Nori's Delta (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Delta Team Three Book 1)

by Lori Ryan

  “I’m going to need to speak with my brother before I can agree to this.”

  Eleanor had to admit the statement shocked her. She knew Farid was his right-hand man, but she honestly hadn’t thought Demir would defer to him in any way and the way he just said that made it sound as though his brother was going to be offering more than simply counsel on the decision. She kept her face blank as she nodded.

  It was possible Demir was using his brother as a delaying tactic. Why had he opened these talks if he was only going to delay her at every turn?

  “I can give you until this evening and then the offer is rescinded and our talks will be closed.” She paused making sure she had his full attention. “If I leave this country without an agreement, we won’t reopen negotiations. This is a one-shot deal for you and your people.”

  As Eleanor left the room she wondered if she should’ve already closed these talks and walked away. This had been off from the start and it didn’t seem to be getting any better as time went on.

  Chapter 21

  Eleanor felt the frustration of the day build to a boiling point. Luckily for her, Heath had finally put an end to it, whisking her out of the room where she’d been rehashing the day’s events with her team.

  She felt the relief wash over her when she and Heath entered what she now thought of as their room.

  She kicked off her shoes and turned to face him, but instead of finding him across the room at the door, she found he was standing inches away from her. Eleanor’s whole body tightened with awareness. When this man was near her, everything in her called out to close the distance between them, to come together like they used to years before.

  She wanted that again. Maybe it was the tension of the situation. Maybe it was just their past. Or maybe it was the fact she’d never met a man who did more to turn her on without even trying than this man.

  He met her eyes and she saw the heat in them. Heat and desire she felt powerless to fight against. Who was she kidding? She didn’t want to fight against this.

  His eyes ran over her body, heating her with nothing more than his look. “You’re so fucking sexy, Nori. It’s been all I can do to keep my hands off you from the minute I saw you again.”

  She blinked up at him. Was he really saying these things to her? She licked her lips and saw his eyes flare, focused on her mouth.

  His voice was husky with desire. “You okay with us taking advantage of the fact we’ll be together for another night before this is all over and we have to go back to our lives?”

  She wouldn’t say no to that. Couldn’t say no to that.

  She’d had a few boyfriends after him in college and she sometimes dated here and there, but truth be told, she worked too damned much. She didn’t take the time for a relationship or, frankly, even a one-night-stand.

  And she hadn’t realized until now how much she missed that. So, yes, she was definitely okay with this.

  “I want you so damned much I can taste you on my tongue, feel you in my hands. I fucking need to touch you, Nori, but I need you to know it can’t go anywhere,” he said. “I’m just not that guy. But we have these few days.”

  If even that. They would likely be leaving her in the next day or two. “It works for me if it works for you,” she said. “For whatever time we’re together for this mission and then we go back to our own lives.” She wasn’t surprised to find her voice was as husky as his had been.

  And he hadn’t even touched her yet.

  She was shaking when he reached his hands out to touch her, his hands barely fluttering over her skin as he skimmed her neck, then cradled her face. Her whole body went soft for him. She could feel herself getting wet with desire at the barest of touches from him.

  He leaned in and kissed the column of her neck, speaking softly against her skin. “It damned near killed me waiting for that meeting to be over so I could get you alone.”

  She tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “Yeah?” She challenged. “Show me.”

  Permission granted, he pulled the sling off his arm, wincing only slightly at the movement. She opened her mouth to object that maybe they shouldn’t do this with his arm still injured, but he was moving her back toward the bed.

  She sank onto it and lay back, spreading her legs to make room for him as he came down over her. Some part of her wanted this to be slow and easy but there was a bigger part of her that wanted his clothes off yesterday and him inside her two days before that.

  She wrapped her legs around his thighs and ground up into him, drawing a growl in response. Her hands found the waist band of his pants and tugged his shirt so she could get under his clothes to the smooth expanse of skin she knew she’d find there.

  He broke their kiss as he reached and tugged his shirt up and over his head. And Lord, she was in heaven.

  She ran her hands over taut muscles and tanned skin before trailing her fingers through the light smattering of hair on his chest.

  “I love the way your hands feel on me, Nori. Love you touching me like this. Nothing has ever felt like your touch. Not in all these years.”

  She wanted to whimper at his words. She wanted more with him. She knew she shouldn’t but her heart wanted it with an ache that was real and harsh and so damned hard to shove aside.

  But she did. Because if she could just put aside her foolish dreams for more with him, she’d at least have this with him. She would at least have this moment. She would have this to remember when she went home and she lost him again.

  He was pulling her shirt up and she broke away long enough to let him get it over her head.

  Then his mouth was on her breast and the heat of his touch through the lace of her bra was erotic and tantalizing. He moved to the other breast, this time, lifting it from the cup so he could get to her skin.

  Eleanor laughed which made Heath growl at her.

  “Sorry,” she panted. “It’s just that you would think we’d learned how to slow down now that we’re not teenagers.”

  “There’s no going slow where you’re concerned, Nori. Never has been.”

  Heath stood and had his pants and boxers off in seconds before tugging at her pants. She did little to help him. She couldn’t. She was struck dumb at the sight of him before her, completely nude.

  He had always been well muscled and all that as a teenager. But damn, he’d been nothing like this. This man before her had muscles in places she didn’t know a man could and his body bore the evidence of long hard days doing things most men couldn’t do.

  Tanned legs and muscular thighs went to a torso that could have been sculpted of stone. His shoulders were broad and looked like they could hold the weight of a thousand worlds with little effort. He was perfection.

  And there, hers for the taking, was an erection that proved that even though she’d aged and wasn’t exactly a gym rat, he was equally as aroused by her as she was by him.

  She reached for his erection, wrapping her hand tightly around the silken hardness. He was perfection.

  He caught her mouth in a kiss again and his hands found her, slipping into the waistband of her panties, going straight to where she needed him most.

  She felt him grin against her mouth. “So damned wet, Nori. You have no idea what that does to me to know you’re so ready for me.”

  He reached for his pants and pulled a condom from one of the pockets. As Eleanor watched him put it on, she didn’t allow herself to wonder how often he did this. She didn’t want to think about him with other women.

  She didn’t have room in her life for relationships and she had no real claim on him, but still she felt like she wanted to growl like he was always doing when she pictured him with any other woman.

  She took her own clothes off as quickly as she could and then lay back on the bed and watched him, her mouth watering as he came down on top of her and his shaft found her center. He held himself there, hovering at the entrance to tease and taunt in a way that was maddening. When he dipped his head to kiss her but still
didn’t enter her, she wriggled and thrust her hips up trying to get him to give her what she so desperately needed.

  God, she needed him with a desperation she never thought she’d feel with a man.

  He groaned and slid himself into her, an inch, two. So damned slowly, she whimpered.

  “Please, Heath,” she said on a gasping breath. “More.”

  “More?” He teased even as he pushed into her another two inches before pulling back out.

  “Heath.” This time it was more command than plea and he listened, driving into her with one smooth motion that sent her muscles tightening around him.

  She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling him close as he kissed her. She thrust her hips with every thrust of his own, wanting him deeper, harder, more.

  She wanted everything from this man.

  He bit her lower lip as one hand went to her nipple to pinch and she was done. She climaxed hard and seconds later, she felt him thicken and come inside her but he didn’t stop pumping into her as she cried out.

  He captured her cry with his mouth and slowed his strokes as her muscles continued to tense in orgasm.

  He collapsed on top of her in a heap. A heap she reveled in, the weight of him pressing down on her as she kept herself wrapped around him. She didn’t want this to end. Didn’t want to go to sleep because that would mean waking up to the reality of her doing a job that would put an end to this escape they’d found together.

  If she did her job well, this would end in a matter of days. And with the end of the trip, she would lose him. Again.

  Chapter 22

  Heath had been awake more than an hour just holding Eleanor. She stirred in his arms. Since it was only three in the morning, he knew he should let her sleep. He moved to pull back, to let her roll over and fall back to sleep, but she had other ideas, apparently.

  She ran a hand up his chest and began to kiss the tattoo over his right pec. It wasn’t anything that would identify him as military or special forces. That could lead to torture if he was ever captured or blow his cover when he went in someplace with a false identity.

  This was Kermit the frog. Kermit made him smile so it was what he’d put on his chest. Ms. Piggy was on his shoulder blade.

  Of course, at the moment with the way she was running her tongue over Kermit, it was doing a hell of a lot more than make him smile. His whole body hardened, going on alert and screaming for him to roll her under him and take her again and again until she screamed his name.

  “Damn, woman. You need to sleep.”

  “Do you want me to go to sleep?” she asked, all innocence and sunshine in her tone.

  “God, no.”

  She laughed at that and he ran his hands over her body. He’d always loved her body. She said she was too skinny and he guessed some guys might think that. But he wouldn’t change a thing about her. She was long and lithe, but still soft just where she should be. Soft enough for him to lose himself in the feel of her.

  And at the moment, she was melting into his touch and he was powerless to get up and walk away. To give her the rest he knew she needed.

  “Nori,” he rasped out.

  This time, he planned to love her slowly, thoroughly, wringing every ounce of pleasure from her before taking his own.

  He rolled on top of her, keeping his weight on his good arm as he worked his mouth down her body. He trailed his tongue over her collar bone before finding his way to one breast. It shouldn’t be so damned enticing when he ran his tongue over the peaked nipple, but it was.

  He let his teeth catch her soft skin gently and was rewarded with her moans and pants as he made his way south.

  “Heath,” she whispered wriggling beneath his touch.

  He slid a finger into her and covered her clitoris with his mouth. He was rock hard but he didn’t want satisfaction in that moment. He wanted to hear her come. Wanted to feel her body wracked with an orgasm as he worked her with his tongue. Wanted to know he was doing that to her, that she was coming just for him.

  Her hands gripped his shoulders and he added another finger, smiling when she rocked up into his hand, seeking release.

  He sucked hard on her clit and she came apart, writhing and crying his name.

  His reaction was so much more than physical. Yes he was ready for her, wanting to take her more than he’d ever wanted anything with another woman. But there was so much more than that. He felt the pleasure at making her orgasm deep in his chest. There was male pride, but there was also a tenderness he hadn’t expected, a desire to always give her all she craved and more.

  She pulled at him and he came up, reaching for one of the condoms he’d placed by the bed earlier. And then he was easing into her, sinking home to heaven.

  She cradled his face in her hands and he leaned in and kissed her. He was lost to her as he began to move within her. Lost to this woman who had somehow captured his heart and hadn’t let go.

  Neither of them spoke as he made love to her. Neither of them said any more. They didn’t need to. He saw in her eyes all she wanted to say and he opened himself to her, for once not trying to mask what he was thinking and feeling.

  They had no future but that didn’t change that what he felt right now was something damned close to love for this woman.

  No screw that. It was love for her. He knew that. He just couldn’t act on it.

  And as they climaxed together he stupidly thought that maybe, just maybe, he was seeing the same thing in her eyes. That maybe she felt more for him than she was willing to admit. And didn’t his stupid heart do a little belly flop right there in his chest at the thought.

  Chapter 23

  It bothered Heath a hell of a lot that they didn’t know who was leaking information yet. He’d been watching Merlin question Geoff for the last half hour. They were getting nowhere.

  Sharon’s story had checked out. Her brother was into some shit that could definitely get him the kind of cash his mother needed. But since he was just selling drugs back in the US, it wasn’t something their team would be involved with taking care of. And from what they found out, DC vice was already on to him and close to making an arrest of him and several other of the people around him.

  Merlin sent Geoff back to the group with Duff following along behind him to grab Marcus next. So far Marcus, Geoff, and Beth all looked squeaky clean as far as cash inflow went. And from what they could find out, none of them had any serious vices like gambling or drug use that might lead to someone being able to pressure them into spilling secrets.

  It was entirely possible whoever had leaked information was back in the office away from all of what was happening. So far they knew someone had leaked the information about Eleanor’s flight and that was how she was found at the airport. But everything else could be explained without the involvement of someone on the team. They had planted a tracker on her at the airport, which was how they found Heath and her at the safe house. The next attack had taken place when they were leaving Demir’s compound and it was entirely possible that truck had simply been lying in wait, watching for them to leave.

  Marcus entered with Duff, looking sufficiently nervous. Duff had that effect on people. He was built like a tank and didn’t talk much. It was funny how his silence made people want to blurt out all their secrets.

  “I don’t know what I can tell you guys,” Marcus offered before they even showed him to a seat.

  He looked around at them, his gaze darting from one to the next without holding on any of them.

  “Have a seat, Marcus,” Merlin said. “We just want to talk.”

  Heath didn’t want to talk. He wanted to tear through everyone involved until he could figure out who had put Eleanor in danger like this.

  Luckily for Marcus, Heath wasn’t in charge of this interrogation.

  Merlin sat across from Marcus, leaning one arm on the table next to him like they were just going to have a little chat. Merlin could go from good guy to bad guy in a heartbeat and had the ability to p
lay out either role depending on what they were looking for with the suspect.

  “We’re just talking to everybody in case you’ve seen or heard something you don’t realize might help. Sometimes that happens, you know? You overhear something but don’t realize that something is anything when it’s taken out of context.”

  “Oh, okay.” Marcus was nodding now, just like Merlin wanted him to. A nodding and agreeable interviewee was one you could get information out of.

  “So how about it, Marcus? Have you heard anything you thought was unusual in the last week? Or maybe somebody on your team or somebody back in the home office has been acting off? Maybe asking questions they shouldn’t be or hinting around about where you guys were going or what your assignment was?”

  The nodding switched to headshaking. “I haven’t seen or heard anything. Nothing like that,” Marcus said. “Everybody on the team has been freaked out by what’s been happening. Yeah, we’re in the foreign service and all, but our jobs don’t usually put us in this much danger. We’re usually behind a desk.”

  “Maybe you didn’t want to come on this assignment?” Merlin asked. “Maybe you let somebody know when Eleanor was going to get off that plane hoping that she might just be scared by what happened. Scared enough to go home instead of going through with the negotiations. Since you weren’t coming into the country until later, that little bit of information wouldn’t put you in any danger, but it would make sure you wouldn’t have to keep going with the assignment if she got scared off.”

  Marcus looked like he might be sick, but he was shaking his head. “I wouldn’t do that.” Now he looked to Heath. “I like Eleanor. I mean not like that. Not like you do. But I mean I like her. I respect her. I would never put her in danger.”

  He wanted to growl at even the mention of another man liking Eleanor despite the fact that Marcus was doing his best to deny that his feelings were anything similar to Heath’s feelings for her.