Justice wrapped an arm around Brielle’s shoulders and tucked her against him. “Let’s go home, baby.”
* * *
Two weeks later Brielle sat in Justice’s lap at her kitchen table as they read aloud part one of Faith’s five-part series on Axel Anderson.
When the article ended, Brielle commented, “If Faith doesn’t win a Pulitzer for this series, I’m going to be upset.”
“Her writing is captivating,” he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.
“Do you know what else is captivating?” she asked. Her breath caught in her throat.
“What?”
“This.” She wiggled her bottom against his erection.
“Oh,that.” He swept off her blouse and unhooked her bra. His mouth captured first one hard nipple, then the other, swirling his tongue around them. She held his head against her breasts and closed her eyes, reveling in the sensations he created in her.
His mouth claimed hers in a long, erotic kiss. Tongues met and clashed. Justice lifted her and carried her to the master suite. He laid her on the bed. His sensual lips followed his hands as they caressed her breasts and her torso, and still lower. When his skillful tongue found her center, Brielle sighed with pleasure and arched her back to give him more access to her core. As her body spasmed with her sexual release, she cried his name.
He loved the way his name sounded on her lips during her orgasm. His mouth moved up her body and settled on hers as he teased her with the tip of his manhood before thrusting fully into her. She moaned in the back of her throat. His body moved against hers in a timeless rhythm, and she met every thrust with one of her own until they climaxed together.
Long after Brielle fell asleep snuggled against him, Justice lay staring at the ceiling. Her homecoming had not been as sweet as he’d hoped. For days afterward he’d held her in his arms during crying jags, and at night he’d comforted her as she screamed in terror from nightmares.
She’d only recently been able to share with him what she’d endured in the virtual reality room. He’d had to rein in his own feeling of helplessness in order to support her, but now he allowed his anger to flow through him. He imagined torturing Anderson the way he’d tortured Brielle and Nash, who was now undergoing intense deprogramming under Trey’s supervision.
Linda had flown to Virginia to be with her son. She’d been granted full immunity against prosecution as Justice had promised. Elliott Gage, though, awaited trial in a federal prison. Slapping a pair of handcuffs on the arrogant son-of-a-bitch filled Justice with immense satisfaction.
Brielle moaned in her sleep, deep in the throes of another bad dream. Justice molded her body closer to his and whispered, “Shh. You’re safe now. I’ve got you, and I’m never letting go.”
She slept late that Sunday morning. Justice prepared a sumptuous breakfast of French toast with warm strawberry compote, eggs, bacon, coffee, and orange juice and served it in bed. They savored the meal and kissed the sweetness of the strawberries from each other’s lips.
Justice ordered Brielle to stay in bed while he took the tray to the kitchen. When he returned to the bedroom, he held a fluffy white kitten in his arms. It meowed. Loudly.
He grinned. “So, I, uh, did a thing. I thought it was time we adopted a kitten.”
Brielle smiled in delight as he handed the ball of fur to her. It purred as she held it. It had the most amazing pair of blue eyes. “Oh, it’s adorable! Is it male or female?”
“Female. And she needs a name.”
“A name. What…” Brielle stared at an object dangling from the kitten’s collar. “What? Is that…is that what I think it is?”
Justice chuckled. “A diamond engagement ring?” He slipped it off the collar. “You’re right.” Growing serious, he held her hand in his. “Brielle, I’m crazy about you. I was only half alive until I met you. You are my sun, my moon, my heaven. I’m a better man because of you. I want to raise this kitten with you and a whole houseful of kids. I want to grow old with you. I promise I’ll cherish and protect you all the days of our lives. Miss McAdams, will you marry me?”
As soon as he’d started to propose, tears brimmed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Pure joy exploded in her soul. “Yes! Yes! I’ll marry you! I’m crazy about you, too, Beach Boy.”
He laughed as he slid the ring onto her finger. It sparkled in the sunlight shining through the windows. Justice pulled Brielle into his arms and kissed her with sweet abandonment that led to a playful bout of lovemaking, unmindful of the kitten curled into a tight ball at the foot of the bed. When they noticed it much later, they laughed.
“Diamond,” Brielle declared, her amber eyes sparkling with mirth. “Her name is Diamond.”
“Perfect,” Justice agreed. “I love it.”
“I love you,” she responded as she rolled on top of him. “More than words can say.”
“I love you, too, baby,” he murmured before he took her mouth with his.
* * *
A week later Justice and Brielle waited in an anteroom for Secretary of State Washburn to see them. Justice needed answers about Afghanistan before he could finally make peace with the loss of his team. Brielle held his hand in a tight grip as Brendan announced that Madam Secretary was ready to meet with them. They sat on a comfortable sofa facing her massive desk.
