by Katie Reus
“The van’s out front. They’ll pick you up,” Burkhart said, dismissing Tucker and Cole.
Tucker exited with Cole right next to him. He glanced around the still-quiet neighborhood, glad to note there was no activity. A nondescript oversize van waited at the curb, the engine so quiet he wouldn’t have been sure it was even running if not for the exhaust. When they reached the back doors, one of them opened up. An armed man in black fatigues motioned for them to enter. As soon as they were inside, it started moving. Though it was small, there was enough room for the five of them to fit comfortably enough. There were six giant computer screens covering the walls, three on each side.
Karen and Elliott sat at two computer consoles. Seeing her was a relief to Tucker’s senses. The agent thankfully took a seat next to Elliott, leaving three seats open. Tucker took the seat next to Karen, not surprised when Cole sat on the other side of him.
But he ignored his friend for now, swiveling the small chair to face her.
She shot a glance at Elliott and the other guy before turning back to him. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she murmured. Her expression and tone were soft.
The statement took him off guard. “That was a piece of cake,” he said just as quietly. He’d never thought about his size one way or another before, but right now he hated how big he was. He wanted to reassure her that he wasn’t a dangerous monster, but wasn’t sure how to do that with an audience.
She looked as if she wanted to say more, those gorgeous lips of hers opening but snapping shut just as quickly.
What he wouldn’t give to be alone with her right now, to tell her that everything he’d done had been an act. In his periphery he could see that the other two men weren’t paying attention and he didn’t care if Cole was, so he covertly took Karen’s hand, stroking her palm with his thumb.
She swallowed hard as she watched him but curled her fingers around his. He knew only seconds had ticked by, but it felt as if it were an eternity as he stared into her green eyes. He could seriously drown in that gaze. The woman had become an addiction, one he wasn’t giving up.
When they hit a bump in the road, she seemed to gather herself and quickly pulled her hand back. She turned to her computer. “We’re headed to . . . an undisclosed location. The others will be behind us pretty soon if Vane cooperates.”
Tucker wanted to ask questions but knew it was pointless. If she’d been able to tell him where they were going, she would have. The last thing he wanted to do was put Karen in an awkward position, so he simply nodded and leaned back in his chair.
Vane’s coerced confession alone might not be enough to clear him and his guys, but now that they had so much info on him, all his dirty deeds were going to come to light very soon. For the first time in days Tucker experienced a serious relief that they were about to get cleared.
Chapter 18
Soup sandwich: military in origin. Used to reference a screwed-up situation or an unsatisfactory performance.
“Talk,” Cole murmured.
Tucker glanced around the undisclosed location, which turned out to be a spacious warehouse in the heart of D.C. The security on the outside was no joke, though. Cameras, armed guards, and at least one sniper positioned on a nearby rooftop. There were a dozen men and women quietly milling about the place, some working on computers, others laying out weapons and tactical gear on tables. It was odd to be on the fringe of this. He and Cole were so used to being in the fray on any op. He hated feeling useless.
They’d been relegated to sitting at a table by themselves while everyone waited for Burkhart to get there. “About what?” Tucker asked.
Cole had straddled his chair and was resting his chin on his hands as he watched Tucker. “Don’t be an asshole. While we wait to find out if we’re out of this fucking soup sandwich, you’d better tell me what’s going on with you and Red.”
“What do you want me to say?” Tucker tried to keep his gaze off Karen, but he kept straying back to where she sat with Elliott, apparently deep in conversation as the two of them worked on something on her laptop. He wanted to be over there with her, just to be close to her.
“You and Karen. How did it even happen?”
He shrugged, but turned to face his friend even though he didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share with Cole, with anyone, about his relationship with Karen. “We’re . . .” What the hell were they?
“Fucking?” Cole asked, no malice in his voice. But the word pissed Tucker off. It must have shown in his eyes, because Cole raised his hands, palms up. “Shit, man. Sorry. You’re not giving me anything here.”
“She trusted us when we gave her no reason to. When that hitter came after us, she could have stayed and waited for her people, but she left with me, found us a safe place to hunker down. She went to bat for us with her boss. I respect the hell out of her. And I like her. A lot.” Though that seemed like such a pathetic description of his feelings for her. What he felt for her was way more intense than just like. It was why, despite the trust issues he’d always had in the past with other women, those just didn’t exist with her. If anything, he didn’t deserve her damn trust after the way he’d kidnapped her. “I think . . .” Oh hell, he felt like a first-class moron admitting it, but . . . “She might be it for me.” Instead of experiencing terror, he felt a rightness settling in his chest.
Cole blinked once in pure surprise. “Damn.” He shot another look at Karen, this time more speculative. “Well, if the way she’s been shooting glances at you is any indication, she likes you too. And she is smoking hot.” That was definite male appreciation in his voice.
Tucker automatically looked over at her and found her watching him. She wasn’t sitting anymore, but standing at the end of one of the tables. She tilted her chin in the direction of one of the offices, then started walking in that direction with purpose.
Wordlessly he stood and followed her. He didn’t know what she wanted, but any excuse to get a few minutes alone with her was more than fine with him. Behind him he heard Cole chuckling, but he ignored his friend.
Instead of heading to one of the office doors, Karen ducked down one of the only hallways. He hadn’t seen much of the warehouse, but he guessed it led to one of the exits. When he stepped into the dimly lit hallway, he saw an exit door at the far end of the hall, but there were half a dozen doors along the hallway itself. She disappeared through one of them.
After a glance behind him to make sure no one was following, he hurried after her. When he reached the open doorway, Karen grabbed his shirt and tugged him in with her. Taking him completely by surprise, she yanked him down, her mouth searching out his.
He crushed his lips over hers, feeling hungry and needy and a little obsessed. He’d needed to hold her, touch her, know that she wasn’t afraid of him or revolted by what he’d done. It seemed like a miracle she wanted him as much as he did her.
He flicked his tongue over hers, tasting her sweetness, wanting more of it. Once again he was struck by how desperate he was to have this woman. Not wanting anyone to see them, he used his foot to shut the door to what he vaguely registered as a supply closet behind them.
As he did, she abruptly pulled back, breathing hard. She spread her palms over his chest, stroking him. “They’ll be here in twenty minutes,” she rasped out. “I just wanted a few minutes alone with you. I was so worried about you when you were in Vane’s house. I’ve never really worried about anyone on an op before. I mean, I have, but not the way I was for you.” The fear in her voice was real.
And surprising. That had been one of the easiest ops he’d been on. Ever. He’d been careful on it, but he wasn’t sure that it even qualified as an op. More like a little B and E. He cupped her cheek, warmth and hunger for the woman in front of him spreading through him like wildfire. No one had ever worried about him like this. His guys watched one another’s backs on missions, but no one outside the team ever worried about them. And the truth was, his guys weren’t concerned in th
e sense that Karen had been. They were all highly trained and did their jobs, end of story. He stroked his thumb over her cheek. “I’m sorry you had to hear everything I said and did to him.”
“Screw him,” she growled with surprising heat. “He made his choices.”
The anger behind her words took him off guard. As she looked up at him with such fierceness, he was struck by how far he’d already fallen for her. Oh yeah, he was trusting his gut on this even if he got burned in the end. It was how he lived his life, how he’d survived so long under cover. His instinct was the one thing he’d never questioned. So he did the only thing he could.
He kissed her again, hot and hard, as he backed her up against the door. She deserved better than a quickie in a supply closet, but this was their circumstance and he embraced it.
She grabbed his shoulders and hoisted herself up against him. He grabbed her ass and held her tight as she wrapped her legs around him.
His erection was a heavy pulse between his legs. What they were doing was stupid, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Didn’t want to. They might not be able to do everything he wanted, but he could at least get her off. The sudden thought of that had his hips rolling against hers involuntarily, as if he had no control over himself.
He reached between their bodies, sliding his hand down the front of her running pants and thanking God for the elastic material. She jerked against him, possibly in surprise, but let out a soft moan when he dipped his fingers under her panties and cupped her mound. He loved that she was bare. When he slid a finger over her clit, he felt how wet she was and groaned.
Pulling back, he gently nipped at her jaw. “Sweetheart, you’re going to kill me,” he murmured. “We shouldn’t be doing this.” There was no conviction in his words, though. If she’d left her team he figured she could spare the time.
“Don’t stop.” Her voice was a whisper as she reached between their bodies, squeezing her legs tighter around him to hold herself in place as she went for the button of his cargo pants.
He couldn’t believe what she was doing but didn’t want to stop her. Torn, he stared down at her. “I don’t have a condom.”
“Pull out.” She didn’t even pause.
A dozen things went through his head at that moment, but he knew he wasn’t going to fight this. He was willing to take on any risk because he needed her too badly. At this point he didn’t think he could stop if someone held a gun to his head. “We’ll be quiet,” he said more for her benefit than his. He didn’t work with these people and he knew without a doubt that this was out of character for Karen. Hell, her last lover had been years ago.
If she didn’t care about the location, he didn’t either. They were so far away from everyone he couldn’t hear them anyway, so he knew that he and Karen had actual privacy. However temporarily.
Nodding, she started on his button and zipper again. As she worked it free, he reached behind his back and pulled at her shoelaces, tugging her sneakers free. Next he latched onto her running pants, shoving them and her panties down her legs as she shoved at his pants. They both hummed with a franticness he couldn’t begin to contain.
He was practically vibrating with the need to be in her. He couldn’t believe he was going to be inside her with no barrier. The thought alone was making him ache so hard he was afraid he’d embarrass himself.
Not bothering with his shoes or their shirts, he just let his pants fall to his ankles as he cupped her mound again. Everything about this moment felt desperate, as if he’d die if he didn’t get inside her. His heart pounded an erratic tattoo against his chest, wild and out of control.
He’d never felt like this about anyone before.
She was so damn slick it made him shudder. “The thought of getting caught turn you on?” he murmured, dipping two fingers inside her. She was so tight, so wet.
Shuddering, she clenched around him, rolling her hips into his hold. “You turn me on. I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she rasped out on a jagged breath when he pulled his fingers out of her.
He wanted to taste her, but he wanted to be inside her more. After their conversation from the night before, he knew they were both safe, so that wasn’t even a worry. Moving his hips, he shifted slightly so that his cock was positioned at her entrance. Before he could push in, she impaled herself on him, burying her face against his neck on a moan as she did. Ever so lightly, she bit his neck. Not enough to leave a permanent indent, but it almost felt as though she was marking him.
Oh God. A kaleidoscope of colors flashed in front of him as her silky sheath tightened around him. He’d never fucked without a condom before. Never.
This wasn’t just anyone, though. It was Karen. The kind of woman he couldn’t have made up in his fantasies because she was so much better than anything his imagination could have conjured up.
He grabbed her ass, holding her tight against him for just a moment. It was hard to breathe or think straight when he was buried so deep in her. His balls pulled up tight, that familiar tingling sensation at the base of his spine an embarrassment. Stamina had never been an issue for him, at least not since he was sixteen, but the raw intensity of this situation was making everything in his brain short-circuit.
Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he kissed her, teasing her lips open, dancing his own tongue against hers. She shuddered, her inner walls clenching in a sort of rhythm even though he wasn’t moving.
Her breathing was erratic and wild as they kissed, so he reached between their bodies and began stroking her clit. That set her off. She writhed against him, but he didn’t move yet because he didn’t trust himself.
He needed her to get off, felt frantic to feel her climaxing around him. He nipped her bottom lip between his teeth as he gently pinched her clit between his thumb and forefinger. When he rolled the tight bud, she jerked against him and buried her face against his neck again.
She shifted her head and bit his shirt, another soft moan escaping from her as she tried to remain quiet.
He knew she was close now. Her inner walls were tightening around him faster and faster, her breathing more and more erratic as she clutched on to his shoulders. Even through his clothes her nails dug into him, the bite more pleasure than pain.
He started thrusting, unable to stop himself from moving inside her. The pleasure was too much, the feel of her pure heaven.
“I’m coming,” she whispered, the words sounding almost torn from her as she bit into his shoulder now. Her body shuddered under her orgasm, her soft little moans making him crazy.
He held their bodies away from the door with one arm, not wanting to make any noise by slamming against it. Using the strength in his legs, he held her up, clutching her ass as he continued thrusting, his own release not far behind hers.
He was so damn close, so close—he hated to pull out of her but knew he had to. Grabbing her hips, he withdrew, his dick immediately mourning the loss of her.
Taking him completely by surprise, she fisted his erection before he could, her gaze on his as she continued stroking him, hard and fast.
He wanted to touch her but didn’t trust himself. What he wouldn’t give to finish inside her with no barriers, but this was the next best thing. He slammed one palm against the door behind her head and held up his shirt with the other hand as she brought him to release. Her gaze remained fixed on his, heated and intense as he came against his stomach. He refrained from crying out, but his body trembled as the pleasure punched through him in wave after wave. He’d never felt anything so intense.
He couldn’t stop shaking for a few long moments from the onslaught of his climax. She was with him every second, her gaze still pinned to his.
For a moment he worried things might get awkward, but a satisfied grin spread across her face before she leaned up and brushed her lips over his.
“That was one of the hottest experiences of my life,” she murmured, moving quickly to one of the metal cabinets.
“Mine too.” He wished he cou
ld come up with something better, but his brain was still in sex mode. He stared at her bare ass, saw the marks from his fingers on her pale skin, and was glad he’d left them. He wanted her to feel him on her, in her, long after this. He wanted to imprint himself on her body so she thought about him the way he did about her.
She made a victorious sound as she pulled out a small packet of generic-brand wet wipes. After taking a couple for herself, she handed the pack to him.
They cleaned up and dressed in less than a minute, both moving with a necessary quickness. While he wanted to linger, to hold her the way she deserved, it wasn’t possible. He knew she likely had stuff she needed to be doing, and Burkhart would be here very soon.
“Karen . . .” His hand was on the doorknob, but he couldn’t force himself to open it, to face the reality of their situation until he told her how he felt. Even if he didn’t exactly know himself, he knew that whatever this thing was, it was serious for him. “When this mess is over, I know I said I wanted to take you on a date, but . . .”
Her face went carefully neutral and she tugged at the bottom of her shirt almost nervously, watching him with a sudden wariness.
He realized he was messing this all up. “And I do,” he rushed out. “But . . . I don’t care if this is too soon, but I’m not going to be seeing anyone else except you. I don’t even know how to say this, but, uh, I want to be exclusive with you. I’ve never not used a condom before.” Something he needed her to know. God, he felt like a stupid teenager. He hadn’t actually dated anyone in so long and she made him feel so off his game anyway.
