by J. M. Madden
Raine had been the most fascinating part of this entire operation. He knew she was a fantastic nurse, but more than that he’d been granted insights into her personality that he probably would never have gotten otherwise. A trial by fire, in a way. Noah had the dangerous realization that she was literally everything he could ask for in a woman. Strong, intelligent. He knew people saw him as intimidating, but he had a sense of humor, and she cracked him up more than anyone he’d ever met. There was a strength to her though, that he’d never expected to see in a woman. He thought of all the women he’d dated and fucked. None of them would have picked up a gun and killed a man, a bullet between his eyes, to protect him. None of them could have. The fact that Raine had done it for him, without hesitation, to ensure his safety, rocked him.
Many years ago, when he’d been talking to his Noni about his mother and father and their fucked up relationship, she’d given him a smile. “You won’t understand until you fall in love,” she’d said, her voice raspy.
How fucked up was it that he gauged her love by her killing a man for him?
Noah turned his head enough to breathe in her hair again, wishing that she would look up at him and smile. He knew she was tired though. She’d been running all day and experiencing things she never had before. Even treating patients in the field like this was new, he was sure. She didn’t normally treat gunshot wounds. He would cut her some slack and let her rest. Closing his eyes, he tried to do the same.
Raine slept like a rock and didn’t move for hours. When she did, her body ached from not moving for so long. There was a giant heat source she was stuck to, and it took her a split second to realize she was in bed with Noah. She blinked, lifting her head. Then her attention caught on something that woke her up completely. There was a tent of sheets on his lower body. Even hurt, Noah was sporting a truly significant morning erection.
Grinning, Raine glanced up to see if she’d woken him. Not yet. Very carefully she eased out of bed and tiptoed to the bathroom. When she was done, she stood at the doorway, her mind and libido racing. She wanted to crawl into bed and take care of that morning wood, but she didn’t want to hurt him. And just because his body reacted didn’t mean he was reacting to her. Maybe he was dreaming of someone else.
She frowned, not liking the idea. Noah needed to be hers. He was hers.
“Why don’t you come back to bed?”
Her gaze jerked to his face, though she couldn’t see much in the dim light. His voice had gone even deeper than normal, a sexy rasp. Raine hadn’t even noticed him watching her. She shivered in the chill of the air, her nipples rock hard at the thought of cuddling up next to him again. Walking to the bed she crawled to him, and when she would have lifted the covers over herself, he stopped her. Instead he pulled her close, then nodded for her to lift a knee over his hips.
Raine’s breath caught in her throat and her body immediately went loose. The thought of straddling that erection… very carefully, she placed her weight over Noah’s hips and settled down. Ohmygodhalleluja… that hardness fit into her slit like they had been built for each other. Even through the layers of bunched sheet, her sleep pants and panties, he was big enough and hard enough that there was plenty of pressure exactly where it needed to be. Blinking down at him, she shook her head, trying to hold completely still. “This is very dangerous,” she mouthed.
Noah smirked. “After yesterday you think this is dangerous?”
She sobered a little. “This is very dangerous to my heart, Noah Cross. I’m not going to want to let you go if we do this.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to let me go,” he murmured, and she blinked again, rocked by the admission. Had he been feeling the same way she had? Intrigued and enticed, needy. Without consciously thinking about it she shifted a tiny bit. They both gasped. Noah’s hands went to her hips and he arched up into her. Raine cried out, her body opening to him.
“Take your t-shirt off. I need to see those breasts you keep teasing me with.”
Raine didn’t even hesitate. She ripped the shirt over her head and tossed it aside, then cupped her breasts. They were very nice if she did say so herself, and Noah seemed to agree. He pushed her hands out of the way with his own, testing the weight. His thumbs brushed over her nipples and she shivered. Tilting her head, she looked at his dark hands on her very pale flesh, and it was a sight she would remember forever.
“You are more beautiful than I even dreamed,” he whispered, running his hands down her sides to cup her hips again, grinding up into her. Raine wanted to rip her sleep pants and panties off, because she knew where this was going. It was exactly where she wanted to go. He stopped her when she started to move, though.
“We’re going to have to make do here, Raine, because I didn’t pack with loving you in mind.”
Oh. Crap on a cracker. She didn’t have a condom either. “This wasn’t in my plans, either,” she grinned. “Can I take my pants off at least?”
He let her go and she shifted to the edge of the bed, then shucked her sleep pants off. Within seconds she was back, her long thigh settling over his sheet wrapped hips much easier now.
Noah grinned at her, running a broad finger behind the top elastic. “I was hoping for emojis.”
Laughing, Raine shook her head. “Nope. You get navy blue stripes today, buddy.”
“I’ll take it,” he sighed, pulling her hips along the length of his shaft.
Raine cried out. Even with the three layers still between them—sheet and both pairs of underwear—he felt incredibly good against her body. He shifted her back and pulled again, sending her into a shiver. Raine lowered herself over top of him, finding his mouth, needing to feel even more connected.
“I’m not hurting you, am I,” she breathed, lifting her head for just a second.
“I can’t feel anything other than your pussy on me right now.”
Raine gasped and sank into his mouth, loving his dirty words. She ground herself against him, feeling how wet she was. “Oh, Noah,” she gasped, her back arching. She felt him move and one of his hands slipped between their bodies, cupping her mons pubis in his broad palm, his middle finger riding her clit.
“You are soaked,” he breathed. “I need more of you, Raine. Take these off.”
“Are you sure,” she asked, looking down at his face and making sure he read her question.
Noah nodded. “I swear to you we’ll play, but my dick will stay exactly where it is right now. I need to feel you come, even if it’s just on my fingers.”
Her pussy quivered at his words and Raine wondered if it was possible to be talked into an orgasm. Pushing up, she moved only enough to strip off her panties and toss them aside. Then she moved back to him. Light was beginning to build outside the curtains and she could see the flash of both golden eyes as she straddled him again. Looked like the swelling had gone down from his left one.
Then he did something with his hand beneath the sheet and pulled her closer. Oh, no… she had a feeling only the sheet separated them now because he had gotten even harder. She looked down and could see the incredible shape of him, as well as the veins tracing his length.
For a moment, she thought about telling him to get rid of the sheet altogether, but she stopped herself. That was highly irresponsible, and that wasn’t the type of people they were. No, they would play, carefully.
Then his finger was gliding into her slit and she lost all reason. Eyes fluttering closed, she let him explore, moving against his touch as he found a rhythm she liked. When he pressed himself up, into her body, she slid along his sheet-covered length. The tightly-woven fabric gave her just enough texture. Then she found the rim of his cock at the end of her glide. Noah gripped her hips and ran her over that rim again and again, and it was exactly what she needed. With a quivering cry, she orgasmed against him, her back arching and her head falling back. Then she heard him groan and she forced her head up. She wanted to see him come.
His face fierce, Noah gritted his teeth and braced his
hands on her hips. His abdomen was cobbled with muscle and he went completely still, his hips moving just a tiny bit against her own body, as if her quivering, shuddering release was bringing him. He panted and jerked, over and over again, and Raine wished desperately that there was no sheet.
When he blinked up at her, she grinned at him. “Best almost-sex ever,” she said clearly.
Noah chuckled and pulled her down for a kiss. “Fuck, yes,” he breathed. “I need to make a stop on the way home.”
A fresh thrill ran through her at the implication and she nodded firmly against him so that he could feel.
Raine hated when they finally pulled away, but she knew they probably needed to get a move on. With a final kiss to his lips, she pushed off the bed. Noah watched her go, a light in his eyes that she hadn’t seen there before. Then he peered down his body and grimaced. Fisting himself through the sheet he swiped clean and bundled it up. “We need to leave a really big tip for housekeeping.”
Raine giggled, loving that he could joke around. The laughter died in her throat, though, as he stepped out of bed and she caught sight of him for the first time. Holy catfish, no wonder he’d felt so good even through the sheet. Blushing, she turned away, looking for her clothes, but the image of him in her mind had her body going loose again. They could not get home fast enough.
Noah grinned as Raine spun away, snatching her clothes from the floor. How could she be so sexy and so shy at the same time? She had just ridden him to an amazing climax. Just the thought of it was enough to harden him up again. He needed to get dressed, he thought with a sigh. There was business to be done.
Half an hour later they were eating a breakfast she’d ordered from room service.
“No change?” she mouthed, pointing at her ears.
“Not as much pain as there was before. Balance seems to be better.”
She nodded. “Your eye is healing well.”
He widened both eyes, sending an ache through the left. Yes, it was definitely better. “Ribs are still tender.”
“I thought so,” she said, then blushed again.
Noah laughed. “Raine, are you a virgin?”
She shook her head. “No, I told you I wasn’t. Something about you just…flusters me.”
He grinned at her admission. “Good. I love that I can do that to you,” he said softly, pulling her close for a kiss. Raine sank into him, her hands coming up to cup his cheeks. She ran a thumb over the bristles of his thickening beard. Abruptly, she pulled back and looked at the table, then reached for his phone. She handed it to him and he saw he had more than a dozen messages. Time to get back to work.
When they got back to the CIA safehouse, Noah wasn’t sure what he expected to find, but it definitely wasn’t Wulfe and Elizabeth. The doctor stepped forward and looked over his injuries, but she kept turning her face away so he only caught part of what she was saying.
Wulfe stepped forward and shook his hand. “You had a bit of excitement,” Wulfe said, and even without his hearing Noah could see that Wulfe was a little jealous about missing out.
“I heard you got to drop in on the general,” Noah said, and Wulfe grinned.
“Yeah. That was interesting.”
Elizabeth and Raine hugged and walked toward the living room window.
Rose stood behind Poole as he typed into the computer. Nothing had changed there. Noah was surprised to see General Holtman and Deputy Director Green still present, though they looked like they’d worked through the night. Both men had that bleary-eyed, staying-till-it’s-fucking-finished look. Several coffee cups and takeout bags littered the surface of the table.
Holtman looked up at him, then stood to shake his hand. “How are the ears, young man?”
“Completely blown, sir,” he answered honestly, “but I think I’ll be okay.”
Holtman grimaced. “We appreciate what you did last night. I’ve watched the tapes and I think you secured our advantage.”
Noah grimaced. “I don’t think so, sir. Delta would have done fine without me.”
“Maybe,” the general said, but his face didn’t appear to agree.
“I thought you all would be gone by now,” he said, and Holtman grinned.
“Oh, no. We’ve been hammering out the details for Joint Task Force Omega. Best time to do it while it’s fresh in our brains.”
Yeah, he supposed so. That must be why Wulfe and Elizabeth were here as well. Haven sat at the table, too, and Noah gave him a smile. “You doing okay, buddy?”
Haven nodded, frowning as he looked at Noah. “Better than I’ve been in a long time,” he said.
Yeah, Noah could get that, and it was probably a shock to his system. “If you need anything, Haven, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
The other man nodded and looked down at the yellow pad in front of him.
Noah wasn’t sure they were needed here, so he caught Raine’s eye. She nodded slightly and hugged Elizabeth again. “I’ll take care,” she saw her tell her boss. “Promise.”
Skirting the cluttered dining room table, she went to Haven. The man stood up and took her hug, gratefully. He didn’t appear to want to let her go. Raine was murmuring something to him because he was nodding as he held her, and Noah wondered what Haven’s next step would be. He didn’t think Wulfe and Elizabeth would kick him out of the building. Why didn’t they all move into the building? He looked at Elizabeth. “What are you doing with those empty floors?”
He winced a little, realizing his voice might have come out too loudly when Elizabeth jerked her head to him. “Sorry,” he murmured. “I’m just wondering if you have space to spare for the guys in transition?”
She nodded, her eyes going wide. “Of course! I would never turn them out. Oh!” she turned to look at Haven. “You know you will always have a place with us. Literally, you can stay with us as long as you want.”
Haven’s expression eased and he gave her a lopsided smile. Elizabeth crossed to him. “Besides,” she said. “You’re still too skinny!”
They all laughed, though it was painfully true. “We’re going back now,” Noah told him, “if you want to go with us.”
Haven nodded. “I would appreciate that.”
They gathered up their things and left the people in charge to hammer out the details of what happened next.
Noah guided the truck through the late morning traffic, aware of the silence. Though he was in the busiest city in the country, it was completely without sound. The ringing from yesterday was gone, but now there was just a complete absence of any kind of sound. Maybe that meant he was healing.
Raine and Haven talked for a while, then eventually she rested her head on his shoulder and took a nap. When she woke, she didn’t lift her head, just began running her hand up and down his thigh. Haven was in the back seat and Noah didn’t think he could see anything, but he made sure to keep his breathing steady. Raine’s hand ran up the inside seam of his black BDUs, then swirled to her side and down. Noah had been hard merely from her breathing on his neck, and now she was damn near touching him.
It was a struggle to watch traffic and fantasize at the same time, and if they didn’t have a third wheel he’d think about running to a drug store, then renting a hotel room for an hour.
Who the hell was he kidding? They were going to need DAYS before he’d worked his edge off.
When she brushed her hand over his zipper he almost told Haven he needed to walk. She was going to pay for this.
It was the best drive he could remember in a long time.
Chapter 14
When they got back to the Elton Recovery Building, Noah gave her a speaking glance. “I’m going to drop you guys off here. I need to run to the store real quick.”
Haven looked a little confused, but he climbed out after Raine did. She glanced back with a crooked smile. “Big box,” she mouthed, making the shape with her hands and giving him a wink.
Noah laughed out loud, loving everything about her in that moment. As she slammed
the door shut he nodded, and pulled away. It was only as he was walking through the store that he hoped no one asked him anything. Luckily, the self-checkout was open. He scanned the multi-pack box of rubbers, dropped it in a bag and paid, all without talking to a soul.
Arriving back at the building he pulled into the underground parking, then stashed the Walgreens bag in his go-bag. When he got onto the elevator and rode it up to the seventh floor, he didn’t have any of the vertigo he'd had in New York. The swelling was still easing from his eye and even his ribs were feeling better. Maybe movement was the path to recovery, he thought with a grin.
Keying in the code on the panel, he entered his apartment. It was a bit of a mind-fuck because with the door closed his apartment would be completely quiet. Now, it was more than just quiet. It was silent.
No way to change it right now. Moving on.
Noah hopped into the shower, scrubbing with his favorite soap. Then, leaning into the little mirror on the glass shower wall he cleaned up his short beard. At some point he needed to make time to get his fade redone. And he hadn’t been in the gym for three days.
Dressing in a pair of decent black jeans and a blue button-up shirt, he stuffed his feet into regular loafers, grabbing the Walgreens bag on the way out the door. Raine lived two apartments down from his and he started in that direction. His heart was thumping and he realized he was a little nervous, not that he was going to have sex, but that he was going to make love with Raine.
Ahead of him her apartment door opened, and she stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind her. It had only been a little while, but she’d changed into a long khaki green tunic over black leggings. She also wore black, heeled boots that made her legs seem really long. Noah approved. Her thick hair had been scraped back into a low ponytail.
