Page 100 of Long Past Deadly

He grinned. “Your wish, Wildcat.” Again, he wanted to go easy, but she bucked against him, and the action pushed him deeper, made him give in to a base need to ride her.

She enthusiastically came along, leaving him stunned.

Determined to get her there first, he tweak her nipples and found her mouth. Breath mingling and hands touching, the rhythm hit them both.

Alanna ran her fingers down his back and gripped his ass.

He lifted her to him so he could go deeper.

She gasped as she climaxed.

The sound made him spill into her like an untutored schoolboy. Christ!

She stayed against him, and he dropped his head to lay on her sweet breasts. He wasn’t moving again. Ever.

Her fingers in his hair was the pièce de resistance.

He wouldn’t lose this. He wouldn’t lose her.

He held her close for a long time, let her sleep, and didn’t let go.

Chapter Eighteen

“You’re going to do what?” Whit’s white face flushed with the heat of temper. Her first thought was to calm him. Last thing he needed was a stroke or a heart attack, but she had questions and he had answers. The man had fought Mercer on a bunch of different occasions.

“How many times did you cross with him in Iraq?”

“All the time.”

“Did he try to kill you there?”

He clamped his mouth shut. He was much stronger, but not better yet.

“Studying how your service times overlapped and all the conduct unbecoming reports, I’m guessing three times you clashed and were both disciplined.”

“None of this matters now.”

“Oh, it matters. He’s tried for you twice here in San Diego, too. And his assassination business was at least forty percent service members.”

Whit’s mouth fell open.

The number was a guess, but she’d stunned him silent. Whit had been moved from the hospital and was a guest in 501. Niles had moved her things to Quaid’s this morning. She had no plan there, no sense of protecting herself. Wasn’t sure she needed one – at least her gut said no. Her brain was more difficult to convince. But Whit being here was simpler for hands-on monitoring and security was tighter within the building, car bombs aside.

She studied his face and wasn’t going to engage with the outrage or the shock. She needed an edge. He could give her one.

“What was the beef about?”

He shifted in bed and winced. “There wasn’t one specific thing. He picked on whatever was bugging him at the moment. The guy did not play well with others.”

This was the most she’d gotten out of him, but it wasn’t enough.

“I’m trying to bait him. I need a trigger. Come and get me is not enough.”

“And I told you, it’s dangerous. He can come at you. Those knives of his aren’t for play. How do you think I had so many cuts on this old body of mine?”

“Slowing down with age.” She smiled carefully, trying to get back to the united front they were back when.

He scoffed. “Truth there. But you’re out of your mind. He’s a killer. He wasn’t a soldier. He wasn’t a professional assassin even if he could act like he was. He likes to kill and he doesn’t care how.”