Analeigh moaned as his cock pushed into her, expanding her pussy to accommodate him. She gripped his shoulders and ran her tongue against his.
“I’m sorry, love,” Blake whispered against her forehead. “It was work.”
“You’re not leaving, are you?”
When Blake didn’t answer, but increased the depth of his thrusts, Analeigh panicked.
“But you just got back,” she protested.
“I know.”
Analeigh paused to let her orgasm consume her and then asked. “Where?”
“Addis Ababa.”
She stopped moving. Blake’s gaze locked with hers, before he glanced away.
“You’re kidding.”
“Darling, I wish I was.”
“Why the fuck are you going to the capital of Ethiopia?” Analeigh asked, her voice rising with each syllable.
“It’s…complicated.”
“Complicated, my ass. What kind of lawyer needs to go to Africa?”
Blake lifted her hips. He shoved his cock all the way inside of her until the base of his shaft rested against her opening. Analeigh sighed. She almost swallowed her tongue, but she was still too angry with him to enjoy the sensation. This time, he locked his gaze on hers and didn’t look away.
“Analeigh,” he said. “I’ve explained before that I have to go to some undesirable places because of the people that hire me.”
“I know. But—”
Cupping her cheek, he traced her quivering bottom lip with his thumb.
“You have to trust me, love. I promise, I’ll always come back to you in one piece.”
Before she could reply, Blake captured her mouth in a long, passionate kiss. His lips, and cock, squashed all the fight she had within her. Analeigh yielded to his mouth, his body. For now, she would let the subject drop. But one day soon, she and Blake were going to have a conversation about what he really did for a living.
Chapter Ten
Addis Ababa…Three days later
The desert sun beat down on the back of Blake’s neck. He swiped away beads of sweat with his hand. What he wouldn’t give for a nice cold beer right now. But they were in the middle of a barren landscape and there was no bar in sight. Or within a hundred miles, for that matter. His black T-shirt stick to his torso as he lifted the binoculars to his eyes to check for the target’s motorcade. It was still a no-show. Duncan lowered his rocket launcher and shook his head.
“Six months in, and you’re already pussy whipped,” Duncan chided in his Australian accent.
Blake grimaced. “You don’t get it.”
“Oh, I get it. I just don’t get attached to it.”
“One day you will, my friend.”
He looked at the man he’d worked beside for many years and knew like the back of his hand. A look of longing flashed on Duncan’s face. It was an emotion Blake had never seen before on his friend’s face. Something had happened to him. Blake thought of how strangely he and Brooklyn had acted during the Dublin trip. On the flight back, they barely said two words to each other, but exchanged glances many times. What happened between them? Duncan caught Blake staring at him and cleared his throat.
“Fuck you,” Duncan said.
Blake chuckled. As he stood from his crouching position next to their Jeep, his thoughts turned to Analeigh. His beautiful girlfriend had been on his mind since he’d sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night to catch his flight here. Analeigh was smart and was beginning to pick up on the fact that his career wasn’t all that he’d led her to believe.
A picture of her shimmering chocolate skin, haunting dark eyes, and long raven hair flashed in his mind. This was not good. It was too dangerous for an assassin to be in love. And Blake knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was in love with her.
“You’re really going to tell her about this?” Hunter asked.
Blake sighed and glanced at his friend. “I have no choice. I hate lying to her.”
“What then, mate? Do you expect her to keep letting you kill people for a living?”
“No.”
“At least Sarah got it because she was one of us. This one is a civilian. She won’t understand.”
Blake pressed his lips together. He hated how right Duncan was and therefore couldn’t rebuff him. It was the same argument that had plagued him since he and Analeigh met.
A disturbance in the atmosphere caught Blake’s attention. Dust floated in the air, followed by the crunching of tires. Blake raised the binoculars to his eyes. A motorcade of three dark Hummers with diplomatic flags appeared on the horizon.
“Incoming,” Blake hissed.
Instantly Blake was all business. Their mission was to stop the caravan, which contained an extremist leader, and leave no survivors. On Blake’s signal, Duncan quickly raised the weapon he held and pulled the trigger. The missile entered the grille of the first car, causing it and the second car to explode. The third SUV screeched to a halt. There were only three guards in that one. Not wanting to waste another missile, Blake motioned for them to take care of them by hand.
“You’re really going to tell her about this?” Duncan asked as they climbed into their Jeep and headed for the carnage.
“I don’t know. Speaking of which, you’re invited to dinner.”
In no time, they had crossed the football pitch length of landscape that separated them from the terrorists. Turning the wheel sharply, he braked beside the confused men and took out two with his AK-47 while Duncan took care of the third.
“Dinner, eh?” Duncan said.
“Yep. She wants to meet you.”
Together, they checked the wreckage. Blake pulled out his phone and took pictures to send to his commander as confirmation. It wasn’t a bad way to earn ten million dollars, but maybe it was time to hang up this life. Especially since he promised Analeigh he’d always come home to her in one piece. Some days it didn’t feel like that was going to be possible.
“Can she cook?” Duncan asked.
With a smirk, Blake got back in the Jeep and put the car in gear. “She’s the best.”
Duncan quickly climbed in beside him. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a home-cooked meal. Might be fun.”
Blake drove away from the scene. The high desert winds would cover any tire tracks that his jeep might leave in the sand. Their base camp was at least thirty miles away. The way he drove, he’d have them there by sundown. Yet his mind was already thousands of miles away in Virginia where Analeigh would be starting her new semester of classes tonight. Would a theology professor understand that his job was to kill the “bad people” that the world governments viewed to be too dangerous to exist? Maybe it was in everyone’s best interests if he kept his mouth shut and just got his damn law degree on the sly.
“Have you thought about what you’re going to do when this all ends?” Blake asked Duncan.
“Every day. I’d go somewhere with a beach and build a shack. You?”
“It’s crossed my mind on occasion, but I never really planned for it.”
“You really didn’t need to. Until now, your reason for living was finding Ian Halliday and gutting him like a fish.”
Ian Halliday was a rogue agent who the agency had been targeting for years. He was responsible for Sarah’s death. It had been a trap. Ian had been after Blake. And it was Blake who was supposed to go on that mission, but he’d been reassigned at the last minute so Sarah had gone in his stead. Ian had been doing the same thing that Blake was doing now. Living in plain sight in the hopes that his enemy would come after him. And once Ian did, all bets were off.
“Can I bring a date?” Duncan asked, his voice piercing Blake’s thoughts.
Blake raised his eyebrow. “Brooklyn?”
He nodded. “I don’t want to be a third wheel. Anyway, she wanted to meet your girl. She keeps asking me about her.”
“What exactly is going on between you two?”
Duncan sighed. “There’s not enough minutes in that.”
When he offered nothing more, Blake decided not to push him. He understood all too well the state his best friend was in. What kind of life could he give Analeigh? Maybe it was better to end things before they got too invested. Silence filled the jeep as it sliced through the desert sand toward an uncertain future.
Chapter Eleven
Washington D.C.…The next day
Analeigh finally looked up from her textbooks. With a yawn, she stood and stretched to release the knot in her back. When her stomach rumbled with hunger, she realized that she hadn’t eaten. She’d spent much of that Saturday preparing her lesson plans for the week. But instead of making a beeline to her kitchen, she strolled to the window. The sky was beginning to turn dark and the warm air gave way to a cool breeze. It was on nights like this that she missed Blake. It was Labor Day weekend and she had hoped to spend some of it with him. She turned away from the window and wandered into her small kitchen to fix herself a snack.
Suddenly, she began to question if Blake was telling her the truth. Really, there was no basis for her to doubt him. Only his sudden and long trips away seemed odd. Other than that, he was always honest with her. Perhaps she’d been watching the ID channel too much where almost every show featured a man who was lying and cheating on his spouse. She laughed as she carried her sandwich and drink back to her dining room table that was now her makeshift office. The thought to Google him popped into her head but she shook it off. Her fear was that the search might reveal something she didn’t like or proof that he’d been lying to her.
All the more reason to do it.
Analeigh wiped her hands on her napkin, then reached for her laptop. After accessing the Internet, she entered his name in the home page’s search bar. A website for his law firm was listed along with a company that would send her his contact information for a fee. She clicked on the link for his law firm, and pulled up a basic page that listed a history of the firm. The site explained that Blake specialized in cases no one else would touch. A listing of his credentials included a degree from American University law school. There were no pictures, but an address and contact information was listed. On a whim, she picked up her phone and dialed the number on the site. After three rings, the voice mail clicked on.
“Thank you for calling Callahan and Associates.” A woman greeted callers in a British accent. “Please leave your name, number, and nature of this call at the beep. Someone will return your call shortly.”
Analeigh disconnected. Blake never mentioned that he had a secretary. Nor one that sounded beautiful. She scribbled the address for his office on a notepad. It was a brief walk from her condo and she was in need of stretching her legs.
After finishing her sandwich, she changed into a T-shirt and capri pants. Fifteen minutes later, she was standing outside of his office building. It was a tall structure made of steel and glass. The name Callahan and Associates was etched on a silver plaque to the right of the door.
She reached for the handle and gave it a tug. It was locked and since it was Saturday, she expected it to be. Still, she felt uneasy but couldn’t put her finger on why.
Her phone rang. Blake. While she turned away from the door, she answered it.
“Hey,” she said. “How was the trip?”
“It sucked. I thought about you the whole time.”
She smiled. “When will you be home?”
“I am here. I’m at the office, but will be home later tonight.”
Analeigh stopped in her tracks. “You’re at your law office?”
“Yep. Why?”
She turned and looked back at the building. “I’m standing outside.”
There was a long pause on his end. Analeigh’s breath caught in her throat while she waited for him to answer her. He didn’t. Her hands trembled because she realized that he was lying to her.
“I can wait,” she said. “We can grab a drink at the bar across the street.”
“No. I’m beat. I might just call it a night.”
“Well, why don’t you come down and say hello. I’d love to see you.”
Her words were met with silence. She thought she heard some voices in the background. Maybe the rustling of clothing. If he wasn’t here, where the hell was he? Panic coursed through her. Was he with another woman?
“Blake?”
“Why are you at my office?” he asked in a salty tone.
She swallowed, struggling to keep her emotions in check. “I stumbled on your website. I decided to check it out.”
Another long pause. Then, “You don’t trust me.”
“Not when you’re acting like this. Are you here or not?”
“Turn around.”
Analeigh looked behind her and felt her shoulders drop in relief. Blake was walking toward her. Now she couldn’t breathe for an entirely different reason. It was why tears welled in her eyes while she gazed at his tall, muscular frame covered by a tan polo shirt and jeans. His dark blond hair was slightly tousled as if he’d just run a hand through it. When he stopped in front of her, he lifted his brown sunglasses to reveal his deep green eyes. Just as she pulled her phone away from her ear and disconnected it, so did he. And when he swept her up in his arms to capture her mouth with a kiss, she knew that she wasn’t just falling in love with him. She was already there. He broke the kiss but held her in a tight hug
“Hello,” he whispered into her ear.
“Hey.”
“This is a pleasant surprise.”
“Is it? I was beginning to think otherwise.”
He released her. “It’s not you. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“We will soon. First, I need to make sure you get home safely.”
Blake placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her toward home. Although she felt better now that he was physically beside her, Analeigh couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. If he was on the fifteenth floor of the building, how did he get down to her so fast? Why was he so strangely quiet now? She wanted to question him, but decided this wasn’t the time or place. Instead, she allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of his body next to hers. When they got to her condo, he walked her to her door. He took the keys from her and opened it.
“Wait here,” he ordered.
Analeigh frowned while she watched him search her apartment, room by room. He’d done this before, so she just told herself that because of D.C.’s high crime rate, he was just being cautious. When he returned there was a smile on his face. But, she could also see the weariness in his eyes. On his signal, she stepped inside and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Can you stay?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I have to get back. Are we still on for Mass in the morning?”
Every Sunday, they attended Mass at the National Cathedral followed by brunch at a nearby café. It was one of the highlights of her week. The juxtaposition of a strong, sexy guy who could make her eyes roll back into her head but also deeply cared about his faith was one she’d been searching her life for. Sometimes she had to pinch herself because she’d actually found him. She nodded.
“Of course,” she said. “Unless you have to leave again.”
“No. And I spoke with Duncan. We’re on for dinner this weekend.”
“Awesome! We can do it here. I’ll make my famous paella.”
Blake chuckled. “I’m sure he’s looking forward to it. And he’s bringing a date. If that’s okay?”
“Really?”
“That was news to me too.” He leaned forward to touch his lips to hers. “I have to go. I’ll pick you up at seven thirty.”
“I’ll be here.”
He released her and moved toward the door. “I’ll call you later.”
Analeigh watched Blake leave and close the door behind him. Was it her imagination, or did he seem a little distant? Maybe it was her surprise pop-in that caused his sulky mood. For now, she decided to let it go and turned her attention back
to preparing the week’s lesson plan.
Chapter Twelve
Blake held Analeigh’s hand as they filed out of the cathedral after Mass. Faith had always been an important part of his life, and given his job, he had to atone for his sins somehow. But was ridding the world of bad people a sin? They followed the other parishioners to the parking area. His thoughts and mood began to darken with each step. Yesterday was a close call. If their van hadn’t been riding by his fake office, he would’ve never seen her standing on the sidewalk outside the building. He had called her to put out whatever fire was smoldering in her mind. However, it was becoming clearer to him that it was time to end their relationship. Sensing the change in his demeanor, she squeezed his hand.
“That was a lovely message,” she said. “How we all have a place in the world. And it’s our duty to spread light in the darkness.”
“Yes.”
“Are you okay? You seem preoccupied.”
He retrieved his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car door. “I’m fine.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.”
While he held the car door open, Analeigh took her time to study him. Blake glanced at her beautiful oval face and into her almond shaped, brown eyes. Her dark hair hung in curls to just past her shoulders. His gaze continued over her athletic frame accented by her teal sleeveless dress. He could give her anything in the world. Except him. And she deserved better than this.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Be honest with me.”
He exhaled. “Instead of eating in the restaurant, can we get something to go?”
“That sounds like a good idea. I think we need to talk.”
“I agree.”
They got into the car. After stops at the restaurant and Analeigh’s condo so that she could grab a change of clothes, they drove to his place. The ride, as it had been since they left the church, was deadly silent. Blake took, and deserved, all the blame for that. As he parked the car in the underground garage, he stole a glimpse of her profile. To say she was angry was an understatement. Because of his own internal conflict, he didn’t know if he should fix this or simply let it die.
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