4. Emilia
CHAPTER 4
The guys were already in planning mode by the time I woke up to a room too bright for morning. It must have been close to noon.
“Did you hear back from Rod?” Javi whispered. He wore a pair of running shorts and a tight black shirt with his light brown hair wet and messy.
They shifted back but were still in the bed with me, each on a phone or laptop.
“Yeah, the gamma team is already en route,” Derek confirmed next to me. He was shirtless, leaving his tight abs on display. His heat drew me in, and I rested my cheek against his arm.
“Morning, sleepyhead.” Cruz winked from his spot at the foot of the bed. He was also dressed in workout gear.Dark, damp strands flecked his normally sandy hair.
I stretched out my arms and sat up. “Morning.”
“The tail on Brazzi confirmed visual,” Marco read off his phone, running a hand through his almost black hair. His chiseled chest was bare, and I was surprised to find him still in bed next to me. He usually liked to get up early.
“Good. I want to know every move he makes today,” Javi replied.
“What’s going on?”I asked.
Javi leaned over Derek’s legs and kissed my cheek. “The five of us are going to lie low for a while. We’re on surveillance only.”
And they were okay with that?
“Who’s running lead?”
“The beta team,” Marco explained. “They stepped up in our place, monitoring things since we left for Cuba.”
“But Alessio isn’t even here.”
“That doesn’t mean his business stops. He’s been in touch with his men and issued orders to take out Brazzi in retaliation.” His eyes darted to Cruz.
“What?” I looked between them.
Cruz rolled his shoulders. “This thing between them heated up overnight. We think Dias is taking his frustration about you leaving out on Brazzi and his men.”
Derek smirked. “Which is fair. He did attack.”
Cruz grimaced. “Right, but so far, there’s seven dead in fifteen hours.”
Seven? Already? Heating up felt like an understatement. This was a full-on war.
“So we let them go at it.” Any fighting that came up naturally was less work for us.
Derek gave a firm nod and went back to typing on his laptop. “Let them kill each other. Makes our lives easier.”
“Is that what Rod said to do?” I shouldn’t be questioning them, but after the past few days, I was struggling to go with the flow.
Javi put his hand on my leg. “Yes. He has two other teams working on the information we passed off, and with Dias’s men distracted by the Italians, it’s the perfect time to put pieces into place.”
I sat up straighter and let the covers fall to my lap. Taking time off in bed was tempting, but I wanted to work. Having nothing to do meant space for my mind to wander, to second-guess, and to obsess over every single detail of the past few weeks.
I couldn’t change any of it, and leaving things uncertain with Alessio stressed me out.
I’d done what I had to. Staying in Mexico was not only physically dangerous but it wasn’t safe for my mind. Longing for the impossible ignored reality. He had too much control, and I had to rein it back.
My head was clear now.
I couldn’t have anything real with him, ever. If the disaster of the trip taught me anything, it was that.
I’d fallen into the comfortable world he created, but it was fake. A lie.
His thinking he could fly me around the Gulf without my consent was the wake-up call I desperately needed. He wasn’t in charge. I was.
I wasn’t here for a relationship. I was here for a mission, and I couldn’t throw away our progress. With other teams still moving, we had hope of success. Leaving Alessio gave me time to fix my end of things.
“Should I call him?” I hadn’t meant to blurt that without any context, but none of the guys seemed surprised.
“Do you think you should?” Marco asked.
I shrugged and stared down at the blanket covering my lap. “I can’t let our relationship end yet.”
“If I were him, I’d be terrified to reach out to you.” Cruz smirked.
“Really?” I eyed him.
“Hell yeah. If we talked, then you could end it. Right now, it’s a Schr?dinger’s cat situation. You’re neither broken up, nor together. Calling or texting you opens the box.”
“He’s right.” Marco grimaced. “For once.”
Cruz punched him in the leg, and Marco was too close to me to avoid it. “Hey!”
“Maybe send a text letting him know you’re home and safe,” Javi recommended. “If he has anything else to say, that’s his opening. You signal that you’re still willing to be in contact.”
That seemed like a safe option. I nodded, and he pulled my phone off its charger on the nightstand and handed it to me.
I opened our text thread and typed a simple message.
Millie: I made it back home.
I held it over for Javi to read. “That’s fine.”
I sent it before tossing my phone to the side. “Did you guys find out anything else about why Brazzi’s men were there?”
“No.” Derek grimaced and ran a hand over the back of his hair, mussing the dark strands. “Dias’s men killed them all once they got their heads out of their asses and realized they were under attack.”
That sucked. I hated being left to obsess over another situation.
“They have a much more colorful past than he let on. They’ve had a quiet war waging for years. It’s not just with business either. They’ve dated a handful of the same women, not always at different times. I think it’s another power play for them,” Marco explained.
“More trophies for them to rub in each other’s faces,” Derek muttered.
“Has anything ever happened to those women?” I asked, even if I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.
“They’re all alive, if that’s what you mean.” Marco took my hand in his.
“Alive and well?” I met his eyes.
His jaw flexed. “I’m not sure. We haven’t dug that far in.”
Then it was better not knowing.
My phone vibrated, and we all stared at it like it was a bomb.
“You going to look?” Derek asked after nearly a minute of silence.
I didn’t move, didn’t answer. Cruz reached for it slowly as if giving me time to protest, but I didn’t. I wanted one of them to deal with this.
“He said, ‘Good. I’m glad you made it back safely. I miss you.’” His eyes lifted and locked on mine. “What do you want to say back?”
I blew out a breath.
“Tell him she misses him too,” Javi told him.
Cruz nodded and typed before setting the phone face down next to him. This time, we didn’t have to wait for a response.
“‘I’ll be back this evening. Can I see you?’” He didn’t look up, just waited.
“No. Tell him she’s still freaked out. She needs some space,” Marco instructed.
Cruz typed it out, then watched the screen.
“He understands. He has some things he wants to deal with. He’ll talk to you soon.”
“Don’t reply.” I waited for him to toss the phone onto the bed. “Let him wait and wonder.”
Cruz laughed. “Evil.”
I cocked a brow. “He had it coming.”
“He’s lucky you said anything to him,” Javi mumbled and typed on his phone. “I’m letting Rod know he’ll be back tonight. I have a feeling something’s going down.”
“What do you mean?” I squeezed Marco’s hand, grateful he hadn’t dropped it yet.
“He could stay in Mexico licking his wounds and plotting his revenge for days, but he’s already on his way back? He’s got a plan, and it’s time sensitive. It’s also big enough that he wants to be here for it.”
Derek closed his laptop. “Sounds impulsive, which means it’s either dangerous or stupid.”
“Probably both.” Cruz narrowed his eyes and was silent for a moment. “Or an easy target. Low-hanging fruit. Something to show Brazzi he didn’t win this round.”
“Well, shit. This sounds messy.” Marco ran his other hand through his hair. “Good thing we’re staying out of it.”
Javi chuckled. “I’m fairly certain that’s the first time you’ve ever said that.”
“I’m all for havoc, but these are two toddlers throwing sand in each other’s eyes on the playground. I prefer a more refined touch.”
I laughed. That was the perfect way to describe Alessio and Brazzi. Maybe if we waited long enough, they’d even kill each other for us.
Like Goldilocks, I tested all the beds and decided Marco’s was the best. It had something to do with his pillows and blankets. He achieved the perfect balance of cozy without being too warm for the Miami summer.
I waited there for the guys to finish updating the beta team so they could rest for the night.
A knock on the door made me jump. They rarely did that. None of them had issues with modesty or privacy.
“Yeah?” I called, and Javi stepped inside. “This is your room. You don’t have to knock.”
He came around to sit next to me with his back against the headboard. “If you wanted alone time, I was going to give that to you.”
I closed my book and put it on the nightstand, then sat up to face him. “I would always prefer to be with you than be alone.”
He smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I’d always rather be with you, too.”
I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Are you already done?”
Normally, their debriefing calls lasted at least an hour, and it had only been twenty minutes.
“The others can handle it. I wanted to check on you.”
“Me?” We’d already talked about Alessio and his mistakes yesterday. I’d spent my day off skimming our growing file on him and hadn’t heard of anything new happening.
“Yeah. We’ve been busy since we got back from Cuba. I know we talked about what happened but not about how you’re handling it.”
If it was anyone but him or one of the guys asking, I would have been insulted, assuming they didn’t believe I was doing a good enough job.
But he genuinely cared.
I rested my head on his chest. “I feel like life is happening to me.”
“As opposed to what?”
“To being in control.”
He rested his chin on the top of my head. “Because you have to go along with what you’re told?”
“Yes, but I’m used to that. I get an assignment and have to do what’s necessary to fulfill it. Right now, it feels worse.”
“Probably because this job is all-consuming. Your typical missions only take one night, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Here, your real life and job are one. It makes sense you feel out of control, because there’s no separation. Even coming home surrounds you with more reminders of what you have to do.”
He put into words what I couldn’t quite explain.
“What do you want right now? We can go up to the roof, walk on the beach, grab some good. Anything you want,” he said.
His offer was generous, but as I took in his concern and genuine want to make me happy, I knew exactly what I needed, what I craved. I pressed up on his chest. “All I want right now is you.”
His brown eyes ignited as he slipped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me down to capture my lips with his. His other hand slid under the back of my shirt, dragging up along my spine and down again, no bra to interrupt his motions.
I pulled back just enough to look in his eyes and tug off my shirt. I wanted all barriers gone, immediately.
He quickly swiped his off before pulling me back down, pressing our bare skin together. I squirmed, rubbing my sensitive nipples over his chest hair. The addictive sensation made my skin tingle.
His fingers pressed into my back, helping me rub my breasts against him before one palm slipped between us. He cupped my left boob before squeezing it and rolling the peak between his thumb and finger.
I moaned against his mouth, loving how he touched me. Not like I was fragile or dainty, but like I should be devoured. Consumed. Pressed to the brink.
“Javi,” I sighed against his lips.
He dipped his head and sucked on my neck, matching the pace he set with his fingers.
I arched up, giving him better access to my chest, and his brown eyes zeroed in on my breast as his other hand came up to the right, massaging gently before quickly pinching my nipple.
I gasped. He smirked before taking it into his mouth. His tongue circled twice before flicking and biting down. I gripped his shoulders as my head dropped back, loving the mix of pain and pleasure.
Suddenly, he switched, taking my left nipple between his teeth and stroking the tip with his tongue and leaving the right peaked and missing his mouth.
“Oh, fuck,” I groaned and kicked my leg over his lap to straddle him. The hard bulge below his waist grazed my needy center. I ground into him.
He popped my nipple from his mouth and looked up at me with lust-filled eyes. “I need to be inside you.”
“Please,” I begged.
In the next second, he had me on my back, tugging off my leggings and underwear in one motion before jumping up to drop his shorts on the ground. He climbed back over me, kissing my feet, then ankles, and up my calves and thighs until he reached the apex where I wanted—no, needed—him most.
I wanted his mouth on me and his fingers inside me, but he sat back on his knees and stroked the sensitive skin on the backs of mine.
“Open for me.”
I let my legs fall, exposing all of me as he licked his bottom lip.
He stroked a single finger down my seam before bringing it to his mouth and sucking. His eyes fell closed as he groaned. “So fucking delicious.”
When his gaze met mine again, I melted from the heat reflecting back.
“You’re so wet for me.” He bent between my legs, licking the same path his finger took.
I cried out, needy and desperate.
His tongue pressed into me as his thumb found my clit, circling and rubbing. The fire spreading along every nerve was too much. I gripped his long hair, holding him in place while resisting the urge to squirm.
“Javi.” I squeezed my eyes shut.
He fucked me with his tongue, moaning into me until I nearly screamed.
“I’m so close.”
He stopped and wiped his mouth over my inner thigh before smiling at me.
“No!” I protested. “More!”
“What do you need, babe?” He pushed one finger into me.
“That.” The pressure built again in my lower belly, and my head fell back.
“This?”
He added a second finger, and I gasped.He pumped them in and out and sucked my clit between his teeth.
“Yes!”
I rocked my hips, matching his pace as he curled his fingers, finding the perfect spot.
“Oh, fuck!”
I panted, so close to the peak, but he stopped again.
I stared down at him.
He held my gaze as he licked my clit, slow and teasing, then pulled back. Denying me. Driving me insane.
“Asshole.”
He chuckled.
“Why did you stop?” I begged.
“You need more?”
His lips turned up.I shuddered.
“Does our girl deserve more?”a smoother, deeper voice asked.
My head snapped to the opened doorway, where Cruz stood, his hand in his sweats, pumping his hard cock.
I looked to Javi. Was he okay with sharing?
He lifted a brow and thrust two fingers back into my dripping center. “She definitely deserves it, but I’m not sure she can handle us.”
I pulled his hair and glared. “Yes, I can.”
My body tightened around his teasing fingers, aching for release.
Javi tilted his chin toward me. “You heard her. You can fuck her mouth while I fuck her pussy.”
Cruz pushed the door shut behind him, pulled off his shirt, and dropped his sweats in a pile before crawling onto the bed until his hips hovered next to my face.
He ran his finger over my cheek. Then his eyes lowered to my chest. “You’re going to suck me off until I come on these perfect tits. Okay?”
I nodded and opened my mouth, ready.
He ran the tip around my lips, and I kissed it before opening again and taking him in. He closed his eyes and moaned. “Fuck, nena.”
I sucked gently, rocking my head back and forth as I took him inch by inch. Lost in our connection, the sweet pressure of my pussy being stretched shocked me.
Javi filled me, pumping in slow, even strokes until he was balls deep. I gasped. He paused, and I peeked sideways. His eyes were closed and his head back.
“Fuck.” He groaned, then picked up his pace.
My eyes watered. It was too good. Too much to take in. My men filling me was all I ever wanted.
“Yes,” Cruz whispered as I sucked. He cradled my breasts in his large hands, squeezing and kneading.
I moaned around his cock. His hips jerked, pressing him against the back of my throat.
“Fuck her pretty mouth, Cruz,” Javi ordered.
He obeyed, thrusting a few inches in and out while I sucked and licked along his shaft.
“Fuck.” He gripped my boob to the perfect point between pain and pleasure.
Those spirals of bliss plus Javi rubbing my clit while he stroked my G-spot with his driving cock pushed me over the edge.
I screamed. Spots dotted my vision.
“Yes,” Javi groaned, coming with me.
“Fucking hell.” Cruz jerked back and pumped his dick twice before his cum exploded over my chest, just as he promised.
“You are perfection.” Javi collapsed next to me.
Cruz rested his forehead on mine and caught his breath, kissing me gently. “Ours.”
I closed my eyes, wishing this was my reality to have forever.