17. Brie

CHAPTER 17

Brie

For a moment, Nik Kusek is kissing me back, her lips moving under mine, her hand trailing up my arm?—

And then she stops.

She presses me back from her mouth gently with a hand on my shoulder. "We should try to get some sleep," she murmurs. "You went through a lot tonight."

"But—"

"Brie. I'm not going to take advantage of you."

"You think you're taking advantage of me?" I give a short laugh. "I've wanted you since the moment you walked into that meeting room behind Eva Novak like some…dangerous dark wraith ."

There's a short silence, and I wonder what Nik is thinking. I find out pretty fast.

"I need you to do what I'm telling you, Brie, and go to sleep. In the morning…" She lets out a small breath. "Let's just wait until morning."

"The morning isn't going to make me want you less," I tell her stubbornly, but all she does is steadily turn me around until I'm the little spoon, and wrap an arm around me.

Staring into the darkness, my eyes sting with sudden tears. For the first time since Terry died, I feel…

I feel safe.

Even from myself.

I stir awake, momentarily disoriented. But then the events of the previous night come rushing back. The attack. The escape. The kiss .

Heat rises in my cheeks as I remember throwing myself at Nik last night, and her gentle rejection.

Oh, God.

The bedroom door creaks open, and Nik enters, balancing two steaming mugs of coffee. Her hair is damp from a shower, and she's dressed in fresh clothes—a simple black t-shirt and jeans that look effortlessly stylish on her, even though I bet she was only thinking about practicality when she picked them out.

"Morning," she says, her voice neutral as she hands me a mug. "Thought you could use this."

I sit up, accepting the coffee gratefully and wrapping my hands around the just-right warmth of the mug. I take a sip and find it perfectly made, strong and smooth, with just a hint of sweetness.

She knows how I like my coffee.

"Thank you," I say softly, my eyes meeting hers over the rim of the mug. "For everything. The coffee, keeping me safe last night, and…" I trail off, feeling heat rise to my cheeks again. "I'm so sorry about last night. I shouldn't have put you in that position."

Nik shakes her head, but I feel like a shutter has come down over her eyes. "You have nothing to apologize for. It was an intense night. Emotions were running high."

She perches on the edge of the bed, her own mug cradled in her hands. The morning sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows catches the highlights in her dark hair, turning some of the strands to burnished copper. For a moment, I'm mesmerized by the play of light and shadow across her features, the strong line of her jaw, the curve of her neck.

"Still," I insist, "I shouldn't have put you in that position. You're here to protect me, not…well, you know."

Nik's eyes meet mine, and for a moment, the intensity of her gaze takes my breath away. "It's okay, Brie. Really."

We fall into silence, sipping our coffee. I'm acutely aware of Nik's presence, the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathes, the way her fingers curl around her mug, the cozy smell of the coffee.

Outside, the desert stretches off into the horizon, sand and scrub brush painted in shades of ochre and burnt sienna. It's beautiful in its own stark, unforgiving way.

Rather like Nik Kusek.

I shift slightly, and the silk of my nightgown whispers against my skin. Nik's eyes flick to the movement, then quickly away. "Nik?" I say.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not in shock anymore."

"Okay." She sounds cautious.

But also hopeful.

"So when I tell you now that I want you…will you believe me?" I set my cup down and watch her. All she does is give a slight nod. "And…will you do something about it?"

Nik's eyes darken as she sets her own mug aside. For a long moment, she just looks at me, her gaze intense and searching. I feel exposed under her scrutiny, but I don't look away. I want her to see the truth of my desire, my need.

Finally, she moves. She crawls up beside me on the bed, movements like a panther, and cups my cheek. "You sure about this?"

I lean into her touch. "One hundred percent certain."

That's all it takes. Her lips land on mine in a slow but searing kiss. It's nothing like the desperate, adrenaline-fueled encounter I tried to initiate last night. This is slow, deliberate, electric. Her tongue traces my lips as I open to her eagerly, teasing me. And then her hand slides down my side, over the curve of my waist, and down to my thigh. She rolls onto her side and pulls me close, so that I feel her warmth envelop me as the kiss changes, becomes more urgent.

She runs her hand up my leg while her mouth moves down, kissing me on the neck, biting softly. My body tingles all over and I'm so wet already I think I might slide off the damn bed. One of her hands finds its way between us, cupping my core, kneading the satin of my nightgown into my soaked pussy. I gasp into her lips, spreading my legs for her in a sign to go further.

She pulls the gown up and slides a finger over my bare, slippery seam as I arch against her. Her finger circles slowly, slowly, until I make a plaintive noise. And finally she takes pity on me, those maddening fingers finding my clit, and I gasp again.

Her lips brush against my ear. "You're all wet," she whispers, but her voice is rough. "Is this what I do to you?"

I nod, unable to speak. Her finger speeds up, rubbing against my clit in a rhythm that is driving me crazy. I pull away enough to look her in the eye. "Take off your clothes—please?—"

She moves away to strip off as fast as she can, though I reach after her, missing her warmth, but she's back again within moments, her small breasts pushing against mine under my satin slip when she leans in to kiss me again. Her tongue slides into my mouth, matching the rhythm of her fingers that are back teasing me again. I whimper, unable to contain the sounds that escape me.

And then those fingers are pushing into me, filling me up, the sensation intense—but still not enough. She starts moving her fingers in and out slowly, circling my clit with her thumb, and I moan. "You like this?" she asks.

"I need more," I beg, and she gives that small, pleased smile that makes my heart skip. She adds another finger, and another, stretching me in the most exquisite way. My hips buck up to meet her touch, and I grip the sheets, the fabric bunching up in my sweaty palms.

Her breath is hot against my skin, her body pressed up against mine as her lips move down my neck. I rock my hips into her, fuck myself on her hand as she watches, encourages me with smiles and kisses. I'm lost in sensation, my body on fire as Nik works me closer and closer to the edge. Her fingers curl inside me, hitting that perfect spot, and I cry out, beyond caring how loud I am.

"That's it," Nik purrs in my ear. "Let me hear you, beautiful. I want to hear every sound you make."

Her words send another jolt of arousal through me. I grab her ass, pulling her tight against me as I grind shamelessly on her hand. "Don't stop," I pant. "Please don't fucking stop."

The heel of her hand is rubbing against my clit now with perfect pressure. I'm trembling, right on the precipice, when she pulls her fingers out of me, sucking on them while she looks into my eyes.

"Not fair," I gasp out.

She just smirks. "You taste just as good as you look. So good. But I think I need it from the source." She pushes me onto my back and yanks my nightgown right up so that she can fondle my tits for a moment. "Oh, God," she sighs. "These are…fucking perfect."

"I know, right?" I grin, and then giggle as she flicks my nipple in mock-punishment, sending a stab of need right to my throbbing, begging clit. She slips two fingers back into me and I arch and moan, dancing for her.

This is the kind of puppet I have no objections to being.

"You're so gorgeous," she breathes. "So fucking perfect."

"Not so bad yourself," I pant out. "Please—don't tease me anymore?—"

She slides down my body and lowers her mouth to my pussy, licking my slit from top to bottom and back, her fingers still inside me, seeking out my most sensitive places inside, her mouth finding my clit and sucking gently on it until I almost scream. I'm writhing under her, my thighs wrapped around her head, body begging for release.

But her firm hands wrench my legs open and she lifts her mouth from me, biting bluntly down my inner thighs with hot, wet breaths. "I could drown down here and die happy," she tells me. "You are delicious ."

"Oh, God, please…"

She laps at me again, her tongue flicking against my swollen clit, fingers working steadily inside me, until she wraps her lips around my clit again. I cry out at the intensity, reaching down to grip her hair so tightly that she grunts. But I can't let up; my whole body is shaking as my climax rips through me, wave after wave of pleasure.

She slows down her movements but doesn't stop until I gently push her away.

"Jesus," I croak hoarsely. "That was…wow."

"It sure was." She wipes off her face on her arm and crawls back up in the bed, sliding next to me as though she plans to skip right to the cuddling part.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I ask, turning around in her arms. She arches an eyebrow. "Don't you want to come?"

She strokes the hair back from my forehead. "I'm good. You must be wiped out."

"Yeah, I am. But that's okay. You can do all the work." I pull at her until she's on top of me and wrap my legs around her waist, letting her hot cunt nuzzle into mine. It feels amazing, her slick flesh sliding over my sensitive clit…makes me shiver.

"I can do the work, huh?" she teases, but her hips are rocking already.

"Well, you are supposed to obey me—remember?"

"Mm-hm. And what are your orders now, boss?"

"To make yourself come, of course." I grip her ass, pulling her tight against me, her pussy sliding on mine, hot and hard and slick.

She gives up pretending to not need it, whispering, " God , that feels good," as she grinds onto me. I can't even move, she's pinning me down so hard, but it's fine, better than fine, because her grinding is making sparks dance through my molten core again. Her clit is so hard it feels like a diamond, fiery and demanding as she ruts into me.

"I wanna see you come," I tell her. "Do it, Nik. Fuck me. Come all over me."

She doesn't respond except for the change in her breathing, the way her muscles tense under my hands on her ass. I can feel the tension building up in her body. She's right there, hovering on the edge for a long moment, and then she comes with a stifled groan, her hips bucking hard, a spurt of warmth over my aching pussy that makes me spasm in sympathetic pleasure.

And then she collapses on me, heavy and panting. I hold her, stroking her hair, her shoulders, waiting for her to come back down. She rolls off of me eventually, running a hand through her hair, sweeping it off her damp forehead.

"You," she tells me, "are a damn hard taskmistress."

I grin. "But what a reward for all that hard work."

"Can't argue with that," she laughs.

And something inside me, something I didn't even know was frozen, seems to melt, as I watch Nik Kusek chuckling in bed next to me, naked, buzzed, covered in my juices…

This is how life should always be, I decide. It'd be worth getting shot at, insulted, patronized, if I could just have this to balance it all out.

But it's not possible, of course. Nik is just with me on loan. Someday soon, Eva Novak will click her fingers and Nik will have to go running back.

And all I'll have is this memory of us together.