Once inside the bathroom, she gave in to the urge to sniff his shirt. She could smell the light scent of his laundry detergent and—although she wondered if it was just wishful thinking—the faintest hint of Bennett. Shaking off her silly thoughts, she blamed her mushy mind on her lack of sleep and set the shirt on the counter.
After her shower, she took a bracing breath and stepped into the main room, trying to ignore all the wedding-inspired decorations and romantic paintings. Instead, she focused on the bed and the man stretched out on top of it, doing something with his phone.
Bennett glanced up as she walked toward him, his eyes darting over her quickly before a pleased smile touched his mouth. She wondered if that look was because he liked seeing her in his shirt, but she dismissed the thought as another symptom of sleep deprivation.
“I’m so tired,” she sighed, allowing herself to fall like a tree and crash into the mattress next to him. It felt strangely domestic, sharing a room and a bed with a man—a very attractive man. Not allowing herself to dwell on the idea, since it would only make her stiffen up again, she let her brain drift.
“Let me see,” he ordered, and her eyes popped open.
Rolling onto her back, she sat up using her stomach muscles. She was dying for a good workout and promised herself she’d check out the hotel’s fitness room the next morning. “Let you see what?”
“Your bullet wound.”
“Oh, right. Although ‘bullet wound’ sounds so dramatic. This is like a ‘bullet scrape’ or a ‘bullet touch.’ Actually, let’s just drop the ‘bullet’ part, because I think that’s what makes it sound so life-threatening.” She wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to say, but she’d forgotten about the small divot in her skin already. “Here.” She swung her leg over his, rotating it slightly so he could see the scabbed-over groove.
He traced it with a gentle finger, barely touching it, making her shiver.
“Cold?” he asked, wrapping his large, warm hand around her calf. It covered a good portion of her lower leg, and the sight of his skin against hers made her breath catch. Her gaze flashed to his, and it wasn’t until she saw him looking at her inquiringly that she remembered he’d asked a question.
“A little.” She used that as an excuse to gently pull her leg away and then wriggle under the covers. She told herself she wasn’t hiding from him, but she knew that was a lie.
“How’s the ankle?” Rolling onto his side to face her, he propped his head up on his hand.
It was very hard to have a conversation, she was discovering, when her obnoxiously hot bedmate had focused his smoldering brown eyes on her and his muscular body was within reach. “Um…oh, fine. Just a twinge now and then. It was a little swollen after our little jog last night, but I took some ibuprofen and that’s gone down now.”
He frowned, his gaze dropping to the approximate location of her ankle under the covers.
“Nope.”
His eyes found hers again.
“You don’t have to examine it.” She pulled the covers up to her chin. “It’s fine, just like I said.”
He made a “humph” sound that made her laugh.
“What?” he asked, the tiniest bit of his weirdly attractive pout on display.
Smiling a little too fondly at him, she said, “You sounded like a grumpy old man.” Giving in to temptation, she leaned over and smacked a kiss on his cheek. “It was funny, Grandpa.” She realized his face—including his lips—was only an inch away, and she sucked in a breath and held it. They stared at each other, a string of attraction pulling tighter and tighter until finally, it snapped.
The tension that’d saturated the air for days suddenly ignited, like a gas-filled house exploding into flame. She didn’t know if he closed the distance or she did, but either way, his mouth was on hers, and it was incredible. Relief coursed through her as she realized this had to be their first real kiss together. No matter what drug had been running through her system, no matter how fractured her memory of the previous night was, there was no way she could have forgotten the earth-shattering pleasure of his mouth on hers.
There was no gentle exploration, no careful pressing of closed lips. Their kiss was immediately deep and carnal, mouths open and tongues exploring, as if they wanted to devour each other. She’d never felt anything so all-consuming, and this was only a kiss.
He rolled her onto her back and moved on top of her without breaking the contact of their mouths. Clutching at his shoulders, running her fingers through the short strands of his dark hair, she wanted to touch him everywhere all at once. Every moment they’d spent together, every urge she had to run her hand over his back or feel the rough rasp of his morning stubble, everything was possible now, and the floodgates were open.
He yanked and pulled at the covers until they were no longer blocking him, and then he did the same with his clothes. Once he was bare, he reached for her. Feeling protective of her borrowed pajamas and not wanting them to tear in his haste, she lifted her arms, helping him pull his T-shirt from her body. He tossed it aside and sat back on his heels, staring at her as if she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You’re incredible,” he breathed, lifting a hand to touch her belly but then hesitating as he met her gaze. “This okay?”
“Oh yes.” If she’d been any less frantic to feel his hands—and his lips and tongue and teeth—on her, she would’ve been embarrassed by the way the words rolled from her mouth, coming out as a purr of assent.
He smiled, just a quick flash, and then went serious as he focused on her naked skin.
Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to explore him, she started at his wrists, running her fingers over his hairy forearms to his biceps, marveling at their size. He wasn’t cut like a bodybuilder, but he was thick and strong, like a lumberjack from a previous century, able to fight and lift heavy furniture and maybe even gently toss her around a little. She bit her lip, confused by what was turning her on at the moment but too caught in the rush of lust to question her reactions.
Then he laid his hands on her stomach, and the rest of the world disappeared. His callused palms lightly plucked at her skin, leaving streaks of heat in their wake. The way he stared at her—as if she was something wonderful and precious, something he’d never thought he’d have a chance to see—was almost as intoxicating as his actual touch.
Her heart thundered in her chest, beating faster than it ever had pursuing a skip. Bennett Green was the ultimate adrenaline rush.
His hands brushed over the tips of her breasts, making her arch with pleasure. His skin was just rough enough to almost hurt, but instead his fingers caused the perfect peak of sensation, making her suck in a breath and let it escape on a low moan.
He gave a smug half smile at the sound.
“Why do I find that look so adorable on you?” she asked huskily.
His smirk disappeared as he frowned. “Adorable?”
Giving a breathless laugh, she stroked her hands over his chest. The wiry but soft brush of his body hair distracted her almost enough to forget to respond. “Yeah, adorable. Your pout is cute too.”
“Cute?” There was a world of offense in his tone, but a thread of laughter was there as well. The whole time they’d been talking, he hadn’t stopped caressing her, finding sensitive spots that made her gasp and shiver. Now, his fingers moved to her sides, and his exploratory touches turned into something much more intentional.
“No!” She immediately burst out laughing, squirming to get away from his tickling fingers. The shock of going from making out to this just made her skin more sensitive, and she didn’t last more than a few seconds under his torture. “Stop! Please! Uncle! I’m tapping out!” She actually did tap his arm, as if he had her pinned in a sparring match.
The tickling stopped, but he still kept her beneath him, his face temptingly close to hers. The mix of hunger and laughter in his eyes was too much to resist, and she yanked his head down so his mouth was on hers.
The slow, exploratory pace was gone, and all she knew was frantic need. They rolled across the bed—her on top, then him, then her again—lips devouring each other as their hands roamed wildly. Somehow, she’d lost her underwear, then he was on top again, poised to enter her.
“Condom,” she managed to gasp, that practical portion of her brain still functioning just enough to remind her in time.
He froze, his expression shifting from agreement to realization to crushing disappointment. Dropping down onto his elbows, he tucked his face into her neck and exhaled a hard breath. From that reaction, Felicity was pretty sure he didn’t have any condoms with him.
A thought occurred to her, and she grinned and poked him playfully. When he raised his head and looked at her, she said, “Two words. Honeymoon suite.”
It took a second, but then hope lit his eyes, and he practically leapt off the bed. As he dug through the basket of complementary goodies on the desk, she turned onto her stomach and reached for the nightstand drawer.
“Found them!” they both called out at the same time, holding up their prizes.
Laughing, Bennett dove for the bed. With a playful squeal, Felicity tried to roll out of his path, but she ended up underneath him again. His expression was open and happy, and she went still, staring at him, entranced by that rare expression and overcome by the thought that she’d caused it.
He sobered as well, his eyes heating as he slowly closed the distance between them. After kissing her gently, he sat back, holding up the two packages of condoms as if presenting her with an offering.
Her amusement returning, she said, “That is a lot of condoms.”
His grin started slow but then spread over his entire face until he was beaming down at her. “Let’s use them all.”
Her breath catching in her chest at the sight of his smile, Felicity could only nod. It was an excellent plan after all. Then they were kissing again and touching, and this time, there was nothing holding them back when he slowly slid into her.
Once they were joined, they both stilled. Felicity wrapped her arms and legs around him, wanting this moment to never end.
“You’re amazing,” he said quietly, and she could only stare into his eyes. It was impossible to be this close to him and not kiss him, however, so she pressed her mouth to his as he began to move inside her.
Their kisses started soft, almost tender, but the wild storm of need caught hold of them again. They crashed together almost violently, as if they were trying to merge into one being. Felicity clung to him, loving the slide and friction when they moved apart but needing the slam of their bodies coming together, the feeling of Bennett deep inside her.
She felt the tension inside her tighten, the pleasure increasing like steam in a kettle, building and building until it was finally too much for her skin to contain. Her body went taut, back arching under the onslaught of feeling, and she came in a way she’d never experienced before.
Almost scared by the intensity, she held on to Bennett as he groaned his own climax and clutched her back just as tightly.
I’m never letting him go, Felicity thought.
She woke slowly, contentment making her body feel weighted and warm. Her eyes reluctantly blinked open to a brightly lit room, her eyes focusing on the painting of the embracing pair that’d been torturing her the night before. Now she smiled at it, feeling happy for all couples in love.
Her thoughts screeched to a halt. In love? she thought in a mix of panic and attempted scorn. You’ve known Bennett for a week, you married him accidentally, and now you’re in love?
Ignoring the tiny voice inside her that whispered yes to the last question, she sat up abruptly—or tried to. Bennett was still wrapped around her like an oversize octopus, and only the fact that his enveloping arms felt a little too good gave her the strength to wiggle out of his hold.
When she turned to look at him, she saw his eyes were open, sleepy but wary as he watched her. Unable to resist that hint of softness she saw in his expression, she gave him a smile. In response, he reared up off the bed and snatched her right off her feet, bringing her back to the mattress in a lunge that reminded her of a different kind of sea creature.
She shrieked with laughter as they landed with her underneath him, Bennett catching himself on his elbows to avoid crushing her into the bed. “You’re not an octopus,” she said between giggles. “You’re a kraken.”
Growling, he nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, making her laugh even more. He switched to kisses, little sucks and bites that made her shiver, and heat flooded her.
“How do you do that?” she asked breathlessly, tipping her chin up to give him better access.
His grunt was muffled against her skin, but she interpreted it as a “What?”
“Make me want you so badly so quickly.”
His entire body stilled for a moment, and then his lips were on hers. She kissed him back, immediately as caught up in him as she’d been the night before. A beep wormed its way into her consciousness, though, an obnoxious reminder that they weren’t the only two people in the universe and that a world existed outside this room.
With a groan, she pulled back, laughing softly when he followed her retreating lips. Knowing she couldn’t give in or they’d spend the whole day in bed, Felicity half stepped, half rolled off the bed, sitting on the floor with a thump.
“There’s a chair,” Bennett said, sounding amused.
Grabbing her phone, she used it to wave off his suggestion. “The hard floor keeps me focused.” So I don’t hop right back into bed with you. She knew she couldn’t say the last part, or he’d do his kraken thing again and scoop her right back up. Then they’d be in bed for a month, Dino would be free to do all sorts of nefarious drug-dealing militia stuff, her mom would never be found, she and her sisters would lose their childhood home, and then Bennett would probably lose interest in her after all that.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“What?” She looked up at him.
“You looked really sad all of a sudden.”
She started to reply but didn’t think he’d appreciate her answer of “I thought about staying in bed with you for a month” was a satisfactory reason for why she was suddenly morose. She smiled at her silly thoughts, and he instantly mirrored her before leaning down to give her a quick upside-down kiss on the lips.
“That’s better,” he said with satisfaction as her smile grew at the sweet little peck.
Realizing that the hard floor wasn’t doing much to keep temptation at bay, she rolled to her feet and headed for the bathroom, checking her phone on the way.
It was Charlie, with a text that said she was alive and well but Jane had given her the slip again. Felicity groaned quietly, feeling like they’d never be able to bring her in. Maybe all the running around and chasing dead ends was futile. If after all this, they ended up losing their house, what was the point? Maybe she should just have lots of amazing sex with Bennett in the honeymoon suite of a boutique hotel rather than chase after skips and get drugged and shot at.
“Everything okay?” Bennett asked, glancing at her phone and then her face.
“Not really,” she said, still feeling gloomy. “But no one’s dead yet, so that’s something?”
Before he could ask for details, the recounting of which would just depress her more, she gave him a quick smile and scooted into the bathroom. Shooting Charlie a quick I’m-glad-you’re-not-dead response, she sent Molly her own everything’s-fine text and then lost herself for a time in the huge shower.
Once she worked out in the fitness center and got some breakfast inside her at the hotel’s very nice restaurant, Felicity’s outlook grew a lot sunnier.
“Are you ready to find Dino and pull his lower intestine out through his nose?” she asked Bennett cheerfully.
He side-eyed her for a long moment, taking a final sip of his coffee before pushing his chair back and standing. “Let’s do that.”
Felicity bounced up, reenergized and ready to tackle some skips—and one drug-dealing ass in particular. Turning around, she almost ran into their server, who was frozen with a horrified stare fixed on her.
“Everything was wonderful, thank you,” she said cheerily.
He didn’t move except for a small twitch under his left eye.
Puzzled, Felicity gave him an awkward half wave and was out of the restaurant before she realized he’d overheard her earlier comment about her plan for Dino’s lower intestine. “Oops.”
“He thinks you’re a serial killer,” Bennett said casually, walking beside her, his gaze alert as he scanned the tourists milling around.
“He does.” The words came out as a groan. “And an especially sadistic one too. How many places of lodging are we going to get kicked out of before we pick up Dino?”
Bennett scratched his nose—hiding a smile, she was sure. “We’ll likely break a record. For this area at least.”
Her groan turned into laughter, and she poked him in the side. Playful Bennett, she was finding, was a lot of fun.
“Think we’re okay to use that same lookout?” she asked.
While Bennett thought, she marveled at how nice it was to have someone to bounce ideas off of and double-check things with. Charlie, as much as Felicity loved her, was too much of a wild child to be of much use in that regard. Her sister was more likely to jump in with both feet without a plan, surviving just on pure guts and her ability to think under pressure.
Plus Bennett had never stolen Felicity’s phone charger.
“Think it’s our best option,” Bennett finally answered, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Not many places that give us a view of the place, and no sense in breaking into the compound and trying to fight the lot of them.”
It was like he could see into her brain. “What if we snuck inside the compound, nabbed Dino, and slipped back out without anyone else knowing?”
“Without schematics?” He sounded skeptical, which was fair. It wasn’t one of her best ideas, but she was getting impatient. Another full day of surveillance did not appeal.
Felicity caught herself. This was how she’d gotten them into trouble two nights ago. Her impatience and boredom had led to her making a dumb decision, and she needed to learn from that and make better choices in the future.
Wondering when her inner practical voice had turned into Molly, she shook her head. “No, you’re right. Let’s go to the lookout.” She tried to dredge up some enthusiasm. “It’ll be fun. We’ll run all the faces through the system, see how many felons are hanging out in the compound.”
Her resolve to be more mature and less impatient lasted for two and three-quarter hours. This trip was a revelation for her. Felicity had always thought of herself as the practical one—not as practical as Molly, of course, but she figured she was at least on the sensible side of the spectrum. Now that she didn’t have Charlie in tow, however, her impulsiveness was coming to the forefront.
“Sooo…” she began, carefully not looking at Bennett. Instead, she peered through her binoculars at the compound driveway, where there hadn’t been any movement since they’d gotten there. Apparently, the militia slept in.
His answering grunt was slightly suspicious.
“I know we’re not going to invade the actual compound, but what if we explored just a teensy, tiny bit?” Holding her forefinger and thumb just a fraction of an inch apart, she turned to give Bennett her best puppy-dog eyes.
In return, he offered a crooked smile. “You know it’s not up to me, right?”
“I know.” Tucking her binoculars under the seat, she grinned impishly at him. “I’m just getting you to give final approval so that I can blame you when things go badly.”
“Good to know.” His voice was dry, but his eyes still danced with humor. “We can look around, but remember it was your idea.”
“Fine,” she mock pouted. Easing her car door open, she carefully placed her feet in a way that didn’t rustle the light layer of leaves that were just beginning to drop off the trees. Although they were far enough away from the compound that no one should be able to hear, she knew that sound carried differently out here.
There wasn’t any noise from Bennett’s side of the car, but suddenly he was there next to her. She gave him an admiring look, thinking that she needed to get some stealth tips from him once all this Dino and Jane stuff was over.
She paused, caught on that last thought. Would they even be together after Dino and especially Jane were behind bars again? Sure, they were married, but it wasn’t real, no matter how many honeymoon suites they stayed in.
That depressed her for some reason, so she concentrated on where she was placing her feet. The flat hilltop area in the copse where they’d parked dropped on all sides, gradually first and then more dramatically. There were barely there trails—either from wildlife or occasional hikers—that wove between rocks twice as tall as Bennett. She followed one of the trails down to a small flat section that looked over the valley below. Bennett stepped up behind her, so close she could almost imagine those metaphorical sparks jumping between them.
This spot provided a better view of the compound, but everything looked just as quiet as it’d seemed from inside the car. She examined what layout she could see of the main structure and smaller outbuildings, counting doors and noting the location of windows. There weren’t any guards outside that she could see, although she was careful to stay out of the tower’s view, so she wasn’t sure if someone lurked in the old fire lookout.
Felicity let her gaze wander from the compound to the area around it. The view—despite all the razor wire and utilitarian buildings—was still beautiful, rocks and cliffs shimmering red and gold in the noon sun. Unable to resist, she let herself lean back against Bennett. He instantly welcomed her in, standing strong so she could take a break, his arms wrapping tightly around her upper chest to keep her secure.
Glancing at the path that made its twisty way down to the flattest part of the plain, Felicity saw an off-white gleam that didn’t seem to fit with the colors of the rocks and tough, semiarid vegetation. Curious, she stepped away from Bennett—who tightened his grip a half second longer before letting her go. Turning back to the path, she followed the twisty narrow trail until she reached the area where she’d spotted the anomaly in the landscape.
A gully cut between their rocky hill and the next, narrowing until it divided the two rises by only a few feet. Felicity headed for the wider part of the division. Although Bennett shot her a questioning look, he didn’t protest or speak, just following her instead.
The small rocks under her feet shifted and slid, bringing her attention back to her footing. Leaving the trail, she cut across the rocky ledge and half climbed, half slid into the gully. Bennett followed much more gracefully, and Felicity promised herself she’d drag her sisters to the actual mountains for training. If they could take down a skip on a rocky, steep trail next to a cliff, they could do it anywhere. Chasing someone across the rooftops of Langston’s industrial district would feel easy in comparison.
As she made her way to the lowest part of the gully, Bennett leaned close and whispered in her ear, “What did you see?”
“Not sure.” Her answer was barely audible. “Probably a rock or something.”
From the way he carefully scanned the area around them, she was pretty sure he didn’t believe it was nothing. Either that or he was just watching out for stray militia members.
There! The splash of light brownish white caught her eye again, and she moved over to where she’d spotted it. Recent rain had washed out the dirt and debris from under a protruding part of the rock surface, leaving a hollow beneath. Crouching, Felicity crawled under the overhang, feeling a bit like she was entering a cave. Although she was a little unnerved by that, Bennett was muttering what sounded like prayers or curses under his breath.
This time, she was the one giving him a questioning look.
“Hate small spaces,” he admitted in a low, growly voice.
Bennett, claustrophobic? For some strange reason, this confession made her like him even more, that tiny pocket of vulnerability hidden in his giant ice-block man-body. Reaching back, she took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
Toward the back of the shallow cave, she saw the dirty white she’d been following. Her stomach started churning the closer she got to the object, as what had been a vague suspicion turned more and more likely to be a grim reality.
“Um…random question?” Her voice was pitched a little higher than normal. “Do deer vertebrae look shocking similar to human vertebrae?”
“No.”
She sighed, peering closer at the scattered bones. “These are too big to be from a deer, aren’t they?”
“Yes. And too flat.”
Deeper in the cave, right where the back wall met the rocky ground, was something a similar brownish white as the vertebrae, but this was larger and part of it had a suspiciously familiar curve. Forcing herself to move toward it, she crouched lower so she didn’t bang her head on the rock overhang. The cave was shallow enough that sunlight flooded most of it, but the very back was shadowed, so she used her phone flashlight app to get a better look at the object. Her breath caught in her chest. There was no mistaking this for an animal’s.
“Is that a human skull?” she whispered to Bennett, not wanting it to be true.
His jaw was tight, although whether that was because of the small space they were crammed in or because the skull was almost definitely human, she wasn’t sure. A few more crouched, shuffling steps got them close enough for Felicity to confirm it.
“Yes,” Bennett said quietly.
There were definitely human remains in this tiny cave with them.