Page 1 of Braxton

Prologue

Five Years Ago…

Who am I?Braxton Graves wondered as he fed another strawberry to his wife. They were lying on lounge chairs beside the private pool, lazing the day away, as the tropical sun tanned their sleek bodies.

Quinn Noelle Graves bit off the rest of the chocolate-dipped fruit then flicked her tongue along his finger. He pushed them into her mouth and she sucked hard. His reaction was instantaneous and heat flooded his body. Specifically, his groin region.

His attention zeroed in on the seashell ring inlay set in his gold wedding band. He still couldn’t believe he was married.

Brax wasn’t a spur of the moment type of guy. Normally, he was more than careful, a methodical planner down to the most minute detail. His career as a Delta Force commander demanded it because lives were on the line constantly. But, one week ago, he met Quinn Landry, and his carefully-controlled life imploded.

Somehow his red-headed daredevil had seen past the straightlaced military man and she’d made him come alive in ways he’d never imagined possible. Quinn was able to bring outa side of him that not many people ever saw. A playful, boyish, more laidback Braxton who was figuring out how to loosen the reins on his constant need to be in control, whether on the battlefield or in the bedroom.

As she sucked his long fingers deeper into her mouth, right up to his knuckles, his gaze dipped, once again admiring the barely there black bikini gracing her tempting figure. Flawless, smooth skin and luscious curves in all the right places. He loved her perfect breasts, the flare of her hips and those slim legs—especially when they were wrapped around his head.

With his other hand, Brax reached for the strings on her bottoms and pulled them loose. Quinn slowly, seductively drew back, releasing his fingers with a sexy pop.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?” she asked, voice low and teasing. God, he loved the husky sound of her voice almost as much as her heady, sensual scent. Like jasmine petals dipped in the sweetest honey.

“Removing this bikini so I can fuck my wife,” he growled.

She gave him a slow, sultry smile. “You’re insatiable, Graves.”

“So are you, Graves.”

She chuckled. “True.”

In a lightning-fast move, he plucked her top off and scooped her up into his arms. Then in two long strides, he reached the pool and walked down the stairs, submerging them to their necks. Their mouths crashed together and they devoured each other.

And, for the first time in his life, Brax relinquished his carefully maintained control to another person and simply allowed himself to enjoy the moment.

???

Their honeymoon in Hawaii lasted exactly one week and then it was back to the mainland and business as usual. Ever the realist, Braxton was waiting for the glow to wear off, but it didn’t. Three months after marrying Quinn on the beach in Maui, he still couldn’t get enough of her.

It was more than just sex, although the sex was outstanding. Like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He felt a connection with her that he couldn’t explain, and he’d felt it from the very first moment he saw her in the conference room at HQ when they’d been tasked to run a joint operation. He was the commander of his unit and she was the officer in charge of the CIA team his teammates would liaison with. He still remembered the moment she swept into the room, commanding everyone’s attention before even uttering a single word. How he’d held his breath, waiting for her to speak, drawn to her. The woman had a presence and an undeniable sex appeal, and he couldn’t drag his eyes off her—then and now.

The mission had gone off without a hitch and they’d worked together flawlessly to successfully extract an American hostage from a remote Afghan village, along with the vital intel he carried. On the flight back, Brax and Quinn eye-fucked each other the entire time. He’d been hard and aching for endless hours. But they’d also talked, sharing details about more than just the mission. They’d opened up about their lives back home,how alone they both felt, and they’d bonded on an unexpectedly deep level.

After the fuel stop in Frankfurt, he knew he couldn’t let her walk away. Quinn had been completely in tune with him, and they’d impulsively decided to request time off. Once they landed at Beale Air Force Base, they drove sixty miles to Sacramento International Airport and hopped on the next plane to Hawaii.

Brax had desperately needed the R&R, and Quinn claimed she did, too, ready to unwind and clear her head. Looking back, they hadn’t gotten much rest. After sharing one kiss, they’d moved at the speed of light, jumping into bed for what was still the most explosive encounter of Brax’s life.

So damn mind-blowing that they’d applied for a marriage license online, picked it up the next day and immediately gotten married. It was a completely out of character move for him, yet it had felt so right. When Brax said “I do,” he’d been so damn sure he loved Quinn.

Yes, it had been insanely fast, but a magnetic force existed between them that had been missing from every other relationship he’d had. It was the damndest thing—as if their hearts could talk to each other and, somehow, had known each other long before they’d met. It was so much more than heated kisses and fantastic fucking—they lit up each other’s hearts and souls in a way he couldn’t explain. The idea of a life without her suddenly seemed unfathomable.

And then one phone call ended his marriage and revealed Quinn’s web of lies, a deceit that broke his heart on every level then turned it to ice. His world stopped spinning that day, and the perfect little home they’d created shattered into a million pieces.

Chapter One

Present Day

The team was back in San Francisco, safe and sound. For the most part, anyway. Dr. Ivan Zaitsev, the Russian chemist, sat locked up in one of the empty apartments, the smallest one located the farthest away from the rest of their living quarters. Brax much preferred to keep him in a holding cell off-site, but that wasn’t currently an option. At least he wasn’t under the control of The Agency or the Bratva any longer, so that was a plus.

Sitting on a stool, his back against the island, Brax watched his team laughing, joking and celebrating, but he couldn’t get into the spirit. Even though he was damn happy for Saint and Mia, he wouldn’t be doing any rejoicing until they’d destroyed The Agency once and for all.

Saint wasn’t wasting any time moving on from his ordeal. He’d proposed to Mia already, and as soon as the shenanigans the team was currently engrossed in played out, they were getting married. For a guy who’d claimed he didn’t do serious relationships, Mia sure had Saint whistling a different tune. Despite the complete one-eighty, Brax could see how much the man had changed since meeting Mia. He smiled now, without atrace of irony or sarcasm. It took a little getting used to, to be honest.

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