Training Rain

by A. S. Fenichel

  Rain didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean ‘use him’?”

  “He’d be a hell of a bargaining chip against his father.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” Kane’s voice rose to just under a shout. Maybe he expected Rain to back down.

  “Because he’s a human being. You can’t use him as currency to get what you want.”

  Tessa resumed her position against the wall. Her blonde hair fell in front of one eye and she pushed it behind her ear. “Rain, if Will has been taken and not killed, what do you think our enemies will use him for?”

  Rain had to make a concerted effort to keep her temper under control and her mind guarded so that her every thought wasn’t broadcast into a room full of psychics. “I’m not naïve. I know they will take advantage of capturing Will. He’s your friend, hell, he’s mine too. I don’t want to see anything happen to him. I just believe that the Psi Alliance should be better than those who would seek to destroy us for being different. If you kidnap the senator’s son and then use him to get Will back then you become the monsters they make us out to be.”

  The room became completely silent. No one spoke or even made eye contact. Everyone but Jess, who looked her directly in the eye. The corner of his mouth tipped up and she could have sworn he looked proud of her. An instant later his expression returned to unreadable and he stared across at Tessa.

  They all waited for a full five minutes and no one spoke. Rain couldn’t be sure they were not all reading each other’s minds and keeping her out of the conversation, but she didn’t think so.

  Joshua walked back inside as he hung up his phone. “Blake told me that Troy Breckenridge is twenty-three and listed as schizophrenic. He’s been heavily medicated for years and tucked neatly away in the Alexandria Mental Health Facility so as not to interfere with his father’s bid for the presidency. Breckenridge only brings him out for short periods to do public appearances. He’s always kept medicated and he’s never allowed to speak.”

  Rain’s anger at a man she had never met consumed her. She hadn’t been happy when the senator had sent men to kill or capture Jess and her, but this? He was the real monster.

  Tessa looked at Rain. “I’ve conveyed your thoughts to Joshua.”

  Rain nodded and prepared to take the full blast of whatever Joshua was going to say. She would not waver from her stand.

  His eyes narrowed and he arched one eyebrow. “I agree with Rain. We put the Alliance together to work for the side of right. If we go off track now, we’ll never recover.”

  Rain let out the breath she’d been holding.

  “What’s the plan?” Kane stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.

  She and Jess continued to sit. Frankly, she was tired. She really needed a good night’s sleep. She wasn’t going to waste energy posturing with psychics.

  “Rain?” Joshua said her name as if she had the answer.

  Well, maybe she did, or at least an idea. “Can we get to Troy?”

  Joshua smiled. “We can get to anyone we want.”

  Rain took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. “We should get him out of the institution. If his father is as nuts as we think he is, he could be keeping Troy drugged to suppress his psi abilities or worse, using his psi for his own purposes.”

  Kane’s voice was devoid of emotion, but his arms still crossed his chest and he watched her warily. “Then what do we do with him?”

  “I can block his powers while he comes down off the drugs. If he’s really sick, we return him to the hospital, but if his father has used his influence to imprison a perfectly normal psychic we should help him. If he wants to help us defeat Breckenridge, then that would be great too.”

  “You want to give him a choice?” Tessa said.

  “Yes. Everyone deserves to make their own choices. So far Troy’s have been taken out of his hands by the one person he should have been able to trust. We have to help him.”

  “And if he’s a crazy, evil bastard?” Kane asked.

  Her stomach tightened. She couldn’t help imagining the horrors of Troy Breckenridge’s life. Drugged and incarcerated for being what he was. It took all of her strength to keep tears from pushing forward. “I say we cross that bridge when and if we come to it. We can’t assume the worst about a boy no one has ever even spoken to.”

  For the first time Jess stood up. “Rain and I need a good night’s sleep and we’ll be ready in the morning to go forward with the rescue. Have you had any word from Piper on Will?”

  Joshua’s expression sank into unchecked sorrow. He and Will had been close friends and colleagues for many years. It had to be hard on him. “She went to New Orleans and found signs of a struggle. The attendant at the air strip said that a plane had come in, but only stayed for an hour before taking off again. They neglected to file a flight plan.”

  Tessa put her hand on Joshua’s shoulder. “Lena didn’t see his death. Something that big would have shown up in the Stones of Adeline.”

  “What is that?” Rain asked.

  Kane ran his hands through his hair. “My wife is the keeper of sacred stones that tell her the future. Sometimes events are clouded, but if one of the people closest to us had died, she would know.”

  It was a lot to process. She’d known that Lena Lakeland had been previously married to a tyrant, but she hadn’t known the details. Now it was starting to make sense. A man with little moral fiber and a wife who could see the future could get them very rich. The image of Jess’ sweet parents popped into her mind.

  Joshua pulled a keycard out of his pocket and handed it across to Jess. “You two can use this suite. We’ll be back at first light to collect you. Get some rest.”

  Kane and Tessa walked out of the room, but Joshua turned back. “Very good work, you two. And Rain, I’ll be counting on you to always keep the rest of us on the right track.”

  A knot formed in her chest. Even if she sometimes struggled to see her worth within the Psi Alliance, Joshua Lakeland did not. He saw her strengths and acknowledged them. She was too choked up to speak but managed a short nod.

  None of them appeared to question the fact that Jess and Rain were together. She wondered if Tessa had known about their connection before she sent Jess to Yellowstone, even if they didn’t sense it. The door to the suite banged shut as the agents exited.

  Then it was just the two of them. His gaze locked with hers as he reached around the corner of the table and took her hand. She allowed him to lead her out of the conference room to the living room.

  Something gnawed at her gut. “You left me to battle all alone in there. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  He sat on the overstuffed couch and pulled her down into his lap. “You didn’t need any help, cher.”

  “I couldn’t even tell if you agreed with me.” He distracted her by running his hand along her ribs, over her hip and down her thigh.

  He stopped. “Would it have made a difference if I’d disagreed? Would it have changed your position?”

  She pulled away, but he held her firm in his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Of course not.”

  “Then tell me what you’re upset about.”

  Was she upset? Maybe she was just tired. Still… “I don’t even know where you stand.”

  “Really?” With one hand still holding her tightly, he ran his fingers along her cheek and threaded them through her hair. “I’ll tell you then. I’ve never been more proud of anyone in my life.”

  Her throat grew tight. “Why?”

  A short, loud laugh burst from his lips. “Are you kidding? You just stood up to three of the most powerful psychics in the world. You have no offensive skills and you never flinched even when Kane tried to intimidate you. You are an absolute warrior.”

  Even though her heart filled with joy, she wanted more. She needed to know who the man she loved was at the most basic level. “Would you have made the argument to save Troy?”

  �
�I would have supported a rescue, but you make us all better people, Rain. I don’t know if I would have considered his rights without your influence. I’m not saying I’m proud of that, but it’s the truth.”

  She couldn’t argue, didn’t want to. Leaning down, she pressed her lips to his briefly. “I’m going to shower and get some sleep.”

  “We earned a good rest. Maybe when this is over, we’ll go back to New Orleans for a while.” He relaxed his hold as she stood up.

  “We have to pick up Yas. We could stay down there awhile if you want.”

  He stood up and pulled her hard against his chest. “I want to spend time with you. I don’t care where we go. If you want to go to Nevada, I’ll follow you there. As long as you’re with me.”

  “I’ll be with you, Jess.” She swayed on her feet. Adrenaline had kept her going for hours, but now her body was giving out.

  He steadied her, turned her toward the bedroom and gave her butt a pat. “Go get cleaned up and get some sleep.”

  She took two steps, stopped and turned. “You’re not coming in?”

  His smile was almost enough to give her a second wind. Almost.

  “I’ll be right in.”

  Rain never felt him get into the bed. She barely remembered showering. As soon as the cool sheets touched her damp skin, she’d passed out. It was completely dark in the room. Jess’ warm body pressed against her back and his arm wound around her as if he was worried she might slip away in the night.

  The room must have had blackout curtains. She didn’t even see light from the outside. After the landing and briefing she hadn’t gotten into bed until almost noon. Sitting up, she turned to look at the digital clock on the opposite nightstand. Seven fifty-two at night.

  Jess groaned and sat up. “What’s wrong?”

  She couldn’t see her fingers in front of her face let alone the other person in the bed, but she reached out toward his voice. Her fingers found the light sprinkling of hair on his muscled chest. “Would you mind if we turned on the light in the bathroom? I’m not fond of so much darkness. At least at home I would have moonlight. With these curtains, I can’t tell if it’s day or night.”

  His hand captured hers, lifted it and his moist lips pressed against her palm. The kiss shot through her as if it was a divining rod looking for passion. Her pussy pulsed with need.

  Then he was gone and she was alone in the middle of the king-size bed. The bathroom light flicked on and cast shadows across the room. “Better?”

  “Yes. Thanks.” She still would have preferred to open the curtains, but she knew exposing themselves when people were trying to kill or capture them would be foolish.

  “How do you feel?” The mattress dipped as he returned to bed and pulled her into his arms.

  Rain relaxed against him. His cock already hardened where it pressed to her butt. She stifled a satisfied groan. “Better.”

  His calloused fingers slid under the tee-shirt she’d put on to sleep in. Immediately her body responded to his touch. His lips pressed against the sensitive skin behind her ear. “I’m going to admit something to you that I’ve never said to anyone else in my life, cher.”

  Part of her wanted to stop him, to tell him not to divulge his secrets. She was hardly worthy of them. But another part of her knew that it wasn’t true, that the girl who had prostituted herself on the streets of Los Angeles was tucked away. She wasn’t gone, she never would be. It was that girl who had shown her what was wrong in the world, and many of the people she’d met during her terrible youth had taught her who she didn’t want to be. A few had even shown her kindness.

  His hand explored the underside of her breast and she arched, pressing her ass firmly back against his arousal, and her chest to his exploring hand. “What do you want to tell me?”

  “In all the time I’ve been an agent and even back to when I was in training, I never cared if I lived or died until today.”

  She tried to pull out of his embrace, wanted to turn and look into his eyes. How could what he was saying be true? Jess tightened his grip and kept her in place while his mouth gently touched the shell of her ear. “The idea of finally finding you and then dying in almost the same breath—I couldn’t stand it.”

  Her heart literally ached from the power of his words, the sweetness. “You make my life worth living too. I know it’s corny, but I don’t care. I want to be with you for as long as we have. Today in the plane, when I was sure we were both going to die, I was happy for the first time in my life.”

  “Happy?” His grip eased and she was able to turn to face him.

  He must have shaved before he’d come to bed, but a light stubble had grown while they slept. “Yes. You trusted me. Even though I don’t have all the training and I have no psi offensive skills. You had no idea if I had really understood the message you conveyed or if I had the guts to do what you told me. Still, you loved me enough to take a leap of faith. How many people do you think have that kind of love? So if I had died today, I would have gone to the Great Spirit happy. My life, everything I’ve seen and done was all worth it because it led me to you.”

  The kiss started gently, but in seconds his mouth opened and demanded entry. She happily slid her tongue around his, feeling every ounce of his passion as it mingled with her own.

  A moment later he broke away. “You’re wrong about one thing, cher.”

  She laughed. “Only one?”

  “I never doubted that you had the guts. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. I knew it the day you saved me in Las Vegas. You had no law enforcement background and yet you were willing to take on the most dangerous psychic in the world. I never doubted you would zap an oversexed mercenary, only if you would hear my instructions.”

  “I’m not going to go back to the reservation. You are going to have to get used to me putting myself in danger without becoming a Neanderthal.”

  “I will try to evolve.” As he said it, he ran his hand from her waist to the back side of her knee. Pulling her leg forward and over his hip caused his cock to nestle delightfully against her pussy.

  “Are you evolving at the moment?” She pressed forward, loving the sensation the friction sent rocketing through her.

  Jess’ smile was sweet and sexy and all she wanted was to have him buried deep inside her. How could anyone be so perfect? He ran his tongue along her lips and she gasped at the shock of desire that rushed to her clit.

  “I hope this never evolves or becomes civilized, cher.”

  She wanted to agree, to tell him that he could be as uncivilized as he wanted. Her brain would not give instructions to her mouth about anything other than kissing him. No words would be formed.

  He grabbed her ass and pulled her hard against him while still devouring her mouth. Her breaths were short and shallow and her pussy pulsed with need. He broke the kiss while tugging her tee-shirt over her head and tossing it on the floor. A moment later she heard the crinkle of foil and opened her eyes to watch while he rolled the condom over his thick shaft.

  She barely moved, only tipped her hips slightly. He perched at her slick opening and pressed inside, one centimeter at a time. He never backed out, just drove deeper until he filled her completely. She loved the way his cock pushed against the walls of her pussy, stretching her. His eyes locked on hers and neither of them moved.

  Trying to remain still was sweet torture. Rain couldn’t take anymore. She whimpered and rocked her hips back and forward. A low groan of satisfaction from Jess encouraged her to continue to bring him deep inside her and then release him. Each time he filled her, the sensation escalated.

  Then his fingers found her slick folds, teasing her clit. With one finger he circled the sensitive bud again and again. She bucked faster and harder, losing the rhythm but not caring. Any sense of reality slipped away as he added a second finger and lightly slid over her clit. It was the lightest of touches and it was driving her wild.

  Rain clutched at the blankets with one hand and gripped his bicep
with the other. She barely recognized that her nails were digging into his flesh. The explosion of rapture had her too far gone to care and then it crashed around her. She screamed again and again while her pussy clung to his cock, demanding more. Waves continued to break against her and his light touch stirred yet another onslaught of sensation. Her body shook and jerked.

  Jess pushed deep and pulled out almost completely before thrusting inside her again. All the while his delicate touch drove her to yet another cascade of rapture. She couldn’t breathe. Part of her wanted it to stop while another part never wanted the end to come. Thoughts were fleeting and her screams continued to fill the hotel’s bedroom.

  Another, stronger wave hit and finally the orgasm subsided. Panting, she gulped for air. Jess stilled, though he was rock-hard and buried deep inside her.

  “That was…I never…holy shit.” It was the best she could do.

  A low chuckle from Jess caused a slight vibration in his shaft and her pussy clutched at him again. With her eyes still closed, she noted his hand on her thigh adjusting their position until he was lying on top of her. She loved the feel of his weight pressing her into the soft mattress.

  He pulled back until only the very tip of him was still linked with her. “Open your eyes.”

  She did. Intense blue eyes looked down at her. A slight smile warmed his lips and he pressed slowly inside her. It was amazing she had anything left, but another tightness pulled together deep behind her pelvis and forced her hips to respond to his pace.

  His gaze was nearly as stimulating as the fucking. Faster and faster he plunged inside her sopping pussy until a guttural cry poured from his mouth. His body jerked and thrust deeper, pushing her over the top of another orgasm. Her body milked his cock for every drop. She had the most vivid fantasy of not having a rubber blocking his seed. She wanted to feel him, hot and wet, filling her with possibilities.

  Never in her life had she had a thought like that ever cross her mind. Never. And the fantasy was intense.

  It must have been a very clear image because Jess stilled suddenly before grabbing her and rolling them both to their sides. He sweetly pushed her mass of hair out of her face. “Really?”