Jett, page 7
“What?” she asked, her voice soft. Anna looked drowsy and sated in his bed, like she’d been thoroughly fucked. He wasn’t finished with her yet either, but this matter couldn’t be ignored.
He moved closer, planting a kiss on her forehead. The covers shifted, revealing the top of one perfect, creamy breast. “I told you a little about what I do. It’s urgent. Shadow Security Headquarters is near my house. Most people would assume it’s a warehouse in the middle of the woods, except for the state-of-the art security surrounding it.” He swiped a screen on his phone, pulling up a live feed showing the front of the building. She looked baffled as he flashed the footage at her. “I apologize. I don’t usually leave a beautiful woman alone in my bed.”
“Stranded here,” she pointed out.
“Thoroughly sated. Relax. I need to update my team, and then I’ll be back. We’ll have dinner together. If you need to get back tonight, I’ll drive you home afterwards.”
She raised an eyebrow. “If?”
“I was serious when I said you can stay as long as you want.”
“I don’t have a car, Jett. I use public transportation in the city. And there’s that little thing about needing to look for a new job.”
“Telecommute,” he said with a wink. “And hell, if a vehicle is all that’s keeping you from staying longer, you can borrow one of mine.”
Anna smiled, surprising him yet again. “All right. Sounds good.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I had considered you might be upset at my leaving you here in bed.”
“I had an ex who’d take calls in the middle of sex—literally. We’d be in bed together, and he’d reach over and grab the phone on the nightstand if it rang. This is nothing.”
Jett growled softly, bending over to kiss her pink lips. “I promise that when I’m balls deep inside you, you’re the only thing on my mind, sweetness.”
Her hand ran over the stubble on his jaw. “Then we’re good. If you have to work while I relax on a Sunday afternoon, I’m fine with that. I was almost asleep anyway since someone’s kept me up late the past few nights.” She winked.
He smirked, letting his gaze rake over her. “Nights I’ve very much enjoyed. I’ll be back soon, baby.”
He turned and was walking out of his bedroom before he thought better of it. There was no reason not to leave Anna alone here. All of his work materials were at Shadow Security Headquarters or in his safe. He’d have his cell phone and laptop on his person. Not that he thought she would snoop around his home. Jett was normally a private man, but the idea of Anna here in his home, sleeping in his bed, set off a possessiveness that surprised him. He didn’t want her to leave, he realized. Not at all.
They’d have to talk later on tonight.
Chapter 9
“WHAT’S UP, BOSS?” FORD Anderson asked, looking up as Jett strode in. The large, muscular man was seated at the conference table, watching everyone else come in. The team had assembled quickly, gathering around the sleek conference room at Shadow Security. A massive screen took up the front of the space for secure video conferences and briefings. The long table was wired for the team to plug in their laptops or other electronics. A laptop sat at the front of the room for Jett to access what he needed. Other equipment was nearby as well—headphones, mics, other communications devices.
Each man on the Shadow Ops Team had an office here, and the front office staff worked during the week. Jett had employees who answered phones, made travel arrangements, and otherwise kept the office running. They weren’t privy to the real work that went on though. The men did provide security sometimes, although that was usually for government officials who’d become targets. Random rich and famous people needing bodyguards weren’t on his radar.
Luke Willard sank into a seat beside him, frowning. He scrubbed a hand over the dark stubble on his jaw, his blue eyes landing on the other man. “Nothing good. It’s a damn Sunday afternoon.”
The other men grabbed their chairs, waiting for Jett to start the briefing. The team had known the operation they were discussing today was a possibility ever since Jett’s meeting in Manhattan Friday evening. Jett had gotten the papers identifying the target from his contact. They were just waiting on word from the Government to swoop in.
“It’s complicated. Amir Masih is a diplomat in the U.S. who arrived nearly one year ago. He’s been in Washington, D.C., traveling frequently around the country. He’s also been on the government’s radar for the past several months and has recently been added to the terror watchlist.”
“Fuck,” Sam Jackson swore, clenching his fist. He and Ford were the two biggest guys on the Shadow Ops Team—tall and muscled, the type of men no one wanted to mess with.
Jett’s gaze met his. “He’s been watched for the past month by Federal Agents. Tailed without his knowledge. The government has read his mail and intercepted all his electronic communications. They’re ready to move in and question him. Our team is going to locate and exfil Amir. We’ll fly him to a location offshore so he’s no longer on U.S. soil.”
“Goddamn,” Nick Dowd muttered. Around six feet tall with lean muscle, his dark hair longer than in their Army days, Nick was absolutely lethal. He was the best shot of all of them, with amazing accuracy. He’d gotten them out of plenty of bad situations from the sniper’s roost. Jett was damn glad he’d come to work for the Shadow Ops Team years ago. “And the Feds will interrogate him?” Nick asked.
“Someone will,” Jett confirmed. “He’s under diplomatic immunity as long as he’s on U.S. soil. The CIA and FBI both want information from him. They could have him arrested, but they’d have to contact the embassy because he’s here on a diplomatic visa. He’d be flown back to Iran before the day was up. We’d get no answers.”
“What’s he planning?” Luke asked.
“Simultaneous attacks on several large universities. He’s been trying to recruit students to his underground terror cell. Although we’d had eyes on him, a young university student reported the incident to the FBI.”
“Damn. That was smart,” Sam said appreciatively.
“It was. It also sped things up for us as far as a timeline for exfiltration is concerned. We’ll need a team on the ground in Seattle tomorrow. He’s attending a conference there this week. Final clearance is expected to go through this evening, but we need to move now to be ready. I’ll need two of you to fly to the West Coast.”
Luke crossed his arms, eyeing Jett. “Do we have a plane?” He wasn’t asking how they’d get to Seattle. The complication would be getting Amir out of the country.
“Working on it. We’ll get a pilot to fly us out.”
“Are you coming, too, boss?” Luke asked.
“Not for the exfil, but I might be in Seattle later this week. One of my government contacts will be there, and he wants to meet in person to discuss another operation. I’ve actually been meaning to head out to the West Coast soon myself. I bought a cabin out there.”
Ford chuckled. “Nice. Is that where we’re staying?”
Jett shot him a look. “Negative. You’ll be in the city. Amir’s been known to enjoy a late night out at the clubs after the conference sessions are over for the day. It shouldn’t be too difficult to get him alone and bring him to the airstrip.”
“Fuck me,” Luke muttered.
“No thanks,” Jett said, causing the men around them to roar in laughter. “And I’ve got other news as well. I sent a contract to Gray Pierce yesterday afternoon. He’s coming onboard with Shadow Security.”
“About damn time,” Sam said with a chuckle. “I thought that boy would never give it up.”
Jett smirked, eyeing his team. “He’s restless. You know as well as I do that men like us need a mission—a purpose. He was a damn good soldier. We can use his skillset.”
Ford crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. “Are we ever bringing in some of the front office staff on what we do here? It’d be nice to have someone around on the weekends to assist. The nine-to-five security gig isn’t exactly how we roll.”
“Agreed,” Jett said, a thought crossing his mind. It had weighed on him a while that they needed more admin support. His receptionist strictly worked nine to five. Having additional support staff in place here would take some weight off his shoulders. Anna was quick-thinking and had been dedicated to her work. She’d gone into her Manhattan office at three in the morning just to send her boss some damn paperwork. He shook his head. He didn’t typically mix business with pleasure, but offering her a job wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Selfishly, he loved the idea of having her close. Having Anna in his bed wasn’t exactly a hardship. But working with her? Jett always had good instincts about people. It seemed crazy to offer a job to a woman he knew next-to-nothing about. Especially a woman he wanted as badly as her.
The idea took root anyway, the possibilities stretching out before him.
“I might have someone in mind,” he said. “We’ll see. Clara is too sweet to get mixed up in this,” he said, referring to their receptionist. “Plus, she needs normal hours.” The single mother was dedicated to her work but too damn innocent to understand the depth of their work here. Jett was sure she had no clue what went on behind closed doors and would no doubt be shocked to the core. Running ops the government didn’t want to get their hands dirty with took a special breed of men. Although they might be on the wrong side of the law at times, they were getting the mission done. Serving their country. Saving lives. Taking a violent terrorist off the street wouldn’t cause him to lose any sleep at night.
Clara did an excellent job of answering the phones and keeping the office stocked with supplies. She booked their travel and understood they provided security. Some people did indeed call requesting security services. All the government black ops work, however, came straight through him.
Jett crossed the room, holding a stack of materials he’d printed off. It wouldn’t be bad having someone to help him with the paperwork, he realized. Someone he trusted. He tossed the packets onto the table, watching as Ford slid them to the others. “This is our guy,” Jett said.
“He looks sleazy,” Sam commented.
“He’s fucking at least three of the conference attendees.”
“What the hell kind of conference is this?” Ford asked in amusement.
Luke elbowed him. “Looking to get some action?”
Jett’s gaze slid to them. “Academia. That’s how he’s getting information on the universities. Although he’s here on a diplomatic visa, he was taking some graduate courses as well. No doubt it was all a cover for the terror cell he’s now trying to form.”
Jett pulled up some information on his laptop, showing it to the men on the large screen. He went through the timeline of how the takedown would occur. “Who wants point on this operation?” he asked.
“I’m in,” Ford said, his gaze narrowing. “That jackass just looks like a sleazy mofo. The sooner we get him to the Feds, the better.”
“Me too,” Sam agreed. “I’m in.”
“All right. I’ll arrange cover and have Clara book flights. You’ll fly commercial to Seattle. You’ll be leaving the country by other means, of course. I’ll get a pilot on standby. The Feds will meet you at the black site. They’re working out some kinks, but as far as I’m concerned, this is a go. You’ll leave for Seattle tomorrow morning. I’ll have Clara send the details.”
Ford let out a breath. “I can’t believe that woman is good with making flights under aliases but still doesn’t know we run black ops here.”
Jett leveled him with a gaze, shutting off his laptop. “She thinks we’re providing security. Traveling under a name other than our own isn’t that far-fetched for providing protection. We’re going under the radar to protect our clients.”
Ford’s lips quirked. “I’m guessing she suspects something. No one is that fucking naïve, not even her.”
“Are we all set here, boss?” Luke asked. “I left a lady friend at my apartment. I’d love to get back before she up and bails.”
Jett smirked but nodded. “We’re done. I’ll have the details sent over to you both,” he said, eyeing Ford and Sam. “I’ll let everyone know when Gray’s starting. It’ll be good to have a group of men we can trust.”
“Harris was a dipshit,” Nick said, referring to the man he’d let go. The bastard was lucky he hadn’t ended up arrested. He’d certainly be on Jett’s shitlist for life.
“He could’ve cost us a lot,” Jett agreed. “Gray being here will be just like old times. Have a good Sunday afternoon, gentlemen. I left a beautiful lady at my own house and need to return.”
The men’s jaws dropped as Jett strode from the room. The team knew he never brought a woman home. Ever. They might as well get used to it. While he and Anna had danced around the idea of her staying longer than a single weekend, he wanted it to happen. He needed to see if what he was feeling was in any way real. He was too old for it to simply be hormones or the thrill of a new woman. It was her. Yes, he could admit he longed for her body, but her smile made him feel at peace. For a man that was always sure of himself, content to be alone, he almost wasn’t sure what to make of this new development.
They needed to talk. She had to get back to Manhattan to clean out her desk and officially turn in her work credentials, but if he could convince her to stay with him? For real? Hell. She’d nonchalantly agreed this morning, but he needed her to know he was serious. Why get to know her while she was an hour away in the city? He wanted her here, in his home. In his life.
Jett strode out the front door of headquarters, whistling. He should pick up something on the way home for Anna. Flowers. Sexy lingerie. Both. They’d have dinner, spend some more quiet moments together, but he’d have to get her back by tomorrow morning, at least for a little while. He’d already stayed at the office longer than he’d intended. He’d ask Lena to purchase flowers and lingerie for Anna tomorrow. He’d already decided Anna would come back to his place. He’d surprise her then with some presents. And as for tonight? He’d make sure Anna knew he wanted her here longer than a single weekend.
Chapter 10
ANNA GASPED, ARCHING atop Jett as she rode him. He’d woken her early this morning with soft kisses all over her body, and before long, he’d been claiming her once more. They were already on round two of their lovemaking, and Jett’s big hands gripped her hips, guiding her. She might be on top this time, but he was still in control. His eyes were on her naked breasts as they bounced. He thrust his hips up as he rocked her against him. “Come for me,” he ordered.
“Not yet,” she said breathlessly.
Jett’s thumb slid to her clit, stroking her. She faltered in her movements, sparks shooting through her entire body. This man was wicked. She wanted to feel his fullness longer, to savor this last moment of lovemaking before their magical weekend together really and truly came to an end.
“Come on me, sweetness.” Another thrust, and then he was expertly strumming her clit. His thick cock filled her as her inner walls clamped down around him. He thrust into her again. She reached the precipice, hanging there for an impossible moment, and then shattered, crying out as she collapsed on top of him.
Jett rolled them over in his massive bed, taking her faster. Harder. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist. His lips caressed her neck. He finished with a groan as she clung to him, her pussy still spasming from her own orgasm. He shifted their bodies again so he didn’t crush her.
“Oh God,” she panted as his fingers ran through her hair. One hand palmed her ass, squeezing gently.
“Sweet Anna,” he murmured. They lay there for a moment to catch their breaths, Anna draped over him. “I’m not ready to let you go. You’ll come back to my place this afternoon?” he asked softly. They’d discussed it last night, but now it felt real. She could return to her old life in Manhattan or explore what this was between them.
“You’re serious.”
“Hell yes I’m serious. Should I make it clear by taking you again?”
She kissed his neck, lightly nipping at him, their bodies still joined together. “Yes. I’ll pack a bag or two after I clear out my stuff from the office. I’ll move in here for a little while, and we’ll see what happens.”
“Mmmm,” he murmured. “I like the sound of that.”
Jett rolled them to the side, so they were looking into one another’s eyes. His cock slid from her pussy, causing them both to groan. “I meant what I said before. Stay as long as you want. I’ll give you the keys to one of the cars so you can come and go. I’ll have to work, of course, but—”
“I’ll have to job hunt,” she interrupted.
“About that. An idea occurred to me yesterday. What do you think about my offering you a job?”
“What?” she asked in surprise. “I’m not—”
“A job with Shadow Security,” he hastily said, although she didn’t miss the hungry way he looked down at her naked form. “Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested it while you were naked in my bed. I could use someone to help run things in the office. My receptionist is a single mother who can’t ever put in extra hours. Sometimes I have to go in on weekends, like yesterday, and I could use the additional help. I know she’d appreciate another person to help with the daily workload. I have an assistant, but she keeps my house and other affairs in order. This would be an administrative job, similar to what you do—what you did,” he corrected. “I won’t need you in the office at three a.m. or anything like that. This is mostly normal hours. Normal-ish.”
“Wow. I don’t know. I mean this—us—”
“Our relationship would be entirely separate from your employment.” He grinned at her, looking devilishly sexy. “What can I say? I’m an unconventional man. I wasn’t planning to offer you a job when I brought you home for the weekend, but if it works? Why not. You need a job. I need someone competent to help run the administrative side of things. Besides, I’ve been meaning to christen my office desk.”
