Page 43 of Protecting Her

Just when it was almost too much for Jude, Carmen buried her face between her thighs and ran her tongue over her clit and sucked on it lightly. Then harder. And harder still until Jude couldn’t form coherent thoughts and her mind was static and she scrunched the bed sheets in her fists to keep holding on to let this moment last forever.

But her orgasm came hard and crashed over her body, completely overtaking her entire body until she felt like her soul had escaped for a few seconds and experienced total bliss.

When she finally caught her breath, Carmen was already lying beside her, staring at her as if she were trying to memorize every detail of her face, that smirk still firmly in place.

“I told you good girls got rewarded.”

Jude laughed and leaned in close to kiss Carmen. Except it wasn’t with the passionate insistence that had consumed them like feral lovers like before, but it was filled with the love and admiration that filled them with contentment and peaceful knowing that they had finally found their person. Finally.

Later, wrapped in sheets that smelled of their passion, they watched dawn transform into full morning. Carmen traced idle patterns on Jude's skin while Jude played with her hair. The city hummed with life below their window, unaware of how much had changed in the past twenty-four hours.

"What happens now?" Jude asked softly.

Carmen smiled against her shoulder. "Now we make sure the truth reaches everyone who needs it. The indigenous communities get their land rights protected. The corporate mercenaries face justice." She pressed a kiss to Jude's collarbone. "And we find new battles worth fighting."

"Together?"

"Together." Carmen raised herself on one elbow, looking down at Jude with eyes that held equal parts love and certainty. "After all, every good diplomat needs protection she can trust completely."

Jude pulled her down for another kiss that tasted of future possibilities. They had survived betrayal and violence, found strength in each other, and forged a path forward that no one had expected. Whatever came next, they would face it as one.

The sun climbed higher over Bogotá as they lay tangled together in morning light. Outside, their evidence spread across news networks and social media, exposing corruption that had festered too long in shadows. Inside, two women who'd dedicated their lives to different forms of protection found peace in each other's arms.

They had fought their way through darkness and emerged stronger. Now it was time to build something lasting in the light.

Together.

10

CARMEN

Every person in the audience sitting in the Palacio de San Carlos held their breath as Carmen approached the podium. Morning light streamed through towering windows, throwing dancing shadows on the tiled floor in the hall. The same hall where an assassin's bullet had sparked against stone now witnessed a different kind of history being made.

She felt the weight of every gaze: journalists with cameras poised, diplomats measuring her words, and indigenous leaders whose communities had bled for this moment. But it was Jude's presence she felt most keenly—steady and vigilant at the room's edge, professional distance masking the intimacy they'd found together in darkness and danger.

"The evidence speaks for itself." Carmen's voice carried decades of diplomatic authority as she switched smoothly between Spanish and English. "Corporate interference in indigenous territories wasn't just unethical; it was criminal. The systematic abuse of humanitarian aid as leverage, the use of private military contractors to terrorize communities, and the attempted silencing of anyone who exposed these methods—"She paused, letting the weight of each accusation land. "That silence ends today."

Maria Elena stood with her fellow indigenous leaders, their traditional dress a proud contrast to the corporate suits who had once threatened their lives. The corporate security contractors were conspicuously absent, replaced by legitimate local forces that Jude's team had vetted thoroughly.

Through the cameras' constant flash, Carmen caught glimpses of her own reflection in the mirrors lining the stone walls. Silver threads in her dark hair caught the light, and the diplomatic mask she'd perfected over decades now carried new strength. She had survived assassination attempts and betrayal, found love in a safe house's darkness, and emerged with a truth as sharp as any weapon.

"The peace treaty we sign today ensures these communities will have their rights protected under international law." She met Maria Elena's gaze, seeing decades of struggle reflected there. "It establishes clear consequences for those who would use corporate power to override human rights."

Questions flew from the press corps. Carmen handled them with practiced ease, each answer reinforcing the evidence they'd transmitted from the secondary safe house. Corporate board members were arrested, security contractors were facing charges, and local officials had scrambled to distance themselves from the scandal. William Chen's betrayal had exposed corruption that reached into the highest levels of corporate power.

Her gaze found Jude again, noting how the cut on her cheek had begun to scar, a physical reminder of what they had endured together. Even now, after the threat had passed, Jude maintained her protective vigilance. But something had shifted in her stance—the professional distance softened byunderstanding earned in firefights and quiet moments between danger.

"This treaty represents more than just peace," Carmen continued, her voice reaching the chamber's furthest corners. "It proves that truth can prevail against corruption, that profit cannot override justice, and that some battles are worth any cost." She felt Jude's slight smile at those words, remembering whispered confessions in the safe house’s darkness.

When she finished speaking, applause filled the marble hall. Maria Elena caught her eye and nodded once, conveying volumes of gratitude in that simple gesture. They had faced death threats and assassination attempts together, but their communities would finally have the protection they deserved.

Carmen gathered her notes as photographers continued capturing the historic moment. She felt Jude approach before seeing her, months of working together creating an almost telepathic awareness of each other's movements.

"Nicely done," Jude murmured, close enough that only Carmen could hear. "Though I noticed you didn't mention the wine cellar fight."

Carmen's lips curved slightly. "I thought that might raise too many questions about my diplomatic methods." She straightened her jacket, using the movement to brush against Jude's arm. "Besides, some victories are best celebrated privately."

Understanding passed between them as dappled sunlight shone a spotlight on them. The hall where they'd first faced death together now witnessed their triumph, their partnership proven stronger than corruption or corporate greed.

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