by Tara Brown
“Yeah, that’s probably true. Anyway, the reason I called was Coop talked to Jack last night. He was all drunk and rowdy, asking Jack about me and him and how we manage to make the job important and it was weird. Is there something finally going on with you two?”
I smiled as Jules got off the chair and twirled for Coop as he took pictures. “Yes. So you really phoned to gossip?” I leaned my head closer to the phone.
“Of course.”
“It’s not anything. It’s just boys and girls working in close proximity pretending to be a couple so my kids feel normal and no one knows who we are. Same old, same old.”
“Right.” Luce started laughing. “See ya soon.” She hung up and I clapped my hands for Jules. “You look beautiful.”
Jules curtseyed perfectly. “Thank you, Mother.” She sounded just like Cinderella when she said it. I laughed harder. “You are a crazy kid.”
I felt a small measure of relief, knowing my mother would be with the kids. She was the scariest thing I had ever seen in action. No one was getting my kids with her around.
We walked the deck, ate at the best restaurant, and eventually turned in for the night. Jack had included the kids’ new names and backstories in their suitcases. I gave them both the papers. “Memorize these. It’s our new life, okay?”
Jules gave me a confused look. “Why?”
I stroked her cheek. “Mommy is back to being a super special worker for the government again.”
Mitch gave her a look. “Remember, how I told you Mom and Dad had a secret job, and if you ever told anyone about it, they would die and that someone must have talked about Dad's job and he died. We both swore we wouldn’t tell anyone, you remember?”
Jules nodded, swallowing hard. Her eyes were wide with fear.
I gave him a scowl but his expression softened. “Well, this is what happens when one of the secret workers dies. Everyone else has to change their names and lives, and be different to save the rest of the family.”
Jules looked scared. “Mommy, you won't die, will you?”
“No, baby. Mommy is not doing that job anymore. Daddy died so now we have to be different people so that means I’m doing something really different now. It's way safer and no one knows who I am.” I winked at her worried face. “Besides, Grandma is a ninja. She would kill anyone who came near me.”
Jules laughed. “No, she isn’t.”
“She is, I swear. Ask her to do ninja stuff, but you can't tell anyone she is a ninja. It could put her in danger too.”
"Umkay." Jules zipped her lips and mumbled awkwardly, “Love you.”
I kissed her cheek. “I love you too.” I kissed Mitch and whispered, “You’re in trouble.”
“She didn’t understand why we were always running and changing names. She needed to know something.”
I kissed his nose. “Okay, but no more. She doesn’t need to be scared.”
“Yes, she does.”
“No. You are safe. I swear it on my life, you are.”
He looked into my eyes and nodded. I kissed him again. He whispered, “Coop is always going to stay with us, right? Like forever?”
“Why?” I didn't have an answer for his question.
“He makes me feel safer. The safest,” he admitted.
“Me too.” I didn't know when I would have an answer for him. But I knew I wanted to be the one who made him safe. I’d have to work on that.
I left them in their rooms with their papers and closed the door behind me, turning the lock. Coop was on the bed, looking angry.
"What's wrong, muffin?”
“Don’t muffin me, why is Servario coming with us? Why are you making decisions for my team?” He stood up, towering over me and letting off a lot a vibe I wasn't sure I was in the mood for.
“It's our team and I need my mom with the kids.” I leaned against the wall desperately unsure of my next move, even though my body had it sorted out.
“I agree, but me, you, and Jack could’ve done this. It's my decision who comes, not yours. I'm in charge. I don’t think he's safe or the best option.”
I moved in close to him, putting a hand on his strong chest. “Coop, you ever hear that saying, ‘quit while you're ahead?’” I smiled. “You're ahead. My kid just told me you make him feel safe. That's mommy porn, buddy.” I turned the light off and pulled off all my clothes and tossed them on the chair beside the bed.
"I see." He gulped, I heard it. “You feeling less conflicted suddenly? Or trying to make me agree to Servario coming by—”
I put my finger to his lips. “Don’t finish that sentence. I am feeling less conflicted.”
He leaned over, kissing my cheek, moving me towards the bed. “Me too. Being on this boat was either the best idea ever or the worst.”
“Yup.” I chuckled. “I agree.”
He kissed my other cheek. “I feel things for you I can't even put words to.”
I smiled as the heat from my thighs crept up my body to my face. “Let's not try putting words to them, it's not your strong suit."
"That's fair."
“And I still don’t like your mom.”
He kissed next to my mouth, pausing there and whispered, “I can live with that.”
I wrapped my arms around his head, pulling him down on me. He kissed me differently. It was less driven but more needy. He needed to touch me and hold me. His strong hands and arms wrapped me up in him. I moaned into the kiss until he cut me off and pushed me back on the bed.
He backed away, ripping his shirt and jeans off. He dove into the bed, pulling me to him. His warmth against my body made me shiver with excitement.
His lips trailed down my throat and chest. He licked my nipples like they were ice cream cones, switching back and forth. Finally, he sucked one, pinching the other. I almost cried out, but I managed to control myself. He rolled back, bringing me up on top of him. His erect cock was between my pussy lips when I sat up. I rotated my hips a bit, noticing how wet I was. He reached into the drawer and grabbed a condom. I took it, realizing I was making a decision, a choice. I was choosing someone over someone else.
I opened the condom and slid it over him. I stroked his huge cock a few times. He was massive. It made me smile. He laughed. “You remembering how you told that girl I had a little dick?”
“Yeah.”
He gave me a smug grin. “Not so little, huh?”
“It's all right.”
He pulled me down on him. “I'll show you how all right it is.” He reached between my legs and angled it. I sat back, pushing it into me. It was a tight fit at first. He took a deep breath. “Oh shit, you feel good.”
“Back at ya.”
He grabbed my hips and started to move me up and down his cock. I leaned forward a little so he could suck my nipples while I rode him. My whole body was tensing and convulsing as I got used to the size of him. His tongue flicked at my nipples as he began to move me faster. I sat back again, taking all of him in.
He chose the speed and the stroke size, using my hips as guides. I leaned back even more, rubbing my G-spot with his cock. I worked it circularly, holding my breath and trying not to just scream at him to fuck me like an animal. The room was fairly soundproof, but not that soundproof.
Waves of pleasure started to build inside me. I let him move me and fuck me. He was doing it exactly the way I wanted him to. It was like winning the lottery.
He lifted a bit, pushing me forward and positioned his legs underneath us for better thrusting. He grabbed my ass and fucked me hard. He thrust his body and pushed mine at the same time. I lost all control as his thrusts got deeper and harder. I reached forward and grabbed the pillow quickly, stuffing it over his face and burying mine into it. I moaned into the pillow as my pussy grabbed onto him, and I came in a series of muffled words I didn’t know. I continued to move on him as he fucked me hard, but I was done. I wasn’t helping him anymore. He grabbed my ass hard, holding me in one place and fucked until I felt him jerk. Our breath was
meeting somewhere inside the pillow with the muffled moans. I just continued to repeat, “Oh fuck,” for several seconds.
Finally, he pulled the pillow off his face. “You trying to kill me?”
I collapsed onto his chest. “No.”
We lay there for several minutes, gasping for air and trying not to move. I didn’t know what to say, and I was certain he didn’t either.
After several awkward moments, he began to rub my back. “That was not what I expected.”
“Why?”
He shook his head. “You are such a tease, I seriously thought you were messing with me.”
“I told you, I was less conflicted.”
“You also told me it was never going to happen.” He gazed down at our bodies. “That just happened.”
“Did it ever.”
20
S is for Scoundrel, Scum, and Sexy as Shit
I watched out the window of the jet as we took off from Vancouver. The weather was dreary and wet. I hated flying in the rain. In fact I was getting tired of flying altogether.
Jack was eyeballing me in his peripheral from the seat across the aisle.
I scowled and mouthed, “What?”
His lips played with a grin but he wouldn’t commit to it.
“Seriously.” I rolled my eyes and spoke aloud, “What?”
He snickered and finally muttered back, “I read Coop’s report on your account of the yacht.”
My eyes widened.
“Wow!”
Was that all he had to say? It seemed like it was worth more than a wow.
“You have no idea.”
“I think you're my new hero. Not even kidding. If I'd seen shit like that, I might have killed myself.”
“When I was in that closet on the boat, I contemplated it.”
He cringed. “Did you want to tell S to just light a match and say screw it? There’s no cleaning that level of filth out of a boat.”
“I think he’s abandoned it.” I chuckled.
Coop leaned over to me. “What are you guys laughing about?”
“The boat, what I saw from the closet. He got to read the report to the commander.”
“Oh.” Coop's face screwed up into a grimace. “Good God. I never want to talk about that again.”
“You and me both.”
He took my hand in his. “You nervous?”
“No. Just hate leaving my kids behind.”
“They'll be fine. They're going to love Canada.”
“Really?” I gave him a stoic face. “Has anyone ever said that sentence and meant it?”
“I’ve heard Canadians love it there.”
I pointed at the window. “It's rained the entire trip down the coast from Alaska. It just rains and rains. Did you hear that lady at the Vancouver Airport who said she was loving the mild weather? This is mild weather? It just rains.”
Coop chuckled. “How different is that from Boston?”
“It just is.” I wrinkled my noise at him. “Fall is our season. We rock fall. Summer is muggy and hot, spring is always a bit on the wet side, and winter is miserable, but fall is dry and crisp, and yet somehow still warm.”
He rolled his eyes. “It's not much different from the East Coast weather here. A north coast is a north coast. Doesn’t matter so much if it's east or west, it's not Mexico.”
“Are you nervous?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Why would I be nervous?”
An evil grin spread across my face.
He exhaled deeply. “If you even look at S with anything but hateful contempt after everything he did to you, I'll kill you myself.”
“Whatever.” I laughed. “You two were in cahoots in Rome. Admit you knew exactly what was going to happen.”
He whispered in my ear, "It's not what you think."
My stomach churned. “Did you plan that at the casino, before you sold me? Was that prearranged?”
“No.” He furrowed his brow and I couldn't tell if he was lying. “Not until after we got the note and Luce was attacked. James orchestrated the drop off of you at the ruins. S came to us the second he dropped you off with James, just like you asked him to. He told us James was taking you to a brothel. We were to follow him to the border, and watch him put you on a fishing boat. He said we should follow the boat and meet in Split. S arranged the contact with your mom and Fitz. They were already in Rome. They knew S and your mom got in a fight on the phone. He said something to the effect that he wasn’t on CI or the Burrow's payroll. I heard him say, ‘One human life isn’t worth the rest of the world.’ He was talking to your mom. I got the sense he was talking about you. Jack and I immediately left to watch for the fishing boat. We intended to steal you back, assuming S wasn’t going to rescue you. Of course, we watched the harbor all night. You and James never came. Jack phoned S who was pissed. He said we'd been double-crossed. We thought we'd lost you for sure. S was one-hundred-percent sure James would take you to Split. The order for you in Split had come down from higher up than his mom.”
“So he never went to the brothel?”
“He did. He got a helicopter and took us there too. We met your mom there. She had stolen a fishing boat. She said she had a girl inside, a whore who was Burrow. The girl’s dad is one of the scientists S saved. She and S had a thing, I think.”
“Yeah, Elise. That was my understanding also.”
“Anyway.” He sighed. “When S dropped us in Split with your mom, we never heard from him again until he was walking you into the brothel. He dialed and left his phone on. We knew that was the signal to come for you guys.”
I looked him straight in the eyes. “So you never knew about the boat at all? S never knew James would take me there?”
Coop continued, “As far as I know, that was never the plan. He went crazy when we realized we were fucked over by James and you were missing.” He gave me a smug grin. “I wasn’t worried, I knew you had it.”
“You ass. I didn’t have it. I winged it and it wasn’t pretty.” I shoved him.
He nodded, laughing at me softly. “The training kicked in.”
“No, it didn't.” I rolled my eyes. “I hate you sometimes.” I gave him a serious look. “Thanks for not coming and getting me.”
“We were in enemy waters, and I didn’t have a clue as to what was what. S wasn’t very forthcoming.”
“Yeah, well, he's like that with everyone. Don’t take it personally.”
“Good to know since he's coming again.” Coop growled. “Let's get some rest.”
I closed my eyes and let the flight be the sleep I would get for the next forty-eight hours.
The jet landed in Kauai, and as I thought it, Coop said it, “The kids would love it. Jules would be a natural at surfing.”
“This is exactly why I’m having a hard time with you.”
He gave me a curious look. “Why?”
“Because”—I wrapped my arms around his neck—“you love my kids. That’s like some kind of aphrodisiac.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Remind me to bring it up on the plane ride home. Until then, we’re partners. Keep it in your pants, keep your head on straight.”
“You brought them up, not me.”
“I didn’t know you’d go all gooey over it.”
I was almost insulted, but I forced myself to remember what we were doing in Hawaii. It wasn’t vacationing. That was for sure. “Good point. Not to mention, S might need me to persuade him of a few things. It’s better if he doesn't know you and I are—what are we?”
Coop's eyes cooled off. “In Hawaii we're partners. I don’t even want to think about S right now, but I'll tell you, there’ll be no persuading. Not unless I'm allowed to persuade him with pliers.” He turned and walked into the lineup for customs.
Jack leaned into my ear. “Go easy on him. He likes you more than you can imagine. His version of the story at the brothel isn't exactly how it happened.”
He winked at me.
“You can't say that and
not explain.”
Jack walked next to me slowly. “He and S fought. He won and he called your mom with S's phone. He made her convince S to go after you on the yacht. S didn’t want to come search for you. He considered you a lost cause by that point. Coop said something to your mom, and whatever your mom said is what made S go get you.”
I swallowed hard. “Seriously?”
“S wasn’t going to rescue you. He intended to storm the brothel and kill everyone. He had a reason for being there. I think your mom knows what it was, but she didn’t say.”
Stunned wasn’t the right word for how I felt. Betrayed, and yet not. Servario had never pretended we were anything but two spies caught up in feelings that would never suit the lives we both lived.
I was nauseated, even if I had reasons and excuses for his poor behavior. I watched Coop's rigid back and my heart melted. He didn’t want me to know he had been the one to save me—why? I smiled at Jack. “Thanks.”
“He never would’ve told you. He’s humble in a lot of ways.” Jack always defended him.
“Just not the important ways,” I joked.
“No, absolutely not. It also helps that he doesn’t want you to murder S, not yet anyway.”
When we had cleared customs and left the airport, Servario was waiting for us. He was dressed in his typical Euro metro style. Faded jeans, white dress shirt, fancy brown leather shoes, and sunglasses. His hair was still long and his face was sexy. I kept chanting devil, Diablo, Lucifer, hell's master. It did no good. All I saw was a sexy man smirking at me with a suggestive stare. He snapped his fingers at me and pointed to the car as he climbed in. An identical one was parked behind it. As I stood on the curb, Coop climbed in the car behind. “You’re up front.”
I paused as Jack got in the car with Coop. I eyed the two cars and almost climbed in after Jack, but I didn’t. I pulled up my big-girl panties and stalked over to the first car. I got in, slamming the door. The driver flinched. Servario glanced at me. “You're pissed at me? You've been fucking that boy all over the Northwest and you're pissed at me?”
“Don't even.” I stared straight ahead. “What are we doing?”
“Okay, fine. We don’t have to talk about it.”