Endgame (48 page)

He cleared his throat. “You’d think you’d pick somewhere warm and tropical to exile yourself to, like Jamaica. Or Fiji. Aren’t there bad people in warm places?”

She froze and blinked back the tears. Oh, God, that voice. Instant lust skittered down her spine and into her core. Heart pounding, she spun. “Aaron?”

Yep, it was Aaron, seated on her bed, his hair still Jake-blond but a little longer and damp from a shower. He’d shaved, too, and those firm lips of his spread into a smile.

She cautiously met his gaze, and her breath caught at the raw mingling of emotion in the dark blue depths. If she’d ever been unsure if he loved her, here was her proof. Her heart pounded louder and harder, and she fought not to launch herself into his arms. He was a mirage. He had to be.

“Why are you here?” she whispered.

“Chase sent me. He said we have a problem. I guess we do.”

Damn Chase for bringing him back. Tears flowed freely. Not because she wasn’t glad to see him. She couldn’t keep Aaron so why bother with the reunion? Shitty, shitty thing to do.

“That fucker. He’ll do anything to get his way.”

Aaron laughed. “Happy to see you, too, baby.”

She dashed away her tears with the back of her hand and crossed her arms over her chest. “You shouldn’t be here. You’ve moved on.”

“I’m sorry you thought that.” He winced. “I didn’t move anywhere. My agent wanted some tabloid chatter. That’s all. Kelly is my neighbor, the one who loaned us the car to follow Jake. She happens to like the beach and to tan. And she likes girls.”

“But—”

“You’re making a big mistake, Charlotte. You don’t need to do this.” He sounded pissed, stern, his voice deeper in that no nonsense way that made her tummy tug. “Making life changes when you’re depressed is foolish.”

“You’ve been talking to Chase.”

“For once, we agree.”

She blew a lock of hair out of her vision. “You don’t understand. Russia is the only solution. I can’t keep you, nor can you keep me. I have five years left on my contract, and they won’t let me out. You can’t wait that long for me. So why bother? I hurt so much, and you didn’t let me die when I had the chance. Just let me go, like I asked you to before.”

Aaron frowned. “You done?”

She narrowed her eyes as she thought of her wish to be with Aaron one last time. Jake must have had something to do with this. But that didn’t make sense, since she’d voiced that this morning. “I don’t get why you’re here.”

“Well, that’s easy. Chase sent me to deliver something to you.” He reached back and pulled a folded envelope from his pocket, extending it her way.

She glanced down at the crisp, white paper and back at him. Her spy senses said this wasn’t good. Chase didn’t do things like this. “You came from California to give me an envelope.”

“I was already here.” He hastily added, “Long story.”

She took it, opened it, and read the letter on official stationary with Chase’s scrawling signature on the bottom in black ink. But she didn’t get it, maybe because she was weak or delirious or maybe dreaming. “He’s terminating my position.”

“Yep.”

She read it again. “He’ll write me a letter of recommendation? Is he serious?”

“Yep.”

“He let me go. That fucker fired me. He can’t fire me.” She glared at Aaron, hating him and Chase. “He’d rather see me in jail than go to Russia, so he can dress up on Sunday for his once a month visit?” The anger bubbled up, her gut rolling with steam. “And I’m sure he found it amusing to send you to bring that. Give me a conjugal visit before hauling my ass to jail. Fucker. I can’t believe your asshole brother agreed to this.”

“Read it again, baby. He let you
go
.” Aaron gave her a big grin. “You’re mine.”

“Yours?” Shivers ran up her spine as she finally understood his words. She read the letter again, and this time, the words made perfect sense. She was free, out of her contract, not going to jail. Free to love Aaron if they were careful, because she could stop adding bad guys to her already long list of people who wanted her dead.

“He let me go! I am no longer an agent. But how?” She ran a hand through her tangled hair, her mind racing at light speed. The envelope in her hands seemed too good to be true, like a magical unicorn waiting to gallop away. “He wouldn’t fight his uncle for me, and they wouldn’t just let me go. I cost them way too much money.”

“Come here, baby. You haven’t even greeted me yet.”

Her hand fluttered to her throat. God, she wanted to kiss him, but if she went to him, she’d never want to stop. “I’m afraid you’re not real.”

Aaron laughed. “I think I’m real. I’ve got a hard-on the size of Manhattan. And since you’re mine and I’ve got needs, I’m not going anywhere.” He spread his arms wide in welcome. “Come kiss me, baby.”

She took one tentative step, then two, and then tackled him, bowling him back on the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled so she was on her back, his hard chest pressed against hers. Instead of kissing him, she buried her nose in the crease under his jaw. Oh, he smelled divine, all clean and spicy, with just enough man to ignite the flame that she’d thought had been extinguished three weeks ago.

“Hey,” he protested, his breath warming her ear. He had always been a little tickly there. “Man, this shirt of yours does not smell good.”

“It’s yours.” She sighed and kissed his jaw, wishing he had just a little stubble there. He tasted good, too.

“Well, thank God we won’t have to worry about the shirt stuff anymore. I’ll give you all you want.” He lifted her chin, his gaze a little more serious.

His eyes searched hers and then dropped to stare at her lips. Something feminine fluttered in her tummy. Giddy desire laced with fear and anticipation, leaving her feeling as if she’d never been kissed before but wanted to be, badly.

He ducked his head, and his mouth claimed hers gently in a soft brush. Then another, lips a little firmer, his fingers sliding up her jaw to fan out over her cheek. Desire blossomed in her stomach and seeped out, the warmth spreading to the tips of her numb toes and fingers. She could love him and not hide it. It was too divine.

Aaron pulled away to smile down at her again, his hand smoothing her hair. “I love you, Char. I can say it now and not have to worry about anyone taking you from me.”

“But how?” She shook her head, her tummy still tugging from his words and his kiss. “I still don’t believe it.”

He tugged her to his chest, cuddling her close. “Chase said he went to bat for you with his boss. He owed you. And while he was at it, he went to bat for Kate. She doesn’t have to go into the field again unless she wants to, she can do what she usually does in the lab, which I didn’t quite understand. But anyway, he went to bat for you. I guess his boss is a major dick, from what Steve says.”

“Chase’s boss is also his uncle, and he raised Chase. You think Chase is a bastard? His uncle makes him look sweet and tame. The general tried to send Kate on a suicide mission back when she was a rookie agent.” Charlotte’s heart pounded. “But how? What?”

“Chase blackmailed him. No grandchild privileges if the general didn’t comply.”

“My God. I would never dream… Chase wouldn’t do that.” But she stared at the paper again, the proof in her hands that he had indeed stood up for himself. His life. Her life.

“They love you, Jake and Chase.”

Joy flooded her heart, seeping through her limbs, across her skin. “Yes. They do.”

He kissed her lips gently, and she protested when he pulled away.

“Shh. You’re too thin,” he whispered. “I missed you. Steve is a great guy, but he’s not nearly as fun a bodyguard as you are.”

“I missed you, too.” But she pinned her best Ma’am glare on him at the mention of that man whore, Crazwalski. “Steve, huh? What rules did you break?”

Aaron winced. “Char—”

“You drank in excess, didn’t you?” His guilty silence was judge and jury enough. She growled. “Tell me you didn’t become a man whore. Steve will fuck anything that moves, and then some.”

“I broke everything but that and the no drugs rule, and I didn’t look for a girlfriend or give anyone, including Steve, any orgasms. Just me, and they were pitiful and all starred you in the mind video.”

“You’re very disobedient.” But she loved him that way.

“Actually, I’m turning over a new leaf with that. Chase gave me a list of rules I had to follow if I wanted the keys to your apartment.”

“Like?”

Aaron ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “Well, the first was to not fuck this up and to make sure you wanted me. If he found out I had forced myself on your fragile company, he was killing me.”

“Fair enough. You can stay.”

“Second—and you have to picture the stern face and eye roll with this one—if I
had
to be intimate with you, I was to order you food first, so you didn’t pass out during the moment of glory, because the island nation of Charlotte was malnourished. Cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes will be here in fifteen minutes.” He gave her a cocky grin. “That one really pissed him off.”

“I bet it did, though I can’t see him phrasing it quite like that.”

“He didn’t. He was quite crude and pissed.”

She laughed, because Chase had too much military left in him not to be crude under duress. Handing her over to Aaron would be dire duress. “That sounds more like Chase.”

“Lastly, there was an entire list of things I had to do—manly things—and if I didn’t follow them, he was going to snipe me from a mile away, off a busy street, out of a crowded room. Jake was going to just strangle me with his bare hands, and I could take bets on who got to me first.”

“Many things, eh? Thinks like?”

“Loving you, obeying, being respectful, no whoring. Things that make marriage vows look like a cake walk.” His smile was so sweet and gentle, just like him. “I love you. I want you that bad, Char. I’ll do whatever Satan says. Anything.”

God, he really wanted her, Charlotte, not Amanda or Abigail or Ma’am. He wanted
her
. “You sure you want me, Aaron? I can’t have kids. Don’t forget that.”

“Look at me, baby.” He cupped her face in his hands, trapping her. “I don’t care. I told you that. Priests don’t have kids.”

“But you’re not a—”

He silenced her with a finger over her lips. “I’m still happy just being an uncle. I have all these randy brothers waiting to knock up their wives. The Anderson family tree will live forever. If you want a baby, we’ll adopt. It’s as simple as that.”

The doorbell rang, and he kissed her quickly. “I hear the sounds of nourishment.”

They ate in the kitchen, her chair so close to his she practically sat on his lap, her eyes feasting on him as much as her mouth devoured lunch. The scenario probably made her look weak and needy, her wearing a cleaner version his T-shirt, needing to touch some part of him as they talked about his adventures with Steve. She didn’t care. Love was strong, right? He was a punk—she had to be strong to love him or she’d kill him. She just knew it.

Afterward, he kissed her cheek. “You stuffed?”

She sat back in her chair and sighed, replete in the stomach. She had other needs to satisfy, ones that craved a six-one sex god. “If I eat anymore, I’ll fall asleep when you finally take me.”

“You want me to take you?” He gave her a wild glance, one laced with panic. “Chase warned me you weren’t very strong. I’m to be very careful with you.”

“Chicken shit Anderson has entered the building I see.” She rose, arms crossed over her chest, desire flooding through her. “On your knees, punk.”

He dropped to his knees and shuffled on them to her. He wrapped his arms around her hips, cupping her ass. “You sure you’re up to this?”

“I’m not expecting you to pound me against the wall. Just take me to bed and make gentle love to me, the way you’ve begged across two continents. You think you can handle that?”

The panty-melting grin came out in full force. “Will you move under me or just lie there?”

She smiled, remembering what she’d said to Jake, which seemed so long ago. “I don’t have any rosary beads.”

“None required.” He rose and scooped her up in his arms. “Jesus, still heavy.”

“You should have run and worked out while you were having Steve bonding time.”

“We did. You’re still heavy.” He dumped her on the bed and stepped back. He yanked off his shirt, his chest hair a fine dusting of dark brown as it grew back in.

“Mmm, I was hoping for your chest hair to grow back,” she said as she scooted forward and ran a hand along the faint happy trail on his abdomen. “This leads to wonderful places, like a treasure map.”

“I didn’t know you needed directions. You seemed to find things just fine before.”

“The trauma has addled my brain.” She unbuttoned his jeans and tugged them down over his lean hips. His boxer briefs went next, and he was gloriously naked in front of her, ready and willing. “You deserve a blowjob for your excellence.”

“I thought you were pissed that I killed John.”

She stilled, because that wasn’t where she was going with this. But the subject did need to be discussed. “Yes, because I didn’t want you to suffer for that, at the hands of your God.”

She couldn’t resist and took just the crown into her mouth, sucking gently, enjoying his salty taste. After almost blowing John, she dreamed of holding Aaron’s cock again, tasting him to erase what she had to do from her mind. She glanced up as she stroked his hard length. “You’ve broken more commandments in the past month than most criminals in their lifetime.”

He flashed her an indignant look. “I killed him so you could live. I don’t feel guilty taking his life. He hurt you so much in the past. He killed the baby you desperately wanted. He would have killed you and Jake. I’m good with whatever God has to offer as punishment.”

“No one has ever killed for me. It’s incredibly wrong to find that endearing.”

“So we rot in hell together. We can be greeters, like at the super store. We’ll hand out smiley stickers and name tags. ‘Hey, welcome to hell, orgy on the left.’” He shrugged. “It will be good, baby.”

Her boyfriend was weird, but she loved him all the more for it. “If you say so.”