Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
M aya jerked awake when the car stopped. She pushed up, realizing she’d been sleeping on Elliot. She raked her hand through her hair. “I’m sorry.”
He looked at her. “I’m not. Do you need a minute?”
She blinked and patted down her hair. “No. Do I?” She looked at him.
His eyes raked over her, and she felt that gaze as heat flooded her body. He rasped, “No, you don’t.”
Elliot waited for the driver to open the door before he exited and reached back for her hand. She took his and walked to the door with her hand still in his. That he didn’t release her hand was strange and wonderful at the same time.
“Elliot, Ms. Callahan.” The older of the two security guards stood up behind the desk.
“Everything quiet, Dan?” Elliot asked as they walked across the lobby.
“As a church on a Friday night. Have a good night.”
“You, too,” Maya said as Elliot put her into the elevator and slid the card she’d given him into the slot that would take them to the penthouse.
He released her hand when the elevator door opened. “Would you like a drink?” she asked him and walked over to the bar cart in the corner of the room. She didn’t drink often, other than a glass of champagne at events, but damn, she needed one. She opened a new bottle, breaking the seals on the liquor. She noticed Elliot watched her open the bottle and he gave a small nod of approval before he said, “No, thank you.” Elliot took off his jacket. His tie still hung around his neck. She poured her drink and turned around to watch him roll up his sleeves. Those strong forearms and muscled shoulders were dangerously delicious. After taking a sip of the brandy, she coughed as the liquid burned down her throat. Elliot glanced up at her. His concern was immediate. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and tried to clear her throat. “Fine.” She put the small, globed glass down. “I forgot how strong it was.” But the warming sensation traveled through her body. She picked it up and swirled the liquid, watching the little streams run down the inside of the glass.
“Are you hungry?” Elliot asked as he headed to the kitchen.
She walked after him and watched as he pulled day-old takeout from the fridge. “I could eat.”
“I noticed you didn’t get a vegetarian dinner.” He looked up from his task of liberating all the food from the fridge. “Why?”
“I ate the veggies and the bread. I don’t like to be a bother, and the servers have so much to do.” She sat down at the table while he warmed the containers in the microwave.
“So, tell me why Jessica would be at the office tonight.”
She cocked her head to the side. “I have no idea. She’s told me she has trouble sleeping sometimes and works when she can’t sleep, but there isn’t anything that can’t wait until tomorrow. You know she can’t be the one doing this. She’s a good person.”
“Good people do bad things all the time.” Elliot put a container of white rice and sautéed veggies in front of her. She went over to the silverware drawer and retrieved the utensils they’d need before sitting down and forking a bite of veggies into her mouth.
“Well, that’s true, but I just can’t see it.”
He sat down and fixed himself a plate. “What did you think of Chandler’s interview?”
She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her brandy. “He’s disgusting.” Shivering, she took another sip of her drink. “How did he know there was a bomb threat? He never said that.”
Elliot’s head popped up. “What?”
“When he called me, he said there was a bomb threat.” She frowned, recalling the conversation. “I said, ‘What makes you think I’m not safe?’ Then he said there was a bomb threat, and I should go to his house. He called it home.” She shivered again. “Delusional.”
Elliot had his phone in his hand almost immediately. “Ross. When Kates called Maya after the event, he said there was a bomb threat. He wasn’t there to know what was announced, and he didn’t mention it when Asher and I interviewed him. Have forensics check any prints on the device against Kates.” He nodded and stared at her. “Check the call logs from that bar, and I’ll have Con narrow the search to know associates of Kates.” He hung up and then tapped his earpiece. “Con, wake up.”
Elliot blinked and then smiled at her.
“Narrow the facial rec program to known associates of Kates. He knew about the bomb threat but wasn’t at the venue.”
“Yeah, we all missed it. Maya reminded me.” Elliot winked at her. “Thanks. No, we’re turning in for the night.”
He tapped his earpiece again. “He’s working it.”
Maya took another bite. “I knew he was different—off, you know—but he really does have mental issues, doesn’t he?”
“I think so. However, the revulsion about the dead animals rang true to me. I don’t think he’s that good of an actor.”
She nodded. “Then, who’s doing those horrid things?”
Elliot looked at her and lifted an eyebrow.
Maya sighed. “Jessica.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled at her and took another bite of food.
She chuckled and took another sip of her brandy. She was warm, the food was good, and the company was better. “Where did you grow up, Elliot?”
“Florida.” He chuckled. “My brother and I were total surf bums. We both joined the Navy, and after we completed BUD/S, we did our stint in SEAL units. He got out before me and joined Guardian. I followed suit.”
“Is he still with Guardian?”
Elliot nodded. “He works in another section.”
“And your parents?”
“They’re alive and well, living in Florida, a place called the Villages. It’s a golf-cart community for mature people. Not elderly.” He laughed. “Never call my parents elderly.”
“Warning received.” She chuckled. “Did you have a good childhood?”
Elliot nodded. “My folks both worked. School was good. We both played football. Bruce is three years older than me, and he left for the Navy as soon as he graduated. I followed. We had a great childhood.”
Maya smiled. “I knew a couple of guys who entered the service after we graduated. They were kind of the protector type. I wasn’t in the popular crowd, too geeky and into my studies to be that, but I helped some of the basketball and football guys with advanced algebra and physics. They made sure no one picked on me. So, school wasn’t too bad. I worked at the corner store after class, and my dad would pick me up and drive me home before he went to his second job. He'd make sure I was home safe and had dinner. He worked so hard.” She smiled sadly. “I think you would have liked him.”
“I know I would have. Any person who sacrifices themselves for their children is a real-life hero.” As Elliot smiled at her, that warm feeling intensified.
She took another sip of her brandy. “He was my hero for a long time. I compare men I meet to him.”
“Really? How do I stack up?” Chuckling, Elliot got up, walking over to the fridge to get a bottle of water.
“I’d say you’re probably the only man I know who exceeds the standard Dad set.” She stared at him as she spoke.
Elliot straightened up and turned toward her. He stared at her and then swallowed hard. “Thank you.”
She tipped her brandy and realized she’d finished the small amount she’d poured. She put the glass down and looked at him. “There isn’t any need to thank me. The truth is what it is. You put your life on the line tonight for Olivia and me. Did you even think before you acted?”
Elliot sat down and moved his plate away from him. “No, but that’s because of years of training. Like you in a meeting when you have all the facts and make a decision. You’ve prepared, and you know what the answer is. We train continuously so we don’t waste time thinking. We act.”
“We?”
Elliot blinked. “I. I’m used to talking about my team. My ex-team.”
“Do you miss working with a team?” She was done with the food, so she leaned back.
“Yes and no. But we talked about them and not wanting relationships the other night.” He shrugged.
Maya stood up. “I think I was wrong when we were talking the other night. As a matter of fact, I’m positive about it. A relationship with the right person, one I respected and who exceeded my high standards, would be a calculated risk I’d be willing to take.” She turned and walked out of the kitchen before her bravado failed her. Was it the alcohol? She walked back to her room. No, definitely not. It was the realization that Elliot was a very special man. One she respected and one who wanted nothing from her.
Maya shut the door and peeled herself out of her dress, leaving it in the middle of the floor. She floated into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As she leaned under the warm water, she admitted to herself that her attraction to Elliot couldn’t be put in a box that she could keep away from the rest of her life. He was bigger, bolder, more intense, and gentler than any man she’d ever known. She’d love to feel his lips on hers and so much more.
She toweled off and slipped into an old t-shirt and a pair of shorts she’d purchased in college before slipping into bed. The night's events spun through her mind on repeat and meshed with her newly admitted desire for her personal security officer. She rolled over and glanced at the clock. Two in the morning. Tossing off the blankets, she tiptoed to the door and opened it as quietly as she could. She went to the bank of windows and looked out at the city's lights that never slept. She loved it. She loved the energy and the almost frantic pace that made New York seem brighter and more vibrant than any other place she’d been.
She sensed Elliot before his hands fell on her hips. “You should be sleeping.” His voice rumbled behind her.
“I can’t. My mind won’t turn off.” She sighed and leaned back against him.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” he said but didn’t move away.
“Probably not,” she agreed. “But I’m not going to stop. Are you?”
There was silence for several long moments before he turned her toward him and dropped his lips to hers. My. God. The thrill and the sensation of his tongue brushing her lips made her knees go weak. She ran her fingers up his bare chest as he kissed her. His chest hair covered a chest that was nothing but plates of muscles. The smell of the man went straight to her brain like a pure hit of cocaine. Intoxicating in ways alcohol could never touch. Heat pooled deep inside her, and she rubbed her hips against him. The ridge of his very hard desire was pinned between them. She moaned as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Breaking the kiss, he looked down at her. “Tell me to stop now.”
She glanced down to his lips, then back to his eyes. “Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”
He dropped his lips to hers and picked her up, making her gasp as she grabbed his neck and wrapped her legs around him. She had no idea how he found a bed, and she didn’t care. Her mind was gone, her body was in control, and she needed the man in a way she’d never experienced. It wasn’t a conscious decision. It was physical, base, and almost feral.
After they landed on the bed, his hands lifted her t-shirt. She wiggled out of it as he pushed it over her head. Elliot sat up on his knees and stared at her. Sitting up, she grabbed his neck, pulling him down on top of her. She didn’t want him to think too much about it. There was no way he was going to stop. She’d make sure of it. She scraped her nails down his ribs and found the waistband of his sweatpants, pushing them down over his ass. She couldn’t get enough of him and growled in frustration when the front of his waistband wouldn’t budge because it was pinned between them.
Elliot jumped up and pushed down his pants as Maya squirmed out of her shorts. He was back and covering her a second later. Oh, sweet heavens, the man was nothing but hard muscle and sexual desire.
He broke their kiss. “Condom.”
“Covered,” she panted. “Don’t you dare stop.”
He stared at her for a long moment. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” She pulled him back down, and he entered her. The feel of him inside her was nothing short of explosive. Sparks ignited the molten heat that had built inside her since the moment his lips touched hers.
He broke the kiss and groaned, “I’m not going to last.”
“Next time,” she panted and once again pulled him down to her.
She lifted her hips to meet his, ratcheting up the wild need clawing inside her. She shattered, and her body clenched in a rhythmic pulse that detonated the coiled fusion inside her body. She felt him hilt inside her, imploding as her body disintegrated around him. He propped himself on his elbows but kept his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
She put her hands on either side of his face and lifted his head. “About what?”
“I couldn’t stop. I should have waited for you to finish.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. “I did. Right before you. God, that was the best sex of my life.”
He lifted his head and stared at her. “It was amazing.” He dropped his lips and kissed her before his hands started to explore her body. Not the furious grappling they’d been doing before. That time, they slowed down. Her hands found the dips in the valleys of his muscles. She noticed when her touch caused him to shiver or his muscles to ripple. She found out his ear was an erogenous zone for him, and he damn near purred when she sucked the lobe into her mouth. When they joined together the second time, he put her on top. His hands held her breasts as she lifted up and down on his cock. They stared at each other the entire time. There was no awkward embarrassment, no regret about what she was doing. This man, this experience, at this time, was pure. Nothing she’d ever felt could compare to what she was feeling tonight. Soaring. She was soaring, and nothing could take the feeling away from her.
As she lay in his arms, his fingers moved up and down her back. She sighed and turned to him. “Please tell me you don’t regret it.”
He chuckled. “I could never regret being with you.”
She lifted up on an elbow. “Do you mean that?”
He turned to look at her. “Of course, I do. Why?”
She shrugged and played with the hair on his chest as she thought about the reason she asked the question. “I haven’t had successful connections to many people. I’m too much, too driven, too directive, too … well, fill in the adjective. I know what I want, and I go after it. I went after you.”
He cupped her cheek with his hand. “Did you sense any resistance on my part?”
She smiled. “Not much,” she admitted.
Pulling her down to him, he kissed her. “Stop worrying and go to sleep. Morning is just a few minutes away.”
She dropped down, got comfortable on his shoulder, and then chuckled. “Did you know I’m the boss, and I can set my own hours?”
His laughter rumbled under her. “But you’re not going to go in late, are you?”
“No,” she admitted. “But I could.” As their laughter settled in the darkness, she closed her eyes. She was happy. If only for tonight. And right now, it was enough.