Page 54 of Married to My Master

He pulled her close, holding her, his fingers massaging and passing over her skin as she trembled in his arms.

She moaned wordlessly, kissed him again, then, between pants, moaned some more. “Oh, Dane,” she groaned. “You're the one for me.”

He began to move his hips, thrusting himself into her. With each thrust, he felt his body moving closer to his own little death. He held her tightly in his arms, her muffled moans coming faster.

“I love you, Emily,” he whispered again, as he felt his body stiffen. He grabbed her ass, squeezed tightly, and began to cum inside her. “I love you so much.”

She smothered his moan with a kiss, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. They continued like that as the pleasure washed over them both, their bodies moving in perfect sync.

Then, like all wonderful moments, that one came to an end. It was a sad moment, made all the sadder by the perfect union they'd just experienced.

They lay there on the bed together, their bodies cooling under the breezy air of the circling ceiling fan, breathing as one as Dane began to soften and slide out of her.

“Don't go,” she whispered. “You don't have to. We can just call this off.”

Dane smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I have to. You know that. I'm so close to getting Benton out. I can just feel it.”

“We could be happy, though,” she said. “You and me.”

“I know, babe,” he replied, kissing her soft blonde hair again, “I know. But I have to see this through. He's my brother, and he doesn't deserve to be in there. This is my only chance.”

They lay there in silence for a few minutes more. Soon, Dane realized the light drops of water falling on his chest weren't beads of sweat. They were drops of tears.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Dane

He tied her to the dining room chair again, leaving her in the living room.

“I just don't understand why we have to do it this way,” she said. “Why can't you just leave me in the house, not tied up?”

“Needs to look believable if they come into the house after I leave,” Dane explained. “If you're up and out when they burst through the door after I leave, they're going to think you had something to do with it. Or worse, they may think you're a viable target.”

“A viable target?” she asked, repeating back his words. “Oh. That does sound bad.”

He smiled, despite the gravity of the situation. “I know.” He grabbed the roll of tape off the table and screeched out a stretch of it, tore, and then put the strip to her lips.

“Wait,” she said, stopping him. “Can we at least, you know, kiss . . . for luck?”

He set the tape aside, took her face in both hands, then kissed her for what he knew would be the last time. They explored each other's mouths, savoring the remnants of the last week. They broke apart, panting, both wishing they'd met under better circumstances.

“They have conjugal visits, right?” she asked, a single tear slipping from her perfectly blue eyes and rolling down her cheek.

He winced. “I think that's just in the movies,” he replied, as he picked up the tape and put the strip over her mouth. “Sorry, Emily.” He stood, kissed her on the head one last time, then grabbed the keys and headed for the garage. He picked up her “body double,” a bundle of stuffed garbage bags with a crudely attached pillow case, and was out the door. He went around and stuffed body double Emily in the Escalade's passenger seat, then went around to the driver side.

He climbed in and slid the keys into the ignition. Both hands on the wheel, he drummed his fingers as he took a deep breath and reminded himself why he was doing this.

Part of his pre-mission prep had been a ritual pep-talk, a reminder for every time he hopped into the cockpit of his F16 before flying a sortie. It was a way to center himself, a way to stay frosty. He put all of his other concerns aside focused on the mission, and recalled his underlying motivation.

Before, the missions had been about his fellow soldiers, his country, his promises of service, and a better life he was working toward, after the Air Force.

Now, though, his mission was to make sure Emily had a life after him. And that his brother, Benton, could have a life after his family. None of this was their fault, and Dane had shouldered these burdens on his own. Because if he didn't protect them, if he didn't guard them against the consequences of the actions of evil men, no one else would have.

He'd only uncovered the plot at BioSphere. He hadn't caused anything. All that responsibility was on Edward Barker and his bosses. All the wheels had been in motion long before he, or Emily, had come along to unravel everything.

Now the mission had come down to him, Dane reminded himself as he looked in the rear-view mirror. No one else.

He turned the key in the ignition, the SUV's engine rumbling to life like a sleeping jungle cat that was awoken by its next meal.

---