“Luke,” Marc said softly, gaining his friend’s attention. “Hold your shit together.”
Sucking in a deep breath through his nose before exhaling loudly, Luke nodded. Once more the silence in the room settled on everyone as the Saints watched carefully to see what Nick would say; he appeared to be wrestling with a decision.
A long minute ticked by before Nick finally nodded. “Okay. I’ll check to see what her daily log included the day of the murder. I’ll also check to see what was on the books for any of her team members.”
“Thank you,” Luke responded, his heart rate slowly returning to normal.
*
Hours later Luke returned to his house and, as he drove into the driveway, he smiled knowing Charlie was inside. Rubbing his hand over his chest, he realized the house had always been a safe place…a comfortable place…even a refuge. But never more than a house. Now, with her inside waiting, it felt like he was coming home.
Opening the door, he noticed the dining room table was covered in papers, two laptops, and an empty cup of coffee with only the coffee dregs in the bottom.
“Charlie?” he called out. Walking through the kitchen, he heard music coming from the garage. Smiling, he headed through the hall and threw open the door to the workout room.
Leaning against the doorframe, he watched as Charlie, dressed only in tight yoga pants and a t-shirt, sweat glistening off her body, ran through her exercises. Her lean body, muscular and strong, made his mouth water.
As she shouted with her jabs and kicks, she never noticed him as he approached. As his fingertips touched her, she startled with a scream, swirling around with her hand flying toward his head. Ducking her hand, he caught her as she tumbled backward. Twisting so he would hit the mats first, she landed on his chest with an “umph”.
“Jesus, woman,” Luke ground out, his hands now trying to still her wiggling. He had wanted her on him, but in difference circumstances.
“Luke!” she managed to say, as the adrenaline rushed through her body. “What the hell are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?” She scrambled as she rolled to the side before attempting to sit up. “I could have hurt you!”
“Babe, I was in more fear of you getting hurt than anything else,” he retorted. “You never heard me approach.”
“Why would I be cautious in here?” She took his offered hand, allowing him to pull her up.
He took her hand and pulled her over to him, tucking her gently, chest to chest. “Because you need to be cautious everywhere,” he warned. Leaning back as she was about to protest, he added, “You may be good at sneaking up on someone to take them out when they are unaware, but you haven’t had enough training in handling someone who comes up silently from behind.”
Pouting slightly, she looked into his concerned eyes and asked, “So, what do we do about it?” Her eyes began to twinkle as she said, “You want to train me some more?”
Holding her close, he chuckled. “That’ll never work because every time we get in the workout room, we end up having sex!” As she giggled, he said, “What you need is a training partner…one that I trust.” Her brow creased, but he continued, “And I know just who to call in.”
Loving the way her body was molded to his, Luke twisted around so that her back was pressed against the wall, pinning her there with his larger body, covering her mouth with his own. Deep, wet and hard. An unrestrained kiss that spoke volumes as their arms entwined. Lifting her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist as her arms clutched his shoulders. Their heads moved from side to side, noses banging, as their tongues dueled in a frenzy for dominance. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, swallowing the groan emanating from deep in his chest.
Thrusting his tongue deeply into the warmth of her mouth, he tasted the heady combination of mint and her. Distinctly her. Her breasts pressed into his chest, as one arm held her ass and the other cupped her delicate jaw.
He pushed her more firmly against the wall, supporting her so that he had both hands free. She immediately began to grind herself on his torso, desperate for the friction to ease the ache that was deep inside.
Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, he jerked it upward until it caught on her breasts. She reached out to assist and whipped it up over her head, allowing their kiss to break only long enough for the material to pass their lips.
He glanced down, consternation replacing the rush of lust as he realized she was wearing a tight sports bra and it did not appear to have a closure. “Babe?” he moaned, now dodging her lips as he tried to see how to remove the now offending garment. “What the hell do I do with this?”
The lust-filled fog lifted momentarily as Charlie glanced down to see what he was referring to. “Oh,” she grunted as she leaned away from the wall and grabbed the bottom edges of the bra. Struggling as she wiggled it over her breasts, finally allowing them to bounce free, she continued to writhe as she shimmied the tight spandex over her shoulders and head before dropping it to the floor.
Lifting her gaze back to his, she saw the concern in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
As he glanced down to her breasts, now full, rosy tips budding, he shook his head. “That thing doesn’t hurt?”
Giggling as she grabbed his firm jaw with her hands, “Believe me, having them bounce around when I’m working out would be much more painful.”
Taking her word for it, he allowed her to pull his mouth back in, the bra long forgotten as her nipples poked into his chest. He moved his thumbs over the peaks, alternating between pinching and gently rubbing.
Throwing her head back against the wall, she felt his lips leave a wet trail of kisses from her throat, down her neck, to the tops of her breasts. She thrust them forward as an unconscious offering, and one that he was more than willing to take. Sucking a nipple deep into his mouth, he licked, nipped, bit, and sucked until she was writhing wildly. Moving over to give the other nipple the same attention, his hand slipped down her yoga pants and found her panties soaked. Pulling the pants and panties over her hips, he jerked them off her legs then picked her back up.
Lips locked once more, he hefted her up in his arms long enough to unbutton and unzip his jeans, freeing his swollen cock. Having lost all control, he held her over the tip, finding her slick folds ready for him. His mind, filled with the pounding need that roared through him, was barely conscious of her small hands holding him closely. Needing to be inside of her was more important than his next breath.
“Sweetheart,” he mumbled against her mouth. “Are you on the pill?”
Leaning her head back, she held his gaze. “Yeah,” she whispered with a smile. “And I’m clean.”
“Me too,” he promised. “We have to get physicals working for Jack—”
“I trust you,” she interrupted. “Please.” Her mind was equally filled with desire and longing that drowned out all the worries she had faced. She only felt. Experienced. Every fiber of her being tingled with the need for him deep inside. I’ve waited forever for someone like you. No, not like you. Just you.
With one swift plunge he seated her firmly and completely on his cock, barely hearing her head bang on the wall behind her. Jesus, she’s perfect.
She moved on his cock, trying to ease the ache from deep within her core. With one hand on the wall beside her head to maintain his balance, he thrust up and down.
Her short fingernails raked his back as she felt the tingles that had tempted her as she rubbed herself on his jeans now intensified as her entire sex clutched at him. Strung tight as a bow, she was aware of every movement of his thick cock stretching her tighter.
Luke could not remember the last time he had felt like this. Barely aware of anything other than the roaring in his ears, he pressed his pelvis against her clit as he continued to thrust deeply.
Finally, with his name screaming from her lips, she felt her sex clench and electric jolts moved from her core, spreading outward in all directions.
As her incredibly tight inner walls milked his cock,
he found himself pouring his seed deep into her. Continuing to stroke the inside of her until every last drop was emptied, he rested all of his weight on the arm against the wall, holding him up, unsure his legs were up to the task.
Sweating and panting together, her head was resting next to his arm, eyes tightly closed as the sensations flowed over her. I’ve wanted him for so long. Opening her eyes to see his face, she saw that he was looking down as he pulled out of her, their fluids mingled.
He lifted his warm gaze, his chest still heaving with exertion. “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said as his lips curved into a smile. “You. Me. The evidence of us together…beautiful.”
Kissing her lightly, he gently lowered her legs to the floor, making sure to hold her until her tingling legs were steady. “You okay?” he asked, tucking her silken hair behind her ear.
She peered up, smiling as she touched his dimple, and nodded. “Yeah. I’m perfect.” Deciding to take a chance with her heart, she added, “With you, I’m perfect.”
His wide smile was the answer to her unspoken question. He feels the same. Thank God…he feels the same.
Chapter 20
Luke stood in the kitchen, stirring the ground beef, the scent of spices in the air. Deciding on simple tacos, he moved to the counter to chop lettuce and tomatoes while Charlie took a shower.
Her laptop lay open on the dining room table and the constant dinging of messages had him curious. Walking over, he scanned her message board before leaning closer to see exactly what he was looking at.
He was still in the same position a few minutes later when she walked into the room, her hair still wet and streaming down her back.
“Hey, sweetie, what smells so good?” Instead of answering her, she watched as Luke turned toward her, his face tight with anger.
“You want to tell me what the hell this is?”
Her eyes dropped to her laptop, but without her glasses or contacts she could not see the page he was on. Walking over, she squinted at the screen, seeing the numerous messages popping up and hearing the annoying ding of each one.
“Oh, my goodness! I had no idea I’d get so many hits!” Turning her smiling face toward him, her smile drooped slightly as he continued to glower. Cocking her head to the side, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I want to know what you’re doing. I left you here to do some research and now see that you’ve reached out to try to get more information from…from…from whoever the hell these people are!”
Placing her palm on his chest, she said, “Luke, it’s okay. I just had a brainstorm idea and followed through, trying to see if I’m right.”
“Oh, hell no!” he shouted. “I’m trying to keep you safe and out of the light and here you are putting yourself right into the middle of the investigation. That was never your role.”
Dropping her hand as she stepped back a foot, she pressed her lips together tightly, her eyes narrowed. “My role? My role? Who are you to decide what my role is? I’ve been trying to find things out for the past five months while making sure to stay out of the light. I was only discovered once and took care of that situation on my own, I might remind you.”
Dragging his hand over his head, his glower still firmly in place, he began to speak but Charlie cut him off.
“No, you don’t get to tell me how this is going to work, Luke. You said yourself that I’m not officially employed by Jack even though I’m working on this case. So I get to make my own rules.”
“Goddamnit, Charlie,” Luke cursed, holding her stare, quickly realizing she was not planning to yield.
“You don’t even know what I’m working on so how can you be so against it?” she asked.
Scrubbing his hand over his stubble, he closed his eyes for a moment, the fear of something happening to her crawling over his skin. Feeling her soft touch against his chest again, he opened his eyes to see she had moved closer. Roaming his eyes over her face, he reached up to cup her jaw, his thumb scraping gently over her cheek. Sucking in a deep breath, he nodded slowly.
“Okay. You show me what you’re working on and why the hell all these people are sending you messages. And…what you’re doing to keep them from knowing you and where you are.”
The corners of her mouth turned up slowly as the anger slid from her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, lifting up on her toes to kiss his lips. “Turn off the stove and I’ll show you.”
A minute later, the two sat at the dining room table as she began to explain her theory. “The information I got from Eli before he…well, before…wasn’t enough to tell me exactly what was going on and where. He never gave me the clinic name, but did indicate that they were local. He only sent some partial databases and, while I’ve narrowed them down, I’m not getting anywhere definitive. Or at least not fast enough.”
Tucking her legs underneath her, she continued, “And there are too many clinics in the northern Virginia, Washington D.C., and Baltimore area for me to try to comb through. So I tried a different tactic. I began researching illegal organ harvesting and the one thing I kept coming up with was the Chinese government killing prisoners and taking their organs to sell on the black market.”
At this pronouncement, Luke’s eyebrows lifted. “I’ve looked into—”
“I know, I know,” she gushed, “that’s over there, but the Chinese mafia has a big presence in the United States, so I wondered if that was something to consider.”
Shaking his head slowly, he said, “Sweetheart, just because—”
“Please hear me out,” she begged, waiting until she gained his slow nod. “Okay, so then I started doing some research into the Chinese mafia, but what I found was that they were big in human trafficking.” Satisfied that he was no longer interrupting or arguing, she continued. “So then my research led me to who were the likely victims of trafficking. The young. Runaways. Homeless youth. And then it hit me!”
Luke watched her face become animated as she explained her process of her investigating. Her hands waved in front of her as her voice rose an octave. As much as he hated the reason for her energy, he loved seeing her joy at her accomplishments.
“What hit you, babe?”
Charlie almost stumbled over her words and was sure that if she had been standing, her legs would have gone out from under her. Babe. I’ve never been anyone’s babe. And with some guys, it’s such a throwaway. But with Luke…it’s so real.
Smiling, she kept going with her explanation. “I realized that the same group of people who are at risk for human trafficking in this country are at risk for someone dealing in illegal organ harvesting. The poor. The youth. Runaways. Homeless.”
Luke’s mind began quickly sifting through her words and he was unable to find fault with her logic. “Okay…so what did you do?”
“I sent a message to every homeless and rescue shelter that I could find within the area that we’re looking at and said that I was interested in speaking to anyone who had used a free clinic. I also pulled up a preliminary list of free clinics in the area, so I can start to comb through their information to see what I might find.” Shrugging a little, she said, “It was Jude that gave me the idea.”
“Jude?”
“He told me that when he first became a Saint, his SEAL training was good, but he really didn’t know anything about investigating a crime. So he said he learned that you can’t always try to find the big picture. Just take a piece of the puzzle and begin connecting it to other pieces.”
Nodding, Luke had to agree. “To be honest, only Cam, with his background as a detective, and Monty, as an FBI agent, really have the investigative instincts down. The rest of us learn as we bring our skills to the group.”
“So what do you think?”
Luke sat still for a long moment, unable to find fault with her logic, but wanting to make sure she understood the long shot it was. “I get what you were doing, and your reasoning is sound as far as the investigating goes.” He glanced over to her laptop and
then pierced her with his stare again. “I don’t want to insult you, but you did encrypt your messages?” Seeing the roll of her eyes, he added, “I just wanted to be sure. So what’s been coming in?”
“I only checked a few before I went to work out and then you came home.” At the mention of his homecoming celebration in the garage gym, she blushed to her roots.
Chuckling, he reached out and tucked a still-damp strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I guess that took precedence over the investigation.”
Pretending to slap his hand away, she grinned while turning back to the laptop. “Wow, I’ve got quite a few comments.” Scrolling through them, she said, it looks like many people are just telling which clinics they went to and how nice they were…or, well, here’s a few that are complaining about the free services.”
The two spent the next fifteen minutes scanning the messages, until Charlie’s stomach growled loudly. Slapping her hand on her tummy, she tried to silence it.
“Come on, sweetheart, we can do this later. Let’s get you fed.” Luke walked back over to the stove to reheat the seasoned meat while Charlie gathered the salsa, cheese, and taco shells.
Stuffing themselves, they left the topic of the investigation alone while they ate. Once the kitchen was cleaned, they retired to the living room, where she settled on the sofa with her laptop, snuggled up to Luke while he turned on a football game.
He kept glancing to the side, observing her brow crinkled and her bottom lip worried between her teeth. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, his fingers twitched on her shoulder and he said, “You gettin’ anywhere?”
She twisted around to look into his face. “Yeah, but I guess I hoped I would find easier clues.”
Chuckling, he nodded. “Can’t tell you how many times I had that very thought while on a case.” As he sobered, he said, “Let me help, okay?”
Discover Love: Saints Protection & Investigations Page 16