Connie looked skeptical, but she didn’t press the issue.
“What about you?” she asked Devon. “Do you think you can give one hundred percent of your attention to Addison? Treat her like she’s the only thing you care about? Do anything she asks without question?”
Addison glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then stared down at her lap.
Not disgust, then. “I think I can pull that off.”
Chapter 10
“I think I can pull that off.”
Addison couldn’t get those seven little words out of her head. They repeated in her brain like a scratched vinyl record that kept skipping. It didn’t help that he’d started practicing as soon as they left the lounge and headed to the gate for their flight—helping her with her bag, resting his hand on her lower back while they walked. It was disconcerting. Confusing.
Arousing.
They were seated next to each other again—this time in business class, which definitely had its perks.
“We should play twenty questions,” Devon said.
“Why?”
“So we can get to know each other better. We need to know intimate details about each other. Where you’re from, past lovers.” His gaze dropped to her lips, and his tongue darted out. “Favorite sexual positions.”
She got that whoosh feeling low in her abdomen that gathered between her legs. Her mouth became dry, and she fought the urge to lick her own lips or give him any indication the conversation affected her. “Why do you need to know that?”
“We’re going to be in close proximity with each other. In very intimate situations. If we’re going to pull this off and get your brother and all of us out safely, we have to be comfortable with each other.”
It made sense. Or she wanted it to make sense, so she made it make sense.
The flight attendant announced they’d reached ten thousand feet and could move around the cabin at the same time the fasten seat belt sign turned off.
Devon unbuckled his seat belt. “We have nine hours, give or take. We have time to work on it.” He got up and went to the bathroom.
Addison pinched her bottom lip between her fingers and stared in the direction Devon went until Connie surprised her by sitting in his seat.
“Hey,” Addison said.
“Don’t worry, I’m not staying,” Connie said.
“No. I wasn’t—”
“I’m teasing. How are you holding up?”
How to answer that question. “Nervous. Scared. Worried.”
Connie nodded, and her light brown hair swung around her shoulders.
Her looks were remarkably nondescript. Brown hair. Blue eyes with faint lines around the corners that indicated she wasn’t in her twenties, but Addison couldn’t have said if she was midthirties or midforties. Average build that wasn’t too voluptuous nor too athletic. Connie was pretty in an ordinary kind of way, as if she played down her looks. Which made Addison wonder again, who did Connie work for?
“How do you have all this information?” Addison asked. “Who do you work for? And why are they giving it to us?”
Connie stared vacantly for a few seconds. “I was in the Air Force for several years—that’s where I met Paige. I decided the military wasn’t really for me, and I ended up working for another agency.”
“CIA?”
“Something like that.” Her lips moved in a semblance of a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “When we get to the castle, you may be asked to do things that will make you uncomfortable. I will try to shield you as much as possible, but if it comes to you being uncomfortable or blowing our cover and jeopardizing this mission, I will sacrifice your comfort in a heartbeat. You and Devon need to get intimate.”
Addison blinked. Had she overheard their conversation?
“Whatever arguments you’re making in your head for keeping your distance? I need you to quit making them. I need you to get to that place where you can do what needs to be done without hesitation.”
She held Connie’s steady gaze. What places had this woman gone to? Addison nodded once.
“We’ll get your brother and Michael out safely, Addison. Trust me.”
She nodded again. Connie studied her for a few seconds before standing and easing into the aisle. “We’ll talk more later.”
Devon returned and watched Connie walk away before taking his seat. “Everything okay?”
“Yes. Just going over some things.” The cabin lights dimmed, and she reclined her seat back until it was almost horizontal. Yup, business class was perky.
Devon flattened his seat and spread a blanket over his legs, kicking off his shoes once he was prone. Adjusting the pillow under his head, he sighed and closed his eyes.
Addison turned on her side, facing Devon. Although short, his eyelashes were thick, a few shades darker than his hair. He hadn’t shaved in a day or two, and thick stubble covered the lower half of his face, giving him a rugged air. This close, she could see a small mole under his right eye.
Why was she fighting her attraction? Yes, the situation sucked. Fat, hairy monkey balls sucked, but that was an excuse. A familiar excuse, if she was honest. She always found a reason not to get involved with a guy. She was deploying soon. She’d just gotten back from deployment. She was coming up on orders. Her job was crazy, and she didn’t have time. If the guy was a civilian, he didn’t understand the military life.
They were all excuses. She dated and hooked up, but never let it go anywhere serious. She’d watched her friends get their hearts broken and convinced herself she was better off single. But why?
Her pulse kicked up a notch, and her stomach rolled with that queasy, nervous feeling she got when she was about to step outside her comfort zone.
“Devon?” she whispered. “Are you asleep?”
“Not yet.” He opened his eyes and turned his head. “What’s up?”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said—about getting to know each other.”
He rolled on his side, mirroring her position. “Okay.”
“So where do you want to start?” She needed him to make the next move.
A lazy smile played on his lips. “Have you ever been married?”
She shook her head. “No. You?”
“Briefly, for about three years,” he said.
“What happened?”
“I got orders to Joint Special Operations Command in North Carolina. She didn’t want to leave Virginia.”
Addison frowned. “Didn’t she know that was a possibility?”
“Yes, but apparently she was in denial. She was not…as invested in the relationship as I was. I wanted to make it work. She wanted to stay where she was.”
His voice didn’t hold any hint of longing or regret. More…resignation? Chagrin?
“Nobody since then?”
Devon didn’t answer right away. “Nobody serious.”
His pause made her wonder. Had there been someone he wanted to be serious with?
“What about you?” he asked. “Any serious relationships?”
“Not since college,” she said.
“That long?”
She shrugged. “The timing was never right.”
“What happened with the guy from college?” he asked.
“He was my high school boyfriend. We dated all through college. We were supposed to join the Air Force together, but he got in a car accident six weeks before Officer Training School and had to delay. He asked me to delay as well, but I went anyway. He changed his mind and sent me a Dear Jane letter instead of coming to my graduation.”
“What a dick,” he said.
She smiled at his response. “Yeah. A little bit. It all worked out for the best. He found a woman that fawns all over him, and that wouldn’t have been me.”
“What made you decide to join the Air Force and not the Navy, like Braedon?” he asked.
“Braedon enlisted right out of high school. I considered it, but I wasn’t sure if the military was the right ch
oice for me at the time, so decided to go to college first. Once I made the decision, I didn’t want there to be a chance of us being stationed together.”
“Why? I thought you guys were close.”
“We are, but people have a tendency to lump us together because we’re twins. They assume we’re the same or like the same things, even though we’re completely different from each other.”
“I’d say,” Devon agreed. “You’re much more attractive than he is.”
Addison grinned. “Tell me a secret. Something no one else knows about you.”
He opened his mouth and closed it as if second-guessing his answer. Finally, he said, “I follow your blog.”
She cocked her head. “My blog? My deployment blog?” No one followed her blog except Braedon, her parents, and a few of her friends.
“Yeah. Braedon shared one of your posts from your first trip to Afghanistan. The one about the coiled shit.”
It took her a moment to remember. That was on her second deployment, close to ten years ago. She had a hard time recalling it, but he did?
“Oh, yeah.” She chuckled. “That was gross. Thankfully, it only happened once.”
His eyes flashed, and his gaze dropped to her mouth. “Your turn.”
His voice was low and rough, and her body responded, sending a surge of heat to her core. She licked her lips, and he copied her, his gaze never leaving her mouth.
Time to leap. “I like to have my ass played with during sex, but I’m not big on anal.”
“Fuck me.” His hand shot out and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her up and forward while he closed the distance.
She met his open mouth in the middle, her hand fisting in his shirt. His tongue thrust against hers, and she sucked it into her mouth, eliciting a deep growl. With the gentle pressure of his thumb on her jaw, he opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.
It went on and on, full of tongue and clashing teeth, sucking and biting until she was hot and achy. She wanted to be closer but the divider between their seats stopped her.
With a sharp inhale, he broke the kiss. “Scoot back.”
She unclenched her fist from his shirt and shifted as far back in the seat as she could, releasing her seat belt. He stood then lay down with her in her seat.
They fit, barely, in the wide seat by lying on their sides, facing each other. The higher sides of the aisle seat provided a semblance of privacy. Yeah—business class definitely had its perks.
Devon unbuttoned her pants and pulled the zipper down slowly. “Roll over and face the other way,” he said against her lips.
When she turned, he slid one arm under her neck and settled the blanket over them. Scraping his teeth against the column of her neck, he slipped his hand into the front of her pants.
“You’re gonna have to stay quiet,” he whispered.
“Okay.” She moaned when his rough fingers teased between her folds.
“Shh.” He teased the cleft, right at the top of her clit.
Easy for him to say. She pressed her ass back, and he responded by thrusting his erection against her.
He bent the arm under her neck and palmed her breast, grasping and releasing in time to the circles he rubbed around her clit.
Holy shit, she wasn’t going to last long. The pressure was gentle but consistent, like a whisper she strained to hear. And exactly where she needed it, as if he had a homing beacon dialed into her pleasure.
Addison gasped as the first stirrings of her orgasm gathered. Her hand found his thigh, and she dug her fingers in and rolled her hips, riding his fingers.
“That’s it, Addy,” he said in her ear. “You’re so hot and slick. I can’t wait till I have you alone. I’m gonna bury my face right here.” He swirled two fingers around her clit. “I can’t wait to taste you. Fuck you. Feel you while you come all over me.”
Devon thrust two fingers deep while his thumb pressed against her clit, and she detonated.
Her head fell back against his shoulder, and she pulled her lips between her teeth to keep from shouting as the spasms rolled through her.
He held her tight, slowly easing the pressure of his fingers as her orgasm subsided. “Beautiful.”
“What about you?” she whispered, pressing back against him.
“Not a good idea.” He straightened her pants and pulled the zipper up.
“Why not?”
“I’m a screamer.”
She couldn’t stop the surprised laugh that escaped.
He smiled and pressed a kiss against her neck. “Get some sleep, Addy. It’s going to be a long night when we get to Odesa.”
Chapter 11
Devon held Addison close as the golf cart wound its way up the hill. She’d started throwing up almost as soon as they’d left the dock in Odesa and hadn’t stopped until a few minutes ago. Her complexion was still sallow, but she sipped on the sparkling water the porter had provided.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded against his shoulder but didn’t open her eyes.
He stared up at the castle on top of the hill. Spotlights lit it from the base of the walls, and it loomed forebodingly over them as they approached. There was even a fucking drawbridge.
They stopped in the inner courtyard, and he wrapped an arm around Addison’s waist as they passed through the huge door. It must have been a good two inches of solid wood.
The entry was opulent—gleaming hardwood floors, antique tables, gold leaf-framed beveled mirrors reflecting the light from the largest crystal chandelier he’d ever seen.
“Constance, darling! I’m so glad to see you!” An older woman entered from a room to the right, arms outstretched as she approached. Her graying hair was pulled up in a fancy hairstyle, and even Devon could tell her form-fitting dress was expensive.
“Tsarevna.” Connie greeted the woman with a kiss on each cheek, European style. “I can’t thank you enough for the last-minute invitation.”
“It was my pleasure. Although I was under the impression you no longer attended these soirees.”
“Business has kept me busy, but I still take in the occasional event. When I heard about this weekend, I canceled all my plans on the off chance you’d let me come.”
Tsarevna narrowed her eyes. “How did you find out about this weekend?”
“I still talk to Alexei.”
The woman’s face relaxed. “Ah, dear Alexei. Is he still trying to make an honest woman of you?”
Connie’s lips turned up into a mocking smile. “As if he could.”
Tsarevna smirked, then looked behind Connie. “Please, introduce me to your guests.”
“Of course. This is my dear friend Paige—we’ve known each other for ages. And this is Addison, my protégé.”
“Are you all right, dear? You look a little pallid.” Her lip curled up with distaste.
“A small bout of seasickness. She’ll be fine after a rest.”
Tsarevna didn’t look impressed. “Hmm.” She shifted her attention to the men. “And who are these fine specimens of manhood?”
“This is my stylist, Aiden,” Paige said. “I never buy anything pretty without his approval.”
Graham stepped forward, hand outstretched. Tsarevna held out her hand, and he grasped her fingers, bringing her knuckles to his lips.
“Absolutely delighted. My, you are fabulous.” He turned to Paige. “If her selection is as on point as her style, we should be able to find you something absolutely exquisite.”
Devon barely kept his eyebrows from going into his hairline. Graham had softened his voice and exaggerated his Southern drawl enough he could have given any blue-blooded Charleston socialite a run for her money. Guess that answered the question of how they were going to avoid having to pretend a sexual relationship.
Tsarevna bought it, placing her hand against her chest and simpering. “Oh, you are a flatterer.”
“Never.” Graham winked.
Devon almost threw up in his mouth, but schooled his expres
sion when she gave him her attention.
“Mmmm. Please tell me you aren’t gay. I would be very disappointed.”
“No,” he said.
“I’ll have to carve out some time to take you to my playroom.” She ran a hand over his shoulder and down his arm.
Addison growled, and he tightened his grip on her waist.
Tsarevna’s eyebrow arched and she pursed her lips, glancing from Addison to Connie.
“You’ll have to excuse her. He’s the first toy she’s had all to herself,” Connie explained, “and she’s still a tad possessive. I’m hoping this weekend will show her men like him can be had anywhere.”
Tsarevna’s shoulders relaxed and she gave Addison and Devon another appraising look. “I remember when it was all so new and shiny. Perhaps they can give us a show before the main event.”
She clapped her hands together, and two men in tuxedos entered the foyer. “They will show you to your rooms. I’m sure you need to freshen up from your journey. Your luggage has already been delivered to your rooms.” She gestured for their group to follow the two men.
They moved through the door on the left and up a wide, marble staircase to the second floor, their footsteps silent on the plush oriental carpet.
He and Addison were shown to a room halfway down the hall, Graham and Paige directly across from them. Connie continued farther down.
Devon guided Addison into the room and closed the door firmly, turning the ornate, old-fashioned key in the lock.
“I—”
He placed his finger over his lips, shushing her. Opening his carry-on suitcase on the end of the king-sized bed, he pulled a small hand-held AM/FM radio from the inside pocket. The clothes were rumpled enough to confirm his suspicion that their bags had been searched before being delivered, which was why they hadn’t packed any high-tech equipment.
Turning the radio on, he spun the channel dial until there was no static, then walked around the room, holding it close to lamps, under tables, and near the wall sconces. It squawked on the lamps beside the bed and under the desk. He clicked it off and tossed it in his open suitcase.
Addison had remained near the door, her eyebrows pinched together and a frown on her face. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close and slid his mouth up her neck to her ear.
Truth In The Lie (The Leonidas Corporation Book 2) Page 7