Always Been Mine (11 page)

“If you only told me, Gabe—” Beatrice choked.

“What?” Gabe snapped, letting go of her hands and pushing out of the chair. He paced the room. “Ask you to wait for me? I wasn’t even sure I was coming out of this alive. As much as I regretted saying those words to you, in the end, I felt it was best for you to forget me. I just wish I handled it differently.”

“You have no idea how damaging those words were.” The expression in her eyes chilled him.
 

He walked back to the table, bracing his hands across, he leaned in. “They were a lie.”

“The words festered inside me, you know,” Beatrice said softly.
 

Gabe’s heart rate quickened with the direction the conversation was taking.

“Babe—”

“That I will never be worth more than a job. That I was so pathetic I almost begged you to stay.”
 

His chest was hurting with the pain his words had inflicted on her all those years ago.

He couldn’t take it anymore. He walked to her side and hauled her to her feet. He needed to kiss the pain away, so he pressed his mouth against hers. He tasted the salt of her tears, so he pushed his tongue between her lips and she opened beneath him. He devoured her, wanting to absorb her hurt into him.
 

“I’m so sorry, Beatrice,” Gabe whispered hoarsely against her lips. “So fucking sorry.”

Her arms came up around his neck as he lifted her and spread her on the table. His hands sought her heat. Finding her bare almost short-circuited his brain. He bent over her and continued kissing her, rubbing his hardness against her core. She moaned into his mouth, so he quickened his thrusting until she convulsed against him as he swallowed her cries. He swept her up from the table and headed straight for his bedroom. Kicking the door shut so Rhino wouldn’t follow, he carefully lowered Beatrice on the bed.

“I don’t think—” she protested.

“Shh . . . let me show you just how much you mean to me.” Gabe pushed her legs apart and buried his face between her thighs. He hungrily licked, stroking her from the base of her sex and hovering just around her clit. Her hands dug into his hair. “Please, Gabe.”

He stimulated the bundle of nerves with his tongue, fastening his lips, and gently sucking the tender flesh. When she undulated her hips to shove her pussy closer, he knew she was close. Her taste was heaven and he wanted more. He wanted every last drop of her arousal. He released her clit and licked down to her entrance, plunging his tongue inside, seeking the source of his addiction. She shrieked, screamed, and moaned. He welcomed the warm gush of sweetness into his mouth. The starvation of the past three years for her taste came to a fore in this moment where he had her.
 

“You taste so fucking good,” he growled as he crawled up her body, pulled the waistband of his sweats down and thrust into her. “Fuck, babe.” He leaned his forehead on hers as he savored the initial sheathing of her warmth around his cock. He started to move. “So good, so good. Fucking tight. So slick . . .”
 

Shit, condom.
 

Gabe was tempted to blow his load inside her, but he didn’t want to push his luck. He pulled out reluctantly. Beatrice’s whimper of protest almost made him want to thrust back inside her. His fingers shook as he ripped the foil of the condom.
 

Fuck. Fuck
.

He quickly rolled it on. Lifting her hips, he punched forward, burying himself so deep inside her; a feral sound escaped him. He wouldn’t last. He would never get enough of her. Beatrice’s hands came up his shoulders. He grabbed her wrists and slammed them above her head as the need to dominate surged inside him. Their eyes locked, watching each other as he moved above her. He lost himself once again in her emerald depths. When her eyes shut, the grip of her silken channel tightened around his girth. “I can’t hold back . . . FUCK!”

It started from the base of his spine, the pleasure shooting up his back, his neck muscles tensing as his astounding climax took over. He continued pumping his hips furiously until he was spent, and all he could do was collapse on top of her.

He rubbed his cheek against hers, their faces slick with sweat. He was overtaken with contentment. She was back. She was once again his Beatrice.

There was a deep indrawn breath that sounded suspiciously like a sob. Frowning, Gabe levered himself on his elbows, and what he saw splintered his heart.

Beatrice was crying silently.

“I can’t,” she whispered brokenly.

Two words. She shattered him with two words.

*****

They avoided each other’s eyes after having had mind-blowing sex. What did she expect? That they could simply pick up where they left off three years ago? She wasn’t ready and she let lust control her actions. She could blame Gabe for taking advantage of her moment of weakness, but she knew that wasn’t his intention. He wanted to comfort her the best way he could. Things got out of hand and they both gave in.
 

So, they were adults, right? It was just sex. Big freaking deal.

But it was a big deal.

She and Gabe hadn’t discussed the present Colombian problem. They let their personal issues come between them. They couldn’t work together like this.

The doorbell chimed. Beatrice sighed in relief. She had called Doug to bring over a change of clothes and be her ride home. Gabe gave the command for Rhino to settle down and opened the door to her assistant who promptly glared at Gabe. Not bothering with any greeting, he headed straight for Beatrice and hugged her. Fortunately, she didn’t cry. She’d had enough of that. It wasn’t funny because she rarely cried. Doug handed her her clothes and she disappeared into the guest room.

She could hear harsh whispered words being exchanged in the other room. She quickly donned her clothes because Doug’s voice was getting louder. Gabe’s was still a steady baritone cadence, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t come to blows.

“Doug, can you wait for me outside, please?” Beatrice gave her friend a nudge when she returned to the living room.

“No, Bee. Enough is enough; you don’t need to say anything more to this asshole.”

“Wait for me outside,” Beatrice repeated in exasperation. When her assistant still hesitated, she added, “Please? I’ll be fine, truly.”

Casting one more dirty look at Gabe, Doug said, “I’ll be right outside the door.”

When they were alone once more, their eyes finally met.
 

“I don’t want to see you for a while,” Beatrice said.

Gabe’s eyes flashed in anger. “Is that your answer? Avoiding me?”

“I need to process what you told me, Gabe. I can’t just turn off three years of hurt. I understand more of your reasons now, but it doesn’t mean I want us back together.”

Frustrated, guttural sounds worked in his throat. “Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?” This time her temper flared.

He prowled toward her. She held her ground as they both stared challengingly at each other.

“You heard me. I call bullshit,” Gabe repeated. “Fireworks. You deny we just burned those sheets between us.”

“A relationship is not simply about sex.”

“I agree. But the most honest reaction I’ve ever gotten from you is when I watch you come when I’m buried deep inside you. I want you back. I’m not about to let you push me away because of some fear that I’m walking out on you again because I won’t. I swear. I’m all in, babe. All yours.” His hand came up to cup her face. “So tell me, what’s the problem?”

“I . . . I just need some time.”
 

“I’ll give you a day.”

“What the hell kind of time is that?”

“I give you a day. I need to get some shit done anyway, and you’re not leaving your condo tomorrow.”

“I have a meeting with BSI.”
 

At Gabe’s unbending stare, Beatrice sighed. “I can have Nate pick me up.”

“What is Nate to you?”
 

“He’s a friend.”

“Have you fucked him?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but no,” Beatrice retorted.
 

“Oh, I’m making it my business, babe.” He bent low, his warm breath fanning her ear. Releasing her jaw, he trailed the back of his fingers down the length of her torso, her hips. “Everything to do with this sweet body of yours, down right to here”—he cupped her between her legs and she couldn’t bring herself to stop him—“is my business. Do you know why?”

“No, but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
 

He grinned at her defiance. “Because you’ve always been mine. Your brain has not caught up yet, but your body cannot fucking deny how it wants mine.”

“Again, sex, no matter how good it is, does not make us together.” Beatrice wanted to pull her hair out.

“We will be.”

“WE ARE NOT TOGETHER!”

Gabe sighed. “Take some time tomorrow and think about us.”

“There is no us!” Gah! What an annoying man!

“Beatrice,” Gabe whispered, brushing her lips gently. “I love you, babe.”

She melted into a puddle right there.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“So you’re saying we might expect a hit in Colombia?”

Edward Shepard was the BSI team lead assigned on Senator Alex Mendoza’s security detail. He was studying the threat-analysis report Beatrice prepared for them, which included some speculations of the related violence in the Cloverleaf District. Travis and Nate were also in the room.
 

“That’s where I see the biggest threat coming from,” Beatrice said. “I met with Alex Mendoza yesterday and informed him we’re close to forming a team for him. His South American trip won’t begin until next year, but he agreed that it would be best to be familiar with his personal security in the next few months. Then we can expand it next year to include his entire delegation.”

“What’s with the Fuego connection?” Travis asked, his eyes most likely skimming to the last page of the report.

Beatrice sighed. She had not discussed this with Gabe yet, and her father had been off the grid. She would need to get with Ashe and Duke soon to see what else they dug up. “I’m not sure where they exactly fit. It just seemed coincidental that the women who attacked me last week are now dead and linked to Fuego. I’m having someone look into it.”

“Who’s looking into it?” Travis cut in. “Beatrice, you know better than to involve too many people in this.”

“I had no choice, okay?” Beatrice’s eyes flashed in annoyance. “Apparently, Gabe, and I hazard a guess, my dad, were already one step ahead of me and made the connection before I did. I dunno why they would use a motorcycle club to do their—”

“Motorcycle club? Not the Iron Skulls?” Travis didn’t look happy.

“Uh, yes,” Beatrice replied warily.

Nate cursed. “Who?”

“Ashe and Duke.”

Travis bolted from his chair and paced the room, his hand rubbing against his jaw in a gesture of agitation.

“Am I missing something here?” Beatrice asked.

“Remember that time Travis took Caitlin out of town after the Russians ambushed them?” Nate asked.

“Yes?”

“They had a run in with the Iron Skulls and later the Fuego gang.”

“Oh, my God, was that the shoot-out in the small town?”

“Yup. We couldn’t account for the sniper who took out one of the Fuegos. Travis speculated that sniper was Crowe, the man who shot Caitlin and worked for your dad,” Nate added.

“I remember him,” Beatrice murmured. No coincidences.

Travis stopped pacing and sat in his chair. “I bet the admiral has the necessary answers to make sense out of all this, and I have a feeling we’re not going to like it.”

Gabe definitely had more explaining to do as well, Beatrice fumed.
 

“We did have a run-in yesterday at Cloverleaf,” Beatrice confessed. “That two dead and one critical from gang violence yesterday—”

“I caught that in the news this morning,” Travis said. “Damn it, Bee, was that you? Was Gabe with you?”

“He was.”

“What’s going on with you two?” Nate asked sharply.

“All right, let’s stay on point in this meeting,” Beatrice retorted. “We can talk about my personal life later. Anyway, I managed to filch the wallet off one of the dead guys to see if I could find a connection to any threats to Senator Mendoza, but the guy’s a dead end. He is a U.S. citizen and I couldn’t find any links back to Colombia.”

Ed flicked through the brief. “What exactly were you hoping to find?”

“From what the senator told me, his trip to Colombia is to pressure their government to increase monitoring over some of the businesses that may be working with drug traffickers. With no drug cartels to speak of, most of the drug traffickers are using the Mexican cartels to move their stuff and it’s cutting into their profits. I hear they’ve gotten creative.”

“How so?” Nate asked.

“Remember that recent bust in Virginia Beach regarding a hundred million dollars’ worth of cocaine stored in juice cans?”

The men nodded.

“Well, there’s speculation that they’re moving it under the guise of sacks of coffee beans or cans of ground coffee.”

“Holy shit!” Ed muttered. “That would be hard to track. Colombia is one of the world’s largest exporters of coffee.”

“Exactly. So, instead of increasing funding for Border Security and Customs, it would be better to address the problem at the source. The senator is hoping to convince the Colombian government that it’s in their best interest to do so.”

“Good luck with that,” Nate muttered.
 

“Corruption and bribery is rife in Colombia,” Beatrice agreed. “The outcome of the senator’s trip is not our problem. Our concern is making sure the senator will be protected against harm. We need to do background checks on the businesses that stand to lose in case the government decides to crack down on drugs. We’re also going in at a time when the peace talks between the government and the left wing guerrillas and right wing paramilitary groups are at a flashpoint. Senator Mendoza and his delegation can be a target if talks break down, so we have to consider routes, convoy formations, and safe haven alternatives in case of an ambush.”