by T. C. Clark
Today, she had on thin-rimmed black glasses, which meant she’d had a migraine earlier. Behind her, Lily was sitting on a desk reading a thick leather-bound book. She looked like a sexy teacher who’d been dropped into a medical sitcom. She looked up and winked at Sandy, who was standing next to him with his arms folded.
At least things were moving along. They’d heard today that Manil was coming in a couple of days. They’d been going over his most current scans and creating a plan for his surgery all morning. Anita finally looked up and noticed him.
He wondered if he’d come on too strong last night. His beautiful woman was wrong about him. She’d thought they couldn’t work because she hadn’t changed. She assumed that given time, he would want to walk away again. No matter how much he argued, she didn’t believe he would choose to stay with her.
She didn’t understand. She was all there was for him now. He’d spent the last few years of his life trying to make a place for himself in the medical field. He’d set and accomplished nearly all of the goals he’d created in his life, and still, something was missing.
He’d started to think it all related to Anita. The one time he’d truly felt like himself was when he’d been with her. She was the other half of him. It was hard to say how he knew that, but he accepted she was his fate.
Yoel walked in and signaled for him to come out into the hall. Sandy went out first. He was surprised to find two other men standing with him. They had the same grim look on their faces. They followed them into a room, and one of the men tapped his ear and nodded.
“This is Blake and Greg, they are the only two people on the team that I trust. We swept this room for bugs. We are bringing in the patient in two days. The way they have everything set up, we think there may be an attempt on his life right after the surgery.”
“How is this happening? I thought it was your job to make sure this base is secure?” Aidan asked angrily. What the fuck would have happened to Anita if he wasn’t here?
“It’s not that simple. They have limited our control of the mission. Someone up top has sent in their own team to replace us,” Yoel snapped.
“What would you have done to protect Anita if I wasn’t here?”
“I planned to have her taken into custody. I knew she wouldn’t leave without being forced to, but at this point, I can’t trust anyone. Do you think I want this? I was the one that asked her to come, and then this shit happened. Now I have to ask you to look after her? This isn’t what I planned when I set this up,” he snapped. Aidan could see the frustration on Yoel’s face. This wasn’t the time to push the man. He needed to get his emotions under control and focus on getting all of the information he could.
“What’s your plan?” Aidan asked finally, they needed to know what plans Yoel and his team had for after the surgery.
Sandy moved between them. His expression was focused on Yoel and the other men. He had a feeling he was trying to figure out if any of them were lying.
“After the surgery, one of us will collect the three of you immediately and take you to a secure location. How good is your security team?”
Sandy spoke then, “Good enough to know that we don’t need your assistance with getting off the base. Excuse my language, but we just don’t fucking trust you guys, and my job is to protect Aidan and Anita. So directly after the surgery, we will remove them from the base. If you expect an attack, I’m sure your resources would be better used to protect this infamous patient. If your higher-ups are assisting a member of the rebel team to kill him, then that means he knows something, probably something he’s refused to give up until after he received the surgery. Which is why they jumped through so many hoops to get it for him.”
Yoel nodded his head in agreement. He’d thought the same thing. His supervisors had initially put the idea in his head to contact his ex-wife, and now that he thought about it, they were the ones who pushed him to make sure she agreed. They’d even doubled her pay in the contract.
“How would you get off the base?” Blake asked. He was tall and lanky with dark red hair, and he didn’t look a day over twenty. But his eyes made it clear that he was as serious as the rest of them.
“The same way I got on two weeks ago to do recon work. Don’t worry, we got them, you just make sure your friends don’t get in our way. We don’t work for the military, so we shoot to kill anything that moves.”
“Why do we need to do the surgery? Why not leave now?” Aidan asked the obvious question. They didn’t owe this man anything, and with the way things were going, he was seriously thinking of dragging Anita off the base.
“It’s too late for that. We need the commotion from the surgery to get you two off safely. I have a plan, but the surgery needs to happen for it to work. Lily did her own recon work late last night. We have three new teams that have moved in on base. They are watching us closely. If we try to pack up and leave, we are going to have to kill a lot of people to get out. I don’t mind it, but I think you and Anita will. Trust me; do the surgery, and we will get you two out.”
“One more thing. There was a bounty placed on you and Anita’s heads. So that means even when you get away from here, I need you to watch your back. As soon as all of this is done, I will take care of the threat,” Yoel said seriously. Aidan knew he meant it, too. Blake and Greg nodded.
Aidan and Sandy went to leave, and Yoel grabbed his arm. “Please take care of Anita. If anything happens to her… I wouldn’t come back from that.”
“I got Anita. I’ll die before I let something happen to her.” Yoel gave him a grim smile and let him go. Sandy and Aidan walked back to the room where Anita and Lily were. Before they got inside, Aidan pulled him aside.
“You think we can trust them?” Aidan thought Yoel was sincere, but he wasn’t the expert when it came to stuff like this.
“I think we can trust us. I have a plan, but let’s talk about it when we get home.” Sandy opened the door and waited for Aidan to go through. Aidan shook his head as he walked in. This was getting more complicated by the minute.
When his eyes found Anita, he stopped. She was making notes about the scans. She was a great doctor who just wanted to do her job and uphold her oath. He had to make sure she was safe. It didn’t matter how complicated this was; that was his number one priority.
* * *
Anita picked up the rest of her things and followed Lily out of the room. She’d spent all day outlining a plan for the surgery. It felt good, and if all of the patient’s charts and scans were up to date, it should work.
She had a lot of questions for Aidan. She’d seen Yoel pull him aside earlier. She knew they couldn’t talk here, so she focused on her research instead. At least Lily was fun to be around. She’d spent the day making inappropriate jokes about sexy military men. Jokes that earned her scowls from Sandy and blushes from the men who were watching them.
She loved Sandy and Lily’s relationship. There was something tender about seeing such a scary-looking man being teased by a delicate woman. Even though she didn’t really see Lily as delicate. Lily was thorough when it came to her protection. She wasn’t even allowed to use the restroom alone. She had a feeling the woman knew more about the situation than she was letting on. No matter how many jokes Lily cracked, her eyes remained hawk-like and observant.
The more she learned about the patient, the more she wanted to do the surgery. His scans showed signs of torture. What had this man been through? When they got home, they found Aidan and Sandy in the kitchen cooking.
“That’s not how you cut onions,” Sandy said as he examined Aidan’s handy work. “Man, I thought you were a surgeon.”
“Those onions are fine. I don’t know how they taught you to do it in Russia, but that’s how us Americans like it.” He dumped his bowl into the pot and ignored the frown on Sandy’s face. Lily poured them both a glass of wine and they set the table. They didn’t speak again until they’d finished the thick soup. Anita was surprised at how flavorful it was and told Sandy so.
She grinned when he looked embarrassed.
“My grandma taught me that soup. She used mushrooms and leeks, but I never cared for leeks. I think it’s better this way.”
“We get it, Sandy, you can cook,” Lily said with a wink. She turned to Anita with a serious expression on her face. “I checked in on one of the computers in the facility and our patient is supposed to arrive in seventy-two hours.”
“As soon as we get confirmation, we need to move forward. We have a friend monitoring the movement of some of the terrorist cells located across the city. Those people are probably going to be the ones sent in to do Eraj’s dirty work. Our contact says there was a lot of movement in their accounts yesterday. If the surgery gets pushed up tomorrow, we are pretty sure an attack will happen right after.”
Anita thought about what she said. “It would be better if I canceled it.” Everything in her rebelled against the idea, but she had to offer.
“No, I don’t think so. Both of your names are out there now. The guy that’s after you won’t stop even if you don’t do the surgery. You should do it, it will be like giving the finger to the asshole hunting you. Leave your safety to us.”
“And you’re absolutely sure they will attack us?” Aidan asked.
“We are going to assume so, yes. As of right now, all of us have to be on high alert. We only trust the people in this room. Anita, I know you have ties to Yoel, but no one is off limits when it comes to betrayal. Me and Sandy were hired as your protection, and we will do our job, but when I say move, you have to move. I need you to understand that. All of our lives depend on it.”
“I get it. Aidan, gave me the background on you guys. You’re very good at your job. I’m not sure why you’d want to do this kind of work, but I’m glad you’re here,” Anita said.
“You can’t pick what you’re good at,” Lily said in a singsong voice. She stood, and Sandy did as well. “We will clean up. You can go relax; you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow, and if everything goes according to plan, we will be home soon enough.”
* * *
Anita walked upstairs with Aidan. She wished she could control the anxiety flowing through her body, but that was impossible.
She could feel the tension coming off of him as well. As strong as he was, he was definitely out of his element here. Guilt ate at her. She didn’t want anyone getting hurt because of a decision she made.
“You are going to be okay, Anita. I promise you that. I will protect you.”
“I’m not worried about me,” she said as she got to her room. “You act like I don’t care if anything happens to you or anyone else. I wish you would let me do this. I took responsibility for the patient, and now you’re at risk, too.”
“Anita, stop it. You know there is nothing you can do to get me to leave. I want to be here. It kills me that we wasted years apart. Anything could have happened to you in that time, and I wouldn’t have been there. I accepted that your fate is my own, and I’m here now.” He reached out and combed his fingers through her hair. Unconsciously, she leaned into his hand, seeking comfort.
“Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?” he whispered. He laughed at her startled expression. “Not like that, like the old times. Do you remember what we used to do when one of us was too stressed to think straight?”
“We used to lay together for hours until we went to sleep, talking or singing,” she whispered, caught up in the sweet memory his words had produced.
“I’ll keep my hands to myself,” he promised.
God help her, she couldn’t say no. He felt like the only normal thing in a world that was quickly spinning out of control. She nodded and then walked into the bathroom to shower before she could change her mind.
During her shower, she cursed herself for being a fool. She listed out all of the reasons why this wasn’t a good idea, and still she found herself slipping into bed beside him. He didn’t hesitate. He pulled her into his arms and settled her back against his body.
She could feel the evidence of his need pressing against her, a steel rod poking into her back, but still he kept his hands around her waist. It had been so long since she’d shared a bed with someone else that she stiffened. But he was Aidan, the first man she’d ever loved. As his scent swamped her senses, she relaxed. They stared humming an old song they used to love.
It took her awhile, but she finally went to sleep. She slept until three am when her phone went off. They’d officially moved up the surgery. She closed her eyes as dread invaded her senses.
What the fuck was going to happen tomorrow? When she moved back, Aidan tightened his hold on her waist. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. What if something bad happened tomorrow? What if she lost him? Mistakes from the past disappeared when you had limited time. She’d seen that often with her terminal patients. She wanted Aidan to know how much she needed him to live.
Spurred by her thoughts, she turned in his arms and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss meant to coax him from sleep. But he immediately took over. He must have been more awake than she thought.
His weight was heavy across her chest. Her hardened nipples rubbed him through the thin cotton shirt. She didn’t think about the consequences, she just wanted him, and nothing was going to stop this tonight.
Her small hands glided across his body, mapping his muscles. He was such a beautiful man. All sleek power. He moved over her without opening his eyes. She ran her tongue up his neck and dipped into his ear.
His ears were the most sensitive part of his body, and she didn’t want the slow methodical loving he usually delivered. She wanted to feel the power he kept under lock and key when they were together.
He reared back as she licked his ear, and she pulled him back down. He turned her head, his fingers rough in her hair, and took her mouth. He’d finally opened his eyes, and she shuddered when she saw the raw lust in them.
His thighs moved between hers and he started to grind against her wet heat. She heard a tear. He’d ripped her cotton tank top to get to her breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth and sucked hard. He used his teeth to tease her. She groaned as he pulled the rest of the shirt from her body.
She felt his other hand at her hip, lifting her up to drag her panties and shorts down. The act was so carnal that she grew even wetter. He got them off and threw them off the bed. She opened her legs to him and reacted instantly.
He moved over her heavily, widening her legs with his massive thighs and thrusting home simultaneously. He invaded her with the strength of a man who knew where he belonged. He didn’t give her time to relax or adjust around him.
He just started thrusting, over and over again, caught up in a heat, unlike anything they’d ever experienced before. She didn’t know if their fear of tomorrow had changed something, but she knew that he felt the same desperate need she did.
She kissed him back, demanding everything of him. His pace increased until her hips hurt from the pressure of his. He rutted over her, caging her against the bed with the strength of his body. She leaned forward and pressed her tongue to his chest to taste one flat brown nipple. When she started to come, she bit down hard, and he yelled.
Her body clamped tightly around him and drew him deeper, contracting like a vise against velvet steel. He growled as he came deep within her body. He sent his seed deep with each flick of his hips.
When it was over, they both relaxed into each other. They didn’t speak because there were no words to describe what they were feeling. They just curled into each other and closed their eyes. Whatever happened tomorrow was inevitable, but at least they had tonight.
Five
When it all hits the fan....
Aidan woke up alone in bed with last night fresh on his mind. Anita had finally come to him. Even now, his body felt amazing. One night with her, and everything was making sense. He sat up and looked around. She’d taken all of her things back to her room.
He wondered what she was thinking. How was she going to react tod
ay? It was easy to throw caution to the wind in the middle of the night. He got up and dressed quickly. When he got downstairs, he ignored the wink Sandy sent him.
He knew they’d been loud, especially the third time he’d woken her up. There was nothing he could do about that. Anita came down with her bag. She looked completely put together, which was surprising since he’d kept her up most of the night.
She’d straightened her thick black hair and pinned it back into a tight bun. Her brown skin was glowing, and she looked happy. He didn’t know what reaction he expected from her, but it wasn’t a smile and a kiss on the cheek.
“Sandy wants us to pack our bags and put them in the car,” she said. She went over and made two cups of coffee. His eyes followed her closely. He looked back at Sandy, who was smiling at them, and frowned.
“Why do you want us to pack up our bags now?”
“We weren’t playing about leaving immediately. Things are escalating too quickly, and we need to be prepared to leave directly after the surgery. Lily’s already requested a second surgeon be available for post-op care. I know you guys want to help this man, and doing this surgery will do that, but afterward, he’s going to be the military’s problem. This is non-negotiable,” Sandy said seriously.
“Okay, I will go back up and get my stuff.” Aidan stood and stretched his back. He took the cup of coffee from Anita and leaned down to kiss her head.
“Also, Lily is going to scrub in with us. She told me to put her on the list of people that will be necessary for the surgery. Yoel called, and he sounded worried. His team is going to be right outside the room as well.”
“Alright, it looks like it’s game on today. I’ll be ready in thirty minutes,” Aidan said.
Sandy nodded and left the room to get Lily. He knew he shouldn’t question his luck. For some reason, Anita was happy with him right now. But he needed to know why. Just a few weeks ago she’d been determined to stay away from him.