Page 32 of Liaising Kai

“They have Jonny Z.”

She gritted her teeth. “It doesn’t matter. He won’t talk. None of them will talk if they know what’s good for them.”

“Word is they’re leaving Ecuador in the morning.” That left everything hanging on her shoulders. Her boss would expect her to clean up Jonny Z’s mess and make sure the feds were kept in the dark about what was going on. Stupid, fucking Eduardo Mosquera and his daughter. He’d jeopardized the whole thing with his screwup. Eduardo had set this whole thing in motion and now her big fish was wriggling on the hook. Finch better not fight too hard. Freddy knew how to handle big fish. Besides, she had Finch on a sexual hook that was stronger than his greed.

“We can hit them on the way to the airport,” he said, his tone hard.

“No, they’ll be prepared for that.” She bit her lip, banking her anger. That wasn’t going to help to resolve this mess. “What the hell happened? How did this go so wrong?”

“We’re not sure. There’s really no information about how they got Jonny Z and the others.”

Was everyone down there incompetent? Did she have to do everything herself? “I don’t like the sound of that. The Americans have ways of fucking us over without us knowing who is doing it. One of their shadowy organizations. Again, it doesn’t matter. We’re committed to this path. If we don’t succeed, we’re all dead. The Angel of Death will see to that. He may have taken over Nacho’s territory and routes, but he’s no passive drug lord who will cut his losses. He can’t afford it. This shipment will put him on the map. It’s everything to him.”

“Then let’s take care of this. I can get a strong crew together and get them at the airport.”

Maybe that wasn’t as bad an idea as she thought it was. It would take care of all their Ecuadorian problems, including the feds who thought they had gotten a leg up in their investigation. “Let me think about it.”

“We have another problem…a loose end.”

“Who?”

“Sargeant Dario Loor.”

“Damn.” She swore for a few seconds. “We can’t have loose ends. Take care of it.”

His whole body trembling, Davis clenched his jaw, his heart still slamming in his chest, the intensity of his release leaving him totally spent. He caught the musky scent of sex, sweat, and hot skin, the feel of her tight around him, gripping him, anchoring him deep inside her felt so good. So damned good.

This was one giant step toward what he ultimately wanted with Kai, and the other leap he’d taken, he’d had to say it. He couldn’t go another second without telling her how he felt.

Drained dry by the thick, wringing climax, Davis inhaled unevenly and turned his face against her soft neck, the rush of blood still pounding through his head. He lay unmoving until his pulse rate quieted, then he stirred, his body heavy, his muscles slow to respond. Dredging up what little strength he had left, he braced his weight on his forearms, his chest contracting when he realized how desperately Kai was hanging on to him.

Sensation wrenched loose in his chest, and he closed his eyes and rested his head against hers, his throat suddenly contracting. He meant everything he said to her, even about her not having to say a thing. She would in her own time, and that would be enough for him. He drenched his senses with the heated scent of her, relaxing into this moment fully.

It would be morning all too soon. They’d be on their way to the airport, and the investigation would take center stage again. He’d risked it all with her by telling her how he felt, but without risk there was no reward, no moving forward, no dealing with what was between them.

He lifted his head and looked into her flushed face. Her eyes were closed, giving herself a few private moments to recover from what had just happened between them. Her breathing was still choppy, but he took in the whole of her. Her body was so damn beautiful, her long slender neck, her full breasts with soft pink tips, her smooth belly, and her gorgeous long legs. All of her was toned to perfection.

Finally, her lashes fluttered open, and she slowly glanced his way. Her gaze was guarded and her expression tentative, even a bit uncertain. She looked so damn vulnerable, and that was a term he never would have associated with her. She was a powerhouse, brave and confident. But that was the woman he knew in her professional role. He had to admit that he didn’t know her very well personally, but he wanted to, and he hungered for her trust.

He’d ordered his world, not by design, but by what felt good to him. His childhood had been secure, comfortable, and regimented. He enjoyed that stability. But when it came to relationships that were not guaranteed, like his parents’ love, he felt fragmented, and he hated that fragmentation. His fear of disconnecting from her drove him to avoid confrontation and conflict with her. He saw that it caused him to resist her attempts to exclude connection and intimacy, leading to him rejecting her advances, and even allowing him to move forward with his own desire. What he needed to see here, what he finally saw with her, was that she had her own thoughts and desires. She wasn’t like him, and that was so fucking okay, and he was glad that he could see that, letting her find her own way was something he wanted her to do. Coming to him fully committed or not was up to her no matter how much he wanted her to choose him.

“Kai—” he began, only to be surprised when she claimed his mouth. He hadn’t been expecting that lovely assault, and it caught him off guard just long enough for her to seriously destroy whatever common sense and rational thought he might still have. But then he wasn’t sure he’d had much of either when it came to this woman.

He gave into this moment as she thoroughly kissed him, then she sighed and rubbed her cheek along his jaw. “You’re taking me to places I thought I wouldn’t ever get to again.”

This sexy, brave woman never ceased to intrigue him. She was going to meet him head-on. It was either going to end up okay, or a terrible, ugly crash. But maybe the crash would also be all right. He’d avoided his feelings when it came to her and ended up with superficial relationships. On the surface, they were great, but deep down, he knew they were never right.

“That’s a good thing,” he murmured. We deserve to have a relationship that terrifies us, strips us down, and fills us with awe. Life is too short to cling to the safety rails.”

She winced slightly, as if his words had touched something raw inside her, then, her voice uneven, whispered, “Sometimes it’s very hard to let go.” She opened her eyes and looked at him, that same uncertainty in her eyes.

He inhaled raggedly, then brushed his mouth against the curve of her shoulder, his hold on her tightening. He cupped the back of her head, holding her with a strength that was all-encompassing. Wanting to reassure her, he managed a wry smile. “Yeah, I have a firm grip a lot of the time, too. We cling to what we know. What we think keeps us safe.”

Her breath caught, and she dragged her fingers through his hair, cradling him against her as if he’d said something miraculous. A jagged sigh escaped him, and he pressed a kiss against her neck. There was something profoundly poignant in the way she held him. When he raised his head, her eyes filled, and she drew an unsteady breath, running her hand up his back, blinking hard as if trying to control her tears. She held his gaze for a moment, the disquiet in her eyes deepening, then she looked away.

His tone was as gentle as he could make it. “Don’t, babe. You don’t have to hold back with me.” Kai opened her mouth to speak, but she swallowed hard instead. To comfort her, he brushed his mouth against hers, then very carefully kissed away her tears.

“I have so much baggage, Davis. So much, but I can see a glimmer in the distance. Please don’t give up on me.”

---