by Evans, A. K.
“Oh, no. He’s probably worried sick.”
She tapped his number into the phone and held it to her ear.
“It’s me, Logan,” she said after he answered.
I glanced over as she waited while Logan responded. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she listened to him.
“I know,” she started. “I’m ok, though. Cruz got there with his team and they not only saved me, but nine other women as well. There are still some women missing that were taken when this whole thing started weeks ago, but the police have a good idea of where to look now. There’s going to be a search in Colorado.”
More silence.
“I promise. I’m good. I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll stop by the shop to see you. I’m taking the day off from work.”
Lexi glanced over at me and gave me a hopeful smile. I was absolutely taking the day off tomorrow and spending it with her. I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to go anywhere without her again.
“It’s not your fault, Logan. You had no idea what he was planning. I don’t think they know the full story yet anyway. Please don’t blame yourself for this, too.”
Too?
Lexi went back and forth with Logan a few more times before she finished her call with him and set my phone back in the center console.
“I have to call Dr. Lane,” she whispered.
That was not what I wanted to hear. While I liked that she had a professional to confide in and help her deal with whatever she is feeling, I had noticed she was going less and less frequently. Hearing her now, I was concerned that what happened tonight was having a much greater effect on her than I thought. I’d support her, regardless.
“Are you alright?” I worried.
“Yeah, it’s not for me,” she started. “I need to call her for Logan. He blames himself for what happened to me in college and now he’s blaming himself for this. He stopped by my office earlier this afternoon before I went to WAAR for the group therapy and he stayed for a couple hours. Logan’s really having a hard time and feels awful about not being there for me years ago. Now, he feels responsible for what just happened since he was the one who not only introduced me to Grant, but also urged me to take on the job.”
I reached over and wrapped my hand around hers and confessed, “I can’t say that I wouldn’t feel the same if I was in his shoes.
“I’ll call first thing in the morning,” she declared.
“I think that’s a good idea,” I agreed.
We drove for a while in silence. Once we were back within the city limits of Windsor, Lexi asked, “Can we still spend the night at your place?”
“Of course,” I responded. “Since I have the stuff you packed this morning with me, are you alright with picking up your car tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I don’t want to go back there tonight.”
Just then, my cell rang and Lexi said, “It’s Levi.”
“Answer it,” I urged her. “He’ll be happy to hear your voice.”
“Hello?” she answered.
I glanced over and saw the smile grow on her face.
“Thank you for everything,” she replied to whatever he said to her.
Silence while he spoke to her.
“Well, I’m feeling a bit sad that I didn’t know Cruz’s number so I could call him, but when we used Riley’s phone to look up Cunningham Security, I trusted you guys would do everything you could to get us back safely. Your team is responsible for saving so many girls tonight. You should be proud.”
As Lexi listened to Levi’s response, I couldn’t help but wonder if she realized how it was her. I wondered if she understood that it was her quick thinking that saved those girls. I had every intention of seeing to it that she knew just how crucial her role was in all of this.
“Did you want to talk to Cruz?” she asked.
She waited.
She laughed. It wasn’t until I heard it that I realized how much I missed it. We’d been running on adrenaline for the last several hours, with nothing but panic consuming our minds and bodies. Hearing the sweet sound of her laughter was a lot like coming home and it’s a place I’m certain I’ll never want to leave.
“Ok, then,” she responded through her laughter. “Goodbye, Levi. And thank you, again.”
Lexi ended the call and looked over at me. “He didn’t want to talk to you, per se. He just wanted to make sure I was alright.”
“Figured as much,” I replied. “But I’d appreciate if you could call him back for me because I need to talk to him.”
I continued driving as Lexi tapped at the screen on my phone, pulling up Levi’s number and calling him back. She handed the phone over to me just as Levi answered, “Yeah?”
“Just a heads up,” I started. “I’m not going to be in tomorrow.”
“I suspected,” he returned. “Don’t worry about it. Take care of Lexi; we’ll see you next week.”
At that, Levi and I disconnected. Not long after, Lexi and I were back at my place.
“I just want to shower,” she announced as soon as I pulled the truck into the driveway. “Do you mind?”
I shook my head, parked, and answered, “Not at all. Go on up and hop in. I’ll grab your stuff out of the truck and bring it up in a minute.”
“Thanks, Captain,” she returned.
I watched as Lexi walked inside. Knowing she was here at my home and that she was safe filled me with such intense relief. Between the weeks I’d been putting in working on this case and the agony of not knowing if Lexi was ok for the last several hours, I felt like I was finally was able to breathe a little easier. There was still work to be done on the case, but for tonight, I’d put it out of my mind and focus on my warrior.
On those thoughts, I grabbed her bag out of the truck and went inside.
“We’ve got to talk.”
I tensed a bit as I heard Cruz mutter those words. I’m not sure anyone on the face of the planet has ever heard those words and been able to remain calm.
Cruz and I got back to his place a little while ago. We had both showered and then made food since neither of us had any dinner. We’d just finished eating, cleaned up, and were now in his bed, my front to his.
“Ok,” I responded.
Cruz pressed a kiss to my forehead before he alleviated my concerns. “There’s nothing wrong, but I have two things I want to talk to you about.”
I gave him a gentle nod.
“First, I need to apologize to you,” he started. “I may have accidentally done something in the heat of the moment that I’m incredibly sorry for. If I had been thinking clearly, I never would have done it.”
Cruz claimed nothing was wrong, but now I wasn’t so sure. Why was he feeling the need to apologize to me?
“What happened, Cruz?” I worried.
“When I was on my way to WAAR after you called me back and used your safe word, I knew something was really wrong. I drove as fast as I could to get there, but the traffic was horrendous. By the time I arrived, you weren’t there. I only knew that, though, because Levi called me and told me you had called him and explained what happened.”
He took a moment to pause and collect himself.
“I was boiling with anger and when Levi told me what Grant said he was planning to do with you, I lost it. I yelled at my brother that you’d been raped years ago and you just found a way to overcome so much of what that did to you. I didn’t want to see your mind end up back in a terrible place.”
“I can understand your frustration,” I assured him. “I think it’s normal and I’m sure I would have felt a mix of fear and anger if the roles were reversed. I’m still not sure why you think you need to apologize to me.”
“Lexi, I screamed into the phone that you were raped,” he remarked.
“Ok?”
He sighed. “I was yelling at Levi, but Lorenzo was in the truck with me and Pierce, Dom, and Holden were on the call as well, even though they were in a different vehicle. They heard and now they
all know.”
My brows pulled together and I had to ask the question that was on the tip of my tongue, regardless of whether I was prepared for the answer or not.
“Why does that bother you?” I asked, bracing for his response.
Cruz jerked his head back and explained, “Lexi, I’d never go around telling that to anyone who didn’t need to know. It’s not something I should be sharing with anyone. That’s yours to share with whomever you choose. It was careless of me and I’m deeply sorry for it.”
I felt myself relax at his answer. He noticed it and didn’t let me off the hook. “Why else do you think that would bother me?” he questioned me.
I shrugged my shoulders and looked away from his face when I answered, “I wasn’t sure if that was going to be your answer or if the reason you were upset about what you said had more to do with you being embarrassed about your co-workers knowing that I was raped.”
“Princess, look at me,” he demanded.
When I brought my eyes to his, he stated firmly, “I’m not, in any way, shape, or form, embarrassed about anyone knowing you were raped. I’m not embarrassed by you at all. But the information I shared is something you need to be comfortable with sharing, not me. To that end, you need to know that my co-workers, who are also very close friends of mine, would not pity or judge either one of us because of what happened to you. That’s just who they are.”
I felt the warmth spread through me, relieved to know he felt that way. As much as I wanted to believe he wasn’t embarrassed by me being raped, it was hard to not let the thought cross my mind from time to time. I didn’t want him worried that he’d done something that I couldn’t forgive him for.
Leaning into him, I shared, “I’m not upset that you accidentally let it slip in front of Lorenzo and the other guys. I don’t need an apology. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve finally started realizing that I don’t need to feel ashamed about what happened.”
Cruz squeezed me a little tighter and continued, “You should know, though, that Lorenzo and the rest of them aren’t the kind of people that will go around telling anybody your business.”
“I know.”
And that was the truth. I wholeheartedly believed that Cruz and the entire team he worked with were good guys. I saw the way they were with the girls only a few hours ago and it was evident they knew how delicate the situation was. They handled it professionally and treated the girls with the respect and care they all deserved.
After letting that settle between us for a minute, I wondered, “So, what’s the second thing you wanted to talk to me about?”
“You.”
“Me?” I asked, nervously.
Cruz nodded and explained, “I think you should know how lucky those girls were today that you were there. I hate that you were involved at all, but you deserve to know that it was because of your quick thinking that we could find you and them.”
“It doesn’t feel like it. I was terrified,” I confessed. “Once Riley and I were in that warehouse and we saw how many other women were there, I panicked. I wanted to be strong and figure out a way to get us out of there, but between all of us being bound and so many of those girls being so emotionally battered and broken I didn’t know what to do.”
I felt myself getting choked up, but Cruz immediately eased my fears.
“You saved their lives, Lexi,” he stressed. “I listened as you told the police what happened from the moment you were at WAAR and realized Riley had been taken. You stayed calm and acted fast by calling me. You used your safe word to tell me that something was wrong. Even when you were thrown into the back of that van, you didn’t let fear take over. You called the office and you told Levi what was happening. I am so proud of you for everything you did tonight. There aren’t a lot of people who would have been able to do that. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing; it’s just the way it is sometimes. You know that. But in this situation, you found a way to overcome the awful circumstances and save yourself and those girls.”
My lips parted in shock. All I could focus on was how we ended up in that shipping container and how I hadn’t been able to stop that from happening. I never really thought about it the way Cruz had just delivered it.
Apparently, he wasn’t finished because he went on, “You were a hero tonight. You’ve given those women a chance at healing because you were strong for them when they couldn’t be strong for themselves. They owe you their lives, warrior.”
I couldn’t speak. I took a few minutes to process what Cruz had said and he happily gave me the time to do it.
“Thank you for saying all of that,” I said softly. “There was a time where I used to worry about what I’d do if I was ever in a threatening situation again. Based off what happened in college, I’ve always worried that I would become a victim again to whatever the circumstances were. I no longer believe that I’m not strong enough. Maybe it was my age back then or maybe it was fear or maybe it was something else entirely, but regardless of the reason I froze then it wasn’t my fault. Even if it happened again and I froze, it still wouldn’t be my fault. But it feels good to know that I have what it takes to fight back, too. Thank you for allowing me to see that.”
Cruz grinned at me and repeated, “I’m so proud of you.”
I smiled back at him just as he lowered his mouth to mine. Cruz kissed me so sweet and tenderly. When he pulled back from me, I was desperate with need for him.
“Make love to me, Captain,” I pleaded.
Cruz brought his hand to my hip, where his fingers snuck underneath the hem of my shirt. They trailed up along the side of my body, taking the shirt I was wearing along for the ride. I lifted my body a bit to free the part of my top that was between me and the bed. Cruz used that opportunity to lift the shirt over my head and toss it aside.
I fell to my back as Cruz remained on his side next to me. Lying next to him in his bed, in nothing but a pair of panties, I squirmed under his intense gaze. He brought his fingertips to my collar bone and traced along the skin there before moving them down. His touch was gentle as he brushed his fingers over my nipple. He gently squeezed my breast and used his thumb and forefinger to pinch my nipple. Finally, Cruz lowered his lips to my chest and captured my breast in his mouth. His hand left that breast and moved to the other one, where it teased me before moving down my body. Continuing to lick and suck on my breast, Cruz’s hand reached the waistband of my panties and carefully slipped inside.
As soon as his fingers slid through my wetness, he lifted his head, brought his mouth to mine, kissed me and groaned into my mouth.
I brought my hands to my hips and pushed my panties down. Bringing my knees up so that my feet were flat on the mattress, I managed to get them down my legs and over my ankles before dropping my knees to the sides to give Cruz better access.
I wanted to feel him.
I needed to touch him.
His fingers continued to play at the sensitive spot between my legs while I kissed him and reached for his cock. Moving his boxer briefs out of the way, my hand stroked over the length of him. As I pumped my fist, gliding over it, I realized I wanted to taste him.
We’d explored each other and lots of positions over the last few weeks, but I hadn’t yet had him in my mouth.
Pulling my mouth away from his, I struggled to catch my breath and admitted, “I want to taste you, Captain.”
His fingers didn’t stop, but the look in his eyes and the grin on his face told me he was very much ok with me going after what I wanted.
It would have been so easy to give into what he was doing to me, but I fought against it and lifted my body. His hand was still between my legs, and I sat immobilized a moment allowing myself to feel the pleasure he was giving me. I wrapped my hand around his wrist and pulled his hand away before pushing him to his back.
Straddling one of his thighs, I leaned down and kissed his abdomen. I kept both of my hands on him, one on his shaft, the other massaging his balls. As I moved my lips d
own his abdomen and continued to work him with my hands, Cruz groaned. The sound was so sexy and only motivated me to move my mouth to its ultimate destination quicker.
I looked up at Cruz one last time and saw the look of pure need coming from him. The corners of my mouth tipped up and I kept my eyes on him as I wrapped my lips around the tip of his cock. My tongue swirled around the head and the heat in his eyes intensified. I took more of him in my mouth and watched as his hands clenched into fists. As much as I wanted to continue watching him, I wanted to please him even more.
So, I got down to business and moved my mouth down and sucked him in. I worked him as hard as I could, letting go of all inhibitions I’d had up to this point in our sexual relationship. The truth was that I didn’t need to look up and see how he was reacting to know how he felt. I got it all in the rewards he gave me.
His approval was in the words he whispered.
It was in the groans he let out.
And I felt it in his body as it flexed underneath mine.
Suddenly, Cruz’s hands were under my arms. He lifted me up his body and pressed his head against mine.
“That was amazing, Lexi,” he praised me.
“Then why did you stop me?” I pushed back.
His face broke out into a grin before he responded, “You always come first.”
“I don’t mind taking care of you,” I began.
“I mind it,” he replied.
My face scrunched up.
“Wait. Are you saying you’re never going to allow me to have you that way and see you through to the end?” I wondered.
“If you think I’m going to turn that down, you’re crazy,” he chuckled. “But I’m not alright with it happening before I’ve seen to it that you’ve been taken care of. The next time I eat you, I’ll let you return the favor, but for now, I want to see you getting what you need while you ride me. Does that work for you?”
I nodded my head.
At that, Cruz leaned over to the nightstand and pulled out a condom. Once he rolled it on, I straddled his hips, positioned him at my entrance, and slid down over him.
