The smart move would have been to resist.
Cody went with his gut.
Drawing J.J. against him, he dropped his head, finding her mouth as his palms laced through her hair and gripped her head.
As his tongue slipped into her mouth, she stepped closer still, flattening herself against him. His body was a tight coil of need as he enjoyed the taste and feel of her. He’d wanted this for what seemed like forever, and the reality exceeded his expectations.
She smelled of fresh air and the subtle fragrance of lavender that clung to her hair. She tasted of the coffee she’d drunk in his family’s kitchen, and of desire strong enough to melt the hardest resolve. He couldn’t get close enough. He loved the sensations she inspired. On the other hand, he hated the layers of clothing preventing him from experiencing her completely, but was grateful for them at the same time. They reminded him that kissing her was his only option. For now.
J.J. surprised him when she took his hand and flattened it against the swell of her breast. He wasn’t sure if he moaned or she did. Probably both. He flicked his thumb across the pebble-hardness of one nipple. Her response was a deliberate brush of her hips against his. His body strained against his jeans. His head was swimming. It was erotic to know that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. As frustrating as it was, knowing they couldn’t satisfy their desire for each other only seemed to enhance the experience.
His breath caught when her hand slipped beneath his waistband. Anticipation gripped him as her fingertips reached within a hair of his erection. He felt her smile against his mouth as her fingers slipped lower. Too much, his mind screamed. His system was already on overload, despite the fact that they were standing, fully clothed, and they both knew nothing could come of this. Not today.
All rational thought fled as J.J.’s fingers closed around him. This time, he knew the groan was his own. Just as he was sure he was on the verge of something that hadn’t happened since high school. He needed to get a grip. Hard to do with her rubbing him while her tongue slowly, teasingly explored his mouth. When her fingers tightened as she sucked on his bottom lip, Cody knew he was a goner. He tried to struggle against his body’s reaction, but every nerve and tendon torqued with sweet, intense sensation. He had to—
Had to—
Not wanting her to feel the spasms coursing though him, Cody grit his teeth and gently pushed her away, resting his forehead against hers as he tried to regain his control.
It took him longer than he’d thought it would, but when his breathing eventually returned to normal, he peered down at her. Lifting his fingertip to her jaw, he asked, “Do I thank you or apologize?”
Getting up on tiptoe, she kissed his cheek and answered, “Neither. You just owe me one.”
Wrapping her in his arms, he laughed softly and kissed her head. “Anytime.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She swatted his rear end. “Now, where were we before?”
J.J. shouldn’t have had to remind him. “Denise.” He reluctantly let her go, removed his cell from his pocket and dialed. The phone rang half a dozen times before the agent answered. “You shouldn’t have left this place unguarded,” Cody reminded Denise, trying to keep his annoyance in check as he watched J.J. slip into the bedroom and soundlessly close the door.
He missed her. Gone less than two seconds and he actually missed her. How pathetic was that?
“You’re there,” Denise replied. “I’m sure Little Miss Feeb is fine in your capable hands.”
The sarcasm in her tone didn’t improve his mood. “Where are you and what’s your ETA?”
“I’m on some back road north of town. Looks like snow rolling in from the west.”
“Snow happens,” he said, pacing in the small kitchen area. “Any possibilities?”
“With modern plumbing?” Denise answered smartly. “I’ve seen one ranch house that hasn’t been used since, well, forever. It’s big, but has no central heat and enough cobwebs to make Bela Lugosi proud.”
The old Watson place. A favorite hangout for the Landry boys and their friends to explore as kids. Going inside the abandoned house at midnight was a rite of passage for many Jasper teens. He remembered the experience fondly. It was the first time he knew he could conquer his own fear.
“Cody?”
Blowing out a breath, he asked, “What else?”
“A two-story home at the end of a cul-de-sac in a community near the hospital. It’s a pretty populated area, but the houses are—”
“Out of the question. What else?”
She let out an exasperated breath that blasted over the phone line. “Even with Lara down, we can secure a location, Cody. Since when do we have to limit our choices to out-of-the-way hovels?”
“Since we lost our last three assignments.” Just the hint of losing J.J. made his chest clench. “What else?”
“The Mountainview Inn is nice. It has—”
“Howard, what part of this assignment didn’t you get?” he called into the mouthpiece. “The Inn is loaded with tourists at this time of year.” And in three days, it would be at capacity. “It isn’t a possibility.”
“Yes,” Denise argued, “it is, if you’ll hear me out. I spoke to the manager and he said there are cabins onsite. They’re being renovated, but they’re habitable.”
“Too hard to secure,” Cody argued.
“We’ve faced worse situations,” Denise reminded him. “Cody, think about it. We’re light one deputy, and you’ve got to be at the Mountainview Inn for the reception for most of Saturday. If we use the cabins, you’d be close in case Martin or I need you.”
Valid point. Dangerous, but valid. “I’ll consider it. Where are you now?”
“I’ve got one more place on the list your brother gave me. It’s a motel up toward Helena.”
“Call Martin and have him scout it. It’s on his way back from the lab. Tell him to call me. You get back here.”
“Will do. But it might take me a little while. The roads are getting slick.”
“Be careful.”
“Always am.”
Flipping the phone closed, Cody rubbed the stubble on his chin, considering all the possibilities presented by Denise’s suggestion. There were some definite advantages to the Inn. He’d be able to attend to his family obligations without having to drive all over creation. Room service, he added to his mental notes as he pulled the pot of leftover stew from the fridge. He placed it on top of the stove and turned the knob that brought the flame to life on a sudden, blue-hot whoosh, then he turned it back to a low simmer.
The accommodations at the Inn could comfortably fit them all. A significant plus over this place, he decided as he glanced around the confined space. He went to the sofa and sat down. With his elbows on his knees, he steepled his fingers against his forehead and stared down at the tattered rug at his feet. Thankfully the smell of the warming stew was replacing the musty odor in the cabin. Nothing seemed to be able to replace his sense of normalcy.
After checking his watch, he put his cell phone and wallet on the coffee table then decided on a quick shower.
He stole one last glance at the closed bedroom door. She’d been in there for a few minutes. Remembering the escape she’d staged, he wondered—just for a second—if she’d done it again.
“No,” he whispered, shaking his head as he flicked a switch to flood the cramped bath with harsh light from the single bulb in the center of the ceiling. “She wouldn’t dare.”
Would she? No. Not now. They had rapport, right?
A rapport that included a serious case of the hots.
Cody stripped and stepped under the spray of tepid water, replaying the scene back at the Lucky 7, followed by the passionate exchange in the living room. It didn’t require closing his eyes to remember how great it had felt to have J.J. press her incredible body against him.
“I’m in serious trouble,” he grumbled, lathering shampoo into his hair.
Yes, he lusted for her. But there was more. More than just a physical attraction. More than just a passing interest. More of everything. How in the hell had this happened?
It had to be lust. But some sort of mind-altering lust. A guy did not fall for a woman in less than ten days. Right?
He sighed. “Wrong.” Worse than wrong.
And once J.J. found out the truth, she’d be furious.
Beyond furious.
J.J. WAS FEELING smug, and a little bit naughty. Okay, a lot naughty. But who cared? Her body positively tingled from head to toe. She felt—what?
Happy. Really, really happy. Odd, considering that she was stuck in the middle of Montana. With a protective detail to keep the Russian mob from killing her. When said mob had tried twice already to do just that. With the help of one member of the detail. She should be on high alert. She should be doing her job. Not playing sex games.
Grabbing a small spoon from a sparsely stocked drawer, she tasted the stew, then lowered the burner.
She set the table. Admired her work. Then realized she had only put out two place settings. This only-the-two-of-us thing with Cody was as temporary as it was confusing, she reminded herself as she hastily grabbed place settings for Martin and Denise. She kept busy, secretly glad she didn’t have time to explore her feelings. Forget explore. Acknowledge was a better word, but that, too, could wait. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye.
Crouched, she pulled her gun from the back of her waistband and considered yelling for Cody. No. Whoever was out there would hear her and, because of the shower, Cody would not.
She hadn’t heard a car to signal Denise’s or Martin’s return. And, more suspiciously, whoever it was had flattened himself along the exterior of the cabin.
She took a series of deep breaths and counted…One…Two…Three. Then she yanked open the door and pointed the barrel of her gun even with the intruder’s left temple. “Agent Barnes. FBI. Keep your hands where I can see them.”
“Agent Neal Stephenson. Get your gun out of my face.”
There was something vaguely familiar about the man. “Identification?”
“Left front pocket. Can we move this along? I know Landry is in the shower and the other two marshals will be back any minute. I’ve got a message for you from Associate Director Andrews and I’d like to give it to you before my lips freeze off.”
“What are you doing here?” She kept the gun in place until she had verified his credentials.
Stephenson was about an inch shorter than her. A navy knit cap, crusted with snow, covered all but a hint of reddish-brown hair. Even in a bulky parka, he didn’t appear to be muscular, but he certainly seemed annoyed enough to cause her pain if he felt so inclined. His blue eyes regarded her with unabashed irritation.
“Why here?” she insisted.
“Trying to get a message to you has been a little impossible. I’ve been buried under a snow mound for the better part of an hour.”
After checking to make sure the shower was still running, she pulled him inside and closed the door. Whispering, she reminded him of the rules set up by the associate director. “Text message me, Stephenson. That’s the plan.”
“That was the plan,” he groused. “Until someone reprogrammed your phone.”
She blinked. “Someone…” It didn’t take a stroke of genius to figure out who the culprit was.
“After walking nearly two miles in the snow, I had to wait to catch you alone. Look at this,” Stephenson said, shoving a small digital camera in her direction. “I took this earlier today and sent a copy to your cell. Which—” he gave a judgmental little pause “—you didn’t respond to. Mean anything to you?”
She shook her head. “That’s Denise Howard.” Wait? Was Stephenson watching? Everything? Lord, she hoped not.
AS SOON AS HE SHUT off the water, he heard something. His mind and heart raced. How could he have been so stupid as to leave J.J. alone?
After securing a towel around his waist and rifling through the pile of his discarded clothing, he grabbed his gun and soundlessly crept toward the closed door. Placing his ear against the roughly sanded wood, he isolated the muffled sounds of hushed voices. J.J.’s and—he strained to hear—a man?
Without hesitation, he reared back and kicked down the door, planting his feet and training his weapon dead center in the forehead of the startled guy standing in the entranceway.
J.J. rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “Stand down, Super Deputy,” she mocked. “This is Agent Neal Stephenson.” She walked over and put her hand on the barrel of his gun, applying pressure until he finally let it drop to his side.
“Stephenson, meet Deputy-Marshal-in-Charge Cody Landry.”
“Landry,” Stephenson said, standing rigidly and nodding in greeting.
J.J. watched the two men size each other up and felt the tide of testosterone lapping at her feet.
“Want to tell me what’s going on here?” Cody snapped, directing his question at her.
The man had ears like a bat, J.J. thought. She and Stephenson had practically been lip reading. Damn. “Stephenson’s my bureau shadow.”
Cody’s hostility seemed to fill the room. “And you were planning on telling me this when?”
“His existence was on a need-to-know basis. Until this moment, you didn’t need to know.” She met his angry gaze without flinching. “I knew I had a shadow, but not who until—”
“Third stool from the cash register at the Cowboy Café the night you escaped,” Cody finished.
Okay, I’m impressed. “Very good.” If she expected her compliment to diffuse some of the tension, she was wrong. Although he hadn’t moved from his position in the bathroom doorway, every line of his body was taut and ready for action. And he was virtually naked.
Lust was clouding her judgment. “You had to know the bureau would make contact with me somehow.”
He was beautiful, sculpted muscle. Breathe. Don’t think about the body. Don’t think about the body.
Not a muscle in his face or body relaxed. “I assumed the contact would go through proper channels.”
Stephenson, sensing the undercurrents, smiled and tried to make light of a volatile situation. “You know what they say about assuming?”
His attempt at a joke hung in the air like a toxic cloud.
“Maybe you’d better go,” J.J. suggested to Stephenson.
“But I’m supposed to brief—”
J.J. held up her hand. While she appreciated Stephenson’s enthusiasm, she knew Cody well enough to know he wouldn’t take what Stephenson was about to divulge well. She also didn’t want Stephenson to pick up on the sexual undercurrents between herself and Cody. He’d report it in a heartbeat, and Associate Director Andrews was already seriously furious with her.
“Thanks for the info, Stephenson. I’ll brief Deputy Landry,” J.J. insisted as she ushered the agent out the door.
After seeing the agent off on his long walk back to wherever, she turned her gaze back on Cody. “Stephenson came here to do more than just brief me. He ratted you out about the cell phone.”
“Really?” he asked, arching one dark brow.
Damp, dark hair covered his broad chest and narrowed toward his trim waist and taut abdomen. Eyes up. Don’t think about the body.
Six feet, four inches of acutely annoyed, practically naked deputy marshal glowered in her direction.
“Don’t you dare look at me like that,” she shot at him. “Exactly when were you going to tell me the truth?”
“You were on a need-to-know basis.” He repeated what she’d told him minutes ago, his words still clipped by anger. “You didn’t need to know.”
“I’ve been totally up-front with you, Cody. I put myself out there—all cards on the table—only to discover you’ve been screwing with me this whole time.”
“Nothing personal, Agent Barnes.” Cody strode to the stove to turn off the stew. He turned back around to look at her, his eyes cool. “We were both doing our jobs.”
Yes, they were. Then why, J.J. wondered, did his betrayal hurt this much? “Did you think the FBI wouldn’t put a tracking device in my cell phone? Not only does it have a GPS function, but the FBI can access my text messages. They know what you did. And now I know.”
“Sorry, J.J., but you’re the one who broke the rules first.”
“What?”
“It took me about ten seconds to find your cell phone,” he said flatly. “Less time to hack in. You were the one who accepted the alternate contact address I sent without bothering to confirm the change through a separate channel.”
“That’s your excuse for rerouting my text messages? You made me look bad, Cody. That was a lousy thing to do.”
“A lousy thing to do?” He scrubbed his jaw. “Listen to yourself. This isn’t a frigging company picnic, J.J. Seriously bad people are determined to kill you. I was doing my job. And my job is to keep you alive until you have to testify. By whatever means I have at my disposal. Anyone on this team, including you, who made contact beyond the five of us was subject to scrutiny.
“The fact that you were stupid enough to be texting messages to anybody required that I keep track of to whom and about what.” He reached her in two strides. “Want to talk about unprofessional? How about you bringing a cell phone and a gun when you were specifically told not to.”
“I had good reason.” Raising her chin proudly, J.J. held his gaze. “Besides…that was before.”
“Before what?” He moved closer.
He watched transfixed as she swallowed and her lips parted but no sound emerged. Great lips. Rosy and full. Completely kissable.
“Before what?” he pressed, moving one palm to her waist.
“J-just before.”
Her tone was hard to decipher. Was she still mad? Or was she feeling the same strong draw that had him wanting to kiss her senseless?
She shoved away from him and ran to get her cell phone. “Who is this?” She showed him the grainy photograph Stephenson had forwarded. It showed today’s date and Denise standing next to the SUV exchanging a manila envelope with a well-dressed man.
“I have no clue,” Cody stated through tightly clenched teeth.
“Stephenson got the license plate. They’re running it now.”
“Give me a minute to throw on some clothes.” Cody marched to the bedroom. She heard him curse after slamming the door so forcefully that the whole cabin rattled.
J.J. winced. “He took that well.”
She went to the sofa to wait. As soon as she was seated, the cell phone on the coffee table began to vibrate. She knew it was Cody’s, but that didn’t stop her from reading the display.
Martin—9-1-1.
Grabbing the phone, she pressed a button and said, “Yes?”
“H-help me.”