Chapter Six

L aying on the couch in a pair of loose pajama bottoms, Lucas was surfing the Dark Web when his phone buzzed with a text.

A text from Inda.

Curious, he opened the message and read it: Thank you for a really nice night.

It had been a nice night, he thought. Unfortunately, he hadn’t found anything of importance. But, damn, his little assassin was a charming beauty. If things were different…if she was just his assistant and not part of a terrorist group, she’d be there, right now, in his bed. He felt the potential, the magnetic pull, but he had to remain in control and keep up the charade. Inda was a cunning player and he couldn’t let his guard down.

Maybe, however, he could enjoy a few flirty texts. What could be the harm in that?

You’re welcome, he texted back. I had a really good time, too…

He hit send and set his laptop on the coffee table. Stretching his long legs out, he got comfortable, settling in and waiting to see if she had more to say. And she didn’t disappoint.

I feel like maybe our night ended too soon, she wrote.

That caught his attention. “And why is that, my sexy, little assassin?”

You’re more than welcome to come over, he responded and, for the first time in his life, sent a wink emoji. What if she did? Shit. He didn’t expect her to, but now he was damn curious to see where this conversation might go.

Inda: I’m already in for the night…

In bed? he wondered. His imagination went wild and his cock twitched. What was she wearing? Did she sleep in an oversized T-shirt or maybe a sexy tank and tiny shorts? Or, even better, maybe she had nothing on at all.

Swallowing hard at that last thought, he typed out a quick response: Already in bed?

Inda: Yep…and unable to fall asleep.

His fingers flew: Why’s that?

It was a loaded question and they both knew it. Those little bubbles appeared and he waited with baited breath for her answer.

Inda: Because I can’t stop thinking about you.

Bam! And there it was. The exact response he wanted. The twitching in his dick turned into a steady throb as he responded: Same. And it’s making me crazy. If you were here…

He hit send without finishing the thought. Let her wonder.

Inda: What?

He pulled up a search engine and looked for Portuguese terms of endearment. The moment he saw “my little lion,” he paused. Her name wasn’t really Leoa, though, and he didn’t feel like reminding her. It might kill the mood. So, instead, he chose “jaguar” which translated to fierce one. That fit Inda Diaz to a tee.

Lucas: If you were here, I’d have you spread out on my bed and I’d be exploring every inch of your body, On?a…with my hands, lips and tongue…finding out exactly what you like and giving you more pleasure than you’ve ever known…

Maybe it was too much, but hell if it wasn’t the truth. Shifting, unable to ignore his thickening cock, he waited for her to absorb that message.

Inda: Confident. I like it.

Lucas: What else do you like?

More bubbles appeared, then disappeared. She was considering how to respond, deciding how far to take this conversation which just took a wicked turn.

Inda: I like kissing you.

Lucas: Anywhere in particular you want me to kiss?

He was being bold, but he had a feeling it was why she’d texted him. After their date, they were both left wanting more. He didn’t normally text women dirty messages, but this wasn’t a normal situation and Inda was far from an ordinary woman. And, hey, extraordinary situations called for unconventional methods, right? Besides, things were starting to get interesting. And very, very hot.

Inda: All over.

A ragged sigh of need tore from his throat and he palmed his dick through his pajama bottoms. “Fuck.”

Lucas: Let’s start with your inner thighs…Spread your legs for me, On?a.

Inda: Okay.

Lucas: Are you wearing pajamas?

For a moment, he got no response.

Inda: I just took them off. Took everything off.

“Christ,” he hissed. The image of her naked, on her bed, legs sprawled open, her slick pussy on glorious display and waiting for him, made his body temperature shoot up about a thousand degrees. Shoving his bottoms down, he released his raging erection and wrapped a hand around his steel length. He was so fucking hard for her, he ached.

Lucas: If you were here right now, my tongue would be deep in your pussy. Licking, sucking, fucking you until you screamed.

No response. He had a feeling he wasn’t the only one touching himself at that moment. Stroking up and down his shaft, his hips jerked.

Lucas: Would you like that? My tongue fucking you into an orgasm?

Inda: Yes. So much yes.

Lucas: Touch yourself. Close your eyes, slide your fingers inside that wet pussy and pretend they’re mine. How does that feel?

Inda: So good.

Lucas: Are you ready? Wet enough to take me, On?a? Or do I need to suck on that clit a little longer?

Lucas dropped his phone on his chest and pumped himself harder. Goddamn. His phone buzzed almost right away and he groaned as he picked it up.

Inda: Suck it harder, Daddy.

He choked out a laugh. Damn, she was even feistier than he realized. Clearly a bit kinky, too. Or maybe just really fucking playful. Either way, he loved it. She was refreshing and unpredictable.

Lucas: I’m hoovering you.

His control was slipping fast.

Inda: I’m drenched. Put that cock inside me. Now.

God, he wished. He tightened his grip and picked up his pace, imagining he was sinking his dick in and out of her sweet, hot, slick pussy instead of his own fist. It didn’t take long for his release to hit and with a low groan he came all over his well-defined abs.

“Fuck,” he growled. Now he wanted the real thing more than ever. Reaching over, he grabbed the dish towel he’d used earlier and wiped the thick ropes of cum off his stomach. Balling it up, he tossed it and picked his phone up.

Three little bubbles danced on the screen.

Inda: Did you come?

Lucas: Like a fucking stallion.

It was the truth. One of the few truths he could share with her. And, for some reason, that bothered him.

Inda: Good. Sweet dreams, Lucas.

Lucas: Sweet dreams, On?a.

Fuck. He was in a shitload of trouble. What was he going to do with Inda Diaz? Tangling with her like this—it was like dancing with the devil. Raking a hand through his hair, he realized he had no fucking idea how to handle her.

◆◆◆

Sunday morning dawned and the bright light of day brought a wave of regret over Inda. How had she allowed herself to sext with Lucas the night before? Date or not, he was still her boss. Well, kind of.

At least she wasn’t currently doing the walk of shame.

Despite her misgivings about the slew of naughty messages, she stretched luxuriously and a very wicked part of her wished she was waking up in Lucas’ bed. The mixed feelings confused her.

Maybe it had all been a dream. Reaching for her phone, she picked it up off the nightstand and opened her text messages. Yep, there was every single X-rated word they’d exchanged. As she read through them again, her body began to heat up.

“No, no, no.” She tossed her phone and threw an arm over her face. “You aren’t fucking your boss. At least, not for real.”

Who the hell was she kidding? Lucas had gotten her so wound up and overheated last night that she’d come hard. And they weren’t even in the same room. Imagine what the actual flesh and blood man could do to her. A tingle swept through her body, arrowing straight between her thighs.

Spread your legs for me, On?a.

Sliding her hand beneath the sheet, remembering their exchange, she did as he’d told her. Again. Already shamelessly wet, she began to touch herself, deciding she could laze around in bed a little while longer. After all, it was the weekend.

Throughout the day, Inda held on to the silly hope that Lucas would text her again. After checking her phone too many times to count, she told herself to forget about it. About him.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. She spent her afternoon climbing the rock wall and sparring with Saint. After an extra long shower, she picked up a book, curled up in a chair and then ended up setting the book aside and reading through their late night text messages instead.

The man was getting her riled up in so many ways. She thought exerting herself more than usual in the gym would help burn off the lust thrumming through her system, but it hadn’t worked. For the first time that she could recall, she didn’t feel like just one of the guys. A gorgeous man was making her feel so very feminine, like an utterly sexy, powerful and desired woman. It was heady and she wanted more.

That evening, instead of grabbing carryout, Inda tried cooking dinner. It’s not something she did often, but she’d enjoyed making the bowl of stir fry smothered with a special sesame seed oil she’d bought but never had time to try. Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who thought it was good because Brax stole half the pan and inhaled it like he’d never had a homemade meal in his life.

“Damn, Bruja, this is delicious.” Brax sat on a stool across from her and smacked his lips. “You need to cook more often.”

“I’m glad you like it, but I was kind of hoping to save some for lunch tomorrow.”

“Sorry,” he murmured, chagrined. “It’s been a long time since…”

When his voice trailed off, she studied him closely. Normally, their fearless leader was all business, but, at that moment, he had an almost wistful look on his face. Like he was caught in a memory.

“Since what? You had someone cook for you?”

“Yeah,” he admitted in a low voice.

She was about to ask more when Zane shot up off the couch and yelled a very excited, “Hooyah! We’re in!”

“In what?” Braxton asked, setting the empty bowl aside and bolting up.

“Cipher’s network,” River confirmed, her fingers flying across the keyboard. “He has no idea, and I just grabbed his location.”

“You’re the best, RL.” Zane pressed a kiss to her forehead, plopping down next to her.

Inda hopped off the barstool and stalked over. “Where is he? I’m going.”

“Not alone,” Saint said. “I’ll go with you.”

Brax nodded. “You two go find this asshole and we’ll keep you updated if he goes on the move.”

“Roger.”

Since the rest of the team wasn’t around—Ryland and Gray had taken their women out to dinner—Inda and Saint grabbed their weapons and hauled ass down to the garage. Saint hopped into the driver’s seat and Inda pulled up their GPS, plugging in the address that Zane just texted. With a slight frown, she studied the area.

A strange, slightly ominous feeling made her gut churn. The location was right by C.C. Towers, the Honeycomb Café next door to be exact. It had to be a coincidence. Or, more likely, maybe Cipher was meeting with Carlisle. That made sense. They were all excited to hunt the hacker down and find out who the hell he was and stop him. But something felt off.

“I’m going to pull around and park in the alley. Then we can—”

“Why don’t you wait in the car? We might have to move fast and follow him if he goes on the move. I don’t want to get towed if we’re both inside.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but she raised a hand.

“He has no idea who I am. It’s perfectly safe.”

“You have no idea what this asshole knows.”

“I’ll go in and grab a coffee, check it out. Once I ID him, I’ll come back and we can follow him. We don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves. And you, Saint, draw attention.”

She swirled her finger in a circle, pointing out all of his black tats.

Saint’s inked fingers flexed, tightening around the steering wheel. “You have three minutes before I come in.”

“Gimme five. It might be busy.”

“Four,” he conceded through clenched teeth. “And not a second more.”

“You’re a stubborn SOB, you know that?”

“Oh, I know.”

Inda huffed out a breath and opened her door. “I’ll text you if I need more time.”

“Two-hundred forty seconds, Bruja. That’s it.”

Rolling her eyes, she shut the door and jogged to the end of the alley. She looked over at the sign on the door that read Honeycomb Café. The one with the almond scones and tea that Lucas liked so much. Her gut was screaming at her not to go inside, but her brain ordered her feet to move.

Pulling in a deep, steadying breath, Inda grabbed the door and pulled it open, causing the bell above to tinkle. During the week, the little café was frequented by nearby office workers and always hopping, but it was Sunday night. The place was deserted except for what looked like a mother and her daughter ordering at the counter.

With a frown, Inda stepped forward and stopped in her tracks when she noticed the lone man sitting in the corner, dark head bowed, tapping away on his laptop, thoroughly engrossed. Her heart sank, jaw dropped and shock rippled through her body.

No, no, no. It couldn’t be.

Snapping her mouth shut, she spun around before he saw her and shoved her way back outside. Rocked to her core, Inda tried to deny it. But the truth had been right there in front of her face, munching on an almond scone, sipping hot tea and typing on his laptop.

Lucas fucking Sheridan was Cipher.