She nods and opens the door, leaving me to grab our bags and weapons. I lock up the truck and guide her to the building's back entrance, which requires a code that I punch in from memory. Then I open the door and lead her in and directly up the back staircase, which reeks of human urine and cigarette smoke. It's not pretty, but it's functional and safe.
The apartment is basic—one bedroom, a small kitchen, and a bathroom that's seen better days. But it's secure and the windows are covered and nobody will look for us here. I drop the bags near the door and turn to find Sabine standing in the middle of the living room with her arms wrapped around herself and tears starting to track down her face.
"My fucking God. My life is over…" Her words come out choked and broken. "Everything I worked for. Nine years of service and I just destroyed all of it in ten minutes of unauthorized access. They're gonna court-martial me, Jace. They're gonna send me to prison and I'll lose everything, and it won't even matter because Bryan will still be out there and?—"
"Stop." My hands grab her shoulders and pull her against my chest, cutting off the spiral before it consumes her completely. "Stop… You did what needed doing, and now we handle the consequences together." I press a kiss to her forehead and wrapmy arms around her. "I'm not letting you go to prison. And we're gonna take that fucker down."
Her hands clutch at my shirt and she's crying now, really sobbing. My arms hold tight while she shakes apart against me. "We're gonna finish this. But first you need to breathe and trust that I've got you."
Her breathing eventually slows and the crying subsides into occasional hitches, and when she finally pulls back to look at me, her eyes are red and swollen but clearer than they were. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually this unstable."
"You just committed career suicide and fled federal custody." My voice is calm because I'm not trying to rattle her again. "Being unstable is appropriate, given the circumstances."
"What do we do now?" she asks, and it's oddly comfortable as she slides her arms around my chest and returns the embrace. I didn't mean to end up this way, but once again she needed comfort and here I am, wrapped up in her.
"Now, you calm down. Now, you relax. We don't have to think about anything else for as long as it takes you to get your nervous system settled." It can be days, but it can't be weeks. I won't tell her what happens to me if I don't get back to Barone by Christmas with a confirmation of the list. All hell will break loose.
"Okay," she says, sighing, but I still feel how tense she is. "Well, what do you do to relax when you commit a felony?" Sabine stares up at me with wide eyes and an open heart, and I don't have the guts to tell her the truth. What I do is stupid and reckless, and given how sketchy my position is with Barone, it's not going to happen. Drinking myself stupid isn't a good idea.
"I, uh… Sometimes I…" I'm not sure what to say here. I feel tongue tied.
"Well, spit it out. It's not like I think you do yoga or something." Sabine is taking a stab at using humor to calm herself, and it's arousing. Even in her shock, she's tapping into her training and trying to pull herself together.
"Well," I tell her, starting to collect myself and get an idea, "I could think of something that would help us both relax, but I'm not sure how smart it is."
She doesn't look away. Not when I find myself looking down at those full, plump lips, not when I feel my dick twitch and inadvertently grind my hips against her thigh, and not when I let the palm of my hand smooth over her ass and grab her.
She lifts up on her tip toes and kisses me hesitantly, watching my eyes the whole time. And I don't pull back. I let her kiss me softly, then watch for my reaction, and then she kisses me again.
I take the kiss deeper, letting her feel who’s in charge now. My hand tightens on her ass, pulling her flush against me so she can’t miss how hard I already am.
“Easy, sweetheart,” I murmur against her mouth. “You want to feel better? Then you let me take care of everything. You don't need to think about anything. Just do exactly what I say.”
She nods and watches me as I start backing her up.
“Good girl.” I walk her backward until her shoulders meet the wall beside the door. “Hands flat right here.” I guide her palms to the peeling paint above her head. “Don’t move them until I tell you.”
Her fingers splay obediently and the position lifts her chest, makes her arch just enough to press into me. I start with the hem of her uniform shirt, unbuttoning it slowly, kissing every inch of skin I uncover. “Look at you,” I praise, voice low. “Shaking already and I’ve barely touched you. You need this, don’t you? Need me to make it all quiet in that pretty head of yours?”
“Yes,” she whispers. "God, Jace…"
I push that stiff cotton off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground and her sports bra is next. I hook my fingers under the band and drag it up, watching her breasts spill free. My mouth waters.
“Beautiful,” I breathe, cupping them, thumbs brushing her nipples until they tighten. “You have no idea how sexy you are, soldier."
She whimpers when I lean down and take one into my mouth, sucking slow and firm, tongue flicking until her knees buckle. I steady her with a hand on her waist.
“Stay still now, sweetheart. Let me taste what’s mine.”
I switch sides, lavishing the same attention until she’s panting, hips rocking for friction I refuse to give yet. Only when she’s trembling do I sink lower, kissing down her stomach while I pop the button on her slacks.
“Lift,” I order, tapping her hip. She raises one foot, then the other, letting me strip the fabric and panties away in one motion. I stay on my knees, looking up the length of her naked body.
“Spread your legs a little wider. Show me how much you want to please me.”
She steps out instantly, thighs parting. I reward her with a slow kiss to the inside of one knee, then the other, working higher.
“That’s my good girl,” I murmur against her skin. “So obedient when you’re desperate. You’re going to keep those hands right where they are while I decide exactly how I’m going to ruin you tonight.” I stay on my knees between her thighs, palms gliding up the backs of her legs until my thumbs brush the soft crease where thigh meets hip. She’s trembling, beautiful little shivers that make her breasts quiver.
