Dangerous in Love (Aegis Group Alpha Team, #1)

by Sidney Bristol

  “Your left hand’s not even in the belt anymore, which means your right hand could slide out.”

  “Damn it.” She sighed and let her left arm drop to the mattress.

  Shane hauled his shirt off and tossed it on the floor.

  He needed to think about something other than the naked woman or he’d blow his load before he got the condom on. He tossed his wallet on the side of the bed and eased his jeans to the floor. He was hard enough it was nearly painful.

  He focused on what he was doing, the simple act of undressing. The cool air felt good against his heated skin. He could still smell Lacey on him, hear her rustling the sheets.

  Shane opened his eyes to find Lacey on her side, watching him. Her eyes seemed to dance with so much light it was nearly magical. He wasn’t kidding when he’d said she was perfect, and for this brief time, she was allowing him to hold her. He’d take what he could get and when she left, he’d be broken, but at least he wouldn’t have regrets.

  He pulled the condom out of his wallet and tossed it on the mattress. That done, he crawled across to her. She rolled to her back, her lips curling up.

  He’d put that smile on her face. It made him more than a little proud.

  She opened her mouth and before she could get a word out, he pressed his finger across her lips.

  “Unless you’re telling me to fuck off and get out, I don’t want to hear whatever suggestions you have, got it?” Because she’d likely say something that would make him lose it right here and now.

  She kissed his finger.

  “You’re no fun.” She sighed.

  “That’s not what you were saying a few minutes ago.” He grinned and sat back on his heels.

  “Whatever I say during an orgasm cannot be held against me.” She blinked. “What did I say?”

  “Plenty.” He winked. She’d muttered a few unintelligible words, but he didn’t have to tell her that. He grabbed the condom and tore it open.

  “You’re the worst.”

  “Then why are you looking at my cock like it’s what you want for Christmas?” He rolled the condom on and squeezed his shaft.

  “I’d rather not wait that long, thank you very much. Besides, if you had that boner that long, I’d be seriously worried about your health.”

  “Thank you for your concern.” He chuckled and pitched forward, catching himself on one hand.

  Her legs curled around his thighs, pulling him closer.

  “You’re so damn beautiful, you know?” He stared down at her.

  Lacey’s lips curled up into a smile, but she had no quick quip for that.

  “I’m not saying that because I’m about to put my cock inside of you, either.”

  She opened her lips.

  He thrust and she gasped, whatever comment she’d been about to make silenced.

  Her pussy was warm, drawing him in deeper.

  “Fuck,” he muttered and dropped his head forward.

  “Oh—Shane.” Lacey’s pupils were huge, her features relaxed.

  He pressed his pelvis to hers, sinking as deep as he could get while her vaginal muscles contracted and stretched around him.

  Shane bent until he could wrap his lips around her nipple. He suckled the stiff nub and she gasped. He pressed his teeth to the sensitive flesh and she whimpered, her pussy constricting around him.

  Good.

  He wanted her as mindless as he was.

  He pushed up, just enough to grip her by the hips, and thrust. Her breasts jiggled. She wrapped her legs tighter around him and arched her back. He moved her, controlling the depth and force of how their bodies joined. He’d wanted this to last longer, but after watching her come apart and tasting her, that just wasn’t happening. The best he could do was to make her as lust-crazed as he was.

  She swiveled her hips, using his body to leverage hers, meeting his thrusts in time

  Lacey stared up at him, never once glancing away. This was them—together—without a doubt. He wasn’t the only one feeling something. It was mutual, lustful destruction.

  He thrust into her tight pussy and hissed. He withdrew and thrust, her legs constricting around him until he shoved deep and hard, nearly driving her up the bed.

  She groaned, and her lips parted.

  He lifted her higher off the bed, changing the angle, and thrust again.

  Her jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide.

  Whatever spot he’d just found he needed to map.

  Shane thrust, watching her face, until he felt her begin to shudder. Her pussy tightened around him.

  “Fuck,” he muttered and leaned forward working himself in and out of her.

  She curled her one arm around his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin.

  “Lacey!” Her name was forced from his lips as the rush of orgasm took him by surprise, his spine tingling and the world fading away.

  God damn that pussy magic.

  He collapsed next to her, his every nerve thrumming from pleasure and his body giving out. She wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back and shoulders.

  “You aren’t a total lost cause, stick in the mud,” she said.

  “What?” He could hardly process her words.

  “You’re pretty fun sometimes.” She tapped his nose and snuggled closer.

  “Can you stop talking for five minutes?” He wanted to bask in the post-sex bliss for at least a few breaths.

  “Fine.” Lacey wrapped herself around him, quiet and content.

  He peered down at her.

  For some reason, her not talking didn’t seem to bode well for him.

  She blinked up at him.

  “What’s that look for?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing always means something.”

  “You’re so not nice to me.”

  “I would argue that point.” He blew out a deep breath, and it felt as though the mattress welled up on all sides, sucking him down.

  Lacey chuckled.

  He smiled at the top of her head and kissed her brow.

  She was trouble, pure and simple, but the best kind.

  “I am not a stick in the mud,” he said.

  “You can be, Mr. I-follow-all-the-rules.” She prodded his side.

  “Not all of them.” He captured her wrist, brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm.

  “Okay, most of them, most of the time.”

  “I don’t know any other way.” Come to think of it, he’d always followed the letter of the law when it came to rules and orders. It was just how he was wired. “I never thought about it like that until now.”

  “I haven’t upset your world order, have I?” She pillowed her cheek on his chest.

  “Yes, but maybe I needed it? Maybe I needed you all along?”

  He’d heard a proverb once, about a light bearer showing the way out of a maze. It’d been a convoluted story told through a translator, and he’d never thought about it since that moment, but maybe that was what Lacey was. His light bearer, showing him a different way to live.

  “What’s that look for?” He traced the line furrowing her cheek.

  “I usually let people who count on me down. I don’t want to let you down.”

  “Everyone lets everyone else down at some point. We can’t all be perfect.”

  “Yeah, I just...” Lacey rolled to her back.

  He turned toward her, sensing a deep movement in the current that connected them now.

  “I like you a lot, you know? And I just feel like...” She blew out a breath.

  It wasn’t just him.

  That was a bit of a relief.

  He splayed his hand on her stomach, one of hers sliding up to cover his.

  “How about this? No promises, no plans. We see what happens, how things turn out for the next few days, and we take it from there, okay?”

  Shane knew she would leave him someday. A wild thing like Lacey wouldn’t stop being free for someone bound in habit the way he was. But maybe, f
or a moment or a day or a month, they could be together, and he could learn to see the world through her eyes.

  Marcos peered up at the five-star hotel. For all its glamour and comfort, the thing was also a fortress, outfitted to protect politicians, celebrities, dignitaries and other important people. Marcos’ team couldn’t penetrate to the penthouse without drawing the attention of the police, which meant that so long as the targets were in there, they were out of his reach.

  If he had different people, a hand-picked team, they could breech the building with a covert tactical assault, but he didn’t have the funds or time to pull together that caliber of people.

  They needed another plan. One to draw the targets out into the open.

  For that, he needed the Torres brothers.

  His client was pissed. Marcos hadn’t been able to avoid telling him. Instead of threats fueled by fear, the client was even more committed to seeing the gig through. It gave Marcos options, and right now he needed them. His time was running out.

  12.

  Shane rubbed the sleep from his eyes and gulped his fifth or six cup of coffee. He didn’t regret the short resting hours one bit. His time with Lacey was precious and he was determined to soak up what he could get.

  Kyle closed the master bedroom door and ran a hand through his hair.

  That couldn’t be good.

  “Well?” Shane braced himself for the worst.

  “They need some time to discuss what they want to do.” Kyle spoke slowly, holding his hands up.

  Shit.

  Kyle didn’t lose his patience with civilians often, but judging by his tone, Kyle was ready to snap.

  “What the hell are their options?” Isaac’s usual cheer was gone, replaced by the morning grumps. He never was much use without his beauty sleep once they were back on American soil.

  “Depends on when you ask them.” Kyle glared over his shoulder.

  It was easier to deal with the assets when they were still in the thick of it. When they were overseas and in trouble, there were no arguments. Whatever Kyle—or the others—said was law. All that changed the moment they got back to the states. Once they were here, the team served at the pleasure of their clients. Considering that Alpha Team catered to the wealthy and privileged, that could mean any number of things.

  Kyle crossed to the kitchenette and poured himself another cup of coffee. They were about to blow through what room service had brought up for them an hour ago at this rate.

  “We will likely proceed down one of three paths,” Kyle said, holding up a finger. “One, they go to their home in Delhi, settle in, and deal with law enforcement from there. Two, the wife wants to go to her family, who are in New York, and handle it from there. Three, something about the husband’s family, though which one, I’m not sure. I know his biological father, who lives in The States, has been ignoring our calls. His family in Deli are only talking through the wife’s family. It’s a clusterfuck.” Kyle shrugged and sipped the black coffee.

  Shane would rather see the couple to their family home in New York. Form a tactical perspective, they lived in a fancy, high-rise condo that would have security staff and precautions built in. His least favorite option was sending them back out of the country before the incident was handled. Any time they traveled, they were vulnerable to another attack, potentially more casualties. Shane caught Kyle’s eye and he nodded, likely thinking much the same thing.

  The bulk of their job was done. They’d brought the hostages home. They were in America. The police or FBI would be there later this morning to handle the case. Once that ball was rolling, they’d deposit the clients wherever they wanted and leave, unless their contract was extended. Job over.

  That left Lacey at odds.

  Shane figured she would either strike out on her own, or if he had his way, he’d pay for her to come to Seattle. At least until Marcos was found and arrested, for her safety. After that, he couldn’t imagine that she’d stay with him.

  “Isaac, you heard from the FBI office yet?” Kyle asked.

  “They’re sending someone over this morning.” Isaac checked his watch. “Soon, I’d imagine. There was some department training thing, which was why they didn’t come yesterday.”

  “We still have the copy of the video, correct?” Kyle directed that question at Shane.

  “Correct,” he replied.

  “How’s she doing?”

  “Good.” Shane resisted the urge to shift, look away, or present any other guilty tells.

  “Shane and Lacey, sitting in a tree,” Isaac said in a sing-song voice, his grin wide.

  “I wouldn’t—personally—recommend kissing in a tree.”

  Isaac’s mouth snapped shut with an audible click.

  Shane turned his head, taking in the sight of a sleepy, rested Lacey shuffling out of the bedroom door. She’d scraped her hair back into a braid and once more wore the solid black outfit from last night.

  “Sorry, I—uh...” Isaac had the good grace to be embarrassed. She’d been on the other side of the fucking door.

  “Sorry you got caught, huh?” Lacey slid past them and helped herself to the coffee. “Did I miss anything?”

  “Lacey, morning.” Kyle nodded at her. “We were just discussing the agenda for the day. Right now our focus is on getting everyone interviewed and our statements done by the local FBI office. Once we got the cops up to speed, they decided to pass us up the food chain. They’re going to want a copy of the tape.”

  “Oh. Right.” Lacey stirred her cup slowly. “Do you think I could borrow a laptop? There’s some more footage, but... I might need to cut some out.”

  Shit.

  She’d said she thought she might have recorded the episode in the truck.

  It was Shane’s turn to scrub his hand over his face, the ongoing conversation fading.

  He didn’t want anyone else seeing that tape. They were private moments. End of story. He was already never going to live this down, he’d rather Lacey not become a spectacle.

  A sharp knock at the door to the suite shut them all up.

  Adam and Felix were down the hall sleeping.

  Kyle laid his finger across his lips.

  “Lacey, go inside,” Shane said, keeping his voice low.

  Isaac and Shane moved as one toward the doors, hands resting on their weapons. They flanked the double doors, while Kyle took up a position slightly behind a leather wingback chair catty-corner to the door.

  “Who is it?” Kyle called out.

  “Atlanta PD. Someone called for a detective?” a muted voice replied.

  They collectively exhaled, but didn’t take hands off their weapons.

  Kyle crossed to the door and peered out. He pulled the door open enough that Shane caught sight of the guy on the other side.

  “Can I see some ID?” Kyle asked.

  “Of course.” The detective presented his shield.

  “I’m going to verify this with our home team. Wait one moment, please?” Kyle pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.

  “Is that really necessary?” The man chuckled. “I mean, you guys called us out.”

  “Us?” Shane stepped forward, allowing Kyle to focus on verifying the badge. There was something familiar about the guy.

  “Yeah, my partner’s downstairs, trying to find a place to park the damn car.” The detective peered into the suite. “Nice place.”

  Shane didn’t respond.

  “Oh, hello. You must be,” the detective glanced at his notepad, “Lacey, right?”

  “Get inside,” Shane said without glancing at her. Stubborn woman.

  “Thanks.” The detective put a foot in the door.

  “No offense, I wasn’t talking to you.” Shane didn’t budge. He didn’t give two fucks if this guy was who he said he was—until it was verified, Shane wouldn’t let him within ten feet of Lacey.

  “Is this really necessary?” Lacey padded across the room.

  “They’re just trying to keep you safe.”
The detective was a bit on the young side, early thirties, if Shane had to guess. He didn’t carry himself like a cop, though he was dressed like one from the steel-toed boots to the badge and ill-fitting suit.

  “I know.” Lacey stopped at Shane’s side.

  “I’m Detective Brown, by the way. Nice to meet you.” The man offered Lacey his hand. “I looked up your travel videos. You’ve been just about everywhere.”

  Short of stepping between Lacey and the man, he couldn’t make her follow orders.

  “I’m not sure what the guys told you, but...I think a murder case is connected to—this.” Lacey’s smile dimmed and the sadness returned to her eyes.

  “That’s actually why I’m here.” Detective Brown leaned against the door, his whole focus on Lacey.

  Shane wanted to punch the guy’s lights out for looking at her. It was a completely irrational response.

  Kyle paced into Shane’s peripheral vision, his face creased.

  “I was hoping I could convince you to come down with me and—”

  “She won’t be going anywhere with you.” Shane had about enough of this. He stepped between them, the smaller man taking a few steps out into the hall.

  “Hey—cool man, cool.” Detective Brown held up his hands.

  “Wait there.” Shane closed and bolted the door.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Lacey sighed.

  “This isn’t right.” He grasped Lacey by the arm and hauled her protesting from the door, keeping himself between her and the hall.

  “He’s a cop.” Lacey threw her hand toward the door.

  “I don’t think so,” Isaac said softly. He’d drawn his weapon and stood with his gaze on the doors.

  “The badge number is real, but that badge was a fake. Travis is flying out to dig into this.” Kyle still had the phone pressed to his face. “We’ve been blown. This location is not safe. Prep to move within the hour.”

  “What? How?” Lacey blinked up at Shane, her face slack from shock.

  “Whatever’s on that tape is worth killing for. Go get your shoes, we’re leaving.”

  Marcos waited for Pedro to shut the car door and pressed the gas. The little sedan shot forward, its engine whining in protest.

  “I thought they were going to shoot me, man. You could have warned me it was a bunch of commandos. Fuck.” Pedro tossed the hat in the back seat and removed the police shield from around his neck.