Page 28 of Gabe (Blue Team #2)

I wanted to pull away from him at the same time I wanted him to pull me closer. I wanted to bask in his affection.

I want more than he’s offering.

“I trust you but I need you to trust me, too,” I told him. “I want to talk to Delilah. I know it’s a long shot she’ll answer me but I still want to try.”

Gabe rested his forehead against mine and his other arm wrapped around me.

Pulling me closer .

“Evette—”

“There’s no difference between Garrett and Zane communicating with her and me. She knows I’m here. I will be in no more danger than I am now. Maybe I can get her to meet with Myles and Kevin.”

“She’s right,” Cooper said. “It’s worth a shot. It would save a lot of time if Evette can talk Delilah into a meeting.”

Gabe didn’t lift his head when he said, “We’ve been over this. She might not know you’re with us.”

“And I’ll repeat what I told you at the office. I know you’ll keep me safe. Please let me do this.”

Gabe let out a ragged breath, his forehead came off of mine, but he didn’t let me go. His gaze dropped to mine and he held my eyes for a good long while. I was about to plead my case when he finally spoke, sounding wary.

“Goes against the grain of a man like me. Everything inside of me is telling me to take you and run. Hide you away while my team handles the situation. Four times someone tried to take your life. Four times you got lucky. I don’t want there to be a fifth.

I don’t want you putting yourself out there.

I don’t want you any- fucking -where near this.

And if I thought for a second you’d go along with my plan we’d be gone and I’d have you someplace cut off from the outside world.

But I know you. And I know you’d fight me every step. ”

He was right, I would fight him. I might’ve sought out Kyle to warn him about what I’d done and ask him for help but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to be an active participant in figuring out who was trying to kill me.

And I certainly wanted to be involved in researching Abrams. Not to mention, I was going to bring down those responsible for putting Kalee through hell.

Someone would pay for all the months my friend was held captive and made to do unspeakable things.

What had me stunned was that Gabe knew that about me. I mean, I hadn’t exactly hidden who I was and what I wanted but it surprised me that he’d paid enough attention to know that I wouldn’t run away with him and leave my problems to others.

“But I have three conditions,” Gabe continued. “You only attempt communication using whatever protocols Garrett sets up. He can mask your location. You don’t mention you’re with us and if necessary you straight-out lie and say you’re not with us.”

I could agree to those. I hadn’t planned on being stupid and using an unsecured internet connection. I’d already learned that particular lesson the hard way.

“And the third?”

“This one is nonnegotiable, Evette. I want you to promise me that the second I feel it is unsafe for us to stay here, you leave with me.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to argue, to remind him I was not going to run from the problems I’d created. But the words died on my tongue when Gabe’s face softened and something that looked like fear crept into his eyes.

“Please, honey, promise me.”

It might’ve been the ‘please’ that did it. Or maybe it was Gabe calling me ‘honey.’ But mostly it was the way Gabe was looking at me that had me agreeing.

“Okay. I promise.”

I knew I made the right decision when the fear went out of his stare and relief washed in.

“Thank you.”

There it was again—gratitude. When I should’ve been the one grateful that he wanted to take care of me. Who was I kidding? Gabe didn’t want to do anything, he was simply doing it. Protecting me around every turn, even when I made it hard for him.

“Is there anything in the reports that’s worthwhile?” I asked.

“Nope. Cooper asked Garrett to look at the GPS and onboard Wi-Fi in Lawson’s car.”

“Now that Forrest Lawson is dead do you think Abrams will send someone new?”

“Yes. But just to say, we haven’t proved Abrams is involved. Not fully. With that said, I don’t doubt whoever hired Forrest Lawson has hired someone new and I don’t wanna scare you but you have to be diligent, they won’t fuck around this time.”

“What does that mean? ”

“It means, Lawson was a hack. He had four tries to take you out and failed.”

Gabe’s gaze flicked to Cooper then back to me and once again something that looked akin to unease stole over his face. His arm around my back became a steel bar.

“My gut’s telling me there’s more to this than lease deals in foreign countries. Bigger than minerals and strip-mining. We’re looking into that angle but we’re missing something.”

“Like what?” I asked even though the grave look on Gabe’s face told me I didn’t want to know.

“I’m not sure. We have three lease requests. Timor-Leste, Croatia, and El Salvador. Tex and Garrett are both looking into it; maybe they’ll find something that connects all three. Give us a better understanding of what’s going on.”

Something tickled the back of my brain. Almost like I should remember something about El Salvador but I couldn’t place what. Tomorrow I’d look through my research notes but there was no use thinking about it now.

“Tex is the best at what he does, Evette. If there’s something to find he’ll find it.”

“Tex is the best, not Garrett?” I teased, trying to relieve some of the tension.

“Garrett is excellent. He can hack any system, he can write any piece of software that we need. But Tex is the best digital investigator out there. No one is better at putting the puzzle together.”

“Garrett writes software?”

That was impressive.

“He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“G2, the backup software you use?”

“What about it?”

“That’s Garrett. He designed the program.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep. He wrote the software and sold it. Made a mint off that sale. Correction, we made a fortune off the sale.”

“Who’s we?”

“That’s a bedtime story,” Gabe said with a smile .

“Are you trying to lure me into bed using my nosiness as bait?”

“Sadly, with Cooper still in the room that is what I’ve been reduced to. A man who has to dangle a juicy tale in front of a woman to get her to go to bed with me.”

“You do you, brother, but I would’ve tossed her over my shoulder ten minutes ago and hauled her ass into the bedroom if I were you. Instead, you wasted a bunch of time on nothing,” Cooper put in. “But then I’m more of an action man. And less talk means more action.”

“Do you have a woman?” I asked Cooper.

“Nope.”

“So basically you’re a one-man action show?”

There was a beat of silence before Gabe’s body started shaking, then his shaking turned into audible laughter. After that, he shoved his face into my neck.

Something big was swelling up inside of me. Surrounded by Gabe, feeling—actually feeling —his happiness had me swallowing back emotions I shouldn’t be having.

I want this .

Gabe holding me while laughing, knowing I was the one who made him shake with humor.

Happiness.

Protection.

Safety.

I wanted to give in to the emotions.

But mostly I wanted to be allowed to love him.

My thoughts disappeared when Gabe suddenly pulled away from me. He dipped down, and in a move straight out of a TV show, he had me over his shoulder. I dropped the papers I was holding in favor of using my hands to brace myself against Gabe’s lower back.

“Gabe!”

“Smart man, that Cooper Cain,” Gabe said as he walked out of the kitchen. “Less talking, more action.”

“Solo action,” I reminded him. “And if you don’t put me down that’s all you’ll get, too.”

“We’ll see. ”

Gabe didn’t put me down. Not until he had me in the bedroom, the door locked, and even then he didn’t set me on my feet. He tossed me on the bed. I landed with a bounce, blinked the shock away, then stared at Gabe.

I only had but a second before he grabbed my ankles and pulled me closer to the edge of the bed.

I was still reeling from all of this when his hands went to my sleep shorts, his thumbs hooked into the waistband, and he yanked them along with my panties down my legs, tossed them over his shoulder, and dropped forward bracing his weight on his elbows but still giving me a good amount of it.

I was pinned under him with his face close to mine.

So, so close I could see all the flecks of black in his irises.

As interesting as the color was that was not what had my breath leaving my body.

It was the hungry blaze.

It was a stare that said everything.

It was Gabe looking at me like he’d never seen me before but now that he had I was his for an eternity.

Yes, that was what my overactive, fanciful mind had conjured up and I was content to live in this moment for the rest of my life.

I wanted to believe so badly I got lost in his gaze.

“Keep your hands on the bed,” Gabe whispered.

The sound was coarse and ragged and sent a thrill of anticipation straight between my legs.

“No touching,” he continued. “Just feel.”

After he gave that directive his body scooted down mine and his hand wrapped around my right calf.

That was all it took for my body to ready for him.

And feel I did.

Gabe started at my ankle and I felt every kiss he pressed against my skin—all the way up my leg, his mouth never leaving my flesh. Sometimes he gently kissed, sometimes he licked, sometimes a combination of both.

He did all of that slow. So slow I was going out of my mind.

By the time Gabe’s mouth reached my center I could barely keep my hands on the bed .

“Mm,” he hummed over my clit and my back arched at the vibration.

Gabe didn’t go any less slow when he swirled his tongue. He didn’t go any faster as he dragged his tongue down and teased my opening.

“You taste so fucking good.”