Dangerous Connections (Aegis Group Book 9)

by Sidney Bristol

  As he kissed her, his mind cleared. Everything else washed away and he reveled in this moment of connection. Now that he knew who Ekko was, now that he’d seen how big her heart was, he couldn’t help but cherish this.

  Her hand wrapped around his cock. He groaned as she squeezed and cursed the fabric that separated them.

  “You have no idea how nice this is,” she said against his cheek.

  “Pretty sure I do.” He rocked his hips against her.

  She chuckled and released him, only to push her hand into his boxers. Her leg wrapped around him and she grinned. They both knew she had all the power here despite being on her back and under him. Or at least he assumed she knew that.

  Did realize she had him wrapped around her finger?

  The skin to skin touch was better than he remembered. She pumped him slowly, watching his face. A small voice in the back of his mind wondered what she saw.

  Silas tugged her camisole down, exposing one breast. He lowered his head and licked the tightly furled nipple. She gasped and her spine arched at the same moment her grip on his dick tightened to the point that his vision blurred.

  “Fuck,” he managed to get out.

  “Yeah,” she panted, her grip loosening.

  Silas rolled away from her and swung his legs off the bed.

  “Come back here,” Ekko said.

  Silas ignored the order in favor of grabbing a condom out of his bag. He turned toward her. She’d propped herself up on one elbow. Her camisole was still tucked under one breast. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and shoved them off.

  Her gaze traveled up and down his body as he strode toward the bed. She even licked her damn lips.

  He crawled toward her, gathered a handful of her hair and pulled her up to him then bit her lower lip. She gasped and dug her nails into his skin. He eased the bite with his tongue, kissing it away.

  “You’re lucky I like that,” she purred.

  “Real damn lucky,” he agreed. “Now, this has to go.”

  He let go of her and grabbed the flimsy camisole, dragging it up over her head. If possible, her grin seemed to widen, her eyes sparkling. He pushed her back down on the mattress then grabbed the waistband of her shorts and panties, drawing them down her legs.

  Silas pushed her knees apart, staring at her body. There were so many sides of her. The streamer. The activist. The caring daughter. And this. The sex kitten only he got to see.

  He bent his head and kissed her hip as he slid his fingers between her folds. She lifted her hips and closed her eyes. It was hard to decide where to look, her pink pussy, her dusky brown nipples or her face.

  She was so fucking beautiful.

  She had one hand clutched on the pillow next to her head, eyes closed and lips parted.

  God, he wanted to memorize this moment.

  The real Ekko was sexy as hell to him, but right now? Laid out, her trust on full display, it nearly brought him to his knees. That is, if he weren’t already on them worshiping her body.

  Silas pulled away from her to the sound of her frustrated moan.

  “Easy.” He chuckled as he rolled the condom on.

  “Don’t you tell me to calm down.” She slanted a glare up at him.

  He pitched forward, catching himself on his arms above her and kissed the tip of her nose. “Didn’t cross my mind.”

  “Really?” Her hand wrapped around him.

  It was his turn to groan as she guided him to her.

  He thrust, her body yielding to him as he slid in deep. They both sucked in air, gazes locked. He barely dared to breathe as the feel of her around him sank in.

  God, but she felt good.

  Her hands slid up and down his chest.

  It was easy to lose himself looking into her eyes like this. Once more she wasn’t wearing the colored lenses. She wasn’t giving him her public face. It was the real her. He felt as if he were seeing deeper, immersing himself in the varying shades of brown.

  Her internal muscles squeezed him. He sucked in a breath and lowered his face to hers.

  “You just going to lay there?” She grinned at him.

  “If you keep doing that, hell yeah. Fuck, but you feel good.”

  She raked her nails down his chest. Not hard, but the sensation made him sharply aware of her all over again. “You feel pretty damn good yourself.”

  “Mm. I like hearing things like that.” He flexed his hips, driving deeper into her slick heat.

  Ekko gasped and clutched his shoulders. Her eyes grew darker and her lips parted. There was an almost wild look to her.

  He eased out of her then thrust, watching her face, how her brows rose, the way her lips parted and her chest heaved.

  Part of him wanted to do this every day for the rest of his life, but that was crazy. Wasn’t it? They barely knew each other. Before the other day, they hadn’t even liked each other.

  He bent his head and licked her tightly furled nipple.

  “Oh—God. Silas...”

  “Mm.”

  He pushed up and thrust harder. She scooted up the bed a tiny bit.

  Her spine arched, breasts rising and her lips parted.

  “Fuck,” he muttered as her pussy spasmed around him, gripping him ever so tight.

  He thrust again and watched her, the way her features seemed to tighten.

  Silas really would do this every damn day.

  Her brow furrowed and she reached for him. He let her pull him down, her mouth devouring him with kisses. Her legs wrapped around him, enveloping him in everything her.

  She dug her nails into his ass, startling him into an even harder thrust.

  All at once he felt the surge of orgasm rush up through him. He groaned his release as she peppered his face with kisses.

  If he did this every day, it still wouldn’t be enough.

  He was screwed.

  EKKO LAY ON HER back staring at the vaulted ceiling of the bedroom. There was just enough light from outside that she could make out the decorative molding and tin tiles. At least she thought they were tin tiles. It was hard to say and she wasn’t familiar with Mongolian architecture. Regardless of what it was, it was a beautiful detail in a lovingly maintained condo.

  She should be asleep, and yet she couldn’t find rest. Not even snuggled in next to Silas.

  He’d finally rolled over, releasing her from his hold. While she wasn’t as warm as she’d like to be, it was better this way. Her thoughts were too chaotic for him to be up in her personal space right now and he was too central to them.

  What the hell was she doing with this man?

  She turned her head and stared at his broad shoulders.

  She knew there were scars there. She could almost trace them from memory. Whatever caused them, she was glad he’d survived. The world was better because of men like Silas. Ones who did the right thing and didn’t stray from what they saw as the good path.

  Oh, boy.

  Ekko pressed her hand to her heart as it beat against her ribs.

  This sensation in her chest, all these wibbly wobbly feelings, were concerning.

  She didn’t really know him. Sure, he’d told her important things about himself. She doubted he’d told anyone about the rift between him and his best friend. But that didn’t mean they knew each other well enough for her to have feelings, did it?

  Her gut clenched then rolled.

  The feelings were there. She could lie to herself and ignore them, or she could acknowledge what was inside of her. Truth was there was no guarantee these feelings would continue. She knew the psychology. Intense situations bred intense emotions and connections. Whatever this was, it could and likely would fizzle out.

  A pang of sadness had her rolling to her side and curling up in a ball.

  Was this her fault? Was her tendency to be picky about the men in her life fostering this unrealistic moment?

  That was silly.

  She felt what she felt, even if it was intense and illogical. Fee
lings didn’t follow rules.

  If they didn’t go away? What would Silas say if she asked him to continue their relationship after they made it to New York City? Would he pat her on the head, tell her it had been fun, but it was over? Would he think she was a crazy, clingy girl? Or would he feel the same?

  They had chemistry. She’d been attracted to him the moment they’d met. But that didn’t necessarily mean he felt the same. He was in a period of change. She might not fit in with what he wanted. Not to mention that his daily job was dangerous and had him flying all over the world.

  She glanced back at him.

  How many women had he rescued and then made love to? Was this normal for him? Was she falling for a man who went through women on a regular basis?

  Despite her better sense telling her that was a ridiculous theory, her body heated with anger.

  She sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed.

  A hand closed around her wrist. She jumped, startled by the contact.

  Silas blinked up at her, adorably sleepy.

  She immediately kicked herself for having such uncharitable thoughts about him. Even if he had slept with other women who he’d saved like her, she had no right to be angry with him over it. These were her illogical emotions.

  “What’s wrong?” he mumbled.

  “Nothing. Sorry for waking you.” She reached out and smoothed his hair down. “I’m just thirsty.”

  “I’ll get you a drink.”

  “No.” She tugged on his hair when he went to move. “Go back to bed.”

  He turned and kissed her wrist. “You aren’t the boss of me.”

  Damn man.

  Her insides melted.

  She kissed his forehead. “Go back to bed.”

  He let go of her, but didn’t lie back down. Instead, he got to his feet and lumbered ahead of her to the door.

  Ekko sighed. So much for pacing through her frustration.

  They both avoided the squeaky board. Silas went for the laptop first, squinting at the dim screen.

  “Don’t.” He held out his hand.

  She froze, her hand on the fridge.

  “I said I’ll get that for you. I just want to check everything first.”

  Again she wobbled.

  She didn’t really want water. She wanted to know she was important to this man who’d captured her heart and her attention. Why not let him show her where she mattered?

  “Fine.” She sighed a bit dramatically then slid onto a stool.

  Silas padded past her and she couldn’t help but smack his ass. Just a tiny swat. He grinned at her over his shoulder and she chuckled, the tension in her easing a tiny bit.

  He grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, passing one to her. She took a deep drink because she had to, not because she was actually thirsty.

  Silas studied her while draining the entire bottle.

  “What?” she mumbled.

  “You haven’t been to sleep yet.”

  She shrugged. “I’m restless.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  Something about the way he stared at her was unsettling. As if he could see through her to the real issue.

  “Tomorrow, I guess?” She took another drink to give her something to do.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “What else can we say?”

  “I don’t know, but I don’t want you to worry. We’re going to be okay.”

  Damn this man.

  She smiled and leaned toward him. He met her with his lips. The kiss was gentle and brief.

  Whatever they had, she wanted to enjoy it. For however long it lasted. A week. A month. A year. Forever. She was damn lucky to have crossed paths with Silas. She needed to stop worrying about what came before or what was around the corner while she could be enjoying the right now. If she’d learned anything today, it was this might be all they had.

  “Take me to bed?” she whispered.

  He smiled and her heart beat a little faster. “I can do that.”

  And she could be happy knowing that what they had was genuine and special, regardless of anything else. At least that was the lie she was holding onto.

  Whatever helped her sleep.

  13.

  Monday. DSS Safe House, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

  Igney couldn’t believe he had to waste precious moments going in search of Pasley.

  Where the hell was he?

  Igney grabbed his phone and hit the speed dial for the admin desk for their Ulaanbaatar team.

  “Yes?” a cold voice said after one ring. There was always someone manning the desk.

  “I need the location of my partner. Now.”

  “One moment.”

  Igney paced the hall outside their bedroom. The last he’d seen Pasley, he’d been lying in bed staring at his phone. Of all the useless things to do when they were the last remaining team from the original job. Granted, if the local police asked too many more questions Igney knew they’d be recalled.

  He didn’t want to go back to Dauria. They could do better work here. Work that would impact the well-being of all their people.

  “Officer Pasley is in the building. Check the third floor commons.”

  Igney hung up and headed for the stairs. He climbed them two and three at a time then sprinted down the hall. He burst into the commons room. Only a few lamps were on at this hour. The balcony doors stood open and Pasley leaned against the railing.

  “There you are,” Igney snarled.

  Pasley turned and pulled an earbud out of his ear. “Looking for me?”

  “Do you have your gun? We need to go, right now.”

  The big lout didn’t move. “Where? What happened?”

  “Three people just landed at the airport that we’ve been told work for this Aegis Group company.”

  Pasley’s brows rose. “The same company as the bodyguard.”

  “Yes. Now come on.” Igney whirled toward the door.

  “I need my gun and to change my shoes,” Pasley said.

  Igney ground his teeth. “Hurry up and meet me downstairs.”

  It wasn’t until Igney climbed into the late model Land Rover that he reconsidered leaving Pasley alone. The man didn’t move fast. They could easily lose the Aegis Group people. Besides, who knew how long the people at customs could tie them up for without raising suspicion?

  Their arrival told Igney one thing, Chayan and the girl were still in the country. Igney had a gut feeling they hadn’t left despite the videos and saying otherwise online.

  Igney drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Where are you?”

  It was another two or three minutes before a large shadow emerged into the morning dimness. Even then, Pasley paused to zip up his jacket before descending the stairs to the sidewalk.

  Igney rolled the window down. “Come on, already. Were you up all night or something?”

  He was anxious to escape the safe house before their superiors were up and around. Given the questions about the events that had transpired in the park, they could very well be ordered to let someone else follow this lead. But Igney couldn’t allow that. These traitors and that man were his. He was going to make them regret their choices.

  Pasley’s ass hit the seat and Igney accelerated. The door slammed shut, almost on Pasley’s leg.

  “Watch it,” the giant of a man rumbled.

  “You watch it. We could lose them because you take too long.”

  Pasley didn’t reply, just fastened his seatbelt.

  Igney wove through the early morning traffic. There wasn’t much of it and they made good time to the airport. Igney eased up to the curb where he could watch for three American men in his rearview mirror. Right now all he saw was a brood of children running about two harried looking adults.

  “What is our goal?” Pasley asked.

  “To fuck them up,” Igney growled.

  “The two of us against them?”

  “You don’t have faith in yourself?”
/>
  “I’m being realistic. One of their men got the drop on us and you want the two of us to take four of them on?”

  “There are three arriving.”

  “That’s better odds?”

  Before Igney could reply, a tall, blond man stepped into view. His head swung right then left as he took in the parking lot. Two more men with dark hair fell into line. They each carried a backpack and a black duffle.

  “That’s them,” Igney said as his blood began to pump.

  Finally something was going his way.

  Igney considered telling Pasley to get out, but he didn’t have luggage. Doing so might draw attention to them, which wasn’t what they wanted.

  The three men waved down one of the larger taxis and spent a moment loading their luggage.

  Should he move? The men hadn’t so much as glanced his way.

  “We’ve sat here too long,” Pasley said.

  The man’s voice created an itch of irritation on the back of Igney’s neck. Someday he was going to kill Pasley, but not now. He was still useful.

  “Pull around to the parking lot. There’s only one exit.”

  Igney shot a glare at his partner. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

  That rankled, but he couldn’t fault the logic.

  He eased the car away from the curb and kept it at a slow pace around to the parking lot. At this hour there weren’t many cars, so he was able to slid in at the end of a row where they would be inconspicuous but also have a straight shot to the exit themselves.

  That bitch thought she was smarter?

  Igney was going to prove her wrong and finish this. He was going to bring her head back on a platter and he’d enjoy doing it.

  “Is it time to report in?” Pasley asked.

  “No,” Igney snapped. If they did, someone else would take the credit for locating these people.

  “Do we have a plan?”

  “Follow them. Find out where the targets are and plan from there.”

  The woman and traitor wouldn’t put up much of a fight. They weren’t the type. It was the four men who would be an issue, but Igney had killed as many supposedly trained operatives before in one go. Why should this be any different?

  The minutes ticked by. A few cars pulled into the lot.