Cobb’s gaze sharpened. “It hurt you. His death.”
“He was my father.”
So she could be hurt. Was that why she’d chosen her work? He opened his mouth to ask more questions but stopped when she waved a hand.
“The past is irrelevant.” Her perfectly painted lips twitched as she stood and sauntered around the desk toward him. Her scent of roses came with her. “You know I don’t manipulate men. I love everything about the males of this species. Their strength.” She dropped to her knees between his legs. “Their determination.” Her palms smoothed up his legs to unbutton his pants. “Their courage.”
Desire slammed into him. Hard. Even though he understood her mind, even though they often had opposing goals, she had him here, and he knew it. So he grabbed her hair and yanked the braid free, letting the glorious mass cascade down her back. In her midfifties, she was truly stunning.
She released him from his pants and stroked him, her skin softer than silk. “We need to proceed slowly, Elton. No more crazy news conferences.”
He barely kept his eyes from rolling back in his head. “We’ll talk later.”
“Now.” She leaned over and let her heated breath brush the tip of his dick. “My soldiers have regrouped. They’re going after the cop.”
Cop? What cop? Cobb tried to focus and instead spread his legs more. “Wait. I met with the cop a short time ago. Malloy. He didn’t know shit.”
She sucked the tip of him into her mouth, her grip strong at his base. “No matter. We’re taking him alive for information. Well, probably.” Then she swallowed him whole, forcing him to the back of her throat.
He should protest, but his head fell back and his eyes closed. Then, as she no doubt wanted him to, he completely forgot everything but her heated mouth.
Denver kept an eye on the quiet woman in the passenger seat, taking back roads in a long circuitous route to make sure they weren’t being followed. Freezing wind blew in through the shattered windows and bullet holes. He couldn’t believe Madison and Cobb had nearly caught up to him with Noni in the car.
Damn it.
He’d known he would be a danger to her. And he’d been right.
She huddled in her seat, her gaze sightless out the window. No doubt in shock. He turned up the heat to battle the open air and took another icy corner. “We’ll get you into a hot shower soon, sweetheart.”
She barely nodded.
He reached for a burner phone and called Detective Malloy.
“What?” Malloy snapped.
Denver winced. “Ah, we left your house and got into a bit of a skirmish. Enemies from my past, from the Gray brothers’ past, have obviously been watching you.” He waited for Malloy to explode, but the cop remained quiet. “You should get out of town. Take Tina on a vacation.”
Malloy finally breathed out. “Who are these people?”
“Can’t tell you.” Denver said. “They have to be watching you. That’s the only way they could’ve found me.”
“Then they can come and get me,” Malloy said darkly.
Denver sighed. Since he’d left Malloy, the cop was probably safe. But he and the Gray brothers needed to cut all ties with the detective for his own safety. “Just think about a vacation.” He hung up.
Man, he hoped Malloy listened. One problem at a time, though.
He focused on the dark and snowy morning, his memories tumbling back from the quiet. Yeah, he’d known Dr. Madison would someday find him. She’d told him as much.
He was eight years old, sitting on an examination table while the doctor took his blood pressure. They were using a local doctor’s office for physical tests today, and Ryker and Heath were somewhere in other rooms. He wished they could all be tested together, but that never happened.
“So perfectly steady,” she said, unwrapping the cuff. “You also performed very well on your calculus test earlier today. Equations and also spatial relations is going to be a snap for you.” Gently, almost kindly, she ran a hand down his hair. “You’re everything I could’ve hoped for, Denver.”
He swallowed, entranced by her gentle touch but wary of the sharp gleam in her too-blue eyes. “Thank you.”
Approval lifted her dark eyebrows. “You’ve been so strong and silent the last two times we’ve met. I like when you talk to me.”
He looked around the small room, absently counting the cotton balls he could see through the glass jar on the narrow counter. “Okay.” Kicking out his legs, he thought again about her real name. He hadn’t seen her in two months, and he wondered what she knewabout his life. He extended his arm, showing a myriad of bruises cascading to his wrist. “These hurt.”
