Protecting His Kidnapped Family (Southern Soldiers of Fortune Book 2) Read online

  “Wow, that’s quite a grip you got there, kid.” His smile this time was genuine. “Not sure what kind of sports you like, but you could be a major league pitcher with that grip.” Noah grinned and jiggled his finger, chuckling when Gracie’s crying subsided in favor of a drool-filled smile. “Do you want to be a Cubbie, huh? Your daddy is a die-hard Cubs fan. Yes, he is. And maybe someday, when you grow up, they’ll let girls play in MLB, because that would be awesome. Yes, it would. Gracie could walk onto Wrigley Field and own the place. Yes, she could.”

  Gracie cooed and squeaked as if that sounded like a fabulous idea to her.

  Without thinking, Noah scooped her up onto his forearm, using the football-type hold Serena had shown him earlier, and put the baby over his shoulder, still talking to her and patting her back like he’d been doing this for a million years and not just a day or two.

  “How about we go see Mommy and see what she’s up to in there, yeah? See if she’s any less cranky than she was before. Cause your mommy can be a real ball-bust—” He turned the knob and shouldered his way into the bathroom, only to stop short at the sight of Serena naked and chest deep in a bubble bath. All he managed to get out was, “Uh, I, uh…”

  Serena slowly opened her eyes and looked at him, her skin looking pink and dewy and infinitely touchable and Noah swallowed hard. Mind on the task, man.

  “What?” was all she said, though it sounded throatier than before. Or maybe that was his imagination, falling over the cliff into erotic territory. “Looks like you got Gracie handled.”

  “Huh?” he said, taking a moment to remember that he still had his daughter in his arms. The tiny thing weighed next to nothing and it seemed she’d fallen asleep again, curling up against him with her face buried in the base of his neck, her breath warming his skin. Something in his chest expanded, filling a hole inside him he never knew he had until that moment. He blinked down at Serena, doing his best to clear his head. “Yeah. She woke up when you came in here. I’m not sure I’m doing this right.”

  “She looks pretty satisfied to me.” Serena gave him a look that under different circumstances—such as circumstances where he didn’t have his daughter in his arms—would’ve gotten his motor running just fine. “You do seem to have the right touch.”

  And now all Noah could think about was touching and satisfaction, both things that were completely inappropriate with a baby in the room. He took a deep breath then held up a finger. “Be right back.”

  He went back out into the room and gently laid Gracie back down on the bed, thankfully without waking her, before heading back into the bathroom. Serena was still watching him with a half-lidded gaze rife with possibilities and he stalked over to the tub and bent to kiss her deep and hard and long before either of them thought better of it.

  When he pulled back slightly, they were both out of breath and flushed. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “I’m sorry about the way I acted earlier. I shouldn’t have jumped all over you like that.”

  She gave him a little nod and smile. “And I’m sorry for getting ahead of things again. I’ll try to do better at that from now on. If you’ll give me another chance.”

  Serena ran a finger down his cheek and jaw to the pulse point at the base of his neck where his heart was hammering fast.

  “Oh, I’ll give you another chance, all right.” He started to tug his T-shirt off over his head. “In fact, if you make room, I might join you in—”

  Noah had his shirt half off when Gracie started fussing again in the bedroom. Serena started to get out of the tub, but he held up a hand to stop her, smoothing his shirt back into place with the other. “No. You stay and relax. I’ll get her again. We’ll continue this another time.”

  9

  The next morning they were up early and on the move again. Noah had taken the first shift with Gracie and Serena had to admit he was great with the baby. No matter how he might protest otherwise.

  Trekking through the rainforest seemed to be getting a little easier today. Or maybe she was just adjusting to the humid climate and the rough, uneven terrain. Or it could be the fact that without Gracie’s weight pressing down on her swollen breasts for hours at a time, Serena could actually breathe, not to mention move so much better. Not that she didn’t love caring for her daughter. It was just nice having another set of hands to help.

  A couple of hours had passed and the sun was nearing its zenith when Noah stopped abruptly in front of her and held out a hand for her to halt. He gave her a look over his shoulder that screamed “silence” and her eyes widened. Somewhere through the trees, twigs snapped and rustling sounded.

  Someone was coming their way.

  Pulse tripping, she clung to Noah’s wrist, throat dry and stomach knotted.

  A man emerged through the forest. Maybe fifty, dressed in camo, a hat obscuring his eyes, grey stubble on his craggy jaw. He stopped a few feet away from them and raised a hand, speaking to them in Spanish. “Hello. You folks out for a walk today?”

  “Maybe,” Noah said, also in Spanish, his posture stiff as steel. “Why do you care?”

  “Not saying I do,” the man said, leaning slightly to see Serena. “Just asking.”

  “Well, mind your own business.” Noah took her wrist and pulled her along behind him as they gave the man a wide berth, his attention never once deviating from the stranger.

  The man continued tracking them, his outer appearance relaxed, even as an underlying current of menace radiated from him. That walking stick in his hand looked to Serena like it could be used as a formidable weapon. She wanted to reach around and grab her daughter from the carrier strapped to Noah’s chest, but knew the baby would be far safer with him than her if they had to make a run for it.

  They’d almost made it away from the guy when suddenly he was there, right behind Serena, trying to grab her and wrestle her to the ground. She fought hard, kicking and screaming and clawing at the man with her nails, while Noah tried to help her and keep Gracie safe at the same time.

  Serena called on all her kickboxing skills and managed to land a hard punch to the guy’s temple, followed by a kick to the gut. Her assailant stumbled back, tripping over a tree root and landing on his ass. She sprang up and charged, hitting and kicking the man until he was down for the count. Then she picked up his walking stick and held the point to his neck until Noah managed to safely transfer Gracie to her, then took over restraining and questioning their prisoner.

  He used his booted foot instead of the stick to put pressure on the guy’s windpipe, but it was just as effective. While she took the baby several feet away, he growled down at the stranger, “Who the fuck sent you?”

  “Who the fuck do you think?” the man wheezed, clutching Noah’s heavy boot and having no luck dislodging it from his neck. “They want the girl and they’re willing to pay.”

  “How did you find us?” Noah pressed hard on the man’s chest, making him cough and gag. “Are there others watching us?”

  “Like it’s hard,” the guy said, the words scratchy and painful sounding. “American gringa with a baby stands out like a sore thumb. And hell yeah. Half the bounty hunters in South America want her. For a million bucks, ain’t a whole lot people won’t do.”

  Noah cursed and kicked the guy hard in the side of the head, knocking him out. Serena swallowed hard against the bile burning her throat. There was a million-dollar bounty on her head and everyone was looking for her. There was no way out. No way to save herself or Gracie.

  As she struggled to keep her inner panic from spiraling out of control, Noah frisked the guy and took his wallet, money and weapons before pulling off the guy’s boots and tossing them into the forest. Finally, he walked back over to where Serena stood, rocking Gracie back and forth to keep her quiet.

  “Our cover’s blown. We need to figure out where to go from here.”

  “What about our next stopping point?” Serena asked, fearing she already knew the answer.

  “No. It’s too risky
now. If what he said was correct and there are more people searching for you, then we need to keep moving and change course.” Noah took off the baby carrier and helped her get into it, then slid the baby into it for her, snuggling Gracie against her chest before taking Serena’s hand. “Come on. We’ll figure out somewhere else on the way.”

  After walking for what seemed like forever, Serena eventually lost track of the scenery as it passed. She just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. They stopped once or twice for her to feed Gracie and get her changed while Noah patroled the area and adjusted course.

  Now she had no idea where they were or when they might stop again. Her throat was parched and her stomach hurt from hunger, but she’d be damned if she’d complain. They were in the thick of it now and she refused to be one of those spineless women who did nothing but cry and whine when the situation got tough. She and Noah were a team here and she fully intended to hold up her end of things.

  “Any clue where we might spend the night?” she asked a short while later when they stopped for a drink and an energy bar. “Not even sure where we are.”

  “About fifty miles outside Frederickston,” Noah said, fiddling with his satellite phone. “According to my GPS.”

  “Huh,” she said, then swiped the back of her hand across her mouth before screwing the lid back on her water bottle. “What towns are close by?”

  “The map says the closest village is Santa Juanita.”

  “Really?” She couldn’t contain a small smile. Maybe fate was going their way for a change. “I know of a bed and breakfast in Santa Juanita I’ve always wanted to stay at. Super quaint with a butterfly garden and everything. It’s small and out of the way, so it might be off the radar enough to work.”

  Serena rattled off the name for him and he typed it into his phone to pull up their website.

  “Found it,” he said a few moments later. “Looks nice, but it’s pretty expensive.”

  “Oh.” Normally, cash wasn’t a concern for Serena, but now she had basically nothing. “Well, forget it then. I’m sure you’ll find something else.”

  “No,” he said, frowning down at the screen as he typed. “I like this place. And the location is perfect. I’ll cover it, don’t worry.”

  It took them two more hours to reach it, but it was worth it. The pictures Serena had seen didn’t do the place justice. It looked like something straight off a movie set, with its lush verandas and beautiful landscaping. Inside, it was full of Victorian details, and the owners were overjoyed to have unexpected guests who could pay in full at check-in. Their hosts were even kind enough not to mention their ragged state after hiking through the rainforest all day. They also had a teenaged daughter who was instantly smitten with Gracie and offered to watch her for a few hours while Noah and Serena had dinner in the gardens.

  Sitting here in the middle of paradise at twilight, enjoying what had to be the most delicious roasted chicken and veggies Serena had ever eaten, felt like a dream. She sipped her water and watched Noah devour his dinner from across the table.

  “So, thanks for today.”

  He looked up at her, his expression confused. “For what?”

  “For helping me fight off that guy earlier and for paying for us to stay here tonight.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Feels weird to enjoy this stay when the world is on fire around me, but…” She shrugged, staring at a nearby bush covered with colorful butterflies.

  “Hey.” Noah wiped his mouth and pushed his empty plate away, reaching over to take her hand. “It’s not weird. Believe me, when times are stressful and everything’s gone nuts, you should take your joy where you can find it. And there’s nothing to thank me for. Seeing you happy and relaxed is thanks enough. Besides, it’s my job, remember?”

  Serena met his eyes again, studying him in the gathering shadows while a single candle flickered near the center of the table, casting them both in a dim, warm glow. They were alone on the veranda, with Gracie inside with the sitter, and for that moment in time, it seemed like only the two of them existed in the whole world. A gentle breeze blew and the occasional bird sang from the trees and suddenly Serena couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else except right there with Noah.

  “You’re very good at your job,” she said, putting her napkin on the table and getting up to move closer to him. “Very, very good.”

  As if sensing the shift in mood toward sensual, Noah scooted back his chair and tugged her forward, until she sprawled across his lap. “Oh, I am. I’m excellent,” he said, before kissing her.

  She clung to him, unable to get close enough, unable to get enough of him. His smell, his taste, those low groans that issued from deep in his throat letting her know he wanted her as much as she wanted him—they were all irresistible. Before she could stop herself, she straddled him, grinding herself against his ever-growing erection, riding him toward her own peak of pleasure. He dug his fingers into her hips, keeping her close, increasing the contact between their bodies, even as he arched up to drive his hardness into her softness, as close to actual sex as she’d ever been with all her clothes on. It was shameless. It was scandalous. It was the most erotic, amazing experience she’d ever had in her life.

  Her breath hitched in her lungs, and the heat and slickness between her legs grew nearly unbearable as she got closer and closer to climax. She needed this, needed him, more than she needed oxygen. Maybe it was the danger. Maybe it was the constant fight to stay alive. Whatever it was, Serena had never reacted to another man the way she reacted to Noah.

  “Please…” she whispered, her mouth hovering over his, their ragged breaths mingling. “Please…”

  “Please what, sweetheart?” he all but purred, rubbing his hard cock against her most sensitive spot through their clothes. “Tell me what you need. Say it.”

  Sexy talk wasn’t her forte, but Noah made her feel like she could do anything. “Make me come. I need you to make me come. Now, Noah.”

  “Whatever you what, baby,” he said, pulling her down on him as he arched up and stars burst behind her closed eyelids. Her whole body went taut as the orgasm washed over her, hard and hot, pulsing through her nerve endings in endless waves of pleasure. The whole time, Noah held her close and whispered into her hair, coaxing her to ride out her climax on him until she felt boneless and weightless and completely sated.

  When she raised her head at last to look at him, he was grinning down at her like she’d just done the best thing ever. She started to straighten, but he held her in place, his arousal still hard as ever. Serena reached a hand between them to stroke him, but he caught her wrist. “No,” Noah said. “Tonight was about you, sweetheart.”

  “But what about you?” She frowned. “Let me—”

  “No.” He pulled her hand up and kissed her fingers. “Seeing you come apart like that in my arms was more than enough. I’ll take care of business later. Let’s go inside for now before the owners come out to see what we’re doing.”

  10

  The next morning, Serena woke up in bed, with Gracie still asleep at her side. After the great dinner and mind-blowing orgasm afterward, she’d slept better than she had in years. Well, in between the feedings. Noah was up and sitting at the table in their room, writing in what looked like a journal. When she stirred, he came over and dropped a kiss on her lips.

  “Good morning,” he said, smiling down at her.

  “Morning,” Serena said, followed by a yawn and a stretch. “Whatcha doing?”

  “Oh,” he straightened and glanced back at the table, then shrugged. “Nothing.”

  She frowned and sat up, careful not to wake Gracie, then swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. “Really? Because it looked like something. Looked like you were writing in a journal.”

  Serena started toward the table, but Noah blocked her path, his grin dissolving and his dark brows drawing together. “It’s nothing. Honestly. Forget about it
.”

  Sunlight streamed in through the blinds behind him, silhouetting his ripped bod and for a moment, Serena just let herself enjoy the view. Damn, the man was fine. No two ways about it. But he was definitely hiding something. She could tell by that stern set to his mouth and the stiffness in his broad shoulders. Rather than going for a direct assault, she decided to try a bait and switch instead. “Fine. Whatever, I’m going to the bathroom.”

  She turned to start that way, then faked a left, hoping to get around him and see what the hell he’d been writing. Noah was too quick for her, anticipating her plans and countering. They ended up in each other’s arms, laughing and kissing. It might have gone a bit farther if it wasn’t for Gracie waking up.

  Noah peered over the top of Serena’s head toward the bed. “Looks like someone’s up this morning.”

  “Yep.” She pulled away and started back to the bed, only to stop at the sound of a strange cry from her daughter. It sounded weak and hoarse and altogether troubling. Serena’s stomach dropped to her toes.

  Her worry must have shown on her face because Noah asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Something’s not right with Gracie.”

  She rushed over and felt the baby’s forehead, then picked her up and carried her to the bathroom where she flipped on the lights. “She’s got a fever and her nose is runny.”

  “Probably just a cold,” Noah said. “Right?”

  “Maybe.” Serena’s chest constricted and her heart raced. “But what if it’s not?” Her hands shook slightly as she undressed Gracie, then ran her a nice cool bath in the sink. “We’re in a foreign country and on the run, and what if it’s something terrible? Would it even be safe to go to a hospital?”

  Noah hugged her with one arm and kissed the top of her head, while tears stung her eyes. “Don’t worry. Let me go see if the owner lady is up. Maybe she will know what to do. She might even have some supplies we can use.”