by Chloe Gunter
"Tsk tsk. Are you getting off on torturing the agents again, Ridley?" I asked, keeping my eyes on Everett as his head bounced back and forth between us.
"You know you thrive best under pressure, DeWitt. Your performance today showed that," he said, walking around the table until he was standing next to Everett, who was growing paler by the second. What the hell kind of experience had he had with Ridley to make him so intimidated?
"Donahue wasn't a slouch either," I said, watching the volley between the two of them, and giving credit where credit was do.
"You're right, Donahue is a highly intelligent and competent agent. But enough about that, I want to buy you a congratulatory drink, DeWitt."
"I'd appreciate that, thank you." I didn't offer him my drink order, whether from the empty glass in front of me with limes or our run in at the bar months ago, somehow I doubted that Ridley was a man who would forget much of anything. I watched as he made his way to the bar, people automatically parting for him as Ash came up and took his order.
"So you're friends with the Director?" Everett asked, and I saw a muscle on the left side of his face twist.
"I don't know if friends is exactly the right word," I said vaguely. Ridley had always been there to support me, even when I pushed him away, but we'd always had that push and pull dynamic between us. Friends just seemed like such an elementary word.
"Oh, so you're more than friends?" Everett asked, obviously missing the point intentionally.
"Nope, that one goes to me," Gage’s voice sounded behind me as his hands landed on my shoulders, before he gave me a quick kiss to my temple. "Gage," he said, offering his hand to Everett. Everett took it in stride, shaking his hand and introducing himself.
"Nice officially meeting you, Gage," Everett said. “I’m going to go grab another drink. I'll see you around, DeWitt,” he said, excusing himself just as Ridley was walking back to the table.
His odd reaction had me wondering if Ridley was the reason he had made an excuse to leave.
"I saw you come in and grabbed a bottle for you, hope you don't mind an IPA," Ridley said, handing a beer to Gage, before passing me my drink.
"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it," Gage said, raising his bottle in toast before taking a pull.
"Least I can do before you head out tomorrow. Plus, I owed your girl here a drink."
"Thanks, Wyatt." It was odd hearing him refer to me as Gage's girl, especially now that he knew the basics of my relationship with the twins, but I was touched that he was completely accepting of the situation, as steadfast as always.
"I know you guys probably want some quality time tonight, so I'm going to excuse myself, but I'll see you tomorrow Russo. Charlie, track on Sunday?" he asked.
"I'll be there," I promised. "Thanks again," I said placing my hand on his arm before he left, "I really appreciate it."
I knew he could tell I meant thank you for more than the drinks, but rather for his easy acceptance as well. I watched him make his way through the crowd before turning my attention back to Gage, whose eyes were already on mine.
His face was clean-shaven tonight, in preparation for tomorrow, and his chin-length hair looked like it had just gotten a trim. His thick black cable-knit sweater clung to his toned body, and I had a moment where I couldn't get over how fucking handsome he was. He let me look my fill, never moving until my eyes met his clear blue ones.
"He knows," he said simply, stepping closer to me once I finished blatantly eye-fucking him.
"He does," I confirmed. "It came up the other day when I apologized for being a bitch to him."
"He seems to be taking it well," he said, running his hands down my arms and looking at me with an intense gaze. The kind that always got me in trouble. The good kind of trouble.
I started to squirm as my tongue darted out to wet my lip, heat flashing in my core.
"The only person I want to be taking it well tonight is me," I said deviously, grabbing his hand and rising out of my chair, pressing myself against him.
"Then what the hell are we waiting for, Baby Bird?"
We all but dragged each other out of the bar and into the crisp night air, heading back to my apartment. For one, it was closer, and two, with the guys leaving tomorrow night, I had nothing at their place, and doing the walk of semi-shame just wasn't acceptable when you live where you work.
Gage pulled me tight into him as we crossed the quad, his warmth seeping into me as the smell of leather and whiskey permeated my nose. I wrapped my arm around his waist, my fingers dipping into the top of his jeans. We needed to get inside and fast. I desperately wanted him and their impending departure tomorrow night had me on edge, eager to get as much of them as I could.
As soon as we made it into my apartment building, his lips found mine as he pushed me up against the wall in the hallway. Lips crushed to mine, and his tongue dove in to stroke my own with ease as my hands tangled in his wavy hair.
My lips were swollen by the time I managed to drag them away and grab his hand, pulling him to the stairwell and opting for the fastest route to my apartment. I urgently swiped my card key as we stumbled into the apartment, his hands were already shoved into my pants cupping my ass as he hoisted me up to him and started carrying me towards my room.
The sound of my heart racing filled my ears as my lips found his neck, trying to get access to as much skin as possible. The thumping in my head increased until I pulled away, just as we had reached the kitchen.
That bass line wasn't the beating of my heart, it was the sound of alternative rock blaring through Reed's door. I guess he thought I'd be at the boys place for their last night here.
"You good?" Gage asked, obviously picking up my distraction.
"I'd be better if you were inside me," I said as we took the last steps into my room. Gage snagged me around the waist and pulled me down to the bed with him.
"You're feisty tonight," he said, yanking off my boots before shucking his own. I watched as he pulled off his jacket and then the thick cable-knit sweater over his head, revealing his tanned chest. I followed his movements, quickly shedding my own clothes until he joined me back in bed, bracing his hands on either side of my ears and caging me in.
"You like me feisty," I said, leaning up to nip at his lip. Things between Gage and I had always been, for a lack of a better word, passionate.
"I more than like you, Bird. I love you. And now I have you caged and all to myself." He grinned wickedly as he dipped his head to my breast.
As his tongue swirled around my nipple, my back arched, offering him more before he sucked me into his mouth. His teeth lightly tugged at me while he moved one hand down to roll and tug at my other nipple.
Sliding down on the bed, his lips traced a hot path across my stomach before he settled in-between my spread thighs. Piercing blue eyes met mine as he used one hand to spread me before dipping his head down and giving me one firm lick from the base to the top of my slit.
Pleasure shot through me, making my stomach tighten, and a long groan escaped my lips. He repeated the motion again and again until I was squirming beneath him, begging for more.
Don't worry, baby, I got you.
The touch of Gage in my mind through our comm link had me melting inside at how utterly intimate it felt as he slid two fingers deep inside me, his tongue now focusing on my clit.
In no time at all he had me writhing on the bed, my skin flushed, my hands buried in his hair as I shoved him even closer to me.
Right fucking there, I'm—
Wave after wave of pleasure crashed into me as Gage continued to fuck me, only stopping to run his now wet hand down one of my shaking thighs.
Now that's what I wanted to see, my girl completely blissed out. Don't think I'm done with you yet.
Not a chance, I sent back as he moved above me.
Drawing one leg around his waist, he sank into me without hesitation, the slight curve of his length dragging deliciously against me. He started a steady rhythm, following the beat of the
music that was filtering through my still open doorway.
His cock sank into me on the down beat as I pulled his head towards me, taking his lips with mine as we rocked together. And then, I heard it.
A moan.
Strike that, moans.
Even above the sounds of the song which I now realized was Nine Inch Nails, fucking Ramsey and his Trent Reznor fascination, I could hear them fucking.
There was an extra thud that was not part of the baseline, which was probably their bed hitting the wall. The unrestrained level at which they sounded like they were enjoying each other made me that much hotter.
I wonder who was taking whom.
My pussy clenched even harder on Gage's cock as I turned back from looking at the door to meet his eyes. His pupils were completely blown as he thrusted into me harder, hitching my leg that was wrapped around his hip over his arm now. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had heard.
He leaned forward more, hitting me more deeply as he braced the other hand by my head, his face directly in front of mine.
You like hearing them fuck, don't you, Baby Bird? I can feel how hard you're milking my cock.
I momentarily froze at his observation, but it wasn't something I could deny. He didn't stop his steady thrusts, continuing to fuck me along the beat as his tongue darted out to wet his lips.
I bet you would love to be a fly on their wall right now, watching them go at it. You can tell from the sounds they're making that they're both utterly ruining each other.
He was right, they were close. Their voices were getting louder, the moans more urgent. The fact that Gage was enjoying this as much as I was ramped up my desire even further. I raised my hips to meet his, fucking him back while he stared at me in the eyes, seeing my innermost desires and accepting me for them.
Or maybe, just maybe, you'd even like to join in.
At the same time he thrusted deep, hitting me in just the right spot. My head arched back, blinding light arcing across my vision as pleasure raced throughout my body. Gage's grip on me tightened as he drilled into me over and over before setting me off again, holding himself deep inside me as he filled me with his warmth.
Char?
Reed's voice echoed through my mind, his own tone sounding satisfied and completely surprised. Gage's eyebrows lifted, indicating that he had heard the echo of the question too since we were actively linked.
Mortification ran through me as I quickly imagined steel doors slamming shut in my mind. I knew realistically that if he tried, he could probably get through, but I hoped that he would get the message to stay the hell out of my head.
How much had he heard? Would he fucking hear me every time I had mind-shattering orgasms or just when I was thinking of him and Ramsey together?
Gage pulled me to him, rolling us to our side, and tucked my head to his chest while he stroked my hair. I took a shuddering breath, coming down from both the toe-curling sex I'd been having, and the shock of hearing Reed's voice in my head during such a vulnerable moment.
"There's no use stressing about things that are out of our control. Everything's going to work out, Bird. No matter what, you'll always have Gav and I, supporting you and loving you, even when everything else seems to be coming down around you," he said softly into my hair.
And I knew then, that everything would be alright.
“Turn around and do it again."
My eyes tracked their stride, the way their hands hung at their sides and how they shifted their weight as they walked away from me.
GRAVITAS had done a hell of a job making sure they were groomed and dressed within a millimeter of each other, but the devil was always in the details. And with my guys, I wasn't going to take a chance that anyone would notice any differences between them.
"You remember your tells?" I questioned, looking up to their amused expressions.
"Yes, cara, we remember. Everything is going to be fine. We'll comm link you when we can, and we'll be back as soon as we figure out exactly what the hell is going on over there."
My eyes narrowed at them, waiting for them to break. This wasn't a time that I wanted to be pacified, not when it was people that I loved on the line.
Continuing to stare them down, I sat in silence looking between them until finally Gage threw his hands in the air.
"I clench my hands whereas Gav tends to grind his jaw. We both run our hands through our hair, but given that we tend to do it with different hands, we will consciously opt to keep our hands by our side throughout any interaction we have," Gage reiterated.
"And..." I prompted, causing Gavin to let out a chuckle.
"I should try to keep my mouth shut as much as possible when and if I switch with Gavin to infiltrate them," Gage said grumpily.
While they both spoke fluent Italian, Gavin was a linguist and Gage was tech head. The switch would be noticeable if he had a decent length conversation with someone who Gavin had established a lead with.
"You know I love you, right?" I said softer, making Gage's mood lighten as he came to sit next to me on their couch. "I love you both."
Gavin joined us on the couch and they both wrapped their arms around me, whispering words of affirmation and love that I'd never thought I'd hear before them. Vulnerability was something I had been feeling in spades lately, but I was learning that some things in life were worth it.
Somehow in my drive to better the world, I had ended up meeting and forming relationships with people that made me better myself. And that was a true testament to the amount of growth I had done in the past six months.
"You know if you miss us too much you can always come cuddle in our sheets," Gavin said, the offer as sweet as he.
"Or really, if you ever need some space, you know our place is your place," Gage added with a pointed look that made me remember I still had yet to face Reed after our sexcapades the night before. After grabbing a change of clothes for me, Gage and I had made our way to their apartment, knowing I’d want to see Gavin as well and give them another once over before they left.
We spent the rest of the day together, never too far from each other. Eating lunch, cuddling on the couch, not cuddling in bed, it was everything I could have asked for.
Once the sun had set on the day, I walked them to the receiving hall where they were meeting the infiltration team. With each stride the heaviness in my heart settled, a weight that I was sure would only be lifted by their return. But the guys didn't deserve whatever lingering anxiety I was feeling over their departure, they deserved a proper send off, one that wasn’t tinged with sadness.
Squeezing their hands three times each I pulled them in close in front of the stairs of the hall. We had shown each other multiple times throughout the day, just how much this meant, but I wanted one more chance to feel their lips against mine.
Turning to Gavin first, I looked up into his clear blue eyes, so filled with love and devotion as I rose on my toes to meet his tender lips. The kiss was soft and slow, and it settled across my shoulders like a warm blanket.
As soon as my lips left his, Gage was there, his hand tangling in my hair as he claimed my lips for himself. His kiss was hard and insistent, my hand cupping his jaw and the newly shaven skin there.
My ragged breath filled the cool air as I pulled away, committing to memory the men who had burrowed their way so deep into my heart.
"You're going to smash this assignment, I know it. I'm so proud of you both," I said affectionately.
With last lingering words of love, I watched two pieces of my heart ascend the stairs.
You know those sappy romance movies where the girl falls into a deep depression after the love of her life leaves, and it fast forwards to two weeks later and she's still in bed?
Well, that's not me. Regardless if I had pulled something somewhat similar after initiation. Not only did I not have that luxury, but I had shit to do and accomplish, for both GRAVITAS and Ethos.
That being said, I was giving myself the rest of the night t
o mope. One night. Then, I would get back to training in the morning.
The door I found myself in front of wasn't the twins. Despite their offer, I knew that if I went to their place, I would spend the night staring at the ceiling in one of their rooms, which sounded too pathetic to actually carry out. Plus, if I was going to focus on training tomorrow, I needed to get another awkward confrontation out of the way with Reed first.
Sorry I got off to hearing you and your boyfriend fuck. Yeah, I'm sure that was going to go over well.
Placing my keycard on the strip and opening the door, I found that it was just my luck that not only Reed was there, but Ramsey as well. They were sitting on the couch with an overflowing bowl of popcorn as the opening credits to a movie scrolled across the screen.
Well, at least I hadn't walked in on them fucking again. Thank god for small favors.
"Char! Shields!" Reed said, pausing the movie and turning a nice shade of scarlet.
Closing my eyes I stood in the doorway, debating whether or not I should just stick my head in the oven now and get it over with. A stuttered breath left my lips as I heard the creak of leather followed by a pair of footsteps against the hardwood floors. The sound grew louder until they stopped in front of me, the position easy to gauge even with my eyes closed.
"Charlotte," a voice said as a hand came to cup my face. "If you needed some extra inspiration and wanted to join in, all you had to do was ask."
I cracked an eye open and tilted my head up to look at Ramsey, standing there with a smug expression on his face. No doubt he knew exactly what had happened last night and most likely, Reed had informed him that my mind was still on the topic when I had walked in.
"Sarge," I said, the nickname I hadn't used for almost two months coming to my lips. "I'm sorry, to both of you for invading your privacy, but can we please not do this tonight?"
My shoulders slumped involuntarily, almost leaning into themselves as if they wanted to protect me from whatever verbal blow he would sling at me next. Ramsey was a good man, but he always said what was on his mind, and he never sugar-coated anything. I had already cleared the air with Reed about everything that had happened, but I couldn't say the same for Ramsey. Even though the situation was different, I still ended up hurting someone he loved, and thus him in return. He had been distant from me since then, that he was touching me at all was surprising.
