He shook his head, his eyes darkening at the way her robe fell open in all the right places. “I like you right where you are, Jessica. Gorgeous, half-naked, and on your knees.”
Devlin walked toward where Jessica knelt beside the bed. He stopped in front of her and ran a soft hand over her hair to her cheek.
“I’ve come close to dying more times than I can count, but I was never as afraid as I was today. Not for myself, but for you. Not even for Teddy. He signed up for this gig. He knew the risks. Hell, he lives for them. But you?” He shook his head. “You were brought in green and for all the wrong reasons, and when we get back to the States, I’m going to beat Frank Lauder within an inch of his life.”
“Why?”
Devlin’s eyes bore into hers. “You know why, Jess. You’re a smart lady, and with your background, I know you’ve figured it out. You were the inducement Lauder used to get Ivan to play ball, and most likely the trade-off as well. I blame myself for what could have happened to you.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “But it didn’t.”
“But it could have.”
With a smirk, she shook her head. “But it didn’t.”
“Jess, it could have very easily gone way more south than it did.” He let his hand slip from her face.
She nodded. “But it didn’t.”
“For Christ’s sake, can’t you let me apologize?”
A smile cracked across her lips for the first time in days. “Apologize for what? For saving my life? For getting Teddy to a place where the odds were stacked in his favor instead of against him? For a hero, Devlin Law, you suck at it.”
“I suck?”
She nodded. “That sir, you do. Now take your bow and be done with your apology bullshit.”
“Okay,” he eyed her with the ghost of a smirk. “If I’m a hero, then don’t I deserve some sort of reward?”
Nodding again, her eyes were on his as they filled with want and intensity.
“That word of yours has me thinking.” His hand rose to her cheek once more, and this time his thumb grazed her bottom lip.
“What word?” she asked, dying to take his thumb into her mouth.
“Suck.”
A small grin played on her lips that he read her mind and she nipped his thumb. “Did it, now.”
“Yes, in fact, right now, all I want is your pretty pink tongue wrapped around my cock. I want to fuck your mouth until I blow, and then watch you lick me clean. How’s that for a reward?”
Devlin’s raw words made her pussy slick just thinking of how he’d taste. Jessica pulled his hand from her face and then ran her fingers over the hard bar behind his zipper. “Then we need to see what prize is waiting behind door number one.”
She undid his fly and pushed his pants past his powerful thighs, his cock jutting stiff and free from its dark nest.
Devlin unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it onto the bed behind him, stepping out of his pants and kicking them to the corner.
Raking her nails along the hard planes of his chest, Jessica stroked his torso, working her way past the sexy V-shaped muscles. She took her time, savoring every hard inch of his chest and lower belly.
Loosening her bathrobe even more, she untied the belt so it hung open completely, and the tip of his waiting cock grazed the soft flesh of her breasts.
“You’re killing me, Smalls.” The words ground out of his mouth and she smirked at the nod to the movie The Sandlot. Even in England, it was a classic.
“Have a seat,” she said, ushering him around before pushing him onto the edge of the bed. She scooted between his thighs and wrapped her hand around his thick shaft. His member jerked in her palm.
Devlin groaned, licking his lips. “Work me, baby. My full length.”
With a knowing grin, she did what he asked and slid her hand up and down the corded mass. Dipping her head, she flicked her tongue over the sensitive swell of his head.
He sucked a breath through his teeth. “That’s it, baby. More. Faster…Mmmm.”
His low rumble made her pick up her pace and his thigh muscles clenched beneath her arms. Jessica slid her free hand over his hard quads and reached for his balls. Cupping them, a grin tugged at her lips at how high and tight they felt in her palm.
She scooted lower, enough to run the flat of her tongue along the ridged base of his cock. He groaned, and she dipped her head, circling the satin of his swollen head.
Devlin swept her long dark hair from her cheek and fisted it at the nape of her neck. “Let me see your tongue, baby. Wrap your lips around my dick. Take me deep.”
She opened her mouth and slipped his engorged head over her curled tongue, taking him to the back of her throat. Devlin leaned back on one arm and groaned, his hips rising to push himself even deeper.
Jessica pulled back and then plunged, taking his full length into her mouth again. A hiss left Devlin’s lips as she grazed her teeth along his corded length.
“Tongue my balls! Oh, Fuck! Yessssss,” he hissed again, as she licked her way down, drawing the tight sac into her mouth.
She released them with a pop and dragged her tongue over his length again, tracing the stiff ridge below his swollen head.
“I’m going to blow, baby,” he said, fisting her hair as she sucked him deeply again.
Devlin’s body went rigid and his cock tightened hard and unyielding in her hand. “Tell me where you want this load, babe. I know your slit is dripping wet. You want this on your tongue or do you want me to fill your pussy? Tell me. It’s either fuck me or suck me.”
She pulled her mouth from him, but ran her hand tight over his shaft. “It’s your reward, you tell me.”
Gripping her shoulders, he eased her back, careful of her injury, but with one fluid move he swept her up and deposited her on the bed. Holding her legs wide, he dipped his head to her pussy and licked her from her ass to her clit, moaning at the sweet taste of her slick juice.
His teeth nipped and grazed her clit, before drawing the hard bud deep between his lips. His tongue delved, slipping between her pussy lips, fucking her with his mouth.
Jessica bucked her hips, grinding for more, but he lifted his face, leaving her panting.
“What is it you want, Jessica?” he rubbed his head along the slick folds of her slit. “This?”
“Yes!”
With a smirk, he slid his hands to her ankles and held her legs even wider. With a single thrust, he plunged his cock into her pussy, his ass and thighs grinding his dick and balls deep.
Gritting her teeth, she took every inch, meeting him thrust for thrust until her legs shook. Body tense and stretched, her breath locked until an orgasm ripped her wide, her walls squeezing his cock tightly.
Crying out, waves took her, her body spasming and she went boneless with his dick still rock-hard within.
Muscles coiled and hard, Devlin held himself rigid as her spasms milked his dick. His eyes found hers and he held his breath. When she arched back in final release, he let go, his head bulging as hot spurts filled her to the core.
His hand slid down her legs as she slumped back onto the comforter. He pulled back, sliding his cock free and she gasped as one last aftershock rocked her lower belly. Climbing onto the bed beside her, he gathered her close.
“How’s the shoulder?” he asked, nipping her nose.
“What shoulder? You’ve left me a boneless mass of quivering flesh, Devlin Law.”
His fingers traced the curve of her back, trailing the fine line of her spine to the top of her ass and back again.
“You’re okay, though?” he asked again.
She chuckled against his chest, wiggling her nose in the hollow between his throat and his broad shoulders. “Except for being shot, a dead man tackling me to the ground in a pool of blood…oh, and dodging bullets while driving the getaway car, I’d say I’m great.”
“That you are, Ace.” He lifted her face to kiss the tip of her nose. “Pretty amazing, if you ask me.”
&nbs
p; She reached for his still thickened dick, giving the member a gentle squeeze. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”
With a satisfied inhale, she snuggled closer into his chest, but didn’t say another word, hoping he would say something first.
“Jessica—”
She pressed her lips together trying not to anticipate.
“My orders came in. They’re sending me deep,” he said.
Pulling back from his chest, she blinked, looked at him confused. “Deep? Unless that means we’re going for round two on this bed, I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“Round two is a definite possibility,” he replied, dipping his tongue to the seam of her lips. “But it’s not what I meant. I have another assignment.”
She struggled onto her elbow to look at him better. “Where? When?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
Her chin dropped to her chest for a moment before she glanced up at him again. “For how long?”
“I don’t know, but my guess is it will be awhile before I’m anywhere anyone can reach me. At least, not anyone from the outside.”
She shook her head. “They’re sending you that deep undercover? Why? I thought you and Teddy only did wet work. Besides, there’s protocol that needs to be followed between jobs. We need to be debriefed and then they decide on an inquest, not to mention giving us a little downtime to recharge.”
“That’s not how it works, Ace. I go where I’m told, when I’m told. No questions asked. That’s part of the deal. If I can, I’ll try to get in touch with you through inside channels. It’ll be hard, so I can’t promise anything, but right now, we can make the most of the time we have, right?”
Jess sat up with a frown. “Is this some kind of punishment for Ivan being shot? We recovered the chip. What more do they want?”
“The chip was ruined. It doesn’t look like it will provide much in terms of anything, so this whole effort was a bust. At least, Teddy will live.”
Chewing on her lip, she eyed him. “Not necessarily.” She slipped off the bed and crouched to pull the towel from underneath the bed.
“Jessica, what the hell are you doing? Not that I don’t like looking at your naked ass, especially when you’re bent over, but—”
She glanced up. “This.” Gathering the still damp pages into a pile, she held them up. “Ivan had a hard copy from the disk in his breast pocket. The reptile dangled it like a carrot trying to trade it for a piece of ass. My ass in particular. I dug the envelope from his coat pocket before I ran for the car. It’s blood-soaked, and some of it’s illegible, but any info is better than nothing.”
“Why the hell is it on a towel under the bed?” he asked with a stunned laugh.
She shrugged. “I was letting it dry out of sight. Like Lauder said, we don’t know who is involved, so I figured I’d keep this to myself for the time being.”
He darted from the bed and scooped her up in his arms. “You little brat. You weren’t planning on telling me, were you?”
“Of course, I planned to tell you.” She grinned with a squeal. “You sidetracked me.”
With a laugh, he kissed her. “Woman, you are a distraction amongst distractions! I haven’t been able to think of anything else since the first time I tasted you.”
“You do pretty well compartmentalizing, then. I’ve never seen someone so focused as you were today.”
His eyes locked with hers. “This time, I had something to lose.”
“And Teddy is alive, and it looks like he’s going to make it. That’s the news I was waiting for.”
Devlin let her down onto the bed and she shifted to her knees in front of him. “Why?”
“Because.” She cupped his cheeks. “Now there are three of us against the political machine driving this vile trafficking ring. Not just me and you.”
He grinned, and she nodded tapping the side of her head. “Analysis and strategy, right?”
Devlin slipped his arms around her waist and tightened his grip. In one fluid move, he jerked her up and around, pulling her down onto his chest, papers fluttering around them on the bed.
“I still have my orders, but this will keep.” He picked up one of the lists, his eyes scanning the bloodstained page. “I overheard the ambassador talking. There’s intel this was an inside hit.”
She took the page from his hand, so he had to look at her. “What do you mean an inside hit?”
“It means Ivan’s people weren’t responsible for the ambush.”
Jessica blinked at him, stunned. “Are you telling me our own people orchestrated this as a preemptive strike?”
“We got too close, so they took Ivan out and tried to do the same with us. My guess is the only reason we’re still alive is because they don’t know about this.” He took the corroborating sheet from her hand. “And I want to keep it that way until I can find out more. With the microchip a bust, whoever’s behind this must be feeling pretty smug right about now.”
He paused. “Does Teddy know about the paper trail?”
“Not unless he heard me when he was unconscious.”
Nodding, he exhaled. “Good. Let’s keep this just between you and me. Teddy’s a good partner in the field, but he’s a loose cannon. He’s bound to go ape shit and do something reckless.”
“So, what happens now? When do you have to leave?” she asked, realizing this might be the last time she’d spend with Devlin for a long while.
He shrugged. “Could be tonight, could be next week. I think they’re trying to keep the three of us separated. That way if they have to, they can pick us off one by one. That said, it’s imperative the list stays hidden.”
“We should make copies, too,” she suggested. “Nothing like insurance, right?”
He smiled. “Analysis and strategy. I like those words more and more.”
“Is that all you like?” she asked, letting her fingers trail down his chest.
He ran a hand over her bare thigh to the split between her legs. “Not even close.”
Chapter Seven
New York City
Eighteen Months Later
“It’s about time, Jessica. You’ve busted your butt for this chance. It’s long overdue, if you ask me. Especially since you’ve had to fight your way back to where you were before they sent you, well, you know.”
Penelope Banning swirled her iced caramel macchiato. Her teasing smile faded as she watched her sister trace condensation on the round table.
“I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when you told that snake of a boss you were being called in again. What did he say?”
“What have I told you about talking about you know what?” Jessie’s voice was a harsh whisper. “Being called to New York means nothing. Probably another round of bureaucratic interviews. Lord knows this past year has been nothing but. Red tape and red herrings.”
Her sister snorted. “Jessica, you need to calm down. It’s been a year and a half since that awful night. You forget, the government sent you back to the JAG Corps for a reason. They needed you safe, and I, for one, will be forever indebted to those bureaucratic bloodsuckers for that one small kindness.”
Penelope reached across the café’s small wooden table for Jessica’s hand. “Thank God your life is finally getting back to normal. If anyone’s paid their dues, it’s you. You were shot, for cripe’s sake!”
Jessica looked up from her nervous fidgeting, but was still a million miles away. Penny had no idea how hard this was for her. Eighteen months had passed since she last saw Devlin.
As promised, he managed two calls, but then nothing for the past year. The man was either dead or he found himself a leggy, socialite more to his taste.
After all, James Bond didn’t go for the back-office types or Miss Moneypenny would have been bent over her desk a long time ago. In Devlin’s line of work, there was no room for attachments. The man had said as much when they went for drinks that first night.
That first hot, nasty monkey
sex night.
“Jess! Are you listening to me?” Penelope threw a crumpled napkin at her sister.
Jessica blinked. “Loud and clear, Colonel. Lemonade out of lemons. It’s what we do, right?” “Besides, I’m pretty sure this meeting is a nothing burger, as the kids say. I’m not even sure what it’s about. It’s all hush-hush, so since there’s nothing to tell, let’s not speculate.”
“You’ve got skin in the game, here, Jess. No one else does,” her sister replied.
Jessica took a sip from her melting coffee, her left hand straying to the scar on her chest just below her right shoulder. “I wasn’t alone that night, Pen.”
Definitely not alone.
“You are not to blame for what happened. To be honest, I’m surprised you called to meet me today. You never want to talk.”
Jessica glanced toward the trees and the shadow of the New York library in the afternoon sun. “I still don’t.” She exhaled, turning back to her sister’s waiting gaze. “Besides, I’m not allowed. The fact you know as much as you do, puts me at risk. So, for the millionth time, shut up, okay?”
Penny snorted. “Like living in a church confessional.”
“No, more like the threat of living behind bars,” Jessica replied, dourly.
“Same difference, Jess. At the time you needed to vent, and since no one at your precious agency was willing to lend and ear, it was either me or go bat shit crazy.”
Jessica shook her head. “Let it go, Pen. I’m fine, and having coffee with you doesn’t break any rules since I have no intention of telling you anything else. All the same, I’m glad you made time for me. I wanted to give you this.” She held out a long velvet box.
“What’s that?” Penny asked. “It’s not my birthday for months.”
Jessica gave her a small smile. “It’s Mum’s wedding set. Her rings, plus the emerald necklace and earrings she wore the day she married Da.”
Penelope’s hand froze reaching for the black velvet. Her fingers curled into her palm and she shook her head, pulling her hand back. “No. Mum wanted you to have them. You’re first born.”
“Yes—” Jessie laughed wryly. “A ridiculous family tradition that I’m abolishing as of now. If something happens to me, I don’t want these lost in the shuffle. They’re yours now.”
Dangerous Law (Suit Romance Series): A Rogue Operative Romance Page 5
