She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Wanting to give her what she needed, he lengthened his strokes, and added the brush of his thumb while he leaned forward to capture a bouncing nipple in his mouth and graze the tight peak with his teeth.
Her low, throaty moan vibrated through him, as she shattered and nearly sent him over the edge with her.
He brought her down slowly, and when he eventually removed his touch, she slumped against him. Giving her time to find her breath, he trailed a hand up her back and into her hair to tip her face so he could kiss her quick.
Damn...satisfaction tasted so good on her.
Drawing back, he stared into her warm gaze while he slowly helped her to stand so he could remove the rest of his lacy present from her lush body.
She trembled before him. “Please hand me a condom and get naked.”
Chapter Fifteen
Roger that.
He stood, fished a condom from his pocket and handed it to her before stripping out of the rest of his clothes.
“My ever-prepared SEAL,” she murmured, pushing him back down into the chair and stood before him wearing nothing but a hungry, possessive look in her gorgeous blue eyes.
He was a dead man.
And Archer nearly did expire when Sandy held his gaze and ripped the packet open with her teeth, then insisted on sheathing him, using two wicked hands to slowly roll on the condom, squeezing and stroking in all the right places, leaving him out of breath and sweating.
He throbbed in her hands and swallowed a curse, trying desperately to hold on. “Sandy—”
“I need you in me, Archer.”
Christ, the urgency and hunger in her tone didn’t help.
“Now, please...” Sure of herself and begging—about the sexiest combination he’d ever fucking seen. Then she straddled him again, grasped him with one hand and lined them up before she slowly sank down and took him in deep.
“Ah...damn...Sandy,” he muttered through clenched teeth.
“Mmm...” Her moan vibrated around him.
Fuck.
He closed his eyes and talked himself back from the edge. Then she leaned in and nipped at his neck. In a swift move, he wrapped an arm around her and thrust his hips, burying himself even deeper inside her lush heat.
“God, Archer...” Now she hissed out a breath, then moaned when he ran his hands lightly down her thighs.
Holding her smoldering gaze, he caressed her hot curves, reaching behind her to cup her sweet ass. Then he began to move. Slow and long, lifting her up while he pulled nearly all the way out, then pushing in deep, until his eyes wanted to cross.
“God, you feel so good.” He felt her everywhere. They were chest to chest, thigh to thigh, not a speck of air between them.
“So do you,” she murmured softly, rocking her body to meet his thrusts. “So good.”
Too good. The need and hunger took over. He upped the pace. Faster. Harder. Spurred on by her sexy panting and moans, he gave her everything he had, let her see everything he felt. And he felt a hell of a lot. Lost, falling, found, and he saw the very same crazy, consuming emotions in her eyes. She was as gone as he. As completely undone, and off-kilter, and the knowledge he was making her feel those things too, made him feel like the luckiest man alive.
“Archer,” she breathed, brushing her lips over his.
He took over the kiss, taking everything, giving more.
She bucked and made sweet noises in her throat, and when he reached between their bodies and pressed his thumb above where they connected, she squeezed his shoulders and broke the kiss. He watched as she cried out his name while tightening around him. It was too much and exactly right. He slid his hands to her hips and held her there as he thrust one last, deep thrust inside her and joined her in a release so powerful, he momentarily lost his vision, and definitely lost his head. And his heart.
And as he came with the amazing, beautiful, giving woman, Archer understood. He realized what he’d been missing his whole life, and what he could never live without again.
He would do what he had to...do whatever it took. He was going to fight to keep her in his life.
***
An hour later, Sandy snuggled closer to the sexy furnace keeping her warm under a blanket while they cuddled on the bench cushions on the deck of his boat gazing up at the moon and stars above. She knew they were going to head back to shore soon, but what they’d shared inside was so hot and wild and amazing this night would always be an incredibly special memory for her.
And she’d never look at a pilot seat the same way ever again. Archer was a great pilot. Great at driving things. He’d piloted them out to a beautiful spot...and her body with perfection and precision while he drove her out of her mind. A smile tugged her lips.
She was out to sea with her SEAL...
Was he her SEAL?
Was Archer the type to be someone’s SEAL?
She’d like to think he wanted that with her. The way he looked at her with both longing and adoration the past few days gave her hope that it could happen, if they let it.
But they lived in two different states. He’d retired from a life of saving the world, and she was pushing further into that kind of life.
Still...they only lived a few hours apart...and he had done a job or two for an agency that sometimes saved the world. Perhaps they could fit a relationship into the mix...
She hugged the strong arms he had banded around her and sighed. Even if they parted ways at the end of the mission, she was determined to enjoy tonight.
“Keep that up and I’ll give you a reason to sigh,” he muttered against her ear before sinking his teeth in the curve of her neck.
She immediately sucked in a breath and pressed back against him. “You’re on.” And to make sure he understood what she wanted, Sandy wiggled her butt, too.
He muttered something under his breath, and a second later, she found herself flat on her back on the cushions with him kneeling above her. “Now, I’m on. Well, almost,” he said, slipping out from under the covers to disappear inside a few seconds, before returning with the other condom packet in his hand.
Her pulse leapt and heat flickered through her body. She lifted up to lean back on her elbows and watch his approach, moonlight casting shadows in all his delicious ridges. Her gaze roamed over his magnificent arms and chest, and his six-pack abs that tapered into a vee that made her forget to be quiet. She really loved the way his muscles rippled as he walked...and how his erection thickened before her eyes.
“See what you do to me, Sandy?” he muttered, his arousal jutting out thick and long and proud, and she ached to have him inside her again.
Her mouth watered and body quivered as she watched him roll on the condom. He was taking care of protection before even getting under the covers. She liked that. A lot. It meant they didn’t need to pause while in the throes of passion. “I love that you’re coming in hot,” she said with a smile, lifting the covers for him.
The air was cold, but his hands were warm on her ankles and in one swift move, he tugged her down the cushions until she was flat on her back again. She gasped. His take-charge, determined movements had her heart racing and desire flooding low in her belly in anticipation.
Archer crawled up her body, kissing and licking on his way to her mouth, where he plundered with a groan. His hands were skimming and caressing everywhere, spreading the heat that was simmering inside. Sandy traced his abs and would’ve gone lower, but he drew back, nudged her legs apart then entered in one thrust.
Her cry of pleasure mixed with his, echoing in the ocean breeze.
“You feel so good,” he murmured, his voice raw with need.
Then he began to move, and she closed her eyes, riding the sensations. And when he slid a hand under her to spread her thighs and thrust in farther, she gasped and clutched his arms.
The moon was behind her, and it glinted off the silver in his hair and illuminated his face and the magnifi
cence of his body. He dipped down and set his mouth on her throat as he pulled nearly all the way out, then drove back in, again and again, exactly opposite of the gentle rocking of the boat. Making her see stars—even when she closed her eyes.
“So damn good,” he muttered, in that same, low, hoarse tone.
Heat flooded through her belly and settled between her legs where he felt so damn good, all big, and thick, and thrusting.
“Archer...”
He lifted up to stare down at her, his gaze unexpectedly open, sharing emotions with her, she knew the big, strong, alpha wouldn’t normally reveal. Her throat tightened, incredibly humbled by the trust. By the special gift.
Needing to connect as much of her body to his as possible, she arched up, pressing her chest to his as she neared that blissful edge.
The angle afforded him to push even deeper inside. He made a raw, rough, sexy—almost possessive—sound deep in his chest as he captured her mouth, and their tongues mimicked the push and pull of their bodies.
Then he upped the pace, and it was all too much, and just right, and perfect. So perfect, she came with him buried deep inside, with barely any room for the cool ocean breeze to squeeze between them. Irrevocably connected, she trembled against him and around him, calling his name, and as he thrust deep and hard one last, delicious time, he followed her over the edge with her name falling from his lips.
***
Early the next morning before the sun even started to rise, Sandy arrived at the nest with Archer surprisingly rested, considering the amount of sleep they’d gotten last night. After spending three glorious hours on his boat, they’d headed back to his place for some more gloriousness and a little sleep.
Something had changed between them. Archer’s touch had been different—still hot and incredible—but more grounded, sure, focused.
Like now. He stood by the coffee maker, waiting for it to brew, and slid his hands on her hips and drew her close, his gaze warm and determined. It was as if he knew what he wanted—her—and intended to get it.
And she was all right with that.
“Sorry to make you get up so early,” he said, kissing her cheek.
She set her hands on his shoulders and smiled. “Don’t be. I’m good.”
It was the truth. She was satisfied and content, and figured that went a long way to contributing to feeling well-rested and energized. Or it could be the adrenaline rushing through her body because they were meeting up with the others to prepare to head to New York City in less than an hour.
“Yes, you are.” He grinned, brushing her mouth with his. “Very good.” Then he was pulling her in close and kissing her fully with just the right amount of heat that promised more later.
“Why don’t you kiss me like that in the morning, Matteo?” Bella’s voice drifted through the room, reminding her where they were. “Oh, that’s right, you do.”
Sandy was smiling as she drew back to meet Archer’s gaze. “They found us.”
“So it would seem.” He returned her grin but didn’t release her.
“Nah. Carry on,” Bella said, pulling mugs out of the cupboard behind Archer. “I came in because I smelled coffee.”
Laughing, she pulled out of Archer’s arms, and once they all grabbed coffee, they headed to the sanctuary where TJ sat with his feet on the console while tapping the keyboard on his lap.
“Good. You’re all here,” he said, stopping to sit up and set his keyboard on the console. “I was just about to send up the bat signal.”
Archer and Matteo snorted.
“Wrong comic book universe, TJ,” Bella said, sitting down in her chair without spilling a drop of coffee. “We’re more Marvel than DC, but anyway, carry on.”
“What have you got?” Archer asked, moving to stand in the middle of the room, his gaze bouncing from monitor to monitor.
“Actually, a few things,” TJ said, his gaze serious. “I found something while you four were out...ah...sleeping.” He tapped his keyboard several times and video appeared on one of the monitors near Bella. “I scoured the feed in Midtown, found several garages that stored carts, some kept logs of licenses, and bingo—I tracked down the cart and garage where Rodrigo stored his, then I found...well...this...”
The feed showed a large, white, supply truck backing up and Rodrigo unloading his cart, then pausing to inspect something at eye level, near the license. He removed the object, dropped it into his other hand, and frowned. A second later, the truck driver walked up to him, pulled out a gun with a silencer and shot him. Then quickly loaded Rodrigo’s body into the back of the truck.
Sandy inhaled, and Archer slipped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Now they knew for sure that the guy hadn’t been involved voluntarily. She blinked back the tears in her eyes and swallowed to clear her burning throat. “What was it he found?”
“A camera,” TJ replied.
Archer muttered a curse. “They used his cart to survey the Reserve and DHS headquarters. The probably didn’t like you taking photos, so they used the city’s cameras to figure out your identity, and suspected you were going to interfere.”
“And I was easier to track down than you,” she said.
Archer nodded.
Matteo blew out a breath. “Rodrigo’s roommate said he’d been given an unusual opportunity amongst the vendors to set up at a great spot. They must’ve manipulated things so Rodrigo was allowed to set up near your job as extra eyes to be sure you entered the building.”
She frowned. “Wouldn’t the mole just tell them? And why Rodrigo? Why not just put the camera on whatever vendor is usually there?”
“Because you established a rapport with him.” Archer’s face was grim. “And like Matteo said, those bastards like to manipulate things.”
Bella set her empty mug on the console and waved at the monitors. “And mole or not, this kind of an outfit would use the camera on the cart as backup,” Bella said. “I would.”
Her chest tightened again as she watched the feed replay poor Rodrigo’s murder. She stiffened. “Wait...I thought I saw...” Was her mind playing tricks? She moved away from Archer to step closer to the monitor. “TJ, zoom in on the truck driver.” The guy was pretty good at keeping his face averted, but there was a small second when she’d gotten a glimpse of his reflection... “There. Pause it there.”
“Son-of-a-bitch,” Archer grumbled.
Matteo drew closer. “Is that Jimmy?”
“No way.” Bella sat up, eyeing the screen.
Sandy shook her head. “Can’t be. For two reasons. One, this guy is left-handed. He shot with his left hand, pulled keys out of his left pocket, whereas Jimmy was holding a pen in his right hand and reaching for his desk phone with his right hand, too, on the feed you have of him at the Reserve.”
“Wow, good catch, Sherlock.” TJ grinned.
Archer nodded. “And the second?”
She pointed to the feed. “The real Jimmy was tied up at headquarters in Brooklyn at that time.”
“She’s right.” Bella waved at the monitor. “That was five minutes before Matteo and TJ left to go to the Reserve, and I headed out to extract the two of you near DHS.” The woman shrugged. “Jimmy had been safe...well...safe might be the wrong word...but he was soundly in our custody at that time.”
She watched Archer, wondering what was going on behind his intense gaze.
He stood staring at the monitor, arms folded across his chest, gaze narrowed. “They needed Jimmy as an in at the Reserve,” he said. “Killed him when he’d outlived his usefulness and replaced him with one of their own—as they’d always intended—so they’d have someone inside.” He nodded as if to himself. “They probably had people working inside the Munich museum, too.”
Matteo moved to stand next to Archer, adopting a similar pose. “The reason they’ve been so hard to identify is because they have plastic surgery done to change their features for each job.”
“And why there were several years between their bombin
gs.” Archer rubbed his jaw. “Took time to research their target, select a new identity, have the surgery and recuperate before carrying out the job.”
TJ whistled. “A deranged Mission Impossible fan.”
“And they always chose to assume the identity of one of the workers with a similar height and build.” Bella tapped a finger off her chin. “Genius.”
Sandy was inclined to agree, and having a genius masterminding the bombing of the Federal Reserve did not give her the warm and fuzzies.
“TJ, run a search for Jimmy since his death,” Archer said. “Maybe we’ll get a location on the imposter.”
The hacker swiveled his chair around toward the monitors, hands raised above the keyboard then stilled. “Found him.”
“Dude, you’re good, but...” Bella shook her head, brow raised.
TJ snickered. “True. Thanks, but I didn’t need to look because he’s right there.” He pointed to the live feed at the Reserve. “He’s sitting at Jimmy’s desk right now.”
“Shit,” Matteo muttered.
Archer turned to Bella. “Get the chopper ready. We’re heading to New York now.”
“Roger that,” the woman said, whipping out her phone. “I’ll make a few calls. I can land us on top of a building three blocks south. The owner has a helipad for schmoozing bigwigs, and he owes me.”
Matteo’s head snapped in his wife’s direction. “What owner? And why does he owe you?”
“Aww...you’re jealous. That’s sweet.” Bella patted her husband’s frowning face. “But don’t be. It was just business. I stopped a disgruntled client from chopping off his head and dropping it in the Hudson a few years ago.”
Sandy would’ve laughed at the absurd story, only she suspected it was true.
“Three blocks south is good,” Archer stated. “Don’t want to get too close and tip our hand.” He turned to her. “I need you to come and use a drone to listen for the boss’s voice. You know what he sounds like now, and I trust you to pick it out again if you hear it.”
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