CHAPTER 24
Gavin
The last few weeks had flown by, and with each passing day, I realized that there could be nothing better than waking up every morning with Charlie in my arms. I still couldn’t believe I’d told her everything there was to know about me—and furthermore, I couldn’t believe she wasn’t fazed by what I’d done, and could somehow see past it all. Yet it would appear that, now that we’d finally gotten brave enough to let one another into our pasts, it was as if we could finally let it go and move beyond it all.
It’s not that we didn’t still carry the burden of our guilt. We did. She’d never fully forgive herself for her brother’s death, just like I’d never fully forgive myself for raping my best friend. Things like that, they left their mark deep on your soul, blackening it with a spot that was impossible to wipe clean. It would always be there, a part of you that you couldn’t really escape.
Yet that didn’t mean we couldn’t move on from the things that haunted us. And now that I had Charlie in my life, it felt like I was getting a second chance, and I’d be damned if I was going to squander this opportunity to finally be happy. But there was more to consider, because I wasn’t the only one here.
I had to be better for her.
I had to be the man she deserved—and then some.
Because the poor girl had been through enough, and was struggling with demons of her own. She didn’t need me pulling her down when I should be the one lifting her up—and I would. I’d do just that, so she’d never spend another day feeling unloved, she’d never spend another day doubting her worth or questioning her existence. I’d lay the moon and the stars at her feet to show her that she meant the world to me.
It didn’t matter that I hadn’t known her long. She’d quickly become my everything, stealing my heart and making it so I could no longer deny that I was head over heels in love with her.
With her still asleep in my arms, and her naked body nestled against mine, I kissed the top of her head, hoping that she felt how much she was loved, even in her sleep. Her lips curled into a content smile, and then her eyes drifted half open as she started to stir awake, her voice still thick and lazy with sleep. “Morning…”
It’d been nearly two weeks since I first took her to my bed and made her mine—and though I’d given her enough time to heal after our first time together, there’d been no holding me back afterwards. Not now that I had her in my system. She was the blood that pounded through my heart, the air I breathed, and my very sustenance. And the truth was, her sexual appetite was just as voracious as mine, almost as if now that we’d found each other, we were making up for lost time.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart… I didn’t mean to wake you.” Yet instead of letting her go back to sleep, my hands drifted down the small of her back to her voluptuous ass, cupping her cheeks in my hands as I pulled her to me and caught her mouth in a kiss.
I’d never get my fill of her. And she was all mine.
Yet the moment the dogs realized we were awake, they were desperate to go out.
I groaned, loathe to leave Charlie when she was warm and naked, and far too tempting, though I knew there’d be no stopping the howls of protest if I ignored the pups. “I’ll be right back.”
“Actually, let me come with you. I wouldn’t mind taking a morning hike. I’ve been feeling a bit cooped up, and the dogs could do with a good run.” She hopped out of bed and though she was quickly throwing on some clothes, I couldn’t help but stop what I was doing to take her in.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous, Charlie… I hope you know that.” And she was. She was fucking perfect. There wasn’t a single thing I’d change.
“You’re biased.” She laughed, waving me away as I grabbed her, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to me. “And you’re still naked.”
“So you noticed.” I nipped at her bottom lip and then kissed her, my tongue sweeping over hers in a hunger that would never cease.
Not that the dogs were going to be patient. They knew there’d be no stopping us once we got started, so they voiced their protest until Charlie finally broke our kiss, laughing. “They know us all too well.”
“I guess that means I should get dressed.” I groaned in protest, but before long, the dogs were running out into the brisk air as we followed behind them, her hand fitting perfectly in mine.
The perimeter was secured, so we’d only get so far, but the area was still large enough to afford us a decent hike. There was something about the fresh mountain air that seemed to calm my soul—which was exactly why I’d bought myself a cabin in the mountains not too unlike the one we were staying in. I didn’t stay there as often as I liked, but knowing how much Charlie enjoyed this cabin, I couldn’t wait to take her to my place and snuggle up in front of a fire with her in my arms.
But first, we needed to sort out this mess with the virus. I hated that her life may still be in jeopardy, and not a moment went by that I didn’t worry about her.
“I swear, it’s so peaceful up here… it’s so easy to forget that someone wants me dead. I’m going to miss this place when it’s time to go.” When Charlie let out a weary sigh, I stopped walking and pulled her into my arms.
“This will all be over soon, love. And then… we can get on with our lives. Together.” There was no way I was letting her go. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. She’d quickly become an integral part of my life, and I needed her more than I needed the air I breathed.
“You really mean that?” I couldn’t believe she looked surprised.
“Sweetness… I clearly haven’t done a good enough job in showing you just what you mean to me. Because if you think this thing between us is coming to an end as soon as you’re safe, you can guess again. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go.” My words were but a growl as I cupped her face and ran my thumb over her plump ruby red lips. Unable to resist her, I stole a kiss that left me tempted to throw her over my shoulder and haul her back to bed so I could ravish her thoroughly. My tongue clashed with hers, our kiss deepening, so that by the time we managed to come up for air, my head was spinning and my heart was hammering inside my chest. With my eyes locked on hers, I spoke the words that now marked my soul. “I love you, Charlie… I think I’ve loved you from the moment I first laid eyes on you.”
“I love you too, Gavin. I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have you in my life.” She threw her arms around my neck and held onto me as I buried my face in the crook of her neck, holding her tightly to me.
“I’m the lucky one, love.” The luckiest man alive now that I had Charlie in my life.
We walked hand in hand back towards the house when my phone started buzzing—and given that no one but the FBI had this number, it wasn’t a call I was willing to ignore. A shot of adrenaline sent my pulse racing as I pulled Charlie to a stop and dug out my phone.
“Hey… Tell me you have good news, Lou.” ‘Cause if he didn’t, then I knew the alternative reason for his call likely wasn’t any good.
The tone of Lou’s voice immediately told me we were in trouble. “I’m sorry, Gavin. I’ve got my men on their way to move you and Charlie to another location. They’ll explain everything once it’s safe to do so. Our suspect is in the wind, and if your position’s been compromised, then I don’t want to take any risks.”
“Fuck. We’ll be ready in five.” I was already pulling Charlie towards the house, motioning with a tilt of my head to let her know that we had to get going. I hung up just as we walked into the cabin and headed straight for the bedroom so we could grab our things. “They’re moving us to a new location.”
She looked stunned. “Where?”
“I don’t know, love. But they’ll keep us safe. I’ll keep you safe.” I quickly stuffed whatever we had into a duffle bag. I hated that Charlie looked so scared, and though we had little time to spare, I took a moment to pull her into my arms and hold her to me. “I swear it’ll be okay, love. I don’t want you worrying about anything.”
She nodded, trying to put on a brave face, though it was clear she was still shaken up. “I know you’ll protect me. I just still can’t believe this is happening.”
It’d been easy to forget the sort of trouble she was in when we’d been safely cocooned in each other’s arms, tucked away in a warm and cozy cabin, high in the mountains. But the danger was all too real—and getting all the more real with each passing moment.
The knock on the door sent Charlie jumping into my arms in a panic. I kissed the top of her head. “I need you to stay here—the dogs will keep you safe. It’s likely just our FBI detail coming to move us. But if you hear anything out of the norm, head into the woods.”
“I’m not leaving without you, Gavin. I can’t.” She grabbed my arm, her eyes wide with fear.
“Nothing’s going to keep me from you, sweetheart. But I need to get the door before they bust it down.” I hated having to let her go, but the pounding was getting louder. Luckily, she nodded and took a step back as I shifted my focus, my mind and body automatically going into survival mode, hating that I didn’t have my surveillance equipment.
I grabbed the gun from the nightstand, quickly checked it, and headed to the door, relieved to see Beck and Weston, our current FBI detail. I let them in before locking up behind them. “Lou called. What the hell happened?”
“We need to go.” Weston wasn’t exactly talkative, though I couldn’t blame him. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah… let me get Charlie.” The moment she spotted me, she leapt into my arms, and fucking hell, it felt good to hold her. “It’s okay, love. They’re just moving us as a precaution.”
I grabbed our bags, hefting them over my shoulder before grabbing her hand, needing her to know that I was right there by her side, and she wasn’t alone in all this. We were ushered into the back seat as the dogs were put into the back of the massive bullet-proof SUV, and then moments later we were rushing down the road with Charlie tucked in at my side.
“What the hell happened?” I needed to know just how big the threat was. Was the threat imminent or was this really just a precaution?
Beck shook his head, looking more frustrated than worried. “We caught the hitman. Set up a decoy of Charlie to trap him—and it worked, too. Got him to flip on his boss—Khasanov, a Chechen operative with deep pockets and ties to several terrorist groups. He’s been stateside, conducting business, so we issued a warrant for his arrest. But… he managed to slip through our net, and now he’s in the wind. We’re not sure if he knows Charlie’s location, and chances are good he won’t bother to come after her when we’re breathing down his neck. But we’re not taking any chances. Honestly, this move is just a precaution on the off chance he decides to try anything.”
I was relieved that this was more of a precaution than an outright threat. And hopefully it meant this nightmare would soon be over for Charlie. “If you already have the hitman and he’s willing to talk, then that means you have two people who can testify against this guy… Khasanov. Right? Does that mean that they’re less likely to come after Charlie?”
Beck shrugged, shifting in his seat to face us. “We hope so. There’s a good chance that Khasanov will just try to get out of the country and head back to his home country. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if he decided that he’s better off cutting his losses here. But I’m not sure we’ll find him before he leaves the country, since I doubt he’s been hanging around, waiting for us to find him.”
“But what about the virus?” Charlie shook her head, anger in her eyes. “There’s so much unrest in that part of the world. He’ll either use the virus to further his own causes, or sell it to the highest bidder, right? We can’t let that happen. The virus will kill indiscriminately. Women, children, innocent people… they’ll all die.”
I tightened my hold on her, hating to see her upset, though trying to right all the wrongs in the world felt like an impossible task. “Unfortunately, some people don’t think past lining their pockets, even if it means they’re doing so with the blood of innocent people. But you stopped him, Charlie. Chances are good they never got to finish their plans for the virus because you spoke up when you realized that something was wrong. You now have him on the run.”
She shook her head no. “I was just doing my job, Gavin. You’re the one who’s gone well out of your way to save people.”
“Sweetheart, you’re the one who saved me.”