To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series) (26 page)

At the top, he swung a leg over the rounded edge of the gate, balancing himself to keep from falling on his face as he reached from behind for the encased camera with both hands. He carefully attached their micro-camera and battery pack to the top front edge of the casing.

His voice was hushed and cartoonish: “Oh, grandmother, what big eyes you have! The better to see you with….”

Cassandra’s snort of laughter traveled over the audio link.

“Oh, you liked that, didn’t you?”

“Just because I laugh at your jokes, doesn’t mean they’re good, you know.” Her voice oozed disdain and he could picture her rolling her eyes.

He kept tabs on the surrounding area as he adjusted the position of the micro-camera. He switched it on and gave Cassandra the last signal. “Let me know if this one has a good angle.”

After a few moments, her voice exploded over the link. “What the hell?! That is from pretty high up. Really good view, but really high up! How the hell did you accomplish that one, Trevor? Hold on a second. Where
are
you right now?!”

“Setting the cameras?” He feigned innocence.

“Get your ass out of there on the double!” Anxiety bled through her words.

Her fear beat at him. He sobered immediately. “I’m on my way down; I’ll be out of here in no time, Cassie.”

Trevor swung his leg back over the gate. Suddenly a deep growl blasted his ears and a heavy weight slammed against the fence, knocking him from his perch. “Umpf!” he exclaimed as he hit the sidewalk. Pain seared through his entire body. His vision dimmed and ears grew muffled as he exhaled in shallow breaths to ease the radiating agony. The low menacing growls and barks from at least two dogs penetrated his haze.
Move your arse, man
! he grimaced to himself, rolling instinctively up against the wall into the cover of shadows. Sucking in a deep shaky breath, he held his position and tried to regroup.

“Trevor! Report!” Cassie’s frantic voice demanded in his ear.

Winded, he couldn’t squeeze out the words to comfort her. A commotion inside the gate forced him to press tighter against the wall, hoping his dark clothing would help as additional camouflage.

“Trevor! Report.
Now
!”

“Here!” he gasped out with a groan.

A voice behind the wall yelled. Trevor smirked. The guard blamed the dogs’ barking on a stray cat.

Someone else cursed at the dogs to shut up.

“I would like that, too, thank you very much!” Trevor mumbled to himself as he completed an internal assessment. The pain was fading and, although nothing seemed to be broken, he had landed on his back and on the small toolkit box in his backpack.
That’s going to smart in the morning.
Confident he hadn’t blown his cover since he wasn’t kissing shoes or facing gun muzzles, he finally responded to Cassie’s frantic requests.

“I’m okay. Just sore. All cameras placed. I’m heading back.”

“If you think you can just scare the crap out of me and walk home like nothing happened you are very wrong, mister.” Cassie’s voice, although steady, was now seething with anger. “What the hell happened out there, Trevor!?”

Trevor checked his surroundings, crawled closer to the gate, and popped his head around the corner of the wall to check the house. Again, loud growls echoed in his ears and the gate shook under the weight of a body butting up against it. The dogs were right in his face, doing what they were trained to do—guard the property.

“Dogs, Cassie…
big
dogs happened.” He pushed to his feet and leaned back against the wall. Concern worried at his heart and, to avoid leading a possible tail directly to Cassandra, he decided to take the longest route back.

He headed in the opposite direction from which he had arrived. “ETA, seventeen minutes.”

Cassandra immediately picked up on the change of plans. “Why seventeen? Why not the twelve it took on the original route?”

She was like one of the freaking dogs behind the gate chasing him for answers. He sighed. “It’s all okay, Cassie. Just taking a different route back. I will explain when I get there.”

Cassandra continued to badger him. “Oh, damn straight you will! What the hell were you thinking, climbing the fence to plant the camera up there?” She interjected, “Mind you, it was truly brilliant, but that’s not the point! You can’t let yourself get carried away and lose perspective of the goal here, Trevor!” Her implication left an ache in his chest.

“It was just the perfect location to get the shots we need of both the people and license plates of cars arriving at the mansion,” he commented quietly as he briskly walked around the block and to the street that would lead him to the bridge and back to Cassandra. The risk had been great, but Trevor didn’t regret a minute of it. It was a necessary one to get what they needed. Still smarting from the fall, he limped, listening to the concern and anxiety coloring Cassandra’s voice as she ranted about how reckless he had been and how she was going to kick his ass when he got there.

The connection had gone quiet as he approached the building and he wondered what it would take to get back on her good side and out of the doghouse. Entering the code, he limped up the stairs and entered the apartment. Cassandra stood right at the door, her flushed cheeks a clear sign of her anger toward him at the moment.

“What the fuck, Trevor?”

As those words hung in the air, his thoughts narrowed to her, her flushed face, the anxiety in her tone, and the pulse beating out of control at the base of her throat. Without a word, he kicked the door shut, dropped the pack to the floor, and roughly hauled her into his arms, seizing her mouth in a hot, searing kiss.

Cassandra’s stomach churned. Her throat was so tight she could barely breathe, let alone speak. Her anger was directed both at Trevor for taking risks and at herself for knowing the risks—handling the risks—and still dying inside each time he did. How had she ever let him have so much control over her heart? It was as if he’d chipped away the ice and nursed the flames that now engulfed it.

A part of her wanted to grab him and hold on tight, happy he was back in one piece. But the part of her ruled by anger twisted in his arms, trying to push him away, unwilling to set aside the emotions that ate at her. Her efforts were thwarted by his tight hold, the press of his body against hers, and his relentless kiss determined to conquer her anger.

Under his assault, her struggles subsided and she sagged with a sigh of relief at having him back safe in her arms. Soon, it was washed away in a flood of desperation fed by the last couple of hours filled with pent-up worry and an overwhelming need to feel every inch of Trevor’s body against hers.

Cassandra returned his demanding kiss with one of her own, pulling at his jacket and searching for the zipper until her groping fingers landed on metal. She quickly unzipped it and pushed it open, desperate to touch him. She groaned at the feel of his heat beneath her hands before sliding them up and pushing the jacket off his shoulders. Trevor held the kiss, sucking at her lips and tongue while shrugging the jacket off.

Their tongues continued to dance as her hands pulled the turtleneck from Trevor’s waistband and slid underneath it, brushing up along his chest, loving the feel of his skin hard and quivering under her touch.

Trevor’s chest heaved as he tried to suck in lungfuls of air; brushing her hands away, he yanked the sweater over his head and tossed it to the floor. Cassandra’s impatient hands dropped to his pants and made quick work of his button and zipper, releasing his hot pulsing cock into her grasp. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. “Damn it!”

He quickly toed off his shoes, kicked free of his pants, and jerked Cassandra’s sweater up over her head, forcing her to release him.

“Shite, Cassie!” he breathed out throatily at the sight of her breasts, already bare to his gaze. “All day? No bra? Fuck me!” he exclaimed, resting his forehead against hers.

A sensual grin broke along her lips as she reached down once again for his cock, taking it firmly in her hand, squeezing it gently as her other hand moved to rest at his waist, urging him closer. A deep groan reverberated in his chest and his hips thrust into her grip.

Their heat mingled, skin melting against each other when they finally touched chest to chest. A shiver shimmied up her spine as their lips sought and found each other. Cassandra’s heart thrummed against her chest and her emotions got the better of her. She pulled back, giving his cock a little jerk. “Damn it, Trevor! You drive me crazy with the chances you take!” she whispered harshly against his mouth, giving his cock another gentle tug to make her point.

His hand covered hers since she had him hostage and he quietly whispered, “Shush,
a ghrá
,” before taking her lips roughly in another wet kiss, sending quivers of heat to pulse at her clit.

Drawing in a ragged breath, Cassandra dove deeper into the kiss, never wanting it to end, exploring his mouth as if for the first time, loving and savoring the taste of him, so unique and stimulating to her senses. She tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through her as Trevor ravished her mouth and moved them toward the bed. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her soft curves molded to the contours of his lean body. Only the fabric of her jeans separated her skin from his heat. “Trevor my jea—” Before she could finish her sentence, she was thrown onto the bed.

As she gasped for air, Trevor quickly grabbed her jeans and panties, roughly jerking them from her. He joined her on the bed, covering her body with his and capturing her hands above her head. They both stilled. His eyes, gleaming brightly with love and desire, gazed down along her body before returning to meet hers, which mirrored the same need.

Someone had told her once that in a couple’s relationship there is always one that loved more than the other. Cassandra contemplated that statement as she took in his tight muscular body, the lines of his abs, and his rigid cock pressed against her belly. Her mouth went dry. Snaring her eyes again, Trevor leaned closer until all she could see was the seriousness that had crept into his stormy blue eyes. “Know this Cassie. I’ll always come home to you. Always find you, no matter what.”

It was then she knew the statement was false. They loved each other just as deeply and equally. A miracle really, considering neither had been seeking love when they’d found each other.

She swallowed deeply, searching for words to convey her thoughts. “I know. But this is me, the consummate worrywart. I just found you. I don’t think I could stand losing you.” She turned her head, breaking their gaze as she sucked back her emotions. Who knew he would have such a daredevil streak? It wasn’t the first time—and she was positive it wouldn’t be the last—he’d put himself out there.

Trevor released one of her hands, gripped her chin, and turned her face to him. “I know,
a ghrá
. That’s what I love about you. So hard and efficient when you need to be, and yet so soft and yielding to me.” His voice turned to a whisper as his lips pressed against hers. “Two sides of a coin. Both such a delight,” he continued as he trailed kisses across her eyes before returning to softly tease and coax her mouth.

Trevor kissed Cassandra, hoping to ease the worries and the tension of the last couple of hours. He nipped at her lower lip and continued to taunt her until they engaged in a deep, open kiss. She moaned as he ground his hips against hers. The full extent of his desire pressed between them, rubbing her mound.

“I love you, Cassandra,” he breathed into her mouth.

“I know.” There was a mellow quality to her voice as she spreads her legs wide, cradling him between them and nesting his throbbing cock at her wet folds. A groan rumbled through his chest as his firm head touched her hot slit. Trevor stared into her eyes and whispered, “I want you so much.”

Cassandra’s heavy-lidded eyes glistened with moisture as she held his gaze. “You have me. Love me, Trevor.”

As those words passed her lips, she thrust her pelvis upward, sheathing his cock, and instinctively his hips pushed forward, driving deep inside her. They both moaned in pleasure at the joining of their bodies and began moving against each other in a give-and-take of love and deep devotion. Supporting his weight on their clasped hands and his knees, Trevor slowly withdrew almost fully before driving swiftly back inside her wet core again and again until her moans grew ragged.

“Harder!” her raspy and broken voice begged. Trevor used his knees to push her thighs wider apart and slid one of his hands down between them, reaching for her sensitive nub. His touch sent electric tendrils through her body, making her tremble, and he felt the first quakes of her approaching release.

“Touch me,” she moaned again. He increased the rhythm of his thrusts as he pressed his thumb on her clit, rubbing it in the alternating circular and side-to-side motions he knew she loved. Her breathing became ragged and loud and she bucked underneath him. Releasing her hands, he caged her as he leaned down and sucked her pebbled dusky nipple deep in his mouth.

Cassandra’s fingers combed through and grabbed handfuls of his hair, holding his head to her breasts. He took his time nibbling and sucking on each as he drove his cock in and out of her hot wet channel in a slow cadence, engulfing himself in the heat of her and the sweet taste of her skin.

Her body arched toward him and he took her offering hungrily, pulling more of her breast into his mouth, kneading the other gently with his fingers. “Oh, Trevor!” Her sigh was a slow exhale of breath urging him to continue his ministrations.

Light rhythmic squeezes around Trevor’s shaft alerted him that she was spiraling faster toward release, and he felt a need to take her higher—make her scream his name, say she was his. That she would always be his.

“Wrap your legs around me, Cassie,” he urged her. She locked her ankles against the small of his back, pressing him closer each time he thrust into her. Their bodies collided and ground incessantly as he plunged into her heat. “Cassandra—” Her name flowed from his lips with reverence as he increased the speed of his pumps, and soon they were both lost in each other, lost in pleasuring each other to the fullest. Grinding and writhing, rubbing and touching the other in places they’d learned would bring them closer to their mutual release.