Free Submit (The Underground Book 4) by Becca Jameson

his shoulder to make sure no one was behind him. He would surely hear if she opened the bedroom door, but he didn’t want her to walk in and catch him talking about her. “Even sick yesterday morning, she packed a punch. When she got up today and primped for work, I nearly swallowed my tongue.”
    Sergei continued to grin. “She know you’re into her?”
    Nikolav groaned. “Not sure it matters. She’s got balls. Insisted on traipsing around this evening to get that story. Couldn’t talk her out of it. And she put me in my place more than once since we got back here. Doesn’t like me telling her what to do.”
    Sergei chuckled again. “Rich. Man, you must be frustrated.”
    “That’s putting it mildly.” He closed his eyes again and tipped his head toward the ceiling. Visions of Belinda swam around in his mind. She was strong and stubborn and feisty. No denying any of it. He’d known that for two days. The question was did she take that assertiveness to bed, or could she check it at the door?
    Nikolav could deal with her wanting her independence in her professional life. In fact, it was so attractive his cock ached. But he’d also seen her tremble when he spoke. And she flushed when he took control. Every time.
    Maybe he misread her thoughts, but if there was any chance in hell she could check that attitude at the threshold to his bedroom, he would take her under his wing and make her his in a heartbeat.
    “The FBI agent isn’t hard on the eyes, either,” Sergei added.
    Nikolav twisted to look at him again. “Jesus, man. Don’t you ever stop? Is every woman you meet a conquest?”
    Sergei smirked as he shrugged. “No. Just the smokin’ hot ones. Don’t you agree?”
    Nikolav rolled his eyes. “I guess. I didn’t really think much about it. She’s an FBI agent, dude. I don’t think she generally sleeps with guys like us.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “We don’t exactly play by the rules. The FBI is probably hoping to arrest us, not fuck us.”
    Sergei chuckled. “Leo and Mikhail say the FBI has little interest in something as uninteresting as underground fighters.”
    “Nevertheless, I’m betting she’s married to her job. And I seriously doubt her tastes run toward the submissive.”
    “Why? Because she has a powerful job? Those are often the best kinds.”
    Nikolav sighed. There was no arguing with his friend. Besides, the guy was right about that last part. At least he hoped so. Because Belinda Gallo was one of those high-powered women who bossed their way through every day. And he was secretly praying she could turn some of that sass over to him one day, at least in the bedroom.
    »»•««
    Belinda typed quickly, grabbing the rapid-fire story flowing out of her fingers without paying any attention to spelling or grammar. She could fix all that when she was done.
    The moment she hung up with her boss, she knew exactly what to do. And although she worked best late at night with an adrenaline rush, she was unusually pumped tonight.
    She had downed the coffee while speaking to Dale, and the caffeine in her veins had given her the burst of energy she needed to put the insane scramble for her life out of her mind. She concentrated on the explosion first, how it made her feel, the adrenaline rush, the people running in every direction. The sounds of screaming, babies crying, horns honking as traffic came to a stop. The scent of smoke in the air. The way it clogged her lungs with the debris. How her eyes burned as she moved away from the epicenter.
    When she finished with the explosion, she moved on to the chase through the streets. The masked men. The guns. The FBI skidding up next to her and Nikolav to pick them up.
    She typed and typed, losing track of time. When she finished the first draft, she immediately read and reread the piece until she had it precisely the way she wanted it. As she finished and sat back, she remembered where she was.
    Shit .
    She jumped to standing and spun