Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

Z ara’s dreams were dark and disturbing. She was running from something in the back alleys and inky darkness of an old city. Something was chasing her that meant to do her harm. Suddenly, Noah was there. He wrapped his arms around her, and she felt safe and warm in his embrace. His lips grazed her temple, then her eyes before settling on her mouth as his hands lightly skimmed her body.

Zara could feel herself emerging from the dregs of her dream and sleep as Noah’s mouth closed around her nipple and sucked. He nudged her onto her back, and her thighs parted in invitation to possess her again. Positioning himself between her legs as the head of his cock probed for her core, his hands slipped under her buttocks with his thumbs spanning her hip bones as he sank his full length into her, groaning.

“Don’t,” she protested feebly, then he began to move inside her.

“Shh, beautiful, let me have you… all of you,” he whispered, nuzzling her. “Wrap your legs around me, Zara.”

This time she had no will to fight and spread her thighs wider, hooking her legs over the top of his thighs beneath his well-developed buttocks, which were now fueling the engine that ground his cock deeper into her pussy.

“Noah,” she sighed in unmitigated pleasure as her need grew.

There was something elemental and fierce in the way his body claimed hers and forced not just a physical response but a complete and total surrender to his command. He stroked her harder and faster until he drove himself into her ferociously, and she succumbed to a tremendous orgasm that left her shaking in its aftermath.

“That’s my beauty,” he said soothingly.

“Not yours,” she managed to say.

“Mine. Only mine. If not right this minute, then soon. Give to me, Zara.”

She shook her head as he tried to capture her mouth again. His response was to pin her to the bed more forcefully as he drove into her relentlessly. Her breath sped up, and the sounds she made became whimpers as her orgasm approached faster than she could comprehend. He shouldn’t be able to do this to her. He’d forced more orgasms from her in a single night than she’d experienced in a week with any other man. Her body stiffened in anticipation, and she started to pant, terrified of the amount of pleasure she was about to feel and embarrassed he could undo her to this extent.

Zara cried as she came again, clinging to him. Noah showed no signs of weariness, only a gritty determination to relentlessly stroke her until her will to resist him was gone. Zara knew she had lost to him when her hands moved down his back and cupped his buttocks to urge him to fuck her harder and faster. He granted her unspoken request and plunged deeper and harder into her molten core.

“God, yes,” he whispered as his movements became more frenzied. “Come with me. Let your cunt milk my cock for every last drop I’m going to pump into you.”

“Yes,” she sighed as her body took flight with his and soared beyond the clouds and stars to a place of infinite time and space.

With a final thrust, his staff released his essence into her being, and her pussy rippled along his length in response. Something within Zara sparked to life. She basked in the aftermath of his lovemaking, grateful he didn’t seem inclined to withdraw. There was a part of being coupled with Noah that was earthy and intimate. Releasing his hold on her hips, he brought his hands up to her face, whispering kisses over it and making small, incoherent noises that comforted and reassured her that his need for her was as great as hers for him.

As he withdrew, Zara mourned his imminent uncoupling. This time, when he rolled off her, he brought her with him, throwing her arm across his torso, wedging one of her legs between his, so his softening cock laid between the juncture of her thighs. Noah wrapped one arm around her back and laid the other over her arm, returning her embrace.

When she slept, she dreamed of nothing and felt only peace and contentment.

The next time Zara opened her eyes, she was alone and surprised to see the sun was up. Without looking at a clock or her cell phone, she had no way of knowing the exact time but figured it was probably midmorning. The floorboards creaked as Noah came in from the other room. Wearing only his jeans, he looked like a photoshopped male model, complete with washboard abs, corded and muscled arms, and a trim waist. A heavy sprinkling of dark hair across his chest was widely dispersed across his pectoral muscles before narrowing to join in the middle of his sternum and trail down the center of his torso, disappearing into his jeans. He was carrying a tray with something that smelled delicious.

He walked around the end of the bed to her side, set the tray on the nightstand, took her face in his hands, and kissed her deeply. As with everything else about him, the kiss was commanding yet entreating.

“Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”

“After you left me alone to sleep,” she snapped.

She had a fleeting thought she might have offended or angered him, but he threw his head back and laughed before kissing the tip of her nose, then briefly capturing her mouth. It was disorienting, even in something only slightly more than his lips brushing hers, he was able to completely overpower her senses.

“You seemed disturbed, and I sought to comfort you,” he said with a sly grin.

“No, you woke with a hard-on and used me to take care of it.”

Again, instead of anger or reprisal, she got laughter.

“As I recall, sweetheart, your needs were seen to as well, and you came more times than I did.”

“And woke even sorer than when I went to sleep.”

“Do you always wake up in such a lousy mood?”

“Yes,” she snapped.

“Then, I’ll have to come up with ways to see if we can’t make your mornings better.”

“How about you get me to the nearest train station, so I can get back home to London.”

“That’s not happening. We have a forensic team that should be there anytime. They’ll go over your place with a fine-tooth comb.”

Mildly outraged—after all, she was being held against her will—she said, “What on earth for?”

“We want to see if they left anything behind—DNA, trace evidence, surveillance devices, explosives.”

“You think they’d leave a bomb?”

“I wouldn’t put it outside the realm of possibilities. You do realize those men meant to torture and kill you, right? They weren’t coming in through the back with masks and automatics to have tea.”

“I don’t drink tea.”

“I know,” he said calmly. “You drink dark-roast coffee, black if you have to, but if it’s available, you like wild honey and a dollop of clotted cream. I like honey in my coffee as well, organic when I can find it. The little store we stopped at had a really nice local produce and dairy section. If I’d known then you like clotted cream, I’d have picked some up, but I did add some honey to your mug. I can get you more if it’s not enough.”

He handed her a mug filled with fresh coffee. She inhaled deeply and smiled in spite of herself. She took a taste and sighed. The cream would have been lovely, but it was precisely the right amount of honey.

“This is really good, thank you. How did you know so much about my coffee?”

He wiggled his eyebrows at her, making her laugh.

“I know many things.”

She arched an eyebrow at him skeptically.

“I had Croft ask Finn.”

“Is she all right?”

“Other than being in much the same shape as you, she’s fine.”

“Ganging up on us?” She looked over the rim of the mug as she took a more thorough drink.

“Absolutely. Croft and I are well aware the two of you are, if not actively conspiring at the moment to get to the bottom of this story, soon will be.”

“That’s our job… to get the story.”

“Maybe in the past, but not now. Now, your primary job is to follow my orders, and the first rule is you don’t put yourself in harm’s way.”

She snorted and took another sip. “In case you missed the memo… I’m not inclined to follow anyone’s orders other than my own.”

“I got the memo.” He grinned. “I’m just vetoing it. Quit trying to pick a fight with me, Zara.”

“I’m not. Just when things don’t turn out the way you think they should, I don’t want to be accused of leading you on.”

“You’ve been very clear about your reluctance to do as you’re told. I think I’ve been just as clear as to the consequences of not minding me.”

“I’m not looking for some overendowed and muscled guard dog who thinks he has to keep me safe and in return, gets to fuck me whenever he wants.”

“You think I’m overendowed? I thought it was a perfect fit,” he teased.

Zara sent him a scathing look.

He shook his head. “Drink your coffee, Zara. Tomorrow, I’ll try having it ready on the nightstand and fuck you first thing. We’ll see if that doesn’t improve your mood.”

“You egotistical, condescending bastard.”

“Sweetheart don’t get yourself all worked up. I made breakfast. Why don’t you eat your omelet before it gets cold,” he said, handing her a plate with the most perfect omelet she’d ever seen. She wanted to throw it at him like she had the night before, but the aroma was enticing, and she was hungry.

Zara snatched the plate from him and took a bite—heaven enfolded in light and fluffy eggs. The perfectly finished omelet was filled with Gruyere cheese, lots of crispy, crumbled bacon, caramelized onions, and sundried tomatoes. He had accompanied it with two small potato latkes and a citrus fruit salad.

“This is very good,” she said, digging in. “I’m hungry.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He grinned. “You didn’t have dinner yesterday, and I rode you pretty hard during the night.”

“I am not some wild mustang to be mounted and ridden whenever you damn well please.”

The sheet had slipped from under her arms and was pooled in her lap, leaving her breasts exposed. Noah hefted one in his hand, flicking his thumb back and forth across her rapidly stiffening nipple.

“Think not?” He clearly enjoyed her arousal in response to his fondling. “I’ll bet if I reached between your legs, I’d find your clit just as hard and a wealth of your honey gathering in your pussy.”

Zara hissed at him—at his presumptiveness, his handling of her feminine parts as if they belonged to him, and the fact that his assessment was entirely correct.

“You are insufferable,” she said between bites.

“Now,” he said, tweaking her nipple and causing her to gasp, “be a good girl and finish your breakfast. We don’t have much time before we have to get on the horn with the team. Why don’t you grab a shower?”

“Why? Do you find the stench of my having had sex with you offensive?”

He arched his eyebrow again, a somewhat endearing trait that signaled when she was starting to get under his skin.

“Maybe,” he said, “in addition to getting laid in the morning, you need to get your ass spanked first. For your information, I find the scent of you mingled with my own to be the finest perfume I’ve ever inhaled. Settle down and behave yourself, or I’ll turn your ass an even deeper shade of red before I put you naked on your knees at my feet while we talk to the team,” he growled.

“And what would your employer think of the idea you spanked and fucked me more than once since you took me into your custody against my will?” she challenged.

“You mean since I saved your life? He’d probably admonish me for not getting you taken in hand the first time.”

Noah laughed at the look of shock on her face.

“This may or may not come as a newsflash to you,” he continued, “but the men I work with have absolutely no problem with a man tattooing his woman’s ass with his displeasure when she’s earned herself a spanking. Go ahead and complain. Mac will probably just advise me to use my belt if there’s a next time.”

“I can’t believe he would allow you to treat a client or a potential witness this way.”

“He doesn’t, and I don’t, but I will ensure my woman is cared for and safe… whether she likes it or not.”

Zara finished her breakfast and scooted across the mattress to get out on the other side of the bed, grimacing as she did so. Noah wisely said nothing. Zara walked around him to the bath and started to close the door.

“Leave it open, Zara. I want to be able to keep my eye on you.”

“Pervert!”

He laughed. “Nevertheless, the door stays open, or I come in there to supervise.”

“Fine. It isn’t anything you haven’t already seen,” she snapped.

“Doesn’t matter how many times I see it, it’s still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever beheld.”

Zara rolled her eyes, then turned on the shower. She made short work of her shower, but not because she didn’t enjoy it or even minded Noah watching. Her memories of the day before when she’d shared it with him were still too vivid in her mind—his strong hands using the sudsy sea sponge to get her clean, the lingering touches, the feel of his body pressed to hers under the hot water. She really needed to get a handle on her own traitorous thoughts.

Zara rejoined him, wrapped only in a towel.

“I don’t suppose you have clean clothes?” she asked.

“I think you look fine.” He laughed. As the storm clouds gathered in her eyes, he crossed over from the bed, took hold of her shoulders, and pulled her close to kiss her briefly but thoroughly. One thing about Noah, he was very deliberate and completely in control where she was concerned. For the moment, Zara would let him believe that.

“We do, however, keep a variety of sweats in the dresser, and I put away the things I had in my go-bag. There are a couple of my sweaters you might like.”

“Sweats will be just fine.”

“Suit yourself. The sweaters are softer, I thought you might prefer them. If this looks to become long term, we’ll need to get additional supplies, including clothing.”

Zara found a pair of sweats that looked like they’d fit. They were a bit too big in the waist, so she rolled them down, making them ride low on her hips. She started to put on the sweatshirt but realized it wouldn’t be all that comfortable. It would either be a bit too tight in the bust or huge everywhere else. She knew she could select another but saw Noah’s black sweater lying on the chair. It was incredibly soft to the touch. She pulled it over her head and went to join him. She didn’t like the way his eyes lit up when he saw she was wearing his sweater.

“Don’t get any ideas. You were right, it’s nicer than the sweats. Although these pants are baggy enough, they don’t put any pressure on my ass, which, in case you wanted to know, still hurts.”

Noah, busy getting the video conference set up, looked up at her.

“I don’t doubt it. If it didn’t, it would mean I hadn’t spanked you hard enough last night. You were still showing quite a bit of color on your pretty little backside this morning when you went into the shower.”

“Oh, she was, was she?” came Mac’s voice over the comm system before the monitor blinked on, revealing his bemused expression. He seemed to be alone in the conference room. “That was fast. In fact, a damn sight faster than I thought it would be.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zara accused. She waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter. I demand you tell this supercilious goon of yours to release me at once and take me, if not home, then to a train station, so I can get back to my job and my life.”

“Feisty, isn’t she, Noah?” Mac laughed. “I’ve heard you called a lot of things, but I think that’s the first time anyone has ever accused you of being a supercilious goon.”

“That she is. What can I say? She’s a writer. She likes words.”

“Aren’t you the guy who wanted a nice, quiet girl?” asked Mac.

Noah chuckled. “Yeah, that would be me.” He turned to her. “You know, Zara, I’m never going to hear the end of being with you.”

“Do you two assholes hear yourselves? I’m in the fucking room. And neither of you has any dominion over me. I’m warning you, McDaniel. I have friends at Scotland Yard, and they take a dim view of a British citizen being unlawfully detained.”

“That would be Michael Bestwick? He has been advised. We looped him in unofficially about what’s going on. He said to send you his best.”

“Arrgghh!” She stomped her foot.

Mac chuckled. “Croft and I may have gotten the spitfires, but you, my friend, have yourself a hell-raising firebrand. The rest of the team should be joining us in a minute.”

“She can behave herself when she wants to,” Noah said, obviously enjoying her temper. “Zara, that’s enough. Come and sit down.”

She went to move past him and hissed when his hand connected sharply with her bottom, then swung her back around and drew her onto his lap. She squirmed, and he held her.

“Settle down, Zara, or I’ll strip you, and you’ll find yourself in position at my feet.”

“You’d want them to see me naked?”

“Not particularly. I’ll make sure the video shows enough, it’s obvious you’re naked and kneeling at my feet, but nothing overtly sexual.”

Zara relaxed back into his lap, sitting gingerly. The camera at Wild Mustang Security drew back, so all of those gathered at the conference table could be seen. She was glad to see Finn in attendance as well.

“You all right?” Finn asked.

“As well as can be expected when I’m being held against my will,” Zara replied, eyes shooting daggers at Noah, who merely smiled benignly at her.

“They said some kind of team assaulted your home? Jesus, Zara, I’m so sorry. I never should have involved you.”

“Are you kidding? This story could be huge. I’ve already been able to confirm parts of what you told me,” Zara said excitedly.

“I’m surprised you’d tell them that,” Finn said, laughing.

“Didn’t they tell you? The bastards hacked my system and have downloaded all my stuff.”

Finn turned on Croft.

He really was easy on the eyes. In some ways better looking than Noah. Croft had those East Coast patrician looks, like old money or nobility. She smiled to herself as she remembered how Finn had once described Zara’s taste in men as tall, dark, and voted most likely to take a life. She wasn’t all that far off the mark—Noah certainly filled that bill. The man was likely the most dominant alpha male she’d ever encountered, yet he seemed to have a sensitive side that called to her.

“You hacked her system?”

“Sure did,” Croft said, grinning at her. “Thom’s finishing up in London but said he should have all the data compiled, including what they found at Zara’s overnight. If there’s anything significant, we’ll contact you at the same time tomorrow.”

“So, nothing really new to report?” Noah asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Mac said. “Springer had flown the coup, but Bestwick was able to get the French police to check the farmhouse where Finn was held. Aside from the dead bodies, the place had been cleaned out and wiped down. He said it was very disconcerting as the bodies were laid out neatly in a row, and the rest of the house appeared to be untouched. Bestwick said their forensic techs were a bit spooked by it. They obviously took their time clearing out.”

“What about Fariq?” Noah asked.

“He’s been pretty forthcoming. Problem is Springer knew everything and moved swiftly to consolidate his stranglehold on Fariq’s operation. Fariq seems fairly resigned to letting him have it and retiring someplace safe where he can die an old man.”

Zara listened but said nothing. They were fools if they thought Fariq would simply fade away. They may have had business dealings with him, but Zara had dined with him on several occasions. The dinners had covered different aspects of stories she was writing, as well as giving her finely-honed reporter’s instincts an incredible breadth of knowledge about what made the man tick. And tick he did… much like an explosive device. She very much doubted Fariq would have revealed that side of himself to the Wild Mustang Security people.

Fariq would not walk away without a fight. He presented himself to the world and to those who dealt with him as a sophisticated businessman, when in fact, he was a ruthless killer not above using whatever means he could find to re-establish his supremacy in the international community of arms dealers and terrorists.

The video conference ended with Noah’s assessment of their situation. He was content to stay at their current location until they checked in the day after tomorrow unless new information came to light. After that, he’d be inclined to move. Even as remote and secure as they were, no safehouse was truly safe if those hunting you were willing to pay whatever it took for someone to find you.