All restraint left him as he jerked his hips, sinking into her again and again. Each nudge of his cock stole the last thread of her control. No man had ever given her three orgasms in a relationship, let alone in one session.
“Archer!”
“I’ve got you.Oh god.” His body locked and she felt the instant he let go because her own responded with a hot rush of pleasure.
Their bodies took over from there. Neither of them fought the pull. She matched him move for move and kiss for kiss. When it was all over…
When she lay draped over him with her head on his heart and his light touch raising new goose bumps up and down her spine, the world felt…quiet.
Not empty or uncertain. It wasn’t the silence that came with nights lying awake worrying about money and how to raise three kids when she was practically a kid herself.
It was juststill.
She let out a slow breath and settled against him, her cheek pressed to his chest as his steady heartbeat anchored her in place. Yeah…she could get used to this. To Archer, to the quiet strength of him.
To the way he made her feel both safe and wildly alive all at once.
SIX
The war room at Blackout Sierra wasn’t flashy—no polished glass walls or sleek command center bullshit the government liked to show off.
It was concrete, steel and function. Big screens filled one wall, and maps were pinned between them, some of the edges curling.
A long, scarred table was built of heavy wood and looked like it came from the ski resort above them. The whole place smelled faintly of coffee and gun oil and throbbed with a brand of tension that never let up.
Archer sat around the table with the rest of Sierra, taking in every move his team made without even turning his head—a trick he picked up while Cipher held him prisoner. Without moving or blinking, he could track every move the terrorist had made—coming, going or plotting his next attack.
Archer picked up the scrape of Rome’s boot against the floor, and the quiet tap of O’s fingers on the computer keys. Archer could never quite tell if O was researching a threat or playing online games. It was as much of a mystery as the guy’s real name.
Could be Owen. Could be Oris. The only person who might know the truth was Cannon.
Their CO stood near the screen, his shoulders squared against the weight of whatever he was about to drop on them.
Archer rolled his shoulders once, working out stress that never fully left anymore. He knew how to read a room, follow command and move with a unit the same way he clung to theshadows in his former life. His old therapist at the Black Heart Ranch would say it seemed like he was built to be a ghost.
Cannon finally pushed off the wall and stepped forward, drawing everyone’s attention.
“A government building took a bomb forty-three minutes ago.” He stepped closer to the screen and tapped once, bringing up a shot of the damage.
The room went silent as they took in the wreckage of brick and twisted steel beams. Smoke curled from a blackened hole in the corner, and floors had collapsed on top of each other, reduced to rubble.
Archer let out a low breath through his teeth. “Controlled damage. Whoever built the explosive understood exactly where to hit to compromise the structure. The force pushed inward.” He lifted his jaw. “They were sending a message, not racking up a body count with casualties on the street.”
All eyes locked on him.
Cannon gave him a brief nod. “Multiple injuries. No fatalities reported yet, but they’re expected to roll in.”
Archer fixed his stare on that black hole, like a ruined mouth full of broken teeth. He braced his forearms on the table and couldn’t stop what he was about to say.
“Sounds like Cipher.”
The word sucked the air out of the war room.
O cut a look at him. “What do you know about Cipher besides what you saw on the news? You weren’t in Blackout at the time.”
Archer didn’t answer right away. He studied the screen another second, letting the pattern settle in his head and confirming what his gut already knew.
“I know Cipher held me hostage for thirteen months. He grabbed me while I was undercover.”
