He turned to me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled me in to him. “I was serious about all of it. I know it’s fast and I know that probably freaked you out, but I also know that you’re the woman for me.”
“How?”
He sighed, shaking his head slightly. “It’s the way you believed in me. I’ve never had someone that put all their faith in me like that. You stood by me when I don’t think anyone else would have. No one at Reed Security knows about my past, but they trusted me enough to let me work with them. But you let me into your heart. You gave me the confidence to believe that I could have more out of life. And in my opinion, when you find someone that not only makes you believe in yourself, but also makes you horny as hell, you don’t let go of that person. You hang on with everything you have.”
“But…you should also love someone, you know. I mean, anyone can give you confidence,” I rambled, feeling my throat close up a little more with every word. God, I was making an idiot of myself. “That doesn’t mean you should marry her.”
His smile split his lips and he leaned in closer, brushing his lips against mine. “Are you trying to ask me if I love you?”
“What?” I scoffed and tried to push back from him, but he held me closer. “Of course not. I’m not one of those women that needs to…to have a man declare his love or something like that. I mean, we barely know each other. Why would I ask you something like that? It hasn’t even crossed my mind. I mean, besides the fact that you brought up marriage.”
He pressed his lips to mine in a gentle, but urgent kiss. His tongue slipped inside my mouth and brushed against mine. I could feel his erection pressing against me, but even in the heat of the moment, I knew this was not the time for fucking. He ended the kiss and pulled back, grinning at me.
“I do love you. I didn’t realize it until I was in that damn cell. When Dennick made me watch what he was doing to you, I just lost it. I knew I couldn’t lose you. I knew that I loved you. It just hit me hard. Maybe I didn’t realize it when I was talking to your dad, but you know what they say about seeing your life flash before your eyes? That was me in that cell. So, it’s not conventional,” he shrugged. “Who gives a shit. Nothing about our relationship has been that way. I mean, you threw me through a window.”
“Yeah, well, you shot me.”
“I did,” he grinned. “But you still love me.”
I flushed bright red, grateful that he couldn’t see in the darkness. His thumb brushed against my cheek in a gentle caress.
“You do love me, don’t you? I mean, I’d hate to put myself out there, confess my undying love for you, only for you to tell me that I’m just a good lay.”
I punched him in the shoulder, trying to hold back my smile. “Yes, I love you, but I never said you were a good lay.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face every time I make you come.”
I wanted him so much right now, but just when I thought to suggest we find a good place for him to prove it to me, he pulled back and snatched my hand again.
“Come on, we should get moving if we want to get to Reed Security by the time the sun comes up.”
I shook off the lust and cleared my throat. I could do this. I was a sane woman and I could put a job and our lives ahead of what I knew would be earth shattering sex.
Cap grinned as he greeted us at the elevator. “I don’t know how the hell you did it, but I’m glad you were able to escape.”
“We weren’t sure if it would be safe to come here, but we figured that it was worth the risk,” Parker said.
Cap’s face shuttered and he motioned for us to follow. “We’ve had a few developments since you were taken. I think it’s safe to say that no one’s coming to find you.”
“Are you sure about that? I’m pretty sure Dennick is gonna hunt me down after what I did to him.”
“Come on, I have a lot to fill you in on.”
We went upstairs to the conference room. It was empty. In fact, the entire place seemed to be cleared out.
“Did you do some house cleaning while we were gone?” I joked.
“Uh…We had to move everything over to Cazzo’s house. This place is just being used for jobs right now. We didn’t think it was safe to have anything pertaining to the case over here.”
“Was Knight able to get any more leads off the journal?” I asked.
“Knight’s gone,” Cap said sullenly. “Uh…his wife was taken.”
I was shocked. “I knew that this was serious, but I never thought anyone would go after his wife. That’s low.”
“They didn’t just go after her. They shot her.”
“She’s dead?” Parker asked.
He nodded slightly. “We saw it. She was kidnapped the same night you were arrested. Knight got his hands on Cortez, but when he brought Cortez back here, it all went to hell. Cortez put the kidnappers on the phone, and gave the order for them to kill Kate. We didn’t realize…” He shook his head slightly. “They sent us a live video of them killing her.”
I couldn’t believe it. That was insane. These people were out of control. They all needed to be stopped. They were careless with other people’s lives, and it had to stop before they gained too much power. Who knew what would happen when they had what they wanted.
“Where’s Knight?” Parker asked.
“He’s gone. He took off right away, went after the senators. We’re pretty sure that there’s not going to be anyone left to prosecute by the time he’s done with them.”
“Wait, how many Senators are we talking about?” I asked.
“Six in total that we know of, but this has to run a lot deeper than we suspected. I’m guessing Dennick was in on all of it, and who knows how many others.”
“So, what are you doing with the information you found?” Parker asked.
“Well, we figured out what the end game was. They were planning to release the virus here.”
“What?” There was no way that was right. “No, they would kill off over half the country, if not all of it.”
“They had a vaccine in the works, but it looks like it wasn’t quite ready yet. The idea was that they would basically make the economic system crash. People would be desperate and looking for the government to make it all right.”
“You take away people’s choices and suddenly you have all the power,” I surmised.
“That was the general idea. The end goal was to make sure the president doesn’t win the next election.”
“So, where do we stand now that Knight’s on the loose?”
“We turned over what we had to a friend of his at the FBI. He’ll move it up the chain where he can, but I’m not sure it’ll make much difference at this point. With Knight going after these guys, they’ll be lucky to last the week.”
Parker looked at me, a look of hope on his face. “So, what does that mean for us?”
Cap shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see how Dennick responds. As soon as Caldwell, our FBI contact, gets word on what happens now, we’ll know more. I would say the two of you are safe here. If Dennick comes back, we have more ammunition to fight with now. They won’t be able to come in here and use their badges like last time.”
It was too much to hope for. I felt myself smiling, but deep down, I knew this wasn’t over for me. “Even if Dennick can’t arrest us, I still have to answer for taking documents from the FBI. This might not be over for me.”
“Let’s just take this one step at a time,” Cap said. “I’m sure the FBI will be willing to work with you on the charges considering what you helped us find.”
Parker slid his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “I’m not sure you want me staying here with you. They were holding me on kidnapping charges.”
“Kidnapping who?” I asked, pulling back so I could see his face.
“Kiera. I was questioning her when they stormed in.”
“Speaking of which,” Cap interrupted. “We got everything. We were
trying to figure out where they were holding you so we could send the audio to the right people. Caldwell couldn’t find you anywhere in the FBI system.”
“That’s because he took me right to a holding facility and tossed me in a cell,” Parker grumbled. “It wasn’t exactly a legal process.”
“Do you think you could tell Becky where that facility was?”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Not the exact location, but I’m sure we could get close enough to find it from an aerial view.”
“That’s what we need then. If we can get Caldwell over there with a team, it’ll just mount the evidence of abuse of power against Dennick. That should be enough to move both of your cases along.”
I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I knew I wasn’t totally in the right. What I had done was still breaking the law, even if it was in the name of justice. I just had to hope that whoever was handed my case felt the same way.
I stepped into the shower more cautiously than I normally would. My body was sore, and the bruises were becoming more livid with each moment that passed. Parker had wanted to shower with me, but I felt too raw after everything that had happened. I needed a few minutes to myself to collect my thoughts. I turned the water on hot and let the water wash over me, rinsing away the worst of what had happened.
I was a strong woman, but even I wasn’t strong enough to go through being beaten and waterboarded without a few internal scars. I didn’t dare put my face under the water. The memories were too fresh in my mind. I mostly wanted the heat to soothe the aches in my body. The chill that I felt down in my bones seemed like it would never go away.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind and I melted into them. Resting back against him, I felt like my whole body was just ready to give out.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded slightly, but I didn’t know how true that was. “Just tired.”
“You know, you don’t have to be strong all the time. After what you’ve been through, it’s understandable that you need some rest.”
I turned in his arms and wrapped my own around his neck, burying my face in his chest. His body had just as many bruises as mine. His face was cut up and bruised, making him almost unrecognizable, but he didn’t seem quite as tired as me. I ran my fingers across some bruises on his ribs, wondering what exactly happened to him from the time he left to the time he rescued me. I felt him reach behind me and then the water was off. His bent down and his arm wrapped under my legs, lifting me up into his strong arms. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, needing this comfort from him right now.
When he set me down on the bed, he was gentle and caring. I felt tears prick my eyes and I hated that. I was strong. I didn’t cry and I didn’t get upset over stupid shit. But this was different. I had almost died, and by the looks of it, he could have too. I would never take for granted the gift that we had been given. The fact that we made it out of there and were alive was miraculous, but when I thought of the fact that this might actually work out for us, that almost sent me over the edge.
He climbed into the bed on the other side and pulled me into his arms. My tears spilled down my cheeks and onto his chest. I swiped at them and snuggled in closer to him.
“Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?”
I huffed out a laugh, because I really did feel ridiculous. “I was just thinking that we were so close to having our lives ripped away and here we are.”
“So…you’re crying because now you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life?”
I slapped his chest and laughed. “Shut up. I was just having a moment.”
“A moment.”
“Yeah, for a woman, it’s like having a hormonal overload and everything comes spilling out our eyes.”
“It’s not like that when you have your period, is it?”
“That’s rage,” I chuckled. “When I get my period, that’s when you want to stay away from windows.”
“So, that’s what that was.”
I felt his chest rumble beneath my cheek and closed my eyes to enjoy the moment. I needed his sense of humor right now so I didn’t think about all the shit I had just been through. I knew that I had to deal with it at some point, but I wasn’t the type of person to dwell on things. I was the woman that pushed past all the shit that happened and just moved on with life. It was the way it had always been. But I had never been challenged like I had in the past week at any point in my life. If my brothers could see me right now, they would probably be freaking out. I could imagine them with their wide-eyes and fearful stares as they watched me cry.
“What’s so funny?” Parker asked, his hand trailing lazily up and down my arm.
“I was just thinking about my brothers.”
“That…is not something a guy wants to hear when you’re in bed with him.”
“I was imagining their faces if they saw me cry. They wouldn’t know what to do with me.”
“I take it you don’t cry a lot in front of them.”
“I don’t cry a lot in general, but especially not in front of them.”
“That’s because they’re not men yet.”
I lifted my head and looked at him in confusion. “What does that mean?”
“A real man can handle a woman crying. That’s when you know that you’re ready to take the plunge.”
I blinked and then shook my head slightly. “Sorry,” I tilted my head slightly, trying to make sense of what he was saying, “you know when you’re ready to take the plunge because you can handle a woman crying?”
“Yep. I’ve done extensive research on this.”
“You have.”
“Yep. Well, I mean, I’m counting you in this study.”
“And am I the only test subject?”
“Of course not. I’m including all the other women I’ve been with.”
“But you only have one night stands,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, but if any of them had cried, I would have run in the opposite direction. But the thought of you crying only makes me sad and angry. Therefore, as you can see, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m now ready to take that plunge with you.”
“That sounds completely fool-proof.”
“It is. I conducted the tests.”
I chuckled slightly, because it was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard, but it was sweet that he was trying to make me smile. And it was working.
“So, what’s the next step after you’ve discovered that you’re ready for more?”
“Ah, so you want a plan. I knew this was coming, so I created a list in my head.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Well, I would have written it down, but I didn’t have any pen and paper in my cell. And then we were running here and then you were crying. There wasn’t really any time to actually write it out.”
“Well, you’d better tell me then so I know where we go from here.”
“First, we finish this job.”
“Of course.”
“Then, after you and I are in the clear, we go home to Montana. I’ll set up a business and you’ll handle the money.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, I need a hard ass bill collector that’s willing to throw a few people through windows when they don’t pay on time.”
“It’s nice to know I’ll still be able to use my skills.”
“And when we’re all settled in our new home, we’ll have your brothers and your dad come up for our wedding. Of course, I’ll have to give them advance notice so they have time to give me their ‘I’ll kill you if you hurt her’ talk.”
“Well, that and my brother needs advance notice for a date for the wedding.”
“There is that. I wouldn’t want to accidentally put him in the position that he would date a woman a week longer than he has to and risk her planning their wedding.”
“That’s very considerate of you,” I smiled.
“And after the wedding, I’ll want some time alone with you. But I
’m guessing that after a few years you’ll be popping out kids.”
“How many are we talking?”
“Well, at least seven to ten. I mean, living in Montana on a ranch, we’ll need a whole brood that can help us with chores. You’ll have to take the boys under your wing and show them how to kick ass.”
“Why can’t you do that? Not that I’m complaining.”
He snorted, “Please, we both know that you can kick my ass. If anyone is going to teach them, it’s going to be you.”
“Well, then I guess you can teach the girls how to do their hair. I’ve never been a fan of playing dress-up.”
“You’re in luck, because I love to braid hair.”
I chuckled and ran my hand over his chest, enjoying the warmth of his body. “Is this really happening?”
He rolled over, tucking my body under his. I spread my legs, allowing him to nestle in between them. “It’s as real as it gets, baby.”
I felt his monster cock press against my entrance, and then he was pushing inside me. My arms slid around his neck and I pulled him into me, kissing him like I never wanted him to leave. He rocked against me, his cock pulsing inside me as his body rubbed against my clit with every thrust. It felt so right, so much more intimate than anything we’d had before.
“I love you, Blake.”
My eyes slid open and I stared into his beautiful baby blues. I felt like I was going to cry again, so I squashed that down with a smile. “You’d better. You know I can kick your ass.”
He seemed almost disappointed, like he was hoping for something real. His eyes shuttered slightly and he turned away, like he was trying to keep me from seeing how much it hurt him. I pressed my hand to his cheek and forced him to look at me.
“I love you too.”
He captured my lips in a searing kiss that made my toes curl. His hips started moving faster, pushing me higher and higher until I felt like I would come crashing down.
“Oh God, yes!”
GoodKnight: A Reed Security Romance Page 12