Under the rough exterior he presented to the world, he had a good heart. One that had been beaten up a few too many times.
She bent her head and kissed him, tasting coffee and sugar.
“Are you trying to get fresh with me, Ms. Krieger?” he whispered against her lips.
“You wouldn’t really complain, would you?”
He grasped her by the hips and pulled her forward, fitting their bodies together in an almost intimate fashion.
“Nope,” he said.
She slid her arms around his neck and he took her mouth. The kiss was possessive, branding. His stubble scraped her chin and though she might have initiated contact, he was taking over. Her nipples pebbled, growing harder until she wanted to rub against him to find some sort of relief, like a cat in heat.
“No,” Nolan rumbled against her mouth.
“No?” She panted for breath, head spinning.
“You should eat something first.” He flicked the top of the donut box open.
“I could eat later.”
“You’ll eat now.” He plucked a strawberry donut from the box.
“Bossy.”
“Yup.” One side of his mouth kicked up. “I bet you spend most of your days telling people what to do. Maybe taking orders is good for you?”
“Maybe you’re delusional?”
“I am a guy. I like my delusions.” He held the donut to her lips, drawing a line across her mouth with the frosting.
Yvonne had to hand it to him. He was right. She was the woman in charge at work and she chafed at being on the receiving end of orders at times when she knew Theodore hadn’t done his homework. Yet again Nolan seemed to know her better than her own family.
She took a bite of the donut, giving into him once more.
He’d decided to trust her. That meant something.
Bite by bite, he fed her the donut. More than a little of it got on her chest and top. The pastries weren’t known for being a neat meal to begin with and Nolan seemed to take joy getting the icing on her. She was almost sad to have the last bite, but then he held out his fingers.
She wrapped her lips around his thumb, swirling her tongue against him, licking off every bit of sugar. Then his index finger and the tips of two other fingers.
“Your turn,” she said when she was done.
Nolan’s gaze traveled down her chest to study her nipples.
“I think...”
His eyes glinted.
She knew that look.
He wrapped one arm around her and yanked the blankets off him with the other.
She clutched his shoulders and chuckled as he stood, lifting her with him as though she were nothing.
“I’m going to clean you up the right way.” He kissed her lips, the tiredness in his eyes giving way to heat.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The shower from Vegas was one memory that still made her blush. While her bathroom might not be as spacious, she knew they could make that work.
“You like my idea, huh?” He grinned and carried her around the bed.
“What gave it away? Do I glance away and look up?”
“You blushed.”
She couldn’t help that.
Nolan stepped into the bathroom and set her down on the vanity.
The vanity.
She kept her eyes on his back as he turned toward the shower with its glass walls. She blindly groped for the vitamins and nausea tablets behind her, shoving a hand towel over them.
There would be time enough to deal with that later.
Steam began billowing out of the shower.
Nolan turned back toward her.
“You getting your hair wet this time?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Good.”
He pulled his polo and under shirt off then draped them over the towel bar. The Kevlar vest went next, a reminder that not everything in their world was right. He closed the distance between them and bent, pressing his lips to hers even while his hands slid under her shirt, up her ribs and cupped her breasts. She arched her back, pressing her aching nipples against him. His thumbs found the stiff peaks, and she whimpered.
Yvonne yanked her shirt up over her head then shimmied off the vanity. She was still trapped by Nolan’s body, but that was where she wanted to be.
“Get naked,” she whispered against his mouth.
“Who said you got to call the shots?”
She grasped the tail of his belt and worked it through the loop. “We can make it a team decision.”
“Team decision. I like that.”
Make all of this better
He let her loosen the catch on his belt but took over when it came to unzipping. His pants fell to the floor with a clang and he stood there in his underwear and socks, erection straining the front of his boxer briefs.
She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her pajama pants and panties then pushed down, swiveling her hips to help the material along the way.
Yvonne placed her hands against his chest and tipped her chin up. He kissed her, gripping her hips and pulling her up against him. She wiggled her hand between them and palmed his cock through the material.
They turned in a poorly synchronized dance, her backing toward the shower. Between the two of them they got his underwear off. She had the presence of mind to grab a condom from the drawer before stepping into the shower.
She stood under the spray, water drenching her hair, the heat building inside of her.
Nolan stood back, his gaze a deeper green now than before.
“You really are amazing, you know that?” he asked.
“Tell me later.” She reached out and took his hand. “I want you now.”
He took a step and ran into her, using his body to walk her back against the wall. The cool tiles had her hissing and standing on tiptoe.
Once more he kissed her, the kind of all-consuming kiss that seemed to possess her body, override her mind until all she could think about was him. She wrapped her hand around his cock and pumped his length.
“God damn,” he muttered against her mouth.
He pulled at her hair, forcing her head back. She closed her eyes and surrendered, ready and willing to do whatever he asked.
Part of her still couldn’t believe she’d gone back to his room that night. Her nerves had nearly made her run from the encounter. She’d been gambling on whether or not he’d be a good partner. In the end she hadn’t been prepared for how thorough he did his job.
He nipped her lower lip. “Spread your legs?”
“Is this when I say yes, sir?” She shifted, widening her stance.
“You don’t want to start that game.” His eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Maybe I do?” She was willing to bet even obeying him would be pleasurable.
“You don’t like being told to do anything.”
“I might give you a pass every now and then?”
“I’m going to need that in writing and notarized, Ms. Krieger.”
She chuckled, but the sound was short lived. Nolan cupped her mound, his fingers stroking through her folds. She groaned and shifted, enjoying the feel of his skin on her.
“I wished we had all day,” he said against her mouth.
“Later.”
Nolan ripped open the condom and rolled it on.
When she pushed off the tile to turn, he stopped her then picked her up. She gripped his shoulders, her head spinning. Once again she was pushed up against the tile, this time Nolan was totally in charge.
He kissed her as his cock pressed against her opening. She shifted her hips, helping him find the best angle until he slid inside of her, helped along by gravity and her arousal.
Nolan thrust into her. She groaned and dug her heels in, urging him deeper.
Yvonne cupped his face and stared into his eyes. They might have come together through random happenstance, but this was special. Two people with chemistry and similar history brought together was re
markable. What they were doing wasn’t just sex and pleasure anymore. It hadn’t been after the first time. No, what he did to her, the feelings he drew out, that was unique to him.
Nolan made her feel safe, wanted, desired.
She was glad they’d found their way back to each other, because she could grow to love him. It wasn’t a realization she’d been prepared for, but it had been there ever since he’d called her out under the trees. Love wasn’t just the good, it was the uncomfortable, too. And he’d never shy away from calling her on it.
“Vee?” he whispered.
She kissed him, desperate to keep her words inside for fear that she’d say too much.
Her insides seemed to stretch tight. The release of her orgasm had her gasping for breath, moaning while he continued to thrust into her, his face buried in the crook of her neck.
Yes, she could very well be in love with this man already.
FRIDAY. GRIMALDI PLACE, Chevy Chase, MD.
Nolan spared Yvonne’s bed one last glance. He didn’t want to trudge back to the guest house and pass out on the hard-as-a-rock mattress there. Things with Yvonne were too new to push for some sort of privilege. Plus, he should be present to do his job with the others should the need arise.
He clipped his gun on his hip and was ready to go.
Yvonne sat in the middle of the bed, wrapped in a fuzzy robe, her wet hair piled on top of her head.
“Plans today?” he asked.
“I really need to do some work.”
“How much longer can you remote in?”
“Maybe a week or two?” She grimaced. “There’s some things I just need to handle personally. Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Yvonne swung her legs over the side, giving him a glimpse of her thighs and the maroon and teal plaid shorts she’d put on after the shower. He watched her pad to the window and peer out.
“Coast clear?” He circled the bed and came up behind her.
She leaned back against his chest without urging. He let his chin rest on the wet mound of hair and hugged her to him.
Great sex was what had try to find her, but that wasn’t the only thing they had. He’d been right that a connection like that in bed could mean more. If things worked out, maybe he could see her again and where this went. He sure as hell hadn’t been looking for more, but he was smart enough to recognize it when it landed in his lap. He’d have to go slow, ease her into the relationship. Maybe what they had would rate up there with family and work someday, but he could be patient.
Good things were worth waiting.
“Wait.” Yvonne rocked forward, bracing a hand on the window and squinting. “What’s that?”
He leaned over her, following her pointed finger to the neighbor’s yard.
A man in tactical black wearing a ski mask sat with one leg on either side of the stone fence holding an Aegis Group camera in his hand.
For a split second all Nolan could do was stare, every hair standing on end and his gut tightening into a cold, hard knot.
It was happening now. The retaliation attack they’d feared was going down under his very nose, and the rest of his team was in the guest house.
“Get your family together in the utility room. Go. I’m right behind you.” He yanked his phone out of his pocket and jabbed Grant’s number.
A second figure sailed over the wall, landing in a crouch.
“Where the hell are you?” Grant asked by way of a greeting.
“Two hostiles just took out a camera on the north side of the property. Gathering the family in the utility room to wait for extraction.” Nolan turned his back on the windows and jogged after Yvonne.
“Grant,” Riley yelled in the background.
“I know,” Grant snapped. “We’re on our way. Hold your position and wait for us.”
Nolan slid his phone back in his pocket without hanging up.
Yvonne stood in the hall with Theodore and Douglas, both wearing athletic shorts and sporting rumpled hair. Neither appeared awake enough to comprehend what their sister was saying.
Great.
Nolan had an incoming threat and five assets to secure.
“Come on.” She grabbed Douglas and Theodore’s hands and tugged.
“Move.” Nolan drew his weapon and began down the servant staircase leading to the kitchen. “Where are your parents?”
Douglas gaped at him with wide eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Library,” Theodore said. “Dad would be up by now.”
“Keep your heads down. These people will shoot to kill, understand?” Nolan reached the bottom of the stairs putting them out in the little cut-through that connected the kitchen, pantry and laundry room.
There would be a wall of windows to contend with that might give them away, but that couldn’t be helped. This was their most protected point of decent. He wouldn’t chance the other two stairs because they would leave the younger Krieger’s open to attack.
Nolan stepped into the kitchen.
Mrs. Krieger stood with a coffee cup in hand, staring at the gun in his hand with wide eyes. Nolan barely registered the woman. His gaze was on the figure stepping out from behind the column supporting the patio over-hang.
“Mom!” Yvonne dashed past him, wrapped her arms around her mother and both women disappeared behind the cabinets.
Nolan fired. The blast of gunfire in the marble and tile kitchen sounded far louder than it really was. The bullet shattered the glass panes. He fired again and his bullet bit into its target, sending the would be intruder to the ground.
“Get your dad,” he yelled over his shoulder.
“What—what on earth? He’s trying to kill us,” Mrs. Krieger wailed.
“He’s protecting you, Mom.” Yvonne yanked her mother into a sitting position.
“We need to move. Now.” Nolan doubted that man was either of the two he’d seen, which meant there were more out there.
He stepped around the island, gun still aimed at the doors. He hooked his arm under Mrs. Krieger’s armpit and hauled her to her feet.
“Honey? What was that?” Mr. Krieger crowded into the kitchen.
Nolan caught sight of two figures approaching from the north wall. Those were the interlopers he’d seen from the second story. They were no doubt moving in to check on their fallen friend.
“We have to go, now.” Nolan half-dragged, half-carried Mrs. Krieger into the hall.
The sound of glass shattering at the front of the house was not good. It took minutes for the rest of Lepta Team to get from the guest house to the main house and they were under attack now. Nolan should have fought the issue. He should have done something.
A telltale hissing sound reached his ears.
“Move, stay with me, look at the ground.” Nolan powered forward.
A loud boom and flash of light sent smoke pouring out of the foyer.
Flash grenade. They were breeching the house right fucking now. Sheltering in the utility room was not happening. They’d be sitting ducks.
They had to get out of here. Now.
He spared a glance over his shoulder.
Yvonne was on his heels.
Theodore and Douglas brought up the rear with their father between them, practically dragging the stunned man.
If the attackers were breeching from one point, perhaps he could slip the family out the side or the back?
It was that or hope he had enough bullets to take out all of the intruders.
Voices echoed off the marble.
There was no time.
He had to get the family out now.
Nolan darted into the living room. “Shut the doors behind us. Yvonne, take your Mom.”
“I’ve got her.” Yvonne looped her mother’s arm around her shoulders. The woman cried big, tears accompanied by even louder sobs.
Nolan proceeded across to the windows, keeping low, and peered out on the back yard.
One man on the patio, another at the corner. That left one unaccou
nted for. He doubted the man at the corner was one of the two he’d seen jump over the fence.
“I’ve got two hostiles. Grant, if you can hear me, we’re changing plans. Everyone, get ready to follow me.”
Nolan couldn’t even pause to properly update his Team Leader. Things were moving too fast. He went to a knee and cracked the patio door open. He stared down the gun while listening to the shouts of men coming closer in the house. On an exhale he squeezed the trigger.
The man in black standing on the patio went down.
Nolan threw the door open, swung his gun toward the second figure watching the corner of the house. That man locked eyes with Nolan, but Nolan fired first. The man went down, but it wasn’t a clean kill shot. The target flopped around in the grass, arms waving.
“Move. Come on, follow me.” Nolan ushered Yvonne and her mother out before darting past them to take the lead.
The downed man rolled over and scrambled behind an air-conditioning unit and out of sight.
Shit.
“What is going on? Who are those men?” Mrs. Krieger kept asking over and over again.
They made it twenty or so feet before a bullet whizzed past Nolan.
He sprinted forward, rushing the man. There was no where for Nolan or the others to take cover. His only option was eliminating the shooter.
Another shot ricocheted off the stone.
Nolan fired once, twice then rounded the large unit. He fired a third time at close range and saw the fear in the man’s eyes.
“Go, go, go!” Douglas shoved at Nolan. The other man sounded desperate and panicked.
Nolan whirled to face the threat, pushing the others behind him as two men stepped out from the living room doors.
Nolan fired blindly. All he had to do was keep the other shooters at bay. If he could be their shield and give them a shot to make it to the SUVs, he’d do his job.
A woman’s scream made his blood run cold.
There were too many of them.
Nolan turned and the sight nearly stopped his world.
A man in black had hold of Yvonne’s arm. Her face was a twisted mask of pain.
Her father hauled back and punched the man while her brothers leapt to her aid, kicking and pummeling the attacker.
Dangerously Involved (Aegis Group Lepta Team, #2) Page 20
