by Dale Mayer
She remembered the confab before she collapsed. Just because he was right didn’t make it an easy pill to swallow. Fatigue still pulled at her. She knew how much sleep she’d had. She certainly wouldn’t leave the room yet. But sometimes body functions had to come first. She wiggled down to the bottom of the bed and slipped off to the bathroom. She stared at her face in the mirror and shook her head. “God, you look like a witch.” Her skin was ashen, and huge bags drooped under her eyes.
She checked her watch and realized it was just midnight. She used the facilities and washed up, brushed her teeth, and then walked back into her bedroom. She went to her dresser, grabbed her nightie and returned to the bathroom. She changed and dumped her dirty clothes in the laundry basket.
Opening the door, she crept back to her bed and got in on the far side.
“How do you feel?”
“Better,” she said grudgingly as she realized he hadn’t been asleep at all.
“Good. Now go back to sleep.”
She didn’t plan on arguing, but something about being ordered around angered her. “I was planning on it,” she snapped.
“Sleep. Just sleep.”
She smiled at that. He really was only being protective of her. She shouldn’t have been such a bitch about it. She was exhausted. “Thank you,” she said as she drifted back toward sleep.
He chuckled. “You’re welcome. You’re adorable no matter what world you’re in.”
Her eyes flew open. She snuggled deeper into the blankets and grinned. She heard him walk to the bathroom himself. When he came out and turned off the light, he sat down on the bed beside her and stretched out on top.
“Now that I’m sure you won’t take off on me,” he said, “I hope you won’t begrudge me a few hours.”
Instantly she felt bad. To keep her in bed, he’d sat up on guard, and that meant he was lacking. “I’m sorry.”
He reached out an arm and wrapped it around her, tucked her blankets up against him and said, “I’m not. You’re a fighter, a warrior, even when pushed past your physical limits.”
She snorted. “I was a bad-tempered bitch.”
“That too. But I’ve seen worse.” He gave her a quick hug. “Back to sleep with you.”
“Your ex-girlfriends?” she snapped, and then froze when she realized what she’d said. But a low soft chuckle in her ear brought a flush to her neck and a smile to her face.
He whispered, “Sometimes. What is it about me that happens to like feisty, argumentative kittens? But as long as you’re okay to take on the role of girlfriend, that would make me very happy.”
With a smile on her face, her thoughts drifted over the conversation. Girlfriend? Maybe they had crossed a line somewhere along the way. They’d gone from friendship into something more. She could get behind that. She fell asleep again soon afterward.
She woke the second time, still wrapped in his arms, but facing him.
A thick shadow covered his chin, and he slept deeply at her side. She smiled and laid her head against his chest. It had been quite a run since Afghanistan. She’d never fallen this far, this fast, and this heavily into a relationship. But no doubt, that was where they were at. He was the most giving, caring, domineering, irritating, and yet steadfast male she’d ever met.
What a blessing he was. She marveled that he would actually be attracted to her. She couldn’t think of any time in the last few weeks since she’d met him that she’d been on her best behavior. It had just been one nightmare after another. Until last night. And he’d been right to do what he did. And if their situations were reversed, she hoped she’d have enough guts to do the same thing for him. But she suspected his training would kick in beforehand and show him when he needed downtime.
She had no idea what time it was. She didn’t want to move. She shifted ever-so-slightly so she could look out the window.
It was still dark. She smiled in relief. Too early to get up so she could enjoy a few moments alone with him. She snuggled in close. It had been years since she’d had a relationship with anybody where she’d let him stay overnight. She never even got close to being engaged. Her father had always been a driving force in her life. It was hard to find anybody who would match up. When he’d fallen ill, she’d been preoccupied with looking after him.
But everything was different with Devlin. He was a man’s man, yet protective and caring. She couldn’t resist. She stretched up and kissed his chin, grinning at the bristly feel under her lips.
Not only was he still fully dressed, but he didn’t have any covers on. She’d be freezing if that were her. Not to mention deadly uncomfortable. She shifted back and sat up. Maybe she could cover them both up.
As she tried to struggle free, his arm tightened, and he dragged her back against him. She let out a light laugh. “What? I’m not going anywhere.”
He snuggled closer and kissed the top of her head.
“I was covering you up. You’re lying here fully dressed but without any blankets.”
He chuckled, his warm breath drifting down her neck, sending shivers down her spine. “I’m fine. I’m warm.”
She chuckled too. “No, you’re not. You’re hot.”
He gave her a gentle squeeze.
She wasn’t sure if he was still tired, but all she could think about was that they had a solid hour. She’d get up soon though. She’d lost a lot of hours she could have been working last night, but it was hard to make herself move. What she really wanted was something they hadn’t yet gotten to.
“I can hear your mind buzzing. You sure you can’t sleep more?”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’m awake.”
He slowly let his hand drift down, coming to rest on her thigh. “If you’re sure …”
But he sounded regretful.
With that said, she shifted upward, flipped and draped herself across him. “I might have had enough sleep,” she whispered against his lips, “but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to leave the bed yet.”
His eyes popped open.
She was focused on the firm sculpted lips in front of her. She lowered her head and kissed him gently, then tasted, nipped, and nibbled her way from one side to the other and back again. He stretched, his hands moving up her back with slow, careful strokes.
A lazy, slow morning lovemaking session. God, she wanted that. The trouble was, she wasn’t sure she could do slow and lazy. Everything in her life was done at top speed. And right now, she wanted a whole lot more. She kissed him full on the lips, pouring on as much passion and heat as she could, her tongue sliding inside to find his waiting for her.
When she finally lifted her head to look down at him, she had to chuckle at the playful look in his eyes. “Good morning,” she whispered.
He slid his hands up to hold her head firm, and he tugged her back down and whispered, “Good morning. This is a wonderful way to wake up.” He reached up to gently brush the hair off her face. “My turn.” And he flipped them, lowering his head. His kiss was long, slow, and ever-so-sweet. Just as she went to pull back, he changed the tempo, unleashing a passion she’d only suspected might lurk beneath his exterior.
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, fiercely matching his passion with a fire of her own. God, she wanted this man, this moment, this release, and this comfort. Need clawed at her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, desperate to have him inside her.
But he wasn’t having any of it. He eased back some of the passion, dragging his lips off hers to slide across her cheek, down her neck, teasing, tasting, looking, nipping, and biting. She shivered and shuddered under his onslaught as emotions swept through her. Somehow her nightie ended up on the floor. When he lowered his head and latched onto her nipple, she cried out, her body arching in the bed. He loved the sensitive tip and then moved over to the other one. She shuddered beneath him. Her body trembling, beseeching for more. And that’s when she realized he was still fully dressed.
She grabbed his shirt collar and tugged.
He chuckled, sat up slightly and pulled his shirt over his head. Instantly she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, her tongue diving deep inside his mouth, tasting, exploring all. Her hands were frantic as they slipped across his skin, exploring his massive shoulders, muscled back, and chest. But she couldn’t reach any more of him. In frustration, she whimpered.
He wrapped her close and held her to his chest. “Easy, sweetheart, easy.”
She shuddered in his arms, her body already desperate for release. He laid her back down, stood and quickly took off the rest of his clothes.
She watched in awe of his big muscled body, a male in his prime, and hers. He was here, for her, and she wanted him like she’d never wanted anyone else. Instinctively she reached for his erection. But he grabbed her hands and pulled them away. “I can’t take any of that right now.”
Her gaze surged up to his, hearing the thickening of his voice as he stared at her. In wonder, she realized he was as close to the edge as she was. She spread her legs wide and opened her arms, inviting him in.
He dropped on top of her, his arms catching his weight, and then slowly lowered himself the rest of the way. She wrapped her arms around his torso, her legs around his hips.
He surged inside. And stilled.
She gasped, her body tight, hot, the shocking sense of fullness, and yet she was desperate to adjust.
In a thick voice, he whispered against her ear, “Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No. It’s just been a long time.”
He lifted his head to see the truth of her words in her eyes and then smiled and lowered his head to kiss her gently as his hands set about soothing her. Long caresses swept up and down her full length before coming back to cup her breasts, giving her time to adjust to his size and the sudden invasion, stoking the fires inside.
When he suckled at her breast, gently nipping the tip, she could feel her body warming, melting around him as her muscles eased to accept him. She tugged him up higher, latching her mouth onto his, sliding her hands down his hips to his cheeks.
“Enough teasing,” she finally whispered.
“We have time …”
She shifted, swung both legs high up on his hips, squeezed tight and dug her nails into his back. He lifted his head and gasped, his hips plunging deep.
She chuckled. “That’s more like it.”
His gaze promising retribution, he lowered his head and took her lips with a fierce passion she’d never experienced before. No longer were any pleasantries being exchanged. He dove deep and then again. His tongue and hips mimicked the same action, and she was plundered from top to bottom, held helpless in his embrace.
Her temperature soared as heat burned inside, threatening to consume her, them.
And still he wouldn’t relent. He drove them both harder, higher, and faster. When she came apart in his arms, he still didn’t stop. He rode her through it. Just when she figured she couldn’t tolerate any more, her body proved her wrong, and she exploded once again.
When he came, his body shuddering above her, she wrapped her arms around him and hung on. He collapsed to the side, wrapped himself around her and rolled over, pulling her onto his chest. She laid her head down, tears in her eyes, completely unable to speak.
When she could talk, she whispered, “What the hell was that…and how soon can I get more?”
*
He let out a bark of laughter, his body already showing interest at her words, and said, “I’ll need five minutes, sweetheart. Can you wait?”
She lifted her head and said, “If it means not moving anything, I can do that.” She leaned her head on his chest once more. She couldn’t actually believe her words. She kissed the tip of his chin. “However, considering the time of day, we should probably get up.”
He reached across her and pulled his cell phone off the night table. “It’s ten minutes to five.”
Regretfully she sat up and said, “I need a shower. So a repeat performance will have to wait.” She stood and walked toward the bathroom. He hopped up behind her, a grin on his face. She looked at him suspiciously. “Do you need one too?”
“Sweetheart, I need you and the shower. Thankfully, I’m a SEAL.”
She shook her head not understanding.
He winked. “We are trained to do all kinds of things in the water.” He lifted her in his arms, carrying her shrieking with laughter into the bathroom. He didn’t put her down until they were both standing underneath the warm water. And he proceeded to show her exactly what he meant.
By the time the demonstration was finished, both were leaning against the side walls of the tiled shower in exhaustion. “Please tell me that wasn’t part of your training.”
He chuckled. “No, that was not on our schedule.” He picked up a bar of soap. “Go again?”
Her gaze widened in disbelief. “I’m terrified to answer that question. But we don’t have time anyway,” she said regretfully. “We’ll pick up later.”
He bent down and kissed her hard on her lips. “Tonight then.”
She gave him a smile, taking the bar of soap from him. “And then it will be my turn.”
He grinned in delight. “That’s a date. Let’s get your hair washed and the rest of you cleaned up, dressed and down there before anybody knows we were playing hooky.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I highly suspect they already do.”
Considering he’d read the text that had come in last evening, he knew everybody was fully aware of where he’d been. He also knew they approved. Hopefully he could escape teasing from anybody making the connection to Mason’s Keepers.
And that was something he’d like to avoid. He’d been adamant about staying away from the whole romance side of Mason’s life. But no way could Devlin have seen this coming down the pipeline, nor could he have prepared or mounted a defense. This woman had gotten behind his guard like no other. And for the first time, he realized just what Mason and his merry Keepers’ unit meant when they said it all had been worth it.
And he really did know. And he’d do a whole lot to stay inside as a member now of that group. And that meant keeping her at his side. And how the hell would he do that?
But he knew it was even more important to be on guard over the next twenty-four hours.
If there would be another attempt against her life, it would happen fast.
Chapter 20
Feeling so much better after a good night’s sleep, and a whole lot more energized after her crazy lovemaking session, Bristol was on top of her game. It was a long day, but she was there at every corner, every step of the way. All fifty of the drones were done, had computer chips installed, command boxes set up, and were arranged as agreed. They were outside testing them at the moment. Thirty-two had passed. Two had problems—one was the chip set, and she had no idea why—and they were working on the other sixteen. With any luck they’d get this done.
The ones that passed inspection were being boxed up for shipment. She would take them all with her. She had a trailer, and the men were carefully loading them into the back right now. She couldn’t believe she’d gotten as far this fast. And she knew who to thank for that. Devlin. Tesla. But in actuality every one of the people who came here had pulled more than their fair share of weight to get the job done. It was a huge eye-opener into understanding how many hands made light of the work.
Tesla had been instrumental in getting some of the software issues fixed. Bristol still had no idea who had tried to hack her handsets or even her server database. But since Harrison had stepped in and blocked it, there had been no new attacks. She’d hire him to help her with alarms, lights, or something that went off in case anybody else tried. She couldn’t keep on top of everything by herself. And that was what this had really shown her. She needed to hire staff. And if she could make good on this contract, she’d have enough money to do so. Thank God.
The first meeting was tomorrow morning at nine. They’d pull out by seven-thirty to set up. With every
thing slowly working out, she threw herself into her own small project.
They still didn’t have confirmation of the second meeting at one o’clock tomorrow. But she hoped everything went as planned. Tesla had chosen that time in case they needed four hours in the morning meeting, which would be about right because every one of the fifty drones would be tested and demonstrated. Bristol hoped there were no problems. But she wanted a couple spares just in case. The second meeting had her tied up in knots. She knew Devlin was never more than four feet away from her. Always protective, always watching.
Given the tight time frame, another attack could easily happen before they got out of here. But she wasn’t so sure. By the end of the day she was exhausted and wired.
At dinnertime, she opened a bottle of champagne and said, “I can’t believe we actually did this—with all my thanks to everyone here forever. If any of you ever need anything, you just let me know.”
They had opened five bottles of champagne before they called it a night. She was still buoyed and wired. She took her laptop into her bedroom and sat down to keep working.
She just had a few tweaks to make. It was a very specialized drone, and it would have minimal applications.
With a cup of coffee beside her and her laptop in front of her, she continued to work away, making improvements. When a knock came at the door, she knew instinctively who it was. “Come on in, Devlin.”
He opened the door and slipped inside. “I guess I should be happy you didn’t call me by some other man’s name.”
She gave him a cheeky grin. “It’s what you deserve.”
“Ha,” he said. “I believe a promise was made that had something to do with a bar of soap this morning.”
She laughed and caught the hopefulness in his face and giggled some more. She glanced down at her work and considered if she should finish it now or later. She cast a sideways look at the man waiting for her and smiled.
