A Hitman's Kryptonite

by Cage Thompson

  “Mom?” he muttered down the line.

  “My mother instincts tell me that you’re nearby,” she stated jovially.

  “How many times do I have to tell you to stop tracking me?” he questioned, exasperated.

  His mother sighed then ignored what he had said. “My security system tells me that you have keyed in your access code at the cabin,” she went on.

  “Mom—”

  “Wyatt, it’s two days before Christmas Eve and you haven’t told me whether or not you’re coming home,” she complained.

  “Mom, I’m working,” he stated candidly.

  “Is she harmful?” Beth Coleman questioned and his brows knitted.

  “Who are you talking about?” he inquired even though the tingly feeling in his gut told him already.

  “Your biological brother’s wife,” she supplied easily.

  “How?” he demanded, annoyed.

  “Oliver never knew how to hold his liquor or lie to me,” she replied honestly.

  “Mom, you need to stay out of my work life before you get yourself in trouble,” he warned.

  “I need to know that my son is safe,” she started, trying to tug on his heartstrings. “This case cannot be easy for you especially around this time of year…”

  “Mom!”

  “I know she has a daughter, Wyatt; I’ve seen the pictures and even now, you don’t sound like yourself,” she whispered.

  “This is just work,” he insisted.

  “If it was, you wouldn’t have taken her to our family home.”

  Silence reigned as his gut twisted and Beth knew that she had him.

  “Bring her home for Christmas, Wy,” she cajoled. “It wouldn’t feel right celebrating without you and you’re so close to home.”

  Wyatt sighed heavily, knowing that she’d pinned him neatly into a corner. She’d always known how to.

  “We’ll be safe and you know that.”

  “I’ll let you know, Mom,” he answered, trying to resist her charms.

  “Don’t hang up, Wy.”

  “Mom!” he blew out.

  “Do you like her?”

  “I’m not answering that,” he grounded out.

  “That’s all the answer I need,” she responded and he squeezed the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Just take time with her,” she said softly. “I heard that she’s been through a lot.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said dismissively.

  “I love you, Son,” she said and his heart thudded guiltily as if he wasn’t living up to what she deserved.

  “I love you too,” he breathed before disconnecting the call.

  Raine’s eyes flashed with shock and anger as she took him in from the kitchen’s doorway and his mouth automatically opened to reassure her.

  “My mom wants us to stop by for Christmas,” he supplied as he indicated to the cell that he’d deposited on the counter.

  “Is that safe?” she inquired, concern woven in her soft voice.

  “No one in the Genovese clad knows of my existence and hopefully it stays that way until I can get you under the protection of your father,” he commented.

  Questions floated in the soul-draining depths of her eyes but he plucked out only one to answer.

  “With this weather pattern, we wouldn’t make it to your father in time for Christmas and I’m sure that you wouldn’t want Gabriella to miss out on the celebrations,” he said in a convincing tone.

  “No,” she started. “Even though this will be her first real one; Stephano was never big on the holidays,” she concluded and he nodded his understanding.

  “I warmed up some soup and there’s garlic bread in the oven,” he informed her, changing the subject. “I know you’re used to more palatable dishes than this but I’m too tired to start anything else—”

  “Wyatt, you’re fine,” she interrupted. “I don’t need a three Michelin Star chef to enjoy my food.”

  He sent her a small smile before pouring a glass of expertly chilled apple cider into a frosted glass and handing it to her. “Just give me ten minutes to freshen up and we can eat,” he said softly. “You can watch some TV or enjoy the fire in the meantime.”

  “Thanks,” she replied as he deposited the glass in her hand and slipped out of the room.

  She lifted her tiny nose into the air as she inhaled the sweet aroma of garlic and olive oil. Her tummy growled in response but she chose to move towards the sitting room to wait for him. The bright orange flames of the fire licked the walls of the fireplace and she rubbed her hands together as she stood before it. Her eyes were drawn to the shiny picture frames that stood on the mantle and her brows knitted as she surveyed them.

  The centralized picture boasted a white couple and with three little boys and a baby girl in the father’s arms. Her finger stroked over the one which looked like the male version of Gabby and for the first time, she realized how much like Stephano and Wyatt her daughter looked.

  She followed the story of each child as best as she could, gathering that the black one was now a lawyer and seemed to be the eldest; the second one was Wyatt whose career story stopped in the Navy but he was obviously no longer a part of that; the third boy was Angelo-Saxon like the parents and had recently graduated with a Master’s Degree. Her eyes flickered over to the Asian girl whom all three towered over protectively while her eyes glinted with mischief. She was obviously the youngest of the four and was still in college.

  She moved over a bit to the family tree that was above the mantle; its wrought iron branches big and strong. Her eyes ate up the pictures and the names, only slowing as they rested on Wyatt’s wedding picture. He looked so young and serious but her heart thudded at the thought of what he’d look like now dressed up to walk down the aisle.

  Not going to happen! The devil on her shoulder sneered and she pushed down the thought as she avoided his ex-wife and continued his family tree. Aiden, she breathed mentally as she took in the name and the ultrasound picture before she saw a sorrowful but proud Wyatt holding his newborn son.

  “I see you’ve met my siblings,” he murmured, his deep baritone startling her and she jumped back.

  She pressed her hand to her chest as if to still her erratically beating heart while she turned to him. “Will they be there?” she asked softly as if he hadn’t just scared ten years off of her life.

  “Yeah; along with their families or significant other,” he supplied as he indicated the kitchen and she nodded before moving towards him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”

  —Albert Camus

  A soft sigh sounded in the middle of the morning that had Wyatt jerking awake. He frowned at the warmth that was infused into his body and made to shift but firm hands held him in place. His fingers flexed around a firm derrière and she tilted her head up to look at him as he looked down on her. Quite frankly, he didn’t even remember falling asleep.

  With Angela, he had never been able to fully fall asleep; it had always been that edge as if he was still on the battlefield and ready to go. He frowned, seriously trying to remember how they’d even end up on the transforming couch together when he’d planned to sleep on the mat.

  “The movie,” she supplied, knowing what was going on in his mind.

  Ah, he thought. They’d been watching a cheesy Christmas movie while the winds had howled outside. Knowing that she’d fall asleep after such a taxing day, he’d turned the couch into its king-sized bed counterpart and settled on the edge when she’d patted a spot beside her. He had never in a million years expected to nod off much more fall asleep knowing his pesky relationship with sleep. But fall asleep he had and now Raine was draped over him like expensive silk and she didn’t want him to even shift his hand from her rear. Not to mention, the rock hard member which he normally sported in the mornings was boring a hole in her soft tummy and getting even firmer with his full consciousness of the fin
e specimen that was pressed up against him.

  “Raine,” he grunted as she shifted again and her mound pressed into the tense muscles of one thigh.

  “Stop fighting it,” she murmured as she searched his blazing navy eyes and his gut clenched.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying,” he murmured.

  “Stalling will only make this pull between us worse,” she continued.

  “I can’t promise to stay—”

  She placed a finger over his lips and they trembled ever so slightly. “This is my choice,” she said softly before reaching up to press her lips to his. His body laid stoic from shock until she gently bit down on his bottom lip before running her tongue over it. Wyatt’s six-foot-four frame jerked into action; his lower region felt like it was ready to explode. In a heartbeat, she was under his hard sinews.

  He held her soft, emerald eyes as he peeled the noodle straps of her nightgown off her shoulders. He knew that any hesitation could bring the whole thing to a halt, but hesitate he did.

  “Wyatt, I’m sure,” she encouraged as she reached up to caress his scruffy cheek, roughened from his overnight beard.

  He swallowed shakily, fear eating at him; at the trust that lay boldly in her eyes. With warm hands, he cupped her heart-shaped, creamy coffee face, barely pausing to marvel at the beauty of the contrast of their skins before he pressed his lips to hers again.

  His heart pounded away in his chest though heavy with lust and something that he feared to even take out to examine. He stroked back her wild curls and ignored the trembling of his fingers as he took in her breathtaking features. Her perfectly arched brows met as she watched him and her ever-changing eyes softened. Her tiny nose twitched as she inhaled his essence; long, silky, dark lashes brushed her high cheeks on either side as she veiled her eyes while a soft rumble emitted from her chest. Her succulent, soft pink lips parted ever so slightly before a quick-fire tongue snaked out to run a layer of moisture over its surface.

  It was his time for his chest to rumble from deep hunger. A flush darkened her skin and her sharp, beaded tips bore into his hard pecs. “Raine,” he breathed as if in prayer before leaning forward and raining kisses over her soft, lightly fragrant face, his stubble leaving light pink marks behind. She meowed and his pants jerked violently as he moved to feast on her neck.

  ∆∆∆

  Her heart thudded erratically as she watched him drag his t-shirt over his head to reveal the most flawless physique she had ever seen. His muscles rippled as he reached forward to stroke the lightweight cotton halfway down her body to reveal her swollen, stiff mounds.

  Something akin to fear mixed with anger passed through his eyes as he stroked the old scar. It caused her breath to hitch and she wished that she could take away that pain. Reaching up, she brushed back the longish, top part of his military cut which had dared to fall forward, partially hiding his intense gaze. “Wy…” she started off softly and his dark, long-lashed eyes flickered up to her lightly dewed face. “He can’t hurt me anymore,” she whispered, all the vulnerability along with honesty in her body, poured out through her mossy green eyes.

  Something else flashed through his eyes but he blinked it away before she could read it. Leaning forward, he pressed his flat forehead against her slightly curved one. “Is it so bad that I wish that I was the one to take him out?” he breathed. For a second, his question hung heavy in the air between their lips. He swallowed audibly, a pained sound emitting from deep within him and for a moment, she swore that he was going to pull away.

  Without thought, she closed the slight space he’d created between them by wrapping her arms around his neck. Before he could utter a protest, she covered his lips with hers as she flushed her body with his, showing him her answer in every slight action. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back because gone were the controlled movements of his powerful hands. Now, they shook as they tore the clothes from their bodies and the winds slapped against the glass behind them.

  Her breath hissed from between her clenched teeth as suppliant skin met a rock solid one while he sucked in a dangling, pre-moistened lobe. Light perspiration popped up on her brow as he meandered down her neck with sharp teeth and a forgiving tongue while his fingers played an erotic dance on erogenous zones of her body that she hadn’t even known existed. A trapped scream opened her mouth wide and had her almost levitating off the soft mattress when his hot mouth captured her chilly, taut mountain top.

  Deft hands worked magic on her skin, leaving it tingling and supple. One second his was feasting on her mini mountains and the next he was making his way there! As if sensing her discomfort and fear, he wasted no time placing her lower limbs over his shoulders and anchoring her love handles with his strong grip. The hand that reached down to push him away, landed on his hair instead as he latched on to her pearl and soon the fingers were digging in, in an almost painful grip to hold him into place as a cedar log popped in the fireplace.

  Powerful waves rolled through her body as he licked and nibbled her way to heaven on earth. Then suddenly, they all met in a crashing, quivering wave. The scream which she had held back from awe came tearing from her throat, leaving it raw. She had no time to recover before he was between her limbs, his large frame pushing them wide apart. Her saliva almost choked her as she sucked in a breath when hot flesh met her entrance.

  It was as if he instructively knew what would come to her mind because before she could even fully conceive the fear, his soft utterance of her name had her eyes going to him. The fire in his eyes relit her stuttering flame, brighter and hotter than it had been before. Her legs tightened around his waist and he took that as the go-ahead to storm the gates of her once uncherished channel. Her natural juices, however, barely aided his attempt and she was immediately slapped with an even newer difference between him and his brother: he was a whale. Her body seemed to be stretched to the max and she swore that she couldn’t take him but before she could mentally and physically stiffen for the pain, he reached between them and showed her once more that he knew her body more than she did.

  He grunted in satisfaction as he was seated inside her for as far as he could go and that’s how things sounded for a while. Soft moans and sighs followed or accompanied by guttural groans and grunts while the winds howled and whipped outside and the fire crackled. Then for a nanosecond, there was this almost ethereal silence before their worlds crashed breathlessly together. Empyrean lights flashed behind her eyelids as his warmth spread through her both internally and externally. His body pressed hers into the softness of the couch as he struggled to breathe much more regain his composure.

  Tears suddenly gathered at the edges of her eyes and her body shook from the fear of the entanglement that she’d just created by opening herself so boldly to him. But suddenly, he was there, serenely whispering into her ears and bringing calmness to her soul.

  “Raine, you have torn through all my preconceived notions,” he whispered into her hair as she clung to him. “I don’t know who I am anymore but I am certain that I would rather die than ever hurt you.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Sometimes, someone comes into your life, so unexpectedly, takes your heart by surprise, and changes your life forever.”

  —Unknown

  A cell vibrated somewhere and for the second time, Wyatt jerked awake in confusion. The fire was long dead and the winds were finally still, even though heaps of snow covered the furniture on the deck. His limbs lay entangled with hers and he had to pause long enough to smooth away the wrinkle that had formed on her brow because of the disturbance. With a small smile, he gently detangled them before rolling off to find the culprit.

  “Wyatt,” he answered crisply as he pressed his work phone to his ear and moved towards the kitchen, keeping an eye on the still sleeping bundle of delight.

  “Stall your plans to head farther north,” Oliver stated and Wyatt’s muscles tensed in anticipation and a little bit of fear.

  “Why?” he
questioned, his voice harsher than he’d intended for it to be.

  “Relax, Coleman; it’s just that I knew that your intention is to take her to Senator Bass but he’ll be out of the country for two months. He flew out this morning.”

  “That means that this mission will be lengthened?” he questioned. His voice broke at the end when she shifted onto her back, exposing her generous chest to the slightly chilly room and her tips beaded instantly.

  “Even if this hitch hadn’t occurred, you would’ve still had to shadow her until Ignacio is dealt with,” Oliver informed him. “This one is longer than any of us anticipated.”

  Wyatt made a sound that had nothing to do with answering his boss and everything to do with Raine’s movements.

  “So, you know what you have to do—”

  “I’ll just keep her safe until her father gets back and then we’ll wrap this case up for good,” he responded hurriedly, cutting off his boss, ready to get back to the glorious mocha-toned goddess on his parents’ couch.

  “Is everything okay with you, Wyatt?” he questioned.

  “You wouldn’t switch me out for a negative or positive answer, Oli; so let’s cut the tic-tac-toe game.”

  “Have you told her yet?” he questioned before Wyatt had a chance to sever the call.

  Now, irritation washed through him because not only was Oliver keeping him from getting the discomfort between his legs softened, he was stepping on his corns. Wyatt’s muscles spasm ever so slightly as he tried to suppress his anger and his fist tightened on the marble countertop. Finally, he controlled enough of the surge to pry his teeth apart in order to give a response. “Tell her that her mother committed suicide after they declared her dead?” he growled, bitterness underlining each word.

  Oliver grunted an answer even though he didn’t require one.

  “No. I think that’s Bass’s job,” he continued sarcastically. “He sure as hell wiped her off the face of the Earth.”

  The other end of the line was silent for a second and Wyatt knew that his boss was trying to assess him. “You didn’t like Bass from when we were involved in the search for Raine when she went missing, and you’re even closer to the case now,” Oliver paused. “Just be careful, will you?”