Bare Nerve (9 page)

Anna’s hands left her body, grasping his head as she thrust her hips toward his face. But he pulled back so she didn’t get the contact she craved.

“Jack, please.”

He scraped his teeth over her clitoris, and she screamed as her orgasm rocked her body. He kept his mouth on her until her body stopped shuddering, and then he slid up her.

“Your turn,” Anna said, pushing Jack onto his back.

She took his erection in her hand, and he felt a drop of pre-cum at the head. She leaned down to lick it off. Then she rubbed her hand up and down his penis.

She followed her hand with her tongue, teasing him with quick licks and light touches. She massaged his sac, squeezed his balls, and then made a ring with her thumb and forefinger around the base of his shaft. Her mouth encircled the tip, and she began to suck.

He arched on the bed, thrusting into her before he realized what he was doing. He pulled her from his body, wanting to be inside her when he came.

He dragged her up his body until she straddled his hips. Then, using his grip on her hips, he pulled her down while he pushed his erection into her body.

Jack thrust harder and harder, trying to get deeper. He pulled her legs forward, forcing them farther apart until she settled even closer to him.

He slid deeper still into her. Anna arched her back, reaching up to entwine her arms around his shoulders. He thrust harder and felt every nerve in his body tensing. Reaching between their bodies, he touched her between her legs until he felt her body start to tighten around him.

He came in a rush, continuing to thrust into her until his body was drained. He then collapsed on top of her, laying his head between her breasts.

She smelled so sweet and felt so soft lying in his arms. He’d never held anyone like Anna before, and he knew in that instant he didn’t want to let her go. He needed to find a way to keep her, and that seemed like something that would never happen.

A
nna snuck out of Jack’s room while he was in the shower. She didn’t recognize the woman who’d spent the last night in his arms. She also couldn’t believe she’d actually slept after he’d made love to her.

Algeria was making her crazy.

“Hey, girl, where have you been?” Justine asked as she came down the hall.

Anna blushed, thinking to herself that this was crazy. How was she going to explain this? “I needed some air.”

“You have a hickey on your neck,” Justine said.

She felt her face turning red. “Leave it alone.”

“Okay. I think it’s about time you found—”

“It’s not like that. I’m not finding anything other than someone to spend the night with.”

“Sometimes that’s all you need,” Justine said.

“Not me,” Anna said. She entered her room and headed straight for the bathroom. She should be on her computer tracking information, trolling the black-market message boards so she could find out if Andreev was setting up a new sale. And she suspected the man had to be because he’d want to ensure his business was still on track.

“Do you want to talk?” Justine asked.

Anna paused in her stride across the room, turning to face Justine. “I have no idea what to say. I’m so confused about this.”

“Men have a way of doing that,” Justine said.

“I know that, but I’m not like you and Charity.”

Justine raised her eyebrows at Anna. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that I…Oh, hell, I don’t know. I think I thought that somehow I was insulated against men, especially men like Jack Savage.”

Justine crossed her arms over her chest. “Listen, I know I’m the last person who should be giving advice on men, but it seems to me that Jack is the kind of man you feel safe letting go with because he’s not someone you imagine will be in your life for long.”

Anna wrapped an arm around her waist. Was that true? Maybe that explained the way she felt this morning because she did feel a certain sense of panic that he wasn’t the man she’d thought he’d be.

He’d made love to her tenderly, held her all night, and she’d slept. She rarely slept at home in her posh DC condo, with its high-tech security features. So she had no idea why she was able to sleep solidly in Jack’s arms.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Maybe? Of course I’m right.”

Anna laughed, but inside she was thrown. She knew her life was managed by staying safely behind her computer or weapon—keeping a distance between herself and the world.

Last night had changed all that for her and Jack. He wasn’t going to allow her to keep him at arm’s length. Or was he?

What if, to him, their night together had been just about shagging? She didn’t like to think she’d traded herself so cheaply, but at the end of the day, she’d made the decision to sleep with him.

Did she regret it?

“You okay?” Justine asked.

“Yes, I am. I need a shower. And then I want to check some tracking systems I’m using to see if Andreev is setting up any buys.”

“Focusing on the mission isn’t always the answer.”

“Why not? That’s what you do.”

“Hey, don’t be snippy. I’m just saying that when I was trying to manage Nigel…The mission wasn’t enough of a distraction. I’m going to see if I can find Charity.”

Justine walked toward the door, and Anna felt a moment’s thanks that she had a friend like Justine. “Thank you.”

Justine turned back to her. “For?”

“Caring.”

She shrugged. “Don’t let the word out. I have a heartless reputation to protect.”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Good,” Justine said. “Did you get a chance to ask Jack where Kirk disappeared to?”

“No. I will as soon as I shower. Is anyone else missing?”

“No. Bay was quiet, and I thought I’d be uncomfortable with him, but he’s not like other men.”

“In what way?” Anna asked. She’d always had respect for the Tuareg. But, then, when she was kidnapped, the first man she’d seen—besides her captors—had been a Blue Man, and he’d given her a measure of calm before her father had come to claim her.

“I don’t know if I can explain it the right way. There’s something about the silence in him,” Justine said.

Anna smiled. Justine wasn’t really an
in touch with her feelings
kind of girl, and a man like Bay—who had the wisdom of the ages and a people not tied to physical things—would be hard for her to reconcile.

“You know I was kidnapped when I was younger?”

“Yes. Why?”

“The Tuareg were the ones to rescue me. They came before the SAS. They came into the cave where I was held. And I was very frightened at first. They were big and dark, veiled from head to toe. But then one of the men knelt beside me and said, ‘Be calm, little one.’ And you know what?”

“What?”

“It did calm me down. There was that silence in his eyes you mentioned. And I knew no harm would come to me while he was alive.”

Justine smiled at her. “Yeah, that’s it. I don’t like being someplace so far from home and Nigel and Piper. But last night while I was talking with Bay, I felt a sense of ease to that worry.”

Anna smiled at her friend. “I’m glad he’s working with us.”

“Me, too. Though it is odd to have so many men with us.”

“I agree. Too many men.”

“Or maybe you just don’t want Jack with us because he makes you question what you really want.”

“As if,” Anna said, going into the bathroom. She was very aware that running away wasn’t the answer and that her thoughts still dwelt on Jack Savage.

Jack wasn’t surprised when he came out from the bathroom into his empty bedroom. He had been surprised that Anna had slept in his arms and that he had enjoyed it. He had liked the feel of her in his arms through the night and had watched her sleep.

Her face had relaxed into something he’d never seen in the short time he’d known her. She was an intense woman who kept her guard up all the time.

But she hadn’t last night.

And he felt honored that she’d relaxed herself with him for those few short hours. He put on his camo pants and black T-shirt just as his cell phone rang.

“Savage.”

“Hey, boss. I’m on my way to Andreev’s base camp in the Aaggar Mountains. I had to delay a day to make it seem like I wasn’t already in country.”

“What does he want you to do?” Jack asked. He was already mentally reviewing the landscape. Simply driving into the mountains wasn’t going to be good enough. They’d never surprise Andreev, or even find his base, in the maze of the mountains. There were caves and valleys all through the Aaggar Mountains, and sound would carry.

“I’m going to demonstrate some weapons for his clients—same as before.”

“Good. Keep me posted when you’re in camp. We’re working our way to the area—probably have three more days of travel before we get to Tamanrasset. We have a Tuareg guide with us, so once we enter the mountains on foot, we should be able to move quickly.”

“Good. Do you just want me to take Andreev out?”

“No. We want to capture him with the weapons.”

“I know. I don’t know that he stores them in the mountains.”

“We’ll figure that out.”

“Anything else going on?” Kirk asked.

For a minute Jack was tempted to tell his friend about Anna, but he knew he couldn’t. His role on the Savage Seven was leader. And showing any hesitation or doubt wasn’t acceptable. Besides, Kirk thought women were a distraction the team didn’t need.

“Nothing much, just an overnight stay in an area hostile to foreigners. It helps that Anna speaks their language, and Tommy has been doing a good job of passing for an Arab.”

Kirk laughed. “Sounds as though you have everything under control.”

“Except time. I don’t want to let Andreev fall through our fingers again.”

“We won’t,” Kirk said. “If the op seems like it’s going south, I’ll take him out.”

“Affirmative. Make sure you confirm with me before you do.”

“I will. When are you guys moving out?”

“We should be hitting the road in an hour or so. I’ll have Tommy hang back if you think you’ll need backup.”

“Nah, I’m good. I’ve never brought anyone with me before. I think that would spook Andreev.”

“Do you need anything?” Jack asked. Kirk worked for him, but in many ways the other man was like a brother. He knew it was clichéd to think of Kirk as his brother in arms, but the two of them had come close to dying too many times for Jack to think of Kirk any other way.

“Nah. Just make sure you stay focused on the mission.”

“Kirk, you’re pissing me off.”

“Good. You pissed off is what we need. You can’t lose when you’re pissed.”

Jack smiled. “Damn straight.”

He hung up the phone, grabbed his pack, and walked out the door. His men were gathered in the lower room. Tommy stood when Jack walked into the room. From one glance, Jack could tell the other man was agitated.

“What’s up?” Jack asked.

“They don’t use the same system we use for wireless communication. I talked to Charity yesterday about it, but I don’t think I can get their system to us in time to use when we infiltrate Andreev’s camp. We aren’t going to be able to get good satellite communication in the mountains. Unless Liberty Investigations has access to some government satellites.”

Jack knew snags like this would come up. But they should have handled this before they’d left the country. “Why is this just now coming up?”

Tommy shrugged. “I think the mission specs changed the equipment they were using. In a city like Paris or even Algiers we could have used two-way cell-phone functions or blue-tooth communicators.”

“How are we going to fix it?” he asked, focusing on the radio problems first.

“I’m trying to find a way to temporarily allow our wireless radios to access the same channel the women do. But I need their equipment to make that happen.”

“And they won’t give it to you?”

“I have no idea. None of the women have come downstairs yet this morning. We’re supposed to pull out in less than thirty minutes.”

“I’ll take care of it. And see if they have access to any satellites. Are you thinking about infrared images of the camp?”

“Yes,” Tommy said. “J.P. said a stealth plane probably wouldn’t be able to get close enough.”

“It won’t,” J.P. said. “And we need to know numbers of men before we move in. Plus Andreev is going to have some kind of cache of weapons.”

“We should be able to get some intel from our man inside. Anyone else got issues?”

J.P. stepped forward. He was the one man on their team who didn’t look like a mercenary. His family was old money, and if Jack hadn’t stood shoulder to shoulder with J.P. in a firefight, Jack wouldn’t have thought the other man was man enough to work in their line of business.

“I think we’ll have to go on foot or maybe camel or donkey once we reach Tamanrasset. I don’t really have any contacts there. I’d like to go ahead of the rest of the team, but we’re short vehicles. I could get a flight, but I don’t have papers to fly in this country.”

Jack nodded. “Driving, it is. Tommy will wait with me for the women, and the rest of you should head out. J.P., secure transport and set up a base of operations for us outside the main city area. Hamm and Harry, make sure we have the right firepower. I’m not sure we’re going to find Andreev’s cache of weapons at his hideout, but if we do, I want to have the option of destroying them all.”

Hamm stood up, towering over the other guys at almost six feet five inches. “Will do, boss. Should we take the Tuareg with us? He could be helpful with the locals.”

“I’ll talk to him. Give me a few minutes to talk to the Liberty Investigations team, and then you guys will be good to go.”

Jack left his men. He pushed away the softness he’d experienced during the night. He knew what he’d found with Anna was an aberration, not something he should ever get used to, but a part of him mourned that. They were in a dangerous country on an op where one screwup could get his entire team killed. And losing men wasn’t something he was prepared to do. He was still haunted by Armand’s death.

As much as he liked the man he’d been in the middle of the previous night, he knew he couldn’t afford to be that man now.

“I will stay with the women,” Bay said, stepping out of the shadows as Jack entered the hallway leading to the stairs.

“Fine. Do you have a contact my men can use to make their jobs easier when they reach Tamanrasset?”

“Yes. Your men should go to my dwelling and garb themselves like me. They will blend in better and get more cooperation from locals. They will need to go to the afternoon market. There they will find everything they need.”

“It would be easier for you to go with my guys,” Jack said.

Bay shook his head. “I think the women will need both of us with them.”