Kiss and Tell (28 page)

"No," Jake said shortly, coming around to crouch beside her. He looked enormous in the tight black clothing. Enormous and dangerous. "But
you
can't stay here. They know I'm close. This is the most logical place for them to look."

"What about Duchess?"

"We'll see her on the monitors in the lair when she returns."

Jake came down with her, showing her the alternative way, through the bathroom instead of the pantry, into the narrow elevator.

"The snow's letting up," he said against her hair. Since he'd used the same soap and shampoo only hours before, he couldn't fathom how she could smell so delicious. He scanned what he could see of her face at this angle. She was still a little swollen about the eyes, but all things considered, she looked damn good.

Physically, they couldn't have been any closer; the elevator had been built for one person, after all. He heard a shiver of noise from her, the sound similar to the soft
hmmm
of pleasure she made when he pushed inside her body. Jake knew she was as aware of his aroused state as he was. She made that humming sound again. Her noises drove him wild. And she knew it.

The second the door opened he strode out, almost breathing a sigh of relief. She gave him an innocent look, the one that made his heartbeat kamikaze, then raced to the monitors.

"Do you think—" She stopped midsentence and shook her head. "Why'm I asking you? You don't know that she's okay. Ignore the question. Are you hungry? Did you come home for lunch?"

"You make it sound as though I came home from the office."

"You came home from work, didn't you?" She searched the monitors for Duchess.

"That's one smart dog. She can take care of herself. Worrying isn't going to get her here any faster."

"I know." She walked into the kitchen area. "Do you want something to eat? I think there's a bit of h—"

"I came for more clips." He took several of the heavy boxes from the cabinet and set them on the workbench. "Better put on a dry shirt. That one's we—" He was cut off by the ringing telephone.

They looked at each other. They both knew who it was.

Jake strode to the counter and snatched up the phone and said into it without greeting, "This better be good news." The phone tucked under his ear, he continued rattling bullets and clips while he talked.

Marnie unbuttoned her jeans as she watched him reload and check his arsenal as he talked to the pilot. She removed the pictures, still warm from her skin, and laid them carefully on the table. Then she slid the sweatshirt over her head and tossed it over the back of the couch. A wave of sadness threatened to swallow her. Her eyes stung.

This was it. The end.
Finito. Hasta la bye-bye
.

"Then why the hell did you ca— Fine," Jake said tautly. "I appreciate the weather forecast."

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, his back to her. When the rasp of her zipper being lowered broke the silence, Jake's only response was the slight tensing of his shoulders beneath the tight black fabric.

Sitting on the end of the bed, she stripped his large socks off her feet, then drew her jeans down her legs slowly. Jake didn't turn around, but his back was rigid. And she'd bet her last dollar that so were some other very interesting parts.

"The front's moved off." Pause. "Temporary? So? Plenty long enough to land a chopper... If I
had
one here, I
would
fly her out myself." He bent to unlace a boot.

Marnie scooted back to lie on the bed, enjoying the view of his muscles flexing and shifting beneath the LockOut.

Jake jerked the boot off his foot and tossed it into the kitchen with a thud. He crouched to undo the laces of the second, then tossed it aside.

As if she'd called his name, he looked over his shoulder. Their eyes met.

Not breaking eye contact, he walked over and sat beside her, cupping her cheek with a cool hand, his tone at complete odds with his gentle touch. "Then find me a pilot who
will
."

Marnie's body immediately responded to his touch. Everything inside her turned to liquid heat. She nuzzled her face against his hand, then kissed his palm.

He continued speaking into the small cell phone, the pitch of his voice not changing one iota as his thumb brushed back and forth across her lower lip. The nerve endings in her lips tingled and transmitted a signal to her vital organs. His touch shimmied to her toes. She shifted restlessly, her breasts aching for the feel of his hands on her bare skin.

"I don't give a damn." His fingers glided up her cheek and combed through her hair. He cradled her head in his large palm, then drew her toward him, inch by slow inch, until she was sitting up. Cool air bathed her naked back. She touched his face with just the tips of her fingers. His jaw felt smooth. He'd shaved before they'd made love the second time last night.

"Hell, yeah. I'll do that. What the hell?
Two
hundred and fifty G's? You son of a bitch. Yesterday we agreed on a hundred thou—" Tense pause as the other man spoke. "Yeah," Jake said through gritted teeth, "she is. Half on pickup, the balance on her safe delivery in Sacramento."

The man was stupid enough to blackmail Jake Dolan? Marnie pitied the man when he and Jake met. A quarter of a million dollars was an incredible amount of money to pay for an hour-long helicopter ride.

A tiny, terrified part of her was relieved that she'd have access to her meds soon. The rest of her ached mournfully to be leaving.

Looking into his eyes, she traced the tender bottom curve of his lip. His strong white teeth nipped at her finger, and just a rim of blue showed around his black pupils as his gaze held hers.

"You have the coordinates? I'll expect you within the hour. Be prepared to lift off immediately."

Marnie closed her eyes at the exquisite sensation of Jake's cool hand on her superheated flesh. He measured her breasts, weighing each one in his cupped hand, and then tormented her by skimming each nipple with his thumb.

Her back arched as she leaned forward. In their last hour together she wanted Jake's undivided attention. She wanted to remember these last moments together. She wanted to imprint him into her DNA. She wanted to rub him with her scent so no matter what, he could never forget her.

Her lips found the pulse pounding at the base of his neck. Hers throbbed even faster. Her hands skimmed down his biceps and she looked up at him, knowing her heart was in her eyes.

Jake gave her a smoldering look, turning the phone so the mouthpiece was above his head, wrapped his free arm around her, and pulled her into his chest. He kissed her hard, his teeth sharp as he nibbled at her lower lip. His tongue laved away the small pain.

His large hand was on the back of her neck, under her hair. He squeezed once and tilted the phone back to his mouth. "We'll be waiting." Pause. "Bring your logbook with you." Jake's smile was slow, and she could hear the other voice spluttering through the phone. "For a quarter mil, I have
every
right to see it." With a flick of his finger he disconnected, then tossed the phone on the bedside table with a clatter.

"The forecast is for a mother of a storm," he whispered against her mouth.

"How do I get you out of this?" she demanded. He peeled his top off like a stripper on speed. "Oh, thank you. The river isn't going down," she whispered against his furred chest, inhaling the unique fragrance of his skin.

"Not for days." He tugged off his pants. "We don't have days. You need your medication. With you here, I'm on the defensive. They know that. This has to be over. And soon. The chopper's coming to lift you out."

"I heard you. Within the hour."

One hour. That was all they had left. Sixty miserable minutes. His naked weight slid over her body. Marnie parted her thighs in eager acceptance. She locked her ankles over his, fitting her curves to his hollows, her softness to his hardness, pelvises locked together as they rocked slowly.

"You feel so good, so good." Her breasts slid against his chest. Too sensitive. Too exquisite a sensation. She cried out softly, burying her face against his arched throat. Kissing the scar there. Praying for more, and satisfied with less.

This time their lovemaking was silent. Solemn. Heartbreaking.

*

They left via the mine shaft tunnel. The chopper would be landing in a small clearing north of the exit. Jake helped her across the rocks and down the other side. As soon as they cleared the obstacles, he dropped her hand, filling his instead with a nasty-looking gun.

It was broad daylight, and perversely the sun had decided to shine. Despite the afternoon brightness, it was icy cold and she hunched her ears into the collar of her jacket. In her right pocket she had one of Jake's athletic socks. She'd dropped a dozen bullets into the toe, then tied it off. A handy weapon. Jake hadn't even cracked a smile as she'd made it.

In her left pocket was a wad of bills in two separate bundles, one for pickup, one for delivery. She was a quarter-million-dollar airfreight package.

Marnie glanced back. "We're leaving footprints."

"I know." Jake forged ahead. "I want them to follow me. It'll save time."

She shivered and picked up her pace to keep up with him, and immediately slid on a patch of ice-frosted pine needles. She sucked in a gasp. Jake caught her elbow, keeping her upright.

"We've got plenty of time," Jake said quietly, not releasing her.

Plenty of time? "Yeah, like what? Eleven more minutes?"

"I don't hear the chopper. We'll be there long be— Quiet." He slapped his arm across her chest.

She hadn't heard a thing, but she stopped in midstride and held her breath. Other than the breeze stirring the high branches of the pines and the distant sound of rushing water, she heard nothing out of the ordinary.

Jake swiftly pulled her down and reversed them into the shelter of a clump of extremely wet, low-hanging pine branches. Before she could straighten from her contorted position, she heard two men talking quietly as they approached.

She didn't move. Half bent, half twisted, the muscles in her back screamed for her to straighten. She stayed as she was, breath frozen, heart in her throat as they came closer.

She glanced at Jake. He frowned, and she raised her eyebrows questioningly. He indicated her pretzel shape with a motion of his eyes, and she gave him a look back that said,
So? What can I do about it?

For the longest time he crouched there staring at her as though she were some exotic animal in the zoo, until the sound of the men moving off drew his attention away.

She expected him to jump up and do something to the two men; instead he stayed as still as stone until they had passed. Long after Marnie could no longer hear their footsteps, Jake held her still.

"Okay?" he finally asked under his breath.

"Peachy." She could almost hear her muscles and tendons scream with relief as she straightened.

"Let's go."

It was uphill all the way. Marnie stumbled over a shadow. Jake reached out a hand to catch her. Tears pricked her eyes.

"Okay?" he asked as she dashed her fingers across her lids.

"Fine. The wind's making my eyes water."

Her mind was in turmoil. Each step they took carried her closer to saying good-bye to Jake. Would she ever see him again? The tightness in her chest made climbing harder, and tears felt icy on her cheeks.

And Duchess? She couldn't bear to think of the fate of her beloved pooch.
Where
are
you, girl?
She snapped a pine bough out of her way and got a handful of pitch and her face sprinkled with icy water. She set one squishy foot in front of the other as she climbed, her body on automatic pilot.

"How're you doing?" Jake turned to look at her, his face ruddy with the cold. She was starting to hate that damn black spy suit of his. Right now he didn't have it covering his hair or face, but it was still a symbol of the difference between them. This must be how the wives of police officers, firefighters, and soldiers felt every time their men left for work.

"I presume that's rhetorical?" She blew out a breath. "I'm worried about Duchess." Which was part of the whole truth. The other was the heartbreak she anticipated when she had to say good-bye. "I hate to leave you here by yourself..."

"It's what I'm trained for," he said shortly. "That's the chopper. Move it." Jake took her hand to help her move faster, traversing the muddy terrain in ground-eating strides.

She couldn't hear the helicopter, but if Jake said he could, then it was on the way. Panting, she gripped his hand tightly as they ran. The cold air ripped painfully at her lungs. "What about my car?"

"I'll make sure it's delivered to you." He held a branch aside, dragging her behind him when she reached for it herself. Water sprayed the back of her head when she released it.

She wanted to grab the front of his spy suit in both hands and beg him to at least find her dog before she left. She did nothing of the sort. Jake had enough on his plate without her going ballistic on him. "And Duchess?" she asked with what she thought was admirable restraint.

"She'll be in the car."

"You'll have to bring her. She can't drive."

Oh, God, I'm going to cry
. She could feel the prickles behind her nose and the stinging of her lids. She bit her lip and tried to concentrate on where she was running. The last thing Jake needed now was a weepy female.

"I'll make sure there's a designated driver."

"You," Marnie huffed fiercely.

"I don't make promises. Don't believe in them."

"You can believe in
mine
." He ignored her assurance, which made her even sadder.

Oh, Jake.

She saw the trees ahead in a haze.

And now she could hear the faint
whop-whop-whop
of the helicopter as it came over the ridge toward them.

They stopped at the edge of the clearing. Heart pounding so hard she could barely hear the approaching aircraft, she looked at his shuttered expression. He was hawk-eyed as he watched for the bad guys.