Claire rolled over and opened her eyes the next morning, for a moment confused by the rumpled state of the other side of the bed. Then it hit her all over again. Grief and shock that Robby was gone, the reality that it was really happening. She curled into a ball and focused on taking slow, deep breaths until the worst of the pain eased enough to allow her lungs to expand.
A clinking sound came from the kitchen. She burrowed deeper beneath her quilt and blinked back the sheen of tears, placing her hand on the indent Marshall’s head had left in the other pillow. Twice she’d woken during the night and both times he’d tucked her back against his body without a word and stroked her hair until she fell asleep again.How was she supposed to keep her distance from him now? During their entire relationship she’d never seen this gentle caretaker side of him. With his daughter, sure, but that was different. With Claire he’d always been strong and take-charge, had a
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Risen To The Top CHAPTER 90
Marshall didn’t say anything, but he seemed a bit taken aback by her rant.“Seriously,” she went on, wanting him to validate her. “You went through multiple combat tours and other stuff, and I know you saw and did awful things. Every vet comes home with shit to deal with, I get that.” She could see examples of it right now, two of his soldiers’ names lost in combat inked into the designs on the backs of his forearms beneath the sprinkling of reddish hair there. Yet he’d found the will to deal with it all on his own, where Robby had not no matter how she or her father and everyone involved with his case had pushed him.She didn’t understand why her brother had to wind up a statistic. “You came through the other side and transitioned back into civilian life. It’s not like I blame him for being depressed and disillusioned, especially after his back injury, but I’m so fucking angry at him for quitting.” That was the crux of it. He’d given up and his last act
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 91
Come on, did these people never leave their damn house on the weekend?Paulo fumed silently as he drove past for the second time that day and saw two SUVs still in the driveway. And now the damn lawn was already cut, too, which totally blew his cover and plans to hell. He hit the gas and continued down the street, searching for another option. Nothing came to mind, except for a direct assault on the house and he’d prefer not to die in this operation. His dedication didn’t extend all the way to suicide to ensure the target was eliminated. What the hell was he supposed to do now?Halfway down the block, his cell rang. A burner phone he’d picked up the day before at the local mall. He knew who it was without looking, contemplated not answering, but knew he’d be in even greater danger if he ignored it. Pulling over, he tamped down the fear and frustration twining through him and answered. “Hello?”“We’ve had no word from you in two days. Is ther
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 92
Aliyah took it without arguing and relayed the information when Alex picked up. Bob took a deep breath and drove to the funeral home, knowing that by the time they got there, Aliyah’s boss and half the CIA’s counter-terrorist people would already be working on this. And he also knew that as soon as the funeral was over, the entire team would be pulling an all-nighter except for Claire and maybe Marshall. And if Bob was in his place, he wouldn’t let Claire out of his sight for a single second until they figured out if this bastard was the threat they’d been trying to neutralize.******* By nine o’clock that night, Marshall could tell Claire was done with pretty much everything. She was done with everything surrounding Robby’s funeral, finished with her relatives, and hell, definitely finished with people in general. No surprise to him, because it had been a long, emotionally exhausting day for her.The service had go
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 93
Claire was so lost in the dizzying fog of rage engulfing her that it took a moment to realize he’d let her wrists go and for those soft words to penetrate. When they did and his meaning hit home, the breath halted in her throat. Fight him? As in, really fight him? It was ridiculous. He outweighed her by at least seventy pounds of solid muscle and had trained most of his life in hand to hand combat. She didn’t want to fight him, she just wanted… God, she didn’t know what she wanted. She couldn’t fucking think with him this close.His eyes were so blue, so intense. “Do it,” he taunted, more forcefully this time. She could practically feel the leashed energy humming in his big frame, every muscle coiled and ready, making her body respond in turn.Her compressed lungs expanded in a sudden gasp and she drew in a painful breath of air. The pain came rushing back. It hurt. All of it. The funeral, the fallout with what was left of her family, the Taliban cell’s t
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The impassioned demand launched her. Pleasure rocketed through her, winding tight until it snapped free in a glorious burst of heat and sensation. The orgasm rushed through her in wracking spasms and she was barely aware of her shattered cries echoing off the walls around them.When it was over she went limp beneath him, her thighs trembling from the effort of keeping her weight balanced on her knees. Eventually she became aware that she was crying softly, one side of her wet face still pressed against the rug. Marshall was completely still, locked deep inside her, huge and hot, his breathing labored. She pressed back toward him in a plea for him to finish, but he gripped both her hips and slowly withdrew with a pained hiss erupting from between his teeth.Fighting to open her teary eyes, Claire risked a look at him over her shoulder. The light spilling through the kitchen doorway bathed the right side of him in a warm glow. He still wore his dr
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 95
Claire woke slowly from a deep and dreamless sleep. Her body was sluggish and heavy, the covers warm around her. She became aware of pressure against her spine and hips then a large male hand stroking down her side. Sighing, she snuggled back into Marshall with a tiny smile on her lips. Even half asleep, just like always his touch set her nerve endings humming. Her breasts tightened and a heavy throb started between her legs.The caress of his fingertips stayed slow and easy, spreading tingles in their wake, keeping her drifting in that lovely place between sleep and wakefulness. Enjoying it too much to wake up just yet, she kept her eyes closed and let herself slide into the sensation.Gentle brushes against the curve of her breast dragged a sigh from her. She shifted and arched her back to give him better access. A moment later a puff of cool air washed over her as he pulled the quilt back. The touch of his lips against her breast sent a wave of heated
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 96
Marshall’s heart tripped then went into double time when he heard Claire’s footsteps coming downstairs. It’d been almost three hours since she’d destroyed him with her sexy as hell mouth and fallen right back to sleep on him. He’d been careful not to wake her when he’d dragged himself from her warmth for a shower and spent the rest of the time alone rehearsing what he wanted to say, because he knew he’d only get one shot at it.He was more in love with her than ever, and if she still didn’t feel the same way he needed to know. His guts were in knots about what her reaction would be.She appeared in the kitchen doorway with a tender smile for him and the sight of it took his breath away. Even without make up and wearing plain old jeans and a T-shirt she was so unbelievably sexy he wanted to peel her clothes off and bend her over the kitchen island. But there was more to a relationship than sex, even if it was the best he’d ever had, and the explosive attra
Risen To The Top CHAPTER 97
She was afraid, he realized. Afraid that he’d wind up a drunk like her father or killing himself one day like Robby just had. He shook his head slowly. “I’m not them,” he said simply, his voice rough. “And you know it.”Something ignited in her eyes. Anger, yes, but also conviction. “You’re exactly like them. You’re trained to think and react the same way they were. I’ve lived my whole life around SF soldiers, so don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. You’ve dealt with everything you’ve been through unbelievably well so far, but I know how you guys think. And I know you wouldn’t hesitate to give up your life for one of your teammates during an operation, just like I know you wouldn’t hesitate to take a dangerous job if Pam or one of the others asked you to. It’s part of who you are and nothing can change that.” She stopped and took a breath, folded her arms across her breasts.“But?” he heard himself croak. There had to be a but in there somew