Exposure (28 page)

"You okay?" he ground out, jaw clenched.

His shaft throbbed inside her wet heat, and
when she clenched her walls around him, the pressure in her
backside intensified, so that she didn't think there was room for
anything else. She was on the cusp of orgasm, trembling with the
need to release.

She cupped his head and brought his mouth
down to hers, kissing him. Their tongues mated, danced. Wrapping
her legs around his waist, she urged him as deep as possible and
used her heels against his ass as leverage to grind over his shaft.
His pelvis rocked against her swollen clit.

And just like that, she exploded. A scream
wrenched from her throat. Her body locked in a tormented, beautiful
release that touched every part of her body, stronger than anything
she'd ever experienced.

As she was still panting breathy cries,
helpless to the delirium, he continued his thrusts, circling his
hips and wrenching more from her. Her back bowed as another orgasm
loomed. She didn't think she could take it. Such intensity. So
powerful.

"Come on, baby. One…more time," he rasped
against her ear. He grunted with every thrust, his face twisted in
wonder and torment. "Let me see you come again."

As his words sank in, her body responded.
Her walls clenched as she perched on the edge. Putting more weight
on his knees, he slid his hands under her ass and spread her
cheeks, lifting her hips. When he drove into her, deeper yet, he
bumped the plug, so that it, too, shallowly thrust inside her. Over
and over, he rocked over her clit, bucked against the plug, plunged
inside her heat.

She came in a flood of desperation, arms
banding around his back. He stilled over her, jerked, and roared
through his own release.

"
G
et us the fuck
out of here." Noah slammed the car door and faced the front seat,
too riled to attempt consoling Raven next to him. She hadn't looked
upset by the time they walked out of the police station, but she
had to be rattled.

When McCannon had called them into the
station, Noah figured they finally had something on Soreno. They
had something all right. They had a handwritten note that had been
shoved in the mailbox.

If I wanted her dead so soon, she'd be dead.
Consider the other night a warning. Revenge is best served cold.
She'll be cold soon. She won't die quickly and there won't be
mercy.

All Soreno wanted in the end was to crank
her fear so she'd make a mistake. Or maybe Rizzoli had orchestrated
the words himself. People didn't think clearly when scared out of
their mind or worked into a rage.

And Noah was in a rage. The note implied
they'd torture her first. Noah had no doubt she'd beg for death by
the time Soreno was through with her.

"Fuck," he muttered, scrubbing his hands
over his face to erase the implanted image of that bastard holding
her down… "Fuck," he roared again.

Raven leaned forward in the seat. "Take us
to Gallivanting Adventures."

Hintz nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Noah forced himself to box the past hour and
looked at her. "Why?" What could she possibly want to do at his
company today?

She closed the partition and turned to him.
"You're scaring me."

Pinching his eyes closed, he turned his head
away as his body still thrummed with residual anger. He needed to
pound the shit out of something. He was no good to anyone like
this. "I'm sorry."

Her hand settled on his arm. He flinched and
drew back. The motion frightened her even more and she lurched
backward, landing against the door.

"Hell, Raven." He needed to get away from
her for a couple of hours until he was in a better mind frame. "I'm
not…I'd never hurt you." Surely she knew that. He held out his hand
for her to come closer.

Her jaw was set, but her eyes were round in
shock. Good. He hadn't scared her, just surprised her with the
sudden move. Pride surged in his chest. His Raven rarely backed
down from anything. She'd stood in that dingy police station and
squared her shoulders, chin up. Shit. She'd handled herself better
than he had.

After a moment, she took his hand. Instead
of scooting across the seat, she straddled his lap, studying him
with a blank expression he'd kill to read. The past two months with
her had been heaven. Everything he'd ever dreamed. The steady
friendship had grown into an unbreakable bond. The lovemaking never
lacked emotion or power. But he didn't know what more to do to…make
her love him.

His hands dove under her coat to grip her
waist. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

She leaned forward, brushing her lips over
his ear. "We're going to take one of the small charter boats out on
The Sound. We'll get some wind in your hair and speed under you to
ride out this anger."

Her sultry voice and hot breath skated
across his skin. The scent of rain he'd forever attribute to her
enclosed him. His hands tightened on her tiny waist as his cock
thickened under her.

She worked her hand between them and slid it
under his coat, down his chest to cup his erection. Stroked. "And
when we're in the middle of nowhere, with the mountains in the
distance and surrounded by absolutely nothing, you're going to…"
She stroked him again.

His head slammed back onto the seat as he
sucked in a breath. She was ridding him of his rage so fast he
shook from the crash. Desire and need shoved to the surface, making
him blind with how badly he wanted her. "I'm going to what, baby?"
he rasped.

Her lips skimmed over his in the barest of
whispers. "You're going to rip my clothes off, bend me over the
closest surface, and fuck…me…senseless."

Growling, he thrust up toward her heat,
bringing her down onto him to rub against his painful cock. He
never hated clothing so fucking much. "Want you now."

It wasn't like her to use dirty talk in
foreplay. She'd gotten off on it when he'd done it, and she was
open in her sexuality, but something about her like this made his
blood roar and reason take a backseat.

"You want that, Noah?" She rocked her hips.
"I'll scream for you to take me harder, faster. I'll moan your name
until you can feel the vibration right here." The heel of her palm
stroked the underside of his shaft.

He gripped the back of her neck and crushed
his mouth to hers. Her lips parted instantly to greet him. She
swirled her tongue against his, teasing it like she did the crown
of his cock when she'd gone down on him. Lost to her, he kissed her
for all he was worth, until they had to come apart for air or
die.

"Hell, baby. I might come now."

Easing back, she smiled. "We're here. Take
me out on the boat?"

He jerked his gaze toward the window, not
realizing the car had stopped. Out the side window, his company's
main office stood. Pride swelled in his chest. The float planes,
the charter boats, the bobsleds…he'd made a fortune doing what he
loved. Next to photography and having Raven under him, there was
nothing better than flying over the rough Alaskan landscape or
jutting across the water. The wind scouring his face, the scent of
salt and pine, all balms to his soul.

Just like Raven. Not since he'd first
started his company had he taken her out on The Sound. Just her and
him on the water? All the things she wanted to do? He may never
bring them back to shore. Plus, the location where "Hoan" always
craved to take her photograph was only accessible by boat. He'd
wanted to show it to her weeks ago, on the night her and Max had
been followed, but they'd wound up at Aubrey's Castle instead.

She cupped his cheek and offered a quick
kiss. "You ready?"

He nodded and opened the door, letting her
slide off his lap to exit first. He had Hintz pop the trunk so he
could grab one of his extra camera bags and then took Raven's hand
to lead her up the walk to the main building. Turning his head to
look at her, he tried to gauge her reaction. She hadn't been here
in awhile.

Her gaze swept over the log cabin design,
accented by forest green shutters and trim. It looked more like a
lodge than a business. Farther down the harbor were two warehouses
where they stored equipment and the bobsleds. Only one of the two
float planes were in the water, and both of the large charter boats
were out. The small one they rarely used bobbed in the choppy waves
at the dock.

His assistant, Veronica, met them at the
front desk when they strode in. "Thought you were working from home
today."

"Change of plans. Do we have the small
charter booked today?"

She shook her head, but rounded the desk to
check the logs in verification. "Nope. Are you taking it out?" Her
gaze swept over Raven and slid back to him. She smiled as if an
afterthought.

"Yes. Hold all calls, will you?"

"You got it."

He turned to Raven, who was ignoring them in
lieu of checking out the hardwood floors and then the hallway where
their offices were tucked away. A sly grin split her face when she
looked at him.

He squeezed her hand. "What?" The same saucy
expression she'd had in the car was on her face, and he suddenly
became grateful for the long coat to hide his reaction.

"Nothing. An idea."

Sensing this idea shouldn't be discussed in
front of Veronica, he directed her to grab the charter keys and a
small cooler of snacks. When his assistant strode away, he eyed
Raven. "What's this idea of yours? Do tell."

Stepping into his space, she pressed against
him and tilted her face up to his. "Later."

He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.
Whatever she had up her sleeve, he'd willingly play along.

After getting the keys and cooler, he told
Hintz to stay on the mainland. He and Raven walked down the dock to
the twenty foot boat and climbed aboard. Leaving Raven inside the
aft cabin in the steering station above the rear room to stay warm,
Noah checked the gas tank, back up containers, battery, and gauges
before untying the boat from the dock.

He climbed the steps into the cabin and
started the motor. "Ready, baby?"

Grinning, she nodded.

Easing them from shore, he made sure to get
past the harbor and inlet islands without creating a wake before
letting loose. Once in the open water, he glanced at her. She
leaned over the seat to take in the scenery, her eyes bright and a
faint smile tracing her lips. Stunned by her beauty, he found it
hard to take his eyes off her. Even in the dusky lowlight that
passed for day this time of year, she shone like a beacon.

Chest aching, he tore his gaze away to round
a bend to get closer to the island where he wanted to go. He
reduced their speed when he caught sight of a fin. It surfaced
again, so he cut the motor.

He jerked his chin starboard. "Check it out.
Whales."

She glanced to their right and her grin
widened. "Can we go on deck?"

Nodding, he held the door and descended the
steps after her. She walked to the chest-high railing and leaned
into it. He came up behind her and caged her in his arms, kissing
her temple.

The Chugach Mountains to the east and Mount
Spurr far off to the west, they were pocketed in immense beauty.
Saw-tooth ridges and hanging valleys were clouded in a fine mist
fog that gave the impression of solitude. Birch and spruce dotted
the landscape, scenting the air with pine and mingling with salt
and ice off the water.

As the boat rocked, he tugged her closer.
"Really something, isn't it?"

"Yeah," she breathed, leaning her head back
on his shoulder. "I forget how beautiful it is sometimes."

Because the view couldn't hold a match to
her, he nuzzled her ear. "Really beautiful."

"Oh, look."

She straightened and pointed just as another
fin broke the surface about forty feet from the boat. The V shape
indicated whale, which was surprising as they were typically
spotted farther out. He was glad he'd stopped. The fin came down
with a splash and disappeared. Another twenty feet from the fin a
few seals were playing on a small ice glacier.

"Seals, too, baby." He pointed. The tourists
who booked their fishing charters always got a kick out of them and
the whale sightings. More than half signed up just for the
wildlife.

"Aw. When I was little and my mom first
brought us to Alaska, there were a bunch of seals on shore
sun-bathing. I wanted one for a pet."

He chuckled and, finally, all the knots
loosened in his shoulders. Somehow she'd managed to expel his anger
from earlier, turn him on to the point of pain, and leave him in
happy bliss. And without the need to punch or fuck his way through
the emotions. He didn't think he'd ever loved her more. His chest
swelled, rocking him back a step.

She sighed contentedly. "We got distracted
from my mission. You seem calmer now." She turned her face up to
him, regarding him over her shoulder. Her cheeks were pink from the
chill. "Feel better?"

Her mission meaning him bending her over the
nearest surface and--how had she put it?--fucking her senseless. He
wasn't in the mood to fuck her. He wanted to make love to her with
this backdrop. Slide in and out of her wet heat slowly, driving
them both to the point of insanity. Savor every inch of her skin
and make that perfect red mouth part in gasp after gasp. Watch her
eyes cloud with passion until she was blind to anything but the two
of them.

Looking in her dark eyes, he carefully
swallowed. "There's still time." He tried to grin, but failed. "And
I've never felt better." Closing his eyes, he sucked in a breath.
"Come on. There's a place I want to show you." And once they were
anchored, he'd make good on that fantasy.

They wove around a few glaciers and into
open water before he sliced a harsh right and reduced speed near
the cove he'd found by accident years ago. A tiny inlet island,
probably once a glacier like many of the land embankments, was no
more than two miles in circumference. Near the northern tip was a
cluster of rock formation that resembled a cave, but other than
trees, there was nothing.