A More Perfect Union

by Carsen Taite

  Seconds before her self-imposed deadline ran out, a G6 roared to a stop on the runway, and Zoey’s gut clenched, certain this was Rook’s plane. She stared at the door, willing it to open, and finally released her breath when she spotted Rook descending the steps. Her stride was sure and easy, like she descended from expensive private planes on a daily basis. Maybe she did. Zoey remembered waving to Rook as she’d ascended in a chartered helicopter the day they met, and she thought again how their worlds were miles apart. The first time she had the realization, it hadn’t mattered much, mostly because she didn’t think she’d ever see Rook again, but now the gap between them was more of a challenge, and bridging it was a mission she wanted to accomplish.

  Rook scanned the parking lot with a perplexed frown. As much as she enjoyed watching her, Zoey figured she better send a signal or Rook was likely to call George and ask him where the hell he was. Zoey stepped out of her car and leaned against the door. As she waved in Rook’s direction, she felt a shiver down her spine spurring her to admit she hadn’t come here to expedite business. She’d come because she hadn’t wanted to wait the extra hour or so it would’ve taken Rook to drive into the city and the time it would’ve taken to arrange a place to meet. The past day with no contact had seemed much longer, and Zoey wished she could go back in time to before they’d learned of Mitchell’s death, to the intimacy of Rook’s living room, to the kiss they’d shared.

  “Hey,” Rook said, as she drew closer. “You’re not George.”

  “No one could be George but George. He’s amazing. I was thinking of stealing him from you.”

  Rook made a show of looking around. “Looks like you already have.”

  Zoey jingled her keys in the air. “Any chance I can take you where you need to go?”

  Rook smiled broadly. “That depends.” She leaned in close, her whisper leaving a trail of heat along Zoey’s neck. “I’m supposed to meet up with this amazing woman. She’s beautiful and smart and I need to see her in person to apologize for being a controlling ass last time we were together. Any chance you could help me out with that?”

  Zoey turned slightly and met Rook’s eyes. Her gaze was questioning, and despite her flirty manner, Zoey could tell Rook was the tiniest bit insecure about where things stood between them. She started to offer reassurance, but the heat between them sucked up all the air, and instead she raised her hand and tucked an errant curl behind Rook’s ear. Big mistake because once she’d touched her she didn’t want to let go. But they had work to do and they had to do that first or they would never get to it. Reluctantly, she dropped her hand slowly away, allowing her fingertips to linger against the skin of Rook’s neck as she gently pulled back. “I think I can get you what you need,” she said, pointing to the car. “Shall we?”

  Rook’s body shuddered as she released a long, slow breath. “Sure,” she said, her voice low and husky.

  They climbed into the car and Zoey drove out of the parking lot, turning onto the road before she realized this was as far as her plan went. She knew they needed to work, but the minute she’d seen Rook walk off the plane, thoughts of work had flown from her mind. Left to her own devices, she would check into the nearest hotel, so she said, “Where should we go?”

  “That’s a good question. Are you hungry? I figured out Senator Newman keeps his trim, athletic figure because he doesn’t believe in eating. The last thing I had to eat was a fat-free, gluten-free protein bar that tasted like flavored cardboard. Maybe we could talk about the case over dinner?”

  “I’m starving,” Zoey said. She wasn’t really, not for food anyway, but after the long travel day Rook had had, it was the considerate thing to say. And of course Rook would want to get right to work. Zoey fast-forwarded to them sitting at a crowded DC restaurant where politicians and other notables stopped by the table every few minutes to say hi to Rook. She could think of no more miserable way to spend the evening.

  “Great. I hate to ask this, but do you mind if we work at my place? My office is full of half-done projects and we can get pretty much anything delivered in Dupont Circle.” Rook grinned. “We can even have burgers again if you insist.”

  Zoey flashed to her earlier memory of Rook’s couch. “Your place is perfect. And why don’t you pick the food? I’ll eat anything you want.” She hoped the dark of the car hid the blush she felt fanning across her face at the double entendre. She had only the length of the drive to get her libido under control and she started by changing the subject. “Everything okay in Columbus?”

  “It will be. I left Harry behind to handle things.”

  Zoey took the turn that Rook pointed out to her. “Would you rather have stayed yourself?”

  “Once upon a time I thought I was the only one who could handle a case from beginning to end.”

  Rook paused and Zoey injected, “Control freak much?”

  “Big time. But then I realized I couldn’t handle more than one or two big cases without some substantial help. If I was going to grow my firm, I needed to start trusting someone else to help with the work and the best way to learn is by doing. Harry’s been watching me for a while now. He’ll have his own style, which is how it should be, but he’ll cover all the bases just like I would.”

  “How did you start doing this kind of work?”

  “Lucked into it. A few years out of law school, I got a job at the White House counsel’s office, which turned out to be more about problem-solving than the law. I developed a talent for making lemonade out of lemons, and when that particular administration’s term ended, I opened my own shop.”

  “Have you ever thought about doing anything else?”

  “Have you?”

  Zoey caught the slight edge and wished she hadn’t ventured down this road. She reached out a hand and took Rook’s in hers. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean to imply there was anything wrong with what you do. I was only curious.”

  “It’s okay. I’m tired and possibly cranky. Babysitting can do that to a person.”

  Of course. Rook had been going nonstop all day. Zoey felt foolish for imagining this evening would be about anything other than bringing Rook up to speed. “You’ve had a long day.” Zoey glanced over at Rook who was opening her mouth to interrupt, but Zoey plowed ahead. “Why don’t I fill you in and then drop you off at your place? We can go over anything else tomorrow. Okay?”

  Rook slid her hand onto Zoey’s thigh and gave her a light squeeze. Not overtly sexual, but loaded with possibility. “Not okay. I am tired and cranky, but seeing you waiting for me at the airport made me forget about everything else and now I’m really looking forward to spending the evening with you. Please?”

  Zoey heard an undercurrent of desire in Rook’s simple plea that reflected her own. She couldn’t possibly say no, and the realization both scared and thrilled her at the same time.

  * * *

  Rook watched from the kitchen as Zoey settled onto the couch and hugged one of the pillows to her chest, wishing she were that pillow. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked. “I’m having coffee, but I have a full bar and there’s still some of that beer from last night.” Had it really only been last night since they’d been here and she’d been sharing the details of Rory’s death?

  “Coffee sounds good.”

  Rook poured them each a cup, grabbed a stack of menus, and walked into the living room. Zoey leaned lengthwise against the arm of the couch with her feet crossed at the ankles, careful to keep her black leather boots from the upholstery. She’d shed the matching leather jacket, but she still looked sleek and sexy in her slim dark jeans and curve-hugging black T-shirt.

  “Is that coffee for me?” Zoey asked with a sly grin, sitting up and pointing at one of the cups in Rook’s hand.

  Rook handed it over and settled onto the couch beside Zoey. “Sorry, I got a little distracted by the whole biker chick look.” She nodded. “It suits you.”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “I am, a little. I
mean you seem so all about the rules and regulations, but I’m thinking when you get out on the open road you break sound barriers in that car.”

  “Maybe.” Zoey sipped her coffee. “Maybe everything isn’t how it appears on the surface.”

  Truth, Rook thought, but it was time to change the subject because she was way too close to testing the boundaries between them. She handed over the menus. “I know it’s old school, but I’d much rather flip through a paper menu than try to read descriptions on the tiny screen of my phone. What are you in the mood for?”

  Zoey brushed through them quickly and then handed them back. “Everything sounds great. I trust you to pick something good.”

  Their fingers touched when Rook reached to take the menus back. There was that heat again—Rook didn’t want to let go, and food was now the last thing on her mind. “How about this? Why don’t you fill me in about your meeting with Donny Bloomfield and then we’ll relax and order dinner?”

  “That sounds perfect,” Zoey said. “He came to the office today, and I interviewed him with Jack Riley. At first, Donny acted like he had nothing to say, but after we pushed, he started talking. Apparently, he and his friends don’t like Mitchell much, but it was Mitchell who turned them on to the Darcy Agency. Slipped a note with the contact information into one of their exams. He never mentioned another word about it, but according to Donny, after the incident at the Ivy, Mitchell went off on them.” Zoey shook her head. “I guess I could’ve told you all that in the car.”

  Rook reached for her hand. “If you’d told me everything before we got here, I have a feeling I wouldn’t have been able to get you to come in.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.”

  Zoey laced her fingers through Rook’s, and Rook prayed for the strength to stay focused. “Did Donny say anything else?” she asked.

  “No, but I think after the way Jack Riley stared him down, he would’ve told us if he knew anything else.”

  “Makes sense.” Rook tread carefully with her next question, not wanting to break their connection by seeming to challenge Zoey’s decisions. “How did Jack end up being there?”

  “He was doing me a favor. I’d just cut Dixon out, but I wasn’t smart enough to find a replacement first. I’d called him because I wanted to know if he knew anything about Mitchell having served as a Ranger.”

  Rook raised her eyebrows.

  “You know because of the way he signed off his letter, suicide note, whatever you want to call it,” Zoey said. “‘Rangers lead the way’—it’s the Army Rangers’ official motto.”

  “What did he say?” Rook asked, not really following Zoey’s train of thought, probably because she was way more interested in the press of her hand than business.

  “Jack didn’t know him. Maybe I’m making too much out of that part of the note. Anyway, since I’d already involved him, I asked him to help me out with Donny. Jack was the perfect fit, plus I got to find out the story behind how Sharp came to be his and Addison’s godfather. Did you know that Jack’s dad and General Sharp were part of the same rapid deployment force that invaded Grenada?”

  “I had no idea.”

  “According to Jack, that’s where Sharp got his Medal of Honor. Sharp never talks about it, but Jack says his father often tells the story of how Sharp saved their entire squad. Apparently, they all started calling him Mr. Hero after that. I bet he hates that.”

  Rook nodded, but her thoughts were back on Mitchell and Donny Bloomfield’s story about Mitchell. “How did you leave things with Bloomfield?”

  “We told him we’d be back in touch soon, but I’m not sure he’s going to be any help. He strikes me as kind of dumb, and I bet he got into McNair by trading on his name, not his grades.”

  “I bet you’re right,” Rook said, “but I think we should re-interview the other students who were at the Ivy that night. I don’t believe for a second that none of them knew about Mitchell’s involvement.” She started to mention the coded emails Eric had found on Mitchell’s laptop, but decided to wait until she’d had a chance to look at them first. Right now she wanted to look at Zoey, not a bunch of emails. She looked down at their hands and then back up at Zoey who was watching her with a steady gaze. “Do you think we could take a little break? Maybe talk about something other than work—just for a little while?”

  Zoey smiled and inched closer. “You do that? Take breaks?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “Did you have something in particular you’d like to talk about?” Zoey asked, tracing Rook’s thigh with her free hand. “Or maybe you’d like to go ahead and order dinner? We can do whatever you want.”

  Rook’s entire body hummed with anticipation as Zoey’s hand moved farther up her leg. She couldn’t talk, she couldn’t eat, she couldn’t concentrate on anything except the white-hot heat coursing through her. She took Zoey at her word, pulled her close, and claimed her with hungry lips.

  * * *

  Zoey pressed her lips into Rook’s—fierce, demanding, unable to get close enough. Their first kiss had been extraordinary, but the hours in between, waiting, imagining, and fantasizing a repeat performance had every nerve in her body on high alert. The result was mind-blowing. She teased her tongue along Rook’s lips and groaned with pleasure.

  “This,” Rook murmured, her whispered voice rough with desire. “This is what I want.”

  Zoey placed a hand behind Rook’s neck and drew her closer. She dipped back in for another kiss and then met Rook’s eyes, summoning the courage to ask for more. “Just this?”

  Rook answered by tugging at Zoey’s shirt, pulling it up over her head, and gently removing her bra. Zoey sat perfectly still, letting Rook’s gaze sweep over her naked chest. “You like?”

  “More than like.” Rook placed a hand behind her and lowered Zoey back to the couch. She leaned down and traced her tongue slowly across her breasts, her touch growing more urgent with each pass. “You are so beautiful,” Rook said.

  “You’re making me crazy,” Zoey said, arching into Rook’s tongue and pressing against Rook’s knee nestled between her legs. “Show some skin, Daniels, or I’m going to lose it.”

  Rook leaned back and grinned. “Is that an order, Major?”

  “Yes,” Zoey gasped as Rook slid a finger along her crotch causing her to twitch with excitement.

  “I guess I can follow orders as long as they apply to both of us.” Rook sat up and held out a hand, ignoring Zoey’s plea for her to stay. “Come on, we need a bigger space for what I have planned.”

  Zoey took her hand and allowed Rook to pull her into her arms. They kissed again, and now it felt more like a prelude to a deeper connection rather than a once in a lifetime experience they had to grab before it vanished. When they broke for air, Rook led her through the house and up the stairs, pausing at the threshold to a doorway.

  “Change your mind?” Zoey asked, praying that wasn’t the case.

  “Not even,” Rook said. “Just checking the situation. When I left here last, I didn’t plan on having guests.”

  Zoey smiled and pushed past her, gawking at the size of the room. “I’m not sure how you’d know if something was out of place. Your bedroom is bigger than my entire house.” She spun around to take it all in. “But if you need a minute to look for some other woman’s lingerie…” She watched as Rook’s face fell and she wished she’d never started the sentence.

  Rook ducked her head. “I’m no virgin, but my home is my sanctuary. Very few people have ever been inside the front door, and none in this room.”

  Zoey stepped closer and lifted Rook’s chin. “I only care about right now.” She waved her hand between them. “I want this. Do you want this?”

  “I can’t remember ever wanting anything more,” Rook said, pulling Zoey into her embrace. Her hand grazed the zipper of Zoey’s jeans. “Weren’t we talking about skin?”

  “Why yes. Yes, we were.” Zoey started unbuttoning Rook’s shirt, which required extra concentration since Rook was unzi
pping her fly at the same time. She slid Rook’s shirt off and kissed her shoulder while Rook slipped her hand into her briefs.

  “You’re so wet,” Rook murmured.

  “I bet you are too.” Zoey took Rook’s free hand and led her to a king-sized platform bed. She pushed Rook back gently onto the comforter and while Rook watched, she shucked off her boots and jeans and crawled between Rook’s legs to unfasten her trousers. “Clothes are so overrated,” she said, pulling at Rook’s pants, her hands trembling.

  “I completely agree,” Rook said in a breathy voice as she lifted her hips to help her along. Zoey dropped Rook’s pants to the floor and slowly stretched out over her, aching with want as her breasts brushed Rook’s tight, smooth skin, and her thigh touched Rook’s slick wet center. Rook hooked a leg over hers, pinning her closer and whispered, “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to touch me,” Zoey placed her hand over Rook’s, unable and unwilling to prolong the wait, “everywhere.”

  Rook answered with a slow, lingering drag of her fingers between her legs and then she flipped Zoey gently onto her back, bent down, and took one of her nipples into her mouth. Zoey shook with arousal as Rook’s tongue teased while her fingers played with her throbbing folds, slipping in and out in a steady, building rhythm. “That feels amazing,” Zoey said, her breath ragged.

  Rook looked up and smiled. “Yes, it does.” She held Zoey’s gaze as she trailed her tongue down her chest to her abdomen. When Rook’s tongue circled her aching clit, Zoey threw her head back and moaned. Rook drew her closer and closer to climax with long, slow strokes, taking her almost to the brink before pulling back to begin again, each pass making Zoey crazy with desire. When she couldn’t stand it any longer, Zoey pulled Rook back up until they were lying face-to-face, and she dipped her fingers into Rook’s swollen sex, loving the way Rook arched into her touch.

  As she stroked Rook, Rook reached for her again. Zoey tried to slow her own reaction, to give Rook her full attention, but she was so close, so ready to come. She twisted the comforter in her fist, torn between holding the pleasure tight or letting it consume her, but within moments, she let go and bucked against Rook’s hand, urging her to take whatever she wanted and offering it freely. As the waves of arousal crested over her, she threw her head back and cried out, feeling a level of freedom and release like she’d never known before.