Fated Identity (Red Star #6) (9 page)

G
rady couldn’t sleep
at all. The sun was due to rise within the hour and he would soon need to leave for his trip back to D.C. He wasn’t comfortable leaving Brienne here, even if it was with a high-powered covert action team assigned to one of Crest’s best team members. What if this was what ISI was waiting for? What if they had gone even further in their attempt to eliminate Brienne and her informant? What if they’d manage to infiltrate the NSA and knew exactly where to look all along?

“I think we need to wait until Raheela is found and brought to safety before sending you into Langley,” Brienne whispered, still using her finger to trace circles on his chest. She hadn’t gotten much sleep either. Another phone call from Crest last night had their minds spinning with questions, so they’d ended up retracing Brienne’s steps…only to end up in the same place they started. “Going into this thing blind, hoping for the best, isn’t the answer.”

Grady couldn’t take hearing the strain of worry in Brienne’s voice, so he brought her hand up and pressed a tender kiss in the center of her palm. He continued to trail his lips down her arm until he needed to flip her over to continue his progression. Her arms came up in acceptance and pulled him closer.

Neither of them had to say a word. They used to make love quietly on the nights one of them had to leave the following morning. It was a silent goodbye, just in case. He hadn’t realized it then, but he did now.

There wasn’t a spot on her body that Grady didn’t stroke, touch, or caress with his lips and hands. He started with her front and then continued his exploration on her back. Her lower back had a sensual arch, but he spent more time at curve of her buttocks. Brienne was ticklish on the back of her thighs, but by the time he’d finished…she was more than ready to accept him into her.

“Not yet,” Grady whispered, not wanting this to end as she turned to face him. If only he had the power to stop the sun from rising. “I need to taste more of you.”

Grady trailed tiny kisses down her abdomen, cherishing the warmth of her skin. Brienne didn’t hesitate to spread her legs and give him access to her most vulnerable region. He spread her folds, running his tongue over her swollen clitoris. He savored her sweet taste while taking his time enjoying this intimate act they were engaging in. They could live another two hundred years and it still wouldn’t be enough time to love her the way he wanted.

Brienne’s breath was becoming hitched as she continued to climb, but Grady didn’t want her soaring without him. He slowed down, pulling away from her sensitive nub and gradually made his way back up to kiss her. He allowed her to roll both of them over, giving her access to the condom he’d placed on the nightstand. The sun was starting to shine through the slates of the blinds, kissing the areas of her body he’d already had the pleasure of touching.

Brienne tore the square foil package with her teeth, pulling the small disc out with the pads of her fingers. She placed the condom on the tip of his cock, ever so slowly unraveling the latex over his shaft. Grady couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful woman above him. She was a sight that he would never tire of looking at, but it wasn’t just her physical attributes that pulled him toward her.

The woman she had become through all her trials and tribulations, the unforgettable painful sights she’d encountered, and the harsh decisions she’d had to make along the way had only given her strength to succeed in her position…not just professionally, but in life. And she was here with him. She chose him to share her life with and it had taken him way too long to accept her love. It was remarkable.

“Take what you need from me, Brie,” Grady encouraged lovingly, assisting her in straddling him. “I’m yours and you are mine.”

“Don’t forget that when you are out there in the field,” Brienne whispered, placing the tip of his cock against her entrance. She closed her eyes as she ever so slowly slid down his shaft. Her sheath parted and her warmth surrounded him as she took every inch. “And remember what you have to live for.”

Brienne didn’t move right away, but instead started to slowly rotate her hips. The pressure she was exerting on him made it exquisitely difficult to refrain from having an orgasm. Grady evened out his breathing, reaching for the strength to control his physical urge to attain release. She wanted this and he would see that she got what she needed.

Grady lifted both arms and cupped her breasts, using his thumbs to caress her nipples. Brienne arched her back in pleasure, even leaning slightly back to rest her hands on his thighs. She never once stopped gyrating against him. A ray of sun moved slightly lower, shining on where they were now connected. Her clit was swollen and the base of his shaft glistened every time she lifted.

“Touch your breasts, Brie,” Grady urged, lowering his arms and licking his thumb. He waited for her to do as he instructed, in awe of the pleasure she was experiencing, before pressing on her clitoris. She was uninhibited in her quest for release, the guttural moan sending an ache directly through his cock. “That’s right, sweetheart. Roll your nipples for me.”

Brienne was mesmerizing as she pleasured herself under his command. Grady watched her through hooded eyes, not wanting to miss a second of this sensual demonstration. Her lips were parted in a silent cry while she manipulated her hardened nipples. He could literally see the goose bumps forming on her silken flesh as they made their way straight to where he was touching her.

Grady pressed slightly harder, never letting up on the circular motions he was administering to her clit. Brienne lifted herself off of him by the strength of her legs, only to then take him back inside of her. She quickened her pace and her sheath started to press against his shaft in response.

“Don’t stop, Brie. Keep riding me until you come.”

Grady had no doubt the orgasm hit Brienne when she slammed down on him and his name fell from her lips. Her pussy contracted around him over and over, pulling at his seed until he spilled into the condom. She didn’t stop until they were both out of breath and she’d collapsed on top of him. He held her while they both recovered, not willing to give this up quite yet.

“I can’t let you go,” Brienne whispered, her warm lips moving against his neck. Grady was technically still inside of her and neither one of them made a move to leave the bed. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t when the time came. Seeing her through this threat was his main priority and he would do what had to be done, regardless of her protests. “We’ll figure out another way.”

*

Brienne never let
Grady out of her sight. They’d taken a shower together and he’d made them some pancakes while she literally went over every conversation she’d ever had with Raheela for the second time. She was the key and it was only a matter of time before the door was unlocked. It was going on zero nine hundred and he’d yet to leave, most likely waiting for another one of Crest’s team members to arrive. He could wait until hell froze over, but there wasn’t a chance he was leaving here without her. The things ISI would do to him if they captured him was unthinkable.

“Whoever it is didn’t necessarily need to know about Raheela,” Grady offered up, taking his coffee and peering out the blinds of the patio door that overlooked the ocean. They’d not been opened and they wouldn’t be, but she would certainly love to be able to breathe in the salt air. “Raheela’s husband could have been monitoring her calls and then made the attempt to uncover your identity. ISI is smart enough to know which department within the CIA was keeping tabs on Pakistani relations. From there, it wouldn’t take much to find a weakness among the personnel and then exploit them.”

“Threats?” Brienne poured herself more coffee out of the glass carafe. Even the cups were cream in color, matching the rest of the décor. The tedious design couldn’t prevent the delicious aroma from filling the air. “You know that all of us do our best to prevent that.”

“What about those employees who aren’t field agents? How about the analyst on your desk?” Grady stepped away from the closed blinds, turning back to face Brienne. He’d changed into the only other set of clothes given to them, which happened to be one of his preferred suits. The grey jacket was currently on the back of one of the chairs, but his blue and charcoal grey tie was perfectly aligned with the buttons on his white dress shirt. “Think about it. How many times have the IRS databases been breached by other countries or even the lowliest hacker who wanted to discover who held those kinds of credentials? With the right amount of time and the correct person at the helm, it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out who worked for the government in a certain department. From there, it’s a matter of pushing the right buttons, greasing the correct wheels, and using the appropriate people to get what they need.”

Brienne thought about the first time she’d been in contact with Raheela. It was years ago, offering up the timetable needed for such a coup against the CIA. Had her husband known all along and it had taken this length of time to actually locate Brienne? The question remained—why was the ISI concerned with Red Starr?

Brienne and Grady were making assumptions based on the last few transmissions she had with Raheela. The whole group of agency field assets stationed in Pakistan had used the woman more often on other related terrorist issues than what Brienne had done in the past. What if she was just a casualty because she’d been the one responsible for bringing Raheela into the fold to begin with? There were so many unanswered questions.

“Do you see why I have to go in?” Grady asked, coming up behind Brienne and kissing the back of her neck. She’d used her clip to pull her hair back, keeping it out of the way. He was using his affection to ease the difficulty of this situation. It wasn’t working and she turned around to face him. “Don’t give me that look, Brienne. This is our chosen profession and we knew the risks going in.”

“Technically, you’re retired,” Brienne countered, resting her hands on either side of his tie. She raised an eyebrow in challenge as she grasped for straws. “You don’t have to do anything. Telfer is my Supervisory Special Agent in Charge. He’s the one who—”

“Has his ass in a ring of fire right now,” Grady finished for her, not even coming close to using the words she would have. Brienne sighed in frustration, but refused to think that this was their only choice. “You and I both know the shitstorm that brews up within the Agency when an agent’s identity is leaked. At this point, we use whatever means necessary.”

The SAT phone rang, although not unexpectedly. Crest had radioed in that Connor would be arriving to relieve the night crew, allowing Grady to take his trip to Langley. Connor was to call right before he approached the beach house. It wasn’t Connor’s voice that came over the speaker, though.

“We have a bit of a problem. Starr is currently heading to Langley,” Crest informed them, his tone tight with worry. “I’ve held her off as long as I could. We’re about to have a third party enter the arena. The firepower she has at her disposal could take out a third world nation.”

‡

G
rady and Brienne
had both agreed to allow Crest another twenty-four hours to speak with Starr, locate Raheela, and devise a plan that would lead them to who gave up Brienne’s identity. Two of those three things had been accomplished and now it was time to make a difficult decision. Grady was ready to walk out the door and act as bait, but Brienne couldn’t allow that to happen.

“We go into the city together.” Brienne refused to budge on her position. It was apparent Grady was suppressing his annoyance at her deliberate resistance to what needed to be done. These four walls were closing in and she wasn’t sure how much longer either one of them would last, but he didn’t get to go off alone. “Or at least allow me to speak with Raheela first before you make the drive.”

“Raheela is currently en route to a safe house outside of Karachi. That could take hours, which we can’t afford to waste. Besides, we both know that there’s nothing she can offer that she hasn’t already supplied. The—” Grady would have continued had the SAT phone not begun to buzz again. This was becoming repetitive and something had to be decided one way or another. He answered the call on speaker so that both of them could hear the update. “Tell me something useful.”