BEARedtoYouBBWShifterEroticRomanceARe (8 page)

Unable to wait any longer, he pulled out of her pussy and after dampening her anus with some of her juices, pressed slowly into her ass.

Abby tensed beneath him. “It hurts.”

“This is the best way. Relax for me, kitten.” He moistened his fingers adding more lubrication. Dammit, she was tight and hot. When she opened to him, taking him all the way in, he stopped to give her a chance to get comfortable. He fucked her pussy with his fingers and she started shaking. “Touch your clit.”

“Yes. Oh God, yes.” Her fingernails grazed his knuckles as she traced a circle over her clit.

He met the rhythm of her strokes with the thrusts of cock and fingers until she was screaming her release. He followed a single heartbeat later, pumping his seed into her ass until there was nothing left. It just about killed him but he withdrew from her and let her lay down. He pulled the blanket from the chair, gathered her to him and covered them both up.

She pressed a single kiss to his shoulder and he smiled.

This was so right. So perfect.

He didn’t want it to end, even though he knew it had to. And sooner was better than later.

Already, after only a short time, he cared too much for Abby to let it go on any longer.

* * * * *

Abby lay beside Tarik, soaking in the heat radiating from his body. His breathing had settled into the slow, steady pattern of sleep, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Lost in her thoughts, she watched him sleep.

What to do?

Things were obviously a whole lot more complicated than she could even imagine. His work was a big part of things. They’d tried to hold not only Tarik hostage but had also tried to kidnap her for some reason. Something to do with sex, if she’d understood Tarik’s vague reference earlier. Or maybe it had something to do with kissing? She’d have to admit, her brain hadn’t been running at top speed when he’d answered her question. What had he said? Something about not being able to ‘do this’? She wondered what “this” he was referring to.

Good thing her brain was working okay now, not that it made coming to any kind of decision easier. There were so many unknown factors to consider.

She knew nothing about Omega, other than they didn’t hesitate to operate outside of the law. How far they would go, she had no idea. Had they truly intended on having a doctor look at her? Or had they had more nefarious intentions? Really, could she afford to assume anything but the worst?

Hell, no.

Whatever Omega had done to Tarik, they were going to some extreme measures to keep it secret. She had to assume that meant they might kill both of them if they had to.

She shivered.

This stuff was so out of the range of her normal life. Up to this point, the most unpleasant person she’d had to deal with was the bitch who’d stolen her boyfriend. These guys were making Angel—her parents had obviously given their child the wrong name!—look like a creampuff.

And then there was Tarik himself. He wasn’t just a handsome guy, a fuck buddy. He was a gentleman. He was a considerate and giving lover. And he was a human being who deserved to make his own decisions about his life. Somehow he needed to get away from Omega.

She knew she’d have to help him as best she could. It was that rescue mentality kicking in again. She couldn’t help it.

Sure, she wasn’t some crazy ass-kicking chick who could take down five men single-handedly. But she had a brain that worked pretty well most of the time, a rental SUV that could handle the worst roads, and more than her share of determination. Sometimes being stubborn had its advantages. At least in this case, it might help keep one innocent man who’d committed no crime from being imprisoned—or worse.

Then, once she had assured his safety, she’d head back home and try to forget Tarik had ever existed. It was for the best, not only for her own good, but also for his. She sensed he wanted a woman to love, someone who would be around for the long haul, even though he’d said he’d probably never marry. The long haul stuff was so not her. She was more a flavor-of-the-week kind of girl.

The only question remaining was how she could help him? What was their next step?

She couldn’t possibly take on a whole company, evil bosses and armed guards. She didn’t know how to use a gun and violence wasn’t her thing. She tended to run away from bullies rather than confront them. In this case, she figured running away was probably the best choice.

But run to where? They were literally in the middle of nowhere. There were no flights, thanks to the stupid air traffic controller’s strike. She doubted there were any buses or trains that would get them far enough away to be safe. While she supposed Tarik could take to hiding out in some remote cabin, but sooner or later they would have to leave. And being a fugitive, what kind of life would that be? How would he earn money?

Tarik needed a job, a place to live…a life.

Oy, she’d barely been able to provide that for herself!

“You look worried,” his voice cut into her thoughts.

She’d been so consumed by her deliberating she hadn’t realized she’d been lying there staring at an awake man. How long had his eyes been open? “There’s plenty to worry about, don’t you think?”

“Not for you. I won’t let you worry about anything. You’re here on vacation. You can go home whenever you like. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Nothing to worry about? Now, that’s funny.” The last time a guy had said those words to her, she’d ended up having to pay a mechanic to put a new engine in her car. Her ex-boyfriend Jack had failed to put a belt on properly and her rods--or whatever those vital engine parts were called--ended up getting ruined.

“What’re your plans?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want you getting involved.”

“Too late there, buster.” She regretted those words the second they’d passed through her lips. Tarik looked like he’d killed a kitten or something. “Sorry,” she said, reaching for him. “Sometimes I’m so flippant. I get sarcastic when I’m stressed out. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

He stood and, opening a nearby armoire, pulled out a pair of pants. He held them up to his waist, obviously to check the fit. “What’re you apologizing for?” He sat on the couch and shoved one foot into a pant leg then did the same with the other. “You’re right. You are involved. And it’s my fault. Which is why I’m handling this whole thing. I won’t see you get sucked in any deeper.” He yanked up his pants and fastened the fly.

Men had such fragile egos. Why was it necessary for them to take on the world by themselves?

She swallowed a sigh. “As much as I trust you could do this without my help, I still can’t see turning my back and skipping off into the Alaskan sunset. I don’t see you being the kind of guy to go all Rambo and charge into Omega with guns blazing.”

“Frankly, that’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“Liar.”

“Cool. My buddy left his cell phone and a laptop. These could come in handy.” He pocketed the phone he’d found on top of the armoire, set the laptop on the table then sat next to her. His arms were crossed over his chest, a pose she found especially appealing because it made his biceps look huge. “I suppose you have a better plan?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Though I haven’t nailed down the finer details yet.”

“Let’s hear what you’ve got.”

“Okay. It’s really quite simple.” She hesitated but he encouraged her to go on with a nod. “We run.”

He stared at her for a minute but didn’t speak. She had to give it to him, he didn’t bust into raucous laughter. Nor did he flatly refuse to consider her suggestion. In fact, he seemed to be waiting for her to tell him more about The Brilliant Plan.

Too bad there wasn’t much more to tell.

“Like I said,” she continued, figuring she’d be forced to talk her way through the problem. “I haven’t settled all the details yet. But I’m thinking it makes more sense to just get away from all this instead of attacking a bunch of people with who knows what kind of weapons and power behind them.”

He seemed to consider what she said carefully. “You have a point.”

“You agree then? That we should leave?”

“I’m beginning to appreciate the fact that it might be a good plan, at least for now.”

“I was trying to figure out where to go.”

“I’m thinking heading for Canada would be best. I have a passport…though I’m not sure it’s exactly legal.”

“Oh boy.”

“It’s worth a try. If what my boss said is true and I don’t exist here in the United States, maybe I can find a way to gain citizenship in Canada under an assumed name. Without any legal records here in Alaska, I should be untraceable.”

“I have my passport. So, I guess we have our plan. We’ll head south. In my rental car. We’ll need to fill the tank. I’m guessing the northwestern part of Canada is pretty much like this. Lots of nature. Not a lot of Citgos. Wish I had rented something smaller that gets better gas mileage. Back home, there are gas stations on practically every corner.”

“We can head down to White Moose by way of Dawson City. It’ll be a long drive, at least ten hours, but at least it should be relatively safe at this time of year. And we can break it up a bit, maybe have dinner in Eagle Ridge.”

It wasn’t easy but she resisted the urge to grimace. Long car rides were not something she enjoyed. In fact, she hated them. Granted, the scenery would probably be breathtaking. And she wasn’t talking about the scenery outside.

But ten hours? Ugh.

Evidently, being a bear-man meant Tarik could read minds—or more likely, read her body language. As much as she tried to hide her lack of enthusiasm for the upcoming road trip, he knew she was not thrilled. He gripped her upper arms and stared long and hard in her eyes, like he was trying to hypnotize her. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to help you.”

“We can find another way to get you home, a bus—”

“You think that’s going to be better? It would probably take twice as long by bus. No, I’m fine. At least we’ll be able to make pit stops and perhaps take an occasional break to admire the mountains or flowers or whatever. I wish those stupid air traffic controllers would get back to work. I’d fly home tomorrow. It was a blessedly short flight from Detroit. But then again, what if those thugs know where I live? Oh…” her words trailed off as she realized for the first time how unlikely it was that she’d be able to simply go home and resume her life like nothing had happened. This Omega wasn’t some junior high bully picking on a convenient target. This was a company with a lot to lose and probably gobs of money and resources. Probably long arms and lots of eyes, like the U.S. government. “We haven’t thought this completely through yet, have we?”

“Not completely. No. It’s possible they could find out where you live and work. I don’t think you’ll be safe until I settle things with Torborg. But I’m not ready to deal with him yet. I need some time to look into some things. And I know if I show up at Omega right now, there’ll be an army there waiting for me. No, it’s better if he comes looking for me and I confront him when I’m ready.”

“But will he go looking for you? Or will he send Joe the Kidnapper?”

“I’m thinking he’ll come himself and try to talk me into returning to Anchorage with him. If he doesn’t, I’ll just have to improvise, find a way to make him come to me. I’ve been working for the man for years. I’ve always considered him a mentor. A friend. I’ll admit he’s harder to read than ancient Greek, but I think he’d want to keep this as quiet as possible. Sending a bunch of assassins to fill me with lead won’t accomplish what he’s after. For one thing, he’d risk someone finding proof of what he’s done.”

“Your body?”

“My DNA.”

“Oh.”

He motioned toward the kitchen. “We’d better take all the supplies we can, in case we’re forced to sleep in the truck. Blankets. Food. Cash. Clothes. Whatever we can find. We may be roughing it for a few days. I just hope my buddy does a better job stocking his pantry than some other person I know.” He winked.

Abby really wished she could get over her rescue complex.

Chapter Six

“They’re gone. We tracked down the cabin the woman was renting and there’s no sign she’ll be returning. No luggage. No food. I’ve been to Tarik’s place. He hasn’t been there in a while.” Security officer Raul Zant stood just inside Torborg’s office, stiff as a Marine on the first day of basic training.

Torborg forced himself to set the phone he’d been holding in the cradle, rather than slam it. Things were not going the way he’d planned. Not by a long shot, and he was fucking tired of hearing bad news. Didn’t anyone understand how important it was to get a handle on this situation? Had he failed to communicate that effectively? What the fuck would it take to make these morons understand? “Dammit, I need them in custody today. Now. Not later. Not tomorrow. Not next week. They must be stopped before something happens to complicate our situation further. I’m trusting you to find them and bring them back here without making a scene. You’re Evert’s friend. Hasn’t he called? Talk some sense into him.”

“No, he hasn’t called. But I have good news.”

“Good. I need some good news about now.”

“We’ve located the rental company Miss Clumm rented the car from, and she hasn’t returned it yet. We have license plate numbers and a make and model. We’ll find her.”

“Excellent. If they haven’t already headed into Canada, they won’t get across the border. I’ve had Evert’s identification tagged.”

“And they can’t fly.”

“Good.” The red call indicator light blinked on his phone. Knowing who was likely calling, he stared at it. His gut wound into a tight knot.

“Sir, we’ll have them here by tomorrow. I’d be willing to bet they’re driving to the border. We’ll catch them when they try to cross. I have agents heading to Eagle Ridge now.”

“Excellent,” he said, distracted by the light which was continuing to blink. Fuck, he’d have to take the call.

“It’s too bad it came to this. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’ve known Tarik for a long time. He’s an okay guy…I don’t believe he’d ever do anything illegal or immoral…”