Chapter 19

Mika left Raizo and found the en suite that had a shower cubicle big enough for a small family. The bathroom seemed bigger than her old apartment. She turned the faucet on and tested the water temperature before catching a glimpse of herself in a nearby mirror above the sink. Her reflection took her by surprise and she instinctively reached for the gun she no longer carried. She only realised she was holding her breath when she exhaled in quiet relief and shook her head at herself.

Don't go crazy just yet, she warned her reflection as the tired eyes looked back at her.

She started to peel off her clothes when Raizo walked in. Mika instinctively jumped again and looked a little angry at herself.

Raizo shook his head. "The jumpiness will fade." He lay a kiss on her shoulder. "You did a good job tonight." He walked over to a laundry hamper and tossed his clothes into it. Somehow he'd managed to strip down to nothing in seconds, or had he come into the bathroom nude? Mika had trouble conjuring the memories.

"Sorry I…."

Raizo took the hem of Mika's shirt and lifted it up off her body and over her head before she could finish her apology. She felt uneasy, exposed as her bra was removed next, and Raizo could sense it.

"Breathe…" He whispered into her ear before kneeling down to take off her underwear. He could hear her heart trying to decide whether to race or not.

"I feel like I could run around the block a couple of times." Mika finally said as she stepped out of her underwear and let Raizo toss it into the hamper.

Raizo stood back up and walked over to the shower to test the water. "Mel was not exaggerating about the adrenalin. It will subside." He held a hand out to Mika inviting her to join him in the shower.

The warm water hitting Mika's back made her gasp. Such a contrast to the freezing cold waters they had to swim in only hours earlier. The shower had two heads on opposite walls so Mika and Raizo could face each other while both standing under a jet. Raizo took some shower gel from a corner shelf and soaped up a sponge. Mika did the same but they refrained from touching each other.

"Do you think he got home safely?" Mika asked suddenly.

"Who? Noah?" Raizo responded while washing his hair. Mika nodded. "If he doesn't Jacob and Mel will hear about it."

Mika's shoulders slumped a little. Raizo knew that wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but it was the truth.

"Are people trying to kill us?" Mika asked.

"Right now, I'm not sure. We will find out soon enough though. Jacob and Mel do not take kindly to any threats to their livelihood. Or those they care for."

They continued to shower in silence from there on out. Raizo finished first and left Mika alone until she was done also. By the time she was finished and padded into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, she found that Raizo wasn't there. She did, however, notice that he'd left a silk robe on the bed next to a tray of lotions. Where the hell… Mika thought a moment and then stopped wondering while she tended to her hair. There were even the correct products left out for that. She shook her head trying to stop herself from wondering again. Sometimes it was best to just appreciate the little things. Little things like not so long ago she was hurling herself off a cliff under a shower of gun fire into freezing cold waters.

Mika finished up getting ready for bed as she braided her up and then fastened it into a damp bun on top of her head. The silk robe floated around her ankles as she looked at herself in the mirror again.

"Let me see that leg."

Raizo's voice from the doorway made Mika jump. "Jesus Christ!" She exclaimed with her hand over her heart. But Raizo was beaming at her as he nodded to her other hand.

"You're getting better." He smiled, walking over to her with a small first aid kit in his hands.

Mika glanced down at her other hand realising there was a gun in it. "Where the fuck?!" She placed it down on the dresser in front of her.

"Instinct maybe? I told you the room was fully stocked. When threatened you reached out to somewhere familiar like at home." He sat on the edge of the bed. "Now give me that leg so I can dress you for bed."

Mika's brain was still going a mile a minute. "Wait a minute. You said you were checking the room, doing inventory..."

"I did, yes." Raizo replied calmly taking Mika's wounded leg and pulling it gently toward himself.

"You put the gun under the counter?" she asked.

"I did." He replied again calmly while brushing Mika's robe away from her leg wound so he could apply a dressing.

"You startled me on purpose? To test me?" She accused.

"Not exactly," Raizo replied while wrapping a secure bandage over the fresh dressing. "I suspected you might still be jumpy so I left weapons in places you might think to look for them instinctively." He gave her leg back. "All done."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "They should put a bell on you. What if I'd shot you by accident?!" She shoved Raizo in the shoulder playfully.

Raizo stood up still smiling. "I trained you better than that." He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead before turning to put the first aid kit away in a drawer.

"Don't you give me that…hang on." Mika interrupted herself, realising that Raizo had on a pair of pyjama bottoms. "How come you've got pyjamas and I don't?"

"The robe looks better on you." He replied with a half smile.

Before Mika could respond the lights flickered three times in the bedroom lamps. "What was that?" She asked getting into bed.

"Mel and Jacob securing the house. Three flickers is full perimeter lock down." Raizo got into bed beside Mika, his hair still damp but tied back in a French braid.

Mika pulled the covers up over her hips and turned on to her side facing Raizo. "You're getting really good at braiding."

"I can't take credit for this one," he smiled tucking a pillow under his arm and propping his elbow up to rest his head on his hand.

"Mel got you?" Mika chuckled. "She treats you like a Ken doll."

"It makes her happy, and it doesn't bother me." He shrugged. "You should try and get some sleep. Tomorrow is an early start."

Mika nodded and lay down on her stomach while Raizo turned out the lights. Raizo lay on his back with his hands behind his head. The house was silent. Mika turned onto her side, then on to her back. She couldn't settle. She willed sleep to come while she turned again. She looked over at the figure of Raizo still on his back, hands behind his head, motionless. His eyes were closed, his chest barely rose and fell and for a brief moment Mika was reminded that more than just handsome, Raizo was, beautiful.

Mika sighed feeling the prospect of sleep that night to be nothing more than a wish. She got out the bed as quietly and gently as she could and went over to sit in front of the dresser. A black bag lay to the right of her on the floor. She opened it, pulled two handguns out and proceeded to dissemble, clean and reassemble them in turn. It helped to have something to do. Her mind quieted down a little but it was enough. She wasn't sure how long she'd been doing it but her leg had started to ache and the sensation started to interrupt the rhythm of her hands. She put the guns down and rubbed the fresh bandage that Raizo had put on her after their shower earlier. The pain was now an evident burning throb. Mika put her hands on one of the guns again.

"That will be six." Raizo's voice came low and steady from the bed through the dimly lit room.

Mika's breath caught but she didn't startle as badly as earlier on. She'd actually wondered if Raizo was sleeping at all but figured he must be when he said nothing about her getting out of bed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." she said turning on her stool to face the bed.

Raizo was now sitting up. "I can sleep whenever I need to. Right now, you need it more than I do. Come back to bed?"

Mika nodded. He was right but the thought of lying there fighting with herself till morning was not at all appealing. She got up and walked back over to the bed. She drew in a sharp breath as her leg wound now protested to her aggravating it by climbing into bed.

Raizo noticed. "The adrenalin is starting to wear off. You're going to start to feel the fight soon. Don't be surprised if you wake up with full body aches and pains."

Mika lay on her back staring at the ceiling she could barely see in the darkness. "Great. You know this part of the super spy gig was not clearly laid out to me when I was signing the paper work." She took a deep calming breath.

"Next time, read the small print." Raizo said. Mika could hear the smile in his voice. "Here let me…"

Raizo didn't finish his question or wait for an answer. Instead, he moved closer reaching a hand underneath the covers to find Mika's bandaged leg. He pulled her silk robe away from her skin and gently prodded around the wound before laying his palm directly over it. Mika winced but kept her breathing steady. "You haven't torn your stitches. I can get Jacob to give you something for the pain?"

Mika shook her head, "No, it's alright, I'll be fine. You've all had much worse. I feel like such a baby."

"It's not a competition," Raizo replied softly, his hand moving slowly across Mika's thigh until he found the soft nest of curls between her legs.

"Hey..!" She called out in surprise and leaning up on her elbows. "What's happening here? I thought we were supposed to be sleeping." It was hard for her to try and sound even while the back of Raizo's fingers made gentle circle motions against her. Mika's body reacted almost instantly, welcoming the familiar touch.

"Shhh…" Raizo replied while moving down beneath the covers and settling himself on his stomach between Mika's legs.

"Oh, I don't know if we sh…" Mika caught her breath when she felt Raizo's warm lips against her moments before his tongue followed suit. "What if they hea…"

Raizo's tongue attacked her again before she could finish. An arm snaked out from beneath the covers to gently press on her chest wordlessly guiding Mika to lay back down. She did so with no more talk, no more resistance. Instead, Mika raised parted her legs wider, her robe belt loosened, and the fabric spilled open, her breasts naked and bare to the night.

Raizo snaked his arms under Mika's thighs so he could hold her hips like a chalice. He tugged her closer to him making Mika gasp at the sudden shift down the bed. Raizo could feel his own arousal grow as Mika's moans and whimpers spurred him on. He used his fingers to reach where his tongue couldn't and as Mika began to grasp at the bed frame behind her head he knew she was close.

Chapter

Mika writhed against Raizo sometimes wanted to grind herself deeper and closer, sometimes wanted to pull away for a moment of mercy but Raizo held her firm. He along decided when to tease and when to devour. His senses could read every part of her body, the sound of her heart beat, the panting of her breath, the rise of her shoulders, the bucking of her hips and tensing of her stomach and he used every weapon he had to undo her.

Mika tried to keep her moans down but it was no use. When Raizo could feel her so close to the edge that he timed his attack perfectly, Mika's cries filled the room. She rode the crest of pleasure as wave after wave rolled over her. It seemed that as long as Raizo kept suckling, licking, plunging she kept coming, until she peaked, her body stiffening, Raizo's hand on her belly to stop her arching off the bed. He knew she liked that and her breathing died down Mika could feel Raizo's lips smiling against her while she shuddered through the aftershock.

Raizo laid gently kisses up and down the inside of Mika's thighs. He even found time to reach for a small towel to clean himself and her up before he rose back up level with her on the bed.

"I think I counted 26 oh fucks this time." Raizo said reaching out for Mika and gently pulling her to him.

Her eyes were still rolling around in her head trying to focus. Her feet were sliding around on the sheets as if she were trying to earth a current of energy she could no longer contain. She was smiling when she finally rolled on to her side to face Raizo. "Jesus, fuck.."

Raizo let that one slide. Post-coital fucks didn't count.

"You okay?" he smiled at her. Mika goofily nodded back and snuggled closer to Raizo, slinging a leg over his and tucking herself against his chest, breathing in the scent of his exertion. She felt his hard length twitch against her leg.

"Let me take care of that," She murmured softly as she tried to shift her leg to climb on top of Raizo. But he stopped her shaking his head. "Uh uh, now you rest." He pulled he wrapped his arms around her and lay a kiss on her forehead.

"Fine, you can bank it." Mika whispered suddenly feeling the weight of sleep falling over her.

Raizo pulled the covers up over them both and watched Mika's eyelids flutter shut.