Lycos (Guardian Security Shadow World Book 3)

by Kris Michaels

  She let her sleep shirt fall open. He kneeled on the couch and worked his way between her legs. His fingers trailed from her knee to the vee of her hips. “I'll be careful. I don't have any condoms here, but I've been tested, I'm good to go.”

  “I've had several physicals since the last time Harvey... We don't need condoms. I can't get pregnant.”

  Ethan's delivery had been very hard because he was such a big baby and she’d been little more than a baby, herself. She wasn't able to have children again. Harvey had been explicit about that. In his eyes, her only value lay in his occasional use of her for his sexual pleasure and her raising of Ethan.

  He dropped down over her. His dark brown eyes holding hers. “Tell me you want this as badly as I do.”

  “No.” She watched his eyes flare in surprise, and his body froze against her hands. “I want this more than you do.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Not possible.” He lowered and kissed her until her mind melted and ran out her ears. Harvey never kissed her. This, what was happening now, was beautiful and everything she’d hoped it would be. His hands and fingers sought every part of her, and she was just as greedy. She was desperate with need and desire by the time he brought his leg up and moved hers, opening her for his sex.

  He held her head in his hands, carefully cradling her, making eye contact as he slid his cock into her. He was so thick he had to work his way in. It was too much and not enough. His massive body lowered over her as he dropped to consume her. His kisses distracted her from the discomfort of his size until there was no more tightness. His hips rocked back and forth with small movements, gradually gaining momentum. Her body joined him, meeting his thrusts with her own. The sensations that radiated from her sex amplified. Her belly tightened with each union, pushing her toward something massive and extraordinary and so very necessary.

  She clawed at his back in an effort to get to that place she sensed just out of her reach.

  “Shhh... I got you.” He lowered his lips over hers and only then did it register she'd been begging. He shifted, bringing up his knees, and thrust into her. Surprised at the power, she gasped. He drove in again and again, harder and faster. Yes! Oh, God. Her body clenched against him. The rapture of the sensation warped through her in waves, and she bucked her hips, grinding against him as her insides tightened. An explosion of white, red, and black danced behind her tightly closed eyelids.

  He sped up, and his arms tucked her into his chest. His hips stuttered, and he bowed, his back arching as he held inside her. She felt his cock jump and watched as his neck muscles corded. A forced, almost soundless groan erupted from him moments before he relaxed over her. She allowed herself to cling to him, afraid to let go and even more afraid he would require it. She needed to be held right now. She needed to know what tenderness and kindness after sex could be like, and she hoped Ryan would give her that gift. She said a small prayer and promised to cherish the memory forever if it was granted, but braced herself for reality.

  He dropped his head and blinked to bring Bethanie into focus. She held onto him, and her eyes betrayed the fear her carefully constructed expression tried to hide. He had no intention of disappointing her and withdrew from her beautifully tight heat only to drop behind her on the couch. He reached across her and flipped the bedspread over them. Easily positioning them, he lifted her head to his shoulder. Her soft sigh of contentment did a pump job on his ego, inflating it until he was ready to burst. He brushed a kiss to her temple and waited. She was practically vibrating with the need to talk. He could sense it, as he could sense he'd raced across a divide he shouldn't have breached. His inner voice was still calling him a fucking idiot, although he'd stopped listening to the fucker when he'd initiated that first kiss.

  He was going to be alone in this house with his memories of this woman and her son, and he was going to suffer. Self-flagellation was one of his many talents, just one he didn't share with others, not even Moriah.

  “So... we just did that.” Bethanie's eyes caught his for a fraction of a second.

  “I'd say we just did that well.” He chuckled when she rolled her eyes at him.

  “This can't get weird for Ethan.”

  “Weird? As in?”

  “He really likes you.”

  “Okay, I like the little shit, too.” Ryan leaned down and kissed her shoulder.

  “That's not what I meant.”

  “Exactly what did you mean?” He nuzzled her collar bone and licked the teardrop indentation at her throat. A shiver raced through her. A self-satisfied smile curled on his lips as he worked his way down her chest.

  “We can't...” Her gasp when he took her pert nipple into his mouth silenced her objection.

  “We can't…?” He trailed his tongue between peaks to her other nipple, giving it the same attention he'd just laved on the first.

  “What?” Her hands threaded through his hair, and she held him against her breast. Not that he minded, he'd stay here for a while. Fuck if he wasn’t hard again. She made him as horny as a teenager. He lifted over her and centered himself between her legs, supporting himself on his elbows.

  Her legs curled up and wrapped around the back of his thighs. She arched into his ministrations, needy and open. Bethanie offered no agenda, no battle for dominance, just pure, sweet, submission. He lifted and fused their lips together, entering her in one slow, languid, push. He was big for her, but her body had adapted and gloved him in tight, hot, velvet. He wasn't rushing this time. This time he wanted to hear every sound she made, take note of what touches left her shivering and which ones lit her on fire. He wanted to know how to please this woman, how to make her explode and how to put her back together, kiss by heavenly kiss. She was addictive, sexy and for the moment... his.

  He knew the moment she orgasmed. He felt her body tighten, watched her gasp when her eyes popped open then shut tightly. He could feel her undulate in her climax, and it was all he needed to bust through his own orgasm. He dropped his head to her shoulder and closed his eyes, fighting back an unwanted realization. He'd fucked too many women to count. He'd had a relationship and steady sex with Moriah, but he'd never “made love.” Fuck him. Almost forty-four years old, and it was a distinct possibility tonight was the first time he'd ever made love to a woman. Sex with emotions attached was a powerful motherfucker, and it had reared back and kicked him right in the nuts. When this woman left, he was going to be fucked in a completely different way.

  Chapter 15

  One glanced at her computer screen and lifted a precisely manicured eyebrow. The video request from Three pinged once again. An unscheduled communication from Three flagged disorganization and mayhem. They kept to a schedule for a reason. She maneuvered her mouse and engaged the encryption for the video chat software and waited for the connection to make its way to Three's system.

  “I have the Candidate online. Her connection in Venezuela is tenuous but holding at the moment. I knew you'd want to hear firsthand her accounting of her involvement with the New York players. Our images will be blocked, and our voices have been modified. The line is secure.”

  One nodded her head, her ire at the unexpected interruption waned, albeit only by a modicum.

  The screen split in two. Three's image was replaced with the picture of an iceberg. How appropriate. The woman was an ice-cold killer. She chuckled at the image. “Do I dare ask what image you put in to represent me?”

  The picture dissolved and Three flashed a rare, honest smile. “A picture of the Milky Way.” The ice reappeared.

  “Ah, acceptable.” Indeed, she made sure all things orbited as they should. It was her position to ensure the Fates regulated themselves and Stratus with precision and ruthless efficiency. She identified the chaff, and Three eliminated it. The position Two had held was that of counterbalance to the duties One and Three performed. Of the three of them, Two, unfortunately, was... disposable. One pasted a stickie over her camera. She trusted Three, but accidents did happen, as well
as calculated risks. Three calculated risks very well.

  “The candidate is being patched in now.” The image of a middle-aged woman flashed on the screen. High cheekbones, full lips, dark hair and blue eyes. A unique and striking woman, but the thing that struck One was the attitude oozed from the woman. Confidence. Complete and utter surety of herself. A strong attribute and one needed as a Fate.

  “This conversation will be short. Frame your answers accordingly. What was your connection to the recent situation in New York?” Three's question cracked like a whip through the mechanically enhanced voice software.

  “I worked intermittently in the state for almost two years. It was one of my first international assignments. I studied the transportation, training, and monetization of our assets.”

  One nodded to herself. The line was secure, and yet the woman did not divulge information that could be understood or used against them. In reality, the Candidate had been learning the human trafficking business, the income stream the prior, incompetent and warring, Fates had lost to the Russian Mafia. A waste of effort and monetary benefits.

  “Did you come into contact with the merchandise purchased by this person?” Harvey's picture flashed on the screen.

  “Many times, and for extended durations. He had specific tastes and purchased several of our more expensive models.”

  “Several?” Three asked for clarification.

  “Indeed. Two were reported defective and disposed of. I took matters into my own hands and ensured the third was compliant enough, and I believe the product met his needs.”

  “Could you be identified by the third model?”

  The woman's eyes narrowed, and she nodded. “Indeed. The model needed extensive modification and training. I believe the purchaser’s intention was to remove the model from his collection when it had served its purpose.”

  “That did not happen.”

  “Unfortunate.” The woman cocked her head. “Even if the product was to identify me as having a part in this event, there is no proof.”

  One spoke for the first time. “The slightest connection to any events that would cast interest in your direction would not befit the position for which you are being considered. Are there any other stumbling blocks from past missions? Any direct contact?”

  The woman sat still for a moment before she shook her head. “None. With the exception of the training I did in New York, all my activities have been thickly screened. The former individuals who held your position were less than cautious with our care and upbringing. I took matters into my own hands and shielded myself.

  One agreed wholeheartedly with her need for caution. The old regime drove the organization into the ground, but One’s thoughts on the matter weren't for the Candidate to know.

  The woman's video feed went blank. “The connection was cut by me.” The icy expanse evaporated, and One watched as the yellow paper over Three's webcam disappeared. She reached up and removed hers as well.

  “I have taken steps to eliminate the woman who can identify our candidate. I find no fault with this candidate except for this burr. When she takes her place as Two, she must be untouchable.”

  “Where are we with that endeavor?” One lifted her heavy gold pen and rolled it in her fingers.

  “We have the date she left. We know she left New York in the middle of the night with her son. We found her vehicle thanks to our assets in law enforcement. She abandoned her car and cell phone in a parking garage in Allentown, New York. We were unable to view security camera feeds of the facility. They claim the system malfunctioned, and we were able to validate the system was down for three days. However, we were able to access traffic cameras and sift through the vehicles that entered the street in front of the garage and did not exit that street past the garage. That totaled one hundred and fifty vehicles over a three-day period. We've tracked down all but ten. When we bumped those ten against rental cars leased and new cars purchased during that time frame with the same make, we came up with something very interesting.”

  One sighed heavily. She honestly didn't care how they found the woman. The details were minutia and, at her level, unnecessary. “Get to the point.” She had so many other duties to complete. This waste of time was usually absorbed by Two. How she missed that buffer.

  “A car was purchased the day before that matched the make of one of those ten.”

  “And?” One prompted when it was obvious that Three was being obscure on purpose.

  “A shell company purchased it. After days of exhaustive searching, we still do not know who owns the company or the vehicle.”

  “Which means it is a cover for a federal agency.” An obvious assumption.

  “I don’t think it was federal… I believe it was Guardian.”

  One lifted a brow. “Why?”

  “It makes sense. Simmons’ heir, the one we killed on Capitol Hill, was once employed by Guardian. He had an identical twin brother, whom we also terminated. At the time of his demise, he was an asset of Guardian.”

  One leaned back in her chair. “How does either death connect Guardian with this woman?”

  “Her child is the half brother of the two deceased. Maybe it isn't the woman Guardian cares about.”

  “So, you assume Guardian is protecting the family of dead operatives?”

  “Seems logical.”

  “It also seems logical the US Marshals would spirit her away and put her in protective custody because of what she knows about Simmons' businesses.”

  “I disagree; she was insulated.”

  “She was alive and remained alive. Simmons favored her.” An obvious conclusion to draw, as she was not included in the string of dead bodies the man left in his wake.

  “I want to continue to look for the vehicle.” Three leaned forward. “Regardless who is hiding her, we will find her.”

  “Do as you please, but first, tap into our assets with the US Marshals. They would know if she is in protective custody.”

  “I will.” Three held up a finger, and her screen went blank. She heard Three talking in a low muffled voice before her image reappeared.

  “I can confirm that Two is dead. She was being held in a detention facility used by all US agencies. An armed incursion of undetermined origin eliminated Two and all but a few detainees and one guard. The collateral damage was intentional to ensure no one knew Two was the target.”

  “Finally. Let us make haste on the New York situation and proceed with the sanitation effort on our Candidate.” At last things could move forward.

  “Our next call is scheduled in one week. Do you want me to contact you if we eliminate the problem before that?”

  “To what end? Eliminate the woman and the problem is solved.” One disconnected the call and unhooked the encryption from the video software. Three was becoming an effort to deal with. The new Two was needed posthaste.

  Chapter 16

  Bethanie sat on a stump across from Ryan, hypnotized by the fluid, graceful movement of his upward swing, the downward thrust of the double-headed ax blade, and the violent crack of the wood splitting as the sharp wedge tore the log in half. Granted, her focus was the man rather than the process. He'd stripped out of his coat. The flannel shirt lifted as he raised the ax, and his ribbed abdominals flashed before he lowered the ax. The downswing exposed the small of his back. His arms stretched the fabric as he set another log on the massive stump he'd rolled in front of the wood pile.

  “Mom?”

  “Yeah, honey?” Bethanie snatched her attention away from the man who'd made her ache so wonderfully last night.

  “Are you sure I have to do school work?” Ethan watched Ryan and waited until Ryan reached for a new log before he darted in and hauled the split logs over to the quasi-sled Ryan had built to tug large quantities of wood up to the house.

  “I'm positive. Ryan got online this morning while you were playing with Dog. We've found one that looks good.” It had advanced placement. Ryan also calmed her concern about puttin
g Ethan's name into the system. They'd use Ryan's last name and have Guardian make up a similar but fake school record to submit. Ethan's grades could be transferred back to his record when things settled down.

  “Are you going to be my teacher?” Ethan grunted as he stacked the wood on the sled. “C'mon, Mom, it's full.”

  She stood up and grabbed the rope with him, and they tugged the sled to the wood pile by the back of the cave.

  “Yes, I will be your teacher, and anything I can't answer, Ryan will help with.” She handed Ethan a log, and he put it on the stack.

  “He's really smart, isn't he? He built the house and everything.” Ethan turned back for another log.

  “I think he is.” She handed him a log and turned to pick up another.

  “Do you like him?” Ethan took the wood out of her hand and turned away.

  Bethanie felt a warmth spread across her cheeks and chuckled. “I do like him.”

  “He's cool. He cusses a lot, but he's cool. I'm glad he's not still mad we’re here, and I like when he teaches me stuff.”

  They worked in silence for a little longer and emptied the sled. They headed back to the sound of wood being chopped when Ethan said, “I wish he coulda been my father.”

  “What?” Bethanie froze in her tracks, and the front of the sled bumped into her snow boots.

  Ethan looked at her and shrugged. “I know it can't happen, but sometimes I think that.” He tugged on the rope. “Mom, you hafta move.”

  She stepped out of the path of the sled and watched as Ethan trudged ahead and positioned the sleigh for more wood. Ryan smiled at him and helped him load the wood that had been chopped while they were gone. Ethan's look of adoration must mimic her own. She pushed back the fears learned at the hands of ruthless people; fears conditioned into her from twelve years of controlling abuse. She drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Here, on this mountain, there was no need for fears. The man in front of her was kind and self-disciplined. Ryan wasn't the monster Harvey had been. She was finally free of that malice, free to unlearn the fears formed in her past.