Chapter Four
Several weeks later, Drake walked into the conference room for their weekly gathering and took a seat across the room on the other end of the table. He set down his files to the side and waited for the meeting to start.
He was trying to find more enthusiasm, but he hadn’t slept again last night. So, he had to think of something besides alcohol he’d used at the cabin to get him to sleep. He’d tried sleeping pills, reading, running, working out until he dropped, but still nothing.
Something was going to have to give. He was really interested in making the business grow. Finally, he had something to look forward to in the morning, and it gave him a reason to move ahead instead of running back to his cabin and being alone like he had the strong urge to do.
The thought of being on his own for a long amount of time wasn’t healthy for a man who always had people around. Isolation had been wonderful in the beginning when he’d come back because he wasn’t fit to be around humans, period.
He barely made it through a day without fury and desperation racing through him, and the only things that got him through were the construction on the cabin or drinking.
Everyone grabbed cups of coffee, sat, and opened files.
“Drake, where’s Nolan?” Devon asked.
Drake looked up. “He had an errand to run. He’ll be back soon.”
“All right, let’s get started.”
For an hour, they discussed the jobs they were working on and the different avenues they could take with their business. There were so many possibilities, and at least one man was an expert or really good at least one type of work but usually more. Brayden and his team were good at getting intel, so he would head the business’s computer part. Drake and his team would take on anything military-related since they had spent the last few decades there.
Cason’s little, Lacey, brought in sandwiches at lunchtime. The two together made a handsome-looking couple, and he could see the love they had for each other. He almost smiled a few times when the woman would try to sass Cason and got put over his lap right there and spanked.
That was one thing about the business. They were unorthodox, but it made for a fun atmosphere.
Drake sat back and closed his eyes as two of the men discussed something. He was too tired to care at that moment.
The sudden silence caught his attention. He opened his eyes and turned to see Nolan had come in. He waved at him and then turned away.
“Come on. I promise it will be okay.”
Drake heard him say to someone outside of the room. He leaned back to see who he was talking to on the other side of the door.
Nolan pulled the person in, stood with his hands on her shoulders, and looked at Drake.
Shock unlike he’d ever felt ripped through him.
No, it wasn’t possible. How in the hell could she be standing in front of him when he’d watched her die?
He vaguely heard people talking, but it felt like thunder filled his head, and his only focus was on her.
He sat forward. “Aisha?” he whispered. God, if this was some sort of dream, when he woke up, he knew he’d go bat-shit crazy.
She pressed her hands together and nodded as tears ran down her face.
He stood abruptly and walked rapidly around the table, meeting her halfway because she had started to run for him. He snatched her up in his arms and held her tightly against him.
“God, baby, I don’t understand.”
She tucked her nose into his neck. “I have much to talk to you about.”
“Later.”
She nodded.
Drake didn’t stop to introduce her but headed out of the room and took a moment to look at his friend, knowing he was the reason she was there.
He mouthed the words thank you and left. He’d make sure Nolan knew how much this meant to him, but Drake guessed he already knew since he’d been there when he thought he’d lost her, and he could see the emotion he knew was blatantly obvious on his face.
Drake made it back to his office, then shut and locked the door without releasing the woman in his arms.
Her legs still dangled a few feet off the ground because she didn’t want to release him either.
“Fuck, baby, we’ll talk, I promise, but I need to be inside of you.”
“Oh, God, yes.”
He pinned her against the wall, lifted her skirt, and ripped her panties away. Then he got his cock out, lined it up with her cunt, and slowly pressed into her.