Mercy (26 page)

“Give me another chance.”

Wade ignored the request. When the pleading moved to Eli’s face, Wade looked away. “Take a few days to figure out where you’re going and get the final okay from Natalie, then move out. The crash pad is yours until the beginning of next week.”

Locks clicked as Bast shut his briefcase. “On that topic, I have an offer for you.”

Elijah blinked. “What?”

“A job offer.”

Elijah scoffed. “Your law firm needs an assassin on the payroll?”

“Interesting thought.” Bast smiled as he stood up. “But not to my knowledge.”

“Then, no offense, but I’m not exactly the civilized office type.”

Maybe that was a sign of growth. Wade hadn’t realized Eli even knew that about himself.

“That’s not what I need.” Bast set his business card down on the table in front of Elijah. “I’m looking for your tech skills. You locate and recover devices, collect and analyze details, and you can work around a firewall. Maybe some protection, bodyguard work.”

Elijah looked at the card but didn’t pick it up. “Is this work you’re barely describing legal?”

“I’m a lawyer.”

“Is that an answer?” Wade asked because, well, he kind of had to.

“Take the card.” Bast slid it closer to Elijah’s closed fist. “Call me tomorrow.”

This time he picked it up. Flipped it over, read it, then flipped again. “Can you guarantee no one will try to kill me on the job?”

“‘Guarantee’ is a strong word.” Bast shook both of their hands. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Eli.”

Bast walked out and the resulting silence was like a living thing. It crawled and swirled. Wade had to get out. He grabbed the keys out of his pocket and got as far as the doorway.

“Wade—”

“Eli, look.” Wade turned around again. This part had to be said and once it was it never had to be said again. “You wanted some fun and a release. I get that, but I’m not your guy.”

“We can try to fix this.”

He nodded at the card in Elijah’s hand. “Take the job.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“Bast is a good man. Take the offer and give up black-ops before the next Todd waiting in line out there or going through training actually succeeds and kills you.”

Elijah’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You don’t think I can take care of myself?”

“I don’t think you can outrun a bullet.” And the idea of reading about Eli’s death in the paper under the guise of a strange accident made Wade want to heave.

“And you would care if something happened to me.”

Wade hesitated, debating. The truth wouldn’t change anything, so . . . “I would care. Good-bye, Eli.”

TWENTY-S
E
VEN

Jarrett was almost afraid to be too happy the next morning. Luck rarely worked on his side. He hustled his butt off for everything he owned and accomplished. He’d made millions, but not without backbreaking hours and a few choices he’d rather not discuss, and couldn’t in some counties.

But this might be the best perk of his job. He sat in his office chair and watched Becca bend across his desk with that fine ass on full display at mouth level. She cycled through the security monitor views. She had already declared they needed an overhaul because of blind spots. He had no idea what the hell she was talking about. He’d write her a check for anything, agree to almost anything, if it kept the smile on her face.

Now she watched as their guest walked through the back hall toward the office. “You should have people escorted in. There’s no need for anyone to be wandering around in the back offices.”

He started to wonder if Becca would run an even tighter ship than he did. “This one is safe.”

Kyra poked her head around the corner and into the open doorway. “Hello.”

Jarrett waved her inside. He also thought about grabbing Becca and sitting her on his lap, but he guessed she’d find that to be a private activity. And she stood up too fast for him to catch her.

“Becca, this is Kyra.”

With a bright smile on her face, Becca reached across the desk and shook the younger woman’s hand. “Hi, Kyra.”

“It’s about time we met. I’ve heard all about you.”

Becca sent him a “we’ll talk later” glare. “Depending on when that conversation happened, I dread what you’ve heard.”

“This morning on the phone.” Kyra fluttered her eyelashes like something out of a cartoon. “He used the word ‘love.’”

“Isn’t that cute?” Becca smiled down at him as she brushed her hand over his hair.

“That’s enough of that talk.” But not the touching. She was free to do that anytime. To let her know, he caught her hand and brought her around until she stood beside his chair. His palm went wandering behind her.

“What’s going on?” Becca asked.

“Jarrett asked me to come in.”

Becca glanced down at him again. “Why?”

“To offer her a job.”

Kyra’s mouth dropped open. When she closed it again she looked at Becca, not him. “Did you know about this?”

Becca shrugged. “News to me.”

“Because I just came up with the idea.” He rushed to add that, trying to stave off a lecture about communication that might be headed his way later.

The excitement vanished as quickly as it came. Kyra frowned at him. “What’s up with the change in position?”

“Oh, I see what you’re doing.” Becca made a humming sound. “The change is Wade.”

“Becca.” Jarrett used her name as a warning. He had no idea how much Wade wanted his baby sister to know about his love life.

“She deserves to know what’s going on. I would want to know.”

He trailed a hand down the back of her thigh. “You’re an only child.”

“Is that the point?”

“Wait.” Kyra shifted to the front of her chair. “Is Wade okay?”

“He had a falling out with someone he was dating.” Jarrett thought that was as vague as he could be without resorting to hand signals.

“You mean a guy.” Kyra rolled her eyes. “Really, Jarrett. It’s not a secret he’s gay. He announced that to me years ago. Not the rest of the family, of course, but I know.”

Jarrett decided to skip the tiptoeing. “In that case, he had a shitty breakup.”

“I didn’t even know he was seriously dating someone.”

“I think he was stunned, too. Point is, it might be good for you to hang around for a few months.” More careful word choices, but telling her every detail wouldn’t solve anything. “A familiar face. You can always make him smile.”

Becca snorted. “I’d like to see that.”

“And when he kills me for even suggesting this, you can both come to my funeral.” Because Wade would be pissed. At this point Jarrett would take anything over the quiet moping.

“I won’t let that happen.” Becca patted Jarrett’s shoulder as she said it.

Kyra laughed. “You really must love him.”

“Most days.”

He pinched Becca’s butt and smiled when she jerked in reaction.

Kyra must have missed the byplay because she launched into a new round of questions. “How bad was it?”

No way was Jarrett answering that. “Maybe you should start training right away.”

•   •   •

Becca pulled hard on both ends of the scarf. Jarrett had looped the long length of silk around the bedpost of the headboard. She wrapped the ends around her wrists and now held on as if letting go would end everything.

The bed creaked and a small tear ripped through the air a second ago. Still, she didn’t let go.

This was round two of the morning. She woke to him spooning her. What started as heat and warm skin turned into something so much better. His palm found her breasts as he pulled her ass higher and tighter against his cock.

Her eyes had barely opened before he pushed her forward. Her hand slapped against the mattress for leverage as he fitted his cock against her. He rubbed and caressed until her wetness had her opening her thighs to make room for him. Her fingers grabbed the sheets as she stretched out and let him do whatever he wanted with her.

After, she checked the clock and drifted back to sleep only to wake to him sliding down her body an hour later. She started on her stomach this morning, but she was on her back now. Looking down, she could see his dark hair between her legs. His head bobbed and his tongue flicked. Her body already tense and sensitive from the morning lovemaking ached for release now.

And he was relentless. He pushed her right to the edge with the pumping of his fingers and lick of his tongue. When her hips started to move and her shoulders shifted, he pulled back and blew a warm puff of air over her. When he did it the second time, she broke out in a sweat.

Her forearms shook from the strain of pulling on the scarf. The tense coiling inside her begged for release. She wanted to scream and tell him to finish it, but she knew that would promise an extension to the sensual torture.

He’d always liked going down on her, which made her just about the luckiest woman ever. The sensations he stirred could make her scream. But if he didn’t finish this now, she was going to pass out.

She squeezed her thighs against his shoulders. When that didn’t change his pace, she tugged on his hair.

He glanced up with hazy eyes and wet lips. “Good morning.”

“Finish it.”

The smile he gave her was positively wicked. “Not yet.”

His tongue swiped against her in a long, luscious lick. Her breath caught and her heartbeat hiccupped.

The man was going to kill her.

“Jarrett, now.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and pressed his mouth tighter against her.

He moaned and the sound vibrated against her. “Soon.”

“Paybacks are hell.”

He peeked up at her. She could see his tongue work its way in and out of her. Those sexy eyes focused on her as his fingers pressed in deeper. The combination of his face and his hands . . . and that tongue. It was a wonder she didn’t have a heart attack.

She closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the pillow. Sensations washed over her. She went from ready to near explosion. Excitement welled inside her and her lower body left the bed.

Still he licked.

One heel dug into the mattress and the other slid up his back. She was wrapped around him and his mouth was on her. Those arm muscles flexed one more time and she pulled down hard on the scarf. The orgasm ripped through her a second later. Started at her center and radiated out until every inch of her caught fire.

“Yes.” She breathed the word into the air.

The licking continued as the tremors rumbled through her. Lying there, her chest convulsing as she tried to draw in air, she noticed the weight of his body on her and the sweet intimacy of being naked with him and comfortable. She might never put on clothes again. She didn’t dare suggest it or he would insist on it.

“What has you smiling?”

One eye popped open and his face swam before her. With his body balanced on his elbow, he hung over her. His fingers caressed her nipple as he leaned in for a kiss. She tasted herself on his tongue and smelled her scent all over him. She thought that was the sexiest thing ever.

When they finally came up for air, her body trembled. “You can do that anytime.”

“It was amazing.”

Her hands opened and the scarf lay against her palms. “I may never move again.”

“That has my vote.” He sprinkled kisses over her breasts as his cock pressed against her thigh. “Stay right here and I’ll come in every fifteen minutes and satisfy you.”

“Then I’ll never walk again.”

Looked like he was ready for another round. Right. As soon as her heart started beating again, she’d join in.

The phone buzzed on the nightstand. The vibrating moved it a few inches until it traveled to the edge.

The thing went off all the time. She wanted to throw it in the toilet. “Who is that?”

He chuckled. “Someone with a terrible sense of text timing.”

“Two minutes ago would have been terrible. This is merely annoying.”

He picked up the phone and blinked a few times while he read the screen. “Okay. Huh.”

At that response she came fully awake. “What is it?”

“It’s from Natalie.”

A topic sure to kill the mood. “That’s never good.”

Jarrett sank back into the pillows as he read. “Seems an economist named Todd Rivers died in a house fire at his home in Maryland.”

“Are you kidding?”

Jarrett scrolled down with his thumb. “The authorities think it was a—”

“Gas leak.”

He glanced at her. “How did you know?”

“Trade secret.” She thought about the man she once knew and tried to figure out how he’d gone so far off course. Taking the job too seriously was one thing. Fighting for promotions she could see. Selling out his team and his country? There was no excuse she could muster. No way she could make that right.

She’d been through a lot, but there was never a question about which side she would pick. Flaws and all, her work with the agency had meaning and she refused to apologize for it.

Jarrett dumped the phone back on the table as he yawned and stretched. “Remind me to stay on Natalie’s good side.”

But Becca’s mind wasn’t on Natalie. “I guess I should feel bad for him.”

“I wanted to do it myself. Take Todd right out of the game and make sure he knew who was twisting the blade.” Jarrett pulled her over him until his arms wrapped around her and her hand rested on the middle of his chest.

“Not a good idea.”

“He tried to kill you.” Jarrett’s body shook as he spoke. “There’s no way I forgive that.”

She decided they’d had enough agency-related excitement. They’d also spent more time on Todd than he was worth. Tomorrow at some point she’d mourn the man she thought he was. Until then, she’d enjoy the one and only man who had come to mean everything to her.

She kissed his chest, then did it again, letting her hair brush over his skin. Just the way he liked it.

“What was that for?”

She could hear the smile in his voice. She lifted her head to see it because every one of them still blinded her with happiness. “I love you.”

“Don’t stop.”

His serious tone stopped her. She ran a finger over his bottom lip. “Never.”

“I love you, too.” He kissed her head. After a few beats of silence, he spoke again. “Since we’re up . . .”

Her eyes popped open. So much for drifting back to sleep.

And she couldn’t help but chuckle over the eagerness in his voice. “Good grief, man.”

“Well, you did say something about me getting a turn.”

She slid on top of him. “And you can always trust me to follow through with my promises.”

“Always.”