Code of Honor

Chapter Nineteen

Loren woke to the completely foreign sensation of a warm body pressed against hers. She hadn’t slept the night with a woman since college—before she’d joined the military. She’d only spent a few hours in the beds of those women she’d had sex with here in Silver Lake, and most of the time that suited them as well as it did her. She discouraged the occasional woman who wanted her to spend the night or hinted at something more than a casual encounter as gently as she could while making it clear she was all about sex and nothing else. She hadn’t had to act, either. She’d never really wanted more than sex, and she’d always been careful not to let anyone think she was offering more. The brief connection a night with a woman provided was enough to satisfy her rare bouts of loneliness. Her nomadic lifestyle gave her an easy out when it came to avoiding entanglements—if she never stayed in one place long, she couldn’t be guilty of disappointing anyone.

Moving around came naturally to her too. She’d always been restless, always been looking for the next challenge, the next adventure. Her mother used to say Loren had inherited her rapid-fire mind from her and needed the adrenaline rush to be content. Whereas her mother found her satisfaction working out the complex algorithms that always played through her mind, Loren found hers in the physical and mental challenges of her job. The military and then the bureau gave her the excuse to always be moving, and always moving on. Silver Lake was her longest billet since college.

Lying with Sky asleep in her arms wasn’t anything she’d ever wished for, so she couldn’t figure out why it felt completely right. Sure, Sky was beautiful and smart and sexy. She also had a way of cutting through all the layers of Loren’s disguise, as if she was looking at Loren naked and unarmed. That should have made Loren put distance between them, but instead she kept getting closer, as if testing the heat of a flame with the palm of her hand—not really believing she could be burned. Somehow knowing Sky saw through the mask was as exhilarating as it was uncomfortable. She shouldn’t have liked it, but she did.

She shouldn’t have liked a lot about her feelings for Sky. She liked sleeping between Sky and the door and whatever lay outside in the dark, as if her presence made a difference. She’d been undercover for years, sustaining herself with the belief that what she was doing would make a difference, someday, somehow. Right this moment, being close to Sky had more meaning than anything she’d done in a very long time. Her arm lay around Sky’s waist and she tightened her grip. Sky mumbled something Loren couldn’t catch and rolled over onto her back.

“Sorry,” Loren said, pulling away.

Sky grabbed the waistband of her jeans and kept her from moving. “For what?”

“Waking you.”

“Feels good—you, I mean.”

Loren went very still.

“Anyhow, thanks for…whatever.” Sky gave a little laugh. “I slept really well. I have no idea how, considering everything that’s going on and the fact I’m in bed with you.”

“I’m not sure how to take that,” Loren said dryly.

“Probably any way you want would be accurate.”

“If you can tolerate the inconvenience,” Loren said, “you should probably stay here for now. The members would expect us to be together, and it will be easier for us to coordinate our plans.”

“Well, I’m all for coordination.” Sky pushed a little away on the narrow bed. “But I’m not sure the sleeping arrangements will work.”

Loren flushed. “I wasn’t suggesting we sleep together—I’ll take the floor. I’ve slept in worse places.”

Sky snorted. “Right. How about we discuss accommodations later. It’s after nine, time to head to the Rooster.”

“How do you know what time it is?”

“I always know what time it is. Don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do.” Loren sat up on the side of the bed, instantly aware of the places where they were no longer touching. Those spots seemed instantly bereft. She shook off the momentary weakness and grabbed her boots.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Loren said without looking around. Sky read her too damn well. She’d have to be careful about that. “Are you hungry?”

“What are my options?”

“I’ve got soup, bread and cheese, stew, and SpaghettiOs.”

Sky sat up next to Loren, and their hips and thighs touched again. The sensation of rightness shot through her again, and Loren tried not to pay attention to it.

“Stew,” Sky said, as if tasting the word on her tongue. “Would that be canned stew of the Dinty Moore variety?”

Loren laughed. “Did you think I cooked it up from scratch?”

“I’ll take the SpaghettiOs, thanks.”

“What’s the matter, not adventurous?”

Sky gave her a long look, and Loren thought about the kiss earlier. The kiss that Sky had initiated. No, Sky was plenty adventurous. Loren still didn’t know what the kiss meant. Maybe it didn’t mean anything. People in a crisis situation often did things that didn’t make any sense. People did, but she didn’t. That wasn’t her. She was careful—not cautious, but never rash. Kissing Sky back had been rash. Carrying her to the bed had been downright insane. Loren stood abruptly and moved a few feet away. Sky looked at her as if she’d been reading her thoughts again. “I’ll get the food.”

“I need a shower. Do you have one of those?”

Loren tipped her head toward the bathroom. “In there. It’s small, but the water’s hot.”

“I suppose since you and I are supposed to be having monkey sex right now that I’ll have to wear the same clothes back to the bar.” Sky made a face. “I’m clearly out of practice at the one-night-stand thing.”

Loren looked her over, while avoiding the question as to why it mattered to her whether Sky had a busy sex life or not. “I’ve got a T-shirt that shrank up when I dried it the first time. That will fit you. The jeans…” She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t think I can help you there.”

“A clean T-shirt would be great. Thanks.”

Loren pointed to the bathroom. “Clean towels are on a shelf in there. Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” Sky walked toward the bathroom, then turned. “Really, Loren. Thanks. For last night and today.”

Loren could’ve asked her for what, but she knew. Sky had felt it too. The moments they’d been together hadn’t been about the job. She didn’t know what those hours they’d spent holding one another were about, but she knew they were different. Special. “No problem.”

Sky regarded her another long moment as if waiting for her to say something else before finally turning away and disappearing into the bathroom. Loren waited to hear the water come on, liking the sound of someone else in her space. Another feeling she shouldn’t be having. Another feeling that was too right.

An hour later, they pulled up in front of the Rooster.

“You sure about this?” Loren asked.

“I’m sure.” Sky turned off the engine and stepped out. When Loren came around to join her, Sky slid her arm through Loren’s and pressed against her side. “You said yourself I had to get this audit over quickly. I can’t do that unless I get started, and since that’s why I’m supposed to be here, the sooner the better.”

“Okay, but remember, they’re going to be watching you when you’re doing the books. Make sure you don’t give them anything to worry about.”

“I can handle this, Loren,” Sky said. “Don’t worry about it.”

As soon as they walked into the bar, Sky pulled off her skimpy leather jacket and sashayed across the room to Ramsey, who was sitting at a back table with a couple of other members. She leaned down, giving him a good look down the front of the borrowed T-shirt that she’d slit down the center so it gaped between her breasts. The fact she wasn’t wearing a bra would have been obvious even without the revealing gap. The thin cotton draped the curves of her full, firm breasts like a second skin. Loren remembered the warm weight of Sky’s breast resting against her forearm as she’d held her a few hours before, and she thought about Ramsey running his eyes over Sky’s breasts now, probably getting a hard-on thinking about how they’d feel in his hands.

A flash of heat so intense Loren nearly jerked shot straight to the top of her head. She’d never believed in the saying that someone could see red, but she was about there now. The rage stopped the breath in her chest. She wanted to drag Ramsey out of his chair and beat the hell out of him. All because he was looking, exactly as Sky wanted him to do. Sky was distracting him, diverting his suspicion. It was a smart move and it was making Loren crazy. She stalked to the bar and straddled the stool.

Grady pushed a beer in front of her and she drank half of it down just to cool off.

“What’s doing?” Grady smirked as if he already knew the answer.

“Not much.” The sound of Sky’s laughter and Ramsey’s satisfied growl set Loren’s teeth on edge. She wanted to break something. Ramsey’s face came instantly to mind.

“The Prez seems to have taken a liking to your squeeze.”

Loren eyed Grady. Maybe his face would do.

He must have read her thoughts because he backed up. “Not me. Hey. I’m not going there.”

“Just give me another beer and shut the fuck up.”

Three hours later, Loren was still sitting there, staring at the dusty bottles lined up on the shelves and trying not to be obvious about watching the thin black hands of the Budweiser clock as they slowly crawled around the flickering face. Sky was somewhere in the back, still reviewing the club’s accounts. Armeo had to be back there watching her. Ramsey wandered in and out from the back from time to time, and she pretended she didn’t notice him. She didn’t want to appear anxious, but as more time passed, the crawling sensation in her stomach mushroomed. No matter how good Sky was, she was alone back there.

Loren hadn’t had to be responsible for anyone else in a very long time. Even when she’d been deployed, she usually worked alone. Procuring contraband or spiriting supplies and replacement parts destined for noncombatants to her base, where they could be put to use supporting the troops who were actually doing the fighting, was a solo mission. The fewer people who knew what she was doing, the safer for everyone concerned. Sure, she’d had troops under her command, but the dangerous jobs she did herself. She’d preferred it that way. If someone got caught doing what she was doing, the penalties extended far beyond a demotion in rank. Battlefield justice was swift, and often lethal, just like here. If Ramsey suspected Sky was not who she claimed to be, he’d kill her and ask questions later.

Loren drained her third beer and decided she’d waited long enough. Sky was her old lady. She was going after her.

A small cool hand curled around her bare forearm. “Hey, Lothario,” a breathy voice crooned in her ear. Warm lips skimmed her earlobe and a touch of tongue teased along the edge of her jaw. Firm breasts, too firm to be real, pressed against her arm. Loren turned slightly on the stool and scanned the little blonde in the halter top and low low-riders. Despite the frigid weather outside, Candy was dressed for summer. Her augmented breasts spilled out over the top of the whisper of red silk that stretched across her stony nipples. Her flat stomach was bare all the way down to within an inch of her clit. Her hips flared in her skintight jeans. She had a cheerleader’s body and the IQ of a rabbit. The interest of one too. She’d fuck anything in leather, male or female. Pretty and predatory, she’d been trying to get Loren to fuck her for six months. Loren had never been tempted. Candy wasn’t her kind of woman, and since most everyone in the club had had a taste, she could decline just on the excuse she wasn’t interested in leftovers.

Candy rubbed her pelvis against Loren’s thigh and pushed her breasts harder against Loren’s arm. Her bright red lips pursed into a pout as the tip of her pink tongue skated over her lower lip. “You’re so mean. You keep avoiding me and all I can do is think about you. I love a hot mouth on my pussy.”

“Well, you’ll just have to love someone else’s mouth, sweetheart,” Sky said from a few feet away, “because Loren’s isn’t going to be on anybody’s pussy but mine.”

Candy turned while somehow managing to keep her breasts against Loren’s. “I don’t think you have anything to say about it. And I’m having a private conversation with Loren. Sweetheart.”

“Let me set you straight,” Sky said with a dangerous smile. “You’re poaching on my territory. If Loren had wanted to fuck a Barbie doll, she probably would’ve done it already. Why don’t you get the message and get lost.”

“Why don’t you go fuck yourself.” Candy threw a straight right punch that caught Sky on the left cheek and snapped Sky’s head back.

Loren made a grab for Candy. “What the fuck, Candy!”

Candy twisted away from Loren and hauled off with another punch. Sky caught Candy’s wrist and twisted it sharply, forcing Candy to turn with it to relieve the pressure. With her other hand, Sky grabbed the back of Candy’s head and pushed her face down onto the bar, hard enough to break her nose if she hadn’t turned Candy’s head at the last second. She locked Candy’s wrist to keep her still and leaned over until her mouth was close to Candy’s ear. She didn’t lower her voice. “Listen carefully, you little bitch. Touch me again and I’ll break your arm. Touch Loren, and I’ll break even more than that.”

Candy whimpered.

“What?” Sky asked.

“Okay. I…hear you.”

“Good.” Sky straightened, pulling Candy up with her, and pushed her away so hard that Candy caromed off a nearby table. She turned to Loren and poked her in the chest, hard. “I can’t leave you alone for a couple of hours without finding some slut crawling all over you?”

“Come on, baby, let me get some ice,” Loren said. Sky’s left lower lid was purple and her upper lid rapidly closing.

“Fuck ice.” Sky planted a hand in the center of Loren’s chest and pushed, nearly knocking her backward off the stool. “I said, why can’t you keep your nose out of strange pussy?”

“I’m telling you,” Loren protested, aware they were being watched from all corners. She held her hands up. “I didn’t do anything.”

“This one time I’m going to believe you.” Sky’s voice vibrated with fury. “But if you don’t keep your hands and your mouth where they belong from now, you’re gonna be missing out on the best pussy of your life.”

A couple of guys hooted and a few girls clapped. Loren looked around the room and grinned. “Anything you say, baby.”

“Remember it.” Sky grabbed her T-shirt in both fists and kissed her.

Loren forgot they had an audience. She gripped the back of Sky’s neck and sank into the kiss, careful of the bruise on Sky’s face. Sky’s breasts against her chest were nothing like Candy’s had been. The heat and soft pressure kindled fire in her belly. Sky twisted her hands in the material of Loren’s shirt until the cotton abraded Loren’s nipples, sending shock waves to her clit. Sky’s tongue explored her mouth until her breath fled.

Loren moaned, aching to touch her. She pulled away, gasping. “Let’s get out of here.”

“I don’t think so,” Sky murmured, her voice thick and sensuous. “I’m ready for a beer.”

“You okay?” Loren asked, trailing a finger down Sky’s throat.

“Never better.” Sky’s eyes glittered, fever hot. She ran her fingers through Loren’s hair. “Never better.”