Lee felt sick. He had exited the room as soon as the words left Adam's lips and locked himself in the bathroom of his own room. He attempted to analyze what he was feeling. Anger, regret, shame, and the awful realization that at some point when it all hit the fan at the Bureau, both he and Adam had been manipulated.
Information implicating Lee in the public arena would have led to his dismissal and arrest. Whether the information had been real or not, the damage would have been done. Adam had taken the fall for Lee and all Adam had had in return from his supposed lover was to be dropped like a hot potato.
The knock on the door was expected. Adam would not let it lie and have Lee hiding in a freaking bathroom. He had tried to stop him leaving the bedroom but Lee still had some moves on his larger lover.
"Lee?"
A mix of self-pity, shame, and grief spun in his head and he swallowed before answering "I'll be out in a minute—"
"Ops called, Jennifer is twenty minutes out." Lee heard the words and waited for the noise of Adam moving away. He held his breath until finally Adam walked away from the door. Lee wasn't ready to face him. Shit.
In a daze he stood in front of the mirror blindly looking at the man who stared back at him. Gently he touched the red marks on his collarbone. Adam took him out of who he really was, he always had the touch to make Lee just feel. Those photos had been so damn incriminating. He'd not long joined the FBI version of internal affairs, a newbie, he'd only really worked his way through one case and having evidence of Adam handed to him on a plate was damning. He thought back to the day that Sean had called him to one side.
"I'm sorry, Lee," he had begun. Lee wasn't sure how to take Sean or the tone in his voice. "I know you and Adam are close," the man had added. When Lee opened the envelope he hadn't believed what he had seen. Of course he hadn't seen betrayal, or payoffs, he had just seen photos of Adam doing something that he hadn't shared with Lee. Then to be told Adam was suspected of taking payoffs and bribes? The evidence had been damning. He'd taken action immediately. He'd asked Adam to lunch and they sat and chatted over pizza and hot sweet coffee. Lee didn't remember how he had managed to get through the lunch without being as sick as he felt now. He gave Adam every chance and Adam had said nothing.
Shaking his head clear of memories he started the shower and climbed under the scalding hot water. Jennifer arriving meant it was time for Adam and him to visit the prison in which Headley senior was incarcerated. That was at least something they could concentrate on. He needed to get back in the game and try to push the other shit to one side. Wrapped in a towel he left the bathroom and walked into his room. It didn't surprise him to see Adam sat on the bed waiting. The huge man looked small somehow with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin on his steepled fingers.
Lee stopped. God. He wished he knew what to say. Sorry wasn't going to cut it. He took the step forward to be in Adam's reach. What he expected he didn't know. Maybe Adam would punch him, maybe he would ignore him. Whatever he did at least it would be something.
Adam lifted his head and reached out with his hands to settle his palms on Lee's towel wrapped ass. With a pull from Adam he stumbled that last little bit of distance. Adam turned his face and pressed his cheek against the damp skin above the towel and Lee grasped Adam's head with both hands, pressing him closer.
Slowly Adam moved to place a gentle kiss just above Lee's navel and it was too much. Lee sank to his knees between Adam's legs and waited. So many words spun around them but it appeared neither man could actually grasp enough to form a coherent responsive sentence. Adam leaned down the final inch, Lee pulled in by the spark of anticipation, the echoes of the sudden and intense lust still suspended between them, and they touched lips. It was heat, it was a connection, and Lee shut his eyes, angling his head just to feel more of Adam's soft lips as they pressed a slick of warmth against his. This felt so right, so perfect. Why the hell had he ever let this go?
Adam's breath was warm against Lee's lips, and he stole another kiss feeling Adam's hands curl at the back of his neck digging into his hair and pulling him up on his knees for the kiss. Adam started to talk then between kisses, each word carried through touch, a gentle smoothing of fingers down Lee's arms, seeing each fine hair stand in a shiver, moving his fingers onto his chest, exploring gently, desperate to touch each inch.
"It's out there now," he said simply.
"Will we ever get past this?"
"Past two stubborn idiots losing years of being together? I want to." Adam whispered into the brightening room as Lee relaxed back into Adam's hold. He tightened his fingers on Adam's hip, firm against the bone, marking the skin stretched there, the breath in his lungs caught in a sudden panic. They were so far apart, the Fed and the bodyguard, Lee back to the Bureau when this finished, Adam to God knows where, doing God knows what.
Lee took a deep breath and he could feel Adam tensing against him at the hesitation in his voice, until he said all he could say now… all he could give Adam…
"I'm sorry."
Adam pulled back and nodded. "You need to get dressed." He pointed this out with a gentle touch of his hand to Lee's bare chest. Lee tensed and leaned into the man who was so dramatically back in his life. "I'll make coffee."
Lee opened the closet and glanced in at the racks of clothes ranging from baby clothes to suits and ties. It was a bulging space and he pushed aside the girl clothes and pulled out a soft blue Tee and a gray hoodie. Further exploration found him jeans that while not fitting perfectly were okay with a belt. The T-shirt was warm against his skin and the fleeced jacket was soft.
At least dressed he had that one further layer of protection. Hefting his gun he checked it over and then slid it into the space between the base of his back and his jeans.
Stretching tall he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Red marks bloomed on his neck just above the Tee but with a subtle pull of the material in the hoodie he could hide most of it. Not that he wanted to. Perversely, he wanted everyone to see Adam's marks of possession on his skin. It just wasn't the professional thing to do.
Sighing he checked the room one last time and then, closing the closet door, he left to join his lover in the main room.
Jennifer was nothing like Lee expected. Tall and Amazonian she was not. In fact she probably topped five-eight in heels and had hair the color of corn silk to her waist. She wore a black dress covered in faux diamonds and it wasn't much of a dress, more like two pieces of material she had been sewn into. Lee may be gay but, hell, even he could see she was one sexy but completely impractical babe.
"Shower first," she grumbled as she removed impossibly high heeled shoes and kicked them into the corner of the living room. Her vowels were pure accented French. "I tell you, this is screwing with my head. Ambassador's party at the embassy and then straight on to the ass end of the forest. No down time. Jake so owes me one."
"The extraction was unplanned," Adam said with a laugh in his voice. Pouting scarlet lips she nearly climbed Adam to plant a sticky red kiss on his mouth leaving a generous smear of red.
"Anything for you, gorgeous," Jennifer simpered.
Lee pushed down the irrational spike of jealousy. Adam was not bi. He was gay and women didn't do it for him. She crossed to Lee with a thoughtful expression on her face and traced a scarlet-tipped nail down his chest.
"And who do we have here?"
"Lee Myers, FBI," Lee introduced himself quickly. Jennifer's eyes widened at this tidbit of information but she said nothing. She brushed past him and waited at the start of the corridor.
"Which one?" she asked. Was it his imagination or was the French accent lessening the more she spoke?
"Second left. Usual choice of clothes in the closet." Adam chuckled.
Lee narrowed his gaze as she sashayed down to Adam's room. As soon as the door shut Lee couldn't hold back his reaction.
"We're leaving her in charge of the Headleys?" It seemed impossible to think the vamp with the lips and the legs up to her tits could be of any use. Surely all that hair would get in the way, and the nails, and fuck… the heels.
Adam shrugged but he had a smile on his face. Lee wanted to register his protest but Josh came out of his bedroom yawning widely.
"Whad'I'miss?" He slurred the words on another yawn.
"Your operative arrived," Adam explained. "She'll be assigned to you until we know what's happening."
"Oh?" Josh said curiously. "Where?"
"She's just showering off her last case. Coffee?"
All three men sat at the small counter with coffee and Lee's irritation and worry grew as Jennifer had yet to emerge from Adam's bedroom. She was probably in there checking her nails or some equally useless shit. His worries and fears about Sanctuary returned to the surface. Did they really know what they were doing?
When the door opened and she emerged, some twenty minutes after going in, it wasn't just Lee who stared.
Gone was the vamp in the little black dress and in its place was Jennifer with her hair braided and held back off of her face in some kind of complicated looped and tightly-in-place design. Her face was devoid of makeup and she wore loose fitting jeans, a simple sweatshirt, and western style boots on her feet. She had a weapon in her hands and checked the safety before sliding it into a shoulder holster.
"Fuck," she swore succinctly. Every single cultured French syllable had disappeared and in its place was pure Brooklyn. "I need coffee."
Adam poured her a cup of steaming black caffeine and after she sipped the burning hot brew she extended a hand to Josh. Lee noted, as Josh grasped her hand, that the long red nails had gone.
"Josh Headley?" she asked."Jennifer Cohen. I'll be your bodyguard for the duration."
Lee glanced at Adam who was staring in his direction. The bastard was laughing at him.