Re: THE ASSASSIN - AU/CC/Adult - Part 57 - 5/8/16
Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 8:44 am
Roswelllostcause: Expect that tension to escalate.
sarammlover: He sure isn’t. He knows there’s only one way to handle people like Michael and he’s standing his ground. Keep those fingers crossed! Thanks!
Eva: They can and they really are here! Yeah, Alex isn’t just gonna stand there and let anyone walk all over him.
Part 58
She smiled and it was so open and honest it nearly took his breath away. Her confidence was growing with each passing day and it only served to make her more attractive in his eyes. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty as she gave him an unsubtle nudge and he shifted to give her more room.
She never took her eyes off of him as she popped the button on his jeans free and carefully eased his zipper down. She didn’t want to miss a single expression that crossed his face.
“You’re sexy when you look like this.”
An eyebrow lifted in question. “Like what?”
“Like... turned on.”
“Guess you can take credit for that then, can’t you?”
Maria smirked. “Was all me.”
“Gonna have to give you that one.” He nodded down at himself. “You gonna keep goin’?”
“I think I will.” She glanced down and ran the back of her hand over him.
He inhaled sharply at the contact and shook his head at her. “So this’s payback?”
“It so is payback.”
“Guess that means you’re not in any hurry.”
“Absolutely not, no.”
He smirked at her confident tone and rolled them over. “That’s fine.” He could pace himself... for now.
“Hey,” she half complained, but went with him.
“Not in any hurry, right? Besides, the view’s better from this angle,” he said with a wink and dropped his hands to her thighs.
“I can agree with that,” she smirked and ran her hands over his muscled chest.
His thumbs traced ever widening paths against her warm skin, each sweep taking him closer to her center. He flexed his muscles under her hands and brushed his thumb against her. “I can take my time too,” he muttered lazily.
“Yeah, but you already took the edge off for me,” she winked and rolled her hips against him.
He chuckled and dragged his thumb over her center. “Yeah, but I can take you right back there again.”
“I guess soo,” she breathed and concentrated on his jeans again. “They need to go.”
Hell, he wasn’t gonna put it off if she was ready to move things along. “Then get ‘em off.”
She didn’t wait and did just that, yanking his boxers off too.
He smirked at her impatience. “Suddenly you’re in a hurry?”
“Just about the undressing part.”
He nodded, but he had his doubts about that. “Okay, if you say so.”
Her eyes roamed over him when he lay there completely naked and once again she had to wonder how a man could be all muscled like that.
He wondered how long she’d be able to hold out before she gave in to her own needs. His hands flexed before he brought them up and linked them behind his head, just waiting to see what she’d do next.
“Is there anything you’d like me to do?” she asked shyly after a moment.
He shifted under her as that question kicked one suggestion to the forefront of his mind. That question out of any other woman’s mouth and he’d have had her on her knees without a second thought. Those baser instincts were leashed in this situation. The last thing he wanted to do was push her into something she wasn’t ready for. But if she wanted to offer he wasn’t gonna say no. “Anything you’re comfortable with.”
He was being nice for her sake, she realized and smiled lightly. “Okay.” Looking into his eyes a moment longer, she bent down and started to kiss his chest.
Okay, just play it cool and don’t rush her, he ordered himself, forcing his hands to stay still.
She took her time, kissing and licking each part of his upper body, yet it was obvious that he was tensing the lower she got.
Keep going, keep going, keep going, he chanted over and over as she got closer to the part of his body demanding attention. His fingers unlocked and clenched tightly as he fought against the urge to give her a nudge in the right direction.
Maria lifted her head slightly and saw that he was watching her with heated eyes. Her gaze wandered lower again, taking in his long hard member and she licked her lips.
“Don’t stop on my account,” he said, his voice thick.
“I won’t,” she told him and ran her thumb over his tip experimentally.
He was riding the fine edge of pleasure and pain as she experimented and tested her boundaries.
Was she doing it right? His grunts and moans suggested she was so she just trusted her instincts and went on, wrapping her hand around him in and using her thumb to circle around the tip.
“Fuck,” he hissed between tightly clenched teeth and finally gave in to his needs. His fingers clenched in the bed sheets, constantly ordering himself to stay in check and not rush it.
Okay, she had read books about this and maybe that wasn’t a bad thing, she thought even a little amused as she used her free hand to cradle his balls.
His hands clenched tightly and he had to force himself to relax. “Hot zone,” he rasped.
Maria chuckled, which made him groan. Oh?
Michael pressed his head back against the pillow, certain she was gonna kill him. She hadn’t been kidding about payback.
She felt him struggling and as much as she had planned to drag this out for him, she didn’t know if she was making it worse or better so she added pressure on him.
His dark eyes bored into her and the sight of her alternating between watching his expression and what she was doing pushed him closer. “Getting close,” he muttered.”
He could feel that spring coiling tighter and tighter. He couldn’t decide if he’d rather come this way or while he was balls deep inside her. It was a toss-up. It also didn’t matter because the thread snapped and he barely managed to keep his eyes on her.
Maria watched him as he came on himself. Okay, she thought, that was a lot more of a turn on than she had thought it would be.
It took a few minutes for his heart to ease back into its normal rhythm and to bring his breathing under control. He reached for her, pulling her up over him to give her a lingering kiss. “That was good.” His hands wandered down over her body, sliding over her ass to slip between her thighs teasingly. “For a rookie, you show a lot of promise,” he said with a grin.
She smirked against his lips. “Thanks.”
His expression turned serious as he stared at her, wondering who would share her bed when this was all over. It was a thought that pissed him off. He had no intention of hanging around if they survived this cluster fuck, but he didn't like the idea that some other man would be with her; touching her, bringing her pleasure, kissing her and even just holding her. No, he didn't like it one bit. He was suddenly consumed by the need to make her his, to mark her, which was so out of the ordinary for him.
“Michael?” Maria lifted one curious eyebrow when he didn’t answer her question. Somehow he seemed to be lost in thought.
“Sorry,” he blinked and realized he’d missed something she said. “What?”
“I was asking if we could go out on the terrace for a little bit. I saw some very comfy furniture out there.”
“You wanna go outside? Now?” he asked, stunned by her request.
“With some blankets,” she nodded. It was a clear night and out here in the middle of nowhere the stars were a lot brighter than they could ever be in the city. She wanted to enjoy the view and she wanted to do it with him before he left.
“You do know it’s only about 42 degrees outside, don’t you?”
“We don’t have to stay out there for hours, just for a little while.”
He didn’t know what the big deal was about sitting outside when it was cold enough to freeze his nuts but something in her expression had him agreeing before his brain could be consulted. It wasn’t a smart move, even in the middle of nowhere. ”We can’t stay out there long and if I tell you to get inside, you do it without question.”
She nodded, willing to agree to anything if he’d just give her this moment. Maria’s face broke out in a wide smile once more and she crawled out of the bed first to pull some clothes back on.
He watched her without moving, still wondering why the hell she wanted to go out in the ice cold when it was so perfectly warm inside. Not to mention they had both been naked.
“You coming?”
Michael sighed. “You’re really serious about this, huh?” He rolled off of the bed sideways and grabbed his jeans. “You’re insane, Blondie.”
She just rolled her eyes at him. Considering his past she doubted he’d ever just sat outside and looked up at the stars. No, he was the type of person that did things for a reason, not the type to just do it for the pure enjoyment of the moment.
He wasn’t sure if she was amused by him or somehow saddened by the fact that he really had no understanding of why this was important to her.
“C’mon,” he muttered as he grabbed a shirt. They might as well get this over with.
“I could teach you to enjoy things like this,” she said as she latched onto his hand.
He could hear the wistful note in her voice as she cut her thought off before it could be completely voiced. If we had the time. ”Maybe if it was 80 degrees and you were naked,” he said in an effort to pull her away from those thoughts.
“The sky wouldn’t be as clear if it was 80 degrees,” she denied and let him lead the way through the house until they reached their destination. Jeez, it was cold indeed.
“Told you it’s not that pleasant,” he said, amused when he saw her shivering.
“It will be under the blanket.” She pointed at the one under his arm that they had grabbed on their way out.
“Nowhere near as pleasant as it was in bed,” he denied and decided to use one of the bigger pieces of furniture. Spreading the blanket around him, he sat down on it and then gestured for her to sit in his lap so he could wrap them both up.
“Now, isn’t this nice?” she asked and wiggled around to get comfortable.
He growled under his breath. “Um-hmm, it’s great.” He would’ve thought it was impossible to even think about getting hard as cold as it was outside, but hell, maybe this wouldn’t be that bad.
“Just look at those stars,” she whispered as she looked up at the sky. “Do you know any of the constellations?”
“I know you’d better stop squirming around,” he rasped in her ear, making her shiver. He had a feeling she was doing it intentionally.
Maria chuckled. “I liked astronomy in high school but I can hardly much of it to be honest.”
He forced his eyes away from her and looked up. It was a very clear night out here and the stars looked at least twice as bright. He had seen them from so many different places, slept with his face to them countless times, but had he ever paid attention? No, not at all.
“This one I remember though.” She pointed up at the sky. “It’s called the belt of Orion or something.” She shifted again. “No, Orion’s Belt, that’s it.”
He followed her pointing finger and grunted to let her know he was paying attention, but honestly, all he saw was a sky full of stars. He couldn’t distinguish one bunch from the others.
“I guess you didn’t really have a lot of time for extracurricular activities in school,” she mused as she dropped her head back against his shoulder to look at him.
“They taught us what they wanted us to know.” He shrugged. ”No big deal. I wouldn’t have been much of a student anyway.”
“So you didn’t go to school?”
“School of hard knocks,” he muttered, his tone noncommittal. He nudged her with his shoulder. ”Where’d Orion’s Belt get its name?”
“Well, the whole set of stars there is called Orion and those three stars look like a belt for him.” She shrugged and didn’t miss the amused glance he was giving her. “What?”
“Is that so or are you just making it up?”
“What the hell? Why else would it be called that? That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Michael chuckled and looked up again, taking his time until he believed he had found those three stars she was hinting at. “Well, with a lot of imagination... eh... still no.”
She shoved her elbow into his stomach. ”I think you’re just being hard to get along with.”
“Could be.”
She searched the stars, finally locating the big and little dippers. ”Okay, look there,” she pointed and waited until she knew he was looking in the right direction. ”See how it forms a square almost? And there’s a handle?”
No, he didn’t see it.
“Right there, kinda to the right of that area where there aren’t many stars.”
“Okay, I see it. What about it?”
“It’s the big dipper.”
“So what, it’s there all the time?”
“Duuuh,” she groaned. “Really? You don’t even know the most popular star constellation?”
He lifted one eyebrow. “So, is it?”
Maria sighed. “Yes, it is and it’s very easy to find, don’t ya think?”
He looked up again and found it quickly this time. “Kind of. If you know what to look for I guess.”
“I’ve never seen them all so clear. It’s breathtaking.”
“I’ve probably seen the sky from a hundred different places and never given it much thought,” he mused aloud, barely aware he’d spoken.
“I read that one of the best places to see the stars is from the Chaco Canyon National Park in Arizona. There are these ancient Pueblo ruins there.” She glanced at him. “Some archeologists think they were built based on events relating to the stars. Can you imagine what it must be like to stand among those ruins and look up at the stars, maybe even see what they saw when they were designing their homes?”
He stared up at the sky when he heard the wistful note in her voice and he was sure he knew where her thoughts were at that moment. “You could still see them one day. The ruins have been there for decades and the stars considerably longer than that.” He rubbed her arm before his fingers slipped down to link with hers unconsciously. “They’ll wait for you.”
She reached for his other hand and pulled his arms around her, sighing contentedly when he took the hint and tightened his hold on her.
This was dangerous territory, his conscience tried to remind him over and over again. She was becoming a distraction. And even worse, his thoughts were starting to go in a direction that included her no matter what the future held.
For the very first time since he could remember, he was reluctant to move on the next day. The thought of never returning bothered him, especially because it wouldn’t be this nice house he missed.
Maria stayed silent. He was holding her tight and she knew it was as much of an emotional thing as she would get from him. When her eyes shifted up to his face every now and then his expression held more than it ever had before though and he probably didn’t even realize it.
Sure, he’d talked about taking her away, teased her plenty of times about getting her naked on the beach in some remote location, but he was suddenly being faced with the fact that he wanted that to be more than just an empty promise to keep her going. He’d never once promised her a lifetime and she’d never asked for that from him; naïve as she might be about some things, she understood there were no guarantees in life.
He didn’t know what would happen when this was all over. There was a good chance they’d never walk away from this mess, never live long enough to even know if their efforts had been enough to destroy the Circle. If they did somehow survive, they would have to be on guard for the rest of their lives. That was no life for her. She deserved so much more than that.
“Michael?”
Her voice pulled him from his thoughts and he lifted one eyebrow in question.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“Tomorrow,” he lied with a shrug. It wasn’t a complete lie, he rationalized. He was thinking about tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that. He sighed quietly. He was letting his mind drift off in a direction it had no business going.
“How comfortable are your with the plan?” She frowned at her own words. “I mean, do you see a chance that this’ll work out?”
He looked at her directly, knowing there was no point in trying to make the situation seem less dangerous than it was. “There’ll be losses on our side no matter what. It would be irrational to think otherwise. We have an idea about what’s waitin’ for us but we can’t account for everything that can go wrong.” He nudged her when her expression darkened. “I do know I’ll be walking into this with the best team possible. Brody has a reputation as the best for a reason. His men, whoever he brings with him, they’ll be good otherwise he wouldn’t be working with them. I trust Val to do everything necessary to keep Whitman’s heart beating and to bring this operation to an end. She’ll fight until her last breath.”
“And Kyle? Will you let him go with you?”
He grunted. “He’s made his decision and telling him to stay behind would only mean he’d come after us on his own. I’d rather involve him in the plan than let him walk into this blindly.” He shook his head. “Too stubborn for his own good, but if everything goes south he’s the one I’d choose to die next to.”
“I doubt Tess would care for that.”
“No, but she would understand it. She’s been there, Maria. It’s an ugly existence a lot of the time, but if you’re not prepared to put it all on the line you’ve already lost your edge and you’re better off hanging it up.”
“You make it sound so easy.” She knew he had to be able to do that if he was going to be successful in his job but it scared her.
“It’s the only way I know how to be. Anything else could get me or the person depending on me killed.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure she could handle it if he doesn’t come back.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret. If the positions were reversed he wouldn’t be able to handle it either.” No, Valenti wouldn’t eat a bullet or anything, but he’d be walking dead. He’d sure as hell never envied that.
“I like them a lot. They’re a great couple. They have a very strong relationship.”
Michael grunted in agreement. At first he had called Kyle insane for even trying to settle down. They had been pretty much alike; warriors who didn’t know anything but fighting. The other man had changed though. He was still ready to take on a battle but he was also able to care about someone other than himself and he had managed to build this steady thing with Tess. Was it in all of them? Could he possibly be able to combine an emotional attachment with the loner part of him?
Michael shook his head at those thoughts. “This time tomorrow we’ll either be outta there or dead. Whatever happens, you keep going, Maria.”
She looked at him, worried and depressed. “If you guys don’t return...”
“Then Tess will make sure you stay safe.”
But for how long? If they failed tomorrow it was all over. They would never be able to make another attempt at taking the Circle down. ”I know there are no guarantees, but I can’t imagine we have a better chance at this than tomorrow.”
“No, it’s a one shot deal. We have an advantage right now. They won’t see this coming.”
“That works in our favor, right?”
“Yeah, as long as we don’t blow it. We won’t get another chance like this. If we can get in there and Whitman can successfully gain control of the system and we make it back out alive, we’ll have a fighting chance.”
“Alex can do it, Michael. I know he can.”
Her faith in Alex was reasonable, he thought. Whitman had proven quite a few times now that he was an excellent addition to their team and the mission. “He can do it,” he agreed confidently. The riskier question was would they be able to get him in and back out alive, but that wasn’t something he would say out loud.
“It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow.” Maria sighed but gave him a slight smile. She knew it would be hell to wait here. She was just glad she wasn’t completely alone. Tess was used to stuff like this; she’d know how to occupy her mind from the dark thoughts.
“Sure, but it’s also a day that’ll set the future. We will hurt the Circle. No matter if we make it out or not, Alex will make sure that everything we know comes out in the open in case we don’t return.”
“Really?”
“If we go down, we won’t go down quietly. Protocols have been put in place to get the truth out either way, but in the event we don’t make it back out the information will be transmitted to specific parties.”
“What happens to the information if you do make it back out?” She had to pat herself on the back when she managed to get the question out without choking on it.
“Then he’ll delay the release of information. If we’re still kicking it’s better if we’re not caught up in the press that’s gonna be all over this mess.” He smirked. ”When that time comes, it’s gonna be on you because it’s gonna be your testimony along with the evidence that shuts them down.”
“Me?” She looked at him wide eyed.
“Yeah.” He squeezed her a bit. “You’ll get your part in this, M’ria,” he murmured. “Just not yet. The fight’s far from being over.”
She nodded. When the time came, she would be brave and do whatever was necessary. And if they didn’t return? Was life still worth living? Was it even possible? What was there to fight for in the end if not for the people who had remained at her side? “I’ll do it.”
He chuckled. “I know you will.”
She sighed, wishing it was already tomorrow night and this was over. Wished it was over and they were all safely back here. He was certain there would be casualties on both sides and she couldn’t help but hope and pray the mission didn’t claim the lives of the people in this house.
sarammlover: He sure isn’t. He knows there’s only one way to handle people like Michael and he’s standing his ground. Keep those fingers crossed! Thanks!
Eva: They can and they really are here! Yeah, Alex isn’t just gonna stand there and let anyone walk all over him.
Part 58
She smiled and it was so open and honest it nearly took his breath away. Her confidence was growing with each passing day and it only served to make her more attractive in his eyes. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty as she gave him an unsubtle nudge and he shifted to give her more room.
She never took her eyes off of him as she popped the button on his jeans free and carefully eased his zipper down. She didn’t want to miss a single expression that crossed his face.
“You’re sexy when you look like this.”
An eyebrow lifted in question. “Like what?”
“Like... turned on.”
“Guess you can take credit for that then, can’t you?”
Maria smirked. “Was all me.”
“Gonna have to give you that one.” He nodded down at himself. “You gonna keep goin’?”
“I think I will.” She glanced down and ran the back of her hand over him.
He inhaled sharply at the contact and shook his head at her. “So this’s payback?”
“It so is payback.”
“Guess that means you’re not in any hurry.”
“Absolutely not, no.”
He smirked at her confident tone and rolled them over. “That’s fine.” He could pace himself... for now.
“Hey,” she half complained, but went with him.
“Not in any hurry, right? Besides, the view’s better from this angle,” he said with a wink and dropped his hands to her thighs.
“I can agree with that,” she smirked and ran her hands over his muscled chest.
His thumbs traced ever widening paths against her warm skin, each sweep taking him closer to her center. He flexed his muscles under her hands and brushed his thumb against her. “I can take my time too,” he muttered lazily.
“Yeah, but you already took the edge off for me,” she winked and rolled her hips against him.
He chuckled and dragged his thumb over her center. “Yeah, but I can take you right back there again.”
“I guess soo,” she breathed and concentrated on his jeans again. “They need to go.”
Hell, he wasn’t gonna put it off if she was ready to move things along. “Then get ‘em off.”
She didn’t wait and did just that, yanking his boxers off too.
He smirked at her impatience. “Suddenly you’re in a hurry?”
“Just about the undressing part.”
He nodded, but he had his doubts about that. “Okay, if you say so.”
Her eyes roamed over him when he lay there completely naked and once again she had to wonder how a man could be all muscled like that.
He wondered how long she’d be able to hold out before she gave in to her own needs. His hands flexed before he brought them up and linked them behind his head, just waiting to see what she’d do next.
“Is there anything you’d like me to do?” she asked shyly after a moment.
He shifted under her as that question kicked one suggestion to the forefront of his mind. That question out of any other woman’s mouth and he’d have had her on her knees without a second thought. Those baser instincts were leashed in this situation. The last thing he wanted to do was push her into something she wasn’t ready for. But if she wanted to offer he wasn’t gonna say no. “Anything you’re comfortable with.”
He was being nice for her sake, she realized and smiled lightly. “Okay.” Looking into his eyes a moment longer, she bent down and started to kiss his chest.
Okay, just play it cool and don’t rush her, he ordered himself, forcing his hands to stay still.
She took her time, kissing and licking each part of his upper body, yet it was obvious that he was tensing the lower she got.
Keep going, keep going, keep going, he chanted over and over as she got closer to the part of his body demanding attention. His fingers unlocked and clenched tightly as he fought against the urge to give her a nudge in the right direction.
Maria lifted her head slightly and saw that he was watching her with heated eyes. Her gaze wandered lower again, taking in his long hard member and she licked her lips.
“Don’t stop on my account,” he said, his voice thick.
“I won’t,” she told him and ran her thumb over his tip experimentally.
He was riding the fine edge of pleasure and pain as she experimented and tested her boundaries.
Was she doing it right? His grunts and moans suggested she was so she just trusted her instincts and went on, wrapping her hand around him in and using her thumb to circle around the tip.
“Fuck,” he hissed between tightly clenched teeth and finally gave in to his needs. His fingers clenched in the bed sheets, constantly ordering himself to stay in check and not rush it.
Okay, she had read books about this and maybe that wasn’t a bad thing, she thought even a little amused as she used her free hand to cradle his balls.
His hands clenched tightly and he had to force himself to relax. “Hot zone,” he rasped.
Maria chuckled, which made him groan. Oh?
Michael pressed his head back against the pillow, certain she was gonna kill him. She hadn’t been kidding about payback.
She felt him struggling and as much as she had planned to drag this out for him, she didn’t know if she was making it worse or better so she added pressure on him.
His dark eyes bored into her and the sight of her alternating between watching his expression and what she was doing pushed him closer. “Getting close,” he muttered.”
He could feel that spring coiling tighter and tighter. He couldn’t decide if he’d rather come this way or while he was balls deep inside her. It was a toss-up. It also didn’t matter because the thread snapped and he barely managed to keep his eyes on her.
Maria watched him as he came on himself. Okay, she thought, that was a lot more of a turn on than she had thought it would be.
It took a few minutes for his heart to ease back into its normal rhythm and to bring his breathing under control. He reached for her, pulling her up over him to give her a lingering kiss. “That was good.” His hands wandered down over her body, sliding over her ass to slip between her thighs teasingly. “For a rookie, you show a lot of promise,” he said with a grin.
She smirked against his lips. “Thanks.”
His expression turned serious as he stared at her, wondering who would share her bed when this was all over. It was a thought that pissed him off. He had no intention of hanging around if they survived this cluster fuck, but he didn't like the idea that some other man would be with her; touching her, bringing her pleasure, kissing her and even just holding her. No, he didn't like it one bit. He was suddenly consumed by the need to make her his, to mark her, which was so out of the ordinary for him.
“Michael?” Maria lifted one curious eyebrow when he didn’t answer her question. Somehow he seemed to be lost in thought.
“Sorry,” he blinked and realized he’d missed something she said. “What?”
“I was asking if we could go out on the terrace for a little bit. I saw some very comfy furniture out there.”
“You wanna go outside? Now?” he asked, stunned by her request.
“With some blankets,” she nodded. It was a clear night and out here in the middle of nowhere the stars were a lot brighter than they could ever be in the city. She wanted to enjoy the view and she wanted to do it with him before he left.
“You do know it’s only about 42 degrees outside, don’t you?”
“We don’t have to stay out there for hours, just for a little while.”
He didn’t know what the big deal was about sitting outside when it was cold enough to freeze his nuts but something in her expression had him agreeing before his brain could be consulted. It wasn’t a smart move, even in the middle of nowhere. ”We can’t stay out there long and if I tell you to get inside, you do it without question.”
She nodded, willing to agree to anything if he’d just give her this moment. Maria’s face broke out in a wide smile once more and she crawled out of the bed first to pull some clothes back on.
He watched her without moving, still wondering why the hell she wanted to go out in the ice cold when it was so perfectly warm inside. Not to mention they had both been naked.
“You coming?”
Michael sighed. “You’re really serious about this, huh?” He rolled off of the bed sideways and grabbed his jeans. “You’re insane, Blondie.”
She just rolled her eyes at him. Considering his past she doubted he’d ever just sat outside and looked up at the stars. No, he was the type of person that did things for a reason, not the type to just do it for the pure enjoyment of the moment.
He wasn’t sure if she was amused by him or somehow saddened by the fact that he really had no understanding of why this was important to her.
“C’mon,” he muttered as he grabbed a shirt. They might as well get this over with.
“I could teach you to enjoy things like this,” she said as she latched onto his hand.
He could hear the wistful note in her voice as she cut her thought off before it could be completely voiced. If we had the time. ”Maybe if it was 80 degrees and you were naked,” he said in an effort to pull her away from those thoughts.
“The sky wouldn’t be as clear if it was 80 degrees,” she denied and let him lead the way through the house until they reached their destination. Jeez, it was cold indeed.
“Told you it’s not that pleasant,” he said, amused when he saw her shivering.
“It will be under the blanket.” She pointed at the one under his arm that they had grabbed on their way out.
“Nowhere near as pleasant as it was in bed,” he denied and decided to use one of the bigger pieces of furniture. Spreading the blanket around him, he sat down on it and then gestured for her to sit in his lap so he could wrap them both up.
“Now, isn’t this nice?” she asked and wiggled around to get comfortable.
He growled under his breath. “Um-hmm, it’s great.” He would’ve thought it was impossible to even think about getting hard as cold as it was outside, but hell, maybe this wouldn’t be that bad.
“Just look at those stars,” she whispered as she looked up at the sky. “Do you know any of the constellations?”
“I know you’d better stop squirming around,” he rasped in her ear, making her shiver. He had a feeling she was doing it intentionally.
Maria chuckled. “I liked astronomy in high school but I can hardly much of it to be honest.”
He forced his eyes away from her and looked up. It was a very clear night out here and the stars looked at least twice as bright. He had seen them from so many different places, slept with his face to them countless times, but had he ever paid attention? No, not at all.
“This one I remember though.” She pointed up at the sky. “It’s called the belt of Orion or something.” She shifted again. “No, Orion’s Belt, that’s it.”
He followed her pointing finger and grunted to let her know he was paying attention, but honestly, all he saw was a sky full of stars. He couldn’t distinguish one bunch from the others.
“I guess you didn’t really have a lot of time for extracurricular activities in school,” she mused as she dropped her head back against his shoulder to look at him.
“They taught us what they wanted us to know.” He shrugged. ”No big deal. I wouldn’t have been much of a student anyway.”
“So you didn’t go to school?”
“School of hard knocks,” he muttered, his tone noncommittal. He nudged her with his shoulder. ”Where’d Orion’s Belt get its name?”
“Well, the whole set of stars there is called Orion and those three stars look like a belt for him.” She shrugged and didn’t miss the amused glance he was giving her. “What?”
“Is that so or are you just making it up?”
“What the hell? Why else would it be called that? That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Michael chuckled and looked up again, taking his time until he believed he had found those three stars she was hinting at. “Well, with a lot of imagination... eh... still no.”
She shoved her elbow into his stomach. ”I think you’re just being hard to get along with.”
“Could be.”
She searched the stars, finally locating the big and little dippers. ”Okay, look there,” she pointed and waited until she knew he was looking in the right direction. ”See how it forms a square almost? And there’s a handle?”
No, he didn’t see it.
“Right there, kinda to the right of that area where there aren’t many stars.”
“Okay, I see it. What about it?”
“It’s the big dipper.”
“So what, it’s there all the time?”
“Duuuh,” she groaned. “Really? You don’t even know the most popular star constellation?”
He lifted one eyebrow. “So, is it?”
Maria sighed. “Yes, it is and it’s very easy to find, don’t ya think?”
He looked up again and found it quickly this time. “Kind of. If you know what to look for I guess.”
“I’ve never seen them all so clear. It’s breathtaking.”
“I’ve probably seen the sky from a hundred different places and never given it much thought,” he mused aloud, barely aware he’d spoken.
“I read that one of the best places to see the stars is from the Chaco Canyon National Park in Arizona. There are these ancient Pueblo ruins there.” She glanced at him. “Some archeologists think they were built based on events relating to the stars. Can you imagine what it must be like to stand among those ruins and look up at the stars, maybe even see what they saw when they were designing their homes?”
He stared up at the sky when he heard the wistful note in her voice and he was sure he knew where her thoughts were at that moment. “You could still see them one day. The ruins have been there for decades and the stars considerably longer than that.” He rubbed her arm before his fingers slipped down to link with hers unconsciously. “They’ll wait for you.”
She reached for his other hand and pulled his arms around her, sighing contentedly when he took the hint and tightened his hold on her.
This was dangerous territory, his conscience tried to remind him over and over again. She was becoming a distraction. And even worse, his thoughts were starting to go in a direction that included her no matter what the future held.
For the very first time since he could remember, he was reluctant to move on the next day. The thought of never returning bothered him, especially because it wouldn’t be this nice house he missed.
Maria stayed silent. He was holding her tight and she knew it was as much of an emotional thing as she would get from him. When her eyes shifted up to his face every now and then his expression held more than it ever had before though and he probably didn’t even realize it.
Sure, he’d talked about taking her away, teased her plenty of times about getting her naked on the beach in some remote location, but he was suddenly being faced with the fact that he wanted that to be more than just an empty promise to keep her going. He’d never once promised her a lifetime and she’d never asked for that from him; naïve as she might be about some things, she understood there were no guarantees in life.
He didn’t know what would happen when this was all over. There was a good chance they’d never walk away from this mess, never live long enough to even know if their efforts had been enough to destroy the Circle. If they did somehow survive, they would have to be on guard for the rest of their lives. That was no life for her. She deserved so much more than that.
“Michael?”
Her voice pulled him from his thoughts and he lifted one eyebrow in question.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“Tomorrow,” he lied with a shrug. It wasn’t a complete lie, he rationalized. He was thinking about tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that. He sighed quietly. He was letting his mind drift off in a direction it had no business going.
“How comfortable are your with the plan?” She frowned at her own words. “I mean, do you see a chance that this’ll work out?”
He looked at her directly, knowing there was no point in trying to make the situation seem less dangerous than it was. “There’ll be losses on our side no matter what. It would be irrational to think otherwise. We have an idea about what’s waitin’ for us but we can’t account for everything that can go wrong.” He nudged her when her expression darkened. “I do know I’ll be walking into this with the best team possible. Brody has a reputation as the best for a reason. His men, whoever he brings with him, they’ll be good otherwise he wouldn’t be working with them. I trust Val to do everything necessary to keep Whitman’s heart beating and to bring this operation to an end. She’ll fight until her last breath.”
“And Kyle? Will you let him go with you?”
He grunted. “He’s made his decision and telling him to stay behind would only mean he’d come after us on his own. I’d rather involve him in the plan than let him walk into this blindly.” He shook his head. “Too stubborn for his own good, but if everything goes south he’s the one I’d choose to die next to.”
“I doubt Tess would care for that.”
“No, but she would understand it. She’s been there, Maria. It’s an ugly existence a lot of the time, but if you’re not prepared to put it all on the line you’ve already lost your edge and you’re better off hanging it up.”
“You make it sound so easy.” She knew he had to be able to do that if he was going to be successful in his job but it scared her.
“It’s the only way I know how to be. Anything else could get me or the person depending on me killed.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure she could handle it if he doesn’t come back.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret. If the positions were reversed he wouldn’t be able to handle it either.” No, Valenti wouldn’t eat a bullet or anything, but he’d be walking dead. He’d sure as hell never envied that.
“I like them a lot. They’re a great couple. They have a very strong relationship.”
Michael grunted in agreement. At first he had called Kyle insane for even trying to settle down. They had been pretty much alike; warriors who didn’t know anything but fighting. The other man had changed though. He was still ready to take on a battle but he was also able to care about someone other than himself and he had managed to build this steady thing with Tess. Was it in all of them? Could he possibly be able to combine an emotional attachment with the loner part of him?
Michael shook his head at those thoughts. “This time tomorrow we’ll either be outta there or dead. Whatever happens, you keep going, Maria.”
She looked at him, worried and depressed. “If you guys don’t return...”
“Then Tess will make sure you stay safe.”
But for how long? If they failed tomorrow it was all over. They would never be able to make another attempt at taking the Circle down. ”I know there are no guarantees, but I can’t imagine we have a better chance at this than tomorrow.”
“No, it’s a one shot deal. We have an advantage right now. They won’t see this coming.”
“That works in our favor, right?”
“Yeah, as long as we don’t blow it. We won’t get another chance like this. If we can get in there and Whitman can successfully gain control of the system and we make it back out alive, we’ll have a fighting chance.”
“Alex can do it, Michael. I know he can.”
Her faith in Alex was reasonable, he thought. Whitman had proven quite a few times now that he was an excellent addition to their team and the mission. “He can do it,” he agreed confidently. The riskier question was would they be able to get him in and back out alive, but that wasn’t something he would say out loud.
“It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow.” Maria sighed but gave him a slight smile. She knew it would be hell to wait here. She was just glad she wasn’t completely alone. Tess was used to stuff like this; she’d know how to occupy her mind from the dark thoughts.
“Sure, but it’s also a day that’ll set the future. We will hurt the Circle. No matter if we make it out or not, Alex will make sure that everything we know comes out in the open in case we don’t return.”
“Really?”
“If we go down, we won’t go down quietly. Protocols have been put in place to get the truth out either way, but in the event we don’t make it back out the information will be transmitted to specific parties.”
“What happens to the information if you do make it back out?” She had to pat herself on the back when she managed to get the question out without choking on it.
“Then he’ll delay the release of information. If we’re still kicking it’s better if we’re not caught up in the press that’s gonna be all over this mess.” He smirked. ”When that time comes, it’s gonna be on you because it’s gonna be your testimony along with the evidence that shuts them down.”
“Me?” She looked at him wide eyed.
“Yeah.” He squeezed her a bit. “You’ll get your part in this, M’ria,” he murmured. “Just not yet. The fight’s far from being over.”
She nodded. When the time came, she would be brave and do whatever was necessary. And if they didn’t return? Was life still worth living? Was it even possible? What was there to fight for in the end if not for the people who had remained at her side? “I’ll do it.”
He chuckled. “I know you will.”
She sighed, wishing it was already tomorrow night and this was over. Wished it was over and they were all safely back here. He was certain there would be casualties on both sides and she couldn’t help but hope and pray the mission didn’t claim the lives of the people in this house.