“I bugged your house, Emily. I’m sorry but I had to know which side you were on in this.” Sam didn’t look one bit sorry for what he’d done and she still had no idea why he’d done it.
“What exactly are we dealing with here, lieutenant?” Henry had that crisp note of military authority in his voice. He’d really perfected that over the years. It impressed even Emily and she’d been his shadow all their lives.
“Need to know, sir, and you’re not in my chain of command.”
“Chain of… So then you’re still in the military?” Emily asked, putting things together in her mind.
Sam grimaced. “You’re putting me in a tough spot, Em. Everything about my presence here is need to know. I can’t tell you anything. I shouldn’t have revealed this much but when you found the bug, I couldn’t let you run for the hills. It could blow the operation and this is too important.”
“More important than my sister’s life?” Henry got right up in Sam’s face, but Emily was glad to see that Sam didn’t take the bait.
Instead, he seemed to deflate. His reaction puzzled her.
“Believe me, I’d love to get her out of here right now but this is a matter of national security. Hell, it’s bigger than that. You have my word that I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe from harm.”
Henry stilled. Emily knew he was thinking, weighing the possibilities and deciding on his response. But this was her life they were discussing. Her safety.
Her decision.
“I’ll stay, Sam. If it’ll help end whatever is going on at Praxis Air. I want to help in whatever way I can.”
“Em—” Henry began, but she silenced him.
“My life, my decision, big brother.” She knew that hurt him. They were almost the exact words he’d spoken to her when he’d signed on for the Air Force instead of joining the family business. That decision had broken her heart but in the intervening years, she’d come to see the wisdom of his choice.
“So what are we dealing with here? Is it drugs?” Henry persisted in asking questions Sam refused to answer. “Something worse than drugs? Organs? Body parts? Radioactive materials for terrorist purposes?”
“You know I can’t answer. Suffice to say we’re actively seeking intel from Praxis Air and leave it there.”
“You were sent here undercover?” Emily felt betrayed. It was silly, but that’s the feeling that engulfed her.
Sam moved toward her then checked his motion as if unsure of his reception. That small movement made him more human to her and eased the pain in a funny sort of way.
“So what is a Green Beret doing on an undercover assignment inside the borders of the United States? Whatever your mission, I guess it’s big enough that posse comitatus has gone out the window.” Henry rolled his eyes, clearly growing more upset by the moment.
Emily knew her brother was referring to the law that limited the power of the federal government to utilize the armed forces of the United States for law enforcement purposes. It was one of the basic tenets of law that had come into being after the Civil War. If Special Forces soldiers were being used undercover in a law enforcement action, they had to have express authorization from Congress.
This was bigger than she’d imagined. And much more dangerous, if this was the man they’d tapped for the job. She’d heard about Green Berets. They didn’t mess around. They were reputed to be the best of the best in the Army and she didn’t doubt Sam fit that bill to a T.
“This is insane,” she whispered.
“You won’t get an argument from me on that.” Sam let out a giant sigh that somehow helped her relax a fraction.
His reaction was real. His frustration with the situation was subdued but evident to her in the way he spoke and moved. She’d gotten to know him well in the short time they’d been together. They’d clicked. And that hadn’t been an undercover operative doing his job. All she had to do was take one look at the pained expression on his face to know at least part of it had been as real to him as it was to her.
“Why did you bug my kitchen? Did you think I was in on it?” She walked right up to him, wanting the truth, no matter how hurtful it might be.
“I bugged your place to clear you, Em. Please believe me. I didn’t want you to be involved in this and I’m trusting my instincts to believe this isn’t all some big ruse to get me out in the open. I’m trusting that you’re as innocent as I want you to be.” He walked right up to her and looked her in the eye. “I’m trusting you, Emily.”
The moment felt significant. She didn’t want to ruin it with doubts and fear. This was a pivotal moment. She had to make a choice.
“And I trust you, Sam.” She saw the satisfaction in his gaze as she spoke the words that might forever alter her fate.
“Are you sure, Em?” her brother interjected.
“I’m sure.” There was no hesitation. She was following her instincts. Right now, her instincts were telling her that Sam—and no other—could protect her in this suddenly much more dangerous situation and perhaps salvage something of her mother’s airline. “What can I do to help?”
“Emily!” her brother shouted in disapproval.
“Nothing,” Sam replied. “Just keep doing your job and let me handle the investigation.”
“No way.” She refused to sit on the sidelines while he risked his neck. Not when she could help.
“Be reasonable, Em,” her brother appealed.
“I know the airline like the back of my hand. I grew up in it. I know where most of the skeletons are buried.”
“Yet you couldn’t figure out what was going on before someone tried to kill you,” her brother countered. “It sounds like Lieutenant Archer knows more. He’s already way ahead of you. Let him handle it.”
“Like hell I will.” She glared at her brother.
“Let’s ratchet this down a notch,” Sam suggested in a reasonable tone. “Major Parkington. You’ll probably want to verify my claim. I’ll try to have one of my superiors contact someone in your chain of command but we have to keep this quiet. Who do you trust?”
“Lieutenant Colonel Frank Trautman, currently stationed at the Air Force Academy,” he answered without hesitation.
“I’ll make a call.” Sam turned on his heel and walked out the kitchen door into her tiny backyard.
Emily saw him unclip a cell phone from his belt. He didn’t go far, just far enough away that she couldn’t hear his side of the conversation. She watched him from the open doorway while her brother seethed quietly a few feet away.
“If you stay, I want you to have every last contingency planned out ahead of time. The jets are your best way to escape if you need to get out of town in a hurry. Just make sure Buddy keeps an eye on the planes. I trust him, but there are rats in the kitchen and anyone could easily sabotage a jet sitting on the sidelines. Otherwise use public transportation. Cars are too easy to track down and it’s harder to murder someone in public and get away with it.”
“Jeez, Henry, I never knew how totally paranoid you’d become. Will you lighten up? I know how to take care of myself. I’ve been doing it just fine without you these past few years.”
“Dammit, Em. You’ve never been in danger like this before. Nobody’s ever sabotaged your car before. I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” He began to pace, his anger returning.
“And have you do what exactly? Run to my rescue? I learned to stop asking you to fight my battles when we were in second grade, Henry.”
Sam disconnected his call and walked back toward the door. “He’s coming back.”
“Do you really trust him, sis?” Henry asked in a low, terse voice.
She didn’t have to think about it. “Yeah, I do.”
“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” was all Henry could say before Sam reentered the kitchen, closing the door behind him.
“You should be getting a call shortly,” Sam told Henry as he pulled out a chair and sat, looking like he had all the time in the world. “It’s up to you if you want to wait or we can get started now. I already heard the bit about your car being sabotaged.” Both men gave her identical disapproving frowns at the mention of her car. “Have you received any direct threats or other attempts on your life?”
“Scott’s remarks at the board meeting are a matter of public record. He told me to stop questioning his authority or he’d make my life difficult. I took it as empty words…until I almost went off the road.”
“And to be clear, the Scott you’re referring to is Scott Southerland, CEO of Praxis Air?” Sam asked.
“One and the same,” she confirmed.
Henry’s cell phone rang. He unclipped it from his belt and took a look at the number.
“That was fast,” he mused as he answered the call. Emily listened unabashedly to his end of the conversation though he didn’t talk much. Mostly he listened and grunted now and again, looking worried. After a few more terse words, he ended the call and nodded at Sam. “Identity confirmed. Em, he’s a special operative on a covert team assigned to discover what’s going on with all the mysterious shipments you’ve been noticing at the airline. That’s all I got. Damn.” He paused. “That, and suddenly I’m being recalled from leave and sent to meet with someone named Commander Sykes.” Henry’s gaze zeroed in on Sam, who nodded.
“He already had his eye on you because of your familial connection to the airline,” Sam confirmed. “Looks like you’re going to be joining our merry band. Welcome aboard.”
“So this is a good thing. You’ll be on the inside of this covert team. Able to help. Right, Henry?” Emily tried not to worry about her brother getting any more involved in this mess. She’d learned firsthand that whatever was going on, it could be potentially fatal.
“From afar, it sounds. I’m not too happy about that. I’d rather stay here with you.”
“I think that would be a little too obvious at the moment,” Sam countered. “If we tip our hand too soon, we won’t catch them. They’ll go to ground and we’ll have a hell of a time picking up the trail again. These guys are good. And we’re on the clock. The longer they’re out there, the bigger this problem becomes.”
“What problem are we talking about, exactly?” Emily challenged him. They were talking circles around the real issue and she’d had enough. She wanted to know what was going on. “If it’s not drugs, what is it? Henry’s going to be let in on the big secret and I’m in the thick of it. I think I deserve to know.”
Sam looked troubled but remained silent.
“She needs to know, lieutenant, so she can recognize the danger and defend herself.”
“You’ll be read in by the proper authorities, major,” Sam told Henry before turning his gaze on Emily. His eyes softened when he looked at her and she could see the indecision, the warring thoughts racing through his mind. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.
“I can tell you it’s not drug smuggling, but it is smuggling. They’re moving technology. Very dangerous technology. And people with interest in buying this technology. And possibly the incredibly dangerous results of this technology.” He seemed to take special care not to reveal exactly what the technology was they were skirting around discussing, but it was more information than she’d had before. At least now she knew the general idea of what they would have to be on guard against.
“I’m assuming it’s a weapon of some sort,” Henry began to analyze the information in his typical way. “And the buyers of this kind of thing would be terrorists, criminals, or perhaps foreign agents.”
“Good guess,” Sam nodded, his eyes narrowing on Henry.
“So we should be on the lookout for out-of-the-ordinary passenger charters as well as the weird cargo flights,” Emily said.
Sam stood, clearly angered by her words. “We shouldn’t be on the lookout for anything, Emily. This is my mission. You’re going to keep your nose out of it as much as possible. I nearly choked when I heard you tell your brother that there had already been an attempt on your life. Southerland—or whoever is pulling his strings—already suspects you. You’re to stay out of this. I mean it.”
“And how do you propose to do that when we’ll be flying together?” She marched over and stood toe to toe with him.
“Pass me off to another pilot then. I won’t endanger you any more than I already have.”
“But I can get us assigned to any flight you want. I have my pick of the charters. I can choose the ones that we want to target. If you fly with someone else, you’ll get the luck of the draw. I can’t interfere to the extent of rearranging the flight schedule for you. That would be too out of the ordinary and would definitely raise suspicion.”
“And how do you propose to keep her safe if you’re flying different routes?” Henry added. For a moment there, as she stood looking into Sam’s eyes from only a few inches away, she’d almost forgotten her brother was there. “I hate to say it, but I think she’s safer with you than off on her own. If I know my twin, she won’t stop snooping because you tell her it’s dangerous. Even wrecking her car didn’t slow her down much.” Henry sounded disgusted and Emily only shook her head. He knew her better than anybody. He shouldn’t be surprised she’d pursue the bastard who had tried to kill her.
“While I appreciate the sentiment, I can take care of myself, you know.”
“Yeah, arousing suspicion to the point they tried to kill you was really a smart move.” Henry’s sarcasm was not helping her hold on to her temper.
“How was I supposed to know? I still don’t really know what we’re dealing with here,” she turned an impatient glare on Sam, but he seemed as immovable as stone, standing there, watching the siblings hash it out. “But I agree with Henry. I’m safer with you than on my own, Sam. And I can help your investigation without drawing undue attention. I always get to pick and choose my flights because I’m one of the owners. None of the other pilots have that luxury. You’re better off working with me than trying to keep me out of it.”
Sam looked resigned and a bit angry, but he finally relented. “All right. But you have to promise to follow my lead, Emily. I’m the only one who can handle it if we encounter anything…dangerous.” She didn’t understand the slight hesitation in his words, but let it pass. He was relenting, seeing reason. She wasn’t about to question it now. No, that would come later.
“I promise I’ll behave.”
She made a joke out of it, but this was a breakthrough moment for her. She wasn’t going to be sidelined. She’d have a chance to help stop whatever was going on at Praxis and maybe save the airline. It was important to her. The airline had been important to her mother and it was the last piece she had left of that life. She didn’t want to see it go down in flames. Her mother wouldn’t have liked that at all.
“I want your word of honor that you’ll look after Emily, lieutenant.” Henry sounded as serious as she’d ever heard him. It was touching, actually.
“You have my word,” Sam answered solemnly. “I’ll protect her to the best of my ability and put her life before my own.”
Whoa. That was some heavy stuff he’d just said and Sam looked like he meant every single word. Things had gotten very serious, very fast in her small kitchen.
“My leave is officially over,” Henry grimaced. “I’m to fly out and meet my new commander. It’s all very irregular, but they told me to hop in my jet and fly it directly to Fort Bragg. Emily, I’ll check in with you when I can, though I won’t be able to talk to you about any of this over the phone, I expect.” He took her hand and led her a few feet away from Sam. He was going to say goodbye. She hated this part. She hated being separated from her twin, but it had become necessary as they grew older. They each had their own lives to lead.
“You take care, Shotgun,” she whispered, hugging him and kissing his stubbly cheek.
“Same goes, kiddo.” He kissed her cheek and squeezed her tight. “I don’t know Sam well, but I know his type. His word means something. He’ll take care of you but you have to do your part.” He was whispering near her ear so Sam couldn’t hear. “Don’t make his job hard, squirt. Follow his lead and keep your head down. I’d die if I lost you.”
Tears gathered behind her eyes at his heartfelt words. “Same goes on your end. You be careful too.”
“I will if you will.” He drew away to give her one of those patented Henry smiles. He could charm almost anyone into anything with one of those smiles.
“Agreed.” They shook on it as they had when they were little kids, both grinning at the familiar routine that had begun any number of misadventures when they were small.
They broke apart and Henry turned to Sam. “I’m trusting you.” He held out his hand and Sam reached to take it, giving it a solid shake.
“I won’t let you down, sir. Give Matt Sykes my regards. He’ll give you my number.” Sam patted his cell phone. “The lines they issue us are scrambled secure satellite. When you’re on the team, we’ll be able to talk if I’m in a safe location. I’ve already asked the commander to issue one for Emily so you can talk to her more freely. She’ll have to be careful where she uses it though. I’ll show her how to choose and secure her locations sufficiently.”
“I’d be grateful to you,” Henry replied. “Being a twin is a funny thing.” It was hard to have to describe the connection to someone who hadn’t experienced it. Emily had tried before and knew what Henry was getting at. “I’ve felt something was wrong here for a while now but I hoped Em would come to me before anything big hit the fan.” He turned to look at her, his gaze going between her and Sam, including them both in his words. “That’s why I finally finagled leave to come see her. I’m glad now that I did and regret I didn’t do it sooner.”
“I only got here a few days ago,” Sam said quietly. “The timing on your leave was perfect as far as I’m concerned. Until I heard you two talking, I had to keep Emily on the suspect list. Now, thanks to those few moments, the good guys have gained two new allies.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Things have a way of working out.”
“That’s a good way of looking at it,” Emily said. “But I’m still mad that you bugged my house. How could you, Sam? Honestly.” She exaggerated her words in order to break the solemn mood and it worked.
“Just doing my job, ma’am.” Sam tipped his nonexistent hat at her and grinned.
Henry looked at his watch and grimaced. “I’ve got to go. I’m going to take the family plane back to the civilian airport near the base, drop it off at the Praxis hangar, then hop a cab to base so I can get my jet. Can I take your car? I’ll leave it at the airport. I’m sure Sam would be happy to drive you over to pick it up.”
Sam nodded agreement as she got her keys from her purse and gave them to Henry.
“Walk me out, sis.” Henry put his arm around her shoulders as they walked to her front door. Sam stayed behind, giving them a moment of privacy. “Call me as soon as you get the secure phone. Be careful where you call from. Sam will help you figure out what’s safe and what’s not. Listen to him. Learn from him. He’s been doing this covert stuff longer than you—or me, for that matter. Follow his lead.”
“Roger wilco.” She tried to joke with him but sometimes there was no getting around Henry’s serious side.
At the front door he hugged her one last time and kissed her cheek. Then he was gone. Out the door, in her car and down the driveway to the street beyond. She watched until her car turned and went out of sight.
“Your brother seems like a straight shooter.”
Sam had come in from the kitchen soundlessly. Emily jumped when he spoke from right beside her.
“You scared the life out of me. Make a sound once in a while, would you?” She shook her head as she caught her breath. Sam only laughed at her.
“Sorry. It’s my job to be stealthy. It’s become a way of life.”
“It’s not normal, Sam. Human beings make noise when they walk into a room. The brush of a shoe on carpet. The sound of rustling fabric as they move.” She was frustrated and frightened by the recent turn of events and it came out in her conversation. She didn’t mean to take it out on him but he was a handy target. Luckily, he seemed to understand. His eyes were kind when she met his gaze.
“Your brother will be okay, Emily. They won’t let him in on the truly dangerous stuff my team is involved in. I know that for a fact. He doesn’t have the right…training.” There was that awkward hesitation again when he went searching for words. There was something strange going on for certain. She just hoped they could put a stop to it so she and her brother could get on with their lives.
“This is truly dangerous, isn’t it? I mean, more than your garden variety criminals are involved.”
He nodded, holding her gaze. “There’s a great deal I can’t tell you but believe me on this—Henry won’t be in much more danger than he would be on his regular job. He’ll be used for his flying skills. That will be the extent of his contribution to the team. That, and you. You and Praxis Air are the links that brought him into the fold. If the airline hadn’t been involved, you and he wouldn’t have come to anyone’s attention. As it is, you are involved and we all have to make the best of the situation that we can.”
“I can understand that.”
“What’s the family plane Henry mentioned? Do they keep one specific jet set aside for you at Praxis?”
“It’s a relic of the old days. The first plane our mother flew for Praxis when they were setting up the airline. An old cargo job. A mid-sized Cessna. Buddy keeps it in good condition and we take it out every now and again for fun. Lately she’s been put back into service a time or two when we had last minute cargo charters, but she sits idle for the most part.”
She wished suddenly for the old days, when her mother was still alive and Scott was in school and nowhere near the management of the airline. Scott’s dad would never have gotten involved in anything so illegal and underhanded. He’d been a trustworthy man. Otherwise, her mother would never have gone into business with him and their other partners.
Emily yearned for those carefree times, almost wishing she had never noticed anything wrong. For a mad moment she wished she could go back to the way things had been before Scott had started systematically changing the airline. Back when things were normal and reasonably happy. Secure.
She shook her head, closing the door and locking it. When she turned around, she pinned Sam with her gaze. They had work to do.
“The first thing I want you to know is that I don’t like having my privacy invaded. I’ll forgive you this time but if you ever bug my home again, there will be hell to pay.” She knew as she spoke the words he would smile and she was glad when he did. “Now, the first thing I want you to do, is remove those listening devices. I suppose you hid them all over the place.”
“Yeah.” He had the grace to look sheepish. “I’ll take them out.” He leaned over to the big potted plant by the door and lifted a black pebble from the dirt.
“Show me where they are. I want to at least learn something from this if I have to go through the indignity of having my home bugged. Show me how to spot them.”
To his credit, Sam went through her home and showed her not only where he’d hidden the bugs, but other locations where they could be hidden without being seen. Some of them were pretty ingenious, like under the rim of her porcelain umbrella stand. She never would have thought of that in a million years.
He led her around the living room and kitchen then proceeded down the hall as if he were very familiar with the layout of her home. Which, in fact, he was. He’d snuck in here to plant the listening devices, after all, which still freaked her out if she let herself think about it. If Sam could do it with such ease, so could other people with his skills. Bottom line—her home wasn’t the safe place she’d thought it was.
Her thoughts were troubled as he led the way to another doorway. She stopped short when she saw where he was headed.
“In the bathroom?” She was outraged. Was nothing sacred?
“Just doing my job, Emily. They trained me to be thorough.”
“A little too thorough if you ask me.” It didn’t bear thinking about what kinds of sounds he could have been privy to.
“Exactly how long ago did you break in and place the devices?”
Sam grinned at her over his shoulder as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. She felt her face heat with a blush.
“The day before I started working at Praxis Air.”
God. That was longer than she’d have thought. It also meant something else.
“So I’ve been a suspect from the very beginning?”
“Everyone who works at Praxis is a suspect,” Sam replied. “Right now, you’re the only one I’ve been able to clear. Everyone else might still be on the take, so be careful who you talk to and what you say to them.”
“Even Buddy?”
“Especially Buddy,” he came back, stronger than she would have expected. “I don’t like that he didn’t insist on reporting the tampering on your car. That he let it go could mean he’s in on it.”
“Or it could mean he respects my judgment,” she countered.
Sam’s mouth thinned to an annoyed line but he didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he reached for the listening device hidden above her medicine cabinet.
“Don’t worry. The fact that you sing in the shower is safe with me.”
“I do not sing in the shower.” She was appalled to think he’d heard her.
“Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t really call it singing.”
She punched him in the arm. “I’ll get you for that someday, Archer. Payback’s a bitch.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” He turned to face her, pocketing the bug as he’d done with all the others. “And I’ll dream about sharing this shower with you sometime.” He advanced into her personal space until she could feel the warmth of his body though he didn’t quite touch her. “I bet I could give you a real reason to sing.”
His voice had dropped to that sexy tone that made her melt. His head lowered so his words sounded right next to her ear, his hot breath drifting over her skin, raising goose bumps of awareness all over her body.
“Are you making a pass at me?” Her voice was breathy and weak. Weak like her knees became as Sam’s head dropped lower and his lips brushed over the sensitive skin of her neck.
“If you have to ask, I must not be doing it right.” He closed the small gap between their bodies, his hands going around her waist as he drew her against his hard frame. “Damn. I’ve been wanting to do this for hours.” His lips covered hers, his tongue running along the seam of her mouth, unzipping her lips and delving inside. She gave in with a whimper of need.
She hadn’t known how badly she’d been craving him until he kissed her. Then it all came back in a rush. The heat of him. The passion in his touch. The need that only he seemed able to inspire in her.
Her senses swam as he lifted her in his arms. She felt motion as he began to walk but she was too caught up in his kiss to realize where he was going until he lowered her gently to her bed.
The softness of the cotton comforter under her was as welcome as his hard body over her. Sam was moving fast but Emily didn’t care. She’d dreamed of him since that first kiss they’d shared. She’d dreamed of this. And more.
He broke away and sought her gaze. He was breathing as hard as she was, both of them caught up in the moment.
“Tell me you want this, Em. Tell me now if you want me to stop.”
She thought about her answer for all of a second. Her heart knew the answer right away.
“Come here, Sam.” She wound her arms around his neck and drew him back down for a sizzling kiss as her fingers played in the short ends of his hair.
One of his hands went to her waist, burrowing under her soft cotton shirt to touch the skin of her abdomen. The warmth of him was incredible. His touch was skilled and exciting. She wanted more.
Would he move upward or downward? She wanted both equally.
When his hand stroked upward on her ribcage as his tongue danced with hers, she moaned. He apparently took that as his cue, sliding his hand right up under her shirt. He covered one of her breasts for a moment only before grasping the edge of the cup and pulling it downward with some force.
With a simple touch, Sam made her feel wanton. She craved his touch like her next breath and her desire only spiked higher as his hand shaped her bare breast. His fingers plucked at the nipple with care, pinching lightly as if learning her shape and her response.
Soon that wasn’t enough. She wanted her shirt off. She wanted his off too.
Emily moved her fingers to the buttons on his shirt, fumbling at first. Eventually she found the coordination to release those small buttons from their holes and pull the shirt out of his waistband. Within moments, she was touching hot, hard, male flesh.
She wanted more.
Apparently so did Sam. He released her, sitting up for a moment while he stripped off first her shirt and then his own. Her bra followed in a slow movement while he held her gaze and spoke not a word. He was watching her carefully, seeming to gauge her reactions, but she had no ability to hide how turned on she was by his every movement. So far, Sam was her dream lover. He had anticipated her needs and delivered what she wanted. She only hoped she was experienced enough to do the same for him.
Somehow she doubted her meager experience with the opposite sex would match up to Sam’s. Anybody who looked like him and lived the fast-paced life he must lead probably had more women than he knew what to do with. She didn’t like the idea that she was one of many, but she wouldn’t pass up this chance. She wanted to be with him regardless of what had come before or what would happen next.
“Do you have a condom?” She had to ask. She’d assumed he’d be prepared but she needed to be sure before this went any farther. She was being impulsive here tonight, but she wasn’t a fool.
Sam reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. From it he pulled two or three foil packets, throwing them onto the nightstand.
“I’ve had these in here for a while, but they’re still good. I’ve also recently had a full medical workup, Emily. I’m clean of disease. Disgustingly healthy, as a matter of fact.”
He made a face she couldn’t quite interpret but she saw the truth in his eyes. He wouldn’t lie to her about something this important. Sam was at heart an honest man regardless of the subterfuge he was sometimes forced to employ in his work.
“I’m clean too, but I’m not on birth control, so we need to use something.”
“I’m okay with that, Em. The last thing I want to do is make trouble for you with a disease or otherwise.” He cupped her cheek, then ran his fingers through her hair, his voice dropping low as he drew closer. “This is supposed to be about passion and desire. A gift from each of us to the other. A thing of beauty and mutual pleasure.”
When he talked like that, he gave her a glimpse into his inner soul. The soul of a poet. An artist. A sensitive man hidden beneath a tough exterior. He only made her like him more.
Daring greatly, she ran her hands downward, over his chest and muscular torso, then cupped his length through the fabric of his pants. Sam shivered but let her explore for a moment. But she didn’t want to wait. Her body was already screaming for satisfaction. It had been far too long for her and her desire for Sam was greater than any she’d ever felt.
Her hands went to his belt, working the leather and brass of the buckle free. Then she attacked the button and zipper, wanting the barrier between her and her goal gone as quickly as possible.
“Help me,” she pleaded softly as her fingers fumbled, unable to work fast enough to suit her.
Sam complied, rising slightly to help ease open the zipper. Emily didn’t wait. As soon as she had an opening, her hand slipped inside, battling through the layers of fabric to finally touch flesh.
He was rigid and warm, the velvety texture of his skin contrasting with its hardness. He was also big. Bigger than she’d ever had. It would take work to accept this into her body, but she imagined it would be well worth the effort.
She wrapped her fist around him and squeezed. Sam moved away after only a moment of this treatment and she was disappointed to have her prize taken out of reach too soon.
“Much more of that and this’ll be over before it starts.” His smile charmed her and the movement of his fingers to her waistband made her forget her disappointment.
He made short work of her pants and panties, caressing her skin in long sweeps of his large hands, up and down her legs. He held her gaze as he spread her legs, making room for himself between. She was centered on the queen sized bed, totally naked on her soft comforter. Sam still wore his pants though they were unzipped and in danger of sliding off his narrow hips. Silently she rooted for them to slide off. She wanted to see what she’d only felt up ’til now.
But he was in charge of this show for the moment and she was content to let him lead. Sam knelt between her knees, arranging her to his satisfaction. She was nervous but willing to see what he wanted. It had been a long time since she’d had a lover. A long time since she’d tried anything truly adventurous. Being with Sam and letting him do what he liked was an adventure. So far, it was an amazingly good one.
Sam’s hands stroked higher up her inner thighs, converging on the point that ached for his touch. When he got there, one hand rested on her pubic bone, the other delving into her folds, touching and probing, teasing and stroking.
She was slippery, ready for more but he teased her a bit longer, rubbing light circles around the distended nub that craved his touch. Her stomach flipped and her limbs began to shiver with pent up desire. Only then did he stroke lower once more, one large finger sliding within as if testing her fit.
She squirmed. She couldn’t help it. The feeling was incredible. His thick finger stretched the place that hadn’t seen much use in too long to mention. She creamed around him, easing his way, wanting more.
“How does that feel, sweetheart?” he whispered, his gaze rising to capture hers.
“Good,” she replied on a breathy moan as he added another finger to the first.
Yeah, that was a tight fit, but it felt really intensely wonderful. She wondered how good his cock would feel and she didn’t want to wait much longer to find out. Foreplay be damned. Just being around Sam was foreplay enough for her, let alone being naked and spread wide on her bed for him. She was already primed and ready to go.
“Just good?” he prompted with a teasing tilt to his head and a grin lurking at the corners of his mouth.
“Better than good,” she admitted. “Sam, don’t make me wait. I want you now.”
“Are you sure, Em? Be sure.”
“I’m sure. Finesse can wait until next time. This first time I just want you. Hard and fast and now. Don’t wait.”
He made a humming sound, deep in the back of his throat. She thought maybe her headlong response had gotten a rise out of him in more ways than the obvious one. Emily knew a large portion of sex was mental. Her eagerness for him seemed to be an additional turn on for Sam. She’d remember that for next time. It took a while to get to know what your lover liked. She’d learned something she could use to bring him more pleasure in the future—however long or short that future relationship might be.
Sam shucked his pants and boxers, letting them fall to the floor at the side of her bed. When she got her first look at him, she realized her estimation of his size had been a little off. He was longer than she’d thought and a nice size around. Yeah, that would make a tight, hot, incredibly arousing fit.
And she most definitely wanted it. Now.
Sam prowled up over her on hands and knees like a jungle cat. His body heat was tremendous. Warm and comforting. Strong and powerful, like almost everything else about him. He smelled so good. His natural musk wasn’t overpowering and made her senses come alive in appreciative response.
She licked his shoulder, wanting to taste him. Salty and clean. He tasted like more.
Sam growled in the back of his throat as her teeth nipped at his skin.
“Let’s put that mouth to better use, shall we?” he growled, settling over her. Then his mouth claimed hers in a tempestuous kiss that went on and on.
She lost track of time and space as he took possession of her passion. A moment later—or maybe it was an hour—he slowly took possession of her body. Sliding within, inch by inch, moment by moment, he was careful not to hurt her. He pressed steadily, using a rocking motion when necessary to use her body’s lubricant to aid his path. Eventually his strategy worked and he sat fully within her tight sheath, ready for more.
“Is it okay, Em?” he gasped, breaking the kiss so he could meet her gaze.
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Want more?” He smiled down at her. He was by far the sexiest man she had ever been with.
“Oh, yeah.” She returned his smile with interest.
He began to move in earnest, sliding slowly at first, but with some force as he pulled almost all the way out, then stroked home in one long thrust. Sam repeated the motion, watching her face. He was probably trying to gauge her reaction. She was quickly learning that Sam Archer was an incredibly considerate lover. She liked that and so much more about him. She had to be careful or she’d lose her heart to the man.
When she wrapped her legs around him to urge him to move faster, Sam took the invitation and ran with it. His thrusts became shorter and more powerful, eventually turning into hard digs of his hips, stroking into her heat. It felt glorious.
Emily began to make little keening noise as her passion rose higher. She was close to something momentous. Like flying too close to the sun. And she wanted to go higher. She wanted to touch the sun and explode, then float back down to Earth secure in Sam’s arms. She knew instinctively that he would keep her safe.
“Are you ready, Em?” His hot breath panted over her damp skin like a caress. She was straining toward completion.
“Almost,” she cried out. “Sam!”
She shouted his name as the first waves of pleasure broke over her body, making it clamp down around his, jerking and convulsing in wave after wave of orgasmic spasms.
She felt Sam join her in bliss as his muscles tensed on a final hard thrust. He strained above her, his eyes clamped shut as his body seized the pleasure they had created together.
His warmth engulfed her, sweeping her into another round of pleasurable contractions that drove her higher. She’d never done that before. It felt so good to let go so completely with Sam. He was a talented and considerate lover. And as he began to move again within her—slow, sweeping strokes that milked the last of their pleasure from both of their bodies—she flew to the sun one last time, shocking her into a scream.
She screamed his name as she came.
Sam woke Emily twice more in the night to make love. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her sweet body and honest responses. Guilt flooded him as he realized what he’d done. He should never have touched her. He should have been strong enough to resist the temptation of her. He was on a mission. Perhaps the most important one of his life. He shouldn’t have given in to the very personal need he had for this woman, but he hadn’t been strong enough to resist her allure.
Even after a full night of loving her, he found it hard to resist claiming her again. He had to be stronger than this. He had to be better. If he failed, the entire world might suffer the consequences. Steeling himself, he let her go and got out of bed as quietly as he could.
He watched her sleep for a long moment, teetering on the edge of climbing back in and having her again. In the end, he found the strength to get up and begin his day. There was work to be done and nobody here but himself to do it.