Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
NICO
Everything hurt. I rolled over and winced. The wound on my side was throbbing. I had bruises on my arms and legs, and my knuckles were swollen. A moan of pain escaped me as I reached for my phone to check the time. Just after ten in the morning. It was a good thing I didn’t have to go to work. After I called to tell him what happened, Amir insisted I take the rest of the week off and return to work on Monday. That gave me four days to recover.
I thought about going back to sleep, but my stomach took that moment to remind me that my barbecue had been stolen off the roof of my car while I was fighting off my attackers. By the time I’d gotten home from being interrogated, I’d been too tired to do anything but fall into bed.
Fucking Florio had been a nightmare. He’d tried every which way to get me to admit the fight had been a drug deal gone bad. Finally, Officer Jones had called him off and Jon had basically thrown him out of the clinic.
Tony had sent Khamil and Rory to pick me up and drive Gabe’s car back to the house. Sylvie and Holt went to watch over Zach and Miguel’s place. It was still hard to wrap my head around having all these people in my life who were willing to help me. I wasn’t used to it.
I turned my head into the pillow next to me and took a deep breath, hoping to get a whiff of Gabe’s scent. I missed him so much that I’d slept in his bed just to feel closer to him. Tony had called around eleven the night before to tell me the team had successfully completed their mission and would be heading home. He couldn’t tell me when they would land because they would have to stop somewhere to refuel the plane. Croatia was six hours ahead of us, so hopefully, he would be home soon.
I eased myself into a sitting position and wrinkled my nose. I reeked. I hadn’t showered the previous night because I was so exhausted. I slowly got out of bed and found the waterproof cover Jon had given me to put over my wound. I’d have to pick up more later.
I’d just gotten the cover placed over the bandage when I heard the front door slam open. A second later, Gabe’s voice called out, “Nico?”
My stomach flipped and butterflies replaced the hunger pangs. “Up here,” I called.
Feet pounded on the stairs, and moments later, the person I wanted to see most in the world appeared in the bedroom doorway. He didn’t stop until he was standing right in front of me. The way he looked at me made my heart flutter. His eyes were shiny when he whispered, “Oh, baby.” He cupped my face in his big hands and kissed me tenderly.
The emotion in his kiss sank into my soul and something deep inside me cracked wide open. A tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another and another, until they were flowing freely, dripping from my face onto my chest. My body started to shake, and I gasped his name out on a sob. “Gabe.” I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, holding on for dear life.
He folded me in his arms, holding me gently to him, careful not to touch my wounded side. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
I felt him press a kiss on the top of my head, which did not help stop my tears. I buried my face in his chest and finally felt my entire body relax. This was safety, home, and…love. I raised my head to look up at Gabe. He smiled down at me, his own eyes damp with tears. My voice was hoarse when I spoke. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love you.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and tears slipped from beneath his lashes. “I love you too. So much.” Then he lowered his head to take my mouth again.
This kiss was hungry, full of want, need, and more. I opened for him, and he devoured me, exploring my mouth with his tongue. I pressed against his body, his shirt rough against the bare skin of my chest. I could feel the rigid outline of his hard cock through the material of his cargo pants. I slid my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, ignoring the twinges, aches, and pains as my body protested the movement. Our bodies ground together, my own cock straining against my sleep pants. I finally pulled away and gasped. “God, I want you so bad,” I moaned.
He hummed in agreement, brushing his hands up my side. When his fingers brushed over my bandage, he paused. “You’re injured. I don’t want to hurt you.”
I sighed and rested my head against his broad chest. I knew he was right. Everything still hurt. “This sucks.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I know.” He gently touched the waterproof cover over my bandage. “It looks like you were about to take a shower. I can help. Let me take care of you.”
I looked up at him. “Do you mean shower with me?”
“If that’s okay with you.”
I thought about it, imagining Gabe in the shower with me, touching me. All I felt was the thrill of anticipation. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
He put his arm around my shoulders and guided me to his en suite. He turned on the shower and started getting undressed. I stood watching because why wouldn’t I? The man was physical perfection. Once he was completely naked, he put his hands on his hips and quirked an eyebrow at me. I blinked. “What?”
“Are you going to shower in your sleep pants?”
I looked down at my still-clothed lower half. “Oh. Yeah. I guess I should get undressed.” I pushed down my sleep pants and underwear in one go under Gabe’s heated gaze. After I stepped out of my clothes, he opened the shower door for me and let me step all the way inside before he asked, “Are you still okay with me coming in?”
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
He joined me under the warm spray, closing the glass door behind him. I noticed he kept a careful distance from me while my back was to him, and I fell in love with him just a little more. I turned to face him, holding out my hand to draw him closer. “You good?” he asked.
“I am now that you’re here.”
His smile lit up his face, and he kissed me. Then he got the bottle of shampoo from the built-in corner shelves and poured some into his hand. “Are you okay having your back to me so I can wash your hair?”
Instead of speaking, I turned and pressed my back against his body. It felt so good to have him there, solid and strong. He took a small step back and massaged my scalp with his long fingers. I groaned with pleasure as his hands moved back and forth over my skull. My cock filled and thickened in response.
He finally took his hands away from my head and turned me so I could rinse my hair. I closed my eyes as the warm spray washed over me, soothing some of the pain and tension in my body. I met his gaze with what was probably a dopey grin. He glanced down at my rigid dick and smirked. “Seems like you liked that.”
I raised my brows. “You think?”
He sank to his knees. “Maybe I can help you out.” He leaned forward, gazing up at me with those beautiful hazel eyes, and took my cock all the way down his throat in one swallow, enveloping it in the wet heat of his mouth.
“Gabe,” I gasped, my knees nearly buckling. My back twinged a little, but I ignored it in favor of enjoying the pleasure of Gabe’s mouth. I put one hand tentatively on the back of his head while he bobbed on my dick. He paused for a moment to place his hand over mine and press it firmly onto his head. I got the hint and threaded my fingers into his short hair, holding on tight.
Pleasure coursed through me, sending shock waves up and down my spine. I moaned when he cupped my balls. When his fingers brushed my taint, the heat within me rose. My hips bucked, and I froze. “Sorry,” I rasped.
Gabe pulled off me and growled, “Don’t stop. Fuck my face.” Then he once again engulfed my cock with his scorching hot mouth.
I held his hair in a tight grip and thrust into his mouth. He swallowed around my dick, and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer. The slide in and out of his wet heat sent me higher and higher until I felt that familiar pressure begin at the base of my spine. “Coming,” I grunted. He only sucked harder, squeezing my hips in a tight grip.
Waves of pleasure crashed over me as I shot my load down his throat. I was sure the neighbors could hear my moans. When he’d finally sucked down the last drop of my cum, he released my cock and smirked up at me. “That was so hot that I came untouched.”
I looked down to see the remnants of his spend being washed away by the water. I put my hands on his shoulders. “Holy shit. Sex with you just keeps getting better and better.”
He rose to his feet and pulled me into his arms. “That’s because I love you, and you love me. That makes all the difference.”
“It really does,” I said.
“Let’s finish up and get you some breakfast.”
Gabe insisted on washing me rather than letting me do it myself. Honestly, why would I argue about having a hot guy put his hands all over me? He then quickly shampooed his own hair and washed away the sweat and ick from his travels before ushering me out of the shower and wrapping me in a large, fluffy towel. He carefully dried me off, stopping to kiss every bump and bruise on my body. He took off the waterproof cover and made sure my bandage was still on well.
“I guess you would know a lot about bandages,” I said as he gently smoothed the edges of the tape, keeping my bandage secure.
He nodded. “We do a lot of field assessment and wound dressing. The goal is to keep the person alive until we can get proper medical care.”
“Are there a lot of risks for injuries with Marco’s team?” I asked.
“Nah,” he replied with a shake of his head. “We’re usually way better than the people we’re up against.”
That made me feel a little better. As I was about to get clothes from my room, I heard Gabe’s phone ring from the pile of clothes he’d left in the bathroom. By the time he’d fished it out of his pocket, it had stopped ringing. He looked at the screen and frowned. “It was Marco. I’d better call him to find out what he wants.” He returned the call and said, “What’s up?”
He must have put it on speaker because I heard Marco’s voice clearly. “Are you two finished fucking?”
I must have turned a thousand shades of red. Gabe’s expression was thunderous. “What the fuck, Marco? Why are you being an asshole?”
“I’ve been keeping the rest of the team waiting outside for the past hour,” he snapped. “It’s fucking freezing out here.”
“The rest of the team? What for?” Gabe asked. “And why are you outside instead of in your cars on your way home?”
“One of our team was attacked,” he growled. “We take care of our own.”
Oh. Oh wow. Marco had echoed what Tony had said the night before. I met Gabe’s gaze with wide eyes. “I’ll be ready in a minute. I just have to get dressed.”
I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation as I hurried to my room. By the time Gabe had finished his call and was dressed, I had gotten my jeans zipped and was gingerly pulling down my long-sleeved T-shirt. All my aches and pains were returning in full force now that the warmth of the shower and the high of the orgasm had worn off.
Gabe came up behind me and gently wrapped his arms around me. “Let me help.” He pulled my shirt down the rest of the way and kissed the back of my neck. “The rest of the team is waiting downstairs. They brought breakfast with them.”
The backs of my eyes prickled with hot tears. I was part of a team. A family. I didn’t have to do everything alone anymore. “Okay,” I breathed. It felt so good having his arms around me. “My life has gotten so much better since I met you.”