Rev It Up (Black Knights Inc. #3)(25)
Oh yeah, and then there were Snake and Michelle…
The chemistry simmering between those two was enough to make a smart girl reach for a hazmat suit because, wow, an explosion of epic proportions was imminent.
“I think you’ll survive,” Boss grumbled, reluctantly dropping Becky’s hand and turning back to the group. “But that brings me back to my point, which is that since Becky has to stay here and coordinate movements and communication between all parties, there’s only me and Rock left to recon and surveil the drop point.”
“Not to throw a fly in the ointment, Boss,” Rock interjected. “But you’re not exactly inconspicuous on a good day. With that bright blue cast, you stand out like a back pocket on a shirt.”
“Shit!” Boss cursed, glaring at the offending cast like it was a demon sprung from hell.
“I’ll go,” Vanessa blurted before she could think better of it.
Brilliant, Van. Simply brilliant.
“Have you ever done surveillance before?” Boss asked, eyeing her curiously.
“Of course.” What the hell was she doing? He’d given her the perfect out.
“Okay then,” Boss slapped his big palm down on the table, the equivalent of a judge’s gavel, effectively alerting everyone the decision had been made. “You and Rock go get eyes on the drop point and see if you can’t locate Johnny.”
Her heart started hammering against her ribs as Rock sent her a considering look out from under the dense shadow created by his lashes.
Oh man, this is a mistake…
But she didn’t have too much time to contemplate the ramifications because Boss continued, “You know what having Johnny out hiring any Joe-Shmoe with an empty wallet and full clip means, don’t you?”
“Oui,” Rock dipped his chin. “It means the only way to get these flies off our shit is to kill or otherwise vamoose dear Johnny.”
“Exactly,” Boss said, wincing and threading one big finger under his cast to scratch an itch. “We get rid of Johnny, and we take away the money. We take away the money, and we take away the threat.”
“And once we do that, how will we disseminate the information so Johnny’s Soldier of Fortune-reading goons call off the hunt?” Angel asked.
Vanessa looked over to see Bill grinning broadly. “Hey, Becky?” he sing-songed, his tone teasing. Becky gave him a wary glance. “How do you feel about another press conference? The media has loved you ever since you were a pirate’s hostage.”
“Ugh,” Becky groaned. “I thought I was finished with reporters after that whole debacle.”
One thing Vanessa could say about working for BKI: it was never boring. Case in point: Becky Reichert had been captured by pirates. Yes, that’s right. Pirates. As in arg.
If she wasn’t mistaken, there was even an eye-patch involved…
“All right, then,” Boss pushed away from the conference table and turned to Becky. The look of mortal dread on her face caused him to shake his head and pat her shoulder conciliatorily. “You’ll be great, just like you were before. For now, I’ll call our friends at the CPD so we can turn Mr. Marrow over into their loving hands. And Bill, you and Angel get back in position. We need to be ready for the next strike.”
The next strike…
Like it was a foregone conclusion there’d be one.
Oh, God.
Chapter Five
Jake’s broad palms were warm against Michelle’s upper arms, his thighs hard against her own as he curled himself around her and her softly snoring son, kissing her with all the skill and dedication she remembered from four years ago.
Sweet Lord! Help me!
Because right now she was incapable of helping herself.
He tasted the same and smelled the same and, worse, felt the same. All corded muscle and smooth skin, prickly whiskers making her lips tingle.
In a word: male.
All the things a man should be.
Making her feel all the things a woman should feel when she was held in strong arms. Cherished, desired, protected…
Oh, how she wanted to go on letting him kiss her to within an inch of her life, kiss her until all thoughts of consequences flew right out of her head. But she’d been on this ride with him before, had witnessed her own father play on this same terrible roller coaster of physical thrill-seeking, and she knew, like always, her heart would be the one to pay the piper in the end.
No matter how much it might feel otherwise right now, she knew the excitement and pleasure of the moment wasn’t worth the pain of the crash.
The effort it took to step from his embrace was excruciating, but she managed it. Though it felt like she was leaving her heart behind. And then he went and made everything so much worse when he blurted, “I love you, Shell.”
“Wh-what?” she sputtered.
“I love you,” he said again. Just like that. So easy. So carefree with those words.
When he took a step toward her, she mirrored his movement, retreating, nearly tripping over the dang cat that was rubbing itself against her calves. He reached out to steady her, and she jerked aside. His fingers were a brand, burning her on the outside as his words scorched through her insides.
“I loved you then, I love you now, and I’ve loved you all the days in between,” he went on, even as his expression fell when she scrambled to avoid his touch.