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  "I wonder if I'll ever get enough of touching you." His voice was already deepening with desire.

  "I still have to pinch myself to believe that this is happening," she told him.

  "Oh, I think I should be the one to do the pinching." He took one nipple between thumb and forefinger and squeezed it lightly.

  Heat arrowed straight to her cunt, moisture flooding her and her pulse kicking into overdrive. He could do that to her with just one touch?

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  Anya ran one hand lightly over the thick hair on his chest, curling her fingertips into it and seeking his nipples. When she scraped gently over the surface of them his breath hissed out slowly.

  "Darlin', you do like to light my fire, don't you." He dipped his head to capture the lobe of her ear in his teeth, then trailed his tongue along the column of her neck. Anya shivered in anticipation. She never would have dreamed that a woman of such sexuality lived beneath her skin. Her experience had been limited and her selfesteem low, especially after Virgil sweet-talked her for the sole purpose of selling her body to the highest bidders.

  But from that first night when she'd called him for help, Gus had been caring and protective, coaxing her out of her shyness. He'd taught her that sex with the right person could be wonderful. That most men weren't like the very few she'd been with, fumbling and inexperienced. Or brutal, like Virgil and his customers. He'd taught her to learn how to respond to the needs of both her body and his. And to welcome his touch. And Gus had given her the strength to testify against Virgil and to convince Amy and Stella to do the same. He'd sheltered her in his apartment and then in his bed, teaching her the pleasures of erotic love. As the emotional bond between them had grown, she'd opened for him like a flower. Now a day never passed that she didn't crave the touch of his mouth on her, his fingers, his cock inside her. She'd had to transfer to another office, of course, but luckily there was an opening in one on the same floor. Whenever he stopped by to check on her she wondered if anyone noticed the smoldering glances they exchanged.

  Now she rubbed her body against his in a way that fed the pleasure in both of them. Gus moved one hand along her curves with a light, feathery stroke that sent shivers through her.

  "You always feel so good to me," he murmured, his head dipping to capture one nipple between his lips. "Your skin feels like cool silk but there's such heat beneath it."

  He nipped at her jawline. "But that heat's just for me, right, darlin'?"

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  "Of course," she breathed. As if any other man would ever appeal to her. His mouth continued its sensuous journey along her neck, pausing at the hollow of her throat to press his tongue to the spot where her pulse beat so furiously. And all the while his hand traveled everywhere--her thighs, her arms, her shoulders. Anya anchored her fingers in the thick warmth of his hair, holding on to him tightly as little ripples of pleasure raced through her.

  One palm cupped a breast as his mouth found the nipple, his tongue licking it, his lips pulling on it, his teeth nibbling in tiny little nips. Anya felt the liquid gathering in her cunt and the lips there swelling with need. When he'd teased the nipple into a swollen, aching point he moved to the other one, kneading the soft flesh of her breast while using his mouth and teeth on the swelling bud.

  Anya moved against him, pressing herself into his mouth and hands. She let one of her own hands drift lower, reaching for the thick hard shaft against her thigh, wanting to touch him, too.

  "Uh-uh," Gus murmured, his mouth against her body. "This is my play time."

  His lips traveled further down her body, until they reached the soft curls covering her pussy. Moving so he knelt between her thighs, he spread them wide, bent his head and spread her cunt lips. Anya had discovered he loved to look at her fully exposed, his eyes eating her up. Tiny shimmers of heat rippled through her.

  "I could spend the rest of my life eating your cunt." Gus' voice was low and raw with need. "Bend your knees for me, darlin'. Just the way I like it."

  Anya planted her feet on the mattress, knees bent and legs as far apart as she could get them. Gus took a long, slow, delicious sweep of his tongue the length of her slit, not hurrying, not rushing. Taking his time to enjoy every morsel. Anya wanted to scream at him to hurry, but she knew by now that slow and easy was his favorite way to make love. He knew how it drove her crazy. By the time he was ready to enter her she would be so aroused she would climax at once, then again as he fucked her. 17

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  With his thumbs Gus spread the lips of her pussy, and then closed his lips over her throbbing clit. Anya bucked, her hips rising from the mattress as she lifted to meet his mouth. Gus took leisurely swipes at her demanding flesh, alternately sucking the hot bud and lapping each inch of her inner pussy lips. By the time he plunged his tongue inside her wet channel she was half crazy with desire. He was so clever with that tongue, thrusting it in and out as he would do later with his cock. It brushed rhythmically against her flexing pussy walls, reaching in deep and curling the tip to reach that oh, so sweet spot that sent her spinning up the spiral. Pushing her hips at him she tried to draw him deeper inside. Instead he withdrew his tongue and drew concentric circles with it around her clit. Again and again, around and around. Anya clutched at the sheet, digging her fists into it and bracing her feet on the mattress. She wanted him to let her come, to carry her to that wonderful place with fireworks and black velvet, but that wasn't Gus' style. She'd already learned that.

  Lifting his head, he licked the inside of each thigh with tantalizing swipes of his broad, flat tongue, leaving her pussy vibrating with need. Planting kisses on the inside of each knee, he slid his hands up the outside of her thighs then around to the cheeks of her ass. With one deft movement he flipped her over onto her stomach and pulled her up to her knees. Then he was kissing her ass, those light butterfly touches that made the pulse low in her belly thrum with excitement.

  Gus shifted so his body was over hers, circled her wrists and lifted her hands, clamping her fingers around the slats in the headboard.

  "Hold on tight, darlin'." His voice was husky and raw. "Stay just like that."

  He reached for their pillows and pulled them beneath her, piling them so her body could rest on them. Anya shivered with anticipation. The first time Gus had taken her from behind she'd been scared, aroused, panicked, a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. But as with everything else, he'd been slow, loving, tamping down his own rising need to arouse her to the point where she wanted it as much as he did. 18

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  But still, he'd never taken her there. Would tonight be the night? As she'd come to know Gus over the past six months she'd learned he was a man of great sexual appetites. She'd also discovered he kept a large part of himself tucked away, leery of frightening her, knowing how her short brush with Virgil and his operation had traumatized her. Didn't he know she trusted him more than any other man she'd ever met? That she was ready for whatever he wanted? Desired?

  She wiggled her buttocks, hoping to send him a signal of some kind. His chuckle was low and throaty. "Getting anxious, are you? I like that. My shy little flower is coming into full bloom." He placed an open-mouthed kiss on each cheek of her buttocks before leaning over her and rubbing her cunt with his clever fingers. He knew exactly where and how to touch her to heat her blood and make her nerve endings sizzle. The urge inside her to explore further with him, to push the erotic envelope, grew stronger each time they made love.

  Anya gripped the spindles of the headboard and rocked her hips as Gus' fingers pinched her clit, rubbed the lips of her cunt and probed deep inside her hungry channel. She closed her eyes, giving herself up to the pleasure that surged through her body.

  More, more, more!

  The words screamed in her head.

  Then she heard the welcome sound of foil ripping and visualized Gus rolling the condom onto his thick swollen cock. The muscles inside her pu
ssy clenched in anticipation.

  In another second the tip of his shaft probed at her entrance. His hands tightened on her hips as he pushed slowly but steadily forward, entering her a little at a time. All the way in! All the way in, Gus! I'm not a china doll.

  "Am I hurting you?" She heard the strain in his voice as he fought for control. 19

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  "No." She shoved back at him. "Damn it, Gus. I keep telling you. I'm not afraid with you. Take me. Hard."

  "All right, darlin'." He slid out very slowly, then slammed into her. She felt the broad head nudging at the entrance to her womb and trembled with delight.

  "Yes." She rocked back again. "That's what I want. I won't break, Gus. Fuck me, hard."

  "Hold tight, then."

  His hips rolled as he pulled out, slid back in, each stroke harder and faster than the one before. Keeping one hand on a hip to steady himself, Gus reached around to her clit and tugged it between two fingers. As he plunged in and out of her his fingers pulled back and forth in the same tempo.

  Harder and harder Gus drove into her, working her to bring her to the edge. Anya felt an icy heat rocket through her and the climax building low in her belly. It surged through her exploding just as she felt Gus stiffen behind her signaling the onset of his own orgasm. And then they crashed together, shuddering with the force of their release, the muscles of her cunt milking him.

  He shouted her name as he emptied himself into her, the hot jets of his semen pouring into the thin latex shield.

  At last they were spent. Gus reached up to unclench her fingers from the spindles, then leaned forward onto her, his heart pounding against her back and mingling with her own heartbeat. The only sound in the room was the harsh rasping of their breathing as they struggled to drag air into their lungs.

  When he'd gathered himself enough, Gus withdrew from her and headed for the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Anya shoved the pillows toward the headboard and rolled onto her back, a sense of satisfied lassitude creeping through her, making her limbs weak. She smiled to herself, remembering each moment of carnal pleasure their coupling brought to her.

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  How her life had changed in just six months. Her success at her job gave her confidence. Her relationship with Gus made her believe in herself, believe that she could have it all. She supposed it was the one thing she had Virgil Branson to thank for. If not for him, she wouldn't have called Gus that night and be where she was now. Gus slid into bed beside and bent his head to kiss her, his tongue tracing the line of her mouth before teasing inside. But this wasn't a hungry kiss. It was gentle. Tender. A kiss that promised so many things. She reveled in it, pulling Gus' head down tighter to her, anchoring her fingers in his hair. She loved it that every time they made love he cuddled her afterward, showing his feelings in so many ways. She had just spooned against him, his arms wrapped around her, when the phone rang.

  "Shit. Who the hell wants me now?" He reached for the phone. "This better be damn good." But then his entire body tightened. "What? Are you kidding me? Damn it all to hell, anyway." He listened some more. "All right, all right. We're on our way." He replaced the phone, leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We need to get up, Anya. We have to go to the office."

  "What's wrong?" Her heart nearly stopped beating. "What's happening, Gus?"

  She could feel the anger rising from him in waves. "Virgil Branson escaped."

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  Chapter Three

  There were ten people in the conference room down the hall from Gus' office. Anya knew two of them by name. The others were all strangers except for her boss, Jimmy Broughton. Everyone had full mugs of coffee and another pot was brewing on a little table in the corner. She tried to make sense of what everyone was saying but her brain seemed to be stuck in first gear. Nothing had penetrated since Gus had delivered the terrible message.

  She sat next to Gus, inwardly quaking but doing her best to maintain outward control. In her hastily donned jeans and t-shirt she felt not only rumpled but also exposed, as if everyone in the room could see beneath her clothing and identify what she and Gus had been doing.

  Although he was all business, Gus had taken her hand in his, holding it tightly, his warmth and strength seeping into her with a reassurance she desperately needed.

  "That's the oldest trick in the book," he said again. "Pretend to be sick, get transferred to the prison infirmary and then get busted out. But he had to have help. And he had to set it up ahead of time."

  Jimmy Broughton was pacing. Had been since they'd all arrived and laid out the problem.

  "I've got someone on it," he told them. "We're checking the visitor logs as well as his activity logs for the past month. Best guess is, besides the outside help, he bought off someone in the infirmary. We're pulling the history on everyone who works there."

  A man in jeans and a rumpled polo shirt stood up to refill his coffee mug. "If you ask me, there's entirely too much of that shit going on right now."

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  "True," Jimmy agreed, "but that doesn't solve our problem. We need to find out who and how. And most importantly, where Branson is now. That man is a dangerous psychopath."

  His words chilled Anya to the bone. She certainly didn't need reminding of Virgil's cold and twisted mind hidden beneath that charming veneer. Or the things he'd planned for her after he "broke her in". Anya tightened her fingers around Gus' and he gave her an answering squeeze. She wondered if she'd ever be safe from the man. Ever be able to relax and enjoy her new life with Gus.

  "You should let us put her in a safe house away from here," Jimmy went on, looking directly at Gus. "She'll be out of danger and you can help us nail down this bastard."

  "No." Gus didn't shout but there was no mistaking the power in his voice. "She stays with me."

  "Hell, Gus. Make a decision with your brains for a change. You might both be in danger."

  "I'll handle it. She stays."

  Jimmy shoved his hands through his hair. "Listen, I'm just--"

  "Jimmy."

  The man at the head of the table spoke up. Anya recognized him as Dean Barton, the Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio office and the man both Gus and Jimmy reported to. Anya had only met him once but the agents all spoke of him with complete and utter respect.

  "Yeah, boss?" Jimmy stopped pacing and turned to the SAIC.

  "Let Gus handle this his way. Our first order of business is to find out who helped Virgil. That will give us an idea where he might be hiding. Or at least who to question about it."

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  "I'd like to get my hands on whoever it is," Gus growled. "They'd spill their guts in ten seconds."

  Dean shook his head. "As a matter of fact, Gus, you're going to have to keep a low profile here."

  "Wait a minute," Gus began.

  Dean cut him off. "You have other priorities." He looked at Anya. "Miss Kane's safety is at the top of the list. I'm making it your assignment to personally take care of that."

  Anya sensed Gus stiffen beside her.

  "I already figured that out. But that doesn't mean--"

  "What it means is neither of you can go back to your place. Not even to collect personal belongings."

  Anya tightened her grip on Gus' hand as she leaned forward. "But where will we go, Mr. Barton?"

  He gave her a strained smile. "I have a safe house set up. Only those of you here in this room will know which one it is. I promise you, you'll be safe there, Miss Kane."

  His words were somewhat reassuring but she put all of her trust in Gus. And she'd leave the details up to him. He'd told her the night she'd called him that he wouldn't let her down and he hadn't.

  "It's critical for me to have a pipeline into what's happening with this," Gus protested.

  Dean nodded. "And you will. Jimmy will be your contact when I'm not available. You'll know everything
that's going on at all times. I'll need to pick your brain because you ran the original case."

  "What about backup? Someone with eyes and ears when we sleep?"

  "That's one of the things we'll discuss after this meeting."

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  Anya sat back in her chair, letting the rest of the discussion wash over her. She was still trying to absorb the fact that Virgil Branson was on the loose. He'd looked her in the eye when she walked out of the courtroom and mouthed, "I'll kill you, sweet thing. You can't hide from me." A cold shiver skittered over her as she remembered the deadly promise and she hitched her chair slightly closer to Gus. Finally it seemed the meeting was over. Everyone had their assignments and was heading to their desks or their cars to get started. Dean Barton left them for a moment, then returned carrying a large aluminum briefcase, which he handed to Gus. Then he locked the door and sat down across from Anya and Gus, shoving the case at Gus.

  "Your go bag," he told him. "Open it when you get where you're going."

  Gus nodded and waited for the SAIC to continue.

  "Obviously we don't know how extensive Branson's network is," he told them. "It's much larger than we thought. Gus, it's entirely possible that he knows of your relationship with Miss Kane and is aware the two of you are living together. He could even have someone watching your place."

  "I already figured that," Gus told him.

  "As soon as we wrap up some details here we're going to get you out of this building and do some bait and switch."