He tried to turn away, but this time her hand on his heart stopped him.
“Kit—”
“Let me explain something, Luther. I have to get this out in the open. It’s only fair. I’m not afraid of you. It’s this...this thing between us. I get that it’s probably one-sided for the most part. I haven’t been with anyone since I left my marriage, and it’s only natural that I’d become interested in a single man I spent so much time around, don’t you think?”
“That sounds logical.” His arm thrummed where her palm touched his chest and it took years of training for Luther to keep himself from bundling her close. He’d never had his protective instincts triggered like this before. Nor his desire.
She smiled, her skin rosy from the shower. All he saw was her face and the top of her throat, the rest was left to his imagination. “One thing my experience with trauma and healing has taught me is that I can’t rely solely on my brain anymore, Luther. Logic and common sense are important, as are instinct and self-awareness. But it’s okay for me to have my feelings. And that’s just it. I’m having all kinds of inappropriate feelings for you, and I owe you an apology. I’m sorry if it’s making your work space uncomfortable.”
“Oh, babe, it’s not the wrong or bad kind of discomfort, trust me.”
She scoured his face with her gaze, and to his surprise her response was to place her hands on his chest, stand on tiptoe and press her lips to his.
Luther froze. Then he grasped her shoulders, leaned back, breaking the connection. “Kit, are you certain?”
“I’m beyond sure, Luther.”
He waited for her to come back, to kiss him again. This had to be her call. It was his desire to empower her, let her know how desirable he found her. Yet it had to be at her pace.
Kit’s lips were sheer magic on his, their softness enticing his mouth to answer with a fierce kiss filled with all the need he had for her.
Not yet.
“Babe.” He breathed into her mouth, wrapping his hands around her waist and gently nudging her, inch by inch, up against him. When her body was flush with his, he deepened the kiss, allowing his hands to grasp her buttocks.
“This is spectacular.” She kept kissing him, her tongue licking his lips and teeth. He couldn’t stop the groan that growled from his throat, and finally let himself kiss her like he’d dreamed since seeing her in Colt’s office. When she thrust her pelvis against his, he opened his eyes to see her arousal on full display in the blue depths of hers. Her half-closed eyes opened fully, meeting his gaze as her breath hitched and the rosy flush turned into a full bloom.
“Can I touch you?” He moved his hand to the side of her rib cage, stopping short of where her breast pressed against the fluffy robe.
“Please, yes.” Without preamble, Kit untied her robe and let it drop.
“Whoa, wait—” He grabbed it before it hit the floor and moved to the side to hang it on a hook. And to give himself a second to check himself. This time was going to be about Kit’s pleasure. She deserved that .
“I don’t care about my robe, Luther.” She stood before him with total confidence, her body taut and soft in all the right places.
He cupped her face. “You are so beautiful, Kit.”
“You make me feel beautiful.”
“Tell me if I do anything you don’t want, babe.”
“I want it all with you, Luther. You’re the right man for me, right now.”
“I’ll buy that.” He couldn’t wait any longer and lowered his head, longing for her kiss.
Kit had never experienced the sensations Luther’s kiss and touch sparked. She was helpless with desire and bursting with the knowledge of what her body, her touches did to him. Luther let her know each time a caress affected him, and she was positively giddy knowing she brought him pleasure.
He held her breast in his hand, gently squeezing and caressing while kissing her thoroughly. She reached between them and stroked him through his hunting pants, the nylon fabric leaving little to her imagination.
“Yeah, babe, that’s it.”
“You’re so hard, hon.”
He pressed her up against the wall, where her robe hung, so she wasn’t chilled by the tile. “You okay?”
“I’m wonderful.” She could hardly talk around her breathlessness. Never had she truly understood the fussiness of love scenes in the movies, not in her past life. Now, with Luther, she understood why her girlfriends oohed and ahhed when the leads got together. This was... Beyond.
“We’re just getting started, babe.” He kissed her deeply, slowly, before trailing his mouth over her throat, his hands taking their own journey on her waist, over her hips, lower, until his hand was between her legs and his fingers stroked her, her wetness saying everything she couldn’t articulate. Her legs quivered and her knees were close to giving out. When his mouth closed on her nipple, she cried out.
“Hang on, babe, we’re getting there.”
Getting where? He’d already made her feel things she’d never dreamed of. The tight coil in her pelvic floor threatened to reach a breaking point, but she had no clue how to get there.
Luther showed her.
He sucked her nipple and did some kind of secret finger maneuvers in her most private parts. A sheer wave of pleasure welled up in Kit. She grasped his shoulders, grinding her hips in sync with his fingers. Oh, his magic hands.
“Luther, I’m... I’m—”
“Go with it, babe. Let it take you.” He moved from her breast back to her lips, and when his tongue met hers, he pressed into her with his fingers. The sensation of a wave broke into an explosion of ecstasy, and it took her several breaths to realize the woman screaming his name was her.
So this was an orgasm.
Luther couldn’t get enough of Kit’s every expression, the way she soaked up each stroke of his fingers, every kiss, as if it were all new to her. She still clutched his shoulders, her gasps slowly easing into a regular rhythm as he held her against him. Her scent surrounded them, and if they weren’t in the Trail Hikers’ hideout he’d take her to his bed and show her how very little they’d explored.
“Luther.”
“Kit.” He kissed her closed lids, her lashes long and full. She opened her eyes and he was gifted with her glow of pure sensual satisfaction, making her eyes a deeper hue than usual. “I take it that was okay?”
“Okay? It was like nothing I’ve ever—but you, Luther. We must take care of you.” She became almost businesslike in her countenance, and he grasped her hands, holding them against his heart.
“Are you kidding? You just gave me the biggest gift ever, Kit. You opened up to me, shared your most intimate self.”
“You don’t understand, Luther. I owe you big-time. I know this is going to be hard for you to believe, but that was my first orgasm with...with someone else.”
He sucked in his breath. Of course. Her bastard ex wouldn’t have bothered to pleasure her. Vadim was one of many loser ROC operatives he’d crossed paths with over the years, from what he’d read of his files when he’d found out he’d be working with the woman he’d abused.
“You think less of me?” Vulnerability laced her tone, but he saw the steel in her gaze. Kit was a survivor.
“Babe. I can’t think of anyone more incredible than you.”
“Can I do something to please you now?” Her offer to reciprocate was genuine, but he couldn’t shake the truth of what she’d survived, how she’d never had her needs met before.
“Not this time, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose. “I’ll take a rain check, though, when we’re in a more comfortable spot.”
“Deal.” She gave him a shaky smile and a tear slid from the corner of her eye. He kissed it away, cupped her face in both hands.
“You’re beautiful, Kit.” He couldn’t tell her enough.
She raised her hand to her face and swiped at her eyes. “I have to admit, I’m feeling a little vulnerable right now.”
“Here.” He removed the robe from the hook and wrapped it around her, helping her with each sleeve before closing the front and tying the belt. “I’m sorry that our first time together was in such a challenging—”
“I’m not.” Her fingers covered his mouth and he reflexively kissed the tips. Luther stood up straighter. He was definitely not the kiss-on-the-fingertips kind of guy.
You’re getting in too deep.
“But it wasn’t as good as it’s going to be, babe.” He kissed her, hard. “Next time.” Reluctantly he took a step back, then another, grabbing his stuff. “It’s my turn to shower. You head into the sauna and I’ll meet you there in a few. But if you get too warm, get out. Dehydration is not something we can afford.”
She nodded and he saw her more professional demeanor come back, which was actually hilarious since she was naked under her fluffy robe and her cheeks were still rosy from her orgasm.
That she’d let him bring her to. White-hot heat went straight to his groin, and he made a quick exit to the showers. Thank goodness this part of the ROC surveillance and takedown would be over soon. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait to make love to Kit the way she deserved, for as long as they both wanted .
Mishka grunted as he stood in front of the Jeep that matched the photo his contact had provided. Anger swelled at having to hike the last two hours, in the dark, through this freaking wilderness. Screw his original plan not to grab Kit as soon as the car exploded. What had he been thinking, that he’d frighten her and the man she was with, drag out the scare tactics a bit?
No way. Since he’d had to come this far and go through this much effort, he was going to get what he wanted now. Besides, once he had Kit, he’d have more bargaining power with Ivanov and Markova. Unbeknownst to his father, he’d established contact with Ivanov, promising the ROC East Coast leader that he’d not only pick up where Vadim had left off, but was willing to provide far more services to the organization than his father ever had. Ivanov hadn’t promised him anything.
Mishka figured Ivanov was gun-shy after Vadim got locked up and concerned that Kit would say more to implicate additional ROC operatives. But Kit didn’t know anything past Vadim’s world, and had known very little of that. His father had kept her in a bubble, giving her enough leash so she wouldn’t go to the authorities.
Until she had.
Anger flared again, and his hands shook as he placed the explosive devices on the undercarriage of the Jeep. His remaining ROC contacts had told him exactly where to put the bombs to guarantee maximum damage and effect. He detested crawling around on the ground like an animal. He expected his underlings to do this kind of work, the ones who’d stayed loyal to Vadim and him after Vadim was sentenced.
A rock cut into his knee and he jerked, the meaty part of his upper arm hitting the car body. A shrill, deafening car alarm rent the air.
“Damn it!” He scrambled to his feet and ran to the shelter of the surrounding trees. If Kit or the man came outside now, they might see him before he had a chance to activate the bombs. It would ruin his plans, or at least delay them during the extra time it would take to put down the man. The feel of the handgun under his hand, still holstered, boosted his confidence.
He hid behind a large tree and waited, but no one appeared. The siren continued, and he began to wonder if anyone was in the cabin. Maybe they’d gone hunting. He snorted. Kit was no hunter.
He fingered the burner phone and weighed his options. It seemed a waste to have such a major explosion without anyone to witness it. Yet today was the only time he could get away with it, before the hoards of hunters drove up into the mountain area in preparation for open deer season on Monday. And taking Kit’s only viable means of quick transportation away was important.
What was that stupid saying? In for a ruble, in for it all?
Mishka depressed the cell phone button that ignited the explosive and plugged his ears.
Kit breathed in the sauna’s cedar-scented air, relishing the hot wooden wall behind her back. When was the last time she’d been in a sauna? Only once since she’d left her sham marriage, when the girls went to Hershey Spa to celebrate Annie’s marriage to Josh last summer. It had been okay then, since she was with a group and felt safe.
Vadim had kept a monstrous sauna in the pool room on his property. She knew most folks thought she’d lived in luxury in the mansion on a beautiful estate adjacent the Appalachian Trail, but to her it had been no more than a prison. Her entire life had been with a beast in a steel cage, having to watch every step around the beast that was Vadim, especially when he drank.
But this—this time with Luther was revelatory. She couldn’t think of a time when she’d felt safer, except maybe when her ex had finally been locked up for good. Even then she’d always feared a reprisal from ROC or Mishka for what she’d done, providing evidence to take down a key criminal in Silver Valley and in fact Pennsylvania. Vadim’s many human trafficking crimes were documented and listed as charges in his indictment.
She moved to rest her back against the wall and stretched her legs in front of her on the cedar bench. The sauna was dry but had a bucket of water next to the heater. It made her smile, knowing Luther had taken the time and forethought to fill the pail and get the sauna to the right temperature.
None of it matched the heated exchange they’d shared, though. As much as he’d made love to her, ensured her extreme pleasure and forgone his, she still recognized that it had been a couples event. His eyes had reflected emotions she was afraid to label, and she was certain hers had, too.
Impossible. They’d only known one another for what, ten days? A memory of Annie telling her how Colt and Claudia knew they were destined to be together after only knowing each other for a day flitted through her thoughts.
It was highly improbable, but definitely within the realm of possibility to fall for someone she’d just met.
You’ve fallen for him?
She shook her head, loosened the belt on her robe a bit. It had to be the postclimax effect, to be thinking this way. It was only normal after her first shared orgasm. Vadim, besides being abusive, had never once considered her response. She’d learned to fake it, to make him think he was giving her pleasure. It kept their most intimate interactions to a minimum, especially as he aged and the progression of his alcoholism took away his ability to have an erection.
Kit blinked. Having the orgasm with Luther wasn’t the only first for today. She was actually looking at her ex and that horrific excuse for a marriage with a detached, clinical eye. Her therapist had been right.
One day, when you least expect it, you’ll wake up and realize that the life of trauma you survived is no longer running your life.
Tears brimmed, and unlike the many she’d shed during her years of therapy and healing, these were an outlet of the joy that welled in her chest and squeezed her heart.
Life was good, indeed.
On the other side of the wall the shower’s running water stopped, and she allowed a smile to stretch across her face. Luther was on the way to the sauna. Despite his insistence that they’d be together in a more appropriate place after the op was over, she thought that maybe it was time to see how far she’d healed. Was she ready to be sexually assertive with him?
A high-pitched noise sounded from faraway, and she stilled, thinking it could be water running through the pipe or maybe she was misinterpreting a hawk’s cry. But an animal’s sounds wouldn’t pierce the walls of the bathhouse.
When the noise continued, she swung her legs down and stood. As she reached for the sauna door, the floor rose up under her and she flew back through the air, her bottom hitting the floor of the sauna as a loud boom percussed. The building shook, and the back of her head hit the low bench, sending stars across her vision.
“Kit!” A deep bellow, as though a mountain lion were on the other side of the door.
“I’m here.” She shouted back, but her words were no more than a hoarse whisper. Luther would never hear her. Fear started to break through her pain.
The door burst open, bringing hope and a surge of cold air.
Luther.
“Kit.” He knelt next to her in the dark, and his breath washed over her cheek. “Can you hear me?”
She blinked, slowly grasping that she was resting on her elbows, her legs spread wide, her robe gaping. “Y-yes. I hit my head. I’m fine.” She moved to rise, and his hands, which had been feeling her head, her neck and back, helped her up.
“Easy.” She stood, and to her relief her legs hadn’t betrayed her. They were as sturdy as ever.
“I’m good.” She met his gaze and nodded, then winced. “My head’s going to hurt later, but I didn’t lose consciousness.”
“You’ve got a bump, so you should be fine.”
Another smaller explosion sounded and she gripped his arm. “What is that?”
His mouth was in a straight line. “I’m afraid it’s the Jeep. We’ve got to get out of here.” With no preamble he half carried, half pushed her out of the sauna, and they walked the few steps to where her clothing hung. “Are you steady? I need you to get dressed and get ready to go.”
“Go where?” Fueled by adrenaline, she was already putting on her underwear, followed by her pants, socks and hiking boots. Luther had impressed the need to always have good sturdy footwear even if only going to the bathroom.
“Away from here.” He moved next to her and she heard the scrape of cloth, his zipper, the stamp of his feet into his shoes.
“Okay.” She put her jacket on and zipped it, felt inside the pockets for her gloves. All she had were thin knit; she’d left her heavy-duty pair in the cabin. “I’m ready.”
“Here.” His hand hit her arm in the inky darkness, and he felt down to her hand, pressing something hard and metal into it. “It’s a .22. You can handle it no problem. If anything happens to me, don’t hesitate to fire at whoever’s out there, and then get out of here. Go down the mountain but keep in the woods, out of sight of the road and anyone driving on it. Wait for SVPD or TH to show up and make sure it’s them before you reveal yourself.”
He fired the orders at her not unlike how she’d heard Colt brief SVPD before they went into a dangerous house, or when Claudia gave her elite agents a briefing before an ROC operative takedown. What was unusual was to have the words aimed at her.
“You’re forgetting that I can’t do this, Luther.” She held the gun out to thin air. “I’m not licensed, I’m unsworn, I—”
“You’re a target. Keep it out for now, then put it in your pants waistband once we get going. Do you know how to fire it?”
“Yes.” She didn’t elaborate but knew he’d trust her. All those hours with Vadim, practicing his favorite hobby, had made her an expert shot. Vadim had his own firing range in the basement of the huge house they’d occupied, and she’d found respite there. Firing a weapon gave her a sense of control in a situation that was out of control. At one point she regretted not using her expertise on Vadim, to escape her life. But she’d vowed not to break the law to gain her freedom. And it had worked out.
“Come on.” He grabbed her other hand with unerring accuracy and held it up to his backpack, already securely strapped to him. “Hang on to the pack, or my jacket, feel along the wall, follow my voice.”
They moved faster than she’d thought was possible in total darkness and all she heard were their steps and her heartbeats. Within minutes that felt like hours they stood behind a copse of evergreens, judging from the scrape of needles against her face and the pine scent. The night air bit through her clothing and she longed for her ski cap. Wet hair and freezing temperatures didn’t mix.
As they waited, her eyes adjusted and the sliver of moonlight that cut through the treetops began to illuminate the property right behind the cabin. The Jeep wasn’t visible on the other side of the building, but she smelled an acrid odor and saw flashes of light that were undoubtedly flames.
Someone had blown up the Jeep.
Her insides began to shake from the severity of the attack against them, but she forced her core muscles to tighten around her center, the antianxiety and calming skills she’d learned kicking in on autopilot. Kit knew to remain silent, as she’d participated in plenty of surveillance ops. Of course before this, she’d been safely ensconced in an unmarked van or truck, monitoring comms on her screen.
Her laptop. Mentally she thought about where she’d left it and then remembered Luther had packed up the most essential comms gear into his backpack, including her small laptop. The stress of their situation was affecting her. At least she recognized it.
The sound of heavy feet on wet leaves alerted her, and she strained her eyes to make out the male figure walking around the back of the cabin.
Mishka.
He walked up to the door, climbed the two steps and pounded on the door. “Come out, Kit! I know you’re in there.”
She fought against the gasp that worked past her lips, clapping her hand over her mouth. How had he found her?
Luther reached back and gave her forearm a reassuring squeeze. Relief flooded her, but her body remained poised to run at the drop of a pin.
More door pounding. When he tried to open the door, she couldn’t help grinning to herself from their hidden post. Like her, Mishka must have thought the door was nothing more than a flimsy piece of wood. He’d never get through the four-inch-thick steel door, and short of blowing up the cabin like he had the Jeep, the cabin would remain off-limits to him.
He left the stoop, swearing loudly in Russian and she tensed. Mishka’s voice sounded eerily similar to Vadim’s, and it would be easy to believe she was back where she’d started all those years ago, at Vadim’s mercy.
No. You’re here. Luther is right next to you. You are safe.
A giggle snaked up her throat and she squashed it. While her usual affirmations proved helpful, the safety of her or Luther wasn’t totally clear.
The sound of something hard hitting a window brought her back from her thoughts, grounded her. Mishka was attempting to break in through the tiny window, which his hulking form would never get through. As she watched, the glass didn’t even crack. Kit hadn’t thought to ask Luther about the window, but now realized it was made of bulletproof and Mishka-proof glass.
“I know you’re out here, Kit!” he screamed, and she startled, taking a half step backward. A branch snapped under her sole and she froze, praying the sound didn’t break through Mishka’s frenzied fit.
Luther raised his arm to her chest, as she continued to hold her breath.
“Who’s out there? I hear you, Kit!” Mishka’s voice cut through her. “Come on out, Kit. I’m not going away and you’ll never get into the cabin again. I forgive you for being with this stranger. Who is he? FBI? Don’t listen to whatever they’ve told you to do. Come out to me now and we’re cool.”
“The only person here has a hunting rifle aimed at the target between your eyes. Get the hell off my property.” Luther’s voice rang out and if Kit were Mishka, she’d already be running.
“I’ll never listen to you.” Mishka’s snarl made bile rise, burning the back of her throat. Without preamble Mishka fired into the trees where they stood.
Kit screamed.