Spy High (26 page)

Wrestling a queen-sized mattress from
the main building to my tent provided my workout for the day. By
the time I’d folded up my cot and made up the mattress on the floor
I was drenched in sweat and beginning to curse the unaccustomed
warmth of the sun on my tent.

I flopped down on the mattress and
stared at the canvas ceiling. Wouldn’t you know it; another nice
warm sunny day. And I had to wear my jacket all day or risk leaving
my secret equipment to be discovered in my tent.

Or I could sneak it back into my
underwater cache, but I didn’t really want to do that in broad
daylight, and I didn’t dare go without a secured phone just in case
I needed to make an emergency call to Stemp.

Muttering imprecations, I put on my
jacket and checked Orion’s tracker one more time. His red dot was
still in the vicinity of the garage, and I sighed. Might as well go
up there and get some more work done on the truck. If it happened
that Orion and Ratboy were both there, at least I could keep an eye
on them.

The climb to the garage wearing my
jacket did nothing to solve my sweat problem. Halfway up the hill I
shrugged out of it and tied it around my waist by its sleeves
instead. The bulging pockets bumped my calves annoyingly, but at
least I wasn’t sweltering anymore.

As I neared the clearing I slowed,
listening, but heard nothing. When I rounded the corner and strode
up the last of the grade I discovered I was alone. I poked my head
into the garage and circled the clearing, but Orion must have left
by another route while I was climbing the hill.

I stood frowning into space while I
thought that through. First he had popped up everywhere as though
he had been following me, and now he seemed to be avoiding me.
Weird. He didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d completely give
up on a woman after failing to score on his first try, so he must
have some other reason for lying low. Maybe my empty tent had
aroused his suspicions last night after all.

Stepping into the garage, I untied my
jacket and laid it in the cleanest corner of the workbench. There
was no sign of Skidmark, so I chanced a peek into my pocket to
check Orion’s tracker. My heart almost stopped at the sight of his
dot superimposed on my origin point. He couldn’t be more than a
hundred yards away.

Pulse pounding, I stepped casually away
from the workbench and crossed to the door.

“Hey, Skidmark!” I yelled. “Are you
around?”

I hadn’t expected an answer, but I
strode in the direction the tracker had indicated, calling out
again. “Hey, Skidmark!”

Standing in the forest where I thought
Orion should have been, I turned in a slow circle, seeing nothing
but trees and ferns.

Okay, he was definitely avoiding
me.

I let out a few more yells while I
circled the clearing, eyes peeled for any movement in the
forest.

Nothing.

When I returned to the garage and
surreptitiously checked the tracker again, the dot glowed in the
same location.

What the hell? Why would Orion stand
there watching and listening but evade me when I approached?

I stood undecided for a few moments
before giving a mental shrug. It would make him suspicious if I
kept returning to the place where he’d just been. If he wanted to
show himself, he would. Meanwhile, I’d better look as though I had
some reason to be here.

I picked up the ratchet and got to work
on the engine, making sure I faced the door. Even so, the back of
my neck prickled with the feeling of being watched.

A couple of hours later I’d almost
finished stripping the engine and Skidmark still hadn’t appeared. I
eyed the transmission bolts and decided against dropping the tranny
by myself. It would be an easier job with two people, and anyway,
there was just enough time to grab lunch before hiking out to meet
Arnie.

I scrubbed off as much grease as I
could and retrieved my jacket before heading for the kitchen.

Striding out the commune gates at noon,
I stretched my arms above my head, easing muscles that had
stiffened while I bent over the engine. The sun was warm on my back
and the spicy scent of cedar wafted on a gentle breeze.

For the first time in days I felt my
shoulders relax. No run-ins with Ratboy; no uncomfortable
encounters with Orion; and Nichele and Moonbeam and Karma were all
safe.

As far as I knew, anyway.

Worry niggled at the back of my mind,
but I tamped it down. I might as well just enjoy the peace. It
likely wouldn’t last.

I had only walked a mile or so when a
burly figure appeared from around a bend in the road. Clad in faded
jeans and T-shirt with a black leather jacket swinging from the
pack on his back, he walked with the economical rhythm of a man
accustomed to long marches. I hurried forward, smiling.

As the gap narrowed between us, I
admired the flex and release of his bulky muscles with each stride.
Soon I was near enough to make out his features, his beard and
moustache failing to camouflage the long-ago-broken bones that
formed a fearsome face belied by the twinkle in his eyes.

“Hey, darlin’!” He held out his arms
and I dove into his embrace.

“Oh, Arnie, it’s so good to see you!” I
planted a big smacking kiss on his lips before hugging him close,
reveling in the feel of his hard bulk against me. “God, you feel
good!”

“So do you, darlin’.” He held me with
his characteristic gentleness, and I snuggled safely into arms
powerful enough to crush my ribcage.

“Mm. Come here,” he murmured. He tilted
my chin up and his lips met mine in a kiss that weakened my
knees.

Slowly, softly, he tasted my lips as
though relearning every contour. A small moan escaped me at the
feather-light brush of his tongue, and desire coiled low in my
belly. Pulling me closer, he continued his unhurried exploration,
his tongue seducing mine while his palms traced down my back to
curve around my ass.

I pressed against the stiffening bulge
in his jeans, opening my legs to welcome his hands. The friction of
our zippers sent sparkles of sensation directly to nerve endings
that were already begging for his touch.

My hands roamed greedily over the hard
planes of his chest, seeking down over solid abs toward the button
of his jeans. His dexterous musician’s fingers stroked a line of
heat between my legs and I whimpered with need and rubbed the hard
ridge straining his faded denim.

“Jesus, darlin’,” he rasped against my
lips. “If ya keep doin’ that I’m gonna take ya right here in the
middle a’ the road.”

“I could wait long enough to get to the
side of the road.” My voice came out hoarse and breathless. “Maybe
a few feet into the woods. But not much more.”

“Slow down, darlin’.” His hands ceased
their mind-melting work and slid up to my waist. “I wanna wait ‘til
I can take my time an’ do ya right.”

“Just a quickie to take the edge off,”
I coaxed. “I know you’ll be ready to go again by the time we get to
my tent.” I dipped a finger inside the waistband of his jeans to
caress the hot hardness pressing up to meet me.

“Ya sure, Aydan?” He trapped my hand
against him and cast an assessing look around us. “Are we safe
here? Any surveillance?”

I jerked my chin in the direction of
Skidmark’s bluff. “There’s a viewpoint up there but this part of
the road is hidden by the trees. And I’ve never met anybody else on
foot out here.” I returned my attention to the job at hand,
stroking lightly. “Besides, you can’t hike any farther with a
hard-on like this. You’ll get all chafed.”

He growled low in his throat, giving me
a toothy grin. “Well, where ya goin’ in the woods all by yourself,
little girl?”

I made big innocent eyes up at him.
“My, what big…” I traced circles with my fingertip. “…teeth you
have.” He growled again, and I batted my eyelashes. “I’m going to
my grandmother’s house. Can you take me?”

“Darlin’, I can take ya any way ya
want.” His mouth captured mine, his hands clamping on my ass to
pull me to his hardness. I ground against him while he kissed me
senseless before pulling away just far enough to make for the
forest beside the road.

Pressed together, we stumbled into the
undergrowth far enough to be concealed from the road.

“Have you got a condom handy?” I
gasped, already pushing my jeans down.

He shoved a hand in his pocket. “Hell
yeah. Figured I might need one in a hurry…”

I bent to prop my elbows on a stump,
legs wide.

He stilled and his hot gaze devoured
me. “Jesus, darlin’, ya make me glad I got a photographic memory.
I’m gonna enjoy this one for a helluva long time.”

“Enjoy it
now
,” I urged.

He grinned and reached slowly for his
zipper, teasing me with his unhurried movements.

Trembling with need, I watched over my
shoulder while he rolled on the condom and stepped behind me. His
hands glided down my back and over my ass, rounding my thighs and
moving up to stroke exactly the right spot.

My tremors redoubled as tingling
ripples of pleasure rolled through me. “Oh, God, Arnie…”

A moan burst from my lips when he slid
slowly into me, then withdrew almost all the way before pressing in
again, setting a leisurely rhythm of long sensuous strokes while
his skillful fingers worked their magic.

Rosy haze obscured my vision and I let
my eyelids fall shut, sensation expanding to possess my entire
being. Little cries fell from my lips, my hips rocking back to meet
him again and again while his fingers drove me to the brink of
glorious madness. I quivered on the edge for a timeless instant,
pleasure flooding every nerve before coiling back to implode into
waves of ecstasy.

My body spasmed around him and he
gripped my hips, accelerating to short hard thrusts that shattered
me into another blinding orgasm, his panting mingling with my
mindless cries.

He let out a raw-throated groan and
slammed home one last time, iron muscles straining for a long
trembling moment. Then his breath left him in a gasp and he bent
over my back, wrapping his arms around my waist.

We straightened slowly and stood locked
together panting and swaying gently, his face buried in my hair,
his arms tight around me.

As the heaving of his chest slowed, he
turned his head to strew feather-light whisker kisses across my
jaw. I sighed pure bliss and leaned into him, wrapped in his tender
strength.

After a few minutes he gently
disengaged himself and rolled the used condom into the tissue he’d
taken from his jacket pocket.

I pulled up my jeans. “You must have
been a Boy Scout.”

He grinned as he zipped up. “Always
prepared. Ya fixed that chafin’ problem pretty good. Thanks,
darlin’.”

“My pleasure…” A last stray ripple of
orgasm shook me and I sucked in a breath, my eyes slipping
half-closed. “Oh my God, was it ever my pleasure! I don’t think I
can walk.” I propped myself against him, sliding my arms around his
midsection. “Speaking of walking and chafing, I can’t believe you
went commando in jeans for a twelve-mile hike. Owie.”

Hellhound shook his head, grinning.
“Nah. I rented a street-an’-trail bike an’ rode it all but the last
coupla miles. I stashed it off in the woods in case we needed
wheels.”

I laughed. “Okay, now your badass image
is completely destroyed. You voluntarily rode a little
street-and-trail instead of a Harley?”

“Yeah, how fuckin’ sad is that? Figured
I better get somethin’ a little more manoeuvrable than a hog,
though. Didn’t know what the situation was here.” He planted a
whiskery kiss on my forehead. “Can ya walk yet, darlin’?”

“If I have to.”

I released him reluctantly and
staggered for the road on rubbery legs. Hand in hand, we turned to
meander toward the commune gates, the warmth of afterglow
intensifying my enjoyment of the sunshine and birdsong.

“So fill me in,” Hellhound said. “Gimme
the whole thing, start to finish.”

“Okay…” I let out a long breath and
reached up to steal a kiss before laying out the events to
date.

When I was finished, he let out a
thoughtful “Hmph” and we walked in silence while I watched the
wheels turn inside that incisive mind.

“So Skidmark’s been here pretty much as
long as Stemp’s folks,” he said after a few moments. “I can’t see
him as a big threat unless somethin’s changed recently. But I don’t
like the timin’ of this Orion guy showin’ up at the same time you
did. An’ if he’s gettin’ chummy with Ratboy, that ain’t good.” He
frowned down at me. “When ya were makin’ out with Orion, how did it
feel?”

Heat rose in my cheeks. “Well, he’s not
as good a kisser as you…”

Hellhound chuckled. “Thanks, darlin’,
but that ain’t what I meant. Ya can tell me a sexy bedtime story
later if ya like, but what I’m askin’ is how he acted.” His smile
dissolved, his gaze searching my face. “Was he rough with ya? Did
he try to push ya into it?”

“No, nothing like that.” I grimaced.
“Either he was a really good actor or those restraints weren’t for
me because it was… he wasn’t rough…” My mind drifted back to
Orion’s hot lips and butterfly kisses. “Not domineering, just…” I
trailed off into a frustrated shrug. “I don’t know; just normal. He
seemed really disappointed when I shut him down, but he didn’t push
me. Wouldn’t you think I’d be able to sense if he had something bad
planned?”

Hellhound blew out a short breath, his
expression troubled. “I dunno. You’d think so. I know ya don’t
trust anybody, so I can’t see ya missin’ somethin’ like that.”

“Well, I was getting pretty desperate
to get laid by then.” I grinned and bumped my shoulder against
his.

He laughed. “No shit. I thought ya were
gonna eat me alive.”

“I’ll do that later,” I purred.

“Darlin’, I
really
missed ya,”
he said, grinning. “But before we get to the good stuff, gimme the
grand tour. I wanna get the lay a’ the land.”