The Blacklist (sequel to The Reluctant Spy)

Secrets

Warning: This story has mild use of violence, language, and  some intimate situations between characters. Although, this story is geared for mid-teenage to adult readers, there are no graphic, unnecessary details.

It was very early in the morning when Nyssa woke up. The sun was barely visible when she opened her eyes and heard heavy breathing next to her in the bed. She carefully turned on her side toward the man lying next to her. He had turned over in the night and had his back to her. She smiled as she reached out with her fingers and lightly brushed over the skin, tracing the random domes he had tattooed on his back.

There were eight of them. That was significant. She remembered that he said eight years of his life was stolen. Her fingers brushed over each one as she studied them carefully. Eight years in a Russian prison. Eight years in hell. She closed her eyes and leaned over to kiss his shoulder. He stirred just slightly before his breathing became heavy again, and she could tell he fell back asleep.

Lucas never told her he was in prison for those eight years. The tattoos told her already from the moment he took off his shirt last night. She knew what Russian prison tattoos looked like and what each one represented. Lucas' tattoos were different in that way. She imagined that his were more personal, more meaningful only to him.

Nyssa rolled over on her back and closed her eyes, letting her memories relive that moment when he pulled his jacket and shirt off in front of her.

Lucas kissed her deeply, with the same urgency as a man desperate for water. He tugged at her t-shirt until she was free from it, then he tossed it on the floor, not caring where it landed.

While their tongues fought for dominance, Nyssa pulled off the jacket, letting it fall to join the shirt on the floor. She worked on the buttons until the last one gave way. They resumed their kissing while she slipped his shirt over his shoulders and down his arms. With one swift tug, she released his hands from the shirt cuffs and pulled the shirt away from them.

Lucas made a trail from her lips to her neck and worked his way down to the shoulder, kissing and nipping as he went. Her head fell back and a moan escaped her lips when he bit the base of her neck leaving a red bruise.

Nyssa moved her hands up his back and buried her fingers into his hair as he traveled back up her neck then pulled away to look into her eyes again. His emotions changed when he saw the startled look on her face as she stared at the tattoos on his chest and arms. He had forgotten about them. He suddenly felt shame and embarrassment at the thought of stopping everything to explain why he had them.

He lowered his head and started pulling away until she locked her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a long deep kiss. When she gently broke the kiss, Nyssa touched her forehead to Lucas' and looked into his blue eyes.

"Not now. Tell me later. Tonight, I just want you," she whispered.

He nodded his head, and they resumed their lovemaking, neither of them saying a single word for the rest of the night.

Lucas moved again bringing Nyssa out of her memories. Her eyes opened and she watched him reposition himself on his other side, this time facing her. His arm reached out and wrapped around her waist. He gently pulled her close to him as he slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

This was how he wanted to wake up, staring into Nyssa's beautiful hazel eyes.

"Good morning!" he said.

Lucas reached up to lightly touch the bruise that formed on her jaw where he hit her last night. He was angry at himself for hurting her like that, but she appeared not to hold any grudges. In fact, it was Nyssa who started the fight and kept it going until he finished her off with a kiss.