Courting Passion (6 page)

“You didn’t think I’d let you off so easily, did you?” he murmured. Katherine lifted herself from him and started to ride him hard. Garth alternated, sometimes stroking over her tight asshole, sometimes rubbing her clit, and sometimes spanking her arse until her cheeks were hot and tingling. Katherine clenched him to her, her short fingernails digging into his back and shoulder as she grappled for purchase. She ran the pads of her fingers up and down the long, smooth length of his back. Now and then, when he delivered a particularly strong slap or the tip of his finger would penetrate its tip into her arse and shock her, she would dig her nails into him in reaction, small scratches marring his smooth skin.

All too quickly she felt her peak approaching, the stimulating blend of stinging arousal and languid pleasure melding until the boundaries blurred.

Shuddering, Katherine could no longer hold on. As her head fell back in ecstasy she uttered a fierce cry. She screamed her release as her climax washed over her. Her pussy tightened and electricity raced through her bloodstream. Pounding hard, she drove herself upon him, riding out her orgasm.

She hadn’t finished coming when he shouted his own climax. Garth twisted her to the side and she fell, splayed wide open for him on the bed. He thrust himself between her thighs, his huge cock ramming into her with blurring speed over and over, as waves of release overtook him.

Panting hard, sweating and gasping for breath, Katherine trembled as her body ached in all kinds of places. Emotionally and physically drained, she lay in a heap on her bed. Garth pressed her into the covers.

Warmth suffused her as she caressed Garth’s short, spiky hair. She let her mind wander, coming to the conclusion that, if she was going to throw the rule book out in her professional life, she might as well throw it out in her personal life as well.

She’d never seen any of the Agency’s men socially. Any fool knew how tricky mixing work and play could be when lives were constantly at stake. The ‘no dating’ rule was a cliché only because it was so true. Personal agendas did not mix with making life and death decisions. Katherine was honest enough to know, however, she couldn’t give Garth up. Not now.

She shied away from just how important he was to her, at just how easily she could fall head over heels for him.

Garth lifted himself to the side, careful to support his weight and not bear down upon her. Resting an elbow on the mattress he leaned his chin on his hand. They studied each other for a moment, his eyes far too penetrating and knowing for her peace of mind. She knew it was ridiculous, but she had the unusual idea her cool, savvy mask no longer worked with this man.

“You’ve been thinking an awful lot,” he commented in a low voice.

Katherine gave him what she hoped was a mostly innocent smile. “Not really,” she replied. She skittered her eyes away from that too-knowing gaze of his. Garth reached out and took her chin between his fingers, turning her to face him once again. Katherine lifted her eyes to meet his. This time she tried to hold it.

“What are you thinking, sweetheart? No secrets, okay?”

Katherine thought for a moment, not even close to being ready to bare her soul. In what she hoped was a teasing, joking tone she decided to tell a partial truth wrapped in a jest.

“I was just thinking that if you shatter my heart into a million pieces because I’m throwing my precious rule book aside that I will not just break every bone in your body in retaliation, I’ll bury your body and deny all knowledge.”

Garth grinned at her words. Katherine smiled, pleased and disappointed he’d taken her words as she’d hoped. The twinkle deep in his eyes showed her, inside, he laughed and found something amusing. He held up a finger to indicate he’d be right back.

Climbing from the bed, Garth went to the adjoining bathroom. She heard the water run as he cleaned himself up and she glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was only nine thirty but the past two days had been hell, with barely more than a few hours’ sleep.

Katherine scooted from the bed and turned the covers down, then recalled the laptop. Hurrying out into the living room she collected the computer and its battery, unplugged them and brought them back to the bedroom. The ping of the alarm would be audible if she kept it on her dresser. Plugging everything back in place, she went to the bathroom and tidied herself up once Garth had come back into the bedroom.

When she returned, Garth had climbed into bed but left the covers turned down for her. He patted the space next to him on the mattress. She grinned and took a few hurried steps then bounced into bed with him. She pushed all her serious thoughts, all her worries and concerns to the back of her mind and admonished herself to take this one day at a time.

As she curled into Garth’s embrace, he leant forward and kissed her tenderly. Katherine felt her heart overflow with warmth and she tried to clutch it all back. She couldn’t resist him, though. She kissed him back passionately, her emotions building into sensual intimacy. When Garth pulled back she saw his expression was smug, arrogantly masculine in some way that eluded her.

“You keep on thinking so hard, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I can see it all clear as day over your face.”

Katherine tilted her head, not certain she understood him. It sounded like he was answering a question she hadn’t asked yet. He yawned, covering his mouth and checking the time on her bedside clock.

Garth wrapped an arm around her and drew her close as he shuffled into a comfortable position. Resting his head on the pillows, he settled down. Katherine, still caught feeling bemused, lay facing him, enjoying the comfort of his embrace.

He threw a final look at the laptop, then turned to face her once more, his eyes closing.

She settled herself, finding that once she’d stopped, exhaustion washed over her as well. Garth’s body exuded heat and strength. Katherine enjoyed the feel of sharing her bed once again. Just as the fog of sleep came close, Garth spoke drowsily.

“You know I love you too, sweetheart,” he murmured thickly. “So there’s nothing to be scared of. Looks like we’re both in this together.”

Katherine struggled to respond, but by the time she’d put together a coherent—and faintly cutting—reply she was too far gone. She fell asleep, once again caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

Chapter Three

Katherine woke up, instantly aware of her surroundings. Garth’s muscled arm lay around her waist, chaining her to him. They’d shifted during their sleep and now were spooning on the bed, her back against his chest.

The low hum of the laptop had her head lifting from the pillow. Her eyes searched the dark monitor, tiny lights flashing to indicate the search programme still ran. No alarm sounded to indicate anything had been found.

Her room was dark, she knew it wasn’t yet dawn. Katherine glanced at her alarm clock before resting her head back on her pillow.

Almost five in the morning, she mused.

They’d been exhausted, not just from the intensity of their marathon sex session, but also from being on the go almost forty-eight hours straight. Most missions—especially since she’d joined the Agency—were like that. Periods of calm followed by bouts of madness that could last for days without break.

Over the years she’d grown used to it. Now it was a way of life for her. Katherine knew she could never give it up. Carefully she untangled herself from Garth’s tight embrace without waking him. Chances were, once they hit the ground running that morning, it could be another day or two before they had a chance to catch some sleep. She didn’t want to wake him, even if he did look delicious fast asleep in her bed.

Resisting the urge to bend over and kiss him, or even lick him awake, Katherine stood on the cool floorboards and debated between breakfast and a shower. Feeling grungy, despite her quick hand wash before crashing the evening before, she decided on a long hot shower, then some food. Besides, from memory there wasn’t much in the way of enticing breakfast supplies in her fridge or cupboards. She thought she might have some milk and cereal but, other than her ever-present boxes of various teas, that was about it.

The shower held far more appeal at that moment.

Katherine padded on silent feet to the small bathroom and closed the door behind her with a soft snick. She dug fresh towels for herself and Garth out and laid them on the side of the basin as she turned the hot faucet on as far as it could go. As the water heated and steam filled the tiny room, she brushed her teeth.

Finished, she climbed into the shower stall, adjusted the temperature until it was the perfect heat and let the hot spray massage her aching muscles. Water ran in rivulets down her body. As she shampooed her hair and soaped her skin, she cast her mind over the events of the last few days.

Thinking of Tarek, she blinked hard, her good mood taking an instant nosedive.

Katherine wondered if her own inflexibility had been a partial cause of her partner and good friend’s close call with death. She and Tarek had never been lovers. In that sense the chemistry had never been present between them. A deep, abiding friendship had bound them together, tested true by all manner of deceit, temptation and trials over the years. Their partnership had been unshakeable by the end. It was the subconscious understanding Garth could prove to be another such partner and friend—not to mention lover and help mate—that had her shying away from just how deeply her feelings ran for the man.

Katherine pushed the ever-present thoughts of Garth aside as she rinsed her hair and began to condition it. She went over every movement, every decision, every link in the chain that had resulted in her partner lying comatose in a hospital bed. Katherine could not bear the thought that her stubbornness, her insistence on playing by the book, may have been a significant factor in Tarek’s current position.

It wasn’t until she gasped, her head lowered under the needling spray, that she found herself crying, finally releasing the pent-up emotions of the last few days. Katherine pressed her lips together and struggled to stem the flow of tears, unwilling to indulge in something she thought weak and useless. Tears would not assist Tarek. Weeping would not solve the puzzle, return the hard drive and stop Oscar Jennings.

None of those profound, logical thoughts helped in the least. Katherine pressed her palms down on the cool, slick tiles of the shower wall. Resting her forehead against her hands she bowed her head and in the privacy of her shower allowed her emotions to roll over her.

She wept.

For her friend, her partner. For the guilt she carried, wondering if she could have done more to protect him.

Katherine sobbed until her arms and stomach shook with the wrung-dry feeling of release. She lifted her head to let the spray wash away her tears and cleanse her face as it had her body. She drew in deep breaths and got a hold of herself, the first peak of her grief having now passed.

She knew sooner or later that the reality of Tarek’s wounds would blindside her, but for now she focused on what she could do to avenge him. Wallowing was not her style. Katherine scrubbed her hands over her head and body, washing the water over her skin. With a twist of the faucets, she switched off the shower, squeezed the bulk of the water from her hair and sluiced it from her body.

Stepping onto the bathmat, she reached for the towel, only to freeze and crouch defensively. The split-second recognition of Garth was the only thing that saved him from being tackled through the door and pounded into the floor. Shaking her head, she made a face at him as he handed her a towel.

“You’re lucky you aren’t on your arse nursing a sore back,” she commented. Garth laughed.

“If I’d been an assassin you’d be dead about now,” he riposted.

She acknowledged the verbal hit by raising her eyebrows. Pride didn’t let her actually say he was right. She’d been so consumed by her own thoughts, she hadn’t heard him enter.

“Guess it’s a good thing you’re here to watch my back and not stab me in it,” she grinned as she towelled herself dry. Garth tilted his head, studying her face. She nervously skittered her eyes away. She was not one of those women who glowed beautifully when she cried. Her eyes became red rimmed, her forehead splotchy. Thankfully, Garth didn’t comment on her state. He merely drew her in for a hug and kissed her damp hair.

“Will you be all right?” he asked.

Katherine wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She took a shaky breath and nodded.

“Yes, I’m okay now. I just needed to get it out of my system. I’ve been going over every step we took, trying to see if my rigidity might have been partly responsible for Tarek’s—”

“It wasn’t,” Garth said.

Katherine grimaced and shook her head.

“You can’t know that. Hell, I can’t know that for sure. But it will be okay, I’m dealing with it and we’ll tear Jennings a new arsehole, especially for Tarek. We’ll balance the scales for him.”

Garth kissed her passionately.

Katherine felt the tingle begin in her belly and unfurl through the rest of her body. She lowered her hands to clench his tight arse, scraping her nails lightly over his skin as she pulled him closer. The towel fell to the floor and they moved against one another.

“You’re such a fuckable distraction,” Garth laughed. “Let me get clean and then we can get sweaty and dirty together all over again.”

Katherine kissed his lips one last time and ducked out of his embrace. Picking up the towel from the floor, she whipped his butt with its edge, grinning at him as she did so. He winked at her as he turned the shower on. Katherine left the bathroom before she was tempted to join him.

After she’d hung up her towel, she returned to the bedroom and opened her drawers and rummaged for some clothes. Slipping on a lacy thong and matching bra, she stepped into a pair of black jeans, then pulled a T-shirt over her head. She shrugged into the shoulder holster with well-practiced ease.

Katherine carefully placed her gun in its holster, then concealed the weapon by shrugging into a jacket. Shifting the holster and gun over her T-shirt until it was comfortable, Katherine made small adjustments while studying her reflection in the mirror.