Silver Fire (Guardians) (22 page)

Three hours later, Beth called Sophie and demanded to come over. So now they were having coffee, waffles and bacon. Same as the first morning when Sophie and Beth had stayed over.

Sophie was sitting with one foot on the chair, knee cocked and shin pressing against the table. She was eating bacon as fast as Derek could fry them. Apparently lack of sleep and stress made her ravenous. For Derek, lack of sleep only made him horny as fuck, and he’d been trying to avoid looking down Sophie’s crotch as he leaned in to dish more bacon on the plate. She was wearing damned skimpy shorts and he was pretty sure she wasn’t wearing any underwear. He better not get a hard on right now.

“No question he is one slick son of a bitch,” Sophie said, stumbling on the cuss word. Derek chuckled. She didn’t curse much, but when talking to Beth she tried to match her friend’s brashness. Damned cute.

“Derek, aren’t you eating?”

“Making sure I make enough bacon for you, sweetheart,” Derek drawled.

“Aw, isn’t he sweet,” Beth mocked, turning back to Sophie. “Aren’t you hiring more security?”

“Justin and his goons are probably out of the country by now,” Sophie said airily, knowing to keep her mouth shut in front of her friend.
 

His condo intercom buzzed. Frowning, he pressed the call button and said, “Yeah.”

“We’re coming up.” It was Jack.
 

Derek shook his head. Crazy morning just got crazier. He ground more coffee beans.

Minutes later, a key was heard at the door. Jack walked through along with Maia, who was carrying a big brown paper bag.

“Glad I got enough beignets!” Maia chirped as she spied Beth.

Jack made himself quickly at home by taking out two coffee mugs to pour out the rest of the coffee from the flask.

“Beignets, hmm,” Beth drooled as she peered into the brown bag. “Classy chick. I haven’t had this since New Orleans.” Taking a quick bite of the pillowy pastry, the reporter looked like she was about to have an orgasm. “This thing is the shit,” she exclaimed. “Where do you get these?”

“Corner shop from our building is a Creole restaurant. I talked them into making beignets on Sunday mornings,” Maia said.
 

“You’re kick-ass and resourceful. If you weren’t married already, I’d ask you to move in with me,” Beth said and laughed when Jack shot her a look. “Sorry McCord, huge crush on your wife.”

“You and everyone else,” Jack muttered.

“Are you feeling OK after yesterday?” Sophie asked Maia. The redhead still had a huge bandage on the side of her forehead.

“Yeah, went to the hospital Saturday afternoon, had an MRI and full body scan. Perfect health.”

“I was trying to convince Derek to go to the hospital, but he was being bull-headed.” Sophie shot him a dirty look.

“I’m fine, Angel, all your favorite parts are in working order,” Derek responded roguishly.

Jack heaved himself up on the countertop, Maia moved between his legs, leaning into him.
 

“I can’t believe none of us ‘made’ Justin,” Maia muttered, sipping on her coffee. “Damned embarrassing. I can blame three martinis, but you Derek, what’s your excuse? You even had a conversation with the man.”

“Two sentences hardly make a conversation,” Derek fired back.

“Derek was thinking with his dick,” Jack murmured and chuckled as his wife smacked his thigh.
 

“True,” Beth agreed. “Maybe you’re not the best person to keep Sophie safe, Derek.”

Derek scowled at Beth. “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that, Beth, because I’m not letting Sophie out of my damned sight.” He looked at Sophie. “I’m taking you to work, picking you up. You sleep in my bed. End of.”

“I’m seeing a strange re-enactment of us,
 
Jack,” Maia murmured to her husband.
 

“Talking about re-enactment,” Derek said reflectively. “Do you remember a Marissa Cole, Maia? She was the spook at AGS this morning.”

Maia’s clear blue eyes got big like saucers. “Damn straight I remember, she broke Viktor’s heart.”

“Viktor has a heart?” Jack, Derek and Beth said in unison. Everyone broke out in laughter except Maia, who patiently waited for everyone to stop laughing.

“All right, may be nothing that dramatic. Shit, actually it was,” Maia countered. “That was over eight years ago. Marissa had just started in the clandestine program of the CIA, she and Viktor had a job together. I’ve never seen Viktor so...different. He laughed more and was almost always in a good mood until that time I guess when they broke up. Heard him almost yelling into the phone.”

“Viktor was yelling?” Derek never heard Viktor yell. He was always cold and in control, except those times he was yelling at Maia.
 

“Well, he frequently yells at me,” Maia said.

“He yells at those that matter to him,” Derek finally concluded. “And then what?”

“He smashed his phone and bolted out of his office. The next day, the light was gone. He was back to his cold sarcastic self,” Maia said sadly.
 

“That’s about the time he started taking subs,” Derek added.

“Viktor Baran is a dom?” Beth said with clear interest.

“Shit,” Maia muttered. “Reporter.”

“I’m sure Beth knows better than to babble about Viktor Baran’s sexual proclivities,” Sophie said, giving her friend a pointed stare.

Beth stuffed another beignet in her mouth. “You’re right, haven’t met the guy but from what I’ve heard, I don’t want to get on his radar.”

“You’re probably already on his,” Derek said.

“What? How?”

“Me,” Sophie stated simply.

“Girl, you’re so much trouble, but I love you,” Beth said, standing up and giving Sophie a tight hug.

“Last week was the week from hell,” Sophie said with a sigh. “I hope this week is better. I’m so tired at getting shot at.”

Derek took the seat beside her, scooted over and held her hands, staring straight at her eyes. “We’ll get you through this, Sophie. I promise not to let anything happen to you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about, Derek,” Sophie said. “Everyone else is getting hurt because of me. I feel like we’re just waiting for the next crisis to hit. Don’t you feel it?”

Derek smiled at her reassuringly, but he felt it too. A heavy feeling in his gut, and he was scared for Sophie.
 

***

It was almost 3:00 p.m. when everyone had left. Derek cleared the empty pizza boxes and wrapped up the leftover slices in foil. Sophie was on the phone with Christopher Blackstone, relaying the bad news. She had been at it for over twenty minutes, obviously in a frustrating conversation. Derek wasn’t at all sure Christopher Blackstone was innocent in the stolen research debacle. Clearly, he leaked the information about the zefinium cores to SASTac, and Derek had a hunch that this Justin guy worked for the security company, either directly or indirectly.
 

Sophie walked past the kitchen and tossed her phone on the counter, saying over her shoulder, “Taking a shower.” She was in a temper and all tensed up. Derek quickly wiped down the counters and threw the beer bottles in the recycling bin. He made sure the doors were locked before following Sophie in his bedroom.
 

He waited for the shower to come on and for the shower door to close. Derek already felt his cock hardening in anticipation and hoped Sophie was in the mood. Opening the bathroom door, he casually walked in and started to strip.

“Derek!”

“Thought I’d join you.”

“I—”

Derek opened the shower door and got in, almost losing control when he saw her naked body all slick and wet with soap and water. She had covered her breasts and her pussy. As if that was going to stop him from touching her.
 

Grinning devilishly, he said “Scoot forward, Angel. Share the water will you?”

“I—”

The spray of warm water more than heated up his skin. His balls felt heavy with his arousal and when he pulled her body toward him—her back against his front—he bent his knees so his cock hit between her butt cheeks. Derek groaned and shoved his face on the curve of her shoulder.

“Fuck! I want you so much,” Derek hissed into her hair.
 
He wanted to fuck her alright, but more than anything, he wanted to relieve her stress any way he could. He took the shampoo from her hands and started to wash her hair, massaging her scalp slowly with gentle pressure.

“God, Derek, that feels, unh,” Sophie moaned as if she was on the brink of an orgasm.
 
Rinsing the suds from her hair, he proceeded to apply the conditioner she handed him and then a wide toothed comb. “Sorry, I’m high-maintenance.”

“No problem, Angel, you’re mine to pamper today.”
 

After combing the conditioner through her hair, he grabbed the French-milled soap he had bought for her and started to rub the bar on her soft silky smooth skin. It was so erotic, Derek could easily lose himself and come right there. He gently turned her around and soaped her breasts, running circles around each orb and then slowly slipped the soap between her legs. She moaned.
 

“Raise one leg on the ledge, baby,” he whispered. He needed to be inside her, but at the same time he wanted to taste her. He wanted to do so many things to her. So many positions he wanted to try with her, he felt like a serious pervert. “There, do you like that?” He slid the soap back and forth between her legs, parting her with his fingers while taking in the desire that ignited her gray eyes into silver. He watched them as they grew hooded and then he couldn’t resist anymore. He set the soap back, grabbed the detachable shower spray and rinsed the suds from her body.
 
He then pulled her fully into him and kissed her deeply, ruthlessly exploring the depths of her mouth, kissing her so hard he was pretty sure she couldn’t breathe. He then trailed his tongue on her breast, paying homage to each peak before kneeling and kissing just above her belly button.

“Derek—”

“What, baby?”

“Kiss me there—”

Derek slung one of her legs over his shoulder. He parted her slick pink folds already swollen with arousal. “Like this?” He swiped her cleft with a flick of his tongue.
 

“Harder, please.” She flexed her hips forward.

He buried his face between her legs as he sucked on her clit and then speared his tongue hungrily into her entrance. He felt her nub swell and returned attention to it, inserting one finger into her slick channel, while catching her clit between his lips and sucked. She was moaning in earnest now until she screamed his name and came in his mouth, a spurt of warmth drenching his fingers. He lowered his mouth to suck in her sweet juices and groaned with the sheer pleasure of it all.

Heavily aroused now, his cock was rock hard and ready to explode. He got back on his feet, bracing her into the corner and lifted her legs to wrap around his hips. He surged inside her.

“Derek, ahhh...”

“Sophie. Fuck,” Derek grit his teeth as her inner muscles grabbed his cock greedily.
 
He pulled out once and pushed inside again until he was able to get into an erotic rhythm that prolonged their pleasure. He canted his hips to thrust deeper into her, his groin rubbing against her clit, and after a few hard thrusts she came again, digging her nails into his shoulders. He increased his pace, pumping into her fiercely as he chased his own release.

“Fuck. Oh, Fuck,” Derek shouted hoarsely as he came long and hard. “Damned fucking good, baby.” He continued to rock his hips into her until the shudders of his climax ebbed. He lowered her legs and rubbed his nose in her hair. “So good, baby,” he repeated.

“That was something else,” Sophie breathed dreamily and Derek suspected if he weren’t holding her up, she would crash to the floor. Pulling her back under the shower spray, he gently washed her again. Turning off the water, he grabbed a towel and dried her briskly. He nudged her out and said, “Go dry your hair, Angel.”

After his shower, Derek walked into the bedroom. It was empty. Frowning he went to the living room and saw Sophie passed out on the couch. Her hair was slightly damp. The poor woman was probably too exhausted to completely dry her glorious mane of blonde hair. An emotion tugged on his chest as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bed. Their bed.
 

“Um, I must have passed out,” Sophie mumbled sleepily. She was wearing a short kimono robe, which had now come undone and revealed her nakedness underneath. Derek felt himself harden. He’d always had a strong sex drive and it had been easy to manage before Sophie. Now he had to restrain himself. He did not want to behave like a rutting stag and scare her off. No. He was going to leave his woman alone so she could recover from the events of the day. Not fuck her brains out.

“Yes you did,” Derek said raggedly. “Uh, baby, shouldn’t you change out of that robe?”

His blonde angel stretched, smiled lazily and said, “I guess I must.” She rolled off the bed and took off her robe, bending over her suitcase and baring her ass to him.
 

Unbelievable
, Derek thought and looked away, but his eyes kept returning to her swaying ass as she rummaged through her suitcase. His cock was fully erect now and its bulbous head pushed out of his boxer shorts. She slipped on her sleeping shorts, and tugged her camisole over her head and jumped back into bed.
 

“Are you coming?” asked the minx, all curled up on his bed.
 

Yes, he could come in his boxers.
 

“It’s 4:00 p.m., I probably shouldn’t.”

“Just a nap. Naps are good.”

I’d rather fuck you.

When Derek didn’t answer, Sophie flopped on her back and raised herself on her elbows and looked at him, her eyes bugging out when they zeroed in on his raging hard on.

“Oh,” was all she said.

Derek stared at her, keeping himself motionless, because all he wanted to do was pounce on her.

“You want to take care of that?” Sophie asked and the little tease cocked her legs and spread her thighs.