Relentless Pursuit (18 page)

Sexy lingerie
.  Her weakness.  Her kryptonite.  Skimpy lacy bra and panty sets trimmed with ribbons with peek-a-boo detailing in every color of the rainbow.  Seemed like every time she'd start saving up money, putting it aside for something important like a vacation, her favorite shop would call and tell her about an exclusive sale, and all her disciplined saving went out the window.  Having to dress like a stuffy businesswoman in tailored suits and low heeled pumps wasn't her idea of attractive, but she felt alive and free and just a wee bit provocative knowing she had some scandalous naughty bits on beneath the pin stripes and pearls.

Too bad she hadn't been able to pack for this little unexpected excursion.  She'd like to model a few of those ensembles for Remy.  Maybe he liked lush curves, too.  At least a girl could dream, right?

The screen door squeaked as Remy joined her on the porch.  The briny scents from the nearby water along with an occasional splash from one of the bayou creatures filled their companionable silence.  Standing side by side, Jennifer wrapped her arms beneath her breasts, before turning to face Remy.

“So what's our next step?  Dubshenko's not going to give up.  We're barely staying a step ahead.  We got lucky this morning avoiding those two before they spotted us, but I'm afraid my nickname is about to rear its ugly head…”

“Don't.  You're not jinxed.  None of this is your fault.  Besides, I like your nickname.”  He grinned.  “Though I still want to hear the whole story of how you got it.”

She snorted.  “Keep dreaming, cop.”

Remy moved to stand behind her and rested his hands on the railing, caging her body, his front pressure enticing against her back and buttocks.  Jennifer suppressed the little stutter in her stomach at the brush of his skin against hers.  Stop it, she told herself, silently cursing her suddenly overactive libido.  This is so not the time to be thinking about anything but running as fast and as far away from Dubshenko as you can get, not jumping on the sexy stud of a detective.  Even if he is tall.  And handsome.  And has dreamy eyes.  And…just quit it.  Remy's hands skimmed lightly up and down her arms, raising goose bumps at his sensual touch. 
He's only trying to comfort me, not turn me on.  Though, oh my stars, his hands on me feel so good.  So right.

“In the morning, we'll hike back to the road and find someplace with a pay phone.  I'm going to try and get hold of my friends in East Texas, see if one of them can meet up with us and drive you back to their ranch.  You'll be safe there.”

“Don't you mean we'll be safe there?”

“They'll take care of you, keep you safe.”  Remy pulled back slightly and Jinx spun around, clutching at his upper arms.

“No!  You promised you'd stay with me, keep me safe until your captain arrested Vladimir.  I'm not going off with strangers…”

“Jinx, honey, you'll be safer at their ranch than anywhere else I can think of.  These guys are my friends, plus they are all former Navy SEALS.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, steps foot on their ranch without them knowing about it.”

Jennifer shook her head vehemently.  “Absolutely not.  You're planning on going back to New Orleans, aren't you?  Confronting Dubshenko.  You can't do it, Remy.   He'll kill you this time and won't shed a tear over it.  You’re the pesky fly that keeps buzzing around him and he's the type to pull out a .357 Magnum rather than a flyswatter to take care of the problem. I…what would I do without you?”

She lowered her head, resting it against his shoulder as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.  Sorrow and pain rocketed through her as the image of Remy dead and gone shimmered behind her closed eyes.  No, she couldn't, wouldn't let Dubshenko win.  She wasn't sure when it happened, being on the run for their lives, staying one step ahead of Dubshenko, but somehow she'd come to care about the big lug standing before her.  Was it love?  She didn't know, but it was something she'd never felt for anyone ever before.  Maybe it was too soon, but she wanted the chance to explore these feelings, find out if maybe they'd have a chance at something special if Dubshenko wasn't in the picture.

“Shh, sweetheart, it's okay.”  Remy's hands glided down her back in a soothing motion.  Up and down, then back up, over and over again.  “He's been trying to get rid of me for a long time, and I'm still standing.”

“But you weren't with me before, Remy.  He's deadly serious about getting his hands on me, and he won't hesitate to go through you to do it.  People don't achieve and maintain the position of power he has without sacrificing their soul somewhere along the way, and Dubshenko lost his a long time ago.  When I looked into his eyes after he shot Carlo, there was nothing left there vaguely humane, only pure evil.  He won't stop until he’s got me in his possession.”  She shuddered at the thought of Dubshenko's hands touching her the way Remy's were right now.  Remy's touch thrilled her, made her think of warm nights and satin sheets, and bodies entangled in passion.  Dubshenko's touch evoked nothing but fear and loathing.

“I promised to keep you safe, so I'll stay with you.  Somehow, when we get to Texas, we'll find a way to set up some kind of trap to draw Dubshenko to us and take him out once and for all.  If Captain Hilliard hasn't come up with a plan by the time we reach the ranch, well… I'm not above bending the law a bit to get Dubshenko out of our lives for good.  Don't worry, babe, everything will be fine.”

The daylight had faded, and they stood in the dusk.  Jinx snuggled deeper into Remy's embrace.  Warmth and comfort flowed from him, things she desperately needed—but she wanted so much more.  She leaned back and stared up into his gorgeous whiskey-brown eyes, loving the tiny golden flecks sparkling in their depths.  A circle of darker brown rimmed the lighter color giving them a depth of hues that reflected his moods, something she'd noted the longer she’d spent time around him.  Right now, they reflected an emotion back at her she was all too familiar with—lust.

Wow, he wants me!  Well, I want him too.  So much.  I want to spend tonight in his arms, making love—no wait, having sex.  It can't be love.  Love is for foolish people who expect a happy ending.  I'll settle for what I can get and surrender in his embrace, and worry about tomorrow when Dubshenko's out of the picture.  Until then, I'm going to live for the here and now, and that's with Remy—in Remy's arms and hopefully in Remy's bed having the best sex of my life.

She took a step back and raised both hands, gently cupping his face between them.  Tilted her head back, raised on her tiptoes and lightly brushed her lips against his.  Once, twice, the barest whisper of lips touching before Remy's control broke and he took command of the kiss.  And what a kiss.  His arms encircled Jinx and she gave a little shiver, never breaking contact.  Oh, wow, could the man kiss!  No soft, gentle exploration but a full on frontal assault.  Lips, teeth, tongue, everything went into making this kiss—THE KISS.

As first kisses go between two people who've never shared that intimacy before, on a scale of one to ten, Jinx would rate this one a solid twenty-five.  After that, she stopped thinking and started feeling.

Chapter Nineteen

J
inx couldn't believe she was standing here, in the middle of a swamp, in a fishing shack with no electricity, barely working plumbing, and didn't give a flying fig about any of it.  The only thought in her head was the amazing man holding her in his arms and kissing her like she was the only woman he'd ever wanted.  Things had gone to hell in a hand-basket earlier when Dubshenko's goon squad had caught up with them, but they'd escaped.  Now, the adrenaline rush was past and reality had set in—and she didn't care.

Everything within her was focused on the man holding her, kissing her.  She'd wanted him almost from the moment she'd met him, but everything had conspired to keep them apart.  Tomorrow might be another day just like today, and they'd still be running for their lives.  Tonight, right here, right now, she planned to live life to the fullest, and that meant spending the night wrapped in Remy's arms.

She broke the kiss gasping for breath, her head tilted back.  Remy's lips trailed along her jaw and down her throat, dropping nibbling kisses along the exposed skin.  Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, faster and faster with each touch of his lips against her skin.

“It's gotten pretty dark,” she whispered on a sigh as Remy's fingertips skimmed along the collar of her shirt, rubbing erotically against the exposed skin above her breasts.  “Um, we should probably head inside.  Otherwise, the mosquitos are going to eat us alive.” 
Oh, my stars, did I actually say that out loud?

Remy chuckled softly as he straightened. 
Yep, I guess I did say that stupid mosquito bit aloud. 
“Let's go inside.”  His hand slid into the curve of her spine and meandered lower, cupping the cheek of her ass and squeezing.

She yanked open the screen door, anxious to get inside and continue what they'd started.  There was only one bed in this sorry excuse for a fishing shanty, and she planned to make the most of it.  Remy had barely made it back into the cabin and closed the door before she flung herself toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck and locking her lips against his.  He clasped her to him, hungrily devouring her mouth.  She silently thanked her lucky stars and friendly gynecologist that she was currently on her birth control shots, and didn't have to worry about missing any pills.  Kind of hard to think about things like that when the Russian mob puts a price on your head.

“I'm on the shot, so we don't have to worry about birth control—as long as you're clean.  I mean, I got a clean bill of health a few weeks ago, um, that is if you want to…”

“Oh, I definitely want.”  Remy's lips cocked up in a cheeky grin, the twinkle in his eyes backlit by the golden glow in the room had Jinx realizing he must have lit the kerosene lamp before he came outside.  He really was a boy scout, she thought.  “I have a condom in my wallet, and several more in the backpack.  Picked some up when we got the hair dye.  I'm clean, too.  And I have never had unprotected sex, ever.  We can use them, if it would make you feel better.  Double protection is better than no protection.”

Jinx bit her lower lip, nibbling at it with her teeth for the few seconds she thought about it.  Like him, she'd never had unprotected sex.  She'd only ever had two previous partners, and she'd insisted they always use condoms.  But something about the thought of being totally skin-to-skin with Remy seemed different, exciting yet—more.

“I want to feel you inside me, Remy.  All of you with nothing between us.”

Remy groaned at her words, reached forward and grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt, pulling upwards until it was off.  He tossed it across the room, and it landed in a heap on the floor.  She stood before him in the stretchy knit shorts riding low on her hips and a lacy confection of pink and white.  The frilly corset-like bra lifted her breasts up and made them look amazing, another reason she always loved sexy lingerie.  She was a big woman with ample breasts that needed firm support, but firm didn't have to be ugly.  Judging from the hunger in Remy's eyes, he appreciated her personal indulgence, and her taste in undergarments.  His fingertips traced across the ruffled lace that edged around the top of each cup, where her breasts mounded.  The roughness of his hands was a direct contrast to the softness of her skin.  A shiver of awareness skittered down her spine, and she felt the moisture pooling between her thighs.  Oh, she wanted this man—knew he would fulfill her every desire.  She was counting on it.

Remy reached for the front closure of the mini-corset. He slipped each hook-and-eye fastener free, spreading it wider when the last one slipped from its catch.  Her breasts spilled forth. Her nipples were pebbled and hard, aching for his touch, and he didn't disappoint.  Both breasts were cupped and lifted in his strong hands, mounded as he gently massaged the undersurface while staring at her.  His tongue slid across his lips as his eyes took in the bounty held within his grasp.

“Amazing.  You are so beautiful.”

“I know I'm not shaped like most women…”

“Stop right there.”  Remy interrupted.  “I've never judged any woman on the way she looks, or how big or small she is.  I'll tell you the truth—I love women.  All women.  Ask my brother or any of my friends, they'll tell you.   Size doesn't matter, unless it bothers the woman.  Truth be told, I prefer a woman with curves, who isn't ashamed of how she's built.  I've watched you and how you carry yourself.  You've never given off the impression that you're concerned about your God-given curves, which are absolutely gorgeous, by the way.”  Remy chuckled.

Jennifer grinned at his words.  “You're right and I wasn't going to apologize about my shape, either.”  She shook her head scoldingly.  “I was about to say that I'm happy with my body and the way it looks.  Sometimes, I dress more conservatively for my job because it's expected and I don't want or need the extra attention, but never for one minute am I ashamed.”

Remy stared into her eyes, reading the truth in her words.  “This body,” he pointed at her by raising one finger, though he didn't release either breast from his massaging hands, “is truly amazing.  Gorgeous breasts I'm aching to taste, generous hips I'm planning to sink my fingers into while I'm pounding into you.  I love having something to hold on to besides skin and bones.  Hell, half the time I'm afraid I'm going to break them if I get a little too…enthusiastic.”

Jinx burst out laughing, and Remy's eyes shot straight to her breasts as they jiggled within his hands.  “Oh, yeah,” he whispered, “do that again.”  She playfully swatted at his chin.

His thumb flicked one nipple and it beaded beneath his touch.  She inhaled sharply as pleasure zinged through her.  Before she could catch her breath, the hard texture of his tongue slid across her other nipple. She moaned his name, thrusting forward into his mouth a little deeper.  The hand on her opposite breast squeezed, and she bit back a cry of pleasure as he tweaked the tip between his finger and thumb. He exerted just the right amount of pressure before he laved it with his tongue, circling the distended bud.  Her head flung back as exquisite sensations bombarded her, and all he'd done was touch her breasts.  Much more of this and she'd have an orgasm before they ever made it anywhere near the bed.  Heck, she was still fully dressed from the waist down.