Kiss Me Harder: Unbreakable Series

by Cole, Aja

  It weighs on you and it’s dangerous, and while Cameron isn’t waiting for me at home, there are people that are. My family is enough for me to look forward to, even if I won’t allow another man to hold my heart.

  I wake up and I feel his absence so clearly every day. I know I’ll never hear Teagan’s tinkling laughter when Kyle says or does something stupid. I never got the chance to know Lyssa the same way as everyone else, but she was a part of our team, and that alone means she was valued too.

  I feel old, and I’m tired.

  But you don’t go home until the mission is complete. That’s the oath I took and it’s the promise I’ll keep.

  Victoria Lightwell is looking a little unfocused, and wobbling the slightest bit on her thin heels. I skipped the shit on blending in with the top tier, so I can’t tell you what brand they are.

  That was Teagan’s role, but knowing Victoria, they cost more in blood money than they need to.

  She spares no expenses for her vices.

  “You don’t look so good.” I adopt a tone of concern, setting my tray on a nearby table and placing a kind hand on her arm.

  “I feel a little light-headed. I get migraines every so often.” She blinks. “Is there a room that I can sit down in for a bit? I’m sure it’ll pass.”

  “Of course; I’ll show you.” I take her arm lightly and lead her towards the kitchen, turning before we make it there so I can settle her in a room.

  Opening the door, I gesture her inside and she sits on the low settee, raising a delicate hand to her brow.

  “I’m very hot. Could I trouble you for a glass of ice water? Maybe I shouldn’t have drank that champagne.” Her head rolls a bit, and within a few more seconds, she’s laid across the cushions, passed out.

  I close the door and lock it with a key.

  “Sure, I’ll bring you some ice water.” I smirk, pocketing the key and shrugging out of the annoying waiter’s jacket. I slip into a small utility closet and into the clothes I came in.

  I’m not worried about any cameras; Trev will have them looping and no one will notice a single thing. I slide off the black wig, rubbing away the glue at my hairline with a bit of water. Pulling my own hair back into a low bun and twisting it around itself, I peel off some of my face enhancements and shrug on my leather jacket, feeling for my knives.

  Time for extraction.

  “Kane.” I turn on the small comm in my ear.

  “All good?” His low voice comes over the speaker, and I open the door, leaving the closet.

  “Yes. Extraction as planned.”

  “You got it.” He goes silent and I walk down the hallway, headed for the exit.

  For now, my job is done. The next time I see Senator Lightwell, she’ll be in chains and she better damn well hope she has answers for me, or I’ll slit her throat without a second thought.

  Blood for blood, that’s the way it goes as far as I’m concerned.

  You fuck with the people I care about, and your last breath will be an apology.

  5

  Elias

  I close the door to my house and turn the deadbolts, then arm my security alarm.

  Shrugging off my jacket, I throw it over the back of my couch and loosen my tie, sighing.

  It was a long day, but a successful one. I’m a day closer to justice for Shadi than I was yesterday, and that has to be enough. I undo my holster and set it on top of my dresser.

  I unbutton my shirt as I make my way through my bedroom, shrugging it off my shoulders and dropping it to the floor.

  “You shouldn’t be so messy.”

  I freeze with my hands on my belt, hiding my smile. I knew it was only a matter of time.

  I turn around, unable to keep my expression neutral. Naja is sprawled in one of the armchairs at the edge of my room, her body relaxed but her face tight. Oh, there’s fury in those beautiful eyes, and it’s all for me.

  I let her call the shots before, out of courtesy because I was asking for her help. You should try to be polite to people who you need.

  But when she left me in Marrakesh without a single word and nothing about working together, all bets were off.

  Now, we play by my rules.

  “Naja, I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “The hell you weren’t.”

  “I thought I had another day or so, I’ll admit.”

  “That’s how much time you’ll have left breathing if you don’t tell me where Lightwell is.” She leans forward on her knees, linking her hands together. “This isn’t a game you want to play with me, Elias.”

  “What makes you think this is a game to me?” I ask the question because I know it’ll piss her off.

  Maybe feeling something will make her realize that it’s in both of our best interests to work together. She stands, stalking towards me.

  “Where is Senator Lightwell?” she repeats slowly, staring me down. I turn around, discarding my belt and walking towards my closet in a move that even makes me wonder if my balls are made of steel.

  It’s a trick question. Of course they are.

  “It’s been a long day. I’m gonna grab a shower. If you’re still here when I finish, maybe we can talk.”

  “Do you have a death wish?” she grits out, and I can imagine the high color on her face, the tautness of her jaw and body.

  “No, I just know I’m the only one who knows where she is. Not even my team does. So, if you want to know, you’ll sit your pretty ass down and wait.” With my parting words, I close the door to the bathroom and step out of my pants, turning on the hot water.

  Let the games begin.

  * * *

  Naja

  The nerve of this man; the pure audacity of this motherfucker is absolutely astounding to me. I can’t decide whether I want his head on a platter or if I respect him. Most likely, it’s both.

  Who does he think he is? Greater men have been afraid of me and have deferred to what I asked of them, what I demanded. Why the hell does he think he’s special?

  I tap my foot on the floor, antsy. I’m just supposed to sit here while he takes his sweet time showering, water sliding over his body and soap foaming on his skin…UGH!

  Imagine my surprise when Kane sent me a message saying that Victoria wasn’t where I left her. It’s a little difficult to extract someone who’s not where they’re supposed to be. There was no way she got up and walked away on her own, because the sleeping drugs we gave her were very potent.

  It didn’t take long to figure out that Elias had dipped his nose into my business again, and this shit has to stop. I don’t know what he intends to do with her, but we got to her first. After the effort it took to put our plan into place, there’s no way he’s going to reap the benefits before I do.

  He needs to get his tight ass out of the shower and give me some answers, before I show him exactly why knives are my weapon of choice.

  I hear the shower cut off and I stand, unable to sit still. When he comes out of the bathroom, droplets of water glistening on his lightly bronzed skin, I wrap myself in my anger so that I don’t give into my lust.

  “It would give me immense pleasure to see your blood dripping to the ground.” I twirl one of my knives around my fingers, looking at the floor to avoid looking at him and the expanse of naked skin on display.

  “You’re not as bloodthirsty as you pretend to be.” My eyes fly up and I take in the maddening smirk on his lips, lips that I’ve felt on my body, that I remember skating across my skin reverently.

  “Underestimate me if you want to.” He walks closer to me, only a towel slung low around his hips, and not nearly secure enough for my peace of mind. It parts over a muscled thigh with every step he takes, and it just pisses me off even more.

  “Trust me, I’m not underestimating you.” He lowers his stubbled chin, and even though our bodies aren’t touching, I can feel his heat. I take a deep breath, but that makes things worse, because it fills my nose with his clean, freshly showered scent. “I’m calling your
bluff.”

  “That’s just as stupid.” The breathy tone of my voice disgusts me so much I want to bang my head against a wall.

  “Is it?” He steps up against me, lingering drops of water from his skin dampening the front of my dark long sleeve. I hold my ground, as much as I want to turn and run. I don’t like the things I feel when I’m around him, when I’m this close to him.

  It was one of the stupidest things I could’ve done, sleeping with him. Knowing what it’s like, remembering, is half my struggle right now. If I hadn’t, I could tell myself that he’s selfish in bed, that he doesn’t know what to do with his sizable cock, and that it would be a mediocre experience all around.

  But I know all of those things to be untrue, and even I’m not that good of a liar—even to myself.

  He picks up my hand and presses it flat to his chest, sliding it down his slick olive skin. I close my eyes as my fingers move over the slabbed ridges of his abdomen, and over the defined vee of his hips. He stops at the top of the soft towel.

  “Tell me you don’t want me,” he rasps.

  “I don’t want you,” I deny immediately, the words feeling wrong on my lips.

  “Tell me you don’t need my help.”

  “I don’t need your help,” I whisper.

  I don’t. I don’t need anyone else involved in this; I don’t need anyone else to worry about.

  “Tell me you haven’t laid awake at night and remembered what it felt like being in my arms.” He brushes his lips against my temple. He’s taller than I am at about 6’ 3”, the top of my head at the perfect height for his mouth.

  That’s why I liked him kneeling; I didn’t feel so out of control. It at least gave me the illusion I needed to give in.

  “This has nothing to do with Senator Lightwell.” I force things back into perspective, though I’m not quite strong enough to move away from him.

  “I’ll make you a deal, Naja.” He moves his hand to my low ponytail, gently removing the hair tie and sifting his fingers through my hair until it’s falling down my back.

  “Name your terms, and I’ll name mine.” I meet his whiskey brown eyes, noticing the flecks of yellow gold shot through his irises.

  “Everything I know, you’ll know. Everything that happens, you’ll be looped in. We’ll work together.”

  I want to tell him to go to hell, that I don’t need any extra hands muddying my waters. It doesn’t take a genius to know that Elias is a leader, not a follower.

  I don’t need there to be two chiefs.

  But he got ahead of me, he got ahead of my team, and I’d rather know his every move than try to counter them. He would be an asset to my goals, but would he be dangerous to me?

  “In return for?”

  “This.” He twists my loose hair in his hand, pulling my head back firmly. Capturing my mouth with his, he kisses me deeply and with purpose, every lick and nip of his teeth strategic to rid me of my reservations. To remind me what it’s like to be with him.

  To remind me that he’ll take it all, if I let him.

  “You want me to trade my body for an ounce of respect from you?” I guard myself in offense, jerking away from his lips.

  His face is serious and he wraps his other arm around me so I can’t go anywhere without a lot of concentrated effort.

  “I respect you immensely, Naja. You’re fierce, extremely intelligent, and you fight for what you believe in.”

  I don’t let the words soften me. I keep my belligerent expression, even if my blood is roaring from being pressed against him. The towel is too flimsy to contain his thick erection.

  “If you meant those things, you wouldn’t name such a demeaning price.”

  “Does it feel demeaning to you when I touch you?” His brows are dark, annoyed slashes over his eyes and challenge flares in his gaze. “And don’t bullshit me.”

  I open my mouth to do just that, but I decide against it.

  “You could ask for anything else, yet you’re asking for my body.”

  “I could ask for anything else, you’re right. Do you want to know why I’m asking for your body?” He drops his lips to my neck. “Because I know how much you want me, and you need to convince yourself that you didn’t have another choice.”

  “You make me sound weak.” And yet, my voice sounds that way on its own.

  “No, just too stubborn for your own damned good. And you know,” He licks the delicate shell of my ear, “how good we are together. It’ll only get better. You know that too.”

  I squeeze my thighs and my eyes shut, at a crossroads. If I give in to him this way, he’ll think he has some type of power over me. If I don’t, he won’t tell me where Lightwell is, and she’s an integral part of finding out exactly why we were vulnerable that day.

  “This is coercion.”

  “This is a way for us both to get what we want.”

  “And you want me?”

  Idiot, how insecure can you sound?

  “I want you in every way you’ll let me have you.” Thick lashes, a proud nose, and sensuous lips—he’s too damn good-looking.

  “This is all it can be between us.” I relent quietly, putting up the last walls that I can. “I’m not in the market for love or commitment. We do this, we get revenge, and we part ways.”

  “Justice.” He narrows his eyes, fingers stroking the back of my neck.

  I look at him silently, resolute in what I meant.

  “I said what I said.”

  He shakes his head lightly, a smile playing at his lips. “One more thing.”

  “What else could you possibly want?”

  “Your submission.”

  I’m going to stab him.

  6

  Elias

  There’s a jaunt in my step today. I notice it, and I know my guys will notice it too. I’m just waiting on the inevitable ribbing, but I don’t give two flying fucks.

  “Samir, what the fuck happened to your lip?” August stares at me as I walk into the office, a sheaf of papers in his hand.

  Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

  “Someone busted it for me.” I shrug, grinning even though it hurts like a bitch. “Grab Will and Hayes, will you? New developments.”

  “Will do, boss.”

  I’ve been with the bureau for almost eight years now, and I’ve proved myself enough that I get a little more leeway than other agents might.

  Everyone knew how close I was to Shadi, so they didn’t bat an eye when I said I needed to step away from the job for a little bit. Most of them just didn’t realize that I was doing searching on my own.

  Hayes and Will helped me out when I needed guys on Naja’s sister, Nova, and I know I can trust them. I brought August on, we’ve known each other since the academy, and I know I can count on him.

  With what I know now, it’s time to close ranks. Only essential people need to be looped in on what’s happening going forward.

  I don’t want to put Naja in jeopardy either, so it’s even more imperative that this stays quiet. I don’t know as much about her background as I should. When I went to search her, it gave me a clearance level that was above me, so whatever I learn additionally will have to be from her lips if I don’t want to take this higher up.

  The higher I go, the more chance there is of foul play, so I’m just hoping she comes around to trusting me.

  “Hayes isn’t in yet, but I left him a message,” Will speaks, following August into my office and shutting the door. I sit at my desk and take out folders from my briefcase as they drop down into chairs. I plop them on my desk.

  “Last night, Hayes and I picked up Victoria Lightwell,” I start, because it’s the most important thing and it’s going to take them a little time to absorb it.

  “Is that how you got that busted lip? You kidnapped a senator?” Will’s eyes are wide and he’s looking at me like I’ve lost the little bit of sanity I had left.

  “No, she was sedated and completely unaware.”

  “So…how did
you kidnap her?” August leans forward, intrigued but wary.

  “Well…someone else laid the groundwork; we just finished it…without their permission.”

  “Someone else?”

  “An ally. You’ll meet them soon enough.” I hope. Naja busted my lip with her forehead and then she stalked out, slamming my front door. I haven’t heard from her today.

  I thought for sure she’d go through the window.

  “Let me see if I’m following you here. You not only kidnapped a senator and stashed her god knows where, but you stole her from someone else? Are you itching to get your badge stripped and labeled a traitor?” Will rubs a palm over his face, shocked. “When you went off your rocker last year, I supported you. But this is a new kind of crazy, brother.”

  “I wouldn’t say stole, more like borrowed for safekeeping and incentive.” I push a folder towards each of them, and they open them silently, scanning the contents. August is the first to curse, throwing the folder back onto the desk and rubbing his chin.

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah.” I sit down finally, unbuttoning my suit jacket automatically.

  “Lightwell can’t be behind all of this.”

  “Why not? Because she donates to childrens’ hospitals, sits on the board of multiple charities, and runs on a platform about empowering woman and standing up for the little guys?”

  “Well, yeah,” Will says, like it’s obvious. “This would be a clusterfuck and we’d be standing right in the middle of it. And is it supposed to go unnoticed that she’s not around for however long you intend on having her?”

  “Senate’s not in session, she’s a single woman with no kids. From what I understand, it’s been made to look like she’s taking a small vacation and doesn’t want to be disturbed. It follows with her behavior, so as long as we wrap this up as quickly as possible, we won’t have a problem.”

  “You’ve just thought all of this out, huh. When were you going to loop us in?” August demands.

  “When I was certain we’re not just fucking up our careers on a hunch.”