Arousing Memories Samantha Cayto
Agent Haley Walker is waging the battle of her life. She’s wielding her body as a seductive weapon to arouse memories buried in the mind of her lover, Noah Turner. If she fails, people will die. Her former lover and mentor, Severin Blake, teases her with his presence and adds fuel to her fire. Severin played the dominating alpha male with Haley, and lost her. A bisexual man, he turned to Noah for solace. Haley’s proximity and plan strain his body and his patience. He stokes the flames with Noah while resisting the temptation of the woman he still loves. A traumatized Noah is mentally lost. He doesn’t remember the two people showering him with attention and pleasure, although his body recognizes the dual arousal of soft woman and hard man. If only his mind could catch up.
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Arousing Memories ISBN 9781419936425 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Arousing Memories Copyright © 2011 Samantha Cayto Edited by Helen Woodall Cover design by Syneca Photography: vgstudio/Shutterstock.com Electronic book publication September 2011 The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book. The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.
AROUSING MEMORIES Samantha Cayto
Dedication To Allie Standifer. You reach a certain age in life and think you are done making fabulous friends and then someone like Allie comes along. She is wicked and wonderful and knows how to show a New England girl a good time!
Samantha Cayto
Chapter One He watched the woman’s mouth descend over the head of his cock and engulf it in one long swallow, wet lips gliding over his taut flesh. A low moan emanated from somewhere deep within him. It sounded so distant, so unreal, yet the intense pleasure shooting up from his embedded cock felt very real. The dark curtain of the woman’s hair cascaded over his stomach and thighs. The silky strands tickled his hot body. Hot, so hot, everywhere. His body burned. A soft tongue laved the underside of his hard shaft. It licked him all the way up to the top, pulling another groan from him before his erection slipped out of the woman’s wet warmth. A groan of protest rang in his ears. Her lips and teeth grated the head of his cock, teasing him. He was in no mood to play, however. He needed her touch and the release it would bring so he arched his body to meet those taunting lips. He tried to move his hands as well, to press the woman’s head more firmly to him. He wanted to push his cock back where it belonged inside the tight throat that could milk the cum from him. He couldn’t do it and wanted to howl his frustration. His arms were too heavy, the effort too hard. And yet he felt it again, those lips on his shaft, sucking and licking and tugging hard on his tortured flesh. The climax built from the glorious mouth’s unrelenting pull. He pumped his hips to speed the end. At least he tried, but his body wouldn’t move as he demanded. Everything was too damn hot and still not hot enough to make him come. “Noah.” The voice was gentle and female. He knew it belonged to the woman whose mouth was still wrapped around his cock and sucking him to no end. How was it possible? And why couldn’t he come? His body heaved in frustration. “Noah!” The voice was sharper now, commanding. He always obeyed that voice. What did she want him to do? Something cool pressed against his burning forehead. “It’s all right. You’re going to be fine. Just rest, Noah.” Noah? He knew that name, didn’t he? The thought slipped away as he tried to do as ordered. He tried to relax, but that mouth wouldn’t stop its assault on his cock. He needed the release. He begged for it. Make me come, please!
***** Haley sat on the side of the bed and watched helplessly as Noah moaned and writhed in jerky motions. His fever was still high and his discomfort clear. Not only did he moan and grimace, but the long ridge of his obvious erection tented the sheet that covered him. Severin Blake, her former lover and mentor and current rat-bastard, had
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confessed to her once that having a fever made him as horny as hell. She supposed it must be common to men. Normally the sight of this young man in such a state would have made her wet and willing in an instant. Now though, it merely added to her frustration and guilt. She had trained Noah and sent him out into the field. She’d been his backup and had arrived too late to save him and his partner from the torture. Not her fault, she knew. Strike that, her head knew. Her heart said differently which was why she had barely left his side in the last two days. Jill Markowitz was dead. There was nothing to be done for the woman except ship what was left of her back to her family for burial. Noah, on the other hand, lived. Battered, bloody and fighting infection, yet alive and in need of her to sit vigil if nothing else. Soft headed and soft hearted, Severin would say. Yet if he weren’t on a plane right now jetting toward them as fast as he could, he would take his turn by his friend’s side. She and Sev were both miserable with worry. She’d heard the fear in Sev’s voice over the phone when she told him about the mission’s total clusterfuck. If the guy hadn’t caused her so much pain a year ago, she’d be more compassionate. As it was, he would soon be in her way. She wanted to nurse Noah back to health, be there for him when the fever finally broke. And it would, she hoped. He needed time, was all. It’s what she told herself. It’s what she needed to believe. A hand job wouldn’t hurt, either, she thought, and was immediately appalled. She was alone with the injured man in his quarters that had been converted into a makeshift hospital room. Still, the doctor tending to him or any of the other members of their organization roaming around the complex could come in at any time to see how he was doing. The last thing she needed was to be caught with her fingers wrapped around her protégé’s cock. It would be seen as predatory to say the least. And yet the man was in need, no doubt about it. Two months ago he had given her carte blanche access to his body. Noah would never turn down an opportunity for sex. She was the gatekeeper in the relationship, dictating where, when and how. What harm was there really in giving him some relief? Maybe he would settle down with a good orgasm. Pushing aside the little voice in her head that screamed rationalization, Haley snuck her right hand under the sheet and slid it over to Noah’s thigh. The moment she touched his skin, she flinched from its heat. It was as if his whole body burned. The doctor said the fever was to be expected given the filthy place where the terrorists had scraped Noah’s skin open. Even a mild infection could turn into deadly sepsis despite the antibiotics pumped into him. Haley’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest at the thought she might still lose Noah. She wasn’t in love with him, not as she had been with Sev, but she cared for him deeply. They had become lovers despite her wariness of being involved with another man and a subordinate. He was lovely, though, and ultimately irresistible. His young body was toned and smooth and lightly covered in hair. Even now, his temperature did nothing to diminish his skin’s smooth tautness. She caressed him up to the ridges of his six-pack and inched her way down.
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Noah quieted a bit at the contact and it emboldened her to continue. Her fingers crawled through the wiry pubic hairs that were the same chestnut brown as the hair on Noah’s head. She clasped the hard cock jutting out from them. He barked out a loud groan, but it was a familiar enough sound. It meant he enjoyed her touch. His shaft was familiar, too. Long and thick, but not too much so. She enjoyed how hard and heavy it lay within the circle of her fingers. Closing her eyes, she gave herself a moment to think about the delicious way this man’s cock could fill her pussy to perfect fullness. She let a small hum escape her lips as she pushed the foreskin down his head as far it would go and pulled it up again, imagining the cock sliding within her instead. Noah’s hips thrust to meet her strokes as if he, too, pictured them fucking. Three pumps did the trick. His semen spurted out, hotter than his skin, coating her fingers and his stomach. When he was done, he lay still, quieter than he had been. Ignoring her own arousal, Haley removed her hand and walked to the bathroom. She pointedly dismissed the haggard face with the brown hair and brown eyes peering back at her in the mirror above the sink. There’d be time for a shower and some rest later. She ignored as well the nagging desire to slip a sticky finger inside her panties to rub the ache away. Not the appropriate time! Noah was all that mattered. With grim determination, Haley washed up and wet a cloth to clean her patient. No sense in letting everyone else know the treatment she had elected to use. Severin in particular would ride her mercilessly if he found out. The man had a way of getting under her skin. She wished it weren’t so, but it was useless to deny the truth. He didn’t matter, though, and neither did she or her feelings for her old lover or the new one. It didn’t matter that Sev and Noah had something going on between them. They were all adults and given their job, in need of as much relaxation as they could get. What really mattered was Noah getting better, waking up and remembering what he had learned right before his cover was blown. Perhaps thousands of people’s lives depended on it.
***** “Amnesia? Are you fucking kidding me? I mean really, Doc.” Haley shot Severin Blake an irritated look. Typical of the man, he dismissed and derided anything that didn’t fit neatly into his idea of how the universe worked. Typical, too, of the rat-bastard he looked sexily rumpled from his overnight flight. Sure, his black hair was sticking up in various directions, a five o’clock shadow darkened his square jaw and he undoubtedly smelled a bit sweaty. He could still walk in front of a camera and photograph well enough to a sell a million copies of some magazine. The guy always looked good, and she knew from experience his musk was better than any cologne he could ever buy. It was particularly galling how he could look so fuckable sitting at a conference table at eight in morning while she looked the way someone who had stayed up all night should look, like utter crap. Her hair was tangled, her makeup long worn off and as for her smell? Not a scent you’d try to spritz on someone as they
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walked through a department store, that was for sure. To hide her discomfort, Haley opened her mouth to admonish her ex-lover, but the agency head beat her to it. “Mr. Blake, I’ll thank you to keep your vulgarity and your voice down.” Phoebe McGillicutty may have had a cute name, but there was nothing remotely cute about the woman herself. She was the original Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher being a cheap knockoff for all that the former Prime Minister had come first. Ms. Mac, as she was known to her operatives, ruled the international counterterrorism agency with ruthless efficiency and success. She sat now at the head of the table, face grim as always, her short, gray hair sitting on her head like a cap. She didn’t have any makeup on either, although for her, it was normal. Even though she was middle-aged, she had flawless skin and a natural beauty. She was also the only woman Haley knew who could make Severin squirm like a schoolboy. He was doing so now. “Sorry, ma’am, I’m under-slept and under-informed.” His eyes slanted toward Haley briefly, and she could see something he rarely let her see, worry. Damn him, he always had a way of getting straight to her heart. She had no time to dwell on it, however, as Ms. Mac took back both their attentions. “We’re all in the same condition, Mr. Blake. This situation is extremely worrisome. Mr. Turner’s and Ms. Markowitz’s true identities were discovered by the terrorists after months of a carefully planned infiltration, and the only reason Mr. Turner is still alive is because the terrorists bolted from their lair, leaving timed explosives to do the job. They must have known Ms. Walker was on her way. We can’t rule out that we have a traitor among us who is either a dedicated convert to the cause of anarchy or is simply looking to make quick money. Either way, if true, we have a serious problem on our hands.” Sev muttered a nasty word under his breath. Haley couldn’t blame him. She felt the same way. If someone had betrayed Noah and Jill, she was going to find the son of a bitch and disembowel them. Ms. Mac ignored the breach of protocol this time and continued. “Our most immediate concern is foiling the imminent attack. Turner’s memory is the only way we have to determine what is going to occur in the Boston area and when.” She turned her gaze to Dr. Camille Alvarez, who had been giving her medical report on Noah’s condition when Sev had interrupted so rudely. She was a quiet, competent woman and Haley was glad she was the one caring for Noah. “Please continue your report, Doctor.” “Yes ma’am. As I was saying, Noah is suffering from the kind of amnesia that affects specifics about his life and the world around him while keeping intact more basic knowledge such as motor coordination, language, object recognition. For example, he knows he is a man, but not which man. He doesn’t know his name, he doesn’t know my name.” Flicking her gaze toward Haley, she added, “He doesn’t know Ms. Walker’s name.” The last example hit Haley hard in the gut. It had been about an hour since Noah had turned his light-green eyes toward her and, after a moment’s hesitation, admitted he didn’t know who she was. His admission had hurt, she couldn’t deny it. It was painful to be a stranger to this man whom she knew so well, so intimately. Even though 9
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his lack of recognition was completely beyond his control, it didn’t ease the pain. She hadn’t realized how important her relationship with Noah was to her. She knew now. “So he wouldn’t remember me, either?” This question came quietly from Sev, and when Haley looked at him, she could only see his profile as he addressed the question to the doctor. Even so, she could see enough of his expression to know he was hurt by Noah having forgotten him. And, damn the man again, he was pricking her empathy, making her feel sorry for him. For him! When all she wanted was to not care about this man who had wounded her pride and, hell, broken her heart when he walked away from what they had. “I’m afraid not,” the doctor answered. “At what point, if ever, could we expect him to recover his memory?” asked Ms. Mac. The doctor grimaced. “That is the problem. I have no way to determine if he will regain any of his memories let alone which ones. It’s not uncommon for trauma victims to lose forever the memories of what happened in the hours and even days before the event.” “Which are exactly the ones we want,” Sev interjected. “We need to know what these homegrown crazies discussed in the warehouse meeting. I still can’t believe they have the unmitigated balls to call themselves The True Sons of America,” he added in a mutter. Haley interjected at this point because she had been backing Noah in the mission, his contact at home base while he infiltrated the organization. “We know it’s going to be an explosion, a big one.” Sev turned to her and gave a rueful smile. “Is there any other kind?” It wasn’t meant to be the kind of smile that seduced, she knew that one all too well. Yet she still had to ignore the heat igniting deep within her at the mere sight of his eyes. They were a deep blue, an interesting contrast to his dark hair. Black Irish, and the man certainly had Celtic charm to spare. She had fallen for it within minutes, and had tumbled head over fucking heels in love once she had tasted his magnificent body. The mere thought of how she had once clung to him in passion roused her senses, and she crossed her legs to stop the tingle rising between them. Or, perhaps her subconscious wanted to increase the feeling because the pressure on her clit made her juices flow more. She had to grip the armrests hard to refocus her attention to where it belonged. She deliberately kept her voice cool. No sense in letting the man know how he got to her. “Point taken,” she replied. “Anyway, we know it will occur sometime in the next week or so to coincide with the Fourth. Noah managed to relay that information to me earlier in the mission, although he didn’t know whether it would happen on the exact day.” Sev picked up the conversational ball. “These nutjobs like symbolism, so the target has to be something related to the Revolutionary War and independence.”
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“Exactly,” she agreed, happy to be engaged in the important issue at hand. “And this being Boston, we have lots to choose from.” The room where they sat was actually in a Boston suburb. Their “offices” were located in a converted factory from the nineteenth century. From where she sat, Haley could see the Charles River meandering by. She mulled over the target choices out loud. “In Boston proper we have Faneuil Hall, the State House, Paul Revere’s House, the Old North Church.” “Bunker Hill monument,” Sev added. “Old Ironsides.” She added the naval ship, U.S.S. Constitution, that resided in Charlestown near Bunker Hill. Sev gave her one of his infuriating smiles. This one wasn’t meant for seduction, either. It was his way of being condescending, which was common for him. When he looked at her like that, it was enough to kill her interest. And it was hard to remember why she’d ever loved him in the first place. Arrogant ass! “Wrong war, sugar. That’s the one in 1812.” He had deliberately used the hated endearment. A year ago, when they had still been jumping each other at every opportunity and planning a future together, it had become a real endearment, one she treasured as a sign of his love, not condescension. But that was then. Now it was the sort of inappropriate thing a guy called a female colleague. If he had hoped to get a rise out of her, she was determined to disappoint him. Haley shrugged. “These guys aren’t the sharpest tacks in the box. It’s a big tourist attraction and loaded with symbolism because it’s still maintained as an actively commissioned ship manned by naval personnel.” “I agree.” Ms. Mac’s sharp voice cut between them, reminding them they weren’t alone and this wasn’t some lover’s game. Lives were at stake, and Noah’s life and career were also on the line. What would happen to him if his memories didn’t come back? There was no time to dwell on that extra matter, however. The boss turned to the doctor. “Is there anything, any treatment, to help regain a person’s memories?” With a head shake, Dr. Alvarez gave the harsh answer. “No, not really. The brain is still a big mystery to us, memories even more so. We can only hope as his physical condition improves, his memories will return, although there isn’t a physical reason for his amnesia. The blow to the head he obviously took was enough to knock him out but not enough to keep him out as long as he was or to rob him of his memories. His fever, while high, wasn’t high enough to render him insensate either. His condition was and remains mostly psychological as near as I can tell with the medical results. His mind is hiding from a truth he can’t bear.” “I don’t understand why that would be,” Sev interjected. “Noah’s not that green as an operative and pretty emotionally tough from what I’ve seen. Sure, they worked him over, but he could take the pain.”
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The women remained silent for a few seconds in reaction to his comment. Sev only had the bare facts of what had happened. With a glance at Ms. Mac, Haley reluctantly took on the task of giving him the details. “They tortured Markowitz to death in front of him to make him talk,” she said in a low voice. The image of the poor woman’s body was burned into her memory. It would be there forever. “Christ,” Sev murmured. “They showed some spark of intelligence in that decision, I’m afraid,” she continued grimly. “They must have known how well we’re trained against breaking under physical pain, so they used a woman as leverage against him. They hoped he’d talk rather than allow a woman to be slowly killed.” “Any man would,” Sev agreed. “Any decent man, that is.” He sighed heavily and pressed his thumbs against the corners of his eyes. “Except a man trained to keep his mouth shut no matter what. No wonder he’s wiped those memories from his mind. I’d do the same.” Haley understood the sentiment. If she could forget what she had found inside the warehouse, she would. Knowing she had managed a rescue while Noah still lived was hardly comfort enough. “They’re not necessarily gone for good,” the doctor replied. “This isn’t like brain damage. The memories are locked inside and may come out with the passage of time. It’s also possible something will trigger them.” “Such as?” Ms. Mac prompted when the doctor fell silent. The doctor waved vaguely. “Such as a sight, a sound, a smell. It’s hard to say, but we do know it happens. The smallest things can cause a memory to come flooding back.” “Doc, are you suggesting we wave some…what, blood or gunpowder under the kid’s nose to make him remember?” Sev asked skeptically. “It might work,” the doctor allowed. “It might also send him into shock and shut him down entirely if you’re too heavy handed about this. It’s going to be difficult enough for him to cope with what happened when he does remember. We don’t need him going completely catatonic on us.” “That would be a no,” Haley added, grimacing at Sev. A germ of an idea started to form in her head, however. Perhaps it was her own memories of the intimate moment she had shared earlier that morning with the still-unconscious Noah. “How about a touch?” she ventured leaning forward. Severin’s gaze whipped over to her, but she ignored it and concentrated on the doctor’s response. “A touch,” agreed the other woman. “Touch can be very evocative, too.” Haley sat back in her seat, a plan blossoming in her tired, yet eager, brain. Noah was a very sensual young man. He had spent hours caressing her body, reveling in the feel of her, delighting in the sight and smell of her. Reliving those moments might do the trick. It was a crazy idea, maybe a little unfair to Noah, given his condition. He had to be frightened as well as confused. His life was in limbo, and what she had in mind 12
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would either help or possibly make him more confused. It would certainly make him more emotionally dependent on her. She could handle that, though. She had known when she took the first step toward taking him as a lover as well as a trainee that she was accepting greater responsibility for him. He wasn’t like Sev, he wasn’t an experienced operative or even very experienced as a man. He wasn’t a player. She was older and more powerful, and with power came responsibility. She would and could tread carefully. She wondered if Sev was as concerned about Noah. The relationship between the two men was mostly a matter of conjecture on her part. Neither had spoken about it to her, thank God. She had no interest in hearing about her old lover’s conquests with her new lover. Things were complicated enough as it was. She knew, too, that for all his faults, Severin Blake was not a callous predator. Whatever had happened between the two men would have been consensual as it was between her and Noah. Or her and Sev, some part of her brain added. Several years her senior, Sev had been her mentor once upon a time. Their relationship had worked out well back in those days. It was exciting, as were the missions. It wasn’t until she came into her own as an operative and was given her own missions and her own trainees that things started to go wrong. He had changed, or maybe she had. Things between them had changed, that was for sure. He stared at her. The heat in the room kicked up a notch or two and it was Haley’s turn to want to squirm. She held firm, though. No way would she let him see he could get to her. She shut down thoughts of her plan for Noah. It wasn’t possible for Sev to tell what she was thinking, and yet it was exactly how it felt. Instead, she offered up her assessment of their next move to their boss. “Ma’am, I suggest while we wait and hope for Noah to recover his memories, we send agents out to canvas the more obvious targets. Maybe we’ll get lucky and notice suspicious activity.” Ms. Mac nodded her head once. “I agree, it’s our only course of action at this moment. Now that the terrorists know we were able to infiltrate them, they’ll be extra careful. I believe they’re arrogant enough to go through with their plans, however. Allowing the detonation they set to blow a few minutes after your rescue was completed was a wise decision, Ms. Walker. And they likely saw the fake news story we put out about two dead bodies being found inside. Draw up a list and assign the agents. If you need more people, let me know.” Turning to look at Sev, she added, “Ms. Walker is team leader on this one, but she needs a lieutenant. That would be you, Mr. Blake.” “Yes ma’am,” he replied and shot Haley yet another look she knew too well. Sev was ex-military and followed orders, yet his expression reminded her he never followed them blindly. He would challenge her and make her justify her decisions. Typical alpha male, he would be a pain in her ass. Still, there was no one she trusted more in the field, and a part of her she kept trying to beat back was thrilled at the prospect of being with him again. She had never really gotten over Severin Blake, and wasn’t that a testament to how utterly exhausted she was to even think such a thing? Standing up abruptly, Haley dismissed herself. “I’d better get started.” 13
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“Get some sleep first,” Ms. Mac ordered. “You can’t think straight with as little sleep as you’ve had in the last few days. We have time, so let’s do this as right as we can.” “Yes ma’am,” Haley replied, although she didn’t want to sleep while mass murderers planned their attack. Even as she thought it, though, the room tilted a bit. She was that tired. Ignoring the vertigo, she walked into the hallway, only to be stopped by a hard grip on her arm. Training and the touch’s familiarity kept her from twisting away and launching a counterattack. Back against the wall, she lifted her tired eyes to Sev’s devastatingly sexy ones. They held each other’s gaze for long seconds, he searching hers as if to glean some information, and she giving herself the pleasure of the mere sight of him. It was wrong and stupid. They were long over and there was no going back. Still, she loved his blue eyes. Besides being such an interesting contrast to his black hair, they always seemed to convey a sense of mystery and invitation. It was as if Sev’s eyes said, “I know something and I’m going to give you a chance to find out what in very interesting ways.” Sev’s hand told tales, too. His fingers still held her arm in a loose grip and it was impossible for her to not respond to the touch. Her skin tingled where pressed, a flash of heat and arousal careened throughout her entire body. Tired and worn out, Haley closed her eyes as she leaned against the wall and focused on the sensation, enjoying how her nipples tightened against her shirt and her pussy’s folds swelled against her panties. It was so delicious, she forgot for a moment who was making her feel so good. “Haley?” And then she remembered. Sev’s voice could be a turn-on, too, but his tone was one of faint amusement. He knew what was happening to her. Her eyes popped open and, straightening from the wall, she shook off his hold. “What?” she demanded in a clipped tone. The look in his eyes said he wasn’t fooled by her effort to appear unaffected. Her nipples jutted out from her soft cotton shirt, betraying her. His gaze flicked down briefly and when he looked at her face again, a small teasing smile played at the corners of his lips. She ignored it. “Is there something you want, Sev, because I have a lot of work to do?” The amusement left his face. “We both have a lot of work to do. I’ll help you draw up a list of possible targets and we can set up a recon schedule, after you get some sleep.” She opened her mouth to argue the last point, and knowing her the way he did, he overrode what she was going to say. “After,” he emphasized. “I know you want to jump right in on this and so do I, but you’re obviously exhausted and the boss lady was right about the sleep.” Haley rolled her eyes and looked away, hating how he was right. “Yeah, yeah,” she griped, “I’m sure I look a fright.” As soon as she said it, she was appalled she had
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uttered such an obvious female line, the kind geared to induce a man to reassure a woman. Sev, damn him, played his male part without hesitation. “You look beautiful, as always.” The statement was so simple and said with such earnestness, she looked at him with suspicion. His eyes conveyed sincerity and tiredness. For an instant, perhaps only in her own mind, she saw something else, regret. If it had been there at all, it was gone. “I’m going to check in on Noah in the meantime,” he added in a more businesslike tone. Happy to be focused on something other than them, Haley said, “His fever broke, but he’s still weak, still confined to bed.” She shook her head. “He’s so lost.” “We’ll help him find his way back again.” It was said with conviction. Typical Sev, capable of reading her mind, he added, “You have a plan on how to do it, don’t you, sugar?” “I have no idea what you mean,” she lied, and as good as she was as an operative at lying, she knew she sounded unconvincing even to someone who didn’t know her as well as this man did. “You can’t hide from me, Haley Walker. I know you too well. You mentioned using touch to prompt memories back in the meeting. What kind of touch are you thinking about?” Haley stood straighter and pushed away from the wall. She got right in Sev’s face. Too close, too arousing with this guy, but she suspected it bothered him as well, and she wanted to shut down this conversation as fast as possible. “I don’t answer to you, Severin. I’m team leader on this one. I give the orders and you follow them. If I think you need to know something, I’ll tell you. Otherwise, stay the hell out of my way.” They stood toe to toe, staring each other down for long seconds. Sev’s eyes shifted first, lowering to gaze at her lips instead. Without conscious thought, she licked them. His nostrils flared in response, and he inhaled a quick breath. For a moment, it seemed as if he was going to lower his head, close the few inches separating them and kiss her. It passed before she could even wonder whether she’d greet his lips with a sigh or a snarl. In any event, Sev backed away. “Yes ma’am.” His tone was anything but sincere. Still, she let it slide and was both grateful and disappointed he hadn’t tried anything more. Turning away, she said, “I’ll call you in a few hours and we’ll draw up that list.” “Sure thing,” he replied. “But, Haley?” When she looked at him over her shoulder, he winked. “Just so you know, I’ve got my own ideas about jogging memories.” Oh, no he didn’t! Was Sev going to initiate her plan himself? The bastard! Well, why the hell not? He had a connection to Noah not unlike her own, and Severin Blake was nothing if not competitive. “Fine,” she tossed out as she continued down the hall. “Give it your best shot.” As she said it, Haley wondered if she had lost her perspective. They all worked for the same goal, find the terrorists’ target and stop the attack. This wasn’t a game between her and Sev. And yet she couldn’t help feeling it was exactly that. It was a game of Who 15
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Can Seduce Noah into Remembering First. It was a game without rules, but the stakes were high. Whoever won would help save human lives, and in that, they would all win. Game on.
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Chapter Two Severin stopped at the closed bedroom door and marshaled his thoughts and his courage. The doctor had told him Noah was awake and was allowed visitors. Still, Sev hesitated. What did one say to a lover who couldn’t remember him? And, standing there, pondering this, Sev could finally think of Noah in that way. They were lovers, only a few times and in a hot and furiously primal way. But lovers they were even if the emotions involved hadn’t had time to gel. If nothing else, Noah Turner was a friend and Sev cared about what happened to him. It had been a punch to the gut to learn Noah had been injured, and while it was always bad when one of their own went down, this was different. Noah mattered in a way other people did not. Not other people as in Haley, of course. Haley had always been the exceptopn to the rule in Sev’s world. He had never been involved with a subordinate before Haley. He’d worked hard to ignore the desire that hit him whenever she was around—tried, failed, and failed miserably when he fell in love with her. She had gotten to him as no one else had, and their breakup still hurt him more than he could even acknowledge to himself. It was like looking at the sun. He had to turn away or get hurt in a way he wasn’t sure he could recover from. Seeing her now and working with her was already torture. He wanted her as much as always and just looking at her caused his heart to squeeze tight. It also made his cock hard. It strained against his zipper and had since he’d confronted Haley in the hallway. Shit, he hadn’t lied when he told her she was beautiful. It had taken great control not to add how desirable she was. It had taken even more control not to grab her and kiss her and hold her tight. Or take her against the wall the way his cock begged him to. It certainly didn’t seem to understand they were no longer together. It always did the happy dance of arousal when she was near. Knowing his cock wasn’t going to get what it wanted, and knowing he had to go in and see a sick man, he worked to get himself back under control. He concentrated on what the poor guy was going through. It helped to kill his growing erection. Except thoughts of Noah in general brought it back again. Sev remembered the second time he had seduced a subordinate, mere months ago. The kid was a good ten years younger than himself, nearly as tall, but leaner and almost as pretty as Haley. Technically, Noah was Haley’s subordinate, but he had been sent to run a routine mission out in California with Sev, so the issue was one of semantics. The guy’s allure had been immediate. Sev’s cock had given the new guy a welcoming salute which said something. As a bi-man in a straight world, Sev had always been careful not to approach a man simply because he found him attractive. That had been particularly true in the army. Perhaps his body had known more than he had, because Noah hadn’t
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even tried to ignore what he saw. He’d glanced down at the tent in Sev’s pants and issued a smile of pure invitation. Neither had acted on their interest until after the mission. They had been in the locker room shower at L.A. headquarters, alone, tired from a job well done, but not too tired.
~~~~~ Standing under the hot stream, Sev looked across the communal shower room to find Noah slowly pumping himself erect under one of the showerheads. “Do you mind?” the kid asked. “It’s the adrenaline, I guess.” His smile clearly indicated his willingness. Sev shook his head and then nodded it, his own cock growing in anticipation. “I don’t mind, and yes, it’s the adrenaline.” Shutting off the water Sev stood under, he added, “You did great out there and underneath the high of the excitement, you must be tired. You shouldn’t have to do that yourself.” Sev sauntered over to the other man, keeping his eyes on the hard, uncut length Noah still gripped in his hand. They were well matched, Sev thought, in size and arousal, the only real difference being that Sev was circumcised. He entered the stream of water with Noah, and backed the other man against the slick tile wall, dislodging Noah’s grip on his cock. Sev took hold of the smooth shaft. It jerked at the touch. He brought his face close and spoke in a low, hoarse tone. “Just so you know, I don’t intend to stop at a hand job, boy. I intend to fuck you.” “I’m not a boy, and being fucked by you was my plan all along.” So saying, Noah closed his eyes and surrendered to Sev. Sev could tell the guy expected to be kissed and worked into a climax. Because Sev liked to be the alpha male—hell, needed to be the alpha male—he did what he had wanted to do from the very moment he set eyes on the pretty boy. Dropping Noah’s cock, he spun the other man around to face the wall. Noah grunted in surprise but otherwise acquiesced. Sev turned off Noah’s water before placing both hands on Noah’s tight, perfect ass, squeezing and kneading the smooth flesh in appreciation. He wanted to savor the moment, make it last, but he hadn’t been bullshitting about the adrenaline. Coming off an op, he was too aroused to take it slow. He released the man’s ass and pumped liquid soap into his hand. He coated his hard-on, making himself slick. Given their extensive medical exams, condoms were blessedly unnecessary. He returned to the object of his desire and clasped the cheeks once more. This time he pulled them apart enough to slip his cock between them. Stilling his movements, he placed his mouth by Noah’s ear. “Are you a virgin?” “Hell, no,” was the amused reply.
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“All I needed.” Sev pushed forward, slowly and carefully, pressing his cock against the other man’s puckered hole and entering the tight place with care. Or at least he tried to be careful. The moment he entered the welcoming heat and heard Noah’s moan of pleasure, Sev lost control. He pumped hard and fast. With each thrust he embedded himself deeper, pushed his lover against the shower’s wet walls. The climax hit him like a proverbial freight train. He barely had time to reach around and grasp Noah’s cock, bringing the guy over the edge with him. They both yelled with their release, two voices echoing each other’s pleasure. Sev worked Noah’s ass and cock until both men collapsed in a heap on the tile floor, a tangle of arms and legs and labored breaths. And when they were calmer, blood no longer racing through their bodies, Sev leaned over and kissed the younger man, long and slow and sweet.
~~~~~ Remembering the first time and all the rest that followed caused Severin to lean against the wall and groan. His cock was hard against the fly of his jeans again, painful and demanding. He pressed the heel of his hand against the bulge and pictured Noah lying on a bed, welcoming him inside. Then the picture changed and it wasn’t Noah but Haley who looked up at him with desire. The images of two sets of eyes, one green, one brown, morphed from one to the other. Two sets of arms lifted up, beckoned him. Both were strong and muscular, one more so, one softer and more comforting. And there were two kinds of heat he buried his cock into, two kinds of grips milking him to climax. Different, yet each one perfect in its own way. He wanted them both, he wanted them now. “Shit!” Severin swore and pressed the heels of both palms against his eyes instead of his cock. Still leaning, he took deep breaths and forced himself to the here and now. Apparently Haley wasn’t the only one too tired to think clearly. He made his body stop ruling his head. He was a man who prided himself on control. These thoughts were way out of it. He had a job to do and it started with walking into that room and seeing if there was something he could do to help the mission. Maybe it meant touching Noah in all the ways he wanted to. He had no doubt sexual touch was what Haley planned. But he also knew that while the world had changed in many ways, it was still harder for two men to be involved than a man and a woman. An amnesiac might be happy to accept a woman’s advances, but not necessarily a man’s. He and Noah hadn’t really talked about their relationship. Hell, talking was what women did. Men were more likely to simply fuck for a while. If it led to a lasting relationship, yeah, maybe talking would occur. They hadn’t gotten that far, maybe never would have. So Sev didn’t know if Noah was as comfortable as he with being bisexual or one of those guys who insisted he was straight, but would be gay for the “right” man. He hadn’t been Noah’s first, that was all he knew, and it wasn’t enough.
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So he’d play it safe, keep the banter with Noah light until he got a better sense of how the other man viewed him. For certain, there would be no replay of his most recent fantasies. There was no way he and Haley and Noah were going to wrestle around on the sheets together. That would be a disaster even if Haley was willing, which he knew she would not be. She hated him even if she still desired him. He couldn’t blame her. He’d made a hash of things and there was no going back. There was no taking back the rotten and unfair things he’d said to her even though they were born more from his own fear than anything else. Far better for him to concentrate on the mission, to picture the possible devastation if they weren’t able to stop these murderous sons of bitches. Yeah, that did it. Thinking about dead innocents definitely killed his desire. With his body under better control, Sev took a deep breath and knocked. He heard the knock on the door, but before he could respond, it swung open and a tall, muscular man walked in. For an instant, a frustrating one, he thought he recognized the other man then the thought was gone. Instead he saw yet another stranger, one who watched him with a mixture of hope and concern. Once more he felt a failure. Why the hell couldn’t he remember? Sitting up straighter in his bed, he tamped down the growing panic and forced himself to act as normal as he could, whatever normal was. “Come in,” he said, although it was a moot point because the other man was already in the bedroom and closing the door quietly behind him. Everything about the guy screamed authority and as it had with the woman, Haley. Something inside him said he needed to pay attention to this person. And as with Haley, his body, weak as it was, reacted to the sight of this man with warmth, and desire? His cock, lying naked beneath the sheet, strained to come to life. Was it possible he was attracted to this guy? Was it possible he was involved with him? His body had reacted awfully fast. There was no way for him to know. No one was telling him much of anything except his name. Noah. Noah Turner. He wasn’t sure he even liked the name, although he had to get used to thinking of himself as such. For damn sure he didn’t know how he felt about being attracted or involved with anyone, let alone two people. And a woman and a man? What the fuck! The information that managed to stick in his brain told him this was weird. Or, maybe his brain was so fried he was thinking and feeling things that didn’t really exist. Something in his expression must have conveyed his thoughts because the other man stopped by the end of the bed and cleared his throat. “Is this a bad time?” He shrugged. “I don’t think there’s such a thing as a good time under the circumstances.” Man, did he sound pathetic. Whoever he was, whatever he was, he didn’t like being an object of pity. Before his visitor could reply, he amended his response. “Actually it’s a great time. I’m bored shitless lying here. I appreciate the company, especially from someone who isn’t going to stick something into me. You aren’t here to stick something into me, are you?” he added belatedly.
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It was meant to be amusing, but the look on the other guy’s face told him he had said something decidedly unfunny. The man’s eyes flashed open, and his large hands gripped the footboard. For a couple of seconds, their gazes locked. Heat and intensity crossed the few feet that separated them. His cock stirred enough to make him raise a leg to hide what was happening. He thought the other man was going to say something. The moment passed. Releasing the footboard, the guy walked around to the side of the bed, his hands jammed inside his jeans front pockets. Hiding his own erection? No, Noah’s injured brain had to be playing tricks on him. “I’m not a doctor or a nurse,” his visitor said, the voice deep and powerful. “I’m Severin Blake. I’m a friend.” The last bit was added with some hesitation. Was it a lie? How could he know? He didn’t know squat. It was frustrating, although somewhere deep inside, he knew this man was telling the truth. He was a friend. Noah’s friend. It was important to remember his own name. This other man had an odd name, though. “Severin Blake or Blake Severin?” he couldn’t resist asking. Smiling at the question, the man grabbed a chair and sat a couple of feet from the bed. His long, muscular legs stretched out before him. The tight jeans and formfitting tshirt showed off his well-toned physique. Again, something stirred deep within. He liked looking at this man, but he had liked looking at Haley, too. Maybe he was a braininjured nymphomaniac. If he regained his memories, it might turn out he looked at everyone as a sexual conquest. If he got his memories back. No, when he got them back. He had to hold on to hope or he might break down and cry, and he didn’t want to do that in front of anyone, let alone this man. “Severin is my mother’s family name. Just my luck my father’s family name sounds like a first name. I’ve been correcting people and forms my whole life. I’ve always been a little envious of people like you. Noah Turner. Everyone knows how your name goes, no problem.” Except it was a problem for Noah because he couldn’t remember. It was a fresh stab to his heart, this simple observation, and damn it, the tears pricked at the back of his eyes after all. He had to look away, his gaze unfocused as he tried to get himself under control. “Hey,” Severin called out gently. “It’s going to be okay. Give yourself some time. You’ll get back your memories.” Noah looked at him. “Will I? How can you be so sure?” Severin shrugged. “I’m an optimist.” Something told him it wasn’t really true. “I don’t think so,” Noah replied with a slow shake of his head. It still hurt like a bitch as did the rest of his body, reminding him he had been in some kind of accident. Haley had told him as much. That was all, though. No one wanted to explain everything. There was some big mystery to all this. To his damaged mind, his bedroom looked like a hotel room tricked out with hospital equipment. With the curtains drawn shut, he couldn’t even see the building’s location. 21
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He was isolated, adrift, lost in every possible way. It was lonely and frightening. Maybe Severin would tell him something that would help. Even though there was no clear thought in his head as to why, he knew he trusted the man. “What the hell happened to me? I mean I’ve been told I was in an accident, but not the specifics. Who and what am I that I would be in this strange place anyway?” Noah watched Severin wage some internal battle before answering. “What the fuck? No one told me you can’t know the truth, so here it is. Maybe knowing will help you fill in the blanks. You and I, Haley, all of us here work for an international organization for counterterrorism.” Severin looked at him sharply. “You understand what terrorism is?” God, yes. Some things were as clear as day for him, and this bit of knowledge unfortunately was one of them. “Assholes killing innocents in the name of some bullshit sense of self-righteousness.” Severin nodded once. “Close enough. Anyway, we work to stop them. You’re Haley’s boy. She runs you in the field. Your team leader,” the man explained. Good thing, too, because all Noah could think when told he was Haley’s “boy” was toy, as in boy toy, as in wrestling around naked in bed with the woman. And whoops, he was really starting to feel better because that fleeting thought sent his somewhat-erect cock into full-mast position. It felt good. It felt normal, and he really needed normal at the moment. What he didn’t need, however, was Severin Blake seeing how happy he was at the thought of being with Haley. Good thing his leg was up between them to hide his erection. Or, at least he thought it was hidden. Given the way Severin was suddenly looking at him with narrowed eyes, he wasn’t so sure. “So, we fight terrorists?” Noah prodded the other man to deflect any mention of his inappropriate condition. A couple of seconds ticked by before his visitor answered. “Yes. We go after the homegrown ones, too, including a charming group known as The True Sons of America. These murderous freaks believe our country is being run by all the wrong kinds of people, which means people other than those who share their total bullshit bigoted view of the world. You infiltrated them and learned they are planning an attack somewhere here in the Boston area just in time for the Fourth of July.” He paused, swore briefly and softly before continuing. “And you weren’t in an accident so much as tortured.” Noah let the words sink in, as incredible as they were. His body was riddled with cuts and bruises, pain seeped through the relatively light medication they gave him at his insistence because he didn’t like his brain foggier than it already was. He tried desperately to remember if anything Severin said made sense to him. It didn’t and the effort made his head ache. He brought his fingers up to press against his temples, his eyes closed to shut out the light in the room. A hand, warm and comforting, descended on his raised thigh. “Are you okay, Noah?”
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The touch, even through the sheet, both electrified and soothed. His nipples tingled, his balls pulled up tighter. His cock hardened to a painful state. He wanted nothing more than to lean toward Severin and shift the large hand from his thigh to the hard length beside it. He wanted those strong fingers curled around his shaft, squeezing and pulling. “Shit!” Noah jerked away from Severin instead, dislodging the comforting hand and dismissing its owner. He didn’t dare do anything else. Maybe he couldn’t remember his own name or the fact that he was some kind of super cop, but he did remember how relatively rare men fucking other men was. He also remembered a man who made unwelcome advances to another man could end up getting hurt, as in having the crap beaten out of him. It’s not that he was particularly worried about the latter bit, but he had a connection to this man and didn’t want to jeopardize that by asking, Hey, would you mind giving me a hand job? And, when you’re done, could you crawl into bed with me and hold me while I try to sleep because I feel so fucking alone and scared. And I’m afraid of going to sleep because when I wake up I remember all over again that I can’t remember? No, in many ways he was back to living on a more primitive survival mode. Instinct told him to play it safe and assume Severin Blake was a straight as they come and not interested in playing with another man’s cock. So he closed his eyes and said, “Sorry, my head hurts and I’m tired. Do you mind?” Severin’s voice washed over him, soothing, understanding. “It’s all right. I’m sorry if I upset you. It’s going to be all right, Noah. You’re not alone.” How had the guy even known what he was thinking and feeling? Unable to trust his voice, Noah simply nodded. When he heard the bedroom door open and close, he let the tears fall.
***** Haley stepped quietly up to the bed and looked down at a sleeping Noah. It was late at night, and she had done all she could do for one day. The list of primary targets and the assignments for recon were made. She’d even managed to do it while sitting next to Severin. While her traitorous body had yearned to touch him and be touched, her mind had stayed engaged on the task at hand and on the plan for Noah. According to the doctor, his fever was gone and he’d choked down some simple food. Now he slept again, but fitfully from what she could tell in the darkness. His body jerked in apparent agitation. He needed soothing. The question was, did she dare help him in the way she’d been thinking about since the morning’s meeting? For her own part, the answer was easy enough. Her body was hot and aroused from Sev’s proximity. Whether she liked it or not, the man called forth some pretty basic and strong memories from her body. Sleeping with the man had always left her wrung dry yet eager for more. No one, not even the young man lying before her, had left her in such a state. Too bad Sev had turned out to be such a male chauvinist asshole. My woman, that’s what he’d called her during the fight that ended it all, as in “my
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woman is not going out in the field risking her life while our kids stay at home with a nanny”. She had been his woman but he hadn’t been her man, not in the same way. Of course, her man could go out in the field risking his life while his woman stayed home raising their kids. Not the same thing at all, he’d shouted at her. “Oh, yeah? Well, fuck you and the horse you road in on, you Neanderthal,” she had shouted back. A master’s degree in criminology and it was the best she could come up with. He had made her that mad and sad. She had loved him and if she looked past her surface emotions, she loved him still. Pathetic—her, not him. But none of it mattered right now, or ever again. She needed to concentrate on Noah and help him remember. Before her good sense could talk her out of it, Haley stripped off her clothes. As she unclasped her bra, she rubbed her palms over her taut nipples. Her clit pulsed in response. When she pulled down her pants, she slipped a finger between her folds and found her pussy slick from her own juices. She was more than ready for a good fucking, yet knew it was not in the cards tonight. The last thing a recovering Noah needed was a hot and horny woman jumping in his sickbed. She could tell, though, he needed comforting, so that’s what she was going to give him. Slowly pulling the sheet back from his body, Haley slipped in beside him and wrapped her arm gingerly around his injured chest. He roused immediately at the contact. “What?” he sputtered in confusion. “Shh,” she soothed, her hand running lightly over his skin. “It’s Haley.” She hesitated a moment before asking the necessary question. “Do you mind?” Noah placed his hand on hers and sighed. “No, not at all, although I’m afraid I’m not in any condition right now to do much.” Haley chuckled. “It’s okay. I’m not looking for anything more than to hold you while we both sleep. How does that sound?” “It sounds wonderful actually, although,” he said, twisting toward her and moving his hand to cup her breast, “I haven’t forgotten that there are far more interesting things to do with a naked woman than simply holding her.” His palm, rougher than her own, made her groan as he rubbed it against her straining nipple. The folds between her legs became even wetter. Without conscious thought, she brought her knee up between his legs and brushed against his balls. Now it was his turn to groan. “Sorry,” she hissed, although she wasn’t sure she really was. It was too good. “No,” was his breathless reply. “This is great. It feels great, and it feels familiar. We’ve done this before, haven’t we?” Haley smiled into the darkness. “A time or two.” Even she could hear her wistful tone. “I’m sorry I don’t remember you.” There was a catch in his voice and it tugged at her heart. “Shh,” she soothed again, bringing her hand up to cup his face. His cheeks were damp. Was he crying? Oh God. “Noah, it will be all right.” 24
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He turned his head and kissed her palm. “I hope so, but for tonight, may I ask a favor?” “I’m here for you,” she answered, knowing it was the truth. Jogging Noah’s memories was critical to save lives. Nevertheless, part of helping him to remember was to help him get his life back. To her mind, this second reason was nearly as important as the first. He shifted closer to her and spoke in almost a whisper. “I’m having trouble sleeping and I don’t want any more drugs in me. My sense of reality is shot as it is.” He paused. “Would you mind helping me relax?” As if the meaning of his words was unclear, he shifted her hand with his own down from his face to his cock. It was half hard already. “Would you mind?” he asked in a tone that tugged hard at her heart. He was so vulnerable. Wrapping her hand around his burgeoning erection, she leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips. “I love playing with your cock, Noah,” she whispered. She took a firmer grip and pumped his shaft to full hardness. “Are you sure you can handle this? You’re pretty beaten up.” “Mmm,” he moaned. “This will chase the pain away better than morphine.” The rest of his body went slack. He lay still and passive, very unlike him, but testament to how hurt he was, as she settled into a steady rhythm. Sensing he would need more stimulation, Haley shifted her body to free her other hand and switched it with the one clasping his cock. This freed her first hand to cup his tightening balls. She rolled the soft globes between thumb and fingers and was rewarded by another groan from Noah. She pushed the taut skin of his cock up and down, while using her thumb to rub the underside of his glans with every stroke upward. Noah’s hips twitched to hump him in her hand. His breath quickened and his hand grabbed her arm as his cock pulsed. Hot liquid burst from its tip, coating Haley’s fingers, easing their way as she continued to pump his shaft. His fingers dug into her skin while he groaned his way through the climax. Breath as hot as his cum tickled her face. And then he was still. His breathing slowed and his fingers lost their grip. “I should,” he started to say in a voice barely audible before he went silent. Moments later, Haley heard the steady, even breathing of a sleeping man. She nudged him over onto his back and lay on her own, both satisfied at a job well done and miserable because her body throbbed in its own unfulfilled arousal. Undoubtedly Noah was going to say he should reciprocate, but the poor man was in no position to do so this night. She didn’t expect it in any event. The whole idea of slipping in beside him was to help him sleep, not get her own rocks off, so to speak. Besides, she was an old pro at satisfying herself. Her fingers still slick from Noah’s semen, Haley reached down to rub her clit. Hot as she was, her body jerked at her own touch. She circled her clit only a few times before her body exploded in orgasm. It wanted to buck with the intensity. She worked
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to stay as still and quiet as possible, biting back the cry of release clawing to get out. White points burst behind her eyelids and she went deaf to all but her own blood singing. And when she was done, she turned and wrapped herself around Noah once more and fell asleep.
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Chapter Three Noah woke up feeling much better than he had the day before. His head didn’t ache, but other, more fun parts did. It meant he was definitely on the mend, and his cock was looking for a playmate to celebrate. It was looking for Haley. She wasn’t there, though. Glancing about his room, he saw the male nurse who had been tending to him bending over a medical cart. Noah tried to suppress the sigh of disappointment. Tried and failed as the nurse turned from his task and smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Turner. How are you feeling today?” “Better, thanks.” Sitting up, he maneuvered to hide his condition and ignored the subtle, yet clear signals the nurse was putting out. This guy was interested, but despite Noah’s appreciation of Severin, there was no thought of asking this other man to ease his morning wood. This was not the sort of man he was looking for apparently. Those aspects of Haley as a woman that he appreciated, soft roundness, grace, beauty, were not what he was looking for in a man. He wanted hard strength, a commanding presence, an alpha male. Nurse Whatshisname, for all that he was a kind person who took good care of his patient, did nothing for Noah. The nurse approached the bed. “Would you like a bedpan, or do you think you’re up for a trip to the bathroom?” Oh, Christ! Noah had no idea what kind of man he was, but he knew he’d had enough of playing the invalid. No more bedpans, but he wasn’t interested in having this earnest guy help him and his hard-on over to the bathroom, either. Time to stop feeling sorry for himself and time to start taking charge of his own life again. He summoned up a smile. “Neither, thanks. I’d rather have breakfast first.” “All righty, then,” was the cheerful reply. “But first we need to take your temperature.” With a sigh, Noah looked up at the ceiling and prayed the thermometer would not be the rectal kind.
***** “Haley, wait up.” Severin picked up speed and caught his quarry at the end of the hall. He’d been looking for her for a good half-hour, always missing her by mere minutes. The woman never stopped. She had now, though, and was waiting for him with obvious annoyance plastered on her face. She also tapped the folder in her hand against her leg with impatience. “What?” she asked before he had even arrived. 27
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Now that he had found her, he was reluctant to talk. The subject matter was touchy. He took a quick look around to confirm there was no one within earshot before he spoke. “I, ah, wanted to talk to you about Noah.” The look on Haley’s face morphed into concern. “Is he all right?” Shit! “Yeah, he’s fine,” Severin was quick to reassure her, and was glad when the alarm that had played across her face disappeared. “I mean, I heard he’s doing much better this morning.” Haley smiled, and man, when she did, Sev wished it were directed toward him. It had been once upon a time and he’d blown it. Move on, moron, he told himself. Dwelling on the past didn’t help anyone, least of all Noah, and their focus needed to be on him. “I heard that, too,” she confirmed. “In fact, I’m heading to his room now. I, ah, want to see for myself.” Holding up the folder, she added, “I’ve cleared it with the doctor to show him surveillance photos of the Sons, although not of Markowitz. The doctor said that might prove too traumatic at this point. These might jog his memories, though, or they might also agitate him and repress his memories even more. Either way we have to take the risk. We have to try anything that might work even at the risk of doing Noah more harm.” Her eyes flicked away from him and wasn’t that an interesting tell. She was ready to put her Plan B into action, assuming she hadn’t done so already as her Plan A. There was a stab deep in his gut, a bad one, one unfamiliar to him, yet he knew instinctively what it was. Jealousy. And didn’t it just suck! He had never been jealous in his life, but he’d also never been in love before. Try as he might, there was no denying he loved Haley still, and while the general knowledge that she was sleeping with someone else hadn’t really registered with him before, this actual knowledge did not sit well with him. The hell of it was, he really liked Noah and cared about him, was worried about him. Yet a nasty little voice inside his head told him maybe he had set out to seduce the other man as a way to get to Haley, to get back at her. Damn! No, he wasn’t going there. He couldn’t have sunk so low. He wasn’t going to succumb to jealousy either, and yet why else had he tracked her all morning? To prove otherwise, he decided right on the spot he wasn’t going to simply pry into her plans, he was going to encourage them. It was best for Noah, best for the people of Boston. It’s what he told himself, and he was determined to believe it. “You really think you can fuck him into getting his memories back?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he winced. It wasn’t the way to support her plan, but maybe his subconscious wasn’t in quite the same noble mood as his conscious. Haley’s eyes narrowed. “You can be such an asshole. But for the record, yes, I think there’s a chance it could work. Do you really think I’m so out of line about this?” “No,” he replied in a far more petulant voice than he’d ever used in his life. His gaze dropped. It wasn’t in his nature to be so self-indulgent, and he sucked it up and looked her straight in the eye. “No, I don’t think so. In fact I think it’s a good idea.”
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“Good enough for you to try the same thing?” Typical Haley, direct as always. He admired that about her. He had to answer honestly, though, because there was too much on the line. “Probably not,” he admitted. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. Classic Haley move telling him she was pondering the facts. He could all but see the cogs turning in her beautiful head. He waited patiently for the inevitable question. “Why not?” she finally asked. He considered not telling her the truth, then figured what the hell? He gained nothing by keeping his thoughts to himself and lost nothing in telling them, except maybe some pride. Pride had always been his Achilles’ heel. It wouldn’t kill him to put it aside once in a while. “I’m not sure Noah would be receptive to my attention.” Haley frowned. “Noah isn’t exactly a kiss-and-tell kind of guy, but he left me with the distinct impression something happened between you two.” “Yeah, something, a few somethings, happened between us,” he admitted, hands jammed inside his front pockets like a schoolboy confessing to his teacher or mother. Shit. “He’s a great guy and a really promising operative. I wanted him the moment I met him. The same way I wanted you from the start.” Now that was a real confession, and he’d be damned if he knew what made him say it. Haley, bless her, made him move past it. “Don’t go there,” she commanded with a thrust of her finger and a hard set of her jaw. The thought of placing a row of kisses along that delicate line, as he had many times before, popped up unbidden. He felt the loss keenly. “Sorry,” he said with regret and forced himself to go back to the topic at hand. “Anyway, he was as eager as me, but I didn’t have a chance to get to know him well. I can’t say if he’s as comfortable being bi as I am. I’m afraid to chance making a move. What if I upset him, setting him back even more?” She was thinking again as if weighing something. Finally, she spoke. “Look, Sev, if there wasn’t so much at stake, I’d cut out my own tongue before giving you a sexual leg up with anyone. But Noah getting his memories back is too important for me to play some kind of game with you. I don’t know how Noah feels about you exactly, except I do know he likes you and admires you. I also know he’s quite comfortable being attracted to both men and women. His experience with either is nothing like yours, of course.” “Thanks, sugar,” he grinned at the backhanded compliment. Tugging a stray piece of hair behind her ear, she shrugged. “I’m saying if you want to try calling up his memories by seducing him, I’m hardly in a position to tell you it’s a stupid idea or a dangerous one. Just don’t ask me to help you.” This last bit was said in a quiet voice. It told him more than any shouting how much he had hurt her. “Haley?” Sev lifted his hand to touch her. She didn’t give him the chance.
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Backing away, she said, “Look, do what you think is best. I’m going to, but I don’t have time to talk to you about it. I’m going to spend some time with Noah now. Don’t get in my way.” He watched her hurry down the hall. Get in her way? How? Did she really think he was going to walk in on her and Noah, and what, join them? Hell, no, except he’d had that fantasy only yesterday outside Noah’s room. Haley and Noah and Sev in the middle, or maybe Haley in the middle, or Noah. A laugh barked past his lips. A crazy idea. So why did his cock twitch inside his pants? It didn’t think it was such a crazy idea. “Knock it off,” he commanded the less intelligent part of him and went to find something useful to do.
***** Haley paused before knocking on Noah’s door. Even the long walk through the building hadn’t given her time enough to calm down from her encounter with Sev. She worked so hard to appear calm and in control around him. The truth was he had a way of getting to her that no one else had. She’d actually felt a pang of jealousy at the idea of Sev seducing Noah. Yet, here she was doing the very same thing. Her sense of fairness had made it impossible, too, for her to ignore the insecurity and even sadness she had seen in his eyes when he spoke about Noah. It wasn’t a bad thing really for them to make the same effort. Better for one to succeed than both fail because they tripped all over each other. One thing was certain, however. They were going to be making separate efforts. No way they would work it as a threesome. Not that the idea of making love to two men at the same time bothered her. But touching Severin Blake again, letting him touch her? No. Way. An ache deep inside her screamed Liar! She ignored it and took several deep breaths. More centered, she knocked and entered Noah’s bedroom when she didn’t hear a response. The bed was empty and her heart raced with concern for a second before she saw him leave the bathroom. He staggered out, actually, with a towel wrapped around his narrow hips. She rushed over to help him by placing an arm around his waist. His body was warm, not hot from a fever, and slightly damp. “Hey,” she admonished. “What are you doing?” Noah draped his arm without hesitation across her shoulders and leaned into her a bit. “Thanks, Haley. I wanted to take a shower and I guess I overestimated my strength.” “Why didn’t you ask your nurse for help? It’s his job, you know.” As he lowered himself into a large wing chair, he gave a rueful smile. “I didn’t want help. I’m tired of playing the invalid.” Arms folded, she looked down at him and shook her head. “Stubborn.” “Sorry. Am I usually stubborn?”
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The question was asked lightly enough, but she knew there was tension in it. Still, she kept her answer light as well. “Most men are.” “I bet Severin Blake is,” he replied. Oh God, just what she wanted to talk about, Sev. A subtext underlined the question, or maybe it was her jealous imagination at work. In any event, not interfering with Sev’s plans did not include acting as matchmaker for the two men. “Yes,” she confirmed in as neutral a tone as possible. “He most certainly is.” For a second she thought he was going to ask a follow-up question. He said something completely unexpected instead. “I was disappointed you weren’t here when I woke up this morning.” This simple admission brought both tears to her eyes and blood to all the right places. The familiar heaviness filled the space between her legs. “I’m sorry, I had an early meeting. And,” she continued blinking back the tears and dropping down to kneel on the floor by his feet, “I wasn’t sure you’d appreciate everyone knowing our business.” He took a strand of her hair between thumb and forefinger. She had deliberately kept it down because she knew he liked it that way. So did Sev, but she wasn’t going there again. He contemplated what he held for a few seconds. “Would it be trouble for you if people knew?” It was sweet for him to care, classic Noah. It was a good sign that he was still the same basic person, memories or not. “No,” she reassured him and couldn’t help clasping his hand with hers. He looked at her face now. “We are lovers, aren’t we? I mean we were before my injury?” “Yes, we are. Not exactly encouraged in the organization given that you’re my subordinate, but not disallowed, either.” Noah frowned. “I met our boss, Ms. McGillicutty?” “Ms. Mac, yes.” “A very scary woman. I think she made my nurse wet himself when she told him to leave us alone.” “She has that effect on everyone. Fortunately she’s on our side.” He nodded his agreement. “She was actually very kind to me. Very reassuring. She told me no matter what, the agency would take care of me. She said I was not alone. People keep saying that.” Squeezing his hand, Haley said, “Because you’re not, Noah.” “I certainly wasn’t last night. Thank you, Haley.” “Did my being here help?” He chuckled. “Oh, yes. You helped me get to sleep very well. However, I can’t help remembering somehow I didn’t manage to reciprocate.” He raised his eyebrows at her.
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She smiled at him before turning his hand over and licking his palm. “Don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of time to reciprocate.” She couldn’t hold the smile. “However, first we need to do some work if you’re up to it.” “Absolutely. I want to help.” Haley settled back on her heels and opened the folder. “Good. I have some pictures here and I want you to tell me if you recognize anyone, or if any memories are jogged by looking at them.” She handed him the pile of eight-by-ten color photos she and others had taken while keeping tabs on Noah’s infiltration of the terrorist group. With bated breath, she waited to see if he recognized the men and remembered what they had said. She searched his face for any sign he remembered, hoping he would, not only because of the lives it would save, but also because otherwise she would have to continue with Operation Seduction. The plan was no hardship, of course, and justified, given what was at stake. Still, it nagged at her how she was using Noah. He frowned as he worked through the pictures, finally shook his head violently and threw himself back against the chair. “Damn it! I have no idea who these men are. Nothing is coming to me.” He looked at his arms and chest where bruises were still livid and cuts barely scabbed over. “They did this to me. They tortured me. I should remember who they are.” Hearing his misery, Haley grabbed the file from his hands and slapped it onto the table nearby. She took his hands in her own, rubbing her thumbs across his knuckles. “It’s okay, Noah. Don’t worry about it. We had to try and now we know it won’t be so easy to bring your memories back. We’ll think of something else.” He sighed. “What else could possibly work?” Haley swallowed hard before responding. “Well, when I need to remember something, I find it easier if I stop trying so hard and simply relax. I distract myself.” She almost choked on the last sentence, and yet it wasn’t a lie. The strategy did work. She had to put the nagging guilt aside. She had a job to do, and right now, her job included seducing Noah. To that end, she pulled one of his hands up to her mouth and sucked his forefinger inside. She sucked on it as she would the meatier part of him. The towel he wore moved as his cock roused with her provocative touch. She disentangled her other hand from his to slide it along Noah’s inner thigh, a place mercifully free of injury. He stopped her progress with his own hand, however. His lovely green eyes stared down at her intently. “You said we were lovers. Are we in love as well?” Love? Were they in love? No, she loved Severin Blake, the incessant tiny voice screamed again in the back of her mind. Shut up, the more rational part commanded. She knew she couldn’t lie to Noah regardless. Releasing his finger, she answered as honestly as she could without hurting him. “We haven’t known each other long enough to have fallen in love.” If he found her answer too much of an evasion, he didn’t call her on it. Instead, he yanked the towel away from his body, exposing the magnificent erection he sported.
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Haley didn’t hesitate to reach up and grab it in a firm clasp. “Ah,” he exclaimed and smiled. “You certainly have a way with my cock, and you do a great job of making me forget my problems.” “I love your cock.” The statement was true, and as she stared at the growing length of his hard-on, she licked her lips. “I love tasting it.” Haley maneuvered around his legs to position herself between them. It took no effort at all to lean over Noah’s lap and suck his cock into her mouth as she had his finger. It tasted so clean and sweet, the loose skin giving way to her tongue and lips. His gasp of pleasure spurred her on. She pressed down farther, taking the hardness as deep as she could. With one hand, she worked the base of his cock where her mouth couldn’t go, with the other, she massaged his balls. Her forefinger pressed into the taut flesh right beneath them. Noah’s hands descended onto her head. His fingers entwined in her hair and gently tugged at the strands. She pulled her mouth back until only the tip of his cock was inside, tickling the underside of the glans with her tongue. It was wet and salty. Glancing up, she could see his head was back against the chair, his eyes closed. His breath came out in shorter and shorter pants. He was close to coming, so lunging back down on his cock, she sucked as hard as she could. Hot semen hit the roof of her throat, but she didn’t stop. She merely arched her tongue to catch his juice and continued to milk him until his movements subsided. When he let go of her head, she popped up to spit his semen in the bathroom sink. He watched her closely when she reentered the room. “Sorry,” he said. “Sorry?” “I don’t think I was supposed to do that, come in your mouth.” he clarified. “Ah.” Haley sauntered back to him, not even trying to hide how pleased she was that she had blown his mind, in a good way. She put aside, too, the nagging sense of disappointment that her touch hadn’t instantly caused his memories to flood back. Give it time, she told herself, and enjoy the sex for what it is. “I don’t mind, I just don’t swallow, is all.” “Okay.” Patting his lap, he added, “Come here.” She frowned. “You must be too sore for me to sit on you.” He shook his head. “It’s not that bad.” “Hmm.” She wasn’t so convinced. “Are you sure you’re up for anything more?” “Haley, please,” he pleaded. “You’ve done a bit of touching in the last few hours. I’d like to do some touching of my own.” She didn’t need to be asked again. Her body already hummed with the desire to be touched. Her nipples were hard points, and her panties wet beneath her skirt. The mere fact that she elected to wear something other than her usual pants said something. Kicking off her pumps, she did as he asked and sat gingerly across his legs. The moment she did so, Noah wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a long,
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deep kiss. His tongue pressed past her willing lips and swirled around her mouth. It was so good, so comfortable, she almost missed how his hand had snuck under her shirt. In a move she knew well, he unclasped her bra, freeing her breasts. While he continued his gentle assault on her mouth, he shoved her shirt and bra up so he could play with one of her breasts. The other one pressed against his naked chest. His skin was warm and inviting, his touch teasing. Her body ached for more, and she couldn’t hide her need. She pressed closer into him, whimpering her desire. He broke off the kiss, but before she could complain, his mouth moved down to suck the exposed nipple. She groaned as he tugged the hard nub into his mouth and sucked and laved it much as she had done with his cock. Her clit throbbed in reaction and her fingers dug into the back of his chair. It was possible she would come from this effort alone. “Noah,” she urged. “Easy.” It was his turn to soothe her. His hand snaked under her skirt while his mouth went back to sucking on the hard tip. A finger pressed against her swollen flesh through her panties’ thin lining. She whimpered again and rubbed her head against his. Her hips thrust up to increase the pressure on her clit. Noah took the hint. He slipped his fingers past the top of her panties and slid them between her now-soaked folds. He moved slickly against her flesh. She jolted from the touch on her clit. Now it was her time to pant and moan. “Faster, harder,” she urged her lover, and he complied. Noah sucked hard on her breast. His fingers plunged into her pussy as his palm rasped against her aching clit. She squeezed her hot channel as tight as she could around the invading fingers, and thrust into his hand. She was like an animal, writhing and gasping as the first wave of orgasm hit her. With her eyes closed, there was nothing to see except the white-hot flare of her climax. There was nothing to hear except the roar of her own release. And there was nothing to feel except the bone-deep pleasure of Noah’s touch. The orgasm lasted long seconds, crested, receded, crested again, until she lay limp in her lover’s arms. It took a minute or two of oblivion before Haley came back to the real world and realized Noah held her in a vise-hard grip. His face was tucked into the crook of her neck, and yes, there was wetness there that she didn’t think was from her own sexdriven sweat. She kissed the top of his head. “Noah?” He shook his head in response, saying nothing. “Noah,” she said more firmly and lifted up his face to look in his eyes. They were indeed wet and he looked miserable. Alarm shot through her. “Did I hurt you?” She tried to get up from his lap, but he held her tightly to him. “I’m fine. Physically,” he amended. With one hand, he wiped the tears from his face with obvious disgust. “I can’t seem to keep my emotions under control, is all. One minute I’m happy, the next sad.” “You’ve been through a lot,” she reminded him, her heart breaking.
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“I know, and I hate it. I hate being so useless. I hate looking into the mirror and not recognizing my own face. I hate not recognizing your face,” he added in a softer tone. Cupping her cheek, he kissed her sweetly on the lips before looking away. “It’s okay,” she reassured him, mimicking his actions. “Give yourself time. We’ve probably overdone it.” The idea caused guilt to well up again. She’d pushed too hard and too fast. And even though she rationalized it as a way to get back his memories, part of her was afraid she was doing it more for selfish reason. Perhaps it was her way to keep desire for Severin at bay. “No,” was Noah’s sharp reply, although he responded to what she had said, not what she had thought. “I love what we’ve done. It’s so normal within such abnormality. It helps, but I am tired. I suppose I should take a nap. Like a five-year-old during kindergarten,” he grumbled. It made Haley smile. This time, when she tried to get up, he let her and he also let her help him up from the chair and back into bed. He caught her hand as she pulled away. “Would you mind terribly staying with me for a while? I mean, if you’re not too busy.” Lying down beside him, she said, “No, it’s fine. I don’t have a meeting for a couple of hours yet. I’ll stay.” “Thank you,” he sighed and closed his eyes. As she lay there listening to his breathing slow down and even out, she prayed she was doing the right thing.
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Chapter Four Sev sat at the conference table doodling mindlessly on his notepad while Haley debriefed various field operatives. There really was no need to take better notes as all anyone said was that they had found nothing. No suspicious people, activities or items in the last two days and time was getting short. Within days, Boston would be jammed with thousands of people in town to celebrate the Fourth of July. If they didn’t figure out where The True Sons of Bitches, as he liked to think of them, were planning their mayhem, it was going to be an ugly event. It made him sick to his stomach. They needed to get lucky and fast, or Noah needed to remember what he had learned the night of the explosion. Sev knew that when she wasn’t coordinating the fieldwork or conferring with Ms Mac, Haley hung out with Noah. What the two of them were doing was a matter of speculation on his part, but he had a pretty good idea. Too bad it hadn’t worked yet. Of course, Noah was still a bit shaky from his injuries. Sev had kept his ear to the ground on that score. According to Noah’s nurse, a nice guy who was not Sev’s type in the least, the patient was slowly recovering and regaining his strength. It was hard to believe Haley would push the guy’s recovery with hot and heavy full-court-press sex. He’d wrestled with the idea of putting a similar plan into action. If Haley was right, and he knew she wouldn’t have lied or been mistaken about something so important, then Noah should be okay with Sev’s advances. Still, he wasn’t so sure. He didn’t know squat about amnesia. What if it changed a person? If Noah didn’t know his own name, maybe he didn’t know he was comfortable being bi, either. As he thought it, Sev scribbled “coward” on his paper. He was being a coward. Sexuality was ingrained. It had taken him a few years to accept it about himself, to accept he was a guy who liked fucking women and men in equal measure. Sure, it made him different, but it also made life a hell of a lot more interesting. Maybe being seduced by Sev would kick-start Noah’s memories when Haley’s touch couldn’t do the trick. The competitive thought made him smile inside and he felt guilty about it. It wasn’t supposed to be about besting his former love. It was about saving lives. The bitch of it was he couldn’t keep Haley out of the equation. He couldn’t keep her or his longing for her at bay. She was right there, hair slightly mussed, clothes wrinkled, her face set in a serious way that told him she was concentrating very hard. There was nothing even remotely alluring about her at the moment, yet he wanted her as much as he ever had. If he allowed himself to stare at her for a few seconds more, his cock would get hard. His bored mind would conjure up images of hoisting her onto the conference table, stripping down her pants and plunging his raging hard-on into her wet pussy.
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She looked at him. Her eyes narrowed as if she’d read his mind, and damn if she hadn’t always been good at that. If she knew where his thoughts were headed, she didn’t let on, though. “Severin?” she asked in her clipped, bossy tone he both hated and found surprisingly arousing. “Are you listening?” “Yes ma’am,” he assured her because he actually had been listening while pondering about Noah and fantasizing about her. “We’re moving to secondary targets in the more notable suburbs tied to the Revolution—Lexington, Concord, Arlington.” He scratched his chin. “I have to say Arlington means nothing to me.” She rolled her eyes at him. “That’s because you’re from California. Around here, we know the town of Arlington was a village known as Menotomy back in Colonial days and the British marched through there on their way back to Boston. More people died in Menotomy than in Lexington and Concord. Not as well known, of course. It’s a long shot,” she conceded. “But everything is.” The room was quiet for a moment as they all reflected about the tough situation they were in. Haley broke the silence. “Well, we won’t get anywhere dwelling on the negative. Everyone has their assignments. Let’s get to it.” The other operatives filed out. Sev waited until he and Haley were the only ones left before he shut the door and turned toward her. She looked at him with suspicion. Her full red lips were pursed, making them irresistible. He didn’t even try. Two steps and he was within inches of her. His gaze fixed firmly on hers, he lifted his hand and traced his thumb across the puckered softness of her mouth. The amazing thing was she let him. For a few glorious seconds, she stood still, staring at him as intently as he stared at her, allowing him the pleasure of touching her. A low moan escaped those luscious lips and the sound broke the spell. Abruptly she stepped back from him. “Stop that,” she admonished. He tried not to show how disappointed he was. “Kind of a delayed reaction, wouldn’t you say, sugar?” “We didn’t break up because I didn’t like your touch,” she shot back. Regret welled up, squeezing his breath out. “No,” he agreed quietly, not able to look her in the eye anymore. “We broke up because I loved you too much to picture you out in the field getting hurt or getting killed.” That last word almost choked him. She barked out a laugh. “That’s not how you put it to me. It was all about my being the dutiful wife and mother, staying home, caring for the kids and waiting for you to come home from your missions. I was supposed to greet you with your pipe and slippers and a hot meal.” “I never said that!” “It’s what you meant.” “No, that’s how you interpreted it. I meant what I just said. It killed me to picture losing you. Maybe I put it badly,” he conceded. Moron, he had definitely fucked it up. “I stated it in terms of creating a more normal family life and of making sure our children didn’t lose a mother. Those things matter to me, and antiquated as you may think of 37
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me, I do believe kids need their mother. But it was my losing you that made me halfmad. Once you were promoted to team leader, we didn’t work together much. I was no longer out in the field, keeping an eye on you. It wore on me.” The confession killed him, but it was past time to clear the air. Haley didn’t reply at first. She looked away, out the window before saying, “You should have said so.” “Would it have made a difference?” She shook her head slowly and looked at him. “No, not if it came down to you demanding I retire or take a desk job. That’s not what I signed up for.” Sev could only nod. What had he expected? She was good at what she did. A woman didn’t put that kind of dedication into her career simply to chuck it all away when the “right” man came along. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she continued, walking to the door. “It’s over. We both made our choices. You don’t love me anymore, so you don’t have to worry about me.” He gave a rueful smile. What else could he do? “Right, I don’t love you anymore.” The expression on her face changed, only a small amount, and he couldn’t quite read her. Then she was gone. “Except I still do,” he added to the empty room.
***** A few hours later, Haley stepped out of the women’s locker room and looked around the pool area. It was empty, and that’s how she had arranged it to be. Being the team leader on this case had its advantages. The only people allowed in the indoor pool for the next several hours were her and Noah. Noah was already there, swimming gentle laps. He hadn’t seen her yet, so she stood away from the pool’s edge and admired his form. He had a long, lean swimmer’s body and it was almost completely visible because he wore a skimpy bathing suit. She knew he had been a competitive swimmer in college, and seeing him glide so easily through the water, she could believe it. He was such a beautiful, sexy young man. Her body, naked under the towel, already tingled in anticipation. Of course, it had been aroused before she had stripped off her clothes, thanks to Sev. Damn the man! All he had done was touch her lips and her body had been ready to betray her. If she hadn’t come to her senses, she may very well have ended up with him lying across the conference table and her filled by his fabulous cock. His beauty was a different sort from Noah’s. Sev was broader and more muscled. His tug on her was more primal. Maybe that’s the real reason she had flipped out at his suggestion she stay out of the field. A part of her deep down was lured by the idea of Sev wrapping her in his arms and keeping her safe. But in time, she knew, she would grow to resent him for cocooning her when she wanted to be out in the fight. Ultimately she wanted to make a difference in the world. She wanted children, yet she wanted to help make the world safer for them, too. Had it been, as he claimed, that she had jumped to the conclusion he was insisting she play a 38
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traditional role? She supposed it didn’t matter. As she had told him, she wouldn’t have agreed to a desk job as a price for staying with him even if it was so he wouldn’t worry about her. Even now, it warmed her to know he had cared enough to worry. But she had worried about him, too, and would have worried more as his wife sitting at home, waiting to hear he was back from the field safe and sound. The difference was she knew he couldn’t give up fieldwork simply to ease her worries. He wasn’t the kind of man to turn from a fight. Well, she wasn’t the kind of woman to do so, either, yet he hadn’t been able to appreciate it. Of course, none of it mattered. Sev didn’t love her anymore. He hadn’t denied it when she said it, and he was hardly a man to hold his tongue. Okay, she didn’t love him any longer, either. And wasn’t that a total crock! Tears welled up behind her eyes and she batted them back. There was no room for self-indulgence. Lives were on the line and Noah was the key. It was time, past time for her to seduce him fully. All they had done so far was some mutual masturbation, and she had given him head several times. She hadn’t dared do more even when he pressed her. She didn’t want him to collapse. That wouldn’t help anyone. Seeing him doing the laps, however, confirmed he was fit enough for other, more rigorous exercise. Slipping off her towel, Haley padded over to the side of the pool and waited for Noah to notice. It didn’t take long. Coming to the shallow end, he stood up and brushed the water from his hair. His eyes popped at the sight of her and he grinned. “Wow, I hope you’re coming to join me.” “Hmm, I was thinking of it, but you’ve been going at it pretty hard. Sure you’re not worn out?” “Does it look like I am?” he replied, his eyes flicking downward. The tip of his already hard cock peeped out of the skimpy bathing suit’s top. Holding out his hand to her, he added, “Come on in, the water’s fine.” Haley cocked her head. “I don’t know. I bet it’s a bit chilly.” “I’ll warm you up,” he promised. There was mischief in his eyes and heat, lots of promising heat. Her breasts were already heavy and her inner thighs damp. To draw out the anticipation, she backed away instead of jumping in. She hurried to the deep end, feeling Noah’s gaze as she went. She stopped beside the diving board and stared at him. As she watched, he ducked down into the water and jumped back up, his bathing suit in hand. He grinned at her as he tossed the bit of fabric over his head. Oh, yes, it was show time. Haley dived into the pool and swam toward the shallow end underwater. Noah’s sinewy arms wrapped around her and pulled her up to the surface just as she reached a point where she could stand. His mouth descended onto hers, his tongue probing her lips, demanding entrance. She let him inside and sucked as if she were feasting on his cock instead. Their slick bodies collided and rubbed as they clung to each other. The hard length of Noah’s erection pressed against her belly, teasing her
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with its closeness. To tease him back, she reached between them and circled his cock head with her thumb. He gasped inside her mouth. She broke the kiss and shoved off from the pool’s bottom, fingers still clasped firmly around his shaft. She swam backward, literally leading him by his cock. He grinned at her, letting her pull him a few feet before grabbing her and yanking her underwater. She barely had time to shut her mouth. No worries, though. Noah stole another kiss. Parting her lips, he breathed air into her mouth. She inhaled and her head spun, as did her body. But that was Noah, turning her around and around like a crocodile with its meal. By the time he stopped, she didn’t know up from down and didn’t care. She clung to him, electrified by his touch, and secure in his embrace. Then her head was above water again, her back pressed against Noah’s chest. Noah’s arm held her firmly by the waist while he swam them both to shallow water. His hardened cock nestled between her cheeks, promising pleasure. He stopped and turned her around to face him. He fisted her hair, nudging her head to kiss her deeply once more. No longer content to be passive, Haley pulled at his shoulders to bounce up and wrap her legs around his waist. Now his cock was in the perfect place to rub against her clit. She tightened her legs to press his hardness into her aching folds and moaned. She let her mind drift away from all thoughts except the pleasure she took from her lover. Her body was overcome by the sensations playing over her flesh, the soothing water surrounding her and the electrifying heat of Noah’s body rubbing against all her most sensitive places. She was so engrossed with her own arousal, she hadn’t realized he was moving them until she bumped against the side of the pool. Breaking the kiss, Noah pierced her with his gaze. “I want to be inside you right now, but I don’t see how unless we get out of this pool and find a condom, ASAP.” He breathed hard, but there was no question it was from desire. Haley licked her lips, not sure how her voice would sound given her state. “No need. I’m on the Pill and we get checked regularly for everything. We’re clean.” “No condom?” She shook her head in confirmation. “Well.” It was his only warning. Shifting her in his arms, he lifted her and brought her down right onto his waiting cock. “Oh,” she sighed as he filled her slowly to the hilt. She closed her eyes and, tilting her head back, reveled in the fullness of his invasion. It was so wonderful, so perfect, except she needed more. Noah sensed it was time to kick things up a notch. He tightened his grip and glided in and out of her pussy. At first he took it nice and slow. He planted kisses along her jaw, down her neck and over her breast. Clamping his lips on to her nipple, he sucked and tugged. Haley’s fingers clutched his head and twisted his hair as the tingle from her nipple shot to her aching clit. She needed more and faster and used her legs to pump her body against Noah’s. Taking the hint, he thrust harder, pushing her against the side of the pool, his arms protecting her from hitting the hard tile. Their mouths locked again, their tongues danced inside first her mouth then his. He grunted, she keened as the climax built. The familiar wave crested. She was almost there, almost. Pressing harder against 40
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her lover, she tried to make it crash. Noah, clever guy, slipped a finger between her cheeks and tickled the ring of her anus. “Yes!” she screamed inside his mouth. His fingertip popped inside her, pushing her over the edge. She thrashed wildly in his arms, water foamed around them, while her teeth grated over his lips. He held her firmly though, pumping his cock deep inside her until he, too, yelled. When it was over, when the spasms stopped squeezing her pussy, when Noah’s cock slipped limply from her grip, they held on to each other for a few seconds more. Without speaking, they let go and drifted lazily in the pool, sometimes touching, sometimes not. When she was sure Noah needed a rest, Haley beckoned him out of the pool. They lay down on chaises side by side and he fell instantly to sleep, a satisfied smile on his lips. She watched him for a while before getting up. She covered him with a long, thick towel before leaving. Maybe when he woke, his memories would be back, but she was beginning to doubt it. In the meantime, it pleased her to know she’d helped him regain some measure of peace. It was something.
***** Noah reared up to a sitting position, his heart raced and his ears rang with the sound of a woman’s screams. He whipped his head around and saw only the empty pool. He was alone. There was no one making the awful noise. It was only the echo of a nightmare, one that had already faded so he couldn’t remember it. With a groan of frustration, he pressed his palms against the side of his head. Had it been merely a bad dream, or were those memories returning? God, he hoped it wasn’t the latter. His head pounded and his stomach lurched at the idea. He deliberately turned his attention away from the thought and instead called forth the more pleasant and sure memory of what he had done in the water. The clock on the wall told him he had slept for three hours. He felt like a baby needing to nap, but the reason why he was so tired didn’t make him feel like a baby anymore. In fact, he felt damn fine and a little self-satisfied. It happened to a man when he brought pleasure to a woman. He might not remember his own name, but he remembered that! It was disappointing to find Haley gone, although he knew she worked hard to thwart some terrorist attack. She never said as much, yet he knew he was a frustrating part of the puzzle. He knew, too, she spent more time with him than she should. There was a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. He was chewing up her time without adding anything useful. Guilt pressed on him. He also wondered why someone as dedicated as Haley would allow anyone to distract her, even a friend, even a lover. Did she really harbor hope he would remember? Shit, if only he could. The doctor said not to push it. His memories would come back when they were ready. Well, he was ready now, damn it all, what was the matter with his brain? Lost in thought, it took him a moment to realize he wasn’t alone when he entered the men’s locker room and tossed his bathing suit in the laundry basket. Severin Blake
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sat on a nearby padded bench, eyeing him. Noah stopped at the sight of the other man. Sev hadn’t visited again after their first encounter, leaving Noah to assume he had made the other man uncomfortable. The guy didn’t look so at the moment. He looked like he had something on his mind, and in an instant Noah knew what. Sev must be Haley’s lover, too, or maybe an ex-lover. While Sev’s name had rarely come up in conversation with Haley, the few times it had, there had been a certain look in the woman’s eye. A sort of wistful one. There seemed to be some personal connection between the two senior operatives. So the idea Sev might be jealous of Noah’s relationship with Haley wasn’t so farfetched. Was the man there to claim a stake by pounding Noah into the ground? Great, another bruise was just what he needed. That wouldn’t help his memories, or maybe like in old comedies a blow to the head would help jog the memories back. Not likely. He decided to defuse the situation quickly by acting as if nothing was wrong. Striking a nonchalant pose, or as close to one as he could get wearing only the towel he had wrapped around his waist after getting out of the pool, he said, “Hey, Sev, what’s up?” The other man didn’t answer right away, he simply looked Noah up and down before shrugging. “You’re looking better than you did a few days ago,” he remarked. Not good enough to get into a fight, Noah thought, saying instead, “I’m much better, thanks.” “Swimming is a good way to ease back into shape. Fucking’s a good way, too, although a bit more strenuous,” Sev added with one of those grins that could only be described as wolfish. Oh, damn, this wasn’t going so well. Noah decided to come clean and try to clear the air without a fight. He wasn’t up for it, and while it was an embarrassing thought, it was still the plain truth. He cleared his throat, and braced himself a bit as a precaution. “Look, Sev, you know I don’t remember jack, so I’m sorry if I poached on your preserve or something.” He winced internally, glad the woman in question wasn’t there to hear him put it in such chauvinistic terms. Sev’s face screwed up in confusion. “Huh? Oh,” he added after a second. “Haley. You think I’m here to pound you into the ground because you’ve been dancing with her in the pool?” He shook his head. “That’s old news, pal. Haley can fuck whomever she wants, as can I,” he added with that grin again, although this time, it seemed more forced. Noah blinked hard. Behind the grin was a look that reminded him of the wistful one Haley had given, only a masculine version. “So, you and Haley are lovers, too?” “Were,” Sev corrected, and his light tone and expression were even less convincing than the previous grin. There was something deeper going on there. Noah tried to make sense of it all. “You and she were, but aren’t anymore. I know she and I were lovers before my injuries because she told me as much, and I know she and I are now because there’s nothing wrong with my short-term memory.” The wheels
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in his head turned much too slowly, still, he thought he was beginning to get it. “And, you and I are, too?” This last question was said with trepidation. If he were wrong about it, he was in for that pounding again. Sev didn’t look mad, however. He grinned yet again, and nodded his head, his expression more genuine. “I’ve had your sweet ass a time or two. You and I are among those really fortunate men who like to dine on both sides of the table. It makes for a delectable variety.” He licked his lips provocatively. Haley and Sev both? Good God, was there anyone in this organization he wasn’t sleeping with? “Am I some kind of man-ho or something?” he asked in bewilderment. “Am I screwing Ms. Mac, too?” Sev laughed out loud and stood up from the bench. “Jesus, I hope not. Although I have heard rumors about the woman.” Shaking his head, he said, “Never mind. I’ve been waiting for you because I figure it’s past time for us to get reacquainted.” The other man sauntered toward him, and Noah could see an erection through the worn material of Sev’s jeans. It wasn’t an unwelcome sight, either. Despite his earlier release, his own cock started to respond to all this talk of fucking. He barely had time to ponder it before Sev was upon him, taking him roughly by the arms and slamming his mouth onto Noah’s. His first impulse was to stiffen against the attack, but a second later, he yielded to the other man’s hold and clasped him into his own. As he entwined with Sev, he noticed underneath the growing heat of arousal how big and hard the muscles were that he clung to. His own head was tilted up to meet and mate with a mouth and tongue as large as his own. And there was a hardness pressed against his belly. By shifting his stance a little bit his own cock bumped against the ridge in Sev’s pants. They both groaned at the contact, and Noah plastered himself even more against the other man’s body. One of Sev’s hands tugged free the towel around Noah’s waist. The rasp of the cloth against his aroused flesh made him gasp. The sound morphed into a long groan when Sev’s strong fingers wrapped around his cock and squeezed. Everything was faster, harder with another man, yet the back of his brain knew it was all good. Not wanting to be merely a passive receiver of Sev’s passion, though, Noah pulled out of the kiss enough to nip at the other man’s lips. His hands snaked under Sev’s shirt to tangle and pull at the crisp hairs nestled between the man’s hard pecs. The nipples, too, were hard points, and he used his thumbs to rub the nubs. Sev rewarded his efforts with a low growl. “Clever boy. You always know how to turn me on.” Before Noah could take a breath to remind his lover he was not a boy, the guy pushed him around and down. Caught in those strong arms, he had no fear of falling, and when his back hit the changing bench, he opened his eyes to see Sev looming over him. The expression on the man’s face was fierce, as if he were set on devouring Noah. The look sent a hot burst of pleasure through his body. He felt desire in an almost frightening way, yet he was anything but afraid. His cock strained out from his body, as
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hard as it could be. A pearl of pre-cum glistened on the tip. His breath came out in harsh pants. Sev gazed down at Noah’s arousal and smacked his lips. “I’m going to swallow you whole, boy.” The word was an endearment. Noah smiled in invitation and spread his legs wide enough for them to dangle over the sides of the bench. Sev slowly straddled the bench, too, facing Noah. Their knees bumped, and Noah’s cock jumped at even that casual contact. Their gazes locked while Sev’s hands cupped Noah’s inner thighs, thumbs kneading the flesh as they slid upward. The simple touch had Noah panting. His hips jerked up, but Sev’s hands kept him down. “Easy,” he soothed in his deep, masculine voice. “I’m getting there.” Noah closed his eyes on a groan and focused on Sev’s touch. “Ah,” he grunted as his balls were fondled by those same thumbs. A smooth, wet tongue replaced first one of Sev’s hands and then the other, tracing the skin from the knee up to the junction between Noah’s leg and cock. His breath hitched with each lap and deserted him entirely when his cock was consumed by warm wetness. A soft tongue lapped the underside of his erection while strong lips tugged and sucked. Sev took him deep into his throat, milking Noah faster and faster toward a climax. He entwined his hands in Sev’s hair. His hips bucked up, driving his cock deeper into the other man’s hungry mouth. They pumped up again as his hands pressed down on Sev’s head. The climax built higher and stronger. He couldn’t be gentle. Somewhere inside him, he knew he didn’t have to be. Sev’s lips, tongue, and throat worked Noah’s cock without mercy. His fingers squeezed Noah’s tightened balls. Sev slid a finger up into Noah’s ass just as Noah had done hours ago to Haley. Yet it was a mere fleeting thought as the added pressure caused the orgasm to burst forth. With a keening cry, he yanked at Sev’s hair and arched his back. The cum spurted out in spasms that shook his whole body. Still, his cock remained embedded within Sev’s welcoming mouth that rode out the climax and sucked him dry. When he was done, he relaxed against the bench and let his arms and legs hang limp, his eyes closed. Sev released the softening cock, but his hands once more clasped Noah’s thighs, his thumbs once more giving a gentle caress. This time, however, the touch was soothing, not arousing. And as Noah lay there sated, happy, but still unable to remember who he was, he knew one thing at least. He was wanted.
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Chapter Five Haley fought to keep her eyes and mind focused on the video she was supposed to be scrutinizing for suspicious activity. It was damn hard. With only four hours of sleep holding her up and a too-chipper Severin across the table driving her crazy, scenes of happy tourists milling about the Faneuil Hall Marketplace held little interest. Reviewing the footage taken by operatives at various likely targets was simply another long shot effort among dozens of others to figure out the terrorists’ big plan. What they needed was Noah to get his memories back, and that little miracle hadn’t happened yet. Her failure to fuck them back into his head grated on her even though her logical mind told her the plan had been merely another long shot. She shouldn’t feel guilty it hadn’t worked. And it might work still, she assured herself. Or, maybe Sev would have more luck. The thought set her teeth on edge, although if she was honest with herself, she was not sure whether it was the idea of Sev being with Noah or the idea of Noah being with Sev that pissed her off. All she knew was her ex-lover was way too happy and had been since five o’-fucking-clock in the morning when they started. The guy slouched in his chair, sipped lazily on his third mug of coffee and grinned while watching the tourist cam. She cracked. “Stop that!” she barked at him, hitting the pause button on the video. With eyebrows raised, he turned to look at her. “Stop what?” His innocent act revved her up even more. “The grinning, the sipping, the cheerfulness, the whole thing. Just knock it off.” She knew she sounded like a lunatic, but couldn’t help it. “Sorry, sugar, didn’t mean to get on your nerves.” She huffed out a breath, straining for calm and coming up empty. “Everything gets on my nerves at this hour of the day, especially after four hours of watching videos. It should get on your nerves too,” she snapped back. Instead of showing remorse, he widened his grin. “What can I say? Blowjobs relax me for hours afterward. You of all people should remember.” Oh God, he didn’t just say that! Knowing he pushed her buttons for entertainment, trying to make her blow her top by mentioning his blowjob, she retaliated by turning the tables. “What I remember,” she bit out with as much disdain as she could muster, “is you falling asleep after getting yours and leaving me high and dry.” That killed his smirk, but he wasn’t done with her by a long shot. “Never happened, and you know it. I always left you in a puddle of your own juices, too tired to even think about getting off again.”
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She shrugged in response and returned her gaze to the video screen. “If that’s how you choose to remember it.” She was being an utter ninny. They had work to do and what difference did it make if Sev played again with Noah. It might work and it was all to the good. She forced herself to concentrate on the task at hand, remembering lives were at stake. Sev didn’t retort back, fortunately. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see he once more checked out the footage. Long seconds ticked by before the primitive part of Haley’s brain took over her tongue again. “Noah gave you a blowjob?” she heard herself ask and winced inside. Saying it in a businesslike voice didn’t make the question any smarter, but there it was. Sev didn’t seem to mind it, though. “Only after I gave him one.” She focused on keeping her voice even and tried not to show how affected she was by the news and still not sure which part of these two men hooking up bothered her. “As long as you didn’t overtax him.” Sev snorted. “As compared to your playing grab-ass with him in the pool? No, I don’t think I overtaxed him.” “Oh!” Once more pausing the video, she rose up from her chair, hands flat against the tabletop. “No one was supposed to be by the pool while he swam except me. I can’t believe you spied on us.” Part of her was enraged at the thought, but another part, a deeper, darker part, was kind of titillated. She ruthlessly ignored the sensation and put as much mad as she could in her face. Sev was right there with her, on his feet. He leaned within inches of her face. “Yeah, that’s what I want,” he fumed. “To watch you fuck another man, that’s how I get my kicks, seeing him touch you all over, seeing him take one of your rosy nipples in his mouth and suck it to a hard point. I love watching him run his hands down your back to cup your soft, round ass and squeeze it with his lucky fingers. I particularly love it when his hard cock gets to dive right into your hot core and make you scream. Yes ma’am, that’s my idea of a fine afternoon.” His voice had softened as he finished, sounding hurt and almost catching on his words. As they stood staring each other down, Haley had trouble taking in air. Her heart pounded, and her chest strained with quick breaths. It wasn’t anger, though, that had worked her into such a state. It was Sev’s words and the look in his eyes. The image he painted was not of her with Noah, or any other man. It was of him, Severin Blake, playing her body to perfection, making her wet and wild and relaxed. She had lied. He’d never left her wanting. She wanted him now, then and there, and the wanting would make her weep if she didn’t get herself under control. If she was going to do that, she needed to stop peering into this man’s eyes because all she saw there was wanting, too. He looked at her with such need, such longing, her resistance to him cracked. At the moment, she couldn’t recall for the life of her why she had ever left this man. Without conscious thought, she
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leaned closer to him, her eyes shifting to his lips. Full, strong, inviting, she wanted a taste. Just a taste. Closing her eyes, she drifted to him and let her mouth touch his. A spark, a small one, pricked her flesh where it met his. It spread from there throughout her body. It warmed her, it relaxed her. And wanting a little bit more, she probed his lips with her tongue and pushed past them. He welcomed her into his moist warmth that tasted of coffee and Sev. She hadn’t tasted the combination in so many months. It was delicious. His tongue swirled with hers in greeting and chased it out of his mouth so that he could enter hers. Before she realized it, they clung to each other, kissing deeply and moaning. But his fingers tugged at her hair, and she came to her senses. What were they doing? Haley broke contact abruptly and stumbled as she righted herself. Hands flat on the table, Sev stared back at her wide-eyed. “Holy shit!” Good old Sev, always ready with an appropriate quip. Holy shit, indeed. “That was a mistake,” she lectured and felt instantly stupid, given how she had initiated the kiss. Sev stood upright and ran his hands through his hair. “Mistake, right,” he echoed in an irritated tone. “Well, if it’s any consolation, you’ve managed to get rid of my BJ happy.” “It’s not,” she retorted. They were both silent for a few seconds, not looking at each other. She needed to get things back under control. They had a job to do, and grating on each other’s nerves and longing for what was gone and wasn’t coming back was not only stupid, it was insupportable under the circumstances. “I apologize,” she bit out. “I was out of line.” “No, I was.” His voice was firmer, yet calmer. “I wasn’t spying on you and Noah. It was pure supposition on my part.” “You were right, though.” She admitted it because there was no reason to hide it. They weren’t a couple anymore. They weren’t in love anymore. Don’t say it, she warned herself. Liar, the tiny voice said anyway. She took a deep breath for courage. “It’s not working. What I’m doing with Noah,” she clarified when Sev looked at her sharply. “My having sex with him has gone nowhere. Maybe, ah, maybe you’ll have better luck.” Wow, that was tough to get out. Still, it was the right thing to do as team leader. The mission was all that mattered. Sev shrugged. “I haven’t so far.” He continued quickly when she opened her mouth to speak. “I’ll keep trying in any event. And I’m assuming you will, too.” She nodded because she was going to keep trying. It still might work. “Fair enough. Look, why don’t you go take some downtime with him. I can look at these videos by myself.” Haley was torn. She didn’t like shirking duties, yet being with Noah could be the key to success. Sev was right, too. It didn’t take them both to watch videos and, what she really itched to do was go out into the field. Her people were all good, and yet she wanted a close look with her own eyes. Noah would have to wait.
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“Okay. Call me if you see anything interesting or need something. I’m going out for a while before checking in on Noah.” Sev’s eyes narrowed. “Not exactly what I suggested.” Arrogant man. “No,” she replied with deliberate patience. “However, as team leader, I’ve decided Lexington deserves a more personal look.” “Why Lexington?” She rubbed the back of her neck. “My gut tells to me to go there. These guys are pretty elemental in their thinking. Every schoolkid learns about the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Lexington always gets top billing and it’s where the first American men fell. I think they’d appreciate the martyr symbolism.” Sev nodded. “They do think of themselves as martyrs, the little creeps. Okay, let’s go.” Oh, crap. “No, no, Sev, I said I was going. You volunteered to watch the videos.” “I can do it when we get back. They’re not going anywhere, and you’ve given strict orders for operatives to go out in pairs, remember?” Oh, crap, again. He had her on a technicality. “Fine, but I’m driving.” With a toss of her head, Haley left the room with Sev a weighty presence at her back.
***** Sev probably needed his head examined. If he weren’t some kind of mental case, why would he torture himself by tagging along after Haley like a devoted puppy? Noah with his amnesia was perfectly normal in comparison. Still, Haley being out alone where there could be danger would certainly cause him to lose his mind, so on balance coming with her was the saner choice. Damn, though, he could still feel her lips, still taste the sweetness of her tongue and smell the clean fragrance of her skin. Why had she kissed him? Good question. A better one was, why had he let her stop? Because getting involved with her again would only lead to trouble. Neither of them had changed, which meant their problems hadn’t changed either. As he crossed Massachusetts Avenue, he kept a steady eye on her. She stood in front of the monument dedicated to the eight men killed initially by the British. Other people, families mostly, milled about, too. Nothing and no one looked suspicious. Nevertheless, his tension eased once he reached her side. She didn’t look at him, pretending to be absorbed by the names of the fallen. He wasn’t fooled, though. He knew she was as acutely aware of their surroundings as he was. “Here you go, sugar. One small strawberry cone.” Haley looked at him with raised eyebrows. “It’s not even lunchtime yet.” “So? It’s summer, this is ice cream. It’s never wrong to eat ice cream in the summer. It’s never wrong to eat ice cream period.” He gave her his most ingratiating grin. “Says the man who never has to worry about his weight.”
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He waggled the cone in front of her. “It’s your favorite flavor.” She hesitated one more second and her eyes narrowed before she took the ice cream. “You needn’t have gone to such trouble, dear,” she said with false sweetness. “Really.” Her voice hardened, as did her stare. But her tongue slipped out to lick slowly around the ice cream. Her eyelids dropped to half-mast with the first taste. Low blow, but he ignored the heat that flared in his belly. Instead, he chuckled. “It was no problem. We’re on vacation, after all.” He dared to slip his arm around her waist, hugging her close. If they were going to pretend to be tourists, they may as well act like it. Her warm body against his own sent his temperature up. He took a big bite of his ice cream and welcomed the pain of the inevitable brain freeze. Happily, Haley gave only a token effort to escape his grasp before relaxing into him. “You’ll spoil me, darling,” she cooed. Her eyes, though, were darting about. “I don’t know, Sev,” she said in a low voice. “Taking out this iconic monument would certainly make a statement, and if it’s a big enough explosion, it could take out a few dozen people, maybe more.” He agreed. The statue was in a grassy triangle where a few roads came together. If you were there to look at it, a few head nods would suffice. The grassy common area adjacent to it, however, might have many people milling about. The Sons were into body counts as well as symbolism. This was a viable spot. “I can see it happening, although there’s not a good place to hide a bomb.” “You’re right. It was only a hunch, of course. There are other places just as or more likely.” She sighed, her chest rose and fell hard. Standing there, eating ice cream, holding her was so perfect. He wished he had the right to do it all the time, and he hated the frustration in her voice. He hated her worry. “Your hunches are good, as I recall, and as we don’t have anything better to go on, you may as well listen to your gut. Put a couple of people here for a round-the-clock detail.” She took a delicate bite out of her cone. “Yeah,” she said around the mouthful. “I guess it makes as much sense as anything else we’re doing. The ice cream is good,” she added, sticking the tip of her pink tongue inside the cone. “Handmade,” he confirmed and with a hard swallow, looked away. God, he wished he could suck the ice cream off her tongue. But they had tried kissing not an hour ago, and Haley had regretted it. A mistake, or so she said. He didn’t know if she truly meant it. He only knew he didn’t regret it. They stood together a few minutes more, neither speaking again until Haley popped the last of her cone in her mouth. She pulled away from him and he reluctantly let her go, watching her lick her fingers clean in yet another provocative move. Damn, the woman made his blood sing. “We should get back,” she said. “I need to check in on Noah and you need to watch the rest of the videos.”
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“Right.” The plan was sound and he had made the suggestion about seeing Noah. So why did the thought her being with the other man poke at his gut? She watched him as if expecting him to say something more. There was nothing more for him to say, though. He turned and headed for their car without a backward glance.
***** “Haley!” She grimaced briefly in frustration before turning around to face Sev. Damnation, she had almost made it out without him noticing. “What?” She tried to sound bored, as if he had caught her making a run for takeout. He stopped a few feet away and eyed her up and down. “Where are you going?” Crossing her arms, she stared him down. “Nowhere you need to know about.” “Bullshit! You’re packing.” “I’m always packing. So are you and everyone else in this organization. No one steps a foot outside without being armed. Hell, we stay armed even inside this place.” With a flick of his wrist, he flipped open her windbreaker to reveal her shoulder holster carrying her semiautomatic, and the sidearm at her waist. He tapped her left ankle with his right foot and hit the knife sheathed there. He repeated the exercise with her right ankle to confirm her clutch piece was in place. “You don’t normally pack that much heat, sugar,” he drawled. “Pack heat? What is this, a James Cagney movie?” “I calls ‘em like I sees ‘em. You’re not going out for more ice cream, are you, Haley?” He crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze. For about two seconds, she considered bluffing her way through. But this was Sev. He wouldn’t believe anything other than the truth. “I’m going to take another look at the warehouse.” Sev smacked his palm against his forehead and blew out a short breath. “The one where you found Noah and Markowitz?” “Yes.” Several seconds ticked by as they stood staring at each other. Finally, he responded and the strain in his voice demonstrated how hard he was fighting the urge to blow his stack. “You have never been stupid, Haley.” She reined in her indignation. Bickering with this man as if they were in high school was the reaction he wanted. With a cool voice, she said, “By which I assume you mean because I didn’t ask you to come with me, I must be stupid.” “It didn’t have to be me,” he practically shouted. “You should take someone, anyone, with you.” “What makes you think I’m not?” She recognized the foolishness of her response, yet couldn’t keep it back. 50
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“I know all the schedules of the operatives on this mission. Everyone is occupied elsewhere for the night.” “Which is exactly why I don’t have anyone coming with me.” “You could have asked me.” There was a look in his eyes that was more than anger. He was upset and even hurt. She let a sigh slip out. “I don’t think we should be together very much. We seem to have trouble keeping it strictly professional between us. I simply want to review what’s left at that place in case we missed something. It’s a long shot, but I can’t stand not doing anything while the clock keeps ticking away.” It was Sev’s turn to sigh. “Yeah, I hear you about how it is between us. I tell myself I’m not going to touch you, and yet I still do. I promise, though, I won’t tonight. Jesus, we’re going to the location where one of our own was tortured to death. That thought alone will keep me focused. Besides, I’ll be there to watch your back. Nothing is more important to me than keeping you safe.” The words, so sweetly and simply stated, made her heart do a slow roll in her chest. He was right, too, damn it all. As unlikely as it was for any of the Sons to being hanging around their old meeting place, doing recon in pairs was always the sensible thing. “Okay,” she agreed, the reluctance there in her tone despite her best intentions. Sev hesitated a second as if unable to believe she’d given in so easily. “Okay?” When she nodded, he said, “Give me a few minutes to arm up.” An hour later, Haley and Sev sat in the car she had parked on a quiet side street. They peered at the burnt-out remains of the warehouse, now roped off with hazard tape. Night had fallen and the area was deserted. She had waited for this time deliberately in order to have as few prying eyes as possible. Of course, the darkness made looking around harder, too. The idea was as long a shot as they came. Their CSI people had poured over the site for hours after the explosion occurred. The chance they had missed something she would spot in the dark was negligible. Still, it was better than twiddling her thumbs back at headquarters waiting for Noah’s memories to come back or for someone to find something. With a roll of her eyes, she grabbed her flashlight and opened her door. “Let’s go take a look.” Sev was quiet as he walked beside her. He hadn’t said a thing throughout the drive and hadn’t even given token resistance to her driving. Even without looking at him, she could sense his alertness. Like her, he scanned their surroundings, looking for danger, perhaps even hoping for it. If one of the Sons showed himself tonight, they might be able to capture him and learn what they needed to know. Haley flicked her light on and Sev did the same. It was easy to slip into their old routine, their old rhythm of working together. They each swept light and attention in opposite directions and slowly approached the tape. Sev lifted it up a bit to let her pass
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under before doing the same. They continued their actions until they reached the edge of the burnt hull of the old building. She tried to bury the memories of what she had found here that horrific night. They loomed large in her mind regardless. Sickness formed deep in her stomach as she recalled the moment when she had thought Noah was dead. The feeling increased with images of Markowitz’ remains. Her eyes closed briefly while she took a moment to deal with the grief, put it aside and do her job. “Stay alert,” she ordered Sev and stepped gingerly through the wreckage. “Yes ma’am,” he replied. She didn’t bother to check what he was doing. He knew how to watch her back. There was no one in the world she trusted more than he. She could admit, too, if only to herself that being with him again in the field felt good, felt right. She missed it. She missed him. Of course, even if breaking them apart to promote her to team leader hadn’t been necessary for the organization, they couldn’t have remained a team. Sev and his outdated ideas would have seen to it. Even now, he couldn’t bear the idea of her being out here, doing her job. He didn’t trust her nearly as much as she trusted him. No, that wasn’t fair. Sev knew she could handle herself. He couldn’t help worrying about her. He could help the way he handled it, however. Insisting she stay out of danger was unrealistic. She was born to run toward trouble, not away from it, the same as he. It was too damn bad he couldn’t accept it, live with it. And if she continued to mull the unfairness of it all, she wouldn’t be doing her job very well. Pushing aside her personal problems, Haley stepped farther into the ruin. Sev swept his light in a slow arc, eyes and ears alert and straining for any sign of trouble. It was rare for him to be backup to Haley. When they had worked together, he had always been team leader, taking the lead, putting himself in the firing line. He found this switch of roles disconcerting, awkward even, although he trusted no one more to protect her. Being out here was almost guaranteed to be a wild-goose chase. There was no way their people had missed evidence about the Sons’ plans. He knew it and he knew Haley knew it. This was mostly a means of blowing off steam. She was frustrated and grasping at straws. Frankly it was a much better way of handling how she felt, how they both felt, than sitting around watching videos and monitoring internet chatter. He only hoped Haley wasn’t putting too much strain on herself with this horrifying trip down memory lane. He had only heard about what happened and his stomach was tight with regret. She must be really suffering. An hour of sifting through the rubble, and they could head back. He’d insist upon it, rank be damned. A small sound caught his attention. It was hardly more than a scrape on the ground, but it made him turn toward Haley. A shadow loomed up from behind a partially collapsed wall. Sev swung his light toward the figure, shouting a warning to Haley as he did so. Her head popped up from where she had been searching a pile of
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God knows what. Her light came up, too, shining a spot on what was clearly a man. The glint of a gun, pointed at her, kicked Sev’s heart rate and legs into overdrive. He sprinted to Haley and hip-checked her into the pile at the same time he fired at the attacker. Haley went down with a thud and a curse. The man went down as well. He made no sound, but his gun flew out of his hands and skidded in Sev’s direction. Sev dropped his flashlight, picked up the weapon on the fly and slid to a stop. He trained his gun on the prone figure. He watched and waited to see if there was any movement, prepared to fire another shot. “Sev, hold your fire!” Haley ordered. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her stand and slowly approach the suspect. She held her semiautomatic in both hands, at the ready out in front of her, the light tucked under her arm. “Careful, I can’t tell if he’s dead,” he warned. “Don’t tell me my job,” she snapped out. Her tone was fierce. Christ, she was mad, probably because he had protected her. Well, too damn bad. He couldn’t regret what came instinctively to him. He watched her circle the guy, study him, roll him over with her foot and finally lower her weapon. “He’s toast.” Sev didn’t lower his guard even as he stood beside her to see for himself. A bloom of blood covered the guy’s chest, his eyes were open and obviously unseeing. With the light afforded by the rising moon and Haley’s flashlight, he looked around to see if any other danger lurked. Haley did the same. Nothing and no one else stirred. Whoever this guy was, he appeared to have been alone. Sev studied the man’s weapon. It was a Sig, no throwaway piece from a pawn shop. “He must be with the Sons.” Haley glared at him. “You think? What gave it away, the expensive firepower or the swastika tattoo on his throat?” He stared down at the body. “I didn’t notice the tat.” “Yeah, well, it’s kind of a giveaway with these guys. Of course, given that he’s dead, we can’t ask him.” Her tone was biting. Her anger palpable. His own temper flared. “Sorry, sugar, I guess I should have let him kill you.” She rounded on him and jabbed a finger in his face. “You should have warned me and trusted me to react appropriately. Maybe there was no way to keep him alive, but we’ll never know because you reacted like a caveman.” “Bullshit!” He jabbed his own finger back at her because there was enough truth in what she said to piss him off. “I would have done the same for any other operative. If it had been up to you, you’d have been a sitting duck out here. You didn’t even hear him.”
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“Yes, I did,” she bit out. “I may have been a half second behind you, but I did hear him. I can take care of myself.” She stopped, took a deep breath. “Call in backup while I search his body.” Without waiting to see if he complied, she squatted down and started the task. There was nothing for him to say in further defense of his actions, so he put aside his feelings and did as he was told.
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Chapter Six Noah paced his room like a caged tiger. Funny how he knew exactly what it looked like for a big cat to walk back and forth in its cage. He could see the image clearly in his mind, yet he still couldn’t remember his own face or name or any of the important things the others needed from him. The most that happened was a fleeting nightmare. Or waking even without one to images that swam inside his head for a few seconds like a kaleidoscope. None of it was pleasant. Each brief experience made him miserable. He instinctively turned away from it all, exactly what he needed not to do, before his rational self tried to keep the images in place. To say it was frustrating was to take understatement to new heights. He was going mad from the effort to remember and disgusted with his cowardly reactions when memories seemed to be fighting to reach the surface of his mind. Everyone kept telling him to relax and not worry about it. The memories would return when they were ready. But how was he supposed to follow the advice when all the people around him looked at him every day with the same expectant look? He was letting them down, and people were going to die because of him. Shit! He stopped, pulled at his hair with both fists and leaned back with a groan of frustration. He felt like a dick. Not only couldn’t he remember, but he was spending his time lying around, eating and screwing. The first two things were justifiable. Even an amnesiac understood the importance of recovering from injuries. It was the fucking that was hard to justify. Sex should be a reward for a job well done, not a substitute for doing the job at all. And it wasn’t only one person, either. No, he apparently was a man who liked variety. Finding heaven between a woman’s legs in the afternoon did not stop him from feasting on another man’s cock in the evening. So what did that leave for the night? Was he going to find himself trussed up and flogged by a leather-clad Ms. Mac next? Why not? his cock asked as it came to life. He shook his head. “Noah Turner, boy slut,” he said out loud to the empty room. “Is that a new kind of superhero?” With a start, he looked up to see Haley standing by his half-open door. He blinked at her a few times, embarrassed to be caught talking to himself. If he wasn’t careful, they were going to lock him up. “Ah, no, no,” he stuttered in reply. “I was just,” he stopped, chuckled self-consciously. “I think I’m going a little stir crazy, to be honest.” “Ah,” she replied in a knowing voice. She was smiling, too, and she looked lovely, but tired, very tired. She worked constantly to find out about the terrorist attack, the one he should know about. Guilt swamped him. She needed a break. So did he from his useless thoughts. “Any chance of getting out of here?” he asked before she could say anything more. 55
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She pursed her lips at the question. “Hmm.” “Please,” he added and even knowing he sounded pathetic, “I promise I won’t try to run away or anything.” “Oh, Noah, that’s not a concern.” He was sure she was merely trying to spare his feelings, or maybe there was more to her reluctance. Perhaps she knew what he had been up to the other night with Sev and was unhappy about it. Without his memories, he couldn’t tell where he stood with anyone over anything. All he knew was his experiences with both people helped him from coming completely unglued. Each in their own way, Haley and Sev made him feel wanted and safe. They also gave him mind-blowing orgasms, and that was no small thing. He certainly loved the taste and feel and smell of both of them, so different, yet both perfect. “Maybe a picnic lunch by the river,” he suggested with a toss of his head to the window. His room faced the back of the building they were in, and all he could see were trees and a bit of water. Haley smiled and the tiredness he had seen earlier vanished. “That sounds like a capital idea.” She crossed over to him and planted a sweet kiss on his lips before going to the phone by his bed and calling the kitchen to make the arrangements. He couldn’t hold back a victorious grin. He was getting out finally and as his cock reminded him with a twitch, fun things could happen between two people on a picnic. He didn’t know how he knew, but at that moment, he didn’t give a damn. Within the hour, Noah sat on a blanket beside Haley, polishing off a roast beef sandwich. In one hand was a travel mug of iced coffee he sipped at lazily as he watched ducks feeding in the water before him. He could hear traffic noise on the other side of the massive old factory building where his organization resided, but here in the back there was idyllic nature. The only thing marring the scene was a low wire fence that cordoned off the lawn abutting the river. It was a security precaution in case someone found their location. The fence would set off an alarm if touched. Haley had told him this the moment they came out so he wouldn’t make a mistake. He had taken in the information and put it aside immediately. He preferred to pretend he was having a nice time with his lover. He wondered, though, if he was subject to such sentimental thoughts or was he only having them because of the amnesia. “What kind of man am I?” he asked before he could think better of it. Haley popped her eyes open. She didn’t answer right away. She was measuring her words. “A good one,” she finally replied with a shrug. When he continued to look at her expectantly, she added more detail. “You’re a brave man, loyal, decent, dedicated.” “Thrifty, reverent? Am I a Boy Scout or something?” As soon as he said it, he shook his head. “Why do I know these totally useless things about life, yet can’t remember the important stuff?” Her hand moved to clasp his. The contact warmed him, settled him. “Sorry, you were saying?”
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“You’re funny and adventurous. Being from California, you like to surf and you drive too fast. You treat every road like a freeway. And while I may be prejudiced given that I trained you, you’re a top operative.” “I can’t be very good. I blew my cover or something after all.” She squeezed his hand. “It wasn’t your fault.” Her face clouded over. “We think the Sons were tipped off to your infiltration by someone.” “Someone in this organization?” What a disturbing thought. Were they safe where they were? “There may be a mole. But don’t worry about it. Everyone is working in rotating pairs, including our security teams here, and only Ms. Mac, Sev and I are privy to all the information being gathered.” She was trying to be reassuring, yet he could see the concern in her eyes. “We’ll figure out what went wrong eventually. Anyway, you went to the scheduled meeting to discuss the final plans of the attack. You couldn’t wear a wire because while the group is made up of madmen, they’re still pretty tech savvy. I stayed here and when you were long overdue for a check-in, I gathered a few people and went to the warehouse the terrorists were using as headquarters. I waited a fair distance away when I saw them take off. You weren’t with them and I knew something had gone wrong.” She stopped for a second and looked away. It was his turn to squeeze her hand. He sensed there was more to her story, that she held something back. After a few seconds, she continued. “They had rigged the building to explode, in an effort to cover their tracks. They intended you to die as well. We’re lucky in the timing. A few minutes more and you would have been gone.” Heaving a sigh, she looked at him with sad eyes. “I’m so sorry, Noah. I was supposed to protect you.” “Hey!” he said, pressing a quick kiss against her trembling lips. She was trying not to cry. “I’m not a child. I must have known the risks going in. And, you’re saving me now. It means the world to me to have you to cling to.” Because he was close to tears himself, he went silent and watched the ducks some more. After a few quiet seconds, an unpleasant thought popped into his mind, however. “Have I killed?” he asked in a quiet voice. “Yes,” Haley’s voice was equally quiet. “But you took no pleasure in it. You’re not a killer, Noah. You do what you have to do to protect others.” Squeezing her hand, he sighed at the news. “Fair enough.” He sipped at his coffee, looking at the river again. She tugged at the hand she still held and brought it to her lips for a kiss on his palm. “You’re an awesome lover,” she added with a sly grin that lightened the mood as she no doubt intended. He tossed his head. “That I know. My short-term memory is intact, don’t you forget.”
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“Oh God, now you sound like…” She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have to. “Sev,” he filled in the rest for her. When she only nodded, he asked another burning question he had held in up until now. “Does it bother you that I was with him the other day?” “No.” Her response was so quick and simple, he almost believed her. Almost. As with Sev, there was something in her eyes that told him there was more going on between these two people than they let on. Their affair was hardly over as they both claimed. They were tied to each other still. Why wouldn’t they acknowledge it? Oh, well, it wasn’t as if he was in any position to act as a therapist. He was in sore need of one himself. If they were going to pretend this was not an awkward triangle, then so was he. Putting down his mug, Noah leaned over and cupped Haley’s face with his free hand. The shadows under her eyes were more prominent in the sunlight. She needed to take a nap and he was going to help her relax enough to get one. He held her gaze for long moments and continued to do so as he slowly lowered his mouth to hers. He gave her a chance to rebuff him, to show how she might truly feel about him and Sev and to warn him they were not really alone if it was the case. She made no effort to stop him, however, and he claimed her with a kiss. Wanting to both savor her and cater to her, he took his time. His lips brushed hers with gentle swipes before opening to tug and nip at her flesh. When she sighed in appreciation, he took the advantage and slipped his tongue inside her warm mouth. He was welcomed in with a suck and a lick, and he was content to stay there, tasting and probing. He cupped her head with both hands to run his fingers through the tangle of her thick, dark hair. “Hmm,” Haley moaned into him. Her hands slid along his arms to clench at his shoulders. Her head lifted up a bit as her tongue started to chase his in earnest. Noah pulled out of the kiss, ignoring her mewl of protest. He looked down at her deep, brown eyes and shook his head. “You need to relax. No touching, no moving,” he added, clasping her hands in his and pressing them down to the ground on either side of her head. “You’ve been taking such good care of me. Now it’s my turn to take care of you. Ah!” he admonished when she started to speak. “Close your eyes,” he commanded in a low voice and stared her down until she complied. Leaning close to her ear, his hands braced on the ground next to hers, he added in a whisper, “I’m going to make you wet. I’m going to make you come.” A knowing smile played across her lips, but she otherwise remained as she was. There was still a tenseness about her, though. The furrows between her eyes indicated she was far from relaxed. Well, he would change that. He started with small kisses planted right where the tension showed. When that smoothed out, he moved on to place fluttery pecks on her closed eyes and along her temples and cheeks. He lapped a thin line along both sides of her jaw before nipping at her lips. Her mouth opened once more on a sigh, but this time, he turned down the invitation. Instead, he traced her jawline once more to tug at her earlobe with his teeth. 58
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Her head moved from side to side and her whole body became restless. He knew he was having the desired effect on them both. His cock strained against his jeans, rigid from his simple ministrations to the woman beneath him. A strong urge welled up inside him to part her legs and plunge inside what he knew would be a welcoming pussy. He beat it back. This was for Haley. She deserved the pampering, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it himself. Slow and gentle was the way to go. He was going to build her to a frenzied peak. Noah wasted no more thoughts on what he was going to do, and got back to doing it. Straddling Haley’s body, he was careful not to touch her with anything more than his mouth. He picked up where he’d left off, giving her chaste kisses down her neck. When he reached her shoulder, he allowed himself a little bite, just enough to make her gasp. She moaned when he chased the hurt away with a lick. Her body rose up to rub against his. With effort, he arched his back to keep them from touching. He ignored his hardened cock’s loud protest. He could see her nipples jutting out. His mouth watered. He needed to get rid of the fabric standing in his way. Not trusting his teeth to be gentle, he lifted his hands to help. His palms rasped against those inviting breasts as he worked the buttons, and he couldn’t resist clasping the plump globes once the shirt was gone. Her bra was plain white, yet flimsy. The heat of her flesh came through it. Haley moaned once more and pressed into his hands as a reward for his forwardness. Noah grinned at how aroused she was already, but put his hands back on the grass before swooping down with his mouth again. His lips latched on to one of the hard nubs through the bra and sucked. “Unh!” Haley bucked against his mouth, yet kept her hands down as ordered. When Noah glanced up to check, he saw her fingers were clenched in tight balls, however. He smiled inwardly while laving her nipple with lazy circles. He hadn’t relaxed her yet, but that would come. He took his time with her lovely breasts, showing each excited point how much he appreciated it. Eventually though he made his way down her exposed belly. His tongue lapped and his lips nibbled her taut skin until he hit the waist of her skirt. Time to shift direction. Wiggling down her body, he stopped when he straddled her knees. Her choice of wearing a skirt made things very convenient. He slid his hands up her outer thighs, bringing the filmy material up with them. He stopped when he could see the junction between her legs and gazed for long moments at the spot waiting for him. The crotch of the white panties was already wet from her juices. The sight beckoned him to slide into the moist heat. Noah bit his lower lip to keep from groaning, and ignoring the impulse to plant his mouth and gorge to his own delight, he circled the soft, creamy skin of the thighs with his fingers. With each pass, he moved his hands farther up, trying to keep his touch as light as possible. Haley’s breathing quickened and her legs parted more in silent invitation. He ignored it. No need to rush, after all. When his thumbs reached the edge of her panties, he slipped them underneath the material. Her labia were plump and wet and waiting for him. He imagined he could make this woman come right now simply 59
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by gliding his touch over her clit, but where would be the fun in that? Then again, maybe it would be great fun to make her come now and make her come again and again. The power was enticing. Suddenly he wanted to do just that, make Haley come. He pressed one thumb more firmly into her slick folds and found her clit. He rubbed it in a circle, hard and fast, and knew a moment of triumph when Haley arched her back on a stifled cry. Her whole body spasmed in a wave of climax, and her legs closed against his hands. He didn’t stop rubbing her clit until she stopped moving. Finally she went limp. Her eyes opened to slits and she gazed at him with a satisfied smile. “Come inside me, Noah?” she invited in a breathless voice. He merely shook his head and held her gaze as he pulled her panties down. With measured movements, he tugged first one leg and then the other free from the garment before settling once more across her. Her mons with its shock of dark curly hair lay bare to him. Her skin glistened from her cum, and it beckoned him forward. Clasping her hips with his hands, he lowered his head until his face was mere inches from his target. His tongue darted out and frenched her slit with short strokes and long ones. He could taste her arousal and her sensitive nub was still swollen from his earlier touch. Haley bucked against his mouth and moaned. He took the hint and pressing into the folds, latched on to her clit with his mouth. He sucked on it as he would a cock, using tongue and lips to coax another climax. The legs he held rose up and clamped his head in a viselike grip. It was getting hard to hold this woman down, her body was jerking too much. She was close to coming again. And then she did, harder than the first time. He held on tight, riding her waves of climax, ignoring the fingers that gripped his hair and tugged up even while her legs held him in place. Only when her movements quieted did he release her and look up. Her fingers slid from his hair, and she didn’t open her eyes this time as she lay spent on the ground. But she spoke. “Now, Noah,” she commanded. He obeyed. Jerking up to his knees, he unfastened his jeans and pushed them down far enough to free his aching cock. It, too, was wet. It jerked in his hands, demanding its due. He bent Haley’s legs up and lowered himself between them. He thrust his cock into her waiting pussy and let the groan of pleasure escape his lips. As soon as he was buried deep within her, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. He lay over her and claimed her mouth once more in a kiss. He thrust his tongue into her mouth in a move to rival his other penetration. She met him head-on, urging him to take her hard and fast in both places. Their moans blended together in a chorus of pleasure. Their bodies moved in sync, pushing his cock in and out of her grasping pussy. Noah’s climax erupted all too soon, and as he let loose his hot semen inside her warm core, Haley spasmed in yet another release. She cried into his mouth, and she clamped hard onto his thrusting cock. Her fingers dug into his shoulder, her heels dug into his back. His own fingers clenched the blanket until he was spent. When they were both
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quiet, only their harsh breathing left, he slid out and lay beside her. Her eyes were closed, her body limp, her face relaxed. Noah smiled in satisfaction and closed his own eyes to rest.
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Chapter Seven Haley had spent the afternoon getting laid. Those were Sev’s first thoughts when he saw her hurrying down the hallway. The idea of it pissed him off, and the fact that it pissed him off pissed him off even more. It shouldn’t matter to him who she banged, yet it did. For God’s sake, why had he sent her back into Noah’s arms if he was only going to resent the idea of it later? What a hopeless tangle it all was, and most importantly, it was an unneeded distraction given that hundreds of casualties could erupt in less than forty-eight hours. The thought brought him back to why Haley was racing toward him. He had called her, although he doubted he had anything really useful for them. “Where are they?” she demanded as soon as she was within a few feet. Sev jerked his head to the right. “In there, but I have to tell you this smells like a big fat nothing to me.” “You don’t jump at shadows, Sev,” she replied, stopping in front of him. “Well, not very often anyway.” He knew she was thinking of the previous night, when he had shot the creep at the warehouse instead of taking the risk with Haley’s life by trying to capture the guy alive. “You can poke at me from now until the end of time about putting down the rabid dog taking aim at you, sugar. I’m not going to apologize for it. The asshole was nothing anyway, a wannabe, too stupid and unstable even for the Sons.” Identification of the body had been swift, given the long rap sheet of its owner. Haley blew out a breath. “I know. He was there to curry favor in some way only his crazy mind would understand, but he still may have had information we could have used.” Sev held his ground, held her gaze, refusing to regret being cautious with her life. She broke the stare first. “Never mind about last night. Let’s concentrate on the two live ones we have. Beggars can’t be choosers. These guys you hauled in were acting suspiciously and that’s exactly what we’ve had people out in the field looking for.” “Yeah,” he agreed. He rubbed his chin while looking down in thought. It was still hard to look her in the eye for some reason. “The lab has the gizmo they were attaching to the Hatch Shell. Hard to say what it is, although it looks like a container for a bomb. And there was a small amount of explosives, too. On the other hand, their IDs check out. They’re students at Cambridge Tech.”
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“Makes sense. Given that the Sons are homegrown, I’d expect some of their members are corn-fed student types.” She blew out a breath. “Let’s have a look at them.” He stood aside to let her pass him. She opened the door to the conference room where he had stashed the two boys they had grabbed off the Esplanade. While that particular area of Boston had nothing to do with the Revolution, the Boston Pops always played a big concert there for the Fourth. A bomb would take out hundreds for sure. Sev suppressed a shudder at the thought and followed Haley inside the room. The two kids still had sullen looks on their faces, although he was pleased to see a little more fear mixed in there as well. At the sight of Haley, the mouthier of the two started in. “Are you in charge here?” he demanded, standing up. The operative baby-sitting them gripped the kid’s shoulder with his beefy hand. “Sit down!” he ordered. Haley nodded at her man. “Thank you. You can go.” “Yes ma’am.” The guy rolled his eyes at Sev as he left the room. Sev understood the gesture. Terrorists or not, these two boys were a pain in the ass. Either they were hardcore believers or too pampered to realize how much trouble they were in. Haley stood on the other side of the table from the kids, arms crossed, legs braced apart. She stared at them until they squirmed, and Sev’s mood picked up. This was going to be good. He had trained this woman and it pumped him up knowing she was a real ballbuster when it came to the bad guys. Still, this shaggy-haired pair in their Goth clothes didn’t ring the bell for him. He couldn’t picture them as terrorists. After a few long minutes of silence, the more aggressive of the two cracked. “What?” he demanded of Haley. “What are you staring at?” “Hmm,” Haley replied in a contemplative fashion. “I’m not sure. Either I’m staring at a couple of dopes or a couple of terrorists.” “Terrorists!” the other kid squeaked. Up until now he had let his friend do all the talking. “We’re not terrorists,” he added vehemently. “Jesus, Craig,” the first boy said with disgust. “She doesn’t think we’re terrorists. She’s busting our chops. Man, you are a dope,” he added with a shake of his head. He looked at Haley and sneered. “I want my lawyer.” “Oh, sorry,” she said and made a mockingly sad face. “No lawyers here, are there?” she asked, turning to Sev. “No ma’am,” he replied, taking his cue from her and giving his voice the same tone of regret. “Bullshit! I know my rights.” The kid tried to stand up again, then thought better of it when Sev growled.
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“Oh, your rights.” Hands clasped behind her back, Haley paced the length of the room. “Let’s talk about your rights. Do you have a right to plant a bomb on the Hatch Shell and detonate it when thousands of people are listening to the Pops concert?” “A bomb? Oh, man,” the quieter boy found his voice again. He turned to his companion. “I told you this was a boneheaded move, Dillon. I told you other guys had gotten into trouble for doing shit like this. But no, you said it would be cool, that we’d get an A for our chem project if we hung fireworks on the Hatch Shell. You said everyone would get that it was just a gag. You said.” “I know what I said!” the mouthy one, Dillon, exploded. “Be cool, man, she’s just jerking our chain.” Haley had stopped her pacing and now placing her hands square on the table, leaned into the boys. “Oh, I’m going to jerk your chain all the way to federal prison.” Craig looked like he was about to shit his pants, and even Dillon the smart-mouth was starting to sweat. “Please, ma’am,” Craig pleaded. “I swear it was all a prank. There’s not enough explosives in our project to hurt anyone. It was only going to set off a few sparklers and make an American flag pop out. That’s all. Honest. You must have a lab or something that can tell, right?” His gaze was darting from Haley to Sev. The fear was real enough, and Sev was pretty sure at this point they were what they appeared to be, two kids with far fewer brain cells than they knew. He waited, though, to see how Haley was going to play it. This was her op and he respected her enough to play second fiddle as ordered. Haley didn’t answer. She continued to stare down the pair until they both lowered their heads. Craig looked like he was starting to cry and Dillon was chewing on his lower lip in obvious fear. Finally, she stood up. “Yeah,” she drawled out. “We have labs. We’re checking your little science project. If it’s what you say it is, all you have to worry about is state charges for illegal fireworks, disturbing the peace, that sort of thing. You probably won’t have much in the way of jail time,” she tossed in as she left the room. “Oh, shit!” Craig said, and it was clear now he was crying. Dillon, however, shot Sev a dirty look. “Stay!” He barked out the order and followed Haley into the hall. The other operative rolled his eyes once more as he went back in to resume his babysitting duties. Leaning against the wall, Haley looked pissed. “Stupid little fuckers,” she fumed. “You can say that again. Sorry I pulled you in for nothing.” Sorry I took you away from Noah’s arms, he thought, except he wasn’t sorry. Not really. He much preferred her being with him even if all they were doing was talking. And wasn’t that too pathetic? He had thought he’d gotten over her, but he had been wrong. Now that they were working together again, he couldn’t lie to himself anymore. He loved her still, and the fear he had developed for her wasn’t so bad when he was there to keep an eye on her. But there was no way to go back and pick up the pieces of their relationship even if she were willing. And wasn’t that a big if? The truth was when this op was over, it would
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be back to them leading separate ops and his fear for her was going to make him go all caveman on her again. It was hopeless. “It’s okay,” she replied with a weary eye roll. “I wasn’t doing anything productive anyway.” “You were with Noah,” he pointed out, pleased at how casual his tone of voice was. “For all the good it’s doing. He asked me to tell him more about who he is and what he was doing when he lost his memories. I told him some things. I didn’t tell him about Jill.” “Probably for the best. He might not be able to handle it at this point.” “I suppose, although if we don’t take chances, he won’t get them back in time.” She stared at him, lips pursed, eyes flinty. He knew that look. She wasn’t happy. “You should go check in on him.” Ah, that was it. She was pushing him at Noah in the hopes he would succeed where she had failed. She didn’t like it, though. It bothered her. Question was why? Was it the competition which had always been a part of their relationship, or was it jealousy? If the latter, what was she jealous of, his being with Noah or Noah being with him? He liked the second possibility more. He wanted to believe Haley didn’t like someone else fucking him. He wanted to believe she still loved him the way he loved her. Dream on. If he really thought that, he was an even bigger dope than “Dumb” and “Dumber” inside the conference room. Still, if he couldn’t have Haley, then he may as well go seduce the guy. He did like him and he was worried about him. Maybe he could still succeed where Haley had failed. Part of him liked the idea of besting her, and part of him was disgusted with himself for it. And yet he nodded at the suggestion. “Okay. You going to wait for the lab results?” She turned her head away from him and nodded. “Yes, and when we get confirmation it was just a hoax, I’ll send them over to the Boston P.D. Good luck,” she added, the words sounding forced. “Good luck with Noah.” Sev didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing. He turned and walked away.
***** He found Noah in his bedroom, but now there was a television with a cable box. The other man was sitting up in bed in his boxer shorts and nothing else, pressing the remote. Sev knocked once before pushing the half-open door all the way and stepping inside. Noah looked up at the sound and smiled. “Hey, Sev. Come on in.” Sev shut the door behind him and approached the bed. The sight of the younger man in so few clothes made Sev think about stripping them all off. His cock liked the idea as well. He didn’t pounce right away, though. Something in Noah’s eyes checked the impulse. “How’s it going?” he asked instead.
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“Hmm,” Noah replied and clicked the set off. “Haley arranged for the television, but I’m sorry I asked for it. All I see are news reports about the Fourth celebrations and that only serves to remind me how totally useless I am right now.” “Hey,” Sev started to say. “No.” Noah cut him off with an angry jerk of his head. “Don’t try to tell me otherwise. Please,” he added with a fierce look. Sev could see the misery in the man’s eyes, and it made him want to climb into bed and hold Noah tight. He wanted to ease his hurt, but realized denying the truth wouldn’t help. Settling on the end of the bed, he said, “Okay, I won’t. You’re right. We’re in a tight spot. We’re all on edge about it and feeling pretty helpless. Lives will be lost if we can’t stop this thing. Getting your memories back would be great. We can’t count on that, however, so there’s little point in beating you or ourselves up about it. I’m sure Haley feels guilty about your being hurt in the first place. But guilt and anger and frustration’s not going to get the job done. Right?” Noah sighed. “No, I suppose not.” He slid down on the bed a bit farther. His foot bumped up against Sev’s thigh. Deliberate? Maybe. Sev’s body certainly didn’t give a damn. His skin flushed with excitement. His cock twitched even more to life. “She shouldn’t feel guilty about me,” the other man continued. He didn’t seem to notice the contact, except, hello, was that little Noah peeking out from the front of the boxers? Sev slid down onto his side, resting his head on the palm of his hand. “Haley cares, a lot. It makes her a good field operative, a good team leader.” His hand crept up to clasp Noah’s leg right below the knee. “She cares too much, I think. She’s spending too much time with me when she should be concentrating on the mission. I don’t matter.” As he talked, Noah moved his leg and bent it so that his foot could press against Sev’s groin. A groan escaped Sev’s lips at the contact with his already aroused cock. “You shouldn’t be here, either,” Noah admonished, scrunching his toes against the bulging crotch. Somewhere in his mind Sev realized Noah didn’t know why Haley and Sev were spending so much time with him. He didn’t understand they were trying to fuck his memories back. Just as well, too. Such knowledge couldn’t possibly help matters. Best to leave it alone and concentrate on the pleasure of playing with Noah’s body. Sitting up abruptly, Sev yanked his t-shirt over his head. “I’ve done all I can for one day,” he said in response to Noah’s concern. “Right now I want to fuck you. Any objections?” The other man’s eyes widened at the crude words, but his eyes roamed over Sev’s naked chest in obvious interest. His tongue licked his lips as if he were picturing having Sev’s body for a snack. “None whatsoever.” Noah started to sit up. Sev grabbed an ankle and yanked him back down. “Don’t move, boy. I want you on your back just as you are.” “Okay,” was Noah’s breathless reply. He settled down once more and kept his gaze on Sev. 66
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Wanting to draw the treat out for both of them, Sev slowly toed off his shoes while undoing his belt. His gaze fixed squarely on the other man, he snapped open his jeans and drew them down his hips, taking his underwear with them. His cock was already at full arousal. It sprang out of the confines of the jeans, an angry red and pumped for action. He stepped out of the pants, and walked around to Noah’s side of the bed. The guy stared at Sev’s erection, his chest rising and falling on more rapid breaths. “See what you do to me, boy?” Sev said in a voice thick with his own passion. “It’s past time for me to be inside you.” Noah gnawed at his lower lip. “Have we done that before?” he asked. There was concern laced in his voice. Sev smiled at him wickedly and placed one knee on the bed beside Noah. “Damn right we have.” Leaning over, Sev pressed both hands on the pillow on either side of Noah’s head. “You love having my cock buried in your ass.” He didn’t wait for a response. Instead he swooped in for a kiss, his tongue plunging into Noah’s mouth without asking permission. The other man met him at the entrance and twined his tongue with Sev’s, sucking hard. Noah’s hands clasped Sev’s waist and pulled, trying to bring him down so that their bodies would touch. Sev held firm, though. It was too soon, and he wanted to be the one in charge. He pulled out of the kiss just in time to stop Noah from grabbing his cock. “Easy, boy. That’s not for you yet. Put your hands up by your head and keep them there.” Noah blew out a breath of frustration, but otherwise complied as Sev knew he would. Sev had the authority, after all. He looked down at the lean, hard body and admired its sleekness, the subtle strength of it. Noah’s skin was flushed with his arousal, causing his bruises and cuts to fade into the background. His brown nipples were hard and inviting. Sev bent down to take first one and then the other between his lips. He sucked and he nipped and was rewarded when Noah groaned and arched into his mouth. Sev spent a few minutes with those lovely pecs before he slowly descended the center of Noah’s chest. The skin was so smooth, so hot, so tasty. Noah’s body jerked with each lick. Looking down to his destination, Sev saw Noah’s cock jutting out from its confines. Sev hooked the shorts by their waistband to get them out of his way, careful to free Noah’s erection before dispensing with the cotton completely. Now they were both naked. Naked, hard, hot. Sev straddled Noah’s legs before sucking the man’s cock into his mouth. It tasted salty and got harder and thicker as Sev sucked it like the treat that it was. Noah gasped and bucked, causing Sev to pull back. A groan of frustration met Sev’s ears. “Sorry, but I told you I’m going to fuck you. Don’t want you coming too soon.” Noah looked back at him with slits for eyes and a heaving chest. “Do it now, please.” Sev shook his head. “Not yet. I didn’t bring any lube, so you’re going to have to slick me up with that sweet mouth of yours.”
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“I don’t care.” Noah tried to lift his leg to give Sev access to his ass. Sev held him down. “I care. I don’t want to hurt you any more than you already have been, so open up. Saliva’s not much, but it’s all we’ve got because I can’t wait long enough to grab some lube from my room.” Sliding toward Noah’s face, Sev pushed his cock down to mouth level. Noah lifted his head and sucked him inside the moist cavern without hesitation. Sev closed his eyes. His head dropped back as he savored being laved by Noah’s eager tongue. His cock jerked at the touch. His balls tightened higher into his body. Damn if he didn’t want to stay right there, shoot his cum into Noah’s willing mouth. But that was not nearly as wonderful as coming inside the man’s other hole. With reluctance, Sev pulled back. Noah tried to stay with him, but the cock slid out of his mouth. It was nice and slick from Noah’s efforts. Sev moved enough to bring Noah’s legs up. “Hold them,” he commanded the other man, and nodded when Noah clasped the back of his knees with his hands. The small, tight ass was exposed to Sev’s gaze now. He knew it well, knew what pleasure waited for him. The puckered brown hole winked in invitation. There was work to do first though. Wetting his forefinger, Sev traced the wrinkled skin before pressing against it. The finger went in easily, found the walnut-sized bundle that brought pleasure to all men and rubbed against it. Noah moaned and sighed. His ass was relaxed and ready for Sev. He said as much. “Please, Sev, I’m ready for you.” Noah’s voice was low and seductive. As seductive as any woman. Clasping his cock with one hand, Sev lined it up with Noah’s asshole. He spat a little extra moisture on it before pushing it inside. It was not as easy as with the finger, but it went in. Inch by inch, Sev slid his aching cock inside the tight passage. He wanted to thrust hard. It was agony not to. Sweet agony. He moaned at the heat and pressure as he slid farther and farther into the velvety moistness. He stopped when his balls hit Noah’s body. He was all the way home. Sev opened his eyes to gauge how his lover was doing. Noah’s eyes were shut tight, his teeth clamped on his lower lip. His fingers dug into the flesh behind his knees. “You all right, boy?” Sev choked out the question, his body quivering with the effort to remain still. Noah kept his eyes shut. “Fuck me, now!” he growled in reply. Sev smiled. That’s my boy. He rocked his hips back, pulling his cock out. Noah’s muscles tightened around him, trying to keep him from escaping. When the head of Sev’s cock was back to the spot just inside the entrance, he pushed in again harder than before. Noah let out a long groan. Grabbing Noah’s thigh with one hand for leverage, Sev pulled out and thrust again, and again. His rhythm picked up to a faster, harder pace. He pounded into the other man’s body. Noah took each thrust and his cock bounced with each hit. It needed some attention too of course. Sev wrapped the fingers
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of his free hand around the hard shaft and tugged the foreskin up and back with each thrust. Both men grunted and groaned as their passion built. Sev’s climax boiled up and out. His whole body sang with the promise of it. As the first of his semen burst out of his cock and into Noah’s waiting core, warm cum spilled onto his fingers. Noah’s cock pulsed through its orgasm. Sev’s cock did the same. He squeezed Noah’s length hard the way Noah’s ass was squeezing him dry. With a final cry, Sev stopped his thrusting. Pulling out of Noah, he collapsed on top of the other man. No need to worry about his weight. Another man could take it. As he lay panting, the sounds of Noah’s heart beating hard against Sev’s equally heaving chest, he thought, If this doesn’t make him remember, nothing will.
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Chapter Eight Haley hadn’t slept all night. After seeing the two kids turned over to the local police, she had driven around the Boston area, trying to check the most likely spots for an attack. It had been a waste of gas and effort. There was nothing to see except happy people enjoying the beginning of their three-day weekend. Everywhere she went, there were families and food and music and just plain fun. Everywhere she went she pictured death and destruction, mangled bodies and screams of agony. Even when she returned to home base, she had sat in the communications center until dawn monitoring the “chatter” on the sites they knew were frequented by the Sons. Nothing. They’d gone to ground once they knew Noah and Jill were plants. How they had figured it out was still a mystery. With the more urgent matter of the imminent attack, there had been little time for her to spend pondering what had gone wrong. There were others digging into the matter and she itched to join them because it was personal. If there was a mole in their organization, he or she had caused Haley’s people to be hurt and killed. The idea of a traitor made her blood pressure climb higher. She was exhausted, frustrated and downright angry with herself most of all. This was her mission, her failure. With a vague idea of checking on Noah in the vain hope that something had changed with his memory, Haley rounded the hallway leading to his room and saw Severin sauntering toward her. He was grinning, again, and that made her simmer come to a boil. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t rational, but seeing the clear evidence of how he had spent the night made her tear into him. “Nice night, Sev?” she demanded when they were within a few feet of each other. No fool, Sev stopped short and his grin disappeared. “Nice enough,” he hedged. “I bet.” She stopped as well and folded her arms across her chest. She was acting like a harridan, yet she couldn’t stop. It was all suddenly too much. “Noah’s a pretty guy and a very good lay, wouldn’t you say?” “Hey, now, Haley,” he chided. She overrode him. “Did it work?” He grimaced at her. “Did it?” “No, it didn’t,” he spat out, his own anger finally showing through. “The poor guy woke up gasping for air, shaken by a nightmare. Yet he still doesn’t remember a goddamn thing.” She closed her eyes briefly. She was disappointed, and not. A part of her, a small nasty part of her was glad. That’s the part that took control of her mouth. “I guess the sword isn’t mightier after all,” she drawled, eyes pinned to him. “We’ve both failed. We’ve both been wasting what little time we have fucking him instead of being out
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there finding these assholes before they…” She stopped mid-sentence, appalled at her loss of control and even more so because she suddenly saw past Severin and her own frustration to notice Noah coming down the hall. His hands were jammed in the front pockets of his jeans and his eyes were wide as he stared back at her. “Noah,” she breathed. Sev whipped around and stared at Noah, too. None of them said anything as the other man came to stand before them. “Well,” the younger man said, his eyes darting between the two of them. “I guess that explains a bit.” “Noah,” Sev started to say something, but was cut off. “No.” Noah’s voice was firm. “I don’t want to hear anything more from either of you. I’ve felt guilty these last several days. Guilty!” he emphasized, the hurt and anger clear in his voice. “Not just because I couldn’t remember anything important, but because I was taking up so much valuable time, from both of you. I thought you were worried about me. I thought you cared about me.” “We do,” Haley managed to interject, and Sev nodded in agreement. Noah, however, merely shook his head in response. “You’ve been trying to fuck my memories back, haven’t you?” His voice was getting louder. Sev sighed and threaded his fingers through his own hair. “That was the plan, yeah.” Noah barked out a laugh. “God, what egos you both have to think your touch was so magical.” Haley winced. When he put it like that. “Did you even tell me the truth, either of you, when you said we’d been lovers?” Before Haley could reassure the poor guy, Sev beat her to it. “Yes! You and Haley and you and I were both involved before this mission. It was no lie, and that’s precisely why we thought it would work.” “It was my idea originally,” Haley cut in. She didn’t want Sev to take the blame for her boneheaded plan. “The doctor said just about anything might trigger your memories and I thought sex might do the trick.” She shrugged. What more was there to say? Plenty, apparently. Noah rolled his eyes. “Your idea was your former lover and you should have—what—a contest, to see who could make me remember first?” “That part was my idea,” Sev replied. “I picked up on what Haley was going to do and decided to give it a go myself. You want to be mad at anyone, be mad at me.” Typical Sev, doing something nice when all she wanted was to be furious at him. “Don’t worry, I have enough anger to go around. Not that I have a right to it,” he added. “I’m the fuck-up whose cover was blown. I’m the one who can’t remember what’s necessary to save lives tomorrow.” And now he sounded lost and vulnerable. Haley wanted to reach over and hug him. She didn’t try it, though. She knew he would reject her, and with his next words, her maternal instinct flew out of her. “On the other hand, you both have had less than noble agendas. Maybe you told yourself you were trying to help me remember, but even a guy without his memories can tell whatever 71
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was between you two isn’t over. You’ve been dancing around each other for the last few days, keeping me as the monkey in the middle.” “That’s not true!” Haley spat out, appalled. She was not using Noah as a way to get at Sev. She never wanted him to be involved in the first place, although to be honest with herself, she didn’t exactly try hard to stop him, either. “She’s right,” Sev was quick to agree. “Haley and I are finished.” They looked at each other in the eye. Haley could see uncertainty in Sev’s gaze and feared he could see the same in her. For sure Noah saw something. He scoffed. “Oh, for God’s sake! I can see in your faces that you still love each other. I’ve been seeing it for days without realizing exactly what it was. Is that what you think of when you’re fucking me, when I’m in you and you’re in me, each other?” His voice cracked in the end, and when Haley tore her gaze from Sev’s, she could see tears forming in Noah’s eyes. “Oh, Noah,” she cried. Holding up his hands as if to fend her and Sev off, he said, “No, don’t say anything. It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry, so very sorry, I can’t remember. I hope you figure out what’s going to happen. I really do. Just don’t count on me.” Backing up, he turned and ran down the hall away from them. “Noah!” she called, and felt Sev’s hand on her arm. “Let him go,” Sev said in a quiet voice. He didn’t feel quiet or calm, but figured there was little point in venting the frustration welling up inside. What a total screw-up! Not only did he feel bad for playing Noah, noble intentions notwithstanding, but he also knew Noah was right. Part of Sev’s decisions over the last few days were tied to his feelings for Haley. While he had never fantasized about the woman when making love to Noah, a part of him had felt connected to her nevertheless. It was time to let Haley know exactly what he felt, not for Noah’s sake or the sake of the mission, but for him and for her. They deserved the truth. Letting go of her arm, Sev took Haley’s chin in his hand and turned her face toward him. She didn’t resist his touch, merely looked back at him with sad, tired eyes. It broke his heart. “Noah’s right,” he said keeping his gaze locked on hers. “It’s not over between us, at least it’s not over for me.” When she started to open her mouth, he quickly continued, afraid if he didn’t get the words out now, he never would. “Losing you rocked me back on my heels in a way I never thought would happen. Before you, love was an easy concept. I threw the word around with other women and men without understanding what I was really saying. I thought when you walked away I would get over it, get over you, and I’d simply move on to the next person.” He slid his hand up the side of her face, his fingers threaded into her hair. “I was wrong. I had never before considered forever with another person. I had with you, though, and it caught me by surprise. One night I was picturing us in the future with the house and the two point five kids, the whole nine yards. Then an image popped into 72
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my head of me home with those kids while you were away on a mission. And instead of you coming home, I answered the door and it was a couple of our people with sad looks on their faces and saying things like ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ and you were dead and I was alone trying to explain to our children why Mommy wasn’t coming home.” His voice cracked. Just saying the words made the emotions erupt as if it were really happening. Without thought, he pulled Haley to him and hugged her tight. Amazingly, she didn’t fight his embrace. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back. It gave him the courage to finish what he had to say. “I couldn’t tell you how I felt using the right words. I know they came out wrong. They sounded as if I wanted you to knuckle under to me as your husband or something. The logical part of my brain told me you were too dedicated to your career to give it up even for me or our future children. My baser instincts ran my mouth. I could only think in terms of making you safe. I’m sorry, so sorry I pushed you away. The truth is I’m still scared to death of hearing you’ve been killed. Breaking up hasn’t changed anything.” He hesitated before going for broke. “I love you, Haley.” Snug in his arms, she took a deep breath and it shuddered out again before she responded to his confession. “I still love you, too, Sev.” Her admission released a tension deep inside. Pushing her away from his embrace, he pulled her back again for a kiss. His demanding lips met soft, wet, willing ones. She melted into his arms as her tongue welcomed his inside her mouth. He poured all his love and fear into the kiss, holding her tight to his body. He emptied his mind to all but the pleasure of the warm embrace, a warmth that turned hot very quickly. A new type of tension hummed inside. His cock sprang to life and he moaned as the hardening length met the soft curve of Haley’s body. She moaned too and deepened the kiss. Her hands cupped his ass and pressed his body more firmly against hers. Suddenly she released him, moved away. He groaned in frustration. “No.” “Yes,” she replied. “Look at me, Sev.” With great reluctance, he did as she commanded. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen. Her eyes were still sad. Now it was she who held his chin in her hand. Her voice was incredibly gentle as she smashed his heart. “It’s over between us, Sev. It has to be. I understand what you’re saying about how you felt, how you feel. I have those same feelings. I hadn’t quite gotten to the part about being home with the kids, about having to tell them their father was dead, but I worry about you all the same. I would worry about you every day of our lives together. I’ll probably worry about you every day of our lives apart. I understand, though, that you are who you are, and I can’t expect you to change for me. You’d hate me for it eventually and I’d hate you if you did it to me. Living with the fear would be a necessary part of our lives together. If you can’t do it, we can’t be together.” Sev closed his eyes. Her words made sense. He knew they did, and he knew she was right that she couldn’t seal herself up in bubble wrap simply to allay his fears. He was the one who kept them apart. He had to change, yet he couldn’t. There was no hope.
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Opening his eyes, he looked at her and nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have kept my hands off you.” She smiled at him wanly and dropping her hand away, stepped back. The loss of even that bit of contact left him cold. “It’s not your fault. I would have fallen in love with you even if you had kept your distance.” His ego preened, he couldn’t help it, so did his cock, but it was a waste of energy. It and he were going to have to get used to the idea they couldn’t have Haley anymore. Shit, it would take the rest of his life to accept that. But she was right. He couldn’t see changing and didn’t want her to change herself even if she thought she could. He loved the whole package as she was. He sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah, I would have loved you no matter what, too. God, what a mess.” “Yes, it is that,” she agreed, her mouth set in a hard line. “What are we going to do about Noah?” Sev winced. “Apologize?” “Ah,” she shook her head. “I don’t think words are going to do it. He’s mad, but worse, he’s hurt. As vulnerable as he is right now, the idea that the two of us were taking advantage of him is more than he can probably bear.” “You’re right,” Sev agreed. “And, he was not so far off the mark when he accused me of using him to get to you. Part of me was jealous of your relationship with him.” Haley grimaced. “Me, too.” “Yeah?” “Yeah.” He knew it was wrong, yet he was glad to hear it. Man, what a screwed-up pair they were. Make that a screwed-up threesome, except poor Noah didn’t deserve to be stuck in the middle of Sev and Haley’s messed-up love life. “We have to make this right with him.” “I know.” She paused and took a deep breath. He knew something was percolating inside her mind. He wasn’t sure he was going to like it. “Words won’t be enough. We need to show him how much he means to us, not as a conduit to each other, but for himself.” Sev’s cock started to rouse again. It understood the implication of Haley’s words apparently a split second before his mind did. “Show him together, as in the three of us getting naked together?” “Why not? We both care about him. Mission or no mission, he matters to us and I for one am willing to do anything to help him. Right now he needs to know how important he is as a person. His memories may never return, but I still want him to be happy.” “So do I,” he confessed, and it was true. He cared about Noah, and the look on the guy’s face when he accused them of using him had been heartbreaking. Sev was willing to do whatever it took to make it right, too. If it meant watching Noah, another man,
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make love to Haley, then so be it. It was little enough sacrifice for a friend. “Okay,” he agreed. “After this is all over, we go to him and fix it.” Haley shook her head. “We go now, or we may never work up the nerve to do it.” “You’re exhausted and we still have a terrorist attack to worry about.” “I’m not that tired.” When he stared down her obvious lie, she conceded. “Okay, I am that tired, but this is more important, and there’s nothing more for me to do about tomorrow. Everything that can be done, has been done, and I’ve got people everywhere on the lookout. Knocking off early today won’t make any difference. Let’s do it now.” He knew a losing argument when he was in one. Without another word, Sev waved her on and with a little trepidation and a lot of arousal, he followed her down the hall.
***** Noah was back to pacing his room again. What else was there to do? He could turn on the tube, although it would only serve to remind him how many people might die tomorrow because of him. Maybe it wouldn’t happen. Both Haley and Sev said they believed the Sons would continue with their plan, but that was supposition. They could have abandoned the plan, thinking Noah had survived and ratted them out. Wishful thinking, yet it was all he had. He didn’t even have the two people who had been his lifeline this week. Whether he had been right about their uncaring manipulation of him, it didn’t matter now. After the way he had lit into them, they wouldn’t be giving him the pleasure of their touch again. He was truly alone. The thought made his eyes prick with tears. He was beating them back as a useless gesture when there was a knock on his door. He groaned. He wasn’t up for a visit from the doctor or the nurse. Maybe if he ignored them… There was another knock, firmer this time. Apparently not. “Come in,” he called out in weary tone. He lacked the energy to hide his sadness. But it wasn’t either of the people he expected. It was the two he hadn’t. First Haley, then Sev entered. They looked grim. “May we still come in now that you know it’s us?” Haley asked. He opened his mouth to say no from pride alone. “Yes.” Fuck pride. Sev closed the door, and the two of them stepped up to within a few feet of him. The looks on their faces were now those of two little kids confessing to the crotchety neighbor that yes, they were the ones who had lobbed a baseball through his window. Their expressions were part apprehension, part determination and with a bit of hope mixed in as well. It gave him hope, too. Maybe he wasn’t so alone after all. Haley stepped closer. He didn’t flinch or back away when she reached up to stroke his cheek. The touch was wonderful. Her words even more so. “We’re so sorry, Noah. Truly sorry. We never meant to hurt you. You mean too much to both of us.” Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss against his lips. “When
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I’m with you,” she continued in a low, seductive voice, “I think of only you. I love your tongue lapping up my clit. Your cock fills my pussy to perfection.” His eyes closed, pictures of what she had said popped into his mind. His cock hardened at the memories. Another kiss landed on his lips, this time with teeth nipping at his flesh. A hand, one too large for Haley, cupped his backside. “I love your ass,” a masculine voice growled in his ear. “Seeing it makes me hard. Sliding into it makes me harder.” Noah’s cock stiffened inside his jeans even more. A low moan escaped him before a more rational part of his brain intervened. This was madness. He was angry at them, and they had jobs to do. Opening his eyes, he looked right into Haley’s. Her pupils were dilated, her lids at half-mast. Her lips were parted in invitation. Out of the corner of his eye, Noah glimpsed Sev staring at him. “What are you doing?” He managed to push past his own growing arousal. When Haley merely grinned, he turned his head to look at Sev. “What?” he started to say again and was silenced by a swift, hard kiss, his question swallowed up by the other man’s lips. Sev’s tongue invaded Noah’s mouth, stopping all protest. Still, Noah tried to resist the craziness. He brought his hands up to push Sev away and ended up grabbing a fistful of the guy’s shirt and clinging instead. Small, sure fingers cupped his cock and squeezed. He groaned at the dual assault, helpless against it. Sev broke off the kiss abruptly and tugged at his hair. “We’re going to fuck you.” His tone brooked no dissent, and the look in his eye was the one Sev used when issuing a command. “The mission.” Noah tried for sanity one more time, amazed his head was clear enough for any rational thought given how aroused his body was. “Fucking me hasn’t worked so far. You don’t have time to keep trying.” A hand cupped his chin and turned it to the left. Haley shook her head at him. “We’re not doing this for the mission, Noah. We’re doing this because we want you and because it matters to us that you understand how much we want you. As for the mission, that’s for me to worry about. Your job is to lie back and enjoy the ride.” Although her tone was softer than Sev’s, she was still giving an order. One of the things Noah could remember was how to follow orders, and the bottom line was he trusted both of these people. “Yes ma’am,” he breathed and closed his eyes, reveling in two sets of hands, one large, one small, caressing his body and stripping him of his clothes.
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Chapter Nine Haley breathed a silent sigh of relief at Noah’s acquiescence. Her eyes met Sev’s and saw the same reaction. They hadn’t discussed what they were going to do or how they were going to do it, stopping on their way to Noah’s bedroom only to pick up some lube from Sev’s room. Yet, somehow they knew. It was all about showing this young man how important he was to them. Their own feelings for each other were buried in their common task. While it might have seemed difficult if she had stopped to think about it, Noah’s body, his obvious arousal at their touch, pushed aside everything but him. Sev nibbled on one side of Noah’s face, planting kisses along the man’s jaw and worked his way up to the earlobe. There was a flash of white teeth as Sev latched on to the lobe and tugged gently. The sight called up vivid memories for Haley’s body, and her nipples and clit throbbed. Her fingers tightened instinctively on Noah’s cock. He grunted in response. A good start, but not nearly enough. There was too much fabric between them. Dropping to her knees, Haley unfastened the button on his jeans and eased the zipper open. The hard ridge of his arousal forced her to go slowly when all she wanted to do was yank the pants off. When they were open, she hooked her thumbs on the waist of both pants and shorts and slid them down his legs. His cock sprang free and waved hello. Sev tugged Noah’s shirt up and over his head and twisted the guy’s naked arms back. He held him steady while Haley pulled the other clothes free of Noah’s legs and bare feet. Now the object of their desire was fully naked, fully aroused and at their mercy. She caught the wicked gleam in Sev’s eyes as he sank his teeth into Noah’s flesh where neck met shoulders. The younger man shuddered. Wetness seeped into the folds between Haley’s legs. How had she never realized how hot the sight of two men together could be? The fact that each of the men was her lover caused her blood to sing in her veins. She had to join the fun or die from longing. Noah’s cock stood right in front of her, a feast for the taking. With a greedy mouth, she sucked it down in one swallow. The smooth heat of his flesh slid easily into her throat. With one hand, she clasped his thigh to give herself leverage to suck and lave. With the other, she cupped his tightened balls, her fingers fondling the soft, small globes. Her own body went white hot with desire. Her skin felt too tight. She ached and longed to rub her breasts and clit against his leg. But it wasn’t about her. It was about Noah, only Noah. She could hear Sev murmuring something to the other man. The mere sound of her old lover’s voice kicked her arousal up even more.
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The sight of the woman he loved going down on another man should have made Sev’s blood boil, and it did, but not in the way he would have expected. His cock, already straining painfully against his fly, became harder and pulsed with need. He was holding Noah’s wrists together in back while his other hand tweaked the guy’s nipples into hard nubs. He was sucking and nipping at Noah’s shoulders and neck. To satisfy his own need, he pressed closer to the other man and moaned in pleasure as his hard cock rubbed against Noah’s body. They both shuddered at the contact, and the way the kid’s breath hitched, Sev knew things were going to end too fast if he and Haley didn’t slow their pace a bit. Looking down, he saw Noah’s cock disappear once more into the wet, welcoming home of Haley’s luscious mouth. Sev clenched his teeth against the groan fighting to get out. He knew firsthand how great Noah’s cock felt at the moment, and his own cock wanted in on that action. But no, this was about Noah. “Hold up, sugar,” he managed to grind out. “We don’t want him coming too soon.” “Fuck you,” the man in question interjected, eyes still closed, a look of pure pleasure on his face. Sev nipped his left earlobe. “No, sweetheart, I’m going to fuck you and I don’t want you coming until I’m buried deep inside your fabulous ass.” Haley chuckled and, looking down at her once more, he saw she had released Noah. She looked back at him with her wet lips in a wide grin. His heart stopped beating for a second as he fought the urge to drop to his own knees and devour her. Instead, he looked away and said, “Let’s get this guy on the bed.” It was difficult to let go of the tension, the fear over the past and the future, of the sense of betrayal, but Noah made himself do it anyway. He concentrated on the way his body felt, the hum of his blood made hot by Haley’s and Sev’s touches. His cock pulsed with need. He let them guide him to the bed and place him in the middle face up. With his eyes still shut, he could see nothing. The lack of sight made the other senses more acute. The sheets were cool and crisp. There was the flowery scent he knew was Haley and the spicier one that meant Sev. They were touching him again with their fingers and their tongues. Oh God, how had he come to be so lucky? Two people loving him with such devotion and tenderness. Reaching out on either side of him, he touched them, too, although it wasn’t the same. “Why am I the only one naked?” he murmured. “Hmm,” Haley murmured back in his ear. “I suppose we can rectify that.” “Absolutely,” was Sev’s amused reply. Noah opened his eyes to tiny slits to watch the show. Kneeling beside him, facing each other, his two lovers undressed for him. They didn’t rush to strip, but neither did they linger over it. They were deliberate in their actions, that was it, and each of them watched the other. They were enjoying the show the other one afforded. When Haley removed her shirt, her chest was flushed and her nipples jutted out in hard points. 78
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Noah sucked in a breath at the sight of those tempting soft mounds. His fingers clenched reactively, clutching the sheet beneath him. Turning his head, he saw Sev was also bare-chested. The sight of those hard pecs drove him equally wild. He licked his lips, thinking of what he could do to those little brown points. Thoughts of breasts and nipples, woman’s and man’s, fled, however, when his lovers bared their bottom halves. Haley’s soft mons beckoned him, yet so did Sev’s large, hardened cock. The triangle between Haley’s thighs glistened with her juices, and the head of Sev’s cock was equally wet with his arousal. Unable to resist the temptation, Noah reached up and cupped Haley, his finger sliding between her slick folds. At the same time, he clasped Sev’s cock with his other hand and squeezed the hard flesh. They both rewarded him with low moans. But Haley slapped his hand away and Sev pressed his thumb into Noah’s wrist to break Noah’s grip. “Ah-ah,” the other man admonished. “We’re here to pleasure you.” “Shit,” Noah complained through strained breath. “Touching you is what I want.” Haley silenced him with a kiss. Her lips pressed into his and her tongue begged entrance. Her hair covered his chest, tickling his aroused nipples. He wanted to touch her again so badly. She had brought his hand up to rest beside his head, though, and she held it down with a strength he had only guessed at before. Sev held Noah’s other hand down by his waist before starting to lap Noah’s abdomen, tracing a line from navel to pubes. Sev’s clever fingers fondled Noah’s balls at the same time. They had him well and truly trapped, so there was nothing to do but lie back and enjoy. His lovers licked and kissed and nipped their way up and down his body from face to nuts. Haley stuck to the top, taking her mouth from his only to press it against his jaw and neck, and to take first one nipple between her lips and suck and then the other. Sev lapped his way down between Noah’s legs, his tongue licking the folds of Noah’s inner thigh. The sensation made Noah jerk his hips. There was a small vibration of air against his sensitive flesh as Sev chuckled at his reaction and the sound didn’t stop even when Sev sucked Noah’s balls into his moist mouth. Noah groaned and bucked at the assault on his body from both ends, and he thought his blood was going to boil over from the torment. He needed his cock into something now! He needed the sweet release. Suddenly it all stopped. He wasn’t being touched at all. “Fuck!” he bellowed and opened his eyes to see Haley and Sev looking at each other across his overheated body. Where they trying to make him a lunatic as well as an amnesiac? Before he could protest more, Haley spoke. “I have an idea. Get up,” she ordered Noah. Before his bewildered head could make sense of the command, both she and Sev were pulling him to his knees. Once he was up, Haley slid into his vacant spot, propping herself up with pillows. She beckoned to him. “Come here, Noah. Let me feast on that gorgeous cock of yours again.” Delighted to follow her order, Noah straddled Haley and, gripping the headboard with his hands for leverage, he lined his cock up with her face. She wrapped her lips around his bulbous head and slowly sucked it inside her warm, wet mouth. He closed
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his eyes and groaned as her tongue glided along the underside of his cock. Finally. Her hands grabbed his ass, pulling him closer to her, pushing his cock farther into her mouth. Her fingers dug into his flesh as they established a rhythm, sliding back and forth as she sucked and released. Her fingers pulled his cheeks apart. There was movement behind and cool lube hit his hole. The warmth of Sev’s larger body covered his back. Another set of fingers, larger, stronger, more insistent, gripped his waist and stilled Noah’s movements. His cock was embedded in Haley’s sweet mouth and her tongue swirled around it. It was agony not to move, but Sev had control. One of the other man’s hands released Noah’s waist to slide down between the cheeks. A finger pushed past his sphincter and Noah pressed out to ease its way. He moaned at the delicious pressure and he rested his forehead down on one stiffened arm as he fought to remain still. A second finger joined the first. He thought he was going to burst with the effort to keep from losing control. “You’re killing me,” he bit out between gritted teeth. Sev chuckled from behind him. “Can’t have that now, can we? Ready?” Noah managed a quick nod and almost whimpered with relief when the fingers were replaced by the biting width of Sev’s cock. “Yes,” he breathed out as he was slowly filled by the other man. His own cock twitched at the added pressure. He pushed back to take more of Sev in and to force Haley’s lips to tug at his aroused flesh. Sev’s fingers clamped down on Noah’s hips, stopping him. “Easy,” Sev admonished. “Let me set the rhythm. We don’t want you choking the lady.” It was excruciating to stop, yet he knew Sev was right, so he let the man guide him by the hips. Sev pulled Noah slowly back and away from Haley, causing his cock to slide between her lips. The backward motion also embedded Sev deeper into Noah’s ass. The fullness shot pleasure throughout his body. He went limp against the other man, but he was allowed no time to savor the moment. When the tip of his cock was about to slip out of Haley’s mouth, Sev pushed Noah away from him and toward her once more. She welcomed him back with a hard suck. As Sev pushed Noah forward, he slid his own cock out of Noah’s ass. Noah clenched down as hard as he could to stop the loss. Sev rewarded his effort with an appreciative growl and a nip on his shoulder. It didn’t work, of course. Sev was in control and when his cock was about to pop out of Noah’s grasping hole, he pushed himself back in. At the same time, he pulled Noah away from Haley again. They repeated the pattern, one man in while the other man was out. Noah became a push-me, pull-you, the hot meat between the delectable sandwich of Haley and Sev. It all happened with maddening slowness. The pressure built within Noah. He wanted to go faster, he wanted to pound himself into Haley and wanted Sev to pound into him. He wanted it hard. He wanted the cum to burst from him. He wanted to lose himself in the intensity of orgasm and truly forget who he was, who they all were. And because he couldn’t do that, because it all had to be done slowly and carefully, when the climax finally did arrive, it erupted from his body with an intensity he had never 80
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known before. He yelled and cursed, his head flying backward, heedless of the man behind him. Haley clutched his ass and held him against her face. Her mouth sucked him hard, taking all that he was putting forth. Sev’s fingers dug into Noah’s flesh, holding him in place while the man’s cock pistoned into him. Noah’s sphincter clenched down hard on the invading erection until the hot spurt of Sev’s cum burst inside Noah’s aching ass. When the spasms wound down, as if on cue, the two men collapsed to one side. Noah lay between his lovers, his breath coming out in harsh pants, as were Sev’s. Of course, they were breathing hard, they had just had mind-blowing orgasms. But Haley hadn’t. Her breathing was fast, yet not fast enough. She needed be tended to. She looked at Noah with an inviting smile. Her tongue slowly circled her lips. Her gesture was not lost on him. She had broken her own rule and swallowed. In doing so, she’d told him quite clearly how much he meant to her. He, however, was not what she needed. There was a brief sense of wistfulness before he let it go. Turning away from her, Noah looked at the man lying beside him. Sev watched him with half-closed eyes. Noah leaned over to whisper in the other man’s ear. “Make love to her.” Sev’s eyes popped open at the sound of Noah’s words. Make love to her, her as in Haley, the woman Sev loved. Looking past the other man, Sev saw said woman lying with arms and legs slightly spread. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths and both sets of lips looked plump and wet. She stared back at him. What he saw in her eyes caused his body to heat once more. She wanted him as much as he wanted her and why not? They had started Operation Fuck Noah with only Noah in mind, but now that they had completed the mission with total success. It was time for them, time for him certainly, to show their true feelings for each other. Sev glanced at Noah and saw a wicked grin on the guy’s face. “Keep her warmed up for me,” Sev ordered. “I’ll be right back.” Not waiting to see if his orders were being complied with, Sev jumped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He got into the shower to clean himself for Haley and as soon as he soaped up his cock, it began to harden. He tried to concentrate on the washing and not picture what it was going to be like to sink inside the luscious woman waiting for him. It was pointless, however. His body knew what was waiting for it. Memories of how they had been together, the way their bodies fit and moved in perfect harmony sent the blood rushing to his groin. It had been so long. Knowing he was minutes away from losing himself once more in her welcoming heat, he wondered how he’d managed to stay away from her. He wondered how he would be able to walk away again. But now was not the time to dwell on that misery. She waited for him, and it was all that mattered. By the time he was done washing himself, he was so aroused, he had to dry off very carefully and his cock reentered the bedroom ahead of him.
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He stopped just inside the room, mesmerized by the sight of what was happening on the bed. Haley was as he had left her, only now Noah was crouched between her legs, his head buried in her crotch. She was moaning softly and her body writhed with the attention. Noah was doing an admirable job keeping her aroused, and the guy’s glistening ass staring back at Sev only added to the enticing spectacle. Sev took a deep shuddering breath before approaching the bed. Haley opened her eyes at his approach. “Sev, thank God! Noah won’t let me come.” Sev smiled at the plaintive tone of her voice. The poor thing was really suffering. Noah stopped what he was doing and turned to look over his shoulder. The other man’s face was wet from Haley’s juices. Sev wanted to lick them off, but when he leaned over to kiss Noah, the boy shook his head and moved to the side of the bed. “This scene is between you and Haley. I’m only playing the role of the fluffer.” Before Sev could reply, Haley lifted her arms in invitation. “Make me come, Sev.” Both his cock and his heart jumped at the command, the plea. How could he refuse? Why would he want to? Kneeling on the end of the bed, Sev dropped his head down between her legs. The narrow strip of pubic hair was wet from Noah’s attention. Haley’s nether lips were slick and swollen from the same. They beckoned his tongue and when he reached out and gave them one long lick, Haley’s body shuddered. He wanted to take it nice and slow. Haley had other ideas, though. Her hands clamped on to his head and her fingers latched on to his hair. She pushed him down hard into her. Cupping her ass, he levered her up to meet his mouth and stroked her clit. He laved her with long licks and quick flits of his tongue. As she had with Noah, Haley moaned and writhed at the assault. Her fingers dug deeper into his skull. The tension built in her. He stilled his tongue to suck hard on her aroused bud. Her whole body convulsed with her climax. She tried to buck him off, but he held on tight, gripping her ass cheeks even harder. And, because he knew her body so well, he didn’t stop eating her. As her movements calmed, he merely switched his rhythm, going back to a long, slow frenching of her labia and clit. He slid his tongue inside her pussy. She was drenched with her cum, and he lapped it all up. Her thighs clenched him tightly to her body. “Sev,” she cried out before she once more arched and shook beneath him. Not being able to resist taking her completely, Sev rose up before her and covered her. His cock sank gratefully into her pussy, and she welcomed him in with a sigh. Her arms reached up to hug him close. The warm core of her body, softer than a man’s and a different sort of heat, clenched around his hardness. It was the perfect place for him to be. It was home. Haley clasped Sev to her body and concentrated on how perfectly his cock filled her. How she had missed this. How she had missed this man. His skin was hot and a little slick to her touch, testifying to his arousal and the effort he was making to please her. His strokes were hard and deep the way they both liked it. Sev’s head dipped 82
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down to take one of her sensitive nipples into his mouth. His tongue and lips licked and tugged, causing her back to arch. She raised her legs to take his cock in deeper and help his body press into her clit. Despite having had the two shattering orgasms, her body sang with a building climax. Still, there was something missing, something more that would rock her world in a new and delicious way. Opening her eyes, she spied Noah kneeling beside them, watching the scene with longing. His eyes were bright and his cock standing hard. She held out a hand to him and was pleased when he clasped it. When she tugged him closer, he raised his eyebrows at her. So she told him what she wanted. “Join us.” Sev’s head popped up at the sound of her voice. He looked at her, then over his shoulder at Noah. There was a second’s hesitation before he nodded once at the younger man and shifted to a kneeling position between her legs. His cock was embedded in her pussy, which ached and pulsed around the hard flesh. He bent her legs farther toward her head. It served the dual purpose of connecting them as deeply as possible while giving Noah access to Sev’s ass. She smiled up at him, pleased. She knew he was willing to “bottom” to the right man, and Noah was the right man for both of them. Sev rocked back and forth in a gentle motion that kept her climax at a point just below peaking. He placed sweet kisses along the inside of her knees while Noah moved behind him. She could tell the moment Noah started playing with Sev’s ass. The older man’s eyes closed and a deep moan pushed past his lips. A minute later, and he growled. “Stop pussyfooting around, boy. Shove it in.” All Haley could see from where she lay was Noah reaching around to hug Sev’s waist and the way Sev bit his lip as Noah surged into him. She felt it, too. Sev’s body pushed harder against hers as he was invaded from behind. Then it was Noah’s turn to set the pace, to make the chain reaction that connected the three of them together. This time they moved forward and back as one. Noah pushed Sev into her as Noah pushed into Sev. She forced her eyes to stay open so she could watch her two lovers. She wanted to see the looks of ecstasy on their faces. Tightening the grip of her pussy around Sev’s cock, she imagined he was doing the same to Noah’s. At that moment, she envied the men because they knew the pleasure of being fucked as well as the pleasure of fucking someone else. She would never fully experience what they did, but she could taste a little of it right now. More, she was with the two men who she cared about most. The joy she was experiencing would never be repeated. She loved Sev, but they couldn’t find common ground for a life together, and her love for Noah was never going to be the same as for Sev. It wouldn’t be fair to stay with the younger man when her heart longed for another. Still, they had this time together and they could make the most of it. Both men were breathing hard, flush and slick from their efforts, as was she. Her climax, though, was hanging tough. She needed more. “Harder, faster, Noah.”
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The words were barely out of her mouth when the men started to speed up. Reaching up to hang on to the headboard, Haley braced against the push of the two strong men attached to her. Her body not only took the assault, it reveled in it. Her blood roared through her veins, rushing to her clit. Her vision winked out as the orgasm erupted out of her. Her head fell back and a cry tore out of her throat. Her voice was joined by a duet of male ones, singing the same song. The pounding of flesh didn’t stop until the last of the cries died. First Noah, then Sev tumbled off her, and the three of them lay still on the bed. This time, though, Sev was in the middle. Haley curled into his body and clung to it, afraid to let go, knowing when she finally did, it would be forever.
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Chapter Ten The agonizing sound of a woman’s screams, the stench of burning flesh, a steady flow of blood running past his line of sight, they all roared through Noah’s mind and tore him from his sleep. He sat bolt upright in bed, yelling and clawing at imaginary enemies. The back of his hand connected with something hard. A muffled oath was followed by strong hands clasping him by the shoulders, shaking him and holding him tight at the same time. “Noah! It’s okay, you’re safe.” He was pulled into a tight embrace, one that he fought against for a few seconds before his mind registered who had him. “Sev,” he said in a broken voice. “That’s right, it’s me. You’re safe.” “Yes, safe,” a feminine voice added as a smaller, softer hand caressed his head. “Haley,” he breathed out her name and settled into Sev’s powerful hold, his eyes closed while he tried to steady his breathing. His memories were back, at least some of them. He knew these two people now, truly knew them and what they meant to him and to each other. He remembered, too, what he had tried so hard to bury forever. He shuddered. “Jill. Oh God, Jill.” He wanted to turn from those sights and sounds and smells that haunted him, but he stopped himself. He needed to remember. People were counting on him. He needed to help them if only for Jill’s sake. “You did what you had to do, Noah,” Sev said in a gentle voice. “She understood.” “I know,” he managed to say, swamped by his misery. “‘Don’t talk’ was the last coherent thing she said.” He forced his eyes open and saw Haley’s concerned face. She was naked, they all were. He remembered how his two lovers had vied to fuck his memories back. “Your plan worked finally.” Pushing against Sev’s hard chest, he sat up. With an impatient swipe at his face, he dried the tears that had leaked unnoticed while he was being held. “What do you remember about the attack?” Haley looked at him intently. His boss was back and his lover gone. Noah strained to get his thoughts in a coherent order. It was tough. Everything was starting to cascade into his brain, yet not all of it made sense, and there were gaps. “It’s a bridge,” he pushed out. “They’re going after a bridge.” “Which one?” Haley pressed. As she asked the question, she sprang out of bed and started shoving on her clothes. Noah shook his head in frustration. “I’m not sure. Something about a poet, I think.” “Longfellow?” she asked in a voice muffled by the shirt she was pulling over her head. 85
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Was that it? Damn it, he wasn’t sure. “Maybe.” “What the hell does a nineteenth-century poet have to do with the Fourth of July?” Sev demanded. He, too, was out of bed and dressing in a hurry. “Nothing I know of,” was Haley’s tart reply. “But maybe that’s what we’ve been doing wrong. We assumed it would relate to the Revolutionary War. The Longfellow Bridge connects Boston to Cambridge. It’s distinctive to the area and if it blows, a lot of pedestrians and cars will end up in the Charles River. Dozens of people will die. The symbolism might not be as strong, but the devastation would give the Sons exactly the kind of statement they’re looking for, the effing bastards.” “Fair enough,” Sev agreed. “Let’s get going.” “I’ll alert Ms. Mac and have everyone out in the field converge on that point. The good news is we can cordon the area off easily enough.” Noah watched as his two lovers finished dressing and headed for the door. He felt left out. “Hey,” he called and jumped off the bed. “I want in on this.” Haley and Sev both stopped by the door and turned to look at him. They shook their heads. “You’re not well enough,” Haley said, not unkindly and came over to him to give him a sweet kiss goodbye. “I’m so happy your memories are coming back and not just because it will save lives today. You’re going to be all right and back to work in no time. Not today, though, okay? It’s going to take a while before you’re ready for fieldwork again. In the meantime, you can help by letting Ms. Mac know if you remember anything else.” Knowing she was right and hating it, Noah sighed and nodded. “Be careful, both of you,” he added, looking at Sev. The other man smiled and strode back to him to give a kiss of his own. “We will.” Then they were gone, and Noah was alone once more. In the silence, his memories tortured him. No longer able to suppress them, he turned on the television to help drown them out a bit. There wasn’t much on except the early morning news. He lay back in the bed still warm from the bodies that had spent the night there, making love in various ways. It smelled like sex, too, and it helped to ease the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was safe. Haley and Sev could be counted on to ensure the safety of everyone else. He propped up a couple of pillows and tried to relax. The television droned on with news and ads. One for a local college played and with a jolt, he sat up. Damn it all, they had the wrong poet. Jumping up, he stumbled his way into his jeans and ran to find Ms. Mac.
***** Haley raced down the Massachusetts Turnpike toward the exit to Storrow Drive. She was driving because this was her turf, although she knew Sev hated being a passenger. He liked control, but so did she, and they were both spoiling for a fight. In so many ways they were perfect for each other, yet she knew last night, as wonderful as it
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had been for them as well as Noah, was the last time they would make love to each other. There was no way to reconcile his need to protect her and her need to protect others. Even now, she could see out of the corner of her eye how tense he was. He was worried about her, she suspected, although he hadn’t said anything. He knew better, yet she knew him too well not to see his thoughts. Her phone rang. She had plugged it into the dash, so she reached over and hit the speaker button. “What?” she demanded as she exited the Pike and whooshed through the Fast Lane section of the tollbooth. The clipped voice of Ms. Mac came through. “Mr. Turner has something he needs to tell you.” “Haley, Sev.” Noah sounded out of breath. “I fucked up. We’ve got the wrong nineteenth-century poet. It’s not Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It’s Ralph Waldo Emerson.” “Huh?” As she sped down Storrow Drive, she tried to make sense of this new revelation. “Is there an Emerson Bridge?” Sev asked. Haley shook her head. “No. There’s an Emerson College.” Noah’s voice cut in. “That’s what made me realize it was Emerson. I saw an ad for the college on television. I’m sure that it’s Emerson.” “Are you sure it’s a bridge?” she asked, slowing down, no longer certain where she should be headed. “Yes.” Noah’s voice sounded strained. Poor guy. His memories were back but not enough to make everything clear. She racked her brains, trying to see the connection. Bridge. Emerson. Revolutionary War. Poet. Poem. “Fuck me!” she exclaimed and jammed the car fast enough to catch the next crossover to the west side of the road. “What?” Sev demanded. She spared him a glance. “It’s not the Longfellow Bridge in Boston that they’re going after. It’s the Old North Bridge in Concord. Or as Emerson termed it ‘the rude bridge that arched the flood’. That’s where the British started getting their asses handed to them after they killed a few guys in Lexington.” “Yes!” Noah’s excited voice confirmed. “That’s it, that’s where they’re planting a bomb and it will be set to go off sometime during the day.” “When tourists are around,” added Sev with disgust. “Exactly,” Haley confirmed. “We’ve being giving these terrorists too much credit. Yes, they want symbolism and a lot of deaths, but they don’t have the brains or stomach to maneuver around the kind of security Boston or even Lexington has right now. Concord gives them enough of what they’re after, only with a lot less security to deal with. We should have realized it from the beginning.”
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She turned back onto the Mass Pike, heading west. It wasn’t the most direct route to Concord, but it would put her first on Route 128 and then Route 2. She could go a lot faster on those roads than the local ones that cut a more direct path. “Ms. Mac, please notify everyone of the change in location, but we’ll have to go in quieter now. We can’t afford to upset the populace and we want to catch the bastards in the act. No one’s getting away this time.” “Agreed,” was the clipped reply and the phone went dead. Haley looked at Sev. “Hang on.”
***** Sev watched Haley give final instructions to the other operatives in a low tone. They were twenty strong now, and all hidden away in the town of Concord near the Old North Bridge. Recon had confirmed six guys were working in the Concord River under the bridge. They were planting explosives in the quiet of the morning, hoping to kill God knew how many people later in the day. The plan was to form a ring around the assholes and close in on them as stealthily as possible, kill or capture all of them. The entire operation was hoped to occur without alerting the locals as to what was happening and even more hopefully, without any of the explosives going off. It would help if none of their people got shot and killed, too, Sev thought. And by their people, he especially meant Haley. She was something to watch, though, he had to give her that, and he knew a sense of pride as well because he had trained her. Her thick hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, her luscious body covered in dark fatigues and a flak jacket. She’d never looked more fuckable to him, and the memories of what they had shared the night before pumped blood to his cock. Of course the adrenaline itself had him semi-hard already. The thought of Haley in his arms, welcoming him into her heated core stiffened him even more. The thought of her going into danger, however, had the opposite effect. His heart felt as though it scrambled around in his chest as he pictured what the hour was going to bring. The two of them were going in head-on to confront the terrorists. She would be not only in danger, but the central target of it. The urge to lock her away in the trunk of the car was strong. He beat it back. She was a professional and damn good at what she did. So was he, and together they would prevail. He had to believe that. It wasn’t simply for the sake of the people who might be harmed if they failed. He didn’t want to lose her. Being with her again had made that point clear to him. He had to find a way to live with her and their respective careers. Now that he had reconnected with her, in bed and out, the thought of living without her was intolerable. The problem resided within him, so the solution had to as well. He pulled himself back into the present as she broke off from the rest of the group and came toward him. “It’s time,” she stated simply and stared him in the eye. If she was looking for doubt, she wasn’t going to find it.
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“After you, ma’am,” he replied. Pulling his gun from his shoulder holster, he attached the silencer to the weapon and stood at the ready. Haley narrowed her eyes at him for only a moment before she nodded and started off. They crept in from the street side of the bridge past the visitors center. As they crouched behind cover, they could see two men in high waders under the bridge. Two other men were on land, armed and keeping a lookout. They couldn’t see the last two, but knew they were there also working on the bridge. Sev and Haley waited until voices over their earpieces confirmed everyone was in place. Haley turned around and gave Sev the sign to advance. In a running crouch, guns held out in front, they approached the men on land. Haley sprang up at the last moment and yelled, “Government agents, freeze!” At the same time, another operative came from the other side of the bridge with the same command, and agents waded through the river on either side. The Sons did as expected, they fought, preferring to die than to surrender. Haley took out one as soon as he raised his gun to fire at her. Sev trained his eyes and gun on the second lookout. This one was as suicidal as his friend. He aimed his weapon at Sev, but Sev had already planted his feet for a shot that brought the bastard down. He heard shouts and several more pops of silenced weapons. His people were trying to keep everything as quiet as possible and so far, the terrorists hadn’t been able to get off any rounds. After making sure he had killed his target, Sev looked back at Haley and his heart lurched at the sight of a man rising from the bank of the river. His brain did the math quickly, realizing there was a seventh man who had been well hidden. The guy was a few yards behind the operatives, who were dealing with the terrorists planting the bombs. No one other than Sev could see him rising out of the reeds like some swamp monster, and the asshole was bringing up his weapon toward Haley. Without thinking, Sev started running toward her, holding out his own gun in the hopes of taking down the new menace. Remembering what happened at the warehouse, he gave a shout. “Haley, ten o’clock,” he warned, trying to give her the guy’s location. He kept going to get close enough to shoot the guy just in case. He needn’t have bothered, he realized in a spurt of admiration, pride and love. His woman was good at her job. She had already detected the movement and spun around to meet the danger. With a two-handed grip, she fired her gun and dropped the man. Haley raced over to the water’s edge to make sure her target was down for good. Looking calm and cool, she walked to the edge of the water to see if her people had everything else under control. They did. Two of the terrorists in the water had chosen life rather than making a political statement. Haley looked over her shoulder and gave Sev a bone-melting smile before barking out orders. “Demolition, get in there and secure the explosives.” Her voice was strong and rang with command.
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When the head demolition man gave her the thumbs-up, she sauntered over to Sev. The smile was broader now. She stopped in front of him and looked him right in the eye before she floored him by wrapping him in her arms for a big hug. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed in his ear. “We did it.” Pulling back, she looked at him with a wide grin that slowly faded. “I miss going on missions with you,” she confessed in a low voice. “I miss you.” Sev swallowed past the lump in his throat. He couldn’t believe she was actually saying the things he wanted to hear most. He needed to make sure the reply he gave her didn’t screw things up between them. “I miss it, too. I forgot how good you are.” Dropping his gaze, he continued. “I guess loving you clouded my memories and my judgment.” He stared her in the eye. “You did this.” He tossed his head to indicate their surroundings. “You positioned people perfectly and timed the takedown equally perfectly.” With a roll of her eyes and shoulders, she said, “We missed the seventh man. That’s not going to look so good in the report.” “Bullshit. The guy was a minor glitch. You took him out, no problem.” He swallowed again. “I’m proud of you.” Her eyes widened at the admission, but whatever she might have said in response to his praise, her attention was taken by others needing her time. She turned at the sound of her name and went to deal with prisoners and explosives. Sev sighed and turned to help clean up the bodies. The good citizens of Concord, Mass., would hopefully never be the wiser about what had happened in the early morning in their town. He and the others had done what they had hoped to do, stopped the attack, saved lives. Noah was getting back his memories, too, and that was another thing to be grateful for. The one question was where Sev and Haley stood. Was Haley in love with Noah? Was it too late for Sev, or could he still make things right with her? He had to know, and he had to try. As with any mission, failure was not an option.
***** Haley was grateful she and Sev ended up with several other operatives in the car with them for the ride back to their offices. If they had been alone, she wasn’t sure what she would have said to the man. He’d said he was proud of the way she had run the mission, and when push had come to shove, he’d trusted her to take care of herself, sort of. She knew he had tried to protect her from the seventh man, but she also knew that she hadn’t needed the help. He knew it, too. She couldn’t keep thinking about that. Sev had been her own personal hero for so long, and apparently he still was. It meant more to her than anything that he valued her skill. The question was where did they go from here? She took a quick look at him sitting next to her. God, he was beautiful. She wanted him. She loved him. Now that she’d tasted him again, felt him move within her body once more, it physically hurt to think of having to let him go. The question was whether 90
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she could give herself up to be with him. The thought of that hurt, too. Closing her eyes briefly, she sighed silently before stealing another glance at the man beside her. This time she caught him doing the same to her. While his expression was unreadable, there was a definite heat to the look in his eyes. The piercing gaze he gave her in that brief second sent a charge throughout her already jazzed system. The normal high of the mission rush was joined by hot arousal, her sensitive body trapped by her clothes. She wanted to rip them off and pump up the speed of the car to release some of the tension building within her. It didn’t help, either, when she took one more look at Sev and saw how his clothes also appeared to be too tight, at least around his lap. God, what a tangle. There had to be a way for her and Sev, but in the meantime, there was the mission debriefing to complete. And they couldn’t forget Noah. His memories were coming back, and that was a minor miracle. He would need help, though, and the night the three of them had shared might have complicated things even more on a personal level. Her feelings for the younger man ran deep, but it was Sev she loved. It was all too much to deal with at the moment, so she concentrated on driving and told her body to wait.
***** Noah didn’t wait in his room for Haley and Sev to come to him. He was done with waiting. The last few days had left him passive and feeling frightened and helpless. Well, that was over with, thank God. His memories were tumbling all over themselves, vying for his attention. In many ways it was worse than not remembering. Memories he would have preferred to keep buried were being resurrected unbidden and it was difficult to deal with them all. He needed time still, lots of it, and Ms. Mac and Dr. Alvarez had a place for him to go. He would get rest, training and counseling and if he wanted to continue with this organization, Ms. Mac assured him they wanted him back on the roster. He wasn’t sure at the moment what he wanted, except he did need to see the two people who had cared for him and helped him survive this miserable time. No way he could take off without saying goodbye to Haley and Sev and simply hope the two people he cared so much for would find their way back to each other. As he approached the conference room where the debriefing had taken place, he saw the two of them through the open doorway. They were alone and sitting on opposite sides of the big table, as far from each other as they could get. Maybe they had needed that space to finish the task at hand, but now they needed to bridge the gap. He was determined to help them do it. When he walked into the room, he was rewarded by smiles from both of them. “Noah.” Haley was the first to get up and come over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. Returning the gesture, he pressed his body into hers and lost himself one last time in the sensation that was uniquely Haley. His cock bumped up against her belly and a vision of thrusting into her core arose with his tacit consent. For a few seconds, he pictured making love to her and let the arousal course 91
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through him. He would miss her, but she was not for him. He pulled away before his erection became too evident. “Congratulations on a successful mission,” he said, smiling and stepping out of her arms. “It’s all thanks to your memories,” she replied. “Which I might never have recovered in time without your help, without both your help,” he added, looking pointedly at Sev. The other man had come around to their side of the table, yet held back. Noah would have none of that. Closing the gap between them, he took Sev in a more crushing hold than he had given Haley. This was another man, after all, and the hard muscles of them both required a stronger touch. Once more, Noah’s cock responded, only this time, it was met by another hard bulge instead of the soft curve of a woman. For long seconds, the two men held each other before Noah broke the embrace and stepped back. This was also not the person for him. Somewhere there was a woman or a man who was right for Noah, someone he would love with the same undying passion he knew these people held for each other. He backed toward the door. “Thank you both for being my friends. I’m taking off now for rest and treatment. I don’t know what the future holds for me exactly, but I do know you two are my best friends, and that’s never going to change.” Haley gave him a teary smile. “Good luck, Noah. I’m sure you’re going to be fine.” “Of course you are,” Sev added in a gruff voice. “We’ll keep in touch.” “Good,” Noah replied. “I’d like that, but there’s something even more important I’m going to ask you to do.” When they stared at him with concerned, eager faces, he let them have it. “Stop being such stiff-necked, prideful assholes. You love each other, so find a way to make it work.” Turning his back on their shocked faces, Noah stepped off into his future. Sev was pretty sure the look of shock on Haley’s face mirrored his own. Their friend was back and had just handed them their hearts on a platter. The funny thing was Noah was right, abso-fucking-lutely right. Sev loved Haley and he was pretty sure she loved him back. They had broken up over an issue that could be resolved with a little give and take on both their parts. Whatever Haley might be thinking, Sev knew he was prepared to bend, to compromise, to man up and accept the reality that he couldn’t put the woman he loved in bubble wrap and keep her safe. It was time to lay everything on the line and make things right between them. Stepping forward, he cleared his throat, causing her to shift her gaze from Noah’s retreating back to him. “I forgot how mouthy the kid could be.” Haley gave him a rueful grin. “He’ll make a great team leader someday.” “Yes, he will,” Sev agreed. “The same way you made a great team leader today.” When she waved in dismissal of his praise, he overrode her. “You did, Haley. You
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know what you’re doing and you do it well. You can take care of yourself, and it was wrong of me to deny your competence and let my fears try to govern your life.” The look on her face changed to one of both confusion and hope. “What are trying to say, Sev?” The plaintive tone of her voice was like a fist squeezing his heart. He had to get this right or there would be no second chances. He closed the gap between them and reached up, cupping her face in both his hands. “I’m saying I love you, and I’m willing to do anything to get you back, back as in you and me forever.” Her mouth formed a silent O. “Are you saying you and me and two point five kids?” When he nodded, she added, “What about fucking other men? What we did last night with Noah was special but I don’t intend to share you with other women or men. Will you be satisfied with only me for the rest of your life?” “Being bi doesn’t make me incapable of monogamy. Before I met you, I didn’t know whether I might commit to a woman or a man for the rest of my life. You answered the question for me in an instant.” She looked pleased with his answer, yet pressed some more. “And the missions, Sev? Is it you, me, the kids and the missions, too?” The old fear for her rose up and threatened to choke off his reply. He ruthlessly shoved it back down. “Yes, the missions, too, for both of us. And I’m going to sweat every moment you’re out there, but I won’t try to hold you back, I promise. If the knock on the door ever does come, I’ll live with it and honor the memory of your sacrifice the same way I know you would honor mine.” Closing her eyes, Haley said his name in a whisper. It was all it took to break his control. He clasped his mouth to hers and begged entrance. There was a moment’s hesitation that made his heart stop before she sighed and opened for him. Their tongues met in what he wanted to be a slow and easy dance, but it turned into a dirty one at the moment of contact. The heat of Haley’s passion rose up to meet his and they clung to each other as their mouths mated. Sev’s fingers wound their way through Haley’s hair, and he pressed her closer to him to get a better taste. Her hands clasped his ass and tugged him more firmly to her body. His cock, already half hard since the mission, stiffened at the contact and strained to be free. There was a fleeting thought of breaking off the kiss and leading Haley back to his room. But he didn’t have that much control. He had to have her now, fast and furiously. Feeling around with his foot, he kicked the door shut. The loud bang shuddered through his aroused body and Haley trembled within his arms in response. He backed her up, pressing her against the table before releasing her mouth. She whimpered in protest, then moaned in delight as his mouth latched on to the delicate skin at the base of her throat. He sucked hard, wanting to leave his mark on her. It was a primitive thought, but he was a primitive man in many ways. This was his woman, and the last person he was going to give his body to. He wanted to celebrate the
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moment in the only way he knew how, by claiming what was going to be his, and only his, for the rest of their lives. Sev traced a line of kisses down to the cleft between her sweet breasts. Yanking her shirt open, he gave himself one second to admire the way the soft mounds spilled past the bra cups. Under the stark unisex shirt lived black, frilly lace and pretty as it was, it was in his way. He unclasped the front of the garment and let Haley’s breasts fall into his hands. Dark nipples jutted out to meet his thumbs. He flicked them into harder points before taking each one in turn into his mouth to suck and lave. “Sev,” she whispered his name, her voice thick with passion. Her fingers left his butt to clasp his head and hold his mouth tight to her. He slid his head down to lap up her taut stomach and lower. His tongue brushed the top of her pants and that wouldn’t do. He worked the button free and pulled the zipper down to slip the whole thing off. On his knees now, he stared at the plump mons in front of him. The scent of her arousal made his nostrils flare. He wanted to taste. He had to taste. Haley went blind at the first flick of Sev’s tongue over her clit. Her head fell back as she focused on the exquisite velvet massage. Already her body burned for him, a combination of his declaration of love and the way his hot flesh joined hers. He claimed her, branded her with every touch. She knew it and she wanted it. She was going to brand him, too, by taking him inside her so completely that he would never really leave her. But first, she reveled in the exquisite torture of his tongue. The first climax was building within her. She needed more. Pumping her hips toward him, and pressing his head more firmly, she demanded, “More.” Sev didn’t disappoint. His licks turned to sucks and nips. She jerked as the pleasure spiked. Her breaths came in hard pants. The wave inside her crested and tumbled forward. The blood rushed through her body. Her nipples tingled and her pussy spasmed. She bucked against Sev’s mouth so hard she would have fallen if he hadn’t held her up. She was barely aware that as she calmed, he moved to lift her onto the table. “Sev!” she managed to cry out in surprise and delight. “Trust me, babe,” he asked with a wicked grin. “This is a little fantasy of mine.” He nudged her onto her back, her butt near the end of the table, and pulled off her shoes and pants. She lay naked from the waist down, her shirt and bra still hanging open. She was exposed, in more ways than one given where they were, but she was also aroused—again, still. Never one to be passive, she sat back up and reached for him. “You’re way overdressed, Mr. Blake,” she admonished. Before he could reply, she grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands and yanked. Buttons went flying as she pulled the top open, exposing taut muscles. “Mmm,” she purred, running her hands down his pecs 94
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and over the hard little points of his nipples. His breath hitched at the touch, making her smile. He grunted when she bent over to nip one of the nubs with her teeth. She loved touching him, but his chest was hardly enough. She wanted more, she wanted cock. Sliding her hands down to the waistband of his pants, she made quick work of the clasp and yanked the clothing down enough to free his erection. It glistened at her, ready, and eager. She licked her lips as she clasped it in her fist and pumped it slowly. Her body tingled with heady arousal once more. Sev moaned and stopped her hand. “Not so fast, sugar. This is my fantasy, don’t forget.” She frowned her displeasure, but it didn’t stop him from pressing her back again onto the table. Haley allowed him the control, although she raised herself onto her elbows and watched Sev position himself between her splayed legs. He stood staring at the spot where his lips had recently been, and he reached forward to caress the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. “You’re beautiful.” Sev’s voice aroused her as much as his fingers that skimmed their way down to the swollen folds of her labia. When they reached their destination, Sev’s thumbs slipped inside to rub her clit back to life. “Gawd!” she moaned, head back, eyes closed. Her body was already crying out for release. Her need for this man was never-ending. “Please, Sev,” she begged. “Please what?” he teased. “Please more,” was her breathless reply. He filled her, but not with his wonderful cock. A couple of fingers slid into her wet pussy while his thumb circled her clit. The climax hit her just as she was about to demand a proper fucking. Her fingers clawed uselessly against the table’s flat surface. Her heels dug into it. She moaned and writhed. As her orgasm died down, her body jolted when Sev’s fingers pulled away from her clenching pussy. They were replaced with something bigger, harder, smoother and sweeter. Haley opened her heavy lids and her gaze was met by Sev’s intense eyes. He held them locked on hers as he pressed his cock into her still-aching core. When he was fully seated, he stopped. “I love you,” he declared in such a simple way she would never doubt it. “I love you, too,” she replied, knowing that merely welcoming him into her body was not enough. Some things needed to be said. “Glad to hear it, sweetheart, because standing here like this is killing me. I want you now, Haley.” “Silly man, you’ve already got me.” To be sure he knew she wanted him, she raised her legs to allow him to sink deeper into her core. Sev closed his eyes and sighed. “Baby.” Gripping both her thighs tighter, Sev pulled his cock out so the tip rested just inside her pussy and thrust back inside.
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“Yes,” she cried out to encourage him. She wanted it fast and hard and told him so. He didn’t disappoint. He set a dizzying rhythm, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoing throughout the room. She tightened the walls of her pussy as hard as she could around his slick cock. She wrapped her hands over his, digging her fingers into him and forcing her legs as close to her chest as she could manage. His cock slammed farther into her. Her climax came, robbing her of breath and reason. A strangled “Sev” was all she could manage before her body went lax. “Mine!” was Sev’s hoarse reply as his thrusting sped up and finally ended with a push so hard Haley would have slid across the table if he hadn’t been holding her. With a groan, he dropped his head onto her stomach. They stayed that way for long minutes. Sated and happy, Haley found the strength to play idly with Sev’s hair. His harsh breaths tickled her skin until slowly he calmed. “How long have you had this fantasy?” she asked in a teasing tone. Sev chuckled and lifted his head to stare at her. She could see the love in his eyes. “I had all kinds of fantasies the moment I saw you.” “The very first moment?” she teased some more. But the look on Sev’s face wasn’t a playful one. Sitting her up, he clasped her face between his hands. “Some part of me knew the very second I laid eyes on you, Haley Walker, that you were the one and only for me. I was an idiot to ever let you go. It won’t happen again.” “Oh, Sev, I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” She pressed forward to kiss him, and as she lost herself in the pleasure of her man, she knew that what they had said to each other this day neither of them would ever forget.
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Arousing Memories
Epilogue
One Year Later Haley reached for her ringing phone while bracing herself against the headboard of the hotel room bed. It wasn’t easy to do. Sev was taking her from behind and he was taking her for the ride of her life. “H-hello,” she sputtered out, trying to bite back the groans of passion. “Is this Mrs. Blake?” came the charming, laughing voice from the other end of the line. Haley tried to laugh back, but it came out more of a strangled cry. She was no longer worried, however, about how she sounded to her caller now that she knew who it was. “That’s Mrs. Walker–Blake to you,” she replied. A strong, blunt finger tickled her clit, sending sparks of pleasure shooting throughout her body. She tipped her head back and smiled. It was so good, always so very good to have her man, her husband now, filling her with his hard cock, bringing her body such mindless pleasure. She focused her attention on her pussy being stretched, of Sev’s smooth shaft pumping in and out. Spreading her legs more, she took him as deep as she could. Her aching breasts bounced with the rhythm of Sev’s fucking. They longed to be touched. Her nipples tingled with need. But Sev’s hands were otherwise occupied, one clasped tight on her hip and the other over her mons. She would have touched herself, but her hands were busy, too. She was trying to keep from banging into the headboard, and she was trying to concentrate on her caller’s words. Not easy, either task. “I’m sorry,” she breathed into the phone. “What did you say, Noah?” He laughed again. “I said I called to congratulate you on your marriage. I’m sorry I had to miss it. So far my first mission since the explosion is a bit of a yawn.” The peak was coming. Haley felt it building. She could barely talk. “Be careful,” she warned, ever the team leader. “We’re certain the Sons are laundering money through that casino. And remember even though we didn’t find a mole during your last mission, we haven’t ruled out the possibility that there is one.” “I know. Stop worrying about me and concentrate on making your man go blind from pleasure.” She pushed her ass back into her husband to signal him to pick up the pace. “I’ll be sure to pass your good wishes on to Mr. Walker–Blake.” “Oh God,” Noah barked out one more laugh. “Mr. Walker–Blake. He must really love you.” Haley closed her eyes in ecstasy. “He does.”
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Samantha Cayto
“At least now there shouldn’t be any confusion over which is his first name and which is his last. Give him a big kiss for me.” The line went dead and tossing the phone down, Haley grabbed the headboard with both hands and held on for dear life. Sev pumped into her at a feverish pace. His fingers worked her clit in furious circles. The wave built higher and higher and crashed over her with mind-numbing force. She cried out and clenched down hard on the cock still pistoning into her until her husband’s cries joined her own. They kept moving, milking every last bit of their orgasms until they collapsed together in a heap on the bed. Sev wrapped his arms around Haley and pulled her tight to his slick, hot body. “My wife,” he said simply. “That was Noah calling,” she said with yawn. It had been a long day and a good one. The best of her life. A little rest and she’d be ready for another round with her husband. God, she was never going to tire of thinking that, saying that. How could she have ever thought she’d live without this man? Sev licked the outside of her ear. “So I gathered. The guy’s timing is impeccable. Did the sound of his voice add to your pleasure?” The question caught her off guard for a moment. She turned in his arms to face him. “No, it didn’t. All I could really think about was how wonderful it is to have you inside me. You’re all I want, Sev, and all I need.” He smiled that knowing smile of his. It was endearing now that they were together again. “Same goes, sugar. Same goes. In fact, I’m starting to need you all over again.” Haley smiled wickedly as she eyed his cock. “Why, Sev!” It was all she managed to say before he tugged her willing body onto his. This time, the arousing memories were all theirs.
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About the Author Samantha Cayto is a Boston-area native who practices as a business lawyer by day while writing erotic romance at night—the steamier the better. She likes to push the envelope when it comes to writing about passion and is delighted other women agree that guy-on-guy sex is the hottest ever. She lives a typical suburban life with her husband, three kids and four dogs. Her children don’t understand why they can’t read what she writes, but her husband is always willing to lend her a hand—and anything else—when she needs to choreograph a scene. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and the New England Chapter and credits RWA, NEC and the wonderful friends she’s made there with helping her become a published author. Samantha welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Samantha Cayto 1-800-DOM-help: Mistress Mine Illegal Moves Locked and Loaded
Print books by Samantha Cayto Cougar Challenge: Cougar Hunt anthology Illegal Moves
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