips parted in a silent cry of approval as he gradually filled her up and initiated that burn she loved so much. He didn’t stop until he was fully seated within her. The way in which her legs were caught on his shoulder prevented her from being the one to move and she tugged at her restraints, causing him to wink at her. The moment was gone, but it was replaced with a physical pleasure that she gladly accepted.

“Lick.” Daegan slid his thumb into Ferrin’s mouth, getting it nice and wet. She couldn’t close her legs against the extremely intense pleasure he created by rubbing his thumb across her engorged clit. She was exposed in a way that she had to accept the added stimulation he was giving her, and damn if it didn’t immediately take her to the edge that got her into this position in the first place. “That’s right, Ferrin. Come for me again.”

With those words, Daegan started thrusting in and out at a brisk pace and she could only go along for the ride. His manipulations on her clit carried her higher and higher until she broke and was thrown from the precipice. No matter how she forcefully shifted her lower body, his cock kept pounding into her, prolonging the orgasm that was denying her oxygen. It was overpowering and she screamed his name into her arm, muffling the sound so that it didn’t travel through the thin bulkheads. This wasn’t a release that she could control and it continued on until she had tears rolling down her cheeks.

Daegan thrust into her one more time before he held himself still, his own orgasm taking hold. Ferrin managed to turn her head in time to watch the blue of his eyes darken as he succumbed to pleasure, his fingers tightening their hold on her hips. She felt him swell to bursting inside of her before he started moving again, emptying his seed into the condom. He lowered himself down on his elbows, ensuring that his weight wasn’t entirely on her as he brushed away a few strands that were sticking to her cheek from either perspiration or her salty tears.

“Happy tears,” Ferrin whispered, not wanting Daegan to think he hurt her in any way. He smiled as he untied her wrists and then slid to his side so that he could rub them. They didn’t hurt at all because he’d had the material so loose around her skin, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. She had pulled so hard during her startling and strong orgasm that she had to wonder if she left some marks on her own wrists. His touch felt good and she wanted it to last longer. “What should we bet next?”

Daegan laughed before leaning down to steal a kiss and causing her to think about going another round. Ferrin had always enjoyed sex, but with him it was more. She didn’t want to think about anything too serious right now, which should have clued her in that she wasn’t thinking right. Instead she returned his kiss until he maneuvered himself over her and off of the mattress.

“Let me clean you up with a warm washcloth and then I’ll sneak into the galley for a spray can of whipped cream.”

Daegan disappeared into the bathroom and Ferrin snuggled deeper into the covers, more than satiated, but she couldn’t help but let a niggle of doubt surface at his earlier request. Today had gone by without incident and she’d been hoping it would stay that way. While she was aware that the person responsible for Tami’s death was still aboard the ship, it wasn’t unrealistic to hope that maybe Lieutenant Irvine had taken him or her into custody without making an announcement or at least have the person under close surveillance.

Ferrin didn’t like that Daegan wasn’t being forthcoming for his reasons in wanting her to follow instructions, but she understood his position. It wasn’t like he had to worry over something like that anyway. She’d always prided herself on following directives and getting the job done. Water could be heard running in the sink and she closed her eyes at the sounds of Daegan soaking a washcloth with hot water behind the partition, but a thought had her opening them once more. If something was taking place tomorrow, then the danger to the ship and the crew might finally be coming to an end. What would that mean for her and Daegan?

‡

“D
o you think
this is going to work?” Stick asked as he came toward Daegan from what he assumed was the galley. He had a box of donuts in one hand while balancing an overloaded drink carrier with five coffees in another. It was the one in the middle that concerned Daegan as he lifted the cardboard holder out of his friend’s fingers and maneuvered the fifth cup into his free hand. “I thought this through and if the person we’re looking for is on duty when we activate this mission, it might not go down the way we plan.”

“When does anything ever go according to plan?” Daegan asked, taking a drink of his coffee as he led the way to the team ready room. He breathed in deep, the aroma awaking his senses just as much as downing the hot liquid did. He and Ferrin had slept in and she’d been in the shower when he’d left his stateroom, although he’d reiterated his request that she follow orders to the letter today. “Let’s face it. There’s a good possibility he or she is on duty if we do it after the second rotation starts. McDaniel was murdered while first shift was still on duty. Honestly, I think it’ll make things less volatile if that’s the case.”

“How so?” Stick punched in the correct keys to enter the team ready room and then pulled open the counterbalanced heavy steel hatch. “If Starr has Captain Hensel request that all off duty personnel standby on the weather deck for a ship’s all hands formation, it’ll be easier for us to spot the offender when he or she panics.”

“Each supervisor will be told before the announcement that the suspect might try to absence himself or go to the extreme and take hostages,” Starr stated from her seat as she looked up at the two of them. Gunny was already in place going over blueprints of the ship, Doc and Trigger were in deep discussion, and Diesel’s head lifted at the smell of donuts as it always did. “To everyone else aboard this ship this is a real scenario where Agent Joel will be flying in to make an arrest. Each department head will be alert for any odd behavior and report it to us immediately.”

“Yep,” Stick replied, setting down the box of donuts and then going directly to the mini-fridge to snatch a can of Coke. “Nothing can go wrong with that plan.”

“I thought you didn’t want to sit on your thumbs and twiddle yourself,” Gunny countered, leaning forward to pluck one of the coffees out of the holder. The legs of his chair creaked when he settled his large frame back into it. “You better speak up if any of you are having second thoughts about this strategy, ladies.”

“Nightmares, man.” Stick pulled back the tab on his Coke as he took his seat. There wasn’t a strand of his hair out of place after he ran his hand through his classic cut, for that’s how well manicured it was. “I kept seeing multiple explosives from several devices placed strategically on this ship, and all this guy needed to do was push a fucking button on his cell to blow us to hell and back.”

“That’s one hell of a night you had there, buddy,” Doc said before flipping the lid on the white box that contained their breakfast. Normally they would have all had a standard power meal. They would eventually head to the mess hall and load up on carbs for what was sure to be a hell of a long ass day. “Look at it this way. This person would have done something to force our hands sooner or later even if we didn’t influence the situation. At least we have some control of the outcome and have the ability to contain the situation before we’re caught blindsided.”

Daegan caught sight of the large whiteboard that contained Starr’s handwriting. He started studying the timeline that she’d recorded, even including incidents that he hadn’t been aware of or that would have been thought of as insignificant. There was a time listed for each and every occurrence.

“The events took place in the evening, with the exception of McDaniel’s murder.” Daegan leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, still holding on to his coffee as he read through the rest of the information. “Each action taken has been in a different department. I don’t have to ask if you’ve gone over the personnel files of those that have this type of broad access throughout the ship. I take it nothing turned up?”

“Nothing,” Starr said, shaking her head and turning in her chair to look back at the whiteboard. “I made it a point to talk to everyone on board the day we left San Diego, but looking back through the personnel files I realize that there were at least ten men and women that I missed. Most of them were with Red Starr previously, but that doesn’t mean anything with the time that’s passed since the company was in operation. I’d shut them down but a lot could have happened to them personally while they were free to take other contracts and work with other organizations or corporations.”

“Are you thinking that someone is holding a grudge for being out of work? That seems like a stretch,” Gunny said, pulling the donut box his way. “You said their finances were in order, but maybe you should make a point to speak with them before we pull the trigger on this plan this afternoon. It would—”

The phone that was positioned in the middle of the conference table rang, interrupting their conversation. Starr picked up the receiver and her body language immediately indicated trouble. She listened intently and then responded that she copied whatever message was just given before hanging up.

“A distant large surface track is on a suspected intercept course with
The Promised Land
. Radar and ECM evaluates designation Tango One as a possible surface combatant, emitting long range surface search radar and narrowband acquisition targeting radar. Tango One is closing at just under thirty-five knots combined speed,” Starr stated as she made her way around the table and out through the hatch leading into the COC room.

The team didn’t waste any time following Starr into the COC. The air in the room was filled with tension as they all rounded the corner. They lined up along the starboard bulkhead so as not to block the view of the personnel operating a number of computerized consoles set up in rows in front of the massive Situation Display mounted on the forward bulkhead. The Situation Display consisted of multiple decks to overhead electronic displays showing real-time intelligence data overlaid on high definition topographical maps driven by virtually every sensor and tactical data link available to military operations. There wasn’t one soul present that wasn’t staring at the screens in front of them. Daegan counted roughly fourteen COC operations personnel, AirOps, and Electronic Warfare specialists along with the watch officer, Lieutenant Commander Steve Chapman.