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“In your dreams. I’m just telling you we don’t have much time and I don’t want to come until I’m inside you.”

He grabbed her hands, lifting them away and levered himself onto the bed, positioning himself between Rachel’s thighs.

“Quick and dirty, darlin’,” he told her, “but I’ll still take the top of your head off.”

And she knew he could do exactly that. Just as he always had.

He bent quickly, lifting her legs and giving him full access to her cunt. In a second she felt the warm, wet uneven surface of his tongue rasping over her slit and probing into the opening of her vagina. She jerked in response but his big hands pressing against the insides of her thighs held her in place.

He lapped at her, licked every surface, flicked the tip of his tongue at her throbbing clit, repeating the process over and over.

“Take your nipples,” he ordered in a low, gravelly voice, lifting his head momentarily. “Do it, Rachel. Tug them for me. Pull them. Pinch them hard.”

Rachel lifted her hands without thinking, her brain already shrouded in a fog of lust. Her blood raced through her veins, its pulsing movements pounding in her ears.

Two fingers slid into her pussy, twisting back and forth as they scooped some of the copious fluid pouring from her. In the next moment she felt them painting the tight skin of her anus.

She tensed herself against the expected intrusion but when it came she welcomed it, icy hot sensations like flames wrapped in snow shot through her and the walls of her pussy quivered with need. She pushed herself against the fingers, trying to force them in further.

“That’s it,” Gabe said. “Ride my fingers, Rachel. Let me feel the inner muscles of your ass tighten around them. God, you are so hot and tight. Every time I take you here it’s like the first time. Sometimes when I’m undercover in that terrorist cell, waiting for whatever’s coming next, I think about fucking your ass. With my cock, with my fingers, any way I can. My cock gets harder than a spike but it’s the only thing that keeps me sane. Keeps me from losing myself in the terrible things I have to do.”

“Oh, god, Gabe.” A low moan rolled from her throat, his words as much a catalyst as the probing of his fingers.

With two fingers inside her rectum all the way to the knuckle, he returned his mouth to her pussy, repeating the licking and nibbling, his teeth grazing over the swollen bud that was her clit. The muscles in her tummy flexed as her climax began building. She knew she was close to the edge, the release beckoning magically to her.

She almost cried when Gabe pulled his fingers loose and lifted off the bed, bereft at the empty feeling he left behind.

“Just hold on one second, darlin’,” he told her in an unsteady voice.

“Please,” she begged. “Don’t leave me like this.”

Then he was back, rolling a condom onto his thickened shaft. “Never, Rachel. Not ever.”

Lifting her legs over his shoulder to give him greater access, he reared back and plunged deep inside her. She hung on the precipice, her vaginal walls gripping him and pulling at him, her body so ready to explode, but Gabe knew just how to hold her there.

He stroked in and out, each time a little harder and deeper. They found the rhythm together, their own special dance, moving faster and faster to music only they could hear.

“Now, Rachel,” he shouted and took them over the edge together.

The spasms went on and on, her entire body shaking. She clutched Gabe’s braced forearms, nails digging into his skin. The convulsions grew in intensity until she thought she would surely shake to death. And finally, finally, as she was about to sink into the black void swirling around her, the aftershocks diminished and it was just her and Gabe, sweaty, skin-to-skin, hearts beating like jungle drums working overtime.

Finally Gabe lowered her legs and slowly pulled his spent cock from her pussy.

Working his way off the bed, he lifted her in his arms again and headed for the bathroom.

“Quick shower,” he told her. “We’ll be out of time any minute now.”

He snagged his phone on his way through the room, reached into the stall to turn on the shower and stood Rachel on her feet inside. She clung to him for a moment, getting her balance.

“You certainly soothed my jangled nerves,” she told him, grinning.

“Mine too.”

He climbed into the shower with her and adjusted the spray to cover both of them.

But instead of reaching for the soap, he pulled her close to him and put his mouth to her ear.

“Rachel, I have something I want to say to you and I want to do it now, because it’s always possible something could go wrong tonight.”

She froze. “You said I’d be safe. I believe in you, Gabe. In your ability to take care of me.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He let out a long, slow breath. “This…thing I’m involved in. Tonight may be what finally brings it to a head.”

When he paused, she said, “And?”

“And I have to tell you you’re more than just a now-and-then person to me. You keep me sane, Rachel. You keep me from losing my mind when I have to be someone else and I wonder if it’s worth it all.”

She ran her hands up and down the wet planes of his back. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

“Yeah and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Which I guess is why I’m making such a mess of it.”

The cold knot settled in her stomach again. “If you want to tell me you need to move on, Gabriel, then go ahead and say it. I’m an adult. I won’t try to stab you in the shower or dissolve in hysterics.”

His big body tensed. One hand cupped her chin, tilting it upwards. Despite the water spraying down on her, she stared up at him. The look in his eyes nearly brought her to her knees.

“Move on? Darlin’, that’s the furthest thing from my mind. What I’m trying to tell you is, when this thing is over tonight, I’m going to ask Killian to change my status, not send me out on such long-term assignments anymore. I want to spend more time at home. Your home. With you.”

She was so shocked her heart nearly stopped beating. “With me?” she parroted.

“If you want.” His eyes bored into her. “Or maybe I’m reading something into this that isn’t here. If so, now’s the time to tell me.”

She managed to lift herself on tiptoes and press her mouth to his. “Whatever you’re asking me, the answer is yes, yes, yes.”

The kiss might have lasted longer but the shrill sound of Gabe’s phone pierced the steam-filled air.

“Damn,” he swore. “Timing is everything, right?”

He turned off the shower, handed Rachel a towel and picked up his phone.

“Peralta.” He listened for several seconds, nodding his head. “Got it. We’ll be ready.”

“Time?” Rachel asked.

He nodded. “Hustle that cute little ass of yours into some clothes and make your call. We’re ready.”

Rachel was only partially dry when she dragged on jeans and a t-shirt, dug out her phone and, hands shaking, pressed the speed dial for Nina Chan.

“Oh, Rachel,” the other woman cried. “Thank heavens. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Nina. What’s this all about? There are a million messages on my machine and the phone’s been driving me crazy. Are you keeping tabs on me for some reason?”

“Oh, my, no, no, no.” It was easy to hear the strain in her voice. “It’s just that I was so worried about you. You never, ever leave a function early and you looked so strange.

I thought maybe you were sick. Besides, everyone was asking me questions about you. I about worried myself to death over it, thinking maybe I should check on you. But when I finally called there was no answer.”

“Questions?” Nina’s hand tightened on her phone. “Like who?”

“Oh, you know. Like Mr. and Mrs. Harris. And Lincoln Harris too. He seemed to think there was some kind of problem.”

“Did he, now? I wasn’t aware my movements were of such interest to him.”

There was silence for a second. “Don’t be mad at me, Rachel. I…we…everyone just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Well, you can call them all and tell them I’m just fine. I was just…busy.” Rachel had been warned not to say she’d left the house for any reason.

“Ooh,” Nina squealed after a moment, “is it that hot hunk I saw you dancing with?”

“That’s him. So you can understand why I wasn’t answering the phone.”

“Rachel?” Nina’s voice dropped but Rachel could hear the tension in it. “Is he still with you?”

“Listen, I appreciate your concern but don’t you think that’s my business?”

“Oh, yes. Of course. I’m sorry.” She paused. “Well, then. I guess I’d better get off the phone and let you get back to…whatever you were doing. Will you be in tomorrow morning?”

“Of course,” Rachel assured her in a firm voice. “But if you get to the office first and it makes you feel better, you can call all the Harrises and tell them I’m just fine.”

“I will. And I’m glad you’re fine. Good night, Rachel.”

“She’s as nervous as hell,” Rachel told Gabe, pressing the End button. “And I can’t be positive but I think someone was there with her whispering to her, telling her what to say.”

Gabe nodded. “Probably the person we’ve been trying to find all this time. I can’t believe he’d expose himself like this.”

“But if he saw you tonight and recognized you…”

“He’s never seen me,” Gabe objected. “At least in person.” He snapped his fingers.

“The pictures. I should have thought of that. Every new person has their picture taken with a cell phone and transmitted to the leader. So he knows who’s on what team.”

“Then that’s how you were identified.” Rachel shoved her fingers through her still damp hair. “But why would he think it suspicious that you were at a function like that, dancing with me?”

“No one in the terror cells goes near functions like this. Only the leader and two or three of his lieutenants. The rest of us are just grubby foot soldiers. So my being there was like waving a red flag. Especially since the event was by invitation only.”

“It just stuns me that it could be someone associated with the foundation.”

Gabe’s phone rang again. He spoke cryptically, nodding as he talked, then snapped it shut.

“We’re set. Not more than a minute after you called Chan, the guys who broke in here earlier must have gotten a call because they’re on the move. But we’re watching for any other vehicles too. The boss may come out of hiding to make sure the job gets done right. He can’t afford to take the chance I’m a plant and could disrupt his operation.”

Her body still tingling from the intense orgasm, Rachel watched Gabe checking the clip in his gun, then two others that he shoved back in his pocket. She watched curiously as he stuffed all the pillows under the covers, then pulled them up as if two people were sleeping beneath them,

“What—”

“We’ll let them come in here and take their shot. My guess is they’ll use a silencer, hit both forms, then turn on the lights to make sure they got us.”

“Me too?” she asked.

“Collateral damage, as far as they’re concerned. Okay, come on. I want you in the closet in the bigger guest bedroom. And do not come out until I tell you to. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” She resisted the urge to salute him. “Where will you be?”

“I’m going to wait in the living room. I can see clear through to the back from there.

You stay here in the bedroom and don’t move until I tell you to. That’s an order.”

“O-okay.” She wouldn’t have trouble following that direction.

Gabe hauled her next to him, banding one arm tightly around her and placed a ferocious kiss on her lips. They were both breathing hard when he released her.

“For luck,” he said. “Now go sit in the corner until I give the all clear.”

Gabe moved stealthily down the hall, crouching low, a night vision monocular clamped to his head. He hadn’t pulled any of the curtains closed so he could see what was happening outside. At the same time, he needed to keep below the level of the window sills. He’d taken the comm link Killian had given him, put on the thin wire headset and adjusted the earpiece.

“Ready,” he whispered into the tiny mic.

“We’re set,” came back the voice of Randy Knowles, the team leader. “Red Team just called me that the guys we’re looking for should be here within fifteen.”

Rachel turned on the bedside lamp, walked across the floor in front of the window, stretched, walked back to the bed and snapped off the light. Gabriel crouched low, pushed back his night vision monocular and opened the blinds, slanting them just enough to let in the moonlight, allowing them to see out but no one to see in.

Now there was nothing to do but sit and wait. Gabe positioned himself in the living room where he could see both the front and back yards of the house. He’d taken a big chance, telling Rachel what he wanted. He hadn’t even made his feelings totally clear to her yet. Maybe because he was still sorting them out himself. But she hadn’t turned away from him, even knowing what he did for a living. Especially having it thrown at her the way it happened.

He’d told Killian even before tonight that whenever this assignment was complete he wanted to make a change. For the first time in his life, he wanted more than the covert existence he’d lived for so long. And he wanted it with Rachel.

A clicking sounded in his ear, then a low voice said, “Heads up. Black SUV just parked at the end of the block. No one’s getting out yet. Red team’s parked one block over, heading here on foot.”

“Okay. Let me know when the guys in the SUV start to move.”

Less than a minute later Randy’s voice whispered in his ear. “They seem to be waiting for something. I wish to hell I knew what it was. Oh, wait. There’s a Mercedes coming from the opposite direction and it just parked at the curb in front of Rachel’s house. And here come the bad guys.”

“I’m ready,” Gabe assured him.

“Remember, we’ve got the house surrounded. We’ll move in on their heels. Don’t want to wait until they shoot you, old buddy.”

“Thanks for that,” Gabe answered in a wry voice.

He closed his eyes momentarily so his sense of hearing would ramp up. He heard faint scratching at both the front and back doors. Lock picks. No blasting through for these guys. They wanted quick and quiet and then they’d be gone. Well, they were in for quite a surprise.