Undercover Daddy (14 page)

He felt the same about her.

But Luke didn’t dare say that to her. The air was already charged with the emotion of what they’d learned and with the argument they’d had moments before Collena’s arrival. Added to that emotion was Elaina’s attempt to make him feel better. She was being caring and sympathetic. Worse, Luke felt in need of some of that caring, even if he didn’t deserve it. And there was no doubt about it—he didn’t deserve anything but Elaina’s wrath and anger.

She apparently didn’t feel the same way.

Elaina leaned in and touched her lips to his. It barely qualified as a kiss, but it still packed a punch. Luke felt that punch in every inch of his body, and he knew it was time to move away and resume the search.

Then, she kissed him again.

It was more than a touch this time. Actually, it was more than a kiss. He could feel her hand trembling on his arm. Her mouth was trembling, too. He pulled back to see the tears in her eyes. Those tears cut him to the bone.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I’m so sorry.”

“So am I.”

He shook his head, not understanding what she meant. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“You’ve forgotten that I illegally have your son. True, it was Kevin who started the process, but once I saw Christopher, I didn’t ask questions that I should have asked.”

Luke was not going to let her go there. He stood and pulled her into his arms. “This is my blame-fest, and you’ve done nothing wrong. I know that now.”

She looked up at him and blinked back the tears. One escaped though and slid down her cheek.

Luke couldn’t bear to see it there, and he kissed it away.

And then for no reason that he could ever justify as logical, he kissed
her.

The change in both of them was instant. Even if he hadn’t been touching her, he would have noticed it. Whatever it was, it was intoxicating. His body shifted into a totally different gear, and everything inside him insisted that he continue to kiss Elaina.

So Luke went with that. He kissed her. It was slow and hungry. He took things from her that he hadn’t even known he needed.

She pulled back slightly, looked at him and blinked. What she didn’t do was stop or try to move away. She just seemed to be assessing the situation. Something was going to happen between them. Something that neither of them believed should happen. But it was as if they no longer had a say in it.

They stood there for heaven knows how long. Minutes, maybe longer. The rhythm of her heart seemed to fall into cadence with the pulse that throbbed in his wrist.

And the world seemed to just melt away.

“If we just do this fast,” she whispered. “We won’t have to think about it.”

“True.”

And it was tempting. Something wild and mindless. Sex against the wall. A frantic coupling that would leave them both exhausted and perhaps even sated.

But he knew it could be more than that. Much more. And maybe that was what they needed. A slow burn that would still leave them exhausted and satisfied, but would also keep her in his arms longer. For some reason that Luke didn’t want to explore, that suddenly seemed like the most important thing that could happen between them.

“It won’t be fast,” he promised her. He drew her to him and kissed her forehead. Her cheek. Her jaw.

“Is that wise?” she asked.

“No.”

But then, they were past the point of no return. So, Luke did the only thing he could do. He slid his arm around her waist, eased her closer and kissed her as if this would be the first and the last kiss they’d ever have.

W
HAT WAS HAPPENING
to her?

Elaina could barely think, but she could feel. Mercy, could she ever feel. It was so odd. The passion and need were there. She had no doubts about that. With just that kiss, Luke took her body from being interested to being desperate for him.

But there was something else.

Something simmering just beneath the surface that she couldn’t identify. Maybe this was about the need to comfort each other, the need to try to heal the wound that had been ripped open all over again. It would have been so much easier if it’d been just sex. But Elaina needed to melt into his arms. She needed to feel that all would be right with them.

She needed Luke.

And he apparently needed her.

As if he had all the time in the world, he circled his arm around her waist. He touched his mouth to hers. Slow and lingering. Tender.

Elaina hadn’t expected the tenderness.

She obviously hadn’t expected a lot of things, including the slow, leisurely way that he lifted her shirt and eased it over her head. He dropped it on the sofa and began to lead her in the direction of her bedroom.

She went willingly.

Elaina tried to return the pleasure that he was giving her with his mouth, but Luke skimmed a finger down her bare skin, tracing her spine all the way down. That robbed her of her breath, and the heat rolled through her.

Did he know what this was doing to her?

Absolutely.

It was a slow, easy slide into the depths of passion.

He took that clever mouth to her neck. More kisses. He used his tongue and gently nipped her. Soon, Elaina was on fire. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to make love to him as he was doing to her.

She put her hands on his chest and slid her fingers over the taut muscles. He was solid. All man. Not that she needed to touch him to know that.

Because her body was already aching for him, she rubbed against him. He had an erection, and she rubbed against it, too, and had the thrill of hearing him suck in his breath.

He stopped them just short of the bed. He leaned down. No hurried motion, either. And he took off her pants. He kissed his way back up to her bra and removed it, as well.

Elaina reciprocated, but because the urgency and the heat were taking over her body, she didn’t have Luke’s finesse. She practically ripped off his shoulder holster and shirt, and she heard him chuckle.

He was still smiling when he brushed a kiss on the top of her right breast. Then, on the left. He kept going down. Kissing. Her nipples. Her stomach. Her hip. The front of her lacy panties. He used his warm breath and more of those mind-blowing French kisses.

She couldn’t catch her breath. And her heart was pounding so hard. The only coherent thought on her mind was for him to take her now. Now. Now. She didn’t think she could wait another second.

But Luke made her wait.

He took off her panties with that maddeningly slow pace. He was seducing her, and she was totally helpless to do anything but let it all unfold.

His fingers moved over her. Exploring. Discovering. Pleasuring her. With those same slow strokes that matched an incredibly slow kiss, he eased his fingers inside her. And he found the right spot. Definitely.

The right pace.

And he even had the perfect pressure to make her forget all about the speed that she’d thought she wanted.

Because she could no longer stand, Elaina caught on to him and dropped back onto the bed. They landed in the perfect position, with him between her legs. But his jeans were in the way.

“I want you naked,” she warned him.

Elaina found herself fumbling with his zipper. She certainly didn’t feel as if she were doing her part to make this work. Then, he kissed her again. It was a reminder of what was waiting for her, and she forgot all about the fumbling. She got the zipper, and managed to rid him of his boots and jeans.

Luke left her for a moment to go get the condom from the bathroom. Each second he was gone seemed like an eternity. By the time he made it back to the bed, Elaina grabbed him and pulled him back down on top of her.

He slid his left hand around the back of her neck and eased his fingers through her hair. By now, she was frantic. Elaina struggled to get what she wanted, but Luke took his time entering her.

It was worth the wait.

Elaina stilled a moment just to savor the sensation of him being inside her. But the stillness didn’t last when he began to move. There was no way she could not react to that. Those gentle, deep thrusts were exactly what she wanted.

She wrapped her legs around him to bring them even closer. Luke deepened the closeness with more kisses. It was perfect. But soon, it was no longer enough. Elaina knew this couldn’t last. She didn’t want it to last. She wanted one thing and that was release.

Luke obviously wanted the same thing. He quickened the pace. So did Elaina. They matched each other. Move for move. Frantic stroke for frantic stroke. Damp skin whispering against damp skin.

Until the pressure built to an unbearable level.

Until the only thing that Elaina could do was go over the edge.

And she took Luke with her.

Luke quickly came to his senses.

Of course, that didn’t happen until he’d taken every bit of pleasure he could possibly take from Elaina.

That made him stupid.

Not because he regretted the sex. Nope. As good as it was, he could never regret that part of it. But he did regret putting her in danger again.

And that’s exactly what he’d done.

He certainly hadn’t been vigilant despite the fact that less than twenty-four hours earlier, someone had tried to kill them while they were in this very house.

“We need to get dressed,” he told her.

He mentally groaned at his tone. It sounded clinical. A real contrast to what had just happened between them. There had been nothing clinical about that. He added a soft kiss on her mouth and hoped it would soften the order he’d just given her.

“We should gather up our things and get them back to the safe house,” he continued. He got up, made a quick trip to the bathroom and returned so he could dress.

Elaina was still on the bed. Naked, of course. She was staring at him as if trying to figure out what he was thinking. He considered reassuring her that all was well. But it would be a lie. All wasn’t well. While he’d been having the best sex of his life, the shooter could have gotten past the agent outside and might be ready to go for another round.

And speaking of another round, despite Luke’s sated body and urgency to get out of there, he still took the time to admire Elaina. She lay there, her body still damp with sweat. She smelled like sex. And him. It seemed like some kind of primal invitation for him to get back on that bed with her.

But he couldn’t.

They’d gotten away with a lapse in judgment, but they might not be so lucky next time.

Elaina finally got up and gathered her clothes. She put on her bra as she went back into the living room to get her shirt. Luke used her absence to check the window to make sure no one was lurking outside. He didn’t see anyone, but he still decided to hurry.

Elaina was dressed by the time he walked into the living room. Not only that, she’d gathered up some things—toys and papers—which she obviously wanted to take with her. He strapped on his shoulder holster, picked up his keys and put on his leather jacket.

“Since the other stuff is already in my car in the garage, is there any reason we can’t just take it?” she asked.

Normally, the answer would be no since her car could be easily recognized, but since most of Crystal Creek had seen their loaner vehicle in front of the house, there probably was no such thing as a “safe car” for them to use.

“We’ll use your car,” he agreed.

Elaina walked to the table in the entry. She retrieved her keys, stopped and then fished out a six-inch long jeweler’s box that had been shoved to the back of the drawer. “It’s a charm bracelet that Kevin gave me. I’d forgotten about it.”

Luke took it from her and flipped open the box. The bracelet appeared to be white gold and had six heart charms. He made a cursory examination and decided the hearts were large and thick enough to encase a miniature memory card. “I’ll have the lab ultrasound it,” he let her know.

She nodded, and they exited through the laundry room. Luke didn’t use the remote clipped to her visor to open the garage door until he had the car engine turned on and was ready to drive away. He certainly didn’t want to linger around in the open in case that shooter was in the area.

Once they were away from the house, Luke called headquarters to let them know there were en route to the safe house.

“Are we back on the condom issue?” she asked.

Of all the subjects he thought they’d discuss, that wasn’t one of them. “Excuse me?”

“The condom that you originally lied about because you didn’t want to risk a personal relationship with me. Is this silent, coplike attitude a way of keeping your distance?” But she didn’t wait for him to answer. “Because it’s not necessary. We can still be friendly—”

“This isn’t about you,” he interjected.

She studied him a moment, and then her eyes widened. “Oh, God. This is about your late wife, isn’t it? I’m so sorry. You’re feeling guilty—”

“Wrong again.” Though he probably should be feeling guilty. “And
you
have no reason to apologize. I, on the other hand, owe you a huge apology. I should have been watching for the shooter. I should have been doing my job.”

“Oh. That.” Her look of relief only lasted a few moments before frustration replaced it. “I figured that would come up. The timing wasn’t ideal. But we haven’t exactly had a lot of opportunities to fall into bed, now have we?”

No. They hadn’t. “It happened pretty damn fast.”

“That wasn’t fast,” she muttered, and he could hear the sexual undertones in it.

Or maybe that was his overly active imagination. One thing was for certain, being with Elaina had been memorable.

And distracting.

Even now, he was thinking about her. Well, he was thinking about having sex with her again, and that was the last thing that should be on his mind. What he should be doing was keeping a close watch on their surroundings.

Luke drove out of town and took the turn onto a rural highway. It definitely wasn’t the fastest way to get back to the safe house, nor was it the route they’d used to come to town. He would have to drive well out of their way just to ensure that no one was following them.

His cell phone rang, and Luke fished it out of his jacket pocket. “Agent Buchanan,” he answered.

“Agent Roark from headquarters.”

Luke recognized the voice. Roark was a fellow agent. Someone he’d worked with on several assignments. He was a good man, and Luke trusted him.

“Are you ready for some good news?” Roark asked.

Luke had braced himself for the worst, but that had him relaxing a bit. “I’d love some.”

“We’ve apprehended one of the escapees, and he’s back in custody at Crystal Creek jail.”

He experienced both joy and not so much joy. “I’m glad you caught him, but it’s probably not a good idea to put him back in the very facility that he managed to escape from.”

“It’s temporary. We’re transporting him to San Antonio this afternoon around two.”

The timing was perfect. He could drop Elaina off at the safe house, have lunch with her and Christopher and then go and interrogate this guy.

“I’ll see you at two,” Luke told him.

“I figured you would.”

“They caught the two guys?” Elaina asked the moment he ended the call.

“They caught one of them.”

Elaina flattened her hand over her chest as if to steady her heart. “Well, that’s one less maniac to worry about.”

“It’s better than that. During the interrogation, we’ll play the one captured off against the one that’s still free and make him think that he was sold out by his partner. By this afternoon we could know who these guys really are and who they’re working for.”

“You really believe that?” she asked.

“Of course. You would, too, if you’d ever seen me in an interrogation room. I’m not usually a screwup, Elaina. I usually do things the right way.”

“I didn’t mean that. I just didn’t want to get my hopes up.” She shrugged. “But then, hope is the one thing we have right now.”

Unfortunately, it was. “I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to end all of this so Christopher and you will be….”

Luke’s words trailed off when he glanced in the rearview mirror. The entire time they’d been on country road, he hadn’t seen any other vehicles, but there was an SUV coming over the hill behind them. And the driver was going fast.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Maybe nothing.”

Elaina looked behind them and obviously spotted the SUV. “That driver’s getting awfully close to use.” Her gaze flew back to him. “What are you thinking?”

He didn’t want to say, but this couldn’t be good.

Luke drew his weapon so that he’d have easy access, and he sped up. According to the GPS, they had over twenty-eight miles to go before they reached a major intersection. Which meant they were out in the middle of nowhere with this fast-approaching vehicle bearing down on them.

The SUV sped up, as well, and came right up on Luke’s bumper. Unfortunately, Luke had to slow down. There was a sharp curve in the road, and just on the other side was a narrow concrete bridge. He couldn’t risk hitting that.

But the SUV didn’t decrease speed.

“Brace yourself,” Luke warned, just as the vehicle rammed them.

The jolt threw his body forward. Elaina’s, too. He made a quick check to make sure she was all right, and pressed the emergency button on his phone. That would alert headquarters that he needed assistance, but he didn’t want to consider just how long it would take for that assistance to arrive.

Basically, Elaina and he were on their own.

“Can you see the driver?” Elaina asked.

“No.” The windows were heavily tinted, and the driver had obviously disengaged the airbag, or it would have popped up during that collision. Too bad it hadn’t. It would have slowed him down.

Luke came through the deep curve and approached the bridge. Once he was on the other side, he could speed up.

But he didn’t get a chance to do that.

The SUV slammed into them again. Harder this time. And even harder still the third and fourth times.

Luke fought to keep control of his vehicle, but it was a losing battle. The SUV was much bigger, and the driver apparently didn’t care if he killed all of them in the process of running them off the road. He didn’t have time to think beyond that. The fifth collision caved in the back of the car. He couldn’t stop it from happening.

The car went into a skid and flew off the road.

There were no trees or shrubs in their path. Only dirt and rocks. That was the good news. The bad news was that meant there was nothing to break their forward momentum. And, unfortunately, their forward momentum was like an out-of-control roller coaster spearing them straight toward the river.

But it wasn’t the river that was the problem.

Because of a drought, the water was hardly more than a stream, but the limestone and clay banks that ravined the river were at least twelve, maybe fifteen, feet high.

If he couldn’t stop the car, they would almost certainly plunge to their deaths.

E
LAINA SAW THE DEATH
trap that lay ahead, and she yelled for Luke to hit the brakes.

But he already had.

Unfortunately, no amount of pressure on the brakes would do any good. The tires couldn’t get traction on the silty layers of dirt and pebbles, and they were literally skidding toward that embankment.

She thought of Christopher, praying that she would get to see him again. And she thought of Luke. He was trying so hard to save them, but he might fail.

Elaina tried to brace herself for the inevitable. She didn’t have to wait long.

It happened fast.

So fast.

Luke jerked the steering wheel to the right, and the car finally responded. It spun around and came to a stop. A precarious one. Elaina looked out the back window and saw that more than a third of the vehicle was dangling over the stony riverbank.

“Get out!” Luke shouted.

His shout and the wobbling car were all she needed to get moving.

“Hit the ground running,” he added. “And head for that cluster of trees.”

She spotted the trees. They were at least thirty yards away. And then she realized exactly what he’d said—why he’d told her to hit the ground running. The person responsible for this was up there on the road.

Still, if they stayed in the car, they’d die. The only chance they had was to get to cover.

“Go!” Luke shouted.

She did. Elaina threw open the door and checked to make sure she would land on solid ground. It was close. She barely had room to step out and maneuver around the door.

Her foot slipped, skipping off the winter-damp limestone, but she was determined to survive. She caught on to the door to steady herself.

Once she was certain she wasn’t going to plunge to the water and rocks below, she started running. Her adrenaline level was already through the roof, but that sent it soaring even more. She didn’t look back. She kept her focus on the trees. She had to get to safety.

Behind her, she heard the crash. The sound of metal crashing into the rock bed.

Her heart went to her knees.

“Luke!” she shouted.

God, had he gotten out of the car before it fell?

Terrified of what she might or might not see, she risked looking back, and Elaina saw him.

Relief flooded through her.

He was there, running toward her, but he also had his gun aimed. His gaze was firing all around them. Probably looking for their attacker. Elaina didn’t see the person, but she spotted the SUV on the side of the road just above them.

“Run faster,” Luke shouted.

Elaina tried, but the rocky ground beneath her feet didn’t exactly cooperate. Just as their car hadn’t been able to get traction, neither could she. The nearly freezing air didn’t help, either. Her lungs were burning from the near panic and exhaustion, and she couldn’t catch her breath. All of that made her feel as if she were moving in slow motion.

Luke remedied the situation. He caught up to her and latched on to her arm. His momentum thrust her forward, and he shoved her into the cover of the trees. He didn’t stop there. He put her right against the rough bark of an oak and then sheltered her with his own body.

Elaina tried to level her breathing so she wouldn’t make so much noise, but it was impossible. Her lungs were starved for air. Unlike Luke. His breathing was level, and even though he was vigilant, his muscles weren’t knotted with tension.

“Do you see anyone?” she whispered in between gasps for breath.

He shook his head.

But someone was out there. The someone that rammed the SUV into their car and nearly gotten them killed.

Who had done this?

Who?

This had to be connected to Kevin and that damn software modification. His stupid antics had nearly gotten her killed—again.

That infuriated her.

For money and greed, he’d left Luke, Christopher and her a legacy of danger.