Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1)

by A. D. Justice

  She opened her eyes and startled at the tall, dark figure that stood over her. It took her a second to remember where she was, but she immediately recognized the deep timbre of his voice. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. She’d only been asleep ten minutes. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

  Confused, she asked, “What, Noah? What did you say?”

  “Tell me why you broke in my house. I need to know.”

  She looked up into his eyes for a moment as she considered what she should do. She decided then was as good a time as any to give him the evidence she’d collected. She had already decided to give it to him in the morning and explain everything in detail before she went to Richard. She bent to pick up her shoe, reached inside, and brought out a flash drive. “For this,” she said, as she handed it to him.

  He knelt down in front of her, the moonlight streamed through the window directly onto her face. “What’s on it?”

  “All the evidence you’ll ever need is on that flash drive and in the few papers that are still in my hotel room. Keep them somewhere safe. I-I really tried to help you, Noah. I’m so sorry it wasn’t enough.”

  He wanted to ask her what she meant. He wanted her to explain everything from start to finish. But all he could think about was that she was back in his house. After three long years of missing her, she was in a guest bedroom instead of his bed.

  “It is password protected. The password is-,” she put the back of her hand up to her mouth, blinked back tears, and looked away from him. “The password is Sunny, with a capital S.”

  Sunny, short for Sunshine.

  The nickname that was given to her the night they all promised to take care of her, to be her brothers, just like they were to each other. As he looked at her then, he felt a squeezing in his chest that told him somewhere along the line, they had all let her down.

  “Bri.” His voice was soft and reminded her so much of how he used to sound when he said her name.

  “It’s only a few hours until dawn, Noah. You should get some sleep. All of this will be over soon, and you’ll be able to put everything behind you. I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but this really isn’t for me.”

  She watched his face to gauge his reaction before she continued. “Please don’t tell my parents anything about my coming back. I don’t want to hurt them more than I already have. I don’t think they could take attending my funeral a second time.”

  The finality of her words was evident in the distraught look on her face. He knew she intended to see this through to the end, to her end, just as she’d said. Regardless of how hurt and mad he was at her disappearance, he couldn’t deny her genuine anguish.

  She was still the same person he fell head over heels in love with so many years ago. She still put everyone ahead of herself, she still loved him unconditionally, and she willingly handed over all the documents she’d worked so hard to get. This didn’t appear to be the actions of someone who wanted to play him.

  She was still his Brianna. For better or for worse, that’s what he had every intention of vowing before God, friends, and family. That promise had already been made in his mind, carried out in his heart, and flowed in his veins. Their fates were already intertwined and weren’t severed even in her ‘death.’

  He hooked one arm under her knees, the other under her arms, and started to lift her off the guest bed.

  She pushed both hands against his chest to stop him. “Noah, no. You don’t have to do this. It’s okay. I get it. I’ve realized something since I asked you for tonight. I can’t go through with this now that I know you don’t love me. I thought we could pretend it all away for just one night. But I can’t do it. I know it’ll only hurt worse.”

  Brianna had no idea what he was thinking, and his eyes didn’t let anything show. Her heart broke all over again with his every touch, even just being in his presence. She knew he would never really accept that she stayed away because she loved him more than anything. It broke her heart even more to know that by trading herself to Richard, she would die with him thinking badly of her.

  “Brianna, I can’t say that I agree with what you did. I don’t. At all. You should’ve trusted me to protect you.”

  With an exasperated breath she forcefully said, “Noah, none of it was to protect me. I had to hide to protect you. Everyone who could’ve hurt you had to believe that I died in that explosion.”

  Her hand went up to his cheek and she lovingly stroked alone his jawline. Her teary eyes held his as she continued. “I love you, Noah, more than anything, more than anyone. I’ve never stopped loving you. Not after I had to leave when I first met you in the desert, and I didn't stop loving you three years ago when I had to stay away from you to protect you. I’ve loved you with my whole heart every second that we’ve been apart. I hope that you can believe that–one day.”

  “You’re not sleeping in here, Brianna.” With that, he picked her up and carried her to his room. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to breathe in his scent. She silently vowed she would cherish this moment, no matter how much it broke her heart. As he sat her down next to his bed, he saw the deep love that shone in her eyes, and she searched his eyes for even a sliver of reciprocation.

  He shook his head, but never took his eyes off hers as he moved in to lightly kiss her lips. His hand went up to her neck, his fingers lightly stroked downward, across her collarbone to the spaghetti strap of her tank top. He pushed it off her shoulder, and kissed her along the same line that his fingers had trailed. He felt her shudder under his touch. He moved to the other side and started all over. As he raised his head, his hand moved to the back of her neck and into her hair.

  He grasped a handful of hair, tilted her head, and covered her mouth with his. Their kiss suddenly became feverish and urgent. Her hands flew to his chest. She felt his muscles tense and relax under her fingers. She unbuttoned his shirt one at a time. Her fingers felt every inch of him along the way, memorized every line of his body as they went. Her fingers traced his six-pack abs to the top of his tuxedo pants and watched as they dropped to the floor. He removed his boxer briefs and stepped out of them. She reached for him and pulled him close to her.

  She felt his erection on her abdomen, and her hand found his hard, thick length. She began to gently stroke him. He groaned and grabbed her hand to stop her. “Keep that up and this won’t last much longer.”

  He quickly pulled her tank top over her head and bent as he pulled her panties to her ankles. He kissed and licked his way back up her body. He picked her up and sat on the edge of the bed, with her in his lap while he gently stroked her face.

  He couldn’t stop the thoughts that whirled through his mind.

  …I lost everything…

  …She was protecting you…

  …I tried to help you….

  …My life for Noah’s…

  “What is it, Noah?” Brianna asked when he suddenly stopped. Her heart squeezed and she held her breath as she expected him to say he had changed his mind. That he couldn’t allow himself to go through with it. That he didn’t want to spend the night with her.

  He sat her on the bed beside him, rose, and walked to the window. The glow from the lights outside cast beams across his naked body and showcased his sinewy form. One of his muscular arms was against the window, bent at the elbow, and his forehead rested on his forearm. Brianna felt exposed and rejected as she sat completely naked on his bed.

  He changed his mind, she thought as she pulled the top sheet over her and waited for him to answer.

  “You really would give up your life for mine. Wouldn’t you, Bri?” The first slight hint of emotion was in his voice, just a hint that he considered she had told him the truth.

  “Yes.”

  He noticed that she didn’t hesitate in her answer. He turned to look at her for a moment and then walked back to her. The muscle in his jaw twitched and uneasy emotions played across his face. He knelt in front of her, pulled th
e sheet away from her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “You already did, didn’t you? You gave up your life here to protect me. Like you tried to protect me in the car when you thought that guy was going to shoot me.” He wasn’t really asking as much as he was coming to a realization. But he waited for her to answer.

  She hesitated before replying, knowing the questions that would come next. “Yes.”

  “But, why? What am I missing?”

  “It’s a long story, Noah. But I will tell you everything later. For right now, can you just believe me?”

  “One more thing that’s bothering me.” She nodded, indicating for him to continue. “Why didn’t you trust me? Why didn’t you tell me what was going on back then? I would’ve helped you.” His tone wasn’t accusing or doubting her. She understood that he just really needed to know why.

  “I did trust you, Noah, I do trust you. And I tried to tell you. But you…you got mad whenever I brought up Richard’s name. Then, that last day when I tried to tell you. I wanted to tell you. But you were just so busy with work. Then I had to leave on assignment before you even got home that night,” her voice trailed off.

  He sighed and laid his head in her lap. “Yeah, that I remember.” I remember I was too wrapped up in myself to listen when you tried to talk to me.

  18

  Chapter Eighteen

  She slowly ran her fingers through his hair. It was longer than before and curled slightly on the ends. She loved the silky feel of it as it moved across her hand. Her fingers made long, slow strides through it as she relished the time with him. She caressed his head as her fingers slid across his scalp. He straightened his back as he kneeled in front of her. She was face to face with him again after all the time apart and her heart swelled with love. Every sensation in her came alive when he pulled her hips closer to the edge of the bed, covered her mouth with his, and then turned her head to deepen it even more.

  He moved closer to her as he pushed her legs farther apart to make more room for him. He ran his fingers along the taut lines of her stomach. His fingers instinctively remembered the feel of her yoga-muscled body. He kept moving his hand down, between her legs, and his fingers found the warmth of her wetness. He felt his way along her sex. He gently stroked her and savored her soft moans of pleasure. His hand moved to her center, traced her soft wetness before he plunged his finger deep inside her. Her soft moans were enough to drive him into a frenzy.

  Slowly, torturously, his hand cupped her mound and wordlessly claimed it as his own. The heel of his palm rubbed against her clit while his fingers moved in and out of her wetness. He felt her tremble as her hips instinctively rose to meet his hand. He knew her first orgasm was imminent and he felt her velvety walls constrict around his fingers.

  Her excitement and obvious need for him instantly made him unbelievably hard. The soft skin of her delicate hand wrapped around him, stroked him from the base to tip, and pulled his own moans from deep inside. His hips involuntarily moved in time with her hand as she continued to stroke him. His mouth covered hers again and their tongues caressed seductively.

  Unable to wait any longer, he repositioned her on the bed. He gently pushed her shoulders down to lay flat on the bed as he covered her body with his. He had planned to take it slow, to make their lovemaking last, and savor every part of her. But her loving touch and submissive sounds made those plans fly right out the window. She opened her legs to invite him in, and he held the tip of his long, hard thickness at her wet center to tease her before he plunged inside her. His hips pushed in and they both gasped from the incredible feeling of their intimate contact. He stilled his hips as his voice rumbled through his chest.

  “Baby, you’re so fucking tight. Am I hurting you?”

  He pulled back to look at her face just as she gasped. “No, don’t stop! Please.” Her hands moved down to push his hips and urged him farther into her.

  He moved slowly at first as he gave her body time to adjust to his size, mold around him, and fit him like a glove. As he increased his speed and thrusts, he watched her become his Brianna once again right before his eyes. She moaned and raised her hips to match his thrusts, took him to the hilt, and didn’t allow him to lessen the intensity.

  She screamed, unable to stop her cries. “Oh, God, Noah! Don’t stop!” Her voice was like an aphrodisiac to him. It pushed him to keep going when he thought he would explode.

  He propped up on his forearms, framed her face with his arms, and his mouth crushed down on hers. His tongue dove in and took what was rightfully his. What should have always belonged to him. What he had missed every day for the past three years. His hunger for her was so deep, so primal, and so possessive that it thoroughly owned him. He knew he could never get enough of her.

  She wrapped her legs around him and ground her heels in him when he attempted to slow his pace. She wanted him as much as he wanted her and she showed it. “That’s my girl,” he murmured in her ear. “Let me hear you.”

  With every orgasm that rocked her body, the strong pull in her lower abdomen triggered her screams of ecstasy. His name never sounded so good, so right, as it did when it fell from her lips. Her inner walls quivered and squeezed him as he took her over the edge repeatedly. She had always been so responsive to his touch, but he felt the connection was even stronger.

  “You feel too good, baby. I can’t hold back any longer. Open your eyes and look at me, Bri.”

  She did as he commanded and he saw the tears that were held behind her lids roll down her face. He bent his head to kiss her. “Come for me. I need to feel you come again.”

  He pushed up to straighten his arms and deepen his thrust. He took her over the edge of ecstasy with him, falling in tandem together. He watched her eyes and her face change as she let go and the way his chest squeezed nearly took his breath away. Their bodies were completely spent and thoroughly sated.

  He relaxed his arms and simply allowed his massive body to cover hers. When he started to roll over, knowing he was crushing her, she held on and refused to let him move.

  He chuckled in her ear. “Bri, I know you can’t breathe.”

  “I’m okay. I don’t want to let you go yet.”

  He rolled over onto his back and took her with him, so that she lay completely on top of him. She turned her head to the side and rested her cheek on his chest. He felt the warm tears as they pooled where her head lay.

  “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  “No, you didn’t hurt me,” her voice was watery and strained as she attempted to talk through the tears.

  “Then why are you crying?”

  She sniffled, but didn’t wipe her tears away. “It’s just been so hard to not see you, touch you, or hear your voice. Knowing that you were so close, but so far away. I’ve just been so alone.”

  His hands stroked her back lovingly as he patiently listened to her. He didn’t know what to say or how he should reply.

  “I’m sorry, Noah, for all of it. Everything. I know that doesn’t make up for it.”

  The sun began to rise before they went to sleep. They made love twice more before they both passed out from exhaustion. Brianna knew she would sleep soundly for the first time in three years, safe and secure in Noah’s warm embrace. He spooned her from behind, draped his arm across her body possessively, and kept her as close to him as possible.

  Just before he drifted off to sleep, he heard her whisper. “I love you, Noah. I always have and I always will. I hope you remember that after tomorrow.”

  * * *

  Noah felt a chill move over his body. He rolled over, his arm stretched out to pull Brianna to him, but she wasn’t there. He opened his eyes and leaned up on his elbow as he strained his ears to listen for any sound. At first he thought she might be in the bathroom.

  The faint smell of coffee, bacon, waffles, and hot syrup wafted up to his bedroom, and he smiled. He loved her waffles. He had gained fifteen pounds when they first started living together. He pictured
her in his kitchen, in her pajamas, dancing to the radio, as she cooked breakfast.

  He pulled on his shorts before he headed downstairs to the kitchen. His stomach rumbled from hunger and everything smelled so good. It felt good to have her home. It felt right. He knew there was still a lot to talk about and pieces of the puzzle he needed to know in order to find closure, but he couldn’t deny how glad he was to have her back.

  Bull and Rebel sat at his table as they scarfed down the waffles and coffee. Noah headed straight for the cabinet to grab a coffee cup.

  “Morning, boss. Sleeping in, huh?” Bull and Rebel smiled at him and then at each other. They shook their heads and resumed stuffing their palettes. Noah looked at the clock and was shocked to see he’d slept past noon.

  “Hey.” He looked around the kitchen then back to the table. “Where’s Brianna?”

  They both stopped eating and looked at him. They stared at him briefly before Rebel answered. “Uh, we thought she was with you.”

  “She was, but she obviously made breakfast. So, where is she now?” He looked at each of the guys, who then looked at each other and back to him.

  “Reap, she was down here. She cooked and talked to us for a few minutes, then said she was going back upstairs with you,” Rebel answered.

  “How long ago has that been?”

  “About an hour ago.”

  Noah ran back upstairs, called her name, and looked through the bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms. She wasn’t anywhere to be found. He ran back down the stairs. Rebel and Bull said they had checked the rest of the house but found no sign of her. Noah headed for the front door to check outside and his heart dropped. He saw a white envelope taped to the door with his name on it. Tied around the oversized doorknob was the black blindfold from the desert–the symbol of her commitment to her brothers.

  He strode to the door, jerked the envelope down, and tore it open.