Chapter Ten
Isaac gritted his teeth as their morning, which was peaceful given the situation, turned to shit. Rowan was keeping Sabrina entertained while they called Gus from the office. There was an alternative office that doubled as a safe room with computer feeds from each camera around the property, a hidden exit, and a cache of weapons, but this office was truly just that—a space to work on the computer or talk on the phone. Christ, if there was ever a time he hoped a secure line didn’t get hacked, it was right now. He tightened his hold on Julie’s hand. Her expression was stricken as the phone rang once, then twice.
“Who’s this?” Gus’s voice boomed to life inside the small space.
“Gus. Thank God you’re okay.” Julie’s voice shook with relief and her posture visibly relaxed at the sound of his voice.
“Fuck, Jules. You’ve taken ten years off my life in the last twelve hours. You’re alive. Are you or Sabrina hurt? Where are you? Is Isaac there?”
“No one’s hurt,” Jules said leaving out the concussion she’d most likely received in the crash, and the scrapes, bumps, and bruises. “And Isaac is here.”
Gus released a long, shuddery breath, and then another voice was audible over the line. “What is it? Did they find them?” Sasha’s voice edged on hysterical, and the line went muffled as Gus murmured something to soothe her.
“Putting you on speaker. Sasha is here. Easton and Kinley are out aiding the search. Should’ve followed you last night, Isaac. Thank you for getting them out. Thank you for getting to them before The Unified Brotherhood did. Shit, when no one was in the crashed vehicle we all feared the worst. Is Tyler with you, too?”
His jaw clenched. “Agent Dawson? No. I wasn’t leaving Jules and Sabrina unprotected. He’s missing?” He glanced at Julie, her eyes were wide with horror.
“When Lena and her team arrived at the scene, the car was empty,” Sasha said softly.
There was a brief twinge in his chest for leaving the man behind, but he locked it away. He had no room in his heart for guilt. Not when pulling the agent from the wreckage could’ve cost Julie and Sabrina their lives. “We got out of town, hooked up with a friend of mine. We’re bugging out until the threat blows over.”
“Where are you?” Gus’s question sounded more like a demand. If their roles were reversed Gus would be tight lipped about their location, just like there was no way in hell he’d be giving their hideout away—not only out of respect for Rowan, but for his brother’s safety and theirs.
“Somewhere secure, but we were followed. I stopped for supplies. Thought we were in the clear, but they found us. Both were eliminated.”
“The Walmart in Maine.” Sasha whispered. “There was something about a suspected homicide on the news. Oh, thank God you’re all okay.”
“Anything on Vesey?” He didn’t want to confirm or deny where they were apprehended, although Sasha had nailed it right away. Even if the FBI did find out they’d been in Monson, the safehouse was tucked into the mountains over four hours away from where they’d been. Once the police reviewed the security footage, they’d be placed at the scene anyway, but that was a problem they’d deal with later.
“Easton’s tech team is working the case. They reviewed the footage from Vesey’s personal security camera and got the license plate number of the car. Easton said Vesey appeared unresponsive when he was put into the trunk. Things aren’t looking good for him on several fronts. Transactions were made between Vesey and The United Brotherhood, and not all of the funds used were from the bureau. Easton’s working another angle, said to trust no one. The route your convoy took last night was leaked. That leak came directly from the local field office.”
He clenched and unclenched his free hand as a prickle of anxiety burrowed in his chest and began to spread. “Shit. That’s not good. If it was only Vesey double-dipping between the bureau and the Brotherhood this would be messy, but another leak means we might be hiding out for a while.”
“Easton’s been trying to get a lock on it since the crash. As soon as he can dig up enough evidence to support his theory, hopefully things will start to move quickly. Both men that were at Vesey’s house the day he went missing, the one Kinley shot and the one who drove the vehicle away, are both low-level drones in the organization. Every law enforcement entity is working to find the man behind the wheel. Once we know how he gets his orders, we’ll have more to work with.”
“We’ll check in every eight hours.” He gave Julie’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
“If it’s safe to do so, make it six,” Gus said. “And there’s something else. Shortly after the agents got to the crash scene, Lena went missing. She was seen by several other agents walking away from the scene, and her phone was found in a nearby alley.”
“Do you think she was taken, too?” Julie’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Either that, or she has something to hide.” Gus was suspicious by nature, not that he and Easton weren’t. They’d all been hurt, and they’d all learned deceit could hide in the most familiar places.
“Maybe she discovered the same thing Easton has, and doesn’t know who to trust.” And that was Julie. Despite everything, she always looked for the good. Her compassion was one of the many things he loved about her.
“Either way, stay vigilant. Isaac, I’m assuming you’ve come clean with Julie?”
Right away, Julie’s gaze connected with his. Those huge hazel eyes, so damn pretty, searching his face. He cupped the back of her neck and kissed her, brief and hard, on the mouth.
“Yeah. She knows I’m in love with her,” he said, eyes still locked on the woman that owned his heart.
“If I wasn’t so damn relieved that you’re both alive, I’d be gagging at the sound of you two kissing. Not ready to wrap my head around it, but I’m happy if you’re both happy.”
“I think it’s the best, most amazing thing ever.” The smile was distinct in Sasha’s voice.
“The other night I was the best, most amazing thing ever,” Gus grouched.
“You’ll always be that.”
“And on that note, we’ll talk to you in six hours. Love you guys.” As soon as Julie was done saying the words, he disconnected the call and hauled his woman into his lap. The oversized leather chair had more than enough space for them both with Julie straddling him. He was instantly hard, straining against the zipper of his jeans.
Right away, she sought his mouth, kissing him gently before tracing the seam of his lips with her tongue. He opened for her, and just like this morning, awakened the ravenous desperation that laid dormant for far too long. Her hands ran up his chest, igniting a full-body shudder, and tangled into his hair. His fingers ached to touch her, and he skimmed the soft strip of skin visible between the gap of her pants and shirt. She sucked in a quick breath, and he stilled.
“Can I touch you?” His voice was ragged, but he didn’t give a shit. This was Jules. There were no games or pretenses. Just the two of them. How it was always meant to be.
“You don’t have to ask. I’m yours.” The breathless consent had his body reeling. Jules kissed him again, and he consumed her. Before the call, he’d locked the office door just in case Sabrina gave Rowan the slip and wandered in. Now he was glad. His hands trembled as he explored the silk of her skin beneath her cotton shirt, loving curves of her hips, the smooth lines of her back beneath the pads of his hands. With every stroke and touch, the ache pulsing through him built. He wanted to bury himself inside her, be connected on every level, but he didn’t want their first time to be in a chair in his friend’s office.
He worked higher, tracing the outline of her full breasts, and she arched her back, urging him on. He stroked his hands closer to her midline and her nipples, hard beneath the thin material of the sports bra, pressed into his palms. She gasped when he circled his thumbs over the points, dropping her hips down against him. He didn’t waste any time tugging at the elastic material, pushing both her shirt and the bra up and over. He broke the kiss as he palmed the lush mounds in his hands. He was breathing fast, his heart pounding as he leaned in and sucked one of the tight buds into his mouth.
Julie gripped his hair as a strangled sound broke from the back of her throat. He’d been worried it wouldn’t be like this. That he would be triggered in some way. There was no telling if things would be different when they actually had sex, but right now, her pleasure was fueling his own. He’d never felt desperate to be joined with someone before. When Jules rocked her hips against him, though, he thrust up to meet her, wishing there was no barrier between them. With one last swirl of his tongue he leaned back. The sight of her strained nipples, rosy and wet from his tongue made his cock pulse.
She waited for him to make the next move. With her pupils blown out and pink flush working up her cheeks, she looked like a porcelain doll. She might be as beautiful as any sculpted glass, but she was anything but fragile. She’d been strong for them. Unbreakable. Where most would’ve quit and moved on, Julie persisted.
“I love you, Jules.” He dipped his hands beneath the waistline of her leggings, pushing the material down over the gentle ridge of her hips. Their eyes were locked as he slipped his hand beneath her underwear. Her lips, swollen from kissing him, parted, and when his fingers glided along her soaked center, gathering the moisture and circling the sensitive spot between her legs, she gasped. Never looking away, he continued to stroke her, loving the way her body shuddered beneath his fingers. She hid nothing from him. Every sigh and expression of pleasure on her face were for him and him alone. With a gentle touch, he eased one finger inside her while keeping contact with her clit, because each time his fingers hit that spot, her breath quickened. She was so fucking tight.
“Isaac,” Her eyes were clouded with pleasure so he continued. It wasn’t long before her thighs started to quake, and he watched in absolute wonder as she shattered for him. So fucking beautiful. She stilled for a moment to catch her breath, then shocked the shit out of him by shimmying off of his lap to her knees. Her fingers fumbled with his zipper.
“I want to touch you, too. Is that okay?” Her expression was dazed, but hopeful.
“You don’t have to ask. I’m yours.” He said, giving her words back. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth as she worked to release him from the confines of his jeans. His vision blurred with pleasure when she wrapped her hand around him.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, looking up at him with wide, innocent eyes. Then she lowered her head, gaze never leaving his, and swirled her tongue around his tip. His hips nearly shot off the chair.
“Jesus, Jules.” He dug his fingers into the cushion of the chair as she took him deeper, flattening her tongue along his shaft before pulling back up. She smiled, a wicked little grin, and did it again, adding her hand into the motion. Her still exposed breasts bounced with each movement. The visual combined with the sensations she was eliciting had his whole body tense and ready to snap. “Baby, move back. I’m gonna—” The words died in his throat as she doubled her efforts. He tightened his death grip on the chair as his body jerked with such intensity, his vision blurred. Pleasure shot through him. He couldn’t stifle the roar that tore from his lungs. Jules slowed, wringing out every unforgettable sensation she’d brought to life while bringing him down easy. Then she pulled back and swallowed, resting her head on his thigh. He stroked her hair as they both regained their equilibrium.
“Fuck, Jules. That was…” he struggled to find words to sum up exactly what it was.
“Perfect.” She smiled up at him.
He playfully pinched the tip of her nose. “Perfect,” he said, smiling back. Despite the shit going on around them, he’d never been so content, happy, or at peace.