A Silent Reckoning: Sinner's Empire by Nikita Slater (world best books to read .TXT) 📕

best for a reason. They were quick, sharp and mission-ready at all times. This included the intelligence that followed each mission.

Along with the rest of his men, Jozef dropped his gear in the storage room of their offices. They checked in all tech and weapons then left to get some rest. Jozef made his way up to his floor on the elevator, saying goodbye to the men who piled out on the fourth floor. His elite team had apartments in the building, on the same floor as Shaun’s mother, while the rest resided offsite.

As they walked away from the elevator, Jozef could hear Havel admonishing Halil and Nikolay. “Mrs. Patterson will be asleep so fucking keep the noise to a minimum.”

Jozef nodded at the night security guard on his floor as he let himself into his apartment. He closed the door softly and started to make his way across the floor toward his bedroom.

“Jozef.”

His hand automatically went to his gun, even as he recognized Shaun. Instead of pulling the gun, he removed the holster and set it carefully on the counter. He rolled his shoulders back, easing some of the tension that had built up over days of sleeping in a shitty camp bed and on the hard ground.

Shaun was standing by the windows, looking out at the city lights, something she loved to do. It made him happy that he was able to give her this view, sort of an apology for the things he’d done to take the joy from her life.

Why are you still up? he signed when she looked at him. There was enough light filtering in from the streetlamps below that she could see him.

She walked into his chest, burrowing her face against him as his arms closed around her. “I didn’t sleep much while you were gone. I was busy worrying about you and thinking about the safe room.”

She pushed away from his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me about the safe room?”

Jozef knew about the saferoom incident. Karl had sent daily updates on Shaun’s activities while Jozef was in the field. He hadn’t had time to worry over her reaction though. It was a necessary part of his existence and she would get used to it.

I would have told you eventually, Jozef explained. Honestly, I forgot. I’ve had one since I was a child. Are you angry?

She seemed to think about the question then shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I understand why you have one, even though I don’t like it. I’m glad you’re keeping your safety in mind.”

Jozef nearly laughed out loud. She was living in fantasyland if she thought he’d be hiding in a safe room during an attack. It was there for her. He didn’t tell her though. He was pleased that she was concerned for him.

“I removed those high sugar, salty snacks and replaced them with dried fruit, fruit cups and some canned vegetables,” she informed him. “I also added a can opener, some paper plates, plastic cutlery and some napkins. Saskia made an unholy mess while she was eating in there.”

Jozef barked his laughter and Shaun joined in. He loved everything about this woman, even her insistence on healthy eating. He’d fallen in love with her a year ago, but it had taken him more than a year to realize what he loved about her. While in prison, he could see the way her brain worked as he poured over her professional papers. He could see aspects of her personality in his daily reports coming in from the men he had watching her in Montréal. Everything he saw and heard made him love her a little more until he knew he was hopelessly entangled for life.

He couldn’t remove her without removing a large piece of himself, and no part of him wanted to do that. She was his muse, his strength, everything he wanted in his life. And if it took the rest of his life to get her to agree to stay, he would spend it showing her how much she meant to him.

He dropped his mouth to hers, tasting her laughter until her amusement turned to lust. He could taste the difference and knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He lifted her against his body as he deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and sipping at the sweetness within.

She clung to him, kissing him back with equal hunger. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him tight, welcoming him home with her warm embrace.

“I kept dreaming you were dead,” she whispered against his lips. “I hated that you were out there, putting your life at risk.”

Jozef couldn’t respond, couldn’t reassure her. His arms were around her, holding her up. He didn’t know what he’d say anyway. How could he reassure her without lying? His job was risky and there would always be a certain amount of danger. He loved what he did for a living and he wasn’t ready to give it up. If she asked him to, he didn’t know what he’d do. He wanted to think that the strength of his love would make the decision easy, but he was learning, from Shaun, that love, no matter how strong, didn’t make life easier. Instead, love was messy, complicated and exhilarating.

She broke their kiss. “Please fuck me.”

Jozef didn’t need to be asked again. He turned to carry her into the bedroom, but she protested.

“No, do it here, out in the open,” she said breathlessly. “I want to watch the lights while you fuck me.”

If Jozef’s dick had been hard before, it was now stone. Her words, her sexual assertiveness, it made him want her with a new kind of desire. He wanted to touch her wildness, wake it up, revel in the barbarism that surged through them when they came together.

He set her on her feet and reached for the hem of his shirt, stripping it from his chest. She did the same, pulling her pajama top