She shook her head, meeting his eyes.“I want to taste you.”
Jesus.He groaned and dropped his head back, memorizing every sensation until white light flashed behind his eyelids and he growled his release.She continued to pull him deep into her mouth, stretching out each stroke of pleasure.When he regained his equilibrium and glanced down, she gave him a shy smile.Her skin was flushed and glowing from the steam, her pink-tipped breasts full and begging for his mouth.He was going to carry her inside, to his bed, and worship her like she deserved.He lifted her into his arms, kissing her rosy cheeks, and carried her up the stairs of the spa.
He put her down briefly to wrap a thick towel around her body, then crouched to grab their discarded clothes that were floating on the top of the water.He pulled them out and laid them on the deck before wrapping a towel around his waist.Sliding open the glass balcony doors, they stepped inside.Milo was still asleep on the couch, swaddled in blankets.He turned and had yet to close the door when his cell phone sounded in a shrill ring.
He scooped her up, kissing her temple, and began to walk them toward the bedroom.
“You’re not going to get that?”she asked as he stalked down the hall.
“No.I’m going to ignore it.”Even when he kicked open his door and set her down, the phone continued to ring.It stopped several times, only to start up again.“Fuck.”
“It’s okay.Answer it.I’m not going anywhere.”She reached up and brushed her fingers over the side of his face.
“Okay.”He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before pacing back to the kitchen to get his cell phone, fully prepared to tear into whoever kept calling.He glanced at the screen, recognizing his office number.
“Hello?”he said sharply, leaving no room for anyone to question his displeasure at being bothered.
“Boss, it’s Jon.The police picked up a man that fits Ivy’s description.Thought you’d want to know that he’s been eager to talk.He’s admitted to being at the estate the day Ivy was there inspecting and said there’s about two dozen kids in various locations that were scheduled to be brought there.”
“Good work, Jon.”He placed one hand on the stone counter and breathed a sigh of relief.If only every mission could start with such a big lead.
He could hear Jon walking through the office.“Are you going to come in and interview him yourself?”There was a click as the door opened and closed.
In the background, a man was muttering something to Jon, and he recognized that his agent must’ve just walked back into the interview room.“No, I trust you and the team to gather the necessary information.When I get in tomorrow, we’ll see what else he has to say.Let’s try to get him to give a last name for Leo.”It was a big step for him to relinquish control, but for once he had something more important than being at the office.He knew his team would take care of the case, making it a top priority.
“Thank you, sir,” Jon said.
Instead of grappling with the loss of control, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.Then the sound of glass shattering and raining over the tile floor pierced his ear, followed by the ricochet of the phone falling to the floor.A series of succinct pops followed.
“I’ve been hit,” Jon cried out.“Long-range weapon.Sniper from the adjacent rooftop.”
“Hold on, Jon!Help is on the way.”
Ivy was running down the hallway, her footsteps echoing on the wooden floor.“What is it?What happened?”
“A shooting at my office building.”
Before he could ask her to make the call, she grabbed her own cell phone.“I’m dialing emergency services,” she said.Ivy relayed the information to the dispatcher while he stayed on the line with Jon, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay and hoping like fuck he wasn’t lying.He dug his fingers into the unwavering granite, fighting for calm.After several minutes he realized that John had stopped responding.Someone was shouting orders and could hear various thuds and the creak of metal.The phone must have been left on the ground unnoticed.He tossed his own phone onto the countertop and ran into the bedroom, pulling on a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt.Ivy was rummaging through the duffel bag that Jess had given her, pulling on clothes, while somehow moving at the same time.
“You don’t need to get dressed.Stay here.I’ll be back as soon as I can.Don’t open the door for anyone.”Making difficult decisions in the field was second nature to him, but not when it came to Ivy.He didn’t want to bring her to his office where one of his men had just been shot, but the idea of leaving her alone also made his stomach clench.
“Nope.I’m going with you.I get that you have a job to do, and I promise I won’t interfere, but honestly, I’m scared to be here by myself.”Without waiting for a reply, she dashed into the living room and picked up the sleeping cat, then tucked a can of the milk and the remainder of the bottle from the refrigerator into her purse.
He appreciated her ability to be decisive and somewhat stubborn.It took the weight of the decision off his shoulders when she simply told him she was coming along.It hadn’t escaped him that this might be an elaborate plan to flush him out of the building, leaving Ivy vulnerable.While he didn’t think that was likely, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to her.The sniper who’d shot Jon was most likely long gone by now, and law enforcement would be swarming through the area.
It only took her a few seconds to gather her things, cross the room, and grip his hand.They walked quickly down the hall and took the elevator to the parking garage.After he got her and the kitten settled in the passenger side, he jogged around the car, his boots slapping against the paved concrete, and got behind the wheel.He reversed out of the space then drove to the exit, quickly glancing to the left and the right before peeling out of the garage.
The Department of Homeland Security’s satellite office was only ten minutes from his apartment complex.Despite the late hour, though, there was still plenty of traffic on the road.
“Do you think I should check in on Ash and Jess?”Ivy looked at him with worried eyes.
“Yeah.I haven’t heard anything different from the security detail, but I’d feel better if you talked to them.”He glanced back at the road, switching lanes to get around a slow sedan.
He watched as Ivy lifted the phone to her ear and felt a knot of anxiety dissolve in his gut when she started speaking to Jess.She hung up with promises to call later and turned to him.
“They’re okay.Nothing out of the ordinary is going on there.”
“Good.”
