Guarding Valentina [Paladin Protection Agency 3] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Susan Hayes

  Her hands traced over the muscles of his back, drawing tiny whorls and circles over his skin as he moved above her. She lost herself in time, forgetting everything but the sense of completeness and safety he offered as they made love together. When his cock swelled and his breathing grew hoarse, she knew he was close to coming, and she arched herself high and hard into his next thrust, urging him on. As his body committed itself to his orgasm, he shuddered and groaned her name as he slammed his body into hers and his balls emptied their load into her womb. Spent, he lowered his head to hers and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to her lips before rolling them both over so that she was sprawled atop him, his cock still buried inside her.

  “We’re going to need to invent more words,” she whispered.

  “I’m starting to think that when it comes to making love with you, there are no words that could ever do it justice.” He grabbed a corner of the coverlet and dragged it over them both, and then draped his arms around her, holding her close. “I could get used to this, you know.”

  She lifted her head just enough to smile at him. “So could I.”

  His hazel eyes turned thoughtful, and he hugged her. “Maybe when this is all over and done with, I should talk to that boss of yours and see if he’s got an opening for a not-quite-human vampire hunter.”

  “You’d stay?” Val was stunned.

  “Maybe, if you wanted me to. I stayed with the Brethren because they were the only ones in the world who ever understood me. They’ve been the closest thing to a family I’ve ever known, but Paladin is something different. I’m not sure yet, but I think I might just be happier here. There’s something about this place, and the people you work with.”

  “There is, isn’t there.” She couldn’t argue with him. She’d felt the same way when Remington had first approached her and offered her a chance to belong. “When this is all over, we’ll talk about it some more. By then you might have changed your mind.” He relaxed beneath her, and she snuggled into the warm bulk of his body and closed her eyes.

  “Get some sleep, luv. I suspect it’s going to be a very long night.”

  “I’m not sure I can sleep. When I stop moving, I start remembering that he’s still out there, and he’s killing my friends.”

  Aedan’s arms closed around her. “I know, luv. I’m in awe of your strength. You’re holding up amazingly well, given what that bastard is trying to do to you. Just hang in there a little longer. When he’s dead, I promise you can stomp on his ashes. For now, just keep reminding yourself that the stronger you are, the more it’s pissing off Christoph. He’s not used to people standing up to him like this. It’ll throw him off his game, and he’ll make a mistake.”

  “It better work. Right now, waiting around for him to slip up is the only plan we have. I hate it. ”

  “It’ll be over soon. Hang in there.”

  Chapter 11

  Despite what she’d said, Val managed to get nearly an hour’s sleep before time caught up to them again. When they’d left his room, Aedan had insisted on going armed, pointing out that sundown was coming soon and he had no intention of having to face Christoph weaponless. She’d laughed at him as he had strapped the katana’s scabbard across his back, the hilt rising over his shoulder.

  “You’re going to get a few strange looks wearing that,” she’d warned him, and he’d just shrugged.

  “It won’t be the first time, luv, and it won’t be the last, either.”

  She’d set out ahead of him, leading the way, but when he’d taken her hand into his and drawn her back to his side, she had been startled, but she hadn’t pulled away. It felt too good, and she didn’t want to let go of him, even if she’d never mixed her work life with her love life before. Given the circumstances, she didn’t want to pull away from the man who could help her stay focused while her world crashed and burned around her. Besides, after her little performance for Jase and Sin earlier, it wasn’t much of a secret she was involved with Aedan.

  That thought was still foremost in her mind when they spotted the rest of the Division S personnel eating together at one table, and she couldn’t help but snicker when Sin lifted his head then ducked it right back down again, studiously ignoring their arrival. She could have sworn his ears turned red as he dropped his gaze back down to his mashed potatoes without saying a word.

  “Serves you right for peeping,” she muttered under her breath. Beside her, Aedan chuckled, and she knew he’d caught the byplay. Just then Jase glanced up and grinned from ear to ear as he saw the two of them approach. “Valentina! Star of stage and screen. Lovely of you to join us. The meatloaf is good, but stay away from the quiche. I don’t know what they put in it, but I do know eggs are never, ever supposed to be green.”

  Sin nearly choked on his mouthful of food at Jase’s greeting, but Val opted to simply ignore him. She wasn’t going to be so easily goaded.

  “You sit. I’ll get us both meatloaf.” Aedan pulled out a chair for her and pressed a flagrant kiss to her lips before setting off in search of food. Val could feel her cheeks heating as everyone at the table stared in surprise. Well, everyone but Jase and Sin.

  “Did he just offer to get you dinner?” Jazz leaned in and grinned at Val. “Jase doesn’t even do that for me and I’m pregnant! You really should consider keeping that one around.”

  “Hey now, I do lots of stuff for you!” Jase protested as Sin and the others laughed.

  Michelle arched a brow at her boyfriend. “Don’t you go laughing, Sinjin Heath. When was the last time you got me dinner, hmm?”

  “I—but—” The normally confident head of Division S gave his girlfriend an awkward smile and shrugged. “How about I get dessert?”

  “Oh, smooth! I’m stealing your idea, Sin.” Jase grinned and winked at Jazz. “How about it, sweetheart? If I produce chocolate cheesecake, will you forgive me?”

  “Maybe.” Jazz’s cheeks went pink, and her fingers tightened around her fork until the knuckles were white. “I think you should get me two pieces, though.”

  Jase smirked. “Because you’re eating for two now? Baby, I don’t think that’s how it works. But if you want it, you got it.”

  Val noticed the joyful gleam in Jazz’s eyes, and she guessed what was coming just as Jazz spoke. “No, Jase. I want a piece for each of our babies.”

  “Two—Holy shit!” Jase swore, and then he had Jazz up in his arms and whirled her around, nearly sending several meals crashing to the floor in his enthusiasm. “Twins? We’re having twins?”

  The entire cafeteria erupted into cheers and applause as everyone realized what was going on and descended on the happy couple. Val sat back and watched, her pleasure for two of her closest friends coming with a faint ripple of envy as she watched the joyful glow on their faces. She didn’t even notice Aedan had returned until he placed her plate down in front of her and dropped a hand to her shoulder, his fingers stroking through her hair as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “It looks good on them, doesn’t it?”

  “It really does.” She turned her head and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Maybe now he’ll finally get on with proposing to her.”

  Aedan just laughed and shook his head. “Just like a woman. They can turn any occasion into an opportunity to discuss weddings and marriage.”

  “Hardly!” She grinned and tugged him down into the seat beside her. “I just know that Jase and Sin have found the right women for them, so I don’t see why they haven’t made it official yet. They’ll never be any happier than they are right now.”

  “No man likes to wake up and discover they’ve become happily married men. We live in fear of it. Give them time, luv. They’ll come round. Their women are much too smart to let them get away with it for too long.” He cocked his head and asked in a softer voice, “Do you ever see yourself finding that sort of happiness?”

  Some of the joy bled out of the moment, and Val shook her head. “I’m not that kind of woman. Even if I were, my job makes that sort of thing a li
ttle complicated. So far this year I’ve been kidnapped by werewolves and hunted by a vampire, and it’s only spring!” She slipped her hand into his. “You know what it’s like. You’re life is just like mine. Neither of us have time for much more than a few moments of stolen happiness here and there.”

  His eyes darkened, and he lifted her hand to his mouth to brush a kiss over her fingertips. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to steal more than a few minutes of happiness if I find a way to stay here.”

  Her heart slammed against her ribs, and Val almost forgot to breathe for a second. She would swear later that the whole world faded away at that moment, leaving the two of them alone. “Maybe we would. I’d like the chance to find out.”

  His smile warmed her soul as he nodded and then kissed her hand again before releasing it. “Then I have very good incentive to find that bastard Christoph tonight and put an end to all this. The sooner you’re safe from him, the sooner we can start figuring out what we’re going to do on our vacation.”

  “Do you really think he’ll be foolish enough to come back here?”

  “I think that now you’ve got every employee stashed safe and snug where he can’t get them, he’s going to focus on the ones he really wants. I told you, Val, he’s on a revenge kick. Smart and logical aren’t part of this guy’s mental makeup.”

  “So he’s coming after me and my team and to hell with everything else?”

  “Exactly, and since you’re all here, he won’t be able to stay away.”

  “Unless he goes after Tara instead.” Val still didn’t like the fact that Tara and Tristan were staying hidden in New York, being guarded by the Brethren.

  “He won’t do that. Even if he got the fact she was part of the team from Denise, he won’t drop what he’s doing to chase after her right now. He’ll stay here and finish what he’s started. Or try to.”

  “Let’s hope this is over with tonight.” She glowered at him. “Since you’ve already managed to get everyone to agree that I am not to set foot outside this building, the sooner you get him, the sooner I can stop feeling so damned helpless!”

  Before Aedan could say anything more, Jase and Jazz returned to their seats, and Val got up to hug them both. “I’m so happy for you two! I can’t wait to see Jase loaded down with diapers and looking haggard from all the late-night feedings.”

  “I’m having twins, Val. Twins! I’m going to need to buy a second set of baby bike leathers now.”

  Jazz snorted with laughter. “No bike leathers. But you will get to build another set of cribs and strollers. It should be easier this time around. After all, you’ve had practice now.”

  “Oh god, no. Please no.” Jase groaned. “Val, you’re handy. You come over and do it and I swear I’ll be in your debt forever.”

  “As soon as we can all go home again, you have yourself a deal.”

  “Well, let’s hope your boyfriend gets that problem dealt with sooner than later.”

  Val opened her mouth to protest the boyfriend label, but realized she really didn’t mind the way that sounded. “Aedan won’t let us down.”

  “No, somehow I don’t think he will. Though I have to say, Val, I always figured you’d go for someone a bit less pretty.”

  “Hey! Who are you calling pretty there Mister Pram-assembler?” Aedan chimed in from across the table.

  “It’s the hair, Val, seriously. Are you sure he’s really a guy?” Jase smirked as he ran a hand through his own close-cropped hair.

  “Oh, I’m sure. And so should you be after today.”

  Jase burst out laughing and raised his hands in surrender. “Right. Sorry. I’ll be shutting up now!”

  “So you should.” Aedan chuckled and gestured to the plate of food at Val’s spot. “Come and eat it before it gets cold, luv.”

  * * * *

  Just as dinner was winding down, Val’s phone rang and she stepped out to answer it, muttering something about wishing voice mail had never been invented. Aedan took advantage of her absence to catch Jase’s eye. “You got a minute?”

  “Sure.” Jase glanced down at Jazz, who waved him off with her fork as she happily tackled her second piece of chocolate cheesecake.

  “I’ll buy you a coffee,” Aedan offered, and the two of them headed to the coffee station, where anything from straight espresso to a caramel latte could be ordered from the automated barista.

  Jase cleared his throat. “Before you say anything, I just want to say I’m sorry for the security camera thing today.”

  Aedan couldn’t help but grin. “You don’t look sorry, and you shouldn’t be. She knew you were there, and so did I.” He shrugged. “It made for a very inspired afternoon. So it’s possible I should actually be thanking you.”

  Jase laughed as he lifted his espresso and stepped back to make room for Aedan. “She’s a whole different person around you. It looks good on her.”

  “I’ve been talking to her about maybe staying around and taking some vacation time after this is done.”

  “You did?”

  Aedan couldn’t read the look Jase was giving him, and he resisted the urge to try to read his thoughts. Val’s reaction to his ability made him wary of using it on the others. “Yeah, I did. I might even consider a change in employers if things work out.”

  “Well, if you decide to stay, come see me for a recommendation, just as long as Val’s okay with it.”

  “If she isn’t, I won’t be applying.” Aedan selected a latte, and as it poured, he lowered his voice. “I need you to watch out for her tonight, Jase. She’s already chafing about not being allowed outside. She feels useless. No matter what happens, she has got to stay out of his reach. When I go after him, can you see to it she doesn’t do anything stupid?”

  Jase laughed. “I see you’ve already gotten to know her pretty well. You have my word, I’ll watch out for her. I would anyway, but I’m glad you care enough about her to ask.” His expression turned serious. “How bad is this going to get?”

  “If he shows his fanged face tonight, I’m going to do everything in my power to end this. If I fail, I’ve left instructions with my employers to send someone else to continue the hunt. Val and the rest of you need to get your lives back, and that means Christoph has to die.”

  “What do you mean by fail?” Jase’s eyes narrowed, and Aedan knew there was no sense lying to this man.

  “I’m good, but Christoph is a dangerous son of a bitch. He may kill me.”

  “Fuck. I was afraid you’d say that. But if he kills you, won’t you come back as a vampire?”

  “No. Dhampir are immune to a vampire’s blood. He can kill me, but he can’t turn me.”

  “Small mercies.” Jase reached out and bumped his fist to Aedan’s shoulder. “Do me a favor? Try not to die. If he gets to you, I’m not sure there’s a force on earth that will stop Val from going after that bastard herself.”

  “Believe me, I’m not planning on dying. I’d rather live to a ripe old age and spend my golden years telling your puppies all about the day I first met their dad.”

  “Puppies! Oh man, you are so going to pay for that later,” Jase grumped, and there was just a touch of the wolf’s growl present in his voice.

  “When this is all over, we’ll just have to find out which one of us is the better fighter. Werewolf versus dhampir, we could sell tickets.”

  “Just don’t tell the future mother of my children what we’re up to. She’d kick both our asses.”

  “Really?” Aedan glanced over to the pretty young woman with jet-black curls who was still working her way through her dessert. It was hard to imagine she was tough enough to hold a black belt, never mind the fact she could sprout fur and fangs.

  “You have no idea, man. She’s vicious.”

  “Then you’re a braver man than I am.”

  Jase just snickered. “Yeah, says the guy dating Paladin’s head instructor in hand-to-hand combat. Until I got bitten, Val could kick my ass, too.”

  “I’m starting to th
ink you just like having women beat up on you. Maybe you should get some professional help.”

  “Cute.”

  “Yes I am, thanks for noticing. And seriously, thank you for watching Val for me. I’ll worry less if I know she’s safe and sound.”

  “Speaking of which…” Jase glanced around the dining room. “Where’d she go?”

  “She was right over there.” Aedan realized she wasn’t out by the doors anymore, and he felt a faint pang of concern. Night was falling, and he didn’t like not knowing where Val was. It was his job to protect her. He jogged out of the dining room and scanned the hallway. Nothing. The sense of unease grew stronger, and he stood stock-still as he attempted to track her telepathically. He knew she’d be pissed if she caught him trying to read her mind again, but right now he’d rather face her anger than have to deal with not knowing where she was.

  At first he couldn’t find any trace of her, and he felt his guts twist as he realized she wasn’t near the cafeteria any longer. He pushed his psychic ability to its absolute limit, searching every part of the building for a glimmer of her thoughts. There! He finally located her, and his heart sank as he managed to delve into her mind. Her emotions were strong enough they were overriding her mental shields, and he had no trouble reading the determination that radiated from her. Her sense of purpose was shot through with threads of deep sadness, and he pushed deeper. He got a single image, and then her shields slammed shut, throwing him out of her mind as she sensed his presence. That one image was enough.

  He turned and yelled to Jase and the others, his voice carrying over the din. “Jase, she’s already doing something stupid! Get to the roof, now!”

  Not waiting to see if the others would follow, he summoned every ounce of preternatural ability and launched himself down the hallway, heading for the nearest staircase. She couldn’t be doing this to him. Whatever plan she had going on in that pretty head of hers, there was no way in hell he was going to let her go.