Seize (St. Martin Family Saga: Emergency Responders) Book 2: Erotic Romance Read online

  It wanted a lot more.

  Her fingers played over her own skin, even though she tried not to stroke herself. But she hadn’t gotten near enough from Augie.

  Yes, her body definitely wanted more.

  Chapter 5

  Not having slept in three days, Augie was exhausted and dog tired, but the repetitive knocking against the wall and the sighs of a woman’s satisfaction kept him from sleeping. That and his huge erection. He’d banged one out before he went to bed, but he was again hard as stone.

  “It’s three in the morning. Fucking Canadians.”

  He sat up and put on his jeans and T-shirt. He needed a cigarette, but Mia had thrown his last pack out the car window. He pulled on his boots and left the room. Outside he’d seen one of those old-fashioned cigarette machines from the good ol’ days, where you dropped in your money and pulled the lever for a pack of smokes. He walked to where he thought he’d seen the machine. The lights in the eaves were out in that wing of the building, but he could make out the machine. He put in his money and pulled. Before he even opened the pack he smelled menthol.

  “Damn.” Still he lit up and inhaled, not liking the aftertaste.

  He was worried about Mia, knowing he shouldn’t have let her go. But he knew she wouldn’t leave. Something had changed in her when she realized the dire situation her sister had been in. Nicolas could have killed Eve; the fucker still wanted to. And he’d been willing to sacrifice Mia to get to her.

  He walked along the dark outdoor corridor that led to the lobby.

  Inside, he approached the counter. The attendant was a woman. Game on.

  “Hey there,” he said, adding just the right amount of southern drawl. She smiled widely, and her eyes made their way down his chest.

  “Howdy, cowboy. Need a room?”

  “I’ve got a room. What I need is to see if you’d be sweet enough to give me some information.” He smiled. Women could never resist his smile. He held her gaze and could see the increase in her respiration at the pulse point between her breasts. He was in.

  She wet her lips. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

  “A woman by the name of Mia Brown would have come in here around eleven thirty and paid for a room. I need that room number.”

  She clicked a few buttons on the computer, its plastic shell yellow tinged from age and smoke. “No Mia Brown. I’ve got a Michael Brown.”

  “That’s her.”

  “Room one fourteen. It’s the fourteenth room to the left when you walk out the front door.”

  “You’ve been very helpful. Thank you.”

  “You need anything else, you give me a call.”

  He winked at her as he strolled away.

  At one fourteen he knocked and scratched on the window. A light glowed to life, and then a shadow passed in front of him.

  “Mia, it’s me. Open up.”

  “Augie?”

  “Yeah.”

  The door cracked and she was there, standing in only her tank top, her hands folded across her chest. Again she seemed confused. He’d remember that, that sleep fuzzed her brain.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I just got worried about you.”

  Her hands rubbed her arms and she moved away from the door and hopped under the covers. “I’m fine.”

  He hated when a woman said I’m fine because it meant anything but. “Are you fine because you want me to leave you alone or are you fine because you want to go back to sleep?”

  “Both.”

  He stretched out next to her. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened. I didn’t intend to embarrass and humiliate you.”

  “You forgot frustrate.”

  “Right. I didn’t intend to frustrate you either. I’m not at all good with women.”

  “Forget it.”

  “That’s more girl speak for I will never forget.”

  “I don’t know what kind of girls you’ve been around, but I never say anything I don’t mean. I want to put this behind us and to do that, you need to let it go. I have. I’m focused on helping Evie.”

  She was surprisingly and refreshingly easy to be around; he’d never found women to be that way before. Even his mother fussed so much, he could only tolerate her in small doses, like at Sunday brunch.

  The room was warm and quiet and his eyes grew heavy. He closed them, thinking about the color lavender and slim curves and long limbs.

  *

  “Augie.”

  No way out. He carried two women, one over his shoulder, one in his arms. Too much weight and he fell to his knees. No way out. Smoke clouded his vision. They will all die.

  “Get up!” he screamed.

  “Augie.”

  A silver whisper guided him through the mines. Through the smoke.

  “Augie.”

  There it was again. The voice took on light and became visible. He was going to survive.

  Warm, moist, soft skin skimmed his neck.

  “Hi, Augie.”

  His hands seized her upper arms and pulled her to his chest. He held her too tight, but he couldn’t let go. She possessed virtue and kindness, and he wanted some of it. He needed to feel her warmth, her breath, her life. “Mia.”

  “You were having a nightmare. You screamed and were sweating and kept shouting get up and we’re going to die.”

  Her eyes weren’t lavender, but an intense deep amethyst as she stared intently into his face.

  “Where were you?”

  He gasped and pulled her close again. “I just need to hold you for a while. It might be weird, I hardly know you, but I need …I’ve never had … I can’t explain it, but I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind.” She settled against his chest. “I never had this either. I like having a friend. I need a friend.”

  She sighed, and he felt her lips form a contented smile against his neck. They could be friends. She really had meant what she’d said—she’d moved on from their spat. Forgiven. Fresh. New. The words bombarded his brain.

  So this was friendly touching? Then why was he getting an erection? Soon it would be reaching for her … “Shit. Sorry.”

  She giggled, but there was another sound mixed in with that laughter—the sound of creaking metal. She heard it the second time. He put his finger to his lips to keep her quiet and mouthed, Get dressed.

  They’d been located, and instantly he knew how—she’d used her goddamn credit card to pay for the room. Traveling with a woman was never a good thing.

  He scooped up her purse and motioned her into the bathroom. The door handle jiggled, and he heard mumbling. At least they were dumb thugs.

  He pressed close to Mia’s ear and whispered, “We’re going out the window.”

  She nodded, and he opened the window. He crawled through behind her, closing the window behind him. He pulled her by the hand and started a light jog. They crossed the main thoroughfare and then he led them down a back road.

  “Where are we going?” She was short of breath.

  “Don’t worry about it. I need you to keep quiet so I can stay focused.”

  At the train station he purchased two tickets in a sleeper car, anxious to board and hide.

  “I need to use the restroom,” Mia said.

  “Hold it until we board the train.”

  This was going to royally fuck up his plans. Gloria had been set to meet them at the hotel. Now he would have to figure out a way to get a message to her. He didn’t even know where they’d end up. He dragged Mia to an attendant; she had to skip to keep up with him.

  “We’d like to board.” He held out his tickets.

  “Sorry, sir, we are only boarding—”

  Augie held his identification and badge out. “It’s imperative that we be allowed to board now.”

  “Certainly, sir. Right this way.”

  Their compartment was small. Even smaller with Mia standing in the middle of it with her arms crossed over her chest. “Restroom’s in here.”

&n
bsp; While she tended to her needs, he assessed the window. He hated feeling trapped, but that’s exactly what they were—goldfish in a glass bowl. Beneath a red handle, a plaque read: In case of fire pull latch and push. He scanned the seam where the wall would break away. At least that was something.

  When Mia came out, she resumed standing in his way. He pointed to the couch. “Sit.” At least she did as she was told. He inspected the door and lock. It was shit. He would have no peace unless he watched each passenger board the train, but that would expose him and leave her where? His only option was to stay put.

  A knock on the door had him on full alert.

  “Attendant.”

  He opened the door a fraction of an inch and saw the man from the deck.

  “May I take down your bed?”

  Augie stepped aside and let him by. Mia stood, and the man inserted a key into the cabinet that housed the bed and it unfolded from the wall.

  “I’ll be around at eight o’clock to pin it back into position. If that’s too early, please display your Do Not Disturb sign. Goodnight.”

  Augie dropped to the couch below the bed. His fingers tapped his thigh as he waited for the whistle and the rhythmic movement indicating they were on the move. He hated being a sitting duck.

  “Augie.” She stood before him.

  “What?”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “No, it’s pretty far from fucking okay.”

  Her lips tightened. Her hands rubbed her arms. It was cold in the cabin and she wore only a tank top. She had to be cold; her nipples said she was. He stood and dug in the bed cabinet for a blanket. He found a lightweight blue fleece throw and passed it to her.

  “Thank you.” She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Well, I don’t know, Mia. Are you in possession of a time machine?”

  Her brows inched together.

  “Because that’s the only way you can help me with this goat fuck.”

  She took a deep breath and sat beside him. “What’s wrong, Augie? Who were those people? Why did we run?”

  “The plans I had to fix things for Eve and to protect you and your sister have been destroyed.”

  “What happened?” Her eyes widened.

  He sighed. “You happened.”

  “What?”

  “How’d you pay for the hotel room?”

  “I used my credit card.”

  “And … ? Do you understand the problem?”

  “No.”

  “Are you seriously that fucking stupid?”

  For lack of something to throw, his fingers rubbed vigorously against his scalp. “If you use a credit card to pay for something, it can be traced via satellite.”

  Understanding settled across her face.

  “One or both of us could die tonight. So you see, Mia, you totally fucked me in the ass.”

  Her hands cupped her ears and tears fell from her eyes. “Can you please stop talking like that?”

  She was a quiet crier. She didn’t snort and sniff and carry on like his mother or any of the women he’d been with. She turned her body away from him.

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice was soft, barely audible. “I would never knowingly do anything to jeopardize your safety.”

  “Will you please just get in bed so I can stay focused on this detour and try to keep us one step ahead of the men who are trying to kill me and hurt you and your sister.” She immediately climbed up into the bed.

  He’d made a promise to Clay, and he intended to see it through. During college he’d moved in with Clay; he was the reason Augie had gone into the marines and straightened out his life. He’d do anything for Clay. When he’d seen that gleam in Clay’s eye when Eve was around, Augie knew his buddy needed her like he needed air to breathe. Hell, he’d said as much. When Clay thought she was leaving him to go after Mia, he went to a dark place and Augie vowed he’d bring Mia back safely.

  It seemed like an eternity as he paced and held his breath whenever footsteps stopped outside their door. Finally the train jerked and rolled to life, the whistle sounded, and they were catapulted forward as the train picked up speed. He sighed, plopped to the couch, and closed his eyes. A feather’s touch whispered across his arms and hands. He opened his eyes to a head hanging above him, with hair cascading like a waterfall.

  “Are you still mad at me, friend?”

  He couldn’t help but smile at her. Was she mad at him? He’d said some nasty, hurtful things to her.

  “No. And I’m sorry I lost my cool.”

  She completed an impressive dismount from the top bunk and scooched next to him on the couch.

  “It’s okay. I totally screwed up. I’m really sorry—I honestly didn’t know. I should have, and I guess most people probably would have, but you got stuck with me.” She bumped her shoulder into his. “Are we still going to be besties?”

  “Besties?”

  “Best friends. I guess that’s weird, huh? Just friends then?”

  She offered her hand, and he took it.

  “You’re my first and only one, so I’d rather like to keep you. Even once we get to our destination if that works out.”

  He felt his forehead crease as he frowned. He’d never met anyone who worked so hard to preserve friendship with him. Maybe Clay, but they had their ups and downs. Augie knew he was an ass, and people struggled to keep him around. That was fine with him; he didn’t mind being alone. Plus he had his brothers. But he did like this girl. She was easy to get along with, like a guy. More so than any woman he’d ever met.

  “Yeah, we can be besties.” He smiled. Couldn’t help it.

  She rewarded him with a fresh laugh that could light the darkest, most demented hole.

  “Really? So I’m forgiven?”

  “You’re forgiven, just don’t use any technology.”

  “Done. Do you think we’re in the clear?”

  “I do. They’d rather have apprehended us before the train took off.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “So what’s in East Bay?”

  “East Bay?”

  “That’s where we’re headed.”

  “Oh. Well, not a lot. It’s good for fishing.”

  “Fishing?”

  “Yeah, walleye. Why are we going there?”

  He cocked a brow a her, was she being deliberately obtuse? “We had to flee because we were being pursued by men who want to kill me and kidnap you.”

  “Great, thank you for that. What I meant was, wasn’t there another destination available?”

  “I just took the first thing I saw.”

  She scratched under her chin. “We can make it work.”

  “Glad to hear it.” He laced his fingers together and rested them on his head.

  “So what’s the plan?”

  “You mean the immediate plan or the overall plan?”

  “I guess the overall plan.”

  She leaned forward and rested her elbow on her leg, her head in her hand—the twenty-first-century version of The Thinker. He bit back a grin.

  “I have to get Nicolas to sign for an uncontested divorce and then convince him to leave Evie and her family alone.”

  “Hmm.” She stood and turned off the overhead light, leaving the glow from the floorboard lights and the occasional flash from outside the window. “Seems like the only thing within our control is a good night’s sleep. Come.”

  She held out her hand, and they climbed into the bed.

  “I think these are actually meant for one,” he said. He landed on top of her, his weight smothering her. She giggled and tickled his side until he rolled over. She positioned herself on her side against the wall, offering him more room. They lay on their sides face to face.

  “I wanted to ask you a question.” She spoke softly, and he couldn’t guess what she was going to ask. He hoped it was something simple; he needed simple after the last couple of days.

  “Go ahead—what are yo
u waiting for?”

  “I’d like to call my mother today. I didn’t see her yesterday, and I obviously won’t be able to see her today or maybe not even tomorrow, so I really need to call her.”

  He held her hand in his. “I know you’re worried about your mother, but I’m afraid it’s impossible to contact her without revealing your location, so that’s out for a while.”

  She was so close, he could feel the heat from her words on his skin. She nodded and worried her bottom lip between her teeth before it popped free, pink and wet and luscious. He wanted to suck on that lip; it drew him like pollen draws a bee. His finger beneath her chin lifted her face to align with his, and he covered her mouth with his own.

  A low moan escaped her throat. She tasted fruity and when she opened her mouth to wet her lips, he deepened their kiss. His tongue reached hers, and he felt the tentative wave of her tongue as she explored his mouth. He liked that she didn’t come with a bag full of overly dramatic tricks or put on a provocative display for his benefit. He’d grown bored lately. It was always the same thing: the woman would try to entice him with her skills and he’d play along, seemingly engaged, when he really wanted to bypass all the bullshit and just have sex. But with Mia nothing was fake; her innocence was the real deal. She was different and the difference made the act of kissing and touching quite refreshing.

  By the time they broke apart, she’d developed a lovely blush across her cheeks and chest. She wore an embarrassed smile and looked down, shielding her eyes from him.

  “Hey.”

  Her head jerked up, and her amethyst eyes found his.

  “You really are quite beautiful, Mia.”

  More blushing. It was rather becoming, and he wondered how long she could do it.

  “Are you embarrassed?”

  “I don’t know. You’re just so close.”

  He leaned down and took her earlobe between his teeth. “You invited me up here,” he whispered.

  “I don’t want you to go, it’s just extremely intimate.”

  “It is that.” He nuzzled behind her ear, his nose in her hair, inhaling. “I’m sorry I upset you before, about your virginity. I want you; take a look for yourself.”