It was fast.
It was outrageous.
But I was happy.
So happy, I found myself saying, “I hope I don’t start my period.”
The Jeep jerked to the left, crossing over the dotted yellow line before Weston righted the vehicle and his smile went from a content grin to an outright sexy smile.
“Well, if you do, we’ll just have to try harder next month.”
His statement sent a thrill through my body, particularly my girly parts.
“I had two glasses of wine with dinner before I remembered,” I admitted.
“Don’t think that’s a problem, sweetheart.”
“But—”
“I’m no expert, but unless a woman’s trying to have a baby, I don’t think she knows she’s carrying until she realizes she’s missed a period. And I’m sure the majority of those women consume alcohol in the interim. So, again, I don’t think that’s a problem.”
“Okay,” I agreed, figuring he was right.
Weston’s hand reached over and landed on my thigh. He wasn’t shy with his affection and I loved that about him. Loved that even in front of his friends he was constantly touching me, holding me close, finding ways to show me he liked my company and liked being near me.
It totally worked for me because I loved being near him, too.
“Oh, God,” I panted.
“That’s it, Silver, take it.”
Weston was behind me powering hard. So hard I was having a difficult time staying up on my forearms.
Then I felt it, his thumb circling, his other hand fisting my hair. Oh, God, that was hot.
“Cheek on the bed, baby. I want your ass tipped higher.”
He put pressure on my head and I went down to the mattress and my ass tipped high, giving him what he wanted.
“Goddamn, you’re sexy as hell,” he growled.
Weston was building it, I could feel it happening.
“More,” I begged and his thumb stopped teasing and pressed in.
Forbidden. Erotic. Lewd.
My hips bucked, my thighs shook, and I exploded.
“Fucking hell,” Weston grunted and drove in harder. “Wild.”
“Weston,” I moaned as my orgasm blazed through me. So hot. So overwhelming, I trembled with it.
“Can’t hold out, baby, not when your tight pussy clamps down.”
Thankfully Weston’s grip on my hips was iron-clad because my legs had given out, I was boneless. Floating on a cloud of bliss.
With one last thrust, Weston slammed home, stayed planted deep, and I waited for it. Waited for the feel of his cock swelling before I felt the throb.
“Love feeling you come, honey.”
“Christ. Perfect. Beautiful. Sexy. Totally wild. No one better, baby.”
God, I loved he thought that. Because there was no one better than Weston. Not anyone in the whole wide world and he was mine.
31
“Damn, brother, twice in one week?” Weston said to Alec as he entered the office.
Alec didn’t reply, and it was then Weston took in his friend’s frown.
“What’s wrong?”
“Everyone here?” Alec asked instead of answering Weston’s question.
“Yeah. Conference room.”
“McKenna and Silver?”
Alec’s inquiry immediately put Weston on high-alert.
“Out with Kennedy. There a problem?”
“Need a private conversation.”
Before Weston could ask what the fuck that meant, Nixon came into the reception area, Tank and Axel following.
Thankfully the two oversized puppies had learned some manners and no longer jumped on visitors like a pair of wild disobedient mutts.
“I’d say it’s good to see you,” Nix started. “But I’m thinking this isn’t a social call.”
Now that the shock of seeing Alec walk through the door had worn off, it was clear Alec was not giving off a happy vibe.
“Got a few minutes?” Alec asked.
Nix jerked his head toward the conference room and moved to the hall with Alec on his heels. Weston waited a moment, not liking the feel of Alec’s visit. Unable to fight the urge, he pulled out his phone and sent a short text to Silver asking about her lunch, and only exhaled when she messaged back saying she was having a great time.
The impulse to call his woman, just to double-check she was okay was curbed when Nix barked Weston’s name. She’s fine he thought to himself as he made his way into the conference room.
“Hope that job offer was real,” Alec started, but said no more.
“Say what?” Nix’s eyes cut to Alec.
“Gave my resignation three hours ago. It was accepted and even though I offered to remain on the job for four weeks, they cut me loose.”
The room went utterly still. No fucking way would Alec Hall leave his job at the Department of Homeland Security unless some serious shit was going down.
“They cut you loose?” Nix clarified.
“Yep. Officially unemployed.”
“So whatever you suspected was going on that made you give them that resignation was confirmed,” Nix continued.
“Fuck yeah. No one wants me around a case, when I feel in my gut shit ain’t right. I started asking more questions, got bullshit answers, asked some more, got pushback, gave notice, and my boss was all too happy to collect my security badge and send me on my way.”
“What doesn’t feel right?” Weston asked.
“Don’t like the way shit went down with Silver. Don’t like how Jason Scott got cut a deal, really don’t like how everyone wanted to drag their feet with Howard Sposato, and to top all of that, the takedown was too fuckin’ easy. It was like all the players knew we were coming, and they were prepared.”
Weston’s stomach lurched and desperation was taking over. He knew firsthand how easy it was for shit to go sideways. How vulnerable their women were. Micky had been snatched right out of her own goddamned house and Kennedy was taken from a public parking lot.
No fucking way in hell was his woman gonna be taken.
“Not unusual for powerful men to have their attorneys on speed dial and at the ready,” Chasin reminded Alec.
“No. But it’s pretty fuckin’ unusual to have said attorney sitting at your table, the day DHS comes in with a taskforce to take you in. Funny, it was almost like he was waiting for us.” The sarcasm in Alec’s tone couldn’t be missed, therefore no one in the room did. Though the new information sent more than a chill through Weston.
“That’s something you failed to mention to us,” Nix growled.
“Yeah, I know. I was trying to get some answers before I brought it to you. Never got those answers. So here I am, out of a job, hoping your offer was legit.”
“You know the offer stands,” Nix returned.
“Silver in danger?”
Alec’s gaze swung Weston’s way and he braced. “Wish I could say for certain the answer to that was no. But you know me, and I don’t blow sunshine and I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”
“Fuck!” Weston’s hand went to his hair, and with a vicious tug, he stepped away from the table and started to pace. “Her ass is swinging. Everyone in that office knows Silver brought us the intel.”
“Yep,” Alec clipped.
“So she’s in danger,” Weston concluded.
“Right now, Sposato, Chapman, and Scott are too worried about saving their asses and spinning this to worry about revenge,” Alec informed him.
“And you know this how?”
“Considering all three men were out in under twenty-four hours, I’ve been following them, watching their meets. And when the opportunity arose, I bugged their homes. Nothing’s been said except strategizing how to get their asses out of drug charges. Don’t have access to their phones, and that’s where I’m hoping Micky can work her magic.”
Weston stopped wearing a hole in the carpet and looked at Nixon’s stone-cold expression. Weston figured his f
ace looked the same. Glancing around the room, he noted Chasin, Holden, and Jameson, all wore identical scowls.
“When the girls get back from lunch, we’ll brief McKenna.” That was all Nixon said and changed the subject. “You moving to Kent County or you commuting in?”
“Moving,” Alec answered.
“Right. There’s an extra room in the farmhouse,” Nix offered.
“Bring earplugs,” Chasin grumbled, and if Weston wasn’t so pissed he would’ve had a response. But he was pissed, more than pissed, he was downright furious that once again Silver was in the line of fire after he’d told her it was over.
“’Preciate the offer. May need to take you up on that until I find a place to buy.”
That was interesting, Alec Hall wasn’t a man to set down roots—buying a home would tie him to Kent County. Weston had been to the place he rented in DC. Alec had the option to purchase the brownstone in Logan Circle. It was a kickass pad, not worth the near million-dollar price tag being a one-bedroom, one-bath, but there was no denying the brownstone had character. But Weston had been surprised when Alec told him he turned down the offer even though the mortgage would be less than what he was paying in rent.
“You know the place behind Kennedy and me?” Jameson started. “After all that shit that went down, the bank owns it now. Lots of land, but the house is kickass. Bigger than you need, five bedrooms, but the price is right.”
“I’ll take a look when I leave here.” Alec nodded.
“Can’t say it makes me all warm and fuzzy the reason you’re here finally accepting the job offer, but I can say I’m pleased to have you on the team,” Nix said.
Alec and Nix locked eyes, and as happy as Weston was his friend would now be a part of the team, he was more concerned about Silver, and how she’d react learning she may have to take another leave of absence from work. There was no way in hell she was out of his sight until this shit was over. Weston knew all too well how fast life could change. One minute everything seemed great, the next it went to hell in a handbasket. And that was not going to happen to his Silver.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” Silver whispered.
“Wish I were, babe.”
They were sitting upstairs in Weston’s office, facing each other, their knees touching and Silver’s hands were in his. They were also holding tight. He’d just finished filling Silver in on the latest situation. Needless to say, she wasn’t happy.
And Silver being Silver was using anger to cover up her fear. He could see it—her pretty face transformed right before his eyes. Had gone from happy and relaxed from her lunch with the girls to scared, then straight to pissed.
Weston had wanted to wait and talk to her after they’d gone home. He’d wanted to take her to their room, put her in bed, and hold her while he laid it out. Unfortunately, she was too smart for that. As soon as she’d walked into the office with Micky and Kennedy she knew something was going on, then she’d pushed to find out what that was. And considering they needed Micky to tap Alec’s boss, Ellis Hopper’s phone immediately, Weston didn’t have the luxury of taking his woman home in an effort to cushion the blow.
Explaining the situation to Micky but keeping Silver in the dark, felt like a lie. Something Weston wasn’t willing to do, not ever, so he’d made the decision not to wait. A decision he fucking hated to make, not only because it would freak Silver out, but it also meant she wasn’t free from danger.
“Am I still in danger?” she asked, still whispering, verbalizing what he was thinking.
“There’s a possibility, yes, but I’m gonna keep you safe.”
“Wes—”
“Seriously, sweetheart, I need you to trust me.”
“Maybe Alec’s wrong—”
“He’s never wrong,” Weston cut her off. “Something we’ve all learned a long time ago, Silver—you never ignore your gut. So when Alec says he’s got a bad feeling, not only am I listening, I’m making moves to protect you. Trust me.”
And just when Weston thought they were sliding toward a stubborn standoff, Silver shocked the hell out of him.
“Okay.”
“Call your boss and feel him out. Tell him you need more time off.”
“And say what? My spleen’s ruptured?”
“If you need to, yes.”
Her eyes narrowed and her scowl deepened. “This isn’t a joke.”
“You’re goddamned right it’s not. And this might make me a dick, but right now I don’t give two fucks what your boss says. What I do know, and what I do give two fucks about, is that you’re not going back on rotation until this is over. And by over I mean, Alec gets the answers he wants and Hopper is cleared or taken down.”
“I’ll lose my job if I take off more time.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then isn’t it a good thing you no longer have rent?”
Silver’s expression turned murderous. “If I lose my job I’m screwed.”
“But you’ll be breathing.”
“That’s—”
“You been kidnapped and held captive?”
“Yes!” she screeched.
“Your apartment been broken into and vandalized? Your car?”
“Yes.” Silver’s shoulders hunched forward and Weston hated it, hated having to remind Silver about what she’d gone through, but he needed her to understand.
“Right. So with all of that, and your name out there, Ellis Hopper knowing who you are, I’m not taking any chances. And by any, I mean you are not out of my sight for two seconds. I’ve lived it twice now—twice I’ve watched two of the strongest men I know crumble. Total devastation when their women disappeared. The kind of devastation you don’t come back from, and mark this, Silver, neither of them would’ve if the outcome had been different. I am far from stupid, I’ve learned. And what I’ve learned is to protect what’s mine. And I don’t think I need to remind you, you might be carrying our baby. So there’s no chance in hell you’re not more than two feet from my side at all times.”
Weston could feel his pulse throbbing in his neck and he braced for battle. There was not one thing that was going to stop him from keeping Silver safe. She could throw a tantrum, get pissed, be as stubborn as she wanted to be, but Weston wasn’t budging. He remembered with great clarity what Jameson and Nixon had gone through—what they all had. Weston also knew losing Silver would mean his world stopped. There’d be no coming back.
So, no, she wasn’t leaving his side.
“I’ll call my boss. If he fires me, we’ll figure something out.”
Thank fuck.
Weston’s hands spasmed in hers and relief washed over him.
32
I was sitting in McKenna’s office, Kennedy sitting beside me, both of us watching McKenna listen in on the most mind-numbing conversation known to man.
Ellis Hopper was talking to a friend of his, they were talking about fantasy football stats and my head was going to explode.
“This is boring,” Kennedy announced. “At least when we were listening in on Reggie, it was interesting.”
I’d heard all about Kennedy’s problems with the supreme jerk of all jerks, Reggie Coleman. I’d also been told how he’d made her life misery and his mistress had tried to kill her. And in a heartbreaking twist, Jameson had listened to Kennedy while she thought she was dying. They all had, the whole team. Something I knew still upset Weston. And three days ago when he’d told me I was in danger again, he’d made it blindingly clear he was not over it and he would not allow a repeat performance starring me as the kidnapped party.
Needless to say, my boss was livid I’d called out again and while I was fairly certain I was going to be fired—and with a possible baby on the way—that stressed me out. But Weston was right, at least I’d be alive to be stressed.
A lot had happened in the last three days. What had not happened was my period. I was officially late. Weston and I had also decided we would take a test tonight but not tel
l anyone until at least after the wedding if it was positive, which I was pretty sure it was going to be.
I’d also spent three days sitting in the office basically twiddling my thumbs because there wasn’t anything I could help with and I wasn’t allowed out of the office without one of the guys at my side. That was something Weston had agreed to yesterday when I was starving and Weston had been tied up on a call. While he’d been sitting on hold, he’d decreed Holden could walk with me to this awesome little coffee shop around the corner that also had amazing sandwiches so I could get lunch before I died.
That may’ve been a small exaggeration, but the way my stomach had been growling and twisting in hunger pain, it wasn’t an exaggeration by much.
So that brought me to now, sitting in McKenna’s office bored out of my skull, but I was breathing.
“I’d rather listen to fantasy football than nasty Reggie nailing Deloris,” McKenna grumbled. “If there was ever a time that ear bleach needed to be a real thing, it was then.”
“Okay, not that part,” Kennedy conceded, and scrunched her face in disgust.
“Was it really that bad?” I laughed.
“Bad doesn’t describe it,” McKenna started. “Let’s just say Nix wasn’t all that happy with Reggie for a variety of reasons, most importantly what he was doing to Kennedy, but also because I was turned off from his favorite position for a good long while.”
“Remember when Jameson called in the middle of us listening,” Kennedy started on a giggle. “And told Holden not to let me listen?”
“Seriously?”
“Oh, yeah. Holden was bitchin’ the whole time we were watching talking about how doggie-style sex was ruined for him.”
“I think he’s lifted the ban…” McKenna mumbled.
“Yeah, Jameson says he doesn’t have a good feeling,” Kennedy returned.
I was a little lost in the conversation, and out of all of the guys, I knew Holden the least. He lived in his Airstream. Which I had to admit was awesome. Weston had taken me on a tour of the farm and Holden had been home and showed me around his place. When we’d got back to the farmhouse, I told Weston I understood why Holden wanted to live in the Airstream—it was that cool. But he explained that while Holden liked his privacy that wasn’t why he held himself slightly apart. It was because Holden was going through something and had been for a long time and refused to talk about it even though everyone knew.
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