Hiding From Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 2) (12 page)

“Got it.” Joe turned on his heel. “I’ll report back when I have something.”

Joe disappeared and Alan dug into the bottom of a desk drawer, pulling out a manila folder. He spread the contents in front of him before picking up a snapshot of Georgette taken a few weeks before she’d left him. Dressed in a long white gown with her blonde hair piled artfully on top of her head and diamonds around her neck and wrist, she might have been mistaken for a princess or perhaps a movie star. She was that beautiful. Unsmiling in the photo, she was looking off into the distance completely unaware he’d been watching.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time but now he knew she’d been dreaming of something other than a life spent with him. At his side.

She needed him to take care of her, to love and protect her. She simply didn’t understand how dangerous the world could be and that he would make sure she was safe.

It was time to bring her home.

‡

G
igi’s eyes fluttered
open and then closed again, the sun pouring through the bedroom window. She could have sworn the drapes were closed last night but now they were wide open and clearly showing her she’d slept in quite late.

“Finally awake, sleepy head.”

She cautiously opened one eye to see West striding out of the ensuite bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. How did he manage to look so damn good this early in the morning? A few rivulets of water ran down his muscular chest and she had to quell the urge to run her tongue over his washboard abs and lick away the moisture.

“What time is it?”

With a big yawn, Gigi sat up and rubbed at her eyes. The pillow next to her own was dented so it looked like West had joined her in bed at some point last night but she’d completely slept through it.

If it had been Alan she’d either be dead or on her way to Chicago tied up in the trunk of his car.

“A few minutes after nine. Throw on some clothes and we’ll go down for breakfast. Travis is a really good cook. He’ll make you his famous ham and cheese omelet.”

Her stomach gurgled optimistically at the mention of food. She was starving.

“What time did you get in?”

“About three.”

He had a strange expression on his face, kind of closed off as if he didn’t want her reading his emotions. Normally he was completely open, so it looked like whatever news he had wasn’t good.

“Just tell me. I can take it,” Gigi sighed. He might as well just hit her with it. She’d survived worse and things were definitely not looking up after last night.

West scratched his chin and then sat down next to her on the bed. “Someone broke into your apartment last night. I’m guessing they went there first and when they couldn’t find you they ended up at my place.”

That made sense and wasn’t surprising.

“And?” she prompted. “Is that all?”

West lifted up her hand and pressed a kiss to the knuckles. “The suspect that was hit last night? He’s in a coma after surgery and can’t tell us anything. The other guy is still at large.”

The news kept getting better and better.

“So…what does that mean for me? Do you want to lock me up here until you catch the other guy?”

West frowned but then his expression quickly cleared. “I see what you’re asking. The answer is no. We’re not going to stay here like ducks in a shooting gallery waiting for someone to try and kill me and kidnap you. We’re going to head to Vegas with a caravan of heavily armed and well-trained guards. I promised you’d see your brother and I intend to keep that promise. I know you’ve waited a long time for that to happen. It would be easy to say ‘tough’ since it’s been years so you can wait a little longer, but that’s just a crappy thing to do in my opinion. Especially how Morton kept you virtually a prisoner. I can’t do the same thing and look myself in the mirror.”

He was a man of his word, she’d always known that. But hearing that she was indeed going to see her brother soon made her heart squeeze tightly in her chest.

“Thank you. I know it only makes your job harder.”

West shrugged and pulled her into his strong arms, the scent of his freshly scrubbed skin sending tingles of awareness through her limbs. She’d never intended to get this involved with West Anderson but here she was depending on him for her continued survival. It made her breathe easier but it also made her feel guilty as hell. He hadn’t signed up for this knowingly.

“It would be easy to lock you up for weeks or months on end and tell you it’s for your own good. I’m sure that wouldn’t endear me to you though. My mission is clear, babe. Find your siblings and put Alan Morton behind bars. Sure, I could do the latter before the former but it would be cruel to make you wait that long. Let’s reunite you with your brother and then get Morton.”

“And then find Aubrey,” she added softly, her heart squeezing in her chest remembering the last time she’d seen her sister. All curls and big brown eyes, Aubrey had been so young and innocent. “I can’t believe I might have my family back soon. It seems so unreal. You know, to have hope again. It’s been so long.”

His rough fingers traced her jaw and her breath caught in her chest. “I want to give that back to you. I want you to have the life you deserve.”

A life with him?

The unspoken question hung there between them as she gazed into his green eyes. If she came out of this alive – and he managed to put Alan behind bars – she’d finally be free. Free enough to contemplate having a real future. Unfortunately at the moment she couldn’t predict much past her next meal. By the time all this ugliness was over he might not want her anymore.

Instead of answering him she leaned in and brushed her lips against his firm, warm mouth. She didn’t have the words to express feelings she barely understood. He was the most important person in her life and her attempt at leaving him had been like ripping off her own limbs.

Was that love? She had no idea. He was a man worth loving, of that she was certain. But the thought of putting herself out there…making herself vulnerable again…was terrifying.

West didn’t seem to mind her non-verbal reply. With no hesitation he quickly took control of the kiss until she found herself pressed into the mattress under his delicious weight. Her fingers dug into his biceps as he nipped a trail down the sensitive cord of her neck, pushing aside the t-shirt she’d worn to bed to expose a bare shoulder.

She shuddered, heat sweeping through her body, scorching the flesh he was kissing and licking. His hands slid under her shirt, whisking it up and over her head before tossing it away without a second glance. He ran his tongue down to the curve of her breast and she tangled her fingers in his short dark hair. She could feel his smile against her skin as he nuzzled an already hard nipple before lapping at the tip. Moving restlessly, her lids fluttered closed and a moan escaped from her lips when his teeth scraped the sensitive bud.

“Yes,” she hissed, pleasure bubbled and fizzed through her veins. His fingers slid down her torso, over her ribcage and belly, to stroke the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. A groan escaped her lips and she lifted her hips in anticipation of the ecstasy she knew his touch would bring.

West gave a knowing chuckle, his breath a warm breeze across the tips of her breasts. sending a frisson of lightning straight to her toes. “Easy, babe. I’ll give you what you need.”

She barely heard him over the roar in her ears but she didn’t doubt him for a moment. Since the day they’d met West Anderson had seemed to know her deepest, darkest needs and how to fulfill them. He stoked a fire inside that couldn’t be quenched by anyone or anything else.

He was one of a kind. And for now he belonged to her.

She wouldn’t think about tomorrow or the next day. These last few years she’d survived by concentrating on the present. It had been the thing that had kept her sane. But could it save her immeasurable heartbreak? That might be asking too much.

His callused thumb glided over her clit, already swollen and sensitive, and her body bucked in response to his feather-light touch. She scrunched the sheets in her tight fists when he slid a thick digit into her slick channel, her muscles hugging him tightly as a coil of arousal clenched in her abdomen.

Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, he grazed his thumb back and forth over her clit while rubbing a sensitive spot deep inside, keeping her teetering on the edge but never enough to send her over.

Her breath came in pants and the world seemed to melt away as he whispered hot, filthy words in her ear. She bit her lip to keep pleas of mercy from falling from her lips but West would have none of that. In that dark, deep voice that could do all manner of naughty things to her libido, he exhorted her to tell him exactly what she wanted. Needed. Desired.

“Fuck me,” she whispered, her voice tortured and breathless. “Fuck me hard and fast. I need it. I need you. Make me come. Now.”

It was always like this. The heat. The urgency. The overwhelming need to get
closer
to him. It was at moments like this she forgot everything. The past no longer mattered and the fear dissolved away. It was Gigi and West and everything they could make each other feel. Nothing else.

West ripped away the towel, his hard cock slapping against his ridged abdomen. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around him, sliding them up and down his impressive length. He groaned and stilled her movements even as one hand reached for his pants flung on a chair, rummaging for a condom. Pulling out the square, he pressed a kiss to her belly and then her hipbone.

He rolled on the condom and then lined himself up with her entrance. She slid her legs farther apart and grabbed his hips to guide him, her nails digging into the flesh and leaving crescent marks in their wake.

With one deft stroke he sheathed himself balls deep, a shudder running through his muscular frame as he held himself still, his face a mask of concentration.

“So damn tight,” he growled. “So fucking good.”

Gigi was beyond speech. The sensation of feeling so delightfully full was heaven on earth. She swayed her hips as West slowly began to thrust, easy at first but building speed quickly until he was riding her hard and fast.

She loved every minute of it.

Every stroke sent her higher until she was floating among stars that glittered and popped. Their bodies shimmered with sweat and she wrapped her legs around his waist urging him on.

Her orgasm took her by surprise with its intensity. Like a tidal wave, it stole her breath and took control of her body turning her world topsy-turvy. She watched as West achieved his own climax, his eyes closed and his head thrown back, teeth bared in a snarl of sublime male satisfaction.

“Holy hell, woman. You pack a wallop,” he laughed shakily, rolling to his back and tucking her into his side.

Gigi’s heart rate began to slow and she lazily traced circles on his chest, in no hurry to start the day. Whatever was out there wasn’t as good as what they had here. If only they could stay in bed forever it would be perfect.

Assuming anything could be perfect in the first place.

Eventually West levered up and gave her a devilish grin. “I need to take another shower. How about you join me so we can save some water?”

Paradise might not last but she could extend it a little. “That’s an offer I can’t refuse. Maybe you could wash my back?”

“And a few other things, babe.” His exaggerated leer made her giggle and she watched his very fine ass stride across the room. “I’ll get the water warm but don’t make me wait too long.”

Determined not to dwell on what lay ahead of them, Gigi threw back the covers. “I’m right behind you, handsome.”

She’d follow him anywhere.

‡

“I
f you need
to go to the bathroom now is the time to do it.”

West brought the SUV to a halt next to the gas pump. It was just past midnight and they’d been on the road since sundown. They’d only seen a few cars on the lonesome stretch of highway which made for a long, boring but stress-free drive.