Rocks (17 page)

And as he dropped his own trousers she could see that was the truth. She was glad she was sitting down because
—amidst all the excitement—the sight of that
thing
once more would have made her collapse into a gibbering heap. As it was, when he came towards her, his erection standing proudly in front of him, she opened her bare legs and dragged him between her thighs, one hand snaking down and grappling his thick shaft.

“You weren’t joking,” he said. “Bloody hell
—you
are
wet!”

“Fuck foreplay,” she whispered, biting his ear once more. “Let’s fuck.”

She was so excited that he slid into her almost to the hilt, though even in her manic state she could feel him stretching her in that delicious way she had experienced twice before. Hayden’s mouth fell onto hers, and she could taste his sweat, his hunger, his passion as his tongue slid between her lips, tangling desperately with her own. His fingers gripped her buttocks like vices, lifting her up so that he could push the last remaining part of him inside her, and she gasped and fell back on the side, her arms flailing out and catching a pan which clattered to the floor.

“Oh fuck! Oh fuck!” she began to stammer. This was impossible! An orgasm was building up inside her immediately and her heart was starting to flutter in her chest.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, staring at her with those deep blue eyes of his. Another twitch down below, another flutter in her chest.

“
Kæft og kneppe mig,” she groaned, dragging him back to her mouth again as his hips began to buck, filling her easily now. Hayden didn’t need a translation this time and she could feel the head of that huge, delicious cock bashing against her cervix with each thrust.

She was gasping, gripping onto his shoulders, dangling from him as he took her there. With one hand he roughly shoved her sweater up her chest, half exposing her breasts as he pulled a nipple from the bra, sucked it and bucked away as though his life depended on it.

Her orgasm came and she clenched him, but still he didn’t stop, his cock sliding out almost to the tip and then forcing its way back inside her so that her whole body shook and shuddered. She began to cry out and wail, making him lift a hand which he slammed against her mouth. She bit him hard for that, her sex clenching around his shaft, and then she sucked on his fingers, her own green eyes flashing as she stared at him in lust.

“Oh god, oh fucking god!” she gasped when his hand moved away at last, the fingers wet with her spittle. Then she realised he was pulling out of her. “What are you doing?” she wailed. Before she could begin screaming in frustration and anger, two powerful hands gripped her hips and dragged her to the floor before flipping her over, as easily as though she was a rag doll.

As she looked over her shoulder, her buttocks pushed up into the air as Hayden lowered his own hips slightly, the look on his face was almost enough to start another orgasm in its own right. His brow was furrowed, his dark hair flopping forward and sweat beading the skin. His eyes were fixed on her buttocks while, one hand pulling her cheeks apart, he guided himself into her with the other. His lips were curled into a snarl, blood mixing with his sweat, and the cords and sinews of his neck and shoulders stood out with exertion, the top of his chest flushing red.

And then he entered her again
—and this time it was enough to make her cum.

Her arms flailed once more, seeking something to purchase as he slammed into her so hard that she was lifted bodily from the floor. Utensils and plates were scattered, some of them smashing by their feet, but Hayden pressed her against the side ferociously, utterly dominating her with his body as he forced himself deeper inside.

“You want that? You want that?” he growled again and again. “Oh shit! You want more?”

“Yes! Oh god, YES!” she screamed. Once more his hand was clamped around her mouth and he dragged her up, arching her back as he slammed into her. She couldn’t breathe and bright lights were flashing in front of her eyes, her loins exploding with the intensity of this brutal fuck. When at last he released her mouth, she turned her head and hung onto his lips, a wet, passionate kiss that lasted until his shaft began to swell and swell and swell.

Dropping her head, Karla whimpered, then she groaned, and at last she screamed again. This time he didn’t try to stop her. Instead, his own head thrown back, both his hands on her buttocks, he bellowed as he poured all of himself into her. His own orgasm seemed to last an age, triggering what felt like an earthquake inside Karla. When he stopped and slumped forward onto her, she thought she would fall onto the floor but instead he had enough strength to hold her up until, at last, he slid out of her and dropped to the floor. She slithered down to sit beside him.

“Wow! I thought the other two times were fantastic, but that definitely went up to eleven. Mind you, I’ve never had sex after someone’s tried to kill me, so it’s probably just hormones and adrenaline and stuff. So don’t get any ideas about bragging to your partners in crime.”

“Partners in crime? Do you think I run some sort of bloody consortium here?”

Karla’s eyes glazed over at the thought.

“If they were all like you, perhaps I just might have to submit myself for inspection,” she replied with a faint smile.

Hayden slapped a hand to his forehead. “Will you just try and concentrate for a moment? We have to get off this bloody ferry!” He grabbed her hand and began to pull her towards the stream of people preparing to leave for shore. “What the hell have I let myself in for,” he muttered beneath his breath.

There was a banging noise on the door.

“Shit!” hissed Hayden. “Someone must have heard that racket you were making.” He began to scrabble around for his clothes.

While he was doing that, Karla, bold as brass, stood up and went to the door. She was still naked from the waist down, and a beautiful mess from the waist up.

“What are you doing?” Hayden hissed in a panic but she ignored him.

On the other side stood two sailors. There would have been a time when Karla, flush with her recent successes, would have dragged them both in and given them a proper Irish welcome. But not today. She was trembling slightly as she stood boldly in the doorway, but it was not from fear.

“Bloody Nora,” said the youngest one blushing. His eyes flickered away but then, Karla noted, immediately returned to her bare crotch.

“I’m, I’m sorry, ma’am,” the older sailor replied. He was plainly flustered, but also realised that a half-naked beauty was not going to stop him from doing his job. “There’s been a disturbance. We’re looking for some maniac who seems to be running around the ship with a gun.”

“Oh, how terrible,” Karla replied, her voice betraying only the slightest huskiness. “I’m sorry, we didn’t hear anything. My husband and I are going to Dublin for our honeymoon and… well, as you can see, we got caught up in other things.”

Hayden, still trying to pull on his shirt, paused for a moment to wave weakly at the two men. His smile was dreadful.

“Is there something wrong, sir?” the older man called out. “Can we call for assistance?”

Karla gave a coquettish laugh and glanced back at Hayden with a sparkle in her eyes. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” she said, a faint growl in her voice. “We tend to get a bit carried away sometimes, don’t we dear.”

Hayden nodded, saying nothing.

“Bloody Nora,” the young sailor repeated and then, more quietly: “Lucky sod!” His older companion glared at him before returning his attention to Karla, steadfastly refusing to look at her below the waist.

“Well, sorry to disturb you ma’am, though you really shouldn’t have come in here
—”

Before he could rise to his full indignation, Karla lifted one hand and placed it on his chest, moving her naked lower half closer to his crotch. “I’m so sorry,” she said with feigned innocence. “It was just our first proper night together, and we just couldn’t wait. All we wanted was a little privacy.”

That was too much for him. Blushing, he firmly pushed her back into the galley before catching hold of the door and pulling it shut. “Sorry to disturb you both!” they heard him yell.

Giggling, Karla came back down and collapsed beside Hayden. He stared at her in amazement. “Honeymoon?” he asked.

She flashed him another smile and felt her eyes moistening slightly. “Well, that’s what it feels like.”

“But we’ve known each other
—what—three, four days?”

“That’s a long-term commitment for me,
” she purred, nestling her head against his chest.

“God,” Karla sighed. “I don’t think I’ve ever needed a cigarette more than I do right now.”

“You don’t really smoke, do you? I thought that was all part of your act.” Hayden was genuinely shocked. They were sitting in a cafe in Dublin, watching the passengers stream away from the ferry. Both of them had decided that the normally lax port security would be on full alert while hunting for an armed madman. “I don’t think I want to declare to customs that I’ve had three bloody good orgasms already this morning,” Karla had snickered. Hayden had taken a certain pride in that but had no desire to try and sneak out without a passport, and so the pair of them were drinking coffee and waiting for her Uncle Coilin to arrive.

“It’s alright for you, mister high and mighty,” Karla replied, raising one eyebrow. “You look like you work out at least twice a day
—not that I’m complaining, mind. Me, I prefer the gin and fags diet to keep me slim.”

Hayden shook his head. “It’s bad for you.”

“Oh, come on!” she gasped, raising her hand to pat him gently on the cheek. He’d cleared away most of the blood but his nose was still large and red and his shirt looked as though it had been borrowed from a passing tramp. “Doing things that are bad for me is my whole way of life.” She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. “You’re very lucky, you know. I was monoconjugal until I met you. I made it a point of honour never to have sex with a man more than once.”

He returned her kiss, letting the warmth of her linger on his lips before sitting back again. He glanced around
nervously. A couple of Dublin Garda were asking questions of the passengers as they passed through passport control in the distance. “You’re sure your uncle will be able to find us?”

“No problem.” Karla lifted her cup and sipped from it, her green eyes glittering as she looked at him. “I still had that p
hone I filched from the trollop you were expecting yesterday—what was her name again?”

“Chantelle,” Hayden replied with a sigh. “I’m surprised she hasn’t blocked it yet.”

“Me too,” Karla said with a grin. Then her expression became more serious. “Mind you, if you ever sleep with her again, I’ll kill you.”

Hayden opened his mouth to speak but instead shook his head. “I don’t like being told what to do,” he muttered under his breath.

“That makes two of us. But seriously, I can’t remember the last time I let someone shag me without a condom. If you’ve given me anything, I’ll cut your not-so-wee-willy-winky off before you can so much as blink. If we’re to be an item, there’ll be no more hookers—capiche?”

“What is this now, the bloody Godfather?”Hayden grumbled. Then his brow furrowed. “An item?”

Karla placed her cup down on the table carefully. When she returned her eyes to his, Hayden could see that there was something steely in her gaze.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“Er, well, no,” Hayden began to explain. “It’s just a bit… sudden, isn’t it?”

To his horror, the fierce expression on Karla’s face began to soften. Her eyes began to fill up and he saw that her lip was trembling. “I knew it,” she sobbed. “You weren’t interested in me at all. All that about coming to save me was a bloody lie! All you wanted was the diamond!”

Her voice was rising and Hayden leaned forward, making soothing noises and trying to calm her down as he looked frantically towards the Garda. They hadn’t noticed the pair—yet.

Karla batted away his hands for a few moments and then, without warning, her face creased up in laughter. “Gotcha!” she yelped. “God! You men are so fucking easy to wind up.”

“That wasn’t funny,” Hayden growled.

“You should have seen your face. Jesus! And I thought I had commitment issues!”

He could feel his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “What do you expect? I don’t even know your name—not your real one. And I sure as hell am not happy that you know mine.”

“What, don’t you like someone you’re sleeping with to know your name?”

“
Especially
not someone I’m sleeping with. Anyway, how did you find out about me?”

Karla picked up her cup again, sipping it as her eyes twinkled humorously. “I asked around. You’re a very interesting man, Hayden Carter. Quite a
whiz kid from what I can tell. Weren’t you big in some fancy computer stuff once?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“So what happened?”

“I got bored. Look, I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Well I do.”

He watched her for a moment. She was clearly enjoying his predicament and so he leaned forward. “If we’re going to start sharing our life stories, why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself. I take it since this uncle of yours lives in Dublin, you’re originally from here.”

She smiled enigmatically. “No, though I did study here. Uncle Coilin has to travel here, which is why we’ve got to wait.”

“What does this Uncle Colin of yours do?”

“
Coilin
. You’ll find out soon enough.” Again that smile.

“Okay then, you’re not from Dublin and you won’t tell me your name. At least let me know how old you are.”

Karla’s eyes glittered. “It’s rude to ask a lady her age.”

“You’re no lady. I’m pretty sure of
that
.”

Her nostrils flared slightly at this, a precise, beautiful gesture. “Well, I’m younger than you, but that’s not hard.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t worry!” She laid a patronising hand on his arm. “I like older men.”

“I’m not old!”

“Oh, come on Hayden. It’s been a while since you’ve seen your thirtieth birthday. You’re not exactly ancient, I’ll give you that, but you certainly display a… physical maturity, if it’s not exactly matched by your emotional demeanour.”

“Mature?
Mature
?” Hayden could feel his temper rising but he calmed himself. “Okay, okay. You won’t tell me your real name, you won’t tell me your age, you won’t tell me where you’re from. Let’s try something else.”

She raised one eyebrow, sipping her coffee and staring at him. The twinkle remained in her eye. “This sounds interesting. Want to know all about my sex life?”

“I can work that out for myself,” he said a little too quickly. He suddenly realised that he both wanted to know everything about her—but that his jealousy wouldn’t be able to cope with the truth. Mastering himself, it was his turn to smile. “I was thinking of something different.”

“Such as?”

“What was your biggest scam?”

Her face lit up with glee at this and she lowered her coffee to the table before clapping her hands. “Oh, that’s a grand idea! Let me see, let me see.” She began to drum her fingers on the table.

“There’ve been a few, I take it.”

She nodded. “I need to think. Tell me yours first.”

Hayden lowered his head in mock modesty. “Well, I’ve had several successes myself, but the best one must have been three years ago. I’ve always been pretty good at cards—paid my way through university playing poker. So, I devised a way to work over a number of casinos—never the same one twice and always in a different city. I was on a roll for a while, pulling in about a million quid a night. I probably made ten million before it got too risky: I kind of valued my internal organs after that.”

She nodded. “Impressive, impressive, but I can do better.”

He leaned forward, taking a professional interest in her. “Oh yeah? How?”

She smiled. “By getting married.”

That hit him. “You’re married? What?” He felt as though he was going to fall out of his chair.

“No!” her face was slightly annoyed at his stupidity. “Past tense, idiot! It only lasted seven days
—no, eight. He was a billionaire and I think he thought his pre-nup covered all bases, but Uncle Coilin helped me out on that.”

“So, what happened?”

She sipped her coffee again. “Divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty.”

“You tortured him so he divorced you?”

That made her laugh and she gave Hayden a mock scowl. “No, of course not. I mean, he was, like eighty or something. There was no way I could, you know, have sex with him.” She shuddered with disgust at the memory.

“No, of course not,” said Hayden with ironic mildness. “That really would be too much. So how much did you make?”

She shrugged. “About fifteen million. I doubt he even noticed it. By the time I’d finished with him he was simply glad to pay me off.”

It was Hayden’s turn to shudder. “I can imagine.”

Karla’s eyes narrowed. “And what does
that
mean?”

“That you’re a force to be reckoned with. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you.”

“Quite like yourself, you mean. Amoral, unscrupulous, intensely sexual and thoroughly charming—hell, we were made for each other.”

Both of them were silent for a few moments.

“But,” began Hayden at last, “that means that the Wallenstein was your biggest yet, am I right?”

She nodded. “Yours too. What are we going to do when we split the money?”

He shrugged. “I was planning to go abroad, spend some time away from Europe for a while.”

“Me too.”

“Oh, yeah. Maarten said you were going to South America, right?”

Karla sighed at this. “Ah, bloody Maarten.”

Hayden was frowning as he looked at her. “I don’t get it,” he said at last.

“Get what?”

“I mean, you had what you wanted. You’d got the Wallenstein—he was utterly besotted with you and gave it up without a struggle. You could have gone anywhere on your own, so why did you hang around for him?”

She looked down at the cup in her hands. “I needed to get him away
—far away. He was going to unravel at any moment and the whole thing would come apart, so I needed to make sure he couldn’t speak to anyone that counted.” A sly smile spread across her lips and she half-raised her eyes towards him. “And would you?” she asked.

“Would I what?”

“Would you give up the Wallenstein without a struggle?”

“Not bloody likely! I suspect fighting with you is going to become my favourite pastime.”

At this, her smile broadened and she stretched a hand across the table, reaching out towards him. As she lifted her head fully, however, Hayden noticed those beautiful green eyes focussing somewhere else behind him and her body tensed.

“Oh, shit!” she hissed.

“What is it?” Hayden began to turn when a sodden gloved hand clamped down on his shoulder.

“Mister Carter,” said Lars in a low, quiet voice. “What a pleasure to meet you here? And Ms Pietersen also.”

Hayden began to rise from his seat when he felt something cold pressed against his ribs. Looking down he saw the flash of a metal blade. Still holding the knife against him, Lars pulled up a chair and sat down.

“Very good, Mister Carter. Don’t make any sudden moves. I don’t need a gun to kill you
, but then you already knew that.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Karla scowled. “The police are over there. One call and
—”

“And I can inform them that you are the ones responsible for the theft of the Wallenstein,” Lars said with a thin smile. “Don’t be stupid. In any case, one false move from you and your partner will be dead before they can get here.”

Hayden felt sick. His mouth was dry and he had to swallow a few times before he could speak. “I’m impressed, Lars.” This made the other man frown slightly. “I don’t think I could have made it to shore.”

“I had a little help. Someone was out for a morning sail
—their last, as it happens.” If Hayden had felt sick before, it was nothing compared to what was happening to his stomach before.

“What are you going to do?” Karla asked. Unlike Hayden, she appeared cool and collected.

“I’m impressed, Ms Pietersen,” Lars replied. “You know, out of the two of you, I think that
you’re
really the dangerous one.”

“I’m flattered. That still doesn’t answer my question. What are you going to do?”

A pale tongue flickered briefly across Lars’s lips. “I have not been successful in recovering the Wallenstein, but there’s something that’s not quite right here. I intend to find out what is really going on.”

“And what if we don’t tell you?” Karla was watching him intently.

“Then I’ll just have to fulfil the second part of my arrangement with Boeckman’s. They want as few people as possible to know about what happened.”

“There are two of us,” Hayden said. “You can’t take both of us at once.”

“My, Mister Carter! You have suddenly discovered some bravery!”

“He’s right,” Karla added quietly. “You can’t take on both of us.” She smiled softly
, her eyes looking past Hayden and Lars.

“Oh, but I can,” Lars sneered
, not noticing the direction of her gaze. “You had the advantage over me last time, Ms Pietersen, but that won’t happen again. I can more than easily handle both of you.”