Page 46 of Dangerous Rhythm

His tongue soothed it next, gently lapping with an increasing tempo. In her state of high-out-of-her-mind in physical pleasure, Lina felt like she was one of his guitars that he expertly flicked, plucked, and strummed in varying tempos to create a melody that could lull her to oblivion one moment and send her rocketing to a crescendo in the next.

His mouth alone was creating havoc inside her, threatening a complete body meltdown. But then his fingers filled her and started pumping in and out of her, and she could hardly take much anymore.

“Curtis,” she hissed through her panting, “God, I’m…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she hit that crescendo note and fell apart. Her legs failed her for the second time that night, but she had Curtis to catch her. Again.

This time, with her body twice fulfilled, her heart ached for what she had to do next.

twenty

Curtis studied the hangar they drove into with wary eyes. A car had picked them up an hour ago, and they’d left Barcelona and now were god-knows-where. He’d seen only trees in the last half-hour of the drive, until they passed a gate and came to this hangar.

A one-engine plane was parked close to the open door. A couple of men stood by it, watching their car approach. One looked like he bench-pressed tanks for fun.

“Who are those men?” Curtis curiously asked.

Lina didn’t answer the question but said, “Can you help Javier with the bags? I’m gonna touch base with Raul and the pilot.”

With a deepening frown, Curtis watched Lina approach the men, and the huge guy enveloped—scratch that—almost swallowed her as he wrapped her in his Popeye arms.

Javier, the driver, yanked his door opened, making Curtis jump. Breaking his gaze from Lina and Raul, he followed Javier. They took out their two bags and his guitar case and stowed them inside the small cabin.

Curtis eyed the propeller plane skeptically. “Are we all flying in this thing?”

“Wait here,” Javier instructed.

“Are you coming with us, Javier?” Curtis asked, mostly just to make a conversation.

Javier wasn’t the talking type, either. His resounding no was plain and short as he left to join Lina and the two men.

The ride had been long, and Lina hadn’t been talkative. She was back in bodyguard mode again, all silent and stoic. He liked it better when she was moaning and calling out his name.

Curtis grinned as images from earlier played in his head like a movie. He might’ve imagined how Lina would be in the throes of passion, but he hadn’t expected her to run volcanically hot. But what shocked him most was his reaction to her.

He couldn’t exactly say what it was, but when Lina told him to never risk his life for her, he’d meant it when he’d said he couldn’t promise her that. He knew if her life was on the line, he’d do everything to prevent that.

The grin on his face vanished.

Curtis recalled the time when his sister had been abducted by her psycho ex. Brandon had been out of his mind, and when there was a slight chance of rescuing her, he hadn’t hesitated. Brandon would’ve put himself in between a bullet and Callie.

Shit.

He shook his head.

No way.

Like Lina said, it was an infatuation that could happen between a client and their protector. It was just that he’d been cooped up with her for days. Sure, he’d gotten to know her in a way he couldn’t have done before. And seeing her relaxed and just being human had been refreshing.

It’s just a crush.

Curtis nodded forcefully, as if the act would make his thought true and final.

“Curtis,” Lina called him. She was already by the open airplane door. “I want you to meet Raul Rojas. He’s an old friend of mine from when I was in the service.”

Curtis frowned slightly, but nodded at the built man wearing all black. “Good to meet you. You were in the Army?”

“The Spanish one. Lina and I worked on some joint missions.”

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