No matter her choice, someone would get hurt. No matter her choice, she would be unhappy, too. The what-ifs and what-could-have-beens would plague her daily life. She knew herself, and if she chose one man over the other, the ostensible loser would be the one to capture her daily thoughts and enliven her nightly imaginings. It was all a recipe for failure.
Maybe it was time to retire from her short career as a spy. She could move to a small town in the middle of the country and start over. Gene and Marco would haunt her dreams, but at least she’d have these memories, unaltered and not ruined, to hold on to. What they’d shared thus far would sit on a pedestal in her mind for eternity. She wouldn’t risk losing it. She would leave before she ever had to choose.
As Grace’s mind hardened around her decision, she drifted off into a peaceful sleep, not waking again until the jet touched the ground in the city.
Chapter Ten
Gene was just about to leave his gutted office when his secret cell phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number and didn’t answer, choosing instead to give one last, wistful glance at the room that had earned him so much clout and money in the private spy business. He’d start up somewhere else. Chicago, maybe. He studied the ticket in his hand. He didn’t have to be at the airport for another three hours.
He considered paying a visit to Grace, but he decided against it as he pushed the elevator buttons for the final time. The girl had been through enough in the past few weeks. After she’d recovered from her injuries, which included a severe concussion, Gene had had to tell her to find a new job. He didn’t fire her, but he wasn’t taking her with him, and his business was shutting down. He couldn’t bear the thought of ever putting her in harm’s way again. The best thing for everyone would be for him to just disappear. At least he was good at that.
To visit her now would only open the wounds afresh. He’d have to deny her again. He’d have to keep his secrets. She’d feel abandoned, and he’d feel guilty. Still, Gene desperately wanted to see her face one last time. He clamped down on the feeling. There was no room for sentimentality in his line of work.
Plus, Marco was keeping her occupied. When Gene had stepped out of the picture after their return to the city, he’d kept tabs on his crew. He knew Grace and Marco had been together more nights than not.
His secret number rang again. This time, he picked it up. Anything to get his thoughts away from the people he would soon leave behind.
“I need to talk to you about Grace.” Marco gave no hello.
“How did you get this number?”
Laughter rang on the other end of the line. “I’m IIB, Gene. We’re not all idiots, you know.”
“No, only most of you. What do you have to say?”
“I’m at your apartment, but it’s empty. I want to talk in person.”
“Yeah, I’m moving.”
“Well, I’ll be sitting here on the floor in your living room. At least you had the place cleaned.”
Gene checked his watch. “Fine, I have a few minutes. Make it quick, though.”
“Have I ever disappointed?”
Gene felt heat crawl up his neck at the memory of the last time he and Marco had ‘talked’. It had been fast then, too. Fast and dirty and raw. Just what he had needed at the time. Very much what he needed now. His pulse quickened as he pulled the rental town car out of the office lot and headed back to the home he’d thought he’d abandoned for good just a few hours ago.
* * * *
Marco paced the small living area, looking out the large, bay windows at each pass, hoping to see Gene’s car. He didn’t realize the black sedan he’d seen pulling in was Gene until he saw him exiting it, though he should have known that Gene would not be driving his personal vehicle since he wouldn’t want to leave it at the airport.
When the man walked in, Marco’s heart pounded. Power and confidence oozed from the tall, blond business guru, a result of having been in charge of so much for so long. A necessary reward for always getting the job done. Marco admired his ruthlessness, though he didn’t have the same traits within himself. He preferred to take the orders rather than give them. He felt being on the ground gave him the opportunity to do more good than being in an office barking orders.
“Is Grace okay?” Gene asked, dropping his small briefcase before shutting the door and striding across the room.
“She’s fine, just about moved out,” Marco hedged. “She misses you, though. And she’s confused.”
Gene cocked his eyebrow. “Trouble in paradise?”
Marco smiled and shook his head. “It’s not that there’s trouble. It’s that our paradise is missing a key player.” He shot a meaningful look at Gene. “There is no paradise without Gene Hardy.”
“You’ve got that wrong. There’s no hell without me.” Gene walked to Marco and put his arms on the man’s shoulders. “You guys will be way better off without me. I’m on a plane in a few hours, anyway. It will be as if I never existed.”
“Not to us,” Marco argued. “I wasn’t lying when I said she was in love with you.”
“What about you? You’re chopped liver?”
“That’s the thing…I think she’s in love with both of us. And who am I to deny my lady the delicious Gene Hardy?”
“Well, it’s a good thing one of the three of us still has a head on his shoulders, then. You two belong together. I’m a loner. I don’t belong with anyone. Plus, even if you think you’d be okay with sharing her, eventually it would be too much for you.”
Marco bristled and shook Gene’s hands from him. “I’ll ask you not to tell me what I can and can’t handle, thanks.”
“No offense meant—”
But Marco cut him off. “And who’s to say it wouldn’t be Grace and I sharing you.”
Gene grinned. “I was hoping you might be convinced of some goodbye action before I have to take off.”
“Action, yes. Goodbye, no.”
“I’m not staying, Marco. I’d mess everything up. I already have—”
Marco cut him off again, but this time not with words.
He took Gene’s lips in a passionate kiss. The heat from the other man stoked the desire that had been building in Marco since he’d arrived alone an hour ago. After spending so much time with Grace, he’d realized it would never be complete without Gene. He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her about it, his male ego too strong to allow another man to take precedence, but he thought if he could get through to Gene, then they could go to her together. If Marco orchestrated the whole thing, he’d at least have a little control. Kissing Gene now, though, he knew he’d never have any control where either of them was concerned.
Gene’s hand came up to caress his cheek, and Marco shuddered into the touch, grateful to know the passion flared on both sides after all they’d been through.
He moved his mouth to the businessman’s neck, nipping and sucking, breathing in the rich cologne that was so distinctly Gene. Too much clothing. He slipped his fingers between Gene’s pants and hardened torso. He undid the belt buckle, unbuttoned the well-worn jeans and slipped the garment over Gene’s slim hips, down his toned thighs to the floor. Gene’s hardened length sprang free from his boxers, and Marco felt the man’s heated desire butt up against his leg. His own cock filled at the thought of Gene taking him, and what had been meant as a slow seduction turned into a frenzied fit of torn clothing and searing kisses.
Gene walked Marco over to the wall and threw him against it. He captured the agent’s hands above his head, bearing down on him with a fierceness Marco had never experienced.
“Floor,” Gene whispered.
They sank down to the carpet together, Gene’s naked body covering Marco’s. Their erections rubbed together, and Gene let go of Marco’s hands to grasp around the pair of dicks. Pleasure shot up Marco’s spine, and he cried out in need.
“Take me, Gene, please God.”
Gene only grunted in reply, inching his mouth away from Marco’s skin for just a moment.
/>
“Lube?” He asked on a hiss.
Marco had come prepared and pointed at his jeans, crumpled on the floor. “Back pocket.”
In the seconds that Gene was gone, Marco studied his sleek form with appreciation. The broadened shoulders tapered to a thin waist. Compact muscles flexed and bunched as Gene bent to find the small bottle, which also gave Marco a prime view of the man’s ass. The pale skin glowed invitingly in the bright lights of the apartment, and as Gene squatted down, Marco got a glimpse of the rosy, hairless balls he remembered so well.
His mouth watered to take them in, and when Gene returned, object in hand, Marco ravaged him, pulling him down to his knees and taking him into his mouth. He teased the flared head of the silky smooth length, dipping his tongue down and retracting it with a feathery pressure. Gene groaned and thrust deep, taking Marco by surprise. The agent opened wide to accommodate the girth and relished the feel of Gene’s desire moving back and forth within him. He sucked hard as Gene pushed in, and he heard the other man gasp. He released with a pop, and Gene growled, pushing him down onto his back.
On his knuckles, Gene loomed over him, his full lips opened just slightly. It was enough of an invitation. Marco pulled him down, capturing his mouth in a plundering kiss. The spicy-sweet taste of Gene filled Marco’s senses as his tongue tangled with the other man’s. Gene’s hands ran through Marco’s black locks.
Without breaking contact, Gene reached to the floor where the lube and condom had fallen, almost forgotten. He finally broke the kiss, lifting Marco’s legs and setting them upon his shoulders then squirting the liquid onto his palm. Marco felt a coolness around his hole, and he tensed in anticipation of the welcome intrusion. Gene unwrapped the foil package slowly and sheathed himself before tracing a circle around Marco’s anus.
At the entrance of a finger, Marco gasped and writhed. It had been so long since he’d been with a man. Gently, Gene moved forward, stretching him, preparing him. Arrows of pleasure shot through Marco, replacing the initial discomfort. He began to push back on the pressure. Suddenly, the digit left him. He let out a muffled cry of annoyance, and Gene chuckled above him.
“Patience, my darling,” the businessman said. “It has been too long. I want to enjoy you.”
Marco felt the covered tip of Gene nudge his inner thigh as the man made his way to the opening. Waves of sensation washed over him as Gene pushed in slowly. When he was finally seated, the two men stilled, staring at each other, just enjoying the closeness. Then Gene’s nostrils flared and the implication was too much for Marco; he clenched and felt the man above him shudder.
A thick vein pulsed just under the skin of Gene’s neck, and Marco concentrated on it to slow the escalating pleasure tight in his balls. A sheen of sweat slicked their chests, and when Gene leaned down for a kiss, he caused Marco’s breath to catch in his throat.
“Touch yourself, Marco,” Gene whispered into his ear before easing back up to his knees. “Come for me.”
The speed and pressure of Gene’s cock within him increased, and Marco closed his eyes. He wrapped his hand around his throbbing erection and stroked himself in time to the rhythm inside of him.
“Open your eyes, dammit,” Gene bit out.
Marco obeyed, and the sight of his lover bent over in pleasure pushed him past the edge into ecstasy. Rope after rope shot out of him, covering Gene’s chest and his own abdomen.
Gene followed him, bellowing his approval as his thrusts gained intensity. He rammed the agent across the floor, and Marco felt the rug burn on his skin, only adding to the pleasurable climax. When Gene was completely spent, he fell atop Marco, laying delicate kisses over the man’s cheekbones.
Neither moved, too comfortable and sated to face reality. Marco let his fingertips graze across Gene’s strong back, cherishing the man’s weight on him. After several minutes, Gene rolled off and padded to the bathroom to clean up, tousling Marco’s hair as he went by.
When it was Marco’s turn, he rinsed off slowly, savoring the feel of the other man on his skin, the scent and taste of him lingering. By the time he emerged from the bathroom, Gene was dressed and on the phone. The businessman covered the mouthpiece.
“Get dressed,” he said to Marco. “Let’s get coffee. I have a…proposal for you.”
Chapter Eleven
Grace looked around her disheveled apartment in disgust. She only had three more days to pack up all her stuff and move it…somewhere. It was her own fault for waiting until the last minute. When she’d gotten the call from Hardy Photography—not from Gene, but from some random office worker—telling her she had to vacate and that the business was relocating without her, she’d been crushed. She’d kept waiting for Gene to call her to explain, but after a week and a half, she knew it wouldn’t happen.
Marco had offered to put her up for a while until she could find her own place. Her old apartment had been re-rented, and while Hardy’s had graciously moved her in cost-free, it looked as if she were on her own for the exit. Her severance pay was enough to easily cover the costs and put down a payment in rent for a new place even in the city, so she couldn’t really complain.
Gene had taken care of her, he’d just stepped back while doing so. And “stepping back” was an understatement. She hadn’t heard from the man at all. The lack of communication had wounded more than her ego. Her heart was full to bursting with sorrow, and the worst of it was, even Marco couldn’t help.
In fact, she felt even more guilty every time they went out because, while she knew she loved the IIB agent, she was coming to realize that alone, he wasn’t enough. And that made her a bad person. At least in her mind. What kind of woman wasn’t satisfied with a beautiful, kind, caring man at her side…one she was head-over-heels for, at that? She tossed her robe haphazardly over a chair and considered therapy. Obviously she was too messed up to thrive in normal society.
She studied what was left of her wardrobe, trying to figure out an appropriate outfit for breaking up with someone. She and Marco had only been serious for the month after they’d returned from Colombia, anyway, but it felt more severe because of all they had been through. Her limbs were heavy as she picked out a little red number. She and Marco really were perfect for each other, but with the shadow of Gene Hardy over them, it would never work. Marco didn’t deserve to have only half of her heart. She picked out black leggings and ballerina flats to wear with it. She’d rather not be taller than Marco when she told him the news.
She wandered into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine. Maybe she’d move out of the city. Get a fresh start, like Gene was. She hadn’t asked where the company was going. If Gene had wanted her to know, he would have told her. If he had wanted her at all, he would have talked to her at least once, for any reason. But he hadn’t.
Maybe she’d go to North Carolina. She had a sister there, with a family. Maybe she could watch the kids for a while for room and board while she looked for another job. Of course, what kind of job could you get with ‘just the messenger’ on your resume? She could perhaps be a secretary, or go back to school for her teaching certificate. Maybe she’d finish her degree in library science and actually make money in that career path.
She had to admit, as she took a sip of the dry chardonnay, it all sounded dreadfully boring. But she needed to restart, and she needed to do it without a loving man by her side whom she didn’t deserve. And she needed to do it out of the umbrella-like reach of Gene Hardy, too.
Maybe she could just forget.
A knock sounded at the door. She straightened her shoulders and hardened her resolve. She’d do it right now, she thought. Before dinner. No need to draw it out, plus it would be very tacky to do it in public, and Marco would know right away that something was wrong. He’d badger it out of her before the evening had ended. She blinked back tears and opened the door.
She looked so beautiful and understated, standing in the backlit corridor leading to her full apartment. Despite the flats that put her four inches belo
w him, she came off as elegant and poised, a woman truly in command. Actually, she looked determined, steely even. Gene hoped to talk her out of whatever it was she was about to say. He was ready to take a leap, and he’d convinced Marco to do it with him. He hadn’t expected Grace to be a problem.
As he stepped to the forefront, he felt a shift in her. Her eyes widened, and her delicious mouth opened just a bit, as if she had to fight to keep it from widening to an “o”. He allowed his mind to chuckle. He couldn’t begrudge her the reaction. He wouldn’t have expected him, either.
“Hello,” she said in a barely audible tone. “Please, come in. I was expecting Marco. He should be here shortly.”
“Oh, no, I’m here now,” Marco’s voice rang out from behind Gene’s left shoulder as the man walked into view.
He passed Gene, handing him a bouquet in a subtle gesture, before sweeping into the room, taking Grace with him by draping his muscled arm around her shoulders and steering her into the living room. Gene followed, his heart jumping in his chest. Nerves and objections shouted at him from within.
Are you crazy? You can’t do this. It will never work. And even if she says yes, then what? Then you’re stuck with her and Marco, both. You can’t even make a commitment to one person; you think you can do it for two? You’re out of your mind.
He was about to turn around and run, but Marco caught his eye as the smaller man placed Grace on the sofa. Marco gave him a bright smile and an encouraging nod. It was as if he knew exactly what Gene was thinking.
After making sure Grace was comfortable, Marco strode over and gave him a hug. “You can do this,” he whispered. “She’ll say yes. And if in six months this isn’t working, well, we all wish each other goodbye.”
Just the Messenger Page 10