by Zoe York
No. He couldn’t go there. Wouldn’t ask her to wait for him. “Come on, let’s move this to the bed.”
She unfolded to a stand, then smoothed her hands over his abs as he bounced after her, humming appreciatively when his muscles clenched under her touch. Like he could control it. Ha. He was barely staving off an embarrassing explosion a few inches south, he wasn’t showing off his physique. As if finally sensing his urgency, she flicked her gaze up to his and licked her lips. “I was thinking of something else.” She wove her fingers through his and tugged them together toward the counter.
Bending Annie over, watching them together in the mirror…that would be an awesome fuck, no doubt about it. But he wanted more. Needed more, and so did she, even if he hadn’t given her any reason to trust he could deliver. “You want to keep me out of your bed, sugar?”
She froze, and his erection lost some of its vigor, but he wasn’t giving up. He crowded her against the counter, caging her in with his arms.
“I wasn’t thinking like that.” She licked her lips and tossed her hair, the gentle action making her breasts bounce in a perfectly distracting way.
“The hell you weren’t, and that’s my fault. I’ve said a lot of bullshit things about keeping us arm’s length, blah, blah, blah. But the truth is we can’t fight what’s between us. So denying it is a bit pointless.” He ducked his head and kissed the curve of her ear, working his way lower to the delicate skin on her neck. The urge to mark her there was overwhelming, and his cock once again rose to full attention.
“What’s between us?” she whispered.
“An unbreakable bond.” The words spilled out strong and true, and she melted against him. Her breasts rubbed against his chest, high and tight, and the soft, swaying skin undid him. He nudged her backward, tipping her against the mirror so he could capture one of her nipples in his mouth.
She keened his name as he sucked and swirled, and a savage pride ripped through his chest. He slid his hands down either side of her body, blindly seeking her hips, and when he found them he curved his palms around her ass and lifted her onto the cool stone counter. Her muscles twitched and flexed under his touch as he continued his worship of her breasts, back and forth, while sheathing himself. Only when he was ready to slide into her warmth did he pull his mouth back up to hers.
He’d never been a huge fan of kissing before, not during sex, but with Annie he wanted to be joined to her in every way possible as they finally coupled. Maybe he was greedy, but he couldn’t get enough of her taste or the way she eagerly gave back as he thrust into her again and again.
Her legs gripped around his waist, and he lost a bit of leverage. “Hang on, baby,” he whispered, cupping his hands around her back and bottom as he lifted her. “We’re going to do this right.”
Still buried deep inside her tight, wet sex, he carefully maneuvered back into the bedroom and navigated them to the bed. Instead of trying to lay down, he climbed on and knelt in the middle, sinking back to sit on his heels. Annie rose above him, riding his lap, and in the dim light he could make out a tremulous smile spreading across her face.
“Hi,” she whispered, lowering her forehead to press against his. Her hair fell like curtains around them, and in the darkness her breath against his mouth was heaven.
“Hi,” he rasped.
“I think it’s your turn to come.” She’d found her attitude again, and the cheekiness made him growl.
“It doesn’t have to be a turn thing, sugar. Ride me, and I’ll make sure we both get there.” He flexed inside her and she sucked in a breath before lifting up half his length and sliding back down again. “Ahhhh, yes. You’re such a good girl.”
“Mmmm.” She hummed in pleasure and did it again, then again, and on the fourth grind he bucked up to meet her, ratcheting up the tempo. The hitch in her breath told him that worked for her, so he slid a hand between them, finding her clit, because he wasn’t going to last long. Not with her tits bobbing in his face and her pussy clenching him like a custom-fit glove. Her voice ringing in his head like a clarion call.
His balls drew tighter against his body as Annie’s delicious little breathy sounds came faster and more desperate, as their bodies slammed together in carnal repetition, speeding them both toward blissful release. She came first, spasming around him, and with a roar he surged into her, toppling them both to the side.
One hand went automatically to his dick, grabbing the condom, and the other snagged her around the waist and hauled her into his side. He needed to get cleaned up, but a leg cramp and not seeing properly just yet were pretty damn good excuses to hold on to her a little while longer.
Being with Annie was right. The logistics were going to be complicated and would take time, but he couldn’t let her go. Couldn’t go back to the automaton routine he’d sleepwalked through for the last year.
He’d figure something out, and pray like hell that she still wanted him when he was finally free to be hers.
Chapter Eight
They slept fitfully, each reaching for the other multiple times through the night, and when dawn broke, Annie gave up trying. But she didn’t get out of bed, because she knew as soon as she did, it would be over.
Instead she lay there watching her sleeping giant, committing the hard planes and sculpted ridges of his body to memory. He’d seared his brand on her soul last night and she couldn’t imagine how she’d ever get over him. Wouldn’t try for a long time, hence trying to absorb every last detail of his magnificent body.
She traced a finger over an inked bird in flight on his rib cage and he stirred.
“Good morning,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
His eyes snapped open and he gave her a long, assessing look. “This isn’t the end of us, Annie.”
Why did he have to go there? She moved to roll away but he gently cuffed her wrist with one of his large hands, holding her palm to his side.
“You know what this tattoo is?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice.
“It’s a martin. I got it two weeks after Kevin died. He’d fucking hate it, call me a bunch of names for getting it, but he was the closest thing to family I’ve ever had.”
“Your parents?” She knew they were both gone, but with a sinking feeling in her gut, she realized she’d never known the details of that.
“Not a story for this morning, but let’s just say they were that in name only.”
Her heart broke for a child-version of this hulking man. Salty tears slid down her face, hooking off her nose and lips, and he reached out to push them away, but she grabbed his hand and pressed her mouth to his palm. “I’m so sorry. Here I’ve been feeling so sad for myself that my family is gone—”
“That’s the thing, sugar. I don’t feel that sadness about them. I can’t miss what I never had.”
Understanding dawned and she wrapped the sheet more securely around her body, all of a sudden far too naked for this conversation. “Easy breezy makes a lot of sense now.”
He nodded. “It did.”
She pasted on an understanding smile and shifted her gaze somewhere
“Did, past tense. Annie, you make me want things I’ve never considered before.”
“Like a second date?” Her nerves were pulled tight and totally raw, the joke was the only response she could muster.
He seemed to get that and laughed gently. “Something like that.” He pulled her in close, sliding one heavily muscled leg between hers. “Maybe some visiting back and forth between L.A. and San Diego.”
Could he hear her heart pounding in her chest? “Uhm, that sounds nice.” A nervous giggle escaped. “Really nice.”
He squeezed the back of her neck. “I’m still looking at a bit more time in, though, so I won’t ask more of you than that. Not because I don’t want to, but it wouldn’t be fair.”
Service. Deployment. Operations. Fear sliced through her giddy happiness. She couldn’t lose Drew, not when she’d just found him. She burrowed
into the safe haven of his arms and closed her eyes. “When do you leave on your next operation?”
“Probably five months from now, but the timing can change.” His hand wound up into her hair and he tugged her head back to look her in the eyes. “You remember the deal from Kevin, right? No news is good news?”
The lump in her throat was getting bigger by the second. “I shouldn’t expect to hear from you.” She nodded. “I remember.”
“And when I get back…there’s a period of adjustment. I won’t be a lot of fun to be around.”
“You’re really selling this, Castle.” She tried to push a playful tone back into her voice, failing miserably. She’d take him however she could get him. Broken, grumpy, tired. It didn’t matter.
He leaned in and laid a bruising kiss across her mouth. “I don’t have much to sell, sugar. But I’ve got you tattooed on my body. I didn’t know it was you when I did it, I thought I was marking a memory. It wasn’t about the past, though…it was my future. It was you.”
“This is crazy,” she whispered, snuggling into his neck.
“You liked crazy last night,” he rumbled, his voice all around her.
She pressed a kiss to his bare skin, blushing at the memory of Drew filling her, stretching her from the inside out, making her hot and achy all over again. “Do we have time to get a little crazy again before breakfast?”
“We’ll make time. I’m a Navy SEAL, sugar, we’re resourceful.”
Two orgasms and a shower later they made their way downstairs. On the dining room table they found a tray of orange juice, croissants, and fresh fruit. The smell of frying bacon wafted from the kitchen.
Annie didn’t think she was hungry, with her stomach twisted in knots at the possibility of talking to the man who was raising her brother’s child. Drew had given her a quick briefing from the night before while he washed her hair, which helped mollify her when she realized how much he’d kept secret while they were sorting out their relationship issues.
Relationship. The details of which were still up in the air, but there was no doubt that was what they’d tumbled into. And last night she hadn’t been in a headspace to think about anything, and there wasn’t any action to be had on the Harris front, not until Rik’s people in DC had made contact.
Which had left Drew free to…she blushed as another X-rated moment replayed itself in her mind.
“Thinking of something naughty, sugar?” Drew twisted his body in front of hers, blocking her from the room. His voice was low, for her ears only, and she nodded as she buried her face in his chest. “Good. Want coffee?”
“Mmm-hmmm.”
From the kitchen, Calli hollered that more food was up, so Annie left Drew pouring steaming coffee and warm milk into mugs and went to help carry trays of bacon, scrambled eggs, and fried tomatoes.
Rik and Mats joined them next, and finally Trent and Jackson silently entered the room from a hallway Annie hadn’t noticed the night before. Trent looked like he hadn’t slept—or shaved—since she’d seen him last. But he didn’t seem bothered by that at all, flashing her an unexpected smile.
“We’re all set for half past nine, Ms. Martin. Rik and Drew can take the call if you’d rather, but the senator has expressed an interest in talking with you.”
She slid a quick look in Drew’s direction, and her wave of anxiety was dissipated a bit by the comical sight of Drew tucking into a mountain of food. He paused for a moment and gave her a wink as if to say, got your back.
She thanked Trent and took the seat next to Drew. “Hungry?”
“I got distracted by a beautiful woman on my way to dinner last night,” he murmured. “And then she put me through my paces.”
She grinned. “Well, eat up. Maybe we’ll have time for another private training session before you leave.”
He finished chewing and put down his fork. “I’m sorry I said that yesterday. We came together, we’ll leave together.”
“I don’t want you to get in trouble at work.”
“I’ve got more than thirty-six hours before anyone will be expecting me. We’ve got some time to enjoy the beach.” He nudged her leg under the table. “And talk more.”
“Talk?”
“Yeah, you know. String words together, form sentences. Share information. Converse.” He grinned. “I’ll tell you about the time we locked Kevin out of the showers, buck naked.”
“Oh good lord. Deal. And I’ll tell you about him dressing up in my Mom’s hat and gloves for a tea party.”
He lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles and her heart just about exploded from happiness. This couldn’t be real, the other shoe would drop any second and she’d go back to being alone. As if he could read her thoughts, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Keep breathing, sugar.”
“You aren’t God’s gift to women, you know.” She mock scowled.
“Nope, just to you.” And with a self-satisfied smile, he dug back into his breakfast.
And that really was the truth. They were a gift to each other, and she wasn’t going to over-think it any further than that.
After breakfast, Trent led them down the hallway from where he appeared earlier, and Annie realized there was a heavy sliding panel fully recessed into the wall at the entrance. As they stepped into what looked like a NASA control room, she understood the need for secrecy.
She knew better than to say anything, but when Drew leaned in and asked Rik just how top-secret the bodyguarding business was these days, she couldn’t help but crane to hear the answer. Which of course didn’t come.
Instead, Rik chuckled and waved for Trent to begin. On one of the screens in front of them a black command prompt window opened up, and Trent typed, waited, then typed again. A few more windows flitted by, full of code, then after a minute Trent clicked on a shortcut to a program from his desktop.
“Skype?” All the heads in the room swiveled to look at Annie and she realized she’d asked the incredulous question out loud. In for a penny… “Seriously? We fled the country to a high-tech spy base, and we’re going to call him on Skype?”
Trent winked. “Sure thing. And the FBI or whoever is listening thinks we’re located in the Mediterranean. If they’re even looking anymore.”
“Anymore?”
Trent and Rik exchanged a quick look. “You don’t seem to be a person of interest to them any longer.”
“But I was.”
“Briefly, yes.” Trent winced. “Possibly because you ran from the police.”
Drew snorted. “And why were they looking for her in the first place?”
“Because, wise guy, the senator had identified her the night before as someone who might be at risk.”
Annie groaned. With all that had happened with Drew in the interim, she’d forgotten how embarrassing it was being the center of all of this drama.
“All’s well that ends well?” Drew gave her one of his patented eager kid faces, and she rolled her eyes.
“It’s a good thing you’re cute, Castle.”
Trent cleared his throat. “We good to place this call?”
“Yep, go ahead.” Annie ignored the looks of surprise from Rik and Drew. Yeah, she was in charge now. She didn’t love the feeling, but there were times when a girl needed to step up and push the boys out of the way, and this was one of those times. “Where’s our web cam?”
On the screen there was just a black box where the return video feed would display. Trent shook his head. “Let’s wait and see what happens at their end before turning it on. But it’s up there, at the top of the screen. Takes in most of the room.”
And everyone in it. Annie’s heart rate picked up. She glanced at Drew, who was already stepping into a dead spot in the corner.
The call connected, and the video feed flickered a few times before a comfortably handsome face filled the screen, his brows creased more than Annie remembered from media coverage. Rob Harris was in a richly appointed office, and he appeared to be alone.
“
Ms. Martin?”
“Yes. Nice to meet you, Senator Harris.” Her voice warbled and she clenched her hands into fists at her side.
“I’m sorry it’s not under different circumstances.” He paused and glanced at something beside his computer. “I’m sorry it wasn’t much sooner.”
Annie decided to dive right in. “I understand we have something of a connection?”
He nodded. “And I understand you received an awful phone call the other day. My wife had a similar message left for her as well, and then I received a follow up call yesterday.”
She couldn’t read his face and stepped closer to the screen, desperate for more. More clues. More straight up information. More connection.
On the screen, the father of her biological nephew rubbed his face and sighed. “I hoped to connect with you before…but that wasn’t to be. I think it’s time I tell you a bit about my son.”
She nodded. “I’d like that.”
“His name is Bobby, and he loves dragons and baseball. He’s more athletic than I ever was, which makes his grandfather happy, and he’s left-handed, unlike my wife and myself.” Annie could feel Drew react to that from across the room. Just like Kevin. “When he was six months old, he was small for his age and wasn’t gaining weight as well as he should. We ended up doing genetics testing for cystic fibrosis. It was at that point that I met your brother.”
Annie couldn’t help the gasp that slipped out. The overheard conversation between Kevin and the mysterious woman at the other end of the line now made sense.
“Something you need to understand, Ms. Martin, is that I love my wife very much. I always have, and I always will. But there was a period of time when we were new in Washington that I didn’t give her as much attention as I should. I was too focused on laying the foundation for a leadership run or some such nonsense, and I neglected our relationship. It was in that time period that she befriended your brother.” A wistful look crossed the senator’s face. “When she realized she was pregnant, she knew there was only one possible father. I spent a week in the ICU following an untreated strep infection in college that made it impossible for me to have children of my own.”
