And as if the universe has answered my inner thoughts, I hear the group enter the manor down stairs.
Just in time.
38
Δp = m(Δv)
Zoe
I knew something was up from the second we walked through the door and Teddy swiped me off my feet and over his shoulder. I could smell my current obsession soap all over him and I quite enjoyed the scent on his warm skin.
“Did you miss me Teddy bear?” A girlish giggle slips from my lips.
“Yes.” He says in a tone that tells me, I should have known that was obvious. “You are not allowed to leave this house again unless you are sewn onto me.”
“That would be a bit impractical considering we both have jobs to do. But we can definitely try.” I say it as a joke, but he pauses as he is genuinely considering the act. “No, Teddy. You cannot sew yourself to me.”
“Fine.” He grumbles and reluctantly puts me back on my two feet. “We need to go over everything Tiger shared with me.” He addresses the rest of the group as we file in through the door.
We all let Max lead the way to the large conference room I haven’t seen since I agreed to work with them. Brandon starts to walk in front of me but turns to walk backwards. Brandonsnakes his palms to encircle my wait, tightening his grip when his eyes meet mine.
“We’ve missed you all day, Princess. How was it working alone with Mr. Grouch?” He gives me a sly wink, ignoring the grumbled breath that falls from Max’s lips.
“Today went well.” I say, trying not to stumble over my own feet as we try to match our paces. “Well, except for the guy I killed.” I shrug.
“Killed? Who?” Teddy chimes in from behind me, grabbing onto my waist directly under Brandon’s hands.
“Just some guy that had some nasty things about my men.” We slowly but surely found our footing as a three-part unit, until we approached the stairs. “Guys, I don’t think this formation will agree with the stairs.” I chuckle and try to push their hands away, but instead my world is flipped over.
I blink and then suddenly my feet are off the ground and wrapped around Teddy’s hips and my shoulders being cradled by Brandon’s strong hands.
“Don’t worry, Princess.” Brandon plants a kiss on the crown of my head. “You look better in our hands anyway.”
I helplessly shake my head and let it happen, knowing that no matter how hard I fight I won't escape their clutches. It’s not long until we finally approach the conference room. Instead of letting me back down to my feet or placing me in a chair, my ass is put on the end of the table letting my legs dangle. Before I can move, Max takes the chair in front of me, effectively trapping my thighs that are now straddling the place where he’s sitting.
The lump in my throat grows a bit and I feel a bead of nervous sweat slip down my spine. Unexpectedly, Max’s handsstart on each of my knees and slowly creep higher and higher until Dean clears his throat to gain our attention.
“As you all know,” Max is speaking to all of us, but his eyes don’t leave mine. “We were given a location for the next Cambion drop and pick up. Do we trust it?”
“Not exactly,” Dean answers. “However, it is our only lead at this time. I think it’s worth checking out.”
Max’s hands land on my hips and he squeezes as he pulls me closer to the edge. I lean back onto my palms and let him move me at his will.
Something in our dynamic has shifted. Trust? Longing? Or is it the needy lust that has finally destroyed every sense of resolve in both of us. I’m not sure exactly what caused the shift, but the tension is palpable; thick but silky like a syrup. Sickly sweet but oh so addicting.
I know the others in the room feel it too when I hear them all shift in their seats. I start to turn my head to look at them sitting behind me, but before I can make the full turn my jaw is trapped in Max’s strong hand and jerks my head back to face him. “Eyes on me, Harpy. Only me.” He whispers.
My tongue slips from between my lips and runs across my bottom one, Max’s eyes track the movement, and I notice that muscle in his jaw ripple.
Brandon perks up to add to the conversation, “I say we just go for it. We have plenty of security and back up, and not to mention Princess is a machine in the field. What do we have to lose?”
The ghost of a pained expression splays across Max’s features and with his voice just high enough for only me to hear, he says, “Everything.”
“It’s settled then. We’ll take Travis’ word for it and in three weeks from today we’ll just hope for the best. Until then we train and plan. However,” Max trails off and his eyes look me up and down. “Zoe stays here. I don’t want her on this mission.”
The world comes to a full stop, and I can’t stop the scoff of bemusement from leaving my chest. “You’re fucking joking.”
“I’m fucking serious. These people want you, and they want you alive. And I’ll be damned to find out exactly what for. You aren’t just walking into the lion's den, Harpy.” He argues.
