Page 66 of Seeking Vengeance
“God, you’re hot when you talk dirty, Nix.” Taser chuckled, completely unfazed.
Nicki rolled her eyes.
The soft whir of nearly silent chopper blades had Nicki looking up sharply.
“Ah, good,” said Taser. “He’s here.”
Nicki stood and put her hands on the rail post, squinting for a better view. A sleek black helicopter suddenly appeared over the tree tops and prepared to land right in the clearing in front of her. She watched as the pilot expertly maneuvered the craft, touching down as lightly as a feather. Whoever her new partner was, he was one hell of a pilot.
The engines were cut, and the soft whir grew fainter over the next several minutes as the blades slowed and then finally ceased moving. Only then did a familiar figure swing gracefully out from the pilot’s seat and begin walking toward the cabin.
Sean Callaghan. She’d know that confident, stalking gait anywhere. Images of those broad shoulders, muscular chest, and lean hips were hardwired into her brain.
Nicki glanced back at Taser. He met her gaze head-on. She swore his eyes were actuallyglowing.
What was he up to? Had Sean proven to be too much of a threat? Had Taser tricked him into coming here, to this remote, godforsaken location, using her as bait? Did he expect to eliminate two birds with one stone?
No, the sane part of her answered. Not even Taser would be that arrogant. To take out Sean, he’d have to take out the entire Ghost Team, and while the Chameleons were good, they weren’tthatgood.
Nicki turned back toward Sean. She watched him close the distance between them, until he stopped only a foot in front of where she stood.
“Meet your new partner,” Taser said from behind her, amusement lacing his voice. “Nix, Sean Callaghan. Sean, Nix Milligan.”
Nicki wanted to turn around and scowl at him, to demand to know what game he was playing at, but she couldn’t. It was impossible to look away from Sean’s icy-blue gaze. Without touching her, Sean tangibly held her captive, as if he’d bound her head to toe. His expression was fierce, but the reasons behind it were undeterminable.
Was it hunger? Anger? Resentment? Relief? Need? Or, like her, did he feel all those things at once?
They stared at each other forever—or so it seemed. Time didn’t flow around Sean Callaghan like it did everywhere else. It might have been a few seconds or a few minutes.
Then, with the suddenness of a cobra strike, Sean pulled her into his arms and commanded her mouth.
Nicki’s head swam with the taste of him as her body ached against him. Was he bigger, harder? Or was her mind playing tricks on her? The thought of fighting him never entered her mind. Sean assumed immediate and absolute control of her heart and body with her mind chasing behind, yelling,Wait for me!
For those few moments, there was nothing else in her world.
“Ah, I’d forgotten you’d already met,” Taser said.
Nicki felt, rather than heard, the growl in Sean’s chest at the blatant interruption. Had Taser not reminded them of his presence, Nicki was sure Sean would have taken her right there on the steps. Even worse, she would have let him.
The sound of Taser’s voice brought Nicki back to reality—or at least cut through some of the Sean-induced fog to which she seemed so susceptible.
“He’s my new partner? How … how is that possible?”
Sean’s eyes sparkled like blue diamonds. He had released her lips, but his arms kept her tight against him—and his massive arousal—in a cast-iron grip.
“Call it a collaboration, if you will,” explained Taser. “A joint venture between the Chameleons and the Ghost Team.”
Sean’s eyebrow arched at the reference. “The Ghost Team? Is that what you call us?”
Taser shrugged. “Blame her. She’s the one who came up with it.”
“What kind of collaboration?” Nicki asked suspiciously.
As Sean’s heat and need seeped into her, she grew stronger. It was odd, she thought, how his presence both controlled and empowered her at the same time.
At Taser’s suggestion, they moved inside to continue the conversation. Nicki made a move to take a seat next to Taser, but Sean tugged her down next to him. He refused to let go of her hand, even for a moment.
“Think of it as a transfer of sorts,” Taser said a while later, after he’d outlined things. “Technically, you still belong to me”—Sean growled audibly at this—“but your assignment is to assist the Ghost Team. Sean will be responsible for you during this time.”
