by Elle James
Soon, he was pumping in and out of her, fast, hard and deep.
When she thought she might come apart, Layla burst over the edge, threw back her head and called out his name. “Greg!”
Bull rode her one last time, driving deep and true. He remained there, his cock pulsing inside her, his body tense above hers.
Together, they soared to the stars.
When they came back to their senses, Bull dropped down on top of her and rolled them both to their sides, maintaining their connection. He kissed her gently and cupped her cheek.
“So much for a nap,” she sighed and snuggled against him. “I think we have enough time for thirty minutes. Although our mattress gymnastics was invigorating enough to recharge me.”
He chuckled and reached for his watch. “I’ll set my watch for thirty minutes. Close your eyes.”
She did and rested her cheek against his chest. “Maybe my dad was right, and we shouldn’t go to this event tonight.”
Bull kissed her temple. “I could think of a lot more things I’d rather do than go to an event with a lot of ambassadors and Turkish politicians.”
She sighed. “But that’s the nature of our job.” She rested her hand on his bare chest, loving the feeling of all the muscles beneath her fingertips. “I’d skip it if I could.”
“Then we’ll go,” he said, “but you can sleep for thirty minutes. My alarm will wake us.”
She felt warm and safe and so complete lying in Bull’s arms. But sleep was the farthest thing from her mind. As she lay there, her body heated again. She trailed her fingers over his chest and down lower.
Cupping his buttocks, Layla rocked her hips. She could feel him harden inside her.
They spent the twenty minutes making love again. Afterward, they slipped into the shower to rinse off before they had to get dressed for the evening. Making love in the shower was an entirely different, sweet assault on her senses.
When they finished, her knees were weak, and she couldn’t stop smiling. The water grew cold, forcing them to leave the shower and towel each other dry before they dressed.
“You know you’re not obligated to do this again,” Layla said, pulling panties up her thighs and hips. “But it felt so good. I wouldn’t object to a repeat performance.”
He laughed. “Sweetheart, I wasn’t obligated to do it the first time or the second time, for that matter.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I wanted to do what we did just as badly as you.”
She looked up into his eyes. “And after this evening’s affair?”
He grinned. “I’m game if you are.”
Her smile matched his. “Let’s hope it ends early.”
He slapped her on the butt. “Then we’d better get there.”
She couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she dressed. And she was still smiling when they climbed into the car that would carry them to the hotel.
After making love two times in the bed and one time in the shower, Bull sure could have used that thirty-minute nap before they started getting ready to go to the fundraising gala.
Layla shooed him out of the bathroom so she could get ready, taking her dress with her. The garment had been wrapped in a dry-cleaning bag so he couldn’t even tell what color it was. She wanted to surprise him.
While she got ready in the bathroom he dressed in the main room. Then he texted Rucker to see how things were going with their preparations to join him at the event.
Bull: Getting ready?
Rucker: Working on it. Didn’t anticipate the need for four of us to dress formal. Scrambling, but we found suits in time
Bull chuckled. He could picture the others rushing around town, trying to find suitable attire for a formal event.
Bull: Who’s designated inside?
Rucker: Mac, Blade and yours truly. Dawg, Tank, Dash and Lance have perimeter, keeping tabs of people coming and going
Bull smiled. Those were the people he would’ve chosen to come inside and pull perimeter duty. Well, maybe not Blade. He’d be too busy flirting with the women to notice anything untoward happening.
Rucker: Don’t forget your communications devices
Bull: Got ’em
Rucker: Stay vigilant
Bull: Roger. Out
It would be nice to be plugged in with his team throughout the evening, knowing they were there and could hear him if he needed them. And they’d be his extra set of eyes and ears as well as having his back.
Bull was concerned about the evening’s events. Any time there were that many foreign dignitaries and government officials in one place, things could happen. He just hoped that if things went down, he could get Layla and her father out before the shit hit the fan.
Bull: What do you know about the outcome of the riot earlier today?
Rucker: Turkish military quelled the uprising. Nearly one-hundred people were arrested or detained.
Bull: That’s a lot.
Rucker: You were lucky to get out. Five people died. One crushed to death, four fired upon by Turkish military upon the president’s orders
Bull’s chest tightened. The people of Turkey wanted change. The president had control of the military. If the people wanted change, blood would be spilled. Bull hoped he could keep Layla out of that line of fire.
But the route she’d chosen was dangerous in itself. Somehow, he had to convince her not to participate with the underground railroad again.
One step at a time.
He had to get her through this evening’s gala and back to the embassy alive.
His pulse quickened as he thought about what would happen after they got back to the embassy. He couldn’t believe she’d been standing there in front of him when she’d come out of the bathroom earlier. She’d been ready and willing to make love with him. He’d been dreaming about her, about the kiss and wanting more. It was as if he’d been woken from his dream but was still in it when she’d climbed into his lap and kissed him.
For a man who’d sworn off relationships, he was falling deeply into this one. He hoped she fully understood what being a Delta meant. The Army owned him. He had to go when he was called. As much as he’d want to stay with her, he’d have to go. There was no future for them.
Images of her playing with the children at the orphanage flashed through his mind. She would make a great mother. She would be good with her own children, and they’d love her dearly. Bull found himself envying the man who would give her those children. Hell, he wanted it to be him. He could imagine little dark-haired, dark-eyed girls. Looking just like Layla, they’d run up to him, wrap their arms around his knees and beg him to lift them into the air.
Or little boys just as dark-haired and dark-eyed, bringing him a baseball glove and asking him to throw a ball with them. How he’d love to teach a little boy how to play baseball or football or go camping and fishing, as his father had done with him.
He found himself envying a life he couldn’t have. A life he really wanted. Until that moment, he’d never regretted joining Delta Force. But now, he second-guessed his decision. Yes, he loved the brotherhood, and he’d do anything for the men on his team.
Bull turned as Layla stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, her hair pulled up in a loose bun on top of her head, tendrils falling down around her ears. She wore a shiny silver dress that clung to her curves and fell to the floor in silken waves. A diamond necklace graced her neck and diamonds glittered in her earlobes.
Bull wanted nothing more than to drink her in, strip her naked and take her back to bed. “Wow,” he said.
Her smile lit the room. “You like it?”
He nodded and held out his hand. “Very much so. I didn’t know a woman could be this beautiful.”
Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. “Thank you.”
“I don’t suppose you’d consider staying here after all?” he asked.
“In a heartbeat,” she said.
He sighed. “Damn. I’m committed to getting you there. If we choose to sta
y, your father will come looking for us.”
“True,” she said. “I could pretend that I have a cold.” She covered her mouth and coughed delicately.
Bull shook his head. “But you won’t. You convinced your father this gala was important. And if he’s there, you’ll be there, too.”
She shook her head. “The life of an ambassador is a commitment. Your time is not your own.”
“But you’re not the ambassador,” he pointed out.
“No, but when I came with my father, I committed to being his plus one and the hostess to the US embassy.”
Bull shook his head. “Even if we wanted to make a go of a relationship between you and me, it would be doomed from the start.”
She nodded. “I know. You’re a Delta, you deploy. I’m the daughter of an ambassador. A widowed ambassador. I’m committed to being here. Once your assignment is over,” she said, “you’ll be gone. You won’t have any reason to come back.”
He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. “I wouldn’t say that. I’d have plenty of reasons, the number one being you.”
She stepped into his arms and lifted her face for his kiss. The kiss was long, slow and deep.
When they came up for air, Bull pressed his forehead to hers, wishing they could spend the night there rather than at some boring event with a bunch of politicians. He’d rather spend the evening in her arms, holding her, loving her.
Layla leaned back and looked up into his eyes. “We’d better go.”
She was right, and he knew it.
Chapter 8
Bull sighed, took Layla’s hand and led her to the door and down to the embassy entrance. A line of cars awaited them.
Bull handed Layla into the middle SUV, her father followed, settling into the back seat. Bull claimed the front seat, and they were whisked away to the hotel where the event would take place with a lead vehicle and a trailing vehicle filled with the Ambassador’s personal guards.
Bull’s cellphone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. “Farm animals en route.” He grinned and tucked the cellphone back into his pocket. He was glad to know that his team would be there tonight. After that day’s riot, he’d feel better knowing he had backup.
When they arrived at the hotel, Bull got out first and looked around to make sure no danger existed before he helped Layla and her father out of the vehicle. He whisked Layla inside where they walked through the gauntlet of the reception line, which consisted of at least a dozen Turkish government officials to include Murat Akar, the Minister of Justice.
The man took Layla’s hand and dipped his head briefly. “So glad you could be with us tonight,” he said. “You are most beautiful.”
She tipped her head and gave him a tight smile. “Thank you.”
Bull looked around for Akar’s sidekick from the other night and spotted Hasan Saka in the ballroom speaking with other men who appeared to be members of the Turkish government.
Something about Saka crept across Bull’s skin in a bad way. He’d keep an eye on the man throughout the evening.
His gaze panned the room, searching for three familiar faces. Had the team arrived?
“Would you like to get a drink?” Layla asked.
“I could go for water or coffee,” Bull said. No alcohol for him. He was there to protect Layla and needed a clear head to do that.
She hooked her hand through his elbow and led him to a table with crystal glasses and an urn of water with lemons floating among the ice cubes. She poured a glass for him and one for her and handed his to him. “To making it through the evening,” she said and touched her glass to his.
“To making it back to the embassy early,” he countered, his gaze locking with hers.
“Better,” she said and took a sip while glancing around the room.
At that moment, a man in a black suit entered the ball room and tugged at the tie around his neck.
Bull fought the smile twitching at the corners of his lips.
Rucker looked about as uncomfortable as Bull had felt when he’d dressed for his first meeting with the US Ambassador to Turkey. He managed to avoid the reception line and crossed the room to take up a position at the opposite end.
Moments later, Mac entered, wearing a similar black suit with a navy blue tie. He, too, skipped the line and headed for the eastern side of the ballroom where he leaned his shoulder against a column, appearing not to care who passed.
Blade sailed through the entrance to the ballroom, wearing a black suit with a satin lapel. He smiled as he entered, his gaze panning the room before he found the reception line and introduced himself to every dignitary.
“What are you grinning about?” Layla asked.
Bull toned down his amusement at his teammate. “Nothing. Should we join your father? He looks like he could use some moral support.”
Bull offered Layla his arm and marched her toward where her father.
The ambassador seemed to be having difficulties extricating himself from a conversation with a short, round man who walked alongside the US Ambassador, talking non-stop.
“Father,” Layla touched the ambassador’s arm, “there’s someone I think you should meet.” She smiled graciously at the man beside her father. “Pardon me. Could I steal my father away for a minute?”
“By all means.” The man gave a slight bow and stepped away from the US Ambassador.
Layla gripped her father’s elbow and led him toward the French and German Ambassadors who stood beside the bar, ordering glasses of wine.
“Comm check inside,” Rucker’s voice sounded in Bull’s ear.
Bull turned and stepped a couple feet away from Layla and her father. “Bull, check.”
Across the ballroom, Bull noticed Blade smiling and nodding to a woman who passed in front of him. Once she’d gone by, Blade’s lips barely moved, but his voice came across clearly, “Blade, check.”
From the far eastern corner of the room, Mac gave a slight nod. “Mac, check.”
Rucker stood with his back to the wall, his face poker straight, his gaze on the people filling the ballroom. “Comm check outside.”
“Dawg, check,” Dawg’s voice sounded in Bull’s ear.
“Tank, check.” The team medic’s gravelly tone was unmistakable.
“Dash, check.”
“Lance, check.”
All eight men of the Delta Force team were accounted for.
“Perimeter status?” Rucker asked.
“Quiet,” Dash reported. “Set up perimeter a block away to avoid the guards the Turks have on the building. We counted twelve. Four on the entrance alone.”
“There’s a steady line of vehicles dropping off more guests. Many of the dignitaries brought along their own bodyguards,” Dawg added. “They’re lurking near the entrance, making a crowd.”
Thankfully, Layla and her father had arrived early enough to avoid the line. Still, Bull didn’t like anything about the evening. With so many government officials and ambassadors from the many embassies, they made a convenient target for whatever rebel cause chose to make a violent statement.
Bull made a point to locate all the exits, noting the ones closest to Layla in case they had to bug out at any time during the evening. Mac, Rucker and Blade would help get them and Ambassador Grey out of the building as expeditiously as possible.
A string quartet played in a corner of the large ballroom, but no one danced. People seemed content to mingle and exchange pleasantries with each other. Men wore either nice business suits or the military regalia of their position or country. Ladies displayed a variety of gowns and jewels, all appearing to be quite expensive.
Layla moved from group to group with her father, smiling and greeting each person individually, making each feel as important as the last. She introduced Bull as Mr. Smith, her fiancé. She always smiled at him when she did and reached for his hand, drawing him into the conversation.
A few minutes into these little group conversations, he’d ease out of the circle
, more interested in keeping an eye on what was going on with the rest of the people in the room.
The large ballroom filled, making it more difficult to keep tabs on everyone. Bull became more tense as the night wore on and more people crowded into the space.
Layla and her father were talking with a group of Turkish government officials when the Minister of Justice, Murat Akar joined them. The group got into a lively discussion about a proposed bill that had the potential to impact human rights.
The head of the Interior Ministry argued with others, insisting it would guard against organizations taking root and raising money for terrorist attacks on the people of Turkey or neighboring countries.
Layla and her father stood by politely but didn’t add to the heated discussion.
Bull leaned close to Layla. “Are all events this lively?”
She smiled up at him. “Some even more so. But for the most part, people maintain a polite façade. I imagine everyone is a little on edge since the demonstration this afternoon.”
“How long are you required to stay here?” Bull asked.
“We usually stay until after the first government official leaves. That shouldn’t be too much longer.”
Bull nodded and glanced around the room. No one appeared to be leaving anytime soon. He tried to spot Mac, Blade and Rucker. With so many people crowded into the space, he couldn’t locate his team.
They’d already been there for over an hour. Bull had begun wish he was wearing his running shoes rather than the shiny black dress shoes he hadn’t even had the chance to break in .
“Look,” Layla said, tilting her head toward the entrance. “The Minister of the Interior is leaving.”
Bull glanced toward the man walking out the door. “Does that mean we get to go?”
“Soon. I need to get my father to disengage.” She stepped up to her father, who was in a discussion with the Minister of Justice. She waited for him to finish speaking before she addressed her father. “Don’t you have an early meeting tomorrow morning?” she said.
The ambassador took her hand. “I do. We won’t stay much longer.” He turned to Akar. Please, pardon me. I believe it’s time for me to leave.”
