Page 42 of A Cougar's Kiss
“Nevermind,” Eli told him. “I figured out what happened to the security camera in the cell. It was chewed and then burned.”
“Chewed? Like food.”
“Exactly.”
“What the hell are we dealing with here?”
“I don’t know, but Rome is not happy with what we’ve learned and he’s going to be even less happy when we tell him the rest.”
Jace nodded. “Yeah, you’ve got a keg about to explode up there in D.C. and I’m sitting down here with another one. Things just keep getting worse for us.”
Eli didn’t respond to that and they disconnected the call.
Jace sat on the couch and resisted the urge to call Amelia.
* * *
Early the next morning Shya stepped out of the shower feeling rejuvenated. She had no joint pain, no headaches and she’d slept better than she had in a very long time. It was no wonder she was smiling when she walked into the bedroom. Seeing Keller sitting on the edge of the bed wasn’t a bad good morning either.
“Hi. I thought you would have gone downstairs by now since you were up and showered before me.”
He shook his head and stood. “Not making that mistake again,” he said as he crossed the floor to stop in front of her.
At one point last night when she’d turned and realized she was wrapped in Keller’s arms she’d thought about kissing him. She loved the taste of their kisses and everything that usually happened as a result, but she hadn’t. Instead she’d snuggled close to him, resting her cheek on his chest and letting the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat lull her back to sleep. This morning, however, he looked good in his black jeans and crisp white t-shirt. He hadn’t been wearing his boots when she went into the bathroom, but now they were on and laced, his still damp hair combed neatly at the top, jaw clean-shaven.
“I’m not that person anymore,” she told him when he looped an arm around her waist. “I can handle being in this room alone without freaking out.”
He narrowed those gorgeous green eyes at her. “Are you sure? Because I don’t know that I’m okay being away from you now.”
The words sounded odd coming from him and he acknowledged that by scrunching his forehead the moment they were out.
“This is new to me,” he admitted. “And to you too. I guess we’re just playing it by ear.”
He was cute when he wasn’t in charge or boasting that he knew everything about everything. With the towel securely tucked around her, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck.
“I can play,” she whispered and came up on the tip of her toes to drop a kiss on his lips.
Keller returned her kiss, without hesitation or preamble, he tilted his head and slipped his tongue inside her mouth. She leaned into him, accepting the kiss with fervor. When his hands flattened on her back, she moaned at the strength of his arms wrapped tightly around her and the hard body pressed against her. It was like she’d always read in her books and then some.
“We have to get downstairs for the debriefing.” He whispered the words over her lips when he’d finally been able to stop the kiss.
But really it hadn’t stopped because between each word his lips were touching hers, or his tongue was licking them, or his teeth nipping the line of her jaw.
“Mmmhmmm,” she sighed and flattened her hands on the back of his head.
“You have to get dressed,” he said as he lifted a hand to ease beneath the top of the towel before pushing it down from her body.
“Are you going to help me with that?”
He pulled back far enough to look down at her before repeating her previous, “Mmmhmmm.”
She couldn’t help it, she chuckled, and he smiled before dipping his head to suck one nipple into his mouth. “Oh,” she sighed and then he grabbed the other nipple between his fingers. “Oh. Yes.”
Her hands fell to his shoulders, fingers grasping the material of his shirt as passion spiked through her body. He made sounds like he was gorging on her and they turned her on. When he replaced his mouth with his other hand and continued to ease his tongue down her torso, her legs trembled, and she wondered how long she would be able to remain standing.
That thought immediately fled from her mind when Keller picked her up and turned to drop her onto the bed. Before she could question him or wonder what was happening next, he had her legs up, dropping them over his shoulders as he leaned down to place his mouth on her mound.
Shya couldn’t accurately explain the sensations rippling her—it was a combination of bliss and beauty, sexy and sensational, and more, she wanted so much more. As if she’d made a verbal request, he thrust his fingers inside of her while his mouth continued to work her clit and suckle her plump folds. She grabbed the comforter between her fingers, holding it tight and pulling it from the bed. Her back arched and she gasped for breath before whispering his name.
