Operation London (25 page)

"Yo canto espanol," she grinned
. Her father had taught her the words to his favorite Spanish songs as a child and she knew them all by heart.

Her searing song, sung in his mother tongue, trapped Miguel
. His rough, calloused hands moved over her vibrating, trembling flesh. Each brush of her lush backside against his lap sent shivers up his spine, and her performance was making him come very close to losing his control very fast. He suddenly realized that this was always how Ava made him feel: completely exhilarated and totally crazy at the same time.

Her rich voice surrounded the lyrics as she stood up with her back still to Miguel, taking her last article of clothing off with painful slowness
. Drinking in the golden flesh that filled his view, Miguel called her name. She turned back around and crawled onto his lap with predatory sexiness.

"Your turn," she whispered, licking his ear.

Miguel laughed a little nervously and thanked God he had been given the natural gift of rhythm. Ava leaned back on the couch, the full glory of her buttery skin revealed to him. The next song on the CD had come on, filling the room with a slower, steadier tempo. Miguel unbuttoned his shirt and shed it, moving along with the music. Ava was impressed all over again at his natural grace. He was just one of those people who could lose himself in the beat and let go. Ava found this incredibly sexy.

He slid his belt out of the loops and gave her a full view of his incredible backside before working to undo the zipper and button on his pants
. Once they slid down and were pulled off, Ava couldn't resist yelling, "Take it all off, baby!"

"I feel like I'm in some kind of shady bar!" he joked, and did indeed take it all off
. Ava drank in the sight of him until she couldn't stand it anymore. The tension broke as Miguel took Ava's ready mouth roughly, pushing her back onto the couch and finding her wet core in the same minute.

His fingers found her, already soaked and ready for him
. He wanted to move slowly, but her violently jutting hips told him otherwise.

"I want you right now," she said, her hand making it's way between his legs, where she wrapped her fingers around his cock
.

"Kiss me first," he said, his thumb circling the center of her passion with intense precision.

"Where?" she asked breathlessly.

"Anywhere you want," he answered, leaning his head down to pull her ripe nipple into his mouth and knead it with hungry lips
.

Ava began kissing his face, feathering his skin with hot, light brushes before sucking his neck
. She could feel the moan rise in his throat as she pulled on his skin with her mouth. Moving down, she left a sloppy, wet trail along his rigid chest and planted enticing kisses along his inner thighs. His fingers had been forced to leave her hot depths. He held his breath as her mouth captured his cock, rolling her tongue along its length with gentle precision. Feeling the trembling beginnings of climax, he pulled her towards him and caught her tongue in his mouth, returning his fingers to her soft folds.

They continued to give and take, fighting and loving at once until he felt the tremors that let him know she was beginning to come
. Sliding his hips up over hers, he pressed his cock slowly into her, allowing her to come fully around him. When the orgasm abated he began to began to set the pace, moving in and out smoothly. Each jerk of his hips sent her to heaven. Heavy breaths escaped her throat as she arched her back to allow him to press against her fully. As he pumped into her, she pulled at him, rubbing against him to maximize her sensation. Suddenly, she began to feel the shaky, wobbly lurch that let her know she was on her way to fulfillment. He sensed the nearness of her climax and pressed into her more furiously, increasing his rhythm until he hurtled headlong into the incredible burst of pleasure that she brought to him.

They lay panting on top of one another, nuzzling and snuggling until Ava was curled into his arms
.

"I love you, Miguel," she whispered, kissing the arm he had wrapped around her chest.

"I love you, too, Ava," he breathed, burying his face into her long hair.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" she asked, trying to crane her neck to take a better look at him.

"Not nervous," he said slowly. He couldn't be sure exactly what he was feeling. "Maybe I never really put this all behind me. Not one day has passed since the fire that I haven't thought of Angel Espino. That hate has been like a poison."

"This could be resolution," she said carefully, braiding her fingers through his.

"Maybe. But it won't be easy, no matter how it resolves itself."

They were silent for a long moment, each enjoying the heat of the other's body.

"What do you think Lucia was talking about to Reynolds?" Ava asked. Her silver eyes glowed in the impending dusk, and when she turned to look at him, Miguel felt like he was dropping into a warm pool of water.

"Angel Espino is capable of horrors beyond what you and I could imagine
. That's the reason I want him far away from you."

"What kind of horrors?" Ava knew she sounded like a young child, even to her own ears, but she couldn't resist asking.

"Nothing I want to ruin this night talking about. Angel has a way of destroying everything good in everything he touches, Ava. If he gets a hold of you he won't let go until he's killed a part of you."  He pulled her closer to him, as if he could protect her from Angel using his love as a shield.

"I'm trained for this, Miguel."

"No, you're not."

"You don't really respect what I do, do you?" she asked, her voice a little edgy.

"I have an amazing amount of respect for you and your profession. You are well trained and capable. But Angel is a monster, and you haven't encountered his caliber of evil. I've looked it in the face and it's not pretty," he explained. He had seen the worst man could do to man. He had participated and stood by while vile, disgusting things had happened. He had been lucky enough to escape. But Angel would never escape what raced through his blood.

"I think you underestimate me," Ava challenged.

"I honestly hope I do, honey," he said softly. After a few seconds, he tried to bring the conversation back to something light. "You know, this case isn't the only reason I wanted to go to Mexico with you. It's my ancestral land. I've been there, but never with someone who meant so much to me. I thought we could even extend the stay for a little while after you see everything through."

"You want to go on vacation with me?" Ava asked, her heart thumping with excitement as she pictured the two of them riding horses through the surf, relaxing in saunas, drinking Margaritas on the sand, like some corny honeymoon commercial.

"Of course I want to go on vacation with you!" he laughed. "Who else would I want to take?"

"It's not that
. I'm just surprised I guess." She tried to keep her voice calm when she wanted to scream for joy.

"Oh yeah?  How come?"

"I don't know. We really just met, and now an exotic vacation together. What next?  Moving in together?  Kids?"  She stared at the mantle while she joked, waiting to see what his answer would be. She could feel the beat of his heart against her back. Was she imagining things, or was it quickening?

"I'd love to," he said gruffly, turning her so they were facing one another.

"What?" she cried, feeling nervous now that her bravado had been exposed.

"Sharing a place, kids, dogs, vacations, appliances, the whole thing
. I would love to with you," he said, tracing the lines of her face with his finger. "I've never met any woman like you before. I would do anything you asked, Ava. Do you understand?  I'm completely at your beck and call."

Ava felt her breath catch
. Miguel was not a man who took orders from anyone. Nor was he needy or clingy. He was just the most honest, disarming man she'd ever met.

I'll take your silence for an, 'I'll think about it,'" he chuckled, getting up and lifting her with him.

He brought Ava, still in a daze, to her bedroom, cozied her under the blankets, set the alarm and crawled in bed with her.

Get some sleep, baby
. We've got a long day ahead of us," he said, kissing her and pulling her body towards his chest.

Ava tossed and turned all night
. Her mind was full of dreams, alternating between the sublime and the horrifying. No matter what type of dream she had, she always wound up clinging to Miguel. His body had become a source of comfort for her. Everything from the way he smelled to the planes of his muscles made her feel safe and wanted.

She finally drifted into sleep, wondering what surprises the next three days would bring.

The Houston airport was hot and steamy. Ava flipped her long hair back with annoyance, wishing she could pull it into a sensible bun. Her jean micormini was a little too tight and her white halter-top wouldn't stay put. It was funny that the more she came to understand her own needs and desires, the more difficult it became to work in disguise. She couldn't fall into the role of a happy secretary going to see a cute guy anymore than she could grow another head at this point. What did that mean about her career as an undercover agent?

Magdalene seemed cheerful enough in too short pink velour shorts with a matching hoodie
. Her long light hair was slicked back in a high ponytail, creating a cascade of curls that fell down to her shoulders, the same length as her enormous hoop earrings. Ava noticed that Magdalene didn't shake when she was in character. For example, Ava knew that Magdalene was talking to Piper about the fire, but anyone passing by would have thought the gum chewing blonde was just chatting mindlessly on her flashy silver cell phone.

Ava scanned the airport for Miguel and Cormac
. They had agreed to make no contact until Mexico, just in case one of Angel's cohorts happened to be lurking somewhere close. Just knowing he was in the same vicinity filled Ava with a need to be near him, to touch him and be comforted by him. Although she hated admitting it, she was glad that he was coming to Mexico. She had put up a hell of a fight to keep him distant, but having him close made her feel stronger, ready to take on the world. Or the underworld.

"Ava, I think they're announcing our flight," Magdalene said grabbing her friend's
hand. "Are you alright?  You look as pale as......well, as I am!" she laughed, trying to lighten Ava's obviously dark mood.

"I'm fine, Magdalene
. I'm just a little nervous. I keep thinking about Marie," she admitted. The images of the girl being forced into a creepy adult world had become imprinted in Ava's mind, to the point where she was unable to let them go at all.

"She's going to be OK," Magdalene said seriously, her jade eyes filled with sympathy behind a slathering of silver eye shadow
. "That's our job, and we're not going to let her down."

"I know," Ava said, offering a weak smile
. She had to believe that was true or she would never be able to focus on getting Marie out.

The women headed to the terminal, and Ava played her last call with Josephine over in her head a dozen times
. The woman had kept her voice low and shaky, often holding the receiver against her body for a moment as she paused to look around for her husband. "Something isn't right, Ms. London. Wesley has been acting so....different. I don't know what I'm bringing Marie back to," she had confessed.

Ava had given her the only reasonable advice she could muster; file for divorce and wait for her daughter's return
. How else would everything work out?  Wesley Conway was not a man anyone should play with, and he sure as hell wasn't the kind of man to trust with your young daughter's safety.

The flight was a daze of salted peanuts, sodas and a worry that clamped deep in Ava's stomach
. She and Magdalene got off of the plane and faced the harsh sunlight and harsher winds of Veracruz. In the shuttle to their hotel, Ava's body felt weak and sweaty despite the beauty of their surroundings and the promise that she would soon see Miguel again. Wide topaz beaches and white sand expanses gave way to the occasional burst of color from tropical flowers. The air was splashed with exotic spices from the food stalls in the market, and their eyes drank in a kaleidoscope of colors as vendors and tourists jostled merrily. Loud music played over speakers, inciting the occasional impromptu dance from a local shopper. Everything seemed wild and fun, but Ava couldn't help scanning the jumbled crowds for the sad face of a light haired girl.

"Isn't this amazing, Ava?" Magdalene gushed, leaning over the heads of the people sitting on the bus in order to get a better view
. Ava smiled and nodded, her mind already working out the sticky intricacies of getting into Angel's fortress undetected.