Culmination (Clandestine Affairs, #3)

by Tessa Teevan

  The thoughts consumed me from the moment I left Helene in my hotel room and went in search of Brie, and they didn’t stop even after I knew she was okay. Yeah, I was preoccupied wondering what the hell Adrian’s deal with her was, but even after she was safe in my arms, my mind couldn’t stop racing with questions.

  I hadn’t even realized I was freaking out until she calmed the storm raging inside me. But even with Adrian out of the picture, there was still so much we had to uncover. So much more I had to tell her.

  God, I’ll be so glad when this is all over.

  The next morning, I awake to the sound of Brie leaping off the bed and rushing to the bathroom. A groan echoes across the hall, and I rise quickly, feeling sympathy pains for her. When I find her hunched over the toilet and moaning, I wince and make my way to her. As she empties the contents of her stomach, I hold her hair behind her head and gently rub her back.

  When she’s finally done, she sits back on her heels and gives me a weak smile. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t hate you right now.”

  I laugh and scoop her up, setting her on the counter. Then I offer her a glass of water, which she takes and rinses her mouth out.

  “In six months, you’ll remember why you love me,” I tell her. “Or, well, you may really hate me for a few hours, but then, when you’re holding our little one in your arms, you’ll remember.”

  “I just hope all this is behind us by then.”

  Though I couldn’t agree more, it’s the last thing I want her thinking about right now, especially after having just gotten sick. I lean in and press a quick kiss to her forehead. “By then, this will all be a distant memory.”

  “Promise?” she asks, her soft eyes gazing up at me.

  I press my forehead to hers. “I promise, Brie. We’re going to end this. Once and for all.”

  God, I wish we could stay in this moment forever.

  She smiles up at me, her eyes alight for the first time in far too long. “I believe you,” she whispers. “And when this is over, I can’t wait to be our little family of three. Heck, I still need to meet your parents!” Her eyes widen at the thought.

  I chuckle, even though the idea has my stomach in knots. “Babe, you’ll meet them soon enough. And they’ll love you, I promise.”

  Before she can continue this line of conversation, I grab her toothbrush and hold it out to her.

  “I love you, baby, and even when you’re puking, you’re sexy as hell. But I want to kiss you right now, and well, you know…”

  She laughs, hopping down from the counter. “What, Matthews? A little morning sickness and you can’t kiss me?”

  I know I’m supposed to say something romantic here about how a little bad breath is worth it if it means my lips are on hers. But I don’t. Because while I’m all about swapping bodily fluids with Brie, I draw the line at that. So, instead, I bring my lips to her temple, trailing kisses down her jawbone until I’m nibbling on the lobe of her ear.

  “Would you kiss me after I puked?”

  Her shoulders shake with laughter, and when she pushes me away to put toothpaste on her brush, I have my answer.

  Moments later, Brie’s arms wrap around my waist and she rises onto tiptoes, her lips capturing mine in a long, intoxicating kiss. When I pull away, I grin down at her.

  “See, minty fresh. So much better.”

  She playfully frowns and it’s moments like these I want to capture forever. Right now, we’re just two people in love, sharing our morning, sharing our life. I never thought domesticity would be the thing for me, yet here I am. And in less than a year, not only will we be sharing our lives together, but we’ll be raising a baby.

  I never thought much about kids. Not until the doctor told us Brie was pregnant and we weren’t sure the baby was okay. In a split second, I went from never considering them to knowing my heart would break if the child we’d made together didn’t survive the car crash.

  Now? It’s all I can think about, nearly every waking moment. I’d lock Brie away in some faraway place if I could. Just until this mess with Theo is sorted out. At the same time, I don’t think I can handle life without her by my side for a single second. Yesterday, our time apart when she was with Adrian was nearly my undoing, and I’m not putting myself through that again.

  That’s why, against my better judgment, I make a decision I hope I won’t come to regret.

  When I walk into the room, Brie is laying clothes out on the bed: gray leggings and a long, hunter-green tank top layered under a thin, brown cardigan. She’s clad only in the lacy bra and the panties she wore to bed. Her hair’s still mussed from sleep, and while she’s always beautiful to me, I frown at the dark circles under her eyes. She tries, but she can’t hide the stress from her expression. I hate this for her. I hate this for us, and the thought of this continuing any longer than necessary is unacceptable to me.

  Leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, I fold my arms and say her name. She glances away from the television, her eyes meeting mine.

  “Do you think you’re up for investigating today? I’d be more than happy to leave you here if you’re still not feeling well, but I’d feel better with you by my side.”

  She rubs circles on her belly and smiles at me. “I think I’ll be okay. And since Dr. Sheridan showed up, I’d also rather be with you.” She winces. “It’s not that I’m scared of her. She was always a great doctor, but it’s just creepy, him sending her here. He really does know everything, doesn’t he?”

  Her shoulders shudder as if the thought sends chills down her spine. Before I can reassure her, her eyes go wide with alarm and she rushes to me, her hands gripping my biceps with a firm force I wouldn’t have expected from her tiny hands.

  “Rafe, oh my God. I can’t believe this didn’t cross my mind yesterday, but he sent her here. Not only does he know we’re in Chicago, he knows exactly where we’re staying. We have to go to another hotel immediately!”

  The words rush out and I hear the panic in her voice. My hands come up to rest on her shoulders, and I catch her eyes, hoping she sees the calm in them. “I thought of that last night, and if he could find us here, he’ll find us anywhere. Plus, he’ll just have more questions for me if we move suddenly after he sent someone here. The best we can do is continue searching for your father’s clues while also trying to lie as low as possible.”

  Brie pulls her lower lip between her teeth and nibbles on it, her nerves getting the best of her. “If you’re sure,” she finally says.

  I squeeze her shoulders. “I’m sure, Brie. And I promise you you’re safe with me. I will always protect you.”

  She takes in a deep breath then nods. “You’re right. I know you are. So…where do we start first?”

  When I grin down at her and use my thumb to lift up the strap of her bra, she giggles.

  “We have work to do, Rafe. God, it’s like this pregnancy made you the insatiable one.”

  But she’s the one pouting when I pull away and walk into the bathroom, leaving her hanging.

  Then I turn and grin at her. “Come on, babe. Before we do anything, you need a relaxing bath.”

  She frowns, placing a tiny hand on her hip, faking a glare in my direction. “First, you won’t kiss me until I brush my teeth. Now, you’re forcing me to bathe before taking me to bed and fucking me? God, Rafe, you could give a pregnant girl a complex,” she teases.

  Then she teases a bit more as she slowly unclasps her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She wiggles just enough for her beautiful breasts to bounce, and suddenly, I have a vision of her belly full and round with our child, her tits huge and supple.

  Hell, I’m suddenly regretting this bath idea. Even more so when she hooks both thumbs into the material at the sides of her waist and slowly, God, ever so slowly, reveals every inch of her gorgeous pussy. My eyes follow the along with the lace as it slides down, down, down her beautiful, toned legs until she’s stepping out of them, one delicate foot at a time. She kicks them to
the side then stands up in all her naked glory.

  And fuck me, I’m ready to sing “Hallelujah” and worship the ground she walks on.

  Even though I’m eager—and torn—about either getting her into bed or getting to work to end this madness, I resist my urges and draw her a bath. She frowns again when I order her to soak while I call down to room service for breakfast.

  “You’re really not letting me get my way, are you?”

  I just shake my head, and she disappears into the bathroom in an adorable huff.

  We spend the next hour like any couple on vacation: eating, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. After I hold out the last piece of bacon to her, Brie rolls over and pats her belly.

  “Oh, God, I’m stuffed. I can’t possibly eat any more. Even if it is bacon.” She sips her tea and watches as I devour it before she can change her mind. “So we haven’t talked about yesterday. Did you find anything at the house while you were there? Were you able to get in?”

  After everything with Adrian, I completely forgot spending time in her hometown, where I searched for answers to her father’s clue.

  “Babe, come on,” I say, lifting my hands in the air and gesturing towards myself. “What do you think?” I have to duck when Brie throws a pillow at my head.

  “Okay, Rafe. Sorry I forgot you’re a badass superagent with some secret government agency that doesn’t even have a name. Of course you got in,” she replies, adding a cute little eyeroll for emphasis.

  I grin and rise from the bed, grabbing my phone from the table where I left it last night. When I find the photo, I toss the phone to her. “I know nothing about art, but that’s the painting in question. Do you know what it means?”

  She nibbles on her bottom lip while she studies it, zooming in and out and then using her own phone to do research. “I should know this,” she says, glancing at me, “but I’m racking my brain and it’s just not coming to me.”

  I squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. “It’ll come to you. Keep studying. I’m going to check in with the office before we head out.”

  I don’t really need to check in, but I don’t want her to feel pressured or in a rush. After grabbing my agency phone, I hit speed dial for Agent Howard and wait for him to answer.

  “Matthews, what do you have for me?” he asks in a clipped, hurried tone.

  “I was hoping you had something for me,” I say, tension filling my head with an ache I don’t need right now.

  “Fuck.”

  I echo his sentiments. “We’re close. I can feel it, but until this mess is over with, I’m going to be on edge. Have you asked your boss about an undercover bodyguard for Brie?”

  He lets out a breath, and I have my answer. “He’s not convinced Ms. Latham is at a big enough risk to warrant it.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I clip. “God dammit, Howard, she almost fucking died. Does he need to be holding a gun to her head before she’s in enough of a risk to warrant it?”

  “Phillips,” he warns.

  I grind my teeth, holding back the rest of my tirade because it’s not Howard’s fault. I know our boss. He’ll do anything to close another case, even if it means dangling an innocent civilian out there to bring the villain out of hiding. That’s probably why he’s the fucking boss, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Good thing Brie’s with me on this.

  Quickly, I recount Adrian’s conversation with Brie and then hold my breath, hoping it’ll be enough.

  “And, another thing, Howard.” I pause, wondering just how much I should let on. “Adrian’s mother came by my hotel room yesterday afternoon.”

  Beats of silence tick by before Howard blows out a low whistle.

  “You’re telling me that Helene Morningstar is here? In Chicago? And she came to see you?” he asks, traces of excitement filling his voice. “The department’s been trying to get in touch with her for nearly a decade. We assumed Morningstar had gotten to her before she could leave the country again. Hell, we thought she was dead. Another victim in a long line of them for the man.”

  “She’s here, if the woman is who she says she is.” At that, I contemplate what I know—or at least what I thought I did until her declaration sent me reeling. And I know she was telling the truth.

  Howard, however, doesn’t need to be privy to that information, at least not until the case is over. If that information falls into the wrong hands… I don’t even want to contemplate what could happen.

  “A decade?” I ask. “I thought she left when Adrian was just a toddler? And what do you mean, again? She’s been in and out of the country before?”

  My minds twists like the inner workings of a grandfather clock, spinning in slow motion as if the act will somehow help me understand what he’s trying to say. And when Howard speaks again, I can practically see him waving his arm in dismissal.

  “Have you spent any time looking into her file?” he asks, and I have to admit the truth.

  “No. I wasn’t aware Helene Morningstar was a factor in this case. All I knew was she left Adrian when he was a kid and she had nothing to do with Theo or the business after that. Why? Should I have? I thought she was a dead end.”

  Howard doesn’t speak right away, and I wonder if I’m about to be reprimanded for not scouring every detail of Adrian’s and Theo’s lives. Why would I have wasted the time? Helene was inconsequential at the time. Or so I’d thought. Then I wonder, if I’d dug into her past, her file, would I have seen her picture and instantly felt some sort of connection there?

  “The woman’s always been a mystery to us. An enigma, if you will. You see, with her royal lineage, she had diplomatic immunity. For us to even bring her in for any line of questioning, no matter if she’s our target or not, would take an act of God the boss isn’t will to go after.”

  I frown. “Royalty? I was under the impression she was the daughter of some wealthy old tycoon.”

  He laughs. “Yes, that’s what Theo believed as well. Apparently, thirty years ago, he wasn’t quite as good at his research as he is now. Probably why he is now, if I think about it. Anyways, Helene Morningstar is the illegitimate daughter of some prince on one of those Greek islands or something in the Mediterranean. Or, well, she was. It’s almost something out of a fairy tale. Our prince, you see, had a wife who bore him a son. His heir. When he was in his late forties, his wife unexpectedly passed away. As he had an heir, had followed royal protocol with his first marriage, he said fuck it. Two years later, he was wed at the palace to the true love of his life, Helene’s mother.”

  “What the fuck?” I break in.

  His chuckle sounds in my ear. “I know. It’s hard to believe, even though we’ve seen much stranger things in our line of work. Story has it that the king, having witnessed both his son’s commitment to his royal duty and eventually the commitment to the woman he loved, embraced the couple and Helene was welcomed into the royal fold.”

  “You’re kidding me. I’m not all spun up on royal protocol, but I didn’t think people like that welcomed commoners.”

  “I don’t know all the gritty details, Matthews. Not my job to.”

  I run a hand over my face, scratching my stubble as I stand here, dumbfounded. This just keeps getting fucking better. What the hell would Adrian do if he found out he was royalty?

  Holy fuck. What the hell does this mean for me? For my kid?

  And when the fuck did my life become a dirty, ridiculous soap opera?

  He continues. “Anyway, so the bastard who should’ve been Princess Helene becomes Mrs. Theo Morningstar. Births a kid—Adrian, of course. A couple of years later, she disappeared from their lives. Back then, Theo wasn’t on the agency’s radar. It wasn’t until we were trying to piece together all the moving parts in this that we even started looking at her. But the Palace won’t let us get close to her, and as far I know, if she’s here now, it’s the first time she’s been back in over ten years.”

  “What do you think she wants?” I ask.

  He
doesn’t skip a beat. “I don’t know, Matthews. She came to you. Why don’t you tell me?”

  Hell, even if I wanted to tell him everything, I can’t.

  I’m at more of a loss than ever before.

  When I step back into the room, I expect to find Brie still lounging on the bed, but instead, she’s rushing around the room, her cheeks flushed pink, her breath ragged. She darts past me, almost as if she doesn’t see me standing there. I reach a hand out, catching her by the waist and pulling her into me.

  “Slow down, babe. What’s got you in a hurry all of a sudden?” I ask, pushing the conversation with Howard out of my brain. Whatever the deal is with Helene, it’s a problem for another day.

  Sleepy eyes blink up at me, and Brie twists, attempting to wiggle free from my grasp. When my arms don’t budge, she huffs. Then a broad smile breaks out onto her face. I’m about to joke that I’m not ready for seven more months of these mood swings when her hands clasp my face with excitement.

  “I’m such an idiot,” she informs me, her eyes shining bright.

  “You are?” I ask slowly, unsure and unwilling to agree. See, though I’m not used to being in a committed relationship, I learned early what not to say, especially to a hormonal pregnant woman who’s been on the rollercoaster of her life for the past two months. Fuck, really for the past four years, ever since her parents were so brutally murdered and taken from her life.

  She rolls her eyes at me. “I am,” she insists, and maybe she was rolling her eyes at herself. “I swear, it has to be pregnancy brain. And I have at least six more months of this. I can’t imagine how forgetful I’ll be by the time the baby’s born.”

  When my eyebrows furrow, she takes advantage of the way my arm loosened and pulls away.

  “Care to explain, baby?”

  Brie slides into her sandals, hooks her purse over her shoulder, then grins at me. “The painting. I remembered. Heck, I’m angry at myself I could ever forget. You shouldn’t have even had to go back to the house to figure it out. Hell, I sat in that dining room nearly every day for eighteen years. How could I have forgotten?”