You Only Love Twice (26 page)

Kamdar shrugged. “I performed beautifully on that tape and
with three women. All of them were well serviced. I didn’t see the issue.”

“One of them was married to a member of a European royal
family, you walking penis. You could have started a war.”

“She was a lovely girl and so very polite.” Kamdar sighed.
“Anyway, apparently there is a Washington politician who is a last-minute entry
to our little conference.”

Little conference? It was only a place where the world’s
wealthiest men met to collude and set the prices of the energy the rest of the
world ran on. Just a little conference, though.

“Who is it?” Ten asked with a frown. “I should have been
apprised of any VIPs going to this thing. The Agency likes to know where our
country’s politicians are.”

“He’s not on the list. I wouldn’t have known about him
attending if I hadn’t picked up some chatter about the conference. I like to
keep my ear to the ground, so to speak,” Chapal explained. “He is a senator
from Texas. Hank McDonald.”

“The head of the subcommittee on Energy. I guess that makes
sense, though if he were here in an official capacity I would think I should
have been informed.” Ten pulled out his cell. “I’ll make some calls, but he
really is in charge of a committee that oversees energy and new forms of energy
in the US.”

“He also travels to the Middle East often,” Chapal said.

“Again, he would likely do so for his job, but I’ll put my
people on it,” Ten promised.

Chapal shrugged. “I will continue to look into it myself. I
have a radar for these things. Something is off about this. If I find anything,
I will share with you.”

“I appreciate that.” Ten started for the door. “I’m going to
find my room and make some calls. We have the opening dinner tonight. Everyone
get some rest so we’ll be ready this evening.”

Kamdar pointed around the room. “There are three suites off
this living area. I have the whole floor, but this is your wing. If you go to
the suite down the hall, I have a bar staff on call twenty-four hours a day.”

Chapal shook his head as he followed his cousin back out
into the hallway. “Perhaps I will go and work for intelligence in the US. Then
where will you be, cousin?”

“You have to have some intelligence to work for them.
Besides, Auntie will barely allow you to leave the country. You should kiss my
feet. Without me, you would spend your life playing silly games and having
online relationships with women who turn out to be hairy American men.”

“There was only the one. Why do you always have to bring
that up?”

Thankfully, the door closed behind them.

“We’ve got three hours. Phoebe and Jesse, take the private
suite to the left. Ten is taking a room in the center closer to Kamdar. He’ll
share with Hutch when he gets here. Theo and I will share the larger of the two
rooms left, and Erin can have a private room,” Simon explained. “The luggage has
already been delivered so you should have everything you need. Since Hutch is
still in the air, I need to call my wife and get her started on a profile of
the senator. I’ll have Adam look into him, too. I don’t care what Ten says. US
senators don’t routinely travel to the Middle East.”

“Come on,” Jesse said with a slow smile. “We have time for a
shower.”

“I don’t think Erin should be left alone,” Theo complained.
“That dude was looking at her.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Erin’s eyes narrowed. “Are you
saying it’s so weird that a man as hot as Kamdar might find me attractive?”

“No, I’m saying he’s a king…” Theo began.

“And I can’t possibly be a queen? You know Grace Kelly
wasn’t royal to begin with.”

Theo turned a nice shade of red. “I wasn’t saying that. I
was just trying to watch out for you.”

“Watch this, asshole.” She turned and stalked off to her
room.

Theo watched her, his eyes right on her ass. “I really would
feel better if she wasn’t alone here. Phoebe?”

It would be the perfect excuse. If she was bunking with
Erin, Jesse would have less of a chance to get her in bed.

“No,” Jesse said in that tone that let her know he wouldn’t
be swayed. “You watch out for your chick and I’ll do the same for mine.”

“She’s not…damn it.” Theo disappeared, following Erin into
the west wing of the massive suite.

And she was left alone with Jesse.

Days. She only had days left with him. It would be the right
thing to break it off now. She wasn’t even sure she should hold his hand, but
she couldn’t seem to stop.

“Come here.” He pulled her close and his head dipped down,
covering her mouth with slow, drugging kisses. “Let me take care of you. Come
on. I’ll show you how I treat my queen.”

So sweet. He was so perfect and she’d caused him nothing but
pain. Still, when he pulled her along, she didn’t stop, but went willingly with
him.

Just a few days of paradise. That was all she had left.

* * * *

Jesse checked the temperature of the shower. Perfect. It was
nice and steamy. Just what he wanted. He grabbed the items he’d prepped for
this private scene and placed them on the handy shower ledge. It was time to
start preparing his princess for what he wanted.

Which would run completely counter to what she thought she
wanted. He stepped back out into the lavish suite they would share while they
were here. He wasn’t a complete idiot. He knew what was going on in her head.
She thought she would be free to walk away as soon as this operation was over,
but he intended to make that impossible.

He stopped. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her
hands in her lap, her eyes on the wall in front of her, obviously lost in
thought. He took a second to study her. She really was an interesting mix of
the woman he’d first met and the contemplative, distant woman she’d become. The
real Phoebe was under all that guilt and he intended to bring her out. She was
a sensual, affectionate, passionate thing who loved with her whole heart.

He was going to make her love him. He wanted it more than
he’d ever wanted anything, more than he’d even wanted out of the prison he’d
been in. That had been about surviving. It was a primitive thing, an instinct
any animal had. Loving Phoebe was about living, and he was sure at this point
that he was the only man walking the face of the earth who could properly love
her. Only Jesse.

He knew damn well there was only Phoebe for him.

“Come here, baby.”

She turned, looking over at him. “Jesse, maybe we should get
some sleep.”

Coward. Luckily, he’d figured out how to work her. “Take
your clothes off and come here, Phoebe. We’re going to get this over with and
then we’ll take a nice nap. I promise to have you ready for work, but this is
my time.”

She stood and her hands went to the buttons on her blouse.
“This wouldn’t work all the time, you know.”

But it was working now. She shed her blouse and pants as she
followed him into the bathroom.

“Why can’t it work?” It felt so right to be alone with her.
All the faking-his-own-death shit had kept them apart for days. He’d been
worried the time would push her further from him, but he’d brazened through and
before she’d known what was happening, he’d had her on his lap.

The key, he’d discovered, was simply overwhelming her with
what she needed so desperately—love and affection.

And no small amount of dominance.

She frowned even as she worked her bra free. “Because real
life would come into play and you can’t just order me around all day.”

Her breasts were really lovely. She was beautiful and
feminine, and damn but he was already hard. “I don’t intend on ordering you
around every day. I intend on being your partner. You’re smart. I’ll listen to
everything you have to say and when you know more than I do, I’ll happily
follow your lead. Off with those panties. They offend me.”

“They’re perfectly nice panties.” She shoved them off her
hips. “They match the bra and everything.”

“But your pussy matches your breasts even better. God,
you’re beautiful, Phoebe.” He shoved out of his jeans and boxers. He wanted to
spend as much time naked with her as he could. A certain peace fell over him
the minute he touched her, as though something fell blissfully into place and
he was finally complete.

Her eyes went right to his cock. Even though he knew she
wanted to deny him, she wasn’t going to. There was something deep inside Phoebe
that couldn’t refuse his claim. “You’re a pervert.”

She could try to fight it all she liked, but she belonged to
him now. “I’m your pervert. Come here.”

She hesitated for a moment but walked into his arms.

He guided her into the shower. “Relax and let me take care
of you.”

She leaned back against him, letting the water caress her
breasts while he picked up the soap and made long, slow circles with his hands.
He soaped her breasts slowly, not wanting to miss an inch. His thumbs flicked
over her hard nipples. She couldn’t hide her response to him.

But they had things to talk about. “I know you’re scared.”

She was silent, only the slight tension in her shoulders
proof that his words bothered her.

He wasn’t going to shy away. She didn’t need him to respect
some distance that served neither one of them. She needed his strength. “What
happened at Sanctum scared you.”

“I’m fine, Jesse,” she murmured. “I’m a fully trained
operative. I’ve been in bad situations before.”

She was going to fight him every inch of the way. “You
weren’t scared for yourself. You were scared for me, baby.”

The tension in her body was no longer slight. She went
totally stiff and started to move away from him. “I don’t want to talk about
this.”

“Then just listen.” He knew she wasn’t ready to admit
anything and that was all right. “I didn’t die. I’m not going to. I’m here and
alive, and I’m going to take care of you. I know you don’t believe me, but I’ll
prove it.”

She shook her head. “When this is over, I’m leaving. I have
a life to get back to.”

“Your life is with me now. If you still want to walk away in
a week, then I’ll accept it.” He was pretty sure that was a lie, but it was one
she needed right now. “But for now, I won’t pretend I’m not planning a life
with you at the center of it. You’re the sun in my sky.”

“I can’t be.”

“You already are. There’s nothing for you to do.” He pushed
her hair to the side and let his lips find the soft skin of her neck. This was
where he’d wanted to be for days. He’d needed to be here with her, even if she
was crying and afraid. She would be that without him. She would be that way for
the rest of her life if he didn’t fight for her. He couldn’t stand the thought
of her being alone.

Oddly, he could be alone because he would think of her. He
would allow himself to dream about her, to share her with the man she’d loved.
But if he didn’t break through, she would utterly pine away.

“Reach over and lean on the bench in front of you.” She only
cried the once and then during discipline. She needed to cry and he could give
that to her.

Her immediate obedience was proof to him that he was doing
the right thing. It was the first move she’d made that was eager. Her ass was
in the air almost before he finished the command. She wanted this. Needed this.

“You disobeyed me in a dangerous situation.”

“I also helped you.” Her ass wiggled a little, an invitation
to play.

He thought about how fast Ace had moved, his gun in hand.
He’d turned toward her, ready to shoot, and Jesse had known he could lose her.

Maybe she wasn’t the only one who had bad dreams about that
day. “He could have killed you. My number one job in life is protecting you.
You made me fail and I demand satisfaction. It’s a count of thirty.”

She groaned and he watched as she straightened her spine,
preparing for his hand.

He gave her a moment, a moment where warm water caressed her
and the possibility of what was to come hung over her. One moment where she
held her breath to see if he could handle her. A Dom’s job wasn’t simply about
punishment. It was about making that punishment a moment of bliss.

His hand arced, making contact with her soft flesh and
crashing through the shower with an audible smack.

Her whole body shook, but she held her position. He gave her
four more slaps in rapid-fire succession. “That’s five. You stay still or it
will be more.”

“I thought I had thirty,” she complained.

He smacked her again, loving how she groaned. “You’ll get
them all, but when and how I say. Now stay still.”

He grabbed the lube and was deeply grateful they weren’t
doing this in his tiny shower. He’d never spent much money on his place. It was
small, clean, and in a good part of town, but Phoebe would need more. She would
need a house and a yard and a place to call a home.

A real home. One where he belonged, where he was wanted. One
where she was.

And it would have to have a nice-sized shower because he
liked how her skin turned a pretty pink between the hot water and the smacks.
He definitely liked how her ass looked.

Her legs were spread perfectly, her back flat so he could
see her asshole. It was a pretty pink, too. He dribbled lube right on it,
watching as a shiver went up her spine. “What are you doing, Jesse?”

“What I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. I told you I
would get inside you any way I could.” He rimmed her petite hole, already
thinking about just how tight and hot she would be when he finally shoved his
cock up her ass.

She clenched the minute his fingers touched her there.

He wasn’t about to have that. Five more quick smacks.
“That’s what I’m saving them for. Don’t try to keep me out. It belongs to me.”

“Couldn’t you pick another part of my body to own?”

“Oh, I own the whole damn thing. Every sweet pink part and
ripe little morsel is mine. I claim every inch of you, Phoebe.”