Chapter 11

Mike wasn't exactly sure why he was dragging Elle away from camp, but he knew she was more than up for whatever he could dish out. Both verbally and physically she was undoubtedly his equal. She'd crossed lexical swords with him ever since their first encounter, and he was fully aware of the impressive muscles in the well-toned arm under his grasp. Not to mention her core. Needless to say, that rock solid wall of abs had made itself known when she'd arched into his hard cock earlier, telling him everything else he needed to know about the rest of her body. Elle was a finely-honed fighting machine.

But she wasn't fighting him now as he searched for a place they could be alone.

"You're making this abduction pretty easy," he quipped as they rounded a ledge of granite.

She snorted. "You do understand that if I hadn't wanted to hear what you have to say, I would have dropped you like a sack of potatoes back there in front of your friends."

"You could have tried," Mike smirked.

"Ooh, confident," she retorted beguilingly.

"With my team watching? Are you kidding me? I'd have no choice but to win or take shit for the rest of my life. And it would have made for great entertainment since every one of those eager assholes would have been betting on the outcome."

"Would anyone have put money on me?" she asked cheekily.

"Seriously? Every one of them would. Just to bust my balls."

Elle snickered. "Then we might have to give them a show later."

Mike thought about all the things he wanted to do with Elle, and one of them was, indeed, grappling with her to see what kind of training she had. But that was better left to some later date, at the gym. Here? Not optimal. He shook his head. "You're a little busted up, and I don't want to hurt you."

"And I don't want to hurt you," she countered. "But we could schedule a sparring session in your gym for a later date."

Now she was a mind reader.

Mike was intrigued. And interested. And turned the hell on. He'd love an excuse to put his hands on this woman again, and here she was handing the opportunity to him on a platter. Did she feel the same way about getting her digits on him? Was it a sexually exciting proposition to her, or simply a challenge she couldn't resist?

Mike was becoming used to the forthright dialogue the woman offered up, so he decided to try some of his own.

"Let me ask you this. Do you want to test me on a mat to see what I've got for chops, or…on a mattress?"

She threw back her head and laughed, and it was the prettiest thing Mike had ever seen. Her long, slender throat begged for his lips, and he hoped her answer to his question was hell, yes. Or helix, yes, as she'd probably say.

"My, my," she countered. "We've come a long way in a short period of time. It seems I've gone from a suspect, to an annoyance, to a person of personal interest." Her wide green eyes sparkled.

He didn't prevaricate. "Yup. Strangely, you have. And I'm never like this." Mike wasn't shying away from his attraction. It had been far too long since he'd felt the slightly nervous, almost bubbly feeling in his gut that fizzed with healthy lust. He didn't want this fascinating woman to cut and run before he had a chance to explore the feelings she was arousing in his long-arid libido.

What would she say next? He'd bet it was something impertinent.

"Would your desire for a mattress have anything to do with the stiffy you were sporting earlier?"

Indeed, she'd audaciously challenged Mike again, but before he could form an answer, she gave him another mind-fuck.

"Because if it is, I'm intrigued as well. Uncustomarily so. I'm all for seeing whether our mutual itch can get scratched to our combined satisfaction."

Mike almost swallowed his tongue. He thought he'd have to work to get any kind of physical reality with this fantasy woman, but it looked like she was ready to jump right in. Literally. Still, he needed to be sure. He wasn't the type of guy to take anything for granted anymore, especially after being blindsided by his ex-wife's declaration that he'd never listened to what she really wanted. "You mean…? Are you saying…?"

"That I'd like to kiss you again?" she grinned. "Absolutely."

"You're sure?" Mike didn't want to take a chance that she'd change her mind, but he needed to hear her agreement again while looking directly into her countenance.

He stopped, turned her to face him, then with both hands on her biceps, he backed her up until her ass was flush against a rocky outcropping. "Last chance to cry uncle," he warned.

Was that his voice, all raspy and gruff? Mike was known for being cool under fire, but he was hot as hades right now.

"Aunt," she replied breathlessly, staring at his lips.

"Aunt?" he repeated dumbly, because he could already taste her, and clearly that was playing havoc with his brain.

"Yeah," she whispered, moving her mouth closer to his. "Aunt you gonna lay one on me before I pass out from anticipation?"

"Hell, yes," Mike growled, wanting to laugh at her poor word-play, but finding himself too captivated with her lips that no further bantering emerged as he fused his needy mouth to hers.

Expecting a battle for supremacy, Mike was taken aback when his dream woman softened underneath him. It took everything he had not to groan out loud, but he accepted her gift of submission, and with his lips hopefully telling the story, he attempted to let her know how much he cherished her trust.

Threading one hand behind her head—cupping it to keep it cradled off the rocks—Mike deepened his pressure while at the same time tickling her lush lower bow with his tongue. She teased him for several seconds, keeping him from entering her warm cavity, but when she finally parted her lips and let him in, it was like discovering a place on earth he'd always dreamed of, but never really thought existed.

Because his experience with women was limited.

His relationship with Mellie had started in high school, and they'd learned everything together. After an initial year of exploration, they'd early on settled down into a familiar sexual routine which had been good, but never mind blowing.

This however…

Mike couldn't have found the words even if his tongue weren't busy exploring every nook and cranny of Elle's verdant mouth…while still consciously avoiding her injured chin. If she hadn't sustained the cut, he would have held her face captive by that sassy little jaw. But…her injury…

Mike judiciously pulled back, his objective to see if she was in any pain from his marauding ways, but he didn't get far. Elle reached up and grabbed his head, digging her nails into the skin of his scalp to haul him back.

Yes! The lady knew what she wanted, and was telling him without words.

Mike could work with that.

He dove back in.

They touched, tasted, and battled; but oddly enough with no sexual agenda in mind; just a lust to have their mouths fused together. To say Mike had never been so turned on while keeping his hands in G-rated territory was an understatement. He wasn't even leaning into the enticing V the sexy lady had made with her legs, yet his dick was so hard, it felt like it was going to find its own way out of his BDU's.

When her hands raked down the back of Mike's neck, scoring his flesh with trails of pure fire, Mike couldn't hold back any longer. He drew away from her mouth—even though it was a heaven he was eager to continue memorizing—then leaned over and bit one earlobe before licking and nipping down the soft skin of her throat until he reached her collarbone.

"Tell me to stop," he gruffed.

"Hulk, no," she hissed, leaning back to give him better access.

Permission granted.

Mike didn't hesitate. He hooked his fingers into the neckline of her shirt and yanked it down, revealing one perfect orb encased in…virginal white lace.

Now he groaned.

The pulse-beat in his cock matched the elevated rhythm of Elle's heart under his questing nose, as he used his teeth to pull the material down over one abundant, pillow of flesh, until a ripe, cherry red nipple popped out.

"Mine," he growled. A proprietary lust he didn't know he had within him took over. He sucked the eager bud into his mouth, applying increasing pressure as he trapped the precious pearl between his tongue and the roof of his mouth. The small part of his brain that was still coherent, told him that she could probably take a lot of compression; that she liked things a little rough.

Mike willingly tested his theory, engaging his teeth to win a gasp of pleasure from Elle, and a thrust of her chest in his direction.

"You want more?" he snarled around her nipple.

"Yesss." Her hands went once more to the back of his bald pate, pressing him closer.

His fingers found the top of her bra, and he hauled the whole thing down until it rested underneath both ample breasts. He proceeded to lathe one fine protrusion with his mouth while he pinched the other between his thumb and forefinger.

Her appreciation was given in a series of short gasps and ardent mews. He continued loving the swelling pair until he felt Elle's hand at the button to his pants.

Goddammit.

He wanted what she offered, but…

Slowly and silently, he began softening his assault as he gently lifted her fingers from his zipper.

This was neither the time nor the place to have sex, as much as his cock wanted to bury itself deep inside the woman's willing pussy. Mike was sweaty. Elle was injured. And if he knew anything about his team, because the woman in his arms was a dubious stranger, if he wasn't back within ten minutes, a rescue party would be deployed.

He gave one last, longing kiss to each of her pert peaks, then lifted her bra back into place with a sigh.

"Putting a stop to things, huh?" she managed roughly, blowing a large, frustrated breath from between semi-amused lips.

"Unless you'd like an audience," he countered, attempting, but not quite managing to smooth out the stretched neck of her T-shirt.

"I'm pretty adventurous," she briefed him. "But I've never been into public sex."

Mike blew out a relieved breath. "Me, either," he admitted. "Although with you, I can easily see myself losing my mind regarding when and where things happen."

"Same," Elle admitted, straightening up from the rock wall behind her to tug her clothes into exactly the right position. "So is…this," she swept a hand between the two of them, "what you wanted to talk about?"

"Nope. But I had hopes it would be part of our agenda," he admitted, his grin growing wide. "I was really just going to ask why you kissed me before, by my truck. It was something I certainly hadn't expected."

Elle shrugged, her smile growing easier. "I sort of developed a crush on you when I saw you at the gym. I thought it was hot, how easily you took down those two idiots without breaking a sweat."

"Phht," Mike scoffed. "They were too soft."

"I know. But I couldn't help fantasizing about getting you on the mats and seeing what we could do. Together." The spark in her eyes hadn't diminished one bit after their make-out session. Indeed, her gaze seemed even more incendiary. Her sex drive was clearly off the charts; at least according to his limited experience. Mike licked his lips. He wondered how many times Elle needed to orgasm before she was sated. His guess was, more than once. And he fancied himself up for the job.

Mike, almost too lost in his daydream, replayed her previously stated admission, and didn't hesitate to admit he'd envisioned something similar. "Me, too. The minute I saw you watching, I was drawn in by everything about you. When you were leaving, I wanted to yell out; get you to stay." He was about to admit even more. "Once you disappeared, I finished up as quickly as possible, hoping you'd still be hanging around somewhere close. But when I couldn't find you, I was ridiculously disappointed. I thought I'd never see you again."

She practically purred, like a cat licking cream.

Mike continued. "Cisco, who's a player by the way, saw you leaving the gym, and actually caught that the car you were driving has a rental plate. Which made me even unhappier, because I knew you were only in town, temporarily. But I wasn't going to give up. I, um, might have had my some of my crew in the area watching out for your vehicle."

Now Elle grinned widely. "Why didn't you just run the plate and get my info from the rental agency?"

Now it was Mike's turn to chuckle. "Would it have done me any good? Did you use your real identity?"

"No," she laughed.

"Well, then…" His words dried up as he stared at the vision before him.

Fully clothed again, he still couldn't stop marveling at her, she was so stunning. Her long blonde hair, which had been secured in a ponytail at some point in the day, was coming loose from its band. Flighty, escaping whisps framed the smooth skin of her face like a halo. Her cheekbones were high, her chin squared, and when she laughed, there was just the hint of a dimple in her right cheek. Mike felt he could spend hours examining her face, and never tire of it.

"Just to let you know, I wasn't going to go away that easily," the woman countered. "Unlike you, I had your profile within minutes of hearing what your nutjob-ex and her delusional-sidekick had planned. And even if you hadn't eventually been in trouble, I would have found a way to ‘accidentally' run into you again."

"You were stalking me," he teased.

"Call it what you want. I knew you were a person of interest the minute I laid eyes on you."

"Thank God for that," Mike said. "But that still begs the question, where do we go from here?"

Elle bit the inside of her cheek, hollowing it out, clearly trying not to let her excitement show. "You know that plan I mentioned?"

Mike nodded.

"Are you still…interested in gaining a girlfriend? But maybe a not-so-fake one?" Her voice cracked a little like she was nervous asking, which Mike somehow knew didn't happen often to the confident woman before him.

He reached for her hand and cleared his throat.

"Yes," he answered easily, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. "Elle?" He felt like he should be going down on one knee for this. "Would you be my girlfriend, for real?" he asked, then…

Fuck.He frowned.

"What?" she asked, clearly confused by the mixed signals he was giving.

"I'm…" He bit back several expletives. "I'm not sure I can date a woman whose actual name I don't know," he finally managed.

Mike didn't want to blow this, but he needed a show of…honesty. For however long this dream of a thing lasted. He wasn't stupid. He knew once his life was no longer in danger and Elle's op was over, this whole episode would more than likely fizzle. But truth was very important to him after the drubbing he'd taken at the hands of his ex-wife. If Elle couldn't give him that, as much as it would kill him, he'd have to walk away.

Mike held his breath, watching the play of vexation and uncertainty dance across her pretty features.

Yup.So that was that.

He sighed. "Well, I guess?—"

She placed one long, capable finger on his mouth, effectively shushing him.

"Joelle," she finally whispered. "But you can call me Joe."