More Than Strangers (6 page)

He lifted before bringing the crop down. Since he was using the solid end, the impact barely made a sound. Her body tensed and he heard a small cry. He didn’t repeat the act.

She took in a few deep breaths before asking, “What was the point of this again?” She sounded frustrated, not afraid. When he pressed his palm against her mound, her hips rolled in silent invitation.

He brought the crop down once more, synchronizing the blow to the movement of his fingers. He opened his mouth to answer her question and found it difficult to cobble together a sentence. There was a better solution. “You tell me.”

“For one, it turns you on,” she observed through gritted teeth as the handle landed on her other cheek. Her bottom was turning a delectable pink.

“And you?” Judging from the moisture coating his fingers, she wasn’t averse to this bedroom game. He dealt another blow and felt her inner muscles clench. She was almost ready.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Her voice was breathless.

“I want to hear you admit it.”

Her spine arched as the crop met her flesh. “Yes.”

He ground his palm harder against her clit. She undulated her hips to meet his movements. His other hand continued to turn her butt a darker shade. “Should I give you what you want?”

“Please.” Her answer was a whispered plea. “Jason, make me come.”

When he did, she screamed.

By the time her shudders subsided, he had smoothed on a condom and ripped off her panties. He circled her slender waist with his hands and lifted. Using his knee, he nudged her thighs farther apart. She whimpered as the head of his shaft met her opening.

“My turn,” he whispered against her ear as he impaled her with a hard thrust. She cried out. Because of the angle, it was a tighter fit than before. But he had made certain she was slick and ready. The pleasure of being buried inside her was so intense he almost came.

He focused on Nulli. Her head rested limply on her bound arms. Her back was arched. Her shoulders were lifted and back. Moisture covered her pale skin. Her dark copper curls were damp and plastered against her face.

He pulled her back so she was sitting on his lap with his shaft buried inside her. He circled her with one arm and used his free hand to unravel the belt around her wrists. When she was free, he slid her bra onto the floor.

“You picked an odd time to do this,” she murmured as she rested against his chest.

He nibbled her earlobe. “I needed the distraction.” Even now, he was a hairbreadth away from his climax.

He ran his hands up her body to knead her breasts. She moaned as he rolled her nipples between his fingers.

“I’ve never felt this sensitive,” she admitted. Each time he brushed the turgid nubs he felt a tremor rake her body.

“That’s part of the point.” He scraped his fingernails over the rosy tips. Her breasts were still pink from recent abuse. “A little pain can lead to a new level of pleasure.”

He nudged her hips into a slow, torturous rhythm up and down his member. When the languorous pace was no longer enough, he pressed her onto her hands and knees. He held her in place as he plunged into her hard and fast. To withstand the impact, she lowered herself onto her elbows and arched her back.

He hit her deep. She was wrapped around him tighter than any fist. Her cries echoed in the room and twined with the guttural sounds coming from his throat. He held on until he felt her body spasm. Her inner muscles clenched rapidly around his shaft, signaling her climax.

His control snapped. The hot white thread of visceral need wound tight until it exploded in a flurry of ramming thrusts and ended with the obliteration of all thought.

* * * *

Nulli drummed her fingers on her lap as Jason pulled the car into the parking lot. They had chatted the entire drive back—about everything except the future. It was as if they were stealing a moment in time. Neither of them wanted to break the spell. But the entrance to Brennan’s apartment building was within sight. She had a choice to make.

They fit. The realization had hit just as her eyes drifted shut last night. Surrounded by his warmth, with his hands around her waist and his breath against her neck, she was forced to accept a truth she didn’t know how to handle. This wasn’t just sex. With him, conversation came without effort. She made him laugh, and he made her smile. They barely knew each other, but they behaved like old friends. Were circumstances different, she would have given him her phone number and made plans to meet again. If only things could be that simple.

She wasn’t even sure he wanted the same thing. Jason had come with a warning label. Before now, she had believed him an emotionally unavailable career-obsessed playboy. Nothing in his demeanor convinced her he was at all affected by last night. He was either one hell of an actor, or the feeling wasn’t mutual.

It was petty, but she wanted him to make the first move. But it would never happen. Asking for more would leave him vulnerable. He wasn’t a romance hero who would suddenly bare his soul and demand she stay by his side. If she wanted whatever this was the beginning of, she would need to put on her big girl pants and do something about it.

She wished they had met a decade from now—once she had seen her plans through and lived the life she wanted to live. An older version of her might consider staying here to explore what could be. As it stood, their lives were disparate puzzle pieces that couldn’t be forced together. She wished she could fool herself into thinking she was sacrificing her happiness for lofty ideals and saved lives. The statement might fit her situation, but self-awareness had its drawbacks. She wasn’t a selfless martyr.

She wanted her life to matter. She needed to leave a mark on this world. There was no doubt in her mind the journey she was about to make would have an impact for years to come, and she was vain enough to believe no one could do the job better than her. Jason had given her no reason to give up her dreams.

He backed into the visitor parking space and cut off the engine. This was the moment. They were about to walk out of each other’s lives forever. The realization made her sick to her stomach. It had never hurt this much to simply
not
do something. Wanting to be with Jason wasn’t about pride or ego. It wasn’t even about desire. She felt as if there were invisible threads pulling them together, and severing the connection meant losing a piece of herself.

Their gazes met. She wished he would ask her to stay even while she feared the words might actually come. Dread and yearning warred inside her, making it impossible to think. If he made the request, she wasn’t sure what she would do.

But Jason didn’t say anything. Even after the silence stretched and formed a palpable gulf between them, his expression remained inscrutable. He had left the decision in her hands. It was what she wanted, but she inexplicably felt like punching him. It took a while before the roaring in her ears subsided and allowed her to think clearly once more.

She wasn’t willing to gamble her future, but pride was something she had never found much use for. “May I borrow your phone?”

She expected resistance and was surprised when he plucked it out of his breast pocket without a fuss.

“Have you developed a sudden case of stalker syndrome?” He sounded wary but not upset. The hesitation in his gaze bolstered her confidence and assuaged her anger. It also made her wonder if what she was walking away from was far more precious than it seemed.

“Don’t worry, it’s a very mild case.” She half expected him to put the phone back where it came from. But instead, he unlocked it with multiple keystrokes and handed it to her a moment later.

It was the most recent BlackBerry. If she didn’t already know his background, she would have guessed it by his smartphone choice. The secure server this cell phone manufacturer offered made it the communications device of choice for government and former government employees.

She happened to prefer the brand because BlackBerry Messenger allowed its users to send instant messages free of charge no matter where in the world they were. While her phone number would change once she bought a local SIM card, her screen name always stayed the same.

She entered her information into the messaging service. Her hands shook as she returned the phone. Risking rejection wasn’t pleasant, but it had to be done.

“TBGeek?” he asked.

“That would be little old me.” She paused for a moment and tried to gauge his reaction. His face was an emotionless mask. “If you feel like it, send me a message in a couple of days. If you don’t, our acquaintance ends here. No hard feelings.”

“Why don’t you just give me your e-mail address?”

Her gaze lifted in challenge. “You don’t seem like the type to pour your heart out in paragraph form.”

She was rewarded by a low-pitched laugh. “You’re a good judge of character.”

She rolled her eyes even as she felt a twinge in her chest. Part of her had wanted him to demand more. “I just have you all figured out. Trust me. If you decide to do this…thing…messaging is better. I’ve done long distance, and e-mail creates too much pressure.” With those words, she grabbed her purse and stepped out of the car.

He popped the trunk before following her. “What happens if I do send you a message?”

She grabbed the small duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. “If it’s working, we keep chatting. If it doesn’t, it’ll die a natural death.”

His strong hand closed over her upper arm. She looked up to meet his gaze. Her breath hitched as she discerned his intent. “If you kiss me now, we’ll do something we’ll both regret.” If he kissed her now, she might scatter her plans to the four winds just to feel his lips on hers again.

He stared at her for a long while. Somehow, she could sense the moment he made his decision. They weren’t going to stay together—at least not yet. It wasn’t an outright rejection, but it still felt like a blow to the gut. Then she saw the flash of regret on his face and couldn’t help but run her fingers against his cheek. Ambition wasn’t a difficult concept to grasp, especially since she had it in spades. Their goals may be different, but the same drive shaped who they were. “I’ve never wanted for anything. That doesn’t mean I can’t understand someone who has.”

He frowned. It was a silent question.

“You want more, and you want it now.” Though it hurt like hell, she found the strength to smile. “You won’t change your life if it means slowing down. I can’t fault you for that.”

“Can’t you?” He sounded truly curious.

“Not when I want the same thing.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Wealth and power?”

She shook her head. “I was lucky enough to be born with a good measure of both, though I’d chosen to minimize their impact on my life. My point is—I get it. I get you.”

He released her arm. “I don’t want you to wait for me.”

If she didn’t have a resilient ego, that statement would have done her in. Tears blurred the edge of her vision, but she managed to blink them away. After taking a deep breath, she pressed her fingers against his lips. “I won’t wait. If someone comes along who makes me feel the way you do, I’ll let you know.” She lowered her hand. “I expect the same from you.”

His smile was resigned. “It’s not going to happen anytime soon, is it?”

Unable to come up with an answer, she turned and marched toward the glass doors.

“Nulli—” he called after her.

She paused but continued to look straight ahead.

He completed the sentence a moment later. “I had a nice time.”

Squaring her shoulders, she pasted on her best facsimile of a smile before facing him. “I did too. Good-bye, Jason.”

Six Months Later

JR: Just landed. Should be an interesting 2 days. What are you up to?

TBGeek: Buying fruit at Sunday Market. There’s oranges…and more oranges. I’d kill for a strawberry right now.

Jason shook his head as he pocketed the BlackBerry. The instant message brought back a highly inappropriate memory of Nulli. He wondered where she was. He was overdue for a vacation, and he wouldn’t mind planning it to coincide with hers. A few days in the Maldives sounded like just the ticket.

But until then, he had work to do. With a sigh, Jason stepped out of what he was certain was the oldest and most decrepit plane in the Middle Eastern airline’s fleet. It had been a short one and a half hour flight—one he would rather not repeat. He slung the leather carryon over his shoulder and stepped onto torn carpet. A familiar stench assailed him—too many people, not enough ventilation. Many airports in developing countries suffered from this problem to varying degrees. He wasn’t sure the air conditioner worked here at all.

Jason had chosen his appearance with great care. He was wearing a nondescript black suit and had dyed his hair dark brown. With his midpriced leather shoes and unbuttoned white shirt, he wore the guise of a foreign businessman. He dressed well enough to demand respect but not ostentatious enough to attract the wrong kind of attention. To the untrained eye, his tanned skin and hazel eyes should allow him to pass as Arab or Italian. Americans weren’t exactly welcome here.

He followed the crowded path to a nonfunctioning movable walkway. A wraith-thin expeditor wearing an oversize brown suit was waiting for him. No sign was necessary. There weren’t many foreigners clamoring to come to this city. Even though he spoke fluent Urdu and Arabic, Jason greeted the man in neutrally accented English. People revealed far more when they assumed he didn’t speak the language.

The man offered to take his bag, but Jason shook his head. It was heavier than it looked. His strides were long enough the expeditor had to move at a slight jog to catch up. With an assessing gaze, Jason swept the terminal’s interior. He didn’t like what he saw—broken glass patched together with duct tape, men traveling with thin nylon duffels probably stuffed with plastic-wrapped blocks of money, tired uniformed guards carrying ancient firearms they may or may not know how to use. The airport was considered one of the most secure areas in Karachi. He wasn’t impressed. The last time he traveled through here was several years ago. The situation since then had gotten much worse.