by Huie,Melissa
We walked into parking lot that was crowded with police, SWAT, and FBI. The locals had the buyers separated from the group, with Kate’s partner overseeing them. EMTs were everywhere, catering to the wounded, and the women high on God knew what. Carnage was everywhere, but I was detached. I couldn’t feel anymore. The numbness had taken over.
After I got checked out and bandaged up, we gave our reports to Commander Lewes and the Special Agent in Charge, and assisted with processing of evidence and suspects. We managed to save the women, but Sebastian and Elias got away. Again.
As the sun started to rise in the eastern sky, we were finally released, and it was about time. The team was dog-tired, and running on fumes. And the beast inside of me demanded to be released.
“I need you tonight,” I muttered, taking Kate by the hand. I despised feeling this way, and the only person who could make me feel sane again was her. We jumped into her rented Benz and shot off toward Zeke’s house.
I was on her the second she got out of the car. I yanked up that dress to her waist and dropped to my knees, feasting on her delicious pussy. The taste I had been craving was finally on my tongue. Thrusting my two fingers inside her, while flicking her clit with my tongue, her release flooded my mouth. My name was on her lips as she screamed, riding my face like I knew she could. Before she could come down from her high, I picked her up. Her legs wrapped around me, with her drenched core right against my painfully throbbing cock as I marched into the house.
Once the door was shut, I made my way down the hall to the guest room I had been staying in. I dropped her onto the bed with a bounce, and we both made quick work of my clothes. We were covered in sweat, grime, and blood, but that didn’t stop me from pushing her onto the bed and putting her legs on my shoulders. I slid inside of her, groaning her name as her pussy tightened like a vice around me. I rocked against her, my balls slapping against her skin as the pace became frantic. Her quickened pants and unintelligible moans were what I needed to keep going.
“God, Noah. Yes! Oh God, yes!” she screamed. Her pussy tightened, and with that, I exploded. The stars shone brightly behind the back of my eyelids as I pulsed inside of her. In my crazed state, I again failed to put on a condom, but by that point, I didn’t care. I would give anything to see her belly blossom with my baby. To know what she was mine, always.
“I love you, Kate. God, I love you so much,” I muttered, tracing my tongue down her jawline.
“I love you, too, Noah.”
Reluctantly, I pulled out and walked into the adjoining bathroom for a rag to clean her up.
“I guess we need to talk,” I said, after we cleaned up and got dressed. Luckily, she had a bag in her Benz that contained a spare set of clothes and sneakers. The dress I tore off her was now hanging in shreds.
“Noah, your wife just died. Our mission just combusted in heavy gunfire. Lives were saved tonight. Let’s process this before working out any drama between us. I love you. God, I love you. There is a whole lot to talk about, but right now, let’s not. Go be with your team. Go be with Sketch and your family,” she said gently.
“I’m going to make you a part of my family,” I murmured, cupping her face. Her freshly cleaned skin glistened with her tears.
“I’m going make sure you stick to that,” she said with a soft laugh.
I grabbed her by her neck and pulled her close, burying my head in her neck.
“Don’t forget about me, Princess.”
“Never.”
I crushed my lips to hers, tasting her one last time.
And then I let her go.
Epilogue
Kate
THREE WEEKS HAD passed by, since that crazy night in Vegas. Three weeks since I’d seen Noah. Three weeks since our last kiss. I missed him. God, I missed him so much.
I saw him at Jennie’s funeral, dressed in black, and carrying little Aubrey. She was too young to know what was going on, but the sadness overwhelmed her. We figured out how Jennie got to Vegas. A member of the Cruz Cartel had posed as an orderly at the hospital where Jennie was taken. He snuck her out the back door, and into a waiting ambulance that flew her out to Vegas. Was it in hopes that we would crash his party? No. Sebastian Cruz knew what we were up to the entire time, which meant that we could no longer trust anyone. It was time to go black. Everything we’d done up until that point, had had FBI approval. No more. My confidence and trust in the system was shattered. So shattered, that I turned in my badge and gun. I was no longer Agent Parker.
I’m Kate Parker, member of Tactical Redemption. My brother’s company went underground. It was what we needed to do in order to take down the Syndicate, and the Cartel. Would we succeed? I hoped so. But I knew, if not, we would die trying.
But right now? We needed to take a step back, revisit our ways and means, and look at things from a better picture. And refocus on the things that mattered.
Love.
Which was why, at one thirty in the morning, I was on route 214. I pulled into his tiny community next to the water. Tiny shells and rocks crunched under my feet, as I made my way to his backyard. And as I’d predicted, he was sitting on the back porch, the soulful sounds of Chris Stapleton playing softly in the background.
“I thought you might be up.”
“I haven’t been able to sleep without you,” he confessed.
“Me neither,” I whispered.
“Look,” he ran his hands through his hair, “you need to know, that I never thought my marriage would be an issue.”
“Wait, what the …?”
“No! Hear me out. We got married because she was pregnant and needed insurance. She was also a user, and in need of rehab. She told me I wasn’t the father, but she would be without insurance or help if I didn’t marry her, so I did. We got married in a quick ceremony, and I immediately put her in a residential home in Miami. Her family had no idea we got married until after the fact. She needed to get better, for Aubrey’s sake, and her own. When she left the center, before I got back, I had no clue where to find her. So I filed for an annulment. But, because I kept getting called away on missions and trips, I wasn’t able to follow through with it. And honestly, I met you, and everything with her fell by the wayside.”
“Until Aubrey.”
He nodded. “Until Aubrey. When they called me and told me she had the baby, I had this gut feeling. And damn if my feeling wasn’t right. She was mine. Always mine. “
I stepped closer, running my hands up his arms.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What would I have said, Kate? Oh, by the way, I’m married to a junkie who may or may not be carrying my kid, and it’s really a matter of guilt because I didn’t really love her?” He said dryly, taking a pull from his beer bottle.
“It sure as hell would have been better hearing it from you, than finding out the way I did.”
“Yeah, I know. And let me tell you, I wanted to tell you. Hell, Sketch was on my ass about telling you. But I couldn’t let you go again. Going without you next to me in Miami was hell for me. I needed you like I needed air to breathe.” He stood, and pulled me with him. “I need you with me. I need you all in.”
“But you have Aubrey. I haven’t even met her yet. Well, officially, anyway. What if I’m horrible at this?” I said nervously.
“I’ve seen the way you interact with baby Katie, and everyone else. You’re going to be fine. You’re a natural with kids. Tell me you’re in this with me, that you’re going to fight for us.”
“I think about Vegas, and how close I was to possibly losing you.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I can’t let you go again either. So yes, I’m in this. All the way. You’ve broke down my walls, Noah. Just don’t break my heart, too.”
His lips brushed against the sensitive part of my neck. “I know you weren’t looking for a relationship, but I promise, I’ll spend the rest of my life, making sure you know that you’re mine. And that starts tonight.”
He put his lips to m
ine, and as the soulful strands of Tennessee Whiskey faded into the night, I finally realized that when it came to matters of the heart, rules were always made to be broken.
The End
About the Author
Melissa grew up in Maryland by the Chesapeake Bay, where her favorite memories took place near the water. Now she lives near Washington, D.C. with her family and her two wonder-mutts. In between the chaos of laundry, chasing after her three children and trying not to burn dinner, Melissa continues to find her escape by feeding her addiction of reading and writing about love, suspense, and sarcasm.
Melissa loves to hear from readers! She can be contacted by:
Email – [email protected]
Website – www.melissahuie.com
Twitter – www.twitter.com/melissahuie
Facebook – www.facebook.com/melissadhuie
Goodreads – www.goodreads.com/melissa_huie
Acknowledgements
I’m keeping this short and sweet this time. I promise!!!
Brian – Thank you for everything. Taking the kids out of the house so I could get this done, to keeping the wine glass full, and making sure I ate. I love you.
My Family – Thank you for supporting me, for buying my books, and for keeping me on my toes.
My Publishing Crew — Emma, Dana, Cassy and Robin—Thank you for putting up with my bs and my antics. We kick ass together. Thanks for being on my side. I love you ladies so, so much.
To My Street Team – Jenny, Lizette, Candace, and the mistress of hookas herself, Traci – I love you ladies. I’m so honored that you guys decided to be my pimps. And you pimp with class!!! Thank you for everything. First round of drinks are on me.
Paulette & Jen – My boozy brunch bitches. I love you girls. Thank you for being my sounding board, my voice of reason, and the monthly excuse to go hang out at Grafton Street. Mimosas anyone?
The Amazing Photog – Shauna Kruse, Aurora O’Brien, and Zack Salaun – Thank you for the amazing cover. I’m so glad we finally got to show the world your killer photo!
To the crew I have in my corner – Harper K, Natacha, Emma, Dana, Cassy, William, Katheryn, Judi, Tyf, Brooke, Heather – and so many more — I love you all more than you know. Thank you.
To all the amazing blogs who have shared my teasers and my releases – Thank you for your hard work and taking a chance on me. <3
And to the ones who make all this worthwhile – My Readers. Thank you. Thank you for your support, your patience, your encouragement and love. I truly hope you love this book. Without you, there wouldn’t be a series.
