Wicked Games: The Extended Edition (Steele Security #1) Read online

“Uhhh, no! Don’t stop,” she cried.

  He picked her legs up, bent her knees, and put them over his shoulders. Then she felt his hot, wet tongue pressed against her clit as his two fingers danced and played in her wetness again. He increased and decreased the pressure and rhythm in a maddening pace. He again brought her closer and closer to the edge and then mercilessly took it away. When he was satisfied she could take no more, his tongue and fingers again began to work their magic.

  “Bri–look at me. Look at me,” he commanded.

  She opened her eyes and met his piercing gaze. She ran her fingers through his hair until she could no longer hold back the intense pressure built up inside her.

  “Come for me, baby.” Then he felt her inner walls tighten around his fingers, felt them shudder and quiver, as she tumbled over the edge.

  Noah reached for his wallet, pulled out a condom wrapper and was sheathed and back on top of her before she could even move. He placed his forearms on either side of her head, their faces only a fraction of an inch apart, and he pushed his long, hard length deep inside her. He felt her body mold and accept him. With a sharp intake of breath, her back arched and her hips rose to accept him

  “God, you’re so tight. You feel so good,” he moaned.

  Their bodies, now joined as one, found the perfect rhythm as they performed this most intimate dance. He lowered his head to catch her moan in his mouth. He sucked on her bottom lip, playfully pulled on it with his teeth, then his tongue delved into her mouth again. She held on tight to his shoulders then moved her hands down to his back. Her fingernails dug into his skin as he brought her closer and closer to the edge again. He pushed up on his hands to drive deeper into her and find her sweet spot.

  “Let go, Bri. Let me feel you.”

  “Come with me. I’m not going over without you.”

  He surged harder, felt her clinch around him, felt the quiver of her sensitive flesh, and watched her face change as she tumbled over the edge of passion, and then he joined her. He let his arms go limp and just lay on her beautiful, sweat-soaked body for a moment before he pulled out of her. He heard her groan of disappointment and had to chuckle.

  “I know exactly how you feel, baby.”

  He rolled onto his side, quickly discarded the condom. As she turned on her side, he molded his body to fit against hers. It was not normal for him to sleep completely naked, but neither of them would dare complain.

  She was so completely sated, worn out and happy, she slipped into the deepest sleep she’d had since she’d arrived on the base. At some point during the night, he got up, dressed, and silently left her tent, because he was gone when she woke up at dawn.

  She showered, dressed, and walked to the mess hall for breakfast. She was devastated to learn that his team was sent out on a mission and had left about an hour before. While she sat alone with her breakfast, she was lost deep in thought as she remembered the events of the night before. She relived every moment that they’d spent together up until that point in her mind.

  “Where’d you go?” Judge asked.

  Brianna jumped, not realizing he’d sat down beside her while she was lost in her memories of Reaper. “Oh, sorry. Just thinking about the time I’ve spent here.”

  “That’s right. You’ll be going home soon, won’t you,” Judge nodded.

  “Yes,” Brianna replied solemnly. “So you went to school with Reaper, huh?”

  “Yeah. He was an overachiever even back then. It was hard for the rest of us to even try to keep up with him. Smart, handsome, athletic. I don’t know of anything the guy can’t do.”

  “Sounds like he was pretty popular,” Brianna smiled as she pictured the younger version of the man she’d fallen in love with.

  “He was more than popular. Everything came so easily to him. I guess that happens when you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, though,” Judge said sarcastically.

  “Silver spoon?”

  “You know, the kind that rich and influential families have? That’s the kind of family he comes from. He always got whatever he wanted, from whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted.”

  Brianna felt very uncomfortable with the contempt Judge showed towards the man who was supposed to be his friend. “That may have been true when he was a kid, but he’s worked hard to get where he is today.”

  Judge cut his blue-green eyes to her. “The only way to get ahead is to make your own way. Working hard doesn’t result in getting ahead–blazing a new path does. A real man will go after what he wants and not let anything or anyone stand in his way.”

  As Judge finished his rant, Brianna’s thoughts strayed to how he had been such a close friend to Noah. She knew that Noah’s sense of loyalty ran very deep and that was one of the most endearing qualities about him, but she couldn’t stop the uneasy feeling she always had around Judge. It was one of the reasons why she stayed so close to her brothers in Noah’s squadron and didn’t push the interview on Judge as much.

  “My time in the Army will be up soon enough,” Judge continued, more to himself than to her. “I’m already making exciting plans for my future.”

  “That’s great,” she replied noncommittally. She didn’t normally engage him in conversation more than absolutely necessary.

  “I’ve met a few influential people in DC and I’ve already started paving the road to move to a high level position in the Department of Defense,” Judge boasted.

  Brianna nodded and smiled politely. “That sounds great for you, Judge. I need to go work on my article while I have some time alone. I’ll see you later.”

  He grunted in reply as Brianna scurried past him. Relieved to retreat to the privacy of her tent, she sat on her cot and worked on her article. One ear was always tuned to the sounds that surrounded her though, as she waited for Noah to return.

  She spent the next several days in an emotional haze as she watched for them to return, and waited to hear of any word of their mission. Nights brought dreams of Noah and their last night together. Each day brought another round of depression when he didn’t return to her yet again. Her last day on assignment finally arrived and she wasn’t ready to leave. The men didn’t return before her long flight back to Atlanta.

  The military convoy arrived to escort her back to the airfield. She produced the same black cloth that was previously used, they blindfolded her, and she was put in the Humvee for the long ride. She didn’t mind not being able to see so much on the way in, but now she wondered if she’d passed Noah along the way out. She needed just one last look, a wave goodbye, or any sign that he was still all right.

  As she left that base, the thought that she did so without seeing him, talking to him, or touching him tore her heart out of her chest. She hated that she was forced to leave him behind when she wanted nothing more than just to have one more day with him.

  Chapter Five

  The twenty-hour flight home was even more grueling for Brianna than the flight that originally delivered her to the secret location. Initially, her excitement over getting the story of a lifetime was enough to keep her occupied on the uncomfortable flight. Now, the thoughts of Noah dominated her mind and the phantom feel of his lips on her skin drove her mad.

  There was no time for closure, to say her goodbyes to her new friends, and to leave no words left unspoken. As it stood, she had no way to contact Noah, no method of communication with any of them, and no way to share her information with them. Purely out of desperation, she’d considered asking Judge to pass a note on to Noah, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he simply couldn’t be trusted.

  She finally surrendered to the emotions that welled up inside her. Brianna opened her diary, her notes, and a new notebook to start crafting her article. If every scene insisted on playing on repeat in her mind, she decided she’d make the most of it. She spent the majority of the flight time deep in thought, developed writer’s cramp, and thoroughly exhausted herself mentally before she finally completed the rough draft of her article.
/>   After she put her things away, she shifted in the uncomfortable seat as much as possible and fell asleep for the remainder of the flight. Before she knew it, the plane was wheels down and on approach to the airfield in the Atlanta area. Mixed feelings flooded her senses. She was elated to be home and see her family again. But, she was also heartbroken as she thought about Noah and the other men.

  My brothers, she thought sadly as she pictured each one. She reached inside her bag and fingered the black cloth that served as her blindfold. I’ll make sure this article does you proud, she vowed.

  “Bri!” Missy screeched as she rushed to wrap her arms around her sister.

  Brianna smiled and dropped her bags to free her hands. She pulled Missy closer to her. “I’ve missed you, too, sis.”

  “That was the longest six weeks of my life,” Missy complained. “Don’t ever do that again.”

  Brianna chuckled, knowing that Missy was usually a little on the dramatic side. “I’m home now. You don’t have to worry about me leaving again for a while.”

  “Are you planning another trip?” Missy asked, her smile fading and the worry clouding her eyes.

  “Not right away,” Brianna laughed. “But if I’m going to be a real correspondent, I’ll have to travel to cover the stories as they come up.”

  “As long as any future assignment doesn’t take as long as this one did,” Missy conceded.

  “Glad to have you home, baby girl.” Evan wrapped his arms around Brianna, nudging Missy to the side. “Safe and sound.”

  “I’ve been in good hands, Daddy,” Brianna assured him. “No one would dare mess with those guys.”

  “They have nothing on a mother intent on protecting her children,” Diana declared as she pushed Evan aside to get to her daughter. “Never do that again.”

  If they only knew that I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get myself back over there, she thought.

  Jessie and Ashley stepped up and waited for their turn to welcome their older sister home. Evan picked up Brianna’s bags and carried them to the car. Once they were all inside, Evan took a moment to appreciate having his family back together.

  “Why don’t we take our girls out to eat and then let Brianna get some rest?” Evan asked Diana.

  “Sounds great to me,” Diana agreed.

  During their meal, Brianna filled her family in on the details of living on a ghost-base, how the men worked together as a cohesive team, and how she became part of their close-knit group.

  “Those hot men in uniform adopted you as their little sister?” Jessie asked, her mouth gaping open.

  “They sure did,” Brianna nodded, swallowing past the ball of emotion in her throat. “I have several very scary brothers now.”

  “I want to meet them,” Missy said dreamily. “Reaper sounds exactly like my type. Think you can arrange to introduce me?”

  Brianna’s eyes snapped to Missy’s at that comment. Her face instantly heated, her blood pressure spiked, and she was ready to tackle her sister for even suggesting it. When she saw the sparkle in Missy’s eyes and the teasing grin on her face, she knew she’d just given Missy more information than she intended.

  Missy’s eyebrow slowly arched as her head tilted to the side. She silently questioned Brianna, who quickly averted her gaze and refused to make direct eye contact with her again.

  “They weren’t allowed to give me their real names, so I definitely don’t have any contact information for them. Sorry to disappoint you, Missy.”

  “That is very disappointing,” Missy replied, her tone conveying her understanding of the situation.

  Brianna finally gave in and looked at her. Missy gave her a small, reassuring smile. “But hey,” Missy continued. “They’re special ops guys, right? They’ll find you.”

  That was Brianna’s secret hope–that Noah would find her and they’d have the opportunity to be a couple. “I’ll toast to that,” Brianna replied as she raised her glass. The others joined her and lifted theirs. “To happy reunions.”

  Later, when Brianna crawled into her bed, her body seemed to melt into the soft sheets and plush mattress. This would take some readjustment after the stark difference of the cot that had been her bed for the past six weeks. More than that, she’d grown dependent on Noah joining her, heating her body in every imaginable way, and cradling her after thoroughly loving her.

  Now the bed felt cold and lonely without his thick body taking up most of the room. Tears slowly leaked from her eyes as she drifted off to sleep from sheer exhaustion. Her dreams were filled with visions of Noah–some were welcomed and some filled her with dread.

  Over the next several weeks, Brianna finalized the finishing touches on her article and submitted it to the Atlanta Times Free Press for publication. She waited on pins and needles as the editor took his time to review her writing, confirm fact checks, and make a decision on whether to run the article. By the time she finally received the call requesting a meeting to discuss it, she’d almost given up on it.

  “Brianna, this is Les Vincent with the Atlanta Times. Can you come in this afternoon so we can discuss your article?”

  “Yes, I’d love to,” she replied, trying to outwardly sound confident. Inwardly she was simultaneously screaming and feeling close to fainting.

  After agreeing on a time to meet, she ran through the house in an excited frenzy. “Mom! Mom! Where are you?”

  Diana stepped out of her home office, her brows drawn down in alarm and confusion. “In here, Brianna. What’s wrong?”

  “I just got the call from the editor. I’m going to meet with him today,” Brianna blurted out.

  “That’s great, baby. Congratulations,” Diana said as she clutched Brianna’s arm. “I’m so excited for you.”

  “Thanks, Mom. I put a lot of work into that article so I hope they don’t change it too much.”

  “Don’t borrow trouble, Bri. Go talk to him and see what he has to say before you start working yourself up,” Diana gently chided her.

  “You’re right. Positive thoughts and all that jazz,” Brianna replied.

  * * *

  “I’m Brianna Tate and I have an appointment with Les Vincent.” Brianna proudly introduced herself to the secretary.

  “Just a moment,” the older lady smiled as she checked the editor’s schedule. “Here you are. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll let him know you’re here.”

  After a few minutes, Brianna was led into his office. His desk was covered with stacks of paper in various heights, haphazardly strewn pens, and several bottles of water. The ultra-organized fanatic in her cringed as she took a seat across from him.

  “So, you’re Evan’s daughter,” he stated.

  “Yes, I am. Do you know him?”

  “No. I was given a directive from my boss, who was nicely asked by a golfing buddy, who knows someone who knows your dad, to read your piece,” he replied dryly, his expression held no humor.

  His smile lit up his face as he continued. “And now I’m very glad that it all came down this way. To be honest, I never read unsolicited submissions from an unknown freelance writer. If I hadn’t been forced to read it, I would’ve missed out on an excellent idea with an original focus on the sacrifices our service men and women make. You’ll be thrilled to hear that the DOD has approved your piece as-is. It looks like this story will be picked up and distributed nationally.”

  Brianna’s blank expression and rigid posture made Les laugh. “Brianna, did you hear me?”

  “Y-yes,” she stammered. “I’m just speechless, literally.”

  His words swirled in her mind for a minute before she realized their full implications. “Did you say it’s being picked up nationally?”

  “Yes, I did indeed,” Les smiled as he turned his chair to fully face her. “This is an amazing article, Brianna. You keep writing like this, you are going places.”

  As Les explained the next steps, Brianna’s mind raced with possibilities. She wasn’t afraid of hard work and making sacr
ifices to achieve her goals. She wanted to make a name for herself among the elite, the top of the top journalists. The more things seemed to fall into place, the more chaotic her life felt.

  When she left for the unknown destination in a country half a world away, she faced her fears and stepped onto that plane with her own marching orders in hand. When she arrived at the base, not knowing a single person there, she quickly made friends with the men she wanted to introduce to the world. When she gave her body to Noah, she did it knowing she also gave him her heart.

  Now she was stepping out into the spotlight, sharing their story with millions of people, and hoping that they found the same value in it that she did. Brianna tried to focus on Les as he talked animatedly about her future, but hopes that Noah would track her down through the trail of news coverage kept overtaking her thoughts.

  “…you’ll have to move to Miami,” she vaguely heard Les state as he rambled on.

  “Wait. What? Move to Miami?” she asked.

  “Well, yeah. If you were just a freelance writer, you could live anywhere. But this is a staff position with the Miami Herald, so they’ll want you onsite. Since both papers are owned by the same parent company, the Editor-in-Chief wants you to there. Is that a problem?”

  “No. It’s not a problem at all,” Brianna smiled.

  Miami is where Noah called home, when he wasn’t off in a remote desert somewhere on assignment. She also remembered that Rebel mentioned he’d moved there not long ago to be closer to Noah. Hope that they’d be reunited grew inside her and became a new goal for her to reach.

  Relaying the news to her family that night proved to be more difficult than she thought. She’d been home from her six-week stint in the desert for nearly three months, but Missy jokingly wouldn’t let Brianna forget how she abandoned her. Brianna knew that Missy would honestly be upset that she planned to move away and start her own life.

  “I have some great news,” Brianna recited the lines as she’d rehearsed in the car on the way home.

  “We want to hear all about it,” Diana replied. “Brianna made me wait until everyone was here so she only had to say it once.” Diana laughed as she looked around the table at her family.