Barriers: Anderson Special Ops - Book 3

by Melody Anne

  Anna leaned in and tucked her head into Hendrick’s chest at the same time she dropped her robe. “But we’ll do it later. I like this cabana and I want to go swimming,” she purred. She was claiming her man.

  Hendrick looked over Anna’s head and his heated gaze met Mallory’s, a look in his eyes she couldn’t read. It seemed he was pleading with her for understanding, but she didn’t know what to believe anymore.

  Horrifyingly, she felt tears prick her eyes. She refused to show him how this affected her. She nodded at him as if she was doing her job, and he was doing his, and then she turned and walked away. She didn’t hurry her pace until she was out of sight with the cabana and then she rushed to the other side of the pool, flung her robe off, and dived into the refreshing water.

  She swam for several minutes as she let a few tears fall, the water washing them away as she continued dunking her head. When she got herself under control, she emerged from the water, grabbed her robe, wrapped it around her, and left the pool area.

  She wanted to go home, but she knew she couldn’t, so instead she went to her room. She’d wait for the senator’s next call, wait to find out if it was later that day . . . or not until morning.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sunday.

  Monday.

  Tuesday.

  Wednesday.

  Green had had enough!

  He was about ready to abort his mission. Just as soon as he had that thought, he pushed it away. He knew that wasn’t going to happen. Not in this lifetime or the next. Once he began something he didn’t give up on it.

  But he was pissed off.

  The bachelor party in Vegas had started out fantastically. It had been everything a bachelor party should be and so much more. They’d raced fast cars, shot incredibly cool guns, ate so much food they should all be walking around looking like Oompa Loompas, and drank the equivalent of a large bar inventory. And then Mallory had appeared out of the blue.

  He’d called . . . and called . . . and called.

  And she hadn’t answered. And now he was pissed — beyond pissed.

  After the senator showed up and made it clear they were going up to her room to solidify their relationship, he’d been left with no choice but to end the farce. He wasn’t willing to sleep with her and he couldn’t put her off any longer. As soon as they’d been alone in the cabana she’d run her hand over his cock and he’d grabbed it, pulling it away, much to her disapproval.

  He’d been hard as she’d touched him, which had made her lick her painted red lips that matched her bikini, one he normally would’ve admired. But his hardness hadn’t been about the senator at all. It had been about the beautiful curves of Mallory’s ass swaying as she walked away from him in her modest swimsuit that made him want to slowly peel it off of her as he kissed and licked every new inch of skin he unwrapped.

  When the senator had tried to kiss him with Mallory still in sight of his lusting eyes, he’d pulled back. Her look of outraged shock had probably been the first real emotion he’d seen on the woman’s plastic face. She wasn’t used to rejection.

  He’d told her clearly and concisely he didn’t feel anything for her. It wasn’t going to happen. To give the woman credit, she hadn’t thrown a fit or screamed at him. She’d simply lifted her brow in a haughty manner, then laughed. She’d then told him she’d only wanted him for the photo ops, he was too beneath her to keep her interested in more than a mild fling. She’d then turned, not bothering with her flimsy robe, and walked away.

  He’d immediately tried getting hold of Mallory, but his calls had gone straight through to voicemail. He knew he could bring Brackish in to work his magic and override any block Mallory might’ve put on him, but he didn’t want the men involved. He wanted to solve this one on his own.

  But now it was four days later, and he was done playing games. She hadn’t been home, wouldn’t answer her phone, and he wasn’t above spying now.

  He marched into Brackish’s Dr. Evil room, as he liked to call it, with even more monitors added since the last time he’d been in the place. He wasn’t sure how Brackish kept up with all of the technology, but the man seemed mighty pleased by it all.

  “I need to know where Mallory is,” Green said.

  “I’m fine, how are you?” Brackish replied as he kept typing on his keyboard.

  “Dammit, Brackish, I’m going out of my mind. Will you please help me?” Green snapped. “I’ve already blown my portion of the mission with my inability to tolerate the senator’s hands on me, and I’ve fallen for the damn woman’s supposed assistant. So, can you please tell me where Mallory is?”

  Brackish chuckled. “I love a man willing to beg,” Brackish said, making Green want to punch Brackish through the wall and into the next room.

  Instead of having a comeback, he waited impatiently as he tapped his foot on the ground while Brackish spun around in his chair to another computer and began furiously typing. He turned back to Green in less than a minute with a smile on his face.

  “I have the information. What are you willing to do for it?”

  Green glared at the man. “I’m willing to keep your pretty face intact if you speak fast,” Green threatened, making Brackish laugh heartily.

  “I want to keep torturing you, but I can see you’re about to have a total meltdown and unfortunately for me, or maybe fortunately for you, I know exactly how you’re feeling,” Brackish said. “She’s heading to the airport. She and the senator are scheduled to fly out on a private jet in one hour.”

  “Where in the hell are they going?” Green asked.

  “Washington, D.C. Apparently there’s a huge gala tonight,” Brackish said.

  “Can you call Joseph and get me an invite to the gala and the use of the jet. I’m going there now,” Green said.

  “Is this for the mission?” Brackish asked with a smirk.

  “Is there any doubt?” Green asked with a straight face. “I’m on the political action committee, aren’t I? I’ll need to know the hotel where Mallory’s staying as well and have a room booked, preferably right next to hers. If you can switch the system to giving her a different floor than the senator, and rooms that have a connecting door between them, even better.”

  “Of course,” Brackish said with a chuckle. “Consider it done. Look for the invite and reservation in your email. Better pack a tux, it’s a black-tie event.”

  “Done.” Green rushed from the room to hurriedly pack a bag and get to the airport where he knew the jet would be waiting. Maybe he could get Mallory to ride back home with him instead of the senator. He could have Brackish come up with a foolproof cover story that wouldn’t make the senator suspicious.

  It took Green about an hour to get packed, make a few calls, and arrive at the airport. Even though this was utterly last minute, there was one of Joseph’s private jets sitting there, crew ready to take him to DC. Green had made a crapton of money in the past several years, but the power and money Joseph Anderson had was unbelievable. It was crazy what that man could do.

  Did he want that kind of power? Not really. Then he’d never have a life. He liked things just the way they were. He could have just about anything he wanted when he wanted it — that was if he could get the damn girl.

  He was boarding the jet when he finally caved and asked Brackish to do what he hadn’t wanted to ask him to do. He knew he’d never hear the end of this. But at this point he was left with no choice whatsoever. He sent a quick text, then cringed as he imagined Brackish doubled over in laughter.

  Please unblock my number from Mallory’s phone.

  He waited, and a message came back in under a minute.

  Done. The one word was followed by about a dozen different emojis that were all laughing at him.

  Green should’ve enjoyed the luxurious ride to Washington, but all he wanted was to see Mallory, so each minute felt like an hour. Finally, he landed in DC and grabbed the rental car he had waiting, doubled the spe
ed limit to reach the hotel, and checked in. He wondered if he’d beat her to it. There was only one way to find out. He sent the text.

  We need to talk now. No more excuses, no more ignoring me.

  He sat there like a teen as he waited to see the bubbles appear on his phone showing she was opening the message . . . and hopefully responding.

  After about a minute he heard noise in the room next to him, and he smiled. She was there. If she didn’t answer the message quickly, he was pounding on the connecting doors.

  I’m out of town. This will have to wait.

  He opened his door, and there was only one small piece of wood between them. Well, the door wood was small at least.

  Open your connecting door.

  The bubbles spun on her phone as he heard her steps near their connecting door.

  What are you talking about?

  Open the door and you’ll find out.

  He held his breath, and then he heard the magical sound of a door unlocking. And then the door was opened, and there she was, looking at him with a stunned expression.

  “How in the world did you make this happen?” she finally asked, her voice breathy. She held a myriad of expressions from hope to disbelief in her expressive eyes.

  “I’ve got connections,” he told her. And then he grabbed hold of her, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her as he’d wanted to do back at that pool in Vegas, which seemed to be a lifetime ago, though in reality had only been four days.

  She was only stiff for a moment before she melted against him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she kissed him back, clinging to him as if she’d missed him as much as he had her. There was nothing more he wanted to do than drag her over to his bed and possesses her again, show her they were meant to be together.

  Green wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he’d fallen for this woman, and he’d fallen hard. He was mortified to think he’d wanted to be a bachelor forever, not wanting to deal with the drama of a relationship and not wanting to give up his freedom. Now, he was completely on the dark side, needing this woman more than he needed food, air, water, or money. He wanted her, and as long as he had her, he knew he’d be just fine in all aspects of his life.

  After long drugging kisses, Green pulled back and lifted his hand, cupping her cheek. “I didn’t sleep with the senator. She called me over to her hotel in the morning, that photo op all planned out. It’s always been a mission for me. The first night I met her, I did toy with the idea of sleeping with her. But after that drive home with you, I couldn’t do it. From the moment I met you, I haven’t seen another woman. I want you — and nobody else.”

  Her eyes widened as she witnessed the truth in his eyes. “I have no idea how you did this to me. I’ve been a confirmed bachelor for a very long time, but with you it’s different. I could give it all up to be with you.”

  She gasped as she leaned a little closer to him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have overreacted,” she whispered. She buried her head against his chest as she kept talking as if she wasn’t able to look him in the eyes and show vulnerability.

  “I’ve fought so hard for so long to prove myself in my work life that I’ve pushed away from any type of relationship. I didn’t want one to hold me back. I didn’t want to take a backseat to some male.” She took in a shuddering breath and kept on talking. “And then you appear out of nowhere and I can’t stop thinking about you, wanting you . . . and feeling jealous. I’ve never been jealous in my life. As a matter of fact, I’ve always been under the strict belief that if you have a reason to feel jealous, you need to leave the relationship. If a person wants to go, they will go, and if they’re a cheater, they’ll cheat. So, there’s never been a reason for me to be jealous, I always walked away.”

  He cupped her chin, needing her to see him.

  “Any man who let you walk away was a fool. You’re worth fighting for,” he told her. “I wasn’t going to give up, not ever. And I told the senator I’m not interested. She wasn’t going to stop until she got what she wanted, and I didn’t want her, and I couldn’t play the role of the doting boyfriend anymore.”

  “You blew your mission . . . because of me?” she gasped.

  “Yes, but just that part of it. We’re still going to get her. But I couldn’t tolerate her hands on me anymore. I care about you, Mallory, and I want to see where this can go. You’re worth more than this mission, more than anything I have.”

  He was shocked when tears sprang to her eyes. She wasn’t the type of woman to cry easily. He pulled her close and hugged her, needing her to know what she meant to him.

  “I’m sorry I responded emotionally. I never do that. I hope you’ll forgive me,” she told him.

  “There’s nothing to forgive. It’s hard to be honest from the start and be vulnerable. I never realized that until you. But I’ve never had someone I wasn’t willing to let go of before you either,” he assured her.

  She smiled up at him and he finally took a step back. “We have an event to go to and if you keep looking at me like that we’ll be very late,” he warned.

  Her smile fell away. “You’re coming to the dinner?” she asked.

  “I told you I have connections,” he said with a laugh, feeling more joy than he had in quite a while. “Can I escort you to the ball?” he finished with a bow that made her giggle.

  “That won’t look so good to the senator,” she warned.

  “I don’t care. We’ll figure that out when we arrive.”

  The trusting look in her eyes was bigger than anything he’d ever received before. “Okay, I’d love to go with you,” she said.

  He stepped forward, gave her one more kiss, then backed away quickly. “Go get ready and I’ll hope to wow you with my impressive tuxedo,” he said with a waggle of his brows.

  “Mmm, you might make my panties wet . . .” She paused for a long moment as she stepped through their connecting doors. “If I wear any, that is.”

  Screw it. He was going to have her right then. He took a purposeful step toward her right as she shut the door in his face and clicked the lock into place. He heard her laughter through the barrier she’d wedged between them. Great, now he had to try to get into his form-fitted tux with a massive hard-on. Down boy.

  Mallory controlled that night from the second she stepped back through the doors connecting their rooms. She wore a classic black dress that was both sexy and sophisticated at the same time with a modest neckline that dipped enough to showcase her pearl necklace and matching earrings. The dress hugged her breasts, stomach, and hips, before it flared out and rested just above her knees.

  The lacy, three-inch, black heels that molded to her feet and made her legs seem endless gave the dress a bit of naughty that assured him she’d keep those on later when he took her to his bed. Her lips were shining with red gloss that made him want to feast on them all night.

  It was a good thing his jacket was long enough to hide the evidence of what she did to him by simply walking into a room — especially when it had been a week since he’d last tasted her. He assured himself he’d get his fill that night, and the night after, and every night for as long as he could have her.

  “We’d better go. I took too long,” she said. “The senator left a while ago, and I don’t expect her to look for me. I’m there to fetch if she needs it, but at events like this she’d much rather have very wealthy men attending to her every need.”

  “Good, we can make an appearance separately then sneak away together. I want you back here in my room where I can make you scream over and over again,” he said, his voice husky and low.

  “Hmm, maybe it’s my turn to make you scream,” she said, before she whirled around and walked to the door, making him drool as he followed her. The woman had a natural sexuality that was more appealing with her being so unaware of it. Whoever had invented heels needed a thank you note from every male in the world, because they brought so much pleasure. He chose to walk behind her down
the hallway just so he could enjoy the view.

  “I love your car,” she told him as he helped her inside before climbing in and pulling out onto the road that was drenched as a hard summer rainstorm pounded the car and shortened the visibility to a couple hundred feet.

  “If we’re going to drive through a monsoon, at least we’re doing it in luxury. I don’t like being on the freeways in storms. There are too many idiots out there,” he said as he pulled off the main road and made several turns until they were on a road with no lights and no houses in sight.

  “I’ve only been to DC a few times, but this seems like an oasis in the middle of city life,” she said. The storm’s fury increased its tempo as they slowed more, the windshield wipers unable to keep up with the driving rain.

  “Once you’re out of the city in most of these large metropolises you can find a lot of beauty to find,” he said.

  Before she could reply, there was a loud noise, and the car swerved hard for a moment, causing Mallory to let out a small gasp as she grabbed for the dashboard. He reached for her as he pulled the vehicle onto a gravel road and moved a dozen or so yards to make sure no passing vehicle would run into them.

  “What was that?” she asked. Her heart had to be thundering. His own had picked up a few beats.

  “We blew a tire, the front left one,” he said with a sigh. The windshield was coated in rain as he turned off the wipers.

  “Oh, that really sucks,” she said.

  “Do you know how to change a tire?” he asked with mischief.

  She folder her arms. “Actually, I do,” she said with smile.

  “Want to prove it?” he asked.

  She laughed hard. “I’m sorry to be the one to inform you that there’s no amount of taunting that’s going to challenge me to change a tire in this rain. If I were alone, I’d do it, but in this weather, not a chance when you’re sitting there perfectly capable.”

  He laughed with her, falling more in love with this woman by the second. That thought sent a jolt of fear through him that made facing the warm summer rain much more appealing. He wasn’t falling in love with the woman. It was simply lust and like. That was all.