Bull (Red, Hot, & Blue) by Cat Johnson Read Free Book Online Page A

enjoyed the sensation.
    “No, I mean about…” He swallowed again. “Never mind.”
    Knowing what he was asking her, she turned to face him and straddled his legs. Without the skirt, it was much easier to move and a lot less noisy. She took a deep breath and ran her hand down his chest, all the way down to the fly of his pants. She touched the bulge there.
    She leaned in and brushed her lips across his cheek on her way to his ear. “You mean was I serious about this?”
    “Yes.” A shiver ran through him, strong enough she felt it beneath her.
    “Why do you ask?” She stroked him through the coarse fabric of the tuxedo pants.
    “Because Matt just told me the bombers gave the FBI ten minutes to meet their demands or they’re going to detonate the bomb hidden somewhere in this building.”
    She stopped her hand in mid-motion. “A bomb? Here? Where is it?”
    “Shh.” He reminded her to be quiet and touched her check. “Possibly in this room.”
    “So go get it and throw it out the window.” It was an effort to keep her voice low given this news.
    Her idea seemed easy enough. Let it explode outside. The window wasn’t big enough to crawl through, but the bomb should fit. How big could it be? She leaned back from him now, wishing she could see in the dark. Maybe she could help him find the bomb.
    He reached out, cupped the back of her head and pulled her toward him. For a brief, crazy moment, she braced for his kiss, but instead he angled his head and aimed for her ear.
    “It’s not that simple. It’s buried in the walls somewhere. If they hear me tearing the wall apart looking for it, they’ll either shoot us or detonate the bomb. They’re suicidal. They don’t care if they die too.”
    “So we’re just going to sit here doing nothing and wait to blow up?”
    “No. We’re going to sit here and wait for the rest of my team to take out the terrorists, save the hostages and come get us.”
    “And what are the chances of that happening?”
    “My team will get us out of here. They’re the best there is.”
    “Bull. Please be honest with me. What are the odds?”
    He drew in a deep breath. “Eighty-twenty. Eighty percent we’ll make it out of here just fine.”
    Twenty percent that they’d be blown to bits, and who knew if he was exaggerating to make her feel better. She sat for a second and considered her life and her impending death.
    “In that case, yes. I was very serious.” Running her hands down his arms, she felt the bulge of his biceps through his tux jacket. When she reached his hands, what she felt made her pause. “You’re holding a gun?”
    “Yes.”
    Jeez. “Just don’t shoot me by accident. Okay?”
    She felt him smile. Marly was starting to not like the darkness. To hate it in fact. At first it had made her feel safe, more hidden from the men with machine guns outside the door. Now, she’d changed her mind. She wanted to at least see the threat that would kill her. But since she couldn’t, she did something better. She leaned in and closed her mouth over Bull’s.
    He drew in a sharp breath at the contact, before he parted his lips and deepened the kiss. He cupped the back of her head with his left hand. The warmth of his tongue tickled her lips then slipped into her mouth. He kissed her hard and deep until, amazed by it all, she found she had trouble breathing.
    After unbuttoning his shirt, she slid her hands inside. She felt the hardness of his chest. The warmth of his skin. The light dusting of hair. “Take off the jacket.”
    “Can’t. If they come in, the white shirt will be too visible. Black is better.”
    Good to remember. She was in nothing but black tights and a black top now. If she got out of this alive, she should start wearing black to all of her gigs in case this situation ever arose again.
    Bull had said the terrorists had given the FBI ten minutes or they’d blow the house. She knew enough about the FBI to know they didn’t negotiate with terrorists. At