by Laura Marie
* * * *
Elloisa prepared for bed and put on a pair of light-beige pajama pants and a black tank top. She was pulling the decorative pillows off the bed when she heard a knock on her door.
“Come in,” she stated, and Gustavo entered.
“Hey, this protective custody stuff is pretty good. I’m glad that your friend let you use the place…” Elloisa stopped talking and stared at Gustavo.
His face was once again like ice, which Elloisa knew meant something bad had happened.
“What is it?” she asked as she dropped the pillow on the rug and moved towards him.
Gustavo stood still in the doorway.
“There’s been a fire at the safe house where the agents are holding your family.”
“No! Oh, God, no!” she screamed and covered her mouth with her hands. Gustavo moved forward.
“Everyone is alive, Elloisa. They’re safe.”
“What happened?”
Gustavo began to explain, and with each detail, Elloisa became angrier and angrier then scared.
She lashed out at Gustavo.
“I want to leave! I want to see them. I have to see my mother!” she yelled as she tried to push past Gustavo.
He blocked her path. “No! You can’t leave.”
She started banging her hands against his chest. Gustavo grabbed her wrists.
“Please, Elloisa, calm down. You can’t leave here. You know you can’t. He wants to frighten you.”
“It’s working,” she cried as she pushed all her weight against Gustavo. Her head was against his chest, the tears were flowing, and Gustavo moved her towards the bed.
“Sit down, Elloisa. Calm down, please. I know you’re scared, but they’re alive,” he told her as he knelt down on the floor in front of her then pulled her to him.
He embraced her as she cried. Elloisa wrapped her arms around Gustavo’s neck and pulled her body against him.
Even kneeling, he was tall. She was lost in the comfort of his arms, his embrace. And she wasn’t sure how long Gustavo held her. Somehow the anger and upset slowly disintegrated, and she was beginning to settle down.
Elloisa let go of Gustavo’s neck.
They were staring into one another’s eyes, and Elloisa was frightened for a whole new reason as Gustavo cupped her chin in his hand.
Her cheeks were damp, and her heart was racing. She moistened her lips, and Gustavo just stared.
“You’ll be safe with me. I won’t let him get you,” Gustavo whispered and a tear rolled down her cheek.
Gustavo released her chin and wiped the tear away with his thumb then held Elloisa’s face with both hands.
“Don’t be afraid of me. Never be afraid of me, Elloisa.”
He cautiously inched closer then gently placed his lips over hers, kissing her softly.
Elloisa embraced the kiss and seemed to be lost in the moment and the sensations she felt.
* * * *
Gustavo pulled her closer, and Elloisa wrapped her arms around his neck.
He wanted to use his power, his strength, and his embrace to destroy her fear.
Gustavo slowly started to rise, but his lips never parted from Elloisa’s. He kissed her deeply while he moved her farther onto the bed.
His body lay halfway on top of hers, and all he did was hold her hair and her head in his hands while they volleyed for control with one another’s tongues.
Gustavo was breathing heavy, and he could feel Elloisa’s breasts against his chest.
She wasn’t wearing anything under the tank top, and he assumed the same went for under her pajama pants. The thought aroused him further. It had been so long for him. Way too long to be without a woman’s body.
He was hard against her. He wanted this woman, and he wondered if it was for all the right reasons. He thought of Armando and what he may have done to her. He didn’t want Elloisa to fear his touch or feel controlled. It had to be too soon for her. This had to be a mistake.
* * * *
Elloisa fell deeper under his spell. Her body craved more as she moved her hips against Gustavo’s. She had been attracted to him from the start, whether she wanted to face that fact or not. He was her hero. He signified every woman’s military man fantasy from his camouflage pants and military T’s to his combat boots, muscles, and extensive use of firearms. Her whole body throbbed with need and anticipation. As he released her lips, she tilted her head back to catch her breath.
Suddenly, he was pulling away. He stopped dead in his tracks.
She stared back at him. What was wrong? What just happened? Her mind answered.
Armando.
“I don’t think this is a good idea. I never should have kissed you like that. I’m sorry, Elloisa,” Gustavo said.
Elloisa touched her fingertips to her lips. Her mouth felt swollen, and she still lightly panted, trying to catch her breath. She knew that her eyes were filled with the same want and desire his showed. Yet, he stopped. Had he changed his mind?
She raised her chin and responded with her thick Spanish accent.
“!No se disculpe! I understand,” she whispered, and her voice cracked. She wanted to cry. Gustavo didn’t want her because of Armando.
She didn’t want him to see the hurt and the pain in her eyes, so she turned her face away and tried to get up.
She thought he didn’t want her because of Armando.
Gustavo held her shoulder down and she lay back down on the bed.
Again, he quickly took her face gently into his hands.
“I’m sorry, Elloisa. I don’t want you to be scared of…I don’t…want to frighten you.”
He was concerned for her feelings, her safety.
“I understand, Gustavo. I guess this is how it will always be.”
“No. You don’t understand. You’re not understanding what I’m trying to say. I could only imagine what he did to you. How he made you feel…I don’t want you to feel that way with me. I really want you to trust me, Elloisa, and I’m sure that’s going to take time. This may be too soon for you, and I have a job to do, and getting intimate may be a mistake. I don’t want you to regret anything between us.”
Elloisa was silent a moment and amazed at Gustavo. To think that she didn’t trust him or like him when they first met made her laugh inside. Then she wondered if maybe he just didn’t want to hurt her feelings or make her feel worse. The thoughts made her feel insecure.
“You don’t have to say anything more. Let’s just forget this.” She turned her face away from him, but he wouldn’t leave things this way. He moved his body against hers again, then gently turned her face to his, cuddling it between his forearms.
Gustavo’s lips were close to hers, and he looked deeply into her eyes.
“Eres una mujer increíble,” he whispered.
She shook her head in denial of his statement. How could he call her an incredible woman? Here she was weak and ready to cry her eyes out because this handsome man, her saving grace, her soldado was afraid to touch her more intimately.
She closed her eyes as Gustavo caressed her cheek and ran his thumb gently over her throat.
“Elloisa. look at me,” he whispered, and slowly she opened her eyes.
“I’m going to prove to you that everything I say is true. You are so beautiful, Elloisa. You have touched my heart and my soul, and no matter what ideas are flowing through that mind of yours right now, I want you to know I care about you and I want you.”
* * * *
He kissed her lips before she could respond, and this time he didn’t pull away. He held her close, kissed her deeply, and although his body wanted more, he vowed to take things slow. Never again would anyone hurt his Elloisa.
Their lips parted, and both Elloisa and Gustavo slowly opened their eyes.
They smiled softly.
Gustavo drew her body nearer to his as his arm held her around the waist and they moved to the top of the bed.
There, he held her in his arms, her head lay snu
g against his chest, and soon the soft sound of her gentle breathing indicated that she fell asleep.
* * * *
Gustavo awoke to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He felt the heaviness against his body and nearly jerked away from Elloisa. He hadn’t slept with a woman in years. Sure, he had his sexual flings to accommodate his needs, but he never slept with any of them. He was taken aback by the thought, but the sound of his phone halted all other thoughts.
“Hello?” he whispered.
“Sorry to wake you, Gus. I figured Elloisa would want to know any updated news right away. How is she doing?” John asked.
Gustavo adjusted his position on the bed. Elloisa snuggled closer to him, causing her breasts to press together, forming a deeper cleavage. Her facial expression appeared wary. She had been moaning and woke up afraid twice during the night.
“She’s a tough one, John.”
“I don’t doubt that. I heard from the hospital, and her mom is going to be just fine. The burns are treatable and will take some time to heal. They’re going to do some skin grafting, and of course, we have the best plastic surgeon, nurses, and other top staff caring for her.”
“And security?”
“Covered. I put your buddy Zach in charge.”
Gus smirked then cleared his throat.
“Good choice. Any other updates?”
“Well, I have some men tracking Ramos and three other men working for Sintorez. I’m told there is a lot of activity and discussion about coming to the States.”
“Can’t we eliminate them before that?”
“Too risky. We need Sintorez and Ramos to step foot here in the States to arrest them and bring them up on all the charges. The man is quite resourceful.”
“I’m sure.”
“Hey Gus, I’m working on securing a conference call between Elloisa and her family. I want to be sure the lines are safe, and only a few people know about what’s happening.”
“Don’t take any chances just because of your friendship with the family.”
“Look who’s talking. I’m assuming you and princesa Española are getting along.”
“She is not some Spanish princess. She’s the victim here, and I’m doing my job,” Gustavo replied quickly and with an attitude. Then he heard John’s chuckle. “Just as I thought. Be safe, friend.”
John hung up the phone.
Gus disconnected the call and leaned back against the headboard. He glanced down at Elloisa.
She was so young. A good eight years younger than him. Her life, her youth, was robbed from her. He absorbed the beauty of her bronze skin, her toned arms and abundant breasts. His body burned with desire. He shouldn’t feel this, shouldn’t want something they could never have. She needed time to acclimate to life with her family and finding herself and what she needed.
Sure, she was the sexiest damn woman he had laid eyes on in years and his body knew it, craved to have her, but…
He turned his body to face hers and gently caressed the small patch of skin between the waist of her pajama pants and her tank top. She felt soft. Her skin was smooth, and he couldn’t resist touching her. The feel of her hip bone, her shapely hips made him want to feel more of her. The thought of her naked to his touch, open to his desires caused further snugness in the crotch of his jeans.
Elloisa stirred in her sleep, and upon doing so, he inhaled the scent of her perfume, wafting through the air.
She moved her thigh closer to him, and he lifted his thigh to press her body closer to his own. She wedged her thigh between his two thighs, and her breasts were now directly in front of his face.
He smoothed the palm of his hand over her pants, pushing the material slowly down over her hip bone to her thigh. The sight of the small, feminine tattoo mesmerized him. It was no bigger than his thumb, a unique type of rose with only three small leaves attached to a tiny vine. It was feminine and downright sexy. He remembered when he first saw it. It was how he identified her back at the convent. He caressed it with his thumb, staring at it with a desire to place a kiss there.
“Mmm,” Elloisa moaned as Gustavo paused and looked up toward her smiling face as she cuddled closer to him. She appeared young and vulnerable, yet sophisticated. He held her gaze as he slid his hand up and over her rib cage then farther to her breast. He fondled and caressed the mound, delighted that there was no barrier other than the cotton tank top. There was such a contrast between his hard, calloused hands and her soft, delicate mound. His thumb gently rubbed over the pink, protruding flesh, and instantly it hardened.
She moaned softly, closing her eyes and pushing her torso against his erection.
Gustavo couldn’t believe how out of breath he was just from touching her and caressing her body. His manhood throbbed beneath his pants, his stomach quivered with need to taste and feel her.
He scooted down a few inches as he pushed her tank top up. She lifted her arms, raising them above her head to assist him.
He half covered her body with his own, holding her arms and the material at her delicate wrists. She lay on her back, submissive to his wants and desires, her gorgeous mocha eyes locked with his.
“I want you, Elloisa.” He tried his hardest to control his breathing as he rocked softly against her.
“I want you too,” she whispered, and that was all he needed. Her verbal consent sent him into seduction mode. He was going to show her what love-making was all about.
He began by placing soft kisses on her breast, absorbing the soft texture and delicate feel against his lips. He brushed his tongue across her skin, tasting rose petal water or some light, tantalizing perfume she wore.
He released his one hand and held both her wrists with the other.
He traced the skin just below her breast and above her rib cage before cupping it with the palm of his hand. Gustavo ravished her chest, pulling, nibbling, and tasting every inch of her right breast before licking the valley between and moving onto her left breast.
Elloisa wiggled beneath him.
“Please, Gus…please…” she begged.
He sat up, straddling her hips and holding her arms still above her head. The thought that she might find the position scary had his mind racing. He would never hurt her, and especially not in bed.
Slowly, so she wouldn’t notice his line of thought, he glided his hands down her body from her wrists, over the underside of her forearms to her breasts.
When she remained still with her arms above her head and in the same position without restraint, he swallowed hard, trying to hide his relief. Then he looked her over. She tilted her hips towards him causing her breasts to push higher.
“You look like an exotic feast, spread out before me to taste and nibble on,” he whispered as he pressed his groin against her mound.
Elloisa moaned and closed her eyes again as if fantasizing about his touch.
He began his seduction by taking her left arm and bringing her small wrist to his lips. He kissed the delicate skin then trailed more kisses over her arm to the small space where her arm bent. He licked her skin, and she giggled then shivered beneath his body. A peek toward his right and he noticed her hardened nipples. The need for more and to taste every inch of her became almost unbearable. Gustavo moved farther, reaching her shoulder then her collarbone before his mouth collided with her breast.
He kissed, sucked, and nibbled on it thoroughly before placing her left arm back above her head and moving on to her right. He did the same thing as Elloisa moaned and shivered beneath him.
Gustavo equally ravished her right breast before moving to her lips then trailing across her chin to her neck. He moved lower, letting his lips trail kisses along the valley between her breasts before stopping to fully manipulate each mound. He felt her fingertips against his shoulders, his cheeks, and then his head as he explored her with his mouth. He could explore her breast for hours, he was certain of that.
She wiggled and slowly thrust against him as he used his hands, his fingers to caress he
r hip bones. Gustavo followed a pathway to her belly where he kissed her some more and she hugged his head to her flesh. They both panted for control until suddenly he raised his eyes up to look at her. He saw her desire and he knew she felt exactly what he was feeling. It became a frantic challenge to see who could remove the other’s clothing faster.
What seemed like seconds had passed, and Gustavo kissed his way lower and lower, preparing Elloisa for what was to come. His hands were splayed across her toned, tan thighs as he gently spread her while he kissed her delicate skin. Her scent consumed him, and he wanted her now.
* * * *
Elloisa held Gustavo’s shoulders as he manipulated her body, causing quivers and tiny eruptions of sexual relief to release. His solid hands against her thighs and the way he used his lips and tongue to taste her and stimulate her body made her insides burn with desire.
Then he shifted to the left, leaned off the bed to grab something. She was so caught up in desire and anticipation she couldn’t even open her eyes to see what it was.
When she heard the wrapper rip then him shift above her, she smiled. Gustavo was even protecting her now during this most intimate moment.
He leaned forward and kissed her lips, drawing her eyes open to lock with his.
“Mi hermosa Elloisa, tú eres mi princesa española.”
She smiled as he pulled her close and made love to her for the very first time.
Chapter 14
Jack was working with the team to identify and create link analysis based on surveillance, undercover agent information, arrests, and other sources.
“Hey, Jack, we just got word from team three. The campsite we exposed upstate contained a hidden meth lab. Add Monroe to that list of independent investors. The whole campsite and property is owned by him and his company Davenport,” Salvatore stated as he flipped open his cell phone and made another call.
“How big was that meth lab?” another agent asked.
“I’m still getting the details, but it looks big. The agents said they were rather shocked at the supply and equipment. You know, Jack, that guy Monroe is connected to Enrique Avalar. I think he has that cousin Martha who owns that restaurant called Chichi Cuisine on the upper west side,” Salvatore replied.
