Black Ops Brotherhood: Tightrope Part 6

"Glad to hear it," he said, unloading the containers of food from the bag.

"We can eat in the living room while we watch the movie, if you want."

Rio picked up the DVD he'd brought and got the TV set up as he laid out the food on the coffee table. She turned her attention to something else because she didn't want to remind him that he'd broken his date with her to f.u.c.k around with Sylvia and the other s.l.u.ts who'd gone out to the hunting shack with him and Davey for three whole weeks. Instead, she had more pressing things that she needed to know.

She made herself focus to avoid getting wrapped up in his games. Redirecting the conversation would help her regain a little control and satisfy her curiosity about the FBI agent who'd be visiting her boss. While she waited for her internal affairs interview, she'd also done some homework on Danny Gamez. His statement about calling Rock and the FBI knowing she'd picked up hostile foreign nationals before anyone had processed paperwork had been just a little too coincidental. She knew he was in the Navy and found out he'd made it to the rank of lieutenant. He was stationed at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio and had a master's thesis under evaluation at Naval War College.

She found out that he was attached to NAVSPECWARCOM, Naval Special Warfare Command, which meant he was probably a SEAL or SWCC. That explained the overall change in his att.i.tude and bearing. It also cleared up the mystery of his fearlessness when he'd faced Jax. Being a CBP officer working under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, she'd been able to obtain relatively detailed but mundane information regarding his military service. She wasn't able to dig too deep into his personnel file-most of it had been sealed or cla.s.sified-but she did find out that his job cla.s.sification as a surface warfare officer had a special option a.s.sociated with his t.i.tle. SWCC officers weren't typically cla.s.sified as surface warfare officers, narrowing down what he actually did. She wasn't able to access any more information regarding his current cla.s.sification and decorations.

Now she wished she'd listened to her brother whenever he tried to talk about Danny instead of shutting him down. Apparently, the US Navy had turned a little geek into one h.e.l.l of a man.

The question still remained. How did the FBI know that she had potential enemy combatants in custody before she put the information into the federal database they shared? Danny had known the instant he saw what she pulled out of those backpacks exactly what they were dealing with. When she researched the special warfare group Danny was a.s.signed to, she found that it was also one of the few with a reserve component. Knowing how agencies had begun to work in tandem with the Department of Defense and how the CBP used the National Guard on a regular basis, she connected it to CBP aircraft being supported by Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. All of the pilots and agents that were a.s.signed to CBP air support were all Air Force reservists or National Guard. She surmised this FBI agent was probably a d.a.m.n SEAL reservist.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything." His sultry tone didn't escape her.

"How do you like San Antonio? I was stationed at Lackland almost the whole time I was in the Air Force."

"I like it. It reminds me of home sometimes," he said, digging into his food.

If careful, she could probably get most of the information she wanted from him. The key would be to start slow and keep the questions general. She asked him a few more questions about San Antonio and about different places in the area. Usually men like him were closemouthed about anything they did and the places they went. But he talked openly, and she could tell when he let down his guard; he trusted her and felt safe. As well as they knew each other, if she probed with questions about what had happened the other day, he'd catch on to her. She thought about strategy and decided not to waste time.

"How did an FBI agent from San Antonio know we had suspected enemy combatants in custody before they were processed?"

Watching as his body language changed, she saw him straighten up and raise a suspicious eyebrow as he put down his food. The scowl on his face telegraphed his regret for trusting her with a glimpse of his new life. He'd opened up to her, and it had come back and bitten him in the a.s.s. His reaction to her question told her exactly what she wanted to know, and his silence spoke volumes. The longer the tense silence went on, she was almost sorry for making him feel as if she'd violated his trust. She wanted to remain distant, and cool like she would with a suspect, but her professional demeanor melted the longer she looked at him.

"Danny-"

"Stop, just stop," he said, cutting her off and looking away.

"Can I please say something?"

Glaring at her, he made it clear he didn't want to hear whatever she had to say right then, but she felt the need to justify what she'd done.

"We hadn't processed those suspects, and you and Steve were the only outside people there."

"You dug into my background and what I do, didn't you?"

The tone of his question was accusatory and angry. He stood and it suddenly looked as if he was heading for the door. She'd crossed a line and needed to somehow repair the damage she'd done, because as she looked closer, it wasn't anger; she'd hurt him by violating his trust.

"I knew what those devices were because I'd seen them before when I was with a K-9 unit in the military. The dogs I handled were specially trained. One particular search mission I went on while I was in Iraq was in a neighborhood full of insurgents. We were sent to a safe house to clear it before destroying it. I went in with a Marine Recon escort. The dog I handled found a case of those devices inside one of the rooms. They were Russian made. There's no way an FBI agent could have known we had these suspects because no one had started any paperwork on them when he called the station. I'm just looking for answers. Do you want to tell me what's going on here?"

"No." He turned and looked at her. His answer had been firm and short. "If you want to interrogate me, take me down to the station and read me my rights. Don't pretend to be my friend."

The statement stung then p.i.s.sed her off. At first, she wanted to apologize. Now he made her regret trying to explain and ease the unintentional hurt she'd caused. She walked up to him and planted herself directly in front of him. This Special Ops p.r.i.c.k had clearly forgotten who the f.u.c.k he was dealing with. Rio's eyes narrowed, and her back straightened. The surprise that registered in his eyes had been brief and then guarded and determined. Being quicker, she stepped into his personal s.p.a.ce.

"First of all, I didn't invite you here. You invited yourself. And I haven't pretended anything with you for one second. In fact, I'm starting to get the feeling it's been the other way around. Why are you here, Danny? You've never been interested in me this way, so why the h.e.l.l now? What is it you want?"

Holy f.u.c.k! Focus! Rio being this close and that growl in her voice made Dan forget his anger. His c.o.c.k leaped and hardened in record time. Her commanding presence made his knees weak, and he wanted to stop all this groundwork he was laying and tell her exactly what he really wanted. How could she for one second believe he'd never been attracted to her? Even now, he was doing everything but spelling out exactly what kind of relationship he wanted with her.

They had to talk, all right, but not about national security and weapons of ma.s.s destruction. They needed to discuss their future together as a man and woman. He backed up to get a grip on his rage and regain control of his runaway mouth. The idea of her questioning him had p.i.s.sed him off. With the job she did, it would be natural that she'd investigate. He relaxed and remembered questions like this would be part of their lives from now on. He had to learn how to handle them and not be so confrontational.

"What I want has nothing to do with our jobs," he said.

"Cut the c.r.a.p, Danny, and tell me what I want to know."

"I can't," he said, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, babe."

Under his hands, she relaxed and nodded her head. She seemed to understand, and telling her he couldn't say anything would've been much better than jumping in her s.h.i.t right away. He fought a grin realizing maybe he'd done it to get a rise out of her. Pushing her b.u.t.tons had become unconscious. Her swift response reminded him that she still had no idea how much it affected him. Seeing her in his face snapping right back was a bigger turn-on than talking dirty to him.

"Okay," she said, moving away.

He caught her before she could move any farther and pulled her close.

"I didn't mean to snap at you like that."

Relaxing, he caught her scent for the first time and committed it to memory-apples. He closed his eyes when she wrapped her arms around his waist, and he let her comforting embrace ease him. He could stay like this with her for the rest of the night and not move an inch because it was exactly where he wanted to be. She pushed away and looked at him. Even though she'd defended herself pretty d.a.m.n solid, he'd hurt her. The pain still lingered in her eyes, and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if he didn't make it right.

"Forgive me, babe, please. I promise it won't happen again," he said. She looked away as if she didn't believe him. He cupped her face and redirected her focus on him. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"Yes, you have."

The answer took him by surprise. He couldn't think of any promise he'd made to her and didn't keep. She'd been the one person he'd gladly give his life for to make sure he came through. He gave her an intentional frown.

"When?"

"How many do you want me to list?" she asked.

"What? No way!"

"Way!"

"Bulls.h.i.t!" She squealed as he lifted her off her feet.

Carrying her to the couch, he dumped her onto the soft leather and landed on top of her. Her big brown eyes got wider when he began attacking her ribs as he tickled her, and she screamed with laughter. She grabbed his hands, but it was no use. He flicked her fingers away. Her body writhing under him gave his c.o.c.k an enjoyable sensation and conjured mental images of her screaming while he f.u.c.ked her. He continued his torture without mercy, hoping to keep the stimulation of her underneath him going for the rest of the night.

"Danny! Stop!"

"Name one!"

"I can't breathe!"

Resting his hands on her ribs under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and bracing on his elbows, he waited for her to catch her breath. He closed his eyes to avoid staring at her heaving t.i.ts. To ease his torment, he ma.s.saged down her ribs. When she closed her eyes and arched into his hands, he had to take a deep breath at the swift and sudden swelling of his c.o.c.k. He stopped himself from leaning forward to kiss her when she bit her lower lip. He watched her struggle for self-control as she grabbed his wrists to still his touch. He didn't dare move his hands again. He knew he'd grab her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and attack another way this time.

"C'mon, name one," he prompted.

"The first time you took me to eat Thai food you said you'd take me back when you came home in between semesters. You took Sylvia to the hunting shack instead."

Cringing as he sat back, he remembered the promise as if he'd just made it. She was right; he'd forgotten all about it and let Sylvia talk him into spending all of his time with her. He must've done that more often than he remembered. All the regret came rushing back. He'd wasted so much time f.u.c.king around with Sylvia when he should've been spending his time with the girl he really wanted, Rio.

"You're right. Will you forgive me for standing you up?" he asked.

"I forgave you a long time ago."

Of course she had. He wouldn't have gotten inside her house if she hadn't. He stood and held out his hands to help her sit up. He took a seat next to her and picked up his container of food and dug in. He offered her a bite much like he'd done when he introduced her to Pad Thai. She smiled and shook her head.

"Take it," he said, moving the fork closer to her.

"Are you flirting with me again?"

"Do I need to be more obvious?"

Excitement ran through him as he saw the dominant spark in her eyes return. She was up to something, but it didn't quite register with him what she was thinking. She opened her mouth and took the bite he offered. When she wrapped her lips around the fork, he closed his eyes and groaned, wishing she'd wrap her lips around his c.o.c.k that way.

"Danny, when did you turn into such a freak?"

"What do you mean?"

Tilting her head and raising an eyebrow she gave him a sarcastic, silent really?

"What?" he asked in his best whatever-do-you-mean tone.

Giggling, she picked up the remote and started the movie. She picked up her own container of food and dug in.

"You're such a guy. You know what I mean," she said, leaning back.

"I didn't turn anything; I've always been this way," he responded, not looking at her.

Leaning back, he thought carefully before he said anything else. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but she wasn't ready. The kind of relationship he wanted could end in disaster if he didn't take it slow and easy to give her time to embrace who she truly was.

"We need to talk." His attention was riveted on the television. From the corner of his eye, he could see her turn her head to look at him.

"I'm listening," she said.

"You're not ready."

They stared at each other for a long time as the movie played in the background.

"What is it? Please tell me so I can understand what's going on." He could see he had her full attention.

"I've missed you, and seeing you again made me realize what a mistake I made leaving you behind and never telling you how I really felt."

There it was, at least some of it. Everything he'd been feeling since the day he left home and came back. He was right about her not being ready. The fear had returned in her eyes again mixed with something he couldn't identify. He looked back at the screen to let her absorb what he'd just said. He noticed she put down her food and wasn't paying attention to the movie. He suddenly wanted to leave, thinking maybe what little bit he'd said had been overwhelming. Doubt settled in as the movie played. If telling her something as easy as his feelings overwhelmed her, what the h.e.l.l would she do when he laid everything on her? The long, tense silence between them had become maddening. Maybe he'd been wrong, and he wanted something that wasn't there. He thought about the ring he'd left in his bag at his sister's house. He'd almost regretted buying it now. He tried not to stare at her and concentrated on the movie, now more than half-over. Schotzie walked to the couch with a rope toy, so he resorted to teasing the dog. It would give him a chance to think about his next move without obsessing over it.

Keeping her distance, she watched Danny and her dog wrestle on the floor with Schotzie's favorite toy. She relaxed feeling more in control as she watched them romp. She didn't know what to do with him and his confession about his feelings. What could he possibly expect from her while he was on leave? What happened once he left? It seemed as if she'd waited a lifetime to hear him say that he wanted to be with her, but he was hesitating, as if he was leaving something out, something she couldn't put her finger on. At times, she felt like he would pull invisible strings to make her react, then back off. He was driving her insane with his on/off stimulation. Feeding her, groaning when she took a bite from his fork, and the glazed look he got left her p.u.s.s.y wet and her body aching in s.e.xual frustration.

"Is she yours?" he asked.

"She's my partner. She's a K-9 officer who belongs to the CBP. I take care of her. Really, I spoil her because she should be living at the station. A few months ago, she got hurt, and I started bringing her home to help her recover. When she retires in a few years, I'll ask to keep her."

"Officer?" he asked as he tugged the rope toy away from Schotzie.

The big dog playfully growled and wagged her tail as she latched on to the rope and tugged.

"Yes, she is. Complete with a badge," she said.

Danny chuckled as he wrestled Schotzie to the ground.

"She even has a bulletproof vest, but she doesn't like it. I make her wear it every now and then," she said, pulling Schotzie's tail.

"So you've been doing this awhile? Training police dogs?"

"When I was first a.s.signed to my security police unit I seemed to be able to train dogs without thinking about it."

"So if you're training dogs, why did Davey tell me you're out in the desert all the time?"

"We're shorthanded right now, so I train the dogs a few times a week, but most of the time I need to be out, and the dogs need to be working. I love working with animals; we understand one another." Schotzie dropped the toy at her feet. She rubbed the big dog's neck and saw how happy she was. "Don't we, girl?"

Danny crawled to the chair where she'd moved and planted himself on the floor at her feet. He curled his arm around her leg and leaned his head against her knee. His touch made her tremble, and his need to touch her made her nervous, especially after what he'd told her. What had changed? She looked down at him and curled her fingers to avoid running them through his hair. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes as he rubbed her calf. When a moan slipped, her eyes flew open, and she looked down and caught him staring at her. The hot glazed look had returned. What the h.e.l.l did that look mean? The vision of making him kiss every inch of her legs made her squirm. While they stared at each other, he planted a kiss on her knee, and her p.u.s.s.y clenched making her breath catch. The aftershock of his kiss made every nerve in her body hum. She pushed him away and stood.

"Danny, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

Anxiously, she cleaned away the food from the coffee table because she had to put some distance between them.

"Rio? What do you mean?" he asked as he followed her into the kitchen carrying the rest of the dishes.

"I mean, why now? You've never noticed me before. Why now?" she insisted as she grabbed the dishes from his hands and shoved them into the sink.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, taking her hands.

"What the h.e.l.l do you want from me? Just say it!" she demanded, pushing his hands away.

He took a step backward. "I can't make what I want any more obvious, what more can I do?"

Asking that question rendered her speechless for a moment and told her he'd figured out what everyone had known for years. She'd been crazy in love with him when they were growing up. Every waking fantasy she had involved Danny. Stepping into her s.p.a.ce, he cupped her face and mesmerized her with the heat in his coal-black eyes while her skin flushed and warmed. In her wildest dreams she never imagined a touch that could set her on fire the way his did. The heat radiating from her had to burn his hands when he held her. She grabbed his wrists to push him away because this was about to get beyond her control.

"I need you to tell me what to do," he murmured, pulling her close. Before she could answer, he took her mouth in a searing kiss.

Something inside her snapped as she grabbed the nape of his neck and pulled him closer. She broke away and looked at him determined to take him over completely. If he wanted a kiss, she'd do this her way and give him a kiss he'd never forget. She understood what guys wanted. They talked about it all the time in front of her and with her. Bemoaning how they wished their wives or girlfriends would take over and show them what the h.e.l.l to do. She knew it was c.r.a.p. The minute some woman actually gave them what they claimed they wanted, it scared the h.e.l.l out of them. But Danny was different, and she almost believed that was exactly what he asked from her.

"Then quit f.u.c.king around, and kiss me like you mean it," she said.