Master No (33 page)

She was quiet for a moment, the sound of the ocean the only noise between them, but he felt oddly calm. Since he’d made the decision to choose Faith, he’d found an inner peace he’d never had before. This was what Liam had talked about. He didn’t need a mission. He had her. Or rather, taking care of her was his true mission.

“I think I would like to have more time with you.” Her voice was quiet, almost halting, as though she couldn’t quite believe what she was saying.

He wasn’t sure what she was saying, but his heart jumped a little. “I want that, too. I was thinking that maybe I should go to Liberia with you. I’ve heard you’re out a bodyguard.”

Her eyes flared. “Are you serious? You have a job, Ten.”

“I would have a job with you,” he reasoned. A job that paid next to nothing and had none of the power he was used to, but that was all right. He’d made his decision. There was a saying he remembered from the religion classes the Agency had him take as a young recruit. He couldn’t remember the exact wording from the Talmud, but it was something about when you saved one soul, you saved an entire world.

Faith saved lives. She saved worlds. More than he’d ever managed to do at the Agency. He’d kept the balance there, but she was actively trying to do good.

She deserved someone dedicated to her comfort, her protection, her good.

He was her knight in really tarnished armor.

She went up on her toes. “I would love for you to go with me, Tennessee. I need to figure out a few things, but we can take our time and make some decisions together.”

They could decide their future together.

His cell vibrated again, but he ignored it. Theo was likely fucking with him, and he had better things to do. Faith would want to know why Theo was texting him after midnight. He was only keeping his cover. He kissed her long and slow.

Soon he wouldn’t need a cover with her. He would tell her anything she needed to know. He would remake his life for her. He drew her in, his mind planning a long and slow seduction.

Their tongues mated, rubbing against each other, playing. His hands roamed down her back right to that glorious ass of hers. He rubbed his cock on her. It was all right. He didn’t have to be polite. She was his. He could throw aside all that polite shit and be Tennessee Smith. She belonged to him and he was hers.

Fuck. He was hers and that was such a goddamn good thing to be.

He started to maneuver her back toward the bedroom. He would get her on the bed and torture her for a good long while. He would make her scream before he gave in. He would tease her.

He gripped her ass cheeks in both hands and easily lifted her to his chest. He loved her weight in his hands, loved how she gave over and let him handle her. He made his way to the bed, his mouth still on hers. He fell with her on the bed, giving her his weight.

She giggled, the sound making his soul light. “I think I might love you, Tennessee Graham.”

Oh, that was what he wanted to hear. “I want nothing more in my life than for you to love me, Faith McDonald.” He stared down at the honest beauty of her face. “I’ll follow you. Where you go, I go.”

For the rest of his life.

He’d been an idiot. How could he have wasted weeks on suspicion? He should have been loving her without reservation all this time.

He spread her legs, making a place for himself. His place. His freaking home.

His cock was rock hard and he stroked himself against her pelvis. He would get in there soon and he would show her his affection.

“I’m fucking crazy about you, Faith.” He crushed his chest to her breasts. “You’re all I think about now.”

Her arms wound around his neck and she rubbed her nose against his in a sweet gesture of affection. “I’m crazy about you, too. Tell me something, Ten. When you’re my bodyguard, are you going to protect me from all invaders, foreign and domestic?”

He felt his lips curl up in a genuine smile. She made him so freaking happy. “All invaders. Every single fucking one. This belongs to me.” He stroked against her and then felt his face soften. “I’ll protect you with everything I have, Faith. Everything I am. I will rule you in the bedroom, but you should also know that I am your slave.”

He started to pull off the robe she was wearing. It was her only clothing because she rarely wore any around him. Her body belonged to him and he didn’t want it covered. He wanted to be surrounded by her beauty, her feminine loveliness. He began to reveal her soft skin when he heard the door slam open.

He sprang up to his feet, his hand going for a gun that wasn’t there.

The men walking into the room didn’t have the same problem. They were well armed.

Faith gasped and he moved quickly to get her behind him. Damn it. His SIG was in the nightstand. He hadn’t wanted to scare her by leaving it out in the open, and he had no place to put the damn thing in his pajama bottoms.

Adrenaline flooded his system. “Faith, you stay behind me. Is that understood? When you get the chance, you run and go find Theo.”

“I’m afraid the younger Taggart has already fled the building, Mr. Smith,” a deep voice said.

Ten felt his whole body tense as Senator Hank McDonald strode in. He was wearing a business suit, but there were boots on his feet. He was backed up by two more guards carrying serious hardware.

Someone in the London office was going to get his ass kicked.

“Dad?” Faith tried to move from behind him.

Her father’s face softened marginally. “Hey, sweetheart. I need to talk to you and I would rather do it without the interference of a rogue former CIA operative with a grudge against me.”

Shit. Shit. And more shit. “Faith, I need you to listen to me.”

There were suddenly four guns pointed straight at his head.

“Dad, what the hell is going on?” Faith asked. “And who is Mr. Smith? This is my boyfriend. You got his files. His last name is Graham. Timothy Graham, though his friends all call him Ten. Could we please stop with the extreme fear tactics? I know you like to say you’re a protective father, but this is a bit much.”

She still didn’t understand. And he wasn’t sure there was anything he could say at this point. He’d waited too long.

Her father shook his head. He was a barrel-chested man in decent shape, but then he didn’t have to spend much time in the gym since he seemed to have a small army around him. “This man’s name is Tennessee Smith. He was a CIA operative until he sold out his country. I was the one who brought him down. Now he’s using you to get to me.”

“That is the single most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Faith said. “Have the goon squad put the guns away and let me get dressed. I know you don’t appreciate my lifestyle, but I’ll be damned if you treat a man I care about like this.”

He could practically feel the rage vibrating off her. Would she turn that rage against him when she discovered he’d lied? Was there any way to get the hell out of here? He could make it to the balcony, but he didn’t trust her father not to hurt her in the crossfire.

“Faith, darlin’, I need you to know a few things.” Ten hated that he couldn’t look at her, but he had to keep his eyes on the snakes that surrounded them. They could bite at any moment.

Faith’s hands were on his shoulders. “Ten, we can pack and be out of here in no time. Since my father’s hospitality is lacking, we’ll go to the resort for the night and then head home in the morning.”

“You won’t go after you see the evidence, baby girl.” Her father shook his head in seeming sympathy. “I’m so sorry he brought you into this. If I’d known, I swear, I would have had this bastard assassinated. How dare you bring my daughter into this, you traitor.”

“He’s not a traitor. He was in the military.” She kept trying to move, to get around him.

His gut took a dive. The next few minutes were going to be the hardest of his life. He did the unthinkable. He turned his back on the guys with the guns, leaving himself utterly vulnerable, but he had only seconds to make her understand.

He cupped her cheeks. “Faith, I love you. I’ve never loved anyone before. I’ve never said those words to another woman in my life, but I love you. Please believe me.”

Her body went still. “Ten, what’s going on?”

If he brought her into this, her father could kill them both. If she believed Ten, her father would have no choice, and he’d already proven he didn’t mind killing the ones he loved. He’d murdered her mother because she’d been planning to divorce him. What would he do to a daughter who could threaten his career?

Sometimes choosing her meant walking away. Meant sacrificing himself.

“I love you, Faith. It might have started out as a job, but I love you.” He stared at her, praying he could memorize every inch of her face. So much time he’d wasted. He wished he’d met her years before, but he wouldn’t have trusted this feeling then either. Sometimes he wished the cold had taken him when he was a baby. Now he was glad it hadn’t because this love for her was so fucking warm. He was warm for once in his life. “I hope you can forgive me.”

He had to walk out of here. They would almost surely kill him as soon as they were out of range. He might have a shot at getting away because they wouldn’t want Faith to see his murder. He would walk out and the senator would show her his trumped up evidence and Faith McDonald would hate him.

But she would be alive. She would be in the world even if he wasn’t.

He turned back to the senator. “Do you have a car ready for me or am I walking to the airport?”

The senator met his eyes and for a brief moment there was a silent understanding between them. The senator nodded. “I’ve got a plane ready for you. You can leave tonight.”

He would be in a shallow grave before dawn.

“He’s not going anywhere. Not until I understand what the hell is going on.” There was a fine sheen of tears in Faith’s eyes as she put her hands on his arms, keeping him close. “Ten, what is happening? What do you mean by job?”

He had to sell this because if she believed for a moment that her lover was in the right, she would back him. She would go up against her father and she would pay the price. “Your father had me burned. I was a career CIA agent and he cost me everything. I intended to give him payback. I know he’ll have plenty of evidence against me and he’ll be more than happy to show you, but I need you to hold on to one thing. I love you.”

Maybe he should have pretended to not care, but loving Faith might be the one good thing he’d done in his miserable life. He couldn’t. He couldn’t die lying to her, couldn’t leave her thinking she hadn’t touched his soul.

“You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Faith McDonald, and I would give a whole lot to go back and be a better man for you.”

“I don’t understand any of this.”

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, likely the last sweet moment of his life. He prayed Theo would watch out for her. Erin liked Faith. Theo would do anything for Erin. Theo would make sure she didn’t get hurt. “You will and I hope you can forgive me. Have a good life, Faith.” He turned back to her father, his enemy. This was the man who had killed Jamie and as he stood there in front of the bastard, all he could feel was a sense of panic that he might hurt Faith. “I’ll leave quietly, McDonald.”

“If you do, then we won’t have a problem.” McDonald nodded to one of his goons, who moved behind Ten. “You’ll understand if I have one of my men escort you.”

Because he wasn’t leaving this island alive. It was him or Faith. There was no choice. “Of course. Luckily I hadn’t unpacked.”

He grabbed his bag. He wouldn’t need it, but he had to make it look good.

“Ten, tell me what’s happening. Please tell me this isn’t true.” Faith was clutching her robe around her body. This was the bad kind of vulnerable, and he was so sorry he’d made her feel it.

“This started out as a job, Faith. I intended to use you to take your father down. I sent Theo and Erin to soften you up. They herded you to me. There were no other Doms who would have been options at Sanctum. Only me because it was all a setup to get close to you.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks, causing his heart to crack. Fuck, he hadn’t realized it could do that. He started to reach for her.

She stepped back. “You didn’t want me.”

“I wanted you the moment I saw you.” He wasn’t going to lie to her about that. Never. “I fell in love with you, but I have to leave.”

She nodded. “Yeah, you have to leave. Do you honestly think I’ll believe a word you say? How could you? How could you use me like that?”

“It’s my job,” he said. He had a shitty job.

“Go. I can’t…I can’t look at you.” Her jaw firmed and it was obvious she was trying to hold it together.

But he could look at her. So pretty. Someday a man who was worthy would come along and take care of her. She glowed when she was well taken care of. He could see her on her knees, submitting with that sweet passion of hers, giving him everything she had.

He would hold on to that.

He felt a hand on his arm and then the hard shove of metal to his spine.

McDonald stopped him before he made it out the door with his “escort.”

“This is far from over, Smith,” the senator said under his breath.

A thrill went through his system. He nodded, saying nothing, and then he was in the hallway. Far from over? Did the senator have plans? Some torture, perhaps? He could handle it. Time was what he needed. The longer he had before they put a bullet in his brain, the more time his team had to find him. Theo would call in Ian and Ian would take over. Eventually, if he stayed alive, Big Tag would ride in and save the day.

If Ian found him, he could find her. He could explain. He could protect her.

God, all he fucking cared about was Faith.

They pushed him along and Ten got ready for the fight of his life.

* * * *

Faith stared at the door where Tennessee had been. One moment she’d been safe and happy and in his arms, and the next there had been guns and accusations, and how the hell had he lied to her?

Hollow. She felt hollow.

“Baby girl, I need to talk to you.” Her father was the last one left in the room. His guards were gone, likely shoving her lover on a plane that would take him back to Dallas.