Her body does things to me I can’t explain, don’t ever remember feeling before. Another taste, another desperate cry, and I bury myself inside her, balls-deep. But again, I only give her enough to feel the gooseflesh under my hands as I wrap my arms around her.
Scoring my teeth over her nipple, I savor the way she arches her back, offering me her breasts like a banquet to feast on.
I want to taste her again, but she wraps her legs around my hips, and it’s like I’ve come home after a lifetime of exile.
“You’re mine, Dax Holloway,” Evianna whispers against my neck. “And I want you to make me come.”
I’ll give her anything, and so I slant my lips over hers, thrusting harder as I slide my fingers into her hair. Angling her head, I trail kisses along her jaw, to her neck, and when her muscles start to quiver, I bite down, just enough to send her flying over the edge.
Her hoarse cries, the way she writhes under me…it’s all too much, and I shout her name as I lose myself to this woman I think…I just might love.
Evianna
Dax’s alarm blares a little after seven, and I roll over with a groan. He’s not in bed, and from the other room, I think I hear…grunts and heavy breathing? When I peek out the door, my jaw drops open.
Shirtless, wearing only his briefs, his feet hooked under the couch, he works through a set of crunches, then rolls over for pushups.
“Like…what…you see?”
“Y-yes. Very much. How long have you been up?” I lean against the wall watching his muscles cord and flex with each precise movement.
“Not…long.” After another ten pushups, he gets to his feet and stifles a wince. I rush to his side, but he holds up his hand. “I’m fine, darlin’. Just a headache. Happens sometimes. Grab my glasses for me? Left ‘em by the bed.”
By the time I press the glasses into his hand, he’s cracked the seal on a bottle of water from the little mini-fridge and donned his robe. “Darn,” I tease. “I kind of liked the briefs-only look.”
Dax slides his arm around me, giving a little tug on the robe’s belt. “If we had time, I’d take you back to bed. But…” His face sobers, and he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, “Evianna, I know I’m an ass. It’s part of my training. We have it drilled into us, every single fucking day, that if we aren’t on top of our game, people die.”
Frowning, I wrap my fingers around the robe’s lapel. “But you work as a team, right? And you have to trust them.”
“Implicitly.”
“I’m part of your team, Dax. I don’t have your training. I’ve never shot a gun. Never killed anyone. Never had my life threatened—until this past week. The most dangerous thing I’ve ever done is slap an old boss when he tried to feel me up late at night during a major network upgrade. I was twenty-three and scared out of my mind. Or so I thought. That was nothing compared to the other night.” With a hard swallow, I continue. “But I know my job. Alfie’s code. What she can…and can’t do. I know my office. My team…well…most of them. You can’t just keep me hidden and hope this goes away. You need me.”
Dax brushes a thick lock of hair away from my face. “I know I need you. But I also need you to be safe. And if I can’t touch you or hear you, I can’t protect you. Do you understand how hard that is for me?”
“I…I think so. Just…talk to me, okay? We’ll both go to the server room, but you have to do exactly what I say. I know where the security cameras are, and I can get us in and out quickly. It’d be easier if I were alone, but we’ll handle it. Together.”
His gentle kiss reassures me. We can make this work. Tonight’s little adventure…and us.
Two blocks from my office, Dax’s phone announces, “Call from: Ford.”
Dax scrambles to tap his Bluetooth, and when the call connects, his voice is strained. “Ford, where are you?”
I touch his arm, offering whatever silent support I can. “Trevor have any ideas?” he asks.
“We’re here, Evianna. I can walk you to the elevator,” Clive says.
I don’t want to leave Dax. Not when he looks like his world is about to end. Leaning in, I whisper, “Call me when you can,” and he nods, then grabs my hand as I’m about to get out of the car.
“Evianna? Be careful. I…I need you safe.”
As I shut the door, Dax slams his fist against the seat in front of him. “Goddammit, Ford. What the fuck were you thinking?”
Clive cringes as we head for the building. “That’s…not good. Boss needs to hire a few more guns. Sounds like Ford could use ‘em.”
“Guns?” My voice isn’t completely steady, but I glance over at the sandy-haired man with the easy smile next to me.
“Dax is Special Forces. Trevor is former CIA. I did a stint for the FBI, but I’m also a former Army Ranger. Ford…he’s a marine. Ella was army, then a cop until she was shot in the line of duty. We’re all officers. Our job is intelligence. A few years ago, Dax brought in a couple of hired guns—former enlisted guys who couldn’t plan worth shit, but who could fight like nobody’s business. But…they didn’t work out. We didn’t have enough work for them. But now…I think we might.”
