Javier (Alpha Heroes #12)

Chapter Nineteen

Missy

Pierre, Gerard, and I lounged by the pool, enjoying the lazy, sunny day. The men were talking to me. I saw their mouths move, heard their words as if they came from some distant place, and even allowed for a quick smile whenever they laughed, but my mind was on Javier.

Always on him.

After last night, I was back to square one with him. Or perhaps I should say square zero, since every time I stepped forward, he took a step back. Even after he’d shown me pleasure the likes I couldn’t have imagined. He had shattered me with his mouth, shot me out of my body, and delivered me to a paradise I never knew existed.

I’d had an amazing release last night.

Orgasm. Call it what it was , I told myself.

What I’d felt. The way my body reacted. Affie’s stories paled by comparison. They’d had no real meaning to me, until last night, when pleasure left no part of me untouched, no doubts that Javier could command my body to feel, enjoy, and adore what I’d so clinically called the sexual act all these years.

There was nothing clinical about last night. It was all feeling and sensation, a whirlpool of emotions that found expression through raw, carnal pleasure. How had I not known a woman could feel like this before last night? How had I remained ignorant of the power of a man’s exquisite touch, of Javier’s sexy, capable mouth, driving me to ecstasy?

The stars above me had streaked across the sky when I came. I saw beyond them, into a universe that promised more bliss to the new me, the woman fascinated by the powerful sensations now real beyond my dreams, the sexual being that blossomed at Javier’s touch.

When he was done, I’d felt like I’d been hit with a blast of dopamine that created an instant addiction, to his mouth, his touch, to him . Even now, I felt empty. I missed his fingers sheathed inside of me, the thrusts that had set my heart’s pace.

He’d tasted me, but what did he taste like? How would his hard flesh feel in my mouth, or inside of me, encased between the hollow walls longing for his fullness?

I’d wanted to return the favor, but he’d left, abandoned me in that big empty bed. Had he given me oral just to get rid of me? Had he not liked me enough to continue? Had he found me unpleasant, inexperienced, boring?

I let out a sigh. Last night had been a fluke. Javier was determined not to engage with me. He wouldn’t budge and I didn’t have it in me to try to persuade him anymore. It was maddening. Depressing. Self-defeating.

It was not who I wanted to be anymore.

“Hello?” Pierre waved a hand over my face, grinning. “ Ma chérie , where did you go just now?”

“Do not push her.” Gerard admonished his friend with a glare. “Let her think. Now that we’ve told her, it’s her decision.”

“Um…” I stared from one man to the other. I must’ve missed a lot of this conversation. Apparently, something important had happened. Both men were looking at me with great intensity, as if waiting for me. “Sorry,” I finally said. “What were we talking about?”

“ Oh là là .” Pierre laughed. “How do you tease us, ma chérie . Evasion is sexy and we love your teasing, but we’d like to know where we stand in your… How do you say it?” He looked at Gerard and rolled a hand in the air.

“Graces,” Gerard put in, rasping his “G.” “We’d like to know what you think.”

“About what?”

“We just told you.” Pierre prodded me gently. “Gerard and I love traveling. When we travel, we seek adventure in all its forms. We see this as part of our explorations. We are always selective and safe, and we are, of course, always gentlemanly.”

“Gentlemanly?” What on earth were they talking about?

“ Oui, mademoiselle .” Gerard nodded sagely. “You may be coy sometimes, playful and mischievous other times, but surely you’ve noticed our interest?”

“Your interest in…?”

“You.”

It hit me then. What they wanted from me. I’d felt the vibes all along and had not discouraged them. I’d even flirted back a little—well, as best I could. I’d enjoyed the men’s attention, the tension behind the playful barter. The old Missy would’ve been utterly horrified by the next thought that popped in my head. In light of Javier’s stubborn rejection, had I kept my new friends around because I knew, deep down, that I may need a plan B?

I didn’t want to think of myself as being that devious, but maybe I’d done exactly that.

Holy Moly .

The new me was much more resourceful than the old me, more astute and apt to play the games I’d never played before. And she was good at it. Fast, too, considering I’d only known these men for a few days.

I contemplated the men sitting before me. The word “opportunity” might as well be tattooed on their foreheads. Given Javier’s unavailability, I had to consider their offer, but then again…

“You mean, like, both of you?” My voice cracked a little. “At the same time?”

“If you wish it so.” Gerard nodded, and I fought to close my mouth. “It is very fun, ma chérie, and we’ll strive to make it amazing for you.”

“Perhaps you’d prefer one at a time,” Pierre suggested, sensing my hesitation. “Or one after the other. However you like, we will make sure to give you pleasure so that you will forever remember our adventure together.”

Dear God.

I gulped down so hard I feared the men heard my croak. They’d made me a proposition. It was obscene and lewd, but also a test and a dare for the new me. It was exciting and absolutely terrifying at the same time. Not one man. Two.

Affie would be so proud of me.

I glanced at the guys. They were waiting for my answer with open faces. No lies, no tricks, and a straightforward proposal. Their honesty was disarming, and yet I was nervous. I repressed my need to wring my hands. The guys knew what they wanted. An adventure within their adventure. A sexual exploration. With me.

Did I know what I wanted?

My thoughts shot back to Javier. I wasn’t going to get what I wanted.

“Miranda, ma belle femme ,” Pierre said. “Do you have an answer for us?”

“Our time here is coming to a close,” Gerard reminded me. “Speak your mind. We shall do whatever you desire. We shall also respect your decision.”

What I desired was out of my reach.

“Tonight.” My voice sounded surprisingly strong as the men exchanged gleeful glances. “I’ll make my decision tonight.”

A decision I hoped I wouldn’t regret.

***

Javier

Allen found me at the bar, nursing a shot of whiskey. Missy was at the pool within my sights, and so was her security guard. She was deep in conversation with the Frenchmen. I ground my jaw. I didn’t like it one damn bit.

Rozina sat on the stool next to me, wearing a white, transparent bathing suit that displayed her sensual curves and highlighted every detail of her fit body. Her nipples poked through the thin fabric like a pair of big eyes staring at me. She was trying to nudge me out of my foul mood with all kinds of flirting and a brazen offer to share some afternoon delights. We could go all night, too, she’d added, batting her eyelashes at me.

It was good that Allen interrupted Rozina’s frontal attack when he did, not because I was tempted or I was gonna fuck the detective. By now, I knew, just as she should know, that it wasn’t gonna happen. Allen was talking to me, but I could hardly hear the resort’s chief of security over the bar ruckus and all the ranting and raging going on in my head. I’d been an idiot last night.

Who walks away from a perfectly willing, wet, and ready woman except for a complete and total moron? Who does that shit, especially when that woman’s flavor, scent, and the memories of her lovely pussy are still fresh in one’s mind? What kind of screwed up imbecile passed up his chance at his dream woman when she was the exquisite, incredible Missy?

Me. Goddammit. I gritted my teeth. Fuck me.

And for what reason? To be noble? To show professionalism and earn whose respect? Because I was riddled with guilt? To be a good person, kind and fair to the seductress who turned my dick into a goddamn monolith every single time my gaze fell on her?

I inhaled a calming breath that did nothing to cool my temper.

Okay, so Missy wasn’t a seductress, but her kindness and innocence were like nuclear weapons against my defenses. That she wanted me, had said so, shown me so, and trusted me with her body, only made everything harder, including my hyperactive dick.

“Excuse me.” Allen’s rottweiler’s face interrupted the despair ravaging my mind. “Did you not hear what I said?”

“Yeah, sorry.” How long could I keep operating like this? “What do you need?”

“I don’t need shit,” the old Marine snapped. “You’ve got a call. I figure you’ll want to take it in my office.”

A call. Fuck. Hell, yes! A phone call .

I pushed up from my stool, stalked away from the bar, and marched to Allen’s office. It was the all clear. It had to be. We were gonna go home. Now. Before I screwed up with Missy. The gods were good. The universe had given me a break. I grabbed the receiver and pressed it to my ear.

“Go,” I said.

“Listen to me very carefully,” Micah Bozeman’s baritone reverberated in my head. Hell, it resonated in my guts, as well. “We are under attack and unable to come to your assistance. Your partner is MIA.”

King was out of contact. Holy fucking shit . “And his cargo?”

“MIA as well.”

Sisters Elsa and Janet had also disappeared.

ShitGoddammit .

A plan began to form in my head. “I’ll go find them.”

“Negative,” Tracker Team’s second in command said in his intractable tone. “You will remain in place. Your priority remains the same.”

I needed to back King up as he’d backed me up. “But—”

“We do not know what this is yet.” Bozeman’s smooth bass yanked me out of my knee-jerk reaction. “This could be your partner making a strategic move, or your foe, forcing our hand. We do not cater to our enemy’s provocations, do we?”

“We don’t,” I agreed. “ If that’s what this is.”

“You’ve got your orders. You’re apprised of the situation. Expect the unexpected.”

“Copy that.” The line went dead, leaving my guts in a tangle.

My mind processed at high speed. Micah Bozeman’s distinctive voice was the reason he’d been assigned to make this quick contact. I’d recognized his voice and formal tone instantly without the need of further identification. The boss had taken the risk using a landline to warn me, but then again, a landline might be the most inconspicuous method to our tech savvy enemy.

Digesting the news, I stalked to the window, taking in the guests casually strolling the grounds without a care in the world.

Fuck .

Tracker Team was under attack. King was missing, and so were the nuns. I couldn’t tell Missy that. She’d want to go find her friends herself. This would only aggravate the danger. We weren’t going home yet, and I had no backup other than Allen and his people.

Worse, I’d heard the ominous warning lurking behind Bozeman’s words. Bekker and his beasts were on our asses. Missy was his final destination. He was coming my way. It was only a matter of when.