King of Clubs (Aces & Eights Book 2)

by Sandra Owens

  “Do you want me to tell you how it’s done?” She gave him her best smirk in an attempt to get back to the lighthearted mood from moments ago. “I mean, there’s more to sex than just you being sprawled on top of me, not moving.”

  Amusement returned to his eyes. “Oh, I’ll definitely show you some moves.”

  There was something different about him. When they’d made love in the dark hours of the night, it had been dreamlike—as if they’d both pretended it wasn’t really happening. This time, his eyes were clear and focused. She felt wanted. That was it, the difference.

  She moaned in pleasure when he buried his face against her neck, nuzzling and then nipping at her skin. He was an amazing lover. There was no denying that, she thought, as he explored every inch of her body with his mouth and hands. His touch was reverent, almost as if he still loved her.

  That was wishful thinking, but she wished it nevertheless. He worked his way down, kissing, sucking, licking. And, oh, God, he had the cleverest mouth in the world. Her body was going to float away, and there was nothing she could do to stop it if he kept doing that. But he was relentless. She fisted the sheets, trying to anchor herself to the bed. The pleasure he was creating in her built until she was chanting his name over and over.

  “G.G.?” he said a while later, climbing up her body and lowering his talented mouth down on hers.

  “Hmm?” She tasted herself on his lips when their mouths melded together.

  He lifted his face, staring down at her. “Have I ever told you how much I love the sounds you make when you come?”

  “Don’t make sounds,” she said while trying to catch her breath.

  He laughed. “You so do.”

  She put her hands on his cheeks and stared into his eyes. “That was . . . That was . . .” She struggled to form a coherent thought after the best climax of her life.

  “Awesome? Mind-blowing? Stupefying? Staggering?”

  She punched him on the arm. “Arrogant man. All of those things.”

  “Arrogant I’ll give you, if I can make you agree to all those words, Gorgeous Girl.” He rolled over her, taking her with him.

  Now covering him like a blanket, she peered down at him. “Just don’t let it go to your head.”

  He laughed. “Oh, we’re not done yet. Let’s see if we can add some more stupendous words to my repertoire.”

  “I doubt that’s possible,” she said, issuing a challenge. She loved hearing his laughter. He’d laughed often during their time together in Panama City. The man he’d become rarely did, and she missed that.

  He spanked her butt. “Put the damn condom on me.”

  “Bossy,” she said, grabbing the foil pack.

  “That a turn-on for you?”

  “I’d never admit it even if it were. You’d just go into turbo-bossy.”

  “Is turbo-bossy even a thing?” His lips curved into a wicked smile, as if he were considering the possibility.

  “Don’t even think it.”

  “Can’t promise that.” He put his hands on her hips after he was sheathed. “Ride me, G.G. Let’s see what moves you’ve got.”

  “Hold on, then.” She loved watching him when they made love. He had a way of snaring her with his eyes, their focus never leaving her face. She could get lost in those smoldering eyes, not caring if she found her way back.

  “Take my hands,” he said, holding them up to her.

  With their palms pressed together, him supporting her, helping her move, she made love to the man who’d owned her heart since the day she’d noticed him watching her play volleyball with the intensity of a man on a mission. Turned out his mission had been her. I love you. The words danced on the tip of her tongue, begging to be said. But not yet. He wasn’t ready to hear them again. Didn’t quite trust her. It hurt but she understood. She prayed the day would come when he would want to hear them again.

  “Christ, G.G., close.” The cords on his neck thickened. His lips parted. “Come with me.”

  “Now?” She’d been ready, had only been trying to hold out, waiting for him.

  “Yes.” He flipped them, sliding his arms under her, bringing them chest to chest. “Yes, now,” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin.

  She shattered in his arms.

  “LaurenLaurenLauren,” he chanted. Then, once their breathing had slowed, he hummed the Bruno Mars song “Just the Way You Are.”

  That had been their song for six glorious days because he’d claimed she was perfect just the way she was. Tears burning her eyes, she buried her face in his neck, breathing in his essence. She’d done her best to keep him in her past, but had never figured out how to make that happen. Now, he was back in her life, loving her to completion, and if she lost him again, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be the same.

  “I’ll admit you got the moves, Gorgeous Girl.” He curled his fingers into her hair, pulling her face to his, giving her a long, leisurely kiss. When he was done kissing her, he rolled them until they were side by side, facing each other.

  He trailed a finger down the valley of her breasts. “I don’t want to leave this bed, but duty calls. If I don’t head upstairs, Nate will come looking for me. Then I’d have to kill him for seeing you naked.” After a quick kiss, he sat up, swinging his legs over the side. “And you’re having dinner with Alex and Madison, so you need to get dressed, too.”

  “Or I could stay right here and wait for you to come back.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  “Better yet, go with them, get something to eat, then we’ll pick up where we left off. Sound like a plan?”

  She liked her plan better. “Want me to bring you something back?”

  “Sure. Alex knows what I like.”

  For some reason that made her sad. She should know all the foods he liked. Damn Stephan to hell.

  Court wasn’t sure what put the sadness back in her eyes. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t have time to find out. “After my meeting, I’ll meet you back here. A little later, I’ll have to head over to Aces and Eights.” He thought he should mind feeling like he had to give her his itinerary. Strangely, he didn’t, although he’d never seen the need to do so with any other woman. But then, Lauren wasn’t any other woman.

  After a shower, he shaved and dressed. With thirty minutes to spare before he had to go up to Nate’s, he went looking for Lauren, expecting to find her out on the balcony. Alex had once said that from the time he’d met Madison, being with her soothed him. Court found that interesting because Lauren didn’t soothe a single bone in his body. She made him restless and needy, made him anxious when she wasn’t in sight. Not just from concern for her welfare, but from something deep inside him he couldn’t name that demanded he keep her by his side. Maybe it was a lingering fear that she would run after all.

  He found her in the living room, standing in front of his lone bookshelf as she flipped through a book.

  “How come you don’t have pictures of your parents anywhere?” she said without glancing back at him. “None that I’ve seen, anyway.”

  Although he hadn’t made a sound, she’d known he was in the room. The same thing happened to him—this knowing she was near without seeing or hearing her. That was not soothing.

  He walked in front of her and saw she held Goosebumps, the only thing he had left of his mother. Resisting the urge to snatch it away, he said, “Why would I have a picture of a man I hated and the woman who left us in the bastard’s care?”

  She frowned. “I guess I just assumed you had a happy childhood.”

  Puzzled, he said, “Why would you assume that?”

  “It’s obvious you and your brothers respect and love each other. The three of you seem well-adjusted. I mean, jeez, all three of you are FBI agents. That’s saying something. Then there’re the words from your mother inside the cover. I could feel her love for you in what she wrote in the front.”

  He took the book from her, opened it to the front, and read his mother’s words.

&nbs
p; Happy birthday, my sweet son. You are growing into a wonderful young man, and I’m so proud of you.

  Love always,

  Mommy

  It had been years since he’d read the inscription, but he remembered it word for word. He’d treasured his birthday gift, even knowing she’d gotten it secondhand at a thrift shop. Until the day she’d left, he’d never doubted she loved him and his brothers. Then she’d walked away, and for years, he’d hated her for it.

  He handed the book back to Lauren, and then stuck his hands in his pockets, turning to stare out the balcony door. He didn’t like talking about his past—that had been one of their problems when they’d first met. If they’d shared what was going on with each other, he would have been there for her when all her shit went down. She’d finally told him about her life, and he supposed she deserved to know about his.

  “If that’s what you think, you’d be wrong. About having a normal childhood, at least. Did my mother love us? I didn’t used to think so, but I recently had a revelation that changed my mind.”

  She came up behind him, pressed herself against his back, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Tell me about your life as a boy.”

  How about that? Her body wrapped around his was soothing. He leaned into her touch, and told her about his bastard of a father, about his mother leaving, and how Nate had raised him and Alex. Throughout it all, she didn’t say a word, but her tears wet his T-shirt. He knew they were tears for him, and he accepted that she was slipping back into his heart.

  “I liked my story better, that you had a wonderful childhood,” she said when he finished.

  He turned, staying in the embrace of her arms. “Sorry to disappoint, but all you can do is make the best of what you got, you know?” He’d never given much thought to how easy it would have been for any one or all of the Gentry brothers to go down the wrong road. They’d been handed all the excuses in the world for that to happen—their bastard of an old man, a mother who’d abandoned them, the squalor they’d called home. He could go on and on as the list was endless.

  But they hadn’t turned into thieving punks, and they had their mother to thank for that. She’d believed in them, had taught them the importance of an education. Before she’d left, no matter how tired they were from the chores their father had assigned them, even on school days, no matter how beaten down and worn out his mother must have been, she’d sat her three sons down at their scarred kitchen table, books open in front of them.

  Although she’d never finished high school, she’d worked with them on their homework, somehow making it fun. Looking back on it now, he realized she’d been learning right along with them. She’d often said that she wanted her sons to grow into men she would be proud of. What she’d never said was, “Don’t turn into your father.” But that sentiment was there, shimmering under her words.

  Wherever you are, Mom, I think you’d be proud of us. I just wish you’d stuck around to see that for yourself.

  He would like her to know that Nate had stepped into the role of mother and father. She would be especially proud of her oldest son for his fierce determination in continuing their studies, following her nightly study tradition. It wasn’t right that she didn’t know how he’d walked a straight path, ignoring the temptation to take the easy way out, while dragging his two younger brothers—sometimes kicking and screaming—along with him. More than anything else, he wanted her to know that.

  “You’ve gone real quiet. Penny for your thoughts.”

  Court let go of the memories crowding his mind. “Just thinking it’s time we looked for our mother.” Before she could respond, he stepped away, done with tripping down memory lane. But he was ready to have a conversation with his brothers. It was time to put the past to rest.

  At the sound of the doorbell he said, “That will be Alex and Madison.”

  She grabbed her purse, then waved her fingers at him. “Wish you could come.”

  “Sorry. Duty calls.” He wanted to send her on her way with a kiss, but he didn’t. As soon as they left for dinner, he headed up to Nate’s condo for his meeting with his brother and their fellow agent Taylor Collins. Nate was bringing her in on their investigation into the Russian mafia. An investigation he’d kept from Lauren, even though it involved her. He pushed aside his guilt about that as he walked into Nate’s condo.

  Taylor was already there, and she and Nate stopped talking as soon as he entered. Strange. He had the impression that their conversation was personal. Alex suspected there was something going on between them, but Court wasn’t so sure. His big brother wouldn’t fool around with a colleague. But what did he know?

  Taylor Collins was a beautiful woman. Blonde hair cut in a sleek style that came to just below her ears, eyes as blue as the sky, and a creamy complexion. She was also an ace agent and as smart as a whip. A good match for Nate if that was the way the wind blew.

  They spent an hour reviewing what they knew and what they still needed to learn about the Kozlov brothers. After refining the plan to bring down Stephan and Peter, Court pushed away from the table.

  “I’m going to tell Lauren everything we know and plan to do,” he said.

  Nate eyed him. “You trust her that much?”

  “Yes.” He realized he truly did. She’d almost sacrificed her own life for his. If that wasn’t proof he could trust her, he didn’t know what was.

  “I’ll walk out with you,” Taylor said when they finished.

  “Sure.” He’d half expected her to stay behind. Maybe there wasn’t anything going on between her and his brother. “I want to go down to the lobby, show our doorman photos of the Kozlovs so he knows what to watch for,” he said, punching the down arrow.

  “Good idea,” Taylor said as they waited for the elevator. “I heard Anatoly Gorelovea has his first court date next week.”

  “Yeah. The prosecutors have filed a motion that will allow Alex to testify in disguise, but the man’s lawyers are fighting it. There’s precedence for it, so hopefully the judge will agree. The defense wants his name, though, and if that happens, Alex is a marked man. That alone should be the deciding factor as far as I’m concerned. You and I both know that even from prison, Gorelovea’s influence is far-reaching.”

  Alex had taken Gorelovea, aka Mr. X, aka The Ghost, down a few months ago, along with Madison’s uncle, who’d been a major drug lord. Court had to admit he was a little jealous of his baby brother for capturing Gorelovea, a man wanted by half the countries in the world. Without even trying, Alex had become a legend among his fellow agents.

  They stepped into the elevator. “Nate will go ballistic if the judge agrees to identify Alex, and I’ll be right there with him.” The thought of his baby brother getting hurt again made him want to punch something. Alex had been shot and had nearly died during the arrest of Madison’s uncle and cousin. Court had never felt such rage and hopelessness in his entire life, not even when his mother or Lauren had left him.

  Taylor shook her head. “I refuse to believe any judge would willingly hand over Alex’s name to one of the biggest criminals on the planet. No matter what, we won’t let anything happen to him.”

  She hugged him. He recognized and appreciated that it was a comfort hug and returned it. The elevator doors opened, and he glanced up to see Lauren and Madison standing there. Lauren backed up as if struck. Well, this was awkward.

  “Ladies,” he said, dropping his arm from Taylor’s shoulder as they stepped out.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Hi, Madison. Hi, Lauren,” Taylor said, smiling.

  “Hi, Taylor,” Madison said, grabbing Lauren’s hand and pulling her into the elevator after Court and Taylor exited.

  Court glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting hers. “I’ll be up in a minute.”

  The door closed, saving Lauren from having to answer. She’d met Taylor at Madison and Alex’s wedding, but why was she here with Court? And that hadn’t been an innocent hug. He’d had his eyes closed, his chin resting
on top of the woman’s head, and his arm around her.

  Lauren’s stomach took a sickening roll as the elevator rose. Court had said he was meeting his brother. Had that been a lie? But he wouldn’t have spent the afternoon making love to her only to go meet another woman, would he?

  “Stop it,” Madison said, punching her arm. “It’s not what you’re thinking.”

  “She’s gorgeous. It would be amazing if he wasn’t attracted to her.” She briefly considered stomping on the ham and cheese on sourdough in the to-go bag she carried.

  See how Court liked a smashed sandwich.

  “He’s not, I promise you. She’s an FBI agent.”

  “Really? I never would have guessed that.” She glanced at Madison. “Are you sure? You know that there’s nothing—”

  “Yep. Actually, Alex thinks there’s something going on between her and Nate.”

  She smiled, suddenly happy again. Court’s sandwich was safe. “They’d make a striking couple.” It was true, Nate with his dark features and long black hair, and Taylor, all blonde and creamy.

  “I hope something comes of it. Nate needs someone like her who can stand up to him.”

  “He is intimidating.” Big bad wolf intimidating.

  “Why don’t you come down after Court leaves? We’ll have some wine and watch a sappy movie on the Hallmark Channel.”

  “I’d like that.” It was nice having her friend close again. If a miracle happened and she and Court stayed together, they could visit during the nights their guys were working. But if you wished too hard for something, it wouldn’t happen, so she tried not to think about it.

  She dug the key to Court’s condo out of her pocket as she walked down the hallway. As she slid the key into the door, movement at the end of the corridor caught her attention, and she glanced over. She squinted at the man walking toward her.

  Peter? She fumbled the key, dropping it. A jackhammer took control of her heart, pounding against her chest as if it wanted to break through her skin. She scrambled for the key, got it in her trembling fingers, and finally inserted it into the lock. When she glanced back as she pushed her way inside, the man had stopped in front of a door down the hall, but he was watching her.