A Silverhill Christmas (12 page)

Closing his eyes, Rio leaned his head back. “My mother was flighty, irresponsible. I never knew my father, but he already had a family.”

Rio's lips twisted in a bitter smile, and Tori wanted to reach out and smooth away his pain. She knew Rio could have that family for the asking. The McClintock brothers, Rio's half brothers, would accept him as one of their own in a heartbeat. Well, Rafe, the youngest, would anyway. Rod and Ryder would eventually come around.

Tori doubted the wisdom of keeping her knowledge of his family a secret. Would he feel betrayed? Maybe, but she couldn't spring that on him now.
Coward.

She traced a pattern on the rough denim covering her thigh. “So she left your father?”

“Onto the next adventure.” He sat forward and snapped his fingers. “Just like that. While she was pregnant she joined a commune in New Mexico where I was born, and then it was ‘have baby knapsack, will travel.' She jaunted all over the country with me strapped to her body.”

“She must've loved you a lot to keep you with her like that.”

He shrugged. “I think the novelty of a baby wore off quickly. She'd leave me with friends, boyfriends and even relative strangers while she worked as a waitress, ski instructor, stripper and even a bit-part actress when we got to L.A. She pursued her dreams at the expense of mine.”

Tori's fingers inched toward his hand, clenched into a fist. She traced over his knuckles. “And what were your dreams?”

“Stability, family, going to the same school for one solid year instead of being the new kid all the time.”

“Life's funny, huh?” She closed her hand over his fist. “I had all that growing up and I threw it all away for a life of excitement and adventure. I guess it's a case of being careful what you wish for. So when you grew
up, why didn't you seek the life you desired as a child? Why join the military and become a spy? Why not an engineer or a doctor?”

“Because it's all I knew.” He placed his other hand on top of hers, sandwiching it between his own. “I turned out just like my mother—rootless, disconnected, on the move.”

“Well, not exactly like her.”

Rio tilted his head, his dark eyes like pools of melted chocolate.

“You were never a stripper, were you?”

He threw back his head, his loud laugh bouncing off the walls of the little house. Without releasing his hold, he dragged her into his lap. “You're amazing, Tori Scott. We're hours away from staging a dangerous rescue of your son, and you can still laugh.”

“I learned a long time ago, if I couldn't laugh I'd drown in my tears.” She wound her arms around his neck. “It's going to be okay, isn't it, Rio? We're going to get Max?”

His hands encircled her waist, his thumbs resting on her ribcage. “I promise we're going to get him out of there, but we're going to need some rest first. The sun's already coming up.”

Snuggled in Rio's lap, her heart racing at his warm touch, Tori hadn't given a thought to rest. Just like in the hotel room, Rio was shutting her down. She slid from his lap, disappointment lancing her belly. “B-before I take a nap, I'd like to take a shower. This place does have a shower, doesn't it? I didn't notice one in the bathroom.”

Rio grinned. “I'll take you to the shower.”

Grabbing her hand, he shot up from the sofa and tugged her toward the back of the house. He threw open
the backdoor and pointed to a showerhead rigged to a pipe and poised above a square of tiles.

Tori's jaw dropped. “You weren't kidding about the rustic nature of this place. Is that outdoor contraption really the only shower?”

“Change your mind? You don't have to worry about privacy. There's no reason for anyone to come down this road and after I get you a towel, I promise to wait inside. Then it's my turn.”

Tori turned toward him and bunched his T-shirt in her fists. “Let's conserve water.”

His hands caressed her shoulders, a questioning light in his dark eyes.

“I know you didn't want to mix business with pleasure when we were at the hotel, at least I hope that's the reason you left me hanging off a cliff.” She yanked at his shirt. “But who knows what's going to happen tomorrow, Rio? I can't just let this…whatever this is between us…dry up and blow away. Can you?”

Rio's eyes grew as black as molten lava and then a smile split his face. He jerked away from her grasp and jumped off the wooden step of the porch. “Last one in has to go back for the towels.”

Tori screamed and scrambled after him, following the trail of his discarded clothing. By the time she reached the shower, Rio had cranked on the water and steam wafted across his naked body as the hot water collided with the cooler air.

Her fingers trembled as she unbuttoned her jeans and peeled the rest of her clothes from her body. Rio sluiced back his long hair, and Tori's gaze followed the rivulets of water running across the flat planes and hard muscles of his body.

He extended his hand. “Come in. The water's fine.”

She laced her fingers with his and, on tiptoes, joined him on the rough slab of cement. Rio pulled her flush against his wet body as the warm water from the showerhead cascaded down her back.

His heartbeat thundered through her frame, and she clung to him, resting her cheek on his chest. The warmth of his body melted away the tension of walking on eggshells with her own son and telling lipstick lies to her deadly ex-husband.

If the rescue tonight didn't work out the way they planned, at least she'd have this moment of solitude with Rio in the glory of the breaking dawn. If she had to go back to Glazkova with Alexi, she'd have the memory of Rio's touch to heat her blood in the dead of the chilly Glazkovian winter.

Rio wedged a finger beneath her chin, tilting back her head. “I promise.”

He kissed her eyelid and the curve of her jaw. As he brushed his lips against hers, the sweet kiss sent ripples of desire along her spine. His hands followed, his rough palms sweeping down her back, resting on the curve of her hips. He hitched her closer and deepened his kiss.

His potent desire stabbed her belly, and she dug her fingernails into the hard muscles of his buttocks to keep from slithering down the drain with the water.

He reached over her shoulder to grab a small bottle of shampoo from the shower caddy, precariously swinging from the showerhead. He squeezed a puddle in his palm and said, “Turn around.”

She peeled her body from his and shuddered as she presented her back to him. He worked the shampoo into her hair with strong fingers, massaging her scalp and showering kisses on the back of her neck.

She closed her eyes as he tilted her head under the
spray of water. “Mmm, I don't think the hotel offers this service.”

“They'd better not.” He squeezed her hair, tugging slightly. “How about that other place?”

“The other place?” She turned in his arms, grabbing the sliver of soap and lathering his chest.

“The compound.” He clasped her wrists in midswirl. “Did that ex-husband of yours offer to…lather you up? Is that part of his package deal to Glazkova?”

She slid out of his grip. Did Rio really believe she'd make that deal with Alexi? “Alexi just wants to exert his control over me again. He's not interested in anything more intimate.”

He took a step back, his gaze sweeping down her naked body like a featherlight brush on her skin. “Yeah, right. I find that hard to believe.”

“Really?” Her soapy hands continued their path across his chiseled chest and outlined his six-pack. “And why is that?” she purred in a husky voice as her fingertips teased his tight, silky erection.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Rio drew a breath between clenched teeth. “Fishing for compliments, princess?”

She trailed her fingernails along the insides of his thighs. “Fishing for something.”

She had no intention of allowing Rio McClintock to slip from her grasp this time.

He cinched her wrists and pulled her close for a soapy kiss. “I don't mind showering in the great outdoors, but I draw the line at…other activities.”

Twisting the handle, he turned off the water and Tori shivered. “You're not really going to send me inside to get the towels, are you?”

He draped an arm across her shoulders and molded
the side of her body against his. “Who needs a towel when we have body heat?”

Her curves fitted snugly against his hard planes. Arms twined around each other, they strolled back to the house. Tori didn't even notice the cool morning air raising goose bumps on her flesh. Once inside the house, Rio snagged two towels from the cupboard and rubbed Tori's back with one of them. She returned the favor, making sure some parts of his body were drier than others.

With a grunt, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the claustrophobic bedroom. She didn't mind the size of the room because it felt like they were the only two people in the world—far from the compound, far from Glazkova, far from the tension that gnawed at her gut every time she thought of Max.

They fell across the double bed, which occupied most of the space in the room. Rio sealed his body to hers for warmth and she melted against him, soaking up his strength and fortitude. After thoroughly kissing her mouth, he ducked beneath the covers and brought the pleasure of his lips to other areas of her anatomy.

Her limbs trembled as another type of strength surged through her body. Giving in and letting go to this man, Tori had never felt more in control because she sensed his surrender to her, too.

When he entered her, their bodies moved in a natural rhythm. Everything that had happened in her life brought her to this moment with this man…and Tori didn't regret one minute of any of it.

Her climax rushed through her, and Rio's warm breath caressed her cheek. “Open your eyes.”

Her lashes fluttered open and her passion intensified as she met Rio's dark gaze. A light flared in his eyes, and he drove into her, claiming her as his own.

They collapsed in a tangle of sheets, and Tori rolled onto her side, resting her head on Rio's shoulder. Her fingers skimmed along his mocha skin, unable to resist the lure of his perfect form.

He weaved his fingers through hers and kissed her knuckles. “We need to get some sleep to be sharp and well rested for tonight.”

She yawned and nibbled on his salty earlobe. “As long as you sleep right by my side.”

“I'm not going anywhere, princess.”

“And after the rescue? Will you stay with me…with us then?” Tori bit her lip, afraid to meet his eyes.

The hand he'd been rubbing in circles on her lower back stilled. “You want me to stay with you?”

“J-just until we're safe. You do work as a bodyguard sometimes, don't you? I could pay you.”

He drew in a sharp breath, his body stiffening. “You don't have to pay me. I'll see you safely wherever you want to go.”

“I didn't mean to offend you, Rio. I just want you to know that this,” she gestured at their tangled limbs, “is separate from Max's rescue. That's a job, your job. This is pure pleasure.”

He let out a long breath and tugged at the back of her hair to turn her head toward him. The corner of his mouth lifted as he gazed at her through half-closed eyes. “This is pure pleasure.”

She grinned and kissed the edge of his smile. “Then let me pay you for your services…I mean your bodyguarding services. It's more for my benefit than yours.”

“The CIA is still paying me well for this job and you're part of the job.” He plowed his fingers through her tangled, damp locks. “Once we rescue Max, where to?”

“I can go anywhere I want, right?”

“Anywhere the private jet can fly. Anywhere you think you and Max can hide out from your ex.”

Tori swallowed and rested her chin on his chest. “I want to go home, back to where I grew up, back to where I feel safe.”

“And where is home, Tori Scott? Where do you feel safe?”

Maybe she should give him the first answer that popped into her head at that question—right here in his arms. She squeezed her eyes shut and draped her arm around his body to soften the blow.

“Silverhill, Colorado.”

Rio blinked, the haze of sex and desire evaporating, leaving a chill on his sweat-moistened skin. Did Tori just say
Silverhill, Colorado,
his own private version of hell on earth?

“Huh?” He shifted beneath her, propping up his back against the wicker headboard. The point of her chin slid down to his belly, and her hair created a veil across her face.

“Silverhill, Colorado.” She repeated the words, muffled against his stomach, but he heard them as if she'd shouted them in his ear.

“Are you telling me you grew up in Silverhill?” He grabbed fistfuls of sheet and held on.

“Yes.” She rolled her head to the side, finally meeting his gaze, her eyes open and clear—maybe for the first time since he'd met her.

Tori's long hair trailed between his legs, tickling him, arousing him once again despite the chasm of foreboding widening in his gut. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and planted his feet firmly on the floor—maybe since the first time he'd met her.

“You know my…my half brothers.” He'd uttered a statement, not a question. Of course she knew the almighty McClintocks of Silverhill. So the question
remained, since she knew the indispensable McClintock brothers, why in the hell had she tracked
him
down?

And why had she seduced him?

“I do know your brothers. Rafe's wife, Dana, was one of my closest friends growing up.” She yanked the covers up to her chin, leaving him in the cold.

He grabbed the edge of the bed, digging his fingers into the mattress. “Why'd you lie?”

“I didn't lie.” She scrambled to sit next to him, pressing her thigh against his. “I just didn't think it would be wise to give you all the details—too much of a distraction.”

“You figured your connections to Silverhill and my so-called family would jeopardize your chances of getting me to help you.” He inched away from her warmth and the sweet hibiscus scent in her hair.

“Okay. I admit once I found out…”

Her words trailed off as he twisted his head to the side and skewered her with a sharp gaze through narrowed eyes. “You thought you'd find another McClintock on that hillside watching your ex-husband?”

Biting her lower lip, she nodded. “My conversation with Dana was breaking up. When she mentioned the CIA was in Maui tracking Alexi, I figured she meant Ryder. When I hiked out to the backcountry that day, I expected to find Ryder McClintock…your brother.”

“Half brother.” He pushed off the bed and grabbed one of the damp towels they'd used less than an hour ago to dry each other's bodies, hands and mouths exploring, caressing, bringing pleasure. He wrapped the towel around his waist firmly, tucking in the end at his hip.

“Why'd you stick around once you realized you had the wrong McClintock? Why didn't you go running back to your childhood friends for help?”

“You were here. They weren't.” She lifted a smooth
shoulder, and the sheet slid down on one side, half exposing the curve of her breast. “What does it matter, Rio?”

He paced to the window, a muscle ticking in his tight jaw like a time bomb. He couldn't give voice to his fear—a fear born of childhood insecurities. His half brothers had known Tori first, had grown up with her. Hell, maybe even one of them had dated her, bedded her. They were there first and he was second best…like always.

“You should've gone back to your precious Silverhill.” He smacked the wall with his fist, and the little room almost trembled with his fury. Those old feelings could wash over him so quickly, unwanted and unbidden. “You should've asked one of the real McClintocks to help you instead of settling for the next best thing.”

Her wide green eyes softened, and she clambered out of the covers twisted around her body. “I didn't need their help. I needed your help. I need you.”

She stood before him naked, her lush body his for the taking. Desire burned hot in his belly while arousal mixed with a fierce possessiveness pounded in his veins. He hooked an arm around her waist, cupping one perfectly rounded breast in his hand. The pad of his thumb skidded across her nipple, and then he froze in midcaress.

His hands flew to her shoulders and his fingers bit into the soft flesh. He shoved her to her knees and growled, “Get under the bed.”

 

T
ORI'S KNEES BANGED AGAINST
the hardwood floor, and her hands followed as Rio shoved her toward the bed. Was this some kind of weird punishment for lying to him?

“Someone's outside.” His whisper sent a cascade of chills along her spine, and she scrambled across the floor and scooted under the bed, grabbing a damp towel on her way. Flattening her body against the floor, she tucked the towel around her and pulled the bedclothes across the gap.

Rio's bare feet padded into the other room, the distinctive sound of a safety being released from a gun resounding through the little house.

Tori swallowed, her dry mouth causing her to choke. If one of Alexi's men found her here, Alexi would know the police had released her…and the only reason the cops would do that is if she'd been part of the setup.

She held her breath as rustling noises came from the other room. Resting her forehead on the cold floor, she tensed her muscles. The front door creaked and Tori clenched her hands, digging half moons into her palms.
Please be careful, Rio.

Several seconds ticked by, and then the bedroom window slid open. Adrenaline pumped through Tori's still form, and she panted with the effort to regulate her breathing. Was Rio at the window?

No, not Rio. Rio wouldn't climb through the window of his own house. As the intruder dropped to the floor with a thud, Tori clenched her teeth against the scream gathering in her lungs. Stealthy footsteps circled the bed. Tori squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe she should warn Rio. If this person creeping around the room had a weapon, Rio could stumble right into a trap.

Cool air brushed the bottoms of her feet, and she emitted an involuntary gasp. Then calloused fingers cinched her right ankle. Tori screamed as her attacker yanked her leg, dragging her from beneath the bed as her fingernails clawed at the smooth wood, desperate for purchase.

She twisted in the man's grasp, rolling onto her back and desperately clutching the towel around her body. Kicking out with her free leg, she smacked against a booted ankle. She tried to sit up, but the man jerked her leg higher and she fell back, her shoulder blades slamming against the floor.

Gasping in pain, she renewed her assault with her left foot, driving her heel against the man's kneecap. He grunted and aimed the butt of his gun at her head.

“Keep still, Princess Victoria, or I'll deliver you to your husband unconscious, as well as naked.”

She raised her head, pushing the hair out of her face. Her jaw fell open as Ivan smirked. She fell back against the floor and spread the towel across her body to protect herself from Ivan's leering grin.

A shadow moved beyond the door.

“Let go.” She jiggled her leg. “Alexi might kill you for your impure thoughts alone.”

Fear darkened the man's eyes as he uncurled his blunt fingers from around her ankle. She whipped to her side, kicking at the weapon in Ivan's hand. He cursed and swung his arm back toward her, but the menacing figure be hind him snatched his arm and bent it behind Ivan's back.

Tori heard a snap and Ivan screamed in agony, dropping to his knees. Rio loomed above him and cracked the butt of his gun on the back of Ivan's head. Ivan collapsed face-forward onto the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from his wound.

Tori jumped up and yanked a T-shirt from a hanger in Rio's open closet just as the towel around Rio's waist dropped to the floor. She slipped the T-shirt over her head, a grin forming on her trembling lips. “Do you think one of us might stay clothed?”

Rio snorted as he scooped up Ivan's gun lying uselessly next to him. “Throw me some shorts. “I'd rather not be buck naked while cuffing another man. That'd be so wrong on so many levels.”

A giddy giggle escaped her lips as she reached for a pair of Rio's shorts hanging over the single chair in the room.

Rio stepped into the shorts and then trained his gun on Ivan's inert form. “Tori, there's a pair of handcuffs in my black backpack by the front door.”

She sailed into the other room, found the cuffs and handed them to Rio. “How did he find you here?”

Rio shrugged as he dragged Ivan's body toward the radiator and cuffed his wrist to it. “Nothing is foolproof, but I'm not firing on all cylinders. He used one of the oldest tricks in the book on me tonight. He hung some wooden wind chimes on a branch away from the house, and I followed the noise, leaving you unprotected.”

Was he blaming her for distracting him or blaming himself for being distracted? Either way the grim set of his jaw signaled regret. She hugged herself in the baggy T-shirt, and Rio's scent, which clung to its folds, engulfed her. “What now?”

“I'm going to call my contacts at the Agency to pick him up and warn them not to put him back in the general jail population with the others. The men we arrested could still contact Alexi. As long as we keep Ivan isolated, he won't be giving away our little secret.”

Tori blew out a breath and sank onto the edge of the bed. “At least we'll have one less security person to deal with, and Ivan was the one keeping an eye on Max.”

“Let's have some breakfast and then get some rest after the CIA picks up this guy.” He aimed a foot at Ivan's broad back.

“Rio, about Silverhill…”

“Save it.” He sliced his hand through the air, cutting off her explanation.

Tori gnawed on her bottom lip. Would he still accompany her and Max to Colorado? Or would he allow his pride and insecurities to stand in the way of what they felt for each other?

She narrowed her eyes as she watched Rio on the phone to his CIA buddies. Because Rio McClintock could push her away as much as he wanted, but she knew how he felt about her.

Nobody had ever kissed and touched her the way Rio McClintock just had. And that meant something.

 

R
IO BRUSHED A LOCK OF
hair from Tori's face, the silken strands sliding through his fingers. He hated waking her for the task ahead. What if they failed to rescue her son? What if
he
failed?

And what if they succeeded? Could he really just put her on a plane to Colorado and walk out of her life? Of course, she'd have the mighty McClintocks to keep her safe.

“Tori.” He rubbed her back. “Tori, it's time.”

Her lashes fluttered, and a sigh escaped from her lips. Rio skimmed the pad of his thumb along her soft cheek, warm from the pillow. He wanted to kiss her plump lips, awaken her with his embrace and then claim her as his own all over again.

Instead he gritted his teeth and shook her. His uncontrollable desire for this woman had landed them both in trouble. His thinking these past few days had been emanating from another part of his anatomy and not his brain.

When the big Glazkovian, Ivan, had come to, he'd
admitted that he'd been lurking outside the police station after the CIA had brought in Swain's and Alexi's men. He'd recognized Rio as the man from the park and clipped a tracking device on his car.

Rio's feelings for Tori had put her in danger. He shook Tori harder. “Wake up.”

She rolled onto her back and peeled open one eyelid. “What time is it?”

“It's time to rescue Max. Everything's in place.” Or at least everything would be in place once he got his professionalism back on track.

She reached out for him and slid her hand along his thigh. “I'm scared, Rio.”

“Then don't go.” He pushed off from the bed and grabbed his backpack. “You can wait on the boat or go up in the helicopter. I'll bring Max to you.”

Her brows collided over her nose, and she dug her fists into her eyes. “I have to be there for Max.”

Rio snatched the small but deadly Beretta from his bag and extended it, handle first, to Tori. “You said you knew how to use a gun, right? After all, you're from Silverhill, Colorado.”

Sitting up, she tilted her head, her brow furrowed. “I do know how to use a gun. I've also been practicing martial arts. I've been preparing for this moment for the past two years of my life.”

His gaze dropped from her puzzled green eyes to the soft curve of her breasts beneath his T-shirt. He had a hard time envisioning Tori as a lean, mean fighting machine. He swallowed. “Good. Your clothes from last night will work perfectly for our mission. I…uh…collected them from the lawn and they're dry. You should wear the stocking cap, too.”

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, tugging
the T-shirt over her thighs. Her gaze darted to the black jeans and T-shirt folded on the chair, her underwear stacked neatly on top. “Great. I'll get dressed and…”

He pointed to the bathroom. “There may not be an indoor shower in this place, but there's a sink. You can wash up and brush your teeth in there.”

He practically lurched for the bedroom door, and then snapped it behind him on Tori's flushed face. He shouldn't have reminded her about the outdoor shower. He cursed his visceral response to her body. He shouldn't have reminded himself.

While Rio sliced some fresh fruit, he kept one ear trained on the bedroom. From the banging noises in there, it sounded like Tori was dismantling the place. She shoved open the door, and it almost flew off its hinges.

“Let's blow this shack.” Her arms folded across her chest, she wedged a shoulder against the doorjamb.

“We need to eat something before we go.” He waved his knife at the fragrant mangos, pineapple and papaya fanned out on the platter like a rainbow.

With a scowl marring her pretty features, Tori stabbed a hunk of pineapple with a fork and popped it in to her mouth. The juice moistened her lips, and Rio want ed nothing more than to kiss its sweetness from her mouth.