J Saint - Collateral Damage

She spiraled higher and wrapped her legs around his hips. She met his frenzied thrusts in an explosion of male to female. His need, his desperation, his shuddering shout of fulfillment catapulted her into an uncharted sea of pleasure.

Unable to move, unable to breathe, unable to see, Lauren was sure she had either passed out or had died and went to heaven. Jack's full weight was on her and it was wonderful.

"Damn," Jack whispered, breathless. He tried to lift up from the lush heaven of Lauren's softness, but his arms shook too badly and he dropped back down. He laughed. "I think I expired. Spontaneously combusted."

Lauren had yet to move. Suddenly worried, he gave up on his muscles and rolled to his side, bringing her with him. She was alive at least. Her baby blues were staring at him. She looked dazed and deliciously sated and he unbelievably had the strong urge to do her over and over again. He was still inside her, condom secure on his semi-aroused dick, allowing him to enjoy the taut glove of her sex a few minutes longer. He couldn't follow through with his urge to have her again at the moment, but the strength of it still coiled inside him.

She suddenly sucked in air as if she hadn't breathed in forever and then laughed too. "Ditto." She sighed as if totally replete.

He brushed a curl from her cheek and kissed her, wondering what in the hell he was doing and wondering what in the hell he should do next. As much as his guilt urged him to be honest with her, telling her the truth about Bill right now didn't seem right. It would taint what he sensed was a once-in-a-lifetime-like experience for both of them. He couldn't do it.

Nor could he think about all of the crap they'd been through since he'd knocked on her door yesterday afternoon. A lifetime of training failed him. Rather than eating up the road and the satellite lines trying to dig deeper into the web of death spreading out from Collins's deceit, the only thing Jack was capable of at the moment was wrapping his arms around Lauren, the wife of the man he'd killed, and breathing a soul-felt sigh of relief despite that dark cloud.

When they'd reached the motel just a little while ago, he'd been completely done in. It wasn't because of the bullet graze; he'd fought under worse circumstances for longer periods of time. It was because he'd failed her and because of what could have happened to her. That it was also because of what he felt for her, what he shouldn't feel for her, he ignored. He didn't want to acknowledge it because it couldn't be real and he knew without a doubt that anything beyond the here and now with her was an impossible dream.

He turned his mind back to what he needed to be thinking about. Somehow he should have put two and two together at Gardner's place and come up with a ten. That he hadn't and she'd almost paid the price for it had wiped him out and left him shaken to the very core of his being. She didn't know it, but they'd reached the end of the line for her active involvement in solving this mystery surrounding Collins. Another thing he wasn't going to tell her about now.

So what could he say? She'd sent him off his sexual charts. He'd thought he'd reached his sexual peak in his early twenties, had hot memories of hot sex, but nothing could hold a candle to the orgasm he just had. He couldn't say anything because it wasn't something meant to last. It was a dream that he could only hold for a moment.

His stomach rumbled, protesting its starved state.

"Sounds as if you're still hungry." She smiled.

"I am. In more ways than one." He slid his hand to her breast and rubbed his thumb over her coral nipple, his mouth watering again for the feel and taste of her.

Her gaze widened. "Seriously?" She sounded intrigued, which turned him on even more.

"You bet." His semi arousal inched closer to attention. "Even Kryptonited. Superman has a reputation to uphold."

The room phone rang. She froze and he tensed. The outside world and all that they'd been through spewed into the room like tear gas grenade.

"Any reason for the clerk to call?" Gory from the bullet graze, he'd sat in the car while she'd checked them in.

"Not that I know of."

Flipping their position, he slid away from and regrettably out of Lauren to answer the phone. Having his hot moment turned cold and being forced to clutch a wet condom in his fist, left him sorely irritated. Not to mention the fact that it ripped away his sense of anonymity. Had they been discovered? "What is it?"

"Uhhum. This is the front desk."

"And?"

"Your wife forgot to sign the registration paper."

"Later," Jack said. "We're busy right now if you understand what I mean." He hung up the phone amid Lauren's shocked cry. She'd snatched the sheet up to cover herself and sat, glaring at him. He forced a grin. Had it been anyone else on the phone, a wrong number, or even no one, Jack would have had Lauren out of there in heartbeat. Needing a guest to sign in sounded legit, so they'd stay the night.

"You all but told him that we were having sex." The blush on her cheeks was refreshing.

He leaned over and cupped her chin with his free hand. "Making love." He kissed her. "Having sex doesn't quite cover it in my book." Letting her go, he headed to the bathroom, wondering what in the hell possessed him to say that to her. It was a truth that didn't need to be told. He directed the conversation back to the clerk. "The man could have waited for you to check out to sign the paper. You paid cash, so it's not like he needed the signature to process a payment. Besides it's not like he doesn't already imagine every couple is getting it on while he sits lonely at the desk. In fact, he probably looks for any excuse to call just so he can interrupt. I just made him squirm for his jolly."

Lauren's voice followed him. "That's so paranoid and jaded and…and probably true. You're so bad."

He laughed and canned the condom. A glance in the mirror made him realize it was a total miracle that Lauren had even kissed him. He looked like a zombie from Elm Street waiting on Freddy. He popped his head back out to look at her, just to make sure he hadn't just dreamed it all. She'd scooted to the edge of the bed, her golden hair a wild sexy mess, her lips kiss-swollen, and her delectable body barely covered with a sheet.

"I'll beg for forgiveness later. That's a promise. Meanwhile, interested in a shower?"

"You're incorrigible."

"Yes, I am. Bring a condom with you." She did and he upheld Superman's reputation just fine.

The bitch! She'd shot him. Conrad couldn't believe it. She'd shot him in cold blood. Sent a bullet plowing through his shoulder and left him bleeding in his driveway. He'd stuffed paper towels in the wound, applied pressure, and had done everything he could think of to stop the bleeding, but it kept bleeding like a stuck pig. The bullet had gone straight through the fleshy part of his shoulder but it still hurt like a son of a bitch. He walked through the woods, groaning with pain at every jarring step. He'd parked his car down the road, rightly thinking that Lauren's muscle would be less vigilant if it appeared no one was home.

He still couldn't believe she'd escaped him. It was a good thing he knew exactly where her conscience would lead her next. To Ray in Savannah, which was a little over a four hour drive from Fair Play. He hoped her muscle man was either dead or a vegetable. By the time she dealt with that, Conrad would be ready for her at Ray's house on the river. And if by chance she didn't show, he'd have Bill's letter and would get Lauren's sweet ass afterwards. She'd pay long and hard for his pain and trouble.

Dios. The tentative knock on the door to the Magic Carpet Room had Andreas gritting his teeth. Fidel's assistant was the new Fidel and already had Andreas wishing he'd made George wait until they'd landed before eliminating the old Fidel. George didn't even arouse from his sleepy-eyed position on the couch. Andreas hoped his son was just enjoying himself too much to bother with intimidating the new servant and not depressed or feeling guilty over Fidel's death.