The Midnight Hour (32 page)

Drake lifted a confused brow. "It has?"

"Yes. The first time we made love in the cabin," she said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Drake looked deeply into her eyes and then he pulled her into his arms, capturing her mouth before sweeping her into his arms and placing her on the bed. She reached up and wound her arms around his neck as he lowered his mouth to hers for another kiss. And as their tongues tangled and mated, Tori knew Drake intended to send her into heaven yet once again.

Slowly, coming back down to earth, Tori became aware of everything around her as she opened her eyes.

Amazing, she thought. Drake Warren was simply amazing. He had used his hands and mouth to drive her so insane that when he had finally entered her with one quick thrust, she had come immediately, screaming out so loud that she thought it was a good thing he didn't have neighbors for miles.

Then he had kissed her stomach over and over while whispering to their child promises that he intended to keep the both of them safe and that he couldn't wait to meet him or her.

Tori had witnessed aside of Drake she had never seen before. The powerfully-built man who possessed such a commanding presence and was known to be tough as nails, as temperamental as they came, had made love to her with such profound tenderness, she'd cried in his arms. And he had held her, kissing away her tears and soothing her fears by telling her that everything would be all right. He would get them through this no matter what.

She turned on her side and watched him sleep. For once, his features were relaxed, peaceful. She glanced over at the clock. It was late afternoon and the perfect time to contact Hawk. Easing out of bed she slipped back into her bathrobe and after getting her mobile phone off the dresser, she tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Going into the living room she sat on the sofa and placed a call to Hawk.

He picked up on the second ring. "Yes?"

"Hawk, it's Tori."

"Tori, is everything all right?"

She heard the concern in his voice. "Yes. Any word on Cross?"

"We got confirmation that he's still in South America, but he's making plans to come stateside. We think he's waiting for final word as to your and Drake's location. We're not going to leak that to him. We're letting him find it out on his own. As long as no one knows you're on Warren Mountains, you're safe for a while."

Tori sighed deeply. "Drake found out about the baby, Hawk."

She could hear Hawk's lengthy sigh. She had confided to Hawk about her pregnancy when she had seen him in Houston. "And how did he handle it?"

She was silent for a moment, and then she answered. "He's fine with it now, but we had some pretty rough moments earlier. He was pretty pissed to know that I had no intention of ever telling him."

"Well, I hope you realize that now that he knows, he has no intentions of letting you stay on that mountain."

Tori frowned. She knew Hawk was right. Now that Drake knew she was pregnant, he would not let her stay. "I won't leave him here alone," she said and meaning every word. "Please let us know if you hear anything else about Cross."

"You know I will. I want the two of you to take care and stay safe."

She smiled. "We will."

After she hung up the phone, she drew a shaky breath as she rubbed her stomach tenderly. She had to believe that in the end, things would all work out.

She had to believe that.

Solomon Cross smiled as he read the report. Excitement began to course through his veins. "It took your contacts long enough, Miguel, but this information pleases me. Now we're ready to embark on our adventure to North America. Let the pilot know that I'll be ready to leave in less than an hour."

"Yes, sir."

Cross stood and walked across the room and gazed lovingly at the portrait of Maria. "The time has come, my darling. They will pay for taking you away from me. This time I will not fail."

Drake picked up his mobile phone on the first ring. "Yes?"

"I just got word that Cross is headed to this country. He left from somewhere in South America two hours ago. We're using all our resources to try and intercept his flight, Drake, but in case we aren't successful, you and Tori need to be prepared."

Drake nodded. He thought of the decision he'd made concerning Tori and said, "We will be."

After a long moment, Hawk said, "I wish you would reconsider letting us help, Drake."

"I can't, Hawk. If word leaks out that the CIA is assisting, Cross will think it's a setup and I can't take the chance of him not coming. I'll call you when you can pick up his remains."

Hawk shook his head, laughing. "Dammit, Drake, you're one cocky son of a bitch."

Drake smiled. "Yeah, and the only thing I got to say to that is that I was trained by the best. Good-bye, Hawk."

"Good-bye, Drake, and take care."

He disconnected the call and turned when the alarm on his security system went off. He quickly moved over to one of the monitors. Someone had opened the gate to the north entrance of his property. He knew it wasn't Mrs. Gillette since he had called her earlier and told her not to come back for a while. Moving to the control panel he punched in a few buttons before one of the screens in front of him flitted to life.

Drake's gaze narrowed when he saw the two lone figures step out of a truck. They were mean-looking bastards who appeared ready for action, and he let out a deep, appreciative sigh.

Ashton and Trevor.

Before leaving Houston he had told them not to come. They had families to think about and he didn't want them getting involved. But they had come anyway. In a way he'd known they would.

He chuckled. Solomon Cross and his men were about to get their asses kicked.

"Ashton had another vision," Trevor said, as a way of explaining their unannounced arrival. He stepped onto the porch to stand in front of Drake who was casually leaning against a post. "And since he thought I had nothing better to do with my time than to travel over six hundred miles to reenact my role as a Recon, I'm here."

Drake crossed his arms over his chest. "And I suppose back in Houston you were doing something better with your time?"

Trevor smiled. "Yeah. Corinthians has decided she wants another baby, and of course I'm more than happy to oblige her."

"Of course." Drake shook his head. His gaze shifted from Trevor to the other man who was approaching me porch.

Ashton glanced around. "I didn't come here just to twiddle my thumbs, Sir Drake. Where are they?"

Drake chuckled, not surprised Ashton knew what was going on. Ashton and his visions. "They're on their way."

Ashton said, "Good."

Trevor said, "Damn."

And Drake felt sincere gratitude all the way through his bones for the two men he called friends. It was like old times. The three of them were lethal when they worked together against an enemy. As Recons they had gone on a number of missions together. They had the ability to read off each other, know the others' thoughts even without a single word being spoken.

Ashton glanced around. "And where's the woman who's causing so much damn trouble?"

The smile that eased into the harsh lines of Drake's face had both Trevor and Ashton grinning. '’Tori's taking a shower." His smile widened. "The two of you might as well hear my news."

Trevor rubbed his stubbly chin, thinking that he needed a shave but that could wait until after this mission. He stared at Drake. "What news?" he asked.

"Tori is pregnant."

"Damn, how did that happen?"

The question from Ashton had Drake laughing. "The usual way, Ash. I would think a man who produced triplets would have this down pat."

"Don't be a smart-ass, Drake. You know what I'm asking," Ashton snorted. "Being careless isn't your style, so what happened?"

Drake grinned. "I got caught up in the moment."

Trevor quirked one eyebrow as he stared at Drake. "Must have been one hell of a moment."

Drake's eyes sparkled with pleasure as he recalled every sensual second. "Trust me, it Was."

Moments later, the three men glanced around when Tori stepped out on the porch. She gasped in surprise when she saw Trevor and Ashton and quickly flew into their arms.

Trevor looked at Drake as he held Tori in a hug. "On hell of a moment. One hell of a woman. I'd say you're on lucky bastard, Sir Drake."

Drake laughed. "Yeah, I'd say the same thing myself."

Tori glanced around when Trevor, Drake, and Ashton walked into the kitchen after returning from checking different areas of the property. Drake immediately walked over to her and kissed her on the lips. "How's my baby?" he asked, gently rubbing her stomach.

"Fine."

"And my baby's mom?"

Tori smiled. "She's doing fine, too." Her features then took on a serious expression. "Did you notice anything unusual?"

Drake shook his head as he pulled her closer into his arms. "No. It's my guess they'll do what they think will be a sneak attack."

She inhaled deeply. "So what do we do in the meantime?"

"We wait. Trevor has volunteered to take the first watch to man the security room. We've put out enough sensors to let us know way ahead of time when someone arrives, even by air."

Tori nodded. She knew that Drake had covered all bases. "In that case, I'll start dinner."

Drake caught her wrist before she had a chance to move away from him. "Dinner can wait. We need to talk."

Tori raised a dark brow. "About what?"

He took her hand and tugged her out of the kitchen. "You'll find out soon enough."

Drake watched Tori angrily pace the confines of his bedroom. She was mad. Furious. Boiling over with rage. But that couldn't be helped. He had made his decision and intended for his order to be followed. After all, Warren Mountains was his land, Solomon Cross was his personal enemy, and Tori was having his baby.

He would ignore the fact that she had told him to go to hell, after saying a couple of other not-so-nice words. He would even ignore the fact that she had kneed him-in the groin. According to what Trevor and Ashton had told him while they had been covering his land earlier, expectant women had a tendency to have emotional moments. He would chalk this up as Tori having hers.

And from the look of things, she wasn't through. He leaned against the door and braced himself when she stopped pacing and turned to him. Fire was still in her eyes. But he thought she was beautiful when she was mad.

"You cannot tell me what to do, Drake. I am not a soldier under your command. I am a grown woman and if I want to fight, then I will."

"No, you won't, Tori. You have more than yourself to think about. Think of the baby."

She tossed hair from out of her face, threw back her shoulders and took a stance that let him know she was ready for round two. "I am thinking about the baby. This is my fight as well as yours and there is no way you can keep me out of it."

"Wanna bet?"

She glared at him. "But what you're asking is unfair. Why do I have to be the one to stay behind and man the security room? I want to be part of the action."

"Listen, Tori, your job will be an important one. With the remote controls Trev, Ashton, and I will be carrying, I need you watching the monitors, being our eyes, so we don't walk into an ambush or something."

"But that's not what I want to do."

"And like I said, you don't have a choice."

"And if I refuse to cooperate?"

He crossed his arms over his chest after thumping the back pocket of his jeans. "I have keys to the basement, Tori. It has a steel door with a state-of-the-art lock. Don't tempt me to use it. It should hold you rather nicely until we're through dealing with Cross. Like I said, you're staying behind."

"Like hell I will."

He smiled. "It doesn't matter to me if you consider it hell or heaven. You will not be leaving this house."

"And I'm supposed to stay here, paint my nails while you, Trevor, and Ashton are getting shot at? If you think that then you have another thought coming, Drake Warren."

"Then I have another thought coming and here it is, Tori: I told you what I need you to do. Ashton, Trevor, and I will be too busy with Cross to have time to worry about you, and-"

"Worry about me! I know how to take care of myself, Drake. I'm an ex-marine, a self-defense expert. I can shoot better than-"

"I've heard enough," he growled, coming after her, catching her off-guard. His hands closed around her wrist and his legs blocked hers so she couldn't try a karate maneuver on him. He lifted her, pinning her smaller body under his muscled one to the wall. His control had snapped. He had to keep her safe. He had to. He would die if anything happened to her.

"Dammit, listen to me, Tori," his growl going deeper. "I love that baby you're carrying and I love you. I love you so damn much that if anything were to happen to you, sweetheart, I couldn't make it. I couldn't stand to lose you twice. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Tori heard the anguish in his voice and saw the turmoil in his gaze, stark fear that if he didn't take such drastic measures to protect her that history would be repeating itself.

She also saw the love shining in the depths of his eyes and a shudder ran through her. He loved her. He'd told her that he loved her.

"Drake."

The soundless whisper of his name from her lips only pushed him even more over the edge. His hips pushed against hers and she gasped at the hardness, the thickness and the size of the erection that was pressing into her stomach. Automatically she opened her legs, needing him inside of her; needing the assurance that everything would be all right and this would not be the end for them.