As he leveled me with a knowing glare, I didn’t know why I bothered trying to slip anything past him. “What kind of appointment?”
I took a few more bites of my food, well aware that I needed the fuel for the battle I was going to have on my hands. “At FBI headquarters.”
“Tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.”
“It’s not anything bad, Isaac,” I quickly reassured him. “I just put in a call to Agent Taylor and let him know I had a possible lead on some corporate corruption.”
“I should have known you weren’t going to let the matter drop as easily as it seemed last night.”
“If you thought a few orgasms would distract me, then you don’t know me as well as I thought you did,” I grumbled.
“We don’t even know if SO&G has done anything wrong,” he tried to reason with me.
“Maybe it’s the hacktivist side of me that’s seeing corporate greed around every corner, and all this will come to nothing,” I conceded. “But I know you, Isaac. You’re a good judge of people. When you sat across from that man and listened to his story, something in your gut told you that he’s innocent. If he didn’t do it, then someone else did. And they did a bang-up job of framing him while they were at it. So either I hack the credit card and phone records on my own and run the risk of getting picked up again, or I call in the favor Agent Taylor owes me for saving his badge and do it with a little CYA on my side.”
Per the terms of the deal Isaac had brokered for me, I worked with the FBI on cases from time to time. It wasn’t often, thanks to my husband’s negotiating skills, but I’d worked with Agent Taylor on all three cases that I’d helped them with. On the last one, a few months ago, he lost his temper and punched the owner of a textiles company in his face when he’d discovered that not only had the man imported kids from overseas to work as slave labor, but that he’d also sexually abused several of the girls. Luckily for Taylor, the video evidence of that interaction was mysteriously corrupted—courtesy of moi— and the defendant’s word hadn’t gone a long way in convincing anyone that he hadn’t just gotten banged up when he resisted arrest. I hadn’t done it to earn myself a favor, but I wasn’t dumb enough to turn one down either.
“Fuck!” he groaned. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Then I guess it’s better that you help with an FBI agent on your side than without one.” The big grin I flashed him wavered as he glared at me. “But you don’t do a damn thing without me knowing what’s going on. And at the first hint of trouble, you’re out of this. I don’t want you going anywhere near SO&G. If they really did kill Whitney because she stumbled across something they want to cover up, then they’ve already proven the lengths they’ll go to protect their secrets. You’re the most important person in my world, and I’m not willing to risk your safety for anyone or anything. Understood?”
It was more than I’d thought he’d budge, so I had no choice but to agree. For the time being at least, because what my darling husband seemed to forget was that he was the most important thing in my world and I’d do whatever it took to keep him safe too.
Chapter 4
Isaac
I was buried in paperwork and ready for a fucking break when the light of my life pranced into the conference room. “Hey, Sunshine,” I greeted with a smile. She walked right into my open arms, and I kissed her as I lifted her small body onto the table, ignoring the files that scattered to the floor. “You have perfect timing,” I mumbled against her lips.
“I do?” She leaned back and looked at me with a raised brow.
“I’m starving,” I informed her with a perfunctory nod.
She smiled brightly and started to dig through the purse she’d flung beside her when I hoisted her up. “Me too. I can’t seem to stop eating lately.” She pulled out her cell phone and opened up a food delivery app. “What should we order?”
Nabbing the phone, I tossed it back into her bag and grabbed her chin. “What I’m craving, I already have right here.” A sweet red blush crossed her cheeks and it only made my hunger grow. I gently pushed her shoulders until she was lying on her back. A slightly frantic look crept on her face as she glanced at the door, and I couldn’t help giving her a naughty grin.
“You’ll have to be quiet while I eat my snack,” I purred as my hands slid from her knees, up her thighs, and under her skirt. Hooking two fingers into the elastic of her panties, I drew them down and off of her completely.
“Isaac,” she hissed. “Someone could walk in!” She lifted onto her elbows and shifted, as though to get up. Swiftly, I pinned her back against the table with my body hovering over hers, my arms caging her head. “I better hurry then.”
She opened her mouth and her eyes darted to the door once again but before she could lodge another protest, I was already kneeling at the table’s edge with my face buried between her thighs.
“You have the sweetest fucking pussy, baby,” I growled before sucking her folds into my mouth. She moaned and I pulled my head away. Her legs clenched, trying to bring me back, but I pushed her knees until she was spread as wide as possible. I waited silently until she lifted up onto her elbows and glared at me with turbulent blue eyes. “I told you to stay quiet.”
Eden huffed in obvious annoyance and dropped her head back. When it came back up, she was biting her plump bottom lip. I raised an eyebrow and she nodded her agreement.
Diving back in, I feasted on her and with every lick she got wetter and wetter. Her little bundle of nerves was swollen and tight and when I bit down on it, she sucked in a huge breath, her body tensing for half a second. Then her back bowed off the table and her mouth opened in a silent scream. I plunged my tongue deep inside her before licking back up to her clit and sucking it hard. Her orgasm was wracking her body with shudders.
She was so fucking sensitive lately. Rising swiftly to my feet, I unbuckled and whipped out my dick in record time. I tugged her forward and lifted her upper body into my arms. My mouth sealed over hers and I gripped her ass as my hips punched forward and I sunk balls deep into my wife.
There was no place I’d rather be than buried inside my woman. Her pussy gripped me tight, her cream coating my cock as I dragged it along her walls and then thrust back in.
I leaned forward and while I’d intended to unbutton her blouse, I got impatient after the first button and tore it down the center instead. Eden squeaked in surprise and I covered her mouth with my palm. I popped the clasp on the front of her bra and her tits spilled out. I tweaked each nipple and enjoyed the clench of her pussy around my cock with each pluck. As much as I wanted to show her breasts plenty of attention, I was already too close to coming. I refused to ever come without her. Removing my hand, I returned my grip to her ass, lifting her lower body a little so I could penetrate even deeper.
“Help me out, Sunshine,” I demanded in a low, gravelly voice. “Play with your tits, baby, and squeeze that pussy—fuck!” I nearly shouted when she bore down and she froze.
“Shhhhh!” she snapped, but her warning got lost in a quiet moan as I bottomed out inside her once again.
“Do what you’re told, Sunshine. Pinch your nipples and pretend it’s my teeth. Pull on them like I would when I suck them.”
Eden slid her hands up her torso and cupped her tits. Pressure at my spine warned me that I was too close and I sucked in a few deep breaths in an attempt to regain control. But when she began to mimic my mouth on her delicious mounds, come spurted from my cock.
“Fuck, baby! Come now!” I furiously whispered. I withdrew suddenly and dropped to my knees again. The millisecond my tongue pressed on her clit, she blew apart. I surged up, back inside her tight heat, and her orgasm gripped my cock like a vice. I grunted and just barely kept from bellowing her name as I exploded.
I filled her to the brim and when I finally slid out, my come spilled from her. It marked her as mine and I resisted the temptation to smear it all over her thighs and pussy, rub
bing it in to her skin so she would smell like me, wear me on her all day.
The far off sound of voices floated into the room and Eden sprang up, shoving me away with surprising force. Once she was standing, she looked down at herself in horror, just then realizing I’d ruined her shirt and there was no way to fix it.
“Isaac! What the fuck? I can’t leave here like this. Not unless you want the world to get a nice look at my goods!”
I growled and yanked her body up against mine. “First of all, you’re going to get yourself a spanking if you don’t watch your mouth, and second”—I leaned down until my face was only centimeters from hers—“no one sees what’s mine.”
Her eyes narrowed as she glowered at me. “What exactly am I supposed to do? And put that thing away!” she snapped. My dick was clearly appreciative of the look and feel of her naked tits pressed against my chest. Despite the mind-blowing orgasm I’d just had, he was up and ready for another round.
The voices drew closer so I stepped back, tucked myself back in, and snatched up my suit coat. I held it open for her to slip her arms inside and it engulfed her. She looked so damn cute.
“That’s a good look on you, Eden.” Jax’s laughing voice came from the doorway and we both spun to face him. Eden’s face was bright red and she shrank down into the coat like a turtle trying to hide in its shell.
“I—um—spilled something on my shirt,” she stammered. Jax’s grin grew to epic proportions and I quickly pushed her behind me and scowled.
“What the fuck do you want, jackass?” I snarled.
“I just came to see if you wanted to grab some lunch,” he explained, leaning casually against the doorjamb. His eyes glittering with mischief, he gestured to something behind me. “Looks like you’ve already eaten.”
Eden shrieked, and I glanced back to see her scrambling to her discarded underwear. She snatched them up and shoved them in her pocket before turning blue death-rays on me. I shrugged unapologetically. With the exception of Jax turning up, I wasn’t the least bit sorry for what had just happened.
Turning back to Jax, I clenched my fists in anger. I didn’t like him seeing her panties or her freshly fucked look. It was my fault, though. Usually, if I took her at work, I did it in my office where it stayed private and I could easily clean her up afterwards.
But when she’d waltzed into the room in her short little skirt, and after I’d been pouring over all the shit for the case for hours…fuck, I just had to have her, right then. I was sure I was going to get my ass chewed out by Eden later.
“Watch it, Jax,” I warned. He lifted his hands as though surrendering, but his grin was still firmly affixed to his face as he backed out the door.
“Behave!” I heard Natalie admonish him.
“Um, Natalie?” Eden called.
Natalie poked her head in. “Sorry about him.”
“It’s fine. No, I was wondering if you have any extra clothes in your office.”
I could tell Natalie was fighting off her own smile, but she managed to contain it. “I’ll bring a couple shirts to Isaac’s office,” she agreed before leaving.
Eden marched right past me and I figured the best way to avoid a scene and placate her was to silently follow. When we reached my office, she plopped down onto the couch and folded her arms across her chest.
I moved to the couch and dropped down beside her before dragging her into my lap. Nuzzling my nose in the crook of her neck, I placed hot little kisses there and felt her tension melt away. I sincerely hoped that she never stopped being so affected by me.
“Thanks for bringing my lunch, Sunshine,” I said with a grin.
She sighed and smacked my arm lightly, but when I looked up, her eyes were dancing with amusement.
“You’re welcome. Now, let me tell you the other reason I stopped by.” She hopped off my lap, and I reluctantly let her go so she could get whatever she was looking for. She pulled a file from her bag and then came back over and handed it to me. I ignored it and grabbed her wrist, bringing her back down and settling her on my lap. Only then did I take the proffered folder and flip it open.
“I was looking through the hotel’s computer system and I found a backdoor somebody was able to use to get in. They weren’t bad, but pretty amateur because I was able to follow their bread crumbs to another IP address.” Eden rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Agent Taylor is almost as uptight about following the rules as you are. He wants to run it up the chain and get permission for me to dig deeper.”
I debated whether to share my new information with her, but ultimately decided she’d be safer if she wasn’t stumbling around in the dark. “The detective on the case dropped off a box of papers today. Apparently, they were the contents of a lock box they found stashed somewhere in Whitney’s apartment.”
Eden perked up and I again argued with myself about how much to tell her. The reality of the situation, though, was that I could really use her help. As long as she did it at a safe distance and only Agent Taylor and I knew she was involved, I was begrudgingly willing to let her give it.
“I found accounting sheets for SO&G. These records were also provided for us straight from the corporation. There were discrepancies between the two. And, considering how easy it was to procure them from SO&G, I don’t think they’re aware of the second set. There are several circled payments, all to the same corporation. If Agent Taylor gives you the go ahead, maybe you could dig into the company, see what you find?”
You would think I’d offered her the key to Atlantis, the way Eden lit up. She beamed at me and grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. Writing furiously, she asked me questions and took notes.
When Eden and I were married, she was still on probation and the FBI made it very clear that I was responsible for her. I’d had the small office next to mine cleared out for her so that she could be with me while I was at work. She still used it from time to time, but I was even more grateful for it after she decided to worm her way onto this case.
I grabbed the files she needed and walked her to her desk. Cupping her face in my hands, I looked into her eyes seriously. “Eden, under no circumstances are you to work on this case unless you are here or at the FBI building. Any traces will come back to these two places and not to you.”
She blinked a few times and I could practically see the cogs whirling in her mind. She was trying to come up with a noncommittal committal, using a little doublespeak to get around my command.
“Don’t try to lawyer me, Sunshine. I’m better at it. I want a clear agreement. No working on the case outside this office or the FBI.”
Her nose wrinkled adorably, and her mouth compressed into a straight line. Then she blew out her breath and her shoulders slumped. “Fine.”
“Sunshine,” I warned.
“I won’t work on the case unless I’m at Harvey Croix or the FBI. Scout’s honor.” She held up a peace sign.
“Fucking adorable,” I muttered with a half-smile, then sauntered back to my office before we had a repeat of our lunch hour.
Chapter 5
Eden
Sitting in the office next to Isaac’s while hacking into SO&G’s financial records was bizarre. When he’d come into my life, I’d been lost. Everyone assumed I was the spoiled, little rich girl with too much time on her hands who’d been facing felony charges. My parents loved me and encouraged me in most things, but once they found out about my “hacktivities,” they didn’t understand why I’d taken such risks with myself. They’d wanted to keep me in my safe bubble where they could protect me, but they had no idea how far I’d already stepped outside of it.
They never realized that I’d been hacking computer systems since I was eleven years old. My middle school advanced math class was so easy it was boring, and I spent all of my time on more fascinating things than my homework, earning myself a D. I hated the idea of my dad being disappointed in me and since it was too late to earn a better grade by turning in the work I’d skipped out on all semester long, I’d
done the only thing I could think of to save myself. I hacked the school computer and changed my grade. I wasn’t greedy, though. I gave myself a B, which still earned me a lecture from my dad about how he knew I could do better than that. He expected a lot from his princess.
What he didn’t expect was for me to use my skill set in a way that technically made me a criminal. After discovering how simple it had been to get into the school’s system, I’d spent countless hours on my computer at home, constantly learning and improving. I even found my way onto the darknet, where I connected with others like me and they answered any questions I had or helped me navigate roadblocks I found myself running into. I was good too. Damn good. There weren’t many systems I couldn’t hack into. Firewalls and security software weren’t a problem for me. I had an innate talent for knowing how to break passwords, and with a few keystrokes here and there, I found myself wherever I wanted to be.
I never really intended to do anything other than poke around a little bit. My intent wasn’t malicious when I hacked into a system. I was just testing my abilities, seeing what I could do. After my parents kept me from going to college at fourteen, forcing me to stay in high school, I was bored out of my mind and had way too much time on my hands. One day, I got curious about a pharmaceutical company that was in the news because they’d settled a lawsuit after several children died while taking one of their drugs. While in their system, I stumbled across some incriminating evidence which proved that they were at fault, but through a stupid loophole in the law, they were able to get away with it. If not for that, the company would have been ruined and the court would have substantially increased the amount of money those families would have been paid.
Even if I’d been able to find a way around the loophole, the case had already been settled. The families had signed an agreement and already received the paltry sum they’d been able to get from the company. Only it wasn’t enough. Not even close. So I made sure they got more. A lot more.
The Passion & Vows Series Page 16