Ziggy stepped back from Julian and stripped off her gloves. “I’ve closed the exterior wound; bleeding has stopped. He’s stable. And hopefully he’ll keep healing at this rate. He’s got a saline drip going, but he needs blood. He should be in the hospital.”
Abraham looked at Ziggy. “We’d be explaining a GSW and my presence at a cartel guy’s house. I’m not saying Julian shouldn’t be arrested. But the mob will want recompense for Castenada’s death, which brings a whole lot of bad down on him, the hotel, and us.”
Cobb ended the call. “I can drop you guys off and I’ll meet a team at Castenada’s.”
Abraham shook his head. “I’ll drive them. Julian’s car’s around the corner.”
Cobb eyed the unconscious man. “So we just leave him?”
“He’ll be out for some time, and I’ve done all I can,” Ziggy said.
I spoke from the floor where I held Hunter against me. “Get us home. Maybe Pery and the guys can keep an eye on him. If there is some sort of mystical power source here, it might help.” Listen to me, being all helpful. Hunter would never let me live it down.
Cobb put up his hands. “Abe, can you come back to check on him? If he survives, maybe the feds will get him to turn state’s evidence.” He leaned over to give Ziggy a kiss. “I’ve already got four bodies to explain—I don’t need another one here.” He moved toward the door.
We left Julian in a clean bed with an IV in his arm and his cell on the nightstand.
As Abraham lifted Hunter, I lingered behind to study the cartel criminal. He was younger than I’d originally thought, maybe mid-thirties. Bruising shadowed his eyes, and his chest rose and fell with steady breaths. A full-lipped mouth fell slack, surrounded by dark stubble. He certainly didn’t look like a dangerous criminal. More a benign but exhausted man caught up in something he regretted. I left the door ajar and hurried to catch up with my friends.
Chapter Sixteen
Hunter on missing time and doing all the wrong things
Iwallowed in a thick soup of exhaustion, arriving at wakefulness with a warm body wrapped around me. It was a familiar feeling and not unwelcome.
An orange tabby blinked in my face, lit only by ambient light from an unknown source. Stirring, I stretched and basically relished in the warmth, my mind buzzing with images. Thinking caused my brain to hurt. A literal dull ache at my temples. I let the thoughts go and floated.
The floating didn’t last long. I pieced together the past few days. Maybe we’d drunk too many beers on the camping trip. I couldn’t remember the drive home. But the evening before would be seared into my memory. Regge’s confessions, his fears, the two of us in the open meadow and snuggling under the stars. My hands on his taut muscular body. The delicious sound he made when he came.
A hand snaked over my waist, and I was pulled closer. Regge’s fingers flexed at my belly. I sifted through memories like a broken colander, everything slipping through. Words filtered across my mindscape.Sorry. Coward. Julian? The hotel?I recalled seeing Abraham, but… Oh, yeah, I needed to return the tent.
Archimedes pushed a fat paw onto my chin and mewled with hungry impatience. “Good morning, Archie. Are you looking for food?”
“Shh.” Regge’s breath was hot against my neck.
“Reg? We gotta get to the hotel. We should get up.”
Another mumble. Shifting to face him, I gazed at him. He looked both younger and older this way. And gorgeous, sleep-addled and relaxed. Handsome and a little roguish during waking hours, his looks rivaled angels when he slept. I couldn’t resist kissing his nose, remembering our hot-mouthed kisses under the moon.
Regge’s eyes opened. I stared. “God, you are so hot. You know that?” I had to say it. No one could look this good and not be told.
He blinked. “Hunter? You’re awake.” He pushed back, peering at me with such intensity, I had to look away. “You’re you? You’re awake!”
My mouth quirked. “Yes. Amazing, aren’t I?”
That hot mouth swooped in with kisses, pulling away only to plant more kisses over my face. “You are. Amazing. So amazing. God. I’m so… happy.”
Our lips met, parting to allow a taste. The kiss deepened into the unexpected. I went with it, relaxing back onto the bed, letting Regge make me feel good. And I did. I felt so good. That pleasant, safe, happiness soon evolved into desire. A burning need to have him. Make him mine.
I pushed back to see Regge’s eyes, to make sure he was real. “Whoa. Hey, wow.” I blinked, focusing on the full kiss-plundered lips in front of me. “What are we doing? Don’t get me wrong, I kinda love it, but… don’t we need to get to the hotel?”
“What?” Regge frowned. Shaking his head, he focused on my jaw, his lips searing my skin until he found a pulse point. “No,” he said between kisses. “We’re all good. The hotel’s fine.”
“But Nigel. We’re still helping him, yeah?”
“Mmm.” Regge’s hands slid under my boxers, gripping. “Take these off,” he murmured, the command turning my insides out. Regge was never shy, but he wasn’t overlydemonstrative when it came to affection. But seeing this needy, dominant side of him sent a shiver through me. I did as he asked.
Regge stripped out of his own clothing. Lying back down, he arranged us to lie on our sides, facing each other. His hand slipped between us. The dark lashes fell, his lips parting into a gasp as he found me. I leaned in with a groan as Regge stroked with just the perfect grip. I could still be dreaming. This was too much.
