Her Man Flint (12 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Adriana leaned against the wall. Flint stood a few feet away saying his goodbyes to Bryce. Three days had passed since they’d flown back to Riyadh and contacted the authorities about the uranium discovery, which was immediately confiscated. Prince Lenon was arrested and the women he’d collected over the years were all on their way back to their families.

Adriana wanted to make sure Lenon would not be able to retain his harem on the slim chance he was released. At least Kanika and the others wouldn’t have to endure his abuse any longer.

Flint slapped Bryce on the back, turning to head toward her.

Since Flint admitted his love for her, Adriana really didn’t know how to act around him. Where did he expect their relationship to go? Did he want to marry her? She could never picture Flint as a husband. He just didn’t seem like domestic material. For that matter, she really wasn’t either.

Flint leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You ready to go?”

“More than ready. Did Bryce find out if Hartford was arrested?”

Adriana knew Prince Lenon had told Saudi Arabian authorities he had no involvement in her kidnapping. He said she’d been a gift from Hartford, that he knew nothing about Ryan Hartford’s activities. Adriana wasn’t sure if it was at all accurate, but there was no way to prove otherwise.

“They’re looking for him. Apparently he’s done some sort of disappearing act.”

Flint allowed her through the security section first, then followed behind her.

Billy and Robert had gone ahead about ten minutes earlier so Flint could say goodbye to Bryce.

“Do they have any idea where he is?”

“He didn’t say. We’ll just have to wait until we get back to Denver to find out.”

“I pray they find him. After what he did to Lindsey and his involvement in Dean Rawlings’ murder, he needs to be executed, twice.”

Adriana still couldn’t believe Dean was killed because he’d found out about the uranium and was on his way to Riyadh to alert the Saudi government. She was furious he’d been killed for such a thing, but then again, people were killed every day for much less.

They made it to Gate 10 and found Robert and Billy lounging in the airport chairs. Robert grinned at her. He was probably thinking about earlier that morning when she and Flint were trying to get romantic, but once again was interrupted by him. She and Flint were going to have to wait another day to get reacquainted and she was already gritting her teeth. Just looking at Flint made her want him. He wore black today and it drove her crazy. He even had a pair of black shades on that made him look mysterious, and so damn sexy.

Adriana was sure he had no idea how hot he looked. Her body temperature rose as she watched his perfectly shaped behind in the tight fitting jeans as he walked toward Robert. She loved his stride.

Flint was like a wild jungle cat. Sleek. Dangerous. Predatory. Adriana wondered if a male panther mated for life. Or did they move from one feline to the next?

What was she thinking? Flint wasn’t a panther. He was a man—one she’d like to ravish at that very moment.

Her face flushed at her amorous thoughts. What was wrong with her? Was she in heat or something?

“Flight one-eighty-nine, headed for California boarding at Gate 10.” Adriana heard over the intercom.

When she’d caught up with Flint, he placed his hand on the small of her back as they exited into the gate to get onto the airplane.

Twelve hours. How was she going to make it twelve long, agonizing hours sitting next to him? She’d lose her sanity. If Robert would have just allowed them time to make love she wouldn’t feel so pent up, so wanton right now.

They all boarded the plane and headed for first-class to find their seats. When the group entered the section they found it relatively empty. There were only a handful of passengers flying in this area of the plane.

Adriana and Flint found their seats and settled in, strapping on the seatbelts when the sign came on.

The roar of the engine alerted them they were about to take off, as the plane taxied down the runway of Riyadh International Airport, on their way back to the states.

After an hour in the air, and trying to sleep, Adriana gave up. She couldn’t think of anything but the man seated next to her. Their night at the cabin played over and over in her mind, arousing her body further. He wore her favorite spicy cologne stirring her senses. Flint Morgan all in black, wearing her favorite scent, how was she ever going to get through this flight?

Adriana swallowed hard, trying to think of something—anything that would slow her heart rate down. The thing beat so hard she was afraid it would pound out of her chest.

Flint turned to her and smiled, showing all his beautiful white teeth.

“Are you okay?” he asked, looking concerned. “You look a little flushed. Do you think you’re coming down with something?” He brushed her forehead with his hand. “You don’t feel hot.”

Adriana pushed his hand away, his touch burning her skin.

“I’m fine.” Adriana turned to look out the window.

“Hey, I have to tell you something. Bryce told me about a woman he’d met on a flight to Washington. You won’t believe this. He said she was of Greek decent, dark hair and eyes. Huge boobs.”

She turned and scowled at him. “Is there a point to this story?”

“Yes. I’ll get to it. Anyway, she was eying him for six hours of the flight, and to get to your point, they met in the planes restroom and got acquainted, if you know what I mean.” Flint cocked a dark brow and smiled.

Adriana looked at him skeptically. “There’s not enough room in an airplane restroom to do that… is there?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried it. Would you like to do some research?”

Adriana heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t the exhibitionist type, but the thought of making love to Flint was almost overwhelming.

Glancing around, she noticed that most of the other passengers were asleep.

“Are you sure it’s possible?” Adriana felt her face heat with embarrassment. She could hardly believe she’d even think about doing it in a airplane restroom. But damn it, she was horny.

“It might be interesting to find out.” Flint tilted his head toward the restroom to the rear.

“Come on, Dray. We can lock the door.”

“I don’t know, Flint. What if someone has to use it?”

“They can go to coach. Come on, baby. You only live once.”

“I don’t know. We could get in real trouble doing something like this.”

“Who’s going to say anything? Look around you. Everyone’s asleep, including Billy and Robert. What do you say? Want to do something wild and crazy?”

It was a challenge. And Flint knew how she’d react to a challenge.

“All right. But we can’t both get up together. You go first and I’ll meet you there.” Adriana could already feel heat pooling in her mid-section. It was very erotic to do something they could very well get caught doing. Almost a rush. Like the thrill she got when she was on the job.

Well, maybe not quite the same.

“You’re not going to chicken out on me, are you?” Flint’s question brought her out of her thoughts.

“I’ll be there. And then you’d better be ready for the time of your life.”

Flint grinned. "Oh, I’ll be standing at attention. Mark my words."

He got up and walked down the aisle to the restroom.

Her heart thumped wildly at what she was about to do. It was crazy, but hell, she felt a little insane at that moment.

Flint opened the restroom door, anticipating the passion that was to come. He couldn’t believe he’d actually talked Dray into making love in an airplane restroom, but just the idea sent his blood pressure soaring.

For three days he’d been trying to find some time alone with her so they could finish what they’d started out in the desert. But every time they’d sneak off somewhere, Robert would find them. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve sworn he was doing it on purpose.

Flint closed the door and looked around. The bathroom was very cramped, but he thought they could manage.

The tap on the door made him smile. Damn, his woman excited him. Always up for anything he was. He opened the door to let Adriana in, then quickly locked the door behind her.

She looked around and frowned. “I don’t know about this, Flint, it’s pretty restrictive.”

“It’ll make it more interesting.” Flint winked at her, then leaned in to kiss her earlobe.

The look she gave him could melt butter. He kissed her lips.

Flint knew once he’d gotten her in here he could keep her here.

“Just relax. Everyone’s sleeping out there. They’ll never know.” He kissed her again, this time with more passion—determined to get a response.

His tongue forced its way into her mouth to taste hers, his hands creeping up under her loose fitting sweater to caress her breast. He was shocked and pleased to find she wasn’t wearing a bra.

A moan of pleasure escaped her throat as he took her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and twisted it gently.

Flint’s groin reacted immediately. He wanted her so intensely, yet he held back. He backed her against the wall, his other hand sliding down her waist, reveling in the firm muscles of her toned stomach. There wasn’t an inch of Adriana that didn’t do something to him. He loved everything about her, including her fiery temper.

His lips left her mouth to trail warm kisses down her neck, nipping lightly. He slipped a hand down to pull up the knee-length skirt she wore. Grasping her leg and bringing it up around his waist, Flint cupped her behind with his hand, finding a silky thong. She was definitely making this easy for him.

His fingers played over her most intimate core, stroking her until she cried out with desire.

When he plunged a finger into her, he covered her mouth with his, amazed by her intense heat. She was hot molten lava, wet, and ready. He continued to kiss her, moans of pleasure leaving her lips as his thumb fondled her intimately.

He vowed that Adriana would gain fulfillment before he went after his own.

“Please, Flint. I need you inside me,” Adriana gasped, her hands reaching for the zipper of his jeans. He could hardly contain his own desire as she unzipped his pants and took him fully in her hand, caressing him.

As she stroked him, a strangled groan slipped from his own lips. The woman’s hands were magic. He’d really planned to wait, but Adriana always made it impossible.

His mind on one goal, Flint lifted her to him and thrust hard inside her, savoring the intense heat as he moved at a frantic pace. As she called out his name and tightened around him, his own release came, so powerful his knees almost buckled.

Flint found it hard to breathe—hard to think, but he was determined to tell her this time how he felt. He wasn’t going to blow it.

He tipped her chin up and gazed at her beautiful, clearly satisfied eyes and said, “I love you, Dray. If this was my last day on earth, I’d want to spend every second of it with you.”

He watched her eyes mist over.

“I love you, too. You’re the only man I have ever loved. Will ever love. Forever.”

He smiled at her words, then kissed her lightly on the lips.

Flint grinned wickedly at her. “We’d better get situated here and get out before I decide to have you again.”

“Anywhere else and I’d have insisted.” Adriana yanked down her skirt.

“You’re in big trouble when we get back to Denver. I’m going to chain you to my bed for a week until I have my fill of you.”

Her green eyes sparkled. “Oh, that’s one thing we haven’t tried. But I think the chains should be on you. I could do some nasty things to your body.”

The image made Flint’s ardor return. He pictured it clearly, and it excited the hell out of him.

“Stop talking about this. Look what’s come up.” Flint pointed down at his pants. Adriana’s face flushed when she saw he was fully erect again.

Adriana laughed, then turned to open the door.

“Wait. Are you just going to leave me like this?” Flint pasted his best wounded look on his face.

An evil smile curled her lips. “Just splash some cold water on it,” she said over her shoulder as she headed out of the restroom. “It’ll be fine.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Adriana made her way back to her seat, a grin permanently affixed to her lips. She would definitely chalk this experience up as one of the most memorable on record. Making love to Flint on an airplane would be etched into her memory for a lifetime, something she could tell their grandchildren.

Their grandchildren?

What was she thinking? Flint Morgan a grandfather. She couldn’t see him as a father, let alone a grandfather. Besides, Flint would never want children. But she did. Some day. Maybe not for a few years, but she did want to experience the whole thing, giving birth and caring for a child. But a child of Flint’s? That would be asking for trouble. He wouldn’t stick around long enough to see the child grow up.

“Adriana,” Robert said, stopping her in the aisle across from her seat. “Where have you been?” Robert looked down at her shoes, which had a trail of toilet tissue stuck to one heel.

Adriana reached down and rolled it up into her hand. “I went to the restroom.” She sat across from him. She had no plans to elaborate further.

Five minutes later, Flint came down the aisle. He was waylaid by Robert as well.

“So, where were you?” Robert watched her face as he waited for Flint’s answer.

“Restroom, why?” Flint looked over at Adriana and winked.

Robert raised a brow. “Did you two go together?”

Flint shook his head at Robert, then sat next to her.

“I asked you a question, boy. Aren’t you going to answer it?”

“No,” Flint said flatly.

“Why’s that?”

“It’s none of your business.” Flint gave her a wry grin. It was clear to Adriana that Flint enjoyed the whole banter with his uncle.

Adriana couldn’t believe Flint thought it was funny. Robert knew what they’d been doing, but Flint wasn’t bothered in the least by it.

Men
. She’d never understand how their minds worked. It was true what they said, ‘men were from a different planet.’ Different Universe, for that matter.

“Now that we have all this time and have nowhere to go, you can tell me who the hell killed my parents?” Flint said to Robert with a determined gleam in his eyes.

“Sure, change the subject,” Robert hedged.

Flint scowled.

Adriana was confused by his words. “What are you two talking about? I thought they died in a car crash.”

Flint turned to her. “Apparently that’s just what I was told. It appears now that my parents were killed in a bomb explosion.” He turned back to Robert. “Who placed the bomb on my father’s car, Robert?”

His uncle shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable with the question.

Adriana laid her hand on Flint’s arm. What did this all mean for him?

“Flint, they never caught the person or persons responsible for this.” Robert shifted again. “There was no evidence, no fingerprints. The car was an inferno. We were lucky we could even identify them, let alone find evidence as to who did it. It could have been any number of people. Grant Hartford had friends in high places. Any one of them could have planted the bomb.”

Adriana watched Robert’s body language. He wasn’t telling everything he knew, but Flint seemed appeased by his response, so the subject was dropped.

They landed in Denver sixteen hours later. They were all ready to go home and get some much-needed sleep.

Robert and Billy both said their goodbyes at the gate, then left together.

“Your apartment or mine?” Flint asked her as they headed for the front of the terminal.

“Mine. I plan to sleep in my own bed tonight. I miss my apartment. My mail has to be a mile high by now.” Adriana took the revolving door first.

“Would you like some company?” Flint eyes raked over her, his gaze saying more than words could.

Adriana had motioned for a cab when she heard scuffling behind her.

“Flint Morgan, you’re under arrest for the murder of Lindsey Warren,” a plain-clothes officer said as another handcuffed Flint and pushed him toward an unmarked car.

“No! This is a mistake,” Adriana screamed. “Ryan Hartford killed Lindsey Warren.

“How do you know that?” a man with graying hair asked.

“Because two of his men said he did.” Adriana prayed her statement would be enough for them to let Flint go.

“That’s hearsay. Do you have anything substantial? If not, Morgan is going downtown now. And if we do find out he’s innocent of murder, we still have him for obstructing justice and leaving the scene of a crime. Just to name a few infractions.” The man turned to Flint and glared. “I’m sick of you DNS agents thinking you’re above the law. Does it surprise you that we know you work for them? We have sources, too. You’re going to find out you can’t get away with murder here in Denver. No matter who you are or who the hell you work for.” He turned to Adriana. “Actually, I could have you arrested for aiding and abetting a fugitive. So unless you want to find yourself in jail and strip-searched.” His lustful eyes traveled the length of her. “Which, I’d enjoy immensely. You’d better back off and allow us to do our job, lady.”

“Dray, find Robert and tell him what’s happened. I’ll be all right.” Flint's eyes pleaded with her to not cause trouble.

Tears filled her eyes. “I will. Flint, I love you.”

Flint smiled reassuringly at her. “I love you, too.”

“Oh, how touching. Get him in the car, Ted,” the cop said as he shoved Flint toward the black sedan.

Adriana could hardly contain her anger as she watched them manhandle Flint, roughly pushing him into the car.

She needed to stay cool so she could find Robert and somehow get Flint out before they hurt him.

They had a vendetta against the DNS for whatever reason, probably
for
stepping on their toes at some point, and she feared they’d take it out on Flint.

She raced back into the terminal to find a payphone. P
lease be with Billy, Robert
. If he wasn’t, she had no idea how to reach him.

* * *

Flint sat in the back of the car, the gray-haired cop sitting next to him. It was obvious the man wanted to take all his frustration out on him.

He never dreamed they’d be waiting at the airport, especially since they were informed that Hartford had kidnapped Adriana and was the prime suspect in Lindsey’s murder now. But, apparently the Denver police didn’t believe that. Or needed more proof before Flint was eliminated as a suspect.

He glanced over at the man, who glared heatedly at him.

“You think you’re pretty hot stuff, don’t you. Damned DNS with your Holier-Than-Thou attitudes. I’ve been Denver police for thirty years and not once have we gotten thanked for any help we’ve given you guys. What do you say to that?”

“I’d say, how long have you had this chip on your shoulder?” Flint asked smugly.

The man’s face contorted with fury and he brought his arm back and punched Flint in the nose with his fist.

“Take that, pretty boy.”

Flint’s head flew back from the force, and he felt blood trickling down his lip. His eyes glazed over in pain. This cop was going to make him pay for whatever he had against DNS, which meant he was in big trouble. But he would keep his big mouth shut for the rest of the trip, and hope he’d be able to walk into police station on his own.

Adriana would find Robert and his uncle would know what to do to get him out. He always did.

* * *

Adriana punched in Billy’s number and paced, waiting for him to answer. He picked up on the forth ring.

“Billy, please tell me Robert’s with you.”

“Yeah, he’s right here. We’re having a drink, why?”

“Flint’s been arrested. They took him down to the Denver precinct. Billy, the cop that took him has some kind of grudge against DNS. I’m afraid they’ll hurt him. Tell Robert to meet me there as fast as he can.”

“I’ll tell him. Adriana, I have a friend down there. You want me to call and ask him to keep an eye out for Flint?”

“Would you please?” Tears burned in her eyes. “Thank you, Billy.”

Adriana swallowed the lump in her throat. She hung up the receiver and left the airport terminal.

Quickly, she hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to the police station, then leaned back and prayed she would find Flint in one piece when she got there.

Once at the precinct, Adriana raced up the steps, almost colliding with Robert who was waiting just inside the door.

Her eyes narrowed. “How did you get here before I did?”

“We were just around the corner when you called.”

Adriana clutched Robert’s arm. “What are we going to do?”

“First we’re going to calm down. You’re not going to help Flint one bit if you’re hysterical.

She shook her head. “But Robert, that cop. He was so angry. I’m afraid Flint’s life is in danger.”

“They’re cops, Adriana, not Mafia. He’ll be okay. Come on. Let’s find out if we can see him.”

They took the elevator up to the third floor where they were told Flint was being held.

The auburn-haired desk sergeant smiled when she spotted Robert.

“Bobby, where you been keeping yourself? You promised you’d call me,” she said with a pout.

“Nancy, I’ve been meaning to. I just got back to the states.” Robert gave the woman the onceover. “I have to tell you, woman, you’re looking really hot.”

His words brought a blush to the officer’s face.

Adriana nudged Robert none to gently. “Flint, remember?” She was about to lose her patience with his obvious flirting.

“Nancy. Flint? Where are they keeping him?”

Nancy’s face paled at his question.

“What’s wrong?” Robert asked her.

“Detective Bryer said he resisted arrest. They roughed him up pretty bad. I hardly recognized him.”

“Where is he?” Robert’s tone drew everyone in the room’s attention. “I want to see him immediately. Or, I swear I’ll tear this place a part.”

“Okay, Robert. Calm down. Let me call up to Captain Sikes office and see if he’ll let you see him.”

“You do that. I think I’ll call a lawyer while we wait.” Robert looked over at Adriana.

“He’ll be all right. Flint’s tough.”

Adriana felt her stomach lurch. Flint unrecognizable. The mere thought made her want to lose the meal they’d eaten on their flight. What had they done to the man she loved?

“Robert,” Nancy called. “The captain said you could go in and see him for a few minutes. But that’s all.”

Robert patted her hand affectionately. “Thanks, Nancy.”

A man in a gray suit came out from behind his desk and told them to follow him. They walked down a long corridor to the last door on the right.

“You’ve got five minutes,” he snapped, then opened the door.

Robert stepped into the room first, then Adriana directly behind him. Robert sucked in a deep, ragged breath.

“What’s wrong?” Adriana froze when she saw what he was looking at.

She felt the blood pool in her extremities. The room suddenly spun out of control and everything went black.