Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files Book 6) (32 page)

“She’s taken too much of an interest in him personally,” Crest cautioned, seeing nothing but destruction ahead if Schultz allowed Fallon anywhere near Ryland. “I noticed it the last time she was in town. It’s an unhealthy attraction.”

“POTUS already made the decision, Marine,” Schultz declared before surveying the damages done. “I think I’ll go have a conversation with the owner of this once beautiful hotel. This entire floor is going to have to be rebuilt. One thing is for certain—you certainly make my life more entertaining than those boring hucksters and socialites in Washington.”

“He’s free to go?” Jax asked, his anger prevalent that Ryland would be able to walk out of the hospital a free man. The paramedics were putting the former assassin on a stretcher, having no idea how dangerous the man truly was. Crest didn’t believe Ryland would suddenly become an upstanding citizen and neither did his team members. Jax would now have to go home to Emily and tell her the truth about the deal that had been laid on the table. It was a bitter pill to swallow. “I hope like hell the people he double-crossed come for him and make his death a long and exceptionally painful one. I’d buy a ticket.”

Crest remained sitting as Jax walked out, Connor right behind him. If anyone could get Jax to calm down and see reason it was his best friend. They all knew of Crest’s plan, although it wasn’t nearly enough repayment or retribution for what Ryland had put them all through. Crest would have to see how far Ethan and Taryn had been able to progress on the proposal he’d put forth. He’d check with them once she’d had time to process the death of her half-sister.

“Crest.”

He took his eyes off the backs of his team members, meeting Ryland’s contemplative gaze. The last thing he wanted to do was have a conversation with this man. Crest managed to push himself off of the step and walk over to where Ryland was waving away the paramedics. A half-smile lifted the corner of his mouth.

“I would say it was nice working with you, but I highly doubt that you’d agree. I’ll allow Taryn the honor of burying our sister, given that Yvette’s opinion of me was rather low,” Ryland said, not bothering to look in the direction of his half-sister’s body. Having someone think so little of a person that they would take a contract out on your life was something that Ryland could certainly relate to. He had to understand the irony in that, though Crest was sure it didn’t bother him in the least. “I think it’s relatively safe to say that we won’t be seeing each other after this. What will you do with all that time on your hands? No yin to your yang.”

Crest wasn’t going to stand here and exchange pleasantries with this man. One thing needed to be clear and now that Crest’s bullet was lodged in Ryland’s leg, it was a fair assumption that his promise would be taken seriously.

“Answer Fallon’s questions and then leave the country,” Crest instructed, not mincing his words. He wanted to be clear. “There will be no trial keeping you here in the States. Whether you’re Ryland or Travis Bowers, I don’t give a fuck—run. The next time I see your face I’ll drop you where you stand without a word and spit on your corpse.”

Crest walked out with only one thought: he needed Jessie to make him feel human again. He needed her to drive away the coldness that had settled inside of him after being in the presence of death. He desired that one ray of sunshine with her smile that she always gave him on those long, weary days. He required her heat, the softness of her touch, and her radiant surrender.

*   *   *   *

Crest unlocked his apartment door and let it swing open, knowing full well that Jessie would have arrived before him. He had sent Townes a message before finishing up at the hotel to make certain that Briggs saw her safely inside before either man left for the remainder of the night. Schultz would deal with the paperwork and require statements at a later date. At the moment, Crest’s team needed to be with their families and loved ones. He needed to be with Jessie. She’d revived in him something he was afraid of awaking, but it didn’t matter at this moment. He needed her more now than he needed to breathe.

“Gavin?” Jessie asked, walking out of his bedroom and wrapped in his gargantuan robe. She was the best thing his tired eyes had ever seen. “Oh my God, your face is—”

“Scratches,” Gavin said, finishing off her sentence as he removed his holster without slowing down. “Nothing more than tiny scratches.”

His body slammed into hers and he used the momentum to pick her up using his arms to wrap around her tiny waist. His lips captured hers as he continued to walk them into his bedroom and into his bathroom. Jessie had caught on that this wasn’t a scene. This had nothing to do with anything other than feeling alive. He released her long enough to set his weapon on the bathroom counter and take off his clothing. Jessie reach into the shower, past the stained glass door with a siren etched into it that suspiciously enough looked exactly like her, and turned on the water. He slid his fingers inside of her belt and yanked her back toward him.

“Take this off,” Crest ordered, his voice reduced to a coarse whisper. Her hair was hanging down in waves and whipped around her shoulders as he spun her toward him. Her green eyes were shining with tears that were wasted. He wasn’t hurt. He wasn’t dead. He was here…with her. “Now.”

Jessie didn’t need to untie the terry cloth material for he’d already done so. He peeled the fabric off of her smooth skin and then once again sealed their lips together, wincing slightly. Still, he drank from her until he couldn’t breathe, with his hands enveloping her neck and feeling the beat of life under his fingertips as it pumped through her carotid arteries. Her essence calmed him in a way that he’d never experienced before. He finally felt the emotions of the night hit him and if there was anything in the world that he needed at this moment, it was to be inside of her where her heat encompassed him in her cocoon.

“Come,” Jessie whispered, sliding her fingers up his arms and taking his hand.

She stepped into the shower, pulling him in behind her. The warm water rained down on both of them as she dropped to her knees and took him into her mouth. The soothing feel of her tongue was hotter than the droplets that hit his stinging skin. Her hands cupped him gently, too gently, but he allowed her this time to soothe his physical and emotional pain.

No words were exchanged after that. She tenderly massaged his sac as her tongue ran up and down his shaft so many times that he lost count. She finally covered his tip with her lips and took his cock to the back of her throat and swallowed. She did that over and over until he felt the build-up in his sac. She sucked harder, working her tongue on his underside as she pulled him into her throat. He hadn’t wanted it to be like this. He’d pictured taking her from behind with her hands on the tile, but he didn’t have a condom within reach. He wouldn’t put either one of them in that position, so he allowed himself relief when on her next stroke her teeth lightly grazed the rim of his tip. She swallowed his seed and kept swallowing, taking his cock even deeper into her throat. The vibrations of her appreciative hum traveled through to his sac until her name fell off of his lips.

“Jessica.”

It took him a few minutes to realize that Jessie was now standing and using her hands to lather soap onto his skin. Crest couldn’t remember the last time he had someone take care of him rather than the other way around. It felt odd, yet somehow freeing. He didn’t want to face that Jessie had yet to have enough time to fully comprehend what a life with him would be like. He needed to give her that before he allowed himself to believe that this could last…that this could be their future.

Chapter Thirty

J
essie figured Gavin had close to three hours of sleep when she felt him stir by her side. She rolled over to find that the sun was peering through the tiny slats of the rosewood Persian blinds that ran from floor to ceiling and that he had that damn cell phone in his hand. He wasn’t always like this, although she wouldn’t have believed it if it hadn’t been for their time away at his lake house. When he’d walked through his door last night, she’d never felt fear like she had upon seeing the cuts and bruises on his face.

“Is Ryland dead?”

“No,” Gavin replied, taking the time to look up from his display and give her a gentle smile. Jessie found it hard to believe that he could still make her heart flutter at such a gesture, but it was true. “Weaver is though. Ryland was taken to the hospital for some minor injuries and two nonlife-threatening gunshot wounds. He’s been given a new lease on life. One of those was mine. I believe he understands to stay away from CSA and anyone associated with me or mine.”

“What happens now?” Jessie asked, propping up the pillow behind her so that she was more comfortable. She needed to tell him about her phone call last night before anything else occurred that was out of her control. “Are there any ramifications from the CIA or the FBI?”

“Nothing that I can’t take care of.” Gavin leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll make us breakfast after I’ve made a few calls. I need to touch base with Ethan to make sure that Taryn is all right. It turns out that Yvette Capre was alive and well, hired by Weaver to take out her long lost brother, Ryland.”

“Oh no.” Jessie was shaking her head at the thought of Taryn having to go through that grief over again. She’d never known her half-sister, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t mourn over what wasn’t meant to be. “Should we go over to their apartment?”

“No,” Gavin said, firm in his reply as he stood up from the bed. Jessie appreciated his male beauty before he covered it with the robe she’d been wearing last night. Knowing he preferred her nude, she rose as well and took a moment to relieve herself in the bathroom. She found him on the phone while making coffee. “I’ll take care of the added expense, Ethan. Taryn would want Yvette buried next to their father.”

Jessie maneuvered the kitchen and found that Gavin had pretty much matched the contents of this kitchen with that of the lake house. It didn’t take her long before she had a frying pan and the ingredients for omelets. She noticed that he always cooked for her, but she could do her fair share. He was still facing the coffee maker and on his second call as she whipped the eggs.

“I think that’ll be good for Emily, Jax,” Crest said, appearing before her with a mug full of cream and sugar with just the right amount of coffee. “You have some time coming to you and I’ll smooth out the remaining cases over the next week. I suggest we waive the bachelor party and have one hell of a reception. Connor and Lauren deserve it, and so do we.”

Jessie started to chop up some spinach and tomatoes, not surprised in the least that Gavin had plenty of healthy ingredients on hand. He spoke to Jax for a few minutes longer before stealing a kiss from her and then calling Kevin. By the time that conversation was over she had everything thrown together and into the frying pan with just a hint of shredded cheese.

“Has Schultz hired you yet?” Gavin must be talking to Lach, for Gavin had told her briefly what the agent had done in order to save lives. Jessie could only imagine the nightmares he had last night. “You keep saying that, but I’ll believe it when I see it. What’s your schedule for the next month?”

Jessie flipped the omelets and then went about setting the breakfast bar with plates and glasses. Gavin opened the refrigerator door and snatched the orange juice, continuing the discussion without pause as he poured the juice into their glasses. He’d brush by her every once in a while, his hands grazing sensitive spots on her naked body. She could get used to this level of intimacy and would never have thought walking around in the nude would be something she was comfortable with, even in her own apartment.

“Just make sure you and Phoebe are back for Connor and Lauren’s wedding.” Gavin suggested, although Jessie thought it sounded more like an order. She must have been smiling for he smacked her rear end and shook his finger at her. She laughed and went back to checking on their omelets. This intimate, ordinary, everyday morning was something that she’d longed for just as much as his touch. “Lach? I appreciate what you did last night and yes, that was Jessica’s laugh.”

Jessie noticed that Gavin had disconnected the call rather abruptly after that, almost as if he hadn’t wanted to reveal too much gratitude or personal information over the phone. She mentally shook her head at the masculine gesture that was made so nonchalantly. If that had been her and one of the girls she would have been crying into the phone and telling them how much she loved them for their willingness to sacrifice their lives.

“Connor, I’d like to speak with Lauren.” Gavin had walked around the counter and took a seat on one of the stools. He surprised her by the request he made and she listened intently as he spoke to Lauren. “I kept my promise. Are you going to hold up your end of the bargain?”

Jessie couldn’t hear the other end of the phone conversation, but Gavin had her curiosity piqued. What deal had they struck and what did Lauren have to do in return? While she waited to hear something that would give her even the slightest clue as to what they were talking about, she dished the omelets up before placing the pan into the sink. She made her way around and looked at the suede cream fabric on the stool. There was no way that she was sitting on that naked. She went to turn to look for a towel when Gavin caught her by the arm. He was removing his robe and placing it on the seat. Did he really expect her to eat while he was in front of her naked? Her appetite suddenly changed for something else besides omelets.