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CHAPTER TWENTY

Maggie was petrified. But she did her best to hide any emotion from the man at her side. Shawn had been hovering ever since they’d landed back at the naval base. Just being here made her nervous. This was Roman’s territory. Even though Shawn and his friends were badasses, what could they do against such a high-ranking officer?

Thankfully, they’d arrived in the middle of the night and the base felt deserted.

She was distracted by Artem and Yana’s wide-eyed wonder at stepping foot on US soil for the first time. Now that they’d realized Borysko would be fine, that the bullets somehow hadn’t hit anything vital, they were feeling much more curious about everything happening around them.

And Tex had come through in a huge way for MacGyver. He’d somehow arranged for the children to be temporarily placed in his care. There was a long road ahead for the newfound family, but Maggie had high hopes that things would work out for them.

Shawn was taking her to his apartment, and to her surprise, Smiley was coming with them. He said that he didn’t think it was smart for them to be on their own, not as long as Robertson was out there gunning for them both. The woman who owned the house where Shawn rented a room had another tenant who’d just left, so there was an empty room next to Shawn’s. It was one more way that things simply seemed to be working out. Maggie didn’t want to dwell too long on the hows and whys. She was just trying to be grateful instead.

Shawn explained that it was likely Roman had already learned how badly his plans had gone, and that he was probably even now trying to figure out how to spin what happened to his advantage. That didn’t exactly give Maggie warm and fuzzy feelings, but she couldn’t think about it…otherwise she would break.

So after the short ride to his home, she let Shawn lead her into the house and up the stairs to his room. The woman who owned the place was obviously asleep. The rental rooms were on the third floor, and Smiley followed behind.

“Don’t forget, we’re meeting with Kevlar and the rest of the team tomorrow at ten,” he reminded them.

“I know,” Shawn said.

Maggie bit her lip. Everyone had to be exhausted, and she suddenly felt guilty that she was the reason why .

“Don’t answer the phone, your door, or talk to anyone other than Preacher,” Smiley lectured her.

She nodded. “I don’t have my phone, and I’m going to crash the second my head hits the pillow. Smiley?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for staying here tonight. Roman…he’s…I’m afraid of him.” It was a huge admission, but after everything that happened, she didn’t think her terror would be a surprise to either of these men.

“He fucked up,” Smiley said with a fierce expression on his face. “He put all his cards on the table and now we all know who he really is.”

Maggie swallowed hard. She wanted to believe that, but she also had a feeling he wouldn’t go down without one hell of a fight.

“Get some sleep. We’ll figure things out tomorrow,” Smiley told her. Then he gave Shawn a chin lift and turned toward the open door in the hallway.

Shawn pressed on the small of her back, urging her toward the other door. He unlocked it, then stepped back to let her enter first.

Maggie was surprised by the room. She’d expected a normal bedroom, but this was a suite, and it was huge. A queen-size bed was against the left wall, with a small, old-fashioned table on each side in place of nightstands. There was what looked like a fairly large walk-in closet, with a dresser inside and all of Shawn’s clothes hung neatly. Across from the bed was a seating area, complete with a leather couch, an oversized chair, and a large flat-screen television. There were also shelves filled with books and knickknacks.

There was even a small kitchen area with a sink, a two-burner stove top, a microwave, and a refrigerator.

“Wow!” Maggie exclaimed.

“When Jane’s husband died, she realized she was lonely in this big house all by herself. So she had this floor remodeled, making the rooms big enough to basically be apartments. In my opinion, she doesn’t charge enough to rent them out, but I’m grateful I was able to get one. Come on, you need to get cleaned up.”

Maggie let Shawn lead her over to another door, and this time she wasn’t surprised at the size of the bathroom. This Jane woman had outdone herself in designing the rental spaces. The bathroom she was standing in was large. There was no bathtub, but the walk-in shower was oversized and had not only a rain showerhead on the ceiling, but also another showerhead coming out of the wall.

“I don’t have any clothes that you can put on other than mine, but I’ll call Kevlar in the morning and see if he can go by your apartment and grab some things for you, and bring them over before we need to leave to meet with the team. Is that all right?”

Maggie nodded. She hadn’t thought much about personal hygiene in the last few days, having more important things to worry about—namely, not dying. But now that she was standing in front of this amazing shower, she suddenly couldn’t wait to get clean.

She vaguely heard Shawn chuckle as he brushed past her and opened the shower door. He reached in and turned one of the knobs, then water poured from the ceiling. “There’s a clean towel right outside the door. Take your time.”

He turned as if to leave—and panic hit Maggie like a tidal wave. She reached out and grabbed his arm in an iron grip. Her mouth was dry, her stomach churned, and she realized she was breathing with short, fast gasps.

“Maggie? What’s wrong? Shit! You’re okay. You’re safe. Slow your breathing.” Shawn turned back to her and pulled her against him. The feel of his tall, hard body against hers made the panic recede as if it had never happened.

“Shower with me?” she mumbled. It was ridiculous that at just the thought of being alone in a bathroom, she’d panicked so badly. But if she was by herself for even a second, she felt as if Roman would somehow find her again. Get a hold of her. Finish what he’d started. There was no telling where he’d send her next. Siberia? North Korea? Somewhere no one would ever find her this time.

Or he’d simply blow her brains out and bury her body six feet deep in the mountains around the city.

Shawn didn’t answer verbally, simply took a step back and began to strip.

Following his lead, Maggie quickly took off her clothes. It felt as if it had been years since they’d made love. She should’ve been embarrassed to be naked in front of this man, but she wasn’t. Not in the least. After they were both nude, he opened the shower door and stepped inside, testing the water to make sure it was perfect before holding out his hand to her.

Maggie took it and stepped into the glass enclosure. Steam from the shower fogged up the walls, and it felt as if she and Shawn were in their own little world. Showering with someone else could be awkward, but he made it feel as if they’d done this a thousand times already. He stepped into her personal space and held onto her hips, urging her under the spray. As she tilted her head back to get her hair wet, Maggie felt his gaze running down her body.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that he was frowning as he studied her torso. Looking down, she realized why he looked so unsettled. She was covered in bruises. Even had some scrapes here and there.

“I’m okay,” she told him.

“You aren’t, but I’m going to make sure you get that way,” Shawn said, then he leaned over and grabbed a bottle of shampoo. “Turn,” he ordered.

She wanted to assure him that she really was all right. That a few bruises and scrapes were a small price to pay for being alive, for surviving what she should never have survived. But instead, she did as Shawn asked and turned her back to him.

The next ten minutes were surreal for Maggie. Shawn was gentle as he thoroughly shampooed, rinsed, and conditioned her hair. Then he soaped up a washcloth and washed her from head to toe. Kneeling at her feet, he gently ran the cloth up and down her legs. He didn’t shy away from cleaning between her thighs either. And while it made Maggie blush, she didn’t protest. Then she returned the favor, although it was difficult to reach his hair.

Cleaning each other wasn’t about sex, it was about taking care of the person they loved. But when Maggie wrapped a soapy hand around his cock and gently cleaned his balls, the warm shower turned red hot.

His cock hardened, and Shawn moaned as she stroked him. Desire hit Maggie hard and fast. She’d forgotten that he’d been a virgin not too long ago. She wondered if he’d ever had a woman get him off in a shower like this. She moved her hand faster, squeezing his cock as she stroked him.

“Maggie,” he said, his voice low and raspy. “You don’t have to…”

“I know,” she said. “I want to. Stop thinking and enjoy.”

As the water cascaded over his shoulders, Maggie concentrated on making him feel as amazing as she did right that moment. She hadn’t seen Shawn lose his cool even once in the last couple of days. He’d been her rock. Even when he was getting beaten by the Russian soldiers, he’d kept his head.

But now? He was putty in her hands, and it gave Maggie back some of the confidence she’d lost. Knowing she was bringing Shawn pleasure enough to make him shake where he stood was heady.

“I’m not going to last long,” he warned.

“Good. I want to see it. Feel your come all over my hand. Feel it on my skin,” Maggie said, feeling sexy as hell. She was standing close, and the thought of his come spurting out and hitting her skin was as erotic as anything she’d ever done.

He wasn’t wrong. It didn’t take long for his pleasure to overwhelm him.

One of his hands shot out and grabbed the nape of her neck in a strong grip. The other went to her waist, where his fingers dug into her skin. She felt surrounded by him, completely in tune with him.

His hips pushed forward as his orgasm hit. Come burst out of the tip of his cock and splashed against her belly. It was hot and creamy, and Maggie couldn’t hold back her smile. She’d done that. Made him lose that iron control that turned her on so much.

She milked his cock, making sure to get every drop of come out of him. To her surprise, he was still half hard when he suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her now gentle caresses.

He turned her hand, placing it on her own belly. Then the two of them rubbed his come into her skin. His gaze was glued to their hands and her body.

“So fucking sexy,” he murmured before stepping to the side and letting the water hit her torso. His come was quickly washed away, and he turned and shut the water off. He opened the door to the shower and grabbed the towel he’d placed there earlier, then briskly and efficiently began to dry Maggie.

“I can do that,” she told him.

“I know, but I want to.”

He was acting a little weird, and Maggie wasn’t sure why. So she stood still and let him dry her off. Then he quickly ran the towel over his own body before throwing it to the floor and stepping out of the shower. He had Maggie’s hand in his, and he practically dragged her out of the bathroom, toward his bed.

He flung the comforter back and said in a guttural tone, “Get in.”

Swallowing hard, having a hard time reading his mood, Maggie did as ordered. She was no sooner on her back than Shawn was hovering over her. His cock brushed against the hair between her legs, and she squirmed under him.

“That was…I don’t know what that was,” Shawn said as he gazed into her eyes. “Perfection. A dream come true. A miracle.”

Every muscle in Maggie’s body relaxed. For a moment, she thought he was upset about what happened. But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“I’m not the most experienced guy, but I want to make this good for you. What do you need? My mouth? My fingers? I know you’re exhausted, so you probably just want to sleep. Tell me, Maggie. What do you need from me? Name it, it’s yours.”

“You, Shawn. I just need you.”

“You have me.”

Maggie smiled at that. “ Inside , Shawn. I need you inside me.”

“How? Soft and easy? Or hard and fast?”

Maggie could feel the aches and pains from the last few days deep in her bones. She wasn’t used to as much physical exertion as she’d had recently. “Soft and easy,” she told him.

“Your wish is my command,” he told her.

Then he proceeded to do just that. He made love to her gently and reverently. Maggie had never felt so cherished.

He’d coaxed two orgasms out of her before she urged him to take his own pleasure. Even in the midst of his orgasm, he didn’t pound into her. He simply planted himself deep inside her body and came long and hard.

Then he rolled over and held her tight, covering them both with the comforter.

Maggie sighed against him. His arms around her felt amazing. She’d gone so long without human touch that this felt like a miracle. Her miracle.

Tomorrow, the shit might hit the fan, but for now, she was content to soak in Shawn’s love. She felt his lips on her forehead and she sighed with contentment.

“Sleep, Maggie.”

“Do we need to set an alarm?” she asked sleepily.

“I already did.”

“Did you call Kevlar?”

“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”

Don’t worry. When was the last time she’d been carefree enough not to worry? Before she’d met Roman, for sure. Dating him had been…stressful. Maggie always felt as if she had to live up to what he’d thought was his greatness. That she was somehow falling short whenever she was around him. With what she wore, how she acted, what she said. But with Shawn, she could just be herself .

Maggie was still trying to figure out who she was, as being incarcerated had changed her. She was more wary, less trusting, less willing to take people at face value. But somehow with this man, his friends, she was coming into her own.

“I need to call Julie,” she mumbled.

“We’ll do it tomorrow. Go to sleep, Maggie. You’re exhausted, and frankly, so am I. Tomorrow is soon enough to worry about the real world.”

“Okay,” she slurred.

“Love you,” Shawn said.

“Love you back,” Maggie said with a small smile. Then she fell into a deep sleep, trusting the man whose arms were around her to keep her safe.