Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“We have everything, right?”
Liam slid behind the wheel of his truck. They’d picked it up after grabbing his belongings from his hotel before heading to her apartment. Thank God the body was gone from the room, but it sure as hell couldn’t be rented out as “surgery sterile clean” to the next tenant.
“The evidence. Your clothes. And—”
“The annulment papers?” She hadn’t noticed him grab them from her desk when they were up there.
“I didn’t want anyone discovering we were married. If someone knew you were my wife . . . well, it could be dangerous for you.” He handed her the folder, and she didn’t know what to do with it, so she set it on her lap.
“Does that mean Sam’s in danger? Eva?”
“They knew what they were signing up for when they married my friends.” He pulled the truck away from the curb. “You didn’t.”
“How far away are we from the location?” she asked after letting his words sit with her for a few minutes.
“About four hundred kilometers. My team will meet us there at thirteen hundred hours tomorrow.”
“Are you up for driving that far tonight?”
It was now technically Saturday since it was one in the morning, and she wasn’t sure about Liam, but she’d been running on adrenaline up until this point. And she was beginning to fade.
“I can handle it,” he said, glancing over at her, “but we’ll stop in a few hours or so since we have time.” He turned his focus back to the road. “I also need to make a pit stop at my safe house in Alexandria. We should swap vehicles, plus I need a weapon and ammo.”
Safe house? Wow, she was in the big leagues now, and there was no turning back. “That’s smart,” she said as his phone began ringing.
He checked the ID and brought the phone to his ear. Clearly it was someone he knew since he answered.
“We’re on our way,” he said straight away.
“Yeah, I understand the consequences of—” The person on the other end cut him off, and he let them talk before adding, “Yeah. We’ll meet you there.
You get the pictures of our vic I texted you?
” Another pause. “Okay. Good. And yeah, let’s not pull Luke or Owen into this until we know more. ” He ended the call a moment later.
“Was that Jessica?”
“Yeah.”
“She really is kind of badass, huh? A wizard with computers?”
“You could say that,” he said, a smile to his tone. Or pride, maybe.
“And now Harper works with you, too, right?”
She thought back to the wedding in Vegas. The place had been swarming with Teamguys—the same group she’d met at the Christmas party when Owen had made his epic proposal to Sam.
But for the most part, Emily and Sam hung out with the same five or six guys, Liam being one of them.
“Harper will eventually take point on operations with Echo Team to free up some of Jessica’s time.”
She did a mental count of hot guys in her head. “You, Luke, Owen, Asher, and Knox—you’re one team, right? It’s mostly you guys when we’ve hung out, and sometimes Wyatt, so I assume—”
“Wyatt’s Echo One. And I’m on Bravo.”
“Do you have a number?”
He swung his gaze to the right to capture her eyes for a quick second. “Bravo Four.”
“And those other Navy SEALs at the wedding? They’re not on your team, just friends?” Maybe she could finally fill in the blank spaces that had been in her head since the day Liam and his team had come into her life last year.
“Most of the vets you met at the wedding work for Scott and Scott, but they’re not privy to missions like these.”
“They don’t do the president’s bidding, you mean?”
He checked the rearview and side mirrors, then focused on the road again. “It’s not like that. It’s not like in the movies where you see some black ops group wiping out villages of people or taking out world leaders in foreign nations in a staged coup.”
“I would never think you—”
“But people would. They’d think the worst if they knew about us.”
She splayed both palms atop the folder and stared down. “If you were to get hurt or caught on an operation, what would happen to you?”
He was quiet for a minute. Well, it felt like a minute, at least. The silence stretched and stretched.
He pressed the heel of his palm to the wheel to steer and rechecked his mirrors. “As far as anyone is concerned, we’re not connected to the government, and we’ll never betray our oath to save our asses if that’s the case.”
Patriotic through and through.
She worked for the justice system, and so every bone in her body should’ve been against what he was doing.
But for some reason, she wasn’t, because she knew Liam and his team had rescued a kid who would’ve been sold to God-knew-who all because the government wouldn’t have given operational authority for the mission.
“I admire you.”
He kept his eyes locked on the road, the traffic thinning as they moved farther and farther from the city.
“Emily, the more you know about me, the more danger it puts you in.”
“But some part of you wants to talk to me about this, right? You want to share?” The man probably had to keep everything bottled inside of him, and it had to be tough. Owen and Luke had someone to share their lives with, but who’d Liam have? He had his team, but that was different, wasn’t it?
“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
She touched her chest, an achiness developing. “I’m already deep in this, so you don’t have to worry about further endangering me.”
“I probably shouldn’t even have you with me.” He stopped at a light. “I should have you locked away somewhere with twenty guards.”
“But you care about this girl and what’s right, and you know I can help.”
“I care about you, too, Emily.”
More knots in her stomach. Twisting. Twisting. Twisting. A never-ending entangled mess.
“Selfishly, I want to keep you with me for as long as possible.”
A flutter of nerves worked into her chest and up to her throat. “Well, I’m in no hurry to go.”
She stared at the two queen beds separated by a nightstand, not sure which one to pick.
They were at a motel in Harrisonburg, Virginia, about ninety miles from her place in D.C.
, and she was beginning to wonder if it’d been pointless to stop.
No way would Liam sleep, even though he’d said they hadn’t been followed.
They’d made a million turns and took empty stretches of country road that had nothing on each side as they drove. He wanted to ensure they weren’t leading someone straight to Elaina.
“Get some rest. We leave in four hours.” He tossed a duffel bag of weapons he’d picked up at the safe house on one bed, which now narrowed down her choice.
“Yeah, okay.” She opened her overnight bag and grabbed a clean pair of underwear and pajamas to change into.
She’d expected to toss and turn once her head hit the pillow, but instead sleep had grabbed hold of her and sucked her in deep, so when she’d woken up startled and in someone’s arms, she’d gasped.
“It’s okay. Shhh.” Strong arms held her tight and rocked her body. “It’s a nightmare. I’ve got you.” Liam’s deep voice soothed the remnants of her nightmare.
She forced her eyes open and pulled her head back, struggling to see in the dark. “When did it start raining?” she asked as the heavy patter-patter against the hoods of cars outside seemed to intensify.
“An hour ago.”
She shifted a little, realizing she was cradled in his lap. He must’ve scooped her into his arms and held her to try and calm her down. She sort of didn’t want to move yet, though.
“You haven’t slept, have you?” she whispered, his face beginning to come to focus.
He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, keeping his hold on her. “No rest for the wicked.”
She didn’t need to see his face to know he’d probably winked. “When do we leave?”
“Two hours.”
She lifted her arms to drape them over his shoulders with her eyes now adjusted to the dark.
The truth of what happened last night became a distant memory. Someone else’s bad dream.
Her right hand slipped down his chest, a light sheen of sweat on his bare skin causing her to expand her awareness.
The room was hot. Like Devil’s playground kind of hot. “Air-conditioning not working?”
She skimmed her fingertips back up the center of his chest and flattened her palm over his heart. It was slow and steady. Calming.
“No. It’s been hissing and making some rattling sound, so I finally turned it off.” His thumb pulled down her bottom lip, and she leaned her cheek into his touch, her eyes falling shut.
“Liam.” His name came out as a desperate cry, even though she hadn’t meant it to.
She shifted on his lap, and a light groan left his lips.
His length bulged, hardening beneath her. “Sorry,” he rasped, his tone gravelly. “Your ass is sort of, well—right there, and my dick doesn’t know it’s not appropriate.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his apology, as well as lose hold of whatever hell from last night had been trying to wrestle her away like those freakish dark shadows from the movie Ghost—a longtime favorite of hers.
She opened her eyes and pulled her right knee up between them, then stretched her leg out on the other side to straddle him.
“What are you doing?” His hands slid around to her back, holding her firmly in place. “That won’t help my, uh, situation.”
“I’m getting more comfortable.” She swallowed away reason and bit back rational thought.
She was alive because they hadn’t signed the papers last night. Because she hadn’t left him at the bar alone after the fight with his brother. And because Oreos were a weak spot for both of them.
Alive because they’d been together.
And now, well, that’s what she wanted. To just be with him.
“You’ve been through a lot,” he said, the words a whisper over her mouth.
Her teeth skirted her bottom lip as she caressed the hard edges of his triceps. She rocked forward, relishing the feel of his cock pressing against her center, the cotton pajama shorts and panties barely a barrier between them.
“I know what happened.” She inhaled a sharp breath and let it go. “And I don’t want to think about it right now.” She leaned back and reached for the hem of her camisole and peeled it over her head and tossed it.
His eyes dropped to her breasts before she leaned against him, allowing her nipples to press to his chest, needing to feel the warmth of his body.
He swept her hair over one shoulder and brought his mouth to the sensitive part of her neck and kissed it.
Her eyes fell closed, and her lips parted, her panties growing wet. She rubbed against him again, desperate for him to fill her.
She wanted to remember their one night together, to know how he felt inside of her.
Liam worked his lips up the column of her throat as she buried her fingertips into the corded muscles of his back.
A gasp of surprise escaped her when he grabbed her hair and gave a sharp tug. He kissed her hard then sucked at her bottom lip. Met her tongue with his.
He nearly bruised her mouth, his need as pressing as hers. And she wanted more. More of him. More of anything he would give her.
She rotated her hips in a circular motion, on the verge of coming from the friction between them. That hollow ache she’d had earlier was gone, replaced by desire.
He kissed away her soft curses as she rode him until she climaxed.
“Damn, Emily.” He shifted her off his lap and onto her back, then braced himself on top of her.
She was still reeling from the orgasm, struggling to find a steady rhythm of breath.
She reached for his belt buckle, needing to free him of his pants, to hold his shaft and give him the same pleasure he’d given her.
She’d just dry-humped him, hadn’t she? Gah.
His forehead met hers, their bodies now too close for her to try and unbutton his jeans. “What’s wrong?”
He dropped to the side and covered his face with both hands. “I can’t do this.” He hissed a sigh of frustration, which she assumed was directed at himself, then got off the bed.
She snatched the comforter and pulled it up to cover her breasts, even though it was still hot in the room. At least in the dark, he wouldn’t see the flash of crimson that no doubt colored every inch of her.
“You don’t have to hide your body.”
“I kind of do. Rejection and all.” Her eyes went to the ceiling as her mind flew through a million different possible replies he might offer her in the next moment.
“I’m not rejecting you, but you know who I am. What I’m capable of.”
She sat upright. “You mean what you’re not capable of?”
He cupped his mouth.
“Listen,” she began, her shoulders relaxing, “I’m not interested in forever right now. Not with anyone.”
“Well, we are married.” Humor touched his tone, and he dropped his hand from his mouth.
“You know what I mean.” She grabbed her top and pulled it over her head and stood. “The point is, you won’t hurt me because we want the same thing.”
“Sex?”
She tried to harness the impulse to step closer, to run her hands over his bare chest.
“You just woke up from a nightmare.”
She took a hesitant step his way. “Yeah, but I woke up to you.” She lifted her hand and pressed her index finger to his pec.
God, she wanted him.
Wanted this.
“I can have casual sex.” She turned but was brought up short when his firm grip captured her wrist.
“I’m trying to do the right thing.” His voice was rough, and if she could see better—she’d probably witness the familiar strain of his jaw she’d grown accustomed to observing when he was around her. “You deserve it.”
“I want to remember,” she said under her breath. “I want to remember how you feel inside of me.”
His chest lifted, and he let go of a hard breath.
Barely a moment passed, and before she knew it he lifted her up, guiding her legs around his waist.
He walked backward as he claimed her with his mouth. When his back hit the wall, he spun around and pushed her up against the wall instead.
When her feet touched the ground, he slipped a hand beneath the hem of her shorts and glided a finger over her slick center.
“Fuck, you’re so wet.” He secured one hand around her hip, holding her in place as she bucked, while his other hand stroked her harder and faster.
Her toes curled into the carpet, and she clung to his body, her short nails biting into his back.
His mouth traveled up her neck, kissing and sucking before wandering to her earlobe and biting.
“I want you.” Guttural. Raw. His tone sounded almost defeated. “But not here. Not this place.”
She pressed her hands to his chest and peered up at him. “So, you’re not just charming, you’re a romantic, too?”
A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, but instead of responding, he placed two fingers inside of her. In less than a minute she was shattering and collapsing into his arms.
He carried her back to the bed and placed her beneath the comforter. “Now, get another hour or two of sleep.”