Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2) (16 page)

Chapter Eighteen

Jax
had an arm overtop of his eyes while holding Emily close with the other.  They’d spent the night on the couch in front of the fire.  He’d cleaned her up with a warm cloth after their scene, but neither had addressed the fact that he hadn’t used a condom.  He wasn’t ready for it now either, for it would mean questioning why he’d done it.  He would have to say something to let her know it was the first time he’d ever gone without protection.  Jax would never put her health at risk.

The shift in Emily’s breathing told him she was awake.  He leisurely caressed the silky flesh of her arm
, his lips curving into a smile as she seemed to melt into him a little more.  This peace that had settled over them was a nice change from the tension and anger that had become a staple since her return.  Again, Jax ignored the niggling worry of the potential consequences of his actions.

“Does it always feel like this?” Emily murmured again his chest. 

“What’s that?”  Jax lifted his arm and glanced down at her.  Some blonde strands had made their way onto her cheek and he brushed them aside. 

“A…well, a scene.”  Her voice was low and Jax could see the faint blush that colored her cheek
s.  He was glad he’d repositioned her hair behind her ear.  “Okay, a punishment.”

Jax chuckled at her attempt to correct herself.  He knew exactly what she meant, but he also knew that having her know the difference was essential.  He loved the dynamics of he
r personality.  She could blush, yet not hesitate to hand her body over to him.  Her disposition was one of strength and she gave her all once she put her mind to something.  However, the air of innocence still remained.

“Yes.”  Jax knew she understood the meaning of it, but wanted to make it clear.  “There’s a tranquility that overcomes both a Dom and sub after a punishment.  It’s as if it’s a new beginning.  A cleansing, so to speak.”

“I like it,” Emily whispered, taking her hand and placing it on his chest.  “Not that I want another one anytime soon.”

Jax remained silent, leaning down to kiss the top of her head and inhaling her scent.  He could still smell the shampoo she’d used from last night.  It wasn’t her usual scent, but it was pleasant.  He couldn’t wait
until she returned to her natural chestnut color.

“Talk to me,” Emily requested, seeming very comfortable and in no hurry to move.  She didn’t have to worry.  He was very content as well.  “Tell me about the last two years.”

“Well, I already told you how Connor and I came back from Iraq and took Crest up on his offer to work at the agency.”  Jax thought over the past and realized every day had relatively been the same.  “A couple government contracts a year to keep us sharp, and the normal cases at home kept me busy.”

“You still played?”

Jax knew she meant at the clubs, but didn’t hear reproach in her voice.  He was grateful.  He wouldn’t lie to her, and technically she already knew.  They’d spoken of it back at the other safe house.  Honestly, playing at the clubs was the one thing that kept him from tracking her down and placing her in danger.

“Yes.”  Jax waited for the stiffening of her body, but she remained at ease.  They’d spent the night in a scene driving home the point of honesty and he would give no less.  “Nothing serious, but it
almost kept me from thinking of you.  I did push my limits though.  I’d lost the feeling of control and it wasn’t until Connor mentioned something a few months ago that I’d realized I’d probably gone too far.”

Emily tilted her head up, her blue eyes focusing on his.  There was no judgment, only understanding.  He did see a trace of pain, which tugged at his heart.  Her fingers started to trace figure eights in the middle of his chest, trying to pull his attention away from the conversation.  It was too soon to commence with another scene, as she had to be sore from last night.  He could wait a while longer.  He was actually enjoying this reconnection, though he wasn’t used to revealing so much of himself.

“What limits did you push?”

“Edge play,” Jax answered honestly, searching her face for condemnation.  “Don’t get me wrong, I found the control I was looking for, but that’s not how I wanted it.  I can see in your eyes that this conversation is —”

“I’m not angry, Jax,” Emily said, raising her hand and placing her palm on his cheek.  “That doesn’t mean hearing about it doesn’t hurt me.  We’d gone our separate ways and I understood the chance I was taking by walking away and going into hiding.  But last night — this moment — erases our past.  Wouldn’t you agree?”

Jax felt his chest swell with an emotion he wouldn’t put a name to.  He gently kissed her, wanting to thank her and show her how he felt at the same time.  Had they fallen in love back then?  Maybe.  But two years had changed them both.  They needed time to get to know one another again.  Pulling away, he tapped her nose with a finger and flashed her a smile. 

“I do agree,” Jax answered, lifting her until she was laying flat on top of him.  Her warm mound fit right over hardening cock.  He closed his eyes for a moment to appreciate the sensation.  “To keep me from taking you right this second, tell me about you.  Why didn’t you mention you had an aunt when we were together before?”

“And what’s keeping you from taking me right this second?  Oh, wait,” Emily exclaimed, resting her chin on the back of her hands.  “Is that your punishment for playing in the clubs?” 

Jax immediately reached for her sides, tickling her until she couldn’t draw air.  Laughing with her, he finally relented and let her shift back into position.  He brushed her hair behind her ears once more, taking in her radiating smile.  Emily’s blue eyes sparkled with merriment and he fought the urge to call Crest and tell him to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

“You have to be sore,” Jax said, stroking her back.  “It’s not my intention to cause you pain…at least, not
right this moment.”

Another laugh escaped her lips.  “There are many things I’m interested to try that I’ve placed on my soft limits list.  But until you feel up to it, I’ll talk about Aunt Beatrice.”

Jax pretended to go for her sides once more and she immediately reacted by rolling into the couch with a giggle.  Feeling the cool air drift over his front, he reached for the throw and tossed it over the both of them.  Emily seemed to be pushing him a little, testing the waters as to how far she could control their sexual scenes.  She couldn’t.  Deep down she knew that and wanted to play.  He felt the same, but it was also his responsibility to take care of her.  Right now, her body needed a few more hours reprieve.

“Continue,” Jax instructed, settling back and enjoying this newfound intimacy.  Emily sighed, giving in.

“She was my father’s sister and when my parents passed, she took care of me.  We only had each other.”  Emily went back to making figure eights on his chest.  “That week was such a whirlwind and when it came to a close, the shit hit the fan.”

“That’s an understatement.”  Jax chuckled when she lightly tapped his chest.  “Where does she live?”

“Long Island.  I’m grateful that Crest sent someone to watch over her.  I know she’s in Paris, but now that Ryland has my information, I have no doubt he’ll go for her.”

“Crest wouldn’t hire anyone he didn’t trust or
who couldn’t handle the job.”  Jax thought about their current situation and what he would do if he were in Ryland’s shoes.  “If he’s desperate with no leads as to our whereabouts, he’ll go for her.  The only other person you were connected to before your disappearance was me and I doubt he’d be able to garner that information.  It was a week.”

“It felt like longer.”

Jax held her tighter against him.  “You’re right.  It did.”

A vibration came from his jeans, which were lying a few feet away.  Leaning over the edge without letting her go, Jax snatched up one of the legs and dragged the denim their way.  Using his one free hand, he managed to get the small device out of the pocket.

“Yeah,” Jax said into the phone as he settled back onto the couch.  Emily rose up enough to replace her chin on his chest.  In a lower voice, he said, “Speak of the devil.”

“I’m worse than the devil,” Crest countered, all business.  “Listen up.  Schultz wants us to hang tight.  He’s maneuvering the evidence around to various people within the United Nations, taking advantage of Alekseev’s attention on Emily.  Right now, too many people are getting wind of this now for Alekseev to be able to sweep it under th
e rug.  Apparently, it’s a shitstorm in DC and New York right now.  If we can just keep Emily hidden and away from Ryland until a hearing is scheduled before the Security Council, he should be able to contain this himself with the next couple of days.”

“We’re at our destination,” Jax answered, sitting up a bit.  Emily remained where she was, but placed her chin on his stomach.  He smiled when her brows furrowed.  She wanted to know what Crest saying, but his voice was too low.  “Are Kevin and Ethan in place?”

“Yes.  If you leave there for any reason, make sure they know.  Kevin’s got one of the mobiles that’s programmed into the one you have.”  There was a pause, causing Jax to be on alert.  Whenever Crest took time to formulate words, people paid attention.  “After this is said and done, she’ll have to deal with the NSA.”

“They used her as a NOC
, Crest.”  Emily stiffened beside him, but before she could sit up, Jax grabbed a hold of her hair that was lying over her shoulder.  She remained in place, with her chin on his abdomen.  “She’s given two years of her life to do the right thing, not to mention being targeted for murder.  I’m sure Schultz can pull a few strings.”

“Let’s hope you’re
right,” Crest said, his voice wary.  “He’s pulling in every favor he can to make sure this information gets into the hands of the Security Council without losing any more people.  Alekseev needs to be sent packing as soon as possible.”

“Agreed.”  Jax sunk his fingers into Emily’s hair and found that the urge to claim her once more was becoming overwhelming.  What she needed was a hot bath to take away the sore muscles and raw clit.  Then they could have some fun.  “We’ll remain in place unless we hear otherwise or I feel a threat is imminent.  Keep in touch.”

“Something change that I should know about?” Crest asked before Jax could disconnect the call.

“Meaning?”

“Just remember the case comes first.  I realize that Emily is one and the same, but making decisions based on emotion is not how we complete a mission.”

“As you said, it shouldn’t matter,” Jax answered, his voice hardening.  He respected Crest and although they didn’t always see things eye to eye, he wasn’t one to be micromanaged.  “Contact us when Schultz has things ready to go and I’ll have her back in New York for the hearing.”

Jax pulled the phone away from his ear and then severed the call.  It wasn’t until Emily lifted her head and laid her palm against his face that he realized how tightly he was clenching his jaw.

“What’s going on?” Emily asked, the softness in her face from this morning disappearing.  Was this how he was?  Were his team members the same when switching their thought process from their personal life to a case?  “Has Crest been in touch with Schultz?”

“Yes,” Jax answered, rubbing a hand down his face.  He needed to shave and shower.  Now was the perfect time to do that, since he wanted her to take a hot bath.  “Schultz has put things in motion and will contact us when you need to be at the United Nations in New York to give your statement to the Security Council.  In the meantime, we have the original tapes should we need a back-up plan.  We sit tight and wait for things to play out.”

Jax could see it took a moment for her to digest everything.  She didn’t relax her muscles right away, but eventually, she lay back down on his chest.  He hadn’t mentioned Ryland, for there was no need.  They had no idea where he was or what he was planning. 

“Up you go, my little spy,” Jax said, nudging her until she let the blanket fall off of them and stood.  He took a moment to appreciate her body.  She was lovely, with her curves and ample breasts.  Having this view to look at while he shaved might cause a few nicks, but it would be well worth it.  “Let’s get you in a hot bath and then put food in our stomachs.  Let’s just say we’re going to need the stamina.”

Chapter Nineteen

Jax walked the perimeter of the house, making sure the handcrafted security system was still in place.  It was difficult in the dark, but it had to be done before they retired for the night.  The air coming off the lake was downright cold and it didn’t help that the wind had picked up.  He rubbed his hands together in order to keep them warm, blowing
hot air into them as he walked.  Spending the day with Emily had given him a glimpse of what they could have and he found himself having those same feelings as when he’d first met her.  Time had changed nothing.

Walking
to the far edge of the property next to the border of the long drive, Jax carefully studied the area.  There were three places that Kevin or Ethan would be staked out, but the dark prevented him from seeing too much.  He whistled, knowing that if they were there, they would return the sound.  Sure enough, the mimicked echo broke through the still of the night.  Jax headed that way.

He was no more than twenty yards in when Kevin’s dark form appeared before him.  “You want to hand us over to Ryland on a silver platter?”

“Ryland arrived in Paris this morning,” Jax informed his teammate.  “I just spoke with Crest and Taryn seems to have found her magic fingers once more.  Obviously he used an alias, but she was able to obtain CCTV footage from De Gaulle.”

“She said she was working on some facial recognition program,” Kevin said, nodding his head in approval.  “Unless he changed his bone structure
, regardless of make-up or wigs the database will vet him out.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t help us.  He’s going after Emily’s aunt.  Does she know this?”

Jax shook his head.  “Not yet.  Crest’s man that he’s using in France has been able to make contact with Beatrice.  He’s taken her to a
n undisclosed location until Connor can get his ass to Paris and take this fucker out.”

“Think he’ll stay there long enough for that to happen?  If Beatrice isn’t easily accessible, Ryl
and will just come back to the States and pick up where he left off.”

“He’s scrambling and you know it,” Jax said, shoving his hands in his pockets.  He’d left his gloves in the SUV.  “Ryland has no bead on our location and the only string available was Emily’s aunt.  Take that away and what’s left?”

“A desperate man,” Kevin said, shifting back on the heels of his boots.

“He doesn’t strike me as the type to ever be desperate, but he will be pissed.”  Jax had been given time to process the information and he was relatively sure he knew how this would play out.  “Crest tell you that Schultz has things in motion?  I figure we’ll get a reprieve until we have to get Emily back
to New York.  The Security Council will want to hear from her exactly what went down, regardless of the physical evidence they are presented with.  We’re talking about sending a Russian diplomat back to his country for crimes against the international community, not to mention his security detail.  Ryland will be given instructions to take her out before she enters that room.”

Kevin didn’t reply, but instead swept the area with his eyes.  Regardless of their views on how this might play out, he and his team w
ould still do their job.  Their safeguards wouldn’t be let down and they would remain in position, just in case. 

“Have you spoken to Elle?”

The question threw Jax for a moment.  Yes, Kevin had assisted Elle in getting off the streets, but to Jax’s knowledge, they had a somewhat tremulous relationship.  Elle had worked the streets for a while before trying to get her life together and Kevin worked for a security agency that took private cases and government contracts.  The two didn’t exactly mesh and in all honesty, she seemed wary of his forthright nature.  She didn’t come across that leery of Jax or the other men, but then again, they hadn’t witnessed her at such a low point in her life the way Kevin had.  Jax understood about pride. 

“Not since this started,” Jax said, raising an eyebrow.  Was there something he should know?  “I trust her to take care of things at the club.  Elle’s good at her job.”

“One of my contacts called the office,” Kevin said.  His steel gray eyes came back to focus on Jax.  “Jessie mentioned that one of his girls has been missing for a few days and wanted me to check it out.”

Jax put two and two together and he nodded in understanding.  As much as Elle was turning her life around, she still kept in touch with some of the girls still working the streets.  It was as if she felt a responsibility to save the other women.  Kevin’s tone indicated that his contact had to be the scumbag who Elle used to work for.

“Why don’t you call her or have Jessie stop by the club?” Jax asked, wondering why he was the one suggesting it.  Kevin was an intelligent man and didn’t need his hand held on common sense shit.  “Hell, ever since Connor and I took over, it seems to have become the hangout for our fellow teammates.”

“Elle and I…let’s just say I don’t think she’d appreciate me checking up on her,” Kevin said, his stance shifting as if he were uncomfortable.  Jax stared a little longer, thinking maybe the dark was playing tricks on him.  “I’ll do that though.  Call Jessie, that is.”

It was like looking in the fucking mirror.  Jax just barely contained his laugh, covering it up with a cough.  Shit, he’d seen the same expression when he’d been shaving this morning.  Kevin had a thing for Elle.  There were a million things that he could say sitting on the edge of his tongue, but he held them back.  His friend looked absolutely miserable. 

“Jessie will check on her for you.”  Jax nodded, as if were an everyday occurrence.  A thought struck him.  “You don’t think the missing prostitute is related to your case, do you?”

“I don’t know the details.  Crest is dealing with the family that hired us. You know, the ones whose daughter was the first one to be raped?  She was a runaway who’d ended up on the street.  Anyway, he has one of the detectives in Hennepin County working some angles while I’m away.  He’s a solid guy.”

There wer
e times when a major assignment similar to Emily’s took the attention of the entire team.  Jax knew it wouldn’t be long before Kevin was ensconced back in Minneapolis, working the case for this family whose daughter had been the victim of a rapist.  This girl’s family had money and wanted someone private to look into their daughter’s rape case.

“It shouldn’t
be too long before this is over.” Jax looked to his left, seeing the soft glow from one of the windows.  He made a mental note to make sure the curtains were closed, not that anyone could get near the place without him knowing.  “I need to get back.”

Kevin smiled for the first time since they’d started talking and Jax knew the shit was coming.  Now that he was loaded as well, Jax slowly returned the smile and waited for the first missile to fire.  Kevin’s lips gradually fell when he realized it too.  Jax laughed and slapped him on the shoulder, before turning to head back to the cabin.

“Dropping like fucking flies,” Kevin muttered under his breath as he turned to go. 

Jax didn’t argue.  Hell, who was he to say anything?  He’d had sex
with Emily last night without protection.  Had he done it subconsciously?  Did he want a family of his own so bad?  Maybe it was time for Crest to hire a profiler.  They all needed their fucking heads examined.

* * * *

Emily waited patiently while Jax was outside, making certain the area was secure.  This cabin didn’t have the security system the previous safe house did, but since it was out in the middle of nowhere, she felt relatively safe.  She was back on the couch wearing one of Jax’s black T-shirts with nothing underneath and her weapon by her side.  She had a feeling she wouldn’t have it on for long once he came back in.

The day had passed by in a blur, yet had given them time to get to know one another again.  As
she’d soaked in the bubble bath after having found the foaming liquid in a bottle underneath the sink, Emily was mesmerized by the vision of Jax shaving.  His movements were erotic, to say the least.  He had leaned against the sink wearing nothing but his jeans.  With each graceful scrape of his face, the muscles on his chest would move in sync.  The cords of his neck were the most interesting part, as she wanted to run her tongue alongside the indention of his warm skin.

Jax spoke the entire time, telling her of cases they’d worked on and the latest having been one that had Connor falling in love.  He talked of his team members, telling her about their quirks and personalities, causing her to laugh at some of their antics.  By the time he was done and in the shower, she’d been surprised to find that he liked to sing.  His lower register seemed to have strummed something inside of her and by the time he’d dried off, she’d joined him in hopes of continuing where they’d left off.  It was just as he’d said yesterday…they needed to get to know one another again.  Emily was sure the reason for her amazement was the fact that this was actually happening.
She’d dreamt of it for so long that it seemed surreal.  Maybe that was why she hadn’t brought up the fact that he hadn’t used a condom the night before, because she hadn’t wanted this to end. 

Jax was taking longer than Emily thought he would, so she stood up from the couch and walked over to the window with her gun in hand.  Looking out, night had fallen to the point of pitch-black darkness, with cloudy skies covering whatever moonlight
that would have been available.  She couldn’t see a foot away from the house.  Where was he?  And why
hadn’t
he mentioned what had happened?

Emily placed a hand to her stomach, wondering what it would be like if she were with his child.  Reality was setting in though and she knew it would have to be addressed.  She’d been honest with her feelings about him playing in the clubs, but the one thing she wouldn’t sacrifice was her health.  When she’d located the bubble bath underneath the sink, there had also been a box of condoms.  They would be used and no more chances taken.

The rest of the day had been spent much of the same, although in front of the fire.  He’d made them breakfast and dinner, while she made them sandwiches for lunch.  When she’d asked whose place this was, Jax had shrugged, saying that Crest had things covered.  Conversation had switched back to their childhood and he’d entertained her with stories from his youth.  She was finding that under his carefree attitude, he had a philosophical way of looking at life. 

The door sprung open, causing Emily to pull up her weapon.  The reaction was instant, but the second she zeroed in on her target, her arms relaxed.  Damn it!  She could have
shot him.  Jax closed the door, his cheeks rouge from the cold night air and gave a small smirk at her stance. 

“Do you really think Ryland is getting through me?”

“You’re not infallible, Jax,” Emily snapped at his cavalier attitude that he was better than this trained assassin who was after her.  He held up his hands as if in surrender, which in a better frame of mind she would have found slightly humorous.  “Not funny.”

“I should rephrase my question into a statement then,” Jax said, shrugging out of his jacket and then tossing it over the coat rack by the door.  He walked toward her, his skullcap still in place.  “Ryland’s not getting through the make-shift system I’ve put into place without us hearing it and giving fair warning.  I’ve been at this a long time, Emily.  On top of that, I guarantee that Kevin and Ethan are taking turns staking the place out.  We’ll see him well before he sees us.”

“Just as you’ve been having sex for a long time, but that didn’t stop you from forgetting to use a condom last night.”  Emily closed her eyes in irritation, not meaning for it to come out like that.  Damn it.  She turned before he reached her and walked back to the couch.  She carefully placed her gun on the side table before facing him.  “That came out wrong.  It wasn’t how I wanted this conversation to start.”

“I don’t think it really matters how it starts,” Jax said, his tone indicating things had just turned serious.  He swiped the skullcap off h
is head.  His blonde hair was mussed, but it only added to his charm and further frustrated her that all of a sudden she was having trouble concentrating.  She was better than that.  “I have no excuses.  It happened, but I need you to know that I have never done that before.  Ever.  And yes, I should have told you that last night to ease your worries.  The team also gets tested once a year for every damn thing the human body could obtain, due to our overseas trips.  Mine was done not more than three months ago.” 

Emily felt a little of her anger dissipate.  It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been there.  She’d been the other participant and could have said something.  The truth was she hadn’t wanted to.

“I, um, haven’t been with anyone since you,” Emily said, meeting his gaze head on.  The brown flecks of his eyes started to shimmer at her words, but there was also a hint of sadness.  He felt guilty for playing at the clubs during their time apart and that wasn’t what she’d been aiming for.  They were in the here and now.  “I think we’ll be fine, since it’s a week after that, uh, window.  We should use the condoms that were found under the sink though.”

“Agreed,” Jax said, tossing his skullcap on the floor.  He then proceeded to take off his shirt, which joined his hat.  Emily felt her body responding, regardless
that they just had an important conversation that seemed pretty damn vital to her.  Granted, there wasn’t much left to say, but it felt so monumental.  She was surprised when he walked over to the fire, holding out his hands and then starting an entirely different conversation.  “I spoke with Crest.  There’s something you need to know.”