Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Diana stared up at him, her body maddeningly close, her tits begging to be sucked again, the peaks of her nipples straining toward him.
Of all the conversations he’d had with a woman, he didn’t think he’d ever had one like this while completely naked.
And certainly not with a woman who managed to piss him the hell off nearly every time she opened her mouth.
“I’m trying to decide if that’s sweet of you or crazy,” she finally said, her brow furrowed.
“Neither one. I’ll tell them if I have to, but for now I’m making an approach. If nothing happens, if I don’t get any deeper into the organization, no need to involve them.”
He’d debated it, because Phantom, Demon, Dragon, Wraith, and Shadow were the closest thing to family he had, but in the end he’d decided not to.
Viper knew, and that was enough for now.
If he needed his team at any point, he’d brief them.
They’d be pissed as hell at him for keeping them in the dark, but he could handle it.
And if things went wrong and he got caught, he’d go down alone.
Except he wouldn’t because this maddening woman would be there, going down with him.
Fuck.
She threaded her fingers in his, oblivious to his inner turmoil, and squeezed briefly before letting go. “So, the deal is you tell me what you learn and I follow orders whenever we’re embedded with the militia. Correct?”
Everything about this deal rubbed him the wrong way. He didn’t want her there because what if he couldn’t protect her? What if it went wrong? He’d kept his team out of it because he didn’t want them hurt. He didn’t want her hurt either—but she wasn’t going to stay out of it.
“Yes,” he grated. “That’s the deal.”
She nodded. “Okay, then. You’ll call me when you hear something from Gannon, and we’ll go back together. I’ll hang on your every word and gaze longingly at your ass while pretending I don’t have two brain cells to rub together. Sounds fun.”
“You have yet to tell me how you’re gonna drop everything and go with me if you’re actively working a case. It might not always be a weekend meeting.”
She shrugged. “An administrative leave of absence. Didn’t I tell you I was told to take some time to myself after I expressed an opinion about my investigation being taken away? No? How negligent of me.”
He stared at her as she turned away, gliding to her closet like a frigging queen in her throne room, sliding the door open and rummaging around for something to wear.
She’d been out there on her own, nobody at the FBI knowing where she was, trying to find information to bring down Viktor Dashevsky because he’d hurt someone close to her. She’d been told to leave it, to take time off, to do nothing—but she was actively trying to insert herself into the militia.
She was as suicidal as he was. Maybe more since he at least had the training and know-how to deal with these bastards.
Ghost snatched his own clothing off the floor, dragged on briefs, jeans, and his T-shirt before shrugging into the flannel button up he’d discarded. His temper was raw despite the languidness of his limbs. Damn stubborn woman.
By the time they were both dressed, silence lay like a shroud over them. He refused to look at the bed and so did she. He didn’t know why she wouldn’t, but if he looked he’d have her panties off and his face between her legs again just so he could hear her beg.
Need thrummed beneath the surface, despite how recently he’d sated it. Despite how annoyed he was that she’d maneuvered him into letting her join his op.
He needed to get out of here, go home, clear his head. And then he had to figure out how to keep her alive when he took her into the militia’s lair. He almost hated her for it, except it was impossible to hate her when he’d just spent the last hour craving her.
She walked him to the door, arms folded over her chest, looking small and alone in a way she hadn’t before. He nearly dragged her against him and held her, but that was too much like a relationship.
“Thanks for the sex,” she said as he pulled the door open. “It was nice.”
He turned back to her, arched an eyebrow. How did she manage to throw him off balance so easily?
“Nice?”
She shrugged. “Nothing wrong with nice, Magic Man. But if you insist, I’ll do better. It was great. My legs are shaking and I’m going to collapse the second you’re gone.”
He took her chin in his fingers and tipped her face up. Then he kissed her hard and deep. “Next time, I’ll make sure you can’t walk straight for a week. Or sit still because your ass is gonna be so damn red.”
It was after ten when he left her apartment, and all he could think was that he could still be in bed with her, his cock buried deep in her tight pussy. There were still so many things he wanted to do to her, but he’d needed to go. Needed to get home and clear his head of her so he could think.
He parked beside the farmhouse, checked that his security was operational and tight, no breaches or attempts, and went inside, shedding clothes and stepping into the shower to wash Diana Corbin off his skin.
If he didn’t, sleep would be hell because all he’d dream about was every moment of being with her tonight.
Fuck, she was hot. And somehow innocent at the same time. That’s what he didn’t understand. How a woman could be both those things at once.
Thinking of her, remembering how his skin had tingled with electricity everywhere she touched him, remembering her hands wrapping around him, her lips, the taste of her—
Jesus. He stroked his cock, groaning as it swelled beneath his fist. Wishing it was her he fucked instead of his own hand. He came with a moan, panting, pressing his face to the tile to cool the fever beneath his skin.
How the fuck was he supposed to operate with Diana at his side? How the fuck was he going to take her into danger and concentrate on what he needed to do when all he wanted to think about was getting her naked again?
“Not the first time you’ve faced a difficult mission,” he muttered to himself.
No, but it was the first time he’d ever wanted to fuck his teammate. Which added a whole new level of difficulty he wasn’t accustomed to.
He finished showering, dried off, and went to bed, sliding naked between cool sheets, forcing himself to think about the things that’d happened at the gathering.
Aside from the unwelcome surprise of Diana’s presence.
The two men he’d met, Dashevsky’s men, had been friendly enough, but they hadn’t shown any particular interest in him.
That’s how it worked, though. They watched, assessed, debated.
If they thought he was ripe for their cause, they’d be in touch.
They wouldn’t pull him in yet, but they’d take him a little deeper, watching for pushback, for a lack of commitment.
He’d shot several weapons today, but it was the 50 cal that’d drawn the most attention.
He’d hit the target dead center every time he pulled the trigger.
People around them had stopped to watch.
He’d half expected Diana to show up, though he’d told her to stay away.
He’d been grateful she’d listened for once.
He would have to find a way to cut her out of any future meetings with Gannon and the Europeans. He just had to do it in such a way she didn’t get suspicious and decide to make contact on her own.
Because he had no doubt she would. She was driven by what had happened to someone she cared about.
He understood that feeling all too well. His mother might be alive today if his father hadn’t lost his mind and isolated them from civilization. If Ghost had been stronger or bigger or braver, maybe she would have survived.
He’d failed her, though. He hadn’t fought hard enough, and he would never do that again.
His phone buzzed with a text. He picked it up from the nightstand.
Diana
Got a message from Gannon. He wants me to meet him for a drink tomorrow night.
He couldn’t hit the dial icon fast enough. She answered on the third ring. Taking her sweet-assed time, no doubt.
“Hey, Magic Man. Couldn’t stop thinking about me?”
That voice. Honeyed sweetness dripping down his spine, knotting his balls.
“What do you mean you got a message from Gannon?” he growled. “How the fuck did he get your number?”
“Hello to you, too,” she said with a sniff.
“Diana.”
“I may have talked to him while you were making those Europeans hard with your mad weaponry skills.”
Fuck. “You were there?”
“I stayed in the crowd. I wanted to see what was happening. He saw me and came over to talk.”
He closed his eyes. “That’s exactly what I didn’t fucking want. You didn’t think to mention it earlier?”
“Well, no. Besides, you weren’t exactly keen on working with me. I needed my own way in.”
“He wants to fuck you, not give you the keys to the clubhouse.”
“I know that, Fred. I’m blond, not stupid.
Which is also why I gave him my number. You’ve been thinking about how to freeze me out of this mission from the moment you saw me, so don’t pretend to be all offended that I took my shot when I got the opportunity.
And don’t pretend you haven’t been thinking about it since you left here, either. ”
He was impressed. Aroused. Pissed as hell.
“What did you tell him?”
“I said yes.”
“Diana,” he groaned. “What the fuck?”
“Think about it, Alex. I go see him, have that drink. He might tell me something.”
“Yeah, he’s gonna tell you something all right.”
“Meaning?” She sounded prissy.
“Meaning he’s going to tell you whatever it takes to get you into his bed. That’s what he wants from you. The man is a sexist prick.”
“Once more with the things I already know.” She huffed. “I think I can avoid being carted off to his bed against my will. And maybe I’ll gather some information because men like that love to brag. Can’t hurt.”
“If you’ve made up your mind, why are you telling me?” he grated.
“Because, like it or not, we’re partners. I thought you’d want to know my plans.”
“That’s not the only reason.”
“No, it’s not. You need to understand how important this is to me. You might think you’ve addled my brains with your magic penis and wicked tongue, but I won’t be deterred. You can’t redirect me, throw me off the scent, or pretend to work with me while blocking me from my goals.”
“I thought we’d settled this. I said I’d take you with me if I got the callback.”
“I know you did. And I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you.
I’m going to work my own angle, see which of us gets in first. That person will bring the other along.
I still need your help, and I think you need mine.
Even if you’re too stubborn to admit it.
But I’m not going to rely on you to keep your word when I know you don’t want me there. ”
How did she make him feel like shit for wanting to protect her?
“I don’t,” he said. “But I want you dating that fucker even less. The good old boy network let him retire from the military instead of prosecuting him, but he was accused of forcing a young female airman under his command to engage in sexual relations. The key word is forcing, Diana.”
“Heard you, Magic Man, and I appreciate the warning. But I’ve got this. Now if you’re finished with the lecture, I’m going to bed. It was a long, tiring day and I’m beat. Not to mention boneless. You do know your way around a female body, that’s for sure.”
“Diana, for fuck’s sake—” he started to say.
But she wasn’t there. She’d already hung up on him.