Page 59 of Lone Wolf

I whine and moan as she increases her pace, her fingers pumping into me faster as her fingers press against my clit. Her mouth is relentless, her tongue swirling and licking and thrusting into me. The pleasure builds until I’m shaking, my legs barely holding me up—and then I cry out as the orgasm washes over me.

My knees give out, and I slump forward, catching myself against the shower wall. Ariadne stands, her hands stroking my back, and then she pulls me close, holding me while the aftershocks of my orgasm ripple through me. She takes my hand and guides it to her warm, slick pussy, helping me find the spot where she wants to be touched. “Come on, Santiago. Give a little.” She sounds amused. I turn around to watch her as I finger her, let her grind down on the heel of my hand, and her fingers find their way back to my clit again. We stand there with the water thundering around us, staring into each other’s eyes as she coaxes another orgasm from me before she finally gives in to her own pleasure, like a shock running through her as she grabs my hand, holding it in place as she rocks through a long, intense climax.

When we finally step out and dry off, I feel both exhausted and exhilarated, wrung out in the best possible way. We dress in companionable silence, stealing glances and small touches as if to reassure ourselves that what happened was real.

“That was...” Ariadne—Sarah?—begins, then shakes her head, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “I don’t have words for what that was.”

“Really fucking hot?” I suggest, grinning.

She laughs, a sound so rare and precious it makes my heart swell. “That’s an understatement.” She finishes lacing up her sneakers, then looks up at me. “And talk about a workout. I’mstarving. We should grab dinner.”

“Yeah we should.” As we leave the training area, I reach out and take her hand.

She looks down at our intertwined fingers.

“Is…this okay?” I ask.

She nods. “I’m just not…I’m not good at this. But I want to try. With you.” She takes a deep breath. “Look, I’m afraid of feeling this much. It goes against everything I was trained to be. But I’m more afraid ofnotfeeling it.”

I lace our fingers more firmly together. “We’ll figure it out together. One day at a time.”

“One day at a time,” she echoes, squeezing my hand. She smiles again, and the sight of it fills me with a fierce joy.

But we’ve barely made it halfway down the corridor when Enzo comes running toward us, his expression urgent.

“Hey!” he calls. “Hadria’s called everyone to the war room, right now. Something big’s happening.”

Ariadne and I exchange a glance, our momentary peace shattered by the intrusion of reality. Without another word, we follow Enzo, our fingers still intertwined as we make our way there. The war room is already packed when we arrive, Hadria sitting on her throne and every other member having taken theirseats at the table. The recruits mill around, finding places to stand, and we join them.

“Now that we’re all here,” Hadria begins, her voice cutting through the murmurs, “I have an announcement. Thanks to Johnny de Luca’s intelligence networks, we’ve located the final trafficking operation in the Mancini network. The last piece of the puzzle.”

A ripple of excitement runs through the room. This is what we’ve been working toward—the culmination of weeks of effort, of blood and sacrifice.

“They’re operating out of a large lakeside estate,” Hadria elaborates, her voice carrying easily. “Our sources indicate they’re planning a transfer tomorrow night—moving their ‘merchandise’ to New York.”

The clinical way she describes it makes my stomach turn, but I understand the necessity of emotional distance. These kinds of operations require clear heads, not righteous fury—no matter how justified that fury might be.

“So we move tomorrow night,” Hadria continues. “Teams will be assigned in the morning briefing. I want everyone rested and prepared. This is our chance to shut down this operation for good.”

As the room begins to empty, Hadria catches my eye. “Santiago and Graves—stay behind.”

Ariadne and I exchange a glance but remain behind as the others filter out. When the room is empty save for Hadria, Lyssa, Scarlett, and us, Hadria gestures for us to approach.

“Given what happened today to both of you,” she says, her voice softer than it was during the briefing, “I’d understand if either of you wanted to sit this one out.”

I shake my head immediately. “No. I want to be there. For Mari.”

Hadria turns her gaze to Ariadne. “And you?”

Ariadne straightens her spine, her expression resolute. “I’ll be there. Sunny and I…well, we’ll have each other’s backs.”

“And the team’s,” I add quickly. “And I won’t let personal feelings compromise the mission. I won’t…lose control.”

Hadria studies us for a long moment, her gaze moving from our faces to our still-clasped hands and back. Then she nods, seemingly satisfied with what she sees.

“Alright.” She turns to Lyssa. “Add them to Delta. I want our best on point for this.”

Lyssa nods. “Already planned on it, Boss.”

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