Chapter Seven
“You’ve got visitors,” Carol told him when he buzzed her that he was back.
“I do? I wasn’t expecting anyone that I know of.”
“That’s right, Mr. Delaney.” Her formal tone told him the person was within earshot of her desk. “I know your schedule is tight, but Mr. Demoff and his son say it’s urgent that they see you.”
Well, well, well. He was getting a chance to see for himself Demoff’s reaction to this situation. But why did he have his son with him? Sergei had a well-earned reputation for being uncontrollable. As good as Ivan’s reputation was in the community, Sergei’s was that bad. He had a temper and an ego, both key ingredients for trouble. When he’d researched Ivan two years ago, he’d found nothing but good press on him. Sergei, on the other hand, was the typical arrogant rich kid who, at thirty, still couldn’t manage to stay out of trouble. Zak wondered how Ivan handled that with his partners.
Just what he needed to make his day even worse. A Russian hothead.
“All right, Carol. I have to make a quick call. I’ll let you know when I’m ready. Probably no more than five minutes.”
He took a moment to change out of the clothes he was wearing and back into the slacks and shirt he’d worn to work. Exchanging boots for loafers and stashing the Stetson, he picked up the phone and pressed the extension for Reno’s office.
“He’s got someone waiting to see him,” Amy, Reno’s secretary told him. “But if it’s urgent he can take your call.”
“Urgent in capital letters.”
“Okay, hold on.”
“Another crisis?” Reno asked when he came on the phone? “I had no idea what interesting women you had in your life.”
“I could do with one a little more ordinary right now. Listen. What do you know about the Russian mob? Or who can you get hold of that can fill you in?”
“The mafiyah?”
Zak could hear the note of surprise in his partner’s voice.
“Here in San Antonio, if you can believe that. And a very reliable source has convinced me that’s what’s happening.”
“What the hell has Zoe Lombardo gotten herself involved in?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Zak told him. “Can you help?”
“Yeah, actually I can,” Reno told him. “I’ve got someone waiting for me that will take about half an hour. Then I’ll get on it. But it could be tomorrow or so before I have any answers.”
“I’ll take anything,” Zak said. “And thanks.”
Hanging up the phone, he buzzed Carol and told her he was ready. He was sitting in his chair behind his desk when a light tap sounded on his office door. It swung open, and Carol ushered two men inside.
“I’ll bring a coffee tray,” she told Zak as she closed the door.
Ivan Demoff was tall, well over six feet, almost as tall as Zak, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame. He wore his thick, silver hair short, framing a typical Slavik face of high cheekbones and broad forehead. Piercing blue eyes stared out from beneath heavy brows. He’d met Ivan several times when he and Zoe were together. The man had always been polite but reserved and had a definite air of power about him. The media continued to paint him as a mover and shaker in the community.
Zak’s contact with Sergei had been infrequent and usually unpleasant. A younger version of his father, Sergei always looked at him as if he’d take great pleasure in slitting his throat. But then, Zak had figured out a long time ago that was Sergei’s usual expression—a penchant for violence that barely concealed a lack of the same intelligence his father had. He wondered what it took for Ivan to keep his son on a leash.
Zak shook hands with both men and waved them to the chairs in front of his desk.
“Thank you for seeing us,” Ivan began.
“We want to know where Zoraya is,” Sergei interrupted before he was even settled in his seat, his voice rough and edgy. “We demand to know.”
Ivan glared at his son. “We agreed I would do the talking, Sergei. It’s very possible Mr. Delaney may not even know where your cousin is. If he does, he may not feel it is safe to tell us. Remember, our first priority is to make sure Zoraya is safe.”
“Bull,” the younger man spat. “He has her somewhere. You know it and I know it. Otherwise we’d be able to find her. Or she’d have come to us, her family.”
“Sit down.” Ivan spit out the words in a voice as cold as ice. “If you cannot conduct yourself in a professional manner, then you cannot be included in this meeting.”
The door opened, providing what Zak thought was a welcome interruption, and Carol entered carrying a tray with filled coffee cups and a small plate of pastries. Zak swallowed a smile. He could be entertaining a murderer, but his secretary would stick to protocol at all costs. She’d done the same thing when it was just the two of them, determined to set a certain tone for clients. She set the tray on the small table between the two client chairs, handed one filled cup to Zak, and left as quietly as she’d walked in.
“Please help yourself,” he told the two men. With all the coffee he’d already had this morning, his own drink was more a prop than anything else.
“We didn’t come here for social niceties,” Sergei objected rudely.
“Once more,” Ivan said, “and you will be done here. Your behavior is beneath us. Take your coffee and let me do the talking.” He looked at Zak. “I apologize for my son. He is something of a hothead, but he means well.”
Zak doubted that.
As soon as they had settled back in their seats, Ivan turned his hawk-like face back to Zak. “Again I apologize for his manner. He is just concerned, as we all are, for Zoraya. This is a terrible situation.”
Zak swiveled his gaze from one to the other, carefully keeping his face impassive. “I would love to help you gentlemen, and I agree Zoe is in an impossible situation. I worry for her safety. However, I don’t know what makes you think I have any idea where she is. We broke up two years ago. And I’m sure you’re aware the circumstances were less than pleasant.”
“I am,” Demoff nodded. “I am sorry it happened. But she is in terrible trouble and her resources right now are limited. They’ve frozen her bank accounts so she has no funds. She hasn’t come to her mother, Sergei, or me, so who then?” He spread his hands, palms up. “There is no place else for her to go.”
“How do you know about her bank accounts?” Zak asked, carefully keeping his face blank.
Ivan made a deprecating sound. “Please. I am her uncle and an attorney. It wasn’t so hard to find that out. If she had available funds, she could at least hide herself someplace. But all she has is whatever cash was on her personally. Since she did not come to us, you are the next logical person, despite your…falling out. She is innocent. We must help her prove that.”
“She is a foolish female,” Sergei broke in, a scowl creasing his forehead. “She was mad at Nate. They argued frequently.”
Zak lifted an eyebrow. “So her solution to the problem was to shoot him?”
“Everyone knows women react emotionally. Poof! She gets rid of him.”
“Sergei, shut up.” Ivan’s voice was so cold even Zak felt chilled. “Please show proper respect. Zoraya did not kill Dunning, and I don’t want to hear this foolishness from you anymore.”
Zak wondered, with the obvious affection Ivan had for his niece, if there wasn’t some jealousy in there on Sergei’s part.
Ivan turned back to Zak. “Zoraya may have been hot-tempered—a result of both her Italian and Russian heritage—but her weapon was her brain, not a gun. She is no killer. That I believe. But she is in terrible trouble and she needs her family. I can help her with this.”
Zak met Ivan’s knife-like gaze and held it for a heartbeat before speaking again. “You’re the one who introduced her to Dunning. Didn’t you have any reservations about that? Worry about who his other associates might be?”
“Nate was a client for many years,” Ivan explained. “A good one. My partners and I traveled in the same social circles as his family. His father has an impeccable reputation. I know there has been some…gossip about Caz Morgan, but the man is a financial genius. Many of us are clients of his investment firm. Under his guidance, Nate amassed great wealth. I handled the legal affairs for Dunning International, and nothing ever seemed amiss. Everyone I came into contact with was as professional as Nate. There was never a sniff of anything that would result in this.” He stared back at Zak. “Do you think I would deliberately put my niece in a dangerous situation?”
Sergei growled something at his father in Russian. Ivan made a slashing motion with his hand and answered him in a voice colder than ice. Zak watched the two of them much as he would observe two snarling animals, and wondered what Sergei’s role in all of this was.
“Let me assure you,” he told them. “I am as concerned about Zoe as you are. I only wish she had come to me so I could protect her and help her find out who did this, who set her up.”
“Her mother is very worried about her,” Ivan told him again. “Distraught. A friend is with her right now, but I fear for her health if Zoraya is not found soon.” His tone changed to a pleading one. “I am asking you, Zachariah, man to man, if you know where Zoraya is. If you have hidden her somewhere, convince her she should be with her family.”
“I told you I don’t know where she is,” he repeated. “So I guess it’s up to you to make sure Zoe’s mother is cared for and reassured.”
“I could do that much better if I had answers for her.” Ivan studied his face with his glacier-blue eyes. “You swear to me you don’t know where she is? If you are hiding her, you could be putting her in terrible danger.”
“I’d say she’s already in more danger than she needs to be. If Zoe wanted to go to you, she would already have called.” He leaned forward. “If you know anything about Nate Dunning’s business that can provide answers here, my advice to you would be to tell the police right away.”
“We have already spoken with the police.”
Again Sergei barked something in Russian. Again his father snapped at him, rose from his chair, and indicated Sergei should do the same.
“I’m sure you realize we are bound by the rules of client confidentiality,” Ivan said to Zak. “However, I would not put that before Zoraya’s safety. I hope you mean it when you say you don’t know where she is.” There was a hint of underlying menace in his tone. “I would hate to think Sergei is right and you are lying to us about something so important. She belongs to us, Mr. Delaney, not you. We need to find her.”
Zak couldn’t doubt the sincerity of the man’s tone. It was Sergei who roused his suspicions. He rose from his desk chair, indicating the meeting was over, and shook Ivan’s hand. “If I have occasion to see her, I’ll be sure to tell her to get in touch with you.”
“Please. I hope you mean that.” He reached his hand across the desk.
In a pig’s eye.
Sergei did not offer to shake hands. Niceties weren’t part of his personality. “I still think you are a liar, Zak Delaney. I hope you do not cost Zoraya her life.”
He turned a cold glare to Sergei. “That’s the very last thing I would want to happen. Keep that in mind.”
Again Ivan muttered to Sergei in Russian, then turned back to Zak.
“You know where to find me. Please call me at once if she gets in touch with you. As I say, her mother is sick with worry, as are we all.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Zak told him.
He watched the two men leave, Sergei still muttering in Russian in a low voice.
Well, weren’t we just a couple of junkyard dogs in a pissing contest.
He picked up his desk phone and pressed three numbers. Jay Browning picked up at once.
“I’m working as fast as I can, Zak,” he said without even a hello. “Reno handed what he had learned, which wasn’t much, off to me because he had a client meeting, and I’ve had three people working on it. But I can tell you this much. None of the companies on the list you gave me exist. And I’ve tried every combination of letters and every possible source I could find to see what I could come up with. The actual owners are buried so deep I’m having to write a program just to unpeel the layers.”
“Damn.” Zak rolled a pen between his fingers. “I think I expected that.”
“Also, nada so far on the valet parking.”
“Are you telling me none of the valet parking services in this entire area worked Nate Dunning’s parties?” Zak dropped the pen and sat up in his chair.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. It’s gotta be another privately owned enterprise like the ones on this list, with no public face.”
“Makes sense,” Zak muttered, “considering who they probably work for.”
“You want me to ask Keith to help? He’s got the street creds to ask questions.”
“No, I have Keith on something else. Larry Blake’s just back from his job in Mexico for Continental. Let me put him on it.”
“Okay. Tell him if he can just get me a name, I can do the rest.”
“Fine. Listen. I need you to get your team to keep working on that list. I have a special project. I want everything you can find about Ivan Demoff, his family, his friends. Especially the son. Everything including what grades he got in school and who he ate lunch with. And I want it—”
“I know, I know,” Jay broke in. “Yesterday. I’m on it.”
“I’m leaving here at four. Whatever you’ve got by then, load onto the laptop Nina’s getting ready for me and have someone bring it to my office.”
“I’ll do it myself.”
****
Zoe leaned back in the desk chair and rotated her head to relieve the strain on her neck. She’d lost count of the number of different combinations she’d used to retrieve the files from the server, but everything seemed to lead to a dead end. She’d been so sure the program she was writing for Escape would do the trick for her. The non-simulation files were there, she could just feel it, but every time she pulled up the file directory and clicked on one, she got the same response—access denied.
She’d told Zak she’d have thought they’d just delete the files. He pointed out to her that they needed the information to track what might be millions of dollars in activities. They just had to prevent her from seeing them. Being shut out of her own computers had made her angry and also frightened her. She’d designed the security for her computer system herself, so whoever hacked it had talents she hadn’t seen yet.
Finally, she decided to take a break and get a cup of coffee.
As if I haven’t had enough today for a permanent caffeine addiction.
Despite the fact she hadn’t slept for hours, unless she counted her drugged nap, she wasn’t sleepy and couldn’t seem to settle down. Zak was right. This was no longer merely a business problem with Nate. This whole thing was being carefully orchestrated by someone, and she’d only missed being caught in the trap by a stroke of luck. Someone with a lot of power was pulling the strings, someone out to destroy her. But was she a primary target or just collateral damage as they got rid of Nate?
For a moment, she was back in Nate’s den with a dead body and a gun, and panic threatened to break free. Then she deliberately pushed it back. Very little shook her. She’d built a successful business on grit and determination, then had the guts to take it one step beyond that. But had her desire for that growth been a velvet trap? She was suddenly a target for people who could frame her for murder, blow up her house, and wipe out her computer system from a distance.
And being locked up like this wasn’t doing her any good. The only result was to give her too much time to think. Keith was solicitous to a fault, trying to entice her to take a break from the laptop. Watch some television with him. He also showed her the reading material kept in the house. He tried coaxing her to eat a little something after they got to the house, then tempting her with a sandwich at lunch.
“If you get sick and die on me, there goes my pension,” he joked.
To satisfy him, she’d gagged down as much as she could.
But she felt trapped, both by her own ambitions and the walls of this house, which were closing in on her. What if she’d paid more attention to Zak two years ago? What if she hadn’t taken Uncle Ivan’s and Sergei’s recommendations that Nate Dunning was her answer?
What if, what if, what if?
She wanted to pull her hair out by the roots.
Zak was the best at what he did. She knew it and she trusted him to take care of her, or she never would have called him. And he would get to the bottom of this. Especially now that he had all the resources of Guardian Security at his disposal. But she was frustrated that, even with her computer skills, she couldn’t crack these files. It was driving her nuts. She’d have to talk to Zak about it tonight.
And then there was her mother, with whom she was extremely close. Even though Zoe had her own place and had been busier than ever with Lombardo Simulations, she had made it a practice to call her mother once a day and lunch with her once a week. They had the type of relationships her friends often envied. Mama would be in hysterics by now, worried out of her mind.
Uncle Ivan would do his best to keep her calm, but the news was full of the murder and her picture was on every newscast. How much could her mother take? She had to do something to ease her mind. Since her father died, her mother was more important to her than ever.
Zoe nibbled on a fingernail. Zak had said not to use the cell phone to call anyone but him. She wasn’t stupid. She knew the danger in sending out that signal. But how much could one phone call hurt, especially if she kept it short? It would make both of them feel better, and at least she could then concentrate on her own troubles. Not worry about her mother.
Of course with Keith watching her like a hawk, checking on her every few minutes, making the call was almost impossible.
Her cell rang, the sound piercing the silence and startling her.
“You okay?” was the first thing he asked.
“Just dandy.” She tried to keep her voice even.
“I know that’s not the case,” he told her, his voice soft. “But you’re safe and that’s number one on my priorities list. How’s the computer work coming?”
“Don’t ask. I’d love to know who they paid to create this cyberwall. I might want to hire him.”
“Take a break,” he told her. “Nina managed to get into part of it, and I’m bringing what she got with me.”
“Damn.” She shook her head, even though he couldn’t see her. “I wanted to do it myself. I have the skills, Zak.”
“I know you do, but Nina could out hack anyone. I’m on my way with Chinese food and another laptop, with additional homework for you.”
“Okay. Good. Thank you.”
So his cyber person could do things she couldn’t. So what? Maybe she could pick up where that person had left off.
A glance at her watch told it her it was just after five. Maybe she could sneak in a quick call to her mother before Zak got there.
She jumped at the light tap on the door.
“Yes?”
The door opened a crack, and Keith stuck his head in. “Just making sure you’re okay, Miss Lombardo.”
If he didn’t leave her alone, she was going to scream. Then a crazy idea popped into her brain. “I’m fine, Keith. In fact, I think I’m going to take a long shower. See if it relaxes me before Zak gets here.”
“Holler if you need anything,” he teased, but his voice was respectful. Whatever Zak had told his men, they treated her like visiting royalty.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I’m done.”
What she was about to do was risky as well as probably idiotic. Oh, wait, no probably about it. But if she was smart enough to keep things brief, no one would ever have to know she’d violated Zak’s instructions. The sound of the shower would cover her conversation. When the water was running strong and hard, she dialed her mother’s number.
“Zoraya?” Her mother’s voice sounded shaky. “Is that really you?”
“It’s me, Mama. I just wanted to let you know I’m all right. So you don’t worry.”
“Not worry? My sweet thing, the police have been here so many times. They say you killed Nate.” Her voice hitched on a sob.
“You know me. I didn’t kill anyone. Someone else is doing this.” Zoe tightened her grip on the phone. “I can’t talk long. I just wanted you to hear my voice. Okay?”
“Please come home,” her mother begged and lowered her voice. “Uncle Ivan can help you with this, with the police who won’t leave us alone. He knows everyone.”
Weakness grabbed Zoe, and she sat down quickly on the closed toilet seat. The police! Were they there now? In her mother’s house?
Oh God! What have I done?
What if they tapped the phone? What if the others were tracking her? Oh dear sweet lord. What had she done? For a smart person, she hadn’t given this the kind of thought she should, simply acted on emotional impulse. After all the trouble he’d gone to, Zak was going to kill her if anything happened because of this call.
“I have to go, Mama. Right now. Just don’t worry.”
She disconnected and leaned her forehead on her closed fingers. Inside, every bone and muscle felt as if they were shaking. She’d barely been on the phone for a minute. Surely that wasn’t enough time for anyone to trace the call, was it?
Idiot, idiot, idiot.
She couldn’t repeat the word often enough. Stupid after all. Dumb.
Oh, lord. She’d done it now.
Putting herself and Zak at risk.
Maybe it would be all right. Maybe the call had been short enough not to bring trouble. She hoped. Maybe she wouldn’t have to let Zak know she’d completely ignored his instructions.
Zak.
His image blazed across her mind.
It hadn’t taken long for the old chemistry to ignite. There was simply no way to ignore what was going on between them, no matter what she told herself. Those kisses still branded her lips, and the warmth of his body as he’d soothed her through her meltdown had awakened urges she hadn’t felt since…well, since she’d walked out on him.
And what a dumb thing that had been. Talk about being an idiot. If he found out about her latest stupidity and decided to wash his hands of her, she wouldn’t blame him one bit. But she didn’t know if she could survive a broken heart twice.
Dragging in a breath, she set the phone on the vanity, releasing it as if it were a hot flame. Pulling off her bra and panties, she stepped into the shower and just stood there, letting the water run down on her until it finally turned cold. She wanted to wrap herself in the towel and hide in the closet until it all went away.
****
“How’s everything?” Zak carried the paper sacks, along with the laptop, into the kitchen and put them on the counter. “How’s Zoe holding up?”
He’d called Keith with the code and rolled smoothly through the open gate and into the garage. He had the familiar itch on the back of his neck that he hoped would go away as soon as he laid eyes on Zoe. The session with the Demoffs had ratcheted up his anxiety factor, and the information Jay had given him didn’t help ease it.
“Fine,” Keith told him. “At least, considering the circumstances. Maybe you can get her to eat something. I’m afraid she’s going to starve herself to death before this is over.”
Zak nodded to the paper sacks. “I brought her favorite. Chinese food. That ought to tempt her appetite.” He pointed to the laptop. “And a little more homework to exercise her brain.”
“Good. Listen, Zak.”
“Yeah?” Zak was busy unpacking the food and lining the white cartons up on the counter.
“Did you happen to see a black panel van outside when you got here?”
Zak’s hand stilled in mid-motion. “No. Why? Has one been hanging around?”
Keith shrugged. “I’m not sure hanging around describes it. When I did my perimeter check just before you got here, I saw one parked two doors down. But by the time I finished walking around, it was gone. Do we have one on our list?”
When a house was used for high profile safety, Guardian Security went to great lengths to know every inch and speck of the area. That included satellite photos of the street as well as the ones on either side, and notations on which vehicles were seen regularly. Even visitors to homes were logged and checked out.
“Not that I know of, but I’ll call Nina. She’s still at the office and can pull up the information. Did you get a license number?”
“No. Sorry.” Keith dropped his eyes. “It was only here for seconds. I caught it as I turned the corner to the backyard, but when I hustled out front, it had taken off. I think I dropped the ball.”
“It could have been nothing,” Zak told him. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. But let’s keep an eye out. Maybe head outside again but stay out of sight. Let me know if it shows up again.”
“Nobody knows we’re here, right?” Keith asked. “I was very careful when I drove Miss Lombardo here.”
“Nobody knows. We’re probably jumping at shadows, but being cautious is our motto. I’m going to check on Zoe, then dish up the food. Why don’t you go ahead and fix yourself a plate so you can eat at the monitor?”
“Nah. I’ll get something later.” He headed for the small den where a computer received the feeds from six security cameras mounted on the perimeter of the property.
Zak tapped lightly on the door of Zoe’s room and opened it, poking his head inside. She was sitting in the middle of the bed, arms wrapped around herself, looking so distressed his heart cracked open. In a flash, he had closed the door, moved across the room, and scooped her up in his arms. When he sat down on the edge of the bed, he was cradling her against his body.
She pressed herself against him, fine tremors running through her body, her forehead pressing against the hollow of his throat. She smelled of soap and flowers and a scent that was distinctly Zoe. He felt his erection thickening and pressing against her bottom and wondered why she didn’t say something about it. But he just kept holding her, smoothing his hand up and down her back while his mouth pressed kisses against the silk of her hair.
“You’re okay, kitten. Everything will be okay. I promise.”
“Oh, Zak.” She pressed harder against him. “Just hold me tight. Please.”
His soft chuckle teased the fine strands of her hair. “That’s easy. I love holding you.”
“I’m so sorry, Zak.” With her face still buried against his chest, he could barely hear her words. “I know you keep trying to change the subject when I bring it up, but please let me get this out.”
“Get what out?” He cupped her chin with his free hand and tilted her face up to him.
“About walking out—no, storming out—the way I did two years ago.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “I know you said we’d talk about it later, but I want to get it said now. I made a huge mistake. Enormous. I deserve to be in this mess.”
The muscles in his face tightened. “That’s bull, and I don’t want to hear you say that again. Ever.”
She burrowed against his chest. “I wish we could go back to that night and start all over again.”
“We can’t do that, but when we get this all cleared up, we can take a look forward.” He was reluctant to commit to more than that, no matter how badly he might want to. Right now, Zoe was running on fear and desperation. What if her feelings changed considerably when her life settled down again? The last thing he wanted to do was take advantage of her vulnerability. And was he really ready to risk his heart again? She might just be caught up in the heat of the moment, clinging to him as her anchor.
“I won’t feel any different,” she insisted, as if reading his mind. “I need you in my life. I want you.”
The Chinese food was in the kitchen and the laptop was waiting, along with Keith, but suddenly, Zak just didn’t give a damn. He took her mouth in a kiss both hungry and marauding, licking the soft inner flesh and sucking her tongue into his mouth. When he scraped it lightly with his teeth, she shuddered and moaned.
Easing up the fabric of the sweater, he raised it until her bra was exposed and he could pinch her nipples through the fabric. She moaned into his mouth and pushed her breasts into his touch. He pinched harder, then moved to the other taut bud, giving it the same treatment.
She dropped one arm from around his neck, slid it in between them, and found his cock through the fabric of his slacks. When she squeezed, he gasped and bit down lightly on her tongue. The feel of her fingers around his shaft was like magic, just as it had always been. She squeezed again, and he moaned. With one swift movement, he tugged her sweater over her head, tossed it to the side, then unclasped her bra and dropped it with the sweater.
Naked. He wanted her naked. Wanted to lick and kiss every inch of her.
He bent and took one nipple in his mouth, teeth scraping the pebbled flesh before he soothed it with his tongue. Cupping one breast, he squeezed the warm flesh, his teeth and tongue still teasing that hard nipple. By the time he worked his magic on both breasts, he was sure her panties were soaked because her familiar scent carried up to him.
“More,” she murmured against his lips when he pressed his mouth to hers. “More now. Take off your shirt. I want to feel your chest against my nipples. Do it, Zak.”
“More. Yes!” Impatient, he yanked his shirt off without unbuttoning it and dropped it on the growing pile of clothing. Then he proceeded to trail kisses along the column of her neck, from shoulder to shoulder and down the valley between her breasts. When he placed his open mouth over the hollow of her throat where her pulse was thundering and sucked hard, there was nothing soft about the moan that she gave.
His hunger spiked again, and he unfastened the button and zipper on her jeans and just stripped them down her legs, along with the little bikini panties he’d bought for her. He ran his fingers between her thighs, sliding them through her slit. Damn, he loved the feel of her slippery flesh and the heat of it. Pinching her clit, he drew a cry of need from her that echoed his own feelings.
Slow. Take it slow. Don’t rush this.
But it had been so long since they’d been together, since he’d been able to touch her like this, that his control was all but shredded. Lifting her by the waist, he placed her on the bed, knelt before her with her legs on his shoulders, and licked the full length of her slit.
“Ohhhhh.” The cry slid from her mouth on a puff of air, the sound making him even hotter.
He did it again, then spread her lush, pink lips and plunged his tongue inside her.
Jesus!
She tasted even better than he remembered if that was possible. He slipped his tongue in and out, a rhythm both new and familiar, her little cries forcing his need even higher. When she moved her hips back and forth, riding his tongue, he pinched her swollen clit, tugged on it a little, and in a flash, she exploded. Her inner walls grabbed his tongue, and her hips matched the rhythm of his thrusts. Her cries grew louder and the thrust of her hips jerkier and more forceful. He drove his tongue deep inside her, gave her clit one final pinch, and drove her over the edge.
She rode his tongue, thrusting herself at him while her liquid filled her mouth. He had barely let her recover when he stripped off his jeans, rolled on a condom, and took his place between her legs again. With his hands beneath the cheeks of her ass to lift and hold her, he drove into her with one hard thrust.
Jesus!
He had to close his eyes and reach for control or he would embarrass himself. She was so hot and wet and tight. And buried in her, he felt as if he’d come home after a long unhappy journey. He tried to pace himself to give her time to recover, but it appeared she was ready before he expected.
“Do it, Zak,” she cried. “Fuck me. You know how.”
And he did, hard and fast and deep. Again and again and again, until she wrapped her legs around his, locking her ankles at the small of his back to pull him even deeper inside her. The soft skin of her breasts against his chest was an aphrodisiac, her cries driving him higher, the walls of her cunt gripping him like a wet vise.
And then they exploded, together. He took her mouth in a hot kiss to capture her cries as he rode them both to completion.
He had no idea how long it was before he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, desperate to read what was in there. The love he used to see, the incredible need and desire, were back again, and relief swept over him. It wasn’t until this moment that he understood how much he wanted this. He opened his mouth to say something, but she touched them with the tips of her fingers, smiled, and shook her head.
“You don’t need to say a word,” she told him. “I feel it, too.”
“It never went away. It was just hiding. We’re never going to lose it again.”
“No, we’re not.” Then her lips curved in the smile that filled his heart. “We’re damn sure not.”
“We should move,” she said at last. “Where’s Keith? Did we entertain him through the closed door?”
“I sent him outside to keep an eye out for a black van that’s come by a couple of times.”
And just like that the fear was back.
“Zak, I—”
He shook his head. “Don’t say anything, but we need to get dressed. I’ll see what the situation is and then we can eat.”
“Did you find out anything about those companies I wrote down?” she asked anxiously when she was all put back together. “I didn’t remember much. And some of the names were only partials. Like I told you, I only got a very quick look.”
“I’ve had people researching them. Even Reno took a crack at some of them.” He shook his head. “So far all of them are fakes. Big surprise, right? But my super-techie wrote a program to see if that would help us. We’re running it on one of the computers to see what we come up with.”
“That doesn’t sound very optimistic,” she told him.
“Let’s just wait and see what shows up. Nina has worked miracles before. Meanwhile, how about we get something to eat? I brought your favorite. Chinese food.”
“But—”
“Then I have some homework for you. Maybe you’ll spot something that will help us with our search. Okay, kitten?”
“No.” The small grin she gave him made his heart turn over. “But I can be bought with sweet and sour shrimp and sesame chicken.”
“Then come on.” He took her hand. “Let’s feed the inner man. Or woman, as it were.”
Zoe was surprised that she was actually hungry, but the tempting aroma of the food was too seductive to resist. Zak insisted on making small talk while they ate, putting aside the situation they were in for just an hour. She tried to ignore his frequent check-ins via the handheld radio with Keith, who was keeping an eye on things from the den.
He had not seen the black van while he was outside, but as Zak pointed out, that didn’t mean anything. It could show up at any time or it could already have gotten what it was there for. She was at least grateful that Keith acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She wondered if he had to practice the poker face he wore.
“He’ll watch the security monitor and keep checking the perimeter,” Zak told her after the last all clear. “Dean will be here about midnight so Keith can get some rest.”
“Don’t you have to take a turn?”
He smiled. “I’m the boss.”
When they had put away the leftovers and cleaned up the kitchen, Zak took the laptop off the counter, set it up in front of her, and booted it up.
“What’s this for?” she asked.
“Stuff. Nina downloaded everything they were able to pull off your main frame before they got shut out. I want to see what you recognize and what you could possibly resurrect. And there’s also information on there they dug up about Caz Morgan and Max Detwiler.” He pulled up a chair next to her. “So let’s get started.”
Three hours later, Zoe had a raging headache, Zak’s frustration was palpable, and they weren’t much further along than when they started.
“Okay.” Zak poured them each a cold drink. “I think it won’t take much to summarize here.” He held up his hand and ticked off the items on his fingers one by one. “First. Caz and Nate met when Nate was just out of college, back here in San Antonio, and trying to hustle his way into the oil lease business. Caz had connections, Nate had the right personality, and they were off to the races.”
“Second.” He touched the next finger. “Caz was the one who found Max and his money when they needed an infusion of capital to swing a major real estate deal. We still don’t know where Max’s cash came from.” He made a sound of disgust. “I think I need to take lessons from these people on how to bury information.”
“And third,” Zoe picked up the thread, “there’s definitely something wrong with these simulations. There’re changes in here I didn’t make, but I can’t tell you what since I don’t have even one complete file.”
Zak flipped a chair around and straddled it. “Tell me what the new simulations were about and how they could be adapted for commercial use.”
“Okay. It’s really not complicated. We—I designed simulations for corporate clients to use to practice security techniques. We tailored them to specific clients as the requests came in. We also did some hostage rescue operations sims for a huge mercenary company and even for a couple for airlines to teach their employees how to behave in a high-jacking situation. Then we’d wipe any reference to the company and anything that could indicate who the original design was for, make some modifications, and voila! A video game.” She frowned again.
“What’s wrong?”
“Like I said before, there are some strange adjustments here that I can’t figure out.” She stared at the screen, rubbing her forehead.
Zak pulled the laptop around, shut down the programs, and closed the computer. “Enough for tonight. Let’s get some sleep and start fresh in the morning.”
She rubbed her eyes. “I guess you’re right.”
When she stood up, she and Zak were so close there wasn’t room for a sheet of paper between them. Heat flashed in his eyes, and his rock-hard erection pressed against the softness of her tummy, making her breasts ache and every pulse in her body throb. She had missed this so much. More than she wanted to admit. And that hot interlude when he got here didn’t go far at all to make up for lost time.
Then his head came down and his mouth was ravenous against hers, taking and giving at the same time. When her lips parted slightly, his tongue swept in, bringing liquid fire with it.
She melted, her bones fluid, her muscles limp. She clung to him, locking her arms around his neck as much to keep herself upright as to hold him tightly to her.
When he lifted his head, his breathing was uneven, but no more so than hers.
“This is impossible.” He blew out a breath of frustration. “I can’t believe myself. Your ass is on the line, I don’t even know who’s after you, and all I want to do is make love to you.”
“Sounds good to me,” she breathed, the combination of danger and the chemistry between them a powerful aphrodisiac.
“I can’t believe I want you again so fast.”
She ticked up one corner of her mouth in a half smile. “You used to want me all the time.”
“Apparently, old habits never die.” He sighed. “Kitten.” The word was like a prayer on his lips.
One hand slid up along her rib cage and cupped her breast, his thumb chafing the nipple. Zoe heard a low moan and realized it was hers.
“We either need to stop now,” he told her, “or take this into the bedroom.”
“I vote the bedroom.” Her voice was no steadier than his.
“Good. We have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
The moment the bedroom door closed he pulled her into his arms again, showering kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, before slipping his tongue inside her mouth again. She twisted hers with his, tasting the flavor of him. When he gently bit down on hers, spikes of electricity shot through her and the pulse between her legs beat harder and faster.
She wanted him, wanted the familiar feel of his body on her, in her, driving her to an almost unreachable plane of ecstasy that she’d never been able to forget. The hot electricity was still there. What happened earlier was the appetizer. She wanted the full meal.
He walked her backward to the bed, stopping when the backs of her knees hit the mattress. When his hands released her face and he lifted his head, she reached to yank her T-shirt over her head, but his fingers encircled her wrists.
“No. Let me do it.”
Slowly, he drew the soft fabric up and over her head, his eyes eating her alive as they focused on her breasts nestled in their lace cups. His hands slid up to cup her breasts, his thumbs grazing her nipples. They hardened, and she knew he could see their firm, dark tips through the sheer material. When he bent his head and ran his tongue across the top edge of her bra, a wave of weakness swept over her and she had to clutch his forearms to keep from falling.
“Your skin tastes as good as it always did,” he murmured, drawing circles with the tip of his tongue. “That taste has haunted me all this time.”
Zoe drew in a deep breath, moved her hands to his waist, and tugged his shirt free of his jeans. His back was warm against her hands, taut muscles playing beneath the smooth skin. The simple contact sent heat blazing through her and ratcheted up her heartbeat. She and Zak had always had the most incredible chemistry. Now it seemed, if anything, it was stronger than ever.
Zak moved away just a fraction and slowly removed the rest of her clothes, kissing every area of her skin as he uncovered it, as if he hadn’t just seen every inch of her mere hours ago. The fire and heat of his tongue were like a flame tracing paths everywhere, melting her. Grabbing the covers on the bed with one hand, he flung them back and placed her gently on the cool sheets.
He took the gun from the small of his back where he carried it, placed it on the nightstand, and began to undress. She watched as he removed his clothes, eyes capturing the familiar shape of his body, the defined muscles, the soft dusting of hair on his chest, the magnificence of his cock as it rose out from his body, ready and wanting her. How had she lived without this for so long? How had she been so stupid and hard-headed as to throw this all away?
His eyes glittered as they raked over her body, as if they were reacquainting themselves with every inch. His gaze never broke as he bent and lifted his jeans, fishing in a pocket for a small foil packet.
Zoe’s eyes widened. “You planned—”
“I hoped,” he interrupted. His mouth tilted in a lopsided grin. “I didn’t know how long my willpower would last, and I always like to be prepared.”
When his body came down on top of hers, she felt the same thing she’d sensed when she’d cried on his lap.
Home. I’m home.
Then all thought left her brain as his mouth began to move over her again. He placed a sucking kiss at the hollow of her throat, licking the pulse that pounded there. Lips like rough silk brushed at the swell of her breasts, closed firmly around each aching nipple, traveled a path along her tummy and lower.
His warm breath was a match to her skin, blowing across the thatch of her pubic curls. His mouth traveled lower and lower, his hands pushing her thighs wider to give him greater access. The touch of his tongue licking its way up the inside of her thighs made her inner muscles quiver and her pulse beat erratically.
Zoe hitched her hips at him, urging him to move to her center, to pay attention to her demanding sex. And then he was there, his educated tongue tasting her liquid and flicking at the throbbing, furled nub. She grabbed his head with both hands, pressing him against her, afraid he’d stop too soon.
The coil of need that had been wound tightly inside her for so long began to unwind with amazing speed, the onset of orgasm rushing through her.
When his tongue slipped inside her and his thumbs pressed on her swollen bud, the climax exploded with such force it shook her from head to toe. If Zak hadn’t been holding her, she was sure it would have tossed her off the bed.
Every muscle in her body clamped and convulsed, again and again, until she couldn’t breathe. But when it was over and she lay panting, his glittering gaze looking up at her from between her thighs, she knew it hadn’t been enough.
“Zak…” She moaned.
“I know.” His voice was hoarse and thick with desire.
Sliding up her body, he kissed her, hard, her juices still fresh on his lips. He groaned into the wet cavern of her mouth as his tongue did magical things to hers and his big hands gripped her.
Zoe couldn’t get enough of touching him, her hands racing everywhere over his heated skin. The familiar shape of his shoulder, the lean muscles of his back, the taut lines of his buttocks—everything coming back to her like a well-remembered map. She wanted him inside her. Now. Right now.
When he settled himself in the cradle of her thighs, she welcomed him with a sigh. At last he slid inside her, his thick cock filling every inch of her. He eased it out slowly, dragging it against her inner flesh, then thrusting forward again. With each movement of his hips, each drive of his hard shaft into her hot, grasping sex, the need grew stronger. Wrapping her legs around him, she locked their bodies together so they moved in concert.
“Look at me,” he demanded, his voice rough and low.
She opened her eyes and found him looking into hers with so much emotion her heart cracked. Her body strained to reach that elusive peak as he pounded into her again and again.
“Now,” he ordered. “Come now, Zoe.”
And just like that she exploded, her body shuddering with his, heart slamming against her ribs, her lungs starving for air. And then it eased and they relaxed into each other, still locked together. She knew, at least for the moment, nothing else mattered.
This was so right. It was definitely so right. If she could just convince Zak.