ArousingMemories (7 page)

She looked at him. Her eyes narrowed as if she’d read his
mind, and damn if she hadn’t always been good at that. If she knew where his
thoughts were headed, she didn’t let on, though. “Severin?” she asked in her
clipped, bossy tone he both hated and found surprisingly arousing. “Are you
listening?”

“Yes ma’am,” he assured her because he actually had been
listening while pondering about Noah and fantasizing about her. “We’re moving
to secondary targets in the more notable suburbs tied to the
Revolution—Lexington, Concord, Arlington.” He scratched his chin. “I have to
say Arlington means nothing to me.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “That’s because you’re from
California. Around here, we know the town of Arlington was a village known as
Menotomy back in Colonial days and the British marched through there on their
way back to Boston. More people died in Menotomy than in Lexington and Concord.
Not as well known, of course. It’s a long shot,” she conceded. “But everything
is.” The room was quiet for a moment as they all reflected about the tough
situation they were in. Haley broke the silence. “Well, we won’t get anywhere
dwelling on the negative. Everyone has their assignments. Let’s get to it.”

The other operatives filed out. Sev waited until he and
Haley were the only ones left before he shut the door and turned toward her.
She looked at him with suspicion. Her full red lips were pursed, making them
irresistible. He didn’t even try. Two steps and he was within inches of her.
His gaze fixed firmly on hers, he lifted his hand and traced his thumb across
the puckered softness of her mouth. The amazing thing was she let him. For a
few glorious seconds, she stood still, staring at him as intently as he stared
at her, allowing him the pleasure of touching her. A low moan escaped those
luscious lips and the sound broke the spell. Abruptly she stepped back from
him.

“Stop that,” she admonished.

He tried not to show how disappointed he was. “Kind of a
delayed reaction, wouldn’t you say, sugar?”

“We didn’t break up because I didn’t like your touch,” she
shot back.

Regret welled up, squeezing his breath out. “No,” he agreed
quietly, not able to look her in the eye anymore. “We broke up because I loved
you too much to picture you out in the field getting hurt or getting killed.”
That last word almost choked him.

She barked out a laugh. “That’s not how you put it to me. It
was all about my being the dutiful wife and mother, staying home, caring for
the kids and waiting for you to come home from your missions. I was supposed to
greet you with your pipe and slippers and a hot meal.”

“I never said that!”

“It’s what you meant.”

“No, that’s how you interpreted it. I meant what I just
said. It killed me to picture losing you. Maybe I put it badly,” he conceded.
Moron
,
he had definitely fucked it up. “I stated it in terms of creating a more normal
family life and of making sure our children didn’t lose a mother. Those things
matter to me, and antiquated as you may think of me, I do believe kids need
their mother. But it was my losing you that made me half-mad. Once you were
promoted to team leader, we didn’t work together much. I was no longer out in
the field, keeping an eye on you. It wore on me.” The confession killed him,
but it was past time to clear the air.

Haley didn’t reply at first. She looked away, out the window
before saying, “You should have said so.”

“Would it have made a difference?”

She shook her head slowly and looked at him. “No, not if it
came down to you demanding I retire or take a desk job. That’s not what I
signed up for.”

Sev could only nod. What had he expected? She was good at
what she did. A woman didn’t put that kind of dedication into her career simply
to chuck it all away when the “right” man came along.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” she continued, walking to the
door. “It’s over. We both made our choices. You don’t love me anymore, so you
don’t have to worry about me.”

He gave a rueful smile. What else could he do? “Right, I
don’t love you anymore.” The expression on her face changed, only a small
amount, and he couldn’t quite read her. Then she was gone. “Except I still do,”
he added to the empty room.

* * * * *

A few hours later, Haley stepped out of the women’s locker
room and looked around the pool area. It was empty, and that’s how she had
arranged it to be. Being the team leader on this case had its advantages. The
only people allowed in the indoor pool for the next several hours were her and
Noah. Noah was already there, swimming gentle laps. He hadn’t seen her yet, so
she stood away from the pool’s edge and admired his form. He had a long, lean
swimmer’s body and it was almost completely visible because he wore a skimpy
bathing suit. She knew he had been a competitive swimmer in college, and seeing
him glide so easily through the water, she could believe it.

He was such a beautiful, sexy young man. Her body, naked
under the towel, already tingled in anticipation. Of course, it had been
aroused before she had stripped off her clothes, thanks to Sev. Damn the man!
All he had done was touch her lips and her body had been ready to betray her.
If she hadn’t come to her senses, she may very well have ended up with him
lying across the conference table and her filled by his fabulous cock. His
beauty was a different sort from Noah’s. Sev was broader and more muscled. His
tug on her was more primal. Maybe that’s the real reason she had flipped out at
his suggestion she stay out of the field. A part of her deep down was lured by
the idea of Sev wrapping her in his arms and keeping her safe.

But in time, she knew, she would grow to resent him for
cocooning her when she wanted to be out in the fight. Ultimately she wanted to
make a difference in the world. She wanted children, yet she wanted to help
make the world safer for them, too. Had it been, as he claimed, that she had
jumped to the conclusion he was insisting she play a traditional role? She
supposed it didn’t matter. As she had told him, she wouldn’t have agreed to a
desk job as a price for staying with him even if it was so he wouldn’t worry
about her. Even now, it warmed her to know he had cared enough to worry. But
she had worried about him, too, and would have worried more as his wife sitting
at home, waiting to hear he was back from the field safe and sound. The
difference was she knew he couldn’t give up fieldwork simply to ease her
worries. He wasn’t the kind of man to turn from a fight. Well, she wasn’t the
kind of woman to do so, either, yet he hadn’t been able to appreciate it.

Of course, none of it mattered. Sev didn’t love her anymore.
He hadn’t denied it when she said it, and he was hardly a man to hold his
tongue. Okay, she didn’t love him any longer, either. And wasn’t that a total
crock!

Tears welled up behind her eyes and she batted them back.
There was no room for self-indulgence. Lives were on the line and Noah was the
key. It was time, past time for her to seduce him fully. All they had done so
far was some mutual masturbation, and she had given him head several times. She
hadn’t dared do more even when he pressed her. She didn’t want him to collapse.
That wouldn’t help anyone. Seeing him doing the laps, however, confirmed he was
fit enough for other, more rigorous exercise.

Slipping off her towel, Haley padded over to the side of the
pool and waited for Noah to notice. It didn’t take long. Coming to the shallow
end, he stood up and brushed the water from his hair. His eyes popped at the
sight of her and he grinned. “Wow, I hope you’re coming to join me.”

“Hmm, I was thinking of it, but you’ve been going at it
pretty hard. Sure you’re not worn out?”

“Does it look like I am?” he replied, his eyes flicking
downward. The tip of his already hard cock peeped out of the skimpy bathing
suit’s top. Holding out his hand to her, he added, “Come on in, the water’s
fine.”

Haley cocked her head. “I don’t know. I bet it’s a bit
chilly.”

“I’ll warm you up,” he promised. There was mischief in his
eyes and heat, lots of promising heat.

Her breasts were already heavy and her inner thighs damp. To
draw out the anticipation, she backed away instead of jumping in. She hurried
to the deep end, feeling Noah’s gaze as she went. She stopped beside the diving
board and stared at him. As she watched, he ducked down into the water and
jumped back up, his bathing suit in hand. He grinned at her as he tossed the
bit of fabric over his head. Oh, yes, it was show time. Haley dived into the
pool and swam toward the shallow end underwater.

Noah’s sinewy arms wrapped around her and pulled her up to
the surface just as she reached a point where she could stand. His mouth
descended onto hers, his tongue probing her lips, demanding entrance. She let
him inside and sucked as if she were feasting on his cock instead. Their slick
bodies collided and rubbed as they clung to each other. The hard length of
Noah’s erection pressed against her belly, teasing her with its closeness. To
tease him back, she reached between them and circled his cock head with her
thumb. He gasped inside her mouth.

She broke the kiss and shoved off from the pool’s bottom,
fingers still clasped firmly around his shaft. She swam backward, literally
leading him by his cock. He grinned at her, letting her pull him a few feet
before grabbing her and yanking her underwater. She barely had time to shut her
mouth. No worries, though. Noah stole another kiss. Parting her lips, he
breathed air into her mouth. She inhaled and her head spun, as did her body.
But that was Noah, turning her around and around like a crocodile with its
meal. By the time he stopped, she didn’t know up from down and didn’t care. She
clung to him, electrified by his touch, and secure in his embrace. Then her
head was above water again, her back pressed against Noah’s chest.

Noah’s arm held her firmly by the waist while he swam them
both to shallow water. His hardened cock nestled between her cheeks, promising
pleasure. He stopped and turned her around to face him. He fisted her hair,
nudging her head to kiss her deeply once more. No longer content to be passive,
Haley pulled at his shoulders to bounce up and wrap her legs around his waist.
Now his cock was in the perfect place to rub against her clit. She tightened
her legs to press his hardness into her aching folds and moaned. She let her
mind drift away from all thoughts except the pleasure she took from her lover.
Her body was overcome by the sensations playing over her flesh, the soothing
water surrounding her and the electrifying heat of Noah’s body rubbing against
all her most sensitive places. She was so engrossed with her own arousal, she
hadn’t realized he was moving them until she bumped against the side of the
pool.

Breaking the kiss, Noah pierced her with his gaze. “I want
to be inside you right now, but I don’t see how unless we get out of this pool
and find a condom, ASAP.” He breathed hard, but there was no question it was
from desire.

Haley licked her lips, not sure how her voice would sound
given her state. “No need. I’m on the Pill and we get checked regularly for
everything. We’re clean.”

“No condom?” She shook her head in confirmation. “Well.” It
was his only warning. Shifting her in his arms, he lifted her and brought her
down right onto his waiting cock.

“Oh,” she sighed as he filled her slowly to the hilt. She
closed her eyes and, tilting her head back, reveled in the fullness of his
invasion. It was so wonderful, so perfect, except she needed more. Noah sensed
it was time to kick things up a notch. He tightened his grip and glided in and
out of her pussy. At first he took it nice and slow. He planted kisses along
her jaw, down her neck and over her breast. Clamping his lips on to her nipple,
he sucked and tugged.

Haley’s fingers clutched his head and twisted his hair as
the tingle from her nipple shot to her aching clit. She needed more and faster
and used her legs to pump her body against Noah’s. Taking the hint, he thrust
harder, pushing her against the side of the pool, his arms protecting her from
hitting the hard tile. Their mouths locked again, their tongues danced inside
first her mouth then his. He grunted, she keened as the climax built. The
familiar wave crested. She was almost there, almost. Pressing harder against
her lover, she tried to make it crash. Noah, clever guy, slipped a finger
between her cheeks and tickled the ring of her anus.

“Yes!” she screamed inside his mouth. His fingertip popped
inside her, pushing her over the edge. She thrashed wildly in his arms, water
foamed around them, while her teeth grated over his lips. He held her firmly
though, pumping his cock deep inside her until he, too, yelled.

When it was over, when the spasms stopped squeezing her
pussy, when Noah’s cock slipped limply from her grip, they held on to each
other for a few seconds more. Without speaking, they let go and drifted lazily
in the pool, sometimes touching, sometimes not. When she was sure Noah needed a
rest, Haley beckoned him out of the pool. They lay down on chaises side by side
and he fell instantly to sleep, a satisfied smile on his lips. She watched him
for a while before getting up. She covered him with a long, thick towel before
leaving. Maybe when he woke, his memories would be back, but she was beginning
to doubt it. In the meantime, it pleased her to know she’d helped him regain
some measure of peace. It was something.

* * * * *

Noah reared up to a sitting position, his heart raced and
his ears rang with the sound of a woman’s screams. He whipped his head around
and saw only the empty pool. He was alone. There was no one making the awful
noise. It was only the echo of a nightmare, one that had already faded so he
couldn’t remember it. With a groan of frustration, he pressed his palms against
the side of his head. Had it been merely a bad dream, or were those memories
returning? God, he hoped it wasn’t the latter. His head pounded and his stomach
lurched at the idea. He deliberately turned his attention away from the thought
and instead called forth the more pleasant and sure memory of what he had done
in the water. The clock on the wall told him he had slept for three hours. He
felt like a baby needing to nap, but the reason why he was so tired didn’t make
him feel like a baby anymore. In fact, he felt damn fine and a little
self-satisfied. It happened to a man when he brought pleasure to a woman. He
might not remember his own name, but he remembered that!