by Lexi Blake
His cock was dying, but the rest of Ten Smith was perfectly satisfied. She’d come all over his tongue three times before he’d let her up. Her little pussy had ground down against him, demanding her pleasure, and he’d given it to her. Later, he would tie her up and make her come at least ten times before relenting and giving her his cock, but today he was too eager.
In the past that eagerness would have been the very pressure he needed to hold back, but he didn’t need to hold back with Faith.
“Tell me again. Tell me you love me.”
She moved down his body, bringing their faces in line. She touched their noses together in a tender show of affection. “I love you. I love you more than you can know.”
It was all that mattered. The moment mattered. Nothing else. “Tell me you’ll stay with me.”
Maybe that mattered, too. It made him seem like a weak, pathetic child, but he needed the words.
“I’ll stay with you for as long as we have,” she promised, her mouth coming down on his. “And when our time is over, I’ll find you. I don’t know where we’ll go, but I’ll find you again.”
She was crying, her tears falling to his cheeks as though he’d shed them himself. He’d given up crying long before, but Faith took up his slack. She could cry for him, be strong for him. And he would love her.
Loving Faith made it possible to love other people. It had happened with Ian earlier. For the first time, he’d opened and let the possibility in that he could be part of this weird and wonderful family. He’d claimed to love Phoebe, but he’d chosen revenge over being her brother.
He’d chosen revenge over truly honoring Jamie.
“I want to marry you and have kids with you. I don’t know if I’ll be a good father, but I want to try, Faith. I know what I want to name our first kid. Girl or boy.”
She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them, they were practically glowing. “James. Jamie. Yes, I think that would be perfect.”
New life would honor the brother he’d lost. Not taking more. He finally got that. He finally understood that in order to really love someone, he had to make himself vulnerable.
He could be vulnerable to Faith because she was his home, his heart, all the good things he could do in life.
“Take me for once. I want to watch you take me.” He eased her down, his eyes taking in every inch of her body and the way she moved. She was a sensuous thing, comfortable in her own skin in a way he would never be. Another thing to love about her.
It had been forever since he’d given a woman the power position. Years had gone by and he’d never allowed a woman to be above him, to have a chance to hurt him again.
He’d prepped himself to get through it, but now that she was smiling down at him, there was no trepidation. There wasn’t an ounce of fear. This was Faith and she would never harm him, even when he deserved it. She came to him with open arms.
He would protect this woman to his dying day.
She took his cock in hand and everything fell away. There were parts of his body that ached, but he welcomed the pain because it meant he was alive.
“Do you want a condom? We don’t need it. I take a shot and I’m going to be perfectly faithful to you,” she offered.
He smiled. Nothing between them. One day when they were ready, there wouldn’t even be that chemical barrier between them. He reached up and touched her face, brushing back her silky hair. “I’m clean and I’m never touching another woman for as long as I live. You’re my end game, Faith.”
He’d thought it would be something else. An early grave. She was a surprise, a gift he’d been given. He would take her. He might not deserve her, but he would become the kind of man she needed. He would be the brother his sister needed, the brother his friends wanted. Even if that meant taking a punch in the face from Tag.
Faith began to lower herself onto his cock. Pure heat raked over his body. This was what he’d needed since the day he’d met her. This was beyond sex. He hadn’t realized it, but he’d been searching for it all of his life. Communion. Intimacy. Love.
So tight. She was tight and perfect and she knew how to draw the damn moment out. His girl took him in little passes, gaining ground and then retreating, tempting and teasing him. He watched, not giving in to the urge to take over. This was Faith’s show. They had a lifetime to play, but this was a sacred act for him. Giving himself to her. Trusting her.
She sighed as she finally settled on his cock, every inch of his dick buried deep in her body. She clenched around him, making him bite back a moan.
“Are you all right?” Faith looked down at him.
She was a fucking goddess with her hair spilling over her shoulders and brushing her collarbones. Her hair pointed the way to her breasts. He couldn’t help himself. He reached out for them. Round and perfectly sized for his hands, he was drawn to them. When he got her home and kept her naked, those breasts would always be ready for his mouth.
“I told you what would happen if you treated me like an invalid. Lean forward.”
She bit her bottom lip but did as he asked, and he finally got that sweet treat in his mouth. He licked one nipple, aware always of the connection of their bodies. His cock was pulsing, begging to be set free, but he wanted the moment to last. He sucked her nipple into his mouth, loving the way she tightened around him. A little nipple torture was definitely on the agenda for his hot doc. While he sucked one nipple deep into his mouth, he pinched down hard on the other one. Sure enough, her pussy clenched around his cock. She needed this play and he needed to give her everything.
With gentle care he bit down on the nipple in his mouth while thrusting his hips up. Faith gasped and started to move against him. “Yes. That feels so good, Master. Give me more.”
He would give her everything. He switched nipples, moving to soothe the pinched one with his tongue while he squeezed the other tight.
Her body practically vibrated over his. She whimpered and squirmed, every movement delighting his cock. She’d already come for him, but he could feel her body getting ready to go off again. This time, he meant to be with her.
He let go of her nipple and eased her back up. Those sweet pebbles were now red as raspberries, and her skin was perfectly flush with arousal again. She wasn’t doing her duty now. She wasn’t pleasing him because he’d pleasured her. She wanted an orgasm and she would fight for it. That was what he wanted.
He smacked her juicy ass, the sound further enflaming his senses. “Ride me. Take me hard.”
Her head fell back as she began to move. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He watched as she started to bounce up and down on his cock. So much heat. So much fucking friction. She moved gracefully, her pussy sucking at him, drawing him back in again and again. He watched as her tits bounced, the sight causing him to reach for them again. He cupped her breasts as she worked over him. So gorgeous.
He let his hands skim her body down from her breasts to the curves of her hips. He wasn’t going to last much longer. She was too hot, too perfect, and he could feel every inch of her pussy milking his cock. He slammed up into her, his hands pulling down as he ground up. He let his right hand find the spot where they were joined. The pad of his thumb rubbed over her clit as he started to fuck her with a furious intensity.
Her eyes widened and just when he thought she would shout out, he pulled her down and kissed her, drinking down the sweet sounds she made.
There was a tingle at the base of his spine and he let himself go. Pure pleasure raced along his skin as his balls drew up and he came inside her.
She fell on top of him and he bit back a groan. Real torture made a man a little sore, but he wouldn’t change anything. He wrapped his arms around her. She was here with him. That was worth all the torture in the world.
He shifted, moving her to his side. “Sleep for a while, darlin’. We’re leaving in a few hours.”
Her eyes were already drifting closed.
He sighed and let sleep take him as well.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Time didn’t stop. It kept going. When would they let him die? When would the darkness come? He liked the darkness, but whenever it would threaten to take him, someone would throw water on him or slap him awake or god, give him more drugs so he couldn’t sleep.
The lights. He hated the lights.
The subject takes the drug quite well. Heart rate and blood pressure are all perfectly normal. Well, normal for a man who’s in an enormous amount of pain. I need more time with him.
You don’t have it. The Chinese are almost here. Get him dressed and ready for transport. I have to call Victoria and make sure she’s ready for a package. If you damage the goods, I’ll kill you myself.
When she looked down at him, the lights behind her made her look like she had a halo. An angel of death.
She looked him over with a shake of her head. Her eyes reminded him so much of Faith’s in their color, but there the similarities ended because this bitch had some crazy eyes on her. What I wouldn’t do to open you up and see what makes you tick, Mr. Smith. Unfortunately, my father won’t let me play. Not that you’re the one I really want to play with. Let’s get you another dose and you’ll forget this ever happened. I’ll replace the memory with some…hmmm, let’s see how much your dick can take. My sister seems to love it so much.
She started at him with the needle again and he screamed.
“Ten? Tennessee?”
He opened his eyes and Faith was staring down at him. She’d gotten dressed. She was wearing a T-shirt that was the tiniest bit too small for her and a pair of jeans that hugged her curves. Ten forced himself to take a deep breath. “I was dreaming.”
She sat down on the bed beside him, her hand easing into his. “More like a nightmare, baby. Are you all right?”
“He’s got the damn PTSD. All my men have it,” a sarcastic voice to his right said. He looked over and there was Tag, leaning against the doorway.
He sent Tag his middle finger. “You would have PTSD too if someone took a cattle prod to your dick.”
Tag’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, Ten. I take back everything I’ve ever said about you. You’re a motherfucking hero. You were able to perform after that? Yeah, she tried to be quiet, but that bed squeaks. Seriously, every man alive should salute you. Can I see it?”
“No, you can’t see it,” Faith shot back. “What is wrong with you?”
His girl had his back. Or his dick, as it was. He sat up. Faith was looking at Tag like he was some kind of monster. He had to explain. Tag was just a dude. “It’s no big deal. The only time men will look at another man’s junk willingly is when it’s been horrifically mangled.”
“Gay dudes will totally look at another dude’s junk. It’s normal for them. They’ll also look at a mangled one, since they’re dudes, too,” Tag explained.
“Why are we looking at junk? Has Ten finally come out of the closet?” Sean joined his brother.
Tag shook his head. “Nah. Part of his torture was a cattle prod to the cock.”
“Whoa,” Sean said. “Can I look?”
“Told you.” The dream was starting to dissipate. And he was starting to wonder how much of it really was a dream.
He squeezed Faith’s hand and sat up, looking at Tag. “The good news is the torture to my penis was virtual. She used some kind of drug to fuck with my memory. I think I even recall her telling me she was going to do it.”
“It’s not all virtual torture. You’re covered in electrical burns,” Faith pointed out and gave Tag a saucy stare. “And he really did perform admirably.”
A ghost of a smile crossed Tag’s lips. Despite his sarcasm, it was easy to see the man was still hurting. There were lines on Tag’s face he hadn’t noticed before.
“I am happy to hear Ten’s still a functional male and that the two of you worked things out. Faith, I’m glad you’ll be sticking around. It’ll be good to have a doc on call,” Tag explained. “My men do stupid shit. I swear if Boomer walks into that glass wall one more time, I’m having him put down. Where did you find him?”
“Where I find everyone. US military.” Boomer wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he had his talents. So did Ten, and one of them was putting things together. “I need to see the file on McDonald’s mistress. What do we know about her?”
“She works in banking. She’s some kind of VP at one of the international banks,” Tag replied, getting serious.
“He’s sending her some kind of package. We might want to intercept that.” Now that the fog was clearing, he was more certain that it hadn’t been a dream but a memory. McDonald had been concerned about Victoria receiving some kind of package. Maybe it was flowers, but Ten doubted it.
“I’ll have someone watch her apartment,” Tag promised. “Now, we’re going to head out. Hutch claims this is the best time to do recon on the compound. We’re going to go in quietly and get out the same way. It’s strictly intelligence gathering.”
What Tag wasn’t saying is the intelligence they wanted was the location of Des’s and Theo’s bodies. They would keep to the shadows unless they had an absolute free ride to pick them up.
Tag would get the job done. He would bring his brother back and they would all go home to try to find a way through the grief.
Ten looked at the clock and stood up, stretching his body. “We’ll be gone before you get back. I’ll have a detailed report on the entire operation on your desk tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll be ready to do anything you need me to do. Faith and I are going to stay in Dallas for the next few months.”
Tag held a hand out. “We’ll be more than happy to have you around. Be safe.”
Ten shook his hand. “You too, brother.”
As they walked away, Faith crossed her arms over her chest. “What were you talking about? My father doesn’t have a mistress.”
He hated being the bad guy with her. It was odd because he’d spent years being the bad guy with absolutely everyone in his life. “Sweetheart, your father sees a woman in DC on a regular basis. Her name is Victoria Chandler.”
She shook her head. “He might see someone, but she’s not his mistress. My father’s been impotent for fifteen years. We’ve tried everything. Every new drug that comes out, he’d give it a shot. I did his checkup six months ago. Trust me, if he’s got a mistress, he’s not sleeping with her.”
That made no logical sense. “He visits this woman on a regular basis, Faith. If he’s not having sex with her, what would he be doing?”
“I would say maybe they’re friends, but my father doesn’t have friends. He has business contacts. He places zero value on friendship. If he was trying to keep up the appearance of being functional, why would he keep a mistress secret? My dad is the type who would pay a woman to date him and be done with it.”
“He’s run on family values platforms,” Ten mused. “He talks about your mother in his speeches to this day.”
“Yes,” she said, her every word flavored with bitterness, “Dad is good at playing the grieving widower.”
If the relationship wasn’t about sex…
“She’s in banking. That’s how he’s moving the money. We’ve been looking in the wrong place. We’ve been trying to tie him to the cash, but he’s smarter than that. He’s used this woman to launder his funds for years.” Ten picked Faith up, enveloping her in a hug. “We’re going to get him and we’re going to take down everyone who helped him.”
She hugged him tightly. “And my sister? Tell me you’ll get her, too. She’s dangerous, Ten.”
He tempered his exuberance. Justice for Jamie meant Faith having to see her father and sister in jail. No matter how much they deserved it, it was going to hurt her. He kissed her forehead. “Yes, I’ll get her, too. I’ll try to keep it as quiet as possible. I don’t want to hurt your clinic, but we need to take down the executives at Kronberg who allowed this experimentation to go on.”
She put her head on his shoulder, not letting go. “Yes. They have to be stoppe
d.”
They stood there for the longest time, gaining comfort and strength for the long journey home.
Twenty minutes later, Ten looked over the plane. It was a small plane, what he would call a puddle jumper. The couple who owned the place used it to get from Miami to here on a regular basis. He would use it to take Faith home. He settled the little luggage they had in storage. When they got to Miami, he would take Faith shopping so they didn’t stand out from the crowd at Miami-Dade airport. She needed a purse. It was the little details that could trip a person up. A woman without a handbag would stand out. They needed luggage, at the very least carry-ons. TSA tended to question travelers who didn’t fit the norms.
He turned, looking back at the house. Faith walked up the pathway. She’d placed a baseball cap on her head and held another one for him. Caps hid hair color. If they kept their faces down around security cameras, it was likely no one would be able to remember much about them.
He had to get her to Dallas. Once they were in Dallas, he could breathe again.
“I left a note for Erin. I told her I think she should stay with us when she gets back home. Being in that house without Theo is going to be so rough.” She gave him a sad smile. “So I might need to not be naked for a while.”
He pulled her close. Whatever she needed. “Just know that at some point, those clothes are gone. We’re going to have a fully naked honeymoon.”
“That should be fun.” She looked up at him. “So you know how to fly this thing. The airstrip looks small.”
“Hey, it’s not made out of dirt, so I’m calling that a win. I’ve flown small planes many times before. It’s all part of the super-spy school I went to. I got an A in ‘using small planes to flee your enemies’ class.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, god.” She pulled away, her eyes widening.
Ten immediately went for the SIG in his holster, but as he turned, he saw what Faith had seen, what he’d missed before. Hutch had missed it, too, likely because of the storm and the brilliant way the small team had camouflaged themselves. They were dressed in dark green and eased out of the jungle with the long practice of predators.