Page 7 of Kyle (Gold Team #3)

Thank fuck, we were off that plane.

Sitting next to Anaya for the last twenty-five hours had been brutal.

Brutal for my throbbing dick. Brutal on my nervous system. Pure torture.

She was as sweet and funny as she was beautiful.

But it was the last ten that had been truly painful.

I needed a cold shower STAT. I didn’t know for sure, but I was almost positive a hard-on lasting more than two hours required medical attention.

Ten hours with my dick at half-mast had probably caused permanent damage.

Which would be a crying shame because after all the fantasizing I’d done, I had it on good authority Anaya would be insanely hot in bed.

I blamed my current state on that damn book.

After I relieved myself of my problem, I was drafting a strongly worded email to that Susan Stoker woman.

She needed to include a warning label on the cover.

Better yet, a fucking paragraph in the beginning about not reading in public or, most especially while sitting next to a beautiful woman who already has you tied in knots .

Perhaps Susan should market her books to old geezers who couldn’t get erections. Fuck the little blue pill. She’d make bank and put big pharmas out of business.

I never should’ve admitted to rereading the sex scenes, yet I’d been a dumb fuck, and I’d even been stupid enough to utter the word sex out loud.

She’d thought because her face was tipped down, I couldn’t see the blush creeping over her flesh.

She’d been incorrect. I may not have been able to see it on her cheeks, but I sure as fuck saw it grace her cleavage.

Which had been another problem, she had big tits, they were not easy to hide, and the V neck shirt she was wearing showcased her ample breasts, and when the mounds started to pinken my mouth watered.

Actual saliva pooled in my mouth as I thought of holding them in my hands and tasting her nipples.

Then Anaya had agreed she, too, thought the sex was hot, and it was all over.

My cock had jerked in my cargos and the throbbing hadn’t stopped.

I could honestly say, I’d never been so turned on sitting next to a woman.

Especially next to a woman I hadn’t even touched.

And a friendly hand hold wasn’t considered touching—not in my book.

Though to Anaya the simple touch seemed to be a big deal. To the degree in which she’d admitted to walling herself off concerned me. And her reasons for doing so made me feel like a dirty prick for fantasizing about her.

I needed to cut this shit out. Quick, fast, and in a hurry before I freaked her out. We were in Timor-Leste on a mission and that did not include me getting in her pants no matter how badly I wanted to see if the reality of her lived up to what my imagination had conjured.

“How far away is the hotel?” Anaya asked.

“Zane put us up in a house,” Dec answered.

“A house? ”

“Yes. It’s more secure than a hotel. It’s only a five-minute drive from the airport.”

“But that puts us almost thirty minutes from Amisha’s. She lives on the other side of the city.”

Declan turned from the line of taxis to Anaya. Before he could give her shit about questioning him, I stepped in.

“We don’t want to stay close to her for lots of reasons. One being we stand out, and she’ll likely recognize you.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Anaya mumbled.

“That’s why we’re here, it’s our job to think of the things you wouldn’t,” I told her, leaving out the unsavory part of the job, which was to take the woman out if necessary.

“Right.”

Thankfully the taxi ride to the house was quick and silent. I used that time to calm my nerves and shove all dirty thoughts about Anaya into the dark recesses of my mind where they belonged.

When we arrived at the two-bedroom bungalow on the beach I was happy to see it was well-kept. Though it was tucked away with trees and foliage on two sides, it certainly wasn’t secure and the trees provided a lot of coverage for anyone wanting to hide.

“Goddamn,” Dec mumbled, taking in the scenery and likely thinking the same thing I was.

“We’ve stayed in worse,” I reminded him.

“One of us is going to have to stay up and take watch.” He said what I was thinking. “You’re up first, since you and sleeping beauty snoozed on the plane.”

I ignored Dec’s dig, hoping I wouldn’t have to have a conversation with my friend about laying off Anaya.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Declan. Was I supposed to stay awake for twenty-five hours and patrol the aircraft?”

Declan’s eyes narrowed and much to my surprise Anaya didn’t wilt. She stood her ground, shoulders back and standing tall. And damn if that wasn’t sexy as fuck.

“You know, you seem to have a problem with me. Instead of the passive-aggressive bullshit, you should just come right out and tell me what your issues are. It will make the next week so much easier,” she finished.

“Anaya, if I had a problem with you, believe me I’d tell you. I’m not passive-aggressive, I’m simply aggressive. If my attitude offends you, I suggest you toughen up, because if you cannot handle me, there’s no way you’re up for what’s getting ready to happen.”

“Toughen up? You’re kidding, right?”

“Not even a little bit.”

Fuck. This conversation was deteriorating fast.

“Dec—”

“Don’t start, Kyle. You know I’m right. You know what we’re going to walk in on, and we cannot have her dissolving into tears, or worse, freeze up and panicking. The only reason she’s here is because Zane agreed with Emerson and we need a woman to handle the girls.”

Declan was correct. We’d tried to form a plan where Anaya stayed safely tucked away back in the States and Declan and I came alone.

But Emerson was adamant that we needed a woman, or the girls wouldn’t come with us.

We didn’t need the commotion it would cause.

When Thad had refused to allow Emerson to come with us without him tagging along as well, we had no choice but to bring Anaya.

Thad and the rest of the team were needed in Maryland. The fact that Zane Lewis had allowed Declan and I to come to Timor-Leste for a week when the company was under threat, was a testament to how much he respected Tex and Ace.

Ace had asked us to come as a personal favor and Tex had provided the intel ensuring our trip would be quick. But we were expected back at HQ in seven days. Dismantling the Omni Group was top priority at the moment.

“I’m certainly glad Zane and Emerson had agreed,” Anaya threw sass. “Whoever they are. But me staying behind was never an option. I know what we’ll be walking into, Declan. I’m well aware how those girls are being treated.”

“You are? Have you ever seen a traumatized victim after she’s been brutalized? The dull, dead look in her eyes? The fear? The stench of evil that lingers on her skin? Because I don’t think you have.”

“Why are you kidding me with that shit?” Anaya ground out. “You know damn well what I’ve seen. I know you did a background check on me. So, you know, it means you’re being cruel on purpose.”

Declan was way out of line and when my gaze zeroed in on him, I could see he knew he’d taken it too far. He’d allowed his mouth to engage before he remembered who he was speaking to. It was a supremely fucked thing to do.

“Anaya—” Dec had softened his tone but it was too late, he was going to get the hot side of her tongue.

“Don’t,” she cut him off. “You don’t get to backpedal now.

I may not have been one of the girls that was brutalized in the way you’re talking about, but I was taken against my will.

I was auctioned off. I was held in a cage right next to them, waiting for my turn.

So, don’t you ever tell me again I don’t know.

That stench still lingers on me, it never washes off.

So, you can take your bullshit about tears and panicking and shove it up your ass until you choke on it. ”

Anaya stormed out of the room, and when she slammed a door, Declan flinched. His face was a hard mask of remorse.

“That shit will never fucking happen again,” I told him, fighting to hold myself back from saying something I’d regret.

“Don’t— ”

“Declan, you know I’ve got nothing but respect for you.

I trust you with my life. But what you just did was so fucking jacked, I don’t know what to say except you need to pull your head out of your goddamn ass and admit this mission has you tweaked.

As long as you keep denying it, you’re gonna keep twisting yourself in knots and saying stupid shit.

It’s not fair to Anaya and you’re the one who’s gonna get us killed.

“I’ve never asked for details and I’m not now.

But we all know what happened to you and Violet.

It’s not a secret the two of you were separated after your parents died.

She was adopted early, you were not. It doesn’t take a prodigy to figure out you spent some time in the system.

I can’t imagine all the ways that fucks with a kid.

But it’s not Anaya’s fault you can’t deal, and that will be the last time you take your shit out on her. ”

I didn’t wait for him to respond, I turned and headed for the door.

As much as I wanted to go to Anaya—and I really wanted to chase after her—it wasn’t my place and I didn’t think she’d appreciate my intrusion after that shitshow.

She needed a moment to pull herself together and I needed to calm down before I took a swing at my friend and team leader.

And seeing her destroyed wouldn’t help my cause.

The perimeter needed to be checked and the fresh, salty air was what I needed to keep my emotions in check.

Anaya was tough. She was strong and resilient and didn’t need me, but damn if I didn’t want her to.

That was something else I needed to do, figure out a way to permanently shove these crazy feelings into a box and forget about them.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, I pulled it out, checked the number, then I swiped to accept the call.