In fact, he hated it.
This was a disaster, and it started with him all those years ago. It had to end with him.
He was going to have to talk to Elizabeth and give her the bad news. Only, he knew he had to be careful and take care of it cautiously.
Their conversation had to be handled a specific way.
Alone.
Why?
Both men in her life really got pissy when the president used her as his hired gun, but she was the ONLY one who could do the job.
She handled the sickest of the sick.
The Bonnies of the world.
The Carl Fitzpatricks.
The O’Banions.
Either way, he was NOT going to enjoy having to have this conversation with her. It was likely going to blow up in his face—since his luck sucked.
What he needed was to cross his fingers, and pray that she didn’t hate his guts.
They were family.
And now he needed the woman he’d relied on a lot in his life to handle one hell of a mess.
Made by him.
Years ago.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Ethan’s Office
Almost Lunchtime
When they arrived, Ethan was waiting for them. He invited his spouses to head on in, and he gave Ginny his instructions for his break.
Rarely did he take one.
Today…yeah, today, he was doing just that.
“I’m going to take forty minutes to have a meal with my spouses. Unless this building is being evacuated, Gabe is on fire, or the president shows up with two hookers embedded in his body, I’m NOT to be disturbed.”
She laughed.
“Sorry, I pictured the last one. It made me wonder how that could possibly happen, but then I realized it was the president, and he really likes hookers.”
He laughed.
“It’s a sad day when out of those possible things, the last one was the most probable,” Ethan stated.
Wasn’t that the truth?
Sadly?
The man was always cheating on his wife. He was going to get busted one day—and then killed.
It always happened when you least expected it.
“Needless to say, Ginny, no one is to bother us. I haven’t eaten all day, and I miss my spouses. Both of those scenarios will make me mean if interrupted.”
“Got it, Boss. Want me to order some sundaes for some happy endings?” Ginny teased.
He pointed at her.
“You have been around my wife too much. Don’t let her make you bad. I liked you nice.”
She snorted and saluted.
It was time for her to play guard dog.
Ethan locked the door and headed in to have a few moments with the two people he loved most in life. Lately, they were like ships passing in the night.
In his office, he had that checkered blanket on the floor, and food waiting.
Elizabeth knew what that cost him.
It was the middle of the day, on a Saturday, and he wasn’t helping them with the case. That meant he was buried in other FBI business.
That also meant something else was going on. This wasn’t her first day at the rodeo. When Ethan wanted a picnic, on a busy day, in a locked office…
Yeah.
She waited for it.
“Uh, okay, what happened?” she asked, knowing how he thought, and the more time he spent as the deputy director, the more he was getting sneaky like Gabe.
It was the nature of the beast.
And he’d succumbed to it.
“What?” he asked, trying to pretend he wasn’t up to something, but clearly, his poker face sucked, or his wife was getting too damn good.
He was betting on the latter.
Elizabeth was too smart for his own good.
“You are kissing ass. You don’t have time for a Saturday picnic if you don’t have time to help us work on this case. That means you’re buttering me up for something.”
Yeah, he was aware.
He had to bump all his meetings. At this rate, he’d be lucky to get home around ten.
It was going to be a long night.
That was for damn sure.
She was too smart for him to play these games.
“I have to leave Monday,” he finally admitted, proving that once more he couldn’t BS his own wife.
She lifted a brow.
“For?”
“I have to head out for Damascus. We have a problem out of FBI West, and I have to handle it.”
Well, that didn’t sound good, and they all knew it. Ethan liked to avoid that place like the plague—not because of the building, but the man running it.
They didn’t get along.
“Is Miles Lane causing issues?” she asked. “Do you want me to kick his ass for you? I can take him. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
She pointed at Callen.
He laughed.
“Gee. Thanks.”
Ethan only wished he could pass this mess off. It was something he dreaded, but he was going to handle it.
It was, after all, his job.
He kicked off his shoes as he prepared for the picnic, and began explaining the mess to his wife. Normally, his work stuff would be just that, but he wanted to share with his spouses.
“Remember the situation in Vegas with the sex trafficking going on?”
“Yes.”
“Since FBI West is closer, and I’m buried in work, I asked Miles to handle the issue for me, and I should have known right there that it was a huge mistake.”
“And what happened?” she asked, as they all settled down on the checkered blanket.
“Unfortunately, nothing has been done. I have to go chew his ass a new one, and then I have to head to Vegas to remove an FBI director as I figure out a new game plan. I swear to God! My life was so much easier when Greyson Croft was running that place. It was a tight ship, and now it’s a holy mess.”
“Uh oh,” she and Callen both said.
“That doesn’t sound like something that can be handled in a couple days,” Elizabeth stated.
“Yeah, I know. So, I’m going to be gone a while. It may be days, or it may be weeks. Until I can find someone to take the helm there…”
He was right.
She did NOT like that at all.
Holy shit!
Ethan was going to have to work out of Vegas.
“This is going to be our last weekend for a while. If I’m lucky, I’ll have it handled by the time you two get married and head out on your honeymoon.”
Callen looked worried.
“Will you be able to do that?” he asked. Callen had a lot riding on this wedding and honeymoon, and he needed his brother to be there for him.
It was selfish, but he was an integral part of it.
“I should be able to wrap it up,” he said, but no one in that room was feeling it.
There was that hesitation.
Well, this sucked.
“Are the Crofts okay?” she asked, trying not to worry about the things she couldn’t control. Her husband would be alone in Vegas.
“Yes, they are,” he offered. “He’s actually in New York this week. He’s handling a personal matter there with his wife,” he stated.
Yeah, she’d seen the blip on the news that he’d come to the East Coast. They were discussing his possibility of taking over the East too.
She found that amusing.
It was more proof that the reporters were making up garbage as they went.
The Crofts were straight arrows.
Elizabeth didn’t care what anyone said. She liked them, and she even was amused by their Russian guy.
“His brother just got married last weekend, but he’s worried about Viktor Marchenko.”
“If you need my help, I don’t mind,” she offered. “I can handle that shit too. You know how I love diving into the crazy,” she teased.
“I may. I don’t know what I
’m dealing with yet, but I do know this is a dirty mess, and we need to handle this sex trafficking. Miles is letting it come to the surface since I was supposed to handle this while I was running FBI West.”
Well, that rat.
“I’m in,” she stated.
“I’ll stay here,” Callen stated. “I’ll make sure Chris is okay, and the family is safe. I can monitor his food, and I’ll even help him set up his doctor appointments.”
This was one of those situations where having more than one spouse was beneficial. They could divide and conquer, and it didn’t bury them.
Their help took some of the weight off his shoulders.
Only, it wasn’t enough.
“So, back to this picnic. Is this a bribe?” she asked, watching him run his long sexy fingers through his hair.
God!
She wanted his hands on her in the worst way. Callen’s hands too.
He was ashamed that he’d taken this route, but he had.
“I guess you can say that in a way, it is,” Ethan admitted to them.
Well, that was so wrong.
Spouses shouldn’t have to bribe if they needed help. Instead, they should just be able to ask for help from the ones they loved.
Ethan had gone about this all wrong.
And now he’d pay.
“I’m pissed, Ethan. If you thought that was going to be enough, you’re wrong,” she said, enjoying the way he squirmed.
Oh, he’d pay all right.
Right here in this office.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” he stated. “I didn’t know how to handle this,” he admitted.
Blackhawk didn’t want her mad.
“What can I do to make it up to you?” he said. “Just tell me, and I’ll do it.”
Oh, she knew.
Elizabeth looked over at Callen.
They shared the look.
Then, when Ethan turned his head, they both did the only thing they could do.
They attacked.
Chapter Eleven
Hoover Building
FBI
H e missed her so damn much that there was actually a dull ache in his chest over their time spent apart. Being near Blue, all day for two weeks had made the last two days apart all the more difficult. Ivan felt like he was going through withdrawal now that he wasn’t able to spend every waking hour with her.
Work had to come first while he was on the job.
His life.
Elizabeth’s life.
They both hung in the balance, and it was up to him to ensure both of their safety. At the end of the day, they both wanted to go home to their loved ones, and that was on him.
If he wasn’t on his game, who knew what would happen to her or him?
All he could hope was Blue was missing him just as much as he was missing her.
So, when she headed out to the hall to grab a soda out of a vending machine, he knew he needed to ‘find’ her. If all he could steal away were a few moments, he’d take them.
The Blackhawks were busy, and he was about to occupy himself too.
As he lurked in the shadows of the morgue hallway, he saw her heading his way. When she was in front of him, he reached out and grabbed her. His hand looped around her waist, and he tugged her toward him.
Blue gasped, the soda fell, and she landed against him. Ivan caught her and the can before it hit the ground.
“Ivan.”
“God, I miss touching you,” he said, his mouth finding hers. There was that need in him, and if he didn’t taste her, he was going to go crazy.
Blue fell into the heated kiss.
Her arms went around his neck, her body aligned with his, and she rubbed wantonly against him.
He moaned.
“Bluebell,” he whispered. “You make me crazy. I’ve been thinking about you and this all day.”
“Is that body armor, or are you happy to see me?” she asked.
He laughed.
“It’s definitely you. You smell so good,” he said, kissing her again.
When she pulled away, she stared into his warm brown eyes.
“Aren’t you supposed to be guarding Elizabeth’s body?” she teased. “I’m safe here.”
He whispered in her ear.
“You’re not safe around me. I’m crazed and want to trap you beneath me.”
That made her giddy.
Really.
Giddy.
“How about tonight?” he asked, teasing her ear with his teeth. “We can head to your place and christen your bed, maybe?” he asked.
She was surprised.
It caught her off guard.
Even though he said he wanted to stay at her place, she didn’t think he’d actually follow through. Blue assumed this was going to be one hell of a battle.
She knew how hard it was for him.
“It’s our place,” she corrected.
And it was.
Blue wanted him to know that no matter what, she’d share it with him. Ivan deserved it. She couldn’t help but think back to his first wife, and how she’d betrayed him. She couldn’t help but think about how the woman had moved another man into Ivan’s home while he’d been off at war.
That had been cruel, and she wanted to soothe that memory by giving him a new one.
“We can make it our perfect home.”
He smiled at her.
Ivan knew she was trying to help him through this, and he appreciated it, but he had to know.
“Does it bother you that I can never give you that?” he asked. “I need you to be honest.”
She took his face in the palms of her hand, and stared into his eyes.
“No. You’re going to support us and our children. That’s just a house. What matters is what we fill it with.”
She was right.
Blue had nailed this one on the head, and now Ivan saw it more clearly. She was giving them the canvas, and together, they’d create the picture.
And it was a beautiful one at that.
“I’ll grab some of my things and be there if I can’t leave with you. I don’t know what Elizabeth has planned. With her, you can never tell.”
She understood that.
“Maybe we can try out that hot tub,” he suggested. “I’m dying to give it a shot.”
Oh, she was too.
“But it’s cold out.”
He grinned wickedly as he focused on her.
“I’ll keep you warm, my gorgeous color,” he promised. “You won’t feel the chill.”
She reacted to that.
“That’s the best offer I’ve ever had,” she stated, kissing him one more time. When she pulled away, she took her soda and made sure to slide her fingers over the bump in his cargo pants.
He shook.
“Later, Ivan. We’ll go home and christen our new home,” she said. “By christen, I mean do all kinds of fun stuff all over the place.”
Oh, he was down with that.
With that, she walked away, and he watched her head down the long hallway to Autopsy One.
Yeah.
The whole house issue was silly.
Getting his girl naked in that hot tub?
That was his priority.
And he was on a mission.
* * * B l a c k h a w k - W h i t e f o x * * *
Ethan’s Office
Oh, he hadn’t seen that one coming.
Before he knew it, he was shoved onto his couch, his wife was on him, and she was doing truly wicked things with her mouth and hands.
It was maddening.
That wasn’t the only thing going down.
Callen was already stripping, and when he finished getting naked, he began tugging at his brother’s clothes to help the man out of his too.
His pants and his shirt were open, baring his chest.
They knew he was not one to have sex in his office. It felt all kinds of wrong, but at that moment, his body was on autopilot and he let it go.
After all, his wif
e was in his lap, straddling his hips. How the hell did any man say no to that?
He wasn’t an idiot.
Thankfully, he locked the door. They would have privacy for a little while. Ginny would hold everyone off.
To get his attention, Elizabeth kissed him, and Ethan fell into that hot, wet mating of mouths. She tasted like peppermint gum, and he was so addicted to that flavor.
Ethan loved nothing more than when she kissed him with a mouthful of gum.
It reminded him of his youth, trying to get the ladies to make out with him, and then realizing they had nothing on the hellion in his lap.
“Lyzee,” he muttered as he dropped his head back and she moved around his throat leaving little bites and kisses.
It was damn delicious.
His wife was heating him up.
Yeah, she had to travel with him to Vegas. He couldn’t do this one without her.
He’d go crazy.
She was grinding against him, and he was helpless to stop her. For a few precious minutes, he forgot about Vegas, how he’d tried to bribe them, and anything but her body against his.
She became his solace.
His peace.
Then, it suddenly stopped.
“Mr. Deputy Director, you’re sexy as sin, but you have to suffer for that stunt,” she whispered. “You don’t try to bribe your wife,” she added.
He opened his eyes and blinked.
“Uh, what?”
What was this jackassery?
“Callen wasn’t trying to snowball me with some BS, so he wins. He gets to go first.”
Callen laughed, and it was deep, warm, and rich.
“I like being her favorite,” he teased. “It looks like being the good one is my role for today.”
Yeah, like that would ever happen again. Callen would take whatever he could get.
Ethan protested.
“But, baby, you started something in my lap.”
“And I’ll finish it, but bad boys don’t always cum first,” she purred.
It was that seductive voice that fueled each and every one of his secret fantasies. It made him hard.
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