by Nicole Vidal
Curling my arm around her slim waist, I press my lips to her jawline. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
I lift her to the right, and she slides across the seat. After fastening her seat belt, she lies back down on the front seat, her fingernails digging into my thigh until the phone vibrates.
After inhaling, she says, “Connor said, ‘strip placed, avoid block 58 on next trip.’”
“Please reply, ‘Roger.’” Norah sends the text, replacing her hand on my thigh. I set mine on top of hers. She flips hers, allowing me to hold it. As we round the lake, hopefully for the final time, I skirt the strip and come to a stop a few hundred yards ahead. Turning to watch out the rear window, I see the SUV hit the strip and become immobilized. Connor approaches the vehicle, tasing the driver. He restrains the driver with zip ties to the steering wheel.
“You can sit up.”
Slowly, she pushes up from the seat as Connor pulls his vehicle behind ours. I exit the truck and move around to the passenger side of the car, opening her door. “You can get out if you want.”
Cautiously, Norah steps out of the car.
“Miss Cavallaro, good to see you.”
“Connor, nice to meet you in person,” Norah says.
“Tank was outside. You’re going to have to call him.” I whistle and turn in the direction of the cabin. Less than a minute later, Tank comes barreling down the road.
“Good boy. Freund.” Tank sits at my feet.
“Norah, this is Tank.” She crouches down, pets him, and talks to him as if she has simply been away for a while.
“Thanks for the assist. What are our options now?”
I discuss our options with Connor while Norah and Tank get acquainted. I didn’t think to ask if she had a problem with dogs, but I know I don’t have the manpower to spare right now. He will protect her and warn me if something is off. Plus, I don’t trust anyone else with her life. My team is talented, but I need to handle this myself.
“As long as it’s empty, Point M will be fine.” I hand him the keys to the truck, and he gives me his. “Drop the tracker somewhere along your route to the office.”
“They won’t be back for a bit. I’ll arrange a grocery delivery for you when I get back to the office.” Point M is Connor’s parents’ home.
“Norah, do you need anything specific?” I ask.
“Food wise, I’m not picky. I need contact solution. Officer Sanchez didn’t know to pack it.”
“No problem. I’ll call you with an update early evening on the other assignments,” Connor says.
“Thanks. We should get going.” Rounding the car, I open the passenger door for Norah. Tank waits patiently at her heel. He jumps in the back after I open the door.
Chapter 11
Norah
As we pull away, my heart rate starts to decrease ever so slowly. Despite not being able to see everything, something I’m sure Jacob wanted, I pieced together most of the details.
“What’s going through your mind, gorgeous?”
“Are you sure you want to know?”
“Yes, I want to know.” His response is a bit gruffer than I’m used to from him. I’m sure the situation we’re in contributes to that.
“I’m not sure what I was expecting when I called you. I knew you would come for me, but I didn’t know what being a job would entail.”
“You aren’t just a job, Norah.”
Meaning what exactly? If I were to spill my guts and tell him that his touch is driving me crazy and I want more, he wouldn’t run? Tell him I want more time with him, he wouldn’t run? I might run if I said I didn’t want a relationship and my booty call asks for one. That’s all I am, a booty call. Despite how he’s touched me and kissed me in the last twenty-four hours. As incredible as he is, that’s all we are. Of course, he’ll run as soon as I’m safe on my own again.
“I’ll put it this way, I’m having trouble reconciling the sides of you I’ve seen.” My insatiable lover, the protector, and the man with husband potential.
“Ask me whatever you want.”
“Don’t tempt me.” I decide to let the topic drop for now. “When did you get Tank?”
“Is that really what you want to know?”
“No, but I’m not ready to ask the other questions or hear the answers yet.”
He nods before answering. “When I was young, we had a few different dogs, sometimes two or three at a time. Once I retired from the military and had a place of my own, I raised him from a puppy.”
“How old is he?”
“He’s four.”
I look out the window as snow starts to fall. “Will we make it wherever we’re going before it snows too much?”
“Yes.” His mouth is in a tight line. Well, there’s another side of Jacob. Sullen.
I watch the snowflakes float to the road as we pull off the rural route onto a narrow lane. As we drive along, a large colonial comes into view. It’s picturesque with a wraparound porch and large windows. Jacob pulls in front of the garage door and reaches across to the glove box. He removes a key from a ring and steps out of the truck.
“Whose home is this?”
“Connor’s parents.”
“It’s gorgeous.” Perfect for raising a family. Where did that come from? I always wanted to have kids, just didn’t think it would fit into my life. Now that my life is a mess, I guess all options would be on the table.
“He and I spent a lot of time here.” I hop down and open the door for Tank. He takes off running onto the grass along the side of the driveway. I offer to take one of the bags, but Jacob refuses. Instead he hands me the key. I follow him onto the porch and open the door. The exterior of the house is an older design, but the inside is modern. The kitchen has a huge island with stools. The massive fireplace has a stone hearth and a large TV mounted above it. The furnishings are structured but appear comfy.
“Bathroom?” I wait. “Jacob, bathroom?” I ask again while Jacob opens the fridge.
“Sorry, down the hall. First door on the right.”
After freshening up a bit, I find Jacob standing on the back deck watching Tank chase a ball. He retrieves it, and Jacob dutifully throws it again. His form is perfect, both his body line and the movement of his arm.
“Quarterback, huh?” Well, just another point in the too-good-to-be-true column for Jacob Blackthorne.
“You like football?”
“Like isn’t strong enough. I watch every game I can.”
“Do you have a favorite team or just the game overall?”
“I’m a Bears fan despite being from the northeast. You?”
“Same actually.”
“So, what now?” I turn to face him. While I still put myself in the barely knowing Jacob category, I would say he’s working something out in his head right now.
“I’ll have a better answer after I talk with Blaine and Connor again later. For now, let’s call Nicholas. You can talk to Kelly for a few minutes but not much longer. Me calling Nicholas isn’t out of the ordinary, but it would be if it’s too long. While I’m confident that we’re safe here and my phones are clean, we still need to be cautious. Give her enough details for her to stop asking questions.”
“Okay. Are you going to share what’s bothering you?”
“I have a few things going on in my head, but the top two are you and the anniversary of an attack in Afghanistan is tomorrow.”
“Want to talk about either one?”
“Later. I’m not a fan of talking about it.”
After following Jacob to the kitchen, I watch as he rifles through the bag that Connor delivered. He pulls out a phone and hands it to me.
Taking a deep breath, I dial Nicholas while leaning against the island.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Nicholas. It’s Norah. Is Kelly there?”
“Sure, are you okay?”
I put the phone on speaker. “Yes, I’m fine. You’re on speaker.” I won’t share any of the details with Kell
y about the Moretti’s henchmen.
“Hi. Oh my God! Are you okay? Maia wasn’t helpful. I tried to visit you.”
Jacob settles his arms on either side of me, caging me against the cold granite.
“Breathe, Kel. There was an incident at work and then at my townhouse. I’m fine. I’m with Jacob.” Scared out of my mind but fine. His nearness is distracting. The heat of him surrounds me, making my pulse increase. All the nerve endings I’ve been ignoring are screaming for attention.
“Is there anything we can do?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Can you take me off speaker?”
I push the button, lifting the phone to my ear. I try to step out of his arms, but he resists, tightening his arms around me.
“It’s just me, Kel.”
“Are you going to be okay with Jacob?”
“Yes, it’s his job.”
“That isn’t what I mean.”
“I can’t answer that.” I probably could answer her, but it isn’t what she wants to hear. Kelly knows the type of relationship we have, but she also knows what I want for myself. She’s just trying to protect me from myself and a broken heart. Normally, that would be my job as the older sister. “I have to go, Kel. I’ll call you again when I can. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I end the call and set my hands on top of his, linking our fingers. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” His lips press against the nape of my neck, moving to my earlobe. Hell, he knows what that does to me.
“I need you to stop if—”
Chapter 12
Jacob
“I don’t want to stop, even though I should.”
Releasing my hands, she turns to face me, her hands on my chest. Her hazel eyes leaning toward green bore into mine when I pull her curves against me.
“Because I’m a job now.”
“While that’s arguably true, I couldn’t separate the two from the moment I received your text. I care about you, Norah, and I’ll lose my mind if something happens to you.”
“I trust you, Jacob. Nothing is going to happen to me. We made it through earlier today, right?”
“Yes, but I don’t know how that would have gone if Connor wasn’t nearby.”
“We don’t have to worry about that. Connor was there. I’m fine.” She curls her fingers and drags them down my chest. She knows the effect that has on me.
“Are you going to share what Kelly asked?”
“She asked me if I would be okay with you.”
“Meaning?”
“She knows the nature of our relationship, but she knows me too. Well enough to know…I have only been with you since the Ramirez wedding.”
“I haven’t been with anyone else either.”
Our confessions add weight to this already charged moment. Sliding my hand along her jaw, careful not to press hard against her neck, I pull her lips to mine and claim her mouth as if it’s mine to take at will. She opens for me, tangling her tongue with mine. Lifting her shirt overhead, I travel down her jaw and across her collarbone to the point of her shoulder. Walking toward the hall, I break our kiss. Norah whines from the loss but moves to the hem of my shirt. Each exposed inch of skin is rewarded with a lick of her tongue.
“Tank, come.” He moves to my side. I taught him commands in English and German. The German commands are for when he is working. The English for when he’s simply my dog. “Tank, halten garde.” Confident he’ll alert me if there is a problem, I rip my shirt over my head, and guide her into the guest room.
Norah and I don’t dance to bed. Typically our clothes fall to the floor at a furious pace. This time is no different. Moments after stepping into the room, I’m naked, hard as stone, teasing my way up her creamy skin from her perfectly painted toes. Each press of my mouth or skim of my teeth relaxes the tension in the room and in my chest—tightness that I’m choosing to explain based on the bounty on her head, not the confusion in mine. Gripping her thighs, I spread them wide, baring her slick heat to me. With featherlight movement, I graze my fingertips along her inner thighs, ghosting over her core.
“Jacob….” Her voice is dripping with lust and desire.
“Norah.” I open her folds with my fingers before dipping my tongue into her center. Her long fingers laced in my hair, her hold tightens as the pressure builds. Tasting her arousal spurs me forward—licking, sucking, and biting. She presses against me. Teasing her tight bundle brings her closer to release, her lips pink, swollen, and aroused from my mouth. She writhes against me. As her orgasm eases, she loosens her hold on me. Moving upward, I stroke myself twice before aligning my shaft with her heat.
There’s a look in her eyes I’ve seen only one other time. I couldn’t decipher it then, and I can’t now. Palming her breasts, I push forward. Once I’m fully seated, I pull out completely. The loss of her tight walls surrounding me makes me feel bereft. I thrust forward with one long, deep stroke, burying my shaft inside her. Her legs tucked against my sides allows me to hit her spot with each precise movement. I feel her tense as her second release builds in her abdomen. She pulses around me the closer she gets to bliss. Tightness forms for me, but I refuse to come before her.
“Sweet mercy!” Her body convulses around me as she shivers from my tongue circling her nipples one by one. Hooking her ankles behind my back, she draws me even deeper, and I lose the grasp on my control. Sliding my hands around her, I lift her hips off the bed and pound into her harder. My cock throbs in her heat as I forcefully plunge deeper. Her hips meeting mine has me exploding inside her. Breathing heavily, I gaze down at her. Her eyes close tightly as if she’s fighting something—holding back emotions that we just stirred up. Emotions about what, I’m not sure, and I don’t plan on asking; it would only exacerbate the discord I have in my own head right now. If I’m honest, probably my heart too.
Lowering her to the bedding, I withdraw and gather her against me. Lifting her eyes to mine, I see questions—likely the ones from earlier that she refused to ask. The ones I don’t want to answer. I know there are only two options when she’s safe again: complete surrender or two crushed hearts. Despite my brain telling me otherwise, I care about her and want her to be happy. There is no scenario where the end doesn’t result in two crushed hearts and no more spectacular sex, at least for me.
Tank alerts from the hallway. It’s probably the groceries, but I still need to check anyway.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.” I kiss the tip of her nose and forehead.
She nods, covering her luscious body with the throw blanket. A small sigh escapes her lips as I pull on my jeans and shirt to check on the alert. Stepping into the hallway, I find Tank exactly where he should be, facing the front entry.
“Tank. Lindern. Good boy.” Tank and I step into the kitchen and find Connor bringing groceries into the house.
“Connor, what are you doing here?” I say loudly, hoping Norah hears me. I fill a bowl of water for Tank and relieve Connor of the bags he’s carrying.
“I tried to get them delivered, but with the storm, no one would deliver today.”
“Thanks. What is the expected snowfall?”
“A foot plus for this area, even though it’s early in the season. The tractor is in the shed. Keys are still in their usual place.”
I nod. “Since you’re here, do you have an update?”
“Sure. Callen left for his assignment with Miss Goldberg. I reviewed his plan; it’s sound. He intends to stick it out the entire time. How that will play out remains to be seen. Nolan is actively working with Miss Forrester. Her parents are singing his praises. Christoph will be heading out on Saturday for his assignment. Maia will remain in York Beach until Kelly and Nicholas return. Gemma is handling the office well. She’s routing all intake calls to me for now and copying me on any necessary information for the team.”
“Anything on the Morettis?”
“Nothing new. They’re still actively searching for Norah.
Eventually, they will realize that the tracker is leading them to a garbage transfer facility. I dropped it in a trash can at a fast-food restaurant. Presumably a worker will empty it and it’ll move by morning. The goose chase should continue for a few days before they realize that you removed it. What made you look for it anyway?”
“I was cautious on my way to the cabin. No one was tailing us, no one was suspicious at the diner, and we weren’t there long. When Moretti’s men arrived at the lake, I knew they must have inserted one after they drugged her. No other explanation made sense. It was embedded in the hollow at the base of her head. You bought us a few days reprieve. She doesn’t have the ledger they’re looking for. Never did. The bigger question is who does? Why do they think she has it? According to her, she has never seen it.”
Tank scurries down the hall as Norah approaches. She clearly heard me. Even though we were a tangled mass of nakedness less than fifteen minutes ago, she doesn’t look thoroughly pleasured. Although, I’m confident both of us were in equal measure. Her skin isn’t flush, her hair is neatly piled on top of her head, and she’s wearing fresh clothes and her dark-rimmed glasses.
Chapter 13
Norah
Deep down, I know a second round would be an extremely poor decision—not that I’m opposed to making it. As I’m waiting for his return, I hear his warning from the kitchen. For whatever reason, Connor is here again. He may know about my relationship with Jacob, but I don’t plan on flaunting it or making Connor question Jacob’s ability to do his job. Quietly, I pad to the adjoining bathroom and center myself. I can’t look satisfied when I finally get to the kitchen.
Approaching the two men, I inhale and slowly release the breath as I get closer.
“Hi, Connor.”
“Hi, Norah. How are you feeling?”
“So-so. Still tired from the drugs and not sleeping well.”
“Understandable. I should get going.” Maybe Connor has a pet or even a woman in his life. Plus, it’s snowing harder than before. We must not be far from where Jacob’s office is or where Connor lives, maybe both.
