Wings of the Raven (3 page)
“Cool.” Evan tipped his head towards the stairs. Rhys and his computer labs were in the basement of the old building, beneath the coffee shop. Yale sometimes hung out down there too, though his specialty was blowing things up, not building gadgets. “When can you leave?”
“Give me an hour to pack, get me the case files so I don’t step in anything when I get there, and I can be on my way.” I stood and moved towards the stairs. “Tell Rhys to bring the package and the file to my apartment, okay?”
“No problem,” Hannah said with a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She knew something was up, damn it. “Enjoy the beach.”
* * * *
On the first leg of the plane ride, I studied the files more than necessary, because it kept me from dwelling on other things. Like little pink plus signs.
I’d already known that Will’s assignment involved tracking down the boss of a white-collar crime ring. Electronics smuggling, money laundering, that sort of thing. No sign that La Rosa Blanca was into any of the traditional Central American pastimes of running guns or drugs. But the Feds had their suspicions, and a friend of Will and Vaughn’s from their Marine recon days had asked Guardian to do some preliminary research. So Will was down there on a fake passport posing as a businessman looking for investment opportunities—a thinly veiled cover for a drug dealer who’d headed south to avoid the heat.
I was just a tourist, visiting San Alonzo for a few days of sun and fruity drinks. Though in my case, they were going to be straight fruit juice. I’d just happen to run into Mr. William
San Francisco
.
That’s the way it was supposed to play out, anyway. Only I knew that somewhere in there, Will and I were going to have one hell of a serious talk.
* * * *
I snoozed for a couple of hours over
Mexico
. Fortunately, I wasn’t having any morning sickness or anything—not yet, at least—but I did seem to be god-awfully tired most of the time. It was midnight, local time, when I finally arrived, tired and crabby and annoyed at the cheerfully rude customs officials. But they hadn’t taken apart my laptop, printer, or giant-sized hairdryer, so they hadn’t found the goodies Rhys had stashed inside for Will. The only real electronics I had with me were my cell phone and PDA—from which the case file had been deleted, somewhere over Belize. Now all the appointments and files were appropriate to a legal secretary on vacation.
The resort city had an active nightlife, so it was no trouble to catch a cab to the hotel. Another hour and a bunch of tips later, and I was checked in and waving away the sweet bell-hop who’d hinted at offering far more personal services than carrying my suitcase. I flopped down on the bed and drew in several deep, slow breaths.
I was exhausted, but I knew I had to find Will. He’d indicated he’d be at the beachfront bar until closing tonight, waiting for whichever partner arrived with the goodies. Wouldn’t he be surprised to find it was me? But that meant I had to get up, change my clothes, and leave the comfy softness of my bed behind.
I’d packed a short scarlet slip dress that was perfect for clubbing, and a pair of beaded, high-heeled flip flops. Tossing my jeans and tank top onto the bed, I shimmied into the silky-soft dress, and immediately felt just a little less worn down. There’s something about a slinky red dress that brings out the vixen in all of us—even for those of us who were never really vixens to begin with.
I couldn’t do much with my hair. I left it loose, curling in a tangled mass down my back. A stripe of bright red lipstick and silver hoop earrings were easy additions, along with the Celtic raven pendant I almost always wore on a thin silver chain. My folks had given that to me on my fifteenth birthday, not long before they died. I wouldn’t have traded it for all the diamonds in
Amsterdam
.
I fortified myself with a bottle of water from the mini-bar and headed down to the bar, trying to quell the butterflies that were doing the tango in my stomach. Part of me was thrilled just to be seeing Will again after two weeks’ absence, but the rest of me was terrified at his reaction to my news.
The beachfront bar was lit with colourful paper lanterns and featured a noisy flamenco band. I dodged a couple of wandering hands and turned down two overt passes as I made my way to the bar. Hopping up on a barstool, I ordered a big slushy fruit drink—virgin of course—making an off-hand remark about jet lag to the bartender to explain the lack of alcohol.
“Hey babe, buy you that drink?” Out of nowhere, Will was there at my elbow, giving me an oily grin.
“Maybe.” Flashing him my best coy smile, I made a point of looking down at his hand. “Depends on if you’re married.”
“Not anymore.” He held up his unadorned left hand. “And I keep up my alimony payments, so the ex has no complaints.”
“In that case, be my guest.” I pointed at the stool to my left. “My name’s Carrie. What’s yours?” I was travelling on my own passport, but Carrie is a lot less noticeable than
Carys
, so I usually used it on jobs.
“Bill. Bill Lee.” He shook my hand, bowing over it. “Did I overhear that you just arrived?”
We made fake small talk while I sipped my fruit slush, and he slowly worked his way through a light beer. Not Will’s drink of choice, but easier to consume in tiny increments than hard liquor, without giving the impression that you’re not drinking at all. Finally I set my empty glass down on the bar right next to Will’s beer bottle.
“You wanna go for a walk on the beach?” He leered at my chest.
If I hadn’t known he was playing a role, I’d have probably slapped him, or at least just walked away. As it was, I batted my eyelashes up at him and sighed. “Sure.” I let him help me off my stool and lead me out to the sand, where I slipped off my sandals and held them with my other hand.
We moved silently away from the crowd, our arms twined around each others’ waists. When we were a good distance from any other strolling couple, he whispered fiercely in my ear.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Bringing you presents, of course. And nice greeting, by the way. Right up there with, ‘hi honey, I’ve missed you’.”
I could practically hear him grind his teeth. Will is about a foot taller than me, so my ear was pressed to his chest just above his nipple. I strongly considered nipping him through his thin cotton golf shirt, just because he was being an ass. And it hurt, damn it. I’d hoped he’d at least be glad to see me before I dropped the bomb.
“Of
course
I missed you.” His low growl was more vibration than sound. “But I was expecting Yale or Evan or Vaughn. It isn’t exactly safe down here right now.”
Mollified, at least a little, I relaxed against his chest and looked out over the ocean, shiny black satin against the matte black velvet of the sky above. The sand was warm beneath my feet, the sound of the surf was rhythmically hypnotic, and even though he was grumpy, the man I loved was holding me close. I sighed and rubbed my head against his pec. God, he smelled like heaven. I could feel my nipples pebbled against the lace of my bra and my tiny thong was already soaked, just from sitting next to him at the bar.
I barely whispered, “Let’s take this upstairs,” but I knew it was loud enough for Will to hear me.
He turned me to face him, and I felt the heavy press of his erection into my stomach. Thank God he was as turned on as I was. I lifted my face for a kiss, and Will didn’t disappoint me. He took my mouth in a hungry clasp that was both thrilling and a little scary. I knew this side of him—we’d worked together long enough for me to know his moods, but he’d never brought that darkness into the bedroom, and lord help me, it was turning me on even more. I twined my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes, returning the kiss for all I was worth.
“Jesus!” He shuddered as he wrenched his mouth from mine. He pulled me tighter against his chest and leaned his chin on the top of my head. “Your room. Now.”
“Okay.” I bent down, fumbling in the sand for the shoes I’d dropped when he kissed me.
Will reached down and scooped up my sandals before I’d even located them. Damn man had the night-vision of an owl. He kept his other arm snugly around me as we walked back up the beach to our hotel, moving a lot more quickly than when we’d left.
“I still can’t believe they sent you,” he grumbled as I slammed the door to my room shut behind us. “What were they thinking?”
I was still searching for the right words when he kissed me again, rendering any answer impossible. I forgot about everything—the mission, the danger, even what I’d come down here to tell him. All that mattered right now was getting our clothes off, and maybe making it to the bed before he was inside of me.
“Gotta have you.” His voice was muffled against the skin of my neck. I have a really sensitive spot right where my neck meets my shoulder, and Will had found it the very first time we’d made love. Even more importantly, he remembered. While he nibbled that spot with lips and teeth, he took hold of the hem of my dress and tugged it up to my waist.
“Will!” I cried out as his hand slid between my legs, tracing the line of my black lace thong. When his fingers ducked underneath the fabric, dipping into the wetness that coated my swollen lower lips, my knees gave out and I sagged against his chest.
“Bed.” With no appreciable effort, he lifted me up and strode across the room to the bed in a few swift steps. My jeans and shirt from the flight were still lying on top of the bedspread, but Will just reached down with one hand and yanked the covers aside, sending the other stuff flying. He easily held me with just one arm until he could lower me to the sheet.
Will took a step back, already tugging off his shirt. Meanwhile, I pulled the dress off over my head and leaned back on my elbows to watch the show. He stared at me just as intently while he worked at his belt and the button-fly of his jeans.
God, he was built. Even though this was far from the first time I’d seen him strip, I couldn’t have looked away for anything. When he lowered his jeans and boxers, that long, cock of his stood straight out from its sparse nest of crisp dark curls. The plum-shaped head was already a dark purple, and a tiny pearl of pre-cum beaded at the tip.
My pussy clenched at the visible proof of his arousal. No matter how unresolved things were between us emotionally, my body couldn’t help responding to the knowledge that I turned him on almost as much as he did me.
He knelt between my legs on the bed and pulled the strings of my thong down my thighs. By the time it was off my ankles, his patience was gone. Burying his face in my wet curls, he licked my slit in one slow, hungry slurp and groaned.
“You taste like fucking heaven.” He used one hand to separate my labia, then slid two fingers of the other up inside my waiting sheath.
“Will!” I cried out his name as he suckled my clit. “Please, Will, it’s been too long. I need you inside me.”
“God, yes,” he agreed. “As soon as you come for me, beautiful. I want to see your cream all over my hand and face.” With that, he went back to fucking me with his hand and tugging on my clit with his lips.
It didn’t take long. I’d been primed since the moment I saw him in the bar. My body had recognised its mate from our very first time together. Sexually, we were a perfect fit. I dug my fingers into the sheets and lifted my hips to bring me closer to that talented mouth, pulsing them in time to the thrusts from his hand. Moments later, my body convulsed and I screamed his name as the tremors quivered through me. Before I was even done coming, he moved, sliding up my body and piercing me with his erection in one smooth motion.
“Yes,” I moaned. The penetration of his thick, hot cock evoked another series of spasms in my pussy, and for just a moment, my vision almost faded to black at the intensity of the orgasm. I dug my nails into the skin of his back and held on while he pounded into me. His jaw was clenched tightly and his eyes blazed as he stared into mine, forcing me to maintain eye contact while he fucked me.
“
Carys
,” he gritted out between his teeth, in a voice that was almost a moan. After just a few more strokes, I felt his whole body go taut. He licked his lips and growled, “Mine!” then crashed his lips down on mine, kissing me breathless and dragging another orgasm from my overloaded system. I did black out then, just for a few seconds as I felt the hot splash of his seed filling my core.
“Welcome back.”
Will climbed back into bed just as I was opening my eyes. He’d picked up our clothes and dimmed the lights. He stretched out beside me, propped up on one elbow, gazing down into my face.
“You okay?”
I nodded, and somehow dredged up enough energy to pull myself into a seated position with my back against the pillows. Will must have sensed that I wanted to talk seriously, because he sat up beside me and smoothed the covers over both of our laps.
“I’m sorry,
Carys
,” he said, reaching out a hand to toy with the end of one of my curls. “That was—unforgivably irresponsible of me.”
“Took two,” I managed. My throat was as dry as a
Santa Ana
wind. “And—it doesn’t matter.”
