Page 17 of Braxton (Force Protection Delta #5)

N ormally, the moment the sun rose, Braxton woke up. He’d never needed a lot of sleep. But when morning came and he felt Quinn’s warm, naked body stretched across his, he had no plan to leave his bed any time soon. Instead, he savored their nearness, lightly stroking his fingers up and down her back, his mind returning to the conversations they’d shared throughout the night. And, of course, he couldn’t stop thinking about the mind-blowing sex.

They’d always been explosive in bed, but last night took things to a new level. More than anything, he wanted to start over. Quinn brought a lightness and playfulness to his life that was otherwise missing. Despite being a badass, she knew how to not take herself too seriously, and that was something he always had trouble doing.

She made a soft sound, stirring, and her gorgeous green eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning,” she murmured sleepily and placed a soft kiss on his chest. “That was…quite a night.”

His mouth edged up and he brushed her fiery hair back over her slim shoulder. The woman entranced him, and the fact that she was here, with him again, had his head reeling. His heart, too. For a long moment, all he could do was stare at her. Words were caught up in his throat. A part of him was terrified he was merely dreaming and when he woke up, she’d be gone.

“Yeah,” he finally managed, “it really was.”

He noticed she was still wearing his wedding band on her finger and his possessive side liked it. A lot.

Pushing up, she tossed him a sultry look. Her long, dark red hair cascaded all around, covering her breasts, and he wanted to shove it aside, pin her down on the bed and have his way with her.

“I’m going to take a shower,” she said huskily. “If you want to join me—”

Brax scrambled off the bed so fast, she tossed her head back and laughed. He stalked around to her side, scooped her up and carried her toward the bathroom.

“I guess that’s a yes,” she said with a chuckle.

“It’s a hell yes.”

After a very steamy shower where Quinn spent a good portion of it on her knees, sucking him dry, Brax got dressed. His body and soul felt satiated, very close to being completely fulfilled. If it weren’t for The Agency, everything would be practically perfect.

Isn’t that when everything goes to shit? the realist in him asked.

They wandered out to the common area and Brax made them coffee. No one else was up yet and they sat down with their mugs, thighs touching, his arm flung across the back of the couch. As they drank and talked, it felt like old times. Like nothing had changed. Yet Brax knew that wasn’t exactly true. They had a lot to work on, to re-build, but he was ready for the challenge. He’d always excelled at overcoming challenges, and working on his failed marriage might be the biggest one he’d ever faced.

The rest of the house began to wake up and couples started to wander out, one by one. They all sent knowing looks their way, but Brax didn’t care. In fact, his chest puffed out a little more because his days of being celibate and miserable with only Neo as company were over. And he wasn’t even a little sad about it.

Brax watched Ryland exchange a lengthy kiss with Harper at the front door. They’d been together now longer than anyone, yet they were more in love than ever. After she and Aubrey left, he ambled over and sat down across from Brax and Quinn, a big, bright-white smile on his face.

“You two look like you’re getting along well,” he commented.

“Very well,” Brax said. “Where are Harper and Aubrey going?”

“They said they had girl stuff to do. So I assume some kind of shopping is involved.” He made a face and took a drink of his coffee.

Quinn chuckled. “Oh, the horror.”

“Exactly.”

It wasn’t long before Gray and Saint joined them. Saint’s attention went straight to the unruly mop on Brax’s head. “Forget the gel this morning, Pharaoh?”

Brax lifted his middle finger.

“Leave his curls alone,” Quinn cooed, reaching up and running her fingers through them. “They’re precious.”

The other men laughed. Brax didn’t give a shit. Let them make fun all they wanted. He’d never been happier.

The smell of sizzling bacon filled the air as Inda started cooking breakfast over in the kitchen.

“Make some for me, too, Bruja!” Ryland called out.

“I always do,” she answered without missing a beat. Lucas moved up beside her, trying to help, but mostly just stealing kisses. “Who wants pancakes?”

All the men yelled “Me!” at once and Quinn grinned, settling into the curve of Braxton’s arm. Utter contentment washed over him as his gaze swept over the nearly-domesticated group of former assassins. They all had pasts and had done things that crossed into shady territory. Some of them had gone deeper down the morally-gray rabbit hole than others, but all of them had been saved in one way or another by the love of a good woman. Or man, in Inda’s case.

He just hoped he was on that same path with Quinn at his side.

The group enjoyed breakfast together. Zane and River eventually wandered out, silly grins on both their faces as they exchanged whispers and kisses.

“Someone steal your mousse, Pharaoh?” Zane teased, stuffing a big bite of pancakes in his mouth and smirking as he chewed.

“You guys are hysterical,” Brax said dryly. “Go ahead. Get all your jokes in now before I cut my hair.”

“No,” Quinn protested. “You’re not allowed to cut your hair.”

“Ever?” Brax raised a brow.

“Well…just a slight trim every once in a while,” she amended.

Nearby, Saint let out a snort. “We’re going to have to change his callsign to Shirley Temple.”

“Or Timberlake,” Zane added.

“You guys are so mean,” Inda said. “I say embrace your natural curls, Pharaoh.”

“Listen to Bruja and your woman,” Gray wisely advised with a smirk. “An unhappy wife equals an unhappy life.”

“That’s right,” Mia said, tickling Saint’s side. He grabbed her, tickling back, and she yelped.

His woman…his wife…well, technically, his ex-wife…

Semantics, though. The heart wants what the heart wants . His dad used to say that, and he was right.

Brax felt his arm drop from the back of the couch and onto Quinn’s shoulders. Maybe one day she would be his wife again. He glanced down at her finger, but his ring was gone, safely tucked back in his drawer. His gut twisted up a little and he found himself wanting to see her wedding ring back on her finger.

Quinn Noelle belonged to him, and his inner caveman wanted everyone else to know it. Public displays of affection had never been his thing, but he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss against her neck. When she tilted her head invitingly, he licked her soft skin.

He was nuzzling the spot behind her ear, considering dragging her back down to his room, when the front door opened with a bang. Everyone looked over to see Aubrey stagger in. Gray immediately stood and met her halfway, his arms going around her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking her over, making sure she wasn’t hurt.

Ryland also popped up, gaze searching for his wife. “Where’s Harper?”

“They took her!” Aubrey cried.

Brax jumped to his feet.

“Who took her?” Ryland asked darkly.

As if in answer, his phone began ringing. “What?” he snapped. All the color drained from his face as he put the call on speaker.

“I’m sure you’ve heard your wife is missing,” Cross said coolly.

Ryland’s nostrils flared in fury. “If you touch one hair on her head, I will rip yours off.”

“So predictable,” Cross responded. “If you want your precious wife back, you’re going to trade her for Zaitsev. You have ten seconds to decide. And you should know there’s a gun to her pretty, blonde head.”

One of the women gasped as Brax met Ryland’s tortured gaze and nodded.

“We’ll do whatever you want,” Ryland said between gritted teeth. His voice dropped as he begged, “Don’t hurt her, Dad. Please. ”

Fuck . Brax heard the desperation in his friend’s voice and his chest tightened. He knew how helpless Ryland must feel and it ate him up inside. But they would get Harper back and take care of Cross.

“Good decision, son,” Cross said, and Ryland squeezed his eyes shut, clearly fighting for control. “Tell your team if they do one thing to piss me off, I won’t hesitate to kill her. And it won’t be pleasant or swift.”

Ryland’s hand fisted and Brax walked closer. “Where do we take Zaitsev?” Brax asked.

“Ah, if it isn’t your fearless leader. And how are you, Pharaoh?”

“Where are we doing the trade?” Brax repeated.

“France,” Cross said. “I’ll send my son the details. If you try to fuck me over, blondie here is dead. Am I clear?”

“Crystal,” Brax responded.

“Wonderful.”

The moment the call disconnected, Ryland’s knees buckled and he sank down onto a chair. Completely distraught, he hunched over and dropped his head in his hands. Brax’s heart twisted for the man.

“We’re going to get her back,” Brax assured him, clasping a hand over the other man’s shoulder. “No matter what it takes.”

Ryland looked up, his bright blue eyes swimming with unshed tears. “She’s pregnant,” he whispered raggedly.

Fuck. Even though everyone had bets it was coming sooner rather than later, a shockwave tore through the group. Then everyone started talking at once, assuring Ryland they would get Harper and their baby back safely.

When Ryland’s phone chimed with a text, he opened it and shared the location—Paris, France. No specific location.

“Bruja, call Pyro,” Braxton stated. “We’re leaving immediately.”

“On it,” she replied.

“I’ll do a search on potential meeting spots,” Zane said, his fingers already flying over his keyboard. Beside him, River was on her laptop, too. Not far away, Lucas was doing his own search.

While his hackers dug for information, Brax felt Quinn touch his arm. “We can’t trust Cross,” she said, voice low.

Brax pulled her aside. “I know.”

“I can help,” she whispered. “Cross doesn’t know I’m on your side. I can get in and find Harper. Or, at least, provide a distraction while your team does the exchange. Give you an opportunity to get both her and Zaitsev back.”

Brax nodded, appreciating her willingness to put herself on the line for his team. “Nice having the Cardinal on our side.”

A wisp of a smile crossed her shadowed face. “The Cardinal is retiring after this one last op,” she told him, “but your wife has your back. Always.”

“Ex-wife,” he corrected her.

“Semantics,” she said, echoing his earlier thought.

They shared a long look that spoke volumes, and Brax was grateful they were once again on the exact same page. Channeling his inner strength, he stepped into the role of stoic leader and turned to face his team.

“Getting Harper back safely is our number one priority,” he stated. “So let’s gather the gear, get to the jet and rescue Rip’s wife.”