On His Six (Away From Keyboard Book 3)

by Patricia Eddy

  And then she turns and smiles at me. I inhale sharply and tangle my fingers in her hair. “What changed?”

  Her brows furrow. “I don’t understand.”

  “Your eyes. I see you, Wren. It’s like you’re…back with me. After we left the safe house, you disappeared. Even earlier, in the shower…”

  Her cheeks flush pink, and she stares down at my wrist where Zion’s bracelet still rests. “I didn’t realize I was hungry until the food showed up.”

  “It wasn’t the food.” Her eyes were so vacant after we left the mansion. And now, the copper flecks burn bright.

  With a nod, she covers my hand with hers. “It kind of was.” Her voice drops, and she pushes the tray aside, then snuggles against my chest. I can’t see her eyes anymore, and she wears her shame like a mask. “When…Blondie found me in the security office, I was so scared. I didn’t know where you were. Or if you were even still alive. He told me he was taking me back to Kolya, and I thought…for a minute…it’ll be easier. I won’t care about anything. I won’t be scared. I won’t hurt. I won’t have to fight anymore.”

  “Wren—”

  “Let me finish. Please?”

  Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I wait.

  “And then…you were so scared. I’ve never seen you…scared.” She waves her hand. “I know we’ve only known one another for two weeks, but come on.” She peers up at me, the corners of her lips curving into a smile. “Pretty much our entire relationship has been one terrifying event after another.”

  “Not every event.” Her nipple rises under the plush fabric when I skate my thumb over her breast.

  Wren bats my hand away and links our fingers. “Hush. You know what I mean.” After a sigh, she scoots up a little higher so we’re eye-to-eye. “Nothing after the lights went out felt real. I remember everything. West cutting the zip tie. Kolya…gasping for air. How Semyon and Elena held onto each other the whole flight. Ford showing up with Pixel.”

  The dog yips, and I toss her another fry.

  “As stupid as it sounds…this,” she gestures to the remnants of our meal and then to the two of us tangled together, “is the first real moment I’ve had since we left the safe house. And…I want more of them. All of them.” Running her fingers over Zion’s bracelet, she meets my gaze. “With you. I love you. We’re real.”

  Long seconds pass, and she touches my cheek, amusement dancing in her eyes. “You can talk now. I’m done.”

  My laugh still surprises me. The raspy tone. The way my entire body feels…warmer. Lighter. How I can’t help smiling. “Just following orders, sweetheart.” Several slow, tender kisses later, I draw back. “Come to Seattle with me. At least for a little while. We’ll go to West’s wedding. The rest…”

  “I can work from anywhere.” Her words tumble out in a rush. “I’ll need to fly back here once in a while…either for a job or just to see everyone. But…Boston stopped being home when Zion died. I want a fresh start, Ry. With you.”

  Epilogue

  Wren

  Two days later, Ryker eases the keys from my hand and unlocks my apartment door. So much has changed since I took Pixel out for what should have been an uneventful walk. He’s tense, and I know he’s hired someone to pack everything up for me, but I can’t leave without a few essentials.

  My favorite sweater. The photo of me and Z at the Sox game. My mother’s jewelry box—where I store a collection of stones and crystals I’ve collected over the years. The green pendant Zion gave me. Pixel’s toys, and the soft fleece blanket from my bed.

  But there’s one other reason I had to come back here. “Give me a minute?” I ask as I zip up the suitcase.

  “I’ll be right outside the door.” He eases the bag’s handle from my grip and brushes a light kiss to my lips.

  Every day this man amazes me. He’s still very much the same tough, hates-talking-about-his-feelings person he was when we met. But we don’t always need words. He understands me, even when I don’t understand myself.

  Sinking down onto my bed, I let the pendant warm against my palm. I can’t wear it. My neck is still raw and painful. But I need a touchstone.

  “Z? Semyon and Elena are safe now. Ford is driving them to Maine this afternoon. Kolya…donated twenty thousand dollars to get them started, and we found them an in-patient recovery program that will let them stay together. New identities, jobs waiting for them when they get out…” I turn the green glass over in my hand, tracing the edges with my index finger. “I wish you could have met Ryker. You’d like him. Or…maybe he’d drive you crazy. But…I love him, so you’d find a way to get along.” The image of the two of them facing off almost brings a smile to my face. “I…won’t be back here again. Not in this room. So, come find me in Seattle, okay? I love you, kid. Always and forever.” Heading out to the living room, I stop with my hand on the door knob.

  “I promise.”

  One week later

  Ryker

  Wren leans back against me as we stand by the floor-to-ceiling windows in my—our—apartment. Pixel snores in the corner, a princess on the world’s plushest dog bed. West and Cam’s wedding was a quiet, small affair, thank God, and as we walked the few blocks home, Wren got me to admit it wasn’t the torture I’d anticipated.

  “What are you thinking, little bird?” Scoring my teeth along the shell of her ear, I relish the little shiver that runs through her.

  “Ten days ago, you stood in front of me, naked, and I told you I loved you for the first time.”

  “I remember.” Every second of that night is burned into my brain. As she lay under the sleeping bags, sated and peaceful, I cataloged every word. Every feeling. Every emotion. Joy. Fear. Pride. Shame.

  Turning to me, Wren slides her hands around my neck. “You said the words almost forty-eight hours before I did. How did you know?”

  I scoop her up into my arms and carry her to bed.

  “You’re avoiding the question.”

  “Not…exactly.” After I slide the green straps off her shoulders and her dress pools on the floor, I nudge her down onto the mattress, then kneel between her thighs. “Before I met you, I woke up every night screaming. Every fucking night for six years.”

  Wren unbuttons my black dress shirt, exposing the scars across my chest.

  “I tried therapy. Sleeping pills. Alcohol. Nothing quieted my demons. And…I couldn’t figure out why. Until you.” I shrug out of the shirt, then take her hand and press her fingers to the scar below my left eye. “You asked me what happened. Back in Boston. That night…the demons didn’t come.”

  “You…loved me before we went to Russia?” Her voice rises a few notes, and I chuckle.

  “No, baby. Not then.” I let her undo my belt, then step out of my pants and briefs. “Can I hold you?”

  When we’re nestled together, skin-to-skin, her nipples pressed to my chest and our legs entwined, I run my fingers through the soft curls of her hair. “I never wanted to talk to anyone. Even West and Inara…if it wasn’t about the mission, I rarely said two words to them. But you… Every time you asked me a question, I wanted to answer. I needed to answer. Needed you to know what I was thinking. Feeling. I couldn’t explain why. Pissed me off.”

  Now it’s her turn to laugh. “I could tell.”

  “When you were taken, I knew. That night. West called me on it, and I tried to deny it, but…I couldn’t.” My eyes burn, and all I can see is Wren. Bruised. Bleeding. Afraid.

  Warm fingers tighten on my hip. Over one of my many scars. “I’m here, Ry.”

  I can’t tell her everything yet. If I could, I’d tell her being with her makes me feel like I matter. Like I’m more than my scars. My damage. My broken body and shattered mind.

  I’d tell her how I hadn’t smiled in months. Hadn’t laughed—real laughter—in years.

  Most of all, I’d tell her how she saved me.

  “Kiss me, baby.”

  Her lips are warm, soft, and she tastes like rain. And tonight, a
hint of wedding cake. Of sherry. And of need. I pinch her nipple, and she arches into my touch.

  I skim my hand over her breast, down her stomach, all the way to her mound. Sliding a finger between her slick folds, I swallow her moan, tangling our tongues in a dance I never wanted to learn, but now can’t live without.

  “Ry,” she whimpers. “More.”

  I trail kisses over every curve, adding a second finger when her eyelids start to flutter. The first gentle caress of my tongue has her hands fisting the sheets, and fuck. I inhale deeply, unable to get enough of her scent.

  “I love you, little bird,” I say against her clit.

  “Need…you…” she gasps and grabs my arms. “I want to see you, Ry. Please.”

  One of those late night conversations I didn’t want to have, but don’t regret for a second? She’s on birth control, and I’m clean. So when I slide home, there’s nothing between us.

  “God, Wren. You feel…so good.” I suck my drenched fingers into my mouth, then lean down to kiss her. She moans again, and I thrust deep. Clutching my ass, she urges me on, and I raise my head just enough to look into her eyes.

  “Come with me, baby.”

  Make me whole.

  And she does.

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read On His Six.

  Dax will have his story soon!

  Love, Patricia

  Also by Patricia Eddy

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  Check out the By the Fates series if you love dark and steamy tales of witches, devils, and an epic battle between good and evil.

  By the Fates, Freed

  Destined, a By the Fates Story

  By the Fates, Fought

  By the Fates, Fulfilled

  In Blood

  If you love hot Italian vampires and and a human who can hold her own against beings far stronger, then the In Blood series is for you.

  Secrets in Blood

  Revelations in Blood

  Elemental Shifter

  Hot werewolves and strong, powerful elementals. What’s not to love?

  A Shift in the Water

  A Shift in the Air

  Contemporary and Erotic Romances

  Holidays and Heroes

  Beauty isn’t only skin deep and not all scars heal. Come swoon over sexy vets and the men and women who love them.

  Mistletoe and Mochas

  Love and Libations

  Away From Keyboard

  Dive into a steamy mix of geekery and military might with the men and women of Emerald City Security and Hidden Agenda Services.

  Breaking His Code

  In Her Sights

  On His Six

  Restrained

  Do you like to be tied up? Or read about characters who do? Enjoy a fresh BDSM series that will leave you begging for more.

  In His Silks

  Christmas Silks

  All Tied Up For New Year’s

  In His Collar

  About the Author

  Patricia D. Eddy lives in many worlds. Witches, vampires, and shifters inhabit one of them, military men and women fill another, with sexy Doms and strong subs carving out the final slice of her literary universe. She admits to twelve novels (though there are at least five unfinished drafts on her desk right now), all while working a full-time job, running half-marathons, and catering to the every whim of her three cats. Despite this whirlwind, she still finds time to binge watch Doctor Who, all of the Netflix Marvel shows, and most recently, The Handmaid's Tale. Oh, and she hopes to one day be able to say that she plays the guitar. Right now, she mostly tortures the strings until they make noise.

  If you made it this far and are still reading, you should be rewarded. Email Patricia at patricia@patriciadeddy.com with the code Restrained Teaser in the message body and she'll email you a deleted scene from In His Silks. Possibly even two.

  You can reach Patricia all over the web…

  patriciadeddy.com

  patricia@patriciadeddy.com