Under Fire (Elite Force 3)

He wanted to force her to spell out how she’d f**ked up, to test her, to see if she could still be trusted. Just because she was screwing him didn’t mean she wouldn’t screw him over to get ahead. He flicked open the buttons down her blouse, exposing white lace.

“How McCabe”—she gasped as his knuckle caressed the inside curve of her breast—“and the Flores woman disappeared from the safe house.”

“Nothing to worry about. We’ll find them.” He pushed under the demicup, lifting her breast until her dusky nipple slid into sight. A growl of appreciation crawled up his throat.

“That’s good,” she purred. About his tongue flicking over her nipple or that he would find the missing couple? “Although we really had no legal reason to hold them. We were doing them a favor by protecting our own asses with the cover story once they left.”

He looked up. “That still doesn’t excuse them getting away without your knowledge. You knew how important it was to contain the Flores woman, to keep her from racing to the nearest reporter with her wild”—too damn correct—“claims.”

“Of course.”

“You deserve to be reprimanded for your mistake.”

“Is that so?” Her eyes narrowed as she rubbed her br**sts against his chest. “What are you going to do? Write me up?”

He almost exploded in his pants like an untried teen instead of a forty-nine-year-old man, and she knew it. He could see the glint of power in her eyes.

But that was okay with him. Power plays were fun. He liked his mistresses strong and demanding. It made the rush even better when they came apart for him, because of him.

And for that reason, never once did he take his eyes off her. He slipped his fingers from her, sliding his hands around to cup her ass, cheeks bared by her thong.

“It’s my job to dole out your punishment.” He slapped one globe. “You’re good, but mistakes have to be rectified.”

He smacked her again.

Her pupils widened as she flicked her tongue along her lips, distracting him for a second.

“You like to play rough?” She slapped him across the face.

The sound echoed in the quiet room. He grabbed her wrists and held her arms akimbo, backing her up against the edge of his desk, already panting in anticipation over what she might do next.

“Ted, you either trust me or you don’t,” she said with a grit that made him throb all the more. “But don’t think you can play mind games with me like you do with everyone else. I see you for exactly who you are.”

“And you keep coming round for more.”

He kissed her, hard, grinding against her, and yes, the taste of her was smoky from a recent cigarette, but he was past caring as she thrust her tongue in his mouth. His grip on her loosened and she clawed his back. He shoved his fingers inside her again, rougher this time. She sucked his tongue, drawing it into her mouth.

Her damp warmth clamped around his fingers and his thoughts scattered, his every ounce of concentration zeroed in on her. Her head lolled, giving up her neck. He could see the second her restraint snapped. Just a second before she tore at his belt and yanked open his trousers. Her cool hands cupped his hard-on, one hand stroking, the other cupping his balls, already tight against his body.

“Ted…” Her voice rasped free, husky and raw, and she worked him until his eyes nearly rolled back in his head. “Anything we do now will have to be hard and fast, which, don’t get me wrong, is fabulous sometimes. But today, I want slow and explosive. If you’re a good boy and wait until tonight, I’ll let you pick the toys. So? What’ll it be? Fast now. Or everything later…”

Toys? Not even a choice. “Later it is.”

He was a patient man in all aspects of his life. Made the payoff all the sweeter.

“Wise decision.” Nipping his earlobe, she pulled her hand away too damn slowly. “While you’re behind your desk today, know that I’m behind mine, fantasizing about all the things I’m going to do to you once we’re alone. Now, no cheating and coming to my office before then. I’ll meet you at our regular place, eight o’clock tonight.”

Stepping back, she adjusted her thong and brushed her skirt back down, swiping away any telltale wrinkles. She had admirable poise in the workplace, but almost too much so right now. As she calmly tucked her br**sts back into her bra, he considered pulling her to him again, taking her over to the big leather sofa and going down on her until she screamed. But as he reached for her, she neatly sidestepped.

“No, no. We agreed.” She patted his cheek right over the spot she’d slapped earlier. “And besides, I have a meeting with my boss in five minutes about security for the summit. Good thing you opted for later and we didn’t take longer now, or I would have had a tough time explaining why I’m hanging out of my underwear.”

She made fast work of her buttons, retrieved her shoe, and slicked back the lone strand of hair that had worked its way free. All before he’d finished zipping his pants.

“Wait,” he ordered. He was in control. Not her. He buckled his belt. “Now, you may leave.”>“I’m so magnificent that you’re dumping me?” She wanted to kick his butt back into the water. Instead she continued to wade through the convoluted path of his reasoning, because she cared about him. She loved him, damn it, and now he was trying to leave her too. “And about me going back to search and rescue work. What does that have to do with the two of us as a couple?”

“I’m retiring.”

“Yeah, that’s what I hear,” she said, gripped the edge of the bench until splinters dug into her palms. “What does that have to do with anything?”