I opened my mouth to protest, but Gabriel wagged his finger at me.
“You are going to take this money, Charlotte. You’re going to need it sooner or later, especially if you keep working for Section and digging into people like Henrika Hyde and whoever else is part of the Syndicate.”
He was right, and he was giving me a gift—from one friend to another—with no debts owed on either side. I wasn’t going to insult him by protesting anymore, so I nodded my thanks, grabbed the flash drive, and tucked it into my apron pocket. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
“About what? Terrorists?” Gabriel arched an eyebrow at me. “Girl, we need to work on your conversational skills.”
“You’re probably right about that. But more specifically, I wanted to talk to you about coming back to Section.”
He blinked in surprise, then snorted out a laugh. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m absolutely serious. I’m sure Gia Chan would be happy to welcome you back, especially given your recent help in exposing two moles.”
Gabriel leaned back in his side of the booth and crossed his arms over his muscled chest. “Maybe she would, but I don’t want to come back. I’m quite happy being my own boss.”
“Lie.”
He scowled. “You know I hate it when you do that.”
I grinned. “But, seriously, you should think about it. You were great at being a cleaner, and I know how much you loved it. Face it, Gabriel. You’re a Legacy like me—stuck in the Section family business for better or worse.”
Gabriel scowled at me for a few more seconds, then shrugged a shoulder. It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t an outright no either. It was definitely a start, and I would have to satisfy myself with that for tonight.
“Speaking of cleaners, how is your Aussie supermodel?” Gabriel asked, deliberately changing the subject.
“Desmond is not my anything, and he’s fine, as far as I know. He’s getting his new assignment tomorrow, so he’ll probably be leaving D.C. to track down Henrika.”
Gabriel threw his hands up in the air. “Then why are you still sitting here? Go and be with your man on his final night in town.”
I rolled my eyes again. “Desmond Percy is not my man.”
“Lie,” Gabriel crowed, much the same way that I had earlier. “I’ve seen the way the two of you look at each other.”
“And how is that?”
He gestured at his plate. “The same way I look at a piece of pie—like I want to devour it all at once.” He shoveled another bite into his mouth to prove his point.
“I am not a piece of pie, and neither is Desmond.”
“No,” Gabriel replied. “You are both idiots who are too stubborn, paranoid, and uptight to just kick back, relax, and enjoy each other.”
I didn’t have a response to that, mostly because his words were all too true. Gabriel gave me a smug look, knowing he had made his point yet again. He finished his pie and drained his coffee, then got to his feet.
“Think about what I said about Desmond,” he rumbled. “And, Charlotte?”
“Yeah?”
“Now that you have a little money in the bank, do yourself a favor and get some furniture for that empty-ass apartment of yours.”
Gabriel grinned at me, then sauntered over to Zeeta to pay his tab. I watched him go with a smile on my face, knowing that things were finally good between us.
* * *
I worked until midnight as usual, then left the diner. I stood at the edge of the parking lot, debating which way to go. Left would take me home to my apartment, while right would take me in the direction of the Touchstone Building.
I let out a tense breath, then turned right.
It didn’t take me long to reach Desmond’s building. The security guard recognized me, and he hurried to open one of the doors. I nodded to him and stepped inside. For a moment, my steps faltered, but I crossed the lobby, opened the art gallery doors, and headed back to the elevator. Then, before I could change my mind, I stepped into the car and punched the button.
A few seconds later, the elevator door slid open. I walked through the foyer and over to the front door of Desmond’s apartment. I stood there, staring at the blank slab of wood. Then I let out another long, tense breath, raised my hand, and knocked.
The only sound was the soft echo of my knock rattling through the foyer. I strained to listen, but I didn’t hear anything on the other side of the thick wood. Was he home? Had he already left on his assignment? Did he have company?
That last thought made me step back, but before I could hurry over to the elevator, the door opened, and Desmond appeared.
He was once again dressed in his usual light gray shirt, vest, and pants. His tie was the powder-blue one with the silver dots that was my personal favorite. Seeing him looking so sleek and polished reminded me that I was still wearing my horrible waitress uniform. I could have smacked myself upside the head. I should have gone home and changed first, but it was too late now.
Desmond seemed surprised to see me, but his face quickly smoothed out.
I cleared my throat. “May I come in?”
He stared at me a moment, then opened the door. I stepped through to the other side, and he closed and locked the door behind me.
The apartment looked the same as always, except for one thing—several suitcases were sitting outside Desmond’s bedroom door. It looked as if he had already packed in preparation for his new assignment the next day.
My heart sank a little, but I put my shoulder bag on the island counter, along with a white plastic bag. I gestured at the box sitting inside the plastic. “I know you don’t eat sugar, but I brought you some dessert anyway.”
“What did Pablo make tonight?” Desmond asked.
“Apple pie.”
He nodded, and the two of us stood in the kitchen, close to the island, staring at each other. I sucked in a breath, then let it out, along with the words I had been wanting to say to him for weeks now.
“Do you remember the question you asked me in the locker room the night we came back from the Redburn mission?”
Desmond’s eyes sparked like live wires in his face. “I could never forget it.”
“I wanted to tell you yes that night. I would have said yes, if I hadn’t known what was coming next.”
“So?”
I gathered up my courage and stepped even closer to him. “So now I’m going to ask the same question of you, Dundee. May I touch you?”
We both knew what I was really asking. In an instant, those sparks in his eyes coalesced into bright, hot flames. The heat of his gaze washed over me, sending a shiver down my spine, even as my stomach clenched with anticipation.
“Permission granted,” Desmond said.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Desmond
I couldn’t believe that this was real. That Charlotte was here. That this was finally happening.
But she was real, she was here and standing in front of me, and her aura was burning as bright, hot, and blue as I had ever seen it.
Charlotte shrugged out of her fleece jacket and threw it onto the counter, then stepped in close to me again. She stared up into my eyes, reaching out and carefully plucking my watch out of my vest pocket. She set it aside and undid the buttons on my vest.
“I don’t think I ever told you how sexy I find this vest of yours,” she murmured. “I’ve wanted to peel it off you for days now. Especially since I know exactly what’s underneath it.”
“It’s not nearly as sexy as that uniform you’re wearing,” I replied.
She arched an eyebrow in amusement, but she didn’t stop undoing the buttons. She made quick work of them, then moved around behind me, sliding the vest off my shoulders. I let her, and she carefully laid it on the counter next to my watch.
She undid my tie, slowly loosening the knot and pulling one end of it down so that it slipped around and off my neck. She laid the tie aside too. My shirt was next, and I noticed with
satisfaction that her fingers were trembling as she undid the buttons. Charlotte might seem cool, but a fire was raging inside her—the same one burning inside me.
She worked the last button free, then moved around behind me, pulling the shirt down my arms. I let her, and she tossed it aside, not bothering to pick it up when it fell short of the counter.
Charlotte came back around to my front again. She reached for my belt, but I stepped forward and put my hands on top of hers.
“Let me.” I reached around to my back pocket and grabbed my wallet. I pulled out a condom, then tossed the wallet aside.
She nodded her approval. “I use protection too.”
“Good.”
I undid my belt, yanked it off, and threw it aside. She watched while I unzipped my pants and stepped out of them, along with my boxers. I peeled off my socks, then straightened up so she could see all of me, laid bare for her.
Her blue gaze tracked up and down my body, lingering on my stiff, throbbing erection. She let out a low wolf whistle. “Not bad, Dundee. Not bad at all.”
“Oh, Numbers. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
I covered myself with the condom, then moved forward. Charlotte sucked in a breath, and I grabbed her around the waist, picked her up, and set her on the edge of the counter. Her eyes widened, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips.
I leaned forward and placed my lips on the pulse in the hollow of her throat. More satisfaction filled me to feel it hammering, just like mine was. Then I breathed in the blue of her, drawing her aura, her energy, deep into my lungs.
Charlotte tangled her fingers in my hair and nuzzled my face just as I was still doing to her neck. “You smell so good,” she murmured against my skin. “Like pine and soap mixed together.”
“And you smell like sugar and limes, sweet and tart at the same time,” I replied.
I lifted my head. She leaned forward to kiss me, but I drew back. She stopped and frowned, wondering what I was doing.
I stepped forward, so I was standing in between her legs. She sucked in another breath, and her eyes burned a little hotter and bluer than before. I eased her thighs apart, then reached forward, moving my hands under the skirt of her waitress uniform.
Charlotte hissed as my fingers stroked her bare thighs, then slowly started gliding higher and higher. That first soft touch of her, the first feel of her warm, smooth skin against my own, almost made me lose control, but I kept going all the way up, until I hooked my fingers in the top of her silky panties. Then I started sliding them down, first one side, then the other, a little bit at a time, doing the same sort of slow, deliberate striptease that she had done to me.
She lifted one of her legs, then the other, and I pulled her panties the rest of the way down and off her legs and tossed them aside. Charlotte toed off her sneakers, which clattered to the floor. She wasn’t wearing any socks. Then I leaned forward, bracing my hands on the counter on either side of her.
We stared into each other’s eyes, both of us breathing hard.
“I fantasized about you on this counter so many times,” I growled.
“Me too,” she whispered. “So why don’t we make it a reality?”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I picked her up again, holding her high for a moment, then slowly slid her down my body. Charlotte shivered and looped her arms around my neck, even as her legs locked around my waist.
Then I moved forward, set her back down onto the counter again, and thrust into her.
We both groaned, then Charlotte grabbed my face, leaned forward, and crushed her lips to mine. Her tongue slammed into mine, and I rocked my hips back and surged forward again.
And then again, and then again.
Charlotte met me thrust for thrust, and we quickly found a rhythm. She tangled her fingers into my hair, digging her nails into my scalp, even as her lips and tongue kept crashing into mine.
Her soft lips and the lingering trace of apple pie on her tongue. Her sugary-lime scent. Her tight, wet heat. Being with Charlotte was everything I had ever imagined, and every soft groan and breathy sigh she let out made me want to give her as much pleasure as possible, so I pumped my hips faster, going deeper and deeper inside her with every quick thrust.
“Ah!” she moaned. “Yes! Desmond! Yes!”
Her eyes fluttered shut, her fingers dug into my shoulders, and her head lolled back as the first orgasm pulsed through her body. Her aura burned even brighter and hotter, the blue so intense it seared my eyes.
I pushed into her a final time. That was all it took for me to explode with her. Pleasure crackled through my body, and I groaned, joining her in that amazing burn of blue.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Charlotte
When it was over, Desmond and I stayed locked together, his hands on my hips, mine gripping his shoulders, our foreheads touching, both of us breathing hard.
“Did that…live up…to your fantasies?” I asked, gasping for breath. “Because…it certainly…did mine.”
“And…then…some,” he replied.
Desmond leaned forward and kissed me again, then drew back. I braced my hands on the counter. My legs were trembling like they were made of jelly, and I wasn’t sure I could stand without falling.
Desmond prowled toward me again. I was still a puddle of goo on the counter, and he scooped me up into his arms and carried me back to his bedroom. He set me down on my feet, his hands settling on my waist.
“You are wearing entirely too many clothes, Numbers.”
“I agree.” I fumbled for the first button on my waitress uniform, but he put his hand over mine.
“Let me,” he rasped.
I dropped my hands to my sides. Desmond made fast work of all the buttons on my uniform, then slowly pushed the sides of my shirt apart, his hot, hungry gaze locked onto my breasts. I was suddenly very glad I had worn my one good lacy blue bra tonight.
Desmond moved around behind me and slowly peeled the shirt off my shoulders, just as I had done to him in the kitchen. He also unhooked my bra and slid it down my arms. I yanked it off and tossed it aside.
His hands settled on my waist again, then slid lower and undid the zipper on the back of my skirt. The garment puddled at my feet, and I stepped out of it and turned around to face him.
We were both naked now, and I looped my arms around his neck and kissed him again, soft and slow, gliding my tongue against his. Desmond gently trailed his fingers up and down my back, making me shiver.
We broke apart, and he walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked up and held out his hand to me. I took it, stepped forward, and lay down on the bed with him.
I kissed Desmond over and over again, flicking my tongue against his, even as my hands explored all of his warm, rippling muscles. A low, satisfied growl rumbled through his chest, and his hands traced down my body, following my curves.
“I love the way you feel,” he murmured against my lips.
“Right back at you, Dundee,” I whispered.
We kept kissing and caressing, taking it slow, figuring out what the other liked, and doing all the things we hadn’t had the patience for the first time around.
I stroked Desmond’s thick, hard erection, and he hissed with pleasure and started pumping his hips. I stroked him harder, faster, and he groaned, his hands fisting in the sheets.
“You drive me crazy,” he gasped.
I leaned forward to kiss him again, but he grabbed my waist and flipped me over onto my back. Then his hand eased between my legs, and he started stroking me the same way that I had him. I writhed against him, but it wasn’t enough.
“Condom,” I whispered. “Now.”
Desmond rolled away from me, and I heard the nightstand drawer slide open, then a rip of foil. He rejoined me a moment later, and our mouths, hands, and bodies melded together. I locked my legs around his waist again.
“Ah,” I groaned, digging my nails into his back, enjoying the sensation of him filling that deepest part
of me.
Desmond groaned as well, and we started rocking back and forth.
For once, my synesthesia was completely silent, and all I could see, taste, touch, and smell was him, and all I could feel was our bodies moving, striving to reach newer, sharper, higher heights of pleasure—together.
* * *
Afterward, we lay in bed, our limbs tangled up, both of us basking in the afterglow. Desmond’s arm was curled around my shoulders, his fingers sliding over my skin, while my head was pillowed on his chest, with his heart beating against my ear.
“Why did we wait so long to do that?” I asked.
“I have no idea, Numbers. If I’d known how good it would be, I would have offered to be your bodyguard the moment I met you.”
I laughed, and we fell into an easy, companionable silence again. I could have lain here all night next to him, pretending this moment was going to last forever, but I could already hear the hours tick-tick-ticking down in my mind. There was no point beating around the bush.
I braced myself. “I saw your suitcases outside. Getting ready for your next assignment?”
His fingers stilled on my shoulder. “Something like that. You?”
I shrugged. “I’m supposed to see Gia in the morning. She says she has something else she wants me to tackle in addition to my usual analyst duties.”
Desmond drew back, staring down at me. “Are you happy?” he asked, his eyes searching mine. “Working for Section? If you wanted to, you could leave now. If anyone has earned the right to walk away from Section and their family’s legacy, then it’s you.”
I got the sense that he was talking about something else, something more, although I didn’t know what it was. “I was never unhappy working for Section. But, yeah, I will be much happier now that people are taking my work seriously. And I want to help stop Henrika, and the Syndicate, and all the other bad people out there.”
“Just like your father?” Desmond teased.
“Just like my father.” I paused. “Although I’ve always thought that I was more like my grandmother.”
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