Chapter 11 #2
I slid further, pressed deeper, not stopping until I was buried as far as she could take me. She gasped, letting out a sound of choked pleasure. “Nathan.”
The name caught me unprepared and I froze, my eyes popping open. I fucking despised the falseness of it when our connection was so acute.
My aversion did not go unnoticed because her expression hardened.
“Tell me your real name,” she demanded.
“It’s Nathan.”
“Liar.” Ankles locked behind my back, holding me to her when I moved to retreat. “Tell me.”
Instead, I withdrew a few inches and sank back into her body again. I watched pleasure twist on her face. Just that tiny sliver of movement was so satisfying, every part of me was hungry for more. And clearly it was the same for her, yet she turned her head when I went in for a kiss.
“Tell me,” she ordered, this time with a distinct edge of anger.
“I already did.” My hips surged forward, and our moans mingled together.
“Your name,” she threatened, “or we can stop what we’re doing.”
She seemed to be able to tell when I lied to her, but the good news was I could do the same with her. This was most definitely a bluff.
“You’re saying you don’t want me to do this?” My thrust was deep and hard, and she gasped again with satisfaction. Her body completely betrayed her, and I threatened to give her what she claimed to want. “You want to stop?”
“I just want . . . your name.” My movement seemed to make it difficult for her to speak. “I won’t tell anyone . . . good at keeping secrets.”
“Yeah? What kind of secrets are you keeping, Olivia?”
“I’ve got plenty, Nathan.”
“Goddamn it.” I drove into her now. One of my hands found its way to her breasts since I couldn’t keep my damn hands off her. Her hips shifted and her legs pulled me deeper still, and all of her skin pressed against mine.
Was it cruel to withhold the name of the man who was inside her?
“Tell me,” she said on every one of my thrusts. “Tell me . . . tell me . . .”
It tumbled from my mouth. “Ethan.”
Her victorious smile was irritating and sexy. “Was that so hard?”
“Yes,” I growled. Annoyed and unbelievably turned on. “Yes, I’m very hard.”
I slammed into her and was rewarded with a moan from her that was filled with desperation. Begging for release. Which was good because that was exactly what I wanted. I drove into her, fucking her into the mattress. She was wild, bucking beneath me. Nails dug into my back.
“Yes,” she cried. “Yes.”
My breath came and went through clenched teeth, and my only thought was holding back until I could get her there. Her eyes fell closed and her face was pure concentration. I took her hands, laced our fingers together, and held them above her head, pinned to the sheets.
“Ethan,” she cried, seizing violently, coming all around me.
Jesus, I hadn’t heard a woman say my real name during sex in at least a decade. And it was in her voice. It triggered my release. Pleasure rose and crashed through me, rolling on and on as if it were never going to stop.
It did, eventually.
When I realized she was trapped beneath me, our hands still entwined, I tried to release her, but her grip tightened to prevent it. Like she wanted me to hold her close. Like she wasn’t ready for it to be over.
My heart, which was already pounding in my chest, raced even faster.
But then she reluctantly released me.
I cupped her face and kissed her. Slow. Passionate and tender. And it terrified me.
My back was cool against the sheets and her body hot against mine when she tucked herself beside me. Her forehead pressed against the side of my neck, both of us covered in a thin layer of sweat and our damp skin stuck together.
I wanted to remain like this. Wanted to believe her life wasn’t in danger, but it had been in jeopardy from the moment Gio picked up on my attraction to her.
The disgusting little shit had laid out his plan for Olivia during the walk to her cabin, and I’d gotten far too close to drawing my SIG and aiming it right between his legs.
I was going to have to drag myself from this bed and return to my mission. I’d already been gone too long. She’d thrown her arm over my chest, and she hesitantly retreated when I turned on my side to face her.
“I’m sorry,” I said, meaning every word. “I want to, but I can’t stay.”
“I know.” She slipped beneath the sheets, drawing them up to cover herself. I wanted to look at her some more but fought back the desire to pull the covers down. Instead, I rose, disposed of the condom in the bathroom, and dressed silently as she watched me through the mosquito netting.
When it was done, I came to her side of the bed, slipped through the curtain, and kissed her.
Fuck, I wanted her. Again and again.
“Good night,” I whispered against her lips.
“Good night, Nathan.”
I turned out the light and headed to the door, knowing how she’d meant it. That she’d keep this secret. My real name was only for her.
Halfway back to my room, my phone buzzed with the door alarm, and my pulse jumped.
Shit. Was this another meeting with Johannes . . . or was Gio going to attempt to pick up where he left off with Olivia? My hands tensed into fists at the thought. Just watching her give him that forced, quick kiss earlier had turned my stomach.
Things were so different now.
I crouched in the long grass at the side of the path and settled into a comfortable position I could hold, but also move quickly from if needed. At least it was overcast this evening, so the moon wasn’t so bright.
I followed the dark figure to the same empty cabin were Johannes was once again waiting. The pending return trip to Rome must have accelerated the Abramos’ timetable.
“The boss,” Johannes said, “he likes this gun. Here is an advance. He hopes it buys trust.”
An ugly scowl twisted on Gio’s face. “My trust isn’t something you can buy.”
“Then he hopes it is a good first payment.”
Once the deal was complete, I followed Gio back to his cabin and wondered if he was always this inept. He hadn’t searched Johannes for weapons during either exchange, and as far as I could tell, Gio hadn’t verified the uncut stones he’d been given were actual diamonds.
Was this how the Abramos did their business? Sloppy. How had the CIA not been able to breach their network before?
Abruptly, Gio pulled up short, his feet digging into the sandy path.
Renzo stepped out of the shadow of Gio’s cabin, a wicked grin smeared across his face, and I had to drop into the bush to avoid being spotted.
“How was your meeting?” Renzo asked.
He played dumb. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re a fool, Giovanni. I see everything, like your father trained me. I know what you really came down here to do.”
The grass in front of me swayed in the breeze and momentarily obscured my view, not that it mattered much. Pieces fell into place, and I felt like an idiot. Vitale wasn’t branching out to Africa. His disobedient son was all on his own.
“You don’t know a fucking thing.”
Renzo choked out a laugh. “I suppose we’ll see about that when I speak with your father. He’s been too busy with Constantine’s murder to realize you’re getting into bed with Amin, but I can fill him in when we return.”
Gio stiffened and snarled it. “What do you want?”
“Half.”
It was like Renzo had just spit in his face. “No.”
“Half, Giovanni. You’ll need my help to hide this from Vitale, and that’s worth half.”