30. Slider
30
SLIDER
I brushed the hair away from her face as she slept peacefully in my arms. I wanted one more day with her. One more fucking day where we could stay in this cocoon and I could pretend that no one was trying to take her from me. But that wasn’t going to happen. She had a funeral to attend, and I was here to keep her safe.
Even sleeping in the same bed as her was making it difficult as hell to keep my head on straight. All the things Cash always told us about separating our personal lives from protective details were kicking into high gear. I saw others go through it and never really gave a shit about whether or not they got involved. But I didn’t understand the stress of it all. Not until I had someone of my own to worry about.
Her chest rose ever so slightly as she rolled toward me in her sleep. Sunrise was still hours away, but I couldn’t sleep when I knew what was going to happen today. Every devastating scenario ran through my head, threatening to overwhelm me. I’d never let a job get to me like this before, but I’d never had a personal stake in it like this. Not even when it was Thumper’s ass on the line when we rescued Bree.
I had a massive concussion from that job, and it felt like I barely made it out alive. He was my friend and teammate. I’d have done anything for him and the job. But now that I knew even an ounce of the terror he went through while we were on the run, trying like hell to keep her safe, I understood just how fucked up a person could get. And I knew deep down that when we walked out that door, I wasn’t going to be able to keep my personal feelings locked down.
I brushed my thumb across her lip and slowly trailed it down her collarbone and over the swell of her breasts. I was already hard thinking about her lying here in my arms. Hell, for the past two nights, I couldn’t sleep unless I was inside her.
Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to touch her like this for days made me lose my fucking mind. I slid the sheet down, bending over to take her nipple in my mouth. Her hands immediately slid around my shoulders as she moaned and pressed her breasts up into my mouth.
“Slider,” she whispered breathlessly.
The way she gasped as she said my name drove me insane. The second she spread her legs, I settled between them and swirled my tongue over her skin, tasting every fucking inch of her.
She arched her back, pushing her pussy up for more, begging me to take her. I could feel her arousal coating my chest as I licked a path down to her clit. Fuck, just the scent of her drove me crazy. Closing my eyes, I inhaled, shoving my nose in her pussy like a mad motherfucker, desperate for his last hit.
“Touch me,” she begged, her fingers snaking down to link with mine.
I captured her middle finger between my teeth, biting gently and sucking her deep into my mouth as I laved my tongue around her. She shuddered, her legs squeezing around me with every lick and taste.
Groaning, I latched onto her pussy, sucking her sweet cream and worshiping her cunt. Fuck, there was nothing like having my face buried in her as she came on my tongue.
“Slider,” she panted. “More. I need more.”
A low growl ripped from me as I went in for another round, my lips sucking her clit as I slid two fingers inside her, curling them to hit the spot that set her on fire. She cried out, her nails clawing at me as I pumped inside her, fucking her hard as she writhed in my arms. I didn’t let up when she drew blood or when she begged me to stop. Tremors wracked her body and sobs poured from her lips, but I kept fucking her hard, preparing her for how I was going to take her when I sank my cock inside her.
With a choked gasp, she flung herself upright, grabbing onto my shoulders as she rode my face, chasing another orgasm. Just as she was spilling over the edge, I sat up and pulled her to me, shoving my cock deep inside her as she tightened around me, spasming so hard I could barely move.
As soon as the worst of the tremors passed, I let her fall back to the bed, keeping her hips glued to mine. With her pussy angled up toward me, I watched as my cock sank inside her, filling her so deep. I gripped her hips, keeping her ass in the air as I pulled out and then slammed back inside her. Cries tore from her beautiful lips as I took her hard and fast. I couldn’t control it, couldn’t stop myself from taking what I needed while she was laid out for me like a fucking goddess.
Her breasts bounced with every thrust and her fingers clawed at my arms. My jaw was locked tight as I chased my orgasm, feeling it pull me deeper and deeper inside her until I finally exploded, shouting as I came harder than I ever had before.
Ragged breaths filled the air as I dropped her legs and fell on top of her, careful not to crush her beneath my weight. Her arms draped over my shoulders lazily as she tried and failed to hold onto me.
“I’ve gotcha, baby.” I rolled to the side and tugged her with me, keeping her tucked into me as her breathing slowly evened out. She was calming down, but my heart was ramping up just thinking about the next few hours and all that I stood to lose.
Brushing her hair back from her face, I knew what I had to do—what I needed so I didn’t fuck this up. She would be pissed as hell at me, but it was the only way I could function and keep her safe. Eventually, she’d understand. And by then, she’d probably want nothing to do with me.
But it would be better in the long run. I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. She was the only thing that mattered. Not even the shreds of my tattered heart compared to what would happen if I didn’t do everything to protect her.
As soon as she passed out, I pulled away from her, knowing it would be harder to do if I waited until morning. It was time to put some distance between us and face the fact that I could no longer protect her the way I wanted. I had too much skin in the game. The stakes were too high, and the price was everything I’d built with her.
I was already showered and dressed by the time she rolled over and shot me that sexy, early-morning grin. I had hoped to already be out of the room when she woke up. It would make things easier on both of us if she didn’t expect me to kiss her and go for another round. As it was, I could pull away without making her too worried. After all, we were leaving in just a few hours. There was a ton of shit to do.
“Why are you out of bed already?” she rumbled, fumbling to reach me.
“I’ve gotta get to work. You should get up and get dressed,” I said, refusing to face her as I holstered my gun.
“Party pooper. After the way you woke me up this morning, I thought for sure you’d take me one more time before we left.” I heard the sheets rustle as she flung them off, and against my better judgment, I glanced over my shoulder, gritting my teeth as I let my eyes wander over her gorgeous curves.
“We don’t have time for that,” I croaked, willing my dick to leave me alone. Fuck, this was a bad time for him to get excited.
“Come give me a kiss,” she grinned, closing her eyes as she puckered up.
Dammit, it was shit like this that was going to get me in trouble. I leaned over and pressed a swift kiss to her lips, refusing to give her time to wind her arms around my neck and pull me in for more.
“That’s it?” she asked, almost sounding hurt that I didn’t give her what she wanted.
“Audrey, we’re leaving this morning and I have a lot to do. Believe me, I’d love to stay in bed with you, but I can’t concentrate if I’m not focused on the job.”
There. I said it. It was out in the open and she knew where I stood. I held my breath as I waited for her to give me some witty retort, but instead, she nodded and got out of bed.
“Okay.”
It was as simple as that. She shot me a wink and grabbed her clothes, pulling them on. It was too easy. There was no argument, no anger in her words. Which meant only one thing—she didn’t fucking understand what I was saying. I turned to her, determined to explain to her what I really meant, but with the happy look on her face and the way she hummed softly, I just couldn’t bring myself to ruin her day.
The door swung open and Spencer walked in as she pulled on her jeans. I rolled my eyes at his intrusive entrance, but I was used to it by now. There were absolutely no boundaries between these two. Where one went, the other followed. And since I was about to remove myself from the picture, it was better if I didn’t cause waves.
“I have to get to work,” I muttered, shoving my way out of the room.
I barely made it down the hall when I ran into FNG grinning at me as he sipped his coffee.
“Yeah, you did.”
“What?” I snapped.
He nodded to the door I’d just exited, grinning at me like the idiot he was. “She’s hot. I mean, I would never tell Honey that. She’s a real-life badass, whereas your woman is a pretend badass, but if we’re going to compare?—”
“FNG!” I snapped.
“Yeah?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Oh. Are we not talking about that?”
“Not with you,” I muttered, shoving my way past him.
As I stomped down the hall, he shouted, “What about Thumper? Are we talking about it with him?”
I ignored him and got to work, busying myself with all the odd jobs no one else liked to do. Yeah, it was bullshit. I was purposely avoiding her, and everyone else knew it. Well, everyone aside from Audrey and Spencer. I saw the knowing looks they shot me when I tried to escape her every time she approached. It was going to be harder than I thought to keep her at a distance, but I was determined to make it work. It had to.
I hauled the bags outside, glancing back at the house as Audrey stepped out on the porch with Spencer, laughing at something he said. Her lips were spread wide and her hair tumbled over her shoulders in chaos that I knew all too well as it tickled my chest as she rode my cock. And those delicate fingers straightening his tie? Those fingers slid over my chest as she laid with me at night and told me about all her favorite times on set over the years.
Fuck, I really needed to stop looking at her. Every time I looked at her, my resolve shredded just a little more. I shouldn’t have even spent last night with her. I should have cut myself off before I got in too deep. Hell, that would have been before I kissed her. But it was too late for that now. The only way forward was through sheer will.
I packed the last of the bags into the back of the SUV and slammed the trunk. Glancing around one final time, I headed to the back seat and slid in beside Audrey. Thumper and IRIS had the front, and Rae was riding with the crazy fuckers who landed in the plane the other day.
“Let’s move,” I said, my voice tight as we backed out of the driveway. My whole body was strung tight since the moment we decided we were headed back to California. With someone trying to kidnap Audrey and Spencer, this still felt like a trap. Even though we confirmed Ginger’s death, I couldn’t help but think that somehow, this was going to get her killed, and after the past few nights with her tucked into my side, I couldn’t stand the thought of anything ever happening to her.
“Are you okay?” Audrey asked, keeping her voice low.
“Of course,” I answered, keeping my eyes trained out the window. I ignored the look IRIS shot me from the front passenger seat. I knew all too well what he was thinking. He didn’t need to call me a pussy for me to understand that was exactly what he was thinking.
“So, after we fly into California, what’s the plan?” Audrey asked. I could tell she was trying to get me to talk. She was nervous and needed the distraction. Unfortunately, if I was the distraction, that meant I wasn’t doing my job.
“We’ll get you to a safe house and keep you out of sight until the funeral.”
“But what about her husband?”
I finally looked over at her, wondering what the hell she was talking about. “We’re not protecting him.”
“No, I mean…I need to see him.”
“Why?”
Her lips pressed in a tight line as her eyes narrowed on me. “Because he was married to her. I need to talk to him.”
“Audrey, the more you’re seen, the harder it will be to keep you safe.”
“I understand that, but if it was your family, do you really expect me to believe you’d just stay hidden?”
I wouldn’t. The truth is, I’d be out there hunting down whoever got my family killed. But I wasn’t the target.
“Audrey, you can ask all the questions you want when this is over.”
“When this is over,” she said slowly. “You mean when people stop trying to kidnap me.”
“Yes.”
“And how long will that take? You don’t even have any leads. You have no idea who wants us or why.”
Tension coiled in my belly at her words. The problem was, she was right. I had no way of knowing how long this would last. We still hadn’t found a single trace of anyone who would want her to disappear or a motive for taking either of them.
“If we take you to see him, it has to be a spur-of-the-moment trip. He can’t know you’re coming.”
“I’m fine with that.”
IRIS glanced over his shoulder at me, nodding in agreement.
“Fine.”
“How long of a flight is it to California?”
“A couple of hours,” I answered as I turned back to the window. “You should try to sleep on the plane. I can’t imagine you’ll have a lot of time to lounge around when we get there.”
My gaze landed on her hand, still wrapped from the disaster the other morning. My stomach churned just thinking about how going to California could end with so much worse than just a burnt hand.
I turned away from her and forced myself to keep watch for the rest of the trip to the airport. I couldn’t focus on all the things that could go wrong. Keeping vigilant was the only way to ensure her safety, and since we were walking into the unknown, I had to shove my personal feelings aside and remember what was at stake.
When we pulled up to the small airport a half hour later, everyone was on guard. Max headed right for the plane, making sure it was fueled and ready to go while the rest of us grabbed the bags and loaded the plane.
“Rae, get Spencer and Audrey onboard.”
She shot me a funny look, clearly irritated with me ordering her around. “Isn’t that something you want to do?” she asked, shooting me a pointed look.
I had to step back. I knew if I held on too tight, I’d end up losing my shit and freaking out at the first sign of danger. Yes, I was a professional, but my heart was getting involved. I felt it for the first time when I saw her place her hand on the burner.
“Just do it,” I snapped.
She didn’t like it, but she took over, getting them over to the plane while I finished with the bags.
“Shoving her off on someone else already?” Thumper asked.
I grunted, not willing to talk about this.
“You know, when Bree was in trouble, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight.”
“What’s your point?”
“It’s just strange that you’re so willing to hand her off like that.”
I clenched my jaw in irritation. “I’m not handing her off. I’m doing my job.”
He nodded in understanding. “Right. Ensuring she’s safe because you don’t trust yourself to keep your hands off her.”
More like I didn’t trust my head. “I’m loading bags. It’s not rocket science. And we’re not in danger right now.”
“Didn’t think we were in danger when we were driving either, but that turned to shit really fast.”
“What do you want me to say?” I snarled. “Do you want me to admit that I’m fucked up over her? Do you want me to tell you that if I stand too close to her, I’m worried I might be thinking more about kissing her than watching for the next threat? That’s not the case.”
“No?”
“No. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. I know I won’t be thinking about kissing her. I’ll be so fucking worried that I’ll let her down that I won’t be able to think clearly about what I’m supposed to be doing. This isn’t about screwing with my concentration over wanting to get my dick wet. This is about separating my head from my heart.”
For just a moment, he actually seemed surprised that I admitted it. I was no coward. I was well aware of the fact that I was falling for her. Maybe not in love, but there was something building between us, and based on the way I freaked out over her hand hitting that stove, I knew I couldn’t keep my head in check. This was what needed to be done for the safety of not only her, but everyone else on the team.
“I gotcha, man. We’ll take over and make sure she’s okay.”
I nodded to him in thanks. I didn’t like it, but this was the way it had to be. So why did it feel like my chest was tightening and threatening to cave in with every second that passed?