Return of a Hero (16 page)

Wistfully Laura nodded. She hesitated at the entrance to the kitchen. “Good night, Morgan.”

“Good night,” he said gruffly. He knew sleep would come hard to him tonight—as it had this entire past week. The knowledge that Laura slept down the hall from him, when she could be in his arms, kept him tossing and turning. Sliding his fingers through his hair in agitation, he turned on his heel. If only Noah or Kit had come up with something on Lenny Miles. If only…

The phone was ringing. Muttering an oath, Morgan turned over, blindly groping for the phone that sat next to his bed. What time was it? The clock on the bureau read 4:00 a.m. He checked himself from answering it. No one knew he was still at Laura’s. Throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, he reached for the terry-cloth robe and shrugged it on. No phone calls came at this time in the morning unless it was important.

Stumbling out of the room, he saw Laura’s door open. Her hair was in disarray around her sleepy features, but she looked hauntingly beautiful in the shadowy darkness. She was struggling to slip the robe across her shoulders, the pristine length of the gown’s soft fabric making her agonizingly desirable.

“Laura?” Morgan halted a foot from where she stood.

“That was Kit. They’ve got a lead on Lenny Miles,” she said breathlessly, coming forward and throwing her arms around him. “He’s alive, Morgan!” She laughed, pressing her head against his shoulder. “Alive!”

She was warm and tormentingly feminine in his arms. The shock of her body against him made Morgan dizzy for a moment. He placed his arms around her, burying his face in her silky hair. “Did they say where he is?”

Relishing the kiss he placed on her brow, Laura eased away from him, looking up into the dark planes of his face. “New York City. Skid row. Kit said they just got the information back from the N.Y.P.D. She’s been using the computer at the Miami Police Department every night, searching for him. It was the only time her ex-boss would let her use it. That’s why she called at this ungodly hour. Lenny has been in and out of jail on charges of drug trafficking up there since 1970.”

Morgan smoothed the chenille robe against her shoulder. “Ever since Hill 164.”

Excited, Laura nodded. “Kit’s sending the information up by courier. We should get it no later than tonight. Oh, Morgan, I’m so excited about what this could mean!”

A slight grin curved his compressed mouth. Framing Laura’s sleep-ridden face, he looked deeply into her dancing blue eyes. “It’s a good idea,” he admitted thickly. At one time clearing his name was the only thing that was important to him. Now, looking into Laura’s hope-filled features, Morgan was reminded by the soft smile on her lips that she was equally essential to him. His fingers tightened on her flesh. “You’re just as important to me, Laura.”

Shaken by the huskiness in his voice, she nodded. “I know, Morgan.”

“I don’t know about you, but I’ll be damned glad to have this behind us.” Her lips were tempting, and Morgan steeled himself not to kiss her.

Laura read the torture in his eyes. He was so close, so brazenly male, that she wanted to acquiesce to the burning desire she saw in his gaze. Frustration, like a knife, cut through her. Every fiber in her body screamed for more than just casual contact with him. She couldn’t forget the branding, heated kiss that had brought her own deep need to the boiling point. Just seeing the outline of his pursed mouth, remembering the strength and taste of him, made her pulse bound. There was so much they could share. Why wouldn’t he? What was he afraid of? “Let’s get back to bed,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “There’s no sense in losing more sleep. Now that we’ve found out where Lenny Miles is, everything is going to speed up.”

Gently releasing her from his grip, Morgan knew she was right. “Get some sleep, then, little swan.”

She continued to stare up at the craggy features of his hard face. There was such tenderness in his eyes now. “Y-yes….”

Turning, she padded back to bed, first closing the door quietly behind her. Laura leaned against it a moment, her knees feeling terribly shaky. “That man could melt steel with his look,” she muttered, shedding her robe. Much less melt her heart—her soul. Pulling the covers across her, she dropped her head to the pillow, wildly aware of her heart beating in her breast. “Steel,” she fumed. “He melts
me
every time we get around each other!” With that she turned on her stomach and buried her head in the pillow, hoping to escape her clamoring needs for Morgan.

Chapter Nine

“I
t’s here,” Laura said excitedly, watching as the courier van pulled into her driveway. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was five o’clock. She felt Morgan’s presence behind her. The day had dragged for both of them at their respective places of research.

“The package is in your name,” Morgan told her. “I’ll stay out of sight.”

Opening the door and exchanging brief courtesies with the driver, she signed for the hefty packet. Closing the door and turning, she handed it to Morgan. There was a new light burning in his dark-gray eyes.

“Let’s go to the kitchen and see what Kit’s sent us,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulders, then chastising himself for the automatic response to Laura.

Cherishing the unexpected contact with Morgan, Laura leaned against him for a brief moment before pulling away. She led him to the kitchen table. Sitting down, she couldn’t contain her excitement as he opened the package.

Morgan’s eyes narrowed as he picked up a sheaf of copies. On top was a black-and-white photo of Lenny Miles. He snorted softly. “I wonder if I’ve changed as much as he has,” Morgan said, turning the photo around so Laura could see it.

She studied it. “He looks like a mouse of sorts.” Miles’s face was triangular, his chin narrowing to a point. His eyes were small and dark, set closely together. The mouse image was emphasized by buck teeth that had never been corrected with braces. Laura almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

“He looks like someone strung out on drugs, doesn’t he?” she murmured.

“Yeah. Same face I remember, but with a lot more lines.” Morgan began to read the rap sheet on Miles. “He’s in New York City. No known address. Kit says on a note attached that he’s probably down on skid row, making one of the back alleys or a basement his home.”

“That means we’ll have to put in a lot of footwork.”

Morgan shot her a look. “There’s no ‘we’ to this, Laura. You aren’t going into that scummy rat hole looking for Miles. That’s my job.”

“Hold on. You’re not leaving me behind on this. We’re partners. Everything we’ve done so far, we’ve done together, Morgan.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Baloney.”

Morgan sat up. He was getting another taste of Laura’s stubborn nature. Only this time it was aimed directly at him. “You’re not a cop. And you’re not trained to deal with that kind of environment. I am.”

Laura set her lips, her eyes blazing. “Morgan, I’m not staying behind! You may need me. I can be a second set of eyes and ears as we walk those alleys.”

She was beautiful when she was angry. Morgan almost said it, but caught himself in time. Trying to keep his voice soothing, he said, “I’ve got eyes in the back of my head from six years in the Legion. Look, I’m going into an area where drug addicts and pimps make a living, Laura. They don’t care who they put a gun to or slip a knife between the ribs of, if they’re hunting for money. You’d be at risk, and I won’t have it.”

Clenching her hand, Laura asked, “What if you get into trouble?”

“I can handle it.”

It was her turn to snort. “Give me a break! You’re a marine officer. You know the value of teamwork. No one does anything alone. Even recon marines, the elite of the corps, go in teams. Quit ignoring one of the basic rules of combat, Morgan! Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m a liability.”

There were silver flecks of ire in her eyes. He hadn’t counted on Laura using her military knowledge as a lever against his orders. “I said no.”

“Damn you!” Laura got up and began pacing the kitchen. She glared at Morgan. “All those years in the Legion must have made you stupid,” she ranted.

“Why you—” Morgan got up and stepped in front of her.

Laura threw her hands on her hips, her chin jutting out at a defiant angle. “You’ve been alone so long, you’ve forgotten how to be a team member, Morgan Trayhern!” Jabbing a finger into his chest, she went on, “You forget, I was raised as a military brat. I’m extremely self-reliant and able to take care of myself. You can’t make me stay behind. I’m going whether you like it or not!”

He almost wanted to strangle her by her long, beautiful neck. But another part of him wanted to love her, to tap into that beckoning fire that radiated from within her. His anger and pride melded with his desire for her. Gripping her by the shoulders, he gave her a little shake. “Dammit, you’re not going,” he rasped. He leaned down, his face inches from hers. “Did it ever occur to you that I like the hell out of you and don’t want to see you get hurt?”

Tears flooded Laura’s eyes and she forced back the reaction. Morgan’s hands were branding on her shoulders. “I like you enough to go along whether you want me to or not!”

Something snapped within Morgan. With a growl he brought Laura hard against him. Crushing his mouth to hers, he meant to subdue her. Instead her lips parted, allowing him entrance, and he tasted the sweetness of her depths. All his anger melted as her hungry response shattered his resolve. Her arms slid upward, moving against his neck. The feminine scent unique to her entered his flared nostrils, and he inhaled deeply, lost in his need of her. The world ceased to exist for him as she pressed against him. Laura was pure sunlight flooding his dark existence. Needing her, wanting to satisfy the sharpened ache in his lower body, he slid his hands roughly down and across her small shoulders, finding and fitting her breasts into his hands.

A moan escaped him as her flesh became firm beneath his cupping motion. Fire, more violent and seething than he’d ever experienced, erupted deep within him. He could feel the tautness of her nipples beneath the fabric of her blouse. Laura was so warm, so willing….

Just as suddenly Morgan realized what he was doing. He fought the drugging beauty of her mouth, now wet and inviting. It hurt to break contact with her sweet lips. Bare inches separated them, and Laura’s eyes were lustrous and dazed. Even more reason to keep her safe from harm, his mind screamed at him.

“You’re such a little hellion when you want to be,” Morgan grated. Just holding her shoulders to reinforce what he said had a pleasurable effect upon him.

Dizzied by the unexpected ferocity and primal need of Morgan’s kiss, Laura stammered breathlessly, “I’m going.”

Her lips were pouty, beckoning. He could kiss them again. Laura was so close, and the ache intensified within him. All his anger backwashed. “Didn’t you hear me? I care for you, Laura….”

“And trying to make me feel guilty isn’t going to work, either, Morgan!” His male scent did nothing but increase her womanly awareness of him. There was an animal gleam in his narrowed eyes. He was the hunter and she was his quarry. Excitement thrummed through Laura as her attention wavered between their words and the heated looks they were trading. Laura didn’t want to argue. She wanted to make hungry, passionate love with Morgan. Her voice cracked. “I care for you, too! How can I stay here worrying for days or weeks about you? I couldn’t stand the nightmares I’d have of you stabbed in some dark alley.” Laura tore from his grasp, pleading with him. “There won’t be any police backup. You’ll be alone. I’m not about to let you walk into this mess without me at your side.”

Hanging his head, Morgan felt Laura’s anguish. Even more, his senses cried out as she pulled from his grasp. He wanted to explore that bounding pulse at the spot where her graceful neck intersected with her small but proud shoulders. Giving himself a mental shake, Morgan tried to still his savage want of her. He knew what it was like to be alone. So damned alone. One look into her blue eyes, and he couldn’t tell her no. “It won’t be easy, Laura. I plan on being out on the street all day and part of the night.”

A weakness stole through Laura. She gripped the back of the chair to steady herself. The naked look in Morgan’s eyes had stripped her, was making silent love with her. It was so hard to concentrate! Finally, struggling to sound coherent, Laura whispered, “I’ll wear sensible shoes, then.”

An unwilling grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Who could ever believe there was such a spirited hawk beneath that guise of swan you wear?”

Rubbing her arms because she was suddenly cold, Laura shrugged. “I care enough to be with you, Morgan.”

“This isn’t going to be fun. And there will be danger.”

She lifted her chin, holding his suddenly bleak look. All the fire had died in his eyes, leaving only embers of an unfulfilled promise between them. She felt his emptiness just as sharply as she felt her hunger for him. “Together we’re strong, Morgan.”

With a sigh, he turned back to the table and sat down, making an attempt to concentrate. But how could he? Laura’s voice was like a caress. Her eyes promised him a velvet world of love anytime he wanted to take her into his arms. Rummaging through the rest of the background information on Lenny Miles, trying to get a grip on his turmoil of emotions, he rasped, “We’re going to have to be.”

Even the grate in Morgan’s voice was like his hand brushing her sensitized skin. Everything in her responded to his dark tone. Laura closed her eyes, fighting off the wave of dizziness. “I’ll call the airlines and make reservations for a flight to New York tomorrow morning,” she answered, her voice wispy with barely contained emotion.

Worried for her already, Morgan nodded, saying nothing. His mind and heart swung to Laura’s safety. Anything could and did happen in those alleys. There was roving street gangs, kids who wielded knives and guns as easily as he had in the Legion. Only they weren’t adults, just children. Rubbing his face tiredly, Morgan closed his eyes. His life took on new importance because of Laura. And there was no way in hell he was going to lose her. No way….