His mouth turned to sawdust when she reached for the knot holding her towel up.
“We’re doing this,” she went on.
She undid the knot.
“So deal with it, Nick.”
The towel dropped.
An instant wave of red-hot lust slammed into him and set his body on fire. His gaze roamed every inch of her naked body, from her perky breasts and cherry-red nipples, to the sweet curve of her hip, to the shapely legs that looked so smooth to the touch. Her lily-white skin was still pink from the shower, and it turned even pinker as his gaze trailed over all of that tantalizing flesh.
When he focused on the strip of red curls between her legs, Rebecca’s green eyes danced with humor. “Natural redhead,” she quipped.
He choked out a laugh. “I never had a doubt. You’ve got that redhead stubbornness, remember?”
Despite the alarms going off in his head, he found himself reaching out and touching her bare hip. Just the mere graze of his fingertips over her hip bone.
She shivered.
He quickly withdrew his hand. “This is a bad idea.”
“No, it’s not.”
“We...can’t.”
“Oh, for the love of God, Nick. Stop being so difficult and let me help you forget for a little while.”
With that, she climbed onto his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him senseless.
As her tongue filled his mouth and her fingers dug into the nape of his neck, Nick surrendered.
He kissed her back. Long, deep, desperate. The next few minutes were a blur. All he could see was Rebecca, all he could feel and smell and taste was Rebecca. They fell back on the mattress, her curvy naked body still plastered to his fully clothed one, and all the pent-up desire he’d felt for this woman came spilling out like water from a broken dam. Their kisses grew hotter, more intense, until they were both gasping for air, and suddenly Rebecca was clawing at the hem of his shirt in an attempt to pull it up.
With a husky groan, he helped her out, ripping the shirt off in one smooth motion, then tackling his zipper and shoving his cargo pants and boxers down his legs. When they were skin to skin, they let out simultaneous moans, their hands taking on lives of their own.
Nick explored every sweet curve, every feminine secret. While his pulse drummed in his ears, he squeezed her breasts, kissed them, laved them with his tongue, toyed with her nipples. He loved the way she moaned in response to his sensual ministrations. The way she pushed her breasts into his palms and begged for more.
When he slid one hand between her legs and discovered the liquid honey pooled in her core, he nearly lost it.
He needed this woman more than he needed his next breath, and it took every agonizing iota of willpower to leave her so he could rummage in his bag for a condom. He returned to the bed in a nanosecond, sheathed himself, then covered her body with his.
No more foreplay. No lead-up. But Rebecca didn’t seem to mind. She welcomed him into her wet heat and he groaned at the feel of her inner muscles clutching him like a glove.
“Oh, God. Nick.”
Her breathy words and the glaze of pleasure swimming in her eyes sent him soaring to a new level of turned-on. He withdrew slowly only to plunge back in fast, then met her eyes and murmured, “You’re incredible.”
She responded with a soft whimper and hooked her legs around his ass to deepen the contact.
The pleasure was unbearable. Unstoppable. He’d never been a selfish lover, but damn if he could stop this all-consuming train of lust. He needed it too badly. Wanted her too much.
His hips pistoned into her tight heat, his mouth fastening over hers. He kissed her until they were both breathless again. Despite that overwhelming need for release, he managed to hold off, to coax her closer to the edge by reaching down to rub her sensitive nub.
Only when Rebecca came apart beneath him did he let go. Closed his eyes, let the ecstasy consume him, let his mind go blissfully empty. When the waves of release finally ebbed, he collapsed on top of her. Drained. Sated.
Man, he’d needed that.
It took a few minutes to catch his breath, and then he rolled onto his side and drew Rebecca to him. Her hair tickled his left pec, her body warm and boneless as she snuggled close, but it wasn’t until she let out a little sigh of pure contentedness that the guilt made an appearance.
Jeez. He’d taken her hard and rough like a goddamn caveman. Hadn’t even taken the time to make her hot, to get her ready.
As he opened his mouth, armed with an apology, Rebecca suddenly grumbled in frustration.
“You think way too much, Nick.” Sighing again, she disentangled herself from his embrace and sat up. “Don’t you dare apologize to me. I wanted this. I instigated this.”
It didn’t surprise him that she’d read his thoughts and known exactly what he’d been about to say. “Right,” he said. “I forgot about your little seduction plot.”
She smiled ruefully. “This wasn’t part of the seduction. I...I was trying to help. You looked so sad and broken and...” She shrugged. “I wanted to make you feel good, even if it was just a temporary fix.”
Temporary. The word lingered in his mind, resonating with truth, reminding him of the reality of their circumstances. Whatever happened between him and Rebecca, it would be temporary. Eventually they’d have to say goodbye, and there was no way around that.
“But trust me, when I decide to full-on seduce you—” she stalked naked toward the tote bag she’d left on the carpet, tossing him a glance over her shoulder “—it’ll involve a lot more than a quickie before we have to meet your dad.”
Another rush of guilt rose inside him, but Rebecca yet again chided him before he could speak.
“No apologies,” she repeated. “I wanted a quickie. So, please, let’s just get dressed and get this meeting over with.”
He couldn’t figure out if this careless, no-biggie attitude of hers was a front, but there was no time to question her. She was right. At the moment, he needed to focus on this impending reunion with his dad.
The rest they could figure out later.
* * *
Secretary of Defense Kirk Barrett had already arrived when Nick and Rebecca emerged from the heavily wooded ravine bordering the park where they’d arranged to meet. Nick had spent the past fifteen minutes scouting the area to make sure a team of mercenaries or snipers wasn’t watching the park, and he had just concluded that the coast was clear.
That he even had to take such precautions when meeting his own father brought a pang of sadness to his chest. He hated considering that his dad might have an ulterior motive or that he may have planned an ambush, but Nick hadn’t stayed alive this long by being stupid. No matter how much he loved his father, he had to at least acknowledge the possibility that the man he’d always idolized could be involved in this conspiracy.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t feel a rush of relief when his recon turned up nothing out of the ordinary. As promised, Kirk Barrett had come alone.
“You ready?” Rebecca whispered as they stepped out of the woods where he’d forced her to wait until he determined it was safe to come out.
“Not really,” he mumbled.
The residential park contained a small playground and a circular concrete fountain with several wrought-iron benches situated around it. He and Rebecca walked through the shadows toward one of the benches where a lone figure sat in wait.
Nick’s heart soared, then got stuck in his throat like a piece of gum. A year. It had been a year since he’d seen his dad. Damn, he’d missed the old man.
At their approach, Kirk Barrett rose from the bench. Visible relief flooded those familiar brown eyes, and Nick was shocked to hear a choked sob slip out of his father’s mouth.
“Nicky.”
The next thing he knew, he was enveloped in his father’s arms. He couldn’t remember the last time his father had hugged him—the secretary rarely showed his affection in the form of physical contact
. But here he was, hugging Nick so tight that his lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen.
When they finally broke apart, Barrett urgently searched Nick’s face. “Are you all right, son?”
Nick nodded, feeling a little choked up himself. “I’m good. Thanks for coming, Dad.”
“Where the hell else would I be?” the secretary grumbled. “And where the hell have you been, Nicky? What the fu—” He stopped mid-expletive as he seemed to remember he was in the company of a woman. He glanced at Rebecca apologetically. “Pardon my language. I’m slightly rattled, in case you couldn’t tell.”
Rebecca smiled politely. “It’s all right.” She extended a hand. “Rebecca Parker.”
“Yes, I recognize you.” He took her hand. “Kirk Barrett.”
“I recognize you, too, sir.”
As they shook hands, Nick tried to gauge Rebecca’s reaction to his dad. Her green eyes revealed nothing but cordial interest and slight caution, making it difficult to figure out where her head was at.
His dad, on the other hand, was easy to read. Concern was splashed all over the older man’s face, those familiar handsome features that were so much like Nick’s. Kirk Barrett was in his early fifties, but he looked a decade younger; people often mistook him and Nick for brothers rather than father and son.
The secretary gestured for them to sit, his brown eyes never leaving his son’s face. “I thought you might be dead,” he said frankly. His voice hardened. “Why the hell haven’t you contacted me this past year?”
Nick let out a breath. “I couldn’t risk it. I didn’t know how high the conspiracy went, and I didn’t want to endanger you in any way. I was trying to protect you.”
“Endanger me? I’m your father, Nicholas! I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you.” Barrett held up his hand to silence Nick’s objection. “You should have contacted me. End of story.”
Nick couldn’t help but smile. He really had missed his dad’s deep, commanding voice and no-nonsense manner.
“But it’s in the past and we don’t concern ourselves with the past,” Barrett said brusquely. “So, now tell me everything. Every last detail.”
“That could take a while,” Nick said with a sigh.
In the end, it took nearly thirty minutes to recap the events of the past year. Nick told his father about the mission in Corazón, Hector Cruz’s confession that Dr. Harrison had killed the villagers, Sebastian’s encounter with the virus in D.C., the break-in at the hotel in Mala. Through it all, the secretary of defense said nothing. Didn’t blink, didn’t move, just listened silently while wearing that shrewd expression Nick had grown up with.
When Nick mentioned the attack on Rebecca and her crew, his father finally reacted, sympathy filling his eyes. “I saw it on television. Those were some horrific images.”
“Yes, they were,” Rebecca said sadly.
“I’m glad to see you’re all right. Everyone in the country was out of their minds with worry when that screen went black.” The secretary turned back to his son. “So I assume you and Ms. Parker tracked down our missing aide?”
Nick nodded.
“And?”
He shifted in reluctance, dreading this part of the conversation.
“Talk to me, son,” his dad ordered.
Letting out a breath, Nick told his father everything Paul Waverly had said in that beach house.
When he finished, a chasm of silence stretched between them.
The wounded look on his father’s face caused guilt to tug at his insides, but Nick refused to apologize for voicing Waverly’s allegations. This needed to be addressed. He needed to know the truth, damn it.
“Well?” he said when his father still hadn’t answered.
The secretary arched one dark brow. “Are you asking me if I ordered a hit squad to kill you, Nicholas?”
He nodded.
“And if I allowed a deadly biological agent to be engineered in a U.S. lab and then tested on human guinea pigs?”
Another nod.
“And if I ordered Mr. Waverly to poison Sergeant Stone? And sanctioned an assassination attempt on three members of the ABN news team?”
Nick swallowed the lump in his throat. “Did you?” he asked hoarsely.
“No.”
One syllable. One tired voice, one sad expression.
It was all Nick needed to hear. How could he have ever doubted it? Of course his father wasn’t behind this.
On Nick’s other side, Rebecca didn’t seem as convinced by the secretary’s quiet denial. She leaned in so both men could see her and fixed Barrett with a cool look. “Then who did, Mr. Secretary?”
With a gentle smile, he met her narrowed eyes and said, “I think we all know who’s responsible for this.”
Rebecca paused for a beat. “Fred McAvoy.”
“Seems like the likeliest culprit.” Disappointment and anger hung from Barrett’s every word. “McAvoy gave Waverly the vial containing the virus. And because my deputy didn’t have access to the vials confiscated in the raid—they were shipped directly to the CDC—then that means he procured his sample elsewhere.”
“Directly from the D&M lab,” Nick guessed.
“McAvoy was not acting on my orders. I need you to believe that, son.”
“I believe you.”
Barrett turned to Rebecca. “But I sense that you’re the one I must convince, isn’t that right, my dear?”
Her tiny shrug confirmed that he’d hit the nail on the head.
“So, Ms. Parker, what will it take to make you a believer?”
She met his gaze head-on, and Nick couldn’t help but be impressed. Not many people had the nerve to stare his father down like that.
Or to ask the question that smoothly left Rebecca’s mouth.
“Would you kill to protect your country?”
The secretary rubbed his clean-shaven jaw. “If you mean would I kill someone who is a threat to the country, a member of a terrorist cell, a double agent, a threat to national security? Then yes, I would—at least if the justice system failed to competently handle the issue first, as it unfortunately often does.” He held her inquisitive gaze. “But an innocent? An entire village filled with innocent people who did absolutely nothing to wrong this nation? Never.”
The conviction echoing in Barrett’s words was unmistakable, and Nick could swear he saw a gleam of approval flicker in Rebecca’s expression.
“And never my son,” the secretary continued in an impassioned voice. “Before my Jeannie died, I promised her that our kids would always be taken care of, always be loved and protected. Nicholas and Vivian are the most important people in my life.”
“I believe you,” Rebecca said softly.
Nick experienced a burst of relief. This was the reason he’d asked her to tag along. He’d needed that validation. Her validation.
And it startled him just how much he’d come to value Rebecca’s opinion and advice this past week.
“So what now?” she asked, looking from one man to the other. “How do we expose McAvoy?”
“I’ll deal with McAvoy,” the men said unison.
Laughing, they exchanged a look, and then the secretary’s features hardened. “You’re officially out of this fight, son. Let me handle it from this point on.”
Nick just laughed again. “Dad, I love you, but we both know that ain’t gonna happen. I’ll be the one talking to your deputy, same way I dealt with your fugitive aide.”
His father’s jaw went stiffer than stone. “I can get the truth out of Fred.”
“So can I. And my way will be a lot quicker.”
Nick didn’t even bother sugarcoating it; his dad had been Special Forces himself, once upon a time. He knew the score. The methods a soldier sometimes had to utilize.
“Is McAvoy married? Kids?” Nick asked before his father had another chance to argue.
“He’s single. He lives alone in Fairfax County,” Barrett said grudgingly. “But he’s out of town at the
moment handling a delicate matter in Beijing. He’ll be back in two days.”
“Text me his address to this number.” Nick recited the number for his secure cell so his father could key it into his secure cell.
The fact that both of them had untraceable phones for the sole purpose of covert communication made him want to laugh, but he fought the urge because, really, there was nothing funny about any of this.
“Don’t do anything foolish, Nicky,” his father warned. “And I want you to check in with me every few hours. You’re not disappearing on me again.”
“Don’t worry, once I get the truth out of McAvoy, we’ll handle the fallout through official channels. But I don’t want you to act until we have confirmation that McAvoy was involved. If you make a move before that, or give any indication that you suspect something, you’ll risk tipping McAvoy off, and then he might skip town just like Waverly did. Promise me you’ll sit on this until I have more for us to go on.”
Although the secretary didn’t look thrilled about it, he gave a quick nod. “Fine. We’ll do this your way, son.” That authoritative gleam in his dark eyes made a swift reappearance. “For now.”
Chapter 13
“Well?” Nick drove away from the side street where they’d left the rental SUV that had been arranged for them by the hotel concierge.
In the passenger seat, Rebecca released a little sigh. “I didn’t lie back there. I believe your dad, Nick. Nothing about him triggered my B.S. meter.”
She didn’t miss the relief in his eyes, or the way his broad shoulders relaxed. “So it wasn’t just me.”
“No. I think he’s telling the truth.”
“Me, too.”
“So what now?”
The question was becoming her new catchphrase, and she found it odd how readily she allowed Nick to call all the shots. Yes, she’d promised him that she would follow orders, but she normally wasn’t so obedient—God knew her parents could vouch for that.
“Now we stay out of sight for a couple of days until McAvoy returns from Beijing, and then I pay him a visit.”