COLE (Dragon Security Book 1) (11 page)

I stood with her in my arms and lay her gently on the mattress, discarding the unopened condom on my pillow. I kissed her again, letting our lips linger, our tongues do that dance they liked to do. Then I kissed her neck, loving the feel of her fingers as they ran over my hair. I slowly, ever so slowly, slipped her nightie up along her ribs, exposing her midriff, my fingers tapping a little rhythm over her bare belly. I kissed her navel, the line of her ribs, before pushing the nightie up so that I could nibble at her perfect nipples. She moaned softly, her fingers sliding over my buzzed hair.

I wanted to taste her, to show her pleasure like she’d likely never known. But she pulled me back up to her lips, and that was just as amazing. Instead, I satisfied myself with fingers sliding under the front of her panties, fingertips pressed against her clit. She pressed her thighs together for a long moment, another moan vibrating against my lips. But then she relaxed her hips, allowing me full access to the depths of her.

She was warm and moist, her hips moving in a slow rhythm as I touched as deeply as I could. Her kiss grew even more passionate, her tongue doing this thing that threatened to push me over the edge, to forget why it was that I was trying to go slow, that I was trying to drive her into thoughtless passion. I wanted to make her lose her mind, but she was well on the way to making me lose mine.

I let my finger slip out, much to her disappointment, but then pressed two fingers against her clit. She cried out, pressing her hips hard up against my hand. I dropped my mouth to her breasts again, trying to catch the tattered edges of my control. She moved her hips again and the thoughts that drove through my mind…I didn’t know how much longer I could wait.

She was the one who reached for the condom this time. She sat up just a little, reaching for the top of my shorts. I took it from her, kneeling at her side as I grasped the edges of her panties and pulled them away. She watched me, clouds in her eyes that I couldn’t quite read. I pulled her panties away slowly, waiting for her to tell me no. I waited to watch fear or uncertainty cross her face as it had done before. But it didn’t. She just kept watching me, her hand on my thigh as she waited.

When her panties were gone, I bent and kissed her belly. She pressed her hands against my head, a sigh telling me she was okay. For now. I moved down, peppering her lower belly with kisses. She spread her legs and lifted her hips. I kissed the center of her mound, felt the slight bit of pressure on my head as she tried to push me down, further. I gave her clit just the slightest lick, and she moaned.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I watched again as I tore open the condom package. She sat up, tugged her nightie from her body. And then she lay back again, her eyes sliding closed before I pulled my shorts out of the way.

There was a little tension in her body when I settled back down against her. I kissed her and she quickly responded, sliding her hand over the side of my face. I waited until the tension disappeared before sliding my hand between our bodies, guiding my cock to her waiting body. She bit her lip, tensing again.

“It’s okay,” I whispered against her jaw. “I won’t hurt you.”

She almost instantly relaxed. When she looked at me, I could see trust in her eyes. Her hips loosened, and she waited, her face so beautiful in expectation that I almost forgot about the need burning so intensely through me. But it was a need that wouldn’t allow me to forget all that easily.

I’d never been with a woman who’d given birth. I’d heard rumors that having a baby changed everything about a woman’s body. But Amber…she was tight and warm and better than anything I’d ever felt before. I entered her a little bit at a time, watching her face for clues. She closed her eyes after the first bit of pressure, chewing on her bottom lip as I pushed deeper and deeper inside of her. She relaxed her thighs after a few minutes, lifting her hips to greet me. And then a sigh of pure pleasure slipped from between her lips.

I bent to kiss her, and she eagerly returned my touch. And then I began to move, thrusting in a slow, steady rhythm that felt like the best thing on earth. She lay still until I slid my hand under her hip, tugging her up to meet my thrust, releasing her when I pulled away. She got the idea after a minute and began to dance to the same tune I was dancing to. I could see the pleasure in her expressive eyes; I could feel the tension—this time, the right sort of tension—building in her body.

“Oh…”

The sound of pleasure on her lips threatened to drive me insane. She wasn’t just dancing now, she was creating her own song, encouraging me to move along. We were both lost after a minute, both driving toward a cliff that we couldn’t avoid. She was the first to go over, crying out, biting her lip at the last second as though she was afraid to give full voice to her pleasure. I followed, tugging her body as close to mine as possible as I lost control.

We were tangled in each other, our bodies twitching through the last few shivers of pleasure, when the baby began to cry. Amber groaned, pressing her face to my shoulder.

“I don’t think I can move,” she said softly.

I chuckled against her throat.

“I’m not sure I can, either.”

We lay there a moment longer. But the baby’s cries grew insistent. I kissed her neck, her shoulder, then slowly pulled away.

“Uncle Cole to the rescue,” I said, tugging on my shorts as I made my way to the door.

The baby lay on his back in his crib, his blanket kicked off and his face red from the emotion behind his cries. I picked him up and cradled him against my chest, surprised by how quickly his cries subsided. Amber was sitting up when we came into the room, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“He okay?”

“He’s dry. I think he just wanted a midnight snack.”

I climbed onto the bed, slipping the baby into her arms. I chuckled when the baby’s mouth went straight to her bare skin, searching for a nipple.

“He is a Bradford.”

Amber’s eyes sparkled, as she looked up at me. I thought it was with tears for a second, but then I realized it was amusement.

I leaned in to kiss her, running my hand slowly down her throat. Then I cradled the baby’s hand, as the sound of his suckling and swallowing filled the room.

“Just for a little bit, PJ. Then she’s mine again.”

Megan

My hands shook as I walked up to the reception desk.

“Mr. Sanchez, please.”

“Is he expecting you?”

“Nope. But tell him Megan Bradford is here. He’ll see me.”

The receptionist looked from me to Sam to Hayden. Her eyes lingered on tall, dark Hayden. Women seemed to find him somewhat irresistible, which made him an invaluable asset on occasion. This occasion, for example.

The receptionist picked up the phone and whispered to whoever picked up on the other end. When she hung up, she nodded.

“You may go back.”

Sam slipped her hand into mine as we walked the length of the corridor, my eyes reading the nameplates as we passed each office door. When we reached the one we were looking for, I paused, taking a deep breath as I faced it.

“One step at a time,” Sam said softly.

With a deep breath, I pushed the door opened and found myself in the same room as the boy I hated with a passion when I was a little middle school cheerleader.

“Megan Bradford.”

Kurt stood from behind his desk, moving around with his hand outstretched. I wanted to refuse his hand, but I was an adult now. I had to be polite. Responsible.

“How are you, Kurt?”

He studied my face for a second. “I’m good. I was sorry to hear about Peter.”

I held up the manila envelope I’d had tucked under my arm. “Peter is actually what I’ve come to talk to you about.”

“Is that right?”

“We found some things among his effects that have raised a few questions.”

Kurt glanced nervously at Hayden and Sam, then his eyes moved to a high corner of the ceiling. I turned and looked up, noting the security camera there for the first time. When I looked at Kurt again, he was studying Sam.

“I know you, don’t I?”

“Samantha Wagner. Megan and I grew up together.”

Kurt nodded, pointing a finger at her. “You’re the one who had a crush on Peter junior year. I remember you following him around like a puppy on a leash.”

Hayden snickered, making Sam shoot a look in his direction before she focused on Kurt again.

“And I remember you were the one who made his life a living hell, teasing him about my crush.”

“Among other things.” Kurt inclined his head. “I was a cruel kid.”

That caught us both by surprise. Sam and I exchanged surprised look. And then Kurt moved close to me, grabbing my hand before I realized what he was doing, leaning close to brush my cheek with his lips.

“Meet me at the diner on the corner of Fifth and Crockett in fifteen minutes.”

Then he stepped back and said, “Thank you for coming by. It was great to see an old friend.”

We were back on the street less than five minutes later.

“That was odd,” Sam said.

“Seems like your friend wasn’t eager to talk in front of the security cameras,” Hayden unnecessarily pointed out.

“He wants to meet at a diner downtown.” I studied Hayden for a long second. “Call Dominic and stake the place out together.”

Hayden inclined his head.

“Go with him, Sam.”

She looked completely shocked, as if I’d just asked her to move in with him.

“You can’t go to this thing by yourself.”

“I won’t be alone. You guys will be right outside.”

“But Megan—”

“I think he’ll be more willing to talk if there’s not a bunch of people around.”

I could see the concern written all over Sam’s face. But Hayden nudged her with his shoulder.

“Let’s get out of here, grandma.”

“Why do you insist on calling me that?”

“Because you wear things like this,” he said, lifting the corner of her current cardigan, a gray knit sweater with delicate pearl buttons.

“My mom made this.”

“Yes, well, your mom should probably be the one wearing it.”

She smacked his arm, and he grabbed the spot, pretending it hurt more than it probably did. Then he stumbled away, forcing her to rush to catch up with him.

I laughed as I turned and headed for my car.

Twenty minutes later, I was sitting across from Kurt Sanchez in a little, hole-in-the-wall diner.

“I’m sorry about all the subterfuge,” he said. “My company watches us very closely.”

“Why?”

“Because someone went to an old friend and told him that there were rival companies stealing his software and using it as their own.”

I opened the envelope Cole had brought to me last night and slid the pile of papers across the table to Kurt.

“Do you know what these are?”

Daddy had explained them to me, concern etching itself on his face with each line he read on each piece of paper. Peter was clearly onto something important that Daddy hadn’t even suspected.

Kurt glanced through them.

“I didn’t realize he’d gotten this far.”

“Can you tell me what they are?”

Kurt held one up. “This shows who your family’s company gave licenses to, so they could use a particular software.” He held up another. “These shows the companies Peter was able to establish have
actually
been
using
the software.”

“They don’t correlate.”

“No, they don’t. And the rest of this paperwork…there is evidence here that someone in your family’s company has been handing out copies of the software without the safeguards that are normally installed to keep just anyone from using it.”

“So someone’s been selling it illegally.”

“Basically.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Personal gain.”

Daddy had come to the same conclusion. He thought someone in Peter’s department had been selling versions of their copyrighted software to other telecommunications companies to use with their devices. Not only was it illegal, but it could ruin Bradford Telecommunications if the illegal use of the software became too widespread. Daddy was understandably concerned. When I left his office, he was on the phone with the legal department and the lady who took over the software division after Peter died.

Kurt pushed the papers back over to me.

“I run the acquisition department at TxTel. I was negotiating with a company up in Huntsville to buy one of their products. When I went up there, and they demonstrated the product, I recognized Bradford Telecommunication’s software. At first, I thought it was an official copy, but then there were little red flags. When I realized it wasn’t all on the up and up, I arranged a meeting with Peter.”

“You gave him the heads up.”

“Yeah.” He studied my face for a second. “Look, Megan, high school was a long time ago. We’ve all grown up since then.”

I waved my hand. “I just…when did you tell him this?”

“A little more than a year ago.”

That coincided with when he started showing up in Ada, according to Amber.

“Huntsville. So he was checking into a company up there?”

“Probably. That was the company I was dealing with when I saw what was happening.”

That made sense, too, since Ada was just below Huntsville.

“Why were you at Peter’s funeral?”

Kurt’s eyes fell to the table. He sighed heavily.

“I felt guilty for the way I treated him in school. Even though we’d become fairly friendly over the last few months before he died, I felt like I owed it to him to be there.”

I studied his face, trying to understand everything he was telling me.

“You told Peter someone was using Bradford Telecommunication’s software without a license. He began investigating this company, making trips up to Huntsville and stopping at this diner in Ada. He meets with an executive from that company who swears he didn’t know anything, then gives these papers to a girl he barely knew. And a week later he was dead.”

Kurt paled a little. “Who did he talk to from the place in Huntsville?”

“A bald executive. We didn’t quite catch his name.”

But Kurt’s eyes widened. “Bald. Tall. Kind of awkward?”

“You know him?”

“He owns the company up there in Huntsville.”

“Why do you think he would have met with Peter?”

“I don’t know. To get him off his ass?”

“Then six weeks ago, this same executive started following a friend of Peter’s up there in Ada. Said that Peter asked him about software code, but he didn’t know anything. And then, six weeks ago, someone came to him and started asking the same questions Peter asked.”

“Who?”

“He thought it was someone from Bradford Telecommunications.”

Kurt shook his head. “Peter told me that he hadn’t told anyone about his investigation. That he wanted to keep it under wraps until he knew what was going on.”

“Do you know what Campo is?”

Kurt suddenly tensed, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he became intensely interested in the cup of coffee that had been growing cold in front of him.

“Did Peter mention something named Campo?”

He sighed. “I should go.”

I grabbed his arm as he tried to walk past me.

“My brother might have been murdered, Kurt. I’m going to find out what he was investigating and what happened the night he died. And if I find out that you had anything to do with it…”

“Some things never change, do they?”

Kurt walked away, slinking out the door and disappearing around the corner. A minute later, Dominic—a tall, dark, hunk of a man—slipped into Kurt’s seat across from me.

“There were two men in a white panel van listening to your conversation.”

“Do you know who they were?”

“Nope. But my guess is CIA.”

“Why would they be interested in a conversation I was having with a telecommunications executive?”

Dominic slid a file folder across the table to me. I opened it and found myself looking at pictures of Kurt Sanchez that were clearly taken without his knowledge. Pictures of him talking to people I didn’t know, of him coming and going out of the same building on multiple occasions, pictures of him…was that Peter?

“Where did you get these?”

“From the van after I knocked out the two guys.”

I had to smile at the innocent smile on Dominic’s face when he said it. He was always doing things that were on the edge of illegal and then shrugging them off as if they meant nothing when, in reality, they almost always meant a lot. It usually meant me calling the police and convincing them not to come arrest him because his actions had led, or would lead, to the arrest of someone they’d been trying to get for months or even years.

“So Kurt Sanchez is under investigation by the FBI or the CIA or some federal agency? That means he’s done something on a terrorist level. Does that have anything to do with our case?”

“This is a case now?”

I shrugged. “I suppose so.”

Dominic smiled. “Cool. Code name?”

“Phoenix.”

“Like…coming out of the ashes, phoenix?”

“Exactly.”

“I like it.”

He stood and touched my shoulder as he started to walk past me.

“Where are you going?”

“To get more information out of our federal friends.”

I groaned. “Please don’t get yourself sent to prison.”

But he was already gone.