Page 80 of Fire and Ice

Would he look for her? Should she have waited for him like a groupie beside the stage? What if he hated her?

Maia finally placed her order for a dirty martini after waiting for twenty minutes.A hand clamped down on her left arm and she was spun around and yanked into a hard chest.

Lee. He had changed his shirt but his longish hair was still curling from sweat.

"Maia?" his voice was hoarse.

Oh shit.

"Hi Lee."

His mouth tightened. He turned on his heels and dragged her along the length of the ballroom, not caring if he created a scene. His long rapid strides making it difficult for her stiletto heels to keep up with him.

"Lee, what the hell, slow down!"

They were behind the stage now and Lee pushed her into a dimly lit corner. Without saying a word his lips came down hard on hers in an angry, angst-filled kiss. His tongue invaded her mouth ruthlessly, fiercely tangling with hers. When his hand went under her skirt to palm her ass to bring her closer to him, Maia stiffened and dragged her lips away.

"Lee, stop it," she hissed.

Lee cradled her face with both hands, using his thumbs to force her to look up into his emerald eyes that were glittering with a mixture of anger and hurt. "You left me like a parched man in the desert. Disappear for five years ... I'm damn well having my fill of you!"

He kissed her again but this time it was more gentle, coaxing. Maia responded tentatively. Lee's kisses were great, but she was acutely aware that she was not reacting the way she once would have. And definitely not the way she did with Jack. Lee groaned into her neck, clearly aroused as his hardness started pushing into her belly. Shit, she needed to do something before she got fucked by the side of the stage like some groupie. He loosened the wrapped dress and trailedkisses down her neck.

"Are you staying in this hotel?" Lee whispered huskily.

"Um ... yes."

"Let's go to your room."

"No, Lee. I don't think that's a good idea," Maia said as she firmly pushed him away. "I'm here for the medical conference not you. I'm not one of your groupies."

Lee cursed and dragged his fingers through his long hair as he regarded her closely while she attempted to straighten her dress. He seemed to come to something of a resolution. "Wanna go get a drink and catch up?" he asked sheepishly in his trademark boyish charm.

"Now that I can do." Maia smiled up at him.

"God, you're as beautiful as ever," he said kissing her forehead as he entwined his fingers with hers and tugged her beside him. Together they walked across the expanse of the ballroom, fingers laced together and oblivious of curious stares around them.

***

Rick Grayson parked in front of what looked like an abandoned house in Ellwood Park. He had a tail from the DEA but they pulled up discreetly a couple of blocks up. He did not bother to wear a tracking device either, not wanting to risk raising any red flags when they did a scan on him. Picking up his briefcase with his laptop he walked up the worn-out porch steps and the door opened before he had even knocked.

The two guards from the convention center led him to a room where they ran a metal detector up and down his body. They inspected his briefcase with some electronic scanner to detect tracking devices.

"Where's Colt?" Rick attempted to make conversation.

"He's elsewhere," one of the men answered tersely.

Rick did a scan of the dilapidated structure. It was apparent that the drugs were kept elsewhere and that this location was just used as a checkpoint.

"Let's go."

The two men flanked him as they led him to the back of the house where there was a waiting vehicle. The driver already had the engine running. One of the guys got in the back seat with Rick, while the other got into the front passenger seat.

Without warning, the guy beside him put a hood over his head.

Damn. He had been hoping that he wouldn't have to wear one of these. When the car started moving, Rick concentrated hard on correlating the speed of the car, the elapsed-time and direction of the turns made. They traveled about five minutes before the car pulled up and stopped.

Rick was told to step out, still hooded as he was led up a short flight of steps. A door slid open before him as he was prodded through and led a further short distance before being relieved of the hood.

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