Twenty-Three

Ava

I stared down at the man next to me, sleeping soundly, and I wondered how he could ever be seen as a deadly, dangerous man. But I’d read his file—cover to cover—and I knew what types of business the syndicate took part in. I knew what type of deals he made. I knew about all the things they’d done—the brutality. The mayhem. Even the killing.

Yet, here with me, it was like he was an entirely different person than the one on paper. They were total strangers. They seemed to share a name but nothing else. Or so it seemed.

I knew it was a lie, but my brain couldn’t make sense of it. Couldn’t reconcile the two men I knew him to be. My heart argued that I knew the real him, while my brain and my experience as an FBI agent told me he was a criminal, wanted for a multitude of crimes, and that I needed to turn him in.

But the syndicate thought he was a snitch, meaning Flynn faced a lot more than simply jail time. Even behind bars, a snitch would likely end up dead. So by turning him in—before clearing his name—I would be condemning him to death. My heart ached imagining anything hurting the man I loved.

I knew Flynn wasn’t the snitch, they’d just assumed he was because he was with me. Because the Russians knew who I was, and before long, so would Flynn and his brothers. And this entire relationship—or whatever we had between us—would come crumbling down.

I had to clear his name, at least with his brothers and the Russians. Which meant only one thing—I needed to find out who the snitch was. And I needed to find out fast. Which was something I could do if I could get into the right databases. But I knew doing that would be illegal. Not only that, it would likely lead to that man’s—the actual snitch—death at the hands of his brothers. Not something I could take lightly.

I stared down at Flynn when he opened his eyes and saw me watching him.

“Hey, you,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. “How long have you been awake?”

“Not long,” I said. “Just a few minutes actually.”

“Can’t sleep?”

“Not really,” I admitted. “A lot on my mind.”

He positioned himself to where he was leaning on his arm, sleep still in his eyes. He yawned and gave me a goofy, sleepy grin. This was the violent criminal I’d been trying to hunt down like a rabid beast for so long? A man with bedhead and a smile that curled my toes and warmed my heart, even at stupid o’clock in the morning.

“Tell me about it,” he said. “What’s clogging up that pretty lil’ head of yours.”

“I’m just scared, that’s all,” I said. “Have you heard from any of your brothers? Have they said anything about it being safe?”

He sighed. “I texted Colin last night, but I haven’t checked my phone since you seduced me.”

Fuck… if he was in contact with the syndicate, he’d soon find out who I was. It worried me, and I could only hope it didn’t come out just yet.

My top priority? Find out who the snitch was. Both Flynn’s life—and my own—depended on it. And until I figured out who ratted them out, I needed to keep a lid on my identity as long as humanly possible.

If I knew who it was, I could probably work something out so the informant could get protection or something. Find some way so he could disappear and maybe even keep who I was a secret.

But I knew the first step was figuring out who it was. And I couldn’t do that curled up in bed with Flynn, as nice as it was. I would have loved to stay here all day, but I had work to do.

“Think they serve coffee or something for breakfast in the main cabin?” I asked.

“Why? You hungry?”

“A little,” I said, running a finger down his chest and admiring the view as a tingle of pleasure rippled through my body. “Last night took a lot out of me...”

“Yeah, and we didn’t really have dinner, did we?” He smiled a knowing smile. “Kind of just skipped to dessert.”

“That we did,” I said. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

Flynn kissed me before he rolled out of the bed. I admired the view of his naked, toned body as he threw on a pair of pants and pulled a shirt over his head. I was somewhat disappointed to see him cover himself up, but it was probably for the best. If I wanted to get back to work, I had to put my carnal cravings aside and focus.

“I saw a cafe down the block, I’ll just run down there and get us a little something. I’m sure it beats whatever they have here,” he said with a wink.

“You’re the best, baby,” I said, getting out of bed and standing on my tip toes to kiss him goodbye. This couldn’t have worked out more perfect if I’d planned it.

“Anything for you,” he said. And I believed he meant that, too.

That was the sad thing. There I was, planning to turn him over to the police eventually—once I found a way to prove his innocence with his brotherhood—but risk sending him to prison in the process. And yet, he was willing to get up at the crack of dawn to run down to the cafe on the corner to grab me some breakfast.

In an alternate universe, one where he didn’t turn out to be a mob kingpin, I would have said he’d make a pretty amazing boyfriend. But what did I know? I wasn’t exactly the best when it came to picking boyfriends.

I kissed him again, this time savoring the feeling of his lips on mine.

“Mmm, if you keep that up,” he said, holding me by the waist as he nuzzled my neck, “we may never eat again.”

I slapped him on the shoulder playfully and laughed. Though honestly, I’d have been fine with skipping coffee in favor of more sex. I just needed to be alone for a bit, needed a little time to dig up some info. And since Flynn had brought his laptop, I had planned on hopping on while he was out. My plan was to try hacking into the right database to get the information I desperately needed.

“Go,” I said. “Food. Coffee. I need nourishment.”

“I’ve got a little something you can nibble on,” he said, planting soft kisses on my neck.

“Go, heathen. Feed me,” I said, pushing him away and giggling like a schoolgirl.

He smiled and turned to go, so I slapped his tight ass as he walked to the door. God, he was so nice on the eyes. His body felt so amazing pressed against mine. And everything else? Completely fantastic. I bit my bottom lip and smiled as I admired the view as he walked out of the room and headed for his car, which was parked out front. As I stared at the closed door, I realized I could stare at him all day and not grow tired of it.

As soon as he was gone, I tore my thoughts away from that incredible body and tried to focus on the task at hand. Not an easy feat, but I managed. Rushing over to the desk, I grabbed his laptop and turned it on. I had no way of knowing how long I had before he came back, so I needed to work quickly. I was going to have to listen for his car so he didn’t sneak up on me while I was working away. I doubted the cafe would take long. Luckily, I knew exactly what I was doing.

With my heart pounding and a little jolt of adrenaline surging through me, I logged into the servers at my office and opened the police files. Technically, I was allowed access to all of the files since I was an FBI agent and this case fell under federal jurisdiction, but it still just felt wrong using it for personal gain, even if it wasn’t for something crooked or to turn a shady profit. But what choice did I have?

“Listen, Ava—once you do this, there’s no going back,” I said to myself out loud for no real reason. “Are you sure you want to go through with it?”

I took a deep breath, already knowing the answer to the question, and began digging through the files. The Wi-Fi in the hotel was incredibly slow, and my search was taking forever. Free Wi-Fi. What else did I expect in the middle of nowhere?

“Come on,” I muttered, clicking on the file that hopefully contained the information I was looking for.

I listened, carefully, as I read through the files, one-by-one. The sound of the hotel key in the lock sent a jolt of fear coursing through me almost stopping my heart in the process. In one swift motion, I slapped the laptop shut and ran into the bathroom. I realized that it could be housekeeping, so just in case it was, I figured it best to hide myself—I was still naked after all.

“Sorry, it’s just me,” I heard Flynn’s voice called out. “The manager said the cafe isn’t open anymore, it closed a few months back. But they did have donuts in the office. Donuts and coffee.”

I pretended to wash my hands before stepping out of the bathroom, leaning against the door frame.

“That should be just fine,” I said. “I didn’t hear your car pull up.”

“Yeah, decided it might be better to get it off the road and hide it, you know? Just in case. I didn’t realize we were right up on the highway,” he said, placing the donuts and coffee down on the table. He turned to me and looked my body over, smiling in appreciation. “You don’t seem like the type of woman who’d eat a lot of donuts.”

I almost wanted to make a cop joke, but I knew better. He was talking about my figure, of course. Because I had to be fit for my job, but that wasn’t to say I didn’t like to eat. I had quite the sweet tooth, in fact.

“Oh, I enjoy a good donut now and then,” I said.

“I doubt these are any good,” he said with a laugh. “But they’ll fill the void for now.”

“It’s okay, once we get cleaned up, we can head out for something to eat. Real food maybe,” I said with a smile.

But Flynn didn’t return the smile. Instead, he sat down on the bed, an inscrutable expression on his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Colin texted back last night,” he said. “He wants me to meet him somewhere. Said he wants to help me clear my name. Apparently, the guys think maybe the Russians knew something they didn’t and they’ve been talking, but Colin says he knows it’s bullshit.”

“And you trust him? Your friend?” I asked. “Colin, I mean.”

I rifled through the bag and grabbed a chocolate sprinkle donut and took a bite. He was right, the donuts weren’t that great. They were edible, but that was about the best I could say for them. Like he said, they’d fill the void for now.

“I’d trust him with my life,” he said. “He’s my cousin, but we were raised together for the most part. He’s as much as a brother to me as Aidan is.”

Oh yeah, Aidan O’Brien. The younger brother who didn’t get mentioned that often. He was the brother who seemed to walk the straight and narrow while his older brother followed in their father’s footsteps. Knowing there was such a difference between them, it made me wonder what happened that had made these two take such wildly different paths in life. What was it that had made them both so different from one another?

Of course, I was admittedly, making plenty of assumptions. It wasn’t like I actually knew all that much about his brother, except that he was a defense lawyer with a clean record. From what I gathered, he mostly kept to himself and lived a relatively quiet life. He was a very private man. Not that I blamed him, considering the reputation that was associated with his name and all.

“Okay, so where are we meeting him?” I asked. “And when?”

“You’re not meeting anyone, my sweet Ava,” he said. “Me. I’m meeting him, and I’m going alone. No need to involve you in any of this. At least, not more than you already are. It’s safer that way. I want to be sure you’re safe.”

“Is he coming here?” I pressed. “To Missouri?”

Flynn nodded. “Yeah, he’s already on his way.”

I felt my heart stutter in my chest. He’d told Colin where we were. For some reason, that scared me. I knew my fear was probably because while I trusted Flynn, I didn’t trust his friends. And I especially didn’t trust his relatives. The O’Brien clan was, after all, filled with criminals and killers. A healthy dose of caution and paranoia was probably the right and proper response.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I tried to sound casual and unaffected as I tossed the rest of the donut back on the paper plate and went over to Flynn. “Letting him know where we’re at, I mean. What if he tells the others?”

“He won’t,” Flynn said, taking my hand in his and kissing it. “I told Colin to not tell a soul. Made him swear to it. We’re safe, Ava. I promise you that. Colin and I will figure out this whole damn mess, and we can get you back to your ever so exciting and wild life as an administrative assistant.”

He winked at the last bit, a subtle jab at my fake occupation. He didn’t know I was a trained federal agent able to defend myself if needed. Which was probably why he figured I’d be safer here than with him. Chivalry was not dead after all, apparently.

I glanced over at the laptop, hoping Flynn wouldn’t grab it or look at it until after I’d cleared the search history. Of course, if he opened it up, I was busted anyway, search history or not. I still had my server up and open, with the documents accessible. Just one glance and he’d know something was up. He was a smart man and would figure out exactly what I did for a living.

“So, when are you leaving?” I asked, pretending to pout.

“Soon. He got on the road as soon as I’d texted him late last night. But don’t you worry, I’ll be back shortly, sweetheart,” he said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at me. “And I still need to shower before I go, care to join me?”

I smiled seductively. “How could I say no to that?”

I helped Flynn undress, and since I was still naked, I didn’t have to worry about that part of things. The shower was small and cramped, not the easiest for two people to fit comfortably inside. But we struggled and squirmed, eventually making it work. Where there is a will, there is a way. Squeezing into that sardine can of a shower just meant standing extra close to him, my body pressed hard against his. Not that I complained. Not in the slightest.

Of course, as soon as the water was on, pouring down over us, and the steam was billowing up in big, fluffy clouds, the kissing started. He lathered my body up with soap that smelled like cool mountain air, courtesy of the hotel, and then I did the same for him. With our skin soapy and slippery, we ran our hands over each other’s bodies, exploring one another—touching, massaging, and lathering on even more soap as we kissed and nibbled each other’s lips. He moved slightly and pressed me against the shower wall. His large, strong body held me firmly in place, and I felt his cock come to life, pressing into my belly.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to have shower sex in here,” I laughed. “There isn’t much room to do anything in here.”

“Oh really now? Is that a challenge?” Flynn asked as he shot me a mischievous look.

“I’d rather not break a bone,” I said. “Plus, do we have time for that? Won’t Colin be here soon?”

My body argued that we had more than enough time. I wanted him, I always wanted him. But I needed to be practical here. I needed to cage the lustful beast inside of me and focus on the bigger picture and practicality of the whole situation.

“I guess we’ll just have to compromise then,” he said, dropping down to his knees before I could stop him.

He pushed me against the wall and gently spread my legs before giving me a wink and a devilish smile. He leaned forward, slipping his tongue between my lips, tickling my clit and making my knees weak. Flynn held me steady as he sucked on my pussy just hard enough to make me gasp in surprise.

Flynn worked his magic with his mouth, sucking and licking my pussy, fucking me with his tongue, all while the warm water streamed down over our bodies somehow magnifying and intensifying the sensations coursing through my body. My hands were in his wet hair, and I found myself pushing his head deeper into me, yearning for his tongue in my deepest, most sensitive parts. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to last very long, not with his skill and my need for him burning out of control.

My legs started to wobble as the fire inside me burned ever higher. Every inch of me ablaze for him, and it was like electrical circuits had been attached to my every nerve ending and were going crazy throughout. It was wave after wave of intense sensation, and it shook me to the very core with pleasure until I just exploded, screaming his name and going as limp as a ragdoll in Flynn’s arms. But he held me up and didn’t stop as I said his name over and over again, “Flynn, oh God, Flynn...”

It wasn’t until I went truly limp and the spasms that shook my body eased as my orgasm subsided, that he stood up, letting me fall into his arms. My face was plastered against his chest as I struggled to catch my breath. I looked up at him and smiled.

“Jesus Christ, you’re going to be the death of me,” I wheezed.