Hard Justice

by April Hunt

  Charlie furrowed her brows. “I’m not exactly sure if that’s supposed to be a compliment or not.”

  His lips kicked up at the corners, and his fingers smoothed out her wrinkled forehead. “It means you wake me up, English. I’m more than aware you got your shit going on, babe, but the mental image of you in a dangerous situation—physically or emotionally—freaks me the fuck out.”

  For the first time in her life, Charlie didn’t have a snappy retort. She could flip his words around and recite them herself, and they’d still be true, because it was how she felt about him. It wasn’t a sexist thing.

  It was a caring thing.

  “I went and saw Dawn like you suggested,” Vince said, surprising her yet again. “And you were right. She doesn’t blame me for what happened, and looking her in the eye and seeing it for myself gives my nightmares a hell of a lot less power than they had before.”

  “Can you say that again?” Charlie asked, breathless.

  Vince cocked up an eyebrow questioningly. “Which part?”

  “The part about me being right.”

  Vince’s lips twisted up in a small smirk, and his thumb continued to caress her lower lip. “You were right…and I’m hoping that since I haven’t been kneed in the groin, I’m forgiven for being a caveman?”

  Charlie pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side, as if debating. “Maybe. Partially. It’s still pending.”

  “You realize it’s going to be a work in progress, right? I’m more than likely going to fuck up again because I can’t flip a switch and stop worrying about you. I want to protect you. In the field. From our pasts.” Vince’s throat bobbed nervously, his voice somewhat shaky. “Fuck. Are you going to say something sometime soon?”

  There was a lot to say—except her words probably wouldn’t come out as eloquently as his had. “You freak me the hell out, too, Navy.”

  And she was pretty sure she was falling in love with him.

  Vince’s face went blurry, and it took his thumb swiping across her cheek to realize it was due to falling tears. And then the damn man kissed the next drop away…and the next. With each brush of his lips, Charlie’s emotions swelled.

  “Damn it, Vince.” Grabbing his face between her palms, she pulled his mouth to hers.

  The kiss started sweet, turning salty from her tears. But at the first gentle swipe of Vince’s tongue, it went supernova. His arms slid around her waist as he crushed her body to his.

  Needing to touch him more, she skated one hand beneath his shirt, taking the time to brush against his piercing. “I need this off. Now.”

  A low growl rolled from Vince’s throat moments before he followed through with her demand. He tossed his shirt aside. A few seconds later, hers joined his on the floor.

  Vince slipped his fingers into the cup of her bra, pulling it down far enough for a nipple to escape. “You’re so bloody gorgeous.”

  A smile quirked up her lips. “You getting British on me?”

  “No other term seemed quite right.” He curled his tongue around the exposed bud before giving it an erotic flick.

  Charlie clutched the back of his head and panted, half-heartedly, letting reality slip into the bathroom. “This isn’t a good idea…the guys…out in the main room.”

  “The only one out there right now’s Eric, and he’s wearing a headphone and geeking out over the facial programs. Everyone else hit the streets as extra pairs of eyes.”

  Charlie froze. “They’re gone? Then maybe we should—”

  Vince brought his mouth back to hers. “Do exactly what we’re doing…followed by a nap. You got maybe an hour last night and not all at one shot. You can’t possibly be on top of your game when you’re exhausted.”

  “My mind’s too wired to sleep right now.”

  He gave her a drugging kiss that fluttered her eyes closed. “Then I’m going to continue loving every inch of you until you can’t keep your eyes open anymore.”

  “But—”

  “Mind off, English.” He kissed her again. “I need to have you in my arms right now, baby.” Kiss. “Your pleasure in my hands.” Kiss. “I need it so. Fucking. Bad.” Kiss.

  Charlie needed all of that too. She unclasped her bra and relished the way Vince’s gaze devoured her whole. His hands slid over her torso, dropping to her hips, and guided her in a spin that propped her back against his chest.

  “I’ve wanted to taste every single one of these flowers for over a fucking year.” Vince pushed her hair off her neck, and while their eyes locked in the mirror, flicked his tongue over the largest tattooed cherry blossom.

  Down the length of her back, he followed the trail of brown branches and pink flowers as it curved around her torso and over her hip. Slowly, he eased her back around. Looking up at her from his spot kneeling on the floor, Charlie nearly melted.

  “Looks like I have one more flower to go,” he teased gruffly.

  “Looks like.” She rested her hand on top of his head as he steadily worked open the front of her jeans and slid them down—panties and all—never once breaking eye contact.

  Vince ran his hands over her ankle and up her calf, kissing his way up her thigh until he hooked her knee over his broad shoulder.

  In this position, she was open and vulnerable…exposed as he lowered his mouth to the lone blossom flowering a few inches above her mound. The leg not draped over his shoulder trembled, threatening to give out as his lips caressed her already aching clit.

  “I got you, babe.” Vince anchored his hands on her thighs. “Just lean back and enjoy.”

  Charlie moaned, her head falling back. “No problem there.”

  Vince took her to some kind of pleasure dimension, first licking and then sucking, kissing her damp lower lips as he’d kiss her mouth. When her muscles tightened and prepped for release, he backed off and did it all over again. The result left her sweaty and panting, with both hands clutching his head.

  “Don’t stop,” she pleaded on a moan. “Sweet heaven.”

  When he swiped his tongue through her folds, he picked up the pace. He nibbled and sucked until her hips lifted, chasing his mouth. Vince rubbed the flat of his tongue over her clit, and Charlie’s pleasure went airborne. Her body clenched and released at the same time, coaxing out a keening moan that nearly made him come in his pants.

  With a smug look twisting his lips, Vince got to his feet. “Heaven, huh?”

  “Cocky bastard.” She grabbed his nape and dragged his mouth down to hers for a hot, languorous kiss. “Don’t go looking for compliments, Navy.”

  Chuckling, Vince palmed her ass and guided her jelly legs around his waist. “If you’re still able to talk in full sentences, you’re not tired enough.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Vince wanted nothing more than to sink inside Charlie and not come out, but he knew the possibility of her letting him do that was about nil. He sat her on the edge of the bed and stepped away from her wandering hands.

  “Are you afraid of little ol’ me?” Charlie leaned back, giving him a superb view of her breasts.

  “Without a fucking doubt.” He swallowed a chuckle.

  A handful each, her breasts tipped upward, ripe berry-red nipples still puckered from his mouth. Vince hastily discarded his pants and kicked them away. His cock, already hard from their time in the bathroom, throbbed.

  Vince wrapped an arm around her waist and gently eased them both onto the center of the bed. He wanted to take his time, but he didn’t know if it was possible, especially when her nimble fingers dug into his back.

  “Vince.” Charlie rotated her hips. Both the brush of her wet mound and the sound of his name made him suck in a hiss.

  “Fuck, baby. I don’t have any condoms in here.”

  She groaned, but didn’t stop her gentle swivel. Each rocking motion slid his cock through her folds until it brushed against her hardened clit. “Where do you have them?”

  He gritted his teeth and dropped his forehead onto the mattress, ju
st above her shoulder. “In my bag. In the main room. With Eric.”

  At her sudden silence, Vince picked up his head. Charlie bit her lower lip, deep in thought.

  “How are you with condoms normally?” she asked, contemplative.

  Meeting her gaze, Vince damn near held his breath. “Religious—I’ve never gone without. And you see everyone’s health screening, so you know I’m clean.”

  “Me too. And I’m a huge fan of the shot, so we’re covered on that end.”

  Vince traced his thumb over her lower lip. “Fucking-A, babe. Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  Charlie rolled her hips again. This time, the tip of his cock hit just right, and he slipped inside her tight sheath, one inch at first. After another hip swivel, a second inch. Vince stayed still, afraid of shooting his load too soon.

  “Make love to me, Navy.” Lifting up, she ran her mouth over his, alternating between playful nips and gentle licks…and squeezed his ass.

  Goddamn it, that’s what he wanted to do. This wasn’t about sex. It wasn’t about a quick release or even savoring the moment to replay it for later. The words tightening his chest wouldn’t come out, but damn it if he couldn’t enact them.

  He kissed her, timing the thrust of his tongue with the slow pump of his hips. He threw into the kiss what he did with his body, going deeper until he could practically feel every inch of her wrapped around him.

  Sliding his hand beneath her ass, Vince pulled back to the rim of her opening and slowly thrust again. Beneath him, Charlie squirmed and moaned, rubbing against him seductively. He rolled them over until their positions were reversed.

  “Dance for me.” Vince gripped her hips and encouraged her to take over the movement.

  “Are you handing me the control?” she teased. A dark fire lit up in her eyes.

  “You’ve had the control since day one, babe.”

  In this position, her bodyweight pushed her down on his cock until she hit the base of his balls. Vince lay on his back, enjoying the sight of her undulating body. Despite her petite size, power coiled in her slender muscles as she used her legs and hips to rock back and forth. She was a formidable woman, someone to contend with, no matter your sex or size.

  She was also fucking beautiful. Inside and out. Power. Femininity. Delicateness. Strength. All wrapped into one heart-stopping package.

  Charlie braced her hands on his chest as she rocked. Vince took them, entwining their fingers. It was a simple, intimate gesture that started the cascade of flutters wrapping around his cock.

  “Vince.” She groaned.

  “Take what you need. You’re in control here.”

  Charlie’s pussy gripped him like glove. Her eyes locked on his. “With me. Together.”

  Once. Twice. Vince thrust into her each time she let her body fall. Wrapping his hand behind her neck, he brought her mouth to his and stopped holding back. He pulled out and thrust back to the hilt.

  “Oh my God.” Charlie gasped, her body erupting. Her heady moans detonated his balls, and he filled her body with his release.

  Vince wasn’t lying when he said she was the one in control, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. She made him forget. She made him feel things he hadn’t thought he could, and didn’t think he had the right to feel again. She made him realize there were right times to live on the edge.

  She made him feel everything.

  * * *

  Charlie stretched, extending her arms above her head and groaned when the muscles protested the move with a dull ache. That’s when she realized she was alone, Vince’s side of the bed still warm. Her head filled with conflicting emotions, the most prominent being guilt.

  Only God and Anthony knew what was happening to Tina and the others, and she’d taken a time-out, soaking up whatever new feelings had come to the surface between her and Vince. Even after replaying their conversation, she wasn’t sure where they stood, only knowing for certain it was uncharted territory.

  Charlie had shimmied into a fresh pair of cargo pants and pulled a tank over her head when the door carefully opened and Vince filled the space. He propped his shoulder on the jamb and studied her carefully. “I was about to get you. You good?”

  She figured he meant with them…with what’d happened and the door it had opened. Taking her time, she slunk across the room, letting his eyes drink her in until she was close enough to touch. Sliding her hands up the wall of his chest, Charlie didn’t balk when Vince’s arm banded possessively around her waist.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” She flashed him a surprisingly relaxed smile. “But I guess we’re going to have to have another talk, since our last one ended with us naked.”

  A grin twitched his lips, but his nod was all seriousness. “If things go the way I want them to, we’re going to end up naked a hell of a lot. But yeah, we’re going to have to fit that talk in too.”

  From the main room, Eric’s voice called excitedly, “Guys! Stone has something! You need to get in here!”

  Eric was already putting their boss on speaker when they got there. “You’re linked up to everyone, man,” Eric told Stone. “Go for it.”

  “There’s activity happening at the docks.” Stone’s voice filtered through the computer speakers. “I don’t know if you can see from the way the surveillance cam’s pointing, but we have a handful of white box trucks rumbling through, all headed toward dock seven.”

  “That’s Arturo’s dock.” Charlie scanned the video feed, which showed her uncle’s boat, dimly lit against the night, but not much else. “Are they headed toward the Leslie?”

  “Stand by. Callahan’s trying to get in a different position.”

  Charlie waited with bated breath for the former Marine to tell them what they’d found. Vince’s hand landed on her shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze as time ticked by.

  “That’s an affirmative,” Logan’s voice informed. “But I don’t see any girls, or Torres.”

  “What the fuck do you see, because from our angle, it looks like not a damn thing.” Vince leaned closer to the screen, trying to make out the dark images.

  “Because the camera’s not focused on the freighter ship itself. But let me tell you, the guards on this heap of metal are packing some serious fucking heat. Didn’t know you need fucking AKs for guarding alcohol and shit.”

  Finally, the surveillance camera picked up movement. Charlie tapped the screen, directing Eric. “Right there. Zoom in on the guy standing off to the right.”

  Eric zoomed—and bingo.

  “That’s Anthony.” Charlie identified her uncle’s second-in-command, looking too much at ease for a man being hunted. “He’s going to make a run for it, and using Arturo’s boat. If he gets out into international waters, or worse, in Cuba’s, it’s over. Getting Tina and the girls back will be next to impossible.”

  “We’re not letting that happen,” Stone announced, followed by a long cadence of affirmatives. “We’re rendezvousing dockside in less than thirty minutes. I don’t care where everyone happens to be at the moment, or what you have to do to make it happen, but do it. This bastard’s not slinking away like a fucking eel. Eric, you can be our eyes, right?”

  Eric’s mouth dropped before he glanced at Charlie, panicked. She offered him a supportive wink. “You got this, Eric. We just need someone to shine a light in the general vicinity. We’ll do the rest.”

  Eric gulped. “Okay. Yeah. I can do it. No problem.”

  “Good,” Stone added. “Let’s get on the fucking ball. Everyone bring in all the artillery you have with you. We’re not going into this packing light.”

  Everyone signed off.

  Charlie turned to do what Stone said, and found her Glock being extended in her direction. Vince chuckled. “Please. I know Gregor’s the first thing you reach for.”

  She took it and inspected the magazine clip before slipping it into a harness and buckling it into place. “What does it say that you can read me so well?”

  “Tha
t we’re made for each other.” Vince took her mouth in a fierce kiss, only stopping at Eric’s uncomfortable throat-clearing. “But I am going to ask one thing of you.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I need you to be really fucking careful. Super alert. No hesitation. React on instinct. Watch your ass.”

  “Only if you watch it, too.”

  Vince dropped a kiss on her jaw. “There’s no ass I’d rather watch more, English. Let’s go fuck up some bad guys.”

  * * *

  Vince and the team—plus Brock Torres—stood a block away from the docks and huddled over the blueprints for Arturo’s ship, the Leslie. Like a typical freighter, it had a large underbelly and copious places for storage—and hiding human cargo. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t have their head in the game.

  First operational goal: Remove the hostages without detection.

  The second: Drag Anthony Torres off that ship by his dick and hand him over to the authorities. Vince didn’t much care if his dick stayed attached to his body, so long as the bastard wasn’t able to fuck with Charlie ever again.

  Stone finished his conversation with the feds and, after shutting off his walkie, turned toward the group. “We got the go-ahead. DHS is waiting in the wings, and Miami PD’s cleared the perimeter, making sure no one stumbles into the hot zone. It’s our op—free and clear. So let’s do a rundown. Teams.”

  Logan smacked his finger on the map, identifying his nesting perch on the dock. “I’m taking an eagle-eye position from this set of stacked cars. If any of you get into trouble, haul ass to this side of the ship, and I’ll give you a helping hand—or a buzz cut.”

  “Next,” Stone called out.

  Rafe nodded toward Brock. “Torres and I are entering the vessel’s port side via the dock.”

  “And Chase and I are frogman-ing our way onto the starboard side.” Vince slid his palm over his wet suit–covered chest, and joked. “Figured we’re already dressed for the job. Why the fuck not?”