He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. Come here. I don’t want to think about anything but you. You said yes.”
She smiled his way. She couldn’t say anything but yes to him.
“Wrap your legs around me.” He picked her up and before she could take another breath, he impaled her on his cock.
Lara let the pleasure flow over her, stronger now because they were going to share a future.
TWELVE
Connor sat up in bed, the first light of dawn just beginning to breach the edges of the window. The curtains blocked most of the light, but enough shined through that he could make out the sleeping form of the woman next to him.
His almost wife.
His mind worked through the possibilities. Could he manage to get her to sign the paperwork without seeing his real name? He definitely wasn’t going to put a fake name on his marriage certificate. He wanted it legal and binding. That was the whole point. He wanted her tied to him before she found out the truth.
Or he could tell her and pray she could forgive him and attempt to start their marriage with some sort of trust.
He’d let go of his rage once he realized he was doing exactly what Gabe had accused him of. He was expecting Lara to behave in a manner that was counter to her nature. She believed she was doing right and she’d placed that on a higher plane than telling him the truth. She wouldn’t do that once they were married. She’d promised she would put him and their relationship above anything else.
She said that because she doesn’t know what you are, you idiot. Once she learns the truth, she’ll dump you so fast your head will spin.
She turned in her sleep and rolled up next to him with a little sigh. He caressed her back, tracing the line of her delicate spine, and she settled down. Even in her sleep she responded to him.
Fuck, he couldn’t lose her.
He brushed his hand over to her belly and thought about what a bastard he was. The first time he’d taken her in this crappy motel, he really hadn’t thought about anything but getting inside her. It hadn’t penetrated his brain that he’d taken her bareback until she’d said something. He’d just thought about how hot she was and how she fit him like she’d been made just for him.
And then he’d seen his play. His end game. It had been a little thought in the back of his head before, but now it was all consuming. How many chances would he get before he had to tell her the truth? She’d said it was a bad time. That sounded perfect to him. If she got pregnant, maybe it wouldn’t matter that he’d done nothing but lie to her. By then, he would be her baby’s father and she wouldn’t deny him. Even if she were mad, she couldn’t cut him out of her life entirely. He would take care of her and she wouldn’t be able to maintain her rage forever. Lara didn’t have that in her.
He just needed to stay close and he could win her. Distance was the enemy. Whatever happened in the next few weeks, he had to keep her chained to his side.
God, he sounded like a bastard—but a desperate one. Because he worried deep down that if Lara Armstrong knew exactly who she’d agreed to marry, discovered how black his soul really was, she would never want him again.
Connor sighed. He needed to call Dax and find out what the hell was going on. They couldn’t stay in this motel for long. How was he going to convince the Bratva that Lara wasn’t involved anymore? She could choose to walk away, but until the Russians believed it, she was still a target. He couldn’t stand the thought.
He slipped out of bed, away from her warmth. The minute he broke contact, he could feel the chill. He was certain it wasn’t real, knew it must be more of an emotional thing, but it was there all the same. When he was with her, he was warm in a way he’d never been before. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her.
He found the table and his cell phone. He grabbed his pants and shoved into them. He didn’t want to get dressed. He wanted to get back into bed with Lara and forget the rest of the world existed. He could be the man he’d told her he was and she could not be hunted by the Bratva and some insane duo of dueling informants who wanted god only knew what.
He shoved his feet into his sneakers.
“Connor?”
He turned back. Lara was half up, propped on her left elbow. All that crazy hair was around her. Every part of him softened with the exception of his dick. “Go back to sleep, princess. I’m just going to make a few calls and see if we can head back into town. I’ll get us some coffee.”
Her lips curled up as she lay back down. “And a little sugar. I like mine sweet.”
She was the sweetest thing he’d ever seen. “Of course. I’ll be back in a little bit. Lara, do I need to say it?”
“Don’t leave the room. Don’t open the door. Don’t let anyone shoot me. I got it.” She pulled the covers up. “Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“I love you, Spencer. You have to let me call you by your first name now. We’re engaged.”
His heart twisted. “Call me whatever you like as long as you say yes. Be back soon, princess.”
Fuck, she didn’t even know his name. She was going to be so upset when the truth came out. He had to make sure she didn’t hate him, and part of that was making sure she was safe. With one last glance at her, he grabbed his keycard and slipped outside.
He was already punching Dax’s contact number as the door closed.
“I hate you.” Despite being career Navy, Dax wasn’t a morning person.
Connor couldn’t worry about that right now. “I asked her to marry me.”
That wasn’t what he’d intended to lead with. He’d intended to go straight into a debrief about what had happened the night before. He needed to know what Dax had found in Freddy’s room and if anyone had shown up at Lara’s after the ambush at the Mall. But no. It was like he was fourteen fucking years old and he’d found his first girl.
“You’re shitting me. That’s great, man. I can’t believe it.” It sounded like Dax had woken up.
“Yep. I’m marrying her. I just have to figure out how to manage it without her finding out the whole truth.”
“Connor, she has to know eventually.”
He knew that, but it didn’t have to be now. Things were delicate between them. “I just don’t think this is the right time. I need a couple more days with her. She claims she wants out of the investigation. She’s going to hand all her information over to Everly and then she’ll be out of this mess.”
“No, she won’t. Not if she’s marrying you. Unless you’re planning on leaving the rest of us high and dry. I kind of thought we were in this together, brother.” Dax’s tone held a hint of accusation. “I’m fairly certain I could die of some unknown biological agent after going into that freak’s apartment. I hope I didn’t do that just to have you get all happy and dump the rest of us.”
“What?” He had to worry because Freddy really was kind of a freak.
“I’m joking. Mostly. I opened a door and it dumped baby powder all over me. Or an unholy amount of anthrax. I’d probably be dead so I think we can go with baby powder.”
“He’s trying to mark you so he can see where you went while you were in there.” Baby powder would go everywhere, but it would also get on shoes and trace wherever a person went.
“I don’t give a fuck if he knows where I’ve been. I want to know if you’re leaving the investigation. We were counting on you.”
He would never leave them alone in this. “I’m not out. I just want Lara out.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible.” A long sigh came over the line. “I’m going to give you some advice. Tell her. Tell her now and bring her into this. We’ll set her up with Everly and let them work through the problem. She’ll be angry, but working with Everly will give her something to do other than hate your guts. It will also draw her in, make her a part of our group. Don’t isolate her. She seems like the type of woman who likes having a circle. Show her you can provide her with one. By the way, this dog is useless.”
He wasn
’t thrilled with the idea of Lara working with Everly. There were too many Thelma and Louise possibilities with that pair. “Lincoln? He’s not so bad.”
“As guard dogs go, he’s a waste of canine flesh. Two barks and then he was following me around begging for treats, at least until he ate them all. I kind of wish I could beg someone for food, too. What the hell is a vegan meatball and why does it smell so bad? That thing shouldn’t exist.”
“Sorry. I should have warned you. Lara’s a vegan. But she makes pretty mean black bean tacos. Did you find the evidence?”
There was a pause and then Dax replied, his voice low. “Yes.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“I can’t describe it. You have to see it for yourself and then we have a decision to make.”
What the hell was this evidence? “What’s that?”
“Whether we take it to Zack or try to bury it.”
He whistled. “It’s that bad? You don’t think this is something Freddy trumped up?”
“No. This is evidence from three different sources. I didn’t sleep much after looking at it. I don’t know what to think. I just know we have to do something. We have to find Deep Throat.”
In all the running of the night before, he’d almost forgotten a crucial point. “That’s going to be harder than you think since Lara’s informant isn’t Deep Throat.”
“Are you kidding me?”
It was a problem that should have kept him up all night. Instead, he’d done nothing but think about Lara. She made him soft. “Not at all. I got a good look. He’s a different man. We’re dealing with at least two people. I don’t know how many more. We could be dealing with a group, and that scares the hell out of me. I didn’t get a photo of the new guy. Did we ID the one Everly met? I don’t know whether to hug that girl or threaten to kill her.”
“I think she knows she’s in trouble. I heard Gabe shook the walls of the Lincoln Bedroom last night, and not in a good way.”
If Gabe was anything like him, he’d eventually shaken those walls with more than his yelling. Connor was rapidly discovering that no matter how angry he was with Lara, he still wanted her. He’d meant to lecture her, but the minute they’d gotten alone, the need to mark her, to remind himself that she belonged to him, had overwhelmed him. “I’m just glad she backed Lara up. At least one of them had the sense to carry a gun.”
“According to Roman, the woman was a known associate of the Krylov syndicate.”
Connor snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Okay. She wasn’t from the New York branch. She’s from Saint Petersburg, and I’m not talking about the one in Florida.”
She was from Krylov himself most likely. “So they’re sending in the big guns.”
“I think it’s safe to say they’re sending in people they trust,” Dax explained. “The woman Everly killed is wanted by Interpol in association with at least ten hits across the globe. She was an assassin.”
He was definitely giving Everly a hug. “So they’re sending professionals after Lara.”
“It would seem so. Listen, there’s something else I need to talk to you about. I discussed it with Roman last night. He dealt with the police and they’re keeping this quiet for now.”
“Good. The last thing we need is press.” They would hound Lara and if anyone got a hint this had something to do with Mad’s death, it would never end. Lara would be exposed and that might kill her.
“I think Roman’s going to make a play soon. It’s another reason to tell her and to bring her into the family. As long as Roman considers her an outsider, she’s a threat to Zack. This evidence of hers isn’t going to make it better. You need to sit down and talk to him or I’m afraid he’s going to try to crush her.”
He intended to explain to Roman that Lara was off-limits. He would make sure she didn’t do anything that could hurt Zack, but he wasn’t going to let anyone threaten her. “I told him I would handle her.”
“And he thinks she’s handling you. He doesn’t know her and quite frankly, Roman’s a cynical bastard who believes everyone’s out for themselves with very few exceptions. He hasn’t spent days tailing her. I know I haven’t spoken a word to the woman, but I like her. She’s one of those people who sort of glows.”
Like a fairy princess. “I won’t let him hurt her.”
“Then talk to him and soon. And come back to town. We had zero activity here.”
Getting her back home was his main objective. “I want to install a new security system and change her locks. I’m pretty sure she gives away keys to homeless people in case they want a place to stay.”
“I’ll call and get that started and upgrade the dog. Stop humping my leg!”
Dax was going to have to get used to Lincoln. Lara loved the ugly mutt and that meant he stayed. “That means he needs to go. His leash is on a hook in the front closet, and don’t forget the Baggies.”
“Baggies?”
“For the poop.”
“Dude, you owe me so big-time.”
“Somehow, I think you’ll find a way to make me pay you back.” He hung up and headed across the street to the coffeehouse there, his mind whirling with questions.
* * *
Lara tried to fall asleep again, but without Connor the bed seemed too big, the room too unfamiliar. She stretched and walked to the bathroom without bothering to put on her clothes. The truth was she didn’t mind walking around nude. It felt nice and Connor seemed to like her that way. When she was alone with him and they were naked together, she’d never felt more intimate with another human being. She loved being able to touch him, to lean against him and feel his strong arms surrounding her.
She washed her face and was grateful she hadn’t worn makeup the night before. The little motel was sadly sparse on the complimentary grooming items. There was a little box with a tube of toothpaste and a teeny-tiny shampoo and conditioner set. She had to finger brush her teeth, but at least she felt less grimy as she walked back into the room.
She found her phone and turned it on. A barrage of messages flared across the screen.
She sighed. Most of them were from Tom, but one from her dad asking her to call him caught her attention. She touched the screen to dial him back. After a few rings, he picked up.
“Lara? Sweetheart, are you all right? You didn’t answer your phone last night.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. I was busy and I turned it off. I just turned it back on. Are you all right?”
He paused. The line went silent for a long moment. “Sweetheart, something’s happened and I need to talk to you about it. I need you to know before the press gets hold of it.”
Her heart sank and she clicked the screen to put him on speaker as she started to gather her clothes. If her dad was in trouble, she needed to be with him. “What’s going on?”
“I told you I was going to meet with the president,” he began.
“Yes. Was that this week? I’m sorry I missed it.” She wasn’t really. Until she figured out what had happened to Zack Hayes’s wife, she wasn’t sure she wanted to meet the man.
“I’m not. It was a setup, sweetheart. I never met with Hayes. Roman Calder was waiting for me instead.” He sighed. “We had a long talk. I’m going to resign my seat.”
She looked down at the phone because something must be wrong with it. She couldn’t have heard what she thought she’d heard. Lara turned off the speaker and whipped the device up to her ear. “What? You’ve held that seat for ten years. Your constituents adore you. You can’t quit.”
“I’m afraid I have to. In a few days, a story will break about something that happened when I was in the state senate.”
A cold chill crept across her skin. He couldn’t be talking about what had happened when she was four. No one knew. It was buried. In order to dig it up herself, Lara had worked hard, called in favors, and still had to do a bit of reading between the lines. When the event had occurred, she’d been so young, but sometimes her anxiousn
ess and terror felt fresh. It still lingered under her skin. She couldn’t remember the precise details and that was almost worse. Her fear was vague, amorphous. It was precisely why she’d looked into the “incident” as her parents called it.
“Is this about the road construction contracts?”
“How do you know about that?” He sounded shocked.