Sam stood for a moment, staring into Raleigh’s eyes, a warmth of love flooded over her. She wrapped her arms around his neck then lightly pecked him on the cheek. “You are too good to me, Raleigh. It means more than you will ever know.”
“Well, darlin’, we have a long day ahead of us. Eat up, and I’ll be back soon. Don’t move a muscle while I am gone.” He turned toward the shower, only taking his eyes off Sam for a moment when whoosh went the towel.
Sam had snatched it from his grasp at the most opportune moment. He was bare fleshed and standing in front of her, his cock flinching, almost begging her to have her way with him. She stood staring at him, first up, then down, her eyes locking on his cock, but she couldn’t help laughing.
He tried to get the towel back from her and then finally gave up, throwing his hands up in the air. “You win! That’s just not nice, darlin’. I might have to spank you tonight for that. Now, behave and go eat.”
Still laughing, Sam sat down and ate breakfast. It was good for hotel food—scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a Diet Coke with a side of coffee. Just as Sam was finishing the last piece of toast that lay on her plate, Raleigh returned from the shower. He was dressed, shaven, and smelled of musk and amber.
“Are you ready to go, Sammie?” he questioned, waiting for Samantha to answer.
“Aren’t you gonna eat something?” she asked as she stood up from the table, pecking him on the cheek.
“Naw, I’ll just grab some coffee, and we can get on the road. We gotta meet up at the detention center at ten o’clock, so we have thirty minutes to get through morning traffic to get there on time.”
Samantha grabbed her bag from the couch just behind Raleigh and threw it over her shoulder. When she reached behind him, she swatted his ass.
“I do love that ass of yours. One of these days, I am gonna lick you from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. And when I do, I am gonna spend some quality time licking and nibbling on that tight ass of yours.”
Raleigh laughed as he grabbed the door latch and walked out the door. “Come on, darlin’, we have a long day ahead of us. Let’s get goin’.” Raleigh held the door as Sam walked out and toward the exit. Raleigh followed close behind, finally catching up with her just in time to open her door, and she scooted into the seat. Raleigh got in and started it up, reaching his hand out to Sam hoping she would meet him halfway. As he settled in behind the steering wheel, his hand felt the touch of hers, and it sent shivers down his spine. She did know exactly what it took to get a rise out of him, and she wasn’t even trying.
***
Samantha
After pulling into the NCIS Headquarters and parking, Raleigh got out and quickly opened the door for Samantha, reaching his hand to hers to help her from the truck.
“You’re quite the gentleman, Mr. Fitzgerald,” she said with a smile as she stepped out, grabbing her bag and shuffling toward the door. The reporters and news trucks still buried the front entrance so Raleigh grabbed Sam’s hand and pushed his way through, dragging her closely behind. Reaching the door, Raleigh turned to check on Sam. “Are you okay?” he asked, buzzing the door and waiting for a guard to open it.
When the guard arrived, he opened the door then quickly shuttled the pair into an adjacent room right off the main entrance. “I will get Agent Harper, sir,” the young guard said as he walked from the room.
“All right, soldier, thank you,” Raleigh replied.
As the two waited for Agent Harper, Samantha sat down on the couch with Raleigh next to her, close enough that Samantha could smell the scent of his cologne. She loved the smell of him and the way it made her feel. He sat close enough that when he relaxed, his leg touched hers and sent waves of pleasure throughout her body.
It didn’t take much for her these days; he had awakened a sleeping giant. The nights they had spent together were still so very fresh in her mind, and she had gone over and over them, reliving each one. It was all still like a fantasy for her, but Raleigh was so very real and so very much the man of her dreams. As she sat next to him, she noticed he was rubbing his shoulder and wrenching in pain.
“Does it still hurt bad, Raleigh?” she asked, concerned.
“Yeah, a bit. Doc said it would for a few weeks. I am fine, though, I promise.”
“Can I do anything?”
“Naw, Sammie, I’ll be okay. Just no acrobatics in the bedroom for a few weeks. You think that would be okay, darlin’?” He grinned and winked at her. She couldn’t help but smile; he had a way of making her smile in the worst of circumstances.
“Yeah, I think I will survive.” She giggled back at him, adding, “There are many things you can do that don’t require a lot of acrobatics, just some fancy tongue work. I think you will be able to handle that.”
Raleigh replied with snorting amusement that made Samantha laugh loudly herself. When Agent Harper walked in, he joined in.
“Well, I see someone’s enjoying themselves,” Harper said, laughing. Then out of curiosity, he asked, “What is so funny?”
Samantha answered, “Oh, nothing, just an inside joke.”
“Okay then.” Agent Harper paused and motioned his hand toward the door. “Let’s get you into my office, and we can go over what we have so far. I know you have to get back to North Carolina, so we will make this quick. Please sit down.” Agent Harper pointed to two chairs that sat in his office.
“Let me pull up the coroner’s report and the evidence logs. It will just be a moment.” Harper sat behind his desk as Sam and Raleigh made themselves comfortable.
“There’s coffee right behind you if you partake.”
“Yeah, I will have some!” Raleigh moaned. “I’ve only had one cup this morning. I am way below my daily intake.”
“I can get it, Chief.” Sam moved to the table behind them and poured a cup. “Would you like a cup also, Agent Harper?” she inquired.
“No, thank you, Sergeant. I have my herbal tea. I am happy as a lark.”
Sam shot a look at Raleigh. She smirked then Raleigh mimicked her expression. It was a silent agreement of What the fuck? Tea? Really?
Handing Raleigh his coffee, Samantha sat and waited for Agent Harper to give the status of the investigation so far and inform them what help he needed. As they sat there, Raleigh leaned over to her and whispered, “I keep picturing you naked, bent over in front of me, your tits laying flat on that desk.”
Samantha leaned in closer and whispered back, “Baby, if you think you can handle the kinky side of me, bring it on!”
“You’re on!” he quickly murmured back.
They grinned at each other, silently saying Challenge accepted, then faced Agent Harper, who had been sitting at his desk observing their exchange but waited silently to start his briefing.
“Are we ready?” Agent Harper asked, his voice irritated, almost questioning their willingness to continue.
“Yeah, shoot!” Raleigh blurted. “Get on with it.” He looked back at Samantha and smiled.
Harper handed Raleigh a stack of papers and began to go through them one by one. His words seem to melt together as Sam sat and listened, but her mind kept drifting back to this morning and the conversation she had overheard between Raleigh and someone she guessed was a general. If he goes back to Fort Bragg, I will never see him, and that is unacceptable. I’m just starting to have feelings for him, and he is going to blow it by going back to the 9th Special Forces. Where would that leave me? Stuck in Chicago, I suppose.
She hated Chicago and everything it offered. Besides being cold, she had no family around, and now the one man she had finally felt like she could truly be honest with and give herself to was going to leave her. It made her heart ache. She started to tear up but choked it back before anyone could see. She didn’t like having to hide their relationship; she wanted to shout it to the world, but until they could get everything figured out, they couldn’t risk it.
The conversation seemed to go on forever. Sam sat in utter silence while
the men went over each piece of evidence one by one. She caught bits and pieces of the conversation, but most of it had nothing to do with her or the property losses at her unit, so she sat listening and waiting.
Her mind continued to drift off into her own daydreams. Their first night together seemed to play over and over in her mind—the night at the plantation, their night of pure passion and sexual need had turned into something more. The way their bodies melted together, it almost brought tears to her eyes as she remembered his hands running down her body and the way his cock felt as he entered her for the first time. A twinge of excitement started to develop between her thighs, and she could feel her wetness begin to build. Just the thought of him entering her again made her sigh.
The men paused and looked over at Samantha.
“What was that, Sergeant?” Raleigh inquired.
Their conversation halted when what Samantha had thought was an internal sigh was a loud and very sexual sigh that caught both of the men’s attention.
Samantha’s face blushed pink with embarrassment, but she quickly replied, “Nothing, Chief. Sorry to interrupt, just tired I guess. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Why don’t you go grab yourself a coffee and a donut down the hallway? I saw some in a break area.” Raleigh grinned and shot Samantha a quick wink then turned back to Harper. “Go ahead and continue.”
***
Raleigh
Harper went back to the evidence list and began again to recite its contents. As Raleigh sat and listened, the minutes seemed to stretch into an hour, then another hour. He watched Samantha make trips back and forth to the break area, the latrine, and outside the building for fresh air. He was starting to get frustrated at the lengthy yet thorough briefing he was getting.
“I don’t need to know all that, man. Just tell me if you found any documents that can give us insight into what they are planning next,” Raleigh snorted.
Harper shot Raleigh a look that was more fuck you than anything else. “Yes, we found some maps to forward operating bases in Afghanistan, as well as unit strength and names of UAV pilots in the area. We also found some blueprints of the Q-1C Gray Eagle UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or drone for short, and its payload specifications.”
Raleigh sighed. “What do you make of that?” he questioned.
Harper leaned back in his chair, a look of concern washed over his face. “I’m not exactly sure, but if I were you, I would get back to Bragg as soon as possible and finish that interview with your two suspects. They might be able to shed some light on all this. Until then, I will keep looking here.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Raleigh paused and looked behind him to find Sam had fallen asleep in the chair along the wall. Smiling, he said, almost whispering, “Sergeant O’Hara, wakey, wakey, eggs, and bacey. It’s time to get up.”
Agent Harper watched, trying not to laugh as Raleigh got up from his chair and stood over Sam, who was snoring, a soft snore but a snore all the same. Still nothing, so in typical Raleigh fashion, he shouted, “Sergeant O’Hara, are you ready to go?”
Samantha jerked and almost fell off her chair. Jumping to her feet, she shouted back, “Yes, Chief, I am ready.” Her eyes said a whole different story: She wanted to punch him in the jaw.
“I need you to call Military Airlift Command and schedule a flight out of here asap, Sergeant. We’re headed back to Fort Bragg.”
“Yes, Chief. Right away.” Samantha grabbed her cell and headed outside to get a better signal. Raleigh and Agent Harper exchanged business cards and said their goodbyes, then Raleigh headed to the door to catch up with Sam.
He and Samantha had to head back to North Carolina as fast as they could before the command moved their suspects to Guantanamo Bay to await trial. As he caught up with her, she was just completing the call to MAC. “I have everything set. We can fly out in three hours. That should give us enough time to go back to the hotel and grab our bags,” she said as she grabbed the door handle of his truck.
“I don’t think so, missy!” he called out as he caught the door. “That’s my job.” Holding the handle, he stretched his hand out to her. “Well, come on, darlin’. Get in,” he said, winking at her. “You aren’t mad I yelled, are ya?”
“Naw, just remember if you do it again, I get to punch you in the throat!” she said as she slid into the passenger seat.
“Deal!” he agreed as he shut the door then walked around to the driver’s side. “Let’s get outta here.”
Chapter 3
Samantha called ahead to the hotel and had the bags brought down from their room to the lobby. After loading them into the truck, they headed to the airport to catch their flight back to Bragg. It wasn’t quite one o’clock, so they would land at Bragg and still have enough time to interview Jared and Semeana.
“How long is the flight?” Samantha asked as she loaded her bag onto the plane.
“Only about two hours. We should have plenty of time to get some questions answered before they shut down the detention center for the night,” Raleigh replied as he found a comfortable spot toward the back of the plane. Motioning to Sam, he patted the seat next to him, grinning at her that sheepish I am up to something smile. “Why don’t you sit that pretty little ass right here next to me, so I can take advantage of you during the flight?”
Sam laughed as she sat next to him and strapped herself in, preparing for the flight to take off. Raleigh settled into his seat with his typical leaning back posture, covering his face with his hat, placing his hand on her leg then closing his eyes.
“I don’t know how you can sleep like that,” Sam blurted as she tried to get comfortable.
“It’s easy, darlin’. Just lean back and close your eyes,” he said as he patted her leg. “Now try and get some rest. I know you’re tired. You were snoring like a chainsaw cutting through a walnut tree in the meeting with Harper.”
“I was not,” she quickly snapped back.
“Oh yes, you were, and it was a cute little snore to boot.” He laughed as he weaved away from Samantha’s flying fist that still landed on his bicep.
“Ouch!” he teased. “That hurt.” He laughed as he rubbed his arm.
“You’re not hurt!” She smiled and leaned in to peck him quickly on the cheek.
As the engines began to whine and the plane got closer to taxiing the runway for takeoff, Raleigh grabbed headsets that hung behind them and handed Sam a pair. “Here,” he said, “put these on. They will help with the noise; it gets too loud back here without them.”
They soon felt the lift of the plane as it left the runway and they were in the air. It didn’t take too long after that before they were both out. After a couple of hours, they felt the jolt of the tires as they hit the runway, landing at Fort Bragg.
“Hey Sammie, we’re here. Get up, woman.” Raleigh laughed as he shook Samantha awake. “I’m surprised the landing didn’t wake you, girl. You can sleep through anything, I suppose, can’t you?”
Sam stirred and rubbed her eyes. “Pretty much,” she answered.
Raleigh grabbed the bags and slung them over his shoulder. “I’ve got the bags. Would you go down and see if our ride is here?”
Samantha started down the cargo door when she heard Raleigh yell, “You look as good going as you do coming. That’s a hard thing to do.” He smiled and waved her off.
“Great genes!” she yelled back, laughing as she turned toward the tarmac.
As she stepped off the plane, a young specialist walked toward her, waving then yelling, “Are you Sergeant O’Hara?”
“Yep, that’s what my name tag says,” she answered, smiling.
“Oh yes, you’re right, Sergeant. I apologize.” He stood straight, looking at her.
“No need to. I am just giving you a hard time. At ease, Specialist. You’re good. Where’s the truck?” she asked.
“Sergeant, it’s just on the other side of this building. The guards wouldn’t let me bring it in closer.”
&nb
sp; “It’s okay. Why don’t you go grab the bags from Chief? Then we can get on the road.”
The young soldier turned and ran toward the plane, stopping just in front of Raleigh and rendering a salute. “May I grab your bags, Chief?”
“Yeah, here ya go. Where’s the truck?” Raleigh asked.
“Chief, it’s parked just on the other side of that building right there.” He pointed at a machine shed that sat just near where the cargo plane had stopped. “The guards wouldn’t let me bring it up here. They said it was because of security.”
“It’s okay, Specialist. I promise this rank didn’t make my legs disappear, and it sure didn’t cause me to forget how to walk,” he said, laughing.
The young specialist grinned and looked up at Raleigh. “I suppose not, Chief. The truck is right this way.” He pointed toward the shed again. “If you and the sergeant will follow me, I will get you to the detention center as quickly as I can.”
Since the airport was just on the other side of Bragg, they didn’t have to travel far. As they pulled into the parking lot, news vehicles still sat scattered throughout the area. Reporters were standing in the middle of the road while their cameramen stood on the side out of traffic. Maneuvering the truck through the crowd and past the journalists was tricky, but they finally managed to find a spot to park.
“Well!” Raleigh said as he climbed out of the passenger seat. “This is a real cluster fuck if I ever saw one. Who’s in charge?”
As the specialist came around the back of the truck to grab the bags, he answered Raleigh’s question. “Chief, I couldn’t tell you who’s in charge of dealing with the reporters. I apologize. I was told to bring you here to meet Major Chambers. He is just inside; I will go get him. If you like, you can follow me in. I have a key card.”
Grabbing their bags, Sam and Raleigh followed the young soldier inside the detention center to a waiting area. The soldier addressed Raleigh as he was senior officer. “Chief, I will be right back with Major Chambers. Till then we have coffee on the table behind you, and down the hallway is a snack machine.”
Warranted Desires (A Warranted Series Book 2) Page 2
