Chapter 16 #3
She wasn't looking at him. She was watching her team. She'd found family in an unlikely place and was grateful for it.
But her hand was in his.
And that punctuated everything that needed saying.
* * *
The meal stretched into the evening. They paid, went back to the hotel, and then walked along the beach in the warm Hawaiian night. The team gradually dispersed. Z and Willow heading back first, then Phantom, then the others in pairs and singles.
Eventually, it was just Dan and Raven walking along Waikiki with the surf rolling in and the lights of Honolulu glowing against the dark.
"Thank you," she said.
"For what?"
"For being good with them. For answering their questions. For—" She paused. "For being here."
"There's nowhere else I'd be."
"I know. But still."
They walked in silence for another minute.
Then she stopped and turned to look at him.
"I should check in with Ring," she said. "He'll want an update before tomorrow."
"You should."
"And then—" She didn't finish the sentence; she didn't need to.
And then we should get some rest.
Except they both knew rest wasn't what either of them was thinking about.
He reached up, touching her face gently.
"Yes. Then," he said with a smile.
They walked back to the hotel through Honolulu's warm night and didn't say anything else.
* * *
Their rooms were on the twenty-third floor with a view of the ocean. While Dan waited for her in his room, she took a few minutes to talk with Ring privately. She dropped her bag by the door, pulled out her tablet, and tapped her ear, alerting him that she was ready to talk.
His face appeared on the screen immediately.
"Raven. Good. I was about to ping you. Everything on schedule?"
"Yes. Weather?” she asked and sat down, toeing off her shoes.
“Weather forecast for the Philippines is clear. You'll have good conditions for the approach." He paused. "How's Dan integrating?"
"Pretty good. The team likes him."
"Excellent. That matters." Ring's expression altered slightly. "I've been running continuous monitoring on the Philippines den. No indication they're aware of the operation. Communications patterns are normal. Personnel movement is consistent with the baseline. You should have tactical surprise."
"Copy that."
"One more thing. I've identified three potential contingency sites the Scroll might use if the den is compromised. I'm sending you the coordinates now. If Alexei escapes, those are your secondary targets."
The data was populated on her tablet. Three locations, all within the Philippines, all remote.
"Got them," Raven said. “Are we cleared to pursue if that happens?”
“You are.” Ring was quiet for a moment. "Make sure everyone comes home, Raven."
"Whatever it takes."
"As long as it takes. Ring out."
The screen went dark.
She set the tablet down, then tapped her earbud to ensure Ring wasn’t lurking and looked at the door connecting her room to Dan’s.
Crossing the room, she opened the adjoining door.
The sound of the shower running drew her to the bathroom.
He was under the stream of hot water. His back was a patchwork of scars, a testament to the years he’d spent alone, with no one else to count on.
That would never happen again. No matter what happened in the future, she’d be there to support him, to fight with him, and to live with him.
But they had tonight before they faced the world, its problems, and the inevitability of their destiny.
Tomorrow they'd be in the Philippines. Tomorrow the mission would begin.
But tonight … Tonight was theirs.
She took off her clothes and opened the shower door.
* * *
He turned around at the sound of the door opening. The most beautiful woman in the world stood in front of him, and he reached out to her, pulling her into the shower against his warmed skin. Her smile was genuine, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ve never made love in the shower.”
Dan spun her so she was under the warm water. “Neither have I.” Their lovemaking at the compound had been a matter of opportunity. The chance moments when they’d found themselves alone were rare, and they’d made the most of them.
He claimed her lips. The passion she ignited in him was a thousandfold that of when they were growing up.
Watching the woman she’d become had fueled the young love he’d carefully kept alive in his heart.
As his hands moved down her waist, he knew that what she’d given him—love and a chance at the future—was a gift.
Her heart had remained his. She could have moved on, could have forgotten the love they’d shared, but she hadn’t.
She was his. He’d never forget how destiny had brought them back together or how love had mended so many broken pathways.
Her hand found his cock, erect and hot at the thought of making love to her. She stroked him up and down as his hands curved under her butt and lifted her to his waist. She threw back her head and laughed. “If you fall and kill me, I’ll haunt you forever.”
He pinned her against the cold shower wall, and she gasped. “I’ll never let you fall. Never again will I be missing when you need me.”
He claimed her lips again, and with some adjusting, he found her core and let her settle on his cock.
Her back arched away from the wall, and she moaned as he hilted inside her.
It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
He bent down and drew a pebbled nipple into his mouth.
Her hands grabbed his hair almost as if she was afraid he’d move.
Not likely. He feasted on her flesh, moving from one breast to the next, nibbling, kissing, and teasing the tender flesh with his tongue.
Finally, he trailed kisses up to her neck and bit the base of her jaw.
She shivered against him. “Move,” she pleaded.
He made sure his grip on her was solid and then lifted her slightly, dropping her on his cock.
The sounds that came out of her were mesmerizing.
He repositioned them so he could move, bracing her back against the wall, with her legs clinched around his waist. He drove into her warmth.
This, with this woman, was addictive and limitless.
The freedom of loving her in person, out loud, and uninhibited was a sensation that hooked him faster than any drug could have. She was his world and always had been.
Her nails dug into his back. “More.” He smiled against her shoulder. “You know I can’t resist you.”
She laughed. “Then give me what I want.”
He drove into her and at a faster pace. Her breathing became ragged.
He lifted a bit to watch her. Her eyes were barely open, and the dark lashes surrounded her gorgeous brown eyes.
Her face was flushed, and her lips full from their kisses.
He shifted a bit, moving his angle, and watched as she exploded.
He fought to keep from following her over, but it was no use.
When her body pulsed against him, he knew he’d lost. He braced one arm on her back and one against the wall as he lost himself.
White spots filled the red of his closed-eyed vision as he came.
The heat at the base of his spine ripped through him, and he groaned through the crest of their love.
They both gasped for air. He held her up and braced himself as the sound of the water in the shower once again filled his senses.
Moving her to the bench in the shower, he took the soap and washcloth and used both to carefully tend to her.
She closed her eyes and let him take care of her.
He massaged her calves and feet before continuing his adoration of her with gentle touches and kisses.
When he finished, he washed quickly and then dried her and wrapped her in a towel. He carried her to the bed and tucked her in under the duvet. He turned off the lights and checked the locks on both rooms before getting into bed with her. She slid up next to him. “I love you.”
He kissed her forehead. “Aishiteru.”
She sighed and, within a minute, slipped into sleep. He held her, knowing tomorrow would bring problems of its own, but for now, for tonight, the love he had for the woman in his arms was … perfect.
* * *
Morning came with Hawaiian sun filtering through the windows of the hotel room in the few minutes before the world woke up.
Dan was already awake. He'd been watching Raven sleep for the past twenty minutes. No matter how many times he woke up beside her, he couldn’t quite believe it.
She stirred, opened her eyes, and looked at him. "Hi," she said.
"Hi."
"We should get moving."
"Probably."
Neither of them moved.
She reached up, caressing his face.
"Tonight we'll be in the Philippines," she said.
"We will be." He was laughing at her in his way.
She dropped her head against his chest. “Stop. I’m trying to say something.”
“But you’re having a hard time doing it.” He chuckled low in his throat and felt her body move as she laughed silently.
“What I meant is this,” She gestured at the space between them. "This has to wait until after."
"I know. I didn’t think we would be making love in the tunnels of the enemy’s stronghold."
She laughed for real this time, and he joined her. “Okay, okay, I deserved that.”
“Yeah, you did.”
"But I wanted you to know. Before we go in. I wanted—" She paused. "I want this."
He kissed her. Gentle. The kind of kiss that said I understand and I'm with you and We'll have time for this after. “I’ve always wanted this.” He kissed her again.
"We should get ready," she said when he drew away.
There was no more putting off the problems of tomorrow for tomorrow had arrived. He sighed. "Unfortunately, I agree. "
* * *
The team assembled in the hotel lobby at 0900, everyone looking rested and alert.
Z was grinning. Willow was calm. Phantom looked like he'd slept twelve hours and was ready to run through walls. The rest of the team was equally prepared.