Even here, she was beautiful. Pink and tiny, her pu**y lips swollen and visible underneath. He leaned in and buried his face between her checks, snaking his tongue out to lick around the puckered hole.

“Oh, my God, Mac!”

Lily tensed, but Mac caressed her buttocks, leaning back a bit. “Relax, baby, Let me lick you.”

She shuddered when he forced her cheeks apart, then dove in again, licking around the rim with soft strokes. He slipped his hand around her to massage her pussy, wanting her concentrating on pleasure only. He licked her with alternating strokes—fast, then slow, long laps, continuing to play with her cl*tand pu**y lips until she was writhing against him. Any hesitation she had soon disappeared and she was shoving her ass in his face.

Oh, yeah. Just where he wanted her. Wild and out of control. He stood and grabbed the lube, coating his finger and pouring it over the crack of her ass. He penetrated her with one finger, still using his other hand to maintain his rhythm on her clit, moving to her side now so he could maintain a rhythm, f**king her ass with his finger, embedding it deep inside her now. Her tight ass pulsed, growing accustomed to the invasion.

This was just the start. There was much more to come.

First, he wanted Lily to cl**ax, then he was going to bury his c**k deep in her tiny hole and take her virgin ass.

His c**k twitched in anticipation. He could so easily take her right now, before she got off. But he forced himself to wait. He wanted her primed, wanted her pu**y dripping wet, pulsing from orgasm. Then it would be his turn.

“Does it feel good?” he asked, tunneling his finger in and out of her in a slow, deep rhythm.

“Yes. Oh, yes. Give me more.”

“You like having your ass fucked.”

Her nails scraped the wall. “Quit. Quit talking. Make me come.”

He grinned at her irritation, but continued to tease around her clit, knowing it wasn’t going to take much to push her over the edge. “You want me to rub your cl*tfor you baby?”

“Fuck you, Mac. Do it.”

“Oooh, you’re a little cranky when you’re horny, aren’t you?”

She grabbed his wrist and planted his hand firmly over her sex, holding it there, setting the pace and exact location she wanted. She turned her head, her eyes glassy and unfocused as she glared at him. “Shove your finger in my ass hard and make me come. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a wink, though he doubted she even saw the gesture. He pressed his palm down hard over her cl*tand he felt the contractions as she cl**axed. She tilted her head back, closed her eyes and let out a low moan. The muscles of her ass latched onto his finger and squeezed and he knew then just how damn good it was going to be when his dick was inside her. He held still, letting her ride the wave. He withdrew his finger, washed up a bit, then poured more lube over her ass.

He applied the condom, positioned himself behind her, kicked her legs apart a little more, and coated his c**k fully with lube. He leaned over her, kissed the back of her neck and said, “Now, I’m going to really f**k your ass.”

Her shoulders hunched with her hard breaths. “Do it.”

She bent over even further, presenting her sweet buttocks to him. He held onto his shaft and pushed the soft head through the tight entrance, holding still while she hissed.

“You tell me to stop if it hurts.”

“I’m fine,” she said, pushing back against him, which allowed him to slide further inside her. He stilled, letting her body adjust to his thickness, letting her breathe through the burn. When she moved again, so did he, pushing forward inch by inch until he was fully seated inside her. When she was accustomed to him, he began to move, with gentle ease at first; then, when he sensed her need, a little harder.

“More,” she said.

He thrust with determination this time, and she groaned, tossing her head back, spraying him with water that flew from the ends of her hair. It was wild, untamed, as she bucked against him, pushing her ass onto his cock. She was like a vise inside. A hot, melting torture chamber, the tightest thing he’d ever felt. He turned the water temperature down because he was dying, inside and out. He closed his eyes and focused on the sensation of being surrounded by all of that heat, of being inside Lily’s ass, of being so intimately connected to her in this way. This was such a gift and he wanted to make it special for her. He wanted her to orgasm again, to feel her squeeze the come right out of his dick.

He watched her movements, heard the sweet sounds she made when she rubbed her pussy. So hot. He felt the end result in the tightening around his shaft. She was going to go off, soon. So was he. It was burning him up inside, the storm swirling around his spine and getting ready to explode. Each time he pulled back and shoved inside her, it was more difficult to maintain control.

“Mac,” she said, her voice shaky. “Mac, I need to come again.”

It was a desperate plea, and one he was all too happy to help her with.

“Yeah, baby. Come for me.”

This time, it wasn’t a little moan. It was a loud, riproaring scream, accompanied by a tight squeezing around his c**k as she cl**axed. He went at the same time, his orgasm rushing through him with such a powerful force he had to hold onto the shower door as it ripped him from the inside out. He emptied inside her with several hard thrusts, then he pulled out in a hurry, holding onto her as they both panted and gasped.

Lily’s heart beat so fast, mirroring his own jackhammering beats. It’s a wonder he could even stand.

No woman had ever done that to him.

No woman was like Lily.

He washed them both thoroughly, taking his time to stroke her gently as he cleansed her. She smiled up at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Perfect,” she said with a knowing smile.

He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. “Yeah. It was.”

Too damn perfect.

And things were about to change. God, he really hated his job. Okay, not true. He loved his job.

But not lately.

They dried off and dressed.

“Are you hungry?” Lily asked.

“A little.”

“I’m starving. Let’s go see what’s in the refrigerator to eat.”

They decided on hamburgers, so while Lily got out the meat and started peeling potatoes to make homemade fries, Mac went outside to start the grill. Perfect opportunity to make a call and check on Tom. He answered on the first ring.

“How are you two doing?” Tom asked.

“We’re fine.”

“How about your tail?”

“No sign of anyone lurking. I’ve scanned the surveillance equipment and nothing’s been picked up, so I think we’re in the clear. We lost him.”

“Great news. When are you planning on hightailing it out of there?”

“First light.”

“About the same time I’ll be back. If I don’t meet up with you before you leave, I’ll be back inside the house shortly thereafter, so the virus won’t be left alone.”

Mac lit the fluid on the charcoal and stepped back as flames poured up from the grill. “Good. I don’t like the idea of the virus being left here without anyone watching over it, though your security is pretty damn tight.”

“Yeah, you don’t need to worry about that. And I’ll try to get out of these meetings sooner so I can make my way back there before you leave.”

“I’d feel better about it if you were back before we flew out of here.” He’d held tight to the vial since he’d grabbed it out of the museum. He wanted to make sure it was safely handed off before he left it in someone else’s care. He trusted Tom, but he didn’t trust that someone wouldn’t be after it.

“I’ll do my best. And is my baby still tucked in and locked up?”

Mac grinned. “You bet. Are your plans to deliver the virus all set?”

“Yeah. Contact is in place. Don’t worry. This will go off without a hitch.”

“Good. The sooner I offload the virus and finish this assignment, the better. I’m ready to go home and get off the road for a while.”

Chapter Eleven

Lily’s heart beat so hard she could almost hear it. She fought to swallow, but couldn’t. The world crashed down around her and she couldn’t think straight. It was like trying to drive through a blinding rainstorm—she couldn’t see. So she did the only thing she could think to do. She leaned her back against the rock of the basement wall and struggled to breathe, to regroup and put everything in place in her mind. The cool darkness helped. She needed this right now—the isolation, the blackness all around her. It would help her focus.

Mac was still talking on his phone, so she had some time. He couldn’t find her like this. Then he’d know she’d heard, and she didn’t want him to know.

She’d come downstairs to find some canned goods, and heard voices. The small window at the back of the basement near the door was open. She could even see Mac’s boots. He’d been talking to someone, so she thought maybe Tom was back, but she didn’t see anyone else. As she rummaged through the basement pantry, she realized it was only Mac’s voice she heard, which meant he was on the phone. And the more she heard of his one-sided conversation, the more nauseous she became.

It didn’t take long before she had it figured out. Tom was his contact for the virus, and Mac was offloading it here.

And he hadn’t told her anything about it.

All this time she’d thought they were moving forward, that he was trusting her, telling her things.

One step forward, ten steps back.

Secrets and lies, as usual. The hallmark of their relationship. She wrapped her arms around her middle and fought back the rush of tears.

No. She was not going to fall apart, was not going to let emotion rule her. Not in this, and not over Mac.

She had a job to do, and she’d conveniently let her heart get in the way and overrule her common sense. She’d accused him of using sex to distract her. She’d been right, and she’d fallen for it so easily. How stupid he must think she was.

That stopped now. It was time to think clearly and logically about what to do next.

First, she had to push emotion to the background, bury it deep and not let it surface. Letting her heart rule her actions could mean the difference between a successful outcome and a critical error. This time, she intended to win.

That meant logic. Perhaps Mac just hadn’t told her yet.

It was possible he and Tom had just now settled on this plan while they were talking on the phone, and Mac was going to let her in on the details tonight. She’d allow him that much and give him the benefit of the doubt. Give him time and see if he’d reveal the plan. He told her to trust him, right? So, she would.

She’d give him the chance to tell her. If he did, great. If he didn’t, she’d have to come up with a plan on her own.

Which meant she’d need to tear this place apart and find out where the virus was, then figure out how to put Mac out of commission so she could sneak the virus out of there before Tom returned.

She hoped it wouldn’t come to that, prayed that Mac would come clean with her and tell her what was going on.

Sucking in a deep breath, she gathered her composure, grabbed a can of green beans and headed upstairs. Mac was standing in the kitchen.

“Hey, there you are. I was wondering where you’d disappeared to,” he said.

She plastered on an Academy Award-winning smile.

“No canned goods up here so I went downstairs to see if Tom kept any spares in the pantry there. I was right.” She held up the can.

He grinned and kissed her. “Great investigative work.”

She skirted around him and started to make patties out of the hamburger. “Hey, it’s my job, you know.”

“Yes, I know. Anything you need me to do?”

“Just cook the burgers. I’ve got everything else covered.” She finished the patties and handed the plate to him.

“You got it.”

As soon as the door closed, she exhaled, moving about the kitchen like a robot. She finished the potatoes and put them in the oil, then opened the can of beans and put them in a pot.

Taking a quick peek outside to make sure Mac was occupied with the burgers, she made a mad dash around the house, opening drawers and closets, looking for any place where Mac and Tom could have possibly hid the virus. She didn’t make much headway since she had to keep running into the kitchen to turn the potatoes and check on Mac, but she did find one thing in Tom’s medicine cabinet—prescription sleeping pills.

Those might come in handy later. She opened the bottle and slipped two of them into the pocket of her shorts, hoping like hell she wouldn’t have to use them. She’d find out soon enough, because she intended to give Mac every reason in the world to tell her the truth.

By the time Mac brought in the burgers, she had everything else on the table. Though she wasn’t at all hungry, she made an effort to appear relaxed, ate a little of her food, and tried to figure out how to broach the subject at the forefront of her mind.

“I thought I heard you talking to someone outside a little while ago,” she said. “I got really worried, wondering if someone had breached security.”

Mac swallowed and took a drink of soda. “No, there was no one around. I was talking to Tom on my cell.”

At his admission, hope sprang to life. Was he going to tell her about the phone call with Tom? Her stomach tightened.

“Oh yeah? Everything okay with him?”

“Yeah. He’s fine. He just called to tell me about a bass he caught this morning.” Mac laughed. “Big sucker, too. Too bad we won’t be around to see it.”