Hunted (33 page)

“Where are you?” she called.

“Back here,” came the reply, sounding like it had come from the bedroom.

They’d tried the long distance thing for nearly a month before deciding it was sheer stupidity to stay apart, and once she’d made the mental plunge to move up here to be close to him she’d felt a calm she hadn’t experienced in forever. Things were finally settling into place again, and not just for her.

Leticia had taken her son home to Tennessee. She’d kept in touch with Zoe since their horrific experience with Carlos and they talked on the phone once a week. She and Xander were both doing as well as could be expected given all they’d gone through, and moving forward with their lives.

As for Zoe, she belonged with Clay.

Being a writer, she could work from anywhere, and since Clay needed to be near Quantico, logic dictated she be the one to move. Plus, he’d asked her to, saying he wanted her to be closer so they could spend more time together. It was a huge step for him, and she’d recognized that. His request alone had made the decision easy.

He’d helped find her a place and he and some of his teammates had moved in all her furniture she’d had shipped from New Orleans. Halloween was only a few days away, her favorite holiday of the year, and he’d even given her a hand decking the place out with all her decorations. Bats, goblins, witches, pumpkins and spiders dotted the condo in splashes of black, purple, green, orange and yellow. When Tuck and Celida moved into his house in another two months or so, she was hoping Clay would move in here with her. She planned to ask him soon because she sensed he was ready to take the next step in their relationship.

The dark hardwood floor was cool against her bare feet as she made her way down the hall, past the guest bath and bedroom to the master suite. A hot bath with her apple cider bubble bath and her Witches’ Brew scented candle burning on the bathroom windowsill seemed like the best idea she’d had in a while.

Especially if she could convince Clay to climb in with her, though she probably wouldn’t have to try very hard. The man had very talented hands, and his demanding work schedule meant they hadn’t seen much of each other for the past five days.

She tingled at the thought of his slick, soapy hands sliding over her wet skin, lingering on her most sensitive places and finally slipping between her thighs.
Mmmm…
“Are you having a nap?”

“No.” He sounded alert enough.

She turned the door handle, pushed it open, and halted in her tracks.

Clay was on the massive four-poster bed she’d had shipped from New Orleans all right, but not because he was tired.

He sat perched on the foot of it, wearing a white button-down dress shirt and charcoal gray suit slacks. He had both forearms braced on his spread knees, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up partway, revealing several inches of roped muscles. His muscular thighs strained the material of his pants. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, showing the upper delineation of his pecs and a tantalizing sprinkle of dark hair.

When she managed to stop gawking and look up at his face, her mouth went dry and a shock of heat burst inside her at the molten desire she read in his eyes.

“Did you have a meeting?” she croaked out. A miracle, considering how dry her mouth was and how hard her heart was pounding. That outfit made her want to undress him, torturously slowly, and lick him from head to toe.

He shook his head, a little smile playing around the edges of his mouth as though he could tell what she was thinking. Then he raised a hand and crooked a finger at her, never taking his eyes from hers. “Come here, raven.”

A bolt of desire shot through her at the quiet command in his voice, which sounded an octave lower than normal. His voice did crazy things to her insides at the best of times, but when it got all deep and intimate like that, every cell in her body melted. Her breath caught as she realized what he was doing.

Suit porn,
she thought dizzily
.

The man had remembered what she’d said all this time and was giving her her suit porn fantasy. She put a hand on the edge of the doorframe to keep her knees from wobbling.

Already light-headed with anticipation, she sauntered toward him. The sensual glint in his eyes intensified as she neared, his appreciation of her body and her willingness clear. She stopped within arm’s reach in front of him, watching his eyes, but he merely gazed up at her and waited.

She was a little breathless at the prospect of him bringing one of her favorite, hottest fantasies to life. But
day
-um, that calm, authoritative and knowing look he gave her made it feel like she was melting from the inside out.

“Take off your dress.” Again, that quiet, commanding tone, the one that said he expected her to obey and knew she would. A light shiver rippled over her skin.

Yes, sir.
She was only too happy to comply.

Slowly, drawing out the moment and making him ache for it as much as she did, she reached behind her to undo the zipper in the center of her black, Victorian-style lace dress. When it parted she eased the halves down her chest and arms, spellbound by the way his eyes raked over her body, pausing on the black lace bra. It was such a rush, seeing this man so hungry for her.

She slid the dress inch by inch over her hips, caught the way his eyes flared when she was left standing in nothing but her bra, panties and black high heels, the ones that had sexy straps around the ankles and a cute little bat ribbon at the top of each heel.

Clay held out a hand, palm up, the gesture controlled. Expectant.

She placed hers in it, her abdomen flipping when his long, strong fingers closed around hers in a firm but gentle grip. He had a way of touching her that always made her feel protected and cherished at the same time. A gentle tug downward and she followed the unspoken command, going to her knees between his splayed thighs, putting her at eye level with the bulging erection straining the front of his slacks.

On her knees, anticipating the moment when she’d get to pleasure him, she felt as powerful as a goddess. Strong, erotic, beautiful. He made her feel all those things with a single look, one simple touch.

It was no wonder why she’d gone and fallen head over heels for him.

Licking her lips, Zoe looked up into his face, her entire body humming.

“Undo my belt and hand it to me.”

And then it hit her.

The scene she’d written a few days ago. He must have read it while she was working and hadn’t noticed because she’d been so caught up with what was happening on her mind’s screen.
But knowing that Clay was about to do those deliciously erotic things to her?

Oh my god…

Her toes curled in her cute little bat heels, desire coursing through her like an electrical current. Her nipples went rock hard and her sex swelled.

Her hands were trembling, slightly clumsy with excitement as she did as he said, sliding the cool, slick leather out of the loops and placing it in his grasp.

There was no hesitation in her at all. She trusted him without reservation and knew he’d never use it to hurt or harm her.

Instead, he’d use it to restrain her and drive her out of her mind by taking her to the edge of release again and again, only letting her come when she was writhing and begging and pleading. Or he might do the opposite and keep going, driving her from one orgasm to the next while ignoring her cries for him to stop until she was mindless from pleasure overload and too weak to move.

She couldn’t wait to find out which it would be tonight.

The room held a hushed intimacy as they stared at each other, as if a spell had been woven. In the charged silence that followed Clay reached out with his other hand to touch her cheek, and for the first time she noticed the tie in it. Red silk, just like in the book.

Zoe sucked in a quiet breath, knowing that at some point that silk would become her blindfold. She adored his penchant for noticing details, and though she knew he had set this whole thing up for her, judging by the thick erection she couldn’t wait to get to, he was enjoying this as much as she was.

Dying to see what he’d make her do next, Zoe raised her head and met his gaze. He was staring down at her with a mixture of desire, adoration and tenderness so powerful it stole her breath. He stroked the backs of his fingers down her cheek, the added caress of the silk tie sending shivers through her body.

Oh yeah, he’d planned this out carefully. Knowing him, probably the same way he would when planning an op. Detailed. Methodical.

One look in his eyes and she knew this was going to be a night she’d never forget. From experience she knew he’d take what she’d written in that scene and add in a few of his own surprises. She squirmed in anticipation, heart tripping when one side of his mouth quirked up in amusement at her obvious eagerness.

“Soon, baby girl,” he promised, then leaned forward and took her face in his hands. She curled her fingers around his wrists, soaking in his heat and strength and vitality. “First I want to tell you something, but I don’t want you to freak out,” he said in a quiet voice.

A huge lump formed in her throat as his words registered, echoing what she’d said to him that night at her place in New Orleans. She tried to swallow around it, nodded.

He stared directly into her eyes, his gaze revealing everything he felt for her, nothing held back. “I love you, raven.”

Even though she’d guessed it was coming, tears flooded her eyes and a sob caught in her chest. For this powerful, jaded man who’d been hurt so badly to trust her that much and be the first to say it, completely leveled her emotionally.

She’d been waiting to tell him she loved him, wanting to be patient and give him time to settle into their relationship, not wanting to push him. Now she wanted to say it back to him so badly but couldn’t get a single word past the hot ball of emotion in her throat.

Thankfully he seemed to understand because he smiled and brushed her tears away before they could fall, never taking his hands away from her face. “You’re not freaked out, right?”

She shook her head, trying to stop her tears.

He grinned. “Good.” He bent to press a slow, lingering kiss to her lips. “Now be a good girl and unzip my pants before I bust a seam down there,” he murmured against her mouth. “I’ve got a tie and a belt waiting here, and I’m not afraid to use ‘em.”

Zoe gave a watery laugh and tipped her face up to kiss him properly. Overflowing with love for this incredible, brave man, she opened herself to him completely and let the fantasy unfold.

—The End—

Thank you for reading HUNTED. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you’ll consider leaving a review at one of your favourite online retailers. It’s a great way to help other readers discover new books.

If you liked HUNTED and would like to read more, turn the page for a list of my other books. And if you don’t want to miss any future releases, please feel free to join
my newsletter
. Direct link:
http://kayleacross.com/v2/contact/

Romantic Suspense

Hostage Rescue Team Series

Marked

Targeted

Hunted

Titanium Security Series

Ignited

Singed

Burned

Extinguished

Rekindled

Bagram Special Ops Series

Deadly Descent

Tactical Strike

Lethal Pursuit

Danger Close

Suspense Series

Out of Her League

Cover of Darkness

No Turning Back

Relentless

Absolution

Paranormal Romance

Empowered Series

Darkest Caress

Historical Romance

The Vacant Chair

Erotic Romance (writing as
Callie Croix
)

Deacon’s Touch

Dillon’s Claim

No Holds Barred

Touch Me

Let Me In

Covert Seduction

I couldn’t write books without a great team behind me to perform quality control.

Katie, my sister-from-another-mother, you know I love you!

To Kim and Kate, my fantastic beta readers, I greatly value your input.

My fantastic editor, Joan, who polishes the manuscript.

And my hubby, whose attention to detail is second-to-none. Thank you all!

NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards and has been nominated for both the Daphne du Maurier and the National Readers’ Choice Awards. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.

You can visit Kaylea at
www.kayleacross.com
. If you would like to be notified of future releases, please join
her newsletter
. Direct link:
http://kayleacross.com/v2/contact/

• Title page
  
• Author’s Note
  
• Table of Contents
  
• Prologue
  
• Chapter One
  
• Chapter Two
  
• Chapter Three
  
• Chapter Four
  
• Chapter Five
  
• Chapter Six
  
• Chapter Seven
  
• Chapter Eight
  
• Chapter Nine
  
• Chapter Ten
  
• Chapter Eleven
  
• Chapter Twelve
  
• Chapter Thirteen
  
• Chapter Fourteen
  
• Chapter Fifteen
  
• Chapter Sixteen
  
• Chapter Seventeen
  
• Chapter Eighteen
  
• Chapter Nineteen
  
• Chapter Twenty
  
• Chapter Twenty-One
  
• Epilogue
  
• Complete Booklist
  
• Acknowledgements
  
• About the Author