Page 56 of Deadly Sights

“My poor souffle,” he laments before hanging up.

“We can’t just twiddle our thumbs while we wait for Alastair,” Nadira says.

“We won’t. I have an idea.” I lead her back into the woods where the dead woman lies impaled. “She’s going to help us make you disappear.”

We retrieve her body and gun, then hide the evidence of the disturbed trap. Afterward, we place her behind the steering wheel of my car.

“Now what?” Nadira swipes her hands against her thighs.

“Follow me.” I lead her into an office building on the campus. In the old file room, I find what I need. “When they shut this place down, I figured they probably needed storage boxes to transfer files and would have had more than they needed.” I lift a dusty box of perforated cardboard. “We can start filling these while we wait for Alastair.”

Before we leave the office, we check to see if any files remain. Like the maintenance building, there’s nothing but cobwebs. We take the boxes and transfer the files from the dorm, using the light of our cell phones to aid us. At one point, I leave Nadira in her old dorm room to check the others. None of the other rooms had hidden files. When I join her, we pile the full boxes by the entrance. As Nadira finishes packing her last box, my phone vibrates.

I tell Alastair to back up to the door and open the trunk. While he stays inside and acts as our lookout, Nadira and I pack the boxes inside. When we finish our task, we jump in and drive to the stationary vehicle. Our hostage remains unconscious, and we quickly secure him in the new car.

Nadira and Alastair assist me in soaking the woman’s body and interior of the car with the gasoline Alastair brought, but the gas is extra insurance. My organization won’t be fooled by a charred corpse, even if it’s the same gender as Nadira. The true protection is the C4. I set the bomb and sit behind Alastair in the second vehicle.

Once we’re a safe distance, I trigger the detonator, satisfied when a dark mushroom cloud billows in the sky. As soon as I turn to the front, Nadira grabs my face and uses the first aid kit to clean the cut on my cheek.

“I suppose now’s a good time to mention that while hiding in the woods, I remembered the treasure buried under one of those death traps.”

I grab Nadira’s hand. “What else do you recall?”

CHAPTER 23

TRUST UNDER SEIGE

Nadira

“You. I remember you.” I press Julian’s hand against my chest where my heart beats. “I recall feeling drawn to you. On that first day we met, your sadness touched my heart. It was so like my pain that I felt less alone when you were close.”

Julian cups my face with his free hand, his eyes searching mine. His lashes flutter, but can’t hide the glimmer of tears that spill onto his cheeks. “You remember me,” he whispers brokenly.

“Yeah, I do.” I move to straddle him in his seat and kiss him, uncaring that Alastair can hear everything we say and need only glance in the rearview mirror to watch us, or that there’s an unconscious body in the back.

Uppermost in my mind is a desperation to be closer to Julian. To reestablish the connection we used to share and strengthen the one we’re building. After escaping another threat to my life, I am more grateful than ever for his presence.

I sink into Julian, devouring his lips and moans, unabashed by my vocal responses to him. Desire, like nothing I’ve experienced, slams into me. Although I could wait until we get home, I’m not willing to be separated from him for another second. I need to merge our bodies and souls in an act that reflects our unity. I rise and through awkward movements, pull down my pants, slipping off one shoe to free my leg and permitting me to straddle him again.

“My queen?” Julian asks in a low voice, his attention going to the back of Alastair’s head.

“Eyes on me,” I whisper into his ear. “And don’t make a sound.” I lean back for his response.

He nods, and I caress his cheek. He turns his face to kiss my palm.

With absolute adoration shining in his eyes, I unbuckle his belt to free his dick from his pants and stroke him until he fully hardens. I rise and slowly impale myself on his length, relishing the slow glide as he stretches me.

When my ass connects with his thighs, I take a few moments to soak in the sensation of having him inside me again. Julian grasps my waist, steadying me and providing me with extra stability. I comb my fingers through his hair and ask him in a voice only he can hear, “Would you like to wear my mark?”

He inhales and he takes a few seconds to answer me with a nod, but his assent is all I need.

I pull his head back, exposing his neck to lick the muscle bobbing with his every swallow.

Julian’s heavy breathing and slight trembling betray the control he exerts over himself.

I clench my pussy and suck his exposed skin, causing him to quiver every time. The world narrows to the two of us. His scent surrounds me; intoxicates me.

When his shirt hinders me from creating more signs of my claim, I debate whether to rip the offending item to get to the prize underneath. I decide against destroying his clothes, opting to unbutton the shirt to expose the rigid muscles underneath.

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