TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1), Kallypso Masters [classic novels TXT] 📗

a recovery mission, and Tony wasn’t ready to go there yet. At least Rafe wouldn’t be there to see Tony hadn’t taken his advice. They’d have to talk at some point, but definitely not before the AAR Wednesday morning.

Tony pushed away all thoughts except giving this woman pleasure and taking a little for himself. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and powered it down.

By the time he went home in a few hours, he hoped to have forgotten how badly he’d failed today—at least for a short time.

Inside her motel room, the two were naked in record time. She pressed up against the length of his body, and his cock throbbed. “The pool game was foreplay,” she said as she grasped his hardness. “I’m ready for the main show now.”

Minutes later, they were prone on the bed. Tony positioned himself above her and rubbed his condom-covered cock against her slick opening while stroking her clit. The woman’s passionate screams reverberated around the walls as she neared her climax, but did nothing to drown out the young mother’s terrified screams for help also echoing in his head.

Refusing to be pulled out of the moment, he stroked her faster, wanting her first orgasm to hit before he entered her. “Come for me, Carmella.”

The brunette and Tony both froze at the same time, staring into each other’s eyes.

Well, shit.

Chapter Six

Tony rolled onto his back beside her, his heart pounding as he stared up at the ceiling. His cock deflated quickly.

“Sorry about that.” Hell, he still couldn’t remember this woman’s name, but had no trouble calling out Carmella’s at the most awkward possible moment.

She pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “You don’t owe me an apology. No strings, right? But it would have been nice if you’d managed to screw me for a few minutes without imagining someone else in this bed.”

He’d made sure the woman knew this was a one-off when he’d accepted her proposition at the bar, but normally he’d have given a liaison his undivided attention during their short time together. Yeah. She had every right to be ticked off.

Now Tony was pissed, too. What had conjured up Carmella’s name while he tried to have sex with this beautiful—and willing— woman? The woman he’d been trying to banish from his thoughts tonight hadn’t even been Carmella.

Didn’t matter now. He was done for the night and needed to get into his own bed for a few hours of sleep. Too bad he hadn’t made it worth this woman’s time. He wasn’t used to leaving a woman unsatisfied in bed.

“Who is she?”

Of course, walking out of the room without another word wasn’t going to happen. “My little sister’s new sister-in-law.”

“Sounds more special than that.”

“Actually, she’s a pain in the ass.”

The woman chuckled, but Tony ignored her as he sat up and searched the room for his pants.

“I have to be up in a few hours to help with the search. But for what it’s worth, I am sorry about tonight.”

“I hope you got your mind off things for a little while at least.”

Why did she have to be so damned understanding? He felt like a class-A jerk.

“Yeah, I did. Thanks for the company.”

He stood and walked to the bathroom to get rid of the condom he hadn’t needed in the first place. When he came out, he gathered up his clothes and sat on the edge of the bed again to dress, refusing to make eye contact with her.

“I shouldn’t have picked you up on a night like this.”

She laughed outright. “I thought I picked you up.”

He met her gaze. Okay, maybe this attempt at meaningless sex had been mutual. Although, if he hadn’t been so much in need of an escape tonight, would he have given her a second glance at daVinci’s?

One-night stands are a lousy coping mechanism, asshole.

Rafe had lectured him countless times when he’d first resorted to using sex to take his mind off the loss of Papa, telling Tony he’d better come up with something else, because he wouldn’t be able to screw nonstop to take the images out of his head. Eventually, he’d dealt with that loss, but he wasn’t ready to accept this one.

He stood and pulled his pants the rest of the way up.

“Be careful driving home,” she said.

He looked down at her. “You do the same. Long drive to Utah.” That’s where she said she was from, right? He said good night and crossed the room to make his exit.

“I hope you find them, Tony.”

He nodded. Maybe he hadn’t succeeded in getting his rocks off, but she had managed to take his mind off what had happened at the river for a couple of hours at least.

But he’d spend the rest of his life dealing with the despair if they didn’t find the mother and daughter safe. After a few hours’ sleep, he’d get his ass back out there. At home, he dropped into bed, certain he wouldn’t be able to sleep…

The alarm beside Tony’s bed blared. He swatted at the snooze button to send the offensive thing into silence. Why’d he set his alarm so early on his day off?

Then reality hit him. He scrubbed his hand over his face and tossed back the sheet. Seven-oh-five. Still dark outside, but he intended to be among the first of today’s crews sent out to relieve the ones who’d searched overnight for the two he’d let slip from his hands yesterday.

That he’d fallen asleep at all surprised Tony. Would the few hours of sleep make him more alert and enable him to get the job done today? He owed it to them to finish what he’d tried to do yesterday.

As he showered, he prayed that the victims would have already been found alive, not wanting them to suffer in those cold waters all night. Rejuvenated, Tony donned his clothes and grabbed the SAR gear he hadn’t left in his truck last night. He prepared for both land and water searches.

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