Burned (5 page)
Throwing back the covers, she jumped out of bed and pulled out the bedside table drawer to grab the Taser Alex had given her when she’d moved in. As an analyst she had no weapons training at all, had never fired this or any other weapon before but he’d told her in an emergency to just point and pull the trigger. She could definitely manage that if it came down to it.
Gripping the weapon tight she ran downstairs to the living room as quickly as her stiff right hip would allow. On the wall next to the front door, the alarm system keypad blinked at her, telling her it was still armed. The large window facing the street was covered by venetian blinds so she carefully lifted the edge and peeked outside.
Four cars were parked on the street in front of her unit. Someone sat in the driver’s seat of one of them. She was just about to release the blind when a man appeared in her peripheral vision, walking away from the front of her unit toward the car. She ducked down so he wouldn’t see her and stared, holding her breath as she took in his appearance with the help of the streetlight. Thirtyish, short dark hair, black leather jacket and jeans. She couldn’t see his face or anything else that might help her remember him. It might have been her imagination but she thought she saw a bulge in the back of his waistband, as if he had a weapon concealed there. Zahra’s fingers curled into the edge of the blind.
He leaned into the open passenger window to say something to the driver, then straightened and looked back over his shoulder at her place. Zahra braced for action, ready to snatch her phone from the kitchen and call 911 if he tried to break in. He seemed to be studying something on the front of her unit. After a few seconds he opened the passenger door and climbed in. The engine started and the driver steered away from the curb. Frozen in place, Zahra kept her gaze trained on the red glow of the tail lights until they disappeared from view down the street. She waited a few minutes to see if they came back. Had they been casing her place? Searching for something, maybe a way in?
She let the blinds go and eased back to sit with her back propped up against the wall. It was possible she was overreacting and being completely paranoid.
It was also possible the terror cell had somehow traced her here and was planning some sort of attack.
Pressing a hand to her racing heart, she debated her options. Since it was the middle of the night she couldn’t call one of her friends and ask them to come over. Plus if there really was some sort of threat brewing she didn’t want to put them at risk. She could get in her car and drive somewhere else, but if anyone was watching or following her it would make her an easy, isolated target.
Both Alex and Hunter had stressed that she should report anything suspicious, so she headed for the darkened kitchen where she’d left her cell charging on the counter and dialed Sean’s number.
He picked up after the second ring, his voice clear and alert as though he’d already been awake. “Zahra?”
“Yeah, hi.” She ran a hand through her hair and fought back the embarrassment creeping over her. “Listen, sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you could come by and check out my place.”
He was silent a moment. “Did something happen?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but…” She detailed what had happened and gave him the license plate of the vehicle. “If they were up to no good and trying to find a way in, maybe the alarm put them off?”
“I’ll be over in fifteen minutes,” he said. “Wait where you are and don’t turn on any lights. Don’t open the door for anyone but one of us, got it?”
“Got it.” She set her cell back down on the counter and dropped into the chair she’d placed at the computer nook, blowing out a hard breath. The air conditioning wasn’t on but the place was cool and with the tile floor it was downright cold in here. She rubbed her hands over her bare upper arms then curled her arms around her knees to wait.
There were no more noises, nothing suspicious until she heard a vehicle pull up about fifteen minutes later. Footsteps came up the walkway and then a soft knock sounded at the front door. She got up and checked the peephole, shocked by how relieved she felt when she saw Sean standing there. She disabled the alarm, unlocked the door and swung it open.
Her breath caught at the sight of him in his leather jacket. “Hi,” she said softly, feeling stupid now that everything was fine and that she’d dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night for nothing.
“Hey,” he responded, face grim as he swept his eyes over her thin tank and pajama pants then up to her face. “You all right?”
“I’m fine.” Her gaze dropped to his hands and she realized with a start that he was holding a gun. She’d expected him to be armed, but not literally holding a weapon. She automatically put a hand to her throat and took a step back, fighting the instinctive leap of fear that shot a surge of adrenaline into her system.
Noting her reaction, Sean angled his body away so she wasn’t openly confronted by the pistol. Though he couldn’t possibly understand the reason for her fear, she was once again grateful for his perception and thoughtfulness. “Ellis is doing a sweep around back,” he said. “As soon as we’re done we’re going to check the inside of the house, okay?”
She nodded, understanding it was procedure and common sense to be this careful if she’d called him here at this hour.
“Wait in the downstairs bathroom and shut the door. I’ll come get you after I make sure everything’s still secure, okay?”
“Okay.” She closed the front door behind him and went to the powder room as he’d told her. She waited in there until his voice carried to her from the front entry.
“It’s just us, Zahra. You still good?”
“Yes,” she called back, feeling more stupid than ever.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the bathroom door and she opened it to see Sean there. “Everything’s good,” he told her, and the residual ball of tension in her stomach eased. He turned his head and spoke to Ellis, somewhere behind him. “See you in the morning, man.” The front door shut and Sean went over to it. Zahra came out of the bathroom in time to see him lock it and turn back to face her. He was staying? The idea both thrilled and embarrassed her. She didn’t want him thinking that she was some head case afraid of her own shadow.
“We ran that plate number and there were no hits but Hunter’s going to check up on the registered owner just in case,” he told her, taking off his jacket to expose a shoulder holster. He did something to the weapon—putting on the safety maybe?—holstered it and shrugged it off his body, handling each movement with the ease of a man who’d spent the majority of his adult life in the military.
Zahra wiped a hand down the side of her face and sighed, glad the gun was out of sight. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I woke out of a dead sleep when I heard that noise and wasn’t sure what was going on.”
Sean shrugged. “Better to be safe than sorry, and it’s weird that anyone would be skulking around your place at this time of night.”
His phrasing amused her. “Skulking?”
He grinned, his white teeth flashing in the light coming from the bathroom behind her. “Yeah. It’s a technical recon term.” He raked his gaze down the length of her again, this time taking in the shape of her body and the way her nipples, hard from the cool air and his perusal, pressed against the thin cotton of the tank top.
She folded her arms across her breasts, suddenly self-conscious and berating herself for the wave of heat that spread beneath her skin at the frank male interest in his eyes. “Can I get you something? I feel terrible for dragging you over here now.”
“Nah, I’m good. And don’t worry about it—we’ll both sleep better now that we know nothing’s going on.”
He was so gorgeous and strong and he’d rushed straight over here to make sure she was safe. Not only that, he was staying to make sure she remained that way. Again, that show of protectiveness melted her.
To cover her reaction and growing attraction to him, she gestured toward the living room. “I guess you remember I don’t have a bed in the guest room. The pullout in there’s all I have.” She nodded to the couch set beneath the front window.
“That’s fine. Mind if I set it up?”
“No, go ahead. I’ll just grab you a pillow and blankets.” She rushed upstairs to the linen closet in the hallway and came back with a pillow, fitted sheet and a comforter. Sean had the bed pulled out of the frame and took the sheet from her. She helped him stretch it over the lumpy mattress and fluffed the comforter before spreading it over the top. “Not the best bed in the world but I hope it won’t be too uncomfortable.”
He gave her a slow smile that sent her pulse up a few notches. “I’ve slept in much worse, I promise. This is great.”
She tossed him the pillow. “So I guess all of us are gonna be tired tomorrow because of me, huh?”
“Nah, Hunt was still awake when I came downstairs. Apparently he’s got a bad case of heartburn because I caught him with a half empty bottle of Tums.” His grin was full of mischief.
“Gee, I wonder why?”
“It was awesome,” he said on a chuckle, totally unrepentant. Then he faced her and put his hands on his lean hips, the pose emphasizing the muscles in his arms and shoulders. “You want to try and get more sleep now?”
She shook her head, knowing she was too wired to sleep. “I’m wide awake, but you go ahead. I’ll just watch a movie in the other room for a bit until I get tired.”
“I’ll watch one with you,” he said and strode for the kitchen and the family room off to the side where the TV was set up. Surprised, she didn’t move until he looked back at her and quirked a brow, a hint of challenge in his dark eyes. “Coming?”
Scared?
that look said, his tone daring her to chicken out.
Sensing she was asking for complications she wasn’t certain she was ready for, Zahra nodded and followed him anyway.
Zahra chose an action flick, though Sean would’ve gladly suffered through a chick flick if it meant being able to sit next to her right now, alone. She was curled up into the arm of the couch, wrapped up in a throw blanket, and he wondered if it was because she felt safer that way around him.
Already spooked by whatever those guys had been up to, he’d seen the look on her face when she’d noticed him holding his SIG. She’d blanched and her pupils had constricted. A lot of people outside of law enforcement or military were uncomfortable around weapons, he got that, but her reaction had been one of fear on a gut deep level. Weird, considering she worked for the NSA, because surely she must have been around enough people carrying since she’d been there, especially at the Fort Meade building. He’d noticed the Taser she’d left on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t nearly enough protection for her.
The room was sparsely furnished and she only had a few knickknacks out. A framed picture of her and who he assumed must be her mother sat in a niche beside the mantel. Zahra looked a little younger in it, her long dark hair falling around her shoulders, the older woman wearing a headscarf traditional for Pakistani women. “Is that your mother?” he asked her.
Zahra looked over at him, followed his gaze to the picture. “Yes.” She shifted and fixed her attention back on the movie, her expression stiff.
Knowing he was treading on shaky ground, he couldn’t help asking, “Does she live in Baltimore?”
“No. She died a few years ago,” she said quietly.
He hid a wince. “Sorry.” He wanted to ask what had happened but from her clipped tone and they way she avoided his gaze, sensed he’d better not.
She sighed and relaxed. “Thanks. What about you?” This time she turned to face him.
“My parents are still married and I’ve got an older brother who’s a firefighter. They live in Coeur d’Alene, where I grew up.”
She seemed intrigued by that. “I always wanted a sibling.”
Sean made a face. “It’s overrated,” he teased.
She tilted her head. “You’re not close with him?”
“Yeah, we’re pretty tight. I mean, we had our moments growing up where my mom had to intervene to stop us from beating the shit out of each other, but that’s normal brother stuff.” He waved his hand dismissively. “He’s married with a little girl and another baby on the way. My mom’s ecstatic, of course. I’m due for a visit home soon. Been over six months since I was there.”
“Do you talk to them often at least?” She seemed concerned that he wasn’t being a good son and brother.
“Every week at least, sometimes more.”
“That’s good.” She brought her knees up and focused on the blanket as she shifted it over her body. “My mom and I were really close. We talked every day and saw each other a few times a month after I moved out.”
Sean noticed she had yet to mention her father at all.
“Why did you go into the Marine Corps?”
He blinked at the sudden change of subject but went with it. “Because it’s the coolest.” He got a small smile for that. “Family tradition, for one. My grandpa, great grandpa and one uncle all served in the Corps. It’s all I ever wanted to do. Well, I always knew I wanted to make Force Recon one day.”
“Did you love it like you thought you would?”
“Yeah. Mostly I loved the guys. Still miss ‘em.”
“When did you know it was time to get out?” she asked, setting her chin atop her upraised knees.
“I’d had my fill of eating dust and being so hard on my body. We lost some of our best guys, others left and I knew it was time to go. Losing your buddies, that stays with you, you know?” He still thought about them often and some days were better than others. The things he’d seen…even time couldn’t erase that.
She nodded, and from the empathy in her eyes he felt like she truly did understand. “And did you start working for Titanium right away?”
“No, I’d been out for almost a year before I applied with Tom.” Tom Webster, former SEAL and co-owner of Titanium Security.
“What did you do in the interim?”
“Drank.”
She blinked at the blunt way he said it, but it was the truth and trust was a two-way street so he felt obligated to be honest with her about this. He wasn’t proud of his past behavior.
“Yeah, I drank every day, and way too much. My brother eventually pointed out that I was becoming a full blown alcoholic and dragged me to AA. I was in denial at first, of course. He went with me for the first month, made sure I understood that I had a problem, then made sure I stuck it out.”
“I’m glad he was there for you. And so…how are you doing with it now?”
“Good. I’ve got a two beer limit and never touch the hard stuff. Looking back it was mostly a combination of feeling lost, some boredom and dealing with the shit I’d seen. I’m not bored or lost anymore and since I’ve been sober the rest of it’s eased up too.”
Rather than appear disappointed in him for being a drunk, those sweetly curved lips tilted upward as she sat up and leaned back against the couch, closer to him this time. “Good.”
Stupid to feel warmed by her praise, but he couldn’t deny the warmth it unfurled inside him. “Thanks.”
Zahra turned her attention back to the movie but the earlier discomfort he’d sensed from her was gone. She still had the blanket on, the top of it just covering her breasts. He could smell her though, clean and sweet and female. Her left arm was almost touching his right one and he could feel the warmth of her skin on his. He’d seen the feminine interest in her eyes sometimes when she looked at him. He’d been with his fair share of women. With any other woman he wouldn’t hesitate to lean over, take her chin in one hand and tip her head back to kiss her. With Zahra he couldn’t tell what her reaction would be and that stopped him cold.
They watched the movie in silence together but Sean wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening on screen, and what he did notice made him want to roll his eyes. He was much more interested in Zahra and what to do about the unfamiliar situation he now found himself in.
Using some of the skills he’d mastered during countless stalks in the Corps, he used tiny, imperceptible movements to inch closer to her without her noticing. A few minutes later when she raised a hand to yawn their shoulders bumped. She glanced up at him in surprise then smiled. Sean took that as an invitation and stretched an arm across her shoulders. Rather than stiffen or pull away Zahra leaned into him with a little sigh, and that simple show of trust tightened something in his gut. He
wanted
her to lean on him, turn to him for comfort or sex or anything else she needed.
Anything but friend-zoning him, that is.
She settled against his side and he savored the feel of her trim curves pressed along his ribs. Keeping his eyes on the movie he toyed with the ends of her hair, sliding his fingers through the silky soft strands. In answer she made a quiet humming sound and rested her head in the hollow of his shoulder.
“Thanks for coming over,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back, bending to press a kiss to the top of her head. Straightening, he noticed her eyes were closed and a tiny, secret smile was on her lips. More than anything he wanted to settle his mouth over hers to taste her, learn every last one of her secrets. He stayed where he was, content for now to have her cuddled into him so trustingly.
The movie wore on but she didn’t open her eyes. Her breathing grew deeper, slower, and her body leaned into him more heavily. When he was sure she was asleep Sean reached for the remote beside her and shut the TV off. With the room plunged into darkness he eased her even closer until her head rested on his chest, leaned back and allowed himself to doze, his arm still wrapped around her.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the buzzing of his cell phone woke them both. Zahra came awake with a rush and sat up as he pulled the phone from his pocket to see it was Hunter calling. He answered and listened to the info Hunt gave him then hung up and put the phone away.
“Everything okay?” Zahra asked hesitantly, watching him, her face washed in the pale moonlight streaming in from the kitchen windows behind them.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Hunter got a call about that car’s registered owner. One of the guys who was here was a former informant in an arms dealer case for the NSA. Apparently he lived here until a few weeks ago and stopped by to pick up something he’d left behind.” No doubt weapons, drugs or cash he’d hidden somewhere. “His handler talked to him an hour ago. The guy didn’t realize the place was occupied again but he got what he wanted so he won’t be back.”
“Oh. Weird.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, frowning. The blanket had fallen away from her body, revealing the curves of her breasts, the outline of her nipples that were now hard. Small breasts, but he’d bet they were sensitive and would fit perfectly in his palms and mouth.
She looked down at the arm he still had draped across her shoulders. “Sorry I fell asleep on you.”
“I’m not.”
Her gaze flew up to his and locked there. In the pale moonlight he clearly saw the way her pupils dilated. Sean lifted the hand on her shoulder to stroke the hair away from her face, fascinated when that light touch raised goose bumps along her bare skin. She licked her lips to say something, looked like she was going to move away, but didn’t. “I should let you up so you can sleep on a proper bed.”
“I’m good right here.” He didn’t stop stroking her hair and though he wanted to stroke so much more, he knew it was too soon.
He could see the pulse point beating in her throat as she hesitated. He wanted to nuzzle her there with his nose and lips, slowly, so she could feel the heat of his breath then caress that sensitive hollow with his tongue and feel her shiver in reaction.
“Stretch out here with me,” he coaxed, locking down the lust raging inside him. “It’s plenty wide for both of us.”
She seemed so uncertain as she studied him, likely wondering if he was going to push her for more. As much as he’d kill for the chance, he wouldn’t ask her for anything she wasn’t ready to give. “Just to sleep,” he assured her, still playing with her hair. “I like the feel of you snuggled up against me.” The physical proof was pressed hard against the fly of his jeans if she’d cared to look, except what he felt for her was more than just lust. He wanted to unlock the secrets shadowing her hazel eyes, have her reach for him, let him unfurl her like a flower opening to the sun.
He was sure she was going to laugh him off or refuse him outright but she surprised him by giving a little nod and that secretive smile he wanted to taste so badly. Giving her no time to change her mind, Sean stretched out with his back along the length of the couch and tugged her into place in front of him. With her hips and spine resting against his front he spread the blanket over them, slid one arm beneath her neck and wrapped the other around her waist, his face tucked into her nape. She was stiff for a moment before she exhaled and relaxed into his body.
Savoring the victory, Sean closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her pressed so close to him, careful to keep a few inches of space between her hips and his aching erection. Wrapped around Zahra, keeping her safe and warm and relaxed, he listened to her breathing shift as she fell asleep and knew there was nowhere on earth he’d rather be.
****
Zahra woke when someone shifted behind her. She jerked awake, her eyes flying open and realized it was Sean’s strong arm wrapped around her. The scent of coffee tickled her nose. Blinking in the bright morning light flooding the room from the kitchen windows, she went dead still when she felt the thick, hard ridge of his morning erection pressed against her backside.
The thick forearm curled around her stomach tightened briefly and she felt him press a kiss to the back of her head. “Morning.”