No One to Trust (14 page)

“If you’re trying to stall that makes you a
very stupid little
puta
, risking your brother’s life like
that.” His voice dripped with venom.

“I would
never
risk my brother’s life.
I don’t give a shit about your stupid book. I just want Benny
back.” She hoped she’d injected enough fear into her voice to be
believable—which the fear wasn’t exactly a lie anyway. Before he
could speak she continued. “We’ll meet early tomorrow morning
somewhere of
my
choosing. And you’re going to text me a
picture of my brother ten minutes before we meet with a newspaper
from tomorrow and you will also let me speak to him. And I swear if
Benny is injured, you’ll
never
see your book. I’ll post this
on the Internet, mail it out to your competitors, let the whole
world know about it.”

Porter’s eyebrows raised as he pulled up to
another stop. For a moment she thought she’d gone too far but he
just grinned. She just hoped her demand would keep her brother
unharmed.

She snapped her mouth shut as Orlando let out
another litany of curses, but eventually the shouts stopped so she
said, “I’ll call you as soon as I’m in the city.” Then she hung
up.

Feeling nauseous, she let out a long breath
and leaned forward, placing her head between her legs. “I think I’m
going to puke,” she muttered.

“You were fucking amazing.”

Her head snapped in Porter’s direction at the
surprising curse word. “Really?”

He nodded, something in his pale eyes she
couldn’t quite define. “Impressive actually.”

She felt her cheeks heat up at the unexpected
compliment. If she could keep it together long enough to save
Benny, everything would be fine.

Now they just had to find a meeting place
where they could ambush Orlando. Unfortunately Porter would want to
involve Grant and the local police. Something she knew they had to
do, but it didn’t mean she had to like it.

Chapter 12

Lizzy stared at the ceiling, hating this
waiting game. Porter was right. She knew that. Waiting to call
Orlando was the smart thing to do. She had to play her part if she
wanted to keep Benny alive. Rolling on her side she continued
blindly staring. This time out the window of the bedroom she was
in.

Their security firm had a place in Coconut
Grove that was part of their safe houses but rarely used. It was
surrounded by trees and other underbrush, not even visible from the
cul-de-sac street. In an upper middle class area but very low key,
there shouldn’t be anyone here who knew Orlando Salas.

Not that anyone had seen either her or Porter
to report them in the first place. They’d driven straight into the
garage then shut the door before getting out of the vehicle. Now
four men Porter said he trusted implicitly were silently patrolling
the grounds.

And she and Porter were freaking waiting.

Frustrated, she shoved up from her position
and slid off the bed. Porter still hadn’t answered all her
questions about what their plan was and she needed to talk. He’d
told her Grant would be there in a couple hours once he got off
work but hadn’t said much more than that.

Peeking out in to the hallway, she breathed a
sigh of relief to find it empty. Not that she’d really been worried
someone was waiting to ambush her, but her nerves were rattled and
she figured anything was possible after the last couple days she’d
had.

As she went to knock on Porter’s door—whose
room was right next to hers—she realized it was open a crack.
Nudging it with her toe, she called his name. No response. The
house seemed eerily quiet, making the tiny hairs on the back of her
neck stand on end.

Wrapping her arms around herself she took a
cautious step inside. This time she didn’t say his name. Fear sank
its claws into her chest, sharp and deadly, as she tried to take a
calming breath. What if something had happened to Porter?

At a slight squeaking sound she swiveled to
find Porter half naked with just a towel around his waist, rivulets
of water streaking his very naked chest, and a gun in his hand.
“Christ, Lizzy, you scared the shit out of me.” He stepped fully
out of the bathroom doorway and placed the gun on the five drawer
dresser next to it. “Is everything okay?” he asked as he strode to
the bed where he’d laid out a pair of jeans and a dark blue polo
shirt. He was so…
ripped
. She’d seen him with his shirt off,
but now she felt like she was getting a much better show with just
a towel hanging from his waist. Her breath caught in her
throat.

She didn’t care how good he looked.

Yeah right.
She almost snorted at
herself. The towel around Porter could only cover so much. It was
damp and molded to all those muscles, outlining the straining bulge
of his thigh muscles and…other stuff.

Something she shouldn’t be noticing. Not
right now. Not when she wanted to talk to him about something.
“When will your brother get here?” she managed to rasp out.

He glanced up at her as he picked up his
shirt. “About an hour. Maybe a little longer. Why?” he asked as he
turned to fully face her.

She swallowed hard, trying not to watch the
way the muscles in his forearms moved as he tossed the shirt over
one arm. Her gaze traveled across the broad expanse of his chest,
noting more than a handful of scars, including one that webbed out
in a sunburst of almost invisible white lines. Against his tan skin
the markings were stark against his ribcage. Without thinking, she
covered the short distance and placed a hand over the old scar.
“What happened here?”

When Porter sucked in a deep breath, her gaze
snapped up to meet his. Raw hunger glittered back at her in those
pale depths. “Shot. Years ago.” His voice was strained.

Instead of pulling away, she lightly rubbed
her fingers over the old wound. She hated that he’d ever been in a
position to get shot, though she couldn’t help but feel incredibly
proud of him for all his years in the military.

He made a strangled sound but didn’t pull
away. Reaching out, he cupped her cheek gently even though she
could feel the power practically humming through his fingertips.
“You need to leave now or I’ll lose all my good intentions.” His
deep voice rolled through her, waking up the most feminine part of
her. Her nipples strained against her top. The man had the ability
to turn her into mush without even trying.

She’d come in here only to complain about
having to wait to make that call. A call she absolutely couldn’t
make right now. The next time she called Orlando it would be to set
up a meeting place and they didn’t have one yet.

Now she just wanted to be with Porter while
they had a few precious moments alone. And he was worried about
good intentions?

Screw good intentions.
She desperately
needed to lose herself. To forget about everything going on around
them.

Lizzy blindly reached out for his towel and
tugged on it. Unable to stop herself, her gaze dipped southward as
the piece of cloth fell free.

She swallowed convulsively, unable to tear
her gaze away from his hard length. Heat pooled low in her belly,
traveling straight to the juncture between her thighs. What she
wouldn’t give to wrap her hand around him…her mouth around him. She
groaned thinking about taking him that way. Seeing the look of
pleasure on his face.

“Damn, don’t look at me like that.” Porter’s
voice snapped her out of her trance.

As she looked up to meet his gaze, his mouth
covered hers, hot and hungry. His fingers threaded through her
hair, tightening on her head in a completely dominating grip that
made her toes tingle.

She was vaguely aware of the towel falling
from her hand, of Porter moving them so that the backs of her knees
hit the bed. As her back collided with the soft, fluffy mattress,
Porter’s rock hard body covered hers.

Still wearing jeans and a T-shirt, she felt
overdressed but didn’t care as long as she got to touch him. Her
hands smoothed over his naked shoulders, down his chest and as she
reached between their bodies, he shuddered and pulled back.

“No way,” he murmured against her mouth.

Lizzy’s eyes flew open as he moved, shimmying
down her body. “What are you doing?” After everything they’d been
through, she wanted this release with him. Wanted to feel Porter’s
hands and mouth all over her body. When reality crashed in on her,
as she knew it inevitably would, she wanted this memory with
Porter. They’d been so damn restrained when they’d been dating and
she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head since they’d broken
up. If she was honest, she didn’t want to. She wanted everything he
had to offer and only now was she able to fully admit it to
herself.

Instead of answering, Porter grasped the
button on her jeans. He kept his eyes on her body, watching as he
unbuttoned, then unzipped her pants.

Her lower abdomen clenched as he slowly slid
them and her skimpy panties down her legs. His heated gaze tracked
down her legs until he finally pulled her clothing free and tossed
them to the floor. Instantly her thighs fell open a few inches. She
wanted to feel his mouth on her so bad she ached for it.

But the request stuck in her throat. They
might have been intimate before but they’d never taken things this
far.

Slowly, his hands encircled her ankles,
holding them in place. His grip wasn’t hard but it was enough that
she couldn’t move.

“Take off your top.” A demand, not a
request.

The urgency and command in his voice sent a
delicious thrill up her spine. Normally she didn’t like anyone
ordering her around but she would most definitely make an exception
for him.

With the late afternoon sun shining through
the sheer gold curtains, the room was splashed with orange and
gold, creating an erotic atmosphere. Not that she needed anything
to set the mood with Porter kneeling in front of her completely
naked. His thick erection stood proud against his lower abdomen,
telling her exactly how much he wanted her. As he looked at her now
with such raw need it was a wonder she’d had any patience at all
where Porter was concerned.

Grasping the bottom hem of her shirt, she
tugged her top off with shaking hands. Grant might have provided
them with clothes, but she still didn’t have a bra. As she was
bared to Porter for the second time in twenty-four hours, she was
overwhelmed by a sudden wave of shyness at being splayed in front
of him like this.

“I’m going to taste you.” The words seemed to
be torn from him and they heated her up from the inside out.

With that statement, any nervousness she
might have had disappeared. He wanted her as much as she wanted
him.

Lifting her leg, he zeroed in on her inner
calf, teasing and raking his teeth over her skin in erotic little
nips. Each time his tongue or teeth grazed her skin, she shuddered
and the heat between her legs built. Her calf should
not
be
an erogenous zone, but the way he made her feel, it was as if she
might combust at any moment.

Even though she could have watched him tease
her all day, she let her elbows drop as she fell back against the
bed. Stretching out, she simply enjoyed the feel of Porter kissing
his way up her legs. The higher he moved, the more she
instinctively started to tense up, but when he placed firm hands on
her inner thighs she forced herself to relax.

With his finger, he gently traced down her
wet folds. She slightly jumped at the intimate touch, but when he
pushed his finger inside her, she clenched around him. Still, she
needed more. She wanted to be completely filled by him.

But he seemed intent on teasing her. Slowly,
he drew his finger out then pushed it back in. His rhythm was slow
and steady and when he began circling her clit with his tongue, she
fisted the sheets beneath her. It was such a torturously unhurried
pace, definitely designed to drive her crazy.

Sliding her fingers through his hair, she
clutched on to his head. “Faster, Porter,” she rasped out.

His chuckle reverberated through her already
sensitized body. When he slid another finger inside her she
practically shuddered in relief. She wanted more than his fingers
but the addition began to ease the ache. As he continued teasing
her clit with his tongue, he found a new rhythm.

The closer she was to orgasm, the louder she
got. She couldn’t help the moans that escaped. The pressure of his
tongue and feel of his fingers inside her were too much. Afraid she
was gripping his head too tight, she held onto the sheets,
clutching them as the first wave of her climax hit.

She’d already been wet and turned on at the
sight of Porter half naked so it didn’t surprise her how fast he’d
pushed her into this release. Her inner walls clenched around him
as her back bowed, and she just let the relief pour through
her.

When the pressure of his tongue lessened, her
eyes flew open. Before she could move, he was on top of her. He
still cupped her mound, his fingers fully embedded deep in her as
his mouth found hers.

Tasting herself on Porter was wildly erotic.
Everything about his kiss was claiming and demanding. As she
started to wind her arms around his neck he pulled back.

“Condom,” he muttered as he leaned over
toward the small nightstand next to the bed.

Apparently this safe house had
everything
they needed. Once he’d grabbed a foil packet, she
tried to take it from his hands. She wanted to put it on him, to
touch him everywhere.

“Next time,” he growled.

The heated note in his voice made her nipples
tingle in total feminine appreciation. Porter was always so calm
and collected. She loved seeing him lose that edge of control
because of her.

And there was no doubt she’d brought this
reaction out in him. His sharp cheekbones were flushed, his
breathing was harsh and his hands shook as he rolled the condom
over his very hard length.