Jack (Eidolon Black Ops #8) - Maddie Wade Page 0,39
rage, and secondly, if you walked around half-naked, I’d be walking around with my tongue hanging out and in a much worse state than I am now.” He looked down to emphasise the boner he was now sporting and groaned when she sucked in a breath.
“That looks painful. You should probably fix that.”
He looked at the ceiling. “God give me strength.” A knock at the door was his salvation from making a move he shouldn’t yet. “Can you get that for me, please?”
Astrid rolled her lips between her teeth, and he could see her trying not to laugh at his expense. “Sure.”
“Payback is a bitch, firefly.”
Chapter Fourteen
It had taken all her best intentions to sleep beside Jack the previous night without climbing him like a tree. She’d seen him without a shirt before. But wet from the shower and his feet bare, he was relaxed, and those joggers hid nothing, and there was a lot to see. A tingle ran through her, and she tried not to squirm in case she woke him but God, she wanted to. First though, she needed to process things and make sure he’d meant what he’d said.
She’d gotten her mind around it just being sex, but before she could indulge in all that deliciousness, he’d changed the goalposts on her, and she was thrown for a loop. On top of the man taking a damn bullet for her, it was a lot. A relationship with Jack was what she wanted, but it was more of a risk. He’d shown her sides of himself she hadn’t expected. He was funny and kind and thoughtful and so sexy she could hardly think straight around him, and that was a huge draw, but it also made it so much easier to fall for him.
She eased out from under his arm, which was thrown over her belly, and was almost free when he opened an eye.
“Running away, firefly?”
Her spine stiffened. “No, I just have things to do.”
Jack eyed her and rolled to his back, the expanse of his sexy torso on display. “What time is it?”
“It’s early, only five-thirty.”
Jack groaned and sat up on one elbow. “I need to meet Fitz in an hour and give him an update.”
They had got word from Lopez late last night that Frederick Granger was linked to the dead shooter. It was a short-lived relief to know it wasn’t because of her, but the pain it caused Jack made her want to get her hands on his father and kick his ass.
“Can I take the bathroom first?”
His sleepy eyes moved over her in a slow perusal, and she enjoyed seeing the predatory look in his eye. “It’s gonna cost you.”
Astrid placed her hands on her hips over her pyjama bottoms as she straightened away from the game of cat and mouse, causing a squirm in her belly. “What?”
“A kiss.”
He was too much temptation lying in that bed like sin on a stick. “Fine.” Astrid leaned in and pecked his warm and firm lips. It would be all too easy to sink into him.
She raced to the bathroom, grabbing her clothes on the way and locked the door. Jack was probably the deadliest man she knew under all that control, and it was his constant vice-like hold on his surroundings that had drawn her to him. She wanted to see him lose his cool, to show her the lethal hurricane she knew was beneath the veneer he showed the world, but that would take time. Luckily, thanks to him and his now wounded shoulder, she had that.
She took a quick shower, dressed in plain khaki trousers that were elegant and comfy and added a cream sleeveless blouse and a khaki jacket. She towel-dried her hair and plaited it before tucking it into a chignon. Ready to face Jack now she had her armour in place, she opened the door and almost jumped out of her skin when she found him on the other side, leaning against the jam as if he had all the time in the world.
“Jesus, Jack, give a girl some space.”
He moved until his body was pressed against hers in the doorway. His steady blue eyes were boring into hers as he cupped her cheek. “I haven’t changed my mind, and I’m not going to, so stop running.”
His lips found hers, and he tasted of mint as if he’d brushed his teeth already. He kissed her thoroughly, his one hand curving over her hip and pulling her hard against his