by Katie Reus
Sato favored poisons, the sort that were undetectable until the target consumed them, but someone had seen her leaving. She’d decided to break into his villa in the early morning hours when most people were sleeping. After finding a couple holes in his security, she’d opted to enter through the kitchen and lay her trap there. But since someone had seen her leaving she had no doubt Christiansen would have the place searched for every possible threat. Bugs, bombs and poisons. It was standard operating procedure for a man in his position.
She’d laced the exclusive, insanely expensive, coffee she knew only he drank. Unlike her previous targets, her file on Christiansen was limited and this job had been last minute.
Too last minute.
Now she was rushing when she preferred to prep for weeks or months if possible. Leaving anything to chance went against her meticulous nature. It was why she was one of the best in the business and highly sought after.
“Is it done?” her contact asked, his voice impatient.
“Possibly, but someone saw me leaving so I’ll likely have to find another way.” Sato’s contact wanted Christiansen killed quietly. Nothing messy or that would hurt anyone else. He was the sole target. Unfortunately that meant she couldn’t use a bomb because of the risk of collateral damage.
“I hired you because you came highly recommended. I didn’t expect sloppiness,” he snapped, heat invading his words.
It hadn’t been sloppy. One of the guards had changed up his routine. It was why she’d been spotted. But she held her tongue. The man had already paid her half her fee and she would finish no matter what. If she didn’t she wouldn’t receive the other half of her money and it would damage her reputation. In her business, reputation was everything. “It will be done in the timeframe you’ve given me.” Three days.
“It better be. Don’t call me again until it’s done.” He disconnected.
Sato took out the battery with one hand and tossed the pieces onto the floorboard of the passenger side. She’d be torching the stolen car as soon as she found a vacant lot and wouldn’t be using that phone again. While she’d worn gloves and had been careful to cover her entire body, she believed in being extra careful. She’d been working as a hired assassin for three years now and loved the income. Some in her field of work enjoyed the rush of power it gave them, but she felt none of that. She just liked to see the number in her bank account rise. If she played her cards right she’d be able to retire in two years. She refused to end up like her mother, poor and dependent on some abusive, sorry excuse for a man to take care of her. She took care of herself and planned to make enough money to last ten lifetimes. And killing Wyatt Christiansen would add a sizeable amount to her growing nest egg.
Chapter 4
Iris arched her back, pushing her breast farther into Wyatt’s hungry mouth. Water from the giant marble-tiled hotel shower rushed down over them, the sound of it hitting the glass door seeming loud in the enclosure. He lightly pressed down with his teeth and tugged her nipple, sending a pulsing sweep of need through her. The man was too talented with his tongue. He was going to drive her insane with the need to come.
She was pinned up against the slick wall with one of his big hands clasping her hip tightly and the other cupping her bare mound—which he’d just shaved for her this morning. Watching him do that had been erotic as hell and his absolute gentleness had taken her by surprise. Even though he cupped her most intimate place, he still hadn’t penetrated her. And it was making her crazy. Instead, he gently teased her wet slit and occasionally rubbed her pulsing clit with his thumb. Her inner walls clenched convulsively, needing to be filled by him. But he was taking his damn time.
And he knew exactly how much he was torturing her. Maddening man.
When he drew his mouth away from her breast, she moaned in displeasure, but he began a light trail of kisses along her chest, moving until he reached her throat. He hadn’t shaved in a couple days so his stubble rubbed against her, lightly scratching her skin. The feel of it was wildly erotic.
“Who do you belong to?” He growled against her neck, his teeth nipping at her.
Oh, God, he wanted to play this game again. He’d forced her to let her guard down with him in a way she’d never done with anyone else. Just last night she’d let him tie her to his bed, something she’d never thought she’d want to do. But giving up control to him had been so freeing. She knew he’d never hurt her and he played her body like she’d never imagined. He was so damn dominant during sex but he’d proved to her that she could trust him absolutely when she gave up control. All he wanted to do was bring her pleasure.
Still, she held off on responding. She liked to tease him and if she was being honest, she loved it when he got worked up and possessive. The man was so controlled—except with her. Then he let his guard down too. Well, at least in the bedroom.
He ran his finger along the length of her slit again and she pushed forward, trying to force him to give her more friction. He let out an amused breath against her neck before sucking on her earlobe. “Say it.” A soft, but serious demand.
“You,” she rasped out because it was true. She wished she’d held out longer, but she just wanted release right now. Her body was trembling for it.
The second she spoke, he pushed two fingers inside her. She was so slick with need and the feel of him sliding in her was such a sweet relief. Her inner walls tightened around him.
As he began moving inside her in slow—too slow—strokes, she could feel the need already building inside her. She’d climaxed an hour ago, but Wyatt had turned her into someone she barely recognized. She loved sex, but she’d always been able to take it or leave it. Usually leave it because her partners could never figure out what she wanted in bed. Wyatt certainly had no problem reading her. Sometimes it was like he was inside her head. She threaded her fingers through his dark hair, clasping his head as he flicked his tongue against her ear. Shivers spiraled through her, singing all her nerve endings.
“I want you here with me all the time.” There he went again with that deep voice. It rolled through her, making her nipples pebble even tighter. “When you quit your job we…”
The rest of his words funneled out as all the blood rushed to her ears. Quit her job? What the hell was he talking about? It was hard to think straight when he was teasing her so expertly and after he crushed his mouth over hers, in the next few seconds she completely pushed everything else out of her mind. They’d talk later…
Iris opened her eyes, blinking into the semi-darkness of her room as the remnants of her dream faded away. A dream based on a very real memory that she just wanted to forget. She shook her head, still trying to clear the images and convince herself that she was alone, not in that hotel shower with Wyatt naked and about to come. She sat up and rubbed a hand over her face. The clock on her nightstand read three o’clock. She hadn’t slept as long as she thought she would, but once she was awake there was no going back to sleep. After turning on her cell phone she took a long, hot shower that did nothing to ease the tension spreading through her shoulders.
Ever since she’d left Vegas she’d had hot, sweaty dreams about Wyatt, but this one had jarred her. His words from her dream, “When you quit your job” rung annoyingly loud in her head. It still pissed her off that he’d just assumed she’d want to quit work. As if she wanted him to take care of her. She forced her fist to unclench so she could shampoo her hair. Deep down, she knew that wasn’t her problem with him though. Wyatt made her feel so damn out of control with her emotions. He made her feel vulnerable in a way no one else had the capacity to. And giving up control in her life? No way.
She remained under the hot jets until her skin started to wrinkle. The second she turned off the shower she could hear the insistent beep from her cell telling her she had voicemail. A very big part of her hoped Wyatt had called back, but then she chastised herself for being so damn giddy at the thought of hearing his voice.
The first was from Wyatt, but she couldn’
t read his tone. He simply said, “Call me back…please.” The last word was strained because saying that word didn’t come naturally for him. Wyatt’s dominant attitude stretched to all areas of his life and sometimes he liked to demand things instead of asking.
The next call was from her boss, Harrison, and his message was similar in length and content. What was it with these men? Since it was her day off it was unusual for Harrison to call her especially since she’d seen him at the police station last night. Maybe something else had happened. Unable to deal with Wyatt just yet, she called Harrison back first.
He answered on the first ring. “How’re you feeling?” he asked without any preamble.
“Uh, fine. How’s Berr?” Last night hadn’t been that difficult. Well, Wyatt’s unexpected arrival had thrown her for a loop but the job with Berr had gone smoothly.
“Good. Wants to hire us for another job in a few weeks. Out of town thing. Listen, I know you’ve got the next few days off but I have a job for you. Similar to the Berr job, but a live-in thing for a few days and you’d be going to a couple meetings with the principal. You’ll have a team plus the principal’s normal security.”
Right now she needed work to keep her busy. “Okay. Have you sent me the file already?”
He paused for a moment. “No. Before I do, we need to talk. Wyatt Christiansen is the client.”
Iris tensed at his words. Hearing Wyatt’s name from her boss completely threw her off balance. If Wyatt wanted to hire Red Stone that meant he needed extra security. She hated the thought of him in danger.
Without giving her a chance to respond, Harrison barreled on. “I don’t like the idea of you guarding him, especially since I found out you two are fucking married. It goes against protocol, but…my father owes him a favor and he’s apparently collecting. You still have the option of declining this job though. You want it, it’s yours. If not, it’s going to Betina.”
If Iris had claws, they’d have sprouted at the woman’s name. Tall, blonde, beautiful and bitchy as anything—hell, no. Iris inwardly groaned at her stupid possessiveness. Betina was more than qualified, but Iris sure as hell didn’t want the woman guarding Wyatt and posing as his damn date. Not when he was married to her.
Married. Gah, she’d been avoiding even thinking the ‘M’ word. “I’ll take it.” She didn’t have to think long because she could tell by Harrison’s tone he was close to changing his mind anyway. “Being professional won’t be a problem.” Not for her, anyway. And she’d make it clear to Wyatt where things stood between them while they worked together.
“I’m not worried about that with you. Seriously though…I send you on vacation, you get married and don’t tell anyone?”
Iris cleared her throat, unsure what to say. The question sounded rhetorical anyway. While her first instinct was to say they’d be getting an annulment or divorce soon, she couldn’t force the words past her lips. She wasn’t sure why, but saying them out loud to someone else just felt wrong. “Yeah, well…I’ll read that file as soon as you send it. When am I meeting the team and setting up?”
“Tonight if that’s okay with you. The team’s already there but I want you taking point. There was a potential threat at his house and—”
Panic punched through her at the thought of anything happening to Wyatt. It completely shredded her. She might not want to be his wife, but she still cared about him. Deeply. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, no one was injured and the suspect escaped. It’s all in the file. Call me if you have any questions. If not, let me know when you arrive. I want to be kept up to date more frequently with this job.”
“No problem.” As soon as they disconnected she located her laptop and fired it up. Before she called Wyatt she wanted to know what she was walking into. The man might drive her insane, but if anyone could keep him safe, it was her. There was no way she was letting anyone harm him.
* * * * *
Iris dropped her green military duffle bag she’d had since her years in the Corps on the tiled foyer of her home. She still held onto the garment bag which contained two formal dresses as she punched in her security code. After it beeped once she opened the front door and hurried outside. She’d have only ten seconds before it armed and the piercing sound it would make if she didn’t get outside fast enough was beyond annoying.
As she hefted her bag on her shoulder, she paused at the sight of a dark SUV with tinted windows pulling into her driveway. It wasn’t one of Red Stone’s vehicles. Different model and newer year than they typically used. And she’d told Harrison that she’d drive herself to Wyatt’s new home. She still couldn’t believe he’d actually bought a home in Miami—something she planned to ask him about as soon as she saw him.
Which might be sooner than later if this was him.
She wasn’t expecting a ride though so she casually withdrew one of her weapons from behind her back. Some people might consider her paranoid—and she was sometimes—but better that than dead. She might not be in the Marines anymore, but some things went bone deep and in her opinion, there were two kinds of people: those who were prepared and those who weren’t. Those who weren’t ended up dead or victims, something she refused to do. Keeping her trusty SIG out of sight, she took a couple steps down the stone walkway, but relaxed when Jay Wentworth got out of the driver’s seat.
Jay was Wyatt’s long-time bodyguard and Iris genuinely liked him. The man was huge, standing at six feet five and even though he was currently wearing a dark, custom-made suit, she knew he was tatted up and down his arms and across his chest. He’d been a SEAL until an op gone bad had taken four of his friends’ lives. His decision to transition to civilian life had been quick and final after that. Lucky for Wyatt, too, because the man was loyal.
Jay nodded at her, a slight tilt of his head. His hard lips curved up into his version of a smile. “Hey.”
Even though she was annoyed he’d showed up without calling she knew this was Wyatt’s doing, not his. “I don’t remember asking for an escort.”
He ignored her statement. “You have more bags?” he asked as he started to round the vehicle.
She tucked her weapon away and shook her head. “No, and I can get these.”
He ignored her and quickly strode up the walk. She met him halfway and let him take the bags, only because she knew he was following Wyatt’s orders. Plus, Jay was a Southern boy, born and raised. She’d already had this argument with him about carrying her stuff more than once in the past and she knew when to pick her battles. She wanted to start things off on the right foot, especially since she was going to be in charge of overall security for the next week.
Trailing after Jay, her heart rate kicked up a notch when the back door on the passenger side of the vehicle started to open up. Iris glanced around her quiet neighborhood, instantly looking for any threat. After reading the detailed file on Wyatt—and learning that Jay had found poison in Wyatt’s ridiculously expensive coffee—she wasn’t taking any chances.
And Wyatt shouldn’t be either. Hell, the man shouldn’t even be here. Coming out into the open like this was unnecessary until she’d done a complete overview of potential threats. Hurrying across her lawn, she nearly tackled him as the door opened completely. His blue eyes widened for a fraction of a second as she jumped in the vehicle and shoved him over. She slammed the door behind her and fought the urge to snap at him. She might be worried about his safety, but he clearly just wanted to see her.
Before she could say anything, he fisted her hip in a tight grip and tugged her so that she was straddling him. She knew she should protest but her traitorous body moved over him as if it was the most natural thing in the world—as if that was where her body belonged. After that dream she’d just had she wanted to feel him pumping deep inside her. But this was no dream. “What are you—”
His lips were on hers, his kiss demanding, probing and powerful. Her entire body flared to life in that instant, need slamming into her with an unexpected surge of intensity. She
put her hands on his shoulders, ready to push away but he beat her to it. His head pulled back a second later, his breathing just as ragged as hers.
“I’ve missed you,” he rasped out, his eyes darkening with hunger and need.
I’ve missed you too, she almost said, but was saved by the driver’s side door opening. They’d only spend a freaking week together in Vegas. Sure, it had been the best time of her life, but she missed him too much and admitting that made her feel unbalanced. Letting him know would give him too much control. She refused to do that.
She needed to set up ground rules during this job so she could remain professional. Too bad it was difficult when she was actually close to Wyatt. Just being around him and her senses went haywire.
Iris quickly slid off Wyatt and sat back on the plush, leather seat as Jay put the SUV in reverse and studiously ignored them. She’d missed Wyatt something fierce this past month but she didn’t want to discuss anything personal in front of someone else. Clearing her throat, she said, “I’ve reviewed the file on your new home and the security concerns you have. They’re valid and I’d like to go over exactly who you’re meeting with over the next week and who you think is the most likely individual to target you. Poisoning something that you alone were likely to ingest was an interesting choice and tells me a little about the person who targeted you. They don’t want collateral damage, but that could always change if they get desperate. I’m not sure what timeline whoever wants you dead, is working with—or if they even have one. We’ll need to figure that out and soon.”