The Boss

by Melissa Schroeder

  “Well, keep digging. We are definitely going to have a long talk with Millie tomorrow. No way she has no idea what’s going on.”

  “Yeah,” Rock said. “Do you think she’s been lying to us?”

  “Maybe a wee bit, but that’s to be expected. She doesn’t know who to trust. I also wonder what story she was told.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Think about the FBI and their inability to admit they have a world-class cock up on their hands. This might just be a way for them to divert people’s attention. Look over here. We have a bad woman who toyed with anarchy, and she’s after all your digital information. Then they can disappear her into a hole to use themselves.”

  “Sounds about right,” Rock said.

  “You know that all of the agencies are wanting a crack at her. And not just U.S. agencies. I can see them all over the world wanting a piece of her. Even Simon knew about her. Said she was some kind of urban legend.”

  “Simon heard about her? Don’t you find that odd?”

  “Not really. He keeps up on all of that stuff. His claim to fame was catching a hack into the private computers at the British embassy in Columbia. He also spent a lot of time in Russia, so I am sure there was a lot of buzzing going on in those circles.”

  “Ah, okay. Makes sense. Our big problem is finding out who is involved with this Maatev.”

  “Tessa was sure it wasn’t George?”

  “Yeah. Denkov, his benefactor, has been at war with Maatev for a couple of years. Unless he decided to switch sides, I don’t see that happening.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense. Okay, so we need to figure out who told Maatev about our little hacker. We also need to confront Millie about the situation and get some straight answers. I know we haven’t pushed before now, but it’s imperative to our safety now. She had to know something was up.”

  “Yeah. We’ll meet up tomorrow and head back to the farm.”

  “Let me know if you hear from Tessa again.”

  “Talk later?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mac clicked her phone off and glanced at the bedside clock. She needed to charge the phone, and she needed to get to bed. Of course, there was probably very little chance that she would get any sleep tonight. Her nerves just weren’t going to let her.

  The mission, the man, and the whole bloody thing had her head spinning. Mac had been in a lot of tight positions before, but this had to be one of the worst. The moment they got back to the room, Vic had sent her into the shower first, telling her he wanted to think things over. She thought he would join her at some point, but she made it through the shower with no interruptions.

  When she had stepped out of the bathroom, she had smiled at him and waited. He brushed past her and went to use it. And now here she sat. Waiting.

  Rock had more information, but it got them nowhere. This whole entire crap storm wasn’t going anywhere for them, but dammit, she wanted it over. She wanted this cleared off the books so they could get back to their lives. And maybe they would know what the hell was going to happen with them.

  She sat down on the bed.

  “Fat chance of that,” she said, to no one in particular.

  They were back in sync, at least on the job. And that had always worked well. From the first time they had worked together, there was nothing that could get in their way if they cooperated on the job. They knew each other’s weaknesses and strengths.

  When it came to their personal issues, she wondered if he would ever understand what made her tick? Probably not, and that just made her sad. But how could she blame him? She rarely understood herself in the relationship. She needed him so badly, which then made her push him away. It was a sick trait, but one she’d learned early on in life. Showing someone you needed him made you look weak.

  Of course, he wasn’t much better. She had no idea why he would get so mad at her. They had no issues in the bedroom, but normal coupledom had never been easy. And, truthfully, she didn’t know if it ever would.

  She wouldn’t be able to figure out just what the hell was going on with Vic, so she decided to worry about their job. Of course, that is always what she did.

  Her phone buzzed. She grabbed it and recognized the number. Fear spiked, but she beat it back as she clicked it on.

  “Hey, Jay, what’s up?”

  “Not much. I got Vic’s message, but he isn’t answering right now.”

  “In the shower.”

  A beat of silence. “Alone?”

  “Yes. Who would be in there with him?”

  “Well…”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m on the phone with you.”

  “Still. You could be in the shower.”

  “I promise you that if I was in the shower with your brother, I would not be answering the telephone. I would be much too busy with his body.”

  He made a sound of disgust on the other side of the phone. “Okay, that was TMI.”

  “Then don’t get cheeky with me. Did you need anything?”

  “Nothing in particular. Just thought I’d check in. So nothing?”

  “Well, apparently there is some kind of urban legend about Millie.”

  “What?”

  “True story. Simon—”

  “Sir Simon? The one that Vic hates?”

  She frowned. “He doesn’t hold a formal title, and, yes, the one Vic hates. I didn’t know he had talked about him to you.”

  “I just know he would like to kill him. Or, at least, maim him. It always pissed him off when you went back to him during your breakups.”

  “I never went back to him. I would spend time with him, but I haven’t… Well, that’s none of your business.”

  “Thank God. So, tell me about Millie.”

  “Rumor is she can hack into anything. Any government agency, drug operation, or terrorist organization.”

  “I can believe that. She wanted a computer not too long ago.”

  “You didn’t give it to her, did you?”

  “Hell no. I told her to read, which she wasn’t too happy about.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, I can imagine. This has got to be driving her crazy. Where is she right now?”

  “Sleeping. Or, at least, in her bedroom. She hasn’t talked to me since I refused to let her get on a computer or give her a smartphone. She was positive she could hack into something.”

  She closed her eyes and prayed for patience. “Just what we need.”

  “She says she could divert their monitoring.”

  “Yes, but they could at least trace it back to where you two are. And truth is, she knows that. Hackers always think they can beat the system, though. Then they get caught.”

  He said nothing else as the silence grew longer.

  “Was there anything else?”

  “Are you and Vic okay?”

  “I told you, we’re fine.”

  “I mean…”

  “What?”

  “You haven’t done anything stupid, have you?”

  “What the hell does that mean? I never do anything stupid. Ever. I just move right along with no issues.”

  “I mean…dammit, Mac, you two aren’t fooling around, are you?”

  Irritation and embarrassment twined together. Jay was a man, but she remembered him from his early twenties. He’d been immature for his age, and now he thought he had the right to tell her what she could and couldn’t do with his brother.

  “I don’t think it is any of your business.”

  “We talked about this before, Mac. It’s my business. We can’t have a situation like we had before.”

  Anger and embarrassment filled her. It was bad enough she hadn’t held it together when Vic left, but to have Jay remind her had her lashing out.

  “Yeah, well, know that we are keeping our heads in the game. Just make sure to tame that tongue, or you might lose yours.”

  She clicked her phone off and tossed it back on the table.

  Damn prat. She didn’t need those kinds of questi
ons. She didn’t know what was going to happen, and she didn’t need comments like that from Jay.

  With a sigh, she sat back on the bed and drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around them and resting her head on her knees. She would make it through this.

  Right now, the only thing she knew was the man she had always loved was spending the night in her bed.

  What she would do about it was anyone’s guess.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sometimes you just have to forget about the assignment and just live.

  —Vic Walker

  Vic closed his eyes and counted down from ten for the third time. His body was still humming from the brief encounter with Mac back at the embassy. It had been over an hour. He opened his eyes and glanced down at his phone. Okay, about two hours since they got back. The need that pulsed through every part of his body made it difficult to even think straight, let alone keep track of time.

  He’d taken his time getting back to the hotel, but it hadn’t helped one bit. His mind shifted back to that long shower she took. Knowing her as well as he did, he had expected her to be in and out in record time. Unless she had someone with her.

  That thought brought about another wave of desire crashing through him. His cock twitched as more than one memory of showers together came rushing back. Dammit. This was not getting any better. Worse, he had thoughts that maybe she had wanted him to join her, but he had refrained. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Now, though, he wasn’t too sure. Operating without an ounce of blood in his brain was getting difficult.

  He closed his eyes again and tried to count but couldn’t even remember numbers at the moment. The woman was under his skin. The shower had been no help for him. He hadn’t even had the hot water on—and that hadn’t helped. Even the thought of relieving himself of his apparently unending erection was distasteful. He wanted Mac and nothing else.

  He opened his eyes and sneered at his own reflection. Sap. Idiot. Dumbass. All those names and more fit him. A cold shower hadn’t helped, or his attempt at jacking off. Almost getting caught had sent his adrenaline surging, that was for sure. It had little to do with the jagged arousal he had coursing through his body.

  Mac had reserved a nice room with a wonderful view and one king bed. That was the problem. The idea of getting into the bed with her after that kiss and keeping his hands off her was impossible.

  “Are you going to take all night in there?” Mac called out.

  If he had to. He could stand there and wait until she fell asleep. He might be able to figure out how to resist her. Then he thought better of it. They both needed some rest, because he was pretty sure another hit was just around the corner. It always seemed to happen like that for them.

  He looked at himself in the mirror.

  “You can do this, man,” he muttered. “Get control of your emotions.”

  “Did you say something?”

  “No.”

  Shit. He really was losing his grip. He was standing in the bathroom, trying to convince himself to keep his hands off the woman he loved. It was stupid. Asinine, even.

  No, he thought. It’s smart. They needed to work out their issues, if they had a chance. The fact that less than forty-eight hours earlier he hadn’t thought they had a chance was not lost on him. He was not going to lose this one little ray of hope he had. He wanted a future with her. More, now than ever. But they had a lot to work through, and he had a lot to make up for. Even though she should have never given him the ultimatum, Vic knew now he shouldn’t have walked out. She saw it as walking out on them. In a way, he’d done just that, but like an idiot, he refused to compromise.

  Drawing in a deep breath, he walked to the door and put his hand on the doorknob. Before turning it, he reminded himself that it was important to keep a distance from her. Granted, they were sleeping in the same bed, but they had done it once or twice before with no problem. He could do it again. He was the master of his domain.

  He opened the door.

  At first, he didn’t see her. He had been prepared for her to be standing on the other side of the door. Maybe that was part of their problem. He always expected her to be right there waiting for him, when she wasn’t. Instead, she was sitting on the bed, leaning back against the wall, one leg drawn up with her arm wrapped around it. Her eyes were closed, so he felt comfortable just staring for a few moments.

  She was such a solitary soul. He had never known another person who seemed so alone in the world, and maybe that is why he was drawn to her. Part of it was her personality. He liked the fact she would kick a man in the teeth if he didn’t respect her. But there were times like this, where he saw the softer side of MacKenzie that most people would never see.

  Right now, he could see it. She was tired, no doubt about that. Still, in this moment, she was probably formulating a response to the information she had obtained. It was another trait that drew him. She was just so damned hardheaded she would never give up.

  “Are you going to stand there and stare at me all night?”

  He smiled. “Maybe.”

  Then, she opened her eyes. She had been breathtaking tonight. The dress, the makeup, the fuck-me heels. They all did a number on him. But here in the soft light, with no makeup, it was just her. Just MacKenzie.

  Before, she’d tempted him. Now, she stole his heart.

  “Whatcha got going on in your head, Walker?”

  He shrugged. “Just thinking.”

  She closed her eyes again. “That always gets you into trouble.”

  “Yeah. Usually. Especially when there is just you and me and a bed.”

  Her mouth kicked up on one side. “Yeah.”

  Her British accent deepened over the word, drawing it out. That did it. He couldn’t resist her anymore. He took four long steps and reached the bed. She sensed him approaching and opened her eyes again.

  Before she could respond to him, he leaned down and grabbed her, dragged her up to him, and smashed his mouth down on hers. He let everything he had been feeling for months out in that kiss. His anger, his loneliness, and his love. He might not say it out loud, but he had known the moment she had crashed back into his life that there would be no turning away from her now. The only explanation was that he loved her.

  He knew he should stop. It was a mistake to do this, to rush back into this heady experience without some forethought. But at the moment, Vic didn’t give a damn. All he cared about was this woman and this moment. He continued to kiss her, easing her back down on the mattress as he covered her body with his.

  Again and again, he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He skimmed his hands down her body to cup her rear end. Pressing against her, he let her know just how aroused he was. She lifted up against him, and he could feel the heat of her sex. He almost came right then and there. He pulled back and kissed a path down her neck to the collar of her shirt.

  He lifted up long enough to grab the bottom of the shirt and tug it over her head. With no care, he tossed it behind him. Then, he looked down at her. Damn, she was a sight to see. Soft skin, curves, and that damned belly button ring he always loved to toy with. Add in the little scrape of lace she called panties, and she was a scrumptious delicacy.

  “Get a look there, love?” she asked, her voice breathless, deeper, and it shook just a little bit. He looked up and saw the worry on her face. They had spent time apart before, but never this long. The idea that she would ever doubt her appeal to him almost made him laugh. Right now, he could barely think of anything except burying himself deep inside of her.

  “Yeah. And I like what I’m looking at.”

  She laughed, but it ended on a moan when he took a nipple in his mouth while he toyed with the other one. She bowed up off the bed, urging him on. He loved the little sounds she made, especially when he scraped his teeth across the tip of one nipple. He teased her other nipple, pinching it between his fingers, pulling a long moan from her. He kissed his way farther down her body and then settled between her legs. He sat bac
k on his knees and pressed his hand against her sex. She was wet, dripping with her need for him.

  He pressed his fingers against the silky fabric, sliding his finger along her slit. Mac moaned and widened her legs. She lifted up against his hand to increase the pressure. He wanted to tease, to push her to the edge again and again, but he knew he didn’t have it in him right now. It had been so long since he had touched her, he just couldn’t wait.

  Then, he realized he had no condom.

  “Shit.”

  She opened her eyes. “What?”

  “Condom.”

  “I’m still on the pill. Have you been with anyone?”

  He shook his head.

  “Me, either.”

  “Thank God,” he said, pulling a laugh from her. He grabbed hold of the panties and stripped them off her, the sound of tearing silk telling him he had been a little too hasty. He didn’t care, and apparently she didn’t, either.

  Vic took hold of her hips, lifting them up as he bent his head down. He just needed a taste, a simple taste. He pressed his mouth against her sex as he slipped his tongue inside. Good God, she was heaven. Sweet, pungent, and just as he remembered.

  She struggled against him, but since he held her off the bed, Mac could do nothing. She was completely under his control—and he liked it. Again and again, he dove into her wet core and teased her clit with his tongue. As he grazed his teeth over the tiny bundle of nerves, he slipped his finger inside of her.

  Soon, though, his needs took over. She was close, so close to coming. He knew all the signs, knew when she was just about there. It was too fast. He didn’t want it like this. So he lifted her and came up to his knees. He settled her on the tops of his thighs. She wrapped her legs around him and tried to maneuver the pace, but he wasn’t having it. He slid his arm around her and held her still as he slowly pumped into her by twisting his hips. While he did that, he leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth.

  She moaned and again tried to take control, but he wasn’t having it. He released her and then lifted her off of him. With quick moves, he turned her over onto her stomach and grabbed hold of her hips once more. Lifting her up, he thrust into her from behind. They moaned together, and he started pumping in and out of her. He controlled their movements. She clawed at the sheets, her moans interlaced with curses that he wasn’t allowing her to do anything but feel pleasure. He wanted to be the one to give it to her.