CrossFire (Love & Lies #1) (11 page)

“You mean a clandestine agent?” she asked. “Like in the movies?”

“Exactly.”

“How did you end up living in the suburbs?”

“It was quiet. Living in a proper house made me feel a little more normal when I wasn’t out in the field.”

“I see,” she said.

“Do you?” he asked.

“Honestly, no. I feel like this is all just a bad dream. And any minute now I’m going to wake up and—and I don’t know.”

“It’s a lot to take in. And it will be easier once you get some rest.”

He pulled into the parking lot of a small motel.

“I’ll see if they have a room for us. Be right back.”

After waking a very irritated manager, Reid walked back with a room key and moved the vehicle closer to their room so Jillian wouldn’t have as far to walk with nothing but the blanket covering her. Fortunately not many people were about this time of night.

CHAPTER NINE

Reid opened the door to the room and let Jillian enter first. The decor was depressing with its wood paneled walls, but it was clean and had a bed, which was all she needed right now. She walked to the middle of it and pulled the blanket tighter around, trying to decide what to do with herself.

“I think I need a shower,” she said.

Reid nodded. “I saw a vending machine by the office. I’m going to grab some snacks. I have the key so don’t open the door if anybody knocks.”

Are we still not safe?
Jillian shuddered.

“Okay,” she said.

He stepped out and she went into the bathroom. The room felt sterile with the white fixtures and walls; even the towels and tiny bars of soap were lacking any color.

She let the blanket fall to the floor, avoiding the mirror for fear of what she might see, and turned on the water. Her hand went to the split lip and she wondered if it looked as ugly as it felt.

The hot water was still pouring down her body when she heard the door open. She couldn’t help but hold her breath until Reid called out. Just knowing he was in the room made her feel safer.

Jillian finished rinsing off, wrapped a towel around, and braced herself to stand in front of the mirror.

The lip wasn’t as bad as she had expected. It was swollen, but only slightly, and the cut looked a lot smaller than it felt beneath her touch. Her gaze moved on to the fingertip-shaped bruises on her arm. She was looking at the larger one on her back when Reid came in to check on her.

She stared at his reflection in the mirror and could see the anger and guilt swirling in his eyes. He set a red pouch on the back of the toilet before standing directly behind her, and gently touched the bruise.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered and leaned forward to kiss it. Jillian closed her eyes as the warmth of his lips spread through her body like some magic tonic that could make all the aches and fear go away.

He lifted his lips and Jillian opened her eyes to see Reid’s own scrapes and bruises for the first time. She soaked a washcloth with warm water and turned to face him. Red was staining the sleeve of his shirt, and she carefully lifted the material to wipe away the dried blood, revealing what she imagined to be the graze from a bullet. She pushed his shirt up and he took over, pulling it off over his head. As he tossed it onto the floor, she saw more blood on the shirt.

A quick look revealed no other wounds on his torso, so she craned her neck until she saw the soaked bandage peeling back, exposing stitches on his lower back, some of which had started to give.

“What happened?” she asked, facing him again.

“I was shot in Mexico,” he said. “By Casimir’s men.”

“Is this normal for you? To be shot at?”

He nodded, taking the washcloth from her hand and tossing it into the sink before kissing her hard.

Jillian wrapped her arms around his neck and felt his embrace tighten.

The towel around her loosened when she lifted her arms and a gentle tug from Reid brought it down completely.

Thoughts of the last twenty-four hours disappeared as Jillian became aware of Reid’s flesh upon her own. But it wasn’t enough. She wanted to be lost in him completely.

“Please,” she breathed, pulling away from him.

At first Reid thought she was asking him to stop, but then realized her hands were at the waistband of his still damp pants, working at the zipper. Ignoring the erection that was building behind it, he grabbed her wrists, stopping her.

“You’re exhausted and confused right now,” he said, trying to even out his breathing. “I don’t think this is what you really want.”

Jillian looked him square in the eye. “Don’t tell me what I want.”

Reid’s gaze moved down to her parted lips. He watched the muscles in her neck flex as she swallowed. Before he could make up his mind though, she wrested her hands from his grip and pulled his mouth to hers. Reid didn’t bother arguing, because the truth was he wanted this just as bad, maybe more so.

Cupping her ass, he lifted Jillian up onto the small counter space between sink and wall. With lips still locked, Reid took hold of a bare breast, rubbing his left thumb over the hard peak, and he felt her nails gently score his chest.

He pulled her into him with his free hand while moving his mouth down her neck and torso to the teased nipple, flicking his tongue across it. A moan escaped her lips as she raked her fingers though his hair and the bulge in his pants tightened that much more. He slid the hand on her back down her right thigh and back up between her legs while his mouth traced a path back to her lips. His hand reached the soft nest of curls and stroked her softly with his thumb. Her body shuddered in response and she wrapped her legs around him, trying to pull his body closer to hers.

Not that it was going to do her much good with these pants still on. Reid untangled himself from her to remove them and as he stood naked in front of Jillian, equally unclothed, he caressed her cheek. She reached up to touch his hand and he saw the bruise on her arm. Again he looked at the bruise on her back, reflected by the mirror behind her.

“I’m sorry,” he told her one more time.

“I don’t blame you for what’s happened,” she said with a frown, but it quickly disappeared. “Now shut up and finish what you’ve started.”

Reid jerked involuntarily as she enveloped his dick in her hand. He was sure she could feel it throbbing against her hot grip. Kissing her, he took both her hands and placed them around his neck before lifting her off the counter and she locked her legs around him.

He carried her to other room and dropped her onto the bed, causing her to giggle. Lifting her left leg, he kneeled on the foot of the bed and pressed his lips to the top of her knee, and Jillian’s fingers dug into the comforter. Ever so slowly he skimmed the warm, silky flesh until his mouth reached where his thumb had been only moments before, and she moaned as he began to lick at her. He felt the heel of her raised leg dig into his back, urging him on. He sucked harder and she gave a tiny little scream.

Reid stopped and pulled back. He wanted to be inside her the first time she came for him.

There was a whimper of disappointment, but she combed her fingers through his hair as he slowly, gently kissed a path up her abdomen. He stopped at one mound of flesh to flick his tongue across one nipple, then suck on the other. She was writhing impatiently beneath him, her hands desperately tugging at him, trying to bring his face closer. He pushed up and stared into her beautiful brown eyes, searching again for permission. As much as he wanted to keep going and pretend that tomorrow would never come, he needed to be sure that this was what she really wanted. In answer she lifted her head to nip at his lower lip, giving a devilish grin as she fell back down. He leaned in close to tug at her earlobe with his teeth as he started to slide into her. She bucked her hips, plunging him even deeper, and Reid’s breath caught in his throat.

She moaned and he could feel the vibrations of it against his jaw.

As he moved in and out of her, slowly at first, then with more urgency, he could feel her breath quickening, becoming even more ragged, and knew she was close.

Suddenly Jillian’s hand flew to her mouth just as she was tightening around him and Reid took hold of the hand, pinning it over her head so that she had no choice but to completely let go. Her chest lifted off the bed and she threw her head back as the most erotic scream ruptured from her throat.

He continued to pound into her, could still feel her body convulsing, until the orgasm finally subsided. Reid slowed the pace, but it wasn’t long until she was urging him on again by flexing her palms against his ass and he obliged with enthusiasm. After yet another wave wracked through her body, Reid was unable to hold back his own climax any longer. As she wrapped her legs around even tighter than he thought possible, he felt every ounce of strength he had pouring into her.

When his senses finally returned, Reid looked down at Jillian. Her damp hair was matted to her sweaty face and she was looking at him with complete and utter satisfaction.

He started to roll on to the bed next to her when a pain in his back reminded him of the failing stitches.

“Be right back,” he said, kissing Jillian’s forehead.

He climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom where he grabbed the first aid kit from the back of the toilet. It had been his reason for coming into here earlier, before getting distracted.

There wasn’t much he could do for the wound at the moment, but he slapped a new bandage on it, if only to keep it as clean as possible until a doctor could get to it.

Reid walked back out to find Jillian asleep under the covers. He set the alarm on his phone and crawled in next to her, wishing that they were in his bed, and that she had never heard of Anton Casimir.

“Jillian. Time to wake up.”

She opened her eyes to find Reid sitting in the room’s solitary chair next to the bed.

“Good morning,” she smiled. When he didn’t return it, she frowned and asked, “How long have you been up?”

“A while.” He stood and held out a bag. “There was a twenty-four hour Laundromat nearby and I was able to dry your clothes. They’re in the bathroom.”

She accepted it, feeling a little put off by his cold demeanor. Did she dream last night? In the bag she found a comb, travel toothbrush and toothpaste.

“We need to get to the ferry,” he said.

She started to get out of bed, but found herself embarrassed of her nudity in light of his new attitude. She grabbed the coverlet and wrapped it around her body to walk to the bathroom where she freshened up as best she could.

“Ready to go?” Reid asked when she came out.

“I guess.”

The sky was still black as they walked out to the car and Reid placed his hand on the small of her back to help her in.

He was just about to close the door when Jillian asked him if everything was alright.

“Yes. Why?”

She searched his face looking for some clue as to why he was so distant now, but it gave nothing away.

“Never mind,” she said, shaking her head.

“We just need to get moving,” he said and closed the door.

The drive to the ferry terminal was silent and it only deepened Jillian’s unease.

“Did you sleep last night?” she asked when they joined the other cars waiting for the first sailing of the day.

“A little bit.”

“Where did you sleep?”

In the reflection of the dash lights, she could see his face soften, though he continued to stare ahead.

“In the bed. Next to you.” But then he frowned and finally looked at her. “Where did you think I slept?”

“I wasn’t sure. It just—it just feels like you’re avoiding me now.”

Reid faced forward again and heaved a sigh. “Oh, Jillian. You have no idea.”

That was an understatement.

“I almost forgot,” Reid said as reached around to the back seat, grabbing the snacks he had bought from the vending machine while Jillian was showering. “You fell asleep so quickly after…last night that you didn’t get a chance to eat. You should probably eat something soon.”

“Thanks,” Jillian muttered as she opened a granola bar and bit off a chunk while she thought about
last night
. Was it just a moment of weakness for Reid? Did he regret it already? As she chewed on the bar that tasted more like cardboard at the moment, she started to wonder how
she
felt about last night. Maybe it had been a moment of weakness for Jillian as well, but she was sure she didn’t regret it.

They sat in silence until the lights of the ferry bobbed across the water as it made its approach to the terminal.

As though reading her thoughts, Reid looked at her and said, “I’m glad last night happened, Jillian.”

She stared back at him.

“Just in case you were wondering,” he explained. “Last night was amazing, and right now all I want to do is take you home and do it all over again. But I need to focus on keeping you safe until Casimir is dealt with.”