Page 74 of Inside the Maelstrom: Part Two
Evan snorted his opinion of that, and while Fabio slid his eyes in Evan’s direction, he didn’t address it.
Hendrick was still grumbling as he strode back into the other room of the suite, his hand stroking mine on the way past. Sampson stared each of the agents in the eye, not averting his gaze or making small talk. Just staring and generally making people uncomfortable. It always made me fucking laugh.
Finally, he turned on his heel. “I’m going with him.” He declared it, like he was waiting for one of the Feds to disagree. No one did, luckily.
That just left Evan, who was already fully dressed, right down to his boots. The guy must never sleep.
After a few minutes, Hendrick and Sampson reemerged, looking like they were striding out of a magazine centerfold rather than just rolling out of bed.
“Go, Evan. Me and Otto will stay here,” Aviva murmured, and I saw that Evan was torn between going with Sampson and Hendrick, and staying with us.
After another second of hesitancy, he nodded. Evan really,reallydidn’t like Feds.
Fabio turned in the direction of me and Aviva. “Good to see you, Mr. Guyer. Though I don’t think I’ve met your companion.”
Aviva didn’t shrink away from the agent’s scrutiny. “Aviva Kenley.”
Fabio grinned. “Ah. You’re the spanner in all of Ted Kenley’s machinations. Sorry about freezing your funds before you’d fully gotten to enjoy that Kenley wealth.”
The insinuation that Viva had married Hendrick because she was a gold-digger was like a fucking flare. I was about to snarl out something that would probably get me arrested, because no one insulted Aviva like that.
But my girl? She just threw back her head and laughed. “I don’t need Hendrick’s money. It was never about that.” She wandered toward Agent Rossi, and I kind of hated that she was only in those tiny silk pajama shorts and a camisole, but she moved in them like they were seductive armor. “No, it was about showing a power-hungry old fucker just how vulnerable he really was. It was about putting a man who abused his power and his family where he belongs, behind bars.”
She was right in front of him now, and if his eyes dipped below her collarbone for even a second, I was fairly sure Evan would risk a lifetime in a federal prison to beat the shit out of him. “Because that’s the thing about men like Ted Kenley—they think women are only worth anything when they’re on their back. They use them and throw them away, like they’re toys to be broken. So the irony that it’ll be two women who have a hand in his ruination is pretty fucking sweet, wouldn’t you agree, Agent?”
Fabio narrowed his eyes at her, before his grin grew wide. “Sweet indeed.” He looked at the rest of the agents in the room. “Let’s go.”
Evan gave me that look, the one that saidProtect her or else, before following Sampson and Hendrick out the door of the hotel. I waited for the door to click shut, then I figured I’d give them ten seconds.
One Mississippi.
Two Mississippi.
Fuck it. I strode forward, and scooped Aviva into my arms.
“Otto!”
I shook my head, marching toward the bedroom. “You are the sexiest crazy person I have ever met, Aviva Kenley. That little soliloquy made me hard as a fucking rock, and I intend to make love to you until you feel thoroughly worshipped. Maybe I’ll find where you’re hiding your giant brass fucking balls, talking to the FBI like that.”
She was laughing, but I meant every goddamn word. She wasn’t a damsel in distress anymore, and while I’d like to pretend we’d given her that, the truth was she’d taken it for herself. She’d grown that backbone all on her own.
I tossed her on the still unmade bed, and looked down at her for a moment. I didn’t know where to start. Hell, maybe I didn’t need to know.
“Tell me what you want, Aviva.”
“Excuse me?” she squeaked, and I resisted the grin that wanted to curl my lips. I loved her so much. Toe to toe with a man twice her height and three times her age, but ask her to tell me how to pleasure her, and she was back to blushing.
“I want to hear how I can make you feel good. Anything.”
She swallowed hard, and this time I did grin. Sue me. She was cute as hell.
“Oh. Okay. Um, I want you to kiss me.”
“Where?”
“On my lips?”
I knelt on the bed between her knees, and stroked my fingers up the seam of her silk sleep shorts. “Which lips?”
