Mercenary Trilogy - Willing Part 15

Claire stood shyly to one side, and Daniel noticed right away that Hotwire didn't hug her."Thank you so much for coming." Josie smiled up at the blond man as if he'd found the cure for canceror something.

"It's no trouble. You're a friend, Josie." He turned to Daniel. "Hey, Nitro. I tried to call you last night

and early this morning on your cell phone, but I got voice mail. You didn't call back."Daniel hadn't known his cell phone had almost no signal in the hotel room, so he hadn't heard it ring. He'd been relieved when he'd listened to the messages after realizing he'd missed two calls because they'dboth been from Hotwire. His friend had only wanted to give an ETA for his arrival at PDX and to say he'd had no luck looking for Josie's dad via the Internet yet.

"I didn't check until early this afternoon." When he'd first become aware he'd missed the calls. "By then

you were airborne.""Why's that, I wonder?" Hotwire asked, his blue eyes too d.a.m.n knowing."We had a break-in here last night. The whole day has just been crazy," Josie said, probably thinking she was explaining Daniel's uncharacteristic behavior.Hotwire knew better, and his shrewd gaze met Daniel's. "I was real surprised you didn't answer last night. You usually sleep with your cell phone beside your bed. And there was no answer when I calledJosie's phone either."She sighed. "My cell phone was lost in the fire.""I called here. Didn't any of you hear the phone ring?""I was working," Claire replied, her vague expression giving nothing away of Daniel and Josie's movements.

She was a discreet roommate, the best kind if you had to have one.

Josie turned an interesting shade of pink, and he waited to see if she would tell Hotwire the truth, but her

lips stayed sealed while her moss green eyes a.s.saulted him with mute appeal. Did she want him to

explain, or to lie?He'd never lied to either Wolf or Hotwire, and he wasn't going to start now. He put his arm around herwaist in an unmistakable gesture of possession. "Josie and I weren't here last night."

She didn't pull away, but her body was tenser than that of a member of the NRA at an antiwar rally.

"Where were you?" Hotwire drawled, seemingly endlessly amused by the situation, if the twinkle in hispale eyes was anything to go by."We stayed at a hotel.""For security reasons?""N-""Are you hungry?" Josie slotted in before Daniel could even get the word out. "Dinner's ready."She stepped away from him and headed into the kitchen. "You know where everything is, Hotwire. Why don't you get freshened up while I put the food on the table?"

Josie had known as soon as she stepped away from Daniel that it had been the wrong thing to do. His expression had turned to stone, and he'd been more withdrawn than ever over dinner.

He hadn't even sat beside her at the table. There were six places at the table, and Claire had left one end and the chair to its right unset. Daniel had chosen to sit on the other side of Claire, leaving the chair to Josie's left for Hotwire.

He'd allowed the conversation to flow around him without making much contribution, leaving it to Claire and Josie to tell Hotwire about the break-in and their belief it had been the work of her father's would-be killers. Every time she tried to draw Daniel into the discussion, he answered monosyllabically, which was not out of the ordinary for him, but frustrated her nonetheless. She could just feel him smoldering, even if nothing showed on his face.

"You have no idea where your father is?" Hotwire asked her as he pushed his plate aside.

She directed her thoughts away from her lover and back to the discussion at hand."No." She stood up and started clearing the table so she could serve dessert. "I'm going to finish readingthe journals just in case I'm missing something, though."

"We can start going through the computer files tonight."She smiled at him, relieved they had a direction to go for their investigation. "That would be great."She hated feeling helpless, and knowing her dad was somewhere out there, maybe even not remembering why he'd left the hospital, filled her with fear.

Daniel had risen when she did and silently began stacking plates. He put them in the dishwasher while she

dished up four bowls of French vanilla ice cream and poured a berry compote she'd made earlier overthem. Despite the smallness of her kitchen, she and Daniel did not b.u.mp once."Can I help with your investigation in any way?" Claire asked as Josie and Daniel each brought two bowls to the table and sat down.

"I'd love your help, but I don't want you missing cla.s.ses on my account." Josie sighed, remorse eating ather insides. "I feel guilty enough that you lost so much just by having the bad luck to be my roommate.""Don't say that," Claire replied, her eyes and voice filled with distress. "None of this is your fault.""If I'd kept a better eye on Dad, he could help us identify his attackers a lot more easily and might even have known they'd want the computer files, too. We could have been here waiting for the thieves."Hotwire reached out and squeezed her hand. "Not even you could keep your dad from bolting if that was what he wanted to do. He's too good a soldier, and if you'd been here, the perps wouldn't havetried last night, and you wouldn't be sure today that the bombing was linked to the school's files.""Thanks." But she still felt badly.She couldn't help it. Her dad was at risk, and she felt as though she'd let him down in some way.

"After what happened last night, I'd prefer to bunk on your floor out here rather than hit a hotel."

Hotwire had already brought in his duffel bag.

Daniel could have told Josie she'd lost the argument before it began, but he let her go through the spiel about how Hotwire would be more comfortable in a bed and there was no need for him to stay at the house.

He gave Daniel a meaningful glance. "If Nitro can survive sleeping on the floor, so can I."

After the way Josie had acted earlier, Daniel figured that was exactly where he was going to end up sleeping. He didn't know if she was regretting giving herself to him, but she sure as h.e.l.l didn't want Hotwire to know about it. As much as her denial of him irked Daniel, a woman had a right to choose who she took into her bed.

If she didn't want him there after last night, he didn't figure any male posturing on his part was going to accomplish anything more than embarra.s.sing her and increasing his own temper. He had no intention of risking either outcome, so he remained silent.

"Daniel isn't sleeping on the floor." Josie bit her lip and then looked up at him. "At least I don't think he is."

Stunned by her volte-face from earlier, he tried to figure out if she was saying what he thought she was saying before he responded.

"Where's he sleeping?" Hotwire asked, his Georgia drawl p.r.o.nounced. "He's not kicking you out of your bed, is he, Josie?"

She swallowed and shook her head, her gaze not leaving Daniel. "No. He's sleeping with me."

Looking vulnerable and uncertain, her eyes asked him if she'd spoken the truth.

He reached out and cupped her nape, pulling her into him like he'd done earlier, but this time she relaxed against his side. She smiled up at him, her expression filled with relief, and he wondered if he would ever understand how the female mind worked.

He caressed her neck with his thumb. "Hotwire's not sharing our bed. It isn't big enough."

"I wasn't suggesting he should, but there's no reason for him to stay here when it means sleeping on the floor."

"I'm a lot shorter than you," Claire said from the hallway, looking at Hotwire. "I'll sleep on the couch, and you can have my bed. It's only a single, but it's longer than the sofa."

"My mama would string me up by my toes if I booted a lady out of her bed for my own comfort."

"But-"

"He's slept in much worse places, Claire. Don't worry about him." He looked down at Josie. "And don't try convincing him to leave. He's about as stubborn as a Missouri mule."

"So have I," Claire said earnestly. "I mean, slept in worse places. Really, sleeping out here would be no problem."

But just like Daniel had known he would, his friend refused to be budged, and after they did an external reconnaissance of the property and surrounding area, Hotwire got comfortable in a sleeping bag on the floor.

Josie's bedroom door opened, and a tattoo of antic.i.p.ation started playing in her chest. She hadn't been entirely certain he would come, even after what he'd said. She'd hurt him when she hadn't openly acknowledged the closeness in their relations.h.i.+p, and she'd realized it too late to change anything.

She wasn't used to this kind of thing, and Daniel's blatant possessiveness in front of their friend had thrown her thoughts and reactions into a confusing mora.s.s before she'd finally gotten herself straightened out sometime during dinner. She wanted to be his lover for as long as possible, and if that meant other people knowing about them, then she'd take out an ad in the Oregonian.

He came into the room, shutting the door behind him, and leaned back against it, looking dark and dangerous. "Do you want Hotwire?"

If he'd thought about it for an hour, he couldn't have found a more shocking question to ask her. Stunnedinto silence, she opened her lips, but couldn't make her mouth form an answer.Finally, she asked, "What?" wondering if she'd misheard him. Hoping she had.He stalked over to the bed, his expression giving no clue as to what was going on inside his head. "Do you want him?""No. How can you of all people ask me that?""You hugged him."What was he talking about? "When?""When he got here.""He's my friend. I was saying hi.""You smiled like you were really glad to see him.""I was."Daniel's glare could have melted metal."Why is that a problem? You invited him here.""I did not. He said he wanted to help, and I told him he could.""What difference does it make?" This conversation was not how she'd antic.i.p.ated spending their time alone together. "He's our friend. He's got skills neither of us has, and he wants to help. That's a good

thing."

"You weren't glad to see me. When I told you I was going to help you, you argued with me, but as soon as you found out Hotwire wanted to take part in the mission, you got all happy."

And that really bothered Daniel, she realized belatedly. "You've been weird all day, ever since you toldus Hotwire was coming. Are you jealous?"As unlikely as she found the prospect, she couldn't think of another reason for Daniel's att.i.tude.

"Do I have a reason to be?" he asked rather than denying it."You must know you don't." She'd been a virgin, for crying out loud. He had to realize she wanted himin a way she'd never wanted another man.

"All I know is you're glad to have him around, but you tried to get me to go away."

"It's different with him; it always has been." She'd never felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room when Hotwire walked into it.

Daniel, on the other hand, had the impact of a fully armed tank engaged in battle on every one of her

senses.

"Apparently."

"Daniel, until yesterday, I thought you didn't like me," she said with exasperation. "Hotwire's been my friend since the first mission we had together."

"I didn't dislike you dam-darn it. I wanted you, and I thought you didn't want me. My disposition suffered because of it, but I liked you-more than I wanted to."

"I know that now." Well, she'd known he wanted her, but she hadn't realized he really liked her. It was a nice thing to know about a man she planned to take into her body as soon as this strange discussion was over. "But before, I thought you couldn't stand the sight of me. You've got to see the difference between that and how it was with Hotwire. He didn't...I mean, doesn't threaten me."

Daniel swelled with outrage. "I've never threatened you."

"Not overtly, but the feelings I have for you threaten my peace of mind and my equilibrium. Thinking you didn't like me made it almost unbearable to be around you. You should understand that. You basically felt the same way about me because you thought I didn't want you. Our mutual discomfort just showed itself in different ways."

As she said the words, she realized how true they were, and a lot of the insecurity she felt about Daniel and his reactions to her dissipated.

However, he didn't reply, or get into the bed, or do anything to relieve the tension arcing between them.

She tossed around in her mind for something else to say, something that would decrease his insecurity like hers had just been. "Will it help if I promise to hug you every time I see you after an absence, too?"

"I'm your lover. Hotwire is only your friend. I want more than a hug."

"I'll kiss you, too, okay?"

"It's going to be distracting, but okay."

Were men always this illogical about relations.h.i.+ps? "If you don't want to be distracted, all you have to do is say so," she replied, aggravated.

"I didn't say that." Then he short-circuited her ability to respond by peeling off his s.h.i.+rt and unb.u.t.toning his pants. "I like being distracted by you."

"I'm glad." She was also glad they were done with a conversation she found nonsensical at best and totally incomprehensible at worst.

He unzipped his pants, revealing a bulge that showed their talking hadn't inhibited his s.e.x drive at all. His almost black eyes spoke messages her inner woman could not misinterpret or ignore. "I'm sorry we couldn't stay at the hotel longer."

Her thighs clenched, and she let her gaze slide from him to her once unadorned bedroom. "I don't know. The ambiance in here is pretty nice."

He'd brought the flowers from the hotel back with them. At some point that day, he'd taken the time to put all of them but a bouquet he left on the dining room table in her bedroom. The roses had transformed her bare sleeping quarters into a secret garden. "Thank you for bringing the flowers."

He shrugged. "It seemed a shame to waste them."

"Yes." But she would have been too self-conscious to ask to keep them. Sentimentality had little place in the life of a soldier, and old habits were hard to break.

Daniel pushed his pants down his hips, along with his jockey shorts, and her thought process scrambled again. Smooth, dark skin over well-honed muscles made her breath catch in her throat, but even his

magnificent physique was overshadowed by the sheer presence and male beauty of the hard flesh juttingout from his body."You're gorgeous.""That's my line."Her eyes reluctantly traveled up his body to his face at the humor in his voice. Despite the smile lingering at the edges of his lips, his look seared her.She opened her mouth to speak, and nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again. "It's not a line.""No. It's not." He stood, proud and unembarra.s.sed by his nakedness. "Invite me into your bed, Josette.""I thought I did that earlier," she said, her voice hoa.r.s.e with the effect his nakedness was having on her.He didn't reply, but stood there waiting in silence.Apparently he wanted something more than tacit agreement, or a statement of intent. "Is an invitation so important?"

"Yes. This is your bed. Accepting my presence is not the same as welcoming it."

She wanted to know why the distinction was so important to him, but was not prepared to have another

drawn-out discussion. She would ask him later.

Flipping back the covers, she revealed the almost there, sheer pink panties and short stretchy tank top