Sunsets & Seduction

“They won’t consider it an emergency. She’s fine now, she just needs another shot by bedtime. And you’re not my bodyguard anymore, Jonas,” she said, obviously bristling at his bossy tone. “You can’t really tell me to stay or go.”

Of course, she had no idea he was actually there to keep close, to keep an eye on her. Which meant he only had one choice.

“I don’t think—” he started to object.

“Listen, I’m going. She needs me. If you want, you can come with me.”

“How? There are no taxis.”

“We’ll take the trains.”

“They may have shut down several routes in the power outage,” he argued.

“I’m sure it will be fine. Even back in 2003, in the big East Coast blackout, only a few train routes were affected. It’s probably our best chance.”

He sighed. Tessa had her mind made up. “Where does Kate live?”

“Lena Street, in Germantown.”

“Okay, we can take the subway north, and figure out how to go from there.”

“That’s how I’ve gone before,” she agreed.

He didn’t see that he had any other choice, though Jonas had a bad feeling about it. This was not a night to be out in the city.

Still, he admired her concern about the elderly woman. Jonas had promised James Rose that he would stick close by Tessa, and he planned to keep that promise. He wasn’t sure how much help he could be to her, a blind man traversing in a city during a blackout, but he guessed he was about to find out.

Norfolk, Virginia

ELY BERRINGER CLICKED his phone off, shoving it in his pocket as he finished his beer in two deep swallows. He pushed his glass forward for a refill. The wind howled outside, but it didn’t seem to bother the bar patrons, most of them from the nearby naval shipyards. They paid the flickering lights little mind as they watched a game on the big screen in the corner, probably having been through far worse out at sea.

Ely had finished his assignment, guarding a bank executive who had been receiving death threats for the last few weeks. The FBI had arrested the perpetrators, a group of thieves who had had significant success getting inside vaults by threatening the lives and families of the employees who had access.

Ely admired the single-mom bank exec who’d had enough spine to finally step up and contact law enforcement. Several others before her had caved to the threats, and one of those had been killed during the resulting heist. Berringer had been brought in on protective detail in collaboration with the feds. It was a first for their small company, and a big step forward.

Now it was over, but he was stuck in Norfolk for tonight, riding out the storm. The bar was a place he used to visit often. He didn’t recognize anyone here now, but there was someone he was looking out for.

She was late tonight. Maybe the storm had her hunkered down elsewhere, but he hoped not. Human beings were tied to their rituals, and Chloe Roberts’s had always been to come to this particular bar on a Thursday night for a drink before heading home.

He hadn’t seen or spoken with her in three years, since she’d interviewed him upon his return from Afghanistan and his award of the Navy Cross. The interview had been a chore—Ely didn’t care for publicizing his accomplishments—but the brass had insisted, said it would be good for recruitment.

The night following the interview, however, had been much more satisfying.

He’d hung out with Chloe for a few weeks, while he was in Norfolk, but realized too late that he’d read her all wrong. She came off as a modern, career-focused woman, the kind of woman you could spend a few nights or a few weeks with, but who had no expectations of more.

In truth, she came from a large family herself, he discovered, and she wanted the whole package: a husband, kids, the white-picket fence. He didn’t realize that she had set her sights on him for the prize.

Ely hadn’t made any promises, and they’d parted ways more or less amicably. More on his side, less on hers.

He straightened as he saw her come in, her trench coat soaked, her umbrella bent all to hell. She struggled with it for a few minutes before throwing it into the corner in frustration.

Looking up, her normally well-styled red hair was wild from the wind, and she froze as her eyes met his. He nodded in acknowledgment, indicating the open seat by his. She didn’t move for a moment, looking unsure. A couple folks called out greetings, and she broke the stare, returning the hellos.

The removal of the traditional trench coat she always wore revealed the same bombshell body he’d enjoyed three years before. She hung her coat on the rack by the door and strolled over, her composure taking the place of her surprise at seeing him.

“Ely,” she said with something that almost approached affection, leaning in to kiss his cheek before taking a seat. “What brings you here?” she asked.

She didn’t need to order, the bartender delivered bourbon on the rocks for her without being asked. Ely knew it was top-of-the-line whiskey, and that on a normal evening she would nurse that one glass for two hours while poring over her notes.

It was the same way she made love, he remembered all too clearly. Slow, thorough and with the utmost attention to detail.

Some things really didn’t change, much like the rise in his blood pressure, and below his beltline, at the sight of her generous breasts underneath the dark blue silk blouse she wore.

Maybe this was ill-advised, but he hadn’t felt like spending tonight with a stranger, even if all they did was have a drink.

He was hoping for more.

“Just finished a job, and any port in a storm,” he said, then winced at his poor choice of words. She didn’t seem to take offense.

“It’s a bad one out there, but not the worst I’ve seen,” she said, holding her glass to full lips that needed no coloring. He’d always loved that she didn’t wear lipstick. He hated the stuff. “So you’re working with your brothers now?”

“Yeah, personal security. How’d you know?”

She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. Stupid question. She was one of the best news reporters in Hampton Roads, and she knew a lot about everything, and everyone, between here and the District.

“I’d hoped you’d be here tonight,” he said bluntly, meeting her bright blue eyes, and also appreciating the way her damp curls clung to her cheeks.

“Really?” she said, looking away. “Why’s that?”

He smiled and took another sip from his beer, shaking his head. “Just finished a job that reminded me about how crazy stuff can be out there. I don’t know. I guess I wanted to spend some time with a friend,” he replied somewhat truthfully.

“Friends? Is that what we were?” Her tone was somehow humorous, skeptical and suspicious all at the same time.

“I hope so,” he responded, and decided to cut to the heart of it. “When jobs are done, the intense ones, sometimes it’s like …”

“Hitting a wall? Like go-go-go then full stop?” she supplied.

“Yeah,” he said. He knew she’d understand. “You’re on a constant adrenaline trip for weeks, not unlike combat in some ways. Then it just ends, and while that’s good, I—”

“Have energy left to burn?” she asked.

“Something like that.”

“And you thought you might burn some off with me?” she asked, her voice hardening, and she shook her head. “No, thanks, Ely. I’m not interested in being another one of your pit stops.”

She stood, ignoring her drink on the bar, turning to leave.

Ely reached out, grabbing her arm gently, but firmly enough to stop her from walking away.

“Hey. It’s not like that.”

“That’s not how I remember it.”

“I know. I wasn’t ready then. I was just back from Afghanistan, I hadn’t even seen my family in more than two years and when I was in the hospital, I wasn’t sure if I was going to see them again, period. I didn’t know how to get back to normal, whatever that was. You helped. I’m sorry I left like I did. I never meant to hurt you. I just didn’t know what I wanted.”

“And I wanted too much,” she added.

“Yeah.”

Her stance softened a bit, and she looked back over her shoulder at him, but didn’t pull her arm away.

“Looking for a second chance, Ely?”

Was he?

He’d been back in civilian life for three years. When he was in Kandahar, he hadn’t had a chance to think about the future. When he’d gotten back, he couldn’t stop thinking about the past. It had taken him a while to put it all behind him and accept that he even had a future, especially after he’d come close to being blown to bits.

Eventually, he’d looked around him, around his life, at his own family, and realized he wanted more.

Did he want more with Chloe? Is that really why he came here tonight? Hadn’t he been thinking about it for days? Maybe longer? A second chance to find out seemed right.

“Yeah. Maybe, if you think we might have something worth taking a chance on,” he said, letting his hand slide down her arm to find her hand.

She stood still for a minute, as if weighing her decision, and squeezed his hand, nodding.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said.

They walked out into the storm together, making their way to her car. When she opened the backseat door instead of the front, he paused, surprised, but then joined her, the storm surging around them as neither had any interest in waiting.

He hadn’t planned on this, either, but he wasn’t about to turn her down. Hunger took over, and he buried his face in the soft volume of her breasts. It all came rushing back, how sweet, how responsive she was.

She gasped as he pushed her blouse and bra aside, holding his head to her as he sucked a velvety nipple into his mouth, drawing on it as he laid her back on the seat, pulling the top off altogether. No one would see them at the back of the lot, through the fury of the storm.

She pulled at his clothes, too, obviously not interested in anything slow this time, and within seconds, they were both naked.

He covered himself without wasting any time and met her where she sought him, thrusting deep, feeling her clamp down around him, the two of them coming together within a few short, hot minutes.

“Oh, no,” he panted, embarrassed and unable to believe he’d been so quick. “Sorry.”

“For what?” she asked with a slow smile that had him hardening again.

Pulling her up with him, he sat so that she straddled his lap, still planted deeply over him. She ground her hips against him in a circular motion that had her dropping her head back, those marvelous breasts positioned where he could lick, nibble and suck his way to ecstasy as she rode him.

The rhythm picked up, and they were both mindless, as if having waited for each other all this time and not able to devour each other fast enough.

She looked down, framed his face with her hands, and kissed him so deeply that neither of them could breathe. His body bucked beneath her as she cried out, too. He bowed beneath her, jacking his hips upward in hard thrusts as he came with a fierceness that left him trembling.

They were both breathing heavily, held close against each other, wordless as everything calmed around them.

“You should know you’re the first guy I’ve ever done in a backseat,” she said with a smile. “But I knew as soon as I saw you that this was going to happen.”

“Really?” he said, kissing her lovely, full bottom lip.

“Yep.”

“My hotel isn’t all that great. Your place?” he asked, hoping this wasn’t the end of their night together.

“I’ll drive,” she agreed as she pulled her clothes back on and they moved to the front.

Ely could have cared less about the storm, watching her every second of the drive, reviewing everything he was going to do right this time. He hadn’t planned on a second chance, but now that he had one, he wasn’t going to blow it.

“SO HOW DID YOU get to be such good friends with Kate anyway?” Jonas asked as they ran into the train station, finally under cover, soaked through yet again.

“She came into the shop when it first opened, and I made some special items for her. She was always very lively and friendly, and she invited me and Lydia to lunch a few times,” Tessa explained, getting their tickets and leading him to the platform.

“Then her husband died, and I knew that they didn’t have children, or other family close by. Her diabetes was affecting her sight, and just this year she was declared legally blind.”

Tessa peeked up to see Jonas’s expression, which remained stoic as he listened.

“So, I started helping out, visiting her more, and it just became part of my life. I never knew my grandparents, at least not on my mother’s side, and my father’s parents, well, let’s just say they preferred my brother,” she said, laughing shortly.

“So Kate was like a foster grandparent for you?”

“Something like that, I guess, though I really consider her a friend. I like spending time with her, listening to her stories about her and her husband, and she plays a mean hand of canasta.”

Jonas laughed, and she pulled back to look at him in surprise as they boarded their train.

“What?”

“Somehow I have a hard time picturing you sitting with a bunch of octogenarians playing cards on a Friday night.”

“Well, it was usually Sunday afternoon, and I rarely won. Those ladies take no prisoners.”

As they made their way through the passel of people vying for spots, she heard him chuckling.

She tucked herself inside the corner of the car at the end and held on to the railing. Jonas was so handsome

when he laughed, she thought. He was handsome anyway, but when he smiled, he became wickedly so.

Tessa wondered if he was ticklish, eyeing the way the muscles in his side stretched and gathered as he reached to hold on to the rail, as well.

“It’s nice to have lights for a few minutes,” she commented about the train, changing the subject, and then realized he couldn’t know if the lights were on one way or the other. “I mean, shoot, I’m sorry, Jonas, that was thoughtless—”

“It’s not a big deal, Tessa. You can talk about the lights being on, the sun in the sky, the things you see … it doesn’t bother me. I’m not that fragile.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, maybe not, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay to rub it in. I can’t imagine what it would be like not to see.”

“It’s … not fun,” he agreed. “But it’s also temporary.”

“What do your doctors say? Did they tell you when?”

She had such a hard time thinking about Jonas being disabled in any way. Standing here with her now, he still looked undefeatable to her. She felt safe with him, regardless.

“Any time … things appear to be healing, but I just have to be patient,” he said in a tone that told her that patient wasn’t his strong suit.

Jonas was a man who took control, who called the shots. She knew this had to be maddening for him.

“I hope it’s soon for you,” she said, leaning in closer to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

He frowned, and she wondered why. Did he regret what happened back at the apartment? Was he thinking she was still just messing with him?

“I hope the drugstore stays open,” she said, needing to refocus. “I should make sure they know I’m coming. Kate has to have her injections or we will be calling emergency.”

He nodded grimly while she pulled out her phone to call the pharmacy.

“They are open for a few more hours, so that’s good,” she said in relief.

“We’ll get there, and it will be okay,” he reassured her.

“Thanks. And thanks for coming with me. I know none of this was part of your night.”

“True. If I weren’t here with you, I’d either be limping around the office with a bandage still stuck to my pants, or home sitting in the dark, not that I would even know it,” he joked, and she was so surprised she burst out laughing. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Why, Jonas, I’ve never known you to tell a joke,” she said.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Tessa.” He winked, and she thought her knees might have trembled slightly.

Was Jonas flirting with her?

The thought made her heart race. There was a lot she didn’t know about Jonas, but she looked up into his face as he peered, unseeing, around the crowded train car.

She looked forward to having the chance to find out.

5

9:00 p.m.

JONAS WAS SURPRISED that the trains were packed. While some of the peripheral routes were closed down, the main lines were running. He supposed it made sense. The worst of the storm had hit around rush hour, and with the roads such a mess, the trains were many people’s only option to get home.

He could feel the heat and proximity of all the bodies crowded around where he and Tessa were tucked into a corner of the packed subway car. They were soaked from their dash to the closest station, a few blocks away from the shop, even having used umbrellas. It didn’t matter. Though he tried to make casual conversation, all he could think about was how close she was, and what had happened back at the apartment.

He shouldn’t have given in, but when it came to Tessa, he seemed to have a difficult time saying no. This time, hopefully, their indiscretions would stay between them. Senator Rose had said there was no direct threat, that he just needed someone to stick close to Tessa for a few days.

Rose had also been fully aware that Tessa liked to yank his chain, and was clear on the fact that she’d used Jonas to do it. Luckily, it appeared he wasn’t holding Jonas completely responsible for the last time, but Jonas reminded himself not to be so reckless this time, even though he was on fire for her.

She was also confusing the hell out of him. He had her tagged one way, self-indulgent, self-interested. He didn’t trust her motivations, and he still didn’t—not completely. But that didn’t fit the profile of someone who had traveled across town in the rain to help him, and now was doing the same for an elderly friend. Was she just playing a role, being someone she thought would appeal to him?

The air in the train car was humid and moist, though the riders were good-natured and fairly loud, everyone sharing a storm story or visiting with the person they were crunched up against.

He was pressed up against Tessa from stem to stern, and acutely aware of every inch of her. They stood inside a corner area, where she was against the outside of the train. He used his body to shield her.

He was hard again from the close contact, and grateful that it was so crowded, so no one would notice. It had been difficult enough dreaming and thinking about her for weeks, but being this close—especially after being naked with her less than an hour ago—was undermining his promise to the senator.

Tessa’s breath caressed his cheek. She’d edged in closer to him. He lifted a hand, finding her face and rubbing his thumb over her cheek, her skin dewy from the rain and humid air. The touch was to “see” her, to measure her expression, her level of tension, as much as it was to just have an excuse to touch her.

“You okay?”

“Yes, just a little anxious,” she whispered against his ear. “And far too turned on, considering our current location,” she added, shifting her hips against him so that she nestled his hardness in the soft crux of her thighs. He bit back a groan, not that it would have been heard in the busy din of the car.

He leaned in, telling himself he was just playing a part.

She had played him before, right? So turnaround was fair play, as long as he could walk away from the job at the end. Nuzzling her, he found the soft shell of her ear with his lips, and whispered, “Tease.”

“Not a tease,” she responded, turning her lips to his. “I’ll make good later, I promise.”

He swallowed hard, thinking that if he inadvertently rocked a few more times against her as the train took corners and bumps, he wasn’t going to last until later. He was so ready to come he had to do mental exercises to avoid it.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked. “You look so focused.”

“Baseball stats,” he said flatly.

She paused, then laughed against his cheek.

“You mean, like getting to third base, or sliding into home?” she asked suggestively.

He felt the vibration of her chest against his as she chuckled, and he had to smile, too. It felt good—better than good—to be so turned on, to be laughing.

To be with Tessa.

“Yeah, something like that.”

He was actually enjoying himself. In spite of his wet clothes and achingly hard cock, he felt more alive than he had in weeks. Suddenly, Tessa froze, and a collective gasp and sounds of unhappy surprise filled the car as it ground to a standstill, breaks screeching as everyone in the car lurched with the momentum of the train.

“What? What happened?” he asked.

“Power’s out. It’s pitch-black in here except for a few emergency lights,” she said as people started grumbling and shouting around them.

A baby cried from the far end of the car, and the mood changed markedly as tension rose. A tremble worked its way through Tessa’s body. He slipped his arms around her, holding her tighter against him.

“Stay next to me. It will be okay,” he said against her hair.

“I can’t see anything,” she said in a hushed whisper, pressing even more tightly against him.

This wasn’t good. Even friendly, good-natured people could be dangerous in a crowded, panicked situation. He noticed that a guy behind him was breathing too hard, starting to push against everyone around him.

“I have to let go of you for a minute, okay? Hug the wall, right behind you,” he said to Tessa, turning to face the man while still protecting Tessa.

Reaching out, he found the man’s arm and grabbed it before the flailing man hurt someone. The guy was shaking, starting to mutter in panic.

Jonas kept his voice casual. “Hey, buddy, you okay? Let’s try to calm down.”

The man pushed at him, but Jonas held firm.

“Let go of me! Who are you? Don’t touch me! I have to get outta here, let me outta here,” the guy started to shout, pushing at everyone near him. Jonas heard a woman gasp in pain, the man’s other fist making contact, Jonas assumed.

People started shouting, and Jonas knew he had to do something before a potentially deadly scenario was set into motion. Sliding his arm up to the man’s neck, he looped it around and felt for the slamming pulse at the side of the guy’s throat. Tightening his grip as he slid his arm around front and pulled his forearm back, Jonas trapped the man in an armlock, trying to hold him still as he struggled to get free.

“Jonas? Jonas, what are you doing?” He heard Tessa’s breathless question.

“Stay put, Tessa,” he said loudly, fighting the man’s huge bulk as he applied pressure.

“Sorry, man, but you need to chill for a few minutes until they get us out of here,” he said, and increased the pressure until the man stopped shouting, the heavy weight of his form going slack.

Everything around them was eerily quiet.

“Someone help get this guy into a seat,” Jonas ordered, propping the man up the best he could, the slack weight almost pulling him down. “He passed out.”

“Yeah, with a little help, I bet,” another guy said approvingly, and Jonas felt the weight lifted as others took him off Jonas’s hands.

“Good job,” someone shouted, and Jonas felt a pat on his shoulder.

“Thank you so much,” someone else whispered in relief.

Slowly, conversation resumed and the tension resolved.

He turned back to Tessa, finding her hand with his and touching her face again to make sure she was okay. He found that she was smiling slightly, and he ran a finger over her lower lip.

“That was pretty cool,” she said.

The driver’s voice over the intercom told them they would be stopped for about twenty minutes, and to please stay calm as people were working on getting them on their way again.