Chapter 13

Alina was shocked at how fast everything had changed between her and Trevor. Then again, almost getting blown up could force two people to set aside their differences surprisingly fast. Trevor had taken a huge risk telling her everything. If she’d actually still been a spy for Dick—or Thorn—her partner had given her more than enough to hang him and his friends. Trust like that deserved trust in return.

She hadn’t realized she’d taken his hand in hers, not until the strength and warmth in his strong, sexy fingers seeped through her palm and all the way down to her toes. She marveled that something as simple as two hands touching could have such a profound effect on her, but the contact made her feel warm all over.

“I used to run a CIA direct action team,” she said quietly. “There were five of us—Fred and Rodney, two guys I’d worked with my whole career, and Jodi, a new agent fresh out of Quantico and probably the closest friend I’d ever had in the Agency. Then there was Wade, a piece of crap the big shots at Langley put on my team, not because he was a good agent, but because he’d always talked a good game and knew the right people.”

She hesitated, but Trevor didn’t interrupt. Instead, he sat there and let her collect her thoughts, not seeming to mind that she was still holding his hand.

Once she started, the story flowed, and she told him everything. How her team had been sent to southern Turkey to stop a group of terrorists from getting the chemicals necessary to make sarin gas. How Wade had taken the lead setting up the raid. And how Fred and Rodney had died in the ambush.

Talking about Jodi was harder, simply because it hurt to think about how young the woman had been when she’d been so viciously murdered. But for some reason, Alina found it easier to talk to Trevor about it than she had other people, even Kathy. Maybe because he never pushed her to keep going but instead allowed her to get the story out however she had to.

“You know what sucks nearly as much as losing my three best friends in the world?” she asked. “It’s that less than five months after my team was wiped out, the Syrian town of Ghouta was hit with a sarin rocket attack. Over fourteen hundred men, women, and children died.”

Trevor frowned. “I read about that but never heard who did it. Are you sure it was the same people you’d gone into Turkey to stop?”

She shrugged. “The UN investigated, but nothing formal ever found its way into the reports. Everyone in the CIA knew what happened, though. There were a handful of rockets loaded with military-grade sarin used in the attack, but the majority of the civilian deaths were contributed to lower-grade gas spread with several improvised explosive devices. That was the stuff my team was supposed to keep off the battlefield, and we failed. My team, and all those people, died because I didn’t realize what Wade was up to until it was too late.”

Alina appreciated that Trevor didn’t pull out the standard it’s-not-your-fault-you-shouldn’t-blame-yourself crap. She’d heard that more than enough over the years. She didn’t need it from him, too. But he seemed to sense she needed to talk about it without him trying to introduce logic into it. She was well aware all those deaths lay squarely at Wade’s feet. That didn’t make it hurt any less, though.

“I spent years looking for Wade,” she admitted. “You could say I became obsessed with it. That obsession made it easy for Dick to recruit me into the DCO. All he had to do was promise to help me find Wade again, and I was hooked. It’s kind of sad how easy I made it for him.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over that part,” Trevor said. “Dick might look like a moron, but he’s actually a master when it comes to manipulating people.”

Maybe so, but she was still mad at herself for buying into his crap. On the flip side, it was amazing how good it felt to talk to someone who genuinely seemed to get it. It was like a weight had been taken off her shoulders.

“You want something to drink?” she asked.

After almost getting blown up and talking for two hours straight, he had to be as parched as she was.

“Yeah,” he said. “Thanks.”

Realizing she was still holding on to his hand, she reluctantly released it and got up from the table. Instead of waiting for her there, Trevor followed her over to the fridge and leaned back against the counter beside it.

“Thanks for listening to me vent,” she said as she handed him a bottle of water. “I never realized I had so much baggage until I started unloading all of it on you.”

Trevor grinned. Damn, he had a sexy smile.

“No problem,” he said. “I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to talk to me.”

She returned his smile, wondering exactly why she was able to talk to him so easily. They hadn’t been working together that long, but she felt like she could tell him anything.

“I don’t know why, but I’m more comfortable with you than anyone I’ve ever been around,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this close to a guy.”

That admission came out sounding a lot more serious than she’d intended, and in the silence that followed, she found herself gazing into Trevor’s eyes for what seemed like a really long time.

“Is it just me, or is there something more going on here than just the beginning of a really good working relationship?” he asked softly.

Not trusting herself to speak, Alina could only nod, ridiculously glad she wasn’t the only one having these thoughts. But was she ready to risk her partnership with Trevor simply because he made her feel all tingly when he looked at her?

“I’ve noticed that.” She wet her lips. “And if we’re being truthful, I suppose I should go ahead and admit I’ve been feeling something building between us for a while.”

His eyes glinted gold, another smile spreading across his face. “Since we kissed up in Baltimore?”

Her lips curved. “The kiss, and what came later at my apartment when I helped clean you up. That was…interesting.”

He chuckled. “Interesting is one word for it, though I probably would have gone with arousing.”

She liked the sound of that. “Arousing, huh?”

He nodded. “Especially your scent.”

She had no idea what that meant, and her confusion must have shown clearly on her face, because Trevor laughed again. Setting his bottle of water on the counter, he reached out and gently ran a finger down her arm. That simple touch made her skin tingle like a brush with electricity. Talk about arousing.

“You probably didn’t realize it, but my sense of smell is good enough to pick up any strong scent your body puts off,” he said.

“Strong scent?” she asked, still not sure what he was getting at but thinking she might be in trouble.

He nodded. “Sweat, fear…arousal. I can smell those and more.”

Alina was confused for all of a second, then remembered how excited she’d gotten that night while she’d been cleaning his wound and running her hands all over his well-muscled abs and chest. He’d smelled the scent of her body when she’d gotten wet.

She couldn’t have stopped the blush that crept onto her face if she’d tried. “Okay. That’s a bit awkward.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” he said. “If it helps, I was turned on that night, too. If Kathy hadn’t come in when she did, I probably would have stripped you naked right here in your kitchen.”

His blunt admission surprised her. She hadn’t picked up on any interest on his part, other than the kiss, of course. She’d never considered messing around with a coworker, but that seemed to be where this was going. As crazy as it sounded, the idea was appealing. A little scary, too, but not nearly as terrifying as she would have thought. Maybe getting tossed through the air by that explosion had rattled her more than she’d realized.

“Is this going where I think it’s going?” she asked. “Are we seriously going to take a chance at blowing up our partnership for a roll in the hay every now and then?”

Trevor pushed away from the counter to stand in front of her, his expression serious. “I don’t want to go anywhere you’re not comfortable going, but we have to face the fact that if we keep going up against Thorn, worrying about how our partnership will handle a move into the bedroom is the least of our worries. You’ve seen what Wade is now, and Thorn may have a dozen more just like him. When you come right down to it, we may not make it out of this alive.”

Alina opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn’t going to base a decision to sleep with him on the probability of surviving their next encounter with Wade or one of Thorn’s other hybrids. But before she could get the words out, Trevor pressed a gentle finger to her lips, sending sparks of electricity dancing across her skin.

“Even if that wasn’t the case, if we weren’t facing any threat from Thorn at all and were assured of having a long, dull work relationship, I’d still rather take a chance at having something special and amazing with you instead of sitting around for the rest of my life wondering what could have been,” he said.

Though he moved his finger away, she couldn’t speak. He’d taken the words right out of her mouth…along with most of her breath.

“You know as well as I do—maybe better—that we aren’t guaranteed anything in this life,” he continued. “If we sit around and wait, telling ourselves that we should do the safe, mature thing, we’re going to miss out on something that might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I don’t know about you, but I’m more scared of wasting that chance than I am of what happens if we sleep together and find out we aren’t good in bed.”

Alina stood there in shock. She had a hard time processing that a man as rough and sexy as Trevor could be so damn romantic. Guys like him weren’t supposed to exist.

She was still trying to form a response when Trevor’s mouth quirked in a sexy little smile as he took a step closer.

“I’ll assume that silence implies concurrence,” he whispered.

Then he kissed her.

Alina immediately buried her fingers in his hair, kissing him back. She couldn’t really say she’d ever taken the safe and mature path at any point in her life, so why start now?

Trevor’s hand slipped into her hair, cradling the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. She moaned at how good he tasted. Like chocolate…but better. She tangled her tongue with his, encouraging him not only to keep going, but to go even further.

He wrapped his free arm around her, tugging her against him. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said her kiss the other night had gotten to him. She could feel the evidence of that poking her in the stomach, urgently requesting attention.

Unfortunately, she also discovered she’d been banged up more in that explosion tonight than she’d thought. While his hand roaming down her back and over her ass felt unbelievably good, she couldn’t help wincing whenever he found a particularly sensitive spot.

Trevor pulled back, a look of concern on his face.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “It’s just a few bumps and bruises from getting bounced around earlier. If you think I’m going to let you get away with heating me up, then stopping because I have a boo-boo, you’re crazy.”

He flashed her a grin. “I wouldn’t dare. I was going to suggest we get you in a warm shower first to relax those sore muscles.”

She smiled, liking where he was going with this. “I think a warm shower would be perfect, but only if you join me.”

He kissed her again, a long, slow kiss that promised a night of lovemaking she didn’t think she’d ever forget. “That was the idea. Who else are you going to get to scrub your back?”

They kicked off shoes and boots in the hallway leading to her bedroom. Taking him into the adjoining bathroom, she flicked on the light, then reached for the bottom of his T-shirt. Just because they weren’t getting busy yet didn’t mean she had to keep her hands to herself.

Pulling his T-shirt over his head, she ran her hands up his strong chest and along his shoulders, reveling in the feel of his rippling muscles. She couldn’t help noticing that the slice along his ribs where the bullet had grazed him the other night was completely closed up now. She ran her fingertips along it in amazement. It looked like a scar that was weeks, even months old.

Shuddering a little at the memory, she dragged her gaze away from it and went back to focusing on his chest, kneading the thick, powerful muscles there, enjoying the way his breath caught. She started to head south, intending to go for his belt, but he caught her hands.

“My turn,” he said huskily.

Trevor stripped off her shirt, then made quick work of her bra. A quiver went through her at the way his eyes flared bright yellow as he took in her rounded breasts with their dark pink nipples. He glided his hands up her stomach, gently cupping her breasts as he bent his head to kiss her again.

He trailed his mouth along her jaw and down her neck, nibbling here and there as he headed lower. While she definitely enjoyed what he was doing, she knew if he reached her nipples, they’d never get in the shower. Not that she minded making love right there, but something told her the anticipation would only make the finale even better.

Groaning, she weaved her fingers in his hair and pulled him away from her neck. Trevor gazed down at her with eyes so gold they were practically glowing. Knowing he was so aroused turned her on like crazy, and it was all she could do not to say the heck with everything and get busy on the bathroom vanity.

“We still have to take that shower,” she reminded him.

Trevor nodded, apparently incapable of speech as she jerked his belt open. Gaze locked with his, she popped one button after the next until the front of his cargo pants was completely open. The urge to yank down his underwear and wrap her hand around his thick shaft was nearly overwhelming.

She resisted the urge, instead slipping her hands inside the waistband of both his pants and underwear and slowly shoving them over his hips and down his thighs.

Alina had to drop to one knee to get his pants all the way down, a pose that only put her in a better position to take in his absolutely perfect erection. He was so ready for her that his thick shaft was practically pulsing in time with his heartbeat. Mesmerized, she reached out to wrap her fingers around him, but he caught her hand and pulled her to her feet.

“More clothes, remember?” he said with a chuckle, kicking his pants out of the way. “Then a shower.”

Now that Trevor was standing there completely naked, her resolve slipped a little. “Maybe just a little quickie before we shower?”

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tempting,” he said, his hands finding her belt buckle. “But I want you relaxed and flexible for what I have planned later, and a hot shower is the best way to do that.”

Alina was so intrigued by that image, she completely missed the part where he unbuckled her belt. She definitely noticed when he wiggled her pants and panties over her hips and down her thighs. Mostly because Trevor let out a sexy growl as her ass came into view in the bathroom mirror.

As Trevor reached out to turn on the water in her walk-in shower, she used her foot to push her clothes over to join his cargo pants. She wondered if he’d noticed how wet her panties were. But then she caught the way he was grinning at her and realized he knew exactly how aroused she was.

Taking her hand, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her and tipping his head down to kiss her again. Except this time, there was nothing between their bare skin…and one very hard cock. Not that she was complaining. She enjoyed the sensation of his hard-on pressing against her stomach as his tongue slipped into her mouth and teased hers.

When the water warmed up enough, Trevor led her into the shower, closing the door behind them. Alina sighed with pleasure the moment the hot spray rained down on her. She could feel her muscles loosening up already.

It got better when Trevor filled his hands with shower gel and lathered up her whole body. She stood there, letting the water cascade over her back while his strong hands gently massaged, relieving aches and pains she hadn’t even known were there.

“You have really great hands,” she said as he began to massage her butt. “If you ever need extra money, I think I’d be willing to pay for this.”

He chuckled. “Why would you pay me when I’m more than happy to do it for free?”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Anytime you want to rub my ass, feel free. I certainly won’t complain.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he whispered in her ear, making little shivers run up and down her spine at the promise in those words.

Alina was still thinking about that when Trevor wrapped his arms around her. Having his shaft nestled right against her ass was just about the best thing ever, second only to how amazing it felt when he reached around and teased her nipples with his soapy fingers. She whimpered and dropped her head back onto his chest. He murmured something she couldn’t make out, pressing his lips to the curve of her neck and sliding his hand down between her legs to tease her clit.

While she would have loved to have stayed like that all night, it was time to return the favor. With that in mind, she reached behind her and wrapped her hand around his cock and slowly caressed him.

Trevor let out a sound that was half growl, half groan.

Alina wiggled her bottom against him in time with her hand. “You don’t mind if I do this, do you?”

“Not at all,” he said, his voice husky in her ear. “But before this goes too far, it might be a good time to ask if you might have a condom or two around?”

She was so focused on the movement of her hand on his cock and his on her clit, it took a moment to realize what he’d said. Then the importance of his question fully registered. Crap, they’d started making out without considering protection. What the hell kind of field operative was she? She was supposed to be able to think under pressure.

Her mind was drawing a complete blank. For a second, Alina was terrified she was going to have to call Kathy and borrow some from her.

Hey, neighbor, mind if I borrow a cup of sugar and a couple packs of condoms?

She could just imagine how that would work out. Fortunately, the thought of getting a lecture from her best friend on the dangers of starting something you couldn’t finish allowed her to collect her thoughts and remember that she’d bought condoms the last time she’d gone out with a guy. Of course, that had been so long ago, she was seriously worried she might have exceeded the normal shelf life on a pack of condoms. She hoped not.

“There should be some in the medicine cabinet above the sink,” she said over her shoulder. “But check the expiration date.”

She shivered as Trevor opened the door and stepped out of the shower, taking his warmth with him. But he was back quickly, already rolling a condom down the length of his long shaft.

“Success.” He flashed her a grin as he closed the door behind him and spun her around to face him. “Now, where were we?”

She smiled back at him. “We were in the middle of you giving me one hell of an all-over body massage, but judging from that guy”—she motioned at his condom-covered erection—“I’m guessing we’re moving on to something else.”

Chuckling, he pressed her back against the tiles, then cupped her ass in his hands and lifted her off the floor like she was a toy. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as the head of his cock found her wet opening and lodged there, making her breath catch in her throat. She tried to pull him in deeper with her legs, but he refused to let her, using his hands on her butt to keep her right where he wanted.

“If you prefer, we could always go back to that massage,” he murmured, his voice more of a growl than anything else.

She shook her head, barely able to trust her voice as his shaft slowly slid in deeper. “No, this is good. We can always get back to the massage later.”

Much later.

Alina kissed him even as he drove his cock the rest of the way in. She gasped against his mouth as he filled her. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought he was custom-made specifically for her pleasure.

She didn’t miss the fact that Trevor’s fangs were slightly extended. She could feel their sharp tips against her tongue as she kissed him. But instead of being distracting or scary, they felt amazing. There was something powerful and empowering about knowing he was so hot for her that he could barely stay in control. Trevor must have sensed her complete acceptance of his shifter nature, because he growled against her mouth, squeezing her ass tighter as he pounded into her harder.

As much as she wanted to keep kissing him, the pleasure soon became too much. She pulled away with a moan and buried her face against his powerful neck.

“Harder,” she demanded, the word sounding husky to her own ears. “Just like that. Don’t you dare stop.”

Trevor hitched her a little higher on the tile wall and started thrusting into her so hard it almost knocked the air out of her. It also hit that perfect spot inside, shoving the orgasm that had been slowing building higher and higher right off the edge.

Alina screamed then, knowing the shower would make the sound ten times louder and not caring one little bit. She simply held on tightly and gave in to the pleasure, letting it wash over her.

She came harder than she ever had in her life. Thank goodness Trevor was holding her up, because if she’d had to depend on her own legs to do it, her butt would have been on the floor of the tub.

Trevor let out a deep growl, and she felt his body stiffen as he let himself go. Knowing he was coming with her was an intense feeling and only drew out her own pleasure that much longer.

Afterward, they stayed there against the tile wall for a long time, breathing hard and gasping for breath. At some point, Trevor reached over and turned off the water. She expected him to set her down, but he didn’t. Instead, he kept his hands under her ass, kissing and nipping her neck and shoulder as the aftershocks of her orgasm bounced around inside her. She instinctively kept her legs locked tightly around his waist, not wanting to let him move. That had been the most incredible thing ever. She never wanted to let him go.

But then a voice in the back of her head started to whisper things, and she couldn’t help but wonder if what they’d just done had also been a mistake. She had no idea where the thought had come from, but within seconds, the voice in her head began to get louder until she had no choice but to weave her fingers into Trevor’s wet hair and pull his head back so she could look him in the eyes.

She searched his face, looking for any trace of doubt that would tell her this had all been a case of crazy attraction, and now it was over. While she definitely didn’t feel that way, she needed to know what was going on in that head of his.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly, concern in his gold eyes. “Did I hurt you? Was that too hard on your back?”

She ignored his questions, still searching his eyes. They weren’t glowing as much now, but they were still clear and bright, with no doubts that she could see.

“Alina?” he prompted, pulling away. “What’s wrong?”

She tightened her legs around him, refusing to let him move. “Any regrets?”

Trevor gazed at her for a long moment. Then he leaned in close and rested his forehead against hers. “Never.”

That single whispered word made all the doubts and fears in the back of her head immediately disappear.

“I regret many things that have happened since I met you, Alina,” he said softly. “I regret putting you in a situation where you almost got shot when we were up in Baltimore. I regret not kissing you that first night we came back here after you taped up my ribs. I regret blaming you for Dick sending those guys after Seth and Cody. I regret leaving you to handle Sage on your own, instead of taking you with me when I spied on Thorn. Most of all, I regret not trusting you from the beginning and not listening to my instincts when they were shouting at me to stop thinking so damn much and go with my gut. But I can promise you, the one thing I don’t regret is telling you exactly how I feel and making love to you. Of all the decisions I’ve made since meeting you, making love to you is the one I’m sure I got right.”

Alina’s heart did a crazy little cartwheel. Damn, he could say some seriously sexy and romantic stuff. If she’d been wearing panties right then, they probably would have melted right off.

She moved her forehead against his, kissing him softly. “Good. I just had to make sure.”

He nodded, then, still holding on to her, turned toward the door of the shower.

“Hey, I didn’t mean we had to stop what we were doing,” she said, feeling crappy about ruining the mood, especially since she’d just had the best sex of her life.

He held her easily with one arm as he opened the shower door and stepped out with her still wrapped around him like a parasitic sex fiend. He snagged a towel off the hook on the wall and handed it to her.

“Who the hell said we were done?” he asked as he carried her into the bedroom. When he got there, he pulled back the blanket and sheet, then lifted a brow. “Now, are you going to unwrap your legs from around my waist, or should we go at it again like this?”

That’s when Alina realized Trevor was still buried deep inside and still hard as a rock. Okay, that was interesting. It also seemed to indicate she hadn’t ruined anything.

“You sure you’re not upset that I got a little serious there for a bit?” she asked, not making any move to unwrap her legs from around him. She knew she’d have to move at some point, if for no other reason than to swap out their latex protection. But for the moment, she was absolutely fine with where he was.

“I’m not upset,” he assured her. “We’re working without a playbook now. Sometimes, we might have to take a break and get a course correction to make sure we’re both heading in the same direction.”

She smiled. “Well, in that case…break’s over. How about we get back to that massage you were giving me before?”

One second, she was wrapped around his waist, and the next, she was bouncing on the bed after he’d tossed her there. Then he was flipping her over on her stomach and straddling the back of her thighs, his big hands already sliding up her butt to the muscles of her lower back.

“As long as you realize that this might start with a massage,” he rasped in her ear, “but that’s not where it’s going to end.”

Her lips curved. “I should hope not. After all, I do vaguely remember telling you that anytime you wanted to put your hands on my ass, you should feel free.”

He let out a sexy growl. “I remember. And before this night is done, I’m going to make sure there’s nothing vague about your memory of telling me that.”

* * *

“You sure we shouldn’t be checking in with Adam or Evan? Or Tanner, for that matter?” Alina asked Trevor as she ate another spoonful of mint chocolate chip ice cream from the bowl resting on his chest.

She was naked, curled up beside him, supremely content to eat her favorite flavor of ice cream while her satiated body trembled in near exhaustion from the hours of lovemaking they’d just done in this very bed. Well, on the floor and atop her dresser, too. But it had been in the bedroom at least, so it all counted.

“Not at this time of night,” he assured her, careful not to disturb her bowl of ice cream. She’d already made sure he understood how important mint chocolate chip ice cream was to her. “It may take days for them to find something we can use. We just have to be patient.”

Alina ate another spoonful of ice cream. “What should we do in the meantime?”

Trevor took the spoon out of her hand, then moved the bowl of ice cream off his chest, sitting up at the same time.

“I was still eating that,” she protested only to gasp as he let some of the melted green stuff dribble onto her breasts.

“Don’t worry.” Wicked glint in his eyes, he leaned forward and slowly and deliberately licked the ice cream with his warm tongue. “I’m not going to stop you. I just thought you might enjoy it more without the bowl.”