Catori opened her mouth to draw in air when her release hit, but it was useless. She gathered up more of the rumpled sheets in her fists as her body exploded. Red’s cock felt like it expanded inside of her as waves of contractions rippled around his shaft. Like always, he never let up on her clit either as he knew that only prolonged her orgasm.
“You need to come for me…”
“I did!” Catori cried out, sitting straight up in bed and looking around wildly. Perspiration dripped down the side of her cheek and she swiped away her damp hair, catching her breath and trying to make sense of what had just occurred. The hotel room was empty, with only the air conditioning making noise if she discounted her hard respiration. “Shit.”
It had felt so real. Catori didn’t need to look down at her nipples to know they were hard and that her panties were damp. With trembling hands, she pulled the white tank top she’d been sleeping in over her head, trying to cool down. Had she truly come from just a dream? They were becoming so real lately that if she hadn’t embarked on this new journey to reopen Red Starr’s doors she would have thought she was losing her mind. Work had given her something to do and she had thought that it would quell these dreams. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to feel Red and keep this part of him, but sheknewthat it wasn’t real and that scared her most of all. She could handle fear, but she couldn’t take feeling downright frightened of…some type of premonition. That’s what it had felt like, but she couldn’t put her finger on why.
Glancing at the clock, Catori debated on whether she should shower and start her day early. Four o’clock in the morning was a little excessive, but there were people who would be awake by now who would be able to assist her in checking off some of the items on her to-do list. She ignored the exhaustion that was settling in her bones. She knew that she was replacing one bad habit with another, but she didn’t care. Work was becoming her salvation and once things were in full swing, she would settle into a normal routine. She would.
Chapter Nine
‡
Three days later,Catori found herself in the state of Washington. Her original destination had been to drive to Wyoming and visit Aaron “Stick” Scott at his home, but he didn’t make it easy on her. Wasting this much time didn’t make her happy and she damn well hoped that this man was worth every minute she’d lost. She pulled alongside a couple of trucks before shutting off her engine and exiting her convertible.
The temperature wasn’t as warm here as it was in the Midwest, so she was thankful that she’d brought more than a couple of blazers on this trip. This red one was a little longer than the others and while it had a cloth type belt the edge of her jacket fit over her weapon a little easier. It wasn’t even sunrise yet, but from what she’d gathered, if she didn’t catch Stick this morning she wouldn’t have a chance to speak with him for the next six months.
The diner’s lights lit up the wharf as bells from the ships tinkered and their engines hummed. Catori walked toward the lively eatery, scouting for Aaron Scott through the windows. She caught sight of him at the counter, finishing up what he thought was going to be his last meal on land for the next twenty-four weeks. He didn’t realize it yet, but his luck was about to change.
“Excuse me,” a man mumbled after he’d opened the door and signaled his exit with the chime above their heads.
Catori used it to her advantage and smiled her appreciation for his politeness in holding the door open for her. She closed the distance to the counter and took the empty seat next to Stick. He didn’t look up from his coffee cup, which appeared to have only one more drink left. Sure enough, he swallowed the contents and then reached behind for his wallet.
“We can technically call this a business meeting,” Catori said, placing her hand on the written ticket laying by his plate and sliding it her way. Finally she’d garnered his attention. Unlike Doc’s darker blond hair, Stick’s was lighter and he still maintained his military cut. He’d let it grow out slightly on top, making her immediately think of the surfer model photographers used for ads at the beach. His blue eyes met hers and it was obvious he wasn’t anywhere near the free spirit of a surfer. “Mind if we take this conversation somewhere private?”
“I don’t think so,” Stick replied, resuming taking out his wallet and pulling out some cash. He threw three five-dollar bills onto the counter and then stood, returning his billfold back from where he got it. He did have the courtesy to nod his appreciation for her gesture before turning to go. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”
“I find it interesting that a man with your many talents would waste them out on an oil rig in the middle of the ocean. I’d think it would get boring after a while. Same smells, same view.” Catori saw a booth opening up toward the back and stood with every intention of claiming it. She took a couple steps, making no effort to ensure that he would follow. “As for being incommunicado for that length of time, that’s got to be hard on you and your family, Stick.”
Catori didn’t look back as she made her way to the booth, taking the seat facing the door. It was comical to watch the men’s faces as they realized she’d done it on purpose. She knew better than to have her back toward an open room without being able to see what was coming. Stick was still standing by his stool,contemplating his options. She’d piqued his interest enough that he finally conceded and joined her at the table.
“Who are you?”
“Catori Starr, Red Starr HRT.” She held her arm over the table and shook his hand, noticing that his grip was firm. He didn’t lessen the tension just because she was a woman. She liked that. “I’ve got to tell you, I didn’t expect to be chasing your ass over two states, so you better be as good as Crest tells me.”
“Crest?” Stick relaxed slightly at the name. Now she definitely had his full attention. “How is that old son of a bitch? I haven’t seen him in quite a few years.”
“I know,” Catori replied, signaling with two fingers to the waitress that she’d like two cups of coffee. “He’s his usual cryptic self. Makes a person want to knock his block off, but he’d probably put me on my ass. I’m good, but not so sure I’mthatgood. Of course, the element of surprise might be in my favor.”
“Hostage Rescue Team?” Stick had been paying attention. Another plus. “Why would you be interested in me?”
“Why did you leave the Corps?” Catori pulled back, allowing the waitress to set a mug in front of both of them. Conveying the two of them were good for a while, the waitress left them alone. “You only had eight years left until retirement.”
“If you spoke with Crest, you know that I was a foot stomper. EOD—explosives ordinance disposal.” Stick looked out the window, where the sun didn’t show a hint of rising. It reminded Catori of all those early mornings in the Corps. “I’d had enough.”
“Just like that?” Catori sipped her coffee, a few degrees hotter than the normal pot of coffee. She was surprised it wasn’t bubbling. “You up and quit?”
“Quit?” Stick’s blue eyes darkened at her implication and he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “I served my country for twelve years disposing of landmines, cluster bomb sub munitions, unexploded ordinances of every kind and makeyou can imagine—from improvised explosive devices in Iraq to our own AT4 rounds that skittered across the ground and laid there until someone walked by. All it took was for someone’s shadow to make the temperature vary on those fuckers and have them explode. I didn’t quit, Ms. Starr. I was smart enough to know my name was written on one of those and I knew it was only a matter of time until I met my maker.”
“You think you have a few more to defuse before you find your name? I know it’s a gamble, but look on the bright side. If you take me up on what I’m about to offer, you’ll be using those weapons for their intended purpose instead of disarming them. It’ll be a change of scenery and one you might like.” Catori could finally take a well-deserved drink of caffeine since the coffee had cooled by less than a quarter of a degree. “By the way, it’s just Starr.”
“Fine.” Stick threw his hands up and then sat back, giving Catori his full attention. “Tell me this offer of yours.”
“I’m gathering up a team to reassemble Red Starr HRT from the ground up. It was and will remain a first class operation. I want you on my squad.” Catori continued to talk, going into more specifics and knowing that what she was offering was too good for him to pass by. “You would make enough over the next five years to see to it that your sister receives the treatment she needs. I can only imagine how hard it is for your family to give twenty-four hour care. So I see it two ways. One, you can go back to working the oil rigs and be away for six months at a time. They pay well. Or two, you can come work for me and make five times what you do here, have the ability to come home between missions, and know that I’d pull your ass out ASAP if something happened to either your sister or parents.”
Catori waited for her proposition to sink in, enjoying the rich flavor of the coffee. Damn if it wasn’t one of the best she’d had in months. She’d have to get some to go, knowing she couldmake it to California by nightfall. She needed to make a stop in the northern part of the state to finish up her business before heading down to San Diego by tomorrow.
“So what’s it going to be, Stick?” Catori would normally have given her forty-eight hour window, but if she caught up with Kane Taylor either tonight or tomorrow she wanted to be able to give him a file of the team he would be leading for the next five years. Her contracts were iron clad, so unless one of them ended up dead—which was certainly a possibility—they would all be working for Red Starr HRT for their foreseeable future. “Red wire or green wire?”
