Vi collapsed into her favorite chair in the living room and glanced at the door. All her friends were on their way. It’d been a crazy, busy day at The Arsenal in more ways than one. Families had been settled, which had taken all morning and into the early afternoon. Marshall tabled debriefing until the morning because she and Mary needed to let HERA catch up on processing everything on The Collective.

They’d used the time to question Jian. Fallon and Gage both took a go at the man, but he’d remained steadfastly silent.

Until Jud walked in the room.

The man spewed like a broken fire hydrant as long as Jud was in the room. It was almost funny if it wasn’t so pathetic and terrifying. She wanted to know what the hell went down in Rome to crumble a man that quick, but she was better off never knowing. That was a different time. A different Jud.

She believed him when he’d said as much.

She’d endured an awkward, downright stilted lunch with very little conversation with her parents and brother. Then she and the girls had all spent a few hours working with the information spewing from HERA. She’d opted to leave her family to their own for dinner and was now ready to call the exhaustive day done.

But her friends needed an escape, a debriefing of their little niche group. She hadn’t been the only one who’d had a rotten day. Laughter tumbled from outside the entryway. The Pentagon entourage entered. Their boisterous merriment felt a bit out of place for a few moments, especially when her gaze lit on Rhea. Her friend was having troubles and hoarding them, like a dragon afraid to leave the lair. That wasn’t good, but Vi didn’t have the mental energy to ferret out another problem, not now. Riley and Mary plopped down on either side of her. Her best friend had a smile twenty miles wide on her face and, for once, Vi suspected it was because of more than Dylan being awesome and life being better.

She took her laptop and click-clacked away as everyone claimed their spaces. Riley, Bree and Rhea huddled up on the sofa while Mary and Addy took the small loveseat.

“You all okay?” she asked.

“Well, after you left, things in the lobby of The Arsenal got mighty interesting,” Mary commented. “I watched with Dylan and the guys. You’ve gotta check this out.”

“Maybe this isn’t the smartest idea,” Riley said. “He was really intense with her parents.”

Jud. She’d wondered how things went with him and her parents after she left, but she hadn’t found the time or the willpower to find out via the recorded surveillance.

“Really?” Bree asked excitedly.

“Show us,” Addy ordered.

Vi’s chest tightened as Mary took her computer and pulled up the feeds. Surveillance footage from the visitor’s lobby filled her laptop screen. Jud stood there, his gaze intent and focused on her as she wandered down the hall in all her flip-flop glory.

“Wow, I wish I had a man look at me like that,” Bree commented.

“Like what?” Vi asked.

“Like you’re dessert and he hasn’t eaten in a year,” Rhea returned quickly.

The warmth spread, deeper and more intense than before. She delved into the intensity wafting from him as he turned, focused on her parents. “You don’t know me, so I’ll be polite this one time. This is a one-sided conversation where I set you straight. Then one of these guys, whichever can stand to be around you any longer, is going to escort you to your room and you two are gonna sit in there with your drunk son and think on what I said.”

“You don’t.” Her father froze as Jud took a menacing step forward.

“Shut it,” he growled. “You will never speak to Viviana like that ever again. I don’t give a damn if she comes in wearing a dress made of bubblegum and her hair is a ratty mess, you will say nothing. You will never, ever demean her and talk down to her the way I just heard you do.”

Jud looked back at the guys.

“Thinking they may not know what that means,” Dallas commented.

“Right. I’ll be specific. You don’t ever talk about her making mistakes and not being normal. Every single man in this room, fuck, this entire compound, probably owes their lives to her and her brilliance for one reason or another. I know one man who wakes every morning and thanks God for being touched with her brilliance. She pulled him and his entire convoy out of hell and gave him hope that his boy, who was blessed with the same brilliant light as your daughter, could be like her one day. Then fifteen years later, she guided these good men around you back into another hellhole and did it all over again. She led eight teams on a mission so large and damn near impossible, I doubt anyone on this planet could’ve done better than her and her partner. I’d crawl through the bowels of hell to protect her and I’m pretty sure every person in this compound would as well.”

A couple of the girls gasped at the declaration. Vi’s eyes watered.

“I have no idea how Viviana managed to come out of a rat’s nest like your world and be so beautiful, brilliant and perfect in every way. I don’t know your daughter anywhere near as well as I want to, but I can tell you this. For this last mission alone I’d put a bullet in anyone’s brain stem for half the shit you said to her today. I don’t know what twisted world you live in that makes her less of a person than the waste of drunk space in the corner, but I do know this. Had I known you’d come into her world, one where every second of her time is so precious she sacrifices her own health and sleep to keep us breathing, and disrespect her like you just did, I would’ve left you to the vultures.”

Oh. My. Wow.

Vi sat there stunned as the silence ticked by through the feed a little while. One of Dylan’s brothers whistled.

“Now, to make sure I make myself perfectly clear, you’re going to keep breathing because your daughter has made this the safest place on this Earth bar none. Whatever issues you might think you have with her died at the entry to this compound if you want to keep breathing. If that’s a problem for you, then I’ll take you back to the airport myself. I’m half a mind to do it anyway, because I doubt very much you can keep those viperous tongues in your mouths.” He closed in another step. “Since you apparently forgot to pack your manners, I’ll kindly request you keep your mouths sealed shut if you can’t be civil around my parents. If you think I’m being an asshole right now, you don’t want to see what I become if they get even a taste of what you gave your girl today.”

Jud turned and stormed out the door.

Mary clicked off the feed and wiped her eyes. “Holy crap. That was so hot.”

“Wow.”

Addy nodded in approval.

Vi couldn’t believe he’d chewed them out. “I-I’m not sure what to say. They didn’t even say anything that bad.”

“Honey,” Riley whispered. “Seriously?”

“It’s been too shitty of a day to dreg those waters,” Vi said honestly. “But thank you for showing this to me.”

“He’s got your back,” Mary said.

“He’s not the only one. I guarantee there’s no way anyone will let you be alone with them,” Addy stated.

Vi was glad in a lot of ways. Things between them grew worse ever since her sophomore year at MIT, when she mistakenly invited them to a special awards ceremony dinner thrown in her honor. The entire night had been a train wreck of epic proportions. She and Mary had bonded, gotten even closer after the horrid night. They’d declared themselves the misfits of MIT. She smiled at the memory and hugged her friend close. “I love you all.”

“Okay, tomorrow we’ll conquer the list.” Bree narrowed her gaze. “Don’t give me that look. We all know you have one and it’s probably massive.”

She didn’t bother denying it. “HERA should be done by then. Marshall has a debriefing early in the morning.”

“Do you want to talk about the paperwork?” Mary asked.

“What paperwork?” Rhea asked.

“Jud filled out the profile sheets for us,” Mary explained as she pulled them from her bag. “I haven’t looked at them.”

Unease filled her as she took them. She couldn’t explain why, but she didn’t want to share the piece of himself he’d offered up. It felt wrong.

“I think our girl needs rest more than she needs to mull over what we already know. Jud is a hell of an operative, one who’d do anything for her. That’s all I need to know,” Addy said as she stood. “Now y’all get ready so we can watch a movie, eat more crap than we should and drink ourselves into a new day.”

Vi hadn’t realized how much she needed the support of her friends until she’d already gotten it. Seeing her parents after so long had been a blow, but she’d done the right thing by bringing them here. She might never be the daughter they wanted, but she still loved them. And that’d be enough because she had started to realize it didn’t matter if they never returned the love she offered. She had a new family forming at The Arsenal.

* * *

Someone was in her house. More specifically, someone was in her bedroom. She remained frozen in place, curled underneath the covers and contemplated her options. One loud scream and Addy would handle the rest.

Excellent idea.

She flung the covers back, sat up in bed and…

A hand covered her mouth, stifling the scream rolling from her. She kicked and punched, but an arm wrapped around her, locking her into place with a laughable ease. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the dark as she heard her name in a husky whisper near her ear.

“It’s me, Viviana.”

She punched Jud and shoved away. Her breaths rushed in a ragged tempo as he flicked a light on. His half-hooded gaze slid down her briefly, then returned to her face. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I came to make sure you were okay.”

“You were worried enough to check on me, so you break into my house in the middle of the night and sneak into my bedroom? You’re scaring the shit out of me to make sure I’m okay?”

“Now that you put it that way…” He stroked her face and offered a faint smile. “Didn’t think much past wanting to make sure you were okay.”

Okay, that was way sweet. Her anger melted away beneath the quiet honesty layered within his words. “I’m guessing you don’t usually do things without thinking ten steps ahead.”

“It’s not smart,” he admitted. “But I did say I was coming, Viviana. Remember?”

“Oh. I didn’t believe you,” she whispered. She was suddenly too aware of the thin spaghetti top and shorts, the same ones she’d worn in the kitchen when he’d tasted her sass for breakfast.

Was he here to taste her sass again? She licked her lips and remained silent, unsure what to say. Sexy, muscled bad asses didn’t drop in to check on her in the middle of the night.

“Viviana.” Her name was more of a warning than a plea.

“Sorry, I’m nervous. I’m not sure why. I didn’t expect you just to break in and check on me. It’s sweet in a totally stalkerish kind of way.” She smiled. “You okay?”

“That’s my line,” he replied.

“I’m better than expected. Seeing my parents again was a shock,” she admitted. “I saw what you did. Mary sort of snagged the footage and shared it.”

“I figured she would. I was hard on them, probably should’ve been easier on my delivery.”

“No. They don’t listen. You were effective, which is way more than I’ve ever been.” Failure. The word summarized her entire existence as far as her parents were concerned.

“You’re a beautiful, brilliant woman, Viviana. Don’t ever let their stupidity make you think otherwise.” He ran his thumb across her lips. “Mom and Dad loved you.”

Her pulse quickened. Something in her unfurled at the notion his parents had liked her. The time she’d spent with them had been a bit awkward at first, but once she realized they weren’t judging her every little action, looking for reasons not to like her, she’d basked beneath their curiosity and interest. “They’re awesome.”

He smiled, a full-on smile that hit his eyes. “Yeah, they are.”

“Your mom and Momma Mason have a lot in common. If we aren’t careful they’ll take over the compound, turn it into the world’s largest kitchen and feed the universe.”

“I heard they started that endeavor,” he said. “Mom’s got the lay of the land now, understands she can interact with people here, but needs to keep her distance, too. She’s good at reading people.”

“Is that where you got it from?”

His eyes glimmered in the pale light coming from the bedside lamp. “You’re easy to read when you’re outside Command Central, Viviana.”

“Oh? What am I thinking?” She licked her lips.

“You’re thinking it’s time for me to take another shot of sass. You’re damn near brimming over with it, aren’t you?”

“It has been hard keeping it contained. I wouldn’t want your parents to think badly of me.” The admission tumbled from her. Why their opinion mattered made perfect sense to her, but it wasn’t something she wanted to explain to anyone.

She’d already failed one set of parents.

“That’s impossible,” he declared softly.

“Right, of course. I’m Quillery, the woman who saved Danny.”

“No, you’re Viviana, the woman who has their son twisted up for the first time in his life.”

“You’re twisted up?” Her gaze settled on his t-shirt, a snug hunter green number that brought out the gray in his eyes. “Is that good, or bad?”

“I’m thinking it’s good.” His lips feathered against hers. “Now about that taste.”

She grabbed his head and sealed their lips. Mint with a hint of whiskey. She moaned and flicked her tongue across his lips. He opened, took control of the kiss in a carnal fusion of tongues. They wrestled tongues, then bodies as he sprawled her onto her back. His weight against her ignited an ache within her.

It’d been too long.

The kiss turned slow, playful. She growled and grabbed at his shirt. Heat greeted her palms when she settled them beneath the material. All that existed was the fiery kiss and the commanding way he guided the moment, kept her wanton for more while giving her exactly what she needed.

Vi couldn’t think, couldn’t function beyond relishing the way her skin tingled beneath his fingertips as they ran down her neck, across her shoulders. Heat suffused where he kissed along the same trail.

“So beautiful,” he whispered against her shoulder.

She growled her frustration and yanked at the shirt again. “Off.”

He chuckled and took it off. She memorized the wounds along his torso. Long gouges along his ribcage. Bullet wounds. Stab wounds. “Shit.”

“Viviana.” The guttural plea spurred her desire, made her almost believe she really did have him twisted up. She kissed the first wound, just above his right nipple. She meandered south and suckled the bud. She craved his mouth on her in the same way. Would he graze her with his teeth, nibble firm enough to make her gasp? She laved the nub and peeked up through half-hooded eyes as she gave him the contact she craved.

The hungry look on his face almost made her lose focus. Pupils dilated, he ran his fingers through her hair and dragged her away.

“Hey, I wasn’t done.”

“I see you’re part minx,” he teased.

“Told you I was a cat person,” she shot back. She yanked and tugged, but he pinned her against the bed.

Amusement flickered in his gaze as it settled on her. Breathing labored, she remained still as his fingertips continued the meandering path they’d set upon earlier, the one she’d waylaid with her own exploration.

“I’ve fantasized about having a taste of you there a long time, Viviana.” He tugged the material covering her chest down. Agonizingly slow.

She held her breath and grasped at his hand, suddenly too aware of her imperfections, the bulges of fat on her where only sinewy flesh was on him. The pudges where he had none. The playful glimmer in his gaze stifled the doubts. This once she’d not worry, live in the moment rather than in her head.

“Don’t move, minx, or I’ll have to tie you up,” he taunted.

Pleasure pooled between her legs at the thought. He chuckled, a low rumble of knowing that made her too aware of the barely-there material between her and him. Thank goodness he had jeans on or he’d know how aroused she was.

The wandering hand pulled the material over her breast, fully exposing her. He kissed and licked around her breast, the swell, the side, everywhere but where she wanted the heat of his mouth. She writhed and shifted beneath him, but his other hand worked in tandem with his body to keep her pinned into place, at his mercy.

Heat encompassed her nipple as his mouth laid claimed to her. A moan escaped her. Foreplay hadn’t ever ignited her desire. It’d always been a grope here, a pinch there. Nothing spectacular. He repeated the agonizing homage to her other breast. He cupped and massaged while he nibbled and sucked her nipple.

“Judson.”

He groaned and dragged her down the bed. Their mouths collided. A battle ensued, one she was too lost in sensation to fully understand. He severed the contact with a lick on her lips. He smiled down at her. “So beautiful and passionate.”

Shocked, she watched as he pulled her camisole top back up and stretched out behind her. Spooning? Too confused to speak, she lay there a moment. Her entire body throbbed. Ached for…she squirmed. His hand locked around her waist. Hot breath fanned along her neck.

He’d stopped.

“I hear your beautiful mind spinning a million miles an hour,” he whispered in her ear. “Settle down, babe. You need rest.”

Rest? Was he serious? Her entire body was a live wire, one he’d turned on and then abandoned. Rest?

He chuckled.

“You’re a little hellcat, so passionate.” He nibbled her earlobe until she leaned against him, deepening the contact. “I’m not gonna rush this, not with you. You’re a gift I’m going to unwrap slowly, savor.”

Okay, that was hot. And sweet. Unsure how to respond, she laid in his arms and enjoyed the moment. Being held rocked.