Crash and Burn (23 page)

“Oh baby.”

To have him take complete control of her was like nothing she’d ever experienced in her life. Despite the lack of control, she felt worshiped and adored, and oh so sexy. It was liberating to feel him taking his fill of her and she tried to let her feelings flow through her body, giving herself to him. She loved him and she was his.

Their bodies spent, they lay in each other’s arms. She kissed his neck and snuggled into his shoulder. “I missed you, Daniel.”

“You have no idea. Leaving you alone these past two weeks has been hell, but I wanted us to have the best chance to have a relationship. You weren’t ready for it back then. Hell, I wasn’t ready for it. I was still screwed up by what happened to Lisa. I just wanted to give us both time to work out what we wanted.”

She released herself from the restraints and moved her hand down to his penis and stroked along its length. He groaned and grabbed her hand. “Hey…we’re talking here!”

“Mmm, yes, we are, but I’ve got some catching up to do.”

“Beth, please…” he pleaded. “I’m trying to tell you how I feel here.”

“Oh, honey, you feel pretty good to me.”

“Beth, be serious for a minute.”

She stopped stroking and clasped him in her hand, squeezing gently. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll be serious now.”

He ran a knuckle over her cheek and tipped her chin. He smiled so tenderly it made her heart swell. “You know I love you, Beth.”

She stilled her hand, and her heart started pounding a drum solo in her chest.

“You do?”

“You doubt that?”

She smiled back at him. “I love you, too, Daniel. I’ve known it these past few weeks, but it’s only lately that I believed we could make something together. I just wasn’t sure how you felt when two weeks went by and you hadn’t contacted me.”

He brushed a curl off her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. “You trust me to stay? I will, you know.”

She gasped. He knew her fears and her joys, and gave her the best sex she’d ever dreamed of.
What’s not to love?

“Yes, Daniel, I trust you to stay.”

She covered his mouth with hers for another scorching kiss and it was some time before they came up for air. She smiled wickedly to herself as their lips broke contact.

“Now, where are those handcuffs?”

Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

The Relic

Maggie Nash

Excerpt

Chapter One

Magda wiped the sweat out of her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour. Bloody stinking rain forests. How did she get so lucky to score this assignment? Just wait until she got back to The Mansion—she intended to have something to say about always getting the dirty jobs. Phoenyx and Lyonene were probably lying around in the spa drinking champagne instead of manning the computers and digging up the research to help her with this mission. And as for Joell—ha! Next time there’s a job babysitting hunky male models, I’m getting in first! That crazy woman even had enough time to find a man the last time she’d gotten that cushy job.

Oh no…no more cloak and dagger and crawling through steamy, insect-infested jungles for Magda. No way, José. Next time she got sent out in the field, it was going to be a fun assignment. Limos and five-star hotels all the way, baby!

It wasn’t like they needed the money. All of them were bestselling romance authors, editors and graphic artists. They did the super heroine bit on the side because they liked to help people. Of course it was a fantastic way to keep up the training, and the research was invaluable. But that wasn’t the point! She must have been insane to take on this job!

She turned her head at a loud shrieking noise and reached for her Browning Pro nine millimeter. She never left home without it. The noise could be one of two things. Monkeys or birds—neither of which she was particularly fond of. The shadow that briefly swept overhead confirmed the creature was of the feathered variety. She replaced her gun in the special holster inside her shirt and waited for her heart rate to return to normal. It had to be a bird of prey of some variety, no doubt, and thank the Lord she was here on the ground.

Half an hour later, when she found another tear in her cargo pants courtesy of the thick undergrowth, she wasn’t so sure.

Bloody hell. This was supposed to be an easy job.

No danger. Go in, find the lost relic and get out.

Yeah right.

It’d been two days now and she still had no idea where the object was, and from the stories she’d been told, this wasn’t your average, everyday, garden-variety relic. This one had some pretty amazing legends attached to it that she had only just begun to learn about.

Boss, the unofficial office manager of The League of Amazing Women, had neglected to tell her that this particular relic was made from a chunk of crystal from Alexander the Great’s crystal sarcophagus. Even she had heard the stories surrounding the mystery of his burial place. Several different groups claimed they knew its location, but were hiding it to prevent wars over its ownership.

And protect it they should, if the stories were true—that the holder of the sarcophagus would assume power in the country in which they resided. Just imagine if terrorists got their hands on it?

Of course this little piece of crystal wasn’t the whole shebang, but hey, someone must believe it had some sort of power. The locals had definitely closed ranks and that was the one thing she was sure of. Since she’d arrived in Penang, she’d hit one brick wall after another.

Damn. She looked down at her ankle and saw the trickle of red seeping through her sock.

Another leech.

Why is it always leeches?

She stopped and reached in to her backpack for the salt. The slimy little creature curled up and came off in her fingers while she squished it the best she could before she wrapping it in a leaf and hurling it to the jungle.

Looking up, she squinted at the sun and wondered just how much farther it was to the small village the guide at the hotel had told her about. Okay, he hadn’t exactly come across as the honest type. He wouldn’t even look at her until she flashed a wad of money at him. However, one thing she did know about human nature was that people did not want to lose their meal ticket. So if he wanted her to come back for more, he would at least have to steer her in the right direction the first time. Unless, of course, someone was paying him more to send her on a wild goose chase, but she didn’t want to think about that right now. Nope. She was going to think positive all the way. And if she continued to say it, it might actually be true.

Another five minutes and the vegetation began to thin a little. In another ten, she walked into a clearing to find a group of three huts.

Definitely not luxury accommodations.

The walls were made of some sort of mud concoction and from what she could see, no windows. No doors were visible so she walked toward the edge of the closest one to investigate more.

Yuck! Something stunk like the old outside dunnie on her grandfather’s farm. Her nose twitched as the smell increased while she rounded the hut in search of the door. Catching a whiff of the noxious aroma again, her nostrils made the decision for her.

She made her way to the next hut to look for the door. The stinky one could wait.

“Hello?”

Maybe someone would come out and talk to her. She rounded the edge of the hut and found a roughly hewn doorway covered with a piece of hessian material that hung loosely from the top of the opening.

“Hello? Anyone home?”

Pausing for a few minutes, she listened for any signs of habitation. Finding none, she ducked her head and entered. She blinked a few times to get used to the darkness. The hut was definitely empty. The only things she could see were the rough matting on the floor and some sort of chest to the side along the circular wall. Looking behind her one last time, she took a step toward it and reached out to open the intricately carved door. A flicker of guilt crossed her mind as her hand paused mid-air.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Magda?”

Magda whizzed around, palming the gun from her ankle holster.

“What the—?”

And there he was. All six-foot-three inches of muscle, sandy blond mussed-up hair and the cockiest lopsided grin in the universe, and he was leaning against the wall of the hut.

The last person on Earth she wanted to see.

Relaxing her grip on the weapon, she took a few seconds in an effort to calm her racing pulse and shortened breaths. “You’re going to have to stop creeping up on people like that, Vincent. I almost shot you.”

His baby blue eyes twinkled. “Nah. I know you better than most, don’t forget. You never shoot real people.”

His gaze changed from amusement to desire as he moved his line of vision from her face, across both her swelling breasts, down to her groin and back.

Damn. Her nipples reacted of their own accord to his inspection.

Damn this man.

“Besides, you wouldn’t shoot me, Mags—you know you love me.”

She shoved past him and made her way outside the hut.

“You arrogant son of a bitch!”

“I guess that means I’m not going to get my welcome kiss?”

“Fuck off.”

“I guess not.”

“Get over yourself, Vincent Stone. Hundreds of women may drop at your feet, but I am definitely not one of them.”

Not this time.

Never again.

He feigned a crushed looked, pouting, but with that hint of laughter behind his eyes that had always attracted her. She was such a sucker for his sense of humor. Sure, he was tall, built and gorgeous, but it was the wicked wit, the laconic humor and the constant twinkle in his eye that had done it for her. But that had been two years ago, and she’d put it all behind her. Done a pretty damn fine job of it, too, if the ambivalence she was feeling for him right at this moment was anything to go by. Forget her bodily reaction, which was just a momentary aberration.

She was surprised, that’s all. She hated him. She really did.

“You wound me, Mags. I can’t help my natural charm, wit and good looks. What would you have me do? Wear a bag over my head?”

She stifled a grin. “I don’t really care, to tell you the truth. You were just another notch in the belt for me, as I was for you.”

His face shuttered and he grew serious. “Okay, let’s quit the personal stuff. I repeat my question again. What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Looking for something.”

His expression turned hard. “Quit fencing, you’re here for the relic just as I am, but you have no idea what you’re letting yourself in for, Mags. This gig is dangerous.”

Magda shivered. Having her fears confirmed as well as dealing with the one man who’d ever gotten under her skin was making this mission a hell of a lot more than she bargained for, but she refused to give in.

The League of Amazing Women never give in, dammit!

“I can handle it, Vince. I’ve been in sticky situations before and I can look after myself pretty well.”

“Bloody hell, Magda, I don’t want you to get hurt. There’s some scary shit attached to this one. Don’t take the chance with your life.” He reached over and ran his finger over her cheek. “Despite what you think, I do care about you.”

“Bullshit. You just want a clear run at the relic and I’m in your way.” She pushed his hand away from the tingling skin on her face. “Get this, buddy—I’m not going anywhere until I find that relic!”

Thwack!

“Fuck!” Vincent dragged Magda to the ground, covering her body with his. Raising his head, he checked to see where the weapon had come from.

“Shit, Vince, you’re squashing me.”

“Be quiet, Mags, I’m trying to save our lives here.”

“What are you talking about?” she shouted, but as Vince shushed her again, he pointed to the arrow in the wall of the hut.

“Holy crap!”

“Exactly. Now get ready to make a run for it.”

She shuffled out from underneath him and turned her head from side to side, looking around the village. “From the angle of the arrow, the shooter came from that direction,” she said, pointing toward the other side of the village. “That means we go back the way I came, which is behind this hut. I vote we make a run for it then split up to make it harder for them to track us.”

Vincent shook his head. “Uh-uh. No way. We have a much better chance if we stick together. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Stop going all macho on me, Stone. Be realistic. Two of us running together is like a beacon to them. If we split up, they have to as well, and that will weaken their firepower.”

“Listen, Superwoman, we have no idea how many of them are out there and we haven’t got time to argue about this now. Let’s get the heck out of here before they shoot at us again.” He stood and held out his hand for her and pulled her to her feet. After checking once again for any visible signs of the attacker, he squeezed her hand and kissed her surprised mouth firmly before running into the jungle, dragging her behind him.

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About the Author

Living in a fantasy world as a child, Maggie was fascinated with telling stories. Whenever she shared her adventures of imaginary friends and saving the world from the bad guys, her mother called it ‘Romancing’.

Actually it was more likely a really good ploy to get out of doing chores! Little wonder that after a life spent in many different occupations, Maggie has settled in to writing romance fiction. Her stories range from dark erotic thrillers, to fantasy tales of bondage and submission, to romantic suspense and paranormal.

Email:
[email protected]

Maggie loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.totallybound.com
.