by C. A. Szarek
After her demand, Nate was shocked she was letting him tease her. She moved with him, her dark eyes heavy, gorgeous face flushed.
Their sexes touched, brushed and rubbed, but never merged. His blood boiled.
“Tease,” Lee moaned.
“Me?” Nate’s amusement didn’t come across in the grunted word.
Lee grabbed his ass and yanked him forward.
The tip of his cock parted her folds, but the angle was wrong for entry. They both moaned.
“Let me help,” he groaned. He gripped his erection, positioned himself and slid into her to the hilt.
God, she was tight, and so wet. Hot. Gripped him.
Nate circled his hips and her sex clenched around him as she climaxed again. He sucked in a breath and stilled. He had to, or it would have been over for him, too.
“Oh, my God,” Lee breathed.
Her nails sank into his forearms and she whimpered, but he didn’t care if she made him bleed. “Angel…damn…I didn’t even move yet.”
Lee writhed and her breasts lifted as she panted, the tight buds of her nipples catching his gaze. The brown colour of her areolae was darker than the bronze skin of the rest of her gorgeous body. Nate wanted to lick her there, suck on her again.
He lowered his head, hovering over her mouth. “Did I get you that hot and bothered?” His dick pulsed inside her, threatening to blow.
“You’re still a tease,” she said against his lips. Lee crushed her mouth into his, burying her tongue deep and cutting off his ability to give in to a laugh. At the same time, she tightened her legs around his waist and shoved her hips up.
Nate met her second thrust. Their bodies took over, carrying them higher. He propelled forward again and again, but was lost in her. Her skin, her scent, the slant of her lips moving under his. Every inch of her supple form touching his, heating him, driving him.
Lee had claimed him, even if she couldn’t say so.
Branded him.
One more powerful lunge forward and he was a goner. His spine tingled and his balls jerked. Then Nate’s release shot deep inside her.
She joined him in orgasm again, a gasp breaking the seal of their mouths as Lee’s whole body contracted beneath his.
They held each other tight, her arms and legs wrapped around him as he pinned her to his chest. He stroked her thigh and hip as Lee made lazy circles on his sweaty back. Tremors shook his frame and Nate buried his face against the damp, overheated skin of her neck.
Muscles lax and heavy, he collapsed on the bed. Tried to roll to his side so he wouldn’t crush her, but Lee held onto him as if for dear life.
Their hearts beat in tandem, and Nate couldn’t form a coherent thought, let alone an intelligent word, but he wanted to say something to her. Anything.
Too bad every phrase contained the L-word.
She never clung to him like this, not even after all the times they’d been together.
“Angel?” He lifted his face and met her eyes.
Lee smiled. “I like when you call me angel.”
Emotion threatened to bowl him over. Nate swallowed. He pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth that melted into a slow dance for their tongues. Heated and meaningful, it made him wish his cock was ready to go again, despite the satiation in his bones.
He slipped from her body against his will, but pulled her closer. Lee nestled into him and closed her eyes.
“Thank you.”
She didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. Nate kissed her temple and ran his fingers through her long, dark hair.
Silence settled over them and he started to drift off.
“Don’t leave me,” she whispered. Her voice was thick, her cheek plastered to his right pec.
He stilled, palm against her hair. “Lee?”
Her dark eyes locked onto his. “Don’t leave me.”
Not as good as I love you, but he’d take it. Nate cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly. “You couldn’t make me leave you, angel.”
A ghost of a smile played at her lips and kicked his heartbeat up a notch. She nodded and moved closer, resting her leg, bent at the knee, between his. Lee pressed a kiss to his chest before putting her head back down. Next to her cheek, her fingertips teased his sparse golden curls and he shivered.
“Cold?” Her warm breath danced across his skin.
Nate’s nipple tingled, started to harden.
Lee noticed, rubbing the blunt peak with her thumb.
“Not cold. Hey, now. That tickles.”
She scooted up, entwining her fingers on his chest and propping her chin on top. Lee flashed a lopsided grin that made his stomach flip. “Yeah?”
He chuckled and caressed her cheek. “Yeah.”
She sighed. “Too damn bad, ‘cause I like touching you even if it tickles. Tasting you. Being with you like this.”
“Oh?”
Her expression slipped into sheepish, and she averted her gaze.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered, tugging on her earlobe so she’d meet his eyes.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Lee paused, but her breasts rose and fell against him as if she’d taken a deep breath. “It’s better than fucking.”
Nate froze and his heart skipped.
First ‘Don’t leave me’, then a confession?
Was he finally getting through to her?
Would Lee admit she felt something for him?
Nate needed to temper his answer. The last thing he wanted was to freak her out and have Lee pull away from him. Shut him out.
Normal. Be normal.
She wasn’t ready for him to bare his heart. His instinct shouted it.
He ignored the need for a fortifying breath and prayed she couldn’t see right through him. Nate tweaked her nose and flashed a grin. “Told you so.”
Lee hovered over his body and kissed him.
He pulled her closer and kissed her back.
Chapter Eighteen
The clip-clop of heels jolted Jeremy awake. He opened his eyes and blinked to orient himself, looking around. A tall brunette wearing a business suit and carrying a briefcase passed him without so much as a head nod. Her shoes were even louder, reverberating in his ears.
A clean, astringent scent tickled his nose.
Ah, got it.
Hospital corridor.
Outside Evan’s room.
He made it to his feet and stretched out his back, swallowing a yawn.
Shit. Must’ve drifted off.
Not like Evan was in danger from anyone but Jeremy, so the nap hadn’t hurt anything. Caselli still trusted him to carry out his orders to kill his partner.
For now.
Today’s my last day…
“Morning, Stewart.”
Jeremy whipped his head around and met a pair of deep blue eyes.
Petite and blonde, Special Agent Delina Kirk held out a huge cup from Starbucks. She smiled. She was dressed casually in jeans and a black, long-sleeved button-down.
Forcing himself to be polite, he thanked her for the coffee and took a sip. “Morning.”
“Have a good night?” Her smile widened. His teammate was in a good mood.
“It was quiet.”
“Good. How’s Roberts?” Kirk glanced into the hospital room he’d given up on being inside at about midnight.
Jeremy hadn’t been able to endure sitting there, five feet from his best friend.
Evan was too silent, too still.
Every glance at the beard on his face, his hands lying helpless beside him, the slow rise and fall of his chest. The blanket cocooned his torso and legs. Not even his feet shifted. As if he was already in a coffin, instead of simply asleep. The peace Evan seemed to exude was a lie.
All of it made guilt twist Jeremy’s gut.
Lights and noises from the monitors had made him jittery. In the chair, his leg had started to shake, then his hands and arms had twitched until he’d hopped up. He’d dragged the seat into the hallway, sitting where Smythe had the other
day.
Evan was supposed to be dead right now.
He’d almost done it. Downs had interrupted him—saved him from it.
Temporarily.
Jeremy’s thoughts swirled. Chaos he couldn’t make much sense of.
What did Downs want?
Did he know something that would fuck Jeremy even more?
A tremor threatened to bowl him over and he swallowed hard.
No.
He’d tidied up his gambling problem. His debts were paid, and no one in the FBI was any the wiser. At the scene of the apartment, he’d staged it like the pro he was. Not one little red flag. Jeremy had read the report. He was free and clear. Evan’s missing cell phone hadn’t even come to light.
Downs knew nothing. He couldn’t.
“Stewart?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah?”
“How’s Roberts?”
Shit.
The repeated phrase made Jeremy remember she’d asked him that already. He’d left her hanging. “No change.”
Kirk nodded. Her blue eyes were sympathetic, but her expression, her whole body, was still upbeat. She was stoked about something.
Her mood was too good for someone doing nothing but standing guard over an injured teammate for the next twelve hours.
“Something’s up,” Jeremy said.
“You’re right.” She beamed, showing every tooth in her damn head.
“Spill it.”
“Let’s step inside.” Kirk thumbed towards Evan’s room.
Jeremy nodded, following her inside without a word.
She closed the door and whirled around, her eyes bright. “We got a warrant.”
Chills raced up and down his spine.
She didn’t need to tell him more.
Caselli.
A warrant to arrest Antonio Rodolfo Aldo Caselli, Junior.
For murder.
She stared, her smile falling off a bit when Jeremy didn’t react. “You okay? You paled out.”
“I did? Sorry.” He blew out a breath and dragged his hand down his face. Stubble grazed his palm. “Just…shocked. After all this time. We finally got him.”
“I know! It’s awesome!”
“It’s great. Hard work paid off.”
Kirk nodded, but her gaze was keen. Like she could see right through him.
“Look, I gotta go.” Jeremy strode past her without waiting for an answer. Ignored the look on her face that shouted she thought he was nuts.
He rushed down the hallway, ditching the full coffee cup in the nearest trashcan. His thighs shook when he paused at the elevator and punched the down arrow, so he rubbed sweaty palms dry and licked his lips.
What the fuck am I supposed to do now?
“Just get outta here.” Jeremy tried not to bounce in place as he waited for the damn elevator.
Where is it? Where is it?
An elderly couple stood arm in arm next to him, also waiting. The man kept throwing him furtive glances.
Rather than smile to reassure the geezer when he protectively pulled the old lady closer, under his thin arm, Jeremy ignored the couple. Only manners long instilled by his mom made him allow them to get on first when the stainless steel doors finally opened. He couldn’t keep his knuckles from rapping the handicapped rail, which only made the blue-haired woman glare at him.
He dashed into the basement level of the parking garage in no time, but the tremors in his body refused to subside. Fingers fumbling, he dug his cell from his pocket.
Jeremy paced, phone plastered to his ear as soon as he was in sight of his parking spot.
Damn good thing his cell had a signal by the glass double doors leading into the hospital. He’d still have to keep his voice low. There was no one around, but the area was far from secluded.
His first call went unanswered.
So did the second.
He could hear the sound of the girders above him clunk and shift as cars drove over them. Bitter wind whistled by, burning his ears, and he shivered, forcing his boots in a straight line.
Jeremy whirled around, going back towards the hospital doors. He stopped short of returning inside, falling back into the pacing.
“Think. Think. Now.”
Need to go. Need to go. He chanted in his head, but he had to make a decision first.
Shit.
“They’ve—we’ve—really done it. A warrant.” The shock in his own voice made him shake his head as the winter cold formed tears at the corners of his eyes. The wind tore through the garage again. Pacing wasn’t keeping him warm.
The crime boss they’d been investigating for years was going to go down because he couldn’t bear to let someone else kill his attorney. Because it was personal, obviously.
Whether or not Caselli wanted to admit it, there was no other logical conclusion. And the idiot was conceited enough to not have even considered getting caught. Although, normally Caselli was smarter than such reckless behaviour. He’d risked a great deal being out in the open like that. Doing something himself was new.
For years, that’d been the only reason the man was free to run his empire. They hadn’t been able to get him with blood on his hands.
Sure, the RICO stuff had kept him in court from time to time. But it was red tape, technicality stuff. With endless income and a fantastic legal team—led by Fiato, of course—Caselli had never seen the inside of a jail cell.
But this… The FBI had video. Actual evidence. Proof.
Caselli couldn’t have an out.
And now the bastard wasn’t answering the phone. He’d never missed a call from Jeremy before. No matter the hour. And half past seven wasn’t all that early.
“Fuck.”
Jeremy ended the fourth call—or was it the fifth?
The generic, robotic voice started to state the number he’d called, but he slammed his thumb on the red end icon on his touch screen. No voicemail. Why bother?
Could Caselli already know about the warrant? Had the man disappeared upstate? Out of state? Maybe out of the country?
He owned several yachts and two Learjets.
“No way. How could he know?” He tightened his grip on the cell.
Why do you care?
Wouldn’t Caselli’s arrest fix his sitch?
“No.”
It really wouldn’t. Even if the bastard went quietly—yeah, like that would happen—he’d blame Jeremy. Accuse him of helping the FBI—his team.
Have him killed.
Orders could be carried out even if the boss was in prison.
The clock on his phone’s screen taunted him. He was going to be late to meet with Downs.
Jeremy didn’t know what Clint Downs wanted, but not showing would lend suspicion. The other agent would think he’d run. But could he know why?
He’d convinced himself Downs knew nothing.
But… Maybe the guy knew when the team was going to serve the warrant. Insider info. And why the fuck hadn’t he just asked Kirk? He couldn’t go back inside now to find out—she already thought he was crazy.
Jeremy tripped over his feet as he paced but managed not to fall on his face. Gnawed on his thumbnail until one tug too many shot pain up into his joint.
What the fuck am I going to do?
He glanced at the black Dodge Charger parked up against the retaining wall about ten feet away. His duty car was FBI standard issue. Government plates. Could spot the damn thing from a mile away.
His cell told him three minutes had passed.
“Wasting time. Wasting time.” His voice was frantic to his ears. He shoved his phone in his pocket and surveyed the garage. Still no one in sight.
Jeremy hit the street. He slipped his sunglasses on to block out the bright winter morning. The sunshine belied the bitter temperature and he hunkered down in his jacket. People rushed by on foot so he tried to stick to one side of the sidewalk.
When he got to the corner, he hailed a cab.
He had two choices… Caselli or Do
wns.
Which one would fuck him more?
* * * *
“I can’t get a hold of Downs.” Her dark eyes were wide when they met his gaze. Lee’s body jerked as she moved across the kitchen. She was fighting tremors.
Nate’s instinct was to calm her, but she’d pull away if he put his hands on her. Although her panic was contained, he could see it, sense it. “Voicemail?”
“I left three. Cell and direct line at the office. Then I called the receptionist. Nothin’. Talked to Smythe, too. No one has seen my partner this morning.”
“What about Special Agent Barnes?”
“I don’t want Liv to know something’s up, so no. Not calling her.”
“You don’t know something is up, angel.”
Lee shook her head. “Clint always answers his cell.”
“What about being off grid?” Nate kept his voice as even as he could.
“When I leave him a message at night, he always gets back to me first thing in the morning. Actually, it’s usually the ass crack of dawn. He gets up at five to run.”
Nate laid the iPad flat and rose from the table. Reached for her hand.
Lee came to him, entwined their fingers, but she shook her head again. “No. Something’s wrong. I can feel it. I don’t like this.”
“Stewart?”
She sucked in a breath and stepped closer. “The meet was this morning. That’s all I know.”
“Your partner knows what he’s doing, angel.”
Lee made a fist with her free hand and rapped Nate’s chest. “Dammit, Downs.” Her voice was low, thick with emotion.
His stomach fluttered. He drew her into an embrace. Even though she didn’t fight him, she didn’t wrap her arms around him, either.
“I need to go.” The whisper was so slight he’d almost missed it. Nate froze. When their gazes locked, her midnight orbs begged him.
“I’m going with you.” Words tumbled out of his mouth without thought. Or pause. He’d stay by Lee’s side no matter what.
She didn’t argue, but she was silent—too silent. Unnamed emotions flickered across her face, danced through those dark eyes.
“I can’t go. I have to go.” Lee chewed her bottom lip.