Chasing Danger (3 page)

“Dax Costas,” she murmured, loving the sound of his name.
Costas.
God, even the way his last name rolled off her tongue was sexy.

His jaw tightened, his blue eyes going pure storm cloud. “I love it when you say my name.”

They were still in the short hallway of the room, where the bathroom and closet were. She took a step closer to him, his heat nearly singeing her. Reaching out, she stroked a hand down his chest. Even his shirt couldn’t hide the muscular expanse of his broad chest.

His big body shuddered. Taking her by surprise, he backed her up until she was against the nearest wall, a predator moving in on his prey. Oh yeah, she wanted to be this man’s prey in every way. She’d felt his brand of dominance and wanted more of it. So badly her body ached for his touch, his kisses.

At least right now. She was going to take everything he was offering. And give it back just as fiercely. Then she was walking away. On her terms.

She’d done the yo-yo relationship thing in the past and she wasn’t cut out for it. Dax had just disappeared on her for two weeks with no word, and that wasn’t something she could deal with. But . . . she wanted him right now and this was on her terms. Not in her home and not in his. This was just sex. Her good-bye.

Pure and simple.

Okay, maybe not simple, but it was what she craved.

“All I thought about was you for the past two weeks.” Dax’s voice was a sexy growl, his head dipping to her neck. There was a slight scruff of hair along his jaw and cheek as he moved against her. He pressed kisses against her neck, up behind her ear, before nipping her earlobe.

She arched into him, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “Wish I could say the same,” she murmured, her voice teasing.

His teeth pressed down on her earlobe and she let out a small yelp. “Stay mad at me all you want; just don’t kick me out of your life.” There was something guttural, almost vulnerable in his voice.

But was she just imagining that? She wanted to believe she mattered to him, but . . . She mentally shook herself. She needed to stay in the present. That was what got her in trouble before, getting all emotional over Dax.

His big hands slid down to her hips and he gripped her tight as he kissed his way to her lips. He completely captured her mouth with his, his tongue teasing against her, demanding that she be a full participant in this. Like that was ever a question.

Delving into his mouth, she relished his taste, the slight hint of the amber beer she knew he favored teasing her. When he groaned into her mouth she felt it all the way to her toes. Her nipples pebbled and her fingers dug into him for a second before she slid her hands to the top button of his shirt. She wanted to see all of him, to see if he was just as good as her memory.

He was too fast, though, and before she realized what he was doing he pulled back from her, his expression almost primitive, dark.

Her lips parted to say something—what, she’d never know—before he went down on his knees. She knew exactly what he planned and her sex clenched in anticipation.

Looking up at her, he kept his electric gaze pinned to hers as his hands slid under her dress and grabbed the edges of her silky thong. He tugged it down her legs, still watching her, gauging her reaction. She stepped out of it and spread her legs a fraction wider, balancing on her high heels.

He didn’t miss the subtle action, his eyes going heavy lidded. Without waiting for a response from her, he moved under her dress, his wicked mouth searching out her most intimate area.

She jerked against him the moment his tongue touched her clit. Looking down, all she could see was the outline of his head under her purple dress, the sight impossibly erotic. This was about letting go, surrendering to the pleasure. She lifted a leg over his shoulder, giving him more access, as her head fell back against the wall.

Even if being at this hotel with him was a mistake, it was hard to care when the here and now felt so incredible. She’d worry about everything else later, she vowed, letting her eyes close as a moan worked up her throat.

Much later.

Dax twisted the shower knob to turn it off, but the small enclosure was still filled with steam. His body hummed with energy as he replayed the last few hours with Hannah in his mind.

She’d been just as ravenous as him, as if the two weeks apart had been a lifetime of separation. When he’d been with Delta he’d never understood how his married teammates dealt with separations. Now he had even more respect for them. Being separated from Hannah was absolute torture.

She’d been holding back from him, though. She might have been all in physically, but she hadn’t been open with him like she’d been weeks ago. When she’d told him about how it’d taken her months to even feel safe in her own home again and how she still didn’t sleep well at night. Now? She’d just seemed to want sex.

She’d slept fine with him, though, wrapped up in his arms, seemingly secure with him. If he had anything to say about it, she’d be spending a lot more nights with him.

He just needed to figure out what was going on in her head. As a natural tactician, he’d been ready to break through her defenses, but she wasn’t giving him anything. She’d just . . . Well, they’d just fucked. A lot.

That had always been enough for him before. His career path hadn’t lent itself to more than casual sex, but now things had changed. Now he was determined to make a relationship and his job live in harmony. Or at least find some balance. Because he desperately wanted that with Hannah. She was smart and sweet and was so damn blunt about things it got him hard thinking about it. He loved how she didn’t play games, something he’d had enough of to last a lifetime.

He snagged one of the towels from the rail next to the shower and ran it over his hair a few times before drying off. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he wondered if Hannah would be awake and ready for more as he opened the door.

Before he’d taken two steps into the small hallway he knew he was alone. Her shoes, dress, and thong, which had been haphazardly tossed onto the floor from earlier, were gone. More than that, there was an emptiness to the space.

Moving quickly into the room, he scanned it, taking in the scene. The big bed was still rumpled, but her purse was gone too.

What. The. Fuck.

“Damn it,” he muttered, his jaw clenching tight. He didn’t think this was some weird way to get back at him for leaving two weeks ago. No, Hannah wasn’t the type of woman to play games. Still, he didn’t understand why she’d left so suddenly.

Anger detonating inside him, he tossed the towel to the ground and grabbed his clothes. It was well after midnight, and he was pretty sure she’d gone home. If she thought she could leave that easily, she was about to find out how very wrong she was.

* * *

Hannah turned her engine off and slid the key out but kept the key chain in her palm. Too many emotions threaded through her, the main one guilt. She shouldn’t have left like that.

It was wrong, but she’d needed to get the hell away from Dax. Too many orgasms over the last few hours were clouding her mind, and distance from him was the only thing that had made sense. They’d ordered room service in between bouts of sex, which had been wonderful. After the third time, she’d been ready to crash and he’d gone to take a shower. Dax had asked her to join him, but she’d begged off because she was too sore.

Lying there in the darkness, naked, feeling the imprint of his kisses and light abrasions from his stubble, she’d felt absolutely lost.

She’d done what seemed to come naturally the last year. She’d completely panicked and run. God, it was so cowardly, and he’d probably never want to see her again after the way she’d just fled. Not that she blamed him. She needed her freaking head examined. But that terrified part of her had wanted to go before he could leave her again. She’d originally wanted to get him out of her system, but after having a taste of him again, she’d realized that wasn’t happening.

“I’m so pathetic,” she muttered to herself, the words over-pronounced in the quiet of her mini-SUV. Sighing, she ran her fingers along the soft leather steering wheel before getting out. She hadn’t come straight home after leaving the hotel but had driven around an extra half an hour, just roaming aimlessly through the city. Even late, the city was teeming with life, and the bright colors and lights had soothed her until she’d made her way home.

Now she got to go back to her empty house with memories she couldn’t seem to erase. As she got out of her vehicle, she glanced around her quiet neighborhood. Normally she parked in her garage, but one of her brothers was working on an antique car and was using her garage to store it. Which wasn’t really a problem, because for reasons she didn’t want to think about, she liked parking in her driveway now. It made for a quicker getaway, something she never would have thought about before a year ago.

As she shut the door quietly behind her, a flash of movement near her neighbor’s yard caught her eye. Panic slammed through her for a second and she instinctively went to grab her pepper spray, but it was in her house. She hadn’t had room for it in her clutch and now she cursed herself for leaving it behind. Blinking, she stared into the shadows of the oak tree and along the giant elephant-ear bushes lining the two-story house.

A breeze kicked up and she let out a long breath. She was just being paranoid. The wind had moved the bushes and she was freaking out—because that’s apparently what she did lately. Work was the only place she felt normal now. At least being stolen from her home hadn’t taken that away from her. Shaking her head at herself, she pressed the key fob to set her car alarm and headed for her house.

Hyper-alert, she walked quickly across her yard, bypassing the stone walkway, when another movement caught her eye. She completely froze as the sight in front of her registered with perfect, horrifying clarity.

A tall man wearing a black mask emerged from the shadow of the tree. Silver glinted under the moonlight, the long blade in his hand flashing evilly.

Her stomach dropped. It was happening
again
.

Scream. Run.
Do something.
The voice in her head screamed at her, but she couldn’t move.

Eyes wide, Hannah stared at the man, all her muscles tightening. She was frozen to the spot, unable to react. This was her nightmare come to life again.

She started shaking as a scream built in her throat. As she opened her mouth a squeak came out. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.

The man advanced, took a jogging step toward her, when the bright lights of a vehicle illuminated both of them in a sweep of light. The sight was like a starter’s gun going off at a race. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she wheeled around and ran back to her vehicle. Kicking off her heels, she kept running past her SUV.

She might be small, but she was a damn fast runner.

“Hannah!”

Oh my God, he knew her name. She didn’t dare turn around. She had to make it to a neighbor’s house. Someone would help her.

“Hannah!” The voice was closer now, the sound of boots pounding on the pavement like nails in her coffin, except . . . She knew that voice.

Through the haze of her terror, she
knew
that voice. She glanced over her shoulder and the sharpest sense of relief slid through her veins, soothing all her frayed nerve endings. Dax was rumpled and wearing the same shirt and pants he’d been in at the hotel. She stopped on the sidewalk, breathing hard, and turned to face him.

“He took off,” Dax rasped out as he slid to a stop in front of her. “I wanted to follow him, but I couldn’t let you run away. Are you okay? What happened?” He glanced over his shoulder as he spoke, his big body tense.

That was when she realized he had a gun in his hand. She blinked in surprise at the sight. She knew he worked for the NSA but she’d thought he was more into computer stuff. The little research she’d done on them—thank you, Google—had told her they were into cryptology. And he’d hinted that he was an analyst or something. “You have a gun,” she blurted.

“I know. Should’ve shot that fucker,” he muttered. “You hurt?” he demanded, sliding his weapon into the back of his pants.

Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “I’m fine. Thanks to you. Oh my God. He had a
knife
.” Taking her completely by surprise, she started shaking violently. It was as if she couldn’t control her own body. That man had had a knife. And she’d frozen, like a helpless victim. Like the victim she’d been a year ago when she’d tried to escape her attackers but had failed miserably even though she’d been in her car. A sob bubbled up in her throat. She slapped a hand over her mouth to cover it, but it was no use.

Dax let out a savage curse. Her vision blurred, but through her tears she saw him crossing the short distance between them. His arms wrapped around her tight, pulling her close. “You’re okay.” His voice was a soothing balm.

Burying her face against his chest, she wrapped her arms around him and held tight. She tried to keep the tears back, but that was a fruitless effort that made her shake even worse.

Dax rubbed her back up and down in a calming gesture, his strong hand and presence the most comforting things in the world as she sobbed against his chest. Her tears weren’t because of the masked man, not really. They were because of the complete lack of control in her life, the intrinsic knowledge that bad things happened all the time and you simply couldn’t control them. Hell, she hadn’t even been able to defend herself. She’d just run.

Hannah wasn’t sure how long she stood there trembling in Dax’s arms, but eventually she got herself under control. Sniffling, she stepped back a fraction and swiped away the wetness on her face. “I’m sorry,” she muttered, feeling suddenly foolish.

Cupping her cheek in one big hand, he frowned as he swiped a calloused thumb over her cheek. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” He paused, as if he wanted to say more, then said, “We need to call the police.”

She knew that, but she also knew it would be pointless. “I know, but I interact with the local PD all the time. They’ll send a patrolman out here, take my statement, and that’ll be it. It won’t do any good. It’ll be a waste of city resources. I don’t want to drag a cop away from something he should be doing, especially this late at night, and there’s nothing I can tell him besides a vague description of the man.” Because she’d worked the ER in the past and Miami at night could be a dangerous place.

Dax’s brow furrowed and he shook his head. “We’re calling them. This needs to be officially reported and they’re more likely to send some patrols around this area. Maybe they’ll get lucky and catch the guy.”

She rubbed a hand over her face, sure she looked awful after that crying jag. “I didn’t even think of that. I’m sure he won’t still be running around with a mask carrying a knife, but yeah. You’re right. I’m not thinking.” Now she felt even more foolish. It would definitely be smart to have patrols driving around the area. What if this guy had seen her as an easy target and was looking for someone else right now? She fought off a shudder as scenarios of what could have happened ran through her mind.

“Cut yourself some slack.” He slid an arm around her shoulders and turned her back in the direction of her house.

Her neighborhood was quiet, as if nothing had happened. No one had even heard her scream earlier. That thought rocked through her, making her stumble.

Dax let out another curse. “Your feet.”

“Oh no, that’s not—”

Before she’d finished the thought he scooped her into his arms. She’d never had a man hold her like this, but she curled into him, deciding that for now, it was okay to lean on someone else.