Chapter 18 #2
Luke started for the door, tightening his grasp on her hand as they moved. “One thing.” He paused and pivoted to face Malik. “You saw the contents of the safe, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did your brother have anything in there other than intel to blackmail criminals and terrorists?”
Malik’s brows drew tight. “Yes, blackmail on some Americans.”
Jessica tightened her ponytail before her hands landed on the desk, and she dropped her head. “Are we really believing this guy?”
They were in the room Eva had been staying in instead of the suite with the rest of the SEALs.
Eva’s attention flitted to Luke. With his back against the window and his arms crossed, he looked . . . well, irritated, to put it mildly.
“I think I believe him. It makes sense, actually,” Luke said.
Jessica continued his line of thought. “It’s why Odem didn’t give Ender his code. Plus, we assumed Ender worked for Malik because the CIA made it look like Malik was Odem’s partner. The CIA led us to believe Ender and Malik had Odem murdered.”
“There has to be something in the safe about someone in the CIA, something they don’t want anyone to know,” he noted.
“It could’ve just been Reggie. Maybe he’d crossed paths with Odem before, and when he heard of the exchange, he finagled his way into the mission to—”
“Reggie would’ve ended his career by killing Odem, anyway,” Luke said, cutting off his sister. “He had to have killed him for more than that.” He heaved out a breath. “Not to mention, he’s dead. And I’m betting whoever’s feeding us intel was working with him.”
“That’s easy to figure out then, right?” Eva asked. “Who’s giving you your intel?”
“I wish I knew. We don’t work directly with the agency,” Jessica said softly and turned to face them both. “Do you think Will would tell us?”
“What if he accidentally tips whoever it is off?” Luke shook his head. “We can’t risk letting Will know what happened tonight, not until we have more to go on. You didn’t brief him on what went down with Malik, did you?”
“You asked me not to, and I may not like the idea, but I’m trying to make amends for pissing you off.” She held up an index finger. “I’m giving you until sunrise, though.”
“That’s not a lot of time.” He squeezed his eyes tight. “Will’s not going to like the deal we cut with Malik.”
“Once he knows the truth, he’ll change his tune. He’s not as bad as you always paint him out to be.”
“Do you think you can find Malik’s family by sunrise?” Eva asked.
“I’ve already uploaded the kidnappers’ images into my program.
One guy’s in the morgue; he was with Ender when he took you two.
So, hopefully, we can get a match on the other man and see where he’s been recently.
” Jessica looked at her brother, his eyes still closed.
“Why don’t I give you guys a moment to talk? Come join us when you’re done.”
This must’ve gotten his attention, because Luke dragged a palm down his face and opened his eyes as Jessica strode past him, leaving the room.
“So.” Eva released a quick breath.
He arched a brow. “So.”
She tensed. “Are you angry at me?”
It’d been their first chance alone, and honestly, she didn’t even know how to begin the conversation. A million thoughts pounded in her mind, giving her a headache, but she didn’t want to unleash a flurry of broken sentences that wouldn’t make any sense.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice toe-curling deep. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“Nothing happened to me. I’m fine.”
“It could’ve gone very differently. We got lucky, and I don’t like relying on luck.” His chest lifted and fell as he sucked in sharp breaths.
She placed a hand on his chest, trying to find the courage to speak. But before she could say anything, he grabbed hold of her hips and kissed her.
She stumbled back, hitting the wall, and he swooped her arms up and held her wrists within his one hand, pinning her against him. “I’m mad at you,” he said against her lips and kissed her again.
“Why,” she rasped mid-kiss, “are you kissing me then?”
He tightened his grasp on her hands. “You want me to stop?” His words vibrated against her lips.
She tipped her chin, relishing in the way his body felt against hers. “No,” she cried.
His tongue swept into her mouth, stealing her breath, and the fingertips of his free hand skirted up her dress. A soft caress of her skin left a trail of fire behind, and she angled her head, breaking their kiss to allow his lips to roam over the sensitive part of her neck.
He released his caged hold of her arms, and she brought her hands beneath his shirt to feel his abs. She moaned as he slipped the dress strap off her shoulder to palm her breast. With her back still against the wall, he ravished her like a starving man.
A pool of heat gathered between her legs as her thighs tightened, and it was as if Luke knew what she needed, because he helped her all the way out of her dress to access her sweet spot.
Her head tipped back as her eyes blurred. She was alive—alive to experience the moment. A moment she had sworn to herself she wouldn’t give in to. But how could she resist experiencing another chance to connect with him?
“I want you,” he said gruffly into her ear before lifting her, and she eagerly wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing him to carry her into the bedroom.
He set her down and raked both hands through his hair, staring at her with nearly glossy blue eyes.
His eyes narrowed, and a twitch to his lips hinted at a smile, which had her even more desperate for his touch.
He stepped closer to the bed, studying her.
“Luke.” She rose, and he placed a closed hand beneath her chin, guiding her to his eyes.
“I know what you’re thinking, but we can pencil that conversation in for another day”—she cracked a smile—“because right now, all I want is for you to be buried deep inside of me, and I don’t even care if your friends hear us from next door. ”
This induced a crinkling of his eyes and the temptation of a grin. “How bad do you want me?” He cocked a brow and smoothed his thumb over her cheek.
She squeezed one eye. “On a scale of one to ten, you know—maybe a four point five.”
He laughed this time, and the sound had her nipples hardening and her skin flushing. “What do I have to do to earn a ten?”
“You’re a SEAL. An overachiever.” She bit her lip. “I’m guessing you can get creative.”
“I do love a challenge.” He shoved off his pants and boxers.
She freed herself of her panties, and stood before him as his arms flexed, the biceps popping as he took off his tee. She reveled beneath his stare, her skin like satin beneath her own touch as she tapped her fingers up her chest.
The muscles in his jaw tightened as he pulled her closer, allowing her to forget everything that had happened tonight. “Be with me,” she said against his mouth. “Be with me like tonight’s our last night.”
Because it is, isn’t it?
His gaze darkened before he gently nudged her onto her back on the bed. He braced himself on top of her, and she shimmied against him, loving the feel of him against her already soaked center.
She wanted to feel this man in every possible way, but she needed it to happen before she came undone from the pulses of desire pricking her skin.
His hips rotated slightly, his strong body not crushing her as he held his frame above her, while still being close enough so she could feel his warm skin.
“Please,” she whispered.
He squeezed his eyes tight as if torn, but then he guided himself to her opening, and she bucked against him as the heat of his cock filled her as deep as humanly possible.
Her eyes nearly rolled in the back of her head as she gripped the cut of his muscular arms and held him tight as he rocked inside her, slowly at first as they found each other’s rhythm.
And then he lowered his chest even closer to hers, smashing her breasts against his muscles, and he reached for her hands and threaded their fingers above her head as they made love.
Her eyes flashed closed as a glimpse of the future caught her mind—of her in a pale blue dress with a baby bump.
Emotion punished her, and she was certain that when she opened her eyes she’d be crying.
“Eva,” he said, his voice raw. “Everly.”
He slowed his movements, and she snapped her gaze open, worried he’d stop. “Yeah?”
“You okay?”
She nodded, fighting the tears, and lifted her head to find his mouth. A mewl escaped her lips as he guided his tongue inside, deepening the kiss.
She grew light-headed from the impending orgasm as it swelled inside of her.
Their lips broke and his forehead rested upon hers as he grunted and came along with her—both finding bliss and hiding from the truth of tomorrow.
She’d been caught in the clash of a dangerous mission, but her heart and soul got swept along for the ride, and she knew in that moment there’d be no turning back.