All is Lost (All Series, Book 2) (16 page)

Mechanically, I go through the motions of
showering and washing my long hair. I wrap a towel around my head
aiding in the drying process after stepping out of the shower. No
hairbrush in this empty bathroom, so I finger through my tangled
waves and slip back into the tee shirt and yoga pants.

I wipe the fogged mirror with my hand and see
a stranger standing in front of me. Along with my tattered skin, my
life in the past two days is something I do not recognize. When I
think back to the beginning of summer I blush at the naive girl who
thought staying home was a great idea. Traveling every summer for
thirteen years and I finally get the chance to stay home, but for
what? My boring and safe life is completely shattered
now.

Walking into the bedroom, I notice the door is
now closed. Marcus must have returned while I was in the shower. I
smile at how bold I was earlier telling him about the text
messages.

I will admit, initially I was a little
uncertain about the connection between the messages and all the
other events, but one look at Sam and Marcus and I knew for certain
that there was even without them speaking a word. I wish they would
share their information. I need them to trust me to handle what is
going on. I have no other choice except to trust them. This is
about me after all.

Figuring out who it is that wants me dead will
take us working together. However, their wariness at bringing in
someone without experience or training into their group is
understandable. It is their job to flush out Dr. A. If he is
involved with Julia, and they are behind these attempts to get to
me then it would work to their advantage to keep me informed and
close. Together we can flush the killers out.

“
Oh my god, when did I start
thinking like someone from CSI?”

I stretch across the large four poster bed,
covering myself with the thick white comforter. Rest is exactly
what my battered body and mind needs. I just hope Marcus joins me
soon. Guilt washes over me a second after that wayward thought
sneaks into my head, and it completely shocks the hell out of
me.

This is not the time to think about being in
bed with a man, but honestly, I need him near me. My world is like
being on some crazy ass spinning top where I lose all control and
my sense of accord is stripped away; but with him near I have
clarity and feel like what is lost during the spinning is found in
his arms. Although my attraction and desire for him does something
completely different to my body, at least my mind
settles.

What feels like only moments later, my eyes
flutter open searching for recognition in a pitch black room. I can
tell from the darken sky outside the bedroom window that it is well
into the evening now. After focusing for a minute my eyes adjust to
the minimal amount of light glowing from under the bathroom door
where I forgot to flip off the switch. I stretch my arms above my
head and release a satisfying yawn before crawling out of
bed.

Unfamiliar with Rhys house, I ease open the
door and look down the dark hallway. A glow to the right depicts a
staircase. I walk down the steps following the light toward what I
hope is the kitchen. A loud rumble comes from beyond the open door
and I pause listening to the person yelling.

“
My hands are tied Marcus,” Rhys
says. “Don't forget why you came on board with us. Right now all of
our leads on Dr. A are shot to hell and back. We can’t get further
away from our true mission. I understand your concern for Breesan,
but you need to be ready in case a tip comes in with his location
and you have to leave.”

Eavesdropping is nothing I would ever do, but
something in me demands I do it this one time. Remaining quiet and
staying in the shadows of the dark dining room, I continue
listening to the conversation. I slow my breathing and try to
control my erratic heart rate. Pressed with my chest against the
wall, leaning slightly in the door, I can see Sam and Kole sitting
at a small kitchen table against the back wall. Next to Sam, Rhys
is propped, leaning his back against the counter.

From my point of view, Marcus isn't visible.
They continue talking about Dr. A, and I hear Sam reference his
last known location in the Virgin Islands. Marcus continues to
remain silent as Rhys recounts their trip down to the docks before
the abduction. My instincts tell me that I need to wait because if
they are talking about me and the abduction then they may not say
it all in my presence.

Turning my back against the wall, I lean
against it, praying they don't hear my pounding heart. A chair
scrapes across the tile floor, drawing my attention again. Inside
the kitchen I see Kole make his way to the refrigerator. After a
few minutes of random chatter, Marcus brings up my name again.
Tilting my head up, I close my eyes, hearing the deep base of his
voice rumbling and its sexiness sends shivers down my
spine.

“
I'm going to contact Granddad and
then I’m getting a security detail on Breesan’s house.” Marcus
says.

“
When Attacus returns from
Birmingham he will give us more details on the other two guys.”
With a bit of concern layering his question, Rhys asks, “When are
you planning on telling her everything?”

Hypnotized by the building pressure in my
chest because I know Rhys is inquiring about me, I press my body
harder against the wall, unintentionally holding my breath. I hear
Marcus let out a long, exasperated sigh, but another chair scraping
across the floor covers his answer. Fearing that I am about to get
caught standing out in the hallway I open my eyes and turn my head
to see who moved. While releasing a small yelp, I jump at the sight
of a wide chest standing directly in front of me.

Smiling like the cat that caught the mouse
playing while he was away, Marcus whispers, “What are you
doing?”

His right hand reaches for my shoulder
tenderly. Taking it in his hot grasp, he inhales sharply from our
beguiling contact. Slowly, he slides tender fingers down my arm
creating a strange, friction sensation along the exposed skin. The
slow movement blazes a trail of fire across me following his path.
Lightly gripping my hand, he twists it intertwining his fingers
through mine and we both drop our gaze to our
connection.

Firmly pulling on our locked hands using my
forward motion, Marcus roughly draws me against him. My face once
again makes contact with his perfectly chiseled chest.
Intentionally taking a deep breath, I quickly become light-headed
from his intoxicating sandalwood, cinnamon and man scents. My pulse
jumps to an unhealthy number of beats per minute, my bare toes curl
agonizingly tight against the hardwood floor and I squeeze my
thighs together firmly, completely turned on by this sublime
creature.

Six feet and two inches of this big man has me
feeling overwhelmed. I am nearly a foot shorter than him and in
order to look him in the face I must tilt my head completely back.
Glancing up I see hooded and darken eyes filled with blooming
desire staring down at me.

Oh damn
.

When Marcus looks at me like this he makes me
forget there are other people around, plotting to get my friends
back, that we made a promise to wait on making love or that I am a
virgin. Nothing matters except the look in my sexy man’s eyes and
knowing that he wants to forget everything else too. He wraps his
left hand around the back of my neck, allowing his thumb to trace
an infinity pattern there. It is the most incredible
feeling.

Marcus covers my mouth with his and I
instantly regret that last thought because after only a moment like
this I decide that his kiss is in fact
the
most incredible
feeling. He tilts his head slightly to the right and slowly slides
his lips roughly over mine. The light scruff on his jaw line
scratches my chin, but I'll be damned if I tell him because I
actually like the roughness. I gasp softly when I feel his tongue
slide across my bottom lip.

“
Open for me baby. I need to taste
you now.” Marcus demands.

Shocked by his urgency, my lips part allowing
his tongue to invade the tiny gap, where it careens with mine in a
slow dance only meant for lovers. I gasp a second time from the
passionate caress and his mouth greedily devours my intake. I am
completely overwhelmed, struggling to get my breath back while his
all but feral growl demands more of my tongue.
Ohgod, I love how
he growls for me
. There absolutely has never been a sexier man
than Marcus Walker.

I'm so caught up in this kiss and the
possessiveness of how he possesses me that I don't notice our
audience until I hear a throat clearing. I snap open my eyes,
finding Rhys, Kole, Sam and Raithe leaning through the doorway
watching us. Raithe must have been quiet because I hadn't heard him
earlier. I push on Marcus' chest, hoping to break the contact
because apparently he hadn't heard the sound, or he is choosing to
ignore it. He doesn't respond to my pushing and continues rolling
his tongue in my mouth. Thoroughly caught up in the friction of our
kiss, Marcus tightens his grip on the back of my neck, drawing me
closer while I continue pulling away. As a last resort, I open my
mouth sucking in his bottom lip and biting down hard. Eyes still
closed enjoying the roughness I gave him, Marcus smiles and it is
still not enough to break his focus. Before I can come up with a
new plan his body slams hard into mine. Finally, his eyes pop open
before he spins around.

“
What the hell Kole?” Marcus
snaps.

Kole appears angry with his eyes narrowing on
us and arms crossing his chest. “Why don't you save that shit for
another day? She has been through hell and I don't think shoving
your tongue down her throat will make it all better.” Kole turns
around and stomps back to the kitchen table. Dragging his chair
out, he scrapes it about a foot away from the table and then drop
his ass into it.

Marcus doesn't hesitate responding and snaps
back protectively, “Why don't you let me worry about what Breesan
needs?”

“
Are you hungry, Breesan?” Smiling
at me, Sam winks, “We have steaks going on the grill whenever Kole
is done pouting.” Sam is a true southern woman. Her hospitality is
authentic and such a welcome attitude. She reminds me so much of
her Gran and nothing of her mother. Beautiful and exotic with long
dark brown hair and dark tan complexion like Marcus' and she's tall
like them too. She could very easily be a runway model with legs
that go on forever.

“
Get the grill ready, Breesan’s
starving.” Sam tells Kole before giving me the chance to answer
her.

Lacing my hand with his, Marcus leads me
through the kitchen to the covered back porch. There are lights
strung around the ceiling giving it a warm feel. Eighties music
softly plays from the outdoor stereo system. I'm shocked at how
nice this place is, especially since it belongs to Rhys. From what
I can see in the dark there is an Olympic pool along with a
beautifully manicured lawn that leads down to a small slew,
spilling out into the ocean. The pier looks to go on forever, but I
can just barely make out a light glowing at the end. Marcus lowers
himself to the outdoor sofa then tugs on my hand, bringing me next
to him.

“
Although I'd rather have you sit
like you did the other night in Granddad's family room, sitting
beside me is a better idea around these guys. We won't hear the end
of it. And honestly, I don't think I'd be able to stop myself from
ravaging you if you're on my lap either.” Marcus says, slipping his
arm over my shoulder, tucking me against his warm body.

Mygod he knows how to get my adrenaline
pumping. I'm so excited by his words and the images he gave me that
I begin fidgeting nervously with the string on my yoga pants. After
a few moments, I look up from it and see Marcus also staring,
completely focused and lust filled at the string.

“
Damn,” Marcus growls deeply,
digging his fingers into my backside.

Hoping no one heard the huskiness in his
voice, I bump my shoulder, playfully into his chest. He snaps his
eyes up to mine and his perfectly devilish grin stretches across
his swollen, sexy lips. It takes every measure of the innocent
woman in me to beat back the desire to climb on his lap, and not
care if they will see us behave badly. Hearing his deep chuckle at
my attempt to get some damn control over my raging hormones, I look
away quickly, take a deep breath then release it. Calming my
suddenly awoken sex-crazed libido doesn't work being this close to
him so I give up and distract myself with talking.

“
Want to catch me up on what has
been going on while I slept away the afternoon?”

Chapter
Twelve

Breesan

The vibe between the four member team is very
comfortable and familiar. They play and joke like they are friends,
not just coworkers. They all have similar, dominating personalities
and it's funny to watch as one tries to overpower the other. They
have an incredible dynamic in their combined group relationship, as
well as the individual relationships.

Since I came downstairs they have avoided
heavy topics, involving shootings and abductions. They mostly chat
about some Xbox game where they have critiqued it to death about
how true to life it is in the “real call to duty” world. Kole
grilled steaks and the conversations have been light throughout
dinner. It helps settle my nerves somewhat, but I still feel guilty
enjoying myself while all this bad is happening around
us.