by Amber Malloy
“Did you get the bastard that popped me?” Lola groaned, while Connor helped her back into her hospital bed.
“Shattered those kneecaps but good, honey. No 10ks for him.”
“That’s okay, I suppose.” Lola appeared unimpressed with her partner’s bloodlust.
“What about Snell?” Ashe’s voice shook at the mention of her tormentor’s name. “He claimed diplomatic immunity.”
Squeezing his wife’s hand for support, Walker could tell Snell’s admission was weighing on her.
“We won’t be able to prosecute him in the United States,” Eden admitted.
“Oh…”
“But he will be extradited to Sierra Leone to face charges of kidnapping, terrorism and murder. You won’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“And Tariq?” she asked about the man who had doled out her abuse under orders from Snell.
“Dead. He was killed in a raid months after you were rescued. And C.T. is in surgery. You can go visit her once she gets out.”
Ashe leaned into his shoulder with a huge sigh. Walker placed a kiss on her forehead. “So, that’s it?” he asked, ecstatic that a dark cloud no longer hung over them.
“Yep, so it looks like you guys are free until Thanksgiving.”
“Huh?” Walker glanced down at Ashe, who quickly averted her eyes. “Why are we randomly talking about the holidays?”
“He doesn’t know.” Lola cheered, bouncing up and down in her hospital bed. “Go on and tell him. This is better than painkillers.”
“Lola, don’t be nasty,” Eden chastised her partner. Walker might have believed her sincerity if she’d even bothered to hide her smirk.
“I was shot. I’m allowed.” Lola poked her lip out again.
“Grazed,” Ashe muttered under her breath.
“Is that so?” The spy pushed herself up higher in her bed. “Spill the beans, chica, or I will.”
“Come on, Walker.” Ashe tugged him by the arm toward the door. “We just need a moment to—”
“Uh-uh, I got shot!” Lola pointed at Ashe, who tried to lead him away. “Correction, ‘grazed’ because of you, smarty pants. Do it in front of the class.”
Confused, Walker glanced around the room to see if he was the only one out of the loop. By the way Connor ducked his head and everyone else waited with expectant glee, he figured he was. “Nothing makes Lola this happy except for other people’s pain, and—”
“During Thanksgiving break I promised Eden we’d watch the kids for a week,” Ashe said in a rushed clip.
Shocked into silence, he couldn’t do anything but stare at her.
“It’s the least we can do after ruining their vacation.”
“But you have a babysitter, right? A nanny? I mean, what does Marta do?” Walker looked to Eden and Vann.
“After that hellish science fair presentation, she claims short-term disability every time they try to take leave,” Lola chimed in.
“Actually, it was the school assembly for student council. She was den mother at the time, and—” Vann began but stopped once Eden hit him. “Oh well, that’s a story for another time.” He rubbed the spot on his chest where she’d popped him.
“Thank you for this.” Lola pretended to fan away tears. “It was better than OxyContin. Please, everyone, give Boy Scout a round of applause.” She encouraged the room to clap.
The team put their hands together in Oscar-worthy praise of his agony. Walker promised himself that hell would freeze over before he ever worked with these jag-offs again.
Epilogue
Thanksgiving
The temperature bordered on obscene. Barely any leaves were left on the trees. Normally, autumn drew the prettiest colors of the seasons, but this year everything had turned from green to brown in record time.
Smarter than even the average Joes, most of J8’s team were steering clear of the kitchen. Ashe tried to keep her attention fixed on the turkey dressing. World War III was taking place less than two feet away from her and she sincerely felt trapped in a life-or-death situation.
“Pumpkin pie is the staple of Thanksgiving, hence Starbucks’ big boom with that pumpkin spice concoction.” As she sat at the kitchen island, Lola nibbled on a cinnamon roll. “It’s not named Sweet Potato Spice! Come on, Eden. It’s just a poor substitution.” She chewed obnoxiously with her mouth wide open.
“Coming from someone born and raised in Columbia? Forgive me for not taking your opinion into consideration.”
Ashe ducked her head and added more croutons to the dressing mixture, whether it needed it or not. She’d never seen the Wonder Twins at each other’s throats to this level.
“That was very racist.” Lola sniffed.
“Xenophobic maybe, but even that’s a stretch.” Ashe and Eden had been up since the butt crack of dawn. Lola had joined them less than thirty minutes before. She’d made no attempt to help them other than the occasional suggestion.
However, the sound of the front door made Ashe run faster than she ever had. The group Walker headed up had arrived.
“Honey, I’m home,” Connor’s voice boomed through the house.
After some strong negotiation and prodding from his wife, Walker had decided to partner with J8. Not everyone believed the merger would work out, but so far so good. He’d just gotten back from overseas with his security team.
Desperate to get out of the line of fire, Ashe set her bowl down and quickly wiped her hands on the towel. She damn near bolted out of the room before Eden’s strong hand clutched her arm. “Quickies take fifteen to twenty minutes,” she hissed. “There are only three really good spots in this house to pull that off. If you go missing for a second longer—”
“Got it!” Ashe snatched her arm away and darted out of the kitchen.
Once she’d avoided Lola’s chair, Eden’s twins and millions of Legos, she almost tackled Walker to the floor. He ensnared her within the warmth of his strong embrace.
The sexy-as-hell dark stubble on his face scratched her skin. “Hey there, good-looking.” Walker smiled before lowering his lips to hers.
“How was your trip?” she asked once they’d parted.
Even though she’d never been one for the starfish suction cup-type of relationship, the week without him had seemed closer to an eternity. She didn’t want to point fingers at Eden and Lola, but the shit-tastic-ness of the week fell squarely on them.
“Probably not half as exciting as yours.” He glanced around before he lowered his voice. “What the hell? You can cut the tension in here with a knife.”
For the last few months, Ashe had worked for J8. She’d truly thought she would be bored. Of course, the agents and their hijinks had relieved her of that fear.
“They had to pass over a job to another team.”
“Why?”
“Don’t overcook the ham like you did last time. It was worse than an old boot,” Lola barked.
“Okay, that does it!” Eden banged on a pot with a metal spoon. “Everyone! I need every freakin’ person in here. Lola has an announcement.”
As the whole house piled into the room, Walker held on tight to Ashe’s waist. “Should we run?”
“Affirmative,” she admitted. Fully aware of the news, she didn’t want to stick around. Maybe it would change the tension between the spies, yet she didn’t want to find out in case it went in the other direction.
“No, no, it’s too soon. Not right now.” Lola pouted.
“If you want to eat my sweet potato-not-pumpkin pie or even get close to tasting that fried turkey, I’d advise you to spill,” Eden threatened.
“Connor and I are expecting.” The room took a beat before erupting in applause.
“Expecting what?” Walker said. “Because I can’t imagine them actually having a bab—”
Ashe hit him in the gut and screamed loudly, “We’re so happy for you.”
“Oh shit! Are those two getting married?” Walker gestured between Lola and Connor.
“
Not that I know of. Why? Is that a bad thing?” Ashe asked.
“Uh, yeah. That was the reason she stabbed him.”
“No way,” she whispered back.
“What are you two talking about over there?” Lola cut through the chaos of good tidings.
Ashe accepted the wine glass that Aims passed around to celebrate and quickly made up a toast. “To how great you look,” she lied to the grouchy gremlin in front of her.
“Just amazing,” Walker choked, raising his glass. Everyone followed their lead, including the kids, who got apple cider in their plastic tumblers. “To Lola and Connor.”
The room cheered back, “Lola and Connor.”
* * * *
It was still too damn early for any decent human interaction. The sun was barely breaking the horizon and forecasters predicted snow by the end of the week.
As Walker nestled between her legs, Ashe sat perched preciously on the edge of Eden’s Williams-Sonoma vanity.
“Why the hell are we up this early?” Walker was still operating on Middle Eastern time. Wiped from the Thanksgiving feast, they hadn’t bothered to give each other a proper greeting.
“Eden and Vann leave today, so we have to get a jump on those monsters, show them who’s boss.”
As he inched his hand up her slip, he took a nip of her shoulder. “Are you kidding?” he muttered before he kissed her neck. “What’s next? Blood?”
“Eden put in a request for our firstborn, so maybe.” Ashe laughed. For months, Walker had done everything but beg, borrow and steal in an effort to maneuver his way out of their babysitting deal with the Morgans. Nothing Ashe said convinced him that Eden and Vann’s kids weren’t demons in meat suits.
“If we leave now, we can make it back to New York by nightfall.”
“Did you forget she’s a spy?” Ashe panted near his ear.
He shoved his underwear past his hips and played with her clit. When he teased the tip of his dick into her, she spread her legs wider with a moan.
“This babysitting gig had better be our last payment for your freedom,” he muttered in her ear. Tottering on edge of a fabulous orgasm, he pushed into her body, filling her up with his cock.
Surprised by his feral reaction, she lifted her hips to greet him, thrust for thrust. His ferocious appetite managed to heighten her response. Walker reached between their bodies and rubbed her clit. Ashe’s orgasm ripped through her soul.
“This pussy is so good,” he hummed in her ear before releasing his seed inside her.
Out of breath and spent, they stayed locked within each other’s embrace.
“After that last run, I took a detour to New York.” He reached down and pulled open the drawer. “My grandparents have a security deposit box in the city.”
“Sorry to interrupt”—she took a sweet nip at his chin—“but is this going to be a long story, sweetie? Your semen is dripping down my leg.”
“That is so sexy.” He chuckled before he attacked her mouth. When he slid his tongue over her bottom lip, she gave him a quick nibble back. “Stop distracting me or we’ll never get out of here.”
She moaned into his mouth.
“Awkward doesn’t quite cut what I was like in my teen years. I never thought I would get a girlfriend, let alone a wife,” he said.
“This is a strange moment for reflection.”
“Hush, woman! I promise this has a point. My grandmother went through different creative phases and her most expensive one was diamonds.”
He presented her with a jewelry box and popped open the top with his thumb. Inside it was a brilliant princess-cut halo ring. Ashe gasped at the brilliance of the diamond setting.
“She made me this for my future wife. I didn’t think much of it until you.” He plucked the ring out of the box.
“Are you sure?” she gushed, purely amazed. “Your grandmother is a famous artist. This should be in a museum.”
“You should be in a museum.”
“Artistic and historical?” She laughed at his strange compliment.
“No, stunning and priceless.”
Ashe admired the early morning sun that bounced off the stones in her ring. “I’m happy you came to the coffee shop that day.” She caressed the sexy stubble on his face. “And not solely because this ring is awesome.”
“Not happier than I am,” Walker replied.
His cock hardened again between her legs.
“I love you, Ashe Knight,” he said. Walker tipped her chin up with his thumb to claim her lips.
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Spies R Us
Amber Malloy
Excerpt
Spring was directly around the corner, which would conclude the twins’ first year of preschool.
Vann idled at the kids’ school in the carpool lane at the kid’s school. He waited for the kids with Dylan Hansen, his best friend, in the passenger seat. Dylan had been a one-time silent partner in Vann’s environmental investment firm, Good and Green. However, after this last quarter, Vann had been able to buy him out.
“They’re late,” Vann said, checking the clock on the pickup’s dashboard. The little ones always got released first.
“Why don’t you go check on them? That group of women over there are gobbling me up with their eyes, and it’s making me feel naked.”
“What?”
Dylan nodded toward the housewife gang and joked. “Unlike you, I’m not damaged goods. A runaway wife and two kids. I, on the other hand, am a shiny nugget of gold.” Dylan chuckled as he pointed at himself. “Single and divorced moms can sniff me out a mile away. I think it’s a sixth sense they acquire the minute they sign their names on the divorce papers.”
Vann didn’t doubt what Dylan said. The women were oftentimes overly friendly. He always wondered if it had to do with his semi-single status, but on the other hand, someone baggage free like Dylan would be prime beef.
“If you’d just divorce Eden, then you too could be held in high regard, such as I am.” Dylan ran his hand through his blond hair and polished his fingers on his shirt. Friends since college, they were often mistaken for brothers. Yet ever since Vann had let his hair grow past his shoulders, Dylan appeared the more desirable of the two.
The mandatory uniform at Vann’s company ended with jeans and began with a T-shirt—preferably clean, but that requirement wasn’t always met. Once he’d shed his jacket and tie, the fairer sex had begun to migrate toward men with a more grown-up look. Jobless or homeless seemed to be the popular opinion about his life. Apparently neither of those options qualified him as good husband material, though they still seemed to look at him hungrily.
“I’m going to wait the five years to declare her dead. I think it would be easier for the kids.” He didn’t like to talk about Eden, but he knew Dylan meant well. To avoid further conversation on the subject, he grabbed the door handle. “To save you from the throngs of your admirers, I’m going to get the kids.”
“Hey, I didn’t mean to bring down the mood. I just want better for you, man. It’s been too long.”
Vann nodded. “No harm done. Let me get the kids. Then we can celebrate your return to the Windy City in high style.”
“Oh please, not Showbiz Pizza,” Dylan moaned.
“Of course not. We’re going to Dave and Buster’s.”
Ivy League stuffy, Dylan was a snob through and through. “I hate that fuc—”
He slammed the truck’s door on his friend’s complaints and took a spot in the patch of dried grass uncovered from the freshly melting snow.
With his Starbucks Grande latte in hand, he hoped none of the moms in his kid’s class noticed him.
“Hi there, stranger! We haven’t seen you in forever.”
Crap! Fighting his instinct to run, he gave the yoga mom a lame smile and tried to place the peppy woman’s face. At six foot two, he was nearly a foot taller than her. He had to outweigh her by at least seventy-five pounds.
“I’m uh…busy. Work.” He choked on his coffee drink when she slugged him on the arm.
“Where have you being hiding, you silly goose?”
Head of his own company, and he couldn’t believe one PTA mom made him this nervous. He attributed his uneasiness to the manic gleam that shone in her eyes every time they spoke.
After the first week of preschool, Vann had realized single moms were natural predators and he didn’t stand a chance against them. From that point on, Marta’d had to pick up the kids. Unfortunately her chipped tooth had forced him out into the wild today. To say he was guarded was an understatement.
“We need a strong, strapping fella like yourself for the spring pageant.”
“Well, my schedule is kind of full—”
“I won’t take no for an answer,” the aggressive woman pushed. “We’re meeting at Mary’s at four p.m.” She gestured at a group of moms who waved back. “Why don’t you join us?”
“I, uh… Oh! Hey, there’s the boys! I’ll see what I can do.”
“You know where to find me,” she hollered at his back before he could put a good distance between them.
A perky little blonde he had never seen before walked between his kids, holding their hands.
“Are you the twins’ dad? I’m Tess, but the kids call me Ms. Tess.”
Last Vann knew, the boys’ teacher hadn’t been this young or cute. It didn’t pay to dodge the PTA, he figured. “What happened to Ms. Lori?”
“Her mother had a nasty fall. I’m here until she gets back.”
“That’s too bad.”
Tess smiled sweetly at him as the silence turned awkward. Vann had been alone for some time and he didn’t want to get categorized as one of those pervy dads. However, the tips of her nipples pushing against the fabric of her sweater were hard not to notice.
“So…uh, nice meeting you.”
“Huh? Oh!” A flush of red crept up her neck. “Sorry. I wanted to tell you that Miles got upset in class today.”
“Are you all right, buddy?” He glanced down at his shy twin, but the kid wouldn’t look up from his little boots.