Elite Metal-ARE-epub (49 page)

Except—nothing about that moment in the classroom had been cheap or tawdry. Hotter than hell. Primal. Not cheap.

“You played suck face with the chick at the bar…”

She blinked. “What?”

“Huh.” He leaned away, his gaze narrowing. “So not them. That leaves the professor…”

Retrenching after his bait and switch with the target, she grabbed her phone when it rang. Hating phones and finding the interruption a welcome reprieve, she frowned at the number on the screen. Not her team. When the hell had she given the professor her cell information?

Touching a finger to her lips, she asked for and received immediate silence. Hitting answer, she put the phone to her ear. “Hello.”

“Hello Gorgeous, I’m a little disappointed you met someone else for coffee.”

Surprise jerked through her and it took all of her training to stay planted in the chair. She swept a look around the coffee shop, then the parking lot and the part of the lake trail she could see from her perch without turning her head. “I’m sorry, who is this?”

Masculine laughter rich with humor drifted over the phone. Her pussy went damp and her abdominals clenched. “Damn, Copper. If I was so bad you’ve forgotten me in a couple of hours, why don’t you make our lunch date a dinner one instead, so I can do better?”

Amused in spite of herself, she took a sip of her coffee to keep from smiling. “I’m a big believer in first impressions counting.” And he had made a hell of a first impression.

Currently, her body was very interested in seconds.

“Funny, I agree with you. Have dinner with me.”

“No.” She took another drink.

“Fine, I’ll have dinner with you.” Easy charm rolled in those syllables, and she actually had to bite the inside of her lip to not laugh.

“Still a no,” she managed. Across the table, Merc had gone predator silent and his stare drilled into her. No way should she be having this conversation in front of him.

“Dessert?”

The woman who’d played with Gabriel in the lecture hall would have chuckled. Copper refused. “Do you have an issue with the word no?”

“Only when it conflicts with my being able to see you again.” Gabriel sighed. “Tell you what—I’m at the coffee shop on Grand. It’s next to the university. Afterward, I’m going home to take a shower then having dinner at Andrew’s. It’s a steakhouse at Fifth and Prospect. I’ll be there by seven.”

“Sounds like you have a busy day planned.”

“You’re a cruel and unusual woman,” he said, his voice pitching lower.

Time to change the subject. “How did you get my number?”

“Come to dinner. Hell, just show up and I’ll make sure you come.” The provocative promise twisted her insides into a knot of tension and lust.
Dammit.
“See you tonight.”

He ended the call before she could turn him down again. Staring at the phone, she frowned. She still stared at it when it vibrated with a text message. The restaurant address and beneath that a pin code followed by the note:
in case you want to verify the phone information you acquired.

The code was a key, a decryption key. Setting the phone down, she blew out a slow, thoughtful breath.

“How much trouble are you in?” Merc’s quiet question echoed the one ringing alarm bells in her mind.

The problem was, “I don’t know.”

All the way to the parking lot of Andrew’s Steakhouse, Copper said she wasn’t going inside. Standing at the edge of the lot near the trees, she eyed the door. The decryption key unlocked a lot of the information on the professor’s phone—names, contacts, phone numbers, and his calendar. Not his email, though she had his log in. The fifth and final decryption program continued to work on the info, and she’d told the guys she was turning in for the night.

Lied to them. Lied to Merc.

Well, the lie was true from a certain point of view.
She hadn’t come to the restaurant for the mission. No, she’d shown up to sort out the conflicted response she’d developed for the target.

Located in a lodge-style building, the restaurant had a lot of windows—plenty of opportunities for her to sight her target without going inside. Binoculars in hand, however, she considered the building and whether she should get back in the car and go.

“Since when did you become a chicken?”Gunnery Sergeant Bradley Peck murmured in her ear.

“I’m not in the habit of trading sex for information,” she snapped. A half-lie at best. She’d done it before, when they’d needed the info, and she’d do it again. If fucking the right guy saved a life and prevented her team from walking into a trap…

“Sach,” he whispered, the air at her back warmer as he settled in behind her. He slid his hands down to rest on her hips, then tugged her to rest against his chest. “He’s a target; I’m your lover. I do know the difference.”

“So, it doesn’t bother you?” It bothered the fuck out of her. She and Tungsten should never have happened. It was against regs, against the best interests of the team, and the greatest threat her heart had ever experienced. Standing thirty feet away from a target and hesitating proved she was right about how wrong they were.

“The idea of that son of a bitch putting his hands on you?” A growl threaded the cool tones of his words. “Makes me want to break every bone in his body, but that’s
not
the job.”

Shuddering, she leaned against him and closed her eyes. “It feels like betrayal.”She and Brad dodged labels for their relationship more adroitly than mortar fire, but she’d have to be stupid to not recognize they were in one. When not on assignment, they were in each other’s beds. They ate together, trained together, and played together. Together.

A sigh, then his arms tightened and his hand fisted her hair. Turning her to face him, he brushed his mouth over hers in a whisper of a kiss. “Do you want that guy?”

“Not even a little.”

“If we had any other chance at getting the info we need, do you think we would approach it this way?”

Studying him in the dark, the truth rang with stark clarity inside of her. “No.”

“Then it’s the job. He has something we want. You can get it from him. It’s not betrayal, Sach…” then his voice lowered, and she felt more than heard the words. “Do the job. Then come back to
me.
”

Ownership. The feeling of being branded on the inside, of belonging, and of being wanted cascaded over the twisting conflict eating her alive. “I can’t promise to be as understanding if you have to bait a trap to get a woman into your bed.”

A flash of the smile in the dark. “Want a suggestion?”

Amused, she pushed aside the needy woman who wanted to crawl into his lap and stay there forever. “Whatcha got?”

“How much info can you get without ever letting the bastard dip his wick?” He stroked her cheek. “Fuck with his mind, Copper. Make him give you everything while you give up nothing.” His touch vanished and he faded into the darkness. The advice reverberated through her. Seducing without giving in had become something of a gift. She didn’t fuck another man if she didn’t have to—loyal to the team, loyal to her country, she’d also wanted to stay loyal to Brad.

Then he’d died.

Another shudder jolted through her, and she focused on the restaurant once more. Ice skated over the surface of her skin as though the memory of Brad’s touch, his scent, and his whispers of encouragement were only a breath away instead of a distant memory
you will never know again.

“I don’t need to be here,” she said aloud, needing to hear the words as much as say them.

“Then why are you?” Gabriel’s voice crashed against her, and she pivoted. How the fuck had he snuck up on her? Heart slamming against her ribs, she faced her one time lover—
one time, Copper. Once and final.
The stern echo of internal orders had zero effect on the heat unfurling in her middle or the way her nipples went taut and her panties damp.

Red Wolf. Miami. Jennings.
Not even listing the reasons why lusting for Gabriel was a bad idea diminished the need threading through her blood.

“I’m not.” She kept her voice cool. Professional. Distant.
Yeah, right. Have you ever noticed you shut down when you don’t want me to get close? Locking all the doors just makes me want to batter through them, Sachi.
Brad’s playful, seductive taunt echoed in her mind, and she slammed the door to all her regrets and remembrances closed.

“No?” Gabriel wore a nice shirt, suit jacket and slacks sans tie. With the top two buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of the hot, masculine flesh beneath, she couldn’t stop the itch on her palms. The dress casual suit only emphasized his sex appeal, a pretty package for the hard, corded lean muscles beneath. The man may not be built like a tank, but he had a lethal intensity about him. Closing the distance between them, he brushed a knuckle down her cheek. “Well, if I’m fantasizing I have to give myself props for realistic integrity. You’re as gorgeous as I remember.”

“Realistic integrity?” The words popped out before she could swallow her curiosity. “Do you make a habit of verifying whether or not your wet dreams and fantasies have integrity?”

“I like to verify my facts.” He curved his finger, then trailed his touch to her other cheek. A part of her wanted to tip her chin, see if he’d continue the caress to her throat. The rest of her seemed to crouch, waiting for the attack. The man was too close—yet she wanted him closer.

Chuckling, she raised her eyebrows. “What facts are you trying to verify currently?”

He’d showered since their earlier encounter. The scent of soap and hint of aftershave added a bite to his appeal. Did he like hot showers? Was he the kind of guy who shaved while the spray pounded against his skin? The walls of her pussy flexed and she ached to run her fingers over his jaw. Was it as smooth as it looked?

“If pursuing you is a dream or a trap.” The blunt answer shocked her, but he didn’t allow her time to process it before his mouth slanted over hers. Scorching familiarity awoke in the kiss as his tongue swiped across her lips seeking access, a demand and a request bound in one sensuous act. Rising on her tiptoes, she parted her lips to let their tongues tangle together.

The pressure of his hand in her hair, the way he fisted and tugged the strands, added a hint of pain to the pleasure—fierce, demanding, and giving. The desire to be closer to him invaded every part of her. Flattening her palms to his chest, she became aware of his racing heart which matched hers pound for pound in its frenetic cadence.

When she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, he dropped his grip to her ass then lifted her. The rub of his very stiff erection against her belly ignited a fresh wave of lust and she peeled her mouth away from his.

“No,” she forced the syllable out on a harsh exhale, and he went completely still against her. Wrapped around him, she was aware of every breath, every tense muscle and the promising weight of his cock fit snuggly against her sex. If not for their damn clothes, he could be inside her already.
Target.

Body and mind were not in agreement, and her heart thudded with the descant pulse of their violent tug of war.

“No?” he asked, the whisper of his breath tickling her lips. The ragged quality of his breathing bolstered her.

“No,” she repeated, and forced her fingers to unclench from his neck and hair. Not feeling the rejection at all, she kept her tone flat and monotone.

“That’s what I thought you said.” The growl of want matched her raging desire, but he slid her down his length until her feet touched the ground. The man had a thing for picking her up, yet he didn’t act like she was dead weight. Cataloging the behavior along with all the other sexy things he did—kiss, touch, breath—she held her hands away from him, but his were still firmly attached to her ass.

Professional. Seduce without fucking
. She could totally do this. Besides, she had questions. Like, why did he give her the pin code to his encryption? He had to know she’d stolen his info. So why help her? How had he gotten her phone number for a cell she hadn’t had all that long and never used unless it to touch base with her team?

Probably the same way he knew you stole his info, dumbass.
Ignoring the sarcastic inner chide, she waited a beat for him to let go of her ass. He squeezed once, then held his hands up, palms forward.

Sliding back a half-step, she appreciated his mirrored move. His hair, disheveled from her fingers, added a roguish touch to his already deceptively good-looking appearance.

A snort escaped before she could stop it. They were facing each other in a parking lot, hands up as though they each had a gun. The corner of his mouth kicked higher in a grin. Laughter followed her snort, and although she tried to smooth over her expression, the chuckles kept coming. When he began to laugh, she paused. The warm baritone of his laughter proved as provocative as his touch and as seductive as his kisses.

“I can’t think clearly when you look at me like that.” His accusation lacked heat.

“Like what?” Curiosity killed the cat. Apparently it would be the death of her, too.

“So utterly fuckable.” The combination of raw desire and soft tones sent a stroke through her pussy.

Locking her thighs together, she curled her fingers into her palms and lowered her arms. Surrender wasn’t her thing.
Of course, it isn’t surrender if I’m the one ripping his clothes off.
And enough of that. “Well, we’ve already been there, and done that.”

“Yes,” he dropped his hands and slid them into his pockets. The move drew her gaze to his cock. The slacks did little to disguise how firm or thick it had grown. “Of course, the first time could have been a fluke.”

Resisting the urge to lick her lips, she schooled her features to not reveal anything she didn’t want him to know. Survival was a powerful mechanism. “Fluke?”

“In a classroom, against the wall? It was hot and, I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy the hell out of it, but I want to take my time. I want to lick my way across your body and taste you as you come…again. Make sure I didn’t imagine how fucking wonderful you are. Of course, that’s just to start.” He took a step toward her and her muscles locked. Fight or flight had been beaten out of her in basic. When combat threatened, most people ran the other way. Not out of cowardice, for survival, the most basic instinct. The Marines trained her to be more—to walk, run even, into the fire then lead the charge.