On Her Six (Under Covers) (17 page)

Chapter Twenty

They lay in each other’s arms for what seemed like hours. It might have been minutes. It might have been days. Happiness was funny that way. It stretched everything around you into endless contentment where you had no concept of the outside world. And that’s exactly what she’d needed. To forget about what she’d lost. What she still might lose. Or at least
who
she might lose. In Ash’s arms, she let go. It was the escape she craved in order to regain her strength. To regroup and plan her way forward. She was stronger with him by her side.

But she’d come here with a purpose. She was never going to find her father if she didn’t convince Ash to tell her where he was. And she’d never get the answers if she didn’t reclaim some of the ground she’d lost. It was time to take back control.

With her head on his shoulder, her leg kicked over his, she played with the soft hair on his chest until he opened his eyes and looked at her.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” she said.

He grinned. God, that mouth curled like that. She was ready for round two seeing the damn thing. “Me too.” His hand trailed down her back and over her hip, nudging her leg farther over his, and urging her on top of him.

Her body melded closer to his, holding on to the last few moments of bliss, because she was about to sever it. “Not about that.”

“Why not?” He nuzzled his face in the soft spot under her ear. Warm wetness flicked against her skin, sending a jolt of white-hot desire through her.

Concentrate, Sam.
Forget what his body feels like against yours. How good it feels to move in rhythm with his.

She gave his shoulder a weak swat, but thankfully he laughed, breaking the tension. She slid away from him, creating enough space to think straight.

His head cocked to the side and eyebrows gathered in the center of his forehead. Before he could question her actions, she said, “You remember how I told you about the dark-haired man in my front yard the other day?”

Ash’s eyes slid closed, and he nodded.

“Well, I figure now we really don’t have a choice.” She inhaled a slow breath, giving her brain a second to formulate the words. “How about you tell me where Viktor Heinrich’s compound is.”

Ash sputtered and coughed, his eyes snapping open to reveal a haze of fury. “Absolutely not. I know what you’re thinking and the answer is no.”

So apparently Estelle was wrong—some men
can
think about two things at once.

“Come on, Ash.” She sat up and folded her legs into her chest. “It’s important to me.”

He sat up and leaned against the headboard. “Sam, I told you—”

She raised her hand to stop him. “I know what you said. Just hear me out.”

He made the mistake of catching his breath. She used the pause to continue.

“Things are different than they were when you originally told me to butt out.”

His skeptical expression was back. “Different how?”

“Some of Heinrich’s people came to my house and fired off a few rounds.” She sent him a look of,
Duh.

“
What
?” he roared.

Completely undeterred by his outburst, she placed her hand on her hip. “Did you hear anything I said about the dark-haired guy?” She thought he’d taken it a little too well when she recounted the story over lasagna. She didn’t realize he hadn’t been listening.

Either not hearing her query or choosing to ignore it, he said, “This is exactly why I told you to stay out of it. This is
my
case, therefore it’s
my
concern. Not yours.”

“But you said it wasn’t
your
case, it’s another team’s case.”

A mask of crimson overtook his face. It was nothing like the lust-induced shade of red he’d been sporting earlier. This color boiled under his skin, making him seem ready to explode. His chest rose and fell in exaggerated heaves, his nostrils flaring with every breath.

Obviously a sore subject. She backed away, hugging her legs. “Ash, I’m…I’m sorry. I just thought…I thought since it wasn’t technically your case that I could…you’d let me…”

“Let you what?” He smacked his flat palm onto the mattress. “Tag along? Are you fucking kidding me? You’re a civilian, Sam. You, of all people, know I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can. I’m involved now. Just tell me the location and—”

“The location?” An evil bark of laughter erupted. “You’re out of your goddamn mind if you think I’m telling you the location of that compound. And you’re
involved
because you showed up at Club Hell—like you weren’t supposed to—and caused a fucking scene.”

“Caused a scene?” How dare he throw that on her! “I don’t remember being the one thrown out the back door and pummeled by a bunch of Germans on steroids!”

His gaze turned to the nearby window. “And now Heinrich knows who you are, and he’s coming after you.” He skimmed a hand over his short hair before leaping off the bed. He snatched his shorts from the bed and yanked them on before pacing the room. “They shot at you! Jesus Christ, Sam, they
shot
at you!” He stopped and stared at her from head to toe, as if to assure himself she was unharmed. Once satisfied she was, he continued, “I told you to stay out of it.” He rubbed his neck. “How in the hell am I going to protect you now? What if they come back?”

Touching, but an unneeded gesture. “I can take care of myself, Ash.”

Like a cat pouncing on its prey, he leaped at her.

She fell, her back landing on the mattress in a
whoosh
. His hands claimed space on both sides of her head, caging her in. His naked chest was only inches above hers. She gripped the bed sheets so she wouldn’t reach for him, her fingers throbbing from the strain. Something about his intensity in trying to protect her fueled her heated blood.

She arched slightly…

Her nipples ached, crying out for more attention. His heat, his strength, everything drew her to him. Her arms moved by their own volition, wrapping around his waist, drawing him down. When he collapsed on top of her, the span of his bare body against hers, moisture gathered once again between her legs. Definitely ready for round two.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” he said in a challenging tone, his eyes never leaving hers.

She gave him the sinful smile she’d practiced. Her fingers stroked his back, the striations of muscle jumping beneath her touch. “I know exactly who I’m dealing with, Ash.”

He looked down at their position. “Damn it, woman!” He propelled himself off the bed and toward the window. “This is serious, Sam. Stop touching me like that.”

She followed him. “Like what?” Clasping her arms around his waist, her cheek pressed against his back, his abdomen muscles clenched. Now that she’d had a taste of how to harness his lust, she couldn’t get enough. If she broke the connection, she feared she’d lose it forever. Having the carnal power of a man like Ash at her disposal was more than heady. It was incredible. She wanted him to break free. Throw her down and take her with all the enraged passion he possessed.

He groaned. “That.” Turning, he removed her hands and held them firmly at her side. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I can’t think straight when you do that. Please. Stop.”

She grinned.

He looked down, his line of sight directed at her breasts. “Christ, cover yourself!” He faced the window, grumbling.

She did some grumbling of her own. “You’re the one who undressed me.” She grabbed a worn-out white T-shirt from the nearby chair and pulled it over her head. The hem brushed against the top of her thighs. “Happy?”

“Yes.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Now what were we talking about?”

She lifted her hand toward him.

He jumped back about ten feet. “Don’t.”

“Fine.” She raised her arms in surrender. “You think you need to protect me. And I said you don’t.”

“These people are dangerous, Sam.”

“I realize that now. But I can’t sit around and do nothing. This is the closest I’ve come to getting real answers about what happened to my dad. I need to see this through. I need to save him.”

“I get that, but—” He froze, his gaze on her sharp as razors. “Did you…when you came over with that food, did you do it on purpose? Did you sleep with me so I’d tell you where the compound was?”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit
. She swallowed the enormous ball in her throat. That was the intention, yes. But it wasn’t what happened.

Her silence must have given him the answer he wanted. “You’re unbelievable, you know that? Un-fucking-believable.”

“Ash, wait. I—” She reached for him, but he spun away from her.

“Don’t touch me.”

“That’s not what happened. It wasn’t. I swear.”

“Oh really?” He let out a dark laugh. “Tell me how it was then. ’Cause from where I’m standing that’s exactly what it looks like. You fucked me to get what you want.”

She recoiled from his words. He was technically right, but she hadn’t planned to go through with it. She was only going to push him far enough to get the information she needed. But she’d botched it big-time. She’d let her emotions run away with her, and she’d given in to the need still coursing through her body.

“Ash, please,” she said. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“What? So now sleeping with me was a mistake?” He tossed his hands in the air. “That’s even better. Keep going, Sam. I don’t think you pierced my heart yet.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll say it a million times if you need me to. But you don’t understand how much this means to me. I’ll do whatever I have to do to find my dad.”

He shook his head again, still not looking at her. “I thought we might’ve had something. That maybe you felt it, too. But as usual, I don’t know shit about women. No, scratch that,” he said, meeting her gaze, “I know you’re all the same. Lying and conniving and you only care about yourselves. You know what? Whatever. Just tell me what happened. When they came after you.”

She paused, deciding whether to give him
all
the details. When he gave her a severe look, she said, “I disarmed the first guy, and Grandma shot the second with a Taser.”

His eyes darkened. “There were two?”

“Three, actually. The driver had a gun, too.”

A muscle in his cheek ticked.

At least he wasn’t scolding her. “Grandma and the girls
—
”

He looked at the ceiling as he paced the room again.

“—did some recon, and they think—”

“They
think
?” Ash turned on her, giving her a look that made cold currents rush through her veins. The pool between her legs dried up instantly. “No. No. No! What part of ‘don’t get involved’ made you think you could invite the Granny Squad?”

Her insides lit up. “Does that mean I can help? As long as I don’t bring them?”

“Oh, no you don’t.” He shook his head from side to side as if watching a game of table tennis at supersonic speed. “Don’t try to turn my words around. This is official law enforcement business. You’re a civilian, Sam. You’re obviously not a cop—”

That hurt. A lead ball dropped into her stomach, making the food she’d eaten slosh and rise back up her esophagus. Her eyes filled with tears. She held them at bay, but the stupid things pooled, ready to spill over. She wanted to be brave, but it stung too much. After everything she’d learned over the last week or so, she was lucky she hadn’t broken down earlier. She turned away as one stupid tear broke loose.

“Damn it,” he said through a sigh. “Sam, I didn’t mean—” He closed the distance between them in two strides. His hands clamped on her shoulders. “I didn’t mean it like that. Oh Christ, you’re crying.” He swiped a hand over his scalp again. “Please don’t cry, Sam. I’m sorry. I just meant—”

“You’re right.” She shrugged him off. “I’m not a cop.” She bent to pick up her clothes from the floor. Once she buttoned her shorts, she stepped toward the door. “I’m sorry for bothering you.”

“Sam, don’t go. I—”

“It’s fine,” she spoke over her shoulder. “Just like you said, I’m obviously not cut out to be a cop.”

He was at her side in an instant. “I didn’t say that and you know it.” He might as well have. Stupid, stupid woman for letting her emotions take over. For trusting him.

She laughed, but it lacked the emotion to make it a happy gesture. “I gotta go. Early day tomorrow.”

“Sam, please. Can’t we talk about this?”

“What is there to talk about? You obviously don’t see how important this is to me.” She stepped into the hallway.

He wasn’t the man she’d hoped he was.

…

Damn it, he had to make this right.

“Sam, I never said that,” he said, chasing her down the hall. The wooden floorboards creaked beneath his bare feet. She neared the top of the stairs when he said, “Are you listening to me? I think you’d make a hell of a cop. You want to know why?”

She paused, her eyes slanting once in his direction.

“When you were faced with danger not once, but twice, you ran toward it. That takes guts. It’s human instinct to be afraid. There are very few people in the world who look danger in the eye and go after it. You’re brave in a way the academy will never teach you. It’s instinctual. It’s in your blood.”

Her head turned enough for him to see a slight smile. “Major Fowler said my dad was the same way. There wasn’t a dare he wouldn’t take or a life he wouldn’t try to save. Even if it seemed impossible, Dad still tried. Lou said my father wasn’t scared of anything. They got into some pretty hairy situations, but they always came out of it together. Said my dad must have had nine lives. Didn’t know how he got out of some of the things he did.” Her smile faltered. “Well, except, you know…the last time.”

His hand reached out to stroke her back. “I’m sorry, Sam. I can’t imagine what it’s like to lose a parent.”

She leaned into his touch. “Thank you.”

They stood in silence, listening to each other breathe. The air was hot, but tempers were cool.

She straightened her spine, facing him with determination in her eyes. “You know how much this case means to me.”

“He’s dangerous, Sam. You’ve never dealt with someone like Viktor Heinrich. If you get in his way, he won’t hesitate to kill you.”