“Whatever it takes,” Achim finished for him. “Don’t worry, Edric. I’ll take care of everything.”
“You always do, my friend.”
Long after Achim had left, Edric was still in his office. Sitting behind his large, mahogany desk, he studied the framed photo of him with President Russell.
They were smiling and shaking hands, having come to an agreement on the terms of the treaty. Edric laughed to himself, knowing once Gracelynn McDaniels was in his possession, he’d have everything he needed to destroy Russell and the precious United States of America.
* * *
Nate stole another glance at Gracie. She was sitting between her sister and Kole in the conference room while they waited with the rest of the team.
They’d all arrived twenty minutes ago, but Jake had gotten caught up with something at home and was running a few minutes late.
After a tearful reunion in the office’s reception area, Nate and Kole had escorted Gracie and Sarah back here to go over everything and figure out what their next move was.
He and Gracie hadn’t spoken a whole lot this morning, outside their awkward greeting in the kitchen and small talk over Pop-Tarts and coffee.
Knowing she was more than ready to see her sister again, Nate hadn’t wasted any time getting her here.
Sarah had brought her a change of clothes so she wouldn’t have to wear what she slept in. Although, if it were up to Nate, she’d wear nothing but his favorite shirt. Forever.
Not that the T-shirt and denim capris she had on now weren’t every bit as sexy. Hell, the woman could be wearing a moo-moo and she’d still look good enough to eat.
Nate shifted in his seat as his cock began to swell. He really needed to get a grip on his hormones. But, fuck.
All he’d thought about since last night was that goddamn kiss. That, and how—had he not been a complete dumbass—it would have turned into a whole hell of a lot more.
He was just so taken off guard when she’d kissed him like that. He knew he should’ve stopped her sooner, but a bigger part…okaytwobigger parts…wanted nothing more than to feel those full, supple lips on his.
So, like a complete loser, he’d waited for her to make the first move.
Then, when she did kiss him, what did he do? He stood there. Frozen. Just like the geeky, high school dork he used to be.
Thankfully, he finally got his ass in gear and kissed her back, and ho-ly-fuckcould she kiss! Their tongues met, and his dick went from half-mast to ready-to-explode in less than a second.
It was a damn good thing he stopped her when he did, because had her fingers made it down any further, he would have completely and unequivocally embarrassed himself.
Guilt settled in his gut again. He hated knowing Gracie had been embarrassed afterward. Nate could tell she thought it was because he didn’t want her, which was the farthest fucking thing from the truth.
He’d tried to tell her that, too, but she’d changed the subject to food, and he was such a chicken shit, he’d let her.
Because of that, he’d then been forced to lay there all night, knowing she was alone in his bed…wearing that damn shirt.
For the first two hours, he did nothing but shift this way and that, trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Of course, that was an impossible task when his dick was as hard as a fucking two-by-four between his legs.
For a minute, he’d considered going in and taking a shower in the second bathroom so he could relieve the pressure and maybe get some rest. In the end, he decided against it.
For some reason, jerking off to thoughts of Gracie while she was in the very next room made him feel like a creep. Instead, he’d tried to think of anything and everything that wasn’t sexual, eventually falling asleep.
The door to the conference room opened, and Nate blinked rapidly as he brought his thoughts back to the present. Kole looked over at him with a strange expression, mouthingyou okay?
With a single tilt of his head, Nate silently assured his friend he was fine as Gracie stood to greet Jake when he entered the room.
“Gracie.” Jake drew her in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Clearly surprised at their boss’s show of affection, Gracie stumbled over her own words as she belatedly hugged him back. “I-I…um…thank you.”
Pulling back, Jake kept his hands on her upper arms. He spoke with sincerity when he looked at her and said, “We were all incredibly worried about you. I understand your reasons for staying away, and while I admire your selflessness, I wish you’d come to me when this all started.”
