Copyrighted Kristen Banet All rights reserved.
Reupload from original Facebook post
Like all POVs, completely unedited, first draft state. Please excuse any typos and also contains possible spoilers to the characters and stories.
Elijah walked into the bar, going over the plan again. Get her alone, preferably at her own home. Compromise her so she doesn’t think anything is wrong. Get handcuffs on her before she knows what’s going on.
If they screwed it up this time, with Vincent being firmly rejected, they would need to be more offensive, which was a risk. She was a flight risk and not one they could easily pin down based on the abilities she had.
All of this on his mind, Elijah looked around the bar, wondering if his target was already there. He knew Charlie was ordered to get her out and this was their favorite bar to hang out in. He noted quickly that it was a non-Magi establishment, which really only meant it wasn’t owned by a Magi. He had a guess though, that he, Sawyer, and Charlie would be the only Magi in the building. Dirty biker bars weren’t the scene of most Magi.
“When you get an eye on her, get her trust. Let’s hope this goes as smoothly as possible. And don’t get distracted.”
Elijah could have rolled his eyes at Vincent’s telepathic voice, but resisted. His leader had a point. Elijah was prone to getting distracted on these small missions. He liked pretty women. And men. He was equal opportunity to getting distracted.
He ordered a beer and found a quiet seat to wait. He was nursing said beer when she walked in.
And what a sight she was. The leather pants she wore left nothing to the imagination, hugging her every curve like a possessive lover. She had a swagger to her walk, as if she owned the place, filling it up with her very presence.
There were times when he was surprised. This was one of them.
He hadn’t expected her to be so much with just a simple entrance.
He watched her go to the bar and let her stay there for a moment. She obviously didn’t feel him, or maybe she didn’t try. She never once glanced his way as she had a drink. It was nearly two a.m. when he decided to make his move, having let her relax long enough that his move wouldn’t seem like he was trying to jump her the moment she walked in. He slid through the crowd and up behind her, trying to keep his eyes off her ass.
He hadn’t expected that good of an ass.
“Another, Jeffery,” she sighed, sliding her empty glass to the bartender. She had a smokier voice for a woman. He’d only heard it over recordings. Hearing it in the bar, with the music and smoke around them, he could see himself getting distracted by the mission. That worked for him. He had to be interested, or pretend to be. Actually being interested was a positive. The act would be more real.
“Let me pay for that,” he cut in before she could say anymore. She turned to him and he watched her eyes widen slightly. She was shocked? That worked in his favor. Her eyes then danced over him, as if she were sizing him up. He felt a little like a piece of meat but the attention was nice. It meant she was already interested, if the heat in her eyes said anything. “Having a good time there, gorgeous? Going to take me out to dinner before you undress me in your head?” He chuckled.
“We’re past that point,” she laughed, giving him a smirk. He heard a soft twang of Southern in her smoky voice. Surprising. “I’ll take your name, though, before I fuck you in my imagination.” He ignored that comment. Two could play at this game. She was forward, which surprised him. He hadn’t figured she would get with the program so quickly. At least she knew what she wanted. He knew too many people beat around the bush a little.
He instead took his time, like she had, to look her over. Those skin tight leather pants were his favorite part of her look. Shredded layer tank tops, a light leather jacket, and boots he figured were more to kick someone’s ass than look good, but she pulled them off. It helped he knew that she was the type of woman to kick ass. She was pretty well known by the non-Magi in the area for doing just that.
All in all, he was already enjoying the assignment. His mind wandered momentarily to what it would be like to have those thighs wrapped around his waist.
“What, I don’t get even a name before you undress me, big fella? Like what you see?”
“Evan. I hate bars, but I would love to see more nearly anywhere else. You?” He was going to beat around the bush either. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her alone for the job in that moment or just because he wanted her alone. Those thighs were tempting.
“My name is Cambrie,” she chuckled. “I’ll make you a deal. You stand there, look good for an hour, let me wear the hat, and I’ll follow you anywhere. Also, keep the drinks coming, Cowboy.”
His laugh was booming. He immediately dropped the cowboy hat on her head and leaned down to her. He didn’t miss her use of her middle name. Smart. A name most wouldn’t know is hers, since she didn’t have any IDs, as far as he knew, with it, but one she could keep up with. It wasn’t a name she had to remember.“
Just promise me that you know how to ride.” He winked. She tipped the hat’s brim, and he knew it was a dare. He could see it in her eyes, the confidence.
“Riding is the easy part, Cowboy,” she told him confidently. He was already hard at that comment.
“Ride a lot, do you?” He leaned on the bar, looking down on her.
“I’ve never ridden a horse in my life.” He took a deep breath at that comment. Dear Lord, she knew exactly what she was saying. With word play like hers, he knew Vincent was either going to love her or hate her. Personally, he just wanted to do the awful things she just put in his mind. “Motorcycles are more my thing.”
“Find yourself on the back of a lot of motorcycles then?” He raised an eyebrow back at her, and she shook her head again. He knew she owned one, but he had to approach this as a guy who didn’t know every detail about her.
“No, Sugar.” She poked his chest. Tough chick. He liked it. Also, Sugar. That was not the nickname she should have given him. There was nothing sweet about what he wanted to do to her. “I ride my own. Got a problem with it?”
“Not at all.” He raised his hands. “I love the idea that you can handle something big and powerful. That’s a good skill to have. What do you ride?”
“My BMW R 1200 R is my favorite, but I’ve owned a few over the years.” She shrugged. “You ride?”
“I don’t have any motorcycles, but I have a few things I like to race. Don’t get to go out with them as much as I want.” He sighed and shrugged back at her. That was the honest truth. He was always out catching criminals like her.
“I feel you.” She nodded. “Never enough time, and the nice days just go too fast.”
“Amen.” He ordered himself a Jack Daniels and sipped on it. “Where you from?”
“Georgia.” She had a small wistful smile. He wondered if she was thinking about her old friends, his current ones. He wondered if she was thinking about her life before crime.
“Long way from home, then,” he said as he stepped closer to her. “I’m from Texas, but currently live in Georgia, myself. Miss the hell out of it while I’m away.”
After that, the conversation turned surprisingly honest, or as honest as he could expect from her. She lied about her family. She lied about her work, well most of it, the parts that made her rich enough to afford that BMW. But, what surprised him was her hobbies. Those sounded honest and she genuinely enjoyed them.
“You like working on engines? You’re a hobby mechanic?” Talk about the unexpected.
“Yeah, give me a tool kit and a little fixer-upper and I’ll stay in the garage for days. I like doing things with my hands.” She grinned, raising one of her eyebrows.
“You want to do something with those hands tonight?” he asked her seductively, leaning in close, his broad chest close to her own. This was an in and he’d given her more than enough time to get to know him. He had to wrap this up, as much as he didn’t want to. He could have easily forgotten that she was a mark.
She put down the empty glass that had been her third drink and ran her right hand across his chest. He resisted the urge to yank her to him and hold her against him. He wanted to drag her out like a caveman for that.
“Damn right, I do.” She stepped back and beckoned him to follow with a finger. “My place?”
“I think your place is perfect,” he growled softly, a smile on those full lips. She was falling for all of it. Hell, he was falling for her. A night with a woman like this. He’d get fired for it. “I’ve got a rental for my trip up here, so if you’re okay riding with me…”
“We’ll take my car. It’s nicer than a rental.”
He didn’t care either way, her car or his. It didn’t matter. He did know he was going home with her. He wondered how long he could play this. He had to be convincing, and damn he wasn’t ready to make her hate him yet.
They rode in relative silence, and he watched the city do by. Already, he knew the team was next door to the gym, waiting for him to get her handcuffed.
When they got to her place, he helped her out of the car and pulled her close to him. He didn’t need to remind himself to be convincing. The erection was very much real.
He kissed her, pushing her into the side of the Audi in the garage, and she gasped into his mouth. He enjoyed the sound more than he should have. His hands roamed her sides, pushing her tanks up and exploring the bare skin of her hips. He kissed her jawline down to her neck, then back up to her ear. He nibbled her ear lobe, making her moan from want. She had smooth skin. He could nibble on it all night.
“We should go to my room,” she mumbled. The way she said it, he knew she was on cloud nine. He was perversely glad that what he could do worked on her.
“We should. Tell me how to get there,” he growled softly, grinding his hips against her own. He picked her up and led her legs to wrap around his waist. He knew the limits now. On any other night, this would end one way and they’d both love it. “You got protection, sweet thing?”
“I’m protected,” she whispered.
“Thank fuck,” he chuckled, wrapping a hand in her hair and kissing her before she was finally able to give him directions up to the apartment over the gym.
The moment the apartment door was locked behind them, they were all over each other again. Her hands were under his shirt, and she let her nails trail over his exceptional abs, making him groan and squeeze her ass roughly.
Once they were in her room, he dropped her on the bed and moved her hands over her head, kissing her as he held her down with one hand.
He felt like an ass. He wanted to not do what he was about to do. He felt like he’d just taken advantage of her. And he wanted to. He wanted to let her ride him all night. But, now that they were alone, and she was completely his, there was no reason to fuck up the entire objective of the evening.
He moved her second arm over her head and held her wrists while he kept her distracted. Damn, every kiss he had to remind himself that it was a mission. He didn’t want it to end the way it was about to.
He grabbed the handcuffs in his back pocket, where she’d never found them and swiftly got them on her wrists before she could do anything.
“Well, Evan, I’m just not into that.” She leveled a stare at him and he knew the moment she realized that she couldn’t use her magic when they were on. He’d enchanted them to be inhibitors.
“Well, my name is Elijah,” he growled, lifting off her. He tried to keep the tone playful, nonthreatening but knew it wasn’t going to work. He had to try, though. “And those are enchanted, so they block your abilities. Specifically, yours, Sawyer. So, let’s not beat around the bush.” He pulled his wallet out and flashed his badge so she knew this was serious. He wasn’t some crazy rapist, but rather, an officer of the fucking law. The law that allowed him to lure and seduce her like an asshole. “I’m actually Special Agent Elijah Grant with the International Magi Police Organization, and you are now in the custody of the World Magi Council and the IMPO.”
“You fucking imp,” she growled, sitting up and bringing her hands in front of her. He should have known she’d pull out that term on him. He never really cared about being called an imp, but he knew others would have minded. She was lucky he didn’t.
She kicked out at him, he grabbed her leg and flipped her over, leaving her on her stomach. He was lucky he could react in time. It surprised him that she still had the fight in her, it really did.
“Fuck you, asshole!”
“Calm down,” Elijah chuckled. “The rest of my team will be here soon enough, and then you are going to have a long talk with us.” He moved to keep her pinned, realizing he needed to make sure she wasn’t fighting too hard on him. He didn’t want anyone getting hurt for no reason.
“You can go rot,” she hissed, looking over her shoulder at him.
“Sawyer, calm the fuck down. You’re only cuffed so you won’t run.” He groaned, and wished the hard on would leave. He wasn’t turned on by women hand cuffed against their will, but he was still riding the high of getting her alone.
“On our way. Good job.”
Elijah sighed internally at the sound of Vincent again.
“I can’t fucking believe you did it.” That was Zander, sounding pissed.
He ignored her bucking underneath him, trying to remember why Zander would be so pissed off. That’s right, he thought, the bet. A hundred to him being the one to catch the thief.
“Hmmm,” Elijah mumbled to himself. “I’ll have to remind Z that he owes me a hundred bucks when he gets here. He said this wouldn’t work…”
“I’m right here,” Zander snapped. “I’ll pay you later, asshole.” Elijah looked over his shoulder, saw the red head and got off her. Right at that moment, she must have seen an opportunity, since he felt like his leg had been broken by the force of her booted kick.
“Holy shit, mother fucker, goddamn it,” he groaned louder. Zander grabbed her leg, so she kicked with the other, rolling to see them at the same time. Elijah was so fucking impressed by the fight in her. He was not surprised by the shock on her face at seeing Zander Wade standing over her. That was something he’d hoped he’d get to see.
“Nice to see you, Sawyer.” He grinned and kept his tone friendly. “It’s been a long time. Jasper’s here too, in the living room. We were recruited into the IMPO after a couple of years with IMAS. How have you been?” Zander didn’t move, only kept talking. Elijah was rubbing his thigh, looking between them. He waited for the explosion, for more than just her shocked face and Zander’s act of trying to make this all sound okay and dandy.
“What the fuck?” was the first thing out of her mouth.
“Should have figured that would be what you had to say,” Zander sighed, looking at Elijah. “Help me get her out there?”
“If she promises not to try and send my balls back into my body.” Elijah looked at her, and she hissed, baring her teeth. Damn, he wished he could have just fucked her and moved on like any other human being. Now she looked like she wanted to kill him. “I think that’s a no.”
“Don’t be a coward.” Zander chuckled. “You won a Benjamin from me, dick, but now you get to deal with the pissed off woman it cost you.”
They both reached for her at the same time, and she finally snapped back into action. She kicked out with both legs; but the guys were ready for her, each grabbing one leg and yanking her off the bed. Her back hit the floor with a thump, and the air got knocked out of her. Elijah winced in sympathy at the sound, but she deserved it.
“Fuck,” she groaned. “What the hell?”
“We wouldn’t have done that, if you hadn’t tried to fight,” Zander sighed. “Now let us get you into the living room without any more stupid shit, Sawyer.”
“Was she like this growing up?” Elijah reached down and hauled her up with one arm. He let her shake him off. He felt like an ass for fooling her like he had. He even ignored the daggers she was glaring at him.
“Yeah.” Zander nodded, watching her. “Come on, Sawyer. Living room.”
“I’m not seven, asshole,” she growled. “I can go where I damn well please.”
“Actually, you’re in the custody of several IMPO Special Agents, so you can’t.” Elijah laughed, grabbing her elbow and hauling her out of the bedroom. He dropped her in a chair, realizing that she hadn’t quite gotten the severity of this situation yet. She would learn pretty quickly how badly this possible one night stand had gone for her in a matter of moments.