Deceived (18 page)

His breath left him on a gasp as if he'd been holding it. Sarah grinned, loving the power she had over him at that moment, the rapt attention with which he studied every inch of her, his gaze hungry for more.

He swallowed hard and licked his lips when she slipped her hands under her waistband and eased her yoga pants over her hips, turning slightly as she slid them down her legs, her fingers skimming over the curves of her calves and thighs as she slowly stood.

But then, suddenly self-conscious, she shielded herself and turned her gaze to the ground, tempted to grab her discarded clothes and throw them on again. Until she felt the warmth of his body near hers. She lifted her eyes to see Luke standing inches from her. He gently took her hands and moved her arms, revealing her body to him.

Sarah's cheeks grew hot under his scrutiny. “My body was never quite the same after I had Eli.”

His brows lifted. “I have no idea what you were like before, Sarah, but you're even more beautiful than I'd imagined.” He bent and pressed a tender kiss to her shoulder, letting his hands skim from her fingertips to her shoulder. The back of his fingers trailed along her clavicle, between her breasts, drifted lightly over her hardened nipples. His hands smoothed down her sides to rest at her hips. And then he was kissing her again—gently, unhurriedly, until her nervous tension drifted away and her arms circled his neck.

Swiftly, Luke lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bed. He stretched her arms over her head, easing his body down beside hers and ravaging her lips until they were both panting.

When he lifted his head, the look he gave Sarah was impossible to interpret, but if she'd had to guess, she might've called it
reverent
—especially as that gaze traveled over every inch of her, taking her in as he followed along with his skimming fingertips. When his fingers had completed their exploration, his lips took over, pressing kisses to her bare shoulder, the valley between her breasts.

He took one tip in his mouth, his teeth gently scraping her already aching nipple, causing her to bow off the bed with a moan. She twined her fingers in his black hair, keeping him there for a moment but moaning anew when he moved to the other breast, his tongue flicking lightly.

After several blissful minutes, his kisses trailed down the center of her belly, along the curve of her hips, the inside of her thighs. He gently eased her thighs open, his gaze flicking up to meet hers before he lowered himself to caress her with his tongue.

Sarah instantly shattered apart with an orgasm that had her arching against his mouth, gasping his name as he drove her through it. His tongue delved deep, the intimate kiss almost more than she could stand.

“Luke,” she gasped. “I need you inside me. Please.”

He immediately lifted his head and crawled up the length of her body, pressing kisses to her skin as he went. When he was at eye level with her again, he kissed her languidly, slowly, as the aftershocks of her orgasm tapered off. Then he withdrew to fumble in the drawer in the bedside table, grabbing a condom, but he didn't immediately put it on.

“I'll take it slow,” he told her. “If you're uncomfortable at all, I'll stop.”

She stilled at his words. Good God
. . .
she hadn't thought about that. It'd been years since she'd been with anyone, and even with all the incredible foreplay, she might need to ease back into lovemaking.

He shifted, rolling up onto his side to slide the condom over his shaft, and then he was caressing her again, his thumb gently massaging her clit, his fingers plunging deep, readying her to receive him.

For a moment, she felt a stab of apprehension, not wanting to disappoint him when they'd come this far, but as his gentle caresses continued, her body began to ache for his. Her need for relief, her need to feel Luke inside her, swamped her senses.

Her legs fell open as if on their own accord, welcoming him. She felt the head of his cock nudge her gently, slow thrusts bringing him in a little further each time, and then he was filling her, stretching her.

Luke ground out a curse when his next thrust sheathed him completely. Sarah gasped at the way her body accepted his—far from being painful after so many years of abstinence, pleasure engulfed her.

He withdrew and thrust again, his tempo slow as he peered down at Sarah. “Is this okay?”

“God, yes,” Sarah breathed, her hips rising to meet him, matching his tempo. Her hands slid down his back, grasping his ass, encouraging him.

His tempo increased, but still he held back, letting her set the pace. She wrapped her legs over the backs of his thighs, opening herself up to him, urging him to take all she had to give. Then he was kissing her again, his tongue caressing and thrusting in time with their joined bodies.

As her muscles began to grow tighter, she urged him to go faster, thrust deeper, until he was pounding into her, their sweat-slicked skin slapping together in their frenzied lovemaking. When her release hit, she bit back the cry of ecstasy that threatened to erupt from her, too afraid of waking Eli down the hall.

Luke's thrusts grew slower then, longer, as his own muscles began to tense, and then he slammed into her with a low groan. He paused for a moment and then continued thrusting slowly a few more times as her own muscles continued to spasm.

Then they both went still, their breath coming in gasps. Sarah could feel his heart pounding where their chests were pressed together. But it began to slow as her fingertips trailed up and down his back.

When he at last withdrew, she moaned, suddenly feeling cold and empty. She rolled up onto her side to watch him as he walked to the adjoining bathroom, fascinated by the way his muscles stretched and contracted with each stride. But as he returned and slid between the sheets, pulling her into his embrace, she caught a glimpse of the time and sighed.

“I should probably go back to my own bed soon,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his chest. “I don't want Eli to see me leaving your room.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his arm around her pulling her closer. “Probably.”

“Eli looks up to you,” Sarah explained. “I don't want him getting too attached or thinking that you and I have a future after we leave here.”

Luke rolled her onto her back, cradling her in the crook of his arm. “We still have time.”

Sarah wasn't sure what exactly he meant—was he talking about that morning or their stay with him? Or something else entirely? But as soon as their lips met, it no longer mattered.

The sun was fully in the sky by the time Luke jolted awake. He sent a glance toward his clock and cursed when he saw what time it was. His lack of sleep the night before and then making love to Sarah had left him completely fucking exhausted.

And it was no wonder. Holy shit. He'd never imagined how incredible it would be to bury himself in Sarah and lose himself as he'd told her he wanted to. She was even sexier and more amazing than he'd fantasized about. They'd made out again after sex, kissing and caressing, exploring one another's bodies. He'd been on the verge of grabbing another condom when floorboards had creaked down the hall.

Turned out it was just the wind buffeting the house, but it was enough to put a damper on the moment. But their final kiss was a promise for more later that night. He wasn't sure he'd be able to catch any additional sleep after she slipped from his bed to return to her room, leaving him with a raging hard-on after whispering what she planned to do to him when they came together again, but he'd dozed off before she'd even shut the door behind her.

Now he dragged his ass out of bed and quickly showered, feeling guilty for not yet dealing with the horses. But when he went back downstairs half an hour later, he came to an abrupt halt when he saw Sarah dressed in snow pants and a ski jacket, gearing up to head out into the several inches of snow that had accumulated overnight. The way the ski jacket hugged her curves was enough to make his mouth water—and make him want to slowly unzip the thing to get to the full swells of her breasts beneath it.

“Where are you off to?” he asked, glancing around for Eli as he strolled toward her and gathered her into his arms.

“I'm going to help Eli build a snowman,” she said, her words a little breathless as he began to nuzzle her neck. “You're welcome to join us.”

“Can't,” he told her between kisses. “Have to take care of the horses.”

Her arms came up around his neck on a sigh. “Mel was already here. She and Eli took care of them. She said she was surprised you were still sleeping.”

He chuckled, trying to unzip her coat, but failing when she batted his hand away. “Did you tell her you kept me up all night?”

She moaned softly as he finally managed to unzip her coat and slip his hand inside to cup her breast. “Uh-uh,” she replied, pulling his head down and sucking his earlobe in a move that sent a jolt of desire straight down to his cock. “She already thinks we're a couple. I'm sure she's figured it out.”

“I think we need to send Eli up to the loft to play games for a while,” he murmured, nipping at her lobe and giving her a taste of her own medicine. “Then I can teach you a few more moves in the gym. . . .”

She giggled and managed to slip out of his hold, playfully shoving him away. “Later,” she promised. “Now, are you coming?”

His brows lifted. “Not yet, but I hope to soon.”

She rolled her eyes. “I meant, are you joining us outside?”

He grinned at her, loving the way her eyes lit up when she was bantering with him. “Yeah, give me a minute.”

“Don't be too long,” she called over her shoulder. But she paused after opening the door. “And remember—behave yourself.”

“Can't make any promises,” he told her. The look of warning she gave him made him chuckle.

Still grinning, he grabbed his gloves and headed outside. As much as he'd love to help with the snowman, he needed to start up the tractor so he could plow the driveway and at least part of the road. But he'd only made it a few yards toward the barn when a snowball smashed into his back, the snow slipping beneath the collar of his coat and making him cry out when it hit his skin.

He rounded on his assailant, ready to let loose with a few choice profanities, but Eli cried out with laughter and took off running, a delighted Chief nipping at his heels as he looked for cover. And then he saw Sarah's taunting grin before she pivoted and ran in the opposite direction.

“You guys picked the wrong man to mess with,” he called out, scraping up some snow and forming it into a ball. “It's
on
now.”

When Eli popped up from behind his hiding spot, Luke let the snowball fly, nailing the kid squarely in the chest. Eli clutched at his chest dramatically and fell to the ground, laughing. Luke trudged over, forming another snowball as he went.

When he loomed over Eli, he narrowed his eyes menacingly. “Do you yield?”

“I'm a Templar,” Eli told him, scrambling to his feet. “I fight to the death!” With that, he lobbed a snowball he'd had concealed, nailing Luke, then took off again.

Luke jogged after him, catching him easily and scooping him up around the waist. “I have a prisoner!” he called out. “Surrender or he gets another snowball!”

To his surprise, another mass of snow smacked into his back and he whirled around to see Sarah's eyes dancing with merriment.

“You flanked me,” he said in dismay. She'd actually managed to get the drop on him. No one ever got the drop on him.

“Who's the badass now?” she asked with a wink at Eli.

Luke set Eli down with a laugh and charged toward her. She tried to run, but his long strides caught up to her in no time. When his arms went around her waist, they tripped over each other, falling into a tangle in the snow with Sarah on top of him.

Keenly aware of her body stretched out over his, Luke's laughter died on his lips, and he rolled Sarah onto her back, cradling her head in the crook of his arm. Sarah's chest was heaving as her own laughter subsided.

And before he even realized what he was doing, Luke was kissing her, taking his time, savoring the taste of her, the warmth of her in his arms.

A snowball smashed into his shoulder, spraying their faces with snow.

“I said it'd be okay to kiss her,” Eli said, “but I didn't say I had to
see
it. Ewww!”

Luke grinned down at Sarah, and murmured quietly, “Guess I have trouble behaving when I'm around you. Is it okay to kiss you in front of Eli? Or should we sneak around and play grab-ass on the sly?”

Sarah laughed and pulled him back down for a quick kiss. “I think I'm okay with a kiss now and then. . . .”

“Hey!” Eli protested. “Don't make me throw another snowball. . . .”

“Okay, okay! Hold your fire!” Luke laughed. Then he said to Sarah, “How about we head back inside? Plowing roads and building snowmen can wait. It's way too cold out here.”

“I don't know,” Sarah said with a mischievous grin. “I'm feeling pretty warm right now.”

His grin widened. “Oh, baby,
warm
is not even the word. . . .”

* * *

“I know where they are.”

Stone held his phone against his shoulder and turned to his companion. “Jack, I've got to take this call. I'll meet you at Hal's room.”

Jack Grayson nodded. “Sure. I'll see you upstairs.”

As soon as Jack had disappeared into the hospital elevator, Stone slipped into an empty exam room. “You have seriously shitty timing. I'm supposed to call
you
when I need information.”

“Fine,” Evans drawled. “Would it make you feel better to call me back?”

“Don't be a smart-ass,” Stone snapped. “Where are they?”

“Wyoming,” Evans informed him. “Apparently, Luke Rogan's haven is a ranch he purchased from his stepfather.”

Stone's brows lifted. “He has family? That could be useful.”

“It may be the only way to get to him,” Evans said. “The guy's security setup would give the Secret Service a hard-on.”

Stone pulled open the exam door a crack, checking the hallway. “So how do you plan to earn your keep, Mr. Evans?”

“His stepsister is looking for a ranch manager,” Evans told him. “I just need to make sure that they hire the right person.”

“Let me guess,” Stone drawled. “That person would be Eric Evans?”

“Something like that,” Evans said. “I just need to get eyes on the place, gain access to the ranch without suspicion, so I can figure out the best way to extract the kid.”

“Will your alias hold up to the Alliance's scrutiny? What if Rogan recognizes you?”

Evans scoffed. “I'm only found when I want to be. Rogan doesn't know me, so he won't be able to connect me to my past. Hell, considering how deep I was burned, I'm guessing my name's never even come up in casual conversation, let alone been included in the instruction videos for new recruits, warning them away from the evil temptations of,” Evans whispered theatrically, “the Illuminati.”

Stone rolled his eyes. “How long do you need?”

“Two weeks,” Evans told him. “Tops.”

“I'm not sure I can stall things that long,” Stone hissed. “Apparently, my friend the senator is improving every day. And the information Eli has is only useful for so long.”

“These things take time,” Evans said. “If I move too quickly, I'll blow my cover. And just so we're perfectly clear—if I get made, Stone, I'm taking you down with me.”

Stone heaved a sigh, considering his options. He still had his faithful who weren't nearly as concerned about such inconveniences as discretion or covering their asses. Perhaps he could make use of them. But, unfortunately, the zealots had proven they couldn't keep their fucking mouths shut. The idiot in Oregon had already revealed too much.

“Fine,” Stone ground out. “But if the senator wakes up and starts spilling his guts . . .”

“I'll respond appropriately.”

“I'm glad we understand each other.” Stone disconnected the line, making a mental note to have Evans taken out as soon as this operation was over, then took a deep breath and donned an appropriately concerned expression before slipping out of the exam room and back into the hallway.

When he reached the floor where Blake was being cared for, he slowed his steps. The hallway was dark, lit only by the emergency lights, and devoid of medical personnel, as if this section of the hospital had been abandoned long ago. It looked like something out of one of those zombie horror flicks—it was creepy as shit.

The only signs of life at all were the two men standing guard outside a door farther down the hall. He knew them instantly as his former Alliance brothers—Chase Nielsen and Ian Cooper. Good choices. He couldn't have chosen better for a security detail.

When they saw him coming, Chase extended his hand. “Good to see you, Jacob.”

Stone shook his hand and gave him a terse nod in greeting. “You, too. Wish it was under different circumstances.”

He then turned and offered his hand to Ian. The former U.S. Marshal hesitated slightly, sizing him up, before finally accepting Stone's hand. There'd always been a coolness between them, and that hadn't been made any better when Stone's miscalculation on a mission had cost the lives of their friends and had led to Stone's “reassignment.”

Stone nodded toward the door they guarded. “Is Jack in there already? Am I able to see Hal?”

“Sure,” Chase told him, giving his partner a pointed look as he pushed open the door.

Jacob clapped him on the shoulder as he passed, entering the room with a suitably somber expression. But he wasn't quite prepared for what he encountered. His friend and mentor lay on the hospital bed, looking pale, wan, feeble—a far cry from the powerful man who had been a surrogate father to him. Numerous monitors quietly beeped in discordant rhythm, displaying his vitals. The respirator wheezed softly as it pumped air into his lungs, keeping him alive.

Jack greeted him with a jerk of his chin, but Jacob's gaze quickly alighted on the face of the lovely woman who sat in a chair at the side of her father's bed. Her eyes teared up when she saw him, but a smile brightened her face as she got to her feet.

“Jacob,” she said with a hitch in her voice.

“Hi, Freckles,” Jacob replied with a sad grin. He'd always had a soft spot in his heart for Hal's eldest daughter. It was the only thing that'd kept him from making a move on her years ago. He'd even go as far as to say he'd fallen in love with her once upon a time—if he believed in such a thing. He spread his arms. “How's my girl?”

She came forward without hesitation, hugging him tightly. “I'm so glad you came. I know it would mean a lot to Dad.”

His arms tightened around her. “I'm so sorry,” he whispered. “You know if I could've saved you from this I would have.”

She pulled back and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Always trying to protect us,” she sighed. “Same old Jacob—I don't care what anyone says.”

His brows shot up, his blood instantly beginning to boil. Who the hell was talking shit about him? He'd take the fuckers out. “What are they saying?”

She waved away his comments. “I don't even listen to all the political B.S. anymore,” she said with a laugh. “I learned that after Dad's first campaign.”

He heaved a mental sigh. Just the usual political bullshit then. “Well, as long as you're in my corner, Freckles, I'm golden.” He then turned his attention to Jack. “So what are they saying about Hal? Has he woken up again? Said anything about who might be responsible for this?”

Jack shook his head. “No, he's only opened his eyes for a few moments. He hasn't made an effort to communicate.”

Stone nodded. “And where the hell is Will? I figured he'd be here since this is all on his head.”

Stone wasn't surprised that his ire earned a scowl from Jack. “If anyone's to blame, it's me.”

“Stop it, Jack,” Maddie interjected. “I'm the one who requested your help. You couldn't have known someone was going to try to assassinate Dad.”