Dangerous Pursuit (OSI Dark Ops #3)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“What the hell are you doing, Calliope?” Her fingers tightened and loosened, tightened and loosened around the steering wheel as she focused on the bright red taillights in front of her. “That man has serious baggage, and there is a very good chance he is still in love with his wife.”

Talking through her current predicament out loud wasn’t helping alleviate the doubt she’d begun to have the second he’d turned to go get his truck.

Nothing could come of this night with him. Certainly, nothing good.

“Well, except for the awesome sex part.” Because she was pretty damn sure he was going to be really good at that.

She needed to reconcile herself to the fact that tonight was a one-off and to be okay with that. Because the last thing she wanted to do was let herself fall for this guy. Well, fall for him any further than she already had …which was pretty damn far.

“We’ll have some fun, release the weird sexual tension between us, then we’ll both move on with our lives. Yep, that’s exactly what we’ll do.” Maybe if she said it enough times, she’d start to believe it.

Headlights appeared behind her, and she adjusted the rearview mirror for a better view. She narrowed her eyes, but the storm made it impossible to see the driver.

Lucas’s blinker flashed, and she took the turn behind him.

Calliope slowed down and watched in the rearview mirror as the car following her continued straight. Just some poor sucker caught driving in this ridiculous storm.

She hurried to catch up with Lucas where he’d pulled into the driveway of a little place at the end of the street. She parked behind him and turned off the engine.

Lucas climbed out of his truck, ran back, and opened her door. He held out his hand and waited.

She could change her mind, make up some excuse, and head back to the rental house. But, dammit, she wanted this one night with him. Potential consequences to her heart be damned.

Calliope accepted his hand, got out of the van, and they dashed across the small, gravel yard. They stopped at the front door, he quickly unlocked it, and they dodged inside just as a massive boom of thunder bellowed across the sky.

“Make yourself at home, and I’ll grab a couple of towels.” He locked the door, stepped out of his flip-flops, tossed his keys on the counter as he passed the small kitchen, and disappeared down a hallway .

She took off her wet sneakers and socks and stepped farther into the tidy front room.

A modest-size flat-screen television sat on a shelving unit against the opposite wall. The only other furniture was an old couch and a small coffee table. There was nothing hanging on the wall or knickknacks cluttering up the space. The only personal item was a single, framed photo of a woman tucked amongst the many books on the shelves.

His wife.

Calliope stepped closer for a better look. The woman was smiling, and she was gorgeous. It was obvious by the look in her eyes that she loved whoever was taking the picture.

“That’s Norah.” Lucas had a towel draped over his neck. “She was my wife.”

He handed Calliope a towel and rubbed his over his head.

“She’s beautiful.” Unsure of what else to say, she dabbed her face dry, hoping he would open up to her.

“Yes, she was.” He shifted so his back was to the photo and looked down at Calliope. “So, why did you come to the bar tonight?”

Okay, so he wouldn’t talk to her about his wife.

Not gonna lie, that hurt a little.

What had he asked her? Oh, yeah—why did she go to the bar?

“It doesn’t matter.” She dried her arms a bit too aggressively.

He placed his hand over hers and gently pried the towel from her grip.

“Come on, tell me.” He took one of her braided pigtails in his hand, wrapped it with the towel and gently squeezed the water from it. “It must’ve been pretty important for you to go to that shitty part of town in this nasty storm.”

“It wasn’t raining when I left the house.” Lame, Calliope.

“Tell me.” Her gave a gentle tug to her pigtail and began slowly unbraiding it before moving on to the other one.

The slide of his fingers through her hair was sensual and disarming at the same time, as if he was removing a layer of protection she’d constructed for herself. And that bossy tone would normally set her right off. But coming from him … holy hell, it was sexy as shit and made her girly parts scream. No way was she going to let him know that, though.

“You should know by now that I’m not a fan of being bossed around.” Not usually. “I overheard part of your conversation with Jonathan, and he thought it would be a good idea for me to come see you.”

His demeanor changed—he stiffened, let go of her hair, and took a step back. “I never took you for being an eavesdropper. ”

“I was not eavesdropping.” She rushed to defend herself. “Jonathan left his phone inside, it rang, and I saw that it was Andi, so I answered it.” She knew she was talking way too fast, but it couldn’t be helped. “Everything was okay, and she said he could call her back. But I knew he’d want to see the kids before bedtime, so I was bringing his phone out to him, and … well, I … I overheard what you said … that your wife and son had been killed.”

His chin dropped on a deep sigh.

“I swear, that’s all I heard, because I closed the door and went back to the theater room. When Jonathan came back inside, he could tell something was bothering me, so I told him. That’s when he said I should talk to you about it.”

Lucas lifted his head and looked at her.

“I knew this was a bad idea.” Calliope started back toward the door, but his voice stopped her.

“Is that the only reason you came to the bar?” His head was tilted to one side. “To find out what happened to my wife?”

“Yes. I mean … no, that wasn’t the only reason.” Time to suck it up and tell him the truth. “You were hurting, and I …”

“You what, Calliope?” He moved closer and set his hands on her hips. He was close enough she felt the heat radiating from his damp body.

“I wanted … I needed to be sure you were okay.” There, she’d said it .

“I knew there was a kindhearted woman hiding behind all of that grit and stubbornness.” Before she could protest, Lucas wrapped her in his arms and held her close. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to act tough around me.”

“I don’t act tough.” She circled her arms around his waist, placed her cheek to the center of his chest, and enjoyed the sound of his heart beating strong and steady beneath her ear. “I am tough,” she muttered under her breath.

Wow, she really loved … oops … liked the way his arms felt around her.

“Oh, believe me, I know you’re tough. But I think you use that toughness to protect yourself from being hurt.”

Was that true? She thought about it and realized he might be right. How was it he was the one who saw her so clearly?

“What hurt are you protecting yourself from, Sunshine?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never really thought about it.” She had a pretty damn good idea it had something to do with her mom.

“Could it be you don’t want to be vulnerable to someone leaving you?” His hand stroked up and down her back.

Bull’s-eye. Dead on target.

Figured Lucas would be the one to unearth her biggest weakness. Yet somehow, she instinctively knew her secret was safe with him. Maybe if she opened up to him, he might do the same with her.

“It could be that.” Of course, that was it. “I’ve had a lot of years and a lot of practice at burying that stuff pretty deep.”

“What your mom did was unforgivable, Sunshine, and it had nothing to do with you.” He sounded so certain.

“How do you know that, though?” Her throat hurt from fighting back the urge to burst into tears. That was a new sensation, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. “Maybe I was an obnoxious little brat or something.”

For the first time ever, she verbalized what she’d been afraid to say aloud for twenty-seven years. Ever since the day she woke up, went looking for her mom, and discovered she was gone. Forever.

“You can’t be serious. You were what, two, right?” he asked.

She nodded.

“There is nothing a child could ever do to justify being left behind by anyone, especially a parent.” He put a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face to him. “Nothing.”

She raised up on her tiptoes and kissed him. For his understanding, for his kindness, for just being his amazing self.

“Bedroom,” she said against his lips.

“Hell, yeah.” Lucas took her hand and led her down a short hallway and into a bedroom .

The king-size bed took up the bulk of the small space, and there was a chest of drawers over by the corner. No comforter, just sheets and a lightweight blanket. Nothing on the walls. Nothing atop the dresser.

He followed her gaze. “I got rid of everything when I moved out of our house.”

“I’m not much for knickknacks, either.” She gave him a small smile.

Lucas curved his hands around the back of her neck, pulled her close, and pressed his lips to hers. His head tilted for a better angle, and his tongue dove between her lips. Hers followed suit, and they stood there like a couple of teenagers making out at the end of a date.

Her heart kicked in her chest, and heat shot through her entire body in a way she’d never experienced before. She tucked her hands in his back pockets and squeezed his tight ass cheeks.

He dragged his mouth from hers and nibbled on the side of her neck.

“I’m going to taste every inch of your body tonight.” His breath was warm and triggered a shiver over her entire body.

“Only if I get to do the same to you.” Her voice was low, in deference to the intimacy of this moment.

At her words, a deep, rumbling growl vibrated in his chest, and his dick hardened and pressed against her. His hands dragged down her arms and to the hem of her shirt, and he slowly lifted her tank top up. His fingertips skimmed over her hypersensitive skin until he pulled it over her head and tossed it behind him.

Calliope’s impatience had her peeling her workout bra up and off, and she tossed it in the same direction as her shirt.

“In a hurry, Sunshine?” Lucas chuckled, then leaned down, stuck his thumbs in the waistband of her yoga pants, and way … too … fucking … slowly pushed them and her panties down her legs. “Step out.”

Her nipples beaded at his bossy tone, and she did as she was instructed.

Lucas knelt in front of her, putting his face even with her boobs. One breast disappeared in his large hand, and he licked his tongue over the other nipple.

“Oh, my God.” Her words escaped on a sigh, and her head fell back. “That feels really good.”

His lips traveled from her breast to the center of her chest, where he placed a soft kiss before continuing his sensual trip down the center of her belly. The tip of his tongue darted into her belly button, and he kept going until he stopped and pressed his nose against her mound.

“Mmm,” he hummed against her.

Calliope’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she almost orgasmed. If she didn’t get him back up on his feet and onto that bed, this whole thing would be over way too soon for her. Since this might be the only time this happened between them, she wanted to get as much out of tonight as possible.

She dragged her hands through his hair, compelling him to look up at her, then somehow managed to squeak out the word, “Bed.”

He kissed his way back up her torso, placed one to each breast, her chin, then he scooped her into his arms.

“If you insist.” Lucas tossed her onto the middle of the bed.

Calliope bounced a couple of times, and her laughter faded as he—good golly, Miss Molly—began to undress. She leaned back on her elbows to enjoy the show.

He did that cool thing that only guys seem to do and reached one hand over his shoulder, grabbed a handful of his T-shirt, and yanked it up over his head. No sooner had it been tossed aside than his hands lowered to his waistband. She actually held her breath as he popped open the button and slowly dragged the zipper down.

The man was torturing her with his damn slow-motion strip tease, but she was somehow okay with that particular form of torture.

He let go of his shorts. They dropped to the floor, and he kicked them aside. Oh … happy … day, he was going commando, and his dick was pointing right at her like a divining rod locating water. He wrapped his fingers around himself and gave it a slow pump.

“Oh, hell, no.” She started toward him .

Lucas chuckled and knee-walked across the mattress, moved over her, and stretched his long body atop hers. He propped himself up on his forearms on either side of her head, and the hair from his long legs straddling her tickled against her uber-sensitive flesh.

“As much as I was enjoying the show, this is much better.” She wrapped her arms around him and smoothed her hands over the powerful muscles in his back. “I like the feel of you on top of me.”

His weight was comforting, not the least bit stifling, and she could easily get used to the idea of him being in this exact same position every night for the rest of her life. She quickly shoved aside the wonderful notion and focused on the moment.

“That’s convenient, because I like the feel of you beneath me,” he said.

His head lowered, and she lifted hers to meet him halfway. Their lips connected, and their tongues darted and danced against each other, sending sparks shooting throughout her body and targeting her core. Her legs widened to make room for him, and she lifted her hips against his erection. He shifted his hips to rub his dick against her clit, and she actually cried out from the sensation.

Way too damn soon, he broke the kiss, but that was okay, because he moved his face down to the side of her neck. His breath was warm and his lips were soft against her, which didn’t suck.

He whispered a few naughty things he intended to do to her before trailing kisses down her body. His mouth skimmed over each hip bone, and he spread her legs wide to accommodate his broad shoulders, then settled himself between them.

“Let’s begin.” Lucas lowered his face and lapped at her labia, stopping to torment the delicate bud and leaving it screaming for more attention. Which he quickly gave.

Ho-ly shit! A raging heat shot from her clit to light up every nerve ending she possessed.

“Mmm, you taste like sunshine.” He surprised her by plunging one finger deep into her vagina as he continued flicking his tongue over her clit. He quickly added a second finger without missing a beat with his tongue.

Calliope’s back bowed off the bed, her knees dug into the mattress, and she clenched the sheets in her hands to keep from shooting into outer space. With every lap of his tongue and each stroke of his fingers in and out of her, she shot higher and higher until she began to lose all sense of consciousness, of space and time. She was no longer on this earth—she was shooting through the universe like an out-of-control rocket. Her heart beat so hard, she worried it might splinter apart, and she was certain she hadn’t taken a breath in several minutes. Suddenly, he did something with his finger, and like a cosmic event, a powerful orgasm exploded inside her and she cried out his name.

She sensed movement from him, and he was on top of her again.

“Stick with me, honey.” His voice came from far away. “Look at me, Sunshine.”

She forced her eyes open and saw the tension on his face from holding himself back.

“Condom.” He made a move for the table next to his bed, and she stopped him.

“I’m on the pill, and I’m clean,” she whispered.

“I took my flight physical four months ago, and I’m clean, too.” He stroked her earlobe. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Please, Lucas, I … I … I need you inside me.” Calliope had never pleaded for anything in her entire life … until now.

He wrapped his fingers around his dick, circled her vagina with the tip, then moaned long and low as he slowly pressed himself into her until his hips were seated against hers.

“Christ, you’re so warm and wet.” Aside from his penis pulsing within her, he remained motionless.

“Lucas, please.” She squeezed her internal muscles in hopes of encouraging him to move.

He took the hint, drew his hips back until his penis almost slipped free, then plunged back into her. His eyes never left hers as he pulled back and slammed back into her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and lifted her hips to meet him stroke for stroke, groan for groan. They were two people possessed with an equal need to satisfy each other and willing to do whatever it took to do so.

She felt her breath escaping her once again, her mouth gaped open, and the world sheeted white as another earth-shattering orgasm plowed through her entire body. This time when she cried out, she had to stop herself from screaming those three little words and instead shouted his name once again.

Lucas pumped into her over and over until every muscle in his body clenched, his hips twitched a few times, then he threw his head back with a primal roar. His arms seemed to give out, and he collapsed atop her and buried his face against her neck. He gently bit the side of her neck and licked the spot.

If she hadn’t been so wiped out from her previous two orgasms, that primitive little bite would’ve been enough to set her off again. And the pounding of her heart in her ears matched the power of the storm raging outside.

He raised up onto his forearms and looked down at her with concern. “You okay, Sunshine?”

“Am I okay?” He was kidding, right? “I’m more than okay. I’m freakin’ fantastic.”

One corner of his sexy mouth lifted. He lowered his head and kissed her in a way that felt … different. Deeper and more intimate. Or she could just be caught up in the emotional afterglow of the most amazing sexual experience of her life and was reading things into it that weren’t there.

Lucas lifted his head just enough to break their kiss, rubbed his nosed over hers, and his gaze traveled over her face. Calliope’s fingertips teased up and down the narrow valley running down the center of his back. No words passed between them, yet she was certain a multitude of unspoken thoughts were trapped inside each of them.

Their bodies were damp and heated from sex. Outside, sheets of rain battered a tinkling sound against the bedroom window, and thunder tumbled through the sky somewhere off in the distance. The ceiling fan overhead squeaked softly with each rotation, cooling the sweat on their bodies.

Lucas gave her a last, soft kiss, rolled to her side, and drew her close to him. He stretched his free arm down to grab a handful of blanket and sheet and drew it up over her, covering himself only to his waist.

What were his thoughts on what they’d just shared? Had it just been sex, or had it meant as much to him as it had to her?

Admittedly, Calliope had minimal experience with sex, but she was certain what just happened between them was extremely special and unique. Was she being a naive sex newbie and reading too much into it ?

Unfortunately, she was too afraid to ask, for fear of the answer.

Lucas lay on his back, his hand beneath his head on the pillow, one arm around Calliope’s warm body puzzled up against him. Outside, the storm carried on like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Yet Lucas felt a kind of calm he hadn’t experienced in years.

“Do you want to tell me about her?” Calliope propped her elbow on the bed and held her head in her hand.

He’d been wondering how long it would take before she asked about Norah.

“We met at a laundromat.” He shared the story of how they met, got married, and ended up in Palomino. “One day, Norah and Adella, a young woman she’d befriended, went to the farmers’ market near our old house. I wasn’t a fan of the idea and told her as much. Not just because I was worried it could be dangerous but because she was seven months pregnant and had recently experienced a couple of dizzy spells. But Norah had always been pretty good at getting her way, and I caved.”

Calliope set one hand on his chest, over his heart, and remained silent, letting him get through it at his own pace .

“She was at her favorite fruit stand and Adella was behind her, buying some local honey from one of the vendors.” Lucas took a minute to gather himself. “Two men ran up to Adella, grabbed her, and tried to drag her away. Norah heard her screaming and pulled the pepper spray from her bag. She yelled at them to stop, lifted her arm to spray them, and one of the men lunged at her.” He swallowed against the fury clawing up his throat. “The son of a bitch had a knife and stabbed her five times—three times in her midsection, once under her right arm, and another to the side of her neck.” He smoothed his fingertip down the area just below Calliope’s ear. “Right here.”

He stared at where his finger still touched her skin, and a flashback of Norah lying in the morgue threatened to derail his retelling.

Calliope must have sensed his unease and shifted so she was partially atop him, enough to drape one arm fully across his body and tighten her hold. Her touch brought him back to the moment.

“The knife nicked her carotid artery, and by the time medical help arrived, it was too late.” Palomino wasn’t exactly known for its high-quality emergency services. “She and the baby were gone.”

“Jesus, Lucas, I am so sorry.” Calliope laid her head on his chest and sniffled. “Such a terrible, devastating loss.”

He felt the dampness from her tears, smoothed his hand down her back, and kissed the top of her head. Such an amazing woman. Calliope refused to let herself cry about the mother who abandoned her but made no effort to hide her tears for his loss.

“What happened to Adella?” Her breath whispered across his skin.

“She was injured and, thankfully, recovered. Physically, anyway. She was very traumatized, and her family eventually moved away.”

“Now I understand why your vendetta against Triano and his organization is so personal.” She wiped her hand over her face before lifting her head to look at him. “I hope whatever you did to all of those pieces of shit was painful for them and lasted a very, very long time.”

“Let’s just say they can never hurt anyone again and leave it at that.” Even though she didn’t know the gory details—and never would—Lucas appreciated that she wasn’t judgmental or squeamish about what he’d done.

“These past few years, my singular goal has been revenge. Nothing else mattered. I was so focused on that one thing that I hurt my family—the people who mean the most to me. Even knowing how worried they were and how much they cared about me, I cut them out of my life.” He would do whatever it took to gain their forgiveness for what a selfish prick he’d been. “If Beck hadn’t practically forced me into working with your team, I’d probably still be out there trying to take down Triano on my own. ”

“And that would’ve been dumb.” The straight-talking Calliope was back. “Because, as good as you are, this is not a one-man operation.”

“I agree.” He swiped away the remnants of a tear on her cheek.

“Lucas, can I ask you a personal question?” She kissed his chest.

“Considering what we just did and that you’re naked on top of me, I think you’re entitled.” He cupped his hand to the side of her face and stroked his thumb over her cheek.

“It’s probably none of my business, but …” She flattened a hand on his chest and pushed up to sit cross-legged next to him. “Do you still love her?”

“Again, considering what we just did, I think it is your business.” He sat up, leaned back against the headboard, and held his arms out. “Come here.”

Calliope straddled him with one knee on either side of his hips, kept her face down, and fiddled with the hair on his chest. It was odd to see even that small show of insecurity from someone so forthright and strong.

“Look at me, Sunshine.” He wanted her full attention.

She huffed out a breath and lifted her head.

“First, it’s important to note that you are the only woman I’ve been with since Norah died.”

“No way!” Her brows beetled together in disbelief. “Really? ”

“Yes, really.” Should he be insulted by how shocked she was by that news? “Do you want me to answer your question or what?”

“Of course, yes. I’m sorry. Proceed.”

“Norah was the first woman I ever loved, and she will always hold a special place in my heart. But now, being here with you, I know she’s not the only woman I ever could love.” His feelings for Calliope were profound and uniquely different from anything he’d had with Norah. “I hope you’re okay with all of that.”

“Well … if I’m being honest, I sort of thought this”—she waggled her finger back and forth between them—“was a one-time thing.”

“A one-time … Right, gotcha. Well, then …” Lucas made a move to shift himself from beneath her.

“Wait!” She smacked his shoulder. “Geez, doofus, you didn’t let me finish. I thought it was a one-time thing for you , and since I wanted you pretty damn bad, I was willing to accept whatever I could get.”

“Did you just call me a doofus?” He wrapped his arms around her, tumbled her down to the mattress, and tickled her.

“Stop! Stop!” She squirmed, threw her head back, and laughed.

God, he would never get tired of that sound .

Lucas hadn’t exactly professed his love for Calliope outright, but he hoped she understood what he meant. Because one night was not enough for him.