Countermeasure (38 page)

Trevor’s eyes gleamed as she moved to the middle, tugging him with her until both were lying on their sides facing each other. She studied him, memorizing his features. Cassandra caught the question still lurking in his eyes. With a shaky breath, she placed her hand on his hip, then slid it down along his thigh and back up again. She didn’t stop there. She continued to glide it up and along his waist.

She loved the feel of the muscles that bunched under the pass of her hand. When it met his elbow, she adjusted her path and continued her feathery touch along his bicep and shoulder until finally cupping the side of his neck. Brushing her thumb along his jawline, her eyes followed the movement, enjoying the feel of the whiskers that had grown since his morning shave. She skimmed her hand up along his neck until it reached his cheek then brushed her thumb along his bottom lip—a lip she was aching to pull into her mouth.

While trapped under the bed she had closed off everything except what was happening in Kenyon’s room so she could be prepared for the worst—to defend herself. To let her emotions run free would’ve been the death of her. Now that her emotions were running amuck, she was drowning in her love for him.

When Trevor tipped her chin so her eyes could meet his, her heart clamored in her chest and the desire burning beneath his hooded lids had her catching her breath. Drawn by the look, she slipped her arm under Trevor’s, splayed her hand along his spine, and pressed her body against the full length of his.

When his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her even tighter against him, she released a sigh, one full of need. His face was so close that she gave in to temptation and licked his lips, outlining them and playing with the corner of his mouth. A soft moan rose in his throat and passed his lips, a sensual invitation to push her tongue between them, which she gladly accepted.

Trevor’s heart stopped for a moment and he held his breath while Cassandra’s hand and fingers trailed along his skin, every inch of him burning under her touch. He moved his arm from her waist and glided his hand to the curve of her lower back, running the pads of his fingers along the two little dimples before gripping her ass tight and taking control of the kiss. He couldn’t get enough of her taste. Their kiss grew more intense and her body undulated against him, trapping his rigid erection between them.

With each press of her pelvis, his shaft twitched. Trevor groaned and sucked on her full lips while he smoothed his hand along her thigh until he reached the bend of her knee. He pulled her leg over his hip and thrust hard and deep.

Cassandra fell back against the pillow, a soft moan vibrating deep in her chest as she rocked against him. Reaching for the back of her head, he wrapped her long silky hair in his fist and pulled her head further back until her graceful spine bowed slightly, bringing her nipples within reach of his lips. Quickly latching onto one, he pulled gently on the nipple with his teeth and then sucked on it hard.

“God!’ Cassandra cried out, pressing herself down on him.

He continued to move in and out of her, increasing his depth with each penetration. Cassandra’s fingers dug into his hair and she held him to her while he continued his assault, licking along her chest to tongue her other nipple before circling it and pulling it into his mouth.

With each suck, Cassandra’s hips surged and ground against his, and soon he could feel her muscles tightening as her orgasm drew near. Releasing her breast, he took her mouth again. The tingle at the base of his spine and the tightening of his balls pulled a groan from him. He rolled her over and leveraged himself on his arms as he continued to pound into her, “Come with me, Cassie!”

“Yes! Now!” she cried out, reaching her release. As her inner muscles rippled around and caressed his cock, he followed her into his own.

Safe within the circle of Trevor’s arms, Cassandra’s body hummed and she felt as if she were floating. Waiting for their heart rate and breathing to return to normal, she could feel Trevor’s unasked questions beating at her. Questions she knew revolved around the events that had taken place while she had been trapped in Kenyon’s room.

Almost as if reading her thoughts, Trevor asked, “Do you want to tell me about what happened in the room?”

She was hesitant to break their comfortable silence, but knew it needed to be done. Softly, she blurted out, “It was awful. There was nothing I could do.”

Trevor strummed his fingertips along her back. “Tell me everything.”

Cassandra took a second to collect her thoughts. “It was going like clockwork, just as we had planned. I was able to open the safe and get the drive with no issues. I was on my way out when I heard someone at the door, so I ran into the bedroom. The only place to hide was under the bed, so I dove under it. The person who entered the room wasn’t Kenyon, as you know from the surveillance.”

Taking a deep breath, Cassandra snuggled closer to him and Trevor tightened his hold around her. “Keep going.”

“The man caught Kenyon by surprise. He introduced himself as Niklas. He knew about Allison and the hard drive. He was specifically looking for it, Trev. Kenyon tried to talk himself out of it, but Niklas shot him. Kenyon then confessed that it was in the safe. When Niklas opened it and found it empty, he shot Kenyon a second time. It looks like Kenyon had a partner, a woman. Niklas questioned Kenyon about her and when he didn’t cough up her whereabouts, Niklas killed him. One shot to the chest and two to the head. Execution style.”

“Shite!”

Cassandra pulled from his arms and moved from the bed. Searching the floor for her pants, she grabbed the hard drive from her pocket and returned to sit on the bed next to Trevor. She turned it over in her hands and then looked down at Trevor with regret and sadness in her eyes. “I killed him. I took this and he was shot for it.”

“Cassie, look at me.” He pulled her back into his arms and tucked her under the covers with him. “From what you just told me, he was a goner anyway. He was dead even before Niklas opened the safe.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that I let a man die. I didn’t even try to help him.”

“Lass, you would’ve been killed if you’d tried. You’d have been lost to me,” he whispered, tucking his face into her neck.

Cassandra shuddered at the memory of Kenyon’s cries. “I know, you’re right. I could tell from Niklas’s voice he enjoyed his job. Gloated about his skills. He would’ve had a field day if he had found me under the bed.” She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We need to find out what’s going on. See who this Niklas is and who he works for.”

“I know,
a ghrá.
”

Trevor took the hard drive from her and set it on the night table. “Sleep first. You need it. It’s been a tough night.”

“But we should….”

Hushing Cassandra’s protest with a kiss, he pushed the switch next to the bed and turned out the lights. The dark circles under Cassandra’s eyes had told him all he needed to know—she was exhausted.

“Trev? You just called me something. What was it?” she asked with a sleepy yawn.

“
A ghrá
. It’s an Irish endearment. It means, ‘my love.’”

“Hmm, I like it. At least it’s not another word for asshole.”

Trevor chuckled. “Sleep, Cassie.”

“Yes…
a
…
ghrá
.”

Wide awake and too keyed up to sleep, Trevor stared out into the dark listening to the sound of Cassandra’s soft breaths and rejoicing in the simple fact that she was safe in his arms. That she was finally his. Her body settled heavily against him and her breath grew shallow. Trevor, sensing she was deep asleep, slipped slowly from the bed and watched her roll into his warm empty spot. Once she settled again, he padded to the sitting room and closed the doors between the rooms to keep from disturbing her.

At his computer, he quickly scanned the video he had recorded that evening to the segments showing Niklas. Only his profile was visible when he had entered the room, but his face was in full view of the camera when he had turned to hang the
Do Not Disturb
sign on his way out. Trevor froze the screen and took a screenshot of the image.

His attention was drawn once again to the sign hanging on the handle. He knew that the sign wasn’t going to keep hotel staff out once the body started to smell. He and Cassandra needed to be gone before that happened. Filled with a determination to keep her safe, Trevor opened the browser and booked train seats from Monte Carlo to Nice and a first-class sleeper cabin from Nice to Paris. He would have plenty of time to book flights back to the States from the train. They could focus their attention on tracking Niklas and finding any connections to the case from the safety of US soil.

A yawn had him craving his bed and Cassandra’s warm body. He quickly called up the image he’d saved. He knew it would be a shot in the dark, but he still sent it to George in an encrypted email with a request for his help in identifying who the hell Niklas was and any known associates.

Once finished, Trevor gathered their belongings and packed most of their things. He set the alarm and returned to the bedroom, slipping under the covers behind Cassandra. Trevor pulled her gently against him, spooned her, and buried his nose in the nape of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent as waited for sleep to claim him.

Cassandra woke to find herself
in a cocoon of warmth. Trevor was wrapped around her; elated, she realized there was no other place she would rather be. A sound broke the silence in the room and it finally dawned on her what had disturbed her sleep.

Turning slightly, she rubbed Trevor’s arm. “Hey, you, where’s your phone?”

When Trevor didn’t react to the caress, she slapped his thigh and sniggered, “Trevor! Your alarm’s ringing.”

She chuckled when Trevor’s head popped up and he scrambled off the bed in search of his cell. After a few seconds of rummaging on his side table, he cursed and ran to the sitting room. By the silence that followed, she guessed he’d found it.

“Laughing at me, are you?” Trevor growled from the doorway.

“No,” she snickered.

As he approached the bed, she admired the contours and ridges of his naked body and laughed harder when he jerked the covers from her. She tugged the sheet back from him and wrapped it around her body. She shot him a smile. “Too funny! I needed a good laugh.”

Scrubbing his hands over his face and combing his fingers briskly through his hair, he shrugged. “At your service, lass. I aim to please.”

“So, why the alarm?”

The laughter fell from Trevor’s eyes and his lips formed a grim slash across his face. Her question had sucked the laughter right out of him. She was instantly on alert.

“We need to get out of here, Cassie. Kenyon’s body can be found any minute now and we want to be gone before that happens.”

At the mention of Kenyon, everything that had happened the night before came crashing back to her. Holding the sheet in place, she padded closer to where Trevor stood.

“Want me to make reservations while you’re in the shower?”

He flashed a cocky grin.

“What?” She did her best to ignore the vision entering her mind of pushing his naked body back on the bed and having her way with him. Even her imagination had never been that carefree and adventurous before.

“No need,
a ghrá
. I took care of it last night.”

He chuckled at her puzzled look. “I couldn’t sleep, so I got some work done. I shot Niklas’s picture over to George. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll be enough. George needs more than an image to trace Niklas. Something like an address or phone number that can be digitally traced. I’m hoping the picture will at least give him one more dot to connect. Anyway, once the email was sent, I booked us on a train out of here.”

“How much time do we have?”

He looked at his cell. “A few hours. All the cabins on the morning departures were taken. I booked us on the first available one I could find. We have time to eat lunch before we leave.”

“That is not a lot of time, Trev. We need to get moving. I still need to pack.”

He leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Nope. Handled. We just need a shower and a bite. I have the confirmation letter. Our boarding passes are waiting for us at the station.”

The familiarity with which he had handled packing her things made her feel like they had been doing this for a long time. Once again, a wonderful warmth spread inside her. He felt like home. At that moment, her eyes caught sight of her cell phone and an idea hit her. It could quite possibly give them the small details George needed to trace Niklas—but she was apprehensive about using that option. She met Trevor’s eyes. “Trev, can you send me the image you sent to George?”

With a puzzled look, Trevor grabbed his jeans and followed her to the sitting room. “What’s up?” he asked, pulling them on and sitting in front of his laptop.

“I think we should tap into an additional resource.” She booted her laptop and watched as he transferred the file to her over the network. “I want to send the picture to Nate. See if he can dig up anything on Niklas in the CIA databases. If he can find any digital trace, George might be able to run with it.”