A Love For Always Read online

  The little minx trailed her fingers down his torso and hovered above the waistband of his boxer shorts.

  “What if I needed you inside me to relieve the tension?” she whispered.

  Nate swallowed hard as his dick responded happily to her question. Sylvie grinned up at him as her fingers stroked his rapidly growing wood. He reluctantly gripped her wrist and removed the temptation before he lost his honorable intentions. “Nice try, babe, but I bet the moment you finish your nightly ritual and your head hits the pillow, you’ll be out like a light.” At her little pout he added, “Tell you what, focus on resting tonight, and I’ll wake you up in the most pleasurable way.”

  “That’s blackmail.” Her words were lost in a yawn. She was fading fast and Nate didn’t think she’d be catching another wind.

  “Come on, Sylvs, before you face-plant on the floor.” He nudged her gently toward the bathroom again even as she grumbled at him. Nate was pretty sure Sylvie would have a restful sleep. The question was, would he?

  As expected, he slept fitfully while Sylvie had no problem falling right into slumber. He’d been content to just hold her, his heart seemingly expanding past his chest cavity. He had loved her for a long time, he knew this all along. Verbalizing this sentiment to her was an altogether different matter. He had faced down terrorists with no fear, and yet telling Sylvie he was in love with her somehow terrified him. Nate hated feeling vulnerable, but he had fought against his feelings for so long. Adjusting his arms around her to restore circulation to those limbs, he hugged her tighter, sinking his nose in her hair. Light notes of vanilla and a sensual floral musk tickled his face. He raised his head briefly to check the clock on the night table. The alarm would go off in the next thirty minutes. She had seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, and it was time to make good on his promise. His dick quickly hardened against the softness of her ass. He rocked lightly against her. Fuck that feels so good. It would be easy to just slip inside her. Her shirt—his shirt—was already bunched around her waist and he was commando under his pajama bottoms. He humped her one more time. Sylvie mumbled and scooted away from him. She was on her left side, her right leg cocked at an angle providing him easy access.

  Nate grinned. He would work her up from behind. Propping up on an elbow, he reached between her thighs and slipped around the edge of her panties. He caught his groan before it escaped him. She was moist and hot, but not quite wet enough to take him. His fingers slid up and down her slit, the trimmed curls reminding him of how delicious her near bare pussy looked. Her legs started squirming, trapping his hand between her thighs, but after a few seconds she rolled on her back.

  “Nate?” she whispered.

  “Shh . . . I promised you a pleasurable wake-up call, didn’t I?” He chuckled huskily. He threaded her panties slowly down her legs, marveling at how arousing this simple act of removing a scrap of cotton could be. He shifted quickly between her thighs, spreading them wide and momentarily admiring the shadowed cleft. “Beautiful,” he mumbled and moved his face closer. He inhaled her seductive scent. The fragrance of citrus soap mixing with her own heady musk sent his senses reeling.

  “Yes . . . oooh, Nate.” Her needy voice threatened to sever his tenuous rein on his monstrous need. And the monster of need craved to taste her. His mouth was on her, lapping wetly over the trove of sensitized flesh. Spreading her folds with his fingers, his tongue followed suit, avidly licking every drop of arousal that flowed from her pussy. He couldn’t get enough. He tunneled his tongue into her opening, setting her off, her hips bucking wildly as a renewed gush of moist heat flooded his mouth. He ate hungrily, savoring her taste and the feeling of her pulsing against his mouth. He worked a finger inside her, curving it upward at the same time lowering his mouth, sucking on her clit. She moaned his name and writhed. Her hands tried to push his head away, but he held on fast, wringing out every second of her orgasm.

  When her legs relaxed, Nate kissed his way up her body, shoving the shirt above her breasts. Pre-cum already dripped from his cock, but her tits needed his attention. He didn’t have a preference for big or small tits; it was how the nipple rolled on his tongue that drove him nuts. And Sylvie’s dusky ones hardened to such amazing peaks, he loved latching onto them. This time was no different. He took his time sucking on each of her nipples, drawing them taut and then circling with his tongue, all the while sliding his erection along the seam of her pussy.

  “I’m close again,” Sylvie gasped, digging her nails into his back. Nate leaned over to grab the condom on the nightstand and sat back on his haunches, rolling on the protection. He bent forward and gripped Sylvie under her arms, surprising her when he lifted her. His mouth crashed down on hers, swallowing her gasp as he impaled her down his length. He kissed her harder as he slid her up and down on his cock. Their movements were jarring at first as Sylvie tried to match his rhythm.

  “Give over, babe,” Nate growled, but Sylvie only glared at him and continued rocking her hips. Finally their frantic coupling synchronized and she undulated against him as he pulled her ass toward him. Spasms from her pussy heralded her oncoming orgasm; pressure radiating from his lower spine warned him of his own. Nate shifted his hand supporting her back to her ass so both of his hands were now powering her down on him.

  “Hold on tight, babe,” he grunted against her lips. “You’re about to get fucked harder.” He tipped her back on the bed and pushed her thighs wide with knees almost up to her ears.

  “Nate! I’m coming!”

  With his shoulder pressed against her thighs, he locked her in. She wasn’t going anywhere as he pumped deep inside her. Her tight channel pulsed around him in wet, hot ripples. Delaying his release was agony, but the glorious sight of Sylvie in the throes of orgasm was worth it. “Nate, too much! Stop.”

  He gave her more.

  She started fighting against him, her struggle between the pleasure and its intensity took his control to its limit, tearing his climax from him.

  “Fuuuuuuck!” He groaned as he came long and hard. His limbs stiffened even as his muscles seized. Nate continued to glide in and out of her, but he released her legs to fall to his sides. He cupped her face to kiss her gently before burrowing his nose in the tangled skein of her hair. Still moving languidly inside her, he let the aftershocks shudder through him as his heartbeat returned to normal and his breathing calmed down.

  “Nate?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “You’re heavy . . . and uh… hate to be a mood killer, but the condom?”

  Shit.

  Nate slid out. He was still hard, but even before he pulled off the rubber, he already knew it had broken.

  Fuck.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “It doesn’t look so bad.”

  Her mother spoke behind her as they trudged through debris and fallen plaster. It was late Monday afternoon when they were finally allowed to enter the restaurant. An engineer cleared the restaurant of structural damage, the crime scene investigators got what they wanted, and her restaurant was released back to her.

  The stench of smoke, burnt soy sauce, and the beginnings of rotting food permeated the air, but like her mother said, it didn’t look too bad. Her office, as expected, was destroyed. It had holes on both walls and toppled boxes were strewn haphazardly on the floor. Her kitchen, though in shambles, sustained mostly cosmetic damages. Her ingredients were toast, especially those she kept in stock in her office. It would be better to just chuck the lot of them rather than pick through broken glass and containers stained by a hodgepodge of liquids.

  Clean slate.

  That was what she needed. After her business was tainted by her father’s operations, she would welcome the opportunity to start anew. She liked this perspective. She liked it a lot. Sylvie would just have to wait for the insurance adjuster to make an assessment and was thankful her extensive policy covered malicious damage.

  Sam led the way of their little group, which comprised of Nana, Mom, and Taylor—her only employee pre
sent—with the admiral bringing up the rear.

  “I’m surprised Rick didn’t show up today,” Taylor said. “He came out mostly unscathed from the explosion aside from the dining area, of course.”

  They emerged from the hallway into the dining area and except for a few tables and chairs askew, it had mainly escaped the blast.

  “Rick’s out.” Taylor’s eyes widened at her words. Not wanting to expound further, she changed the subject. “Kato wanted to come in, but his mother begged him to stay home a few more days because of his concussion.” She idly righted a chair. “Koji said if we didn’t need him, he wanted to visit his family in Japan.” She looked Taylor right in the eye. “I’ll be honest with you, it may take a couple of months to get the restaurant back into shape, but I don’t want to lose you. I’ll compensate you for two months, but I’ll understand if you want to find other employment.”

  “But I’m not salaried—”

  “We’ll average your pay for the past three months,” Sylvie said.

  Taylor frowned. “I can’t let you do this, Sylvie. You’re taking on all the burden.”

  “It’s my responsibility and what happened is my fault. And let’s face it, you can’t afford to take a hit right now.”

  “I’m sure we can manage,” Taylor muttered.

  “Look, stuff that male pride,” Sylvie retorted. “This is not charity. You’re not going to be idle sitting at home. We’ll be busy coming up with a new menu and may pick up some catering work. If you’re handy with the hammer, you’ll be subjected to other type of labor as well.”

  Taylor grinned. “I’m good with a hammer . . . or a nail gun.”

  “Fabulous.” Sylvie winked. She spied her grandma walking back to the kitchen. “Nana, watch your step; it’s slippery.” Sam signaled to her that he was watching Nana. Nate did good assigning Sam to them; she couldn’t ask for a better bodyguard.

  Crap. Thinking of Nate, she remembered she had to stop by the pharmacy after the condom incident this morning. No biggie right now, but it was better to take care of that boo-boo straight away. She’d been on the phone all day from trying to find work for her waitstaff to checking out opportunities with other restaurants in the area she could do interim business with while she got the restaurant back into gear. With everything else going on right now, the last thing she needed was getting pregnant.

  “Okay, the insurance company will be coming in tomorrow to make an assessment,” she told the group. “We’ll leave everything as is.”

  “I’ve taken a couple of pictures,” her mother said, holding her SLR camera.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  Her mother smiled tightly and began fiddling with her camera settings. Sylvie noticed an odd tension between her mother and the admiral this morning. Her mom seemed to look everywhere but at the admiral. Interesting.

  Lord, her mind was all over the place. Focus, Yoshida.

  “Taylor, can you come in tomorrow when the insurance adjuster is here?”

  “Sure thing, chef.”

  Sylvie nodded. “Okay, let’s get out of here.” So she could take care of her other problem.

  *****

  “Are we done here?” Nate asked, checking his watch.

  “We would have been done sooner if you didn’t take that extended lunch break,” Beatrice shot back. “Where were you anyway?”

  They were in a conference room with Travis and Ed going over new security contracts. Their business had almost doubled after the successful security gig with Senator Mendoza, a popular American Colombian lawmaker on the Hill. The threat of ISIS had also spurred the demand for security for high-profile personalities traveling abroad. Their business was still focused on political figures and foreign dignitaries, but they made a few exceptions for showbiz personalities, especially when they were on charitable missions. Neither Travis nor Nate had patience dealing with pop divas or self-absorbed rock stars dressed in skinny jeans.

  “I had an appointment,” Nate answered vaguely. He went to a clinic to get tested because he was so done with condoms when it came to Sylvie. He wanted no barriers between them. Skin to skin. Anticipation sent blood south to his groin.

  Beatrice’s brows shot to her hairline. “Hmm . . . Usually you have no problems sharing. Why so secretive nowadays?”

  “I bet it has something to do with a certain ramen chef,” Travis interjected. “You’ve lassoed my wife again into doing your dirty work.” His friend sighed. “It’s your turn to get your ass handed to you by a woman. You’ve got our full support.” Travis looked confidently around the conference room. Nate had filled in Travis and Ed about the situation with Sylvie. Caitlin was scanning databases for information regarding the Asian Crime Syndicate, their business, and their enemies. “You’ve more than gone above and beyond for everyone in this room.”

  “Thanks, bud,” Nate replied, smiling gratefully at Travis.

  “Okay, why does it seem I’m in the dark about something?” Beatrice narrowed her eyes at the men in the room. “I know you’re finally pulling your head out of your ass regarding Sylvie, Nate, but I’m missing something.”

  Nate didn’t say anything. Beatrice would ask the right questions soon. She was astute that way. It took two seconds.

  “Does this have anything to do with my dad canceling his plans to Montana?”

  “Yup.”

  “He said he was staying with you for a while.”

  “Yup.”

  “Arggggh,” Beatrice exclaimed, slamming a binder shut. “Tell me already.”

  “Uh . . . That’s a negative ghost rider.” Nate smirked.

  Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Stop being such a frat boy, Nate. You’re, what, thirty-seven?”

  He scowled at the redhead. “Thirty-six.”

  “What’s a year?” Beatrice smiled with saccharine sweetness then her eyes speared straight into his. “Now spill. What’s my dad up to? What mess did you drag him into?”

  “Beatrice, you of all people know your dad is not someone you can drag into situations. If he’s involved, it’s by choice. Was he ever forced to do something he didn’t like, not including situations when he had a gun to his head?”

  “You didn’t blackmail him?”

  “Again, do you think I’m stupid enough to blackmail Ben? If you ask me, he’s more powerful than the CIA director. The president goes straight to the admiral and bypasses everyone else if he wants to skip the bullshit.”

  Beatrice’s chest puffed with pride. “That’s Dad.”

  “Okay, I gotta go.” Nate jumped out of his chair. “I think you guys can take it from here.”

  He knew better than to put one over Beatrice. The redhead was blocking the door before he got to it. Mental note: sit nearer to the exit next time.

  “Not. So. Fast. Reece.” Beatrice laid a hand on his chest. “Dad said he was doing security for you. I know Sam’s been assigned to you as well. All this to protect one woman? What kind of trouble is she in?”

  “The mafia kind of trouble,” Nate replied. “We’re protecting her grandmother and mom as well.”

  “How old is her mom?”

  Trust Beatrice to go straight for the bullseye.

  “Fifties.” Nate tried to make his tone nonchalant.

  “Didn’t you say Sylvie’s mom was of Scottish heritage?”

  “Yes.”

  “Redhead?”

  “Look—”

  “Carry on,” Beatrice said, opening the door. “Looks like I need to invite myself over to your house for dinner.”

  Travis and Ed started chuckling.

  Nate shook his head in amusement. This could actually be quite entertaining—as long as Sylvie didn’t shoot him first. “I’ll let you know when.”

  *****

  Sam pulled into the parking lot of DTS pharmacy a little before 6:30 p.m. Nana had been a bit impatient because she had a roast in the slow cooker and wanted to whip out the side dishes with plenty of time to spare. Her grandma hated rushing. Not that Sylvie blamed
her since Nana grew up most of her life on the farm.

  “I’ll help you in the kitchen, Nana.” Sylvie hopped out of the SUV. “Don’t worry.”

  “You know I don’t want to keep the roast on warm too long.” Nana heaved a sigh.

  “I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She slammed the door close and sprinted through the pharmacy’s automatic sliding doors. She went straight to aisle six where she knew the pregnancy tests were located. Sylvie was pretty sure the emergency contraception pills were there as well. Except they weren’t. There were lots of condoms though, various types, sizes and uses. Oh my.

  A shadow fell on her.

  “What are we looking for?” a gruff voice startled her.

  “Admiral,” Sylvie shrieked, her voice louder than she would have liked. Color burned up her cheeks. “A little privacy here.”

  “Look, sweetheart, I’ve seen it all, but your grandmother getting antsy is no fun. And you’re supposed to have someone stick close to you at all times.” The admiral picked up a box of condoms. “I think this would work.”

  “You think the Asian Mafia would have known I needed emergency contraception and have someone waiting in here to ambush me?” Sylvie said in a whispered tirade.

  The admiral’s brows shot to his hairline at her slip. His lips were twitching as he returned the contraceptive back on the shelf. “What? Reece forgot to holster the gun?”

  “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you,” Sylvie hissed indignantly. She did another cursory browse at the shelves and walked to the pharmacy counter, desperate to get away from the admiral and hoping he’d take a hint.

  “How can I help you, dear?” the kind-looking pharmacist peered at her through dark square-framed glasses.

  “Um, I’m looking for the morning-after pill,” Sylvie said quietly.