Chapter Sixty
Sixty
Sophy awoke to the sound of a few short, soft raps on the hotel room door. Bruce leaped off the bed and rushed to greet whoever stood on the other side.
“I’ll get it,” Luke said. He rolled out of bed and grabbed a robe.
“You ordered room service,” she mumbled into the pillow. “Brilliant.”
“Unfortunately I wasn’t thinking that far ahead last night.”
He unlocked the door and opened it a few inches, careful to shield their early-morning visitor from the view of the bed.
“This had better be important, Deke,” he said.
“Thought you’d like to know the Foundation people took the helicopter up at dawn. I got a call a few minutes ago. They picked up the twins and Victoria Ellsworth. They are all on the way to Foundation headquarters as we speak.”
Sophy sat up in bed, holding the sheets to her breasts. “What’s going to happen to them?”
“Probably not much,” Deke called from the other side of the door.
“The three people who committed murder—Orston, the guy he killed in Mirror Lake, and Vincent Grant—are dead. So is Whitley, the man who put the weapons in their hands. As for the others, the Foundation and the Agency are obsessed with burying the truth about the Bluestone Project, so there probably won’t be any official charges.
The real threat to all of them is that they know the Foundation will be tracking them closely from now on. ”
“What about Hatch?” Luke asked.
Deke snorted. “Arganbright couldn’t wait to offer him his own lab at Foundation headquarters in Vegas. But he will be wearing an ankle monitor.”
“I’m surprised by how quickly the Foundation agents picked up the fake librarian and the Tuxedo Twins,” Sophy said.
“That was the easy part,” Deke said. “Ellsworth and the twins waved down the helo.”
“They were on the run,” Sophy said. “Why would they do that?”
“Their vehicle broke down in the middle of nowhere and they didn’t have any water,” Deke said. “They figured out fast that they wouldn’t survive for long.”
“This is the desert,” Luke said.
“I’m getting tired of hearing that,” she grumbled.
“He’s right,” Deke said. “Out here water is more valuable than gold.”
“Whatever,” she said. “So I guess the only one who won’t get closure is poor Mack Rivington. He’ll never know for sure that he was right about the murder in Mirror Lake.”
“He won’t get to make an arrest,” Deke said, “But the Foundation is sending agents to Elk Cove to take possession of the body and the case. Your friend Rivington will at least have the satisfaction of knowing that the Feds were concerned enough to take over the investigation. He’ll be told it’s a matter of national security and that will be that. ”
Bruce whined, evidently bored with the conversation.
“I’m up and dressed,” Deke said. “Want me to take him for a morning walk?”
“Thanks,” Luke said. He picked up the bag of dog food and handed it to Deke. “After the walk, do me a favor and feed him. Keep him busy until I call you.”
“No problem.”
Luke tossed the coiled leash to Deke. “You won’t need this unless one of the hotel staff sees you and gets upset.”
“Right. Ready to go, Bruce?” Deke said.
Bruce pushed his nose through the opening. Luke widened the door. The dog disappeared out into the hall.
Luke closed the door and turned to look at Sophy.
“About last night,” he said.
She chilled and clutched the sheet more tightly. “It’s too soon to have that conversation. We haven’t had a real last night.”
“What the hell?”
“You know what I mean.” She waved her free hand. “Nothing happened last night. Or the night before. Or the night before that.”
“A couple of hot kisses don’t count?”
“They were artificially induced.”
He nodded in somber comprehension. “Got it. No sex involved so no about-last-night conversation.” He stalked to the side of the bed and looked down at her.
“You know, it’s damn lucky for both of us that I’m learning how to follow your jumps in logic.
Some men might be intimidated. A lot of men would feel like they’d been left behind in a cloud of dust. Confused and disoriented. ”
Relief and a glorious sense of certainty swept through her. She was so happy she wondered if she might possibly be glowing. “But not you.”
“The trick is to connect the dots,” he said. “Then I can fill in the missing bits.”
“Luckily you’re good at connecting dots.”
“Got a talent for it.” He headed for the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”
When he emerged a short time later he had a couple of foil packets in one hand. He tossed them down onto the bedside table. She took the opportunity to race into the bathroom.
He was in bed waiting for her when she returned. The black T-shirt and briefs he’d had on earlier were in a heap on the unused bed along with the robe. He watched her with smoldering amber eyes.
A thrill of certainty went through her. Luke knew her secrets and he wanted her. She knew his secrets and she wanted him. They trusted each other. That was enough. For now.
He held out one hand. “I like the nightgown.”
“I’m glad.”
She went to the bed, took his hand, and got in beside him. He came down on top of her, easing her back onto the pillows. She thrilled to the weight, heat, and strength of him. His rigid erection pressed against her thigh. Everything inside her softened in response.
He brushed his mouth across hers, inviting her to join him in the sensual dance. With a low moan of wonder and delight, she flattened her palms on his sleekly muscled back and stroked downward to his waist.
It was his turn to groan. “The first time I saw you, I knew we were going to be good together,” he said into the curve of her throat. “I just didn’t know how good.”
“That is so not true. The first time you saw me all you cared about was getting me to read the scene in Deke’s cabin.” She raked her nails lightly up his back and wrapped one of her legs around one of his. “You were very, very focused, but not on me.”
He nipped her ear, letting her feel his teeth. “That’s where you’re wrong. The second you opened the door I knew you were the most important piece of the puzzle.”
“So I was just another dot to be connected to the other dots?”
“You were the most spectacular dot of all.” Luke slipped the dainty strap of her nightgown off one shoulder. “The most exciting dot.” He lowered the other strap and freed her breasts. “The sexiest dot.”
He took one nipple between his lips. His palm flattened on the sensitive skin of her belly. She arched into him.
After a moment he raised his head and looked down at her. “I also knew you were the dot that was going to give me the most trouble.”
She started to laugh but his hand shifted to her hip and his mouth tightened on her other breast. She gasped instead.
“Is that how professional dot connectors talk dirty?” she managed.
“Depends.” His fingers slipped between her thighs. “Is it working?”
“I think so.” She gasped when he found the tight, sensitive place above her soaking wet core. “Yes.” She caught her breath. “Yes, it’s working. My first impression of you was that you were going to be a very difficult client.”
He eased one finger into her. “Obviously we were made for each other.”
She clenched around his finger. Her insides tightened. “Obviously.”
A deep, sensual hunger ignited her senses. This was passion, she thought. The real thing. She wanted him in ways she had never wanted any other man and she was not afraid to take the risk of letting go. With Luke she was free to fly.
She reached down and wrapped her fingers around the hard, full length of him.
His reaction was a fierce, husky groan. He eased another finger into her and pressed her sensitive clitoris with his thumb. She shuddered and began to stroke him, learning the feel of him. Discovering how he responded to her touch.
He rolled onto his back, taking her with him. For a moment she was tangled up in the sheets. She succeeded in freeing herself in time to see him reach for one of the foil packets on the nightstand. She sat up astride his thighs and scowled as she watched him sheathe himself.
“You just happened to have those handy?” she said. “And here I thought we were both yielding to spontaneous combustion or something.”
“According to the Boss, a smart CEO is a prepared CEO. I picked up the condoms at the mall yesterday while you were shopping for a very sexy nightgown.”
She smiled, smug and happy in the knowledge that they had both been scheming to achieve the same outcome.
“A smart librarian is always prepared, too,” she whispered.
He crumpled the silky nightgown up around her waist. In the morning light his half-closed eyes burned.
He guided himself into her, taking his time at first, as if he wanted to savor the process.
That was fine, she thought, because as badly as she wanted him deep inside, she needed time to adjust—not only to the size of him, but to the intuitive realization that sex with Luke was a risk in ways she could not explain, even to herself.
She knew only that her life would be different afterward.
They were probably moving too fast. Yes, she trusted him and yes, he was not afraid of her or her talent and yes, there was some kind of bond between them—but they had known each other for less than four days.
What if the attraction was a temporary bond generated by proximity and shared danger? What if…?
“I love you, Sophy Harper,” Luke said.
She stilled and looked down at him.
“I love you, Luke Wells,” she said.
And then he was all the way inside, filling her, stretching her, urging her toward satisfaction. She tightened herself around him as the tension built deep within her.
In the next moment she was riding the waves of a release unlike anything she had ever experienced. She felt Luke thrust into her one more time, heard his exultant roar as he followed her over the edge.
Somewhere out on the psychic plane a perfect, crystalline note sounded. They held each other close and rode the music into the warm, damp aftermath.