“Jesus Christ!” Derek stalked over to her. “Give that to me!”
The room suddenly got tense as all eyes swung to Sophie and Derek.
“Oh, calm down!” Sophie chided. “It’s plastics, it’s not doing anything until it’s triggered.” She flicked a switch on the device and the blinking numbers disappeared. “See? The frequency—Hey!”
Derek snatched the device from her, ignoring the mutinous glare she threw at him, and bellowed, “Manning!”
A tall, muscled Guardian that resembled Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson came forward. “Take care of this.”
“That device is proprietary to Silver Fire, you can’t have it!” Sophie cried.
“It’s evidence,” Derek fired back. He had felt his heart stop when Sophie pulled out the sphere. Damn her, he wanted to strangle her. He gripped her arm and led her to the EMT.
“Which hospital?”
The EMT told him.
Turning back to Sophie, he said, “I’ll be following you there shortly. Try not to slip away. You are coming home with me tonight.”
With that statement he turned away and walked over to where Jack and Maia were having a heated discussion of their own.
“I need to go to the hospital, do you need me for any debrief?” Derek asked Maia.
Maia sighed. “You can come by tomorrow. Are you guys heading back to MDI?”
“I’m going wherever you are, sweetheart,” Jack told his wife.
“Let’s not start, Jack,” Maia snapped. “I’ve got things to do. I’ve lost an agent and I’ve got one in the hospital. I’m thankful to you for saving his life. But can you possibly back off a little?”
Maybe he should have just rode in the ambulance with Sophie, Derek thought. Maia speared him with narrowed clear blue-eyes.
“Don’t think for a moment I’m forgetting how reckless you both were,” Maia continued, fuming. “You went up against assault rifles with damned pistols, and you guys were outnumbered. What if Sophie hadn’t built an IED? Where would that leave you?”
“Shoe on the other foot, babe?” Jack sneered.
Fuck McCord, Derek’s eyes widened. His friend just didn’t know when to shut up. Maia glared at her husband before cocking her head, lifting both hands in a gesture of annoyed resignation. “Immature asshole,” she muttered as she backed up a couple steps before turning around and walking out the door.
“Where are you going?” Jack called out furiously.
“Anywhere you’re not!”
“Looks like you’re stuck with me,” Derek stated dryly. “You need to learn when to shut up.”
“Oh, and you’re the expert on women now?”
“No. But I’m not the one whom his wife can’t stand.”
Jack fell silent as they walked out the lab, his expression brooding. The hallways were teeming with forensic investigators trying to piece together the events—or body parts.
Derek’s phone buzzed. Maia.
“Hey sweetie.”
“I just got a call from Tim,” Maia said. “We have a lead on the perpetrators of this truck bomb.”
“That’s great, uh, and you are telling me this because?”
“So you can tell my husband not to wait for me tonight.”
Shit.
Derek sighed as he ended the call.
“What?” Jack asked impatiently.
“I hate getting caught in between,” Derek said in resignation. By this time they were out of the building and walking to their vehicle.
“They’ve got a lead on the attackers,” Derek said as he leveled his gaze on his friend. “Maia said not to wait up for her.” A scowl was settling on Jack’s face. “Guess I’m driving.”
***
Sophie shifted restlessly in bed. She had fallen into deep sleep after they returned from the hospital, but now she was wide awake, drenched and disturbingly aroused. She had been dreaming of Adam again. But it was one of those dreams that had her waking up conflicted. These dreams that never seemed to go away or fade with time; they were like flashcards of all the sexual interludes between her and Adam. Every time she thought he would fade into memory, these dreams recurred, almost as if her subconscious was refusing to let him go.
In her dream, she was in a bed, her hands were tied on either side and she was naked. It had been just a few days since her abduction, and she was resisting his sexual advances—screaming at him as well as kicking him. It surprised her that he had not bound her feet too. He did beat her with a switch each time she resisted, and it would leave angry welt marks all over her body. Sometimes they would bleed. When the pain became too hard to bear, Sophie would stop fighting and that was when Adam would start kissing her, tracing the redness with his tongue until he reached the mound between her thighs. She was too distraught to fight him, he kept her legs open and gave her unimaginable pleasure. She hated him for that.
But on the second week, after days of giving her mindless orgasms, he crawled back up her body and finally pushed inside her, taking her virginity. It was pain and ecstasy combined. Soon, she began looking forward to their coupling and by the third week, she had become addicted to these interludes: sex with him—both the pleasure and the pain. And somewhere along the way, she had fallen in love with him until he became her world.
The dream tonight took a bizarre turn. The scene shifted to Adam slamming inside her from behind. She was bent over a table, gripping the edge for purchase and then when he bent over her, he whispered, “Come for me, Angel.”
It was Derek’s voice.
***
Derek got out of a cold shower and put on his boxer shorts. It was rush hour when they finally left the hospital; Sophie hadn’t wanted any dinner and went straight to bed. Thankfully, her concussion was mild and the cut on her head was shallow enough, so the doctor could use dissolvable stitches. A couple of Tylenol for the headache and she was good to go.
He walked out of his bedroom, drying his hair and checking if there was any light streaming from under the door of the guest bedroom. None.
Derek sighed. Guess, he’d be watching sports tonight again. He went back to his room to pull on a t-shirt. It was 8:00 p.m. and he had nothing to do. A blonde siren was in his condo but not sharing his bed. He really should leave her alone for a couple of days because she was probably still processing the shock of seeing Agent Guerrero getting shot in front of her and having more than a dozen assassins trying to kill her. He flipped through the channels, getting antsier by the minute. Should he go talk to her, comfort her or something? Shit. He never had intimate conversations with women he fucked, or in this case, wanted to fuck.
Beth had called him earlier to check on her friend, and the reason she had not charged over was because Derek told her firmly that Sophie was sleeping.
His phone buzzed. He sighed when he saw it was Maia. Was he going to be a relay again?
“What?”
“Jeez, someone’s a bear.”
“You would be too, if you’re caught between two bull-headed people.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No, you’re not,” Derek retorted and heard Maia laugh.
“Listen, Derek. I thought Sophie would like to know that we have the mastermind of the fire and the attack on Silver Fire Research in custody.”
“Raid went well?”
“Yes,” Maia replied. “Anyway, Viktor is doing the interrogation. The man’s name is Tebogo Ademola. He is a high-ranking lieutenant of the Abu-Haxa Brotherhood. Tim was able to trace a hack this morning on Divergent Research Zone’s computers to someone called Jax Roscoe. Agents busted him, and he admitted to stealing the building blueprints of the research center and selling it to a Paki Dimka—a US Citizen sympathetic to the Brotherhood. He lives just outside New Park in the Cloverleaf district.”
“How did they find out about Silver Fire Research?”
“Blackstone International tracked down an Abu-Haxa spy in their mining subsidiary in South Africa. The Brotherhood worked on speculat
ion at first. They went on high alert after a transmission was caught about a zefinium bomb.”
“Huh, tied up nicely. So what’s Viktor got so far?”
“Ademola seemed resigned. I don’t think it’ll take much time for him to break down.”
“So technically, Sophie is out of danger.”
“Should be, but I can be bribed to say that she needs to stay with you a couple of more days just to be sure,” Maia teased.
“Ha. Ha. Pierce,” Derek said mockingly. “So, you heading home?”
“No. I’m dropping by Guerrero’s parents house to make sure they have everything they need.”
“I’m sorry, Maia,” Derek said softly. It was hard when one of their own was lost.
“She was so young, but I thought she was ready.”
“Stop second guessing your decisions. Guerrero was a great agent and they were outnumbered. How about Connelly, is he still at the hospital?”
“Yes, he’s my last stop.”
“Ah, do you think that’s wise? The man’s got a hard on for you.”
Maia gave an irritated huff. “He’s still my responsibility. But I’m telling Viktor to ship him out soon.”
“Good idea. I don’t think I can take your husband in enclosed spaces for much longer.”
“I’m still pissed at you guys for taking on Silver Fire Research.”
“Maia, you need to let it go. You forget that I used to work with you, and Jack is an ex-Navy SEAL. A—Navy—SEAL.”
“OK, Lockwood. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow for the debrief.”
After Derek hung up with Maia, he went to grab a beer from the refrigerator. He lingered in the kitchen drinking the beer while staring broodingly down the darkened hallway leading to Sophie’s room.
Fuck it. Derek tossed back the rest of the drink and silently made his way to Sophie’s room. He leaned his ear to the door and knocked. “Sophie?”
He heard rustling and then foot falls padded softly to the door. The door cracked open and Derek had to catch his breath at the glorious sight before him. Sophie’s big gray eyes were heated, her skin was flushed, her lips were moist and slightly parted and she was panting.
“Are you OK?”
Sophie shook her head and slowly reached out to pull Derek through the door. “Sleep with me.”
Derek could not be more shocked if she had shot him. She was wearing one of those damned nighties again, and he could see her form clearly through the translucent silk. He just wasted a cold shower because now he was painfully hard.
“Sophie, I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“Make me forget him,” Sophie raised herself on tiptoe and brushed his lips, her hand reaching down to stroke his erection.
“Not like this, Angel,” Derek said gruffly. When had he become so noble? The woman whose panties he’d been dying to get into was offering herself to him and he was the one retreating?
“Will you stay with me tonight?” Sophie asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“That I can do,” Derek replied gently. It would be torture, but he wanted her in his arms so fucking bad. She climbed up the bed and smiled at him shyly. He felt a lurch in his chest again as he got in behind her.
He tagged her around her waist, pulling her to him, her back side fitting so snugly to his front. Derek stifled a groan as her butt hit his crotch. He’d probably be awake all night, but he wasn’t complaining. He had her exactly where he wanted her. Not exactly in his bed, but close enough. He lifted her hair to the side so he could plant a kiss on her neck, his fingers lightly stroking her torso.
“That feels nice,” Sophie murmured.
“What, Angel?”
“Your hands. They feel good.”
He planted another kiss on her neck. “Sleep, baby.”
A few minutes later he heard her even breathing. But he was still wide awake and damn he needed to think of dead puppies, sports stats and fuck! What did he agree to? He’d just slip out when she was asleep so he could jerk off in his bathroom. That was the only solution. Derek realized that this was also the first time he was sleeping with a woman. And they were not even having sex.
***
In another part of New Park City, in an apartment building penthouse, the scene was starkly different. The floor right outside the elevator leading to the foyer was strewn with a robe and objects that used to belong on top of the half moon table in front of the elevator.
A woman with flame red hair was naked, half-sitting on the table, while a man whose trousers were hanging loose, had his hips wedged between her thighs, thrusting forcefully into her, one hand cupping her ass to leverage against him, the other trapping her wrists above her head in a gesture of dominance.
Their grunts and moans echoed distinctly through the darkened apartment. The intensity of their coupling and the smell of sex permeated the air.
“Look at me, Maia,” Jack demanded as he thrust into her, balls deep. “Do you want to come, sweetheart?”
“Stop teasing me,” Maia glared into his eyes.
“You smell so fucking good,” he groaned as he buried his face in her still damp hair.
“Jack—”
“I need to mark you—”
Thrust.
“Stop it!”
“So no one will think to take you away from me.”
Thrust and thrust deeper.
“You’re drunk.”
Jack paused and drank in the nakedness before him. He had stayed in his office all evening, polishing off his fair share of cheap whiskey while seething over images of Braden Connelly’s lips on Maia’s. The man was laid up in a hospital and Jack had no outlet for his frustration. So when he walked in on his wife who was fresh out of the shower, he had completely lost control. He swiped the knick-knacks off the table, hauled her unceremoniously on top of it, ripped the robe from her body and slid into her without preparation. He needed to fuck her hard, to take the brand of another man’s touch off her.
“Not too drunk to fuck you,” he smirked. He released her hands and dropped to his knees as he spread her thighs before him. He was painfully excited as his hardness strained against him, but he wanted to taste her sweetness. “And eat you until you scream.”
“Jack.” Her breathy whisper took him over the edge as his tongue parted her folds and swirled around her clit. He buried his face further into her core, his tongue laving up the honey that was flowing from her. Maia started squirming, the heels of her feet sliding restlessly on his back. Her hands shamelessly kept his head between her legs, her fingers gripping his hair, further inciting him to plunge his tongue deeper, spearing her entrance.
“Oh god, I’m going to—” Maia panted.
Even in his inebriated state, Jack knew what his wife needed. He flattened his tongue and licked her hard from the base of her slit to the swollen nub of her pleasure. He fastened his mouth on her clit and sucked and felt the exact moment when his wife hit her orgasm.
“Ahh...Jaaack!” Maia screamed. “Oh god, don’t stop, don’t stop...there...”
Every convulsion against his mouth spurred his erection harder until he felt like he had an iron poker between his legs; his balls were aching for release.
Rising to his feet, he secured her hands behind her with his right hand while crushing her to his chest, his fingers digging into her left thigh, securing it firmly around his hips.
“What are you doing?” Maia gasped.
“Give me this, sweetheart,” Jack whispered hoarsely. He wanted to dominate her. He wanted her submission. Just this once. “Please. I need this, Maia.”
Maia leaned forward and took his mouth in a searing kiss, her acceptance washing off the simmering rage within him. He buried himself inside her again and tore his lips away, releasing her hands and yanking her hair down so her face tilted up, their faces close but not touching, their breathing heavy between them. He kept his eyes on hers as he started moving inside her. Her breasts rubbing against his chest with each thrust. The pleas
ure of her tight sheathe squeezing his shaft, pushing him madly up to his climax. He drove into her hard, the table rattling beneath them. Jack wouldn’t be surprised if they had already fractured the table legs by now. He lowered his gaze to where their bodies joined, grunting with satisfaction as he watched his cock sliding in and out of her. Fuck. He was going to come hard. It didn’t take long for her to reach another peak and a few powerful strokes was all it took for his own violent release as he emptied himself inside her.
“Ffuuuuck!” he shouted raggedly, shoving his face in her neck. He gripped her tightly until the last of his shudders waned.
Breathing hard and with their sweat mingling, Jack curled his hand at the base of Maia’s head and leaned his forehead on hers. “I love you, babe.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sophie woke up feeling awfully warm, her blurry eyes focusing on the faded Georgetown University logo on a t-shirt that had seen too many washings. She was in bed with Derek. Her head was on his pectorals and as her gaze drifted lower, she flushed a few degrees warmer. Derek’s morning erection was in evidence, the mushroom head pushing out the waistband of his boxer shorts. He—Was—Huge. And thick. She was so tempted to run her tongue on its tip. Her mouth watered.
“It’s not going to bite, you know,” a deeply amused voice rumbled above her.
Gasping, Sophie pushed herself up on her hands and twisted her body to look at Derek in outrage. His eyes were barely open, but his lips were curved in a half grin.
“You...you...” She was tongue-tied. Embarrassed really, that he had read her lascivious thoughts accurately.
“Do you want to touch it?”
Oh my god. His eyes were open now, those chocolate eyes still in the haze of sleep. His dark blond hair was tousled bedroom-sexy, his voice was a raspy whisper. Everything about him screamed sex.
“Or do you want to straddle me? Sink into me, Angel?”
Sophie scrambled out of bed and huffed off to the bathroom. Derek’s easy chuckle followed her retreating form. Arrogant, arrogant man, she blustered inwardly. And yet she was incredibly turned on. She looked down her front and realized she was wearing a skimpy baby doll nightie. The morning light probably revealing more than she had wanted Derek to see. Memories of the night before came crashing back. She propositioned him. Damn! What was she thinking? She wanted to escape yesterday’s disturbing events: some people wanting her dead, watching Thalia getting gunned down, the haunting memory of Adam. All this darkness threatening to fill an existing void inside her, and she wanted to give in and let the depression take over. Then Derek showed up, and he represented a light to this darkness, a warmth to this chill. And he turned her down. She didn’t know whether to be relieved or angry with him.
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