I go back to my plumber’s toolbox and lift the basic tool tray away to reveal my more specialized tools. I dust the photograph for prints, but there are none. Same goes with the front door knob.
“What are they looking for?”
Fear flashes in her eyes, but she shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
A lie.
“Anything missing?”
“No.”
“Who’s in the photo?”
Tears immediately pop into Annabel’s eyes, and she turns away to hide them. “My sister, Sarah and my nephew, Grady. And Dune-” she drags in a shaky breath. “I can’t get them on the phone.”
I take her shoulders and turn her back to face me. “The photo is a warning. What is this about?”
She blinks rapidly, her throat working. “I’ve been investigating something. Something personal. They told me to stop.”
“And you didn’t.”
She nods.
“The organization told you to stop.” I want to be clear we’re dealing with CIA here.
“Right.”
“Okay, this is a classic scare tactic.” I pace around the room looking for more clues.
“It’s a warning, not direct action. If they’d actually harmed your sister and nephew, you’d know it. So, they’re somewhere. We need to find them and put them out of reach.”
“All right. Good.” Annabel’s shoulders inch down, her lips stop trembling. “I’m glad I called you-really glad.”
I consider her. “I’d do this for you even if I didn’t owe you the favor. You should know that. But Annabel?”
“Yes?” She lifts gray eyes to meet mine.
“I need the whole story. What you’re researching-who’s involved.”
She takes a small step backward and angles her body away from mine. “It’s an internal thing. You don’t need to know in order to protect my family.”
The growl that comes out of my throat surprises me. It’s an animal sound. I grab her arm and spin her around to face me.
“This isn’t a job. It’s personal-for you and for me. You don’t get to call that need to know bullshit with me.”
Her lips press together. I don’t think she’s a natural redhead, but she sure as hell has the stubbornness to match her beautiful auburn locks.
“It will put you in more danger.”
I let out a harsh laugh and walk toward her, backing her up until she hits the wall. I lean on one hand beside her head, caging her in.
“There’s one thing I won’t accept from you, Annabel-lies.”
I swear to Christ, her eyes dilate like she’s turned on, rather than scared. I don’t know if turning her on was my intent before, but it sure as hell is now. I press forward, even more, letting the heat of my body brush against hers.
“You’re the one in danger here, not me. You and your family. Don’t pretend I require protection, sweetheart. You want my help, all the cards go on the table. Otherwise, I’m walking out that door right now.”
It’s not true. There’s no way in hell I’d leave Annabel in trouble and unprotected, but hopefully, she doesn’t know enough about me to be sure.
I’m a highly trained special agent. I speak twelve languages fluently, know fifty-three ways to kill a man with my bare hands, but nothing in my training prepared me for Annabel yanking my mouth down to hers like her life depended on it.
No one calls me slow though. I have her shirt off and her bra down in five seconds flat as she sucks my lower lip into her mouth. One of her long legs is around my waist, and she’s grinding her hot pussy over my cock.
Of course, I’m considering every angle. I’m not stupid. This could be a calculated move to distract me from my line of questioning. Or a more sinister ploy-maybe the whole thing is a trap to get me into her place and nail me with something. But I taste desperation in her kisses, wild, frenzied need.
If I can trust my gut, I’d say Annabel is upset and needs this release. And if I’m wrong? Well, I can handle myself against whatever she pulls. I’ve escaped from literally hundreds of deaths. I cup her breasts and thrust my hardened cock against the notch between her legs. Her scent gets up in my nostrils, and I sense the monster inside me throwing himself against the cage bars.
Her soft lips move like her life depends on the kiss-quick, hungry twists and pulls. Her short skirt rides up to her waist, leaving just a thin pair of panties between me and her delectable pussy.
“You need me to fuck you?” I rasp against her throat as she kisses along my neck, bites my shoulder.
She gives her head a shake like she’s snapping out of something. “Uh, I don’t know.” Suddenly, she’s unsure again, fumbling and scared.
No.
I’m not going to let that happen. She wanted something from me, and I’m going to deliver it. I cup her ass and keep her in the perfect position.
“Say no if you want me to stop,” I rumble against her ear. “Otherwise, I’m going to help you forget. Give you a release.”
“Yes,” she breathes. “Make me forget. Just for a moment.”
That’s all I need. I bounce her higher on the wall, so my lips reach her perky nipple. It is peachy-pink-just like I imagined, so perfect and delicate. I suck on it until it gets hard, then release it and flick it with my tongue.
Her fingers burrow through my hair, and she arches and moans. Her breath comes fast with little needy cries on the exhales.
Fuck it. Maybe this is the right time to be an animal. I shake a condom out of my wallet while Annabel attacks me with her lips, her teeth.