Always Been Mine

by Victoria Paige

  “I love you, Beatrice.”

  “I love you, too.”

  *****

  Three weeks later

  There was some truth that an idle mind was the devil’s playground. He had been home for two weeks after almost spending a month in the hospital, and he was extremely restless. His brain was working through several theories, none of them making sense. He wanted to do his own investigation on Steve Ryker. But since the police were involved, all evidence had been sequestered and inaccessible. BSI was able to get some information because the attack affected their client. Domingo Ventura, who was the leader of the Fuego gang’s northeastern chapter, maintained that Steve Ryker, who Ventura knew as Vladimir Volkov, was a Russian mercenary hired by an enemy of the senator. Ryker/Volkov bribed some gang members who were sympathetic to the groups fighting the Colombian government and who didn’t want the armed conflict to end.

  Somehow that didn’t add up, because the Skulls already confirmed that Ventura was aware of Ryker/Volkov’s previous plans.

  Did Ventura double-cross Ryker/Volkov and tip off the Skulls?

  Was it about money? A cut in the drugs?

  Why did they kill Senator Mendoza’s uncle? They could have easily taken out the senator instead.

  Unless the senator was dirty.

  “Fuck,” Gabe muttered, rubbing his hand over his face. Rhino whined, got down from his dog bed, and shuffled over to Gabe. Laying his head on his lap, Rhino looked up at him with concerned dark eyes.

  “I’m okay, boy.” He scratched Rhino’s head affectionately. “Just a little frustrated and feeling helpless.” And useless.

  Rhino’s ears perked and turned his head toward the door. Gabe really wondered about his dog’s deafness because it appeared he sensed his surroundings very well, or was it just a sixth sense?

  Gabe strained his ears and heard the faint click of heels. Beatrice was home.

  Because of his injuries, their relationship was developing at a crawl. She insisted on sleeping in the guest bedroom, saying she was such an active sleeper, she might hit him accidentally. He was so happy she’d finally taken him back—even though it took him almost dying to do so—he let her have her way. However, it was getting ridiculous and he was feeling strong enough to manhandle—correction—handle her. Gabe smirked at the direction of his inner monologue.

  Keys jingled at the door before it opened. Rhino gave a happy woof and eagerly circled Beatrice as she made her way into the house. Gabe frowned. He had noticed this since he got home. Apparently, the four weeks he had spent in the hospital had been detrimental to his dog’s obedience. Beatrice had spoiled him.

  He had to take back control of his house, damn it. “Rhino, bad dog.”

  “Oh, Gabe, he’s fine,” Beatrice said, cooing down to his dog and scratching his ear. “Such a handsome dog. Yes, you are.”

  Oh, hell no, Gabe thought darkly. “Babe, a word please.”

  Beatrice straightened up. “I picked up Chinese food. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Chinese is fine.”

  Gabe watched her lower the bags on the kitchen counter while he patiently waited for her to give him her attention.

  “What do you want to talk about?” Her eyes searched his face.

  “First things first.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a deep thorough kiss. He lifted his head. “Hi.”

  “Hello to you too, Terminator.”

  Gabe mock scowled at her. “You’ll pay for that later.”

  Beatrice’s tinkling laughter made his cock jerk. Hmm . . . why not sooner?

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  She smiled at him knowingly. “You wanted a word with me?”

  Oh, yeah. Shit.

  “You need to stop babying Rhino. He’s a military dog.”

  “I’m not babying him. He’s a sweet dog.”

  Gabe groaned. “Babe, he’s a war hero. You’re turning him into a pussy.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Gabe.” Her lips were twitching.

  “Babe, I’m serious here. When anyone comes in, he needs to sit patiently until you give him attention.”

  “He’s not in the military anymore, Gabe.”

  “He’s a huge dog, Beatrice. I don’t want him knocking people down because he gets too excited.”

  “All right, you have a point there.”

  “Also, I know you’ve seen nothing but his playful and gentle side, but make no mistake, he can get aggressive and deadly. It’s important you establish control over him.”

  “How aggressive?”

  “He’ll rip someone apart if they hurt you.”

  Beatrice’s eyes widened.

  “His senses are not all there. He’s partially blind in his left eye and he’s deaf in his left ear. He may not react positively if he’s startled.”

  Gabe lowered his voice. “To calm him down against strangers you say friendlies.”

  “Okay,” Beatrice smiled as she looked at Rhino who was lying down on the kitchen floor with his head between his paws. She beamed at him. “Are we like—talking about being responsible parents to Rhino?”

  Gabe’s breathing hitched. Beatrice’s eyes were teasing, and maybe he was reading too much into her words.

  “Yeah,” he whispered, his head lowered again to capture her lips. His tongue penetrated her mouth, feeling extremely possessive.

  He suddenly had Beatrice on her back on the kitchen island, her skirts bunched around her hips—and fuck him—the sight of her lacy garters clipped sexily to the top of her stocking shit sent all his blood rushing to his dick.

  “Gabe, your wounds—”

  “Shut it, poppy.”

  He ran his hands up and down her legs before lifting them up and spreading her before him.

  “Look at that pussy,” Gabe whispered reverently. Her pink nether lips were peeking out from the minuscule crotch of her tiny panties and they were glistening. She was as turned on as he was and he was aching to lick her clean.

  “Gabe, stop—”

  “Hell no,” he rasped.

  “Not in front of Rhino.”

  Damn it to hell. Cockblocked by a dog.

  Gabe straightened and yanked Beatrice to a sitting position. He plucked her from the kitchen island, wincing a bit when some of his injuries bitched at him, and ignoring her protests, he carried her to the guest bedroom.

  *****

  “Gabe! You’re going to hurt yourself,” Beatrice screeched as Gabe carried her across the bedroom. He dropped her on the mattress making her bounce.

  “I’ve endured enough of your coddling, woman,” Gabe muttered. He got on top of her, shoving her legs apart to accommodate his hips. “That shit stops now.” His eyes blazed with so much heat, so much want, she thought she’d combust under their intensity. The golden flecks in his whiskey eyes glittered as they basked under the glow of the lamp.

  “You’re insane—umph!”

  His mouth crashed down on hers and shut her up. His tongue demanded passage between her lips. She yielded. He groaned deep in his throat as his pelvis rubbed against her own heat. She could feel her wetness against her panties, a throbbing need begging for release.

  Gabe slipped his hand under her sweater and squeezed a breast. He pushed up the fabric, using both hands now to push her breasts out of her bra.

  “Love your tits, love them,” he murmured against her skin before his warm mouth took over. As he suckled one breast, a hand slipped between her legs, his fingers insinuating past the crotch as he fondled the slick, swollen folds of her pussy.

  “Ah, fuck, babe.” He released her nipple with a pop as he captured her lips once more, thrusting his tongue in her mouth as he worked a finger inside her. A guttural sound came from his throat as he slipped a second finger inside her, stretching her further as his thumb massaged her clit. His fingers curved up and she exploded.

  Beatrice pulled her lips away and screamed. Her hands gripped his hair pushing his head lower. “Gabe! Oh, G
od. I need more . . . please . . .”

  He dropped small kisses down her chest, kissing each breast once more before trailing a path down her torso. He pushed her thighs apart, for a moment, the cold air clashed with the heat emanating from her core. Gabe released her garter clips and then her panties disappeared. A warm breath and a wet stroke lifted her in an arch as his mouth began its torturous assault on her pussy. First gentle, then voracious, he sucked, licked, and thrust his tongue into her core, meeting her wetness with a feral hunger.

  She felt a renewed gush of moisture leave her, felt him growl closer into her pussy, and when he fastened his lips on her clit and sucked, a pulsing sensation burst from her center.

  She cried out, her legs quaking, toes curling. An elemental desire to make him lose control flushed through her blood.

  He was still lapping her up when she carefully positioned her feet on his shoulders and pushed him away.

  “Not done eating you, babe,” Gabe growled, his eyes pinned her down with a possessive gleam. Seeing his mouth wet with her juices renewed the throb between her legs, but she was determined to suck that gorgeous cock. She had not done it in three years. And she wanted to blow his mind.

  “Don’t you want my lips around your cock?” she asked suggestively.

  Gabe visibly shuddered. He closed his eyes. “You don’t have to, poppy.”

  Men are such hypocrites. Beatrice pushed Gabe down on his back. She pulled down his sweats and exhaled sharply. All of Gabe was hard all right—the man, his muscles, and his thick, long, suckable erection. Even the way it was veined was beautiful, angry and pulsating hungrily on her palm. He hissed sharply when her fingers closed reverently around it.

  “Oh, my God,” Beatrice just stared and licked her lips. “How I’ve missed this.”

  “Babe, you gonna do something about my dick or are you just gonna stare at it?” Gabe said in a strangled voice. “Dying here. Just wrap those fuckable lips around it and suck.”

  Beatrice laughed briefly before taking the head of his cock between her lips. She swirled her tongue around the sensitive tip. Cupping his balls, she bobbed, stroking her tongue down his length and sucking on the way up. His fingers dug into her hair as he cursed.

  “That’s it, babe, take me deeper.” He pumped his hips into her face in rhythm.

  She continued her assault. Going faster, harder, relaxing her throat to take him in—almost gagging. He was too big and she couldn’t take him all. She was out of practice and she teared up, but she relished the power of driving him crazy.

  “Take me deeper.” There was desperation in his tone now as he punched his hips up. Beatrice felt his cock bunch and harden at the point of release. She took him the deepest she could manage and hollowed her cheeks for maximum suction.

  “Holy sweet fuck!” Gabe groaned as his cum geysered straight to the back of her throat. She swallowed as much as she could, licking him up and savoring every last drop of him. She swiped her tongue around his girth until he was spotless.

  They were both breathing hard when she was done. She looked up at him. His hooded eyes looked down at her. His hand reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek.

  “You okay?” he whispered.

  Beatrice kissed him right at the sexy hollow of his pelvis; his still erect cock jerked in response. “Never better.”

  “Sorry I didn’t warn you.”

  “I know when you’re about to come, Gabe.”

  He smirked. “I guess we went straight to dessert.”

  “Yes, we did. Now I’m hungry for real food.” Beatrice pushed away from him, but he caught her hand.

  “Babe.” His eyes searched hers as if gauging her mood. “Will you sleep with me tonight?”

  Beatrice paused. She had made excuses about sleeping in the same bed because it was too intimate, too fast. She realized she didn’t have the same reservations she had two weeks ago when he had come home from the hospital.

  She met his steady gaze. “I would love that.”

  *****

  Frank Wilkes jogged leisurely along the length of the National Mall. There was a thin crowd of tourists who braved the nippy mid-January morning. He stopped by a bench and checked his shoelaces. A man in a trench coat approached the bench and sat a respectable distance away and flicked open a newspaper.

  “Any news?” Wilkes asked the man.

  “Not a peep from Benjamin Porter in almost two months.”

  “He hasn’t made contact with his daughter?”

  “Not from what I can glean.”

  “This troubles me greatly. Someone’s been poking around in our Colombian operation, asking questions. We’ve already gotten rid of the senator’s uncle, and I’ve increased encryption around our project. I was hoping with Ryker’s death, they would lower their guard,” Wilkes replied, straightening up and jogging in place. “How’s our friend Sullivan?”

  The man turned the pages on the paper. “He’s recovered enough to be guarding Ms. Porter again.”

  Wilkes sighed. “I never intended to use her as a pawn. That was all on Ryker. However, I’m not above giving the admiral some incentive to come out of hiding. Will Sullivan be a problem when we execute Plan B?”

  “I’ve thrown in enough issues to redirect everyone’s attention to Senator Mendoza. With Ryker dead and with not one attempt on either Ms. Porter or Sullivan in the last six weeks, I can say it won’t be too long before we’ll have a clear shot at her.”

  “Good. Do what you have to do, Zach.” Wilkes drew his hoodie closer and took off on a brisk run.

  CHAPTER TEN

  There was much chatter and ribbing in the brainstorming session at the BSI conference room. It was packed with security personnel; most of BSI’s team leads were present as well as their field agents. Beatrice just finished her presentation of job forecasts for the current fiscal year. She was fabulous. Gabe could get a hard-on just listening to her talk about threat matrixes, security protocols, and ambush preparedness. There was a lot of hooting when she told the story of how she busted the balls of a rival security consultant who tried to steal her client. He had a disgruntled feeling that half the men in the room were having the same lascivious thoughts as he was and that made him want to break something.

  Beatrice curtsied dramatically after her presentation. As she made her way to the back of the room—back to him—she was waylaid by more than one man too many. Handshakes were fine, but it was the bear hugs that hazed Gabe’s vision in red. There was one particular son of a bitch who was copping a feel; even he could tell by Beatrice’s tight smile that she didn’t like it. She firmly removed the man’s hand from her ass and patted the guy’s cheek.

  Fuck it. Scene or not, he was dragging her out of there. As he moved forward, he caught Reece’s eyes on him, expression unreadable. Gabe ignored him and noticed Beatrice was about to pass Reece when the asshole pulled her on his lap. Beatrice laughed, while Nate chuckled.

  A frisson of jealousy burned through his veins because, unlike the other hugs, Beatrice seemed perfectly comfortable on Nate’s lap, as if it was something natural that always happened between them. It felt like an eternity before he reached the pair, probably because Gabe had been imagining several ways to tear the other man apart.

  His displeasure must have been evident because Beatrice’s laughter died when her eyes fell upon him.

  “Gabe?”

  “Let’s go.” His demand brooked no argument. He grabbed her hand and yanked her out of Nate’s lap.

  There was a beginning of a smirk on the other man’s face.

  Gabe leaned in so he could rasp in his ear. “Keep your hands off her if you don’t want to lose any fingers.”

  “Gabe,” Beatrice berated in a harsh whisper. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Nate’s mouth curved into a grin, but his eyes were hostile.

  The jerk did it deliberately to get a rise out of him. Asshole.

  The room had gone quiet, all eyes on the three of them.

&n
bsp; Beatrice jerked her hand out of his grasp and walked over to Travis who was regarding the scene with amusement. She said a few words to the BSI boss and left the room without a backward glance at Gabe.

  Everyone was now staring at him. Gabe had taken a lot from her. His pride had taken a beating. He’d been cautious with her because he destroyed her three years ago. He had a lot to atone for, but this was humiliating. He was put in his place. He was a bodyguard, not her man.

  A bodyguard would follow her without question. Fists clenched at his sides, head slightly bowed, he stalked after her.

  *****

  The door to her condominium slammed open and Beatrice walked straight to the kitchen to get a glass of wine. She was pissed, seething actually, at Gabe’s unreasonable jealousy. The trip to her condo was planned since she had to pick up some more clothes, but she had a strong desire to remain behind and let Gabe go home and stew by himself.

  The man in question prowled right behind her, anger evident in every line of his body.

  “You had no cause to confront Nate!” Beatrice had been repeating the statement like a mantra since the encounter in the BSI conference room.

  “You never answered my question,” Gabe said coldly. “Do you always let his hands get all over you?”

  “It’s Nate,” Beatrice screeched in frustration. “Nate is affectionate. He is never inappropriate.”

  “He pulled you on his lap; that’s as inappropriate as it gets,” Gabe shot back. “I’ve let the hugs pass a couple of times, but I have my limits. I merely told him if he didn’t want to lose his fingers, he should keep his hands off you.”

  “That was embarrassing.”

  “No, I’m merely establishing that I’m not the type of man to stand by while another man gets your ass on his lap. Reece understood. He gave me the stink-eye, but did you hear him say anything?”

  Beatrice’s eyes narrowed. “Wait. Back up. You’ve let it pass a couple of times? So now because I’ve taken you back, you think you can start acting like a Neanderthal as if you own me? What’s this? Lull me into false complacency? Get your hooks into me and then start acting like a jerk not only to me but to my friends?”