Chapter Twelve

Chase had turned on the television again, regretting it almost at once. Someone had put together an attention-getting story, leading off with shots of Mia’s bombed car, followed by the latest details of Nate Wilson’s murder. Then came a shot of the Carpenter Techtronics building and the news of Stan Forbush’s death. They closed the piece with a file head shot of Mia and a nasty recap of her history with the SAPD.

“That’s it,” Dan said. “Mia, you’re out of here. Now.” He turned to Faith. “Can I ask you for one more thing today?”

“Of course,” she smiled. “I’m more than happy to get Mia away from here. But leaving isn’t going to be that easy.”

“Even if we get out, they’ll follow me,” Mia said. “These people are like vultures. You just have no idea what it’s like.”

Mark turned to Holcomb, who radioed down to the cops he had outside trying to keep the media and the public at bay.

“It’s just getting worse,” he told them when he clicked off the radio. “There’s more media and curiosity-seekers than we had when the mayor announced he was resigning. They’re watching every vehicle that leaves here.”

“When do we get to leave?” Chase asked. “I’d really like to go home and have a drink. And I know Joy wants to get out of here. Badly.”

Tell me about it, Dan thought to himself.

“We all do,” was what he said instead. “But we need to do it in some kind of order. Let’s wait until all the other floors are empty. Then we’ll send you out one at a time with a trail car to make sure no one’s on your tail. And just to be safe, don’t go straight home. Spend a few minutes on the 410 Loop. With all that traffic, if anyone’s behind you, you’ll lose them there.”

“They can’t follow us all,” Joy said. “Not unless they have an army out there. Do you think that’s possible?”

“Anything is possible,” Dan told her. “However, I’m just being cautious. They’ll be concentrating their efforts on Mia. She’s their hot button. What I’d like to know is who leaked all the details they’ve been putting out on the air? Especially about Stan’s death.”

Holcomb made a face. “They can sniff out a stale bagel, but face it, their information could come from anywhere. They all have police scanners. Detective Aragon said a television van arrived at the airport this morning not five minutes after he did.”

Rick and Mark looked at each other.

“This isn’t rocket science,” Rick said. “It was easier smuggling people out of Afghanistan.”

“I could just hunker down in the car again,” Mia suggested.

Mark shook his head. “Someone might recognize Faith’s car. Okay, here’s what we’ll do. Rick, you need wheels anyway. Is Grace Donnelly still supplying our vehicles?”

Dan nodded, and a slow smile softened the grim look on his face. “I see where you’re going with this. I’ll get her on the phone.” He pulled out his cell and speed dialed a number.

While they waited, Holcomb took another call from the detectives investigating Nate Wilson’s death and gave everyone an update.

“So right now,” he concluded, “our best bet is to hope the perp left something on the cell phone he had with him. Or that someone, somehow, saw him with whoever it was he met at that lot.”

“Isn’t that a long shot?” Ladd asked.

“You’d be amazed how often long shots pay off.”

They’d been releasing Carpenter employees one floor at a time, as their questioning was complete. They were all told if approached by any reporters to say nothing, just refer them back to either Lucas Grant or Ladd Tolbert. Uniforms cleared the way for them out of the garage. They did their best to hold back the media lying in wait and make sure none of the cars were followed but it was hit or miss at best. All they could do was hope.

“Maybe it’ll put a little excitement in their lives,” Lucas joked, but no one smiled.

“I don’t think they’ll find it quite so exciting if they get trapped by reporters,” Rick said in a cold voice.

Fifteen minutes later Holcomb got a call on his radio from one of his men at the barricades and told Dan, “Your driver is on the way up.”

“Thanks. We’re ready.”

The elevator dinged as the door opened and a trim woman in green slacks, a uniform shirt, and a ball cap that said PRIVATE CAR SERVICE on it emerged. She hugged each of the Phoenix men in turn, then looked up at Dan.

“Okay, papa bear. What’s up?”

Dan turned to the others. “Here’s the way we’ll do it.”

And he laid out the plan for them.

* * * * *

The process was nerve-wracking, mostly because working with amateurs was always fraught with danger and anything could go wrong. Dan walked to a corner of the conference room to make a call on his cell phone, speaking in low tones. Then he turned back to the others.

“Time to get moving.”

They started off with Joy and Chase.

“I want to get rid of the troublemaker first,” Dan told Mark and Rick in a quiet voice.

As soon as Holcomb received word that Chase’s car had left the private section of the garage, they sent Lucas down in the elevator.

“People tried to chase the car on foot,” Holcomb said, “but no one seems to be riding their tail.”

Lucas’s job was to roll down his window as he pulled out of the garage, tell whoever tried to question him “no comment” but if they’d just back off, Carpenter Techtronics would have a statement in the morning. And assure them that yes, Friday’s announcement and demonstration was still on. They’d be holding a very short press conference in the building’s rotunda tomorrow morning.

Ladd and Faith left at the same time. The cops directed them to turn down the side street next to the building, where they had barricades ready to pull into place to block the road. After a long day of the chaos around them, the cops were pretty much turning a deaf ear to all the yelling and screaming.

Dan slipped the key card for the hotel suite into Mia’s small hand. “I’ll get another one from the desk. Do it just like we said.”

“What about the news helicopters?” she asked. “They’ll be keeping an eye on things.”

Mark and Rick grinned at each other. “Don’t you worry a minute about them. We’ve got it covered.”

Wearing the clothes she exchanged with Grace, Mia took the elevator down with Rick, who gave her a reassuring smile. “It really will be okay,” he told her.

“If you say so.”

They exited at garage level and Rick directed her to the black SUV Grace had delivered. Mia climbed into the driver’s seat, waited until Rick was buckled in, then backed out into the street.

“There’s someone,” she heard a voice yell, but the police were hauling the barricades across the street again.

“Never mind,” she heard a man shout, “The copter will pick them up. We’ll see if it’s her or the other woman.”

At that moment, Rick’s phone rang, and he spoke briefly before hanging up.

“Dan and Grace are out. They just pulled out into the street in Dan’s car. When the media tried to stop them they were mighty disappointed that the woman in your clothes is Miss Grace Donnelly of the Private Car Service. They aren’t too happy with the fact that they’ve been snookered. Dan said he’d meet you back at the hotel but to go ahead and eat without him. He has some things to do.”

“Rick, did you hear what that man shouted? The news helicopters are chasing us, so what good did it do to go through this whole charade?”

“Just hang on, honey. It bought us some time, and I promise you they’ll be out of our hair in a minute.”

Mia kept driving, eyes straight ahead. When she heard the whapping sound of the helicopter rotors overhead her hands tightened on the steering wheel.

“Just hold on,” Rick told her again.

Suddenly she heard another sound overhead. Glancing in the rearview mirror she saw the biggest, blackest helicopter she’d ever seen doing an aerial dance with all the news choppers. No matter which way any of them turned, the pilot in the black bird was in their face.

“Thank you, Mike,” Rick breathed.

“One of yours,” Mia guessed.

“Our ace flyboy. Dan’s brother also flies for us, but Mike’s the king of the chopper. When Dan called me to come out here, he said to roust out Mike and have him bring the big bird in case we needed it. It’s a good thing we did.”

Mia shook her head. “I feel like I’m in a spy movie.”

“Honey, you aren’t all that far wrong.”

* * * * *

For the killers everything was falling into place even better than they’d hoped. The escalating chaos only worked in their favor. In a situation like this there was safety in numbers. The longer the list of suspects, the less likely the spotlight was to shine on them.

At the beginning of their planning they’d stocked up on disposable cell phones, programming them and making a list of their numbers. They’d used them in order, disposing of them after each use—the battery in one place, the phone in another. Now, later in the evening, after watching the final news broadcast of the day, they were having a brief conversation.

“Taking Forbush’s thumb and eyeball was a brilliant idea.”

“Thanks. I knew it would get those assholes wrapped up in the biometrics. Send them off on a false lead.”

A sharp laugh almost like a bark snapped across the connection. “You talking about the security consultants?”

“A fancy term. They’re just mercenaries with expensive, custom-tailored suits and more hardware than brains.”

“Don’t take them too lightly. Phoenix has a tough reputation.”

“Fuck ’em. We’re smarter than they are.”

“I’m just saying, don’t let your ego screw this up. Is everything else on track?”

“No problem. Khalid knows the first payment is due on Thursday or no deal.”

“You have a backup list in case he wimps out, right?”

“Are you kidding? Everyone in the world would like Oscar. But don’t worry about Khalid. He’s solid. He’s practically drooling over the power it will give him.”

“Well, you can pat yourself on the back for this one. He was your contact and you worked him from the get-go.”

“I’m still worried about the Fleming bitch. I understand the cops are now actually including her in the investigation. I thought they wrote her off.”

“Apparently something happened, because suddenly they seem to be paying attention to what she’s saying.”

“Like I’ve said over and over, it isn’t that I believe in that stuff. But we can’t take any chances here. I told you we need to get rid of her, and we do.”

“Well, so far all we’ve done is make people take another look at her.”

“So? What if she has another one of these crazy visions and comes up with something that could point to us? Something they decide to follow through on. Better dead than alive and talking.”

“Don’t be stupid. She’s had a long-standing adversarial relationship with the cops. They may look like they’re including her, but I think it’s just to keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t mess up their investigation.”

“I’m not stupid, and you sound like an idiot. I’m telling you, we can’t take any chances.”

“I’m still not sure killing her would be the solution.”

“Getting squeamish? This project is far too big to discount anything. Besides, if we do this right, we can point the finger in another direction and have the cops chasing their tails. They’ll miss the mark completely.”

“Yeah? Exactly how would we do that? The cops and Phoenix have got her locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”

There was a pause. “I’ve been doing some thinking. There may be a way to smoke her out and point the finger in a totally different direction.”

“And exactly how would we do that, smartass?”

“All these nuts on the lunatic fringe? They may just work to our advantage. The ones always demonstrating against her.”

“Be careful you don’t get us into something you can’t control. I don’t want to be the person who pisses off Khalid. He’s not a very forgiving person.”

“Leave it to me. Money fixes everything.”

“All right. We’d better sign off now. Don’t forget to ditch the phone.”

“Please. I lost my patience, not my brain.”

* * * * *

It was nearly midnight by the time Dan returned to the hotel. Rick had called to let him know he’d delivered Mia safely and was checking himself into a different hotel. The team members always split up when more than one of them was in a location. That way no one could pinpoint them in one place and make them a single target. Mike was staying out near the airport with Ed so they could keep an eye on their equipment and be ready to move if needed, like this afternoon.

When Dan let himself into the suite he expected to find the living room dark and Mia asleep. Hopefully in his bed. But one of the lamps was on, and she was curled up on the couch, her laptop braced on her knees, the television on low volume. A tray with covered plates sat on the round table by the window.

For a moment he just stood and looked at her. She was wrapped in a pale-green robe, her thick, chocolate-colored hair curling softly around her face, and looking so vulnerable and fragile he wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and pack her away. He wondered if she had regrets about last night. Second thoughts. He certainly hoped not, because all he could think about was making sure she never got away from him. How the hell had he fallen so hard, so fast?

She looked up as she heard the door close.

“Hi!” She smiled up at him. “I didn’t know what time you’d get here or if you’d eaten, so I got some sandwiches sent up. I took a chance on what you might like. Oh, and there’s three kinds of beer in the fridge.”

Dan just stared at her.

“Was that okay?” she asked, a nervous edge creeping into her voice. “I wasn’t sure . . .”

“’Okay’ doesn’t begin to describe it. You’re exhausted, you’ve been through hell, you’ve got a cut on your hand that has to be killing you, and you’re worried about my welfare? I’m just amazed that some man hasn’t locked you up already to keep every other male of the species away from you.”

“Oh, well.” She shrugged, blushing. “Most men think I’m kind of a kook. You know, the precognition thing and all. They either want to dissect me or run away from me. Or treat me like I’m not even there.”

“Then I have to say,” he said in a very soft voice, “that most men are incredibly stupid. And I’m one lucky son of a bitch.”

It amazed him that she actually blushed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a woman blush like that. Of course, the women he chose to spend his recreational time with had long ago passed the stage of being able to blush about anything.

“I thought for sure you’d be asleep,” he told her, shedding his jacket and tossing it onto a chair. “Rick called and said he’d gotten you locked down tight.”

She nodded. “Yes. He made sure I got to the suite just fine and even ordered some food for me.” She smiled, a tiny upturn of the corners of her mouth. “And I actually ate. I couldn’t believe I was hungry.”

“Stress burns up a lot of energy.” He bent to press a kiss on her mouth, tasting her lips with his tongue for just a brief moment before he gestured toward the laptop. “Special project?”

“You might say. I’m on the website Faith’s aunt told me about, doing a search for precognition and precognitive interpretations. Extrasensory perceptions, as it were. It’s a little awkward with my bad hand, but the two-finger method works pretty well.” She pointed at the screen. “There are people here who have had some experience studying it, as well as others who want to record their visions for others to see. Maybe help with interpretation.”

“That’s a terrific resource. Find anything yet?”

She shook her head. “Bits and pieces, that’s all. The website is fairly new, so there isn’t as much on it yet as there will be eventually.” She closed down the computer and looked up at him, anxiety plain on her face. “I . . . need to tell you something, but I want to make sure you eat, okay?”

“Another vision?” he guessed.

“Yes, but not a gory one, thank goodness. Come on, let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you what I remember.” She put her laptop aside and moved to the table.

He got a beer for himself from the fridge and a bottle of water for her, then pulled a chair up next to her. “Okay. Let’s have it.”

“This one was just numbers.”

Dan raised his eyebrows. “Numbers?”

“Yes. I never can tell exactly what form the vision will take. Sometimes it’s an image, sometimes a flash of color. Sometimes numbers. That’s what I saw tonight. First like those children’s building blocks. They were tumbling around in space as if trying to find the right order.”

Dan took a swallow of his beer, trying to release the tension in his body. “What were the numbers?”

“One, five, and seven. Do they mean anything to you?”

He frowned, bit into a sandwich, chewed, and swallowed thoughtfully. “No. Could it be an address? Is there one that comes to mind?”

She shook her head. “No. I tried doing what Faith’s aunt and the other women at her house told me to do. I forced everything else from my mind and tried to focus just on my vision. To see if there was anything around the edges I was missing, or if I could sense anything else.” She shrugged. “But it didn’t work.”

“Don’t force it,” Dan told her. “It’ll come.”

“But we have so little time left. And I still have the feeling Oscar is in great danger.”

“You know Chase ran another demonstration, and everything checked out.”

“I know. I just . . . Maybe your magic computer could try running number combinations for a location in San Antonio.”

Dan grinned at her. “Good thought. Let me get Andy on it right away.”

He speed-dialed a number on his cell phone while Mia sat, sipping at her water.

“Do you ever sleep?” Andy wanted to know when he answered. “Maybe you don’t know that the rest of us like to do that once in a while.”

“Keeps you on your toes,” Dan told him. “Sorry about this, but it’s really important.” He gave him an outline of what he wanted. “And not just addresses. Anything those numbers could indicate in any possible combination. Oh, and factor in baby toys.”

“Baby toys?” Andy sounded as if he thought his boss had lost his mind.

“Just do it, okay? I’ll have my cell on, so if you get something, call no matter what time it is.”

“Just like always.” He clicked off.

“I’m sorry I can’t give you any more details,” Mia told him, twisting the bottle in her hands. “No matter what I did, I couldn’t call up anything else.”

“I think you’re trying too hard,” he told her.

“We only have three days before Chase’s big deal,” she reminded him, “and I have this sick feeling in my stomach that we’re already too late to stop what’s happening.”

“Impossible.” Dan finished off half the sandwich. “We’ve taken every precaution. Oscar has more guards in place than the president. No one can get near him. And the new biometric program is up and running.”

She hit her thigh with her small, clenched fist, frustration plain on her face. “I’m missing something. I just know I am. Whoever did this would know, wouldn’t they, that redoing that program would be the first thing on your list? So what would they gain by taking Stan’s . . . body parts?”

“That baffles me, too. However, it’s possible they thought they could get in there before I had time to do a brand new setup.” He took another swallow of his beer. “Actually, with that coffee trick, I think they expected to use Stan’s thumb and eye to get in there and be out before anything was discovered.”

“If you hadn’t had that meeting this morning, they easily might have done it.”

Dan nodded. “No one would have come looking for Stan for a while. We screwed up their schedule.”

She took a small sip of her water. “Well, that at least eliminates everyone who was in the conference room.”

“But it opens up a wider list of suspects that without the Dragon’s capabilities, we’d never be able to handle.” He put the metal cover back on his plate, tossed the empty beer bottle in the trash and stood up. “I’d say you need to give the brain a rest, or you’ll make yourself sick. Don’t push it, Mia. It will come to you.”

She sighed. “I guess you’re right. But I’m still going to do the mental exercises first thing like those women told me to. Maybe something will pop up.”

She stood also, nearly bumping into Dan as she rose. They were so close they could feel each other breathe, suddenly caught up in the heat that blossomed between them.

Dan moved automatically, reaching for her and pulling her into his arms. The kisses they’d shared the night before weren’t even in the same category with this one. Someone had lit a match to them, and the fire burned high and bright. It started out slow and soft, his lips molding to hers. Dan felt himself harden almost painfully, his erection popping up with a mind of its own.

He couldn’t get enough of touching her, tasting her. He wanted to run his mouth over every inch of her skin, then start all over again in case he missed a spot. His hands cupped her bottom, pulling her tightly against him so she could feel the sign of his arousal, of his need for her. No, not just a need. Wanting her, just as he had from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.

Jesus, the famous tight-ass Dan Romeo had finally bit the dust.

But Mia wasn’t like any other woman he’d ever known. She was bright, courageous, and as sexy as hell, even if she didn’t think so. He’d broken his number one rule—never get involved with someone who is part of a case. And he didn’t even think twice about it anymore.

When he lifted his mouth from hers, they were both gasping for breath.

“I want you,” he breathed.

Mia put her hands on his chest, her eyes still glued to his. “I have to tell you something before this goes any further.”

Oh, Jesus. Is there someone else? Has she decided this is all a mistake?

He was nearly ready to tell her to shut up, but he pulled in his control and found a smile somewhere.

“But I want to touch you when I do,” she told him almost shyly.

She unbuttoned his shirt and slid her small hands inside against the hard wall of his chest. Her delicate fingers brushed against the pelt of fine fur on his skin, rubbing back and forth. She felt him humming with pleasure. When her fingernails found and raked lightly against his hard nipples, he grabbed her wrists.

He closed a hand around one wrist. “Honey, you better either stop what you’re doing or talk fast. Otherwise in two seconds I’ll have you naked and on your back.”

She smiled, an expression so soft and welcoming he all but fell into it. “That sounds like a great idea, but first I want you to hear what I have to say. You might think I’m too crazy to have in your bed.”

“As long as you’re not telling me you think last night was a mistake, I can take whatever you’re dishing out.”

She looked at the couch. “Let’s sit down for a minute.” She turned away from him after they sat, too embarrassed to look at him while she talked. He’d been fine with her visions so far, but none of them had been about him.

He reached over and took her hand. “Honey, it can’t be that bad.”

“Just listen, please?” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I . . . saw you before you came to my office yesterday.”

“Saw me?” He frowned. “Saw me? Where? I’d barely gotten here.” What the hell was she talking about?

She squirmed and would have pulled away if he hadn’t tightened his hold on her hand.

“No. I mean I saw you. In a vision.”

For a moment he was startled. “You had a vision about me?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Mia, you know I’m good with your visions. What could be so bad about this one? Did I kill someone?”

Again that nervous giggle. “No. You were . . . naked.”

Naked. Well. That put a different spin on things. “I’ll admit I’m a little stunned. Still. Did I do something to embarrass you?”

“No.” she shook her head. “I did something.”

He moved his other hand to the nape of her neck and slowly massaged the muscles. “Honey, just get it out, okay? It’s no big deal.”

Dan could barely catch his breath listening to her. And when she finally got out the details, he realized it was a very big deal after all. Not only did her visions not deter him, he was affected on some very deep level that she’d had one involving him. That it had aroused her enough to do what she’d done. The image of her watching a vision of him naked and masturbating in front of him made him so instantly rock-hard he was almost in pain.

When she told him she kept hearing his voice, he dropped her hand, cupped her chin, and turned her face toward his.

“I’ve come to believe in fate, Mia. And I think that’s what this is. And now I can say this to you, not as some kind of image but as the real thing.” He brushed his thumb against her cheek. “So what did I say?”

She blushed again. “You said . . . I want to fuck you.”

“Well.” He brushed his lips against hers. “I obviously knew what I was talking about.”

Heart thundering against his ribs, he lifted her in his arms and headed for the bedroom. The hotel had turned down his covers, and he deposited Mia on the crisp sheets, being careful of her injured hand. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as he stripped off his clothes with swift efficiency, his throbbing erection proof of what he was feeling. Yanking his wallet from his trousers, he extracted a condom and put it on the nightstand.

“Do you carry a supply of those with you?” She giggled nervously.

“Only an emergency stash. But tomorrow I’m buying the giant-size box, just so we don’t run out.”

He unwrapped her from her robe and lifted the flimsy cotton of her sleep shirt over her head. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her completely nude. She was a vision. A living representation of everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. Last night he hadn’t taken the time to fully appreciate what he was looking at. Now he did.

Her breasts were round and full, with rose nipples surrounded by deeper rose areolas. Her stomach had just the slightest swell to it, tempting him to bend down and place an open-mouthed kiss on it. She shifted under him, hips moving, and a soft hum emerged from her throat. Graceful legs tapered upward to flaring hips, the juncture covered with soft, rich chocolate curls, her labia just barely peeking out. He clenched and unclenched his hands, every part of her so tempting he didn’t know where to start first.

He covered her mouth with his, pressing the rough silk of his lips against the smooth satin of hers. His tongue probed into the wet cavern of her mouth, tasting every inch of her. Her arms reached up and pulled him toward her, and then he was lying beside her, his hand touching her everywhere.

“You are such a treasure,” he whispered. “A gift. God, Mia, I’ve lived a life you can’t even begin to imagine. What did I ever do to deserve you?”

And then the time for talking was over. Tonight they took the time to explore each other’s bodies, touching and tasting everywhere. Rough skin pressed against smooth, small hands caressed large body parts, while long, lean fingers explored narrow channels, hot and wet. Large hands cupped firm breasts, while small fingers scraped flat nipples.

The quiet of the room was filled with the sounds of flesh against flesh, rasping breaths, and at last, at the moment of incredible fulfillment, sounds of exultation. And then only labored breathing, as hearts slowed their thundering beats and bodies became boneless.

He stroked her body, caressing every part of her as they talked, and just like that they were both aroused again. Despite the exhaustion of the day, sleep was the last thing on their minds.

He moved his mouth over her, taking time to savor each place. She tasted like seven kinds of sin and felt even better. His mouth followed the line of her jaw, kissed the soft underside of her chin, traveled slowly down the column of her neck, nibbling and kissing. The length of her naked body pressed against him seared him every place they touched. He kept remembering her description of the image of himself naked before her, hearing the description of how she’d pleasured herself, and the eroticism of it was an incredible aphrodisiac.

Her good hand traveled along his shoulder, his arm, slid between them to brush the mat of hair on his chest and scrape his flat nipples. One of her legs was wedged between both of his, and as he tasted her and touched her she rubbed her thigh against the steel length of his cock and the swollen sac of his balls.

I want to fuck you.

The words rattled around in his head almost as if he heard himself saying it to her.

Her breasts fell warm and full in his palm, her nipples like hardened blooming buds in his mouth. He pulled on them, and she cried out, her fingers woven into his hair as her hands pressed him more tightly against her. When he dragged his teeth lightly over their surface, her cries turned to delighted moans, vibrating in her throat.

Very slowly, he moved his mouth down to her tummy, pausing long enough to taste the sweetness of her navel before reaching the wetness of her pussy. Taking a moment to inhale her intoxicating scent, he nipped at the darkened bud of her clitoris, rewarded with her cries of pleasure, her thrust of her body against him.

He kissed the delicate crease where hip and thigh joined, allowing himself a moment to whisper his mouth over her inner thighs before returning to her hot, glistening wetness. Feasting on her, he lapped her cream, drawing her essence into his mouth. Into his soul.

“I want to touch you, too,” she moaned, trying to move and give herself the opportunity.

“Next time,” he promised in a harsh voice. “Tonight I get to do all the tasting.”

He moved her body this way and that, opening her to him so there wasn’t an inch he didn’t see. He was always careful not to accidentally bump her hand, but he wasn’t going to miss one place on her body, from the hot crevice of her buttocks to the grasp of her cunt when he pressed his tongue inside.

Soon she was begging, almost sobbing, bucking against him to urge him with her movements to take her. Now. Right now.

Reaching for the condom, he ripped open the foil with his teeth, sheathed himself one-handed, and lifting her to him, plunged inside with one swift movement.

Dan closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, reaching for his eroding control. Jesus, she was so hot and wet and tight. His cocked pulsed, and his balls ached with the need to explode inside her. Slow, he told himself. Tonight, keep it slow.

But his body had other ideas, especially when Mia wound her legs around him and locked her ankles in place, pressing against the small of his back. He was lost, then, swept up in a need so great it drove into him like a hot spike. Before he even realized it, he was pounding into her, the head of his cock bumping her womb, scraping over the bundles of nerves in the tight little channel with each thrust forward and back.

He bent his head to capture her mouth again, his tongue mimicking the actions of his cock, the flavor of her driving him hotter and higher. The familiar tingling and tightening raced down his spine and into his balls, and when Mia screamed, “Now! Please!” and pulsed around him, he let go.

They flew, cartwheeling over a precipice, clinging together as he pounded into her again and again, then held himself rigid as his cock pulsed and spurted. Mia convulsed around him, the walls of her pussy grasping him and pulling at him until she’d wrung the last drop from him.

When he could move, he rolled off the bed to dispose of the condom, but he was back in seconds, holding a glass of water and two aspirin. She looked up at him from where she lay, spent and flushed on the sheets, and smiled at him.

“I think that was better medicine than any pills.”

“I hope so, but make me feel better and take these, okay? Just in case? And the antibiotic.”

Obediently, she raised herself up to take the water and the pills. When she was finished he slipped back under the covers with her and cradled her against him. He was astounded at the force of the connection between them. More than sex, he thought to himself. Much more. Romeo, you are so screwed. But this had been coming since he’d walked into her office two short days ago. Two days? Could you fall in love in such a brief time?

He wasn’t normally a man given to acting on impulse. But in the marines, and with Phoenix, he’d had to learn to trust his gut instincts. Now they were telling him this was the right thing for both of them. They could wait two years instead of two days, but all that would accomplish was wasting time.

As if she could hear what he was thinking, Mia reached her small hand up to brush his cheek. “No obligations here, Dan. I know the way you are, the way you live your life. I can sense the way you’ve shut yourself off from relationships. I’m not a ten-pound load you’ll have to carry around with you.”

He brushed his lips against hers, then licked the seam with a light caress. “That may be the way I’ve always been. And I may, like the rest of my partners, have set firm rules for how and where we find our relationships. But life changes, and I’m not about to walk away from this awesome thing between us because of some inflexible rules.”

“I don’t want to compromise this investigation,” she insisted. “Or give the impression that it’s affected adversely because of us.”

He stroked her back, running his fingers the length of her spine, smoothing his hand across her bottom. “I’m a professional, Mia. My partners know that. And it’s my job to assure my clients of that fact. Nothing is going to affect how I do my job.” He ducked his head and kissed her forehead. “In fact, for this particular case, I probably can’t do it without you.”

But she had one more point to make. “When this case is over and you leave, I don’t want you to think . . .”

“What I think is I won’t be leaving at all.”

She looked up, eyes wide. “What?”

“Maybe I’m rushing things, but I hope not. I mean, it’s only been a couple of days for us. But I was thinking, driving back here tonight. Mark lives here, and it’s no problem as far as his work is concerned. He’s hooked into our system and goes where he has to. When we need him we just send the plane for him, and he’s on his way.”

“But—”

He touched his finger to her lips. “I know you love your home here. We could live there if that’s what you want. I have a house in Virginia, too. We could split our time. Although . . .”

“Although what?”

“If you want to keep your job at the museum, that’s fine. But I personally think you could do a lot better with consulting work. In fact.” He stopped and grinned at her. “I have an idea, but I think I’ll wait until we’re finished here to talk to you about it. Okay?”

She measured her words very carefully. “What exactly are we talking about here?”

“You’ll probably think I’m crazy or that I’m rushing you. And maybe I am. But I want a future with you, Mia. Uh-uh-uh,” he said when she opened her mouth. “I’m not saying you have to give me your answer now. I know two days is practically no time to make this kind of decision.”

Okay, I really am crazy. But suddenly I can’t imagine life without this woman. I’ve waited a long time for someone like her. I can’t let it get away.

“But, Dan,” she began again.

He pressed two fingers against her lips. “I’m saying I’ll still be sticking around when we wrap this up. I want you to have time to think about it. Get to know me. Be sure of your answer. I don’t want to do this when you’re vulnerable.”

“I’m not an impulsive person, either,” she told him. “But . . . there was the vision. And when you walked into my office, I felt a connection that nearly blew my mind. Instant psychic connection can be a lot more valuable than years of getting to know each other. That link either means it’s right or it’s wrong. And it’s very rare.”

“So you’re saying . . .”

“That despite the fact we’ve known each other less than a week. Despite the critical situation we’re in. Despite everything, that connection’s there, and it’s been growing stronger every minute.” A tremulous smile curved her lips. “To hear you say you feel the same way makes my heart stutter.” She threw herself on top of him and hugged him, feathering kisses over his face. “So yes, I want that, too.”

“Mia, are you absolutely sure? I’ve lived alone a long time. And you know the kind of business I’m in, the times I’ll have to be gone . . .”

“I’m not stupid, Dan. Of course, I know. But Faith and Mark have made it work. I believe there are people who are fated to be together. You and I are two of them.” She sat up. “But yes, we should wait until this case is over before we say anything. Except maybe to Mark and Faith. It might color the way people look at things.”

“I agree. And I want to talk to my partners.” He fixed his gaze on her. “But no changing your mind.”

She laughed, a light sound that softened his harsh edges. “Not at all. You’re stuck with me.”