His lips tightened as he watched me rant and rave. “You done?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I gasped, out of breath—I’d just gone on and on without stopping for air.
“Good.” He pulled my pants down my legs abruptly before lifting me and tossing me onto the bed. I landed on my back with my head sinking into one of the pillows at the headboard. One of his hands went to the shirt I was wearing and he yanked it open, sending buttons flying. My chest heaved as I tried to drag air into my lungs. His eyes latched onto my chest, my breasts spilling out over the open edges of the shirt.
“I think you need a reminder that you’re mine,” he growled.
He palmed my breasts, shoving them together before bending his head to claim a nipple with his mouth. He was rough, using his teeth and mouth to suckle me hard. I felt each tug deep in my womb. The edge of pain sparked a desperation I had never felt before. It was heightened by how vulnerable I felt underneath him in an open shirt and panties while he was still clothed.
He reached over to the nightstand, dug in the drawer, and grabbed a bottle of lube. A bottle I had no idea was even in there. I tensed, my butt clenching at the thought of him taking me there.
“I’m not ready for that,” I whimpered.
His eyes blazed down at me as he tipped the bottle and poured some of the contents between my breasts. “Wasn’t planning on taking your ass today,” he murmured with a dark edge to his voice, letting me know it was something he planned on doing someday.
He used his hands to spread the lube across my chest, palming the curves of my breasts. My nipples pebbled as he massaged it into my skin. His hands swept across my skin in exquisite torture. My back arched for more as his hands left me to flick the button on his jeans and lower the zipper. He didn’t bother to pull them off. Instead, he freed his cock and let his jeans hang from his hips. The sight of his hands captured my gaze as he stroked himself slowly from root to tip. By the time he was done, his cock was hard and glistening with a coating of lube.
A gasp slipped from my lips as he moved over me, straddling my stomach, completely in control of his heavy weight.
“That’s right, sweetheart,” he purred in approval. “Keep your mouth open for me just like that.”
He squeezed my breasts together and pushed forward with his hips. As soon as his cock neared my lips, I tilted my head and drew him inside, desperate for the taste of him. When he drew back, I mewled in complaint, not ready to let go of his cock.
“More,” I pleaded, grasping the firm muscles of his ass in an effort to bring him closer.
“You’ll take what I give you,” he growled, one hand reaching out to grip my hands and place them above my head.
He stayed still for a moment, holding me captive beneath him—my hands unable to move in his grasp and my eyes locked with his. I grew more desperate, until finally, he moved. His cock slid between my slick breasts and he let me suck him into my mouth at the end of each thrust. Over and over again, until I felt his legs trembling with the control he was barely holding on to.
“Blaine, please,” I said softly. “I need you.”
“Damn straight you need me. Don’t you ever forget it,” he groaned, his body tightening as his cock twitched. He levered himself up and fisted his cock, tugging once, twice, three times until his come spurted onto my breasts.
I lay there, wearing nothing except for the shirt hanging off my body, a pair of sopping wet pink panties, and his come painted across my chest. I had never been more turned on in my life.
“Blaine, please,” I pleaded.
“I need to taste you,” he growled, ripping my panties from my body. I trembled as his fingertips drifted up my thighs, spreading my legs and holding me firmly in place. My hips jerked as I felt the brush of his lips over my slit followed by a puff of hot air. I was twisting in his hold by the time he moved lower, tormenting me with flicks of his tongue along my pussy lips.
My hands gripped his head as I desperately tried to pull him closer. But I wasn’t able to move him an inch. He just wouldn’t budge. But he moved me. Oh God, did he move me. He nudged my legs higher before spreading me open with his fingers. My core clenched at the hot puff of air I felt right before his tongue flicked my clit. Gently at first, like he was lapping away at me. A low moan crept up my throat, and it seemed to be the sign he was waiting for. The pressure of his strokes increased, until I was writhing in need beneath me.
“More,” I pleaded. His tongue felt amazing, but it wasn’t enough to send me over the edge.
Finally, he slipped his fingers through my wet folds, sliding upwards first to pinch my clit with a hard squeeze. Pleasure, and a touch of pain, exploded through me.
“So wet.” His voice was a low rasp against my flesh. One I felt almost more than heard.
“Please,” I begged, needing his finger to slide lower.
Blaine knew exactly what I wanted, but he took his sweet time giving it to me. His finger swirled my clit and then slid lower, centimeter by painstaking centimeter, before it finally sunk inside me. A few deep strokes later, he added another finger and twirled them around, scissoring them and stretching me wide. I was already close and my walls clenched against his fingers, sucking them deeper. Another lick of his tongue over my clit was enough to send me over the edge. My hips surged up and I screamed out his name as waves of pleasure crashed over me.
He wasn’t ready to go easy on me, though. He continued to pump his fingers over and over, making my orgasm go on and on, until my voice was hoarse from screaming and I was drenched with sweat. By the time he pulled his fingers out of me, I was shuddering and panting for air.
“What the heck was that?” I gasped.
“Me reminding you who the boss is in this relationship.”
There was so much wrong with that statement. Beyond wrong even. I should have been pissed at him, but I knew it stemmed from him being forced to take a back seat with Agent Phillips—and even more so from being worried about my safety. It was hard to be angry when his frustration and anger was motivated by his need to keep me safe. Instead of taking him to task for his ridiculous statement, I decided to cut him some slack. “Does this count as makeup sex then?”
“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, baby,” he whispered against my lips, and it was the right decision to make. He then proceeded to demonstrate what all the fuss was about when it came to makeup sex.
****
The following morning came much too early for my liking. It wasn’t because I didn’t get enough sleep. It was because I was scared. Although I’d been the one to push for my participation in everything that was about to go down today, I didn’t feel prepared for what was about to happen.
“I can hear those wheels turning in your head again.” Blaine’s raspy voice startled me since I didn’t realize he was awake, too. Not that I was hard to startle—I was already feeling jumpy.
“Here I thought I was doing a good job of quietly freaking out,” I half-joked. “But I made the mistake of forgetting about your ability to hear me thinking.”
“It’s a good thing, too. You don’t need to freak out quietly. Not when I’m here. How can I make it better if you don’t talk to me?”
“I’m not strong enough,” I admitted. “What do you do when you’re not strong enough?”
I knew my question wasn’t fair. Blaine had tried to talk me out of this plan, yet here I was, expecting him to give me the strength to move forward.
“You act as if you are.” His response was simple. Firm. Like it was easy to do. And maybe it was for men like Blaine. Men who’d been to hell and back. But it was daunting to me. “If that doesn’t work, take your strength from me. I won’t leave your side. Not for a minute.”
The surge of relief I felt knowing this powerful man had my back was huge.
Incredibly humbling.
And life changing. As easily as I took my next breath, I knew I could happily spend the rest of my life with Blaine—and I hoped it lasted a lot longer than
the next twelve hours. While my view of the world changed in an instant, he continued to talk, offering more reassurances that everything was going to be okay.
“We’re going to take additional measures for your protection as well. Brody has a couple receivers he’s putting into jewelry for you, a bracelet and a necklace you’ll need to wear. He’ll wait to activate them until after the meet begins in case they scan you. He’s also putting beacons into anything you’ll be wearing: shirt, belt, pants, and shoes.”
It sounded like Brody had been busy last night. “What are the beacons for?”
“If they manage to separate us, Brody will be able to use it to track and rescue you.”
“Brody and you,” I corrected. “That’s what you meant to say, right?”
“No, I said it right the first time. The only way we’re going to be separated is if I go down. I can’t enact a rescue if I’m in the hospital or dead.”
He meant it.
He really meant it.
The only way Blaine was going to leave my side today was if he was physically unable to stay there. As much as I wanted to think about what his actions said about his feelings for me, now wasn’t the time. One or both of us could be dead before the day ended. I only had this morning to prepare for what lay ahead. If something went wrong, it was more than likely going to be my fault. I was the weakest link. There was no denying it. The only thing I could do was listen to the people around me who knew what they were doing and depend on them to help me navigate the danger I found myself in.
“I think I’m ready for the first part of the plan. Agent Steele was clear about what I’m supposed to say during the chat. I’ll do my best to lengthen the conversation. It’s the actual meet that scares me.”
Blaine pulled me into his arms, his chin resting on top of my head. “I’m not going to lie to you, I’d be relieved as fuck if you told me you wanted to back out of the meet. I know Phillips would blow a gasket, but you say the word and I’ll have you out of here before he can do anything about it.”
“I know you would, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder and never really living. Not when The Armory Group has already killed two people to cover their activities up. I won’t build what little life I could have on the bodies they’ll bury along the way, either.” I shifted in his arms so I could look up at him. “I know you don’t want me to do this, but I need your strength right now. Please help me do this.”
He didn’t look happy about it, but he did back down. “Whatever you need.”
“Walk me through what to expect during the meet?” Agent Steele had done it several times last night, but I hoped Blaine’s insight would help calm my nerves. Make me feel more prepared.
“When we get to the park, Phillips and his team will already be in place. So will the other agents he’s called in. Brody won’t be with them. He’ll be waiting on a motorcycle. At the first sign of anything going wrong, he’ll come in and get you out of there.”
That wasn’t part of the plan. It had to be another thing Blaine and Brody had cooked up on their own. “What about you? How will you get out?”
“If all hell breaks loose, the last thing you’ll do is worry about me. You get your ass on the motorcycle and let Brody take care of you until I can make it back. There’s no room for negotiation on this point.”
“How can I just leave you there?” I argued.
“Easily,” he answered. “I excel at escape and evasion tactics. Having you out of the way will make it easier for me to get out of there. With the location of the meet, the motorcycle is a necessity. A car isn’t an option. If it had been, we would have gone that route because I don’t want you more than an inch away from me. But I know Brody will get you out of there if I can’t. He’s the only other person in the world I’d trust with your life.”
“Okay,” I said quietly. “What else do I need to know?”
“When we go in, keep your eyes open, but don’t look for the agents. You need to forget they even exist. If you do notice one of them, let your eyes drift past. And don’t worry if you look nervous. I’m sure they expect you to be.”
“Acting nervous is probably going to be the easiest part for me,” I admitted.
“Phillips wants you to get them offering you the bribe on tape. Doing so will require us to talk to them. They’re not going to be happy I’m there with you, but I’m betting they won’t be surprised either. Not if they caught sight of me after they shot you,” he explained. “One of the teams of agents will be casing the park, seeing if they came alone. Another team will be securing the perimeter. Brody will be listening in on their comms and talking to me through an earpiece so I’ll be in the loop at all times. I don’t trust Phillips to give me a heads up if something goes wrong. Not if it puts his operation in jeopardy. But I have one priority: you. And you’ve only got one job: do exactly what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it. Can you do that?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“If I get the all clear sign from Brody, we’ll play it the way Phillips wants us to and we’ll try to get them on tape paying you the million dollars. If not, I’ll give them very little time to neutralize the threat. They can’t do it, we’re outta there. The agents manage to hold up their end of the operation, we’re outta there as soon as the takedown begins. And if things go sideways, you’re outta there on the back of Brody’s bike.”
“So, what you’re telling me is you’re going to find a way to get me out of there.”
His eyes narrowed. “This isn’t a joke, Delia.”
“I know it isn’t, Blaine.” I really didn’t think it was a joke, but hearing him say “outta” so many times was slightly humorous.
“When I said my only priority was you, what I really should have said is getting you out of this alive is my only priority. I’ve worked out an exit strategy for every contingency I could think up. It’s what I’ve been trained to do. I’ve never been happier to have been a SEAL as I am this morning. It means I have the skills to keep you safe from harm.”
With that last sentence, I fell even harder for Blaine.
Chapter 19
Blaine
Walking Delia through the plan again this morning helped, but I still had a bad feeling about the meet. I knew the FBI would have the park wired and any spots they missed, Brody would have covered. I’d bet my life on his technical skills in the past without blinking. Now I was betting Delia’s and it made me want to flinch.
She was a game changer for me, and everything depended on her. Gone was the nervous woman from this morning—she seemed more confident now, ready to face the danger inherent in this operation. Willing to risk her life to put a stop to The Armory Group. And chomping at the bit to put the first step of the plan into motion.
“Is it ready yet?” It wasn’t the first time she’d pestered Agent Michaels and Brody while they were running their final checks to make sure they hadn’t missed anything before she went online.
“What we’re doing is a science, and science can’t be rushed,” Brody replied.
“Do you think he means they aren’t done?” Delia turned toward me as she asked the question.
“No, we’re done. I just wanted to yank your chain a little since you are worse than a little kid on a road trip asking his parents if they’re there yet.”
Delia whirled back around to glare at Brody. “I’m nervous, okay? The least you can do is cut me some slack.”
“Any other day, I’d be happy to do that. Not today. Not when you need to chill the fuck out.”
“You do realize ‘chill the fuck out’ is a ruder way to say ‘calm down’, right?” Delia sounded like she was about to dive into an argument with him. She would find a way to bicker about the color of the sky if she was in the mood to get into it.
“Baby, did you miss the part where he said it’s done?”
Her head swiveled my way as her focus shifted back to me. “Crap! I totally missed that part. I guess it’s t
ime to do this thing.”
Agent Michaels walked her through the steps one last time. Brody had turned the monitor so it was facing the kitchen cabinets, away from everyone else in the room. Phillips hadn’t seen the need, but Michaels had backed Brody up when he insisted TAG would try to find a way to activate the webcam during the chat session. The last thing we needed was for them to catch sight of a bunch of federal agents. It would send them running in the blink of an eye.
I didn’t even want them to see me. Delia was going to be on her own for this part. I wanted every advantage we could get going into the meet, and if they knew I was there, we’d lose the element of surprise when I showed up at her side. When Agent Michaels was done, I led her around the counter, whispering a few last reminders in her ear. “If anything feels off, disconnect the chat. I know you’re supposed to keep them on as long as you can, but you need to trust your instincts. And if you see Brody or me giving you the signal, shut it down right away.”
“Got it,” she whispered back. We’d already discussed the agreed upon signal before the agents arrived. We picked one nearly impossible to miss: a swiping motion across our neck.
I tilted her chin up and stared into her beautiful face for a moment, burning the vision of her all lit up with fierce determination into my memory. “You’ve definitely got this.”
Her smile was blinding, a sign I’d given her what she needed to settle any remaining nerves she had. As I moved away from her, Phillips cleared the suite. Only six of us remained—his team and mine. Phillips, Steele, and Michaels huddled around a laptop on the coffee table while I joined Brody near his. Each of us was silent while Delia logged into TAG’s site. She waited a moment before clicking on the chat function, mindful of her directive to stay in their system as long as possible.
Identity Crisis Page 17