Redemption is Here (An FBI/Romance Thriller Book 9) Read online

  “How’s dinner coming?” he asked, dropping down in front of the fireplace to start the fire.

  “It’ll be ready by the time you’re done,” she offered, digging out some plates.

  It was hard not to watch him. There was the bunch of muscles beneath his shirt, moving as he worked. She was in awe that such a large man was graceful.

  God! She loved him.

  Elizabeth wanted to run over and jump on him. Then, she realized they were alone and she absolutely could. Creeping over, she knelt behind him to wrap her arms around his body. When she rested her head over his shoulder, he stopped what he was doing.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “No,” she admitted.

  That had his attention. “Angel, what’s wrong?” he asked, running his fingers over her hands, braced around his torso.

  “I’m crazy, stupid in love with you, Callen James. You stole my heart and made me a silly, sloppy, romantic mess.”

  His heart tripped in his chest at the way Elizabeth was always free with her affection. Yet, every now and again, she’d catch him off guard.

  Turning, he sat on the floor and pulled her into his lap. She went willingly, wrapping her arms around his neck. They sat forehead to forehead.

  “You’re an amazing man, Callen. I just wanted you to know how lucky I am to have you. I know that I get wrapped up in life and don’t say it enough, but please know I feel it.”

  He grinned. “I’m pretty lucky too, angel. You’re a wonderful partner, wife, and mother. Our kids are so very lucky. I was always worried that if I had children, they’d get a Charlene Whitefox for a mother. Let’s face it. I’ve made some questionable choices in my past, but now I know how silly it was to worry.”

  That touched her.

  Elizabeth knew how hard Callen had to work at finding peace. His worthless mother had done so much damage by not keeping her only child safe. Finally, he had come to grips with his past.

  She broke the moment. “How about we have dinner?”

  What he wanted was to hold onto her forever, but Callen needed to feed Charlie.

  There were priorities.

  Releasing her, Callen watched her walk away. His heart was so filled with love, that it felt like it would explode at any second. There would only be one woman for him the rest of his life. He had found his other half. Nothing would ever force him to leave her side. Since finding Elizabeth, he had found his true path in life.

  Elizabeth carried two plates of pasta to the couch and placed them on the table. Taking a seat beside him, they began eating together.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked, noticing how quiet he was.

  “You.”

  She slid closer on the couch to rest against him. “What specifically?”

  Callen glanced around the room. “Even here, in these simple surroundings, you fit in. I just feel complete,” he offered.

  “I happen to like the cabin. The colors are warm and inviting. I love the way it feels in here. It reminds me of Timothy’s,” she admitted.

  There was a slight flicker on Callen’s face, and then it was gone.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, immediately concerned.

  “I can tell you anything, right?” In his heart, Callen knew he could, but still there was that little niggling fear that he couldn’t. Thanks to some shitty women in his life, he still had some worries.

  She placed her dish on the coffee table before staring up into his eyes. “You know you can. You and Ethan are my best friends in the entire world. You know that.”

  “How upset would you be if I asked to bring some of my things from the cabin and placed them in the house?”

  Her heart ached that he even had to ask that.

  “You can bring anything you like into our home, Callen. You live there so you should be happy,” she stated. Then, she paused before continuing, “You’re not happy with us? Are you telling me you want to move back into your cabin?” Elizabeth felt sick at that thought.

  He laughed. “No! I’m very happy! I sometimes miss my cabin and the ties to my heritage. I’m Native and miss feeling like one. Don’t get me wrong. I love our home, but it doesn’t always feel like me.”

  Elizabeth understood. You could take the Native out of the woods, but you couldn’t take the woods out of the Native. “Then, we can redo it. If you’re not comfortable, we can make it more a haven for all of us and not just me. Honestly, I never thought about it. When Ethan bought it, we never painted it or did anything but move the furniture in. So, if you want to make it Native chic, have at it.”

  He couldn’t help but tease Elizabeth. “So, you’re going to let me hang animal heads all over the house?”

  She touched his cheek to force him to stare into her eyes. When Callen was upset about something, he’d cover it with humor, much like now. Obviously, he needed this in order to cement him to where he belonged in life. It was the least she could do for him. After all, their kids were all half Native. They should have a chance to experience the art and traditions of Ethan and Callen’s culture.

  “Yes. If you want to hang your antlers over the fireplace or our bed, go for it. I want you to feel like it’s your sanctuary too. You pay bills and have a life there. Bring all your things and have at it. We’ll paint it and buy new furniture.”

  He stared into her eyes.

  “By ‘we’ll paint’ what I mean is, you and your brother will. I can’t pickle the fetus.”

  Callen relaxed. For a while, he’d wanted to bring a few of his things there. When he’d moved in, he only brought his clothes, and now he wanted to bring his favorite reading chair, desk, and all his books.

  “I love you.”

  She didn't doubt it. “I love you too, but you screw those antlers in damn good. I don’t want them falling on me while we’re carousing in bed.”

  Picturing that visual in his head, it was hard not to laugh. “Thank you, Lyzee. I was worried about bringing it up.”

  “You shouldn’t have been. That’s your home too. We own it three ways. You’re not just staying there, Cal. You’re living there. We share everything, and you can bring your guns, bows, anything you want to place in OUR space. I think it’ll be nice. I happen to have loved the way Timothy’s home looked the first time I saw it. I say have at it.”

  “And Ethan?”

  “Your brother would do anything for you. He’s not going to give a rat’s ass if you change the wall color or ask him to build you a few display cases for your Native weapons. Ethan enjoys doing things like that for the ones he loves.”

  Callen was indeed lucky.

  He grabbed the plates. “Why don’t I clean up, and you can head to bed? I’ll meet you there.”

  She was good with that. In fact, she had some slinky clothes to torment the man with and would need a head start. “Deal.”

  When she was gone, he called his brother.

  “Hey, we’re safe and going to bed,” Callen stated, the second his brother answered the phone.

  “Great. I have a late meeting with Gabe and some of the higher-ups. Just keep her safe while I’m away. I think I’m getting out of here tomorrow night. I’ll be late, but I’ll get there.”

  “I’ll send you the address. Just let me know when you get airborne. I don’t want to shoot you if you plan on sneaking in.”

  Blackhawk laughed. “Yeah, thanks. Kiss Lyzee for me,” he said. “Be safe, Callen.”

  “Bro, I got this all under control. We’re in a cabin on the Rez. What could possibly happen?”

  Ethan wasn’t sure.

  With his wife, the possibilities were endless.

  By the time he finished cleaning up and loading more wood onto the fire, Callen fully expected Elizabeth to be sound asleep. When he entered the room, he was in for a little bit of a surprise.

  Make that one hell of one.

  There stood his woman, and she was wearing the stripper outfit she’d first donned when they were looking for a killer at ‘The Pussy
Cat’ club.

  The memories came flooding back.

  “Elizabeth!” he exclaimed, not sure what to say. It was hard not to notice her breasts were bigger, filling the top out even more. In fact, she was curvier, and a hell of a lot sexier than the first time she’d slipped into it.

  Who would have thought that one more baby later and the woman would be getting sexier?

  “I thought we could have a little fun on the Rez,” she offered, sashaying herself over to him. It made her want to laugh, because the look on his face was somewhere between shock and total lust. It was like the swaying beading was mesmerizing him.

  Mission accomplished.

  For months, the men had been trying to get her into the stripper costume. At this moment, here on the Rez, it felt appropriate. Leading him to a chair, she had him take as seat.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  She grabbed her phone to turn on the music app. “Well, I don’t believe you have to say a thing, darlin’,” she offered. “All those weeks that you let me cater to Ethan’s needs to heal him, I know you were a little neglected. This is me making up for it. I know how much alone time you sacrificed for your brother, and this is your reward.”

  In all honesty, Callen didn't mind in the least. His brother was his other half. There was nothing he wanted more than Ethan healed and back on his feet. For his brother, he’d sacrifice his own life.

  “Hell, yeah! I was horribly neglected. In fact, I cried myself asleep many nights. You owe me big time, so get dancing,” he teased, watching the sway of beading. Oh, he was so damn glad he was good all those weeks. This was up there on his Lyzee bucket list.

  This was going to be hot.

  He was almost giddy with the prospect of what was coming.

  When the music started, she began moving around him. Her fingers ran across his broad shoulders, teasing him. As the beat changed, she came to stand in front of him, giving him his own private dance. When she bent over, giving him a very good look at the miniscule thong under the barely there Native skirt, he gasped.

  “Lyzee, honey,” he murmured. Already, his body was hard. Her dancing around him was turning him right on. All he wanted now was to touch.

  As she straddled his lap, she used her body to tease and torment him. The second she came in contact, Callen moaned. Grinding down in his lap, she used the techniques Trixie had taught her back then. When it pulled a moan from his chest, she counted that as a big victory.

  Three kids, plus being over forty, and she could still make her men all hot and bothered. This was exactly why she ran, taking care of herself. She was addicted to the sex endorphins with her husbands.

  When Elizabeth turned to sit on his knees, she glanced over her shoulder. “Undo me, Callen,” she purred.

  His fingers quickly went to work on her top. When he had the laces undone, he was nearly mad with lust. Here was his woman, driving him to the edge as usual.

  As soon as she was free, Elizabeth slid out of the top and tossed it at him. There she stood, half-naked and feeling the effects of her striptease. “What do you want, Callen?” she asked, shaking her ass to the music. From the look on his face, he was ready to rip off his clothes and jump her.

  Good to see it worked exactly the way she planned.

  “All of you,” he replied.

  When she moved toward him in the ridiculous heels, his eyes never left her breasts. Slowly, she lowered herself down until she knelt in front of him. With nimble fingers, she undid his belt and slid the zipper down. The hiss was audible as he let out the breath he’d been holding.

  Gently, Elizabeth set him free.

  “Oh angel, I will never forget this night for as long as I live,” he promised. The minute her lips covered him, sliding him deep into her mouth, Callen was lost.

  Completely.

  Totally.

  Entirely.

  If she didn't own him before, she would after tonight’s performance. Elizabeth was a wildcard, and she was proving it once more.

  As she worked his erection between her lips, Elizabeth listened to the sounds of pleasure emanating from him. Callen was moaning as he fought hard not to arch into her mouth.

  Releasing him, she stared up into his eyes. “More?”

  There was a bout of desperate, hysterical laughter. “Oh yeah,” he answered, as his woman went back to work.

  Callen was on the edge.

  Elizabeth was working him hard, trying to shove him headlong into the bliss, only he had other plans. He wanted to watch her riding him.

  Pushing her off his body, he jumped up from the chair. Roughly, Callen dragged her to the bed. When she was on her back, he stared down at her, lust filling his gaze.

  “I’m going to enjoy this,” he admitted, reaching beneath the little skirt to hook the thong with his fingers. When he found it, he yanked.

  Her breathy gasp pleased him. When he discovered that she was wet and ready for him, Callen was near nirvana.

  “Cal,” she whispered.

  It didn't take long for him to trap Elizabeth beneath him and onto the mattress. Hungrily, their mouths collided as tongues did battle. This was how it always was with his woman. She was the siren of his heart. The simplest thing called to him.

  A look.

  A scent.

  A touch.

  Now, he was beyond crazy with need for her.

  Freeing her mouth, he got off the bed to begin stripping for her. Slowly, his fingers undid the buttons on his shirt. When they were finished, he pushed his jeans and boxers down his legs. Freeing himself, he waited, allowing her to run her gaze appreciatively across his body.

  “You’re perfect, Callen,” Elizabeth murmured. Every delicious inch of his Native form called to her. In fact, it did more than that. Callen got her incredibly hot and bothered.

  “So are you, Lyzee, my love,” he replied. His eyes lovingly admiring all of her.

  Yes, she was pregnant, but there was barely a bump.

  “I want you on top,” he stated, holding out his hand. When she took it, he pulled her to her knees. “Leave the heels and that scrap of material on. They make me wild.”

  She did what he asked as he took her place on the bed.

  Climbing over his hips, she rubbed herself across his throbbing erection.

  When he moaned in absolute pleasure, it urged her on.

  “Now, Callen?”

  He laughed more. His brain was on disconnect. He couldn’t even put a full sentence together at that point. All he wanted was to feel and experience what she was offering.

  With one slick glide, she slid him deep within her body. Then, she stared at him with icy blue eyes. “Hard and fast?”

  “Yes, please,” he begged, as she began riding him. He watched the bounce of her breasts and the way she chewed on her lower lip, while trying to concentrate. With his hands, he guided her up and down, finding that magic spot.

  “Callen!” she called, as he continued to drive her down his body, sending sparks through her. Now that he’d found that one spot, he was going to use it to his advantage.

  Elizabeth was screwed.

  Literally.

  “Oh God, angel,” he murmured as she bounced. The beading on her skirt tickled his legs, reminding him it was there.

  “Come on, Lyzee. You wanted to be a stripper, and now you need to earn it,” he stated, so turned on that it was hard not to explode.

  “Not.Going.To.Last.Long,” she said, punctuating every word with a hot wet glide down his erection.

  It didn't matter, because at this rate, neither was he.

  As the tremor built, he was ready for it.

  “Oh God!” she shouted.

  Callen rolled just as she shattered apart. As Elizabeth tumbled, he wanted to watch her fall. There was no way he was done. In fact, he was far from finished.

  Callen wanted her begging.

  As the tremors subsided, he didn't give her much time to recover. Dropping her heel clad feet onto his shoulders, he b
egan his frenetic mating. Pumping himself into her wildly, he sought the peace only Elizabeth could give him.

  Her moans enticed him.

  Her begging enthralled him.

  When she screamed his name again, it lured him to the edge. With one final thrust, he buried himself deep in her body to pour hotly into her.

  The room spun and colors broke around him. Gently, he lowered himself to rest over her body. With so much love and adoration, he left kisses across her flesh before sliding lower. At her belly, he spoke to the little one growing there.

  “I love you, Charlie,” he murmured, as Elizabeth’s fingers found his hair and adoringly played with it.

  “And she loves you too, Callen,” Elizabeth whispered. “I can’t wait to see you holding her on the day she’s born.”

  Neither moved as they remained locked together until Elizabeth slipped into sleep. Only then did Callen roll from her body.

  Grabbing the comforter, Callen tugged it up over them in an effort to stay warm. As he lay there listening to her breathing, it occurred to him that life was perfect.

  He had his woman.

  His brother.

  His children.

  And a new lease on life.

  The satisfaction filled him to the point that tears filled his eyes. When he was sure that Elizabeth was resting peacefully, he did what any good husband, partner, and mate would do.

  Then, and only then, did he follow her into sleep.

  ~ Chapter Four ~

  To say that Tony Magnus was excited would be an understatement. He couldn’t believe that this woman was going to sleep in the same cabin with him and join him for dinner.

  Things like this didn't happen in his world.

  Yes, he’d had women in his life, but never a girlfriend. Sex to him was just a way to release that pent up frustration. While he wasn’t an advocate of sleeping around, he was never able to find that ‘one’ who gave him the desire to make a long term commitment.

  He and the opposite sex didn't generally sync.

  Ever…

  When his buddy Chris Leonard found Cyra, he thought the man was crazy. Being firmly locked in academia, Tony truly believed that humans weren’t meant to be monogamous. Mating was nothing more than an instinctual process to keep the species alive. Deep within the strands of DNA, there was a desire to find a female who suited your needs, and then procreate to pass on your genetics.