Fatal Pursuit (The Aegis Series) (16 page)

Just
this
.

Her mouth turned greedy, hot, wild. She pushed him back into a captain’s chair and devoured his lips. She tasted like whiskey, felt like fire, and when her hands streaked down his chest and found the hem of his shirt, he knew this kiss wasn’t nearly enough.

He maneuvered her around and back into the galley, shoved her up against the cabinet. She pulled her mouth from his and gasped, then leveled him with a searing look. Pushing him against the opposite cabinet, she rose up on her toes and sank her teeth into his bottom lip.

He jerked back at the pain. Tasted blood in his mouth. Looked down to see her smoldering, wanton, challenging eyes. Lust reflected in her irises, flushed her cheeks, pushed him forward so he suddenly didn’t care if she bit him a hundred times just so long as she never stopped.

He lowered his mouth to hers and took her lips in a bruising kiss. She opened at the first touch, tangled her tongue with his as if she couldn’t get enough, and pushed him toward the back of the galley then around the corner so his back was plastered to the flat wall near the entrance of the plane.

“God, Marley.” He wanted her. Needed her. Right now. Kicking her legs apart, he trailed his hands down to the hem of her T-shirt so he could feel her skin. Moved between her legs as he tasted her deeper and slid his fingers along the silky flesh of her flat belly.

She groaned, pressed her hips into his. Rocked against him, rubbing her steamy center along his hardening cock. Tingles erupted in his groin, sent a shockwave of heat through every cell in his body. Her fingers found his shoulders, his neck, then trailed up into his hair. Pulling hard on the locks, she yanked his head back then lowered her mouth to his throat.

Her teeth sank in. A shot of pain seared his skin. Then her tongue was there. Stroking the sensitive spot. Her lips sucking, driving him absolutely mad.

It was a battle of wills. Of strength. Of blistering passion. And he loved every minute of it. Only wanted more. Capturing her head in his hands, he pulled her back, then took her mouth again. She groaned and tasted him. He dropped his hands. Slid one under her shirt, then up to cup her breast in the silky bra. Found the snap on her pants with the other and flicked it free.

He was hard. Hot. Ready. He kissed her again and again. Let go of her breast and slid his hands to her waistband then pressed his hands inside the back of her pants so he could grab the fleshy globes of her ass.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Groaned deep in her throat and pushed her hips against his. He needed her naked. Needed her spread. Was just about to shove her pants down and pin her to the wall when a voice echoed from the main cabin.

“Marlene? Where did you go?”

Marley pulled back from Jake’s mouth so fast his head snapped back. But before he could tug her back, she pushed him away, then quickly snapped her pants and fixed her shirt. “Shit.
Shit.
”

Bracing a hand on the wall at his side to steady himself, Jake reached for her, desperate to pull her back. “Marley.”

“No, don’t.” She moved out of his grasp. “I . . .” Her eyes met his for a brief second, then quickly darted away. “Dammit. I wasn’t going to do that again.”

She ducked under his arm before he could stop her. Before he could get his head on right. Before he could think of something to say.

“I was in the galley getting something to drink.” Her voice drifted from the main cabin. “I—oh my God. Gray.”

Confused, Jake turned so he could see her, then realized her surprise. McKnight hadn’t just showered. He looked like he’d gone through a complete makeover. The beard was gone, his jaw freshly shaved, and he’d cut his hair. It wasn’t a salon-quality cut by any means, but the above-the-ears trim was a hundred times better than the shoulder-length shaggy locks he’d sported before. And cleaned up, wearing a fresh set of Jake’s cargo pants and a blue button-down rolled up to his forearms, he didn’t look a thing like an escaped convict. He looked like Mr.
GQ
on vacation.

“Wow,” Marley muttered, standing in the middle of the aisle, staring at him.

“Better?” McKnight held his hands out wide and looked down. “Feels better.”

“Um. Way better.”

All that animosity Jake had felt before when he’d seen the two of them holding hands in the helicopter came rushing back. But this time it was accompanied by a searing burn in the center of his chest. If McKnight was the one she wanted, then what the hell was she doing shoving her tongue down Jake’s throat?

Yep. Totally fucking jealous.

Son of a bitch. Jake raked a hand through his hair when he realized where his thoughts were going. He was a mess. Three days in the jungle had turned him into a giant wuss.

Okay, enough is enough.

Jaw tight, he moved into the main cabin, careful to step around Marley as he leveled a look on McKnight. “I hope you didn’t leave a mess in my bathroom.”

McKnight looked up and grinned. “No mess. Thanks for the change of clothes, man.”

Jake didn’t answer. Wasn’t in the mood to be civil just yet. He headed for his stateroom, needing space, needing his own damn shower to cool himself out.

“Jake,” Marley called at his back. “Wait a second. We need to talk.”

She wanted to talk? Now? Not a chance. He’d had enough talking. And kissing.
Way
too much kissing for this trip.

Alone, he closed the stateroom door at his back, leaned his head against the solid surface, and drew a deep breath that did shit to ease that burn still smoldering in his chest.

Problem was, he liked that kissing. Liked it way more than he should. And that didn’t just fuck with his head, it scared the shit out of him.

A
sick feeling brewed in Marley’s stomach as she watched Jake go.

What the heck was going on between them? And why couldn’t she get a handle on the crazy emotions pulsing inside her? She knew she’d overreacted by being angry with him. He was a grown man. He could do whatever he wanted. He didn’t have to answer to her or anyone else. And if that meant he wanted to take stupid risks, that was his choice to make, not hers. So why was she upset with him? And why did she suddenly feel depressed for pulling away from that reckless kiss when they both knew it was a major mistake?

Warmth brewed in her belly and her lips tingled from the memory of his mouth moving against hers. But the look in his dark eyes after she’d moved back and finally glanced up kicked her in the stomach all over again. A look that was a mixture of yearning and anger and rejection.

“Marlene?”

Startled out of her ricocheting thoughts by the sound of Gray’s voice, Marley looked away from the stateroom door and blinked several times. “Yes?”

She barely had time to focus before Gray pulled her in for a tight hug. “I’m glad we finally have a few minutes alone. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

He smelled like Jake’s citrusy soap, his body strong and warm against her. And though there’d been a time—years ago—when she’d looked forward to embraces like this from him, right now it felt wrong. Because he wasn’t the man she suddenly wanted holding her this way. He wasn’t the man she wanted to kick and scream at and kiss like crazy all over again.

Her eyes slid closed. Her heart dropped like a stone into her stomach. She didn’t have the energy to pull away from Gray. Wasn’t sure her legs would hold her up if she tried. Because that little voice in the back of her head whispered she was on the verge of losing it. Losing it over a man whose high-handedness didn’t just frustrate the hell out of her, but who was emotionally crippled in every way and who she’d vowed years ago to steer clear of when it came to her heart.

“You’re trembling,” Gray said into her hair. “I’ll take that as a good sign.”

He eased back and smiled, and in a daze, Marley realized he thought she was overcome with emotion for him.

Heat rushed to her cheeks. A heat she didn’t want and definitely didn’t need. Followed by a wave of guilt that slammed into her belly. She let go of him and pressed a hand to her suddenly aching forehead. “Gray, we need to talk.”

“I know.” He reached for her hand and pulled her toward the couch that ran along the wall opposite four chairs and a table. “I know you’ve got questions. I’ll try to answer as much as I can. Things are a little fuzzy in my head though. Weeks without food . . . well, it messes with a person’s memory.”

Marley let him pull her toward the couch, but confusion colored her vision as she sat beside him.

“Gray,” she said as she turned toward him, choosing her words carefully because she knew he’d been through a lot, but wanting—no, needing—answers. “You said you were imprisoned and that you escaped, but you don’t look like someone who was held captive in a South American prison for five years.”

“I know. But trust me, the way I look now is nothing compared to the way I looked six months ago.”

He was still holding her hand and she wanted to pull away, but the stormy look in his green eyes made her wary about reacting in any way that might upset him. “I don’t understand.”

He sighed. “They were getting ready to ransom me. I couldn’t go on video looking like a skeleton. So they were—”

Her sat phone buzzed in the cargo pocket of her pants. She’d forgotten it was even on because the whole time they’d been in the jungle it hadn’t been able to connect. Letting go of Gray, she said, “Hold on.”

One quick glance at the number pulled at the corner of her lips.

“Who is it?” Gray asked.

The last person she wanted to talk to right now. “My father.”

Shit
. She couldn’t ignore him. She pushed to her feet, but from the corner of her eye she saw the way every muscle in Gray’s body went tense and rigid and his eyes locked on the phone in her hand.

Steeling her nerves, she hit Answer, then tried like hell to keep her voice calm and unrevealing. “Hi, Daddy.”

“Marley Addison,” her father said on the other end of the line in his ever-commanding voice, “if you’re in any kind of jungle, you’re in big trouble.”

Marley closed her eyes and opened them again quickly. Part of the reason she’d left her father’s company was because he was too overprotective. He’d never had a problem with her providing support for his ops from base camp—which, at least, was more than Jake ever let her do at Aegis—but whenever she’d asked about actually working in the field, her question had always been met with a resounding no.

From her father she understood the overprotectiveness—even accepted it. From Jake it was a whole other issue. One she needed to address soon rather than stressing about some stupid kiss that meant nothing.

One kiss? Yeah right.

She forced thoughts of her moody boss aside and focused on her current nightmare. “I’m fine, Daddy. And no, I’m not in a jungle.”
At least not anymore
.

“Don’t lie to me, pumpkin. I might be old, but I’m not stupid. I know you went to Colombia. I want to know why, and how in the hell Ryder let you go.”

He was hardly old. At sixty he was in the same impeccable shape he’d been in all his life. The only part of him that showed his age was the silver at his temples.

She ground her teeth and forced back her temper. Unleashing it never worked with her father. Clearly worked even less on Jake.

Stop thinking about Jake!

“First of all, Ryder didn’t
let
me go anywhere. He’s not my keeper. And second of all, I went to Colombia on my own. But if it makes you feel any better, when he found out I’d left, he was as angry with me as you obviously are now. He flew down to tell me as much.”

“Ryder’s with you?”

With her?
Marley glanced toward the closed stateroom door, and her stomach pitched like a fish flopping on dry land. No, Jake wasn’t
with her
, at least not in any way that made sense. And she wasn’t even sure if she
wanted
him with her. Especially after the way he’d just stormed off. Yes, she could admit there was something bubbling between them, and every time she thought about what they’d done to each other in that hut it only made this—
thing—
bubble that much hotter. But lust was not a good basis for a relationship. And lust—for him, with him—would just make her loonier than she already felt.

“Marley? Are you still there?”

She blinked several times. “Yeah, I’m here. Sorry. The signal must have cut out. What did you say?”

“I asked if Ryder is there with you.”

She turned away from the stateroom door. “He’s in the shower. We’re on the jet heading back to the States.”

“That’s one small relief.” Her father sighed. “You had me worried sick. When Olivia mentioned you were in South America, I didn’t know what to think.”

Olivia. Of course that’s how he knew. Jake had obviously told someone at Aegis where she’d gone, and being Landon Miller’s new wife, Olivia must have heard the news from her husband. The fact Olivia now worked with Marley’s father at Omega Intel was just an unlucky coincidence on Marley’s part.

“I’m fine, Daddy. Nothing to worry about.”

“I’m glad to hear it. But I’m still waiting for you to explain what you were doing in Colombia.”

There was no way she was getting out of this. Her father was more stubborn than Jake when he set his mind to something. Marley looked toward Gray.

Something hard flashed in his eyes. Something she couldn’t read. She didn’t know how her father was involved, didn’t know what had happened or why Gray hadn’t wanted her to ask for her father’s help, but in her heart she believed her father would want to know he was still alive. Gray’s death had haunted Mason Addison ever since the op to rescue him had failed.

“Dad, listen. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I went to Colombia to help Grayson McKnight.”

Silence echoed across the line. And across from her, Gray didn’t say anything, just stared at her with blank, unreadable eyes. Though she did notice a muscle in his jaw tick ever so slowly.

“What did you say?” her father asked quietly.

“I said I went to Colombia to help Gray. I’m standing in front of him right now on the plane.”

“Grayson McKnight?” her father muttered. “He’s alive? I don’t believe it.”

“Believe it, Dad.”

Silence again, then, “Put him on the phone.”

Gray shook his head, obviously having heard her father’s words, and softly said, “Tell him I’ll talk to him later.”

Marley wasn’t sure why he was being evasive, but she wasn’t about to push him. Not after everything he’d been through. “He’s sleeping right now. It’s a long story. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”

“Oh.” Disappointment echoed in his voice. “But he’s okay?”

“Yeah. He’s fine. Rattled, I think, but fine.”

“I still can’t believe it,” her father muttered. Then, “When will you be back?”

“Um.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “About seven hours, give or take.”

“Okay. Seven hours.” She could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. “We’ll talk then, I guess. Stay safe, pumpkin. Grayson McKnight. I can’t believe it. Tell him . . .” His voice trailed off, but Marley heard the emotion in his words. “Tell him I can’t wait to see him.”

“I will. I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, pumpkin.”

She hit End on her phone and slid it back into her pocket. Then she looked toward Gray. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but I need you to know that whatever it was, it was an accident. My father had a hard time of it after he thought you’d died. He’s been racked with guilt for years, mostly because of how your death affected me. I know if he had it to do over again, he’d have treated you differently.”

Gray reached out and drew her to sit next to him on the couch once more. “I believe you. I’m just not ready to talk to him yet. The truth is, though, no one had a harder time of it than me.”

The questions, the answers she desperately needed, took up center stage all over again. “Gray, I need to know—”

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her in another tight hug. This one strong enough to cut off her words. “You’re what kept me alive. So many times I just wanted to give up and die, but then I’d think of you and I knew I had to stay alive. I had to stay alive so I could find my way back to you.”

The rest of her question died on her lips. And that guilt she’d felt five years ago came rushing back to stab her hard in the belly.

“I will make it up to you,” he said softly, still holding her tight. “I promise, if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make all of this right. Say you believe me.”

Marley didn’t know what to say, was having trouble getting air. Then he squeezed her harder, and the words squeaked out before she could even stop them. “I-I believe you.”

“Of course you do.” He eased his hold, at least enough so she could breathe, then drew his hand down her spine as if he were petting a dog. And though he was close, his body heat warming her skin, a shiver rushed down her spine. “Because you’re my Freckles. And you always will be. Just the way I planned.”

Jake flipped the water off and ran a towel over his dripping hair. He’d shaved, then spent the last ten minutes under the cold spray trying to cool himself down and chill the hell out.

So far it hadn’t done a bit of good.

Stepping out of the shower stall, he wrapped the towel around his waist and tried not to think about what was going on in the main cabin of his plane, but failed. Marley was out there with McKnight, doing God-knew-what. Probably enjoying it more than she’d enjoyed it with him.

Fuck. He braced his hands on the edge of the sink, dropped his head, and drew in a deep breath. That—what had happened in the galley—was pure stupidity. Last night had been hallucinogens. But this . . . this had been too much adrenaline, too little self-control, and not nearly enough brain cells.