by Aliyah Burke
“Your room’s clean. We’ll be in touch later.” Cooler’s comment was devoid of any emotion, per usual.
The other three made lowball statements before they too were gone. She adjusted her clutch and allowed Grey to assist her out at the hotel. The elevator ride was done without a word. Even once they stepped into the suite, neither talked. Only once both had removed their earpieces did he start.
“Were you fucking kidding me, Sarah?”
She strode through to the bathroom, swiping her med kit along the way. “Don’t you dare question me. I know my job, and I’m damn good at it. Just because I’m not a Navy SEAL doesn’t mean I can’t do anything right.”
“You could have given me some warning about what you were going to do.” He was right behind her.
“Were you part of my team, you’d understand I gave it.” She stood before the sink and dropped the clutch, stained red with her blood. “We, those men and I, work together. They know what it means.”
“I was your backup in there. They weren’t there. Jesus, they were taking bets on how long it would take you to come out.”
She glared at him and unzipped her dress. “So, it’s okay when men do it, but not if I’m involved? They may have, but they are also running down factions of Irish crews, specifically from Ballymoney to see if she was working alone or not.”
“You were fucking injured. You could have been killed.” He appeared at her side and ripped away the material. The towels she used to staunch the blood tumbled out. “Jesus H. Christ.”
“What?” she snapped. “You get injured, or have been known to.”
“It’s my job.”
She poked him in the shoulder. “This is my point exactly, Grey. It’s my job, as well. And those men I work with understand that. To them, I’m one of the team. You look at me and see a woman incapable of taking care of herself. You want to protect me. I don’t need it. I need you to let me do my job and not second-guess everything that I say or do.”
Grey wanted to punch a hole in the wall. She had a wicked gash along her ribs. “You’re not just any woman. You’re my wife, Sarah Sorenson.”
“Just until you sign those damn papers.”
He bit back a snarl. “You’re reckless, unorthodox in your follow-through, and you take unnecessary risks.”
She ripped open some alcohol wipes, and he snatched them from her.
“No, I do my job. What was so off about what I did? You wanted me to what, wait and see if she killed someone else or planted a bomb in the room to take down the building?”
“She could have killed you.” He cleaned the injury.
“I could get killed walking across the street; don’t come at me with such a stupid excuse. Your problem is because I’m a woman doing what I do.”
“No,” he ground out. “It’s because you’re my woman doing it.”
She smacked him and stepped back. “Listen up, you condescending, arrogant ass. I busted my ass to get through the training I went through. I’m not going to sit here and let you say shit like that to me. I know my job. I do my job, and fuck you, but I’m damn good at it. I went after her because I saw her talking to someone when she was alone.”
“And engaged her. She’d been trained by Spetsnaz? How the fuck do you know that?”
She gave an offhand shrug. “They have a very distinctive fighting style. Like Recon does. And the SEALs. I study; I learn.”
“So, you kill her and almost die. Where does that get us?”
“First, I didn’t almost die. It’s a graze. Well, nowhere until we listen to the device I took from her ear and put in that fucking clutch there. I just wanted to stop the blood flow first. You’re dragging this out by making it about the fact I have ovaries instead of a dick. Christ, just bandage me up and let’s get on with this.”
Okay, so perhaps he’d been wrong about this. Still bothered him to no end how it had gone down, but he couldn’t dispute her claim. It was because she was his wife.
And I intend to keep her that way.
“There, you’re fixed up. Let’s discuss this out in the main part.”
“I need a shirt first.”
He huffed in exasperation. “Christ, Sarah, I’ve seen you naked before; surely, you can walk to your bag and get one.”
“I could, but I’d just rather not do so in front of Cooler and Owl who are out there.”
“What?” He stepped out of the bathroom and peered. Well, fuck me. She was right. Seated there were Cooler and Owl. Both men watched him with what could only be described as burning dislike.
He returned to the bedroom and grabbed a pair of boxers along with a shirt for her. “Here.”
She snatched them out of the air and stood. The dress slid off her body to the floor, and he ground his jaw at the image before him. She wore only heels and a thong. No, that wasn’t true. She had a stiletto strapped to the inside of her left thigh.
Soon, she’d pulled on his clothing and wadded up the dress. “Let’s go. Bring the clutch.”
He did and followed her out.
“We’ve missed something.” She cut her gaze to him. “Or weren’t told everything.”
“I was given the same information as you,” he said, sitting next to her.
“Windy is checking out some contacts for any ID on that woman.” Cooler looked them over. “Liver’s on the room. I’ll take the earbud back and see what can be gleaned from it. Do you want me to send Windy up to look at your injury?” He took the clutch and pulled out a small clear object, closing it in his hand.
“I’ll be fine. He did a good job patching me up.”
Grey expected Cooler to argue, but the man just nodded and dropped the subject. Her boss pushed to his feet, Owl following. Again, that silent look moved between the three of them, and Grey knew there was more communication going on. He hated feeling left out but understood when you worked with people long enough, you did develop a way of talking without words.
They left, and he was again alone with his wife in a hotel room. He stared at her. She sat on the couch, eyes closed, and stretched her neck.
Her hair was free of the confines it had been in at the show, and he wanted nothing more than to sink his hands in it. Experience those long tresses sliding along his skin as they made love to one another. Skin upon skin. The only noise in the room, that of passion.
She opened her eyes and cocked a brow at him.
“How long have you worked with them?”
“As long as I’ve been in. I went through the training with them.”
“And your mother?”
“She knows only a little of what I do.”
He understood that. It wouldn’t be easy for a mother to accept what she did. Grey stretched out his legs. “I think we need to come to an understanding.”
She was rolling her shoulders now. “About?”
He readjusted and turned her so her back was to him. Then, he began massaging her shoulders. “You’re sore.”
“She packed a punch. What do we need to have an understanding about?”
“How this is going to work.”
“Nothing to understand. We have a job to do. We do it.”
He scowled at the back of her head. Stubborn woman. “Between us, Sarah.”
“And what would that be?”
“I want two weeks.”
She drew away and peered at him over her shoulder. “Two weeks?”
“Yes. You and me. We go somewhere for two weeks. Give me a chance to be your husband. A chance for you to be my wife.”
Her expression was damn near comical, her eyes wide and her mouth dropped open. “What?”
“I told you, I wasn’t going to sign those papers unless you went to court about it. That hasn’t changed, but I want two weeks to prove to you we don’t need to get divorced.”
“Of course we don’t need to, Grey. It’s the logical thing to do, however.”
He crossed his arms. “Logical?”
“Yes.”
I’m going to re
gret asking this. “Why, exactly, is it logical?”
“Because we have nothing in common. We got married on a whim. No reason to keep pretending there is anything else there.”
I can’t be mad. I asked the question. He took several deep breaths and willed himself to calm down. She held his gaze without flinching. Christ, is that what she truly thinks?
“You were fine that first week we were together. Then, you fucking freaked out and left.”
The bland look vanished to be replaced by raw fury. “Perhaps, then, you should have been a bit quieter on the phone.”
He blinked and thought back to the day she’d vanished. He’d gotten a call from a guy he knew. Not a good friend, but one he’d hung out with a time or two.
She got off the couch and began to walk away. He snapped out his arm and halted her.
“That was a conversation—”
“I wasn’t supposed to overhear. Imagine my surprise, walking out of the bathroom to hear you talking about the whore you’d married. How it wasn’t real and would still be single in time for his party on the yacht. Or if you hadn’t managed to get a divorce by then, you would still go because I was just someone you’d picked up who didn’t mean a damn thing.” Her gaze flashed with hurt before it was swiftly masked. “I’ve been trying to give you that back, your freedom, bachelorhood, whatever. Although, I’m sure you’ve been playing at the single life.” She tugged on her arm, but he refused to release her.
“And you’ve not said anything about it until now? You just left?” He rose and stared down at her.
“It was either that or punch you in the jaw. However, now that I think about it…” Crack! She smacked him across the face. “It still feels wonderful.”
Her hit brought tears to his eyes, and he blinked them away. “Feel better, now?”
“Not even remotely.”
“I deserved that; I’ll give it to you. But you should have confronted me about what you heard.”
“Right, just what I wanted to do. I had doubts, anyway, about marrying you, but I was trying, trying not to panic. The call didn’t help my panic, but it sure expedited my anger.”
“That damn call didn’t mean anything. I was—”
“You say that like I should give a damn. I don’t. You said what you said because you believed it and thought you could get away with it. Face facts, it didn’t turn out the way you thought it would. I’m not ever gonna be the kind of wife you deserve. Just sign the damn papers.”
“Wrong,” he said, pulling her close. Grey slid one hand along her face, reveling in the feel of her smooth skin against his palm. “You’re exactly the type of wife I want and need. Christ, you’re perfect for me.”
“You don’t know me.”
He disagreed but, instead of refuting her statement, said, “So, give me the chance.”
She held his gaze before pulling free.
I’ve lost her.
Sarah went to the end table and put her phone to her ear. “I’m taking two weeks when this is over.” She never looked away from him, even as she tossed the item down. “While I don’t understand your reasons, I’ll give you your two weeks.”
Relief spread through him, and he nodded. Trying not to grin like a fool, he walked to the folder that held the menu.
“You hungry?” They’d not had much of a chance to eat.
“I could eat a hamburger—”
Both their phones went off, and he swore. Ten minutes later, they were climbing into the back of a black car.
“Wait.” Sarah paused with the door open.
“What’s up, Bug?” Cooler asked.
He gazed at her, eyes sharp and calculating.
“This feels all kinds of coincidental to me. The failed attempt tonight, no attempt on the car. How sure are we they’re after him and not her?”
“Reasons?” He posed the question, this time.
The flash of annoyance was so quick he almost missed it. “The woman in the restroom was waiting. Standing at the sink, lying in wait. Hands were dry, and no toilet was running. At every place we’ve followed them, she’s always gone to the restroom prior to leaving. Get me more on her. I’m staying.”
Sarah was gone in the next moment. “Not questioning her ability, anymore?” Owl scowled at him.
Grey arched his brow at them. “Shouldn’t we be going?”
Chapter Five
Sarah tossed and turned until finally she sat up, rubbing her eyes. It had been a long night, and she was just on edge, in general. Overall, her night had been uneventful. She stopped one more person who’d tried to get to the girlfriend, but for the most part, it had been sitting in wait. The guys had more excitement, running into some people they’d engaged.
She rubbed the back of her neck and groaned. It doesn’t make sense. I’m usually good about sleeping when I get the chance. I have a great couch and pillows with blankets. There isn’t any reason for me to be awake. Even as she thought it, she knew what the problem was.
Grey was in the large bed. Not even that, it was that he was within touching distance, and she’d sequestered herself away from him. She could lecture herself all she wanted, but her body knew where it belonged, and she longed to listen to it. She pinched the bridge of her nose and pushed to her feet, making her way to the window overlooking Hamburg.
Pressing her palm to the cool glass, she stared over the colored lights and stared at the cars streaming along. Even as she attempted to forget the man in the king-sized bed sleeping, she accepted it was going to be a lost cause.
Did he still sleep naked? Or had that been because she was in bed with him? Christ, she was going to make herself insane doing this.
“Let it go, Sarah,” she whispered to herself.
“Let what go?”
She jerked her eyes up and saw his reflection behind her. His hair fell around his face, and the only article of clothing on his body was a pair of low-riding sweats. A whimper nearly escaped.
“Thought you were sleeping.” She refocused her attention to the city below.
“Really? I was lying in there remembering what it was like to have you in bed with me. The touching, caresses, sex.” The last word was breathed into her ear as he stood behind her. Not close enough to touch but enough that his body heat couldn’t be missed. “What are you doing awake?”
Pretty much the same damn thing. “Just couldn’t sleep.”
He dragged his index finger along the thin strap of her camisole before slipping it along her skin as he continued along her shoulder. “That’s it?”
No! “Yep.”
“Come to bed with me, Sarah.”
Sweet Jesus, his voice was pure temptation.
“You sure that’s a wise idea?”
He settled one hand along her stomach. “How could it not be? I’m sharing a hotel room with my wife. There’s no reason for her to be sleeping out on the couch alone when there’s ample room in the bed.”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek. He brushed his lips along her temple.
“Just sleep, Sarah. Unless you want something more.”
God, her nipples hurt they’d drawn so tight. Her pussy so wet she knew it would take no more than a touch to set her off.
“Sleep,” she said, proud her voice didn’t waver.
“If that’s all you want. Come to bed, darlin’.”
She may be headed for hell, but she was going to go with a smile on her face. One more night of being in his arms was the heaven she never believed she’d get another chance to experience. Yes, the sex between them was amazing and off the charts, but she craved his touch. How she felt in his arms.
Her job didn’t give her much time to feel feminine. The men she worked with were just that, friends and family. No one aside from Grey had been able to make her feel secure in the way he did. As if nothing would ever get through to harm her. Nothing would make her scared while he was there. The time they’d had had been short, but she never forgot how it had made her feel. Also, there was
the intensity they shared in bed.
They walked silently to the bed, and she slipped in on the right side while he took the left. Clothing, as much as it was, remained on. Sarah didn’t argue or fight when he drew her in closer to him, wrapping strong arms around her. She inhaled deeply, the scent of his skin flooding her senses.
This was home. His embrace.
“Goodnight, my wife.”
His proprietary words did funny things to her gut. She didn’t respond, just closed her eyes and accepted the sleep coming to take her away.
She woke to the soft strokes of his hand along her exposed skin. There was no jerking away and wondering where she was. There was no need. Only one way of waking felt this way and that was being in Grey’s arms.
“Wondered when you would wake up,” he said, his southern drawl more pronounced.
“Cooler will be here soon.”
“If we’re going in to take down the faction we discovered last night, this could get dangerous.”
She tensed. “I’m sure you have a point there.”
“Just one.”
He didn’t speak, so she asked, “You going to share it with me or were you planning on keeping it a secret?”
“Keeping it a secret.”
“Okay.” She rolled away from him, only to find herself on top of his chiseled body. His hard cock pressed against her. “Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
He kissed her lightly. “Allowing me to have last night.”
This man confused her. She gave a wobbled grin and got off the bed. When she got out of the shower, fully dressed, the room had everyone in it once more.
“Morning, Bug.”
“Boys,” she replied to Cooler with a smile. She walked to the cart, lifted off a piece of toast, put preserves on it, and took a bite.
Windy approached her. “You okay?”
“Right as rain,” she said, sucking her thumb clean. “Thanks for checking.”
“We take care of our own,” he answered with a shrug.
“I know, and I love you for it.”
“Well, fuck,” he said. “Bug’s over here getting all emotional and shit.”
“Just trying to get the attention off you and the tears in your eyes, you pussy.”
