A Little Harmless Rumor (11 page)

“Okay, you’re both here to stay,” he said, his heart warming. He hadn’t wanted them to go, but he had to give them that choice.

“So…” Randy said as he nibbled on Sean’s ear. “Whatever will we do with ourselves?”

“I am sure we will come up with a few things things to occupy our time,” Sean said.

D
el pulled
onto Cat’s street and glanced over at his companion. Emma hadn’t said much since they’d left Sean’s house. She wasn’t always talkative, but she was definitely in shut down mode. That could only spell trouble.

“You’ll like Cat.”

She didn’t respond. If anything, she looked like she had shifted away from him. She was definitely shutting down.

“She’s very good at her job.”

“Why would that have anything to do with liking her?” she asked, her voice very matter of fact, but Del heard the tension beneath it. He was good at reading people. It was one of the things that made him good at his job and good at managing his team.

“That’s not why you would like her. I was just trying to make conversation.”

She turned and looked at him. “Why?”

“Why would you like her?”

She released one of her irritated sighs. “No, why would you try and make conversation with me?”

“I thought it would put you at ease.”

Emma shook her head. “It’s clear you don’t like me.”

That surprised him and he didn’t try to hide it. “I didn’t say I didn’t like you.”

She snorted and looked out the window again. “If you cuss as much at your friends like you did to me, I would hate to see what your enemies would deal with.”

“First of all, I’m a guy. A lot of us cuss. I know Sean has a pretty bad vocabulary. Add in the fact that you hit me with a board and broke my nose, and I think I have every right to cuss.”

“We all have the right to say what we want. It doesn’t mean you should though. There are limits to honesty. Or that’s what people tell me.”

He caught on to that last bit like a starving man. Del had always been someone who dealt in information. If he could know everything he wanted to about a situation, he could figure out what to do about it. It had to be the only reason he was so intrigued by Emma Taylor.

“So, people think you are too honest?”

“It’s gotten me into trouble before. I don’t always understand little cues other people pick up on. I often say things that offend others, even if I don’t mean to.”

Del digested that bit of information, then pulled to a stop in front of Cat’s house. “You sound rude, but you’re not trying to be.”

She turned her head to study him. Even in the cab of his pickup, he could see her surprise.

“Yes. When I try to explain, I make it worse.”

Sighing, she glanced past him to Cat’s house. She looked so damned lost that he felt the need to fill in the moment.

“Hey, it will all work out.”

She looked at him. “You can’t know that. No one knows what will happen from one moment to the other. We can calculate every move we make, and it can all explode in your face. Letov is definitely acting erratically, and that works for us on certain levels. But we can’t be sure that he won’t just pop off. Life is like that, you know. Sometimes things are going along and everything is just fine. Then, all of the sudden it isn’t. Plans don’t always work.”

He knew she was talking about more than the present situation. There was a tone in her voice he had not heard before. She was almost wooden in the way she talked, as if she expected the worst to happen. Just knowing a bit of her backstory made him realize that most of her life had probably taught her that. Losing her parents, and now everything she had dealt with recently, it made sense.

Maybe it was because she looked so sad, or the fact that he had a couple younger sisters, he broke down. He couldn’t force her to do something she didn’t want to do. He agreed with Sean though. She needed to be in a separate house than her brother. Which left him with only one alternative.

“Would you feel more comfortable at my place?”

She blinked, then focused on him again. “Your place? As in your house?”

He nodded.

“I could go to a hotel,” she said in a hopeful tone.

“Out of the question and you know it,“ he returned in a stern voice.

She frowned.

“Listen, I have a guest room you can use, and it’s closer to headquarters where I plan on stashing you tomorrow night. After tomorrow night, you can go stay wherever you want.”

And just like that, her tension seemed to drain from her. “You don’t mind if I am up? I tend to drive people crazy when I work through the night.”

He shook his head. “I’ll have no problem ignoring you.”

She offered him a shy smile, and he felt as if had won the lottery. “I would really like that. I don’t do well with new people.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” he said. “Let me go tell Cat you’re staying with me.”

She nodded and he slid out of his truck to make his way up to Cat’s door. His lieutenant opened it before he could knock. Average in height and small boned, Cat often surprised people with her strength. That along with her amazing sniper skills, black belt in karate, and intelligence made her one of the best team members he had ever worked with.

She’d pulled all her hair up into a braid, and she had no makeup on. She was also in her PJs.

“Where’s my house guest, boss?” she asked.

“In the truck,” he said, stepping up on her front stoop.

She blinked and looked at him, then she snorted.

“What?”

“Uh, who beat the hell out of you?”

It was then that he realized he had just fully stepped into the light. Damn, as soon as he told her, it would be texted out to the members of the team. He was never going to fucking live this down. Hell, he would be lucky if they kept it within the confides of the team. Knowing Adam, everyone in his family would get the info too.

“Never mind. I just wanted to tell you Emma is going to stay with me.”

“I can handle her.”

He chuckled. “Not sure anyone can really
handle
Emma.”

Her mouth curved. “So that’s the way of it?”

The moment he got the meaning of her comment, he wanted to kick himself in the ass. He did not need his team speculating on why he wanted Emma at his house. No, wait. He didn’t want her at his house. It was just that he knew she was tense about dealing with a new person after everything she had been through.

“No. Emma has issues with new people and places. She’s just more comfortable with me.”

The look Cat gave him told Del that she didn’t believe him. That made her a good detective, but it wouldn’t make his life any easier. There was one thing about Cat though. She was smart enough not to say anything about it.

“Tomorrow night I’m going to be at headquarters…something on the side, and Emma will be there. If you can spare some time on a Saturday night, I would really appreciate it. Adam is working too, but I know we’ll need backup.”

She nodded. “You got it, boss.”

“Thanks. I’ll text you the info.”

He turned and walked back to the truck. Without looking, he knew Cat was already texting the rest of the team about his injury. Sure enough, his phone beeped signaling a text. He glanced at the message from second in command Adam Lee.

So, I understand there’s a woman who can kick your ass and you’re taking her home. -Adam

Cat was going to be pulling graveyard shift for the next three months. The woman could never seem to keep her mouth shut. He could trust her with work, but personal things…well; his whole fucking team was bad. They were worse than all the gossiping biddies at his grandmother’s retirement home. The next week was going to suck.

He opened the door and hopped into the truck. Del was about to say something to Emma when he realized she had fallen asleep. In the weak streetlight, he could see the smudges beneath her eyes. She had spent more than one night burning the midnight oil; that was for sure. Knowing what little he did about her personality, Del had a feeling that her preoccupation with helping Sean had kept her up. There was a good chance that no matter whenever she was obsessing over something, she would have lots of sleepless nights. The fact that he wanted to know more about her was slightly disturbing. Prickly, obsessed women were not his thing.
Ever
. Still, she intrigued him enough to know that after this was done—and if she stuck around—he would definitely try to get to know her better.

With a sigh, he started up his truck and headed to his condo in Hawaii Kai. It was going to be one damn long day tomorrow.

T
he first thing
Sean felt the next morning were hands moving over his body. He had barely opened his eyes to see the first twinkle of sunlight, and he was thrown into morass of lust. Fingers skimmed, palms pressed, tongues and mouths tasted and licked. With a groan, he closed his eyes and arched up off the bed. They continued their assault, teasing him. He opened his eyes and found Randy and Jaime roaming over his body. They were both naked, just as he was. None of them really saw the reason to wear clothes to bed.

Jaime had his cock in her hand, sliding up and down before she took his erection in her mouth. Randy made his way up to Sean’s mouth.

“Morning, babe.”

“Morning,” he said. Randy kissed him, sucking Sean’s tongue into his mouth. Over and over, he tugged on Sean’s tongue; mimicking the blowjob Jaime was giving him. They continued like that, slow and easy, both of them fucking him with their mouths. Sean shivered as Jaime grazed the very tip of his cock with her teeth. She gave the crown of his penis one last swirling lick before she kissed her way up his body. By the time she reached his mouth, Randy moved away, giving her access to Sean’s mouth. As she took over, Randy kissed his way down to Sean’s cock.

As a Dom, Sean wasn’t accustomed to being taken over. He planned the seduction, took charge, and handled everything. He had never been surprised like this by anyone. He couldn’t seem to grasp onto a thought at the moment. In this one moment, they gave him something he had never experienced. He could just lay back and feel.

Randy slipped his hand up to Jaime’s head and threaded his fingers through her hair. She smelled of roses and seduction…nothing had been as sweet. Or so he thought, until Randy started to deep throat him. Sean felt the back of Randy’s throat and almost came. The man was a fucking demon with that mouth. He knew just how much to push Sean, and Randy loved a cock in his mouth. Next, he added his hand to Sean’s shaft, stroking him. Fuck. Sean tore his mouth away from Jaime’s.

“Fuck, yeah,” were the only words he could come up with.

Freed from the kiss, Jaime took advantage of the opportunity. She rose to her knees, lifted her leg and set it on the other side of his face so she straddled him. Without hesitation, she set her pussy down on his mouth. Taking hold of her ass, he pressed her dripping sex against his mouth. Over and over, he fucked her with is tongue. She moved with him, her moans growing louder and louder with each passing minute. The taste of her danced over his taste buds as he slipped a finger between her cheeks and teased her anus. Just one touch jolted her, then she pressed down harder. She had been wet, but now she was dripping with it.

Randy continued to suck Sean’s cock, slipping his hand down to tease Sean’s sac. His talented fingers stroked the sensitive skin. Damn, the fucking man was going to drive him fucking insane. Sean was about to lose it, come right then and there, but Randy, being Randy, knew it. He pulled away. Sean tore his mouth away from Jaime’s tasty pussy to glare at Randy.

Randy shook his head. “Nope. Not yet.”

With a naughty smile, Randy slipped from the bed as Jaime scooted down and straddled Sean’s hips. She pressed her wet sex against his cock. Fuck. She rubbed against him as she slipped a finger into her mouth. Something as simple as that was pushing his arousal to new levels. Randy handed her a condom, which she opened. Jaime slid back, allowing Randy to grasp Sean’s shaft. He stroked him a few times before he stopped to hold it for up for Jaime.

She took the condom and settled it on the tip of his cock. Then…she did nothing. Apparently she was waiting for him to look at her. He glanced up. She held his gaze as she slid the condom down his cock. Jaime took her time, teasing his flesh as she went. By the time she reached the bottom, he was shaking. The curve of her mouth told him she knew what she’d done to him. Of course she did. The woman knew every button of his to push.

With a growl, he jackknifed up, and rolled them over the bed. She went with him easily, setting her feet on top of the mattress and widening her legs. He pulled her up by the hips and entered her with a hard, swift thrust.

“Oh, fuck…yes,” she moaned as he started to move inside her. The feel of her wet, tight pussy clinging to him almost had him, but he controlled himself, for the time being. Randy was watching them. Sean turned his head and watched Randy roll on his own condom; he joined them back on the bed. He situated himself behind Sean on the mattress.

With easy, confident movements, he worked his way up Sean’s ass. Being inside of Jaime and having Randy inside of him…it was the closest thing to heaven Sean had ever felt. It took him just a few moments to work that gorgeous cock of his into Sean’s ass, then, together, they started moving.

Sean bent down to kiss Jaime, then, he dipped lower and took one of her nipples into his mouth. As he did, Randy dug his fingers into Sean’s hips. They were fucking so hard, the massive wood headboard slammed against the wall.

“Fuck yeah. Fuck. Fuck,” Randy groaned. “God damn, you feel fantastic.”

As they moved together, the rhythm increasing with each thrust, he lost track of time and space. He didn’t know where one of them started and ended. In that moment, he knew exactly what it meant for the three of them to be together like this. There was no one left out, no one who didn’t belong.

Jaime came first. Sean lifted his head from her breasts and watched as she convulsed beneath both men. He felt the vibrations hit his cock first, causing him to tighten his ass.

“Ahhh, yeah. Make her come again. That’s fanfuckingtastick.”

He did as Randy ordered. “Come on, love. Come again,” Sean said. She was shaking her head back and forth as if denying him; but she arched up, her pussy clamping down tight on him again. He had the same reaction as he did last time, pulling a groan from Randy.

“Fuck,” was all Randy said as he increased the speed of his thrusts.

Jaime was coming down from her second orgasm as he threw her into her third. A surprised scream tore from her throat as Sean gave himself over to pleasure. It rushed through him, surprising him with the force of it.

“Yeah, like that,” Randy said again. He thrust into Sean twice more before he held tight and his own orgasm took over.

They both collapsed at the same time, earning them a groan from Jaime.

“You two are heavy,” she said. Randy chuckled and pulled out of Sean, then Sean moved. After they tossed the condoms, they returned to bed. Sean pulled Jaime into his arms, as Randy snuggled in behind Sean.

It wasn’t a bad way to start the day.

R
oyce felt
the late morning sun on his face. He tried to open his eyes, but it took a bit of effort. He’d been stitched up from the shot before they left Europe, but he knew he was barely holding on. He was running a fever, but he didn’t know if it had to do with the gunshot wound or from the various open sores on his body. He shifted in his seat and tried to move his arms. They were still tied to the arms of the chair. He was wearing the same clothes he had been in when they abducted him, and he smelled like three-week-old rubbish.

Fuck, he was too old for this. But he had to hold on. He had to figure out some way to help Sean.

“Oh, so I see that you are awake,” a heavily accented voice said from one of the darkened corners.

“Barely. Barely alive.”

“You’re lucky.”

Royce used all the strength he had to lift his head and look at his captor. The small stature, the bald head, and the stench of a Cuban cigar told him it was Letov.

“Is that a fact?” he asked.

Letov nodded. “Da.”

“What is the end game? What do you need me for?”

Letov said nothing for a long moment, and Royce worried that he wouldn’t tell him.

“I don’t think that it matters, but you are here for my end game. You know it.”

Of course he did, and Royce knew that it was partly his fault Sean had been pulled into this insane game.

“I won’t help you.”

Again, a long pause. Letov walked closer, coming into the light. His face showed the ravages of living a hard life. He was a criminal, but one that had done and seen some of the worst of humanity. His hair was thinning on top, greasy, and he had gained at least five stone from the last time Royce had seen him.

“I think you might. Because I have something to offer you.”

He scoffed at that, actually snorted in Letov’s face. Still, he continued to give Royce that evil smile. “Oh, but I do,” Letov said pleasantly.

“What in the bloody hell would you ever have for me?”

He leaned in closer and Royce smelled the whiskey then. It wasn’t good whiskey, but it seemed to seep from his pores. His skin had that yellowish tint from cirrhosis. This was a man who lived on the alcoholic beverage. If he didn’t get killed by one of his enemies, he was going to drink himself to death soon.

“But I do, Royce. That is, if you think the life of your daughter is anything you would want to protect.”