by Laura Acton
Dan grabbed two sodas from his fridge after putting Lexa’s burger carton inside. As he approached her, he realized he should’ve put the khanjar away before he left for work this morning. He handed her the soda and met her questioning gaze. “A gift from the Al Sattar family I received yesterday.”
Lexa’s brows rose. “Wow! Some gift.”
Moving to the couch, Dan lowered himself into the corner as he pondered what to tell her. Shortly after arriving home yesterday, Jaasir Al Sami knocked on his door to hand-deliver Umar’s token of appreciation. Surprised, Dan wished he could refuse the valuable gift but doing so would be rude.
“Arabic is one of the languages you speak?” Lexa asked as she joined him on the sofa. She wanted to ask about the knife, but in debrief after the incident he had been tight-lipped about how he met the royal family of Oshar.
“Yes, but I’m rusty. I didn’t speak Arabic much after learning the basics.”
“Do you read Arabic?”
“Not well enough to read the note.” Dan took a sip of his root beer. “I sent a photo of the letter to Blaze last night for him to translate for me.”
Lexa waited, itching to ask, but with Dan, it was better to remain quiet and allow him to offer information. She realized he often was unable to expand on the details given the top-secret nature of his missions in Special Forces.
Choosing his words carefully, Dan said, “Aware of our ethics policy on accepting gifts yet wishing to express his gratitude for the life of Shareef, the Emir sent the dagger. It once belonged to his fifth son, who died from an allergic reaction to cherries. He bid me do as I saw fit with Fakhir’s khanjar. I spoke with Commander Gambrill about it today.
“I’m going to arrange for its sale, and the proceeds will be split between the fallen officer’s welfare fund, an organization which assists veterans with PTSD, and the foundation which supports efforts to eliminate human trafficking.
Lexa smiled. “The first two elements of your plan make sense, but what made you decide on the third one?”
Dan couldn’t tell her the real reason, using something which Fakhir owned to bring down others like Savelievich would be satisfying. Instead, he said, “We both listened to the presentations at the conference while we covered the Blunts. Seemed fitting to use some of the funds to combat those who seek to make money harming innocents. Many lives have been destroyed, especially those of children kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery.”
Agreeing and moved by the speeches, Lexa said, “I like your choices.” She moved closer, the desire to kiss him building all through dinner, she gave in and brushed her lips against his. She had hoped they would have time together over the next couple of days, but since they must be back at headquarters tomorrow, she needed to go home to grab clean clothes. After their lingering kiss started to deepen, Lexa pulled back. “I gotta go.”
The heady sensation which came with touching Lexa surged through Dan’s body. Not wanting their connection to stop, he asked, “Wanna stay the night?”
Lexa sighed. “I would like to, but we are on shift tomorrow, and I need a clean uniform. Everything in my go bag is dirty.”
Dan wanted her to stay tonight, so he said, “I have something which might fit you for tonight. I need to do some laundry too. We could go down to the basement laundry room and do a load or two together.”
“Dan it’s after midnight. Who does laundry this late?” Lexa laughed.
Giving Lexa a lopsided grin, he answered, “TRF constables who work noon to midnight. Come on it’s open twenty-four seven. Besides, you’ve been up for at least twenty hours now … not safe for you to drive.”
Lexa chuckled. “Oh, so now you want to talk safety. Where was that thinking when you jumped in front of the vehicle and aimed your MP5 at the gang member to make him stop?”
“He halted, didn’t he? He didn’t flee with the kid in the car he highjacked.”
Reaching out and patting Dan’s knee Lexa shook her head. “You realize if you keep making moves like that, Jon is going to continue to ride your ass.”
Dan eyed Lexa. “The sedan could’ve crashed, and the child wasn’t buckled in a seatbelt. My action saved an innocent child, and I would make the same choice again. Are we going to rehash debrief? Jon laid into me enough already.”
Sorry for making Dan recall Jon’s tongue lashing on unacceptable risk, even though she agreed wholeheartedly with their tactical leader, Lexa changed the subject. “What do you have for me to wear?”
Dan brightened, set down his can of soda, and went to his bedroom. A few moments later he returned with one of his smaller t-shirts and a pair of shorts. “You can pull the drawstring to cinch the shorts tight. The shirt will be baggy on you, but ….” Dan flashed her a boyish grin.
Lexa stood and shed her clothing without hesitation. When she finished, she stood stark naked in front of Dan.
Dan sucked in a breath as his eyes roved over Lexa’s creamy skin, relishing the attributes of a confident, poised, and exquisitely beautiful woman, who didn’t hide her body from him.
Lexa sauntered over and took the tee and shorts as she seductively purred, “Later soldier, laundry first.”
He could only stare as she dressed in his clothes. Dan wanted them off and her in his arms in his bed. The anticipation of later had his blood rushing. Dan ogled her with lust-filled eyes as she gathered her clothes from the couch and then retrieved the rest from her bag.
Once she grabbed everything, Lexa turned back to find Dan rooted in place staring at her. Wow! She loved the effect she had on him. It stroked her ego when Dan stopped in his tracks sporting the physical evidence of his arousal … smoldering eyes and the defined bulge in his pants. Her teasing ogle betrayed her, “You said you had laundry, too?”
Lexa’s words pulled him out of his fantasy. Would Lexa be game for it? Dan cleared his throat and adjusted himself. “Yeah give me a minute to grab them.”
After Dan turned, Lexa stared at his backside as he strode into his room. Truth be told, Dan did the same thing to her she did to him. She craved to disrobe him and run her hands over his taut, heated skin.
At first, Dan had been shy about his body in front of her, but his scarring reflected the honor of the man. When she massaged him at Relax Now Spa in Ottawa, she spent time tracing all the scars which reduced his anxiety and showed him she didn’t find them or him repulsive.
Now she liked to draw ever smaller circles on his chest. It was no longer about his scars, but about caressing him and enjoying the electric tingling sensation of his skin against hers. At those thoughts Lexa’s breasts peaked, and a rush of warmth filled her core … the mere idea of being with Dan made her body heated and ready.
After swiftly changing into sweatpants, so he could wash his jeans, Dan came out to the bedroom carrying a basket of dirty clothes. He noted Lexa stood in the same place. The golden flecks in her hazel eyes possessed a smoky, sexy quality. Perhaps my fantasy might become a reality.
As Dan and Lexa headed for the door, eyeing one another with an intense craving, Kaitlin smiled and turned to Brody. “Well, time for me to fade and recharge.”
Brody held in the chuckle which wanted to bubble forth. Kaitlin always faded out before Lexa became intimate. A mother witnessing her daughter engage in carnal pleasures would be uncomfortable. He afforded Danny the same privacy, fading and channeling his ethereal energy to create a shield to protect his brother from danger while he was not present. “I’ll join you.”
Fly in the Ointment
78
January 6
Apartment Complex – Basement Laundry Room – 1:15 a.m.
After loading the dirty clothing into two of the six machines, Lexa hopped up on one of the washers, and they engaged in innuendo-laced conversation as the sexual tension between them ratcheted up a notch or two … or ten.
Though he enjoyed their playful banter, Dan’s yearning to touch Sexy Lexie increased and consumed him. Words were not enough … action was required. When t
he spin cycle vibrated under Lexa, she gazed at Dan with a wanton expression. That was all it took for him to leave the chair he straddled.
Embracing as their lips met in a frenzied dance, their hands freely roved over and under shirts as the all-pervading desire to connect physically demanded to be heeded. Tugging at the drawstring of Lexa’s shorts, Dan loosened the waistband. He let go as Lexa yanked his shirt up and off, but his hands were back in moments.
Sinking her teeth lightly into Dan’s shoulder, Lexa moaned as Dan’s fingers found her and began to work their magic. The vibration of the washer and his ministrations drove her wild.
Dan sucked on Lexa’s collarbone, so his love bite wouldn’t show. He needed to mark her as his just as she marked him. Lexa’s biting was rough, but the tweaks of pain only intensified his desire and made him grow even more rigid. When a hot rush coated his fingers and Lexa’s body shuddered as she muffled her cry of ecstasy in his shoulder, he couldn’t wait any longer. His fantasy would come true tonight.
Removing his hand from her shorts, Lexa whimpered in protest. He shoved the elastic waist of his sweatpants down enough in the front to expose himself. The legs of the garment he provided Lexa were spacious enough to allow him access, so taking them off was unnecessary.
Coming down from heights only Dan took her, she didn’t comprehend how he came to be inside her while still clothed, but the thought rapidly fled as his demanding motions began to take her back to the peak. Her head fell backward as Dan’s passionate sounds filled her ears. She gripped him to stabilize herself as she wrapped her legs around his hips giving him more access.
Lost in passion, the need to experience Lexa … to touch her, savor her, inhale her scent, listen to her mewling purr, and gaze upon her beauty became all-consuming for Dan as his hands pulled her hips to him in rhythm of his deepening strokes. His lips sought out Lexa’s. Their kisses hot and hard, they plundered each other’s mouths as moans and cries escaped.
Lexa’s toes tightly curled as she reached her release, again. Every muscle in her body rigid with anticipation. When ecstasy overtook her, white-hot electricity vibrated through every nerve pathway, energizing her.
When Lexa’s muscles clenched around him, Dan crested the mountain hard and fast as he rasped out, “Lexaaaa,” and buried himself to the hilt one last time. He came down gradually as shudders rippled through his body.
He gazed into Lexa’s eyes as some semblance of sanity returned to him. Lexa drove him to distraction so effortlessly, and nothing else existed when he was with her. She became his everything, his whole world, while they were joined as one. He would voluntarily sacrifice his life to save her.
A squeak, sounding like a wheel in need of oil, brought her back to reality. She gazed at Dan and noted he was still lost in the haze of their passion. It always took him longer to come out of the miasma than her.
When the squeak repeated at a steady pace and sounded closer, Lexa disengaged her legs and pulled Dan’s pants up for him. He was beginning to come back as she urgently whispered, “Someone is coming. Quick put on your shirt.” Lexa shoved Dan’s shirt into his hands, shimmied off the washer, and stepped away from Dan.
Dan blinked as Lexa thrust the shirt at him, gripped in sensual confusion. We were fitted together as one in perfection, but now she’s gone. Bereft at the lack of connection to her, the real world came into focus, and that’s when he finally heard a squeaking wheel. He pulled his t-shirt down right before Mrs. Stark entered the room.
Eleanor Stark assumed a pleasant countenance. “Oh dear, I thought the laundromat would be empty at this hour.”
Turning a shade of pink at almost having given his elderly neighbor quite a show, Dan stumbled out, “We are almost done with the washers. Needed to wash a few things before work tomorrow. I’m working the noon to midnight shift the next few days.”
Coming into the room, Eleanor eyed the attractive lady sitting in a chair. “Dan where are your manners? Are you going to introduce me?”
Dan cleared his throat and peered at Lexa with a grin. “Mrs. Stark, this is one of my teammates, Lexa McKenna. She is keeping me company while I do my laundry. Lexa, this is Mrs. Eleanor Stark, my neighbor across the hall.”
Holding the shorts up with one hand, not having enough time to tie them, Lexa shook the offered hand. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
Eleanor considered Lexa’s somewhat disheveled attire. She may be old, but she wasn’t dead. She overheard them when she exited the lift and decided to push her cart back and forth making the wheel screech to alert them of her presence. They made a lovely couple, but she would keep those thoughts to herself. Kindly she said, “Lovely to make your acquaintance, Lexa. Dan is such a sweet man. He delivers Mr. Happy’s food to me.”
Lexa turned to Dan with a quizzical expression. “Mr. Happy?”
“Mrs. Stark’s border collie. His real name is Skippy, but I started calling him Mr. Happy because even at nineteen years old he acts like a puppy and always greets me with a wagging tail,” Dan explained.
What he failed to mention was the other half of why he called the dog Mr. Happy. When he met Mrs. Stark, he had been in a dark place emotionally. Thoughts of suicide plagued him back in his early days with TRF. Shortly after moving in, he encountered Eleanor when the elevator was on the fritz as she attempted to lug a bag of dog food up ten flights. He offered to carry the food for her, and she invited him into her apartment for lemonade as a thank you.
Ever since, he gravitated to the tri-colored collie. He always wanted a dog while growing up but living at SFTB Yukon made that impossible. Every time he spent a few moments with Skippy, Dan’s mood lightened, and he left happier. It would be a sad day when Skippy passed away.
Eleanor grinned, she comprehended the reason behind the name, the young man appeared so forlorn when she first met him, and she perceived the effect Skippy had on him. Not wanting to spoil his Christmas, she withheld the information from him that Skippy’s last vet visit didn’t go well and her longtime companion would soon be leaving the earthly realm. She resolved to break the news to him easy, as she said, “Do you recall me telling you about the pet rescue organization where I volunteer?”
“Yes.”
“They recently received an influx of dogs from a breeder who was convicted of animal cruelty. The poor dogs were kept in despicable conditions. One border collie had a litter of six. I agreed to adopt one after they are weaned.”
Dan asked, “Will Skippy accept the puppy?”
A sad sigh escaped as she put her hand on Dan’s arm. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but the vet said it wouldn’t be long before Skippy crosses the Rainbow Bridge. He is almost twenty … he has lived a long and beautiful life. I will miss him but know he will be waiting for me.”
Dan’s heart dropped to his stomach at the thought of Skippy dying and not being able to play with him occasionally. Choked with emotion and not sure what to say, never having experienced loss of a pet, he offered, “If you need any help when he passes, you can count on me.”
A slight smile lit on Eleanor’s face, noting his compassionate response. “You are such a dear man.”
Lexa cinched and tied the drawstring as Mrs. Stark and Dan conversed. She glimpsed how the news affected him. He paled, and his eyes took on sadness. She understood the ache of losing a long-time pet.
For her, it was her short-haired, gray cat. Puff lived ten years and gave her solace after her mom died. She would curl up with Puff on her bed at night and cry herself to sleep for months after Mom’s death. The following year, her cat passed away, and Lexa grieved almost as much for Puff as she did Mom. Though with many years in between, she could now smile, recalling only the joy Puff brought to her life.
When the wash cycle finished, Lexa gave Dan and Mrs. Stark a few moments alone as she transferred their clothes to the dryers. She noted Eleanor’s arthritic hands and how respectful Dan behaved towards the elderly woman as he helped load her clothes in a washer … another admirable
quality.
Once the machines were running the three of them enjoyed a long conversation about pets. Dan insisted Mrs. Stark remain sitting as he moved her clothing to a dryer. As she and Dan folded their garments, Lexa glimpsed the odd smiles the older woman gave them.
Catching Mrs. Stark’s eyes, Lexa realized the woman was not ignorant of their tryst. She appreciated the woman’s discretion in not mentioning the event, especially since Dan would be utterly mortified. Another mark in his favor … while a consummate lover, Dan was not one to brag about conquests, he appeared to respect women as well as seniors.
After she finished folding, they said goodbye to Mrs. Stark. Lexa exited first and smiled as Mrs. Stark stopped Dan.
When Mrs. Stark called his name, he turned back to her. “Yes, ma’am?”
Eleanor beckoned him closer then whispered, “You be a gentleman and treat Lexa well. She’s a keeper.”
Dan grinned, not surprised the sharp-witted lady perceived his relationship with Lexa. “Will do, ma’am. Oh, and when your puppy arrives, let me know what brand of food you want.”
“I will. And, Dan …” she smiled, “I want you to name the puppy.”
Giving her a wow smile, Dan nodded. “Thank you.”
As Dan left, Eleanor beamed as she witnessed him jog to catch up to his lady and take the basket from her. Daniel Broderick was a rare man, and she hoped Lexa realized how lucky she was to have Dan.
Dan’s Apartment – Bedroom – 4:00 a.m.
Lexa lay with her head on Dan’s left side as she drew ever smaller circles on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat, savoring the stillness and serenity of being with him as he softly caressed her back. When he chuckled, Lexa tilted her head upward. “What’s so funny?”
Dan lifted his head and kissed her nose. “We almost got caught making my fantasy a reality.”
Lexa would let him think they had not been caught. “You fantasized about having sex in your basement laundry facilities.”
