Chapter 13 Erryn
ERRYN
Helena’s taste was intoxicating. I had wanted nothing more than to pull her to the edge of that desk and take my time devouring her with my tongue after watching her touch herself so perfectly for me.
But I had walked away to prove to myself that I could, because for a brief moment, I had not been in control.
The moment she had slid into my lap, there was no turning back. I had needed to touch her, my hand drifting up to brush the soft skin of her hip, and I had taken as much as I would allow myself. Just a taste.
She had been dripping for me, desperate for me to touch her, and so perfectly mouthwatering that I had nearly given in.
By the time I had poured myself a glass of water and returned, she had gone, her bedroom door shut.
The only sign of what had just happened were three crimson dots on one of the papers, and the bullets now embedded deep in the wood.
I gathered the reports without really seeing what I was doing, leaving them in a neat stack on the desk before slipping into my own room, my mind replaying the moment she came, her back arched, the muscles of her stomach clenched and outlined against her gorgeous skin, the tips of her curls brushing the desk as she threw her head back, gasping through the intensity.
But I had been here before.
Theo Lancaster had been one of the only agents I let myself get close to.
Too many shared contracts with nights spent together to break the monotony, until it became me seeking her company.
Enjoying it. But we were too similar, neither of us wanting to relinquish control, and had gone our separate ways as much as our professional relationship would allow, given that I was her boss, and she was too much of an asset to reassign to another faction.
Even now, I missed her steady presence in my life, but we were never meant for each other, and when it ended, I vowed never to put myself in a position where my ethics would be in question again.
I thought choosing the wildest of my agents, known for being uncontrolled, would ensure this would never come to pass.
If there was no chance of a dynamic that enticed me, there was no risk.
I had grossly miscalculated.
The image of Helena on my desk was seared into my mind as I undressed, refusing to let my hands drift down and acknowledge how turned on I was.
I forced myself to get into my own bed and not walk the few steps it would have taken me to go to hers, and it stayed with me even as I fell asleep, my dreams laced with the sounds of her pleasure.
Helena had become my addiction. And I wasn’t sure how to regain control.
I woke to the smell of coffee and the muted sounds of Helena moving around the apartment, and slipped into the bathroom to wash and dress, taking my time with both.
She was sitting at the dining table as I finally emerged, one foot hooked up on the seat with a steaming mug in front of her, her attention on her phone.
Those green eyes slid to me as I entered the kitchen, my phone already buzzing in my pocket, and I ignored it for once as I headed straight for the coffee machine.
“Good morning,” I said, busying myself with the machine.
“Good morning,” she echoed, and there was a hint of amusement in her voice that instantly settled the small, uncertain part of my mind into familiar ground.
“I’m trusting you slept well,” I murmured, keeping my back to her.
She hummed in answer, getting up as a soft knock came at the front door. She returned not long after, holding two bags and setting them on the table.
By the time I had finished making my coffee, she had a breakfast of still-warm pastries and fresh fruit set out for us.
“I need to give you an expenses card,” I said, eyeing the food as I sat to sip my coffee. “Your meals are covered under this contract, forward your receipts to fina—”
“Lox,” she said, her voice still rough from sleep. “Shut up and eat. I don’t care about breakfast expenses.”
I glared at her. “Erryn will do.”
My phone rang and I answered it without looking at who was calling.
“Yes.”
“Good morning.” Ben’s voice drifted through the line as I took another slow sip of coffee, my attention still resting on Helena.
“Just updating you on the report that’s come through.
There’s been an issue with the Obáir contract, and the Head is now directly questioning whether this can be salvaged. ”
I frowned, mentally sorting through my active contracts until the name settled into place.
Obáir had been one of the Triarchy’s embedded accountants.
He was conservative and meticulous in his reporting, exactly the kind of man who believed caution made him invisible, and I had suspected for some time that he had been the reason for the financial deficit the previous year.
“What kind of issue?” I asked.
Ben exhaled softly. “Lancaster made contact last night. Obáir was terminated and the security system triggered automatically. Emergency response attended and the entire estate has been locked down for investigation.”
“Lancaster had a termination order. I don’t see the problem.”
“She was unable to plant the files. The digital copies were changed. Not the hard copies, which are now in FBI custody. It seems Obáir was a person of interest in an ongoing federal investigation.”
I let that settle for a moment, my mind already moving ahead to the implications I would need to smooth over. There was four million tied up in Obáir’s estate—properties, liquid accounts, curated investments—and I had arranged for certain documents to surface upon his death.
It had been simple in theory.
Upon termination, the digital version of his will would reflect revised allocations. The Triarchy would recover its losses through discreet beneficiary adjustments, routed through entities that would withstand scrutiny.
Except now the digital and hard copies didn’t match.
Obáir’s amended digital will and estate documents would trigger flags. The original hard copies, still naming their prior beneficiaries, had been seized when federal investigators stepped in. What should have been a tidy posthumous redistribution now looked as dodgy as it was.
Across the table, Helena shifted at the mention of Theo’s name. Not dramatically, or enough to draw attention from anyone who wasn’t looking for it. But I was. Her shoulders tightened almost imperceptibly before she smoothed the reaction away.
“I will tie up the loose threads in Paris today,” I said, keeping my tone even. “Focus on the Vanguard Tech integration proposal. If the FBI investigates Obáir, that is too close to home. I want our systems airtight within the next twenty-four hours. I can approve remotely if necessary.”
“And Lancaster?” Ben asked carefully.
I stared out toward the balcony doors, watching the light shift across the floorboards as irritation coiled low and controlled in my chest. Theo was many things.
Efficient, devoted, and exceptionally capable.
But restraint had never been a defining quality.
In another context, I would have admired that.
In this one, it was fucking expensive and really poor timing.
“Suspend her field clearance pending my review.”
Ben was quiet for a beat. “Understood. The Head is questioning oversight.”
“I’ll resolve it,” I said calmly, and ended the call.
It was too early for this, and I was too fucking uncaffeinated.
Helena got up, moving silently through the room, and I thought she was leaving me alone to question my life choices—including why the fuck I hadn’t just done the accounting course my mother had pushed me to do—when firm hands rested on my shoulders, thumbs sinking deep into the tense muscles at the base of my neck.
I froze, my first response to snap at her caught in my throat as the utter bliss took over, a low groan escaping me as her fingers found a knot in the side of my neck that had been plaguing me for weeks.
“Whatever it is, you will fix it.” Her voice was low and soothing, her body so close to my back that I could feel the warmth of her.
My eyes closed of their own volition, my body relaxing into the sensation of being touched after so long without it. And Christ, she knew exactly where to touch.
“What do you need?”
I hummed softly, trying to grapple my mind back from the edge of the clouds it had flown to.
“Use me,” she said quietly, and I know what she meant, but it threw my mind into the lowest possible gutters. “I’m one of your best, and I am wasted right now.”
I gripped her wrist, tugging her around and into my lap, my hand slipping into the curls at her nape. They had been driving me crazy since I first saw them, and my fingers twisted through the strands until I fisted them tight and dragged her to me.
The kiss wasn’t gentle, but she didn’t hesitate as I took everything I wanted, angling her until I could claim every part of her mouth, my free hand slipping between her legs and gripping her thigh, right where my bullet had skimmed her flesh.
She tensed at the touch, a soft groan escaping as her own hand slid over mine, squeezing harder.
She was breathless as I broke the kiss, nipping at that full bottom lip one last time.
“That is what I needed,” I murmured, white-knuckling the urge to just throw her on the table and do exactly what she had offered. Use her until I felt a little more in control of the clusterfuck my world had become.
“Thank you for breakfast, Helena.”