Page 46 of Rogue
Chapter Seventeen
Noah
I wake up early, and no matter how hard I try, or how seductive McKenzie’s warm and naked body feels curled against me, I can’t go back to sleep. Last night was incredible. Nothing had prepared me for the sight of her sweet pussy and ass cheeks clenching again and again as the orgasms came one after another when I finally took her from behind.
But this morning, something’s bothering me—niggling away in some corner of my mind—although I have no fucking clue what it is. All I know is that it has something to do with McKenzie. Obviously, the fact that someone is after her—and possibly trying to do her harm—is a concern, and one I need to figure out. Soon. But this is something else. Something more…personal.
I finally get up, leaving her in bed with her blonde hair spread over the pillow, and go up on deck. It’s a beautiful morning, and dawn is creeping across the sky, setting fire to the ocean as the two kiss at the horizon. It will take us about six more hours to get to Malaysia, where we’re planning to dive. I figure since I can’t sleep, we might as well get on our way so we can arrive earlier.
I pull up anchor, unfurl the sails, set our course on the GPS, and turn on autopilot, desperately wishing I could go for a punishing run to either figure out what the hell is bothering me or forget about it. Instead I turn on the satellite phone and check in. Although I told McKenzie there’s no wifi on the boat, I do have a pricey little satellite phone that I use for email, messages, and the occasional phone call, should I need to make one. Which I most definitely do. If El Gato has someone else after McKenzie, I want to know about it.
I punch in the numbers, waiting as I’m patched through the web of lines before the world’s most-wanted drug kingpin comes on the line.
“Have you found the guns?” he snaps.
“Not yet, but I’ve seen the bucket list—the list of clues Prescott left behind. The girl—his sister—showed it to me. I just need a little more time to chase down each item on the list.” I don’t dare say her name out loud in case the memories of being buried inside of her creep into my voice and betray my feelings for her.
“Ditch the girl if you have the list,” he says dismissively. “You can go faster without her.”
“She has the list,” I correct. “And the knowledge of her brother and his activities that I need to determine what’s a clue and what isn’t. She’s indispensable; she can save me valuable time. The girl stays with me. Unharmed.”
“Lighten up, gringo.” He chuckles. “I don’t care what you do withlagüera.If you want her to warm your bed while she leads you to my guns, it is, how do you Americans say, no skin off my nose.”
“Then you haven’t sent someone after her?” I press.
“Not since Costa Rica, no.”
“She said there were men with guns when she was in Costa Rica. You sent them?” I keep my voice even, with no hint of the fury I feel. If he discovers how I feel about McKenzie, she becomes a bargaining chip, and I can’t afford that.
“Si.”It’s dismissive, and I know full well his trademark shoulder shrug that goes with it. A man like El Gato doesn’t have to justify his actions to anyone. “At the time, I thought the simplest solution was to get the list from her and let you decipher it. But my men failed, and she disappeared. Another attempt with force would have drawn attention I don’t need. Besides, you seem to be enjoying her, and a warm female body is better than a cold one.” He laughs at his crude joke. “Where are you?”
“En route to Malaysia. The girl and I are diving in a specific area detailed on the list. It’s the last thing Prescott added. Hopefully there’ll be something worthwhile to learn there.”
“Keep me posted. I want the guns. Without them, we don’t have a deal.” He’s of course referring to handing me El Jefe, the man I’ve waited three long years to see dead.
“Stay away from the girl. There’s also no deal if she gets hurt. No girl, no guns.”
It’s a bold and possibly foolhardy thing to do, but I want him to stay away from McKenzie, even if it means one day I’ll pay the price for it. I hold the phone long after the line has gone dead, my mind running through the options. Although talking to El Gato has cleared up what happened in Costa Rica, it doesn’t explain who was on the boat digging through her bag. Or the incident at the caves.
“Good morning.”
I look up at the sound of McKenzie’s soft voice, still raspy with sleep, and my cock stirs to life.
“Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?”
She walks over to me, and I notice all she’s wearing is theIt’s More Fun in the Philippinesshirt. And I mean all. Her nipples are indecently erect beneath the thin fabric, and I get a tantalizing glimpse of her pert, round little ass as she steps over the rigging to come and stand next to me. I instinctively caress her bare ass, reveling as always in the feel of her soft skin and enticing curves.
“I had a dream.”
“A bad one?” I want to banish every bad thing that has happened in her life that could haunt her dreams.
She sits in my lap, straddling me so we’re face-to-face. “Very bad.” She’s got an impish gleam in her eyes.
My eyes narrow. “What kind of bad are we talking about?”
“The kind of bad that gets me spanked and fucked.”
She shifts in my lap, kneeling so she can unbutton my shorts and pull my cock out. I groan, capturing her wrists and holding them behind her as I bend to take her nipple between my teeth through the thin fabric of her shirt, tugging gently with my teeth. Now it’s her turn to groan.
