Temptation in Shadows (7 page)

“I’ll tell you about my power later. Now, did you know others had been taken?”

“No. I never saw anyone but the doctor. Never
heard
anyone but the doctor. So this power of yours . . .”

“The man who operated on you guys set everyone free,” Sean continued, ignoring her. “We don’t know why. We found one right away, but it took a long time to find two others and when we did . . .” His shoulders slumped. “All three are dead. Extreme fear caused some kind of self-destructive reaction in their brains.”

“They
died
?” The knowledge caused fear of her own to spark in her chest, and she forgot all about questioning him. If he was telling the truth, and she thought that he was since the emotion had always elicited headaches, this fear could kill her.

On cue, her temples started throbbing and she moaned.

“Stop,” Sean demanded.

“Stop what?” she rasped past the sudden lump in her throat. People just like her had died. Probably painfully, horrifically.

“Don’t think about the past. Think about the future.”

But he’d been questioning her about the past. And . . . “Do I even have a future?”

He flicked her another glance, this one so intense she shivered. “You sure as hell do. It involves you, me, and a bed. After that, there’ll be a few repeat performances. And by the way, where’s the quiet, nontalkative Gabby I know and like?”

A lie. He liked her better this way. Why else would he have asked her so many questions?
Information. Duh.
Well, she could see the excitement in his eyes. Excitement she suddenly shared. Sean. Naked and in bed. With her. Touching, kissing.
Oh
yes . . . kissing.
For more than a night, too. That’s what “repeat performances” meant, she was sure.

But did his desire spring from his mission, or for her?

Damned common sense, not letting her enjoy a moment’s reprieve. She ran her tongue over her teeth, anger sparking, growing, replacing both her excitement and fear. “If you kissed me because they told you to—”

“Stop right there. I kissed you because I wanted to. And to be honest, I wasn’t supposed to do it. I just couldn’t help myself.”

That mollified her somewhat. She desired him more than she’d ever desired another man. If he’d merely kissed her to soften her, she’d . . . she’d . . . still want him, she realized.
Damn him.
She was drawn to him. To the contradictions of him. Darkness swirled inside his eyes and was proof of his dangerous nature, yet he’d never once hurt her. Had been nothing but gentle with her. Had protected her.

Sighing, she studied her surroundings. The vast expanse of forest had thinned, and there wasn’t a soul or car in sight. Lamps were posted along the sides of the road, their light providing a pretty golden glow. She had to stop thinking about kissing him and wanting him and concentrate on answers.

“You were there, when those two men drew me out and attempted to kill me,” she said.

“Yes.”

“Did you kill them?”

“No. I injured them. In fact, I need to get ahold of Rowan and find out if they talked.”

Rowan. She should have known he was in on this. “He’s an agent, too, isn’t he?”

An abrupt nod.

And she’d never suspected. Seriously. How dumb was she? “Well, that stupid love quiz now makes sense. When asked what he liked most about a woman, he said a positive outlook and an appreciation for moonlit strolls, yet he struck me as the big boobs and no underwear type. I was supposed to fall for him, wasn’t I?”

Another nod.

God.
The balls on these men, thinking that passing a few “Is He Worth Taking Home to Mom” quizzes and she’d melt. “So what’s his ability?”

“Charm.”

She snorted. She was dumb, yes, but not completely brain-dead. “You don’t want to tell me the truth about your friend, fine.”

Sean merely smiled.

Frustrating man.
“Do you trust him? Could he—”

“I trust him with my life.”

Which meant she was supposed to trust him with hers, but she wasn’t sure she could. She didn’t even trust Sean. Not fully. More than she should, yeah, but not fully. “So why did you kidnap me? And yourself, for that matter? I asked before, but you never answered.” Yeah, she’d figured it out on her own, but she wanted to hear what kind of lies he would weave.

He flicked her another glance, this one smoldering. “I wanted to spend a little alone time with you.”

Now she was the one to roll her eyes, hopefully drawing attention away from the pulse suddenly hammering away at the base of her neck. “Nice try.”

“Fine. It was the easiest and fastest way to gain your trust.”

The truth from him. Wow. How unexpected—and warming. “Did you think I’d just smile and thank you when I found out you’d lied to me and used me?”

“Yeah. If you hadn’t noticed, lying is part of our relationship.”

She couldn’t refute that, so she didn’t try. “So why exactly does Rose Briar want me to work for them? And who were those guys back there?”

“You’re kidding, right? With the first question? You can steal information in the blink of an eye. As for the men . . . the one who’d been shot was Bill, my boss, as I told you. The others, the ones with the guns.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, but I plan to find out. With your help.”

“And if I don’t want to help? What are my options?”

“You can live your life as you are now, but someone will always be watching you because too many people know about you. If you ever tried to lose that someone, well, you would be deemed a rogue and killed.”

Wonderful.
He wasn’t lying this time. There was too much dread in his tone.

Gabby wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She only knew she was tired of running, so tired, and that she’d been found—by two separate agencies, it seemed like—so all that running had been for nothing, anyway.

She uttered another sigh. “I’m sorry. About your boss, I mean.”

“Thank you. He was a good man.”

They lapsed into silence, and a short while later they reached civilization again. There was a gas
station, a few drive-thrus, and two motels. Sean parked in front of the motel closer to the road.

“This where we’re spending the night?” She eyed the brownstone that formed a half-moon around a crumbling parking lot.

“Nope. We’re getting a room, yes. But all we’re doing in it is making a call and ditching the car.
Then
we’re finding someplace else to sleep.”

Sean had chucked his cell phone the moment they reached the highway, allowing oncoming traffic to run over it. There was an activated GPS in it, so anyone at Rose Briar could access his location. Besides Rowan, he didn’t know who he could trust right now, so he hadn’t wanted that information so freely available.

He procured a motel room, as promised, and while Gabby sat at the edge of the bed, he called Rowan. There was no answer, which wasn’t like the agent.
Shit!
Was Rowan on the run, too? Hurt?

Sean left a message, telling his friend what had happened to Bill, that he had Gabby and would call again soon. Not for a moment did he doubt his friend’s loyalty. Rowan had known where he and Gabby had been “locked up”—hell, Rowan had driven Gabby there—and if Rowan had been the culprit, the man could have easily done the hit there.

So . . . who did that leave?

The scientist who’d operated on Gabby? Bill had considered that a possibility before the mission had ever begun. The government? But why wouldn’t
they have contacted Rose Briar directly? They always had before. A
foreign
government, perhaps?

Whatever the answer, this was a bad deal.

“All right. Let’s go,” he said, taking Gabby’s hand and helping her to her feet.

She’d handled his admission better than he’d anticipated. He supposed to someone who’d been through as much shit as she had, being lied to and used was nothing. And that saddened him. Of course, he didn’t like that sadness and squashed it quickly. It meant he was emotionally involved, and that he couldn’t allow.

Gabby didn’t protest as he led her back into the night, summoning shadows to hide them from view. They walked the few blocks needed to reach the other motel. He didn’t release the shadows from around them as they entered the building. He didn’t release the shadows as he stole a key and headed for their new room without ever signing in.

Inside, he rigged his belt to the door lock. If anyone turned the handle, his buckle would rattle. Wasn’t top of the line in security, but it would have to do. His resources were limited—he hadn’t given himself much to work with at the safe house, not wanting Gabby to be suspicious—but he didn’t want to drag Gabby through the night, keeping her awake and nervous while he looked for the necessary tools. At least he had a gun. Finally, he shooed the shadows away.

“What do we do now?” she asked, sighing and plopping down on one of the mattresses.

If only he’d stolen a key to a room with a king, rather than two fulls, he could have suggested a snuggle. Snuggle: guy code for
I really plan to feel
you up.
“Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we start digging for information.”

“Wow. An intricate plan I never could have come up with on my own,” she said dryly, massaging the back of her neck. “Only, I would have worked in a shower.”

His cock instantly hardened.
Gabby, naked and wet . . . oh yeah.
“All right. Work in a shower.”
Please, please, please.

“I will.” Gazing anywhere but at him, she stood.

He followed her into the bathroom. When she tried to shut the door and it banged into the toes of his boots, she whipped around and gasped.

“What are you doing?” she demanded. There was a breathless quality to her voice that she couldn’t hide.

Without a word, he checked the bathroom. There was a window, big enough for her to climb through if she so desired. He frowned. Wily as she was, he didn’t trust her to stay put.

He turned to her, drank in the rise and fall of her chest, the nervous swipe of her tongue over her teeth.
Oh yeah.
She planned to run. His gaze took in the rest of her. The lips he’d tasted only once but craved even now. The face he’d dreamed about for weeks now. The sweetly curved body he’d panted after, the breasts he’d longed to knead, the nipples he’d wanted to suck.

There was only one way to go about this. He stepped forward. Grinned.

She stepped backward. Gulped. “I ask again. What are you doing?”

“Looks like I’m showering with you,” he said.

Gabby stared over at Sean. He leaned against the bathroom door, pupils blown with the force of his arousal. At just the
thought
of being with her, and the knowledge was heady. He was as beautiful as always, jaw like granite, shoulders wide. Only now he had an erection, long, thick, and hard, straining past the waist of his pants.

Despite everything, she wanted him and had trouble catching her breath. “I’m mad at you.”

“I know.” He didn’t move from his post at the door.

“I don’t trust you.” He had lied to her, planned to use her, and only confessed because those plans had gone to shit.

“I know.”

She licked her lips. “When the shock of what’s happened wears off, I’ll probably hate you.”

Still he remained in place. “I know that, too.”

“Having sex won’t mean anything. It won’t change anything between us.”

“Yeah, but it’ll make us feel good.”

Feeling good sounded, well, too freaking good to
resist. “Well, okay then. We understand each other. Take off your clothes.”

Not wanting to see his reaction to her words, she spun, bent over, and turned the faucets until water sprayed into the tub. Next she removed her boots and socks. Was she really going to do this? Be with a liar of still-questionable intentions?

Hello.
You’re
a liar of still-questionable intentions.

Behind her, she heard something slap against the sink. She looked over her shoulder, saw a condom. An agent was always prepared, she supposed. Next she heard the rustle of clothes, the whoosh of fabric hitting the floor. This time she spun, heart racing in her chest. Sean was completely, unabashedly naked.

First thing she noticed, he was dark-skinned and didn’t have a tan line. Second, rope after rope of muscle formed a trail down his stomach. Third, his erection was magnificent. As long and thick as she’d imagined, the head swollen and already wet. A tremor moved through her.

Yes, she was going to do this. They hadn’t kissed since that time in the club, and she was desperate for another. Except they weren’t lost in a passion cloud right now, so she’d never be able to blame this decision on insanity. Her hormones would have to take the blame. But she was still going to do this. She felt like she’d wanted this to happen for forever.

Sean knew who she was, what she could do, and he hadn’t run screaming. Like her, he was different. And oh, God, besides feeling good, the thought of letting go, of forgetting the world for just a little while, of those strong arms wrapping around her, holding her close and tight and safe, was irresistible.

“Change your mind?” he asked roughly.