Chapter Thirty-Six
Smoke hurried to get the rough camp he’d set up inside his hideout cleaned up and all his gear gathered. Kini had looked more than just pale—she looked like she was in pain and about to fall over.
By the time he got his shit together and arrived at the jeep, she was asleep in the passenger seat. He put a hand on her face and found himself shaking. Her skin was as soft and supple as the petals of a rose. His thumb brushed over her plush lips. He wanted to put his mouth on her and devour her for hours, drown himself in her taste and scent until neither of them had the strength to move.
Not going to happen anytime soon, asshole. Recovering from two bullet wounds was no joke, and after…she might be able to forgive his shooting the sheriff, but that didn’t change the core problem.
Him. He was damaged. Rage and war were part of who he was, and she’d already experienced enough killing to last her whole lifetime. He could take care of her now, satisfy the primitive thug inside him with that much, and hope that would be enough.
He needed to get his head on straight.
He put in a call to the CDC doctor, Gunner, who’d looked after both of them. The guy was a bit of an asshole, but that just made him easier to work with.
Gunner answered the phone with a barked, “What?”
“This is Smoke. Kini is with me.”
“I heard you were hiding out in the desert,” the doctor said. “What the fuck is she doing out there with you? She’s in no shape to be hiking or anything more strenuous than a walk to the nearest bathroom.”
“Not my idea.” Smoke sighed, but it was his fault. “She came looking for me. She’s asleep now. Should I bring her back to the hospital?”
“Fuck no.”
“Hotel?”
“That’ll do. Light exercises only. And by ‘light’ I mean walking at a pace she sets for herself. No lifting, no working, and no wild monkey sex. Got it?”
“No monkeys. Got it.”
“She’ll have to have her dressings changed in a couple of days.”
“I can do that. I wasn’t a medic in the army, but I qualify as an EMT.”
“Good. Saves me having to track you down.”
Smoke cleared his throat. “I need to talk to you.”
“We are talking,” Gunner said after a moment.
“About…the shit…inside my head.” That was harder to say than he’d expected.
“I may not be the best person for that,” Gunner said slowly. “I’ve got a fair amount of shit of my own to deal with.”
“That makes us equals,” Smoke said.
“Huh.” The grunt came out sounding surprised and thoughtful. “That it does. You want this on the books or off?”
“On. I’m pretty sure the CDC would insist.”
“I’ll make it a mutual thing,” the grumpy doctor said. “They’ve been yammering at me to talk to someone, too.”
“Like a support group?” At Gunner’s silence, Smoke added, “I’m not holding your hand.”
Gunner laughed. “Good, I hate awkward dates.” Still laughing, he hung up.
Smoke phoned River next, caught him up to speed, then headed into town. He left the jeep running with Kini in it while he had a fast shower and packed for hoteling it rather than camping out.
His mother told him he was going to get into trouble for not asking Kini what she wanted to do, but he just shrugged. He wanted her someplace comfortable, with all the amenities, not a cheap motel off the highway.
The drive to Las Vegas was uneventful, and Kini didn’t wake up until they were almost at the hotel. She blinked several times, looking out the window with a frown. “We’re in Vegas? How did we get here?”
Since the answer was obvious, he didn’t say anything.
She glanced at him, her gaze lingered on his clothing and clean-shaven face. “How long did I sleep?”
“Three hours.”
She stared out the window. “Why did we come here?”
“Better hotels, food, and no outbreak.” He kept his tone neutral and unconcerned.
She turned to look at him, her gaze going over him carefully. “What’s going on?”
“Huh?” Everything was exactly as it appeared. He was taking her to a nice place to recover from her gunshot wounds.
His hands gripped the steering wheel and twisted.
And twisted.
She squinted at him. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Aside from nearly getting you killed?”
She leaned toward him and hissed. “I distinctly recall you saving my life.”
He’d said that out loud? Fuck.
“Is that what’s been going through your head for the last week?” she asked, her voice rising. “Are you seriously blaming yourself for anything those greedy, narcissistic, morons did?”
The words blasted out of him with a despair he thought he had locked down. “I sure as hell didn’t help.” Way to go, asshole. Bellowing at her is a great way to keep things on the down-low.
“Blackwater and Davis knew the second they laid eyes on you that they couldn’t intimidate, bully, or otherwise control you.”
When he didn’t respond, she threw her hands up in the air. “For fuck’s sake, they set me up to take the blame for an outbreak they and their treasonous friends started.”
Smoke already had his mouth open to argue with her when her words registered.
Wait, back up. “Treasonous friends?”
“See? This is what happens when you disappear for a week. You miss out on important information. Sheriff Davis wasn’t alone in his production of dangerous bacteria and viruses. The FBI says that there’s a whole convoluted trail of shell companies, offshore accounts, and invisible buyers involved. All of which seemed to have found ways to disappear into financial and legal black holes about the time the first cases were reported three weeks ago.”
“Is that why Davis went off the rails? He finally figured out he’d been left holding the bag?”
She shrugged. “The FBI and Homeland security have only begun to untangle things, but Henry and River seem to think so.”
They pulled into the Bellagio’s valet parking line.
Smoke turned off the engine then gave her his full attention. “We’ll talk more about this when we’re alone. For now, we’re staying here for a few days. Doctor’s orders.”
She snorted then winced. “Okay, fine. Force me to stay at a nice hotel and eat good food. Hurt me again.”
He was very afraid he would do exactly that. Still, he didn’t want the conversation heading back into emotional territory, didn’t want her thinking too hard and understanding just how bad he was for her, so he asked, “Grumpy much?”
She pinned him in place with a laser stare. “Don’t start.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Smoke got out of the jeep, tossed the keys to one of the valets, then helped Kini out. He’d have carried her, but she gave him such a dirty look he didn’t dare suggest it. He grabbed their bags, and they went inside.
Ten minutes later, they were entering the suite he’d reserved. A bedroom and sitting room with a small kitchen. He put her bag in the bedroom, but left his in the sitting area. The sofa bed would be more than adequate for him.
She sat on the sofa and scowled at him.
He handed her the room service menu. “Pick out something and I’ll order us up an early dinner.”
They ate in silence. Kini seemed just as angry two hours after arriving at the hotel as she’d been in the vehicle.
He didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t make things worse, so he kept his mouth shut. He wanted to tell her how scared he’d been when the sheriff shot her. How stupid happy he’d been when she woke up, and when he’d seen her standing at the side of the canyon earlier.
If River, Henry, or any of his Battle could see him now, struggling desperately for the right things to say, they’d laugh their asses off.
At eight o’clock, she wished him a cool good night and went into the bedroom. The only thing that gave him any solace at all was that she left the door open a few inches.
…
Kini couldn’t breathe. There was too much smoke in the room and the hand around her throat was so tight. She clawed at that hand and the arm it was attached to, trying to make the grinning monster let her go, but he just laughed and squeezed harder.
“Kini, wake up. Wake the fuck up!”
Her eyes opened to find Smoke’s face only a few inches from hers, and the only hand around her throat was her own.
She coughed. “Smoke? What?”
He buried his head against her shoulder. “Fuck.” The word shuddered out of him, and his whole body shook. “You were having a nightmare I think, but you were choking and couldn’t seem to breathe.”
She sucked in a couple of hard breaths. “I’m okay.”
He didn’t respond, didn’t move.
She put her hand on his head and let her fingers pet and stroke him. It seemed to help decrease his shaking so she kept doing it. “Before you chopped your way to me with that axe, which was incredible by the way, I was certain I was going to die in the fire.”
He lifted his head to stare at her with sad, sad eyes. “This isn’t the first time you’ve had this dream?”
“No. I scared the absolute shit out of Dr. Gunner a couple of times.” She tried to smile. “You know how he likes to work the night shift.”
“Did he give you any medication to help you sleep?” Smoke asked.
“No, but he did say there was something better than medication.”
Smoke frowned. “What?”
“Sleeping with a friend.”
Smoke reared back as if to get off the bed. “He offered to sleep with you?”
“What? No. No. He advised me to do it with someone trustworthy. Someone my body and subconscious would recognize as safe.”
Smoke stared at her like she’d just told him she had an incurable disease.
“I can think of only one person who meets all of the doctor’s criteria,” she continued.
His eyes grew wide and he shook his head.
“Yes. You.” She snagged one of his hands before he could bolt and tugged on him, whispering, “Please don’t leave me.”
He stood, staring at her and breathing fast, for several seconds. When he spoke, his voice came out a low rumble, “This is a very bad idea.” He disengaged himself from her and stood next to the bed. Was he going to leave?
His hands went to the waistband of his jeans and he shoved them down. His skin-tight boxer briefs were molded to his muscled thighs and ass.
Lord have mercy, he was a beautiful man.
He crawled under the covers with her and coaxed her to roll over so he could spoon her from behind and put an arm over her waist.
The heat, scent, and feel of him did something to her insides, relaxed muscles she hadn’t realized were tense. “Thank you.”
“Bad idea,” he murmured in her ear.
“Bah humbug to you, too,” she said, her eyes so heavy she couldn’t keep them open.
She woke up on Smoke’s chest again.
This is a neat trick. Here she was in Las Vegas, in bed with the best-looking man she’d ever met, and neither one of them was wearing a whole lot of clothes.
As super powers went, it wasn’t bad.
Should she be a good girl and remove herself from her somewhat compromising position?
Sheesh, where would the fun be in that?
Kini wiggled until she was a little higher on his chest before tracing the outline of his cock through his underwear. He was already hard. And thick. It would feel so good when he took her. So very good.
His hand clamped down on hers. “Kini.”
“I need you,” she whispered.
His face twisted like he was being tortured. “You’re injured. Two bullet holes. Two.”
She went nose to nose with him. “I only need one thing to make me feel better and it isn’t any damned pill.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t.” She kissed him. “You can be on top. Do all the work.” She kissed him again and again, teasing him with her lips and tongue show him how much she needed him.
He released her hand and carefully rolled her over. “You will tell me if I hurt you.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Even if it’s a little bit.”
“Yes, I promise.”
He helped her take her T-shirt off, one of his, before he kissed her. His mouth took hers as if he were desperate to taste her, know her, yet his hands were gentle, his arms a cradle for her wounded body.
His mouth tasted her everywhere, her neck, between her breasts and even around her bandaged wounds. He spent a lot of time teasing her nipples by not quite touching them, then a little flick of his tongue to get them wet, before starting all over again.
She finally resorted to begging. “Please, Smoke, I need you to suck on them. Bite them. Something.”
He hovered over her chest. “Do you?” His voice was low and rough. “Poor baby.”
She made an inarticulate noise and began to struggle. She needed him to touch her.
He put his mouth on one nipple, sucking it deep and hard, while he pinched the other, and she nearly came then and there. The pleasure rolled over her in waves and she lingered on the precipice of orgasm.
“Smoke, please,” she whimpered. “I need you inside me.”
His answer was to slide one hand under her panties and part her private flesh. “So wet,” he growled, angling away so he could pull her panties off. When he moved over her, settling himself between her legs, he was naked, too.
His cock nudged the entrance to her body, then he pushed inside, rocking back and forth until he was all in. “Fuck,” he hissed as he pulled out then pushed back in.
Kini tried not to move. Her promise held her down, and it seemed to amplify her pleasure.
“Harder,” she ordered. “I’m so close.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, gritting his teeth.
“You won’t,” she gasped.
Picking up the pace a little, he gave her what she asked for, and she went over the edge. Pleasure detonated deep inside her, erasing all the pain and exhaustion from her body, leaving only sleepy contentment behind.
As the last ripples went through her, Smoke groaned then gave her several hard thrusts before pressing deep and shuddering over her.
He opened his bright blue eyes. “You okay?”
She couldn’t help but smile at his worry. “I’m awesome.”
He shifted, checked her dressings, then cuddled her close and said, “Sleep.”
The next time Kini woke, she was alone again, but the sound of the shower running told her where Smoke was.
A shower sounded really good and the doctor had told her she could have one as long as it was short and fresh dressings were applied afterward.
Smoke came out of the bathroom then, a towel wrapped around his waist.
She had to bite her lip to stop herself from moaning at the sight of him. Then her gaze reached his face and all the naughty thoughts died premature deaths.
“What’s wrong?” When he didn’t answer right away, just stood near the end of the bed looking at her with a lost puppy expression, she tried to sit up and found she couldn’t.
Smoke was at the bedside a second later, putting a hand on her uninjured shoulder to keep her on the bed. “Stop.”
She grabbed that hand. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head.
“Oh no you don’t,” she said, tightening her grip on his hand. “You looked absolutely broken a moment ago. Why?”
“I shouldn’t have brought you here.” The words landed between them, dead.
“I don’t understand.”
“I thought if I had one more taste I could let you go, live your life, be happy, but the thought of doing it…” He lifted one hand and they both stared at it as it shook. “I’m a selfish bastard for what I’m thinking.”
Things were getting interesting. “Tell me.”
When his gaze met hers, the blaze she saw damn near scorched her. “I want to keep you, look after you, and fuck you until you never want to leave.”
What the hell was going on in his head? “Sounds good to me,” she said. “When do we start?”
He frowned. “It’s not possible. You know it’s not.”
“No I don’t. Unless…” No, she couldn’t believe it of him. “Is there another woman?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m…” He sighed and started again. “There’s a part of me that’s all aggression and anger, and it has a hair trigger. I think I need…” He took in a deep breath and said, “Help.”
“Recognizing that you can’t do it alone is the first step toward healing.” She poked his chest. “You are a good man, Lyle Smoke. I know we haven’t even gone on a single real date, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you.” She cocked her head. “Unless this is your version of a gentle brush off?”
His next word burst out of him, “No.”
She raised his hand to her lips, turned it, and kissed his palm. “We have all week to decide how we want to be together, as long as we’re both clear on the fact that we are together.”
He studied her for several seconds, then his eyes grew wide with surprise and joy. “Crystal.”
“Good,” she said, pulling on his hand. “Come back to bed. I don’t sleep well unless I’m sleeping on you.”
He slid back under the covers and under her, the beginning of a real smile on his face. “Yes, ma’am.”