ELEVEN

 

 

Shea blew him the next day, and the next, in fact she did it every single day. Before she knew it, they got to the day when Diego was supposed to return.

Her and Raid’s daily routine started with coffee on the balcony. Conversation was sometimes sparse, and sometimes only work related. Sometimes she tried to tempt him into sharing, which was met with varying degrees of success, depending on his mood.

When their coffee was done, Shea would slither onto her knees. Shower time came after she swallowed for him. Being in his bedroom was something else she’d become accustomed to. Following Raid’s rules wasn’t so bad, even if he did refuse to join her in the shower any time she asked… which she did every single day.

If she was upstairs, Raid wouldn’t set foot on that floor. Whether she was in the shower or just in his bedroom, he’d keep his distance. The whole upper floor was his private master suite. Private until she’d come along.

The sweeping mezzanine was filled with the light that streamed in from the vast front windows. The warm, welcoming space had become her favorite spot in the whole compound. Raid’s home was full of creature comforts and sumptuous furnishings. It could be an upscale apartment in any major city. Especially in his bedroom, it was easy to forget how remote their location was or how utilitarian their work life was.

Most of her possessions had made their way across to the Laird’s home; so much so that one corner of his closet was dedicated to her. Raid had been surprised the first day he’d heard her blow-dryer. Once he learned what it was, he’d soon demanded that she not smuggle it back and forth every day probably in the name of discretion. And, so began the movement of her things, one by one.

Since she was showering there anyway, it made sense to leave her clothes and grooming accessories. It hadn’t been a conscious decision to transport everything. As she needed things or used them, she got in the habit of leaving them behind.

Raid probably didn’t want his men to see her carrying things back and forth, which might encourage gossip. Given that Shea often went straight to work after leaving his place, she didn’t always have time to take a detour to her room on the compound to put things back. So, did it really matter if she left a hairbrush or underwear lying around?

Settling into her routine with her Laird was fun for her, though probably not so much fun for him. She got a slice of civilization right there in his home, where she could pretend life was as it always had been and she wasn’t cut off in the wilderness.

Except it wouldn’t last. Diego was due back and as much as Shea enjoyed her mornings at Raid’s, she was looking forward to seeing her friend. For one thing, her moisturizer and makeup were nearly finished. In fact, Shea was almost out of everything and had been rationing for a while. Diego better have remembered to bring her everything that was on her list because she had no idea when anyone would be returning to the world again.

Raid had some things that she could use in place of her own. She’d sort of expected him to complain after she started to use his razor. Instead, the day after she’d first used it, a new box of disposables appeared on the side of the vanity she’d claimed. Her Laird hadn’t said anything about it. They had just been there with a fresh toothbrush and a can of shaving foam, not her preferred brand, but it was a generous sign of acceptance all the same.

Shea had gotten used to getting ready for the day in the warmth and comfort of Raid’s private home. With Diego due back, that was likely to be the last day she’d be enjoying the luxury of Raid’s shower. Eager as she was to see her friend, Shea was less eager to say goodbye to Raid’s massage jets.

Nothing was for sure, but just in case, Shea vowed to enjoy every second, while hoping that Diego’s return wouldn’t signal the end of her intimacy with the man she was growing closer to every day.

 

 

Raid had been reading the report Shea had brought when he heard the heavy footsteps in his living room. Recognizing that Shea, who had a gentler gait, wasn’t their owner, he lifted his head, and listened for a second to identify who they belonged to.

By the time his lieutenant appeared at the end of the couch, Raid had concluded he was the one approaching.

“Diego,” Raid said, glancing at his number two, then back to the reports.

Raid had caught just enough of Diego’s baffled expression that he wasn’t surprised to hear his flabbergasted tone. “You’re sleeping with her?”

If Raid was the type, he’d smile. Except he wasn’t the type. So, instead, he closed the report and stood up. “I’m not sleeping with her.” Taking his empty coffee mug into the house, he wasn’t intimidated by his lieutenant, and certainly didn’t owe him any explanations. “But, she is upstairs.”

Stating that was his insurance that his number two wouldn’t say anything that might offend the woman who could be eavesdropping.

Diego wasn’t far behind Raid on his walk to the kitchen. His lieutenant’s confusion was understandable. Raid didn’t understand what was going on between him and Shea either. How he’d let it happen was a mystery. At the beginning and end of each day, he told himself to finish whatever they were doing, and not to let her go down on him ever again… Yet, somehow, every day it happened.

After rinsing his coffee cup, Raid left it in the sink and glanced at the clock while retrieving a towel to dry his hands.

Diego wasn’t done with his questioning. “What happened?”

Raid inhaled. “My guess? You got back early and went looking for her before you came here. When you didn’t find her, someone filled you in on whatever nonsense is circulating between the men.”

That wasn’t what Diego had been asking, Raid wasn’t ignorant to that. But, he was under no obligation to offer a commentary of his life to anyone.

“I meant what happened between the two of you,” Diego said.

“I know what you meant,” he said, propping his hands on the kitchen island and glaring at his second. “You seem to have forgotten that I don’t answer to you, and although she may look vaguely like your sister, she isn’t.”

Diego took a step backwards. Raid couldn’t tell if Diego was hurt or just pissed. As far as he was concerned, the man had no right to be either. Shea had given him assurances that nothing had happened between her and any of the men on the ground and Diego himself had compared her to a sister rather than anything else.

Diego breathed out and seemed to deflate at the same time. “This is what you were afraid of,” he said, intriguing Raid. “The men getting into a pissing contest over her. I’m sorry, boss, you’re right, it’s not my business. It’s just… unexpected. She doesn’t belong to me. I’ve been looking out for her and I feel responsible for her.”

Which was why Raid was trying to be patient with his second in command. “Because I told you that you were responsible for her,” he said, tossing the towel to the counter. “And, as far as I’m concerned, you are again.”

“So, it’s okay to advise her against getting horizontal with the Laird?” Diego asked, a smirk growing on his face. “Not my business, sorry.”

“Right,” Raid said. “Don’t forget that.”

With the shock dwindling, Diego relaxed. “We’ve never been in this position before,” he said. “You have a girl… Have you written procedures?”

“She prefers your rules to mine,” he said because that much was obvious. “Mine were a little too… restrictive for her.”

Diego was flat out smiling and Raid wasn’t sure he liked it. But, his lieutenant held up both hands. “I won’t get in the way. I’m happy for you, boss. I thought sending her to you with reports might bring you closer, so you’d understand she’s not a threat. Not in a million years did I expect it would bring you this close.”

Yeah, Raid was damn sure he didn’t like that smirk. Diego had some warped idea of the truth of what was really going on. Before Raid could correct him, there was a squeal on the stairway.

“Diego!” Shea called out.

She ran down the stairs and across the room straight into his lieutenant’s arms.

“Whoa,” Diego said, just managing to catch her. “Hey, missed you too, Pest.”

“Are you still in one piece?” she asked, leaning back to squeeze his biceps, his wrists, and his shoulders before resting her hands on his chest. “I have so much to tell you.”

“I’ve heard,” Diego said without hiding his amusement.

Shea leaned away from Diego to glance over the island at him for just the briefest of seconds before nudging the man who still held her. “Not that,” she said, but smiled. “We released a raccoon back into the wild. She snuck through all the defenses, can you believe it?”

Diego’s head tilted. “You did? I thought we killed intruders.”

Raid was glad Diego was angled away from him or he might have killed the guy with a glare. “Doc and I nursed her back to health.”

“Her?”

There was an exuberance in Shea’s voice that Raid hadn’t heard before. Talking to Diego, she was relaxed and happy, in a more secure way than she was with him. That made sense given that he couldn’t offer her the security of an enduring relationship, platonic or otherwise.

Shea slid her arms around Diego again. “Yeah, it was nice having another girl around for a while,” she said on a sigh. “I’ll tell you about it at dinner. Wait.” Shea eased back from Diego just enough to move her focus. “Where am I having dinner, boss?”

Diego looked at him too and then at Shea before fixing on him again. “She usually eats here?”

Shea was the one who answered, “She eats in her bedroom alone because someone doesn’t trust her.”

That wasn’t exactly why he’d made the decision and wasn’t about to let her paint him as a tyrant. “She took her clothes off in the mess,” Raid said.  

She gasped. Raid was vindicated when Diego’s glare became as fierce as Raid was sure his had been that night. “I did not,” she objected. “I did not do that!”

“Fuck, boss, I’m sorry,” Diego said.

The corner of Raid’s mouth rose just a fraction, he couldn’t contain the satisfaction that grew when he read Shea’s outrage. “Don’t agree with him,” she said and pinched Diego. “Our Laird has been enough of a nightmare without you backing him up.”

“A nightmare, huh?” Diego said. Raid felt a twinge of nausea when he saw his lieutenant’s amusement again. No one before Shea would be so open in criticizing him, especially to his face. “You gonna take that, boss?”

Raid fixated on her. “Your cell’s still there, Poppet. You do owe me a month in solitary.”

Her smile sloped up faster than she could hide it. Tipping her chin down, she lowered her voice to that sultry, playful tone he enjoyed. Though he couldn’t understand why it spoke so directly to his dick. “I thought I paid my penance for that slip, sir. I’ve behaved since.”

“Behaved?” he said, recognizing the incredulity in his own voice. “I fucking wish.”

She laughed. “Okay, since I’m sure you two have plenty to catch up on, and some of us have real work to do, I’m going to get going.” She stepped out of Diego’s arms to look left and right. “Where are my shoes?” Raid pointed over her toward the balcony. “Right.”

Spinning around, she flounced across the room, buoyant and at ease in his home. Raid watched her every step, wondering how they’d come to be in this position, all of them there on that bizarre day. The truth was, there had been something bizarre happening ever since Shea arrived, he just hadn’t figured out what to do about it yet.

Every day she’d moved just an inch closer, done one thing just a little differently. He hadn’t seen her familiarity sneak up on him, but seeing it through his lieutenant’s eyes, Raid had to admit that the whole spectacle was peculiar. Until Shea, Diego was as familiar as employees got around here and he didn’t leave his shoes lying around the place or strip off upstairs and shower every day.

“You’re lighter, boss,” Diego said after Shea stepped onto the balcony and out of earshot.

Raid wasn’t sure what that statement meant, and he wasn’t going to ask. He found it best not to overthink anything where Shea was concerned and that meant not trying to deconstruct things with his number two.

“We have debrief all day,” Raid said, getting the conversation back to work, the one thing he could rely on in his life. The one thing that made sense. “How many new inmates do we have?”

“Six.”

Impressed, he nodded. “One shy of a hundred percent success. Excellent.”

“Wasn’t all me,” Diego said. “It’s an interesting story.”

“Look forward to hearing it,” he said. “Have you written a report?”

“It’s at the office… I came over here in a hurry.”

That much was obvious from Diego’s conduct when he got here. “I’m sure you did,” Raid said. “Supplies in inventory?”

Diego nodded. “Most of ‘em.” He took something from his pocket and slid it onto the kitchen island. Raid turned his head to see it was the contraceptive pills Shea had asked for. “Thought the pest might need them. I guess it’s probably best she leaves them here if you’re not confirming anything for the other guys.”

Ignorant to what Diego had just done and said, Shea came back inside with his paperwork bundled in her arms. “It’s starting to rain,” she said, carrying the papers to the island and leaning all the way forward to spread out the documents. That was when she noticed the pills. “Ah, Diego, you’re a prince.” Like it was no big deal, she picked up the pills and began opening the box. “You got more than just this one box, right?”

“Doc’s got the rest,” Diego said, jabbing a thumb into the air above his shoulder.

She popped a pill into her hand and then went around both men to the kitchen sink. Without using a glass, she put the pill on her tongue and gathered her hair at the nape of her neck to hold it out of the way as she tipped her mouth under the stream of water coming from the faucet.

“You’re real ladylike, Pest,” Diego said.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand in a way that made Raid think of her on her knees. He had to force himself to clear the image from his mind. “Bite me, D,” she said.

Hopping up to catch herself on the island, she leaned all the way across it to snag the box of pills from the other side, giving him a too close view of her ass and for a second it distracted him.

Bouncing away from the island, Shea landed on her feet. She swayed and stumbled into him. Without looking at him, she put a hand to his torso to steady herself, then sidestepped away when she had her balance. Men gave him a wide berth, they swerved around him to clear his path, and were conscious of upsetting him at every second. This tiny woman… she didn’t fear him at all.

“I’m going to work,” Shea said to the room and headed for the door, but stopped when she got there. “Oh, Raid, can I have dinner with Diego?” He nodded. “Thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome to join us, boss,” Diego said.

Shea laughed. “Why would he do that? See you later, D.”

Raid had barely heard his lieutenant’s invitation, he’d been struck by her use of the endearment. He was still frowning when she slipped out. Shea had never used any kind of pet name for him before. Unsure if he wanted her to use it again, he was disconcerted that not only hadn’t it made him uncomfortable, but he’d actually liked it. Raid had never considered himself the kind of man who’d ever want to be anyone’s baby.

It didn’t help that Diego was smiling again when Raid did eventually pull himself back into the moment.

Seeing the flicker of humor on his lieutenant’s face, he straightened up and strengthened his glare. “Scratch that debrief, I’ll read your reports first. I think you need a drill this morning.”

“Yes, sir,” Diego said. The smile didn’t leave his face. “Does Shea need drilled or are you… handling that yourself? You putting her through her paces? Drilling her on a regular basis?”

If Raid could throw something at Diego, he would. Except, letting the man know he was getting to him wouldn’t help quell the truth he’d been fighting to ignore. But, that truth wasn’t going anywhere, Raid had to face it. Shea Bonne had gotten under his skin.

He’d endeavored to control his feelings for her while attempting to keep her in line. Accepting head every morning from a beautiful woman was just smart. Least that’s what he’d told himself every time she dropped to her knees and put her hand in his pants.

Raid wasn’t sure at which point she’d wheedled her way in. He was relieved that his number two had returned before his last vestige of control snapped. Graduating from her mouth to her pussy wouldn’t have been difficult. Shea had made it clear with each invitation she extended that she wanted to take things further in his shower or his bedroom. Avoiding that had been his way of maintaining some objectivity in their relationship. But, he wouldn’t have been able to refuse her for much longer.

With Diego in charge of her again, maybe, Raid could put some distance between his dick and her beautiful mouth and he could get back to being himself again… His survival might depend on it.