Chapter 14
Ashlin was wide awake at the ringing of the phone. She reached for hers, only to realize Clint was already talking to someone and crawling out of bed. He came around to her side and pulled the covers back over her shoulders.
“Sorry, Tiger, I’ve got to take this.” He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. “Go back to sleep. I won’t be long.”
She rolled over onto her side and instantly fell asleep again.
A heavy arm draped over her, and talented fingers played with her nipples. She rolled to face Clint. “Everything okay?”
He hesitated just a few seconds too long before he answered, “Yeah. Recruiting sent me a new senior NCO, but I had already promoted from within. He’s getting checked into the hotel now. I’ll meet him at breakfast.”
Ashlin pulled her hand out from under the covers and checked her watch.
She smiled at the naked man in bed with her as she slid her hand down his rock-hard abdomen to his impressive cock.
“I have time for one more big O if you’re up for it.
” She stroked him from base to tip. “I’d say that answer is yes. ”
She debated swinging her leg over his hips and gliding down, riding him once again.
“Can you stay the night?” Clint gently moved a strand of hair from across her face and tucked it behind her ear, retracing the curve once again with his fingertip.
“No. We both have to work tomorrow morning, and I didn’t bring my go bag.
” If invited back tomorrow, which was actually later that day, she would bring a change of clothes.
She had never woken up in the same bed as her husband.
That needed to be rectified immediately.
She understood why Piper preferred to stay with Kenner rather than the rest of the team at their DuPont Circle condominium.
There was something much more personal, as though they were building a life beyond their teams. A life together.
Their jobs became just that: jobs. Their lives together had taken on a much greater importance than anything else.
Yes. She would definitely bring a change of clothes… if invited back.
Clint’s prowess as a talented lover was proven twice more before the sun cracked yellow-and-pink stripes into the eastern edge of the sky.
“I have to get home,” Ashlin whispered with regret.
She needed to shower and change into her civilian clothes.
Because of the mission they were working on, they had been instructed to dress as normal D.C.
office workers. For the first week after returning from their mission in South Sudan, they rode the Metro.
One morning, each of them felt as though they were being tailed.
Katlin immediately ordered transportation for them each way.
Black Swan teams were too valuable to take any chances on their personal safety, especially at home.
“Let’s go now,” Clint suggested. “Can you be ready in ten minutes? I’ll call for a car.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Ashlin said as she rolled out of bed.
“I’ll call for one.” She had several vetted companies on speed dial.
Her team never trusted the rideshares like Uber and Lyft.
There were several dependable black car services in Washington D.C.
with bonded drivers and armor-reinforced cars.
“I insist on seeing you home.” Clint slid on his black jeans from the night before, going commando. “There are only a few services here in Washington that my mom will use. I’ll give them a call.”
Ashlin slid on her soft green blouse and reached for her slacks. “I forget that Lynette is an ambassador. To me, she’s Xena’s mom…and yours.” Ashlin flopped into the corner chair. “Oh my God. My mother-in-law is the chief ambassador for all of East Africa.”
“Yeah, so what. She’s Mom to you.” Clint checked his watch. “Our ride will be here by the time we get downstairs. Get your shoes on.”
He held her hand the entire way to her condo. “You can just drop me off here,” she announced to the driver when he pulled up to the front door.
“No,” Clint insisted. “Wait here,” he instructed the driver. I’m going to make sure she gets into her apartment safely. Then I need you to take me back to my hotel.”
“Yes, sir.” The man, dressed in a starched white shirt, black bow tie, and a suit jacket, nodded and put the car in park. “I’ll be right here when you return.”
Ashlin stepped out, and Clint was right behind her, his large hand on the small of her back. The heat it generated warmed her to her toes.
At the elevator, she pressed the button and turned to him. “Thank you for a wonderful evening.”
“I’m not leaving you here.” The door opened, and they both stepped in.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and went up on tiptoes.
Their kiss was sweet and gentle, but ended all too quickly when the elevator door opened.
They walked quietly to the door of the condo where Black Swans had lived for several years.
Team 1 had occupied the five suites before all marrying and moving out.
Katlin Callahan Wolf, their boss, allowed Team 2 to stay there together to build team cohesiveness.
It was obviously working because their team was so tight, they knew what each other was thinking, especially on an op.
“Good night.” Ashlin gave him one last kiss.
Clint grinned. “It was an exceptionally good night. The only thing that would’ve made it better was for you to stay in my bed until we had to go to work.” He pulled her close and kissed her hard. “Can we do supper again tomorrow night? And maybe you could bring an overnight bag?”
“Absolutely.” She stepped away and grinned. “Besides, you owe me dessert. Chocolate, please.”
“I’ll order you ten chocolate desserts if you spend the whole night with me.”
Ashlin held out her hand. “Deal.” She turned and opened the door. “I’ll text you when I know what time were getting off work.”
He stepped back, kissed two fingers, and pressed them in her direction. “Stay safe, my tiny Tiger.”
She kissed her first two fingers and held them toward him.
“Stay safe, my husband.” She closed the door and locked it, setting the alarm to home.
She slid off her heels and quietly tiptoed to her rooms in the darkness, lit by a single nightlight in the living room.
She stripped off her clothes and threw them in the hamper, deciding to crawl into bed in her underwear.
She could sleep for an hour and a half before she had to get up.
As Ashlin and her teammates walked into the red-brick building that looked like a thousand other buildings in Washington D.C.
, the definition of nondescript, she couldn’t decide whether she was energized and excited from last night or suffering from assadraggin.
She was thankful that her teammates hadn’t drilled her much on the ride to work about her previous evening, and she was able to take a much-needed power nap.
Other than greeting people they met in the hallway, they went straight to their workroom.
Another day of layering satellite photographs, thermal imaging, and night vision images to determine the size of the camp and the number of men that was suspected of being a terrorist training facility.
Around nine thirty in the morning, their boss entered the darkened room with underlit tables. “Ladies, join me in the conference room down the hall.”
They all followed her to the largest meeting room. Hand on the knob, she turned and spoke in a low voice. “Come in and sit down. The other team is already here. They have been briefed on the overall mission. We will meet at the end of the day for a private discussion.”
“Gentlemen, you have all signed nondisclosure agreements.” Katlin walked to the front of the room and stood under the huge screen, while Ashlin and her team took the empty seats at the other end of the huge oak table.
Once seated, she glanced at the other team. Standing to the right of Katlin was Clint. Her Clint. It took every ounce of training Ashlin had ever had to fight back the smile that tried to escape.
“Hey, Clint.” Mia walked up to him and gave him a hug, followed closely by a smiling Kira, Piper, and Kayla. Ashlin popped out of the chair and was the last in line to hug her husband.
He held onto her a little longer than the others. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered into her ear.
“Me, too,” was all she had time to say before she had to step back and take her seat.
Katlin sat in the head chair and smiled.
When everyone had returned to their seats, she announced, “Nothing happens to any of my teams that I don’t know about.
Including Las Vegas. I’m going to consider those few days a teambuilding exercise between Black Swan and Clint Riggs.
The fact that all the Ladies know the team captain is part of the reason that we’ve contracted them.
Besides, Xena’s team was busy. Congratulations, Ashlin and Clint.
Your marriage was one of the negative factors to contracting you, but I used my personal experience of working with my husband on several missions to assure me that the two of you will remain professional. ”
She smiled first at Clint, then down the table at Ashlin. “If your marriage can survive bullets and bombs, it can survive anything, including babies. That’s a whole different story.”
She focused her attention on Clint. “As we’ve discussed, you run your team like a special ops team, same as us.
The whole team is part of the planning process from the beginning.
When this meeting concludes, you will be joining the Ladies in the dark room.
A fresh set of eyes may see new things. You have three days to plan this mission…
together. I expect to be briefed at three o’clock on Friday afternoon.
You can have the weekend off if you don’t need to prep, but you are in the air Monday at oh dark thirty.
You know how to get in touch with me. Good luck. ” Their boss left the room.