“Why do they say that? Have you ever wondered? Sleep like the dead. I mean really, how could you know what the dead sleep like? Actually, the dead don’t sleep. They simply cease to exist. There is no restorative pause, no rejuvenation. You know what I mean? A better example would be to sleep like a bear. Because those suckers hibernate, you know? But–”
Gabriel lifted and dropped her onto her back. “I slept well.” He lowered to kiss her, but she turned her head. He pulled up immediately, trying to understand the sudden distance.
She put her hand over her mouth. “Morning breath.”
Gabriel blinked back his surprise. “I really don’t care.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“Do I look like I’m joking?” He stared back at her with what he prayed was a very serious expression on his face. God knew he was serious. He wanted to have sex with this woman in the worst possible way. Stopping to brush his teeth wasn’t exactly in his plans.
“No, you look grumpy. Are you always grumpy first thing in the morning? Do you need coffee?”
Gabriel rolled his eyes heavenward. “No, I’m not grumpy, and I don’t need coffee. I’m juiced.”
“Juiced?” She blinked at him as if he was speaking a foreign language.
He pulled back the sheet and allowed his hips to push forward. His heavy morning erection pushed into the side of her hip. “Yes. Juiced.”
“Oh!”
He rolled over her and stared at her. “Are you going to let me kiss you now?”
“Are you sure you want to?”
“Absolutely.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn–”
Gabriel lowered his lips to hers and whispered, “Stop talking.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he centered between her legs. Just where he wanted to be. His erection throbbed under him, but this morning wasn’t about him. She’d focused on his needs last night. This morning, he was going to focus on hers. She was still warm from sleep and smelled delicious. Her soft body wrapped around him like silk. Warm, soft, pliable, and absolutely beautiful.
This morning was definitely about satisfying her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to satisfy his desires. No, he wanted to claim every inch of her with his mouth. He wanted to taste her longing, quench his thirst for her with each kiss. He trailed kisses to her ear and laughed when she giggled and tried to pull away. A soft bite to her neck stilled her squirming. Her body blossomed under him, opening the more he explored. He took his time and worshiped her, paying particular attention to her extremely sensitive nipples. Fuck, the responses this woman gave. They were real, without pretense or games. If he had hours to explore, it probably wouldn’t be enough time to satisfy the burning attraction. He brushed his lips across her stomach. She sucked a quick breath, her muscles clenched, and she moaned. Her hips lifted under him. Tipping his head, he scraped his stubble lower as he let his breath move over her. He watched the skin at her hip react, tightening as he licked it and then blew a breath across the trail he’d just left. A shiver ran through her as her hands clenched in his hair. He made another pass, a bit lower. And lower still.
He settled between her legs and opened her with his fingers. She pushed toward him, her hands grasping his hair, trying to hurry him. That wasn’t going to happen. He’d missed the opportunity to discover all of this woman’s secrets six years ago, he’d be damned if that would happen again.
Her pink center glistened with her desire. He swept his lips against her inner thigh. So close to where she wanted him, but not quite. She arched her back, and the sound that escaped her sent a jolt through his cock. Wanton and needy, sensual and so fucking hot. Gabriel placed a tentative lick against her exposed skin.
“Yes. Please, please, stop teasing!” Her hold on his hair tightened again.
Teasing? Oh, no, this wasn’t teasing. This was discovery. Teasing would come later. His hips moved of their own accord, pushing his cock into the mattress when he finally lowered and tasted her properly. He spread her and made sure her swollen clit received the attention it needed. Her hips and his almost synched. Almost. Anna panted above him and then her body extended, stiffened and she bucked against his mouth in small sharp movements.
It was his intention to bring her to the brink again. It was his intent to spend hours pleasing her, but his intent and his need opposed each other in direct conflict. If he didn’t get in her soon, he’d lose his load on the mattress like a horny adolescent.
He retraced his way up her until their hips met. He ground his cock on her hip. “For the love of everything holy, tell me I can have you.” He growled his plea against her ear.
She flopped an arm and bounced it against the mattress, drawing his attention. “Drawer.” She sighed the word.
“Drawer?” He knew he looked confused, because, hello, he was.
“Condoms.” She stretched to reach the nightstand.
He leaned and stretched over, opening the drawer and pulling out a box of extra-large condoms. He sat up between her legs and opened the box. The pristine rows of foil packs were quickly ruined as he grabbed several and tossed the box and the packets onto the bed. He kept one and ripped it open, pinched the end and rolled it down his aching cock while she watched.
Her eyes were hooded, her body flushed, nipples erect and tight and her sex wet from his attention. Fuck, she was absolutely the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He dropped over her, propping himself up on his elbows. His hands cradled her head, and he held her gaze with his.
“You are absolutely stunning.” Gabriel leaned down; their lips joined as he rocked into her heat. The time it took to enter her was excruciatingly long and incredibly quick at the same time. He closed his eyes and drank in the grip of her body on his. A wave of… hell, it felt like electricity, flowed through his body when they kissed. This, this connection, the chemistry, the raw intensity of the sex, this was what he’d remembered for the last six years. His mind hadn’t exaggerated the memory. Hell, if anything he’d downplayed their night. He withdrew and rolled forward again. Their combined moan floated through their kiss. He lifted away because breathing was an absolute necessity.
He waited for her to open her eyes as he rolled forward and pulled back. Her legs clamped around the back of his thighs. Her heels pushed and her hips lifted as he came forward. Her pebble hard nipples brushed against his chest. Her hands traveled his shoulders and arms in an erotic dance of touch and sensation. Every single contact intensified his union with this woman.
She gasped, and her eyes popped open. Gabriel smiled. “Yeah, you going to go again, babe?”
“I… I think...” Anna’s body arched under him.
He threaded his arms under hers, gripped her shoulders, and lifted slightly to brace his knees on the bed. He thrust forward and was rewarded with a soft gasp, and her legs squeezing him tighter. His legs and arms were shaking. Perspiration rolled down his brow, and his body strained against the release it demanded, but he, fuck, he wanted her to go over first. He needed to be the one that she…
Her body tightened, her legs extended, and he saw the strain as she tried to reach her climax. He lifted to his knees, and the movement sent her arms to the bed. She instantly gripped the sheets, her head tossed in a silent, frustrated lament. Gabriel used her thighs to pull her up his legs. He leaned forward and rammed back into her. The change of angle triggered him. There was no way he could hold off. He slid his right hand down her leg, found her core, and the crowning nub. He massaged it in time with his thrusts.
Holy fuck! Anna’s body exploded and took Gabriel with her. He strained forward, letting himself go. Color burst behind his tightly clenched eyes. Brilliant white, followed by warm reds, echoed the sensations running through his body. It was a conscious decision to gasp for air because obviously, his lungs weren’t working right now. Fatigue manufactured by the extraordinary orgasm mandated he remain in a horizontal position. He dropped onto his elbows, keeping the majority of his weight off h
er.
“Dear merciful heavens. Last time wasn’t a fluke.”
Anna’s whisper brought a chuff of laughter from him. “No, not a fluke,” he agreed.
She tapped his shoulder. He lifted his head from her shoulder and open his eyes. Her eyes were wide, but he could see mischief in them. She looked left and then looked right before she whispered, “Just so you know, I want to do that again. Like, way more.”
The smile on her face lightened his soul. This woman made him feel alive. He couldn’t help the tease, “Like, totally more?”
She slapped his shoulder and rolled her eyes. “Yes, like, totally more.”
He bent down and kissed her pouting lips before he separated them to take care of the condom.
She sat up and stretched. “I could get used to waking up like that.”
“You wouldn’t hear me complain either.” He winked at her as he rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom to dispose of the condom.
“Hey, your pager is going off.”
Gabriel leaned out of the bathroom. “Does it have a 911 in front of the numbers?”
“Ah… hold on.” He heard her moving in the bedroom. “No.”
Thank God.
“Want some coffee and breakfast?” Naked and sexy Anna stood at the open bathroom door.
Gabriel shifted and wrapped his arms around her, walking her backward as he spoke, “Coffee, sex, breakfast, sex and then work. In that order.” He listed his agenda and glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
“We’ll be late.” Her arms traveled up his arms and her fingers linked around the back of his neck.
“Bet we won’t be.” He reached down, grabbed her pert ass in his hands, and lifted her up. She squealed and wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing him to carry her into the kitchen.
“What do I get when I win our bet?”
“Hmmm… dinner out?”
“Deal.” Anna dropped her feet to the linoleum floor in the kitchen and shimmied down his body in a move that would have made a stripper proud. It sure as hell made his day. He glanced at the clock. Two and a half hours, give or take fifteen minutes… they’d make it.
“You’re late. The teams in Libya have been reported near the border by friendly forces. They have an overwatch now. Our arrangement is in place with Southerland, the CIA, and the Mossad.” Craig slid him his morning briefing folder as he sat down.
Gabriel eyed the clock in the conference room and smiled. Twenty-five minutes late again this morning. Seemed morning sex was a thing for him and Anna. For the last week, he'd worked until the early hours of the morning, gone back to his apartment, and walked through the open doors into Anna's. All his toiletries and most of his clothes had made their way into the bedroom they shared.
Gabriel took his seat and focused his attention on the matters at hand. “Good. Are our plans still intact for the Mossad operation?”
“So far. Every checkpoint is green. Still waiting on your informants to validate the information we received. At this point, we are four to five weeks out, depending on confirmation.”
“All the travel arrangements have been double-checked and the logistical nightmare from last week is cleared up? Are the aircraft we chartered still a go?”
“Affirmative. No flies in the ointment as of yet, and yes, I had St. James double check on the charters. We are green on all counts,” Craig confirmed before he launched into an update of all the operations that had occurred in the eight hours Gabriel had been out of the office.
He looked up from his folder when Craig finished with the sitrep. “Good. Any calls on the case here in New Orleans?”
Craig flipped over his file and pulled two notes off the back. “Yeah. The FBI agents want to talk with you. I had the command center put them in the first available slot for you. That should be flagged on your schedule. I've also blocked off some time this afternoon for us. We have several applicants that we need to process. The shrinks have sent us their evals, so barring any drastic shift in the events we are working overseas, or here, we should be able to get through the stack on your desk. Oh, and that local detective is not going to be available today and possibly tomorrow. He has a previous case that needs his attention. I didn’t know that was a thing.” Craig made a face at the note he was reading.
“Could be the prosecutor is looking for specific help in a case he’s been involved in, or maybe he is being prepped for testimony. Unfortunately, most cases don’t stop with the arrest. The criminals still need to be prosecuted.”
“Yet another reason for me to avoid this portion of your business. I like knowing when we are done with a mission, we are done. Dead men tell no tales and all that shit.”
Gabriel chuckled. “Have you had an eval recently?”
“Most definitely. I passed that fucker with flying colors, too.” Craig laughed and then pulled out the daily schedule. “You have a telecon with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
“Ah yes, we are trying to negotiate the acquisition of armament.”
“You could go through the manufacturers.” Craig slipped his papers back into their folders.
“True, but if I did that, the JCS wouldn’t have their slush fund for the projects that need capital and can't wait for a prolonged Congressional review.”
“So you are helping them operate outside the law.” Craig leaned back in his chair and smirked across the distance that separated them.
“The Joint Chiefs can sell the weapons to me and know those guns will never be pointed at an American, or they can defer and deal with the fall out if they continue to conduct business like the National Security Council. Those idiots have run amok again, and I don’t think the government could survive another Iran-Contra scandal.”
“Good God, the NSC screwed the pooch with that smoke and mirror game. I can’t wait to see the Congressional hearings on that.” Craig snorted a laugh before he lifted his styrofoam cup to his lips and took a long sip.
“I doubt if they will make it public.”
“I don’t know, they’ve made everything else pretty damn public. I mean that poor Lieutenant Colonel was fired by the President just last week.”
“Indeed, which has made this acquisition of excess defense articles all the harder. I need the Admiral to remember my acquisitions won’t aid foreign regimes, and the JCS would have control of all the proceeds, not the National Security Council. Win/win.”
“Personally, I don’t understand how you were able to get a seat at the acquisitions table.”
“My lawyers had to win a paperwork war, but in a nutshell, in order to purchase excess defense articles you have to be a foreign government or a recognized international organization, which Guardian is, plus have the financial wherewithal to ensure the funds are available and then be formally recognized as an ally of this nation.”
Craig shook his head and sighed, “Just give me a gun and tell me the objective. I might have a college degree, but I’m a grunt at heart.”
“You’re a hell of a lot more important to me, and this organization, than that grunt mentality will let you acknowledge.” He rose and gathered his papers. He’d never discount the talent Craig brought to the organization or the value of the man’s friendship.
Craig was uncharacteristically silent. He moved to the door but glanced at Craig, who was still sitting at the conference room table. The man’s eyes focused out the window, the look on his face was almost forlorn. “Hey, you okay?”
Craig startled and shook off whatever specter was haunting him. “What? Yeah, sure, I’m fine.” He stood and grabbed his folders.
“All right. I have two telecons, a meeting with legal, and then a meeting with the FBI. If the world doesn’t go to hell in a handbasket during that time, I’ll meet you back here to go over those personnel files. Have someone order some lunch, would you? We need six more teams, and I'm not skipping another meal.”
“Done. You know hiring would be easier if we had some official type of hiring proces
s.”
Gabriel nodded as they headed out of the conference room. “The problem is the specialties we need. We are looking for unique individuals, specific talents. I can’t necessarily put a job description in the paper to field candidates.” He laughed at the thought of the type of applicant he would get.
“No, but…What if we had each one of the team members we currently have now reach back to their old units. Word of mouth. It isn’t official, but it couldn’t hurt.”
Gabriel turned and faced Craig. “Damn, when you come up with a good idea, you don’t hold back, do you?” He could have sworn he saw a blush hit Craig's face, but before he could take a closer look, his friend stepped off and flipped Gabriel the finger over his shoulder.
“No, thank you!” He lifted his voice so Craig could hear him.
“It wasn’t an offer, asshole, and if it was, you wouldn’t be able to refuse! I'm that damn good.” Craig stepped into his office and closed the door with emphasis. Gabriel laughed. That was the man he’d become best friends with, not the snarly, moody guy who’d been stalking around being a total douche. Maybe Craig had finally worked out whatever had been irritating him.
Chapter 20
Gabriel strode down the corridor of the FBI field office in New Orleans. Harvey had called his office and requested a change of venue due to evidence that couldn't be transported. The agent in question leaned out of a doorway at the end of the hall and motioned to Gabriel.
He nodded at Harvey when he walked in, but his attention was instantly drawn across the room. What he saw was… well, fuck, it was impressive. A large map of the United States was mounted to a corkboard backed wall. There were at least fifty red, black, and green thumbtacks inserted at various locations on the map and red thread running from the outward lying tacks to one location. New Orleans. A small nail was used for the city and strands of thread dangled loosely, the various lengths forming a tail that swayed every time Olsen moved. There were also white tacks, but no threads were traced back to New Orleans from them.
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